It was only 4.5 months ago that we conquered 5000, now it’s 8. This is awesome fun. Let’s try and make it 10 by winter. Get your friends to sign up via the website so they know about all the events you do. But don’t let this distract you from completing your Christmas shopping before the due date.

The Flight of the Conchords’ next series in ‘08 will be the biggest TV phenom to hit NZ since the Friends frenzy of the late 1990’s. After seeing Rhys Darby (aka Murray the Band Manager from the show) perform live comedy at The Classic last week, and the other two on Prime TV the other night, filmed in New York, I have no doubt.

Rhys is way up there now as one of NZ’s leading comedians. He’s been a guest on the Ellen Degeneres Show (doing comedy dressed in an Elvis suit), and just made a movie with Jim Carrey.  Now he’s home for a stint of family time. Brett and Germaine’s (the actual Flight of the Conchords band members on the show) songs are so unique, odd, imaginative and ultimately hilarious; I wonder if they don’t still delve in a bit of the old illicit mind-bending substances. Catch them if you can. Rhys will be showing-off at SkyCity as part of next years NZ International Comedy Festival and the other 2 aren’t far behind.

My former DJ God fell from his pedestal last Wednesday. Paul Van Dyk was egotistical, uninspiring and disinterested in his fans. I found his music on the night lacking any sort of direction and uncaptivating. So I perused around and found a back bar with a far superiorly in tune with the “real world” DJ named Mark Osbourne on the decks. The Powerstation was an ideal venue for the 2000 that turned up on that dark and rainy night, but the layers of pies and crisps behind the bars, and lack of credit-card or eftpos facilities resembled a venue ………….. foresight. Thumbs up to Jared (the promoter) though, getting such a big-name DJ to come over here to mix, and 2000 excited party-people out mid-week is no walk in the park.

I left PVD early in favour of an uplifting oasis-like Ponsonby house party.  It was a TV production company’s end of year do, so as you can imagine it was carnage, but in a good way. A highlight there for me was chatting to The Lionman, a lovely gent – not scary at all. My girlfriend enjoyed nattering to some self-confessed “famous” underwear model, I didn’t think he was much to look at, but he did. Now I was on a roll so had a multi-text around and found a party in a suite at The Westin Hotel. After hours of fun and hijinx that included me fully clothed in the shower, then bath, we scampered over to Parnell for some action in the 18 person spa. I called some like-minded regulars to try and fill it, and by mid-afternoon almost had. The ride home in Paul’s yellow HSV super-car was a tad hair-raising but I was in no position to complain.

Not really ready for rest a night-cap was required, and the games began, particularly when Grant (my flatmate) came home (he has the most amazing selection of dress-ups). Before long it was dark again and it was time to make our way to Soiree into Newmarket for Exclusive Models and Strippersrus’s Christmas Party. It was a mainly male attended affair, but totally understandable when you take into account the product these companies market.

Aroused, we went to The El Paradiso Pony Club for Sing Sing. It was odd being one of the first to arrive but this made it easier to chat, make new acquaintances and request songs from the band. We had a look in at SpyBar for the monthly Thursday gig Groove Academy.  The potential was definitely there but the masses weren’t. Being greeted with a deliciously fresh berry cocktail was a touch that worked and we stayed for quite a while. But it was Pony that had drawn the punters tonight so that’s where we roosted till the lights came on.

Friday meant the official opening of the The Pull Bar (on Cross St, Newton). They have done well.  It’s a fab place where fun goes without saying. I’m just a little worried about the location (being off the beaten path). Long may it thrive. Friday also meant that The Captain of hard dance was in town. Captain Tinrib is a hardcore live techno playing internationally renowned producer, who is unrivalled in his realm. Dressed like Captain Cook he had the sizeable Galatos crowd humming. I have nothing nice to say about Galatos as a party pad; it’s smelly, run-down and void of 20th century facilities, but on this night it was jumpin’ and pumpin.

I darted down to Asta after Tinrib’s set to catch John OO Fleming spin (he’s another energy dance master), only to find the guys at 3AM promotions had neglected to promote; even those with complimentary tickets didn’t show. John was mega-pissed off when he was sent back to his hotel without playing a beat. Luckily management at Asta has more of a clue; they had sorted the subordinate front lounge room. It actually rocked thanks to Mark Emerson and Greg Churchill.

The first day of the weekend dawned an absolute stunner. With my old pal Tinrib and his wife in town it was tour-guide time (something I take very seriously). We loaded up the car with supplies, got the usual sights out of the way before settling in for a scoot around the Auckland zoo. It worked out well as UPFM was having Phase 1 of their Summer Series outdoor dance parties. People were playing cricket, croquet, Frisbee, hacky-sack and drinking games; it really was a lovely sight. As the tunes rolled on, the clouds rolled in, and drizzle followed.

Nipping back to the hotel we freshened up, watched the sun set, and then boarded the party bus to Rachelle’s Christmas Party in Freeman’s Bay. I have never seen such an elaborate array of scrummy food laid out fit for royalty. The amp blew so the bedroom one was brought out but my hooking up skills had gone out the window hours before so people danced in silence for what seemed like an eternity. After we left I am told it got rather interesting, and a posh lady did a full striptease.

We moved on to Chemistry at The Civic. What a decadently decorated building. The 4 rooms were in full swing by the time we arrived, lasers zapping, bass bins convulsing. Once again it was clear that if you put the effort into marketing an event the people will come. It was getting late and my big week was catching up with me. I left it there and spent the rest of the weekend in bed with curtains closed, DVD player whirring overtime and junk food never more than an arm’s reach away.