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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

I love his broody face the best, that’s when he looks his most handsome. Smiling is nice especially when he is smiling at me. Blush. But, no, it’s the broody, or thinking, face where his face becomes triangular and his ears point... it is adorable.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Grey wet cold dark,
the expressions on faces;
life's peak-hour bleak

The beating of the earth.
Faces peer through bus windows;
it's a modern world.

The grey coastline
wanders by the silent sea.
Dip toes in life again.

Friday, August 27, 2010

He Just Seemed Like A Privileged Brat

The Cousins documentary wasn't that shocking, it wasn't very confronting, no matter how many times the television station says it for publicity, it doesn't make it so.

He just seemed like a privileged brat who enjoyed his drugs and his money and his good times, which the powers that be didn't like.

Mark came over while I was watching it and said, Do we have to watch boguns with money?

It was just a PR exercise, anyway. Ben's now left football and he's drumming up interest in him as a brand and it is the only story he has to tell. It's an act of contrition for whatever is in store for him in the future.

Then we have to have another panel of "experts" giving their opinion, towing the line of perceived societal views. It kind of dawned on me that the panel's kids, if the not the panel itself, have probably done the same thing, just that they don't have a high enough profile, or weren't pretty enough, for anyone to be interested, or they haven't been caught.

It was pretty dull to tell you the truth. We turned it over and watched something else.

He did look pretty dancing in his undies grabbing his cock. They all looked like they were having a good time in the home movies.

The crime that isn't a crime. The victimless crime because everyone partaking are willing. Ben had to act contrite because he was trying to save his income, his career.

How many of the AFL players do you think take recreational drugs? 50% 80% I reckon it wouldn't be far off.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

I use all the cute names for Santo. Pumpkin, sunshine, it gives me perverse pleasure. I say it ironically. It makes me laugh and makes me feel alive with the world.
Well, perhaps not alive with the world, more laughing at it, ha, ha.
He smiles and his eyes sparkle and he tilts his head. I love it that his expression still has some of the you-are-mad about it, still. Forever. He doesn't usually respond. He just looks at me and smiles.

But, sometimes I hear myself say it. Off  guard, automatic, off the cuff. Not deliberate. And I sound just like every revolting couple who I've, mentally, chastised every time I've heard them using the same, cutesy, names. May a house fall on your mother.

And, then I reassure myself that I'm not that person and I vow to fight against it in future. Say it, but say it when you mean it.

I don't want you to become a cliche. I want you to stay as fresh and exciting as you are now.

... pumpkin.

Monday, August 23, 2010

More Crazy talk

I said to Shane. "You know, the next best person for Prime Minister, let's face it, is Malcolm Turnbull." There's hardly an excess of talent in the political arena. "So, the Libs can have a shot next, with him at the helm."
Shane thought for a minute, then shook his head. He backed away from me, as his eyes opened and took me in. "A Liberal govt... that's what you are saying?"
How much difference would you say there is between the two major political parties?
"We need Julia as PM this time around, if for no other reason than for the impersonators who are going to pop up. I've heard some who have just cracked me up already."

Not that I'll be voting Liberal any time soon. But, you know, if the people who actually matter in our elections, those in the marginal seats, want to throw Labour out, do it at the next election, when Big Ears hasn't a hope of ruling.

I live in the electorate of Melbourne and we've already spoken. Well done guys. You know, I don't really care about global warming, I don't have any kids. The first fifty years of this century will, by all accounts, probably be okay, but increasingly it's not looking too bright for the second half of the century. But just thinking logically, it is clearly the most pressing problem the world faces today. Making more money for the small number of people who own all of the wealth is becoming less important. The people are going to have to speak up on this issue, and in Melbourne they have. Come on the rest of the country, catch up.

But, I think Malcolm Turnbull is a good guy. That's all I'm saying.

Poor old Julia, huh? Minority government? Seems to be a trend around the world. Tasmania. England. The people are speaking, they are tired of not being listened to. They are tired of the political spin. They are tired of politics by numbers. Let's face it, The Rudd government was elected on environmental issues as one of the hot political topics. And what did they do with it? They gave it a shot, at best. They dropped it when it got to difficult, as they veered to the right in their leaning.

Nothing else is going to matter, if the planet dies. That much I do know.

But, did you hear Kevin Rudd's electorate win speech? He did go on... and on. Buddy, that's why we dumped you as leader. What are you saying?

David, who is absolutely clueless when it comes to politics - couldn't, once, name the Prime Minister or what political party was in power - said, "Oh it was fine. There was a sex party, so I voted for that."

Sunday, August 22, 2010

The Face Of Insanity

Stop this crazy talk

Oh, my dirty secret about Tony Abbott? The one I admitted to Shane one night late on vodka and pot.
"You know, sometimes, when I look at him, I find I can have dirty thoughts about him, before I check myself, before I pull myself up."
"What?" slurred Shane, from his slumped position on the other couch.
"It just happens, before I know it, first sight and all."
"You fancy..." he looked like he'd rather vomit than repeat what he, incredulously, took my point to mean.
"He's a good looking man."
"Tony Abbott?" Big eyes and expression.
"Funnily enough, only in his suit, never in the Lycra business. He looks a dick on the beach. But shirt and ties, in a suit, some of them fit him mighty fine, he looks healthy, physical, as they say, fit."
"He is Satan personified!"
"He's got big dick attitude."
"May I remind you of his political theories."
"Cute smile, even if, oddly, I find his laugh quite distracting."
"You must stop this crazy talk." Shane sat up on the couch and gave me his full gaze. "Tony Abbott is not cute and you must never talk of this again."
"I'd like to be staring him in the eye, as I undid the fly to his suit."
Just to see all of his catholic guilt well in his eyes. I'm sure it's suit, school uniform, school days, welling guilt. Most likely.
"People have been asked to leave this house and live else where for such heresy." Shane said. "By you... but it's your house."
"I'd like to slide his suit pants down over his arse. He's super fit. Great body."
Shane had put his fingers in his ears.
"Of course, the moment he spoke, it would be all over. That voice, that laugh. There is something slightly insane about it. It's not hot. He'd tell me what he thought, I'd go soft."

Shane had his fingers in his ears and was making la la noises.

Shane's the only person I ever told. Just sometimes, when I look at him, caught off guard quite possibly. You know, that oo! in the pit of your stomach. Shane grimaced.
I tried to broach it with Santo, but the look on his face even at the merest suggestion, was enough to tell me not to proceed. He looked like some one had just taken a crap on his hand, at the suggestion that Tony Abbott might be sexy.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

I think I know what I want, no big ears!

Santo is funny. "I can't even look at Mr Big Ears, he hurts my eyes. So, I could never vote for him."

"Don't you want to see him in his speedos, just one more time?" I flickered my tongue like a snake.

(I have a dirty little secret about Tony Abbott, but Shane has made me swear never to speak it out loud again)

"How can you be worried about one more time in those things? If he wins, I have to deal with his ears for 4 years. I will go crazy :("

So, I emailed him a picture of Big ears in his speedos

"Euw, that pic so distracting. That needs to come with a health warning! I have to think of Daniel Craig, James bond, in his, sexy! when I look at big ear's photo."

So, I emailed him a photo of Daniel Craig grabbing his crotch.

"Love it!! Sexy! You see, good ears and a body to die for :)"

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Will you turn into a little shit every time I upset you?

Oh, you know, they are great while they are great, still fresh enough to do as they are told, but when they turn, grrrr!

Santo and I had a fight, over a stupid thing really. I said no to meeting him after work, after his haircut, when he has waited for me on various occasions, for varying length of time. I said I'd meet him at my place, not that I wouldn't meet him at all. It's an easy walk, it's just that we normally do it together.
I apologise not ten minutes later when he voiced his displeasure. Said I was sorry and that I would meet him. But no, that wasn't good enough, the injury was committed, it would take a long time to forget. It gives him a greater insight into the sort of man that I really am. No, too late.

He just hung onto it for twenty four hours, until I asked him if he was going to turn into a little shit every time I upset him, because I probably would lots of times if he and I are heading any where. That seemed to bump him out of his anger.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Nice counter move, he’s given this some thought

Santo and I have lunch at the Korean restaurant in Lonsdale Street. It's a favourite. It has tacky pop star, beauty model, game show type videos playing continuously on the large screen on the wall and laminex tables, but the food is great.
“Spicy Pork, please,” I ask.
Santo looks at me as if to say what else would you have? I always have spicy pork. I can be a little bit, shall we say, "settled" in my culinary choices, some may say unadventurous, but, you know, when it ain't broke...
He rolls his eyes after he’d asks me to get cutlery, as he gets the water, when the only thing I came back with is chop sticks. Well, it’s an Asian restaurant, I think. You know, when in Rome... Seoul. Apparently, even they use spoons and serviettes. (icon with a wink) He has the cutest way of rolling his eyes, some may say that I is deliberately remiss in my accoutrement collection just to see that. (grin) Oh, I don’t know, there is something gratifying about being fussed over, even if it is as a result of an, apparently, mindless omission.

While we were eating, Mr Temperance League himself makes the startling admission of, actually, feeling the effect of the joint I personally fed him at dinner Sunday night at D’s. He tells me deadpan with a slight, coy smile just curling into the corner of his mouth. The usual story of not feeling anything followed with finger waggling, apparently, gave way to wanting to suggest that we headed upstairs for a moment, or two.
“Really?” I say. (Big smile) “So it does get in, huh?”
He smiles coyly, again, as though he’s said too much, let the genie out of the bottle that he knows he won’t have a hope of returning to its dark chamber. He knows that much with this line of conversation.

“So, you’ve changed your tune,” I add confidently, as we leave the restaurant. “So, I’m not going to get dumped any time soon for the gunger I might consume.”
"So you think that means it's okay?"
"Sure do, sunshine." I pull my cheekiest look. "Pretty damn confident."
He smiles.
“Welcome to the dark side, babe.”
He looks mock exasperated, but I catch the twinkle in his eye.
“And to think I felt guilty about influencing you to smoke it.”
“You know the problem I have with it is the health issue... you know, the smoking thing.”
“Oh, you’re lungs will still be shell pink...”
"But where will it lead to..."
"Spoken like the words were lifted directly from the Liberal Party fear pamphlet."
“And the cost... all that money.”
I raise my hands in the air. “Just occasionally.”
“It’s been every week for you.”
“Better than every day.”
He rolls his eyes again, but is still smiling. I get a little twinge at the utter cuteness of the facial movement and I can tell by the look on his face looking at me that he knows he has now lost on this issue. I put my arm around him in a self congratulatory show of affection to him, the looser. He smiles at me lovingly in recognition of his defeat.

We turn into Queen Street and are heading towards Bourke. I look at the time.
“Come on.” I take his hand.
“Where are we going?”
“You have to ask?”
“Oh,” he says.

We push through the revolving door. The foyer is busy with people, I do hope none are going to get in the way.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I say, gazing at its unblemished green paintwork.
“It’s old.”
“No, it’s beautiful.”
Smile. “It’s old.”
“Just say it’s beautiful and we can leave.”
Eye twinkle. “It’s old.”
“You had better come around to the back and look then.”
He smiles and looks at me with his handsome face. “To see her fine lines.“
“The best vantage point to view her from... just like you.”
He smiles his warm smile, kind of looks at me through the tops of his eyes.
“You have to admit she’s beautiful.”
He tilts his head. “It’s old.”
“You’d better come around to the front then.”
“To pay our respect.”
I take him by the arm.
“To pay our respect, now you understand?”
He smiles again.
I gesture with my hand, like a game show hostess, towards the front of the car, as we stand in front of it. I try to imagine that stylish front whirring along a sunny country road sparkling in the 1950’s sunlight, the sweet hum of the 6 cyl engine, the fine burble of the exhaust note as the trees waves at its passing, as the fallen leaves scatter across the bitumen behind it.
He smiles, as he stares straight ahead.
“Say she’s beautiful.”
“She’s old.”
I take him by the arm and guide him back towards Bourke Street.
“You have to admit it is beautiful. How can you not?”
“It’s...” the revolving door seals him into his compartment and spins him towards the street and I don’t hear the end of his sentence.

He is waiting on the foot path for me, I turn towards the office.
“Now, you have to come with me,” he says.
“Yes, really.”
We walk to the edge of the RACV building and turn down the lane way next door.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
We walk down the gentle incline to Little Collins Street, and turn right.
“Just along here,” he says.
“Along here.”
We come to a stop in front of the French bakery, with exquisite delights in the window. Beautiful cakes. Gorgeous petite fours. Dazzling pastries.
“Now, look at these,” he says. “Aren’t they beautiful?”
I’m impressed. Nice counter move, he’s given this some thought. I look at him, he smiles. I think I like him even a little bit more.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Miracle, smiracle!

"It was a miracle and we have to give thanks to God, that only one person died," said San Andres governor Pedro Gallardo.

It always amuses me, that we thank god for not killing more people.

"Yeah, well, thanks god, why did you crash that plane we needed? And why did you kill Amar Fernandez de Barreto, he was a good man and his family will miss him. You're a cunt, god, you know that."

Monday, August 16, 2010

I'm sorry mate, but I think the planet is doomed

I walked out of the Sunny Bakery with my 2 pork rolls and my apple cake. There was the cute boy who I saw on the way in, talking to another guy. I smiled. He smiled. I smiled again. He had on a Greenpeace windcheater and held a clip board in his hand.
He smiled again. "Have you heard of Greenpeace?" he asked.
"I'm sorry mate, but I think the planet is doomed."
"It's never too late to do something," he said.
I turned as I passed him and spoke as I walked backwards.
"I think it is."
"Nooooo," he said.
I turned away from his (fading) smiling, questioning face and headed to my car.

He actually sounded devastated by my answer. Oh, good on him for being passionate. Applause. I guess, I should have stopped and had the discussion with him.
What exactly are we saving?
At any given moment, half the world doesn't have fresh water or food while the other half are eating themselves to death. Half the world hates the other half. A very small number of the world’s population controls a large portion of the world's assets and they will do anything to keep it that way, include watch the starving die. Even the "haves" lie and cheat each other for gain.
A group of bankers made money at the expense of everyone else on this planet in the subprime mortgage debacle and they felt so terrible about what they'd done, they did it again with the Greek financing disaster.
We have polluted our air, our soil and our earth. We've well and truly crapped in our own nests, even those "less enlightened beings" have enough sense not to do that. And in the shit fight that ensues in the demise of the human race, we'll be lying and cheating even harder to get more of what little is left ahead of the next person. The solve the world's imminent environmental problems we have to come between man and money, which has never been successful in any previous age.
You know, we haven't done such a great job.
Maybe it's time to give the cock roaches a go.

The sun was finally shining. We should enjoy it while it lasts, I thought.

I pointed my keys at my car and the door locks went clunk. I flipped the door handle and climbed inside. The engine gurgled with a throaty exhaust note. I clicked on the blinker and flicked the steering wheel and the car shot out into the traffic and I accelerated up Smith Street towards home.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Friday, August 13, 2010

Beautiful, said Santo

We had lunch at the GPO. We were going to roll our own sushi, it had always looked like fun, but that restaurant was full to over flowing and our, usual, Japanese restaurant, next door, had tables to burn. Literally, matches anyone?
I love that alleyway at lunch time, it is very cool, it matches the chicness of Japanese food - Victorian architecture, Japanese cuisine, fusion. Nothing quite so gorgeous.

Then we headed to Myer so Santo could buy new "beauty products," as he calls them. How over the top white can a department floor get, it reminded me of those minimalist friends of Edina. I wanted sunglasses. Santo's usual moisturiser and facial scrub were packaged in a handy (striped, cliched masculine) carry bag, as he kept pointing out to me, with a third skin product, of some sort, all priced at the same price as just the moisturiser on its own, so it was a bargain.
“And you get the bag for free.”
I suspect I should have been impressed.
"But, it's just landfill, let's face it."
"I was going to give it to you," he said without missing a beat.

But then, there was the two hundred dollar bag that had everything in it. Oh decisions, decisions.

Suddenly, my face felt a little dry, so I availed myself of the testers on the counter, as Santo made his choices. By the time I had applied the third moisturiser, Santo said, “You don’t do it like that, you put it on your hand, you see, like this. You don't put it directly onto your face.”
“Why? What can happen?”
“You may not like one of them.”
“Then I could go wash it off, surely?” I smiled. “It’s not like my face is going to explode, now is it?”
He shook his head. He thought I was a philistine, I could tell by the look on his face. He laughed, "You don't get it, do you?"
I had on eight different moisturisers by the time I was finished. I'd tried all the testers.
"Feel my skin," I said. "I can feel the improvement already."

Then, as the shop assistant rang up the sale, there was another special, if you bought two, or more, products, you got a free whatsit. Apparently, three tubes of goo in one carry bag only counts as one product and not three. I mean, I did really understand that, but I was just playing dumb. Santo shook his head again and rolled his eyes at me. So, suddenly, there were more decisions to be made. I told him he was mad when he reached for the second carry bag of tubes, just to get, what seemed like, repeats of what he'd already got.
"But, it's free stuff," he said.
"There's nothing free in this world, babe."
Apparently, do you believe it, I'm too cynical.
"You are a marketers dream."
He held his finger to his mouth, as his eyes giddily took in the products and the promises.

We were walking back up Bourke Street, we'd just crossed over Queen Street. We were at the new super stop tram stop pedestrian crossing when I glanced across the road.
I looked back and smiled at him.
"What?" he said.
I took hold of his hand and said, "Come on."
I guided him across the crossing.
He laughed. "No, no, we don’t have time. You are going to make me late."
"Oh, there is always time, don’t be silly. It will be changed over very soon."
"Is your boss okay with you being back late?"
"Perfectly," I said. "The salt mines will function just fine for the extra five minutes that I'm not there."

There was a crowd of people in the foyer as we pushed the revolving door to the entrance to the RACV Club.
"There she is," I said. "Beautiful."
The beautiful green Bristol in the foyer, and I don't think we had dropped in to pay our respects this week, as yet...
"Beautiful," said Santo.
"Don’t you think she is more beautiful than any other day?"
"Of course," said Santo. "More beautiful."

"Just like you." I reached over and touched the bag his new moisturisers were in and grinned. He smiled and motioned towards the door with a head flick.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

I was walking down Bourke Street

I was walking down Bourke Street this morning when a man coming the other way held my gaze and smiled and said, “Good morning.” In a friendly kind of just passing way, not in a wanting something kind of way, I thought.

“Good morning,” I said.

He was a big man, with a face like a basket ball, you know, a big round head with a smile. He was well dressed, in a casual hoodie and jeans kind of way, well groomed with short hair. He had that just washed kind of look about him. He was clean-shaven.

“Excuse me, sir,” I heard, when I had not taken more than a few steps passed him. Well spoken, correct grammar and pronunciation.

I turned back in his direction to see that he was already facing in mine.

“Can I ask you a big favour?”

I’m not sure that I thought, here we go, then and there. I would have normally, but it was morning and I hadn’t spoken yet and my mind had not really engaged with the world, in any way - it was already a block ahead in Breadtop with a tray and tongs, to be truthful. I think I cocked my head to listen to what he had to say. Give it your best shot, I'm easy to get along with. He seemed like someone from out of town who was about to ask for directions.

“I’m not a drug addict, or anything like that. I come from a good family, or at least I did...”

Okay, I’ve engaged with you now, penny dropping. I’m understanding what it is that you want. I’ve heard enough to understand the pitch. “No, sorry.” I turned back in the direction I was heading, towards work. Judges decision is final, no correspondence and all that. I walk to work buddy, if I gave to everyone who asked me for a “dime” I’d simply be going to work to support you guys. I have to turn up at the life sucking salt mines every day, why the hell shouldn’t you?

The hill down to Swanston Street stretched out in front of me. The soft glow of the morning radiated all around me. I was thankful I didn't have to ask people for money. No matter what I might think, it must be an awful predicament to be in. I almost felt sorry for the poor chap.

At that point, he J-walked across Bourke Street, hailed a taxi, got in and drove away. I turned and watched the taxi head up Bourke Street turn left into Spring Street and disappear.

I turned back and kept walking. Maybe, I could ask someone for taxifare, myself?

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

My Psychotic Lobster Claw

I have never set foot in Breadtop, as I just knew that I will like it far too much. It is just my kind of cake shop. So me! So, sooooo me. So, I have, thus far, judiciously avoided the place altogether. All of those cake, bread creations in the window to salivate by. Mmm, Mmm! Wondrous creations to get the gastric juices churning by.
Santo and I were wandering down Bourke Street towards work. We hadn’t had breakfast, as he is a “have breakfast at work” type.
“Let’s head in here.” He motioned his handsome face towards the bakery. "And get something."
“What? In here?” I swallowed hard. The as yet denied to me nirvana. Would life ever be the same?
“Yes, we can get a couple of buns for breakfast.”
"Oh, um, okay." Swallow hard again. "If you think so." Swoon.
He slipped through the door, just like that, not noticing my reticence, leaving me, momentarily, giddy with anticipation on the footpath.

You know, I have never seen a pig in, actual, shit, but I’m pretty sure I now have some idea what they must feel like.
Red bean curd, pineapple bun, custard bun, coconut crunch, OH MY! My head spun, my tongs were operating at a level more akin to a psychotic lobster claw.
Even just the smell, it had a certain reverence that would rival the greatest of cathedrals. Inhale deep! And again!

Amazingly, those sausages in buns are not faux and are not even sweet. They are, in fact, savoury. Euw! Well, I don't think I'll be having any of them, any time soon, but it's interesting none the less.

Monday, August 09, 2010

Big smile

SMS. 18.54. Did I tell you I like you alot? - Santo

Life's sweet. Or, what was that rubbish I was spouting this morning? Ah yes, Life's beautiful.

Life is beautiful

The sky is blue, life is beautiful. The cold, brittle shadows of the morning are lifting in all their damp, dark beauty and the dew is beginning to sparkle in the sun's yellow rays.

Ooh, he's feeling poorly, today. If only I hadn't started on that red wine when I got home. Oh, what was I thinking? As if the interminable walk up G Street hadn't told me anything. How does it get that never ending upward arc? Up hill all the way. It's like climb every mountain. No, nothing, it told me nothing. the one foot in front of the other routine. Stagger, stagger. A clue? An idea? No, not for a second. I was straight for the bottle of wine, that's what happened. And after that it all becomes a little fuzzy.

A sweet muffin and a brewed coffee and... ah, life, there you are, I recognise you now.

Life is beautiful, as a sweet muffin and a brewed coffee is all I intend to do today. He, he. Ha, ha. What are the poor people doing? The sad twats? He gazes in the mirror, as he sips his second coffee.

Life is beautiful, it's a positive, fucken, affirmation.

Sunday, August 08, 2010

Sunday Arvo

I piss farted around on my computer for the afternoon. Shane disappeared off to sleep as, as he put it, I think I touched every centimetre of that Crown Hotel room. So, I'm assuming, he didn't get much sleep.

Nicholas called up about three thirty, "Do you want to just get stoned?" he said.
"Sure," I said. Weak as piss, I know. Or, as I like to refer to it, once an enthusiast, always an enthusiast.
"Well, get your arse down here and that can be our drive, over to the dealer. We'll pick mum up on the way as she needs to get a deal too."
Santo shakes his head in disbelief. "The mother too?"

We smoked bongs all afternoon, ate stir fry and schnitzel and watched True Crime Investigations. How many sad stories can there be? It was never ending  tale of horror.
I wanted to watch The Good Wife.

Santo text. How are you? Have you been a good boy?
I've not heard from him again after I text back, We drove to get the mari.
He thinks I'm an addict, he doesn't seem to understand the term "recreational use."
He disapproves. On health grounds.

So, here I am, feeling kind of contented

Santo and I spent a great night together. We ate in Smith Street at my favourite cafe. I had Cajun Prawn Risotto, he had lamb. His looked better, or was that bigger? We watched episodes of Trueblood... it's the first blush of new l...., no, not the L word. You've got to be kidding, what will the punters think? ... anyway, he let me choose what we watched. Sweet, huh? The open fire blazing, the house to ourselves, we fell asleep in each other's arms.
Fucken adorable.

He has a guy at work who keeps asking him if he's gay. I tell him just to say yes, but for whatever reason he doesn't think it is any of this other guy's business. So, as I was kissing him good night, I ran my teeth across the skin on his sweet neck and said I was going to bite him, just to give this other guy something to comment on. He laughed and pulled away... just as my eye teeth broke skin.

Funny thing, I dreamed about crocodiles and Santo woke up saying he dreamed about something biting him, but he couldn't remember what in the soft morning light.

I made us scrambled eggs for breakfast. We sat in the warm morning sun and drank coffee.

By midday, I said I should go take Nicholas driving, so we kissed at the gate and headed in opposite directions. Waving back at each other before we disappeared out of sight.

The sun was warm like rich honey and a gentle breeze blew. When I got to the first corner I thought to myself, You know what, I really need to take a crap and I hate doing that at someone else's house. It shouldn't matter, but, you know, it does. Not that I'd care if someone took a dump in my toilet, however. So, I headed back home and did that.

Then I felt a little tired, contentedly so and thought I'd just sit for a minute, have a smoke on the back veranda. Then I thought, You know what, maybe I'll just wait for Nicholas to call.

And then I felt guilty, like I'd lied to Santo. It was weird, I couldn't relax about it, after that. What do I say to him, Yeah the driving went okay?

Soon after Shane came home, from his night at Crown and I told him and he said, You are being ridiculous! You've got nothing to feel guilty about, just relax, if that is what you want to do.

So, here I am, feeling kind of contented.

Thursday, August 05, 2010

He Made The Sale

I had to keep checking to see if my nuts were there. Fuck me! The sun shone momentarily, but in between... brrr! Ahhh! as the cold hit.
I was going to stay home, the cold nearly kept me there, but I was feeling a little cabin fevery, don't know why, right from when I rolled out of bed at 9am. So, I pushed myself and headed out into the day.

Just go somewhere, I thought, as I backed the car out. Go see what you can see, instead of spending the day behind your computer. I would have been thinking about vitamin D, you know, if there  had been any on offer.

I headed to the freeway, following one of those Renault Megane Sports that I want to replace the GTI with. It was silvery metallic blue and it looked hot with it's haunches down as it accelerated along Smith Street.
 It seemed as good a reason as any to head north... young man. It turned right at Alexander Parade, so, so did I.

I'm on the freeway, I thought. Just head where the front of the car takes me, that's all that was going through my mind. Open road, trees, fresh air. I thought of Thelma and Louise and contemplated opening the... um... er... sunroof, but? Grimace.

I hit the cd, Randy Crawford sang.

I went to Shopping Town to see the shops, hardly pioneering, I grant you. I've driven past a few times lately and the place has turned into a megatroplis since I was there last. So, I broke my mould, and I went window shopping. You know, just to have a look, can't hurt once in a while. I didn't know that I wanted anything, but isn't that why people go shopping now a days, for entertainment. Purchases are optional - it's so not me, but there you go. The sales were on and I was trying to get myself interested in heading into a shop and taking advantage of the reduced prices. Go on! Go on! Go on! But, I had a certain kind of ambivalence seeping through me, as I wandered around. Like a warm, contended laziness. Ah!

Still, there were plenty of pretty boys with packed jeans.

The place has changed majorly. They've built on the car park and now there are two galleries, one next to the other. It was hard to get my bearings, placing myself in how I remembered it to be. It's all modern and chic now.

So, I wimped it and headed to the supermarket and bought a few mundane things that I really needed - body wash, tooth paste, washing powder.

My mind was changed for me when I came to a shop called Ta, or Da, or Ya. The window was  full of jeans which I liked, a couple of pairs I really liked. Come on! Come on! Come on! Then I looked past the window display inside to the guy serving. A pretty, dark wog boy - my Brad Pitt.

Fuck me! In I went. Ambivalence evaporated.

"Hi, how are you?"
"Yeah, good."

Olive skin, black hair, dark complexion, beautiful smile, hairy chest, hot little arse, nice bulge. Probably Italian. Fine, taught body. Sparkly eyes. Interested and attentive, even if he was good at making it seem that way.

"How can I help you?"
My mind reeled. Any way you want, baby.

He had on a checked jeans shirt, with a few buttons undone. I could see he was hairy all the way down. I imagined what it looked like where it all joined up under the waistband of his jeans. I could already see the decent bulge, so it wasn't hard, if you'll excuse the pun. He squatted down to find my right size. His shirt rode up as he did and I could see the elastic waistband of his jocks hugging him tight and the black hair disappearing down the sexy crack of his small, tight arse. He had one of those little butts where the backs of his thighs are ever so slightly wider. You know, two handfuls.

Okay, I'm a dirty perve, but I've never denied it. The buns on this boy, though... tongue hanging out of my mouth.

He had one of those sexy smiles where he kind of blushed, just a little, at the same time. Weak knees.

Suffice to say, he made the sale.

I wanted to ask him his name, (ask him what he was doing tonight, ha, ha) as he smiled and handed me the bag, but some how it didn't seem um... er... appropriate. (smile)

The shopping centre is now ginormous, there just seemed to be more and more floors. I had coffee and lemon slice up by the windows, on the top floor, with the city views, bags strewn around like a real shopper, even if most of them were supermarket bags. It was kind of nice looking out, even on an overcast, grey day, sweeping across the valley that is filled with all those houses. I wondered how many, momentarily? Then shook my head and drank my coffee.

I must get out to the suburbs more often, I thought, as I drove out. I seem to get my shopping mojo when I do.

Funny thing, as I headed out to the car park, I walked past someone who was once a really good friend of mine, who I haven't seen in years. She walked towards me and looked straight at me and kept walking. I don't know why I didn't say hello, I guess, I was waiting for that spark of recognition and when it didn't come I didn't connect either. Maybe? I can be a little shy when caught off guard, you know, stop and think is always my first position. I was a little surprised, to tell you the truth, but, out of context and out of time, you don't always lock onto a face, do you?

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Japanese Soup For Two

Santo and I had lunch together. He's back in my good books, what can I say? He charmed me with his smarts and humour all over again. Plus I think he's cute as... and wanted to ...... him, all over again. Blush... but it's true.
We had a table for two over Japanese soup and gyoza; you know, animated, boisterous, intense, flirting, stirring, chastising, smiling, laughing.

He said I was far too happy and clearly still stoned from the weekend. And then Mr Finger Waggler said he wanted to smoke it too but this time without the tobacco mixed in. He smiled his cute smile and gave defiant eyes when I called him on it. And I just wanted to lick him.

So, I don't know what all that other nonsense was. Oh I do, but I'm only human. I think I just wanted to tug on the reigns a bit to see what happened. I think my head was spinning, you know, maybe slow it up just a bit. Breathe.

I think he was up on my carry on. Has my measure, so to speak. You know, he picked up on my drift just fine. Big smile. I wouldn't have any man of mine any other way. You can't let me get away with anything, otherwise I'll walk all over ya.
But conversely, don't expect to get away with a thing y'all self.

I made him go back to the foyer of the RACV Building to admire the car they have in the foyer for the third time, just for a little metaphoric pants wearing on the way back to work. Bristol 403, one of the most beautiful car designs ever. He got big points, because he acted like he was interested.

Monday, August 02, 2010

Me and the cat and a sunny Monday

I just thought I'd relax and not think too much today. What's with my head? Maybe, I've got too much going on at the moment. But quietly, behind my hand, I don't think I have.

So, just take a day and chill.

I farted around, did washing, trawled the Internet, patted my cat, paid bills. Shane's in Sydney, so I've had a good twenty four hours of "me" time.

I baked a chicken roast, for Shane, that Tim gave me. Tim so loves those specials at Coles. He makes me laugh. Shane's been in Sydney with a F/B misbehaving and he said he'd need protein when he got home.
"What? Protein administered from the opposite end to how you had it for the previous two days?"
He didn't get it, clearly he's going to be in a state.

I baked a lemon cake. This is a really big fuck off lemon cake with almond meal and polenta and lemon sugar syrup poured all over it when it is still hot out of the oven. It was supposed to cook for 2 hours and at 2 1/2 I took it out. It sunk a bit in the middle, oh well.

Do I feel any different? Dunno? I've been stoned. Nicholas gave me a take-home package. Bad Christian. It's not exactly the state to be in to let your most recent history wash over you.

And, of course, today I have had a head ache from all the smoking. Hands in the air! Will I ever learn? Go on, call me stupid.

Sunday, August 01, 2010

Can you really go off someone in twenty four hours?

It all started Friday with my best girlfriend, Rachel’s grandma dying and Rachel selling her restaurant, at the same time. Congratulations. How sad. Tell me all? If I wanted the story I had to go in, she wasn't about to write the length email that it would take, she still had the restaurant to run, after all. Still had it for another month.
So, I said I'd come in Saturday night to find out. I thought I'd head in with Santo, you know, just casually. He was always saying I wasn't making any plans. You know, make the date. My mate Jill's head gasket had gone, so we were going to pick her up. So I told her I'd be bringing him.
Yesterday. I woke up to the alarm clocking clicking on at 7am. I leant over to push snooze and it felt like a knife was driven through my right shoulder. I tried a couple of times, various moves but I couldn't move it without great pain. I must have slept on it funny. Fuck it hurt!
I decided to take strong painkillers, the one's that come with a muscle relaxant. Migraine strength. I felt floppy. Waisted. Pretty soon. I don't care about any thing attitude. Except, the shoulder was still sore.
Trouble was that I felt nothing, nothing for Santo, for the first time, he came over, nothing. I'd always been buzzing to see him, but this time, no. Nothing. I tried to have sex with him, but lost interested. Too relaxed to care. He wanted painkillers too when I told him why I'd stopped, so I got them and stuck two in his mouth. They can bring down elephants, those things, so I knew exactly what they'd do for him. And we both slept for the afternoon, back to back, crack to crack, various arms and legs combinations.

I was groggy when I woke, groggy for the rest of the night. Nothing, I was feeling nothing. We had to get dressed and drive to Prahran, to pick up Jill, and then to Albert Park.
It wasn't coming back. I felt weird and I still felt no attraction. I couldn't think of any thing to say. Didn't want to.
The night turned into a bitchbrunch. Rachel is also getting a divorce, she's finally served the papers, since he wouldn't leave of his own free will. Jill has her senile father living with her, I have a senile mother, it was red wine and misery, let me tell you. I was half-zonked out, real valley girl.
I gazed across at Santo several times, he smiled. I rubbed his leg. He looked away. He chatted, they both liked him. But, I'm not in love with him, you know. But I've been acting like I was and this was the first falter.

Oh! Shake head! I just think, for whatever reason, I'm trying too hard. Just got to relax, be cool, you know.

We came home in silence. He is very quiet, not very chatty. Of course, he can be really funny, when he wants to be. He's smart, nice, perfect boyfriend material. We had sex and fell asleep.
I woke this morning at 6 am and gazed over at him. he looked like an angel.
I woke to him playing with his iPhone4, later. "You can sleep forever, can't you?" It was 11am.
I couldn't wait for him to go. I still felt nothing. Blank. Zip. Niente. But, I decided to play it cool. I got up made coffee had a shower and made breakfast, when he asked me what I was doing today, Nicholas almost rang on queue and I could say I was going driving. And then Santo was walking one way up my street and I was walking in the other direction, thinking to myself, can you really go off someone in twenty four hours? And for no apparent reason? I thought I really liked him, but then it just seemed to go away, yesterday.

Nicholas and I went driving around Carlton, we had egg breakfasts in Drummond Street. We drove the course he'd be doing on his test. We did it about six times. Maybe four.
Then we smoked bongs as soon as we got home. Tim was watching teev. We were scheming on the last lap of the circuit.
"Come on we've got to go see Guido."
"No," says Tim.
"Only if I drive. I'm not letting a learner..."
"I haven't smoked any, I've been packing them for you. But I will be able to once we get back. You just have to sit next to me."
“Okay. Get me sun glasses.” Nicholas drives like a normal driver now. He’s good. He’ll have no problems getting through the test.
"Get me wine," says Tim.
It was warm waiting in the car, when Nicholas went in to get it. There was a tribute to Freddy Mercury, I lay my head back and listened to a little heaven served up to me in the drug dealers car park. Ah Freddy, the world lost one of the greats with you, hey. My head was spinning, my skin tingling.
"Are you still awake there, pots?" says Nicholas, as he gets back into the car. Clunk goes the door.
"Yeah bongo, let’s go."
Nicholas smiles broadly as he backs the car around. My head spun. Weee. He, he, he.
We had stir fry that Tim has cooked as an afternoon snack and plenty of bongs, watching unsolved murders. We forgot his wine, so he has to head up to “China” as Tim so eloquently puts it, cursing us for being airheads. “Yeah, thanks, I cooked.”
I like Tim and Nicholas, they are just boys, out and out, no pretensions, you know you just got to love it, sometimes.

I walked home up G Street, as the sky turned to black and the cold swept in. Giddy.
I like my life, but I want to be in love. Otherwise, it just becomes like hard work, sometimes, I know that much is true. I don’t know what I feel. I’m glad Luke hadn’t followed up with the dinner idea tonight. I was craving some alone time, let me tell you.

I decided to concentrate on being me, rather than a boyfriend.

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Friday, April 15, 2011

100 Reasons Why We Love the Movies

Apparently, there's a trend going on in the movie blogosphere where some film buffs are creating lists of reasons why they love movies. Some are even going all out and listing why they love horror, or comedy, or foreign films! We're not that motivated. But we want to play, too!

So below, you will see a list compiled by Pete and myself. No further explanation necessary.

And ... you're welcome.

1. "Roads? Where we are going, we don't need roads."

2. Aaron Sorkin

3. A.B.C. Always Be Closing

4. "Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue."

5. double features on a rainy day

6. the frogs in Magnolia

7. Clooney and Lopez burn celluloid for Soderbergh

8. Pixar

9. "It tied the room together, man."

10. Quentin Tarantino

11. coming attractions

12. "Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?"

13. every frame lensed by Robert Richardson

14. good old fashioned matte paintings, miniatures and latex

15. John Williams's score

16. the 20th Century Fox intro

17. Wahlberg's prosthetic penis

18. tracking shots

19. This man:

20. Lemmon and Matthau

21. "I loved you in Wall Street!"

22. "Get away from her, you bitch!"

23. Best Editing Ever: JFK

24. "Flames, flames, on the side of my face..."

25. Oliver Stone's output '86-'96

26. Jake LaMotta "dancing" to the Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana

27. Daniel Day-Lewis tapping a blade against his glass eye: GONY

28. "crazy" Carrie White goes to prom

29. A man, a boat, a mountain - Fitzcarraldo

30. the first ten minutes - Once Upon a Time In the West

31. You want to get Capone? Here's how you get him. He pulls a knife; you pull a gun. He sends one of your to the hospital; you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way. That's how you get Capone."

32. chasing Magua up the mountainside

33. coming of age alongside a group of Almost Famous rockers

34. swish pan to a jazz trio's shadow in The Set-Up

35. the use of available light in The Shining

36. the harmonica montage in One False Move

37. great support: Macy in Fargo and Forester in Jackie Brown

38. Giamatti & Madsen rappin' on wine

39. a handmade chess piece tearing through Raquel Welch

40. "But, Mrs. Mulwray, I goddamn near lost my nose. And I like it. I like breathing through it."

41. showdown at the Victory Motel: off the record, on the QT, and very hush-hush

42. Prof. Grady Tripp in his pink writing robe

43. hanging out "Under The Sea" with Ariel

44. "The Times They Are A-Changin'" in Watchmen

45. "If you build it, he will come."

46. Holden face down in the pool

47. Chapter 5: The House Of Blue Leaves

48. the basement experiments of Herbert West

49. The Living Dead... from Night of to Zombieland and beyond

50. WWII via Spielberg and Kaminski

51. duets: the rhythms of Scorsese/Schoonmaker, Tarantino/Menke, and P.T.A./Tichenor

52. Sean Astin proclaiming "our time" at the bottom of a wishing well

53. "We'll get 'em liquored up and take 'em to the peach tree dance!"

54. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

55. the films of Patrice Leconte

56. Film Noir

57. 70mm

58. "After all, crime is only a left-handed form of human endeavor."

59. Jake Sully becoming Toruk Makto

60. "To the North - where we do what we bloody want!"

61. "I love the smell of nepalm in the morning!"

62. part I and part II; not so much part III

63. Arnold, back for Judgment Day

64. "O Captain, my Captain."

65. the last 1/2 hour of The Road Warrior

66. Jack Rabbit Slims & Big Kahuna Burger

67. Chris McCandless' journey / Ed Vedder's soundtrack

68. Classics: Rosebud, The Yellow Brick Road, The Burning of Atlanta and Kong atop the Empire State Bldg.

69. Wes Anderson + anamorphic lenses

70. the Millenium Falcon

71. the late, great John Candy

72. bullet holes the size of matzo balls

73. "Major Asshole reporting for duty, sir!"

74. visiting the Past Lives Pavillion

75. Steve Martin gives his daughter away

76. Jennifer Tilly + Gina Gershon = lesbians and straight men rejoice

77. "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was proving the world he didn't exist."

78. Oompa Loompas

79. "Fuck you, fuckball"

80. Camp Tomakwa!

81. Kathy Ireland plays football

82. Douglas + Turner + DeVito x 3

83. "Never let go, Jack!"

84. Heath and Jake make love in a tent

85. This man:

86. Dennis Hopper loses his head

87. "Red light! Green light!"

88. Mary Steenburgen gives Steve Martin a blow job

89. the late, great JT Walsh

90. Frank Darabont adapts Stephen King

91. "You'll shoot your eye out!"

92. Best. Presidents. Ever.

93. Tobey Maguire and Joan Allen go from black and white to color

94. Tobey Maguire and Joan Allen come of age in 70s suburbia

95. "There's no crying in baseball!"

96. Quint, Brody, and Hooper - gone fishin'

97. Rodents of Unusual Size

98. Jack Black as Dewey Finn

99. Martin Sheen gets thrown off a building

100. "Good morning! And if I don't see you, good afternoon, good evening and good night!"

Andrew Green said...

And I love that Truman Show quote.

Dave said...

Thanks Andrew... Free Truman!

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Alter HTML

Topics: User Forum
Nov 10, 2006 at 5:24 PM
Is there a way to alter the contents of the HTML that the plugin writes out? I'd love to use the flickr "post to blog" style, with the right aligned div. Maybe some config option that lets you put in all of the HTML, with some special 'variable' parameters to display certain information?
Nov 12, 2006 at 2:54 PM
you can alter any HTML in windows live writer...just change the view to HTML and you can edit anything you want.
Nov 21, 2006 at 8:03 PM
I was hoping for something more along the lines of editing the default text that the plugin generates, so that I wouldn't have to change it every time.

Apr 23, 2009 at 2:02 PM
I have just tried this plugin yesterday, the first item that come across my mind is the capability to alter html template to change target to "_BLANK".  The only given option is to set a class which you'll need to modify your CSS.
Apr 24, 2009 at 1:58 AM
TypeEE -- feel free to log a work item -- better yet submit a patch :-)


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Thursday, October 9, 2014

Concert/CD Review: Robert Plant

Robert Plant (photo: York Tillyer)
No one can ever accuse Robert Plant of resting on his laurels.

The former Led Zeppelin singer has steadfastedly ignored calls to re-reunite with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones after their successful 2007 London reunion show, preferring to concentrate on his own musical endeavors, which stretch from his first solo efforts, the superlative Pictures at Eleven (1982) and even better The Principle of Moments (1983)—still his most memorable post-Zep albums—to his new release, Lullaby...and the Ceaseless Roar, which has gotten some of the strongest notices of his career.

While I don't share the general enthusiasm for the new album—it's yet another Plant exercise in restless musical experimentation, but its ceaseless drone isn't a patch on his best  Zep and solo work—I have no complaints about how the new songs sounded when Plant brought his terrific band, the Sensational Space Shifters, to the Brooklyn Academy of Music Opera House recently for two shows that ended a month-long tribute to Nonesuch Records, home of musical innovators from John Adams and the Kronos Quartet to Natalie Merchant and now Plant himself.

The Lullaby songs generated a cumulative power lacking in the studio versions, from the evening's second song "Poor Howard" to the lone encore, "Little Maggie." Especially effective were a raving "Turn It Up," which sounds like a poor cousin to Zeppelin bombast on record but flared to blistering life onstage, along with "A Stolen Kiss," whose quiet strength came across far more persuasively live. Plant's voice, long ago losing its wail and roar that was as much a Zeppelin trademark as Page's guitar or John Bonham's drumming, found a comfortable middle register that snugly fits the new songs.

That said, it's too bad Plant didn't play more solo material: I would have loved to hear him and his band on classics like "Sixes and Sevens," "Big Log" or "Pledge Pin," for starters. Instead, aside from scintillating blues covers "Fixin' to Die" and "No Place to Go," the rest of the 95-minute show comprised songs from Plant's old band.

Surprising to this long-time Plant observer—I've seen him in concert seven times since his first solo tour in 1983—was that his versions of Zep songs were unusually faithful to the originals, from the brooding opener, "No Quarter," and the folksy "Going to California" (about which he quipped after singing it, "pretty profound stuff, huh?") to the psychedelia of "What Is and What Should Never Be" (after which he jokingly railed, "that song's not about fuckin' hobbits!") and the primal blast of "Whole Lotta Love," the main set's closer.

My initial post-show thought: so why doesn't he play these legendary songs with the guys with which he wrote and recorded them, since he's obviously proud of how they still stand up decades later? The answer: playing the 2500-seat BAM Opera House is one thing, but touring with a reformed Led Zeppelin would force him to sing in big hockey arenas or massive football stadiums. Which is about as far from where Robert Plant is in his element these days.

Robert Plant's U.S. tour ends October 9 in Brooklyn, NY.
New album Lullaby..and the Ceaseless Roar (Nonesuch Records) is out now.

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Monday, August 17, 2009

Conversation of the day

At the doctor's office...

Me: "I don't mind if the baby holds on a little longer. I'm sewing something for it."
Doctor: "How far along are you?"
Me: "About halfway."
Doctor: "...You might want to work on it tonight!"

I am living in suspense. Certain signs point to labor coming soon and quickly, and I am glad I packed the hospital bag this weekend. But even aside from that, it is so strange not knowing when this life-changing event will take place.

Also, a woman at church told me that I look "too cute for words" today. Which is neat, cause I've outgrown my biggest T-shirts (am wearing one of Joe's instead) and I do not feel cute as a button.

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Saturday, September 22, 2012

Autumn flowers

Autumn, with its ocher colors and fallen leaves, with their gray days that are becoming increasingly shorter, is an ideal time to fill your home with bright and colorful flowers.

Here we reveal to you which species are best suited for these months and how to care  them.

Yes, flowers raise people's morale and give positive energy to any environment. This fall, fill your home with flowers and enjoy with your family this gift of nature.

Recommended flowers for fall:

Violet: Grows well with an average temperature of 18 º C. Because it is a indoor or terrace flower, prefers indirect light. Water it every day but avoid that the leaves come into contact with water.

Dahlia: Resists perfectly to fall since it is not too cold, as it does not tolerate frost. It is an outdoor plant that needs to receive direct sun to bloom. Try to water it every day.

Chrysanthemum: Need light and water to flourish. If you put the flower inside, try to place it near a window where it will receive direct sunlight.

Sunflower: Since receiving a good deal of light and water, will fill your garden or terrace of golden tones. You just have to avoid exposing them to high and direct winds

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Dutch tulips, the first speculative bubble

Late 1630s the Dutch economy went crazy, the market traded at astronomical prices tulips amounting without ever reaching the limit. People began to behave irrationally. Luxury homes were sold in exchange for a single bulb, and flowers were sold in exchange for the salary of fifteen.

A single bulb could be worth 1,000 florins (the average person in the Netherlands had an annual income of 150 florins). In 1635 they came to pay 100,000 guilders for 40 tulip bulbs. He even came to pay 5500 florins for a single bulb of Semper Augustus precious species.

This situation began to create a bubble in which prices rose and rose and never fell. The Dutch population is generated the illusion that the tulip market would always be a bull market. Such was the euphoria that was created a futures market where trading bulbs not collected yet, this business was called "windhandel" which translated means "air business!" All social status began investing in tulips and disposing of their most basic, and even went into debt to acquire mortgaged tulips. There came a time when it is no longer exchanged bulbs but formed a real financial speculation through credit notes.

Well into 1637, speculators began to detect signs of exhaustion in the tulips market. On February 5, a batch of 99 great rarity tulips was sold for 90,000 florins. Investors decided to start selling and collecting profits. This attitude was quickly infected the rest of the market, generating a significant amount of supply of tulips that led to widespread panic in the country. In mid-February, the holders of bulbs bought at astronomical prices they met overnight with no buyer, was even worse for the most daring speculators who had signed futures contracts obliging them to buy the bulb at a much more higher than the market.

The bubble burst left much of ruined investors, as they had liquidated its assets to speculate tulips that ended without any value. He saved all the bubbles as more rational investors left the market just before it exploded, triggering panic in this way in the country. Since then Holland for years engulfed in a major economic recession caused by the tulip bubble.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Cut Flowers Care

The purpose is to preserve cut flowers for the longest possible time.
Flowers are fragile and must provide them with great care.
Just follow these basic precautions and keep your flowers fresh and beautiful for much longer:

Many flowers boxes bring chemical preservatives. Follow the instructions.

The leaves of the stem should never be under water. Draw the lower leaves carefully.

Cut the stems an inch

Try to have the flowers in a cool place, away from heat and direct sunlight

Change the water every two days

Add 3 drops of bleach and some sugar to the water.


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The Opium Wars or the Anglo-Chinese Wars were two wars fought in the mid-1800s that were the climax of a long dispute between China and Britain. These wars led to fall of Qing Dynasty, Treaty of Nanjing' in favor of Britain; as China agreed to open several low-tariff trade ports to Britain, yielded Hong Kong to Britain, and allowed British missionaries to work in China.

In the second war, France fought alongside Britain. The conflict began with the growing trade deficit Britain had with China and the smuggling of opium to China by the British.
Direct maritime trade between Europe and China started in the 16th century, after Portuguese settlement of Goa in India, shortly followed by Macau in southern China. After Spanish acquisition of the Philippines, the pace of exchange between China and the West accelerated dramatically. Manila galleons brought in far more silver to China than the ancient land route in interior Asia. The Qing government attempted to limit contact with the outside world to a minimum for reasons of internal control. Qing only allowed trade through the port of Canton (now Guangzhou). Severe red-tape and licensed monopolies were set up to restrict the trade flow. The result was very high retail price for imported goods after myriads of tax collectors and middlemen had their take. That led to limited demand for imported goods. In order to prevent a huge balance of trade deficit, Spain began to sell opium to the Chinese, along with new products such as tobacco and corn.

As a result of high demand for tea in Britain and the low demand for British commodities in China, Britain had to trade tea for silver. Britain was on the gold standard, so it had to buy silver from the European continent. Turmoil on the continent after the French Revolution and subsequent Napoleonic Continental System put a restriction on that trade. To find alternative goods for exchange with China, Britain began exporting opium to China from British India. The opium trade took off rapidly, and the silver flow began to reverse. China had few silver mines of its own; the drop in silver inflow caused a consternation at the court. The Qing Emperor (Dao Guan) had banned opium in China, citing its harmful effects on health and deleterious impact on societal productivity.

In 1773, the Governor-General of Bengal pursued the monopoly on the sale of opium in earnest, and abolished the old opium syndicate at Patna. For the next 50 years, opium would be key to the East India Company's hold on India. Since importation of opium into China was against Chinese law, the British East India Company would buy tea in Canton on credit, carrying no opium, but would instead sell opium at the auctions in Calcutta leaving it to be smuggled to China. In 1797, the company ended the role of local Bengal purchasing agents and instituted the direct sale of opium to the company by farmers.

British exports of opium to China skyrocketed from an estimated 15 tons in 1730, to 75 tons in 1773, shipped in over two thousand "chests", each containing 140 pounds of opium.

In 1799, the Chinese Empire reaffirmed its ban on opium imports, and in 1810 a decree was issued stating; "Opium has a harm. Opium is a poison, undermining our good customs and morality. Its use is prohibited by law. Now the commoner, Yang, dares to bring it into the Forbidden City. Indeed, he flouts the law!"

The decree had little effect; The Qing government was located in Beijing, in the north, too far away to control the merchants who smuggled opium into China from the south. The lack of governmental action, the addictive properties of the drug, the desire for more profit by the British East India Company and merchants, and the fact that Britain wanted silver combined to further the opium trade. In the 1820s, opium trade averaged 900 tons per year from Bengal to China.

In 1834, to accommodate the revocation of the East India Company's monopoly, the British sent Lord Napier to
Macao. He attempted to circumvent the restrictive Canton Trade laws, which forbade direct contact with Chinese officials, and was turned away by the governor of Macao, who promptly closed trade starting on September 2 of that year. The British were not yet ready to force the matter, and agreed to resume trade under the old restrictions, even though Lord Napier implored them to force open the port.

Within the Chinese mandarinate, there was a debate on legalizing opium trade itself, but this was rejected in favor of continued restrictions. In 1838, the death penalty was imposed for native drug traffickers; by this time the British were selling 1,400 tons annually to China. In March of 1839, a new strict Confucianist commissioner, Lin Zexu was appointed by the emperor to control the opium trade at the port of Canton. He immediately enforced the imperial demand that there be a permanent halt to drug shipments into China. When the British refused to end the trade, Lin imposed a trade embargo on the British. On March 27, 1839, Charles Elliot, British Superintendent of Trade, demanded that all British subjects turn over opium to him, to be confiscated by Commissioner Lin Zexu, amounting to nearly a year's supply of the drug. After the opium was surrendered, trade was restarted on the condition that no more drugs were smuggled into China. Lin demanded that British merchants had to sign a bond promising not to deal in opium under penalty of death. The British officially opposed signing of the bond but some British merchants that did not deal in opium were willing to sign. Lin then disposed of the opium, by dissolving it with water, salt and lime and flushing it out into the ocean.

To avoid direct conflict, Lin also attempted diplomacy. In 1839, Lin wrote a letter to Queen Victoria, questioning her royal government's moral reasonings for enforcing strict prohibition of opium trade within England, Ireland, and Scotland while reaping profits from such trade in the Far East.

Side stepping the moral questions, the British government and merchants accused Lin of destroying their private property, roughly three million pounds of opium. The British responded by sending warships and soldiers, along with a large British Indian army, which arrived in June of 1840.

British military superiority was evident during the armed conflict. British warships attacked coastal towns at will, and their troops, armed with modern muskets and cannons, were able to easily defeat the Qing forces. The British took Canton and then sailed up the Yangtze and took the tax barges, slashing the revenue of the imperial court in Beijing to just a small fraction.

In 1842, the Qing authorities sued for peace, which concluded with the Treaty of Nanjing negotiated in August of that year and accepted in 1843. In the treaty, China agreed to open several low-tariff trade ports to Britain, yielded Hong Kong to Britain, and allowed British missionaries to work in China.

The Second Opium War, or Arrow War, broke out following an incident in which Chinese officials boarded a vessel near the
port of Whampoa, the Arrow in October 1856. Arrow was owned by a Chinese privateer. The Chinese owner registered the vessel with the British authorities in Hong Kong with the purpose of making privateering easier in mind. He received a one year permit from the Hong Kong authorities, but it had already expired when inspected by the Chinese officials who boarded the vessel. Therefore, it was a Chinese national matter and not related with the British in any way. The crew of the Arrow were accused of piracy and smuggling, and were arrested. In response, the British consulate in Guangzhou insisted that Arrow was a British vessel. The British accused the Chinese officials of tearing down and insulting the British flag during inspection. The Second Opium War was started when British forces attacked Guangzhou in 1856.

The Treaty of Tientsin was created in July 1858, but was not ratified by China until two years later; this would prove to be a very important document in China's early modern history, as it was one of the primary unequal treaties.

Hostilities broke out once more in 1859, after China refused the establishment of a British embassy in Beijing, which had been promised by the Treaty of Tientsin. Fighting erupted in Hong Kong, and in Beijing, where the British set fire to the SummerPalace and the OldSummerPalace after considerable looting took place.

In 1860, at the Convention of Peking, China ratified the Treaty of Tientsin, ending the war, and granting a number of privileges to British subjects within China.


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Listen to Britney Spears Radio on iHeartRadio

Britney Spears has a new lingerie line called 'The Intimate Collection' coming out, and for the past week she's been teasing her fans by posting photos from the new line's campaign on her Instagram account. And she looks GOOOD!

Now, she has given the fans something even better - a video from the shoot! Brit captioned the video, "This was one of the most beautiful shoots I think I've done. More to come!"

Check it out:

Check out the Instagram pics she posted earlier this week and last week below.

"A woman is like a beautiful flower, the true beauty inside. #Ambrosia."

"Coming very soon... The Intimate Collection, by yours truly. Just a peek at what's to come. xo."

Keep up with Brit's new line by following her on Instagram!


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Biology Resources

Teaching Resources in Biology

Instructional Resources in Biology (Harvard University Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology).
An alphabetical listing of links to a wide range of instructional resources for college biology educators, ranging from biology associations and science museums to sites such as Science Gems, Virtual FlyLab, Virtual Hospital, and much more.

MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching) Biology Portal.
This site is the portal to materials, resources, and a community for teaching biology with technology.  Offers teaching tips, learning materials such as animations and tutorials, and other resources for biology educators.

National Science Digital Library (NSDL): Biology
Provides comprehensive links to materials in biology in higher education such as museum collections, databases, and ongoing research.  Searchable database by format, topic, educational level, and specialized area.

BUBL LINK Catalogue of Internet Resources:  Life Sciences, Biology (Centre for Digital Library Research, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom).
This comprehensive website with a searchable database, provides links in all areas of the biological sciences, including education, genome mapping, specific systems in animals, genetics, evolution, ecology, etc.

MITOpenCourseware: Biology (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
Course materials free online from MIT’s undergraduate and graduate biology courses, including syllabi, exams, projects and assignments, image galleries, and other resources.

Association for Biology Laboratory Education.
The focus of ABLE is to improve the undergraduate biology laboratory experience by developing and disseminating innovative and reliable laboratory exercises.   Don’t miss their tab “Hot” Biology Websites under Resources for everything from course pages to biological animations for the classroom and much, much more.

Bioliteracy Project Home Page (University of Colorado with support from NSF and a John Doctor prize from the Society for Developmental Biology).
This project is dedicated to providing tools for assessing whether or not students are learning the scientific concepts teachers think they are.  Can they think scientifically?  Resources include Concept Lists, a Biology Concept Inventory, course & curricular design, articles, and more.

BioQUEST Curriculum Çonsortium (Beloit College).
This consortium “actively supports undergraduate biology education through collaborative development of open curricula in which students pose problems, solve problems, and engage in peer review.”  Has downloadable resources, links to BQ projects and collaborations, and a BQ blog.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute BioInteractive.
Free resources for science teachers and students:  video, animations, lectures, virtual labs, and much more.

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Resources for Teaching Evolution

Evolution Resources (From the National Academies of Sciences).
A comprehensive collection of books, reports, statements, papers, articles and web resources about evolution, including science and religion issues, legal issues, and material for educators.

Teaching Evolution Effectively:  A Central Dilemma and Alternative Strategies” by Craig E. Nelson (Indiana University).
In this article for the McGill Journal of Education (Spring 2007) Nelson presents three scientifically and pedagogically accepted strategies for helping students develop more scientifically valid understandings of evolution.

National Center for Science Education, NCSE:  Defending the Teaching of Evolution in Public Schools.
This Center provides advice and links to resources for teaching evolution in the science classroom.

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Resources for Teaching Genetics

Genetics Society of America.
The focus of this society is on research, interaction among geneticists, communication of discoveries, and education. This homepage provides annotated links to a wide variety of online educational resources in genetics (see Education pull-down menu): teaching websites, courses, laboratory tools, and time-lapse movie websites.  Also links to 30 model organism databases.  Publishes Genetics, with abstracts and some articles available free online.

American Society for Human Genetics.
Provides information for those interested in human genetics at all educational levels.  Publishes American Journal of Human Genetics; abstracts free online, subscription required.

Human Genome Project.
This project is dedicated to identifying all the genes in human DNA. The site provides links to educational material such as online classroom educational modules and webcasts; current research; ethical/legal issues; and much more.

Genome Consortium for Active Teaching, GCAT (Davidson College).
The purpose of GCAT is to “bring functional genomic methods into undergraduate curriculum primarily through student research.”  Provides a clearing house of information for teaching genomics, a database for pedagogical use, a centralized DNA chip reader, and chips at a modest cost.

Dolan DNA Learning Center (an operating unit of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory).
Offers multimedia animation programs on cellular and molecular processes and other resources and programs on genetics education.

Also see teaching resources in genetics for MSU’s Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Department
Additional Human Genetics educational resources can be found at

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Resources for Teaching Conservation Biology and Biodiversity

Network of Conservation Educators and Practitioners (Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History).
A global initiative to improve training in biodiversity conservation.  This site offers student-active educational modules downloadable without charge; a free online journal, Lessons in Conservation; and an opportunity to connect with educators teaching biodiversity conservation.

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Journals in Teaching College and University Biology

Bioscene: Journal of College Biology Teaching (Association of College and University Biology Educators, ACUBE).
Full copy of journals from 1975 to the present can be accessed online, also AMCBT/ACUBE Newsletters (1964-1974), and AMCBT/ACUBE Proceedings (1957-1972).

Cell Biology Education: Life Sciences Education (The American Society for Cell Biology).
Free peer-reviewed quarterly online journal encompassing diverse fields and interdisciplinary intersections within the broad study of life sciences education at all levels K to graduate.

The American Biology Teacher (National Association of Biology Teachers).
Publishes articles on teaching all areas of the biological sciences from K to 16.  Full text available online of selected pieces from the archives, 2006 to the present.  Subscription required.

Advances in Physiology Education (The American Physiological Society).
Publishes peer-reviewed articles on enhancing teaching and learning in physiology, neuroscience and pathophysiology.  Subscription required.

Journal of Biological Education (Society of Biology).
This United Kingdom journal covers policy and curriculum in the teaching, learning, and assessment of biology.  Subscription required, but some materials that may be useful for teaching are downloadable.

Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education (American Society for Microbiology).
Presently in the process of becoming an open access journal, this publication focuses on hypothesis-driven, outcomes-based research on teaching and learning. Coverage will include Perspectives, Curriculum, Tips and Tools, Reviews, News, and Research.

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education (International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology).
This publication aims to enhance the teaching of biochemistry, molecular biology, and related fields such as cell biology in higher education, including medical schools.

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Michigan State University Resources in Biology

MSU Human Biology Program.

MSU Cognitive Science Program.

MSU Plant Biology Department.

MSU Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department.

MSU Zoology Department.

MSU Entomology Department.

MSU Physiology Department.

MSU Division of Human Anatomy

W. K. Kellogg Biological Station.

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Michigan State University Graduate Programs & Centers in the Biological Sciences

Click on URLs below for descriptions of programs, faculty, and resources in the specific field, both internal and external to MSU.

MSU Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program.

MSU Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior Graduate Program.

MSU Environmental Science & Policy Graduate Program.

MSU Genetics Graduate Program.

MSU Neuroscience Graduate Program.

MSU Center for Microbial Ecology.

Center for Integrative Toxicology at MSU.

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Disciplinary Thinking

Each discipline offers students both content knowledge and ways of knowing and reasoning specific to the discipline. This section provides information on developing students’ disciplinary thinking. The links below contain specific strategies for teaching disciplinary thinking, research into how students learn disciplinary thinking, and disciplinary thinking in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

General Resources

Strategies for Teaching Thinking and Promoting Intellectual Development in Online Classes,” William Peirce, Prince George’s Community College, 2001.
Presents and explains strategies for online courses that teach students disciplinary thinking, promote interactivity, and support intellectual growth. Includes examples and links to numerous sites related to these strategies. Many of these methods can easily be used in the standard face-to-face classroom.

Teaching Disciplinary Thinking Through Small Group Activities (Princeton University, McGraw Center, The Scholar as Teacher Tip Sheet No. 23).
Provides a list of five suggestions for using small groups to encourage discipline-specific thinking.

Beyond Coverage: Teaching Disciplinary Thinking in the Introductory Course,” Lendol Calder, Augustana College. Reported in Teaching Concerns, a publication of the University of Virginia Resource Center, Spring 2004.
Describes Calder’s re-visioning of his content-oriented history classes to focus instead on six cognitive activities characteristic of “historical thinking.” Reports the results of student “think-alouds” assessing this new approach.

Ways of Thinking and Practising in Biology and History: Disciplinary Aspects of Teaching and Learning Environments,” Dai Hounsell and Charles Anderson, University of Edinburgh.
Reports on a study of undergraduate courses in biology and history showing that as students learned course content, they also learned ways of thinking and knowing characteristic of the discipline.

Disciplinary Styles in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Carnegie Foundation’s Gallery of Teaching and Learning.
This site offers insights into disciplinary styles of thinking and their relationship to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL). Gives examples of scholars’ work in teaching disciplinary thinking plus resources and related links.

See also Teaching Critical Thinking and Writing Across the Curriculum on this website.

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Help Spread the Harvest this Holiday Season

Did you know that SFC’s Spread the Harvest project offers free seeds, compost and plant starts to nearly 10,000 people a year?

Dear Supporter,

“I want to have more energy to play outside,” my son, Salvador said to me one day.

As a mom, it matters to me how my child’s school environment is helping or harming his health. The doctor told me Salvador had early signs of diabetes, and I was worried for his health. I started becoming interested in making changes--more fruits and vegetables and exercise, to lose weight and take care of his health. We’re working on this. SFC is a partner to us and to our school in preventing childhood obesity. Won’t you support them with a gift today? Thank you for ensuring that we continue to Spread the Harvest!

Silvia Moreno
Parent of Jordan Elementary Student, Salvador Gloria Moreno
On behalf of Sustainable Food Center

P.S. Tell a friend about this campaign and help us increase access to nutritious, affordable food.

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