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Original poster

Calling all Adelaide/South Aussie mners

136 replies

ClaudiaSchiffer · 10/02/2010 04:50

There seems to be a few of us here now . . . does anyone fancy a real life meet up? Or is it too wierd?

Whaddya think?

OP posts:
differentnameforthis · 10/02/2010 05:28

Sounds good....can we wait for cooler weather first tho?

differentnameforthis · 10/02/2010 05:29
  • that's me, all hot...not angry!
tortoiseonthehalfshell · 10/02/2010 05:30

I am tentatively in, logistics allowing (i.e., I don't have use of a car very often and I work almost fulltime).

I'm trying not to stalk ozziegirly, but noticed in another thread that she practices in the same area of law as I do, so chances are not low that we already 'know' each other in a professional sense.

(Does that make me sound creepy? I hope that doesn't make me sound creepy).

Who else is there?

Original poster
ClaudiaSchiffer · 10/02/2010 06:35

Ooo goody, how about tentatively in March?

Tortoise, you live near me, so I can always give you a lift to whatever Adelaide hot spot we choose .

OP posts:
tortoiseonthehalfshell · 10/02/2010 06:37

Well, only if you're not actually a huge scary biker with tattoos, called Digger. And you have surplus car seats.

(You're very kind - I do have access to a car sometimes, just not often, so should be okay)

Sidonie · 10/02/2010 06:46

I'm in Mt Gambier, so the probability of making it to a meet up are small.

differentnameforthis · 10/02/2010 08:21

Sidonie...Love Mt Gambia! How blue is the lake at the moment?

Sidonie · 10/02/2010 10:48

It is very blue at the moment; it will start to become dull again as we move into autumn.

esselle · 10/02/2010 11:17

Sorry just crashing your thread...

sidonie I grew up in Millicent and went to high school in Mt. Gambier. I am living in Melbourne now but got all excited when I saw Mt.Gambier mentioned on MN.

I can't believe you won't drive to Adelaide for a meet up though - it's only a couple of hours .

Have a fun meet up!!

Ozziegirly · 10/02/2010 22:03

I think that sounds like a really nice idea. I also work full time, but would still like to meet up.

tortoise I wonder if we do know each other....

I don't think I have posted anything that I am too ashamed of on here for you to see me in real life.

Original poster
ClaudiaSchiffer · 10/02/2010 23:14

Wouldn't it be funny if ozzie and tortoise had adjoining desks

OP posts:
Sidonie · 10/02/2010 23:14

Hi esselle,

I remember getting over excited when I saw Mt Gambier in the Peter Temple book 'The Broken Shore'.

It's a small world really. When I lived in Bangkok I meet a Thai lady at a playgroup and she asked me where I was from. I said that she probably would not have heard of it, but lo and behold she had been an exchange student in Horsham and her host family made quite a few visits to the Mount and Millicent.

Only in a big country is a four and half hour drive seen as a trip up the road. That is the easy part really, it is asking someone to have my children overnight, getting a hair cut and buying something new to wear that makes it start to feel like a lot of effort!

I always saw myself living in Melbourne when I was growing up and when I lived overseas and thought about returning to Australia. I never thought that I would come back to the Mount , but I actually really like it.

I use to occasionally look at real estate in Ivanhoe because we almost bought a house there in 2001 and I have watched as the Mornington Peninsular has become so expensive. So I should not have been shocked on the thread on moving to Melbourne to see how little you get for 700K+ in the bay side suburbs.

Original poster
ClaudiaSchiffer · 10/02/2010 23:18

Tortoise I am sadly not a huge tattooed biker. I am 41, 5'3" and a laydeeeeeeeee.

I do not have any tattoos, although I used to want one. (Why????)

OP posts:
differentnameforthis · 10/02/2010 23:21

Sid, we visited at Easter, 2008 & it was beautiful then. Will have to return sometime I think!

tortoiseonthehalfshell · 10/02/2010 23:33

"it is asking someone to have my children overnight, getting a hair cut and buying something new to wear that makes it start to feel like a lot of effort!"

Wait, what? I was planning to rock up in jeans, a ponytail, and towing a toddler.

Ozziegirly, do you work defendant or plaintiff?

Sidonie · 11/02/2010 00:30

Dif, it is a really lovely spot. The weather is cooler than Adelaide, we are only on level one water restrictions and the extra rain makes it lovely and green.

Tort, the haircut and new clothes are what "I" would need to meet new people. I have been a SAHM for 9 years and have just finished a grad. dip. and so I feel that my old Target clothes are not what I would want to wear to a meet up. This former law librarian needs to spend some money on herself!

My children are 9 and 7 and despite being very good travellers I think that they would rather have a sleepover at their friends than spend at least 9 hours in a car so that their mum can sit around and talk [something that I am very good at).

Ozziegirly · 11/02/2010 02:51

tortoise I do mainly defendant work, with a bit of plaintiff recovery thrown in now and then.

I know we don't work together though as none of the lawyers here have children!

tortoiseonthehalfshell · 11/02/2010 02:53

You should come work for us, we're great at being family friendly and most of our SAs work part-time due to young children.

And yes, you do exactly the same thing I do.

Ozziegirly · 11/02/2010 03:41

Booo, I would love to work at a family friendly place.

I told our office manager and one of the partners that I was pregnant, and I know the partner has emailed the other partners, and not a single person has been in to congratulate me.

Sigh.

The partner I told started going on about how she could never give birth naturally as her bits are "for fun only"

Still, I am not letting it get me down. I don't have a great deal in common with anyone at work, as all they are really interested in is going out drinking, so I find most of them rather dull anyway. It's a shame as I have always made really close friends at work before, but I would never choose to socialise with any of the solicitors here out of work.

Anyway, if we do meet and it turns out that you know all of these people, don't let on!

Original poster
ClaudiaSchiffer · 11/02/2010 04:25

God Ozzie how miserable of them all. What a dull place to work.

Right those that are keen to meet up shall we say early March? Do you prefer daytime with kids in tow or evening with drinks?

I am regretting calling myself ClaudiaSchiffer, it was meant to be ironic a dh suggests I resemble Marjorie Dawes from fat fighters (Little Britain) more. But then he thinks he's hilarious so best we ignore him.

Honestly I don't really look like Marjorie. I am not a fat fella in a frock

OP posts:
Ozziegirly · 11/02/2010 05:01

It really is rather dull. Thing is, I don't expect anyone to be jumping for joy for me, but equally, surely one of them could have popped in to say congrats?

So maybe it's not so much that I would like to work in a family friendly place, more just a friendly place.....

As for meeting up - Tue or Thur eves are best for me, or I could meet up at the weekend in the daytime.

Happy to meet up anywhere.

tortoiseonthehalfshell · 11/02/2010 05:15

Ozzie, I left my last (big) firm when I was pregnant, and I told my boss/the equity partner in the department I was pregnant in the same conversation as resigning. He said "Oh! I thought your boobs were looking bigger, but I didn't like to say anything!".

...Yeah.

Congratulations on the pregnancy, by the way!

If it's evening with drinks, Thursday is better than Tuesday for me, and then could we make it in town? Or weekend with kids is fine by me too, in which case maybe a park somewhere?

RomaloDownUnder · 11/02/2010 08:00

Hi

I'm on for a meet up! Sounds good.

Sidonie · 11/02/2010 08:05

I worked in a Crown Law office and it was known derisively as 'the women's refuge' because it had a large percentage of women lawyers, a number of who had left private firms so that they could have interesting work along with a better work/life balance. However, that may know longer be the case if other Prime Ministers are like Kevin Rudd and want public servants working 24/7.

Ozziegirly · 11/02/2010 09:23

tortoise, hearing that you work at a family friendly place has actually really pleased me, and made me think that perhaps not all places are like mine!

You can not answer this, but you don't work at a firm with the initials GC do you?

Only because they have a good reputation for family friendly policies and also do similar work to me.