32 year old Sydney girl who is living and loving life in Melbourne.
I write about my life, about things I see or am inspired by and about things I am trying to mentally process. Lately I have been writing mostly about my 101 Things in 1001 Days
Here we go again folks, will this ever stop being fun???
1. Obligatory Star Wars related pin. Love how the villain is used to demonstrate gay pride. With you all the way Darth. Society 6 has amazing phone covers too. I have a shortlist of at least 50 to try and wittle down. Argh!
2. I love babies and am a devoted Aunt so before you go getting the "well she is obviously just a bitter barren old hag" on calm down. As soon as I saw this e-card I laughed because I have been known to rant this when I am stuck behind a car with this in the window. Oh and I don't care who is in your family either for the record. Unless it is two Mums/two Dads and you are sticking it the Conservative Man. Then I LOVE seeing your family stick figured and plastered on your car.
3. Just when you thought last week's water slidey goodness would never be outdone here comes this "slide through a shark tank" from the Golden Nugget Hotel in Vegas. Don't make me be starting a "Waterslide" board Pinterest...
5. I don't really aspire to own property but I get slightly more inspired about the prospect when I see things like this. I went to Norman Lindsay's property in the Blue Mountains once and he had a (dry at the time I was there) fantastic natural pool. Doesn't this just make you want to jump right in?
I am loving this series of guest posts because it means I can discover some great new music and get to know some of my friends that little bit more. Up next is "That What She Said" with her 10 songs that she is in love with "at the moment/all the time". Big Call TWSS, big call!
1. Von - Sigur Rós. I saw Sigur Rós live for the first time in 2008. I have never been so moved in my entire life. Jonsi’s voice is something that leaves me speechless and anyone who knows me well, knows that that’s a very hard task. I cried for the entire concert and was just overcome with this sense of wonder and awe. This is my favourite track by them at the moment, it makes my heart race and ache at the same time.
2. I Will Follow You In To The Dark - Death Cab for Cutie. I found it really tough to choose just one DCFC song, but I figured this post would be rather boring if it was filled with only DCFC. I love this song at the moment because my brother recently bought a new guitar and has been playing it downstairs a lot. I’ve been going to bed with this song in my head for the past two weeks. It’s a pretty sweet love song. I remember making out with my year ten boyfriend to it on repeat once.
P.S Ben Gibbard is so cute in this clip. I just want to cuddle him senseless.
3. Help You Breathe - Oliver Tank. I’ve been listening to this on repeat since it was released around three weeks ago. I saw Oliver Tank live early this year and although I thought he’d smoked a little too much whacky tobaccy and his dance moves were awkward, I’m a massive fan of his work and I understand who he is as an artist. This tune is so catchy and makes me feel giddy 40 seconds in to the song. GO! LISTEN! NOW! Yeah…..
4. Call It Off - Tegan and Sara. I’m a massive T&S fan. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them live three or four times. Each time I love them a little more. I went to their last Australian tour in 2010, a day after getting my wisdom teeth out. It was pretty crazy, but totally worth it. Looking back, I am pretty sure I was high as a kite on pain killers. My sister used to listen to them in the late 90’s and I remember feeling really cool that I was listening to a band consisting of a set of twins who were lesbians “but not together.” I was such a sheltered child. ANYWAY, this is one of my favourite songs. It’s off their 2008 album ‘The Con’. This is demo version of the song, which I like a fair bit more than the one on the album. This song describes my feelings about life, at this particular moment in time.
5. All is Whole - Whitley. Anyone who knows me well, knows how obsessed I am with this lovely guy. I saw him for the first time in 2007, supporting Josh Pyke at a crappy country pub in my hometown; Bendigo. I could ramble on about him for ages, but I’m going to stop as I know I’ll probably bore the readers of this blog. This is my favourite song, released 2007, on his first album ‘The Submarine’. It makes me think about the fact that, no matter how tough things are, that in the end everything will be okay.
6. The Girl - City and Colour, The Girl. I want to marry Dallas Green. That beard is impressive. I recently started listening to City and Colour again, after buying tickets to his upcoming tour. This song in particular, has a fairly massive personal story behind it for me at the moment, but I won’t go in to it here. I’ve been lying in bed listening to it a lot lately and it makes me giddy.
7. Blood Bank - Bon Iver. Gosh, Justin has such a beautiful face/beard combo. I don’t even mind that he’s balding. I’ve been a massive Bon Iver fan for quite some time, way before people started asking after Bonny Bear. Anyway, it’s tough for me to choose a favourite song, especially at the moment, as I’m currently listening to him on repeat after seeing them live last week. This song has been stuck in my head today and always brings up beautiful pictures in my head. So, that’s why I chose to put it on this post. P.S this clip has sing along lyrics… Tro lo lo lo lo.
8. High Priestess - Active Child. I was lucky enough to catch the lovely Pat Grossi (who goes by the alias Active Child) at Laneway Festival earlier this year. HE PLAYS THE HARP! HE SINGS IN FALSETTO SO FLAWLESSLY. HE HAS RED HAIR. He’s pretty much the best combo, ever. Anyway, I love this clip and this song rocks. (Ruby's note: This endorsement of red haired males does not extend to the rest of this blog. Some red haired males have been pardoned by Ruby but most have not).
9. Legendary - Lou Barlow. I literally grew up listening to Lou Barlow. I have three older brothers who were massive Dinosaur Jr, Folk Implosion and Sebadoh fans and I’ve recently gotten back to listening to them myself. I find Lou rather attractive for a dude old enough to be my father. Anyway, this is my favourite solo song of his. He performed it at the tribute concert for Elliott Smith and talked about that this song is about the death of a friend of his and trying to deal with their death.
10. Needle in the Hay - Elliott Smith. I thought I’d end with this, as Elliott Smith is my favourite artist of all time. I started liking him back in 2003, not long before he died. I remember the day my brother walked in to the kitchen with a sad look on his face and told me what had happened. For some strange reason, I started to become overly fascinated with Elliott’s stuff after this event and this inevitably became my favourite song.
7. Take more risks - I thrive on 'new' things and spontaneity but, after 32 years of maternal influence, I am not too used to taking major risks. This creates a vicious cycle of feeling inspired followed by feeling unfulfilled. In 2012 I plan to take more risks and to make the effort to follow through on at least 3 of my mad schemes (I come up with about 20 a year).
Well today I took a bit of a leap and put it into action. Ok so it isn't the hugest risk in the world, but for me it feels like a pretty big one. Some of you may be aware that I am rather unhappy in my current place of employ. The job just hasn't turned out as I had hoped it would and I am not finding many opportunities to utilise my skills and experience. I miss the level of responsibility I had in my old role and I also miss being recognised as a creative thinker who was invited along to planning meetings and whose ideas were listened to and respected.
So....I have been looking for a new role which has proven to be particularly hard in the current climate. To be frank, it's getting rather depressing. And I am already a little worried about what happens when my current contract runs out in May 2013. YES 2013. Given that one of the issues I have in my job search at the moment is that all of my jobs have been very niche and it seems that employers are looking for someone whose previous job title matches exactly the one they are recruiting for, I have been looking at courses I could do to gain myself a specific qualification and gain it pretty quickly so that I am not 38 before I have a steadier career prospect. I was tossing up between Urban Planning and Primary Education and recently commenced a Master of Teaching (Primary) as this is certainly a job I would LOVE to do. I have found the content fascinating and am excited about a possible future as a teacher and have some interesting plans related to it in the future but...
That being said, I have been studying since 2007 (after having already completed an undergraduate degree in 2001) and I just need a break from it all. I want to be able to go home from work and relax, not have to worry about developing lesson plans for integrating ICT into education or learning about Piaget's theories. So today I took a leave of absence, putting side my fear that in a little over 12 months I will be jobless with my niche jobs resume (but AMAZING skill set I must say - come on employers, think outside the goddamn square!) and giving myself the break I feel I deserve after completing two degrees in the past 5 years.
5. Learn something 'new' - I am very unhappy in my job. I have tried to get new jobs and will keep trying I guess however it's not going to be a quick fix. Therefore I need to find a 'positive' about my current job and that is simply the money and the fact that I don't care enough about it to let it bother me outside 9-5. This means ALL of my free time is indeed work free and I can therefore focus on doing things in that time that make me happy. One of these things will be to gain the intellectual stimulation I am not getting in my job by learning something new outside of work. At this point this may be a formal teaching qualification or it may be more French lessons.
Well I obviously need to keep learning something to fulfil another desire I had for 2012 so French lessons it is. Even if this time next year I am freaking out about getting a new job, I plan to be lording it over you all IN FRENCH. Mwwuuhhahahahaha (That's Ruby for evil laugh).
I am uber excited about this new series of guests posts, because it is all about unlocking the inner soundtrack of some of my fave people! I am especially excited about this first post as it is from a new guest to "There is More Than One Kind of Me" but someone who I always love having a yarn with. Algeezyo and I go back further than both of us probably realise and, despite having very different interests, often agree on what makes a track great. Plus she says some darn nice things about me (and you too!) and let's face it - it is always nice to be spoken highly of. So now, I hand over to Algeezyo....
HONOURED that someone of Ruby's literary and creative prowess has allowed me to feature as a guest on her fantastic blog.
EXCITED that 10 of the songs I've held near and dear to my heart for various reasons detailed below, are now being published somewhere that has an audience of this calibre.
THANKFUL that, regardless of the difference in our tastes, Ruby and I share a mutual respect for great music. 10 songs that speak to my soul, in no particular order...
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room - John Mayer. This pick is as much about the dance as it is about the song. Wade Robson choreographed this piece performed by Ben Susak & Pam Chu. It wouldn't be as powerful if it wasn't set to John Mayer's heartbreak.
If It Kills Me - Jason Mraz. "And I will find a way to you if it kills me, if it kills me, it might kill me." Enough said
Ex-Factor - Lauryn Hill. One of those songs where I could have the volume turned all the way down, but every lyric would still ring loud and clear. I also love the perfect imperfections in Lauryn's live voice, and the way she breaks it down and throws in a verse from "Blame it on the Sun" just for fun
It Doesn't Hurt - Katie Thompson. A broken woman putting on a brave voice. How can I not love this song?
Gravity - Sara Bareilles. Just Sara and her piano. Simply beautiful.
Thinking About You - Frank Ocean. Men singing falsetto just melt me.
Love On Top - Beyonce. Love her or hate her, you can't deny the beat makes you wanna bop and her joy is infectious.
Wake Up Alone - Amy Winehouse. No one sings about pain better than the pained.
Empire State of Mind feat Alicia Keys - Jay Z. Jay & Alicia in NYC. On this list for sentimental reasons.
Drop It Like Its Hot feat. Pharrell - Snoop Dogg. Because no matter where I am or what I'm doing, this song always makes me stop, smile, and booty tooch just a little bit :)
Ok people, remember my disclaimer. This is not a "Top 100" list and therefore not in any order. It is just 100 tracks I love.
I have also opened it up to some of my favourite people in the world to send me top 10 lists so keep an eye out for that over the coming months. If anyone wants to submit a list let me know - would love to have you on board!
11. Addicted to Love (Cover) - Florence and the Machine
12. Simply Irresistible - Robert Palmer. I bought this track on a 7" when I was about 10. KMart used to seel cheap LP's, I also bought "Especially for You" by Kylie and Jason. Quality! I used to rock out around the house to"Simply Irresistible in Mum's heels and a dress I had that looked like the ones the ladies wear in the clip.
13. 9 to 5 - Dolly Parton. This is my Karaoke "go to" track, seriously who doesn't love Dolly? If you don't, I can safely say you have no soul. Just putting it out there...This clip combines two of my favourite things - Dolly and Minnie Mouse!
14. Sunday Best - Washington. If this was more readily available this would be my Karaoke "go to" song. Hot! Love the clip too.
15. The Suburbs - Arcade Fire.
16. Various Stages - Great Lake Swimmers. It is somewhat embarassing that I literally cried when I saw Great Lake Swimmers play in Sydney. But the music is so so beautiful and I was so so fragile at the time it just worked.
17. Heart Skipped a Beat - The XX. Love the male vocal delivery in this, particularly when he sings "they said welcome to the...floor". *sigh* By the way, the comments on this video are hilarious.
18. Hummingbird - Born Ruffians. Could this track feel any more English? Love the clip too.
19. King of Carrot Flowers Pt 1 - Neutral Milk Hotel. Sorry about the "video". It appears a particular record company here in Australia doesn't want anyone to enjoy the track. I love the line "As we would lay and learn what each others bodies are for".
So one of my blogging faves, Decoybetty, tagged me in this. Perfect way to kick off a long day of doing nothing at my workplace.
Favourite colour – It changes, used to be purple, then it was blue and now I am very partial to green. I also love the combination of Blue, Green and Yellow. Can I say my favourite colour is Polka Dots? That never changes.
Favourite animal – I like all the big awkward ones like Whales, Elephants and Giraffes. I am also very very partial to pigs. Oh and all these animals.
Favourite non-alcoholic drink – Soda Water at the moment. And green tea. Considering that is about all I can drink on crazy new diet Doctor has me on.
Facebook or Twitter – Definitely Twitter. I only use Facebook really to see photos of my family.
Getting or giving presents – I love getting presents but I really love giving them to people I really care about. Seeing their faces when you really nail it is priceless!
Favourite flower – The ones that come unexpectedly from someone you love.
Favourite pattern – Polka Dots of course.
Passion – Nasty chemical free cosmetics, football, puzzles, my gorgeous (yet noisy) nephews, books, music and LIFE!!!
Favourite number – 7 or 9.
I know I am meant to tag 5 people in this but not today ok?
1. I have decided that number 1 will always have to be something related to Star Wars. Simply because Star Wars is great and so many humourous (fantastic) things have been spawned from it. This one come with the caption "Join the Bark Side". ROFL.
2. I would love to somehow make something like this for music as well. Both books and music are major passions of mine. Whilst I can somewhat understand why people don't like reading I just can't understand music. There is ALWAYS a song that can speak to any emotion you are feeling and most songs only take 3.5 minutes to listen to.
Source: Inaccessible.
3. This one is for "Miss Can't Drink in Texas Just Yet" (who, by the way, can now drink in Texas). We have become addicted to doing jigsaw puzzles of late and are known in our puzzle induced delirium to sing "Every Day I'm Puzzlin'". Yes bad inside joke I know. But I had to post this.
4. I must admit I was rather disappointed when my nephews turned out to be boys who couldn't sit still long enough to be read to. If I say so myself, I read a pretty darn good kids book. I would love to volunteer in a library in an area with a significant low SES or refugee population and read books to the kids. Between full time work, full time study and trying to start a new life in Melbourne time is sparse though.
1. My nephews. These three boys are easily the joy of my life. Even if sometimes they are the pain of it too. One of the few things I miss from Sydney since I have moved to Melbourne. Miss you Boys of Noise!
2. Mum and Dad. I have radical parents, they are so supportive and I still really enjoy spending time with them. As an adult I really enjoy the relationship I have with them and am so glad that they are my parents. Well aside from some of the genes they passed on (thanks that blood disorder folks!). They also gave me great siblings so that's pretty darn cool too.
3. Football. The round ball games - I have met many people through football. Some great, some....not so great. I have travelled the country following my team and have even travelled internationally. Football has been good to me (when it isn't being bad to me).
4. The smell of new books. And new undies. Yes, I know this one makes me a little strange.
5. Music. I don't understand people who don't love music. Or people who say they love music and yet listen primarily to Top 40 crap. Few things (with the exceptions being nature and humans) have the power to move me as much as music does. Somewhat embarrassingly I have been known to cry at gigs (hey, it was Great Lake Swimmers, Sufjan Stevens and a Josh Pyke gig that came after a really difficult period in my life alright!). Music confronts, confirms and best of all comforts the yearnings of our souls. I could not live without music.
6. Education. I am a complete study junkie. Three degrees down (as well as a number of random subjects studied through Open Universities) and currently enrolled in a fourth I just love the formal learning environment. The informal environment is also pretty darn awesome too. I don't think I will ever stop learning - next up for me is definitely French classes!
7. 5pm. This one came from my good friend "The Doctor". For those of us doing the 9-5 in jobs we find less than satisfying this one is pretty self explanatory.
8. Unexpected personal letters or parcels. When I was a teenager I had a holiday romance with a boy who lived far far away from me. Pre mobile phones we communicated by letter. Walking home from school I was also so high on anticipation of finding a letter in the mailbox for me. It was always disappointing when, more often than not, there was no letter. But OH, those days when a letter arrived. Bliss! I still love getting things in the mail, and sending things to others.
9. This blog! I love having a space to share my thoughts, vent, process or even just to share things that have made me smile. I have come to discover other great blogs through it and have even made a new blogger friend in Deidre of Decoybetty fame.
10. Markets. I love going to markets that feature handmade goodies from local designers. They are such inspiring places and it's always challenging to see how people are making use of recycled goods to make something really interesting. One discovery is the amazing Ruth Allen of Sustainable Stubbies who turns out glass bottles into things you can really use around the home.
