Running late for this week as there are things to do - 7000 words down on my big assignment, and we've seen a very good Macbeth and visited my friend the cat.
Sitting with Barney watching the footy while the Maow Maow sat on my lap.
2. Make a confession.
I went over the speed limit on the way home from Barney and Blarney's - not by much, but I did.
3. Bad habits?
I love a good fart.
4. Favorite color?
Pillarbox Red
5. Can you drive?
Of course, I'm from country South Australia. I've had a licence for over 30 years.
6. 3 pet peeves.
Rude people.
People who don't indicate when changing lanes.
People who don't let people get off the train before getting on themselves.
7. Last person you hugged.
Georgie from book group. We met up at the theatre last night. 8. Something you miss.
Reindert. Being thinner than I am now.
9. What song is stuck in your head at the moment?
The last song that played in the car, which was this:
10. Favorite quote.
"The lunatic, the lover and the poet, are of imagination all compact." Shakespeare.
11. Favorite band.
The Pixies
12. Something your excited for.
Finding a new job in early/mid August, with good pay, nice people and a bit of longevity, in the city,with maybe a little bit of travel involved which is a challenge that can be done in an eight hour work day.
The magnificent Bev has taken over Sunday Stealing, which is most excellent, as she is a most excellent person.
I should be writing proper stuff. Five questions and a hundred words I reckon. That is a good way to go.
1. My uncle once : lost to me playing pool. He's never forgiven me.
2. Never in my life : have I taken intravenous drugs. No thank you.
3. When I was seventeen : I really have no clue at all as to what the world was about or who I was.
4. High School was : incredibly awful, but a good proving ground.
5. I will never forget : the first time I slayed a huntsman spider. I was so proud of myself.
6. I once met :Jeremy Clarkson at a restaurant. I bummed a cigarette off of him. 7. There’s this girl I know who : has the ability to turn people against her in less that 30 minutes. It's very sad to see.
8. Once, at a bar : I saw an elephant being lead in for the pleasure of the patrons.That was in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It was very sad.
9. By noon, I’m usually : Two coffees down. 10. Last night : I got a lot of kitten cuddles. That was grand.
11. If only I had : won lotto last night.
12. Next time I go to gym/church : Will be tomorrow night - as we are without a trainer, Jay and I have to fend for ourselves.
13. Susan Boyle : is a bit of an enigma - pity people are so mean to her.
14. What worries me most : is where society is going. It's very scary. America elected Donald Trump - you don't get much scarier that that.
15. When I turn my head left, I see : curtains.
16. When I turn my head right, I see : my ironing board and ironing pile.
17. You know I’m lying when : my cheeks go red. 18. What I miss most about the eighties : the energy of being a teenager.
19. If I was a character in Shakespeare, I’d be : Do I have to choose one? Juliet's Nurse? The fool in Lear (Love him), Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Too many good ones to choose from.
20. By this time next year : I want to be ready to go on the Camino.
21. A better name for me would be : Trellawney Tom. That's my poet name.
22. I have a hard time understanding : conservatives. And anybody who is cruel to animals.
23. If I ever go back to school, I’ll : do Law. I'm nearly finished with this Masters in Writing.
24. You know I like you if : I smile at you. If I don't like you, you'll know about it.
25. If I ever won an award, the first person I’d thank would be : My Mum. 26. When I compare 80’s rock to 90’s rock : I think about the hair. 80s was much better, but 90s British Rock is great.
27. Take my advice, never : Oh - just follow Dave Shrigley's Donts...
28. My ideal breakfast is : Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon and Hash Browns.
29. A song I love, but do not own is : this:
30. If you visit my hometown, I suggest : visiting the bakery. The Myponga Bakery is very good.
31. My favorite Beatle is : Paul. but I love all of them.
32. Why won’t people : be nice to one another.
33. If you spend the night at my house : you will be sleeping on the couch as I gave away my fold up bed the other day (need to get a blow up mattress. 34. I’d stop my wedding for : nothing. Never thought I would get married.
35. The world could do without : Donald Trump and Tony Abbott.
36. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than : vote for the Liberal/National party. 37. My favorite blonde is : a golden retriever.
38: Paper clips are more useful than : Jam jars. just.
39. If I do anything well, it’s : write.
40. And by the way : it is lovely that Bev has taken over Sunday Stealing. Thank you, Bev.
It will be interesting to see if anybody takes over Sunday Stealing, as the present person running this is signing off. It has been a great few years of doing these quizes. Thanks Sunday Stealing.
I'm writing this from my mother's kitchen table in Country South Australia.
1. What is your current obsession?
Probably Orange is the New Black. 2. What’s your go-to coffee place?
Depends on the day of the week. Weekdays it's either Dom in the foyer of the building, or Andrea a Foccacino for my coffee. On weekends, it's Cafe Krifi near the gym.
3. Who was the last person that you hugged?
Mum. She and my step-dad left on a bus to go out to lunch. I have to lock up when I go soon.
4. Do you nap a lot?
No. Rarely sleep through the day.
5. Tonight, what’s for dinner?
No idea. Probably nothing as I get back to Melbourne mid-evening. They might feed me on the plane - so plane food.
6. What was the last thing that you bought?
I bought some Farmer's Union Iced Coffee at the service station when I filled up last night on the way to a friend's place. Manna from heaven that stuff.
7. What is your favorite weather?
Cold, slightly damp, with a bit of sunshine - like it is now. 8. Tell us something about one blogger who you think will play this week?
Bev is really cool. 9. If you were given a free house that was full furnished, where in the world would you like it to be?
Hampstead, London.
10. Name three things that you could not live without.
Friends, coffee, sleep.
11. What would you like in your hands right now?
A kitten, a decent book and a gin and tonic.
12. What’s one of your guilty pleasures?
Tattoo shows. They fascinate me.
13. What would you change or eliminate about yourself?
I'd love more time to get the body I really would love to have again. Love to be thinner. Just have to work at it.
14. As a child, what type of career did you want?
I wanted to be a doctor or a writer. I am a writer.
15. What are you missing right now?
I could use a day at home to do some cooking and cleaning, but I am interstate. Missing having the time to potter.
16. What are you currently reading?
Just started Liane Moriarty's "Truly, Madly, Guilty" for book group. 17. What do you fear the most?
Falling. Commitment. Open water. One of those. Depends on the day. 18. What’s the best movie that you’ve seen recently?
I adored Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume II. I also loved Their Finest. Very cool English film. 19. What’s your favorite book from the past year?
Hanya Yahanigara's "A Little Life". It was a slog, but it was brilliant. Just finished Zadie Smith's "Swing Time". Really enjoyed that too. 20. Is there a comfort food from your childhood that you still enjoy?
Too many of them. Beans on toast. Chocolate donuts. Fish fingers. They all still rate highly.
As these are questions mostly about relationships, and I really, really don't like answering questions about relationships this will be a quick week. There are some things I don't need to talk about much. Relationships are one of those things.
On the good side of things, I had a lovely time at a friend's 40th yesterday out in the Yarra Valley, went to a party for a book launch and journal launch in which I have two stories placed, then went and saw Alan Cumming sing Sappy Songs in the evening. He was awesome. He also sings in a Scottish accent which was really cool too.
A great yesterday has let me exhausted and happy. Happier than these questions have made me. But you have to take the good with the not so good. Ah well.
Here you go - let's get through these quickly. I have a Branagh Hamlet to get to.
Questions, as always, from Sunday Stealing. 1. How old do you look?
I'm told I look like I'm in my late 30s / early 40s. I'm 48. Good genes.
2. Where do you live?
Melbourne, Australia
3. Are you waiting for something?
The washing to finish so I can go out.
4. What’s one pet peeve of yours that is not common?
People who don't put the weights back in order after pump class. They're just lazy.
5. Do you want/have kids?
No. There are enough kids in the world. Too old to have them anyway.
6. Have you ever thought about converting your religion?
Occasionally I think about converting to Judaism. It sits will with me.
7. Last shocking news you heard?
I'm watching what is going on in London as I write. Awful stuff.
8. What was the last thing you drank?
Water. About a minute ago. 9. Who do you most look like in your family?
Strangely, my mum - with elements of my dad. i'm a mix of them both. 10. If you could have something right now, anything, what would it be?
A house in my own name.
11. Where does most of your family live?
Adelaide, Australia
12. Where did you grow up?
Myponga, South Australia
13. Where do you want to go on vacation?
I'd love to go back to Ubud in Bali, now. I'm also looking at walking across the top of Spain next year.
14. Have you ever had a panic attack?
Yes, they are not nice.
15. What can’t you wait for?
World peace - I;m over all this crap on the telly. 16. When’s the last time you told someone you loved him or her and meant it?
I tell Maow Maow every time I see him. Of the human variety, about eighteen months ago.
17. Have your parents ever smoked pot?
I think Dad tried it once or twice - but he really only smoked tobacco. 18. Want someone back in your life?
I'd love to see Reindert more.
19. What do you order at the bar?
Hendricks and tonic in a big glass with a slice of cucumber. 20. When was the last time you cried really, really hard?
Eighteen months ago. Lost a niece and got dumped within weeks of eachother. Not fun.
21. What are your nicknames?
Pand. Late for Dinner.
22. What is your favorite thing to eat with peanut butter?
Fresh bread and raspberry jam.
23. Where were you on July 4th, 2008?
As I'm not American, I have no idea. July 4 has no value other than it being a friend's son's birthday. 24. If you could go foward in time, how far forward would you go?
No - don't want to do that.
25. If you could go back in time, how far back would you go?
About 30 years. I'd love to go back and do uni again knowing what I know now.
Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Men Tell No Tales 2 Stars.
I've been holding off on writing these reviews as In don't really like writing things about films I don't like. To be honest, neither of these films floated my boat.
So in dot points:
The Zookeeper's Wife
Could be known as Schindler's List with Animals
You get to watch Jessica Chastain cuddle a lot of baby animals and over act
There is a baby camel
You get to see Jessica Chastain put on a dodgy Polish accent
You get to see a lot of animals fake shot
And you get to see Jessica Chastain cuddle more, but less exotic animals and over act
Very disappointing.
Then there is Pirate of the Caribbean - Dead Men Tell No Tales.
My kid brother and I went along on tight arse Tuesday. I had a freebie ticket - and I am glad I used it, because any film this dodgy should only be seen for free.
Okay, the effects are good.
But as a fan of the first and second movies in the franchise, this one really ran out of puff. How and why Geoffrey Rush and Javier Bardem allowed themselves to grace the screen with a script that is holier than the Vatican, I will never know.
Johnny Depp is just a caricature of his former character - just gracing the stage and going through the motions.
It is said that they started filming this before the script was finished. It shows.
Corny, cliche and basically unfunny, there are some good action scenes - and that is it. They have spent all of their money on the effects at the expense of the story.
Don't bother seeing it on the big screen. I wouldn't even dodgy download it. It's dire.
