FIVE FOR FRIDAY: 26 March

It feels like forever since I’ve dropped in to share my Five for Friday.

Next weekend marks Easter, which means that we’re already a quarter of the way through 2021 (!), and I wonder why I feel so preoccupied with time at the moment, so conscious of the weeks and months passing in a blur — or sometimes as slowly as molasses tipped from the jar.

At the end of January, I tearfully confided in my partner that I wasn’t sure I’d survive this year.

‘What do you mean?’ he asked.

‘I mean I can’t physically do it,’ I tried to explain, my voice thin with panic.

Two months later, I’m starting to breathe again.

Only last week, I walked, umbrella tilted against the rain, to a book launch in West End, and I found myself feeling… OK. Enchanted by the sparkly lights. Reassured by the smell of new books. Comforted by the goodwill of women gathering around another woman with something important to say.

Probably the most together I've felt since something 'broke in the machine' around Christmas.

I feel like I’ve finally settled into the teaching semester (REAL STUDENTS OMG) — even though it turns my work week into a seven-day commitment — and that the worst and hardest prep is out of the way, at least until marking season kicks off. I’m in the process of putting another quarterly journal issue into production. An unenjoyable freelance project is winding up. And my full-time job is levelling out into work that’s more predictable, more writing-based, and less reactive.

Work aside, Mr Ladyberg and I have made some big plans and decisions recently, and I’m experiencing a lot of hope and peace I haven’t felt in such a long time. I’ve been reading consistently before bed and chipping away very slowly on some writing. I’ve also been feeling content with my quieter social life and more and more convinced that having this space is the best choice for me. I don’t miss the constant negativity, and the resulting anxiety, that certain interactions and alliances were starting to bring, and I feel as though I’ve been exposed to some healthier dynamics over the last six months that have given me a useful yardstick against which to measure toxicity versus nourishment.

Life is just such a mixed bag, y'all.

I wish someone had warned us in school. But I guess that, if we had an inkling the real order of operations was merely a shifting kaleidoscope of existential angst layered with new and different pressures, we mightn't have felt much anticipation for the future.

Anyway.

Alongside the marginally cooler Brisbane 'autumn' weather, here are some lovely little bits and bobs I’ve been enjoying lately:

One. Does a cinnamon tea cake in chewy cookie format sound irresistible to you? We made these pan-banging snickerdoodles for my partner's birthday last weekend, and they are perfect.

Two. I'm only happy when I'm... tuning in to creepy crime shows. So I'm glad one of my best friends recommended I give Ozark another try. Now that we've watched the first two episodes of the third season, however, the shift in storyline gears is starting to feel rather grating, but we'll see what happens (Julia Garner as Ruth usually saves the day). I also started listening to a new podcast this week: The Doodler, a true crime series that maps out a spree of as-yet-unsolved killings among San Francisco's gay community in the mid-1970s. Good for evening walks in well-lit areas.

Three. The past few months have represented a bit of a lull in my music consumption, but I'm enjoying new-to-me 'Free' by Sault and 'Broken tongues' by Miiesha.

Four. If you live on Brisbane's south side and are on the hunt for delicious coffee made on plant-based milks, look no further than Paper Moon in Annerley. Bonus: there's a vintage store next door full of vibrant retro clothes and other odds and ends.

Five. Brené Brown has a way of articulating really social complex realities so simply and gently. This recent post perfectly captures one of the foundational problems with 'self-care' (and indeed with self-help more broadly): that selves suffer when systems and societies render them sick, sad, and alone. We can't heal in isolation, and individual solutions to systemic problems can have only limited success.

*I was perhaps being overly ambitious thinking I'd be able to squeeze in a Five for Friday every week, so I might go for the end of each month after this one. :)

FIVE FOR FRIDAY 18 December

ART BY LAURA BLYTHMAN

Here we are again — Friday!

I've begun to question the wisdom of posting at the end of the week when I am (like the rest of the world) feeling a little frayed and worse for wear. However, perhaps it does me good to reflect on something more positive than output, schedules, and the social anxieties that inevitably accumulate as the weekend looms.

This week was an Unhelpful Brain week. I got myself tangled up about something that really wasn't worth the angst, lying awake in bed on Monday night unable to sleep as I replayed frustrating situations and conversations over and over in my head, casting forwards to the new year and having signed up for too much already.

BUT!

I had a day off on Wednesday to go the doctor, finish off some editing, and attempt the last of my Christmas shopping, and IT WAS SO NICE. My partner worked late, so I had the whole day to spend as I pleased, including an oat milk cappuccino at my favourite haunt and a walk in the rain before nightfall.

It has been raining on and off all week here in Brisbane, and clusters of mysterious pink flowers have sprung up all over our suburb. I have no idea what they are — a weed of some sort, probably! — but there's something restoratively hope-infusing about enthusiastic regrowth after a period of prolonged dry weather.

There's so much just waiting to spring back to life.

Here are my Five for Friday:

One. Looking for wrapping paper? Melbourne-based artist Laura Blythman's Dreamscapes (which I found at the QAGOMA gift store) contains 20 sheets of wrapping paper and gift stickers featuring her delicately vibrant illustration and collage. Follow Laura on Instagram for a regular dose of colour.

Two. Without getting into Bon Appétit's fall from grace this year, I must say I'm incredibly excited to see Claire Saffitz making videos again. Claire bolstered my courage to stop dyeing my grey hair, and her patience with tempering chocolate is admirable. These are apparently the best oatmeal cookies. :)

Three. Speaking of edible things. I made a batch of Smitten Kitchen's salted brown butter rice krispies for my boyfriend, and I love seeing his face light up when I offer him a square every evening. They are... very good.

Four. Two people sent me this video of David and Margaret reviewing 2020 ('the hotly anticipated sequel to 2019') on the same day, so I assume half the Internet has got there already. If you haven't watched it, however... do.

Five. Perhaps I haven't fully outgrown my 90s school years in which sparkly Lip Smackers seemed like the height of luxury, but I still can't go past iridescent cosmetics, especially at this time of year.

I'm a sucker for stick eyeshadows (being equal parts lazy and incompetent at applying makeup), so I was excited to discover that Mecca's own version, these Zoom eyeshadow sticks, performs just as well at clinging to my hooded eyelids as some higher-end versions that easily cost double or even triple.

For the record, my favourite shimmery Lip Smacker circa 2001 was the chocolate-peppermint-flavoured one in the silver and pale green tube. This Lanolips Lip Water in 'Liquid Gold' has a similar vibe (well, taste) but is much more nourishing and... you know... suitable for a woman in her mid-30s.

Have a lovely weekend!

FIVE FOR FRIDAY 11 December

Happy Friday!

Fridays seem to come around so fast these days... but not quite as fast as Mondays.

I started off this week feeling deeply rattled and raw, and it wasn't the easiest one, but it definitely finished on a high note: a combination of dark skies, bubble tea dates, and some creative things to work on.

I hope your week had some high points, too.

Here are my five for Friday:

One. Feeling a bit over-Zoomed? Robert O'Toole, from the University of Warwick, argues that videoconferencing is a 'uniformly crap' experience. 'How do we improve things? How do we re-humanise videoconferencing and other essential technologies?' he asks. 'The tech industry’s answer is to add more features. But that’s not sufficient, and most often makes things worse. To start with, we need theories about being human and, more precisely, being human with technology — theories that can guide us in designing better technologies and their use.' Worth a read.

Two. For years, my sister pestered me to try an Enneagram personality test, and when I finally did, I was pleasantly surprised by how insightful the various profiles were (give me Enneagram over Myers-Briggs any day). I'm not even sure how it came up — actually, I think it was during after-work Christmas drinks! — but this week I subjected my director and several teammates to this Truity version. What's your number? I'm 1 (the Perfectionist) closely followed by 4 (the Individualist). If nothing else, it makes a fun conversation starter.

Three. There was a day last year when a colleague asked me if we could go grab a bubble tea and discuss a document we'd been working on together. Once we perched ourselves on stools outside the cafe, however, she placed her wallet and phone on the piece of paper and said: 'Don't worry about that. I just wanted an excuse to talk!' Today we repeated this tradition and chatted over a roasted brûlée milk tea and a mixed fruit green tea respectively — such a lovely Friday lunchtime treat. Mumo Tea on Adelaide Street in Brisbane's CBD gets five stars.

Four. Rain! If you're an Australian east coast native like I am, need I say more? We finally got some wet weather to break the heatwave. Bring it on, La Niña. Let's get this party started. A nice rainy day song? Klara's 'These Woods (Human Made)' was a new find this week. Apple Music. Youtube.

Five. And the tweet that won my Internet this week: