AustLit

'I have a short preamble, and then I will get to the letter. I have a saying that I like to use a lot. It goes like this: the things that make someone wonderful are the exact same qualities that make them shitty. I usually use it when my friends are recently out of relationships, and are outlining the various reasons why they left their partner. At the beginning of the relationship, my friend might say 'Oh my god, she's so stable and organised and meticulous and together and I love that about her, she really grounds me, you know? She's like a rock, something I can tie myself to and feel like I'm not spinning around chaotically.' And at the end of the relationship, they usually say something like 'Oh my god, she's so stable and organised and meticulous and together, and I hate that, you know? She's like a rock, weighing me down.' It's the qualities in people that make them fantastic at dinner parties — lively and chatty and crazy and boisterous — that cause them to be annoying on long drives.'  (Introduction)