Monyay!

I've decided to be very positive about the week ahead, which is why I've labelled this post Monyay!

That term is no more or less ridiculous than Friyay, but certainly more unexpected, and therefore annoys me less. 

I had a fun weekend that involved eating  Carmella Soprano inspired baked ziti for dinner on Friday, then a night at AB's beach house sans children on Saturday. It was pretty wonderful. We basically just ate and drank and sat in front of the open fire. Some of my favourite quotes include:

"If she is so wealthy, then she can pay for her own hysterectomy" and

"Yeah, well she drives a Kia Carnevale".

It rained a lot and sure enough, a rainbow emerged.

I sensed a golden opportunity. 

 

It's only moderately amusing now, but it brought the house down on Saturday.

Have a good Monyay!  

Good yesterday

After reading J's post yesterday, I immediately texted her to advise I was at work (I don't normally work on Tuesdays) and that we should probably rendezvous. 

We met at the new fancy Alpha 60 store and tried on clothes while Whoopsie happily lay on the floor and wriggled around. Then we had a cafe latte.

 

J bought lots of Christmas presents and I felt good about myself for not spending money on a dress.

It was basically a great little interlude in an otherwise run of the mill day. 

But hooray for that! 

Good times (PM)

Sometimes it really does feel like the universe is putting it all together for you. I remember thinking about my car, which is my dream car, and how owning it really made me feel super lucky. So it's no surprise K is feeling so great right now.

I'd like to feel like everything is coming up J too but after being woken up before 6am and having to deal with two super grumpy children ever since, it's hard. I even made pancakes for breakfast, partly because there was no milk in the house and I do this delicious thing when that happens and we have limited breakfast choices where I add yoghurt and orange juice to the pancake batter and they are delicious. Anyway I thought pancakes may make the complaining go away but instead Baby just whinged that he only wanted one pancake instead of the two I put on his plate.

But sheesh, things could be a lot worse. So I guess it may be good to just try and appreciate that really my life is full of good times despite the niggling shit. Like in a few weeks I'll be wearing jeans again. Hopefully. I'm pretty sure I have one pair I'll be able to fit in to and that will be the sweetest.

Baby is sick home from school today which means I don't have to wake up Newbie and rush out the house at 3:15 for the pickup.

I still haven't watched Stranger Things but plan too so that is exciting.

Things are great!

Good times (AM)

On my commute to work I pass some graffiti that says "why does the universe always conspire to make my dreams come true?". Now I don't go in for that hippy nonsense but it does make me think a little bit about the good stuff that happens all the time. 

For example...

We have a new car and I love it so much. It's my dream car, basically. Everything in it works and you don't elbow your passenger when you're trying to put your belt on which seems innocuous but is actually very annoying. 

KB is really getting into the narrative of Hairy Maclairy. He gets very excited as the Scarface Claw bit approaches and then gets a little scared when he actually sees Scarface Claw. It's very cute.

I just watched all of Stranger Things and of course I loved it. But the best thing about it is Winona Ryder is back and she's fantastic. I love her so much. 

Good times you guys. 

Holiday Day 12 - final day (AM)

Holidays are great aren't they?! All kinds, but I'm at the end of enjoying the kind of holiday where you basically do nothing. Oh we went to Wet 'n' Wild one day and we've driven about 900km, but most days were characterised by a morning at the beach and an afternoon in the pool. Or sometimes vice versa. There has been a lot of ice cream eaten, lots of fruit and some chips. It's been really great and super relaxing. On holidays I think you probably enjoy being away from work but the highlight is being away from the rest of the drudgery. Cleaning the house, grocery shopping, tending to whatever boring shit you have to do in real life which I can't identify here because I don't know exactly what it is, but I know there is heaps of it. 

Although you still have to tidy and eat on holiday the impermanence of it makes all chores far less overwhelming. If you eff it up or skip it one day you can sort it out the next. And even if you don't sort it out you'll be leaving soon enough. That has really been the joy of this holiday. Just enjoying the things I'm doing and the adorable people in with without those boring-ass distractions. 

The weather has been great too, sunny, warm but not too hot. We've seen heaps of greenery, you know in nature, plus a couple of whales, a pod of dolphins,a wallaby, both black and white cockatoos, kookaburras, lizards galore and one morning we had a buffet breakfast.

Holidays really are great. Funny then that I cannot wait to get home tonight. I really can't wait. 

 

What are you doing with your life? (AM)

Since Newbie was born I haven't been out much, you know out at night, like a grown up and without children. Sure I saw Justin Timberlake. And lord knows I saw Damon Albarn.

But other than the very odd night you can pretty much bet you'll find me home any night of the week. On Friday night I went out and when Miguel, Legsly and David picked me up it was pretty clear that we were a bunch of parents, all exhausted and giggling with the heady anticipation of seeing music and drinking beer sans enfants. It was retarded.

Two Bright Lakes were putting on a farewell gig after 8 years of putting out records and putting on parties and generally showing Melbourne a good time. These guys have some really good bands on their list. Had 'em anyway. Music to sway to, music to dance to. Boy do they have some music to dance to. And right in the middle of the dance floor on  Friday night dancing to Collarbones I remembered how effing good dancing is. I mean, I know how good it is, I know I love it, I do it in my living room and sometimes I do it in other people's living room but doing it on a dance floor - that my friends is truly one of life's great joys. And I had to ask myself, "Why the eff don't you do this more?!?"  I love dancing, really a lot and I started to really think about how I could get it into my life more and why I don't do it more and why I don't prioritise things that are my favourite things. And I started to question other things in my life too, like why aren't I in a band. Oh sure, David, Miguel and I sought to solve this problem by forming a band on Friday night but we've been forming bands on Friday nights for the last 15 years so I doubt this is going to change things.

I don't want to complain about my life, my sons and boyfriend are great, my life is nice but seriously, what am I doing with my life that I don't dance more. And if I'm doing that wrong what else am I doing wrong?!

Also, how can I fit more dancing in while also fitting more sleeping in? More productivity as well as more relaxation. And when will I earn enough money to hire a cleaning lady? I guess at a time when I am actually earning some money. Baby thinks I love cleaning because he basically sees me doing it constantly. He has actually told me that. Seriously, what am I doing with my life? I wanna dance!

Thinking about summer (the next day!!)

View from the rooftop. No kidding.

 Shit you guys! I am so caught up in northern hemisphere summer that I totally forgot to update MSC until just now...Friday morning Melbourne time! I'm so sorry! Part of the problem is that last night, I went to Momofuku for dinner and was so full when I came home, I lay down for a little rest and digest and didn't wake up until 8am this morning. Then I rushed out the door because we were going to the 9/11 memorial museum, and spent the whole day there feeling a lot of feelings. Then when we got home we spent a little time on the rooftop of this apartment where we are staying,  took Fritzel the dog for a walk and it wasn't until I returned from that walk and sat down at my computer that I remembered  MSC! That's basically right now.

Fritzel

 But now that I am here I can advise that summer is great because the air is warm and the sun is shiny. And I've been on a couple of ferries, which is kind of the same as a yacht, so that's pretty great. In that respect, summer is as great as you imagine, Matey. But there's something you're forgetting, and that's how to strike the balance between being sunsmart and stylish. That shit is hard. I feel like all my sunsmart options make me look like a woman who shops at country road and works in a homewares store. That's not cool. Literally! Ha.

On the plus side, most of my time in New Orleans was spent wearing these two dresses made of jersey that I bought at H&M for $10 each. They are hella comfortable and were super cheap and are semi-stylish. Also, if you wanted access to a breast, you could get one very very easily. Win!
Not very sun smart though. So you know, dressing in summer is not all beer and skittles. But there are lots of beer and skittles in summer, so it kind of balances out.

This beer was actually consumed in New Orleans, by the old Mississippi. Still, you get the idea.

Big Easy Eating (PM)

It's lucky for me I don't eat dead land animals because I would be totally jealous of all that good eating in New Orleans. As it is I'm pretty jealous of the jazz and Mississippi and I'm not even into jazz. Lucky for me also that I can imagine just what that Bacchanal restaurant is like because it looks just like a restaurant at Disneyland but instead of eating by the Mississippi you eat by the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Most lucky for me though is that Chutney Club happened this weekend down at Flinders and instead of the usual 4 or so hours of eating with my BFFs I got to eat for 24 hours with them with ocean views (K's absence not withstanding).

This 24-hour Chutney Club made me so relaxed I forgot to take any pictures. Except of the view. 

Luckily Pickle was acting as official club photographer though. We had a roaring fire and sat in a wood-panelled sitting room and, as everyone knows, that's the best way to enjoy beachside living in winter. 

We ate: preserved lemons that Blizzie had made and cooked into some delicious baked beans served with Persian feta on toast. And it was the effing bomb!

Then: rice paper rolls with the pickled pineapple David made. 

And: my apple jelly. First served on a failed brioche I made which, although it did not turn out as brioche, did turn out some weird dense buttery bread-like thing which was a perfect host for apple jelly, and then on crackers with blue cheese. 

Next: Pickle's pickled mushrooms with a generous serve of Meredith goats feta on toast. 

And finally: Legsly and Miguel's rhubarb and apple jam on toast. Actually that wasn't the final chut but more on that later. 

The fact that it was a sleep over meant there was no rushing through the food or gorging on cheese. In fact the grazing cheese platter wasn't even brought out until after the official Chutney Club proceedings were over. The suggestion of fish and chips was brought out not long after that. Cray cray you say say? I thought it was crazy too but I wasn't going to say no and I have to say that it wasn't the worst way to end the day. Well, F,Cs and a game of Danish Bowl. 

You may have noticed (as if!)  that a chutney was missing from the afternoon event  and that's because Biggie Little made marmalade to be served with pancakes on Sunday morning. Those guys didn't even stay over! They just left marmalade and pancake batter! What guests!!! These were enjoyed with some bacon and scrambled eggs that Biz served up and I think you can tell that a wonderful time was had by all. 

Chutney Club's first weekender made me ask my self two questions. Why haven't we done this before?!? And, when can we do it again?!?

Ski trip 2014 (PM)

Snow is beautiful and wonderful and one of the greatest things about winter. Providing you've got the right gear. There's a saying in Norway, apparently, which goes "There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing". By which they mean clothing of insufficient warmth, not, like, jeggings or something. So snow, with the right gear, is a delight.

It sounds like a fun time was had by all (on the whole) and though Baby's tears are heartbreaking, they are also very very cute.


I went away this weekend too! To York. It's a very pretty town.

Buildings that look like this.

Middle class graffiti that looks like this:
















And nearby, some cliffs where hundreds of seabirds come to nest at this time of year, including Puffins. 

That's a rock covered in nesting gannets. But we saw heaps of puffins too. It was great.
And I also ate the best pork pie I've ever had.  We had it on the run as we were walking around town, only I told everyone to go ahead without me while I stopped and ate mine. After one bite, I knew it was pretty special and because I can't multitask, I didn't want to risk being anything other than 100% focused on it. God it was good.

Ski trip 2014 (AM)

Last night I got back from a few days at Thredbo. It's funny going to the snow from Melbourne. I guess because the climate is so completely different it feels like going on a big holiday. It kind of rules. I felt after four days like it was a pretty nice break. l met a woman who'd been there three weeks. It made me think "Whoa she must be loaded" and "That must feel like a million years." And also "Nice life!"

The snow is a weird place. Firstly, it's so beautiful.  

There's funny things about it though. Like at the snow a house automatically becomes a chalet which makes it seems so much more glamourous. (Although  Wikipedia has some interesting things to say on this).

Even if the bookshelf is full of Danielle Steele novels the fact it is in a chalet makes it classy. And somehow a shelf full of Danielle Steele novels seems appropriate in a chalet. 

And faux fur throws which would otherwise seem gross seem awesome.

Baby did skiing lessons which reminded me of my first skiing lessons and made me realise that a lifetime of experiences makes going through mildly traumatic or difficult experiences so much easier. If your lifetime is 35 years and not 4 years. 

Apparently if you only have a 4-year lifetime of experiences, falling over repeatedly on snow while wearing planks on your feet feels even shitter than if you have 35 years of experience. But learning to ski still rules! 

But not as much as going on a waterslide. 

The sweet scent of summer (PM)

I basically loved everything about yesterday because not only was it warm and sunny, but there was no wind. It's the wind that really cheeses me off.  I have actual feelings of hatred towards it. 

But yesterday wind was all "where's the party?" and the sun was all "party? what party? I'm just going to stay home and wash my hair today" and that's exactly what happened. 

It was so warm and lovely yesterday that I walked home from yoga still wearing my yoga gear and at times, the black blazer I wear to work so I didn't look so naked. It looked stupid, sure, but was I loving being out in the warm summery evening?

You bet I was. 

Postcard from Brisbane (AM)

Oh hi guys. How were your weekends?

Good? That's good.

So I'm writing this from a cinema in Brisbane. It's Sunday night, and I'm waiting for the 6:45pm session of Gravity to start. I thought I might get a head start on writing my Monday post, given that I'm going to write about my weekend in Brisbane and it seems that Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are going to be part of it. I'm not entirely sure why on watching this film. People like it. The alternative is sitting on the bed in my hotel room eating Doritos and watching TV. I thought I should make an effort to put that off until Monday night, so here I am. 

Anyway, the show's about to start, so I'll see you on the flip side.

TIME LAPSE.

Oh, hello again guys. I bet you're all dying to know what I thought of Gravity. Well, it was pretty good! A pretty good movie and a pretty good way to spend a Sunday night. That's as enthusiastic as I can get I'm afraid, because it didn't blow my mind. But it's a pretty good version of one of those kinds of films.

Anyway, now it's Monday morning. I'm sitting up at the 'business centre' part of my hotel room (view illustrated above) getting ready to go to this work conference thing which is the reason I'm in Brisbane in the first place.
It starts this morning but I've been in Brisbane since Friday night, because Appleheart and I came up early in order to get a little sun (and boy am I glad we did because I hear the weather in Melbourne has been shit this weekend) and get a head start on Appleheart's birthday week celebrations. While I've never identified myself as a waterslide fancier, Appleheart loves them with his whole apple flavored heart, so naturally we went to Wet N Wild, Australia's premium waterslide based fun park. 
It's pretty great you guys. Knowing that Russeth and G Force came up here a while ago specifically to go to WnW, I asked him for some advice. He said
"My advice is to not be a pussy and do everything twice. Other than that....I dunno. It's a theme park so you don't really need to think about it. JUST DO IT."

It was the best advice. I was not pussy at all and as a result I did some scary shit. Like go on a waterslide that where you stand in a tube and the floor drops out from beneath you and you do a vertical drop which feeds in to an upside down loop that some people don't make it all the way around and have to be rescued from. No joke. But I did it and it ruled. 

The rest of the weekend has involved walking around Brisbane, having a few beers in the sun and thinking about the benefits of not being a pussy. It's been pretty fun really. Appleheart left last night, hence going to see Gravity then eating a packet of Doritos for dinner while sitting on my bed watching Sex Addiction Clinic with Dr Drew. What? 

Now it's off to work. Bye you guys. 

I went to LA (PM)

I have been to LA heaps in my entertainment life (as in, watching movies and TV) but never in my real life, so my perception is still a little stuck between 90210 and Boyz n the Hood.
I'm glad to hear that there's a bit of greenery and a bit of desert though. I like a country that has very different landscapes side by side, like a piece of top deck.
But I still have a lot of questions. Most of all, I would like to know where 'the valley' is. In the TV shows and the movies, people are always referring to 'the valley' like it's miles away and kind of not really LA, and living there is a personal failing. I imagine it being kind of like Caroline Springs or something. Really big houses and stuff but you know, it's Caroline Springs.
But now that I know LA is such a massive place with so many empty streets, I wonder how you could tell the valley from everywhere else. Maybe you guys drove right through it and didn't even know!

I went to LA (AM)

So last week I was in Los Angeles. It is a pretty strange place. Before I went I couldn't imagine myself there at all, I guess because I just couldn't really imagine it. Things I think of when I think of LA include, but are not limited to: Entourage; Curb Your Enthusiasm; Beverley Hills 90210; Boyz in he Hood; Pretty Woman; beaches; freeways. But you see these things are all somewhat incongruous and also I felt pretty sure that only a few people fit into the 90210 category and a few people fit in the Boyz in the Hood category so what the fuck goes on in the rest of it. Right? Am I right?

I guess I still don't even know. I know a little bit (teensy, tiny) about Santa Monica and Venice. I know their vibes at least, kinda, but LA is giant and in between the pockets of action, my limited experience tells me there are mostly empty streets. I mean there are cars, but no people. Mondonna was very awesome and picked us up at the airport and let us stay at her place. It totally ruled. As we were driving to her place I couldn't really imagine places with life because there were really no people around. Though to be fair it was Sunday morning. And even once we got to Mondon's place I couldn't imagine where all the alleged action of Santa Monica was. And then, a twenty minute walk west brings you to shops and restaurants and a pier so packed with people we could barely walk with a pusher. I did not see a lot of that huge city but I saw that a lot. Empty streets and suddenly BAM, a bunch of people! Heaps of 'em. 

Even though I thought I couldn't imagine the place, once I was in LA it turned out my subconscious had expected plenty, because so much seemed totally expected. Like the tall palms and wide streets of Beverly Hills; waitresses telling customers things like "oh, right now I'm doing improv at the Groundlings"; table neighbours saying things like, "My friend is friends with Mirando Kerr so she and Orlando were at my friend's wedding so none of the guests were allowed to take photos"; big freeways; the crazy grossness of Venice Boardwalk. But some things were not expected. There are trees everywhere. And the green was a goddamn delight to my eyes. Venice beach is great, as long as you are nowhere near the boardwalk, it's beautiful with hills in the distance and an expanse of sand, the likes of which I have rarely seen. Sitting on an LA beach was a true delight I did not really anticipate. And the food is consistently good, the sandwiches, I mean they were all really good. They can really make the shit out of a salad sandwich, you guys. And there is the weird, not completely unexpected voyeur-exhibitionist element. Like Muscle Beach, a gym on the beach where people an just go and pump iron in public, the skate park was surrounded by so many people watching the skaters, and along the beach there are all these circus training spots. I don't know what they are actually, but there are high rings and ropes to climb and I saw tight rope walkers, just people doing this stuff and other people watching. That's kind of strange, right?

And when you drive into the hills the is all this nature, tall trees, then desert. Right there in the city, you guys!

LA. I don't quite get it, but I kinda like it.

California Love (AM)

So, I hate to break this to you, but as you read this, probably on a cold winter’s morning, I’m enjoying my first hot LA night. I hope you can just be happy for me and are not feeling bad. Especially given what I am going to tell you next. Look, I hate to ruin the magic of the internet here, but I did not write these words today. No, sometimes... sometimes a blog post is written in advance. I’m sorry. Feel free to take a minute.

You may be at work, or somewhere else. It may be cold. Might be raining. Who knows. And given this is pre-written I don’t really know what it’s like where I am either. What I do know is that the forecast for LA was 80  with a low of 64. Whatever the hell that means! Just jokes, I have checked and it means that it will have a high of 26 and a low of 18! Um, that sounds pretty good to me. It’s likely that I will be one of three things, I reckon. 1) Passed out, jet-lagged; 2) eating a burrito  and drinking beer with CENSORED and Mondonna while CENSORED sleeps; or 3) drinking beer and eating a burrito with CENSORED dazzled with Mondonna’s hot LA lifestyle while she is off somewhere doing something hot, as Ari cries with delirium after hours on a plane and a hemisphere shift demanding miracles from his body clock that he cannot even begin to understand. Fingers crossed it’s option 2.

I was feeling a bit uneasy about this trip for a while, but then I organised accommodation and got a little excited. And then one week ago, I heard a plane overhead. It was loud and I looked up and it was flying quite low. The sky was full of clouds and I looked away for a minute, looked back up and the plane was gone. I could still hear it. It was still there, and then it emerged from the clouds, making them look wispy around it and I could imagine descent vividly. You know, when you are coming in to land and you can feel the plane descending, you fly through clouds, then clear sky then clouds again. You can see the city below. It’s so exciting. So I started to get excited. Oh and remember Saturday? How it was so wet and cold. Yeah, I got real excited. But I don't you guys to miss pout on the California love. C'mon, let's all enjoy it!

Here I come (PM)

Oh, geez. I wonder what happened to that bollard. I hope he feels better soon.

Well, Mate, your European holiday looks and sounds beautiful. Those swans! Forget about it! And Iceland. Whoa!

But Melbourne has nice things like friends. And beautiful wintery parklands.

The last vestiges of autumn.

Maybe if you are lucky I will even cook you a delicious meal.

Wait does this sound familiar? 

In truth, it's pretty unlikely I'll cook you a meal, because in 3 weeks I’m heading to the North American summer. Where I will be seeing things like this:

And eating things like this:

Yeah, USA, here I come!

Thanks Easter (PM)

The gift of a four-day weekend is a truly great thing. Each day fills you with this feeling that anything is possible and if you eff up this day there is another one just around the corner with which you can right the wrongs of the previous day. Luckily I pretty much nailed every one of the last four days. Also, I confirmed some things too!

Nature is a delight and walking through it is the best!

Despite its somewhat off-putting name, fish pie really is delicious!

Puppies are adorable!

Thanks Easter! And thanks to all the Easter miracles that made for a great weekend!

In praise of holidays (AM)

How good are holidays?! Mine is basically over now. By the time you read this I will be sitting in a car for a day-long drive. But last night, my holiday's last night, I was just reflecting on how good holidays are. Sure this may be a stupid, self-evident statement, but, sheesh, I've been on holidays, my brain is in a weird place right now. 

Last night, after a day at the zoo and a good run along Sydney Harbour and a refreshing shower I just felt pretty damn good and reflected on this as we went out for dinner.  Holidays aren't all beer and skittles of course. On this one Baby has been sick, we didn't get to go to Wet 'n' Wild, and we had to eat two meals at a small-town bowling club within 48 hours. One of which took about 2 hours  between ordering and serving and both of which pretty much tasted of wilted mushy nothing. And I lost a shoe. A favourite shoe. But! We saw two adorable cuteheads get married, spent lots of time with beloved people, got sun, surf and sand, went to a zoo where you can look at bongos and with the turn of a head see the Sydney Harbour Opera Bridge, and ate a frozen banana. Imagine if those things happened at home. It would probably feel like a normal week with a couple of highlights, but on holiday it feels like a really great holiday! Like all the annoying things didn't exist and a great holiday has just been had. 

I don't know you guys, I just feel like this holiday thing maybe something special. 

2013: The year of the Crab

OMG you guys! It is so good to be back! We missed you. I hope you all had a great summer. Wanna hear about K's and mine? OK!

J: Mate! How the hell are you? How was your summer?

K: Mate, I am pretty great because summer was everything I hoped it would be and maybe a little more. 

How was yours?

J: Wow! WOW! That is great. My summer has been going pretty good. Better than I hoped? I don't know. Real good though!

K: Well that's a start. I think the reason mine has been so great is because I had a proper break from work, I did a bunch of things with a bunch of people and also had a nice rest. And I went away for a couple of nights.  And the weather has been rad.

J: Yeah, I have loved the way there have been some hot days but not millions in a row. It has mostly been consistently warmish but not boiling. I've had the chance to swim, walk around in shorts on balmy nights, dine al fresco. All the best summer things!

K: Yeah, I swam a bunch of times too, just like I planned to. It was lovely. But then I got an ear infection. So that was kind of a slap in the face from Summer.

J:   Yeah, that is not meant to happen after you are about 5, right? Well, Can't win 'em all I guess. So what else did you love about summer? Personally I loved my NYE. Taking Baby to the early fireworks.

Then coming home to this:

And finally watching all the city fireworks on the roof with LB and a G&T in hand. Pretty much the perfect night! 

K: I liked the time I rode a bike along the track next to the Upfield train line and then discovering that the boomgates were down, road it across a road.

I loved that so much.

I also loved the time I came home from work to discover Le Flav had sent me a bunch of treats from France, most of which don't exist any more.

J:  Oh, man. Sure, well done about the bike ride and everything but that package from Le Flav really is what is talking to me right now. So much so that I can't even think about anything else good that happened to me over the summer! 

K: Yeah, it had that affect on me too. 

Pause

We hosted a nice picnic together, remember? That was good!

Picnics are sooooo relaxing

J: Yeah, that picnic was really nice. And we had that nice dinner at the new Woodstock and pretended we were really neighbours.

A massive highlight was meeting the new baby of a couple of my favourite people!

K: Of course. The first of  the great babywave of 2013.  I hope all the new people that come this year are as lovely as she (seems to be in photos because I haven't had the pleasure yet...)

On the downside, seeing Les Miserables was a bit of a drag...

J: I'm sorry to hear that. I don't really have any down sides. Except I bought a new pair of runners I thought would change my life for the better. They haven't.

But on the upside, I think 2013 is going to be a pretty good year. First, the baby wave. Second, well, it's good to be positive a the start of the year. Third, we are shaking things up a bit around here.

A little bit.

K: Yeah! Just a little shake up because change is good but so too is easing it in nice and slowly.

Should we tell the readers what we've got in store Mate?

J: Maybe? Or maybe they should figure it out for themselves. Plus I don't want to write any cheques my butt can't cash. Plus, they only have to wait a few days to see the first change.

But you can tell them if you like.

K: Nah, you're right, let's let the people see for themselves. I don't want to write any cheques either, because I don't have a chequebook and also I am a little broke from all that summer spending.

J: Also, it is our first day back on the job and I am zonked after all this talking. Let's get the hell out of here!

K:  Don't need to ask me twice. See you tomozz, crab fans!

  

J:  It's good to be back!  Byesies!

Favourites list - 2012 (PM)

I completely agree about bed. That's going to be a favourite of mine until they put me in a bed in the ground. Also Pinkman and getting drunk at the end of the year.

But here are some others.

My garden. I love my garden so much that sometimes, when I look at it, it makes my heart swell up in my chest a little bit.

This year, I put some astro-turf down and got some new plants, like hydrangeas and a gardenia. Of course, I like to eat a lot.
Oops! Of what I grow. That sentence was meant to say I like to eat a lot of what I grow. This year, I have planted capsicum, strawberries, jalapenos and of course, tomatoes which have begun to fruit. From the first, this tomato plant has been my favourite.

It's such a bonnie boy. I love all my plants of course, but this one. This one is my pride and it is my joy.

Coconut and chocolate butter. The other day, I was at that organic shop on Lygon Street getting some eggs and flour, when I happened upon this product.

I didn't know what I was going to do with it, but I knew I wanted it. I bought it then and there and since then, have been eating it out of the jar with a spoon because I still don't really know what to do with it but I know I want it in my mouth.

Running. Exercise has never been my favourite thing, but running has traditionally been my least favourite of all the exercisey things. But then, things changed. I got sick of trying to avoid running wherever possible. I started doing it a little on the treadmill at the gym. Then doing that more. Then doing more still. Then I started feeling kind of good for ages afterwards. I guess it would be fair to say I started liking it.

The other night, Pickle and I went for a run around Princes Park. I know that's something you guys probably do all the time, but not this crablet. Until Tuesday, I had never once run around Princes Park. But now I've done it and once Pickle makes me that mix tape of running songs she told me about, and once we get Miguel to make us both a new mix tape of running songs, I am going to do the shit out of it again.

The time we went to Hobart. At the moment, I have a pretty big crush on Tasmania. Perhaps this is making me see the world through apple-coloured glasses, but I feel like the time that Chickpea, J and Baby went to Hobart belongs on this list of favourite things for 2012. Eating and drinking and gazing at beautiful things with my favourite people was perhaps the loveliest time I had this year. Is it not the loveliest time one can have? I think it is, and may it always be.