Sue Visits
My friend Sue is in town for the night.
Just a brief visit this time, as she has work commitments today and tomorrow.
It’s hard to believe we’ve known each other for over thirty years.
In fact, we were discussing tonight where we have chosen to live: she in Melbourne, me in Sydney.
“I’ve been here over fifteen years”, I told her, adding, “I’ve almost lived in Sydney longer than Lismore” (my home town).
For Sue, she’s been in Melbourne “longer than any other place I’ve lived”, she added.
It’s a strange state of affairs, in some ways.
We’re both from the country and the “country” makes up an important part of our identities and yet, we’ve both been living in the city (different cities) for many years, and we’ve both become “city folk” in lots of ways.
Sue is in Sydney for work today and tomorrow, and is staying with me tonight. I’m going to Melbourne in a few weeks time for work and will stay with her also. At last we have this great symmetry in our working lives that involves regular visits to the others’ city.
Tonight we had a bite to eat at nearby Il Bareto, a great little Italian place. Sue had the home made gnocchi, I had the pressed veal. Great food.
And then we came home ate chocolate, chatted, and eventually watched “60 minute makeover”. Although I’d heard about it, I’ve never seen it before.
As the name implies, it’s a house renovation program done in the space of sixty minutes.
Tonight’s program was a renovation for a couple of gay guys who loved karaoke and show tunes. Groan.
As Yani from Yaniism noted on Twitter it was the “best. worst. episode. ever”.
A few hours later and it’s time to hit the sack.
I have a half formed theory that gay men from the country, such as you and I, settle into gay inner city areas and stay. Our area, that is where we live and the adjacent suburbs, becomes our country town as we knew it.
That’s a pretty good theory Andrew. I tend to live in a reasonably small area, and the only major trips I make – aside from Sweden – is to country towns. I’m not all that interested in suburbia, just the bits closeby and the country. And yes, I know all of the people from my local shops, so it’s kinda like living in a small town in lots of ways.
What’s wrong with show tunes!
(Asks I, who has just returned from a Rodgers and Hammerstein concert.)