i turned back and walked around, trusting i'd find something eventually - i walked into an over-the-top italian cafe/restaurant and said "table for one" with a smile creeping from the corner of my mouth - whenever i say these words, which is often, i am reminded of the waitress in vilnius, lithuania, who closed her eyes, raised her eyebrows, and frowned in a way to say "ok, if you wish" - i always thought that was funny - though this girl didn't think twice of it - "sure - inside or outside?" - i scoped a scene of young families sitting at the tables outside, their drinks warmed by now with a steady stream of hot and bothered people walking home from work walking by their tables - "inside i reckon" i said, and was walked to a small table behind a large concrete beam out of sight - i ordered two beers before looking at the menu, and took out some music newspaper articles to read, that i had ripped out of some month old street press earlier that day
sweet potato on a pizza - always a winner - i eat my pizza with a knife and fork, and the ipod that's playing the national's eary stuff in my ears saves me from the bitching conversation of the girls night out that's taking place somewhere on the other side of my concrete beam - i take a deep sip of my cold beer and examine the formula one memorabilia that seems to be holding up the walls - i think of all the cool people living in urban melbourne, and even some of the people living in the not too distant suburbs, who playfully give shit to people living in the suburbs, or outer suburbs - living in the sticks, the ridicule - living in the hills, they snide - well, to those people, i say - what? you don't like trees? you don't like the idea of living amongst the trees and living within nature, natural? - these are the same people who act like hippies, saying using hippie terminology and ideals, only when it suits them and makes them feel cool - makes them feel like they're one of the good ones - but they're not - they're too preoccupied with looking fashionable while exercising at the gym - by sharing their newly formed opinion thats based around something they read on the internet and posted on their social media wank-hole - a flavour of the month, until something else comes around next week - i return to my articles and continue reading, enjoying my dinner and my time alone
i still had an hour or so until the movie started, so i headed across the road to this weird bar that i knew of - weird in strange layout and confused atmosphere only - i sit at the bar and order a beer and watch the bar-tender, thinking about how i heard a bar-tender was stabbed and killed at this very bar maybe a month ago - the open air front facade meant there was little relief from the heat, despite the cold pint of beer in my hand - i sensed a small group of regulars and off-shift bar-staff down the other end of the bar - they talked of current affairs - a clean cut guy in a business shirt - light blue - came to the bar complaining that his micro-brewed pale ale wasn't tasting like the $150 beer tasting course taught him that thought it should, much to the confusion and assurance of the bar-staff that it was definitely the beer he asked for, and there was nothing wrong with it - they poured him another, and gave the beer in question to the group of regulars down the end of the bar, who drank it down with no problem - a minute later the pete campbell trying to be tyler durden returned, still claiming it didn't taste right - geesus man, i think to myself, thankful for my sense of contentment with a cheap mass produced beer, and glad i wasn't born or trained into demanding everything my valued money buys me against taking the word of another human being - respect demanded is worth nothing compared to respect given voluntarily - but guys like that one will never get it
behind me sat an elderly man with wild white hair and a beard that belonged to no one else - a well deserved beard - earned - he had a worn out newspaper on the table in front of him that he had no use for anymore - i soon noticed he had ear plugs in his ears - no, not a hearing aid - not ear-buds for his radio or anything like that - this guy was just wearing ear-plugs in both ears - it was an amazing sight - i often feel bad for wearing ear-buds and listening to music in bars, restaurants and cafes, but justify it as im sitting alone, and minding my own business - this guy found the best and coolest way to say fuck you, i don't need to hear it anymore - earplugs in public - im sick of this self-absorbed, materialistic hyper-world, where nothing truly exists if my old school friends or ex-girl/boy friends don't get the impression im living the good life via a photo on social media - i turn back to the bar, take another deep sip of beer, hoping i see the future correctly - blindfolded
for the first time ever im disapointed the movie ticket isn't designated seating - i am really looking forward to saying - away from everyone else - the next time chick or dude in the boxoffice assumes i want to sit "middle-back" - no, like art gallaries, i need to sit alone in the cinema - im sick of being distracted by the distraction of others, making a scene over petty breaks in cinema etiquette - i mean, of course, there are some golden (common sense) rules that should always be respected in the cinema, but sometimes one's annoyance of something easily ignored is more of a distraction than the original break in cinema etiquette - but hey, that guy who whispered - this is great, what an interesting and important scene - to his third date girlfriend behind me almost got a bitter beer stained bombardment of whispered truths, sure to ruin his chances with the tilda swinton look-a-like next to him
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