everyonebutsix.com

You may have noticed the shiny new tab at the top of the page labelled, “Tales Of Yore”. Oh, you didn’t? Well, it’s right there. No, not there. There. See? Next to the one labelled “About” and “Everyonebut…”… nevermind. Here, I have a ball. Perhaps you would like to bounce it?

This section is where, as previously discussed, I’m posting old stuff from recovered online journals and new stuff that isn’t regular blog entry material.

So today, I’ve posted another tale of my time working at the bookstore in 2006, doing my best to invoke the spirit of Bernard Black (I wanted to imbed a Black Books clip, but I had trouble finding one that allowed it. So, click on the link instead for visual goodness).

Enjoy!

Bring me my lolly!

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bookstore, old stuff

Ah, so I cannot stay away. It’s the calming green of the background, you see…I crave it in these crazy New Year times.

I’ve decided to embark on a little project spurred on by some internet wanderings. A few months back I was up late, fueled by insomnia and thoughts of the recent closure of Geocities and with it, many animated-gif laden pages of the teenage angst of my peers. I got to thinking about old writing of mine that might be floating around in the ether and whether it might be worth rescuing and archiving.

( a few years ago, during a tour of the National Library, one of the librarians impressed upon me the need to archive online materials. I flatter myself greatly in thinking future generations would be at all interested, but I’ve been a bit more careful in labeling and archiving emails and writings since.)

I found an old LiveJournal started a few years back, when I was working at a very quiet bookstore  and had a great deal of time on my hands. It only contained half a dozen entries, but there were stories from my time in California, when the memories were a lot fresher. Rather than let them go to waste, I’m going to start putting them in a new section on the blog, for written pieces from other projects.

Until that happens, here is a short description of my bookstore job, from the winter of 2006. Good times:

It’s kind of like getting paid to be in my living room all day, as it’s warm, I sit around a lot drinking tea and reading books, occasionally I answer the phone and sometimes I leave to get food, collect mail and put stuff in the bin. A few times during the week, my friends come to visit and we sit around outside in patches of sun. Also, if I don’t keep it relatively tidy someone will probably bitch at me.
On the other hand, lots of strangers can see in, so I can’t sit around in my underwear if I feel like it. Since I work by myself, I can’t leave that much either. There’s also the matter of having a cash register and the occasional customer.

So really, it’s more like I’m getting to paid to spend time in the living room of someone who is quite fussy and likes to enforce a dress code. They’ve got a much nicer living room than I do too, with better stuff in it. So much so, that sometimes other people come and look in it, take away things they like, and pay me a small penalty for doing so.

It turns out that I enjoy this arrangement.

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bookstore, old stuff

2009 ended with nice wine, party crashing, face painting, cape wearing, fast cars, fireworks and perhaps a little howling at the blue moon. It was a lot of fun. So much fun that only now, on January 2nd, am I getting around to finishing the last 2 Best of 2009 posts.

After this, I may take a wee break from blogging. Or I may not be able to stay away from the regular writing that has been so ingrained this past month, who knows? One thing I’ve learnt during this challenge is to be less precious about what goes up here and as a result, the process has become easier. I mean, I finished the challenge, right?

Or, I will. Right after this -

Best advertisement

Advertisements don’t usually make me think happy thoughts. About the products I’m expected to buy or the kind of woman I’m expected to be by advertisers. Since I didn’t spend 2009 wishing for small pink household appliances or time-saving ways to clean the bathroom while dressed in smart business casual attire (because, apparently, the men in my life will be far too inept to ever do household chores), I found myself feeling alternately bemused, insulted and frustrated by a lot of commercial advertising.

So, that’s why I love Sarah Haskins and her Target: Women clips for Infomania. I’m forever emailing them to friends who, like me, could never figure out why there’s no men in yoghurt commercials (Psst! It’s because men aren’t allowed to eat it!).

Here’s a favourite clip from this year:

Resolution you wish you’d stuck with

Every year, in early January, I write a list of things I’d like to learn to do over the next 12 months. The list is usually pretty short and just a prompt to keep me trying new stuff, rather than rock-solid directives. It includes things like, “Engage in more random conversation with strangers” or “Learn a new style of dance”. I keep another list running alongside it during the year, of all the things I’ve accomplished, whether on the list or not. By the end of the year, I end up with a list of achievements I can feel proud of, plus a few unfinished tasks to carry onto the next list.

Next year will continue on with the theme of transport – while I got my learner’s permit for driving and started experimenting with bicycle-riding, I haven’t fully mastered either. There will hopefully be more overseas and interstate travel and a fair amount of language study. And, as always, there will be dancing.

But the main resolution to carry over into this year is this - to lighten my grip.

This isn’t a reference to my steady progression into madness, but just a little less attachment to the way things are. I’ve learnt a lot about impermanence this year and I think it’s made me a nicer person to be around. I’m finally beginning to understand that the tighter you hold onto something, the harder it is to appreciate.

In 2010, I’d like to continue on being more present, more relaxed and more willing to go with the flow.

And with that I’m off to be relaxed and with the flow. On my bed. With a magazine.

Happy 2010 everyone!

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best09, clips to watch, zen