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Quirky Folk - July 2011

No Boys

July 31st 2011 21:00



What a crap year it has been. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, Brett had this earth shattering bits of new to share with me:

“I have no boys,” he said.

“What do you mean, you have no boys?” I asked, hoping it wasn’t one of his jokes. He has had made references in the past about surrendering his cats.


“They’re no longer mine. I’ve given them to the lady who runs the boarding house. She’s a vet so she can give them proper care.”

“Why didn’t you offer them to me?” I almost shouted.

“Because they were finally settled into their new home. They’re now friends with the Labrador and I didn’t want to uproot them again.”

“But you know how much I love them! They’re like my flesh and blood. I would have found a good home for them nearby so we could both visit them.”

“I know but I could see how happy they were in their present surroundings so I decided to leave them there. I told the woman I could no longer afford to pay her to house them and she was happy to keep them.”

“What is she going to do with them?”

“Nothing. She’s keeping them.”

“So she’s not going to put them down or send them to a shelter?”

“No.”

“Do you still see them?”

“Yes.”

“How often?”

“Once a week.”

“Okay, I’m serious. If that lady can’t look after them anymore, I’ll take them. I know someone who can look after them and I’ll pay for the food and veterinary costs. You make sure that lady knows in case she later decides to put them down or send them elsewhere.”


“Okay.”

“What about Butterscotch? I thought you said he didn’t like the Labrador.”

“I think he was trying to establish his own turf. But now they’re friends. It’s like cats and dogs that grow up together. They learn not to be enemies. They now sleep together.”

“I can’t believe you did that without consulting me,” I sulked. “Are you still allowed to see them?”

“Of course. You know, cats get used to their surroundings and don’t like being uprooted. They’re not as loyal as dogs.”

His attitude didn’t help. I spent the rest of the night sulking.

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It’s weird having so much spare time on my hands. Weekends used to be spent at Borders before doing more book shopping in the CBD before heading off to the Art Gallery of NSW and the Museum of Contemporary Art. With Borders and the MCA gone (in the case of the latter, until next March), I now spend my weekends at the Art Gallery. I can afford to stroll, to act as if I have all the time in the world because I now do.

After all, in the grand scheme of things, I’m quite a boring person. I don’t go anywhere or have any interesting hobbies like cooking or learning Spanish. My hobbies are basically shopping at Borders, reading and going to museums. Borders aside, my life is pretty low-cost which it is something I’m now grateful for now that I have a mortgage.

“I’ve sold out,” I said to fellow city dweller Karina. Like me, Karina hates suburbia. “I’ve become a middle-class bore."

“No, you’re not,” she said. “You’ve achieved the urban dream. How many people can afford to get a pad near the city?”

True but I still feel like a middle-aged old fart who constantly has to budget.

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I can’t believe Borders has been gone for three weeks. Originally, I was told the last store in New South Wales – the Bondi Junction one – would close in mid July. When the date was moved to 10th of July, I was in a mad rush to buy what remaining books I wanted. Not that there was much as by then, most of their stock had gone. I can’t remember buying so much from one store before. As I had explained to Fred, “When the other stores were closing down, I was under the impression that Bondi Junction would continue to operate so I didn’t buy as much as I could have. But now that there will be no more Borders stores, I’ve been spending like mad.”

“You better buy what books you want while you can,” said Fred.

During their second last week of operation, I started to buy some fixtures. I found some plastic book ends, and some Beatrix Potter bookmarks for fifty cents each. I even bought a sign from one of their bookshelves. Naturally, I selected the animals one.

Since I’m now officially a home owner, I may as well start decorating my place.

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The Store With no Name

July 26th 2011 21:00
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Wynyard Dymocks Closing Down Sale

July 25th 2011 21:00
Just when I thought it was safe to go shopping again now that my favourite bookstore, Borders, has gone down the gurgler, the Wynyard Dymocks store is having a closing down sale. Talk about déjà vu! Is Dymocks folding as well or just that store?

I used the opportunity to grab these two treasures:

[ Click here to read more ]
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I’m Being Silly

July 24th 2011 21:00
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Conserving Energy

July 21st 2011 21:00

Photo by Terry Tollefsbol. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.


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Gingersnap Loses his Snaps

July 20th 2011 21:00
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She’s Back

July 19th 2011 21:00
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Oh, Stop Complaining!

July 18th 2011 21:00


I’m getting really fed up with people who come to Borders to only complain about them.

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Guilt Trip

July 17th 2011 21:00

Photo by Catatonique. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.


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El Chunko

July 14th 2011 21:00

Photo by Jeanne boleyn. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.


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Raining Cats and Dogs

July 13th 2011 21:00

Photo by Malene. Used in accordance with the terms of Wikimedia Commons’ GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.


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Spooky Butterscotch

July 12th 2011 21:00
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The Pressure’s on

July 11th 2011 21:00

Photo by Specious. Used in accordance with the terms of Wikimedia Commons’ GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.


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No Empathy

July 10th 2011 21:00

Photo by Conny. Used in accordance with the terms of Wikimedia Commons’ GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.


[ Click here to read more ]
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R.I.P. Borders

July 6th 2011 21:00
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Cats, Cats! They’re Everywhere

July 5th 2011 21:00
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“Human”

July 4th 2011 21:00
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