I'm writing this sitting on my bed, reluctant to leave my surprisingly well-insulated room for some refreshment in the kitchen. It's about 33°C outside, though the temperature is predicted to reach over forty. I live in a (very) old terrace house in inner city Melbourne, which is classically double bricked and so provides some respite from the weather. However, the house is so old that the principal amenities are contained in separate units external to the actual house. That is, the kitchen and shower and toilet are all outside. Not very common, I don't think, at least not in this part of town.

I wouldn't have much of a problem with this if I didn't have to walk through the lounge room to get outside. The only way through to our courtyard (the gateway to the amenities) is through the lounge room, which seems to be perpetually inhabited by any one of my two housemates. Lately that room has been infested with bad energy, with its primary function seemingly being to encourage a person's aimless wasting away. I wish it weren't like that ‐‐ it does not seem productive for anybody.

What am I doing this afternoon? Hmm... I think I'll do some work. Thankfully it's cool enough in here for me to do that. Then maybe I'll read ‐‐ I've got a couple of books on the go, at the moment. To fill the large intellectual gap left by my study hiatus, I'm reading Optimality Theory, which I have been enjoying so far. For leisure, I'm in the middle of Mircea Cărtărescu's Nostalgia, which I find both gripping and difficult. The Elements of Typographic Style is my summer project. A lot to learn in there.

I'm looking forward to the cooler weather arriving tonight. For now, I need to muster up the confidence to trek through the waste zone for some water.