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.

 

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.

And now I'm back, to let you know I can really shake 'em down

It's done. It's finished. No more thesis. My life has no meaning anymore. Jokes....kinda.
I decided on the title The Romance of Ravishment: Sexual Violence in the Arthurian Romances of Chrétien de Troyes. Now all that is left to do is wait for the results. I try not to think about it too much

The long-awaited freedom of having no 'study guilt'  hanging over me doesn't feel as wonderful as I expected. I feel a little panicked, to be honest, what do I do now? I can see a horrible possibility that I will work a lot and then sleep til midday on my days off. Working a lot is great, but not if it turns me into a lazy bed monster (not in a sexy way) on my days off. I must stop sitting in bed watching bad television shows and munching on cheese biscuits, I am sleeping in a field of crumbs.

Today will be nice. Brunch and Dinner out. I hope I don't use up all my friends' social perseverance too early on in the holidays.

I also have a growing book list which includes: (finishing) The Elegance of Hedgehog by Muriel Barberry, The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova, When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier, and Bernard Cornwell's new book Death of Kings. No doubt I'll also read some cheesy young adult novels.

Okay, I better get ready for Brunch. Gosh, I love Brunch.

Photo: Anna Rosa Krau