Sunday Stealing – Let's Blog about Blogging

 It's a sunny afternoon up here in Darwin and I put on my big girl pants and hopped on the bus to go to a local shopping centre about 15 kilometres away. I'm glad I did it. It was good to get out of the city for a bit and my reason for going - a nearly dead Apple Watch, died on the way home - so life is good and back to normal with the new one. And you get to see a bit of the suburbs. The great thing about buses in Darwin is that they are free. Saying that, I wouldn't get on one at nighttime, but as public transport goes, not having to pay for your 45-minute bus ride is really good. And they buses are air conditioned. 

Anyway, it's my writing weekend, so I'll get the questions out of the way. 

Questions, as always, have been provided by Sunday Stealing. 

1. When are you at your blogging best – a.m. or p.m.?

I have a sweet spot when I write either in the afternoon or between about 8-10 in the evening. I seem to get more done and better words then. 

2. How many blogs do you have? Please include the links in your answer.

I have two blogs. This one and one on Substack, which I use for my notes on earworms, poetry and what I would call better writing. Here's the link to the Substack - I like using it.  https://pandorabehr.substack.com. In the words of Garron Noone, follow me, I'm delicious. 

3. Do you prefer silence when you compose your posts and write your comments?

I like a bit of noise around me. I've just got my AU/ADHD diagnosis and it makes sense that I like a bit of noise around me to still my magpie mind. 

4. What's the grossest thing you've ever spilled on your keyboard?

I spill everything on my keyboard, but once I tipped the whole of my dinner - spaghetti bolognese on my keyboard. Needless to say, I had to go get a new one in the morning. There was no coming back from that. 

5. Ever posted while intoxicated?

Not massively intoxicated - I haven't been drunk in years. I'll occasionally have a gin and tonic while writing, but it's one gin and tonic. I know the adage goes that you write drunk and edit sober, but no blogging. It goes out too quickly. 

Today's song: 

This weekend I write

 More to the point, this weekend I will do the writing I want to do, not the writing I do at work. 

And yes, I have to update my CV, as this gig here in Darwin is coming to an end, but while I'm in Darwin for the weekend trying to conserve money, I'm going to go and do some real writing. Fiction writing. Some people will say that updating your CV is a form of fiction, but that's the breaks. If I want to get another job, it's something I have to do. And that is a fine thing. 

This weekend's fiction foray will be the monthly Furious Fiction entry. Tell a story in under 500 words. You have until midnight AEST on Sunday to get it done. You have prompts, of which you must adhere.

For this month, we have the following prompts:

• Your story must take place at a table.
• Your story must feature a character who tells a lie.
• Your story must include the words GLASS, RICH and SPEED.  (Longer variations are acceptable e.g. “glassy” or “speeding”)

Heaven knows what I'm going to do with that. 

The only other things on this weekend is a trip on the bus to Casaurina Shopping Centre to buy myself a new Apple Watch (my current one is all but dead), granny water aerobics at the wave pool on Sunday morning and a lot of rest and reading and exercise in equal measure. At least the pool isn't too cold at the moment. The warmer, muggy weather has heated it up a bit. 

There are whistling kites circling the city. I'm wondering if they are a harbinger of an early wet. 

We will see. 

It will be nice to be a writer for the weekend, regardless. 

Today's song: 

It’s just not right

 It’s supposed to be the dry season

It’s not. 

It’s supposed to be about 30 and dry during the day and it goes down to about 17 or 18 at night. 

It’s not.

Currently, here in Darwin, the humidity is sitting at around 70% and it’s not getting much under 22° at night. It’s not right.

It feels like an early build up, when it never rains And it’s horribly humid and everybody gets grumpy.

It’s just not right.

Even so, it’s still very nice having half a dozen oysters and a can of beer before fish and chips on the wharf. Being so humid, the walk home is a little bit slower, but that’s okay..

Still, I wish it was a classic dry season

At least the pool was a little bit warmer than it was the other week.

Today's song: 

The Lean

 Leaving work of an evening is always nice. 

Leaving work and meeting up with your favourite horse-shaped dog is even better.

I love it when I spot Riggs. 

Riggs has equine genes. He's song sort of mastiff-cross. Short-haired, brindle coated and not an animal you'd want to see on the other side of a fence which you're trying to jump. He looks a bit mean. His owner is rather scruffy. And he often takes him for a walk at the time I'm escaping from the office. He also says that he's the best guard dog he's ever owned. 

We've seen each other a few times now. I get all mushy, because it's a dog and I like to say hello to every dog I meet in the street (and cat, horse... you name the animal, I'm there) .

Last night on leaving the office, Riggs and his owner we're walking down the footpath. 

I stopped. 

"You, again."

"Yep."

"Do you want a pat?"

"Only if he's amenable."

He spoke to Riggs. "Do you want a pat off the nice lady?"

And Riggs walks over and leaned against my legs, looked up at me and demanded pats.

Made my day, that did. 

Today's song:

On the Day You Went Away

We went back to the place we last saw him. Deck One. On the wharf. It was a dryer night than tonight, maybe a better, more spectacular sunset. It was the three of us. Tonight, there were two. 

We talked about him, and how much he was missed. We skated over what happened, or why it happened. There's no point asking those questions. It is what is. He's not here anymore. Simples. 

Doesn't mean we don't feel him about the place, or still talk to him, often berating him for passing without any due notice. Mind you, he'd probably like that. We just hope, whatever happened, was quick and as painless as possible. 

I know he'd be berating me for listening to Wendy Matthews tonight. "Come on Panda, pony up, give it some wellie. What about King Stingray... or Amyl and the Sniffers? You can do better than Wendy Matthews. 

Well, they played Xavier Rudd and The Church at your funeral, I'd hit back at him. 

He would have approved of the meal. Some light tapas. Prawns (have to say, I've had better, but I love my seafood). A lovely scallop ceviche. Arancini. Corn ribs, which I like to think you'd be as bemused by as me - but they were a highlight. This was washed down with a Bloody Mary for me and a glass of wine for Elle. We toasted you. We remembered you. And we hope you know just how bloody mad we are that you're not about anymore.

But it's a contemplative song for a contemplative day.

There's no tears, just a lingering sadness from what happens when somebody is taken well before their time. We've had a year to get used to your absence. 

Tomorrow I'll get out the harder rock. Tonight, it's Wendy Matthews.

Tomorrow, I might put on Talking Heads This Must Be the Place and remember driving down the Stuart Highway with it playing on the radio, singing along gently, smiling at the glorious weather. 

Just know that Darwin is infused with you. You're always just around the corner, at the bar, on the dancefloor, at the Deckie, down the Cav, at 1995 getting a coffee, with your Yeti in hand, greeting the baristas by name. We can feel you, even if we can't see you. The Darwin Festival starts next week. We know you're bummed to miss it. 

We gently celebrated you tonight. 

We know, wherever you are, that you're free. And happy. 

Today's song:

Yeah…Nah

I’m back up in Darwin.

My flight was the last one out of the Melbourne Qantas terminal last night. We were also delayed half an hour. There were nice tail winds to take some time off the flight. I got to the hotel at 2:30 ACST (Or 3 am AEST)

This means I got to bed at about 3.15 this morning. Or 3:45 if you’re using Melbourne time.... (This is a thing - whenever you're up here you have to clarify what time zone you're talking about - heaven hiep if you have a colleague in Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide during the wet season - one country, five time zones).

I’m trying to look at things from a positive point of view.

The gee-whiz-you-beaut Neck pillow that I bought the other week allowed me to have around 2 1/2 hours sleep on the plane. I got to work at 9 am and I was reasonably compos mentis. My body didn’t feel too bad, thanks to the neck pillow. 

However…

The Darwin crew were coming back from a long weekend, as they had Show Day on Friday. The air conditioning is not on in the office during this time. We're used to turning up on Monday morning to a hot office. 

I arrived to start work at 9 am. Not bad for just under four hours of sleep.

Oh, and did I tell you that Darwin is in the middle of some unseasonally humid weather. Instead of it being lovely and dry, it's wet and sticky. It feels like the Buildup, which normally occurs from late September to December. When I walked out of the airport yesterday morning, the lure of the Uber was strong. It was hot and sticky. 

Regardless, the office, at 9 am, was stiflingly hot. 

Another good thing. The room I normally work in has its own, independent air conditioning unit, normally set somewhere between fridge and freezer. 

Outside of this smallish office, people were wilting. 

You could hear the air conditioning trying to work, but it was failing miserably. 

There was also a big wigs meeting in the room from 9-11. We had to wilt out with the rest of the office. 

They started to send people home. It was about 35 degrees in the office according to people's trackers. 

Normally, when you go into the un-airconditioned toilets, they're a few degrees warmer that the office area. Today, we went to the bathrooms for respite. 

I believe the job has been raised to have the air conditioning fixed. (Having the aircon break down is also a regular occurence)

I'm also happy I got a seat in the air conditioned part of the office after the management meeting was over. 

And as for the humid weather, well, it's heated up the pool a bit. Rather than being almost too chilly to swim in, I got 30 lengths in after work.

And back in my room, I'm starting my 100 push-ups challenge. 

10 days. 100 push-ups. 

Yeah,,,, nah..... Too tired tonight. It's been a long day. 

Today's song: 

Movie Review: The Fantastic Four: First Steps

 Movie Number 31 of 2025

The Movie: The Fantastic Four: First Steps

The Cinema: Hoyts Victoria Gardens

Runtime: One hour 55 minutes

Stars: 4 - but I'm being generous.

When evaluating a film I think about a couple of things. Did I fall asleep? Did I enjoy it? Were some things better than others? Does it have a place in popular culture. 

Thankfully, I didn't fall asleep during The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but I'm coming to this review with some reservations. 

This is the fourth Fantastic Four film they've made in the last twenty years - and probably this is the best one. It's also there to set up the next found of Marvel films, with a new set of Avengers coming out next year (We've already seen Thunderballs (The New Avengers) and the promise of a new breed of superheroes. 

I'm also told that this is not one for the purists. If you were into the comics as a kid, this one probably isn't for you. 

Here's what I liked about the film. 

First up, rather than a full origins story, this film jumps in with the Fantastic Four already being established with their superpowers after a botched flight into space. Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) is already married to Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby). Sue's brother Johnny (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) make up the four. They all have their special powers and they're still saving the world from all sorts of baddies. 

When a silver creature from out of space Shalla-Bal (Julia Garner), also known as the Silver Surfer comes to tell the world that they are set for annihilation, the four go after her and find an even bigger baddie in her place. Oh, and Sue's pregnant too. 

The script is, frankly, rather silly, but it's a Marvel movie - do you think you're going to get Shakespeare?

But, on the great side of this, the aesthetic of this film in extraordinary. Set in the 60s, the film shows a Jetsons-like. The costumes and sets are fantastic. A visual feast. Along with the CGI action is also fantastic. This is a film best seen on the big screen so you can get the full effect. 

And sure Matt Shakman's direction keeps everything running along nicely, making the best of the so-so script, but it's the cast's dedication to the movie which needs to be congratulated. 

Pedro Pascal is always a joy to watch. Vanessa Kirby is far too pretty for her own good. Joseph Quinn is a pretty good funny man to a well described Ebon Moss-Bachrach (which is a pity because he's hot) . And Julia Warner is rather alluring in her silver suit. 

In all, this is a Marvel Movie. It's certainly not as good as some, not as bad as others. For me, the aesthetics won me over. This movie is a visual feast, even if the script is a bit thin.

Today's song: