Saturday, July 30, 2011

Playing House


It's Saturday night and I'm on the couch in my incredibly sexy pac man hoody and jeans special. To make the extent of my nana evening even clearer, it's 10.15 and I've already brushed my teeth. Yeah, pretty rock n roll. You see nowadays I really struggle to go out two nights in a row. From the moment I woke up dry mouthed and weary this morning (skipping dinner for office drinks on a Friday will do that to you) I haven't been able to stop thinking about the immense joy that a crap TV binge followed by a pizza induced coma would bring. Bliss.

Speaking of bliss, I have some news of the domestic bliss variety. Or at least I hope it will be bliss. Tom and I are moving into our own place. I'm calling it 'playing house' for a couple of reasons. The first being that we are both new to the concept and the second because our new apartment is about the size of a treehut. Oh wow, I just got excited about the prospect of being able to make huts in the lounge. FUN. That's why people move in together right? So no one else gets to see how lame you are?

Lucky none of my flatmates are home this evening (duh, because it's Saturday) to witness my sloth like movements. Also lucky for them that soon they won't have to put up with my incredibly loud movements after a big night. I've been told that for a rather small person I have a rare talent for sounding much like a herd of elephants upon entering the flat.

That's the beauty of shacking up isn't it? You find a person who is so blinded by love that they accept all your flaws and agree to put up with them on a daily basis. Tom is a brave man. I must admit I'm a little bit nervous but mainly just excited.

Flatting can be great but after almost eight years I feel like the time is right to move on. Our current flatmates are awesome but you never know who you could be living with in a year's time. I feel like I've had my fair share of duds. Once a guy gave me the silent treatment for a week for making toast loudly in the wee smalls of Sunday morning. I know, how do I live with myself? Then there was the girl who changed boyfriends as often as her undies. One fateful night a jilted lover broke into her room and proceeded to start a brawl with the newest flavour of the week. The cops were called and knew her by name. That was an eye opener.

I'm also really excited because Tom, a notorious hoarder, has agreed to cull some of his posessions in aid of the move. This is BIG for him. I'm very touched by his commitment to the cause and it's a sacrifice that shows me he is really into the idea of living with me and just me (insert “Awww” here).

So now we can look forward to packing up our lives and playing tetris with our furniture all while trying not to kill each other. I've been told by others who are doing it already that 'I won't know myself' once we're settled and that I won't look back. I just hope that Tom's ok with knowing myself, inside and out because let's face it, we're all a little bit annoying....especially in close proximity.

I guess life is about finding that person who will put up with your annoying bits and if you're lucky, they might even make huts in the lounge with you.

Could use one of these signs for the new place.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Hobby Horse

Sorry for the neglect, I've been off pursuing extracurricular activities. That’s something I haven't said before. Doing anything more than the status quo was never my strong point at school or uni, namely because I can't catch a ball to save my life and am about as musically talented as Rebecca Black.

Now though at the ripe ole age of twenty five, I find that having a hobby keeps me sane. Life is a little like Groundhog day at the moment (minus the comedic talents of Bill Murray) so having something to break the work, eat, gym (sometimes),sleep routine is essential. So what have I been doing? Um this is awkward…writing. It’s like I’ve been cheating on the blog but this writing is being assessed by a tutor and comes with a deadline so there’s a little more urgency to keep it up.

Last year I signed up for a magazine journalism course which I have been completing at a leisurely pace. I figure that this is a hobby so it shouldn’t feel like work, I write when I feel like it, so I also do the assignments when I feel like it. Long story short I’ve arsed around for a while but am now getting stuck in.

I’m in the midst of writing an article about blogging actually so when I said I felt like I was cheating at least I’m keeping it in the family…that’s probably worse when you think about it. Moving right along…

Today I am a bit chuffed with myself- I had my first proper interview for the article I’m writing. The subject was Jane Yee who is a fantastic blogger (she’s won awards and stuff) and a very cool lady. You can check out her work at www.picnicbythemotorway.com. She was also on the telly once upon a time (remember M2?) so I may have been a tad starstruck. Why is it that people you see on TV are so much tinier in person?

Despite the shaky hands and awkward fidgeting with the recording device- iVan the iPhone- I think it went pretty well. So tonight I’m going to get into some transcribing. I’m quietly terrified that the audio will somehow vanish into the ether. As trusty as iVan is, I’ve seen what autocorrect can do so I don’t have one hundred percent faith in him.

Hell, I’m so motivated at the moment that I even went to the library to do some research today- I know what you’re thinking and yes thankyou I did actually do some real work today. I guess I’ve just gotten a second wind on the project due to a lack of anything else exciting on the horizon.

I reckon having a hobby is the best way to crawl your way out of a life rut and let’s be honest, twenty somethings are quite prone to falling into those. I think in our twenties we all go through an adjustment period where we have to come to grips with the monotony of settling into full time work. This blog actually helped me out of a rut I was in last year and the journalism course is just another challenge to keep me occupied.

So if you have the Groundhog day feeling, I suggest taking up a hobby. Make sure it's something that will inspire, fulfil and challenge you to step out of your comfort zone- you might even discover your true calling in life.

And hey if that doesn’t work out, you can always fill the rut with angry cross stitch instead…


Monday, July 4, 2011

Going it alone

If there's one thing you can lose sight of when in a relationship it's appreciating your own company- that and whose black socks are whose. Seriously annoying when you realise you're wearing one of your socks and one baggy man sock. Back to the bit about doing stuff on your own though. I am all about spending quality time with nothing but the Kardashians and some calorific food for company, what I struggle with though is doing stuff on my own in public.

I know a few people who frequent the movies on their own which isn't so bad because it's dark (not that I've EVER tried it mind you) but what about having a couple drinks or even a whole dinner on your own? I just don't know if I could do it. Although, I did come close the other night. Work had a spare ticket to the show Walking with Dinosaurs. Free food, free booze and mint seats. There was just one thing missing- a second ticket. I was offered the pass after a few other more important (and like minded people it seems) had already declined. It took some thinking but the little girl inside me who was mildly obsessed with Jurassic Park in the nineties told me to suck it up for a change.

So suck it up I did...after emailing the girl who gave me the ticket several times to see if anyone had backed out at the last minute. I've been to a few client functions and usually the turn out rate is 80% at best. It seems Dinosaurs really get people off their asses though. Everyone came. So there I was, out on my own, at a family show about reptiles. Awesome.

You know what though, it actually was awesome. I made an effort to speak to every client and their family. Ofcourse it helped that I had a cheeky Pinot on hand to dull the usual pain that small talk incurs but still, this was a big step for me! Dinner was a tad awkward as I couldn't decide which table to sit at. Instead I pulled up a bar stool and sat by myself. Cue constant fiddling on phone and avoiding eye contact with everyone else. This was followed by another big moment where I volunteered to be seated first. I figured one of the ten or so people coming with me would be sitting on either side of me but no. I had to endure a few excruciating minutes of sitting in a seat surrounded by empties.

At this point, you're probably in one of two camps. You're either thinking I should grow the hell up or that you too would be rummaging in your bag or pretending to text. I really do have a lot of respect for those of you in the first group and don't worry, I am well aware of how pathetic this all sounds. I'm confident though that this is something that I'll grow out of. Surely this is simply a remnant from my teenage years spent worrying about what everyone else thinks of me.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that one day I'll wake up and won't care anymore. Perhaps when my life is consumed by a family demanding every waking moment of my time then I won't think twice about a solo vino down the local. Or maybe I'll only be able to look back and wish that I'd spent more time actually enjoying 'Me time' when I had the chance. I'm thinking probably the latter.

So here's to indulging in guilty pleasures without the guilt because there's only yourself to judge. Yes, I'll have a large popcorn, boysenberry choc top and one ticket to The Smurfs in 3D please.