Midsumma

Somewhere, not to far away, an alarm is insistently blaring. A cool, crisp breeze is blowing, a relief from the humidity. The sun has pulled a sleepy blind on this side of the world, wearily pulling another endless shift, gently nudging reluctant eyelids in New York right about now. The lights are winking merrily, and even the cars seem slower tonight - they, too, revere the Sunday Law of Leisure. The alarm goes on, in a loop of various evacuation tunes. The sliding glass door is open, all the better to hear, see, smell and feel the evening air.

It's a beautiful Sunday night here in Melbourne.

A brief update on life, which fits somewhere in between the time I find when I'm not at Oaktree or work (a rare luxury like now).

Oaktree: I have been promoted from my previous position - very exciting! I now do a lot more week, and am very much involved in organising the Live Below the Line campaign, so keep a look out peeps! I pretty much spend all my time there when I'm not at...

Borders: I have also been sort of promoted at work which is very exciting - I now handle the money! Or some of it. Some of the time. They trust me! And I love it. :)

So life is sweeeeeeeeet since I've been back. I've been catching up with friends, which has been wonderful - last week I went for dinner on Lygon with a friend. We spend over two hours just talking - about the possibilities of our futures, gossiping about the people we know, travel adventures and so on - then delighted in gelato on the way home. The way a summer night should be spent. On Thursday a few of us got together for dinner at some college friends' new house, drinking champagne, laughing like old times - the whole hosting dinners at our houses feels very grown up of us!

What I'm watching:

• Gilmore Girls: oh god I love these girls! How did I not discover this show sooner? It has (albeit a young and creepy looking) Jared Padalecki AND Milo Ventimiglia!! So cute. So funny.
• Mad Men: only THE BEST SHOW on television. No spoilers please, I've only just finished season 1(!!!!!!!). It's clever and sexy and set in the 60s - talk about fabulous! Obviously completely frustrating from a feminist point of view, but an accurate (if hard to swallow) representation of the life and times of advertising executives on Madison Avenue.
• White Collar: yes, I'm really only watching this because of Matt Bomer. Le sigh. That is all.

What I'm reading:

• My Place, Sally Morgan - a deeply poignant and touching autobiography of Sally's life growing up Aboriginal in Perth.
• Deerhunting with Jesus, Joe Bageant - a fascinating look at Bageant's roots in Winchester, Virginia, at his redneck, gun-toting, God-fearing, pro-life, pro-war, patriotic peers. He looks at the reasons why the Republican South, the heartland, continues to vote against its own interests, for a party that supports big business at the expense of the underpaid, overworked little man - ie, them.
  

What I've seen:

• 
  
• Tangled - lovely animation, and Zachary Levi's voice. Swoon.
• Love and Other Drugs - JAKE GYLLENHAAL. The man is a god.

Films I recommend:

• Blue Valentine - depressing, but brilliant performances from Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. Almost makes you never want to fully commit to any relationship.
• The King's Speech - a fabulous, heart-warming, inspiring, funny, moving retelling of King George VI's struggle with a speech impediment and his consultation with an Australian speech therapist's unorthodox methods. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush at their finest.
  
• Black Swan - OH WOW talk about a emotionall intense movie! A psychological thriller exploring one ballerina's destructive quest for perfection. Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis are perfectly cast in their respective White Swan/Black Swan roles.
  

I want to see:

• True Grit
• The Fighter

BEST BLOG EVER RECOMMENDATION:

http://hotguysreadingbooks.tumblr.com/

READ IT. And drool.

Good niiiiiiiiiiiight!

x

JAG