91 is a good age to go so I'm not sad. Looking forward to seeing you on the riverbanks Mr Farmer ...
http://www.avclub.com/articles/rip-philip-jose-farmer,24338/
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
J'Accuse
Hola amigos ... long time since I rapped at ya ...
Oscar night is still the only awards show worth watching even though it's often somewhat cringeworthy and I rarely completely agree with the winners - the timezone difference is also more and more difficult to negotiate in this age of aggregated news and and 24 hour on message notification - my email war with the Sydney Morning Herald web editor about 7 years ago still hasn't paid any dividends and the provincial online news source still considers it a scoop to blare the winners out on the front page as they happen. So, as happens every year the last Monday of February (is that when it's scheduled) is my "No News" day and I have to say that whilst productivity could have been better it's somewhat of a relief to get away from being up to the minute in terms of information. But it's hard - news screens at cafes and in lift wells still can't resist keeping us informed whether we want the information or not - not knowing the fact that there was a bomb in Cairo that killed 30 is a small price to pay for not knowing that Sean Penn pipped the resurgent Mickey Rourke before it happened eight hours later.
A princely spread of popcorn, sawsage rolls and choc tops with a bit too much beer was a good way of spending the evening and the healthy turnout in attendees and, more importantly, entries into the spectacularly elegant Oscar sweep competition made a very entertaining evening. A victory by yours truly also didn't go astray - despite negating any opportunity for accusations of fixing by emailing all nominations the day before and results afterwards my integrity was still impugned by calls of bias and accusations of foul play through electronic measures but I know where I stand and the cool one hundred and fifty dullahs combined with a clear conscience smoothed my damaged ego. Huzzah. I have to say I was rather pleased all in all with the winners, which is a change, Slumdog was a deserved winner - the movie was great, the music was inspired genius and I was sure that was Sudeep from work up on stage celebrating the victory. Still don't know how he got there in time.
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Police Banning Blogs?
Will mentioning the name, Brendan Sokaluk, cause Evil Melon to be banned? Not only is this guy a potential arsonist but he also seems to be accused of holding child pornography. That's two monsterisms in one, he must be the devil incarnate ... I wonder if I rearranged the letters in his name if I'd get a derivative of 666 ... In any event, I could certainly do with the traffic that the attention of a banning can bring to a website - I may have been a bit lapse in keeping up with a running commentary on my life and the bits and pieces of the world which amuse me but I don't recall free speech being banned in this country yet. I know net censorship is on the cards but those laws haven't been passed yet or have they? However, I absolutely must agree with keeping private details off limits - vigilantism is not a sign of an enlightened society - this is not the UK, last I remember it was the courts and not the media who decide whether someone is guilty and the punishment is meted out by the justice system and not thugs who've nothing better to do.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/02/17/1234632773480.htmlSunday, 15 February 2009
I Will Fear No Evil
Despite having rain put off one of my cycling events for the weekend - the SCC time trial which I was probably not up to having been cancelled by overzealous administrators - it would take more than a hangover to cancel a bit of blatant exhibitionism. My second round of cycling themed body art took a very similar look to my last - almost exactly the same as my last in fact, but this time with a bunch of other people. Riding from Kensington to Maroubra with a bunch of half naked cyclists covered in rainbow coloured paint is not everybody's cup of tea for a Sunday afternoon but it beats sitting around the house watching a DVD box set of an American cop show. I did that on Saturday. Lots of painted boobies - some pert, some pendulous and a rather enjoyable ride home. Nobody seems to bat an eyelid at the art work so I'd say it was successfully done.
Friday, 13 February 2009
The world's best???
http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/the-worlds-best-airline-complaint-letter-20090130-7tgo.html
Come on ... it's really not that funny. How can this old story still be at the top of the favourite lists? it used to be that you had to trawl through the obscure stories in the obscure international press ... now the viral network tells us what's funny, whether we like it or not. Oddly enough ... I'm sick of it. Truth be told, I didn't need to click on the link.
Thursday, 12 February 2009
I was waiting for this
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/green-ideas-must-take-blame-for-deaths-20090211-84mk.html?page=-1
Ms Devine has been waiting, anticipating, maybe even hoping for something like this to happen. Not only is the green movement responsible for shocking economic policy but now for mass murder. The Victorian fires are shocking are devastating but they're hardly unexpected. The Australian bush survives by fire - it always has and it always will. In a few years time when we revisit the sites of "hell on earth" we'll find a paradise of greenery and regenerated bushland. The urban areas that were destroyed by fires over the past week should have been better managed in terms of fire prevention - that is a given. But the blame does not lie with the philosophy behind keeping areas pristine and "untouched" by human hands - it lies with the people who moved into the bush and were then baffled when it did what it evolved to do. Burn. It is tragic and sad that so many people have died but nature is amoral - if someone swims in shark infested waters and is killed we don't blame the sharks (although frequently we do) we blame the person for being where they shouldn't. It's like the frog and the scorpion - the scorpion can't help it's nature. If you're going to build towns surrounded by the bush you can't be surprised when this happens. That said, the towns are there - we're not going to move them now, so they may as well be fire-proofed (as much as that's possible) - we've already made an impact on our environment and we can't say we've done some damage, let's leave it and let it return to it's natural state - the natural state is dangerous and it does have to be managed. I'd be very surprised if there isn't a fundamental rethink on the way we manage the urban bush. But there's enough urbanised bushland already - let's not create any more.
F**k! F**k! F**k!
What are the chances of my chain snapping so soon after my return? That really sucks.
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Stuff has been happening
Stuff's been happening - perhaps not enough to get out of the fug - been to the opera, been camping (or a semblance of), returned to cycling, bit too much drinking, shown some maturity at times and immaturity at others. Even more's been going on in the world - introduction of unit pricing at the supermarket (that should have gotten me excited), new president of the USA, potential to get a payout for being a taxpayer ... There's plenty more where that came from.
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Saddlebacking - A definition
Saddlebacking: sad•dle•back•ing \ˈsa-dəl-ˈba-kiŋ\ vb [fr. Saddleback Church] (2009): the phenomenon of Christian teens engaging in unprotected anal sex in order to preserve their virginities
After attending the Purity Ball, Heather and Bill saddlebacked all night because she's saving herself for marriage.
After attending the Purity Ball, Heather and Bill saddlebacked all night because she's saving herself for marriage.
http://saddlebacking.com/
Just because you read it in a book doesn't mean that it's true.
There's no such thing as a John Updike.
<not anymore, RIP>
<not anymore, RIP>
Monday, 26 January 2009
No Longer Young
Concerts from grand old masters are usually interesting but it's hard to guarantee greatness.
I'm a recent convert to Neil Young - I'm the first to admit that I was barely aware of him prior to living in Canadia but I had a few CDs pressed on me while I was there and a month of driving around the states with limited music meant that I listened to his 'Best of' a lot and I was fairly transported by his searing political songs and almost feminine rocking voice - it helped that he'd just released a protest album that was being heavily pushed by the liberal National Public Radio while I was travelling the continent of North America. When it was announced that he was playing in the Big Day Out I made tentative plans to return to the festival of young people but, as is always the way these days, it sold out pretty quickly and I was forced to do a last minute purchase of relatively crap seats at the Entertainment Centre in order to see this legend of the stage perform. To be expected, it was an older crowd, most of his fans were sure to be of an earlier generation but there was a fair mix of ages - all of whom were introduced to his music at various stages.
When a man has such an enormous body of work with commercial hits that spread over his 40 year career it was going to be very chancy that he'd end up singing any of my favourites and whilst there were a couple here and there that I recognised it seemed that in trying to please everybody he ended up pleasing noone at all - I would have loved to have heard 'Southern Man' or 'Let's Impeach The President' but perhaps these songs just aren't relevant anymore to an America (and let's face it, I don't live in America) that no longer lynches black people and now elects them as President - it's also a bit late to impeach a man who no longer sits in the office.
I don't know how many concerts Neil Young has performed over his long career but he certainly seemed like he was going through the motions on Saturday night - came out, started singing a few songs (some I knew, some I didn't ... my ladyfriend who possessed an even more reduced knowledge of his music knew even less) - his first banter with the crowd was a brief statement accusing them of being a bunch of alcoholics and later he muttered that he expected more applause from ... (wait for it) ... Sydney? (this instigated a small burst of excitement as the crowd recognised the name of the city that they were in) - he introduced his band that included his lovely wife, thanked the supporting act (This Morning Jacket is a really good group) and finished off with one of his lesser hits and then departed the stage. As was to be expected the shouting of encore brought him back on where he regaled us with the Beatles hit 'A Day in the Life' before shuffling back off stage and out of my life. It was good. It wasn't great. He really just didn't seem that excited to be there but if I was 68 and had performed thousands of shows in my life I'd probably struggle to get excited about playing the entertainment centre as well.
I'm a recent convert to Neil Young - I'm the first to admit that I was barely aware of him prior to living in Canadia but I had a few CDs pressed on me while I was there and a month of driving around the states with limited music meant that I listened to his 'Best of' a lot and I was fairly transported by his searing political songs and almost feminine rocking voice - it helped that he'd just released a protest album that was being heavily pushed by the liberal National Public Radio while I was travelling the continent of North America. When it was announced that he was playing in the Big Day Out I made tentative plans to return to the festival of young people but, as is always the way these days, it sold out pretty quickly and I was forced to do a last minute purchase of relatively crap seats at the Entertainment Centre in order to see this legend of the stage perform. To be expected, it was an older crowd, most of his fans were sure to be of an earlier generation but there was a fair mix of ages - all of whom were introduced to his music at various stages.
When a man has such an enormous body of work with commercial hits that spread over his 40 year career it was going to be very chancy that he'd end up singing any of my favourites and whilst there were a couple here and there that I recognised it seemed that in trying to please everybody he ended up pleasing noone at all - I would have loved to have heard 'Southern Man' or 'Let's Impeach The President' but perhaps these songs just aren't relevant anymore to an America (and let's face it, I don't live in America) that no longer lynches black people and now elects them as President - it's also a bit late to impeach a man who no longer sits in the office.
I don't know how many concerts Neil Young has performed over his long career but he certainly seemed like he was going through the motions on Saturday night - came out, started singing a few songs (some I knew, some I didn't ... my ladyfriend who possessed an even more reduced knowledge of his music knew even less) - his first banter with the crowd was a brief statement accusing them of being a bunch of alcoholics and later he muttered that he expected more applause from ... (wait for it) ... Sydney? (this instigated a small burst of excitement as the crowd recognised the name of the city that they were in) - he introduced his band that included his lovely wife, thanked the supporting act (This Morning Jacket is a really good group) and finished off with one of his lesser hits and then departed the stage. As was to be expected the shouting of encore brought him back on where he regaled us with the Beatles hit 'A Day in the Life' before shuffling back off stage and out of my life. It was good. It wasn't great. He really just didn't seem that excited to be there but if I was 68 and had performed thousands of shows in my life I'd probably struggle to get excited about playing the entertainment centre as well.
Sunday, 25 January 2009
It's been a while ...
It's been a long time. I seem to have been distracted lately and every day I think about it I get a wrenching feeling in my stomach because it's been so long. I have to rectify this. Recovered from bike crash? Have done a race? Seen a concert? Gone away for a bit? Got annoyed at work? Had a few fights and reconciliations?
Monday, 19 January 2009
The Curious Case of Forrest Gump
I loved Benjamin Button, the similarities are pretty overwhelming ... I almost wish I'd never seen Forrest Gump in the first place. Maybe I'm secretly in love with Brad Pitt? No ... never ... but ...?
The Curious Case of Forrest Gump - watch more funny videos
Obesity v Height
http://www.smh.com.au/travel/when-size-matters-obese-passengers-and-economy-seating-20090114-7gm7.html
Anti-discrimination legislation is important but I've had to squeeze my skinny 6'3" ass into economy seating plenty of times (not that I fly that often) and I've always got to deal with seized up buttocks and knees. I pity fat people who have to go through the humiliation of negotiating an extra seat but one must remember that in this world of cheap protein weight is not the only thing that's increased in this day and age. The average height of people has increased signficantly (http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=why-are-we-getting-taller) and airlines are still building seats for short people. Let's start catering for tall people before we bend over backwards for people who just don't know when to put the fork down.
Sunday, 18 January 2009
Saturday, 17 January 2009
Kids say stupid things...
... But also some very smart things too...
http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=301554&f=28
http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=301554&f=28
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