Forget and Recall

This past month and a bit has been a collision of the old and the new for me. I feel on the one hand that I'm continuing a phase of my life I thought I would not reconnect with here in Melbourne. On the other hand I see a continuation of another life via Canberra while at the same time watching my new life open out before me.

What a wonderful place to be in. All these threads of my past lives (Melb mk.1, Canberra and Melb mk.2) are coming together. I'm loving it, I feel more complete for the experience. My old flatmate and I were shooting the breeze and we both confessed how much we had unconsciously missed the others company. when you live with someone in a share house you get to know them pretty well. But flatmates are very hit and miss, one of the reasons I never went down the shared house route in Canberra ( I figured, with some justification, that there would be more zero's than hero's).

But it's also important to remember that people change and that evolving and growing and accepting of changes and challenges can help you become more than the sum of your parts or experiences. Perhaps this is what they call growing up?

Pillow qUEST

I had this great pillow see (have just started reading 'The Lady in the Lake') it was a perfect balance of soft with just enough form to hold my head in place. Delightful is the only word to describe it.

One problem though - it smelt. Stank is the way Evie described it. I went down the path of denial for a while. How can you say that, it just needs and airing, I really like this pillow, it's the only one you haven't stolen from me etc But the truth of the matter was, it did smell.

It seems that the filling was a synthetic kind of material, but one that absorbs human sweat. By way of background being bald means my head gets cold during the chilly winter evenings, I usually combat this by draping a t-shirt over my head. Seems that we had some warmer than usual nights and I found myself waking up bathed in sweat. The comfy-comfy pillow soaked it up. You know I defended that pillow but when I read that last sentence I understand the position of my loved ones. (the pillow was not even allowed to be on the bed during the day.)

Well things came to a head (chortle) a couple of weeks ago, even I could smell the pillow and our daughter was playing on our bed. I struck a deal that any pillow I got was mine and would not be appropriated. With both parties in agreement my daughter and I headed off to our local Spotlight.

There are pillows and then there are pillows. Most are too hard and shapeless or perhaps more accurately unable to be shaped. Most of the hotel pillows I have ever used fall into this category (true story, when traveling for work, if I was going to be in a place for more than a week I would pack one of my pillows for the trip). But this variety means that people have a wide variety of preferences.

I settled on a duck feather pillow that combines softness and shape. I have slept like a log that is very tired every night since. Mission accomplished.

Old Flatmates, New friends

So one day not long ago, as I was walking out of a place I bump into the (deep breath) the brother-of-the-mate-of-an-old-flatmate whom I flatted with when I lived in Melbourne during last century. Still think that is fun to write it that way.
So we swapped cards and said let's catch up for lunch. Usually with these sorts of things it takes a while or two or in fact I don't follow up. Well this time I did follow up and a couple of weeks later we're having lunch at docklands. It was great to catch up so we agreed to catch up again next month and invite my old flatmate.

Not having had much contact with my flatmates since having moved to Canberra I was surprised how quickly we picked things up. I guess we had both grown up some but also kept a core of what was good about ourselves. After lunch I was invited to join an online game evening with some of the boys.

To be honest I was thrilled, I love playing computer games - I know the women in my life don't get it, that it is Girl Kryptonite - but I love it. Short story I had a blast and over the next couple of weeks I've managed to catch up and meet some old friends and new ones.

Melbourne is making a good case for residency.

Haven't written for a While

My excuse this time is more about opportunity than subject matter. In the past two months I've written 3 things. Which is not to say I haven't had only 3 things to write about but more I haven't had the time to write.

So rather than do 1 big brain dump I will share a collection of short blogs to follow...

Feeling good is good enough

Boy howdy Bubbas, last month has been a blur... of sickness!!
I lost a week or so plus to a lurgy (See previous post ) that was diagnosed (by SCIENCE) as laryngitis. I lost my voice for a couple of days and spent my birthday curled up on the couch covered by a blanket watching 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Kelly's Hero'. Not all bad.

But I'm feeling better now and ready to go for June.