Rock Dog

The Friday downpour was much less effective at dampening my spirits than the large crack in the sole of my shoe but neither mattered once I'd made my way to the prohibition themed club 1806 for a wee tipple with friends in town. At the designated changeover, I met The Lovely Samantha outside and took Bodhi home to bed while she continued the revelry into the wee hours of the morn.

On Saturday, I beheld something truly ingenious. Not since Fermat's Last Theorum have I seen a more stunningly beautiful solution to a seemingly intractable problem. Now I truly dislike flea markets/garage sales. Years of being dragged around markets as a child by my mother have scarred me for life (How I stumbled onto a partner equally as enamored of sifting through other's trash is a question only Oedipus can answer). So imagine my surprise when some bright spark down here decides to have a flea market in a pub. Beer downstairs, hippy tie dye skirts upstairs. Need I say more?

Sunday was just beaut. We started with brunch, mopped around a bit then eventually made our way to the Charity cup AFL match in Elsternwick for the arvo. It's a fund raising tradition which pits the Triple R Megahertz against The Espy Rockdogs. Cheer leaders, transvestites, tranny cheer leaders, The Living End, a muddy center bounce, beer whenches, you name it, it had it. In fact the only thing lacking was any semblance of footballing skill. Charity was the winner on the day.

see ya,
Minas.

When in Rome

Hey Gang;

I dunno if those Finn brothers were in Melbourne at the time but they were definitely onto something with that "four seasons in one day" chorus line. Since arriving a fortnight ago the weather waiter has faithfully served up a mezze platter of varying phenomenon each day. Today it was fog soup.

This weekend we immersed ourselves head first into Melbourne culture. I talked footy tactics over beers with the guys in the office. I affectionately refer to them as Mexicans (being south of the border) but they still can't see the irony in drinking coronas on Friday.

On Saturday while The Lovely Samantha went to the gym, Bodhi and I, so as not to stand out, put on every piece of black clothing we had and went down to chapel st for breakfast. We still wear pastels when skyping with family, but black is the new black down here.

Melbourne has a pretty strong coffee culture and being a lite weight myself, just one of their rich blends is enough to keep me fidgeting for a whole week. I've taken to just asking them to heat up some milk and wave it beside the machine. It's the only way I can get any sleep.

A colleague at work suggested Vic Markets for good meat & produce shopping (but the Saturday crowds, he warned, should be avoid at all costs). We decided not to heed his advice and try our luck. We were pleasantly surprised to find ample parking at 15:45pm on Saturday afternoon although less so after inserting two hours worth of coins into the parking meter only to find the market closes at 16:00pm. Still, silver lining and all that - everything is half price in the last 15 minutes. I've never seen a Sunday roast jump into my shopping bag that fast.

On Sunday, following another recommendation, we headed down to Acland st to check out the traditional cake shops. At first glance it's nothing more than an eat street, but wandering down somewhere in the middle, you stumble upon three of the most sinful dens of gluttony ever put on this Earth. Bodhi was like a sucker fish with only the front window between him and mountains of temptation. Sam went weak at the knees and almost fainted. Talk about sight for sore eyes, or possibly plight for sore thighs given the extra chaffing guaranteed to ensue any visit.

Bodhi is absolutely besotted with Melbourne. Being an Thomas The Tank Engine nutter, he's fascinated with all things rail like. He spelled out his first word the other day. T.R.A.M.

Melbourne is good.

see ya,
Minas.

So far So Good

Hey Gang;

After 14 months in the sabbatical wilderness, I'm back. I'm still not convinced it's where I belong, but the people I'm working for are certainly making it easy for me.

Touching down in Melbourne on Monday morning reminded me of that scene where the Jamaican bobsled team first walk out into the snowy depths of winter. It's cold. Still, there are the upsides, namely in the fashion stakes. Coats are in and so are scarves. Not just the green and gold variety that you dust off once every four years, no. For the past two days I've been prancing around town like a Giorgio Armani clothes horse with a new designer mane.

This weekend was basically last and final touch ups around the house. I replaced the kitchen cabinet doors, attached handles, cleaned the worm farm, sealed the bathroom taps, cleaned the garage, packed up the computer, yada yada.

On Saturday night we rounded up the usual suspects and had a farewell dinner at a local cafe that's started doing dinners. Great value and a lovely communal dining experience. Looking forward to the next one in six months time.

Apart from choosing a place to rent, the only other major decision to make is which AFL team to follow. The Swans would be an obvious choice but then again we were looking at an apartment in Port Melbourne, so maybe Port Power could be a goer. I dunno.

A few sleeps till the world cup. Psyched!

see ya,
Minas.

Just When I Thought I Was Out, They Drag Me Back In

Actually, given that I submitted my resume for a position, I dragged myself back in, and I wasn't even kicking or screaming.

After months of Jim Morrison-esq wandering through the salt plains I was still no closer to any kind of answer to my career life conundrum so I've decided to give Gordon Gecko's mantra "Greed is Good" another try by accepting a six month IT contract in Melbourne.

There's some regret that my foray into photography wasn't more successful but I entered it with some pretty lofty (naive) ideals and there were some harsh realities that I just wasn't ready to accept. The biggest one being that I honestly couldn't see a profitable way forward with the photography industry in the midst of a digital revolution. I wont bore you with the details but I just don't have the conviction to uproot my family from Nelson st to Struggle st in the name of chasing a dream...not yet anyway.

So, this weekend was all about getting the house into a rentable state. Lots of paint (with a silent 'T'), wood, and gap filler.

I fly down to Mexico to start work on Monday and The Lovely Samantha and boy wonder will come down a week later. Giddyup.

see ya,
Minas.
www.minasaroney.com.au