This post does not start with a number. It's another movie free weekend set in the sunny city of Melbourne. My good friend Lexie, who is in training to get on to the Australian Dragon Boat racing team had a race in my favourite city for Chinese New Year. I was so excited to hang out with her for the weekend and was happy to drive to let her relax. The added bonus to the trip was that we decided to stay with our mutual friend Kiki who had kinda brought us together in the first place.
It was kinda strange being occupied for the entire weekend without once sitting on a couch and turning on a television. We had Yum Cha in China Town, went to a book fair in Fed square, saw an awesome street performer with amazing muscles, checked out an art gallery, took some tram rides, met some awesome people in a pub, more tram rides (without a ticket - such rebels), then took a trip to the Western Suburbs where we found Kiki in her brand new home. It was so good to see her. We went for a drive to Werribee which I could not stop singing in my mind to the tune of Imma be. Eating dinner I realised that everyone in Werribee looks the same. I don't think that makes me racist though, unless Werribeean is a race. By the time we had joked and caught up and done the whole pillow fight thing that everyone knows girls do when alone, it was only 11pm, and still, I crashed.
Sunday was Lexie's day. She got up early and drove to the city. Kiki and I slept in a tad longer, lounged with our extra large cups of coffee and eventually trained in to the city. First on the agenda...STARBUCKS. Sure, we've been there a few times since they closed our local Starbucks (assholes) but we coulda smelled our way there even if we'd never seen it before. One Venti Caramel Macchiato and a Grande White Chocolate Mocha with cream later and we were playing with the ducks and taking happy snaps like love drunk tourists. We strolled around the city, paid an accordion player (very good for a young fella), and found ourselves at Minotaur where we relived all the movies, games, and tv shows we had ever enjoyed. It was hard to walk out empty handed. But we did.
We ventured down towards Flinder's Street Station, checked out the markets at the Melbourne Arts Centre, strolled along Southbank, ate Thai curries at Southgate and wandered on towards the dragon boats. We tourissed (yes it's a new word) around the Exhibition Centre and Polly Woodside and eventually made our way over to the World Trade Centre Wharf where the dragon boats were racing. There were all sorts of teams - from young to old, fit, unfit, work teams, and make-shift teams. The dragonflies were pretty, but I felt for the old men in their pink and purple vests. There was a team with a simple MF written on their floaties (I'm into the technical terminology if you hadn't noticed). The first thing that came to mind that MF could stand for was the Mother Fuckers. Unfortunately, screaming this out during races was a little awkward, and the other teams didn't seem too impressed. The other team to watch were the Navy. And by team to watch I mean team to ogle. Boys and girls alike, they were a streamline team of neat hair, rock solid bums and bodies to die for. We mighta drooled just a little. But all this aside, we were rooting for the Bravehearts. Kiki, all the while porning up Dragon Boat races in only a way that Kiki can. Stroke... stroke... stroke...
After all the excitement of the rowing and the stroking and the beating of drums, Kiki and I disappeared for intermission. We checked out DFO, bought nothing, felt proud, went our separate ways, her home to the burbs and I off to Costco to meet a friend. When I arrived back at the wharf the boating was over, everyone was drinking free wine and Lexie was in need of a massage. We stayed for speeches and found that the Bravehearts had won a first and a second out of 6 divisions. Lexie informed me that there was a Lesbian dance party going on over the way, so we did a lap of that before feeling old and unlesbianny. Well, at least old and undanceclubby. Then Lucy took me to dinner and we drove home to the hilarity of Tim Minchin and the memories of a weekend well enjoyed.
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