Early Intervention or ACE?

I have just returned from a 2 day love-fest conference in Canberra.

Full of re-hab, health care providers, case managers, and myself. ( I don’t class ‘me’ as fitting into any of those categories)
For starters I had to fly there on Sunday arvo. Which seriously ate into my weekend of fun.
Speaking of which was a bloody fantastic dinner at El Rancho – Neagles Rock. Where we ate way too much food!
It was also our two month anniversary (yep …. Everyone say awwwwwwwwwww, and then retch for the bucket)

Moving on!
The flying part wasn’t too bad. The apartment was ok, we had a 3 b’room one, instead of the 2 b’room one I’d changed it to. I gracefully gave up the master suite for my co-worker who was already there. (Even though I’d made all the bookings etc) Fair enough her plane got there first.
My alleged “Queen” bed was 2 singles pushed together … crap. I ended up pugging the gap with spare pillows.
The master suite had a spa to … double crap.
Next time eh?

Conference itself was passable. All about early intervention … or Arse Covering Exercise as I call it.
Wasn’t too bad, there were lots of people there who were full of their own self importance, an MC (who was a Dr) who had the worst dress sense (if you could call it that) and the most hideous fake tan I have every seen.
We were keeping ourself amused by trying to guess what animal she most represented. We came up with a bird … I came up with a Dodo. She really reminded me of the dumb arse dodo’s in Ice Age … “doom on you!”
The chicks behind us were giggling hysterically saying they were going to grab her and give her a make over!
She was in desperate need of a make-over, that and pronunciation and maybe a lesson in not overdoing elocution.
There were some amusing speakers, and some that would cure insomnia.
One other lady who gave a presentation form the Tax office, was a giggle a minute. Her pronunciation of the word “Also” came out as “O-so” every single time. Very amusing. Must be something to do with working for the Tax Office ?!

Conference dinners are also a ripper laugh. Ours was at the National Museum. I was impressing some with my vast knowledge of dinosaurs. There was a rather good skeleton of one there … I was regaling some fellow conference goers about it’s origin. I had them all convinced it was a prehistoric Dog from Burra in SA. It’s name was Muttaburrasaurus. So what if it turns out to be a herbivore from QLD!
Hand me some more wine waiter!
They were definitely not light on the horses-doovers and the food itself wasn’t too shabby.
The speaker was awesome. He was the first paramedic on scene at the fatal Sydney – Hobart race. He rescued 7 people in Heli Med 1.
Great stories … kind of made my pine for the exciting life again.

Anyway, way too much wine and food again, and a drunken call home at whatever time it was.
My head felt very average next day, and so did the tummy.
The Hyatt loos were redecorated that morning, and I spent an hour sleeping on one of the conf room floors. I finally got my appetite back at lunch time. It must be a bit of 48 hour thing, as I am still feeling very average today. Rob had something similar on the weekend. Such a sharing caring guy to pass it on!

I did manage to get a stash of conference goodies …. Square shaped stress balls and stress balls in the shape of brains! Lots of drink bottles, pens, gel mouse pads, lollies and back massagers.

I had to squeeze it in my colleague’s bag, as there was NO way all that crap would fit in mine!
So happy to be home. It’s all fun and games, and the net work schmooze is mildly amusing, but I love coming home!

I feel like Dorothy … “There’s no place like home, no place like home” Hand me my Red shoes!