The Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2014 has arrived!!
I write some reviews here and there for YAWP, an online comedy magazine. Some of them are posted here, and if you’re in Melbourne (which, why wouldn’t you be?), pick a show and go see it! I recommend anything good. With a title. And a performer.
Usually the women are kickass. =)
Day Trip! The trip started out with what only can be described as a good brekky, or breakfast. Omelet, coffee, yogurt, and toast with vegemite. Ok, so I only had a little bit of vegemite. But apparently that’s how it’s supposed to be consumed anyway. A thiiiiiiin layer is key. It was so thin I could hardly see it on the toast. Tasted like leftover barley and wheat waste. Oh, wait, that’s exactly what it is….in all honesty, though, it wasn’t that bad. It took me six years to like liver paste in Norway….
We were itching to get on that beach. There’s a reason why Torquay is bursting at the seams. Surfing attracts so much attention to this once-quaint little town. Summer seemed to be old history at 17C, clouds, and wind. Whoever was crazy enough to surf in this weather needed a wetsuit. Enter Jenni & Anna: 
I’m no fool. It was flippin’ cold. While the girls surfed, I went exploring. This girl needs to wander off in order to relax. There were so many cool-looking formations and coves and hiking trails. I could have spent all afternoon there. You could literally see the erosion happening in some rocks as trails of tiny rocks were swept away little by little with the waves. There were little caves, places to climb on, nooks to get stuck in, and puddles for splashing. I will try surfing when the time is right. This, however, was exactly what I needed on Saturday.
I couldn’t get enough
Tranquility
It’s been a long two weeks, but I’m keeping my chin up!
Today helped. 😉
Backtrack: International Student Orientation day. I won a day trip with Cafe Bus to the Yarra Valley, famous for its wine production in Victoria. Two of my friends were quick to book with me, and in the end, today was the perfect day to get out in the sunshine, sample some wine and pick some strawberries.
10:30am: Round One at Coombe Farms
I think it’s safe to say that we all needed this trip. Already knee high in schoolwork, well, we just didn’t want to even touch on that subject. We imagined we were in Europe (or Iowa!) all day: the hills, the lushness of the fields….my neck got real long whenever we drove past machinery or cattle! And that smell! Ahhhhh, that smell! The dogs roaming about like they should… just a great day out of the city.
Notable stops:
Check out that color! Killara Estate winery
At the end of the day, we went to a cafe in the city in order to recap our joy and bottle it up ourselves for a rainy day. It felt so incredibly wonderful to have spent it with these girls; they challenge me and make me laugh. They have been unwaveringly patient with me even as I adjust to my new medication…even I get surprised at my behavior at times. But we just had so much fun today!
I was thinking about this on my way home, exhausted but feeling sentimental. I saw I got a package from my old friend Jennifer from Davenport (Iowa). I went about “unpacking,” making food, being moody, and put off opening it, which I don’t normal do with packages!!! In this package, I eventually found, was a small envelope, nothing else. Very Jennifer: Let’s just say she’s less of a writer and more of a designer.
So in that envelope, red tissue paper. In that red tissue paper, a small box. In that small box, a necklace. The tears started flowing! The charm hanging on that necklace was in the shape of Iowa, with “IOWA” written on it. The other charm was a small heart.
What a beautiful way to end a beautiful day.
Australian honey is heavenly
Laughter heals. Good food heals.
Sunday morning market.
Fresh fruit and veg – awakes the senses like a good cup of coffee
After a chill Saturday after being released, what better way to start Sunday? Just a five minute walk from my door, it is a gentle welcome to the groggy eyes of Melburnians. Perfect for inspiration while keeping in mind a strict but very helpful new diet.
Surprise in store for Road to Recovery (2).
The sunrise over Melbourne was a blurry one today, eager for Friday but the clouds denied it its full glory. My nurse Jennifer just woke me up to give me more meds, and now I can’t sleep. I’m reading an email from Mom. She just keeps saying “I’m so glad it’s over,” and I know exactly what she means. I’m relieved, too. I can recover now.
I’m on an adventure, and [the unexpected] is part of it! I’m currently in a really chill ward at a nice hospital in Melbourne, recovering, getting great care.
My Ulcerative Colitis didn’t listen to me. I told it to go away. I told it “hey! I’m livin’ here!” and even teamed up with cortisone and prednisone to beat my bully. UC wanted to come along with me for the ride. I said no. My Norwegian doctors said, “nah, it won’t, just go, study, have a good time. You’ll respond and be healthy soon.”
Uh huh.
Above all, I’m ok. I’m in good hands. I’ve got visitors, and otherwise am busy with school work, and I’m confident that soon I’ll be healthier than you! I charm my way to control the TV remote and chat up my nurses. My Norwegian travel insurance company have been wonderful. They even called to ask how I was doing yesterday.
My parents deserve a vacation. My sister-in-law has been getting treatment as well in Iowa City and is the real hero here. She deserves a vacation, too! Haha. I know they are happy that things are on the upswing for all of us. I’m sure my brother and mother would like some sleep at night! I did not get any last night but they’ve promised that the pharmacist will take care of that for tonight.
I debated why I should even post this. But I know why I am. I’m posting because I need you to fetch me chocolate from the store. 😉 Really, though, the current awareness surrounding UC and IBD isn’t large enough for me. It could be bigger. So my objective is clear to me. The more people that know what it is, the better.
You know me. You know I’m still laughing. You know I plan on stealing a wheelchair and having my friends push me around the park for shits n giggles (no pun intended).
So what I need you to do for me is:
Text me pics of your pets. Never fails to put a smile on my face.
Or of your doofus self. 🙂
Seriously, Lygon St has the closest Koko Black choc store….
Email me a good poo joke. A good one.
Pray if ya do that thing.
Celebrate every successful bowel movement.
Feel free to send me links to your favorite show or comedy clip. Feel free to shake your head at me. Silly Leah. Feel free to thank Anna for bringing me my laptop. But know I’ll be fine, and you need not worry. ❤
The hook turn! Found only in Melbourne, Australia. This video entertains as well explains the go-slightly-left-then-stop-and-turn-right-on-red phenomenon.
I walk downtown Melbourne every day. Witnessing it never fails to put a smile on my face.
Tradition carries on from Norway, and Sunday’s are made for strolling, my dear.
So I strolled. I moseyed on down to Fitzroy Gardens and to the oldest building in Australia: Cook’s Cottage. Ya know, Captain James Cook, the dude who mapped some pretty important stuff for this continent. I should have maybe researched… This isn’t his house that he settled in and chose exactly that spot in all of Australia like my experience in “oldest buildings” tell me. No no no, don’t be silly, dear Leah! This is his parents’ house. From back in England. #faceplam
So in 1934 they tore it down in England and put it back up here in Victoria. But hey, it has pretty gardens, no?
Things we should find interesting and things we actually find interesting don’t always coincide. I’m keen to show you the strangest street name I have found yet. There have been plenty that have made me take a double-look, amongst them Snowball Lane. I can’t help but wonder: has it ever snowed on that street? (Therefore implying that snowballs have been thrown). Is it the name of a beloved cat? Is it to describe a rather domino-effect of housing when the street was built?
No further delays can be had!
I give you: Bionic Ear Lane!
Leah On Foot 