Here we go for a long and boring post about a long and somewhat boring day.

Get up at 5am, get ready. leave home about 5.35am to get to the station in time for the 6.13am train.

I managed to get there in time for the 5.54 train (which was an express, rather than the all stations at 6.13).

Jumped on the train, got to Central about 7.10am.

Wandered over to the airport line, there was a train already there, jumped on, and was at the Domestic terminal a few minutes later.

I wandered up to the Virgin Blue checking area. It's now about 7.20am.

Hmm, why are there about a million people in here? Something must be wrong.

I got in the line for check in, and started waiting.

I heard some people talking, apparently this happens everyweeked, it's just very busy.

Oh well, whatever, I don't have to be checked in until about 7.45am for the 8.15am boarding of the 8.45 plane.

I noticed the express lane had only a few people in it, why I am waiting here behind people with surfboards and 500 suitcases?

I went over and got in the express lane, since I have no luggage to check in.

I wait and wait. The line doesn't go anywhere. No lines go anywhere. No one is moving.

They eventually make an announcement apologising for the delay, the check in systems are down.

Great.

Wait and wait.

I sent a message to the guy who's going to pick me up when I get to Melbourne, he called me back a few minutes later, and I told him the situation.

The systems are down, we're not going anywhere.

They tell us the system is up.

About 5 people (out of the 2000 or so waiting to check in) get through, and then they tell us the system is down again.

We wait and wait.

Every 10 minutes or so they tell us the system is still down.

8am comes. I've been standing here for over 40 minutes now.

8.20am comes, still waiting. Now been here for an hour.

I don't think I (or anyone else) will be making the checking in/boarding at 8.15am for the 8.45am flight.

There are still earlier flights that have not left.

They manually check in people for a couple of flights which should have left over an hour ago.

We wait and wait.

9am comes. Still waiting.

They make an announcement to tell us the system is back up, about 9.20am.

"There will be a refreshments trolley available".

They start processing the check ins.

There are 3 express lanes, and 2 people searving. A chick a couple of people up in the queue goes up to the desk that's alternating between 2 express lanes, and tells the guy to get someone out here to open the other desk now.

About 3 minutes later someone comes and opens our desk.

I've been standing here for over 2 hours now, and I finally get past the check in.

Go over, unload my pockets, take my belt off etc, throw everything through the metal detector, I got through first go.

I notice I still have my large metallic watch on, they must have the sensitivity turned down this time.

Hmm, why are they putting my bag back over the top of the xray unit?

they put it through again, no problem that time, they didn't say anything.

I collected my bag, and got dressed again, and kept moving.

I don't see any refreshments trolley.

I went down to gate 36 where we were supposed to be departing, it's now scheduled for a 9.45am boarding.

I wait and wait.

They move our plane to gate 38, I move over there.

The baording time has now changed to 10.15am.

It's now about 9.30am.

I wander around, and go and get a coffee.

I go back, and wait, and wait.

About 10am, I queue up to board the plane.

The bring out some boxes of bottles of water, and hand them out.

I go over to get one, and of course they run out just as I would have been handed one.

I go back to the line again, and wait.

We get on the plane about 10.20am.

I sent another message to the guy in Melbourne, and turned off my phone.

Great, I'm sitting right next to the engine. At least I got a window seat.

They finish loading all the luggage/crap, and we take off about 10.50am.

The flight was uneventful, and I was able to relax a bit, and enjoy it.

I ordered about $11 worth of stuff off the food menu, and they only charged me $5. Should have been free.

The plane gets into Melbourne just after midday.

I wander out, call the guy, find him, and we're off.

We head down towards the park where the bbq is, it's about 45 minutes away.

We go to a shopping centre on the way, I went in and got same cans from the bottlo.

We went around to the park, parked the car, and wandered in.

We found the group, and spent the next few hours eating and chatting, it was good.

It was nice to meet the people I've been emailing for almost a year now.

The rain held off, it was mostly sunny, a little bit overcast every now and then, just nice.

We were there until a bit after 4pm, when it got a bit cold, and everyone left.

I was back at the airport about 5pm.

I wandered around for a bit, some guy with a stand bailed me up as I tried to head for the loos.

He's trying to flog me a credit card. Bloody Citibank again, I already copped this speil when I was at Erina Fair a couple of weeks ago.

"Yes I have a credit card", "no, it has no outstanding balance getting charged interest", "it's an amex".

At least the guy was honest "Oh, well Amex has a good points system, better than ours".
"Don't you find that Amex is not accepted everywhere?" "yes, and for that I have a debit Visa card".

"Any reward points on that?" "no".

"Oh, well you're missing out. If you had our card as a backup, you would earn at least 1 point for every dollar you spend."

"It only takes about 7900 points to get a free flight to Sydney".

Let me get this right.. I spent about $7900 on your card, and for it I can get a "free" trip to Sydney.. that would cost me less than $100 if I was to pay for it myself?

I didn't ask that, but I should have.

"Oh, and there's only a $69.95 annual fee". As opposed to the $0 annual fee on both my Amex and Visa? But I didn't ask that either..

I feigned interested, hoping he would just give me a brochure and I could keep going (I really need to go to the loo now).

He then went through the eligibility questions.

"What's the limit on my current card?"
"Am I working?" "yeah, contracting" (That seemed ok, surprisingly).
"Do I have a good credit rating?"
"Are you over 24?"

Aha! My way out.

"No, I'm not over 24".
"Oh, you look like it"
"Well I'm only 22"
"Oh, well we can't sign you up today" (Like you would have anyway).
"Here's a brochure, you can sign up online, you only have to be 18"

Great, thanks, bye. I took it, shoved it in my pocket (never know when a bit of glossy paper comes in handy for something, like making a paper aeroplane). I then went to the loo. Finally.

I wandered around the airport for a while, pretty boring shops in here.

There was a little arcade, I played a simpsons pinball machine, but I think the feet were cranked right up, and it was too hard. I lasted about a minute playing that.

Waste of money.

Kept moving.

I want to sit down for a bit, I went and checked in at the express counter, where there was no one waiting.

"Aisle or window?" It's going to be a night flight, so I don't care, aisle will do, easier to perve on the flight attendents.

Apprently they're down to a 15 minute delay now, and the plane will be boarding about 7.30pm.

Fine. I told her how I had been stuck waiting for over 3 hours this morning.

She told me her parents were on one of the flights to Coolangatta (the earlier ones they eventually manually checked in) and they'd lost their luggage. Terrific.

Get my boarding slip, the stapler didn't work properly.

Can anything at all possibly go right today?

Anyway, I get my slip.. seat 1D. Hmm, front row, aisle, I think that's going to be an awful seat.

It's now about 5.30pm.

I wander in, and through the metal detector, belt off etc. No issues with my bag this time, even with 3 cans of Bundy and coke shoved in it,

My flight is going out of gate 1, which is currently full of people waiting to leave on an earlier flight.

I went down to gate 3 where the next flight out is at 8.30pm. There are about 3 people sitting in here.

I get a seat near the tv, showing bowls. Wow.

I listen to some Music for a while, and try to sleep, but there's no way I can get comfortable.

When the news came on at 6pm, I watched the first few stories, I wondered if there would be anything about the delays, not that I saw.

When it finished, I got up and wandered back to gate 1, empty now.

Sat down near the tv again, and waited.

I called in to find out what was going on with my mate's in Sydney, and told them I was delayed here.

As I was on the phone, they made another announcement, the 7.30pm boarding flight to Sydney is now delayed to 8pm. Terrific.

I call my other mate, who's in the room I'm in. I ask him to leave one of the access cards with reception, and tell them who I am, so when I get there, I can get into the room to dump my bag.

I went to the loo again, and someone had left their sunnies in there, sitting on top of the toilet paper dispenser.

I picked them up, and shoved them in my bag, intending to go and hand them in.

I went out, went to find something to eat, this airport is dumb.. all the shops are outside the secure area, whereas in Sydney they are inside.

If I want something to eat, I'll have to go out, and come back through the bloody metal detector again.

I went back and hung around gate 1. Some bum took my seat, and all the others are full.

I forgot to hand in the sunnies.

If you're reading this, and you left a pair of sunnies in Melbourne airport, and can describe them, then I'll pay to send them back to you.

I stood and waited, it's now about 7.45pm.

We finally boarded about 8.15pm.

The front row seats are crap, as I thought.

I've had just about enough now.

We finally take off just before 9pm.

We get towards Sydney, and have to circle around waiting, because of a storm over the city. The weather is not their fault, I understand that, but I wouldn't have had this issue if we'd been on time, not over 2 hours late.

We finally land, and I get off the plane, and out of the airport.

I get on the train back to the city.

1 stop before the city.. delayed, waiting for the train in front at central to move.

We finally get there.

I get off, and start walking to where I think the hotel is.

Nope. I can't remember where it is. I call my mate for directions, that was no help at all.

I ended up walking around the city for over an hour and a half trying to find the hotel.

I finally found it, and got there, just before midnight.

My mate has not bothered to leave the card, or tell them who I am.

They won't let me into the room.

I'm about 1 second away from walking back to the train, and getting the last train home.

I call my mate again, they call the hotel, and the best they can do is let me leave my bag at reception.

I really wanted to get into the room, to freshen up a bit, seeing as I've now been up for 19 hours.

I leave my bag, and I get a taxi down to the pub where they are at.

(I don't know why I didn't think to get a taxi to the hotel).

$10 cab fare later, I get there.

On my way in the door, the bouncer is like "who are you hear with". "My mates, they're already inside" "ok". What a useless question.

I call them again "I'm here, where are you?" "upstairs, there's a $10 covercharge".

Argh.

I pay, I go in.

I sit down. I must about now have smoke coming out of my ears. If someone pushes me, I might snap.

I've got splitting headache, and I've had enough already.

I get a drink, and sit down.

I'm able to relax a bit.

I have another drink, and another, and another. Now we're getting somewhere, and I don't feel so bad.

It's now about 1am, I've been up for 20 hours now.

Uh oh, it's time to make the mistake that we make everytime we're down here..

Instead of just enjoying where we are, someone wants to go somewhere else.

We spend the next 2 hours going all over the city looking for somewhere else.

Places full of guys, or want $18 or $20 covercharges, or too full to be able to move.

We end up right back where we started, I get a few more drinks, and relax again.

One of my mates walks off "I'll be back".

10 minutes later we go to look for him and the others. They've gone back to the hotel.

Great.

My mate wants to go down to King's Cross.

Whatever. I don't care anymore. It's now about 3.20am, I've been up for over 22 hours.

We get a taxi (eventually) down to the cross.

We wander around a bit, and go into a really seedy strip club, the only reason we went in there, is because the entrance of it is featured in the movie "Two Hands".

The guy tries to charge us $25 entry.. "no mate", "how about $10 then", "no, I've only got $5 on me". (Which was true at that point, a whole bunch of Bundy and cokes at $5.50 each eats up the funds really quick).

"ok, that'll do".

We pay, and go in.

I'd forgotten how seedy this club was, it's not even licensed, and they serve that "premium" beer crap, with like .000001% alcohol in it.

I'll be right (and I've got no cash left now anyway).

We sat in here for about 20 minutes, and it was just so seedy.

We left, got a taxi back to the hotel, and we were back about 4am.

I got my bag from reception.

I wanted some panadol.. the vending machine near our room had it, but didn't work properly. I managed to get a toothbrush out, that's not much good.

Mucked around with the machine for several minutes, gave up.

I really should go across the street and buy some panadol, I will regret it in the morning if I don't.. but I didn't, I drank some water, and went to bed, turned off the tv about 4.30am.

I've now been up for 23 1/2 hours. I'm stuffed.

I woke up about 6.30am, the sun blasting me in the face.

Oh god my head hurts.

I got up, drank some more water, ran some cold water over my face, closed the curtains, and went back to bed.

When I woke up again about 9.30am, I didn't feel as bad luckily.

Snoozed for a bit, got up about 9.45am, got dressed, and checked out just after 10pm.

We wandered down the street, met one of my other mates, his check out was 10am too.

We got some McPlastic for breakfast, headed to the parking station.

My mate had been parked in there since Friday morning.

The guy worked out the price on the back of the ticket.. $66 for parking.

Apprently it had come up on the screen saying $148. There's no way we would have paid that. I would have just pushed the button on the entrance, pulled the ticket, and my mate could have driven out through the entrance.

We came back up the coast, they dropped me off at the train station, I got on my bike and came home.

I feel seedy, and tired, and I still have a headache.

What was the point?

If I had managed to get into the hotel room, I probably just would have gone to bed.

I don't think I'll get to work tomorrow.