^ I love these photos. Everything on Romain Laurent's website is amazing.

Today was a good mail day, which always sets up the rest of the day to be good.




^ a Postcrossing postcard from a lady in France, who sent me a whole bunch of gorgeous stationery, a cute Scrabble themed postcard from Germany, a Swiss Postcard, a Finnish postcard and a lovely red themed postcard from Chandlerguera.

I have already started writing back to the lovely Chandlerguera (Garci).
I forgot to post some cute mail I received last week, from the desk of Missive Maven, a wonderful letter and a postcard from Taiwan I enjoyed;


^ I love those stamps.


My friend Doug took me to Eckersley's the day before yesterday to get a whole lot of free postcards. They have a big rack of them right at the front door and I must have taken like, 50.

I have no idea why, but three things I've sent in the past few weeks have been lost in the post, and they're to local destinations too. It's bizarre, and disappointing. All of my international post items arrive safely, but if I send something that only has a few kms to travel it disappears. I guess the Post Office hates me.

Last night went to dinner at C's brother and sister in law's house. They have two lovely little children, Elly and Marley, and their mum Melissa asked me if I'd mind giving Elly art lessons on a Friday afternoon, which I am kind of excited about. Melissa tells me Elly doesn't have much of an attention span for things like that, but as long as we're both being creative it should be fun. We sat outside in the cool first of Spring night air and ate dinner then C made us fried ice cream, which was so so delicious. This is Marley singing into our microphone (he kind of just gurgles);



I came across this lovely little Flickr Pool today called What I Wore Today drawings (an alternative to photographing what you wear each day, which I'm not so into). It's invitation only, but the pictures that are up so far are just lovely;


^ link.


^ link.


^ link.

I did my own for today (I think it's a good way to make sure you draw every day). It's a pretty sketchy two minute drawing, but I think the more I do the more I'll get into it;



C has to work tonight until midnight and he got up really early, so he's currently snoring away on couch near me. I keep dropping my pens and things and all of the sudden there's car alarms going off and revving cars outside and he keeps stirring, poor C. He goes away in exactly one week :( Boo. What am I going to do? What am I going to eat?!

Hope you're had a good start to the week :)

^ Ink calendar by Oscar Diaz, link.

"Ink Calendar makes use of the timed pace of the ink spreading on the paper to indicate time. The ink is absorbed slowly, and the numbers in the calendar are ‘printed ‘ daily. One a day, they are filled with ink until the end of the month. The calendar enhances the perception of time passing and not only signaling it. The aim of the project is to address our senses, rather than the logical and conscious brain.

The ink colors are based on a spectrum, which relate to a “color temperature scale”, each month having a color related to our perception of the weather on that month. The colors range from dark blue in December to three shades of green in spring or orange and red in the summer."

Aloha.

Yesterday I went into town to check out the Octapod's zine library and see if any zine related things were happening there (Bird In The Hand Zine Shop is running a monthly zine making day with the Octapod). I wasn't disappointed to see the only people about were two of the coordinators, who were busy doing other things, so I just browsed through the collection. They're in the midst of deciding how they want to catalogue the sizable collection and I signed up to help. There are a lot of zines there and currently they're in a bit of a mess, but I managed to find some goodies and read them with a cup of tea that one of the coordinators made me.

I read some really good stuff. It felt like I'd stepped into a time warp - some zines weren't dated, but the popular culture references within acted like date stamps, containing them within their time and place. I read a lot of Newcastle zines, and reading a few pages you could tell which ones were made by Novacastrians. It really felt like standing in the same spot and winding back the clock, Newcastle seemed so interesting through someone else's eyes. A time when there was more than one cinema in Newcastle and they weren't all owned by corporations, the Palais still existed, public transport was a dollar a trip. I imagined what it would have been like to be 19 in 1999 as instead of 9. There were some really interesting observations about Newcastle contained within those zines, and when I stepped out after 3 hours reading, Newcastle felt like a nicer place, less industrial and cultureless. The fact that so many zines have been produced by Novacastrians it's as if this city makes people want to capture a part of it. I considered that the people who wrote those zines, years ago, and made all of those lovely observations about Newcastle and it's grimy charm, have probably long since moved on and likely no longer hold those feelings about the city, but I liked what they'd said.

I remembered this quote from a zine called "Delectable' (which contained some interesting Newcastle historical facts); "Where Melbourne has a cafe on every corner, Newcastle has a pub. I think it's got something to do with their different climates and people". Newcastle isn't so much like that now I suppose, it's more like... on every street corner is a dilapidated closed down pub or a try-hard trendy bar. Another of my favourite zines was called 'Starzine', made by writer Paul Byron which again painted Newcastle in another light.

I felt annoyed that I couldn't take the zines home with me and reread them, and I considered photocopying some of them, but instead I just made some notes. Clever stuff. As a result, zine ideas are flying all around my head again and I am trying to will myself into doing it. C is going away next week for 18 days and I'm thinking of just immersing myself in it while he's away. I'm hoping to make a few more trips in to the zine library, it was an interesting experience.

Afterwards I went out into Civic Park and saw a couple standing ten metres apart doing tai chi, a teenage boy watched them curiously as he skated precariously along the edge of the fountain, a man had fallen asleep reading a book on a park bench, a paper takeaway bag blew around in the grass, a huge black crow the size of a small dog looked me right in the eyes. I walked past my friend's work, being a Saturday he was far from there, but I still had the urge to call out his name. I heard a Things Of Stone And Wood song I'd never heard coming from an empty restaurant I'd never been in. I got lunch at quarter to 5 just before the shop shut and I sat outside while they closed and burned my fingers and tongue trying to eat it too quickly. I bought overpriced marked down stationery. I walked to the bus stop. The bus driver's hands were shaky and his first two attempts at putting my ticket in the machine failed clumsily, he handed me my change and the crumpled ticket. A man got on my bus wearing brown-framed 70's era bifocals and sporting some of the longest, well maintained men's hair I'd ever seen. When he sat two seats in front of me I noticed the very prominent balding spot on the crown of his head and thought how sad it must be that he has lovingly taken care of that mane for so many years only to have it fall out little by little. We passed a sausage sizzle on the side of the road for the homeless, they ate very quickly and by themselves. Then I got off my bus and walked home. I've decided I'm going to appreciate Newcastle and stop avoiding it. I want to go for more walks, while I still have time to.

Later on we went to a 'tapas night' at our friend Kyle's house which was lovely. Today C and I went to the soccer to watch the Jets play and then went to Film Society to see an interesting documentary called 'Garbage Warrior' about sustainable living. Thought provoking.

I went to a shop called Blue Star Elements yesterday, which I've never bought anything from because it's on Darby Street, making everything twice as much as you'd like to pay. They have a lovely selection of overpriced papergoods. I got a few nice things. See...


^ Envelopes (and writing cards) by Cavallini & Co. Pricey.




^ Two cliched Paris-themed postcards. Cavallini & Co.

I also made an order on Booktopia (a kind of Australian Amazon) with the money I am getting from the gig I played last week, for some cute stationery and things. They'll take some time to arrive (and Paige might even pack them?). I ordered...


^ 'Good Mail Day' (this one's actually a gift from C I wasn't meant to know about, but I did ask for)


^ Wonder Woman Mix and Match stationery & Romance Pulp: 30 Postcards (by Chronicle Books)


^ Cathie Olivas stationery set (by Dark Horse Comics)

...and some cheap cat postcards I can't find a picture of.

Aaaaanyhow, thank you for reading my rant about zines and stationery and miscellanea. I'm sure it's not all as interesting as it seems to me.

Today I went to my Centrelink-employment-rehabilitation place. The name makes me feel like I'm going to rehab, but it's really about helping people with medical conditions get back into work. So, as was required, I told them all about my 'condition' and they guy looked sympathetic. I had a huge sneezing fit just prior to going in, so I looked a bit wrecked and couldn't stop sniffing and blowing my nose, which I suppose helped my case. In a week or so I'll get assigned a case worker and they'll 'help me find suitable jobs' which sounds lovely. The guy I was talking to asked "Are there any particular jobs that you're interested in?", to which I quickly replied "I want to work in the night sorting room at Australia Post". Haha. He seemed pleased. Then I went down to the mall bought a soy banana smoothie and went to my mum's work to give it to her, which she appreciated and swapped me some fig flavoured yoghurt. Then I went and sat on the edge of the ocean baths and waited for C to bring me my swimmers so we could swim in it! Here are some (bad quality) photos I took today when I was waiting. By the time C got there it was windy and cold and we forgot towels, but I dipped my feet in and people-watched for about an hour and it was lovely.


^ That crane kind of ruined it.


^ Legs always look weird from this angle. That water was so nice.




^ Sun in my eyes weird face. THERE ARE BIRDS FLYING INTO MY EAR. That shirt is quite an heirloom. My mum had it for at least twenty years before she gave it to me and the brand is written on the tag in gorgeous gold thread saying 'GAYLORD'. Best brand.

I arrived home to find a beautiful card, lovely letter and some extra blank stationery from a lady in Holland via Postcrossing.



Also, while I'm at it, here are some things I sent this week;


^ I ended up adding more postage because I am paranoid, and too embarrassed to go in and ask.







^ Mail-tag letters to Paige and Sophie.

Also, in Paige's last mail-tag requests she asked for 'some amusing/interesting personal ads/classifieds' and here is what I sent (if you can't read them, go here);



I hope everyone is enjoying their Thursdays/Fridays depending where you are.

^ This is me wearing the idiot hat. (Photo circa 2006, in my cushy bedroom before my parents kicked me out, haha. PS. I still wear that ridiculous jumper, the teddy on the front is wearing a jumper of it's own which unzips and ♡'s to my Davey Havok poster, lawl).

Today C and I were wandering down Beaumont Street picking up a few things, and there were, as there often is, members of charity organisations cheerily asking for sign-ups to sponsor children and third world villages and the like. I'll say first that, one day, when I'm working, I'd really like to donate money to these organisations (the non religious ones) because I think what they're doing is genuinely important, necessary and often overlooked. Admittedly, I currently try to stay out of their way, because I have no money, at all, and it makes me feel bad to have to say no repeatedly. I know I have leagues more than the people these organisations are trying to assist, but right now I do need that money to eat and pay my own bills. One day I will be better off financially and will be able to factor things like that in. Today we were stopped by one such fellow who shook our hands, asked us our names and what we did (I answered 'nothing') and launched into telling us about what his organisation did, which was actually pretty interesting, though he spoke far too quickly. C eventually told him that we'd recently stopped donating money to a similar organisation due to the lack in funds, which is true. So, upon establishing that we weren't able to sign up to his cause, he then asked me (as I am unemployed) if I wanted a job doing what he does and started trying to sell it to me. I don't know why I was so shocked by it, but I just had no idea what to say and I basically um-ed and ah-ed for a while about how I would be anxious in a job like that and couldn't do it, to which he replied 'Why?' and I was like, 'Uhh... I just, uh wouldn't be good at it...', but he kept pressuring me and waiting for me to answer, so eventually I said 'Umm... I don't think I'm good and making people do things they don't want to do'. So, in essence, I'm the worst person ever. I basically demeaned his whole job. After I said that, he said 'Okay. Have a good day guys' and sent us on our way. Honestly, I would absolutely fail at those kinds of jobs because I am not good at talking to strangers, as this example shows, let alone 'making people do things they don't want to'. Many people feel they aren't well off enough to give to charity, and if they are, most of them would prefer not to, for whatever reasons. Now, I'm sure this guy gets much worse things said to him on a daily basis, or is outright ignored, but I feel pretty shitty because the guy offered me a job and I basically told him no in the worst way. In my guilt over this, I looked up his organisation and contemplated donating an amount relative to what I can afford (bearing in mind I live on less than $50 a week once bills are paid), but found that there was nowhere on their website that allowed you to make one-off donations (why?!), I seem to be required to sign up and pay per month. So I guess I'll just have to swallow my guilt and spend that money on stamps. Anyway, in the future I will go further out of my way to avoid these people so that I don't demean their jobs. What do you do when people from charity organisations approach you on the street? Do you regularly donate to charity?

Tomorrow I have a gig bright and early at 9.40am. It is likely that my voice will give in after 3 songs, but it should be fun anyway. Will probably practice more into the night. C is making a mysterious desert. He wouldn't tell me what. Also purchased the new Frankie today, sometimes it's a bit of a hit or miss, this month it's a hit.











Ps. C made caramel with strawberries and ice cream. Very good.