You Gotta Love This City

I don't think there is any danger of me not coming back to Melbourne.

I realised yesterday, in the tired and somewhat intoxicated haze of the evening that there was something I had not counted on in the whole organising and planning this trip. I am going to miss Melbourne. I mean really miss it. I feel like I have finished up teaching and I am just coming into my own in this beautiful city. I have been exploring new areas (and really enjoying them), seeing things in a new light, and taking the time to breathe Melbourne in (just not when I am on the Ring Road. You know the spot.)

I have always loved Melbourne, but it's taken me quite by surprise to find that I will miss this entity. Even the weather. Crazy, I know. I have a list of cafes and shops I haven't gotten round to visiting yet. I have a pub that I meant to make my local. I haven't quite got the hang of the new shortcuts I have learned between the west and the north. I have been discovering the joy of trams. (sidebar: I have had a long-suffering relationship with Public Transport. I am very pro-it in theory. In reality, as a Westy, I am uber-anti-it. it smells. The people are crazy/drunk/high/strange/smelly. It's slow. It's unreliable. And then there are the two most fearsome words in of Melbourne PT: Werribee Line. But Trams! Trams are a whole nother world that I am yet to discover and reap the full benefits of!)

I don't really feel like I had a huge break over Christmas. I have been tense and anxious for a very long time and the best way I could see to deal with it, was one chunk at a time. 

Grade 6 Graduation. Done.

Big Day Out. Done.

End of Term. Done.

Christmas. Done.

New Year's. Done.

Finding a New Tenant. Done.

Packing My Apartment. Done.

Moving Out. Done.

Planning and Packing for my trip. Done.

And then suddenly, I realised, Crap! I'm leaving in like 5 days! And these have been some of the most enjoyable days I have had in a long time.

Last year was really bloody hard. It was a hard year at work - facing up to the fact that the thing I have lived and breathed for the last eleven years may not only be something that I don't want to do, but may in fact be something that I am fostering a strong dislike towards, is hard.  I had to have Ruby put to sleep. I lost one of my all time favourite people in the world. And it still hurts. Then, I lost my Pop, who I had a great deal of love and respect for. There have been some good days, but alot of hard ones too. So I was quite surprised last night, when I realised what a wonder borrowed time is. I think we all need a jolt every now and again to realise we are on borrowed time. 

I have spent the last few days running around like a crazy woman trying to get everything ready to go, but also, really enjoying and savouring the people, places and things I love. 

On Friday, I jumped on a train (yes, it did smell...) and headed to that iconic Melbourne landmark, Flinders Street Station. I switched to a tram and headed to the G for the first day night match of the year, in the hope of securing some good seats. Anita had never been to the cricket, and really isn't a fan. I spent ages laying the groundwork to talk her into coming. I didn't want to end up with the nosebleeders in the Southern Stand, where neither of us could see of have anything even remotely resembling the awesome crowd participation that we all know is the real reason one goes to the cricket. I made my way through Gate 5, and found myself about 12 rows from the fence, on a 45-degree angle to the pitch. Awesome seats. Anita arrived, the weather was perfect, and we now have a vast repertoire of chants, the likes of "Tits out for the boys"; "You can't stop the snake"; "Skull, skill, skill!"; and the all time classic, "You're going home in the back of a divvy van". I hadn't been to the cricket for awhile, and though Australia lost due to some poor umpiring and very shoddy fielding in the last 10 overs, it was a great day.

On Saturday, Dad helped me empty out my storage unit. he doesn't say much, my Dad, but it was really good to spend some time with him. We talked about the cricket and a little bit about my travel plans. I bought fish and chips for lunch and slaved away to set up the bedroom there as usable. I also got a chance to chat to Mum about my trip and plans. I bumped into some very old friends on Saturday afternoon, which was just lovely. They are great girls, and I had missed them alot. I look forward to spending some time with them when I get back.

Saturday night was drinks at Northcote Social Club, a place, not unlike the Builders' Arms of old, where I feel very at home. It was so nice to spend some time catching up and shooting the shit with new friends and old.

Yesterday was perhaps the highlight for me. Midsumma Carnival Day. Amazingly good weather. Chance meetings with lots of old friends and acquaintances. Lots of beer. And of course, the overwhelming sense of community that is never as prominent as it is on Carnival Day.

We dragged our tired selves to The Fox Hotel last night to see Bluehouse. A very pleasant surprise, as we only found out they were playing a couple of days earlier. They haven't played in quite awhile. Anita and I met at a Bluehouse gig, and they're always alot of fun. I was bone tired, sore, dirty and teary but geez it was fun.

And so I have woken up to a sunny, shiny morning this morning and a healthy sense of terrifying fear about what I am doing. I am leaving my home, my partner, my family and my life, taking a huge risk, and going out to find adventure, amazing sights, and hopefully, a little bit more of myself.

But rest assured. I can't stay away from Melbourne....

I'll be back!