November 02, 2002 - 11:14 a.m.

Yesterday was a pretty good birthday. If you forget the bit where I mashed my bare foot underneath a dressing-room door or the bit where we almost made it to the immigration department but didn't, then it was a really good day.

After getting all of the visa application copies certified at the police department (yes, police officers certify documents here, and it's free! you can do it at the post office, too), we strolled around and did some shopping. Most shops close here around 5:30 or 6 each day, but everything's open late on Friday nights. Some places even have late-night Thursdays, like IKEA. I guess you just get used to it after awhile.

Anyway, I have been on the lookout for a really nice pair of trousers. It takes me a long time to find a pair I like, much less a pair that fit and are long enough. Bonus points if they make my butt look good. I really need to extend my wardrobe because Melbourne has way more long-pants days than anywhere else I've lived. Instead of looking at the summer section of my closet wistfully, it's better to be proactive methinks.

After some searching, I found a pair that's - wait a minute! - too long for me and needs to be hemmed. And my butt looks great in them. What a relief. I also found a very cute black shift dress with a foot-long row of pleats on the bottom. Very cute and very practical.

The only other thing I bought with my birthday money was a filing cabinet. Now I have somewhere to store all of my photography stuff, instead of the hallway where it's now sitting. I'm going crazy because it won't be delivered until Monday, and I have to spend the rest of the weekend looking at my stuff all over the place. Maybe I should take my cameras out for a picnic instead.

Oh, by the way, everyone's been talking about the 31-degree day we're supposed to have today. That's 87.8 degrees Fahrenheit, according to my handy-dandy conversion chart. You hear the whispers wherever you go: "Pssst... Did you hear Saturday's supposed to be 31 degrees?" When I went to buy the new Melbourne magazine this morning, the girl at the newsagent said (with stars in her eyes), "Do you think it's really going to get to 31 today?" I guessed that it would probably reach the predicted temperature but that Melbourne would throw in some other wacky weather thing, like blustery wind or rain, to make it feel like it was really cooler. "Probably," she agreed.

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Bonus points to my Mom, brother and Sherry. Not only did they remember my birthday, but they remembered to call on Halloween because Australia is a day ahead! Carrie and Jo-Anne sent cards on time, too. Thanks, guys!