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: