befriending unpleasantness

I find it psychologically helpful to make 'friends' with unpleasant bits of life. When we moved to Barwon Heads my biggest fear was coping with the trauma of commuting, so I decided to make it my friend. That means podcasts and emails.

I am a creature of habit. I love variety, but I love routine. Once or twice a week, the train becomes a temporary office, and I relish the opportunity to clear my inbox. And Antony Funnell (Future Tense) and Daniel Giacopelli (Monocle 24s The Entrepreneurs) have become my travel buddies.

With my head in my computer I rarely look up and out. There is plenty of ugliness: the train line seeks out a number of unofficial tips where locals in the know dump household goods and cars, open wounds on the landscape. But every now and again the beauty of sprawling farmlands and gum trees soothes the visa.