Recent Celebrity Sightings

Two weeks ago we joined Kunaal for a special Popcorn Taxi screening of the new sci-fi comedy “Paul”. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (aka the guys from “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz”) were actually there to talk about the film and do a Q&A with us afterwards. It was really cool! Popcorn Taxi’s posted video of it on YouTube if you’re interested. (Part 1 / Part 2) We all enjoyed the movie quite a lot. I’d probably say it’s not as funny as their other ones, mostly because the humour is a lot more broad. It’s still full of awesome geek references though.

Anyway, the cinema was in the Bondi Junction Westfield shopping mall, so afterwards we headed for the elevators to leave. While we were standing waiting for the lift to arrive, Simon, Nick, and their whole entourage suddenly came around the corner for the lifts too. One was about to arrive, so I turned to Nick and said, “That one’s free if you guys want it.” He said thanks and nodded and they all headed into the lift. The three of us stepped back and decided to take the escalators instead to avoid the crowd. And then I nearly fell over excitedly tweeting it on the way out to the taxis. How excitement!

Last Saturday our Knitters Guild meeting was moved to Kings Cross (due to Surry Hills being booked for the Writers Festival). We always break in the middle for tea, so me, Miss Fee, Merrin, and Margaret went for a walk to get coffees. We were standing outside a cafe in Potts Point waiting for our coffee when suddenly, stepping up onto the footpath in front of me was THE COMMANDO. I actually stopped talking mid-sentence when I realised it was him. He was wearing his trademark sunnies, but other than that he was totally casual in jeans, sneakers, and a pink T-shirt. Once he moved up the street a bit, I took a sneaky photo of him. He’s shorter in real life than I thought. But, uh, dude can fill out a T-shirt. That’s all I’m sayin’.

This Sunday we’re going to the Opera House for a special talk by Sir Terry Pratchett. Looking forward to that one. Maybe we’ll bump into him by the lifts too!

I almost had another one. I was utterly convinced for about 10 seconds the other night that Alan Brough was drinking in the laneway outside that annoying tiny bar next to Morris & Sons in the city. When I got closer though I saw it was just some other giant Kiwi in a checked shirt. Damn.

Oh man. If the Jane Austen Drinking Game had existed when Liz and I were in college, we would now be alcoholics.

Charity
One of my New Year’s resolutions was to be more charitable. The Snook and I are incredibly lucky: we both have good jobs; we’re paying off our mortgage; we save more than we spend. We should do more to help out those less fortunate. Here’s a list of causes that I’ve supported in the past few months in case you’d like to join me:

Jump Rope for Heart – This is a yearly event that my little brother Joey participates in to raise money for the American Heart Association. I’m really proud of him. Last year he was the 2nd highest fundraiser in his whole school!

Disco Red Cross Appeal – This page was set up by my friend Lara, who felt powerless in the wake of the Queensland floods, Christchurch earthquake, and Japanese tsunamis. She’s asking folks to make a small sacrifice and donate the money to the Red Cross. Me, I gave up some of the cash I would’ve spent on a box of red wine. (Me = classy.)

Slow Runners Club Run Chicago – Diabetes Action Team
– I’ve been enjoying the Slow Runners Club podcast for a while now. Eddie recently lost his Mom to diabetes and the two guys are running the Chicago Marathon in her memory. They’re also raising funds for diabetes research. As an added thank-you for donations, the guys are offering entry into their private online coaching program. I’m looking forward to it!

Australian Red Cross Blood Service – I’ve been meaning to start donating blood again. I haven’t actually donated in ten years (mostly because that time was so traumatic). I saw a poster recently advertising the big new fancy Donor Centre at Town Hall though, so I decided to go for it. I rang them up yesterday and made an appointment. And this morning, I went in and did it!

As recommended, I was well-hydrated and fed. The new Centre is great, all gleaming and high-tech. Since it was my first donation in Australia, I had to go through all the paperwork and interviews and such. They also checked my blood pressure and haemoglobin levels. (139 g/L – perfect! I am the Hermione of Haemoglobin.) Then I got led off to a big comfy robotic chair in front of a large TV, where a nice lady prepped me. I was worried they wouldn’t hit a vein easily – I’ve given other nurses trouble – but she got it on the first go. I was hooked up for about 7 minutes, and according to the little machine they got 480mL from me. Afterwards I got to rest in the chair to make sure I wouldn’t faint, and then it was off to the refreshments area for some food and drink. Overall it was my best donation experience yet, and I will definitely be repeating it. (I’m tempted to donate plasma, since they said that was better for those who train a lot since it doesn’t deplete your red blood cells.) Big thumbs up!

8-bit Pocket Camera. Oh man! Use your iPhone to take photos that look like the ones from the old Game Boy Camera. That’s awesome.