I'm getting my head around the fact that my job is coming to an end next week.
It's okay.
Today I went into the office, mostly to say goodbye to some colleagues, many who've been with the firm for over ten years. As I move jobs fairly regularly, the rigmarole of looking for work is something I know how to do. I feel for the 'lifers' who are now sent out to market, most of whom have been awarded sizeable payouts, but they've not had to go on the job-hunting merry-go-round for over a decade. It's daunting.
For me, I'm getting my head around the fact I'll be on 'leave' for a while. I don't know where I'm going after 1 October. I don't know when I'll start work again - though I don't think it will be very long before something comes my way. I started looking a few weeks ago. I've had an interview. I'm getting call backs. There is a possibility that I may go back to where I am if some funding comes through.
Regardless, I'm going into 'leave' mode next week. I time block the day.
An hour of exercise
An hour of cleaning/spring cleaning/Marie Kondo-ing the flat
And hour of job hunting (which gets done early so it's out the way)
and at least an hour of writing - preferably in a library where distractions are minimalised.
And ensure I have some sort of social interaction every day.
The rest of the time is mine.
I find job hunting a mind set. Good people get work. The effort is going into finding work.
It will come. All will be well. I have my Believe post-it, green candles and tarot cards. I manifest all that I need.
... that they have a list of names for the next set of cyclones which will inevitably barrel across the top end over the country for the next couple of months.
Some common.
Some a bit more out there.
One girl's name.
One boy's name.
This is an improvement - cyclones used to be only named after women, but somebody at the Bureau of Meteorology worked out that this was sexist. If we were to get really politically correct, maybe they should throw in some androgynous or unisex names to bring things into balance - a Sam, or Chris or Bex or Shae wouldn't go astray.
Moving forward, the Bureau are moving away from whitebread Anglo names too, with Ming Zhu, Niran, Hadi and Trung on the greater list.
Of course, it's the big and destructive cyclones that get into our group consciousness. The Traceys and Yasis and Marcuses and the Chrises. Names that come to be synonymous with destruction and death.
Of course, once a name is used, it can't be used again.
But looking at this list, it's a good mix of old and new. I look at the list and think that it's good that some of the names are there, knowing a few people with some pretty toxic traits. It's rather fitting that they are there. I won''t say which one.
As a side quest, this was a fun thing to write.
Now, I will attempt to do the dishes. Let's see what side quests we can go on to avoid that!
There was a large concert at Rod Laver Arena last night - a charity event for Head and Neck Cancers celebrating the music of John Farnham.
John Farnham is a legend. I grew up with him. As a child of the seventies, we grew up with Sadie the Cleaning Lady and his amazing Beatles cover of Help.
Of course, later in the eighties, Whispering Jack came out, and it was played on repeat for years. I don't need to hear his version of You're the Voice again. Like most things that are over-played it gets under your skin. It's become a theme song, an anthem - in some ways, a proxy national anthem. Of course, anybody over the age of forty knows the words to it.
He sang the lead with the Little River Band for a while, taking over from Glenn Shorrock - and yes, I'm showing my age, but this was a huge thing when I was a teenager. And Down on the Border is a fantastic song. Farnham's voice is just magic.
And then going into the nineties and the noughties there were the interminable Last Stand concerts. He was still getting out there, but things felt a bit jaded.
And now we're here. Farnham is in poor health. He was unable to attend last night's extravaganza, but the cast of hundreds did an amazing job from what's been reported.
He is a legend. His voice has shaped a nation. Unfortunately, his failing health means we'll never hear his extraordinary voice again. Yet his music lives on.
And finds a new home and way to be performed. This First Nations version of You're the Voice is the only one I need to hear from now on. Having this sung in language makes it even more powerful. I'm sure he loves this.
On this day last year, I was in Paris. It's one of my happy places. I'm 1470 days into Duolingo, having completed the course, I still practice every day. When I can, I try to get along to a French film. It helps to keep your ear in and improve your language, and French cinema is somewhat different to your Hollywood blockbusters.
Colours of Time (or La venue d'avenir in the French) was the perfect film to see. Not too weird, or heavy, beautifully shot and great fun. Sometimes, French films miss out on the fun - thankfully this one has it in buckets.
This film, written and directed by Cedric Klapisch, who was responsible for films like The Spanish Apartment and Russian Dolls, this is a film about family, and finding your roots.
The film takes place over two timelines. In modern day France, the large family of Adele Vermillard (Suzanne Lindon) have inherited her abandoned farmhouse, which has remained unoccupied for over 70 years. The large family want to do the best for all and not just sell it to developers to build a new supermarket with ample car parking. The three strands of the family choose a representative to do the work. Seb (Abraham Wapler) a young photographer, Guy (Vincent Macaigne) a beekeeper and nature lover, Celine (Julia Piaton) a stressed-out lawyer and Abdel (Zinedine Soualem) a teacher on the verge of retirement become immersed in the story of their long-gone relative, taking time and care to sort out Adele's belongings and life.
The other strand shows Adele's life. Adele (Suzanne Lindon) has been raised by her grandmother. On her grandmother's death, she makes her way to Paris to find her mother, leaving behind her beloved, Gaspard. On the journey East, she befriends a painter, Anatole (Paul Kircher) and photographer, Lucien (Vassili Schneider) on their way to make it big in Paris.
It goes on from there, showing what was happening at the turn of the twentieth century, and the findings of the family as they work out just what their great-great-grandmother was all about, often cutting from one age to the other using exactly the same background. In the 1890s, the Eiffel tower as new, Sacre Coeur was being built,,and the city had a grimier feel to it. In the earlier scenes, we meet a lot of luminaries. I will say not more on this, but the cameos were fantastic.
I really enjoyed this. It was sweet, funny, thought-provoking, gorgeous to look at and it really delved deep into those family ties that bind.
As French films go, this is very accessible, yet it's not vapid, beautifully set, without being schmaltzy and it bent history in a very cool way.
My weekend plans have all changed. The tea blending workshop has been postponed because Jonella isn't well. A movie with Blarney has also been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances - so I find myself at a look end.
So far:
I've been to meditation.
Had breakfast with the meditation crew.
Read 50 pages of my book.
Washed the cat's blankets - it's a great day for this and it's nice to have them fresh.
Done some ironing
Psyched myself up to do some 'big' housework.
and booked myself a ticket to see a French film (Colours of Time)
and psyched myself up to do some job hunting.
In all, a fairly productive weekend.
I'll get the questions out of the way before going to this film in an hour. Questions, as always, come from Sunday Stealing.
1. Your MOST overused word or phrase:
Oh, there are a few of them.
Awesome. Horrid work, normally said in jest.
Actually. I pepper my speech with this far too often.
And the F word. Normally said under my breath. Roy Kent is my spirit animal.
2. Your BIGGEST expense:
Depends on what you call an expense. My biggest living expense is rent, followed by insurance and utilities bills. My car, which is well maintained, still costs be a heap in insurance, registration and servicing.
Fun expenses include, theatre, cinema, books and holidays - all of which are necessary to keep your spirit happy.
3. Your WORST fear:
My most irrational fear is huntsman spiders. Although they aren't poisonous the creep the hell out of me.
On a more existential level, I fear dying alone a painful death.
I have many other fears, but that is why I'm currently talking regularly to a psychologist to help sort some of these things out.
4. Your BEST memory of Summer 26:
As I'm Australian, Summer was six months ago, and I'm not a fan of Summer - too hot. But this year, my favourite memory was going to David Byrne's Who is the Sky concert with a friend, who's just as big a Talking Heads tragic as I am. This happened in January. It was awesome. Fabulous night at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on a perfect night - not too hot, not raining, not windy - all weather patterns that can afflict Melbourne on any given day. I was, with a good friend and the best music ever. Superlative night.
Maybe cat vomit is a lucky charm? I'm not sure it feels like it at the time when you're cleaning off your duvet and putting the cover in the wash.
I woke this morning to an email. I won $600 on the Powerball last night.
Thank you, universe.
In the scheme of things, $600 isn't much. More than a week's rent. It nicely offsets the $700 car service from last week, which feels like a waste of money (although it keeps my careful, only lady driver status for when I move this car on. It can go towards a Gunnas Writer's retreat. It's two night's accommodation in London or Paris. Or four vet visits (but he only goes once a year, under duress - the cat is fine. Cat's throw up sometimes.)
Regardless, it was nice to wake up to. I’m also grateful that something nice happened to me.
I've just had a session with the psychologist, so I'm processing.
I would go process in bed, but the cat decided to puke on my duvet. It's all been cleaned up, the duvet cover has been washed and is now drying on the airer, the quilt sponged clean - but the bed needs to be remade. (Lucifer is on his throne looking very pleased with himself - I think this was punishment for me going into work three days in a row.)
Anyway, I need some processing time. I also want to make my bed and avoid going to get some ice cream.
So that's it for the night.
Process. Make the bed. Do the dishes. Don't eat ice cream (even if you are allowed to eat ice cream after seeing the shrink).
I got my marching orders today. The last day at my current job will be 30 September.
It's okay. I was half-expecting this. Two weeks' notice - it's in the contract. And despite there being a good 3-6 months' work I could be doing on my job, but there isn't the funding.
It's the life of a contractor.
On the good side of things:
There is work out there.
I started looking a few weeks ago.
The mood around my current job isn't great (a long story involving a departmental restructure, which I won't bore you with the details.)
I'm used to moving around and a change is as good as a holiday.
I'm good at what I do.
And something will come up soon.
And maybe a few weeks off would do me good at the moment.
And I know what I have to do.
Sure, I'm eternally optimistic that things will turn out well. I had a reasonable interview with an energy company the other week - they're still going through the sorting process.
In the meantime, I will do what I do to go find another job. These things include:
Only searching the job boards once a day for no more than an hour a day (including putting in applications.)
Calling up contacts for coffee.
Burning green candles (brings in abundance)
Reciting my mantra ("I'm gonna get a job and its going to be great" sung to the tune off John Brown's Baby.)
Refining my wants list
Ensuring I do an hour of exercise a day...
... and generally remaining a happy chappy, because what you put out to the universe comes back, and an attitude of gratitude gets you further than pretty much anything.
And once my laptop and building pass have been returned, I'll turn myself back into a novel writer in the time I'm not doing my hour a day of job hunting because it's good to use the time off productively.
It's okay. I'm adjusting to the news. Everything will work out well. I'm gonna get a job and it's going to be great.
I love these little quizzes. This one struck a chord. It's looks at autism triggers. As somebody who's AuDHD (ADHD with some autism attached - what fun!) I was curious to see where I stacked up. The criteria come from Tony D, who's a neurodiversity coach that popped up on my feed on Facebook.
And this was better than doing a post about looking for work - too tired to do one of those.
Here we go. Put a finger down if:
1. You rehearse conversations in your head before you have them.
All the time. It's normally the more 'important' conversations, but it could be something as odd as taking the cat to the vet or voicing a complaint at the supermarket.
2. Small talk drains you faster than actual work does.
Hell yeah. I try and keep small talk to a minimum. I had work drinks tonight. Turned up, said hi to everybody, gave the antibiotics excuse and got the hell out of there. I'm better in small groups. But I did turn up!
3. You've masked so well, people done believe you when you tell them you're masking.
I'm a Generation-X, first daughter. Masking is what we do. Menopause comes along and the mask drops. I have different personae for different situations. So, yes, I do this. All the time.
4. Certain sounds, textures or lights can ruin your whole day.
Do not put me near any of the following:
Flannelette sheets
Bananas
Chickpeas (when I'm not expecting them)
Soggy green beans
Anything furry when it comes to clothing.
Necklaces, ties or scarfs that do up in front of my neck.
Skivvies (it's the neck thing again - I used to get told off for stretching the necklines on skivvies as a kid.)
And I carry prescription sunglasses with me at all times so the bright lights don't get me.
I think that's a yes. It's a yes. The list is a lot longer.
5. You need to know the plan before you actually relax.
Absolutely. And being spontaneous goes against the grain, but if plan change, I'm normally grateful for the night in.
6. You've been called 'Too much" and "Too sensitive" in the same week.
In my youth, definitely. I've been masking the crazy for most of my adult life. Besides, in the words of Jewel, I'm sensitive and I'd like to stay that way.
7. Infodumping about your specialist interest is your love language.
Go on, ask me about my cat, Shakespeare, Tudor history, English Cathedrals or the modern novel and see how much I love you.
8. You need recovery time after socialising, even if you enjoyed it.
Transition time - and recovery time - hell yeah. If I socialise with more than three people, I need at least an hour to find my equilibrium again. If I get home after midnight, I won't be ready for bed until around two. This one is real.
9. Sudden changes make your body go on high alert.
To a point, yes. I think I'm on high alert all the time. It's probably why I've got high blood pressure.
10. Your exhausted from spending your life translating yourself for everybody else.
Exhausted? I know that I do this. My shrink and I started talking about this last session. I was talking about it with another friend over the weekend. I am very selective about who sees what of me.
So, yeah. Mind you, as a late diagnosed AuDHD woman, you'd half expect me to relate to some of it.
And now off to bed, as I've had enough of today and want my bed.
Do not ask me about my 'TBR" (to be read) pile. It's vast. It's excessive. And I've no idea where to start.
Remember, when it comes to books, it's not hoarding.
Yet, after a what felt like a day spent in the car - which really was just dropping the car out to Mulgrave for its annual service, and picking it up some hours later, driving what felt like a couch of a loan car (Mazda CX-5s - seriously, it felt like I was driving the Titanic after my little CX-3) I got to finish my audiobook. The book, JoJo Moyes's The Peacock Emporium got off to a slow start, but I loved it in the end. It helped dim the anguish of the $700 bill for the service. (40K services are always a killer).
I also started our book group book, Nesting by Roisin O'Donnell, on Sunday morning. It's a wonderful, and quick read - I flew through this. That too has been finished.
So, now what?
I need an audiobook to listen to while on public transport and while I'm in the car.
And as the book group book is read for next week's meeting - what now?
I've been going through a stage with audiobooks where I do a classic, then something lighter. Do I go something lighter again (as JoJo Moyes tells a great story, but she's not literature), or line up another classic? Do I finally dib into Middlemarch, some 40 years after I was supposed to read it at uni? Or get around to a Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which I've somehow not gotten around to reading? Or get onto the last Austen, Northanger Abbey? Do I listen to the audio version of Elizabeth Gilbert's The Signature of All Things. Most of these books I've picked up on sale or free from Audible.
As for the paper book, there is too much choice? Again, do I go contemporary, or find something older? Do I dib into my shelves and read something that's been sitting there unread for years? Murakami anybody? Franzen? Louis de Bernieres' first trilogy set in South America where he attempts to emulate Gabriel Garcia Marquez? Something impenetrable like Ducks, Newburyport or Ulysses? (Mind you, Ulysses is meant to be dipped into - it's not something you read in one sitting.....yes....yes, YES!
Do I find something Australian, or something shortlisted, or something obscure. It's all there in the TBR pile.
The choice is exhausting.
(After a night of deliberating, I've decided on listening to Russell Tovey read Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray for the audiobook, and I've picked up a copy of Gabbie Stroud's The Things That Matter Most - mainly because I know nothing about it. If I don't like them, I can find something else.)
I'm sitting in on a Zoom call. It started at 7 pm.
7 pm on a Sunday night.
I'm wanting to write a poem to the rhythm of Green Eggs and Ham.
I'd rather be watching The Block. It is on in the background, but it's not being watched as the meeting requires some attention. It's not a long meeting. But it is 7 p.m. on a Sunday night.
I do not like these Sunday zooms
I do not like they make me snooze
I do not like the way they drone
I do not like how people moan.
I do not like this committee
I do not like the jobs I'll see
I wish I could be somewhere other
But then I'd be in lots of bother.
I do not like these Sunday zooms
I feel I'm trapped in some dark tomb.
It's amazing what you can do with the camera off the mute button pressed. Then again, I knitted a blanket during defect triage at another job. Boring meeting, camera and microphone off.... time to be productive.
The song of the day comes from the ADHD brain searching for lyrics, because I want to be anywhere but here....
Welcome to my unmedicated brain. This is what happens when I skip my afternoon dose of Ritalin.
I'm trying to get myself back to Melbourne after a relaxing overnight stay in Sydney. I'm getting myself packed up and ready to go to the airport. What fun!
So, let's get the questions out of the way. As always, the questions have come from Sunday Stealing.
TRUE OR FALSE
1. I'm married.
What would I want to do that for? False.
2. I'm raising a teenager.
Wouldn't like to do that either. False.
3. I recently vacationed in California.
A year ago, almost to the day, I was in Los Angeles for seven hours as I changed planes on the way to London. Sorry, not a fan. It was no holiday for that seven hours. Not a fan. Not a vacation either, just a transfer. The rest of the holiday was great. False.
4. I have traveled to Asia.
Many times. True.
5. I have a dog.
I have a cat. Would love a dog, but not in my current living situation. False.
6. I received money from a class action settlement.
We're not as litigious here in Australia, though I have my name on a class action over some of an airline's actions. So, for the moment, false.
7. I've been in the waiting room when a family member had surgery.
False. I have been sitting with family waiting for the outcome of a surgery, but that was at my grandmother's place while my uncle had open heart surgery. Same same but different.
8. I have attended a convention.
True. For technical writers and freemasons. Not at the same time, however.
9. I subscribe to my local newspaper (either print or online).
True. I have a digital subscription to The Age - although I sometimes wonder why - the standards have gone down. At least it isn't Murdoch slop.
10. I recently had work done to the exterior of my home.
False. I rent my flat - that's the body corporate's concern.
I've always loved the film Practical Magic (1998). I mean, what's not to love? Witches and love and curses and Margaritas. I'm in. Regardless, I went into the sequel with some trepidation. After seeing the truly dire The Devil Wears Prada 2, I was wondering how they could bollocks this up.
Thankfully, they didn't.
This has a couple of things going for it. Firstly, this is based on a book - The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman. Secondly, she had something to do with the writing of the script was written by women (Akiva Goldsman had a hand in writing the first film). So, we're off to a good start. It's also not a carbon copy of the original film. Thank goodness.
The movie starts two decades after the last film finished. Sally Owens (Sandra Bullock) has not let her children, Kylie (Joey King) and Antonia (Maisie Williams) that they are witches. The Owens course, where none of the family are lucky in love, or if they do partner, the partner dies a premature death.
Sally's sister, Gillian (Nicole Kidman) is her happy-go-lucky self, but Sally has shut herself away from love, and to a point, life.
Their aunts, Jet (Dianne Weist) and Franny (Stockard Channing) are still kicking around. It's sighting of a death watch beetle that urges one of them to find a book that can help to reverse the family curse, especially after young Kylie falls in love and her love is put in peril.
I don't need to say more about the plot, other than the sisters end up in England and meet up with Ian Wright (Lee Pace) - an academic who has the knowledge to help them out.
As I said earlier, as sequels go, this is not bad. The script is good, the acting good, sure there are a few hiccups, but nothing that is too jarring. To be honest, I just sat back and enjoyed this perfect Friday night film fodder.
One other thing, the director of this film, Susanne Bier, has directed some fantastic films - including one of my favourites, After the Wedding (2006). It's the Danish film that introduced me to Mads Mikkelsen - it's also a fabulous film if you want something really different. Bier knows what she's doing.
I was pleasantly surprised with this sequel. It's go enough heart, wit, fun and drama to keep me occupied and engaged. I cried at the end too.
And yeah, it's about witches. I'm just supporting my tribe.
Unfortunately, the atmosphere at work is somewhat testing at the moment. We've had a spill and fill. Thankfully, as a contractor, I've not been affected, but it's been hard to be around the low energy. Another good thing is that worst of the restructure is over and my team have had the outcomes they have wanted.
Also, as my contract is up at the end of the month, I've been looking for work. There is a chance that I'll stay on where I am, then again, I may not. I had a good interview on Wednesday with an energy company. The interview was pretty good - but as this is for a year's fixed term contract, if they're actually interested, there will be another one or two interviews. We'll see. Regardless, it was great to get an interview, and if this isn't the job, the right one will come my way.
So, due to all of this uncertainty, I got out my trusty tarot deck to have a look at what's about. I shuffled and chose three cards.
The Knight of Pentacles.
The Page of Pentacles.
And The Sun.
I've been reading long enough to know these are good cards. At a base level, money is coming in. I have to keep at it and know that I'm being looked after.
I also ran the cards through ChatGPT - interested in their take on things. This is what it came back with:
That’s a very positive three-card pull. All three cards point toward steady progress, practical effort, and ultimately a happy or successful outcome.
🌱 Page of Pentacles — The beginning
The Page of Pentacles is about a new opportunity with real potential. It can represent learning, starting something practical, receiving an offer, or deciding to invest time and energy into something that could grow.
The Page says: pay attention to what is being offered to you, even if it seems small at first.
It’s an earthy, grounded card—less about wishful thinking and more about “What can I actually build from this?”
🐎 Knight of Pentacles — The journey
The Knight takes the Page's initial idea and says stick with it.
This is probably the clearest card in the deck for slow and reliable progress. It suggests patience, consistency, responsibility and doing things properly rather than rushing.
Together, the Page and Knight are particularly interesting: something starts as an idea or opportunity, then becomes something tangible through persistence.
There may not be dramatic overnight changes. Instead, you're being encouraged to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
☀️ The Sun — The outcome
And then you get The Sun, one of tarot's most unequivocally positive cards.
It represents joy, clarity, confidence, success, vitality and things coming into the light. Something that may currently feel uncertain can become much clearer.
The Sun also suggests an outcome where you can genuinely say, “Yes, this was worth it.”
🔮 The three together
I'd read the sequence as:
Opportunity → commitment → success.
Or, more personally:
Something worthwhile is beginning. Take it seriously, nurture it, and don't be discouraged if progress is gradual. Your persistence has the potential to lead somewhere genuinely joyful and successful.
What's particularly lovely about this spread is that The Sun doesn't appear to be promising a lucky shortcut. It's at the end of two very grounded Pentacles cards. The message is more like:
“You've got something good here. Put the work in. It can flourish.”
As somebody who reads well and has trained in tarot, it's not a bad reading. Still, I don't think ChatGPT will ever take over as a tarot reader, but it was a fun exercise.
And as I keep telling myself, I'm going to get a job, it's going to be great, and I make my own luck.
When I come back from being away over the weekend, I'll put in a few more applications.
I am exactly where I am supposed to be and I am supported by the universe.
I saw something on social media today - this bloke, who's platform is him ranting,"I BELIEVE THIS AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME CHANGE MY MIND". He's pretty funny. He often does suburb reviews.
Today, he was pontificating about biscuits. And the worst biscuits.
Ah, found it on Youtube.
And see, I don't agree with him on some of his list.
Sure, Marie biscuits are only there for making pie crusts, and even then, I prefer to use Nice biscuits.
It's a fair call in regard to the ginger nuts. They are only good after they've been dunked in tea or coffee for a few minutes, save you crack a tooth.
The only good ANZAC biscuits are home made. I had a colleague in Darwin who made the absolute best ANZACs - and I refuse to have them when they have been bought from a store.
Kingstons are making a resurgence, particularly after the viral Kingston Peach crumble recipe has been doing the rounds.
And I agree with what he says about the Orange Cremes. They really are the Turkish Delight of the Assorted Creams pack. (Says she who loves Turkish Delight - often have one in the fridge.)
But he can leave the Chocolate Digestives alone. For me, they're a throwback to England - and they provide heaps of roughage, so you don't need to take Metamucil.
And he does have a point with the Hundreds and Thousands biscuits - they're just badly produced fairy bread. But they still have Tic Tocs! I used to love licking off the icing as a kid.
We also deviate on the Lemon Crisp. They're my absolute favourite. They don't taste like multi-purpose cleaner. I don't buy them, because I inhale them. I love the touch of salt on the surface - it's like eating a Margarita. And they aren't too sweet.
Of the Arnott's stable of biscuits, I also adore Venetians. The currants and the white icing. They're thin and crispy. Love them. I've introduced many friends to these.
I'm also amazed that he didn't bring up Iced VoVos - as they are nowhere near as good as they were when we were kids. Now, they have next to no toppings. The marshmallow used to be soft and fluffy. Not any more.
On my worst list you find the following:
Marie (cardboard substitutes)
Milk Arrowroot (they dry your mouth out - may as well be eating a Sao)
Chocolate Scotch Fingers (why ruin a good thing with chocolate?)
Milk Chocolate Royals (Too sweet, too fussy)
Orange Slice (as above, nobody likes them, they just fill in the assorted packet)
Oh, and any fancy flavour of Tim Tam that deviates from the plain. We don't need Iced VoVo Tim Tams - just fix the original Iced VoVos for pity's sake.
Oh, and one last favourite, the Arnott's YoYo. It's something that you tend only to find in Adelaide, city of all good parochial food stuffs. Best served with lashings of butter while singing the YoYo song.
You don't believe me? Just as the Nutbush can get any Australians in a room up on the dancefloor, the YoYos song will get anybody from Adelaide over the age of 45 singing a stupid advertisement from the 70s.
I fear I may have some unpopular opinions here - but please, give the name of the person who loves Orange Cremes. They don't exist.
Why does the cat demand I make the bed for him in the morning so that he can sleep on it? If it's not made by the time I start work, he's at me until I make it. Of course,. I make the bet most mornings as, like I was told at a child, what will the burglars think if I don't make it. (I can't be the only one told lies by my parents - like what will the doctors think if I get hit by a bus wearing dirty knickers, or how you'll get stuck with a nasty expression on your face if the wind changes... the list is endless.)
Regardless, this six-kilogram, lazy, fur-clad terrorist insists that HIS bed is made before he lies on it in the morning.
Secondly, why does he demand that I share my sushi with him. It's only sushi that he will sit next to me and pull my hand, with a handroll, towards him with a paw. He likes the rice it seems. He really likes sushi. Go figure.
His other big antisocial habit is wiping his bum on the mat outside the kitchen door.
I've been feeling off colour for a few days. I'm seeing the doctor tomorrow. It's low grade but annoying. This is not helping me write.
I asked my writing First Monday's Writing Group what to write - and they said name the best young adult novels I've read and why. So here goes.
The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak - why - because who knew Death could be such a compelling narrator. (and yes, this is a Young Adult novel).
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, about a girl from the wrong part of town in a private school and how race affects everything. It's amazing.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The first book in the series is a masterpiece.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - two kids with cancer meet and fall in love. I bawled buckets over this one.
The His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman - amazing for its world building and an alternative Oxford.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - a definitive 90s coming of age story.
And it pains me to put these on this list, but Craig Silvey's Jasper Jones and Honeybee are incredible, however, the actions of the author have had him cancelled. His works are wonderful. The authors actions are not.
3. I need to write to the real estate agent about the cockroaches. I don't like cockroaches - however, there appears to be an infestation in the ground floor flat in the block over from us (possible hoarder making life difficult.) I'm two floors up, I'm clean and I don't leave rubbish lying around. Everybody on the block is complaining about this. The girls who live about him can't use their kitchen. Not happy.
However, cockroaches are better than huntsman spiders and the cat enjoys killing them.
4. I've been enjoying the second series of The Gentlemen - but it's got very dark. Eddie has got very dark.
5. Coles Wensleydale with Cranberries is the bomb.
6. I need a bowl of ice cream now. And some panadol.
7. Writer's Group might just get me off my arse to tackle the next bit of this novel. 1997 - here we come.
This is a bad movie. It's okay that it's a bad movie. It's not criminally bad. It's a film you can watch and know that it's bad and come away from it thinking, yeah, there were some mildly entertaining bits to it, but that's it. It's not Eyes Wide Shut bad (pretentious overhyped Kubrick). It's not The Room bad (So bad it has a cult following.... YOU ARE TEARING ME APART, LISA!). It's not Terrence Mallick's Tree of Life bad (Subjectively, I found it complete wank). It's not Cats bad (where to enjoy it, you're probably better off stoned.)
Spa Weekend has done a disservice cinema by having a pretty good cast and giving them a particularly awful script.
On their own, Anna Faris (who appears to have gone a bit overboard with the botox) Leslie Mann, Michelle Buteau and Isla Fisher are all pretty decent comic actors. They have tried to make the best of the script, but with little success.
Jane (Mann), an overworked, late forty-something lawyer and single mum has absolutely no time for herself, caring for teenage kids and an aging father. Coco (Buteau) had always been the loud, angry friend, but has become even more so since her divorce. Sophie (Faris) is an overworked personal assistant come nanny to a super-rich guy). The three of them, needing a break, take themselves off for a spa weekend, making the conscious decision to not invite the fourth in their group, Mel (Fisher). Mel is a trainwreck of a chaos agent. Read she has fewer boundaries than a country football field and absolutely no filter.
Of course, Sophie backhandedly invites Mel along and their plans for a quiet weekend go out the window. Jane discovers a cute yoga instructor. Coco has a sort of reconciliation with her ex. Sophie grows a spine, and Mel... yeah, well Mel.
There is a lot of rather dodgy over-acting on top of the horrendous script.
On the plus side, the spa was filmed at the Sheraton on the Gold Coast, and the film used a lot of Australian actors as their filler cast.
However, I'm not going to forgive the script. Written and directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, who have written such films as Bad Moms and The Hangover, this is just more of the same with peri-menopausal women. It has the subtlety of a sledgehammer, and the plot goes from situation to situation like a drunk toddler.
I wonder what could have been done if women had written the script.
This is slated as Bridesmaids with middle-aged women. It's not. Unsurprisingly, Bridesmaids, still one of the funniest women's comedies about, was written by women.
It's not that hard.
Don't bother with this - there's not much point other than it is pretty to look at. This does not redeem it in the slightest.
It's Saturday afternoon. My evening plans have fallen through and I'm having a lazy day.
It's wonderful.
So here are this week's questions. It appears there's a public holiday over in America. I can't work out how America has so many public holidays. I'm told it's Labour Day. This is the day after which you're not supposed to where white.
Talking of silly public holidays, we get a Friday off in a few weeks for a football game the following day.
1) What’s something you want to do before summer slips away?
Umm, it's Winter over here, and we're going into Spring. Winter is my second favourite season after Autumn (Fall). I'm just going to enjoy wearing boots for the next little while. After October, it's back to runners, pumps and court shoes for work.
2) What book are you currently reading?
After slogging through Meg Mason'sSophie, Standing There, which did get better in the second half, but still, it was hard work, I'm now reading Madeline Cash's Lost Lambs, which is laugh out loud funny in places.
3) What have you been listening to?
I'm an audiobook reader. Currently, I'm listening to Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, which is not the strongest of Austen's novels. I finished Elif Shafak's There are Rivers in the Sky earlier in the week - which is an extraordinary novel.
4) What shows or movies have you been watching?
On the big screen, I've seen Tony and & Sons. One was about Anthony Bourdain's early life, the other and English film and family drama. Both were good.
On television, I've been loving the weekly drops of the new season of Ted Lasso. I'm currently watching the second season of The Gentleman - I have a little thing for Theo James.
Runtime: Two hours 50 minutes (with two intervals)
Until: 15 September
Stars: 4.5
I needed to take a night before writing this review.
A play that's three hours long about a family caught in the Sri Lankan civil war over a generation. A striped backstage containing a large turntable and a wall pock-marked with bullets and two traditional musicians on the stage and a cast moistly unknown to Australian audiences take us through the harrowing journey of a family as they negotiate the horrors of a pointless and long running civil war.
I'm the first to admit that I know very little of the recent history of Sri Lanka, other than friends have emigrated to safety over the last century and that the situation was horrid. Violent, bloody and long lasting impacting a huge part of the population all for the want of power.
This play was first performed at the Belvoir Street Theatre in Sydney
The Jungle and the Sea shows a family coming to terms with all of this. Amma (Anandavalli) is the matriarch over four children. A Hindu married to Sivapalan (Prakash Belawadi) and elder of his church, the pair try to keep the family, and the community safe. Of their children, Lakshmi (Emma Harvie) is a budding lawyer accepted to university in Sydney. Madhu (Nadie Kammallaweera) is a budding vet, Abi (Kalieaswari Srinivasan) is in love with her childhood sweetheart Himal (Rajan Velu) and son Ahilan (Shiv Palekar) appears to be the happy-go-lucky younger brother. When the war comes close to the village, the town mayor, gives assurances that the churches and temples will not be targeted in the bombing raids. People shelter in these places. People die. Amma blindfolds herself to the world until her family are reunited after Appa and Lashkmi flee to Australia and Ahilan is conscripted into the Tamil Tigers. From here, the family are set on a journey to keep together as well as keep their dignity and humanity.
This is not an easy play to watch. However, it is powerful in its simplicity and drive. It's an incredibly human story - cutting, moving and deeply human. The themes of war, family, dignity and survival are all there, overlayed with grief and guilt.
I will say not more.
This is an incredibly work that begs to be seen. The MTC have added a couple of extra nights, due to the play's popularity.
This is a throught-provoking and incredibly moving play about a piece of history that few are aware of.
(As a side note, if you're looking to read more, in fiction, about this, the works of Shankari Chandran, particularly her novel, Safe Haven and Song of the Sun God look at this. Her novel, Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens won the Miles Franklin Prize and is also extraordinary. It also looks at the Sri Lankan diaspora in Australia.
I found out something today. Mrs Norris, Mr Filch's cat in the Harry Potter series is named after a character in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park.
Currently, I'm listening to the audiobook of Mansfield Park, delighting at Austen's witty banter and funny characters, so I was rather delighted to meet the original Mrs Norris - a complete pain in the butt and a bit of a thorn in the protagonist, Fanny Price's side. It makes sense. Mrs Norris in Harry Potter is just the same.
Of course, Mansfield Park is one of the secondary Austens. Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Emma always ring out as the favourites. Mansfield Park sits with Northanger Abbey and Persuasion and the more underated novels (though I have a soft spot for Persuasion, and rather like the Netflix take on things - I know, an unpopular opinion.)
And if I was to name a cat after an Austen character, I'd probably go with something like Willoughby (horny scoundrel), Mary Bennet (misunderstood), Mr Collins (big, supercilious creep) or Brandon (Saviour)
Mind you, if I was to get another black cat, I'd call him Belly - short of Beelzebub. Beelzebub and Lucifer - what a pair. (Lucifer would eat a kitten - not going to do it.)
Anyway, that's what I discovered today.
I also wanted to get this out before my psychologist appointment, so I don't have to sit in front of the computer afterwards.
It's that time of the month. Kneecap (movie) is playing on SBS World Movies (Keep your hands off our SBS Pauline Hanson) and I'm about to tell you about what I read last month while singing along to Irish Hip Hop (or Hip Hop in Irish).
Anyway, despite the chaotic start to this post, here's what I read last month.
I read seven and a half books last month. The half is important - I got within 30 pages of finishing this, so it should count for something,
1) Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinneman - Audio - 4 Stars
This isn't my normal fare, but it's great fun. The plot is fairly simple. Carl, a veteran and fireman, finds himself on a large-scale computer game after the world is destroyed. He has no trousers. His only friend is his ex-girlfriend's persian cat, Princess Donut. This is manic, fun, rather violent in places, and sure, a little repetitive as we see Carl and Donut come to terms with the game - which is a mix between the Hunger Games, Tron and Zelda, and try to come out on top.
The audio book of this is fantastic.
But the commitment to the series - I'm not sure. There are now seven or eight books in the series - and they are huge. But I'm glad I've consumed this one. Even if it is just for the talking cat, who's hysterical.
2) Writers and Lovers by Lily King - Paper - 4.5 stars
I adored Lily King's Heart the Lover. Stunning little book. This was nearly as good.
Casey is trying to navigate life, writing and grief in her early 30s. This book looks at her navigating new relationships with a couple of men. It also looks at the writing process, the stuff we put ourselves through to be writers and how grief permeates our lives. The writing is gorgeous. This was very enjoyable. It comes highly recommended.
3) The Names by Florence Knapp - Paper - 4.5 Stars
This was my second reading of this, as it made it into our book group list. It really stands up to a second reading.
In The Names we first of all meet Cora, a woman in a joyless marriage about to go to register her son's birth. There are three strands to this. In the first, her son is given the name Bear, named by his sister Maya. In the second, the boy is named Julian - Cora's choice for his name. And in the third, he's named after his abusive father, Gordon.
This is a cracker of a book. It also comes with a trigger warning and there are themes of domestic violence and coercive control running though the story.
It's fantastic.
4) Lady Tremain by Rachel Hochhauser - Audio - 4
In this twist on the Cinderella story, we see this timeless take from the view of the step-mother, and to great effect.
Amazon give the blurb as such:
"After the death of her second husband, Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley is solely responsible for her two daughters, Rosamund and Mathilde, her simpering stepdaughter Elin, a razor-taloned peregrine falcon, and a crumbling manor buried in the woods.
When a royal ball offers the chance to change their fortunes, Ethel risks her pride in pursuit of an invitation for all three of girls - only for her hopes to be fulfilled by the wrong one: Elin.
Yet as her stepdaughter's engagement to the future king unfolds, Ethel discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing her to choose between the security she craves and the feckless stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn..."
Fast paced, feminist, and fierce, it shows what women will do for their children, and their survival.
As I consumed this as an audiobook, I highly recommend Tanya Reynolds narration of the tale - she's currently playing Alice Chilton on Ted Lasso.
If your live revisionist stories, this might be your cup of tea. You see the evil step-mother as somebody else entirely. And can view Cinderella as somebody else entirely.
5) The Glassmaker by Tracey Chevalier - Audio - 4 stars
The Girl with the Pearl Earring is a favourite book of mine, so I was interested to pick up Tracy Chevalier's latest novel, which starts in Venice on the island of Murano, where the famous glass is produced.
Amazon provides this synopsis:
"Venice, 1486. Across the lagoon lies Murano. Time flows differently here – like the glass the island’s maestros spend their lives learning to handle.
Women are not meant to work with glass, but Orsola Rosso flouts convention to save her family from ruin. She works in secret, knowing her creations must be perfect to be accepted by men. But perfection may take a lifetime.
Skipping like a stone through the centuries, we follow Orsola as she hones her craft through war and plague, tragedy and triumph, love and loss.
The beads she creates will adorn the necks of empresses and courtesans from Paris to Vienna – but will she ever earn the respect of those closest to her?"
There is a lot to this book, not only the relationships and the family, but the research that's gone into aspects of glassmaking is fantastic.
Some may find the wandering timeline a bit difficult, but I loved how this took us on a journey of a couple of hundred years. It's a very worthwhile book. Tracy Chevalier writes brilliantly on all aspects of art and history. I'd happily read more of her works.
6) Sushi for Beginners by Marian Keyes - Audiobook - 3.5 stars.
Hands up, this is not my favourite Marian Keyes book. It's okay, but not great. First published in 2012, some of the themes have dated. Also, of the three main characters, Ashling, Lisa and Clodagh, I wanted to belt all of them regularly. Ashling needed to grow a spine, Lisa should be less up herself (though she and Ashling to get better, but there was very little to redeem Clodagh, a whining stay at home mother looking for more.
It was an okay diversion, but that is about it.
7) There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak - Audio - 5 Stars
This is going to go down as one of my books of the year. It is superb - but then again, everything Elif Shafak writes is amazing.
Like The Names, the book follows three strands, all of which are linked by a single drop of water.
As a brief synopsis, provided by Nile books,
"In 1840 London, Arthur is born beside the stinking, sewage-filled River Thames. With an abusive, alcoholic father and a mentally ill mother, Arthur’s only chance of escaping destitution is his brilliant memory. When his gift earns him a spot as an apprentice at a leading publisher, Arthur’s world opens up far beyond the slums, and one book in particular catches his interest: Nineveh and Its Remains.
In 2014 Turkey, Narin, a ten-year-old Yazidi girl, is diagnosed with a rare disorder that will soon cause her to go deaf. Before that happens, her grandmother is determined to baptize her in a sacred Iraqi temple. But with the rising presence of ISIS and the destruction of the family’s ancestral lands along the Tigris, Narin is running out of time.
In 2018 London, the newly divorced Zaleekah, a hydrologist, moves into a houseboat on the Thames to escape her husband. Orphaned and raised by her wealthy uncle, Zaleekah had made the decision to take her own life in one month, until a curious book about her homeland changes everything."
This is stunning. I've bought a copy for a friend who's travelling to Turkiye and who has a huge interest in the legends of Gilgamesh and Mesopotamia.
7.5) Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason - Paper - ??
I will review this next month. As I said, I got within 30 pages of finishing this, but by rights I can't review it as it's a September book.
I want to write this in French - but I will refrain, but this would sound better in French. Most things sound better in French.
Tonight, coming home from work, I checked the letterbox. I'm used to checking it and finding nothing but the odd political flyer or piece of junk mail.
Today, there was a letter, addressed to me, in my handwriting, sent from France.
This bistro on the leafy Boulevard Saint Germain in the Fifth Arondisement not only has excellent food, bit it's a place where you can write a letter, to whomever you choose, and the bistro will send it on. You place the letter in a box when you want it sent, and they will send it on for you.
I wrote a letter to myself.
In French (because I can).
I asked for it to be sent in August of the following year. It arrived today.
I had no recollection of what I wrote. I remember sitting in the cafe. I remember that I was sick with the starts of a nasty cold. I remember having steak tartare and a very good creme brulee.
Also, I remember writing the letter and putting it in the August 2026 box.
And today it arrived. In French. Wishing me a happy birthday, and that I wasn't forgotten. It hoped I was happy and gainfully employed again (as I was technically between jobs when I wrote this.
I also like how this was signed off.
"Take this holiday. Say I love you all the time. Do your exercise. Love your life. Do all this, because you are the best. You deserve the world. Take the world in your hands. I love you. Me xx"
