Oh Paul, I miss you

If we, as a country, vote in a certain ''obstructionist capuchin'' then we "will get a large kick in the bum and [we] will deserve it."

That is as good as anything I've got on this wet Friday.

In other news, Princess and I are going on a road trip to Byron Bay. We are heading up the highway (and then back again) for about 11 days and it will be great. Last time we went up there was on a family holiday in about 2003 or 2004 and I loved driving up, although I was so tired once we got there it was like jetlag and I couldn't find the place we were staying. Someone from the convoy had to come back and get me and drive me in.

We are going to have talking books on the way and I am going to enjoy watching the vegetation and scenery change; that's one thing I remember, the change in the trees.

As for the rest of the family: Clokes will keep working, The Boy will be in QLD with his grandparents and the other daughter didn't want to come. So much for female bonding but actually I understand it. Being trapped in a car with me and Princess for 18 hours would be hell of the worst kind for some people. Our tangential conversations; our philosophical posturings; our exclusive displays of high humour. Yeah, I can see why. Oh also she'd be away from the Internet. Maybe that has something to do with it as well.

But not leaving yet. I'll say goodbye when we do.

Time now for coffee and a bagel I think. With some scrambled eggs. Yum. I have finished work for the term, no more teaching but things with the new business are going really well. We have 18 schools on our books and I had two more enquiries yesterday. We are ace.

All That I Am

A few months ago, when I first tried to read this book, I struggled with the early pages. Best opening line ever? was followed by lots of description of physical mannerisms and I found the unlikeliness of a person standing on a snowy balcony, dripping with bath-water, for long minutes, unbelievable.  BUT I did go back and re-read and got momentum and the second time these mountains seemed more mole-hill and none of it stopped me reading, though I continued to notice. I got through the whole thing effortlessly and ended up really enjoying it. It has stayed with me, particularly some of the female characters. They are still with me, which is proof that this book works. So I guess this is a kind of tail-between-the-legs post to say that as soon as I read it I knew it would win the Miles Franklin and I think it deserved to win the award. It's a really large book and in parts is so beautifully written, she puts words together really really finely. So I take back what I said.

Suck job? Maybe, but really who cares. The book starts with a fabulous sentence, and if you can ignore the tucking of hair behind ears and repeated references to insignificant body characteristics, it's a great novel.

I was probably just bitter because she's so damn good-looking.

I recently read Foal's Bread, another on the short-list, and I loved this one as well. Where others have said they didn't really like the main female character for me, she was a sympathetic character, not least because of her flaws. This is great writing too.

From one of my favourite blogs

From Arse About Fez

How the Turks might count olive pips (an extension of how we do Tinker Tailor for cherry pips):

Tinker
Tailor
Soldier
Sailor
Rich man
Poor man
Beggar man
Thief

Shoe shiner
Taxi driver
Mussel seller
Fez maker
Raki drinker
Tea bringer
Ageing singer
Cop

Nut adjuster
Goods duster
Simit baker
Watch maker
Breast enlarger
Over-charger
Ahmet's father
Quack

Rubbish trawler
Street bawler
Belly dancer
Tourist stalker
Footballer
Kerb crawler
Loud talker
Pimp

If you find yourself with a few free hours to fill, you could do worse than trawl through this guy's back-list.

Enduring Love

I never get tired of this.
 
I love it so much.

Six years now.

I am wondering how I can incorporate this into my power-point presentations for work.