White Nights at the Moomba Festival and Dead Feet

Coolest thing ever. Not just saying that, either.

     

     You know that when you've beaten a chest cold in a week and a half, but the rest of your family is still taking a month (and some) to get over it, that you've got drive. Seriously, what's life unless you live it like you are the strongest person in the world? I don't have time for a cold. I keep moving, doing everything else. My family kind of stinks at being sick. Each cough and sniffle voices another, "Ugh, my life is over."

     Really? You can't eat an entire bowl of chocolate OR kick a cold in the face? Sorry, am I being unrealistic? I keep forgetting I have a high tolerance for pain and low tolerance for wimps...Oops, I did it again, didn't I?

      On a happier productive note, Melbourne's White Night Moomba Festival last week was AWESOME!! I want to apologize to all Periscope users for my poor choice of broadcasting. Instead of streaming the totally cool, WOW-mazing light show in the State Library, I streamed some footage of a street concert...sorry. I did, however, film the light show. I've redeemed myself.

Just a giant gold monkey hanging
on the edge of a building. No big deal.

     Waves crashing on building, music and changing ceilings, snake-fish...things swimming in pools, and yummy gourmet mac n' cheese it was grand.
      After standing in an immovable line for over an hour, the mass of peasants and myself were herded through the bath house. Not to be mistaken for a luxurious spa resort, it's what they term their recreation centers, with 'MENS' AND 'LADIES' plastered in bold, serif letters on the from of the building. So, we might as well have thought we were standing in the world's longest line in wait for the toilets...
     Turns out, there was in fact something interesting to see inside. In the longest lap pool was projected a 3D animation of a snake swimming through golden eggs. The security guards were more than excited to get repeating that everyone needed to keep moving.

     I finally decided I was too hungry to wait any longer, lest I be on the edge of hangry (heaven forbid.) The party agreed that we'd stop by the food trucks. From the lot I selected a hut for gourmet mac n' cheese. Yes, such a thing exists. The tastiest mac n' cheese with pulled pork and bbq sauce EVER! Nearly considered going back for seconds then someone brought up ice cream. I had a mixed pray in my mind. Half of me wishing we'd find some as soon as possible, the other half quite certain I'd really overdone my sugar intake for the day and was sure I didn't need anymore.

     Our last attraction for the night was the State Library. This line was long, but at least it was living and breathing. In other words, MOVING! The performance of such a display cannot be described in words, only captured in the film and mesmerized by the mind.

     Walking around the city for the hours on end really takes the feeling out of your feet and legs, but nonetheless, we were determined to make it home. My comrades wanted to stop a McDonald's, but with there being 500,000+ people in the city and all transportation therein shutdown every was PACKED!
     When we finally found our way back at the train station we found that they were directing the flow of traffic into two lanes all the way down to the subway. The congestion of people was so great that the train was traveling at least 20 miles slower than normal. Unless you were related to or The Flash himself you had no hope of reserving a seat for yourself, so the entire hour of travel was spent standing on my numb and flubberish-feeling legs.

My pillow was never so more welcoming at 1:30 in the morning.

Jess