The Red Apron

Okay, so this weekend is just about over, and I think that I have made it. I was almost a casualty on Friday night, but I got there in the end. I got to drinking. I got to smoking. I got to talking about how I was feeling. I got home okay. It was a bit of a rough sort of a night, not a terribly healthy one, but that's okay. I'm okay. You're okay. We're okay.

Saturday was a great sort of a day. I was a little bit muddle headed when I first awoke, but that cleared reasonably quickly. I dropped Ria off at work in New Farm. While I was there I bought some iced coffee. When I was leaving the car park I saw the dude who has Lucid Laundry. He has a beautifully restored Volkswagen Beetle. He also had a beautiful female companion. I knew it was him because a few years ago when I was doing removals I moved him. I can't remember much about the job, it wasn't anything special. I just remember the guy.

After that I went home and watched some filmclips and did some washing and killed some time. I also drank some iced coffee. It was good. At around 11 I headed down the coast with my brother Stuart and Dean. It was a good trip down. Stuart played a song that I hadn't heard before, but it was one that I like alot. It's by The Knife and it's called Like A Pen. It's a cool song.

We went down to Burleigh and had a swim and it was great. I've been wanting to get down to the beach for the past three weeks, and I'm so glad that I finally made it. Immersing myself in the ocean is very therapeutic. I don't know what it is about the water. Whether it's a washing away of responsibility or a surrenderring of myself to the powers of the deep, but I find it to be very calming and relaxing. Using the force of the waves and ducking and diving really makes me feel alive and good. So it was good.

While I was down at Burleigh I considered getting my nipple repierced as something to do. I've been thinking about getting a hole in there again. When I first had it done it was a way of reclaiming some of myself back. At the time I wasn't terribly happy with the way I was living my life. I didn't feel as though I was being true to myself. The point that highlighted this for me was that I had the same haircut as my father. Although this may not seem to be a huge deal, it was for me. I didn't want to be like that. I'd forgotten who I was. So I did something for myself.

I was extremely happy with the nipple piercing and was happy to show it to all and sundry. I think that I even picked up the weekend that I got it. I had something in there for just over six months when it got infected. I took the bar out at that time and the hole closed over. It's been closed now for a couple of months and the nipple is almost back to its original shape. I thought that it might be time to get it redone though. Time to feel something real again. The pain involved with the process is something that cannot be escaped and is an essential part of the why I had it done in the first place. But when I walked into the tattoo store in Burleigh I took one whiff of the antiseptic and I knew that I wouldn't be able to get it done that day. I wasn't ready. I freaked.

So I didn't get a new hole in my chest, but I did have a very nice hamburger. Big Chief makes some great burgers.

After we'd had something to eat we headed down to Carrara for the 8th annual Bike Week. We had to park on a service road as there were that many cars and bikes. Walking in we had to be willing to be searched over with a security wand. It cost twenty clams to get in, which I thought was a bit steep, but it was a great experience. The biking community is one that is frowned upon by a large part of society, but it was great to see the strength and sense of brotherhood within the community. I guess that'll happen when you are shunned by the Everyday Joes. Inside there was bikes, bikies, booze and broads. And mud. The mud was horrible. Every step that I took I was in danger of losing the thongs that I had mistakenly worn. Apart from the mud though, it was awesome.

Some of the bikes on display were truly works of art. Alot of time and skill had been involved in their creation. I almost felt ashamed to look at them because of my naievety. I know nothing about bikes, apart from what I think looks cool. And some of the things on display yesterday were definately cool.

Other than the bikes, there was also a lot of biking paraphernalia. Helmets, gloves, bike covers, saddle bags, leather pants, jewellery, Jack Daniels. It was very interesting. I actually bought a skull ring which is pretty awesome. I like it alot. It's not quite a Phantom ring, but it's tough.

Eventually our time at the Bike show ran out. I did get to see some of the 12 Gage Custom show though which was pretty sweet.


Ha!

There is still a whole Saturday night and Sunday to tell you about. I spent the majority of this time with Ria which was totally sweet. We watched fireworks and ate pizza and slept in and yum cha and went to the beach and went to an adult concept store and came home and stuff. It was a great Sunday.

My brother Stuart has just come home. He has been drinking free beer. He is very drunk. Dirty Dave has told me that he spent fifty dollars (A$50) at a Caltex service station. All of this money went towards ice creams and biscuits and chocolates.

Ha!