Today is  nytekingcheetah and my 1 year anniversary as Mates.

We've been together as 'lovers' since December 09, but as we consider “Mateship” to be a more meaningful stage of the relationship, we weren't Mated until he popped the question a year ago.

During that time we've spent a lot of time together – I've been to Melbourne 4 times for a total of 2.5 months worth of time, and he has been here twice, living with me from October through to February – only returning for an obligatory fortnight with his family over the Christmas break.
(All in all, we've lived together for over 6 months of the last 12, and spent the rest of the time on IM)

So we know we're compatible to live with each other when I finally get to move after the house sells.

As many of you know, a long distance relationship isn't easy. But it can work, and we're going to make it work! =3


Thank you for having this old dwagl, Nyte.

I love you. Happy first anniversary – of many!

Need journal update. 160 letter challenge. Weekly posts henceforth.

Still alive. Hate this house. Want it sold. Want to move. Miss my cheetah.

Abuse of fullstops.

I'm not going to make another "Oh, I'm going to post more regularly" journal. Every time I do, life decides otherwise.


For a laugh, 2 days after I posted my last journal, my ex-wife kicked me out of my own house and claimed to the police that I might get violent. This is contrary to the fact that I'm a pacifist and never struck her.

Then, over the next couple of weeks I started losing my sight. Because of a range of other symptoms, I decided to get some blood tests done. Went in at 10am, at 1pm my Doctor called me for a follow up. By 2pm I was in hospital, with IV fluids and insulin being pumped into me.

I was suffering from a rather profound case of hyperglycemia (with a fasting blood sugar of 27mmol/l instead of a maximum of 5) and ketoacidosis. So as well as the risks from the ketoacidosis, they were worried I was going to go into a coma. (Hence why I wasn't at Radfur)

I had a few chuckles in hospital, traumatising the nurses. The second day I was in, I surprised them by volunteering to do the finger-pricking from then on. The third day, I made a nurse gasp by doing the insulin injections myself. Since I'm going to have to do them daily for the rest of my life, I thought I might as well get used to it straight away. ^.^


2 weeks after I was released, my ex moved back to the US, taking my hatchling with. I won't bother elaborating on exactly what levels of heartache that brought, because I'm pretty sure that anyone can guess what it was like.


On a good note, my mate  nytekingcheetah flew over within 2 hours of them leaving. He helped me through what was otherwise a pretty painful time.

Since then, and still now, he's here at my house with me, helping me get it ready for sale.

Once it's all painted, renovated etc, I'll be moving over to Melbourne with him.

In the meantime, he's bought me a great guitar (that I have to take up playing again) and bought out the world's supply of guitars. (5 since he's been here, including the one that was a gift for me.) We're going to have to get a place with a 'guitar room' just to accommodate them all! :-P


Midfur: Sadly, because of my health, the renovations, the upcoming move and also a couple of personal reasons, I won't be going to Midfur this year.

I don't want to go on the cart! I feel happy! I feel happy!


Just a note to say the dwagl is still alive!

Have been hectic with packing, sorting, renovating etc - and a pawful of trips to see Nyte


I'll catch up on all of the comments, watches etc I've neglected, then hopefully be a bit less of a slack bastard!


I hope all is well with everyone else!

Cheers,

Ant

I got back from Melbourne last week and have finally recovered from the drive!

I had an absolutely fantastic time. Only thing that would have made it better is if I didn't have to leave!

I met with my kitteh,  nytekingcheetah and we spent the whole time together at 3 different hotels (due to a shortage of rooms).

Together, we boosted Melbourne's Pizza industry by about 200%. At the first, swanky hotel, we left a pile of 14 pizza boxes in 8 days!

We only met with a handful of furs while I was there, instead spending time getting to know each other better. I got to watch and listen to him shred away on his two brilliant guitars and felt very humble over my own abilities (when I played years ago!)


Leaving was hard. Bloody hard! Anyone who knows me well enough won't be surprised that I shed quite a few tears on the looooong drive home (18hrs driving)! But it's only temporary, because I'll be there permanently by either the end of this year or beginning of next year!

And, true to my brilliant planning to be driving over on the Easter long weekend, one of the most dangerous times of year to be on the road, I drove -back- on the ANZAC-day long-weekend! I had a couple of close calls where idiots that were overtaking coming the other way came at me because they didn't look. Got ran off the road twice at 110km/hr, which wasn't much fun!


Today came the best bit though. It was always going to be a big day for me, as today marks the day that I 'check out' of the Workcover system from my injuries I sustained nearly 12 years ago. It means that, while I no longer have the support from the (larfingly called) 'insurance,' I am also free to leave the state.

With that end of an era coming about, I was not prepared for what came next: Nyte has now taken me as his mate! *happydance*

I've had a crush on him for about 14 months now, and this is an awesome honour for me. I cannot wait to return to Melbourne in a few months and celebrate! I'm going to spoil that cat rotten!


So, one era ends, the next begins!

It is indeed the Dawning of the Age of Antarius!


Cheers,

Ant

G'day all,

Still away and all that for a few more days - and having a great time.


Just had to hop on with my phone and make a quick post though: My ex-wife called to let me know that our divorce decree came in the post today!

So it's a nyte of celebration. After being denied the divorce by the courts the first time, they obviously realised that me being gay is an 'irreconcilable difference.'

XD


So, pour yourself a cup/glass of your beverage of choice. I'll toast with you! =3


Cheers,


exuberAntarius

Well, Ant is officially excited and bouncing off the walls!


In a few hours, I have to get my scaly butt out of bed and start driving East. Then further East. Further again... 1,500km in fact!

I believe I'll be netless the whole time, so won't be making any posts.

But rest assured, I'll be getting there safely and will have an awesome time starting Monday!


I hope you all have an equally great time!


Cheers,


exuberAntarius

What a funny old world we live in.

Today's a day of celebration for me - just signed divorce papers that'll be accepted by the courts.

Yes, I find it hilarious that it's April Fool's Day too! XD


But the real kicker is the Sworn Affidavit I had to sign... Seems that the court didn't feel that we were truly separated...

So I had to sign an Affidavit stating that I am Gay!!!


No, that's not an April Fool's Day joke! But it's funny enough to be one!


Excerpt from the Affidavit:

"I say that we have not lived together as husband and wife since our date of separation of 1 November 2008. I say that the cause of the marriage breakdown was the fact that I informed the Applicant Wife that I am homosexual. I say that we now live under the same roof after separation for financial reasons."



So there you have it. I'm legally gay. Anybody else?

(All I can say is, 'Thank Fuck they decriminalised homosexuality in South Australia back in 1975!!!)

Let the Celebrations begin!

G'day all,

Wanted to make a short journal to get that last monster off of my profile page!


For starters, as written in a comment on my other journal, I was elected to be '1st Principal' of the local 'Royal Arch Chapter' (a higher degree of Freemasonry than the 'Craft' that people normally think of.)

What does that mean? Well, I'll be the boss for a year, get to wear royal robes and have to learn a tonne of ritual work! Gah! Just what I need - less time!


But right now, at midnight on Sunday (Monday morning for the pedAntic), I'm in the middle of packing for my trip! In just 7 days I will be catching up with my kitteh and a pawful of others. If you can't tell, I'm a wee bit excited and damned near ready to pop!

It's bound to be an awesome and epic fortnight! (and a bit)


That's enough for now, I want to keep things short! XD

Cheers,

Ant

Aaaage of Antariuuuuuus!

References to the musical “Hair” aside, I’m back!

(There will be a TL;DNR summary at the bottom) =p


How to sum up the last 8 or so months? Hmmm.

Well, since my last journal, my ex had a really hard time with my revelation; she broke down big time. I tried to convince her that everything was okay, that I wasn’t that great a catch, but we all know that is a big lie.

I had spent several months trying like hell to ‘try and be bi’ to keep my family unit together. It was a miserable time as you would expect, and completely without success. It kept me away from all things furry, of course, as I tried to avoid anything but my family. Eventually she came to terms with it, which was just as well, because I sucked at living a lie.

The week before Midfur (Australia’s furry con, for those of you who don’t know it), she made the decision that the divorce was back on. It was rather a prick of a week, and that was one of the last straws on this dragon’s back. Midfur attendees that took note would have seen Ant have a few beers during the con – the first time in a good 6 or 7 years. If you missed it, sorry – not likely to happen again.

Right after I got back from Midfur, I ended up in hospital again with my back. My netbook’s hard drive had died while I was away, so the only net access I had was my aging smartphone. I got back on MSN and had some great chats during that period. Especially with one particular fur (you know who you are!)

What sucked the most was probably the net withdrawals I was getting. During that week before Midfur, some total wankstain had dug up the phone cables that fed over 1,000 houses in my half of the city, and it took a week to get fixed – by which time I was gone! So I guess the smartphone proved useful during the next week after all, even if I now have the desire to run it over in my car.

Quick rant from the hospital stay: While I would feel sorry for someone with a colostomy bag, since it is something outside of their control, what sort of fucktard that is sharing a hospital room with someone, always waits until the other person is eating to go into the bathroom (near said person’s bed) to empty the fucking thing – spilling most of it on the floor in the process too! I can tell you, I didn’t have much of an appetite that week!


Then came the 3 bushfires. There was 1 while I was in the hospital, started by some twonk with a flare. No houses were ever in danger, but a pregnant horse was killed. The youth was arrested, but likely won’t receive the punishment he deserves.

The second one in the week leading up to Christmas was a doozy – and one that I SMSed and Imed many furs about at first. We lost all power, as usual, so I walked outside my front door and noticed flames I estimated to be 10-storeys tall (later confirmed), covering the hills at the edge of the town. The firefront was a good 5km long at that point.

Our eldest (I raised him since he was 4, and whilst he’s not technically my stepson anymore, I’m the only father he’s ever known – so I still consider him a son!) was actually visiting a friend’s farm at first, and the flames had blocked that road, so we were unable to get to him. Flashbacks of the Lincoln National Park/Tulka fires came to mind, as that was the area he was at.

My folks’ house was in the danger zone, and they grabbed their cats and fled to a nearby town when they got orders to evacuate. We were pretty worried about them at the time, because rumours and misinformation was going crazy. There are 2 roads leaving the city (plus a tiny one that goes out to a peninsula, where our eldest was, but that’s a completely dead end) and people were saying that all roads were closed due to flames.

We knew we’d have to make a dash for our Eldest and GTFO, and so I realised just how stupid it was not to fill my car up with fuel... It was on the red bar, and it was –so- much fun trying to fill it up when all of the service stations were out of power! Eventually I found one that had a backup generator, so filled up and headed back to the house.

That’s when the wind shifted and the fire started racing directly towards the town. The thick black smoke was everywhere and you visibility was next-to-nothing. Fortunately, it meant that the small road leading out to Tulka was now open, so we quickly dashed off to pick up our eldest.

Once we got back, it was clear that it wasn’t going to be pleasant to stay. It was 46 Deg Celsius (115F), with no power and smoke so thick that people were having trouble breathing. Our eldest is asthmatic, which made it worse.

So we grabbed the bunny and the bird and Got TFO. I sent a quick message to the people I’d been IMing, letting them know we were going to get out while we could – and did.

The rest of that day sucked pretty hard. There was no mobile (cell) service in the nearby towns, so I had no way of letting anyone know that we’d gotten out okay and were safe. And considering there were reports on the net that the whole town was gone, I’m pretty sure you can guess how many anxious text messages were waiting for me on my mobile the next day when we got back to town.

We managed to stay in a hotel – a miracle considering it was right before Christmas – that my folks were also staying at. While each of us had pets with us, the manager looked the other way, as they knew why we were there. (We were also fortunate that there was an extra bed so that my ex and I could still sleep separately, though that meant that we finally had to tell my folks that the divorce was back on, since they were in denial over the whole ‘coming-out’ thing.)

We got back the next day and saw the devastation and near misses of different homes that were in the path of the fire. Many houses were completely gone, and then you’d suddenly have one where everything that was around it was burned, but the house itself was untouched. One of our friends house had homes either side burned, but it skipped theirs. Freaky stuff.

Then a while later we learned what caused the fire; Some idiot, well known for doing the wrong thing (and suspected of sheep rustling), decided to turn some stumps he had been burning. Fire ban season had been in effect for 2 months, it was 46C and had been declared a day of “Catastrophic Fire Danger,” and this idiot turns burning stumps! Embers were caught by the wind, set the dry grass on fire in a neighbouring area and away it went. That arsehole lost nothing, btw.

Incidentally, that particular fire has had 4 or more flare-ups to date, including one in the last fortnight.


My divorce has had some ups and downs, but ultimately is going pretty smoothly. We’re still living in the same house, and for the most part we’re friends. We even are using the same lawyer to file our divorce papers, something which had the lawyer amazed. “You don’t act like people getting a divorce!” he said, his eyebrows raised. We weren’t fighting over anything; property, custody, none of it!

I advised how I was gay and that seemed to satisfy him. On the way out, he shook my paw and said “I’m glad there’s not too many divorces like this one! Otherwise there’d be no money in family law!”

Papers were filed with the courts last week, so within 2 months, everything should be done and over with. My ex has already found herself a new boyfriend, and I am pleased that she is moving on!

(Not as bad as it sounds, btw. We’d been very strained since 2008 and our understandably limited amount of intimacy had been non-existent from that point!)

The bad part about it, and it came as no surprise to me, is that she wants to move back to the US to be with her family and boyfriend. This, of course, means that I will be losing my hatchling. It was pretty hard to come to terms with, but I’d been preparing for it for months when I could see the writing on the wall. Ultimately I think he will have a better life with his mother than I can provide, so that was that.


My coming out has also been quite interesting. I’ve talked before how this is a homophobic town with a friend of mine being gang-bashed and all.

Well, another fun aspect is that a small-minded, I mean, small-town church near here likes to do big mail drops to ‘celebrate’ when someone from a prominent family comes out of the closet. You know the stuff; It’s evil. Fags will go to Hell etc. Well, fortunately for me, my family is one of the more prominent ones of the region, being one of the original farming families. So “Yay for me,” I got myself a maildrop!

But it gets better! Within days, someone sets off a flare/rocket at my lounge room window (They wouldn’t have known that I currently sleep in there) at 3am. Fortunately it bounced off, flew across the street, hit a fence and exploded. I’ve got the feeling that it was supposed to set the curtains etc on fire, which pisses me off no-end, since we have innocent children here!

So, pretty much as soon as we get the house done up and sell it, we’re both moving out of this idyllic-looking town!


The biggest surprise though, was when this big silver was struck with Cupid’s arrow himself!

Having been through hell over the last nearly 13 years, I’d vowed that I wouldn’t entertain being in any sort of relationship and was quite content to have fun and be friends with everyone.

But, laid plans (no pun intended) being what they are, it was not to be. A kitteh that I’ve spoken to a fair bit over the last couple of years, and that I thought was a great friend, ended up finding the chink in my scales.

As such, next year I’m going to be moving to Melbourne! (Sorry to the SA Furs) With nothing to really tie me to this town, my hatchling moving overseas (where I cannot follow), my smitten heart belongs over there now.


So there you have it. The biggest bits of news for the last few months. Lots of stuff and a long rambling, sorry.

The good news is I’m back and will post regularly now, so no more long winded rundowns! =3


TL;DNR summary:
RL got in the way. Divorce is not back on tracks.
My ex is moving to the US and taking hatchling
Bushfires suck.
I’ve fallen for a kitteh.
I’m moving to Melbourne next year.
I’m back! >=3

G'day all,


Yeah, I'm a slack arse in finally posting this. I'm sure I'll get over it. What you do is up to you!


Had a great time in Adelaide; Thanks again to Mea for putting the draggy up for a couple of nights.

I was chuffed & honoured to have caught up with so many of the SAFurs while I was there. In the space of about 1/2 hour, they'd gotten an impromptu meet going. Thanks guys & gals!


My friends were at Wreck Beach yesterday & saw 3 pods of dolphins 'surfing,' so I took the tin lids out there today to see if they'd be there again.

Yeah, last time I surfed with the dolphins was a leeetle bit intimidating, but I wanted to do it again!

Alas, the dolphins were nowhere to be seen...


... Instead, there was 6 or 7 Southern Right Whales playing in the water - some of which were only around 100m from shore.

They put on a great display for us, flipping over & waving their fins for a couple of hours.

I'm really pissed off that I couldn't find my digital SLR to get some good shots - I only had a pocket digital camera which did an absolutely shithouse job at getting pics. We snapped away, but they are pretty crappy quality. If I come across any good ones, I'll be sure to post them.

No, I wasn't stupid enough to go out there with them.

No, the draggie isn't afraid. He just doesn't exactly want to deal with the National Parks & Wildlife officers that were no doubt lurking in the shadows. (When we got there, it was just us & 1 surfer already out there. By the time we left, there had been dozens of people come down there, including what looks like someone with a professional camera. Maybe I can steal some shots from them!) XD


And before you ask,  arcticpete, nobody mistook me for a beached whale and tried to drag me back out. :-P


Cheers,

Ant

The Regenerative powers of dragons are awesome!

On Thursday arvo I came a gutser (went arse over head) and reaggravated my back. Normally I wouldn't worry too much, but I knew I had to drive to Adelaide on Monday... (for an appointment with the sleep clinic and to get some space away from 'home' for a bit.)

So on Friday, since I was walking like a question mark (read: really twisted), I ended up on traction at the physio the rapists.

When the physio found out that I was planning to make the 700km drive to Adelaide, she firmly stated that it was highly inadvisable to undertake the journey.

Well, her exact words were that it was 'barmy' and that 'regardless that you can't even sit for that long, with the vibrations of the car, you're a bloody idiot if you try it!'

So, evidently I'm a bloody idiot. Yay for me!

I was determined to be okay for the drive, so I pushed on through the weekend and drove over fine. (I think I'll tell the physio that I did it on a motorbike, just to see if I can make her have a conniption.)


Mega thanks to  meaeshana for putting me up for the next couple of nights!


So I hope to spend some time on FA later today while I have interwebs and hopefully we (Mea & I) can catch up with some of the radfurs while I'm here!

(If not, I have to come back in a couple of months for a follow up anyway).


Only 40 comments, 1400 journals and 3000+ submissions to catch up on! *facepaws*


Oh, and because I was so crippled on the Friday, I meant that I missed out on my last day at the fishing company. Damn bloody shame that!

Cheers,

Ant

 arinaca would be proud. Looks like this dwaggie does still have some fire in his belly!

First, some background:

Several of you know that I suffered a work injury years ago (broken back, nothing severe!) & have been at the mercy of the SA Government's "WorkCover" scheme for injured workers. Part of my responsibilities are, quite rightly, to work as many hours as possible.

As I posted earlier this year, the company that I worked in since 2000 closed, so I had to find new, part-time work.

In the current economic climate, one of the only industries actively looking for people in town are the different fishing companies.

So, despite the fact that I'd rather coat my wedding tackle with fish paste & smack a hungry lion in the face with them, I had no choice but to apply for a position with some of them. If I got it, I had to accept & had no right to resign...

I got a job as "Company Secretary," a job that in other companies I've dealt with or consulted for, is a good job with lots of responsibilities. An executive position.

Apparently, nowadays the term is more synonymous with "shit kicker," or "he who is treated like shit." At least, in this company it was.

So, I've been working there for a while & not making friends with their internal book-keeper when I kept discovering data entry issues (um... Claiming GST back on purchases made while overseas - which obviously have
No GST, is a wee bit of a no-no.) But hey, if I'm auditing, then I'm auditing!

So the General Manager & the book-keeper have started being patronising, aggressive arseholes.

Well today, in a furry lapse, while they were being arseholes, I gave them a slightly annoyed look and growled: "Don't Fuck with a Dragon."


I finish Friday.

Cheers, Ant

---

I'm thoroughly trying to comment back & comment on other furs journals. Because I'm still in what is soon to be my ex-wife's house, I have to be subtle about typing any replies & can only really go on FA when I'm alone. Please don't think I'm ignoring you - I'm trying hard!

Happy New Year everybody!

Yeah, this New Year doesn't get marked with dropping balls(!) or anything like that, but it doesn't make it any less special!


For those wondering if the Dragon is on Crack, I'm referring to our new Financial Year. (Australian Financial Year is 1st July through to June 30th. Must have been thought up by Wallabies on Opiates.)

Why a new year message? Because I can. And because the financial year effects me more than the Gregorian calendar. It always means a shitload of work suddenly appears. Argh!


So, Happy New Year to All - and let's hope for a mych bettererer one!

First off, after sleeping on my situation, we've decided that it'll be a bit unhealthy to try and live as 'roommates' after we get divorced, so I'm starting the 'pack all of the shit that this dragon has hoarded over the years' phase & will be looking for a small flat to crash at for a while.


Talking about sleeping, that brings me to the purpose of this journal: A dream log. I figured that so many others are doing them, that I'd jump on the bandwagon.

---

Begin log:

---

There ya go. All of my dreams this year!

Sleep Apnoea FTW!

Sorry Jacko, I can't "Keep it in the closet."

---

It's all over bar the shouting...

Today my wife gave me an ultimatum; I had one week to work out who I was (read: If I'm a 'furfag' or not) and where the relationship is going... We're filing for divorce tomorrow.


I spent the day sitting at Sleaford Bay going over just how much my gayness was going to fuck up several people's lives. Got some beautiful photos which I'll upload later too. Yay for me! *circles talon in the air unenthusiastically*


The situation is far from nasty! In fact, SFA is going to change in the near future! My wife isn't pushing me to move out (as long as I'm not pursuing a relationship while here - which is not a problem since I've been cured of relationships for the forseeable future.!) & my mood is likely to elevate now that I'm finally 'free' of my mental burden.

No idea how long I'll be staying in Port Lincoln - I'll be staying a while to help my son through things, but since they still have 'poofta bashing' over here, I guess it all depends on how things go work wise.

But one thing's for sure. My days in this half-horse town are numbered & I'll eventually be moving to the big smoke to start all over again!

I had to chuckle at this article:

Australian wallabies are eating opium poppies and creating crop circles as they hop around "as high as a kite", a government official has said.
...
"The one interesting bit that I found recently in one of my briefs on the poppy industry was that we have a problem with wallabies entering poppy fields, getting as high as a kite and going around in circles," Lara Giddings told the hearing.

"Then they crash," she added. "We see crop circles in the poppy industry from wallabies that are high."


For the full article on our Morphine Munching Marsupials, go here

Just when you thought it was safe to wax your modems to go web surfing again... Ant is back!


Wait! Don't go cowering underneath your beds - he's not back for long! XD


Back in my last journal, I said how I was gonna be netless, which was true... What I couldn't say was that I was having to take some time away while I get my life in order... Funny how you can't say too much when people are looking over your shoulder!


It seems I'm currently going through a bit of a mid life crisis (Either I'm only gonna live to 60, or I'm just way ahead of schedule on this one too. Since I got married 10 years ahead of schedule, it only makes sense that I have my MLC 10 years ahead too. I figure that at this rate, I'll be retired by 40, a total decrepit farting arsehole by 50 (yeah, I haven't quite made it to 'total' yet Fima... 98% isn't total!) and be a fossil by 60...)

My mate & I had our 12th wedding anniversary in May; though I specifically did not say that we celebrated it. It seems that our marriage is a little rocky at the moment. There are many factors to it: It could be the stress of family life, especially with 2 special needs children. It could be family health stresses. It could be the financial strain caused by being left with $66K in credit card debt when my folks' company went down the shitter. It could be that I was secretly furry for so long, that I secretly had 3 great weeks with the RadFurs while I was in Adelaide last year.

Or, it could be the fact that the week before our anniversary I finally stopped living a lie and came out of the closet.


Thinking about it, it could have more than a wee bit to do with the last one. XD

"Happy Anniversary, honey. BTW, I has teh gay!"


As I said, just a teeny MLC going on. Ultimately I have agreed to take some time out of FA (I'd already agreed to take time out of IMing 'for a month' after MidFur while we rebuilt our relationship, which obviously hasn't gone well, since I'm still offline as far as IM is concerned!) while I try to get my head together and work out if I'm gay or bi - since I can still keep my marriage and family together if I'm bi, but it's kind of rooted if I'm more bent than a wuff's hind leg!


So there you have it;  ArcticPete scarily predicted it with his comments: "Careful! You'll catch the gay!" But I guess epically failed when he told Kage that he was "flirting with the Straightest guy in the room!"

Sorry Tal, looks like you'll have to make do with being the only male straightfur in SA. XD


Anyway, I'll be staying offline for a wee bit longer, while I get myself together - though I hope to post a few more humourous posts in the meantime.

(And it's times like this that I'm tempted to just piss off & become a monk for a while - if only I'd have the interwebs!)

If anyone wants/needs/isboredenough to get hold of me in the meantime, I'll be setting up my old email account again at antarius@dragons-cave.com, and working like hell to de-spam the sucker so that I can read real emails! XD


Cheers & fuzzied huggles to all!

Antarius, the MLCDwaggy

G'day all,


Hey folks, sorry to say but I've got to go AWOL for a bit - probably the rest of this month.

My 'Net access will be being cut off today (work account, company is being liquidated) and it'll take a while to pick the best company to sign up for and then for the DSL account to churn over...


Catch you all in a month! *hugs*

Cheers,

Ant

G'day all,

Today's journal is brought to you by: a bunch of electrons jumping around on your screen in a random pattern, resulting in a bunch of gobble-de-gook that may or may not represent anything remotely similar to text created by a sentient being.

In short: I'm back, I'm knackered, I can't possibly condense the last month into a single (boring) journal & the swine flu can kiss my shiny metallic silver scaled arse.


Expanded:
I'm back
Yay! I'm back and I finally has the interwebs again! (For a few more days, anyway...)

I couldn't find any decent wifi or net access where I was, so I'm totally behind on the furry world. Which brings me to... 1800+ submissions, 550 Journals, 30+ comments, 5 notes & 5 watches (WTF brought you here?!) Argh! What are you lot trying to do to me?!


I'm knackered
Jet lag can go and get a woolly dog up itself.

Dragons should really fly themselves around the world, rather than sit in those stupid metal coffins. But hey, I'm fat and lazy. What's your excuse?!


I can't possibly condense the last month into a single (boring) journal
Well, actually, these three points should sum it up nicely:

* Family reunion for my mate.
* I'm glad to be 14,000km away from my Mother-in-law again!
* Disneyland was the most fun on the trip, but there were sod-all furries around! :'(


The swine flu can kiss my shiny metallic silver scaled arse.
Worst. Trip. Home. Ever!

On the very last day (and day two at Disney), my mate got food poisoning from a dodgy breakfast at IHOP on Anaheim, right across the road from the main gates.

It all seemed okay until around 5pm when she started having trouble breathing and did the technicolour yawn. (I was looking around to see if Jason Donovan was there as Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat, but the cowardly bastard must have known I'd beat the living crap out of him.)

After a few good puffs on an inhaler and getting into some 'Fresh Air' (if any of that exists near LA), she was now feeling better, attributed it to an asthma attack, and we had to leave - We now had lost the time set aside to get souvenirs and had to madly dash to the hotel to meet the shuttle.

LAX was a bloody debacle - and the first International Airport that I've ever seen where you need to eat before going through security! Since our flight was to leave at 11pm (delayed until 12:45am, of course), we had already gone through the 'strip down to your underwear' process and were at the gate when we realised that the only bloody food place was a pathetic stall that charged... USD$10 for a friggin' egg & lettuce sandwich!

After getting screwed up the bum by that stall, we eventually got on our flight...

And hour into the flight and my mate gets sick again... And again... And again...

Now having vomited for 15+ hours, the cabin crew paged for a doctor who checked her out (she was having heart palpitations) who put her on oxygen and diagnosed it as food poisoning.

Of course, because it was the first day that the Australian Gov. was on alert over the swine flu, this now meant that when we arrived in Sydney, the plane was Quarantined while a Quarantine officer came on and spoke/inspected my mate, concurring with the diagnosis of food poisoning and not the swine flu...

Since she couldn't walk by now, she was taken off of the plane by a nurse who also examined her and agreed with the diagnosis, then had us ushered through security to meet our connecting flight that we were now 30 minutes late for...

This was great consideration - especially since she was so dehydrated that she needed medical attention... But I guess it was better for it to be Adelaide Airport's problem than Sydney's! (We had to get some sort of authority and medical clearance to actually step on-board the plane though!)

At Adelaide, we again had to go through Quarantine, who escorted us through immigration and customs quicker than we ever thought was possible! They again cleared her as a suspect for the swine flu, but insisted we take her to the Royal Adelaide Hospital ASAP.

Then we went to grab our suitcases for inspection... Except they were nowhere to be found! Woohoo! All 5 suitcases (there was 5 of us) were lost!

(Fortunately, we are experienced enough that we had a change of clothes in our carry-on bags!)

Instead of taking our next flight to Port Lincoln, we took our tin lids to a hotel while I took my mate to the RAH who (again) checked her for swine flu, were appalled that she was sent on a plane in her condition, then stuck her on an IV for the next 5 hours.

Ever tried waiting in an emergency room after being up for 40+ hours, with nothing to do, when you suffer from sleep apnea and narcolepsy? It's really easy to stay awake! *cough*

When she was discharged (being American, she's still stunned by the $0 emergency room bill), we crashed at the hotel and headed to the airport the next day to get a flight.

$1,000+ in extra ticket costs later, we were checked in - to find that Qantas had found our bags and sent them on - they had beaten us to Pt Lincoln... This ended up being great news - the smaller plane needed us to check our carry ons, so it saved us a few hundred in excess luggage fees! Woohoo!


Then we saw a news reporter setting up for a story... I had read that morning how there were 14 swine flu suspects in SA, with 2 cleared for not having flu-like symptoms... I made a smart-arsed remark about my mate being one of them - and the reporter pounced!

So, I got to stand around like a stale bottle of piss while my mate was interviewed for Channel 9 news... While I was waiting, a Channel 10 reporter walked up to me and asked what was going on... So then she wanted to do an interview to... Then Channel 7's news anchor rocked up and wanted in on the action... And a radio station (NFI who it was!)

Laughing my arse off that my mate was a minor celebrity for spewing her ring-hole up for 21+ hours straight (I now call her "The Vominator!"), we went and waited for our flight... And had to prove that she was okay to fly & didn't have the swine flu! Argh!

We eventually got home, and we're just recovering from the jet lag currently.

(I'm probably over it, but any excuse to lay on my fat arse is good enough for me! XD )

(For what it's worth, we got woken up by the ABC Radio's statewide breakfast show (Breakfast with the Bald Brothers) to do a live interview with my mate about the ordeal... Then that night, ABC Radio National called to do one too! And then the local newspaper got us the next morning! FFS, I'm glad it wasn't me that got famous for praying to the God of Huey!)


I'm going to do my best to catch up on FA over the weekend (gotta lodge some job applications on Monday - the job at the Dive Shop is a joke!) and also look at a new ISP... This one (supplied by my old work) gets cut off on Monday or Tuesday, and it takes ~1 week to get churned, so I'll be offline for a bit too.


Phew... I need a holiday to get over this holiday! XD

Cheers,

Ant

G'day all,

Gonna be offline for a bit - today is the day we start the trek to the good ol' US of A for my mate's family reunion...

Yeah, sounds like a Good Thing™, so how can I be disappointed?

Well, because of circumstances, financial and date constraints, I'm not going to be able to make any detours while I'm there & meet any of the great US Furs that I know.


(Which just makes me more determined to go to AC in the near future!) XD

Well, gotta keep packing! Talk to you all soon!


*dragon hugs*

Cheers,

Ant Xiety

Rhino Virus, that is...

Just having a quick Whinge-Brag™.

I've got a damned cold - the second in 2 months! But also, the second in 13 years!

I blame  Tombfyre - it must be his Super Cold!®


Anyway - just wanted to brag about the fact that I don't catch colds often! *whistle-snorts and goes off & noms on some vitamin C tablets*

Well, that whinging pup  fenrirwulfric got me to do a damned voice meme.

For anyone interested, it's at http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2118866


Now, off to tag my victims...

Went to the doctors to have the stitches out and find out the results of the biopsy.

It seems that I've made a name for myself with the 'alien abduction' crack! The receptionists had heard about it and the nurse was still chuckling about it.

The wounds have opened up a bit, so I've got a nice little hole in the back of my neck, but the way I heal, that'll be gone in a fortnight or so.


The best news was, though, that the biopsy came back good: Turns out it was benign! Just big, fat and ugly - but totally harmless, just like me!


I guess the only thing that is malignant is my narcissism!

G'day all,

Sorry for not posting - I guess I must have died after all! Nothing else explains it! XD

Now, given my earlier confession that I'm going to Hell, here's my report from the other side:

It's kind of like a Hotel Room, but there's No Exit... (Anyone edjamacated enough to know that obscure reference will earn *huggles* and 2,000 bonus points!)


Seriously though, the removal went well - they didn't throw the wrong bit away like I expected! XD (They actually also removed a huge mole (about the size of a 20c piece) that was next to it, since it was easier!)

There was a student doctor there too, observing, asking stupid questions and evidently did some of the cutting.

I know it's really hard to believe, but I was a bit of a shit-stirring bastard to her. Yes, it's true, honest!

While my real doctor got prepared, she asked me questions like "How long have I had it? When did it change colour/size?" etc. (Like I'm supposed to know the nape of my neck!)

With a straight face, I explained how it had been there ever since the aliens abducted me and implanted some sort of device there. (It was the perfect position, if you've ever watched the X-Files)

She took it, hook line and sinker, and sat there perplexed. My doctor, in the meantime, had his back to us & I could see his shoulders lurching up & down as he laughed silently. Good thing he has a sense of humour!


Not much else to report. I get the biopsy reports in the next couple of days & I'm generally just as busy as a blue-arsed fly! XD

See you 'round like a rissole!

malignAntarius