Sense and Sensibility-ness-ing-ly

After searching for The Wright's cover of Evie and being reminded how good a guitarist Chris Cheney is and how spectacular his band The Living End really is, I had to share these two with you all...

Evie (Part 1) - The Wrights

Pictures In The Mirror - The Living End

I love the half time groove they hit at 2.00 - just awesome.

“Performing two Google searches can generate a similar amount of carbon dioxide to boiling the kettle for a cup of tea, according to new research.

While millions of people tap into Google without a thought for the environment, a typical search generates about 7g of carbon dioxide. Boiling a kettle generates about 15g.

Alex Wissner-Gross, a Harvard University physicist whose research on the environmental impact of computing is due out soon, said: "Google operates huge data centres around the world that consume a great deal of power. A Google search has a definite environmental impact.” Article here.

“However, its search engine generates high levels of CO2 because of the way it operates. When you type in a Google search for, say, "energy saving tips", your request doesn't go to just one server. It goes to several competing against each other. It may even be sent to servers thousands of kilometres apart.”

Having the 2008 Beijing Olympics on television is, for me, like any other program - if I see it, I see it. I won't necessarily go looking for a specific event (although I do enjoy the men's hockey specifically), but I will watch it if it is on. I know Michelle likes the gymnastics and the swimming and some of the athletics - so it'll be on a bit here. If nothing else it at least it makes for a decent screensaver for your big screen TV.

There are some serious issues that need to be highlighted, however, with the coverage that Australia's Channel 7 is offering. I feel it is my duty as both a student of modern popular culture and as a consumer to make you all aware of these concerns so you can also be as equally outraged.

1. Everyone that has anything to do with the telecast has become an instant expert.
You expect commentators to provide expert opinion on the sport they are yapping about. Channel 7, to their credit, have employed some of these people (Liz Chetkovich and Phil Liggett are prime examples of such experts). The rest of the talking heads are just that - clanging gongs that clearly enjoy the sound of their own voice. Additionally, while some have clearly done some research to get to know the events they are responsibile for, the rest are making it up as they go along. The one thing they have in common - they all are filling the silence with as many words as possible, no matter how non-sensical and cliched they may be.

2. There's too much of it.
OK, it's the Olympics. There are lots of events. There are lots of things going on at the same time. We don't need to see all of it. Certainly they've missed the boat by not parallel broadcasting (using the other 3 channels allocated to them!) to show  a number of events in full simultaneously. Surely this would only open additional income streams to cover any extra cost? Couldn't Channel 7 then also save one of their digital channels to maintain some amount of 'normal' non-Olympic programming? How about at the 2012 London Olympics, IOC, perhaps you can rationalise what events are on so that we can have just stuff on for 4 hours a day? It's day 5 and I'm all Olympic-ed out.

3. Technology has allowed the broadcasters to make up footage.
The latest scandal to come to light is that the little girl that sang at the Beijing opening Ceremony didn't only just mime, but that it wasn't her singing - it was some other girl considered to be 'too old' (and presumably not chinese-cute enough) to perform the song for the ceremony. Additionally, a number of the overhead fireworks shots from the opening were digital composites from the rehearsals with smog "added" to reflect the weather conditions of the day. This was because the Olympic stadium was a no-fly zone for the ceremony to stave off a terrorist threat. It does, however, beg the question: so how are we to know if that competitor really won then, given the ability to digitally alter footage in sync with the fact that so few events are broadcast live? Are we as a global community being lied to so that the nationally local heroes are winning just to  keep us all watching? It's all a conspiracy... we're through the looking glass here, people...

4. There is no 4th thing.
Just be happy with that.

5. The tie-in ads are driving us all crazy.
I don't care that Coles feed our Olympians; that Lenovo have laptops that can be used by our swimmers and their coaches by the pool; that Qantas flew our Olympians to China (and with their recent safety record blemishes, our 2008 team could well have been our record smallest). Big deal. As so many people are watching the event the cost for these ads must be killer... at least offer us something interesting and not the same old rubbish about how good a corporate Olympic supporter you are. Be creative, dammit (considering we have to watch the stupid ads to watch the Olympics).

6. Channel 7, you missed the boat releasing TiVo now to the Australian market.
Plain and simple... anyone who was interested in a PVR would have one by now. TiVo doesn't really offer anything new. The ads for it are innane and base, at best. I've had TV my way for a couple of years now, and I don't care for your last minute approach to link the Olympics with your second hand PVR. Let's be fair - it's not like I can tape a specific event with it - I have to tape hours of stuff to hopefully catch the event I want. Silly little alien TV thing.

7. Most importantly - the rest of the televisual viewing schedule is compensating as well - leaving us with nothing to watch.
Michelle and I went through at the start of the two weeks and deleted all our regular schedules that we tape on our PVR because they either aren't on or in repeat. Two weeks of REALLY old shows and ads for the upcoming shows that start (on all the channels, conveniently) after the Olympics are over. I've got to warn you, too - Channel 7 aren't just advertising what's coming - everything is tied in with an Olympic theme or is "look at this cliff hanger we left you with and expect big things when the show is back". Go away and give me some first run movies or something. It's insane that all the channels should give up just because the Olympics are on - they may be surprised with their ratings if they actually tried.

I guess I could always go outside and do something.

Or I could just sit here and blog my whinging about it. Yes... that sounds more satisfying...

[I really tried to come up with a witty title for this one, but couldn't get any better than "A tale of two drippys". Figured I'd spare you that indignity as it would just offend us all by reading and processing it.]

We've been getting some rain of late in Brisbane. Every bit helps with the drought and killer water restrictions at the moment. It's usually in the form of the standard summer storms... really hot day, clouds roll in mid-afternoon for an early evening dump and then leave, either leaving the place all muggy and hot still or a little refreshed. 

We got one of those storms yesterday afternoon. From where I sit at work I could look out the nearest window and watch the blackness roll in - it looked nasty. A really angry sky, although thank God no hail like Sydney got the other night. It turned up, dumped a bunch of water (53mm in some parts of Brisbane causing flash flooding) and rolled past however we were left with some nice soaking rain to follow up. The not quite gentle/not real hard stuff that soaks the ground and everything else, and is enough to make you uncomfortably wet if you were to walk in it. 

I had to go into the city last night for the Dell Christmas party (too many people, not enough food, too impersonal, the "gift" they gave us was crap... but anyway I digress...), and that all seemed fine. Waiting for a taxi it started to spit - that was OK too. Made it back to the office and it was raining pretty well, but I thought I'd be fine. Upstairs to change into my walking clothes I'd been using during lunchtimes and then back downstairs on and onto the bike to ride home. How can I put this... I thought I'd be fine... as the rain got that little bit heavier... 

Riding a bike in shorts and a t-shirt in the rain I am sure in some contexts can be fun. It wasn't so bad when I was only doing 20-30 km/h. Then I got on the motorway and had to do 70-80 km/h. I felt each individually drop pierce any exposed flesh. Within a minute or so I lost all feeling to my epidermis and just about all of my dermis. IT REALLY HURT TOO! A thousand needles striking me every second; a billion pins stabbing at me as if to taunt me - "ride home in the rain, it'll be fine!...". It was only made worse by those snooty car drivers managing to find every puddle of note on the road and drive through it such that I seemed to get wetter (if that was indeed possible) as the water then splashed UP at me off the road and their tyres. I was being assaulted in all directions. The only respite I found was two bridges that vanished as quickly as they appeared - the rain stopped, the hurting stopped - and then it all began again with a vengeance that must only have been offered by the Creator himself. 

While most of it I pretty much had to expect, there was one surprise - the shirt I was wearing, when wet and travelling at 80 km/h REALLY STINGS when it flaps about behind you and slaps you on your less fat than before frame. Stings like a wet tea towel/dish cloth all wound up and flicked at you by your now-stronger-than-you-and-just-as-annoying-as-ever little brother. Stings like a fox. Stings like you thought all the layers of skin were numb already from the rain, but how wrong you were. 

I did make it home alive. I felt like I'd had a skin peel, but alive. Took off all my wet clothes in the garage, wrung them out, and then walked inside to greet my beloved looking like the proverbial drowned rat. "Hello Darling, how was your day?" just didn't seem to be the phrase that justified the scene for her, I'm sure. 

We had a brief conversation, mostly mumbles from me, and I excused myself and shot upstairs for a warm shower. A place I could still be standing right now, given the chance. I am sure my core body temperature will get back up to a decent level again soon, but my skin has never looked fresher and more baby's bottom like. 

The moral of this tale, dear readers, is simple: No matter how much pain you experience in life, no matter how wet you may end up from your mis-adventures, DO NOT expect any sympathy from your significant other in such situations. Your pain is their joy, their comfort, theirs to toy with your emotions at will. 

Besides, you just should have caught a taxi home and brought the bike home tomorrow.

Shaun Micallef returned to the small screen with his own show last night, and for mine - it was a triumph. I'm not just saying that because one of my best mates is the researcher for the show (well done, Brett!)...

It was Micallef at his satirical best. Quick fire puns, mis-nomers, words and phrases out of context - all in a news format. Too many funny things to note... Shaun sitting behind a desk shaped like Australia; an interview with "representatives" of the Liberal and Labour parties, talking each other up so as to position their party as the underdog in the coming election; ads for fake SBS shows (Inspektor Herring); and the funniest moment to stick in my mind - mainly because it happened after the show credits had run - was Shaun welcoming people back to have joined us just in time to have missed the whole of the first episode.

Pure. Gold.

I really think Micallef has hit a winner. Timed beautifully for the upcoming federal elections in Australia, too. That, and we have idiots as "stars" and "famous people" over here, so he'll have all the fodder he needs. A job well done.

Just checked out Wikipedia - the show's not even 12 hours old and it's already got it's own page! If all this Micallef isn't enough, there's always Shaun Micallef's online world around him.

The first episode of Newstopia can be viewed from the show website at http://programs.sbs.com.au/newstopia/ for the next week. If you missed it, watch it. It's a laugh-out-loud half an hour that will have you tuning it next week for sure.

298% of people can't be wrong...

I've used this Steve Taylor lyric reference before, and I am sorry for repeating myself however in this instance it stands entirely true and correct and seems to be the best use of it.

It puzzles me why some Christians shy away from Harry Potter, but love/adopt The Lord of the Rings as the poster-child of christendom's answer to science fiction.

While I appreciate both series were written in different centuries and LOTR was written by an author who made no bones about mirroring the Christ-story in his work, if we say "this is good and this other one isn't" without reading it for comparison or "just because", then we run the risk of so isolating ourselves from reality that all of a sudden we'll find we will only drink milk from a Christian cow.

Case in point - I said to someone at church the other day that I was looking forward to the new Harry Potter book and film to come out, and I asked if they let their kids read HP. "Nope," they said, "We don't have that in our house". I then asked if they let their kids see LOTR. "Sure - it was great".

While I appreciate the graphic nature of what is happening in the HP series, the LOTR series is nil better (particularly the films). Graphic and bloody battles. People dying EVERYWHERE. Central characters being demolished by orcs and others. Just because HP isn't written by a Christian author doesn't mean the story isn't mirroring many of the Gospel messages (Dumbledore's affection for his charges and his "God-like nature"; Harry as the pseudo-Christ character; Voldemort is clearly the most evil thing I've seen or heard of; etc).

I don't think kids should be let loose on ANY sort of fiction without it being seen and processed by their parents. Christian or otherwise. Have you seen the doco "Jesus Camp" and what people are doing in the name of God??? How is that good for our kids?!?!?! For ANY kids?!?!?! Don't get me wrong. I love both series, and enjoy the movies as well. Each has their place, however they are not core to my being, existence or faith stance.

I guess the bottom line for me is this... Sure, HP is all about witchcraft. So is LOTR. Talk with your kids. Don't just let them watch TV - ask them about it, watch it with them. Read to them. Listen to them read. Most importantly, talk about all of it. Process it. If I let someone loose with HP and didn't process it, I wouldn't be surprised if all of a sudden they were trying to fly on a broomstick. I'd have to expect it. If your kids KNOW it is made up/not real/FICTION, but that people actually believe this stuff, then isn't that gonna make them more reasonable thinkers?

Well, some of it arrives under the guise of news, and some as rumour, but in these days of publishing everything everywhere (paper, mag, internet, SMS updates, etc), that which may not be entirely correct can become gospel in seconds.

That said, in my morning news search I found some articles I just have to share and comment on...

Texas woman accused of selling daughter - her 15 year old daughter. What is happening in this crazy world of ours when a mother (no matter how desperate she is) can sell her daughter to a paedophile for $3,000. Some people just do not deserve to be parents, and should never be allowed to breed.

Paris Hilton's jail time could be cut - speaking of people who should never be allowed to breed, Ms Hilton's latest indiscretion leading to an actual jail sentence is apparently in jepoardy. Not because of the online petition to be submitted to the Governator to free her, but possibly because of the over-crowding in California's jails! I was shocked and appalled to hear Paris's response after the sentence was handed down... "I'm being made a scapegoat". I think you mean 'example', Paris, and damn well you should be. Just because you have access to mega $$$ doesn't mean to you can break any law you want (and kudos to the judge who had the balls to actually sentence her to jail time for driving while disqualified). Mind you, just to bastardise Newton's laws of physics, for every petition there is an equal and opposite petition!

Wilkinson TODAY's new co-host - At least, Sunday Sunrise will become watchable again... and this gives me another reason NOT to watch that morning drivel on Channel 9 - the crash-test-dummy (he's got about that much personality) now has a mate. (NOTE: As of the time/date of this post, Channel 7 still haven't removed Lisa's image and references from all over this site. I would have made it my first priority!).

Fistfight mars Boston Pops symphony - Now THIS is gold. For all those people that thought going to the symphony was boring, perhaps next time take your brother and start it up in the balcony. Perhaps the Boston Pops could arrange these guys to turn up all the time... it'd sure raise a lot of interest in their performances. Perhaps they could incorporate the fight into the show, by playing an appropriate piece to highlight and underwrite the fight. Like a live movie. That'd be cool...

Denyer in rumoured affair - God, for him and his partner's sake, I hope not. Channel 7's golden boy loses some of his shine...

Molloy pressured to perform - Not by me, he's not. Am I the only one that thinks that Mick Molloy is not as funny as he insists he is? He was great when paired with Tony Martin doing drive time radio, but alone... there is no-one to temper his boof-headery. Just not funny, and as such I predict his new show will be lucky to make 8 weeks... which is a shame, because I would watch Fifi Box in anything - she's a comedic car wreck waiting to happen.

With their win over Sri Lanka this morning, Australia have now acheived a run of 20 unbeaten games in the Cricket World Cup. I watched the last bit of it on the bus this morning (thanks 3 Mobile and CricketTV!), and saw Andrew Symonds and Ricky Ponting finish off the game with 7 overs to spare - and a massive six from Ponting to end it all.

It got me thinking - Australia's one day form was scratchy to say the least going into this World Cup. Perhaps they were tapering. Perhaps the busy summer schedule meant they didn't take their opposition in the One Day tri-series with England and New Zealand seriously enough. Perhaps they celebrated too much after white-washing England in the Ashes series.

It also got me thinking about the state of cricket globally. As you do at 6:30am on the bus on the way to work.

Australia are certainly close to the top of the list when it comes to developing junior players, building the ranks, encouraging the masses to play cricket. While our domestic series fails to draw crowds, it is certainly one of the most hotly contested competitions globally and is a good nursery (of sorts) for up and coming players... and a suitable place for former greats to see out their golden years before retirment. All this builds to making the 'baggy green' a coveted item in sporting/cricketing circles. You can't buy 'em (not for yourself - you can sometimes buy someone else's), and they don't get given to just anyone.

What are the other cricketing countries doing to develop cricket talent and offer Australia some competition? Looking at this world cup you'd have to say not much, but it should be noted some Aussie cricketing greats are being dragged all over the world for their coaching talent, like Rod Marsh to run the Cricket Academy in England and Greg Chappell (ex-India coach), now tipped to coach Pakistan.

With Australia in the form they are in now (and have been in for at least the last 20 years), when can we return to the days when cricket was a competition? When we were scared of the Windies bowlers, when England's bastmen showed us how to do it, when the sub-continent's spinners left us wondering where the damn ball went? I like watching us win the cricket as much as the next guy, but it is starting to become so you can't even tip against Australia, which makes competitions like this almost as moot as the scrum in Rugby League.

Where, O where will we get some competition for our cricketers?

I got a rushed call from Michelle just as I was about to leave from work yesterday, that went something like this...

S: "Hello?"

M: "Oh Steve, I think the water tank just exploded!"

S: "what the...?"

M: "I heard a crack and then a sound like the shower was on upstairs, and looked out the back and there was water flowing everywhere and down into Ray & Kelly's place."

S: "What happened?"

M: "I went outside and had a look, one of the joins has busted open and all the water in it is spilling out everywhere - I can't even plug it!"

So by the time I got home, it was all but empty - because it had let go down at the bottom all the rain we got from the storm on Sunday night was wasted (well, for us anyway). I was going to take a photo, but in these days of level 4 water restrictions, who wants to see all that water wasted (and the tank had finished its gushing, which would have been the only interesting part).

Michelle still had the receipt from when we purchased it about 18 months ago, and the flyer from Waterwall themselves, so she called their office. The lady she spoke to was very understanding, and told her that there was a fault in the model we had and they had been contacting all the people they had sold them to arrange replacements, but they couldn't track any of the sales through Bunnings (who we got ours through).

After asking what colour we had, she advised Michelle that they would be replacing the tank free of charge (including its installation) this week, pending stock supply they carry in Brisbane. We have been looking to get a second one, so Michelle asked if we could buy one through them, and luckily we can! So... all going well... this week the busted one will be replaced and an additional one will be installed - bringing our total rainwater capacity to 2400 litres. Not much considering the size of some of the tanks you can get, but it hardly takes up any room at all providing us with the best of both worlds - a decent amount of rainwater to put on the grass and garden, and a decent amount of space to HAVE some grass and a garden.

It will be good to see if they can deliver on the exceptional customer service they have offered/promised to date...

So, here I am in Melbourne after some work down here, expecting to settle in at 8:30pm (7:30pm Brisbane time) to watch the Australia v Great Britain Tri-Nation's match live from Suncorp Stadium. How wrong was I...

You can see clearly here (if you scroll down to 9:20pm) that Channel 9 have decided, in their wisdom, that Melbourne viewers do not need to see this game live. They can see it delayed by an hour. Brisbane gets it live (see here - scroll down again to 7:30pm), even though it is being broadcast from town... usually we miss out if the event is held in town and we see it delayed.

It casts massive doubt over the free to air channel's Save My Sport campain which they have been running to convince the public that it is an Australian's right(!) to see sport on free to air television. If this is their example of our "right", then let the pay TV channels have it so we CAN see it live.

It's just as well I can log onto the NRL website and find out how the game is progressing. Stupid television moguls... how can I become one?

P.S. I must alter this a little... I turned it on and they have put it on live... after missing the first 20 minutes because Chicken Run was on... It's OK, no one will miss the first 12 points that Australia scored that could represent the entire points scored for the whole match! Sheesh...

No, I'm not talking about a failure to purge internal gas buildup, I mean that yesterday afternoon, our gas bottles ran out. This was weird as we only got them replaced in May this year, and we'd had the first ones for nearly nine months... but as Michelle rightly pointed out, we didn't go through a winter with them.

Michelle had warned me a month or so ago. Silly me went out and tapped the bottles and thought they sounded OK. What would I know - I'm just a man!

So... what to do. Sunday afternoon and no gas. Did finally get onto our supplier (who happened to be down the Gold Coast, enjoying a day off - how rude!), and he suggested that we get a normal BBQ LPG gas bottle and that would get us out of trouble. However, as we have our BBQ connected to our house bottled gas, we were stuck. So we nicked next door and borrowed Ray & Kelly's Swap 'n' Go bottle, and connected that up (thanks!), after borrowing a shifter from Lawrence and Lee across the road. Ray noted there wasn't much in it, but we were welcome to it.

Luke got a warm bath, and Michelle was able to wash up. We went to church. I felt like only a little bit of a tool. We came home from church. Michelle had a shower, and ran out of hot water just as she was washing her hair.

So, feeling like an even bigger tool at 8:30 at night, across the road I went to borrow the shifter again, undo the bottle, and then drive down to the local servo to swap the bottle to return and connect it up again. Apparently (so the gas guy told us) a normal 8.5kg gas bottle should last a couple of weeks for cooking and hot water purposes... not that I want to wait that long.

The replacement gas bottle should arrive today, tomorrow at the latest, I hope. I should only feel like a tool for a little while longer. At least we learned that should the same thing happen again, we can always get out of trouble pretty simply (provided I slip down to Bunnings and purchase a decent sized shifter... the one we have is too small!).

Damn I'm a tool... if only I had listened to my wife (about the gas, not about being a tool)...

Go with me on this - you'll soon see where I am heading (I hope!)...

With Steve Irwin's recent passing, I was involved/overheard a conversation about whether or not Steve was a Christian. Someone mentioned that Terri was, blah blah blah, and then a couple of days later someone from church sent me an e-mail that was obviously responding to some other e-mail saying that Steve had not recently become Christian and don't believe the first e-mail, etc, etc, etc.

This notion of "heroes" puzzles me enough - I fail to understand why it is that we need to look to the media (most puzzling) to see "famous people" and that we want/need them to succeed so that we feel better about ourselves. Sounds like we have our priorities all arse about. When we then layer in a "we need them to be Christian" veneer to all of it, it just strikes me that we are then placing a mountain of pressure on them to be all good and upright and moral and all that. Can't they just be who they are, and if that is Christian then all good and well?

I get that, as a Christian, I am called to be telling people about Jesus and all he has done for them. That's good and I am doing that in my own special way (I think). Famous people need to know about God and what he did for them as well - that's just as important. However, if they then become a Christian - apart from the eternal issues facing them - why should we care, at least from the "hero" perspective? Why do they need to be our role models? Why to be thrust our vicarious expectations of what it means to be "famous" and Christian upon them, and why should they have to live up to what we think/believe? Isn't faith a most personal journey?

So what if U2 aren't Christians anymore (or are they - who says they aren't?). If Steve Irwin is/was, then that's to his benefit now.

We, as Christians, I think perpetuate this by turning the 'famous' preachers into something more than just a person. So what if they've written books or meet with Presidents? Who cares if they front or play in world famous bands (or at least famous in a Christian context)? THEY ARE STILL JUST PEOPLE!

I am perplexed sometimes why some Christians/people seem to hang all these expecations/hopes/'faith' in these people, like their own faith walk is dependent on the fact that these famous people are Christian too. That, or it's like we've another 'soldier in the army/on our side' kind of thing. So what? Why is it important that another famous person comes to faith?

More importantly, why is it seemingly more important that another famous person has come to faith over a neighbour, a friend, a work/schoolmate, a family member? Others may not look to these people for their example or whatever, but at least we then have the opportunity to rejoice and share with them in their life-changing decision - be accountable to them and them to us - share and struggle in all that it is to be a follower of Jesus in the modern day...

Re-reading this I know I haven't explained myself well enough to probably make sense, so feel free to comment and set me straight, or tell me to wake up to myself, or whatever. It's just a rant I have been wanting to get out of my head for a while.

Sometimes people disappoint you in ways that you didn't think were possible.

Sometimes you have stared down that disappointment like you saw it coming over the horizon, and refused to believe that it was actually coming... until it smacked you in the face.

Sometimes things which people expect you to rejoice in are disappointments in themselves.

Most often, if we are really accurate in our own self-assessment, it is us who disappoint others. This can be a tough thing to gauge, particularly when you feel you are the one being disappointed.

Sometimes, the disappointment is like a smack in the face walking around a blind corner - there was no way you could see it coming, you had no chance to duck it, and it hurts like hell.

I predict that by the end of the year, all of the above will apply to me, particularly in respect to my job situation...  but then, I do tend to be the eternal optimist about jobs and things I am promised by bosses, for some reason... this job, my last one (blindsided was an understatement there!), the one before that - am I that threatening to the managers above me that they feel they need to placate me and then pull the rug out from under me???

I don't get it, you know? Why am I so easily sucked in to believing that which I am fed by those in leadership of me when so often I find out that I have been led along by the nose and what was on offer was not ever the case. Why do I also seem to view work "promotion" situations with rose coloured glasses, seemingly only identifying the good things about what is to come - particularly when the obviously disappointment is standing right next to it waving its arms around saying "look at me"... and I still don't see it??

Personally, I believe I am a success. I have a lovely wife and gorgeous son, we are all happy together, and I am in a position to be able to provide most things for them. Professionally, I believe I am more than ready for any challenges that lay ahead - I have good technical skills, great leadership skills, I learn quickly about a business and can interface the technical with it in unique and often innovative ways. Why is it, then, that I languish in this "not quite a manager yet" purgatory that seems to haunt me? I mean, I KNOW I can do it... I have been given the smallest bit of opportunity to show it in my current position, however I feel this may go unnoticed... again...

SIGH! I guess this is where I am supposed to try to give God all my cares and worries and stuff... gonna have to work harder on that too, it seems...

This article appeared in the Weekend Australian on 29 April, 2006 - republished  on SignPosts with permission.

I've known Geoff since my two years at Nightlight Music on the Central Coast of NSW in 1996/1997, two of Geoff's most tumultuous years as mentioned in the article. He is a graced man of God - one of the few I've met that I'd go just about anywhere with in ministry, and trust with my life. He's been to more than hell and back, and only now just got it worked out for himself that he is allowed to talk about what happened to him and not feel like it was all his fault.

If you read further on SignPosts, you'll see Geoff's comments on a number of articles, responding to criticisms and encouragements of his journey. More than anyone this guy knows the innner workings of the machine (from the inside that is now outside) that is Hillsongs and is able to comment on current calls for transparency of Hillsongs management, etc. He got more than bruised on his exit from the Baulkham Hills megachurch... he was lucky to escape with his life (and trademark cycism and sense of humour). But, thank God, he made it.

Hillsongs have a lot to answer for - both past sins and those it is perpetuating now...

What is it with the state of sketch comedy created in Australia on TV today? It's deplorable!

I have ranted before about Channel 7's efforts, and now Channel 9 are weighing in with Magda's Funny Bits. I don't want to be mean, or break it to you to hard, but they aren't that funny...

I think Magda Szubanski is a cack - I grew up with her on sketch shows like the D-Generation and Fast Forward. Love here on Kath & Kim. Not everything fires in this one, even though she may have brought back to life some of here 'fav' characters. Additionally, having them interact with each other while interspersing slips that should be on funniest home videos... well, basically you can see that Channel 9 needed to meet their "made in Australia" quota, and by re-jigging these clips into this mistake of a show, they must be barely making it.

I can promise you, the ABC is still the place (almost a nursery, if you will) if you want formative, anarchic, just-plain-funny comedy (sketch or otherwise) - how can you go past The Chaser's War on Everything?!!? The other channels in Australia don't seem  to want to invest in Australian comedy shows... and it shows... Actually, I have to be careful - the Ronnie Johns Half Hour has its moments (their Chopper sketches are hilarious - particularly Chopper reads the weather), but it is more miss than hit.

For international flavour, the ABC still have it hands down with shows like Little Britain (OK, not everyone's cup of tea), and Ali G in Da USAii (again, not everyone's thing, but Borat is a dead-set CACKfest).

Long live the Late Show... how we miss thee... only around for two or three seasons, but still the best sketch comedy bar none Australia has offered. The original Fast Forward was good, Full Frontal had its moments, the Comedy Company often was great, and the original Norman Gunston show was magic... but there isn't too much else since all of these...

What's your favourite Aussie comedy show(s)?

Been listening to the radio a bit of late, and one thing that is rightly getting up my nose is the claim of "here's the latest song from..." or "here's the new single from..." - particualrly when that single has been out for at least the past three months!

I totally understand that as radio listeners, we need to be spoonfed everything, because we are too brain dead to understand simple concepts. However, don't totally bleed us dry with the claim that you are playing new music when I heard the song in the breakfast show that morning and in the drive show that afternoon!! I mean, after all, we're listening to hear music, and you'd think that if we listen, we'd know that song is no longer new. It's just crazy talk... learn the art, people, and then get back to me...

Speaking of art, I must get more creative. More creative that pretending that creativity is occasionally typing a blog entry.

And for that fact, why does anyone hardly ever comment on our blog entries? Are we that dull and uninteresting? Or perhaps is no-one bothering to read these things...

Oh... now I get it...

...and so this is summer, and I have a cold...

I cannot believe it. I hate it. It's like the centre front part of my face will explode off at any minute. I am taking all the usual cold & flu things, but it seems that I am in the worst of it now. Yuck.

I know that walking in and outof air-conditioning at work (some working too well, some not working at all - like in my office) out into the heat is not helping in the slightest. I do not believe there is anything I can do about that, however. Couple this with Luke messing about and still not sleeping properly - although latest estimations are that he may be/probably is cutting another tooth is the reason for his lack of willingness to sleep.

The cavalry arrive next week, however. Michelle's parents are coming up for Christmas, and they will provide excellent momentary respite to allow Michelle and I to at least probably get better. We hope.  ;)  Christmas will be fun - Luke's first, and our first in our new home. 2005 has been a year of firsts for us... I wonder what that means for 2006?!

Anyway, I have to get back to stuffing my hanky up my nose to stop the constant flow if clear liquid that is flowing so freely from it.

Well, what a massive way to not sort something out.

Baby sister Helen had arranged for the whole Molky clan to come over to her and Doug's for an early "Christmas" lunch and stuff, as Mum & Dad will be in Gilgandra on Christmas day with Dad's mum (Grandma - see here for pic). Pressies were handed out, lunch was had, and things had started to wind down when things came to a head...

As Sunday was really hot, we were trying to keep Luke cool by giving him as many drinks as he'd take, etc. All the while, Mum was there telling us we should be doing this or doing that. Trying to not start something we didn't respond... so Mum kept going. Michelle retreated into Helen and Doug's bedroom to feed Luke (after I'd started packing the car to go, as things were getting a bit heated and Mum just wasn't letting the issue slide), and I come back in and there's Mum standing over Michelle asking her questions and Michelle not saying anything - as if she did, it would have been pretty blunt.

Mum went and sat down and I did also (for some reason) and we started talking about why Michelle and I didn't always take up the "advice" that Mum and Dad offered. This degenerated at one point to me shouting at Mum and Dad that "Luke is our son, and we will raise him how we see fit". I felt bad about that afterwards - I shouldn't have raised my voice. Bottom line - Mum couldn't see or accept that if we wanted their advice, we'd ask for it.

Mum - "But you don't ask."

themolk - "But you don't give us a chance - and even if we did, that doesn't mean we have to use your advice."

"So why don't you let him (Luke) have any of the things we give him?"

"Initally we want to make sure they are clean before he gets them. Additionally, not everything you give him is suitable for him yet (or at all)."

"Oh he'll be alright..."

...And so on. Basically, we asked for Mum and Dad's support. I had to explain that this meant, when it comes to Luke, if we say 'black is white', then we expect them to say that 'black is white'. They can go away and talk about it or whatever afterwards, but in front of Luke, it's our way. We may down the track realise that some of what they've said we should have done or whatever, but that's our call.

So - it's been left at Mum crying a number of times about how I've/we've upset her and Dad, Michelle never wanting to see them again (or wanting them to see Luke again), and me frustrated as hell, caught in the middle and upset that Mum and Dad just don't get how much they've upset us. I know we've upset them too, however until the main issues are sorted out nothing will get sorted out at all. There is more than listed here, but you get the idea.

That said, I am sure that they have by now "put it all behind them and moved on" and they'll expect us to do the same. Not going to happen - issues need to be talked about and resolved. This is not going to be swept under the carpet like so many past issues. I am sure that we've become the 'selfish and uncaring' kids who are now parents that 'don't understand all the wisdom we have to offer'. Sadly, they aren't seeming to understand we (well, at least I at the moment) just want to enjoy spending time with them and with Luke without the stress of outr parenting skills coming into question indirectly ALL the time.  <<SIGH>>  One day...

Of course, we get reminded that they'll be going away for 12 months so we won't have to worry about them 'interfering'. Also, we've already received a couple of phone calls and an SMS asking about other incidental issues that seem to suggest that they're "moving on" already.

I just do not know how to deal with all this...

Sometimes, as loving as they can be, parents can be a massive pain in the bum (especially when they just don't listen to you)...

The latest Australian cricket tour of England has proven to be interesting for more than just match results and the ending of Shane Warne's marriage.

Channel 9 chose not to show either the one day series or the Ashes tests... I would suspect mainly because the bulk of their commentary team had already shipped itself over to England for its summer to commentate over there. Thus, the cricket-loving portion of Australia was left to gnash its teeth. We did have a hope - the biggest hope we have in Australia - our cricket-loving (tragic) prime minister also felt the tour should be shown on free-to-air TV (of course, Fox Sports would be showing it).

Into the fray stepped Channel 7 & SBS to handle the situation - 7 took on the one day international series, and SBS broadcast the Ashes. I must say it has been a joy.

Channel 7's line up, led by an ever-smirking ?Tony Squires, included the wonderfully dry Stuart McGill and that joyfully giggling hyena of cricket, Kerry O'Keeffe. The 7 broadcast has been a cack-full joy from start to finish.

SBS have offered Dean Jones and Greg Matthews as expert commentary locally, and relayed England's Channel 4 cricket feed (complete with Richie Benaud and the boys - get your Desktop Richie there!). It's been a good broadcast, even if I have to get used to the score being shown back to front (238 for 4 instead of 4/238).

With the 5th Ashes test drawing near (and Australia down 2/1 in the series), it will draw to a close, and we prepare for the Australian summer of criket. It will be good to see the boys play on home soil at a decent hour of the day (well, except for when they play in Perth), and maybe even get out to a one-dayer, although I think Luke may put a stop to that this year. I live in hope that someone at 9 has been watching both broadcasts and taking notes - there needs to be some serious culling in their criket commentary ranks, and possibly even a good hard look at the way they do the broadcast. It can improve - we've seen it this series.

All of that said, long live King Richie Benaud. Although his days are numbered, I still cannot accept that Channel 9 are obviously trying to replace him with Simon O'Donnell - nice bloke, but no Richie. The day he stops broadcasting will almost be as sad as the passing of The Don. I'll step out and lead the mourners that day, and I'm sure they'll be many.

This has been getting on my goat for a little while, but now I've finally cracked.

In a work scenario, quite often people CarbonCopy (CC) in their boss or boss of the person they are e-mailing as a means of ensuring their request (however unreasonable) is followed through on. That, or they are doing it as a means of getting the recipient in trouble for something they haven't done or didn't do to the person's liking.

When all of a sudden did grown adults turn into grade 3 kids that have to hide behind a computer screen instead of revealing their massive lack of interpersonal skills and actually TALKING with the person to sort whatever they percieve the problem to be out?!?!?!? Seriously, it's like they think that by CC'ing in the other person's boss that they will see that the recipient is inept, or will only respond when their boss is involved. Too many assumptions made, too little processing done before pressing "send".

It seriously pisses me off. Where do people get off doing that? Like it helps?! The biggest issue for me is that is can suggest to your boss that you aren't doing your job properly. Now, I know my boss thinks I am doing a good job. However the politics at my work are that the site manager (aka "God") has NO IDEA what I do or how busy my time is. So, CC'ing him in on something only suggests (to him, and on the assumption of the sender) that I will only do things if they are 'escalated' like this. What tripe?! Everybody gets the same high level of service no matter what. I am not the bottleneck - we have a HelpDesk in Melbourne for that (who do try, but are severely overloaded with requests).

It's just stupid. It's akin to dobbing... but without any reason to - nothing has gone wrong. A pre-emptive dob. That's just ludicrous.

In the mean time, I have to try an educate/convince people that generically things don't happen faster by CC'ing people in, unless they are to do something based on the content of the e-mail they've sent. Don't get me wrong, I think e-mail is great, but too many people have come to rely on it for the worst reasons (and most importantly for reasons it wasn't even developed for). Poor e-mail etiquette has become the bane of society - and is was birthed and nutured out of shoddy training at a business level. Seriously, if people were to receive a memo in the same tone and in the same style as some of the e-mails they send, there'd be hell to pay, and the sender would never hear the end of it.

We have become a dependent business culture, afraid to talk with someone for fear of taking responsibility for our words and actions, and somewhere have decided we can separate ourselves from these responsibilities by instead sending an e-mail. They should start handing out dummies/pacifiers as a part of all induction packs when people start a new job.

NSW WIN SERIES 2-1

They won, we lost.

If I ever hear Phil Gould call any sort of Rugby League game again, I seriously will consider offering a reward for someone to knobble him. That man is a complete dick.

Game #1 - Suncorp Stadium (Brisbane) - 25/05/2005
Qld 24 - NSW 20

Game #2 - Telstra Stadium (Sydney) - 15/06/2005
NSW 32 - Qld 22

Game #3 - Suncorp Stadium (Brisbane) - 06/07/2005
NSW 32 - Qld 10

NSW TIE UP 2005 SERIES 1-1 (dammit!)

SIGH - As I said to my friend Uncle Davey yesterday afternoon, if one team gets 10 points ahead then the game is theirs, but I'd really like to see a see-sawing game where the lead changes a few times... keep us on the edge of our seats.

For the first 60-odd minutes I got what I wanted. At best only 8 points in it, with Qld and NSW exchanging the lead a number of times. NSW did draw first blood - a converted try and then a penalty goal to take the lead 8-0 (not matter how suspect Anthony Minichello's attempt at being onside was following Johns's kick), but Qld backed themselves and came up with two awesome tries to lead into half time 12-8.

Andrew 'Joey' Johns had a cracker of a game. This was best evidenced by some incredible passes, fancy footwork, and game control. Braith Anasta (in for the dumped Brett Kimmorley from Game #1) didn't really do all that much, except for hang off Joey. Mind you, he did get some quality ball.

For much of the first half I would have put NSW has having 14 men on the field - one of them wearing white. Steven Clarke was seriously one-eyed for a period of time, starting the penalty count in NSW's favour and not stopping for some time. Minichello's 'onside' call. Missing innumerable forward passes (from both sides). His 10 metres was questionable. He can only get better, I guess. NSW were given all the opportunities, although didn't capitalise - the second Qld try came from a Billy Slater intercept to run 91 metres and score from a wild NSW pass. This typified the desperation of a team looking for a way through some pretty solid Qld defence. Minichello's try only really came about through a lucky bounce off the post that caught Ty Williams and Slater alone in goal and no where near the ball they expected to bounce towards them.

The second half was almost one way traffic. Qld did try to keep up, and it was only through some solid defence that the scoreline was kept to as low as it was. Qld's biggest problem was not being able to string two sets of 6 together often enough. They were too often left on the 5th tackle just inside or just outside their half. An injury to Carl Webb in the first half meant we were without some of the fire expected from Qld to keep their chins up through the whole game. A missing Steven Price (also out due to injury from a club game) also meant our forwards didn't have too much passion in their go forward, although to his credit recent Rugby Union re-convert Brad Thorn pushed as hard as he could, and was rewarded with Qld's first four pointer. Matt Sing also left the field under and injury cloud late in the second half.

To their credit, Qld did have some stand out performances - Jonathon Thurston (again), Billy Slater, Matt Bowen, Paul Bowman, Carl Webb, Matt Sing, Brad Thorn, Michael Crocker - in fact, one of the highlights was that the North Queensland Cowboys connection did themselves and their state proud.

So, Game #3 sizes on the horizon to be an absolute cracker. The series is tied, and both teams want to bring this series home more than anything. Additionally, both teams are now missing some key players to injury - and with only 3 weeks to prepare, it will mean that selection for both states is crucial. Bring it on.

Game #1 - Suncorp Stadium (Brisbane) - 25/05/2005
Qld 24 - NSW 20

Game #2 - Telstra Stadium (Sydney) - 15/06/2005
NSW 32 - Qld 22

Game #3 - Suncorp Stadium (Brisbane) - 06/07/2005

Hmmm... The self-proclaimed King of Pop today was found not guilty to all 10 charges laid against him in a Santa Monica court.

Genuine response - the system works. Not enough evidence was provided by the prosecution to find him guilty of that which he was charged. Let's hope this doesn't signal a comeback by Michael.

Cynical response - US$95 million can buy you one hell of a defence.

I wonder if his 50% share in the Beatles catalogue will be up for sale soon, to help cover his debts? That'd be one hell of a superannuation investment.  ;)

[Postscript to "How the mighty have fallen"]

While it probably wasn't my blog entry that prompted Seven execs to follow through, I will take all the credit.

The Courier Mail reported today in their "theGuide" section that Let Loose Live has been dumped, after only two shows.

To quote: "Two shows? That's apparently as long as you have to prove yourself in TV land these days. Seven's swift axing of Sunday night's Let Loose Live this week, while undoubtedly a mercy killing, stills seems a little harsh" - The Courier Mail's theGuide, 09/06/05.

Harsh - no. Required - absolutely. Overdue - by about 1 show.

Let's hope that this doesn't signal the death knell for Australian sketch comedy on TV. TV networks need to be investing in it, and encouraging new talent - not just bringing out the same old faces. They did try with LLL, but it wasn't hard enough. I do not think it was ever going to work at 7:30pm on Sunday for a start.

I guess we without the voice continue to wait, see and pray.

P.S. In my initial rant about this, I did leave off one of the other champions of Oz sketch comedy - Shaun Micallef, and just about any show they let him do (particularly his inventive The Micallef P(r)ogram for the ABC). Superb. Hurry back to our collective comedic screens, please. We need the belly laugh.

So this is how Channel Seven treat their (once) masters of comedy - give them a shiftless, lifeless, and generally unfunny vehicle known as Let Loose Live.

The set up is nothing new - live sketch comedy (well, recorded live in front of a studio audience) with some pre-records, and a 'guest host'... meaning some flunky from Channel 7 that needs more exposure for some reason gets up and reads a monologue at the start of the show, and appears in some of the sketches. How very 'Saturday Night Live', and not very interesting. After two episodes we've had William McInnes (ex-Blue Heelers and ex-SeaChange) and Tom Williams (ex-Dancing with the Stars and still with the Great Outdoors) - and neither have proven to be interesting in the least. How sad. Looking at the 'pool' of talent Seven have lying around... it isn't going to get any better, either.

The saddest part is seeing some of Australian Comedy's legends - Marg Downey, Michael Vietch & Peter Moon - hook up with something as lifeless as this. Members of the original D-Generation, founding members of Fast Forward... they deserve better than this. Additionally, there is some "new" talent that should have known better than get involved with self-absorbed tripe like this. Colin Lane (half of Lano & Woodley) & Dave Hughes are both stand out comics in their own right (OK, Dave Hughes might be an acquired taste) - and I guess any chance to get your mug on TV in Australia is a valid one, particularly when it gets you paid. But surely, with wit such as theirs, they could have left a better premise for a show in one of Channel Seven's dressing room toilet bowls.

The sketches are lame and poorly thought through. Whoever takes the writing credit either is the best negotiator in the world, or the person who agrees and calls it writing and pays them is beyond comprehension. The guest spot it contrived and old. In fact, in my opinion, there has been no decent Australian sketch comedy show since the Late Show (mid-90's, ABC) from the second or third incarnation of the D-Generation - the ones that are now Working Dog (and are responsible for The Panel, and great films such as The Castle & The Dish). The US really has nothing to offer, but the UK offer us two of the best: Little Britain & The Sketch Show. Just incredibly funny - great set ups, great gags, and (I think most importantly) great characters. This excuse for a show (LLL) doesn't even beg comparison to the likes of these shining british lights.

<<Sigh>> With such a history of decent sketch comedy, Channel Seven have duped us all. Even calling it comedy is a stretch... more like a car accident (and not the good type you WANT to watch).

Let Loose Live - Sundays, Channel Seven, 8:30pm.

Somebody put it out of its misery... I beg you.

QUEENSLAND TAKE 2005 SERIES LEAD 1-0

Wow... What a finish. All my NSW friends will be cursing the ref, Carl Webb and Matt Bowen. The 24-20 scoreline doesn't accurately depict Qld were in for the fist 52 minutes of the game - until that point they led 19-0. NSW then piled on (and I mean PILED on) 20 unanswered points to lead 20-19 with 5 minutes to go. The "Cauldron" - Lang Park/Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane - was electric as the game see-sawed from half to the other, almost like Qld started running downhill, and then after the change, NSW took the benefit of the downhill stretch to play catch up.

Johnathon Thurston, on debut for Qld, then kicked what looked to be a pretty wobbly and low field goal - scores tied at 20-20. The game ended there, with a 5 minute turn around before heading into extra time (10 minutes each way). Both teams were hard on the ball, however 4 mintues into the first period of extra time, Matt Bowen backed himself and grabbed an intercept to run 35 metres untouched to score - ending the game at 24-20.

There were hard hits (Carl Webb, on the back of giving two penalties immediately befores, hits a NSW attacker with such force he manages to end up with the ball), there were some magic passes, there were some tough calls (two "ref's call" situations on tries - one where Thurston ended up with one after the ball was deemed to come off Billy Slater's knee and not his hands, and one where NSW were denied as the ref called it as the ball came up short of the try line), there was unbridled passion... all a fitting testament to 25 years of what started as a "trial to entertain the punters", and has ended up as arguably the most hotly contended 3 games of the NRL season - State of Origin football.

Personally, I am stoked Michael Hagan (Qld coach) has now won something this season, with his club side Newcastle having lost 10 games on the trot in 2005. I am also stoked that Ricky Stuart (NSW coach) didn't win - he is only outdone in his smarmy-ness by his mentor, Phil "Gus" Gould.

It has absolutely set up for a cracker of a series - NSW have only won the series ONCE from losing the first game. That said, if Qld play the next two games like we did this one, NSW are well in with a chance.

Game #1 - Suncorp Stadium (Brisbane) - 25/05/2005
Qld 24 - NSW 20

Game #2 - Telstra Stadium (Sydney) - 15/06/2005

Game #3 - Suncorp Stadium (Brisbane) - 06/07/2005