Outfit #44 - New Brown Boots

Outfit details:

Dress: Spicysugar (from Jeannie).  Top: Dotti.  Stockings: Target.  Boots: Sandler.  Earrings: ?

I must be part-feline.  The idea of getting my feet wet is enough to change my sartorial plans, so long pants and flat shoes gave way to a short skirt and boots.  I probably would have switched to boots anyway.  These were purchased on Friday and I love them.  Every time I've left the house since buying them, I've been wearing them.  Not only are they new boots, but they're brown - I haven't owned brown footwear since I had to wear brown shoes to school.  It's been a while.  The stockings are also recent additions to my collection.  The day I bought the Nordic Knit print stockings, I resisted buying these.  Ever since, they haven't been available in my size, or were just not there.  Last week though, they were there, in my size - only pair available.  Score!

The lighting right now is fairly terrible.  Not only is it winter, and I'm not at home on a Tuesday while the sun is still up, but I need to replace 3 lightbulbs.  3!  So today, I brought down the desk lamp from the spare room and did a Pixar-style setup, but it still looks rather gloomy.  Fingers crossed for the right size globes available tomorrow.

I didn't realise until I was checking photos, but the trim on this dress matches the grey top.  I suspect it's one of those tones that looks grey with grey and black with black.  I also discovered today that the dress has a zip.  It's only about the 5th time I've worn the dress.  I do like the slightly space aspect to the dress - I get an 'Austin Powers' vibe whenever I wear it. 

A bit more boot love, and stocking love - you can't really get the full effect of the stockings but they have bands of colour in blocks up the legs.  If you look closely (really closely) at the lead photo you can just see the next blue block at the hem of the dress.

Today's photo:

Days like today are the reason I stopped taking photos for a while.  The sun wasn't up when I got to the station this morning, and the scratches on the windows prevented a good shot for the evening ride (which had nice light).  The weather was cold and rainy so I hardly left my teaching room, which has a view of buildings and palms - not terribly exciting.  So, for the first time ever, I took my phone with me on tonight's run.  I figured it was time, as I will be running the half-marathon with it, and I run to areas in which I'm not a local.  There have been several occasions when I've wished for a camera when running, not just for the lights but as a reminder of how far I've come.  The Kurilpa Bridge used to be my Long Run end point.  Now, my short run is another couple of kilometres each way.

Movie #16 - Brotherhood of the Wolf

DVD Sam loaned me 5 movies earlier this year.  A couple of weeks ago, he asked if I'd watched Brotherhood of the Wolf yet.  Not yet... if he'd told me that there are a few stripped-down fight scenes, I would have watched it ages ago!  At least now I have.

I'm not sure this is a movie I would watch again - although maybe if I saw it while slightly less exhausted it might make more sense.  So, if you're hoping for an intelligent plot discussion or something, I apologise.  It's not going to happen.  Set in 18th century France, there is a lot of violence, and there are a few scenes in a brothel - if you have delicate sensibilities, find something else to watch.  Especially if you get squeamish.  I started watching at the start of dinner - mistake.

Some little things before I get into it.  This was a dubbed version, and I put the subtitles on as well - weird.  The subtitles corresponded in the same way Google Translate will correspond.  There are some very funny bits, like the brothel madam indignant about the possibility of a scandal in her house.  Or the description of how Florentine women get their men to sleep at home, by giving them poison in the morning and the antidote in the evening.  I found the camera work a little annoying.  There are some aspects I really enjoyed, like the close-ups of the puddles splashing, but the frequent slow motion in the middle of action was irritating.  Not to mention the special effects of the Beast itself, which really dated the movie.

At one point, I heard phrases of music reminiscent of Dances with Wolves and it was only at that point I went "oh yeah - duh".  Native American in this movie about wolves, so how could you resist?  Haha.  There were 2 other distinct musical flavours, a fairly ecclesiastical sort (similar to Allegri's Miserere), and a gypsy style like that found in Chocolat.

In fact, the underlying theme of the movie reminded me a lot of Chocolat: the power of the cultural norm.  (It also corresponded, incidentally, with yesterday's sermon).  Everyone is born into a society with a cultural norm.  Those in power dictate what that idea of normal is, and class anyone who doesn't fit into that mould as inferior.  When those ideas are challenged, our instinct is to fight.  And in hindsight, that is often ridiculous.  In this movie, the ideas were surrounding race (is a Native American really the same race? surely he is inferior, a savage - "you don't avenge a savage with Christian blood") and the Age of Reason (Catholic practices in a world blossoming with scientific knowledge).  Some of the questions they asked were, to this 21st century view, laughable.  I had to remind myself a couple of times that they really wouldn't have known these things, and we only find out by asking and experiencing.  Compare that to now though, with the debates surrounding gay marriage - there is a photo doing the rounds of Facebook, showing a scene from a rally 50 years ago against inter-racial marriage, and a scene from a present-day protest against gay marriage, and a caption along the lines of Think How Ridiculous You'll Look in 50 Years.

And then, the atrocious things Christians do to maintain the status quo, or the Right Way, or to hold onto power.  There is even a scene so like a KKK meeting, all these robed people hiding behind the anonymity of a mask, with strength in numbers - how many of them, if they sat down with the tracts they say they are upholding, would turn around and act and think differently?  And if you are really in the right, why do you need to hide your face?   Or even, the things we do in a fight or flight mood - in this case, if we think this beast is a wolf, let's go and kill all the wolves we can find.  That way we're sure to get it, right?  But how silly we look after a bit of waiting and learning when we discover it's not actually a wolf and all those animals have died for nothing (King Herod, anyone? witch hunts?).

I write this as a Christian but more, as a human.  Much of what Christians have done in the name of our religion is indefensible.  I think though that it's more that Christians have been in power for a good portion of history, and we are human and react in human ways.  Without knowledge that what you are doing is actually wrong, but with a background of this is probably right, we'll tend to go with the probably.

Actually, I'll amend the theme of this movie:  There is nothing to be feared, except fear itself.

And now for today's photo:

Funny story here.  I put washing on the line on Saturday, which was a beautifully sunny day, if rather cool.  I didn't have time to get the washing off the line between gym, blog, and heading off to a games night... It rained Saturday night.  It rained on Sunday.  It rained Sunday night, and it's been rainy and blustery all of today.  Which is wonderful for the June long weekend, but not great for getting my washing dry.  Now I have to work out what I can possibly wear to work tomorrow.

Porridge with Dark Chocolate and Marmalade

It's well and truly winter now, and this long weekend is wonderfully cloudy and rainy and cool.  I've been hankering to make curry for a while now, and yesterday I was looking through the Jamie Oliver book for the ingredients.  The book opened up at the breakfast section, and I contemplated something different for breakfast.  Frozen fruit smoothies didn't appeal!  Varying the style of comfort porridge, though - that was more like it.  I decided against the banana and whisky option (church this morning, after all) and opted for the dark chocolate and marmalade version.  What a way to start a day.

Just before the porridge is ready (I use 1/3 cup oats, a couple of teaspoons psyllium husks, 1 cup water), stir in a heaped tablespoon of marmalade and a couple of pieces of shaved/grated dark chocolate.  I still included goji berries, ricotta and protein powder too.  This was amazingly delicious, and satisfied my desire for marmalade without having toast as well.  Win.  It feels a little decadent to have this every Sunday, but I can see it making a regular appearance.

Today's Daily Photo:

I neglected the last couple of days, mainly because of the photo overload from the North Queensland trip (Day 1 and Day 2).  Walking down Ann St today after church, I noticed the moss on the retaining wall next to All Saints' was particularly green.  I love the combination of green and grey, especially when the world is awash in these colours.

The Mount Isa Gig - Part 2

On Tuesday, I flew with a quartet to Mt Isa for a gig.  We were a morale-boosting team, effectively, and played for one of the phosphate mine's regular theme nights.  The day after the gig, we were due to be flown by the mine to Townsville - another new place for me.  As breakfast finished at 7 and the bus to the airstrip didn't leave til 9:30, we had a few hours to look around.  The first thing I noticed was the safety record sign.  I don't know if 20 days is a long time in mine safety (can anyone tell me?) but it was definitely a reminder of the sort of environment in which we found ourselves. 

A couple of the miners offered us a look around the mine, but it turned out we needed a 4 hour induction...  The boss, though, organised for us to be driven out to the mine and have a look around, even though we wouldn't be allowed in. 

Cue very Australian scenery.  Tuesday's skies were nothing but blue, but Wednesday had a fair bit of cloud cover.  The sun peeking through made for some fabulous colours!  I kept my eyes peeled for wildlife, but only saw a kangaroo.

The mine itself was impressive - all solar powered too.  The gypsum stacks were so large, the cranes look tiny at the top.  And because of the layout of the land, and the location, as soon as there are lightning strikes as close as 50km they have to pack up.

One last shot of the town - love that red soil and blue sky!

So, mine visit = New Thing #1 for Wednesday.  New Thing #2 was flying in a Fokker 100 to Townsville.  Giggle.  This was much bigger than Tuesday's rubber band plane, this had about 100 seats.  With all these mine folk knocking off, effectively, I was still surprised by the amount of alcohol I saw being consumed on this flight.

Our flight arrived in Townsville about midday.  We all reconnected with the world and didn't talk until we picked up our bags (absolutely no phone service for a whole day).  Our flight to Brisbane wasn't until 8:10pm - the last for the day and obviously the cheapest flight.  Townsville airport doesn't have lockers.  Thankfully, Mikey was just going to study, so we caught a taxi to town, and parked ourselves inside the Townsville Brewery.

After lunch and a game of Scrabble, Viola Man and I set off for Castle Hill - after the obligatory "I'm in Townsville" photo.

Yes, it's winter, but Townsville in the early afternoon is not all that cold.  In the sun, and climbing a steep hill, it was actually quite warm.  Super skinny jeans, long socks, black top and converse were maybe not the greatest choice.  Some workmen we passed even laughed at us, saying "it's really steep!"  But it was worth it - a fabulous view of the water and islands.

We came down for a much-needed coffee, then walked along the Strand and back.

Our flight home...well, we knew we were in for not great treatment.  Jetstar has a reputation, and it is not good.  They are so picky about carry-on size!  Our violin cases were about 10cm too long (although much narrower).  Mikey took out his violin, showed that it was acceptable, and said he would take his violin on board like that.  Viola Man did the same.  I took a deep breath and trusted my case (knowing I'm a bit clumsy and would be likely to run into something).  I then chewed my lip for the entire waiting time and flight time.  The cello always has to be checked in, so Mikey and Viola Man had a jam session.  No one complained - in fact, while waiting at baggage claim, some other passengers started dancing.  Which was great, but if I'm flown somewhere for a gig again, I'll stipulate that I will not fly Jetstar.  Other than that though, this was a great 2nd day.  What an experience!

The Mount Isa Gig

Just before Easter, I received a text from someone I don't know.  "Looking for a violinist for a quartet gig in Mt Isa"... Ok...but I don't know who you are... "Flights, accommodation, food all paid for, plus [$$] for 3 hours playing"... Sounds great, but I don't know who you are!!!  A few more details, then he told me who gave him my number, so I calmed down a bit and checked my diary.  Normally I'm a little cautious about who's playing when I accept a gig, especially if it's a long one, and especially if traveling is involved.  I'm even pickier with travel companions.  But, in the spirit of trying new things, I told myself to just plug in my earphones if necessary and just play, enjoy going to somewhere new in the middle of a school week.  The next day I found out who else was playing and I breathed a sigh of relief, then did a little happy dance.  Tuesday morning found me then at the airport, bound for Mt Isa.

First New Thing: traveling Qantas for the first time in years and years.  More than that though was the commuter feel of the flight.  No-one seemed to be going on holidays, Mt Isa is pretty much a working town.  And I've never had to catch 2 planes to a gig before!

New Thing #2: hitching a ride on a rubber-band plane.  This was a slightly larger one than they would normally use - ours was a 10-seater instead of the usual 5-seater.  I loved it.  Felt much more like real flying.  From reading a detective book a long time ago, I was prepared for the "how much does your luggage weigh?" and "how much do you weigh?" questions.

The pilot, our co-passengers, the miners and everyone else we came across - they were all so friendly, warm, and welcoming.  I felt not quite like a part of the family, not quite an honoured guest, but somewhere in between.

It was about a 20 minute flight to the mine.  The airstrip is about halfway between the actual mine and the village.  We found out those are 20km apart because they know if there's an acid explosion it can travel up to 19km.  The village used to be an actual town named Monument (there's an Aboriginal sacred site visible from most of the town), and it's mostly blocks of 4 rooms and 2 bathrooms, with some houses.  It's basic, but people are there to work.  There is a big emphasis on health and safety.  Health facilities (a gym, pool, tennis courts, lumpy football field) as well as nutritional advice and self-test breathalysers surrounded us.  Rules are strict and enforced - failing to wear a seat belt, driving over the speed limit, and turning up to a shift over the limit are all instant-sacking offences. 

The gig itself was in 2 bits, a set for those just waking up for the night shift, then a longer set for those coming off a shift.  The idea was a black-tie theme night, and we were the first live band they've flown in.  I wasn't really sure what to expect.  We definitely weren't doing the 'oh my special day must be perfect and I just want classy strings playing just classical music' thing.  We played a mix of classical and not - like tangos, ACDC, Beatles, jazz, Billy Joel, Queen.  And they seemed to love it!  We were warned the first crew would probably be not so enthusiastic - they would have just woken up and knew they were missing out on the 'real' party, and were just about to work - but I got a nice vibe from them, some took photos and some hung around to listen.  The second crew were definitely enthusiastic.  The black-tie idea was embraced by some, and given a nod by others.  Most there were just coming in from working, were still in their fluoro work gear but added a bow-tie.  A few sparkles, a few broken glasses, nice food.  Many people came up and complimented us.

We went to the bar area afterwards and had some drinks, played ping pong, foosball (for one goal - then the ball was lost and a very Aussie scene ensued), and pool.  Standing around gossiping about other musos, we were then approached by a miner in a yellow, acid-resistant suit.  A bit of chat later, and it came out that most of the miners were out in the beer garden and thought we were too posh to have a party.  Acid Suit Man said, he was pretty sure we would have gone to uni, so we'd be fine for a bit of drinking.  And so we got to know the miners a little better.

I must admit, I was quite anti-mine before this.  The destruction of our country is not something I can readily support.  However, from the first plane flight onwards, I started to realise that this is life for so many people.  It's not an easy life - the work is dangerous, the locations are isolated, you're away from your family and friends for stretches of time - so the mines try to make it as bearable as possible.  There was a real vibe of trying to look after the workers in body and soul.

Aside from that, I felt so much a part of the Real Australia.  The red soil, big blue skies, flies, that feeling of being so far in the middle of the country (relative to Brisbane anyway!), the silence, emus and kangaroos and all sorts of birds, and the people.  Greetings are standard and often sound like Carl Barron's "Owzitgarn".  People work out how to do things without a shopping centre down the street - like Luke's cufflinks made from nuts and bolts.  Acid Suit Man's suit he'd stapled together that afternoon - I wish I'd got a photo before it was ripped off him (he only just avoided a face plant - yes, this was a tame night).  Interesting fact: you have to be clean-shaven to work.  You can tell if someone's going home the next day as they won't have shaved.

Ooh, New Thing # whatever we're up to - I don't normally do drinks with lots of people I don't know.  Our other violinist had an early night so he could study, but photos were taken of me, Viola Man, Dani (our cellist), Luke (cufflinks) and Acid Suit Man (Tyson).

I think I like this less-composed photo better!

Outfit #43 - Groovy Stripes

Outfit details:

Skirt: Gina Tricot (op shop).  Blue top: Dotti.  Red vest: Grab denim (from Jeannie).  Stockings: Target.  Boots: Sandler.  Scarf: gift.  Jacket: Sportsgirl (from Jeannie).  Earrings: made by me.

I've had a couple of days break from blogging - there'll be an update or two tomorrow!  Meanwhile, yesterday involved a whole lot of walking and mountain-climbing, in not the greatest footwear.  I longed for a comfortable outfit for today, plus a chance to wear these stockings.  This seems to be my comfy skirt - I'm now officially on the lookout for another like this one.  And more boots.  Not the greatest earring photo...but you can vaguely get the idea.

So many compliments today!  A 7-yr-old looked up while doing her shoelaces - "ooh, I like your stockings.  And your dress.  Pretty much everything you're wearing today.  Oh, and my mum has those exact same boots!"  Staff compliments included "those are such groovy stockings!" and there were so many bows in the air at the ensemble rehearsal this afternoon as girls wanted to tell me how much they liked my stockings.  They stole the show.

And I did feel these were very groovy stockings.  I just wish my legs were longer so the effect of the stripes could be greater.  Oh well.

The Timetable Layout

Today was really, really boring.  Well, not really - there were lots of things happening.  But in terms of New Things...not so much.  Partly, I admit, because my brain is a little frozen due to things happening.  On Saturday, I rearranged my kitchen appliances.  This has had interesting consequences.  On waking up Sunday morning, I reminded myself as I got out of bed that the coffee machine was in a different place.  Yet, coming down the stairs, I had a moment of "agh!  it's gone!" before remembering (again) it had moved.  Its spot next to the stove is not ideal as I need to reach over to grind beans and to froth milk.  So this morning, I moved the coffee things to the left of the stove, and the kettle and toaster to the right.  Now it's really hard to insert the group handle, and I like having all the teas on that side.  So there will be another rearrangement in the near future.  The trouble is, I really like having clear bench space where the coffee machine was.  Hmm.

Anyway, today I only needed to do a timetable for one day this week at school.  My change?  I used Pages instead of Numbers.  Ooohh.  I knew it was unnecessary to do 3 days with 2 of them blank, and the day I'm at school only requires a few names.  I did feel very organised in sending this through to my boss!

Today's photo:

A trio of pears, a trio of limes.  All these different greens, late morning light.  Besides, yesterday was Trinity Sunday so I thought it fitting.  The pears are just ripe, and the fact that my fruit comes with the occasional leaf attached makes me feel more connected to their source.