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!
I’m still a bit pressed for time, what with the phd thesis - second draft now under construction - and the first week of semester, but I did manage to sample a bit of the Brisbane Festival goodness last week, going to two gigs on Tuesday night. Deborah Conway and Willy Zygier were, as expected, totally brilliant, and Feasting on Flesh was a fine piece of burlesque cabaret. (It’s on til Saturday if anyone wants to go.)
There are a lot of really neat ideas in the planning of the festival this year - including quite a few free events in the burbs, and the rather interesting idea of hosting bands in people’s backyards. That’s a nice way - along with the Spiegeltent in Queens Park - to make it a bit more of a genuine festival than just having people traipse off to headline theatre and dance performances at QPAC. I wish I had more time to enjoy more of it.
Unfortunately, and this sort of rule I think is generally senseless, photography was prohibited in the Spiegeltent. Not so for the post-gig carousings on George Street, of course, and there are some photos here for those who are on Facebook. Friend me there if you can’t see them.
There are also some fab exhibitions at the Art Gallery, GOMA, and the State Library, over and above Picasso and His Friends, and a friend and I had brunch yesterday and checked out modernism in ruins at GOMA’s Modern Ruins. Next on the festival circuit is BIFF. So it’s a pretty spiffy winter in Brisneyland for teh kulcha.
I was trying for 20th, but it looks like I’ll have to settle for a first.
Second!
Evidently it was a lazy Sunday indeed!
Well my Sundays are always so freaking busy I don’t think I’ve ever made it here on the day itself.
Borrowed mitre saw from mate to cut 1/4 round beading for my skirting boards.
Did some work. If anyone’s ever using expanding faom stuff to fill large gaps btw floor and skirting, DO IT IN SMALL SECTIONS!!! I stuffed up when my “clean-up-the-excess-immediately” cloth got coverin sticky shit, then rushed to get another and it was too late. Sticky shitty residue all along one wall, which will now need to be re-sanded and finished. GAH!!!
Watched the Dockers win their second on the trot - IN ADELAIDE!!!
Went to training for the Fitzroy Dockers versus East Coast Eagles Grudge Match 2008 next Sunday. Was predictably unfit, but surprisingly skilful. Popped a finger, twinged my back, coughed up a lung.
Watched Doctor Who. Smash the fucking windscreen, you retards!!!
At last had the chance to kick over my bike for a decent weekend ride.
City to Windsor, north on the Putty Road then off to the right at Broke. Southeast to Wollombi for lunch, then back to Sydney via Bucketty and down through Hornsby. Glorious, and I didn’t even get caught in the storm.
I’m afraid I can’t stand the new Dr Who — gave up on it when the script inferred that the 3rd/4th Doctor and Sara Jane Smith had once been lovers.
Spent much of the weekend copying a downloaded overseas tv series onto CD for friends and wrestling with a Firefox browser that’s become more unstable than a one-legged window-washer half way up a ladder during an earthquake.
Saturday, very early hours of the morning, watched Polanski’s brilliant adaptation of Oliver Twist (I think). Sykes, his dog and Fagin would be a bit scary fot the littlelies, and the robbery preparation scheme is chilling. I’m not a parent so I don’t really know, but I think it would be okay for 10 year olds on.Cautiously recommend it for kids in that age range, and wholeheartedly for adults. Rated M.
Then, checked my e-mails and began the long torturous process of trying to send an attachment that would open of a copy of a book review to London that wasn’t blocked by my security system. Went bed in frustration about 4 am.
Finally was up and ready to go by about 11am,spent all day, till about 3pm, trying to discover ways to successfully send off this attachment. Finally succeeded by retyping it into an e-mail.Watched a DVD on MacArthur (US general) - ho hum. Watched the Bill. Watched The Last King of Scotland DVD - brilliant.
Sunday, slept through Insiders. Did a little bit of note-taking. Watched DVD if Perfume, again btilliant.
ABC - Dt. Who - maybe they’ll smash the window next week, Foyle’s War. Then watched DVD of Babel - also brilliant. Crashed.
Saturday, woke up, showered, bought the Sydney Morning Herald, read it with breakfast (leftovers from last Sunday’s dinner), solved the sudoku puzzles, put on a load of washing, read some more of Niall Ferguson’s The Pity Of War, hung out the washing, drafted a post for LP, had lunch at the local pub, read some more of TPOW, watched the AFL match between Essendon and Collingwood, had a quantity of chardonnay and beer which technically qualifies as a binge whilst reading some more of TPOW, got the washing off the line, had dinner at the local, went home and watched Richmond V. Brisbane, went to bed.
Sunday, woke up, showered, bought the Sun-Herald, read it with breakfast (leftovers from last Sunday’s dinner), solved the sudoku puzzles, read some more of TPOW, caught the train to Rosewood, read TPOW whilst en route to Rosewood, had a cheap counter lunch at the Royal George Hotel which provided a clue as to the apparently large percentage of obese people in Rosewood, went for a sightseeing walk around Rosewood, rode the train home whilst reading TPOW, watched the last bit of North Melbourne V. Melbourne, had my early evening libations, had dinner at Ben’s Chinese/Vietnamese Restaurant, went home and to bed.
Oh, and listened to ABC News Radio.
Brisbane Festival goers - can I invite you all to come along to my show at the Spiegeltent tonight with FourPlay?
7 pm start for an early night, finishing about 8.30.
Would love to meet Brisbanite LPers there, so do come and say hi afterwards if you come along. I’ll be the one with a long brown ponytail playing viola and spouting climate politics
Tried and failed to put finishing touches on the girls bedroom. We reconstructed a wall that the previous owners had removed in our old weatherboard place, and despite very carefully measuring everything and making sure all the corners were perpendicular and the wall itself perfectly straight, still ended up with one cruddy top corner where nothing quite lined up. Had been staring at the ugly unfinished corner for 12 months and finally worked up the courage to have another look.
Conclusion? House is crooked. Not surprising, as other bits of the house aren’t straight either but the forehead smack resounded across the neighbourhood like a gunshot. Damn you 1930’s dodgy builders and the inevitable passage of time!