Five go-to films

 Even though tomorrow is "Freedom Day" (or as I like to think of it, "Gentle Re-Opening Day", we still can't get to the movies. Thankfully, hairdressers, massage therapists and beauticians are back to work tomorrow, so I have a massage and a haircut booked for Saturday and I can't wait. 

But other than the curfew is being stopped and for the collective of Melbourne going out to get overdue haircuts, nail treatments, eyebrow prunings and leg waxes, and being able to go to somebody's place who isn't your lover or your bubble buddy without fear of fine - or, or go to somewhere to eat with twenty others indoors, fifty outdoors - not that much is changing. My colleague wailed in our team meeting today, "I just wanna go to KMart." Got a bit of a giggle out of that. 

But rather than extol the virtues of our first steps out of lockdown, I'm going to talk movies. Because I've missed them. And I love them. And I saw a Buzzfeed article about comfort movies.

So here are five of my favourite go to movies, which make me happy and keep me thinking and I'll watch them over and over again because they give me comfort. 

Almost Famous (2000)

How can a movie which contains Phillip Seymour Hoffman (vale), Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson and Billy Crudup fail. Cameron Crowe's coming of age story about a boy who ends up following the next best thing around the country for Rolling Stone Magazine. Kate Hudson is aethereal as Penny Lane. Patrick Fugit is perfect as the naive, yet brilliant William. Frances McDormand is is overbearing mother. 

My soft spot for this film comes from when I friend once said that I was like Penny Lane. I have no idea what he meant by that. I hope it was a good thing as I'm not about to OD and pass out in a hotel bathtub.

The music is fantastic. 

And it will have you shouting, "I AM A GOLDEN GOD" from the rooftops. Go on, dare you. 

Logan Lucky (2017)

Daniel Craig in a prison onesie with a suntan and a Southern Accent. A Stephen Soderbergh caper film with a HUGE heart. It's fun. Channing Tatum and Adam Driver as brothers. Some quirky characters. It makes me happy. 

Gosford Park (2001)

An ensemble piece and a whodunnit, set in an English country house with a stellar English case including Clive Owen (be still my near dead ovaries). There is a big murder. Everybody is a suspect - well not the servant, but you know, who cares about them? There are some killer lines. A very sleazy Ryan Phillipe, Alan Bates and Derek Jacobi as warring butlers, and a bedazzling Kristin Scott Thomas. Everybody's awful. It's wonderful. 

Their Finest  (2016)

This is a film about writers. And the Second World War. And London. Some of my favourite things. Kathrin (Gemma Arterton) is pressganged into working with the Ministry for Information helping the script department develop war propoganda. There is love, there is bombing and there is film making. It's a gentle English film, directed by Lone Scherfig, a Dane. It has a section filmed in Cornwall, which makes me very nostalgic, as my family hails from down that way. It's a simple film about a time when people cared about their country, documenting a surprising incident from the war. Oh, and it has Bill Nighy, playing Bill Nighy, of course. Oh and Sam Claflin plays a wannabee wanker. Who knoew?

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

Great things about this. John McTeirnan of Die Hard fame directed it. It's peppered with Nina Simone's music with a bit of Simon and Garfunkel thrown in for good measure (a nod to the original Steve McQueen/Fay Dunaway outing). And there's a young Pierce Brosnan in the titular role, just finishing his run as Bond and at is best with a slightly dodgy Scottish accent who's an art thief to boot. And a wonderfully strong, flawed, Renee Russo. Okay, so I watch it for the gratuitous bum shot. It's fun, stylish and about art and money and New York. Nobody dies.  What more do you want with a feel good film? 

Today's song: 

Balloons

You know one of the things I miss the most from this lockdown?

Watching the balloons. 

There's something romantic, soulful, gentle about these mammoths of the sky that used to gracefully float over city. 

There's a joy in hearing the burners as they allow these gentle giants to cruise around. 

I love the unknown nature of a balloon journey as once they go up, you never quite know where they are going to land - or how they are going to land, or if, by some unfortunate chance in the bay. 

And you look up and ponder just who is in those baskets, while they make their way over you.

I also ponder the silence. Having taken a balloon ride for my birthday many years ago, I remember the silence and the unimaginable feeling of flying which you get while you're up there. Not when the burners are going full pelt, but in the rests, where you just float a kilometre or two over the city. 

I ponder what it takes to get your balloon pilot licence, because it appears to be a very specialised thing to do. 

Balloons made me happy. 

And we haven't seen them for nearly two years. 

I hope they come back soon. 

Today's song: 

I hate the Monash

<rant>

The car went in for a service today. It gets serviced out at Mulgrave some 25 odd kilometre from home (and yes, servicing your car is something essential). They wanted the car at 7.30 in the morning, which was a bit rude, but there you go. 

So I was on the Monash Freeway at 7.30 this morning, heading out of town. 

Here are a few of my questions from the trip out, and back, and out and back again. 

• Why are there so many cars on the Monash?
• Where are they all going?
• Don't they know it's a lockdown? 
• How do people do this in peak hour?
• Why would you want to do this? 

I've only don't the Monash at full peak hour once - and I thought I was going to die. This was busy enough, but not overly scary. Still, we're supposed to be in lockdown

The toll account also got checked, as I wanted to add the loaner car onto my account, just in case. I don't use the Monash very often - normally I'm going out to Jonella's or my hairdresser. Did you know that it costs $2.77 for the joy of going through one gantry onto an overcrowded road - that's just through one toll point? There are people who do this twice a day, every day of the week? 

I know why I live centrally. It feels like a rip off spending the amount you'd spend on a small cup of coffee to use a 20-year-old toll road.  

On the good side of things, the dealership gave me a lovely Mazda CX-30 hybrid as a loan car for the day. It had all the bells and whistles on it. A lovely drive, but a bit boxy for my liking. My car is now six years old. It's time to start thinking about replacing it in the next two years. It's just what I do. 

Anyway, the car has had his annual service and I don't have to brave that crazy toll road on a weekday for quite a while. 

</rant>

Today's song: 

From today

Mondays are going to be long for the next few weeks. School after work is a great thing, but it's exhausting. Tomorrow, I need to be up early as I'm taking the car out for a service, only to bring a loaner car home, then returning in the afternoon to pick it up again.

It will give me time to listen to my book as I drive back and forth from Mulgrave. 

Anyway, as my brain is too fried to write much, here are three highlights from today. 

In editing class we had a visiting writer talk to us about the editing process. Tania Chandler was great. Gave us some great insights into being a part time author. She's written three books, all of which took her a few years to write. This give me a little hope. It was a great session. I'm so glad I've done this course. 

There were some wise words that came out about sensitivity readers. One of the girls on the course is from New Zealand, and identifies as Maori - it was great to hear her perspective on things - especially around sensitivity readers - which I probably won't be needing as most people think I'm quite insensitive. I'm also very aware that I probably don't have the skill to write about people from minority groups, or at least, I'm very creful when I do. 

A phone call was received just after lunch. A message was sent to my massage therapist saying "I WANT A MASSAGE". Rather than get an email back, he called me (Noting that I've been seeing my massage therapist for over ten years and we both like a chat.) It seems that massage therapists are coming back on the 5th of November, not in this first wave of openings with the hairdressers. I just want a massage. My knee and shoulder need seeing to. I'm also craving human touch. Regardless, it won't be long. I just want and need a massage. 

Looking forward to book group tomorrow night. I've finished the book, Jessie Tu's A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing. I loved it, but I'm not sure what the rest of the group thought of it. I loved it's rawness and its unexpected nature. And the music. The lead character was a violinist who's favourite movie was Frances Ha. I liked the book enough to investigate the film. Okay, I've been wanting to see it for an age, and I'm very glad I did. Will give me a bit more fodder to talk about tomorrow night. 

Oh, and it's Jonella's 50th birthday today. For once in my life I had the forethought to get her a present, wrap it, and give it to her so she would unwrap it on the day. She loved what I got her, which is good. I sang her Happy Birthday at ten to nine, in my best out of tune singing, the way Happy Birthday has to be sung - unless you're Ricky Baker. 

And it's just occured to me that this is Hell Week. I've got smething on most nights this week. Tomorrow night, meet Cleo on the park, then book group. Wednesday, online stretch and High Intensity. Thursday in the Park with Cleo and Jay. 

Friday night, it will have to be done: 

It will be "Freedom Day" after all.

Today's song: 

Sunday Stealing: This side of the pond

Another weekend in Melbourne in lockdown. Hopefully, with the vaccination rates rising, this will seen be over. 

And we are having some restrictions lifted at the end of the week. I'm already booked in for a cut an colour and I couldn't be more excited. 

Questions, as always, provided by Bev at Sunday Stealing. 

1. What's something you've recently accomplished solo?

Life. I've been alone all my life so you could say I'm accomplishing life solo. It's just what I do. I have done a lot of knitting my myself over the last few months. My friends all have new hats. 

2.  What's one product you use that never ever fails?

Oh, here are a few things that I use by brand name - and I won't take anything else:

• Mazda cars
  
• Heinz baked beans
• The recycled loo paper with frogs on it
• Bickfords lime cordial
• Hendricks gin. 

3. Have you found your place in the world? Where is it?

Yes. And where ever I am. It's taken a long time, but I'm comfortable in my own skin. I know this is a simple answer, but it's the truth. 

4.  Worst movie you ever saw?

I've seen a lot of bad movies, but Sex in the City II was particularly heinous. Truly awful. I walked out of Sin City, more for the gratuitous violence than anything else. And I really didn't like King Arthur, even though Clive Owen is in it. 

5. What's the last fun thing you did?

We've been in lockdown for most of the last 18 months, so fun is thin on the ground. But I have been for some lovely walks with people. That's fun. I got carded by the cops yesterday on my way to collect the mail - that was fun (I was waved through - they were looking for protesters - I'm a middle aged woman in a mask - seemingly little threat). I started an editing course last wee. That's fun too. Not big fun, but fun. 

6. What's your favorite Italian dish?

Chicken Marsala or Chicken Diavolo. Failing that, a good mushroom pizza. 

7. Have you ever been to France? Any desire to visit there, and if so what would site or city would you most want to see?

The answer is yes and no. I've been to Paris, twice. But this is not the real France. It's like saying Sydney is Australia or New York is America or London is Britain. I'd love to see more of France, particularly around Brittany, Normandy and down the South. It's a big country. 

8. Have you ever been to Disney, any of the parks at all? Are you a Disney superfan or something less than that? They're open right now so tell us, would you go if you had the time/money/a free trip?

Nope, never been to Disneyland - nor do I want to. I had a chance to go while I was in Hong Kong - not the same thing. Nor is EuroDisney the same, nor Disneyworld. I'm not big into theme parks. I did Universal Studios when I was in L.A. once twenty years ago. I enjoyed that. If I was given a ticket, I'd go, but it's not really my cup of tea. 

9. Your favorite place to go when you want to be quiet as a church mouse? Would those who know you well describe you as more church mouse or perhaps more like mighty mouse?

Strangely, I've been known to go sit in churches when I need some quiet time. There used to be a contemplation space in the church next door to where I was working. Mingary is a special place. I'll also find some space in nature if I need quiet time. Thankfully the river is nearly and you can get a bit of quiet around there. 

10. Do you bake your own bread? Last time you had hot out-of-the-oven homemade bread? What's your favorite kind of bread?

I don't bake my own bread. I don't each much bread. Last week I had a bahn mi from down the road, knowing the rolls are baked fresh that morning - bahn mi, for those not in the know, are Vietnamese sandwiches - fresh, fresh white crusty rolls, smeared with butter and pate, filled with barbeque pork or chicken, pickled carrots, cucumbers and spiced with hoisin sauce, chilli, coriander sprigs and crispy fried scallions. They are the absolute bomb. 

My favourite kind of bread is rustic sourdough fruit toast. Fruit toast is too morrish - but the more interesting it is made the better. I had a great loaf filled with dried figs last week. 

11. What's something you might say is 'the greatest thing since sliced bread'?

My timpanic body massager - also known as the bang bang machine, is awesome - especially as I can't get to the massage therapist the moment as they are still not operating. Soon, soon. 

12.  Share with us five little things you're grateful for today. Small blessings. One catch-they all must start with the letter T.

• Tarts - Portugeuse Tarts - Jay is going to this special bakery in Thornbury that does them like you find in Lisbon or Porto
• Time to read
• Tactile crafts - I'm thankful for my knitting
• Ted Lasso - quality television
• Therapeutic hair appointments, booked for next Saturday. My hair hasn't been cut or coloured since May. You have no idea how much I am looking forward to this. 

13. Tell us where you were and something about what life was like when you were 20- 21.

I was in Adelaide. I had caught glandular fever (I think it's known as mononeucleosis if you're an American). I was pretty miserable. 

14. What's on the menu at your house this week?

No idea - I haven't been to do the weekly food shop yet. Chicken and salad most nights I reckon. 

15. Something you recently purchased where a coupon was involved? Do you regularly shop with coupons? 

Oh, I bought an oodie nightshirt. I had a coupon through the web giving me $25 off so it seemed like a good deal. But coupons aren't a big thing here and other than the odd web bargain, I don't really use them. 

Today's song: 

Carded

 Albert Street. 11 a.m.

Driving into the city to collect my mail from the post office seems like an innocuous enough thing to do. Australia Post have finally got with the program and have opened the desk in the box room on Saturday mornings so people can come and collect their parcels - something that's never been a problem until lockdown. I've always worked in the city, so getting to my Bourke Street post office box was never an issue until then.(And I have the box because living where I do, junkies knick your mail, and the box your parcels keeps safe). 

So this morning, as I'm driving along Albert Street, minding my own business, as I get to the Fitzroy Gardens, I see flashing lights, and the cars ahead of me coming to a stop. 

The cops are asking what business you have in town. 

Hmmm. 

I can see some method in this limited madness. The were probably there to deter protesters who want to make some mischief. I don't quite know why they were checking people - though saying that, I did spot a few police in what is a very empty city. There's nobody in the city at the moment. 

So, I did the right thing. I grabbed my mask and pulled out my drivers licence from my purse, just in case they wanted proof I was within 15 kilometres of the front door. 

I had a legitimate reason for being there. I waited my turn. 

Turns out, being a middle-aged woman in a mask, showing her driver's licence , alone in a car, is a good thing. He waved me through without a second thought. No questions. No nothing. Didn't even check my address. 

It might have been different if there were five of us in the car wearing high vis, sporting Southern Cross tatts and bushranger beards and an attitude. But as with airport officials, if you treat the police nicely, in my case, just sporting a mask and flashing my licence, you get no trouble.

Five minutes later I was at the post office, collecting my parcels, thanking the Parking Fairy for finding me a park outside. 

As much as I loathe lockdown, I'm going to miss the quiet roads and easy parking when we go back to "normal". 

And as much as I find it a bit of a novelty to be carded at my advanced age, there is a small part of me which isn't completely comfortable with being checked by the cops. 

I can't wait for all this to be over. 

Ah, well. 

Today's song: 

COVID Negative. Can I feel better now, please?

The result came through in under 12 hours. There's no COVID in me according to this morning's test

I'm actually not that sick. It's just a bit of a sore throat and feeling a bit achy and head achy and not having any energy. It's enough to make me grumpy and to have had a nap at lunchtime - something I never do. I was in bed by 10 pm last night. I'll have an early night tonight. I'll keep drinking the fluids and taking the panadol. 

Thankfully, it's raining, so I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. And it's not like I'm really sick - just a bit poorly.

But I've forgotten what it's like to feel sick. It used to be a part of life the regular chest/ear/throat infection. Working from home for the last eighteen months means we aren't mingling, which means that the bugs, lurgies and general malaise we used to get, we just aren't getting. 

So I have no idea where I've picked this up from. 

And I've remember why I hate feeling sick. It's crap. And it's worse when you're not used to it. In days gone by I used to feel like this every three months. Looking at my phone today, looking at the COVID test receipts, it appears I'm still getting a bit run down every two or three months, but it passes quickly. Here's hoping this time is the same (although the aching ear is not portenting well). 

COVID has made me soft.

I'm just glad I'm fully vaccinated. 

I'm also glad that I don't have it. 

Tonight is a good night to watch Hamilton while drinking tea, I think. 

And listen to this gem of a song. Did you know that Terrence Trent D'Arby has changed his name to Sananda Maitreya? There's something for trivia night. 

Today's song: