Rewind.

Prelude
I stumbled across a 30 day writing challenge via this lovely little blog: http://missisgoode.blogspot.com.au and figured I may as well attempt to do it over the month of May. As anyone who knows me could tell you my ability to stay focused is less than desirable, so I think this will be a nice way to put pen to paper once a day. Convenient it is that I had hand written the most of this following blog prior to stumbling across the challenge, and DAY 1 is to write about your current relationship or singleton status. Jackpot, the ground work is done. So here's my rewind to Valentine's Day, sorry it had to come a couple weeks late, but you know...


14.02.2014

Right in this moment I’m standing in my apartment in my fundies (fun undies that is), having just dropped my brother at the airport. It may seem too much info to you guys, but this moment is important you see. It's a right of passage and there is nothing more liberating than being able to walk about in as little clothing as you please - dare I say one could even strut in the buff! The time had come that I could finally christen the apartment and officially call it home. So here I stand in the kitchen (hygienic) making a pizza for one and drinking champagne. It’s a pants-less celebration on Valentine’s Day and being that I only have myself to romance myself, I figure why the hell not do whatever I please whilst the apartment is ALL MINE.

I settled in with a film [The Virgin Suicides] and got into the complete wrong frame of mind. Brilliant, brilliant film, but for tonight it appeared the wrong choice. So I sat on the couch feeling weird for a while, drinking a second glass of red wine. I sent a message or five to my girlfriend, who of course was snuggled up sweet and safe on the couch drinking champagne with her new fiancé (bitch.) She responded with a string of encouraging texts telling me to haul arse out of the apartment, and so I found the motivation to dance into some jeans and a singlet via Justin Timberlake, added bare minimal makeup and I dragged my single butt out on the town.

I lit a cherry cigar for faux confidence – you know the old keep your hands busy trick – as I stepped outside and walked the shore to the marina. I couldn’t quite decide whether it was torturous or empowering to be out on Valentine’s Day by myself. I was anxious, happy, curious and not sure if I wanted to cave in on the whole idea and just go home, back to the always tempting safety of ole faithful couch. Instead I stuck it out and hit my first stop, a little tapas bar on Jetty Road that I knew did half price mojitos. Nothing says party like a mojito.

I took a seat outside and watched the pedestrian traffic whilst sipping the drink. They had made it quite strong - no doubt because I was out by myself on date night - it was pretty damn delicious and it put a stupid smile on my face. When I finished up I made way for the jetty, lit up by the full moon and street lamps that paved the tourist strip. I power walked past the dawdlers of all generations; they held hands and took their time, savouring the romance as the moon glowed above head and the water was calm beneath. I was alone, but it felt surprisingly good.

I lit the other half of my cigar and inhaled too deep. It would burn tomorrow but for now I enjoyed the light-headed feeling that accompanied the overzealous inhalation. I let it consume me a moment, staring at the moon, ignoring the happy couples that surrounded me. I headed back to land a little slower, savouring the combination of the moon, the ocean and the lights of the Stamford hotel. I like it here. I spotted the daughter and parents team that had been at the tapas bar, I guess we took the same path of half priced drinks and a walk on the jetty. As they stepped onto the pier and I stepped off I shot them a smile, they didn’t notice of course, but I felt pretty solid with the fact that she was with her parents for Valentine's Day and I had the nerve to wander by myself.

I cut tracks to the bar over the bridge; I've been here before and know that it's many things but pretentious. I hit the bar and ordered what was to be the first of many gin & tonic's before taking a seat outside with a view of the TV (there was a kung-fu film on). I thought about Melbourne and how my girlfriends and I would go out together on Valentine's Day and dance the night away whilst drinking champagne. It was so easy. But here I am out by myself on the ultimate date night, and I've got to say it's quite liberating.

It wasn't long before a guy came over and asked to take a seat. We chatted for a while over drinks, and it was nice to have made a friend... or so I thought. As it turned out the whole boy and girl becoming friends conundrum came into play, and we went our separate ways. From there I hit the dance floor and had a great time dancing with strangers. I had no idea where he went. Before I knew it it was closing time, and I stood mentally alone out the front whilst a man drunker than I tried to piece together words next to me. For some reason I felt a little depressed, so I yelled bye as I ran down to the ocean.

I threw my sandals on the sand as I ran into the water and didn't care that from the knee down my jeans were soaked. It's funny how the beach just makes everything feel better, the infinite abyss. Walking along the sand I realised how dark it was, I had no idea where I had thrown my sandals, and to be honest I didn't care. I headed home with a smile on my face and an I don't give a damn attitude, and I honestly didn't. I was content as I wandered drunken, single and shoeless all the way home. It was just me, the last single girl of Glenelg, barefoot and loving it.

After getting home and of course eating the most of a can of Pringles (the perks of being single is you get all the Pringles!) I stripped down to my fundies, brushed my teeth and sprawled out in bed. Sure, it would have been nice to have someone to hold me like they mean right then, but for now I'm pretty content.

I mean really guys... I can't understand why I'm still single.

Day 1 down, 29 to go.

&.the.bohemian.girl.xx.

Postscript: Whether you're in a relationship or flying solo - it's all relative - the key is to love yourself unconditionally. And one day may we all find ourselves lucky enough to have found the love of another that is both unconditional and infinite, and we can accept that love because we know that we truly deserve it.

New right meow.

A lot has happened since my last blog entry. I'll give a brief rundown of the pre-apartment stuff as that's old news now, before getting into the juicy new stuff. Oh yeah people, juicy.

I went to my first cricket match. Australia vs England, we won even though we played pretty average. I'm telling you this because it's important you know when and if there comes a time that you find yourself at a cricket match, that you need to live by this one important rule: Get drunk. Seriously. The whole time I was there I wished I were drunk. Repeat after me: when one watches the cricket, one shall be blotto. That honestly should be every spectators motto whilst indulging in cricket. Moving on, we went to the casino and I experienced a very intimate moment with a handsome stranger. We were playing roulette and as we stood there he was so close I could feel him without touching at all. Our arm hairs touched, and that shit is intimate. I can't lie to you, I thought about it several times for the next couple of weeks. I also went to a winery which was lovely, as wineries generally are. And this brings us to the new crib, can you dig? (I'm betting you can't because I said 'crib')

SO my brother and I successfully rented an apartment by the beach, complete with a view from our prison box balcony (what's the deal with enclosed balconies anyway? Sure it's handy when you're drunk and pointing at the boats out derrr in daaa occceeaannn, but can we not be trusted to not fall off our balcony?) Our new apartment is kind of great though, besides the fact that all the blinds are pretty much broken and we can hear every aeroplane take off from the airport. It's amazing how quick you can shut out frequent occurring noises. Aeroplanes are loud but I can tune them out now. But then there's the big ones, I swear I've felt the apartment block shake and it's felt like the end of the world was near when those bad boys goes overhead! Lucky they don't fly that close that often. All aeroplanes aside the apartment really is awesome, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I walk down a couple flights of stairs, step outside, walk the length of the driveway, cross the road, and I'm standing on a footpath with the beach beneath me. It takes no more than one minute to get there.

The first night in the new place was exciting. We picked up pad thai and a few ciders and sat on the balcony watching the sunset, thanking our lucky stars that the sun sets so late in the summer. We had just signed our rental agreement at 8pm and moved all our crap inside in record time, making the most of the natural light because we were yet to have electricity. Come 9pm we had moved in, ate our thai, drank our cider and scouted some candles. We couldn't do much, and to be honest we didn't want to after all that running around. I slept on the couch as I didn't have a bed yet - we were picking it up the following night when my brother got off work. That was interesting actually, I got a single bed (for free!) and we managed to squeeze it into my car, a nice cost effective challenge if you will. You should have seen it, I was mounting the steering wheel for the whole drive home, it was the first time in my life I wished I had shorter legs. Lucky for me it only took around half an hour to drive home again, even though it felt like a season passed. Can't complain, it's quite nice to have a bed.

In the end we only had a couple days without electricity, which was absolutely fine, but what truly drove me insane was the fact that we didn't have the internet for the first few weeks. I had honest to god forgotten what life was like before the internet. If I had an unanswered question I had to actually ask someone, there was no Google to avoid communication with an educated soul. I couldn't self educate and look like a know it all, my life was over! For 3 weeks. Without the internet I did find time to do a lot of different activities though, writing, banjo picking, cycling, beach fun times, resume dropping all around town, I even rekindled my love for yoga, finished reading a few books and cooked a whole lot of curries. Life without the internet turned out to be pretty good, and now we're finally connected to the inter-web again I'm not impressed by how consuming it is. But I'm happy to have it there, when I need it, you know to google how to make vodka out of potatoes and other information that I definitely need to know.

I really could have used the internet three nights in to the new place, right about the time a rusty old fishing hook went into my toe. I wanted to self diagnose to be sure I wouldn't lose the little guy. I'm quite attached to all ten of my toes. That little 'welcome home' present aside I feel like a new woman. For reals y'all. I'm tanned - as in I no longer glow in the dark, I'm eating well, drinking less booze and more water, frequently participating in yoga, my bicycle is no longer neglected and coated in cobwebs, and I've managed to secure a new job! I've got to say, I'm extremely stoked with the move so far. Adelaide has also brought vintage flea markets that take me back to LA, several pubs within walking distance with just the right amount of scunge about them, an endless supply of beautiful beaches, and to think I haven't even begun to explore yet. I'm just so excited that even though I've only been here a month I have a new apartment, a new job, and a new dose of positivity for what the year will bring. And with that my imagination has been reignited after a blurgh patch. Hoorah.

There is one big downer to the move though, and that is not having friends in this new state. At least my brother is here, and he is my best friend after all, but it would be nice to have a few girlfriends. When we went to the pub the other week a pretty girl complimented my hair, and added that she could never pull off red herself - you've gotta love a compliment from a stranger, it is like the ultimate validation - she said she would see me on the dance floor, but we never got to dance. I was excited to be complimented, but sad that I didn't know how to take that step to become friends. I mean it isn't like Primary School when you have the same Chuck Taylor's as another kid and say 'Hey we have the same shoes, let's play marbles and switch play lunch and be the best of friends ever in the world. Ever.' When my brother went back to Melbourne for the weekend I took myself out for a milkshake and brownie lunch before going thrifting. I saw so many awesome people browsing through the racks for a recycled bargain, but they were all cliquey, and I just thought of Melbourne and Los Angeles, and how easy it was to make friends there. I can't really complain though, whenever I feel lonely I can just think of that time at the casino, and how I touched arm hairs with that handsome fella.
Intimate.

For all your pervy needs, here's a before and after shot of my new bedroom, plus a quick heeeyyy selfie. That's right people, I did a selfie with a message - heavy on the cheese. BIG l.o.v.e. love.

&.the.bohemian.girl.xx.

it was all like this

and then it was like that.

Postscript: If you find yourself in Adelaide here's what I know so far, check out Argo on the Parade for delicious food - plenty of vegan options too - and there is always attractive staff on (can't hurt right?) And if you're here on the right Sunday, hit up Gilles Street Market for Recycled goods, rising designers, hearty grub, & dj's spinning tunes whilst you browse!
http://www.argoespresso.com.au
www.gillesstreetmarket.com.au

Silly Season.

I had the best intentions to blog once a week, not to mention wish everyone a MERRY cyber CHRISTMAS! & HAPPY 2014! Yet even though I started writing this entry between Christmas and New Years Eve (un)fortunately life got in the way. So here I lay, now 27 years old (I celebrated my birthday between blogs, went to a few wineries but didn’t taste too much as I had tasted plenty at the previous nights wedding…) thrown upon a stranger’s bed, handwriting my first blog of the New Year, needless to say 2014 has brought some changes. Allow me to rewind and recap starting with Christmas.

As usual in the Dartnell house the whole ’12 o’clock the champagne pops’ rule is thrown out the window, and we take our now traditional pancake breakfast with a side of Chandon come 10am. Naturally I love this, as I should, this particular tradition is my stroke of genius; it’s the perfect start to a stress free Christmas and it makes peeling all those goddamn vegetables far more exciting – peel all the potatoes and have another glass HOORAH! Another tradition in our household is that everyone contributes a fancy bottle of wine, and lets face it no one can deny the smile that comes with a good old pop of the cork. This year we threw Margaritas into the mix, it was that ready to go crap so I can’t say I fancied it  – I could feel it on my teeth – but I powered through and was happy to breakout my cactus margarita glasses (cheers Nan).

Like every year there was five types of meat for the boys, seafood for the ladies, and mum outdid herself by stuffing a pumpkin with quinoa and other delicious bits for me. Once again I played Santa and handed out all the gifts, to mix it up from previous years I decided to yell everyone’s name obnoxiously, my pop & dad still didn’t hear me… I LOVE CHRISTMAS! Unlike previous years I had my long-board that I'd brought back from the States and since I hadn’t used it yet I figured what better time than after a Christmas feast, so we took to the street. My first attempt at skateboarding wasn’t quite successful (aka: I was too scared to bring my other foot onto the moving board), I bailed on riding it the regular way and arse-rode that bad boy like a champ! Word to the wise, if you’re going to ride a skateboard on your bum, don’t do it in a short skirt. You will get butt-burn. Totally worth it though.

New Years Eve was the most relaxed it had been in many years, I jumped in my ‘new’ car and drove 6.5hours with my mate, well it was suppose to be 6.5hours. The idea was that we would follow our other friends’ car but traffic lights and speed limits prevented that smooth scenario, so even though it may have taken an extra hour or so – call it the scenic route – we did manage to arrive in Robe, South Australia by making our own way there. One could say it wasn’t the best start to our mini road-trip, but it wasn’t a complete loss as we managed to see one of the most amazing starry nights; I could have stared for hours, it blew my mind. We also had a few ‘exciting’ run-ins with Kangaroos, thank god Nick was driving, those bastards are either stupid or suicidal.

In the few days we were in Robe, we lay on some picturesque beaches, caught up with our lovely mate whom is lucky enough to live by all these beaches! And played an EPIC game of Scattergories, because no game is more fun than one in which you can bullshit your way to success – I did not win. On New Years Eve itself I forced myself to stay awake till midnight but fell asleep straight after, I guess laying outside and watching that one shooting star was way too much excitement for me, that and the fact that I’m 27 now – if I try and bust a move I might brake my pelvis. It was embarrassing to later hear that my grandparents were up till 1am! Eating their wieners and potato salad (it’s a German thing).

That brings us to January 2014, and my brother getting a job in Adelaide, South Australia, he started yesterday. And here’s me back from overseas with no real commitments, so I decided to pack up and move to this place I’d never been to that everyone in other states of Australia refers to Radelaide – not because they think it’s radical – yet I figure New Year, new state, why the hell not? I threw my gear in the car, even managed to squeeze my bicycle in (alongside that pesky skateboard, I WILL DEFEAT YOU!) and I followed my brother for some new adventures.

I’ve been in Adelaide a week and we’re getting close to finding a place to live, in the meantime we’re using air bnb, thus explaining me laying on a strangers bed (not so juicy an explanation). Furthermore the lady we’re staying with doesn’t have unlimited Wi-Fi access (SAY WHAT?!) so I figure why not use the old pen and paper and soak up the sun outside awhile, and with a bit of luck you’ll be able to read this in the next few days or at least by Januarys end. Meanwhile I’m going to network for a new job, meet new people, explore my new city, and soak up that beach lifestyle I hadn’t even realised I’d been craving. Until next time, y'all be good now.

Postscript: I hope everyone had a fabulous silly season, and made it into 2014 in one piece! Because it’s going to be a good year if you let it be, in fact it could even turn into a great one, because we don’t know what's going to happen and that’s what makes it such a delicious adventure. Own it.

[Please note no Kangaroos were harmed in the making of our road-trip]

&.the.bohemian.girl.xx.