Movember

Yes, the dreaded day approaches. Soon men all over town will be sporting the beginnings of unsightly mos all over the upper lip and there's bugger all we can do to stop it. In fact, it seems that the sillier the better... And it's only a matter of time before the girls get involved too.

Procrastination blog

Today I am feeling very lazy. But I have heaps of work to do. I kind of took a break after working so hard on my last few essays and now I am struggling to get back in the habit of thinking about writing again. But next weekend I am off to Canberra to hang out with my best buddy who I haven't seen for MONTHS. Good times await. So I have to clear up everything so I can relax and enjoy myself. But I am feeling lazy so still nothing much is getting done.

Oh, and now it is raining. Bugger.

Last night I saw a film called Eastern Promises (I think), about the Russian mafia in London. It was a good story - although the ending was a bit fairyland. It was nice to watch a well-made something that is just a story without an agenda. Or, if there was one I missed it enough that it doesn't bother me! Another thing I did last night was attend a gallery opening for some painter or other - Darryl someone... That was a first for me, and I enjoyed it heaps. Not because I'm suddenly interested in art, or want to pretend I am, but because of the free stuff! Red, white, sparkling wine, a HUGE cheese. Seriously, it was a piece of Brie about as big as... I'm trying to think of something that size... basically it was a family sized pizza - but it was cheese. !! Vegies with dips and a bowl of strawberries. There was this one guy, an elderly Asian man, who ruined the strawberries for everyone else by digging right down to the bottom with his possibly (and seemingly) unwashed hands to find the one particular strawberry that was worthy of him. Nice one matey! So I basically stocked up on cheese, ate my quota of animal protein for the week and laughed at artsy types with their peculiar clothing and manic glasses. I spotted a man in a black skivvy and I was done - a complete art event experience.

After stuffing me with cheese and wine and laughing at me for being so excited about free food my companion decided to delve further into the complexities of being me by asking me to explain exactly and precisely why watching a movie is about 17th on my list of Stuff I Like To Do. Needless to say he was left not a little dissatisfied with my meandering reply but with the distinct impression that the evening he had planned out for us was now going to be marred somewhat by its inclusion of Film Watching which I had just proclaimed to be "lonely and dull". But it was all good in the end. I'm not ANTI film, I'm just having a period of being less than enthused about it all. And I did, as I said above, enjoy the movie we saw anyway. But the whole situation was somewhat typical of those I find myself in constantly. Like when I was 13 and went overseas with my grandparents and my great-aunt was kind enough to buy me some books to read on the plane. Although instead of saying "Here, bought you some books." She first asked me "Do you like Goosebumps?" (kiddie thriller series by RL Stine which was all the rage for a while in the 90s among primary school students). I said "No, they're crap". Well, possibly I didn't use those words, but the gist was that I thought they were for kids at a reading level much below mine and didn't get much out of them. "Oh dear" she says, and pulls out from a bag three Goosebumps books which she had just bought for me! Uncomfortable much?

Well, it wasn't quite as uncomfortable last night because by now we're well used to dealing with my foot in mouth, it's not the first time and won't be the last. Actually the first time was quite hilarious; Bloke asks, "What's been your biggest fashion faux pas?", I ponder for a while and then decide then say, "possibly the double denim look I had for a while" - then look at my interlocutor - he's wearing double denim. Brilliant! So we continued on for a Greek meal with dips and some yummy eggplant number. Hmmmm. And wine, of course ;) It was a lovely evening.

Ah, the weekend arriveth.

And another week goes by... They just slip past so quickly now. Last night I had a dinner party! Well, it wasn't anywhere near as fancy as it sounds, but people came to my house and we ate and drank (some more than others) and were merry. I am left with vast amounts of food in my house which is one of the great things about hosting an event.

Home stuff

The flowers I received which brightened up my room for a week and then not so much for another week when I was too lazy (and sentimental) to throw them away.

Here are my tomato plants - can't remember if I posted a photo of them like I said I would. Actually now they are huge compared to this shot, and the one in front has since died. Well, perhaps died is too strong a word; it has ceased to grow. The leaves at the bottom have all turned yellow and curled up and it looks pretty sick alright! But the other three have continued upwards and outwards and now have little green balls on them that look like baby tomatoes!! heheee.

Here is a picture of the chest of drawers that I procured from the side of the road a month ago or so. How fabulous!

JJJ

This morning I got up extra early to go in to town and see Ben Kweller play for breakfast radio. Kind of sucks to have to get up early for that, but it was free! Well, he is playing again tonight for free, but you need to have your hands on tickets to get in. It's funny when you listen to people's voices on the radio every morning and you get this idea in your head of what they look like and then you see them in real life and it's so not right! This really familiar voice is coming out of a completely foreign body. There was a free brekky on too, but it was sausages of course, just as well I ate my Weetbix before I left the house aye! I guess I could have stayed in bed and listened since it was all broadcast on national radio after all, but then I wouldn't have been able to SEE the pyjama parade, only hear it. I would advocate a National PJs Day except that I don't really have PJs per se and people would definitely thank me not to get involved.

That stupid little four letter word

'You sighed and I was lost in you, weeks could've past for all I knew.
You were the blanket of the over-world and so I couldn't say,
I wouldn't say "no". But they all said, "you're too young to even know,
just don't let it grow and you'll be stronger without him"
but oh, now, my world is at your feet. I was lost and I was found,
but I was alive and now I've drowned.
So now I will be waiting for the world to hear my song
so they can tell me I was wrong...

'But they weren't there beneath your stare,
and they weren't stripped 'till they were bare
of any bindings from the world outside that room.
And they weren't taken by the hand and led through fields
of naked land where any pre-conceived ideas were blown away...
So I couldn't say "no"'

- Missy Higgins

There comes a time in all of our lives when we have to fight popular sentiment. At least I sure hope there is, or it may just be me! Frankly the idea of facing a shower of disapproval and judgements about what I have chosen to do with my life has never been particularly appealing to me and I'm sure many of you are in the same boat. It is, after all, such fear that keeps us behaving in such a predictable fashion for the most part. Never mind that it's obvious that what anyone else thinks can have no real bearing on you, and that no one really has the right to assess your life - nevertheless people can made a real shit time of it for you if they don't agree with your actions. I suppose that's how we cluster ourselves to an extent. We make friends with those of similar ideals and expectations so that we only need ever be marginally morally tolerant. Because it's hard to be tolerant. It is truly difficult to face a person who has chosen to do something that you find reprehensible and just say "Well, that's their right and as long as it doesn't impose on my rights, I have to let it be." Keeping in mind how difficult it is for people to do this it's obvious why people choose to conceal, or are ashamed of actions that diverge from the mainstream. But I guess I discovered something that makes it worth while going off-track and risking public opinion. And it's kind of liberating, to find something that is so powerful that it will give you the courage to go somewhere you never thought you would.

I try to keep my blog to a recount of happenings only rather than a discussion of feelings. This is a public space after all. But there's some really amazing stuff going on in my life at the moment and I wanted to share a little of it. I have been lucky enough to find the kind of love that is life changing, not because I am now tied to another, but because that other has opened up a whole world of possibilities for me that I never knew existed. Nothing lasts forever and who knows where this is going, but this experience will always mean more to me than I could hope to explain here.

A Party

Styling it up in MY shoes. When did I lend my shoes out anyway??

You gotta have looong arms like mine to be a photographer otherwise you never get any photos of yourself!

My women's team - those of us who were there anyway! A few of us got awards too!

I have no idea who this guy is but he looks pretty happy!

Yeah, so the evening was a bit of a success I would say. I had plenty to drink and I think there may have been a little bit of uncoordinated dancing towards the end of the evening. Woke up on Saturday morning with no recollection of how I got home except vague memories of a car ride. I must be getting old, I've never lost time before! So I spent yesterday very quietly getting over it all and having a ponder of a few happenings. And today I must write yet another essay! Hurrah!

Wow this has been a crazy week. I finally submitted one of my essays today and have another one to work on over the weekend again. I wish that if they were intending to extend the due date they would do it BEFORE the due date. Of course I could submit the essay I wrote for the first due date, but then he wouldn't have extended it if he didn't want to tell us all exactly what he wants us to cover which is coincidentally everything tht I haven't covered! OK, that's my whinge over.



Tonight is the Touch club end of season function and I am ready to go! Got my frock, got my jewels (well, pretend jewels) and I am pretty ready for a beer or three after today.

Scooooooooooooooting around

I went for a ride on a scooter! It was heaps of fun. Owing to the ridiculous law that you don't need a bike license for anything under 50cc in SA I am able to jump straight on a scooter and zip around. This partiular scooter was heaps funny because with your helmet on you can't see the handbars or anything in front of you except the road so it feels a bit like you're flying.

Also, my mum came back from Greece and Dubai. It seems they had a fabulous time which is great. I scored a very white Tshirt out of it! Sounds like Dubai is just like another planet though. So I won;t need to wait for space travel to advance after all...