august + september '24
newy, reading recs, and swans games (?)
Bish, Bash, Bosh. Welcome back. Have you missed me?
At the end of August, I decided the month hadn’t been interesting enough to write a whole blog post about it. Or maybe I was just lazy and couldn’t be bothered. Either way, I am back with a wrap-up of the past two months!
I am currently in the final month of my honours thesis. My thesis is quite literally staring at me from my monitor as I write this post. That is the only mention it will get in this update. It occupies far too much of my brain already.
Shall we jump in?
life updates.
Whilst not technically in August or September, I just spent the most lovely long weekend in Newcastle with my friends. Thank you to the wonderful Carraro’s for hosting us. Your commitment to the Sunday Quiz will forever inspire me. We ate and drank and went to the beach and played silly games throwing tennis balls into the waves. Belle also turned 22! Happy birthday Belle!
watching.
AUTO-TUNE - re:group performance collective. Ah re:group you have done it again. I’ve written before about how much I love this company. Watching what they create is an absolute joy. I first saw AUTO-TUNE in the Rex Cramphorn Studio at USYD last year. To see it again on the Opera House stage was a treat. The entire cast was amazing and Mark Rogers’ music and lyricism are insanely creative and absurdly good. I even bought this show’s album on Bandcamp! It is linked here and I highly recommend a listen.
I have been to TWO Swans games in the past two months. As an avid unfollower of any sort of sport, this was unprecedented. Whilst I am a Cats supporter in my heart of hearts, I did enjoy shouting encouragement to the Swans boys and yelling obscenities at the ref. I also enjoyed watching Lizzy social butterfly her way through the SCG Member’s section. Thank you kindly to Braj for the tickets/memories.
I WATCHED A LIVE RECORD OF TASKMASTER AU. After not securing ANY tickets through the ballot system, I sent a (slightly deranged) message to the Taskmaster’s Assistant, Tom Cashman, on a Monday evening. An hour later, I had a ticket. That Thursday, I swanned in to watch a four-hour record. Whilst I am a big Taskmaster fan, I was astounded to see upon arrival at Channel 10 Studios that there are bigger fans than I. Everyone was passionate and nerdy and it was a lot of fun. Also, Emma Holland is the best.
I also went to the Sydney Contemporary opening. I am a mere appreciator of art, and so do not have much to say on this. Enjoy some pictures of my favourite pieces instead!
reading.
A few reading highlights.
A Language of Limbs by Dylin Hardcastle. I bought this book last Friday morning and finished it last Friday night. What a novel. We begin in 1972 Newcastle and follow two characters throughout their lives. One is openly queer, the other subdues her queerness in an effort to live a “normal” life. Throughout the majority of the book, the two characters remain nameless. They are denoted only by the titles “limb one” and “limb two” at the beginning of their chapters. I don’t want to give any more away, but I highly recommend reading this one yourself!
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney. Every woman/man/dog was aware the new Sally Rooney was coming out. The day it dropped, I downloaded it on my Kindle. Two days into reading, I decided I needed the hardcopy. A day later, I had finished the book. Having read all of Rooney’s previous works, I am accustomed to and infatuated with the way she writes. Her exploration of relationships is so tangible and I love to read her characters. I was particularly fond of Ivan. In the week since finishing the book, I find myself still thinking of him.
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman. Richard Osman strikes again! An absolute romp. So fun, fabulous characters, and a delightful mystery. I actually quite liked the fictionalised ChatGPT prose from money-smuggler extraordinaire François Loubet. Osman has a wonderful way of injecting pop culture into his work without making it feel kitschy or cringe-inducing. The talk of influencers and AI only adds to the narrative/characters and never takes you out of the story. I look forward to the next instalment.
listening.
podcasts:
This is one of my all-time favourite Off Menu episodes. I first listened to it long before August but recently I have inducted my wonderful friend and housemate, Belle, into the Joe Thomas fan club. We roll around on the floor listening to him talking about Willy’s Perfect Chocolate Christmas. 10/10.
I have really been getting into Pod Save the UK recently! This episode was filmed at the Edinburgh Fringe and is more relaxed than their usual format. It’s a nice introduction to the podcast and it is nice to hear intelligent, funny people talk about serious topics. Makes learning about disheartening news more bearable.
music:
Spending time revisiting some fantastic albums. How good.
My favourite tracks: returner, the kingdom is within you.
My favourite tracks: Naeem, Marion. (Iver’s new song S P E Y S I D E is also very good).
No favourite tracks in particular, but such a lovely album to listen to as the weather gets warmer.
That is it for this instalment! So lovely chatting with you again. If you have any reading/album recommendations you think I might enjoy, please comment them below! Have a fabulous October and I will see you again soon.