Tag Archives: this american life

rant

Putting things in perspective

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These shorts spell no sex for the rest of your life

So this weekend, my son is getting ready for his second year of college and University.

That’s not my son.

That’s his friend.

They went shopping yesterday to buy some clothes for my son who lets just say is “sartorially challenged”.

My son likes looking good, but has no idea and because of that (I think) opts out of worrying about it.

He’s resigned to not being trendy, or even being slightly well dressed.

And yet, I know he likes looking good.

He came back with new shorts, new boardies, new shoes.

And then went through his clothes and items were allowed to be packed only if they passed inspection.

The shorts pictured were rejected.

This morning I listened to part 1 and part 2 of Harper High School on This American Life.

At this school all the kids are part of gangs.  They don’t get a choice.  The gang they are in is dictated by where they live.

To not be in a gang means never to leave the house.  Never to have friends.

Last year 29 current and recent students of this school were shot.

Not at the school – that might have made the news – in the neighbourhood.  One on the porch while talking to a friend.  The friend’s brother on the pavement also got shot.  He was in a wheelchair, paralysed in an earlier shooting.

And look at the people who work at this school –  all so young – you listen to their stories and they care so much.
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I can’t stop thinking about them.

I feel like I live in a parallel universe from Harper High School.  (and they are by no means an isolated case)

The  fears I have for my children – will they make friends, will they study, will they get jobs, will they wear the right shorts – all seem small.

I am, we are, so lucky.

And I want to do something to help, but part of me is angry.

Angry that the most wealthy country in the world can’t sort this out!

How can they let this even exist?

How can they spend money on the military “saving other countries” and not spend it on saving their own society?

Why is it that 15 year olds can sit around discussing where they get handguns from and how much they cost?

It shocks me to the core of my white middle class existence half a world away.

I know we have tough schools in Australia.

Schools where “going into Lockdown” is a relatively frequent occurance.  Where principals stand outside the gates in a high vis vest ready to protect their students as best they can.

At least they don’t have to face guns.

…

…

Lecture over.  Class dismissed.  Getting off my soap box now.

QLD, Storytelling, VIC, Weather

Cigars and Stories

Where have I been?

Well its been busy and I have been a poor correspondent.

So this post is a catch up on stuff… and I won’t get caught up in trying to put things in order… you’ll just have to roll with me here.

OMG so good

It’s been a week since I caught up with my Brisbane colleagues and went out for an amazing meal at Cutler and Co in Melbourne.

The food was amazing… those little ‘cigars’ were filled with foie gras, which I know is not particularly good for the goose, but tastes amazing.

The cigars were one of the ‘surprise’ courses.

The wine was even better thanks to the superior judgement of the two in charge of the wine menu and I was quite glad that I didn’t see the prices so that I could enjoy the wine without the taint of “OMFG How much???!!”  You know how it is.

It felt good to be in the Queensland gang and I am still chuffed I was included.

What a sexy cycling get up

Okay this was a couple of weeks ago when Groover joined me in Melbs for a dirty weekend.

We went to Lygon St to catch up with The Cuteness (see below somewhere) and then picked up bikes at the share bike station, bought a couple of helmets at the local 711 for $5 each and cycled our way through the CBD back to the hotel.  Great fun and good value.

The helmets are good quality and we squeezed them into our hand luggage for use at home.

Not that we have bikes but you never know when they might come in handy.

The cuteness

Enough said.

This is my niece.  She is very gorgeous.

Foggy Melbourne

I hadn’t seen foggy Melbourne before.

At Pony Fish Island

We went to this little bar which is on an island in the middle of the Yarra.  Very groovy.  They even serve mulled wine there sometimes.

Brisbane sunshine

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This is the week before in Brisbane.

The view from the training rooms at the office.

Great view huh?

In full flight

A week after the bike riding back in Perth, we go out with some friends to see Ira Glass and This American Life in the cinema.  If you missed it, you can hear what we saw here at This American Life.

It was a great show.

It underlined to me a couple of things… one:  how distracting the visual can be!  David Sedaris dressed up as a clown for his story and I don’t remember the story AT ALL.

Two:  How telling stories without notes is SO MUCH BETTER than watching someone read.

I am going to aim for NO NOTES in future.

It is one of the very impressive things I’ve always noticed about Colin Barnett btw.  He must have to give hundreds of speeches and I’ve never seen him with notes.

And for those freaking out that I’ve mentioned a person from a political party – I’m sure it is not because of the party he represents.  He’s just a good public speaker.

After the film we trooped around the corner to a little lane way bar called Ezra Pound.

It’s a tiny bar full of mismatched furniture, with a limited wine and even more limited food menu but it’s cute and groovy and a little bit hip.

I felt very much in-the-know taking my friends there…

We told stories, drank wine and beer and ate some pretty sexy olives.

My new office

When I got back to Perth I had to find somewhere to “live” at work.

I’ve been seconded to another position for a couple of months.

So I now have an office.

Very exciting and a bit lonely too if I’m honest.

Apart from all that.  Not much storm damage and all family well.

Books, Podcasts

David Sedaris

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I went to An Evening with David Sedaris to see and hear David Sedaris.

I’m never sure what to expect at author evenings… do they read… what do they read… how do they incorporate questions…

In this case, David read a few short stories, and included some new material, threw in a few choice diary entries and answered questions.

I was sitting on my own and by that of course I mean I didn’t sit next to anyone I knew – clearly I wasn’t on my own.

His Majesty’s was full and I was in the last row of the Dress Circle which was irritating because my colleague – a big Sedaris fan only got his ticket that night and ended up with a much better seat.

I am never booking through BOCS again.

You agree with me right?  That’s annoying.

But maybe they sensed his deep passion for the work, I don’t know.

I knew “the work” through This American Life – a podcast I adore.

His short stories occasionally feature and they are always pithy and amusing.

He looks just as he sounds.

Short of stature.

Balding.

Older than me.

My favourite martian ish.

He wore a white shirt, dark trousers and brown shoes (at least I think they were brown… I was a long way back), and stood behind a heavy wooden podium.

Can someone have a short voice?

We-ll it’s kind of Woody Allen ish.

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He described doing book signings and how he likes to ask people random questions so that they can have a conversation rather than the “rehearsed in the line” stilted comments and adoration, for lets face it, you are hardly likely to wait in a queue for a book to be signed if you didn’t really like the work… or the author.

Anyway I went to get a drink before the show and I was behind this girl who was holding a hotel bottle of shampoo.

She was telling her boyfriend that David gave it to her after she told him her story.

I guess being bald, the shampoo was rather redundant and she did have long hair… but after hearing David’s comments about book signings I’m guessing it was payment for the story she told him.

A story that he liked.

A story that he might write down in his diary and read out at another evening somewhere around the world.

A great story.

What did you tell him, I nearly asked, but then the bartender asked for their order and the moment slipped away.

Now THAT’s irritating.

Good show though.

I enjoyed watching him writing notes on his work as he read… I imagined ticks where the audience laughed…

If you’ve seen it – I’d love to know what you think of the single celled organism story – because of all of them I think that will be the one that stays with me.

The story is about single celled organisms who are ignored by all the other cancer cells and germs and they think it is to do with their name so they try unique cells and all sorts of other permutations but nothing works.

And a cancer cell sees them arguing over their name and says that noone will talk to them if they don’t speak the language, but the single celled organisms don’t understand what he’s saying and so don’t pay any attention.

It seemed a rather conservative stance.

But as another colleague who was there (very smart person) said she thought it was an observation rather than a moral tale…

Which of course made me think of petri dishes and conclude that it was very clever indeed.

On the way home I plugged in my ipod and listened to This American Life where David Sedaris wasn’t featured.

Podcasts

This American Life

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I don’t think I’ve raved about a podcast on this blog before but seeing as I’ve bored all my immediate circle with tales from this podcast, it’s your turn.

This American Life is a Chicago Public Radio program that Ira Glass (pictured) created back in 1995.

It is brilliant.

I wait impatiently all week for the next episode and the stories it contains.

It is so good I’ve done something I’ve never done before for a podcast – I’ve donated money to Chicago Public Radio to help keep it on air.

Yes I live in Perth, Australia and no I’m not American, but I do appreciate good story-telling and great radio and this podcast is both.

Each week Ira chooses a theme and collects stories – both written and collected to explore that theme.

Themes include Big Breaks (this week), Switched at Birth, Heretics, Music Lessons, Break-up and Matchmakers.

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Subscribe.

If you’re not in radio you will LOVE the stories, if you’re in radio – you will question your work.  I know I have.

My favourite story so far, and the one that I have been telling to anyone who will listen concerns a doll called Nubbins.

It’s a story by Elna Baker called Babies Buying Babies, and it’s on the Matchmaker’s episode.  Definitely worth a listen.

And while you’re on Elna’s website – watch the fortune cookie story – very funny.

So that’s all.  Just wanted to share with you some brilliance.

Have a good day.  🙂