Cotton Ward

Nunnery, 3pm:
Lots of stuff had been sorted and was in piles everywhere waiting for people to come and claim what’s theirs.
Beach Workshop – “I love the beach, but not the sun and the sand.”
“You need a rocky beach on a cloudy day.”
Took A and T and Nt to Bondi. The beach was packed with families and Nt swam in his white undies that showed everything as soon as he got wet. Everyone could still clearly read the world “SLUT” that had been cut into his back at the Lost Panties S&M party held two months ago.

Walking back to the car, along the main street, a little old lady was standing next to us at the crossing as Nt said loudly: “The Sex Party was great. I’d wanted to get ‘FAGGOT’ carved in my chest but didn’t get round to it.” (the lady jumped further away!).

Got back to the Nunnery and cleared out more rubbish. Threw out a toy that, as it bounced, said: “I love you! I love you!” Crtf and I nearly cried and took the toy along to the Erko pub that evening, where we were brusquely told that ideas of romantic love were completely silly.

Erko Pub socialising: N said he’d got a phone message saying: “I know who your dark-skinned, well-groomed leader is. He’s trying to close down my deep house dance party at Marrickville Bowlo Club.”
-“He’s got his wires crossed – I’m not interested in deep house music,” N said.

Several people wanted to go skinny dipping at Bronte pool. “I got scabies from sharing towels,” F said. “I had huge scabs and scars on my back from communal living.” “There’s sea lice in Bronte pool,” E said. “And sharks.” [Asked S a few days later how it went: “Yeah, we all stripped off and swam in the pool while a sleazy bloke watched us.”]

Gave Crtf and Nr and V and lifts home.
Nr has been barefoot for five years.
“Don’t your feet get dirty?”
“As dirty as shoes.”

Chatted to L at the Black Rose stall, who was featured in the SMH “Protesters refuse to rule out violence” APEC story and she’s p*ssed off with the writer cos “the headline was a beat up”. She felt the writer had seemed friendly and reasonable and apart from the headline and intro the article had turned out OK. The Tele had given them at least two front pages. She said APEC week had been terrible for everyone and her photo was on the hit list.

XMAS PICNIC: Sat down (two hours late) in the middle of Vic Park with a huge tofu salad, but no buns/cutlery/plates! Bottles of drink but no cups! Rang around and got someone to bring them.

“You smell nice.”
“I washed my face and changed my socks. Didn’t shower, though.”

“I’ll take my wheelie bin to the CAAH same-sex marriage rally. It has a huge stereo and you can carry a 3ft pirate radio antenna off it. But I’ll need help, I’m not carrying the 3ft antenna by myself.”

“In some non-western societies, the elders initiate the children into sexual activity – it’s accepted.”

“I like watching Sydney schoolboys loosening their ties on the bus.”
“Yeah, let’s go cruising for schoolboys!”

“I have a public announcement – three people living in the same house have got crabs since the Sex Party. So check yourself and take care of yourself.”
“I don’t have them.”
“Shall I include that in the minutes?”
“Yeah!”
“How long is the life cycle for crabs?”
“A few weeks – dunno.”

“My mum got a $400 fine for smoking at Strathfield railway station. Even the cops were surprised at the fine. They had a prosecution statement! The magistrate threw the case out.”

N banging frantically on a toilet door: “Quick! Open up! We need some toilet paper – it’s an EMERGENCY!!!”
“What?”
“I spilled Coca Cola all over the amps.”
“They’re still working – it can’t be THAT bad!”

“I don’t want to be consumed for someone’s PhD or film project.”

Nathanwi: “Consume me! Consume me!!!”

“I was OK with being the drug runner at QR. But now people I don’t even know keep ringing me all the time for pills. What should I tell them?”

“Everyone thinks I’m a total dork. I’m teased cos I like cooking. And cos of my art – doodles, really – and cos I like the Wombles.”

“O said he’d give me a blowjob tonite.”

“Don’t worship DJs – anyone can be a fucking DJ.”

The Great Debate: F was given five minutes to convince us to go to the Newtown Hotel instead of the Impy. Why? “Cos it’s the only pub that has Shout to the Top by Style Council on the jukebox.” She lost, and it turned out the Impy had it on the jukebox too.

“I use Gaydar but get too many replies that just say: ‘I want to be your girlfriend’. They could at least invite me out first!”
– “Yeah – I had a girl on Gaydar who emailed me saying: ‘I think you’re cute – I’ve downloaded your pic and carry it in my wallet’.”
– “Freaky!”

QR Bar volunteers: “We only sell cola by the cup.”
“But I want it in a can!”
“We could wash out a tin and pour it into that.”

“Let’s get a contingent for the Down-to-Earth confest. Be close to nature. There’ll be no toilets – pee where you are and poo into a hole in the ground.”

“I’m doing a thesis on Christianity and gayness. It’s about eunuchs. Jesus advocates same sex relationships as the highest form of loving.”

“Did you know [the Virgin] Mary was raped? And she was terrified by the angel.”

“I got a book from the Scientologists that says you can make a drunk person sober by pointing to objects and making them name them. By directing their attention. They even claimed it worked for drug users!”
– “If a drunk person was driving and you had 10 Scientologists in the car, pointing things out, they’d probably make it home OK. Like – ‘there’s the steering wheel’, ‘there’s another car!’, ‘there’s a lamppost’ …”

“I don’t want to live on this planet anymore. I want to go somewhere where everyone’s nice.”

SCENE: N, K and T are feasting on vegan soup when C arrives. There’s an amazing fluoro artwork on the wall by a bloke who decorated the Kit Kat Club in Berlin. N’s three flatmates are sitting nearby in the living room.

“Let’s not do two days. I don’t have the energy.
“I’d never thought it was two days – only a night.”
“Three of us work full-time.” I can’t get any extra time off work.”
“That clashes with Biversity.”
“Is that any good?”
“Yeah, really friendly.”
“We could put some sofas around and they can recover.”
“Dunno if I can make it then – some of us might go to Queeruption in Berlin.”
“That’s two weeks after the State of Emergency gig.”

“Which day is easter egg day? I’ve got a two-year-old.”
“On Sunday!”
“I didn’t know that.”
“No, that he had a two-year-old.”

[Pointing to a can of Coke]: “That’s the product of the evil corporate machine!”
“I’m tired.”
“Can I have one?”
“Yeah, but it’s at room temperature. I’ll get some ice.”
“Dunno if I’m going to Berlin – it depends on my mental health.”
“There’s nothing a couple of Coca Colas and a stint in a mental hospital can’t fix.”

“Can we get films reflecting different sexualities and agendas? We need a political film, an activist film and a fluffy film.”
“There’s a good film about intersex people who are campaigning for unisex toilets.”
“But it’s quite expensive.”
“It’s free if you’re a worthy group.”
“We’ve got more chance of getting the film free if we have proof of campaigning for unisex toilets.”
“I hate unisex toilets.”

“We could send them pix of us out the front of the unisex toilets at Home and the Civic.”

“I hate Home – you can’t get near a mirror cos all the guys are reapplying their foundation.”

“Did you see The L-Word last nite? It’s rubbish. Nobody’s like that.
“They had a bunch of lesbians talking about bush confidence!
“It’d be good to do a sendup skit with some butch dykes saying: `I’m really worried about bush confidence’ in a totally non-worried way. You wouldn’t even have to change the script.”
“I like Sex and the City. Especially when I’m stoned.”

“Performance – open mike – that’s easy to organise. Publicity, legal info. Food. Art. Discussion ideas. OK – we’ll take two tasks each and report back.”

“We need more members. Can we get those girls who came last week – I’d like to suck them in.” “Not suck them in! Attract them!”
“Help, I’m stuck to my chair! I can’t move! Queeruption has captured me!”

“Are you going to recycle those Coke cans?”

“Yeah, put them there and the recycling fairy will take them away.”

“We’ll send out a wish list. People will plug in when they see it.”
“I’ll check out the buildings. Maybe that cake shop.
“What if the cops catch us painting the walls?”
“If the paint’s fresh and they find the materials we’ve had it.

“Wait, I’ll see you to the front door.”
“Why? Are you going to kiss us goodnite?”
“No, he’s going to fuck us goodnite.”
“Well make it quick. I’ve gotta go.”
“We’re all going in the same direction? We could have brought one car instead of three!”