Friday 13th

I've always chewed the skin around my nails. All my life. But, now a days if I chew it, I get infected fingers and thumbs. So, I am careful not to do it anymore. But, I caught myself having just chewed off the skin around my thumb the other day, and hey presto an infection. My doc tells me to soak it in warm water to draw the infection out, but I have found by loading it up with Betadine, that works too. Pretty gruesome, hey? But, I thought a good look for Friday 13th. 

7am. Bruno and I head downstairs.

Sam and Tim, our house guest, are already up chatting.

I make coffee.

I look at the news online.

Israelis Palestinians, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

There is something about Palestinian protests in Sydney have been banned, Jewish protests in Sydney have not. I wonder why?

There are some great photographers covered in The Guardian.

I had the bits I made up in my head when I first woke up to the short story I am currently re-writing.

9.41am. I take Bruno for a walk.

We meet Jackson Wag at the gate. “Where’s Bronco Billy?” Jackson Wag asks. (That was Jackson Wag’s contribution to the naming process)

“Hang on,” I say. Knowing Otto is on the couch next to Sam in the study and easily got, I go and get him.

I bring Otto out. “Here’s Bronco Billy.”

Jackson Wag pats him. “Is he Bronco Billy, or Otto?”

“He is Otto,” I say.

“I don’t care,” says Jackson Wag. “He’ll always be Bronco Billy to me.”

I laugh.

“I think you have done very well with him,” says Jackson Wag.

Jackson Wag walks around to the shops with us. The old barber is going to be a perfume shop. The old dress designer is going to be a pop-up perfume shop. 

That’s a lot of perfume, I think.

I’m listening to Marcia Hines, Queen of Pop.

9.55am. A cute guy cnr Brunswick Street and Gertrude Street smiles adoringly at Bruno. The cute guy has on sky blue track pants that show off his bubble butt admirably. Nice, I think. I’m more attracted to how beautifully he looked at Bruno more so than how he fills his pants, but you know, one can look.

The rain starts to fall as we head down Brunswick Street. Damn, I think! We seek shelter under the nearest awning, of which there aren’t many, Bruno not hurrying for a second, you understand. We head under the awning outside 137 Brunswick Street.

We wait for 10 minutes, long enough for two cute tradies to walk towards us, one of them smiling at Bruno; to giving directions to the Fitzroy Townhall; to having a perv on a tall slim bike rider who appears to want the closed bike shop in front of which Bruno and I are standing.

10.12am. I cross Bell Street typing on my phone with a big white Ute turning left into Bell Street. I can almost feel the agro radiating from the cabin of the vehicle. Mate, I’m well aware of you turning left despite looking down at my phone, but never the less, cars have to give way to pedestrians. It is amazing how simpletons take up points politicians make with earnest determination.

10.15am. An impossibly cute 18 yr old twink comes walking towards me as we pass Vasette, with butter for skin and dimples in his cheeks, with his hoodie hood pulled over his adorable head. When I look back, waiting for Bruno to have a piss, he has the most delectable arse in his grey shorts.

10.17am. We turn right into Johnson Street. Bruno gets some water from the bowl at the shop on the corner. The sky is still overcast, but I don’t mind the cool when I am walking.

10.20am. The bull terrier spins around in the tattoo shop at the glass doors to the street when he sees Bruno, which he often does. Bruno nonchalantly pisses on the glass doors, which is what he often does.

The brown Border Collie bares its teeth inside its shop a bit further along. It’s really surprising behaviour from a Border Collie. Its owner moves quickly towards it. It must be new, it did the same thing yesterday. She looked kind of concerned, as if she would have asked me to take my dog away. Let’s see her give that ago?

10.30am. Bruno wants to go into the dog wash shop, as always. Always. There must be good smells in there.

We meet up with Astroo, the St Barnard’s owner. Astro is dead, and she has had her new dog for ages, but I don’t know what else to call her. We chat about Otto. She says she can’t wait to meet him. I should ask her her new dog’s name.

A bit further up at one of the antique/junk shops, the owner is opening up, I stop to look at some very nice antique draws he has in the window, Bruno goes to pee, the guy says something to me, I can’t hear him because I have music playing in my headphones, Bruno pees, I say, “pardon,” pretty much knowing what he was saying from him pointing at Bruno, but Bruno had wee’d, “Never mind the guy says.” Seriously, are you trying to police dogs pissing in the street, I think.

We meander up Smith Street towards home. We take it at a gentle pace, of course we do. Bulldogs are in no hurry, generally.

10.49pm. An old guy stops me in Smith Street to tell me Bruno is beautiful.

“He is,” I say.

“How old is he?” he asks.

“Four,” I say.

“Well, he is a beautiful dog.”

It is a lovely day for a walk. 

A lady with a Springer Spaniel off its lead crosses the Street and the Springer Spaniel and Bruno do the ‘hello dance of dogs’ in the middle of the street.

10.56am. We’re home again.

Oh, seriously, it must be time for more coffee.

I’m listening to Marcia Hines Right Here Right Now.

I continue re-writing Try To Be A Good Person.

12.15pm. I go to wasabi Saloon and get two karaage chicken bento boxes for lunch. $36.

I chewed the skin off the edge of my thumb the other day, at the time I did it, I knew that I shouldn’t. And as has been the case of late, now it is infected. I have been putting betadine on it for the last, however many, days to try and fix it. The alternative is soaking it in warm salty water at night until the puss is drawn out, which is annoying being tied to that glass for an extended period of time. I reapplied the betadine in the kitchen just before, after which I pulled at the side of my thumb hoping the betadine might penetrate more easily by doing so. You know, Betadine isn’t going to work simply sitting on top of the skin. As I pulled at my thumb, a snake of puss burst out from next to my fingernail, so that was good. I pulled at it some more, hoping that would allow more Betadine to penetrate.

It does feel less hot and solid now.

My CDs arrived. Very excited. These are some of my favourite albums that suddenly became available. Lovely. This is the first time I have had them in digital format.

Sam’s Meta Quest 3 goggles arrives and I played shooting the aliens invading. It was fun.