back on the blogk
Alright! Don't you hate it when people blog about how they're so slack and haven't been blogging, and promise to do so more regularly only to post again nine days later with an apology for failing to do so? Me too. But fuck yez, I've had a terrifically fun workplace back injury and couldn't sit down for a few weeks, so no real chance to type extended blathering about gigs or comics or my hair or whatever. And I didn't want to devolve into a linkblog.So now that's settled, I'm going to attempt to post a lot more often! For reals! Even if this means just typing up what I had for lunch every day in order to make quota. Expect the next entry at 2pm tomorrow saying "sushi roll and a schooner of Carlton" I guess.
forestall!
Actually, just to head that eventuality off at the pass:
Buy me booze, it's my birthday.
uh, so
three schooners and a middy, plus half a packet of chipsplaying catch
well, that didn't work out so well, did it? (today: a sundried tomato and avocado roll from one of the eight thousand takeaway sushi stands in the CBD! yesterday: leftover aloo mattar and pilau rice from the week before last! still good too.) how about a general ramble of stuff that I could have posted if I hadn't been slack and generally not on a computer:fuck a duck, and then fuck another eight ducks
coming home from suburbs on Wednesday night, and a bloke walking by my seat fishes a wallet out of his backpack, shows me some kind of badge and asks to see my ticket. I am happily able to oblige, but then he gives me the "feet off the seats, it's a hundred dollar fine" mumble. now I've actually brought two sheets of newsprint with me to lay down under my sneakers, being well aware that after necking the best part of a bottle of wine to get through dinner with the mother, I'd be wanting to slouch and lounge as much as possible on the journey back. I point out this considerate protection, and he just gives it some more "it's a rule mate, there's a sticker here, it's a fine" etc. I'm too tired and drunk to bother arguing that the principle isn't customer discomfort or posture, it's maintaining cleanliness of the facilities for future users, so haul the converse to the floor.but then! on going to switch trains at Strathers, homeboy is milling around the landing by the doors with another guy in civvies and two uniformed guards. State Rail are perfectly happy to cancel three trains in a row on any given morning, cutting me out of 45 minutes of time earnt, due to driver shortages or whatnot. but then they'll shell out on FOUR FUCKING DUDES to patrol a suburban line at 10pm in search of fare evaders, TWO OF THEM DISGUISED so as to flush out fifteen-year-old kids who might otherwise get off at the next stop and miss a fine. I'd been ticket-inspected by a uniform on the way to work that morning too! sort out the actual schedule and services, hire and train some drivers that you don't have to send home on pay for being too stoned to operate the FWD/STOP switch, and stop insulting your clients.
like our gracious host said
The benevolent dictator of SquirrelNation has interviewed my former employer for a new, embarrassingly-designed addition to the Joey Manley Media Empire. No embarrassment on the interview though, Milo's smart as ever and good on the creative mind stuff, which brings out the best in Eddie. Nice glimpse of the new Alec book too, though love his reasoning for switching to wash: "well, the last two books I did this way were printed so badly that you could hardly read them, but printers prefer to receive digital files nowadays." ah well, not my place to try and convince him to find better repro anymore...
read this week
The Mazz and Jamie B said that this was the best Brookmyre, and though it might mean the rest will be a disappointment, it's hard to beat this. Terrorists, extortions, close to a single set (one of my favourite literary devices, probably stemming to The Castafiore Emerald), a hero who crawls into an air duct then pukes through the vent out of nervousness, comedy and killing - all set at a high school reunion. Gold. Now someone do a budget-price Parlabane omnibus and I'll be sorted.
Written in a slightly different voice from usual Hiassen, more detached and omniscient narrator than the usual tone of glee the writing takes in the incompetence of his criminals, and not as furious about the destruction of the ecosystem. The male lead who finds women baffling is also more at ease with his inability to communicate than many. Bit of overkill in having a new animalistic and asocial character but also using Skink in an unnamed cameo. But! great semi-intricate plot full of scheming and double-crossing, even if it reads straighter than others.
not read yet
Coming out in February! (Maybe!) Finally!
birthdayish stuff
Took a couple of days off, with intention of going to beach locally and up the coast. Rain stopped play (or grey overcastness, at least). Friday night saw Modern Giant drop a new song in the up-pop mode of Keep On Moving, and the Lazies threw out Killing Moon and Alone With You covers (P. Andrew later opined that the former immediately splits a room between under and over thirty, which I refuted by having cheered on the third chord). So drinks brought to me throughout, hurrah, and a late unexpected entry from Eli chez Townie, on condition I pretended to be friend Toby whose day of birth it also had been same hours before. Always a pleasure. Haul? Warp DVD, pre-All Seeing Parrot/Cocker collabo's ahoy. New Nick Cave double, first I've actually owned since Songs About Murder And The Murder Act (though I haven't unwrapped it yet actually). Chocolate. Uh, a towel.tonight
roast turkey and champagne. well, the flatmate bought some cranberry sauce, so we've gotta do something to use it up..."one-night stands: classic or dud?"
"I had a friend who once asked the girl the next morning if he could send a text on her phone. he then deleted his number, and said he was going to make a sandwich, and ran out the back door, climbed a wall, and made his way home."
