Teletopia

the brunswick love palace is pretty light on the white goods front.......

I was strolling around the northern edge of brunswick yesterday after dipping a toe into the remainder of the welfare state, and wandered into a whitegoods warehouse clearance thingy.....

NBC was on the tube near the till and I could hear an endless content free monologous drawl......eventually I asked the attendants what was the ACTUAL ...err... RESULT.......

they were taken aback at my whoops of joy, and asked if I'd actually "been" to America. I cracked the Aussie keeping it real cred and went "yeah, mate, I was there last year. Loved it. the Yanks hated Bush. My sister in Law is getting a green card. this is good news."

I wans't quite sure of how political to be to 2 blokes that had just sold me a blender and a toaster oven on credit. After the above, the guy looked at me and said "Make sure you keep your receipt for the warranty"

I strolled down Sydney road under the baking fug of november clouds, feet shaken by the throbs from the street machine noise factory; started to parch out at Franco Cozzo's and started sniffing around for for some water. Inner Suburban Melbourne is very different from central amsterdam and doesn't really do the small takeway snack outlet thing. (Oh, Febo where art thou?) Most of the hot bread shops are 'bakery cafe's' and most of the el cheapo cuisine joints are pizza parlours or some kind of restaurant experience... I'm still a sydney gal who likes to swill as I stride so I had to think about my habits, and my needs and what was around me.....

I saw the retreat and I caved in...... Went and ordered a "Schooner of Pub Squash" at the bar. the barperson looked at me and said "you're from New SOuth Wales, aren't you?" and showed me a pint glass. "Oh, yeah".........

sitting, sipping a pint of lemon squash outside, and rearranging my shopping I pondered the strangeness of the so almost familiar. Same language, same culture... bt these tiny little points of spaital difference, the minute topographies of a flat city gridded into tramtracks, train lines and baking asphalt, bright flowers and wrought iron on parching lawns and nature strips. Ubiquitous utes and technicolour boganmobiles with bodykits and mag wheels... An infinite ecotopia of cute girls on bicycles, (the sporty, the girly, the skinny, the curvy, the butch, the boho..........) tho I still haven't found a site to collect the queer rags in my poundable circuit...... (surely they have gay and lesbian venues northwest of fitzroy?)

I repacked my white goods, lugged them home, grilled some capsicum, made some hummous and toasted some manoush with Zatar, it was all good.