It’s Marita’s birthday today. Either by accident or sneaky strategic use of the phase “Oh, I’d really like to get tickets for that”, she weaseled out of me that her main present is tickets to Bangarra tonight. But the secondary present or presents remain a surprise. No surprise blog revamp conspiracy this year! She’s been ... [More]
“Any chance of a VB? How are the Cats going?” — Freed Iraq hostage Douglas Wood, on his release.
The ATO isn’t playing nice anymore. Okay, so I admit I haven’t been sending in their infuriatingly frequent monthly forms on time. (When the government introduced GST, they trumpeted it would be a simpler tax system. What they meant was simpler for them. Not so simple if you’re one of the Cursed who now has ... [More]
The other night: Rather than my usual mowing boys turning up when I ask them, half a dozen 10-ish year old boys and girls turned up at my house with a mower and various other implements of destruction and started doing my lawn and hacking up my garden, without being asked. Last night: I was ... [More]
Ever since the UK WMD dossier “sexing up” scandal and the death of David Kelly and subsequent inquiry, this expression and variations have popped up around the place. I know people who detest its use, but that’s the way language develops sometimes. Today I referred to a particular issue as not being sexy enough for ... [More]
These are my five all-time favourite movies ever as at 8:05am, 13th June 2005. Subject to change. In alphabetical order. American Beauty — superb observations on suburban life, from the author of Six Feet Under. The Life of Brian — quite possibly the funniest movie ever. O Brother! Where Art Thou? — comedy, drama, stunning ... [More]
Playing with your food, nostalgic geek style.
The new Siemens train rolls through the burbs, resplendent in the latest train company colours. A middle-aged man chats into his mobile phone about planning permission for a four story storey monolith in a residential area of one storey homes, with the voice of experience and reason, rather than that of the outraged NIMBY. He’s ... [More]
In my cocoon, the warmth engulfs me. I desperately don’t want to leave, but the shrieking alarm compels me to at least dangle my arm out to silence it. I do so, and gain ten minutes respite, to lie quietly, listening to toot of distant trains from distant places, the passing cars and trucks, and ... [More]
Flinders Street Station, lunchtime. (An angle that you don’t normally see in photos.)
Dropped the kids at their place of business, then got to the station, had a chat with the station host. The train was on time, not too crowded, and ran express where it was supposed to. An old uni buddy got on at Caulfield and we had a catch-up chat. He described an interesting theory ... [More]
Sideways — a kind of coming-of-age road movie, but for the 40-somethings. Best viewed with a bottle of wine, I found myself thankful I hadn’t turned into that much of a wine wanker. Some great acting, plenty of laughs, and a touch of drama too. Very enjoyable.