At the risk of sounding racist....

I'm going to have a whinge about our northerly neighbours and those on the sub-continent.
I was reading this story about the Indonesian Government's anger over the way NSW Police used a master key to walk into an Indonesian politician's hotel room and serve him with a summons for the Balibo Inquest.
Now, I understand how this would upset people - I know I wouldn't be happy if I was a top government official and police just waltzed into my room to serve me a summons for a coronial inquiry in a foreign country - but what really annoyed me is the mob that formed outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta.
Check out the pics - the mob were apparently yelling "Get out, get out, Australia"; "Burn it down, burn it down"; and "Go to hell, Australia."
Burn it down?? Excuse me but burning things down is not a fair and just response to a greivance of that nature.

And that goes for the mobs in India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan too, who like to burn effigies and demand the arrests - that's right, arrests - of sporting coaches when their teams aren't doing well.

Seriously, people, if you want to be taken seriously as a civilised country you can't demand burnings, hangings and the like every time you disagree with something.
I have nothing against protests, having taken part in a few myself, but even then I didn't demand that John Howard be arrested or burned.

Mind you, burning someone like Leyton Hewitt, well, I guess there can be exceptions to the rule.

On this day 24 years ago...

Today is my 24th birthday.
I have learnt, as I get older, that birthdays are sometimes less celebrated the older you get.
This year, for example, it crept up on me.
There was little fanfare leading up to the big day, unlike my childhood years when birthdays and parties would be planned months in advance (I fondly recall my sixth birthday party which I had at Hungry Jacks).
Because of all this I assumed my birthday would also be a non-event however as it turns out it's been fantastic so far.

Getting a birthday card from all my journo friends at Community Newspapers was a really nice and unexpected surprise, my girlfriend brought presents from her and her parents so I could open them when I woke up in the morning AND she baked me a cake to take into work (sometimes I'm very spoiled).
In all, my birthday has turned out to be extremely promising - with a long weekend coming up and a range of social activities to attend I'm looking at stretching my birthday into a birthday fortnight.
And I am LOVING being 24.
People tell me this time of my life is a great time and I have to wholeheartedly agree.

I am wholeheartedly embracing my young adult years - I still feel like a teenager but being in my 20s means I am, for the most part, looked upon as an adult.

So here's to birthdays, friends and embracing your age!!
I'll drink to that :)

Pan's Labyrinth

I got a preview DVD through work of Pan's Labyrinth yesterday, and watched it last night.
What an amazing movie.
Think an adult version of the Labyrinth with the Spanish Civil War as a backdrop.
It was a brilliant piece of storytelling, and highly recommended despite its fairly graphic violence.

hehe

Grammar Terrorism

I have decided to join Lindsay in exposing some of the appalling examples of grammar that we, as journalists, see day in and day out.
I thought about the possibilities of getting into trouble by posting the following letter, however decided in the interests of exposing grammar terrorists who should know better that it was worth it. That, and the fact I won't name the person who wrote it (and he would never read my blog anyway) is all the justification I need.

The letter was sent to my editor in response to an announcement this morning that the Town of Kwinana was set to receive $11.5 billion in infrastructure investment over the next 15 years. That's a lot for a town that doesn't even really have a town centre or a cafe strip.
So the guy that sent this letter is a Federal candidate at the upcoming election - and as a Federal candidate you would think you have a basic grasp of the English language. Not so. Note the space in between the last word of the sentence and the full stop. Also note the bit where the guy has put a full stop and a comma next to each other. It's quite awesome, really. The following letter has been unedited by me and is in its original format.


As a local resident,it was pleasing to hear Mayor Carol adams presentation on promoting Town of Kwinana's growth and expansion, that's taking place in our town.However its was disappointing that the Federal Government wasn't mentioned in regards to contributing . October last year the Town of Kwinana and I took part in a delegation to Canberra and lobbied for local projects for the towns growth and expansion. On the 14th of March 2007, the Town of Kwinana was presented with a cheque from the Federal Government to upgrade a 2.8 million dollar Orelia sporting complex precinct . Other successful Federal funding has been for 75 extra nursing beds for the Kwinana Nursing Home,.funding for councils living in Harmony program and most recently 6.7 million dollars for Mundijong Road extension to take pressure off local residential roads from heavy haulage trucks like Thomas road.Currently Im waiting on council to submit other applications for more Federal government grants to assist the residents of Kwinana.


I know I shouldn't mention he's a Liberal candidate, but oops, I just did.

Quote of the Day

As politically incorrect as it may be, this quote from Bruce Willis' character in Sin City made me laugh out loud.
"When it comes to reassuring a traumatised 19-year-old, I'm about as expert as a palsy victim doing brain surgery with a pipe wrench."

A cough, sniff and a sneeze

I have spent the last few days under attack from a particularly nasty cold - which, I have to say, is partly my fault.
I came down with it during the day on Friday and, in the spirit of someone who refuses to come to terms with the fact that they turn 24 this Thursday (I know it's not old, but it's the oldest I've ever been!) I went out and had an absoute bender on Friday night. I thought I could drink and smoke the cold into oblivion. I've done it before and it worked. Kinda. It didn't this time.

So anyway, having called in sick to work yesterday I went to the video store to hire out a stack of dvds.
I ended up watching four movies yesterday.

Shaun of the Dead - Seen it before, would see it again, great film.

A Clockwork Orange - Had read the book but not seen the movie. While reading the book was more rewarding than watching the movie, at the same time the movie was visually stunning and powerful - though bordered on extremely self-indulgent at times, typical Stanley Kubrick.

Miami Vice - I KNOW I should know better but I thought it would be a fun, fast, cool action flick. I was all wrong. It was so awful I couldn't even watch the last fifteen minutes. I want those two hours of my life back.

Sin City - A brilliant movie with fantastic characters and a stunning Gotham City-style backdrop. I loved it.

I'd forgotten how nice it was to have a sick day and do nothing - even if you do have to suffer to get the day off. Oh how I miss being a uni student and having weekdays where I didn't have to do anything...

Who's up for a drink?

Amid all the furor surrounding the "ice epidemic" (sorry, I hate using mass media cliches) it's good to be reminded every now and then that a significant amount of damage to the social fabric is committed by those on legal drugs - namely alcohol.
So this story piqued my attention this morning, albeit for all the wrong reasons.
Guy gets drunk (read drinks more than seven litres of beer); guy goes home; guy accuses partner of infidelity; guy takes budgie out of cage, rips its head off and throws body on front lawn (WTF???); guy asks partner where dog is; partner runs from house; guy pours petrol all over house; guy sets house on fire; guy stands out front of his house with pitchfork threatening neighbours and cops before the police take him down with capsicum spray.
Whew.
But the clincher, the bit that I personally think is the most fucked up (second only to ripping the budgie's head off) is this:
"Johnson and his partner are still together."

Sometimes, words seem so inadequate.

Fear-mongering

In the last few days, both Dan and Kate have blogged, after seeing The Crucible, on how much easier it is to sell fear than reason.
Today, Amnesty International have come out and said what most of us already know - our Prime Minister, John Howard, is a "short-sighted fear monger" who "thrives on myopic and cowardly leadership."
Brilliant.
Amnesty International's report places John Howard alongside Robert Mugabe in terms of human rights abuses and fear-mongering - okay, so perhaps that's a little extreme for some but they're trying to make a point.
And this quote from the report is what clinched it for me - "The Howard government portrayed desperate asylum-seekers in leaky boats as a threat to Australia's national security and raised a false alarm of a refugee invasion." (winning an election on the back of it)
So, I know in the grand old scheme of things this report won't change much, and the Liberal Government will rubbish it like they usually do, but I'd just like to join with Amnesty International in saying a nice big fuck you to Mr Howard.

Cold War Kids - Robbers & Cowards

Most new albums you buy need at least two or three listens before you can really get into them, before you can decide whether or not they are worth listening to again.

This one, however, was different.

Cold War Kids first came to my attention as the feature album on everybody's favourite national broadcaster, Triple J, a couple of months ago.

When I first slotted this CD into my player I was instantly hooked.

This album is thinking music. It is not some hastily scrabbled together collection of songs, it is a collection of short stories about a variety of wretched characters who may or may not exist in our society.

The first song, We Used to Vacation, spins the lyrical tale of an alcoholic husband, and the battles he faces from within and from his family in trying to give up the drink.

It's hard to remember when lyrics in a song seemed so full of emotion and so simple at the same time: "I promised to my wife and children, I'd never touch another drink as long as I live/But even then it sounds so soothing to mix a gin and sink into oblivion."

Hang Me Up To Dry, the second track and first single from the album, is almost reminiscent of Gomez in its musical genius served with a healthy dose of simplicity.

The Deep Southern gospel style of Saint John is way out of left field yet musically brilliant at the same time.

In all, Robbers & Cowards is intelligent music. The lyrical content makes you ponder life and its eccentricities, while the music draws on a massive pool of genres to create an alt-rock sound that is refreshingly original.

Four and a half stars.

Swings and roundabouts

I am a massive believer in karma - call it what you like, but at the end of the day what goes around comes around and if you are a nasty sort you will get yours eventually.
So this story brought a big smile to my vindictive little face. Hope it does to yours too.

hehehe

Couldn't resist posting this. I love these little stick figure comics that do the email rounds every now and then...

Weekend wrap - brought to you by...

Warning: rant ahead.

What a weekend. I cleared Saturday and Sunday for what I thought would be a weekend of sporting glory - an FA Cup win by Manchester United and an Eagles win at Subiaco the next day.... Unfortunately this was not to be.
I won't expand on the FA Cup other than to say I am obviously devastated and we were robbed.
As far as going to the Eagles game, well, don't get me wrong, the result was great, but the 77 point flogging of Melbourne did get a bit repetitive at time and doesn't say much for Melbourne's competitive spirit.
However that's not to say there wasn't plenty of competition at Subiaco Oval.
The firecest competition on the day was that of the advertisers.
Now, I like to get along to see a footy game once or twice a year if I get the chance.
However next time I think I'll be better staying at home.
I know advertising means money and money makes the world go round etc but exactly when did the AFL start running full ad breaks at the ground during a footy match???

At the end of every quarter, the two big screens immediately kicked into a series of ads - in full, stadium surround sound - that screened back to back until the siren started again. No replays, no highlights from the quarter, just ads for hair salons, restaurants and insurance. And because of the sound system I was bombarded with the offensive sounds.

It pissed me off after an already rough weekend - mind you I did get a free ticket so by rights I can't really get annoyed about a couple of little ads on the screen.
It was the "The West Australian Online" sponsored replays that really got to me but...
As if we're not paying enough for food and drinks at these games already, without being aggressively assaulted by advertisers.

hehe

Centenary Celebrations

My little dragon counter on the right side of the screen just hit 100! How exciting!! That means that 100 people have visited my blog... well not quite, but you catch the drift :)

Sick Puppies - Dressed Up As Life

I received the Sick Puppies album the other day at work. (Perks of the job and having an editor who is not interested in this sort of music.)
Pretty much everyone around the world would have heard of Sick Puppies at one point of another - they are the ones who shot to fame with their "Free Hugs" video on YouTube, sparking a trip to the US, appearances on Oprah and Jay Leno and a new signing with Virgin Records.
Originally discovered by the Triple J Unearthed competition, Rolling Stone once called this Sydney band "the most dynamic new band in the country."
With the Free Hugs campaign in mind, I assumed Sick Puppies had a sugar-pop easy listening sound.
This was not the case.
Dressed Up As Life is a short, sharp and punchy album.
It's catchy as hell - and far from sugary sweet.
I've always been a sucker for soaring vocal melodies over heavy guitar distortion and this album is no exception.
There were times when listening to it that I thought "oh no, not another emo/post punk/soft metal band again."
However while it does border on, shall we say, unoriginality, it packs enough punch to be a breath of fresh air with some great guitar riffs and some brilliant bass lines.
Track 4, What Are You Looking For, is a perfect example of soaring melodies vs heavy distortion.
The "I hate the world and the world hates me" style of lyric writing however, is now officially getting tiresome - it's not that bad people, chin up.
In all, the album was a surprisingly enjoyable piece of music in a genre that has almost become dead in the water.

Three stars.

10 billion reasons to be angry

I shouldn't be surprised. I shouldn't be shocked. I shouldn't be outraged. I've been through all this before.
But fucked if I'm going to stand by and not rant about the complete and utter arrogance of the Howard government.
They announce a $10 billion water plan - $10 billion!! - and then deny Channel 7 access to the documents under the Freedom of Information Act.
You can't deny the public information on a $10 billion plan!! That is a shitload of money and we all have a right to know how it is going to be spent!
grrr

Overheard in the Office

Young Kate has long spruiked the genius of this website. Basically, people write in with conversations they have allegedly overheard between other people in various office environments around the world.
They change from day to day, and the headings given to each of the conversations are often the funniest part of it all.
Whether they are all true or not is something that cannot be verified nor should people worry about it.
Personally, I think most of them would be fairly accurate (why would anyone make this stuff up) and let's be honest, people are stupid. So it's entirely believable that these conversations actually did happen.
I picked out a gem from today's section but I highly recommend you visit the site on a regular basis - it has often provided me with laugh out loud material at work.
Furthermore, I often leave the heading to last, as it is usually a clever little add-on to the joke which makes it a hell of a lot funnier.
Enjoy...

Weigh It, and Subtract the Weight of an Empty Bottle

Customer: These new labels are awful. Just awful! Why did you change them? I hate them.
Pharmacist: I'm sorry, sir, but I don't have any control over the labels.
Customer: They don't even tell me when it's time to refill my 'scription. When am I supposed to refill my 'scription?
Pharmacist: ... When you run out of medication, sir.
Customer: Well, how in the hell am I supposed to know that?

CVS/PharmacyHigh Point, North Carolina

The perils of shooting your mouth off

Today at work, a sales rep gets a call from one of his customers. What ensued was a lesson to us all in doing your research and getting your facts straight.

Sales rep: Hello, Mike speaking.
Customer: Mike, are you a fuckwit?
Sales rep: I beg your pardon?
Customer: Well you must be a fuckwit, because you always fuck up our ads. Look at the prices here - we're not selling Toyota Prados for $70,000! That's fucking ridiculous! What the fuck is wrong with you?

*At this point Mike's thinking something's not right, especially considering the customer approves his ad copy before it goes to print. So he starts hunting around for the copy of the ad but can't find it. Meanwhile, the abusive language continues for at least five or ten minutes.*

Customer: I've fucking had enough, every fucking Wednesday when the paper comes out -
Sales rep: Um, our paper comes out on Friday.

*Silence ensues as the customer realises he has fucked up big time and called the wrong paper.*

Customer: Sorry.

*Goes to hang up*

Sales rep: Um, no, that's not going to cut it I'm afraid.
Customer: Mike, will you please accept my apology?
Sales rep: I will accept it along with the carton of beer I assume is on its way round here any minute now...

Brilliant.

Bucket of Pus follow-up

You may remember my gripe about a local "musician" who sent in a CD called Bucket of Pus.
No false advertising there.
Anyway, my editor gets a follow-up call the other day from the guy, which went a little something like this...
Guy: Hey, I sent in a CD a little while ago and was wondering if you were planning on doing an article?
Editor: What CD was it?
Guy: Bucket of Pus.
Editor: Oh, I forwarded that on to one of my journalists, who is fairly knowledgeable in that field, and he said it wasn't much chop.
Guy: But it's art...!

No, my friend, it isn't art. Ripping off the sounds of Aussie punk/metal acts like the Hard Ons and The Beasts of Bourbon and burning it onto a CD using the lowest quality recording equipment available in the history of humankind is NOT art. Calling it Bucket of Pus pretty much hammers the last nail into that coffin too. Now go away.

Momentary lapses

As a journo, I come across some awful news stories. I'm thankful that I haven't been completely desensitised just yet, but it can't be far off...
However every now and then you come across a story that restores your faith in humanity. If only a little.
An Albany woman was speaking on ABC Radio this morning. Her 17-year-old daughter had been killed in a head-on crash when a young doctor, who I understand was travelling home from an extended shift at the hospital, crossed over to the other side of the road and hit her.
By all accounts she was killed instantly, but that didn't stop the doctor, who at this point had a broken collarbone, from giving her emergency medical attention in the vain hope she would survive.
When the case went to court, this Albany woman, the mother of the girl who was killed, pleaded with the judge not to give the man a harsh sentence.
She said on the radio this morning that, by all accounts, the man involved was a "fine young man with his whole life ahead of him." She said the crash was caused by a moment of inattention, something that has happened to her before but she was lucky enough not to have endangered anyone's life at the time.
She made the point that she had already lost a daughter, and there was no sense in ruining another life by sending the young man to jail.
He was given a spent conviction and walked free for court.
Hearing this made me think - how many times have we been driving when we've accidently swerved to the side of the road, gone a little bit over the speed limit or had other momentary lapses like that.
Imagine if there was someone walking down the side of the road that one time when you went to change songs on your cd player and you hit and killed them.
You'd want the same level of forgiveness from the person's family, wouldn't you?
I know I would.

Weird, wacky or woeful blogs

I have gotten into the habit of browsing blogs by clicking on the "Next Blog" button on the header at the top of the screen.
The amount if shite people put on the Internet never ceases to amaze me.
But this one takes the cake (so far).
I won't say anything else other than check it out - but don't stay too long - the length of time you spend looking at it is inversely proportional to the number of functioning cells in your brain.

PS - Okay, Lindsay's called it. The search is on for the most random or pathetic blogs around. I found a God-worship one just then the title on the header should be enough to put most off, but if you take the time to scroll down you get to read about, well, shite. Again, don't spend too much time here.

PPS- After a wasted hour of trawling through blogs I have come to the realisation that the majority of blogs are boring - much the same as mine would be to someone who just happened to stumble upon it. However, after seeing a couple of sites that raised my eyebrows, including one showing pictures of dead bodies and dead animals (I will never, EVER understand why people post that shit on the net) I came across my pick of the day. The blog is called Japanese Porn. It contains a couple of links to porn sites down the side and across the bottom of the page, however the content of the blog was what really got me. For example, the post dated May 13 was called "Child Care - Choosing a Day Care Center" and was exactly that - tips on how to choose the right daycare centre for your child! Other blog postings include "Living with a positive mental attitude" and "Real Estate Tax Incentives."
Priceless!

Bye Bye Sundays

In addition to striking Wednesday nights off the social calendar (Heroes, Channel 7, 8.30pm) it appears I now have to strike Sunday nights off also.
Now, this is not something I am doing lightly. I quite like the idea of doing things on Sunday nights, justifying it with "Well, it's still the weekend and I'm back at work tomorrow anyway so to hell with it."
However, a new show that starts this Sunday has come to my attention that is certainly in the same league as the-greatest-show-of-all-time, Heroes.
It's called Life on Mars. For me, if you had told me young John Simm (famous for his role as Jip in the brilliant Human Traffic) was playing the lead role in a new television program, I would have been sold on that alone.
In short, the program follows a young detective in Manchester, who has a car accident and wakes up in 1973. He's not 100 per cent sure whether he's in a coma, whether he's completely lost it and gone insane or whether he has actually fallen back in time.
I watched a ten minute teaser of the first episode last night and it looked awesome.
I'm not going to say anymore. But if you're home on Sunday night, as most people are, flick on ABC at 8.30pm. It's gonna be good...

Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero

There is no mistaking the creative genius that is Trent Reznor.

Whether you love or hate Nine Inch Nails, Reznor's ability to defy convention and string together what would normally be considered "industrial noise" into a distinguishable beat and make music is unrivalled.

Many consider the pinnacle of his career so far to be the masterpiece concept album that is The Downward Spiral - a compelling exploration of the thoughts and imagination of someone who lives in a dark place and ultimately commits suicide.

It is common knowledge that the entire time Reznor was writing, recording and producing that album, he was in a different place. Suffice to say he was living the rock star lifestyle and, ironically, nearly spiralled out of control himself.

Since then however, he has kicked the drugs and alcohol and been sober for a good few years.

I have come to the sad realisation that he may never produce another offering as good as The Downward Spiral.

With this in mind, I bought his latest offering Year Zero.

Year Zero is another concept album, depicting the world Trent Reznor sees in 15 years time if the decline of civil liberties and freedom continues.

The opening track kicks off with the industrial noise Nine Inch Nails is famous for, before flowing into single-worthy tracks such as The Beginning of The End, Survivalism, The Good Soldier and Capital G.

This album is Reznor in his finest form since The Downward Spiral. He shows he is still capable of making political statements, in a time where they are more relevant than ever.

His uncanny ability to construct songs and beats with sounds that most would associate with noise from a building site pervades every track on the album.

Lyrically, Reznor shows he is not yet past it, with gems like "The biggest problem with the way that we've been doing things is - the more we let you have the less that I'll be keeping for me" and "Don't try and tell me how some power can corrupt a person - you haven't had enough to know what it's like." Both of these lines are taken from the album's latest single, one of my favourites, Capital G.

In all, Year Zero is a stroke of musical genius. It won't rate up there with the best albums of all time, but it certainly passes the litmus test as a Nine Inch Nails release.

Four stars.

Rage Against the World

I am so excited. Rage Against the Machine have just completed their eagerly anticipated reunion show at the Coachela Music Festival in LA. Regardless of whether you like their music or not, you've got to admire the beliefs and values for which they stand.
I often lament about bands/musicians making political statements. I can't help but be cynical when someone like Pink puts out an album bagging George Bush.
But there are some acts who make political statements and make them well. Michael Franti and Ben Harper are two acts who do it and do it well.
Rage Against the Machine made a name for themselves by encouraging their listeners to act, not just nod their heads while they were onstage.
And so I think it is particularly poignant that their reunion occurs at a time when the world needs them most.
If a band reforming encourages just one person to vote Democrat rather than Republican in the US, then that can't be a bad thing.

Open Offices Part II

I whinged the other day about the cons of open offices, with a particular co-worker pouring his life story out to a counsellor in full earshot of everyone in the office - well he's back and in fine form.
Today it was to a police officer.
I heard all about some guy against whom he was trying to take out a VRO, and how this guy had come round to his caravan and threatened to firebomb the place and beat the crap out of him and blah blah blah.
My editor, in true no-nonsense style, pretty much told him to go home after he got off the phone.
Seriously though, it's beyond a joke. Is it just me?
I would be sooo embarrassed if I made a phone call like that in full earshot of the office. I walk outside when friends call me on my phone, regardless of who they are or what they're calling for.
It's just common decency. Right?

Kaiser Chiefs - Yours Truly, Angry Mob

I love my music, and I love buying CDs, so I have decided to randomly put CD reviews up on my blog from time to time when I buy a new one. The first instalment will take a look at the lastest Kaiser Chiefs album, which I bought last week.

And what an album!

If you were a fan of Kaiser Chiefs first offering, Employment, their second will not fail to please.

The album kicks off with the infectiously groovy single Ruby then punches straight into the title track - which appears to be a thinly-veiled swipe at mass audiences and their inability to think for themselves.

My favourite lyric on the album is in this track - I mean, what journo wouldn't love a line that says: "We are the angry mob, we read the papers every day. We like who we like, we hate who we hate but we're all so easily swayed."

The rest of the album follows suit, with some of the slower tracks, including Love's Not a Competition (But I'm Winning) highlighting the oh-so-English sound of the band.

Overall, if you want an album that fuses punchy Brit-pop-rock with anthemic riffs and plenty of singalong moments, Yours Truly, Angry Mob delivers and delivers well.

Can't wait to see these guys when they hit our shores mid-year.

Four stars.

On a more serious note....

The devastating effects of climate change. It's time to take action people.

Poetry in motion

I try to stay away from posting emails I receive - after all, everyone gets them eventually - but this one I couldn't resist.

WOMAN'S POEM
Before I lay me down to sleep,
I pray for a man, who's not a creep,
One who's handsome, smart and strong.
One who loves to listen long.
One who thinks before he speaks,
One who'll call, not wait for weeks.
I pray he's gainfully employed,
When I spend his cash, won't be annoyed.
Pulls out my chair and opens my door,
Massages my back and begs to do more.
Oh! Send me a man who'll make love to my mind,
Knows what to answer to "how big is my behind?"
I pray that this man will love me to no end,
And always be my very best friend.

MAN'S POEM
I pray for a deaf-mute nymphomaniac with huge boobs
who owns a liquor store and a golf course.
This doesn't rhyme and I don't give a shit.

Cutting comments

Going to get my hair cut is never a big deal - after all, I am a guy, which means I don't have to spend hundreds of dollars nor sit in the salon for hours while my hair gets done. (Apologies for that gross generalisation.)
The guy I usually go to, I go to because he's cool. He does his best to remember regular customers and I actually enjoy making conversation with him. This coming from someone who, nine times out of ten, is more than happy to just sit in the chair and get his hair cut in silence rather than making forced conversation.
However, this guy is in subi, and i live in Freo, and the other day I needed to get my hair cut quickly and cheaply.
So I went to Norm's in Freo. It's an institution of sorts, I used to go there as a child and get my hair cut by Norm or one of the other middle-aged Italian barbers there - it was always a great atmosphere, I always got a lolly on my way out, and tried to sneek peaks at the naughty magazine pile while my dad was getting his hair cut.
However, times have changed.
The place has now been overrun by emo hairdressers. That's right, emo hairdressers.
The girl that cut my hair didn't even attempt to make conversation. She didn't cut it as short as I normally have it cut, but by the time she'd done that much I wanted to get out of there soo badly I just said "Thanks. Looks great!" In my least convincing voice.
She didn't give a shit.
A small part of me was grateful because, quite frankly, I didn't want to make conversation with her.
But it got me thinking, where did basic customer service skills go?
There wasn't even a "How was your day?"
I won't be going back there any time soon.
Not until I turn emo, anyway.

You know what I love about the French?

Their propensity to riot. I love that young French protesters see nothing wrong in razing an area of the city to the ground in response to a democratically-elected President being voted in. And I'm not being sarcastic - I'm on their side - but sometimes I just wish Australian protesters had the same passion.

The fallout

What a great photo - the jubilation of United fans juxtaposed with the sour grapes on Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's face - hehehe

Manchester United 2006/07 EPL Champions

It is with great pleasure I write this morning that Manchester United have overcome their tragic loss in Milan to be crowned the English Premier League Champions for the 2006/07 Season. Sorry for boring those of you who could care less.

Sex sells...

I don't really know what to say about this.

Gore and Order

I was watching Law and Order SVU on tv last night, and came across a particularly disturbing scene.
A woman, who had accused her ex-husband of raping her, had been attacked in the street by this ex, who poured gasoline all over her and set her alight.
While viewers were (fortunately) not shown this scene itself, the camera followed the two cops into the hospital so they could talk to the lady - bear in mind this must have been moments after the attack.
The scene showed the woman lying face down on a hospital bed with about four or five doctors hovering over her. She was seriously burnt - and as the cops asked her who did it, she looked up, with half of her face melted off, and rasped the man's name.
Now - at the risk of sounding old - exactly when did prime time television become so full on?
If an episode of that calibre had been shown on television in the 8.30 slot when I was a young child, I'm certain there would have been outrage.
But Law and Order is far from the worst show in and around that timeslot - CSI, NCIS and all thos other cop/thriller/action shows on seem to compete against each other for the most full-on episode.
Personally, I don't have a problem with it. I'm a big fan of horror movies that push people's boundaries (the Saw movies come to mind, as well as the recent remake of The Hills Have Eyes and of course Wolf Creek) but I find it fascinating that, over the years, there has been a gradual encroachment on what the Family First party would call "values."
Yet no one seems to notice.

No Heroes Here

I'm not sure what I'm more annoyed about - that Manchester United were beaten comprehensively and were never in the game, or the fact that I stayed up until 5am to watch the game and subsequently had two hours sleep after watching them lose.
Grr.

Knobs and tossers

I'm the first to admit that I lean left when it comes to political discussions - okay, maybe that's a slight understatement but hey - so when I see articles like this it really, really, really irks me.
I can't STAND fossilised Liberal politicans like Bill Heffernan normally, but when they say things like this I get angry.
Remember, this was the same politician that hid behind parliamentary privilege to accuse one of the country's most respected high court judges, Michael Kirby, of using a Government car to pick up young male escorts.
Turns out he was wrong. But he said it under privilege so he gets away with it.
And now he's come out and said that Julia Gillard is unfit to lead the country because she has not had any children.
Well excuse me Mr Heffernan but exactly how many have you popped out?? Your wife (bless her) may have had a child or two with a little input from you (excuse the pun) but I don't think you've actually given birth yourself, have you?
I hope, one day, Karma comes along and bites a huge chunk out of your ass.
Until then, keep your mouth shut.

Heroes

There will be two sets of Heroes on TV tonight.
At 8.30pm, on Channel 7, my favourite show of all time - Heroes - will be on. Then, at the bleary-eyed time of 2.30am, Manchester United will take it to AC Milan in Italy to secure a place in the UEFA Champions League final in Athens....
My newfound love for soccer began when I jumped on the bandwagon at World Cup time last year to follow the Aussies in their first outing since the sixties. When the tournament was over (we were robbed!) I felt the need to continue watching soccer and, since one of my good mates is a Manchester United supporter, became one by default.
Since then, I have developed an almost embarrassing passion for what they call the international game.
And it was a timely season for me to become a United supporter too, since they are on fire. Sitting pretty on the top of the English Premier League, with three games to go they need a win and a draw to take out the title.
They are already in the FA Cup Final, a match they'll play with Chelsea at the newly-renovated Wembley Stadium later in May.
And, depending on how things go tonight, they will play off for the title of European Champion against Liverpool.
So tonight's the big one.
Tomorrow I will either be at work, bleary-eyed but absolutely ecstatic, or I will be bleary-eyed and absolutely devastated.
Hopefully it will be the former.

This just in...

The word 'gay' has been deemed inappropriate for a workplace by a New Zealand telco. Even if it is actually someone's name. Good to know.