He’s back… Is Doctor Who just for kids? It’s something I vehemently denied in my teenage years, when I was an avid viewer. It seemed far too cool to be a kids’ show. But with the venerable time lord about to return to our screens next Monday, and my own kids utterly hooked on the ... [More]
Okay, cloth bags are definitely going mainstream. On Saturday I went for a haircut at my usual barber. I’m definitely going to have to study the football before going next time – he talked almost non-stop about it and I was barely able to contribute anything other than make agreeable noises and bemoan the fact ... [More]
So there was this Volvo right behind me as I drove down Grange Road. The woman driving it was trying her best to live up to theVolvo tradition – weaving all over road, trying to see if she could overtake me on the inside, for a couple of Ks down Grange Road. We got to ... [More]
I’m tempted when in the street being asked if I have change, replying "no, I haven’t", and handing over a $20 note. I’m tempted to stick "Keep left unless overtaking" signs on the escalators at Parliament station so the 2% of people who haven’t worked out escalator etiquette will get the hell out of my ... [More]
It began fifteen years ago with Abbey Road, the first CD I bought. Over the weekend I spent a few minutes sorting my collection of around 350 music CDs. They’d been in something of a chaotic state since the move, which tended to minimise the chances of finding anything I wanted to play. Sometimes a ... [More]
Most days I make a sandwich for lunch, which I eat at my desk while reading the newspaper. And sometimes to accompany the sandwich I’ll nip downstairs to the 7-11 across the street for a fruit juice and a little fresh air. I did so today, and around 12:30 I found myself, juice in hand, ... [More]
Since Sunday morning I have Tidied up the house post-party. Renewed my library copy of To The Lighthouse for a few more weeks so I can try and finish it. Bought a CD (Corduroy), a jacket (not corduroy) and a bunch of groceries. Managed to pay the bills before they became overdue. Including the Visa ... [More]
10:15am. Well I’m quoted in the Hun today (page 1 no less – why do things by half?), and in about an hour ABC TV want to talk to me. Which scares the crap out of me to be honest. Me on the box in my spiffy new jacket. 11:50am. That wasn’t nearly as terrifying ... [More]
It must be a spending spree week. I’ll use the excuse of giving myself a birthday treat. At lunchtime I went and bought a new work jacket to finally retire the last of my old scruffy horrible ones. Wool and cashmere and something else. Lovely. Probably a disgustingly opulent waste of money while people are ... [More]
Ponderings from the weekend: My party strategy might have included getting the first arriving guest to help make the punch, so they don’t feel like standing around doing nothing. But the first two guests arrived together so instead some of the initial discussion was based around what should go into punch. Juice, some fruit and ... [More]
Australia’s first flash mob (pic: F2) About an hour after it happened I heard that Australia’s first flash mob event occurred outside Flinders Street Station during the rush hour last night. I suppose that means I’m just an hour behind the times. To me it’s an appealing idea. I like the sense of absurdity and ... [More]
Wednesday night was the blogger meetup – quieter than usual, in more ways than one. But at least in a quiet venue I could (mostly) hear what others were saying. A few drinks and a small but friendly crowd, which came to a slightly abrupt end when the bar closed. Normally I switch off my ... [More]
This picture taken Wednesday morning, when it was even colder, and the ice much more obvious. I didn’t fully appreciate how cold it was overnight until I got into the car this morning and noticed a strange pattern on the windscreen. "Ooh, interesting pattern", I remarked to the kids, before in my innocence I turned ... [More]
I must have looked out of place. I must have looked like a tourist, looking around with too much curiosity. Yesterday afternoon I was in Springvale, a long way from my usual neighbourhood. I was approaching the bus stop for Nunawading, walking slowly towards it, looking up at the funky (and not quite working) electronic ... [More]
When I moved house, I took the opportunity to up my level of anonymity just a notch or two to match some mild paranoia. This was to tackle two main problems: telemarketers love me. Because I have a telephone. Conversely however, I’m not so keen on them. While some of them have been put off ... [More]
Well I think I’ve got my new neighbour at work housetrained. Now when he makes a speakerphone call, he closes his office door beforehand. And everybody’s happy. The guy who is in Mr Speakerphone’s former office seems very quiet. No booming laugh, no loud meetings with the door open, and no speakerphone calls. He does, ... [More]