Everything's vivid

With my nose firmly in Alain de Botton's new book, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, I have been refreshed in my view of the world.
Yesterday I had to go into the city for an appointment after several days of being home ill.
It seemed to me that everyone was from central casting: immensely colourful in their own way, yet typical.
Two women at the noodle bar at David Jones sipped on their wines and discussed children, home decorating, friends and their next lunch, while the people cooking and serving us were on full display in their work mode. It was all remarkably vivid. I guess I was paying attention.
In the watch repair shop, I was one of several customers - the young woman getting a charm fixed to her bracelet, the stylishly dressed handsome black guy who was getting something done to what appeared to be a diamond-encrusted watch (matching his diamond encrusted pinky ring). The watch was roughly the size of a large sample pot of moisturiser. I felt like I was in a dream when he showed his Florida driving license [as ID, I guess]. An older woman was getting impatient because whatever she was waiting for wasn't ready and she was going overseas the next day, with many tasks and engagements to fulfil before she left. Again, remarkably vivid moments that may have passed me by, if not for reading yet another marvellous book by Alain de Botton.


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Directions

Walking down Victoria Street in Darlinghurst just now, a very old man ambled toward me. I was anticipating being asked for money.
But no. He wanted to know where "Young Street" was. Indeed.
(In truth - as far as I am aware - there is no Young Street. Neither metaphorically, nor literally.)
A bit like how on Monday night I was walking by the Eastern Distributor exit on William Street. A young guy was taking a piss in Wisdom Lane. Wisdom Lane is a No Through Road.
I'll leave that with you.
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My loathing of spiders is complete (and utter)

My loathing of huntsman spiders (or are they just huntsmen?) is renowned. Grown men have been phoned in the middle of the night to come over and remove them from my sight.



Yesterday I resorted to a text "call out" of various male acquaintances to evict the latest invader.



G. came to the rescue. Rewarding him with wine and a lamb kebab couscous dinner was the least I could do.



The previous night (warning dear reader: gin and Augusten Burroughs are a bad combination when encountering a huntsman of huge proportions), I had been awake for hours. For a long while I had been lying in bed, pretending it would all be OK. Every few minutes I'd flick the light on, but it became too much when one of the spider's ruby eyes glinted at me.


So I upped camp and went to sleep in the lounge room. The King was delighted with the novelty of the new sleeping arrangements and jumped around incessantly. I filled him up on treats to pacify him, but it was like giving a kid red cordial. The three of us were awake: the spider, the King and me.

A bad, bad urban story that ended with G. freeing the spider into the wilds of Darlinghurst. It's now out petitioning the neighbourhood about victimisation.

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George Clooney in Adelaide

When supplied with a George Clooney face on a stick, one simply stands behind it and sings "happy birthday". That's what happened this weekend in Adelaide.
Then Sarah and I flew back to Sydney, giggling hard on the plane behind our new identities.
Watch out for Toothpick Etiquette 103 on youtube - filmed entirely on location (without George Clooney).

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A Touch of Turkey

I took this shot in June last year, in a fish market at Istanbul.

The dangling curly bits in the background are twists of dried orange peel. Nice counterpoint to the curly new globe on the left of the mermaid.

I'm not a fan of the new globes I'm afraid; I'm going to miss the old globes for their beautiful shape and also the concept of a "light bulb moment" isn't the same with the new globes.

They may save the planet though.

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Jack has taken to the pig's ear

For anyone wondering, Jack has started using his puppy teeth on the pig's ear. It just took him a little time, that's all.
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Jack the Pugalier

It's very hard to imagine anything quite as cute as Jack the Pugalier (that's a pug crossed with a Cavalier spaniel, for the uninitiated).
I went to visit him for the first time at the weekend and took him around a pig's ear. The truth is, he wasn't that sure about it. You can see what happened when he saw it for the first time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnDhp8n2nUM

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Curtains

Ah, with thanks to my pals bob'n'pats for this beautiful image.

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Arachnophobia

6.30pm Massage therapist arrives at home.
8pm Every muscle has been tweaked and has turned to jelly.
9pm Every muscle is switched on. World's biggest huntsman has its legs out and is ready to eat me.
9.30pm The Last Post is playing for the huntsman, carefully and artfully squished. I have produced a litre of sweat in the undertaking.

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Auslan Advance Australia Fair

Personally I find it a bit hard to get wound up about Australia Day, but this Auslan version of Advance Australia Fair could change everyone's tune.



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