Diary: Musings From the Top End

More blasts from the past. Seven years ago. We’re catching up quickly.

This entry is a little more of a review so I am sure you’ll find it rather dull. At the very least it has the story of how I managed to catch up with Byron again.

1 August 1999

True to form hey! What 5 months and I write again now. I don’t really have much to write about, well nothing recent anyway, I was just reading through the rest of the diary and thought that I really should write something before it comes to the end of the year and I am talking about leaving and all that. I am going to find it so hard to leave this place and yet so easy as well. I think the hardest thing will be the first week away because it will be the first time since university that I will have nothing to go back to after the holidays. Jigalong has always been the place I could be sure I was going back to, I could always leave the kids and my house safe in the knowledge that I would see them again and that is not going to happen this time. The thing is that if I can get over that in the first few weeks (being in the city and all that) I think that I will be able to cope... I am sure we will go into this more in the months to come.

I have neglected to rabbit on about anything that has happened in the last few months haven’t I and surprise, surprise, it revolves almost entirely around men. Well, what did you expect? No nothing serious, my sister has given me too many hang-ups for that (and I do mean to get tested soon) and I have decided that the next guy I sleep with I will know somewhat better than a quick dance in a nightclub, well I say that anyway. Well, I did get in touch with Byron, I sent a letter to the Builder’s Arms addressed to the DJ with a letter inside addressed to Byron. Anyway, it got to him and he wrote back, unfortunately the bastard is moving to Canada so I probably won’t see him next time I am in Melbourne. Still I don’t know what I am getting so upset about, I hardly know the guy, fuck it is so crazy, of course I would hate you to think that I am going barney, stalkly mind-twisty fucky in the head and thinking about him all the time or anything, but it is still crazy to want to meet him again?

On to more immediate events, we have just returned from our conference/holidays in Broome and Darwin and I have some fantastical stories from both places. Quick rundown... Marcus’s mate, pissing on a window at Buzz Café, the queen at Brave, the speed offer and the long sleeved shirt debarcle, the trip to Katherine (or the trip back), the rock art, the fireworks and Tuesdee’s discussion with Marcus (but he’s a fish man and he will just slip through your fingers), yes we had blow-up number three. Darwin was nice but a little too rednecky and it had an uneasy balance between bush and city (the worst of both worlds).

Broome on the other hand was fucking fantastically awesomely ace! Yes and BIZARRE, well more bizarre than I had expected. I suppose I shall start with a brief description of the days... dinner-movies-pub-nightclub-recuperate by the pool... and once more with feeling, yes it was fun. It has made me realise that the Kimberly will be my next posting if I come back to teaching. The Nippon, castle of bikers, surfers and hippies, was the last place I expected to pull but it was all there one Wendnesday night/Thursday morning. No sooner had I started dancing than this big fat black guy asked in a most camp way if I minded him dancing with me... and then another blackfella but a gorgeous one and one who could MOVE!!! and then two other guys... there were five of us drawing stares and comments from the crowd by the middle of the night, it was a riot.

Of course I passed up a fuck, the guy was cool but it was just a fuck (I think the come on line was “Wanna fuck?” always a classic) but I beat myself up over it for the next three days. Now of course I am totally at ease with my decision but I really could have done with the contact before coming back to Jigalong. And then there was the blackfella, the one who could dance, who fell over in the toilet! It got me to thinking, could I do it? I mean I would love to and all that but there would be so many problems dating (like I have actually dated anyone!!!) a community man. It just got me to thinking, having the offer so palpable, well the offer wasn’t really there in any real form but it could have been if you understand- and of course you do. And then I turn up the next night and the blackfella is back and we exchange a few words which could have been “Are you the guy in the black shirt from last night?” but I fear that was misheard and that it was actually “Are you a teacher from Jigalong, in the red shirt?” I answered yes in any event so I suppose both are right. The greatest irony is that I fear the guy, who was dancing up my arse the night before, is the uncle of Zyrack who I saw in Broome the day before- but then I can get very paranoid...

Previous diary entries:
I Wanna Play
Confessions of an Amateur Melodramatist
Before I Sleep a.k.a. Diary Drowsiness
Goodbye 1996!!!
Back To The Bush
How Time Flies
End Of An Era
Kissy Kissy
Diary Tonic
Diary: Losing My Religion Virginity
Diary: May Burst
Travel Fallout
Return Of The Killer Diary