The weekend was lovely.
More importantly, I have two days of class remaining in this semester. On Thursday morning I am flying to Sydney and starting what will certainly be a great Halloween weekend.
So I have: 1 week of class, four days in Sydney, then two weeks of writing papers, two more weeks when I'll likely surf and say goodbye to the surrounding areas, then three weeks of traveling. NZ is just around the corner. I can't wait to climb some more mountains. After that, it's home for the holidays and I'll likely take a ski or some trip with the parents and then head back to LA for what will certainly be a rowdy semester back. Third weekend in January we're going to Las Vegas, so anyone interested that might care to join heads up. It'll be in honor of my 21st, so it's going to have to be legendary.
Take it sleazy my people.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Can I just say...
...how annoying it is when someone comes up to you and mentions your previous romantic engagement, and says, "OH I hear you dated such and such and blah blah blah." Now before I run away with slanderous rage and lose my initial point I want to clarify. I'm not mad at the girl, nor am I mad at myself. And I'm certainly not mad with the way things ended, for I've learned to treat even the harshest splits as a blessing in disguise (early college taught me that). Also, it's not a particular girl or a particular time. This has happened since my first serious girlfriend in highschool and I split and I don't really see people acting like this stopping...unfortunately. In any case, I'm simply mad at the fuckass that suddenly thinks he/she has something to say to me when I really don't know this person at all. Whatever happens between me and a girl is OUR business and not yours, so I'd appreciate it if you stopped thinking you knew what went on between us and while you're at it stop thinking anything in my life has any resonance with your pitiful existence. If we weren't friends, the fact that you suddenly know that I was involved with someone and it ended does not change a fucking thing between us. Seriously, it's inappropriate and immature. It's something I abstain from and it's a common courtesy that SHOULD BE understood within the mores of social grace, yet somehow people still don't get it. Or maybe they just need to get a fucking life of their own?
And its really fucked up because the primordial human response is to grind that person's face into the ground. Unfortunately, I can never do that. Now I'm a nice guy and a person that tries really hard to keep his cool, but sometimes idiots really set me off. Sometimes I wish I was a Roman Centurion and I could run someone through with a sword in the name of the Republic, or at least knock their teeth out so they think about what they say/do.
Instead, the best thing you can do is describe how you've moved on, be it to another girl, to finding another form of happiness, or to whatever it is that sets you apart from those mother fucking blood suckers. In my case, I've found a new infatuation with a girls that look a certain way, with dark hair, tan skin, and light eyes (surprise, surprise). Not another word on that, though. Yet still, that doesn't quite satisfy the urge to physically shut someones fucking mouth.
If y'all don't like me you can suck my dick till you numb it.
And its really fucked up because the primordial human response is to grind that person's face into the ground. Unfortunately, I can never do that. Now I'm a nice guy and a person that tries really hard to keep his cool, but sometimes idiots really set me off. Sometimes I wish I was a Roman Centurion and I could run someone through with a sword in the name of the Republic, or at least knock their teeth out so they think about what they say/do.
Instead, the best thing you can do is describe how you've moved on, be it to another girl, to finding another form of happiness, or to whatever it is that sets you apart from those mother fucking blood suckers. In my case, I've found a new infatuation with a girls that look a certain way, with dark hair, tan skin, and light eyes (surprise, surprise). Not another word on that, though. Yet still, that doesn't quite satisfy the urge to physically shut someones fucking mouth.
If y'all don't like me you can suck my dick till you numb it.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Bright Skies and Sunshine
I'm in love with everything again.
This morning I called 555 on my phone and I have $27 worth of call credit and $479 worth of prepaid SMS text credit.
It's been a good day. Yesterday my presentation went well, and I felt a huge weight had been lifted. Walking home my feet felt lighter and it was almost as if I was floating on the ground from Grattan to Royal Parade then home across the treacherous roundabout where Flemington Rd meets Elizabeth and Peel St. I felt like I was moving like a surefooted apparition.
Miranda cooked for me again, and her room was full of women. Bianca, her pretty Australian roommate was there (incidentally I bought my board from her dad's surf shop), Bianca's friend was there, and our Canadian friend Caitlin was there, too! Caitlin is one of the funniest girls I've met here and she's extraordinarily well traveled. She is coming surfing with me on Friday. I chatted up the girls a bit and got the attention of Alex, Kenny, Andy, and John directly above her room to gain a recess of man time with them. As I was standing on the balcony, I looked in and saw Miranda sitting on her bed. Reading her body language-cross legged, back straight, eyes patiently fixed on me, I sensed that she wanted me closer. I hadn't REALLY spent time with Miranda in a while, and I felt it too, so I went to her. I laid my head in her lap and talked with her a bit. She ran her hand through my hair once, which I wish she had done more, but the caress of a female friend's hand is a feeling that I feel will never get old. Looking back, head still in her lap, I reached my hand up and felt her small jaw line and where her hair meets her ear. I hadn't noticed until then but her figure is extraordinarily feminine. I can't explain why I did it, but it felt ever so sweet. There is something absolutely unarmingly pure about a close affectionate friendship that remains and endures, untainted by selfishness and sexual pleasures of the body.
We warmed up the night around the village with the usual, then made our way to Eurotrash.
Surprisingly, I saw a number of people I knew at Eurotrash. A good number of the American girls from the RMIT village were there, many of the Europeans I met during the Melbourne Welcome and honestly haven't seen since were there, and I went with a good number of people in my group as well. My old friend, Matteo, was there, and he and I spent the night together dancing and enjoying ourselves. Matteo has a certain indescribable energy to his personality that mine plays off of. Our characters seem to feed off each other, fueling intensity and keeping things interesting. He more than anyone makes me anxious for my visit to Europe, for I feel places like Spain and Italy will suit me well, thanks to people like him. I really need to start making time for the people that I enjoy more, for the extra effort will pay off in the end.
At any rate, he and I went up to the higher floor in Eurotrash for some air and met some nice Aussie girls. Upon talking to them, we quickly realized they were 18 and 17. Both of us cutting one year off our actual ages, we told them we were 19 and 21. After a bit of a chat, they pulled us on to the dance floor, with the 17 year old taking me by the hand and leading the way. So high school. Before I knew it, against my will, this girl was grinding on me like a rabbit in heat. Not wanting anything of that sort, and thinking that it's actually quite illegal, (I'm no expert on the Australian legal system but it is illegal in most states) I broke up that noise pretty quickly. The night went on more or less uneventfully from there, but man it was good to see Matteo again and be out raging with him. At one point it was he and I and a harem of these young random Aussie girls we met dancing and he and I were having a blast just laughing at how funny life can be sometimes.
Today I had a tutorial at 10 AM. Somehow I was fine, despite getting home around 4:00 AM last night. I went to my second tutorial around 1:15 and by 1:30 I'd made the decision to tell the tutor that I had to leave in order to catch a flight. A white lie, but I've spoken enough (as I normally do) and I hadn't read the assigned reading nor had I made the lecture due to my first two days of intense work this week.
Skipping out on that, I went to a really cool park with Chris. It's full of statues and monuments and shrines.
Above is a picture in a women's shrine in a pool with water trickling down it. The atmosphere was so pleasant that Chris and I just sat there in silence for a delayed moment, deep in spiritual reverie.
Below I've attached a photo of the Sidney Myer statue. Sydney Myer was a pretty cool dude. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever be made into a statue. Then I wonder what age I'd be in the statue. Then I stop wondering.
Here is the Perpetual Flame of the Shrine of Remembrance, donated by Queen Elizabeth II herself. Something about the idea of a perpetual flame is deeply spiritual to me, though I am too dull, or perhaps too naive, or perhaps a combination of both, to synthesize what I mean by that into words that satisfy me.
Tonight Camille is cooking me dinner. Lately I find myself thanking my lucky stars. Catch up with you in a bit.
This morning I called 555 on my phone and I have $27 worth of call credit and $479 worth of prepaid SMS text credit.
It's been a good day. Yesterday my presentation went well, and I felt a huge weight had been lifted. Walking home my feet felt lighter and it was almost as if I was floating on the ground from Grattan to Royal Parade then home across the treacherous roundabout where Flemington Rd meets Elizabeth and Peel St. I felt like I was moving like a surefooted apparition.
Miranda cooked for me again, and her room was full of women. Bianca, her pretty Australian roommate was there (incidentally I bought my board from her dad's surf shop), Bianca's friend was there, and our Canadian friend Caitlin was there, too! Caitlin is one of the funniest girls I've met here and she's extraordinarily well traveled. She is coming surfing with me on Friday. I chatted up the girls a bit and got the attention of Alex, Kenny, Andy, and John directly above her room to gain a recess of man time with them. As I was standing on the balcony, I looked in and saw Miranda sitting on her bed. Reading her body language-cross legged, back straight, eyes patiently fixed on me, I sensed that she wanted me closer. I hadn't REALLY spent time with Miranda in a while, and I felt it too, so I went to her. I laid my head in her lap and talked with her a bit. She ran her hand through my hair once, which I wish she had done more, but the caress of a female friend's hand is a feeling that I feel will never get old. Looking back, head still in her lap, I reached my hand up and felt her small jaw line and where her hair meets her ear. I hadn't noticed until then but her figure is extraordinarily feminine. I can't explain why I did it, but it felt ever so sweet. There is something absolutely unarmingly pure about a close affectionate friendship that remains and endures, untainted by selfishness and sexual pleasures of the body.
We warmed up the night around the village with the usual, then made our way to Eurotrash.
Surprisingly, I saw a number of people I knew at Eurotrash. A good number of the American girls from the RMIT village were there, many of the Europeans I met during the Melbourne Welcome and honestly haven't seen since were there, and I went with a good number of people in my group as well. My old friend, Matteo, was there, and he and I spent the night together dancing and enjoying ourselves. Matteo has a certain indescribable energy to his personality that mine plays off of. Our characters seem to feed off each other, fueling intensity and keeping things interesting. He more than anyone makes me anxious for my visit to Europe, for I feel places like Spain and Italy will suit me well, thanks to people like him. I really need to start making time for the people that I enjoy more, for the extra effort will pay off in the end.
At any rate, he and I went up to the higher floor in Eurotrash for some air and met some nice Aussie girls. Upon talking to them, we quickly realized they were 18 and 17. Both of us cutting one year off our actual ages, we told them we were 19 and 21. After a bit of a chat, they pulled us on to the dance floor, with the 17 year old taking me by the hand and leading the way. So high school. Before I knew it, against my will, this girl was grinding on me like a rabbit in heat. Not wanting anything of that sort, and thinking that it's actually quite illegal, (I'm no expert on the Australian legal system but it is illegal in most states) I broke up that noise pretty quickly. The night went on more or less uneventfully from there, but man it was good to see Matteo again and be out raging with him. At one point it was he and I and a harem of these young random Aussie girls we met dancing and he and I were having a blast just laughing at how funny life can be sometimes.
Today I had a tutorial at 10 AM. Somehow I was fine, despite getting home around 4:00 AM last night. I went to my second tutorial around 1:15 and by 1:30 I'd made the decision to tell the tutor that I had to leave in order to catch a flight. A white lie, but I've spoken enough (as I normally do) and I hadn't read the assigned reading nor had I made the lecture due to my first two days of intense work this week.
Skipping out on that, I went to a really cool park with Chris. It's full of statues and monuments and shrines.
Above is a picture in a women's shrine in a pool with water trickling down it. The atmosphere was so pleasant that Chris and I just sat there in silence for a delayed moment, deep in spiritual reverie.
Below I've attached a photo of the Sidney Myer statue. Sydney Myer was a pretty cool dude. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever be made into a statue. Then I wonder what age I'd be in the statue. Then I stop wondering.
Here is the Perpetual Flame of the Shrine of Remembrance, donated by Queen Elizabeth II herself. Something about the idea of a perpetual flame is deeply spiritual to me, though I am too dull, or perhaps too naive, or perhaps a combination of both, to synthesize what I mean by that into words that satisfy me.
Tonight Camille is cooking me dinner. Lately I find myself thanking my lucky stars. Catch up with you in a bit.
Monday, October 19, 2009
No pictures this time. Just words. Red, Gold. I told. Never stand too close.
I must be the luckiest motherfucker on the planet.
Can I just say how grateful I am to live in room 2? Every time the Red Bull girls roll through the RMIT village they park their little modified mini cooper right in front of my patio. This most recent time I convinced a really cute brunette girl to come up to my balcony and hand me a Red Bull. I might have a tiny crush on her, but its likely just Springtime lust that will never become anything more than a silly chase. Still, next time she comes to my balcony if she remembers my name I'm asking for her number. I have a month and two weeks left in Melbourne, gotta live it up. Not to mention my patio has inadvertently become the social hub for my friends and myself. A roommate that is gone during weekends, sick speaker system, and a great location for assembling large crews of cool kids also helps.
Last weekend I went bowling and kicked it Friday night. Then Saturday I meant to only play a few games of goon pong and keep it real so I could study hard Sunday, like I had Saturday and Friday. My downfall began right around when the spirits entered my life. Somehow I blacked out, lost to a team of girls in goon pong, got completely shut out and had to run the naked lap around the RMIT, made it home and threw up and scattered bread all over my floor, which gave quite the charming wake up the following morning. God that was funny.
For now I'm going to keep my romantic life slightly more secretive-more people than I expected to seem to read this and I think it will keep things better grounded in reality if I'm slightly more personal about them. If you like, mom, I'll fill you in later. Speaking of, I know you might already be in Seattle with dad but I sent you an email and asked a friend of what you should do while in Seattle. Seems like you have a friend there from what you told me on the phone but let's face it; my friends are cooler than yours.
On another note I think my Global Movements class test went extremely well. I ran out of time with my second essay, but was able to tack on a three sentence conclusion at the end that might have saved it. Keep those H1's coming. By the way, I'm going to show dad the paper I wrote for my Terrorism class. My tutor really liked it and as a member of the US Department of Energy super duper official and important I think you might enjoy some of the stuff I said. I had to assume a new perspective and do my best to shed my American bias-instead of speaking in terms of American National Security suddenly I'm speaking in terms of Freud's death drive, identity politics, biopolitical consciousness, and other strange theories discussed in the course. I got a high mark on it, and really had a lot of fun writing it.
Tonight I had a really great political debate with my Pakistani friend Aized. He has a completely different world perspective and system of beliefs, and its really good to get the other side of the story. He would accuse America of imperialistic tendencies, fighting too many wars, and other issues, and I would do my best to explain why America needs to continue to fight wars. Simply put, look at the Macro Economy. C+I+G+N=GDP. That is, consumption (small ticket items-you buy a sandwich)+Investment (large ticket items-houses, cars, etc)+Government Spending (self explanatory)+Net Exports-Net Imports=GDP. From World War II on America has relied on large government spending and funding of operations abroad, development of new technologies, fighting internal wars such as the war on drugs-which is a sheer act of folly and entirely different issue, in order to keep its Macro Economy going. Throw in outsourcing and the Neoliberal movement hurting the domestic workforce and its no wonder we still need to fight an extraordinarily expensive War on Terrorism. Starting in 2003 with the invasion of Iraq the US spent 380 billion dollars alone on the war effort. That matches the expenditures of the 14 other highest countries on military affairs for that same year.
This last push through finals has awakened my academic mind from a deep slumber. I'm thinking in terms of NGOs and global movements that transcend the traditional nation-state framework.
God I can't wait to get back into a Biology classroom.
After my presentation tomorrow I'm celebrating by going to Eurotrash.
Can I just say how grateful I am to live in room 2? Every time the Red Bull girls roll through the RMIT village they park their little modified mini cooper right in front of my patio. This most recent time I convinced a really cute brunette girl to come up to my balcony and hand me a Red Bull. I might have a tiny crush on her, but its likely just Springtime lust that will never become anything more than a silly chase. Still, next time she comes to my balcony if she remembers my name I'm asking for her number. I have a month and two weeks left in Melbourne, gotta live it up. Not to mention my patio has inadvertently become the social hub for my friends and myself. A roommate that is gone during weekends, sick speaker system, and a great location for assembling large crews of cool kids also helps.
Last weekend I went bowling and kicked it Friday night. Then Saturday I meant to only play a few games of goon pong and keep it real so I could study hard Sunday, like I had Saturday and Friday. My downfall began right around when the spirits entered my life. Somehow I blacked out, lost to a team of girls in goon pong, got completely shut out and had to run the naked lap around the RMIT, made it home and threw up and scattered bread all over my floor, which gave quite the charming wake up the following morning. God that was funny.
For now I'm going to keep my romantic life slightly more secretive-more people than I expected to seem to read this and I think it will keep things better grounded in reality if I'm slightly more personal about them. If you like, mom, I'll fill you in later. Speaking of, I know you might already be in Seattle with dad but I sent you an email and asked a friend of what you should do while in Seattle. Seems like you have a friend there from what you told me on the phone but let's face it; my friends are cooler than yours.
On another note I think my Global Movements class test went extremely well. I ran out of time with my second essay, but was able to tack on a three sentence conclusion at the end that might have saved it. Keep those H1's coming. By the way, I'm going to show dad the paper I wrote for my Terrorism class. My tutor really liked it and as a member of the US Department of Energy super duper official and important I think you might enjoy some of the stuff I said. I had to assume a new perspective and do my best to shed my American bias-instead of speaking in terms of American National Security suddenly I'm speaking in terms of Freud's death drive, identity politics, biopolitical consciousness, and other strange theories discussed in the course. I got a high mark on it, and really had a lot of fun writing it.
Tonight I had a really great political debate with my Pakistani friend Aized. He has a completely different world perspective and system of beliefs, and its really good to get the other side of the story. He would accuse America of imperialistic tendencies, fighting too many wars, and other issues, and I would do my best to explain why America needs to continue to fight wars. Simply put, look at the Macro Economy. C+I+G+N=GDP. That is, consumption (small ticket items-you buy a sandwich)+Investment (large ticket items-houses, cars, etc)+Government Spending (self explanatory)+Net Exports-Net Imports=GDP. From World War II on America has relied on large government spending and funding of operations abroad, development of new technologies, fighting internal wars such as the war on drugs-which is a sheer act of folly and entirely different issue, in order to keep its Macro Economy going. Throw in outsourcing and the Neoliberal movement hurting the domestic workforce and its no wonder we still need to fight an extraordinarily expensive War on Terrorism. Starting in 2003 with the invasion of Iraq the US spent 380 billion dollars alone on the war effort. That matches the expenditures of the 14 other highest countries on military affairs for that same year.
This last push through finals has awakened my academic mind from a deep slumber. I'm thinking in terms of NGOs and global movements that transcend the traditional nation-state framework.
God I can't wait to get back into a Biology classroom.
After my presentation tomorrow I'm celebrating by going to Eurotrash.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Be careful of what you do, because the lie becomes the truth
At last I've hit catharsis. My hands are clean, and my heart is quiet and calm.
The past few days cooled off...for a bit. Monday and Tuesday I dedicated myself to reading up and becoming a master of Radical Islam and the Islamist movement as a Global Trend. I am to present in class on it and then write a paper on it for my Global Movements class. The entire week has been gloomy and rainy, so I guess I couldn't ask for better weather if I have to remain indoors anyway. I got the chance to skype with Robb finally, and we talked about the finer things in life. Women, home, operation Eurotrashed 2010, parties, crazy people we've met, and odds and ends and ins and outs. Apparently our last night in town he and I got thrown out of a bar, although neither of us seem to remember this happening. Who knows.
By Wednesday I was so studied out that after class I texted Zander to see if he wanted to practice some goon pong with me. He obliged, and we complied a playlist of good music to play to for the next weekends to come, which are sure to be full of goon pong when while we all still have time. Here's a shot of Zander and Damo, an RA, drinking goon and enoying the rainy Wednesday afternoon.
The day continued and the sun fell. Before I knew it, we were going to Etihad Stadium to watch the Socceroos play Oman. On the way, we picked up Subway for dinner and grabbed a tram. I hadn't validated and the tram security came on, threatening me with a very expensive ticket. I validated, and spoke very quickly and kept making excuses and somehow got off. I think one of my excuses literally was, "we JUST got Subway."
We were in the third row in behind a goal amidst a sea of yellow and green Socceroos fans. We got free flags and towels with our admission, which was pretty fucking great. Our team won 1-0. We went back and finished the night with more goon pong
Today I've continued my studies and I'll be going to my last tutorial of the week in Terrorism at 5:15. This weekend is going to be a study weekend as I have a class test, a presentation, and a paper that I'll need to complete for next week, along with my normal reading. I am debating taking one day off to surf on Friday or Saturday just to keep my sanity, but I'm not sure if I really can justify that after taking Wednesday afternoon/night off.
Did I mention Chris is coming with me to Cairns? We'll have sold our surf boards by then but we will still enjoy the wilderness and the sights in Cairns. In Byron all the travelers said that a ton of hostels have free dinners in Cairns, so I'm looking forward to finding the free food. My flight changed so I'll be flying out a few days before the live aboard diving ship I'm doing my research from departs, so we're gonna explore the jungle and see what we can find in and around Cairns. Chris is the man. Can't wait.
And Christina and Camille will be joining me in New Zealand! So much for traveling alone. Meh, the more the merrier. Below is Camille "Old Gregg" Hunter. She's awesome, and she goes to Oxy! I hadn't met her before I came down here but now she makes me laugh unlike anyone else.
And here's a shot of me and Christina the original frumpus penis goon Brown. Oldschool pic from the RMIT O week the second week I was out here. This is when things were first heating up and we were raging super hard....Oh wait nothing's changed. Christina and I both enjoy dirty dancing, strange youtube and internet videos, and continuing ridiculous tangential nonsensical conversations. She's as sunny and funny as the California sun.
Still trying to squeeze in trips to Sydney and maybe spend a week in November on the Great Ocean Road, camping and hitting surf spots if that's possible. If anyone actually reads this and wants to make one of those happen let me know. Hopefully I can make it all happen before 2010 hits. I guess we'll see.
The past few days cooled off...for a bit. Monday and Tuesday I dedicated myself to reading up and becoming a master of Radical Islam and the Islamist movement as a Global Trend. I am to present in class on it and then write a paper on it for my Global Movements class. The entire week has been gloomy and rainy, so I guess I couldn't ask for better weather if I have to remain indoors anyway. I got the chance to skype with Robb finally, and we talked about the finer things in life. Women, home, operation Eurotrashed 2010, parties, crazy people we've met, and odds and ends and ins and outs. Apparently our last night in town he and I got thrown out of a bar, although neither of us seem to remember this happening. Who knows.
By Wednesday I was so studied out that after class I texted Zander to see if he wanted to practice some goon pong with me. He obliged, and we complied a playlist of good music to play to for the next weekends to come, which are sure to be full of goon pong when while we all still have time. Here's a shot of Zander and Damo, an RA, drinking goon and enoying the rainy Wednesday afternoon.
The day continued and the sun fell. Before I knew it, we were going to Etihad Stadium to watch the Socceroos play Oman. On the way, we picked up Subway for dinner and grabbed a tram. I hadn't validated and the tram security came on, threatening me with a very expensive ticket. I validated, and spoke very quickly and kept making excuses and somehow got off. I think one of my excuses literally was, "we JUST got Subway."
We were in the third row in behind a goal amidst a sea of yellow and green Socceroos fans. We got free flags and towels with our admission, which was pretty fucking great. Our team won 1-0. We went back and finished the night with more goon pong
Today I've continued my studies and I'll be going to my last tutorial of the week in Terrorism at 5:15. This weekend is going to be a study weekend as I have a class test, a presentation, and a paper that I'll need to complete for next week, along with my normal reading. I am debating taking one day off to surf on Friday or Saturday just to keep my sanity, but I'm not sure if I really can justify that after taking Wednesday afternoon/night off.
Did I mention Chris is coming with me to Cairns? We'll have sold our surf boards by then but we will still enjoy the wilderness and the sights in Cairns. In Byron all the travelers said that a ton of hostels have free dinners in Cairns, so I'm looking forward to finding the free food. My flight changed so I'll be flying out a few days before the live aboard diving ship I'm doing my research from departs, so we're gonna explore the jungle and see what we can find in and around Cairns. Chris is the man. Can't wait.
And Christina and Camille will be joining me in New Zealand! So much for traveling alone. Meh, the more the merrier. Below is Camille "Old Gregg" Hunter. She's awesome, and she goes to Oxy! I hadn't met her before I came down here but now she makes me laugh unlike anyone else.
And here's a shot of me and Christina the original frumpus penis goon Brown. Oldschool pic from the RMIT O week the second week I was out here. This is when things were first heating up and we were raging super hard....Oh wait nothing's changed. Christina and I both enjoy dirty dancing, strange youtube and internet videos, and continuing ridiculous tangential nonsensical conversations. She's as sunny and funny as the California sun.
Still trying to squeeze in trips to Sydney and maybe spend a week in November on the Great Ocean Road, camping and hitting surf spots if that's possible. If anyone actually reads this and wants to make one of those happen let me know. Hopefully I can make it all happen before 2010 hits. I guess we'll see.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
I have become a never-ending swirl of American Sin.
The past week has been a complete blur. I've done huge things every night, let go of all inhibitions or worries, and begun to really just enjoy my life again. Last I updated was Tuesday, but Wednesday we kept things goin and Chris and I headed out to our friend Dom's house near Brunsick street where we got up to the usual, I passed out from being so tired, and called it a night. Thursday I went larger than life, wound up dancing with my friend then somehow switching to another girl...think I kissed her for a bit, but not sure how long. She asked me to walk her home, which I obliged, and during the long walk I sobered up a bit and realized what she was up to. Not knowing her name and not particularly interested I left her on the porch in front of her house-which was by the way completely out of my way, meaning I had to walk for a good 35 minutes alone to get home....whatever, though.
Friday was even more insane. I woke up, curled up in my bed and brought my laptop up to catch up on the 3rd Season of Deadwood, my current favorite HBO series-more so than the Sopranos or Entourage (call me crazy, I know), and suddenly Zander and Chris show up on my patio. Before I knew it, Zander and I were playing 1 on 1 goon pong to practice for the tournament. One thing lead to another and we played for a good two hours, at which point we took an intermission to head to the Royal Park and play some dizzy bat, where you fill a bat (in this case a cricket bat) up with a beer, chug it, and then spin for however long you took to drink the bat. After the spin, the pitcher pitches the now empty beer can to you and you do your best (with a 90% fail rate) to hit the can. So much fun. Dizzy bat shown below.
We went back, had dinner, and got ready for the night. We went to Club 118, Alex and Sam (two solid dudes from Tufts in Boston live there) and continued the goon pong and the moustache game. Oh and we made party hats for the night.
That's Zander and I (the unstoppable goon pong duo) looking tough and training for the goon pong tournament, soon to be held at RMIT.
After that we went out for Sarah's birthday. First to a place where the guys couldn't get in. Likely because we were belligerent but with them saying we were underdressed. When I'm wearing $200 le coq sportif shoes, $150 A&F jeans (I know I need to leave it in high school but a good pair of jeans is hard to find), $50 Tommy Hilfiger boxers, a $75 Ralph Lauren Polo, my nicer Nixon watch, and a peacoat my father bought me as a gift I hardly think they can justify not letting me in. Sorry for the materialistic bullshit but anyone that has read American Psycho can appreciate it.
Picture break! Below see me, Kara, Francesca and Laura in my room during goon pong Sat night...I'll get to Sat in a bit.
So we went to another club...called the joint on Elizabeth. We spent the better part of the night there, dancing and drinking beer and finding full beers people left behind.
The rest of the night will remain a private matter
But seriously enough of that. I haven't even told you about Saturday or today (when I went surfing and got some homework done) and I'm going to have to get back to you on that.
Just so you know that I'm not completely wasting my time on partying I'll post a slideshow of Toquay surfing.
The past week has been a complete blur. I've done huge things every night, let go of all inhibitions or worries, and begun to really just enjoy my life again. Last I updated was Tuesday, but Wednesday we kept things goin and Chris and I headed out to our friend Dom's house near Brunsick street where we got up to the usual, I passed out from being so tired, and called it a night. Thursday I went larger than life, wound up dancing with my friend then somehow switching to another girl...think I kissed her for a bit, but not sure how long. She asked me to walk her home, which I obliged, and during the long walk I sobered up a bit and realized what she was up to. Not knowing her name and not particularly interested I left her on the porch in front of her house-which was by the way completely out of my way, meaning I had to walk for a good 35 minutes alone to get home....whatever, though.
Friday was even more insane. I woke up, curled up in my bed and brought my laptop up to catch up on the 3rd Season of Deadwood, my current favorite HBO series-more so than the Sopranos or Entourage (call me crazy, I know), and suddenly Zander and Chris show up on my patio. Before I knew it, Zander and I were playing 1 on 1 goon pong to practice for the tournament. One thing lead to another and we played for a good two hours, at which point we took an intermission to head to the Royal Park and play some dizzy bat, where you fill a bat (in this case a cricket bat) up with a beer, chug it, and then spin for however long you took to drink the bat. After the spin, the pitcher pitches the now empty beer can to you and you do your best (with a 90% fail rate) to hit the can. So much fun. Dizzy bat shown below.
We went back, had dinner, and got ready for the night. We went to Club 118, Alex and Sam (two solid dudes from Tufts in Boston live there) and continued the goon pong and the moustache game. Oh and we made party hats for the night.
That's Zander and I (the unstoppable goon pong duo) looking tough and training for the goon pong tournament, soon to be held at RMIT.
After that we went out for Sarah's birthday. First to a place where the guys couldn't get in. Likely because we were belligerent but with them saying we were underdressed. When I'm wearing $200 le coq sportif shoes, $150 A&F jeans (I know I need to leave it in high school but a good pair of jeans is hard to find), $50 Tommy Hilfiger boxers, a $75 Ralph Lauren Polo, my nicer Nixon watch, and a peacoat my father bought me as a gift I hardly think they can justify not letting me in. Sorry for the materialistic bullshit but anyone that has read American Psycho can appreciate it.
Picture break! Below see me, Kara, Francesca and Laura in my room during goon pong Sat night...I'll get to Sat in a bit.
So we went to another club...called the joint on Elizabeth. We spent the better part of the night there, dancing and drinking beer and finding full beers people left behind.
The rest of the night will remain a private matter
But seriously enough of that. I haven't even told you about Saturday or today (when I went surfing and got some homework done) and I'm going to have to get back to you on that.
Just so you know that I'm not completely wasting my time on partying I'll post a slideshow of Toquay surfing.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
This has been a strange week back. Today I went to St Kilda with Zander and grabbed lunch at a nice, cheap restaurant. I realized that I only have three more Wednesdays of classes, and only seven weeks here for the remainder of the semester. That really upsets me, because I've been very bad about going out and exploring new parts of the city, despite how small it is compared to Los Angeles. I realized that instead I've been going out with the same group of people, to the same bars, and drinking. Early in the semester I remember telling myself that this is exactly what I didn't want to happen, so I'm vowing to start seeing more of the city and trying new things. A SoCal kid coming from parties in college to Melbourne, where everyone mostly seems interested in partying lately finds himself questioning whether or not he's spending his time the best way possible and moreover whether he is really happy.
It's hard for me to describe where I'm at right now. This is the part of the semester where everyone seems stuck in no-man's land. I am especially bothered by it given my current situation, along with my philosophical disposition that drives me to over-think everything. For the first time I really missed home today. I missed the cheap food, the cheap spirits and beer, the friends and family that make it the home that I yearn for, my dog, and (to be honest) the life I left behind. For the first time I really am appreciating everything I was born with, things I always took for granted, and my life as a young Californian. It's not a bad place to go back to, and it's a great place to call home. It certainly isn't perfect, but no place is. Australia has also highlighted some of LA's imperfections, but even so I felt the homesickness hit me pretty hard.
At the same time I know the second I go back I'll miss it here. I'll miss the friends, the RMIT village, the times, the people that I may never see again but will always remember, the school, and all the memories I've made. I really have a great group of guy friends here. With Zander, Chris, my roommate Ben, the Englishmen and John, Mike, Damo, Sam, Alex, Nick, and all the other blokes I've always got a drinking buddy if I look hard enough and I plan on visiting many of them in the future. Alas, here I am, stuck somewhere between myself and someone else, not quite me but also nobody but me at the same time. It's like I'm chasing an apparition of myself. Each time I get close to the fleeting spirit, however, I get a little bit further away from when I was younger, more pure, less tainted by the world, and more adventuresome and boyish. I currently have no way out, no release, no sense of belonging. THIS IS NOT AN EXIT.
As for the social/love life...things are looking grim. Sometimes I just wish I was the ugliest idiot on the planet, so that women would completely avoid me and stop complicating my life. Of course, I don't really mean that and if anything I should be thankful I've had the opportunities I've had. I'm not saying I'm brilliant or beautiful, but to say that women ignore me would be a lie. I'm only 20 years old and I already feel like I've loved so much, I've shared the company and friendship and everything in between with some amazing and beautiful girls. And yet, I still have no idea what any of them want. My head is sick of thinking about how to be friends after a falling out like the one I had, my mouth is sick of all the words that will never matter, and my spirit and soul ache from constant torment from everyone else's unwillingness to let me be and give me my space. The first few days were fine and I actually enjoyed just being a guy again and holding nothing back and going out with friends. I even made new friends around RMIT. I was happy being out again, meeting new people, and letting loose. Then the chat messages came. Seriously, it had been two days and I'm already getting bothered. Sometimes you need to let a person have their space, for the sake of social grace and common courtesy after an emotional separation. Last night I realized I can't even just drink with the guys and be happy anymore-before I know it someone's friend is talking to me, trying to convince me to feel a certain way or do a certain thing. I spent the better part of the night being questioned and quizzed until my head was full of all the thoughts I wanted to suppress and wanted to let time take the edge off of. It makes me wish I could drive back through time, into the sunset of what once was when I first got here when everything and everyone was new and I could drink and be merry and meet new friends in peace. If you poke at and irritate an already upset person, throw in being drunk to the point of blacking out, they will inevitably lash out. The worst part is these are things I regret and while I wish I could just detach, stop caring, and move on I can't.
I think it's your fault, mom. You brought me up with so much love and taught me to love and treat women a certain way, and while I stumble through trying to do the right thing and constantly fuck things up I always want to work things out in the end, which is a quality I've noticed not everyone possesses, but you certainly have it more so even than me. You always do your best to make things right. Unfortunately things might be damaged beyond repair, but I'm doing my best and the past two and a half months haven't made my life easy. At the worst I know I can look back knowing that as much as I fucked up I tried my best to the end to keep things friendly, because if I hadn't made that effort I surely would regret not letting it go and sucking it up in the last few months to have the girl that has made me feel every emotion I've ever known by my side as a friend until the end. I'm getting a lot better at forgiving, letting go, and realizing that life is never what you could hope it would be. Maybe you have moments of perfect, glorious idealized forms of what you take for real life, but it never lasts long.
Life is all about how well you loved, how well you forgave, and how well you learned to let go.
Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to throw on a sweatshirt; step out into the cold, dark night, and embrace the irreversible spiraling chaos of this emerald dream.
It's hard for me to describe where I'm at right now. This is the part of the semester where everyone seems stuck in no-man's land. I am especially bothered by it given my current situation, along with my philosophical disposition that drives me to over-think everything. For the first time I really missed home today. I missed the cheap food, the cheap spirits and beer, the friends and family that make it the home that I yearn for, my dog, and (to be honest) the life I left behind. For the first time I really am appreciating everything I was born with, things I always took for granted, and my life as a young Californian. It's not a bad place to go back to, and it's a great place to call home. It certainly isn't perfect, but no place is. Australia has also highlighted some of LA's imperfections, but even so I felt the homesickness hit me pretty hard.
At the same time I know the second I go back I'll miss it here. I'll miss the friends, the RMIT village, the times, the people that I may never see again but will always remember, the school, and all the memories I've made. I really have a great group of guy friends here. With Zander, Chris, my roommate Ben, the Englishmen and John, Mike, Damo, Sam, Alex, Nick, and all the other blokes I've always got a drinking buddy if I look hard enough and I plan on visiting many of them in the future. Alas, here I am, stuck somewhere between myself and someone else, not quite me but also nobody but me at the same time. It's like I'm chasing an apparition of myself. Each time I get close to the fleeting spirit, however, I get a little bit further away from when I was younger, more pure, less tainted by the world, and more adventuresome and boyish. I currently have no way out, no release, no sense of belonging. THIS IS NOT AN EXIT.
As for the social/love life...things are looking grim. Sometimes I just wish I was the ugliest idiot on the planet, so that women would completely avoid me and stop complicating my life. Of course, I don't really mean that and if anything I should be thankful I've had the opportunities I've had. I'm not saying I'm brilliant or beautiful, but to say that women ignore me would be a lie. I'm only 20 years old and I already feel like I've loved so much, I've shared the company and friendship and everything in between with some amazing and beautiful girls. And yet, I still have no idea what any of them want. My head is sick of thinking about how to be friends after a falling out like the one I had, my mouth is sick of all the words that will never matter, and my spirit and soul ache from constant torment from everyone else's unwillingness to let me be and give me my space. The first few days were fine and I actually enjoyed just being a guy again and holding nothing back and going out with friends. I even made new friends around RMIT. I was happy being out again, meeting new people, and letting loose. Then the chat messages came. Seriously, it had been two days and I'm already getting bothered. Sometimes you need to let a person have their space, for the sake of social grace and common courtesy after an emotional separation. Last night I realized I can't even just drink with the guys and be happy anymore-before I know it someone's friend is talking to me, trying to convince me to feel a certain way or do a certain thing. I spent the better part of the night being questioned and quizzed until my head was full of all the thoughts I wanted to suppress and wanted to let time take the edge off of. It makes me wish I could drive back through time, into the sunset of what once was when I first got here when everything and everyone was new and I could drink and be merry and meet new friends in peace. If you poke at and irritate an already upset person, throw in being drunk to the point of blacking out, they will inevitably lash out. The worst part is these are things I regret and while I wish I could just detach, stop caring, and move on I can't.
I think it's your fault, mom. You brought me up with so much love and taught me to love and treat women a certain way, and while I stumble through trying to do the right thing and constantly fuck things up I always want to work things out in the end, which is a quality I've noticed not everyone possesses, but you certainly have it more so even than me. You always do your best to make things right. Unfortunately things might be damaged beyond repair, but I'm doing my best and the past two and a half months haven't made my life easy. At the worst I know I can look back knowing that as much as I fucked up I tried my best to the end to keep things friendly, because if I hadn't made that effort I surely would regret not letting it go and sucking it up in the last few months to have the girl that has made me feel every emotion I've ever known by my side as a friend until the end. I'm getting a lot better at forgiving, letting go, and realizing that life is never what you could hope it would be. Maybe you have moments of perfect, glorious idealized forms of what you take for real life, but it never lasts long.
Life is all about how well you loved, how well you forgave, and how well you learned to let go.
Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to throw on a sweatshirt; step out into the cold, dark night, and embrace the irreversible spiraling chaos of this emerald dream.
Monday, October 5, 2009
First and foremost, in my enlightening sobriety, I would like to apologize for my previous post and the way I portrayed my fling as some sort of cheap call girl. When I say that she said she'd call me she rather implied that, and I paraphased that sentence. The encounter really wasn't that skanky-I just used poor diction and had an altered perspective due to Deb's 21st and a night of dancing and drinking in a high class, top-floor suite at the Crown.
So let's take some time to tell you about my friends. Long overdue, but I wanted to really have something to say. Lately my closest female friend has been Miranda Emanuel, a sunny California girl proudly hailing from Santa Cruz. I remember visiting Santa Cruz and liking the carnival and arcade set up on the beach, and enjoying the UC's campus as well. That must have been 2005 I went there? My, my, how time does fly. At any rate, here is a picture of the little skankatropolis in all her glory
She's pretty lovely, I know. Miranda I never tell you how pretty you are, I know, but that's because we're friends and I think it might be inappropriate, but for once I'd like to take the chance to tell you how beautiful I think you are. The most remarkable thing is that she is CONSTANTLY assumed as my girlfriend. This has happened almost immediately from the beginning of the semester, as we became friends during the welcome and have remained tight throughout the duration of our Australian semester abroad, thanks to us living together and her strange enjoyment derived from cooking me meals. In Byron Bay all the guys I met also asked if she was my girlfriend, which I suppose I can understand as we were two young free spirits from California traveling together. I've been saved from fat girls hitting on me at Eurotrash (what did I expect at a place called Eurotrash, I know) by her playing my girlfriend, and I've been granted entry into Billboard's thanks to her posing as my girlfriend. While I"m not one to ever rule that out entirely I'm basically positive we're so far in the friend zone that the line separating friends from all else is a blur. In the beginning we toyed with the idea, and I think we both had open minds and thought something might be in the cards, but we quickly realized that we were better serving as close friends (maybe best friends?) and so friends we stayed.
Plus losing her as my gym buddy, female opinion, end of every joke, girl that feeds me, everything else in between, and foregoing my position where I hear all the juicy stories and gossip normally saved for the circle of girls isn't really worth throwing away....Did I mention she surfs? Quite the little woman, I know. Also she's my little bro.....she's gonna be mad about me posting this pic but I only ever promised to keep it off facebook. Her she and I are scoping the wreck during one of the off days in Byron Bay.
Love you Miranda, my little skankatropolis. I'm glad we're friends.
The weather today is shit. It's Spring it needs to be warm. I'm upset.
New Friend update soon!!
So let's take some time to tell you about my friends. Long overdue, but I wanted to really have something to say. Lately my closest female friend has been Miranda Emanuel, a sunny California girl proudly hailing from Santa Cruz. I remember visiting Santa Cruz and liking the carnival and arcade set up on the beach, and enjoying the UC's campus as well. That must have been 2005 I went there? My, my, how time does fly. At any rate, here is a picture of the little skankatropolis in all her glory
She's pretty lovely, I know. Miranda I never tell you how pretty you are, I know, but that's because we're friends and I think it might be inappropriate, but for once I'd like to take the chance to tell you how beautiful I think you are. The most remarkable thing is that she is CONSTANTLY assumed as my girlfriend. This has happened almost immediately from the beginning of the semester, as we became friends during the welcome and have remained tight throughout the duration of our Australian semester abroad, thanks to us living together and her strange enjoyment derived from cooking me meals. In Byron Bay all the guys I met also asked if she was my girlfriend, which I suppose I can understand as we were two young free spirits from California traveling together. I've been saved from fat girls hitting on me at Eurotrash (what did I expect at a place called Eurotrash, I know) by her playing my girlfriend, and I've been granted entry into Billboard's thanks to her posing as my girlfriend. While I"m not one to ever rule that out entirely I'm basically positive we're so far in the friend zone that the line separating friends from all else is a blur. In the beginning we toyed with the idea, and I think we both had open minds and thought something might be in the cards, but we quickly realized that we were better serving as close friends (maybe best friends?) and so friends we stayed.
Plus losing her as my gym buddy, female opinion, end of every joke, girl that feeds me, everything else in between, and foregoing my position where I hear all the juicy stories and gossip normally saved for the circle of girls isn't really worth throwing away....Did I mention she surfs? Quite the little woman, I know. Also she's my little bro.....she's gonna be mad about me posting this pic but I only ever promised to keep it off facebook. Her she and I are scoping the wreck during one of the off days in Byron Bay.
Love you Miranda, my little skankatropolis. I'm glad we're friends.
The weather today is shit. It's Spring it needs to be warm. I'm upset.
New Friend update soon!!
An ode to 3:38 in the morning....
Tonight Dan Frannson got punched in the face and it was a complete atrocity. It was Deb's 21st at Crown and man things got wild in the casino club. I danced with a girl, Carolina (care oh lean uh-not care oh line uh), and she and I wound up kissing. She was a great kisser, too. She told me she was born in Argentina then moved to Melbourne. She had the look and her hips moved like she was South American, but even if she was lying I don't mind. She was very pretty. One guy in my same cab home even commented on how girls that pretty don't normally give it up that easily.
Seriously though I can't be happier. This girl came into my life, danced with me, kissed me, took my number, and said she'd call me if she was looking for a good time. Given my circumstance I'd say this is exactly what I need. To my friends back home, this is officially the first Australian girl I've hooked up with. The good ones seriously are hard to find, but if you look long enough you're sure to find. The best part is if I don't see her again life goes on and I'm sure neither of us will mind much. If it does, the mutual attraction and two fired-up personalities hopefully can.
Well now it's 3:42 and I have class at 10:00 in the AM. Australia Now! Woohoo! Better see all you hippies there!
DMR
Tonight Dan Frannson got punched in the face and it was a complete atrocity. It was Deb's 21st at Crown and man things got wild in the casino club. I danced with a girl, Carolina (care oh lean uh-not care oh line uh), and she and I wound up kissing. She was a great kisser, too. She told me she was born in Argentina then moved to Melbourne. She had the look and her hips moved like she was South American, but even if she was lying I don't mind. She was very pretty. One guy in my same cab home even commented on how girls that pretty don't normally give it up that easily.
Seriously though I can't be happier. This girl came into my life, danced with me, kissed me, took my number, and said she'd call me if she was looking for a good time. Given my circumstance I'd say this is exactly what I need. To my friends back home, this is officially the first Australian girl I've hooked up with. The good ones seriously are hard to find, but if you look long enough you're sure to find. The best part is if I don't see her again life goes on and I'm sure neither of us will mind much. If it does, the mutual attraction and two fired-up personalities hopefully can.
Well now it's 3:42 and I have class at 10:00 in the AM. Australia Now! Woohoo! Better see all you hippies there!
DMR
Thursday, October 1, 2009
I spent the last two months setting myself on fire for you
Our time at Byron Bay came to a close and we returned to Melbourne on Wednesday night.
I must say I had a blast and made some amazing friends and shared some unforgettable experiences. I spent the first night under the stars, in my winter bag (Go Mountain Hardware). I seriously considered not buying a tent and going the full two weeks in a bag but the girls--Miranda and Fleur, my wondeful travel buddies who stuck it out for the week with me despite our constant gender-clashing moments of sheer awkwardness or tension-convinced me to buy a tent, which I am now lending to a friend who is still at Byron from Melbourne Uni so that she doesn't have to buy one. Sometimes men and women really are on different time schedules, and often have different ultimate goals. Put the two together and things will stir up a bit. Fortunately, we remained civil and I'm proud to have traveled with the ladies, including Camille "Old Greg" Hunter. I'd like to note that upon her arrival I completed a proper harem of women, all of whom I defended gallantly-er as gallantly possible due to me being on Mid Semester Holiday and constantly drinking near the Eastern coast of Australia. At any rate, this has all been an overtly thorough, roundabout approach of thanking you all.
That was a mouthful. Here's a picture of Old Greg in the morning for some comic relief.
Going to Byron especially made me reconsider what exactly my life is about and where exactly it is going. I see all these broke travelers having the time of their life, and here I am struggling my way through school so that I can become part of the more successful American society working a job that pays well so I have money to buy more shit that I don't need. Capital isn't everything, and it alone certainly won't make me happy. And yet, I feel as though I can't be as free as the travelers, for my parents have sacrificed so much to give me a private education from age 11 on, solidifying me in a route destined for a proper professional career. I've decided to do further traveling after I graduate and before I attend Grad/Law school, because even now sometimes it's more than I can take. The hustle and bustle of the Melbourne life is so routine now, and the bad weather continuing this far into spring is bringing me down, but I'm holding out for a bright day and a good splash of sun upon my face. After the impeccable weather at Byron Bay the effects are worsened on me, creating a depressing dichotomy that makes me yearn for a sunny beach town more so than ever before. However, it's not all doom and gloom and after the 7th inning stretch I'm sure the sun will make it's glorious comeback. On that higher note here's a few pictures of the trip.
This was the day I went fishing with the Frenchmen and the Belgian guy I met. From left see Ben, a charming French surfer who is extraordinarily shy around women, Olivier, a guy who vowed to drop me a line when he's in Melbourne and travel with me to the south Isle of New Zealand for December, and Gaetan (Thomas being his chosen name). They all spoke French, and at one point they met up with two other Frenchmen and of course they were all speaking French! Seriously for a good hour French was the entire conversation spoken, until Thomas apologized for speaking only French. Truth be told, I was kind of glad to just be able to not understand entirely what is going on, I couldn't understand a word. Surprisingly, they noticed they were speaking the elegant flow and smooth slurry of sweet noises a non-speaker hears emerging from their mouths.
But ahh that was just one afternoon!
I'll hit you with more info on particular stories/people I met while at Byron when I inevitably recall them from memory over the next few weeks.
In today's news: Nothing Gold Can Stay. Robert Frost, you still said it. It was beautiful and pure and something larger than me and quite the ride, but it took its toll and came crashing to an end, although there may still be a happy friendly ending once I sort some more of my thoughts out and take some time to let go and get thoughts out of my present mind and instead recall them as fond memories when I look her in the eyes again. Extremely poetic and stupid and gay and shit blah blah blah I know but I liked this one and sometimes it's just hard to let go, though we knew the fall we were taking and took the plunge together, something I really admire in a girl. Emmi and I were always daring, accepting, and willing to learn from each other. She gave me an experience completely unique and precious compared to any I've felt before in any of my relatively short and unsucessful years with women. But alas, we were simply too different and it couldn't be. Life goes on, and it improves. As are the ups and downs. Our lives were simply heading in opposite paths and we couldn't come to a compromise for what we both wanted. A final night together kept it a romantic endeavour until the end, making the entire experience even more memorable. I'll never forget you, Em, and I hope you always remember that I'm glad we met and things worked the way they did. It was beautiful, a valiant struggle to hold things together for the Glory of Love until it all inevitably came crashing to an end. There really is no blame for the way things went. We both could sense things were off after the break, and strangely I've heard similar stories from many people, including my roommate Ben. I guess mid semester holiday in Australia just does that...who knows.
But now I can get back on with my life. Save the world, lose the girl. I've been here before and I'm sure I'll be here again. On goes my path in life, separate from everyone but myself, my family, and a few friends that will last me a lifetime. I look forward to going to the gym again, continuing my running during the week and surfing during the weekend, and really putting my focus on friends and schoolwork and saving money for New Zealand for the next month. I really do have my life back, but yesterday she called me thinking I called her (turns out I hadn't)...strange to say the least.
Tonight Ben and I ate chicken with rice. The chicken was some pre-marinated chicken I bought at the Queen Victoria Market. Cheap and delicious. I'm excited to have some more good cooking nights in Room 2 with Ben. We really do eat extremely well.
In other news last night I went out with the guys. I started with Mike and Damo and we wound up going to one of the really nice RA's rooms. There was a huge space for beer pong and I played and drank way too much goon in the process. After that we grabbed a taxi to some bar on Brunswick, the name of which I forget, and got a jug. After that we went to another place and I drank an extremely tasty beer, really hoppy and delicious. Can't remember most of the night after that but I'm almost positive I threw up and we went home, which marks my first blackout and vomiting basically since the first week I got here. But hey it was Friday night what can I say you can't win 'em all. Looking forward to going out again tonight as well.
More to come soon, I promise!
I must say I had a blast and made some amazing friends and shared some unforgettable experiences. I spent the first night under the stars, in my winter bag (Go Mountain Hardware). I seriously considered not buying a tent and going the full two weeks in a bag but the girls--Miranda and Fleur, my wondeful travel buddies who stuck it out for the week with me despite our constant gender-clashing moments of sheer awkwardness or tension-convinced me to buy a tent, which I am now lending to a friend who is still at Byron from Melbourne Uni so that she doesn't have to buy one. Sometimes men and women really are on different time schedules, and often have different ultimate goals. Put the two together and things will stir up a bit. Fortunately, we remained civil and I'm proud to have traveled with the ladies, including Camille "Old Greg" Hunter. I'd like to note that upon her arrival I completed a proper harem of women, all of whom I defended gallantly-er as gallantly possible due to me being on Mid Semester Holiday and constantly drinking near the Eastern coast of Australia. At any rate, this has all been an overtly thorough, roundabout approach of thanking you all.
That was a mouthful. Here's a picture of Old Greg in the morning for some comic relief.
Going to Byron especially made me reconsider what exactly my life is about and where exactly it is going. I see all these broke travelers having the time of their life, and here I am struggling my way through school so that I can become part of the more successful American society working a job that pays well so I have money to buy more shit that I don't need. Capital isn't everything, and it alone certainly won't make me happy. And yet, I feel as though I can't be as free as the travelers, for my parents have sacrificed so much to give me a private education from age 11 on, solidifying me in a route destined for a proper professional career. I've decided to do further traveling after I graduate and before I attend Grad/Law school, because even now sometimes it's more than I can take. The hustle and bustle of the Melbourne life is so routine now, and the bad weather continuing this far into spring is bringing me down, but I'm holding out for a bright day and a good splash of sun upon my face. After the impeccable weather at Byron Bay the effects are worsened on me, creating a depressing dichotomy that makes me yearn for a sunny beach town more so than ever before. However, it's not all doom and gloom and after the 7th inning stretch I'm sure the sun will make it's glorious comeback. On that higher note here's a few pictures of the trip.
This was the day I went fishing with the Frenchmen and the Belgian guy I met. From left see Ben, a charming French surfer who is extraordinarily shy around women, Olivier, a guy who vowed to drop me a line when he's in Melbourne and travel with me to the south Isle of New Zealand for December, and Gaetan (Thomas being his chosen name). They all spoke French, and at one point they met up with two other Frenchmen and of course they were all speaking French! Seriously for a good hour French was the entire conversation spoken, until Thomas apologized for speaking only French. Truth be told, I was kind of glad to just be able to not understand entirely what is going on, I couldn't understand a word. Surprisingly, they noticed they were speaking the elegant flow and smooth slurry of sweet noises a non-speaker hears emerging from their mouths.
But ahh that was just one afternoon!
I'll hit you with more info on particular stories/people I met while at Byron when I inevitably recall them from memory over the next few weeks.
In today's news: Nothing Gold Can Stay. Robert Frost, you still said it. It was beautiful and pure and something larger than me and quite the ride, but it took its toll and came crashing to an end, although there may still be a happy friendly ending once I sort some more of my thoughts out and take some time to let go and get thoughts out of my present mind and instead recall them as fond memories when I look her in the eyes again. Extremely poetic and stupid and gay and shit blah blah blah I know but I liked this one and sometimes it's just hard to let go, though we knew the fall we were taking and took the plunge together, something I really admire in a girl. Emmi and I were always daring, accepting, and willing to learn from each other. She gave me an experience completely unique and precious compared to any I've felt before in any of my relatively short and unsucessful years with women. But alas, we were simply too different and it couldn't be. Life goes on, and it improves. As are the ups and downs. Our lives were simply heading in opposite paths and we couldn't come to a compromise for what we both wanted. A final night together kept it a romantic endeavour until the end, making the entire experience even more memorable. I'll never forget you, Em, and I hope you always remember that I'm glad we met and things worked the way they did. It was beautiful, a valiant struggle to hold things together for the Glory of Love until it all inevitably came crashing to an end. There really is no blame for the way things went. We both could sense things were off after the break, and strangely I've heard similar stories from many people, including my roommate Ben. I guess mid semester holiday in Australia just does that...who knows.
But now I can get back on with my life. Save the world, lose the girl. I've been here before and I'm sure I'll be here again. On goes my path in life, separate from everyone but myself, my family, and a few friends that will last me a lifetime. I look forward to going to the gym again, continuing my running during the week and surfing during the weekend, and really putting my focus on friends and schoolwork and saving money for New Zealand for the next month. I really do have my life back, but yesterday she called me thinking I called her (turns out I hadn't)...strange to say the least.
Tonight Ben and I ate chicken with rice. The chicken was some pre-marinated chicken I bought at the Queen Victoria Market. Cheap and delicious. I'm excited to have some more good cooking nights in Room 2 with Ben. We really do eat extremely well.
In other news last night I went out with the guys. I started with Mike and Damo and we wound up going to one of the really nice RA's rooms. There was a huge space for beer pong and I played and drank way too much goon in the process. After that we grabbed a taxi to some bar on Brunswick, the name of which I forget, and got a jug. After that we went to another place and I drank an extremely tasty beer, really hoppy and delicious. Can't remember most of the night after that but I'm almost positive I threw up and we went home, which marks my first blackout and vomiting basically since the first week I got here. But hey it was Friday night what can I say you can't win 'em all. Looking forward to going out again tonight as well.
More to come soon, I promise!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
