Tim and I are taking the first baby steps towards buying a house.
Given that neither of us are originally from Melbourne it’s been tricky to know where to start. We don’t have family here who can guide us towards (or away from) certain suburbs or tell us which areas are overpriced, and the places we’ve loved renting in are out of our price range. In fact the main problem seems to be that every suburb is overpriced – all of them – unless maybe we’re interested in commuting from Tasmania every day?
And sure, maybe there are other problems, like the fact that my heart is set on having a bit of a view…
… a unique street frontage / facade…
and maybe something modern and open-plan?
I mean, I don’t mind if the kitchen is basic, as long as it’s functional…
… and I suppose I could live without a shower in the bathroom for my very first house.
Just as long as we can have a few friends over for dinner without being embarrassed., you know?
This fixer-upper is back on the market again (maybe they have termites or something?), but ugh… Brooklyn, really? I really would prefer to spend our $18 million on something a little closer to home. I mean they don’t even have Tim Tams there.
But I do hope that somebody snaps up this little diamond in the rough. I mean, it’s not perfect… but we all have to start somewhere I guess.
I’m so excited about Friday that I could smooch it riiiiiiight on the kisser. I’ve had a pretty good week really, but it’s been so frantic that every single night I’ve collapsed into my bed and been fast asleep before my head has hit the pillow.
Let’s hear it for Tim, who has been known to check on me in the middle of the night to make sure I’m breathing. I guess I really have been sleeping like the dead lately.
Anyway, I thought we could kick off the weekend with some great stuff that’s been happening around the web lately. Follow me!
The 101 Most Useful Websites of 2012. Most of these are smaller sites or web apps that do one thing really really well. There are some excellent resources in here – definitely one to bookmark!
Overcoming Procrastination, Money Problems, Self-Doubt & Other Creative Distractions. Easy, right? Not according to Chuck Palahniuk, who once wrote, “People don’t want their lives fixed. Nobody wants their problems solved. Their dramas. Their distractions. Their stories resolved. Their messes cleaned up. Because what would they have left? Just the big scary unknown.” I would love to see Chuck and Kate Reid debate that one!
And speaking of Speedy Reidy, Kate has prepared a complete guide to this year’s Eurovision. It has been a long time since I have seen this level of dedication and statistical analysis, and I for one cannot wait. Will we ever again find a song that can rival Safura’s Drip Drop? Oh 2010, you smell like lipstick again.
Did you know that MoMA offers online courses? You can choose between self-guided or instructor-led courses and some of the topics look great. I wonder if I should tackle one of these for task #8 on my list…
Skillshare is another cool resource for learning. It’s an online marketplace for classes, and anybody with knowledge can apply to share it. The best part is that the prices are extremely reasonable, and there are heaps of topics that don’t take themselves too seriously. Courses range from typography to app-building to cooking and even makeup. Heaps of fun to be had here!
This funny little film popped up on my Facebook feed today and it was too awesome to keep to myself. Anyone who is familiar with Melbourne’s pretty cityscape is going to love this naughty lizard!
Bless You is what happens when an architect in the skies tires of his creation and decides to spice things up a bit. (The artist hasn’t actually come out and said this, but maybe the lizard is supposed to symbolise Myki? You know I’m right about this.)
The man behind this short film is Philip Watts, a Melbourne-based editor with, you know, a handful(!) of TV episodes under his belt. His other passions include cartooning and animation, and lately he’s been putting them all together to make his own little films. Let’s hope he keeps going!
Meanwhile, ever wondered what might happen when a hungry alien with anger management issues meets a faulty vending machine? Vend Your Anger is a rough approximation of my most recent vending machine tantrum. Only I’m pretty sure I didn’t look this adorable at the time.
Go and show Philip Watts a little love on Vimeo. He’s rad.
Remember when I used to pour stuff into my paper journals? I was flicking through my old journals today and this made me want to start again.
I don’t even know how to write about my last week.
A bunch of stuff went down at work that I probably shouldn’t share here, and I’ve found myself kind of hiding from the world all weekend to make up for it. To give you some idea, I am writing this from bed at 4pm on Sunday and there is a strong chance that I will not be changing into grown-up clothes today.
I’ve wanted to share a bunch of stuff here on the blog over the past week but haven’t had a chance to sit down and write. So how about a great big linky roundup instead?
Beautiful photos of grafted cherry blossoms by Nova, a new bloggy fave. I’m really excited for Autumn but I love that my Northern Hemisphere pals are starting to see signs of spring!
Hello, I’ve got some sobering news. My friend Kate has made a super brave decision. If you’re the sort of person who looks for ways to improve yourself (or your life) you’ll be hooked by Kate’s energy and courage. She’s rad.
How to crochet a granny square. If anybody can teach me how to do this without throwing a tantrum, it’s Pip Lincolne. But I dunno, my tantrums are pretty legendary.
The easiest homemade icecream ever. I’m going to try this soon! Related: maybe I should finally buy the icecream attachment for my Kitchen Aid…
How about a bonus Currently post to round off the week? Thanks to Danielle for introducing me to these.
Feeling: Well rested (perhaps too well rested?) but wishing I hadn’t wasted away my weekend. I guess the last two days have been for recovery rather than productivity but something tells me I’ll get a surge of energy tonight to make up for it.
Watching: Earlier this week I followed a link to this incredible video. It’s a TED talk by Frans de Waal, an expert in moral behaviour in animals, discussing what happens when you give capuchin monkeys unequal pay for the same task. It’s absolutely incredible. The video below is an excerpt, but if you have time to watch the full talk you’ll also hear him talk about cooperation, empathy and consolation in chimpanzees and elephants.
Reading: I’m trying to complete a Diploma in 12 weeks (!), so most of my reading right now is confined to badly-written manuals full of spelling mistakes and poor grammar. I have so far resisted the urge to return them to my trainer with red pen corrections because I don’t think that will get me extra credit.
Thinking about: Old friends. About 6 weeks ago I wrote about my old highschool best friend and the difficulties we’ve faced as adults. Since then, despite our best efforts, we’ve found ourselves at another crossroad. I think I’m finally okay to leave that friendship in high school where it belonged and remember it fondly; some things just shouldn’t be so hard. It’s taken a long time to find that kind of peace.
I’ve made a conscious decision to say goodbye to people who drag me down. It even extends to the blogs I subscribe to and the people who pop up on my Twitter feed. I love a little bit of snark, but I’m through with people who thrive on mocking and negativity. There is so much more to life than being right.
Looking forward to: Winter! Melbourne weather has finally taken a cool turn, but the last couple of weeks have been very mild. I can’t wait for nights where we need an extra doona, hot chocolate and nights spent in front of the heater. I’m looking forward to breaking in my new Banana Republic trench coat and taking a day trip to find some snow. I hope that the late start to Autumn means that Winter will stretch a little bit longer too.
Making me happy: I had a particularly hellish day at work last week. The next day I arrived at work to find that my desk had been decorated with balloons, and a handful of people in the know dropped in just to give me a hug and tell me that I’m doing a great job. The support of my favourite colleagues has taken years to earn, and to know that it’s there has made all the difference this week. Living well is the best revenge, and all that.
Because holy crap you guys, I love my job 99% of the time, but there are some days when it can go and suck a big fat bag of dicks.
This powerful image is “Insomnia” by Brian DeYoung, who said: ”I think it was only fitting to stay up until 4:05am to finish this…”
I first discovered this incredible illustration on Tumblr, and as much as I wanted to share it here I promised myself that I would track down the artist first. It took a couple of days to work it out – even TinEye was no help! Eventually I used Google’s image search and clicked on each result until I found somebody who was crediting the source. Thanks be to Reddit.
Tumblr is such an incredible source of inspiration, but why don’t the people there understand the value of attribution?
Anyway. Brian’s portfolio is full of pop surrealism like this, and some beautifully executed conceptual ideas. Check out his blog and society6 store for more of his clever ideas.
I am thrilled to be able to offer my readers an exclusive giveaway here at Scarlet Words – a small dog! It’s just a small gesture to thank you all for your comments and encouragement over the years.
THE PRIZE:
Harry has spent the past few months growing enough extra fur for one (1) extra small dog. Your prize will include all of the accessories you will need for your new pet: two eyes, one button nose, and a collar.
Some DIY experience is desirable.
FEATURES:
Obeys simple commands, such as stay! and be quiet!
Requires no food or water
Completely housetrained
Enjoys daily walks, but prefers to be carried
Will not chew your shoes or bite small children.
HOW TO ENTER:
Drink a large glass of water while doing a handstand, and film it. First entry wins.
(For sentimental reasons I have decided to keep the dog on the right.)
This video is the second-best thing I saw on the Internet this week.
The best thing has to be the animated gif version of the video, created by Devoureth. It makes me want to put my boyfriend in his super-hot suit so that I can practice!
Begging to have my hair permed when I was 12, and succeeding
The time I was hit by a bus on my way to a funeral
That month-long period in Year 10 when the boy I had a crush on flirted with me like crazy, and I just thought he was being a weirdo
Navigating LAX with three small children; and
Wasting 3 weeks of my life on this effing jigsaw puzzle.
I think the lowest point during this project was when I grabbed the scissors from the kitchen drawer, intending to re-shape a puzzle piece that I believed with ALL MY HEART should have fit in a particular spot. There was a lot of Tim Talking Liz Down From the Ledge and Sure, Chocolate Can Be Dinner and Liz? Maybe You Should Go To Bed Now during the course of these 56.5 hours. Also swearing and crying and flipping the bird at objects that could only be described as inanimate.
But maybe, maybe there were also some good moments. Like the sort of conversations that only happen when you’re trapped in a room together and the TV is off. And maybe it wasn’t entirely terrible to listen to Richard Mercer’s Love Song Dedications on the radio, even if my boyfriend made it clear that he will never publicly glorify our love with a Whitney Houston power ballad.
The thing is, we did it and nobody died. We agreed that Tim wouldn’t touch the puzzle unless I was working on it (in order to satisfy the vague criteria of my list) and whenever we were puzzling, we were filming too.
Thank God we were able to capture all of our poor nutritional decisions on camera.
Almost exactly one year ago I wrote about this incredible Canadian indie band called Walk Off The Earth. At the time they had just catapulted to fame after their mesmerising cover of Gotye’s Somebody That I Used To Know and they seemed to be pretty stunned by all the attention.
It was only today that I realised how much other stuff they’ve done since recording that cover. There is some serious talent in this group of multi-instrumentalists (not to mention the incredible voices), and they’ve made some of the most creative low-budget videos I’ve seen in ages.
So I thought it was time to share more of their videos. It was hard to narrow it down to just a few, so check out the Walk Off The Earth YouTube channel for heaps more amazing covers.
I don’t think I can write about this band without again posting the video that shot them to fame. Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye & Kimbra was perhaps the song of 2012 so it’s been covered a lot, but this one blows all the others out of the water.
Tim’s Dad took us to the Ben & Jerry’s factory tour while we were in Vermont. Aside from eating some of the world’s greatest icecream (fact) we also took a tour of the factory and learned a lot about the history of the company.
I always knew that Ben & Jerry’s icecream tasted incredible, but it wasn’t until I went on this tour that I really understood why it’s so special. First of all, the company was created with a pretty firm philosophy of social activism, sustainable production supply chains, and giving back to the community. To this day they have maintained their commitment to source their dairy from pastured Vermont cows as a way of investing in their local industry. And all of their eggs are from cage-free chickens. How great is that?
So the B&J icecream that we buy here in Australia really is created in the factory pictured below – not by an Australian manufacturer who’s been granted a license. And although I don’t feel great about the distance my icecream has travelled (and what that does for my local industry, and the environmental costs of its transportation) I do have a new appreciation for the price we pay for their icecream here. Ben & Jerry’s offset the environmental impact of shipping their icecream to Australia by investing in renewable energy projects, so that eases the guilt a little.
The thing is, this company is incredibly progressive and they’ve thought long and hard about their role in the world. They encourage their employees to volunteer in the community and support them financially to do it – and not with token gestures. They lobby government to improve food standards and on economic issues. They believe in telling people exactly what’s in the food they’re eating, and producing it ethically and locally. They operate a foundation that invests in causes that will bring about change for communities.
This is sounding a bit like a sponsored post, sorry. But it’s hard to not get excited about a corporate venture that’s doing so much good.
We weren’t allowed to take any photos inside the factory in case we were evil spies, but it was really cool to see. Great care is taken to ensure that no ice crystals form during any part of the manufacturing process which is one of the reasons why you’ll never see a tub of B&J icecream that’s bigger than a pint. It’s all part of the quality control process.
And, umm…
I forget what else I was going to say, because this post made me hungry.
Last Saturday night was the grand final of the Victorian Roller Derby League, and it was awesome! It was also my first time as a spectator and we had a seriously good time.
These girls are tough. We were unlucky enough to be standing next to the only guys in the room who were there to perve, but everybody else was taking the sport pretty seriously and cheering on the players. The rules are simple to understand and there is just so much skill on display. It’s totally worth sitting ringside so that you’re part of the action.
I didn’t once see a girl fall down and stay down. This is not a game for sooks!
The spectators are colourful and friendly, and there were some great market stalls set up nearby as well. If you ever get the chance to see this sport in person I really recommend it. And besides, where else will you see Skate Bush, Pony Slaystation, Calamity Maim, Rage Against the Sewing Machine, Alex in Chains, Double D’viant, Killjoy Division and Terror Australis all in one room?
New York City. Every time you turn a corner there’s something unexpected.
I’m going to let these photos speak for themselves tonight. We’ve had some sad news over here and these pictures have been a welcome distraction. But now it’s time for bed, and I hope I’ll dream of these big, beautiful bubbles.
A calendar that marks the passage of time with ink, and the magic of capillary action.
TITLE : INK CALENDAR
DESIGNER: Oscar Diaz (http://www.oscar-diaz.net)
DIMENSIONS: 420 X 595 mm
MATERIALS: Paper and ink.
“Ink Calendar” make use the timed pace of the ink spreading on the paper to indicate time.
The ink is absorbed slowly, and the numbers in the calendar are “printed” daily. One a day, they are filled with ink until the end of the month. A calendar self-updated, which enhances the perception of time passing and not only signaling it.
The ink colors are based on a spectrum, which relate to a “color temperature scale”, each month having a color related to our perception of the weather on that month. The colors range from dark blue in December to, three shades of green in spring or oranges, red in the summer.
The scale for measuring the “color temperature” that I have used is a standard called ‘D65’ and corresponds roughly to a midday sun in Western / Northern Europe.
The “Ink Calendar” was developed for “Gradual”, an exhibition featuring works, which were evolving during the exhibition time at the London Design Festival 2007.
Every piece of Copula jewellery is handcrafted by a single artisan working with only the finest materials. In this exclusive video, LN-CC follows the intensive processes and skills that go into creating one of the Aztlan bracelets: a 925 sterling silver interpretation of a traditional friendship bracelet.
