darebin parklands

Last night at the excellent Flywheel show at the Old Bar I arranged with Michael and Nicola to go walking our dogs at Darebin Parklands this afternoon and that is exactly what happened. Their dog is the large white greyhound Alba who is the most passive animal I could imagine, though they say that if they ever let her off the lead she would run off and never come back. Charlie was sick and miserable on the drive there (Millie just looked out the window) but once at Darebin she was very full of herself and is no doubt reliving the whole experience right now. She barked at basically everyone - she really needs some puppy training. Or young adolescent dog training, whatever. But it was a good circuit in fact we went back and did it all over again. Interesting crossings on the creek, there is a new one where they've put in square stones and between one of the stones is almost the whole creek in a very deep (I imagine) cutting. Millie got across by herself alright but Charlie had to be picked up and carried. As did Alba who has quirks from her racing career. We met a beagle called Maggie on the way, her owner said she'd just been caught by the ranger off her lead in an on-lead area and running underneath the ranger's car (while it was driving along no less) and Michael said 'was she smoking?' and the guy said 'yes and she threw the butt into some dry grass', which was a good add-on. He was impressed anyway by the things I said Millie and Charlie did which signified their well-behavedness, but even as I was saying it I was thinking of all the terrible untrained behaviour they exhibit as well.

Now I am listening to the tail end of the New Estate rehearsal, they are doing a song of Marc's that sounds kind of like 'Rockin' Robin' and 'Love Bite' (an older song of theirs) together. I really have two things to do tonight. I want to go to the Chapter Music night at Gertrudes - I like all the bands playing (Lakes, Always and Guy Blackman) and I am sure it will be a fine evening. I actually don't even think I have been to see a band at Gertrude's, I remember eating there a few years ago and Nicole and Julian were there but I am not sure who else. And I also want to go to the New Estate/Muddy Spurs/Kids from Russia/Airport City Shuffle show at The Tote. I want to see Kids from Russia apologise to Airport City Shuffle for calling them 'Airport City Chapel' on posters. Anyway, I don't know how I'm going to be at two places at once, at least, I know I'm not going to be able to, so I guess it will be luck of the draw who I see and who I don't. I mean if it comes to that Panel of Judges and Chris Smith are both playing at the Pony in town, I guess I have to concede I am going to have to miss that one altogether.

Now NE are playing 'Free Sherry', one of my very favourite of Mia's songs - interestingly she shrugs it off as something she wrote in a few minutes. I remember a similar quirk in Rabbit's Wedding - one of their best songs was called 'Hit the Road Pussy' and they shrugged that one off with similar reasoning, as if this was in some way to its detriment. Keith Richards dreamt 'Satisfaction' and Ross Wilson thought 'Eagle Rock' was too good for him to have written it. I know these are rather hackneyed stories, but obviously very occasionally the thing that pops out of your head in seconds is some of your best work. I guess that you could see your life as leading up to that anyway - I'm sure some short-circuiting of the synapses goes on in creating great art in an almost spontaneous way, but you need to have the appropriately seasoned synapses in the first places. Brad's bass playing really adds to 'FS', he gives it this highly intricate, almost baroque element. Now Chris is doing this really fiddly, effete drum solo shit at the end of the song and I think the others are trying to make him stop. Perhaps they are cheering him on.

We have a stinky bone in the fridge. The dogs will have a good night. So will I, I expect. The additional excitement is a laksa at Raffles across the road from The Tote. Hey maybe see you there.

a day of critical detachment

Today, Friday, has been a day of repose and consumption. I had a bunch of things I needed to review. I still do have a bunch of things I need to review, but it's a slightly smaller bunch. I reviewed an album by Marshmallow, the DVDs of Napoleon Dynamite and They Filmed the War in Colour: France is Free (a collection of colour films of France in WW2) and a book, Players, by Tony Wilson. I think that's all. It took longer than it should have. Now I am going to go out into the world and see Flywheel play at the Old Bar. I feel suitably relaxed, Friday usually seems to end up as the collapse day for me, whether I intend it to be or not. I wonder what they do in Indonesian jails on a Friday, have a day off? I also did some washing of dishes and clothes. Yeah, it was OK, though I do feel kind of guilty. Oh, and I wrote the preface to the Italian edition of my book. But I do that most days.

still extremely tired

It never made 30 degrees (am I boring you? If you don't read this stuff, I'll seriously never know) and in fact now appears to be about to move towards a cool change. My band is playing on the weekend and this means having to learn some lyrics. Why do I decide NOW to start learning lyrics? I've been reading them off pages and/or making them up on the spot for years now. I don't know why I've decided that now it is essential that I learn lyrics, but I have. I have a bit of a syndrome where I'm so exhuasted it's hard to go home. But I'm gonna in a second. I wish I could write all the funny and strange things my students do but I imagine it's some kind of breach of protocol or something. I'm like a spy or an assassin, heaps of interesting things happen to me but I can't tell you about any of them. Also, I have a poison-tipped umbrella.

extremely tired

This is how my weeks always end up. I am exhausted and I don't know how I am going to get through the day. I have two classes later in the afternoon. It's also, they say, going to get to thirty degrees so that's going to make it even harder. Meanwhile I have to write a lecture about the Queen in the next four hours. I admit this is not exactly the hell of an Indonesian jail, or falling out of a hot air balloon, or a bad disease, but nor is it pleasant - it's only COMPARATIVELY pleasant.

jolly old lollies sir

http://www.fdale.com.au/ferndale_html/jols.htm

it was foggy this morning, and jols

It was very foggy this morning in fact as Mia pointed out there was also a lot of smog too. I was driving along Citylink and on my left I could see the tops of buildings obscured by smog/fog/city was on fire. It has been a bizarre April. By the time April comes around I am used to it getting chillier and more to my liking, but it has been very warm every day. A week ago they were saying the second hottest April ever on record but I reckon now it's going to be the hottest, unless the next few days are 0 degrees or something which would bring the average down. I get paid today.

When you read in the papers in a few years' time that Jols cause the body to eat its own organs, think of me dying horribly, as I am the world's no. one Jols consumer. I have almost exclusively alternated between forest fruits and blackberries, but as I write I am on some orange ones. I don't like them as much as the others (that was predictable). I would certainly like some apple Jols though. I would also like to know where Jols come from, as this is about the only edible item (I can't call them food) that I know of which does not state this on the box. The box says they are 'packed in Australia using local and imported ingredients'; since the only ingredients is a bunch of Jols, this doesn't even make sense (unless the packaging is included as part of the product, which would be stupid). The place they come from must be horrendous for it not to be listed on the package, but I was under the impression that this was even illegal. I suppose I was wrong there. I wonder what Jols stands for? Just Our Luscious Selves? More suggestions please.