Camry central and Melbourne gossip

Amanda has purchased a new car and, guess what, it's a Camry! This time it's a sedan (or "sports car", as she prefers to call it). It belonged to the father of the wife of a mate who lives on a farm in Molong in NSW and had done 90,000km before he died. The mate's daughter added about 30,000km before she decided she didn't need it in Sydney. It should be good for another 300,000km so check the Roff Report in 2020 for an update.
In other Amanda news, the Ukes are the support act for an east-coast tour by the Black-eyed Susans. It's the usual - the Ukes play the first set and then the band uses them as back-up singers to add a bit of exotica to the main show. I'm not sure of the dates but check the Black-eyed Susans web sites for details. Sydney and Melbourne are for sure. Amanda is up-to-date with her creative writing degree and getting excellent results. She's finally found a room so she can have an address again. The house is centrally located but doesn't have hot water. Lucky it's summer...
Adam came down for the motorcycle GP and we spent many happy hours in a campground which was an introduction to hell. I thought the fence was to keep non-payers out but it was to seal the evil within. He loves his new job and has just purchased a new bike: a Suzuki SV1000 which is faster than the combined top speeds of all the bikes I own.
Annika has handed in her Honours thesis and is fending off job offers in both academia and the development field. She'll actually take a job in 2010 and finally make some money. Watch this space for details.
Nick came home at 5.00am on Saturday, got a refreshing two hours sleep and then when up to Emerald to play cricket. Being of sound mind, of course, he forgot to take his cricket kit. He was out for eight after being dropped three times and the team lost. I've had a chat to him regarding his responsibilities with team sports but it's like playing the violin to a water buffalo. My point is that if you play team sports, you have to respect the other members. This might involve giving your best on the day - difficult, I suspect, if you've arrived at the ground straight from the casino. He did, however, get a distinction for his first essay in his Bachelor of Business degree so fingers' crossed. He's still enjoying his job with ANZ bank.
Dom's new band is doing its first gig at a winery on Phillip Island next weekend. His broken thumb has healed well and his guitar playing is improving rapidly (watch out, Jake) after a few months of acutal lessons.
Julia quit her job at TAFE today which, everyone who lives with her agrees, was an excellent decision. She'll probably take up an extra few days with the private company she's now working for which is e-learning based but which she enjoys because she doesn't have reaponsibility for staff. Relaxed Julia will be on display in 2010.
Against my better judgement, I've just had a number four blade cut (hair and beard!) today. Dom tells me it's starting to grow back already. Good. I've finished teaching for this year but, under the tyrany of higher education, I have to do it again starting in March next year! Will the suffering never end...