It's all in the wording.

Andreas is sitting in a bar on Saturday night and strikes up a conversation with an old bloke in a skirt.
"So...what's it like being a drag queen?" he asks.
"I'M NOT A DRAG QUEEN!!!" the bloke replied.
End of conversation.

rabbit curry

Saturday night. Brunswick. Matt and Kylie's new house. Rabbit curry. Naan. Bliss.

What not to do on the tram

Hopped onto the 112 on Collins Street on Saturday to the sight of an elderly man sitting up the front with his sandles on the floor and his right foot on his lap. He was happily picking at his bunions. After skillfully ripping sloughs of skin from the soles of his leathery foott, I noticed the man casually tossing the sheets of skin onto the floor of the tram. Pity the poor cleaner who has to sweep the tram down next morning.

Pizza perfection

My friend, Warwick, turned 37 yesterday. We celebrated by turning up at Dave's house. Dave was still recovering from his back operation last week and had converted his dining room into a bedroom. The bed was precariously propped up on milk crates and a piece of wood (evidently there is a serious incline from the dining room leading into the kitchen, which may explain why I gravitated towards the kitchen when I first entered the house). Apart from the subsidence, it's a cosy little place with a high ceiling, fire place and a backyard chockablock full of amaranthus. We settled down into Dave's collection of funcky chairs and stools while we waited for Cass (Warwick's partner) to go and fetch us our pizzas from a nearby restaurant, which made me feel kinda bad especially considering that it was (a) cold and (b) Cass is pregnant.

Anyhow, Cass arrived back with the pizzas which turned out to be the bestest pizzas I had ever eaten. This was not the run-of-the-mill shit that comes from a chain store. No. This was gourmet pizza with fancy toppings like asparagus with goat's cheese, and smoked salmon with chilli. Yum.

Sat around afterwards enjoying the great conversation. Dave put on a recent CD featuring remixes by quirky band, "Architecture in Helsinki" which was (in my humble tone deaf opinion) better than the regular random clash of instruments that normally characterises their songs.

Lingered on a bit longer and then it was time to haul my ass 200 meters up the road to catch the train.

Pure satisfaction! This is what life is all about.

plastic lobster

I bought a big plastic lobster at the Camberwell markets on Sunday. It was a spur of the moment purchase. It cost me $25. I think I overpaid (didn't even bother to haggle). There were other plastic sea creatures for sale too....a crab, a couple of fake fish strung inside a net. I think the vendors must have robbed a seafood restaurant. I handed over the cash, bundled the lobster into my bag (the claws and antennae poking out the side), and headed for the tram.

Overrun

Was standing on the train platform on Sunday morning at Flinders Street Station waiting for the Sandringham train to take me to Hampton. A man is wrestling a potato chip from a seagull. He remarks that there are too many seagull is Melbourne. His attention then turns to the asian communters waiting on the platform. "Fucking gooks", he yells, "just like the seagulls; too many of them. Everywhere". He then targets a few of the commuters specifically. A poor guy coming down the escalator cops a earful. Soo, too, did a woman listening to her ipod.

Two hours later....I am sitting on the number 70 tram waiting outside Flinder's Street station. A crowd is surging in front of the tram, marching steadily towards the State library, red flags and banners flying. "One China, One country", they shout. 5000 chinese people marching in unison. A grin appears on my face. I wonder if the seagull guy was still at Flinder's Street Station.

full bloom

Nathan and i went to the Melbourne international flower and garden show yesterday. Situated in the historic Carlton Gardens, the show is touted as one of the biggest anywhere in the world and it was certainly impressive. The inside of the Exhibition building itself looked like a giant flower shop, full of weird and wacky floral creations (including some rather bizarre floral dresses and manequins strung from the ceiling). The outside was just as impressive, with a huge garden design competition. My favourite entry (and the gold medal winner) went to a Japanese inspired garden, equipped with tea house and ponds. The commercial vendors were also out in force. My favourite nursery was there...Collector's Corner put on an impressive display with funky-coloured bromeliads, orchids and carnivorous plants. I was quite amazed that I managed to resist the temptation of not buying anything. It was nice to see so many people at the show...and not all grannies and gays either.

Nate left in the arvo to fly to Sydney for his friend's 30th. I went to the Queen Vic markets and then spent the arvo cruising the art galleries on Flinder's Lane.

Spent a marathon 12 hours sleeping. Must have been exhausted by all those flowers.

Friday afternoon

Happy hour in the tea room next door.
The sounds of laughter beckons.

The world we live in

As humans, we tend to think of ourselves as rather powerful creatures, capable of shaping the future of our planet and everything in it. Sure. But then the tail of a cyclone brushes some of our cities, and all hell breaks loose. Our roads become congested, our public transport system melts down and we are paralysed when electricity is cut to our homes. I was in Canberra when bushfires hit the city a few years ago. Once again, absolute mahem. 400 homes destroyed. We lost power for 3 days. And the ACT government was forced to appeal to Canberrans to stop flushing their toilets because the lower molonglo swerage plant had been damaged by fire.

Dating milestone

Tommorrow is a significant day. For Nate and I, it will be our first year anniversary and the longest either of us had dated anyone. We met at the tram stop at Melbourne uni last year for our first date on Easter Thursday. It lasted three days and we have barely been apart since then. The plan is to go out for a celebratory dinner tonight. Tommorrow Nate is heading of to Sydney for a few days. Would have gone with him, but for the fact that I will be stuck here in Melbourne due to work (sigh).

The one year anniversary is a good time to reflect on the last few years. It's amazing how far I have progressed as an individual, more confident about who I am and with friends all over the world. It started with my coming out in the US in 2004, coming back to Australia and opening myself up to family and friends (who have all been amazingly supportive), going to Europe for 7 months (and sharing a house with a conservative straight muslim and a debaucherous gay polish-american), moving to Melbourne in 2006, exploring dating for the first time, and falling in love with someone special. Wow, what a journey it has been (with no doubt many more exciting adventures ahead).

The China incident

Last night I went to see a play at the Malthouse Theatre called "The China Incident" (written and directed by Peter Houghton and performed by Anne Browning). It had been a very long time since I last saw a play, so I was extremely excited when Nate got free tickets to the performance (though I did have to rush home first to check on the state of the apartment following the high winds yesterday). The play was essentially a one woman monologue and I was particularly impressed that the performer managed to remember all her lines during the one-hour long performance. The story revolves around a woman juggling work (which involves giving advice to an African dictator, the President of the United States, and the UN) and a developing family crisis. There are limited props here...many different-coloured telephones, a lap top computer, a desk and a Corbusier chair (though the designer chair was not key to the story, it was especially noteworthy to a design freak such as myself). Nate, I think, enjoyed the heavy use of offensive language so I guess we both liked the play.

Gone with the wind?

It feels like the calm before the storm. Apparently the tail of a cyclone blowing in from WA is about to brush Melbourne and contribute to gail force winds. And of all days, I've left the washing out on the balcony (I'm picturing my socks and jocks strewn all over the city).

Daylight saving chaos

I am not coping too well with the one week delay in implimenting daylight saving this year. My body clock has already made the adjustments. Even my mac powerbook has shifted into daylight saving mode (which caused me all kinds of confusion with meetings etc at work yesterday). Plus...even though I categorise myself as a morning person, Im still finding it hard to wake up when it is dark and hauling myself out of bed to get ready for work...though the experience has given me a much better appreciation of what a beached whale must feel like trying to roll itself out to sea (minus the blow hole). Only a few more days to go and I'll be able to....sleep in.