Cafe #18: Koko Black

Date: Tuesday, 1 May 2007, 2.30pm
Location: Shop 4, Royal Arcade, Bourke St, Melbourne
Coffee: $5.50, chili hot chocolate - very chili
Reading: Thomas the Obscure

I'm feeling a bit dazey la-la from my cold. I worked at the bookshop yesterday, thanks to cold pills, and slept for more than twelve hours last night. Today I wanted for myself to relax and clean the house a bit, get done some personal activities - reading, writing, email. I cleaned the sink and shower this morning, then met E and A at the markets. Following our usual lunch and shop, A and I had our usual coffee at the market, and now I am here, nursing a hot chocolate.

Koko Black is one of the several chocolate lounges in Melbourne (one surely must love a city with several chocolate lounges). I am upstairs in the Victorian cathedral-roofed arcade, in the a tanny-cream space of chocolate vinyl chairs and couches, and orange and cream wallpaper. There is a a mirror and old black and white photograph of a chocolate factory framed in gilt and swirly tan granite-topped tables.

At 2.30 in the morning on Sunday I emailed in the second paper that I have been furiously working on for the past few weeks. I wasn't very happy with either paper (one 4500 words, the other 5500 words). My Critical Theory paper was about 500 words too long and the Semiotics and Poststructuralism paper I just lost interest in (plus, Petersburg is such a loaded book, every sentence symbolic, that I could not possibly do it any kind of justice in the time/space available. I'd needed to have read it again and taken very extensive notes - which is difficult when reading a book is fun). I wish the final papers had reflected how much work I actually put into them but I'm afraid they didn't, as much of what I put work into didn't actually make it into the papers (significant expositions of Peirce, Derrida and Bely). It Will be interesting to see what marks I get. The second paper, on Peircean semiotics, the novel Petersburg by Andrei Bely and Bely's theory of Symbolism struck me rather as an undergraduate effort, though I didn't feel that way about the Derrida/Barthes deconstruction essay. I've got one more 4500 word essay to do (will probably do more with Derrida and Barthes) and then I look forward to having a year to write a thesis.

It has been a good week despite the papers. On Thursday my semiotics professor put the office to some effort to get in touch with me (via Canberra; my mobile was off while I was studying in the library) so she could offer me her spare ticket to opening night at the opera. It was Dvorak - Rusalka - and was an incredibly beautiful and sad production. It was, I think, the best production of an opera I've seen and I suppose my favourite as well - even better than Aida. The British singer, Sally Matthews, who played Rusalka was wonderful, a fine actress and dancer as well as singer. I believed her at every moment (think little mermaid; Rusalka is basically that story in its most tragic form). I feel so privileged to have been able to see that production and will always have a special place in my heart for my professor, despite our intellectual disagreements.

On Friday I met a friend of K's for coffee in the city and enjoyed chatting with her about theses, Bristol, Melbourne, slow food, etc. There was an art project launch going on under Flinders Street Station so I went down for free wine and to see whom I might see. I chatted with a PhD student from CCLS (the centre in which I study) and her friend, caught up with P from Is Not Magazine and L from Sticky. L gave me a heads-up about the Victorian arts grants and Is Not throws fundraising parties, so hopefully something fruitful will come of either meeting. On Wednesday night, after a full day at home, essay writing, I took myself to the pub. I couldn't bear not having spoken to another person all day any longer and by 8.30pm was desparate. I ended up at the Retreat, a florid old pub that I had not been to before. I ordered a Stella, saw a boy sitting by himself and asked him if he was alone. He replied in the affirmative and asked if I wanted to join him. I also replied in the affirmative and sat down at his table. I did most of the work pushing the conversation along and sometimes struggled to catch the words articulated in his very quiet voice, but he proved to be an interesting subject: a chef at Lentil as Anything. I chatted with him for a while then came back home to more work. I was very proud of myself for striking up conversation with a random boy.

On Saturday night was a 13th birthday party for A's cat and Sunday was home and essay writing.

How much lighter I feel without those essays. I felt incredibly stressed by them and worked long hours those last couple of weeks. I know I should get started on the next essay soon to avoid that problem again. I'll give myself this week off, though. I deserve and need it.