flook 16 october 1954

 

...and, rather bizarrely, this is the point at which Flook stopped running in US / Canadian newspapers. I wonder if there's any way to find out why the run ended. I mean of course there's no point in making a big announcement about a cancellation - it'll only get people upset - but this is a really strange place to end... 

flook 15 october 1954

 

Flook 14 October 1954

 

warming up

Yesterday was prelude to hot

Flook 13 October 1954

 

Flook 12 October 1954

 

Flook 11 October 1954

 

Flook 9 October 1954

 

Flook 8 October 1954

 

Flook 7 October 1954

 

fishermans bend

The weather on my phone said it was not going to rain this morning (also the Bureau of Meteorology's website showed precisely not any rainclouds at all) so Perry and I went to Fishermans Bend mainly with the intention of visiting Westgate Park but it rained heavily on the way there and when it stopped we were just passing Salmon St so I thought whatever let's have a little moment here and we walked around not just Salmon St but by accident we found ourselves in a massive open space.

It's funny to think all this is just existing there, isn't it. When I was born this terrain was easternmost point of the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation runways - the western half of which is now Westgate Park. But between when I was born and now it has also been the site of a cluster of large buildings, I am not sure what they were. 

Anyway so, Perry and I were heading back to the car (along the way I insisted he have his photo taken) when it started raining heavily again, and I just thought, fuck it, we'll cut our losses so we came back. That's my/our story. 

In the car I was listening to a podcast in the Discord and Rhyme series, about the Wire album Pink Flag. As you know, podcasts are just distractions for me and I tend not to want to learn anything from them though in this case I sort of did. Nothing I needed much less wanted to know - mainly the ways in which Pink Flag tracks sound a bit like REM (who of course completely postdate it) or the Minutemen (ditto). Anyway, I was fine with it.  

Flook 6 October 1954

 

melbourne royal show

 

Flook 5 October 1954

 

humdrum

Today I had errands to run, which would take me to Ashburton via Errol St thence back via Macaulay/Hotham Hill. A sort of slightly whimsical loop but not a ridiculous route. But christ! It's the one billionth bit of public transport madness I have endured on my sixty (almost) years on earth. In this case the particularly stupid bit was getting to Flinders St about one minute after the Upfield train left, and realising that I could in fact meet it at North Melbourne station if I took the Williamstown train which doesn't go round the loop, just goes as the crow flies. But then the Williamstown train naturally enough just decided to stop for an extended period of time between Flinders st and Southern Cross. 

I admit I had never really been aware of those islands before, so that's a plus. Still, it was dumb. Also, it doesn't matter at all in the scheme of things. 

Worst blog post ever. 

Flook 4 October 1954

 

Flook 2 October 1954

 

Flook 1 October 1954

Spoiler: we are coming very close to the end of the Flook run in US newspapers, i.e., in a way they are easily accessible to me. So we're going to eke them out by making them daily from hereon. Enjoy...

 

Leunig's Monday reflection

 

Melbourne Age 1 October 1984 p. 11