Rad

This week one of my family’s life-long friends passed away.

I’ve known Rad virtually all my life; he and his wife, Maureen, ran the service station down the road from our Drive In in my home town of Grafton. My earliest memories are of popping into the servo and seeing Rad dashing out from the shop to fill up our car – wearing just a pair of thongs and white shorts.

When dad’s cancer got really bad and we gave up the Drive In, Rad and Maureen bought it as their retirement property. Even though the Drive In itself had to close, knowing that the property was in the hands of people who understood how important that place was to us was a source of comfort for me. The Drive In was the one place of my childhood that I cherished the most.

We moved to Sydney after dad died and we didn’t make very many trips back to Grafton. As the years went on, contact with Rad and Maureen was less frequent, usually no more than a Christmas card every year.

Three years ago Dan and I went on a holiday up to Coffs Harbour and we made a day trip to Grafton to see the town I hadn’t seen in over 15 years. By no deliberate planning of ours, we ended up being in Grafton on the 20th anniversary of dad’s death.

That day, we spent the afternoon at the Drive In with Rad and Maureen. We saw how they honoured the Drive In while converting the main building into their home. The waves of concrete and gravel covered up with grass and dirt; the cement footings from where the screen used to be still visible amongst the bushes. The projection room still with its tilted window facing out to where the screen used to be. They showed us a folder of dad’s newspaper clippings and paperwork that we’d left behind when we moved away, still in their original folder and stored away safely all these years.

For me, that day was the beginning of what has since been a renewal for me. Of remembering who I am, where I’ve come from and most importantly, remembering my dad as the passionate person he was. Dad died a month after my 8th birthday and most of my memories of him are tainted by what the cancer had turned him into.

Before we left the Drive In that day, Rad showed us his collection of woodwork. Of bowls and plates and wine holders he’d made with old trees and fence pailings from the property. He let me take home this clock, made from a cross-section of jacaranda tree that had grown on the grounds of the Drive In, the place that I love the most.

So when mum rang to tell me that Rad died, first thing I did was stand in the kitchen and look at our clock. The clock that represents so much of my past and what matters most to me. I cried for what my family had lost, for another lost connection to dad.

And I remembered how lucky my family was to have someone like Rad. He was one in a million.

Catch up

So in the last week or so I’ve gone back to work, decided to try to get into freelance work properly, spent $200 at Ikea and avoided housework as much as possible.

Here’s what the last 9 days have been like on the Twitter 365 challenge:

1. 26/365: doing the karen cheng in the new ikea mirror, 2. 25/365: RAH!, 3. 24/365: it’s hot, don’t talk to me, 4. 23/365: heatwave, 5. 22/365: my getting-ready-for-work face, 6. 21/365: my mouth is full, 7. 20/365: preventing a wardrobe malfunction, 8. 19/365: finally homeward bound, 9. 18/365: clinging onto the last moments of holiday-mode

And the phoney 365 challenge:

1. 26/365: leap of faith, 2. 24/365: my pet pirahna, 3. 23/365: elvis checking i’m not taking him to the vet, 4. 22/365: things made of plastic, 5. 21/365: inappropriate use of v for vendetta mask, 6. 20/365: work, 7. 19/365: barefoot after wearing heels all day, 8. 18/365: elvis clinging onto the last of the christmas tree, 9. 17/365: that’s a bloody long massage!

So yes, I’ve decided to try things properly with my creative bits in web design, etc. Not that I’m a legend in that department, but I know I can do a damn lot better than some other stuff out there! Hard to believe that people charge for the technicolour yawns they call a site design.

There is someone new I'd like you to meet.

Oh hai!

My name’s rah and I finally got my hair done today:

Half head of foils and a trim courtesy of Natasha at Strawberry Snips in Enmore. First time I’d been back since Tanya sold off the business last year and I’ve come away very very happy :o)

For those curious souls, this cost me $165, which is about right for this area. BUT! I have a funky membership card that collects 10% of credit with every visit to use on future hair remodelling projects.

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

Kudos to the Nikon remote, too – the new must-have tool for self-portraits!

On 2008…

I’ve shamelessly stolen these questions from Fifikins. I’ve been thinking about a 2008 wrap-up for a few weeks, so figured this is a good way to farewell the year that was:

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?

Really started looking after my health. Regular GP appointments, heaps of dental work, (some) weightloss, podiatrist appointments…

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I’ve given up on making resolutions, I just want to be happy EVERY YEAR

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Julie had Angus, Nat had Ali, Anita had Luca and Roulla had Zachary!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Not this year, thankfully

5. What countries/states did you visit?

England, Scotland, Paris… AND THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY!

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

Reduced debt

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

5/6 January – Weekend of awesomeness with my Welsh/English/Swedish girls
July – The before/during/after of World Youth Day 2008 and His Popiness’ visit
22 October – Stevie Wonder at Acer Arena

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Proving to myself that I don’t have to let being an ACOA determine who I am

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not fighting hard enough to keep a long distance friendship…

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing overly traumatic

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Sheridan’s Light and Crisp bedsheets. Seriously divine. And 40% off!

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

Dan’s. How that man stays sane while living with me is completely beyond me

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

The same people who have earned the same award for the last year or so; best I don’t name them. Extra points to Miguel for really showing me what he thinks of loyalty.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Paying off my car loan and my holiday loan

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Apart from everything to do with my holiday in January, the Stevie Wonder concert that exceeded my expectations as best concert ever

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?

Unsurprisingly, Stevie Wonder’s Superstition

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:?

a) happier or sadder?
Happier – more contented with myself

b) thinner or fatter?
Thinner by about 10kg

c) richer or poorer?
Financially about the same, but richer in all other areas

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Accepting situations for what they are and just get over it already

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Chocolate

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Hosted it at our place for the first time. I think it was a challenge for everyone involved!

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?

Totally. It’s been a long time coming

22. How many one-night stands?

Only with Cadbury-branded chocolate

23. What was your favourite TV program?

30 Rock without a shadow of a doubt

24. Did you make a friend with anyone that you didn’t know this time last year?

Oh, you mean apart from all those crazy ladies I stayed with in Maitland who I had never met before? Major props to Brad, Kay, Kerri, Leigh, Naomi and the other internet weirdos I met in 2008 :)

25. What was the best book you read?

Bill Bryson’s Down Under, which I read a gazillion times. Bill = comfort reading

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Ben Folds, the former honorary Aussie

27. What did you want and get?

Many things

28. What did you want and not get?

Many things!

29. What was your favourite film of this year?

Lars and the Real Doll. Amazing movie that you must see before you die.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

On my actual 30th birthday we shopped at Victoria’s Basement and The Essential Ingredient. Full of awesome!

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Paying off more debt

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

One word: Threadless.

33. What kept you sane?

Chocolate

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Obama

35. What political issue stirred you the most?

The US presidential election; Hilary being a coniving cow, McCain being… well, a Republican, and Obama making me want to be an American so I could vote for him.

36. Who did you miss?

Friends who live too far away…

37. Who was the best new person you met?

Best? Couldn’t narrow it down

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.

Just let things happen around you and don’t get worked up over mindless shite

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

I’ve been crazy
I’ve been holdin’ myself back for so long
But I’ve got so much I can give
Don’t wanna be afraid to be wrong

You know I’m not too good at too many things
But I’ve been gettin real good at gettin’ down on myself
But guess what
I’m gonna try to break free from this prison I’ve built

I’m gonna give myself permission to shine
I’m gonna shine so bright
Gonna make every head wanna turn
You’re finally gonna see me
Give myself permission to shine
Gonna light up the night
Shine a little of my light on the world

Bachelor Girl – Permission to Shine

New wall!

We finally had our external wall attended to by a lovely “sprayer” named Chris.

This is part of our roller door, which was once a mess of random tags and scribbles from whoever felt the urge. We’ve been luckier than some other vertical objects in our neighbourhood; some talentless twit has discovered some mature 4-letter words and written them as much as their spray can would allow.

Charming.

But Chris was a good bloke who was kind enough to answer my million questions about what he does and how he goes about it. I asked if he could paint me a giant cupcake and he gave me a look of “Whatchoo talkin’ ’bout Willis??”.

So I took that as a “no”.

Either way, I’m happy with what we have now, compared to what we did have!