Little Creatures Brunch

Earlier this week I had brunch with A'Strizzle at Little Creatures Beer Hall on Brunswick Street. I had no idea they did food and was pleasantly surprised. Of course, the best thing about the place is the awesome interior/set up. Their brunch menu goes until midday and is reasonably priced for Fitzroy pretension.

On Conversation

 

"Don't discuss yourself, for you are bound to lose; if you belittle yourself, you are believed; if you praise yourself, you are disbelieved."

 

Michel de Montaigne, Essayist of the French Renaissance,1580

There are so books waiting to be read on my bookshelf. Last year I spent so much time researching for my thesis I would dream about all the time I would spend reading novels once I was finished honours. Then the Dip Ed hit and time for leisure reading didn't exist then either; so the books piled up. Now I finally have the time to start reading again and the first thing I picked up was this little Penguin book with a selection of essays by Michel de Montaigne. I love the touch of humanism in the essays, the references to Plato and Aristotle and the theme of friendship, it makes me feel as though I am reading, and learning from, literature of two different time periods rather than one. Nerdy, huh? Anyway, whatevs. I read this quote over a few times and it stuck in my head all weekend. Michel de Montaigne was known for being cynical but in this case I believe he is correct. But, I guess I am known for being quite cynical too....

 

Oh well, off to brunch.

 

Only a week left to go...

So here I am writing notes about Flexible Learning Spaces, which I hate to be quite honest. I don't like the spaces and I don't like writing about them. What I  like is shopping. Yeah, I like shopping for clothes to wear to places I like with people I like.

 I also like wine, I've had far too much of that stuff lately,  I need to stop drinking my calories just because I don't want to think about my education assignments and the soul-destroying job search process. I want to think about all the fun things I will do over summer with the friends I have seen too little of lately. Obviously, when I think of doing these things I am in an alternate reality in which I actually  have money and humidity doesn't do horrible things to my curls. I guess this summer I will be discovering what 'Budget Melbourne' has to offer. Ah, screw that.

Here is a list of things I am looking forward to doing once I have finished this infernal course.

• Attending the Spanish Film Festival La Mirada
• Drinking Sangria on the rooftop bar of The Emerald Peacock
• Dog/Housesitting for my parents and taking full advantage of the air con, proximity to the beach, and the sunny balcony.
• Drinking mojitos on aforementioned balcony
• Making massive pitchers of  iced tea with fresh fruit.
• Finally seeing a film at The Rooftop Cinema after countless summers of intending to go but never making it.
• Two words: Beer Gardens.
• Reading books for the enjoyment of it.
• Meeting some members of the opposite sex. So many females all up in my Education course. I need some casual entertainment.
• Dancing up a storm at Soul Night
• Discovering some new brunch places with my friends.....
• ....actually seeing my friends

 

Yesterday I had a 'mock interview' for teaching. It went well but the guy told me that I should beef up my resume with some information about my interests. ' List the countries you've been to' he suggested. I laughed a little thinking that it'd take up half the page. Then I couldn't stop trying to mentally list the countries I've visited. So here they are, for my reference and, just to brag.

New Zealand                     The Netherlands

Australia                            Belgium

Singapore                          Poland

England                             Czech Republic

Hungrary                           Austria

Ireland                               Germany

Scotland                            Italy

Slovakia                            Switzerland

Wales                                France

Spain                                 Portugal

 

Exactly twenty. Not as many as I thought, actually. I'm hoping to get Turkey, Greece, Cuba, Belize, Argentina, and Chile on there in the next few years.

 

 

Rather live out a lie than live wondering

Did I ever complain about Honours? Well, that was nothing compared to how I feel about the Diploma of Education. At least Honours was intellectually stimulating. Seriously, writing about sexual violence in 12th century Arthurian Literature was more useful than this course. Just let me teach, already!

I feel like I am holding my breath until November; at the very least, I'm barely holding onto my sanity.

I was feeling quite settled in Melbourne until I had to find photos for my Teaching Portfolio (load of wank). I spent a good hour looking through my photos from 2009 and 2010, laughing at memories of my European students. Perhaps I will return to Europe sooner than I had anticipated.

I want to add a picture to make this post prettier. But...no.

Melbourne Brunch Favourites Part #1

My two favourite brunch haunts of late. They're both restaurants which are generally a bit too pricey for a student, but the brunch menus are reasonable.

The European, Spring Street, CBD
Close to Parliament Station or take any tram up Collins or Bourke
I think weekday brunch ends at 11 or 12, but goes til 4 on weekends.
Favourite Meal: Turkish Eggs $18
The European is stylish, classy, and way out of my student budget for anything other than the breakfast menu. It's a popular lunch venue for business people of Collins Street... the Paris end, that is. I was once waiting for a friend and the waiter gave me the wine list to peruse, there was a bottle of French wine for something crazy like two grand. Me: " Tap water, please".

Manhattan, Toorak Village,

Catch the No. 8 Tram towards Toorak

I went to Manhattan for the first time a few weeks ago and have been back four times since. The waiters are lovely and the menu is great.

Favourite Meal: Flat Iron Eggs around $17

Give me a second, I need to get my story straight.

Today I met my lovely friend, 'Mountain Range', in the rainy CBD for a very book-themed day. We started off with lunch at Della Nonna at QV. They do delicious pizzas. My favourite pizza is the Al Capone, it has tomato, rosemary, smoked mozzarella, and potato. The waiter was also very cute and that never hurts... unless they're too aware of it and act as if they're doing you a favour by allowing you to gaze upon them while you order. Then it hurts.  While eating we updated each other on our ' love lives' and over-over-analysed everything. We pretty much just agreed I am confusing.

After lunch we had a quick look at the 'Love and Devotion' exhibition at the State Library. It seemed interesting, but there were too many people and I hadn't been able to let go of the over-analysing so I didn't take much in.

Then we skipped, and by skipped I mean huddled under my umbrella and carefully walked, down to Collins Steet to find a library I had read about. The library is in the Athenaeum building, which has been there since 1842, it is a lovely setting and a great place to escape the rain or kill some time in the city. It's also a great place to browse book shelves and internally over-analyse things, like a sucker. Sometimes I am such a girl.

It's so cold in my apartment. I'm drinking wine in bed to keep warm.

Lately I've been re-watching Dawson's Creek. I'm halfway through the second season. It has the strangest effect on me. Every time I watch the opening credits, and hear the theme song, I am hit by nostalgia. Okay, 'hit' doesn't describe it well enough, more like I am almost brought to tears by a sledgehammer smash of nostalgia. It instantly sends me back to when I was eleven years old and only recently arrived on the Gold Coast. Fuck, I was so innocent. Youthfully oblivious. So that's it, I want to cry at how oblivious I was and I also want to cry that I will never be able to be so naive again. Then I want to punch Dawson in the face because he is such a little bitch.