Searching for awe, ‘Gran Turismo’, and the sounds of ‘Vogue’

The giveaway this week is ‘Before the Coffee Gets Cold’ by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

A big, scary, hairy, amazing email landed in my inbox this morning! The news will be announced tomorrow, but in the meantime I’m in a lovely state of disbelief.

For some reason, the proverb ‘Make hay while the sun shines’ has been running through my head a lot lately. I’ve been trying to live by it. If we waited for the perfect conditions to create, in terms of the absence of life’s distractions and responsibilities and misfortunes, we’d never make any progress. However, while things are relatively okay in my life (touch wood), I’ve been feeling this compulsion to make the most of it. Otherwise, I’ll kick myself when the next spot of bad luck appears around the corner and any energy and free time flies out the window.

This morning’s news makes me feel like I’ve made some hay. I planted the grass and after carefully tending to it, coupled with lucky conditions in the surrounding environment, I now have a bale. One of those rolled-up ones that look like a gigantic spool of yellow thread.

It’s a relief. So often as a writer you question whether you’re wasting your time. Am I good enough? Should I just give up? I worked so hard on X, and what do I have to show for it? It’s nice when you shush that doubting voice in your head for a while.

I hope your week is full of giraffes and rainbows and plenty of hay. : )

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News

1.     Found this article about fascia (something I hadn’t heard of) quite fascinating. Basically, these are the bits in your body that help your muscles do their thing and stabilise your joints. Turns out, they’re more important than we’d previously thought. Sitting down, hunching over a keyboard and performing repetitive motions aren’t the best for your fascia, but resistance training coupled with bouncing movements and switching up your exercise movements make them happy. Good to know.

2.     Got a tickle out of this light-hearted story about a thief koala named Claude who was stealing from his own. Thankfully it sounds like they had seedlings to spare for the koala habitat. It was especially giggle-worthy he was caught because he got a bit too leaf-drunk after an eating binge and couldn’t be bothered making his exit before he was discovered. Living that foodie lifestyle, is Claude.

3.     In the middle of last year, I wrote an article about ghosting (it can be found here). I read Nancy Jo Sales’s Guardian piece on the topic with interest. She seems to come down much more harshly on the practice than I do, although she acknowledges women sometimes do it when they feel unsafe with a potential match. I’d argue that ghosters feeling physically or psychologically unsafe with a date is the root cause of ghosting more often than we realise. It does sound like it’s rife in the dating world these days, and I’m sure there are plenty of people who just do it to avoid an uncomfortable conversation. A thorny weed in the dating patch and one that’s hard to stamp out.

Reviews

1.     It was a delight to read this ABC article on awe hunting and even better, there’s a TV show to match which I’m super-keen to check out. I’m inspired to gaze at the stars, find some ancient trees to marvel at, or trek to a place where bioluminescent natural phenomena are on display. I found this list and thought it was an excellent place to start, especially since many of the items are so easily achievable without venturing too far from your own backyard.

2.     I spotted Sundae ‘Coconut Cream’ Whipped Shower Foam in the supermarket (Woolies, I think) and bought it thinking it was a shaving cream. The packaging certainly gives that impression, but it’s actually a cleansing product in a form resembling whipped cream. Containing Kakadu plum and finger lime, it spreads onto skin smoothly and feels moisturizing. My main complaint would be I wasn’t 100% sold on the scent. I love coconut smells, but this one seemed to lean heavily towards the nutty end of town and wasn’t exactly the light tropical vibe I was anticipating. I’d try the other scents this foam comes in, though. There are limited edition varieties available from a collab with Gelato Messina and I’m particularly eyeing off the strawberries and cream one.

3.     If you haven’t yet packed yourself off to the cinema to see Gran Turismo, I’d highly recommend it even if you, like me, have virtually zero interest in cars. My partner’s a motor racing fan, but I reckon I was the one who was keener to see this movie based on the trailer. On the surface, it’s about video gamers getting the chance to enter in a real car race based on their driving simulation skills (incredibly, based on a true story). And sure, it is about that, but more importantly, it’s a well-told underdog story. I found myself almost leaping out of my seat at times watching this movie, I was so emotionally invested pretty much from the get-go. Also, Geri Halliwell is in the cast, for the Spice Girls fans out there.

What I’m Feelin’ Right Now

• ‘Your Bones’ by Chelsea Cutler

• Slicking my hair straight back

• Dark florals

• Beetroot relish in toasted sandwiches

• Stockings in anything other than black and nude

• Pink eyeliner, crayoned on thick

• Exercising with wrist and ankle weights

Giveaway

Congrats to Deb Murrill, the winner of last week’s giveaway, The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. I’ve emailed you, Deb!

This week’s giveaway is Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Fill your name and email address in here to enter.

Playlist of the Week

Very now, very Vogue: