Recent days

Thursday 23 July
I went in to 3CR to meet Maureen Tolfree for an interview about her brother - Brian Peters (of the Balibo Five) - and about the film, Balibo. I'll play the interview on tomorrow's Tuesday Breakfast Show, and probably on my next Women On The Line. Anyway, I stayed at 3CR editing that until it was 3pm, when I went to a meeting about the 2010 Seeds of Dissent Calendar, then I went to the Trades Hall to record a talk by Carol Adams on The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory. It featured a slideshow of all these meat advertising images she's found or been sent by readers, and it was pretty fascinating.


Friday 24 July
Worked at CASA House, then met up with Guy, Leah and Amy for drinks/dinner. As Guy walked with me to the train station, I confessed the real extent of my humiliating Twilight film habit - "Ummmm, sometimes, I even put it on in the background while I'm doing other things, like the other day I was researching interviews..." - and it made him consider watching it. I went home and fell asleep watching it.


Saturday 25 July
I couldn't resist any longer - I got the Twilight book. It has had an absurdly powerful effect on me. I spent Saturday reading it, chortling with glee, and hugging it to my chest when overcome by the pleasure of it. It was an entirely enjoyable experience. Seriously, you guys.


Sunday 26 July
Woke early to continue reading Twilight. Then at 11am went to the Forum MIFF office to pick up our Mini Passes. Then had some time to kill before our first film, so went to the ACMI Lounge to drink coffee and read more Twilight - with some scrap paper deliberately placed over the front cover to hide its identity. It shames me that I feel shame about reading it, because it doesn't deserve such cowardice. Frankly. it's MARVELLOUS.

12.15pm: saw our first MIFF film, The Milk Of Sorrow. I recommend it. It's about living in crippling fear of rape, but it's tone is not at all harrowing. Yes, the placement of a certain potato made my uterus pang so I squirmed in my seat throughout the film and for sometime after. But mostly it's just kinda beautiful, with oddly lovely songs.

After the film we went and ate some eggs in Degraves Street, where I kept secretly reading Twilight while my little brother openly read Miranda July's No One Belongs Here More Than You - I think this made him feel cooler than me. Which I wouldn't normally mind - he does look way cooler than me, probably is - but dude, it's my copy of the Miranda July. Anyway, then we went to Dymocks so I could buy the remaining three books of the Twilight series. I also bought China Miéville's Perdido Street Station, because I'm seeing him at the Melbourne Writers Festival and I haven't read a thing. Also, I had a general sense that buying a China Miéville book alongside books 2, 3 & 4 of the Twilight series might make me seem less ridiculous?

We still had some time before my next film - Simon wasn't coming to it as our MIFF schedules differ this year. I see this as growth. Anyway, so we popped in to the Len Lye exhibition at ACMI. And I think I'll pop back in to it rather frequently as MIFF continues. It's a nice way to spend time - watching Colour Flight or waiting for one of the metal kinetic sculptures to come alive and cause delight. And it's free.

Anyway, it still wasn't 4.45pm - when I was due to go see Treeless Mountain - so we went back to the ACMI Lounge so I could finish the first Twilight book. Which I did. And, as I'd spent the last day smiling and sighing, my brother finally ventured to ask, "What's so great about it, anyway? Like, is it better than Harry Potter?"And I said something about how it was different - it's not so much about big themes of decency responding to fear and hatred in a society with the whole world at stake, it's more about feelings and caring about characters and enjoying how they care about others - like, it's their emotional world that's at stake. Also, there are vampires. He might still read it, I guess.

Treeless Mountain had sweet kids in it, and sometimes they were sad. Basically, it's a film about two young girls waiting for their mum to come back, and how they spend their time. I liked it, but it dragged a little, too.


Went home and started reading New Moon, the second book in the Twilight series. It got a little embarrassing really, what with me sitting on the couch in the living room in full view of my family, becoming shakily devastated. Fell asleep with the book on my chest.


Monday 27 July
Woke early - 5.45am - so I could fit in more New Moon reading before heading to work at CASA House. Had to relent for showering and dressing, but I got a lift in, so was able to continue reading until I stepped out onto Lonsdale Street. As I waited for my coffee, I caught myself smiling inwardly and radiating contentment. This is sad, isn't it.

Anyway, tonight I'm seeing Guest Of Cindy Sherman.