November 25, 2002 - 10:29 p.m.

saturday was pretty sucky. not because we had to go to the engagement party but because i had massive hayfever. it started before we left. i actually woke up with one of those "i'm going to die" ache sessions and a sore throat. it was a really hot day, too, which didn't help.

i must have sneezed and/or blown my nose the entire day. it didn't help that the party was on the dusty frame of their almost-house, out in a weedy paddock. we finally left when i ran out of kleenex (i used a travel pack and a half) and had used up adrian's two spare tissues. i tried to make that last tissue last, but it was really tough, let me tell you.

it didn't get better when we got home, either. i jumped in bed while simon made dinner, and i fell asleep soon after. sleeping is a lot better than being awake because you don't have to sneeze or blow your nose. it may sound simple, but it sounds like the gospel when you have hayfever.

i woke up the next morning and didn't feel better. something wasn't right. then i realized my sinuses were on fire. i stayed in bed all day and read the newspaper when i was awake. i only got up at 5 because simon and i had tickets to see michael leunig, my favorite cartoonist, who was making a rare appearance at the astor with a q&a session and live drawing demo. i had to be there, and i was glad i went, but i sure didn't know if i was going to make it to 5 o'clock. do you ever feel like that?

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simon and i just got back from a screening of the good girl. i thought it was pretty good, but i don't know if i'd want to watch it again. perhaps i'm allowing the bad candy and other junk food i ate during the movie to cloud my judgment. i was getting all sentimental and reminiscing about the time sherry was here and we ate a ton of weird candy from the bulk section of target. i did get to try a few good new ones - especially the little gummy ice cream cones that tasted kind of like pineapple - but there were way more bad ones than before. i made the mistake of thinking purple = grape for the zillionth time since first arriving here. most times it's passionfruit, but this one was blackcurrant, which is right up on my list of unloved flavors next to beets and chocolate. blecch.

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i sent an e-mail to the editor of melbourne magazine, asking him to confirm that he received the story i sent him a week ago. he wrote back, saying the story had gone "awol" somewhere and that i needed to resend it. if i hadn't written the letter, i wonder what would have happened. i have yet to be paid for the photographs i took for the other magazine in august. i can't even imagine how full-time freelancers handle this kind of crap. i don't think i have enough self discipline.