Small binge, socially anti-social, happy

Corner Flinders and Exhibition Streets the other night

I was flicking through the TV channels on Wednesday night when I came to Raised by Wolves on SBS. I'd heard the show, written by writer/broadcaster/feminist Caitlin Moran and her sister, was very funny, so I stopped to watch it and I bloody loved it. It is HILARIOUS. Nearly every line is quotable. Funny and ridiculous and, more often than not, completely gloriously wrong, but quotable. 

I'm not much of a TV watcher and thus not given to binge watching anything (except the screen of my phone), but I decided on Thursday morning I was going to spend today watching all of Raised by Wolves. I realised after two episodes that binge watching is not my thing though, no matter how much I love a show. I was feeling restless and ready to get up and do something else, but I persevered (lying in bed watching TV is such hard work) and watched all of the first series, which is only six episodes long. Then I went back to sleep (I hardly got any sleep last night, but not for any fun reasons). 

End of month drinks at work happened last night because of today's public holiday. I wasn't planning to go because I'm anti-social and still feeling poorly, but it was a friend's last day with the firm so I went and it was fun and now I wish it always happened on the last Thursday of the month.

I've been completely off anti-depressants for about two weeks now and I'm still happy as a pig in poop. Yay. 

  

Easter fun: part 2

The pier at Altona

What an ace Easter break I've had.  Sunshine! The beach! Cuddles with nephews! Friends! Sleep-ins! Shopping! More comedy!

It turns out that Easter Sunday is quite a good day to go to Ikea. It wasn't too crowded. I bought a new rug for my lounge room, which was carried most of the way home by my friend/rug mule, Si. It looks good.

This made me laugh. There's something about the exclamation mark that suggests the signs were put there after an unfortunate incident. No, you can't pee here!

Sunday night Si and I went to see Daniel Kitson's show The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church, which seems to be about death, but it's really about living. It was fantastic. Kitson has an amazing gift for a delightful turn of phrase. He can amuse you and move you at the same time (if you can keep up - he talks very fast).

On Monday I visited my friend Deliea and her two sons (my quasi-nephews, who are now 4 and about 18 months). They are such beautiful little boys - blue eyes, long dark lashes and blond hair - and so funny.  The little one got all shy when I arrived, tucking his chin into his shoulder and looking up at me through his lashes. So cute.

Deliea and her sister made a yummy lunch (mmm....corned beef) and then Master 4 asked me to stay for dinner as well, so I did. He asked so nicely I couldn't say no.

Today was the first anniversary of my father's death and I visited my stepmother for lunch at Altona Beach. It's hard to believe a year has gone by. We let go some balloons in the colours of Dad's footy team and watched them until they were out of sight. We walked out on the pier and I saw tiny little fish in the shallows.

I stopped off at Newport and Yarraville on the way home to take photos of old things.

Newport

The old St George's Theatre at Yarraville

(now being turned into apartments)

An old house on Ballarat Street in Yarraville

Old milk bar in Yarraville

The Gleeful Omnibus. Vrooooom!

Artwork atop the Sportsgirl building in Richmond.

At last the interwebz have told me what this is!

Tsk tsk. I haven't blogged in nearly a week, but it's not because there's been a lack of glee in my life. Not at all. There's been loads of glee. LOADS of it. I'll start with today.

I went shopping on Chapel Street with the intention of buying some quirky homewares for my flat. I ended up buying three original My Little Ponies (one wears a tiara! Another has little pink glasses! Just like real ponies!), a giant bubble blowing wand, rainbow gel pens, the cutest notebook, a beautiful postcard by an artist called Art and Ghosts, a gorgeous colouring book and coloured pencils. Yes, ALL for me!

The colouring book is called Lolo isn't Lonely Anymore - "When Lolo's house is sold, she must move far away from her beloved city to the country. Everything is different, and at first she is very lonely, but soon she learns to listen and look, and finally starts to notice all the great things that were there all along".  The story speaks to me (it's a little bit like this blog really) and the illustrations are lovely. I hope I don't mess it up when I colour it in!

A trio of cats sunning themselves in a bookshop window

I walked home from Chapel Street along the river. I don't often walk along that stretch of the Yarra, but it offers some great views of the city, including this lovely vista. I just happened along at the perfect time of day.

And then I noticed a fairly well-concealed rough path heading down to a jetty on the water so I went down there and it was beautiful - the view of the city at sunset and the almost-full moon and Our Magic Hour sign reflecting on the water. I love you with all my heart, Melbourne.

Secret spill

I have been wearing new ankle boots all week. They're very comfy and I love them...although I did fall over in them at work BUT NO ONE SAW ME! How 'bout that, eh?! 30-odd people in my department and I fell over out of sight. Go, me! (If Frisky falls in the office and nobody sees her and nobody hears her, the bruise on her kneecap shall be proof that it did happen!)

Speaking of work, there's been a re-shuffle in my group and after Easter I will start working for one of my favourite people in the department. She's awesome - very funny and so lovely. I'm very happy about being her minion. Our first task shall be to work out how to buy gin on her corporate Amex.

The not-very-early birds 

For the last week or so on the way to work, I have passed Mr and Mrs Plover hunting for their breakfast on the same stretch of riverbank. I like seeing them every day. They're another addition to my free- range menagerie of birdy pets. I've seen them catch a few worms too. This proves that the saying about the early bird is wrong. You heard it here first.

I've also seen possums, two scampering rats, and a native water rat (rakali) swimming in the river (at night, not on my way to work).

We've had some very damp weather this week, but I find it hard to be glum about it when I can look out my office window and see a huge blanket of dark grey cloud suspended over the city, waiting to dump its load. It looked quite apocalyptic, but fantastic (sorry, no photo).


MORE comedy!

Luke and I went to see comedian Mark Watson last night (at the Forum again). I loved it. There wasn't a lot of discernible structure to his stand-up, but he's face-hurtingly funny, the crowd interaction was great and, like David O'Doherty, he has such a likeable stage presence. And five minutes before the show was due to start he was sitting on a couch in the foyer chatting to punters and having his photo taken!

Cute Satan

I saw Satan in the city last night when I was waiting for Luke. Two Satans in fact. A man-sized devil and his mini-me devil sidekick. MIDGET SATAN! (yes, I know midget isn't PC, but it's funnier than LITTLE PERSON SATAN!). Midget Satan was tiny and adorable. He chased a girl with his pitchfork and she ran away squealing. What a sook. (I think they were promoting a Comedy Festival show.)

The leaves are starting to turn colour and fall. Yay, autumn!

Tomorrow I'm having brunch with a friend I haven't seen in ages and then we're going to Daiso, which I'm told is like a Japanse $2 shop. Can't wait!


Sneaky important bit hidden at the bottom

There's a boy that I like and he likes me too!

River reflection of Our Magic Hour

More comedy, young, warm ears

My friend Luke and I saw Irish comedy-rock group Dead Cat Bounce on Friday night at the Spiegeltent. (My third visit!) It was a spontaneous choice, but a good one. They sing funny songs in the style of an 80s cock rock group. We both liked it. I think the first song  - about the impact of Reagonomics told using the characters from Wind in The Willows - was my favourite.

I had a friend visit this weekend and she showed me some photos from our 20th high school reunion in November (which I obviously didn't attend). I couldn't believe how old some of them look! Old! I admit I felt quite smug about not looking my age.

I bought some furry ear muffs yesterday. My ears get very chilly when I'm walking to work on cold winter mornings, so they should fix that problem. I almost hope we have some frosty mornings this week so I can wear them. (I will post a photo of me wearing them another time.)

You know what's ace? Kissing. Kissing is ace.

Two suns, lots of fun, and a memory for numbers

This is the sun setting from my boss's office. Not the most spectacular sunset, but still quite pretty and a great view of it. More spectacular were the dual reflections of the sun bouncing off Eureka Tower and converging so that they looked like a second sun. Waaaait a minute. the sun was over there before. What's it doing over there now? it was pretty cool, but I didn't get a photo of that.

I have lots of fun stuff happening this month - lots to look forward to. I'm going to a comedy gig tomorrow night (taking potluck on what tickets are available), I've got a girlie shopping weekend with a friend this weekend, I'm seeing Mark Watson next Friday, then in the two weeks after that I'm seeing Daniel Kitson and the musical Next to Normal. I'd like to fit in a few more comedy gigs too.

I have been in my job long enough now that I can remember many of our eight-digit file numbers off the top of my head. This delights me disproportionately.

At the gym tonight there were program cards near mine for people called Zayne and Jay. I re-arranged them so they went: Jay, Jayne, Zayne. That just seemed right.

Balloons, sore face, goats and rabbits

Hot air beerloon (haw haw) floating past my flat

I was pleasantly startled by the sight of a hot air balloon looming large in my toilet window when I got up yesterday (the red one below). It was much closer and larger than it seems in the photo (which I took from my bedroom window. I know I say I take my camera everywhere, but that doesn't extend to the WC). I saw the beer-glass-shaped one above when I got back to my room to get my camera. I love where I live.

The other one

The sun has been rising close to the same time as me lately, so my flat was drenched with golden light when I got up yesterday. It's a lovely way to start the day.

I went to see David O'Doherty last night. He's the Irish comic who sings amusing ditties while playing a toy-sized keyboard on his knee in between bouts of straight stand-up. I loved it. My face hurt from laughing (that's happening a lot lately. Yay!). It was funny and quirky, smart and silly, and he has such an appealing stage persona - he's very natural, self-deprecating and obviously loves what he does. He didn't want to leave the stage! He went off and came back on twice, completely ad libbing stuff before finally leaving.

All that and it was at the fabulous Forum Theatre!

My friend and I went for dinner afterwards and I dunno how we got on the topic, but we were talking about mohair and where it comes from (yes, really) and to confirm it comes from goats, I googled it and...LOOK AT THIS GOAT! Hahaha. Crazy goat! It's an Angora goat...but wait...doesn't Angora come from rabbits? So I googled that and LOOK AT THIS RABBIT! IT'S A FLUFFY CUSHION WITH A FACE! (Speaking of fluffiness, I now know some knitting terminology - knitters call the fluffiness of these wools the 'halo'. Don't say my blog is not educational, orrite?).

Let the comedy begin!

I am off to the Comedy Festival! I'm going to see David O'Doherty this Friday and I've also booked tickets for the last night of Daniel Kitson's show. I also want to see Mark Watson, and Aussies Josh Earle and Melinda Buttle. To begin with. Yay! Comedy!

Speaking of Mark Watson, I saw him at the IGA near my work on the way home tonight. I thought it was him, but I wasn't 100% sure and I couldn't hear him speaking to the checkout operator well enough to discern an English accent.  After he left, I asked the checkout dude if he was English and he was. It was him!

Have a look at these photos of the stunning Philosophical Hall of the Strahov Monastery Library in Prague. Wow!

J and Jayne's long weekend

Me and J at Coles late Saturday night. Do I know how to

 show a foreigner a good time, or what?

My US friend J has been and gone and it was fun. I enjoyed showing off my town to him and since the long weekend was all about packing in fun stuff (and none of the usual boring stuff that has to be done on weekends), it was like a little holiday for me too.  I felt like I'd been away from work longer than three days.

On Saturday we watched half of the AFL Grand Final (Mark I) with the masses at Fed Square and the end of the game at the the Eureka Tower Sky Deck, which was almost deserted. A good time to go! We could see the crowd at the MCG and hear the roar of the crowd at Fed Square from 88 floors up.

Although the drawn game was anti-climactic, at least J can say he was in Melbourne for the historic 2010 drawn Grand Final.

After the game we strolled along Southbank as the sun set. It rained a little, but then there was a rainbow over the city.

Saturday night we ate a quick dinner in North Melbourne before seeing Dave Callan's Fringe Festival show, Woman. Back in the city,  J loaded up on Tim Tams at Coles. He couldn't get enough of the chocolatey Tim Tam goodness.

On Sunday we went to St Kilda and ate breakfast outside at The Espy in perfect spring sunshine. The weather could not have been better. We meandered the length of the Esplanade market where J bought presents for himself and friends, and then along Acland Street, which was thronged with people enjoying the warm weather.

 

From St Kilda Pier

That evening we went to a threatresports show at Theatreworks on Acland Street, which was the first time I'd seen theatresports live. On Monday we hired a car and travelled the Great Ocean Road to Port Campbell. The weather wasn't as good as the day before, but it was still mostly sunny and we didn't get rained on.

 

At Sheoak Falls

It was beautiful as always, especially the lush green pastures glowing in the late afternoon sun. I think I almost like the rural parts of the GOR more than the seaside bits.

Another rainbow, near Port Campbell

Us and some of the remaining 12 Apostles

We ate dinner at a pub in Colac and then hit the highway for home.

On Tuesday it was back to work for me, but I met J after work for Philip Escoffey's Six More Impossible Things Before Dinner, which was very entertaining (regardless of whether you think he's a con man or a mind reader).

And then J was gone! Four days really isn't long enough to see Melbourne...

So much excitement!

So much stuff to look forward to! I love this time of year - it's Moomba in a couple of weeks, which brings big crowds, ski jumping competitions, colourful carnival rides and fireworks to town. It can be a bit lame but sometimes they have good bands playing for free and I like the atmosphere. It's great for taking photos too.

Then not long after Moomba the Melbourne International Comedy Festival hits town, which also brings a nice buzzy atmosphere to the CBD. I love the Comedy Festival - who doesn't like to laugh? -  although flicking through the festival guide makes me a bit anxious because there's so much to see, but only so much time and money...Decisions, decisions.

In the more immediate future though....I only found out today that The White Stripes' documentary Under Great White Northern Lights is showing in Melbourne for three days only, starting tonight! How did I not know this? I found out from a friend who doesn't even like The White Stripes.  They're one of my favourite bands and Jack White is one of my celebrity crushes. (Yup, I likes the pasty, dark-haired, kooky ones...) I'm going to see the doco after work tomorrow night. Can't wait.

AND! AND! I also have a date on Sunday. Ooooh. It's just a casual drinks thing with a boy from Twitter. Twitter is ace! 

Saving the best for last...

The most exciting thing is that I'M GOING TO NEW YORK CITY IN MAY! Aiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! OK, I haven't booked anything, but I'm on the brink of shelling out the money and I've ramped up my savings.   

It's super exciting, but also a little scary because I'm not well travelled and I'm going all on my lonesome. I can't wait around for a travelling companion to come along...

I'll be going for two weeks. Please feel free to offer me any advice on what I should see and do.

Thunder and laughing

After close to a week of hot humid weather, we had a big storm today and what a relief it was. It had passed by the time I left work so I walked home in the rain. I didn't mind that my purple suede flats got squelchy and the bottom of my pants was soaking wet and flapping about my ankles.

I met another Twitter friend last night. Dom was down from Sydney and took me with him to a comedy showcase, which was great - great to meet him since we've struck up quite the online friendship based on some common interests, but also a great night of laughs. I realised recently in response to a question on Formspring that I don't laugh enough. That's just not right!  Last night helped to redress that a tiny bit.  If only someone could appear in front of me every day and sing humourous songs about the Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book. I want roving comedians at work, dammit.

Dom introduced me to some of the comics performing and others who were in the audience (I think he knew everyone in the room) and of course I was all, "Oh, I meet people off the telly every day," at the time, but now I'm telling you about it because secretly I thought it was very cool.

Oh, and Dom gave me a copy of Wacky Wednesday by Dr Seuss, which I read while waiting for my tram home. Sweet!

Nerd fest

I spent an hour in nerd heaven this evening. I went to see comedian/author Tony Martin and radio/TV host Andy Muirhead at the State Library talking about books. *sighs happily*

They were part of the 'Melbourne: Books or Bogans?' debate. For anyone interested in the outcome, the bogan team won. Yup, we're a bunch of bogans living in a UNESCO City of Literature.

I wish I could kidnap Andy Muirhead and bring him home with me. He's so cute, especially when he has his glasses on. I've always had a thing for men in specs...

PS Would you believe that the Mr Man above is Mr Brave?

Diary of fun

There's quite a bit of fun stuff in my diary for the next few weeks. Plenty to be excited about and look forward to. I love that feeling.

On the weekend I will meet Thomas James, my friend's baby who was born last week, and I'm also seeing by fave band Wagons (again!) supporting US alt-country singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle (son of Steve Earle) at the Thornbury Theatre.

Next week I have tickets to see UK comic Daniel Kitson's show We are Gathered Here, which is showing as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival. The Festival kicked off last week. I haven't had a thorough look at the program yet, but so far I'm also going to the opening night of iMap at the City Library, which features a gigantic map of the CBD on the wall of their gallery space. Visitors will be able to share a memory of something that happened to them in the city and it will be attached to the corresponding place on the map. I need to think of something worthy of sharing....

The Melbourne International Arts Festival starts in a week or so too and I've decided I'm going to go see the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. I've never been to see an orchestra before. The London Philharmonic Orchestra is performing also, but tickets are, unsurprisingly, a little on the expensive side.

The opening night celebration also looks good. Better put that in my diary too...

And I'm doing sewing classes! I'm going to pretty much learn to sew all over again since I remember very little from high school textiles classes. My friend Anna and I are going to do classes at the very groovy Thread Den. There's three modules to equip you with the basics and then in the fourth module, we'll make an A line skirt. I hope I don't suck at it...

A tasty coincidence

Last night I conjured up a whole chocolate shop with my mind. No, really.

When I left work, I had a hankering for Lindt's Lindor Balls, so I went in search of them. Then on Collins Street, near Tiffany's, I discovered an entire shop stuffed with Lindt chocolate goodies. I'd never seen it before. It was still open. Mmmmmmm...Lindor Balls.

*imagines Johnny Depp at my front door* ............................Dang.


I love this guy...

The video is crappy (what's a studder?) - just listen.

Useless trivia: I saw Demetri Martin in a coffee shop near my work a couple of years ago during the Comedy Festival.

Inflated

Has anyone else seen high profile Aussie comic Adam Hills' show Inflatable? I saw it on Sunday night - it was his Comedy Festival finale - and boy, am I glad I didn't miss out (thanks, Julian!). It was sensational. Definitely the best of the six shows I saw in this year's festival.

It often takes quite a lot to get me laughing my head off - I can find something very funny without necessarily wetting my pants over it - but it was impossible not to guffaw at Adam Hills (and his sign language intepreter. I now know how to sign dickhead and "F**k you! And f**k the lot of you!".)

I also think it's pretty impossible not to like the guy (unless you are a bitter and twisted misanthrope). He's just so affable and he's got such a positive energy about him - he literally bounced around on the stage at times and you can tell that he absolutely loves what he does - and the crowd loves him back. There was a lotta love in the Princess Theatre on Sunday night and he didn't want to leave the stage. He came back on stage to a standing ovation and said, "Ah bugger it! Let's just order pizza and hang out!". Yeah, OK!

It's probably no surprise I like him given he once had a show called Joymonger, which I only realised after starting this blog.

Not only was the show hilarious, it was also uplifting - Hill's message is that there are two kinds of people in life - those who "inflate" others and those who deflate them, and you can choose which type you are. Indeed.

Dream job

Can you imagine how exhiliarating it must be to be able to send an auditorium full of people of all ages into fits of laughter? I get a buzz from making a couple of friends crack up...imagine that feeling multiplied a hundred times or more?

And what an absolute joy being able to make a living from doing something that you love and that brings so much pleasure to other people. I suppose it's tempered to some extent by being away from home and family so much, and the downside of celebrity (like people expecting you to be funny 24/7) but still...

PS. Hills is heading off on a tour of other capital cities. Click the link to his myspace page in the first line for dates. Do yerself a favour!

Easter glee

Goodbye daylight savings...

I am eagerly anticipating the Easter break, especially as I have a couple of extra days off. Tomorrow is my last day of work for the week. Hurrah! Gotta love a two-day week.

I have oooodles of fun things planned for the next week or two -

I'm giving blood for the second time (OK, that's not fun as such).

I'm going to see a bunch of Melbourne International Comedy Festival shows - Stephen K Amos, Judith Lucy and possibly Danny Bhoy, as well as a show by local comic, Ben Lomas. I'm also excited about seeing Andy Muirhead, the host of the ABC show Collectors doing a stand-up show at my beloved State Library on a Saturday night. I'm such a nerd to get excited about going to the library on Saturday night. It's being held in a part of the library I haven't seen before, so that's part of the attraction. I actually have no idea what Andy Muirhead's comedy is like, but he's cute and seems like the kind of guy you could bring home to mum (not that I'm planning to comic-nap him or anything).

I'm going to see Wagons' preview of their new album, The Rise and Fall of Goodtown, at the East Brunswick Club. Can't wait to get a copy on my iPod.

I'm going to my Dad's place for a roast lunch, and my brother, who I haven't seen in ages, will be visiting from Adelaide.

I'm catching up with a few other friends and I'll continue with my Walking Melbourne tour (once I can walk again).

All that, AND the weather's going to be great too. No call for gloves and boots just yet!

What are your Easter plans?

Unexpected fun with acrobats and hula hoops

Circus Trick Tease on the lawn at St Paul's

I had an unexpectedly fun day. I went into the city to do a little shopping and found myself in the midst of The Streets of Melbourne Festival, an outdoor confection of arts, music, comedy, street theatre, circus arts and cabaret.

There were buff young men (mmm...biceps!) and women performing daring feats of acrobatics, swinging from things dangling in the air and cracking jokes, men in kaftans playing guitars, a French maid juggling balls and a broom, a duo of faux air hostesses hula-hooping and cracking jokes, a great big bubble machine, and quirky art made from sugar and kitschy plastic bits and baubles...all in the beautiful summer sun with appreciative crowds.

So much to see and dammit! I left my camera at home. Noooooo! I've become so used to having it practically attached to my hand that when I realised I'd forgotten it, I felt that slightly bereft feeling I get if I leave my mobile phone at home. (Picture above taken with crappy camera phone.)

Walkies

I bought a pedometer today. I want to find out how much walking I do in a week. I reckon it would be getting up close to 40 kilometres. Walking to and from work for five days alone is about 30 kms. I'll keep you posted (assuming I can work out how to use it).