I have this theory. There is a part of Karl Stefanovic who wants to once again be a serious journalist, but at the end of every session of the Today Show, they put him in front of the film Anchorman and Anchorman 2 and brainwash him into being a dickhead. You know there is a big part of him that wants to call some guests a smelly pirate hooker. You also know that he would love to be known for his salon quality hair - even though anybody who's seen him live knows about this wonderful male pattern baldness that he tries to hide.
Like Ron Burgundy in this film, he's down in the realms of interviewing Grumpy Cat or our current Prime Minister on air for whatever journalistic sins he's committed over the last decade.
When the first Anchorman film came out, I ignored it. It was only when Will Ferrell started plugging his latest venture into the character, going on all sorts of news broadcasts to read the news that my interest was piqued and I watched the first one - and smirked all the way through it. Last Friday, after a dreadful day at work, I was in need of something light - Ron Burgundy was on offer, so Anchorman 2 it was.
By Olivia Newton-John's hymen, I had a hoot.
Going in with no expectations, knowing that I really don't like Will Ferrell all that much (though he's good in straight roles) it was time to leave the brain at the door with my normal political correctness and periodically spray watered down diet coke over the seat in front of me for the next two hours.
A good film. No. A silly, funny, inappropriate film that is great for a giggle. Yes.
Like anything Judd Apatow has his hand in, there is a gentle moral to the story behind some of the gross out humour and politically incorrect barbs that were spot on for the time. In the first film, Ron and his news team had to deal with a woman coming onboard ("It's ANCHORMAN, not ANCHORLADY" bleated Champ in the first film.) Ten years on, Ron, facing unemployment after Veronica takes over the lead position, gathers his old team together to run the graveyard shift at Global Network News - a full parody on Fox news. Scarily accurate it was when Ron asks his boss,"You mean we show people want they want to see and not what they should see. Show them sports and car chases and kittens. That's not news. It's brilliant."
This is where the moral stuff kicks in. The 24 hour news cycle. The denigration of journalism. The dumbing down of the people. The so-called news that we see today.
It's all in there, hidden by lots of very pithy one liners and a hell of a lot of silliness.
The one pity for me was how they put more into Brick Tamland's role. I love Steve Carell, but since the original film his star has brightened. Carell is another comic actor who's great in straight roles - thinking of "Dan in Real Life" and the wonderful, "The Way Way Back" - but I loved him in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin too. The film could have done without his small side story. Still worthy of a few giggles, but not necessary.
It's coming out of the cinemas at the moment, but if you need a giggle, have a spare cheapy ticket or just want to escape the heat and have a laugh, this might be your film.
If not, wait for it to come out on DVD or download it. It's slightly elevated my opinion of Will Ferrell.
If you look at a map and look for the middle of America, you
will arrive at Osage County. Kansas is in the dead centre of the United States
of America and Osage County is about as middle of the States as you can get.
Arrive in California, drive through Nevada, Utah and Colorado and cross most of
the state of Kansas, cross the dead flat, head ridden plains and you arrive
there. One of the characters in the movie asks why the hell anybody would stop
and plant roots there, it really is the middle of nowhere, a hot, dry, flat
godforsaken place with a feeling of menace.
Which is where this film takes off from, and eventually
leaves.
If you like your comedy black, deep and complex, this is your
film. If you want to see some of the better performances that you’re going to
see this year, this too, is probably going to be your cup of tea.
As I hadn’t seen the stage production, I went in blind. A
family comedy/drama about the grown up kids coming back home. What the ads don’t tell
you is why the family have got together, or what has gone on in the past to make
this educated, middle class family of strong women and befuddled men the way
they are.
I walked way feeling like I’d done seven rounds with a boxing
trainer – in the best possible way. A fulfilling, at times harrowing film,
looking at families, secrets and loss.
You get the feeling that the screenwriter, who's was also the playwright, is working out of love. The cast couldn't be better picked. Meryl Streep as the drug-addled mother, Sam Shepard, cast to type as the lugubrious father. Julia Roberts, fish-lips and all, the sulky older daughter, Julianne Nicholson as the plain middle daughter who stayed behind and Juliette Lewis, as the youngest daughter. I was rather enamored with Benedict Cumberbatch and Chris Cooper as the uncle and cousin figures. Dermot Mulroney and Juliette Lewis round out the ragtag bunch - the former wonderful as the sleazy fiance who does not fit in t all.
I found the film riveting from the moment the movie started until the closing credits. Almost all of the film is centred around the family home and the goings on within the family, sometimes poignant, sometimes harrowing, sometimes funny,
Happy to bet that Meryl Streep will get another Oscar gong for her role as the family matriarch. Julia Roberts tosses the fluff and is excellent as well. Another standout to me was Misty Upham in the role of Joanna the nurse/housekeeper, keeping silent witness to the pain in the household.
What is it they say about families? Can't shoot them. Can't bury them behind the garden shed. This wonderfully observant film will make you realise that your own family isn't that bad.
My only slight criticism of the film as that as it's been adapted from a play, it has a bit of a stunted three act feel in a couple of places. The transitions could have been a little smoother. Other than this minor point, I loved this poignant, harrowing, funny ride of a family dramedy.
Highly recommended if you're like your comedy darker than Nugget boot polish.
When it comes to Christmas presents, I prefer to give experiences rather than gifts. Most of my friends have everything they need, most can buy what they want, so movie tickets or museum passes make great gifts for the people who have everything.
Friday night was my turn to give Blarney her Christmas present - a Gold Class screening to "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty".
I love Gold Class as a treat. A full recliner chair, food to eat, alcohol if you want it - it's decadent fun that's good for special occasions. Blarney and I try and go to the cinema this way for birthday and Christmas treats. Her birthday is in February, mine's in August, so it goes down well.
Friday night's film choice was "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty". The new Ben Stiller directed version, not the Danny Kaye classic. I knew that in going along, my friend Bernie would be a little cranky with me. Bernie is one of Danny Kaye's biggest fan and I could feel her scowling at me for being a traitor. Thing is, they're two very, very different films.
The current Walter Mitty is a "negative asset manager" at Life Magazine. A dreamer who zones out to live out his own daydreams at inopportune times, it follows the story of the hapless Walter as he has to track down the elusive frame 25 from an equally elusive photographer, Sean O'Connell. In the background, we see Walter's life, loving, caring son and brother and hopeless romantic.
Walter is a man who doesn't appear to deal with change at all well - at first.
Throw into this Walter's foray into internet dating and his phone friendship with the eHarmony guy which had me thinking - err, like global roaming rates - and you have a very enjoyable, very likable, visually stunning film.
There is so much to like in this film. As a bit of a Walter Mitty myself, falling into daydreams to make life a bit more exciting, taking out frustrations in the back of my head, living an alternative reality. What hits you from the outset is that Walter works for a company who's motto is “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life." A bit of a square peg in a round hole is our Walter. Over the course of the film changes his life, going from the archetypal dreamer to somebody who embraces life in a huge way. Over the course of the film, he meets some wonderful characters. Sean Penn and the secretive photographer, Shirley McLaine as his aging mother, Kristen Wiig as the love interest - all really good stuff. There is some true laugh out loud moments along with some lovely, gentle humour. You're with Walter the moment he meets corporate beard guy in wanting to go all Hong Kong Kung Fu movie on him. The scens in Greenland are genuinely funny. Empathy appears to be Ben Stiller's greatest gift in this film. Oh, and the soundtrack is great too. I found out that in David Bowie's "Major Tom" song he's not sitting on a Tim Tam, but floating in a tin can. And here I was for all these years thinking that Bowie was into Australian chocolate biscuits. The message of the film - things change. And its amazing what you can do when you work through the fear and just do it.
Not so strangely, I had a tear in my eye at the end of the film, though I'm still trying to work out why. Stunning cinematography? Yes. Empathy for the situation of being in a world that is constantly changing. Maybe. The feeling of nostalgia for film camera - definitely. Appealing to my hopeless romantic side. Of course.
Then again, I can see a lot of myself in Walter Mitty. The unequivocal dreamer who at times feels like I'm waiting for my life to arrive.
I saw something in a new year blog the other day that resonated with me. Always have a bottle of champagne in the fridge there for celebrations.
I liked this thought, so on the way home from the gym I popped in at the bottle shop. In my defense, it was a third off, hence the calibre of the bottle. I blame Millie from Hold the Peas for getting me onto French Champagne. Lets hope I have things to celebrate soon. Preparation, inspiration, anticipation and a hint of gratitude are keys to bringing good things into your live.
The Champagne is now in the fridge waiting for good things to come and be celebrated.
I'm sure, out there somewhere, Walter is doing the same thing.
As is the tradition, I use this blog as a journal of sorts. It's good for me to be able to look back the end of the year and see what I've done - and set a few goals.
After what turned out to be a lovely evening with Gloria and Gaynor and some friends of theirs for New Years Eve, I've greeted 2014 with a lot of hope and enthusiasm. 2013 had its challenges, as I'm sure 2014 will have some of the same, bit I'm feeling a bit different about his year. Maybe because it's a new moon today and it's like a cosmic clean slate.
Anyway, here's what I hope to achieve in the next 12 months - in no real order or importance.
1) To remain happily and gainfully employed in work I love. (At the money I'm on at the moment)
Sounds fair - well being a contractor, I hope that the work stays steady and interesting. I've done well with work last year, long may it continue.
2) To get back to my fighting weight
It's time to bite the bullet again. My diet got let go a lot in the last six months - it's time to rein myself in, do what I have to do and loose the 10 kg or so that I've stacked on in the last two years. It's just a matter of being disciplined. I know I can do this.
3) Get back into running
Following from the last resolution, it's time to get back int running. I love running, it helps to keep me sane. After a year off from it, it's time to get back on track. I should put myself down for the Mother's Day Classic in May, the 8 km run - and go from there. It's a goal anyway that I can see myself doing without too much hassle.
4) Help the overthrow of our current crappy government and see our current Immigration Minister up on crimes against humanity charges.
I think most people have worked out that I'm not particularly enamored with our current Liberal/National government. I just intend to keep on agitating, writing letter, talking, yelling, protesting until these environmental and humanitarian fuckwits are either out or under control. Sorry, you want to keep people ignorant and repressed, you will have me, and a lot of other like minded people shouting about it.
In particular, our current Immigration Minister has to be held accountable for the deplorable way in which he is authorising the treatment of asylum seekers. Jail is a bit too good for him, but it will do if it stops the fascist scumbag.
Okay, off my soapbox now.
5) Travel around the world
It's time for a trip abroad again - don't know where or when, but it will happen. At the moment I can't see past a week or two up in Ubud in Bali, but I'd like to maybe go back to Spain, or see a bit more of Italy. This all needs to be carefully planned and saved for, but it's a nice thought.
6) Save a lot of money
This is the antithesis of the last resolution, but I do believe you can save and travel. I'm not a five-star traveller - and I know about discipline. It's about time I did something about finding a house for myself seeing that a rich husband hasn't surface in the last year to buy me one. I'm auditioning financial planners at the moment. Also looking at being sensible with my discretionary spending. It all helps.
7) Maybe get a cat
Pinochet's kittens have got me all cat clucky. Maow Maow will get jealous however. Gloria and Gaynor said they would look after it if I went away for more than a day or so. We will see - maybe I should pay a visit to Ingrid's Haven... (http://www.ingridshaven.net.au/) and see which one likes me.
8) Get that novel written
I had a reading in the week of Christmas. We had a look at my solar return chart - which said that all the ducks were in a row to get something big done this year, but it was a matter of applying myself. Time to break out the bum glue methinks.
9) Do something new once a week
This is an oldie, but a goodie. Whether it be cook a new recipe, try a different class at the gym, take in a free concert. Join Toastmasters.Time to expand the horizons, and how do you know what you can do if you don't try it.
10) Have more fun
I'm borrowing this form Gloria. I think this is a great resolution, so I'm going to attempt to have more fun too.
11) Cut right back on processed food and sugar
Speaks for itself this one. Cut down on the sweet poison and see what happens.
And lastly, I've set myself up with a tin with which I can write notes about the good things that happen. Then I can look back at the year and see how good the year has been.
An attitude of gratitude is the only way to get somewhere in this world.
This is the fourth year I've done this meme on New Years Eve. Strange to think that I've been blogging that long. But thank you to , The Plastic Mancunian and JK for keeping me on track with this.
So here we go. 2012 in a nutshell.So, what was 2013 about?
1.What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before?
Felt confident in my career choices - I managed to find a couple of roles that I loved. I now have writer in my job title.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I'm 7 kg heavier, not as fit (though still in good shape), but I've remained pretty good on the sunscreen, got the holiday and I'm making a conscious effort with the sugar. At last some of them came into fruition.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not this year.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, no.
5. What countries did you visit?
I had two weeks in Bali, Indonesia in April and I went to New Zealand in November for a few days.
6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
This is a bit boring, but more discipline around saving money.
7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
The 26October was just lovely. Time with friends, a really nice hotel room that
I got bumped to after a conference under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, a lovely
meal at a good restaurant. It was just a lovely day. Unexpectedly really
lovely.
8.
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I got the word
writer in my job title. I always wanted to be a writer, it’s now in my job
title.
9.
What was your biggest failure?
There is so much I
set out to do – get that novel written, run a marathon, buy a house, save money,
get a cat. I don’t see these as failures, more plans that got
delayed.
10.
Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing
too major. A cold coming home from Bali wasn’t fun. The minor gall bladder
attack in early November has rocked my world a bit as I now know that pork belly
and fish and chips can’t be eaten at all – and I don’t leave home without
Buscopan in my handbag. Thankfully nothing has to be done about it other than
keep saturated fats and fried food to a bare minimum in my diet. I’m very
fortunate with my health.
11.
What was the best thing you bought?
The
airline ticket to both Bali and Wellington, New Zealand were pretty special –
though not things, they were both great experiences. The pass to the Yoga Barn
in Ubud was great too as I got to experience Sound Healing – and I really want
to go back and do more work with Shervin.
If
you’re looking for things that I bought, there are a couple of Nars lipsticks
that I purchased that I get a lot of joy out of – that and the vegetable
mandolin that I bought recently. It’s makes chopping veggies a
delight.
12.
Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Julia Gillard’s
stoicism and pragmatism in what can only be described as one of the worst cases
of bullying I’ve ever had the misfortune to witness – that and her grace in
defeat. She gets my vote. I could not act with her bravery – could never do what
she did, which is successfully lead a country though a recession. Not saying she
didn’t make a few wrong turns, but fair dues, if I was to be dealing with the
abuse she was getting on a daily basis from the opposition and the press, I’d be
down the police station filing bullying charges. An amazing woman.
13.
Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
In
loose order:
Scott
Morrison – Immigration Minister – modelling himself and his department’s
principles on the Third Reich.
Christopher
Pyne - “Education Minister” who has no regard for the value of
education.
Greg
Hunt – “ Environment Minister” who has no regard for the environment – i.e.
allowing dredging and dumping near the Great Barrier Reef and taking off World
Heritage Listing status of Tasmanian rain forest.
Joe
Hockey – “Finance Minister” for rank incompetence.
Tony
Abbott – for just breathing
Bronwyn
Bishop – for having no regards for the Westminster rules when speaker of the
house and being completely biased towards the LNPs.
George
Brandis – for trying to dismantle laws that outlaw racism, bullying and
vilification and allowing twits like Andrew Bolt to not have some
boundaries
Julie
Bishop – for not having a diplomatic bone in her body
And
the bloke who bullied me at work earlier this year. Just appalling. Took three
months to clear the incident from my psyche.
14.
Where did most of your money go?
Rent,
travel, going out and unfortunately car repairs – two minor bingles this year –
one my fault, the other some arsehole dickhead ran into my car on the street and left the
car with a badly dinged panel. Grrrr. Karma will get them.
15.
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
In no order: Seeing
Pinochet’s kittens, going on holidays, posh dinners, cooking (particularly
cassata for Christmas), getting out of the job in which I was bullied, seeing
old friends.... I excite quite easily.
16.
What song will always remind you of 2013?
On the good side,
Lorde’s “Royals”
On the not so good
side, that awful “Blurred Lines” song gets stuck in my head. Truly repugnant
(even without the sexist film clip)
17.
Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or
fatter? (c) richer or poorer?
a)Happier
b)Fatter
c)Richer
in many ways
18.
What do you wish you’d done more of?
Exercise,
write, sleep, saved money, relaxed.
19.
What do you wish you’d done less of?
Eat bad food,
procrastinated, sat on my hands when getting bullied.
20.
How will you spend New Year's Eve?
Probably
at home watching telly or reading a book at midnight, but going round to Gloria and Gaynor's place for a light dinner now.
21.
Did you fall in love in 2013?
No. Maow Maow is
still the main man in my life. Strange that the love of your life is your best
friend’s cat.
22.
What was your favourite TV program?
A
couple of standouts – the second series of The Hour was wonderful. I’ve also
just found out about Orange is the New Black – wonderfully edgy. There are still
the same old shows I watch regularly – Embarrassing Bodies, Masterchef, Mad Men.
I’m halfway through season three of Breaking Bad too – now that is superlative
telly. The Doctor Blake Mysteries were also wonderful.
23.
Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I
don’t hate anybody, but I do have a near pathological dislike for most of the
current front bench. Ignorant, small-minded, bullying fascists that they are.
The sooner Scott Morrison is up on crimes against humanity charges the better.
If there’s something like that for the environment, Hunt and Abbott should be up
there with them. I’ve never really liked Rupert Murdoch – he can join them. Evil
men.
24.
What was the best book you read?
I
read a lot over the year. The two books that sticks out the most to me the most
were Christos Tsiolkas’s “Dead Europe” and Michel Faber’s “The Crimson Petal and
the White.” Both are older books but wonderful for different reasons. I rather
liked JK Rowling’s “The Casual Vacancy” too.
I paid off my car
this year. Never a bad thing. I don’t want for much.
Actually,
I love my Jawbone Up – a sleep monitor and pedometer in one – great little
device.
27.
What did you want and not get?
A
rich husband who is loving, affectionate, incredibly good in bed who bought me
two story town house in Richmond. A cat or two of my own to live in the house
with us. A flat stomach - but I take responsibility for that one) A
longer holiday.
28.
What was your favourite film of this year?
Of
the films I’ve seen this year here are a few of my
favourites.
“The
Best Offer” with Geoffrey Rush – wonderful, wonderful
film.
I
really enjoyed “The Great Gatsby” – thought Luhrmann did a great job on that.
“Lincoln”
was great – wonderful performance by Daniel Day Lewis.
“The
Stories we Tell” a documentary by Sarah Polley – saw it on the plane after
missing it in the cinemas. Incredible stuff.
29.
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 45 in August
and I got all my friends and we went on Puffing Billy then had lunch at a pub in
Emerald and it was great!
30.
What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I’m not answering
that in the grounds that it will incriminate me J
Oh,
okay. Lots of gin and tonic. A decent holiday. Good
friends.
31.
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
Relaxed, not
expensive, subdued.
32.
What kept you sane?
Friends. Gin and
tonics (Bombay Sapphire or Hendricks) Good books and movies. Sleep.
33.
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I’m still completely
besotted with Clive Owen. However, I’ve got a small thing for Anthony Albonese –
there is something wicked in that smile. There is something about Brian Cranston
too. I’m showing my age…
34.
What political issue stirred you the most?
The
Australian political climate has been inflamed since Abbott and his band of
fascist muppets came in. The asylum seeker issue and the environment are the
things that concern me most.
35.
Who did you miss?
I still miss Reindert, but we talk regularly. There are a few people I miss periodically - that's human, isn't it?
36.
Who was the best new person you met?
Not that I met him this year, but I'm enjoying my new personal trainer, Slap. He's been around since Pinochet left the gym in April - though I still see Pinochet now and then.
37.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.
If you feel something isn't right, do something about it quickly to make the situation better. Don't suffer in silence. Shout about what's going on when nobody is listening. Make them hear you.
Bullying is awful.
38.
Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"Comfort comes to those with faith in mysterious ways." Josh Pyke, Memories and Dust
There is a big part of me that hates the fact that I am
educated, just as there is a large part of me that dislikes the fact
that I’m an idealist.
But in the words of the great Tom Stoppard, “You can’t unstir
the jam from the custard.” It’s the second law of thermodynamics - that the
entropy of an isolated system never decreases, because isolated systems
spontaneously evolve towards thermodynamic equilibrium.”
This analogy, in plain language - once you have taken on education, you
can’t get rid of it. It’s there for life. Incorporated in your being – just like
the jam in the custard. At a basic level, it’s the information you assimilate to
read, write and count. At a higher level, it forms your opinions and helps to
make you who you are.
In my case, I got to study literature, arts, philosophy,
history, with a bit of sociology, psychology and anthropology thrown in for good
measure. Oh, put in the mix some French and instructions on how to learn
languages and I made it through high school with decent marks in Maths,
Chemistry and Music.
This makes me reasonably literate, thoughtful, able to do
sums without using my fingers, have an appreciation for things I can’t see, an
appreciation for patterns and themes.
My education has equipped me to see these things on a larger
scale. It's been really helpful in the work that I do now - instructional design, business analysis, technical writing and systems testing.
This is not to say that I’m over-educated. I have a very ordinary degree, obtained in the early nineties. Over the years, I’ve topped up my education with a couple of Certificate IVs and diplomas - practical skills that have let me change and grow in my career.
My undergrad grades are nothing to write home about. Going through university when there were no fees to degrees was an absolute privilege. I say this unreservedly. I was the last in a group of people who didn’t pay university fees (okay except in my last two part time years, a necessity after a bout of glandular fever in my third year).
Twenty years ago I had no idea why I was studying Arts,
however now I look back and I know that my education has provided me
with:
·A desire to
think for myself
·The knowledge
that I don’t know everything
·The desire to
keep learning
·The need to
keep improving my skills
·A view of the
world that extends past the screen door on my flat
·A love of the
finer things in life
·The ability to
laugh at myself and my foibles
I picketed outside of parliament house, objecting to the
introduction of HECS in the late 80’s feeling that education, all eduction, primary, secondary and tertiary, is a right for all,
not a privilege for the wealthy. 25 years on, I find that our current tertiary education funding schemes not bad at all - that you can get the education and pay later is fine. Take that away and I'll march again with the students.
That was in 1988. Mandela was still in prison. The Berlin
Wall was still intact. Bob Hawke was running the country. Margaret Thatcher was
beginning to have some problems. Interest rates were at 17%.
Suddenly I feel rather old.
Arts students have long been berated as the bludgers of the
academic world. Why not study something useful like Law or Economics or
Medicine? Other than not getting the marks, I got to study things I enjoyed.
It’s helped for me in ways I could never fathom. It’s given
me a bigger picture view – the knowledge that there is so much more out there to
learn, appreciate, decipher and treasure. Unfortunately, when it comes to funding, Arts subjects are the first to have the thumb screws applied. Remember when languages and music and art were offered in government schools?
Maybe it’s at times like these we need more people to study
and appreciate humanities. People who can see the value in learning about
history and literature and philosophy. It used to be the case in the Renaissance, when humanity came out of the dark ages into more enlightened times. Why aren't we continuing with this enlightenment?
It also makes me very angry when I see that people of the
world don’t have the same access to the opportunities that I had when I was
growing up.
Why? I get to apply what I've learned to what I'm seeing. If you don't give all people a wider education, how will they get to know what else is out there? I get to see how my education has helped to form what I think and how I think about it.
Well I’m sitting here looking at the newspapers every day
seeing a nightmare of Orwellian proportions unfolding before my eyes. (Literature, ethics)
Misinformation and propaganda fill the screens. Barely a day goes by without me
muttering the words. “Just keep drinking the KoolAid, it only gets better.” I
wonder if these people know about what I’m referring to? Well, sometimes I
think we’re in our own continent sized Jonestown – Murdoch and Abbott our
versions of an uncharismatic Jim Jones. (History, sociology, religion)
I’m finding myself in arguments, discussions and the
occasional knock down fight. I refuse to believe that the bulk of the population will sit by and allow people to be mistreated, ignored and treated like cattle on a ship bound for the Middle East for the sin of trying to flee for their lives. Where people are humiliated, given no access to legal aid, medical attention or enough water. Where the facilities make third world camps in the Sudan and Ethiopia appear luxurious. Where people are stripped of medications, family members, legal assistance, hope. When people are dehumanised and treated like numbers. My country doesn't do this to people, does it? (History, sociology, ethics, psychology, philosophy)
Unfortunately, reports from the independent press are relating these stories on a daily basis.
I’m not buying it. I get the need to balance the books. There is no problem with taking responsibility for your own finances and your own life, just as our country needs to be careful with finances. There is some comprehension that big business is the saviour of all of us? What saviour wants to dredge and dump near the Great Barrier Reef? Or log in wilderness areas that have been set aside for their specialness? (Ethics, philosophy, economics, science)
What government calls itself an infrastructure government but has so little foresight as to not see telecommunications as infrastructure? Or public transport for that matter? Or heath? Or child care? Or aged care? Or manufacturing? (Economics, science, philosophy, planning, common sense?)
It really is shit being an Australian at the moment.
The other thing I said I’m not happy about being an idealist
either.
Me, Myers Briggs puts me somewhere between an INFJ and an INFP. I've been swinging more toward the latter lately. An idealist who ha a strong belief that if you dream it, you can be it.
I'm and idealist who really believes that if everybody puts their mind to the problem was can find a solution. I really believe that if you get enough people speaking out about injustice and equality something will be done.
I fervently hold the belief that governments should be afraid of the people, not the other way around. I also believe that if you get enough people with the common good in mind, you can move mountains.
So here is me, sitting here, angry at a country that used to strive to be kind and good and smart and forward thinking, and I see a government with a large vat of cordial ready for the people to drink with the promises of numbing their pain.
It doesn't work like that. My education tells me that were about to come to a tipping point where maybe, finally, we can see some sense.
For if we can't learn from the past, how can we not repeat the mistakes of the future.
Nazi Germany can't be seen as a good thing. The rhetoric coming from the Australian Government at present is akin to a lot of their policies.
Group brainwashing, thanks to Mr Murdoch and his publications - think Orwell's 1984 and Jonestown - not something I want to be a part of.
It's time for the idealists and the educated to start shouting loud so the days of misinformation, callousness and cruelty can come to an end. It's time for some leveled compassion, new ideas that encompass everybody, not just the privileged.It's time to look long into the future, not just for the three years of a term of government.
It's time for people to start thinking for themselves and questioning what is right for all.
The time for passively sitting by and letting things happen stopped in Australia at about 10 pm on Saturday, 7 September 2013.
Get out there and make a difference
(I'll crawl off my soapbox now and go see some kittens. If you can't change the world, kittens will always make you feel better.)
For the first time in eight or nine years I’m working over
Christmas. Although I’m grateful for the money and pleased that I’m being kept
busy, I’m also very aware that I’m in need of a break. Just having this last Friday off would have been welcome, just be able to sleep in, get to the bank, do a
couple of odd jobs that are hard to do when you work out in the suburbs and
generally get life into a bit of order.
Alas, my whole team was in and furiously tapping
away at the moment in a half empty office. Again, not a bad thing as it was quiet which meant you can get a lot done. Even better, the big boss is not in until after new years we can put in headphones - department rule, no headphones or earbuds or listening to music at at your desk. It's a rule of the department. It's not something that bothers me that much, but working with a bit of music, especially when you have a lot to write can be a good thing. Even better when the office is noisy as the music lets you zone out a bit. Alas, not to be in this office when the big boss is around.
So, my working Christmas Friday, I got in at 7.45 am, obtaining a park under the building rather than in the outside car park, went upstairs to find half the team already at work, headphones in everybody's ears.
On of the strange things about being a writer, there are days you get a lot done, while other days you sit there wishing you could be elsewhere.
The writing gods were kind on Friday, a lot got done with the help of a sound track.
Here's a bit of my playlist - I normally write to classical and instrumental stuff - Philip Glass, Vivaldi, Saint Saens - not yesterday where I was at the mercy of what was on the phone.
Here's a few snippets of what came out on shuffle:
Damien Rice - 9 Crimes and The Blowers Daughter
This guy's voice has haunted me for years, though I couldn't tell you his name. Bought two of his albums with my Christmas iTunes vouchers. Wonderful. Irish bloke.
Nick Cave
Not being in Australia for most of the 90s, I missed a lot of Nick Cave. He has a sweaty groin of a voice - something you're only going to get in a preacher's son. Intelligent music.
Yes, this is the current South Australia advertisement song - I don't care. Like most of the stuff Nick Cave puts out, there's a bit of edge and humour to it.
Yann Tiersen
Yout either love or hate Yann Tiersen. I listen to him and think of Paris and surrender fully. Great to write process stuff to.
Rodriguez
The soundtrack to "Waiting for Sugarman" has been on my phone for six months. My South African friends adore him. So do I. I'm amazed he hasn't made it in Australia.
Laura Marling
One of my dream group has seen her and reckons she's the best thing to come out of Britain in 20 years. In her early 20's, she's got the most incredible voice. One to watch.
The Smiths
I will admit to being a bit miffed about working on this Friday - but it's nothing that a bit of the Smiths couldn't fix. I don't like all of their stuff - but there are a few gems in the compilation album I have in my possession. This is a favourite too.
