TV, movies, music, that kind of thing
Since Rob, not I, won Tony’s footy tipping competition this year, yesterday it was my melancholy duty to give Rob the World’s Ugliest Trophy. You can tell from the look on my face how disappointed I was to give it over. (Pic by Tony) In happier news yesterday, my friends Josh and Cathy’s baby arrived. ... [More]
I got a survey to do in the mail. Not one of those silly lifestyle surveys, preparing you to be bombarded with advertising, but an anonymous university-based one: the Australian Survey of Social Attitudes. It was interesting stuff. It asked about my views on such issues as immigration, education, government spending, the war in Iraq. ... [More]
A few plugs for things spotted recently… Gardens A while back I was getting a couple of enterprising students, Keith and David, to do my mowing. They’d turn up with their dad driving a stationwagon full of gardening implements of destruction, and do the gardening. But a couple of months ago they bowed out, saying ... [More]
A couple of weeks ago I caught a programme on Compass about near death experiences. (Compass may be billed as a religious show, but contrary to what you might think, isn’t always deadly dull and boring. They have some quite interesting stuff.) I’ve long been interested in what might be out there after death. The ... [More]
I’ve written a guest piece over on Tony’s blog, about the footy tipping trophy.
Look Both Ways: A man walks in front of a train and is killed, an all-too common event these days. The story follows the events in the weekend afterwards, for the victim’s girlfriend, a witness, a journalist, a photographer, their editor, and the train driver. It reminded me a lot of Lantana, seeing that one ... [More]
Yesterday morning. The crowd stood there, in front of the old Treasury building, holding their banners aloft. “Viva the revolution!” the banners proclaimed. I looked closer. Nobody was moving. No shouting. No cops. Just a lone security guard. A boom mic loomed above them. A car was in the middle of the crowd. A shout: ... [More]
Fight Club — The first rule of Fight Club is don’t talk about Fight Club! But I will. Fight Club has been on my (long) list of “great movies that came out ages ago but for some reason I didn’t see when they were new”. I must have been busy at the time. A colleague ... [More]
I had it all worked out — 15 more minutes mucking about, then we’d go outside. I’d bring my laundry in off the line — it would be about dry — the kids could jump on the trampoline, or get their bikes out, whatever. 15 minutes later I glanced outside. It was pouring with rain. ... [More]
On any other day I might care what you say But every Saturday is Father’s Day And you might call it sad And you might call me mad But I’ve got one — who calls me Dad. — Weddings, Parties, Anything: “Father’s Day” I seem to recall Mick Thomas saying he was surprised at how ... [More]
I started writing a list of my five favourite songs of the moment about a fortnight ago, but only got as far as three tracks. Then the “five songs” meme arrived, and Kathy tagged me, so here we go, I’m jumping on the bandwagon. List five songs that you are currently digging – it doesn’t ... [More]
It’s September, it’s finals time, and that means the footy-tipping has ended for the year. I got 7/8 in the final round, but I’m well behind the leaders. So unlike last year, no prize money in the work competition, and in Tony’s competition it’ll be lucky, lucky Rob who will get the perpetual trophy at ... [More]
Here is my scarf (a birthday present from Marita). Now, ten points to the first person who can name that pattern. (If you’ve already been told, keep your trap shut.) Post a picture of your scarf… Link in the comments or trackbacks Past photos in this series
When I was about 8, I got into the Beatles in a big way, after staying at a house in Dromana that had a copy of Abbey Road on LP, and listening to it every day for a week. Of course they’d been broken up for 8 years then, but I started collecting all the ... [More]
I’m fumin’. I’ve seen Frontline, so I know not to watch Today Tonight or A Current Affair and expect to see serious or accurate reporting. But last night Media Watch revealed just how far TT would go in the chase for ratings. This time, they’ve edited comments from Australian Muslims, leaving an impression of them ... [More]
The Station Agent — A train spotter with dwarfism… and he’s probably the most normal character in it. I found the attitudes of some of the passers-by towards him a little strange, and at odds to the way I’ve seen people react to short people. But a very enjoyable film; quite amusing in parts, thankfully ... [More]