I’ve been forced out of my hiatus by A Floating Life who has tagged me. I’ve never been tagged before so I figure I’d best try it on for size.

The rules of this game as they stand:

The first player of this game starts with the topic five weird habits of yourself, and people who get tagged need to write an entry about their five weird habits as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next five people to be tagged and link to their web journals. Don’t forget to leave a comment in their blog or journal that says You are tagged (assuming they take comments) and tell them to read yours.

So here we go:

1. I find it very hard to read fiction. I force my self to read one or two novels a year but I just don’t see why I’m reading about someone’s introspective journey while I could be absorbing information (is this weird? not sure).

2. I hate egg. The smell of it makes me gag and if egg actually touches my lips I’ll spew. I can eat a whole pavlova though so I’m not allergic or anything.

3. I’m not so much anal as I am stubborn but the two are easily confused on a case-by-case basis. This can lead to some great inefficiencies but more importantly some rituals (like my breakfast one) that some people find weird and others funny. It’s not that there is anything particularly odd about it, I just do things in a particular way and in a particular order.

4. I love that the woman at my local noodle shop calls me Michael. I’m not sure why she does that but she knows me and that makes me happy.

5. I can spell better with a keyboard than I can with a pen. I’m a bad speller at the best of times but it all has to do with the way my brain works. I can remember patterns (therefore remember how to spell with the patterns on the keyboard) and have poor visual recognition so I can’t actually visualise words in my head very well. This explains a lot about me and probably about this blog too.

Now. Who to tag? It know it will never work but I wonder if I can arouse Terry from his slumber. I’d have to tag the Mad Hatter. Vitriolics Anonymous – needs a good tagging. Ad Lib – I’ve no doubt you’ve some strange habbits. Finally… Kara.

Well today is my second last day at work and I suspect my posting will be very thin until early next year. I’m not taking as much time off this year as I have in the past and I know I’m coming back to the mother of all workloads but I’m trying to forget that for now.

I must say I haven’t felt this relaxed in some time. I have many non-work-related things that I do and I think I’ve finally got them all done for the year. Anything that isn’t done yet can wait until next year. Yep, I’m already writing the list of stuff I have to do next year but so far am unphased by it.

I do love Christmas. I’m far from religious but I love the extended family getting together and eating and drinking too much. I get to see a lot of people that I love very dearly but who I don’t get much of a chance to see. It will be a bit of a tense Christmas as there’s some family nastiness going on but that’s not something I’m going to talk about here. Moreover, I refuse to let it get in the way of my good time.

I also like that it’s a time for reflection. I think it’s important to recognise and utilise these times. So if you’ll allow me, I’ll get a little self indulgent.

This year I’ve finished my Masters, including a 20,000 word thesis and achieved a perfectly respectable H2A for the thesis and a H1 for my Masters. This is something that I’m quite proud of.

I’m probably even more proud that I’ve started a non-profit organisation: The Australian Centre for Democracy and Justice. It was about this time last year that I was throwing the idea around with a few people. In fact I think I had my team together about this time last year. It was a different team to the one I have at the moment but both teams were/are fantastic.

For those of you that don’t know I also blog over at the Australia Centre for Democracy and Justice’s Blog which is where I tent to write my more political stuff.

I organised my first Melbourne Social Forum and in doing so meet some pretty amazing people both at the actual forum and amongst the organising committee. We’ve got a really strong team that I really enjoyed working with and that I felt I learnt a lot from. Next year will be bigger and better and I’m really looking forward to it.

I really feel as though I’ve blossomed as an activist this year. I’ve been building up to it for a couple of years now, but I think I’ve finally earned my activist badge for my scout uniform.

Next year is going to be an exciting year as well and one that I’m really looking forward too. There’ll be lots of new things to look forward to and I can’t wait. This eagerness, juxtaposed to being the most relaxed I’ve been in 11 months is a funny place to be – but it’s quite nice. It’s a place for thinking and rejuvenating.

So thank you everyone that popped in to this blog over the year – it’s great to have you on board, especially those that comment. I get an average of about 150 hits a day which isn’t bad. Moving the blog has been fun and I suspect that next year it will blossom into a fully fledged web page. Thanks to those who link here – especially those who have updated their blog rolls to my new address.

Knowing me I’ll probably blog again between now and the New Year but have a great break and make sure you all get some rest – I know that’s what I’ll be doing.

You get phone calls along the lines of (remembering I’m at work):

MATE: Hey Ham, do you think you could drive R home, she’s getting a bit lose
me (worried): Lose, what do you mean lose? Is she ok? Where are you?
MATE: Yeah, she’s fine, just a little ‘Lose’. Were down at the Town Hall (hotel)
me: huh? What’s going on?
MATE: “Here, I’ll put R on”
R: Hey Ham, are you coming down the pub or what?
me: “R, I’m at work”
R: “Look, I’m sick of this shit and I’m sick of your fucking work. Come down here now”
me: “How about in an hour or so time?”
R: “Fuck! Look! Come down here now and sink some piss!”
me: “I’ll be there in an hour”

*hangs up*

Two mins later I get a message: “If I have another beer, do you reckon you could drive my car home?”

Like I ever had a choice.

I’m so excited. I haven’t felt this way since Christmas 1989.

Tomorrow morning at 9 am I go and pick up the 8 seater Tarago. Then I pick up 7 other friends and we drive to what I believe will be my 5th consecutive Meredith for the Meredith Music Festival.

*squeals*

I picked up my boy from the airport last night:

He was already drunk. Bless his soul.

I must apologise now to AusCulture Jess now – if I see a Justin Timberlake Official ‘Justified’ Satchel I will harass you. I’m sorry now, it will be an act of love.