tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86221059760224764112012-01-23T09:32:36.754+11:00located somewhere between the Pits of Despair and the Clouds of DelightEdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.comBlogger1441100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-84825655124072883592011-03-15T10:43:00.005+11:002011-03-15T10:53:40.995+11:00

Still no job. Still being rejected, again and again. Still living in a tiny brick box. Still no breakthrough in trying to change my life creatively. Still missing my mum. Still grieving for her. Today is her birthday. She would have been 59. Still don't know what to do with my life at this point. Feel like there are no options. Overeducated and underqualified, no-one wants to give me a go

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-54989347376107775962011-01-24T14:11:00.008+11:002011-01-24T14:23:15.194+11:00

Red jeep cherokee,Personal trainer,Waxed back, crack and sack,Back to the penthouse suite,Spray tanned,Waxed vagina,Bleached anus,A girlfriend with a perfect smile,A blonde with bolt on boobs,who knows or cares if these puppies are fake..or not,when she likes anal...sometimes...Laughing friends,sitting on the balcony,discussing mobile phone plans,sipping sparkling wine,Faking it,Girlfriend

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-86574897148727759102011-01-08T11:21:00.004+11:002011-01-08T11:32:04.489+11:00

A shadow moves...just outside the light of the fireDarting into then out of sight,moving,always moving...With a flick of a tail,but not a dog...Scratching somewhere in the distance,digging,digging for bones and relics of lost gods,Neither prey nor predator,I am but a shadow,waiting,for a moment to come,and to pass..I am the bait-thief,I am the wanderer,I am the trickster,I am the coyote.

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-83697805431013196742010-11-02T08:12:00.010+11:002010-11-02T09:20:06.384+11:00

Writers do one thing. They write. They have seemingly endless depths of imagination and drive to tell stories. Their own and arguably the stories of others. It has been a long time since I actually wrote anything that wasn't a text message or much longer than an email. One can hardly call themselves a writer when one does not write. Which brings me to this blog.At first it seemed I really

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-89763700980729611552010-05-09T15:29:00.004+10:002010-05-09T15:49:39.918+10:00

An artist friend Trevor has a new exhibition on at the moment as part of the Next Wave festival. The show is titled Film that will end in Death and is on from the 8th to the 31st of May. There is also a Q&A session with Trevor on the 25th of May.The exhibition explores risk in life through stunning visuals and documentary style footage. From a firefighter to a rock-climber, the characters

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-27474085359926168222010-05-09T09:55:00.004+10:002010-05-09T15:50:18.480+10:00

Interesting video, even though the American context with both the 4th Amendment and the Patriot Act in play is different to Australian context.Choose Privacy Week Video from 20K Films on Vimeo.Considering I do blog and have put a fair chunk of my life online it certainly had an impact on the way I think about that. Still not a F@cebo0k member, though if I was it might have allowed me to keep in

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-35515233679698026732010-04-19T18:52:00.004+10:002010-04-19T19:00:15.700+10:00

As of today I have 4-6 solid sentences done on my synopsis. First sentence is good, but I'm begining to wonder if synopses might be my nemeses? Nemesis? Nemesi? Nemeses.Probably could have had proposal entirely finished if not for work. Seem to be feeling extra lazy after work too. Have been jogging and exercising a bit though as I seem to spend most of the day sitting. So if nothing else

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-80739785903006618162010-04-05T15:20:00.007+10:002010-05-09T15:52:33.823+10:00

At the moment I'm working on a number of writing projects when I can. I thought I'd do a very brief blog entry about the stages they are at as of today so in the future I can (hopefully) see the progress I've made.Book proposal: I've done the title page, cover letter, started author details, started market potential, but done nothing on synopsis or chapter plan. Am I putting off the hard bits?

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-82276244893693411812010-03-28T08:38:00.034+11:002010-05-09T10:05:34.199+10:00

Rather than sit in the dark for Earth Hour and bemoan how no one else cares for the planet, I think people should do something social. This year we had the opportunity to go to see live music and animals at the Melbourne Zoo for Earth Hour. We were invited to the event as part of a special blogger invite organized by Our Religion (a PR company attempting to use the 'new media').The Melbourne

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-38980198435727761812010-03-15T17:36:00.004+11:002010-03-15T17:51:57.893+11:00

A year has passed since my mum's last birthdayIt snuck up on me this yearI struggled to find carnations for her todayOne floristThen anotherBefore finding amazing yellow ones with magenta edgesI put five in the oceaninto her all encompassing armsShe'd have really liked the flowers this yearThe sea was flatcalmbeautifulI was thankful she chose the ocean to have her ashes scatteredI also realized

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-5981270354058906732010-03-13T11:50:00.004+11:002010-03-13T12:41:35.496+11:00

Kitty Flanagan has to be the best thing about the (relatively) new channel Ten series The 7pm Project. I write this after watching the show somewhat irregularly since it began. The show's 'anchors' are Charlie Pickering, Dave Hughes and Carrie Bickmore and is perhaps aimed at those with attention deficit disorder who like a few laughs. Pretty much entertainment 'lite'.Some critics have

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-48562473412871704902010-02-27T18:00:00.005+11:002010-03-07T11:51:36.620+11:00

On Wednesday night I went along to the Owl and the Pussycat gallery space in Richmond to see Brad Gunn's amazing show called Jungleseed. The Owl and the Pussycat is a small space next to the bar Holiava on Swan street, opposite Richmond train station.This exhibit showcases Brad's fantastical imagination, through five sculptures. Four of which are themed around each of the seasons and could be

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-24973653596842830662010-02-27T17:33:00.011+11:002010-04-05T15:20:23.821+10:00

Ever get that feeling that there are some people who are supposed to be in your life?I ran into an old friend from high school Thursday at the park near where I work during my lunch hour. It had been 8 years since I last saw him. Far too long. The funny thing is that I never would have run into him if I had not been over my allocated lunch break and dragging my feet on the way back to the

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-14012432078640710612010-01-24T14:27:00.004+11:002010-01-24T14:40:45.036+11:00

On Saturday Alana and I went to see Ron Mueck's work at the National Gallery of Victoria.Mueck makes extremely realistic sculptures of people. So real that when you look at them you think you are looking at a person. They have pores, wrinkles, veins beneath their skin, and tufts of pubic hair, exactly like real people. Except their scale is either much larger or much smaller than living

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-61658187562498007392010-01-24T14:24:00.003+11:002010-01-24T14:48:30.907+11:00

Long time, no blog.Last week I submitted the archival submission for my thesis after making the required amendments.Mixed emotions. Both good and bad. Endings are always a bit so so for me, good to begin something else new and different, but kind of also painful letting something go.

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-51420181952500571852009-08-06T13:30:00.009+10:002009-08-06T14:18:26.153+10:00

This is the third in a series of posts about the hard work of becoming a writer. The other two older posts can be found here (Base Camp) and here (The three Rs). Although I've kept a blog for some time and written a PhD I find myself still working out the way towards writing for a living. In the long term I had intended to try to publish my PhD thesis as a book once the examiners reports are

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-90147579899307511032009-06-10T10:28:00.013+10:002009-06-13T14:59:31.038+10:00

The academy award nominated movie The Wrestler is a story of a man who keeps doing what he knows despite the damage that it is doing to him. In this way it is a story that mirrors many mens' careers and speaks about the way by which men define themselves through their jobs and what they do. In many ways it shows the limits and the cost of having one's identity defined in such a way. The

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-7673710080117991182009-06-01T05:18:00.008+10:002009-06-16T15:24:26.873+10:00

I am the artful-doger,I am Peter Pan,I am Huckleberry Finn,a thief,a swashbuckler,a rascal,I am orphaned,free,an adventurer,a storyteller,master,and master of none,I am lost,I am found...

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-39884593213057584262009-05-25T10:35:00.014+10:002009-08-06T14:16:31.614+10:00

Sarah Watt's new film My Year Without Sex explores how ordinary people create meaning out of their life experiences. However, Sarah contrasts everyday life, as lived by of a family in the Melbourne Western suburbs, to life-changing events when the central character Natalie, played by multiple AFI winning actress Sacha Horler, suffers a brain aneurysm. This theme (how do people make sense of

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-35637000558745997982009-05-18T08:42:00.006+10:002009-06-17T09:37:51.419+10:00

My hope that the tests for Moonshe would tell us what's exactly wrong with her have done so. Her kidneys are stuffed and she has a hyper thyroid condition. That's the bad news.The good news is that both can be managed by expensive tablets and food for the rest of her kitty days. That and we now have a much better idea about her health. I also suppose that we have been pretty lucky with our

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-882067600622166072009-05-13T10:20:00.014+10:002009-06-17T09:37:26.962+10:00

Yesterday our cat was sick again, so I took her to the vet. She's sick from a recurring problem. A month ago we put her on antibiotics to clear up feline cystitis. The vet asked me to try to get a urine sample and handed me a little container and an empty syringe. He suggested filling a litter tray with cotton balls and waiting for her to pee and then suck up the cat piss. I could have

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-11356541016009751502009-04-28T13:50:00.004+10:002009-04-30T09:58:26.411+10:00

The sun broke through the clouds while I walked to the post office. A package was waiting there. After hunting through pile of boxes and padded bags the man asked me to sign for it. I scribbled something where he pointed. It was not my name.I walked home enjoying the warmth of the sun, once there I continued to wait. Today it was for someone to come and fix our gas heater. But I'm always

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-74283947776047127562009-04-21T10:33:00.005+10:002009-04-21T11:15:03.834+10:00

Last night Alana and I went to see Upfront 2009 which features the best women comedians in the Comedy Festival. It is an all woman version of the comedy Gala, which is great to see at the festival.Upon arriving at the gig it was noticeable that more women than men had come to this event. Sitting down I was the only male in my row of seats and there were no men in the row in front of us, nor

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-85345827356147459132009-04-16T08:37:00.010+10:002009-06-17T09:36:59.075+10:00

This morning Quantas has reported that 4 pythons have escaped on board a flight from Alice Springs bound for Melbourne. Probably not the best news for those with ophiophobia but no fear of flying. Maybe one phobia will now lead to another phobia? The beleaguered airline Quantas must be looking for help, maybe someone with experience with snakes on a plane. So where the hell is Samuel L.

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-30755850910302557042009-04-15T12:03:00.007+10:002010-01-24T14:46:40.186+11:00

I came across an animated clip made by David Lynch for Moby on Neil Gaiman's blog. Being a fan of Lynch's work - Eraserhead, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, The Straight Story, Twin Peaks - it immediately caught my eye. I can't help but think that the collaboration between Lynch and Moby is somewhat unusual though.It's certainly not really what I'd expect from either Moby or Lynch, perhaps the

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-12078897481806357422009-04-11T11:10:00.010+10:002009-04-12T10:19:57.776+10:00

The saying "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" best be revised to something like "Furious comedy best cometh from a woman scorned..." Or words to those effect. Sarah Millican's Not Nice is the funniest show I have seen at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in the last three years.Her humour has universal appeal because we all have had similar experiences of love lost, feeling

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-80823814918625391142009-04-09T10:44:00.019+10:002009-04-09T21:53:19.679+10:00

Last night Alana and I went along to see Eric Hutton's show at the Old Melbourne Gaol. While we have seen comedy at the nearby Trades Hall we had not been to see a comedy show at the gaol before, so this was a new experience for us. The only sign that there might be comedy in the old gaol is the pink lighting.Before the show we went into the old lockup area where a makeshift bar had been set up

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-83786252129463584522009-04-09T09:04:00.014+10:002009-04-09T10:42:34.044+10:00

Proof by Alexander Grecian and Riley Rossmo is yet another detective comic dressed up in funny clothes. In this regard it is similar to Powers by Brian Michael Bendis or Planetary by Warren Ellis. Powers is about two detectives policing a city occupied by superheroes whereas Planetary is about a secret organization that employs super-powered people to investigate paranormal mysteries. Whereas

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-31431786785272468522009-04-05T09:21:00.005+10:002009-04-12T11:07:24.717+10:00

The Last Bucket of Water performed by Adam McKenzie, Rob Lloyd and Tegan Higginbotham is a frantically funny look at what might happen if we run out of water.The opening scene gripped the audience's attention with a strangle hold and did not let go from there.** Moments of drama like this were nicely spliced between the comedy. Teagan, Rob and Adam have adopted a self-aware style of performance

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-49519109657395950582009-04-03T11:18:00.010+11:002009-04-05T10:01:51.291+10:00

Yesterday I was feeling pretty glum. It was going to take something like a clown-powered-earth-mover to get me out of my deep rut. Which as we all know is actually a giant groove.We had tickets to see Arj Barker's Original Style Bits and Pieces last night. So I was thinking that I probably was not in the best frame of mind to see him do comedy. I was wrong. It was just what I needed.I had

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-89828412458633630472009-03-30T15:29:00.009+11:002009-03-31T09:43:56.213+11:00

I've been thinking a bit about what makes me happy recently. I suppose after finishing a PhD would be an appropriate time to think about this. Recently I've stumbled across the blog of Murasaki-Claire who has written about what makes her happy. For her it seems it is the little things. Reading Claire's thoughts I realized that I have no easy answer to the question: what makes me happy?It is

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-21317015214912646942009-03-26T10:42:00.007+11:002009-08-06T13:27:42.172+10:00

Writers who have been published with little effort seem to me to be very talented, very lucky and have written something that is totally unique. For the rest of us just writing good prose can be a challenge. A greater challenge again is convincing an editor to publish your work.To get some of my words published I have set about working out where to start. I have to get to 'base camp' and then

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-82334615198665539062009-03-21T15:13:00.005+11:002009-03-21T15:26:06.180+11:00

I also forgot to write in my last post that I fractured my arm while I was editing. And that even doing that did not stop me from finishing my thesis. My forgetting of this injury shows that it really was the least of my worries.Had a great night out with people from uni last night. My fellow candidates had chipped in and bought me an amazing bottle of champagne and a card. Their comments in

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-56916229068738839202009-03-19T21:25:00.009+11:002009-03-19T21:47:36.155+11:00

Despite my primary PhD supervisor changing 4 times I finished my PhD.Despite having 4 secondary supervisors over a course of 6 years I finished my PhD.Despite my mum killing herself in 2005 after a 3 year battle with cancer I finished my PhD.Despite my father re-partnering less than a year after my mum died and then remarrying, I finished my PhD.Despite becoming estranged from my father I

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-58332646724210670322009-03-19T20:25:00.011+11:002009-06-17T09:39:13.144+10:00

Being the nostalgic fool that I am I thought I'd post up pictures of my study space at university that I have cleaned out over the past week and are now leaving behind.After doing this I'll likely fade into nothingness and be quickly forgotten. At least that is what I expect from people at my university. I'll miss a number of people, although no doubt there will be some who will be rejoicing at

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-36296010636126684972009-03-15T08:20:00.005+11:002009-03-15T09:15:54.485+11:00

Another year has passed. It is your birthday once again mum.I've grown older. Learned a lot about myself. I've tried to live as best as I can, but on balance I'm not sure that I have over the past few years.I've finished my PhD thesis, which you'd be proud of me. It is about something that I know you'd like. But doing a thesis is not necessarily living well. Also I'm not sure about my

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-76859996136758461552009-03-05T12:14:00.004+11:002009-03-05T12:47:01.806+11:00

On Tuesday night we went along to see Amanda Palmer and friends at The Corner Hotel in Richmond. I'll premise what I say next by stating that I did not enjoy the last gig I went to at The Corner Hotel and I can't even remember the band that we saw late last year. I must have repressed it.Amanda was supported by an interesting cello player called Zoe Keating. Who loops her playing to create a

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-47990742251993172622009-03-03T09:34:00.007+11:002009-03-03T11:00:20.840+11:00

I've been thinking about the music I've listened to over the years since I started my PhD. It has been a somewhat eclectic mix. I can only really remember back to 2005. And as a lot of our CD collection is packed away I'm scratching my head to go back any further. So I thought I'd give the highlights reel. Not sure about the exact order of listening, but this would be close.Fiona Apple -

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-69783537982203535992009-02-25T08:56:00.005+11:002009-02-25T09:23:38.801+11:00

It is now almost four weeks since I came off my bike, hit concrete and fractured my arm.After a week it was only painful when I moved it or bumped it. After the first ten days it was no longer painful most of the time. Three weeks in I wanted to start moving it again, but after muscle wastage and loss of flexibility any movement was fairly exhausting and a fair bit painful on my arm. Glad I

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-35176938277342007892009-02-19T16:37:00.006+11:002009-02-19T17:12:10.760+11:00

Today I have not quite known what to do with myself. Yesterday, for all intents and purposes, I finished my PhD thesis. I completed my conclusion, summary and even added the page numbers to the table of contents.While it is true I'm asking my supervisor to have another look over it and I will give it another cursory once over for typos, it is done. Finished. The end.So this morning I wandered

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-69382732695800800512009-02-18T09:48:00.007+11:002009-02-18T10:29:46.501+11:00

Over ten years ago I remember when I was in high school looking into the greenhouse effect. I remember reading that some scientists estimated that we had until 2020 before irreversible climate change devastated the environment. That date is now fast approaching.Recently I stumbled across a website counting down the time until irreversible climate change is upon us called One Hundred Months. I

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-75017484195375900092009-02-16T16:49:00.002+11:002009-02-16T17:07:36.633+11:00

Today was my follow up appointment at the fracture clinic. First I had to go for another x-ray and a CT scan at 8 am.I was the first person to arrive at radiology today. The same people were working as what were working at 7 pm on the day I hit the concrete. That'd mean they do 12 hour days. After getting out my book I only read one page before I was asked to come in for my CT scan.Rachael,

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-15266942019746128422009-02-10T09:46:00.007+11:002009-02-11T09:26:16.057+11:00

Yesterday I went to the fractured clinic at the Royal Melbourne to see how the healing process was going. I had an appointment to see a doctor at 9:30 but curiously I had been allocated an x-ray at 9:45. A few days earlier I had called up to see if this would be a problem and whether I should reschedule or not. They said that rescheduling would mean that I'd be placed back into the waiting

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-69143071943276979122009-02-02T09:48:00.005+11:002009-02-02T10:22:54.716+11:00

Right, it is as I suspected. Having a fractured arm blows! It is not that I'm in that much pain anymore, but it is bloody annoying because I can't do things!Despite being proud of my ninja-like use of a teaspoon one-handed to pry open the heavy glass lid on the coffee jar, I'm having difficulties with doing pretty much everything else.The fact that I can only slowly type like a pecking chicken

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-53662503904872608362009-01-30T09:51:00.005+11:002009-02-02T10:25:30.048+11:00

Hitting concrete hurts. Last night, as I was riding my bike home along Grattan street towards the Royal Melbourne hospital, I crashed. As I rode up to the traffic lights beside cars on my right I was forced onto the bluestone cobbles that line many a Melbourne street on the left. Cobblestone looks nice, but is actually a hazard for cyclists. My wheel got caught between the tarseal and the

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-10319913896630505212009-01-24T07:32:00.007+11:002009-08-06T13:45:28.645+10:00

Recently I've been introduced to the real three Rs that apply to most writers. Rewrite, Reuse, Recycle.Thinking about the Rs in my experience of writing my PhD I think one thing I've learned is that whenever I write something I also have to rewrite a lot. Sometimes even from the ground up and discard the prior version entirely. I've found that sometimes discarding and starting with a clean page

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-61248681608032361502009-01-22T03:55:00.008+11:002009-01-22T09:55:47.870+11:00

Recently I've had a lot of hits from people about doing a PhD. This is surprising as there are only four posts presently on my blog (five counting this one) that have anything to with my PhD. The searches that have hit my blog have had various search categories entered into google. The most common have been: 'reasons to do a PhD' and 'reasons not to do a PhD.' The less common have been: 'can a

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-41121413006793813492009-01-17T17:16:00.003+11:002009-01-17T17:40:19.984+11:00

I must begin by saying sorry to all those who have visited my blog over the past month to find...erm...well nothing new!I have been a bad blogger. But I do have excuses. Busy with Christmas. Working on thesis like a mad thing.Moving house.Had no internet until yesterday.No good?'Should have gone to an internet café,' I hear you say. 'Should have used a friend's computer,' I hear you say. '

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-57632212615096058062008-12-16T11:48:00.003+11:002008-12-16T11:58:59.606+11:00

Might be last post for the year. I've been very busy with writing and packing/cleaning/sorting.We are moving house again just after Christmas. While moving is always a bit of a pain, I'm really looking forward to being in a new place for the new year. Plus it has a bath tub! Missed baths.I'm also looking to hand over an almost final version of thesis to people by Christmas eve. Of course I

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-68329221615574401842008-12-10T21:56:00.006+11:002008-12-10T22:10:51.552+11:00

Basically I think I need to try to forgive myself for not being there for my mum perhaps as much as I could. Although in hindsight I was there as much as I could be at the time.Try to forgive myself for being sad, depressed and angry after she died.Paradoxically also try and forgive myself for being happy after she died!Try and forgive myself for living. To be not afraid of life and not afraid

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-33443753838502319312008-12-07T10:01:00.006+11:002008-12-10T21:49:58.314+11:00

I've been thinking a lot about forgetting. And what it means to forget. Forget someone. Or forget something that happened.I guess this idea links to my previous post about acceptance of what has happened. The problem I am thinking about is that a blog retains posts in a present tense or are about the very immediate past. In this way they retain a clarity of that moment converse to the way

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-58159915908643832632008-12-05T11:35:00.007+11:002008-12-10T21:55:59.998+11:00

As the end of my PhD draws near I find myself having to work on acceptance of a number of things.Acceptance that I may never work in academia.Acceptance that I may leave university bitter and angry after my experiences of humiliation, bullying and infantilization.Acceptance that my PhD may be the last book that I write.Acceptance that pass or fail means nothing to anyone but me.Acceptance that my

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-30336713760005978202008-11-27T15:12:00.007+11:002008-11-27T15:46:40.982+11:00

Mumbai had a series of terrorist attacks today. One of the first pieces of video I saw was of a wounded soldier being carried in another man's arms. He was then passed to another man who continued to carry him, while the men around them shouted, before being passed again to another man. Of note the first reactions to violence by people were to help one another. News of dozens dead and reports

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-8055869467715136002008-11-14T18:28:00.013+11:002008-11-14T20:01:42.239+11:00

That time of year fast approaches once more. No, not Christmas. The day where one of the world's largest corporations goes into a media spin overdrive to entice people into it's restaurants with the promise of raising money for sick kids and their families.'Won't someone think of the children!' is the rallying cry of those responsible for the mass media campaign for the Red and Yellow

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-66835911069493997222008-11-01T17:55:00.015+11:002008-11-01T19:18:52.287+11:00

Last night Alana and I went to a Halloween party hosted by her delightful friends Rosie and Brian.Being a bit of a handy, arts and crafts type of person, I made myself a costume during the week before.I had this idea of going as some kind of possessed evil pumpkin monster. So I had decided to paper mache myself a pumpkin head and put together some kind of ethereal-meets-hessian sack robe.My

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-630186072323560112008-10-12T15:03:00.004+11:002008-10-12T15:53:02.862+11:00

On Friday night Alana and I went to see the latest offering from Pixar - WALL-E. Some very minor spoilers do follow, so if you want to go into the film knowing nothing best hit the 'back' button or 'next blog' button now.Before the main feature was another Pixar short animation about a magician and his hungry bunny rabbit. Very clever and very funny. We then got to our main feature WALL-E just

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-61858470077788731542008-10-03T11:08:00.004+10:002008-10-03T11:16:08.870+10:00

Well today I turn the big THREE TWO. I'm now no longer 'just out of my twenties' in my mind. Nice figure too, divisible six ways by 1,2,4,8,16,32. All doubles. Next birthday I can do that at is at 64. Then 128, which I'm sure I'll make it to. Thus far I have drunk way too much nice coffee, read comics (Planetary 2 & 3), made myself sumptuous scrambled eggs with too much cheese and butter.

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-17021231543098618002008-08-29T09:45:00.004+10:002008-08-29T10:11:02.199+10:00

On Wednesday night I came down with the dread lurgy. Spent all of yesterday in bed weak as a kitten. Still too sick to do really anything today. I'll probably go back to bed after this blog.I've been as sick as a dog, or should that be cat? As our cats seem to have sensed this and have been doing their best to act as hot water bottles on the bed, which is a difficult task for a cat as they

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-23861508818476015192008-08-22T08:27:00.006+10:002008-08-22T08:37:01.602+10:00

Be flexible.Be prepared to be exploited. Be prepared to move to another country before you will get a job in Australia.Make no plans.Have no dreams.Only do it because you love it.Be prepared to be fucked over. You should not complain.Keep being creative.Give us something for nothing.One day the baby boomers might, possibly, maybe, perhaps by chance retire.You'll only get a job when we die.

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-17348908390435343272008-08-11T16:13:00.006+10:002008-08-19T18:45:54.897+10:00

Still waiting for my grief for you to end,But alas no end in sight,Tried and tried to work out what I'm missing about you,now,previously,the day before...tomorrow,Finally worked it out,it was the way you held us all together,but I find its a task I'm not up to.I can't do what you did.and hold us together,although no-one else and nothing else can.

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-15539046289407041492008-08-02T10:48:00.003+10:002008-08-02T11:11:06.234+10:00

Last night we went to see a movie with my brother as part of the Melbourne Film Festival.My brother had organized tickets for the Swedish film Let the right one in. Or Låt den rätte komma in. Based on one of my brother's favorite horror books.It is a unique vampire love story set in the 1980s between a 12 year old boy, Oskar and a 12 year old vampire girl Eli, who has been 12 for quite some

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-50294271894168871662008-07-12T11:27:00.007+10:002008-07-21T10:33:37.859+10:00

The day afterAfter the wedding reception I awoke with a bad hangover. I had not drunk enough water before going to sleep. I expect no sympathy as it was self induced with 3 beers and 3 scotches. Indians seem to favour spirits. Although this could perhaps be a middle class positioning or a status claim. Michael's friends had been plying us with drinks from the free bar. It seems Westerners,

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-40543701958786425392008-07-07T15:49:00.005+10:002008-07-12T11:20:53.570+10:00

We awoke to alarms on three mobiles going off at 4:30 the morning of the wedding. Alana flicked on the light and I pulled the pillow over my head.I had slept well, just not enough hours.We then shower and dress for the wedding. The coulters take very little time to put on. But saris take some time. Friends of Michael, Edwin and Shridevi, come over to help Alana with her sari, which is

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-41988530004014311052008-07-05T00:44:00.019+10:002008-07-12T11:14:35.517+10:00

The FlightAfter getting up at 4:45 Wednesday morning we made made our way to Tullamarine. Once there we boarded a plane to Sydney to connect with our flight to Mumbai. We are going to India for a friend's wedding. Because of the ongoing Quantus engineers' dispute both flights were delayed and we ran from one gate to another gate at Sydney.We had done flights to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-54536638727361831942008-06-18T19:39:00.009+10:002008-06-18T20:10:53.263+10:00

The Rudd government may have inherited a so-called surplus from the Howard regime, but it seems that it has also inherited a vast host of other issues. (The surplus of roughly $21 million considering the preceding ten years of economic growth seems quite little to me.)These issues include rising inflation, primarily driven by rising fuel prices for primary products like fruit and vegetables and

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-83974260950521977802008-06-09T21:52:00.010+10:002008-06-10T10:24:46.342+10:00

New house.A little over a month ago we moved house across the river and into the northern burbs of old Melbourne town. It has been great to have a change of scenery. Definitely did not want to just move one suburb over and pretend that everything was the same but slightly different. Been riding my bike into uni more and enjoying a different public transport trip on other days. I am so glad we

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-57414945706130508652008-06-01T11:10:00.009+10:002008-06-05T05:02:45.439+10:00

Warning Contains Spoilers!Last night I watched the last episode of the 2005 series of Dr Who named 'The Parting of the Ways' written by Russell T. Davies.(EDIT: originally I had that Terry Nation co-wrote this episode, but Terry is responsible for creating the Daleks. I did not check who he was on IMDb. 'Pleb!' I hear certain fans mutter.)This episode is a culmination of several stories where

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-81217470706250119612008-05-25T10:15:00.018+10:002008-09-01T09:09:23.334+10:00

Bill Henson's photos of adolescents aged between 12 and 13 have caused offense to some people. The gallery that was to show the photos was shut down by police just before it was due to open to the public. Further intimidation directed towards the gallery has followed with threats to "burn the building down."The prime minister Kevin Rudd, wading into a murky debate, has been quoted as saying

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-32716324292307452152008-05-24T15:48:00.008+10:002008-05-25T09:12:11.779+10:00

My terribly talented brother Sam is part of an art exhibition that is on this weekend Saturday 24th of May (and perhaps Sunday 25th of May). Opening night is from 7 to 9 pm.He has been doing collaborative work with an artist named Rosie King, which I think is great as a lot of artistic endeavor is highly individualized activity.The artwork is being displayed in Gallery 696 in Brunswick, which is

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-83231915358324277182008-05-15T15:00:00.006+10:002008-05-15T15:52:02.827+10:00

Yesterday Alana and I went and checked out a friend's art in the Campbell Arcade (Degraves street subway).The exhibition is called The Puma, The Stranger & The Mountain by Trevor Flinn and Ceclia Fogelberg. My first impressions were that it seems to be exploring how the Australian imagination and folklore is intimately connected to who we are, or perhaps who we think we are.Trev is a sculptor

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-77167948225698267312008-05-11T10:08:00.008+10:002008-05-11T10:46:57.093+10:00

Last night we went and saw Marvel's latest comic come movie offering: Ironman. Straight up I think this film is a "boy film" and a male fantasy. Tony Stark has money, power, women throwing themselves at his feet and of course the best toys. I'd go so far as to say that this is a particular Western boy's fantasy of 'mastery.'The fun stuff in this film is where Tony Stark is working out the

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-57912147647349508072008-05-06T19:37:00.006+10:002008-05-11T10:07:40.220+10:00

Yesterday I went along to a Neil Gaiman reading, Q & A, and signing. Over the weekend I also moved house. My new place presently looks like a disaster area. Actually it is looking slightly better than a disaster area after unpacking and sorting out of things today.Neil was a great speaker and the section of The Graveyard Book that he read was great. Neil puts on the voices of the characters

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-72308075030924903132008-04-27T08:53:00.008+10:002008-04-30T13:11:00.361+10:00

Recently I went along to a screening of A Delicate Balance with a friend and Alana. I had no idea what this film was about before watching it, nor even the fact it was a documentary. Friend had invited Alana along and I needed a break so I also went along.To be clear, from the outset, I agree with the overall thrust of argument within A Delicate Balance, which goes something like this:The

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-45524445748331616412008-04-22T17:38:00.005+10:002008-04-22T18:03:19.585+10:00

I've been tagged to blog about 5 random weird things about me. At first I thought 'This should be easy, everyone is a bit weird when it comes down to it.' But no, nothing came to mind easily today. The problem is that everyone sees themselves as 'normal.' So without further ado five random weird things about me.1. I love traveling, but paradoxically it seems I loathe moving. Well packing

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-62046544458226260862008-04-17T17:08:00.006+10:002008-04-17T17:36:49.581+10:00

Last night Alana and I dined out on Lygon street at Trotters. Fabulous meal, great wine, cosy place, and reasonably priced. We then went out to a free screening of Molière at the Nova which was one of the best French films I have ever seen.I had forgotten what great French films are like and Molière is a great French film. Molière is the stage name of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin a 17th century

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-10057371276439990912008-04-14T11:03:00.007+10:002008-04-14T11:39:04.635+10:00

Well it has been some time since my last blog entry. A number of things have happened since the last one and I have not had a tremendous amount of time to blog, but possibly it is because I also have not much felt like writing anything for a bit.Over a fortnight ago we received a letter via registered post. As soon as the mailman asked me to sign for it I knew what it was. We had been given

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-23618372627466444412008-03-27T17:06:00.008+11:002008-04-18T09:48:15.460+10:00

Recently we went and saw Grindhouse the Tarantino - Rodriguez double feature. It was awesome! Grindhouse consists of two feature length films, plus a number of 'fake' trailers and commercials. The two feature length films are Planet Terror directed by Robert Rodriguez and Death Proof directed by Tarantino.We had previously seen Death Proof which was released separately as a stand alone film

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-7898593621182742792008-03-26T19:40:00.006+11:002008-03-27T09:39:22.346+11:00

Thomas was a rat with ginger fur, a long pink tail, pink nose and paws. Long reddish whiskers protruded from his nose that were the same colour as his father's, who he now could barely remember. He was the eldest of a family of eight and had three younger brothers and three younger sisters. His father had gone missing when he was much smaller and had left his mother Matilda to care for him and

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-46239737285640538452008-03-24T09:13:00.004+11:002009-06-17T09:52:58.793+10:00

Nine yellow carnations are wilting in the vase on the kitchen table. The remains of twelve flowers.Yellow was her favorite colour.Carnations were her favorite.I took three to the sea,And threw them in her grave.Three for the three men she left behind.Three for the three sisters left behind.Three for the tricky trio - her blood-sisters - her best friends.Nine flowers kept for those beloved left

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-91463933439459877922008-03-15T16:02:00.008+11:002008-03-19T22:22:49.741+11:00

When I was tiny you encompassed me and was all that I knew. You protected me like a she-bear would her own cub. You were strong and vibrant and loving.Towards the end I felt I could have broken you in my arms. You were fragile, brittle and weak. Most of all you were sick.Once when I was a baby you accidentally bowled me down a shopping aisle, I never remembered but you always told me so.When

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-20681561056325079322008-03-13T13:04:00.004+11:002008-03-13T13:23:23.708+11:00

This morning it seems I was in the mood for reminiscence. Out of curiosity I tried to track down on the interweb a childhood friend who I lost touch with when we both went off to separate universities. I managed to find him, with a photo and profile. He is the creative director for an advertising firm in Amsterdam. I had mixed feelings about finding out what he is doing. But it made me

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-60778458800155289962008-03-08T12:59:00.002+11:002008-03-08T13:12:14.858+11:00

He looks at old pictures of himself. Sometimes the old is better than the new.The man he sees is smiling. A lighter, happier version of himself.He wishes he could be that man again. Before.He dances an impossible dance to try and change himself back to what he was.He grows his hair, he cuts it, he changes the way he dresses. Again and again in repetition.But he finds he can never returns to

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-3744088855541153992008-03-06T13:04:00.010+11:002008-12-05T11:41:22.096+11:00

Reason 1: Loss of dignity through not being able to financially support oneself throughout your PhD candidature. Hence eventually you will become financially reliant upon either your partner or parents or not finish your PhD. Work in the end of the candidature is a catch 22 situation as you need to be spending that time working on your PhD thesis, not working for hard cold cash which is needed

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-72156894693222851112008-02-26T16:28:00.003+11:002008-02-26T16:58:13.420+11:00

Last night before heading to an "exclusive" Oscars party, we headed out to an advanced screening of Run Fatboy Run! The film is directed by David Schwimmer, so possibly suffers from the post-Friends curse.The film stars Simon Pegg, who you might know from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Pegg plays an unfit lovable loser - Dennis - who makes the mistake of running out on his pregnant girlfriend

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-55072320784037989402008-02-23T11:09:00.012+11:002008-02-24T09:33:55.187+11:00

I've had it with reality. Reality TV that is. I do realize that it has replaced the traditional game show as a medium, but it also seems to have edged out a lot of other viewing options.After the writers went on strike in America last year, the US studios obviously could no longer produce product due to not having writers writing scripts and stories. This meant that consequently they could not

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-89696939828840208792008-02-14T10:59:00.005+11:002008-02-14T11:47:36.522+11:00

This Valentine's Day is off to a wobbly start with my beloved sick in bed with a head cold and sore throat. Try being romantic to someone when they have green snot coming out their nose and have a fever that you could cook an egg on. But it is not like we have ever done something special on Valentine's Day anyway.There is nothing quite like a 'planned occasion' or an 'important date' to suck

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-8027250069496038192008-02-06T08:51:00.000+11:002008-02-06T09:33:14.325+11:00

Normally spam on ones blog is none too distressing. Spam advertising the latest software or pills to make you horny I can cope with. It is easy enough to delete. But last night some arsehole from Japan posted spam under our Wilson's prom Trip post advocating that Japan was killing whales for scientific purposes, that this was legal, and that eating whales was part of Japanese culture. This

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-22377905054184316942008-02-03T13:50:00.001+11:002008-02-14T10:05:37.755+11:00

Yesterday I went to the cinema to see Coverfield with my brother and my Alana. Cloverfield has been compared to Godzilla meets the Blair Witch Project. But last year I read H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, and in my view Cloverfield comes far closer to fulfilling the experience written about by Wells than the movie version with Tom Cruise. The collapse of the bridge in Cloverfield also seemed

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-58742809168331721482008-02-01T12:36:00.000+11:002008-02-01T17:24:26.801+11:00

Apologizing is a difficult thing to do. I don't mean that forming the words of the apology itself, and verbalizing such sorry words, I mean that an apology must contain the capacity of recognizing the wrong that has been done, and bear witness to the hurt felt by the other party. While the words are important, it is the witnessing that must be done that is the tricky part. It is difficult to

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-47806100005374430122008-01-24T19:20:00.000+11:002008-02-03T13:29:26.895+11:00

Alana and I went and saw Walk Hard - the latest film creation of those people who brought us Knocked Up and the 40 Year Old Virgin, which I quite liked. Walk Hard is basically a spoof music mocumentary that seems only really possible after films like Walk the Line and Borat.Comparisons could also be made to Superbad, which was super-good, or Borat. The big difference? Superbad was written by

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-5826332766127676742008-01-22T09:42:00.000+11:002008-01-22T11:15:00.381+11:00

Yesterday my brother and I went to see The Darjeeling Limited, Wes Anderson's latest offering as a writer director. From a postmodern vantage point, two brothers, whose mother recently died, were looking to reconnect, and went to see a film about three brothers looking to reconnect after their father has died. Perhaps this gives my following review a uniquely personal insider's perspective,

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-89730873131691232922008-01-19T15:19:00.000+11:002008-01-20T11:52:18.365+11:00

Diablo Cody (what a cool name!) has written a rare sort of screenplay - one that is real(istic), funny, touching and original. Hell she can write. So much 0f Hollywood cinema is presently very derivative and while derivative work in itself is not necessarily bad, and combining new and interesting mixtures of old clichés can no doubt work, the amount of remakes of old movies and sequels of

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-81251368901517341522008-01-10T09:05:00.001+11:002008-01-10T10:47:32.097+11:00

We went and saw Tell No One at the cinema a week ago now. Despite the title of the film I am determined to blog about it! Tell No One is a French film that apparently adapts an American novel. It is a veritable puzzle box of a film to watch - and the many plot twists and turns made for an enjoyable experience. The plot is quite complex and something that would be rarely attempted in American

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-9776740478947417422008-01-08T14:11:00.000+11:002008-01-08T14:17:04.679+11:00

I know this is somewhat belated, but I just came across the nicest new years wishes I have read online since...well ever...in Neil Gaiman's journal. He writesMay your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-32106503530623964532008-01-03T21:05:00.000+11:002008-01-20T11:55:16.966+11:00

On new years day I went to see the Cohen brothers new offering No Country for Old Men which set one helluva standard for movies in 2008. Absolutely brilliant. And I would not be surprised if it was the best film that I saw in 2008. (No real spoilers follow.)The basic plot is a cowboy out hunting - Llewelyn Moss (played by Josh Brolin) - stumbles across a whole pile of bodies in the desert from

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-87844160266646263872007-12-05T09:54:00.000+11:002007-12-05T12:18:16.430+11:00

On the past weekend Alana and I set out on an expedition into the Australian wilderness. We traveled down on the southern coast of Victoria for about three hours to Wilsons Prom national park on Friday. Our spirits were high from the prospect of being outside 'civilization' for several days. Once we reached the park itself the drive up to Telegraph saddle carpark took another twenty or so

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-24421637203149933552007-10-24T21:33:00.001+10:002007-11-02T07:45:39.206+11:00

Grief is a funny thing. I'm still learning how mine works. Hopefully I will get a bit better at managing my emotions, I suppose I have, but I did not expect what would bring on a combination of depression, anger and frustration. Things recently spiraled. I guess I must be using anger to try and control things, situations, and people. But most of the time I'm not angry at all. Or depressed

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-67714779482302079552007-10-24T21:08:00.002+10:002008-08-02T11:18:52.737+10:00

Looking for something?Well looks like I have found out something too.

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-48828181796860092002007-10-20T17:04:00.000+10:002008-01-20T11:48:31.755+11:00

No one is forcing you to read my words. This is my space to write. Yes, it is individualistic. But almost all blogs are. Click 'Next blog' and you will see what I mean. No, it is unlikely that I'll stop blogging. Yes, it will probably ruin my chances at any academic career. But there is nothing ahead of me anyway. What career? I can see no future for me. I can't imagine it, I can only

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622105976022476411.post-78717032887870102012007-10-14T08:11:00.005+10:002009-05-06T12:17:12.148+10:00

As I headed off to a show that was part of the fringe festival with Alana, we waited at Melbourne central station. As we waited I got a sudden attack of the munchies. I needed snack food stat.There was a ten minute wait for the train to Northcote, so I made a beeline towards the snack machine castled between the escalators - a blue fortress filled with golden fried treasures. I was hopeful

Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04066002056854677382noreply@blogger.com2