31 July 2007

the PM blogs

Hey, Johnny's back online with his diary! That is like, so totally, AWESOME. Hey can some some-one, you know, tell me when the election is called. I can't wait to SMS to the house.

26 July 2007

Moore on Terror

Oh yeh, how good is Australia looking right now? From Guardian International:

The backers of the Let's Get Ready Sydney campaign said it was a responsible promotion designed to prepare residents for unforeseen civil emergencies, including a terror attack.

Apart from the Go-Bags, which should also contain items such as a first-aid kit, spare change, energy bars and a radio, Sydney residents were asked to think about how they would contact friends and relatives during an emergency when mobile phone services were disrupted

As commented by Bizarro and Boy Bosun ". . . and make sure you have a boat ready to go too, that's the only way you'll get out of the Emerald city if the transport shuts down".

Self and others

Found this surfin' around today - from a Richard Flanagan interview in the Guardian. Flanagan has written the Unknown Terrorist and before that the luminescent Gould's Book of Fish.

There is a crisis that is not political - an epidemic of loneliness, of sadness - and we're completely unequal to dealing with it. We're obsessed these days with believing that the answer is always individual, that it lies in ourselves. This takes every form of madness from self-help manuals to step aerobics, and is always about improving yourself. But the reality is, it lies in other people and making connections with them, yet it is a world where it's ever harder to make those connections.

19 July 2007

The Big Issue

The promo team hits the jackpot!

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22095413-25090,00.html

http://blogs.smh.com.au/sit/

16 July 2007

Weather or not

Its stormy today. This morning and yesterday morning there was thunder and a quiet downpour. Matty K described the thunder sounding like "boulders rolling down the train tracks", dgda,dgda,dgda,gd,gd,gd,d,d, - not like the massive ka-boom like in Sydney. Yesterday the rain cleared to allow a hot steamy sun to come through. At 5.30 pm we were sitting in the only beer garden in Amsterdam (apparently) enjoying the site of the sludgy brown canal and pasty white dutchies with their shirts off.

So this appears to be a very nanna-like post about the weather. Hm. What else can I tell you? I'm enjoying the way the Europeans make things to fit .. "just so".

The power points are recessed to the wall so the plug fits flush, my dishwasher and fridge are laminated on the outside just like the cupboards so the whole kitchen has one type of surface, the tap on the bath is marked in degrees centigrade - so you know exactly how hot that water is. (There's even a spot next to 38, ah).

From what I can see so far the Dutch like to neaten their social policies too, so that there is heaps of personal liberty - but within its proper boundaries. Smoke yourself stupid on weed of course, but you can only buy it in specially licensed shops and not on the street, please. Bonk as many prostitutes as you like, but they only work in one district, they are all licensed, paying full tax, and working strictly to rule. It's all ... just so.

12 July 2007

In the Dam

Made it everybody! Thanks for all the wonderful warm well wishes, sorry about leaving my toothbrush, Miss J (dur), and sorry and sad to leave you all, it still hasn't really sunk in yet that I'm here for more than just a few weeks. I guess it will when the ten thousand boxes arrive in a couple of months.

When I got to KL it was about 9 pm local time and I was due for about 1.5 hour wait before boarding the next plane. However , reading the boards showed that not only had my gate changed but that the flight was delayed until 7.30 the next morning! I couldn't quite believe it so I queued at the transfers desk and duly received a dinner voucher and a night's accommodation in the airport. A strange and spooky hour or so spent duty free shopping and eating a few dumplings when my body clock said it was about 1am but the airport was all bright, all the high class shops open and a lanky man was doing cigar rolling demos outside the Habanas shop.

Didn't sleep too well though as the air conditioning was set to arctic and I was just paranoid about missing the rescheduled plane. But nevertheless, more than 30 hours after setting out from Sydney I made to Schipol, and Mr B was there waiting.

So I'm in the new pad, it's lovely, there was a summer outdoor dance festival just outside the door last night! It's very much in the dead centre of the city, but I have trouble viewing amsterdam like any other city as most buildings are only 3 or 4 stories high. In the next few days the plans are to get all housey and domestic (bugger, that nice quilt cover might be 12 weeks away!) take a few photos of canals, work out some activities for the folks, and try not to think much about work.

Signing off, from the 'dam.

6 July 2007

Take me

I mean, take my freakin wardrobe. Do you know how hard it is to get rid of stuff in this town? I've had this giant wardrobe on freecycle - 52 people have looked at the photo - no-one wants to come and get it. This is for nuthin! Salvo truck can't come till Thursday, so if I put it out on leaving day it will get fucked up in the rain. Too busy with other deliveries to drop it off to big salvo centre on Saturday, Council will only take 1 cubic metre, and the bloody bower are notoriously picky. Although they are my next call. Take about disposability and affluenza. Sheesh! It's just that much more convenient to buy one at Ikea, I guess. Bsharp, signing off in deep moving frustration.

5 July 2007

3 July 2007

Phone tag

Someone left a message on my phone today that consisted of about 10 seconds of rather moody trumpet. It sounded like a guy blowing a tune in a bar in Cuba. No voice message or anything. It was quite soothing, so thanks, whoever that was.

In other news - about 6 big cartons packed only another million to go. I used the freecycle yahoo group for the first time yesterday - brilliant! Got a whole lot of keen beans who want to come to the flat to take my stuff away. Tops! Definitely lightning the load for the evil clean out on Saturday.

While I'm at it - does anyone want some things like:
an iron and table top ironing board
some teeny tiny saucepans (really for sauces!)
one of those sets of plastic office drawers for paper and such..

Let me know in comments. (you have to live in my town, dur)