to blog or not to blog?
For the past four months, any casual observer would answer a resounding "not to blog" when it comes to this neglected little corner of the web. There are plenty of good excuses, but rather than make any of them now, I shall instead attempt to rectify the ongoing lack of information about the events of this year since... well, since the last time I posted a big catch-up entry.
Since the last one worked so well, I will write this in the same format, although there are fewer headings (mainly because less time has passed, rather than because my life has become any less eventful - as you'll see, little could be further from the truth).
a new relationship
By now, I don't believe this first item is news to anyone... however, in case I've been remiss in sharing this particularly exciting news with anyone in my circle of friends, this post is my opportunity to rectify that omission. As of about September (there might be some variance on the date, depending on whether the beginning is defined as "hmm, there seems to be something more than friendship here" or "wow - there really is something amazing here" or "let's undertake concurrent interstate relocation with the express aim of living together because this whole living on opposite sides of the country thing SUCKS"), I've been in a relationship with an amazing young woman. This young woman is known in LiveJournal-land as baroquestar - here I will refer to her as "S" for the purposes of brevity and privacy (since this post will be public, and visible on my Facebook profile as well). It's neither necessary nor appropriate in a public post for me to go into great detail about who S is, what she does, where she lives (other than "currently in Perth, and have I mentioned that's a LONG WAY FROM SYDNEY?!!?!!112!"), but suffice to say that we have many common and complimentary interests, we get on absolutely brilliantly together, and that the whole thing is a rather unexpected and utterly delightful turn of events for both of us.
the decision to move
Don't you just love plans? I particularly like the whooshing sound they make as they go out the window.
Some time last year, I came to the realisation that I really liked Sydney - so much so that I was happy to settle here permanently (in contrast to my original expectation that I would only be here until I could get a position in the Melbourne base, and that I'd merely tolerate life in Sydney as long as necessary). Indeed, coupled with the feeling that I'd well and truly done my share of relocation (no fewer than fifteen different houses in five different cities), I went ahead and bought a house in Sydney - a lovely house, one in which I'd be happy to live indefinitely - and settled in. And you know what? I've loved it: Sydney is a great city, I really like my house, and I'd be perfectly happy not to move ever again, and then... life happens. As I've mentioned above, S lives in Perth. Perth is a long way from Sydney. And vice versa. About as far apart as we could be without being in different countries. Having realised that our new relationship is something we would like to pursue in the same place, rather than thousands of kilometres apart, we had some serious thinking to do on a very simple question: where?
In fact, while serious consideration was in order - with three perfectly lovely cities as possibilities - the answer was surprisingly simple: the answer is Melbourne. S has been keen to move to Melbourne for several years, and it is the natural place for her to pursue both further study and her career. Perth is likely to be a dead-end in her career for some years yet (and possibly indefinitely, with a new state government and an economic downturn casting doubt on future cultural development). My employer has no base in Perth, which means I would need to leave my current job and try for a new job (and back to the bottom of the seniority pile) out west (at a time when little hiring of any sort is going on). Many of S's friends already live in Melbourne (and the rest of you lovely Perthites, it's only a matter of time...), so there is a support network for her which would be absent in Sydney. Sydney also provides much less in the way of study and career prospects for S, at least at this point. S has a delightful three year old child, who naturally brings her own needs and considerations, chief among them that ongoing contact with her father (who also lives in Perth) is essential - contact which will be much more easily achieved, in the long term, in Melbourne. I've always loved spending time in Melbourne, I've some really good friends in Melbourne, and I'm now sufficiently far up the seniority list at work to bid for (and get) a Melbourne command. The timing is as good as it's ever likely to be - for all concerned - so we're going for it.
travel and ceremonies
You'd think that someone who spends their working life hurtling around the countryside might - in their own time - prefer to stay put, spend time at home, etc. Well, in my case - at least in recent months - you'd be well and truly wrong. There have been all kinds of good reasons for me to spend my free time travelling, and I've certainly done so. In early October, I spent a long weekend in Melbourne and Canberra, first to see S graduate with a Masters in Cultural Heritage (we are still uncertain as to what postnominals that degree confers, but "M.Cult." is favourite), and then to see a friend get married. The former was a very exciting and suitably momentous occasion, and the latter was... interesting. The friend in question I had not seen for several years, and he had more or less dropped out of contact with most of his circle of friends. In fact, he still doesn't communicate much at all, although his wife seems pretty determined (and it will take some determination) to keep in contact on his behalf. What was strange about that event, however, is that I still haven't met his wife: ceremonies are hardly a good opportunity to meet anyone, and just when I thought our paths might cross at the reception, the happy couple chose that moment to make their exit. The best bit though? The celebrant's name: Reverend Gordon Ramsay.
Other travels during annual leave and weekends have seen me in Perth repeatedly (yes, I apologise to Perthites whom I have not seen on those visits - together-time with S is in limited supply at the moment, but you'll probably see more of me in 2009), with events including parties, the wedding of two new friends (well, new to me - S has known them a long time), and plenty of more mundane yet even more important things, such as spending quality time with the people with whom I'll soon be sharing much of my life.
wrapping up musical things in Sydney
As my time in Sydney comes to a close, I've been concluding the various musical activities in which I've become involved, specifically my voice lessons and my time with the Strathfield Symphony Orchestra. I'm looking forward to finding new music groups in Melbourne - especially to finding a good group in which to sing (which I've missed in Sydney) - but I shall certainly miss both the orchestra here and my voice teacher. Strathfield is musically very good for an amateur orchestra (and Sarah-Grace picks some excellent repertoire), but it's also been a really good social experience - a good mix of ages and interests, and plenty of genuinely good people. As for the voice lessons, I've really enjoyed learning from Jo, and I'm glad we've made a start on figuring out what I can do with my voice, and how better to do it. I look forward to finding a new teacher in Melbourne. Suggestions, anyone?
Interesting Times
So the curse is said to go. And interesting times these are indeed. I tend not to talk much about current political, economic or world news in this blog - it's much more a shrine to the trivial and personal - but there have been some events this year worth mentioning, as they matter a lot to me and (I believe) to the world. Change is afoot: both Australia and the US have cast resounding votes for change in the past year-or-so. As a citizen of Australia, I'm proud to say I was part of an election where our response to divisive, hateful, greedy politics was to cast out not only the party responsible, but to do so with such conviction that - for only the second time in Australian history - a sitting prime minister lost his own seat. As a citizen of the United States, I'm even prouder to say that I was part of electing the first ever african-american President of that nation. So, things can change.
Indeed, things will change, and the ever-bigger headline acts for change are the economy and the climate. Climate change, well, that's huge... and I'm speechless with disappointment over the chlorine-bleached white flagpaper from the Rudd Labor government: 5% cut to emissions? Anyone would think he didn't have children... but then again, these are times of fear, and fear is a very poor motivator for decision-making. Few things inspire fear like the idea that maybe all this wealth and prosperity we've been enjoying is too good to be true. Ask any sweatshop slave, or even just your friendly retail worker on minimum wage (and about to be on no wage at all): of course it's too good to be true, and you and I will see a lot of that unravel. At this point, I just hope those in charge are able to think big enough that the unravelling isn't too painful, but it's probably not going to be much fun. For now I'll leave further commentary to those who understand the big picture better than I, but in the mean time I highly recommend at least one viewing of The Crash Course.
The Move
The above pretty much covers the past several months, so what's next? Well, there's really only one big, huge, all-consuming thing on my horizon: the move. In less than two weeks, all going according to plan, some men with a truck will turn up, pack most of my stuff into boxes and into their truck, and take it all away. I'll then bundle the things I'm not sending with them into my car, clean the house (in preparation for a colleague and his housemate who will be renting my house in Erskineville), and hit the road heading southwest, bidding a fond farewell to Sydney. A day and a half later, I will lob into the spare bedroom of some very hospitable friends in Melbourne, and commence the hunt for a rental house in the inner northern suburbs of Melbourne. All going even remotely according to plan, within the following week or so I hope to find somewhere to live, and just over three weeks from now I will begin work from my new base at Melbourne airport. Less than three weeks after that, I'll fly to Perth to join S and her daughter aboard the Indian Pacific, commencing a long and exciting journey together.
Wish me luck!
Since the last one worked so well, I will write this in the same format, although there are fewer headings (mainly because less time has passed, rather than because my life has become any less eventful - as you'll see, little could be further from the truth).
a new relationship
By now, I don't believe this first item is news to anyone... however, in case I've been remiss in sharing this particularly exciting news with anyone in my circle of friends, this post is my opportunity to rectify that omission. As of about September (there might be some variance on the date, depending on whether the beginning is defined as "hmm, there seems to be something more than friendship here" or "wow - there really is something amazing here" or "let's undertake concurrent interstate relocation with the express aim of living together because this whole living on opposite sides of the country thing SUCKS"), I've been in a relationship with an amazing young woman. This young woman is known in LiveJournal-land as baroquestar - here I will refer to her as "S" for the purposes of brevity and privacy (since this post will be public, and visible on my Facebook profile as well). It's neither necessary nor appropriate in a public post for me to go into great detail about who S is, what she does, where she lives (other than "currently in Perth, and have I mentioned that's a LONG WAY FROM SYDNEY?!!?!!112!"), but suffice to say that we have many common and complimentary interests, we get on absolutely brilliantly together, and that the whole thing is a rather unexpected and utterly delightful turn of events for both of us.
the decision to move
Don't you just love plans? I particularly like the whooshing sound they make as they go out the window.
Some time last year, I came to the realisation that I really liked Sydney - so much so that I was happy to settle here permanently (in contrast to my original expectation that I would only be here until I could get a position in the Melbourne base, and that I'd merely tolerate life in Sydney as long as necessary). Indeed, coupled with the feeling that I'd well and truly done my share of relocation (no fewer than fifteen different houses in five different cities), I went ahead and bought a house in Sydney - a lovely house, one in which I'd be happy to live indefinitely - and settled in. And you know what? I've loved it: Sydney is a great city, I really like my house, and I'd be perfectly happy not to move ever again, and then... life happens. As I've mentioned above, S lives in Perth. Perth is a long way from Sydney. And vice versa. About as far apart as we could be without being in different countries. Having realised that our new relationship is something we would like to pursue in the same place, rather than thousands of kilometres apart, we had some serious thinking to do on a very simple question: where?
In fact, while serious consideration was in order - with three perfectly lovely cities as possibilities - the answer was surprisingly simple: the answer is Melbourne. S has been keen to move to Melbourne for several years, and it is the natural place for her to pursue both further study and her career. Perth is likely to be a dead-end in her career for some years yet (and possibly indefinitely, with a new state government and an economic downturn casting doubt on future cultural development). My employer has no base in Perth, which means I would need to leave my current job and try for a new job (and back to the bottom of the seniority pile) out west (at a time when little hiring of any sort is going on). Many of S's friends already live in Melbourne (and the rest of you lovely Perthites, it's only a matter of time...), so there is a support network for her which would be absent in Sydney. Sydney also provides much less in the way of study and career prospects for S, at least at this point. S has a delightful three year old child, who naturally brings her own needs and considerations, chief among them that ongoing contact with her father (who also lives in Perth) is essential - contact which will be much more easily achieved, in the long term, in Melbourne. I've always loved spending time in Melbourne, I've some really good friends in Melbourne, and I'm now sufficiently far up the seniority list at work to bid for (and get) a Melbourne command. The timing is as good as it's ever likely to be - for all concerned - so we're going for it.
travel and ceremonies
You'd think that someone who spends their working life hurtling around the countryside might - in their own time - prefer to stay put, spend time at home, etc. Well, in my case - at least in recent months - you'd be well and truly wrong. There have been all kinds of good reasons for me to spend my free time travelling, and I've certainly done so. In early October, I spent a long weekend in Melbourne and Canberra, first to see S graduate with a Masters in Cultural Heritage (we are still uncertain as to what postnominals that degree confers, but "M.Cult." is favourite), and then to see a friend get married. The former was a very exciting and suitably momentous occasion, and the latter was... interesting. The friend in question I had not seen for several years, and he had more or less dropped out of contact with most of his circle of friends. In fact, he still doesn't communicate much at all, although his wife seems pretty determined (and it will take some determination) to keep in contact on his behalf. What was strange about that event, however, is that I still haven't met his wife: ceremonies are hardly a good opportunity to meet anyone, and just when I thought our paths might cross at the reception, the happy couple chose that moment to make their exit. The best bit though? The celebrant's name: Reverend Gordon Ramsay.
Other travels during annual leave and weekends have seen me in Perth repeatedly (yes, I apologise to Perthites whom I have not seen on those visits - together-time with S is in limited supply at the moment, but you'll probably see more of me in 2009), with events including parties, the wedding of two new friends (well, new to me - S has known them a long time), and plenty of more mundane yet even more important things, such as spending quality time with the people with whom I'll soon be sharing much of my life.
wrapping up musical things in Sydney
As my time in Sydney comes to a close, I've been concluding the various musical activities in which I've become involved, specifically my voice lessons and my time with the Strathfield Symphony Orchestra. I'm looking forward to finding new music groups in Melbourne - especially to finding a good group in which to sing (which I've missed in Sydney) - but I shall certainly miss both the orchestra here and my voice teacher. Strathfield is musically very good for an amateur orchestra (and Sarah-Grace picks some excellent repertoire), but it's also been a really good social experience - a good mix of ages and interests, and plenty of genuinely good people. As for the voice lessons, I've really enjoyed learning from Jo, and I'm glad we've made a start on figuring out what I can do with my voice, and how better to do it. I look forward to finding a new teacher in Melbourne. Suggestions, anyone?
Interesting Times
So the curse is said to go. And interesting times these are indeed. I tend not to talk much about current political, economic or world news in this blog - it's much more a shrine to the trivial and personal - but there have been some events this year worth mentioning, as they matter a lot to me and (I believe) to the world. Change is afoot: both Australia and the US have cast resounding votes for change in the past year-or-so. As a citizen of Australia, I'm proud to say I was part of an election where our response to divisive, hateful, greedy politics was to cast out not only the party responsible, but to do so with such conviction that - for only the second time in Australian history - a sitting prime minister lost his own seat. As a citizen of the United States, I'm even prouder to say that I was part of electing the first ever african-american President of that nation. So, things can change.
Indeed, things will change, and the ever-bigger headline acts for change are the economy and the climate. Climate change, well, that's huge... and I'm speechless with disappointment over the chlorine-bleached white flagpaper from the Rudd Labor government: 5% cut to emissions? Anyone would think he didn't have children... but then again, these are times of fear, and fear is a very poor motivator for decision-making. Few things inspire fear like the idea that maybe all this wealth and prosperity we've been enjoying is too good to be true. Ask any sweatshop slave, or even just your friendly retail worker on minimum wage (and about to be on no wage at all): of course it's too good to be true, and you and I will see a lot of that unravel. At this point, I just hope those in charge are able to think big enough that the unravelling isn't too painful, but it's probably not going to be much fun. For now I'll leave further commentary to those who understand the big picture better than I, but in the mean time I highly recommend at least one viewing of The Crash Course.
The Move
The above pretty much covers the past several months, so what's next? Well, there's really only one big, huge, all-consuming thing on my horizon: the move. In less than two weeks, all going according to plan, some men with a truck will turn up, pack most of my stuff into boxes and into their truck, and take it all away. I'll then bundle the things I'm not sending with them into my car, clean the house (in preparation for a colleague and his housemate who will be renting my house in Erskineville), and hit the road heading southwest, bidding a fond farewell to Sydney. A day and a half later, I will lob into the spare bedroom of some very hospitable friends in Melbourne, and commence the hunt for a rental house in the inner northern suburbs of Melbourne. All going even remotely according to plan, within the following week or so I hope to find somewhere to live, and just over three weeks from now I will begin work from my new base at Melbourne airport. Less than three weeks after that, I'll fly to Perth to join S and her daughter aboard the Indian Pacific, commencing a long and exciting journey together.
Wish me luck!