I'm OK! I'm OK! I was actually teaching at Melbourne Uni, not Monash, and I'm unemployed at the moment, but it was sweet of people to worry...Actually my brother is a student at Monash, but at a different campus.

Actually plasmo, knowing that you're a fashion guru and all, I've just come into some money (actually an inheritance from my mother, not to be ghoulish...) and I'm up for a major spending spree. Obviously I know Chapel Street and so on, but are there any interesting places in Melbourne that do boys' stuff that I should know about? Either club/casual or high fashion type stuff. But, you know, something that someone in their VERY EARLY 30s could wear. Any thoughts?

Nilly, just checking in hoping you and yours are OK. And wishing this didn't come up so often.

Glad to hear the Aussies are all intact as well. Go Angus! Buy something foamy and make sure we get pictures.

Clothes shopping YAY! Get Angus G looking OG in no time! :p
(I'm sure you are already, let's just say we're updating you with some seasonal stuff..)

Brunswick St
Ghetto: trainers, denim, streetware $
Venus & Mars: mars side has some finds $$

Chadstone
AX: don't hurt me but I think you can get great cut for a great price at Armani Exchange. $$

Chapel St - I know you know Chapel, but don't forget
Fat 272: A couple of racks for men near the back of the store. $$

Flinders Lane and Little Collins Street (between Elizabeth and Russell Sts) are good for both club/casual and high fashion stuff.
AG: have good and bad stuff... $$$
Calibre: choose basics here, beware of seeing many others out in the same thing $$$
Dust: Small streetware label that's taking off. $
Flinders Way: Marc Jacobs, Pigs In Space etc.. $$$$
Genki: cheap cool t-shirts and accessories.. think kitsch $
Kwamee: more unique pieces but hit'n'miss. $$$

Greville St
Egotism: Denim, cords, t-shirts, shirts $$
John Fluevog Shoes: stock Campers too $$
Rogues: t-shirts, Lee denim $

Lygon St
Aquila Shoes $$
RPM: labels darlin' $$$$

Smith St
Queen: tiny independent label with one rack of menswear $

Enjoy the hunt'n'gather, I take no responsibility for inaccurate $$ markings. ;)

Thanks for the very detailed list plasmo! I've printed it out and will take it on my next shopping trip. (I do know some of those already...Calibre is a fave when I can (a) afford and (b) fit into it.)

Brenda, I will have to get some pictures taken because I'm getting new glasses as well. (Armani frames! They were the only ones I liked, honest!)

brenda, thank you. Yes, me and mine are OK.

There are more murders per capita in the US.

Wow. In Australia, you get to be murdered more than once? Tough crowd.

Look what I found in the local street press..

Thursday 21st November, The Buffyverse: A Symposium on Buffy the Vampire Slayer all day at Melbourne University.

Speakers will address topics including:

• Sarah Michelle Gellar as a new type of star icon for the teen generation.
  
• The representationa of evil, violence and redemption in the Buffyverse through content analysis and an overview of positive fan perceptions of the character of the vampire Spike.
  
• Fashion trends and star images in Buffy and Angel.
  
• Magic, witchcraft and the ways in which this supports the narrative of lesbianism and coming out in Buffy.
  
• The narrative ans stylistic characteristics of the Buffy video game.
  
• Sunnydale as the site of struggle over who gets to speak, who gets to look and who gets to slay.
  
• The genre hybrid sci-fi / fantasy / musical in the 'Once More With Feeling' episode.
  

Cost is $12 / $25 book by emailing angelan@unimelb.edu.au or phone (03)83446851

Angus ... don't forget the Op shops, or "recycled clothing" shops. I've scored some brilliant stuff in the past. In a recycled shop I got a pair of Doc Marten shoes for $20 and in a Salvo shop a pair of near-new Levi 501's for just $15.

Australia has had a bad run lately. On the afternoon of the 24th the Ghan train hit a passenger bus, which in turn hit two cars. "Fortunately," only 4 people were killed but the death toll could've been a lot higher. Strangely, the accident occured at 3:30PM and at around 4:30PM my mum received a semi-frantic phone call from her sister in Scotland. She'd heard the story on her morning radio and wanted to know if we were all okay. Mum still hadn't even heard about the accident at that time.

The last report I heard was 93 Aussies confirmed dead from the "Bali Bombing".

The most terrible story was in the weekend papers in Sydney -- this German girl who was in Bali for the bombing, and escaped to the safety of Australia? Eaten by a crocodile. I swear. That's just horrible.