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Saturday, March 17, 2007

Throbbing but smashing time

Still in Melbourne. My head hurts, which is probably a combination of walking around for days with an increasingly weighty backpack pulling my neck out, not enough water and too many things to remember, like names and witty lines and interesting sights. BRAIN OVERLOAD! I shall have to break this post into small manageable chunks just to cope. I'm in the same internet cafe as last time (I like to bond with places like this), waiting until 7 when I meet the SLV staff and colleagues for a slap-up nosh at a trendy inner-city restaurant.

BLOGMEET

Goodness, what a lot of people showed last night! I managed to sneak in and look around before many of them noticed I was there, but I think in the end I also managed to talk to everyone. Do I dare try and list them? I might forget people... but I'll try: Will Type for Food Tim, After Grog Blog, the inhabitants of Sills Bend (well, not Baz), Brownie, Lord Sedgwick (HEH), Jahteh (who has already blogged about it), Jelly, Genevieve, Barista, Nabakov, and many more... and I'm sorry if you're not listed here, I haven't forgotten your names, but my head hurts and I need to finish this post fast. You were all fun and the pub was loud and my ears are still ringing, even after we went to the best-named noodle restaurant in the universe -- the Kum Den. [erk!] I will have to write more about this later when my brain calms down.

EXHIBITION HO!

Today was the big day at the State Library of Victoria. The exhibition looks fantastic; it's amazing to see all that noise and angst and hilarity condensed down into something so quiet and graceful.

The day's events seemed very successful, especially the bit where we got to see -- and touch -- some of the SLV's own collection. There were talks that ruffled feathers, statements that smoothed them, and lovely catering (v important!).

There was no mention anywhere that the Book Studio still exists as an entity, and I realised that very few people outside blogosphere know that. So I've resolved to get things moving again, not for my profile (god, I don't need anything else on my plate) but for the sake of the artists who are working there now, and to attract some new interest in using the space. So watch this space, or rather, the Bookstud blog space.

I also met Val today, and a few other zine and book people (hello Eloise!)... it's been a really social trip so far, and great for networking. I'm feeling far more 'connected' than I usually do!

OK, enough. I'm sorry, it's a wee bit whingy, but I'm sure I'll feel a bit more together next time I see this place -- or when I get home, whichever comes first!

6 comments:

genevieve said...

I guess that was prescient of me to recognise that the noise levels in that den of noodles would have got me squawking in no time (as well as deaf). But it's a nice thing to do. Terrific to put faces to names after all this time, I rather wish I got out with creative spirits more often. Certainly whacks the weekend ironing for six.

TimT said...

Hey ho! Had a smashing time Friday evening, must do this again some time!

I went to the exhibition yesterday afternoon, walking down from Carlton. It was most enjoyable, but I kept wanting to read the books that were featured - it is most unsatisfying to go to a library, and then only see the books through glass!

I'd especially love to read this one, that you pointed out to me Friday night. I'm something of an origami addict, like Lexicon, so I was trying to work out how it was put together (short answer - I think it may be made from a single long sheet of rectangular paper, with 'square' segments of the sheet folded according to a normal origami pattern).

Most enjoyable. Most fun. Hey ho!

Anonymous said...

Darl your links aren't proper - Bookstudio in the post goes to the commercial webpage for edublogs but your BookStudio one in the side bar is OK.
Congrats on the show - would be nice if the CSA & ANU bot showed a bit of interest in promoting the Book Studio as well. Somehow I suspect the SLV SHow is not on the ANU calendar...

JahTeh said...

Personally I think Melbourne should ditch the Grand Prix and turn the town over to Grand Bloggers instead. Of course since most of us are improverished, the hotels would suffer but the parks are nice at this time of year.

Ampersand Duck said...

Phew! Home again, and desperately working through my in-tray so that I can post again. But quickly --

TIM! It's a ridiculously easy book structure made up of separately folded triangles glued together. When I catch my breathe I will blog it so that you can do it... Promise!

Anonymous said...

& Duck:
There's an "incriminating" photo of that evening posted over at There Aint No Sanity Clause. :-) L-O-L