Note for Realestate.com.au.

[tyggerjai]

(for whom I once nearly worked. Hah!)
Actually, possibly for the agents uploading descriptions to realestate.com.au. But whoever.

You have a selection box to limit the results of your search to certain types of property. If I choose "House", it's because I want to see *houses*. Townhouses I can cope with. But penthouse apartments do not magically become houses merely because they contain the word "house". Thanks. Oh - one more thing. Why is there no category for "remarkably spacious and decadent yet surprisingly affordable inner-city mansions"? Just asking ...


Actually, every now and then I'm tempted by the remarkably spacious and decadent yet surprisingly affordable Olinda mansions. Then I remember that on the odd occasion that bunnikins and I go to Daylesford (well, the one time. But we're going again real soon, honest), we had to switch the TV on overnight so the sirens of late-night U.S. cop shows could lull us to sleep. And apparently there are more than 12 stars, in the country. Who knew? Apparently the sky is *full* of them. Freaky. I mean, a permanent dull glow from reflected electric lights is healthy and reassuring, but that crisp, clear band of stars across the night sky induces Krikkit levels of agoraphobia.

But I want to buy a house. For several reasons - I want a decent workshop/shed, even if only a dedicated room where I don't have to worry about swarf in the carpet. And - no offense to current flatmates, it's not you, it's the nature of group house living - I'm a bit over the flatmate thing. Then again, if we didn't have flatmates, we'd never see anyone, so maybe it's not all bad. And I want to be able to *do* stuff to the house. Permanent floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, for starters. And own cats.

So somewhere in my Golden Rectangle (Hoddle St, Nicholson St, Victoria Parade, Alexandra Parade). For the right house at the right price I'll go as far west as North Melbourne (without, I must admit, too much coaxing), as far north as Brunswick Road (but it would have to be special), as far south as the Yarra (because I can afford East Melbourne. Ahuh. Sure) and as far east as ... Hoddle St. Actually, I could live in Richmond, so maybe Easter of Hoddle if it's also Souther of Victoria. Which I appreciate violates *two* boundaries, but that's consistent with a cirle drawn around the city. Kinda :)

4 bedroom, just in case I change my mind about the flatmate thing. 3 bedroom we could live with, just, but 2 bedroom is barely enough for the two of us, the books, and the computers.

ROW, preferably, with the ability to put a gate in the back fence and enough yard for a shed. Space for a spa out the back (mmmm, decking) a bonus.

The kitchen has to have ENOUGH DAMN BENCHSPACE, and preferably not have walls between it and the living/eating area. Ideally, the living/eating/cooking/television/geeking/sewing spaces should all be one. In fact, what I really want, of course, is an open plan warehouse with four walled-off bedrooms. And a walled-off bathroom, evidently :) And partitions so that when I'm doing noisy geeking, I can in fact wall off the geeking space. Ah hell, I want a warehouse, let's be honest. Actually, I want to live in the building currently known as the 120 Bar, on Johnson St just off Brunswick. That would be just about perfect. After all, we already get people knocking on the door asking for Melissa's 21st every fucking weekend, might as well have a balcony to drop things on them from!

Eh. Growing old.

Apropos of which, I came across Ishkur's guide to electronic dance music today [0], and surfed that wave of "Oh we used to be so young and beautiful" nostalgia through a whole lot of rave scene sites. And I'm so tempted to start raving again, but
a) I can't hack the drugs any more. Seriously. [1]
b) I *still* think "30 year old fat men at raves! No! Just ... no!". And since I'm a 30 year old fat man...
c) Ravers. Ugh.
Still. I might be up for Rainbow Serpent, except that that's, like, two weeks away. Maybe Easter. And no-one suggest Earthcore. You kids have fun at your Earthcore, now, but I've been there. I'm not, actually, looking to go backwards :) Honestly.

sol.
.
[0] Read it if you like techno/electronic music. Don't read it if you take it seriously.
[1] Oh, wait, it's about the PLUR [2]. Right. Not the drugs and the doof. My bad. Actually, in the years I was seriously raving (and I do mean seriously) I never even came across the term PLUR. It's about the drugs and the music, kids. The PLUR is a side-effect.
[2] Peace, Love, Unity, Respect. Ironically, I was much more a PLUR hippy *before* I started raving. Heck, I could even stand Rushkoff. Then I started raving, and realised it was all about the drugs and the doof. And the sex. And the hugs. And the furry, shiny raverchicks. And some of the furry, shiny raverboys. I wish I could find my photo of me, at 25, in glitter :) Though the timing may have helped - in 94/95 it may still have been about the PLUR. in 97/98/99 when I was seriously raving, it was about the drugs, the music, and the pre-millenial tension. Actually, that may be where my reluctance to rave again stems from. I did the whole countdown, and Earthcore NYE Y2K failed to actually shatter anyone's paradigms. Yawn. I mean, it was fun and all, but mostly because of ... the drugs and the doof :)

Comments

[ms-kismet.livejournal.com]

And apparently there are more than 12 stars, in the country.

Quite so! I was quite shocked about how many of them I couldn't see when I first moved to Melbourne a while ago. I always loved sitting out in the backyard at my mums and watching them. Even better if you can do it with friends and alcohol though...

[longi.livejournal.com]

Try it with 10000 people in a crater with LSD.

[ms-kismet.livejournal.com]

and most of them facing the earth rather than the sky???

[damned-colonial.livejournal.com]

You don't like Abbotsford, kinda in along the train line there? There's some nice stuff in that little section between Hoddle, the park, and ummm Johnson I guess. I used to walk through there when I went from North Richmond up to the park. Nice pubs in there too - including the one they used in the TV show "the Sullivans" if you remember it at all (it might be *just* before your time - I only have faint childhood memories of it).

Thin end of the wedge.

[tyggerjai.livejournal.com]

I could be tempted out there, I suppose, but there's no real boundary East, so I have to be careful about allowing the eastwards drift, lest I end up in Clayton :) The river, Spencer St, and Brunswick Road are all good solid absolute boundaries that allow for everywhere I could possibly want to live. There's no Eastern equivalent.

Your North Richmond place, for example, was a little far out - further north would be ok, because it's nearer Brunscwick St/Smith St (which makes it Abbotsford, so I see your point :)

YEah, Abbotsford, but Abbotsford seems to add about $50,000 to prices compared to effectively identical places in Collingwood.

sol.
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[damien-wise.livejournal.com]

OMG! You used the word, "swarf" in a sentence!
Do you know how rare that is?
It's such a neat word, yet it doesn't even turn up in most dictionaries. Shame.

[Not obsessed. Right-o, carry on...]

I do.

[tyggerjai.livejournal.com]

SO rare I had to look at it a couple of times to make sure it was spelt right.

Swarf. Mmmm, swarf.

For those playing at home, swarf is, of course, the bits discarded when you drill a hole in something. Typically metal - the long strips (or shards ;) of metal you get drilled out of a hole.

sol.
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Re: I do.

[longi.livejournal.com]

I am all too familiar with swarf. It is in fact, all over my office floor after I tried (failed) to drill out a Kensington laptop lock.

This did not impress the cleaners.

You should see the swarf we get off the big 50 tonnes lathes at work :)

[longi.livejournal.com]

But I want to buy a house. For several reasons

Don't we all.

I want a decent workshop/shed

Likewise, although my definition of shed and your definition seem to differ. I want to be able to strip engines without worrying about the 5 litres of sump oil that are pouring out of it onto the floor. I want to be able to oxy weld and praypaint and blow shit up and do the stuff men do in their garages (smoke bongs and race scalectrix cars... oh hang on, I'm not in the western suburbs any more). Oh, and it needs to have space for at least 2 cars, 2 bikes, room to pull them all apart and then, room to work and room for STORAGE!

The storage options in this house are a joke. Maybe if the room under the stairs was a stairway to a basement the size of the house's footprint...

And - no offense to current flatmates, it's not you, it's the nature of group house living - I'm a bit over the flatmate thing.

So am I, and certainly not because of my current housemates. You guys have been absolute lifesavers and one of the few reasons I actually made it through last year. Anyway. I never really seem to settle in share houses... especially established ones. The only time I've ever really settled was when I was living in a bedsit in Box Hill, and had the owners blessing to renovate, rip up floors, knock down a wall, rewire the place... half of which I never got around to, but it felt more like home all the same because I could do it if I wanted to.

And I want to be able to *do* stuff to the house. Permanent floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, for starters. And own cats.

The landlord here wont allow cats? Bugger.

ROW, preferably, with the ability to put a gate in the back fence and enough yard for a shed. Space for a spa out the back (mmmm, decking) a bonus.

Garage as part of the back fenceline with electric rollerdoor and remote on the bike(s) :)

The kitchen has to have ENOUGH DAMN BENCHSPACE

Well Amen to that... oh, and a dishwasher. Dishwashers are good.

Ideally, the living/eating/cooking/television/geeking/sewing spaces should all be one.

This is where we have vastly different ideas.
Living/eating/cooking together... Living with your average tv/mini stereo thingy just for background noise and daily, well, living.
Television/Keyboard & Mouse geeking together in a seperate soundproof area with a HDTV projector and at least 3 metre wide screen, and an Onkyo 7.2 channel Theatre AV system.
Hardware/other geeking goes out in the garage.
Sewing is a whole separate entity, one that can be compact and portable but usually explodes into patterns and fabric 2 inches deep on the floor all intertangled with spools of every thread except the one you want. Add a sewing machine, overlocker and random pointy shit... and the sewing area practically justifies a second shed.

And I'm so tempted to start raving again

So you'll be going out once a year then... Assuming you're talking outdoor and not daftass dance parties and sad boring shite like Kryal and the... I was about to say the docks, but I went to the last one of those years ago.

a) I can't hack the drugs any more.

Neither can I, apparently.

Still. I might be up for Rainbow Serpent, except that that's, like, two weeks away. Maybe Easter. And no-one suggest Earthcore.

Yaaay oh turning point of doom. I've thoroughly enjoyed Greenant every time I've been. Presale tickets are $110 and worth every cent. As for later in the year, Barmah Beat (Ito's thing up on the Murray near echuca) makes a nice bike ride and I could put you on the guest list.

Yawn. I mean, it was fun and all, but mostly because of ... the drugs and the doof :)

For me it was about getting away from goths. 5 years down the track and now the place is crawling with the goths I went there to get away from.... those and angry Marios in Commodores looking for fights. Earthcore finally died when they did that crater gig.

[tyggerjai.livejournal.com]

I went to the last docks party too. Actually, I seem to recall going to two or three Last Evah Dock Party - at Shed 14 (was it 14?) and elsewhere.

When's GreenAnt?

sol.
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[longi.livejournal.com]

at Shed 14 (was it 14?) and elsewhere.

Dock 10.

When's GreenAnt?

23rd to 26th.

I'm going up on the 22nd and coming back probably the 29th or 30th.

[kitling.livejournal.com]

Brunswick Rd rocks

I would so buy and renovate my current house if i could :)