two unusual signs seen today

One, on a pallette of ice at the Gladstone Park service station, in texta on cardboard:

'Ne pas toucher. Voir Gerard'

Two, on the side of a building in Tullamarine:

'Rod's hand held snacks'

ode to 2007

Hey 2007
you were a pretty good year
a pretty good year
a pretty good year
overall
if I forget the terrible things that happened
and concentrate only on the pretty good bits
you were a pretty good year
unassuming, sensible,
(terrible bits notwithstanding)
I was in the main impressed
and would have liked to see you extend your tenure
jus' a li'l longer
2008 will be grim and false, with poisonous spikes, like the VW in The Cars that Ate Paris
Many will perish, and those that remain will think back fondly to a more innocent time, f'rinstance, 2007

hobart dream

I dreamt we were moving to Hobart in three weeks' time. I suggested to Mia it would be hard to maintain a North Hobart lifestyle in South Hobart but this is what we would attempt to do. I had already been to Hobart to register us as electricity users and we had been each given a bonus piece of bread which was to be our first toast made in Hobart. The bread slices were tucked into the back of a folder which contained all the periphery of moving. I said 'let's move everything', indicating the furniture in our bedroom which was actually my bedroom 1973-1983, and she said 'of course'. I realised then this would be a big move, and no going back.

roseanne

A few days before christmas we were in JBs and lucked on the Roseanne DVDs. I'd just been thinking about it a bit lately, and something in my mind let me know that it was season 5 I particularly liked, so we got that, and it's been fantastic. What a groundbreaking show. It even broke ground in little ways I never thought of, like when Roseanne says 'what part of shut up don't you understand?' and it gets a big laugh. But also with the gay/domestic violence/etc etc subject matter. I guess the big dichotomy with Roseanne is that for supposed white trash (I cannot tell you how much I despise that term, but I'm using it with 'supposed' so it's 'supposedly OK') they are extremely liberal in the Conner family. I suppose that connects with my liberal fantasies about honest and noble poor people. Of course knowing that doesn't stop me loving the show.

Now I'm bothered that I got rid of myspace because Roseanne is on myspace!!! (And so are the Numbers - another current obsession of mine! Check out the video for Big Beat with Polly Newham and John Bliss in it!)

Warning: contains a kind of spoiler re: new Cohen brothers film.

Last night we went to see No country for old men. Shane and I had pretty much the same response to Tommy Lee Jones' final monologue: we zoned out waiting for the film to go on. Then it ended. I'd go and see it a second time, but I know I'd just zone out all over again.

from my diary, 27 Jan 1998

Went to see Will Oldham on Saturday it was really hot in there, there was a thunderstorm going on out in the street. That followed on from four hours or so at the Builders' Arms for Ellen's 24th birthday. We gave her the Kinks' greatest hits. I have to see B--- L--- in two days and get over this fucking literature survey hurdle. Or my thesis is screwed. Just spoke to G-- on the phone. J--- F--- died on Friday. He was just talking and fell unconscious. I read about it in the paper on Saturday. Having left a message on Friday night dithering about how we couldn't record on Sunday...

Looked after Alice for a hour and a bit last week. She told me silly people had spiders' webs for wallpaper 'and spiders for their toys'. Tamsin said Alice has a lot to say about silly people.

desert island

5.If I was going to a deserted island and could only bring one book, except for the SAS survival guide, it would be…


This question is still bugging me. If you are going to a desert(ed) island, well, firstly, why? But secondly, what's the point of taking one book? One anything? You will get sick of it very, very quickly. Face it, you are adapting to a whole new life, a life where you are not going to be spending time reading books, or should I say, a book. You will most likely forget how to read after a while. And thirdly, why?

(sigh) the good old days

Remember election night? We were all so happy and innocent. Blogger keeps crashing when I try to upload pics. This one will suffice for now.

stolen from galaxy

1. Hardcover or Paperback, and Why?
I have no strong opinions.

2. If I were to own a bookshop, I would call it...
‘Dave’s Books’

3. My favourite quote from a book (mention the title) is...
Come on, you know I can’t remember anything, quotes particularly.

4.The author (alive or deceased) I would love to have lunch with would be…
George Orwell, as long as there weren’t any wasps about

5.If I was going to a deserted island and could only bring one book, except for the SAS survival guide, it would be…
Hopeless. I mean whatever I brought, what would be the point? I suppose if I brought something in a foreign language I could waste my life away trying to decipher it.

6.I would love someone to invent a bookish gadget that…
had the internet in it

7.The smell of an old book reminds me of…
work

8.If I could be the lead character in a book (mention the title), it would be…
Mark in Marianne Dreams

9.The most overestimated book of all time is…
The Bible

10. I hate it when a book…
is by James Freud.

mermaid

happy deathmas

glenorchy market, wtf?

I missed out on Salamanca Market and South Hobart Market because I was working yesterday morning, so I made sure to hit the Glenorchy Market this morning, and while it would be an exaggeration to say I was disappointed, I wasn't particularly appointed either. There was - you won't believe it - a lot of crap being sold, at least it wasn't for lots of money. I did a dumb thing, because I already have stuff to take on the plane anyway, but I bought a couple of LPs, which was stupid, and had one of those dumbarse lectures from the vendor regarding how valuable and unavailable they now were (no doubt vintage toilet paper collectors have the same raves). I absent-mindedly asked him how much the LPs were, and first of all he feigned ignorance of the term 'LP', then I got the rarity spiel, then he got the ones I was looking at, a double reissue of the first two Alice Cooper albums, and a Col Joye greatest hits, and he made great show of examining the Alice records, and now I realise that he actually noted that one of them was the wrong record anyway - when I said I was looking at them, I hadn't got as far as looking at them. Anyway one is not Alice Cooper but Spirit, a band I had always intended to get around to thinking about listening to, and now I can cut out the middle man in that equation.

The only other great thing at Glenorchy Market was a knitted teddy I picked up - this one reminds me of Leunig's take on cuddly Kevin07 crossed with, I don't know, a teddy bear - and although the plastic meerkats were on display for 50c, there were no meerkats left and I was the third person today to ask for one mate. Oh, and an immense half-giraffe, half-spider totally-jumping castle seemingly contemplating its own overleggedness philosophically as Eeyore might.


I saw great bands last night, which was really exciting, but I'll tell you about that later, when I put up the night-time pictures from election night and everything else I was always meant to do.

of course i'm happy

What the hell, you can't be too miserable these days.
Particularly if you're me, so that's handy for me.
After all, a great breakfast at one of my favourite cafes (Retro), Salamanca Place outside the window (later, I notice a delightful breughelian hand in that phoneshot - and those things on pogo sticks? Soul eaters), and plus, I am still in that not-since-Malcolm Fraser-cried afterglow and even the wicked Australian is happy to reinforce my desire to read about where it all went so freakin' right.

then i...

went to Hobart.

under pressure

I admit I am under some pressure, this is probably why at the Pony on Friday night I was even more cheerful than ever, until I cracked on the subject of one insignificant individual who has been getting my goat very significantly in '07 and about whom I even used the c word. I apologise to those who had to witness that and who were clearly affronted. I suppose I was a bit like the woman in that Cars film clip, the deranged one. I daresay my mood swings have something to do with christmas.

kinda cute when a 42 year old man does it

1. Are you dating the last person you kissed?
Kind of

2. Pretend you've had 10 beers. what you would be doing right now?
Sleeping

3. What do you want?
A job

4. Who was the last person you shared a bed with?
Mia Rose Schoen

5. Do you talk to yourself?
Kind of

6. Do you drink milk straight from the carton?
That is more repulsive than eating turds

7. Who knows the latest secret about you?
Nobody

8. How long is your hair?
Acceptably not

9. Do you like Batman?
Well, he founded Melbourne - I dig that

10. Who was the last person who told you they loved you?
Hmm

13. Do you like anyone now?
I like a lot of people.

14. When was the last time you lied?
Probably when I dumbed something down for the sake of a casual conversation with someone I didn't actually know, like in Pascoe Vale Road Market today.

16. Is your birthday on a holiday?
No

17. What instant messaging service do you use?
Don't understand the question

18.Last thing you cooked today?
Hot dog

19. Did you have a nap today?
no

20. Who's house did you go to last?
You mean 'whose'. I went to Julian, Nicole and April's front door, but just left some menus and a fridge magnet there. The last house I went into (aside from my own) was my father's.

21. What do you wear more, jeans or sweats?
Neither, I think, though I don't know what sweats are.

22. Why is the sky blue?
Something to do with air and light or something

23. Do you like green beans?
Yes

24. Do you swear a lot?
Yes

25. Where did you get the shirt you're wearing?
Op shop somewhere

27. Do you use an alarm clock?
Usually

28. Where was your default MySpace picture taken?
At home, but if I could access the function to change the default picture, my answer would be 'Montmorency', or if I could actually delete my account, I would have another answer.

29. Do you ever snort when you laugh?
It's possible

30. Whats the first thing you notice on the opposite sex?
Intelligence

31. Is cheating ever okay?
Hardly

32. Do you want someone you can't have?
That would be ludicrous

34. Do you wear underwear?
well duhhhh

35. Do you wear a bra?
oh see thats what the underwear question was leading up to

36. What Size?
Size with a capital s! Now you're talking

37. Are you a social or an antisocial person?
social

39. Do you have a tan?
no

45. Are you afraid of the dark?
no

47. Do you miss someone today?
Not really, I was moved to miss my grandmother earlier today.

49. Do you still have pictures of you & your exs?
not that I know of.

50. Who's always there for you no matter what?
my real friends

finally i got my photos from election day back from the chemist

These are the afternoon ones.

quelle raconteur

Shane wowed 'em at Toby and Suze's wedding yesterday at Brunswick Bowling Club. I hope he puts his toast up on his blog. (Later: yeah he did)