FEBRUARY DIARY

Hey everyone,
I survived February and as I write this, I am currently on holidays!

So for those playing at home, February has been a pretty bad month for me the past two years. One week in the middle in particular.

Two years ago during that week I found out I had breast cancer and last year during the very same week I found out that during my work restructure I had been dropped two grades and no longer classified as a Librarian. And to be honest I have no idea which is worse. At least with the cancer I could place my faith in the medical profession to get me through...and they did. I was really lucky to have caught it really early through thorough and regular check ups. So please go and get your boobs checked.

The work thing is more far complex, I was lucky enough to retain a job, but a job far removed from what I was trained, educated, and used to doing. I am still working through this trauma. Being a Librarian WAS my life, my calling, my love. There are no words to describe the pain involved with this, and feels infinitely worse than when I was working through the cancer. I still work in libraries but it is very much back to basic and whilst I am still loving the work and trying to make the most of a dire situation, I have no idea where I am headed and at nearly 50 that is very frightening.

So it was lovely to get through the month without anything too traumatic or challenging happening this year! And working through the month, it was nice to know I had a break and a holiday waiting for me. During this past 2 years of hell, I have had breaks, mostly sick leave but some actual annual leave, and I had a few breaks away but no real actual holiday. So I have 5 weeks off and am headed to Adelaide (and Womad) for 2 weeks and then 1 week in Melbourne, with time at home ending with the Newcastle Writer's Festival. Whilst it doesn't sound like the most exciting holiday, it is exactly what I need. Time to chill, rest, walk, look up, be still, explore a new city in my own time, and mainline a LOT of culture!!!

But onto the month of February and what I got up to.

The month started with Oscar Watch and a lot of film going. I saw JoJo Rabbit, The Joker, Ford V Ferrari, and 1917.

You can read my Oscar Watch Reviews here.

You can read my Oscar Watch predictions here and my round up here.

I caught up with my lovely friend Di at The Surfhouse, mid month, we had a lovely lunch and chatter. I have known Di since Kindi, so we've always plenty to chat about.

Libraries celebrate Library Lovers Day on February 14th and we decorated the library, bought some red heart lollypops, and encouraged our customers to write about their love of libraries and books. It was a lovely day.

I finally got to a Chat 10, Looks 3 Live Podcast. It is one of my favourite podcasts with Leigh Sales and Annabel Crabb chatting about all things cultural. Watching them live in person was sheer joy. I know we'd be firm friends. They were funny, dramatic, and so super intelligent and lovely, I was in heaven. Early on in their podcast, they referenced their assistant as Cathy the Librarian, she was really Brenda, but she WAS a Librarian. I often pretended they were talking about me. So when we lined up to meet them after the show, I couldn't resist telling them that, and they loved it and still let me have a pic with them!

I saw Emma with Belinda and just loved it! I am an Austen fan and a fan of period drama done well. It was beautifully filmed and the set design and costume design stunning. It was fun and made you feel happy and also have a laugh. The cast were young and fresh and Bill Nighy adorable as Emma's father. It was indeed swoon worthy, loads of pastels, lovely outside scenary, lavish feast scenes, beautiful jewels and on and on.

We farewelled another colleague at Pippys. She will be very much missed and I always enjoyed working my Saturdays with her. I am sure she will have a lovely retirement.

The final day of the month was the first day of my holidays and I me,t my bestie at a great new cafe at Marks Point, The Captain and the Crew. They do an amazing all day breakfast menu. I had the Ricotta Hotcakes with granola and berries. Absolutely delicious, lovely service, nice atmosphere, and everything looked great. Wonderful chatter goes without saying, we'll be back.

It was also our first day back to Bibliptweeps Book Club, I finished the book literally in time to walk out the door to attend. It was The Friend by Sigrid Nunez and you can read my thoughts about it in my monthly reviews blog.

That evening I met friends at Mayfield Bowlo for dinner and a dance to our fave band, Yes Commissioner. The food was pub standard but good, the venue left a lot to be desired with the band room right near the 'smoking room' and the smoke billowed out and was almost unbearable plus it was super hot. When we moved closer to the air con and away from the smoke the night improved. The band was on fire, one of the best gigs I have seen them play in ages. They are always great, but this was super great. And what I love most is their followers. All older, say 45 to 60ish in age, ageing punks, rockers, goths just loving the music. Absolutely glorious, and the music is 80s indie, The Cure, Talking Heads, Bowie, The Ramones, The Clash, Elvis Costello, The Sex Pistols etc.  They ended with a punkish version of the Batman Theme and there were many variations of The Batusi on the dancefloor!!

There was the usual markets and some photography.

FEBRUARY REVIEWS

What I've Been Reading

The Shepherd’s Hut by Tim Winton – I listened to this on spoken word read by Kate Mulvany. What a great story, about a young boy who is on the run in the outback and finds a hut and an old man. Why is the man there, alone in the middle of nowhere, should he approach him, and why indeed is the boy on the run anyway? Kate Mulvany brings this storytelling alive with her accents and fabulous vocal stylings. And Winton, once again, shows he is the master of storytelling. I felt like I was there and could imagine every thing that happened, a remarkable skill that not every writer has.

The Friend by Sigrid Nunez - This was a lovely shortish novel (only 212 pages) and a delight to read. It is about a woman, who inherits an ageing Great Dane, when her friend and mentor commits suicide. She is an English Literature Lecturer. The book is a mix of various subjects and themes. It is a meditation on her friend's life and her pondering on why he did what he did. It is about Literature and her thoughts wander to great writers and how they would look at situations, Woolf figures heavily of course. And then there is her relationship with this great dog, she initially is reluctant to take on the responsibility, mostly as her rent-controlled apartment in NY does not allow dogs. This could have been a depressing and dull book, but it is uplifting, fascinating, educational (in a good way) and interesting. I really loved this book.

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig – this was a solid little read. It is part memoir, part self-help, and about the period of his life when he had serious depression and anxiety, and tried to commit suicide. It beautifully describes how he was feeling, or not feeling and how he – with much help – pulled himself through it. It is a great book to read if you or someone you know suffers from this affliction, it is easy to read and understand and super helpful!

Complete Self Help For Your Nerves by Dr Claire Weekes - I read about Dr Weekes in Clare Bowditch's magnificent memoir. Her works really helped her recover from a bad nervous breakdown when she was much younger. As I suffer from anxiety and mild depression from time to time, I figured it was worth a read. All of the books we hold at the library by Dr Weekes are in demand, presumably by those who have read Clare's book as most are quite old. I found the book enlightening and easy to read and follow. And I found I already utilise a lot of her methods, thanks to my own time in therapy. But there was a lot more I picked up, especially in terms of sleep, too much and when you can't. Given everyone suffers from what Holly Golightly called 'the mean reds' from time to time, I think this is a book everyone should read. 

The Power Age: a celebration of life's second act by Kelly Doust - this was a great book full of all sorts of information on ageing presented in a sexy, sassy, and powerful way. Interviews with famous and not so famous people on the power of ageing. Tips and tricks about all sorts of things relating to ageing from work to relationships to sex and health. This was a great book to dip in and out of. As I approach 50 I am determined not to feel old and in despair!

Taming Toxic People: the science of identifying and dealing with psychopaths at work and at home by David Gillespie – I listened to an episode of Conversations with Richard Fidler on it. David is most well known for his Poison Sugar books but this is infinitely more interesting. But he was talking about this book and it was incredibly frightening and yet utterly fascinating. I recognised behaviours of acquaintances and it gave me shivers. Long story short, you really cannot win over these douchbags, you’ve gotta run away. But that, of course, is not always possible, so there are tips on how to manoeuvre around these idiots. If you feel there are psychopaths in your path or just regular toxic people, especially in the workplace, this book WILL unnerve you but it will help you manage through.

Elegance: the beauty of French fashion by Megan Hess – this is another stunning book by Hess. She writes about fashion and style, and illustrates the book herself with the most gorgeous strokes. Her books are works of art.

Incidental Inventions by Elena Ferrante - I honestly do not understand why Ferrante is held in such a high adoration. I think her writing is good and readable, but it is not great. This is a book of essays or columns for a newspaper she wrote over a year. She was given interesting topics that could have been quite fascinating to write about and they were readable and good, but again, not great.

Picasso – this is a lovely little art book I picked up second hand at Cooks Hill Book Shop. It tells the story of Picasso in a brief memoir and more detailed description of his artistic value and his various stages accompanied by a fabulous painting on each page. I do love Picasso, so this was pure joy.

What I've Been Watching

Everything's Gonna Be OK - this is the new Josh Thomas and it is, of course, wonderful. Much like his absolutely brilliant Please Like Me, this has a lovely loose vibe that layers the characters week after week. It has the same lovely jaunty melancholy. Again, Josh plays a similar version of himself, a little but flakey, a little bit funny. He is holidaying with his father in the US when he learns his father hasn't long to live due to an aggressive cancer. He becomes the guardian of his 2 teenage step-sisters. The older is high-functioning autistic and the younger one is a little shy and doesn't fit in well. Josh is in a new relationship and remains in the US to juggle all these commitments. It is stunning and funny and sad and melancholy. Josh just writes such beautiful layered characters in very real situations. He is a National Treasure. Oh and there is a dog, an amazing dog!!! 

Shrill S2 -  I loved S1 so much, I thought S2 would never arrive, but it did and it was as good, if not possibly better! It picks up exactly where it left off, and hilariously so. I loved Aidy Bryant before this, I worship her now, lol! She is as fierce and fabulous as her writer, Lindy West. I read and loved Shrill years ago and was a little worried when they announced this show, I should not have been. Aidy plays Annie, a 'larger' size gal who is a writer with a loud voice waiting to emerge. I personally would call Annie - based on what I see in my life - an average sized gal, but whatever. The show runs far deeper than size. It has fascinating, layered characters and this season we get to know all of them a bit more. Both Annie and her flatmate/bestie, Fran (man I love Lolly Adefope) have challenging relationships with their mothers, and this season brings that to a stunning head. Daniel Stern is a revelation as Annie's father. Her relationship with her boyfriend continued to confuddle me (no spoilers!) and that with her spectacularly toxic boss, Gabe (John Cameron Mitchell is everything, his party episode is truly wonderful, and it gets to showcase the other talents we know he has - ok spoiler, he does a brilliant version of Moonage Daydream!). Shrill S2 is totally worth your time, not only will you be entertained and amused (it is very funny) but you will grow watching it. I know that sounds wanky, but trust me, it is a worthwhile thing!

Will and Grace S3 - been loving this new season, these guys, they are just brilliant together and funny. It is what we need in these dreary times. What more can I say, you know the show, get with the program.

Celebrity Gogglebox UK - ok, this is a bit of a guilty pleasure. I watch regular Australian Gogglebox and love it. When I stumbled across this I felt a little dirty, I have to say. The term celebrity is used very loosely and if it wasn't for the gorgeous Martin Kemp (from Spandau Ballet and still very good looking, in fact, better looking) and his teenage son, I probably would have passed. They are lovely and some of the others grow on you. The final two episodes bring in a new couple, Shaun and his mate, Bez, from Manchester. Yes, Shaun Ryder and Bez from The Happy Mondays, and they are as hilarious as you can imagine. I want more!!!!

Amazing Race - I do love anything to do with travel and other countries, and this will always suck me in, even though some of the people are super annoying, always the ones who win too, sigh. 

Booksmart – I enjoyed this movie about 2 swotty girls on the eve of high school graduation racing to do all the fun stuff they missed out on while they were studying. It has gotten rave reviews, I wouldn’t go that far. I felt like I had seen the film before numerous times to the point I wondered whether it was a remake of something. But in all a good teen movie.

Bee Nation  - documentary following some First Nation kids from a small town in the first province-wide First Nations Spelling Bee. It shows families doing it rough ensuring their kids get a fair go at life. Some very smart cookies in the mix and watching the actual Spelling Bee has you on the edge of your seat hoping the kids get through. Really wonderful stuff.

What I've Been Listening To

Colorado - Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Neil is as prolific as ever, and this was a good solid album, but nothing outstanding.

Everyday Life by Coldplay – this is very different to other Coldplay albums and I really enjoyed it. I know it is not cool to like Coldplay but I do. I don’t worship them or would call myself a fan. But I do like them. This is a very chill album, I felt incredibly relaxed listening to it. It had a real Pink Floyd vibe to it in part. I read an article where they played around with genres and you really get that feeling. Worth a listen.

Wild Seeds by Seeker Lover Keeper -  also a very chill album, but given the trio of Aussie singers that is to be expected. Seeker Lover Keeper are the sublime Sarah Blasko, Sally Seltman, and Holly Throsby and this is their 2^nd album, 8 years after the first. It is lovely, melodic, beautiful, touching, all the feels. Totally recommend.

Remind Me Tomorrow by Sharon Van Etten – I really like Sharon Van Etten’s atmospheric, hypnotic sound. It is no wonder she was in Twin Peaks and on the soundtrack. Modern and catchy, yet thoroughly classic feeling. The album is a little bit pop, a little bit ballad, a little bit trip-hop, a little bit everything. Whilst I know her work, this is the first album of hers I have listened to and I really loved it.

Hit Parade  - another new podcast! Oh vey, so many podcasts, so little time. This is by a journo from Slate magazine and each episode he tackles a subject and how it relates to something else or history musically. Absolutely fabulous, as a music buff I am learning things and remembering stuff long forgotten. He links Tom Petty with Prince in one episode (more cross overs than you would think), Elton and George Michael, the history of Red Red Wine, B-sides, Madonna, The Beatles and so on. If you love music, this is for you! I think they only come out monthly, but I am going back to the beginning and listening in order, there are a lot to catch up on.

Rumble with Michael Moore  -  Continuing to love this prolific podcast. I loved the RuPaul episode, if you want to hear a lovely chat about inclusiveness and making the world a better place, this is for you. Moore and RuPaul have a lovely chemistry and I can assure you, you will smile and feel better about the world. The De Niro one is equally as fabulous, but more political and packs a punch. These guys are amazing and similarly placed politically and their take down on Trump the Clown is pretty brilliant!