Three hours was enough

To praise the venue (Deus Ex Machina - a motorcyle shop/cafe), chinwag with coworkers present and past, ponder the gender of an androgynous figure in a suit, harken unto speeches, amuse a stranger while queueing for a "David's hotdog" (allegedly modelled on the frankfurter rolls sold by a Canadian outlet), terminate canapes with extreme prejudice, empty eight glasses/bottles of beer down my neck (Hunter Kolsch, Hunter Pale Ale, Redback Crystal), declare the launch of "Beer And Brewer Australia" magazine a carousing success, and split a taxi back to the city with DL. CM, NP and RS may still be there partyin' hearty now - and the devil on my left shoulder says I should be, too. But three hours was enough.