Forty Five Movies

That is the number of movies I have seen this calendar year - I was hoping to do one a week, but whether there was a lean patch of movies actually even a quarter bit interesting to see, or whether it was partially laziness on my part, I'm not sure. Part of the reason I do go see the movies so often is that I know that if I didn't, it would be all too easy to stay home all weekend...

Deep breath, here we go -

Meet the Fockers, Finding Neverland, Garden State, Closer, Sideways, The Motorcycle Diaries, Constantine, The Aviator, Hotel Rwanda, Be Cool, The Ring 2, Million Dollar Baby, The Interpreter, Downfall, The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy, Crash, The Woodsman, Star Wars III - Revenge of the Sith, The Machinist, Mr & Mrs Smith, Batman Begins, The Assassination of Richard Nixon, War of the Worlds -

Fantastic Four, Sin City, The Island, Kung Fu Hustle, Unleashed, The Jacket, Nine Songs, Look Both Ways, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wedding Crashers, Little Fish, Serenity, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Enron - The Smartest Guys in the Room, Wolf Creek, The Proposition, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Elizabethtown, Flightplan, Good Night and Good Luck, King Kong, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Phew - and that break was just at a midway point in the count, it will probably look bad enough just a list in two paragraphs, let alone the horror it could have been as one.

Best movie of my year, no doubt about it, Hotel Rwanda. It may not have been the most entertaining story of the year, but it was the tale worthiest to be told - and the most affecting to me. Although whether that's the liberal white guilt of my brain taking over, rather than the movie going pleasure centre, I'm not so sure.

Movies this year that I have already gotten on DVD are Closer, Sideways and Garden State. I think I have gushed about those movies sufficiently in posts earlier this year :)

Movies that I would like to get on DVD are Hotel Rwanda, Downfall, The Woodsman, Sin City, Look Both Ways, Little Fish, Enron - The Smartest Guys in the Room and Good Night and Good Luck. Still shudder at the thought of Hotel Rwanda being all of half a shelf away from Nine Songs in the DVD section of HMV...

There are others I would consider getting, but then I would be rehashing MOST of the original list LOL, and I don't want to bore you all with that...

Stupidest movies of the year? That I saw, I am meaning. Unleashed, The Jacket or Nine Songs. Maybe that last one in particular - they have sex. After concerts. And then he goes to Antarctica - like, whatthefug LOL???

And of course, the special category of stupid movies, that try to save themselves by having hot chix as characters LOL - The Ring 2, Fantastic Four and Wedding Crashers...

I could go on making lists of the movies that were better than I expected, that were worse than I expected, blah blah blah, but I have bored everyone enough I am sure...

Will I do a year in review thing, or would that just be stupid coming from Pleb Central here. Hmm, will think on it a bit more - might watch a DVD with the parents, if I can get Dad away from the Yet Another Elvis Documentary that is on at the moment.

Like the most popular documentary category, Here We Go With Another World War Two Doco, But It's Different From The Six Million Others That Have Been Screened In The Last Sixty Years, We Promise...

The worst thing with those docos though is that I find them all so watchable, dammit :)

Paul

An Early Start

I didn't check my roster this week for my start time, so headed into town for an 8am start, even though I knew it was something more like 8.30 - just would have rather been early than late. And I got to the office and looked at my roster and I had miscalculated by an hour. Wonderful, I could have slept in later...

So I had a relaxed cooked breakfast at one of the Coffee Clubs in town - mmm, sausages, eggs and toast, as well as finally getting around to checking my current debt levels. I have been paying it off bit by bit for hmm about ten months now, but had never really figured out what the exact current amount was - now I know if I pay $x a week, I could get it paid off this time in six, nine or twelve months.

Tried to stay out of the heat as much as possible, but by the time I got back to the office I was pretty hot and bothered. Was a very quiet day at work, and the bosses were asking if anyone wanted to take leave over the next couple of days - I jumped at the chance, so basically have five days off now, yay :)

I actually wandered into that newish comic place at the local shops this afternoon - now I do feel somewhat like Jerry Seinfeld frequenting that Indian place across the road from his apartment. But I bought my first 2000AD in like years - even when I was in Wellington I only browsed them rather than actually buying them. And talk about your inflation, sixteen years ago when I started buying 2000AD, it was $1.40, the latest one was $8.20 eek.

And don't even get me started on the $22.95 price tag for the Judge Dredd Megazine - pay day is tomorrow so was unable to buy it today. But I will - just for a couple weeks/months maybe.

I had about hmm I can't remember an exact count but LOTS of those comics about ten years ago - before I went travelling. And they all got sold off to the second hand book store - this was of course before eBay made it OK to sell a collection off piece by piece...

I will NOT get up another huge collection - the house is filling up with old Economists as it is...

Famous last words though :)

Pauly

Very Civilised

I had a very civilised holiday break, thank you very much for asking :)

Although there was nothing civilised about waking up on Christmas, and it already being thirty degrees Celcius at eight ayem in the morning. And it took my parents and sister another three hours to decide to close the house up and put the air con on. And there was the bit about the choice of DVD to watch, but I will get to that later.

But apart from that it was all very nice.

I woke up and instead of getting into the presents and tearing the wrapping as soon as I woke up, sometimes even at 5 in the morning, as I did when I was a kid, I had a nice conversation over the breakfast table with my parents - I didn't actually have breakfast myself, just a coffee, but it was a good convo.

Had to wait until my sister was awake to open the presents, and I did quite well out of Festive Season 2005 if I do say so myself. I've got so many new shirts, including two that I bought myself in the two weeks before Christmas - I couldn't resist them LOL. I've got so many new shirts, that I am going to throw about six to eight of my older ones out.

And sadly that includes you, Mr 'No Sir I Don't Like It' Ren and Stimpy Horse I have had for about thirteen years LOL. How you survived the 'Jim Morrison inspired no one gets out of here alive Ottawa fleeing back home clothing cull', I will never know. Bruce Springstein concert and Senators playoff hockey tees get left behind, Ren and Stimpy comes home - hmm.

Although I think for the first time ever, I am not sure how much the cologne would have been, but I think for the first time ever, I paid more for my parents' gifts than they did on me - was feeling very generous this year I guess. Now if only I could move out of the parental mansion - hmm, this time next year, fingers crossed I won't be. I will have paid off my debts sometime in the year ahead, so will have a 'housing allowance' again.

So the presents were all opened and stuff about 10 ayem, and we cracked open the first beers of the day - was put in mind of my uncle visiting a couple months ago, having a beer at the TAB at about that time on a Sunday morning, but, as my sister rationalised, that was a normal weekend, this was Christmas. Watched Video Hits while Mum and Dad talked to her parents - Dad had rung his mother about the time that I woke up.

Then had ham sandwiches for lunch - normal every Sunday thing, apart from the ham was off the bone rather than pre sliced. Mum felt weird not doing a big thing for lunch for Christmas, but trust me, we have had our fair share of two big meals on Christmas Days in the past, and by the time the second meal comes around, everyone is far too stuffed from lunch to do more than pick at the food.

Cracked open another beer, watched a selection of DVDs and videos - Dad's contribution was a documentary on Cream, that 60s band that had Eric Clapton, Sunshine of Your Love and such. Mine was the Fast Show, series two, which I had just received earlier in the day - as the Jazz Club pundit on the show would say, niceeee. Groovy even. And my sister had brought Mum the first series of The Muppet Show, so we saw the first episode of the first series of that. The only thing that has really dated on it are the guest stars I think - my family was a BIG Muppet Show household. We scratched our heads at Fraggle Rock a bit LOL, but Muppet Babies was AWESOME. Err, yes, I guess I should raise my hand to that last statement, as being a personal and not a whole of family opinion LOL.

We even had the Muppet Show album, on vinyl no less, and it is around the house somewhere. Manamana, Simon Smith and his Amazing Dancing Bear - mmm, early eighties nostalgia, and I thought I was too young for that...

Anyways, by this stage, apart from Fast Show and Muppets, I had gotten stuck into a book the parents had gotten me for Christmas - The Black Echo, by Michael Connolly - I had read his latest, The Lincoln Lawyer, about a month or so ago, and was the first book I had read of his and I could hardly put it down. Has been a long time since a new author got that reaction from me - and then I find this guy has been writing for almost fifteen years and has a huge back catalogue.

When Mum got the book, Black Echo, I thought she had just gotten it so that she could pick it up after I had finished it - I had handed her Lincoln Lawyer after I had finished with it, and she really liked it as well.

Later in the afternoon, the other three went for a swim, I went out and read some more of the book under the verandah. I went in for a swim after they came out, I think I have a phobia of swimming in front of others or something, parents are always saying you should come in, but eh, swimming by myself is fine by me.

A few beers, a few Pepsis later, it was dinner time. They actually preroast the vegetables and then freeze them nowadays, so instead of slaving over the oven in a thirty plus day - even if it was outside and we were in air con, why slave over a stove when you don't have to? Instead of doing the actual roasting herself, Mum got the frozen roast veges and put them in the oven for ten minutes instead of an hour, and microwave heated up the turkey, and we had dinner. The others left turkey on their plate, but I ate it all.

Then there was the choice of movie, as storms were going across the city and playing with our power supply. I suggested the Shawshank Redemption, which none of the others have seen, and I and a lot of other people think is fairly good. My sister refused to contemplate watching it, and hearing that Tim Robbins was in it just got her back up more, so whereas I brought one DVD out of the batcave to the party, my sister replied by getting a selection of about six or seven. All of which were German language, and would require subtitle reading.

I didn't want to press it, as I have been quietly trying to get the parents to watch Shawshank for the past six months or so, and I should have said to my sister there are several rooms and televisions in this house, you can watch on those or go to your room LOL - but it was Christmas, and I had a good book to read.

Had dessert after the movie, Anatomie Zwei, ice cream log, and then turned it over to the Tattersalls DanceSport champs on one of the channels. Was entertaining enough, but 'it wasn't as good as last year, when they named the dancers and gave them an introduction before going into the dancing' blah blah, but was entertaining enough, what with the complete drivel of a commentary. Some of the girls' dresses were nice as well LOL.

Yesterday, Boxing Day, had a very lazy one - spent it mostly in the computer room, or as I have nicknamed it, the Batcave, playing a WW2 simulation, and listening to the Boxing Day test in the background. I didn't have a beer all day, although that is part of the tradition of the Boxing Day test as well, isn't it? Mmm, beer.

Just a quick word on the movies I caught this weekend - Good Night And Good Luck, as good as the critics have been saying, if not better. Gets the sense of looking over your shoulder paranoia perfectly, and OMG McCarthy was a nutjob. If only we were in the rose coloured glasses days when it was only the 'Junior Senator from Wisconsin' who was ramping up the fear factor... I am SO getting that when it comes out on DVD.

Saw King Kong today. Good for a popcorn movie, definitely no Shawshank or Citizen Kane, and even though some critics are saying Peter Jackson was showing just as much homage to Jurassic Park, one of the best scenes in the movie was the brontosaur stampede. Naomi Watts overacted I feel, but not the worst crime in moviedom. I do think it was going just a bit too far to try and bring a Heart of Darkness or Apocalypse Now angle into it.

I like Peter Jackson. Really, I do - he has put Wellington on the Hollywood radar screen, his best act to humankind was to 'discover' Kate Winslet with Heavenly Creatures, and the whole thing of bringing Lord Of The Rings to the big screen deserves gratitude of the 'we're not worthy, we're not worthy' Waynes World kind, but hearing some of the hoopla around King Kong, some of it I am rolling my eyes at.

He has already put out a DVD of the production diaries - if he were not a fellow Wellingtonian, I would be giggling and saying wanker about that. And seeing the amount of detail that went into the New York scenes in King Kong, hmm. So they did a CGI of the exact same Coca Cola billboard in Times Square in Christmas 1933, as one example - so what? It wouldn't matter to me if it was a 1934 billboard, or it was Pepsi instead LOL - as long as the big ape is smashing stuff in front of it, I don't care. If Mr Jackson was not a fellow Wellingtonian I would be thinking about how complete his Star Wars Original Trilogy figurine collection is... or some thought like that.

King Kong is good, exciting, and the cute girl beside me was squirming at the centipede and weta scenes, but it is a popcorn movie. And The Two Towers was the best movie of the LOTR trilogy. Even though Return of the King got the Oscar clean sweep...

Oh, and just another aside about shopping after Christmas - how hard is it to find a good, normal pair of togs, that aren't Speedos, that have a bit of support, if you know what I mean, and are reasonably priced? I went into all the beachwear sort of stores down at Chermside today, and yes, they were on sale, but a cut price to $40 or $50 - remind me not to go shopping in places were pairs of shorts are $65 to $80 again. But even with the prices, the places were packed. But, of course, all the shops were today.

I got nice dependable swim boardshorts at K-Mart in the end, for $15...

Later peeps
Pauly

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

The American government says Merry Christmas, again, to the Muslim community.

When I saw the headline 'US mosques checked for radiation' I thought that some anti Muslim nutters were terrorising their fellow citizens, but no, it wasn't anything of the sort. Apparently hand in hand with the illegal NSA wire-taps that the President has been re-authorising for the past three and a half years, the FBI has been monitoring radiation levels at mosques, just in case Al Qaeda did manage to ship some radiological weapons into the USA.

Because of course, when your average terrorist does receive his weekly shipment of weaponry from overseas, the first thing he does is to take it down to his local house of worship and show it off to his buddies.

'"The targets were almost all US citizens," an unnamed source involved in the programme told the magazine.

"A lot of us thought it was questionable, but people who complained nearly lost their jobs," the source said.'

Fuckwits. And I am meaning the Bush Administration.

Pauly

Merry Whatever

I would wish everyone a merry Xmas, but as if anyone coming onto this site needs to be advised that by me - I believe that most people just stumble across the blog, rather than google 'Pauly wishes merry christmas'. So all the best for the season, but I know you didn't really need to hear that from me...

Is supposed to get up to 38 degrees Celcius tomorrow, Xmas Day, with no doubt high humidity, and it hasn't been under thirty degree maximums for hmm ages - oh, I found a humidex calculator, which is how the Great White North figures out their relative temperatures...

Was a boring week at work - was very very busy for most of it, head down hardly looking up, well, apart from yesterday afternoon, when the calls just died off - had been hoping for it all week basically, everyone just go home and don't ring us. Am in next week the three days in between the holidays, but am having a week off in January, so that should be good...

Will be a quiet Christmas no doubt, just doing the family thing, probably eating and drinking, in moderation, and watching endless DVDs - Christmas Day viewing, as usual, is crap. And will be far too hot to go outside...

Will brave the heat and go and catch a movie in town today though - Good Night And Good Luck, about the media taking on commie witch hunts in the 1950s - have been slacking off the movies thing the last couple of months, so want to watch maybe about three in the week ahead - King Kong and Harry Potter maybe as the other two. Would be my first Harry Potter movie caught at the movies rather than DVD if I make it...

Maybe Domino, to perv on Keira Knightly again, I admit it, and Mrs Henderson Presents are the only other two movies I would vaguely be interested in at the moment...

More soon
Pauly

Are Any Bands Positive Nowadays?

After mentioning Radiohead may not be the best Monday morning music choice, I have tried a couple of other CDs in the days since. But Pearl Jam, with their songs of school shootings and car crashes, and Sheryl Crow, singing of middle America disappointment and disillusionment - in relationships at least - and there doesn't seem to be a positive band out there.

Or at least in my music collection. Where's a brainless S Club Seven when you need it LOL.

Pauly

OMG Blast From The Past

OMG, Ten has brought back the rest of the Secret Life Of Us series they canned earlier in the year - people only watch cricket over the Christmas break, perfect time to rebury a series. Blast from the past territory this show, I remember when it was the kewlest thing on television.

For all of about a series, with the spotty writer taking on ice queen will they won't they storyline and then, from memory, they kiss, and kiss only, and she heads off to London. Always the bloody way, isn't it LOL. It seems like forever ago, but it was only 2002.

Living by myself in Wellington, television and the err internet filling the voids in my life.

And watching the series hmm, wondering what I ever saw in it - or maybe it has just gone downhill? People dating each other, not dating each other, wondering about it all and what it means, and then saying how great London was and how much better everything was there.

I mean, it can be, London I mean, but I tend to minimise my travel stories in my conversations, feel like I'm bragging if I mention it - and having a show mention it every ten minutes can feel somewhat the same...

But Claudia Karvan was the hottest thing on TV in 2002 LOL.

Pauly

Possible First Deep Thoughts In A While

Was listening to Radiohead on the CD player this morning, Kid A in particular, and was immediately transported back in time to November 2000, and visiting Vancouver Island and H. All these great memories coming back - we won't mention February 2001 in Belfast.

But it got me thinking about how it seems that I almost always seem to be planning something in the future rather than living in the here and now. Apart from my meltdown years of course. I need about a year of recovery after those, and then I am on the look out for the next challenge.

When I was working in Upper Hutt, I was looking forward to travelling to Europe. When I was working in Wellington, my eye was on going over to Canada. Now, working in Brisbane, I am looking toward what to do after paying off my debts sometime in the New Year. It is almost no wonder I have never found a girlfriend living in the same town as I have been...

And then always second guessing myself when waiting for one of those life change things to happen. Or maybe second guessing isn't the right term, perhaps it is self doubt. Do I even trust myself. Hmm. Okay, that was a bit deeper than I really wanted to be LOL.

Am I making the right decisions - am I going to hurt the people I care about - I'm just a guy, who on earth would trust any male of the species (good post feminist generation training there, thanks very much). No doubt I am going to screw up at some point in the future, why bother risking it...

But then I think I can't stay in my rut - what is that Natalie Imbruglia song? Torn?

I don't want to screw up, and I don't want to risk it, but I will go mad if I stay in my rut. Eh, where is that slightly depressive but so well written music of the decade of alienation LOL.

Pauly

Note To Self

Although they are my favourite band, and they have captured the alienation of the 90s and this decade so well, Radiohead are perhaps not the best band to listen to on a Monday morning going to work. I mean, you are usually depressed enough as it is going to work, you can't analyse the many layers of the lyrics, and listening to Thom Yorke whining away (in the best possible way of course) makes you want to give up all hope.

Especially on a Monday.

I wonder what it would be like to live Thom Yorke's life? Surely he isn't always as gloomy as his lyrics?

Oh Mi God Part Deux For The Day

Back on the NSA spying thing that is number one news in America at the moment -

'Mr. Bush said that every 45 days the program was reviewed, based on "a fresh intelligence assessment of terrorist threats to the continuity of our government and the threat of catastrophic damage to our homeland." That review involves the attorney general, Alberto R. Gonzales, and Mr. Bush's counsel, Harriet E. Meiers, whom Mr. Bush unsuccessfully tried to nominate to the Supreme Court this year.'

Now I feel much safer about it all, Harriet Meiers was on the review panel for all this. The rah rahhest of cheerleaders for her boss, along with the person that said the Geneva Conventions don't apply to American federal agencies.

Phew, for a minute there I thought America had something to worry about.

Seriously, can you imagine Harriet EVER saying no to George?

Pauly

A Lazy Surf Across The InterWebs

First, an aside to the cricket in Perth - at the start of day three, the scores are even after two and a bit innings, with South Africa having the slightest of advantages, only nine Australian wickets left in their second innings.

This CricInfo article, about Warney getting the most test wickets in a calendar year (well, the number of games they play nowadays, and what level of bowling support did Australia give him?), has the best metaphor about cricket from another sport I can remember -

'This game will now rely on second-innings exploits after two fascinating days in which the advantage has switched like a steamy French Open deuce.'

Where on earth to start with what has happened in Washington the last week? Well, the biggest bombshell was probably the news that President Bush had authorised hundreds of covert surveillance operations on American citizens living in America without judicial approval after the 9/11 attacks. And he has been renewing them every 45 days.

Oh Mi God. Now usually, internal surveillance is authorised by a special federal court who the NSA, CIA and FBI can go to, but in these cases, Bush just signed off on it, for the LAST THREE YEARS. If these guys were really closely connected to Al Qaeda, which judge would say no to a surveillance request, but as has happened so often in the USA since 9/11, the Administration has basically said 'trust us'. Dickheads.

Bush admitted it in his weekly radio address today, but then went on the attack against critics of his decisions, and also had a swipe at people who leak stories to the New York Times. 'Our enemies have learned information they should not have'. Grr. If you had stuck with process, gone through the courts to do this, the media would have left the story well enough alone.

The renewal of the Patriot Act, which is due to expire on December 31 this year, was put on hold by the US Senate on Friday. This is the boondoggle of legislation that was passed in the weeks after 9/11 to prevent further attacks blah blah blah, rally around the President and flag blah blah, you would be unAmerican to vote against it.

Back in 2001 only one Senator voted against it, bloody limp wristed liberal who loves terrorists - I can just imagine the stuff that would have been said against Russ Feingold, I think was the name, in the 2002 'terrorism and Iraq' midterm election. The Administration was hoping to make the Patriot Act permanent, whereas some of the opponents wanted to extend it for only three months, in an attempt to get the legislation right. Only 52 Senators voted for the Act to be voted on straight away, thus not reaching the necessary sixty to end debate there and then.

No doubt some fudge on the issue will come up before December 31, otherwise it will no doubt be 'another victory for the terrorists'.

On Wednesday, the President accepted that the intelligence that had led to the Iraq invasion was faulty. But then switched the argument around and said he was right to get rid of Saddam anyways.

Ever since Katrina hit New Orleans, there hasn't been that much good news for the US Administration. CIA rendition flights, Scooter Libby, anti-torture liberal ideas thrown around Congress, the Patriot Act, NSA spying on American citizens - oh, and add in the non Administration but Republican follies of corrupt Congressmen, Jack Abramanhoff (or whatever his name is), Tom DeLay and Bob Frist stock sales. I think the term is death by a thousand cuts.

Will be interesting the Congressional elections next year. Oh, and I almost forgot the stupidity of Harriet Meiers Supreme Court nomination. And not even to mention the elephant that everyone is trying to ignore, the American troops in Iraq.

And still the White House is only grudgingly starting to admit things aren't the best - Bush saying trust us, Cheney saying critics are basically handing victory to the terrorists, and White House spokesman McClellan not commenting on anything in front of the courts - should be free lather on the NSA thing then, eh Scott?

The elections in Iraq went off peacefully enough, weith two thirds of the electorate estimated to have voted, so that is a positive. Too bad Iran, another foundation member of the axis of evil is slowly heading towards nutty leadership. The Iranian President has been saying nutty things about Israel, and I read a report in the newspaper yesterday that Israel is putting together a military plan against Iran's nuclear facilities...

No peace deal with the Palestinians for a while longer, I guess...

Hmm, have to take a break from all this depressing stuff, be back later :)

Pauly

Xmas Part One

Christmas is all about the kids isn't it? I mean, for adults it is nice to have a day off and all, have a couple of quiet beers or whatever you like drinking, and a nice sit down meal, but really, the magic is gone as soon as the truth about Santa is revealed.

My immediate family hasn't had a child young enough to believe in Santa in about twelve years - I would like kids, but am in no rush, my sister adamantly says she will never have kids - so the new niece was a good excuse to go all kiddy Christmas and stuff. As I think I said yesterday, my brother, his girlfriend and the daughter are going to be with the girlfriend's family - hmm, they have a kid now, even though they are not married, maybe the better terminology would be partner? Anyways, so we had Xmas a week early.

And as usual, the niece was racing around trying to throw everything off the coffee table, until about the second present was unwrapped and there was a critical mass of new things to play with. And wrapping paper, that had only been put on the things hours beforehand, scattered across the floor.

She got a band set from my sister - a drum, drumsticks, xylophone, and two sets of cymbals in the various shapes of insects and stuff. She was crawling around trying to shove a drumstick in her mouth for most of the rest of the afternoon. I got her a Playskool Weebles caravan with lots of things to touch and noises and stuff. My parents got her a walker that you push along and has sounds and stuff, a couple of books and a couple of clothes, including a baby's first Xmas tee shirt, with the actual name on it :)

She did very well - and another two Xmases to go - the sister not quite in law's parents are seperated, so when they go back home it will be Xmas Day at one parent and Boxing Day at the other. Also stopping in to see at least one set of the paternal great grandparents, so that should be a bit of excitement in Tauranga :)

We had a nice tea, roast pork, potatoes, pumpkin, beans and peas - will be cold turkey on the actual December 25 itself, yum, and then tiramisu for dessert. Maybe our slices could have been half the size that they were, too rich and quite a few pieces were left. My brother got a fussball and air hockey table, and the sister not in law got jewellery. Was a very civilised evening, and the kid didn't get up to too much mischief, mainly because her uncle was protecting the bird cage which she was fascinated in - the bird was getting his cage rattled indeed LOL.

More soon
Pauly

A Quiet Night Out

Hmm, well the section Christmas dinner thing was good, was okay, but it didn't kick on or anything. Maybe we had exhausted ourselves Christmassing through the rest of the day - we had a morning tea, aka feast, in our fortnightly meeting, and also Secret Santa at that time. And were still getting rid of the food, aka eating it, until I left the office at least.

Got a Parker Pen for my secret santa, I don't think that was within the five dollar limit, but then neither was mine LOL, and the person that got it seemed quite happy with what I had gotten. Most of the people figured out who had given them their present, but eh, I'm not interested in going all CSI on the handwriting and interrogation rooms. Would be nice to know, if it were more say personalised than a pen...

Went across to the Orient after work, MGO and SPE were doing their usual socialising thing. LMR was talking about dodgy films from Adelaide and how mates of his, when drunk, set fire to a police station out in the wops. Or maybe it was brothers of a friend of his hmm. Three years for arson, that's a pretty stiff senttnece, but it was a cop shop - dickheads LOL. LMR reminded me somewhat of 'Caravan Boy' from Melbourne in May, when he is out of the office you can't shut him up LOL - instead of listen to me as a catchphrase, LMR had 'to cut a long story short' - when he just started up lengthening the story again LOL.

KSM and TDE rounded out the starting group. Both those girls are on holiday for the next two weeks, not back until the new year - KSM is going to Mooloolaba (spelling?) the week after Xmas, and TDE is down to Coffs Harbour for a couple days next week.

Talked to DLU about cricket for a bit - the Aussies looked vulnerable against the South Africans yesterday, bowled out for 258 - sure, the English did it to them in the Ashes earlier in the year, but when was the last time Australia lost a home series? Then was talking to JLA about his impending fatherhood - each time the topic came up, JLA looked like a deer in headlights LOL.

Team leader MWH and GKI wandered in, and everyone had had a drink - they were waiting on me to finish off my second - hey, two bottles equals one pint, doesn't it? And when they said we are waiting on you Paul, no you don't have to scull - well, that's always a challenge isn't it? Luckily there wasn't much left to go, and then we headed over to the actual restaurant...

Just an aside, just saw U2 and BB King's When Love Comes To Town on Video Hits, and boy oh boy, do U2 look like kids or something? Of course, this was in their pure rock phase, before Achtung Baby and experimenting with synthesisers, and becoming the Biggest Band In The World And We Have A Political Conscience As Well By The Way TM. Good song as well...

And even further back from the vault, we have The Beatles Ticket To Ride - pre Milli Vanilli days, when it was still OK to lip synch badly, very badly. Now, we have had a whole range of 25 years since John Lennon was shot TV shows and specials and crap - now, sorry to any Lennon fans out there, but yeah, it was a tragedy, but how many murders have there been in New York City alone in the twenty five years since? So yeah, the John Lennon murder thing kind of leaves me cold, but there was a bit of a zing in seeing him and Paul McCartney on the same couch, 'singing', and looking so young again.

And OMG, early runner for funniest music video of 2006 - Korn's Twisted Transistor. Where the ultimate white boy rock band is put into black men's bodies, including everyone's favourite reformed gangsta, Snoop Doggy Dogg. Very very funny, check it out if you can :)

Anyways, back to last night - we wandered over to V Lounge, which MGR and LMA had booked for us. Interesting place, didn't have it's own toilets, so you had to ask for the staff toilet keys from the bar LOL. Not airconditioned either, which could be a bit of a pain in a Brisbane summer. I sat down with KSM and JLA initially, listened more than talked. Then LBO turned up, and I changed seats - easier than talking across half the table. To fill out the 'cast' as it were, PMA, MGR and LMA made an appearance.

Four of the team had better things to do with their Friday evenings, but we won't think any less of them for it... I know how boring being around workmates can be sometimes, because I am ALWAYS worried about my own boredom factor, and we see each other 40 hours a week anyways. I understand, but think it would have been good if everyone could have made an appearance...

Our food came out - I had spring rolls for an entree, was yum, but quite small servings. The mains came out, but everyone got their food apart from LBO and myself. Apparently the staff either couldn't read our orders or JLA and LMR had taken our food LOL, so was ribbing JLA about it a bit - hope my food was nice and the like. When my chicken and rice finally came out, said to JLA do you want to eat this as well... all good natured of course, apart from the thought of babies and whatever, JLA is the most placid guy in the place.

Food was nice, if the portions were a bit small, but what with the massive morning tea and subsequent grazing throughout the day it didn't take much to cover the beer - from feeling drunk to tipsy if you know what I mean - not that I felt drunk at all, but always better drinking on a full stomach than an empty one.

Then MWH, GKI and TDE left. Hmm, less chance of kicking on to another bar suddenly. And with the latter one, a quick touch against my wrist, brushing cheeks and an air kiss to say goodbye and happy holidays for the year - hmm. And then heard later in the night from either LBO or PMA that she, TDE has applied for a job within the company down in Sydney. Double hmm.

The place had good enough music, but nowhere for an actual dancefloor or anything, and I was in the mood to go dancing. A wasted talent some nights, if I could possibly call myself talented on the dancefloor, and last night was one of them. KSM and JLA then left, leaving seven of us. By this stage I was talking to PMA and LBO, LMR had trapped SPE, after MGR had 'saved' LMA from the same fate LOL.

Talk was travel, PMA and LBO would love to go to Canada - PMA's brother apparently got deported from the Great White North, for Playing Rugby Without A Permit or something. And compared Euro travel stories as well. LMA was talking her impending twins, she will leave work at the end of January, with six weeks to go until the birth - another bunny who apparently wasn't most pleased with news of pregnancy, or so I hear. She was trying to figure out when she wanted to come back to work as well - bit early for that sort of thinking I would imagine?

Oh, that is what I was going to mention - after reminiscing about my Middle Eastern trip last weekend, my sister got some European brochures, Contiki, Trafalgar and the like, earlier this week, so Monday night I was going through those, reminiscing on that particular trip. Mmm, travel, will I ever get over the urge to just GO and do something DIFFERENT? Not so far at least :)

The evening didn't kick on at all, although I did stay out later than I thought I would halfway through the night - wasn't until 10.30 that I thought it was getting a bit late and headed to the railway station, in the company of PMA, who was catching a train, but in the opposite direction - maybe she just wanted company going through the Valley, it was looking especially dodgy last night...

Didn't get to New York Slice or Quiznos last night, but had Subway instead. Was home by 11.30 - very civilised, and a quiet night.

Is going to be a Xmas dinner tonight, as my brother, his girlfriend and their ten month old daughter are going to be with her family - in New Zealand, flights paid for by her family, must be nice to be rich - they are going to be with her side of the family next weekend. So we will have two mid level size Xmases over two weekends instead of one big one... not that we really ever do big this time of year though...

Pauly

Ten Shopping Days Til Xmas

Was finishing off my Christmas shopping in Chermside tonight - well, only had a Secret Santa at work to go - and got a white chocolate Christmas cake for a morning tea at work tomorrow, and also a Santa on a spring decoration as well. Even found myself humming Christmas carols. Was in quite the festive mood, smiling at all the people spending money even - yeah, a secular take on a religious holiday, spend spend spend and be happy. Until I ate the chicken burger a bit too fast, and the chili was fighting the pepsi in my stomach LOL - wasn't quite so festive then.

Has been a quiet week all in all. Have the section staff dinner out tomorrow, and no doubt The Usual Suspects will kick on to more drinks and such. And yes, I have finally realised I am in the popular crowd, Queensland 90210, as in I go out at work and stay out longer than most - just one of the quieter ones of the in crowd. At least I wasn't last man standing at the company party the other week.

UPE came in for a visit to the office yesterday - she was dropping off Chrissie pressies to a couple of friends, and had an afternoon break fruit juice with her - available time wouldn't allow me a coffee. She is off back home to Enzed for Christmas, and may be staying over there - she managed to finish off university, and I FINALLY got contact details for her, after she went missing the night of her leaving dinner before I could get an email or anything. And finally got a farewell hug as well - although I was halfway out of the cafe before I realised she had gotten up LOL - those sort of huggy thoughts don't come to me often at work, so yeah, it was a surprise. A nice surprise though, and will see what we shall see as to whether or when will see UPE again :)

I had the walkman on - well, portable CD player, but walkman is a much better phrase - had it on for the first time in months while going to and from work yesterday, and was listening to Radiohead's There There as I walked home. I love that song, was getting goose pimple like tingles as listening to it, even in freaking 36 degree heat - it has been a scorcher of a week here in Bris Vegas, and I will blame that for the lack of posting around here...

That, and the fact that most of my online 'blogging' time has been spent over here. I swear, I spend more time in TSSH than my own blog sometimes :)

Oh, and I know I was meant to do a piece on those Sydney riots and such, but maybe over the weekend - rioting bad, more police powers also bad. People involved in the riots, apart from the cops, are dickheads. That is the wrap for the subject, in this post at least...

Hmm, the Iraqi elections are today aren't they. Please let freedom finally be on the march this time around... even though I hate that particular phrase...

Pauly

Day Dreaming

My parents are thinking of going to Africa in the next couple of years - on safari or something with my uncle and aunt. Apart from steering them as far away from Zimbabwe as possible (the other hot spots, such as Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, should be jumping out of the guide book like sore thumbs, but Zimmers was still getting a good rating in the book Mum is reading, two years old and all) - apart from steering them away from pumping money into Mugabe's regime, I am leaving them alone to select the best game park, country whatever.

Mum said she would like to do Egypt as well as South Africa or Botswana or Kenya or Tanzania, whichever they get around to visiting, which is kind of like saying you would like to do Bangkok as well as Sydney, distance wise - hold it, I will do a google of the distances involved... yeah, I was only out by 200 kays with that guess.

Anyways, what all this is leading up to is that I was looking at my Middle East trip pictures - yes, the one where I didn't wake up in time to catch the transport to the Dawn Service on Anzac Day - out of all the stupid things I have done in my life I think that is the worst. Make the effort of going all the way over to Turkey, and then missing that. I did get to Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair for the Anzac Day services, and I got to Anzac Cove on the 26th of April, but yeah, that is just so much trying to justify myself LOL.

Anyways, was looking at the pictures of the trip, and had a brain wave, wondering whether the company which took me around the place in those ancient (for the internet) days had a website up and running. And lo and behold, they do. So I was stuck looking at that site, reminiscing for at least a couple of hours yesterday - yes, travel does have that sort of hold on me.

And then I remembered that I kept a diary of the trip, that I haven't read in hmm about five years or so, so I went and found that. And had a bit of a read - it was a great trip, and 1998 was one of the quieter years in that part of the world. Apart from 70 tourists getting killed in Egypt about six months before I arrived.

Will have to blog about what happened in Sydney over the weekend - those 'race riots' - in another post, don't want to kill this nice travel buzz I am having at the moment.

Pauly

Discussion

Was talking to a friend before, who rolls her eyes when I talk international geopolitics, and this morning specifically the Iraqi elections to happen later in the week, and we got onto the whole 'how will the Iraqi elections affect us' debate.

Not wanting to go all social liberal in the conversation at that stage, by happenstance on Video Hits The Clash's Rock The Casbah came on - I used this as an example of how the MidEast affects us - I think the song is about either the Arab Israeli wars or the Iranian Revolution, one of the oil shocks in any case - that when OPEC turned the oil taps off for the West, prices skyrocketed.

It didn't work, the retort was that it happened in the seventies, ancient history - I took a different tack, that Australia does have troops in Iraq right this minute, and if things go wrong, oil prices could go up. Why would I worry about oil though, I don't drive - well, the economy could go pear shaped, still the argument didn't work.

I took another different tack - how did you feel after September 11, when people in another Western country got killed in an attack, were you more scared after the WTC and Pentagon attacks than you were on September 10. Well, if you were too scared after that, you wouldn't do anything, wouldn't leave the house would you.

I didn't say too scared to do anything, I said more scared than September 10 - well, yes, but that has gone away now, and is history, what affect does it have now. Umm. anti terrorism laws passed in Canberra just this past week? Surely that is related to what happened in New York and Washington? And how do those affect us - well, according to the government, they will make us safer - by this stage, I knew if I was going to bring up the curbing of civil rights I would just lose it.

And how does that affect us came back to me again.

I had to leave the call otherwise I may have said something I would regret later.

Completely different mindset - and if she was just playing devil's advocate, hmm not a topic that I can just easily agree to disagree - well, maybe I could have agreed to disagree, but pressing all the wrong buttons.

And then later on this morning, talked again, and the question had turned from how does this affect us to what can I do about it, why should I show an interest - those two were not the question in the earlier conversation though.

Eh, quite frustrated now.
Pauly

Intel Stupidity

Intel the company, not intel short for intelligence, military or otherwise, in the title above.

Craig Barrett, chairman of the world's largest computer chip maker, had a swipe at the UN and MIT today, for their plan to provide the world's poor with $100 hand-cranked portable computers. Because the world's poor, in places where it is hard to get electricity or laptop batteries, most of whom probably haven't seen a pentium driven PC before, are obviously hanging out for a laptop that can handle Halo 2, or whichever is the PC equivalent in hot games that take lots of power. Yes, people living on less than a dollar or two a day really want to be able to have reprogrammable full functionality computers. Because the open source word processing or spreadsheeting programmes are so 1980s.

I went searching on Technorati for the latest blog buzz on this story, and liked this sentence from engadget -

'But hey, we certainly do get a kick out of a multi-millionaire businessmen yammering on about what the world’s poor really want from a computer while the competition is, um, hanging out with Kofi Annan and garnering UN support.'

Because this computers to the poor idea is so obviously going to be corrupted, either by the UN itself like the Iraq oil for food thing, or handing out computers to terrorists. Oh, that's an unsubstantiated claim is it? We had a talk to our good friend Mr Waterboard, of course the UN is in bed with Al Qaeda... sarcasm people, sarcasm.

Hmm, just had a look at the messageboards under the engadget piece, the supporters of Barrett's comments are saying stuff like 'it's not going to change the politics of the governments', 'someone's got to be making money out of this, it's not all philanthropy', 'it's the UN, obviously something is fishy'. Get OVER yourselves people, try living like the Third World does and then see whether a Commodore 64 with internet capacity, with hand cranked electricity will make a positive difference?

Grrr.

One of these days I will do a personal entry again LOL.

Paul

A Paragraph To Savour

From The Guardian, about the Law Lords torture decision -

'Seven judges in Britain's highest court ruled yesterday that intelligence extracted by torture is not admissible in any British court. Lawyers said the judgement would reverberate around the world, putting beyond doubt that the ban on torture was absolute in civilised countries.'

And let's compare and contrast the above paragraph with this piece from the New York Times, aka the Law Lords decision's evil twin -

'American officials including Ms. Rice have defended the practice, saying it draws on language and cultural expertise of American allies, particularly in the Middle East, and provides an important tool for interrogation. They have said that the United States carries out the renditions only after obtaining explicit assurances from the receiving countries that the prisoners will not be tortured.'

Boo, hiss, he's behind you indeed.

Bold emphasis in the above paragraphs has been added by yours truly, rather than in the original stories - before anyone gets up in arms about my dodgy sources - not that it has seemed to have happened about WMDs though.

Pauly

Terror vs Torture

It has been an interesting week in the Global War On Terror.

The US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice (I am never sure if I have spelt that name right or not - what were her parents thinking LOL), in essence defending the practise of 'extraordinary rendition', where the US flies suspected terrorists to third countries to interrogate them, saying that the United States did not torture prisoners or enemy combatants. With a very narrow definition of torture, swaddled in legalese - reminds me of the kerfuffle about what is sex when Monica was polishing off Bill in the Oval Office, and what sex was or wasn't LOL.

Although of course the whole process is so not a laughing or lol matter. Who was it that said waterboarding, making prisoners think they are drowning, who said that wasn't torture? Rumsfeld or Cheney or someone I think. If that is the US Administration's view of what and what isn't torture, it is a very narrow definition indeed.

And then being disingeneous and saying how good are our European allies if they question us on this, and saying about obligations under the Global War On Terror and all. And also taking a swipe saying surely the spy agencies and governments in Europe already knew about this. How to make friends and influence enemies indeed. Umm, Condi, your government screwed up the obligations under the GWOT as soon as Saddam was accused of aiding Al Qaeda.

And then there was a very interesting BBC documentary over the last three nights on SBS - yes, in between getting my fill of The Bachelor LOL - which basically said that there wasn't such a thing as an overarching organisational structure for Al Qaeda anyways. That Osama bin Laden supplied the money during Afghanistan - the Soviet years Afghanistan that is - but that since then he has just been a figurehead for the neocons in Washington to bash. Not sure if I agree with that or not, but the doco had a persuasive idea...

Not so much whether Al Qaeda as imagined by Bush and Blair exists, or even the whole anti terror laws in the West are over reacting, abolishing civil liberties and such - a mentally ill man in Miami said he had a bomb on a plane and got shot dead by air marshals yesterday, no doubt the White House reaction to that will be not to allow mentally ill people on any airplane ever again - not so much the Al Qaeda angle in the documentary was interesting, though it was...

But it was priceless seeing vintage Rummy talking up the Soviet threat during the 80s - he is just as great an orator about the phantom KGB divisions as the dead enders and Saddamists in Iraq. Or was that Bush who said that hmm. And was awesome in the doco to see such a wide range of interviewees for the show - they had the neocons, the academic liberals, the Afghan fighters, and even Gorby LOL.

Thinking back to 1989 and when the Berlin Wall fell, everyone thought that was the end of history basically. At least on the Western side of the world. How silly we all were - we got away with it for twelve years though, having Clinton as president and having Seinfeld as the number one TV show during that time. The 1990s had Seinfeld, this decade has 24, with executions of terrorists the 'highlights' of the series hmm. Versus seeing George Kostanza naked and a whole debate about shrinkage...

Not meaning to denigrate Somalia, Bosnia or Rwanda, or uplift Big Brother, American Idol or Paris Hilton, but just a stream of consciousness that the 90s for the West was laid back and relaxed, whereas we are all fearful and uptight nowadays. Capitalism, we, had won over the Evil Empire.

While we are what iffing here, might as well what if about John McCain winning the Republican nomination in 2000. Maybe then we wouldn't have the US admitting that not all GWOT prisoners are visited by the International Committee of the Red Cross, like in this story. Artfully getting back on topic, if I do say so myself :)

At least the British courts are less puppy dog than the government is to US policy. In a landmark decision yesterday, the Law Lords said that intelligence extracted by torture is not admissible in any British court. This overturned an appeals court ruling that as long as the Brits themselves didn't do the torturing, evidence from interrogation in third countries was OK. Yay, a small victory for common sense.

And then there are the cases when the authorities screw up. The ACLU - yes they are still in business, haven't been shut down by Dick Cheney - has taken on board a case where a Lebanese born German, who had nothing to do with terrorism, was kidnapped from holidaying in Macedonia, flown to Afghanistan, 'coercively' interrogated, and disappeared off the face of the earth for five months.

How can I possibly encompass in words how fucked up the Western world, and US foreign policy in particular, has become? On the ACLU case, Condi, speaking in Berlin with the German Chancellor, said mistakes would be rectified. Yeah, we all believe you after the butt covering, prosecute the grunts on the ground reaction to Abu Ghraib.

The truth probably is that world opinion doesn't count for a sackful of beans in America.

Condi also disingeneously linked extraordinary rendition to those cheese eating surrender monkeys in Paris, saying Carlos the Jackal had been kidnapped from Sudan by the French secret service back in 1994. I wonder if Carlos was waterboarded at all? And of course not making the more appropriate US to France comparison of Iraq this decade and Algeria in the 1950s.

Two big Iraq stories this week - in amongst all the minor patter of death and destruction - two female policewoman became suicide bombers at a police academy and killed 36, a bus bombing yesterday on the Baghdad to Nasiriya route, 30 dead. Elections next week - when was the last time Bush said freedom was on the march? Oh, probably yesterday, it's not as if I go in depth with his speeches, and when I do skim them I do so with my search engine locked on liberial bias cynicism LOL.

Rant rant rant - hopefully I got some of it out of my system.

Pauly

The Evening Was Cooler At Least

But the day was perhaps a tad hotter than yesterday, and as hot as Monday. With no break in the heat at least until the weekend - ick. I am wondering whether the heat is taking the creative blogging juices out of me, because I look back over the last two weeks and I have umm neglected the site somewhat.

I could say I have been watching worthy BBC documentaries about the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and the American neoconservatives - which is true, but then I would also have to admit that I am now watching the new series of the Bachelor. OK, I can get away with saying I have it as background noise LOL.

Hmm, Jesse Palmer is the Bachelor this year around, and he is from Ottawa, even though he's a quarterback (he's popular) - must be nice to have a TV show based around you when the girls' cleavages (or is it cleavii LOL) are on display all the time. Is always fun figuring out the prima donnas and the nut jobs as well on shows like this. But being in gridiron, I hear that's pretty regular, eh Minnesota Viking sex scandal LOL.

The work front has been pretty quiet this week thus far. No socialising on the horizon for the rest of the week, apart from Vietnamese for lunch (during our team meeting tomorrow). No movies I really want to see at the moment - Good Night And Good Luck gets a release next week... all quiet on the Pauly Front basically.

Or I have had things that have happened baked into my brain already. That is possibly it...

Pauly

Hot In The City

Brisbane, 33 degree maximum with 70% humidity.

I leave the safety of the airconditioned office and step into the underground carpark. Mere seconds later, with the humidity, my lungs feel as if they are underwater. Getting onto the street, the heat hammers down on me, as I flit from shadow to shadow.

I am still out in the sun too much though - instead of sweating, it feels like I have been squeezed like a sponge, the water pouring out of me. My eyes stinging, with the salt dripping down from my forehead. My brain thoroughly baked, forgetting what I was doing in that oasis, that office, mere minutes before.

And it is supposed to be even hotter tomorrow.

Paying The Christmas Card Dues

It is what happens when you have had a couple of lean years sending out Christmas cards. Last year I sent out a very minimal amount, and as for 2003, I think I was okay, but the latter part of that year is basically just an emotional blur - Christmas card sending memories were the least that I had to remember then. I think 2002 was my last good year for sending cards out.

So I have to repay my dues with the Christmas card writing thing - and what with three weeks to go until the day itself have been writing up the overseas cards. Overseas including New Zealand, my homeland, so there were quite a few to get through - err, up to 23 already, with Australian cards still to write up.

One of the cards I am sending is a long shot, a friend whose email has seemingly been on the blink since I saw him in January - I keep getting return incorrect email address messages when I do send through. I know the town where he lives and have gone on a hope and a prayer with his middle initial - nothing ventured nothing gained. He does have a wife that doesn't like any of his former school friends basically, but will see how we go...

More later
Paul

Deck The Halls Etc

Hmm, was in the local shopping mall today and I have already had enough of the Christmas carol backgrounds. Hopefully will only have to have another one or two shopping days in the next three weeks, because it is going to get nuts, I am sure. My brother and sister don't want presents, so will only really be my parents and my niece to buy for from now on in.

And was it only New Zealand where Snoopy's Christmas got big as a festive song? Over here, in North America and in England all I got was blank looks when I mentioned it, but it was a big part of Christmas back home, wasn't really Christmas until you heard the song...

Oh, and when did glasses become fashionable? Just a stray thought, looking around the mall today, I am sure there weren't as many people in glasses ten years ago...

Pauly

Strategy For Victory, Give Me A Break

I wasn't going to post anything Washington DC or world news orientated today, but then I went to do my usual news trawl for the morning, and the top story is ten US marines killed and eleven wounded in a roadside bombing in Fallujah. With another four American soldiers killed in separate incidents over the course of the day. My heart goes out to the troops and their families - 2120 dead, and approximately sixteen thousand wounded, since the war started.

And insurgents gave a show of force in Ramadi on Thursday, overrunning the centre of town, attacking a US base in the city and letting off random mortar shots before dispersing later in the day.

The US military said it was a publicity stunt, but when there are stories swirling around of the Americans putting 'advertorial' pieces in Iraqi papers about how great their occupation is, pot, kettle anyone? Oh, and there were only 23 suicide bombings and 68 car bombings in November - apparently that is progress?

'Iraqi editors apparently reacted with a mixture of shock and shrugs when told they were targets of a US military psychological operation. The editor of Al Mada, widely considered the most thoughtful and professional of Iraqi newspapers, said if his cash strapped paper had known the story was from the US government he would have "charged much, much more".'

And on Wednesday the President gave his latest pep talk about the war, with big Strategy For Victory banners in some naval academy in Maryland. Along with a booklet entitled National Strategy For Victory In Iraq. Does the President, Administration or anyone in Washington have a clue about what to do when they insist on continuing to hide behind banners and slogans?

Is this what it felt like during Vietnam? The sense of frustrated helplessness in the face of incompetence? Being born after that war was over, of course I can't compare. The first wars that I remember were the background noise of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, or the American invasion of Panama, which was over before I blinked basically.

At least dissent is making a comeback in Washington. And a real debate on the war with real passion from both sides of politics and pro or anti war is going on. Those are positives over and above the 'trust me, I'm the president' viewpoint that was so popular before Hurricane Katrina hit.

I wasn't going to go all political, I promise I wasn't - but, as you can see, ten more soldiers dead in Fallujah and the dam breaks.

Pauly

Stream Of Consciousness

Hmm. About three days without an entry - if I'm not careful I will be one of those people that forgets all sense of time with their blog - when keeping a diary you have to be diligent in doing updates, it is all too easy to just think that it will do things by itself or something. Hmm.

Started my Xmas shopping on Thursday, I had the day off from work and all. Went down to Chermside and undertook retail therapy - well, is therapy only when you buy for yourself? This time of year you feel a bit of a hmm, I was going to write cad but that is so 19th Century LOL - you don't feel good about yourself. And I bought my own Chrissie pressie the week before, with that street art thing. Oh, and I may have bought a game pad for the computer, which doesn't seem to work grr. Well, it will work but I need to download a file off the Windows 2000 CD apparently. Maybe it would be easier to get an XBox or Playstation LOL.

Just watching Rage in the background here and I had a horrid thought - there will be an entire generation who thinks that Jessica Simpson's Boots Were Made For Walking is the definitive version - Nancy Sinatra Who? Shuddering at the thought LOL.

Work this week was OKish in the main - apart from Wednesday, difficult customers for most of the day. Well, maybe not most of the day, but you know how one or two bad customers can ruin half the day easily, well, it was kind of like that, but with three or four difficults ruining three quarters of the day. I basically fled the office that evening LOL, and with the day off the next day was a good thing.

But at least I got complimented on my tie - or was that Tuesday? And yesterday got a few nice comments about my shirt - white with black, blue and err brown abstract markings on it. I've had it for months, but thinking back I guess I haven't worn it for about two months. At least my taste in clothing is commented on.

And have been thinking on the whole 'am I popular at work' whinge I have every couple of days or so - I think I have unwittingly wandered into the popular group without even realising it. The section I am in is having a Christmas evening out in a couple of weeks time, but some people aren't even going to it, so we have to have a Christmas lunch - well, order in something during our weekly meeting time. And it was never in my mind not to go out for an evening.

Now, if it came to a wider Brisbane than my workplace, then I may have grounds to complain - all self inflicted of course, Pauly, you want to go out more, socialise more outside of work - but in the workplace, I think somehow I am in the in crowd. And yes, I am sure this is monotonous to read, the same topic maybe once or twice a week, but eh, I write down my thoughts as they come to me, and this plays on my mind a bit. Sorry to any chased off readers LOL.

More later :)
Pauly