A Beginning With Pez

Hello
I am amanwithahat. Or just Jim. Whichever you prefer.
By way of introduction, these are some things you should know:
1. I have eaten seven (7) packets of Pez today from my Batman Pez dispenser.

This is Bats. He protects the Pez.

Oh no Bats! Two-Face wants the Pez!! (also pictured: Joker thongs – could the Clown Prince of Crime be lurking nearby?)

(Not pictured, Batman’s expert martial arts skills/Two-face’s duality-based existential crisis/loss of limb)

The hero Lemon Pez deserves.

2. I do not have a wardrobe covered in travel pictures. My wardrobe is covered in dust and tacky hats.

3. I am the male. I will do the manly things on the trip, chop the wood and wear the beard.

4. I’m originally from merry ol’ England. I came to Australia when I was three years old. By myself. Had nothing but the clothes on my back and the guitar slung ostentatiously and troubadourianously over my shoulder. And I had callused hands that had seen things man, things you couldn’t even imagine. In fact, a three year old me was the one who screams “I’ve got blisters on mah fingers!” at the end of Helter Skelter. Also I had a beard back then as well.

5. I (and my fellow Suitcasians) have lived in Brisbane for a fair while now. I want to see something else. I’ve seen Malouf’s Brisbane. I want to see Wilco and Vonnegut’s America through Mickey Mouse’s magical looking glass.
I want to re-experience my homeland and the rest of the Isles with Amis and Joyce looking over my shoulder to a soundtrack of Pete Townsend’s undeniable electric guitar.
I want to take in the serenity and mystery of Ishiguro’s Japan from high atop the insanity of Takeshi’s Castle.
And I want to explore and learn and enjoy the marvellous company and take the readers of this blog along with us.

But all that is a year away, and we’ve got lots and lots of planning to do before then.

amanwithahat.

When a bee meets a penguin…

After much ado, much procrastination, and MUCH patience from the lovely aliceinbrisbaneland, the eccentric co-conspirator beeandpenguin (or bee, for ease of reference) has decided to make an appearance on this blog.

How shall she introduce herself?

Bee has been wanting to travel for years. Literally years and years. The furthest she has ever made it outside Australia is Fiji, and, while she loved this experience immensely, she is also itching to see North America, Europe, and – dearest to her heart – Ireland.

Bee’s wardrobe is an hommage (that’s how the French spell it, according to her Film & TV lecturer) to her desire to travel. It is meticulously wall-papered, top to bottom, left to right (and around one corner), with pictures she has taken out of travel calendars. Ireland, Italy, France, England, the Greek Islands – the gang’s all here. The rationale behind this uncanny decorating choice was this: while the possibility of travel remained elusive (no money and a full schedule of commitments, you know the drill), at least she could fall asleep each night looking at Tuscany, and wake up in a 20x30cm version of Dublin. This mural is fantasy and inspiration, and reminds bee why she is putting money into savings rather than into a shopping spree at JB Hifi (this is always a tempting thought). As a matter of fact, the mural was one of the first things to tip amanwithahat off that bee was a bit of a weirdo… But he hung around nonetheless, and now has even agreed to immerse himself in the insanity and come along for the trip. Happy days.

Bee is psyched to see the world. She is even more psyched to see it with two of her favourite people. Maybe one day she’ll take down the calendar wallpaper and replace it with new pictures of Tokyo, Montreal, Rome and everywhere in between. The difference being, she and her boyfriend and one of her best friends will be in these ones.

Hello world!

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