It's not a cry you can hear at night, it's not somebody who's seen the light...

My name is Lara. I love Joy Division, which is totally the most important thing about me. You should also know I am quite sarcastic without having a firm understanding of sarcasm. True story.

I was born in Seattle, Washington, grew up in Kalispell, Montana (AKA HELL), moved to Melbourne Australia in 2003, and Christchurch New Zealand in 2010. I studied half a Bachelor of Fine Arts~Theatre Studies in University before switching to German so I could study abroad in Vienna (2001). Hence, I have studied English, German and Latin at a University level.

I am currently studying a Postgraduate Diploma of Social Work at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand while living in a flat affectionately known as the Lesbian Flat of Doom, with my friends _honeyspider and phfa and my cats, Ariadne and Echo and Alison's cat, Helios (they don't have LJs, they're not old enough yet), all of whom I love dearly.

I'll add anyone to my f-list if they ask, so feel free! I spend most of my time writing, talking about writing, or thinking about writing while watching Most Haunted or something Tim Minchin, Hugh Jackman or Dylan Moran related. Or singing. I love singing, and I'm actually good, which tends to help! I can play the flute and the piccolo, the guitar and the ukulele, and I used to play the viola but then I sold it to a 3-fingered man. True story.

( A very important thing to know, is that I ramble. So there is more under here! )

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Been reading old entries from 2003, and in the midst of being annoyed at how completely dippidydoodah I was, I found this lovely entry which is talking about wanting to move to Vienna.

I had a job offer in Vienna in 2003 and I turned it down to go to Australia. I don't regret that at all, but reading that entry made me smile. I was still living in the US at the time when I wrote it, but I've been back to visit Vienna since. It's still my favourite city in the whole world. And reading that entry...that is still the way I feel about it. So many things about me have changed. I have changed. But my silly, dreamy feelings about my favourite place in the world are exactly the same. Which is really nice, actually!

(Also the LFoD watched Ed Wood. I love Ed Wood. And Johnny Depp. And Plan Nine from Outer Space. It made me happy!)

EDIT: HAHAHHAHAHA oh god. 21 year old, fangirl me. How many exclamation points do I NEED?!

I was feeling down today (LONG story) so I decided to do something constructive to take the feeling away (social work training, oy) so I wanted to make a post of all the photos of people and places and things that mean something to me. And when I started to plan it, I realised just how long it would be if I put everyone into it. And that made me feel so amazing, you have no idea...

I did it anyway deciding I would only use photos I have taken myself (or by my family since I wasn't at the reunion to take those and I didn't take the ones of me as a kid, but you get the point!) to cut down on spamming random Hugh Jackman pictures ;). Not everyone that should be here is including my friends in Australia. Woot, Peter, Laura and Ness, I have no (not blurry) photos of you!! And there are other friends who aren't on here, but be that as it may, here it is. Some of my happy things.

( To me you are perfect )

Can't...stop...eating...pasta. It is seriously the most amazing thing on this planet right now.

Also in class today we were learning about psychoanalysis and psychodynamics. The lecturer is the head of the program and someone I really admire. He was giving his lecture and he got to the point where Freud's theories had been talked about and he said something about them influencing other theories like Erikson's and Maslow's hierarchy of needs. And how if we find a balance between the id (imagine Captain 'find me a space whore to bang' Kirk) and the superego ('I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer' Bones) balanced by the ego (Why hello, logical Spock) "then you can share yourself completely with someone without losing your individuality. This is called real intimacy" and then he clicked the button to show the picture at the top of his little diagrammy pyramid thing which illustrated true intimacy.

It was a gay couple and they were embracing and adorable and not even white. He made no comment about that, just moved right on to the next slide as if it was the most natural thing in the world. And I just sat there and thought...thank you. Thank you for putting that in there at all, when most people automatically put pictures of straight couples in because we live in a vastly white, heteronormative society. And it wouldn't have been offensive at all to have a white, straight couple up there, but the fact that he thought to seek out a picture of a gay couple for it, and he didn't even do it to make some obvious statement or draw attention to it because it was natural to him...it made me so happy. So here I am drawing attention to it ;) but honestly, I nearly burst into tears because I am overly emotional and I had two hours of sleep anyway.

God, I love New Zealand. And my course. And the people I study with. And the man who brought us all together? I reckon Dr Andrew Frost is pretty damn awesome too.

He also gave us a little (non-graded but for fun) quiz on Freud. In the last question, he spelled Freud as 'fraud'. I loled and said, "Freudian slip?!" and he was like "what? NO!!!" Aahhahaaa. I got 16/20 right on the quiz. I blame going to Vienna for this! I went to his study and then peed in his toilet.

True story ♥

On a random note, Tweak (From IJ) said "Come and rock me, Amadeus!" and I felt the need then to listen to Falco.

You should too. (Screw the fact that I can't imbed it!) I love that video. It's in VIENNA. Like...you know...Falco was. And Mozart. And I just read the lyrics and translated them for my housemates and laughed my arse off despite them being kind of sad.

Frauen liebten seinen Punk

:D:D:D:D That line wins!

As does Ali's korma.

I love my friends. And risotto. And moscato, which has made me quite a little tipsy wheee sparkling wine. And now Ali and Alina are watching Coraline and the Neil Gaimaness is making me smile. And I am going to Leah come to Vienna with me some day despite what she says. Just as an aside.

Coraline's hair is blue and that's awesome.

My cat is silly.

Oh maaaaan my head is floaty :D Which clearly means I should write a bunch of scenes...

I just looked at my friend Daniel's photos of London and I totally sobbed into my Pepsi Max (I'm sure that's the non-drinker's version of sobbing into a light beer ;)) and I WANT TO GO BACK, DANGIT! NOW!

I'm sure I'll sob over Clare's Vienna photos too ;) SO JEALOUS, ALL OF YOU! I live in one of the awesomest places on the planet (thanks very much) but the damn grass is always greener, isn't it? Specifically since YOU ALL CAN WATER YOURS ;)

:P~~~~~~~~

PS, I just sneezed so loud I think the neighbors are wondering who died. I'm really quite impressive.

PPS AND if anyone wanted to know what the title is about... HERE. DYLAN'S GENIUS! About alcohol, which I do not drink!



That little DANCE he does *squeals* "Have MY bed!" No...really...

Ahhhh I did it. I said Auf Wiedersehen by doing what used to be my favourite thing to do in Vienna. Getting lost. When you're lost you find some pretty impressive things and if you just let it happen instead of panicking, it can be incredible. I used to take the U-bahn to a station I didn't know and just wander until I either found my way back, or another U-bahn station and it was always when I had the best time (that was how I discovered the side entrance to Schoenbrunn I then visited constantly). Today I stayed in the first district because I didn't feel like dealing with the U-bahn and if I got really lost, my poor feet might have killed me. So I just went in a direction I hadn't been before. I found the theatre which will be playing the Dance of the Vampire soon. I found the Pestturm (which I have been looking for, stupid thing!) I found Am Hof, a little shopping district, and I found Petersplatz. Peter's Place (and Peterskirche). How perfectly perfect. When I found Stephansdom again, there was a street magician doing illusions to the song 'Somewhere over the Rainbow' right in front of the Dom. So I watched him and it made me smile. Then I just happened to find the best Wiener Schnitzel I have ever had, completely on accident. And some very nice people too. And I didn't have to punch anyone in their genitals, WHOOHOOO! Oh, and then I ate a Burger King brownie DON'T JUDGE ME!!

I don't think I will purposely lose myself in London or Dublin or Edinburgh because I don't know them well enough to try it. But in Vienna, it was the perfect end to a wonderful, nostalgic visit.

Now back to the epicness than is my current Johan scene, which I am madly pre-writing and which is making me ignore what currentstory I have... Oh Johan, how I adore you. And broody Thomas is annoying anyway! Ahahha so many people will be like "huh?" But OH there was a Thomas' shop right around the corner from Petersplatz hehehhehe YAY!

New Photos start here

OH MY GOD MY FEET ARE DYING!

I got to Schoenbrunn at around 11, only to discover that apparently THE POPULATION OF A SMALL COUNTRY decided to go to the palace today. Stupid people. Don't they know it's MY freakin' palace. So rude, wanting to partake of the history pfft. Anyway, the line actually moved relatively quickly for reaching across the palace grounds. And I had company anyway. Two Scottish men I met by accidentally punching one of them in the dingaling while walking with authority and swinging my arms. I was horrified, but he laughed, because apparently a girly punch to the mandingo does not worry a big, burly Scottish man. They told me things to see in Edinburgh and made me laugh until the line reached the thingy and we could buy tickets. They were going on a different tour, however. Alas. I so think they were lumberjacks. They were HUGE and I am tall. They called me 'wee lass' and said things like 'oh aye' ahahah LOVE!

When I had my ticket, it was then I found out you have to wait a half an hour before you can go in. That was so not the case last time! And this is someone who HATES having time to waste. I am supremely bad at it. I have to have something to do or I go mental. So I bought a souvenir book and read YAY.

The inside of Schoenbrunn is incredible, though I could take no photos to prove this. I can show you the book if I know you in person ;) It takes and hour to wander through with one of those audio guides, and I got to hear allllll about my beloved Sisi. That's Empress Elisabeth. Though Schoenbrunn was done up by Maria Theresia, so the tour seemed to center on her, as she deserves. That's Marie Antionette's mummy, by the by! She was born at Schoenbrunn!

Lara, stop it!

Then I went to the Hofburg which houses the library which is just amazing. And from there on to the Sisi museum and the Imperial Apartments. THAT tour was all about Sisi and her husband (COUSIN) Franz Jozef (who declared WW1 when his nephew Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo). By the time I got halfway through, I was done due to severe footache. I did finish the tour and then I came back here to sit. I'll find a nice place for dinner, and then walk around a bit more to say goodbye.

Tomorrow is Edinburgh and it's a darn good thing I can spend the day sitting around because I have a walking tour at 9 pm, and I want my feets rested. The hotel I'm staying at charges for internet, so I won't post anything until I'm in London, unless I post something tonight! But I'll be taking photos aplenty.

:X!

Oh man, how does one say goodbye to a place like this? I just love it here so much. And I can't wait to show it to my Lewi :D It's so strange leaving after so short a time because I lived here for three months and even after 8 years, being back is so natural. Like I never left. I guess that is how one would say goodbye. 'Until next time.' How German! ;)

My socks are patterned like cows.

New photos start here!

I went to the Prater and realised I'm an old woman. All the rides looked TERRIFYING and the ones that didn't required me to leave my bag behind. And I was like "forget that, it's my bag! It has my inhalers in it!" So I wish I'd brought my camera after all because these rides were full on (really, look!). Slingshot things and...man. Nothing half-arsed like Luna Park!! So I went on the Riesenrad (big wheel) ala Orson Wells (by the way, if you haven't seen The Third Man and you like film noir, you don't know what you're missing!). Apparently today is 'face my fear of heights' day. I was scared the entire time but I totally did it. Go me. Then I sat outside Stephansdom and had a coffee.

See? Old lady. I watched younguns walk by and sipped. Mmmm.

I remember once someone told me not to walk in the Prater at night, but it was fine. Like most of Vienna, it felt safe. Vienna has to be the safest I have ever felt getting around on my own at night, with the exception of Karlsplatz. And that remains true, and now even during the day it's iffy. There was a fight when I was there this afternoon (with knives, the big dummies), but the police were there in seconds because they have a HUGE station about every 5 meters or so. I gave it a miss tonight. It's easy enough to avoid. The dealers all go there and the cops mostly leave them alone (when they're not fighting) because then they're in one area and not expanding out into the city. But I have no need to be there, certainly! It used to be where I switched U-Bahn lines every day (U4 to U2 Karlsplatz to Schottentor!) but that was at 8 am!

Anyway...I'm old, and now I'm back in my hotel and itching to actually write something YAY!