Sunday, February 21, 2010

Aw shucks


Sunday discoveries: an old black dress I swear I've not worn since uni... and it fits! And tucked within The Lifted Brow, a column on statistical maths by none other than Leesa Wockner, surely the same LW I totally admired back in our school days. How cool! So many gems in this random little lit tome. Had to try hard not to shed an awed tear on the bus when I read pars like this from "Harlem, 1964" by Ben Greenman:

I was sure you'd lean back here but you jumped off the steps. "You heard me," you said. "No more jokes." Then you kissed me on the side of the face but it was like you were kissing my lips. A girl went by behind you on roller skates. A leaf fell off a tree. There were so many other details that I'll never recover, little things I wish I could have noticed. Instead I was in the throes of something broader, thicker, and darker. So were you: that is a joke but it is after the fact.

This morning when we collected our red bikes from their sleepover in Centennial Park, we did a lazy lap around the park in the mid-morning sun. We passed an old couple walking together, he holding an umbrella just so, that the sun wouldn't shine in her eyes. I wished I could have taken a photo but I also love the fact they would have found it preposterous that someone was souveniering what I'm sure is a long-subconscious, tiny act of everyday devotion for them.

3 comments:

  1. Hi,
    This is Leesa of the Leesa Wockner of the Lifted Brow. My good friend and editor of the Lifted Brow sent me this link because he knew it would make me feel good. It did. I only started writing columns recently and it is super cool to get a mention anywhere on the net.
    I'm pretty sure that I'm the same LW you speak of. And hey, I wasn't lying when I said I loved maths and science at school. Look at me now! A regular Mr Brodick (spelling?).
    Anyway, I think I know who you are, but I'm not positive. I won't make guesses here.
    The Brow is great. It started in Brisbane, as a sort of way to get Brisbane writers in print and in the more recent editions it has had crisaboe section(what you get if you type Brisbane into a predictive text phone) which is exclusively Brisbane stories.
    Well, good luck with your blog.
    I'm not sure what you do, but if it is writing or photography you're pretty good at it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aside from how awed I am that someone from the Lifted Brow saw my little blog, how cool that you saw it too! If it's not too weird to ask this you should totally email me, I'd love to know more about what you're up to. clare.fletcher@alliance.org.au

    Do you ever see Harrington there at UQ?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Heya, Did you get my email? I never heard back from you. :-(

    Anyway, I'm going to the NYWF in Newcastle if your are going. I'm giving a talk on 'Wiping the smug smile of Andrew O'Keefe's face'- it's a talk about the maths behind Deal or No Deal.

    Well, would love to hear from you.

    ReplyDelete