OK, now what's happened in the last couple of days..

I got up about 10, had a shower, some breakfast, and left to go to the computer fair to get a replacement fan for the busted machine (I also had to get a switch for the seniors club, but I had forgotten about that at this point).

I rode to the computer fair. Just as I got there, my phone was ringing (about 11am), I went to answer it, just missed the call. It was my mate who got me the consulting work a week or so ago.

I went inside. I bumped into the people from the seniors club where I was setting up the network a week and a bit ago. I started talking to them. My mate who just tried to call me bumped into me. I continued talking to the people from the club for a few more minutes, until my mate rescued me.

I had a chat to him for a bit, he's off overseas next week, and wanted to get a cheap webcam for someone so his wife could communicate with them while they are overseas.

I got another short distance around the fair, before bumping into the computer club I used to be a member of. I chatted with them for a few minutes, they want me to come and be a guest speaker at one of their linux workshops in a few weeks.

I eventually managed to get away from them, and around the fair. I bought the fan I needed.

I wandered around the fair just looking, since I didn't need anything myself.

I was just about to leave, and looking at the last table, I noticed a USB powered network switch, just when I thought they couldn't possibly make the stuff any more cheaply.. they get rid of the plugpack adapter (it's probably half the price).

Then I realised I had to buy a switch for the club where we had network issues because of the shared ports on the switch.

I wandered back around the fair again, not much choice, hardly anyone had switches. I found one stall, it had a 5 port crappy looking switch for $28, or an 8 port reasonable looking switch for $30. I got the 8 port.

I wandered around a bit more, it was getting close to midday (about 11.45). I need to call my mate and find out what the plan for getting to the city is.

I went back to my bike. stupid switch box was too big to easily fit in the saddlebag, I emptied it out, folded up the box, and shoved it in the bag.

I tried to call my mate, no answer.

I took off, I went back to the shopping centre (where I found the bag etc) and I got some lunch.

I finished my lunch, and was reading the paper, about 12.10pm, I called my mate again, he answered, they wanted to leave to go down now.

He said the car was full, so I could get the train, and they'd pick me up down there. Bugger that, I'll just ride.

I said I would meet him at the service station near the freeway, once I had my stuff.

I rushed home, emptied the switch and fan and stuff out of my bike, chucked all my stuff in my bag (we usually suit up when we're down in the city). I tried to call my mate again, to check we were suiting it, but no answer again. argh, oh well, I am anyway.

I took my green suit, a plain white collarless shirt, and a black t shirt. I'll see what looks best down there, don't have time now.

I took off again, rushed up to the servo, it was now about 40 minutes after the first phone call. eek.

I got there, they were waiting there, I apologised for making them wait so long. I fuelled up, chucked my big in there car, and we took off.

They got ahead, because I was mucking around trying to put my earbuds in.

I got stuck behind a ton of slow traffic, and then one of my earbuds fell out.

I pulled over, fixed it, and took off again.

I had to try to catch up to them, since I didn't know where I was going, and I was going to follow them.

I started out on the freeway going about 120/130, thinking I would see them in the distance fairly shortly. I didn't, I pushed it to 140 for a bit, still no sign of them.

Down the big hill, I just went full throttle, got it up to 160 (only 50 over :-), and up the other side.

I dropped it back to 130, hoping I would catch them soon.

Quite a few kilometres later, about halfway down the freeway, I saw them.

I pulled in behind them, and just followed.

We came to roadworks, where the speed limit is 80, bit of a change going half the speed I was just going.

The rest of the freeway was a bit boring, slow, not much to do, my mate sat in the outside lane going at the speed limit, annoying most other drivers. I just sat behind him, if I had got out, into the correct lane, then it would have been a moving road block, even worse.

We got to the end of the freeway, and started going down the road where I went when I was consulting back days ago.

I remembered the tolls to get over the Harbour Bridge into the city.. I've no change, only notes, and it takes ages to muck around paying.

I'll see if I can get my mate to pay for me, and we both go through.

I finally managed to get a gap, where I could pull up next to him, and ask him to pay.

I then got ahead of him, so I pulled off, waitied, and jumped back on the road behind him.

We headed towards the city. As we came near the tolls, some guy started to change lanes on top of me, I knew he was going to do it, so I blasted my horn at him.

We got closer to the tolls.. my mate headed towards the automatic lane.. d'oh, this won't work.. he waved out the window. I pulled up alongside, and he gave me some change.

They went through, I chucked the change in, and kept going.

We got through the city, and pulled into the parking station.

I parked up (on the next level) went down, got my bag, and we went and checked in.

Apparently we weren't going to be staying where we normally do, because they were full or something, my mate tried to book at a different place, but the booking didn't go through. 4 rooms in the normal hotel came up last night, so my mate booked them.. this made them $25 each more. D'oh, oh well.

We checked in, my mate staying in the room with me wasn't there yet, so I just dumped my stuff, and went in next door with a couple of my other mates.

We watched some of a stupid documentary on Mark Hamill for a while.

2 of the others we were waiting on turned up. No sign of the guy I was sharing with yet.

We all went out to wander around the city.

Some of us went to the pub, and the other went into a record shop.

They all came into the pub a little while later. I had 2 pints in here.

About 4.45pm we all decided to go back to the hotel, get ready, I pinched a pint glass for my mate who wanted one. We'd come back out about 6.30 for dinner.

I unloaded my stuff, and was getting ready to iron my shirt, I was just about to get in the shower, when someone knocked on the door, it was the guy I was sharing with.

I ironed my shirt, had a shower, and got dressed.

I went back in next door to wait. My mate lent me a 70s style shirt, white with brown diagonal lines on it, and a big collar. I put it on instead of my white shirt, it looked really cool.

We decided to head out about 6.20pm. I told the guy who was sharing with me where we were going (the same restaurant we went to last time) and he said he'd meet us there, since he'd only just got out of the shower.

We left the hotel, ended up just going into the pub across the road, to wait for the others. I had a schooner in here.

My mates, most of them seeing my suit for the first time, found it humerous.

We sat in the pub for a while, then we got a call from the guy I was sharing with.. he'd wandered off down to where the restaraunt is. Oops.

We left the pub, and went down there.

On the way down there, one of my mates asked a cute chick what she thought of my suit, "it's gorgeous" was her reply, hehe. Too bad that was the only real reaction all night.

We got to the restaraunt, we were in there for a while, then one of my other mates had to go and find the guy I was sharing with.

We all had dinner in here, it was pretty good, I had a couple of glasses of wine with dinner.

For 8 of us, it ended up costing $240 something, about $31 each.

We left here, and kept going.

We went over to Darling Harbour, to the Pontoon bar. It was full. D'oh. We kept going, around the harbourside, to the Cargo bar.

I decided no more beer, time to start on spirits, then I noticed they had Beez Neez (a honey wheat beer, from Queensland) on tap, so I grabbed one.

We hung around in here for a while, there were no seats. I was just about to order another drink (A long island iced tea) when I was told we were leaving.

We left there, and wandered up to the cab rank. 2 of my mates had already left, leaving 5 of us. 5 weren't going to fit in a cab, so we went 2/3 in 2 cabs. We went over to the Rocks, to the Lowenbreau. We went upstairs to the "UberBar", I had a half stein of Dunkel (so much for no more beer).

We hung around in here for a while, nothing much going on, so we eventually decided to move on. We came out, went around the front, and then everyone went back into the same pub we had just come out of.. they wanted steins, which were only served downstairs, it was too late anyway, but no one listened.

I sat down to wait. I don't want more beer, and I don't want to line up for ages.

2 of my mate's I was going to go with to the next pub disappeared. We didn't see them for hours..

The others who had gone in to get steins came back eventually, with more half steins, since it was too late to get a stei. Why don't people listen?

We sat there for a while, someone ordered some food, and we ate that. I went back and bought the next drinks, I got more half steins of beer, and a Southern Comfort and Coke for myself (I wonder if it's the 30% Southern Comfort? :-).

It started raining. We eventually decided to move on, and we went into the nearby pub, thr Orient, where we thought the other 2 who disappeared had gone. No sign of them.

The had one chick serving at the bar in here, it was hopeless. I eventually got another drink, a Bundy Rum and Coke.

We sat in here for a while, then we decided to go and get some food, and go back to the hotel.

We wandered out, and down the street. We went to McDonalds, and got some food. We were in here for a while, then we left, and went 2/3 in cabs again to get back to the hotel.

I had a shocking headache at this point. I went to the local convenience store, and bought some Panadol and a small chocolate bar. $10.30 for both. Far out.

I went back, and into the hotel. We went up to the room next to mine, where my mates were. Just as we were getting there, the other 2 who went AWOL turned up.

We all sat in the room for while, I had a cup of tea. I had about 1/5th of my chocolate bar, and everyone else polished it off, buggers.

My mates who just reappeared wanted to go back out. Daylight savings ends tonight, so we get an extra hour (we get 2-3am twice) so they wanted to take advantage of it. I thought about it, but my headache was really annoying me.

We sat in here and talked for a bit, then the others started getting stupid, and flicking undies around the room. I wasn't terribly impressed.

They took my room key, and were going to put a pair of undies on the guy I was sharing with, who had gone to bed. They didn't, they just hung them on the door knob of my room. great.

After a bit more mucking around, I wasn't really impressed with the behaviour, I decided to go to bed.

I went back my room, and went to bed, not sure what time it was.