Carla Gypsygirl's Blurty

What's Hot and What's Hotter in Carla Gypsygirl Land

I've always been a sucker for "What's Hot and What's Not" lists. Although, it's always a bit of a bummer when something you really like is on the "What's Not" section. Then you just feel like a loser. So I figured, I'll just make a list where everything is hot! Lots of things have been making me feel all happy and buzzy lately. It's nice to feel positive. I know that things are good when I start noticing cool little things again.

Photobooths
I LOVE photobooths. I always have. I like how, once you close that polyester curtain, it's your own little world. I like how you only get four little photos with no negatives- the photos that you get from that booth are the only photos like them in the world, never to be reprinted again. And I like how you can't change anything about the photo once it's been taken. These days, you can correct so much in a photo- we have our delete button on our digital cameras (that is, if you have a digital camera- I don't), we have Photoshop. Don't get me wrong, I totally LOVE photographic technology- what graphic designer nerd girl doesn't?. But sometimes, it's nice to know that you have only one chance to get things right. It's nice to know that what is done is done. Geoff and I were hanging out a few Sundays ago when we took the photos that you see above. It was our one-and-a-half-year anniversary of being boyfriend and girlfriend. We found this old photobooth in a deserted shopping arcade. I got really excited, because it's rare to find a photobooth that can take four different photos and print them on the same strip. So I forced Geoff to get inside with me. After the photos were taken, we had to wait an excruciating five minutes for the photo to be printed. We figured that the machine was busted, and that we had wasted our seven dollars. But then the little photo strip dropped into the little hole. All this air blew onto it. Then we took it out, and it was coated in a layer of dirt. But we were so happy! I've never actually been in a photobooth with another person before, so to be in one with a boy was extra exciting. I showed the photo to my friends. Some people say that Geoff looks like Hugh Grant. Sonya, my sister, says that he looks like Jesus. I think that we both look deranged in the first photo, where we are smiling at the camera. Geoff and I like the one where he is kissing me on the cheek the best. It's nice to know that you look your best when you're being loved by someone you love back.

Stickers, stamps and funny stationery
One of the cool things about being a grown-up is that you don't have to wait for some teacher to reward you for good behaviour, or for wearing your uniform correctly, or for sitting up straight with your hands on your knees. If you need a bit of a self-esteem boost, you can just go to Woolies and buy star stickers YOURSELF! Ha! I am crazy about those little metallic star stickers at the moment. I stick them on everything, and I have started to give them to my friends for random reasons. I gave one to my friend Jamie during Bible study the other night, because she was falling asleep. I figured a star would wake her up a bit. I am also obsessed with those clicky pens that have FOUR different colours in them! Today, I bought one that wasn't the regular blue/red/green/black combo- the ink colours were magenta/cyan/green/purple! Yay!

The soccer (well, sort of)
I am not the sportiest of girls. When I was in high school, I was really crap at sport. One year, on the day of our school photos, I purposely left my sports uniform at home. I didn't want to run around and get all sweaty and hence look all icky for my school photo. Especially as a lot of girls used the year photo as a sort of hook-up tool for their friends: e.g. "See this girl? This is Carla. She isn't usually this sweaty. Maybe she could be a good girlfriend for you. Do you want to meet her?" Anyway, I didn't have to do sport that day- I sat under a tree and gossiped with my friends- but my sports teacher did make me write out lines of "I will not forget my P.E. uniform." BORING! And I didn't even get a boyfriend out of that! And now that I do have a boyfriend (like, TEN YEARS LATER- I was a late bloomer, okay?), I'm STILL not into sports. Geoff follows the rugby league, and he keeps trying to get me interested in it. He supports the Sydney Roosters, and he always says, "Honey, if you go out with me, you go out with the Roosters." I tried to be a good girlfriend the other day by sitting with him in a pub while he watched a footy match on the pub's TV. But it was so boring that I ended up reading my novel instead. So it comes as no surprise to me that I haven't been totally into the World Cup. Because of all of the time differences, we Aussies get the soccer shown on TV at horrible hours such as 4:30am. I cherish my beauty sleep too much. One person who IS totally crazy about the World Cup this year is my nine-year-old brother, Zachary. Every morning, he carefully fills out his World Cup chart that he got from the newspaper. So the other day, I went to this sports store in the city and bought Zac a green-and-gold Socceroos beanie. Everyone in the store was really happy and excited, and there was heaps of cool things in there- scarves, jerseys, even little Socceroos baby bonnets. The shop assistants were very cheerful, because it was very busy, and they were saved from staring into space and doing nothing (which is what I do a lot at work). Everyone was requesting jerseys with "KEWELL" written on the back. And, did you know, "KEWELL" is pronounced "KYOOL", and not "KEY-WELL"? I found that out on that very day! So anyway, the moment I purchased that Socceroos beanie, I was filled with this warm glow. It was soccery goodness. I gave Zac the hat when I got home, and he was SO happy. More of that soccery goodness flowed through my veins, and I felt like my insides were glowing green and gold. The next day at work, I heard some of the senior staff ladies (they're sixty-plus in age) saying how cute they thought Harry Kyool was, and how they would love to take him home. Unfortunately, my soccery glow has worn off a little. I am happy the 'Roos are through to the next round. I do wish I was at a cool city street party last night. But I am glad that I was not filmed celebrating and jumping about in my lounge room with 2 bodyguards while wearing a satiny green tracksuit, as our dear Primey John Howard was.

Devonshire tea
I am addicted. ADDICTED. I love feeling all posh as I assemble my tea, sugar and milk. I love how aesthetically pleasing scones with jam and cream are- the colours and textures go so well together. And, obviously, it's delicious. I am whipping up a batch this Sunday morning! However, I am offering a fat-free alternative to the cream- I bought some ricotta cheese for my mum, who isn't that crazy about cholesterol.

My mates
I have this really cool bunch of friends at my new church. We used to have names that rhymed- Carla, Karl, Carly and Harley. But Karl and Harley don't come along anymore, so it's not that funny. At least I've got Carly with me to make me feel a bit more fun. We meet together every Tuesday night for Bible study, and these days, I wouldn't miss it for the world. Last week, we met at a different house from usual- Jase and A's place (A doesn't like being called "Alex"). I was instructed that the house was behind another house, and that I had to walk down a long driveway. I got the long driveway bit right, but it wasn't until I found myself wandering around a complete stranger's backyard that I began to wish I had called someone to come and find me. I eventually found Jase and A's house, and they live in this gorgeous, shabby chic house with big windows. We had tea, exchanged secrets and gave each other hugs. And we read the Bible and prayed, of course. I love my new friends! God is so generous to provide me with wonderful people to hang out with!

***
And that, dear reader, concludes my latest Hot/Hotter list. I hope that your weekend rocks out. Grab some Devonshire tea if you can, where ever you may be in the world. And if you see Harry Kyool, give him a pat on the back for me!

Lots of love,
Carla Gypsygirl