Thank Guus!

There are no words that can express my relief at the football results. I was waking up periodically the night after the match, recalled the match result, smiled to myself and went back to sleep. I am not super happy, just super, super relieved. Very weird, you say? I'd like to debate the point, but I cant. You're talking to a person who flew into London, caught a match, and then flew back the next morning (ok, so it was from Germany and not Australia). 3 days later, I still have a buzz from this.

Speaking of flying, there was a fly bugging me on the train to work the other day. When I got into work, there was a fly still bugging me. I suspect it may have been the same creature. It must have followed me the four blocks from Flinders St station and up six flights of stairs! What's the deal, Mr Fly? It was a Thursday too, which meant I had showered. Weird, eh?



Anyway, I have 2 upcoming first-time parent events happening. So I need to think of baby presents. Was thinking of ipod baby clothes but am very open to ideas¹. But the first time parents will probably be so overwhelmed that they wont notice. Maybe some phenol-barbitol instead? Worst case, I'll resort to the trusty teddy bear.

Also, I have a little problem. I find I am spending more time reading blogs than I am with reading other stuff, ie. newspapers, novels, tech books. Not good. New Scientist has an article about gaming fanatics showing hallmarks of drug addiction. I wonder if it carries over to blog readers. Will willpower be enough?

And yet they push for the legislation for sedition. I know we get the Government we deserve but have we really been so bad? The man who trades freedom for security usually ends up with neither - Benjamin Franklin

And what's the deal with Tim Burton? How come his movies have to be prefixed with his name? Anyway, Corpse Bride is really good. Worth a viewing though I thought Nightmare Before Christmas was a superior musical.

Anyway, am listening to Laura Veir's Rapture. Strange song, but I like. I also like that song they play on that Sony commercial, Jose Gonzales' Heartbeats. He's going to be playing at the Northcote Social Club on the 29th. Though Sony are big time bastards! The nerve of them installing software² which spies on you, without any permission. I hope they get their butts seriously kicked.

¹Good ones.
²List of affected CDs listed here.

Oh the pressure, Will Robinson (*)

Hey! I've installed a blogroll. Am having trouble deciding whether I should classify the bloggers and if so, how.
a) geography (Pollen city, Syd, the rest)
b) gender (Male, Female, Michael Jackson)
c) Life scores (see previous entry)
d) political persuasion (friend, enemy, left, right, extreme left, Tony Abbott).
e) traits (amusing, incoherent, depressing, stimulating, pretentious, bad spellers)

Currently, they're all under Incoherent¹. Send me $$$ if you want to be moved to some other group. ie. the cool group, or added or removed. Actually, just send me $$$.





And did you know you may now be able to patent film storylines? Sounds like a great idea, then the only kind of movies made will be David Lynch and Peter Greenaway movies, ok, Kaufman too, and WKW (cos he uses no script!).

Anyway, looking out the window down onto the 5th level hotel concourse across the road, there is this woman, purple hair, platform shoes, mini-skirt practicing whipping a piece of paper out of a guy's hand (reminds me of Jack Osbourne). And there is this almost grotesquely fat guy lounging just behind with a couple of relatively normal heavily tatooed looking guys. I wonder if they can see me gawking at them. They're probably thinking, "Look at that Batman t-shirt guy, with the headphones and opened mouth across the road. What a freak!" What's the chances Jim Rose is in town. Hmmm.. which one is Mr. Lifto, I wonder. Ouchy.

And it looks like I've found a hobby to while away the Xmas break. Origami!!! or a variant of it. Should be a fun summer. You can join me if you like :-)

ps
we got some new people starting work.
guy #1 is sight impaired... we *all* know what he's been doing, right? *snicker* Yikes, I hope he doesnt read this. And if he does, has a sense of humour or at least not own any firearms. Grow up? What do u mean?
girl #2 starts soon, I think... apparently, she does the shot putt competitively... Will be interesting....
I guess this could sound like it follows on from the Jim Rose thingy above, but it isnt, though it could very well be. I do question my presence here at this workplace though.

^* Squirt = Drip under Pressure.
¹It has just occurred to me that it would have been much more lucrative if I had put everyone under some undesirable category eg. paedophile and then wait for the $$$ to roll in but I didnt think of it in time. I do play fair.

If only I could...

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	6.2
Mind:	6.6
Body:	7.3
Spirit:	5.5
Friends/Family:	4.4
Love:	0
Finance:	8.8
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

.... I would.

Pathetic? No argument here.

Anyway, other evaluation thingies of interest...

This Values Clarification Exercise is pretty cool, I think. Possibly contentious. Definitely discussion generating.

And ever wondered How Sinful You Were?

While on the topic of sins, thank whoever up there for Barnaby Joyce. A very gutsy guy. One wonders about the other [insert curse word] puppets.

On a lighter note, I wrote a little program that does nothing. It just rearranges the letters in your text, basically to demonstrate that even when misspelt, the human brain still processes it like it was spelt correctly.
Click here to indulge me.

Enjoy.
ps.
Anyone find Joanna Newsom's music as mesmerising as I do? Maybe it's them harps. Does it everytime.

Clown Serial Killer?

So... who in their right mind would write a melancholic song about a clown serial killer? Sufjan would, that's who. [click on picture to get the song].



Am listening to his album, Sufjan Stevens' "Illinois". I get a really big kick out of discovering a new (to me) artist that I really like. It's like discovering a whole new world. It's a great feeling.

I like most of the songs especially "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get us!" The "John Wayne Gacy Jr" song is also very listenable and quite sad, and yet weird and sick at the same time, as this is about that clown serial killer. He manages to make you feel empathy for him, how skilful is that?

Anyway, went to see this frigging amazing movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark - The Adaptation. The video and audio quality was pretty bad but one gets used to it after a while. A phenomenal effort actually.

Also managed to go see Claire Bowditch. I've only heard the one song by her prior, Hallelujah. I found I quite liked the material she performed. Might have to go get the album now.

Played the songs to my nine year old, but she didnt like it. Maybe it's cos if Dad likes it, it must be bad. She listens to Green Day. "Isnt it a bit loud?", I asked her as I morphed into my _Dad_. When I was 9, I think I was still listening to "Old MacDonald" and his farm animals.

Topical quote.
"""
In one of the earliest critiques of a national ID card proposal (January 1986), Professor Geoffrey de Q Walker, now dean of law at Queensland University, observed:

One of the fundamental contrasts between free democratic societies and totalitarian systems is that the totalitarian government relies on secrecy for the regime but high surveillance and disclosure for all other groups, whereas in the civic culture of liberal democracy, the position is approximately the reverse.
"""
I let you decide which way we are heading. Big sigh.

Parting plagiarised wisdom?
"""
Never get so attached to a poem
you forget truth lacks lyricism;
never draw so close to the heat
that you forget you must eat.
- Joanna Newsom, En Gallop
"""
ps.
I hear The Proposition is up for all these AFI awards. I was told not a cent (unverified) of it was Australian. One wonders what the critirea is. I do recall that French movie, Long Engagement having 50% American money disqualified it from the French awards. 50%!
Also, go see Me, You, Everyone We Know. It is great, though Adrian Martin of the Age hated it. Silly Adrian.

Title? Dont need no stinkin' titles.

Spring is definitely here. My eyes are a little watery, probably cos of all the pollen I pick up on my ride in the mornings. Also gashed my right knee on the serrated edge of my bike pedal this morning. Ouchy. Have got a 3cm by 1 cm deep wound. Was getting onto the road from the sidewalk and on the 4 inch drop to the road, my foot slipped and the pedal moved up to meet my knee. I spent the next 2 minutes cycling with 1 leg and screaming silently, cos no sound actually came out. I kept thinking "I am bleeding" but did not dare look. The guys at work examined it, "Stop whinging! It looks like nothing". "But it huuuuuurts", I whined. The insensitive clods. Now I know how Nancy Kerrigan felt.





So Fiona Apple's got a new CD out (4th Oct)! Whoo hooo.... So I trudged down to the Target on Bourke St (had a gift voucher) to go buy it and couldnt find it. Trudged down to JB Hifi and was told it is not out in Australia till the 31st! What?!? But, but, but... Hmmm... does that make it OK for me to go download it instead? Sigh. So I ordered it online from o'seas. I'm not going to wait 4 weeks for no rational reason. Also emailed epic records and told them that if the record sales for this album in Australia was ZERO, it's cos we all ordered it from elsewhere cos we couldnt wait. Frigging duffers. I hope the same wont happen with Kate Bush (Nov 7).

I also went to hear Robert Fisk speak. That guy's mind is sharp. He spoke for about an hour and had 1 hour of questions. He seemed to be able to field complex questions on subject of the Middle East, Northern Ireland and the former Yugoslavia with clarity. Very impressive, more so given the murkiness of the subject matter. You might not agree with his opinion but there was no ambiguity as to what he was trying to get across. Basically, Iraq is stuffed.

Also went to see Enron the movie. The greed is breathtaking. This CEO of one of the divisions left with $250M. What can u do with $250M? He is now the 2nd biggest private landowner in Colorado. It is a fantastic story, but I didnt think the doco was as good as it could have been. Granted, it was a very complicated story. 6/10

Asked Mark to go to this music event. It was a bit too avant-garde for Mark and I. I had to apologise to Mark profusely! Ah, well. I guess one has to wade through a lot of "dirt" to find gold (not that this was dirt, it was just I didnt appreciate it). Apologies to the creator. Sono stupido. Sono animale.

Had to laugh at this. BT Labs (UK) has come up with the mp3 breast implant. How cool (and silly) is this? Full article + unavoidable snide references to the click wheel (heh!) can be found at The Register.

Current play list.
Rufus Wainwright - Peach Trees
Frou Frou - Let Go
PJ Harvey - The Mess We're In.
Fiona Apple - Parting Gift
Dandy Warhols - The Dope

Parting words of wisdom.
"""
If you don't have a song to sing you're ok,
You'll know how to get along humming
If you don't have a Date, Celebrate
Go off and sit on the lawn under nothing
'cos its just what you must do and nobody does it anymore
""" - Fiona Apple 'Waltz'

and go watch Firefly, the TV series.

(*) All my ideas and snippets of wisdom are from song lyrics and episodes of the Simpsons and Seinfeld.