My NBN service is shite. It's normally not bad at all, but today, it's been going out like a teenage boy losing his virginity.
I lost all of the work I did today, my spreadsheet not saving. Exceptionally irritating. Thankfully, I'm in Darwin for most of next week where I can blame the work network for such drop outs.
It's also making streaming telly rather annoying.
Or writing anything.
I'm making roasted potato salad for tomorrow's party. Barney turns 50 next week and there is a gathering of the clan.
At least the oven doesn't need the internet to function.
The tatties are roasted. They will be warmed up tomorrow before the spring onions, seedy mustard, chopped gherkins, sour cream and mayonnaise are mixed in with them and taken over to this shindig.
My hair is being cut and coloured for the occasion.
And the highlight of the day is winning a $40 ticket to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Chile next weekend. Matinee session. Happy about this - I've wanted to see the abridged version since it came out (I saw the long form of this twice already - as this is leaving in July, it's all worked out well (and better than paying $250 for the ticket. )
I keep my eye on world news, as you do. My cheap subscription to the New York Times gets used every day. I like to pay a little for my journalism. I used to buy a paper every day, why wouldn't you contribute a dollar a day for the news. (I must say, I have been thinking about ditching my subscription to The Age. That paper has turned into a rag with it's affiliations with the Nine Network)
Regardless, I can't get over the fact that Texas is banning the abortion pill - or at least trying to ban it being sent through the mail.
I mean, seriously. A woman's body. A woman's choice. Piss off and go bother your god for yourself, leave other people to their own choices.
Medical abortions, those done by taking this and another pill, before 12 weeks gestation, are effective and safe. And if a woman deems they want an abortion, for whatever reason, this pill is an effective way of doing this.
But no. Some super-religious, entitled arsewipe says because he doesn't believe in it, nobody should be able to do this.
I don't get it.
Sure, having an abortion is taking away potential - but it's just that - potential. Who's not to say that the child will survive.
There's the every wonderful repeats of Travel Guides on Channel Nine. Those guys make me laugh. I adore Kevin and Janetta. They put ordinary people in extraordinary places and they're funny - and strangely respectful for Australian Tourists.
So, as it's telly night, I'm going to give myself a night off. I was out late after a lovely quick dinner with Jonella for a catch up, but there is plenty of time to get these two new episodes in.
And also, thanks for the support after last night's post. Seems I've touched a few people. And thanks to those who've reach out.
Just so it's on the record:
I've got a meet and greet with the dietician tomorrow night.
A doctor's appointment for the Mental Health Plan is set for early next month.
I might have to find somebody to help me with how to sell my photos - but there's been some support for this.
And if anybody can tell me what an EFT IS, I'd appreciate it.
Things always feel a bit better when you've started top put a plan in place.
But thanks for being there. Thanks for listening.
I'm going to make myself a gin and tonic and settle into my telly shows.
I love it when they slow drip the episodes. It's almost nostalgic in the way it feels.
“Life is always a matter of waiting for the right
moment to act.”
― Paulo Coelho, Veronika Decides to Die
Is this the start of a spiral? Or me facing up to the multitude of issues in my life which have been giving me the absolute shits for years. And before I start tackling all of these things, I tend to fall down in a bit of a heap and let myself stew a bit. I hide away. I shove The Great British Bake Off on the telly and let myself be lulled into a false sense of security. Maybe it's Paul Hollywood's steel blue stare that brings you back. I don't know.
Anyway, I've started to ask for help.
I hate asking for help. It's against my nature. I'm far too independent for my own good. It's not something I have ever done before.
Well, in my limited capacity, I'm asking for it now.
Not sure what's got into me, but I've started the ball rolling on a few things. Or at least I'm seriously thinking about it.
The first thing. Weight loss. I'm heading off to Europe in six months. I'll be seeing friends I haven't seen in ten years. Menopause means weight loss is bloody hard. Excruciatingly hard.
So I've signed myself up to work with a dietician for the next six months. It's something I haven't tried. There's something good about having somebody to tell you what to eat. The dietician also acts as a life coach. I'm starting the week after next, once I get back from Darwin.
Second thing, Get my finances in order. Well, they are in order, but there has to be some ways of making some passive income. What does this look like? I'm looking for ideas.
Do I put some of my photos out there for sale on websites?
Do I self-publish a small coffee table book with the photos of Maow Maow?
I know there's a book in me, or three - it's time to shed the self-doubt.
Again, any ideas would be appreciated. I'd like some guidance.
And talking of finances, I need to find a competent, qualified financial planner. I've never had one. Working in banking for so many years has scared me off. I trust nobody. But again, if there are any recommendations, please send them my way. No wide boys or arseholes - mind you, to be a financial adviser, you need to be a bit of an arsehole.
And the biggie. It's probably time to go back for some counselling. I've started discussing with my GP about the possibility of going on a mental health plan, seeing a psychologist and ascertaining exactly which spectrum I'm on. I know I'm on one of the spectrums - but being a woman, and being high-functioning, it's a wonder why I'm doing this. But the anxiety is starting to wake me up at night. I don't like it.
So, it's time to get some help.
There are plenty of other things that need fixing in my life, but this is a start.
One of my most favourite things about living in London was Sunday mornings. I'd get up, put some clothes on, run to the corner shop and get a copy of the Sunday Papers (The Times, The Guardian and The News of the World). Then, I'd go a few shops down to the bagel bakery and collect breakfast. This was in the time before coffee was a thing.
My standard order was two smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels, freshly made, readily stacked and wrapped in cling film. From memory, this cost me about three quid. Then I'd traipse home, make myself a cup of instant coffee and go back to bed with the papers.
I still dream about these bagels. They were the right texture of crispy and glossy on the outside, yet just chewy enough on the inside.. The smoked salmon was always perfect, and there was just the right amount of cream cheese (or schmear, if you're from New York). The bagels were just a little bit sweet. They were perfection and they always made my Sundays.
I crave a good bagel. I'm heading over to London in September - and as the bagel bakery is still there, I'm thinking of making a quick trip to my old stomping group to see if they are still as good.
Since being back in Melbourne, until recently, and unless you were in certain areas of town, good bagels were hard to find. Sure, if you're around Elsternwick, there's the wonderful Glicks. I'm known to pick up good bagels at Cafe D'Lish, a Jewish Cafe in Caulfield, which brings its bagels in from one of the local bakeries. And at a push, the Coles sesame seed bagels are great toasted. But not quite the same.
Driving home from the gym today, after picking up some petrol, I spotted this new place on Burnley Street - Mile End Bagels.
Bagels! Yay.
Having driven past this place, I did a blocky, found a park and took myself in there. It was breakfast time (okay, it was nearly midday, same same).
I was greeted by a stark, almost industrial space, which a heap of hipsters behind the counter. Hipsters are big in Richmond. My favourite eatery is around the corner. Hector's Deli is fantastic - but full of hipsters, and people queuing for their fix of hipster food.
Also, knowing hispsters, the coffee was going to be bang on and although expensive, the food wasn't going to skimp on quality. It was worth a try.
After a quick chat with the girl behind the counter, I found out this place has been there since August. I never noticed it. I drive down Burnley Street a couple of times a week - but rarely during the day. The industrial space is pretty non-descript.
Then I saw the bagels on display.
They've kept it simple. Sesame Seed. Poppy Seed, Rye, Oats, or Everything (which is a mix of all the seeds and grains). All the bagels are baked fresh that day.
I was in. After perusing the menu I ordered a smoked salmon, caper cream cheese, red onion, and tomato in an everything bagel. Along with my wanker coffee (Almond decaf latte).
At $16 for the bagel, it was a bit more than the ones I used to get down West End Lane.
It's also more than the ones I make for myself with ingredients from the supermarket - which I do regularly.
The service was quick. After a few minutes I was taking my precious home.
And this is what I got.
Sixteen bucks for a smoked salmon bagel. Well, we are paying the Richmond Hipster tax.... The same goes with other hipster eateries. Expensive, but good.
I have to say, there was no way that you could eat this monster politely. As with Hector's Deli, they don't scrimp on the ingredients. And it was bloody delicious.
The coffee, as expected, was well above average. Being a decaf drinker, I'm pretty picky as I know how diabolical it can be. This decaf tasted like regular excellent Melbourne coffee, so they get extra points for that.
So, will I be back to this little gem I didn't know existed? Yes. But as a special occasion. It's a bit expensive. And really, I do a pretty good job making my own version of this using the Coles bagels (which are great toasted) and supermarket or deli bought smoked salmon. I also don't make them that messy.
You gotta love hipsters. Take a classic and make them their own.
Were we really that daggy back in the 80's? That's the first question I asked myself while viewing this film.
The second thing I thought to myself was that the 80's really did have the best music ever.
This was an enjoyable diversion for many reasons. It's got everything Hollywood can provide, including star power and a killer soundtrack. It's also deals with a period in my living memory, which is fun.
"Air reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike's fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand. This moving story follows the career-defining gamble of an unconventional team with everything on the line, the uncompromising vision of a mother who knows the worth of her son’s immense talent, and the basketball phenom who would become the greatest of all time." That's how RottenTomatoes.com describes it.
What this doesn't say is that collaborative piece, with Ben Affleck at the director's helm, feels like a bit of a buddy movie.
Most of the film focuses on Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), a basketball talent scout for NIKE, who comes up with the idea of signing on Michael Jordan to be the face of their basketball shoes - this is before this was a big thing.
He comes up against his colleagues - Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman) the marketing guy, Howard White (Chris Tucker) the talent minder, Peter Moore (Matt Maher) the shoe designer and Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) the CEO of the NIKE.
He also has to win over Jordan's mother, Deloris (Viola Davis), negotiating with her instead of the Sports Agent, David Falk (Chris Messina). It's his interactions with Falk which draw the most laughs.
The other thing this film does really well is to capture the 80's as they were. Seeing this all took place in 1984, when I was sixteen, everything was relatable, from the green screen computers to the brick sized mobile phones that nobody had to all sorts of other things that were instantly recognizable if you were around in the 80s.
Ben Affleck's direction is assured and fun. For what is ostensibly a story about a corporate deal, this is engaging stuff.
The other amazing thing is the statistics displayed at the end of the film. Do we, as humanity, really spend THAT much on sports shoes? It's astounding.
Happy Easter to one and all. I'm having a nice, quiet weekend now it feels as if winter has really hit Melbouurne.
So, let's get on with the weekly questions, provided, as always, by Bev at Sunday Stealing.
1. I've come to realize that my chest-size ......
Is above average, but I'm used to it. I also wish I wasn't so barrel chested. Just is.
2. I've come to realize that my job(s) ...
Is a bit unique in that there is a lot of need for it around the place. Long may this continue.
3. I've come to realize that when I'm driving ...
I love to have an audiobook playing. Currently I'm listening to a very good version of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.
4. I've come to realize that I need ....
A lot more than I let on about.
5. I've come to realize that I have lost ....
the will to please people all the time. I'm getting a lot better about this.
6. I've come to realize that I hate it when ...
people are rude. People who are rude to waiting staff (without provocation) are scum.
7. I've come to realize that if I'm drunk ...
I'm normally pretty happy and I'm probably singing. Not that I've been drunk for a long time.
8. I've come to realize that money ...
comes and goes. Having enough money is good. Having too much or too little is not so good.
9. I've come to realize that certain people ...
are going to annoy the crap out of me and there is very little I can do about it.
10. I've come to realize that I'll always ...
look for the good in people.
11. I've come to realize that my siblings ...
are both very strong people in their own ways.
12. I've come to realize that my mom ...
is human. Wish I'd let myself know that sooner.
13. I've come to realize that my cell phone ...
is normally attached to one of my hands. I feel lost without it.
14. I've come to realize that when I woke up this morning ...
I had to drink a hell of a lot as I was off to donate blood early this afternoon. I was pissing for England for a while. Thankfully the blood came out easily.
15. I've come to realize that last night before I went to sleep ...
