Hubris.co.nz

Tom posted on the Wellingtonista recently about the places to drink for free. Join me as I try to score free drinks every week until the end of the year.

For the second event in my series, tonight I went to:

“The 2007 Annual General Meeting of Members of Young IT Professionals Network Incorporated trading as Unlimited Potential (the “Society”) will be held at the Wellington Convention Centre, 111 Wakefield Street, Wellington on Thursday, 1 November 2007, commencing at 6.00pm. Join us from 5:30pm for networking.”

Now, if something says that there’s “networking” at 5.30, you’d read that as “drinks”, right? So in that spirit, myself and a couple of of other IT-ish people (Tom and James) RSVPed and concocted a clever plan to go for the drinks and leave before the AGM.

Of course, that’s not what happened. James, Tom, Shirley and I showed up at a little after 5.30 (apparently there’s no longer an umbrella on the corner of Wakefield and Cuba – when did that happen?), we found a group of people standing around in the town hall, and while the ceilings sure had pretty moulded plaster ceilings, THERE WAS NO BAR!!!!!!!!! James left because he’s a good family man, so we cut out of there straight away, and headed to Finc for a bottle of Squawking Magpie pinot gris. For $39 it was easily dividable by three, and peary and delicious. After Shirley decided to go study, I made Tom go back to the Town Hall with me, out of determination to live up to my drinking challenge for YOU, my dear Hubris reader.

So back up the pretty tiled stairs we went, going “hmmm, it sounds very very quiet”, but when we saw the door to the foyer room place where people had been gathered was open (wow, how badly constructed was that sentence?) we thought we might as well creep in there to see if perhaps the bar had been set up while people were still AGMing. We stepped in, and we saw that it was, so I raised my arms in a great big “Woooooo…” but then, I saw him. The Wellington Convention Centre’s very own Clarence Weidman, complete with blue blazer and grey slacks. He was standing possessively behind the drinks table, so I changed course and headed to the badge table instead. Clarence muttered something and made a move to hold open the door into the council chamber, and so somehow Tom and I found ourselves sitting at the back of the AGM, me trying not to snicker as we came in the middle of a speaker that I of course took totally out of context when he was asked “So what did you say to him in the morning?” and he spoke about how he let the mysterious him talk about himself, totally like they’d hooked up, especially after he said “oh yeah he pulled out all the keys”. Everyone looked very serious and not sniggery at all, so I tried to take photos of the council chamber’s chandelier instead, but my camera battery was flat. I said “Aye” to some things, and hoped that someone would say no, and then the meeting was over, and the “networking” started.

The event itself

Companion: Tom, who I have been doing a lot of drinking with lately. He works in ICT as well, so he was a legitimate guest of the event.

Venue: The drinks were held in the foyer outside the Council Chambers in the Town Hall, on the first floor. I love the Town Hall so much that my very first post on the Wellingtonista was about it, so it was nice to see a new area. The Council Chambers were all wood panelling and leather, just the way you’d imagine someone evil like Kerry presiding over, and the foyer was lighter-coloured, but nice and old fashioned. The toilets had sensor-lights in them, which was appreciated.

Drink: The bar table had glasses already poured of now-warm Sav, Chardonnay and red (I didn’t recognise the brand, it was probably some side-Montana label), as well as Heineken and perhaps Tui? They topped up glasses if they noticed you bring one up, but then stopped attending the bar so it was grab-what-you-can.
Tally: 5 glasses Sav, approximately $35 in a bar, $12 at home

Food: There were two platters of antipasto stuff on two tables, with a plate of mixed bread on each. The selection of meats and cheeses and bits and pieces, was really good-looking, but as I said to Tom “You can tell that Kerry provided it due to an obvious lack of thinking and follow-through in terms of not actually providing us with knives with which to cut the cheese”. Of course, Clarence Weidman came out with them then, just to ruin my joke as well as make me attend an AGM. Bastard!
Tally: A whole bunch of stuff, but not a sizeable meal of it though.

People: I recognised a lot of people from Bar Camp, and I got to talk to Mike and Matthew about the olden days of the interweb (like, totally last millennium!) which was fun. I also am now apparently joining a women in ICT group, and if my bag was at my feet I’d tell you exactly what it was, but you know, my couch is too comfy to get up from.

Scoring factor: There were some cute boys, but I didn’t talk to them. A lot of people seemed to take off straight after the AGM, so I wonder where their priorities really lie…

Celebrities: There was someone there who is going to be nominated for Wellingtonista Person of the Year. But I can’t tell you who. Yet.

Gifts: None. Apart from the gift of networking, I suppose.

Total freebie value: It cost me $13 in wine while waiting around, and then 20 minutes of listening to the AGM, but I talked, networked, ate and drank for an hour, so I’d say I was $20 up (that’s serving myself at home prices), ultimately. Plus I got to do this entry, and that’s what’s most important, right?

Tuesday the 228th of December – Xmas 2000

Oh my goodness. I thought I saw my trailer’s

I have no idea what I was sayign then.

hehehe tom’s drunk and incoherant. He sucks. I crawled behind the xmas tree but managed to back out again in one piece. I won trivial pursuit. We wrote down some quotes. I think it was somethign about lesbians.

“I hope that fate understands the complexity of my dilema”

“do you have graceland? I hope that you do”

Why is this guy playing with my stereo?

“that’s cool, I like random quotes from me”

“you are sick on so many levels”

Well, so many quotes I may have admittimed above, i am workig tonight to tonighnt convince tonight of from Joanna of this: Paul Simon rawks. Paul Simon: Hi, I rock and stuff. What can ya do?

Tom sucks. I am playing Kate Bush now. Please understand that there is only my parents’ cd collection at risk here. You were engaged? Really? Golly! tehehehe. Heh.

Justine was very cool. She texted me today saying she loved me to pieces, which makes me feel so proud it gets a mention. I have to go to Unity and trade Shirley’s xmas pressie to me in for a book on Yoga. My legs hurt from pulling them above my head (party trick).

Heh. hehehe. Heh.

My cousin Jacinta is currently laughing at me and saying dumb things, but she gets away with it, becxause she is cool. I heart cousin jaacinta.

“Ooooooh I just know that something good is going to happen – I don’t know what it is” – Kate Bush, “Cloudbursting”. I’m inclined to break into a jig.

I like swinney org. I dislike the bump on my neck. “I’m not coming onto you, but feel it”. It’s so cancer. Ahh well, I’ve lived a good life. Our Xmas lights are on random now. I feel like jiggign, but I’d just thunder all over the place. I’m cloudbursting Daddy. Your sun’s coming out.

You told me last night you were a sun now, wiht your very own devoted satelite. Happy for you and I am sure that I hate you.

It’s funny quotign when I don’t have emotions either way anymore. clay rang today asking me to pick him up from Palmy on the way to Taupo and I told him it’d increase my journey to 8 hours and he felt all bad before i laughed and told him the truth. I rang Brad to rant when Home and Away wasn’t; on, then watched “Stars in Their Eyes”. Tonifgt, matthew, I’m going to be drunk Joanna.

Matthew Holloway, I tried emailing you today but it got returned to me. What’s your email addyt?

filler. That’s all.

Ahh well. I suspect Tom’s passed out somewhere. If I was a better person, I’d go see. hehehe I love emails telling me to go to bed. Thanks mum. Well, it wasn’t mum. But still. Kate bush is cool. “Uh OH” is loud. There’s a volume knob on this kmeyboard, hwewre’s that?

I heard breathign coming out of the toilet. Breathing = still alive, right? Sorry Mum & Dad.

I just had to sweep up cat biscuits in the kitchen. Sorry Pixie!

Drunk bys are so so silly. Man, I gotta find someone that has as good a drinking capacity as me. He’s drinking out of a cocoa container right now, because my parents have a shortage of plastic vessels, but I haven’t got the heart to tell him.

Muhahaha. Hehehehe. Heh.

Friday 29; January, 1999
I figured it was time I tried to make this page look a tiny bit more classy, so here we are. Typing inside a frame because it’s easier that way. Is that okay? Ooooh, I’m liking the slight change in colour-scheme. I hope you’re liking it too. After all, without you, I’m nothing.

The orange goes so well with the purple, and it’s my little tribute to Jo, too. I miss her stacks. The summer of 97/98 I spent mostly with Amy – when I wasn’t with Matt – but this summer I spent most of my time with Jo, so I’m just used to being able to drive over to Miramar, pick her up and go to the beach or town or whatever. Of course now though, I’m in Auckland, and she’s in Christchurch, hopefully doing okay. Xoxoxoxo to you when you read this, hon.

Gosh, I’m being so damn cliquey in this entry today, huh? I know through one of my many counters (yes, I’m obsessed) where people are finding this site from. Most of the people who read my journal have it bookmarked. Others come to Ego Much? from Holloway, Green Oatmeal and also another site where I have some writing posted. (Oh, is there a missing link there? What, AGAIN? Man, I must be forgetful). Talking about Green Oatmeal, I really do suggest that you go and look at it. I was so thrilled when I went back today and discovered that Beth has a JOURNAL up now. She’s so funny, I love her site to bits.

Oh yeah, and speaking of worship (yes, I know this entry is turning just completly self indulgent and internet-people obsessed) Holloway Matthew had some really really interesting things to say about reading other people’s pages which I’d quote, except it’s like too long, so go here and read it for yourself. He gets brownie points for listing me as a ‘really great person’. Wahoo.

I watched Havoc tonight, which probably explains why I’m being so stuck up and self-indulgent. It was their big-day-out special and all the Hole footage made me go “awwwwwwww” and want to be back there. It was a truely truely mind blowing experiance. I love Courtney Love, so I thought all her banter was great, but I guess I can see how people who didn’t like her would hate it. Maybe that’s what my page is like – to a great lesser extent. I mean, I know there are people who enjoy reading it, because they like me. I also know there are people who don’t enjoy reading it, because they don’t like me. Quick question then – WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU HERE? Everyone can ask themselves that, not just the people who dislike me.

Other things that are noteworthy – ummm there’s more stuff on the Written page in case I didn’t already mention that. It’s all old stuff, but now it’s actually linked to. Also I updated my Leaving page, making it far more snobby, so that it’s all sites that I actually respect. No more links to ugly pages from people I know off IRC that really have very little to offer. Fuck I’m nasty these days. Oh well.

I had the worst night’s sleep ever – I had to get up at 5.30am cos I was too hot, and bitten and stuff, so I booted up my computer and talked to Heidi – that’s Simon’s girlfriend who’s back in Finland now. We’re starting a brothel together. She rocks so much – me and Jo taught her all our annoying little sayings (“you’re malcolm”, “on the piss”, “sucks to my asthma” etc) and she’s still using them, and is doing her best to spread them around. The landlord rang me out of bed at 9am, and came around half an hour later with the locksmith – so that’s definatly worth getting up for. Layton’s bed and desk got delivered, and he himself arrived. I talked to him for a while, then had to excuse myself at 11.30am to go back to bed, where I slept for four hours. I just didn’t know what to talk to him about. Clayton’s moving in on Sunday, so hopefully things will be easier after then. The problem is that I’ve sort of settled into a routine having lived here for a week either by myself, or just with Simon who has pretty much the same habits as me (wake after 12pm, bum around all day online, eat dinner as the first meal of the day, then eat toast at night until about 2am then go to bed). I know I’ll have to get out of that pattern once tech starts up again, but still…. I wonder what it’ll be like living with two people I hardly know that I’m expected to interact with.

Anyways, so that’s probably enough for tonight. Oh yeah, just a little request – PLEASE sign my guestbook if you’re new here, or sign it anyways. I’d love to know what sort of people are reading about me and stuff. Market research and all that.

I’m listening to the Tank Girl soundtrack right now. I miss L7. I miss Grrly 5th form, and Cyst – the zine I made with Penny and Sarah that consisted entirely of putting down Room 6 people.

Saturday 16; January, 1999

Shirley went home to Waihi today, leaving me homeless. Simon arranged to stay with Kim. Kim and I don’t get along. I was kinda worried. I hate being homeless. Simon dropped me off at Matt’s house on the shore, so I went into town with Jo and Matt to a Vision meeting.

Now that was weird. Everyone sat around talking about things that I really didn’t understand, like Flash and CSS and I just wondered why the fuck I’m in Vision. My website is shite, and done (quite happily) on Frontpad. I don’t know exactly how dedicated to the vision I am. So yeah, that was bizzare. But I met Matthew of Holloway fame, so that was choice. And Ryan was friendly.

Afterwards we got a ride back to the shore in Gareth’s pimp car. He’s the editor of Craccum, it turns out. Connections, connections, connections. So yeah, I know people who know people, man. Rock on!

Jo was lovely and took great sympathy for me in my plight, so she asked her mommy if I could stay the night with them, which I did. Yay. They were borrowing a friend’s house while they were overseas. Jo and I stayed in the room of a boy who goes to Westlake. We mocked his posters and cds lots. Just wait till you see the photo I took of Jo and the roof of his bedroom. I’m going to put it up and tell everyone it’s her bedroom and her Speed 2 poster. Oh – did that give it away?

I played foozeball with her very bubbly little brother and we watched some really bad movie on TV, then ran away when Striptease came on. I have some standards, after all.