Another busy weekend

On Friday I had to fly up to Bundaberg to entertain at the Bundaberg Sugar's Christmas party. Just the usual delayed departure from Qantas on the way up, but on the way back the flight was delayed because the truck that was supposed to tow the plane of the departure gate broke down. That was a new one!

Up in Bundaberg I had a minor faux pas. During the Toast Routine I produced a can of soda and the volunteer and I then drank a toast together to Bundaberg Sugar. Because some people are diabetic we always use Pepsi Max. As soon as I produced it one of the guests yelled out "Hey, there's no sugar in that!"

Meanwhile, Sue-Anne was back in Melbourne running an 'Al Cappuccino Gangster Night' with Lee Cohen and Enzo Ficco at the Grand Hyatt. The night was, appropriately, a roaring success with a ton of people getting up on the dancefloor to learn the Charleston. Of course, Al threatening them with his machine gun did encourage the few who were initially reluctant.

The next day I was up at 5.30am to fly back to Melbourne where we did a private 40th birthday near the airport and I finally got home around 5pm in time to spend three hours at home before heading off to do an hour of close up on the roof of the Adelphi Hotel. The venue is called Deck 10 and one of the great things about our line of work is we get to visit so many unusual and interesting places, and the views and ambience of Deck 10 are great.

At the airport, one odd thing I noticed was at Hungry Jacks. They're having a massive competition where you can win a $7,000 Fijian holiday. To win you simply fill in an entry form with your name, address, mobile etc. Then there's a box you can check at the bottom which says:

• By ticking this box you will receive further fantastic holiday offers and you consent for an indefinite period of time for the Promoter to contact you by telephone and you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions as stated on the back of this form.

So, unless you are keen to attract more telemarketing you probably wouldn't check that box.

But wait... if you turn the form over at the start of the 33 terms and conditions in ultra-fine print, it says:

• Entrants must also agree for the Promoters, third parties and their respective agencies to contact the entrant, including but not limited to, telephone, SMS, email or mail. Entry is conditional on the entrants acceptance of these conditions.

So this is less a competition and more a way to get around the 'Do Not Call' anti-telemarketing legislation. Even if you are registered on the 'Do Not Call' list, anyone who buys this list created by the Hungry Jack's competition will have you permission to phone you.

So think twice before entering Hungry Jack's great giveaway. Odds are you probably won't win the trip, but you will get a lot more wonderful offers!