Jigsaw, shopping, dancing, music, Melbourne, band.
I was given a beautiful jigsaw puzzle recently, and been itching to get to it ever since. I've had a half-finished jigsaw puzzle rolled up in one of those special mats for over a year now, for lack of any space. Receiving this gorgeous puzzle has inspired me as to how to find a space, so I unrolled the half-finished one last night and got stuck into it. I find jigsaw puzzles very relaxing, and the sense of accomplishment as each section gets completed is very rewarding. Looking forward to finishing this one so that I can get stuck into my wonderful new one. Hoorah for having found a spot to do it!
I went to Habourtown on the Sunday before last, with the intention of picking up some new jeans. They quite often have them on special for $20, and I only had one pair of pants that fit. Ending up walking out with two pairs of jeans for $100 instead, one black so I can wear them at work if I want, and one light blue so I can feel casual when I'm not at work. So now I own three pairs of pants that fit! Ducked into the shoe shop too to check out what they had, which is usually a safe bet for me since everything is either overpriced or not a style I can do - so sick of stilettos being in fashion for years and years, can we have a new fashion that I can actually wear without hurting myself? But alas (or maybe awesomely) I found some wonderful shoes. There was a totally gorgeous pair of flats (I don't usually like flats, but at least I can walk in them) that were marked down from $80 to $10. And there was a pair of shoes that fit almost every single requirement of being the perfect shoe I've been hunting for for years, marked down from $120 to $30! TOTALLY BOUGHT THEM. They are fabulous, high heeled with small platform at the front so the heel is effectively not as tall for my ankle, with a lovely rounded toe and a strap that goes across the top. The strap is a little wide for my taste, but I DON'T CARE COS THEY'RE AWESOME. And comfy! I've worn them four days out of the last eight. On Saturday I wore them from 8am until 3:30am, and they didn't start hurting until 1am after heaps of dancing. No blisters or anything. I'm just so estactic to find something so perfect, my experience with shoes is usually less than awesome :D :D :D
Oh yeah, and I went dancing in Northbridge with a friend on Saturday night, decided on a whim after finishing dinner. I must find more time in my calendar to organise that with friends more often than once or twice a year, I really do love dancing so much. I always think I don't have enough endurance enough for it - a short walk can get me complaining sometimes. But stick me on a dancefloor and I can go for ages! Oh, time, where did you go while I was enjoying myself to awesome beats and rhythms?
On Sunday a friend and I went to see James Flynn, who is a wonderful jazz singer (http://www.jamesflynn.com.au/). We saw him at The Ellington last year and I thought he was fabulous, so when I randomly came across this gig I made sure to fit it in. Fabulous once again! If you happen to comes across his name when you're looking for stuff to do, definitely go see him.
Only 35 days until I step foot in Melbourne. Lots planned. Going to the Ice Bar (a bar made of ice, with ice furniture and ice glasses), Melbourne Zoo, a few chocolate cafes, some tearooms a friend says are divine, a restaurant heartily recommended to me, Queen Victoria markets, Luna Park, the museum, china town, a street that's apparently filled completely with italian restaurants, and maybe Gertrude St. And catch up with a dear friend. And maybe a bit of shopping. Plus anything else that happens. I might be a little tired when I get back, but I'm determined to fully enjoy myself (to the extent my budget allows) while I'm over there, and how! If anyone has any recommendations of things I should totally check out while I'm over there, let me know. I'm keen, and probably not heading back that way for a very long time into the future.
Fairly booked with stuff up to May, except for a few gaps which I can fit stuff into still, and a few gaps which Will Not Be Filled Because I Need A Break Dammit. The exception to this is Easter. Now, I have no doubt that something's going to come along and get itself booked into this time (like a LAN game that usually happens at Easter), but so far I am not actively trying to find anything to fill it, and it is completely free. Yes, that's right, I actually have a segment of time which is not booked. This is more a statement of a proud achievement than an invitation. Although any awesome ideas for things to do will be considered, I am sort of looking forward to a segment of time when I'm not beholden to social commitments and a clock on the wall. So will see how it goes.
Have come to an arrangement with my big band. After expressing that I would not be attending any rehearsal or anything immediately following our gig on March 27th at the Quarry (location: http://www.quarryamphitheatre.com.au/Whats%20On.html tickets: http://www.bocsticketing.com.au/events/wayne_standley_rush_hour.shtml ), the manager commented that it was hard to find trombonists that weren't already attached to a band. So I thought about it and offered that I would be willing to attend each performance and the one rehearsal immediately before it, but no more than that. They decided to accept my offer. I was worried about the detrimental effect this might have on the band, since I'd just be waltzing in and playing when everyone else has been putting in the hard yakka, but since I made an offer and it was accepted, it becomes the manager's decision to weigh that up. If they do happen to find another trombonist who is happy to commit and step into the role, I have no trouble stepping aside at that point.
And I just received some interesting news, but I'm not going to share. Mentioning it here so I can see it when I glance back over my journal in future.
I went to Habourtown on the Sunday before last, with the intention of picking up some new jeans. They quite often have them on special for $20, and I only had one pair of pants that fit. Ending up walking out with two pairs of jeans for $100 instead, one black so I can wear them at work if I want, and one light blue so I can feel casual when I'm not at work. So now I own three pairs of pants that fit! Ducked into the shoe shop too to check out what they had, which is usually a safe bet for me since everything is either overpriced or not a style I can do - so sick of stilettos being in fashion for years and years, can we have a new fashion that I can actually wear without hurting myself? But alas (or maybe awesomely) I found some wonderful shoes. There was a totally gorgeous pair of flats (I don't usually like flats, but at least I can walk in them) that were marked down from $80 to $10. And there was a pair of shoes that fit almost every single requirement of being the perfect shoe I've been hunting for for years, marked down from $120 to $30! TOTALLY BOUGHT THEM. They are fabulous, high heeled with small platform at the front so the heel is effectively not as tall for my ankle, with a lovely rounded toe and a strap that goes across the top. The strap is a little wide for my taste, but I DON'T CARE COS THEY'RE AWESOME. And comfy! I've worn them four days out of the last eight. On Saturday I wore them from 8am until 3:30am, and they didn't start hurting until 1am after heaps of dancing. No blisters or anything. I'm just so estactic to find something so perfect, my experience with shoes is usually less than awesome :D :D :D
Oh yeah, and I went dancing in Northbridge with a friend on Saturday night, decided on a whim after finishing dinner. I must find more time in my calendar to organise that with friends more often than once or twice a year, I really do love dancing so much. I always think I don't have enough endurance enough for it - a short walk can get me complaining sometimes. But stick me on a dancefloor and I can go for ages! Oh, time, where did you go while I was enjoying myself to awesome beats and rhythms?
On Sunday a friend and I went to see James Flynn, who is a wonderful jazz singer (http://www.jamesflynn.com.au/). We saw him at The Ellington last year and I thought he was fabulous, so when I randomly came across this gig I made sure to fit it in. Fabulous once again! If you happen to comes across his name when you're looking for stuff to do, definitely go see him.
Only 35 days until I step foot in Melbourne. Lots planned. Going to the Ice Bar (a bar made of ice, with ice furniture and ice glasses), Melbourne Zoo, a few chocolate cafes, some tearooms a friend says are divine, a restaurant heartily recommended to me, Queen Victoria markets, Luna Park, the museum, china town, a street that's apparently filled completely with italian restaurants, and maybe Gertrude St. And catch up with a dear friend. And maybe a bit of shopping. Plus anything else that happens. I might be a little tired when I get back, but I'm determined to fully enjoy myself (to the extent my budget allows) while I'm over there, and how! If anyone has any recommendations of things I should totally check out while I'm over there, let me know. I'm keen, and probably not heading back that way for a very long time into the future.
Fairly booked with stuff up to May, except for a few gaps which I can fit stuff into still, and a few gaps which Will Not Be Filled Because I Need A Break Dammit. The exception to this is Easter. Now, I have no doubt that something's going to come along and get itself booked into this time (like a LAN game that usually happens at Easter), but so far I am not actively trying to find anything to fill it, and it is completely free. Yes, that's right, I actually have a segment of time which is not booked. This is more a statement of a proud achievement than an invitation. Although any awesome ideas for things to do will be considered, I am sort of looking forward to a segment of time when I'm not beholden to social commitments and a clock on the wall. So will see how it goes.
Have come to an arrangement with my big band. After expressing that I would not be attending any rehearsal or anything immediately following our gig on March 27th at the Quarry (location: http://www.quarryamphitheatre.com.au/Whats%20On.html tickets: http://www.bocsticketing.com.au/events/wayne_standley_rush_hour.shtml ), the manager commented that it was hard to find trombonists that weren't already attached to a band. So I thought about it and offered that I would be willing to attend each performance and the one rehearsal immediately before it, but no more than that. They decided to accept my offer. I was worried about the detrimental effect this might have on the band, since I'd just be waltzing in and playing when everyone else has been putting in the hard yakka, but since I made an offer and it was accepted, it becomes the manager's decision to weigh that up. If they do happen to find another trombonist who is happy to commit and step into the role, I have no trouble stepping aside at that point.
And I just received some interesting news, but I'm not going to share. Mentioning it here so I can see it when I glance back over my journal in future.