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Monday, September 30
[Now]posted by peter at 21:15 .......I've posted several more images in my design section. They've actually been sitting on my hard drive for quite some time, but I rather like them and felt that now was the time to make them available to the wider world. :)
[Winged creatures, not the heavenly type]posted by peter at 21:11 .......This morning, just as I left the house to go to work, I was walking past a bush and a bird flew out and defecated on my hand. Seriously, how revolting. I ran back to my house and washed the filthy deposit off my skin under the cleansing flow of a gushing tap. Then at lunchtime I witnessed a young child get attacked by a magpie. The poor kid was so terrified that he just fell over on the ground and lay there almost paralysed. After all these confontations with beaked creatures (am I attracting them somehow?), I can't help but feel that in some ways it would be nice to be able to carry a handgun to instantly dispose of such nuisances.
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[Forms of entertainment]posted by peter at 13:12 .......I miss Melrose Place. It used to provide a good laugh.
In the past I used to be a voracious reader, devouring books rapidly and greedily. It's been a while since I've been truly addicted to a novel, due mainly to my choices of 'challenging' titles that one feels must be read despite their chore-like nature. But now I'm thoroughly enjoying Like water for chocolate. I love the way recipes establish much of the narrative, and how the story indulges in scenarios that border on mythology. The tone of the writing is superb, and the whole novel has a rich, sensuous feel. It will probably distract me from my assignment this afternoon!
[Flocks]posted by peter at 13:08 .......What was with all the groups of people in the city this morning? Big groups of people, walking through the city. Some uniformed, others carrying items that signified group membership. Lots of groups. Seemingly unrelated. Is there a conference at the moment? Perhaps some sort of sporting event? Or is it World Club Day and nobody told me? Very strange. They all seemed to be having a pleasant enough time, which is good I suppose.
Yuck, I got swooped twice by a vile magpie near the Brighton railway station this morning. Birds are among the most revolting creatures inhabiting this green planet, and magpies are among the most revolting birds. Not only do they swoop your head and attack your eyes, they also try to hit you with their droppings. What filthy, disgusting, ugly creatures. I've had more of my fair share of them this week – one just wouldn't leave me alone the other day when I was trying to enjoy my lunch. It kept 'warbling' and appealing for food. I ignored it as best I could.
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[Sport]posted by peter at 15:13 .......Evidently it's the AFL grand final today, as if I could care less. The supermarket seemed remarkably quiet and, come to think of it, just about everything else appears to have slowed down too – it's amazing how important such an event is to so many people.
Sonia and I had a wonderful time last night. Dinner at a Lebanese restaurant, then to heaps of different clubs in the West end... loads of groovy music and much dancing to be had! We finished the evening with Greek delicacies at a Rundle St cafe, and got home at a sensible hour. (Full time work really takes it out of me. I'll continue to use the student excuse for the time being.)
This morning we climbed Mt Lofty, starting from Waterfall Gully. Not only was it raining, but I was wearing entirely inappropriate clothing and footwear, however under Sonia's insistence we pressed on. And it was worth it! Such a steep climb, but so much beautiful scenery en route and of course at the summit. The rain really only bothered us at the start and the end of our walk, so we were lucky in that way.
A few months ago we went through a phase of climbing Mt Lofty about once a week, which was great for fitness and strength. But as with any exercise regime, it proved easy to lapse out of it and opt for decadent treats at nearby cafes instead. Maybe after today we'll re-establish some sort of regular climb.
[Another fine site]posted by peter at 15:02 .......I really enjoyed exploring this site. It was well worth the time it took to install the right Shockwave player.
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[Welcome]posted by peter at 18:08 .......I showed Chris my blog today. It's possibly a bit unnatural for one's boss to have such a window into one's life, but if I let that sort of notion bother me I'd hardly be writing in such a public domain. So, Chris if you're reading this, wock on!
In other news, everything's OK for me to stay on at my house, thank goodness. A six month lease, starting in a week or so. Such a timeframe should perfectly complement the absolute uncertainty that shrouds 2003.
[yuck]posted by peter at 13:52 .......Today has been about 45% repulsive. I hope it improves.
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[CMYK, bleed, paths and bitmaps]posted by peter at 13:57 .......It is with some trepidation that I await a batch of postcards to be completed by the printers. This is my first foray into the world of designing for print, and it wasn't without a steep learning curve. I hope they work out OK. The proofs looked quite good, but in hindsight there was something I would have changed, however it was too late by the time I thought of it.
Oh well. :)
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[I must track everyone at all times]posted by peter at 11:01 .......I'm not sure if this is breaking some sort of unwritten rule or contravening a well known blogging convention, but if you are reading this, I'd love it if you could please email me? I'm curious, that's all. Especially since I recently checked out my web stats and was quite surprised by the visitor information.
Fair enough if you don't want to. Whatever the case, welcome to my site! :)
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[Fortune foods]posted by peter at 20:13 .......Today I was reminded of a strange experience I had in Kuala Lumpur. We were walking along a very long, hot stretch of road when we were approached by a man who appeared to be wearing some sort of traditional or religious outfit. Of course, I'm an ignorant foreigner and couldn't say for sure. In any case, he proceeded to inform us that he was a fortune teller, and launched into a speech that drew upon all of the arts of his trade. It was the usual diagnosis of success and future happiness, but the strange thing was that he just walked off, without asking for a fee or trying to get us to visit a market stall or brothel or anything. It was perplexing and creepy. But let's hope his predictions come true!
Sometimes I wish I had a fortune teller's ability to forsee (or in actual fact remember) when I have absolutely nothing delicious to eat at home. Tonight I resorted to another one of those vegetarian 'meat substitutes' which I find to be, in general, completely revolting. I'm not talking about tofu, which I love. I'm talking about those lame concoctions of nuts, gluten and soy derivatives that get mixed up, dumped in a can, labelled and sold as some sort of culinary delight. They always suck, at least when I prepare them. If the truth be told, I don't want to be reminded of meat when I'm sitting down to a meal. Yuck. There are so many good reasons why I'm a vegetarian, and I don't need some sort of fake pre-shaped bacon with it's pink food colouring and strip of faux-fat down the side to make myself feel better about my choices. I'll take fresh vegetables anyday, not to mention the hundreds of other delicious and nourishing foods that look and taste appealing.
[The quiet hours]posted by peter at 13:19 .......On Sunday morning I gained some insight into the task that must await city street cleaners after most of the culturally designated 'party nights'. Strolling through the eerie and almost deserted Rundle Mall, I noticed that the paving was strewn with flowers that had been ripped up from the planter boxes and chucked everywhere. Bins were overflowing (the ones that weren't being poked through) and there was a general sense of chaos and disarray. Apparently both of Adelaide's football teams lost their finals, so that might have had something to do with it, but regardless of what 'caused' it, I am so sick of ferals.
There certainly were a lot of people out and about on Saturday night. It became an incredibly expensive evening for me, despite my more modest intentions. I went to some cool places, hung out with some super people and had a lot of laughs. But something about it seemed a little hollow – possibly because I was tired.
Also, my friend Trish karate-kicked me in the neck, which wasn't altogether pleasant. It was Ange's fault.
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[I'd hate to call it a dream]posted by peter at 14:42 .......Josh, Sarina and I spoke extensively today about the concept of working overseas during the coming years. Destinations as varied as Hong Kong, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Turkey, the UK and the US were mentioned, but amidst the excited speculations was the realisation that the potential for loneliness would be high. Nonetheless, it's something I have every intention of doing... but how to find work might be the hard part. So, if anyone out there is looking for someone to be a webgeek for them, please let me know. (I can only hope!)
I think I brightened a workmate's day by noticing her new glasses and telling her they looked good. She really seemed to appreciate it.
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[Marking delights]posted by peter at 16:46 .......This sounds like one of those chain emails, but it has happened to me!! I've spent the day marking, and this is a genuine excerpt from one of the assignments:
"For most of the Multimedia Courses having a Scanner and a digital camera with a TV Card attached to your pussy will be necessary however for this particular subject will not need these as everything will be presented by our lecture or our Tutor."
As the tutor, I'm not sure WHAT I'm meant to be presenting to the class after reading this.
[I was a model once...]posted by peter at 13:52 .......I had my hair cut at a very exclusive city salon today, and I have to say that I'm rather disappointed with the result. It really is one of the most generic, bog-standard haircuts I've had for a very long time, and looks neither young, nor interesting. But I guess that's what comes of being a hair model, and paying barely a cent for the privilege (it cost me $12). The last time I did such a thing, I was seated in front of an audience in a North Adelaide function centre, while my hair was slowly shaped into a multicoloured, asymmetric mess. That occasion cost me nothing.
On another note, last night Deb and I caught the bus home together, and seated up the front was the neighbour who we know has lodged noise complaints with the police. So what did we do? We behaved loudly and inappropriately of course!
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[Wind tunnel]posted by peter at 12:41 .......Now, I could be wrong, but it looks as though there are vents here at work that connect the toilets with the kitchen and the corridor. Sure, I do work in a 70s office block, but such a vent system is a creepy concept even with the whims of the era taken into account. Help yourself to a pleasant lunch.
Actually, the interiors of our bathrooms here are remarkably trendy; greenish-beige aplenty, small tiles, stainless steel fixtures and splashes of white. Such style has graced many a page in recent interior design magazines.
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[Height of rudeness]posted by peter at 16:23 .......I've already had plenty of things to say today, as evidenced by the blog below. But here's another.
I've found the IT support here at uni to be a little inadequate at times – it's taken me days and days to get permissions to access certain folders on a certain server. Anyway, I was in some guy's office finalising everything (ultimately it took him two minutes), when another person, presumably a lecturer or something, walked in. Glancing briefly at me, he then asked the computer guy whether they could have a chat, in private. At which point he looked at me, inviting my departure. Giving my best subtle expression of disbelief, I said I'd send an email if I encountered any more problems, and hastily left.
How rude! I almost can't believe it. Just because I'm 'young and interesting' and don't wear lame clothes, I'm somehow labelled as a student whose time is somehow less valuable than that of other, terribly important staff members. To think that there was an expectation that I could be blatantly interrupted and asked none too tactfully to leave the room, by a FELLOW STAFF MEMBER... it makes me sick!
[Pest update]posted by peter at 13:15 .......This morning my yard was littered with snail carcasses; the product of my pest-control measures. Although I do exaggerate, there were a significant number of dehydrated snails stuck to various surfaces around the courtyard.
I have since been consumed with guilt. But at least my plants are largely intact.
[Wild is the wind]posted by peter at 12:02 .......We are creatures of the wind, and wild is the wind...
Fitting lyrics for the weather systems of the last 24 hours. In the evening, the wind stirred up the parched dust and fogged the air with a gritty suspension. I lugged my backpack through the streets, my eyes watering. Earlier in the day I had damaged a car door by letting it go during a particularly strong gust – it was violently wrenched around, and rendered bent and 'unshuttable'.
You touch me... I hear the sound of mandolins...
OK, enough experimental narrative structure, and on with things.
During church yesterday, I suddenly envisaged Deb shrieking "top of the mornin' to you" in her faux-Irish accent... it was all I could do to suppress fits of hysterics, and fortunately I was able to carefully conceal my smile behind my hand.
On Saturday, Mum and I went to a rather lovely establishment where they served literally hundreds of different varieties of jams, relishes and pickles with delicious scones. I wouldn't have touched such foods when I was a child, but as they say, tastes do change. Some of the flavour combinations were rather curious, but undeniably quite successful.
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[Sometimes there's so much beauty *cringe*]posted by peter at 15:01 .......In what felt like a scene straight out of American Beauty, today I was in Victoria Square and saw a balloon skittering about on the road, being swept around by the turbulence trailing each vehicle. It even got completely run over, and bounced rapidly between the road surface and the underside of the car's chassis. How it didn't burst is beyond me, but as they say, sometimes there's just so much beauty in the world.
I actually love that film, but I don't love that line.
[Mid North]posted by peter at 12:13 .......This year has seen far fewer journeys home to my parents' place than ever before, primarily because of my lack of time, but also because I find the whole district rather depressing. Having spent around 17 years of my life there, and all the while longing for the city, I find that going back tends to remind me of why I wanted to leave. Which is not necessarily a positive frame of mind to adopt.
Anyway, now I'm finally organising a return, and kind of looking forward to it. But I don't want to stay there too long, because I will be tormented by the thought of all the fun I'm missing out on in the city.
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[Snails]posted by peter at 15:44 .......Those snails have decimated my marigold. It's war now.
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[Begone, foul mollusc]posted by peter at 23:28 .......Let me make it clear: container-based gardening is stressful. A myriad of lifestyle magazines would have you believe that anyone who lives in an inner city townhouse with no garden to speak of (other than a paved courtyard) has to resort to growing everything, from decorative blooms to fresh vegetables, in carefully grouped terracotta pots. Naturally I must subscribe to every lame trend dictated to me by the mass media, and thus I have conducted a few experiments of my own, with varying success rates. My anemones produced a single flower, my poppies died, very few of my bulbs bloomed, my pansies failed, but my geraniums, vincas, petunias and bonsai trees have flourished.
This is all very well, but unfortunately it has led to obsessive tendencies, particularly in the area of pest control.
Something is eating my geraniums. Honestly, I don't know what would eat them, as their foliage is rather pungent. I wouldn't have thought anything would want to go near them. Yet, I suspect that snails are the culprits. I have always rather liked snails, as they seem more sentient than your average mollusc, and have such cute googly eyes. However, their decision to munch on my geraniums has led to drastic measures. I've been creeping outside late at night to catch them crawling on my plants... and I've been plucking them off and, *ahem*, throwing them over the fence, thus transferring the problem to another, strata-controlled zone. (ie. not my neighbours' yard.) Evidently this is about the best method of controlling them. Deb says that such cruelty makes me a hypocritical vegetarian, but I've checked out their landing zone and they've all been fine, heading off on their merry way. Probably they'll just crawl back into my yard to continue their geranium banquet. This is going to drive me insane.
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[One day in September]posted by peter at 21:40 .......I'm going to prepare for the onslaught of September 11 by doing some serious bitching.
I love the coffee shops that are popping up around the city, their 'quantity over quality' ethos and the joys of walking around with a paper cup. However, I cannot but loathe one particular establishment on King William Road. I'll suppress the name since defamation is not my intent, but the first thing you notice about this place is that the coffee is blatantly overpriced. Mainly because they serve it in cruddy mini-mugs and expect you to linger over your $3 mouthful while perusing the latest issue of *insert name of arty/design/interiors magazine here*. I mean, seriously, the whole place is geared towards a pretentious, cashed up crowd who would prefer to sit on low plastic stools reading specialist magazines that serve more as identity markers than information sources. Worst of all, the products they peddle are uninspiring and insipid. So, don't go there.
As for September 11, what is happening with the War on Terror?
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[Camellias, magnolias and azaleas]posted by peter at 17:14 .......There has been something faintly dissatisfying about this weekend, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Friday night was marred by my excessive tiredness and t-shirt insecurities, both of which I have now overcome. Saturday was totally chilled out, but too close to boring for comfort. Today started off well but I have an overwhelming sense of having forgotten about something, and have spent perhaps too much time playing Golden Sun, which I am still working my way through.
On the upside, I finally got around to watching Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai, and loved it accordingly. Better still, this morning I went up to the Carrick Hill Garden Fair with Melita and her mum. Following a self-guided tour of the graceful residence and a much needed coffee, we went a tad berzerk buying plants. I came back with a vivid marigold, white petunias, a stunning azalea and a very sophisticated cyclamen. I am coveting the lovely Japanese maple that Melita purchased, but I don't think I can deal with a tree like that until I settle down a bit.
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[Selection]posted by peter at 17:32 .......Often it is only after a few days' reflection that I decide that something is worth writing about. This is one such occasion.
Last Wednesday, Trish asked Deb and I to come along to her interviews of prospective housemates. It was all so contrived; we were to show up 'out of the blue' and express surprise and delight at 'finding' Trish at the Belgian Beer Bar (incidentally, this previously unexplored venue is terrific). After the affectations, we joined her interrogation of a rather stunned looking hairdresser who seemed intent on finding out about the feel of the house on offer, and how he would fit in with its cosmic alignment. Next came a guy who apparently wants to partially escape the clutches his girlfriend, followed by two other ostensibly fun people – but by this stage I wasn't really concentrating because I was too busy singing California Dreaming with Deb.
I guess that's the funny thing about the whole evening: there really was no point in us being there. It was a fun, fun night spent socialising with complete strangers, but learning almost nothing about them. Thus I have nothing to offer to the housemate decision-making process.
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[Learning curve]posted by peter at 14:06 .......Current situation: at work, trying to get my head around some illustration software. Finding it to be fairly intuitive on the whole, but there are a few quirks to the program and these have resulted in significant frustration so far. But that's what you get, and it's good to be reminded of how the students in my tutorial class are feeling. Confused and somewhat overwhelmed. Especially when I start raving on about all the wonderful things that are possible, while they're sitting there barely comprehending the basic functions of the program.
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[Food for the soul]posted by peter at 09:53 .......I've just been reading about the culinary use of 'companion animals' such as cats and dogs in various Asian countries, and the Western reaction to these practices. What struck me most was the massive double-standard that exists. Don't get me wrong: I abhor the cruel treatment of these creatures, and being vegetarian I'd obviously prefer it if people didn't eat the meat. But I cannot see the difference between eating a cute, snuggly little kitten and chomping down a burger made from a diced up cow.
Seriously, all these people raving on about how it is morally wrong to eat a dog need to take a step back and realise that they are only imposing Western values. Many Hindus would baulk at the sight of our plentiful fast food beef emporiums, but we don't listen to their concerns. So why should the South Koreans listen to ours? Also conveniently overlooked are the massive violations of animal rights that occur in our own farms and abattoirs. I think it's sickening that dogs and cats are boiled and flayed alive in other countries, but I think the manifestation of the outrage has to be education. Teach people how to humanely prepare such foods, and leave the morality out of it.
After all, people can eat what they want.
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[So we craved chocolate]posted by peter at 13:59 .......Last night, Deb and I went to the supermarket while wearing pyjamas. It really was a laugh. She wore flannellette pyjamas with a dressing gown and fluffy slippers, whilst I was adorned with PJs, a striped dressing gown, orange shoes and my outrageous skiing hat. Other shoppers tried to disguise the fact that they were staring, while the security guard moved from his post to obtain a better view. When we got to the checkout, the employee serving us fought hard to restrain a smirk – after all, Coles employees can't be seen to be passing judgement on customer fashion choices. Through all of this Deb and I chatted nonchalantly, as if nothing was different.
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[If today were any better]posted by peter at 20:35 .......As if I could have a better day than today. Jess and I set aside the whole day and visited Melita. We gave her a beautiful orchid, spent the morning chatting over coffee, toured the splendid Haigh's chocolate factory, made nachos for lunch (with our homemade tomato relish), and in the afternoon we surveyed Melita's extensive garden, walked along the river Torrens and generally had a super time. Such a relaxing, interesting and rewarding day!
I hope this doesn't prove to be a fleeting time of life – I don't think I've ever enjoyed myself more. The next few years will no doubt herald many changes as friends move away and establish lives in other places, but I hope connections are not lost. We lost a few when we all made the move from the country. Now that everyone is embarking upon careers, it will only bring new moves, and the group will probably get successively smaller each time. Sad, yet inevitable. Melancholy aside, it's all pretty good now and there's no point spoiling it with depressing prophetic visions of tomorrow.
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[I couldn't be bothered calling...]posted by peter at 14:13 .......I love unexpected visits from friends. Yesterday Jacqui dropped by unannounced, and it was lovely. The only bad thing about surprise visits is that (a) you might look like you've just fallen out of a bin, and (b) you might not have anything delicious to offer the guest. Both applied to me yesterday, so I quickly got changed and immediately dragged Jacqui off to the city for a splendid coffee session.
My friends and I are clearly in the 'theme party' stage of life, and Friday night's Mothra evening was a resounding success. Jessica had decorated her house splendidly, adhering faithfully to a Japanese theme. She had blossoms, beautiful tealight arrangements, fairy lights, table settings of Asian design, and more. We all pitched in and made a fabulous feast of sushi, inari, steamed dumplings and other splendours. So delicious. And then we watched Mothra! It's clearly the best film ever made. :)
This weekend's events continued in grand fashion last night with a bit of a get-together at Sarina's house. Then today I went into the city with Deb, browsed in Borders and then walked home. With the promise of a visit to Melita's tomorrow morning, it looks like the excellent times can only continue.
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