Alan! Alan! Alan!
The Monkey
Just about time to move…
Have decided (yes, again) that it’s really (really, I know) beyond a joke to still be in my cave-like Grafton flat – it was originally only intended to be a short term deal, something of an escape pod, to get away from you-kn0w-what when that finally (and mercifully) dissolved. Just a place to have a little breathing room, while I discovered everything I wanted to do next.
But that was friggin’ ages ago!
Enough breathing has been done.
The Grafton location is brilliant, there might be no good cafes or restaurants nearby, but it’s still a great suburb -with a central location, friends nearby, and the price is just outrageously good.
But, it all comes with a cost.
The owner hasn’t done a jot of maintenance on the place in the entire time I’ve been there, and the building was heading towards shabby already when I moved in. It’s a law of natura that villas need a lot of maintenance, so where it was always a bit rough, it’s now starting to seem positively ramshackle.
Let’s not even talk about the “garden”.
The place does have charms, of course – moulded ceilings, and a super high stud (you know what I’m saying, ladies), the bedroom is nice and bright, and I have offstreet parking for millions (yeah, so I only have one tiny car, but it’s nice to have the space, just in case).
But can I get a bit of paint? Maybe a carpenter could spend a few days? Please?
Neither of those things is on the cards, so moving time has come.
Anyway, I’m looking at a place even closer to work, and have been talking to an agent about a lovely little apartment in the cluster of historic buildings around Waterloo Quadrant, on the other edge of the campus (the edge closer to my office).
I haven’t signed any papers yet, so perhaps it’s a little soon to be doing talking about it, given that it could well be a month or more before I’m finally out – and longer if I decide I don’t like the apartment I’m looking at, as I don’t want to move to just any old place.
But still, regardless of the prematurity, I’ve started to say goodbye to the current place.
Amongst other things, I’m going to enjoy moving on from the tiny kitchen (equipped with a pretty good gas stove though it may be) what with its super restricted preparation space and tiny (and open!) pantry.
Now, for some seemingly entirely arbitrary photos – this is all just my way of starting to say goodbye to the current place – even though much of this stuff will look just the same in the new place.
Pantry 1. A strange combination of foods you might think, but I haven’t taken a shot of the shelf above this one which might start to make things seem more rational.
Pantry 2. If you look carefully you’ll be able to count 6 kinds of beans, such is the life of a vegetarian. If you cast even a very lazy eye over what’s on offer, you’ll quickly find that I’m an incredibly slack cook who takes every shortcut offered. I’m comfortable with this. I’m still a better cook than you. (By, like, a mile. I’m not kidding.)
Check out the awesome 1960s institutional pressed metal shelves, recsued from the office – they’re huge and awesome.
A little place I call burrito land. God I love these things.
Bedside bookpile. Ok, so obviously I’ll have a bookpile in the new place, though possibly not in exactly this configuration. Everyone worth knowing has a pile of books somewhere at all times. (Please ignore my not-very-well vaccuumed carpet.)
Ssssssh, secret new project! Pretend you didn’t see these.
If I don’t move right away, pretend you don’t know that I fucking hate the hell out of this place. (But hate moving just enough that I’m not showing on the outside the hurry I feel on the inside.)
Best potluck ever.
A rubbish photo of a ridiculously good meal, vegetarian chilli, cornbread, guacamole, salsa, warm soft tortillas. All just so wonderfully, perfectly delicious and fresh and lovingly crafted.
Romantic dinner.
Lots of lovely ladies. (Unfortunately their menfolk were all there too.)
A fast game is a good game.
4.5 hours of fun at a secret undisclosed city location. Good times, good people.
Unnecessarily Elaborate Cheese Toasties
Ingredients
- Bread.
- Butter.
- Vegemite.
- Aged cheddar, grated.
- Decent mayonaise.
- Jalapeños.
- Sun-dried tomatoes.
- Feta.
- Plum sauce.
Method
Toast the bread – if you do it under a grill rather than in a toaster, you can make sure you toast one side much lighter than the other, if you then put the toppings on this side you won’t need to worry so much about the bread burning around the sides when you grill the cheese. Spread butter and vegemite as normal, next smooth on some mayonaise, then plant a few slices of jalapeño, followed by a single sun-dried tomato, and a few small pieces of feta, lastly sprinkle cheese over the top and place under the grill until the cheese bubbles and begins to brown.
Optional: A healthy dash of plum sauce, or if that’s not available taco sauce, or if that’s not available nothing, or if you don’t have nothing tomato sauce.
Alternate version: And much more necessarily elaborate, with it. Subtract the feta & sundried tomato, making for a somewhat more focussed flavour combination. (The Unnecessarily Elaborate Cheese Toastie is delicious, but perhaps a bit much for what really needs to be a simple, comforting meal.)
The Next Photo Would Have Been Awesome
Because the next photo was, well, let’s just say it was in the other direction. (And you only dodged it by this much - someone walked in just as I was composing the shot, so I hurriedly – and discreetly – disappeared my phone.)
Larrikins on Vulcan Lane
40 person (it may not look like it, but about 20-30 people are lying on the wet ground in this shot) pillow fight on Vulcan Lane. All wearing identical white overalls and scary plastic masks. Good fun.
Secret Squirrel Shoe Sources.
One of the secrets I keep least well is that I buy most of my shoes, undies, t-shirts, and hats from the internets. Here is the sole of one of my latest acquisitions, and did they ever serve me well tonight. Comfy and handsome.