Take a number

As someone who works for a community newspaper, local government elections are always a mixed bag.
On the one hand they are a rich vein of news for a month or two - on the other hand every man and his dog crawls out of the woodwork to either nominate, defam a candidate or just bitch about how politicians never keep their promises.
Local government elections always seem to be that much nastier than State or Federal elections for some reason.

Today I had the mayor of one of my local governments come in and tell me he thought my paper had an agenda against him. Not only that, but he thought it had had an agenda against him for the past ten years. Which is ridiculous considering a) there's been about five different editors in that time and b) I don't care enough about this guy to have any sort of agenda against him.

It was the first time I'd spoken to the guy, he'd made no attempt to contact me beforehand and to top it all off he kept talking over the top of me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm always open to constructive criticism but the guy's a dick. I'm praying he doesn't win the election. But in the meantime I'll just keep putting out the fairest, least biased paper possible. Cockhead.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion

In my job I get letters regarding a range of issues.
I think it's safe to say roughly half of them are unprintable. The unprintable ones range from bigoted, fear-mongering seniors to locals with a vested interest in taking down a particular council.
I rarely read letters sections in papers, mainly because there are so many views in there that are either offensive or just plain wrong. But everyone's entitled to their opinion.
Which is why I wanted to share this one with you. I find these sort of people the most interesting. They are convinced the world is against them and it's all a conspiracy. Oh, and it's usually the Government's fault:

Want your internet access 87% slower? Want to pay more? Want a “Nanny” state with a top secret list of “Prohibited” material not subject to appeal by anyone? Want over 8% of “Allowed” sites accidentally blocked? Want paedophiles and other perverts to flout the rules with ease? Want a net filtering system more draconian than even Saudi Arabia, Iran and China, and used by no other democracy in the World? Then welcome to 21st century communications in Australia, Rudd and Conroy style. Find out the latest info at getup.org.au/campaign/SaveTheNet

From: Mrs. Kim Bax, Cedar Vale, Qld


Nice one Kim. Lucky we've got people like you to alert the general population to what's really going on.

Muse - The Resistance

There is only one word I can use to accurately describe the scope of the new Muse album The Resistance: epic.

Muse have taken what they already do really well - grandiose, ambitious rock - and taken it to a whole new level.

From the opening Goldfrapp-esque groove of Uprising, the album paints a picture of an Orwellian world in which thoughts are controlled and the population is encouraged to fall in line behind a totalitarian authority.

With this idea in mind, The Resistance is a rock opera of sorts, and essentially a discussion on what is a very human tendency - to question authority.

The entire album is all about soaring guitars, anthemic choruses and with a dash of Freddie Mercury-style vocals in one or two of the songs for good measure.

I cannot recommend this album enough. If you're a Muse fan, why haven't you bought it already?

And if you're not a Muse fan, perhaps it's time you started to think about joining the resistance.

Four and a half stars.

Wanker of the Year Award

Really must go to Kanye West.
After this outburst at the MTV VMA Awards, the teensy little bit of respect I had for the man has evaporated.
How can someone be so rude and so arrogant to walk up onstage and shatter someone's moment like that?
His music's pretty shit too.
Rant over.

Quentin Tarantino is a genius

I watched the much-lauded Inglourious Basterds last night and it was really, really awesome.
Tarantino is the master of taking an age to build up tension in a scene to a level at which it is palpable before having the whole scene climax in a brutally violent fashion.
I loved it - I loved Brad Pitt in it, I loved the masterful storytelling and I loved the way he didn't let the facts get in the way of telling a damn good story.

If you can stomach the short, sharp bouts of violence (which include close-up shots of Nazi soldiers getting scalped and a scene where a guy's head is literally bashed in with a baseball bat) I couldn't recommend this film more.

Some Like it Hot II

Earlier this year I blogged about chilli and my extremely low tolerance to it.
What a difference six months makes.

I decided that my tolerance to chilli was too much of a hindrance to my dining experiences in general, and thought I'd try to wean myself onto it.
I started by using it in dishes at home. A chopped chilli here, a chopped chilli there.
But now I've gone to the opposite extreme. It's like a drug. I have to add chilli to everything. I can't get enough. And usually, unless it's chilli of the extremely-hot-blows-your-head-off variety, it's not hot enough.

I still can't quite believe the turnaround. It just goes to show you can train your taste buds to like something.

My next mission is brussel sprouts.

Okay that's a lie.

Fully sick

So after a three-day power holiday to Melbourne that started Friday, I have ensured the best possible start to my two weeks' leave by catching a cold.
Just to recap - finished work Thursday arvo, flew to Melbourne early Friday morning, had a cracking weekend, flew back home Sunday night, became really sick Monday morning.
I got a doctor's certificate so apparently I can make some of my annual leave sick leave instead but that doesn't change the fact that it' a hit way to start my fortnight off work :)

But I haven't let that stop me from enjoying my time off. I've been incredibly busy reading - I currently have three books on the go, and this is from someone who is loathe to read more than one book at a time. I've also been enjoying a new series on SBS called East West 101.

It's an Aussie cop drama set in Sydney but it's really well done and the first two episodes that I've watched have been simmering with a very real racial tension. It's on Tuesday nights at 8.30 I think and I'd highly recommend you check it out.

Other than that there's not much to report.
Talk to you soon.