totoro cupcakes camera

back in the big smoke. it's been close to two weeks since I left wagga and I definitely miss home. even though I grew up here, there are lots of things I've forgotten about since relocating two and a bit years ago. commuting is one of them.

it has been really nice to spend some extra time with my family, I've been staying with my parents and eating with them most nights. living in a different town really makes me appreciate all of the incidental contact. I've fallen back into some nice old habits too, like helping my teenage brother find a mother's day present and visiting my favourite cake shops on my way home from work.

my days here have been really busy, varied and interesting. for starters I've been working out of my own editing suite, a little soundproof booth with fancy audio gear, vintage speakers and lights you can dim. I've learnt a lot this last fortnight, a new audio editing program, how to illustrate a story using sound effects, how to tell whether a recording of parrots is of parrots in a cage or parrots in the wild.

this last monday, I sat in a recording studio while an audio engineer worked on one of my stories. that was pretty cool and I sneakily took this photo.

there has been plenty of time for city food too. during my stay I ate yummy dumplings with my sister at the new shanghai cafe in lemongrove, chatswood. good dumplings are hard to come by in wagga wagga so I was especially grateful for our lunch. and on tuesday, my work friend sean led a special expedition to malibu sandwich in surry hills. years ago I used to work with a guy who would take orders for malibu sandwich and bring giant lunches to artamon but I had no idea where the shop was. the expedition was strategic, the shop is notoriously busy and there was a very specific way to order. we all walked away with football sized sandwiches, with combos like chicken schnitzel, mayo, tomato and potato salad. working that afternoon was difficult.

the other day a girlfriend emailed to ask whether I'd moved back to sydney as I've been around a lot in the last month and it was a good reminder to pack my bags and go home to wagga.

I feel content to be leaving now, being in wagga after my aunt passed away left me feeling restless. in lots of ways I didn't believe that she had gone. but being here and spending time with my family has helped me understand that she is no longer with us, and start to feel a little bit okay about how we'll go on without her.

p.s - I've listened to two great podcasts in the last week, this powerful teenage audio diary made by a high school student from punchbowl, sydney and this episode from this american life, around the theme of images.