Last storm of summer [Introspective rambling follows]

Ten at night and I’m out in the yard pulling washing off the line as a thunderstorm looms. Drunk student types run around noisily out in the streets of Taringa. I’m lost in thought, meandering through my past, present, my future as lightning goes off overhead and rain starts to spit. I reflect that this far into the year, April, this is perhaps the last gasp of the season. Which of course leads to more widespread reflection of the summer that was.
And I distinctly hear my younger self, cheering from 2004.
I like the fact that I talked the talk and subsequently walked the walk. I don’t think it was generally expected that I’d come through. My plan of shaking it all up, relocating, resettling, gaining more suitable employment. It’s proceeding exactly as it should. The big life restructure. Bloody tiring, but the only way I know to be true to oneself and lead your life the way that, deep down,  you want to. No compromises. The only way to delete all the clutter so you can focus and work out wtf you’re all about and what you want to do. I’ve spent the last five years trying in vain. Only when I so drastically changed stuff did the logical answers reveal themselves. It’s so refreshing, just knowing.
The other benefit of course was the enjoyment of just letting so much crap go. I let loose with the fun random Dirk that got lost for so long. Armed with his body board, falcon and tent, he traced a path of laughter and mayhem across South East Queensland. Various pictures spring to mind and I smile:

• Lying sprawled by myself out on a beach south of Byron, staring up at the clear night sky, cool sand in my   hair, while two sets of bongo’s are echoing call and response. One from down near the breaking waves, one from high atop the dunes.
• Walking down the same beach and a huge black man running at me, madly playing bongo’s, me diving out the way, and him obliviously barreling onward down the beach, with his frenzied running and playing.
• Lying on a different beach, Rainbow, a few nights before new years, with my brothers, seeing a ufo and laughing hysterically.
• Me and Mike down on the beach one night. Seeing some lights in the distance. Deciding to walk towards the lights and the adventure which ensued.
• Nevereverland. The Presets.The Green Laser Show. Fwoah.
• Bodyboarding every second day.
• Learning guitar.
• The rain storm that hit while me and Toine were camping, us sitting by the fire under a well installed tarp, eating hashbrowns and drinking tea while we watched the entire beach get chased way. Subsequently looting in their wake.
• Drunk hookups with pretty girls in the ocean at night, water sparkling with plankton.

I stuffed up a few things as well. I handled a few things poorly. I learnt from them. I’ve continued to work stuff out on my own terms. One day I’ll have all the answers. When I’ve made all the mistakes.
Much remains to be done. Aside from the full and complete execution of the plan there are some assorted other things I’d like to accomplish this year. Listed as follows:

• Become decent at body boarding.
  I know you don’t have to be good at something to love it, but given the fact that I gush about it all the time, I think it’s only reasonable I be able to efficiently deal with nasty shorebreaks and not get wiped out as much as I do. Certainly a work in progress..
• Become decent at guitar.
  I can play songs now, go cleanly between most of the chords. I make up folky riffs and strum till my fingers can’t take it anymore. And everything feels better.
• Pinch some milk crates.
  A rite of passage.
• Improve at photography.
  My goal is to make like a portfolio of Brisbane photos. Of the places I go and the people I hang with. It’s much harder than I thought it would be.
• Read more.
  While I wasn’t working I made some excellent inroads in this area, demolishing some awesome books and reveling in the new, interesting perspectives that I arrived at with each one. Since starting full time work and the associated intensive training I haven’t been able to bring myself to read in the evenings. That should change once I get up to speed proper and work is not such a big issue on my radar.

Speaking of work, for those who care, I am now an Insurance Services Officer in the inbound travel claims enquiries section of a major international insurer. It’s turned out to be better than I expected, with regards to conditions and the interestingness of the work. Travel insurance is cool because you hear about people’s misadventures all over the world. Sucks when you have to tell them they’re not covered for the trip home to their grandma’s funeral because her medical condition was pre existing. I deliver the blow with a sweet voice and my superiors like me.
Once a month the entire company gets together on a massive open air deck on the top story, with sweeping 180 degree views of the Brisbane skyline, and drinks Boags until it runs out. There’s something awesome about drinking free, good quality beer on work time. These guys know how to do it.
My favourite aspect of all remains the fact that it’s situated a pleasant fifteen minute walk from my house. Not commuting on trains and roads makes my day so much shorter, cheaper, healthier, and generally more pleasant.
I’ve spent the last few months learning new things. The brain’s constantly awash with new and interesting knowledge. Practical skills like guitar, boarding or surviving in the city, photography skills, as well as mental such as slabs of knowledge for work. My brain’s in constant learning mode, absorbing new information like a sponge. I like it. I don’t want to stop learning. I like knowing.
So the summer party’s kind of over. For now. The head is down, I’m charging toward the goal. Like the Ox. After all it is the year thereof. IM NOT INTO THAT HOCUS POCUS MATE, but it’s my reminder to myself of what this year should be about.
Heh. I’m attempting introspection and just blaring some kind of quasi motivational monologue. I have friends who reflect on the world and their philosophical struggles and so easily paint their intelligent thoughts into eloquent paragraphs. Meanwhile I rail against tangible annoyances such as parking inspectors, possums digging up my parsley, and the fact that the footpath outside my window gets whippersnipped and leafblown every second friggin day.
I think that may be it from me for now anyway, dear readers. I’ll try to keep up the writing so I don’t disappear into a haze of insurance doublespeak. Meanwhile the uni and career goal sits in the background, awaiting the appropriate time. I’m so keen.