The Quiz

1. Yiz gettin into the Lympyx much?
2. Should 'Aussie Aussie Aussie Oy Oy Oy' be banned? What would you have instead?
3. A forehead slapping moment from the weekend
4. I love shopping for..
5. I hate shopping for..

The Rift

If you have littl'uns, you'll be familiar with Jimmy Giggle and his owl mate, Hoot.  For me, children's television is mostly an exercise in pain, but these two bring me a surprising amount of joy.  I like them, and their friendship warms my cockles. Most male presenters of kid's shows are sappy and annoying, but Jimmy just seems like a good sort of guy. And Hoot, well what can you say about the lovable owl. He's lovable.

So, all was well. Until recently.  Enter Hootabelle..

Now, I don't want to start a smear campaign, really I don't. I have nothing against her personally- she's probably a genuine and kindhearted owl.  But for me, she is mucking with my beloved duo, creating a potential rift in the dynamic.  You can see already how Hoot's loyalty has become divided, he's off his game a bit, distracted by the whole bromance vs. owl-pal issue.

Not wanting to tear her down too much, but I don't get Hootabelle. Why did the need arise for her to join the party? And what's with that voice?  Hoot has a lovable little squeaky cartoon voice, whereas Hootabelle sounds like a 40 year old ABC news presenter. It doesn't add up.

I don't want to be too dramatic, but essentially, Giggle is Paul, Hoot is John, and Hootabelle is Yoko.  And we all know how that story ended.

Book Review Wednesday By Belle

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
by John Berendt

Review By Belle 

I haven’t done a good job of describing this book to others over the last couple of weeks, but I’m going to try again because I want you to read it. The author, John Berendt, is intrigued by the US city of Savannah, so he goes to visit, falls in love with it, and spends more and more of his time there. This book is about the quirky people he meets in Savannah before and during a murder and trial which takes place in the community after he arrives. It’s non-fiction, but that doesn’t matter; the characters are more interesting and flawed and lovable and/or crazy than many made up ones, and their stories are real and funny and heart-warming and dramatic and unbelievable and tragic in the mixed up way that life in this world often is.
I was completely sucked in by Berendt’s brilliant storytelling, so much so that I realised, after raving about and then lending the book to my conservative father-in-law (who, I later found out, immediately stops reading books at the third incidence of the f-word), that most of the main characters aren’t the type you’d see regularly at church and may offend some readers before they’ve had a chance to find themselves liking them. I think this is one of the reasons this book is my favourite of the year so far.

Thanks once again, Belle! Go read Belle's Elbows.

A Big Ball Of Anger With My Name On It

Deb writes great posts. Honesty about parenting struggles always comes as a huge breath of fresh air to me. 

This one's a ripper.

Hey Guys, Let's Get Together At The Park And Just Be Epic Together. Are You With Me Men? YAAAAAHH!!

We were at a park the other day, when I had the enormous privilege of spotting a large group of people dressed up as Medieval warriors.  To say they looked awesome with their manicured beards, prescription glasses, chainmail and plastic swords would be a terrible understatement.

I looked on in awe, dumbstruck to think that people actually did this. In real life.  The leader (Lord Edward Longshanks IV of the House of Wolf Castle?) was laying out a few ground rules, speaking short, throaty, inspirational phrases of battle. Off to the side a few other fearsome figures practiced their swordsmanship, the flexible clackity ckacking of the plastic swords causing devastating sparks across the playground.

I left them to their business, thoroughly impressed, and then later passed them again, as they had apparently stopped for a lunch break.  I was slightly disheartened to see them eating a packed lunch. They could have at least hunted some native marsupials or something and roasted it over some coals. 

But I consoled myself with the idea that what appeared to be ham and cheese on those sandwiches, could well have actually been wild boar and goats' cheese from the Outer-Hinterlands.

To battle, men! And then back to my Mum's house for jam and scones! YAAAAH!!

The Quiz

1. You  are embarking on a secret writing career. What will the genre be?
2. ..And what pseudonym will you use?
3. It's been way too long since I..
4. Something time-consuming and fiddly, that's worth the effort
5. ..And something that's not

Weathered or Countered?

Another terrible shooting in the States on Friday.  I read this by Nick O'Malley in the SMH this morning, and thought it was interesting-

'Before the dead had even been carried from the cinema in Colorado on Friday afternoon a CBS broadcaster said in a solemn radio editorial:

''We'll eventually find out who James Holmes is, but he's not a terrorist, we're told, and thousands of other showings were peaceful, so really we have to start seeing these things as natural disasters, like an earthquake or a tornado.''

That this view was swept away in the deluge of sad commentary on Friday was surprising to me, an outsider. By this standard James Holmes was not a young man armed more heavily than the soldiers the US fields in Afghanistan, but an event, an act of God, to be weathered rather than countered.'

Here's the rest of the article.

This Is The Way The World Ends: Not With A Bark But A Whimper

Spare a thought today, if you would, for my man Buddy.  He's going under the knife. Actually, the sharp sterile pair of scissors.

In one fell swoop, all his rose-coloured progenic dreams of one day sitting in an old armchair with his grandchildren on his knee will be dashed to pieces.  A virile man will slip peacefully into slumber only to awaken somehow hollow and depleted. Gone will be the desire to chase down trucks, but in it's place a luke-warm preference for chasing butterflies.

As I put him to bed last night, I gave him an extra hug and pat, man to (for the time being) man, reassuring him that I'd never think of him as less than the dog he is in my eyes.  I told him I'd always fondly remember the star-jumps.

All the best, Buddy Boy, see you on the other side.

Book Review Wednesday by Belle

Me Talk Pretty One Day

by David Sedaris

Review by Belle

In my review of Jenny Lawson’s book, I wondered whether memoirs are better the more able you are to relate to the writer and/or the situations they describe. I then read Me Talk Pretty One Day and discovered the answer to my question: Nope! Perhaps the only things I share in common with David Sedaris are a sense of humour and an attraction to men rather than women, but I liked this collection of autobiographical stories so much that I’ve added every other book by Sedaris to my to-read list.

I like this style of memoir, where each chapter stands alone and so there can be moments throughout the book when you realise you’re still reading not because you’re waiting to see where the plot’s heading but simply because you’re enjoying each paragraph. No matter the genre, it’s easy to enjoy a book when it’s well written and very funny, and this one ticks both boxes.

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

The Shire?

Was anybody else crazy enough to watch The Shire last night? Boy.


Boy oh. boy.


Seeing as though I live there now, I've decided it's probably easier to go with the flow rather than to try and be different. Chores for this weekend include getting pec implants and a southern cross tattoo, right after a trip to the tanning salon.


Come back, brain cells, please.. I'm so, so sorry.

The Quiz

1. Best childhood toy ever
2. If you want to make me cross, call me..
3. I probably shouldn't have bothered spending all that time and energy trying to learn..
4. A tradition you'd like to see done away with
5. Excited about the Olympics?

It's A Date

Me and E had a bit of a date night on Friday, as a kind friend offered to look after the girls.  It was a great night, we met at Town Hall steps after work, and went and had a nice pub dinner.

Then we went and finally used these Gold Class movie tickets we've had laying around for ages. It was a really fun experience, we'd never done the gold class thing before. We saw Snow White and the Huntsman, which was enjoyable, if a little disappointing. Still, a lovely night out. 

Hey guys, hope you've been well. I think I just needed a breather there, my mind was a bit of a palace of fog, and I didn't have much enthusiasm for writing anything. The battery is partially recharged, so I'll try and kick it along so as not to lose all momentum.

Back Monday, Folks

Sorry for the hiatus, just needed a bit of a breather.

Ah.. Ahh..

Choo!


Sorry, just been one of those weeks. Been a bit laid low with the flu. When I've not been working, I've been blowing my nose. when I've not been blowing my nose, I've been working.  Back soon. Sniff.

The Quiz

1. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I'd decided..

2. Your earliest memory of swimming

3. Something you're learning to appreciate

4. Something you're prone to waffle on about

5. Are you much of a dancer?