I spent New Year's eve with Amy, Aaron and Julian - we sat in a park in North Melbourne. I looked at a map earlier in the day, and saw that there were fireworks in several spots surrounding our quiet patch of grass, but somehow we chose a spot where we couldn't really see any of them - they were either too far away or masked by trees and buildings. I did like the fact that through the trees I could see some fireworks reflected in the glass windows of one of the buildings. Mostly I closed my eyes and listened to the noise. It was a very English-student-like gathering, with assessment of various contemporary authors forming the bulk of conversation.
Joanne and I met up on the second for our now annual ritual of making a list of things we'd like to do during the year, and looking at how we'd done on last year's list. We both got our major goals out of the way - for Joanne, getting her AMus for flute, for me, going to America. This year, another list of goals - from the little (do some more rock climbing) to the large (apply to PhD programs at the end of the year, write 20 poems). I made two copies of the list again, so we've each got one. Joanne's hoping to be overseas at the end of the year, so we may end up meeting up in DC to compare lists before Christmas.
Looking forward to the new semester (though I have to admit, my brain doesn't feel quite ready to jump back into it all... that delicate energy. I feel like I write slower and slower...) I've been looking for a copy of Maria Edgeworth's Belinda everywhere in Melbourne, to try to get a start - to no avail. So I've been reading Lorca's plays, for myself, instead. I'm in love with sections of Blood Wedding. I'd like to think this is not just because it has "blood" in the title, but I know Pete will disagree. C'est la vie.
I've written scraps of poems - about 4 little things since I've been home. I have another few to get under way. I want to write something large - I think there's something gathering, but I really have to figure out what my new subject is - though I think it's going to be a variation on absence. In the mean time, I've ordered a book on Louise Brooks, so I can start thinking through the idea for a poem on her I have. I think there may only be three more actresses and then - done. But Brooks is the one I'm keen to get to work on. Other than that, I made a list for myself of things that I'm currently interested in writing about - a little session of brainstorming. Writing is slow at the moment, but I’m hoping there’ll be a little onrush soon enough.
