secret: today's question

in may, i started one of those "one question a day for 365 days" things, for 5 years. longest comittment i've ever made to anything. i've been curious about using an outside influence besides the random ideas that pop into my head for my blogging- to see what happens when i commit to write every single day. i'm not sure i'll use every day, as some questions are things like "are you wearing socks today?", and i'm pretty sure that a simple yes or no will suffice in that case.

today's question: write the first sentence of your autobiography.


"I thought it was time I thought of some excuses, and wrote them down."

treasure: melbourne

in 2004, the year after i finished my HSC, i got the hell out of armidale and moved to melbourne. melbourne held the promise of adulthood, change and challenge, the glamour of artists and poets and philosophers.

i was there 5 and a half years. there's plenty to reflect upon, but i found it very telling the past few times around, visiting after having left 3.5 years ago, how i felt about the beloved city and the people in it that i saw.

perhaps it's just that i've distilled my friendship group into the Very Best of Melbourne. perhaps it's that the buzz of city has finally become exciting again; full of promised inspiration and movement and sparkle. it's nice to visit a city and already know your way around; your favourite bar; your favourite dish at tom phat; the ways of the trams.

i had a beautiful time. during my 'just-home' tour of july 2012, i hung out at beth's house and we sat on the upstairs balcony and enjoyed winter sunshine and the ambient sounds of deconstruction, as the old Royal Children's got unceremoniously trashed by a wrecking crew. i drank at Bar Etiqette, hung about at the bar and giggled happily at yanni and mikey's antics, marvelled at the crowds and the hipster population. i met friends and missed friends, filled with generosity of people who'd only had facebook as a means of following about what i'm certain seemed like a very silly and decadent life of snow and drinking. they bought me drinks, they let me stay, they asked good questions (some people, none of whom i am good friends with, have nothing in the way of curiosity or comment about your recently different lifestyle. they have nothing to say and nothing to ask and it's all very awkward and boring).

aaron and i have recently returned from the 'everyone meet my boyfriend' tour of early 2013 and yup, i still love melbourne. despite the heat i drank plenty of coffee, cottoning onto the concept of iced coffee on saturday morning for a win. i took him on a tour of what i think of as my Melbourne, with a bit of shopping, a few bookstores, some very good eating and this time round i could afford $18 cocktails, so we had some of those too. we hung out with iggy, the coolest kid i know, we feasted on indian and thai with mat and tash, i drank ciders at bar etiquette with beth, sylvia and laura, which turned into a bottle of wine each at Gurkha's Nepalese next door to the bar.

there was a lovely picnic in carlton gardens and some attempted frisbee by joe and laila, picnic rug fun with thea (and amazing gluten free passionfruit melting moments), wine, cheese, smoked salmon and olive tapenade from the Queen Vic Markets.

 
there was a 44 degree day where we stayed inside, windowshopping our way up the 4 levels of Melbourne Central where i bought 4 dresses for $140 (what a bargain!). we perused fed square's NGV bookstore longingly, scoffed a big pile of dumplings at Shanghai Dumpling House in Chinatown, saw some great graffiti and biggest bonus of all, got to drive mat & tash's mercedes benz about the place, feeling like a pretty big deal as we cruised around with a breeze blowing through our hair and a devil-may-care attitude.

it is The Life, Melbourne, and i hope one day i will have the chance to live there again- i feel as though all the things that pushed me away from it and into the arms of a willing whistler are manageable, and that perhaps there is more for me there that i have no yet discovered. perhaps i'll  do a phd at University of Melbourne one day, perhaps i'll only ever visit for holidays from now on...

it might be far away but it's never forgotten.

secret: the things, all the things.

Lately:

agoraphobia (but not really, just enjoying holiday mooching & watching tv with aaron)

 

 owls.

 wind through the pines.

beach holiday to moonee for the weekend.

 photographs of tree skeletons at sunset.

homesickness and pow envy.

dressin' up 60s.

a puppy called pepper (photo taken by stu)

christmas- eggnog fudge and a long black

new year's day 2013 at the blue hole, swimming, nearly treading on snakes, rock hopping, stinging nettles... aaron, mitch and pat.

there are plenty more stories. i've started writing every day. soon i'll share these stories here. don't lose faith in me!

#fmsphotoadaynovember 7. reflection

this picture could put me in mind of a thousand words, or it could speak for itself.

hugh, me and stu, in a mirror in a newcastle hotel, reunited in the first time in maybe 18 months. ready to run amuck. i love those boys.

i love how this photo just makes us look so goddamn cool.

#fmsphotoadaynovember 9. small

 

many of the pictures i put on instagram are of drinks. i think photos of drinks are artistic and basically, they're where it's at.

this was a small (#small) cider that hugh poured me at red brick hotel in brisbane. we went there for a hiphop festival, having first the happy opportunity to see friends from whistler who have since moved back to spots all over australia. we drank some things, we ate some things, we caught up. it was quite a nice time.

i guess though, this photo really reminds me of that feeling of excitement you get right before you see good friends you haven't caught up with in a long time, or even just a while. because i'm a little bit uncool this way, i tend to be at places bang on or before the time we'd organised to meet. that night, for instance, i do believe we arrived at 6:28 for a 6:30 meeting. the boys, however, being boys, dragged their pants on and mosey'd on down by maybe 7:15. all of the them separately texted me to ask if it was ok for them to wear thongs to this particular establishment.

my relative earliness meant i got to sip on the above cider, while building up quite the bubble of reunion-based excitement. and i was not disappointed. everyone was happy to see each other, and soon we were all filled full of drinks and pub meals, telling tales of things much more expressively than they actually happened. hugh was there to take away our empty plates and fill up our glasses.

it was a nice time.