Australia day, in Washington DC. I know there's a network of Australian expats in DC, but I decided not to seek them out, and instead to initiate the English grad student community into the ways of our nation. This resulted in a party. The party. Songs will be written. I had a memorial in the corner to Heath Ledger, and people paid their respects. The Kylie Minogue dance-party that ensued will be talked about long into the future. Any event that results in a little cross-dressing is clearly memorable. And, when a friend claimed a spot on the futon for the night, my childhood bunny, Sarah Rabbit, got to help finish off the night. Who doesn't need something to cuddIe when they sleep in a strange place? had quite a collection of Australian wine bottles to put in the garbage at 1.30 in the morning.

On Friday night, my fellow My So-Called Life fanatics and I went to see Buffalo Tom play - no, not at Pike Street, but at DCs Black Cat, a good-sized venue that's suitably grungy for a proper gig. There was much screaming when both songs from My So-Called Life (Soda Jerk and Late at Night... if you don't know them, check them out - particularly the latter) were played ("You know, they were in that TV show," Bill - the lead singer - joked). Michelle left early, so she didn't get to fulfill the mission I had assigned her: get a copy of the set list. I completed the mission in her place, and when Bill came out after the show, I got him to sign it. As it was already after midnight - and so already January 26 - he wrote "Happy Australia Day" on it, and so my little moment of teen-style swooning has been immortalised. They played for about an hour and a half, and I can't help but feel, it was $15 incredibly well-spent.

There are a lot of readings, etc, going on about town at the moment - my calendar is full of commitments. Beside the occasional feeling that I'm going to drop dead running from one thing to the next on of these days, it's exciting to see so much going on. I have plenty of literary and cultural updates to make in the next few days... In between this hobnobbing there is study to be done: the combination of reading, writing, coffee lives on.