Pack your passports! Prepare to change time zones! Bring chewing gum for the intense changes in altitude. Find your phrasebook!
Arm yourself against the hostile natives! Bring the glass beads!

Yes! Noders of Australia!

You are invited to journey far and long and seek the sensuous delights of

deepest

darkest




canberra.

Ahem.


Well, ok, so maybe us Canberrans have to make our own fun. That’s why Mount Taylor burns every year. But I love this place, and I’ve just moved back, and have a funky house that seems pretty damn right for a party. Hence:

When: 2 pm Saturday March 27th 2004

Where: DELETED, Kambah, ACT, 2902


My place includes:

  • Deck and backyard and stuff capable of fitting quite a few noderbods.
  • Inground pool and outdoor spa (for those brave enough to bear the sight of bare noderflesh in speedos…)
  • Dance Dance Revolution (and, hopefully, a BIG projector to make it more interesting)
  • BBQ
  • Coupla computers with ADSL (for anyone who *has* to node at a nodermeet!)

I’ll have some amount of beer, wine, soft drink etc available. Unless there’s been a mass shift to teetotalism, that won’t be enough. I strongly suggest that anyone who wants much alcohol brings some to add to the festive cheer. Likewise - anyone who wants spirits, or wine that comes out of an actual bottle – bring your own. There’s a bottle-o, but it’s a long walk, and an even longer drunken stagger.

I’ll have sufficient food around to soak up some of the alcohol and stave off massive hunger pangs. Other than that, I’ll have the local pizza hut number inscribed on the fridge or on speed dial, or something. Or, you are welcome to bring hunks of dead animal and burn it on the barbeque.

Oh - and if you've got food allergies or intolerances, let me know and I'll make sure there's at least something you can eat. Speaking of allergies, if you have a cat problem, be warned I have a furry little kit who does tend to shed.


If all that gets boring, or the neighbours start forming a posse, it is rumoured that it’s possible to locate some form of Canberra “nightlife”. I’ll research this strange phenomenon closer to the date.


Other logistical thingys:

Getting here:
I don’t do public transport. I know little about it. If anyone from out of town really wants to use the awful Canberra bus system (no trains, no trams), I can try and locate a bus timetable for you. Driving is dead easy s’long as you’ve got a map (or know the area backwards). Anybody wanting step by step instructions from somewhere, let me know.

For those of you coming in from interstate, my partner (Red) has offered to do a sort of shuttle service from the airport, coach terminal or train station (wherever that is...) Let me know beforehand and he'll organise to come and collect you. If you come in groups, so much the better. At the worst, a taxi from the city probably costs around $30.

Parking:
Since there’s a drought, our lawn is practically dead anyway, so go ahead: park on it. Or on the street. Or my driveway. Or anywhere, really.

Accommodation:
As Canberra has a grand total of about eight noders, I’m obviously hoping some out of towners will join us. I’ve got a couple of spare mattresses (foam – you have been warned) and a sofa bed that stretches to two for any couples who may turn up (or form during the evening). Then there’s a fair bit of spare floor space for those who are ok with just bringing sleeping bag and pillow. Feel free to arrive on the Friday night – just LET ME KNOW FIRST. Got that? We will endeavour to make sure everyone’s got a place to snooze, but you’ve got to give me some warning.

Any local noders who can provide a couch or a bed or a pile of dank straw – let me know and I’ll post names here.

Emergency contact:
Half way here and forgotten the address? Sudden E2 downage? Completely lost in the wilds of Queanbeyan? If you’ve inscribed these handy numbers somewhere as soon as you read them – you have the option of calling for help.


The important bit: Ruservupping!

Msg me if you’re coming. Or if you might come, or want to but can’t, or don’t want to and just want to rub it in.

People who’ll be here:

People who're thinking about it:

  • sideways - a sandgroper who'll try to manage the cross country trek
  • teos - who's stuck in Melbourne but will try to organise a road trip!
  • jwfxpr - should be in Melb but will see what can be done...
  • Zero Signal - sees logistical problems but wants to be in the maybe pile anyway
  • Radix½ says I'll see what I can do if I'm not busy wandering around armidale university looking for scraps of food.
  • ToasterLeavings - very very very slim chance but will keep fingers crossed
  • insom might possibly manage it
  • chilidog wants to be a definite maybe
  • Kalon says Put me quite firmly in the MAYBE!
  • demented will check the roster (and told me where the train station is...)
  • Impartial will attempt to get a lift (and gave more info on those damn trains...)
  • Ads might make it if any other Queenslanders want to travel together
  • Jonkavelli is considering it (he'd bloody better, he's in Canberra)
  • Swift^ is in Adelaide, and would love a lift!?
  • PopeHypocriteIII lives in Canberra and should get here, dammit.

People who unfortunately can't make it:

  • dave2, who says: I'm so very sorry to announce I won't be able to make the nodermeet. being a 15 year old canadian, I doubt I'd find a way there. I also doubt you care, and I'm fairly certain I'm messaging you sarcastically. But have fun, and good luck!
  • IWhoSawTheFace who's a v. long way away, but wished us much fun
  • Danoot sent a cryptic msg which I interpret as more "no" than "maybe"
  • HenryBok is off helping break some record or other but says I hope you all have fun and those road tripping drive safe.
  • Andrew Aguecheek unfortunately hasn't finished his tunnel through the Earth's centre
  • AnotherMartini won't make it
  • mollusc will be in India, and it's a long swim
  • dRiVeN who now lives in London (pathetic excuse)
  • simonc - in Beijing, but suggested IRC on the night
  • sapia
  • tWD says I met Orpheum and now I don't want to go. HAAAAA No, actually, I can't get that weekend off work. Fuck. Next time. *sigh*
  • ...and therefore, heppigirl can't make it either
  • hodgepodge says i have never been to australia and have no intention of starting now. Nevertheless, I demand recognition in effigy.
  • arkaem can't make it, but hopes we have fun
  • Marcin - can't be here
  • Freaek's family demands his presence elsewhere
  • VirtualWolf IS NOT GOING TO BRAVE THE WILDS OF CANBERRA!

Three cheers for Taliesin's Muse and Red Pawn!!

Hip Pip: HOORAY!!

Hip Pip: HOORAY!!

Hip Pip: HOORAY!!

They generously opened their home to a bunch of drunken noders, and we did not let them down! We drank. We played. We broke things. We talked about noding. We talked about other things. We had a great time!

 

Those who made it: The wonderful and generous Taliesin's Muse and Red Pawn. They provided perfect provisions, awesome accommodation and fabulous food and an ultimatum that we all had to be out within 24 hours. Thanks also to TM's brother for providing entertainment. Although Odette, Orpheum and Blakjak did not cycle there, their presence was essential for it to be a Canberra meet. Congratulations to Callirrhoe, Inoshiro_K, Sneff and me for making the long trek from Sydney. Well, not so much me, because I was really late.

The following stories are true. The names have been included above to protect the not-so-innocent.

When I finally arrived, there was plenty of evidence of swimming. And drinking. This apparently brought much joy to the party.

Ok, so the drinking continued. And the chatting and catching up continued. We played a bit on the giant screen computer and tried to locate simonc on irc, to no avail. Conversation, alcohol and people were flowing.

We had chocolate fondue, with strawberries and marshmallows for dipping. There was sampling of South Australian port, black raspberry brandy, Butterscotch Schnapps and Chambord. The evening was cooling down. And then it happened.

We were all sitting there, being fairly well behaved noders and the rocking chair broke. Now, nobody is blaming anybody, of course. It was just sitting there all by itself and it broke. On its way down, it took an unsuspecting noder - the arms, the wood, the legs (table and noder legs), the splinters! What a mess!

Not five minutes after this, the screen door decided it had also had enough of behaving itself. Now, nobody is blaming anybody, of course. Not even the victim who got thrown to the floor as a result of the door's industrial action. Illegal industrial action, may I add. Sympathy strikes are no longer permissible in Australia.

Appropriate action was taken. The chair was banished from the nodermeet, and the strike-breaking, non-breaking chairs were utilised to their full potential.

The screen door was marked forever, well at least the duration of the evening. Despite a few fears that other furnishings or crockery might have taken further action, the rest of the night went without a hitch.

Well almost without a hitch. In the barely-wee-hours of the morning, when many of the noders had gone to their beds, but the hardcore group talked on waiting for the non-daylight savings sun to rise, the conversation turned to sharks. And the half body of an actress being flung over a boat. And the wild shark who spat out a tattooed arm after spending its first week at a marine park to spark a murder investigation. I prefer Jabberjaw during those hours.

Broken rocking chair: $200
Broken screen door: $100
A defiant Canberra nodermeet: priceless

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.