Back by popular request - So, since we don’t live by politix alone (I sincerely hope), what did people get up to this weekend? Join in, share some tales, regulars and lurkers all!
That kinda sums up how I felt at the end of it all!
For me, the weekend started early - on Thursday night, when I took a cab from work to the Powerhouse to meet some friends for the poetry reading thingamebob that was one of the best Brisbane Writers’ Festival events in my book. Highlights were Samuel Wagan Watson reading - passion, humour and such fine words, and the old Mongolian dude who wore a funny hat and sang songs in German. (I think - I was having a wine in the bar at the time). After a very ordinary dinner at the much touted Alto, we ended up at the excellent Gerbinos on Brunswick Street where my very indulgent jam donut could hardly have contained more jam!
Friday morning saw me back at the Writers Festival - on the other side of the river this time, at the very spiffy new State Library of Queensland which is really a stunning building and as a venue, is a huge improvement on the tents along the river that characterised previous festivals. The Political Reporting on the Internet session featured a high quality panel and a stimulating discussion - one which I think was genuinely productive of some new insights and fortunately avoided recitation of the usual cliches. However, I’ll be writing a specific post about it so I’ll leave it at that for now (except to point to some photos I took which I’ve uploaded to Facebook).
Crikey’s Christian Kerr speaking at the Writers Festival.
I caught up with Christian Kerr for lunch at The Point on Little Stanley Street, where the caesar salad astonishingly doesn’t have an anchovy option (when I was at uni, my friend Cynthia had the extremely sensible practice going of always ordering a caesar salad at every new restaurant and cafe - it’s almost guarenteed to be on the menu, and thus makes for excellent comparison). We were discussing election coverage, but again it was nice to meet someone I’ve worked with in “real life” for the first time. I wandered back to the Writers Festival for the session on the recently published Literary History of Queensland, which I very much enjoyed reading recently.
And then home and on to a fundraising dinner for Andrew Bartlett’s Senate campaign. Held on the river just next to the Merthyr Bowls Club, the event was distinguished by a vegan menu which (perhaps to my surprise) turned out to be excellent fare, with the chick pea curry extremely yummy. Andrew spoke cogently about the many voices which are not represented in the Senate by the major parties, and the issues on which he’s tried to give people a voice. Obviously, the crew in attendance were supporting his campaign, but it was a compelling case for the necessity of independent voices in the Senate - and one not heard often enough because of the paucity of media coverage of the vital Senate contest.
I’d arranged to meet Jose Borghino from New Matilda and Stuart Glover from UQ (who’s an old Uni friend of mine) at the Powerhouse and with my fellow Bartlett diner, wandered on up - and also caught up again with some of the friends I’d spend Thursday night with. I ran into John Birmingham and touched base with him, observed “Venny” Armanno do his sex god thing (which apparently exists outside his own mind for many admiring Brisbane literati), and I think I spied Mandy Sayer whom I’d hoped to hear speak - but we were running a bit behind schedule. Much good red wine was drunk (Tin Cows pinot noir, to be more precise) and much riotous conversation on the deck ensued. Somehow I decided not to kick on to a karaoke bar and subsequently to the Bowery, which may have been for the best, as Saturday was a wipeout as far as festival going for me, as I caught up on my sleep.
However, I revived in time to meet some more friends for a night at the opera. We went to the Queensland Conservatorium’s production of Orfeo ed Euridice. The Con is the only Australian educational institution which produces a full opera every year sung entirely by students, and the standard is not just excellent, but thoroughly professional. The staging was imaginative, the orchestra fine, and we were lost in admiration for Simone Spring who as Orfeo sings in every scene. The casting of a woman in this role gave the mythic love story a rather pleasant queer feel! Originally the role was written for a castrati. I hadn’t previously heard of Christoph Gluck, but it seems that Orfeo ed Euridice is something of a milestone in the history of opera. One very good thing about the Con’s productions is that we often get treated to something other than the usual opera fare (not that there’s anything wrong with that…)
Today, I popped over to the SLQ for a flying visit to take some photos to try to capture some of the feel of the Writers Festival, and to stock up on some of the books I’d had my eye on - Mandy Sayer’s latest, Margaret Simons’ essay on religion and politics in Australia and Anthony Elliott’s co-authored book on globalisation and the new individualism. Hopped on the bus back to the Powerhouse for a free Live Spark gig by the wonderful Deborah Conway and Willy Zygier (whose live performances are always entrancing - the combination of Deborah’s amazing voice and Willy’s steel guitar is fabulous, and she’s a wonderful story teller). I’m uploading (very slowly due to the state of bloody broadband in Australia!) one of their tunes to Google video, and I’ll post a link tonight. More photos of the gig at Facebook.
It’s been an action packed few days here in Vegas - and I’ve entirely missed the Valley Fiesta this year as well… So, there you have it! Now I’m starving and going out for pizza! I hope everyone else had a fabulous weekend!
Update: I’ve posted the first of the videos I took at the Conway/Zygier gig.
I went to the ‘Poetry in the Red Chamber’ part of the Brisbane Writers festival on Friday night which featured John Tranter, David Rowbotham, Paul Dercan, Dorothy Porter and David Malouf. It was the biggest crowd they have ever had at the event and the first time admission was charged.
Unfortunately there was an annoying microphone problem which took a while to fix.
Spent most of the weekend digging weeds which have germinated exponentially, since the rain a few weeks ago, out of the lawn.
Planted a vigorous ‘Panama Red’ passionfruit as they are a robust plant that take off like a rocket and usually produce plenty of fruit in the first year if they get plenty of garden lime and citrus fertiliser.
Today I torched a dog and a pensioner - purely in the interests of “art. Tomorrow it’s a fairly run of the mill day breaking windows.
Out here in the leafy western suburbs it was get the pool repaired weekend. We had a bloke in earlier in the week with his wetsuit and electronic gear, who pinpointed the leak. I pulled a couple of sleepers up and bingo! break in the return pipe. I think the bloke who replaced the sleepers around the pool about 7-8 years ago must have dropped one, because the leak had been repaired with lots of duct tape.
The plumber said he’d be here on Sunday arvo but fortunately I did the prep work on Saturday because he rang and asked could he come at 8.30 this morning. Which he did, leak now all fixed.
I asked him did he usually work all weekend and he said there was enough work for him to do so, but he occasionally took one day off. Lots of damage caused by the dry ground.
It’s extremely exciting out this way, I can tell you.
GT: I see you got your grant =)
Should be interesting when GT holds his first exhibition. Will make Riverfire look like a picnic.
I went to see Tori Amos at the Opera House. Wouldn’t class myself as a “fan” - but I do like the groovy keyboard stuff she does. She was much more impressive live than her recordings suggest and an excellent musician. A pretty good night really.
Earthdance was on today in the park near my place - King St in Newtown was very crowded as a result. Quieter than previous years so I hope all the new residents haven’t been complaining. Sydney Park has been the heart of alternative/underground outdoor music in Sydney for a while and it would be bad to see that go.
I laid an extra course of bricks around the top of the vegetable garden wall in anticipation of the great compost decanting scheduled for next weekend.
Mark and All:
Living out in the Other Australia, I can only dream about events like the Brisbane Writers’ Festival.
Finally settled down this evening down after all the sudden busyness of a friend having to move to a job even further out in the bush …. so far out that “They’re still throwing spears out there”.
….; lucky to have a job these days so distance is not so important.
The weather is getting warmer and the snakes are on the move; no sign of the kookaburras or the possums or the three cheeky big kangaroos for a couple of weeks.
Phil@VVB:
Now that really was a case of the bloke “burying his mistakes”
Update: I’ve posted the first of the videos I took at the Conway/Zygier gig.
I managed to download about 143 new free music tracks - all legal, well as far as I could tell
- making a total of about 39972 on the external hard drive that I have to listen to, sort and burn to CD.
Well it’s something to look forward to when I retire.
But I do sometimes yearn for the days when buying a shiny new LP that played for 45 minutes was the highlight of the month …
Had a driving lesson - nearly took out a hipster dad and pram baby who were considerate enough to come out from behind a row of parked cars in front of me as I was switching lanes at a T-intersection. A sudden burst of conscience prevented me from flooring it and collecting all 25 points.
Will try harder next weeked.
I walked around the Summer Palace and took some photographs the best of which I intend to make look spiffier as described on my personal blog.
Actually, I should write a post about photo enhancement for LP.
My parents came over with a cake for my Dad’s birthday and two friends come over with a Jewish New Year honey cake. It was very gingery and the most fabulous cakey thing I have had in a long, long time. It kind of put the birthday cake in the shade although that, of course, was more gorgeously decorated.
As I am completely unable to make a decent cake I will just have to kidnap Jewish friend and keep her in the kitchen making the things.
Boychild graded on Friday to go to a blue belt in Taekwondo but we don’t know how he went yet.
We’ve also gone to see Almost Always Everywhere Apparent, by David Chesworth and Sonia Leber at the ACCA. Spoooky!
Drunk and abusing small mammals. Aside from that, pretty ho hum really.
Yesterday I drove out to Camden to pick up a bale of hay for the pets. In the evening I had atole, Central American pasteles and the Salvadoran variety of enchiladas.
Today I dropped in at Utopia on Broadway and bought CDs by Napalm Death, The Runaways, and The Modern Lovers. I also answered some market research questions, played Mario Party on a Nintendo Wii with some friends (lots of fun!), had a chat with my dad and ate fine lasagna. A good weekend.
I went to a book sale at the University of Sydney and got myself a fair few books on US history on Saturday and today I caught up with some friends I haven’t seen in awhile over a drink at Circular Quay.
I got drunk. And then drunker again. Then on Sunday I got drunk.
I worked on my presentation* for Laura’s Jane Austen conference.
*Strictly talking only. There will be no Powerpoint.
Mowed the houseyard, result: place looks like a park.
A few very tense evictions, result: the “pump up” which comes from unreleased adrenalin.
A lot of number crunching, result: a few bodies booked in this week for the high jump.
Neighbors climbed their starfruit tree and picked the lot, result: Everybody has 5 gallons of starfruit each.
Good onya babycheeks. But if the venue’s set up for projectors and powerpoint anyway, no reason you can’t still use .ppt creatively. For example just pop up period landscapes, streetscapes and interiors instead of more bloody dot points. Create a mood instead of using it to point out the bleedin’ obvious. It’s just a fun hour of sourcing and formating images after you’ve wrapped up your text.
Hell, sling me a ticket to the closing night pissup and I’ll knock up an appropriate 19th century tableau vivant rendered with 21st century tech. Lashings of Gainsborough I feel.
frolicked in the garden, push-mowed the grass, caught up with an old friend, cut my sons hair, went to the writers festival for a session and, on heading back to my car tonight, decided to duck into st mary’s church for the tail end of the evening service.
just another beautiful september weekend in brisbane
Went to buddy’s place, ate rissoles, drank cans of bourbon and coke, played x-box, and then watched
Beerfest… in other words, I participated in the age old and solemn feast ofdies solis vulgarisFamily jaunt to Coffs Harbour. Brilliant weather. Probably did more shopping than beach activities, but what the hell. All those resorts on the north side of town built in the eighties/nineties all seem to have gone to hell, but at least they are cheap(ish). It was the first time we’ve attempted to take the baby (5mths) out of the house for a holiday (other than one quick trip to grandma) and she was very well behaved considering she was dragged in and out of the car constantly and fed whenever we had the chance rather than regular schedule. The other two girls are thankfully patient with us and our baby fussing behaviour, rewarded with swims and far too much ice cream.
Yes, the Big Banana is still there and what would we do if it wasn’t. Unfortunately, they’ve removed all the real tat from the gift shop and replaced it with normal, family style tat. One great memory from childhood circa thirty years ago is coming across a little box marked “horny toad” which opened to reveal a frog with an enormous erection. Showing it to mum was a mistake…
That brings back some traumatic memories.
oh i forgot to mention PC, Powerpoint has some very creative disciples - dare i say, Burning down the Mouse…..
It actually looks ok this time (thank god). The last one was more ‘interpretive’, shall we say.
Had a reasonably productive weekend. Spent Saturday reading Diane Purkiss’s ‘The English Civil War’, doing some research on the Seige of Gibraltar and writing up my notes on that. Also a bit of blogging, e-mailing, etc., Sat. Night watched Dr. Who, The Bill, more reading.
Sunday watched Insiders, Sunday Program -two different election date predictions - read more of Purkiss - began, repeat began first chapter of my book on First Fleeters in American Revolution after 3 years of research -still heaps to do. By midnight, had 2 pages + footnotes on John Hunter and the role of British Navy 1766 - 1767, North American Station. His captain died at sea because he ate dolphin. Presumably the dolphin was off.
Watched ABC News, doco, nasty confronting drama, back to work. Not looking forward to Wire in the Blood next Friday, but I will watch it.Now to bed.
Update: A video of “It’s Only the Beginning” from the album String of Pearls has been added to the Conway/Zygier gig post.
Steve:
The Japanese might have their manga but we have Gummo Trotsky. Wonder what would happen if Gummo Trotsky and Sublime Cowgirl had a combined exhibition - with Nabokov doing the “moving wallpaper”?
Robert Merkel:
So you saw the Marble Boat on Kunming Lake at the Summer Palace [your pict0064]; it was the inspiration for Australia’s current Defence procurement system.
Steve At The Pub:
Was the problem rent affordability alone or were there other issues?
Spent Saturday doing the heavy weeding and helping shift some railway sleepers to where they will be transformed into a raised garden bed.
Sunday went for a drive in the hinterland and looked at some spring gardens, a dam and some railway stuff. Enormous fish ‘n’ chip lunch in a country town. Came home to watch Emilia Fox being extremely creepy on ABC: looking forward to next week’s episode.
Oh good, TT, I’m glad somebody else watched that. I thought it was fantastic — I was so riveted I couldn’t even leave the teeve long enough to go and get myself another glass of wine.
And did you hear them say that Wire in the Blood is back for a new season?
SC - is David Byrne the best man ever in the world?
I kicked a neat hattrick for my indoor team Friday night, and had the unnerving experience of being a Pies supporter for a day. [they were playing the Dirty Birds]
Got the teeth put back in for a lovely breakfast on Sydney Rd before picking up the keys to my NEW FUCKING HOUSE!!!! I’ve bought half a duplex with my lovely lady friend in Princes’ Hill, and my little sister has bought the other half. It’s like the Kennedy compound, only really different.
Spent the arvo drinking beers, pulling up carpets and enjoying the view across Princes’ Park. Floorboards underneath were lovely - 3 hours’ work and I reckon I’d have paid $10k extra for the place.
Welcome to the ranks of the pullers up of the bloody carpet on the SAME DAY as settlement, FDB.
Friday night desperately did housework to make house somewhat liveable before friends arrived from Sydney. Saturday kicked back with friends and discussed babies. Ate chicken and chips for lunch from local cafe. Saturday afternoon friends headed back to Sydney for Burwood Festival and we went and looked at new lounges. Decided that paying 19% interest on finance is a bit rich and will save up for said lounges. Saturday night watched Dr Who and *spoiler alert* wondered what the hell Martha is supposed to do all by herself on earth. Sunday got up early and sprayed lots of noxious weeds, did more housework, took the kids to fastfood outlet where they ignored their lunch in favour of play equipment. More housework in the afternoon while hubby snoozed then got woken up to do some gardening. Tidied the place up by hiding all the crap in the garage then put the kids in the swings and relaxed and chatted while they had a swing. Ate toasted sandwiches for dinner and wasted my life watching the worst ep of Idol ever. Turned it off in disgust and went to bed.
Thanks Laura.
We let the tenants know that NO MATTER WHAT the rental agent said, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES get the carpets cleaned. We sure did relish the chance to be nice to a tenant after being royally screwed for so long.
Graham Bell: I don’t understand your question, for I neither pay nor collect rent.
Saw ‘Lucky Miles’, which was slightly disappointing, but we couldn’t exactly identify why. The structure seemed a little too episodic, but it was certainly amusing, in a laconic Australian kind of way.
The beetroot salad at the cafe next door to the Dendy was anything but disappointing. Yum!
Mowed d lawn, fed d worms, sprayed d weeds, took photos of Sydney spring garden (aren’t the azaleas great this year) and tried without success to download music to walkman mobile phone. It really shouldn’t be that difficult!
SATP your reference to evictions were of the liquid kind, am i right?
Steve At the Pub:
Misunderstood you when you said
No worries.
Pavlov’s Cat,
Yes, Wire in the Blood is back this Friday night.
Looks like next Friday and Sunday nights I’ll be watching the ABC with the lights on and a blanket ready to pull over my head.
Two scary nights. Will have to watch Packer’s Puppets on the Today show Monday morning, just to get back to reality. Having Dr. Who and The Bill in between on Saturday night just won’t do it.
Hey congrats FDB, that’s a beautiful thing!
Bought some great fig ‘n fennel bread at Lawley’s in Mt Lawley. Worked over Police Truck and In Your Head with a friend. Had a lovely Japanese dinner at Sado Island in Claremont. Watched the rugby in Subi. Went to the gym. Visited my grandmother. Took the bike for a round the river thrap. Got fish and chips from down the road. And made a photo dvd with the very nifty not at all powerpointy iDVD of my sister in law’s wedding.
I did the same as last weekend but with even more eating and drinking! Needless to say I feel a little average today.
They still do that seafood in burnt butter thang?
No, but they do a great eggplant in miso.
PC, I did see the promo for new Wire in the Blood, and am anticipating Robson Greene’s entirely different brand of creepy as well. The Emilia Fox show though: as the SMH said, not so much a whodunnit but a whydidshedoit, what a piece of drama! Rivetting, as you say.
Mindy, I too am wondering just how Martha is going to manage, but judging by the trailers for next week she kicks some arse, which will be excellent.
There was a show on Channel 9 with Glenn Close and Rose Byrne: interesting, but a bit too formulaic? Still worth watching though.
Pavlov’s
Are you an Unbeliever in PowerPoint? More power to you, say I.
More point talking than PP’ing usually. Powerpoint - the last refuge of a wastrel.
“Powerpoint - the last refuge of a wastrel.”
Unless of course you’re the brilliant and hilarious Dave Gorman, whose use of powerpoint is the most inspired I’ve ever seen.
Has he ever toured that “Googlewhack” show to Australia? Man, is that thing funny.
Sublime Cowgirl:
Graham Bell:
The evictions were standard cases of throwing someone out of the pub. Just a tad more tense than I have had for a while, there was quite a period in each eviction where it could have gone either way.
Booked in for the high jump = not everyone on the payroll right now will still be on it come next week. (Er.. not counting the standard attrition of resignations, of which there has been.. umm… 4 since friday.)
TT — did you see Robson Greene being enchanting on Denton tonight? Not to mention singing ‘Unchained Melody’ and looking about seventeen.
SC and Ambigulous: I’ve never met a PowerPoint presentation I liked. Even when done very well, as by a visiting American professor at the recent Adelaide Festival of Ideas, I find it distracting and fundamentally unnecessary at best. At its worst it’s an excuse for homicide.
On the other hand, (a) I do like Nabakov’s notion about atmospheric background period visuals, and (b) David Byrne is a god, not to mention my astrological twin, so clearly I should look further into this whole thang.
Pav - nooooooooo! I missed it!
A vegan meal with New Matilda and Andrew Bartlett. Oh, FFS, why didn’t you get Hugh Mackay and Leuning around and pump Joy Division up full bore.
No one knocks Joy Division on this blog.
Speaking of Joy Division, saw the shorts for the film about Ian Curtis, called Control, on the weekend. It looked very interesting - definitely one to look out for.
Cheers, adrian.
There was a show on Channel 9 with Glenn Close and Rose Byrne: interesting, but a bit too formulaic? Still worth watching though.
I’ve seen the first seven episodes and highly recommend sticking with it. Rather than being formulaic its a bit of a novelty in some ways, the legal thriller that never steps inside a courtroom.
PC
Powerpoint certainly has its abusers, but it is more often a godsend compared to the huge number of god-awful lecturers of your olden-days. It does require a more youthful ability to multitask, which a lot of older folk find challenging.
Greenfield, I’ll type slowly so you can understand.
What did you do on the weekend?
You see, that’s what the thread is about. Not random mutterings about vegan meals and Leunig (obviously touchstones of some sort of culture war you’re fighting by yourself?)
Greensleeves, I’m the same age as Tony Blair. Does that make me “old”, or is it only women you seek to offend by your nonsensical ageist wittering-on?
Actually, there’s a fair bit of evidence that people get better at multitasking as they age.
There’s also a fair bit of evidence that it’s women who are good at multitasking, rather than ‘the young’ as such.
But then, when has Greensleeves ever let evidence get in the way of a gratuitous, irrelevant, toxic spray?
Indeed there is, Dr Cat.
He’s embarrassed. Here’s what he did:
Saturday: Dragged out of bed 10AM for usual saturday morning game of soggy sao. Greenfield lost and har har I had asparagus last nite he didn’t like the bickie.
Went to young liberals get together at RSL. Hijinx included calling the gook chef a slanty eyed chip shoveller. Much laughter. He won $40 on pokies after playing fifty.
Spent $40 on bottle of Jagermeister for the evening on the way home. Then he browsed Stormfront website for a few hours, had a nap.
Dinner was Greenfields turn, spag bol (again the bastard). He can’t cook anything else but we’re hungry so we eat it. It’s crap.
Time to go out to pub. He couldn’t find his zip sided shoes (I hid them in the freezer again) so he put on his black Sunday shoes. Go to pub, drinks Jagermeister outside in alley before going in, but he spews his spag bol all over the damn sunday shoes.
Try a few pickups (scrags anyway the lot of them). Get thrown out for pawing the ta-tas of some bint. Go home.
Sunday: he has to go to church (AoG of course!). Shoes still have spew on them, we laugh at him cause he forgets to clean it off. He gets thrown out of church for snoring during the sermon with his fly open.
Sunday arvo: he tries to sleep it off but we’ve shaved his eyebrow off again, keep trying to put his hand in cold water but he doesn’t wee himself.
As usual a fun weekend for us at the flat.
Yes, but how about we try IGNORING HIM. Giving him attention is giving him his heart’s desire.
Maybe he doesn’t get enough of it in ze real world. Attention that is.
Weekend? Hah. Boy howdy. While the rest of you mooks were busy dining and drinking and pulling up your carpets, I was beavering away in my denim radiation-proof boilersuit and titanium hockey helmet, finishing up a massive slab of work that’s bedevilled me for over a month now. At last I’m finally done, Lawd be praised, and can kick back and enjoy a well-deserved hot bath, a lukewarm Pabst Blue Ribbon, and a nice cold shot of chill. Then before I know it, it’ll be off to Texas, Oregon, Boston (!! haven’t been in a dog’s age!) and freakin’ Mars for all I know.
In the rush of coming and going, I sometimes made the happy mistake of listening to both Carole King’s “Tapestry” and the great Wilson/Glass opera “Einstein on the Beach,” the two of which famously have a sort of meeting point in “Trial/I Feel the Earth Move,” scored hauntingly for (I think?) oboe and clarinet, and featuring the beautiful spoken tone-poem by the artist Christopher Knowles. (I was also majorly digging an amazing Italian recording of the Sibelius violin concerto in, is it D minor?, but that has no bearing on the present ruckus.)
Here in all its peculiar glory, from memory, is the Knowles poem in question. It’s not for everyone, of course; but then neither are electric flame-throwers, Spanish red wines from Oregon, or the zany production designs of Mario Bava. Or Ignatz Mouse, for that matter. This might potentially bore some people, but if so, just scroll past it and forget. There are a few souls around here who I think will appreciate its unusual beauty. So here we go.
“I Feel the Earth Move” (Christopher Knowles)
I feel the earth move. I feel the tumbling down tumbling down. There was a judge who like puts in a court. And the judge have in like what able jail what, it could be a spanking. Or a whack or a smack. Or a swat or a hit. So this could be where of judges and courts and jails. And who was it.
This will be doing the facts of David Cassidy of were in those case of feelings. That could make you happy. That could make you sad. That could make you mad. Or that could make you jealous. So do you know a jail is. A judge and a court could.
So this will be like in those green Christmas trees. So Santa Claus has about red. And now the Einstein trail is like the Einstein on the Beach. So if you know the facts. So this what happen what I saw in. Lucy or a kite. You raced all the way up. This is a race.
So this way will be like eight in types into a pink rink. So this way could be so very magic. So this will be like scene where women comes out to grab her, so this what she grabbed her. So if you lie on the grass. So this will be if the earth move or not. So here we go.
I feel the earth move under my feet. I feel the tumbling down tumbling down. I feel some ostriches are like into a satchel. Some like them. I went to the window and wanted to draw the earth.
So when David Cassidy tells you all of you to get on get going get going get going. So this could be like the W-ABC. Jay Reynolds from midnight to 4 am. Harry Harrison from 4 am to 6 am. Ron Lundy from 10 am to 2 pm. Johnny Donovan from 2 pm to 6 pm. Steve O’Brien from 4:30 am to 6 am. Steve O’Brien from 4:30 am to 6 am.
I feel the earth move. Carole King.
* * *
.
Not for nothing, but I think one could have far worse things on one’s business card, or even on one’s tombstone for that matter, than “I went to the window and wanted to draw the earth.”
God love the school for byrds.
Bless you all my children for your piety, especially you Marktwain, another outspoken female and Nabakov.
There’s nothing like a few liquid evictions first thing on a Sunday, I say. The quiet chunder of the morning after is a sacredly devotional unholy communion, a meditative time of peace and serenity, and anyway, it’s much better out than in.
David Rubie
JG is entitled to his opinion of PowerPoint and to express it. Pavlov’s mentioned that she had spent part of the weekend preparing a lecture and assured us it wouldn’t be in PP. I asked her if she unbelieved in PP, she assented.
Mr Minutes Sectretary, the PP topic was under “matters arising”, I think you’ll find.
cheerio
Ambigulous, David Rubie was referring to Greenfield’s 10.51 am comment and its childish, nasty, inane and much-reiterated mockery of this blog and its commenters in general.
Of which some of us have had enough.
I might add that this is meant to be a light-hearted thread, and I also thought JG’s comment was churlish.
I’m undecided about powerpoint. It’s easier to write a lecture with ppt and students seem to like it better. But under time pressure it’s hard to resist the urge to process all your material into uniform slide-sized chunks.
If bulleted lists are avoided and lots of un captioned, non-clip art pictures are worked in, they can be good. Iconic images are really useful in literature lectures, great at communicating a lot of information quickly - but then, one of the things students need from a lecture is a demonstration of how to communicate ideas verbally.
At my university most lectures are recorded now so they can be downloaded from the web later (for the benefit of regional campus and part-time students) and if you want to use an image in one of these recorded lectures, you have to fill out a three page copyright clearance form and submit it to the university ocopyright office.
Paul Burns:
Since you are reading about the English Civil War [the Cromwellian one, that is] you might like to chase up an excellent British TV drama series of the ‘eighties, “By The Sword Divided”.
Steve At The Pub:
By coincidence, just before I checked in here, a few of us were chatting about an ex-footballer publican whose first act, when he took over one pub, was to eject a whole bikie gang that had been there for many a long day. All the odds were stacked against him but he still managed to prevail. Massive loss of business initially …. but then the locals gradually began drifting back ….
Laura:
To blazes with Powerpoint …. tell us all how your composting went.
Weekend, what’s that?
I spent both days working on a 50 acre property out at Upper Brookfield, trying to clean the joint up in preperation for the arrival back of the capitalist owner with his brother and wife for a visit. They both grew up on a kibbutz and I’m told the rellies are genuine socialists. Looking forward to meeting them.
I did watch the Irish Proof on Friday night - somewhat unsettling. Watched Dr Who (don’t like this series much), but have long given The Bill a swerve.
We did see Fallen Angel. Very scary.
We’re looking forward to Wire in the Blood. Saw the Denton interview. He was also on local radio with Kelly Higgins-Devine, who sang backing vocals with him live on air. He was saying that each episode has a different director, which keeps the show fresh and edgy.
Mark, we went to see the State Library and GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art) recently. Both not to be missed. The Library will blow your mind.
In GOMA there is a fantastic exhibition of art works by students from secondary schools throughout Qld. Incredible work. My advice is to buy the catalogue in the shop on your way. It’s only $9.95 and has a reproduction of each work with the students’ comments.