TRAVEL DIARY

A weblog regularly updated by Jodi Rose.

Saturday, February 10, 2007

1:08 AM
Posted by jodi rose

Listening to Goldfrapp, finally wrestled the stuff in my room into some semblance of order. When oh when will I be mininal???

It's fun living with so many people, even though Haysie and I are almost exactly opposite - all she wants to do in her free time is watch footie or cricket, which is the very last thing I would choose to do - we both share an addiction to webcams. Her tip is the surf cam at australia's coastal watch - live waves, which no doubt I'll be using when landlocked in berlin and overcome by the desire to see the ocean like I was this morning. The signs at Clovelly said 'danger waves'.

Wandered into Grant Pirrie gallery on the way home, one of my favourite contemporary art spaces in sydney. australia even.
consistently intriguing work and wide range of practices and styles.
saw a painting that I absolutely fell in love with - Marisa Purcell 'Wish' - and if I had a spare seven grand would definitely buy. Sadly all the money I can scrape together goes on airfares and making my own art - but one day, we'll be collectors too. It had an oceanic sense of peace, with floating gold temple in the middle and a flock of birds flying off to the right. Haysie tells me the squealing birds that have taken up residence in a tree round the corner are Yellow Crested Cockatoos, not Galahs as I randomly guessed. Really not great with wildlife. And if you see a black cockatoo, it's gonna rain.

Had an impromptu drink with rachel in the back yard, she finally made it back from malaysia weeks late, after having passport issues. her family are from Sarawak, and have just moved back there as her grandmother passed on all her land to the daughters. The land is immense and deep in the jungle of borneo, with illegal logging activity going on all around, so rachel's mother is in the process of suing whoever she can to get it stopped. Extraordinary, I had no idea of the experience juxtaposition rachel must be going through, back in redfern - amazing to find the people around you have these wild lives that collide in kitchens and balconies. Another friend of haysie's was going off to study community cultural development in guatemala - it's a diverse mix of people walking through these doors!

the angst is lifting, thankfully, and recovering a sense of perspective and humour. emer said tonight, you're thinking too much. aha.
but she also pointed out that it was no wonder I had some degree of mental hyperactivity, considering the stress level that goes along with having no stable home base or regular income. most people don't choose to live like that, jodi, she reminded me - and it's amazing that you've kept it up for this long. well, thanks to all my very supportive and generous family and friends, especially lisa who is keeping a handle on the bills and supplying company, conversation and gin. xx