Sunday Stealing Does Favourites

 I've had a very social day. First of I got to meet my friends' puppy - which was an utter delight (along with seeing my friends) Then it was out to a party, where I was overjoyed to find that there was a shed where all the neurodivergents met up, away from the noise and crowds in the main house. We sat by the fire and discussed what it is to be a late diagnosed neurodivergent. I found my people. Then their kids came and found us, it got noisy, so I drove home. 

I now know why I smoked socially - it got me away from the rabble. Who knew?

Anyway, here are this week's questions, brought by Sunday Stealing.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ...? 

1. Flavor?

Probably vanilla. If not, lemon. But vanilla is strangely complex when done well

2. Movie?

I have many favourite movies, but these three spring to mind. So, I outsourced this to AI - and this is what it came up with. 

"Yes. I found a post on Princess Pandora – Queen of Denial specifically titled “Ten films that get me”, published September 23, 2020. She describes these as films that “get me at a cellular level” and says they are films she loves and cherishes.

Pandora’s top ten films

Garden State (2004) — Zach Braff

Bull Durham (1988) — Ron Shelton

Donnie Darko (2001) — Richard Kelly

Pride (2014) — Matthew Warchus

Closer (2004) — Mike Nichols

The Boys Are Back (2009) — Scott Hicks

Henry V (1989) — Kenneth Branagh

Three Colours: Blue (1993) — Krzysztof Kieślowski

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) — Martin McDonagh

The Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) — Taika Waititi

A couple of interesting qualifications: Three Colours: Blue is described as one of her “most cherished films ever,” while Bull Durham is her go-to film when she needs cheering up. She also says she saw Branagh's Henry V eight times in the cinema.

She subsequently listed a somewhat different set of films she “never get[s] tired of watching” in September 2020, including The Princess Bride, Logan Lucky, V for Vendetta, Deadpool and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.

My two favourite Australian films are Rabbit Proof Fence and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. (Muriel's Wedding is a bit to close to my own family.)

3. Piece of jewelry?

I don't wear much jewelry, and when I do it's silver - but I have a number of Pandora bracelets. I should wear them more often. But they're heavy.

4. Place to be?

Pick one of the following:

• My bed
• Paris
• In a cinema or theatre
• London
• Any cathedral or castle in Britain
• In a room filled with puppies and kittens (or any baby animal)

5. Boy's name?

Moot point as I'll never be having children, but I rather like Matthew.

6. Girl's name?

As above, but I alway said that if I had a daughter I'd call her Freya. 

7. Candy?

Do you mean lolly - small, sweet things. Australia used to have a culture where 20 cents would get you a bag of pick and mix lollies. In my bag I would have:

• A Freckle
• A jaffa 
• A caramel swirl
• A spearmint leaf or two
• A red frog
• A jelly snake
• A Freddo
• And maybe a candy banana, as that's the only way I'll eat bananas willingly. 

8. Sports team?

The Adelaide Crows. It's the Australian Rules Football team from my hometown. I don't get other football. It's Aussie Rules or nothing. 

9. Color?

Pillarbox red.

10. Month? 

I love April, even if TS Eliot says it's the cruelest month. It's not to hot or cold, the leaves are turning (remember, I'm in Australia, things are backward here) and it's no longer daylight savings. 

Today's song:

Theatre Review: Break of Day

 The Play: Break of Day by Steve Rodgers

The Space: The Merlyn Theatre at The Malthouse

Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes

Until 29 August

Stars: 5

This evening had the potential to go awry, considering a large school group turned up just before the lights went down. I was here on spec. I saw Kat Stewart was in the play - she's always fabulous. And with Sarah Goodes directing the show, it was bound to be good.

Thankfully, the students, a group of year eleven theatre studies students from the Middle Eastern suburbs behaved beautifully. I also found out from the teacher who was sitting in front of me, that this is a part of the syllabus. 

Lucky kids. 

This is exemplary theatre. An engrossing, thought provoking, part tragic, part hopeful drama about life on the fringes. 

Pam (Kat Stewart) is a grafter. A single mum from Burra Creek, a place the NBN forget. She had dreams. She has dreams, especially for her daughter Rae (Sherry-Lee Watson), a smart kid who deserves better. Rae's aware that her mum takes three buses each way to do her 12-hour shift at the local retail warehouse where she packs goods for the rest of the country's whims. 

At work, Pam has a friend in her supervisor, Sanjeeva (Chum Ehelepola) who looks after her, sometimes taking a blind eye to her small slips. Jedediah (Theo Clarke), a local kid who's in care, and a friend of Rae, works at the warehouse as well, hoping to fund his way into college, and out of the town. 

Adding to the action, Pam's father, Rae's Pop (Richard Piper) is busy getting thrown out of his hostel and hell bent on alienating the family. As Rae tries to finish an important assignment on her failing laptop without internet, things start to fall apart. 

I will say no more about the plot. The play is testament to a mother's love, what you do for family and the ultimate choices you make when your life on the fringes at the gaps between the haves and have nots explodes. 

All of the cast put in extraordinary performances. Kat Stewart nails Pam's fight and fragility. Richard Piper's performance as Pop rivals his turn at playing King Lear a few years ago, where he was also exceptional. Sherry-Lee Watson and Theo Clarke are their perfect foil as the young, bright kids with their futures in their hands. 

Anna Cordingley's set, based on the warehouse and Pam's one-bedroom flat on the outskirts of the outskirts is wonderful, and is supported with Paul Jackson's lighting, which brings this all to life. 

Check TodayTix for seats - you can pick them up for a steal. This is definitely worth seeing. If it can keep 25 Year Elevens entranced, they're doing their job. Of the school group, the young girl next to me had to leave - it was too much for her - far too much like real life. The number of blowing noses and sniffles at the end was gratifying. 

Break of Day is bound to become an Australian classic. 

I can't recommend this play enough. 

Today's song:

Muscle Memory

 The text came through early this morning.

Mike: Do you have boxing gloves?

Me: I can get some boxing gloves. Pop into Kmart on the way home.

Mike: Excellent. See you at 7.30.

Me: I warn you. I used to train under one of Lennox Lewis's trainers.

Mike: Should I be worried?

Me: I'm pretty unfit. You'll be fine. 

I used to box. I used to love boxing. I got very fit boxing in the 90s. But other than BodyCombat and a few boxing sessions over the years, I don't think I've done any boxing in five years. 

I got a bit excited. 

After work, I made my way to Rebel Sport and got myself a cheap pair of cardio gloves, went home, fed the cats, got changed and made my way to the middle gym to see Mike the trainer for half an hour of boxing. 

Mike had a student shadowing him. Nice fellow. He introduced himself. 

"Hi, I'm Scary," I told him with a big smile on my face. 

Please remember. I do train regularly. I've strong - last night's string of personal bests last night with Chuck - Deadbugs, straight legs with a 10 kg plate anybody? 

It turns out muscle memory is a great thing. 

My body instinctively knows how to jab, punch, duck, uppercut, hook. I know how to use my knees, breathe, protect my face and keep going. 

I did my 30 minutes without complaint. It was a brilliant session. 

There is something very satisfying about the sound of a glove hitting a focus pad.

I am going to really hurt tomorrow. The magnesium drink has been drunk, a hot shower, 10 minutes longer than I usually take, is complete, and I'm going to go to bed soon.

But I'm officially in my late 50s next week. I've been going to the gym for a very long time. I've trained myself to be able to do this sort of thing without injuring myself. 

I feel intensely proud that I have had a man tell me, "You punch. You punch hard. I really wouldn't like to get on the wrong side of you."

The gym work has paid off. 

Today's song:

The To Do List

I need to have a checklist. There is so much to do, and I keep sitting here on my couch crocheting blankets. This has to stop.

Also, I find that it’s good to have a list, I have something to mark off, something that shows that I’m making some sort of progress.

Here are the things that I need to start getting done:

1) Start getting my tax in order. 

It’s that time of year. Thankfully, my tax affairs are fairly simple. But it’s a matter of getting the spreadsheet done, getting all the receipts and putting them in order, and I am waiting for one piece of paper from one of my managed funds. They said they would be out at the end of the month. What’s that happens? I can ring the accountant and get that done. 

2) Call the New York Times

My subscription to the New York Times, which I do read every day, as well as do the Wordle and their connections puzzle, went from four dollars a month to $25 a month. I need to speak to a human for this one. Hopefully they will put me on some special deal for another year at a few dollars a month and life will be okay again. I do like reading the New York Times, just to see what’s going on in the United States of Hell. At least you know everything has been fact checked.

3) Look at the mason’s books

I am the auditor for one order, and the treasurer for another. One is a 20-minute job. The other is a half hour job. I must stop procrastinating.

4) Learn my mason’s ritual for next week

Learning ritual is like learning lines for a play. I have quite apart in the ritual for the week after next. I have done this a number of times before but I have to bone up on what I need to do. It’s a nice thing to do.

5) Put a few more things on Depop

I’ve been having a cleanup around this place and it’s been good. I’ve sold a few things. There are a few more things to go on this wonderful website which helps you sell off pieces of your wardrobe. Very easy to use to, I just have to stop procrastinating.

6) Price up birthday cake

I probably should bring a birthday cake to book group next week. We’re meeting in person at my local pub. There is no cakeage, but if I’m going to bring my own birthday cake to book group, it might as well be something I enjoy. Jonella offered to make me a birthday cake, And that was very lovely of her, but I have a feeling I want something that’s either vanilla or caramel. Not chocolate. I can also get something very little, cause nobody in my book group seems to eat anything sweet after 4 pm.

7) Start looking for a new job.

It’s that time again. I have a job until the end of September, but about six weeks out I start looking again. This is not to say that where I am at the moment might have something for me after September, but I would like to get ahead of the game. I’ve started to make my list about what I’m looking for. I’m gonna get a job, and it’s gonna be great. Just watch me..

8) Start watching Ted Lasso

The new series of Ted Lasso is out. One episode a week. I love Ted Lasso.

Now let’s start marking some of these things off.

Today's song:

It's Census Night

 The form is in - did it yesterday. 

It wasn't that controversial - not at all.

I am home. 

I'm still living where I was ten years ago. 

I'm still alone.

The questions about financial status, home ownership status, child ownership status and marital status were all pretty standard - not that marital status means anything to me. Why anybody would want to get married is beyond me. 

I remember for the last census there was a lot of bluster around the non-inclusion of a question about sexuality. There was one this year - no fanfare, no hassle - pretty straight-forward really. According to AI, the question read:

The Australian Bureau of Statistics includes a sexual orientation question on the census for people aged 16 and older. 

The exact wording asks: "How does the person describe their sexual orientation?"

Key Details About the Question: Optional to Answer: It is completely voluntary, and respondents can choose not to answer.

Age Limit: It is only asked of individuals 16 years of age and older.

Purpose: The data helps plan targeted health, social programs, and community services.

Available Response Options

• Straight
• Gay or Lesbian
• Bisexual
• Use another term (with a write-in text field)
• Don't know
• Prefer not to answer

I suppose it appeases the wowsers to have this as an optional question. And if you're trans, or pan, or a-sexual, or whatever you might be, there's space to write it in. 

The other question that tickled me was the one on religion. AI says it read:

"What is your religion?" on individual digital forms.

Answering this optional question is managed through a combination of common tick-box selections and a free-text write-in field.

Tick-Box Options: Based on the most common mutually exclusive responses from the previous 2021 Census, the listed choices include:

• No religion
• Catholic
• Anglican (Church of England)
• Islam
• Hinduism
• Uniting Church
• Presbyterian
• Buddhism
• Greek Orthodox
• Baptist
• Free-Text Field: A write-in space is provided for any religion or spiritual/secular belief not explicitly listed among the standard tick boxes.

Rather than say that I'm a masonic, Kabbalistic Wiccan, I erred on the side of No Religion. I'm certainly not a Christian, there was no box for agnostics and it's easier to just say you don't participate in organised religion, than say something else. I'm a bit surprised that there wasn't a check box for Judaism - or maybe it's the circle of friends I keep. 

To be honest, I think this is a fairly important question. Hopefully the non-Conservative Christians can see that they're in the minority and they can take their religious beliefs and either keep them to themselves or stick them up their bum. (Can I say it any plainer?)

And though they've said that there's a large fine for those who don't answer truthfully, I reckon there might be a few transexual Jedis who never got out of kindergarten filling out the form.

Today's song:

Movie Review: One Night Only

Movie Number 31 of 2026

The Movie: One Night Only

The Cinema: Hoyts Victoria Gardens

Runtime: One hour 42 minutes

Opens next week. 

Stars: 4

There is a hell of a lot more to One Night Only than you initially expect. I went in thinking it was going to be a run of the mill, second-rate romantic comedy. I was very pleasantly surprised, despite the dodgy premise. Yes, it's a rom-com. It's also a very pointed social commentary if you wish to view it that way. It's also rather funny. It makes for a good film. 

If you can relax into the bizarre proposition of the film, you can enjoy it. Set in our times in New York, the country has outlawed pre-marital sex. People are tagged with these tattoos which can tell if you're married or single. However, there is one 12-hour window, once a year, where the unmarried population can do the deed without being arrested. 

We then meet Owen (Callum Turner) and Ali (Monica Barbaro). Owen has been told by his girlfriend that she wants to see somebody else on this auspicious evening. Allie, who was out to find somebody with a bit of substance with her friend, is left to her own devices. 

Of course, Owen and Allie keep running into each other over the night. There is a lot of off-colour humour, some running gags, a savvy script and in-jokes. Of course, you see it coming that Allie and Owen are made for each other - and that their attraction is not just about sex. Will Travis's script has some genuinely funny and sweet moments, which let the political subversion of the whole set up go by relatively unnoticed. Director Will Gluck has directed some of the better romantic comedies in the last few years. He brought charm to Anyone But You, and a lot of fun to Easy A. He knows what he's doing. 

What's stuck out to me was that in this period of authoritarian right-wing Christian Nationalism in America, despite the dodgy tracking, you could feasibly see something like this happening over there. What made it even more realistic is the community backlash to the mandate, and as with all political protest, the more humorous the better. This part of the film isn't rammed down your throat, but it is there, rounding out the film. 

I went in thinking it might be lame. I came out pleasantly surprised. It's a fun, easy watch even if it is a little off-colour in places. 

Today's song:

Sunday Stealing: Why not just meme...

 It's late on a Sunday. Time to get the weekly questions out of the way after a steady weekend.

Questions, as always, come from Sunday Stealing. 

When You Can't Think of Anything to Blog About ... (Normal state of affairs here)

1) Describe your typical weekend, and tell us how this weekend has been different. 

A typical weekend will have a mix of the following:

• A sleep in
• Gym
• Laundry and housework
• A meditation session every second week
• Breakfast with friends
• Reading
• Writing
• Call my mother
• Go round and see Blarney
• Talk to the cat

Most of these happen over the weekend, but there's not real order to them. 

2) What food hits your bliss spot?

 Ice cream

If you're looking for something more savoury, nothing beats a good bahn mi. I go for the barbeque chicken ones over roast pork any day. And they have to go gently on the chilli. 

3) Where did you stay on your last vacation (hotel, Airbnb/Vrbo, friends/family)?

My last big holiday was in England and France. I had a mix of accommodation, from staying with friends, to hotels, to the amazing Hotel de L'Oranges in Sommieres to a fabulous Airbnb in Paris. It was a great trip. 

4) If you had a personality eraser, what part of yours would you erase?

 You know, I'm pretty comfortable with me. It's taken me a long time to get here. Maybe I'd like to tone down the depression and the rejection sensitivity, but you know, I'm okay. 

5) Think of your friends. Tell us about the first one who popped into your head.

I'm not in the space to do that tonight as the first person to pop into my head got back in contact and other than ghosting him, I'd prefer not to think about him at the moment. I've got better things to do. 

Today's song:

Theatre Review: Funeral Flowers

The Play: Funeral Flowers by Emma Dennis-Edwards

The Theatre: Red Stitch Actors Theatre St Kilda

Runtime: 60 Minutes

Until: August 23

Stars: 4.5

I love the Red Stitch Actors Theatre. They're quality. Their production of Emma Dennis-Edwards' play Funeral Flowers is everything you expect and maybe a little more. This short one-hander is extraordinary. For a short play, it packs an incredible punch. 

Angelique (Lucy Ansell) is seventeen, and she dreams of being a florist. She's from North London. To be honest, she's not having a great time of things. She's in the foster system, her mother's in prison, she's been bullied at school, her boyfriend is being needy and inconsistent... she's not had a great time of things. Her salvation is coming with her working with flowers. They give her hope, and joy and a reason to get up in the morning. 

During the one hour of the play we not only meet Angelique, but her foster carer, Sam, the feckless boyfriend, Mickey, and Angelique's downtrodden mother. We watch as Angelique makes both bad, then much better choices. She grows up a hell of a lot in this hour on the stage.

Lucy Ansell is incredible. This is a tour de force. The intimate nature of the 90-seather theatre is perfect for this play. You get to see every emotion flow over her face. Ansell's accents are spot on. I will admit that on numerous occasions I thought I was watching an old flatmate from London. 

Candy Bowers direction is perfect, bringing both the joy, despair and ultimate growth in this amazing character. Based on the life of Tottenham community leader Gina Moffatt, Funeral Flowers is a raw, lyrical and deeply human monologue about growing up, fighting back, and finding hope where it seems impossible.

This is definitely worth a look. 

I've fallen in love with the work of the Red Stitch Actors Theatre. Their work is superlative. I'll be back for more.

Today's song:

Movie Review: Spiderman - Brand New Day

 Movie Number 30 of 2026

The Movie: Spiderman: Brand New Day

The Cinema: Hoyts Victoria Gardens

Runtime: Two hours 25 minutes

Stars: 4

I was talking to a friend earlier today. She said she'd seen the latest Spiderman film. She's not seen the ones before, nor has she been a part of the Marvel Universe. 

I might have to convert her. I say this with a big smile on my face. My friend and I talk movies a lot, so we're going to watch the other two Spiderman films (Far from Home and No Way Home) to compare and contrast. As somebody who's au fait with the Marvel Universe, recommended going through from the start - from Iron Man, so you get the gist of everything. Regardless, we've both seen this new Spiderman film, we both enjoyed it, and I'm happy to recommend it for a lot of reasons, whether you're into Marvel or not. A good action film is just that. 

Regardless of whether you're a Marvel ticket holder or not, there's a lot to enjoy in this film. You do get more out of it if you've got some knowledge of the MCU - but it's not essential. 

Spiderman: Brand New Day takes place four years after the end of No Way Home. Peter Parker/Spiderman (Tom Holland) is still fighting crime with the NYPD. He's also living the life of a recluse. Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) died at the end of the last film. Ned (Jacob Batalon) and MJ (Zendaya) have had their memories wiped regarding Peter - and they've been at university in Boston. It's lonely. Making matters worse Peter's spider abilities are acting up and there is a new threat in town which the perceived good guys, led by Bill Metzger (Travis Tillman) are trying to keep under wraps. 

It wouldn't be a good Marvel film if some of the old crew didn't come back. Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) is there to help out. The scenes with Yelena Balova/ The Black Widow (Florence Pugh) are some of the best bits of the film. And of course, there is a lot of action, as Spiderman and the crew try to work out just what is going on with this new threat - which comes in the form of Jean Grey (Sadie Sink). If you're an X-Men fan, you'll know what we're on about. Also, a shout out to Jon Bernthal who plays Frank Castle - a character from the MCU's Punisher series - he's very cool. Another character who has a great arc.

The addition of Jean Grey also signals that work is in the offing to bring the X-Men in with the New Avengers films. Just watch. 

If not, you'll work it out.

What I really liked about this film is we're seeing a man who's growing up. Peter's now a young man. Sensitive, kind and still wanting to do everything to make a better place - yet he's contemplative - and thinks things out. He sees the bigger picture. This film has a lot more going on at an emotional level - and it is wonderful to see. 

Also, the clip at the very end - after the credits - is small but informative. I will say no more. 

Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers have taken Stan Lee's thoughts and run with them. This script is great. Fun and action-filled, but also contemplative. This film looks at what matters most - family and friends, and finding your place in the world.

Which, when you think about it, is what Marvel movies are all about. 

This was great. It's worth a look - particularly if you're a Marvel fan.

(And I will be gently convincing my friend to start at the start and work her way through these films. Some are fantastic, some not so good - but it's a worth universe to be a part of.)

Today's song: 

New Shrink

First consult with the new shrink tonight - shrink as in psychologist, not psychiatrist. 

I like her. She's down to earth. 

I've come out of the session with my head screwed on - first sessions are there to work out what you want, and need from the session. I'm not a puddle. Yay. 

But I've got some things to think about.

I do like the fact you need to be absolutely 100% honest with your shrink. 

It's refreshing. 

And because of this I'm going to do some more crochet and go to bed and not write any more. 

Lots to think about. 

Today's song:

About today

 I will tell you about my day - as I've got nothing to write about that either won't get me up on a soap box or bore you witless.

Here we go:

I scored a small pantry.

One of my neighbours was going to put it out to hard rubbish. It's the right size - I have a place in the kitchen to put it, it's white and in good knick. We'll haul it over here tomorrow night after my psych appointment. Finally, I might be able to clear my kitchen bench. The kitchen storage here is awful. Might see if my nice next-door neighbour might give us a hand. 

I finished Dungeon Crawler Carl

I needed the antithesis of the fabulous, but frightening Regime Change, the book about Trump's second term. Horrifying, car crash reading - or in my case listening. So, in a knee jerk reaction, I put on Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinneman on my audible player. First up, the audiobook version is excellent - brilliantly done. 

Admittedly, I wanted to find out about the hype. Carl is an ex-services firefighter who finds himself in a role-playing computer game with his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, after the world is destroyed. Donut talks, Carl is very resourceful, but he has no shoes or pants (he was outside trying to rescue the cat on a snowy night when the world was obliterated. The book is very violent, very funny and if you've had anything to do with computer games, you'll see the appeal. My biggest criticism is that the book has a lot of repetition. But there are now eight or nine books in the series according to AI.

• Dungeon Crawler Carl (2020)
• Carl’s Doomsday Scenario (2021)
• The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook (2021)
• The Gate of the Feral Gods (2021)
• The Butcher’s Masquerade (2022)
• The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (2023)
• This Inevitable Ruin (2024)
• A Parade of Horribles (2026)
• Carl’s Book of Boom (2026) 

I've read the first one. I don't need to read more. 

I hit a few personal bests at the gym tonight.

Working alone with Chuck tonight, he put me through my paces. He was mean. I did personal bests on the lat pulldown and the seated row. 52 kgs for the pull downs (8 plates) and 45 kilograms for the seated rows (7 plates). I'm getting into the realms of bloke weights. 

The cat threw up on the mat

Why can't cats throw up on the tiles. I'm getting sick of having to wash the floor mat. It covers over the phone cables. 

Nothing is better than a baked potato with baked beans and cheese for lunch.

Nuff said. 

And I heard the Dumb Ways to Die song

And felt sad, because I remember singing it with my niece, and she's no longer here. Still the best ever public service announcement - along with the dance. 

Today's song:

Today I was...

 11 a.m. I've been staring at a screen for two hours, a break was needed. 

I was in the office, sitting in my normal corral on the tenth floor. Corrals are good for focus. You don't have to look at anybody on the hot desks. The screens around the desk keep the glare from the fluorescent lighting at a minimum. A coffee and a wander were required. 

Of course, I left my desk with my headphones and phone. Work has now got an app which means your security pass is on your phone. I went down to the ground floor and looked at the queue at the atrium cafe. 

A walk outside was required. 

 I looked over at the shell of the shopfront that used to contain my favourite coffee shop. They used to do the best Melbourne Wanker coffees (my regular almond decaf latte) made by a team of Columbians. Loved that place. 

Opposite to the bunker is what I've referred to as the pretentious hipster joint. The coffee isn't bad, their Reuben sandwiches are very good, and they used to do evil donuts. The baristas wear leather bound aprons and most of the male staff have ZZ Top beards. Fucking hipsters. 

I went in. It wasn't too busy. I spied the Reuben, mentally noting that it would be there for another day. 

I ordered by coffee. 

- Hello, could I please have a large, almond, decaf latte to take away.

- Sure. What's the name for that?

- Batman. 

The woman behind the till was a little bit flummoxed. She/they looked me up and down, then grinned. 

- Excuse me?

- I'm Batman.

- Of course you are.

- Do you need me to spell it?

- Nah, I'm good. 

She/they punched my order into the POS system. I wished she/them a lovely day and waited for my coffee. 

A couple of minutes later I hear, "A Melbourne Wanker for Batman!"

- Yeah, that's mine, thank you. 

Always be polite to your barista. 

He/they gave me a quick once over and raised an eyebrow. 

I went back to the tedium that is software videos with a spring in my step. 

I think this will only work when you go to a new coffee place. It broke up the day. 

(Thanks to my friend's husband who says he's Batman at coffee shops all the time.)

Today's song:

What I Learned at the Gym Tonight

 Here are the facts:

1) I am walk fit. I can walk all day. I love walking. I'm also a reasonable lap swimmer when I put my mind to it. 

2) I am strong - and years of regular work outs have made me this way. 

3) I used to be a runner, so I know what it is to be cardio fit. 

4) I am a realist. (You might think me dippy, but I am a realist - really). 

Tonight, I had a session with Cleo. Jay is overseas on holiday, so it was just the two of us. Cleo in Barcelona, me, here in Melbourne bluetoothing her into my zygomatic arch and temporal processes (the joys of bone conduction headphones - I love them).

We had a good session. Today was leg day. It's always leg day with Cleo, but this was a big leg session. 

We talked last week about my idea of seeing a new trainer for a month to work on some cardio techniques. 

Kam, the trainer at the other gym, which I've signed up to for a few weeks, has set me a pre-session workout. 

"Until we meet up next Monday, go into the gym, get on a treadmill and for ten minutes, set the incline to maximum and walk uphill. Just for ten minutes - it doesn't matter how fast you go. It just has to be uphill."

Hmph. 

I've been catastrophising for the last few days thinking I was going to fall off the treadmill, hence procrastinating and avoiding the gym. 

Tonight, after seeing Cleo, and hence my body was all warmed up after far too many leg exercises, I hopped on said treadmill. 

I haven't been on a treadmill for ages - I prefer the ski erg and the elliptical. But I got on, scared but hopeful. 

When I was seriously running, I'd warm up at a speed of five kilometres an hour and run at around eight to nine kilometres an hour. This was years ago. A good decade even. 

Tonight I found out the following. 

1) The incline on the treadmills at Fitness First go up to 18 !!!!

2) I was walkming at about 3.5 kilometres an hour. 

3) I lasted three minutes before I gave up, panting like I'd run 300 metres for a tram with a full backpack. 

I feel soooooooooo unfit.

But this is why I'm doing this. Mix things up, get new ideas and get my cardio fitness into a better state. I know it's going to take increments and time and consistency. 

You have to start somewhere. I'll tackle the treadmill again tomorrow night. Ergh. 18. The treadmill incline goes up to 18. That's effing ridiculous. 

Today's song: 

Movie Review: Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons)

Movie Number 29 of 2026

The Movie: National Theatre Live: Les Liaisons Dangereuse

The Cinema: The Nova Cinemas, Carlton

Runtime: Three hours (with a 15-minute interval)

Stars: 4.5

When I heard that England's National Theatre were going to do Dangerous Liaisons I was looking at how I could get a ticket to London to see this. I've always loved the movie with Glenn Close, John Malkovich and Michelle Pfeiffer. I have dreamed of seeing this on stage. I would have loved to have seen it with Alan Rickman and Lindsay Duncan in the lead roles. What got me about this production was Lesley Manville as Madame de Merteuil and Aidan Turner as Valmont. SWOON.

Anyway, as I didn't win lotto, seeing this at the Nova as a part of the National Theatre Live series was the next best thing. I'm still very envious that two friends got to see this live, but seeing it on the big screen, without people chewing, being too tall, coughing and all the other things theatre audiences do, was a good thing. This was three hours that went very quickly. I loved it. 

Was it perfect - No, but it was a wonderful adaptation of a modern classic. They've taken Christopher Hampton's script, tweaked a little, made it a little more pacy and the actors got on with the job. 

The story doesn't change. IMDB's blurb reads "In elite society where patriarchy rules and reputation matters most, one mistake can ruin a woman. Marquise de Merteuil survives through cunning control. With Vicomte de Valmont, they weaponize seduction until alliance turns to rivalry."

What's great about this is the costumes and sets, which are sumptuous. There are set dance pieces throughout the play, which help it transition from scene to scene. 

Lesley Manville is fabulous as the truly evil Marquise de Merteuil. She steals every scene she's in. Aidan Turner is good as Valmont, but it's almost a little too likeable to play the role. He lacked the depth that Rickman and Malkovich have given the role. This is not to say he's bad - far from it. I also enjoyed the performances of Monica Barbaro and Hannah van der Westhuysen, who played Madame de Tourvel and Cecile de Volanges. Both were excellent. 

I'm so glad that the National Theatre film these so that the world can see these wonderful productions. Yes, I'm sad I didn't get to see it on the stage in London, but this is the next best thing. 

This is playing in Arthouse cinemas at the moment. It's worth a look.

Today's song:

Sunday Stealing Invites You To Be Bold

 I've had a writerly day. This morning, I went to an undiscovered library near the central markets and wrote for three hours - well, more to the point, I did some editing of a manuscript, taking out a heap of song lyrics (and putting them into a killer playlist) as well as mulling over where this is going to go next. I see this as a very productive start to the day. \

Now, I'm in deep clean mode as I've got a flat inspection on Monday. Joy.

Questions, as always, come from Sunday Stealing. 

Have you ever ...

1. Slept under the stars


Yes. Even better, on a mattress on the roof of my flat in London. Woke up to the duvet covered in dew. 

2. Played in a band


Yes. In high school. We weren't very good. 

3. Visited Hawaii 


No. Sorry, I've no interest, particularly at the moment. 

4. Visited Easter Island 

No, but I would like to. One of my old gym trainers lives there. Be nice to see him again. 

5. Watched a meteor shower


Sort of. I've seen plenty of shooting stars in my day.

6. Seen the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace


Yes. A couple of times. I lived in London for a number of years. 

7. Been to Disneyland or Disney World 


No. The nearest I've been to Disneyland was Universal Studios in L.A. I had limited time - it was one or the other. 

8. Climbed a mountain 


Does Mount Lofty in Adelaide count. It's not my thing. 

9. Held a praying mantis

No - why would I want to do that?

10. Been to the Louvre 

Yes. A couple of times. The last time was in September last year. It was fabulous. Still not my favourite art gallery, but it's a must see (though I prefer the Musee D'Orsay in Paris).

11. Had food poisoning


Unfortunately, yes. A couple of times. Thankfully it was over quickly and didn't require hospitalisation. 

12. Eaten vegetables you grew yourself

As a child, yes. 


13. Slept overnight on a train 


Yes. One memorable trip was the train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok on a tour. It was pretty cool, but I wouldn't do it alone. I would love to go on the Ghan, between Adelaide and Darwin one day. 

14. Built a snow fort


No. Snow is not something we have much of in the main Australian cities. 

15. Held a lamb


Plenty of times. As a kid there were plenty of lambies to cuddle. Love lambies. 

16. Gone skinny dipping


Plenty of times too. It's something I've done regularly over the last few years while on writer's retreats. There is something very liberating about mass female nudity. I find our ritual skinny dip in the Southern Ocean very liberating. 

17. Been on a cruise (day cruises and dinner cruises count)

I love boats, but would never go one of those huge, all-inclusive party boats. The last dinner cruise I went on was in Darwin at sunset. It was very cool.

18. Seen Niagara Falls 


No. The furthest North I've been in the U.S. East Coast is Salem, Massachusetts. 

19. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

Yes. I've visited Cornwall, Wales and Scotland. I identify as being of Cornish blood. I love pasties. 


20. Sung karaoke


Unfortunately, yes. Once. That's enough. 

21. Sat for a portrait

No. I've had a photographer friend take my photo, that's about the worst of it. 

22. Walked on a beach by moonlight


Yes. Even better, in Greece in the Islands. 

23. Been transported in an ambulance


Yes. Thankfully it was after a minor procedure and it was only a quick trip between hospitals where I had a bed for the night - I was fine, but as I would be home alone, they made me stay in because I'd had a general anaesthetic. Thankfully, it didn't cost a cent - thank goodness for Australian healthcare. 

24. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 


No. I've a great fear of open water, but I think I'd be okay snorkelling, if it was flat. 

25. Kissed in the rain


No. 

26. Played in the mud


Yes. Of course. I was a child of the seventies - what else were you supposed to do?

27. Gone to a drive-in theater

Yes. See above. I used to love the drive-in as a kid. 

28. Changed your vehicle's oil yourself

Changed the oil, no, but I used to have to check the oil in my old Holden regularly. 

29. Taken a martial arts class 


Yes. Does Krav Maga count. It's great fun. I also used to do boxing training. I used to love it. 

30. Visited the Vatican


Yes. It' somewhere I'd like to go back to. 

31. Volunteered at a soup kitchen or food pantry


No. 

32. Sold Girl Scout cookies

No. I was only ever a brownie for about three months before we moved to the country. 

33. Bought a used car

I've never bought a new car. All my cars have been second-hand. My current car was bought second-hand, but from dealers. 

34. Sat on a jury

No, thank goodness. 

35. Ridden an elephant

Yes. Once, in Thailand. I'm not sure I'd do that again - but I love elephants. They're cuddly. 

Today's song: 

July Reads

It's been an interesting month for reading. Once again, eight books were consumed. Some great, some not so much. 

Here's the list with some initial thoughts. 

1) Life After Life by Kate Atkinson - Audio - 5 stars

This has been sitting in my bookcase for many years. I picked up an audio copy of it, and OH MY GOD HOW CAN I HAVE NOT READ THIS SOONER!

This is a Sliding Doors type book. Ursula Todd is born on 11 February 1920. Then dies - Darkness Falls. She's born again. She survives. But she dies soon after. Then's she's not dead. Sounds grim? It's not. It looks at life, and, in the words of T.S. Eliot, "In a minute there is time for decisions and revisions that a minute will reverse." The details in this are awesome. You meet Ursula's funny family and see how her life is impacted by the smallest decision, from a glance, to a knee to a groin, to a visit to Germany. 

This is a stunning, stunning book. 

2) The Midnight Train by Matt Haig - Paperback - 3.75 Stars

I'm love Matt Haig's The Midnight Library - it's a gorgeous little book. This, The Midnight Train, which runs along the same lines as its predecessor didn't win me over as much. 

Wikipedia describes the plot as such, "The Midnight Train follows Wilbur Budd, an 81-year-old bookshop owner on the brink of death. He boards a magical train that allows him to revisit the important events of his life including his honeymoon with wife, Maggie, in Venice."

Look, it's a nice read. Haig spins a great philosophical tale, in this case, from the moment of a person's death, looking at the choices they've made. 

This is not bad - but I preferred The Midnight Library. It had more charm and hope. 

3) God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson - Audio - 4.5 Stars

This was ordered on the back of reading Life After Life - it's the second book in the series following on, yet with a different spin. This one looks at the life of Teddy Todd, Ursula's younger brother, who came back from the war after three years in a prison camp to marry the girl next door, and to get on with his life, marrying, having a daughter and living a quiet life, while his daughter, Viola, stumbles through life making some very questionable decisions which play on her children, Sun and Moon (bloody hippies).

By the end of the book, you know this family intimately. Their loves, traumas, mistakes and triumphs are reflected upon intimately. 

Kate Atkinson is remarkable. I must seek out more. 

4) The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles - Paperback - 3 Stars

This was this month's book group pick, taken up on the back of the most wonderful A Gentleman in Moscow - which we all loved. I've also read his Rules of Civility - which was also very enjoyable. 

This one - not so much. It is the story of three youth, one, recently released from youth detention after an unfortunate accident saw him up on manslaughter charges. Emmett returns to the recently sold family farm to collect his brother and take off down the Lincoln Highway to California, where he and is brother Billy hope to start a new life, and possibly find their mother. However, two other youth, Duchess and Woolly have stowed away in the car bringing Emmett home. And things change. 

I won't go into it further. It was 100 pages too long and I didn't gel with the characters, although the writing was good - and I liked the ending. There was just enough to keep me going over the near 600 pages. It wasn't for me. 

5) One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Audio - 3 Stars

I listened to this as an audiobook. I should have read it on paper - I've had a copy in my bookcase for decades. 

Look, it's South American magic realism. It's dense. It's funny in places. It's about a town that has shut itself away from the rest of the world. I've been told that you need to go to South American, particularly Columbia to really understand it. Lots of people get shot. I only half got it. 

Garcia Marquez won a Nobel Prize for literature. I think if I ever go back to this I will need to read it on paper. It doesn't lend well to the audiobook format (Toni Morrison is another who I have the same feelings about audio versus paper.) I am, however, glad I've tackled this. 

6)  When Words Fail Us by Stan Grant - Hardback - 4 Stars

This slim volume of essays written for the Simone Weil lectures is expansive in its though. I was blown away by the talk Grant gave at the Wheeler Centre a few weeks back, and was interest to delve into this. It reinforces what he said in his talk. It's very thought provoking. 

As non-fiction goes, particularly if you have an interest in philosophy, it's worth a look. Stan Grant is brilliant. 

7)  The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff - Audio - 4.5 Stars

I picked this up on spec on Audible on one of their sales and loved every minute of it. 

The Simon and Schuster website describes the plot as such:

"One family. Four generations. A secret son. A devastating addiction. A Texas family is met with losses and surprises of inheritance, but they’re unable to shake the pull back toward each other. 

Ryan and Lillian Bright are deeply in love, recently married, and now parents to a baby girl, Georgette. But Lillian has a son she hasn’t told Ryan about, and Ryan has an alcohol addiction he hasn’t told Lillian about, so Georgette comes of age watching their marriage rise and fall.

When a shocking blow scatters their fragile trio, Georgette tries to distance herself from reminders of her parents. Years later, Lillian’s son comes searching for his birth family, so Georgette must return to her roots, unearth her family’s history, and decide whether she can open up to love for them—or herself—while there’s still time.

Told from three intimate points of view, The Bright Years is a tender, true-to-life debut that explores the impact of each generation in a family torn apart by tragedy but, over time, restored by the power of grace and love."

This is fabulous. The perfect book group book. Sure, it has themes of addiction and domestic violence, but this is perfectly pitched and exquisitely written. It comes recommended. 

8) Regime Change by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan - Audio - 4 Stars

The second non-fiction book of the month, and this is important reading. 

I'll admit to being a political animal who's over the situation in America. Swan and Haberman write for the New York Times. This is meticulously researched and written with the highest values of journalistic integrity. It's maddening, irritating and jaw-droppingly gobsmacking and terrifying how low these people in power can go. If Trump were your grandfather, you'd have him committed to a secure ward. 

I'm glad I've read it. It reads incredibly well. Essential reading if you a politics buff. 

Today's song:

Vale Glen Hansard

This has been a shite of a year when it comes to celebrity deaths. On the heels of Sam Neill and Brenda Blethyn, news came through that Glen Hansard had died after being taken in a motorcycle accident. 

You might say, "Who's Glen Hansard?"

I say he was this amazing Irish singer, composer and music luminary who's worked on everything musical that's come out of Ireland. He was down to earth, incredibly talented, humble and an all-round great bloke. 

The first time he registered was in The Commitments. He was the guitarist. You knew he was there, giving weight to this great film. In this clip, he's the baby ginger. 

He wrote and performed in the incredible film Once - which was then turned into a stage musical. This is a film, loosely based on Hansard's time as a busker in Dublin, where the music takes over every part of your body. If you haven't seen it, hunt it out. He won an Oscar for Best Song in 2008. 

He's the musician who led the tribute to Shane McGowan at his funeral. 

Hansard was a musician's musician. Talented, generous, wonderful. 

He used to busk for charity down Grafton Street every year, long after he needed they money. 

His death has hit hard. He's an artist I've hunted out for years, since seeing Once and being blown away. By seeing how he melded into the Irish music scene - ever present, ever supportive, incredibly talented.  He leaves a wife and three-year-old child. He was 56-years-old.

Rest well. Mr Hansard. Thank you for the joy you've brought the world. 

Today's song: 

Sorted

 Well, the gym membership has been sorted. I marched into the gym tonight and saw Chuck. I told him that I was auditioning gyms, but ultimately, I would go where he goes. I told him about the sessions that I’m having at a gym near home.

“I’m sorted,” he told me. 

“Already?”

“I’m off to Gym 24/7,” he says proudly. 

“Thank heavens for that.”

Of the gyms I’ve seen, this is my preferred location. And it’s cheap.

And okay, it doesn’t have ski ergs or TRXs or classes, But it’s five minutes' walk from my front door, it’s got a good atmosphere, and some other things that I think I’ll like. The dry sauna, the reformer beds, and the various areas for training are really good. It’s going to feel strange to be broken up with Fitness First, I’ve been going to that gym for 18 years, consistently two, three, four times a week. 

I think about the fact that it’s been 18 years, and I’m really quite proud of that. 

At least, there is a way forward. And Chuck was his normal bastard self, making me do all sorts of things at a heavier weight. He's a bad man. It's why I pay him. 

And this is why I like training.

Today's song: 

Gym Auditions Part II

Have you got any idea how many gyms there are in the Richmond/Abbotsford area. A stupid, crazy number, and that's not counting the yoga and pilates studios and other health aligned businesses. 

Tonight was the audition for gym number two - with a difference. 

The local Duke's Gym was my check out place. I made an appointment for a check in with a trainer. They also had a deal on - join for four weeks and see a trainer for free twice a week for four weeks. I've got some fitness goals, and as Jay is away for a few weeks, I can see myself kick some different goals. No joining fee. No cancellation fees. 

The poor bloke. I'll call him Mike. He got me after the Ritalin had mostly left my system, so he got full Pandora in Leo mode. 

I said I'd join for the four weeks. I could use somebody, who didn't know me, to kick my bum on some cardio goals - which my other two trainers don't do. (They're cardio averse). Treat it like a reset - and I'll keep my normal workout regime for weights and strength. 

Mike is lovely. He also said that 80% of his clients were perimenopausal and menopausal women - so he's used to dealing with stroppy, loud, bolshie women.

Anyway, here are the pros and cons. 

Pros:

• It's a five-minute walk from home
• 24/7 access
• $19 per week (Not as good at Gym 24/7, but still not bad)
• Modern equipment
• Normal people
• Clean and well maintained
• A women's only area

Cons:

• Less equipment than Gym 24/7
• No recovery area
• No ski ergs or TRXs
• No classes

I won't joining this one (unless Chuck comes here, but I doubt that will happen) but as a cardio gym for the next couple of weeks, I'm good with that. 

Here's to kicking some cardio goals in the next few weeks. 

Today's song:

Gym Auditions

It's started. 

Auditioning for a new gym. I haven't done this for nearly twenty years - but I'm being a grown up and starting to look at my options. I can't function without a gym - and forewarned is forearmed and it's good to see that there are some choices that can be made. 

Also, I'm fairly sure I'll go with Chuck, wherever he goes - because he's great and I don't want to lose him. I also wrote a stroppy letter to Fitness First thanking them for wrecking a community - which is what is happening. I was at the gym this evening and caught up with some of the community. We all feel the same way. I'm getting the odd call from gym buddies. We're all in the same boat. Disliking the schlep, lack of parking and prominence of posers at the Church Street sight. 

Today, I had a look at the gym around the corner. Gym 24/7. 

Pros

• It's five-minute walk away. 
• At $14 a week it's economical
• It's open 24/7
• It's not too busy.
• I know a couple of the trainers who work there
• It's got a lot of equipment which appears to be well maintained
• There's a recovery room with massage chairs and infrared saunas that you can book. 
• Not that I need it, but the on-street parking is not bad
• And there seems to be lots of normal people in there. 

Cons:

• There are no TRX bands (from what I could see - and I love the TRX)
• There are no Ski Erg rowers (I like them).
• I know a couple of the trainers who work there
• There are very limited classes (Jay likes classes - me, not so much)

In all, it's not a bad option. 

I'm auditioning another one tomorrow night. 

Today's song:

Too Tired

 Donated blood today. 

All good - no issues. Just a bit tired. 

Can't be bothered writing. Just want to go to bed.

Will find something to write about tomorrow.

I should finish the review of the play I saw on Friday. (It has been nice to take a break from looking at screens, to be honest). 

Today's song:

Sunday Stealing Adjusts for Inflation

 I'm not thrilled with this week's questions. They're not my cup of tea - but that's okay. It's lovely that somebody sets the questions every week, and for this I'm grateful. 

According to the blurb it says: 

Back in 2007, Sparky Duck at Philly Transplant played the $50,000 Meme. That was nearly 20 years ago. To make it more relevant to our day and age, it's been updated and is now the ...

The $80,000 Meme

Premise: A philanthropist awards you USD $80,000 with the stipulation that you must spend half on yourself and half for the benefit of others. This translates to around AUD 114,000.

Questions, as always, come from Sunday Stealing. 

1. Of the $57,000 you must spend on yourself: 

a. First you throw yourself a lavish birthday party. Tell us about it. 

If I'm honest, I'd take a few friends to Paris, business class flights, for a few weeks. No party, just hang out in Paris, in style. That sounds like fun. 

b. Then you take off on a cruise. Where are you headed?

You have two chances of getting me on a traditional cruise. None and f*ck all. 

If it was a small charter cruise then either a luxury cruise around Australia's top end, or may down the Croatian coast - but it would have to be a small boat with fewer than 50 people on it. Cruises sound like a fantastic way to get COVID or gastro. They're not my thing, even though I love boats. 

2. Of the $57,000 you must spend for the benefit of others: 

a. Who would be on your gift list? What would buy them?

It's too late to think about this stuff. I'll give the money to charity. Most of my friends have everything they want and need, thank goodness. 

b. Which charities would you support?

Here are some of the charities who would receive money from me:

• The Leukaemia Foundation
• Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation
• The Fred Hollows Foundation. 
• Planned Parenthood
• Canteen
• Go Gentle Australia
• And an animal charity of some description - Lort Smith Animal Hospital / RSPCA

Today's song:

Theatre Review: Uncle Vanya

The Play: Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov adapted by Joanna Murray-Smith

The Company: Melbourne Theatre Company

The Space: The Playhouse at the Arts Centre

Runtime: Two hours 15 minutes

Until 22 August

Stars: 4

Uncle Vanya is a favourite play of mine. I know I'm not a fan of Russian literature - but Uncle Vanya is the bomb.

I saw Derek Jacobi in the title role in London in the 90s. Andrew Scott made it a one-man show in London three years ago, which I enjoyed immensely. And of course there's the 1994 film version, Vanya on 42nd Street, which you can view on Youtube. Adapted by David Mamet, directed by Louis Malle and having Wallace Shawn, Julianne Moore and Brooke Smith in the cast (among others) it's amazing, and well worth the watch. 

This version of Uncle Vanya has been adapted by Joanna Murray-Smith, one of Australia's leading playwrights. Nothing has changed other than some of the language has been updated from a more staid version, to adding bits of Australian vernacular - and it is great. It's one of the good things about working in translation. 

The story doesn't change, the themes staying as universal as ever. Familial duty, unrequited love, family dynamics. Vanya (Daniel Henshall) and his niece Sonya (Philippa Northeast) live on the family farm with their mother (Carolyn Bock). When Vanya's brother Serebryakov (Sean Micallef) and his beautiful young wife Yelena (Catherine Van-Davies) come, all hell breaks loose. Along with a regular visitor, Dr Astrov (Fayssal Bazzi), Vanya is in love from afar with Yelena. Sonya, plain and proud, is in love with the doctor. And Nanny (Evelyn Krape) and indentured servant Telyeghin (Don Bridges) are there to keeps some order and provide a little comic relief. 

A couple of days on, I'm still thinking about this. It's a solid production. Joanna Murray Smith's tweaks have made it even more approachable. I like this odd Australianism in the dialogue. 

My only reservation with this was a little bit of overacting but considering we saw it very early in the season, these blips will be ironed out. Anne-Louise Sarks direction is sound - and the set, which uses all of the Playhouse stage, is something to behold. The stagehands deserved their applause at the end as well - they are busy during this performance. 

In all, this is worth seeing. Not everybody is going to love this play like I do (and I still recommend watching Vanya on 42nd Street - it's a great movie) but the MTC have done another sterling job with this. 

Today's song:

All Hail Pam the Bird

 Walking to the office on Wednesday, I looked through the Docklands wind tunnel that leads to Marvel Stadium and looked at the twin columns of the Bolte Bridge. They often remind me of Twin Towers in New York, but they're slimmer and shorter and they're holding up a bridge that you have to pay to use. 

One thing that brightened me up - Pam the Bird. 

For the last few years, Pam has been turning up in all sorts of strange places. On factory walls, the back of road signs, on the sides of buildings. People, particularly in the West, keep an eye out for her. 

Technically, she's graffiti. But as graffiti goes, she's a happy little (big) sod who brightens people far more than any tag or cock and balls will every do. 

My other thought about her arriving on the Bolte was how the hell did anybody scale the 140 metre column and paint her on overnight? Unfortunately, the artist was found sitting on top of the pylon first thing in the morning, paint in hand. 

He's been charged with a litany of offences. 

The powers that be started painting over her today. They say that it's going to cost around $100,000 to remover her, also saying that it should be 10 degrees warmer so the paint sets properly (Sounds like elements of Trump's botch job on the Reflecting Pool in Washington.)

Regardless, I know she's graffiti, but I reckon she's art. She makes people feel something. She's inoffensive (if a little inconvenient) She's unexpected. And I wish she could stay.

Bless her. 

Today's Song:

Too Miffed to Write

 I was going to find something to write about. Something that got my goat up. Pauline Hanson. Not writing. Being stuck in front of a screen all day. Getting rained on as I walked out of work at 5.15. 

Nope. 

Tonight we found out that the gym is closing. 

My lovely community gym that I've been going to for 20 years. My wonderful gym that has normal people in it. It's always been like this. Posers don't go to my gym, which is tucked behind a shopping centre, out of sight and mind. There's not an influencer to be seen. The same people go week in, week out. Some I've known for over a decade. Jay and I are the scary birds who put many men to shame with the weights we lift. We know the receptionist and trainers. It's great. 

And they're bloody closing it. It's not a part of their 'brand' which is now high-end and marketed to the poser/influencer types who want to film themselves with their ring lights. The nearest we get to a camera is when we talk to Cleo in Barcelona as she gives us orders on what to train next. 

And sure, the writing has been on the wall for a while. Diminishing classes, staffed hours, the lack of maintenance, but still, my convenient gym, which has well-lit access and great parking, is closing. 

So, what will I do after 21 August - which we're told is the last day the gym is open - I do not know. 

I feel I'll end up wherever Chuck plants himself. Chuck's my Wednesday trainer and he's done wonders for me - I'm more flexible and stronger under his tutelage. He's one of the best trainers I've had - and I want to keep him. He only got the news at lunchtime, so he's looking at what's best for all his clients. I'll have a chat to Hamish, who's been at the gym as long as I have - see what he's doing. I think he and his girlfriend will follow Chuck too.

I mean, there's the other Fitness First site down Church Street, but getting there is a bastard as you often get stuck behind a tram, the parking is variable and it's full of posers. 

There's the 24/7 gym on Victoria Street where some of the old trainers from where I am now train. It's a bit cheaper and easy to get to, but a bit smaller.

Richmond has a plethora of gyms, but this has been my gym for 20 years. It's my haven, my home. 

And it will all work out, because whatever happens, I need to have access to a gym because it's cheaper and easier to work out than to take anti-depressants and go to therapy. And it keeps my arse harder than a breeze block. 

I'm just pissed off. It's the end of an era. 

Today's song: 

A Piece of Architecture

 I have a masonic job to do tonight. 

Writing a piece of architecture.

Eh?

It's mason's talk for a short talk. I won't go into why it's called what it's called, but the Grand Poobah called (not the official name, but The Flintstones made it popular, so I'll use it) and asked if I could string together a five-minute talk about stuffs. 

In the past, I've done talk on things like Masonry and Tarot - which happily go hand in glove. I've done talks on conferences I've attended - all sorts of things. 

This time around, I'm going to bring in the chat I went to the other night, with Stan Grant talking about his book When Words Fail Us. 

I should have known this was going to happen. When something triggers you, it will come back to bite you in Masons.

While I was sitting there listening to Grant, my head was pinging all over the place. Grant has a Doctorate in Theology. He's also a veteran journalist and writer, and activist and all-round deep thinker. His talk the other week was on the philosophies of Simone Weil, communication and silence.

The talk was awesome, but there were a few things that set me off on various paths. Underpinning the talk was Simone Veils philosophies, particularly around life and silence. This is interesting also how both Grant and Veil see silence as a way to truth - not through complicity, but by allowing we in the human condition to actually listen and absorb rather than judge. 

Then, my monkey mind starts to think about masonic ritual, and how silence is used there. 

Anyway, I'm trying to gather my thoughts as to what I'm going to say on Sunday. 

Oh, what fun!

Today's song: 

When You Don't Like The Book - One Hundred Years of Solitude

Some books you have to be in the mood for. Some books deserve to be read on paper, rather than by audiobook. Some books have been sitting in your bookshelf for years and you've never got around to reading them. 

Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude is one such book. 

I know exactly where it is on my bookshelf (sitting next to Love in a Time of Cholera) behind my hairbrushes, near the Rushdies and Atwoods. I've had it for well over 20 eyars. Who knows where I picked it up, but it is there. Unlike the Rushdies and Atwoods, I've looked at these books and never got further than page 30. 

This time I tried listening to One Hundred Years of Solitude. 

I know it's a good book. I know it's a great book. I get that people have this as their favourite book - but I'm not going to be one of them. 

There's a few things I know. For one, I'm not really big into magic realism. It's okay - and a little bit of light literary magic realism is fine. I love the way Salman Rushdie does it. Laura Esquivel is another who uses this literary trope well. Gabriel Garcia Marquez is next level. A lot of South American authors use it - and along with the foreign-ness of it all, it makes it hard to navigate the next. 

The more I got into it the book, the more I got it. Keeping track of all the characters, most of whom had similar names, but with differing circumstances was hard. 

In the end, I got the point that keeping a village away from everything for a hundred years, letting little in or out is going to be bad for the town. 

I also get that the book is covering up a heap of political unrest, junta action and all sorts of things somebody living in Australia will never gel with. 

I read one comment that said, "Come to Colombia, you will then understand."

Interesting thought. 

For me, I reckon in a year or so, I should pull out the paper copy and wade through it again, on paper, using different synapses - maybe then I'll understand what I read a little more. 

(and before you ask, the writing, even in translation, is delicious - it's also very opaque.)

Maybe I'll get back to James Joyce's Ulysses....

Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment. 

Today's song:

Movie Review: The Odyssey

 Movie Number 28 of 2026

The Movie: The Odyssey (in 70 mm format)

The Cinema: The Rivoli

Runtime: Two hours 52 minutes

Stars: 5

I was tossing up whether to see this. 

Really.

I'm also coming at this from a different perspective than most people, as, see, my bachelor's degree is in Classical Studies. I've read The Odyssey a couple of times, that epic poem of Homer's that provides the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, who is trying to make his way back home from the Trojan Wars, but after royally pissing off Poseidon, it takes him another ten years to get back. I wouldn't call myself a purist, but it gives you a different view on things. Jay said she was going, I said I'd come along, particularly as it was showing in the 70 mm format. 

Surprise number one for me - how much I could remember from university. 

Surprise number two. This was excellent. 

It's a long film. Nearly three hours - but they go by quickly. (If you need to take a pee, near the end of the second hour when he's on the beach with Calypso - nip out then).

To go into a bit more detail, at the start of the film, Odysseus (Matt Damon) in on a beach with Calypso (Charlize Theron) wondering how he's going to get home. He has no idea where his crew are or how long he's been there. 

Meanwhile, back on Ithaca, Odysseus's wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) is trying to keep things out of the hands of some suitors, who've basically moved in. Their son, Telemachus (Tom Holland) is forced to go out to try and find his father, while the chief suitor, Antinous (Robert Pattinson) keeps making a play for Penelope. Eumaeus (John Leguizamo), a loyal servant keeps watch over the place, with Odysseus's loyal dog, Atlas (I've always had a soft spot for the dog).

From here, we look back on the sacking of Troy, meeting up with the Cyclops, going onto Circe's Island (A brilliant Samantha Morton), going to Hell to talk to Tiresias, facing off with Scylla and Charybdis, then being one of the Lotus Eaters with Calypso. 

Finally, after being away for 20 years, he makes it back to Ithaca, only to have to fight off the suitors. 

Looking at this now, the lessons of the story are all there, but they're not shoved down your throat, which is good. The fight scenes are brutal too. At times, this isn't an easy watch. 

I'm glad I saw this in the 70 mm format. Made for the IMAX format, any way you can see this in the biggest screen you can is a bonus. You get to see so much more detail. It's very cool. I'm also told that the IMAX cinema in Melbourne is one of the few in the world that has the technology to show this as intended - but seats are hard to come by and are over $50 for the screening. 

Christopher Nolan has adapted the original epic poem as well as directed this monster of a film - and it's been done with the same grace, detail and excellence as his other films. Sure, it's nothing like Tenet, Inception, The Batman or Oppenheimer - but it has most of Nolan's hallmarks. Great settings, a forboding soundtrack, composed by Ludwig Goransson, with whom he worked with Nolan on Oppenheimer. The cinematography is phenomenal too.

To coin a pun, this is EPIC. 

Bravo, Mr Nolan. 

And no, you don't need a degree in Classics to understand or enjoy this. It's film making at it's best.

But remember - the bigger the screen, the better. You want to take this in and savour it for what it is - a great film, done well, with a superb cast.

Today's song: