Killing Time III

Killing Time Part III

Thank god for Borders. Here is an institution that never fails to please. (Yes, I know what you’re thinking just gimme a second here.) Think about it. The place is always open late and it’s filled to bursting with an endless supply of information and entertainment. And best of all, it’s free!

Heck, they’re so huge, so globally dominant that they can afford to let you just lounge around in the place, reading stuff at your leisure, leaving behind nothing but dirty, grubby fingerprintz. In fact they encourage the practice with all their fat, comfy chairs, coffee bar and comfortingly inoffensive Nora Jonesy background music.

Now don’t get me wrong, they certainly get no business from me! In my world Borders is for research and Readings is for acquisitions. Readings is the original neighbourhood independent bookstore in Carlton.

It seems Borders Inc. did their research well and must have found this quaint little local establishment doing a lucrative business and drawing in the customers. What better place to open a new branch, in an already tried and true market? So, they dropped a shop in, not just on the same block, in the same neighbourhood, but directly across the street!


So I say fuck ‘em. If I want to read it, copy it or listen to it, I’m not afraid to be seen in Borders. If I want to take it home or give it away, I always go independent.

And by the way, Borders has Curt Cobain greeting cards!

Well done Courtney! That’s so Rock-n-Roll!!!

Those cards pay for rehab?

Killing Time ll

Killing Time Part II

So I’m sitting here in Brunetti’s sipping on a superior double latte’ and nibbling on some of the best Italian cookies this side of Rome. Soon I will be speeding my top off, all hopped up on sugar and caffeine.

POW!

Brunetti’s is a Melbourne institution. It has settled itself into a mid-block section of an offshoot of Carlton’s (The Italian district) main drag, Lygon Street. Lygon Street is famous for its abundance of Italian eateries, gelato bars and cafes. But THE place everyone must sit and be seen on an evening out in Carlton is Brunetti’s. Before the show, after dinner or “just killing time”, this is the place.

Killing Time I

I was waiting for Mauzi in the city tonight. She was off at a wine-and-lotion opening of a new Aesop store and I came in to meet her afterwards for dinner and drinks. As things go, “a drink” at six turned into “a few drinks” till whenever. After four years of living with a publicist I’ve learned a few things. First, how to small-talk a crowd and second, (handy tonight) how to kill time.

Killing time in downtown Melbourne isn’t hard to do. Just a quick footnote about referring to downtown Melbourne as “downtown Melbourne”. In Melbourne it just isn’t done. Two tips to avoid instant embarrassment: first never, EVER pronounce Melbourne as “Mel-Born”-it’s like referring to St Louis as “St. Loo-ee” or Illinois as “Ill-a-noise”. So don’t do it unless you want to sound like a total dickhead and believe me, I cringe every time I hear a visiting diplomat on the TV or radio get corrected by the local commentator-It's pronounced "Mel-bun"; and secondly it just isn’t called “downtown”. Yes, I reference the song, and everyone says they love the song, but it just never stuck here. So remember, it’s not downtown, not uptown, it’s just “the city”.

I’m killing time in the city tonight. Sitting in a pub, staring at the night skyline…just me, my computer, and a Cooper’s green label pale ale.

Pic of the Day June 27, 2006

THOUGHT I'D WORK EIGHT OF TEN DAYS OF SCHOOL HOLIDAYS THIS YEAR.

TODAY ONE OF MY STUDENTS JUMPED IN A LAKE.

(THE HIGH TEMP TODAY WAS 8*C/46*F...)

SOMTIMES ALL YOU CAN DO IS LAUGH...OR YOU'LL CRY.

Pic of the Day June 26, 2006

Pic of the Day June 25, 2006

Pic of the Day June 24, 2006

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIN!

From the Access to Evil

Pic of the Day June 22, 2006

First light and one day closer to summer!

Pic of the Day June 21, 2006

Happy Winter Solstice from the other side of the Earth!

Please send LIGHT!!!!!

Pic of the Day June 20, 2006

Pic of the day June 19, 2006

Pic of the Day June 18

Pic of the Day June 17

Pic of the day June 16, 2006

Winter lettuce.

Pic of the day June 15, 2006

Buddha for Buddha

Pic of the day June 14, 2006

Pic of the day June 13, 2006

Belle and Sebastian @ the Forum

The Forum

The ceiling, stars and all... Stage Left, the Grecian Bar... Stage Right, the Grecian Garden

Centre stage,

the Glaswegian Band!

The grecian ceiling, stars and all.

Stage left, the grecian bar!
Stage right, the grecian garden.

Designer Baby Clothes

Designer children’s clothes. What the…? Now here is once concept I will never understand.


Think about it. Why on earth would anyone pay top dollar for a couple of pieces of finely cut cloth only to it drag it around the place all day like some chic waste sack, slowly filling up with spit, piss and shit?

No way!

But really, isn’t that what children’s clothes are really for?

And what does the kid think anyway? “Hey, I’m two and don’t I look cool as shit. At this rate I’ll be a king by the time I’m 20.” No wonder so many teens are going under the knife before the age of consent these days.

Hell no. These kids are thinking, “God this stiff little corduroy jacket over this cashmere cardigan, constricting this polo shirt (with upturned collar, of course) is truly giving me the shits. If I fall I’ll suffocate for sure! Oh man, I wish I was naked.”

Yes! Nakedness, that’s all toddlers really want.

We all know it’s mummy that really gets off on this stuff. How else does one keep up with the Jones’ at the weekly mommy’s group/walk around the botanic gardens/four glass of wine lunch meet up? Well thi,s and that tacky 14-carrot diamond and platinum tennis racket charm bracelet on her wrist.

We’re talking about clothes that are obviously too precious to wear for everyday play and too unique to be seen worn two walks in a row. How uncouth! So onto the wooden hangar and into the walk-in kiddie closet, safely away, awaiting just the right social outing.

The thing is parents, kids grow faster than a Paris runway model quaffs a bottle of vintage Verve. At this rate they’ll outgrow “Mommy’s Little Prince” costume before it’s out of season. And before you can say, “So, mommy, what exactly happened to my trust fund?” they’re out on the curb with yesterday’s paper.

So if you have to slap a covering on the little darlings I say make it used. Yep, go down to the nearest Salvation Army store for those kiddie togs. They’re tried, tested and generally evolutionarily bacteria resistant.

And if you choose your suburbs carefully, you may just find a nice little pair of Italian-made denim jeans, size two. Worn once…to mummy’s group!

Geek Rock

So I went out to see TRANS AM tonight.

I have to tell ya', for a bunch'a nerdy geek-rockers they put on a hell of a show. Imagine all your favourite kraut,math, indie stoner, new-wave (ala Devo) rock ground up and stuffed in a prog suit!



At the end of the show this German guy (now why wasn'nt he off watching the world cup?) turned to me and exclaimed,"A Rather brutal performance!"


Yo Falco, ever heard of Einstürzende Neubauten or Rammstein?

Pic of the day June 10, 2006

Pic of the day June 9, 2006

Pic of the day June 8, 2006

Pic of the day June 7, 2006

Pic of the day June 6, 2006

Dan Brodie

So I went out the other night to catch local alt-country troubadour, Dan brodie with his new band the grieving widows at the northcoate social club. Not only is dan one hell of a good singer he’s a pretty nice guy to boot.

Check him out at:

http://www.myspace.com/danbrodie

Pic of the day June 5, 2006

We took the kids to the "Museum" this week.

Spamadelic

I recieved an email today informing me that my blog is in fact not a random Spam generating device. Thank the blog gods! So you can all rest easy, I do not want to increase your libido or sell you Valium at back alley prices. I just want your cyber (but not “cyber”) love.

That means someone other than a handful of friends and family have actually viewed this site and given it a “thumbs-up” of sorts. Actually they probably don’t give a shit seeing as it took them over a week to get around to my space and truthfully I reckon they’re a bit too busy to actually check the place out. Just a click and then away…

Thankfully, I don’t have any more annoying verification codes to fill out.

Ironically, on the same day, I received a spam comment on my blog, informing me that it was “Top-notch”. Awkward, yes, but encouraging nonetheless. It went on to praise my blog in all sorts of computer-generated translation lingo. My ego was really beginning to balloon now. Unfortunately it concluded that I should visit a particular website…to buy a new domain name in the United Kingdom.

How low.

Figures, the best compliment I’ve been given this week is some randomly generated, ego-stroking piece of spam trawling for some cash. Actually, that’s not true, my fiancé called me a ‘spunk’*.

*I have to acknowledge that my lovely editor Mauzi added that last sentence.

Pic of the day June 3, 2006

Pic of the day June 2, 2006

Spring flowers in Wisconsin

But today is the first day of winter in Australia.