Hooking Up with Manny

8.30am

My dreams

It was a dark night and I was driving a British Racing Green MGB. I had a flat tyre, Jean Black (one of mum’s eighty year old friends) was helping me change it. I took the winged hub nuts off with some sort of knuckle-dusters. My attention was distracted for a moment as I put the wheel by the side of the road, and when I looked back, Jean had dismantled the whole brake assembly with a screwdriver. (Ed note. Jean Black is legally blind) The parts were all over the road and she looked very pleased with herself. She smiled at me, like there’s a good job done, but she was looking in a different direction to where I was.

I was catching a 72 tram down Burke Road from High Street Malvern. I was in a hurry to get to where I was going. When we got to Malvern Road the tram turned left, apparently, it was a new route and I hadn’t noticed that the number on the tram was in fact 72A. The driver was one of the service guys from work. I was pissed off, I had to be somewhere. 

"What are we doing," I said? 

We headed up onto a rocky peak, on the very peak of the ridge, like some sort of madmouse. The driver gave me the full story how he was one of the very few who could negotiate the tracks through the rocky out-crop. I was dizzy from vertigo as the tram wound around the windy track. 

The next thing we were at the terminus in Glen Iris with the driver drinking tea from a thermos under palm trees with coconuts.

I got out to walk to wherever it was that I was going, shaking my head. “Unbelievable,” I muttered.

Stella arrived at 9am, with baby Patrick and we went to look at light-fittings in Richmond. The light fittings were cheaper than I would have given them credit for.

Stella explained how she negotiates the city in zones. She can travel from her home zone into another zone, no problem. But travelling between zones is more difficult. Sometimes there is nothing for it, but to go back to her home zone and start again. She laughed.

Stella had never seen my house, so I encouraged her to come now, while it is spotlessly clean. I think she was impressed, as house it is pretty cool. 

She dropped me back home at midday. 

I finally bought a new cafetiére. I had to go and buy a new coffee bean grinder, as Shane took the last one, despite it being given to the house by Sebastian. I think, maybe, Sebastian even bought it over after I had discussed it with him. But, I suppose, Shane thinks that Sebastian is really his friend. I guess that’s what he thought? 

I really got intimidated into buying the more expensive grinder by the shop assistant at Jaspers, who was so Prue from Kath & Kim. 

“We have the Gaggia and the Leggia, unless of course you just want one of those buzz-boxes?” She rolled her eyes at the thought.

“Um, yes, it was the buzz box that I was really interested.”

Wide eyes, look of disdain. “Oh…we only really have two types. This one, which is fifty-five dollars and this one which is one hundred and five. This one has a better motor and is clearly the better product of the two,” she said pointing to the more expensive model.

“So are you saying this one is much better than that one.”

“Well, yes, this one has two cutting blades and this one,” roll of the eyes, “only has one.”

“So would this one will last longer,” I said.

“It’s a superior product,” she said. “But you’d be far better off with a machine with a grinding action, really.”

“I don’t really drink that much coffee, just on weekends.”

“Oh,” she said. “Well, this one would do the job then, I suppose.”

As I walked home with the more expensive machine I thought that I don’t usually fall for that kind of thing. If I’d bought the fifty-five dollar machine and it only lasted for a few years and then bought another one, I would have been better off than with the more expensive machine, which may, or may not, last any longer.

So, I paid twenty-five dollars for the cafetiére and one hundred and five for the grinder. Somehow doesn’t seem right. 

Morning Miss.

I think I am feeling *somewhat* better today... Which is better than feeling like crap I guess!

So far, no mood swings, anyways!

If I *do* make it to D's I shall give you a tingle and see where you're at.

xTom

Oh yes, I *do* have that money you lent me all those weeks ago. ☺

Thanks!

Tom

buy an espresso maker ☺

Tom

Mark and Luke arrived about 6pm.

We went to Vibe for dinner. We sat outside until some absolute nuff-nuff’s came and sat next to us. She was so fat and not wearing a bra under her black t-shirt and her titts literally were rolled under her arms into her armpits, like children wrestling under a blanket. He had scabs on his face and the other guy was so nondescript, he blended into the concrete grey footpath. She rocked a baby in a pram that’s wheels squeaked every time she pushed it. She was talking about someone who owed her twenty-five dollars and how she was going to set up her whole house with that money. We moved inside and had that same discussion about how there really are people in the worlds who are a waste of space, who really are just wasting precious and non-renewable resources. The poor bastard kid just didn’t have a hope – he could be so lucky, but just wasn't. The dumb people are breeding and the cycle repeats.

I came home and washed the Rover, it was filthy.

Mark came home and spent most of the time on gaydar trying to arrange accommodation for their trip to Italy. There’s something a little weird – off – about Mark spending all of his time organising (sexual or not) accommodation for his and Luke’s trip overseas on gaydar on my computer when he comes to my place.

Luke rolled joints and he and I watched a George Clooney and Nicole Kidman movie, The Peacemaker. I think it was the first time the television had been on since Queer as Folk on Monday night.

I wanted to go to Manny’, so I waited until Mark and Luke left for J’s fortieth in Prahran, which was what they were hanging around for, before I headed to Ascot Vale, at approx 11pm.

I was supposed to call Manny by 10pm, but didn’t until 11.15. Apparently, he left seven messages for me, he told me not to listen to them, I haven’t yet. He can become very determined.

My phone battery ran out when I was chatting to mum and I plugged it into charge without turning it on again. I must stop doing that, but I was thinking about unhooking the internet so I could call her on the other phone. Woops.

Manny and I had great sex. He’s so sexy.