Sydney Sydney Sydney Sydney, Mushroom Mushroom!
Of the last two weeks, one and half was spent in Sydney teaching. I was elected (as the sole applicant) to Melbourne.pm secretary, even though I was interstate during the AGM. I had a great time catching up with the members of Sydney.pm, who all seemed more than willing to keep buying me drinks at the local pub. A good time was had by all, with door-prizes for everyone, including wooden planes, regexp coffee mugs, and books.

Saturday was spent with friends who recently got an Eye Toy, a small camera that takes the place of a game regular controller, allowing the user to interact visually with the console. Much time was spent playing air-guitar, dodging balls, and showboating balance skills. Overall a great gadget, although one that needs a lots of space and lighting for correct operation.

Sunday was spent mushrooming, hunting for Chanterelles. While our regular mushrooming ground wasn't available this year, we found a number of excellent patches nearby. The evening was spent cleaning mushrooms, freezing mushrooms, pickling mushrooms, eating mushroom soup with fried mushrooms, and playing Space Hulk.

The week ahead is going to be spent playing catch-up before I travel again for another interstate trip. Luckily I'll be prepared for this trip with a box of miniature paints and a copy of The Sims 2, which I'm using to help me research an upcoming conference paper. Honest!