You Again

After drawing the Bananas In Pyjamas all day, often I get home, and as I walk in the door the kids are watching the Bananas on the tele. It's quite disconcerting, and I try to leave the room as fast as I can. It's like a plumber coming home every night to leaky pipes.

If I was a more glass-half-full sorta guy I'd be all tickled pink and delighted, that I got to see straight away the fruits of my labour: bringing joy and smiles to the wee chilluns.

But I prefer the leaky pipes analogy.

Book Review Wednesday by Crazyjedidiah

A Kingdom's Cost
By J. R. Tomlin

Review by Crazyjedidiah

James Douglas joins the army of Robert de Bruce as to continue the Scots bid for freedom. There are many different battles some which go well and some which do not go so well.

Another story in the Scottish fight against the British for freedom, this one is after William Wallace though. Quite interesting to see how the Scots continued on their fight against the British. I especially loved how Edward Longshanks died.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Scottish history especially those who like Braveheart, as this gives another aspect of that time period. I would also recommend it to anyone who likes a good 'David and Goliath' fight.

Thanks for the review! Crazyjedidiah blogs at Gibberish.

The Unseemly Insecurities of a Thirty Four and a Half Year Old

I remember back in secondary school, during those free periods, when I'd be clowning around with my friends, climbing out of windows and sneaking down into the bush to get up to no good, or nicking off in one of their cars to do a trip to McDonalds.
I would look back over my shoulder at the group of girls, sitting quietly, being studious, using their free time wisely, hitting the books, and generally just being Very Good. I'd look back and see them rolling their eyes at us silly boys, and we'd sort of sneer back at them.

It was a strange relationship, because on one hand I disliked them and their Goodness, and their seemingly Holier Than Thou Attitude, but on the other hand I sort of envied their self-control and level heads, and deep down really wanted their acceptance.

Fast forward fifteen or twenty years, I see schoolgirls at the bus stop of a morning, and those same sorts of feelings arise. They aren't even at school yet and they are already studying, heads buried in text books, or tapping away on a laptop, getting ahead on the geography essay that isn't even due until the last term of the year. They've probably been very sensible all weekend as well, putting in 5-7 hours each day, stopping only for a very sensible cheese and tomato wholemeal sandwich for lunch.

Even after all this time I feel that seem mixture of "grr, live a little!" and envy at their level of discipline and maturity. And also a pang of guilt for not applying myself more when I should have. In a lot of ways it seems like I haven't changed all that much in all this time. I still have that urge to rebel and be a goose, and I still simultaneously get angsty at, but also envy, those people who seem to have a lot of maturity and self discipline.

Who were you at school? Do you think you have changed much since then?

The Quiz

1. A song that's been a favourite at some point in your life
2. What memories does that song bring back?
3. If you could go back and give your 18 year old self a piece of advice, what would it be?
4. What characteristics do you have, that make you a good friend?
5. What characteristics do you have that don't?

Puppy Love XXX or, Do Not Arouse Or Awaken Love Until It So Desires

When we got Buddy, E bought him a soft-toy dog to keep him company and be a bit of a comfort thing on those cold, lonely nights when he was missing his Mum. The toy was a fair bit bigger than him, and he seemed to like it.

However, Buddy is growing fast, whereas the toy is not. They are now roughly the same size. And Buddy seems to view her less as a mother figure now. He apparently rather likes what he sees. This became evident yesterday when the inappropriate grinding began. And that glazed look in his eyes. I mean, there's snuggling and there's snuggling. Come on champ, you're not even 9 weeks old. You can't hurry love.

So last night I put him to bed in the laundry, reluctantly putting in his strange mother/lover figure alongside him as usual. I half thought about leaving the door ajar, or hanging about a while to chaperone. But he shot me a glance that seemed to say 'you can go now', and I turned and walked to my own room, slightly disturbed.

Needless to say, I'll be handling the soft toy with tongs from here on in.

Book Review Wednesday by Belle

The Hunger Games (series)
by Suzanne Collins

Review by Belle

The Hunger Games is a series of three books written for young adults, and follows the adventures of Katniss, who is called (in the first book) to compete in the Hunger Games, a competition in which 2 children from each of the 12 districts in the country are chosen to be thrown into an arena and fight for their lives until only one remains. It sounds gory because it is, although in a young-adult-fiction kinda way.

Despite feeling uncomfortable about the violence and the direction popular fiction for young folk seems to be heading (lots of killing things), I unwillingly enjoyed this series. The suspense is handled superbly, the writing is clever and surprisingly fun, and the characters are layered and interesting and mostly likeable (except for Katniss; she’s pretty annoying). And because the books are written for young people they’re ridiculously easy to read; there’s nothing like finishing a three-part series of novels in a week to make you feel like you’re being incredibly productive with your free time.

The books have interesting things to say about war and power and humanity and the nothing-new-under-the-sun-ness of Ecclesiastes 1. Considering everything, I’d probably recommend this series to others, with a warning about the blood, as well as a lengthy but riveting lecture on literature for young people these days.

Thanks for the review, Belle. Check out Belle's Elbows.

Round 3

Not a good week.

1. We lost to the Dragons on Friday night
2. We lost our captain for a bad tackle
3. We might be getting Willie Mason

Dark days.

Clip Around The Ear, Please

Can somebody with a firm, authoritative voice tell PM Ben to stop being so foolhardy and get to bed at a sensible hour so that AM Ben isn't cursing and cross as he stumbles about at 5:30am.

Yes, there are lots of exciting possibilities that could come of that little Camellia stump from your Mother in Law's garden. Lots of bonsai potential for sure. But must you work through every possible option in your head, contemplating branch structure and pot style, when you should be sleeping? And it's also okay to just have a flick through the bonsai books from the library in bed. You needn't look at every last page, and pore over ever single photo for ten minutes.

The Shire?

Oh. No. Say it ain't so..

The Quiz

1. A classic fillum you've never seen
2. I'd love a day to just..
3. Something death-defying you've done
4. List the seasons in your order of preference
5. ..And explain why

The Love

The bonsai love went AWOL for a couple of months there. I was sad. Thankfully it has returned. I fell asleep happily last night contemplating root buttresses and fine branch ramification.

Teach Me, Master

I saw a woman eating a Chiko roll on the train. At 7:06am.

I was undecided whether to publicly denounce her or ask her to be my life coach.

Thursday Peanuts

Am I a Blog Interloper?

In that quiz question about blog angst, Deb L's answer got me thinking. She wrote-

When you comment on someone's blog and you get the feeling that everyone else there probably knows each other in "real" life and you don't know if you're actually just kind of intruding and they are all thinking, "Who IS this person and why do they think their opinion might matter?"

I hadn't thought that much about this consciously, but I totally get what she means. Sometimes with blog commenting it can feel like you've waltzed into a complete strangers loungeroom, and the family are sitting in front of the tele, and you plonk yourself down saying, "So! what's on?"

Often you don't really know where you stand among fellow commenter's. Do they know the blog author personally? Old friends since primary school? Are you an interloper?Not knowing is kind of disconcerting.

So, just for interests sake, if you can be bothered, could you answer these two questions in the comments section?

1) Have we met in 'real life'?
2) Have you met any of the other regulars here?

I wonder if there will be any surprises..

Book Review Wednesday by Crazyjedidiah

Freedom's Sword
By J.R. Tomlin

Review by Crazyjedidiah

Andrew de Moray is knighted by King John de Balliol of Scotland. The Scottish army is then routed by the English. Andrew is taken prisoner and kept locked in a dungeon for a year until he escapes. He is injured during his escape he makes it back to his home territory to find that English have taken most of Scotland including his lands. While he is still recovering from his injury he must raise an army and defeat the English.

It is quite an interesting book, Andrew lived around the same time as William Wallace, who he eventually joins up with. Andrew however primarily fought the English in the north of Scotland and Wallace primarily in the south. I guess they needed each other to escape from the rule of the British.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Scottish history especially those who like Braveheart, as this gives another aspect of that time period. I would also recommend it to anyone who likes a good 'David and Goliath' fight.

Thanks for the review! Crazyjedidiah blogs at Gibberish.

That Sinking Feeling, or The Unbearable Weightiness of Being (Mercury Man)

I like a bit of personal space in the morning, and I get a bit chizzy when annoying trainpeople encroach on that human right.

This bloke who sat next to me this morning wasn't a huge guy, but he was heavy. Maybe he had an unusually high amount of mercury in his blood or something. Perhaps he was some sort of superhero. It's uncertain. But whatever the reason, this not unusually large, but peculiarly heavy man turned my valued train seat into a seesaw for an hour. A seesaw with a rhino down one end, and a small monkey up the other.

Try as I might to retain my high place, I kept sliding down towards him, so our thighs were hard pressed, like two slabs of devon. Yes, devon. It was very frustrating, and the extra weight of 742 pages (seriously) of David Copperfield in my hands only worsened the issue, serving as some sort of anchor, keeping me weighted down to the superhero. Mercury Man.

I also tried hooking one buttock over the edge of my side of the seat, to gain some sort of grip. But though good in theory, I found the buttock to be pretty useless in practice. So after a long journey, the devon slabs were separated finally, and I alighted. But then I found that the strain of the journey had put my whole body off kilter, and walking along the platform, I felt like I was walking across the steep slope of a mountain.

If I see my superhero friend again tomorrow I'm going to need a chiro for sure.

Round 2

Tige's went down to Manly on Friday. They played well though, and against the premiers, so I wasn't too bummed. Tom Humble looked good- I hope he stays as regular fullback.

Great Expectations

Anyone been watching the BBC version of Great Expectations? I'm enjoying it. Gillian Anderson is doing a good job of Miss Havisham, except of course she's way younger than how the book describes her. Also, I really liked the actor playing Pip as a boy, but am finding it hard to warm to the grown up version. He looks like he came straight from the catwalk. Really, he's prettier than the actress playing Estella.

Still, it's a great production. It's inspired me to read some more Dickens, so yesterday I started David Copperfield. Am loving it.

The Quiz

1. I don't think I'll ever learn how to spell..
2. What gives you blog related angst (or Blangst, as it's known in the Science World)?
3. You might be surprised to know that I..
4. Best thing you ate over the weekend
5. I hope this week brings..

Buddy Sammy Flower McLaughlin

We picked up the little fella on Saturday, arriving on a family consensus for the name just in time. It was all very exciting, and it's great to have him. The girls are exhausting him, so so far we haven't been woken in the night. He's probably just glad to get a bit of shut-eye and respite from the two insane children he's suddenly found himself with.
I felt kind of sad for him when we picked him up, knowing that was the last time he'd see his mum and dad. I know he's a dog, and that's just what happens, but it seems sad still. Just before we left, he and his brothers and sisters all crowded around the mum for one last feed. The Last Supper.

Anyways, hopefully he's not too traumatised, and will be happy at our place. So far he's been very playful. And very bitey. Welcome, Buddy boy.

It's That Time Of Year Again..

* 6 dining chairs, good condition
* 4 outdoor chairs, apparently new
* Original Star Wars Trilogy box set. VHS.
* 2 bird houses. May contain faint traces of Avian Influenza. Apply hose.
* 2 old terracotta pots
* 2 garden hose reels
* 1 DVD player, good working condition

Ahh, nobody does council clean-up like the Sutherland Shire. I had a very exciting weekend, scouring the neighbourhood for treasure. I was all a-tremble at the sheer, simple, free joy of it all.

Doubters may scoff, but whom, I ask, whom was watching DVD'S in bed on Saturday night as a result of their conscientiousness?

Portlandia

This is my favorite show at the moment. Anyone else watch it?

Hilarious.

P Day

We get our puppy tomorrow! We are excited. Still trying to reach consensus on the name. I really want 'Buddy', but it's causing some tears. Mostly mine.

The Big Wet

I've never been so glad to get to work.

Here's a picture that I just took with my camera phone out the window of my 8th floor window at work:

Epic.

Why Abortion is Intellectually Untenable

Nathan wrote a good post about abortion over at St.Eutychus.

Well worth a read.

Rnd 1

Great to have the footy back, I've missed it.

Tige's just got up over the Sharks yesterday at Leichhardt, 17-16. But it was a bitter-sweet win, with hyped rookie fullback James Tedesco going down with a season-ending knee injury. I feel so sorry for the guy.

BRW Needs You!

I'd love to post your book reviews, if you have any to submit. Just a couple of paragraphs is great.

If you keep leaving it to me, I'll be reviewing the 2007 Learner Drivers' Manual before too long. Which, incidentally, is a very engaging and whimsical read.

So, if you want to have your name up in very small, dim lights, email me at: bmclaughlin AT sstar DOT com DOT au

The Quiz

1. If you were to open a shop, what would you sell?
2. 3 things that go together well
3. 3 places you love to be
4. Rate your multitasking skills
5. A purchase you've gotten great value out of

Fine Dining

I was thinking about my favourite foods, trying to mentally create a top 10 list, and trying to work out what would fill the ultimate number 1 spot. I think it might be coloured popcorn.

This is perhaps the most delicious thing in the world, and I see no reason why I couldn't eat it happily, three meals a day until I died. Which, were that my sole dietary intake would be approximately seven weeks, if my science serves me correctly. Which it usually does.

Some close runner up's:

-florentines

-roast lamb with gravy and mint sauce
-chicken wings
-avocado with French dressing
-cauliflower with white sauce
-Jatz with butter and Vegemite
-Cadbury fruit n' nut

But all of these must take a step back and bow down before the throne of coloured popcorn.