Hello friends!
This last month has been off-the-wall busy! I spoke a little about the last two weeks of June in my last post. And while July has perhaps had less in the calendar comparatively, there’s certainly been a lot of work, admin, emails and other things going on that I sometimes wonder where the time goes.
Something big is building which I hope to be able to announce publicly soon, perhaps the most significant event of my ‘career’, as it were. Just making sure everything is all lined up before I tell the world properly. I’m pretty sure I may well never sleep again, but hey, the way this insomnia has been kicking my butt recently, not much will change on that front…
Speaking of not sleeping, I had two fun nights out over the weekend. One was planned well in advance: Teague’s 50th birthday! We had a wholesome night of dinner with friends, ten-pin bowling and then a small jaunt of bar-hopping. The 2nd night was spontaneous where I was invited out by friends to SWINGERS: The Art Of Mini Golf which was on as part of Rising Festival, but has been extended until the end of August.
The mini golf course was delightful fun! 9 holes designed by different female artists. The most wild was Saeborg’s where we donned latex tails and ears, becoming forest creatures and had to use the tails in lieu of clubs to knock our ‘nuts’ into a tree hollow to squirrel them away for winter. It was hilarious!
The final course was called ‘Wave of Fortune’ designed by author and artist, Miranda July. You blindly putt up into a wave and then your ball will end up in one of several holes, each with a fortune-topped flag. The one I landed in was scathingly accurate and not at all (that is to say, exactly) what I’m working on with my therapist at the moment.
It’s only inaccuracy is the percentage. I feel like perhaps that number is a low estimate.
We followed that with an extended jaunt of bar-hopping. At about 1am, we were walking down Gertrude Street and I pointed at the (recently full) moon. Timothy said that what we could see was called a ‘moonbow’ (like a rainbow, but created by the moon). I’d not heard the term before, but loved it and took this terrible photo of it:
Between filling my waking hours with making plans, working, writing emails, dreaming big for the future, and spending time with friends, I think I forgot to be depressed.
That’s a lie, and we all know it. But it amuses me to think of it that way.
In consultation with my GP, I adjusted my medication to hopefully adjust my mood AND help me sleep better. The changes are promising, but not consistent. So it’s still a ride as I figure that out. But I mean it when I say I’ve been so focused on these big things building and building that I haven’t been as inclined or available to ruminate and wallow on the things that are holding me down. I do not recommend ‘overworking’ as a means to deal with depression — and I’m sure my therapist would say the same — but it’s a side effect I’ll accept in the given situation. A friend said to me the other day, “Profound respect for your ability to make things happen even from a depleted state.” I felt the truth of that. When my therapist said with what felt like genuine admiration, “I’m so impressed with your perseverance and tenacity, and how it has paid off for you,” I felt like maybe I was right to dream big and pursue my dreams *like they meant something*. It makes me feel like maybe I mean something, too.
I’ll be at Gippsland Writers Festival in Yarram on Friday 1st of August!
An introduction to the Gippsland Writers Festival, featuring Michael Earp, RWR McDonald, Troy Hunter and Lisa Habermann. The panel will be a discussion around where these four are as professional writers, and then move into a wider discussion around where queer writing is at the moment.
A Free Event brought to you by the super powers of Q-Lit, the Queer Write Sessions podcast and the Gumboot Collective.
It’s going to be a great discussion!
You can check out the full program HERE.
Here’s another random discovery from barhopping found in Howey Place. I’d not come across it before, but I like its style.
It’s in the space of the old Cole’s Book Arcade and the quote is attributed to Edward William Cole who owned the most fabulous bookstore in the world from around 1896 till his death in 1918.
I look forward to sharing more with you soon.
Until then, look after yourselves and each other.
💚💚💚
Michael