les plans commencent a fall into place

Well, I've been planning and procrastinating for more than 18 months now, but today, I took the first real step towards taking a decent holiday next year, by applying for time off from work next May/June.

Actually, that was really the second step... in a rush of blood to the head, I snapped up some new luggage at DJ's during last week's VIP shopping night at Chaddy - at 50% off, I couldn't let the opportunity pass - and since I now had some decent bags, I really had little choice but to get on with the rest of the planning to go somewhere!

Step 3 followed in very quick succession, thanks to a chance encounter with a Kathmandu sale catalogue that came with the newspapers on the weekend. So now I not only have suitable luggage, but a wonderful array of minor travel accessories that I would never have thought that I needed (nor did I even know existed, in some cases!), and all at 50% - 60% off RRP as well!

Next step will be to organise a passport... and then I'd better start thinking about booking some flights and accommodation... and fast, before I realise how much it will all cost!

razzle dazzle

Chicago was great!

The cast, especially Caroline O'Connor (as Velma Kelly), Sharon Millerchip (Roxie Hart), Craig McLaughlin (Billy Flynn), Colleen Hewitt (Mama Morton) and Rowan Browne (as Fred Casley) were terrific; the staging was stylish and effective; Her Maj was compact and cosy, but comfortable enough, and our seats were sensational.

My only criticism is still of the show itself, with all the best musical numbers appearing before intermission, but the performances kept the show interesting, despite the lack of show-stoppers in the second half.

I left the theatre thinking about whether I'd have a chance to go see it again before the season ends, and not realising that the end, is in fact nigh... only a few more days to go. Too bad, 'coz I definitely would have seen it again.

strange bedfellows

Never has the old saying about politics and strange bedfellows been more accurate than in the wheeling and dealing over Kevin Rudd's effort to show off an ETS agreement at Copenhagen!

Malcolm Turnbull has been going through hoops to drag his recalcitrant colleagues into line to negotiate an agreement to support... the government!

And why shouldn't they? The agreement has been neutered by its hopeless compromises to farmers and the energy lobby, and is now hardly worth the paper it's written on, in respect to what it will really contribute to cutting carbon emissions. Even the most dimwitted conservatives shouldn't be able to complain about that.

All the biggest polluters in the country will be rewarded for their (lobbying) efforts, while the citizen-at-large will be left to pay and pay and pay, and all towards reaching a minimal carbon reduction target which will have no impact on climate change in any meaningful timeframe.

So, while I sit back and smirk and sneer at the cosy Rudd/Wong/Turnbull/MacFarlane menage a quatre, I find myself in the same bunk as the Greens... and Wilson 'redneck' Tuckey... and Steve 'nutbag' Fielding... and Kevin 'racist pig' Andrews!

How can I sleep at night in that company?

absolutely can't wait

It's YouTube-mania tonight, but I had to keep this one handy.

After many years of failing to 'get', and successfully ignoring, 'Smallville', I decided to check out season 8, the one after all the original creators left.

And I like it!

They ditched a lot of the stuff that I didn't like about the earlier seasons, and moved Clark and co to Metropolis and the Daily Planet. Throw in some great 'new' guest characters like the Legion, the Persuader and Doomsday, and it's been enough to get me into it.

But as much as I've enjoyed season 8 so far, I cannot wait for this special double episode in season 9, Absolute Justice :

it's a long way down Swanston St

I haven't seen this video clip for yonks, but I love it - a classic AC/DC track, plus glimpses of parts of the Melbourne cbd now lost. Thanks, YouTube!

I don't know why the City of Melbourne doesn't commemorate this clip with a re-enactment every year ~ it would be better than... even Moomba! :-)

cult favourites

Congrats to Senator Nick Xenophon for standing up in the Senate and telling a few home truths about that international con act known as the Church of Scientology.

Nothing much will come of it, unfortunately; that cult has already become so powerful that a mere politician won't be able to stand in its way. Scientology spin doctors are already hard at work lobbying to hide the latest outbreak of truths thrown at it.

While the Senator's at it, though, I wish he'd do something to help wind back the influence of a few other evil cults infecting our society, like the Exclusive Brethren, the Catholic Church, private schools and the National Party!

things that make you go 'wtf?'

Another excellent column from the ever-insightful Catherine Deveny in today's Age.

I was equally disturbed when I read the comments of the Melbourne Grammar principal last week. Glad to know I wasn't the only one.

It's comforting to know that having money still means never having to say you're sorry.

But this wasn't quite as distressing as the case earlier this week, where a Magistrate in a Melbourne court, in sentencing a repeat-offending 'businessman' basher who had attacked and severely injured a man for bumping him on a crowded train, warned him of the consequences thusly: If his victim had been permanently maimed or killed, it would have been the end of his business.

What the..????? What happened to "You could have killed or maimed a man. How could you live with that?". No. The worst consequence that this judge could imagine was "If you had killed or maimed a man, it would have been bad for your business!"

I don't know which is more disgusting - the basher, or the attitude of the man judging him!

ticket box tango

Sometimes, it pays to procrastinate!

After having a wonderful time at 'Priscilla', 'Wicked!' and 'Jersey Boys', I lined up 'Chicago' as the next stage musical to catch.

I just never quite got there, though.

The problem is, even though I enjoyed the movie version, it seems to me that the show leads with all of its show-stoppers, with nothing much saved for the end. I loved the first 30 minutes, then started looking at my watch wondering when it would get good again.

'All that Jazz', 'When you're Good to Mama' and 'Cell Block Tango' are sensational numbers... but after that, it's all downhill. Every time I see it, I find myself wondering why they didn't keep 'All that jazz' for the closing number.

Anyway, as a result, I just didn't get around to booking tickets... after all, the show was running until mid-December, so no rush.

Then I got an email message last night... the season has been cut short; just 2 more weeks to go! But wait... there's good news too... tickets for all remaining performances now only around $51! Whoo-hoo!

So I got online, and picked up a great bargain - seats in the stalls, mid-row, about halfway back from the stage! Brilliant! That's about as close as I've ever been to the stage for any performance outside of the Comedy Festival.

I know I'm gonna enjoy this, even if I do get bored through the second half of the show :-)

much ado

I can't understand all the media fuss about the arrest of that schoolkid for selling drugs today. Is it because they finally bothered to arrest one? What about the dealers at every other secondary school in the state??

good as a holiday?

Time to try a new look for the old blog... this one might do for a while!

long trailer

It's been a long, long time since I saw this, one of my all-time favourite comedies... have to try and find it on dvd :

christmas spirit - yes, already!

So it's getting on for mid-November, and we're about... oh, six weeks into the Christmas shopping season already. (That is, about six weeks since the first signs of Christmas started to appear in Myer and DJs, just after the post-Father's Day sales finish in late September!) That also means it's about halfway to the big day!

In my habitual attempts to a) beat the Christmas shopping crowds and b) spread the cost of Christmas over several credit card periods, I of course started my shopping early, and am pleased to note that I'm about 3/4 finished.

In a fit of pre-Christmas frenzy, I even wrapped a few pressies tonight! (Maybe it's the heat that caused that ~ I've heard that heat stress can make people do odd things).

Anyway, that put me in a Christmassy frame of mind, so here are a few thoughts on Christmas, in November :

• What I love about Christmas - I love finding the just the right (or at least, sufficiently suitable) pressie for family and friends.
• What I don't love - Opening the credit card bills from November thru' January.

• I love putting the pressies under the tree and the anticipation of giving.
• I don't love wrapping the damn things, which seems to get more and more difficult and fiddly every year.

• I love all the excitement of the lead-up to Christmas, and all the little (secular) traditions that go with it.
• I don't love the day itself very much.

• I love listening to Cyndi Lauper and the Hives' 'Christmas Duel' and anyone doing 'White Christmas'.
• I don't love hearing ex-Australian Idol contestants hamming it up on 'Carols by Candlelight'.

• And I love putting up the Christmas tree. I love decorating it, I love looking at it, I love the Christmassy feeling of it; I love it so much that I'm going to put mine up tomorrow evening. ...As long as the little plastic branches don't wilt in this heat :-P

where's polly?

I've wandered down to South Wharf a couple of times in the past month. It's become my new favourite place to stroll in the city.

The Convention Centre and the boardwalk along the Yarra don't yet seem to have been 'discovered' by the general masses, so once you cross Spencer St, it's as if you've left the city completely and wandered off to somewhere quiet and serene, like, oh, I don't know... Geelong!

Anyway, there's some terrific scenery down there... the new buildings along the Yarra on both South Wharf and in Docklands, the activity on the water, ye olde Polly Woodside, the Convention Centre and the renovated wharf sheds, views of the city skyline... it's all stunning, especially on a nice, sunny day (well, as long as you're careful not to get bowled over by one of the swarms of cyclists).

This is a photo of a reflection on the new Convention Centre, showing the Yarra, part of the boardwalk, and yes, Polly is there too!

taking the mick

I read an opinion piece by Greg Craven, vice-chancellor of the Australian Catholic University, in today's Age, in which he complained bitterly about the rise of atheism, and how modern atheists take delight in attacking Catholics. How tragic. I feel quite sad for him.

It must be tough to spend one's life teaching more ignorance to the ignorant, preaching intolerance against non-believers and non-conformists, and getting paid so well for it. No wonder he wants to whinge in public.

Perhaps there's some other Government grant that he can apply for to ease his pain?

death, taxes, interest rates and families

So interest rates rose again today, to absolutely nobody's surprise. No-one should complain about the upward trend of the interest rate at the moment, coming as it does, off a record low - 3% was always too good to last.

But I do have one complaint, and it relates strongly not just to interest rates, but to a variety of topical subjects that pop up from time-to-time and grab the public's interest. So here goes:

If I have to hear one more serious-looking newsreader or one more vote-scratching, holier-than-thou politician comment about how badly an interest rate rise affects 'Australian families', I am going to scream! Why are 'families' the only social unit affected by interest rate rises? Why does inflation affect 'families' more than individuals?? Why are 'families' harder hit by the jobs market or rental rises than single people?

Millions of Australians don't live in a family unit, by choice, or by circumstance, but these things affect all of us. The Government doles out millions of taxpayers dollars to support 'families', funded by taxes imposed on ALL citizens.

I'm sick and tired of being treated like I don't exist by Government and the media when it comes to dealing with the social and economic issues that affect everyone.

They all need to open their eyes and realise that there's a big constituency out there that doesn't fit their rosy, 1950s view of how the world should be, and be a bit more inclusive.

you never can have enough butter

Time to catch up on movie reviews - I saw Julie and Julia for the second time, over the long weekend.

There's not much that I can say about Meryl Streep's acting that hasn't been said a million times before, but she was absolutely sensational in this film. I wasn't familiar with Julia Child before this film, but the original could never measure up to Meryl herself. Could this be the first time that a real person loses 'copyright' of themselves to an actor?? I had seen a preview of this movie pre-release, but when an opportunity arose to see it again, I was happy to do so, just to watch Meryl on screen.

I'm also a big fan of Stanley Tucci, and Amy Adams (and even Chris Messina), so this was a can't-miss experience for me.

The twin stories were both interesting and involving, the production was beautiful - and it was a real pleasure to watch a film that was pure entertainment and about real people, with no artificial tension or strained comedy getting in the way. This one gets **** from me.

meander 'round Melbourne

What to do on the non-holiday before Cup Day - a relaxing day off in Melbourne...

Catch the 10:30am #220 bus at 10:25am (finally twigged that city-bound buses are currently running 3 - 5 minutes *ahead* of schedule, so made sure to get to the stop early/on time for once!)

Alight outside Crown Casino/purgatory in Clarendon St, and stroll west along the riverbank, towards Spencer St. Given that it's the beginning of November, it's impossible to avoid horsey things anywhere in Melbourne, so despite doing a sharp left before encountering the Melbourne Cup parade in St Kilda Rd, we encounter the Melbourne Cup... ummm... celebrity tents, on the river bank, outside Crown, and observe the Channel 7 morning show celebrities broadcasting their morning drivel whilst neatly blocking the view of the river.

A quick stop for what turns out to be a decent soy latte (from what turns out to be another of the 'top 100 coffee spots in Melbourne') at a gelateria in the Crown complex, then continue across Spencer St to the new boardwalk on the Yarra outside the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.

Continue strolling along the boardwalk, completely un-fenced off from the adjacent river (a situation which seems to scream 'duty of care' and 'lawsuit' to me!), passing the now high-and-dry Polly Woodside, outside the new Melbourne Convention Centre. Keep walking past the renovated wharf sheds until you reach a small sign indicating that you can descend to a new shopping centre, conveniently located underground alongside the hopefully well-reinforced riverbank; the new South Wharf DFO. Stroll around and window-shop for an hour or so, desperately seeking an exit.

Walk back alongside the Convention & Exhibition complexes, to Spencer St, and catch the 112 tram a few stops up Clarendon St to South Melbourne. Alight at Dorcas St, stroll around Clarendon St briefly to admire the 19th century streetscape, and stop for sensational fish & chips for lunch on the footpath at 'Fish and Chippers'. A few doors up, the 'Cafe Bastille' beckons for gallic-style coffee, but the mostly Indian staff, while friendly and helpful, don't do a great soy latte.

So it's a beautiful day, low 20's and a little humid... why not walk down Dorcas St, cross St Kilda Rd, and climb the hill, past the Shrine of Remembrance? After the rains of the past month or so, the lawns are lush and green like I never thought they'd be again, and ground has that fresh, damp, earthy smell that makes you feel like you're in the country.

It's so invigorating, that you might as well keep walking, around the Shrine, to the Botanic Gardens. Also refreshed by the recent rains, the Gardens are a delight in the afternoon sunshine. Stop and sit near a lily-covered pond, and soak up the sun for 15 minutes or so. Then keep walking through the gardens to the tram stop at Domain and Birdwood. Jeez, how far was that, anyway??

The #8 tram trundles along right on time 5 minutes later, and quickly gets you to South Yarra station. It's around 3:30 by now, but it's the middle of the Cup long weekend, so traffic is like you wish it would always be... sparse and flowing.

The Sandringham train shows up right on time! (Yes that exclamation mark indicates 'surprise', and will usually appear when I mention the words 'train' and 'on time' in proximity!)

A few minutes later, alight at Balaclava station. A few doors up the street, 'Lava' serves the *best* gluten-free banana-and-date loaf with berry jam (and a pretty good soy latte as well), in the whole of Melbourne.

Then the #3 tram gets you back up to Orrong Road, where the #220 bus arrives (complete with the same lovely lady driver that collected us in the morning) to drop us back where we started, at around 4:30pm.

But wait! The day isn't over yet!

After a break to refresh and rest the feet, a quick drive through decidedly un-peak hour traffic to 'Crust' pizza in High St, for a couple of the best gluten-free pizzas I've ever tasted.

Detour home via Richmond to visit the Ikea store at the only sensible time of day - evening, when the mums and kids aren't there, and cruise home around 8:30pm... just enough time to watch a movie before exhaustion catches up.

If only every day was a holiday :-)

time warp

November already? I didn't get to blog the whole of October?! Has my gnat-like attention span already taken me to the point where blogging just seems like, so last September, so soon?

I remember signing up for a MySpace account and spending a week or so learning to get bored with it. I got into Facebook, for about, oh, two months or so, last year. Twitter really fascinated me, for at least 48 hours... but blogging seemed like a bit of a keeper.

I was especially busy with work during October, so I remember often getting home and being short of time for everything, every night. But I found time to see some *great* movies at the cinema ("Julie & Julia", "Whatever Works" and "Genova"), plus a few good ones on blu ray. Daylight saving started (still feels early, but very welcome), which magically prompted me to spend more time doing 'stuff' in the evenings, when I would, in darker months, be sitting in front of my keyboard. Hmm... but I think it was my new 'project' that really stole my attention away from the blog.

If I want to keep this thing going, I'll have to find a way to combine the two for a while!