Too much coffee

Its easy to get distracted, especially by dumb ideas that have nothing to do with what you are currently being paid for.
That said, this just popped into my head - an idea for a new kids cartoon;
"Toby and Elias"

I'm thinking an educational program, exploring issues and themes such as nature versus nuture, the role of religion in a secular society (with a nod toward church vs state seperation), individuality and the common good, reason and passion - how do they work toward the same goals? Consumerism as well as the collective model.

First episode; "No Mercy for Percy"
Synopsis: Involves Toby and Elias with a giant Go-Go dancing robot (called Greg) who has a fiscal management problem and can't get a loan through a regular bank.
Special Guest Star; Jay Laguia as Greg, Hanibal Lector as 'The Lone Shark'

What do you think? 5 - 8 year olds?

Last night I dreamed I saw...

Canberra is an interesting town.
Like yesterday for example, I'm driving past a car yard and next door is a V2 Rocket getting cleaned up for the War Museum.

This week I've been off with the flu, its been a arse kicker to tell you the truth. Being in my new apartment with zero energy, a fucked up head and an insane passion for salt and potatoes (wtf?).
Actually it was a great excuse to get a lot of house work done. Unfortunately my boss was down on the Wednesday, so I had to drag my sorry arse into the office.
At least I managed to infect other people!!

At what point...

Did you know next month is the 50th anniversary of 'On the Road'?
You need not necessarily care about the book, its plot or characters - there are enough of us for that. But it is a book that has had a lasting impact. It captured a zeitgeist at the perfect moment, it created the Beat Movement.
As Kerouac's publisher said; the night before 'On the Road' was published, Kerouac went to sleep for the last time as a nobody.

But what does it mean? Did it change anything? Does it still change people? Or has this book, like others (Hemingway, Joyce, Miller et al) become a tedious right of passage for the next generation of angry young men. (where are they all these days?)

I hope not, last night I picked up 'Tender is the Night' and began reading it again. I haven't tried to read 'On the Road' for many years (my preference is for 'The Vanity of Duloz') it is a difficult book to read. There is no coherent plot to speak of, don't bother trying the Wikipedia approach, it doesn't map out well and I suggest its an anathema to the spirit of the novel the try and apply a plot arc.
Perhaps it is a feeling you get from the book. The idea of living for sake of living. I'm typing this from my desk at work and the sensation of a lost summer is strong. But I digress, from a literary perspective 'On the Road' is an okay book. From a cultural perspective, its a milestone.
From my perspective, I believe I've lost touch with people in that book. I say this as nothing bad or good, I've become indifferent to the spirit it once evoked.

On the other hand, 'Tender is the Night' is right up my current alley.

Summer Wind

In my ongoing series of good music I now present Mr Frank Sinatra and his version of 'Summer Wind'.
What you should be listening out for is the phrasing, tone and pitch. This is Frank at the top of his game. The voice the strength and the emotion (somewhere between frustration and time to move on). This version, in my book, is the definitive one [though having said that, I'd like to hear the Tony Bennett cover]. Watch, listen and enjoy...