Welcome to the Melbourne Community Daily Discussion Thread.

  • PeelerSheila @aussie.zone
    14·
    1 year ago

    Seeing as everyone else is posting breakfast pics

    Picture of Turkish bread toast with 2 day old home made guacamole (didn’t wanna waste it) and Oaxacan chilli oil with flavouring bits from the jar.

  • stardustingss@aussie.zone
    13·
    1 year ago

    Managed to book in a freelance client project and feeling rather proud of myself. I used to work solely freelance but got a “proper job” at the tail end of lockdowns when work dried up. I was in a really unhealthy mental space with my freelance work and addicted to social media (what I mainly used to gain clients) so I’ve been wary of returning to it, even though I really dislike my “proper” job. I’m currently on mat leave and feel sick at the idea of returning.

    I got this client through social connections in the Real World and it was just so easy and stress free. I’ve been thinking a lot about where I went wrong in the past and I have a glimmer of hope I really could make it work again this time. Honestly I am really good at what I do, I just need to focus on the work and get out there meeting people in real life a lot more.

    I feel optimistic about work and my professional future for the first time in a long time!!!

    • heyheyitskay@aussie.zone
      5·
      1 year ago

      Congrats! I didn’t do it for that long but the freelance life can definitely take a mental toll in various ways. It’s good to be away from it for a while to give you a different perspective and I think you’re right in reflecting on what didn’t work so well in the past and try and put in measures to prevent the same from happening. Sounds like you’re cut out for this though so hope this is a new beginning!

      • stardustingss@aussie.zone
        3·
        1 year ago

        Yeah it can be really hard! I was prone to letting work take over my whole existence, dropped all my hobbies and lost myself a bit. If I can strike more of a balance I think it would work out.

  • MisssDarylC@aussie.zone
    13·
    1 year ago

    Photo one is a mixture of cakes in a container and photo two is the range of cakes on the bench at cobake space in Richmond, the bakery is pink, the cakes are delicious

    Visited Co-bake space to buy cakes by Reece Hignell from MasterChef Australia, they were delicious!!! Wasn’t cheap but I considered it both worth it and a one off chance to enjoy his baking.

    The image description was placed in the brackets beside the image embedding links, is that the correct place to put it?

  • just_kitten@aussie.zone
    13·
    1 year ago

    Look I know this is a bit disgusting but I really don’t feel satisfied with the amount of garlic I’ve put into a dish until it feels like it’s been suffused into my very flesh. I must feel the spirit of the garlic coursing through my veins. And for that I am happy I put half a head into yesterday’s pasta dish. Still on those garlic vibes. Satisfying.

    • Baku@aussie.zone
      9·
      1 year ago

      Nah I feel you, I have a really hard time tasting those subtle tastes, I like them almost overpowering. Vanilla essence, peppermint, most spices, garlic, I load all of them up

    • the_procrastinata@aussie.zone
      3·
      1 year ago

      I’ve had reflux for a couple of months now and fuck me if I don’t miss garlic with every fibre of my being. It’s so. Damn. Good.

      • just_kitten@aussie.zone
        2·
        1 year ago

        RIP. I’m very lucky garlic never affected me that much (it was more chilli and tomato). Fodmap sufferers have it the worst. Life without garlic and onion is… no life at all…

  • Sir_ListerOfSmeg@aussie.zone
    12·
    1 year ago

    Blurgh day. Sleepy. Couch coma.

    Have eaten breakfast twice. First was oats. Second was eggs and toast.

    1 week until dog day 🐕

    Have expanded dog’s name from Adam to Mayor Adam West. Needed something vaguely Batmanesque since he has the Batman symbol on his chest

    Bat Dog

  • Electronic_Owl@aussie.zone
    11·
    1 year ago

    Our local vet cracks me up. They’re great, but when you call them you have to choose from a 5 option menu, ranging from “Press 1 for an emergency” through to “Press 5 for all other enquiries”. It’s nonsense because all calls are answered by Betty on reception anyway lol

    • CEOofmyhouse56@aussie.zone
      9·
      1 year ago

      That’s funny. I remember going to the movies with the clan and the place was deserted and the dude who gave us our tickets also served our popcorn then said to us “I’ll be in to pop the movie on soon. Make yourselves at home”.

    • bull⚡@aussie.zoneEnglish
      8·
      1 year ago

      Could be a call queuing thing if there’s a wait, emergency gets you straight through the queue

      • Baku@aussie.zone
        4·
        1 year ago

        That’s really the only thing that’d make any sense. Unless the same menu plays after hours and emergency puts you through to someone on call or something?

  • Gibsonisafluffybutt@aussie.zone
    11·
    1 year ago

    Cat stuff has been purchased. Lot’s of apprehensive sniffing going on. Hopefully she likes it as cat stuff is not cheap lol Forced myself to go the gym. Feel like a million bucks! Forgot about all the happy chemicals and sense of achievement.

    • just_kitten@aussie.zone
      5·
      1 year ago

      I just splurged on a bunch of freeze dried pure meat treats for other people’s cats that I’m looking after (one right now, one the week after next, and a third one after). I figure indoor cats have so little they can change about their environment that I’m more likely to splurge on the little critters than myself

        • just_kitten@aussie.zone
          2·
          1 year ago

          Habitat Home to Pet supplies in Altona North! (I’m based westside for a bit while house sitting) There’s an extensive range of freeze dried meat treats. Most of them are in the dog section but are suitable for cats as well. Nearly every cat I’ve looked after goes nuts for the chicken hearts. Bought chicken neck and kangaroo liver today to see how they go.

  • PeelerSheila @aussie.zone
    11·
    1 year ago

    Yay nut loaf!

    Picture of a brown cakey looking loaf on a cooling rack with what remains of the other loaf next to it on a pink plate. Good thing the recipe makes 2 loaves! I averted disaster with it a couple of times… after I’d mixed it (while being responsive to my prolifically chatty daughter and breaking up fights) I realised I had put bicarb instead of baking powder in it. A quick google revealed I could save the recipe by increasing the acidity with lemon juice or vinegar. Seeing as how I (once again) failed to buy buttermilk before I made it and had to add lemon juice to milk to substitute, I just added more. It worked!

    • just_kitten@aussie.zone
      2·
      1 year ago

      Nut 👏 loaf 👏 city 👏 limits!!

      Love it when a bit of ingenuity saves a dish. I’ve never had nut loaf before, do you eat it with anything? It looks so hearty and comforting!

      • PeelerSheila @aussie.zone
        2·
        1 year ago

        It’s a sweet walnut loaf so my fat arse loves it straight from the oven with butter 😋I like the recipe because it doesn’t have a truckload of oil in it, unlike other recipes I’ve seen. I used to make a savoury cashew nut and carrot loaf which you would eat with wilted (lightly stir fried) greens and roast vegetables, which I cooked at the same time as the loaf. Some people like their savoury nut loaves with a sauce, like cranberry sauce, or a chunky chutney or relish. Anything kinda fruity goes well.

  • omoikiri@aussie.zone
    10·
    1 year ago

    Got myself a lil treat today and bought the t2xpenguine publishers set.

    spoiler

    I actually really loved the withering heights design but I refuse to have the book in my house. So I’ve bought probably my 6th version of p&p. I’m so excited by it.

    • ReadEverything@aussie.zone
      3·
      1 year ago

      That P&P design is gorgeous, a trip to the bookshop might be in order( ignore that pile of Austen over there, I NEED this one)

      • omoikiri@aussie.zone
        2·
        1 year ago

        The design is only available with this bundle at T2! And only for this month! That’s what got me in the end. I’m a sucker for limited editions

      • omoikiri@aussie.zone
        3·
        1 year ago

        It was a tough decision for me too. Sherlock Holmes is the only one of the 4 that I don’t own, and I did really like the design. I might have to go back for it once the month is up.

      • omoikiri@aussie.zone
        6·
        1 year ago

        Nothing particularly against the Brontës. If it was Jane Eyre, I’d be all over it like pash rash. It’s Withering Heights I take my umbrage with. Two of the worst characters/people doing things that really should land them in prison. They’re both emotionally, mentally and at times physically abusive to everyone around them. And it’s painted as a great love story. It’s also really fucking boring.

        The Kate Bush song slaps though

        • cuavas@aussie.zone
          5·
          1 year ago

          Two of the worst characters/people doing things that really should land them in prison. They’re both emotionally, mentally and at times physically abusive to everyone around them.

          Isn’t that the whole point? It’s a scathing criticism of the English landed gentry, and the social class structure surrounding it. It’s the same kind of thing as Honglou Meng which is a criticism of noble families in feudal China.

          And it’s painted as a great love story.

          It’s framed as a love story, but I always saw that as a literary device that served as a vehicle for the completely unsympathetic characters. Honglou Meng is framed as a love story, too.

          It’s also really fucking boring.

          I think it’s more that it’s lost relevance. It was rather controversial when it was published. If you actually want a love story, there are definitely better better choices.

          • omoikiri@aussie.zone
            3·
            1 year ago

            I truly don’t think I can appreciate it in any way. Genuinely one of the most upsetting and bad things I’ve ever read. I slogged through it exactly because it’s so revered, but damn I did not enjoy it

            • Thornburywitch@aussie.zoneEnglish
              4·
              1 year ago

              Ditto. Did not enjoy either. Crap storytelling, horrible people, the film versions seem to rely on flowing capes and on figures standing on cliff edges to fill plot gaps. But it’s soooo romantic … Hogwash. Also bunkum. Don’t mind Jane Eyre though or The Professor. Of all the Bronte works, I think Shirley is my favorite - quite close in quality to a minor Austen such as Northanger Abbey or Sanditon. Anne was underrated imo.

        • ReadEverything@aussie.zone
          3·
          1 year ago

          I’m with you there, I can’t see how Wuthering Heights is a love story at all, but I will occasionally reread Jane Eyre. I’m currently listening to a podcast where they read Jane Austen and discuss, one of whom has never read Austen. It’s as close as I will get to reading them for the first time again.

          • omoikiri@aussie.zone
            3·
            1 year ago

            Ooh! What’s it called? That sounds great!

            I used one of my audible credits to get this narrated/voice acted version of Austen. People in the reviews are really mad because they had to take some very minor liberties with the exact wording here and there to make it work with the audiobook format. I’ve been really enjoying experiencing them in a new way though!

      • omoikiri@aussie.zone
        2·
        1 year ago

        Right? The only bad thing is it’s got gold foiling, so it can’t go in the microwave, which is terrible news for me and my habit of forgetting about hot drinks and having to reheat them.

  • bananafungus@aussie.zone
    10·
    1 year ago

    Not that I truly read them anymore but I’m really sick of IMDB reviews being disgusting rants by racists and homophobes. Like seriously 1 star because you’re unhappy a character isn’t the colour of mashed potatoes, grow up.

    • Hongohones@aussie.zone
      3·
      1 year ago

      I bought a bunch different toys for my cat and my sister gave me some also. The only one they like is the mouse with feathers. I bought a bunch of them $2.50 each. The one they tore the feathers off though is still the one they play with on their own most. That and shoelaces. Oh and mumma loves the tunnel. Don’t like the led pointer. Cats really don’t understand money.

  • oztrin@aussie.zoneEnglish
    9·
    1 year ago

    Shame I checked in too late for the brekkie postings, I’d already scoffed mine!
    Still feeling wiped after Thursday’s big effort (and my feet are still swollen, definitely wore the wrong shoes for walking). I am, however, on a roll with Operation Sort Shit and am going through bags I’d put aside to sort after going through the last of the boxes that I took out of the garage.
    Feeling a lot more optimistic about actually having the house fit to show to real estate agents by spring, even if it’s likely to be a knock down job.