In summation

Well the year is nearly over gentle Bubba's and I doubt I'll making any further posts before we close the book on 2009 and welcome in 2010.

This year has been fantastic. It has truely been a wonderful and inspiring 12 months. I have a lot to be thankful for.

So I've now begun my holiday rampage of relaxing and indulging (may not last long). I wish all my Bubba's, where ever you may be, a wonderful Christmas and a very safe and happy New Years!!!

Tele-Movie Review

Dear Bubbas, last night I watched Stargate Universe (the first 2 feature-length-tele-movie etc episodes).

First reactions;
- This is just BSG redux in the Stargate universe
- Even the camera angles where startlingly similar
- The premise is almost exactly the same vis a vis: An old enemy attacks a colony; survivors (who are a rag tag assortment of personnel) flee on an ancient large spaceship, they must find a new home etc No word as to which tyranny that might be fleeing

Even within the first episodes they have exactly the same probles as on BSG Water, food etc

I like sci-fi and I will continue to watch SGU (assuming channel 10 does not frack with the format the way they did with BSG) but it does seem very, very reductive of Galactica.

Loved the special effects though.

She's leaving the Bank

We finally pulled the plug on Helstra yesterday. Go with its next major rival. Turns out we can get our internets over cable (faster than ADSL etc),so whoo-hoo for us!! Turns out also that in the process of doing this we've halved our phone and internet bill and get a Playstation3 thrown in.

So not bad all in all.

++++++++

I've been messing around with open tunings on my guitar lately (mostly inspired by the 'Paris, Texas' soundtrack) and I'm loving the new sounds. It's very satisfying to hear new harmonics and to get the guitar to sound the way you want it to. My Epiphone has this gorgeous resonance that just suits the new tuning. It has this lovelly sustain thats a combination of the sound box and these kick-arse strings I got.

Knee-Riffic!!

The Doctor told me today and told me straight, I had done myself a significant injury. However there has been no major damage to the ligaments and no damage to the cartilage or meniscal disc. In fact the Doc went to say that by all indications the body is repairing itself slowly but surely, he estimated I have another 12 months to go.

Which is not bad considering he was firmly of the opinion I would need surgery. All in all I'm very lucky. I should be able to go skiing next year and might be able to manage some more surf action this Summer.

Prediction

Tomorrow I discuss the results of my MRI with my GP. I'm hoping he will tell me my knee only needs a few magic beans. That would be nice.

++++++++++

Other news, I'm working from home at the moment which has the awesome perk of letting me spend time with CJ. Everyday I learn something new or watch her get better at something. Last week, incidentally, was her 6 month mark. Hard to believe.

+++++++++

Now as it is the Christmas season it is also the time of Christmas specials. This little video below is one of my all time favourite seasonal stories. I hope it becomes one of yours too.

Mechanic

My right knee has been bothering me for some time. I damaged it last year skiing at Mt Hotham (understandably not my favourite resort) in near white out conditions. The fact that it has never been quite right and that it is over a year later made me decide to see a doctor.
The upshot of which is that the Doc suspects I'll need a knee reconstruction to as it is highly likely I've torn my ACL.

I'm inclined to go gently unto that good night on this one. The other day we took CJ to the beach (her first time in the water!) and I hopped off out to catch some waves past the sandbar. It was all going according to plan, until I tried walking out of the waves. My knee felt like it was filled with wet spaghetti. It's done that before and usually only lasts 24 hours or so. But still...

I resolved to do something sooner rather later and now I'm off to get a MRI. Will report on the outcome!

Protest

I could so easily get behind this kind of protest movement.

(HERE)

A Burden

One thing I have never liked doing at Christmas is Christmas Cards. I dislike writing them, I dislike receiving them. Especially in the corporate world, I intensely dislike having to write a card to clients ('Dear Dude, thank you for spending money with us. Have a safe holiday break so you can continue to spend money. Like I care, Bubba.')

But some people get really a-retentive about it. They have to get the cards out in time etc. Cards which typically contain some personailsed image of family or pets in Christmas Drag. You know what I'm talking about, the Santa Beanies with or without flashing lights.

Now I am all for Christmas decorations, I love them. I will be your personal shopper for decorations. But the cards don't do anything for me. It surprises me when I come across people who actually care that I have not sent them a card. To whit my response can only be, you obviously don't know me that well (ergo why would I want to send you a card?) .

So if you wish to know for sure if I care about during our festival of Jesus, ring me or I will call you. And I can tell you as a spoiler, I do care I just don't like Christmas cards.

This time of year

When I was a wee lad (almost 30 years ago) I used to hate this time of year. School was dragging on and on and on and on... It seemed like the holidays would never get here and that Christmas was miles away.
I recall walking to school one morning thinking 'This is just such a waste of time for everybody. We should scrap the pretense and have Christmas next week. This intervening time is just filler.'

I was a very philosophical child. Perhaps I'm thinking about it as a portent of my own child. This will be her first Christmas and I wonder what she will make of it. Probably not that much on the day, but I know she will love seeing her cousins up in Sydney.

Sea of Sounds

There is a new store that may just be constructed entirely out of awesome called the 555 Music Company (check it, HERE).
The specialise in unusual and wonderful guitars and accessories. A buddy of mine from band practice put me onto them. But the other reason why they are awesome is their Saturday in store concerts. Put on for free (bring your own beer), one sits around on comfy couches and chilaxes!

Well yesterday we took CJ to her first gig, the family all went and checked out the amazing Mr Kutcha Edwards. He was fantastic an absolutely wonderful artist. He had the kind of voice and projection that infects you with a sense of humility and awe. A truely moving concert and free!!

If you ever find yourself in Melbourne on a Saturday arvo, checl out the 555 Music Company.

Smells of Summer

I'm working from home this week. Its been super hot in the house the past couple of days and we don't have air conditioning (yet). One of the few advantages of having to go into an office each day.

Well its a bit cooler today, thankfully. Outside a breeze is blowing and its carrying the smell of smoke and bush fires. Sadly this smell always reminds me of Summer.

Time and Music

for a moment on the 'Internets' there was a rehashing of an old question (What would you do if an alien landed and invited you into their flying saucer for a faster than light ride?) this one involving time travel back to the 11th century in Europe.

Most of the answers that I saw were from nerds in America (ps link to an article as to why Wikipedia is terrible HERE) who claimed their superior knowledge of chemistry/biology/math/economics/engineering would ensure they lived a rich and prosperous life.
My problem with such claims of genius are;
1) You could get burnt at the stake for just about anything in those days
2) Nobody likes a smart arse (see 1.)

But would you want to go back a 1,000 years anyway? Life was awful, brutish and short. I'm reading Xenophons account of the 10,000 crossing Persia, guys who a 30 years old are regarded as almost cripples because of their age. I doubt things had improved by the year 1000.

If it were up to me and I could take a trip for one evening back in time, I think I'd like to sit in on the recording of Miles Davis 'Kind of Blue'. As opposed to sitting in a hovel, planning my Gatsby like rise to money and influence. All the while praying someone invents toilet paper soon.

Space Hog

Yeah the actual band, remember those guys? An awesome one hit wonder with 'In the Mean time'. Which reminds me a persons 'best of list' will always be subject to mood and whim.

When I finished up at the radio station earlier this year I was given a lovely gift of '1000 Recordings to listen to before you Die' an absolutely must have for us music geeks. Its wonderful to search through the listings with a friend and comment on what was left out as much as what was left in. Of note is AC/DC gets one mention as does Bowie. Bizarrely Boston gets a listing. Boston the ultimate rock one hit wonder gets a listing.
Eno gets two.

JS Bach is split between artists who have recorded Bach (Vivaldi does not include the Kennedy recording, WTF?!?) and Bach works.

Anyhow, here is wonderful Spacehog with some mid 90's rock.

That is my Tree

So the other day I signed up to be a supporter of the Wilderness Society. I'll give you a minute or two to visit the site.
The main reason I liked their pitch was not the haircuts or even the clothes. It was the chance to contribute a little bit toward helping the forests of Australia survive. We all need wood, heaven knows I use enough of the stuff printing things out. But I feel very strongly about farming wood.

The debates about logging old growth forests usually run along the lines of we need wood, growing trees will take too long, here's some we prepared earlier, good news guys if we cut it down it'll just grow back.
Then you get the regular noise about job creation for high school drop outs etc

Australia has about 15% of its original forest cover left. Most of the farm land is beset by water salinity, top soil erosion and a shrinking water table. In summer I've driven past wide brown sheep paddocks, with the flock clustering under the sole gum tree for shade.
Farming in Australia is badly managed as is the forestry industry.

I am an advocate of working smarter not being as wasteful as these industries have been.

When I got my welcome pack it included a picture of a forest giant that is now being sponsored my Ladybird and I. It would be nice to think that this tree will be there when I take Ladybird to visit it.

Finsh Line

The past couple of days have seen my wishes for a writing assignment come true. I just completed a very serious work document. Its a funny thing, but I really enjoyed the whole process (once I got started).
Well now its in the mail and today is back to the regular grind.

The Dragon song of the same name

It's been raining on and off now for two days, which believe you me bubba's is kind of a big deal. Where I lived in Canberra you might get a dash of rain in the afternoon or overnight, but hardly ever a whole day. Now I can look out my window and see the neighbourhood covered in fine rain or mist.
I recall growing up with this kind of thing in the old country. Mum would have stashed away so toys or books for rain days. These were the times before video's you see, when a child was required to utilise their imagination. Mostly I think it so Mum could ensure I stayed indoors. I loved puddles. I like water as a rule, but puddles held a magnetic attraction for me. They were best experienced by jumping on them and watching the water SPLASH!! It was a game that never got old. But it get my clothes soaking wet, so you can see why Mum might not have been a fan.

It is still raining outside.

No Spring, Yet... or is it?!?

What is Spring trying to do?

Yesterday saw Mt Buller get 40+ cms of snow, while a few days earlier it was sunny and over 20c. The snow is welcome, even though neither Evie or I are heading there (other, higher responsibilities to manage). But it does ask the question, what is going on with this whole Spring thing?

Other news, band practice has been going well and I've discovered I play better without a beer or two. Thankfully that doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things re Friday nights, but it is good to have that validated.

Tuesday was a trip to Adelaide and the whole week was taken up by meetings. It threw my non-work schedule out the window. No gym, less internets. My little girl only saw me leave for work and kiss her goodnight when I got home.
I know I'm not the first dad to have that happen, but I think it sucks.

I'm working on a plan for a 'better way'. One that involves not wining lotto (though it would be handy) for a change. I'll flesh it out in more detail in a later post.

Lancelot Link

Boy howdy, just re-read my post from this afternoon. What a maudlin rant!! Anyway here are links of interest:

• Because I have often ranted against the food in America. This (LINK) is in defense of the indefensible.
• Because Dan Brown is just a truly, truly dreadful phenomenon (LINK1)(LINK2)
• Because computer games these days are just so unimaginative (LINK)

Enjoy!!

Time Flies

Today while driving back from lunch I listened to a report on All things Considered about the events leading up to fall of the Soviet Union. For some reason it took my mind back to 1989 and those early years at university.

It’s what you can get nostalgic about. For no good reason I looked up the website for my old university. I was hit with flood of memories, stronger than they’ve been in years (decades). For some reason I recalled the vague sense of ambition we all had. The fun we all had. The learning, the conversations, the carelessness of all. The summer holidays which were almost identical to regular class weeks (for me at least) except I carried I change of clothes in my backpack and not my class notes.

I remember our writing club, each week you brought a piece of writing and handed it around for some peer review (which was always meant to be constructive and amazingly I found it was). I wanted to be a writer, badly. Perhaps it was the only strong ambition I ever had in those days. But I never applied myself to the study of being a writer. To be honest I don’t think I ever knew where to begin. Or perhaps I just liked the idea of being a writer without putting myself to bother of actually writing something.

I’ve looked up from my desk and I see my work colleagues engaged in ‘work’. Something I need to get back to, though I wish just for a moment I didn’t have to.

Helping Ma

Just finished a survey by the University of Melbourne into Breast Cancer. My Mum has had a history with it going back 12 years or so. They asked me some health questions and weight questions and oddly drinking questions.
Which got me to reflect on my drinking patterns over the past 20 years or so. These days I rarely drink, usually its 1 or 2 beers on a Friday night at band practice and perhaps a glass of wine at our family lunches once a fortnight. If that.
This is down from the dozen or more 'standard drinks' of my youthful 20's per week. Although when they asked the question I was thinking, 'are they asking about Schooners, pots, pints, longnecks or stubbies?' Truth be told I can't actually remember exactly how much I used to drink, but I recall I rarely if ever let a day go by without one.

These days I don't drink because of personal decisions and because I find hangovers chew up so much of my weekend I hate wasting my time on them.

But I was glad I could help out with the survey. I'm even giving blood for them, something that shocked Evie who knows my aversion to that sort of thing. I hope it helps the survey and I hope it helps other people including CJ. Nice to feel part of something bigger than myself.

Trailer Time

I could definitely get behind this kind of war effort.

LINK

Looks like The Dude is back, abiding and on a hitch!!

Its not me, it must be the kids who are out of touch

The other day I was in a car that had tuned into Triple J (I stopped listening after they dumped Merrick and Rosso then amped up their advocacy journalism). So anyway, I'm listening away to the current generations breakfast hosts as they discuss this decades Hottest 100 of all time (LINK). They invited listeners to participate in a quiz to win a copy and in the spirit of commercial radio they could win it before it goes on sale NEXT WEEK with LOTS of icy cold cans of COKE etc...

Anyway, long story short, they called Blur an 'Old' band.

When did that happen? When did Blur become old? I asked. I still remember watching the episode of Top of the Pops where Blur and Oasis went head to head for number 1 single one of the week.
Then I paused for reflection.

That was 1995. Way to go grandad.

Time for some remembrances of things past (HERE).

More Dumb

Following on from my previous post about 'Dumb' overheard this week at work someone talking about this great movie they saw of Vlad the Impaler. They individual in question was excitedly relating how 'really historical' it was and that this guy 'was like the original Dracula'.

Words fail me.

A link to a similar theme HERE

It comes by night

Oh my dear Bubba's, I awoke last night to a feeling of intense pain on my back. I do not know what it is that I did but I have a muscle cramp that makes sleeping difficult. Its that painful.

I probably should not be typing at the keyboard but, Meh!

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The weekend just past saw us do our first family trip to the snow! We all manged it very well logistically. Little CJ is good traveler (for her age) she managed to sleep most of the way to Mt Hotham and back. She is also a very relaxed little lady and is comfortable in all manner of settings (pubs, hotels, restaurants etc) and even more happy to have a crowd (much like her Dad) to entertain.

The snow itself was okay... Very icy and cold on the lifts. But the big win for me were the Demo skis I tried. They were a pair of next seasons Atomic Blackeyes, very comfortable, great edge and highly maneuverable. Not fast, per se, however my fitness level this year is well below last years so the speed thing is less of an issue.
Those skis did not let me down the whole day, which is more than I can say for some of the previous models I used last year.

So although we only got one day in for the skiing it was a worthwhile road trip to take the whole family away. Looking forward to our next trip!

Made of Awesome

John Hughes passed away last week. In my mind the ending of 'Pretty in Pink' was the wrong one, should've gone with Duckie.

Well I caught up with my classic '80's movie Better Off Dead. Stars a very young John Cusack, involves skiing, has some truly forgettable music (except for the Muddy Waters track) and also has the chick who played Joan of Arc in Bill and Ted's (thats gotta be worth something).

Best of all I discovered upon viewing it with my beloved last night that it was written and directed by Savage Steve Holland. Thats right kids, THE Savage Steve Holland of Eek! the Cat fame!!!

Wonderful when you understand why you connect with something...

Idiotocracy

One of my pet hates in other people, and this is only something that I come across every now and again, is the realisation that I am actually smarter than that person. Do I sound arrogant by saying that? I hope not, I hope it is a brutal reality that we all should face. There is a bell curve to a persons ability to learn, we are familiar that there is a sliding scale as to how well one retains information.
Some people are just dumber than other people.

So when I say 'smarter' than someone I mean that in about every measure that its possible to take. It's difficult to hold a conversation with someone who takes time to catch up with ideas. When you have to slow down mentally to engage with that person. When it dawns upon you that you are in the slow lane of the intellectual highway behind a Nana in a busted arse of a car. When you have to use short words, avoid even mildly multi-stepped arguments to advise a person not to advertise their disbelief that the Holocaust ever occurred (based on the viewing of a Holocaust deniers DVD because presumably it is easier to watch 20 minutes of TV than to read any of this pfaff).

Another real life example would be hearing someone tell me that they bought all the Harry Potter movies on DVD because they don't like reading. Or to be held in awe because you know not only the name of the ship in 'Alien', but what book it was taken from, the name of the author and have read both the book in question and 'Heart of Darkness' (actually happened, person in question was complaining about the complexity of the questions on 'Who wants to be a millionaire'. Had I answered the above question I would have been on $200,000).

What is even worse than dealing with a dumb person, being held in awe as if I'd just invented fire, is coming across people who for some reason get resentful. As if its my fault that I can remember the basic periodic table because I listened to Tom Leher growing up and I like Gilbert and Sullivan melodies. If they get resentful because I'm smart I get resentful because they are not. Because it hurts my brain slowing down, because they are a conversational dead end, because it pisses me off to think that these people can breed, drive cars and worst of all that they can vote.

On Friday I was sent a link (in jest) that suggested a Big Mac contains all the necessary nutrients a growing child needs in meal. I have no comment other than to point you, gentle reader, to the following links
Here and Here.

An Open Letter

To the court of moral smugness,

Have you ever been troubled by a selfish and or evil parking person near your house. I too am afflicted by a similar person or more accurately person's or probably more alerting but not alarming Parking Terror Cell. This PTC, if you will, appears to be made up of YOUNG PEOPLE (who are, as a social demographic, not well known for thinking of others)(I am told however that it is a phase)(I assume YOUNG PEOPLE as the cars are almost always P-Platers and have fully sick mufflers).

I live on a quiet and narrow street, we are blessed with kind and considerate neighbours on both sides (everybody loves good neighbours). Our house is a terrace that includes a basement garage where my wife parks. I park my manly car on the street, the narrow street.

Enter the PTC: Stage Left... Who then parks directly opposite our driveway, like a lump of inconsiderate cholesterol choking an artery. There is the whole rest of the street to park along side, its a long street. But for whatever reason, directly opposite our narrow driveway is where they want to be.

Perhaps it fulfils some extreme design as befits the manifesto of the PTC.

So in conclusion if you know someone who can, ask them to reign pillars of fire upon they who transgress the protocols of parking decency.

Kind Regards,

BubbaJay

H'Scopes

My dear Mater put me onto this site [HERE] lots of fun astrology stuff!!

Can't say if it is at all accurate, but worth a look.

Burger Files: Name and Shame

Well Bubbas, a few blogs ago I posted about my utter dislike for places that served salad with burgers. So it happened again and now I get my cyber revenge.
Cafe on Burgundy I name and shame you for an awful burger and for daring to cover 1/3 of my plate in an inedible salad. The chips were sh&thouse, the burger was very average - but the salad. What were you thinking.
Am now sending the cyber-lads over for a kicking...

Snow Time

Can't write for long, holding wriggly baby, squirming out of grasp.

Quickly then (silence small internet hating enfant, Daddy will give you his loving, TOTAL, attention soon) I wish to announce that next month we get to go to the snow!!

Epic Win.

Curse you Helstra

The largest telecommunications company in Australia is also the most incompetent. I despise that company, my internet is supplied via a 3G card (ps I discovered the person responsible for withholding the adoption of the 3G standard in Australia for so long, then crippling it's introduction. So I actually know who to blame for my lousy service) (funny how life turns out).

I finally worked out how to monitor my data throughput. The fraking 3G service is capable of 7mg's TOP. But mine has only managed a maximum of 17% of that in the past 20 minutes! This means we will be going cable and not through Helstra.

Though how often I or Evie will be allowed to use the internets remains to be seen...

Abscence

Well my apologies Bubbas, I'd have written sooner but y'know I've been tied up. My little girl is just a bundle of energy. My days of late have been taken up minding our little blessing and enjoying every minute of it!

The fact is I'm only able to write this short note as I've taken home sick this afternoon. So nothing intelligent or clever to say, just tired and a bit under the weather.

Music and My Daughter

There are things I am learning about my baby girl that amaze me everyday. I go to work, come back home and voila; she has been upgraded.
The other night I was in a jamming mood, so I got out my guitars to fool around with a couple of country numbers (simple C, D, G variations). Evie calls out to say CJ is grooving to the sound.
For the next couple of hours I'm showing off to my daughter.
And she is loving it!! She has a boogie thing going on, she is vocalising (not doing too bad) and concentrating.

So I'm feeling good about that, but last night I'm busting out some jams (Utah Saints, PWEI, Bomb the Base etc). Evie calls out again and I wind up cuddling a beat box baby!! She loved it!!

Her current favourites music wise, Chris Issak, LL Cool J, Glen Campbell and Young MC.

Cricket

The Ashes are back on.
One of my favourite things to do in summer is to drive home after work and listen to the cricket on the radio. The television is good,but radio has something magic and personnel about it. Perhaps its because the commentators are talking in slightly hushed tones. As if you were both at a table in cafe and the match was sitting at a table just opposite you.
To me it means summer evenings with the promise of a BBQ and a beer. It's quiet times and enjoying some national pride as the Aussies ritualistically smack the snot out of the pompous Pom's. Occasionally the Pom's win, which is great because off the field most of the Australian team are degenerate scumbags whom Channel 9 place on a pedestal for public adulation. Every Australian at heart is an iconoclast.

And then there is baseball. The only people who care about a baseball v cricket rivalry are the Americans (bless them). The first baseball game I watched all the way through (and loved) was the Red Soxs versus someone else. We were at a pub/bar in San Diego, a friend from Boston was explaining the various players and their strengths and weaknesses. Then all of a sudden 3 beers later, the game ended. Abruptly.

I like baseball and I like cricket. Both make excellent radio and both are summer sports. But Cricket has it in one respect that baseball does not, length of matches. I'm used to enjoying the run chase of a one day match. The final days of a test can be thrilling. Still not converted by the 20/20 matches though.

Occasionally an American writer in their sad insular way tries to get to grips with Cricket. This article (HERE) is a Pom in America, writing for Americans. I think he does a good job.

A new Favourite

Hooray!!
Check out this blog, Everything is Terrible
HERE

Fun, wrong and kitsch. All at the same time.

You'd think I'd more excited...

As for the horror genre of movie I'm more of a fan of the scary as opposed to the gory. Yet for some odd reason I like Zombie movies. I like them more than some people like Vampire movies.
While my preference for Zombies is a personal one, lets make it a head to head challange for those Vampire loving losers (sorry lost my objectivity there)..

My challenge will be contested in the upcoming movies (via Apple Trailers);
Zombieland
Dead Snow
Daybreakers

So my assessment thus far based on the quality of the trailer;

Zombieland - Sounds a bit like Zealand doesn't it! World over run by Zombies etc Woody Harrelson stars as a Zombie ass-kicking cowboy. Gotta tell you, I'm on board with this on.
Awesometre Rating; +++++

Dead Snow - All you need to know is in the following words... Nazi Zombie Super Soldiers. Could be Snakes on a Plane redux though (actually it probably is) but the concept is fun.
Awesometre Rating; +++

Daybreakers - Moody vampire evolution thing. Pro's Sam Neil, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe. Con's Sam Neil's accent, Vince Colosimo. Looks like it filmed in Australia a la Matrix style. Interesting concept (not really). Ultimately everyone is a vampire, humans are farmed, vampire world on the surface is perfect (just everything happens at night, instead of the day) blah, blah.
Looks like some did a Find and Replace search on a early draft of the Matrix.
Awesometre Rating; Mehh

So there you have it folks, the potential of the Zombie films to entertain is up there with the winners. The sole Vampire film, down there with the non-winners.

Remember

Do you remember when YouTube was actually a useful site? When you could type in the name of a song or an episode of a TV show? (which is pretty much all I ever used it for).

Ever since the fun nazi's (read corporations) found YouTube and lawyered it up, it sucks. Type in anything and you'll be surprised exactly how many crappy Fan Made videos appear. Its like the children who grew up with 'Funniest Home Videos' have now each been issued with a camera and an iMac.
The value that was once YouTube is being increasingly diminished by the number of sad, talentless people who want to record and 'share' themselves playing guitar (badly) to 'Chains of Love' (for example).

On a related note, I ocassionally get spam messages from an old Friend Finder website I tried many years ago. Do these people just live under a rock, in a cave, on f*&king Mars?!? How hard do their employees work to keep the boss from finding out about Facebook?
It boggles the mind...

This is Sparta

In fact this is the 301st post on Bubbajay!! So a little bit of a milestone blog wise.

I am finding the difference between the me at home and the me at work is becoming quite marked. I spent most of last night trying to have a conversation with Evie and singing to Ladybird. I seems, for no good reason, that country and western songs are working at the moment. Perhaps its the lower register or the prevalence of songs in the key of G or D. At any rate we've worked through most every Johnny Cash number I know, Glenn Campbell has worked as well. Last night was John Denver covers and Patsy Cline.

Don't get me wrong, in no way do I want to project an image of begrudging my beautiful daughter music. I love to sing, it gives energy and light to the soul (as I believe Beethoven said).

Personally I'm just amazed at just how many Country and Western CD's I actually own. So the difference between the work me and the home me... There is a lot less singing being done by the work me!

Monster Raving Looney

What they don't tell you in the 'So your going to be a Dad' type books is that the sound of your childs screaming is one of the most (simultaneously) annoying and heartbreaking sounds imaginable.

Last night Ladybird began exploring the higher range of her vocal cords. In each case I was trying to mind bub while her mother could have a shower, leave the room for 15 minutes, talk on the phone (you get the picture). In each instance of the scream, the mollifying answer was ... 'I is hungry'.

I have had to date a good level of success with my kid wrangling skills, but an inconsolable progeny has, I have to admit, defeated my usually fail proof charm.

Got to bed late last night. Had plans to re-string one of my guitars. Wound up trying to cuddle an extremely displeased baby who calmly waited until the commercial breaks were over to begin broadcasting her displeasure. That was my entire evening.

My admiration for the job her mother is doing knows no bounds.

Now is Winter

Hooray! Hooray! these winter's is killing me! (sincere and heartfelt apologies to S Terry and B McGhee)

Today is the first day of Winter. With snowfall promised for the week to follow it has been a great start to the snow season. Alas however our family trip to the snow in August is under threat, numbers are fluctuating and people worrying about price of accommodation.

Earlier this year I had a fancy to get some skis, I am glad that I did not commit to them this year. Looks like we won't be going up as often as I hoped (was planning for at least 2 trips). Which is always the problem with skis. You buy a good pair and within three years you need a new set (because they are old tech and daggy).
Years a go I was given the excellent advice of buying a great pair of boots and just hiring the premium brand skis each time you go. That logic held true then and holds true now. My boots are an excellent brand, specially fitted for me and will last for years to come. Skis are subject to fashion sense and can date very quickly. But even from an economic investment/capital acquisition perspective, for an $800 pair of skis, how many times would you use them in one season? Compare that price to the cost of renting a great pair... (eg if I make it to the mountain twice that's still less than a $100).

Well the only downside to renting is the added time it takes to get your gear fitted out versus being on the mountain. But an other upside is being able to dump your rented gear off when you leave rather than worrying about transporting it home. Plus its rented kit, so you can be less mindful of how you ski on it...

Aqua Teen Awesomeness

Cartoons for TV seldom make the transition to a movie format as well as the Aqua Teen Hunger Force have. The movie is one for fans (which is why they made it) and if you haven't seen the series, well you are not missing out on much character development in all honesty.

In my humble opinion the opening of the movie starts good and it just keeps going. Great song at the start about etiquette while watching the film. Time Traveling Lincoln makes an appearance (explaining that part at long last...)

I may sound even remotely serious about the movies qualities as if I'm some kind of movie review expert (I'm more your professionally qualified book review expert, thank you Vic Uni). If I was a qualified movie-review-professional-guy I can tell you there are far more cerebral television or movies for someone like that to review (eg True Blood) .

But I digress, as is my want. The real scoop here is that I managed to watch most of it in one sitting. My darling and beautiful daughter comes first. So I managed to watch the first 15 minutes over the course of 40 minutes or so. There was a nappy changing, cuddles, me singing 'New York, New York' (mental note, must learn actual lyrics) to help Ladybird get some sleep. Then some serious Daddy/Daughter time as she slept, fitfully, allowing her wonderful mother to rest.

The unspoken reality here is that the ONLY time Ladybird will ever have an interest in watching a movie like Aqua Teen Hunger Force with her dad, is when she is asleep or very young. And here we are...

So in conclusion: ATHF Movie ***********************************

Watching it with my Daughter: * times infinity plus infinity plus one more *

(She earns the extra * for not asking questions during the good bits, 'Who's that guy? Why is he a milkshake? I don't get it?' etc)

Run to the hills

The Australian Ski season opens this weekend!!
There has been an amazing dump of snow for the start of 2009 season, unlike previous years. Some have opened to bright blue skies and green rolling hills. It matters not for me, any skiing this year will include a co-ordination with Ladybird minding duties. Ladybird will learn how to ski early and often we have both decided.

Although my '3 Year Theory' of snow fall in Australia marks this year as the dud year, the snow fall so far is impressive. Evie's brother commented the other day that the ash from the Victorian bush fires has settled in the upper atmosphere creating nuclear winter conditions of the Snowy Mountains. Perhaps there is something to that, it would be nice to think there is a silver lining to the devastation those fires wrought.

So two positives then, hopefully a bumper snow season and also all that snow will melt and ideally fill up the dams that feed drinking water to the rest of NSW and VIC.

Right about now

I have been cruising the internets for movie trailers. Its something I like to do, I happen to like movie trailers. Besides if I waited for Murdoch or Fairfax to decide when I should see something...

Actually it's more of an excuse to mind Ladybird while her mother gets some sleep. She is a week old today. In the week just gone I've seen more rain that I've seen in years. Personally I see that as a good luck sign for the arrival of my daughter who is currently fast asleep and farting.

Next Monday I'm back in the office with a lot of work to do, so I should just enjoy this rain (now the sun is shinning) and Ladybirds company :)

Fun Movie

It's called 'The Goods', I don't know much about the plot or reason for it - except that it is about selling. And its by the same guys who did Talledega Nights and my current favourite Step Brothers.
It just looks funny, in a 'someone will get hurt' kind of a way. Which, I have to tell you, is OK with me.

Safe and Sound

Ladybird has arrived at long last on Wednesday night.
I am a father to beautiful baby girl. She has a little scrunched up face that looks like each of her three cousins up in Sydney at the same age.

So I will be forming a consortium of Right Thinking Fathers with Daughters. Current membership includes chapters in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney. The purpose is to use our collective buying power to purchase barbed wire, shotguns, wild dogs and rocking chairs. There will speech therapy classes to perfect phrases such as "Ain't nuthin here for you boy" and "You make my little girl cry, you gonna die" and "Get off my lawn douchebag" with suitable menace.
Planned activities will include Daddys Little Angel Appreciation Class, How to spot a Deadbeat and what I hope will be a perennial favourite Sound Financial Management and Business Development Class. Fathers Day will be replaced with the more practical Why Daddy is Right Week.
Contenders for our anthem include a reworking of the Cramps classic, "All Men are Bad (except for Dad)" and the Brandenburg Concertos.
Our founding philosophy is something along the lines of, 'While it may be a mans world, very few of them are good enough for my little angel' (Some of them can obviously be trained to pay for dinner and buy my little angel shoes, houses etc) (Mental note explore option of expanding into credit reference checks for potential suitors).

We will also be conducting Douchebag identificaiton training for future Dads. Examples of Douchebag tells include, Wearing sunglasses on their head on a cloudy day while inside, wearing of the collars upturned. Not liking Magnum PI or not knowning who he is. Fondness for comercial radio, fondness for the AFL, being short. Borrowing money, concerning levels of familiarity with Creed, Jonas Brothers or Bette Midler (that last one will require an intevention and a shifting of candidate from the Douchebag list of suitors to the Douchebag list of 'will not give her mother grandchildren').

Suitable male role models include; Dad, Mr T, Barrack Obama, Bob the Builder and Elvis (the Vegas years)
Unsuitable male role models include; Elvis (the early years), Prince, People who are Not Dad and Helen Clarke.

There is much work to be done and the final draft of our founding charter to complete. However our core message is resonating well with Right Thinking Fathers with Daughter everywhere and we will consider expanding into new territories soon.

Bank error in your favour, collect $10 Mil

The report of a couple from NZ whose bank accidentally credited $10 million into their account has got me thinking. Firstly, that banks are bastards (but that can honestly go without saying). Secondly, how would I handle that temptation?

Perhaps one could use the money to secure another loan of an even greater value (I understand that's how the current mess got started in the states). Or I could take the money and run (but you can hide forever). Or I could alert the bank and give the money back.

In my opinion its a case of giving the money back. But the bank is doing nothing in my opinion by sounding tough and warning of penalties and trouble. Like some ineffectual school prefect that no one respects. Banks have jerked me around often enough and I have rarely had an apology from them.

Perhaps this is an opportunity not only for people to understand that bank errors are rarely in their favour, but also for the banks to show some charm in dealing with this kind of thing...

Still waiting

Bub has not arrived. In fact they show no signs of arriving. The value of their arriving status is nil.

The due date was yesterday.
It is interesting to me because in the near if not immediate future (just checked my phone, no missed calls) bub will arrive and from that point on they will have always been here. Their life begins. Trying to imagine what their parents were like before they were born will be difficult.

And yet... Still waiting. Have run out of nervous energy and so has Evie. Just waiting and carrying on as usual.

Why weird is good

Last year I heard a talk by a former marketing manager of Toyota cars (Australia). He was a really interesting guy. His talk was an interesting take on standing out in a me-too market. His advice was to be weird. Don't be normal.
No problem for me.
But his advice went to the core of adaptability in a changing market. It also captures the idea of passion for what you do, that perhaps not everyone gets it but sometimes that's okay.

This week is the PBS Radiothon (last week was the 3MBS one) and I will be pledging my support as I did last year. I regularly write about the appalling state of mainstream media in this country, so where does one turn to to hear good music? Why to community radio my friend. And I should say that there are grades of quality in Community Radio. PBS is one of best ones in the country (with a current fetish for funk and soul in all its varieties).

So last night I was driving home and I caught the tail end of the country and western show. I'll be honest country and western for me is more miss than hit, but I will listen to it because every now and again you find a jewel Well in this case an Eilen Jewel [MySpace page HERE] the DJ played a couple of fantastic moody country tracks and finished with 'Rain Roll In'. Thankfully I had a pen in the car and wrote it down.

I consider myself to have a good ear for music and Eilen Jewel is good music. I invite you to check out her songs on MySpace, I'll be buying the album this weekend (I have no respect for people who do steal music) and I recommend you do the same.

Going back to my earlier point, without PBS I would never have heard Eilen Jewel, I would never have been exposed to some music I like. This service, this revelation of grooves was given to me by someone who gets on the radio because they love their music. Because they are passionate about their music. Probably because they are weird.

I also encourage you to support your local community radio station. Link to the PBS Radiothon [Here].

Snow Cat

Went to the Zoo on the weekend and had a great time. Will definitely be taking Ladybird there when they are older (and actually here). We saw Lions, tigers, monkeys, giraffes, bogans and bears. In fact it was quite the cross section of mammals. Notably absent where any reptiles or such like. Well it is almost winter...

Evie announced yesterday that she is officially ready to give birth. Ladybird has not yet made any indication of arriving, they are due on the 26th though, so they are not late (per se). Myself I'm holding out for a post 20th date, but only for the silliest of possible reasons. After the 20th will make them a Gemini, born in the year of the Ox (like me!)
So we continue with the waiting game...

Last night we had the great pleasure of watching a performance of the Nefes Ensemble at the Abbotsford convent. I cannot in any measure do justice to the beauty of the music I heard. At best I can tell you it was music from the Ottoman Empire. Parts were improvisation (just love the sound of the Ney), parts were Sufi calls and one peice was compossed by a Sultan. Every note was haunting and beautiful. It transported us all to an amazing place. My only regret was the short length of the concert. I could have listened to them for hours. Myspace page HERE...

Robot Menace

Fun blog from the New Yorker that has taken on a life of its own.
[HERE]

Machine Mundi

Last night was the budget address, same sh*t different a$%hole.

Today Evie and I had breakfast at the wonderful Lentil as Anything restaurant here at the Abbotsford convent. We are taking advantage of moments like this while we can. Our beautiful child will be here any day now, so getting about while we can is important.

Also as important is me doing some Dad-to-be-research. The other night on the telly (Daddy, what does hypocrite mean...) we watched a documentary on the Snow Leopard. My goodness, set cute meter to max!! AND I turns out that Melbourne Zoo has a some baby Snow Leopards OMG!!

So this weekend we are off to the Zoo. Gonna check it out for Ladybird and make sure we know the lay of the land and check out those little cutey pie furry killing machines!!

Going Bodly (motion away)

The New Yorker has a review of the latest Star Trek movie HERE.
I'm all for Star Trek movies, Wrath of Khan is still an all time favourite, but I have not enjoyed any of the incumbent directors previous efforts.

I hold no high hopes for this movie.

Film versus TV

The media in Australia is appallingly bad. Its bar is set so low Australian media is routinely banned from limbo competitions around the world. I did hear an interesting rumour that the reason the print and TV quality is so bad is because advertising revenue is down significantly. Which means less revenue to spend on talent, which means having even less talent on hand to improve the output. One figure mentioned to me for a metropolitan broadsheet advertising was $4 mil per week to $1 mil.
Would that not encourage a lifting of standards? You would think so, but alas it is not to be. The three major TV networks are similarly running on the smell of an oily rag. Which is demonstrated by the abundance of cheap 'reality' shows (backyard makeover talent cooking expose) and the lack of programs. One channel is actually re-running the previous nights entertainment the next day at lunch time then again on Friday evenings. Probably having spent every last sent on the brutally flogged horses corpse that is The Simpsons most recent series...

How will our media masters meet the challenge of delivering the audience up to advertisers?
The Onion has a vision for us all to fear [LINK]

Fate

Its been a busy past few weeks Bubbas.
Highlights include;

• Getting an awesome new job
• Having my Ma down from Sydney for a couple of days
• Getting a framed Elvis poster

Well in the job kicks off in a week. Its doing the same kind of stuff that I've been doing in Canberra. So while I was good at it up there, I didn't necessarily enjoy it. Well trying to find a job down here that keeps as part of the network has been hard. The work I've doing at the Radiostation has been very enjoyable. The best part has been to make friends and meet some amazing people. The time now, however, has come to move on as was the plan. So we are doing well on the front.

Ma came down last week. What I noticed the most about this visit was how much I missed her when I put her on the plane. My beloved is due any day now, so Ma wanted to come down before the bub is due. To have her here in her role as a Mum and a Grandmother was special. In my mind I felt we were under assessment (in a good way) by Ma to make sure our house, our community and family in Melbourne were ready for Ladybird. I am a very independent minded person and yet I wanted Mum to stay like I never needed her before. It was a very special weekend.

ELVIS!! Among the many things I love the story of Elvis is very prominent. So the framed poster is of a very young Elvis, performing just after Sun Records sold his contract to RCA. Elvis has been recording and performing for about 18 months, he has not yet met Tom Parker and his truck drivers license is still current in case this all goes wrong... A magic moment in the story of music in the 20th century.

So its been a pretty jam packed couple of weeks. Not sure if I have successfully relayed the scope and magnitude of it all...

The Snow Gods Truly Love Us

They truly do love us, Bubbas. This week end saw the start of Winter with snow falling all over the mountains.

For example, here is the car park at Mt Hotham this after noon...

BEHOLD THE MAJESTY THAT IS SNOW. QUAIL YE MORTALS AT THE MIGHT OF THE SNOW GODS. (dear Sno Godz my name is Bubba, plz to keep gives sno. kthx).

Let us hope it will continue as it has begun!!

Fish News

Some more Onion themed fun about fishing (HERE)

Rock and Roll will save your Soul

I love music. It is an essential part of my day to hear it and enjoy it.

Well last night I was given the chance to play as part of a Friday night jam group at my buddy Steve's house. It was simply put, a blast. Steve is a passionate muso with a truly fantastic collection of guitars, amps, a drum kit and other little instruments. I've been looking forward to this evening all week, Steve and I had a jam a couple of weeks ago and I was really excited but how well we seemed to gel. Steve and I both like a similar kind of music and seem to have an ear for similar rhythms and tones. So getting together with a drummer and another guitarist was an interesting prospect.

Well everybody had a good time and thankfully there weren't any showboaters, we were all able to share and let the music play. Steve let me borrow an amazing semi-acoustic that had a beautiful deep sound and resonance. A real Dwayne Eddie style, I told Steve on several occasions that I may need marry this instrument!! :)
It worked out well as we didn't have a bass player I was able to keep the rhythm and bass notes strong (which suited the guitar down to the ground). I also tried a Telecaster special (that had an amazing custon humbucker in place of the bridge pick up) and an Epiphone ES-355 that had a fantastic jazz pitch to it.
What I know about guitars is that no two are the same and that there is a world of difference between a good guitar and a cheap one. But more importantly it was a great experience to be rocking out with a bunch of guys, have a good time and being able to keep up!!

I'm on a double high this week after meeting P.J. O'Rourke and having an awsome jam with a great bunch of guys. Tonite is the Hurricanes versus the Brumbies and another mates house!! Oh happy days!!!!!

Meeting People

So on Wednesday I met P.J. O'Rourke. I shook his hand several times, had a brief conversation about free market economics and Francis Fukuyama. I also got him to sign a book, dedicating it to my yet to be born child (which tickled him pink!).
I return I gave him my cufflinks to say thank you, which was also well received.

With regards to hearing P.J. speak, it was wonderful to hear an author whose written works I know so well talk. It was pleasing to hear the actual cadence in his voice and see his body language. The content of the speech was a collection of themes he has been writing away at over the past few months (there were a number of recycled themes).
What did strike me was the confidence of the delivery of the ideas (and the similarity with a boss I used to have many years ago [a positive comparison]). The transcript of the address can be found on the National Press Club website HERE. What I was equally impressed and surprised by was the way he handled questions from the press. He was asked a question about gun control and school shootings which he answered in a very courteous and articulate manner (again have a read of the transcript).

So in conclusion, Mr O'Rourke was an entertaining guest of the press club, one of the better ones I've seen for a while and I personally had an amazing time meeting a literary hero.

Stop and Chop

I got lent a CD yesterday it's a mix up of two bands (iron &Wine and Calexico). Its a wonderful collaboration between the two. Iron and Wine I know from their own work, but Calexico is new to me. Why I'm mentioning this is to highlight, perhaps more to myself, the differences in people with whom you can work musically.
Since starting at the Radiostation I've felt like I was amongst 'my people'. By which I mean, people who know music, understand the difference between a triad and trio, why a clavicle and a harpsichord are similar and the tonal difference between a 4th and 2nd part of a harmony. To me these are things that are as natural and simple as the octet formula of an address table for a router.

So I'm thinking about what it means, is it a signpost? Should I stay on with the world of IT or is this a chance to branch out and try something new? something more natural? Most of the motivational life coaching information out there talk of finding one's passion. I confess I've never been terribly motivated or super stoked about anything to do with day to day job. I'm just good at it.
But to find someone who actually wants to discuss in an intelligent fashion the open tunings of Bo Diddley music. Well that is something else...

*********************

Tomorrow I'm back to Canberra to hear Mr P J O'Rourke speak at the National Press Club. This is a big moment in life. I first came across PJ many years ago at Uni, when the Internets was still in book format. I read him voraciously as well as Hunter S Thomson. The image I got of PJ was someone who could occasionally be funny, but who for the most part was angry. Angry at a whole range of ideas and people, coupled with a sense of worry at being found out and therefore no longer being paid to be a writer. I gather he has mellowed in old age, so it will be interesting to see what it is he will talk about. What are the thoughts of a die hard, anti Clintonian Republican on the devaluing of public discourse on the political process? Does he feel any responsibility for that through his writings? Can you be a serious commentator and make jokes at the same time? Alas, knowing as I do the caliber of Australian journalists, these questions will never get asked...

I'm taking a copy of my favourite PJ book (The Bachelor Home Compendium) in case the opportunity presents itself to have it signed. I brought that book with a gift voucher I won (2nd place, lost out to someone who ripped off a Roald Dahl story and exceeded the word limit) in a writing contest at uni. I'm sure there is something meaningful and symbolic there...

People who like people

This Easter weekend has easily been my best and favourite for a while. There have been ping pong championships, trips to Bright, yum cha, soccer and bike riding.

Currently I'm far too awake at the moment to be able to sleep. Perhaps it's too do with the waning full moon. I slept for a couple of hours then woke up clammy and sweaty. No matter what I tried to do I could not get comfortable enough to go back to sleep. Have come downstairs and tried watching Lawrence of Arabia, but even that hasn't helped.
Perhaps being online will do the trick.

Have begun to re-read 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' for a remedy against the appalling literature of the past few weeks. 'She' got even worse to the point I was skipping ahead page after page and scanning for narrative key words. It was something of a let down, I'm sorry to say. Which is a pity after such a promising start.

Reading Challange Update

I thought the 'Honey Thief' was an appallingly bad book. So I had my beloved read it to see if I was just making it up, she did not finish the first chapter.
Overall my experiment was a fail. Which I think was a reflection of a poorly design parameters. I may try again later in the year, but for now I'll draw a line under this first attempt at expanding my reading comfort zone.

Bah!!

At the moment 'She' is devolving into a turgid mess and I've noticed that there is a strong "funny how he never married" aspect to two of the main characters. I might just end up scanning the remainder of the book for the good parts. My penultimate warning sign arrived in the form of the baddy reciting poetry for 2 pages. To my mind its a mistake for authors to insert poetry as a dramatic device. Tolkien was an an epic fail with all the tiresome verse that populates his works and I'll be buggered if I'll indulge Mr Haggard either.

+++++++++++++++++

In other news we are in the final strecth of bub baking. My beloved is off work from tomorrow with an eye to getting the house ready for Ladybird.

Aeneid on Facebook

I read the Aeneid in 7th form during my Economics classes (I got the school prize for Classic's that year). I haven't read it since then, but I do fondly remember ignoring the teacher (who was a lovely person) to concentrate on Aeneas and his shenanigans. It reminded me a bit of Battlestar Galactica in some respect. But I loved the continuity of the Trojan war from the Trojan perspective.

This is very funny, its the Aeneid as a Facebook profile (LINK). Well perhaps its funny if you're a super nerd who read Virgil when he should have been reading Milton Keynes.

Perhaps there are other books to be treated in the same manner? Moby Dick? Wuthering Heights?

Compare and Contrast

Have dropped the 'Electric Kool Aid Acid Test' for 'She' by H Rider Haggard.

For those who came late summary;

'The Honey Thief'
Whinging, moaning, chick stuff, a bicycle, Gilmour Girls-esq interaction, a bad imitation of 'Remembrance of Things Past'.

'She'
The chaps, having left the halls of Cambridge for the coast of Africa, have been ship wrecked in a storm. Gathering themselves and their possessions, they are spending the night in a long boat under the shadow of a menacing mountain (shaped like an Ethiopians head!). Lions have just been heard entering the water and are heading towards them...!!!!!!

********************

The Honey Thief has two more chapters to make the grade.

A help with my reading assignment

Have begun the 'Honey Thief', hopefully Book Kitteh is right...

Lets do this thing!

Okay, having previously posted about the literary qualities of contemporary female authors I set myself a challenge; to read and review a recent release.

This evening I visited my local library and selected what looked like a good read. I was fair, I could've picked a dud but I felt my theory needed an impartial test. The book I've selected is 'The Honey Thief' by Elizabeth Graver. The dust cover synopsis sounds god awful, a mother-daughter intrigue involving shoplifting or whatever. The main thing is female reviewers loved it, I am not the target audience and I'm moving out of my comfort zone.

I'll begin tomorrow. For the sake of literary calibration 'The Honey Thief' is up against Tom Wolfe's 'The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test'. Let's roll!!

Please support your local library.

SkyHigh

Fire water!!
Which ought to indicate that I sat down with a plan to write something and am a bit stuck. I'll be heading into the station late today, because I can and hopefully because I'll be on to a new gig soon. So this is a winding down phase.

But it is also a being distracted phase. I find it hard to concentrate in moments like these. I'll make any excuse to distract myself from a task I've set. Its an odd reaction to trying to do something. So far I've put on two loads of washing (and hung them out) I've listened to the radio telling me of a brand new 'Afro Beat' compilation thats currently out (and sounds great!). I've put the kettle on twice, but haven't actually made a cup of tea. Threatened myself with morning television and played a game called Hex Empires [LINK, but I warn you it can be addictive] several times.

All while trying to write a description of the perfect weekend I just had. So what to tell you? It was my beloveds birthday on Saturday, so on Friday we went to Geelong for another birthday/housewarming. The house itself was incredible and we only saw it at night. Made the place we were staying in look like a run down beach shack.
Which is a pretty fair call, a friend of ours set us up with a friend of his for overnight accommodation in Torquay for $20 each. The house and land is rumoured to be worth a cool $1Mil. But very little has been invested in it since that late '80's when it was purchased. It looked like every beach house I ever stayed in right down to the beat up out of tune guitar in the corner! Despite the bare essential maintenance it was a great stay and I'd be tempted to go there again for the surfing and fishing around Torquay.

Saturday was the big day birth-wise and we spent it in fine fashion with a leisurely breakfast by the beach, a lunch time swim and a very casual meander back home. We unpacked felt slightly tired and went out for a birthday dinner at this amazing Thai place that was hidden at the back of some local shopping centre. On the Sunday we had family over and managed to do our first bit of real entertaining (since I arrived). There was more food than mouths and I personally drank and eat way too much. However we managed to return the house to good order and this morning is the start of another working week.

So having written how distracted I was and managed to get some focus in at last. Hooray for being able to distract my distraction ("I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in.")

Waking up

(Haven't finished starting on my book challenge, accidentally began reading "Leaves of Grass" by Walt Whitman. Bare with me.)

This morning I had a lot of trouble waking up. My eyes did not want to open, consciousness took a while to arrive. Every time I thought I was awake, I got out bed and wandered into the spare room (soon to be nursery) and checked the weather. As I do each day.
But I was dreaming myself awake. Which is an odd thing to do. To be aware within a dream that one is asleep and aware at the same time that they are awake within a dream. Whenever I would get up out of bed in my dream, something would stand out as obviously not part of the waking world. The room would be different in a subtle way or it could be the middle of the day or there was some feeling, nuance that told me this was a dream.

This occurred enough to remind me of those musings about dreams, the waking world and existence in either. I felt this morning was a good case for wondering if I'm not asleep still... (pretty boring dream so far, a lot less space aliens and random rock guitar solo's than I'd usually expect.)

Reasons to be Cheerful

I've been reading a stack of books these past few weeks (well at least its been a stack for me). In no particular order then;

• Love Me by Garrision Kellor
• I Claudius by Robert Graves
• The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
• Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders by John Mortimer (vale as of last month)

Two have been recent releases (the John Mortimer novel was his last and finally draws out the details of oft mentioned Penge Bungalow Murders as well as how She Who Must Be Obeyed and Rumpole got married) while the others are literary classics that are quite polar in style and subject matter. The Robert Graves book I found for $5 at the Bangalow Market while I was up in Byron recently, while 'The Big Sleep' is the second Pip Marlowe I've read in the past few months.

So, an opinion; I suggest that the book industry is still alive and well and that a book can capture the publics imagination (bear in mind I am very anti-television, so somewhat biased) witness the effect of Harry Potter. What I also suggest is that when I peruse the shelves of my local library or bookstore, I am struck by the amount of appalling rubbish etched onto murdered trees. Most of which is written by women.
As a rule of thumb I can tell if a book is worthwhile from the gender of the author, the age of the author and the first paragraph. I have been mistaken before, special mention to 'The Winter Queen' by Boris Akun, but this intuition usually serves me well. The book industry however knows their market better than I do and have good evidence that the majority of book buyers are women. [LINK to an interview with Ian McEwan]
Ergo print what your readers want to read.

I however find the quality of modern writing to be low and of little literary value. Of course not every book published is written by a woman and I would be as guilty as Peter Reuhl of stereotyping to invite you to seriously entertain my proposition. But I remain unsatisfied by new titles, the majority of which are penned by women authors, and as such I retreat into the vast a satisfying back catalogues for succour. Where are the new books for me? Am I an Early Adopter of new genre's and therefore worthy of market attention?
The answer to the second question is no; I am very conservative in my choice of reading and have to be coaxed into trying something new. So perhaps the answer to my issue with new titles is obvious, why not give them a chance?
My new challange for this month therefore is to read and review a recent release for your benefit.
Watch this space, open to suggestions.