Let’s talk a little bit about food. For the most part, I think it is a good thing. It is probably safe to say that eating is a vital practice for the majority of humans. But nothing is black and white. Food can be difficult. I’m not talking about the making of food (although as someone...

I’m getting better at surviving visits to Melbourne. I’m learning to accept the crowds, the weird tasting water, and the smell. During my last visit, my confidence was so high that I even decided to brave public transport unaided. Usually upon arriving in Melbourne, I catch the...

This evening after a couple of glasses of wine, I decided it was a good idea to replace my faulty exhaust fan myself, instead of waiting for a professional, or even merely capable, person to do it for me. “I am a competent individual,” I said to myself, driven by the over...

Yesterday the power went out. My computer screen flicked off and immediately my heart began racing at 400million-trillion-miles per hour as I wondered if I’d lost the last hour’s worth of work. I always hit CTRL+S so obsessively that losing work is next to impossible, so often...

Holly Kench has a phobia of author biographies, most particularly the need to write one about herself. On being asked to write an author bio over 150 words in length, Holly went into a panic and wrote this instead. She doesn’t believe that more than 100 words are necessary to sum up this...

A couple of weeks ago, I traveled on the weirdest flight I’ve ever experienced. I’m not a good flyer at the best of times. When I was fifteen I experienced my most terrifying flight. About midway between Queensland and Melbourne all the lights went out. A few minutes later (probably seconds,...

A few days ago one of my more blunt friends asked me what had happened to my forehead. Initially I couldn’t work out what she was talking about. I suspected she was perhaps referring to some unsightly pimple that had popped up overnight, or maybe my human mask was falling off and she could...

I like to think that I’m a fairly zen sort of person. I’m able to believe this because I have an experience based competency in self-delusion. The truth is, I lose my temper pretty easily, but not always over the most expected events. Certain things make me rationally angry, but mostly my...

I live in Hobart for a reason. It’s nice here. Located that ideal distance from Antarctica, our weather is a perfect balance of rain and cold that is so adored by penguins, leeches, and hermits. The cold and rain keeps people indoors, limiting crowds in public places.The lack of sun...

This evening I stepped onto my level of the car park and all the lights turned off. In the 20 seconds it took for me to run to my car, drop my keys, frantically hunt for my keys, open the door and lock myself in my car, I had run through the following possible conclusions: 1. The zombie...

For the last year or so I’ve been using a three legged chair as my desk chair. OK that is slightly hyperbolic. It has four legs, but one is attached with masking tape and is prone to fall off if I shift my weight without warning. The result has been… well, mostly pain. Today,...

Of all the “assistant” jobs I’ve had, from retail assistant (too many people) to dental assistant (too many teeth), one of my favourites was my position as a personal assistant. My colleagues were lovely, and I got to use post-it notes on a daily basis. My boss often bought...

The first time I fell in love was the first time I ate chocolate. The second time was when I first read Blue Castle. My first boyfriend, however, occurred after my first love, but before my second. I was five years old at the time. His name was Oscar and he was three months younger than me. I...

Today I’ve had a fairly heavy day of internet exploration. This is often fun times, work times or learning times, all of which I approve. Often, however, internet exploration can rapidly become rage times. I don’t know whether you’ve ever seen an olive fly into a fit of...

While cleaning out some boxes, I discovered a collection of old glasses from my childhood. I don’t mean drinking glasses, but rather spectacles. Pulling out the bundle I noted their grotty lenses, a testament to my lifelong habit of pushing up glasses with my fingers and an inability to...