In case any of the Yanks missed it – my semi-annual Oscar contest is happening! Not many entries yet so your chances are good…

She’s everything. He’s just a monkey.

Day One: The renovation has begun! The builders made quick work of the old flooring, and they started removing doors and closet fittings too. (Don’t expect photos every day. We’re going to try to bother them as little as possible!) 🏠 🚧

Sydney Park on a beautiful day with the Snook. 🌳☀️❤️

I was cutting it close this year, but happy to announce the 15th semi-annual web-goddess Oscar Contest is now live! If you guess the most award winners correctly, you can win a pair of Barbie and Ken sock monkeys with two outfits each. Hit the beach with the Barbies; go rollerblading on Venice Beach; or do a patriarchy in your Fauxjo Mojo Mink…

She’s everything. He’s just a monkey.

Happy birthday to Kunaal Ramchandani, one of my oldest friends in Sydney! ❤️ Congrats to Kriti Sahni on organising a wonderful evening (and cake)! 🎂

Did you know the fashion industry is the second biggest polluter on the planet? As someone who cares about the environment – but also loves to buy and make clothes – this bothers me. So today I joined with many of my Amazon colleagues to volunteer at Thread Together, who take donations of new, unsold clothing from retailers that would otherwise go to landfill, and instead give it to people who need it. We assembled boxes; we unpacked pallets of stock; and we filled orders for delivery. I helped pick clothes for women and kids at a shelter, a single mom with babies, and an older couple. We also got to hear how Thread Together partner with other organisations, like the amazing Rachael Natoli at the Lokahi Foundation Australia (who support victims of domestic violence in Sydney). I felt really inspired by what these folks are doing, and I will definitely be donating and volunteering again in the future. Thanks to Amazon and my colleagues who pitched in today! ❤️

I’m happy to report that Chippendale appears to not have asbestos. (The signs and tape are gone!)

SHONEN KNIFE!!! Basking in absolute joy as a couple 60yo Japanese women (and their younger but still kickass drummer) tore the roof off the Crow Bar. 🎸 I was so happy when they played “Twist Barbie,” but then towards the end they launched into “Buttercup (I’m a Super Girl)” and I lost my damn mind. I first listened to this band in high school, and to finally see them in person was beyond what my 16yo self would have imagined.

And we ate some excellent BBQ too. 😂❤️

This is a fantastic initiative, where my buddy Stephen Lead and his friend Wayne are driving a shitbox car (worth < $1500) across the Australian outback for a week to raise money for the Cancer Council. Please consider donating if you can!

(Reminds me of the time my Dad had to drive my shitbox Renault Encore home from Notre Dame, where it had sat dead in the parking lot all winter. 😂)

• https://winter2024.shitboxrally.com.au/spark-not-found

Very cute little stop motion animated documentary about knitting and mending. My knitting mojo has been gone for a while, but I can feel it flickering back to life…

Unexpected pleasures of the new apartment: getting a glimpse of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House from the train on my commute, and the Snook charring tomato skins on the gas stovetop…

This resonated with all the decisions we have been making lately: what to move, what to put into storage, and what to get rid of. It’s important to keep sentimental things, but you also don’t need to keep something that doesn’t spark joy or meet a need. It’s tricky to find the balance…

• https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2023/07/sentimental-clutter-minimalism-memories/674663/

This is a story about two silly people who bought a ridiculously large, very thin OLED TV and then *threw the box away*, not realising they’d be moving house a year later. The movers took one look at it and went, “Yeah, nah.” So today we rented a van and spent a good hour figuring it out. We had to move it upright, lifting from the very heavy base and trying not to touch or bend the screen at all, down 7 steps and out to the van. Rodd flatly (and wisely) refused my (illegal) suggestion that he ride back there and hold the base himself. We got it inside and stood it against the cage, padding the front with cushions and using tape to keep it from flexing backwards. Then we strapped down the base, and I drove us across town as smoothly as I could. The dodgiest bit was getting it out of the van, but thankfully a new neighbour lent a hand. Then up the lift and into the apartment, where I’m happy to report it still works! 😅📺

Moral of the story: ALWAYS SAVE THE BOX. (Start tuned for the sequel when we have to do this again in 6 months…)

We’re wiped out, but it went about as well as it could. A few more bits and pieces to pick up tomorrow, but we’re in. 😅