Year: 2007

Go West, Young Man 2007

Who says I haven’t learned my lesson? Yes, we’re going back for more.

As we’ve told a few family and friends, our time in Sydney has come to a close, and we’re returning to WA for the foreseeable future. I’ll be keeping the same job, just working from a different place, and Ainslie will have to find another way of keeping herself amused. Again. Maybe she’ll take up writing.

In reviewing our snapshots of the last few years, we’ve achieved so much and also seen so many places other than Sydney. I’ll have to collect a Brag Sheet together before we leave.

However, we’ve saved the biggest adventure until last. We’re driving.

Yep – it’s one of the great road trips of the world, and we think the Forester is up for it. it’s over 4200 kilometres of some of the most boring countryside on the planet, but it’s one of those things you need to be able to say you’ve done at least once in your life. For me, this will be three. For the rest of the gang, it will be one.

Anyone done the journey recently? Any tips?

Hurlstone Film

I can’t believe it’sa taken me a while to look this up, but there are a few Hurlstone videos doing the rounds on YouTube. (These search results will show what we have learned at dear old Hurlstone. Hurrah! Hurrah!)
When I find the many videos I have lying around here I might put some up from the 1980s :-)
Great memories for past students, terrifying blackmail for current ones, and excellent orientation for future Hurlstonians.

Bollywood on Long Island

Those Indians sure know to have a wedding procession.
–
I’m staying in a hotel on Long Island today – travelling on business – and find myself in the middle of some sort of wedding celebration… Lots of drums and silk and gold thread and shouting and singing and throwing of money.
There’s even a horse!
All this against a Long Island Autumnal backdrop and an ambient temperature of about 10 degrees.
Only in America. Okay, maybe one other place.

Book Recommendations

Hey, if you’re into Sci-fi or Fantasy books, look at the extensive list below. If not, well, *shrug* don’t look at this extensive list.
Fantasy:
Inheritance series (Christopher Paolini)
Harry Potter series(Joanne K. Rowling)
Legend of Lancon (Caleb Robinson-cook)[For the first chapter, click a link under the title- Dragonfire-LOL preview]
Battle of Ragnarok (Caleb Robinson-cook) [For the first chapter, click a link under the title- Dragonfire-BOR preview]
Wind Singer (William Nicholson)
Dragonlance series (Various)
The Last Time (Caleb Robinson-cook) [For the prologue, click a link under the title- Dragonfire- TLT preview]
Sci-fi:
Battle of Ragnarok (Caleb Robinson-cook) [See above]
The Last Time (Caleb Robinson-cook) [See above]
Star Wars?(?)

Disappering Simpsons objects

This may seem weird and insignificant to anyone reading this, but isn’t that what rambling’s all about? Anyway, you’re the one who started reading this thing! Didn’t you? Don’t blame it on me, it was all your fault!!
Anyway, back onto the subject. If you pause a Simpsons episode, for example, the one where the two women that Ned and Homer married in Vegas hunt them down, in a single frame, a piece of clothing either changes colour, a word is not coherent with the mouth position, or, like in the one I just mentioned, something that one of the Simpsons are wearing just disappears. Like during the above Simpsons episode, when the Vegas woman that married Homer is talking to Abe, who she is married to now after being drunk, Abe’s glasses a disappear for one single frame! So if you ever see anything like this while watching the Simpsons, give me some feedback and I’ll look at it. And if you do send in some feedback relating to this rambling, you get a nifty prize… self-esteem! Now isn’t that great-diddly-ate?!

Strictly Winners

Caleb and Milana are rightly proud of their brilliant performances at the Dancesport Grand Prix in Bankstown today.
With 2 first places in Waltz/Quickstep and one in Jive (and a 4th and a 6th), these are Caleb’s first big wins in Sydney, and Milana’s first ever!
By the way – don’t forget to vote for the kid’s coach – Serghei – in Dancing With The Stars – his great performances might be rubbing off on the kids!

Hurlstone's 100 Years

Although it was difficult to hear the speeches at times, the 80s contingent ‘up the back’ at Saturday’s Hurlstone Centenary Dinner was in fine form. As I twittered from Table 41, it’s amazing how quickly a group of school friends can regress 20 years. Boy – now that I think about it – that’s half a lifetime.
Okay – big news first – there’s definitely a ‘Class of 88’ 20 year reunion planned for next year. Catering whizzkid David Allison and Construction magnate Lee Fahey have taken it upon themselves – so stay tuned. It’ll be twice the 10 year reunion.
On the night, everyone settled back into the old roles, the in-jokes remained, and the memories of the controversies and punishments were still wet to the touch. It seems that what lasts 20 years is not the grades or the awards, but the relationships and the extra-curricular.

Continue reading Hurlstone’s 100 Years

Wicked = Wicked

Hey, after re-discovering the soundtrack to the musical ‘Wicked‘ today, I realised I had neglected to post about our visit to the Apollo Theatre in London a few months back to see this brilliant show.
Good news – it’s coming to Melbourne next year. Go and see it. Seriously.
I’ll admit, I was a bit wary about the premise – based on a novel that speculates that the two witches from The Wizard Of Oz have a backstory in which they are (how do I write this without spoiling it?)… Acquainted. Sounds cheesy.
But I’m glad we made it. Actually, our journey to the theatre that night was a drama of its own – beginning in Paris’ Gare du Nord train station early that afternoon and ending with us flopping in the seats with seconds to spare that evening (thanks to a keen – and ultimately well-rewarded – London cabby).
(Side-note – it’s very kid-friendly, but some of the concepts are fairly grownup. Our lot – 8 and up – was probably as young as you’d need to be to enjoy some of the subtleties)
I think the ‘revisionist’ approach appeals to my warped sense of humour. Much like the re-tooling of Star Wars, it puts the original story in a new light, and demolishes your perceptions of a story you thought you knew really well. I like it when that happens. I think it appeals to the same part of the brain that is stimulated by episodes of MythBusters where they blow things up just for the fun of it.
If there’s one thing I need to throw into this review to make me seem keenly critical and wise in such matters, it’s that I think the musical hits its dramatic height too early. Nonetheless, it’s the music and performances of the cast that keeps it awesome from start to finish. I hope the Australian version captures it . (There were a couple of leading Australians in the cast that I hope will deign to repatriate).
In preparation, be sure to revise your Wizard of Oz – there are so many in-jokes that you will only appreciate with a fresh dose of L. Frank Baum in your veins.
There are a few songs in there I wish I’d written. I hate Steven Schwartz. His song ‘Defying Gravity’ does exactly what it says on the box.
I haven’t seen the phrase used in a review yet, so I’m going to take it: ‘Wicked’ brought the house down.
(Ha! See what I did there? Okay – as you were. Move along.)