Archive for April, 2009
April 30 2009: I Have Loving Parents
Filed under Family with 23 Comments
Coming home at 12.30am last night after having spent most of the night at Mr. Monogamy’s, I realised I didn’t have my house keys. I briefly contemplated spending the night in my car rather than wake up my parents to get them to let me in the house (we haven’t been on the best of terms lately, and they really don’t need more ammunition to use against me), but considering that it got down to 5 degrees celsius last night, that really wasn’t an option as I was only wearing a short-sleeved Tshirt, jeans, and a fleecy jumper.
So I rang the doorbell. And waited. And waited. And waited. I rang the doorbell again. And waited. And waited. And waited. I called the home phone from my mobile, and let it ring…and ring…and ring. No answer. I tried again. No answer. So after dithering on the front step for a few minutes trying to decide what to do (I contemplated driving back to Mr. Monogamy’s and staying with him), I finally decided to go over to the side of the house and knock on my parents bedroom window until they woke up and let me in the house.
This morning? My mother told me that they heard the doorbell and heard the phone, but decided to make me wait outside in the 5 degree weather as a punishment for: a) forgetting my house keys; b) coming home at 12.30am; c) generally daring to breathe and exist.
I have lovely, loving, caring, parents.
April 29 2009: Long Train Commutes
Filed under Uni/Work with 10 Comments
Encountered on the train today:
- A schoolboy wearing two pairs of underwear. He was stretching, his shirt rode up, and his pants were low enough for me to see two underwear bands sticking up over his waistband – Bonds and Jockey.
- A guy wearing black tights, a purple plaid mini-dress, grey bomber jacket and a grey fedora. He was tapdancing on the train.
This is perhaps the one benefit of having a long train commute into the city for work – the characters you see on public transport. They enliven what would otherwise be a mind-numbingly dull hour-long commute.
I try to make good use of the time by doing readings for university, but sometimes the trains are so crowded that you’re practically having clothed sex with the people you’re squashed up against. In those circumstances, it’s hard to pull out a big folder and start highlighting sentences in dense readings, especially if you don’t manage to get a seat. The only option open to you is really to just listen to your iPod and stare blankly into space without making eye contact with anyone. Unproductive, but the only option.
In other news, it’s been cold enough this week in Melbourne to warrant me wearing four layers. Today for example, I’m wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt under my long-sleeved pinstripe shirt, under a black cardigan, under my black and white wool herringbone coat. That’s more layers than I was wearing in the United Kingdom in the depths of winter. There’s something wrong with this situation.
April 28 2009: Full Matching Tracksuits
Filed under Style with 4 Comments
So I went to this VIP invite-only special sale at the Adidas headquarters tonight with my mother and brother, and can I just say one thing? Full matching tracksuits are the tackiest look ever. No one should ever wear a full matching tracksuit (top and bottom) unless they’re a professional athlete and/or they’re wearing it for ironic 80s-costume-party-esque reasons.
Yet despite this unrefutable truth, all the fully sick bros at the sale today were stocking up on full tracksuits and high-top sneakers, fully embracing the ill-advised 80s revival. There was no sign of the economic downturn at this sale – people were buying four, five, six full tracksuits at $150AUD a pop. Black tracksuits with gold stripes. White tracksuits with hot pink stripes. Sky blue tracksuits with white stripes. The one requirement seemed to be that the tracksuit had to be as blindingly bright or tasteless as possible .
Surely I’m not the only one who prefers a plain coloured tracksuit pant (navy or black preferably) with a T-shirt in a different colour scheme that will still work well with the navy or black? I’m a fan of baby blue Tshirts with navy trackpants, or any bright-coloured Tshirt with black trackpants. Exercise-wear only of course, or for bumming around the house – I’m not the type of person to go out and about in my exercise gear.
But really, that’s the thing with fashion throughout the ages. This isn’t a modern thing – people will generally opt for the tacky and flashy option over the more classic option. That’s why we have “trends” featured in fashion mags, rather than fashion classics that never date. It’s what keeps the fashion industry in business, keeps food in textile workers bellies, and keeps our consumerist society happy.
P.S. I didn’t buy anything at the sale…it wasn’t discounted enough for my tastes, though my mother and brother bought a pair of sneakers each.