Sunday

(I'm using an extract from my journal, as nothing else is coming into my head)

5.50am. I wake up. I have no idea what time it is. Usually, I have a sense of it, but not this morning. I head to the toilet. There is a clock in the bathroom associated with Sam’s electric toothbrush, I’ll see what time it is then. I feel like I stagger just a little in the dark stepping over the dog beds, the dog beds they don’t use any more. 

The bathroom clock says 5.50am. That is on the late side for my normal rising time. I piss.

I get back into bed, but I know even as I get back in that I am not going back to sleep. I lie there for moments really, then I get up again.

I sit on the bedroom floor and pull my clothes on.

I head downstairs.

I made coffee.

I open up the Guardian and read the headlines, with the thought, I wonder if anyone has died. That is my usual thought when I start to read the news.

Australia joins UK, Germany, Italy and New Zealand in condemning Israel’s planned Gaza City takeover. Australian foreign affairs minister Penny Wong and her counterparts have signed a joint statement saying the Israeli government and Hamas must work with the international community to end the war in Gaza. Photograph: Dominic Giannini/AAP. Joint statement warns Netanyahu’s new ground offensive will worsen ‘catastrophic humanitarian situation’ as international outrage grows.

Three people injured in shooting at New York City’s Times Square. NYPD say shooting took place after verbal dispute and one person is being held in custody.

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has condemned “goons” who took part in a neo-Nazi march through the streets of Melbourne in the early hours of Saturday morning. ‘Nazis don’t belong in this country’: Victorian premier scathing over masked march by ‘goons’ in Melbourne CBD. Man allegedly assaulted after confronting group of about 100 people on march to Flagstaff Gardens early on Saturday.

Trump reportedly considers reclassifying marijuana as less dangerous drug. President told people at a fundraiser last month he was considering changing marijuana’s Schedule I classification.

Peter Carey on Ned Kelly: ‘Did no one see what I saw, that our famous bushranger was a raging poet?’ Twenty-five years after his award-winning book was published, the Australian author revisits True History of the Kelly Gang.

6.37am. I started watching Coldwarmotors. 1978 Cougar engine removal. 1960 Chev Impala 2 dr, 1963 Pontiac.

I wrap myself up in the pink blanket. It’s cold.

Milo works his way around me when I am sitting up and then lying down, when my mysteriously sore neck starts to bother me more sitting up. My neck started to hurt yesterday, seemingly just out of the blue.

7.43am. Sam was up. Milo curls up in Sam’s lap.

8am. I make vegemite toast.

Otto is up.

8.25am. Brun is up.

8.30am. I start watching Tasty Classics and his blue 1978 Lotus Eclat. Cool car.

Sam makes coffee.

9.30am. Sam feeds the dogs.

10am. Sam starts cleaning. It is Sunday, so we have to clean. Every Sunday is cleaning day. Sam is ridged about it. Me, nyr, whatever, so, I guess, it is good Sam is a stickler.

I vacuum, after Sam has finished dusting and wiping and upon his instruction. You know, get to it, as I'm still on the couch with YouTube.

11.21am. The sun is shining, as I empty the vacuum into the bin outside. I stop for a moment and feel the sun on my face. The morning sun on your face is glorious.

I go and have a shower.

12:13pm. We walked the Bulldogs to lunch. The sun is shining. The sky is blue. It’s really a glorious day.

We walk through the gardens. We walk across the museum forecourt. Brun wants to charge ahead, so I let him off his lead. No harm can come to him in the museum plaza. I put him back on his lead when we get to Rathdowne Street.

Pelham Street > Lygon Street > Grattan Street.

12.37pm. We’re at Nasi Lemak House, 115 Grattan Street 

It’s actually hot sitting in the sun. There is an outside heater on which I ask the cute guy already eating if he wants it on, when Sam goes inside to order. The handsome guy doesn’t respond when I ask him. I ask him again, he still doesn’t respond. I ask louder. I ask louder again. I practically yell at him, but he still doesn’t respond. Then he just happens to look in my direction, and he sees that I am trying to gain his attention. He pulls his earbuds out of his ears. He doesn’t care about the heater. I turn it off.

1pm. A chatty couple with a dog come and sit next to us, which is annoying.

We both have chicken Nasi lemak. Sam has spicy. I have non-spicy.

There was a photo, a memory produced by the system of my photograph of a Carlton super tram stop with people standing on it from 2016 on Messenger.

Mark Waterdale:

why do you have a basketball in your hand?

You:

That's not me

Just Carlton

Mark Waterdale:

A rather perfunctory photo methinks...unless it was you...

You:

I think it looks better bigger. It’s just a linear taste of suburban life. I remember I liked the lines when I took it.

Mark Waterdale:

Doesn't make me want to move there...lol

You:

It can just be a taste of life, you don’t have to swallow

Mark Waterdale:

It will certainly be an interesting snapshot in 100 years....

You:

Actually, eating lunch in Carlton now. Sitting in the sun. Some chatty people came and sat right next to us which is annoying. They should be put out of my misery.

Mark Waterdale:

Or at least Tazed, there should be much more Tazing

You:

Or pepper sprayed

Mark Waterdale:

Yes yes...

You:

With every unapproved uttering

Mark Waterdale:

Indubitably

You:

Oh Jasus! Some even chattier people have come and sat on the other side. It’s like you can’t get any damn privacy in public any more

Mark Waterdale:

That's why I don't venture into it...but it can be griss for your Literary endeavours....

You:

It’s a fucken cacophony

Mark Waterdale:

Oh how I hate a caukaphone

The peeeepull the peeeeeepull

You:

I just want to say to them, none of you are as interesting as you think you are, so shut up!

Mark Waterdale:

Hehe

You:

Chuckle. Could you imagine?

Mark Waterdale:

And you'd be right

Taping their responses would be a great new reality TV show...

You:

Time to leave, some Americans have turned up

Mark Waterdale:

It could be called....The town crier....hear ye hear ye, all you people...blah blah blah....then press record

Eeeeeuughh ...run for your lives

You:

Oh, and really loud, exit stage left

Mark Waterdale:

Haha.....zactlie

You:

Decamping to the gelato shop

Mark Waterdale:

They're all loud

Ooooh yum

You:

This sun is really gorgeous though I have to say

Mark Waterdale:

Enjoy it....

A number of Americans order at Nasi Lemak House, but go and sit on the tables for the sandwich shop next door, where they proceed to speak like loud Americans.

We gather ourselves up and leave.

1.34pm. We walk down Lygon Street and get an ice each. I get pistachio. Sam gets Durian.

We walk up Pelham Street to Rathdowne Street.

As we begin to walk through the gardens, two Bulldogs supporters walk towards us, one of them hugged Brun for good luck.

1:49pm. We’re walking through the Carlton Gardens down by Carlton Street. The park is full of people. The Sun is shining. The sky is blue. 

Moor Street > home.

2.17pm. We’re home.

We get comfy on the couches and do screens. I share the big couch with the two dogs.

I watch YouTube. I don’t feel like writing.

Meryl Streep’s 6 favourite movies

Persona 1966

Umberto 1952

Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quay, 1080 Brussels 1975

The Rules of the Game 1939

Tokyo Story 1953

The Bicycle Thief 1948

Oh, so many American political reports until I really begin to wonder why the hell I care about it. You know, it’s the old car crash analogy, it is hard to look away.

3.27pm. I watched Meryl Streep’s most iconic moments. Ah, some well articulated sanity after the chaos of the bloated, orange, lying, bag of shit.

I watched one of the music YouTubers showing his Rolling Stones collection. Nyr. He’s talking about vinyl. I don’t know, I think the vinyl phase is kind of a weird backward step. But, you know, whatever floats your boat.

I watched Miley Cyrus Flowers Grammy performance. John Legend and Chrissy Teigen dancing in the audience. Taylor Swift with perfectly applied lipstick. Kylie looking gorgeous in red. Even Oprah dancing to her singing.

4.30pm. I watched Bette Midler Kenedy Centre Awards. Ah, Billy Porter. What a star!

I watched Steven Tyler honour Paul McCartney. What a star!

I watched Aretha Franklin sing Natural Woman in honour of Carol King.

I watched Adam Lambert sing Believe in honour of Cher. That performance is perfection. I return to it often.

5pm. We drink coffee and eat donuts, that Charlie bought home from work.

I watched Patti LaBelle sing I just Can’t Stop Loving You.

I watched Tina Turner sing, You Don't Bring Me Flowers and Sometimes When We Touch, Warner Theatre, 1978.

I watched Queen We Are The Champions, Live Wembley 1986, Live Rock Montreal, Live Aid 1985, Live in Budapest 1986, looking for a specific performance. I don’t find it. I am on a Queen kick at the moment, does it show.

I even watched Rami Malek win Best Actor @ 91st Oscars (2019) and his acceptance speech.

5.30pm. Sam goes to the supermarket.

Then it was time for the misery hour, Sam was back from the shops just in time.

Sam cooks soup for dinner.

End of the weekend. I have to work 5 days in the week coming up. And the week after that, thinking about it. I hope Boris is enjoying herself… I don’t think. Ha ha. No, I hope she is having a good time, no use the two of us not enjoying life.