soup and cigarettes

x

the office or The Office

me: (sitting at my work desk reading emails)

woman: (walks up, looks strangely at me over the wall divide, and then stares at my sunglasses sitting on my desk. "they're your sunglasses, are they?"

me: (i look at sunglasses on the desk, and notice that they’ve been moved since i put them down last. "ah, yes, they are."

woman: "oh right... i thought you might have found them."

me: "no... they're mine."

woman: "oh."

me: (silence... staring… confused)

woman: "oh, its just i've lost mine"

me: "ah, ok. well, they're mine."

woman: "yeah i lose them all the time."

me: "oh, that's... a shame."

woman: (silence... still staring at sunglasse) "right then, ok". (walks away whilst looking suspiciously at me)

x

old sydney town

Decided to set off for a little new year visit to Sydney – my cover story was to check out the Sydney Festival, but it was really about eating, drinking, shopping, swimming and hanging out with some great big city friends. I stayed with Honor and Luke at their brilliant little place in Manly – well Queenscliff actually, a short stagger from the beach. It’s a great place to hang out, feels a world away from the city – and not really that far away (although it sure feels far if you miss the last ferry).



Straight after dumping my bags at Alison’s work I met Mat for a beer at their old lunchtime local for a few schooners (which are actually pints - confusing) of Coops, Alison joined us bit later and we made our way to the Sydney Theatre in the Rocks to see Seemanslieder , a Festival show by Euro Director Christophe Marthaler (called the bad boy of Swiss theatre!) There was a bit of pressure on as I had picked this show, everyone was looking a little scared after a pretty damning review in the paper that morning, and the fact that it was 2.5 hours long with no interval (!). I was keeping hopes up (festival brochure copy writers don't lie do they?). Charlie arrived and we positioned ourselves in the corner of the foyer to scull a pre-theatre drink, and I somehow managed to knock over everything in sight.

Anyway, the show was great. Sydney audiences obviously struggle with anything more than banging a bunch of cans and sticks around. After we went to the Lord Nelson pub in the Rocks for a beer (they brew all their beers on the premises – so cool!). Me and my suitcase then trundled back to Circular Quay for the last ferry to Manly, where Honor picked me up from the wharf with her rockin ute.

Saturday morning I made the trek from Manly to Potts Point (1.5 hours with bus–ferry–bus) to meet up with Alison, Mat, Andrew and Marie, and Nicola and Ildo. Unfortunately I took so long that they’d all finished their brekkie when I arrived booo! Set off on a pub crawl towards the DnBBQ (drum n bass barbecue – good tunes and even better chicken and rice by all accounts). The door charge had mysteriously doubled, so we ditched it and continued the pub crawl on to the Rose in Erskinville to meet Dean for a few more – yes, you guessed it – beers and a burger...
























I love the seagulls that fly with the ferry at night...



Sunday morning met at the MCA to check the one-and-only visual arts inclusion in the festival program, Centre Pompidou Video Works 1965-2005. Fave works...
1. João Onofre's Untitled (Vulture in the studio)
2. Tony Oursler's Switch (Philosophers)
3. Dara Birnbaum's Kiss the Girls: Make Them Cry
4. Pierre Huyghe's The Third Memory
5. Bruce Nauman's Going around the corner piece


Monday I had lunch with Alister and spent the rest of the day wandering around the city, I love this building at Martin Place



i think this chick forgot to go get her hair cut, for a few, ah, hundred years



Tuesday I spent in Manly with Honor, we started the day off with a beachside walk to the Bower cafe for the least greasy fryup I have ever had in my life!



We spent the whole day on the beach - swimming, reading, chatting and polished off a bottle of champagne in the process, slapper-style!



Later met Bri for some amazing handmade noodles in chinatown and had a bit of a boogie at the Spiegeltent, of course. Wednesday only had time for a quick farewell lunch with Alison (vegetarian yumcha, actually quite good!) before flying home to the unmistakable adelaide suburbs...



x

ps oh, almost forgot, jack black was on my flight home! he's hiding in the middle here... nowhere to run, jaaaaaack!

strange things

a little photo-essay of a recent adelaide weekend.

starts with walking to work on friday morning, even without glasses, i noticed this lady across the road wearing a very strange getup indeed:



did she say to herself that morning, ok union jack singlet - check! unflattering blue and purple skirt made from unnatural fibre - check! floral pattern cap with neck flap - check! little useless shoulder bag and other slightly less useless aqua handbag - check! trolley decorated with multicoloured plastic stuff - check! right, lets go then.

so then at lunchtime, thought i would wander up rundle mall for a sandwich and i am confronted by this:



giant strange sand sculpture for no particular reason whatoever? who are these people and where do they learn their rather impressive sand sculpture skills? and then i realise, oohhhh, its a giant strange sand sculpture for *christmas*, ohhh well thats ok then.... (and i think santa is making eyes at that guy with the shovel)

saturday drove down to my cousins for lunch, pulled up behind this ute:



i was positively mesmerised! can you read the middle one? it says "fuel was up, water was down; we still rode em for eight; while the utes went round." hmmm.

at my cousin's place that she's just bought from some old italian people:



why would they pour concrete right up the base of a tree? why would they then cut the tree off just above the base? maybe they liked it this way? so many questions, so little time. but i have to say i find it strangely satifying.

but the piece de resistence was this little assemblage, found in a city carpark on sunday arvo:



so we have the former wrapping for an issue of Hustler's Barely Legal magazine (nine wicked young wenches drop their kit for you - boy, how could anyone resist?), a broken mobile car carger and a black satin glove with fake fur trim. i swear to god above that this was exactly as it was found.

i think i need a holiday.

x