The exam hasn't been marked as yet, although I'm feeling very confident that all went well. Questions all seemed pretty reasonable. So while I don't actually "have" a masters degree as yet, I have completed ALL work requirements to gain one! Suppose I'll get my piece of paper in the mail once I apply to graduate and tell them I couldn't be bothered attending a ceremony where the main highlight is standing around for hours with a group of other students sniffing each other's BO and waiting for some pompous old professor to hand out scrolls. Joyous. Mum will be disappointed, but she's already seen me graduate once and doesn't really need to go through it again.

Got a rather annoying reminder as to why I'm happy to be away from Melbourne. I met up with a group of my old colleagues for coffee (that's not the reason - they're lovely). I left them a little after 11am and headed off to RMIT city campus to get my student card updated so as not to be thrown out of my exam. I arrived just on 11:30am and parked my car in a 1hr meter park, put in my $2, went in to get my card updated and also caught up with another previous colleague and very good friend, Michael, from the good ol' days of lecturing and tuting at RMIT. I left before 12:30 so that I could save my car before the parking inspectors arrived.

Too late. And not "just" too late... I mean way too late... I got a parking ticket at 11:36 - only a few MINUTES after paying my hour in full! WTF?!?!? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Obviously I'll be fighting this one - probably to no avail...

I'm all for parking inspectors booking people who park their cars in wrong places - across people's driveways, etc... they just bug the hell out of me when you get booked within minutes of paying the correct fees!

So from yesterday, I have a masters degree AND a parking fine. Other than that, I did get to come home and see my boys again! Much smooching from all three (especially Gizzy who seemed to be making up for any lost time, and also ate HEAPS to make up for the lack of appetite while I was away).

It's nice to be loved! =)