the half-hearted hack

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Oops, broke my welcome mat

Oh, bugger. Ashleigh just pointed out that only team members could comment on my blog. Sorry 'bout that, chief! It's not because I don't loveyouseall. I guess I cocked up the settings without realising it. Anyway, all fixed now and everyone is welcome once more.

Except those stoners who keep trying to hijack my blog to advertise their dope pipes. They can fuck off and die.

Labels: stuff-ups

: Name: redcap; Location: Adelaide, Australia

Filthy-tempered, foul-mouthed and cynical, yet oddly gullible. You won't like me. I'm a Sagittarian.

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the book group:
the paper drunkards
the TV blog:
square eyes, square arse
the movie blog:
Move Me Movies

Webcams in Kruger

Best Australian Essays 2007
ed. Drusilla Modjeska
Read this book. It should be enough to convince anyone that Australia is still thinking, and thinking about so many things! I'll be interested to see which way the 2008 essays go, with our new political climate. If you're inclined, there are also Best Australian Short Stories and Best Australian Poems.

Through the Children's Gate
Adam Gopnik
This is Gopnik's ballad to New York and I have to admit I enjoyed it. It looks at everything from apartment hunting to psychoanalysis, from eating out to imaginery friends, New York-style. Have a read of my review at the paper drunkards, if you're so inclined.

Pistache
Sebastian Faulks

Pistache is supposedly somewhere between a pastiche and a pisstake and Faulks has done rather a good job. He's written short pieces of prose and poetry in the style of well-known writers and while some of them went over my head because I hadn't read the originals, others were hilarious. I particularly liked the rap version of Wordsworth's "She dwelt among untrodden ways" and George Orwell coming face-to-face with Boy George in Room 101. Heh.

Play it as it Lays
Joan Didion

Wander over to the paper drunkards from the 15th for discussion on this one. A woman came up to me on the train when I was reading it the other day and said, "I'm sorry, but I had to interrupt you. You're reading Play it as it Lays. I had to tell you, that was one of the most significant books I've ever read in my life and I haven't seen anyone reading it in 20 years."

Anoraks to Zitting Cisticola
Sean Dooley

For a book on birdwatching, this is bloody hilarious. It's an A to Z of stuff about birding and while an interest in birds probably wouldn't hurt, in places it's a scream. Dooley is a journo and comedy writer and the bit about him wanting to dress in a raven costume and run down a man who refused to believe there were no crows in Melbourne made me laugh out loud on the train. And yes, people looked at me.

Inappopriate baby names from The Traumatiser of December 15. Taevah and Tennille, this is for youse.

Taleisha Jade - So that would be after Saint Taleisha who died to prove her devotion to acrylic nails and spray tan?

Arden Elessar - Arden, after Elizabeth, yes? You know, dear, I remember the exact shade of lipstick I was wearing when you were conceived.

Cherry Raphelle - Cherry Garcia is a flavour of ice-cream. Do you suppose Cherry Raphelle is stripper-flavoured ice-cream? And what might stripper-flavoured ice-cream taste like anyway? I'm confused.

Scarlett Raven Louise - Hmm, scarlet raven, eh? Don't they usually come in black? I'd say this child would be laughed out of kindergarten, but her classmates will all be called Aaliyah Dior, Velvet Skye and Spiral-Moon, so I guess she'll be OK.

Penzy Mae - I'm not sure whether this sounds more like continence pants or some sort of ye olde sweete that no-one wanted to eat any more once artificial flavourings became popular.

Tahj Jack - What, you were worried if you spelled it Taj, people would call him Tadge?

Take a bow, parents!

2006 SBG Honour Roll

the half-hearted hack

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Oops, broke my welcome mat

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