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Thursday, October 31
[What if I didn't like chocolate?]posted by peter at 16:32 .......I've been vegetarian for around 8 years now, so why is it that people still struggle with my decision? This isn't going to be any sort of anti-meat post – as far as I'm concerned people can eat what they want.
However, so can I.
Honestly, I am really becoming tired of people always making some sort of reference to my 'vegetarianism', however minor, whenever food is described or menus are perused. It's like, hello folks, I'm over it... yes, I probably don't like what you're about to describe/order, but seriously, I'm glad for you if you loved the wonderful Thai green chicken curry! It doesn't faze me one bit if you mung out on a massive schnitzel in front of me – these eyes have seen far worse. In fact, I have witnessed my now-dead grandfather cutting the brains out of a severed sheep's-head. With such images occupying precious space in my long term memory, the sight of thoroughly cooked, garnished and arranged meat products tends not to bother me.
Eat what you want! Feel free to tell me about it! Just as long as I can consume my tofu in peace.
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[Pass me a white tile]posted by peter at 16:27 .......I loathe the Unley shopping mall, it stinks of Woolworths and roast poultry. It is full of lame shops peddling overpriced goods beneath garish lights and gaudy shop fixtures. Yet still it draws the hordes, inviting them to sit within the sky-lit interior and bask under the scrutiny of eyes that wield black-rimmed glasses, or dodge haughty ethereal blondes pushing rickety trolleys past discount mensware shops, leaving black Gucci shadows in their wake.
Hmm, Lisa B reports that there has been another police attendance to our block. Upon hearing this, I immediately went next door to discover the cause, only to be disappointed by their absence. I wonder what is going on? I have my theories, but I won't speculate in this space.
[Embed fonts]posted by peter at 11:18 .......I'm busily marking assignments, and as always this task is taking far longer than it should. I'm amazed by how many students simply ignored the advice I gave them in class and in previous assignment feedback. They are missing out on some really easy marks.
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[Wondrous essay]posted by peter at 14:56 .......Many frustrations have been encountered during my research for an essay on borders, identity and welfare stigma. It sounds horrendous, but I actually have formed a focused question from that theme. The situation would seem to be that just about every academic journal I need is either not stocked by the uni library (on any of the six campuses), or else this fine institution stopped subscribing to the journal one month before my required article, or began subscribing one year after.
My preference really lies with full-text online journals, as then at least I can do all my research from the comfort of my home computer. But sometimes groundbreaking research *coughs violently* requires a little bit more footwork, as well as the odd request for photocopies from the central store.
I'm not going to miss uni one little bit.
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[It's not like I hated it]posted by peter at 12:41 .......Even though falling asleep to a late-night DVD verges on social institution, it is annoying to have to go back and watch the ending the next day. I have to do this with the old Hitchcock film The 39 Steps. Despite the intriguing and thrilling plot, I couldn't keep my eyes open. Oh, the dangers of combining incredible tiredness with a comfy beanbag.
I'm pleased to report that we are no longer the current outcasts in our apartment block! Having raised nary a decibel in recent times, our status as the block's evil, young, possibly unemployed, ghetto trash [insert stereotypical identity markers here, if you need help I'm sure the kind people at #6 can help] folk has been usurped by our immediate neighbours, who were apparently involved in some sort of altercation with #2. The mandatory police attendance occurred and a whole new shroud of nastiness has been cast upon our townhouses.
I'm going to keep well clear of this one.
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[When chocolate isn't]posted by peter at 17:00 .......I've overdosed on vile chocolate syrup today, as for some reason it was used as the basis for a hot chocolate I consumed on the top of Mt Lofty, and then again as the flavour source in an iced chocolate I had at a local cafe. I really hate chocolate syrup – it tastes 100% synthesised. Why can't they use a decent cocoa mixture instead? That would be so much more delicious.
I haven't seen or heard from Sonia for a few days... I wonder what her story is?
It must be noted that I have responded to this current time of stress by simply doing no work on my assignment for the last few days. I think once the stress hits again, my efficiency will be restored.
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[Kroffle]posted by peter at 18:34 .......A strange evening was had last night when we all went back to the wonderful Kroffle for coffee/crepes, and ended up meeting two rather drunk Canadian backpackers and sitting around chatting with them and the owner of the said establishment. All very fun, with some heated discussion about Australia's racist practices and the general level of feralness amongst our citizens. (Hello if you folks are reading this!)
It's worth noting at this point that Australia isn't merely a lovely country at the ends of the earth; we have a whole host of problems that you would encounter anywhere else on the globe. Yes, we do have a ridiculous government that continues to exclude groups within the population, and yes we do have our fair share of people who choose to act inappropriately (according to social constructs), but so does any other country. Even seemingly utopian New Zealand. Sorry if any illusions have been shattered.
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[Look! It's the Big Dipper!]posted by peter at 17:42 .......Something that I find rather embarrassing is when my friends deliberately expose my tendency to exaggerate. I'm prone to exaggeration when making smalltalk, mainly because such conversation is almost predestined to be unexciting, so I figure I may as well spice it up in an effort to make it more engaging and memorable.
The other day I was being friendly to someone I barely knew by agreeing with them that the traffic had been really bad that evening, and I commented that we'd also had quite some difficulty getting through the city. At which point Deb and Lisa B pounced, and emphatically announced that in fact "we did NOT" have any such problems!
I protested by saying that as a matter of fact we had been delayed by many red lights. Deb then pointed out that we hadn't, and that I had actually mentioned in the car my surprise at the smooth run of green lights that we had encountered.
It was at this moment that I realised she was telling the truth and I was in exaggeration mode again.
I think the two girls put the final nail in the coffin by telling me that I shouldn't lie to other people just to make them feel comfortable. Incidentally, the 'other person' was there for this entire exchange.
[More local talent]posted by peter at 13:20 .......Literally bursting with interesting things is Jai's terrific website. You will spend some time there, won't you?
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[Interact with the machine]posted by peter at 15:33 .......The question has to be asked: would I suffer less psychological damage from sitting at my computer for such extended lengths of time if it were not encased in ugly beige plastic, but instead packaged up nicely as a sleek little notepad, possibly with a bit of iBook-style embellishment and maybe even some brushed steel? Actually no, brushed steel is potentially lame.
As I said, the question had to be asked.
[Of the morning]posted by peter at 12:16 .......My goodness, how Deb misunderstood the very few, very expensive things concept. But I possibly prefer her interpretation.
My mum visited me this morning, an all too infrequent event in this day and age (unsuprising when you consider that my parents live in the desert, more or less). We spent a most pleasant morning strolling the streets of Unley, chatting and lolling about in my house.
All good things must end and I am now out at uni for a day of sociological delights.
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[Ways to spend money]posted by peter at 23:04 .......I'm a big believer in the very few, very expensive things concept. Seriously, why shouldn't I eventually have a Burberry suit, a Villeroy and Boch dinner set and a Moran sofa? And why stop there? I'll have an apartment in Manhattan, one in Hong Kong and an energy efficient house in Melbourne too, thanks. It's not very many things, but they're all expensive.
[The day began well]posted by peter at 14:10 .......Three levels of disappointment were applicable to the food I purchased from a cafe in Brighton today. Firstly, the coffee was bitter and lacked froth. Secondly, the vegetarian lasagne had clearly been whisked out of the fridge and dumped unceremoniously in the microwave, as evidenced by the thermal inconsistencies within (think boiling hot contiguous to creepily cool regions). Finally, my chocolate macadamia mudcake was only resurrected from the pits of poor texture and unsettling aftertaste by the actual macadamias themselves, which were delicious. All in all, probably not worth the financial investment, but at least the company was great.
The church that I attended this morning seems to be big on symbolic visual activities. I've deduced this from my occasional attendances, as I've been treated to plays, films, multimedia and other such aesthetic aids from time to time. I think the minister subscribes to the theory that people better remember things – and perhaps derive more meaning from them – if there is some sort of visual element. Which is probably true. Since today was the national day of mourning for the Bali tragedy, we all lit candles and placed them in trays of sand near the altar. Mozart's requiem swirled/thundered through its melancholic course while various Biblical passages were projected onto a large screen. In this reflective setting I was reminded of just how detached I've become from world events.
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[Who can resist a good acronym?]posted by peter at 23:42 .......Well it's time for another Internet scripting language bitching session. I'm working with ASP at the moment, developing an Internet television station. Which is all very well, but I cannot express how much I detest crappy VBScript. Theoretically it should be fine, because it's quite similar to Lingo, which I'm reasonably proficient at coding. However, with VBScript I'm finding all sorts of little quirks that are proving very frustrating and producing some highly esoteric results. I think that after working with the wonderful PHP, tackling ASP seems like a giant leap backwards. I'm sure there are all sorts of arguments and counter-arguments for the use of both languages, and I probably haven't had enough experience to make a valid judgement, but at this stage PHP wins hands-down.
As for Lingo, I'll take ActionScript instead any day, thanks very much.
[Perhaps if it were cordon bleu]posted by peter at 15:19 .......Sandra paid $95 for a pizza, three salads and one or two garlic breads from Marcellina's last night. This absolutely reeks of rip-off to me.
[Vernacular]posted by peter at 15:12 .......How embarrassing. I discovered last night that I've been mispronouncing the word 'proboscis' for my entire life. I've been sounding the 'c' – as one does when saying 'meniscus'. So last night I'm going on about Mothra and her creepy proboscis, when both Deb and Lisa B immediately seize upon my mispronunciation and promptly enlighten me. Fortunately it's a word that does not frequently grace my sentences, but I must have sounded so thick for all those years.
It is very sad to say, but I have to admit at this point that I was pronouncing 'gratuitous' incorrectly until about a year ago. I have Cousin Lisa to thank for shedding some light on that situation.
Meanwhile, filthy Ange has complained that I use too many verbose terms in my blog posts. She can help herself. :)
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[What happened]posted by peter at 11:37 .......OK, so it wasn't the gunman, but apparently there was some sort of weapon involved and someone has been detained. It's been stated that there is no link between this incident and Monday's shooting. But it's all very strange.
[More news via email]posted by peter at 11:07 .......This could be completely untrue but the latest news is that the Women's and Children's Hospital has been entirely locked down and surrounded by police... Apparently the gunman from Monday is inside... I can't find any news on the radio, so who would know? If this is the case, I'm really glad that I didn't have to work today...
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[I won't do this again]posted by peter at 18:58 .......I chose a particularly bad combination of foodstuffs for lunch today. The sushi I started with was absolutely delicious, with loads of yummy vegetables and, perhaps most importantly, tender nori that was actually possible to bite through. The soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger functioned in their usual manner as splendid accompaniments.
However, I followed the sushi with a semolina muffin. I've been mildly addicted to these in previous weeks, enjoying not only their texture, but also the flaked almonds on the top and the filo pastry encasing the base. Sadly, today's was just that little bit too syrupy, resulting in a muffin that was wet instead of moist, and sickly saccharine instead of pleasantly sweet. And I felt rather ill very soon afterwards. I guess it can be dangerous to combine cuisines that are, quite literally, a world apart.
Later in the afternoon I consumed a wedge of banana cake, and later still, some delicious Haigh's scorched almonds. I wonder what I'll have for dinner?
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[Tax funded jeans]posted by peter at 23:02 .......This gorgeous Spring weather is not conducive to study. Why is it that the busiest part of the uni calendar always seems to coincide with the best weather?
You wouldn't believe what a struggle it has been to find a decent pair of jeans. I know roughly what I'm looking for, but I just can't seem to find it. I really should have bought a pair when I was in Hong Kong at the beginning of the year, as they had the coolest clothes there. Yes, I know that I didn't get any Bathing Ape when I had the chance either, and I've been kicking myself ever since. Anyway, it would seem from the pairs that I've tried on that my thighs are too thunderous for the current tapered cut. That's what comes of obsessive hill climbing and whatnot. But I shan't give up, as somewhere out there are the jeans of my dreams. I can feel it.
I love the fact that my tax return came back in just a little over a week. A new pair of jeans was just a highly abstract theroetical concept before that.
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[Not the end of violence]posted by peter at 21:37 .......Various factors relating to yesterday's tragic events made work very difficult today. Not only was security heightened to an almost unprecedented level, but there was also the persistent thought of a disaffected criminal wielding a semi-automatic handgun being still at large in the community. Of course there was also the sadness associated with death, and the anger associated with murder. All rather unpleasant, and the mood at work was, as you'd expect, quite sombre.
[www.tizer.blerk.org]posted by peter at 00:09 .......I'm most excited to announce the launch of www.tizer.blerk.org: the lovely new online journal that I designed for my friend Deb. Check it out! :)
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[What next?]posted by peter at 15:54 .......As if the bombing in Bali wasn't distressing and revolting enough, apparently the head of my division at work has been shot and killed in the city.
What a time to be alive :(
[I think it's called greed]posted by peter at 09:58 .......Chris emailed me a very entertaining insight into the cashless student existence (mind you, he is working full time now)... I just had to post it:
i too would very much like to simply come across a massive sum of money. the urge not to spend all the money i'm saving on books, movies, music, clothing and good food and and drink is tres hard. i've decided i want to become a house husband. and if one were to manage that properly one wouldn't need to actually do all the housework as the incredibly rich wife would be able to afford to pay someone to clean the house and clothes and such. all i would need to do is make myself look beautiful, and create magical culinary delights for my darling to come home to, and i would hover dotingly around, and make sure everything was divine. oh, gender role reversals please come find me, not to say this is how women are/should be now, but i think i would like it. i would get bored and take to opening bottles of wine at 10am, and write maudlin poetry, and dance around in boxer shorts to jazz, and the hired help would look on in disbelief. i would order bottles of absinth from europe, and drink them whilst pondering thinking about writing the book[s] in my head.
Maybe it's just our generation.
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[Up at 8am on a Saturday]posted by peter at 11:35 .......I accomplished so many things yesterday. Let me list them:
-I got some blue sheets to cover my couches, after finally finding some that were sufficiently cheap. Unfortunately their apparent colour, as observed in the store, seems rather different in the context of my home. Periwinkle anyone?
-This is about the best thing: I got a brand new copy of Breaking the Waves on video for only $4.95 from a book sale. This is my favourite film of all time! The DVD isn't available in Australia, so video was my only option, and I picked up a bargain. How exciting!
-Deb and I climbed Mt Lofty. She'd never done it before, and like seemingly everyone else, I suspect she may now be addicted to the climb. During our ascent we even bumped into Sonia as she was coming down the mountain... it's a real community spirit up there, everyone says "hello".
-I found what is potentially my new favourite beer. Hoegaarden. It has sort of a bubblegum aftertaste. Can't go wrong with that.
-Visited some funky nightspots and even managed a midnight felafel.
If all my days could be so productive!
[Fun with credit]posted by peter at 11:22 .......Sometimes peer pressure can be healthy – I've scored a splendid tshirt out of it, thanks to the efforts of Deb and Trish.
The bad thing about credit cards is that you do actually have to pay for the items purchased with them. It's easy to forget that.
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[Tragic cabaret]posted by peter at 09:55 .......Late at night in the city it's not uncommon to come across a fairly tall, semi-elegantly dressed woman with short bleached hair standing in a building recess and singing cabaret into the deserted thoroughfares. She wheels around her sound system, sets up the microphone and music stand, and sings her heart out into the city's dead heart. There's something particularly lonesome about the whole scene – I'd love to know her story. I suspect that it would be either a heartwrenching tale of desperation and loneliness, or the hopeful gushings of a cabaret wannabe. Whatever the case, I hope she's enjoying herself.
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[Very annoying]posted by peter at 17:32 .......Switching out of navel-gazing mode now, I just want to say that Blogger's archiving is causing me no end of trouble at the moment. It is so unreliable, so don't be surprised if the odd post is missing from the archives. It is failing nearly every time I publish, and I don't always have time to republish over and over again in an attempt to sort it out.
[Back]posted by peter at 17:23 .......Well here I am, out at Magill again and about to deliver the first tutorial of the final term of the year. I thought these late starts (6pm) might be a bit crap, however they haven't turned out too badly, apart from the appalling bus connections. But this isn't about nostalgia and reflection. I simply cannot wait for this year to be over. Time just can't pass quickly enough – I can barely even wait for this week to end.
The trouble is that I'm quite clearly wishing my life away. Living for a few weeks of travel and the odd weekend is a bit of a depressing way to spend one's time. I keep telling myself that it will be better once I finish uni, but realistically, I've set similar milestones all my life and I've learnt not to rely on them. I guess my question is this: why can't I be the recipient of some vast sum of money? I'd be an excellent member of the idle rich. I'd do them proud.
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[Computer music]posted by peter at 20:09 .......Without trying to be pessimistic, I have to question whether I've missed the IT boat, and whether I'm going to be a tad overqualified with two degrees at the end of this year. Hopefully neither will be the case.
It was a pleasant surprise to bump into 'Milky' at tonight's songwriting awards. I think her real name's Katie, but I couldn't be sure. In any case, she's always proved to be an enormous amount of fun, so I welcomed the opportunity for a chat in between serving drinks to various attendees, many of whom couldn't believe that they were being given refreshments for free. Genuine excitement was displayed by the winners, which lent an air of authenticity and charm to the occasion.
[Whitehouse]posted by peter at 08:51 .......I am attempting to transform our townhouse into a palace of white. Unfortunately the red and brown mottled 70s brick that comprises 75% of the wall space doesn't make my task any easier. Thankfully the kitchen and bathroom promote my concept, as do the carefully placed cyclamen, dish rack and other utensils/appliances. Hmmm, the revolting curtains and exposed beams also go against the vision. Sometimes I think it would be nice to own a house and thus have free reign over the interior, but I probably never will.
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[Give to Caesar]posted by peter at 21:49 .......A big pat on my own back for finally getting my act together and finishing my tax return. I'm about to submit it electronically, and can expect somewhere in the vicinity of $150 to be refunded to me. Which is a far cry from the hundreds of dollars I had unrealistically envisaged.
I encountered a very rude taxi driver last night when I caught a cab from Glenelg to Ascot Park. I found him difficult to understand, and obviously somehow upset him through my ignorance of the road networks in that area, despite the fact that I was perfectly friendly and polite. He was such a rude git; I felt like telling him that it wasn't actually my job to navigate the city streets at night when I'd hired the services of a taxi driver.
Cousin Lisa's quasi folk festival was a lot of fun, if a bit low on attendance. Not that I minded the small gathering – on the contrary it was wonderful entertainment – but I think I'd imagined a much bigger crowd and hence was geared up for socialising on a larger scale, and not mentally prepared for the more intimate occasion that unfolded.
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[Large appliances]posted by peter at 12:44 .......Fortunately we were able to move the fridge without difficulty. Sam had cleaned it up and left it in his garage, and Sonia had secretly planted a key, so it was just a matter of loading it onto a trailer and driving it home. And taking the speed bumps very carefully. Lisa's got all her stuff in the house now, so it's the beginning of yet another housemate cycle!
Angie's party last night was sensational. It was at a beachfront surf club in Grange – an area I haven't been to since I was in year 4. After the glimpses I caught in the dark, I'm rather keen to go back sometime and check it all out. I wouldn't mind exploring Port Adelaide a bit more as well.
People really got into the costume thing last night, which really made the evening. We took a minibus taxi to the party, and we must have looked quite a sight, what with Genghis Kahn, Hello Kitty, a Swiss Milk 'Maid' (top effort Shane!), and representatives of Cameroon, Malaysia and Peru in the vehicle. The level of creativity and thought imbued within the costumes was impressive!
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[Bugs, gardens, houses and Peru]posted by peter at 14:39 .......The underside of my left foot is still discoloured from the millipede I accidentally squashed the other day. It had crawled inside my shoe, which I subsequently wore. Even though I felt a foreign object when I walked, I completely ignored it, and only later did I discover the crushed body of the creature. It stained my foot through my sock.
This morning I marched in an anti-war protest in the city. There was a good turnout, but I didn't bother staying around to hear the speeches etc.
Even earlier this morning, Jess, Melita, Lauma and I went to the ABC Carpark Caper. Essentially what occurs is that the carpark of the ABC building at Collinswood is filled with stalls selling many different types of plants. It is immensely popular, and at times it was difficult to move in the crush that formed in the rush for the last clivia. Not as fun as the Carrick Hill fair, but interesting nonetheless.
Deb moved everything out of the house today. It's all so vacant and empty – rather sad as a matter of fact. Fortunately Lisa moves in tomorrow, so no doubt she'll restore life and vitality to the place!
Tonight I will be attending Angie's 21st... dressed as a Peruvian with bonafide clothing brought back from the said country. No doubt it will be fun.
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[ :) ]posted by peter at 22:01 .......Oh yeah, I bought a new mouse for my computer!
[Exhausted]posted by peter at 22:01 .......I got heckled by Tasmanians today. I was leaving my building after work, listening to The Flaming Lips quite loudly on my Discman (don't worry, the automatic volume limiter thing was switched on). I was vaguely aware of a commotion of sorts, but ignored it until I heard someone nearby loudly scream "nice shoes". I was wearing my red and yellow Asics, which often attract comments. Apparently the fact that I didn't hear and therefore didn't respond to the comments rendered me some form of lowlife, as immediately afterwards I was subjected to not only a barrage of obscenities, but also to stares and gestures.
The culprits were two Tasmanian guys, clearly here for the University Games which have been occurring in Adelaide this week. They were holding beer bottles and were intoxicated to the point of being repulsive.
Help yourself to offensive tourism.
I am so out of my mind with tiredness, and I'm still finishing off this stinking assignment, and now I don't think I can even submit it because the electronic submission thing is down.
Lastly, I just wanted to mention the city Harris Scarfe store, which I visited today. It's so dodgy and crusty, but there's something endearing and exciting about the jumble of commodities sold throughout the labyrinthine building. So many childhood memories of visits to the city (where they actually had real video game consoles) came flooding back!
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[Should I confess this?]posted by peter at 22:22 .......One of the reasons I should think twice before running out and buying a nice notebook computer is that I have a tendency to damage my peripherals when I become frustrated with some aspect of the computer's functionality. I've been known to occasionally belt my keyboard, and thus it is now partially broken. I destroyed one mouse by throwing it against a brick wall, and another (just then actually) by whacking it against the desk. This sounds so inappropriate and feral, so I will now attempt to justify such actions:
1. These items are relatively inexpensive, thus I may as well break them if they annoy me...
2. It's good to direct anger into something that doesn't hurt other people...
3. It really is rather good stress release!On the downside it makes me look like I have an anger management problem, and it is inconvenient when I have to temporarily repair things with sticky tape until I get a chance to buy a replacement.
Doubtless a notebook computer would refuse to suffer such abuse, responding in such dramatic ways as developing dead pixels, cracking the LCD and generally imploding. Sure, Deb's dropped hers plenty of times, but I think there's a limit to their capacity for shock absorption.
[The situation is this:]posted by peter at 20:07 .......A 1,500 word web page, should be finished tonight or tomorrow night. 3 x 500 word journal entries. Will probably leave them to the last minute. One 2,000 word essay, most likely will complete it one or two nights before it's due. One Internet television station, ASP driven and full of glorious features. Met with Josh tonight to start planning it. This may be the only assignment that I'll be motivated for.
This weekend I have a DVD night, a garden expo, an anti-war protest, a 21st, a BBQ and a faux-folk festival. Not to mention a new housemate, and the question of when on Earth I'll get a chance to move my fridge here.
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[Aftermath]posted by peter at 22:47 .......The end of a day of waiting. Pleasant enough, but quite a lot of waiting occurred. Not that I particularly minded; I had a good book to read.
I've just come back from Jess' place – we drank wine, ate chocolate and watched The Red Violin. Quite an interesting and enjoyable film. Unremarkable but good nonetheless.
[Edith Wharton]posted by peter at 22:43 .......Read this amazing passage from The Age of Innocence:
The immense accretion of flesh which had descended on her in middle life like a flood of lava on a doomed city had changed her from a plump active little woman with a neatly-turned foot and ankle into something as vast and august as a natural phenomenon.
It continues further down:
A flight of smooth double chins led down to the dizzy depths of a still-snowy bosom veiled in snowy muslins that were held in place by a miniature portrait of the late Mr. Mingott; and around and below, wave after wave of black silk surged away over the edges of a capacious armchair, with two tiny white hands poised like gulls on the surface of the billows.
Genius!!
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