Lev Lafayette's journal

The past few days have been spent in Adelaide, Aldinga to be precise, for some much-needed relaxation of mind and body. I spent the time with Paula DA and Craig W., along with Bella the Cat ("the beige princess"), in an environment that was both animated in intellect, and peaceful in spirit. Paula provides knowledge on many matters political, Craig on engineering, and both do the same in matters of history. A very welcome addition on the afternoon came in the form of Daniel F., who teaches international politics of the Indo-Pacific at the University. Last night was a visit to the Aldinga Eco-village, which included a local bookstore, good places to eat, and the imposition of well-meaning folk music. Today, the last day of the visit, an excellent catch-up was arranged with River, Hugh R., Janie G., and friends, followed by a trip to the delightful golden sands of Henley Beach prior to the journey to Melbourne home.

During this time, I did manage to almost avoid anything work or study related. Instead, I enjoyed fine weather in a seaside suburb in a house that was surrounded by Australian avian life. I did have to organise the researcher meeting for this coming Friday ("Theoretical and applied ecology for conservation work on HPC"). I also managed to finish one of Tom Sharpe's last novels "Vintage Stuff", in which his satirical descriptions of human behaviour and farcical narratives always impress. In a different sort of analysis of human behaviour, I also finished Kreisman and Straus' "Sometimes I Act Crazy: Living with Borderline Personality Disorder" which, whilst almost 20 years old, does a very good job of providing chapter-by-chapter descriptions of key traits, narrative examples, scientific explanations, and action items - all quite recommended.

But that was it; the rest of the time was spent in reflection of the past, living in the present, and planning for the future - along with delicious conversations of engineering and political projects both speculative and distant, as well as those for the immediate future. I am very aware that the first week of the final course for my psychology degree has started and that within two weeks the first week of my next degree in climate change science will begin. These, of course, will take up much of my extra-curricular time, as I expect they will for many years to come. And I will be rather glad I will be spending my time in such a fashion.

Thus ends a one-week visit to Adelaide, a place I have been meaning to visit for some years, and had booked for about a year, but of course, then 2020 happened. It was meant to be a holiday and I have treated it as such, managing to avoid even looking at my work emails. Of course, I have plenty of other "work-like" activities which I did engage in, including finishing a draft of the first chapter of MHEd thesis and teaching at the University of Rojava. But most of my time has been spent visiting friends, some of which I haven't seen for over twenty years in one case. Jane G., has been an absolutely superb host during my time here and has carefully stored a few boxes of books that I had purchased years ago. All but one box has been recovered; I am sure it will appear soon. Her three cats apparently approved of me quite a lot as well, and it was in all of their company that I've made quite a dent in the latest Star Trek series. It was through Jane that I have also been introduced Tanya The Lockpicker whom we spent some time at Norton Summit, and was kind enough to drop me off at the airport.

In addition, I spent a day in the company of Chris T., a fellow gamer, and took the opportunity to visit rather impressive Adelaide Art Gallery (a matter of which he was well-informed) and the neighbouring Museum. It's a rather nice strip of old sandstone buildings around that north edge of the city. Visiting Paula MCF and Craig down Port Wilunga way quite an overdue joy as well, and we spent a wide-ranging conversation over a day, covering various matters of economics, (crypto)currency, politics, and construction. We were also entertained by a pair of native rats who were rebuilding a nest after gardening in the backyard. Finally, there was a great deal with J.G., another gamer person who has been on the periphery of my friendship for almost twenty-five years. We have only met in person a couple of times, but each time has been wonderfully pleasant and this was no exception. I think she was rather impressed when I turned up in a t-shirt she designed some 25 years prior! It was a day spent with her family, including a visit to the Fringe Festival. I was slightly horrified by how lackadaisical many Adelaideans seem to be are to SARS-COV-2, but this is a city that has largely avoided any major infection outbreaks, but it only takes one.

Sometimes one needs a holiday to recover from their holiday. That is not the case this time, as I have paced myself quite well. I took plenty of lengthy walks along the stips of nature that cut through Adelaide's suburbs, I spent entire days just chatting and downing coffee with friends, and entire evenings engaging watching television whilst being smooched by felines. What I had planned with relatively minimal and it was achieved without stress. But of course, the world has not gone away, and as soon as I get off the plane there will be plenty to do. But the batteries are recharged, and it was sorely needed. If anything the visit has reminded me of a project, "Red Dragon", which began with rough sketches that I initiated a few years back in Zurich. There are a few people scattered about the globe who know what this is about. Over the next month, I hope to complete a major project plan.