(Barry)

missing charlie

 Barry

 Charlie/Barry

Charlie/Barry

I do miss Charlie, she was a hilarious individual, with a huge amount of opinions none of them as far as I could see based in reality. She had this kind of vibrant grumpiness that only those with conviction could muster. It was such a shame she died so young. This was the day that she and Barry disappeared for a second and came back with ridiculously muddy feet and strong feelings of personal satisfaction. 18 January 2012. 

barry and ferdinand wrestling over a wubba

A 'wubba' is like an octopus toy that dogs like to kill. 

blood test

I am writing this from the waiting room at Dorevitch pathology where I sit with six others, five of them older than me, all of them sure here for something much more serious than what I don’t have (two weeks ago, I had a blood test for the usual cholesterol thing, and it showed a high level of potassium, which my doctor thought probably suggested that when they were taking my blood it percolated a little above the tourniquet, which apparently heightens the potassium presence; he’s got me to have a second test just in case). The waiting room is a nothing shopfront with a monster tv in it which is broadcasting Sunrise. There’s Kochy, with two people in cow costumes behind him. I see James Reyne is going to be on the Morning Show this morning. Sunrise is showing a ‘time-lapse’ video of a model being zhouzhed for a photoshoot, which I saw on facebook yesterday, and which they apparently now feel is a news item. (‘Former Aussie Vogue editor dishes dirt’).

This morning on RRR’s Breakfasters I heard an inspired ten (?) minute discussion about the advisability of people having two mouths. The underlying premise was that as people have two eyes and two nostrils, they should also have two mouths, for symmetry but also because we have so many functions associated with the mouth (in fact, I can think of at least three core functions, and a lot of secondaries). I guess the elephant in the room is that really, all we are is a mouth, or at least, that’s how we started. Sometimes I think maybe all I am is a mouth.

I see that the notion that WA may have to have an entire new senate election because 1300 ballot papers are missing only makes a tickertape along the bottom of the screen on Sunrise, but the news that Kyle and Jackie O are leaving whatever the radio station they are at, is a News Flash. Why on earth is that even worth my commenting on, I know that’s how this world works.

Things are going extremely slowly here at Dorevitch Pathology this morning and I have a feeling that while three people (at least, plus a friend of one of the of the people waiting) have been added, no-one’s gone through the system yet, after about ten minutes. It’s because they’re fermenting all that potassium in people’s arms. (There is a general muttering in the waiting room about the man who’s running the show here today, ‘he’s slow, he’s slow’).

I haven’t eaten since last night of course which is a hassle – and yesterday of course all I had was my usual 14 bananas, so… I am thinking I may go and eat at the Silver Sage, still my favourite Glenroy café (sorry Dairy Queen, I do owe you a visit again).

Now we are on the Morning Show. Phone Hacking Scandal – 6 year affair between Brooks and deputy revealed (R Brooks/ A Coulson). Back in the waiting room, two people, a man and a woman, are complaining about the younger generation. Now they’re complaining about Clive Palmer (who’s on tv right now), his weight and the likelihood of him having a heart attack in parliament (laughter). On tv they keep calling him ‘Clive’. ‘It’s the rich against us actually,’ says the woman in the waiting room, who I would put at about Lou Reed’s age. Then some bikies come up on the tv. ‘They’re bad, they’re bad’ she says. I don’t think these two people know each other. She is anglo-Australian, he is I think of Italian background.

One elderly gentleman leaving told us all things were going slow today because the vampires are very hungry. General laughter… number 5 is going through. I am number 7, so very excited (don’t entirely understand though because I am sure there were quite a few more between me and satisfaction).

Now James Reyne is on, it’s Flashback Friday. He’s fairly well preserved. Apparently he’s put out 13 solo albums.

I almost miss my turn because my number is called out so quietly and they are very keen to move to the next number but I get in. The nurse (Tina) apologises a few times. She is very cautious about how to proceed. She asks if I am nervous about having my blood taken and I obviously shrug too hard as she apologises and says she just has to ask. She makes me read my name and date of birth off the tube after and the blood looks all crystallized in the tube, which is weird, but I don’t look too hard. 

(4/11 update: the second test showed my potassium level was normal. Or alternatively, the second test was flawed and the first one is still valid. What is potassium anyway?) 

awake since 2am

Must be a Tuesday thing.

get it together

Yesterday, a 3:30 am wake up, and TOTALLY awake. This morning, a 4 am wake up and once again TOTALLY awake. This morning just before waking, I dreamt I was about to go on a tv show and be interviewed by Richard Wilkins and I was incredibly pleased with myself as I had a pristine black E Street windcheater to wear. I knew straight away that everyone on the show, and anyone who saw the show, would think I was extremely clever and important to own such a thing, and unbelievably witty to wear it in that context (what the context was, I can't really recall).

It has been a very intense few days at work with masters students giving thesis presentations. Without wishing to come across as... anything, although I could describe the two days (50 or so presentations, I think) as 'gruelling' to sit through, that is probably a misuse of that word and essentially the experience was once again a reminder that, while one might periodically be a little jaded about teaching/interaction with students (because of course most of the interactions are when something goes wrong), the experience can also often be marvellous and a lot of 'our' students are incredibly smart and interesting people. I won't tell them that though and don't you dare. They'll just want extra credit or something.

It was raining very heavily this morning when I went out to see the dogs. That seems to have stopped now and there are so many birds it's like a fake bird noise convention out there, with enthusiasts outdoing themselves to interrupt each other's bird noises. Still dark though.

Here are the dogs, not this morning in the dark though, but on Sunday afternoon. Ferdy looks a bit like a young Una Stubbs.

blood test

Art. Glenroy art.

This morning I had a blood test in Glenroy I got there just after 8 (SO FURIOUS when I discovered the place actually opened at 7, I was just twiddling my thumbs at home when I could have been dealing with this earlier) but Glenroy is such a grouse place I was very pleased to go and eat breakfast at one of my favourite cafes Silver Sage (under new management? Well, I didn't recognise any of the employees, but the fare was identical to previous years, luckily).

From my table I could see the post office. 

I learnt that comic books were no longer just for kids. Good to know. 

The one bummer on my brief Glenroy sojourn was the absolute FFS induced by the following shop which thankfully was not open: not since tomacco has anyone had an idea so beyond belief:

It's not even funny. It made me more determined in fact that 2014 should be my year of hunting down all smokers with a seltzer bottle.