Lousy Ham Steak & Vegs

Last night I saw the Pixies play at Festival Hall. Festival Hall is and always will be my least favourite venue in Melbourne. It isn't designed for live music; it's a converted wrestling hall with nothing in the way of air conditioning or a useful bar/toilet set up. I loathe the place, and yet, the best concerts I have ever been to have been there. Dammit.

There was some sort of pre...show...thing, that involved a remixed showing of Salvador Dali's Un Chien Andalou which is notorious for its grisly opening depicting the slashing of an eyeball and the viewing of which Deb and I carefully did not do when going through his recent exhibition at the NGV. This was accompanied by what sounded a lot like At The Heart Of It All, a fairly slow-yet-dragging-you-into-the-abyss NIN track, the combined effect of which was a real fucking downer.

Don't start your live concert like this.

I was further worried at the total lack of movement in the crowd when they started playing, but it turned out this is only because they opened with some B sides, and once they started on album tracks the place went off! Brilliant show, everyone screaming with Monkey Gone To Heaven, and oh yes they did play Where Is My Mind?

Those of you unfortunate enough to have me on Facebook were well aware of my state of mind, ie, doped up on cold 'n flu meds.

I yelled and screamed, danced and bounced, sweat like a pig in the rancid heat, dehydrated myself severely and had a freaking awesome time.

Today was a family birthday, the sort of birthday that involves going to a very posh and proper hotel for high tea (including actual cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off). Perhaps something in those sandwiches disagreed with the cold 'n flu meds, because I was hit quite abruptly with the certainty that I was about to vomit. Unfortunately, posh and proper hotels have really nice bathrooms full of people who, should they overhear the sounds of chunder coming from the cubicle next door, are going to try and be helpful. I had to hightail it across the road to the public toilets in the train station, where I could chunder in peace and without interruption.

I am a classy lady.

I'm home now, and still grappling with the odd aftershock, and I do not like it.

This was also the sort of birthday that involves relatives coming from interstate, the upshot of this being the delivery of a trip log my Pop kept when he and my uncle did a big sailing trip up the eastern coast of Australia back in the late 80's-early 90's. My Pop was a ratbag and an adventurer, and having read the first page, paid a lot of attention to what he was eating.

"JUSTANTE" HOOK ISLAND
NARA INLET NORTH END
WELL HERE I AM AT THE ABOVE ADDRESS SPELT OUT IN FULL SO YOU CAN SHOW IT TO BIDDY, AFTER A VERY PLEASANT TRIP ON THE COACH FROM CHELSEA TO BRISBANE WITH STOPS FOR MEALS AT FINLAY [LOUSY HAM STEAK & VEGS.] THEN ON TO DUBBO [HAM SANDWICH & ICED COFFEE MILK], ONLY 12 PEOPLE ON THE COACH SO HAD A COMFORTABLE RIDE WITH A GOOD SLEEP BETWEEN STOPS, ONLY ONE NOISY KID WHO SLEPT MOST OF THE WAY. THERE WAS CONSTANT RAIN RIGHT UP INTO N.S.W. BREAKFAST AT GOONDAWINDIE, DAWN BREAKING, LOVELY WEATHER, A MEAL OF TWO EGGS BACON, TOAST, MUSELI & A CUP OF TEA FOR $6 AND I WAS READY FOR THE DAY, AND THE TRIP, THROUGH A VERY DRY SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND TO BRISBANE, ARRIVED ABOUT 10.30AM WITH A 4 HOUR WAIT FOR THE NORTHERN COACH, HAD TIME TO SPARE FOR A SHAVE AND SHOWER AND A BITE OF LUNCH. LEFT ON THE NORTHERN COACH AT 2.30PM, COACH ABOUT 3/4 FULL, ALL YOUNG BACKPACKERS, EXCEPT ONE ELDERLY BLOKE, ME. BY THE TIME WE WERE THROUGH GYMPIE EVERYONE HAD SORTED THEMSELVES OUT WITH KIDS[BACKPACKERS] IN ALL SORTS OF ATTITUDES OF SLEEP, TEA AT HERVEY BAY, THEN ON THROUGH TO MACKAY FOR BREAKFAST, BACON & EGGS, TEA & TOAST, ALL FOR $5.30 SLEPT WELL BOTH NIGHTS WRAPPED IN MY RUG. ARRIVED AT AERLIE BEACH 10 MINUTES EARLY AT 5.40, BILL WAS RIGHT, I COULD NOT GET LOST, THE COACH TERMINAL WAS RIGHT ON THE BEACH, AND HERE HE WAS ROWING THE DINGHY ASHORE FROM "JUSANTE" WHICH WAS ANCHORED ABOUT 200 YARDS AWAY FROM THE COACH STOP, SHOES AND SOCKS OFF AND ROLL UP THE PANTS, AND OUT TO THE YACHT, HAD A CUP OF TEA WHILE BILL HAD HIS BREAKFAST, CHANGED INTO STUBBIES AND T SHIRT, INTO THE DINGY AND OVER FOR A SHOWER, COURTESY OF THE LOCAL YACHT CLUB, THEN WENT SHOPPING UP THE TOWN FOR STORES FOR THE VOYAGE. THEN BACK TO THE BOAT UP ANCHOR, UP SAILS FOR A VERY PLEASANT SAIL.
[VERY LITTLE WIND, 2.5 KNOTS], PAST NORTH MOLLE ISLAND, THE LACK OF WIND NEARLY DRIFTED US ASHORE, BUT LUCKILY WE GOT PAST WITHOUT HAVING TO USE THE ENGINE, THEN THROUGH THE WHITSUNDAY PASSAGE TO HOOK ISLAND FOR ABOUT 2 MILES, WE WENT UP TO THE HEAD OF THE INLET AND ANCHORED, THEN ROWED ASHORE AND CLIMBED UP THE RUGGED CLIFF TO VIEW A CAVE WITH ABORIGINAL PAINTINGS, THEN ON A LITTLE FURTHER TO SEE A MAGNIFICENT VIEW DOWN THE LENGTH OF THE GORGE AND OUT TO SEA, "JUSANTE" LOOKED LIKE A LITTLE TOY AWAY DOWN BELOW US. I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT ON THE WAY OVER 6 DOLPHINS PLAYED AROUND US FOR A TIME, UNDER THE BOW AND AROUND AND UNDER THE BOAT, FINALLY DIVING STRAIGHT DOWN AND DISAPPEARING. THE NIGHT HERE IS STILL, DARK AND THE WATER AND AIR ARE SO CLEAR THAT THE STARS REFLECT IN THE WATER, THEY ARE SO BIG AND BRIGHT. HAD NO LUCK WITH FISHING ON THE WAY OVER BUT BILL HAS FOUND SOME FILLETS OF MACKEREL IN HIS FRIDGE FOR TEA. DON'T KNOW WHERE WE GO TOMORROW THE SKIPPER WILL DECIDE WHEN HE SEES WHAT THE WIND IS LIKE IN THE MORNING.