Five Observations

They are a few people on the bus that don’t give a damn about old people having to stand while the fresh young thing sits in his seat with the ‘doff doff’ of his iPod annoying everyone.

There are some really wide girls out there who make some really bad fashion decisions.

The South African guy who works in my office is an aggressive arsehole who steals the work supplied newspapers everyday.

There was policeman at the bottom Forvaux Street at lunchtime with a speed camera hiding behind an unmarked car. For those that don’t know, Forvaux is the steepest hills around that even the fittest person avoids having to walk up and cars can’t helping speeding just a little on the way down. Hands Up anyone who thinks City of Sydnay is down in revenue this month.

This has been really long week and I’m glad hump day is more than half way over.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Hinder with Small Mercies
Luna Park Big Top
4th October

In June I booked my tickets to see Hinder on my birthday. The fourth's my birthday you see, and I wanted to see a band that I liked on the day I officially became middle aged. So I thought a US rock band with a passion for foul language and a rather nice song about an affair was the way to go.

I arrived at Luna Park just after 7.30 with my mates, Small Mercies had just started playing. After I’d had my mints throw away by security (no food allowed, since when did mints make a meal?) and a bright orange band confirming that I was over 18 secured around my wrist I was allowed to go and watch and listen to the music.

Small Mercies, a band from Brisbane are travelling around Australia and making quite a name for themselves. With a deep guitar sound and a lead singer that can sing rather than relying on shouting, they had the audience captivated. They sang about being ‘Innocent’ and looked anything but. There was the guitarist in a black t-shirt and bleached hair tips, the drummer with longish hair dressed in jeans with a black t-shirt and the singer was of course, wearing khaki. The crowd loved them and I thought for one minute that they may even come back for a second go, but that just isn't done by the support. Shame really.

After a short break and quick change of instruments, the lights faded, everyone cheered, then the lights came back up again. Everyone booed! The house technicians having worked out how to use the lights, turned them down again and Hinder appeared on stage.

Something I have been noticing about gigs is the diversity in the audience. There are old girls, old boys with biker beards, young fellas wearing jeans showing a bit of butt crack and girls with blonde streaks dressed in more bling than Mr T. With a band like Hinder I would have expected black shirts and jeans, maybe the odd girlie on account of their flame burning Lips of an Angel hit. But this crowd was a diverse as it could get.

Lead singer Austin Winkler was wearing jeans and a waist coat with a beige scarf, his hair was hanging over his face and as he screamed ‘Hello Sydney’ he did a little jump and upsided the mic stand. Very Rock’n’roll. Through out the set he looked like he didn’t know what to do with his arms. He would put them up in the air, down by his sides and do the little teapot. He looked just like sixties Mick Jagger.

The guitarists Joe ‘Blower’ Garvey and Mark King and bassist Mike Rodden moved around the stage freely dancing with the crowd and Austin. The drummer, Cody Hanson, was of course, hidden at the back. They worked their way through their album starting with ‘How Long’, ‘Better than Me’ and ‘Homecoming Queen’ before playing a slower, acoustic new song. It sounded ok, but the sound in the Big Top, may be suited to dance parties a little better than rock gigs, I hardly heard a single spoken word unless it was shouted/and or a swear word.

You could clearly see the Aerosmith and The Rolling Stones influences in their performance, but that at no point diminished the overall effect. They had the audience in the palms of their hands for the duration. They threw the odd momento into the waving arms and played the whole of the Extreme Behaviour’ album. They saved ‘Get Stoned’ and ‘Lips of an Angel’ for the encore and closed on an up note. The audience called for a second encore, only to be disappointed. No doubt the band had already started celebrating Mark’s birthday backstage. Beers all-round!

Not so Happy Joy Joy

On Friday night, Edna and I went to the State Theatre to see Dead Man Walking. An opera based on the book by Sister Helen Prejean that has also been a movie with Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn.

After trying to get rid of the spare tickets we had (two people committed to go but then pulled out without reimbursing Edna), we made our way into the theatre and managed to get ourselves seats in the front row of the dress circle. Sweet.

The opening scene was two youngsters canoodling on the stage in the buff, then being raped and murdered. It was harrowing, but then I suppose that’s was the point. The opera is about a murderer on death row and the nun that becomes attached to him and the parents of his victims. It ended as it started with the death, by lethal injection, of Joseph De Rocher, the murderer.

The whole thing was very well done, with the stage having three floors and the orchestra sitting on the floors in blue prison jump suits. There were film flashes of real events and real pictures. Edna was particularly impressed when Teddy Tahu Rhodes (Joseph De Rocher) managed twenty press-ups while singing. I was impressed by his abs.

Anyway, the whole was very good, but made for a less than happy joy joy evening. I went home a cried.

ARIA Awards

I know this is old news now (in some circles) but i have decided it needs to be shared with those hiding under rocks.

Gotye has been nominated for five, yes five Aria Awards!

Best Male Artist
Best Independent Release
Best Dance Release
Album of the Year
Best Album Artwork

Go Wally!

On Religion

I was sent an article the other day by author, scientist and all round deep thinker, Richard Dawkins. You may think you know the name and you probably do. He wrote The God Delusion, The Selfish Gene and contributed to Everything you know about God is Wrong. He is known for his outspokenness about God and religion.

Needless to say, the article ‘Logical Path from Religious Beliefs to Evil Deeds’ sent a hum through my heart (anyone who know me, know my thoughts on this subject) and I thought I would share it with you all. I also read a couple other related articles and some of the comments (there are 700 odd).

I know people have their faiths and I respect that. I also respect people who choose to smoke. I also respect people who choose to drive fast. I have respect for most people who live and breathe on this planet. I just ask one thing;

Please don’t expect me to do and believe what you do, just because you think it’s the only way to live a ‘good’ life.

Global Warming

People bang on about global warming on blogs, in the news and polite conversation.

I’m just going to say that it’s spring, it’s my birthday tomorrow and as someone who would have always been wearing a coat at this time of the year in the UK I love the fact that’s it 34degrees outside today. 15degrees above the average for this time of year.

Just one thing though…can we lose the gale force wind please, it’s playing havoc with my hair.

Maybe it's that time of the month?

I got a phone call from Todd last night, after the watershed. He asked if I was sitting down, I was, he told me to close my eyes, I did, then he said this;

'Your mind holds on to your past, your heart seizes the present. The two must unite to forge your future.'

The clever little sod came up with it all on his lonesome.

Naming Rights

How cruel do you have to be to name your kid Wilma when your surname is Shakespear?

Netball - Step to Success

Still Growing

I'm alone in the office today so I am taking the chance to catch up on some time-wasting things. You may be interested to know the Rubber Band ball has grown since you last saw it in August from 5.8cm to 6.2cm.

Spring Cleaning

Now that Spring is upon us and I’m trying to fit the contents of a three bedroom house and two bedroom apartment into a ‘cosy’ two bed cottage I feel I need to start throwing stuff out. Hubby has been forced to relocate and it appears most of the stuff we had is, in fact mine, as evidenced by the eight boxes now blocking my way to the fridge.

I liked having an A3 laminator when we had a huge shop to store it in, but do I really need it now it’s just me?

Do I really need two woks?

If there was a help group called Hoarders Anonymous I would standing at the front saying ‘My name is Jodie and I’m a hoarder, please help me.’ I don’t know where to start and I hate throwing stuff out. Always have done, always will do.

Junk Mail

Now, you just know these guys get more than their fair share.

Monday Decadence

After a day off from drinking ridiculously expensive, but delicious, wine Todd and I got together again for a whole day of decadence. We started at 11.15 at Manly Ferry wharf with fruit juice at Circular Quays City Extra Café before boarding the ferry with 600 plus other day trippers.

After battling our way thought the throng of people getting of the ferry and instantly ordering Thai take-away in the terminal (don’t ask;-) we made our way across the street to Copenhagen Ice Cream. This was the start of the Ice Cream Challenge. The challenge is to buy a two scoop cone and eat it all by the time you get to the beach at the other end of the Corso. Of course I forgot Todd could suck start a jet engine and his ice cream and cone was completely gone just halfway into the walk. Meanwhile I enjoyed my double scoop of Maple Macadamia and Boysenberry Ripple.

- Todd adds nuts to his Ice Cream, he couldn't enjoy it if it didn't have nuts

At the beach we found a nice spot in the shade to lay out our towel. After Todd’s little accident on Sunday, his hip and thigh were feeling a little tender so we didn’t want to push things. In case you’re wondering, he came off his mountain bike while riding a 38km trial and landed on rocks, causing one of those bruises that you know is there, but you can’t see it yet. I just know in three of four days his arse will be yellow!

Anyway we sat and people watched. Trust me with it being a beautiful Spring day (29degree and not a cloud in the sky) and a Public Holiday there was plenty to watch. The old guy with skin like leather and white chest hair, the lady on the larger side of size 22 wearing a bikini and the family that descended on us and proceeded to set up a fold out table complete with table cloth, three eskies of food (including salt and pepper pots) and socks with sandals.

At three we decided to move onto the food portion of the day. We had booked a table at Ribs and Rumps and they had given us a seat by the window. More talent spotting took place while we ordered and ate, then we talked about things important to us. Okay, we talked a lot of old crap too, but the whole day was about relaxing, having fun and enjoying the food on offer. At six we had to move on again ‘cause the evening diners where due, so we walked back to the wharf got a McDonalds soft drink and sat on the pier while we waited for the ferry to arrive.

- Manly Promenade taken on a thrity second exposure.

We rounded the evening off by going to see a friend of mine perform at the Lansdowne. Wyatt was great, funny and impressive to watch as he played his guitar. The whole set was covers of songs by women from a woman perspective. He started with Carol Kings ‘Natural Woman’ and went on to sing about period pains, abuse and he even did a rather cute, sweet version of ‘Milkshake’ by Kelis.

- Wyatt tells us 'You're All Out of Love'

I went home and slept, knowing that I could not have possibly had a more fulfilling and enjoyable weekend despite less than twenty four hours later not being able to remember more than a couple of snippets of what Todd and I talked about, but that’s not the point to a great weekend is it?

1988

On Saturday evening Todd and I opened a rather spectacular bottle of wine. Bottled in 1988 the Grange Hermitage we drank was so smooth it went down well. A deep purple red with the flavours of berries and bush fire smoke. Was 1988 a bush fire year in South Australia? It was divine.

We consumed it with mature cheddar and reminisced about the year it was bottled.

We were both still at school although nearing the end.
It was leap year
Perestroika began in the Soviet Union
Wimbledon won the FA Cup Final
George Bush Senior became the US president
Pan Am Flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie by Libyans
Madonna was working on her Like a Prayer album to be release in 1989
A-ha released their third album Stay on these Roads
And Dangerous Liaisions, The Accused, The Dead Pool, Kansas and She's Having a Baby were at the movies

Love this Song

Happy Snap, Wins

I got runner up in a photo competition :)

I took this picture months ago when on a trip to Broken Hill. This picture was taken 50kms north of BH on the Silver City Highway, and yes this is the main highway. It was just one of many I took and one of four I entered into the comp.

I didn’t win anything except being able to tell people I got runner up, so here it is.

Online Ordering

Ordering anything online these days usually includes word verification. Tonight I was ordering tickets for Billy Elliot and I had to type the word in the box, the word

thrush

Martin Place

I had to go into the city at lunchtime today (doctors appointment for vaccination booster, BP -120/60 thank you very much, pretty much perfect, blood test, re-prescription and weight –gone up a little since last time) and I found myself missing Martin Place.

I got off the bus on Elizabeth Street and started walking down the hill. I had a Red Cross Give Blood bag thrust at me only to have it taken away again when I said ‘I can’t give blood’ (I might have mad cow disease according the Aussie Red Cross). Then the Socialist Alliance drones tried to ply me with leaflets about how they are going to change Australia when they get into power at the next election, all I have to do is vote for them. The Bobbie Goldsmith foundation asked me to help fill their bucket and I nearly got knocked of my feet for daring to look around at my surrounding and take in the atmos. This was all before I reached the fountain at Pitt Street.

The flat bit of Martin Place between Pitt Street and George Street was the usual gauntlet of Greenpeace, WWF, some Cancer charity and ‘homeless’ asking for cash, all this amongst many, many office workers (dressed mostly in black) all rushing headlong between their desks and food and back again.

Hustle and Bustle how I miss you ;-)

Voicemail

I picked up the voicemail on my mobile today. I knew I had a message from Todd, but as it’s normally ‘Call me’ I didn’t pick it up yesterday morning. You can imagine my surprise and belly laughs when I heard the panic stricken voice saying;

‘I’ve just had a dream about Munchkins giving me a blow-job. We are never watching a movie you pick out ever again!’

Thank You

I would never have believed, in the first years of the twenty first century that I would have ended up cooking dinner for my hubby two months after I left him. We ate, we drank wine, we even chatted while we sat in the back garden, then he fixed my iTunes.

Spring is in the Air

- Whilst walking home last night I saw this beautiful hang of wisteria and had to take pictures. The bee thinks it's tasty.

- Basketball clearly isn't played in the Spring or Summer

- Wisteria look completely different if looked at from underneath

- A single flower still looks lovely