A few notable signs on my recent travels… Seems like a reasonable request. I don’t want to know what might have prompted this one. Quick! What does it say? Every time I pass this one my eye catches a word that isn’t there. (By the way it’s next to the Indian/Italian place.) Oh, speaking of ... [More]
I’m no fan of Connex’s obtuse “Don’t Hold Others Back” campaign. Some of the TV ads make no sense when seen in isolation: you have to go to the web site to find out what it’s about. Of those that have ready web access, how many people would bother? Some advertising people will probably win ... [More]
Given the risks some highway charity collectors seem to take dodging cars, I sometimes wonder if I’ll ever see them collecting for injured highway charity collectors. Has anybody published a book listing 1001 “1001 things” books you must read before you must die? I just got asked if my History of the World is accurate ... [More]
In each generation, most kids show boundless enthusiasm for creative pursuits. Whether it be drawing, building things, play-acting, whatever. When I was a kid, there was a lot of Lego building going on. My sister and I constructed whole cities. Sometimes we’d stick to the official designs of the sets, sometimes we’d go out on ... [More]
I seemed to spend most of Fathers Day doing dadly things. Like putting oil in the car. And cleaning the windscreen. And painting (well okay, it was just street numbers on the bins). And climbing ladders (just to move the John Brack a few inches downwards). And pulling the computer apart to put a new ... [More]
I just know I’m going to be tired later today. Last night I got to bed about 11:30pm or so… but couldn’t sleep. Maybe a combination of the… well, not exactly heat, but certainly an unexpected lack of cold, and the ideas swimming in my head (which I’ll tell you about another time). I got ... [More]
You may have heard of it, well here it is in the flesh. Spotted and snapped “in the wild” last week on my handy-dandy mobile phone camera… The official Neighbours tour bus, roving the city looking for English tourists to whisk out to Vermont South where they film the show.
In my neck of the woods, drycleaners seem to have a permanent “three for the price of two” deal going on. It’ll cost you about $7 to get one item cleaned, but about double that for two or three. It means when I have an item that is in dire need of cleaning, I’ll pontificate ... [More]
I got home this afternoon, and walked into the livingroom only to spot a mouse in the fireplace. Apparently disturbed from its rodent activities it scurried away. It peeked out a little while later and had a good look at me. As soon as I moved it did another runner. As anybody would, I found ... [More]
The Doctor Who episodes The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances won the Hugo award for best dramatic presentation, short form, beating other worthy contenders including Battlestar Galactica, much to Doctor Who writer Paul Cornell’s surprise. So how are we all enjoying the 2006 series? Overall, I’m loving it. And in keeping with my one-year-old tradition, here’s ... [More]
Turned 36 today. Biggest present: A big framed print of what is probably my favourite painting, Collins Street, 5pm (John Brack). Other presents: Books to read, CDs and DVDs to listen to and watch, a really nice (and expensive) dinner at Il Solito Posto, a really nice (probably inexpensive) home-made dinner and birthday greetings by ... [More]
So, after almost a year of having a mortgage, how’s it all going? I expected an impact on my spending. Nothing terrible, and I wouldn’t have taken it on if I thought I couldn’t sustain it. But the monthly repayment is about double what I had been paying in rent, and I’m no millionaire, so ... [More]