cut off

on the way to pick up mail i wrote a poem for the freedom poetry reading; from those good spirits i began fretting about the cost of being invited to weddings, and i calculated the amount for last night's just before opening the mailbox and finding the invitation for the next wedding in two weeks' time.

*heart sinks into wallet*

i was sitting in the shade, reading wired until class starts, when a tubby girl walked by with her friend and exclaimed: "it's so cold" as if it was the middle of winter, and she hadn't just stepped in from an overheated early morning. my brain did a small backflip.

first class wasn't too bad, but between first and second i waited for her sister's boyfriend and he kept telling me "be there in five"... that went on until i was almost late for class and he still hadn't shown up.

no matter how intriguing the second class was, i was so tired that i spent the last fifteen minutes fighting to keep my eyes open. i returned, naively, to wait for the guy again, and after twenty minutes with no communication decided it was time to go to work. at least i was kept company... although i was shocked to find out that both of them had no idea who steve irwin was. i've sent them this and this so that i can be understood when i repeat sentiments like these.

i ran into my old office to pick up my payslip and work for 20 minutes (yes, i did actually manage to do something useful), then i rushed off to just miss the bus back to campus and wait fifteen minutes in the searing heat.

the poetry reading: there were a couple of terrible readings, and a couple of awesome ones. one of the guys began by reciting a couple of famous quotes about freedom; this proved a perfect setup for what had been in my head for the last couple of hours: "freedom, baby, is never having to say you're sorry" (the other john milton).

i'd had trouble with the printing: the lab computer informed me that the printing would be six slides to a page, and actually threw out one per page. aside from the irritating waste of paper, it made it tough to flip through... so of the three poems i read, i left out the last lines of two of them. they were well received in spite of this... the band that played a few numbers in the middle - the one that i'd been irritated by because their singer has a shitty voice and their lyrics are terrible - asked me if i'd be interested in writing and singing.

i'm not sure how flattering that is, but it might be better than nothing...

i had to leave early in the midst of a fantastic reading; we'd gone over time (the aforementioned band abused lots of repetition) and pg and i were headed to a wedding. i met her outside, stressed about time and anxious in general and irritated at, oh, the whole world (sleep deprivation can do that to me), and a few short sentences spiralled through a curt argument to both of us literally screaming at the roof. unfortunately, the catharsis only worked on me and she was still annoyed afterwards. i do so hate proving calvin (i think it's from calvin and hobbes) right: the best way to get rid of a bad mood is to give it to someone else.

the wedding was in a really beautiful place, the general setup was great and the music was quite fun. the gimmicks were cool, especially the giant polar bears dancing with us. i had quite a lot to drink. i knew very few people, and those i did know from the army i didn't have much to say to. pg's ex was there, and so was one of the rollerblading group's jerks, so we didn't have much to do with them either...

pg asked me at some stage if i would have gone to the wedding if not with her, and the truth is i don't know.

pg drove us home, i with my eyes glued to my ipod. disgusting.

we both went straight to bed, and i slept wonderfully except for two things:
1. waking up in the middle of the night with stiff legs and feet, and lying in agony for a while before i eventually couldn't take it anymore and got up to stretch.
2. waking up early to say goodbye to my tenant.

---
i'm disappointed. these girls have been staying in my apartment for two months and i've been compensated with one month's rent. i've barely seen them because i haven't had time to party, and standing outside my apartment for forty-five minutes waiting for them to arrive when they were already inside (due to a very badly worded sms) sucked. even that was excusable, though. we said our goodbyes, and they were off... then i discovered that i'd been left with a sink full of disgusting dishes and a fridge with unrecognizable leftovers, bottles of weird shit in the entrance and... the cake that was supposed to be a thank-you gift, with two slices taken out.

one of the girls asked me how much i want for my apartment, and when i told her she gave me this knowing look and said, "okay, now the realistic price?"
this is the same girl who wanted me to pretend to be a dj to get better parking at the independence day party. she didn't understand what i meant when i told her i don't like to lie: "it's not a lie, it's a game. you have to play the game!"

not really.

the neighbour asked me if i've moved, and his interest suddenly inspired me. what if i rent him my pad (at the price i want), on condition that he allows the building inspector into the apartment he's in now - the completely illegitimate apartment converted from what should be our bomb shelter?

---
i checked that my pc's operational and moved a round of discs and books.

i had a cup of coffee, then went out for pre-training lunch with pg. the hooting on the way was insane, one idiot making me so angry that i could comfortably imagine removing him from the species. not good for my nerves.

after lunch, pg and i took a second round of discs and books. after some basic tidying, i went to taekwondo. upsetting the bus driver by crossing the road in front of him - i didn't think he'd stop for me, so when he did i just walked on by... then the security guard at the mall pissed me off by over-checking my bag. the campus security do it to me as well - i do not look like a terrorist. i don't see what all the excitement is about.

[tone changes on account of pg being upset that it's taking me so long]

training killed me. i had fun. the first sit-ups that i've done in over a year were painful. we finished an hour earlier than i expected. i was broken, so after a shower i passed out for an hour. pg woke me up for dinner, then we took the dog for a walk before handling a third round - bringing one of my bookshelves.

that was hard work.

we then did a fourth round, taking apart my pc and bringing across my desk (and playstation).

since we got back (and showered, it's hot and sweaty moving) i've been trying to write this, but constant distractions (mostly from pg) have made it slow going...