Spring is here, it really is!

Photos are from Brunswick st

Spring is here, yes it is, and to prove this point I did a bit of spring cleaning in the yesterday day time. It would appear, this would be also be a 'sort of' measurement that I am, in fact, progressing further along in old the ageing process, this and the fact that I went out to buy a pair of shoes on Saturday, got the shoes at a garage sale, within 5 minutes of leaving my door, and now come Monday, I have 3 new pairs, but first let me explain.
You see, I was telling someone last week, I always go to the Artists market to get the necklace I got in Bolivia fixed, it broke when I was playing pool in The Dan, on Thursday night, so I’m getting into the $5 pints talking a shot and I look down as I stood on something, averting my eyeballs from the white ball, I thought, 'I know that necklace', and it was the necklace my shaman made for me in Bolivia over a year ago, after the Ahyuasca ceremony, the 2nd ceremony, so I pretty much knew what I was going to be doing on Saturday morning, before I even picked the necklace up on Thursday night at The Dan $1 taco night.

So after drinks on Friday after work, missing the gym due to this, having dinner with people that talked incessantly about sword fighting and attending 2 house parties and a stint at Bar open and Gypsy bar, I came home around 3am after Friday night (early for me), slept, woke up and progressed to the artist's market and I saw a sign for a 'Garage sale' and made a detour, as it turned out a female Americano was selling her Australian boyfriends new ankle boots for $10, in his presence, they didn't suit him I was told, they suited me and she told me so too? But that was all, she still wanted him, but not the shoes.

I got a Lonely Planet book for Japan for Trivia MC Deano, Deano had an interview to teach in Japan on the weekend and I got a DVD about Russian prison tattoos 'The mark of Cain' (sound familiar?) and off I went, feeling a very successful day was coming on.

I thought to myself, 'That was easy?' I saved myself about 2 hours of screwing around that I really didn’t want to do and I progressed to the Fitzroy artist's market to get my friend Nina to fix my necklace, again. The chain breaks every few weeks, the necklace is black alabaster (at last, I was told it is alabaster, but it is black).

Artists market

The necklace is a protector, the necklace along with my Foo dog and 2 Dragon tattoo's, sometimes I need all the help I can get, I get by with a little help of my friends and fixing the necklace is important, it's a good social outing too!

After the Gym on Saturday, coming back after sweating out the previous night at the sauna, I picked up new black loafers shoes, very nice and since it's nearly spring, they were giving away chicks boots by way of the word's 'Sales' and 'Now on', I discussed the practically of knee boots with a woman that was very keen on a pair, at a reduced price, she was checking them out in a mirror, I checked out the new loafers.


I pointed out in a few weeks everyone will be wearing sandals, but the boots I was informed were very comfy, and cheaper, they were on sale for god’s sake? Note 'cheaper', I bought new ankle boots for $10, I was beginning to question my purchase, but knee boots at any price in the Australia spring time, is a big mistake! But only in my opinion of course.


So, Sunday morning, the day of the sun, I arose to see the sun this time and not the other way around, waved goodbye to my guest and with the same hand I say hello to a neighbour, in my boxer shorts and hoddie, the sun was shining this Sunday and I was thinking the practicality of hoodies will soon be a thing of the past, but I couldn’t stand at my door naked, now could I?


Hoodies are a seasonal thing I’ve been led to believe, what to do now? 'Go to the gym Kieran' the brain says, of course! And I go!

So I make my pilgrimage, for my sins and they were too many to count and I saw a poster for a 'Garage sale', in the opposite direction, so off I went in the opposite direction, because you never know your luck? I feel very fortunate to be aware of this and off I went, in the opposite of the original direction. Legs take me north!


So, I finally came upon the Garage sale, not a garage in sight, but a rose by any other name wouldn't smell so sweet, garage sales too and it was down to business.

I spot a very fashionable basketball boots, in my size, the guy wants $40, I say no, no, he says, 'They are brand new', I know this, but as I rightly point out, 'It's the psychology of it', he looked confused.

One girl says, 'How about a t-shirt for $5', I didn't like the first one, but we keep going, pretty soon we are up to 6 shirts, most have their labels on, skater shirts, all brand new, hard to believe! The last one was questionable, I say to another girl, 'Would you sleep with a guy that wore this shirt', she says, 'I dunno, I’d have to take it off first', everyone laughs and I get the shirt that makes 7 and I say I’ll take the basketball boots too.

This is an artist's impression of how i looked

The girl says, 'Make him a deal', the guys says after much thought, '$50 bucks' for the 7 shirts and boots and I open my wallet, all I have left is $50, I tell them I feel like a pirate going back to my cave with my bounty.


So, I deposit the bounty and off I go again, take 2, to the gym and I’m on such a roll with the buying, I call into a factory outlet, for a look, after and I spot my new corporate work pants, $30, how can I say no? I’m told they are worth $200 each, normally.

I get 2 in the end, the girl another Americano, gives me a label to indicate 2 items as I try on the pants in the change room, I say,

'Thank you, I’ll cherish this precious gift for ever'

It was a Sunday morning, after all, maybe a bit too early for some, but I got the worm, I was on top of the world. Then I bought a cap, 2 scarfs. Then I went to the gym.

After the gym I stopped off at the library and I got a book I ordered called 'The ginger man', a book that was recommended by someone, I know this because I read it the same place your reading this and home I went to clean everything up, re-organise things, find space for the new and get rid of some old things. What a successful day, quite an achievement. Everything was great in the world


Now, I’ve been thinking about buying a belt, with a cool buckle, has consumerism bit me too? I used to be so immune before, now I like looking at nice things and shopping for stuff I used to just live without, eBay would never consume me, but garage sales and shopping in Melbourne, yes!

But now, I’ve discovered, I like this form of consumerism and that, is just fine by me.