Suburban Lush

Too Much Spare Time

One of the benefits of unemployment is the leisure to read. I have been devouring books, helped in no small part by unexpected (and much appreciated) Amazon parcels from loved ones. I won't review all the books here (some won't be reviewed at all, and some will turn up over here) but I'm enjoying the escapism. I've always read a fair amount, but recently finished 5 books in 4 days - a feat even for me.

While I find I miss the structure and the feeling of self-worth I get from working, I am usually able to fill my days. I catch up with friends who work weekends and so are free mid-week, I intern one day a week, go to the gym, and of course I'm writing again. The gym has been a god-send, which is surprising for me. I go most afternoons and spend a couple of hours there - an hour or so working out and then the rest of the time pampering myself in the hot tub and sauna. It has had a few pleasant side effects, too. No real weight-loss (entirely my fault as my diet has gone to hell) but I'm probably fitter than I've been in years, can do proper push-ups, and am even considering entering a 10km race.

Weekends are spent hiking and hanging out with John, although not at the same time. Leisurely coffees at Starbucks, strolls around town or Botanic gardens, pints with friends; both John and I are enjoying chore-free weekends, all the housework and laundry done during the week.

All this being said, unemployment most definitely does not become me and I'm chomping at the bit to find a suitable job. There are a few out there, but unfortunately the economy in Belfast is suffering as much as anywhere else.

I wish

I wish I could tell you I'm not depressed, but I can't.

I wish I could tell you that I regret my decisions, but I don't.

I wish I could tell you you're right, but you aren't.

But I can tell you that I'll be ok, I just wish I was ok now.

 

 

Today is not a good day. But I know it will pass.

Avenue Q

I went to see Avenue Q last night. And all I can really say is - go see it. My friend Stuart had a spare ticket and invited me to go along with him. I didn't know what to expect as we arrived at the Grand Opera House. I'd been told that the show was "like Sesame Street for adults" which, ok sure, but that doesn't really help.

As a synopsis on the website says: "Avenue Q is not the most upmarket of New York streets, and is about as far away from Park Avenue as you can get, but it is home to some lively and off the wall characters performed by an unholy comedic alliance of humans and puppets! Princeton, a bright-eyed college graduate, has just moved to this neighbourhood as he desperately tries to follow his dreams and discover his ever-elusive purpose in life. A tiny bank balance, the distraction of a busty blonde and a variety of weird and wonderful friends and neighbours lead Princeton on a hilarious story of self-discovery.

Life may suck on Avenue Q but being jobless, homeless, politically incorrect, having sex (whether hetero, homo or porno... and that’s just the puppets) are just some of the topics featured in the terrific songs of this show."

And that pretty much sums it up. A grown-up show with sex jokes and puppets. It was fantastically produced, with amazing acting, singing and puppeteering (is that a word?). Hilarious and irreverent throughout, I can't recommend it enough. Because seriously you guys, what could be more awesome than this?

Diversions

Last year I banned myself from fiction. I had so much anthropological reading to do and, aware that I tend to get totally absorbed in whatever novel I'm reading, I thought it was best not to start anything that wasn't school work. That's not to say I completely stuck to the ban. I read Junky by William S Burroughs when on holiday in Brisbane, Hemingway's For Whom The Bell Tolls, Black Swan Green by David Mitchell and The Boy In The Stripped Pyjamas by John Boyne. But considering I am usually a voracious reader my restraint was definitely evident.

Since the end of February this year (when I finished my studies) I've enjoyed a fair amount of reading (don't worry Dad, I'm still reading plenty of anthropological journals!). I started with Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo etc). Once I'd finished those John kindly gave me a £20 Amazon gift voucher, and I promptly bought (and read) The Death of Bunny Munro (Nick Cave), The Road (Cormac McCarthy), and The Manchurian Candidate (Richard Condon). Once those were done I picked up Die Trying by Lee Child, which John had been given for Christmas while waiting for my next book to arrive: Room by Emma Donoghue. Both of those are now done and dusted.

I'm about to start Cormac McCarthy's Border Trillogy (All The Pretty Horses, The Crossing, and Cities of the Plain) and after that will have to find something else to read.

I'll review a few of these books when I have time. Many of them were brilliant but I've discovered that I have a definite preference for seriously bleak books. I've never enjoyed "chick lit" and for years have had an obsession with espionage books (Len Deighton is my hero). And as I've grown older I have more of an appreciation of the use of language in writing - I like my books to be well written.

That being said, I'll read pretty much anything. Wombat told me once that she didn't like recommending books for me to read because I only read literature, but I pointed out to her that I tend to just keep quiet about the fluffy books I've read. The entire Twilight series, for example. Plus all of Harry Potter, and Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels.

But the point here is: I have a little bit of that £20 left. What book should I read next?

Change

Well, that was a long silence, wasn't it? My life has been full of changes recently, but it's been good. I moved back to Belfast, and back in with John. Finished up my university work. Started working. Moved house. And the reason it has taken me so long to post again? Computer crisis. My laptop broke just before leaving NZ. I finished of my directed study with a little netbook, which I did not love. The netbook died and, jobless, I was unable to buy a new laptop. John has finally managed to convince someone to lend me a laptop for a month, and hopefully I'll be in a position to buy one of my own before too long.

So yeah, I'm back in Belfast. And it is very nice. I won't bore you with soppy stories of being reunited with John, save to say we started off with a lovely week in Scotland (Glasgow, with trips to Edinburgh and the isle of Aran) before catching the ferry over to Belfast. Then it was all go, catching up with friends and finishing off my schoolwork. I'd managed to convince my supervisor that I should write up my dissertation from Belfast, so my first month back saw me working hard. Then, schoolwork done, it was a matter of finding a job. I'd been told of the dire job situation in Belfast, and I was prepared to have to wait quite a while to find work. However, I was incredibly lucky and found a job the first day I applied. I'm working as a temp in a lawfirm, and my plan is to do some volunteering for organisations which support immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees and hopefully get a 'real' job through that. In the meantime, I'm reading plenty of anthropological texts and going to a few seminars to keep my brain turning over.

Just as I started my new job, John and I moved house. We are living in a lovely little terraced house, and at the moment it is just the two of us. Bliss! We may get a flatmate in for a bit so that we can save some money, but the long-term plan is for us to live without flatmates. Needless to say I am delighted.

In a way being back is like I've never left. I've re-joined my hiking group (and am even on the committee) and slotted back in with friends. But at the same time things are different - I have more sense of direction, and am not stuck in a job I hate. I feel more like my personality is shining though, and I have great hopes and plans for the future.

It's good to be back!

 

Rinse and Repeat

I'm packing up. Again. Every time I do this I swear it will be the last, all the while knowing it definitely won't be.

When I left New Zealand 3 years ago, my parents allowed me to store 1(one!!) box of things at their place. I got around this by "donating" a whole bunch of stuff I "thought they'd use" into their kitchen cabinets. Still, most things were sorted and thrown away, and I took only a single 20kg bag to Northern Ireland with me. The same thing when I left Northern Ireland early last year. I didn't know what the future held, and so sorted all my stuff, threw it away, donated it, gave it to friends, and moved back to New Zealand with a single bag of worldly belongings. And now I'm doing it again.

The silver lining is that, because I have done this so many times and always know I'm going to do it again, I don't accumulate much stuff. When I moved back here I was lent household items by kind friends, so at the moment I am trying to sort out what belongs to whom. Plus I'm supposed be getting more study done, and catching up with friends "one last time". It is all a bit overwhelming, but worth it in the end.

Pride

I know it's rude to brag, but I'm pretty proud of this:

Ballet, Bubbles and Beach

Fulfilling yet another item on my 31 before 31 list, I went to the ballet in Auckland last weekend. My Mom and I used to have a tradition of seeing the pre-Christmas production put on by the Royal New Zealand Ballet, and this  year they were putting on The Nutcraker, which I'd never seen before. It was lovely, and because we went to the matinee the audience was full of very cute little girs in tutus.

Following the show we had a glass of bubbles before catching the ferry to Waiheke Island for a few nights at our dear friends' holiday home. I don't know what it is about this place but it is paradise, by far the most relaxing place I know.

Maybe it's the view:

 

 Or the lovely Parker who won't stay still for pictures:

Or possibly the tranquility:

Or the buzzing bees:

Maybe the gorgeous garden:

Or the good food:

Whatever it is, and whoever I go there with, I always end up feeling rejuvinated and serene, and so blessed to be able to visit such a lovely spot.

 

Sail Away

Having discovered that Mom's vertigo medication is excellent for curing seasickness, Dad managed to convince me to stay on the boat overnight last weekend. My friend Andrew was keen to try his hand at sailing so, the morning after our Thanksgiving dinner, the three of us headed to the marina and out onto the water. It was the first overnight sail of the season, so there was plenty of preparation to do beforehand: restocking staple foods, ensuring a sufficient booze supply, bringing all the soft-furnishings which had been taken off the boat for the winter, etc. We finally set sail at 2 in the afternoon, and had a quick lunch on the go.

There was little wind to start off, but we soon had a steady breeze. Our course set for the Waiheke channel, we relaxed with a beer and enjoyed the sunshine, anchoring for the evening at Man o' War Bay on Waiheke Island. Seeing that lots of other boats had fishing lines set, and not wanting to be left out, I rather carelessly suggested that we should put a line out too. Much to my surprise Dad jumped at the suggestion and started giving instructions with some glee. It was only when I pulled out the bait while being ordered to keep it as far away from Dad as possible that I realised why. The bait had been sitting on the boat since god knows when. My Dad delighted in instructing me to cut off a piece and affix it to the fish hooks. Words cannot describe the smell. But I was brave (and thankful for my mouth breathing tendencies) and cut the bait, baited the hooks, and threw the line over the side. I felt no nibbles but eventually the bait disappeared and I repeated the process with the exact same result. Dad promised that the way to ensure success was to drink a gin and tonic while fishing so, with a freshly prepared G&T in hand, Andrew gave fishing a go. He caught a fish his first try (no fair!!) but it was a small one, and we threw it back. He re-baited the hook and we waited, but no more fish were to be had.

We decided we'd had enough of fishing (not to mention dealing with the bait) so Dad went below to cook dinner while Andrew and I scrubbed (and scrubbed, and scrubbed) our hands. Before long we were sitting on deck with glasses of wine, enjoying a Thai green curry. The evening ended with flambeed bananas, stargazing and relaxed conversation.

The next morning started out slowly, with banana pancakes for breakfast. We rowed ashore for a swim and a walk along the beach, and were delighted to discover a little wine shop offering free tastings. We partook (of course) and then headed back to Beulah, Dad swimming, and Andrew rowing while I crewed the rowboat. Then a spot of lunch before hauling up anchor, but we were unfortunately becalmed and forced to resort to motoring. The trip back to the marina was uneventful, except for a little detour around "bung" (my type of art), and once safely ashore we grabbed a Coke and headed back home, very relaxed after a lovely weekend away.

It's Never Too Late To Give Thanks (Or Eat Turkey)

We missed Canadian Thanksgiving this year because Dad was in China, so instead we are celebrating it today, one day after American Thanksgiving. It is one of my favourite celebrations (can't call it a holiday here) not only because of the food but because it forces us to think about the things that make our lives good even when things are tough.

So what am I thankful for this year? Lots of things, but I'll spare you the details and keep the list short.

• A boyfriend who encourages me to follow my dreams, even though it meant struggling through a long-distance relationship for the year.
• An awesome family who gives me endless love and support.
• Having a job, and a boss who treats me with respect and understands that, sometimes, there are more important things in life than work.
• Friends who convince me to take a break when I'm getting too bogged down in schoolwork, and who listen to my complaints with a sympathetic ear.
• To all of you who read my ramblings - I know you're there even when you don't comment.

Thanks to everyone who makes my life great - it would be so boring without you.

XOXOXO SL