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Monday, April 28
[Early Monday morning]posted by peter at 08:48 .......Back in the city, in a skanky Internet place on Hindley St. My world smells of stale coffee because Emily knocked over my latte while trying to steal the froth. She was bitter because I got the front seat of the car and, in her words, "interrupted the routine". It was the culmination of a chain of events which only took place because Ange made me get up significantly earlier than I would have liked.
Yay, imagine running into Sel in the city!! Well, I got to and she's starting her new job today so it's a big 'good luck' to her. I'd forgotten that mum was passing through town last night, so I met her taxi and we went to dinner at the excellent Ip's cafe on Grote St. It's run by a wonderful Hong Kong lady who wears amazing clothes and exudes intensely friendly energy. The food's very good too, I had vegetarian Singapore noodles, quite hot and no SARS to be seen! :)
I even managed an unplanned visit to auntie Clarice and uncle Ray, thanks to another stop by the Lisa-mobile. Poor Lisa had to put up with me for a few hours last night. She gave me a vegan chocolate with scorched almonds in it, how delicious.
OK, I need to collect my thoughts and get organised for the road trip, I believe all I need to do is get some food and do some washing, but perhaps there's some sort of support role I can fill in terms of helping Deb in some annoying way. Can't stop now, gotta make some calls...
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[Adelaide]posted by peter at 11:37 .......Point 1 on the triangle is Adelaide. It's really strange being here but having no home to go to. All the sights and sounds are familiar but never before have I been stranded in the city like I am today. The day stretches before me, illuminated by the promise of old friends, but still I have no base here anymore. And this after just a few short weeks... as I said, it's strange. (And never before have I required the services of an Internet cafe in this city...)
But I've had a lot of fun so far. I'm staying at Ange's, I have finally gotten to see Deb after I don't know how many months, and naturally Trish has been in the picture too (along with Indian food). I've caught up with Josh and Pippa (more Indian food, seems that's all I've eaten since my arrival), as well as Abi, Ben, Kyle and Jac. There will be more today.
Last night was big, as we knew it would be. After preliminary drinks at Trish's (we watched most of Boys on the side, how I love that film!!) I found myself at Worldsend with a host of the aforementioned people, and from there we visited Allure – what a cool club, I've always loved it and last night it was the most fun ever – before finding ourselves beached on Gouger St which, despite it's bustle, had nothing to offer any of us. From there things became a bit dispersed, some people left, some people played pool (up there with car racing in dullness in my opinion), and I ended up in the horrible Enigma bar listening to Rotterdam techno (I left a comment on the site documenting this fact) and trying to stay sane in the pervasive blue light.
So I haven't had a lot of sleep.
And here I am, back in the city. Hopefully it will be as much fun as yesterday... I spent the whole day in town apart from a brief trip to my old place to pick up the last of my things. I'm here for another day or so, and then we commence the big drive to Sydney.
Anyway, no time to waste, I have coffee to drink, food to consume and a pressing need to misidentify with more Hollywood celebrities.
PS - happy engagement to the Sallys!! So sorry I couldn't be at the celebration, but that doesn't make me any less thrilled for you both! :)
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[Guess what I found out]posted by peter at 07:35 .......So the terrific Jo emails and tells me that – oh by the way – she's had dinner with Cat Power, like, AS YOU DO!!!
Jo's partner was the sound engineer at Chan's Adelaide show a few years ago, and they all went out and about and whatever. I haven't replied to the email yet because I'm still digesting the information and processing the extent of my jealousy.
Well it's going to be a mad rush of packing this morning, I'm away for the next 8 days so I dunno how often I'll be updating this damn site in that time. Once I get organised I'll be rushing into the city to meet mum, and then I'm going to whisk her away onto the St Kilda cake trail. Sonia is at work (she only gets two public holidays per year, crazy), so I'm left with the task of tour guide again.
As for ANZAC day, I'm not really into the commemoration of war. That's not to say that I don't feel sympathy and sorrow for its victims/participants, but I relegate it to a sad part of history that I can't spend time mulling over. One war just blends into another, hey, how's the War on Terror going? I hope I'm not coming across as heartless and cruel... I may not have articulated myself well.
Anyway, I'm off to start the packing flurry.
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[Leroy says "aw, keep on rockin' girl"]posted by peter at 10:00 .......With fingers raw from the frets and strings of my housemate's guitar I type this update. I've chosen Michelle Shocked as the background soundtrack, which may say something about my state of mind. My step-cousin Sandra once listened the song Anchorage (from Short, Sharp, Shocked) on repeat all day, simply because it has the line "I sound like a housewife. Hey Chel, I think I'm a housewife". Perhaps I'll just listen to the album all day and work through some issues.
Yuck, a cafe in Hardware Lane took modern fusion cuisine a bit too far last night when they paired a traditional Italian pasta with Shiitake mushrooms and baby corn. So, sitting on top of a pesto cream base we had big slabs of very strongly flavoured mushroom and other textures that you'd associate with the food of South East Asia (or Cantonese cuisine), but not with provincial Italy. Hello, they're half a world away (sung in my best Michael Stipe impersonation). I was left with the strangest aftertaste, redolent of burning incinerators and airborne xenoestrogens. My response to this situation was to complain audibly to Sonia, so she bought me a treat from the supermarket. Aaah, older sisters!! :)
I'm more than a little concerned by the fact that the filthies (Ange, Trish & Deb) apparently 'have a few things planned' for me on my arrival back in Adelaide. If you know these girls, you will know that such promises/threats are not to be taken lightly. Time only can reveal what is in store, but I might assume a protective stance and brush up on some self defense techniques.
I've uploaded a photo from St Kilda last Saturday, oh we're just SO Secret life of us. It's too big to fit on this page so here's a link to it (85k).
Yes, I realise I'm wearing sunglasses indoors. But I promise that I was not being a complete wanker, and that in fact there was a heck of a lot of glare beaming in from the French door we were sitting directly next to. Really, there was! The camera Lomofied the whole image somewhat, so you don't get a concept of how bright the environment was.
At least we're not playing lawn bowls!
Finally, you will notice on the right that I've now published a bunch of links to other blogs that I visit. Check them out if you will, but don't expect a common thread. :)
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[Stories from the city]posted by peter at 13:00 .......There's only so long I can lounge about in nice hotel suites before I become bored out of my mind, and thus I am back at home now. Sonia may not be entirely impressed when she learns that I caused the room to miss being 'made up', but we'll work through this problem. Running the gauntlet of international hotels leaves my mind in a whirl of milk glass, chrome and beige (or is 'mushroom' a better term?), and I don't want to give off the wrong impression by lurking in foyers and entering lifts with different people every day.
I've got a busy few days ahead of me: mum is arriving tomorrow, then on Friday I'm flying back to Adelaide and sometime early next week is the great road trip to Sydney, and then it's back to Melbourne on May 3, which I might add is the day before my birthday. Ooh, I'm gonna be 23, help yourself.
I watched an extraordinary film on SBS last night, it was called The Waiting List (Lista De Espera) and was about a bunch of people who got stranded at a bus station and then started redecorating the building and essentially turned it into a commune of happiness. I just loved watching the various relationships develop and events unfold, and the story was terrifically entertaining. Unfortunately the ending went all enigmatic on me, which was disappointing, as I preferred the more fantastic aspects of the plot.
I've been beside myself with discomfort in recent evenings after slicing up chillies and then getting their heat producing compounds attached to my hands. I'd never be one to claim that smoke drifts from my fingers, or that fire issues from my digits, but after some cooking sessions everything I touch seems to burn. Everything.
Very, very uncomfortable.
Aaah, chilli + lime + ginger + garlic + lemongrass = such enticing flavours!
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[Children go where I send you...]posted by peter at 12:35 .......Farewell, Nina Simone.
:(
[What percentage in Y+3?]posted by peter at 12:19 .......I'm the first to admit that I've been idle in recent weeks, but not so idle as to utterly neglect my employment status. In fact, I'm currently in the thick of an ongoing graduate application, and have just completed an online verbal and numerical skills assessment.
Which leads me to think that my application will go no further.
Perhaps I approached the 'test' from too arrogant a viewpoint... there was certainly no preparation involved on my part. I say these things because the test was really quite difficult, and I only completed about two thirds of each section. There were lots of those horrid mind bending questions which demand you to extrapolate and extract and manipulate and calculate. I'm sorry but my brain simply is not working for me in that capacity at the moment. Well, time will tell, and you can be the first to read about the outcome here...
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[Himalayas]posted by peter at 21:19 .......Just a quick post to rave about Ghurka's Nepalese restaurant on Chapel Street. A cute interior, a bunch of friendly staff and a whole menu of magnificent food can be expected. Sonia, Adelle, myself and two other 'new' (and fun) people sat down on cushions at a low table in the window (very convenient so as to be seen) and worked our way through an extremely delicious assortment of foods – the dishes were infused with subtle spices, and displayed a range of attractive colours and captivating textures. Their 'special vegetarian entree' was just so incredibly tasty, but to be honest I'm not exactly sure what was in it. Mo mo's are always yummy too. I'll definitely be going back to Ghurka's.
As an aside, I've never been a crumpet person until Kate toasted some for me the other day. My mistake seems to have been always treating crumpets in the way I approach toast; that is VERY lightly toasted, almost raw. But with crumpets such a technique seems to have very splodgy, yeasty consequences. So, dear Kate toasted the begoodness out of the crumpet (she does a double-toasting and manipulates them somehow between sessions) and the results are gold. (Actually she just said that Golden Crumpets are also part of the secret.)
[Happy Easter]posted by peter at 14:27 .......Spent Easter Sunday in the Dandenongs with Jess, Mike, Jacqui, Kyle, Tracy, Zoe and Laura... driving, walking, laughing, consuming. Loads of fun and a tiny bit of snitchiness. It felt like we were in the Adelaide Hills for the day, albeit with different vegetation, who wouldn't love a temperate rainforest and overpriced scones? Or a tasty slice of 4-day-old gateaux?
Much later, I ended up eating food in one of the truly horrible kiosk-like places in the Crown Casino, oh my gosh they wouldn't know a vegetarian if one walked in with dynamite strapped around his waist threatening to detonate the bomb if the practice of killing and eating cows did not immediately cease. Hello, we're in Melbourne, there's no need to accept second best as far as food is concerned. (Even if a bizarre cheap eats policy is involved.) I hate casinos, they depress me, and gambling stirs not even the tiniest skerrick of interest in my mind.
A very tasty piece of cheesecake raised my spirits, although it also raised my stomach acids. After a long and replenishing sleep, there is little to report from today. It's been nice enough, yet indistinguishable from other days of workless bliss where one 24-hour cycle bleeds slowly into the next.
Yeah, so happy Easter to everyone, anyway!
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[Backtracking]posted by peter at 14:16 .......Alright, so I said we'd definitely go somewhere in the city? Well we didn't; instead we hung out on Brunswick St. And I said that the bank's credit card letter was unsubstantiated nonsense? Well it wasn't; instead I now have a large number of unauthorised transactions taking up valuable space on my credit account. I have several creepy Internet chat room (presumably) charges, a dodgy i-Primus bill and an outstanding balance from an Adelaide-based car wreckers.
Therefore the card is now cancelled and I have to initiate the rigmarole of disputed transactions. How entirely inconvenient. I have no idea how my number got out, I only ever use SSL via the Internet. The only time I've ever given it over the phone was when I organised the courier for my computer... (and they subsequently damaged my computer.)
So I just don't know.
But I wish I didn't have to deal with this right now, just when everything else is so perfect.
(The cancelled card is probably a blessing in disguise, as I've just come back from Chapel Street where I encountered a jacket that I needed; a tiny bit military-chic but moreso reminiscent of Banksy designs, all khaki and olive and black, with red numerals and, best of all, a red stencil of the words "Danger! High voltage!". Like, when we touch, when we kiss, how much does everybody love that song? Anyway, the jacket was $185 and I almost yielded, but then I started thinking in terms of equivalent buying power, specifically with regard to rent, so I summoned all my will power and resisted.)
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[Good Friday]posted by peter at 17:59 .......I attended the 9am service at St Paul's in the city. There seemed to be a lot of movement of people, arriving and leaving, incessant footsteps, that sort of thing. The woman behind me was clearly suffering from an obsessive compulsive disorder and kept tapping the pew or slapping her face in a repetitive and rhythmic fashion. But I enjoyed the service, and particularly appreciated the choir's rendition of Mozart's Lacrymosa, so very moving. And in case anyone's wondering, yes, Easter is more important than Christmas.
Then it was back home to fabulous weather and a host of friends, at one point our tiny cottage was so inundated it felt like Central Station or something. Oh, let's not exaggerate. We hit Brighton's rampant family cafe scene, felt like I was in Adelaide's worst all over again... good service but dreadful food (my pizza reminded me that one day I will surely die) and childproof interiors. Help yourself. From there we made our way to Jacqui's aunt's uber-modern-extra-minimalist abode, lots of fine furnishings and a sweet Burmese cat to pose against feature walls or abundant full-length windows.
It was on to St Kilda for pleasant times and a very hefty almond croissant. I missed my train, so spent a few thoughtful minutes beneath a mechano-digital clock that clunked through its increments like an overhead prophet of doom.
I think we're going to a jazz club tonight, definitely somewhere in the city, but who knows what will transpire? I'll leave you with a link to some of Barnett Newman's beautiful Stations of the Cross series, oh they've been shown in the Guggenheim Museum, who wouldn't want to live in New York City?
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[Bear with my rambling]posted by peter at 13:19 .......I've just returned from my Centrelink seminar, why don't we all just sit around a conference table and rip out our eyes? The poor presenter – who, I might add, is not actually responsible for the bureaucracy and insane exclusionary practices that he was explaining – copped so much flack from some of the more maladaptive attendees, how he must hate his job sometimes.
So we had the belligerent psychotherapist who insisted on making snide comments dressed up as insights, what a cow, thanks for wasting all of our time harping on about your 1 hr car park, go and move your car and then consider therapy. We had a very gay bleach-blonde temp teacher who seemed astonished to learn that he'd have to fill out a few forms, I'm sorry you find it all a bit 'too much' but what did you expect? So your prior employment circumstances were mildly extraordinary, so what? Nobody's interested in inane activism and you're making no valid political statement by shooting the messenger. Then there was the bitter, grumpy, intensely broody recent-redundantee (did I just coin a term, or get things very wrong?) with a sob story to inflict on any willing ear and a lack of wit to match the drudgery of his account. Dude, just get in the queue. Finally there was the ubiquitous trench-coated pony-tailed sketch artist who sat next to me and didn't interrupt proceedings or annoy me at all, it's just that he was there, it's like Where's Wally? with those guys.
Enough about that. Yesterday I showed Jacqui, Laura and Zoe around the city, and had a fine time playing Mr Tour Guide (again). Unfortunately I concluded the day by stepping in some vile dog excrement, I hate those animals (and more so their owners) sometimes, and the affected shoes now occupy a special outdoor space.
Soul Mama provided ridiculous amounts of food again, and later in the evening my friends had a spare ticket to a comedy show which I couldn't accept (because I was meeting Lisa) so they gave it to me with the instruction that I should just give it to someone on the street. So I stood at the entrance to the theatre and yelled "anyone want a free ticket?", at which point some loser snatched it, yelled "sucker!" and started auctioning the ticket to the crowd. I demanded he give it back, insisting that it had to be given freely, but he wouldn't so I told him to help himself and stalked off into the night. Evidently his efforts were futile, as it seems he handed the ticket to the box office (now who's the sucker?) and it was given to one of the comedy performers who subsequently sat next to my friends and, upon hearing the story (I had phoned them about it), produced two free tickets to another show. Hmm, a convoluted account but it sort of makes sense.
In yesterday's mail I received an alarming letter from my bank saying that their system indicated possible unauthorised activities made or attempted with my credit card. So there I am envisaging thousands of dollars mounting up on my account, but in a rational moment I quickly checked Internet banking and saw nothing strange. Puzzled, I rang the number provided, only to be asked if I use the Internet at all.
"Yes."
"Oh, don't worry about it then. We just needed to check if you were aware that purchasing had occurred online."
Well, thanks for the panic-inducing letter, perhaps you could consider less melodramatic phrasing in further correspondence. Help yourself to customer service.
Finally, I bunked down in cousin Lisa's room at the glorious new Westin hotel last night, but did not sleep soundly despite our proximity to a Chanel store. And by all accounts Sonia will be in town again for two weeks from Sunday, so it's back to the Crown Towers for me. What a strange life I am leading at the moment.
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[Tumour]posted by peter at 08:38 .......I honestly have no cause for complaint at the moment, things are really, really good. No doubt I'll find something soon enough. The Nigella brownies turned out well, however due to an array of inappropriate utensils and a very casually halved recipe, they are a tad too moist. They are bursting with walnuts, and I'm not sure if that density of nuttiness (I am Nigella) is how they should be, but live and learn.
Time for an interior decoration suggestion: buy a lovely bunch of small hot red chillies and invert the bunch in a tiny dark blue pot. It's ostensibly a good way to store them, and in the meantime they look like a fabulous succulent that might have been specially imported from another world. Beats a phalaenopsis orchid anyday.
Why would somebody choose to stroll around a market with a horrible living bird perched upon their shoulder? I mean, thanks for disregarding basic hygiene standards and turning my fruit and veg shopping into a festival of feathers and dander. Yuck. How can I shield my eyes while laden with shopping bags? And stylistically it's just so wrong – it's fine if you're going for that 'old woman of the jungle' look, but a modern young urban thing a bird on the shoulder just don't make. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush by some reports, I beg to differ and I wish someone would scare away all the squawking feathered friends in my back yard. No sir, I don't like them.
And suddenly I realise that I've complained about something! Hehe, I didn't even realise!
Well in a few short minutes I'll be meeting Jacqui and friends at the Prahran (or possibly South Yarra) train station, how wonderful to have more visitors. Lisa's in town again tonight, I think I'll be staying with her in some plush hotel, and then Kyle and Tracy will be here on the weekend. And so my friends metastasise around the country and around the world, a cancerous spread of Jamestown/Adelaide connections. Look out world we're gonna swamp you.
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[Just like my tshirt]posted by peter at 15:52 .......There's a shopping trolley lurking out the front of our house. It's been there for a couple of days, and in fact I saw it had rammed a car yesterday. We don't want it hanging around out there, what's it doing? People seem to mistake our bin alley for a trolley bay or something. Not on, I tell you, just not on.
Earlier I watched and loved Nurse Betty, oh its themes of obsession struck such a chord! Hehe. It was such a refreshing and invigorating film, and I have no latent Zelwegger prejudice (nor active one for that matter) so her presence brought only delight to the proceedings.
The first half hour or so was interrupted by the sporadic interjections of the oven repair man, who seemed to be very kind but kept muttering "shit!", "shit", every so often, generally accompanying these statements with loud crashes. Our oven works now, more proof that every story has a happy ending.
It's been a tradesperson frenzy around here lately; our air-conditioner was repaired by a softly spoken fellow yesterday, this morning I had the computer insurance assessment episode (probably not a tradesman per se) and then of course the oven man. Naturally it's been my job to leave the gate unlocked and welcome the said persons, after all I am the household couch slob.
I managed a few short excursions to the shops today, among which a takeaway grande Starbucks soya flat white was purchased – my first portable coffee since the big move. I feel that I am now sanctioned in my outbursts of "Cawwfeee? Yaaaaa!" (note American inflection), which really have occupied a back seat in recent times (in favour of other statements which I won't publish just now). Also made a quick dash to the markets because I can, and bought lemongrass, a bunch of chillies and some fruit, no plans for the first two ingredients as yet, however I felt insecure without them. Another journey to the land of aisles will be made this evening to acquire ingredients for the Nigella brownies. Erk, I feel the need for some housework now.
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[3 hours]posted by peter at 23:43 .......Ridiculous. I just watched Magnolia again; I absolutely love it, and am definitely obsessed at the moment.
I think I'm giving the film a rather strange reading now, after so many viewings, but isn't that one of the joys of cinema? To provide some sort of justification, Kate and Dan hadn't seen it before, and since I still have the DVD in my possession, it would have been unthinkable to refuse to sit down and watch it with them.
I got a lot of other things done today, believe it or not. Also, my graduation parchments arrived by registered mail, so I'm all prepared for that distant day when I have a big teak desk, leather-bound personal organisers and an adjustable, comfortable, yet ergonomically sound chair in a large office overlooking a glittering corporate skyline. There will be at least one potted palm in the corner, and lots of dark, masculine colours and textures. Naturally there will be a sideboard resplendent with the liquors of the world and maybe a few gold-plated ornaments scattered here and there for good measure. Presiding above it all will be my two parchments from UniSA, gloriously showcased in heavy timber frames.
Yuck. What a repulsive concept... but take heart, at the moment I'm certainly doing everything in my power to avoid such an outcome.
[Am I immune?]posted by peter at 10:01 .......Cynical and drunk and boring someone in some dark cafe...
Even when amazing things surround us, we pass them by in search of new miracles. Distracted by mundane pursuits, bored by the most magnificent natural wonders, jaded by human endeavour and consumed by spiritual apathy.
Between yesterday's torrential rainfalls I rescued a single camellia flower from a tree in our back yard. Structurally perfect, and one among hundreds, it recalled our own obsession with mass production. Replicate. Reproduce. Imitate. Mock.
Edvard Munch's scream running through nature's fabric. A factory impression on a slow conveyor belt. A swift shimmer in the supernatural. The unblinking eye of a surveillance camera.
I think I saw an angel once – I awoke to find two pale feet on my pillow and a strange apparition towering above me. But still I have the audacity to feel bored. To think that I've seen it all. To pace the house waiting for others to return.
Where am I going with this? At this point there's meant to be some poignant insight, a collection of sentences to bind together and conclude. But there's not. Forgive me, but I've no more to say right now.
(I've seen Magnolia for the third time and it's got my mind racing.)
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[Synch]posted by peter at 13:41 .......I think I'm having sympathetic period pains.
Enough said.
[Community]posted by peter at 10:13 .......As if we befriended our neighbour last night.
Not that it's bad to befriend people, it's just the way we imposed ourselves upon him. And ended up watching the Lifestyle Channel in his house at 2am. And threatening him with the prospect of us rocking up unannounced in order to bake friands (he has Miele appliances). Not to mention introducing ourselves by near frightening him to death while he was hanging up his washing.
I think sometimes my friends and I can seem a little strange. He appeared to enjoy our company; he brought around red wine and everything, but sometimes I just wonder what sort of impression I (and my friends) must leave upon people.
Our neighbour is heavily involved in theatrical productions and arts administration and whatnot, and Jess was so unashamedly angling for free tickets. Can't say I blame her, who can resist the theatre?
I am seriously loving living with Kate and Jess, it's great to be back in a house of girls. Being a bunch of extremely close 'old' friends, we all feel absolutely comfortable with one another and can skip the usual definition of boundaries and whatever, and we can just say whatever we like whenever we like, and all know how to 'get over' things. Kate has an excellent existing friendship circle for us to draw upon, and I'm in a good position to be a moderating influence amongst two very short tempers.
On a final note, as if we coincidentally bumped into Jordie at the South Melbourne markets yesterday. Another perfect opportunity for a coffee before her departure for Sydney.
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[Fridays]posted by peter at 09:58 .......Thanks in part to me, our carpet in now sporting a brand new red wine stain, and thus I am drawn into the chip in for cleaning circle. It's such an insidious staining agent; we attended to the blotches very quickly but still the shadow seems quite prominent, although the carpet may not be completely dry yet. It's certainly an unattractive addition to the house, much like this computer really. Kate and Jess seem fairly nonchalant about the new decoration which can only be a good thing.
After a few drinks on empty stomachs and a desperate race to get clothes dry, we made our way to St Kilda to dine at a spectacular vegetarian restaurant called Soul Mama. It resides above the city baths, and is a trendily furnished (think low couches with wheels) den of vegetarian goodness. I really didn't need as big a serve as I ordered, but everything was just so delicious, and the organic beer from New Zealand accompanied things very nicely.
From there we headed over to the Espy (see, I'm already using local terms of endearment) where we saw Rocket Science play, and a couple of other bands. I'm really not a fan, but I still had fun, and it was great to have the excellent Jordie out and about with us as well.
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[Quick fix]posted by peter at 08:49 .......MY ARCHIVES ARE WORKING AGAIN!! Thanks to a suggestion on this site I was able to get the confounded pages up and running. It seems that if you get Blogger to register a template change, and then paste in your original templates over the top, it restores things to working order. Whether this would solve 100% of problems is uncertain, but it worked for me, this time.
The two Marks visited us last night – yes, here's another couple with identical names to add confusion to social occasions. :) While Kate entertained them late into the evening, Jess and I caught a train into town to catch up with Lisa... we got there a bit early, so started with light tea in some narrow lane (the name of which I simply can't remember and Internet maps have been no help at all, but it's near Flinders Street station) before heading over to Hardware Lane, where Lisa eventually met us. From there we progressed to 'Little Greece' or whatever it's referred to, where delightful staff served us a multitude of traditional treats.
The evening was abundant with coffee, and we also checked out a couple of very chilled-out clubs that glowed with soft red light (and reminded me that I still rather like ambient drum'n'bass). We also hung around watching TV and drinking tea in Lisa's suite at the Marriott, before catching a cab home much later than expected. It must be said that the low cab fare was a pleasant surprise.
Now it's raining and I'm sitting here procrastinating a number of tasks that need to be accomplished. I have all the time in the world and I still don't get things done... :(
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[In France they kiss on main street]posted by peter at 13:13 .......He felt sure that the evening had gone well. Yes, quite sure. The night was fine and the food was good; soft music swirled, and the two of them bathed joyously in the warm light of the intimate French restaurant. Wide eyes shone beneath carefully arranged hair, and elegant fabrics trailed nervous movements that adjusted perfect collars or attended imagined creases.
Their conversation had been exhilarating; ideas had bounced between them and been moulded, reshaped, reformed. Peppered with casual compliments and embedded with hidden meaning, their words drew smiles and laughter between sips of fine wine. She was of formidable intellect and possessed resonant beauty. He was entranced by her vitality, swept up in her world that seemed at once so fleeting, at once so enduring.
Drawing a deep and silent breath, he leaned across the small, carefully laid table and reached for her hand. He must have exhaled with a touch too much vigour, as a small flake fell from his nostril and settled gracefully on her ring finger. He knew at that moment the relationship would go no further.
[And again]posted by peter at 08:42 .......Crown Towers, night 2 was much the same as the first, if you ignore the fact that I had to get up at 5:30am in order to accommodate Sonia's red-eye flight back to Adelaide. Much as I thoroughly enjoyed my stay, I do wonder why they don't have the Lifestyle Channel or any of the movie channels in the rooms, despite having other Foxtel-related programming. Who owns Foxtel? I know that Packer owns the Crown complex, so I wonder if there are some cross-promotional-boycotting issues going on.
If they'd had the Lifestyle Channel, I wouldn't have left the room yesterday. As it was, I found plenty of reasons to head home, more than once.
Sonia and I dined at a delicious Indian restaurant on Queen St (I had a pumpkin marsala, really hot, I'm coping much better with chilli these days and in fact loving it) and followed it up with a huge piece of carrot cake from a Southbank establishment. Too many sultanas and not enough walnuts marred the experience slightly, but the unusual inclusion of Italian-style custard won it a few points.
Southbank was really eerie at 6am today: it was almost devoid of people and after avoiding at least one intimidating encounter I was particularly wary. The river and skyline looked amazing in the halflight, but I was glad when I made it to the warmly lit train station.
I'm still getting used to the public transport around here, the zone system is mildly confusing (it's the combination tickets that I find perplexing) and there seems to be a plethora of ticketing options so I just have to work out the best. The official 'explanatory' publication was of little use, and seemed to be taking the 'assumed knowledge' approach.
And so another empty day stretches out before me. In reality there are a couple of things that I need to get done, so maybe I'll find some motivation in between trips to the shops. I really have to start being a bit more careful with my spending, the money can't last forever... :(
And Lisa is in town tonight!! More fun ahead!
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[Key card]posted by peter at 10:59 .......Crown Towers, night 1.
The tacky marble-laden audio-visual lurid laser light water feature jungle of the Crown Towers foyer belies the elegance of the actual rooms in the complex. I have to say that I can think of worse things than staying high up in a sumptuous hotel suite, drinking jasmine green tea out of Villeroy & Boch cups and gazing out over the sparkling Melbourne skyline. The war in Iraq springs to mind as one worse thing, and I'm not trying to make light of that. But as far as indulgent escapism goes, a 5 star hotel seems a good option, at least for a short time. (Even when you are startled by the appearance of an unexpected window washer.)
It's great that I've been able to see Sonia again, so soon after moving away. And it's been fun playing 'Mr Melbourne', as if I've been intimately acquainted with the city all my life. Though with this morning's fashion faux pas, nobody would have been fooled.
I'm still eating lots of chocolate; I think I forgot to mention the astounding box of Swiss Glory handmade chocolates (another Adelaide specialty) that mum and dad gave me for my graduation... add to this parts of a Haigh's giant chocolate frog, a pistachio Lindt block and a glorious chunk of Belgian Gianduja chocolate. So I'm not going without, I don't see why I should forego happiness when it can be so easily attained.
Anyway, must dash back to the city to meet Brooke for lunch, after which I can kill another afternoon until Sonia finishes work. Then it will be time for Crown Towers, night 2. And just in case anyone has stumbled across this site for the first time and is getting licentious images of depravity or whatever, Sonia is my sister. :) Oh yeah, and creepy references to incestuous activity will not be tolerated.
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[Academic dress]posted by peter at 16:09 .......Why is it that just three days into my new town, I'm already planning my next move? Seriously, it's insane, but my sights are set on New York City and my mind is already ticking. However I'm going to need a job here first.
I officially graduated today, evidently. Happy graduation!!! Not that I'd know it, for all the difference it seems to be making to my world. Instead of attending a traditional academic ceremony, I elected to nick off interstate, kick back on the unemployment couch and watch American Psycho. Which I quite enjoyed thankyou very much, though I still refuse to read the novel based on the few vile excerpts that were inflicted upon me.
Time for another pertinent question: where in this city can you buy a single floppy disk? No luck in two newsagents and the man in the computer store looked at me like I was a mutant. I need to test whether the courier company destroyed or merely damaged my floppy drive. I only want one single disk, as I have a whole heap more coming in from Adelaide in a couple of weeks time. I don't want an avalanche of the redundant plastic squares if I can help it.
I'm enjoying the proximity of the Prahran (did I leave out an 'R'?) Market, and although it ain't a patch on the Adelaide Central Market, it is indeed a fine place to while away a meagre food budget. Centrelink have booked me in for one of their seminars in a week or so, and apparently I can expect to wait about 2.5 weeks for payments to begin, which will inevitably blow out to six weeks if they don't decide that I'm ineligible from the start. It's all fun and games here.
The best news is that Sonia is in town for the next two nights, so I'm going to stay with her in the Crown Hotel Complex (or whatever) which will be a well-timed dose of luxury. Lisa shall be over on Thursday, so I've got the rest of the week essentially filled with the presence of wonderful people from home! Who said moving was difficult? No time for home sickness here!!! ;)
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[Computer]posted by peter at 17:11 .......In the previous post I said my computer was "seemingly safe".
Well.
It IS working. I'm typing on it right now. However, the front of my SuperDrive had been wrenched off, my CD ROM no longer opens and the whole front of the tower case is slightly skewed.
Needless to say, I'm unimpressed. But I'm so very glad that I purchased insurance. And grateful to people like Otis (among others) who reminded me of the importance of insurance and thus held me back from 'risking it'.
I wonder what has to happen next? Obviously I'll contact the courier, but no doubt there will be a whole heap of red tape and other mind damaging protocol involved. Hooray.
[Untitled]posted by peter at 12:45 .......Day 1 of official unemployment.
I'm really enjoying it so far, lolling about in South Yarra and the like. I think when you move it always takes a little while to really settle in and find your feet (and various other cliched explanations). At the moment I still feel like I'm an observer or tourist or something, as if I have to earn my spot in this part of the world. Whether I can truly integrate into pretentious Chapel St lifestyle remains to be seen.
I have little doubt.
In between various other flittings about, Jess and I made a special trip to IKEA yesterday. Having never set foot in one of their stores before, I'd have to say that I was a touch disappointed. It purports to be an enclave of sleek Scandinavian design, but to me it looked like a jumble sale set amidst piles of debris. Is the store unfinished? I kept thinking objects were going to fall from the silver-lined roof and crush my skull. And as for the product displays... too messy for words, even though I recognise that people like me create disarray through the simple act of browsing. I realise they have to have lots of everything to keep the hordes happy, but I found the store design to be intimidating and readily accepted a seat in the cafe for cheap salad and bread rolls.
Personality trait with high school roots: something I enjoy is amusing/annoying Jess by emphatically over-enthusing about things, so yesterday I went on and on about how delicious the IKEA bread rolls were. No really, you must try them.
I'm still awaiting two payments; one for my regular job and one for a contract I've nearly finished. So that's the financial side of things.
I'm back in the Internet shop, despite the fact my computer arrived this morning (seemingly safe in it's 5 tonne packaging)... our phone isn't connected as yet. It's stiflingly hot in here, so I won't last much longer. I've been really missing my regular blog reads, so hopefully I'll be able to catch up on all the goings on a bit later.
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[Flying East]posted by peter at 19:27 .......I live in Melbourne now.
So far so good, Jessica tried to take me to a cafe somewhere which turned out to be some sort of hippie commune / community garden or something with a coffee shop that had actually closed, so we went to Chapel St instead. The said street is a mere 1 minute walk from my new house and I love it. Once again, I am updating my site in the presence of someone else (the magnificent Jess) so I'm keeping this brief.
More details soon.
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[You've gotta give it away]posted by peter at 22:20 .......For your information I'm officially obsessed with Thai food. I've just been to the Star of Siam with mum, dad and Sonia. My meal was sumptuous and very elemental, lots of fire, earth, water and umm, maybe not wind.
Anyway, I'm keeping this quick. It's my last night in Adelaide, I'm at the Kroffle with Trish, we're waiting for Scrangela. This webgeek lifestyle is very antisocial, poor Trish is bored, so this post can have no other purpose than to serve as a quick 'hello' and to document the fact that I'm almost completely packed. Just a bit more to go... I've achieved the seemingly impossible.
And then, hello Melbourne.
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[Pushin' a shoppin' cart]posted by peter at 22:45 .......I think tonight I accidentally invented bag-lady-chic. I realised this just as I was outside the Hilton hotel, approaching Gouger St. Only at this exact moment did it occur to me that not only was I wearing my tshirt with a shopping trolley printed on the bottom left corner, but I was also carrying two shopping bags stuffed full of miscellaneous junk, and had an old vinyl copy of U2's Pride single tucked under my arm. Hobbling around in the city at dusk, like that, smacks of bag-lady-chic to me. Have I inadvertently seeded an amazing trend? Only time will tell.
At the time I'd recently crawled out from the bomb zone that is my half-packed house, and was on my way to the delicious cousin's dinner (+ a few extras) at Maya Indian Restaurant in Market Street. Really lovely food, go there if you can, even if you live in Brisbane.
I'm staying at Sonia's tonight (there's no bed for me at my former residence) and it's 11:10 and everyone's asleep, so I'm at a bit of a loss for things to do (I would normally barely be home by now). Oh well, it's good practise for an impoverished life on social welfare. Please, anyone, tell me of job vacancies. Got another rejection letter today, but it's a familiar story and nobody's interested.
I must also take this opportunity to thank Sandra for the organic red wine, organic chocolate and organic cheesecloth bag that she presented me with as a thoughtful farewell gesture.
[Where's a duster?]posted by peter at 08:35 .......One of my closest friends has a warrant out for her arrest, another is commencing a new job. One's looking for a house, another few have been through breakups. One's obsessed with an uncommon word, while another is lamenting an inability to attend the Michelle Shocked concert.
So it's interesting and definitely unsettled times that I'm flying away from on Saturday.
More dinner and subsequent drinks last night, again fun, and once more I imposed the filthies on an unsuspecting audience. Which always leads to highly entertaining outcomes.
I was unprepared for how traumatic my last day at work was going to be; no tears or anything but it was sad to say goodbye to Chris and Beajaye (and others) who I've enjoyed working with so much over the last couple of years.
I can't post to the music section at the moment, I've been trying to talk about my new Billie Holiday CD, but I'm being censored. It must be to do with this whole Blogger kerfuffle (see earlier posts). Mum and dad are arriving sometime today, evidently bringing hot cross buns and a vacuum cleaner. And a trailer. Their help in the packing process will be invaluable, I think. Dammit I still don't know how I'm going to get my computer over there, I mean I'll certainly be using a courier but I have no idea how to pack it up efficiently. I'll sort something out, but there's no doubt that my next computer will be a notebook.
I was going to end this post with a few pics from dinner last Sunday. Nikki has a Polaroid camera which he brought along, but the photos didn't scan very well and I think people might not appreciate having the pictures published. But there's nothing stopping you from imagining what they might look like.
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[Timing]posted by peter at 09:53 .......Last night was so wonderful, and it was such an amazing exercise in perfect coincidental timing. I'd arranged to meet Selena by the silver balls at 5:30, but she happened to be online and I happened to get out of work early so we could meet at 5. Then Sarina happened to call and she happened to be able to come for coffee at the excellent Everest cafe. Then we extended it to dinner, and I had a yummy risotto with lots of vegetables!
Just as we were leaving, Jen happened to stroll by, so I said my farewells and went off with her to the Austral. We sat there for a while, I met one of her friends, it was fun.
At about 8:30 I thought I'd head home, and when I arrived at my house, Trish just happened to be sitting in her car, talking on the phone, out the front. Excellent! So we went straight back into the city (I'm such a city kid), where Ange just happened to be working. More coffee at Everest, more pleasant times.
It was so fun, just what I needed. As I said, I always like to surround myself with people.
[ :( ]posted by peter at 09:03 .......No I'm not, because they don't provide support to free users. Will just have to ride this out I suppose. From what I can tell they're aware of the problem anyway.
[Erk...]posted by peter at 09:00 .......But I think it just made the problem worse. I'm going to email Blogger.
[Identity theft]posted by peter at 08:54 .......Blogger is confusing my site with Parada's! Our templates keep getting interchanged. Very strange.
Also, my archives aren't working. I'm just publishing this in the hope that it might remedy the situation.
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[Pack up, go]posted by peter at 14:20 .......Transport yourself back to the start of 1998, if you dare.
I must have been the very picture of rural naivety as I made my way to the city with a new haircut, a penchant for drum'n'bass (Roni Size/Reprazent, the sound of first year uni) and a sponge-like eagerness to absorb all the delights of urban life. Unfortunately I also encountered a significant underside which wasn't altogether good.
So I'm less naive now. Much, much less, although I act it from time to time when the need arises. Or when I feel like reviving the rose coloured lenses.
And now I'm about to change cities. I'm giving up a job, a cool townhouse, a comfort zone... and forsaking many friends. But I'll be joining old friends in Melbourne, and I suppose I'll be making new ones. I'll be living in a pleasant single fronted cottage in South Yarra which costs more per week than anything I've ever rented before, and I'll be unemployed. And I won't be five seconds from the city anymore.
These are the choices we make. I can't wait to get to Melbourne, to immerse myself in a bigger city, and start again. My boss keeps teasing me by saying that I'll forever be sitting in dark cafes wearing black skivvys and smoking French cigarettes, moaning on about literature and whatnot. Whether that will come to fruition I cannot say... certainly not the smoking part.
I'm more than a little stressed about the whole thing, and while I recognise that people do it all the time and it's hardly a world first, it still feels big to me. And I don't think it will stop feeling 'big' until I'm met by smiling friends at the Tullamarine airport.
[#2 ~2001]posted by peter at 10:33 .......When I blink, shards of glass fly from my eyes
and scatter in directions previously unknown
impaling others in their path
or maybe forming patterns
an exercise in geometry
encouraging refraction, diffraction, distortion
and all the world’s colours
a view free from dust, grime and smears
a view from above the smog.When I blink, trunks of trees fly from my eyes
the timber of the most ancient kind
pines, cedars and sequoias
fall thunderously to hardened earth
untold stories recorded in growth rings
concentric portals of despair and scorn
uprooted and unceremoniously removed
from where they had no right to grow
in such self-important glades.When I blink, hurricanes form in Asia
or maybe somewhere in America
I usually hear about it later
sometimes on the evening news
the results of the destructive eddies
which took everyone by surprise
(despite the early warning systems).
Perhaps I’ll unleash another storm
to rain down and flood the grain of sand.
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