Why I'm not seeing Star Wars Opening Day

[Andromeda321]

Well see the thing is on Thursday I'm sort of not going to exist. I looked at my plane ticket for Australia and I leave LAX around 11pm Wednesday and arrive in Australia around 7am Friday (paulie jay, I'll see you there! :wink: ).
Yeah, in short I will not be around for a few weeks starting with tomorrow. There is going to be something like twenty hours of plane-ride fun, have to get from Pittsburgh to LAX and Sydney to Melbourne as well, followed by a few adventures at the ends of the Earth. So I'll catch you guys sometime after June 6. Thanks for the tips in the other thread! :D

[frogesque]

Safe journey and have a great trip!

[tlbs101]

How do you know the in-flight movie isn't Revenge of the Sith?

[Humphrey]

How do you know the in-flight movie isn't Revenge of the Sith?
If i was on there it would be the Christmas special, all screens, all audio channels, and reeeeaaallly loud. :-P

[Archer17]

Have a safe trip Andromeda. Enjoy..

[Russ]

Hey Andromeda: I didn't know you were going downunda. I've got some mates down there.

Will you be going to Tasmania? I've got a step sister living near Launceston. She's a ships chandler and I don't know if I'll be giving her enough notice to meet with you, but what the hey? Right? You'd at least have a chance at a tour from a native.

Lemee know if you're gonna go. :D

[Andromeda321]

No, no Tazmania because when you've got just a few weeks to explore an area the size of the US you're already cramming in too much as it is! (A lot of Melbourne while my studying abroad sister finishes her term, then a few days of Cairns and Sydney.)
Thanks for the warm wishes guys, I'll be sure to post pics if I get my hands on them. 8)

[The Bad Astronomer]

Well, that's cool, Andromeda, and you'll love it there. The food is awesome (I really dug the meat pies).

But I will be seeing SWIII on Thursday morning, and hopefully my review will be that afternoon. 8)

[Humphrey]

I plan on seeing it thursday sometime. But im not buying tickets early. It will be luck of the draw for me.

[Russ]

No, no Tazmania because when you've got just a few weeks to explore an area the size of the US you're already cramming in too much as it is! (A lot of Melbourne while my studying abroad sister finishes her term, then a few days of Cairns and Sydney.)
Thanks for the warm wishes guys, I'll be sure to post pics if I get my hands on them. 8)

I've got an ex in Melbourne but you don't want anything to do with her. :evil: She's the kind that gives humans a bad name. :roll:

[Andromeda321]

My sister did promise that she was going to buy tickets in advance so we can see Episode III in Aussie sometime this weekend/ next week (I dunno when it comes out there but since they did a lot of work down there it must be soon...). She's also gotten tickets to a footy match! :o

[Parrothead]

Enjoy the trip Andromeda. Melbourne, Sydney and Cairns are all beautiful. IIRC, lots of international cuisine can be had along Little Bourke St (may be just Bourke St) in Melbourne. The botanical gardens are beautiful.

[EvilBob]

Hey Andromeda!
Little Bourke St is the one you want - that's where Chinatown etc is... Mind you, most of Melbourne has good food. Lygon st. the best for Italian. And if you have a sweet tooth, make sure you head to LaTrobe st for the best Greek cake shops you'll find!
I'm not in Melbourne, so I can't offer to show you around, but I can offer you some tips...
If you like 2nd hand bookshops, the best is Basement books in Elizabeth st. Chapel street is a cool place to wander for odd little shops and expensive boutiques... St. Kilda is a great place to explore - right near the beach and some of the coolest shopping strips in the city. I haven't been to the planetarium (at the museum) for years, but I remember it was pretty good. We have an IMAX (http://www.imax.com.au/theatres.asp?c=melbourne) theatre which is usually worth checking out. The Astor Cinema (http://www.astor-theatre.com) is a fantastic old-time cinema which has a different movie every day, from classics to new releases. I've seen 2001 in 70mm twice there...
And the weather is unseasonally wonderful here at the moment.
Have fun!

[crosscountry]

I'll wait until July comes around. See it matinee in California. I'm taking a road trip out there this summer and I'll have plenty of time to goof off.

[mickal555]

You can still se it down here.



Why do I have a feeling of de ja vu?

[Maksutov]

How can you not immediately see a film whose advertising campaign is now "Sith Happens!"?

Best wishes for a safe trip and great time in Oz! Keep looking up, checking out the new southern skies and watching out for Drop Bears. :D

[George]

Thanks for the warm wishes guys, I'll be sure to post pics if I get my hands on them. 8)

Have a great trip. We look forward to the pics.

Take some picante sauce for your vegemite. :)

[paulie jay]

Well, I will definitely be on duty on Friday morning at 7am! I'm assuming that you're on QF6? I won't be stamping passports on that day but I will try my best to get out amongst the passengers. I'll be the one in the blue shirt... :D I don't actually know your real name so even if I did accost you for the purposes of law enforcement I probably wouldn't even know it!

To make your journey through the airport a less frustrating one, here are some tips.


Be prepared for a busy morning! 7am is generally one of the busiest times of the day at Sydney airport and it can sometimes take a good 45min- 1 hour to actually get from the plane to the taxi stand! Of course, you may luck out and get a dream run through, but don't count on it!


When you get off the plane you will firstly come to the immigration line where your passport will be stamped. Don't be confused by the fact that it is actually Customs officers who do all the work here.


Make sure you answer all of the questions on the declaration form correctly. By this I mean don't make any assumptions about what you think the question is asking and if it applies to you. Here's an example - there is a question regarding prohibited imports which includes medication (question number 1). Most Americans don't think that this applies to their personal medication but it does, and they often get themseleves into trouble over it. Please resist the temptation of answering ever question "no" in the belief that it will get you through quicker. It won't!

Also, in the "intended address" section please write the name of your hotel and the city it is in - eg Sheraton Hotel, Sydney.

After your passport has been processed you need to go pick up your bags and proceed through the Customs area. If you've answered "yes" to any questions you need to go to the RED section. If you answered "no" to all of the questions go to the GREEN section.

Also, the Quarantine officers get REALLY annoyed if you've got food on you but haven't indicated this on the declaration. Annoyed enough to hit you with an on the spot $220 fine! "Food" means anything you can put into your mouth and swallow. This includes candy, trail mix, whatever. Chances are you won't have to throw the food away, but not declaring even safe food is an offence in itself. All bags are x-rayed, so you may as well be honest.

It's possible that I may be working in the baggage examination area as a "Duty Collector" (just look for the signs) but I can't guarantee it. Just hope I'm having a good hair day...

Oh yeah, one last thing, don't chew gum with your mouth open.

[Russ]

Hey Pauli Jay: Just look in the BABB photo album. Androm has her pic in there. At least you'll have some idea what she looks like.

Try HERE (http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/babbalbum/album?.dir=7fff) she's second from left, top row. ;)

edit: She's also in pic #79 with siriusastronomer way down the list.

[pumpkinpie]

Oh yeah, one last thing, don't chew gum with your mouth open.

Is that just a personal request, or will she get hit with a $220 FINE if she does? :wink:

[George]

Oh yeah, one last thing, don't chew gum with your mouth open.

Is that just a personal request, or will she get hit with a $220 FINE if she does? :wink:

I assumed he was listing all sticky situations to avoid. :wink:

[sarongsong]

A local DJ mentioned that 'worker productivity' losses for a workday premier of a Star Wars movie, due to people taking time off, runs between 500K and a million dollars. :D

[paulie jay]

Thanks Russ - silly me didn't even think of looking there #-o


Is that just a personal request, or will she get hit with a $220 FINE if she does?
:lol: That's a strictly personal request! Although I suppose at the end of the day I would rather hear someone slopping on gum than smelling their alcohol breath from the in-flight hospitality!


A local DJ mentioned that 'worker productivity' losses for a workday premier of a Star Wars movie, due to people taking time off, runs between 500K and a million dollars. Blimey!

[paulie jay]

Well, Andromeda came through the airport today but unfortunately I missed her. Even though I was working in a different section today, I made an effort to hang around the baggage hall but I just couldn't find her! I briefly considered walking around holding up a little sign like those limo drivers...

[Andromeda321]

Sorry Paulie Jay, I swore I saw you for a second there but you were in conversation with someone. Then before I could do anything the screener decided to make a huge fuss over an alleged food item in my backpack only to discover hey, I'm a good kid and not smuggling in pineapples or anything. :roll:
For all interested, I'm currently in a computer lab at the Uni of Melbourne between high dinner at my sister's college (got to wear robes like they do in Harry Potter, yay!) and going out to someone's party at a pub. My sister needed to work and so here I am. 8)
Oz is really really cool so far, I must say it's the best place I've been in a long while and I'll have issues coming back! Just been in Melbourne so far but it's a very lovely city that's alive with people living and enjoying it, which I think is awesome.
The coolest thing so far is I went to the MCG for a footy game last weekend where the Collingwood Magpies (who went in having won one game of eight) were against the West Coast Eagles (who were undefeated). We decided to cheer for the Pies and were suprised to find them beat the Eagles! Woohoo! So I've come out of it believing footy is one of the best games out there and there is something very cool about 30k Aussie fans placed in a stadium that I won't forget anytime soon.
Oh, and as an afterthought, the Southern Cross is pretty albeit nearly missing a star due to light pollution and Alpha Centauri's none too bad either.
That's it for now, talk to you guys later. :)

[mickal555]

Sorry Paulie Jay, I swore I saw you for a second there but you were in conversation with someone. Then before I could do anything the screener decided to make a huge fuss over an alleged food item in my backpack only to discover hey, I'm a good kid and not smuggling in pineapples or anything. :roll:
For all interested, I'm currently in a computer lab at the Uni of Melbourne between high dinner at my sister's college (got to wear robes like they do in Harry Potter, yay!) and going out to someone's party at a pub. My sister needed to work and so here I am. 8)
Oz is really really cool so far, I must say it's the best place I've been in a long while and I'll have issues coming back! Just been in Melbourne so far but it's a very lovely city that's alive with people living and enjoying it, which I think is awesome.
The coolest thing so far is I went to the MCG for a footy game last weekend where the Collingwood Magpies (who went in having won one game of eight) were against the West Coast Eagles (who were undefeated). We decided to cheer for the Pies and were suprised to find them beat the Eagles! Woohoo! So I've come out of it believing footy is one of the best games out there and there is something very cool about 30k Aussie fans placed in a stadium that I won't forget anytime soon.
Oh, and as an afterthought, the Southern Cross is pretty albeit nearly missing a star due to light pollution and Alpha Centauri's none too bad either.
That's it for now, talk to you guys later. :)

Yeah AFL rocks

I back the lions myself. Up here we have "the gabba"

Just wait until you reach dark skys.

[paulie jay]

Although my sport is Rugby League, I do have a soft spot for St Kilda in the AFL!

[EvilBob]

We decided to cheer for the Pies and were suprised to find them beat the Eagles! Woohoo!
Carn the Pies! :-"