The Band List

This year I have been mostly going to see
The Basics
The Saturns
Cuthbert and The Nightwalkers
Tokenview
Amanda Baker
Zion Band
DeBussy
P!nk
The Bawdies

I have tickets to see
More of The Basics (with Spargo, Lawrence Leung, Little Red, Oliver Clark, Emma Heeney and Andrew McClelland)
Gotye (with Mountains in the Sky)
Kaiser Chiefs (with Wolf & Cubs and Operator Please)
Hinder
Bluejuice

I may have forgotten one or two, like the guy in the The Brighton (I can never remember his name, but he's quite good). If you know me and think I forgotten someone, please let me know.

ANTM - 8:3

Challenge – Walk in a fashion parade in groups of three in Prom dresses in the style of Elegant, 80s and ghetto chic. The winner of the challenge was Brittney judged by Roy Campbell (Fashion Show Producer).

Photo Shoot – Highschool Clichés; bookworm, class clown, mean girl, jock, cheerleader, weirdo, student body president, valedictorian, bad girl, teacher pet, flirt, bad reputation.

Bottom Two – Natasha and Samantha

Went Home – Samantha 'God has a plan for me and this wasn't it.'

Notes – Renee makes excuses, Natasha has no idea what a teachers pet is and Jaslene is hopeless at cat walk, but a natural in front of the camera.

Seasonal Pussy

You may have seen some of this pictures before, or ones similar. These are OK, but some of the other are just Wrong.
With a capital W!

The other, 'just Wrong ones' can be found here.

Well Fed

The little bugger grew overnight, it's now 3.4cm. I suppose I should expect it grow after all it does live next to the pile of rubber bands and I'm sure the cleaners do something while they're here.

Mondayitis

It’s Monday and in light of me having a fairly social weekend that’s already been blogged I have a few things random things to report about my Monday so far, so here’s a list;

1. I’m bored at work.
2. Edna is unwell with a chesty problem. No, her boobs are fine, but her lungs are having issues. So I took her a heater in my lunch break and haven’t had anyone to email and look busy with all day. Get Well Soon babe!
3. I’m surfing blogs and have read a few new ones (nothing standout) but did find out that my review from the other night got a link from Syms blog…ta mate!
4. The first Ramdom Article on Wikipedia was a rather interesting piece on the song ‘Sea of Love’
5. The second random article was about Inverell in New South Wales. Never been there, but it’s just north of the Central Coast & Hunter alpaca region boarder and they hold a pretty good show I hear.
6. My Rubber Band ball is now 3.1cm in diameter.
7. I wrote a letter to my penfriend in Washington DC
8. Read an article about Wally De Backer and Gotye from the Sydney Morning Herald Good Weekend magazine, it was very short, so it didn’t take long.
9. Did I already say I’m bored at work?

/Fit In

So this makes three sets in two days. I could die happy right now;-)

The Basics with The Bawdies
The Hopetoun Hotel, Surry Hills
23rd June 2007

After peeling myself off the sofa and wrapping up warm to keep out the cold, I walked the five blocks to the Hopetoun Hotel just in time to catch the Basics going on for their first set of the evening. They started nice and slow, so slow in fact that drummer Wally De Backer didn’t need to take off his grey suit jacket until the third song in, which was a lovely soothing cover of ‘Old Man’ by Neil Young. The audience finally took some notice of what was going on, on stage when they rolled out ‘Three Cool Cats’ and ‘For Girls Like You’. It seemed that the crowd was out for drinking and socialising instead of watching bands which was a shame, because they were on form for the last night of their most recent tour.

When the The Bawdies came on stage, all the Japanese fans pushed their way to the front and jumped about with as much enthusiasm as the band. The heat in the room meant that soon the long fringes on all four band members were sticking to their foreheads in the ohh so attractive way that sweaty fringes do. It didn’t reduce the energy coming from guitarist Jim or lead singer/bass player Roy. And there was never any question of the lines of their brown matching suits being broken. From the beginning to the end of the set they played original songs including their most recent single ‘Baby Sue’, except for a grooving version ‘Mustang Sally’ before closing with ‘I Beg You’. For the first time ever, I saw a support band play an encore, the demand from the crowd meant they weren’t getting off the stage before they gave in and the crowd could die happy, but only after The Basics had come back to play their second set of the evening.

Bawdies Guitarist Jim - quite clearly high on life or something (maybe Lift Plus)

The Three Cool Cats resumed with the full crew wearing the grey suits, black ties and brown big toed boots. After just one song the jacket was off again, and the crowd started jumping in time to the R’n’B and reggae sounds. It was a shame it didn’t last. It seemed that the crowd had paid their money to gain entry to a Band Pub only to stand around and chat. When Kris Schroeder, the bassist sang a song called ‘No Winters Here’ accompanied by only an acoustic guitar the audience didn’t listen or show him the respect of listening to the song he had written and was clearly close to his heart, despite being asked to keep it down by the others before they left the stage. Granted, the song, a beauty by the way, didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the set, but that really didn’t justify the lack of attention.

They rounded the set off with more songs from their new album and even mentioned that ‘Bitten by the Same Bug’ wasn’t a favourite of one of the girls in the audience. A bit of banter later and they finally came back to do an encore of four songs. ‘Call it Rhythm and Blues’ ended the evening on a high note, just after midnight with stacked up chairs appearing as if by magic almost as soon as the last note was played. This is quite possibly the first time I have ever seen chairs in the Hopetoun, there certainly isn’t ever any to sit on and I’m sure it’s not the last ‘We’re Closed’ I’ll ever receive.

This review was sent to the Brag - Here's hoping this time!

After being given a drum stick by Wally in Newcastle, I was just a tad happy and while at the Hopetoun last night Edna asked me when he was there ‘Which was my least favourite Basics song?’ I revealed it was Sound Off and that I always skip it on my iPod, Edna said her choice was Bitten by the Same Bug. As they started playing it Wally said ‘this song isn’t for Frances’ friend, ‘cause she hates it’.

After the gig, I got a poster for Edna and she got all the Basics to sign it and all of the Bawdies. So she’s dead chuffed too! ;-)

Stand Out

So it was to be that only June and I made the journey to Newcastle to see the Basics and the Bawdies. Sally was still suffering from work miseries and felt she would be a wet blanket. Edna was required to stay at work and be bored to within and inch of her life.

After leaving Sydney at just after four we finally rolled into Newcastle for 7.30 and into the Lucky Country. What a grotty place and the barmaid defied belief. I was in a town of bogans. After a single drink we decided to go have a look at the Pasha Baulker that got beached a couple weeks back on Nobbys Beach, just a five minute drive from the city centre. It was amazing! Only about fifty metres from the car park and at just right the angle to catch every single wave that hit the side with a crashing pound. Must go back in daylight before they move it.

Back at the pub, the bands started to play after June and I had got autographs from all the band members.

Bass Guitar - Kris Schroeder

Drums - Wally De Backer

Lead Guitar - Tim Heath

The Basics with The Bawdies
The Lucky Country, Crown Street, Newcastle.
22nd June 2007

Only an hour late, the Bawdies started their set with an energetic rendition of Have Mercy. The music was great and the brown suits with ties looked the biz but the sound of Merseybeat and Mustang Sally (brought the popularity by Wilson Picket in 1966) just seemed wrong coming from four lads from Japan. They were good, very good infact and throughout guitarist Jim gave the whole forty-five minute set the dynamism that had the whole audience bopping with little care for those around them. The choreography of the band was well planned and executed precisely, all adding to the over all affect of banishing the initial jolt of oddity.

After a short delay and change of instruments The Basics took the stage and welcomed all present in Japanese. The hand written notes held still by the mike stands gave away their source and their fellow musicians looked on proudly at their efforts. Money followed by Have Love started the set with slightly less pep than the band before, but everyone was glad of the rest. Soon though the beat stepped up a notch with a cover of All Day and All Night and once again the crowd was dancing the night away. Halfway through their time on stage they sang Hey Rain. In light of the recent events in Newcastle it may not have been the wisest choice but surprisingly it went down very well with a slight sway taking over the people and the biggest cheer of the evening marking the end. With an encore of four songs it was one of the longest set I have ever seen them do at nearly 90 minutes. At this rate they will be able to play bigger and better venues than the dive that is the The Lucky Country.

Runlist for The Bawdies
1. Have Mercy
2. Shake It
3. Hips
4. Little Girl
5. Baby Sue
6. (no sure, it written in Japanese)
7. Oh! My Soul
8. Mustang Sally
9. Stop Your
10. Rosie
11. Whip It
12. I Beg You

Runlist for The Basics
1. Money
2. Have Love
3.
4. Hey There
5. Just Hold On
6. All Day and All Night
7. Second Best
8. Memory Lane
9. Hey Rain
10. Looking Over My Shoulder
11.
12. Rattle My Chain
13. If I Was Wrong
Encore
14. 3am by Cold Chisel
15. Come Together by Beatles
16. Together
17. Call it Rhythm and Blues

A Green Movie Star

Despite warnings from Trixy ‘I wouldn’t go see it again, if you paid me’ and Edna. Hubby and I went to see Shrek the Third tonight.

The story was contrived and predicable. Shrek doesn’t wanna be King when the Frog King dies, so he goes in search of the only other heir. Fiona and Mum stay at home with all the other Fairy Tale heroines (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White). Donkey and Puss in Boots tag along with Shrek. Prince Charming angry about Fairy Godmother being killed off in the last movie, goes to the Pub where all the Fairy Tale villains hangout to recruit for a coup. As I’m sure you can image it ends well and there’s a baby or three.

Even if you enjoyed one and two, avoid Shrek the Third, even if you can’t avoid the green fruit loops, the green biscuits or the green pasta in McDonalds.

ANTM - 8:2

Judge Panel – Twiggy, Miss Jay Alexander, Nigel Barker and Tara Banks
Prizes – Modelling contract with Elite Models, Cover and spread in Seventeen magazine and $100,000 contract with Cover Girl cosmetics.
Challenge – Pick an outfit from goodwill and partake in a fashion parade. Winner is the one who raises the most with her outfit. Winner – Jael.
Photo shoot – Controversial Political Views: Pro/Anti Fur, Meat/Veggie, Gay/Straight Marriage, Prolife/Prochoice, Death Penalty/Life in Prison, Pro/Anti Guns.
Bottom Two – Jael and Kathleen
Went Home – Kathleen

Rubber Band Ball

I eat sushi. And I eat a lot of it. So much so, that I had a pepper pot rapidly disappearing under a stack of rubber bands (they use them to hold shut the takeaway boxes). Yesterday I picked up something from the printers and it came back to me with rubber bands, 84 of them. So now I have about 150 rubber bands and I don’t want to throw them out.

Now as you have probably gathered from the four posts in one day, that I’m not all that busy at work, just at the moment, so I decided to make a rubber band ball. I’ve never made one before.

I will post a photo of mine when it’s done (currently it's 2.5cm in diameter).

What’s Up with Managers

After the kafuffle this week with Sally, I’m a bit down on managers just at the moment. So when Edna rang to tell me earlier that her manager had called a meeting for 5pm on Friday so the team could be thanked for all their hard work, all I could think was.

F*ckers!

Next Blog>>

Being alone and a tad bored in the office today I have been pressing the ‘Next Blog>>. I think I’ve been passed about 60 blogs and only 4 of them were actually personal blogs written in English. Many more may well have been person but were written in languages I couldn’t read.

But the disappointing thing is the amount of businesses trying to sell their wears by parading as a personal blog;

- Financial and Insurance services
- Trusses for medical purposes (I suppose some may consider them fun
- Advice
- Architecture
- And of course Sex.

I added one to my favourites - Torrey Holbrook Walker, I get the feeling he actually has something to say.

Stopped

I got stopped by an RBT last night after dropping off Edna. It wasn’t a too pleasant experience, but the policeman was rather cute, so the eye candy took the edge off a bit.

I had spent the evening swimming, spaing and saunaing with Edna and I’d had a shower before taking her home, so I was dressed in my finest trakkie daks and t-shirt. All I had with me was my mobile phone and car keys.

NOTE TO SELF : You MUST have your driving license with you when driving.

I hadn’t been drinking, so no problem there, but no license meant they looked up my rego and I had to tell them who the car was registered to, to prove I was who I said I was. They then asked me were I’d been and where I was going. Then they looked over the car. Except for a mouldy chip down between the driver’s seat and the gear stick they found nothing bad. I was sent on my way.

I popped in to see Trixy briefly (she lives just round the corner from were I was stopped) so she could tell me how well the exam she’d just taken went, had have half a glass of champagne. I got home at just after 11.

What a fun filled evening?

Protection Racket

Recently my mother instinct kicked in. Not the part that make me want babies (thank god!), but the bit that make me want to protect something good and innocent.

Sally, sits two desks away and one six foot divider from me. Or I should say DID, until she had her employment ‘Annulled’ yesterday in what can only be described as a kneecapping.

She started with the company in February as a contractor. She preformed well (I presume, I don’t work with her) and was encouraged to apply for her job as a permanent member of staff. She applied, jumped through hoops in three interviews (standard for this company) and was told that her ‘start’ date was at the beginning of May.

It started alright! Her new manager started giving her a hard time; emails every two minutes, keeping a log of her attendance, talking to her like she was a piece of sh*t, telling her, her work is wrong, but not what’s wrong etc. She’d have a go in front of other staff members, but NEVER higher management and worst still when higher manage was notified, she did nothing. I have no idea whether Sally’s work was good or bad, but nobody deserves to be treated like I have heard and witnessed.

Anyway…I’m currently incensed by the injustice of it.

Yesterday at a meeting disguised as Probation Action Review Meeting (I went as independent witness) she was handed a document stating how crap she was and how good Manager is. She was told to leave the building and hand in her badge. When she said she wished to leave the meeting and got up to go, Manager turned to HR and said ‘see, this is what I have to put up with’. HR said nothing. I resisted pinning her to the wall, as I have wanted to do for a couple of weeks now.

Today, I have heard the Manager, Higher Management and lower Staff talking about Sally, in a very negative and whole inappropriate way by slagging off her work.

Now, as a contractor I have to watch myself because the slightest rumour or nastiness about me could result in my contract being terminated. So I now have to keep my head down, my ear to the ground and protect my ample arse at all costs.

Song Choice

The Basics are in town again on Saturday playing at the Hopetoun. The night before though, they are playing in Newcastle at The Lucky Country on Crown Street.

Well, I got to thinking that prehaps it would be inadvisable for them to play 'Rain' while in Newcastle in light of it being underwater a week ago, because of the 'rain'.

Just a thought.

Last Night

Hubby asked me last night, 'What is the one gift I could get you, that would excite you the most?'

I couldn't think of anything! Is that a good thing?

Shh...It’s started!

Americas Next Top Model cycle 8 started on Fox8 last night :) What can I say...it's a vice I have.

For you viewing pleasure over the next 14 weeks we have the following lovely ladies dukin’ it out for the title of ANTM! Beware the website gives away the result ‘cause the season has already finished over there.

NATASHA – 21 from Dallas, Texas. Born in Russia and married at 18 to a 40 year old. Can a mail order bride be ANTM? Skinny and white with big hair, the shortest at 5’7”.

KATHLEEN – 20 from Brooklyn. During casting kept saying ‘You’re so pretty’ to Tyra. Skinny and black with big hair.

SARAH – 20 from Lake Zurich, Illinois. A fashion photographer, this girl knows how to pose. Skeletal with transparent skin and short hair.

CASSANDRA – 24 from Seattle. Skinny and black with dodgy weave.

RENEE – 20 from Maui, Hawaii. Married with a seven month old kid, her stomach is already a flat as a pancake. Skinny and white with blonde bobbed hair.

SAMANTHA – 19 from Pinson, Alabama. Never modelled before but was compared to Janice Dickerson, poor girl. Skinny and white with dark curly hair and bushy eyebrows.

DIONNE – 20 from Alabama. Bored the panel silly by not stopping talking, but as Jay says, ‘you can’t hear her verbal dieareah a in a photograph’. Skinny and black with B120 hair.

WHITNEY – 21 from West Palm Beach, Florida. The first black female to be admitted to Dartmouth University, so she’s smart. She’s also a plus size model. 12-14 and black with reasonably big hair.

BRITTNEY – 21 from Savannah. The least looking model selected from this season. White and skinny with short brown curly hair.

FELICIA – 19 from Houston, Texas. Looks a bit like Tyra. Skinny and black with highlights in her hair.

JAEL – 22 from Detroit. The daughter of an African American and German Jew, she’s tall, gangly and cried when first presented to the panel. As Miss Jay says, ‘...and she looks like she’s just got out of jail.’ Tall, skinny and white with short bleached blonde hair.

JASLENE – 20 from Chicago. Got kicked off Cycle Seven in the first episode, so she’s doing well so far by toning down her look and attitude. Latino and skeletal with really long straight black hair. When she talks she doesn’t open the mouth...weird!

DIANA – 21 from New Jersey. The second plus size model on this cycle. She’s white, tall (6’1” making her the tallest this year), a bit chunky with long brown hair.

Good Luck Girls!

Ewww Gross

So, I’ve been absent for a few days. Well that’s due to Chicken soup being the opposite of a cure all and the thing that finally made me projectile vomit all over the bathroom on Tuesday afternoon, twice. I’ve been curled up in bed feeling extremely sorry for myself with tummy ache, the shakes, the shivers and aching bones. I spent all but three hours of yesterday asleep and still managed to sleep through the night. I’m feeling much better today and Puss and Newk have been keeping me company.

And they are sooo cute....

Puss in pink

Newk in Fushia

A few things...

...I'm thinking about today;

1. Should we sell our remaining alpacas. Ater all we've been doing this for 7 years and have as many now as we did then. Three!
2. Why is that Hubby always decides to clean when I need to do nothing 'cause i'm feeling crappy?
3. Could the Blue Brothers 2000 be any worse?
4. I really hope Bucketty sells soon
5. I really hope my nasty dream about illness isn't a portent
6. I've committed to go out for dinner with a friend, but don't feel up to, but two others have already bailed, so I can't.

Kurraki Alto

In all the bad weather it looks like we may have lost Alto.

He was in a paddock that flooded and at this time I find myself hoping for the best (that he swam away to high ground is now nice and warm in a shed somewhere) but I know in my hearts of hearts that he isn’t.

Keep your fingers crossed for him we won’t know ‘til the flood water subside.

Alto at one week old with his Mum, Wispa (25th April 2005)

Alto jumping for carrots (September 2006)

Standing Tall (September 2006)

Weather

Those of you in Sydney will know the weather on the Central Coast and Hunter Valley has been a tad dicey over the last 36 hours. Those of you overseas may think this is all happening in Sydney, but it’s nearly 100km away. It is however raining heavily with gusty winds.

In Somerby they lost a family of five when the old Pacific Highway collapsed opening a gash nine feet wide and twelve deep. A couple in Clarence Town got swept away when the water flowing over the bridge they were crossing was a tad too quick. Livestock is having trouble keeping to high ground.

Today we attempted to go to Bondi Junction to pick up some shopping but the queue of traffic was so bad we decided to divert and have lunch at Nick’s Seafood on Bondi Beach. There was about five cars in the car park and ten people on the beach…and sand all over the tarmac. The wind had whipped up the seas to white frothy mass and the sand was being blown horizontally across the car pack. It was like being on Bognor beach in the summer! I took a few pictures…

Ohh…and the sticky date pudding at Nick’s was devine.

White and Red make…?

Edna and I went to see P!nk last night.

Ok, we were late. We missed the ‘entrance’ so we found the show a little slow to get started. I’m sure this had nothing to do with P!nk’s ability to entertain and entirely to do with our inability to stop talking about the ways boys brains work.

Throughout I think I counted eight costume changes which was the most I have ever seen from a major act. A couple of them where done backstage while the guitarist or backup singer got a solo, but it was cleverly done. At one point, you could hear her singing and it was a couple of minutes before you realised she wasn’t even on the stage.

Her interaction with the crowd was inspired. I can see why so many of the crowd were repeat visitors. She accepted a wrapped rose from a young girl; she signed a photo for another. She made jokes about how long she’d been touring and was genuinely shocked when people started throwing chocolate and marshmallows onto the stage to go with her ‘campfire’ bit. She sang ‘You and your hand’ astride a Harley wearing fishnets and a leather jacket. Nice!

But the awesomest (I know it not a word) bit was the acrobatic bit. She did a set where while singing a song she got hauled into the air on a blue net, then started hanging and twisting and flying on it as she wrapped it around herself. As the final encore she did it all over with pink ribbons.

Afterwards while I queued for over priced miniature t-shirts and a program, Edna sat on the steps and contemplated how P!nk was hot. After the six girls who hd been behind us had been repeatedly telling us all night. I think they were trying to tell the star on stage she was hot, but seeing as we were about a mile away, I don’t think P!nk could hear them.

After concert analysis lead us to conclude that P!nk is anything but warm and fuzzy as her name suggests, but we still think she’s AWESOME!

It's not just me!

How great is this website?

Prime Time

I was in the car alone last night and got to thinking about my pending birthmonth of October. It’s only four months away and was reminded of this when I asked Edna if she would go and see Hinder with me on my birthDAY. She said she doesn’t plan that far in advance. Fair enough.

Anyway, I got to thinking…

On 4th October I will be 35.

Say I live ‘til I’m 70 (currently with my BP and kidney issue could be doubtful, but medicine is always improving) that means as of the 4th October I will be Middle Aged.

Do I now have to start planning my mid-life crisis? Come to think of it, I always wanted a Harley!

Odd

For some reason in 'Yes ...but is it Art' when I put this link in for Mackenzie Crook half the entry would disappear, so I put it in separately.

Yes...but is it Art?

After all the reviews I’ve read and heard I still thought to myself, I’m going to go and see for myself, it can’t possibly be that bad.

I glad to say that all the negativity got it wrong, not totally, but a bit.

Pirates of the Caribbean – At Worlds End, was a bit ropey and far too long but I enjoyed it. I loved seeing Cap’t Jack having delusions that involved many copies of him. I enjoyed the bit where it was revealed that there are in fact 9 pieces of eight. I even laughed a bit or too. I loved the costumes again and the special effects of the crew of The Flying Dutchman. Once again Gareth from from The Office (aka Mackenzie Crook) stole every scene he was in, except perhaps the Johnny Depp ones but then even those lost a little of the originals spark. The action was great, the cast was amazing, the story sucked!

THERE BE SPOILERS BEYOND…me hearties!

It’s sad when you have a movie that is such a runaway success that the producers feel that they JUST have to make more, then go a spoil it. I like that the crew of the Black Pearl got another adventure, but really Will Turner is never going to strike fear into the hearts of sailors the way Davy Jones did. And why, oh why did they feel the need to include that Singapore stuff then kill off most of the charaters. What happened to Calypso after she was released (by the way where the hell did that charater come from?) apart from making a big storm? She didn't wreak havoc on the sailors as she seemed to be promising after she was discovered. How on earth did they manage to turn the Black Pearl over just by running from side to side... I could go on and on but I won't.

It’s a shame but I feel that even though I enjoyed it and will almost certainly add it to my DVD collection (even if only to complete the set) this one really only deserved a rating of,

2.5 flounders out of 5

Further Readings (optional)

Ok, I should be finalising my final assignment but I have to write about my last class for the semester. The class was Theory and Writing and we broke into groups to workshop some final pieces. In our group we had Songstar, Merman, Lady Grimm, K, Detective, Beetle and Flea. Of course I was in there too and we worked through the writing of Kafka, Flea and Detective after she joined us from the other group. We had a laugh and gave good feedback about how the Flea should put in the line ‘Kafka leaves’ into her story but we couldn’t figure out were ‘I need sausage’ would fit in.

The Detective left feeling a little happier, I think. We enjoyed her story about 80s kidnappings and the resulting investigation. There were no funny phases she wanted us to work in.

K’s story was written in the style of Kafka, funnily enough and the only suggestion we could come up with was maybe less Kafka style long slow passages. Other wise we all enjoyed it, especially the off the wall references to Santa’s reindeer.

After class was over, most of us adjourned to the pub for the traditional end of semester goodbye drink. We were joined by our lecturer The Poet. It’s funny, in general, how different people are in class compared to outside. The Poet is pretty much the same and he even admitted that he would have been happy to go drinking with us after every class but as a lecturer he ‘has to retain a distance’. After most of the group had drifted off (‘to complete my assignment’) it was just the Poet, Flea and I left and the subject turned back to theory’s.

So I revealed a theory that I have spoken about to Edna, Sally and Hubby at different times usually in relation to the attractiveness of those around us. I tried to say that I believe we react to theory in relation to what we are exposed to as children. For example on the attractiveness aspect, I grew up with white northern Europeans and Jamaicans, but very few Asian, Middle Eastern or Southern Europeans. In general I don’t find these groups attractive. Is this because I’m racist, it's genetic or just ‘cause I didn’t grow up around them?

I grew up exposed to the art of Constable and Van Gogh, but rebelled against Constable because I found his work nicely executed, but lacking imagination. Van Gogh saw things around him in a bent way and with amazing colour so I grew to love the one lobed Vincent and other abstract art such as Picasso, Matisse, Warhol and Pollock. Is this because I was able to form an opinion about art at an early age or because I liked colour or because Constable isn't really that good?

Book wise I was never really exposed too much except the Encyclopaedia Britannica and Reader Digest. I grew to love reading anything to the point where I can quite safely say I’m a book slut, I’ll read anything. I may or may not like it, but I’ll give it a go. Except Heidi, never read it ‘cause Mrs. Buckley told me when I was 8 it was beyond my reading age and I wouldn’t be able to read it and my Mum shouldn’t order it from book club. My Mum ordered it anyway, but I never read it ‘cause I wasn’t very good at proving old Bucks wrong. (Poet, sorry, but I still don’t like Mrs Dalloway either;-).

Music in my childhood was Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds, Cat Stevens, the Moody Blues and Roger Miller. I like them all to this day and can honestly say I love Cat Stevens. I listen to loads of other stuff and even to Nova, but I still go back the ole’ faithfuls when I need comfort. Is this because this music brings me feeling of family and good times? Is is because it's 'classic', Maybe, maybe not?

So my theory is this, we either except (and embrace) what we are presented with as a child or reject it. These acts of rebellion can make us stronger and who we turn out to be. They make us the inquisitive souls that go out and create for ourselves. They make us the people who go to modern art galleries and look at the pallet painted green on the wall and say ‘yes I like that, but why?’ These small or large youthful exposures from our parents decide who or what we are going to be.

And you still only need a licence to have a dog.

What to do?

This is my second day back at work after my trip to India. I’m jetlagged, I’m still suffering the after effects of long-haul travel and I’m severely bored. I have heaps of stuff I would/should be doing, but work is interfering. A little list for you.

1. I have a Uni piece to write. It requires I spread out papers and it’s very hard to be discrete about that at work.
2. I have an alpaca newsletter to gather advertising and content for. Thankfully this is the last time I will EVER have to do this.
3. I have sleeping to do.
4. I have cats to spend time with, they are very p*ssed off right now after being abandoned while we where on holiday, even if the cat sitter did read Harry Potter to them.
5. I have blogging to do about all the things I experianced in India but didn't 'do'. This one can be done at work, but I feel guilty doing this when I have an assignment to do.
6. My wardrobe needs sorting, yes…I’m that bored at work.

Gecko Song

As I promised myself at the start of this holiday, today I went for an Ayuredic massage. This is a traditional form of massage that involves getting slicked up with so much herbal oil you could fit though a key hole and having hands all over you.

It’s a bit different from the sorts of things you get in Aussie…actually scratch that…it’s totally different.

Firstly I was completely in the nud, except for a pair of paper pants then I had to sit on a little stool in front of some burning incense. The lady doing the do, started by pouring some hot oil into my hair and giving me a head massage, it was very relaxing. After the head, the shoulders and upper back got done and then I moved to the bed where I laid on my front. More warm oil, that smelled like molasses, was applied and rubbed in. Then I had to turn over. I was naked and had oil poured all over me. Then hands started rubbing. To say it was odd, strange and unusual would be an understatement.

Margaret Thatcher on a cold day popped into my head and made me cough, not a good thing when you’re flat on your back. So I thought about poetry – that cleared my mind!

After all the hot oily bit was done with I was covered in hot exfoliant mud then told to shower. It was over. It was a very quick hour, but an hour it was.

On to the facial. Here I had my face covered in what smelt and felt like cucumber yoghurt, then corn chips, the something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on the smell of…until it came to me and I wish it hadn’t. It smelt mildly like warm uncooked chicken that had just about turned for the worst. But, I’m guessing it must have really good cleansing properties ‘cause she used a lot of it. Then came more cucumber yogurt with cucumber eye patches. She left me like that for a while with nothing to do but think so I came up with this;

4 Poems about the stages of an Ayuvedic Facial

Cucumber yoghurt
smoothed with care on my face
curry must feel this

Corn starch packing slugs
the second exfoliate
rough and ready cleanse

The third eludes
day old warm chicken smell found
good for skin must be

Hardened egg yolk last
left in silence to compose
cucumber on eyes

It was great. Not even the screaming kids could destroy my tranquility for at least two hours after. They gave it a damn good try by swimming up and down and yelling right outside the hotel room. But I even managed to finish reading my extremely boring and storyless Uni text while ignoring them, I was that serene. It doesn’t happen often, I can tell yah! And my skin feels al silky soft.

Right now I have a gecko helping me write by singing at me from the wall above the desk. Do I really have to come home?