The End

        I had tickets to a music festival over New Years, but after that Christmas bender the thought of going away and partying again for another few days made me sick. I ended up working a glassy shift at The Workers on New Years Eve and having a few drinks before the year changed, so if you want to be pedantic, I guess I failed the challenge. Rach came to meet me at The Workers after midnight. We went home together, and it took me another month to break up with her.
        No one was mad at me for being a fuckhead, they were all used to it, but it felt like the whole point of going to Melbourne was to be different to who I was before I'd left. Going on a 4 day bender, sleeping with an ex, insecurity and paranoia – that wasn't different, it was exactly the same. I committed to Melbourne, and threw myself into stand up, and it was only five years later that I went back for Christmas 2017 and could finally see my hometown with different eyes.
        You've got to go away to come back.

I always considered the Joker to be like my 'cheat day' in case I didn't actually make it to the end of the year. I'd say the drinks I had on New Year's Eve are worthy of using that cheat day, so technically I did complete my challenge.
I like to think of the stately prince on this card as me, riding away on my bike, cape flapping in the wind, the number 808 on a rock on the floor for some reason – probably because I really fuck with synth music now.
I did it.