30 July 2004

There is a microwave oven at my workplace that flashes the following message across the digital display after it has beeped ready:  "Enjoy your meal!!!!"

Who is this kidding?  Does anyone actually think that a microwave is a sentient being of some kind? (don't answer - rhetorical question!)  Does this message actually make anyone feel warm and fuzzy?  Why do the creators of these machines feel the need to try to give them human attributes?  Has someone actually done market research to show that people are wanting their machines to greet them when they finish heating their meals??? 

For the work that went into this digital message on the oven, I got approximately 2 seconds of enjoyment, on one occasion - the first time I noticed the message.

26 July 2004

Fey and whimsy - concert review

We went to see Belle & Sebastian on Sunday night.  Some reflections on the experience:

The Music
I can say that they lived up to my expectations.  While I reckon ½ of what they played was material I didn’t know, I could still nod my head and tap my foot in time.  Mid-way through the concert, 5 or 6 of them stayed on stage while the rest had a break, and they mucked around with an ACDC track.

The Musicians
Like a Mini-orchestra – very talented bunch, but not surprising given they formed as part of a music college project.  12 people on stage most of the time, with a core group of 7 that were on the stage all the time. Everyone on stage seemed to be really into the music they were playing.

They spared no effort in reproducing the sound they create on the albums, using trumpets, French horns, shakey things, recorders and other unnameable instruments.  Apart from the drummer and main keyboardist, most of the musicians swapped instrument at least once during the concert (acoustic guitar, keyboard, bass, electric guitar, aforementioned novelty instruments).  5 strings players (1 cellist, 4 violinists) came on and off the stage as needed. Three of them sing, with Stuart Murdoch taking the lead in most instances.  Only thing we could complain about is the bass, which wasn’t mixed very well and vibrated just a bit too much.

The Stage Antics
The lead singer is very funny, in a likeable, goofy kind of way. They all had fun, showing off, mucking about, and joking with each other and the crowd.  At the end, they let some people get up on the stage and dance, and the concert ended with the very accessible B&S band members posing with the fans for their cameras/mobile phone cameras, which was a bit of a different way to end a concert. 

The Fans
As I always find with concerts, there are fans that spend so much time thinking about their fave band that they seem to think they have more of a relationship with the band than they actually do.  They shout out obscure references to lyrics or things that go over most people’s heads.   There were a few more people like this than usual in the crowd. 

Boogie-ability
As I alluded to earlier, most of their work is foot-tapping, head-nodding stuff, with possibly the exception of “Boy with the Arab Strap” and “Seeing Other People”.  The lead singer boogied away most of the night when he didn’t have a guitar or keyboard in front of him, and his dancing style reminded me of Ian Curtis’s or a less drugged-out version of the dancing guy from the Happy Mondays (Bez).

Rating – 8/10

23 July 2004

When new hobbies turn bad...

New hobby is beginning to peeve me.  Social Volleyball.  Well I’m just not sure how social it is, really.
 
When I first started playing, I had to contend with div 1 players who did nasty spikes best dealt with by ducking.  That stopped after a while, and it started to become more fun as I got better and got to meet new people. But now I find other things making what should be a fun pastime a bit of a chore, namely:
- EVERY Thursday is taken up between 7:30 and 10:30.
- Some people on my team take it a bit too seriously, and I’m one of the shorter, less skilled players…
- I’ve been playing for less than 6 months and people expect me to umpire!! I mean come on!! Not only that, when I say that I really don’t want to, I get chastised for it (“come one, it’s hard at first, but no one’s going to get mad at you if you make a wrong decision” – correction, people DO get quite pissed off with bad umpiring decisions, and had I known I’d have to umpire from the start, I wouldn’t have started playing in this comp – that’s not my idea of fun!!)
- I don’t get that much exercise from it.
 
Dr J’s idea of playing social soccer is looking more attractive every day.

19 July 2004

Winter of discontent...

Last night was a cold one here for Sydney-town. Slept in thick trackies and didn’t wake up overheated. The last few nights, the wind had been whistling in our windows – the sort of night where noises wake you up and you wonder if things are being knocked over, if iron rooves are being lifted somewhere, if you remembered to bring in everything from the balcony, or have they been swept away by the wind? All weekend, clouds kept a rapid pace across the city, and showers of tiny, wind-fragmented droplets came and went, interspersed with bursts of sunshine and grey. Perfect weather for eating minestrone soup and freshly cooked bread. I’m missing my parents’ soup and toasted cheese sandwich winter dinners.

-------------------------

Is it possible to undergo a 1/3-life crisis early? I have witnessed people turning 30 doing this, and wonder if I’m going through the same thing?? 30 is looming for me, but still a way off.

Things are shifting in priority for me/us, I’m finding, in a way that I wouldn’t have expected. We have plans that we are sticking to for the time being, but it will be interesting to see if we see them through as we plan (or planned 6 months ago). I know that making plans sometimes can make you feel bound to them, but that also making plans and sticking to them can be very rewarding and worthwhile, so long as you live well along the way... which I am.

Will someone slap me on the cheek, tell me to pull myself together, and that life is easier now compared to in their day?

13 July 2004

family holiday - don't forget your baggage!!

Have spent much time lately pondering the complex relationship that exists between families, due to family visits that coincided from my family and my partners'. Now that I am part of another family, I have to understand the whys, whos and wherefores of what makes this family tick and behave they way they do, and there are endless contrasts to make with my own family. Understanding is one thing, tolerance and enjoying each other's company are different matters.

Last weekend made me think about the following points a lot:
- two people can have many attitudes, beliefs and approaches in common, but take it back a generation, and it becomes startlingly apparent that only part of what makes up each individual comes from your family.
- risk management was something I thought I only had to deal with at work, but it seems families have different approaches to this also. Some parents try to manage risk in relationships e.g. by trying to assert a sense of need for each other where there needn't be any. This of course could be avoiding the fact that the relationship is not based on affection as much as the parties would like. By contrast, families who like each other and feel genuine affection don't feel the need to assert this feeling of "practical reliance".
- the value of wanting to learn and improve yourself on all levels. I have a newfound respect for this, after observing how four 50-something year olds approach this differently.
- also interesting to ponder how people get stuck in grooves like old records, and stretch excuses to cover why they can't change, while others recognise patterns in their lives and take steps to change things they don't like or is bad for them. The latter is an extremely valuable skill where you have sufficient wealth and time to do so.

Enough deep pondering about families for now.

06 July 2004

Bucks 4 bairns....

Carrying on a mini-debate we had last month on Bsharp's blog, it's interesting to hear what is being debated in the media since it was implemented on 1 July:

- tales of people trying to hold off having ceasars until after 1 July, and people disappointed with missing out on having a 1 July baby by hours or minutes!!
- talk of needing to implement another level of management, involving the bonus being installed in a series of monthly payments, for mothers for whom there is a risk that they might not use the money as intended (addicts etc)
- smart ideas for investing your baby bonus!! invest it bonds/funds and use it in 18 years time for you childs education etc etc!!
- current affairs show stories about teens planning to get pregnant to cash in on the $3000 windfall!!

I can't help thinking how bizarre this is. Just goes to show that a lot of people who don't really need the bonus will receive it, and the temptation is there for anyone to use it on things other than for baby-related costs. And the PM says that's OK - you don't have to spend it on the baby!

I know it's better than nothing, but does little to address the issues that a compulsory paid parental leave system could address.

01 July 2004

the Anti-crush

I have stumbled across a new phenomenon....
Miss J's confessions about the attractiveness of a certain rock star somehow linked the synapses in my brain to a conversation I'd had recently about anti-crushes.

You know, those people in the public spotlight that evoke a pathological reaction upon simply seeing their image. For some reason (we'll possibly have to put down to some sort of negative chemistry) you are driven to say "ooh, I can't stand him/her!!" whenever you see them. Most other people won't feel the same way - we're not talking evil people here, or obviously annoying/idiotic/twitty people....

For example:
For me it's Kevin Bacon. When asked why I "can't stand him", I just can't explain it. He's probably a very nice person. It's got nothing to do with Footloose.

For C-chan, there are a few people he inexplicably just "can't stand", and one is Dawn Fraser. Something about her gets on his goat. I've given up trying to figure out why...

Anyone else got any anti-crushes they can confess?