Good morning Fitzroy

I’ve lived in my new place for just over a month now, and I am finally getting used to the noise of living in a very busy area. I previously lived in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne with my parents, in a very quiet area. I now live in the heart of Fitzroy on the corner of a very busy intersection, with two major tram lines intersecting, a popular pub across the road and a hospital around the corner from which ambulances frequently speed out of. I’m not complaining, I absolutely love the new place and am really enjoying the inner-city lifestyle, where I can walk everywhere and I am surrounded by amazing food, fashion and diversity. But the issue of sleeping through all of this really got to me at first.

Last night, the rain on my roof woke me up. The rain!! And not even dramatic rain, just regular heavy Melbourne autumn rain. Sal, that’s a bit pathetic. Today is Monday, which means tonight is $2 pots night at the pub across the road. So sleeping tonight is unlikely. Last Monday I was feeling unwell so I stayed at my parents house to get a decent nights sleep, tonight I am going to MAN UP and cop it.

surprise surprise.

Once again, I vowed to pay more attention to my blog and failed miserably.

Uni is nuts, and I can’t WAIT to finish. Five months to go and I will be Sally Gardner-Brunton BHSc! Assuming I pass everything.

In other news, I have become a real adult and moved out of my parents house. I now live in the coolest house in the coolest location in all of Melbourne. It has been an interesting transition, having to cook and clean for myself is, quite frankly, a pain in the ass. I quite like to cook but I just can’t be bothered with it so I have a lot of sandwiches and pasta. I’m sure the carbs are making me huge but I left my scales at Mum and Dads so I don’t know for certain.

I’ve been going to the footy a bit this year, which I haven’t had the chance to do since I was a kid. I spent my teenage years working on weekends and now that I don’t have to I’ve been able to get to TWO games this year! And I have watched another two on TV because it was too cold/I’m too poor to go out. The Tigers are having an excellent season so far and I look forward to the rest of the year.

Last night I had some people around for dinner and football watching and it was quite the roaring success. I made a lamb stew with mashed potatoes like my nana used to make (probably still does make? I don’t know I haven’t been to her house for dinner in years) because my guests were family and we spent a while reminiscing. It took me three trips to the supermarket and all afternoon, but the stew was actually amazing, I am so proud of myself. We ate it while watching the Tigers cruise to victory against the Bombers, which makes me very happy, the Bombers being my ex-boyfriends team. TAKE THAT, CASEY, just in case you didn’t get my gloating message last night and happen to be reading this. Many beers were had and we all decided to go out to celebrate and the bouncer at Bimbos wasn’t going to let me in because I was wearing my Tigers headband which I have had since I was a toddler. He made me take it off! Probably a Bombers supporter too.

This past week I have also had a bit on tonsillitis, which is a bit crap. I’ve never had it before and it isn’t very nice, I spent two days at home in bed and was bored out of my mind. You’d think I might use the opportunity to do some exam study, wouldn’t you? Well you’d be wrong, I watched about a million episodes of The West Wing and heaps of behind the scenes David Attenbourgh videos on YouTube.

This week my aim is to spend no money at all, because I don’t have any. I am allowed to use my Myki Card to get to uni, and pay my weekly car loan repayment as usual, but apart from that I will be eating things already in the cupboard and drinking what is left in the fridge from last night. Carlton Draught, ew. My other aims for the week are: make a significant dent in my research assignment write-up, at least START studying for exams, try and get an extra shift at work, and get my voice back.

I will try to remember to let you know how I go!

Peace out
S

perks of being single #1

Eating in bed. My ex hated it when I ate in bed because I’m not always the most tidy eater – but I LOVE EATING IN BED. And now I can do it whenever I like…although I have started to use a “stable table” like an old lady, because the crumbs are kind of annoying.

A new year.

So ignore that last post about how I was going to post more often etc. So much has happened in the last few months, I’ve been too busy with my actual life to concentrate on my blog. But this morning I am a bit bored so I thought I would return.

My hosdible adventure is finally over, the pain in my abdomen is being treated as psychosomatic and I am being medicated with all kinds of wonderful things. I’m feeling a million times better, both physically and emotionally, thanks for asking.

I have starting exercising more regularly, and I have lost a bit of weight. Not enough to fit into my skinny jeans, but here’s hoping that one day it will happen. Hopefully before I am 30.

My christmas period was lovely, busy but nice. My brother and sister bought me a siamese fighting fish, and I have named him Fang. Christmas exhausts me but I love it, I really enjoy buying presents for people, and I’m pretty good at it.

My new years resolution is to give myself a break and to try new things. The last few months have been difficult, going through a major break-up as well as having other things going on, but I have used my experience of this year to see that I’ve been pushing myself too hard for too long. This year I am going to quit one of my jobs and take it easy.

I’m going to Fiji in a few weeks…alone. I booked the trip as a break-up reaction and now I’m not so keen on a solo trip…so if anyone wants to come with me, please do. I’ve bought a really awesome swim suit if that makes a difference.

Now I must shower, as I need to wash my hair.

Au revoir.

The last few weeks.

The past month or so has been a bit of a nightmare, and luckily things seem to be getting better now. I know every time I come back to my blog after some time neglecting it I say “sorry I’ll do better next time” and never do, but this time I really will try my best, I promise.

Here’s what’s news with me:

I’m single for the first time since I was 17 and it feels weird.
I have two new scars on my belly thanks to a laproscopy.
My parents and brother have abandoned my sister and I to go on holidays to America.
I got a new bookshelf.
I’m considering getting some goldfish as they are so calming, I find.

That’s pretty much it really.

Hill full o’ Sovereigns

worst blogger ever.

So it has been a while since I posted. Approximately a month, or more. But here is my excuse:

I am incredibly busy.

I now have two jobs, go to uni full-time, and have to nap frequently due to being in pain all of the time.

Here are some things I have done lately:
- got a new job, unfortunately too broke to quit my other one just yet
- got addicted to the series ‘House MD’
- rearranged my bookshelf
- did an assignment on the needs and marginalisation of injecting drug users in the City of Yarra.

If any of these things sound interesting to anyone, let me know and I will write about it.

the iPad.

Before I start this review, I’d like to say that I am not paid by or endorsed in any way by Apple. But if they are reading this and are interested, I would be super keen to change that status.

Anyway, about a month ago I got an iPad.

It is beautiful, nobody could argue against that. All Apple products are beautiful, whether you are like me an appreciate good design without knowing much about it, like Casey and are an actual design nerd, or like my mum and doesn’t have a clue about that kind of thing unless it involves clothes. It is also very thin and light, which is fantastic as I bought it for carrying around at uni etc, as my laptop (a white MacBook) is too heavy for lugging around everyday. The only downside here is that on occasion it is a bit like owning a giant bar of soap that just wants to jump out of my hands at every opportunity.

It goes like a dream. It’s fast to turn on, the apps are fast to load, everything is just super speedy. The video and picture quality is incredible. I have both iPad and iPhone apps on it (I don’t have an iPhone, but I do have an iPod touch) and although the iPad ones are obviously better (iPhone apps are iPhone sized), they all work wonderfully. My favourite use for it is the eReader capabilities. As I have previously mentioned, I have quite poor eyesight, and this has revolutionised reading for me. I’ve always been a bookworm, but in the last few years haven’t read as much due to my eyesight. Being able to make the text bigger and the page brighter has made my reading experience undefinably better. Although I like the romantic notion of having hundreds of tatty well-read books on my shelf as much as the next person, there really is no comparison for us blindies.

So overall, it’s super and I adore it. I didn’t think I’d use it much but I use it constantly. There is only one problem with the iPad: I feel like a wanker getting it out in public, because nobody else seems to have one.

no room for the blues.

I am trying this nail polish (by O.P.I. of course) for the first time, it is called ‘No Room for the Blues’.

I’m not sure how I feel about it. I like the colour and I also like the opaqueness, I only had to put on two coats to get this result. But I’m just not sure it’s me, to be honest. I think maybe that is because I don’t own anything else even remotely close to this colour so I can’t see myself wearing it – perhaps I need a blue headband or something.

I noticed that Sportsgirl have bought out a new range of nail polish – and they have lots of colours that I would like to have. However, my experiences with Sportsgirl nail polish is not good. So my mum bought one, a lovely light brown mocha-esque colour, and I will try hers out before I go out and buy them all.

pop music.

Today I am studying to “iTunes top 50 countdown” on some music channel, and the music, can I just say, is terrible.

I’m certainly no music expert, in fact I know absolutely nothing about music except for the difference between what I like and what I don’t like. But I will have a go anyway.

I have this soft rock/bland indie genre that seems to have established itself in the top 10. “Hey” by Train is playing right now, and I don’t know when the last time I heard such a boring song was. There is nothing good about that song music wise, and the lyrics don’t make any sense – “your lipstick stains, on the front lobe of my left side brain”, really? It sounds ridiculous. The video matches the song in levels of boring it achieves. I’m so sick of hearing it. So turn the television off Sally, you might say. Well to that I say, alright, I will, when I have finished this post.

Now “o.m.g.” by Usher is on. I can’t believe Usher is still around. The girls with blonde hair/black roots that wore Mytiko pants when I was in year eight danced around to Usher at lunchtime. That was eight years ago. This song is undoubtably better than the one by train, because it is catchy and I feel like if I were in any way inclined to dance right now then I could. Also they actually do stuff in the video. It is mildly offensive, with girls dancing around wearing practically nothing, but at least they’re not just walking down the street with arrows being drawn everywhere in an “arty” kind of way.

Well that ends this post. My mother just switched the channel to “Orangutang Diaries”, which is probably better anyway.