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What Have I Done For Me Lately?

Posted: 20-02-07

A shitload of stuff now that you ask.

As you may or may not have been aware, I have been in the process of house buying (casually looking on the web at lunchtimes for suitable dwellings to inhabit – dwellings? Who am I? The subject of an Attenborough docco?) and my Dad, who was over from Germany in January, helped me select one. I wasn't actually that keen on it to start off with, but after I showed it to Tasia, she helped me decide that it kind of made sense.

The house is on the top of a hill with fantastic views West over the suburb of Brooklyn. I got the keys three weeks ago and have since realised the magnitude of what I have taken on – being as it is that all my friends aren't saying to me: "Hey Russ, lovely home" but: "Hey Russ, that's one Hell of a project you've taken on there." (It's a not a project, it's my home – hmph).

Well I like it – with its two double bedrooms, a nice size lounge, utility room and bathroom and what must be the shabbiest kitchen this side of Alpha Centuri. It needs a ton of work, but as it involves ripping off old shitty 70s hardboard, insulating and re–padding with GIB (plasterboard), hey, I'm all over it. The fact that I have found wood so rotten it was indistinguishable from soil, that the amount of money I have to spend on it is exceeded by the amount of money that it needs to have spent on it – doesn't bother me in the slightest. Because you see: Unlike the chumps on Property Ladder (Yeah we get that on Sky too), I'm not in this to make a quick buck. I want to improve my place, for me and my flatmate to live in, while of course being mindful that I may one day have to sell it and porthole windows into the lounge aren't exactly de rigeur in interior design.

In other news, I recently passed my driving test, I'm 31 and could've learned if I had really wanted to back when I was 17, but what's the hurry!? Well the hurry now is, I need to make dozens of trips to and from Mitre 10 (Think B&Q) for tools, wood and glue, and I need a motor to do it. So I got my mate Paul who knows about these things to sort me one out. I am now the proud owner of a 1991, 1.5 16v Mazda Familia (80% of cars here are Jap imports, easy–as to get hold of, get parts for and cheap to run). The only problem with it is that it's been lowered. You know that thing the Barrys, Kev's, Chav's and Ned's do to their Mark 3 Escorts back home.

This is a problem besides my feeling every dried possum on the road through my poor arse, becuase I can't even get 3rd party Fire and Theft insurance for fear of some spotty 15 year old knicking the bleedin' thing because it's been lowered. (yep; You can be a 15 year old child here and drive a V8). If I can afford it, I'l get it jacked back up again, and a towbar fitted and a new head unit (I'ts got some wicked speakers in it!) and, and, and...

I do hope you're well, wherever you are – I am.

Your friend,
Russ