Choking on a Job Interview Call (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: January 30, 1999
After a night without sleep, a tired walk to Campbelltown and a botched phone interview leave the diarist cranky. Then comes a long think about love and marriage.
A Foolproof Plan With Fatal Flaws (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 30, 1999
The rain feels like a blessing as the diary catches up on Thursday night. A pointless drive to Liverpool and a hopeful money plan both run out of road by dawn.
A Prank Call That Rang Back (Part 5) – Mad Chaos: January 29, 1999
A phone prank sparks a bout of gossip, then the mates head to the mall for a haircut, burgers and people watching. The night ends back at the petrol station.
A Miracle in a Pizza Hut Car Park (Part 4) – Mad Chaos: January 29, 1999
A friend’s long-overdue repayment arrives in a Pizza Hut car park after a detour through a petrol station. The diarist also hears the story of a black eye.
Smelling Like Chrome at the Mall (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: January 29, 1999
A vivid school dream ends with a stolen bag, then the diary turns to a wander through Macarthur Square, a black shirt, a scent called Chrome and an old neighbour.
A Chess Dream and a Strange Wish (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: January 29, 1999
Interrupted phone calls, poems written in a towel and a wish that surprises even the friends in the car. Then comes a dream of a chess tournament at school.
Chasing Easy Money, Then Chest Day (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 29, 1999
A money-making idea fizzles out before it starts, then a long gym session ends with a proud new arm measurement. A phone call suggests the romance is cooling.
Fake Radio Voices and a Borrowed Movie (Part 5) – Mad Chaos: January 28, 1999
A homemade radio show fools strangers on the phone while the movie, the money and the missed calls all go astray. The night ends with a long look in the mirror.
A Swimmer Who Called Me a Man (Part 4) – Mad Chaos: January 28, 1999
Tony learns a swimmer is older than expected, watches her drive away and ends the day at a family party and a prank radio broadcast with Ralf.
Stung by a Bluebottle and Smitten (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: January 28, 1999
Tony and Ralf fight for parking at crowded Cronulla, then Tony spends hours in the surf hoping to meet a certain swimmer and finally finds his opener.
Keith Hoards Petrol for Posterity (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: January 28, 1999
A midnight meet up at Caltex turns up gossip about old faces, Tony invents a physics theory about Keith and the road to Cronulla finally begins.
A Castle Built Around My Heart (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 28, 1999
Tony explains and prints a sonnet about a fortified emotional castle, then swerves to cockroaches, a striking girl at the gym and a camera finally returned.
Fighting Words Before Back Day (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: January 27, 1999
A frosty call with Lyssa is followed by a sluggish back and triceps session, a chat about a cheap car and a tired, sun tanned end to the night.
Ralf and the Elevator That Hated Him (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: January 27, 1999
Ralf meets a huge spider in the car park, the lift refuses to cooperate and a hi-fi shop tempts Tony. The long way home takes far longer than it ever should.
Playing Cold With Lyssa (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 26, 1999
A mood that will not lift, gossip about Imad and a strained phone call with Lyssa. Tony tries to stay distant while the tears start on the other end.
My Murmuring Disaster Beside a Commodore (Part 4) – Mad Chaos: January 25, 1999
After a night of near misses on the dance floor, Tony follows two girls to their car and freezes. The ride home brings jokes, regrets and a call nobody answers.
Too Shy for the Dance Floor (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: January 25, 1999
Plans collapse, a camera standoff gets settled and the crew drives to a Wollongong nightclub, where Tony dances near the action but never quite joins it.
A Cold Goodbye and a Taxi Home (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: January 25, 1999
Tony reflects on a disappointing morning with Lyssa, sees her off in a taxi, and then turns down a request to keep her company for the night.
The Power Cut That Ate My Sonnet (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 25, 1999
Tony lies awake composing a poem, only for a power cut to wipe it, then picks up the story of a groggy Saturday morning with Lyssa.
Midnight Visitor and a Stubborn Silence (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: January 24, 1999
A pay phone swallows Lyssa’s calls, then she turns up in person, and Tony struggles to hide his mood while she retells her night.
My Slow Motion Walk Across the Dance Floor (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: January 24, 1999
Tony sits out the dancing, imagines himself striding through the crowd in slow motion, and has an awkward run in with Lyssa and her friends.
The Girl I Could Not Talk To (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 24, 1999
After freezing up in front of a girl he danced with at Waves, Tony rewinds to Friday night and the long road to Macarthur Square.
Sleepy Phone Call Then a Soggy Interview (Part 4) – Mad Chaos: January 23, 1999
Tony fumbles a half asleep call from an employer, rings back to fix it, and heads off to his first interview in over a year before hitting the gym.
My Biorhythms Added Up Wrong (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: January 23, 1999
Tony discovers his biorhythm sums were out by days, redraws his charts, and tries to predict when his mind is at its sharpest.
Lost at the New Nightclub (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 23, 1999
Tony swears he will change, then finds the new Macarthur Square nightclub is not for him, before looking back at a Thursday of calls and job ads.
Gridiron Marathon at the Crack of Dawn (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: January 22, 1999
Shawn and Tatton bring the Nintendo and John Madden Football over, and a night of endless games ends with a last gasp victory as dawn approaches.
A Chain Mended and Faith Renewed (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: January 21, 1999
Tony kills time in Campbelltown while his chain is repaired, then spends the evening on the phone with Lyssa as their relationship keeps shifting.
Rain on Metal and a Mended Chain (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: January 21, 1999
Tony closes out his birthday call, writes a poem about the rain and goes searching for someone to fix his necklace.
Fried Rice and Wounded Pride (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 21, 1999
A belated visit on his birthday brings a walk to the shops, a funny phone prank story and a promise to himself.
Fate Works in Pairs (Part 5) – Mad Chaos: January 19, 1999
Tony’s Monday ends with a surprise lift home, tales of his brother’s fights and a gym session that leaves him aching.
A Haircut Too Short for Comfort (Part 4) – Mad Chaos: January 19, 1999
Tony finishes Sunday’s phone talk, reads some sonnets, then heads to Campbelltown for bills, a surprise meeting and a haircut he regrets.
Rush Hour and a Tower of Cups (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: January 19, 1999
Sunday rolls on with a knockout, cup juggling, a movie and a late call with Lyssa.
Tyson at the Catholic Club (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: January 19, 1999
Tony winds down the Waves night, then drags himself out of bed to watch Tyson fight with a hundred strangers.
My Golden Chain Gives Way (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 19, 1999
A snapped gold chain, a dance floor full of friends and one girl Tony was too nervous to approach.
A Spider Web Waiting for Keith (Part 5) – Mad Chaos: January 18, 1999
A rejected ID, a stubborn Keith and a very large spider set up one of the sillier stretches of the birthday night.
Names in a Hat for My Birthday (Part 4) – Mad Chaos: January 18, 1999
A birthday night out is decided by a hat and a game of rock paper scissors, then the drive turns into a history of the group’s leaders.
The Taxi That Ended Saturday Morning (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: January 18, 1999
Tony fills in Saturday morning of his birthday weekend, from a missed beach trip to the taxi that carried Lyssa away.
The Long Night of Broken Promises (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: January 18, 1999
A long Friday night leaves Tony resentful, sleepless and wondering why he always gives first and gets nothing back.
Turning Twenteen With Empty Promises (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 18, 1999
Tony turns twenty in a mood, charts his biorhythms and recalls a Friday gym session and the visit that left him let down.
Squeaky Clean For The Big Night (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: January 15, 1999
Tony spots a stylish stranger in Campbelltown, writes a bird poem on the walk home and gets spotless for a birthday dinner.
A Knight Armed With Words (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: January 15, 1999
Tony explains his knight sonnet, traces how his poetry grew since July, and ends with a lost molar and a sweet phone moment.
The Lost Years Wear A Crown (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 15, 1999
A midnight entry unpacks a sonnet where time rules a medieval realm, then introduces a second sonnet about a knight who writes.
A Cruel Little Joke From Lyssa (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: January 6, 1999
A prank call leaves Tony stung and sets off an honest night of thinking about his breakup, his friends and what love should be.
Milton’s New Year Romance (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: January 6, 1999
Gossip about a friend’s new relationship, a search for temping work and a full back and triceps workout fill this Wednesday afternoon.
Haggling Over a Telescope (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 6, 1999
Tony looks back on Jewell with fresh doubts, then gets drawn into a price tussle over a telescope and a home gym set.
A Day Counted in Phone Calls (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: January 5, 1999
After a long explanation of a sorrowful sonnet, Tony tallies each phone call with Lyssa and chases temp work through an agency.
Two Sonnets and a Stubborn Pen (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 5, 1999
Tony skips the computer games for poetry and wrestles two sonnets onto the page, one of them written through the eyes of the girl who got away.
Singing Silly Opera Voices With Lyssa (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: January 4, 1999
A long evening call turns into a game of high notes and cracking voices, with plans for a birthday dinner and a promise to tape Lyssa asleep again.
Testing the Torn Pec Again (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 4, 1999
Tony starts the day with a small victory over a cockroach, then heads to the gym to see how his injured chest copes, before Jett calls with questions.
Writing the First Lost Years Sonnet (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: January 3, 1999
After a frosty phone call with Lyssa, Tony maps out goals for the year, then pours the early hours into a sonnet about Jewell and the lost years.
The Night the Stuffed Cow Flew (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: January 3, 1999
A sleepover that began sweetly ends in a squabble over noise, sleep and a toy cow, followed by a sulky morning and a phone call that fills in the gaps.
Whispering Under the Full Moon (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 3, 1999
Tony reflects on his daily calls with Lyssa, then tells the story of her visit, from whispered smokes in the yard to a fashion parade and a movie night.
A Night of GoldenEye and Tears (Part 4) – Mad Chaos: January 2, 1999
Tony rides around with Jett, loses hours to GoldenEye at Dennis’s place, then ends up playing peacemaker when a phone call between Jett and Min-Su goes wrong.
Locked Out Then Lifting Heavy (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: January 2, 1999
Locked out at sunrise, Tony finally sleeps, hits the gym for back and arms and catches up on everyone else’s New Years Eve over the phone.
A Purple Dress and a Shared Taxi (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: January 2, 1999
A tired walk through Campbelltown turns into a chatty night on the footpath, until Nikita appears in a purple dress and the two share a slow ride home.
A Chalk War on the Platform (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 2, 1999
The new year begins with fireworks on the wharf, a sweaty dance floor and a very long trip home, with chalk flying and a few cheeky strangers on the train.
Macedonian Strangers in the City Crowd (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: January 1, 1999
After the early fireworks Tony wanders the packed city, queues for a club and then bumps into three girls who share his heritage and his language.
Dressed Up With Nowhere to Go (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: January 1, 1999
Tony works through a list of friends who all said no, then heads out alone on New Years Eve, sneaking through ticket gates to catch the big fireworks.
Resolutions and the Lion I Fed (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 1, 1999
Tony opens the new year with a short poem, a list of big resolutions and a wry look back at the lost years, including a lion that never quite came to the hand.