Today, I find myself back in Melbourne. It was just shy of two full years ago that I was last here - for Doggy's wedding, for my first visit to Melbourne, for my first time in Australia, ever.
We, my Darling and I, spent 6 whole days in Melbourne, exploring her (well, minus 1.5 days in the suburbs for wedding stuff). It was meant to be summer, but it was a cool summer that year, methinks, because I remember having to bundle up for most of it. Or perhaps it was just the infamous Melbourne weather - "4 seasons in one week!" is feedback I get from pretty much everyone familiar with Melbs.
Anyhoo, on that trip, we landed, checked-in, washed up and immediately commenced our mad touristing. It was with some regretful retrospection that we realized we had covered pretty much all of the Melbourne grid in 3 days, and were left to "shake leg" for the remainder of the trip.
It was, on that note, that I made the dismissive opinion that Melbourne, whilst a vibrant and GORGEOUS city, isn't really one to come to for a holiday, but would be a fantastic place to live in for a bit. I was of the firm opinion that I didn't think I would EVER come back to Melbourne for a holiday. Never. And if I wouldn't be coming for a holiday, then unless I decided to look for work in Melbourne or married a Melburnian, the likelihood of me ever seeing Melbourne again were next to none.
That made me a little sad, for Melbourne is a place of much charm. And awesome food. When I think about Melbourne, the architecture and food immediately come to mind. Flinders St Station. Churros. The GPO. The QV Market. Victoria State Library. Lygon St. *swoon* And to think it would be only just memories, well, made me sad.
As fate would have it, fate whom so fondly loves to throw me a "HAH!" in the face, after a mad flurry of three months with my new employers, found me back in Melbourne; unexpected, and a little bit wild-eyed and in disbelief. As I write this now in the wee hours of the morning from my hotel room in Melbourne itself, I can still scarcely believe I am actually here. The air smells different, so I know we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.. but. Still.
It's still a little unreal to be here. Managing a project which, if it fails, will mean potential trouble for the company I work for, on a very public and national scale. And since I was put solely responsible for managing the logistics & incidentals, if this fails, the blame will lie squarely on me.
Am I pissing in my pants? Hell, YES.
Can I believe all this is happening, and that I AM IN MELBOURNE *RIGHT* NOW MAKING IT HAPPEN?? Hell, errr.. no?
Tomorrow, I will wake up, I will walk out the front door of the hotel, and I will walk through the streets of the city that, for some reason despite finding it a boring holiday destination, has taken hold of my heart. Then, maybe, I will believe I am in Melbourne.
