Carla Gypsygirl's Blurty

Revealed!

Okay, so I know my birthday is over and everything, but I really wanted to show you guys this photo. The present that I am holding up is from my friend Samantha, who is probably my best friend at work. She is so excellent at wrapping things- the present even has its own mask, in case it wants to be in disguise! I had to take a photo of the wrapped present, before the wrapping was destroyed forever. And also, now you know what my fringe looks like! Woo! It has already grown out a little, and I have finally begun to like it properly. There's nothing like a good compliment or three from friends!

Well. I was about to write that I am back, fresh from work, but that isn't really true once I think about it. I had a hot walk back from the bus stop, trying to motivate myself by listening to the Black Eyed Peas' Hey Mama (SO much ruder on the album!). So, here I am to leave you suspense-less, for once! I have realised that if you promise to write about something, it all builds up in one's head, until the blog post is put off for ages and ages and ages, for fear of not impressing! Argh! Okay, less screaming, more writing!

Juvenile delinquents
So, about the juvenile delinquent problem. Well, about two weeks ago, I was at home alone, fiddling with my new fringe in front of the bathroom mirror. Sonya and Derrick were at work, and Mum, Dad and Zac were in New Zealand. It was Sunday morning, at approximately 10:36am (well, that's what the police lady told me, anyway). I had promised myself a quiet day of cleaning. However, this plan was FOILED by the resident juvenile delinquents in my quiet suburban 'hood. I was torn away from the two braids I was creating by the sound of an almighty crash outside my house. To cut a long, long story short, I soon discovered that two unlicensed, possibly stoned seventeen-year-olds had crashed into my mum's parked car. They were friends of the head honcho juv. del. who lives on my street. By the time I got outside my house to witness the damage, I was too freaked out to do anything useful. My neighbour Warren had to call the police. The driver was then arrested, and a paddy wagon came to pick him up. The plot thickened like congealed gravy when it was revealed that the car belonged not to the driver or the driver's parents, but to a high school buddy of my brother. This high school buddy then dropped by my house to assert his innocent. And so, my first-ever police statement read as follows: "I was inside, doing my hair, when I heard a crash outside..." I even paused half-way through for a lip gloss break. I girl has to do certain things in times of crisis. Anyway, it is all partially sorted out now. The car can still be driven. I cried a lot. Mostly, I was very upset because I am always trying really hard to be a safe driver and to keep my mum's car dent-free. And then, when my parents are out of town, some kids just run into it! Grrrr! It is hard to forgive sometimes.

The Big Day Out
Okay, I know the Big Day Out was over a week and a half ago, but look, I'm not Bernard Zuel or anything. Anyway: the Big Day Out was awesome. And scary. And a learning experience. Oh, and of course, I saw some bands. First up for me was Sleater-Kinney, a personal favourite breed of band: a GIRL ROCK BAND! Mmmmm, growly and sweet vocals, serious guitars, hair-flicking- what more could a girl want? Straight after Sleater-Kinney, I was captivated by a crowd favourite- The Magic Numbers. Adorable harmonies and a country, hillbilly vibe were all presented by the humble folk that make up The Magic Numbers. They were so cute and gentle and hairy (beards and hip-length hair ahoy!) that I just wanted to invite them over for a rustic meal. They got the crowd smiling and wiggling away. Up next was the breathlessly sweet Sarah Blasko. Her ethereal vocals had my heart beating. The crowd whispered, "Bjork!" She's a cute little chicky, who has a variety of quaint dance moves up her diaphanous sleeve. Sarah Blasko won my "best dressed performer" award- she was wearing a creamy chiffon dress with small black polka dots on it, and her hair was a vibrant red. My "best dressed regular person" award goes not to the many waify girls in vintage dresses (hey, I'm not taking a dig- I'm usually one of them!), but to the girl who dared to wear a Hilary Duff t-shirt amongst thousands of hardcore alternative types. Why not, indeed!

As the sun began to set, Geoff and I headed over to the very scary main stages, which were full of thrashing individuals. We stayed seated on the plastic seats. Franz Ferdinand were, I hate to admit, a little disappointing. They just didn't grab me. But the lead singer did look more good-looking than usual, which is always nice. Afterwards, I was treated to an hour plus of Iggy Pop. Now, I know that Iggy is an important dude in terms of contemporary music and all that, but to me, he was just this weird old guy whose pants were almost falling down. Apologies if you are a serious music lover. And, last but not least, sentimental tears filled my eyes as The White Stripes opened their set with Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground. I don't care what people say about Meg's drumming and Jack's supermodel wife- I think that I will ALWAYS have a soft spot in my heart for The White Stripes. Their lyrics are so sensitive, their individual sounds are so piercing, and they just look so cool! Even though I was sitting by myself (Geoff had gone to see his other true love, Cedric from The Mars Volta), I grinned a lot and sang along.

In conclusion to my first-ever Big Day Out review, I would like to say this: one witnesses the basics of human nature at the Big Day Out. For example: we all queued at the taps to fill up our water bottles after standing in the sun. I realised that, given the chance, a lot of people will just do whatever they want. Example: there was heaps and heaps of trash all over the ground. I learned that many people suffer for fashion: there were so many goth and alternative kids bedecked in black tights and long-sleeved t-shirts on an obviously hot Sydney day. And of course, there are always the weirdos around. Like The Sunscreen Guy, who decided halfway through Sarah Blasko's set that I looked sunburnt, and so he sprayed sunscreen on my arm (much to the annoyance of my rather possessive Geoff). Also, there was the Weird Guy On The Train, who would randomly shout out questions such as, "Who saw Wolfmother?", "Who knows the cricket score?" and "Has anyone seen The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?" And, of course, there were the couple who went into the toilet next to me, who definitely weren't there to do number two's. Ew!

Other exciting events
Okay, so maybe I am becoming addicted to this suspense thing. I feel like I have such control (cue evil laugh)! Geoff had his 21st last Saturday, which I will write about extensively in the near future. As my sister is blessed with that instantaneous sensation known as the digital camera, you can have a sneak-peek at my get-up if you check out her blog: http://www.blurty.com/users/sons . You have to scroll down a bit to see me and my three siblings wearing eighties gear. Alas, I have an old skool film camera, and will be getting my photos printed later. And also: dear friends, there's gonna be some action happening with my and my job this week. Oh yes indeedy. And I don't just mean getting busted today for taking a sick day on Friday, even though I really was sick. I mean, what's more important- meeting deadlines, or keeping your colleague's attire vomit-free? I think we all know that the answer to that question is OBVIOUS. Anyone who has been at a kid's party with too many lollies and spinning-around games would know that. All will be revealed about my penguin plan next post.

Mysteriously yours,

Carla Gypsygirl xxx