The Quiz

1. I wish I could give up...

2. I sometimes wonder...

3. Where will you be Christmas Day?

4. Where will you be NYE?

5. I'm happiest when...

A Bold Front

A wicked man puts up a bold front,
but an upright man gives thought to his ways.

~Proverbs 21:29

Just Some Guy I Saw

A Sensitive Flower

I'm a tad sensitive, I'll admit that. But don't agree to my face, or I may cry.

Dumb little things grate on me and irk me. Case in point, phrases that get used so much that they become boring cliches.

The current phrase that does this to me is "it's political correctness gone mad". Booooooring. If there's one thing that's even more boring than political correctness, it's this phrase about political correctness. And it's always said with such earnest tut-tutting as well, which makes it all the more yawny.

So please don't say it. For me.

Hey Fella- She's Not Real..

Someone really, really, really needs to get out more.

My Top 5- Things That Will Kill Your Blog

1. Not posting while you wait for something heady or 'worthwhile' to write about.
2. Not replying when people leave comments.
3. Not commenting on other blogs.
4. Sulking when people don't comment and punishing them by not writing again until they do.
5. Lots of other things I can't think of right now.

Song Of The Week

'The Fixer'

Pearl Jam (2009)

Listen~

Twi Harder

I had seen very little actual footage from Twilight until I saw an ad for New Moon last night. Goodness gracious me and heavens to Betsy it looked bad.

The werewolf stuff looked absolutely shocking, like some year 10 nerd animated it. The action stuff was like watching Power Rangers. You may get sullen and sulky and say 'well, don't watch it then', but it's not as simple as that.

When you involve vampires and werewolves you are encroaching on my territory. It's like you've insulted my sister or something. I will need to watch it in its entirety to mock it to its fullest.

And while I'm ranting on crap stuff, I saw a bit of that show Glee last night. It actually made me physically queasy. I had to avert my eyes every time they sang, from the sheer wince-worthy horridity of their earnest hand gestures.

There was actually a bit where some guy lay in bed watching an ultrasound on his lap-top, singing "I'll Stand By You" to it. Um.

I worry about this world.

Flattery Will Get You An Opened Can Of Whoop Ass

'ben-vanishingpoint.blogspot.com is very informative. The article is very professionally written. I enjoy reading ben-vanishingpoint.blogspot.com every day.'

So read the comment in my inbox this morning. Awww. That's so sweet. You read every day and think I am informative and professional? Well gosh and shucks.

It would be so touching if it didn't come from some firm in Canada trying to get me to take out a loan.

Numbnuts who try to take advantage of the precious natural resource that is blog-love really are asking for a sincere beatdown. I may even catch a plane to Canada myself this arvo after work to do it myself. The satisfaction would be worth the cost of the return airfare.

She-Oak

Have you ever felt
The wind in Casuarinas
Whisper of the past.

Thursday Peanuts

A Few Links

Here's some posts I've enjoyed recently:

This one by Kutz about his pool pass time. I loved the diagram so much I saved it to my computer. I also really appreciated his honesty in this post.

This one by RodeoClown about dealing with homeless people.

Simone's quote from The Last Battle, and the honesty in this little post.

Nathan unleashing the phenomenon that is Henrietta and Merna, and his one about pious Facebook updates.

Amy being candid about her blog.

Ali talking about C.S.Lewis and poetry.

Sam and Soph's big news.

Drew calling his boy 'Dubya'.

Ruth's honest self-image posts (via A.B.)

A.B.'s prayer .

Goldy's hommus.

Kristina's quiz.

Sarah has gotten me interested in haiku. I even wrote one on the train last night, rather than reading MX.

Izaac on husband/wife blog rivalry.

Sophg's little scanned list from her parents.

Jeff on 'God-Bothering'.

Tim on counting the foetus.

The Great Divide

I had yet another brainwave for an awesome 'I-can't-believe-they-haven't-already-invented-that' invention.

When you live in a block of apartments with a puny little shared clothes line, it is stressful doing your laundry. It's all about timing and speed, to get your clothes on that line before some other wise-cracking joker gets there first and spoils your load.

A particular stress is getting consecutive loads on there. You go down with your empty basket to get off the dry clothes, race back upstairs to then refill your basket with more wet clothes, race back to the line, only to find your neighbour/nemesis has pipped you at the post.

How do we combat this unnecessary evil? Well, without further adieu, I present to you..

That's right. A divide down the middle, so you can take down the drys and put them in the dry side, but have the wets at the ready as well.

Your neighbour may curse you, but you will thank and love me happily ever after for once again totally revolutionising your world.

Righteousness and Love = Life, Prosperity and Honor

He who pursues righteousness and love
finds life, prosperity and honor.

~Proverbs 21:21

Show & Tell #4- My Illustrious Football Career

I didn't really play much sport as a kid, but I cherish this photograph because it gives the impression that I actually did. That's me on the far left.

It was taken after 'my' rugby union team lost the grand final, up in Darwin, circa 1986. Actually, I was only there because my friend Taylor Kadiba (back row, fifth from left) was in the team, and asked me to come along a few times. I played about three games, and touched the ball maybe twice. When I did, I probably dropped it, or threw it over the sideline for no apparent reason.

But, oh, the swelling pride of wearing that striped jersey and being counted as part of the photographed grand final team... What I wouldn't give to still have that jersey today.


If you have a picture of something you like, something you made, or whatever, email it, along with a paragraph or two about it, to me at bmclaughlin/at/sstar/dot/com/dot/au (without the slashes and with actual dots and stuff).

Cool Things About Being A Comic Book Character

No.63- You can pash, and have a bit of a chat at the same time.

Tatts

Out of nowhere, I have suddenly started liking the idea of having tattoos.

Maybe it's that third-life crisis I was talking about a while ago. This is very strange, as I have never thought much of, or about tattoos, and I am really not a tattoo sort of guy.

It will probably go nowhere, but it's fun to think about. Something small and tasteful.

Sickie & Pearl Jam

The sickie I had to have. Not feeling too bad now, but am staying home for a bit of a rest, having the day off that I wanted last week but was too busy.

The Pearl Jam concert last night was fantastic! We really enjoyed it, and I was so stoked that they played lots of 'lesser classics' ('Porch', 'Why Go', 'Even Flow', 'Corduroy', 'Elderly Woman', 'Garden') rather than just the typical singles, and also great lesser known gems like 'State of Love and Trust' and 'Crazy Mary'.

In some ways I didn't have massive expectations, as they kind of aren't really an all time favourite band of mine, but once I was there I loved it, and got very nostalgic about the songs. They also put on an awesome show.

Only bummer was that heat. Oh. Man. It was definitely 40 degrees. Being in that stadium in the heat of the afternoon, was a bit of a killer. And then walking from the Sydney Football Stadium back to Central as well. Ick. Got home around midnight, so hot and gross.

Good times, though.

The Quiz

1. Shower or bath
2. Surely the world would be a better place without...
3. Who did you have the most posters of on your wall as a teenager?
4. Will you dye your hair when you go grey?
5. Three attributes of your dream-house

Camera Peeps?

We are going to look for a new camera tomorrow, but are pretty clueless about what to look for, and what brands are good.

I know I've asked this before, but does anyone have any advice?

We are after something a bit nice, but not over the top, maybe $700 or $800, digital, probably not SLR, but with a decent lens and stuff.

Any ideas?

Reliving The Glory Days

E and I are going to see Pearl Jam on Sunday. We are looking forward to it.

We don't really see eye to eye on music very often, but we both have a soft spot for those first three Pearl Jam albums. It's like being back in year 10 again.

I may even pull out my cherry Doc Martens for the occasion.

The Career Advisor

Me: Hey sweety, what would you like to do when you're a grown up?

Little e: Drink a coffee.

Me: Okay.. Well, what would you like to do for a job?

Little e: Eat.

Right. Well, at least we've got that settled.

Song Of The Week

'Sign On The Window'

Bob Dylan (1970)

Listen~

Some animator guys have come over from our Singapore studio today, so we are all going to Manly for a long (free!) lunch.

Good times.

Thursday Peanuts

An Open Door

See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut..

~Revelation 3:8a

The Story Of My Life

Ali informed me yesterday of this movie that was made (without either my knowledge or consent) about my life and my blog. It looks like pretty good viewing, and Barry Newman, who plays me, obviously looks pretty spot on.

It's interesting the way they chose to depict my life, and the incidents they picked out as being note-worthy.

For example, part of the blurb describes those times last week when I met "an old prospector, a snake worshipper, faith healer J. Hovah, a white medicine man, a nude woman on a motorcycle, and Super Soul, a blind DJ who talks to him on the air and turns him into an instant cult hero."

I mean, sure, that day was vaguely interesting (it had been a quiet week), but it's not like nude motorbike riding ladies aren't a dime a dozen where I roll. Still, not a bad attempt, and the '97 remake with Viggo Mortensen looks okay too. I read that Viggo had to go into a drastic weight training and diet regime in order to look like the guy he was portraying. A worthy attempt.

Losing My Powers In Small Increments

The sad day has come when Little e has discovered our first names, and much prefers the sound of these to boring old 'Mum' and 'Dad'.

She walks up to me regularly, and asks with a look of fascination, "Are you Ben?"

I try to ignore it and look all casual and non-plussed, the same way that I do when I walk past a terrifying dog - 'I'm not threatened at all, look I'm even whistling a merry tune as I walk past you'.

"Are you Ben?", she says again.

"I'm Daddy"

"NO! YOU'RE BEN!!"

Today- first name basis, tomorrow- "Buy me a pony or I'll scream".

Our Best Work

'It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.'

~Your Affectionate Uncle Screwtape

The Cry Of The Poor

If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor,
he too will cry out and not be answered.

~Proverbs 21:13

An In-Depth And Probing Look Into The Secret Thoughts Of Diana Prince

It's pretty interesting to get into the head of Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman. What does a woman with super strength and the ability of flight think about as she goes to sleep? What kind of man is she really looking for, to accompany her through her life as both Diana and W.W.?

Firstly, I like that she can overlook the fact that Tim is crusty. While crustiness is not such an attractive trait, she is not superficial here, and recognises his other, more positive traits.

Still, it is also worthy of note that Diana is actually thinking about a man that's not her own. Here she is pining over old mate, when poor old dependable Steve is being overlooked back at home. He's not flashy, or very exciting. He's not even very crusty. He probably doesn't really like having dirt under his nails. But he's dependable, and he's there for you.

So, to answer your question, Diana, yes, being human does mean being fickle, but being super-human obviously means being super-fickle.

It's time to grow up, Diana, and appreciate what you've got, or one day you might fly home from some mission, and find Steve gone. Seriously, the Lasso of Truth and the power of flight will only get you so far in the world.

Becoming What You Most Despise

You know that annoying guy at work, or on the train, who is coughing, sniffing and blowing his nose constantly, and rather than just staying at home to get better like a normal person, is soldiering on all martyr-like, like work is sooo important, that he simply must just push through?

I have become that guy.

I need to get over that real quick, because I really dislike that guy.

Travelling With A Different Crowd

I have been going in to work pretty early these days- leaving home at 5:50am and getting to work at 7am.

One thing you notice travelling at this time, is that the buses and trains are filled with a completely different crowd.

The majority of these people can be neatly divided in to two categories:

1) Workmen with fluorescent tops, very small shorts and giant boots.

2) Women with black tights, baggy t-shirts and Fitness First backpacks.

A couple of weeks in, I'm flustering about, still trying to pick a team. Fluoro doesn't suit me, but neither do tights. What's a guy to do?

Jamie Oliver, And Goat Butchering

I've been really enjoying Jamie Oliver's new show about America. Last nights episode about Native American food was really interesting.

There was a scene where a goat was butchered, and cut up for meat, and while it was pretty full-on viewing, there was also something that I found very appealing about it. There was so much appreciation for the goat, and a quiet sort of respect given to it, as it was dying in order to feed all these people.

I reckon one of the worst things about modern living is the detachment we have from all these processes. All the dirty jobs are done by someone else, and we lose all connection and appreciation for the animal that we are eating. It's just another product on a shelf. I don't reckon it was meant to be that way.

Oh, Irony of Ironies

That annoyed post I wrote yesterday about spam comments got a, um, spam comment. My blood boils hot this morning, friends.

I urge you to have a read of the comment to see if you can decipher what the heck it says. It is written in some weird bizarre broken English that makes absolutely no sense.

Seriously, if my blog was an old homestead, I'd be standing out on the porch with my shotty, waiting for trespassers.

Rove Quits

Rove Quits.

A Meal, Some Culture, A Snooze

On Saturday we had a bit of a date night, which was really nice. We went out for dinner in town, and then went and saw a play at the Genesian Theatre, called 'The House Of Bernada Alba'.

It was good, but to be honest with you, I dozed through roughly half of it. Not because it was boring, just because I was so sleepy. But, from what I could tell, it was pretty good.

But dinner was nice- a rare chance to just talk for a while, just the two of us.

The Quiz -The Next Generation

1. How much money would I have to give you, to get you to not eat chocolate for a whole year?
2. Current favourite show
3. Something you're irrationally afraid of
4. A vegetable you'd happily never eat again
5. You run into someone you haven't seen in ten years, and they say 'you haven't changed a bit'. Pleased or offended?

So friends, as you can see, there have been some changes. Due to the tough economic circumstances that we find ourselves in, the team here at Vanishing Point have had to adapt to survive.

The crew of monkeys (that's not a derogatory term, they literally are actual monkeys)who work hard to bring you your weekly quiz are too costly to keep on. They are no longer happy to work for peanuts (once again, literally), and so the team has been streamlined.

Practically for you, dear consumer, this will mean a pithy 5 questions where once there was a bloated, over-generous 10. But, my beloveds, it is these times of want, that really help us to appreciate our times of plenty.

An Evil To Be Eradicated

Well, I'm back. Hope you have all had a goodish week. I'm going alright-- not quite finished my dumb old storyboard, but hopefully by this arvo..

So, one crap thing that I've noticed is I'm now getting all these spam comments on my blog. A few weeks back I posted my email address, and then Sam thankfully told me promptly to take it down, and replace it with slashes and the word 'dot' rather than actual dots, to put spammers off the scent.

Well, those blighters are tricky, and are still getting through. I've never had this trouble before, has anyone else? What did you do? I have been having unrighteous fantasies about tracking down these spamming scum and making them pay. Sort of like a vigilante kind of deal, where I pretty much kick some butt.

LET IT BE KNOWN! MY BLOG IS NOT ADVERTISING SPACE! NO,I DON'T WANT YOUR STUPID VIAGRA AD!!

A Breather

Hey friends,

Unfortunately there won't be a quiz today, and I've decided not to blog this whole week, so that I can try and get on top of things.

Just been feeling pretty overwhelmed with stuff lately, and struggling to juggle everything properly.

So, have a good week and I'll see you soon.

The Wild Frontier

Last night I went to see my mates band, The Wild Frontier, play at a pub in Lewisham. It was cool, and a rare occasion these days that I'd go and see live music.

It made me reminisce about those good old days of playing in bands, and made me a bit sad and nostalgic. It was always kinda fun turning up to some unknown pub, having a stomach full of butterflies and nerves, and singing in front of a bunch of people who would probably rather you shut up so they could play the pokies in peace..

Good times.

In Case You Were Wondering..

The reason why content has been a bit light on this week is that I am going hard to try and keep on top of my work (hence my being at work already this morning, at 7am).

My storyboard is due next Friday, so probably a few more days of this, sorry. Hope you all are having a good week.

Thursday Peanuts

Not A Good Look

I'm hammerheading something chronic today. Rats.

Good Wealth, Bad Wealth

The plans of the diligent lead to profit
as surely as haste leads to poverty.

A fortune made by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.

~Proverbs 21:5-6

Good Times

Yesterday, I left work at 4pm, and got home at 7:05pm.

In between these times, lay three hours and five minutes of unparalleled radness, which included sitting on a 40 degree train with no air-conditioning that didn't move an inch, for one hour.

I have been wondering about the wisdom of us moving out of the city, as I don't want to add to the already frustrating travel time.

But I realised yesterday that I could buy a little place in a remote province of Venezuela and row to North Sydney every morning, and still beat Cityrail.

Oh, The Good Old Days

I succumbed to the allure of free food. So sue me. It was the same deal as last year, pretty much, except the nibblies were even worse.

You know what angers me? Those little pie crust things you buy, and people put little fancy bits of stuff in them. Today it was a chunk of beetroot and some white stuff. And the other option was a dead tomato with a squirt of pesto (which my colleague noted looked like 'someone had squeezed a pigeon over it').

My issue, is that as soon as I taste that pie crust, I'm reminded of party pies. Delicious, cheap, unpretentious, mouth-burning party pies. But then you keep chewing and what do you get? Tinned beetroot. I object to this on moral grounds.

If you're going to get all la-de-da, change it completely so I don't get reminded of the far superior predecessor. It's like they've scraped out my party pie out of spite, and gone, 'now, lets track down the most rubbish alternate filling we can find, call it something French, and charge ten times as much.'

Come now.

Bible Colleges Do Not Produce Pastors

'Bible colleges do not produce pastors. Women and children produce pastors. We've gotten it backward, completely backward. Men who love God and do a great job with their wife and kids- make them the pastor. Let them do that with a lot of people.'

~Driscoll

My Top 5- Most Hated Things About The Melbourne Cup

1. The ridiculous amount of money thrown away
2. Drunk idiots
3. The horses- today 2nd place, tomorrow glue factory
4. 'Celebrities' in wonderful frocks and spectacular headwear.
5. A massive mess to be cleaned up afterwards by non-celebrities.

Another Witty Title With The Word 'Quiz' In It

1. Pool or ocean?
2. How long does it take you to get to work, door to door?
3. On a scale of 1-10, how excited are you about the Melbourne Cup tomorrow?
4. Crowds or solitude?
5. What time of the day are you most productive?
6. How do you like your steak?
7. First song you think of with the word 'love' in it
8. Two celebs you get mixed up
9. What can you see outside your window?
10. Highlight of your weekend

Wuthering Heights- The Second Half

The second part of Wuthering Heights was satisfying. They did a pretty good job of it, I reckon. I didn't mind the Heathcliffe 'suicide' idea, what'd you reckon?

There was a bit of a pivotal point for me where I realised there was actually nothing at all redeemable or likable about the two main characters. It was around the time Heathcliffe married Isobella. He was such a scary looking jerk, and then when Cathy found out it was all 'oh, he's ruined me, oo my soul, my life! Ooo I might slap my own face a bit and run out in the rain, even though I'm pregnant'.

Get over it, you married some other bloke anyway, numbnuts, and you're about to be a parent. Get your act together. And what about poor old Isobella?

From about this point on, I was pretty much willing them both to meet an untimely end. Oh, and you know it's a bleak old story when the 'happy ending' is two cousins hooking up. Here endeth another in depth look at the classics.

Show & Tell #3- Beth's Tatt's

'The ankle tattoo is the astrological sign for Virgo. I was researching the different looks and came across a website that also described that each sign is based in one of the four elements, Virgo being earth. Then I worked with a friend to figure out how to incorporate both, and put the earth inside the Virgo sign.

The tattoo on my foot.. The two roses are for my Grandmother's, both of whom are passed, the largest heart is for my parents, and the smallest hearts for my closest friends.'

~Beth

If you have a picture of something you like, something you made, or whatever, email it, along with a paragraph or two about it, to me at bmclaughlin/at/sstar/dot/com/dot/au (without the slashes and with actual dots and stuff).