The Great Size C Battery Heist (Part 4) – Mad Chaos: December 31, 1998
Tony sees Lyssa off at the station, lifts, then roams the shopping centre with friends before closing the year with a poem about standing alone.
The Blanket Thief In My Bed (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: December 31, 1998
After a TV evening of mystery videos and perfume gossip, Tony loses a battle over the blanket and ends up raiding the fridge in the small hours.
Eighty Four Kilos In The Heat (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 31, 1998
Tony drags himself through a boiling gym session and a surprising weigh-in, then trades phone mysteries for fried rice and a slow bath with Lyssa.
The Cockroach That Got Away (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 31, 1998
The year’s last day opens with cockroaches, moon-gazing and phone calls, then drifts to a sunburnt afternoon and a wasp that ended the pool fun.
Ravioli That Refused To Thaw (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 30, 1998
Dinner takes three tries in the microwave before the evening settles into a movie and a close, private night with Lyssa.
A Lonely Eve And Two Movie Swaps (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 30, 1998
With most of his friends away, Tony braces for a flat new year and recounts a Monday of shopping trips, a rental that went down badly and a warm night in.
Bumping Into The Girl In Red (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 29, 1998
Tony tumbles into someone he was hoping to meet, loses his nerve and then loses a fight with the surf. Burgers help.
A Skipped Gym Day And A Beach (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 29, 1998
A spontaneous beach trip pulls Tony away from the gym. The sand is hot, the waves are rough and the sun wins.
Ticket Butt Denied At The Door – Mad Chaos: December 28, 1998
Tony catches up on his missing gym entry and then tells the story of a movie night that ended with a very awkward moment at the cinema door.
Hanging Up On Lyssa Again (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 27, 1998
A string of tense phone calls pushes Tony to draw a line, tally up the arguments and hold on to a few words from a song on the television.
Skateboard Girl At The Bus Stop (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 27, 1998
Tony reviews his muscle gains, retraces his sweltering walk home and works up the nerve to talk to a stranger.
Stingy With The Toothpaste (Part 4) – Mad Chaos: December 26, 1998
Tony lists everything Lyssa will not share, spends the small hours awake with magazines and sonnets, and is politely shown the door by lunchtime.
Syllables Missing From My Sonnets (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 26, 1998
The sonnets finally reach their reader, and the evening fills up with persistent callers. Tony counts syllables and counts rivals.
Heavier On The Scales (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 26, 1998
Tony celebrates his heaviest weight yet, waits out a blackout and then recounts the afternoon he spent sunning and settling in at Lyssa’s.
Lens Cap Photo With Strangers (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 25, 1998
The Christmas night out rolls on with hugs from unexpected people and a nervous exit. A late phone call back home delivers a pile of Lyssa’s own Christmas gossip.
Everybody Blames Keith For The Phone (Part 5) – Mad Chaos: December 24, 1998
Tony sulks home on the train, then Keith arrives with the full story of a weekend of trouble among the crew. A late taco run and a new outfit round off the night.
Perfume Money Buys Peace (Part 4) – Mad Chaos: December 24, 1998
Tony trails Lyssa through the city on Christmas Eve, loses an argument about staying over, and wins her back with a bottle of perfume.
Suede Shoes And A Donkey Parable (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: December 24, 1998
Tony wrestles old word processing software at the library, laminates his sonnets for Lyssa, buys suede shoes, and recalls a donkey parable.
Phantom Gunshots Before Christmas Eve (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 24, 1998
Tony finishes his back workout, shops for presents with Lyssa, then hears a wild story about sparks and bangs outside her house overnight.
Caving In To A Day Trip To The City (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 24, 1998
Lyssa begs Tony to meet her in the City, and he reluctantly caves, rushing his workout and listing everything the pair do not agree on.
Door Knockers And Train Carriage Daydreams (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: December 23, 1998
Two polite visitors with books knock at the door, a second long train ride follows, and Tony drifts into dreams of a boys choir song.
Carriage Hopping And A Flooded Station (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 23, 1998
A late night train ride to the City, a burst water main at Wynyard and two scary break in attempts at Lyssa’s house fill a long diary day.
Predicting Kieran’s Big Sleepover Plan (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 23, 1998
Convinced Kieran has ulterior motives for a sleepover, Tony plays out the whole night in his head and grumbles about Lyssa not listening.
A Blonde And A Chickened Out Hello (Part 4) – Mad Chaos: December 22, 1998
Tony trades glances with a girl in the supermarket and chickens out, then lifts through a clicking chest injury before heading to the City.
Do Not Quote Me In Your Diary (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: December 22, 1998
Lyssa asks not to be quoted in the diary, so naturally she is, while Tony frets about Kieran, counts his first calories and shops for whey.
A Microphone And A Sleep Talker (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 22, 1998
After a long Saturday night, Tony sneaks to his computer to write and tries recording Lyssa as she sleep talks, which does not go smoothly.
Ali Wants His Celica Back (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 22, 1998
On the walk to the shops, Lyssa dishes on Ali and his stripped Celica, then Jett turns up on his motorbike and the movie night grows crowded.
Santa’s Little Helper Takes A Taxi (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 21, 1998
Lyssa arrives in a Santa hat after her work party, full of stories about a hundred dollar cab ride, dancing lawyers and a mystery mobile phone.
Jett Brings Worms And A Weekend Unravels (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 21, 1998
Tony wakes to a forgotten anniversary and rewinds to Friday night, when Jett, a PlayStation and a surprise call from Lyssa changed the plan.
Lifting Heavy And Overthinking Saturday (Part 6) – Mad Chaos: December 17, 1998
Tony finishes a punishing back and triceps session, takes stock of his injuries, and plans a perfect Saturday that Jett promptly rearranges.
The Ten Caloric Commandments (Part 5) – Mad Chaos: December 17, 1998
A strict ten day food plan has a name, a budget and a checklist, and a trip to the shops and a back workout put it into motion.
Reliving Old Mischief With the Boys (Part 4) – Mad Chaos: December 17, 1998
A quiet train ride and a chat with an old coach lead to a late night out with the boys, who trade tales of mischief and money worries.
Chewing Gum Rules and Christmas Presents (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: December 17, 1998
Hurt feelings follow Tony and Lyssa through a department store, a lingerie shop and a train carriage as the cost of Christmas becomes an argument.
Bland Hair and One Honest Opinion (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 17, 1998
Pants, nail polish and Saturday night plans fill the afternoon until one honest remark about a hair colour shifts the mood.
Jumping the Train to Meet Lyssa (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 17, 1998
Tony writes a poem that needs no voice, then wakes to a call, power walks to the station, and gambles on a free ride into the city.
Three Sonnets Ready for Christmas (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 16, 1998
A sonnet series for Lyssa comes together, each poem explained and the whole set planned as a gift, while real life offers lunch dates and weekend plans.
Christmas Plans and Gossip About Imad (Part 6) – Mad Chaos: December 15, 1998
An embarrassing moment passes with kindness, the phone brings gossip and a strange hunch, and Tony starts planning Christmas with Lyssa.
A Sunday Night Full of Surprises (Part 5) – Mad Chaos: December 15, 1998
Lyssa arrives at the house with excuses about forgotten poems, and an evening that starts at the computer takes a turn that ends in a mystery.
Interrogated About My Night (Part 4) – Mad Chaos: December 15, 1998
Lyssa grills Tony about his night out, shares a rough night of her own, and the call turns into a frank look at what each of them wants next.
Summer of Misfortune and a Dusty Shelf (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: December 15, 1998
Tony muses over time zones, mourns an empty shelf of cards, and renames the summer while planning his budget and replaying a very early phone call from Lyssa.
Inventing My Own Sonnet at Dawn (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 15, 1998
Before sunrise Tony works out a sonnet structure he can call his own, closes the book on an old flame, and answers the dawn with a poem and its meaning.
Where My Poetry First Woke Up (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 15, 1998
In the early hours Tony sets the chronology aside to trace where his poetry came from. Old jobs, old crushes and a first line he still thinks is his best.
A Birthday Boy and the Night Bus (Part 7) – Mad Chaos: December 14, 1998
Ralf turns the whole City into his audience, collecting birthday wishes from anyone who walks past. The ride home on the night bus is the funniest part of all.
Left Behind on a Birthday Night (Part 6) – Mad Chaos: December 14, 1998
The group splits up and Tony sticks by the birthday boy for the rest of the night. A fast moving scrap upstairs gives them plenty to watch.
A Fake Lighter for a Snobby Dancer (Part 5) – Mad Chaos: December 14, 1998
An unexpected visitor interrupts a quiet night in, and Tony returns to Saturday and the nightclub his mates had been hyping. A trick with an invisible lighter does not go down well.
Poems Pulled From a Box (Part 4) – Mad Chaos: December 14, 1998
After a drenched session at the gym, Tony ends up typing out old poems with Lyssa beside him. Her mood swings leave him unsure what the two of them really are.
A Tattooed Stranger and a Tease (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: December 14, 1998
A heavy mood settles over the carriage until the police step on. Tony then trades jokes and long looks with a girl who has only just arrived from America.
Spies in the Station Toilets (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 14, 1998
Tony finally starts writing up Saturday night, beginning at Ralf’s house and a walk to the station. Two girls try very hard to spy on the group before the train arrives.
Racing a Mystery Girl in My Sleep (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 14, 1998
After finally sleeping at a normal hour, Tony wakes to a pair of dreams he works hard to remember. A cross country race and a school graph of shame fill the nap.
Waiting for a Phone That Stays Quiet (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: December 12, 1998
Late calls leave Tony wondering where he stands with Lyssa, while a big birthday night in the City seems to be happening without him. The phone stays stubbornly silent.
Wheat Field Sheets and a Sore Chest (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 12, 1998
A rough night on the waterbed leads to a sweltering gym day and a warning about a strained chest. Evening brings a careful phone call and a movie that stirs up big ideas.
A Sonnet About Time Misbehaving (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 12, 1998
Reading Shakespeare in the small hours sparks a new poetic style built on nature wearing human faces. The result is a fourteen line sonnet about how time plays tricks on us.
Chasing a Party That Kept Moving (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 11, 1998
A sleepy Thursday turns into a night of chasing an after party from Ingleburn to Kentlyn with nothing to show for it. The only prize is a very long drive home.
Worms On The Playstation And A Cinema Door (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 11, 1998
Jett shows up with his console and a new game, then the lads head to the movies where Tony decides to stay outside.
Ace’s Strange Room And A Back Workout (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 10, 1998
An afternoon of errands ends with a stack of Shakespeare from the library and a gym session that leaves Tony’s hands with fresh calluses.
A Red Celica And Other Nights Remembered (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 9, 1998
The memory hunt continues with a long wait in Ali’s car, an outing to Wollongong and a few late night thoughts on sleepiness.
Rereading Old Entries Over A Pizza Night (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 9, 1998
Late at night Tony goes hunting through old pages, wishes he had written more, and recalls a Valentines weekend in vivid detail.
Three Calls From Lyssa And One Loud Motorbike (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 8, 1998
A string of phone calls with Lyssa swings from rude to revealing, and then Jett arrives with news about his own relationship.
A Sonnet About a Horse And Time (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 8, 1998
Tony wrestles with a stubborn sonnet that compares a galloping landscape to the way days pass, and finally lands a poem he is proud of.
Chest Aches And A Phone Call Gone Cold (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: December 7, 1998
Tony pushes his chest hard at the gym and feels something pull, then admits over a late call that he and Lyssa are never going back.
A Mystery Payment And A Fresh Haircut (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 7, 1998
Tony finds more money in his account than he expects, then spends the afternoon on a very particular haircut and a shopping loop around Campbelltown.
Creatine Day One And Phone Wars (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 7, 1998
A new supplement, a shocking sugar count on a juice bottle and a run of early morning calls from Lyssa test Tony’s patience on a Monday.
Thank Yous Gone Missing And A Third Lung (Part 6) – Mad Chaos: December 6, 1998
Tony notices the thank yous have vanished from his nights with Lyssa, rates his lost year, and signs off with a strange theory about a third lung.
Cheese Toast And A Towel In The Sun (Part 5) – Mad Chaos: December 6, 1998
After a quiet night with Lyssa, Tony wonders about the girls he never dated, then shares a towel in the backyard sun and starts doing the sums on the future.
A Subway Detour And A Club Lock (Part 4) – Mad Chaos: December 6, 1998
Keith checks on a party in Ingleburn and it goes badly, then a Subway run ends with a laugh over a mistaken car door and a late call from Lyssa.
Drifting Apart One Weekend at a Time (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: December 6, 1998
A lazy day leads to honest thoughts about a fading romance, followed by a night chasing a girlfriend’s party with Keith and ending at a service station.
Video Hits Loud and a Smoking Standoff (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 6, 1998
After a restless night Tony wakes on the floor, ends up dancing to music videos with Lyssa, and a dispute over cigarettes cuts the morning short.
Biorhythms Bedtime and Bad Ideas (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 6, 1998
Tony rushes through a recap of Friday night, laughs at a sleepy bathroom conversation and tallies where his physical, emotional and mental cycles stand.
A Barefoot Midnight Walk With Lyssa (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 5, 1998
Tony skips a road trip to stay home, then Lyssa arrives after a night out and the two creep outside for a quiet walk up the street.
Superman Rescues a Singing Swede (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 5, 1998
Tony recounts a bizarre dream involving angry friends, a car chase and a rescue from the sea, then deals with a phone call about prank calls.
My Hand Fell Off in My Sleep (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: December 4, 1998
Tony wakes certain his hand has dropped off, then plans a dramatic poem set in a poisoned English castle and recites the speech of a dying prince.
The Mystery Call That Said Nothing (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 4, 1998
After a drive with Ace and a kebab shop run into old faces, Tony gets home to a strange silent call and then wonders why a day has twenty four hours.
Parked Outside Sofia’s House Looking Guilty (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 4, 1998
Mates turn up at midnight with news about a couple, and a nosy drive past the wrong house leaves Tony stuck in the back seat hoping for no trouble.
Poetry Is Basically Air Says Me (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: December 3, 1998
Tony argues that poetry is a material just like air, shares five haiku, then heads to the gym and finishes with a theory of matter and time.
Arguing With Plato Over an Apple (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 3, 1998
A sleepy day of phone calls turns into a deep dive through the encyclopedia, where Tony decides he disagrees with Plato about where inspiration comes from.
Cracking My Own Poetic Code (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 3, 1998
A poem about gossip leads Tony back to an old line he never understood, and by the end of the early morning he has decoded it and written another.
Pizza Hut Pity and a Burning Excel (Part 4) – Mad Chaos: December 2, 1998
Tony watches a friend dig himself deeper into money trouble, sneaks into a movie with the boys and ends up staring at a burning car on the way home.
I Invented The Word Prothane (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: December 2, 1998
After a flat call with Lyssa, Tony spends the evening defining a word he made up. He gives it rules, examples and a vivid backstory.
A Lost Ring And Fruit Loops (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 2, 1998
Tony wakes late on the first day of summer and trains hard on cereal. A call with Lyssa brings news about the ring and the piano box.