30 November 2005
HARRY POTTER!!!!!
posted by Jem at 11:40am | 6 Comments »
Yesterday was fun. I had fun. Yes. I finished my dress in the morning (which I thought might kill me from its stench of mildew). I sewed on pretty buttons. I hope that I wear it one day soon.
I met Tom afterward and we saw a movie Elizabethtown. I liked it and very much agree with Tom about Orlando being good looking. He also has a soft face. But I thought it was fun and I liked how playful it was. I don’t like writing about movies. But, I think I found it kind of funny because some of it all felt familiar and close to home. I think it captured the absurdity of death quite nicely. The only problem with movies that are so fun is that I want to be in them and be as fun and creative as the people in them. Luckily I get over that in about a day.
After watching we visited St Mary’s Cathedral. I’ve never been or explored any part of Sydney as a tourist would. I thought it was exciting because it reminded me of being overseas. It even smelt like it. Because big cathedrals often have that damp wooden smell mixed with stone. It was like a safe haven. I felt very at peace inside and I think I would like to hang out in places like that more often. Churches feel so protected and safe, and there is something very grand about it that is a little hard to describe. It was a nice place to pray though. And I had memories of primary school flooding back to be as people did a genuflect.
(I wonder if the relationship between b and v on the keyboard has anything to do with the way Spanish speakers pronounce them opposite?)
And then we conquered the Mitchell Library. I’d always (well since I saw it about 5 months ago) wanted to go inside because the walls of books made me want to explore and touch them. I was always to scared by the bag sign, and turned back. But not this time, we weren’t too intimidated by it, we found the lockers!
The Library is very interesting. I tried to look up my convict ancestors but didn’t succeed because I didn’t know there real names. I learnt many interesting things that I was able to say You learn something new everyday to, probably enough to last me a good week or two. You’d learn so much if you went there everyday. I learnt why Croydon was named Croydon, Asquith Asquith. But my favourtite time was when I found the big dictionary. Not only was I able to look up a word at any moment I didn’t understand (I should carry a 1kg dictionary all the time), but my 2 new favourite words. They deserve a line each.
Frippet.
Fubsy.
I liked flicking through the cards to boxes in the stack. They were all handwritten and there was a strange sense of putting your hands on such history. People had written these cards back in convict days, like I might write something now. You don’t really write it down thinking about it as a historical document, it’s what you’re preoccupied with in the present. But viewing someone’s present thoughts from the past is weird.
And now I wonder if I’m a frippet. I probably am sometimes.
posted by Jem at 11:37am | 2 Comments »
I woke up at 10am this morning. And because my phone beeped too. I probably would have kept sleeping. That totally freaked me out. I hate sleeping that late. Teh freaky thing was I still thought it was really early. Maybe because my room at Mum’s is really dark.
posted by Jem at 11:18am | No Comments »
Ah. I was about to write about last weekend but got a sudden burst of reminding about this weekend. I don’t quite know what I’ve got myself into!
Anyway, last weekend I went up the mountains with Mum to see the David Beschi exhibition. He paints nice pictures. We just so happened to turn up at the opening, which meant some people were very dressy, and I happened to be wearing hiking boots. But the other thing meant they were serving free wine and olives. After browsing the pictures we stayed drinking wine til it was almost dark, long after other people had left. What a ripper free outing. And we arrived at the lookout around sunset time. I love the mountains. I managed to fetch some organic garlic in the hippy shop too which was great. Oh and hippy bush tomato seeds. Hip Hip.
I went to church on Sunday morning. I love that place. It’s so home.
Y por la tarde, Mum and I went to Villawood for a visit. I was overcome differently this time to last time I went. I suppose the circumstances are different. But I was just overcome by how completely inhospitable our country is. That makes me angry.
If I was Xavier, I would say, And I’m disgusted, by how unhospitable we are!
But in trying to be inspired rather than discouraged by Dave Andrews and the things I am learning, I know I won’t change the world, but hopefully I can be compassionate towards a few people in their lives and they will appreciate that. I know people have done that for me.
Be sent out in a spirit to be encouraged and inspired Jemma.
How strange, when I talk to myself I would never call myself Jem. It would feel to chummy. But doesn’t bother me when chums call me Jem, in fact I like it. Is this like some freaky thing telling me I shoulc be more chummy with myself and that I don’t know myself at all? Ooo the scandal.
posted by Jem at 11:17am | No Comments »
I was thinking the other day that being able to care about environmental sustainability is actually kind of a luxury. Sad but true.
posted by Jem at 10:12am | No Comments »
Went to a musical evening at Vargabar last night that our church put on. It was real lovely. Everyone who played was so talented and there was such ripper music. Vargabar is like the smallest cafe in the history of cafes and there was so many people squished in there like I reckon about 30. I sat on the floor wedged into a hole by the toilet door for the first half.
It was good to be out and about. Vargabar has a red door. I noticed it several times. It made me happy.
posted by Jem at 10:06am | No Comments »
Chutney of the bush variety is an essential ingredient to all sandwich whether toasted or fresh.
Last Tuesday night Jo and I went to the opening of the Streetwize exhibition. We were offered sandwiches which I was very pleased to see had bush chutney. Unfortunately, they also had roast lamb or something rather unsavoury like that and were not suitable for my eating. But I was very pleased to see them paying attention to the sandwich making rules!
posted by Jem at 10:03am | No Comments »
I’ve been reading Not Religion but Love over the past couple of days. It’s good. And inspiring. Challenging tambien. I’m a bit too scared to go to Brisbane now.
I don’t know whether I am just becoming more aware of myself lately, or if I am being less nice. But I keep saying I’ll do things better, and then I find myself somewhere and I’m not.
posted by Jem at 9:18am | No Comments »
Does any one know what happened at Town Hall yesterday. I forgot to look in the news and now there seems to be no trace left?
At about Redfern it was a fire at Town Hall and it was closed but by the time we were at Central, that fire business was “Police Operations”, and so it all felt more sus from that moment on.
posted by Jem at 1:10pm | No Comments »
The other day I came across this website.
Jo told me about this place because she’d met a man who worked there. I thought it sounded cool when she told me about it, but I didn’t realise how utterly perfect it was for me.
When I went here, it was the first time as a designer I have actually felt valuable. The types of things they talk about are the kinds of things I want to do. My heart jumped with joy as I was reading it because I can feel a future unfold as I read the pages of webbiness.
Being useful and valuable in the way I imagine I want to be with the skills I am learning, and the things I enjoy, well when I read this website, it seems obvious that it’s a great idea but usually I’ve been much more floaty and doubting in myself and wonder sometimes why I’m not more useful and relational. But I spose I’m just not built that way. I wasn’t designed to offer that service to this world. I’m supposed to offer a different one and its so exciting.
It gives me such hope. And excitement.
posted by Jem at 3:21pm | 1 Comment »