/karen/

Two: Wednesday 13/07/2005

Sunday, 24 July, 2005

We wake at about 8:30, pack and check out and go for breakfast at McDonald's. Their berry crunch yoghurt wouldn't be too bad except for the particularly vile strawberries at the bottom. We take another walk along the river, past all the boats.

Ben at Lakes Entrance

Obligatory Ben and Karen shot by the river:

Ben and Karen at Lakes Entrance

Here is one of the lovely black swans we greeted:

Black swan at Lakes Entrance

We crossed the bridge to the beach and were confronted with the ocean. I could see why this place is a popular holiday destination in the summer.

But we could not tarry—Melbourne awaited us and it was still another 5 hours' drive away. I was anxious to get to University College before the office closed (not that it mattered; it would just be nice). We hopped in the car again—me taking the first shift—and enjoyed Jeff Buckley, Elixir, The Wrights, The Flaming Lips (who I have decided I do not like) and a host of other things as we zoomed down the M1, doing 100 kph and overtaking large trucks and slowpokes who insist on doing 98 kph (yes, I know I'm an impatient driver). I find the constant road signs telling me to take power naps amusing.

We stopped in Yarragon for lunch (tuna and corn thins) and then hit the major freeway going into Melbourne. Does anyone know if NSW green P-platers (who can only do a maximum of 100 kph in NSW) are allowed to drive at the maximum speed in Victoria where even red P-platers can go at 110?

We finally reach Melbourne and run up against the problem of the Citylink toll (and lack of tollbooths). “I think you'd better call that number,” says Ben, pointing to the sign. I call the number and the city of Melbourne deducts $10.70 from us for using the road. It seems grossly unfair but Anita points out later that that was for a day pass and they don't care if you're just using the road once that day.

I only have partial maps of north Melbourne and the University of Melbourne do not think it fitting to put University College on their campus map. So we drive in circles for a while—up Swanson St, around College Crescent, counting the colleges as we go by. There's some beautiful architecture there, like Queen's College,

Queen's College

Trinity College,

Trinity College

and Janet Clarke hall.

Janet Clarke Hall

About the third time around, we are getting puzzled as to why we cannot find the college amongst the plethora of other colleges on the crescent. But really it's all my fault—University College is on the other side of the road and we'd been missing it all this time.

University College

The staff are very nice about my stupidity. They show me around (we have access to the Senior Common Room! Why??) and give us the keys to our apartment. I didn't take pictures of it but it looks like this. Very nice place to stay and all meals are included in the cost, whether you eat them or not. They can even give you a packed lunch to take away with you, as long as you order it the night before.

We unpack and settle in, then I call Anita and arrange to do dessert. We have dinner in the main dining hall. It is standard college food that makes me reminisce about National Training Event. Anita meets us at 7:15 outside the college with her car. We drive to Lygon St. This strikes me as being a bit odd—couldn't we have just walked there?—but Melbourne streets are wider than Sydney streets and a block is really the length of two blocks so it makes sense to drive everywhere.

We walk down Lygon St, stopping to buy sweets at The Original Lolly Store (I find a gelatinous Spongebob Squarepants and decision-making dice which I think will be useful for whenever I go out with friends. Ben buys fudge), and then Anita gives us the choice between chocolate and gelato. We choose chocolate and she takes us to Koko Black.

Koko Black window display

I think of Homer Simpson (“Mmm ... chocolate ...”).

Koko Black chocolate in window

And if you thought the exterior was nice ...

Koko Black interior

One piece of chocolate costs $1.40 but apparently it's worth it. We ask for a table and are shepherded upstairs to a very cosy set of rooms with mood lighting, pictures of cocoa beans on the walls and lots of comfortabel armchairs. A waiter runs through the dessert menu with us. It sounds tempting but desserts are around $12 each. Ben and I decide to share a Belgian Special with two hot chocolates.

Koko Black hot chocolate

It is the best hot chocolate I have ever had. It is sweet and creamy all the way to the bottom. Bliss!

Anita tells us there is a connection between St. Jude's Carlton and this particular branch of Koko Black. I forget the exact details but it seems to me particularly wonderful that St. Jude's would be able to make use of this beautiful place to hold meetings and share the gospel with people.

We are home just in time for Law and Order: SVU. I keep at the hearts-shaped bookmark and then sleep.

/Karen/ had a thought at 11:06 AM | Comments (1)
Posted in: Melbourne 2005
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Isn’t Spongebob gelationous by his intrinsic nature?

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Current:

seen: Moon 15/10/2009

read: The Incredibles 11/10/2009

seen: She's the Man 05/10/2009

read: I Kill Giants (Joe Kelly and J. M. Ken Niimura) 04/10/2009

read: Astro City The Dark Ages Book 1: Brothers and Other Strangers (Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson and Alex Ross) 04/10/2009

seen: Children of Men 02/10/2009

seen: Metric (The Metro) 30/09/2009

seen: 500 Days of Summer 25/09/2009

seen: The September Issue 18/09/2009

seen: Gilmore Girls: Season 1 17/09/2009

read: Flight (Volume 1) (edited by Kazu Kibuishi) 16/09/2009

seen: Ponyo 11/09/2009

read: Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? (Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert) 05/09/2009

heard: Aimee Mann (Enmore Theatre) 04/09/2009

heard: Ben Folds Solo (Opera House) 31/08/2009

read: Phonogram: Rue Britannia (Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie) 26/08/2009

seen: Northanger Abbey 20/08/2009

read: The Princess Diaries (Meg Cabot) 18/08/2009

seen: The Phantom of the Opera 17/08/2009

seen: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 10/08/2009

seen: District 9 10/08/2009

read: Shortcomings (Adrian Tomine) 02/08/2009

read: AIR Volume 1: Letters from Lost Countries (Willow Wilson and M.K. Perker) 28/07/2009

seen: Persepolis 25/07/2009

seen: Ghost Town 25/07/2009

heard: Gutter Twins (Seymour Centre) 23/07/2009

seen: Coco Avant Chanel 20/07/2009

seen: Gutenberg! The Musical (Seymour Centre) 16/07/2009

seen: So You Think You Can Dance? Australia Live Tour (Sydney Entertainment Centre) 11/07/2009

seen: Every Little Step 07/07/2009

seen: Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen 03/07/2009

seen: Synecdoche, New York 30/06/2009

seen: Charlie's Angels 27/06/2009

seen: Penelope 26/06/2009

seen: Coraline 10/06/2009

seen: The Sky Crawlers 08/06/2009

seen: The Bourne Ultimatum 07/06/2009

seen: The Bourne Supremacy 07/06/2009

seen: The Bourne Identity 06/06/2009

seen: Stick it 05/06/2009

Comment:

Kathleen said in Beilharzen:

Congratulations again smile

Elsie said in Beilharzen:

Don’t laminate your ultrasound picture smile That is my advice.

Diane Lovell said in Beilharzen:

Congratulations! This is so fantastic! smile

Little said in Beilharzen:

Thanks so much for sharing all of this… people swap engagement stories but rarely pregnancy stories! And it’s kind of similar don’t you think, all this excitement leading up to a big day!

So happy for you guys! Actually never been more excited for anyone except my sister! I think it’s because I think that you will both be amazing parents and love the idea that someone could grow up in your family.

Looking forward to many more posts on the topic. smile

Jan said in Beilharzen:

Lovely news, Karen.

/Karen/ said in Beilharzen:

Thanks everyone! I will be sure to ask for help when I need it!

sammi said in Beilharzen:

Great pic!! Peanut is cute! :D
Praying for you all!
xx

Sarah said in Beilharzen:

:D
I had a similar sort of morning sickness.. except I threw up! I’m suitably impressed that you coped OS.. that must have been tough.
It sounds like you’re doing marvelously otherwise!
Book recommendation on something a bit less technical and a bit more human: ‘Birth’ http://www.birthnet.com.au/

Bec said in Beilharzen:

Praise be to God indeed!  Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

Ben A said in Beilharzen:

Congratulations, Beilharzen! Welcome to the slightly-bewildering world of pregnancy (and birth...and children...). God has blessed you greatly with this new life. We’ll be praying for Peanut’s growth and development, and for you guys as you prepare.

I’m sure you’re surrounded by baby veterans, but always happy to help with books/advice/recommendations/listening.

B&L;

Fi said in Oblique:

Excellent job Karen! You SHOULD be pleased with yourself!

Have you discovered http://www.ravelry.com ? It is an excellent site with thousands of free patterns in its database, lots of support, tips, forums etc and of course - friends like me? Look me up when you get there - fionag77

PS Are you just wearing a bulky dress or are you sporting a bump under that dress?

sammi said in Oblique:

oooh.... It’s done and it looks great on you! xxx

Bec said in Oblique:

Well done on all that hard work!  It looks great and will be very snuggly come winter!

/Karen/ said in Fashioning (part 2):

Thanks for letting me know, Timo!

Timo Rissanen said in Fashioning (part 2):

Hi there,
Thanks for pointing out the shortcoming on our website. I’ll pass it on to my colleagues and hopefully it will be rectified soon.

The documentary at Fashioning Now was by Holly Kaye-Smith; I’d be more than happy to put you in touch with her if you’d like.

Again, thanks for the comment, much appreciate it!

Kind regards,
Timo Rissanen

/Karen/ said in Fashioning (part 1):

Thanks Mark! Much appreciated!

Mark Crean said in Fashioning (part 1):

Rich survey, Karen. Particularly I was struck by the notion of Jesus being clothed with our sins. I heard recently somebody suggest the crown of thorns was a kings crown but it was made of the symbol of the curse in the Garden - thorns. I would like to read your thoughts about Joseph’s coat of many colours.
Looking forward to the next installment. Regards,Mark

Kathleen said in Yvonne (Part 3):

It is lovely - and looks great on you.

You’ve made me want to read it - though I may need an interpreter at times!

Kathleen said in Bag learner (reprise):

Well done with the sewing!
I think it looks good - very relaxed and spring-y.

/Karen/ said in Creative endeavour:

Hey Sandra! Thanks for the tip! I read it yesterday, but I struggled a bit because Lewis doesn’t start from the Bible. I wasn’t convinced by his argument. What did you think?

Interesting post Karen - Thanks smile
I like the ending too! :D
xxx

Fantastic post, Karen. Just great. Thanks!

Thanks Bec! Eternal life just keeps getting better and better ...

I do like the way you ended this post - excellent thought.

Personally I don’t feel that way. Maybe that’s something you should blog about?

Wow. Lots of things to pick up on there. It’s been interesting to see the changes to your blog these last 6-12 months: Twitter is certainly more immediate, but are there (gasp) downsides to having its constant buzz in the ear?

Is our (already fractured) ability to concentrate on a single relationship at a time further jeapordised by the regular buzz of tweetdeck (and worse yet, by the imagined sense of loss that goes with being off the grid)?

Or am I just projecting my own fears?

sandra j said in Creative endeavour:

Hi Karen!
If you’re still thinking about this… I just read CS Lewis’s essay “Learning in War-time” which exactly addresses this issue (ie. how can we justify cultural & aesthetic pursuits when people are going to hell around us?).  Have you read it?  i’d be interested to hear what you think..
(i have it in his little volume “Transposition and other Addresses”, but it’s easily findable online)

Sarah said in Creative endeavour:

I’m doing my own series on the trials and tribulations of writing on my own blog here http://sedshed.blogspot.com/search/label/From%20Head%20to%20Hand
It’s coming along slowly smile

Coincidentily, I stumbled upon the above Phonogram vs. the Fans cover when digging around for ID concepts for Salt. A disturbingly brilliant image.

Thanks Karen. At the very least, this post gives some context to your myriad of phonogram tweets. At best, it has reinvigorated my stagnated appreciation of comics.

Seriously, though 4,549 words. Is that the best you can do? I say, longer!

Hey @RodeoClown! Yes, I neglected to mention Gillen writes about gaming. Guan said once he had the ideal job: writing, comics and games.

As far as I know, McKelvie doesn’t trace photos; he just draws (so talented ...)

You should give Phonogram a try. Be warned, though: series 1 is a little different to series 2—still clever but there are some things that are a bit strange in it if you’re not used to the fantastic.

RodeoClown said in Phonogram: A fangirl's tribute:

Whoops, I stuffed up that link, sorry.
It was to Rock Paper Shotgun where he writes (he also has a standalone blog as well.

RodeoClown said in Phonogram: A fangirl's tribute:

I didn’t know Gillen wrote comics until I saw the last phongram reference you made on here. It’s odd as I only knew of him as a videogame jounalist (which he is also really good at).

I read the sample issue of phonogram they have up at the Image comics (I think) site.

It looked pretty interesting - I like the subtlety involved in telling the story - the references aren’t all forciby thrust into your brain by the writer.

Do you know if the art is done by tracing photos or just dtawn?

I certainly don’t understand enough about pop music to really get that comic series, but I’m glad you’ve shared how you came to appreciate comics.

I’d say go and make some short comics. Seems like it will make the longer stuff easier to put together.

You’re right. I don’t really understand. But I do so love reading your writing. It’s like you’re speaking inside my head and excitedly telling me something.

/Karen/ said in Creative endeavour:

Thanks Sarah! Feel free to share your own thoughts on the subject.

Sarah said in Creative endeavour:

I’m a Christian, I’m a writer (well, I’m working on my first novel which is nearing completion) and I felt your post so PERFECTLY captured the dilemmas I’ve been thinking about.

yvonne said in Yvonne (Part 3):

KAREN!!!! it looks so amazing!!! i cant believe how beautiful it is. Everyone at work is just amazed at how talented you are. I’ll get in contact with you soon xx

JC said in Yvonne (Part 2):

I love it, Karen. You must teach me how to do this.

Blinks:

Vision therapy as a treatment for ADHD, learning disabilities and even autism. The scientific community's opinion. The results of concentrated therapy.

Kieron Gillen on Phonogram, Siege, Ares, Loki and his collaborative relationship with Jamie McKelvie.

Superheroes and how they have changed the way we see urban landscape. Their attraction to New York.

Kieron Gillen talking about Phonogram's run and the effect it had on its audience.

Guy Gavriel Kay's official website.

ESV in MP3 form: complete BIble is USD 30.00.

The hazards of noise for children because their ears are more sensitive.

Digital billboards: distracting for drivers or will the regulations keep them from becoming hazards? Do the benefits outweigh the disadvantages?

By William Poundstone. Sounds like an interesting book.

The future of shopping with mobile phones. Aggressive merchandising. Privacy issues.

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