I started my new gig today after a fantastic weekend of R and R. I have my ID and security pass already and the people I’m working with seem really nice. All in all, it’s been a terrific return to Melbourne.
I went out with some of my friends on Friday night after flying home. I’d had a pretty tiring week but resolved to go out anyway since I hadn’t seen anyone in ages. A very simple idea that I’ve known for ages was brought into sharp relief: I have awesome friends. I had a great night and generally felt as though Melbourne was welcoming me back. I’m anthropomorphising an entire city, but it felt like it wanted to be.
I stopped in at a local bar on the way home, one that is literally around the corner from home. I ended up talking to some of the staff as the place was fairly empty at that time of night. One of the staff turned out to be the manager, who very kindly threw a couple of membership badges at me. It’s a nice, relaxed place, so I think I’ll be dropping in on weekends for a quiet beer now and then. I’ve been missing a local since our old favourite pub changed hands and had a fire, almost in the same month. Even though it was rebuilt, it just hasn’t been the same since. Change is inevitable.
And I welcome the change. Some things are worth hanging on to, preserving as close to their original state as possible, yet even those attempts will alter the object in small, subtle ways. It is the idea of the original that is being preserved, in the same way that a photograph helps to preserve the memories of an event, or a place, or a person. I preserve my memories of the old days at the Chief through photographs of events there, but also in my enduring friendship with the people I met there. I can honestly say that place changed my life, so I will always carry a little piece of the original with me.
I also went to a showing of an old Australian movie called Stir, starring Bryan Brown, courtesy of a friend who works for Kodak and who had some free tickets. It was filmed twenty-five years ago and has been restored for showing at the Melbourne International Film Festival this year. Though the film has been preserved in many ways, it has changed as modern perceptions of acceptable actions have changed. I don’t want to go into much detail about the plot of the film and recommend seeing it yourself. It is definitely showing its age, and yet holds up very well at the same time. There are some powerful images and thoughts that are worth considering against the backdrop of these modern times.
Not a bad start to the week, overall. I hope things continue this way for a while.