I spoke too soon the other day.
I had a read yesterday of one of the various local newspapers from Footscray, and the page one story was that the next few years will see a lot more high rise put up along Barkly Street and various of the other main streets of Footscray, as part of its designation as a key suburban business district by the state government.
There's now talk of 25 storey buildings going up around my home town. Interesting - and a little sad.
On the other hand, where some people complain about it doing something adverse to the community, we have to keep in mind that there has been a whole lot of changes in the local community over the years, and that people keep moving in and out of the area. I doubt that there are all that many people who identify themselves as strongly (or more strongly) as I do with Footscray, let alone who actually live there. Growing up there, more kids in my class were Collingwood supporters than Bulldogs supporters in the VFL, and that was in the 1970s when there might have been a bit more suburban tribalism than you'd see now.
And in my rare marxist sort of moment, I will be quite happy to see all those very well off chardonnay sipping middle class erstwhile eastern suburb trendy sorts made uncomfortable by the construction of a few high rise in central Footscray. After all, those people really annoy me.
Friday, November 06, 2009
Pop Philosophy
I'm currently reading Lord Bertrand Russell's classic 'History of Western Philosophy' - a brilliant and highly enjoyable read (he might have become rather dotty in his advanced dotage, but at the time he wrote this book, he was still in possession of most of his wits).
As a result, my interest in philosophy generally has been reignited, and I took a gander at the philosophy section in the local Borders store to see what else of such interest is available.
Some very silly titles there: 'Seinfeld and philosophy', 'Southpark and philosophy', and so on - cashing in on pop culture by trying to match it to some philosophy.
One did grab my eye - 'Superheroes and philosophy'. As my abandoned MA was about Nietzsche, I am curious as to what Nietzsche's influence is on superheroes (you might want to read the graphic novel 'The Dark Knight Returns' and see what similiarities there are to Nietzsche's writings in 'Thus Spake Zarathustra.').
As a result, my interest in philosophy generally has been reignited, and I took a gander at the philosophy section in the local Borders store to see what else of such interest is available.
Some very silly titles there: 'Seinfeld and philosophy', 'Southpark and philosophy', and so on - cashing in on pop culture by trying to match it to some philosophy.
One did grab my eye - 'Superheroes and philosophy'. As my abandoned MA was about Nietzsche, I am curious as to what Nietzsche's influence is on superheroes (you might want to read the graphic novel 'The Dark Knight Returns' and see what similiarities there are to Nietzsche's writings in 'Thus Spake Zarathustra.').
More on the credibility gap of the Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide - Halliday and the Langmeil winery
A couple of times lately, I have discussed the poor show of the current Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide, and how it has lost credibility in my mind.
This morning, the Langmeil winery (ie the custodians of the oldest surviving shiraz vines in the world) sent me their annual newsletter.
In it they mention that their winery has received five stars for the fourth year in a row from the James Halliday wine guide, and that five of their wines have been listed in that guide as outstanding, including their flagship Freedom Shiraz (made from those 1840s vines).
I don't believe that Penguin even bothers to mention more than one of the various wines made by Langmeil, and it sure doesn't list five of their wines as outstanding.
Halliday is the most highly regarded wine critic in Australia. The current author of the Penguin, in ignoring Langmeil's wines, is just further destroying both his credibility and that of the Penguin Good Wine Guide brand - a brand which until recent years was very highly regarded indeed.
This morning, the Langmeil winery (ie the custodians of the oldest surviving shiraz vines in the world) sent me their annual newsletter.
In it they mention that their winery has received five stars for the fourth year in a row from the James Halliday wine guide, and that five of their wines have been listed in that guide as outstanding, including their flagship Freedom Shiraz (made from those 1840s vines).
I don't believe that Penguin even bothers to mention more than one of the various wines made by Langmeil, and it sure doesn't list five of their wines as outstanding.
Halliday is the most highly regarded wine critic in Australia. The current author of the Penguin, in ignoring Langmeil's wines, is just further destroying both his credibility and that of the Penguin Good Wine Guide brand - a brand which until recent years was very highly regarded indeed.
Annoying bleatings about the failure of Australian Republicanism
The sore losers (read 'losers' for the most part) who comprise the Australian Republican Movement and its various hangers on are at it again.
On the tenth anniversary of the glorious victory of the Australian Constitutional Monarchist forces (I was part of this grouping and campaigned in the referendum) over the ill-conceived exercise in constitutional vandalism which was the republic referendum, the various republican losers have renewed their calls (as they do at the slightest excuse) for a new referendum to create a republic.
What sore losers! They seem to me to be a pack of sheep, ready to bleat republic instead of BAA! at the slightest noise. Labor wins government - republic. Turnbull (their chief shepherd) becomes opposition leader - republic. The 10th anniversary of their utter failure - republic.
Does it not get tiresome?
And the calls this week for a republic referendum in order to 'mend Australia's heart'. Is that not the lamest, most insipid and pathetic reason to call for a referendum? It just shows what a pack of out of touch losers the republican activists are. There are so many more important things on the national agenda right now, such as the ongoing economic crisis and the continuing threat to global security posed by Islamic extremists.
To say nothing of the global warming hoax, which many people (including most republican morons) sadly believe is real.
On the tenth anniversary of the glorious victory of the Australian Constitutional Monarchist forces (I was part of this grouping and campaigned in the referendum) over the ill-conceived exercise in constitutional vandalism which was the republic referendum, the various republican losers have renewed their calls (as they do at the slightest excuse) for a new referendum to create a republic.
What sore losers! They seem to me to be a pack of sheep, ready to bleat republic instead of BAA! at the slightest noise. Labor wins government - republic. Turnbull (their chief shepherd) becomes opposition leader - republic. The 10th anniversary of their utter failure - republic.
Does it not get tiresome?
And the calls this week for a republic referendum in order to 'mend Australia's heart'. Is that not the lamest, most insipid and pathetic reason to call for a referendum? It just shows what a pack of out of touch losers the republican activists are. There are so many more important things on the national agenda right now, such as the ongoing economic crisis and the continuing threat to global security posed by Islamic extremists.
To say nothing of the global warming hoax, which many people (including most republican morons) sadly believe is real.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Changes around Footscray
Did dinner with my Italian drinking buddy 'Ribot' the other night in Footscray. He is the chap who is 44 with a 28 year old very hot girlfriend, who now realises that his wife did him a favour by walking out on him a few years back.
We went to one of several Ethopian restaurants at the Geelong Road end of Barkly Street, which gave me time to have a quick look around a side of the shopping centre I rarely visit.
Since last time, the threatened apartment tower at the Barkly Hotel has been built, and much of what was the Barkly has been flattened, along with having the paint blasted from the remaining facade, leaving the red brickwork showing us what this pub would have looked like in its glory days.
There will be other changes around that end soon - the Barkly Theatre cannot remain derelict forever, and at the east end, we have apartment blocks going up, and a new footbridge over the railway station almost complete.
Soon, the suburb will be hardly recognisable from that of my childhood and teenage years. A little sad about that.
We went to one of several Ethopian restaurants at the Geelong Road end of Barkly Street, which gave me time to have a quick look around a side of the shopping centre I rarely visit.
Since last time, the threatened apartment tower at the Barkly Hotel has been built, and much of what was the Barkly has been flattened, along with having the paint blasted from the remaining facade, leaving the red brickwork showing us what this pub would have looked like in its glory days.
There will be other changes around that end soon - the Barkly Theatre cannot remain derelict forever, and at the east end, we have apartment blocks going up, and a new footbridge over the railway station almost complete.
Soon, the suburb will be hardly recognisable from that of my childhood and teenage years. A little sad about that.
Robert Doyle's snout firmly in the trough again....
I never could warm to Robert Doyle, not when he was the clownish and pompous (and highly incompetant) state opposition leader, and definitely not now as the swinish, clownish, and pompous lord mayor of Melbourne.
I was disgusted when the Bracks government rewarded him for his incompetant performance in the 2002 election as their 'opponent' by appointing him to the sinecured position of chairman of the Royal Melbourne Hospital. At a time when the Bracks/Brumby Government was taking a lot of well deserved flack for appointing their friends to positions funded by the Victorian taxpayer, this rare display of bipartisanship patronage served to eliminate their need for public accountability.
But then, Doyle was always a total dunce at trying to hold the Bracks/Brumby pirates accountable for anything - feathering his own nest and massaging his own ego were always far more important priorities.
I was a little mystified as to how he got elected Lord Mayor last year (or was it early this year), given he has all the amiability (and intellect) of a hungry bull terrier. But then, given he is so well liked by the Bracks/Brumby government, such that they definitely regard him as an unthreatening stooge for them, they did not bother organising anyone suitable to run for the position.
Now, a year after his firm promise NOT to take junkets, Robert Doyle is trying to get the council to pay to send him to Copenhagen for some mayoral conference on climate change - at $61,000 cost.
As if Robert Doyle could make any contribution to climate change policy - aside from reducing carbon emissions by shutting his stupid fat mouth.
Some people might be shocked by his lack of integrity and his willingness to break his no junket policy. Not I - I never thought this swinish clown had any integrity.
I was disgusted when the Bracks government rewarded him for his incompetant performance in the 2002 election as their 'opponent' by appointing him to the sinecured position of chairman of the Royal Melbourne Hospital. At a time when the Bracks/Brumby Government was taking a lot of well deserved flack for appointing their friends to positions funded by the Victorian taxpayer, this rare display of bipartisanship patronage served to eliminate their need for public accountability.
But then, Doyle was always a total dunce at trying to hold the Bracks/Brumby pirates accountable for anything - feathering his own nest and massaging his own ego were always far more important priorities.
I was a little mystified as to how he got elected Lord Mayor last year (or was it early this year), given he has all the amiability (and intellect) of a hungry bull terrier. But then, given he is so well liked by the Bracks/Brumby government, such that they definitely regard him as an unthreatening stooge for them, they did not bother organising anyone suitable to run for the position.
Now, a year after his firm promise NOT to take junkets, Robert Doyle is trying to get the council to pay to send him to Copenhagen for some mayoral conference on climate change - at $61,000 cost.
As if Robert Doyle could make any contribution to climate change policy - aside from reducing carbon emissions by shutting his stupid fat mouth.
Some people might be shocked by his lack of integrity and his willingness to break his no junket policy. Not I - I never thought this swinish clown had any integrity.
First Impressions on reading Plautus
Plautus was the first major Roman playwright - he was popular just after the Second Punic War, ie about 200BC.
He was a comedian, and I read several of his plays in the Penguin Classics edition over the weekend - the volume contains 'The Pot of Gold' and several other gems.
I found the plays to be laugh out loud funny, and chuckled to myself regularly as I read them.
One reflection is that Plautus might not have the depth or intellectual/moral sophistication of the Greek comedian Aristophanes (whom I believe was more sophisticated than the tragedians Euripedes and Sophocles, and probably about as deep as Aeschylus), Plautus does seem a whole lot more modern than Aristophanes, as if the 200 years between the two of them are far longer than the 2200 years between Plautus and us.
Plautus really does seem to set the benchmark for the sort of comedy which Shakespeare was to write 1800 years later.
He was a comedian, and I read several of his plays in the Penguin Classics edition over the weekend - the volume contains 'The Pot of Gold' and several other gems.
I found the plays to be laugh out loud funny, and chuckled to myself regularly as I read them.
One reflection is that Plautus might not have the depth or intellectual/moral sophistication of the Greek comedian Aristophanes (whom I believe was more sophisticated than the tragedians Euripedes and Sophocles, and probably about as deep as Aeschylus), Plautus does seem a whole lot more modern than Aristophanes, as if the 200 years between the two of them are far longer than the 2200 years between Plautus and us.
Plautus really does seem to set the benchmark for the sort of comedy which Shakespeare was to write 1800 years later.
Cyclists menace 75 year old lady
Read in the paper the other day that a group of teenage cyclists were menacing and threatening a 75 year old lady in Rosebud the other day.
Typical behaviour of cyclists. Whether they are teenage delinquents on BMXs, adult recreational riders on expensive racing bikes, or professional competitive cyclists, the main thing that these bastards all have in common is that they continue to treat their fellow human beings with so much contempt and unpleasantness.
I wonder whether any of these delinquents will become professional cyclists when they grow up and use equine growth hormones and other banned substances - and bash/stalk their ex-wives/girlfriends? You can see where the later behaviour starts.
As I have said before, I really do sometimes wish that I owned a suitably vicious attack dog which was trained to attack cyclists, the way that some people in the more 'Deliverance' sort of areas in the country seem to have.
Typical behaviour of cyclists. Whether they are teenage delinquents on BMXs, adult recreational riders on expensive racing bikes, or professional competitive cyclists, the main thing that these bastards all have in common is that they continue to treat their fellow human beings with so much contempt and unpleasantness.
I wonder whether any of these delinquents will become professional cyclists when they grow up and use equine growth hormones and other banned substances - and bash/stalk their ex-wives/girlfriends? You can see where the later behaviour starts.
As I have said before, I really do sometimes wish that I owned a suitably vicious attack dog which was trained to attack cyclists, the way that some people in the more 'Deliverance' sort of areas in the country seem to have.
A quick trip to Monash University - 158th Stubby Holder
I rarely get out to Monash University in Clayton anymore - it is about 13 years since I stopped bothering to pretend to be working on my Masters' thesis and stopped enrolling in my MA.
But given I was out somewhere on the far eastern side of Melbourne, I found a bus from Ferntree Gully (a quaint little town I have never been in before) which runs past the Nottinghill Hotel (ie the main traditional watering hole for Monash students and staff). It was a bit of a long ride, but got there in the early afternoon. Stopped in for a beer, and to soak up a few memories - one of which is that I have never been able to work out my way around the Nott (I think I probably drank more too quickly when I would visit it in my undergrad daze and never learned its labyrinthlike floor plan).
Then wandered down the back street to the north east corner entrance to Monash, and then marvelled at how much has changed on campus since I was an enrolled student.
Stopped in at the book shops to see if there were any books I was interested in (I am currently into the ancient Roman playwrights and trying to get hold of some of the later Greek plays), and then off to the souvenior shop to pick up a Monash Univesity stubby holder. Given there was abundant beer available on campus in my time, I think that a stubby holder from the university as a whole should count towards my collection.
But given I was out somewhere on the far eastern side of Melbourne, I found a bus from Ferntree Gully (a quaint little town I have never been in before) which runs past the Nottinghill Hotel (ie the main traditional watering hole for Monash students and staff). It was a bit of a long ride, but got there in the early afternoon. Stopped in for a beer, and to soak up a few memories - one of which is that I have never been able to work out my way around the Nott (I think I probably drank more too quickly when I would visit it in my undergrad daze and never learned its labyrinthlike floor plan).
Then wandered down the back street to the north east corner entrance to Monash, and then marvelled at how much has changed on campus since I was an enrolled student.
Stopped in at the book shops to see if there were any books I was interested in (I am currently into the ancient Roman playwrights and trying to get hold of some of the later Greek plays), and then off to the souvenior shop to pick up a Monash Univesity stubby holder. Given there was abundant beer available on campus in my time, I think that a stubby holder from the university as a whole should count towards my collection.
The Bell Tavern, Belgrave - 157th Stubby Holder
Took the train out all the way to Belgrave on Monday - probably the first time I have been out to Belgrave in close to 15 years.
[BTW, it is interesting just how different from the inner Western Suburbs of Melbourne are the lower outcrops of the Dandenong Ranges on the far outer easter edge of the Greater Melbourne Metropolis. There are hills, valleys, and an abundance of trees in many wooded areas - it is virtually a different country from most of Melbourne which I am familiar with.]
My motive for visiting that side of town was partly to visit my favourite uncle in Box Hill, and then to continue on to Belgrave as I had a very reliable tip that the Bell Tavern in Belgrave has stubby holders.
The Bell Tavern is in the main street of Belgrave, a relatively recently built pub (judging from the brickwork, about late 1960s), which has a very pleasantly laid back main bar, with a bistro in a side room, a beer garden upstairs (it is built on a bit of a hill side) and a TAB outlet up top. The staff were friendly and provided me with some helpful advice on bus routes to nearby townships, as well as selling me a stubby holder with a Puffing Billy locomotive on it (well, this is Belgrave, and Puffing Billy IS the main tourist attraction out that way).
[BTW, it is interesting just how different from the inner Western Suburbs of Melbourne are the lower outcrops of the Dandenong Ranges on the far outer easter edge of the Greater Melbourne Metropolis. There are hills, valleys, and an abundance of trees in many wooded areas - it is virtually a different country from most of Melbourne which I am familiar with.]
My motive for visiting that side of town was partly to visit my favourite uncle in Box Hill, and then to continue on to Belgrave as I had a very reliable tip that the Bell Tavern in Belgrave has stubby holders.
The Bell Tavern is in the main street of Belgrave, a relatively recently built pub (judging from the brickwork, about late 1960s), which has a very pleasantly laid back main bar, with a bistro in a side room, a beer garden upstairs (it is built on a bit of a hill side) and a TAB outlet up top. The staff were friendly and provided me with some helpful advice on bus routes to nearby townships, as well as selling me a stubby holder with a Puffing Billy locomotive on it (well, this is Belgrave, and Puffing Billy IS the main tourist attraction out that way).
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
FHM & CIS Policy
It has been a while since I had anything to say about the IPA, so I thought I might remind you that yeah, I still like ridiculing them from time to time.
On a side note, I saw the current issue of its rival magazine, CIS Policy, in the newstand the other day, side by side with FHM.
That's a far better spot in my local newstand than where they place the IPA Review - next to the UFOlogist and Nexus....
On a side note, I saw the current issue of its rival magazine, CIS Policy, in the newstand the other day, side by side with FHM.
That's a far better spot in my local newstand than where they place the IPA Review - next to the UFOlogist and Nexus....
Dwarf Bull Fighting
Was reading the current issue of Zoo the other day (although I do prefer to look at the pictures), and was amused to see that there was a piece (with photos) of Dwarves bull fighting.
They were described as 'midgetdors'.
Quite a funny idea, and it just goes to show that there is a market for such sporting events, especially after the Midget Cup at Cranbourne the other week.
They were described as 'midgetdors'.
Quite a funny idea, and it just goes to show that there is a market for such sporting events, especially after the Midget Cup at Cranbourne the other week.
The Fosters AGM comes and goes again
Alas, I missed the Fosters AGM this year, it being in Brisbane last week.
A shame, as it is the best free feed and booze up in corporate Australia, and I wish they would abandon this AGM rotation foolishness and just hold it in Melbourne every year, so that I could get my regular dose of free food and drink from Fosters.
A look at Monday's Financial Review tables indicates that Fosters has been a very bad investment for many years, which is assuaged to some very small degree by it's AGM catering.
Not that I have a big investment in Fosters - only 82 shares after the last dividend reinvestment plan payment....
A shame, as it is the best free feed and booze up in corporate Australia, and I wish they would abandon this AGM rotation foolishness and just hold it in Melbourne every year, so that I could get my regular dose of free food and drink from Fosters.
A look at Monday's Financial Review tables indicates that Fosters has been a very bad investment for many years, which is assuaged to some very small degree by it's AGM catering.
Not that I have a big investment in Fosters - only 82 shares after the last dividend reinvestment plan payment....
Champagne - a book review
Readers of this blog will be aware that sparkling wine is not really one of my interests. I still pine for Stock Gala Spumante, and my sparkling wine of choice is the locally made product of RL Buller (ie my favourite winery).
Have never tasted real French Champagne, as far as I know.
Last week, I read the book of that name by Don and Petie Kladstrup, who are American journalists who live in France and love French wine. The book, although it peters off in the first half of the 20th Century, includes a fascinating history of the development both of Champagne as a sparkling wine, and of the market for this wine.
Many interesting stories are contained in that book, about the many fascinating characters who made Champagne what it is now.
As a result, yesterday, for the first time, took a more than casual eye to the rows of bottles of Champagne for sale in Vintage Cellars - just about all the names featured in the book were on bottles.
The price tag on each was pretty hefty however, so I think I will stick to RL Buller's honest Australian wines.
Have never tasted real French Champagne, as far as I know.
Last week, I read the book of that name by Don and Petie Kladstrup, who are American journalists who live in France and love French wine. The book, although it peters off in the first half of the 20th Century, includes a fascinating history of the development both of Champagne as a sparkling wine, and of the market for this wine.
Many interesting stories are contained in that book, about the many fascinating characters who made Champagne what it is now.
As a result, yesterday, for the first time, took a more than casual eye to the rows of bottles of Champagne for sale in Vintage Cellars - just about all the names featured in the book were on bottles.
The price tag on each was pretty hefty however, so I think I will stick to RL Buller's honest Australian wines.
Finding the Burger Monster again
Well, I found Burger Monster's new location.
My forays into the Docklands to this point in time have been limited to the occasional footy (or soccer) match at the Docklands Stadium (aka Colonial Stadium, Telstra Dome, and now Ethihad Stadium). So the other day, went for a long and leisurely walk around Docklands, til I got to Waterside City, the major new shopping centre located on the north side of Victoria Dock.
I'm quite impressed by Waterside City - it is the new style open air shopping mall - all the sort of stuff you'd find at Highpoint, but outside.
Burger Monster is located in the courtyard where that Federation Wheel sort of stands in a mostly dismantled state (ie the giant Ferris Wheel whose structural failure could be regarded as an allegory for the Brumby Government). Had a chat with the cook, who remembers me from the Equitable Place store, and he said that the old store was no longer commercially viable.
I wish them all the best in their new location, and I will be visiting regularly.
My forays into the Docklands to this point in time have been limited to the occasional footy (or soccer) match at the Docklands Stadium (aka Colonial Stadium, Telstra Dome, and now Ethihad Stadium). So the other day, went for a long and leisurely walk around Docklands, til I got to Waterside City, the major new shopping centre located on the north side of Victoria Dock.
I'm quite impressed by Waterside City - it is the new style open air shopping mall - all the sort of stuff you'd find at Highpoint, but outside.
Burger Monster is located in the courtyard where that Federation Wheel sort of stands in a mostly dismantled state (ie the giant Ferris Wheel whose structural failure could be regarded as an allegory for the Brumby Government). Had a chat with the cook, who remembers me from the Equitable Place store, and he said that the old store was no longer commercially viable.
I wish them all the best in their new location, and I will be visiting regularly.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
The Burger Monster goes into hiding....
Dismayed during the week to learn that Burger Monster is hiding from me - ie they have closed their Equitable Place store in the CBD and are only operating from their new store somewhere in Docklands.
As I do not know where in Docklands that store is, I am rather sad, as I really love the taste of their hamburgers. I was hoping that they would turn into a major gourmet burger chain, but I now fear that they might instead go the way of Bad Boy Burger, Burger Fusion and the Australian Gourmet Burger Company, none of which are still going.
I hope not. As I have just started my holidays, I think I will go in search of the Docklands store.
As I do not know where in Docklands that store is, I am rather sad, as I really love the taste of their hamburgers. I was hoping that they would turn into a major gourmet burger chain, but I now fear that they might instead go the way of Bad Boy Burger, Burger Fusion and the Australian Gourmet Burger Company, none of which are still going.
I hope not. As I have just started my holidays, I think I will go in search of the Docklands store.
Taking Inventory of My Wine Cellar and Liquor Cabinet
At the moment, I think my wine cellar and liquor cabinet are better stocked than they have ever been.
In terms of the liquor cabinet, I current possess:
. four bottles of Scotch (three of which are single malts)
. three bottles of Cognac (all Martell VSOP - yum yum)
. half a bottle of Croatian brandy
. a mostly empty bottle of some licquer someone left at my place after a barbecue a few years back.
In the 'wine cellar' (ie my spare room's wardrobe), I currently have about 100 bottles of premium and super-premium wine. This is now getting to more or less the quantity I owned before I moved house 7 years ago (I spent several months drinking a lot of them to get the number down from 10 to 5 dozen to make it easier to move).
On a side note, I only have about half a dozen bottles left which I had when I moved house, according to my cellar register - my remaining Grange (the 1994), my one Henschke Hill of Grace (also 1994), and four or five bottles of the Baileys of Glenrowan 1904 Block 1998 vintage.
Oh, and one last bottle of the Penfolds Bin 28 1998 vintage.
And all this is not counting the many bottles of home made wine stored for long term comparision, nor the demi johns and plastic kegs filled with wine in the garage, nor the wooden kegs full of homemade port or the glass flagons of high octane grappa.
I do surprise myself as to how much alcohol, both premium and not so good, which I possess at the moment.
In terms of the liquor cabinet, I current possess:
. four bottles of Scotch (three of which are single malts)
. three bottles of Cognac (all Martell VSOP - yum yum)
. half a bottle of Croatian brandy
. a mostly empty bottle of some licquer someone left at my place after a barbecue a few years back.
In the 'wine cellar' (ie my spare room's wardrobe), I currently have about 100 bottles of premium and super-premium wine. This is now getting to more or less the quantity I owned before I moved house 7 years ago (I spent several months drinking a lot of them to get the number down from 10 to 5 dozen to make it easier to move).
On a side note, I only have about half a dozen bottles left which I had when I moved house, according to my cellar register - my remaining Grange (the 1994), my one Henschke Hill of Grace (also 1994), and four or five bottles of the Baileys of Glenrowan 1904 Block 1998 vintage.
Oh, and one last bottle of the Penfolds Bin 28 1998 vintage.
And all this is not counting the many bottles of home made wine stored for long term comparision, nor the demi johns and plastic kegs filled with wine in the garage, nor the wooden kegs full of homemade port or the glass flagons of high octane grappa.
I do surprise myself as to how much alcohol, both premium and not so good, which I possess at the moment.
More thoughts on the Penguin Good Wine Guide
I'm so disappointed with the direction that the 2010 Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide has taken that I thought I'd do a little comparison between it and the 1999-2000 edition.
So far, I have just gone through the Shirazes featured in each edition.
The 1999-2000 edition named about 114 different straight shiraz wines which were not listed in the current 2010 edition.
OK, some wineries might have gone under (eg Norman) and some might be off their game, but there are some very notable omissions.
In terms of well known and sold common drinking wines, the following (from the 1999-2000 edition) are missed in the current edition:
All Saints, Annies Lane, Campbells Bobbie Burns, Chateau Tahbilk, Deakin Estate, Knappstein, Leconfield, Penfolds Bin 28 & 128 (ie two highly collected entry level cellar wines), Peter Lehmann, Rosemount Diamond Label, Taylors, Wynns of Coonawarra (another entry level cellar wine).
When you look at omissions of highly respected more premium cellarable wines, the following were listed 10 years ago and omitted now:
Rosemount Balmoral Syrah, Wirra Wirra RSW, Woodstock 'The Stocks', Penfolds St Henri (a wine with a lineage and history almost as distinguished as Grange), Majella, Elderton Command Shiraz (one which often ranks closely to Grange in ratings and which is highly collectible), Craiglee Shiraz.
Craiglee Shiraz is a very interesting omission from the current Guide, as in the 1999-2000 edition, it was given the Penguin Guide Best Shiraz award. I doubt very much that the quality has fallen off so much that it does not even rate a mention this time.
This all just goes to show that there is a serious credibility gap in the current edition of the Penguin Guide.
Depending on whether I can be bothered, I will do a comparison of a similar nature regarding the Cabernet list sometime soon.
So far, I have just gone through the Shirazes featured in each edition.
The 1999-2000 edition named about 114 different straight shiraz wines which were not listed in the current 2010 edition.
OK, some wineries might have gone under (eg Norman) and some might be off their game, but there are some very notable omissions.
In terms of well known and sold common drinking wines, the following (from the 1999-2000 edition) are missed in the current edition:
All Saints, Annies Lane, Campbells Bobbie Burns, Chateau Tahbilk, Deakin Estate, Knappstein, Leconfield, Penfolds Bin 28 & 128 (ie two highly collected entry level cellar wines), Peter Lehmann, Rosemount Diamond Label, Taylors, Wynns of Coonawarra (another entry level cellar wine).
When you look at omissions of highly respected more premium cellarable wines, the following were listed 10 years ago and omitted now:
Rosemount Balmoral Syrah, Wirra Wirra RSW, Woodstock 'The Stocks', Penfolds St Henri (a wine with a lineage and history almost as distinguished as Grange), Majella, Elderton Command Shiraz (one which often ranks closely to Grange in ratings and which is highly collectible), Craiglee Shiraz.
Craiglee Shiraz is a very interesting omission from the current Guide, as in the 1999-2000 edition, it was given the Penguin Guide Best Shiraz award. I doubt very much that the quality has fallen off so much that it does not even rate a mention this time.
This all just goes to show that there is a serious credibility gap in the current edition of the Penguin Guide.
Depending on whether I can be bothered, I will do a comparison of a similar nature regarding the Cabernet list sometime soon.
Japan's Cycling Ban on Trains
One of my drinking companions last night was my pal the Viking (ie a Sicilian with red hair). He is just back from five months in Japan teaching English (and that global warming is a hoax) to Japanese people.
He told me that Japan is a very anti-cycling sort of place, and that they ban cyclists from trains entirely.
Which leads me to reflect that if Melbourne really is on track to become a world city, with 7 million people in the next 40 years, and with crowded public transport to get more crowded, perhaps it is high time that we banned bicycles entirely from our train network.
I also think that perhaps bike lanes should be removed, so that we can have more bus lanes. After all, the huge amount of money wasted on bike lanes and paths etc is mostly middle class welfare for latte sipping inner city snobs.
Is mirco-chipping cyclists (the way we do with cats and dogs) still out of the question?
He told me that Japan is a very anti-cycling sort of place, and that they ban cyclists from trains entirely.
Which leads me to reflect that if Melbourne really is on track to become a world city, with 7 million people in the next 40 years, and with crowded public transport to get more crowded, perhaps it is high time that we banned bicycles entirely from our train network.
I also think that perhaps bike lanes should be removed, so that we can have more bus lanes. After all, the huge amount of money wasted on bike lanes and paths etc is mostly middle class welfare for latte sipping inner city snobs.
Is mirco-chipping cyclists (the way we do with cats and dogs) still out of the question?
Mrs Parma's releases Stubby Holder!
Due to being interstate for a while, and then my closest friend being on leave for a bit, I have not been out drinking after work as often as usual, so last night was the first time I had popped into Mrs Parma's for a beer in a while.
The owners greeted me with 'Where have you been? Guess what?' and passed me a stubby holder with the bar's name on it.
Kindly, they said I could have it for free - after all, I have been pleading with them for three years to produce stubby holders, and now that they have, my collection feels so much more complete.
Had several beers (all Mountain Goat) before heading off elsewhere several hours later.
I think this is number 156 in the collection, but it is getting rather hard to count so many.
The owners greeted me with 'Where have you been? Guess what?' and passed me a stubby holder with the bar's name on it.
Kindly, they said I could have it for free - after all, I have been pleading with them for three years to produce stubby holders, and now that they have, my collection feels so much more complete.
Had several beers (all Mountain Goat) before heading off elsewhere several hours later.
I think this is number 156 in the collection, but it is getting rather hard to count so many.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Aeschylus - The Oresteia
Last week, got around to reading the Oresteia, the sole extant trilogy from the ancient Athenian golden age of drama in the 5th Century BC.
In those days, the Greek playwrights wrote their plays in trilogies for performance at religious festivals, and the work of Aeschylus is the only trilogy to survive. We can only imagine what Sophocles and Euripedes may have included in their various lost plays along similar themes.
The Oresteia, being three separate plays, is concerned with three aspects of the curse of the Atriedes. The first, Agamemnon, involves the killing of the king by his wife. The second involves her death at the hands of her son, Orestes. The third involves his trial for that murder.
A magnificent achievement, and I really wish that some of the other triologies had survived because I suspect that each would have revealed so much more than an individual play.
In those days, the Greek playwrights wrote their plays in trilogies for performance at religious festivals, and the work of Aeschylus is the only trilogy to survive. We can only imagine what Sophocles and Euripedes may have included in their various lost plays along similar themes.
The Oresteia, being three separate plays, is concerned with three aspects of the curse of the Atriedes. The first, Agamemnon, involves the killing of the king by his wife. The second involves her death at the hands of her son, Orestes. The third involves his trial for that murder.
A magnificent achievement, and I really wish that some of the other triologies had survived because I suspect that each would have revealed so much more than an individual play.
Antonio Gramsci - the historical irrelevance of Marxism
About 20 years ago, I bought a compilation of key writings by Antonio Gramsci, the famous Italian Marxist (of the Karl and not Groucho variety). I'd been told that he had a lot more to say about society than just how to take it over and impose a tyrannical state.
I read that Gramsci book last week, and not for the first time, I am struck by the absurdity and irrelevance of Marxism in the contemporary world. History has totally and utterly discredited it, and Marxism is no longer the frightening menace posed by the USSR and its allies of the Cold War.
Instead, it is all a little quaint and pathetic, and in reading Gramsci, just as when I was reading Moravia last year, all the cliches about workers' struggle and historical materialism and what not come across as very worn and dated.
And for that, we have a lot to be grateful.
I read that Gramsci book last week, and not for the first time, I am struck by the absurdity and irrelevance of Marxism in the contemporary world. History has totally and utterly discredited it, and Marxism is no longer the frightening menace posed by the USSR and its allies of the Cold War.
Instead, it is all a little quaint and pathetic, and in reading Gramsci, just as when I was reading Moravia last year, all the cliches about workers' struggle and historical materialism and what not come across as very worn and dated.
And for that, we have a lot to be grateful.
Next Year's Shakespeare Productions
Bell Shakespeare and the Melbourne Theatre Company have announced next year's theatre programs.
Very pleased that the MTC is going to do Richard III - as readers of this blog will know, I missed out on seeing it last year when the Australian Shakespeare Company tried to put on a production of it, to my great disappointment it got cancelled on me twice.
Bell will do Twelfth Night, and King Lear. Twelfth Night is one of those plays which is performed regularly, but which somehow, I have missed seeing so far. King Lear, on the other hand, I have seen twice (productions by the MTC and RSC).
At this stage (sic), I think I will try and see Lear for a third time, as well as getting along to seeing both of the other plays on offer.
Very pleased that the MTC is going to do Richard III - as readers of this blog will know, I missed out on seeing it last year when the Australian Shakespeare Company tried to put on a production of it, to my great disappointment it got cancelled on me twice.
Bell will do Twelfth Night, and King Lear. Twelfth Night is one of those plays which is performed regularly, but which somehow, I have missed seeing so far. King Lear, on the other hand, I have seen twice (productions by the MTC and RSC).
At this stage (sic), I think I will try and see Lear for a third time, as well as getting along to seeing both of the other plays on offer.
1434 - Gavin Menzies enters Da Vinci Code territority....
I did not mind 1421 - Gavin Menzies' first book. In it, he presented an outwardly plausible case for the visits of Chinese fleets to most of the known and unknown world 70 years before Columbus reached the New World.
1434 is another matter altogether. In his latest book, Gavin Menzies argues that ships visited Italy and ignited the Renaissance.
Interesting. You would assume that there would be lots of historical records about this which he could quote from, given we are talking about a time where our records are pretty extant (unlike a few hundred years earlier). However, he bases this on his reading of one letter, which, if what he is quoting is the basis for this premise, is not really all that convincing to me.
Of course, there are some other interesting bits - like how there were other canals which fed from the Red Sea into the Nile, and that these would have been used for the Chinese fleet to sail into the Mediterranean (I think we need a little more evidence about the size of those older canals).
What really got me chuckling was the assertion that there was a canal in mainland South America (I checked the location on my atlas) which was used to transverse from the Pacific to the Atlantic - and that at times of high rain, this waterway still exists. [I've recently read David McCollough's book about the building of the Panama Canal, and can appreciate how difficult canal building really is.]
But of course, some people (including Dan Brown) seem to believe that the things in the Da Vinci Code are based on real live history. Some people will believe what Captain Menzies writes in 1434 - but for me, I think his latest book has lost him any credibility he would have had in the mainstream.
1434 is another matter altogether. In his latest book, Gavin Menzies argues that ships visited Italy and ignited the Renaissance.
Interesting. You would assume that there would be lots of historical records about this which he could quote from, given we are talking about a time where our records are pretty extant (unlike a few hundred years earlier). However, he bases this on his reading of one letter, which, if what he is quoting is the basis for this premise, is not really all that convincing to me.
Of course, there are some other interesting bits - like how there were other canals which fed from the Red Sea into the Nile, and that these would have been used for the Chinese fleet to sail into the Mediterranean (I think we need a little more evidence about the size of those older canals).
What really got me chuckling was the assertion that there was a canal in mainland South America (I checked the location on my atlas) which was used to transverse from the Pacific to the Atlantic - and that at times of high rain, this waterway still exists. [I've recently read David McCollough's book about the building of the Panama Canal, and can appreciate how difficult canal building really is.]
But of course, some people (including Dan Brown) seem to believe that the things in the Da Vinci Code are based on real live history. Some people will believe what Captain Menzies writes in 1434 - but for me, I think his latest book has lost him any credibility he would have had in the mainstream.
More Reality TV rubbish on Pay TV
Most of the time, I restrict my Foxtel viewing to reruns of Family Guy, the Simpsons, and South Park, with the odd viewing of World War Two docos on the History Channel.
Most of the pay TV exclusive dramas (eg Secret Life of the American Teenager) do not really appeal to me, although I do make time to catch 30 Rock each Wednesday night.
But to fill in all the space on all those extra channels, there seems to be even more crap in terms of reality TV shows. From cooking to fashion to modelling contests, it gets pretty tiresome.
Instead of Redemption Song, could not the music channels have just played more music?
Latest example of poor quality crap reality TV is some promo for an upcoming show about some hairdresser bitch taking over a badly run salon from a few spoilt brats who wanted to play at hairdressing at Daddy's expense. Do people really watch this crap? [Then again, does anyone really read my blog?]
Most of the pay TV exclusive dramas (eg Secret Life of the American Teenager) do not really appeal to me, although I do make time to catch 30 Rock each Wednesday night.
But to fill in all the space on all those extra channels, there seems to be even more crap in terms of reality TV shows. From cooking to fashion to modelling contests, it gets pretty tiresome.
Instead of Redemption Song, could not the music channels have just played more music?
Latest example of poor quality crap reality TV is some promo for an upcoming show about some hairdresser bitch taking over a badly run salon from a few spoilt brats who wanted to play at hairdressing at Daddy's expense. Do people really watch this crap? [Then again, does anyone really read my blog?]
The Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide 2010
Bought the latest edition of the Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide yesterday, and spent a few idle hours thumbing through the red wine sections mostly.
On and off, I have been a reader of this Guide for about 10 years, and have seen quite a few changes in its content and format.
Personally, I much prefer the simpler guide of 10 years ago, which was divided into red, white, sparkling, and sweet.
The current version not only is subdivided into varietals, but has a part on French Champagne, New Zealand Sauv Blanc, and other imported wines.
One thing that really occurred to me in reading it is the price tag on a lot of the wines featured.
Another is that a lot of well known Australian wines miss out.
And it does not escape me that a lot of the wines listed are ones which I have never ever heard of before - and for a layman drinker, I do know quite a lot about Australian wine.
What they seem to be aiming at here is a catalogue of somewhat obscure but high quality (and to some extent premium price) wines, which the average punter will not buy nor encounter in their bottle shop, nor be willing to spend all that much cash on.
In other words, the Penguin Guide has gone very upmarket - which is rather ironic given Penguin Publishing is meant to bring quality to the people, rather than be exclusive.
It's had its troubles in recent years in retaining its readership - with this edition, I think that they have gone so upmarket in their self-indulgence that they have lost relevance to most of the people who might normally buy the Penguin Guide. I am curious to see how this edition sells, and whether there is another edition - at least whilst they have the current author in charge.
On and off, I have been a reader of this Guide for about 10 years, and have seen quite a few changes in its content and format.
Personally, I much prefer the simpler guide of 10 years ago, which was divided into red, white, sparkling, and sweet.
The current version not only is subdivided into varietals, but has a part on French Champagne, New Zealand Sauv Blanc, and other imported wines.
One thing that really occurred to me in reading it is the price tag on a lot of the wines featured.
Another is that a lot of well known Australian wines miss out.
And it does not escape me that a lot of the wines listed are ones which I have never ever heard of before - and for a layman drinker, I do know quite a lot about Australian wine.
What they seem to be aiming at here is a catalogue of somewhat obscure but high quality (and to some extent premium price) wines, which the average punter will not buy nor encounter in their bottle shop, nor be willing to spend all that much cash on.
In other words, the Penguin Guide has gone very upmarket - which is rather ironic given Penguin Publishing is meant to bring quality to the people, rather than be exclusive.
It's had its troubles in recent years in retaining its readership - with this edition, I think that they have gone so upmarket in their self-indulgence that they have lost relevance to most of the people who might normally buy the Penguin Guide. I am curious to see how this edition sells, and whether there is another edition - at least whilst they have the current author in charge.
Unexpected Free Day
Took today off work because Kevin Rudd was going to install free insulation in my ceiling.
So, around 7.45am, the workmen arrive, go and take a look in the ceiling, and decide that it could not be done because there already is some aluminium foil insulation in there.
Which is something which their point man already noticed two months ago when he and his supervisor came knocking on my door - they had dithered about it, but decided that yeah, I could still have the stuff installed.
This morning's work crew however have a different view.
So... a day which was going to be spent in the tedium of watching workmen engage in a Keynesian pump priming exercise in my ceiling space can now be spent on other idle pursuits, like blogging for a bit.
So, around 7.45am, the workmen arrive, go and take a look in the ceiling, and decide that it could not be done because there already is some aluminium foil insulation in there.
Which is something which their point man already noticed two months ago when he and his supervisor came knocking on my door - they had dithered about it, but decided that yeah, I could still have the stuff installed.
This morning's work crew however have a different view.
So... a day which was going to be spent in the tedium of watching workmen engage in a Keynesian pump priming exercise in my ceiling space can now be spent on other idle pursuits, like blogging for a bit.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Upcoming Wine Deliveries
Have placed some wine orders during the week:
. half a dozen bottles of Leconfield Cabernet
. a dozen bottles of Tyrells Rufus Stone Heathcote Shiraz
I am very much a creature of habit - hence I will still order the same old wines that I have been drinking for the past decade or so. And the above two are mighty fine wines.
. half a dozen bottles of Leconfield Cabernet
. a dozen bottles of Tyrells Rufus Stone Heathcote Shiraz
I am very much a creature of habit - hence I will still order the same old wines that I have been drinking for the past decade or so. And the above two are mighty fine wines.
The Midget Cup at the Cranbourne Races
Lots of highly politically correct denounciations during the week about the attempt at the Cranbourne races for some light hearted fun.
What they did was to have some dwarves riding piggy back on normal sized people. This was titled 'The Midget Cup'.
Just a bit of fun, involving consenting adults. Yet people like Rob Hulls, my local MP and the Deputy Premier, took time out from their busy schedules to denounce it.
Then again, this is probably the most constructive thing Hulls did during the week - at least it distracted him from his Herculean task of continuing to ruin the finances and infrastructure of the State of Victoria along with the rest of his incompetant gang of socialist pirates.
And for the record, I still think there is nothing wrong with Dwarf Throwing.
What they did was to have some dwarves riding piggy back on normal sized people. This was titled 'The Midget Cup'.
Just a bit of fun, involving consenting adults. Yet people like Rob Hulls, my local MP and the Deputy Premier, took time out from their busy schedules to denounce it.
Then again, this is probably the most constructive thing Hulls did during the week - at least it distracted him from his Herculean task of continuing to ruin the finances and infrastructure of the State of Victoria along with the rest of his incompetant gang of socialist pirates.
And for the record, I still think there is nothing wrong with Dwarf Throwing.
The Failure of Ride to Work Day
God is on my side. Yet again, He has sent me a sign that this is so.
Wednesday was Ride to Work Day, when lots of evil office sociopaths (well, the ACTU claims there are many such creatures) get on their bicycles and ride to work.
God made it rain, heavily. This spoilt Ride to Work Day.
Even better, many evil cyclists (ie office sociopaths) who did insist on riding to work got really wet and caught cold. This will increase staff absenteeism amongst such people and make work a happier environment for ordinary decent people.
Whilst not the sort of Biblical plagues in the Book of Exodus, heavy rain and bad colds are enough to show me that there is a Benevolent God who likes me and who hates cyclists. If only He could have struck a few with lightning, just to emphasise the point....
Wednesday was Ride to Work Day, when lots of evil office sociopaths (well, the ACTU claims there are many such creatures) get on their bicycles and ride to work.
God made it rain, heavily. This spoilt Ride to Work Day.
Even better, many evil cyclists (ie office sociopaths) who did insist on riding to work got really wet and caught cold. This will increase staff absenteeism amongst such people and make work a happier environment for ordinary decent people.
Whilst not the sort of Biblical plagues in the Book of Exodus, heavy rain and bad colds are enough to show me that there is a Benevolent God who likes me and who hates cyclists. If only He could have struck a few with lightning, just to emphasise the point....
2009 Tour De France Doping Scandal - Prosecutors start investigation
The ongoing scandal which is the cheating festival known as the Tour De France continues to amuse those of us who hate cyclists.
Then again, the Tour De France is only the highlight of a global cheating festival.
Finally, about 4 months after the Tour De France, prosecutors have started investigating this year's race for cheating.
Really, they should have started 4 months before the Tour.
Cyclists have claimed that they have nothing to hide. Given my opinion of the general integrity and decency of cyclists (as low as a Tasmanian gold mine), I think this could be best interpreted as cyclists having great confidence that the latest round of performance enhancing drugs and masking agents are that much harder to detect.
Anyway, I await more scandal and disgrace amongst cyclists with baited breath.
Then again, the Tour De France is only the highlight of a global cheating festival.
Finally, about 4 months after the Tour De France, prosecutors have started investigating this year's race for cheating.
Really, they should have started 4 months before the Tour.
Cyclists have claimed that they have nothing to hide. Given my opinion of the general integrity and decency of cyclists (as low as a Tasmanian gold mine), I think this could be best interpreted as cyclists having great confidence that the latest round of performance enhancing drugs and masking agents are that much harder to detect.
Anyway, I await more scandal and disgrace amongst cyclists with baited breath.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Interest rates start their rise....
I don't really worry about interest rates too much, as I owe very little on my mortgage.
However, the .25% increase by the Reserve Bank during the week is interesting (if you pardon the pun). I have a feeling that interest rates have been far too low for too long, and that they have artificially fueled a housing price bubble. People have been borrowing far more than they could otherwise afford, and the result has been that house prices have gotten ridiculously unaffordable for most people.
Personally, I would rather be paying 20% interest on a $100G loan, than 4% interest on a $400G loan - but I think people have lost track of that during these times of low interest rates.
Of course, houses will not suddenly become affordable when interest rates go up - what will happen is that a lot of home owners will start finding their home loans increasingly unaffordable, which will force them to sell up at a loss.
Look forward to some rather nasty times in front of us - we might have missed out on a technical recession, but interest rate rises, inflation, and higher unemployment are all going to hit us hard in the next few years.
However, the .25% increase by the Reserve Bank during the week is interesting (if you pardon the pun). I have a feeling that interest rates have been far too low for too long, and that they have artificially fueled a housing price bubble. People have been borrowing far more than they could otherwise afford, and the result has been that house prices have gotten ridiculously unaffordable for most people.
Personally, I would rather be paying 20% interest on a $100G loan, than 4% interest on a $400G loan - but I think people have lost track of that during these times of low interest rates.
Of course, houses will not suddenly become affordable when interest rates go up - what will happen is that a lot of home owners will start finding their home loans increasingly unaffordable, which will force them to sell up at a loss.
Look forward to some rather nasty times in front of us - we might have missed out on a technical recession, but interest rate rises, inflation, and higher unemployment are all going to hit us hard in the next few years.
More Brendan Fevola idiocy
Looks like Fevola is in even more hot water over his Brownlow night binge.
Apparently he followed some female Herald Sun journalist into the ladies toilets and groped her or something like that, and that he also tried to grope Rebecca Twigley, girlfriend of Carlton captain Chris Judd.
Which might explain why he was traded so quickly out of Carlton.
What is now apparent is that Fevola had started his binge at 2pm in the afternoon with Chris Judd.
Which does raise a few eyebrows and a few questions.
Firstly, Judd has the reputation for being intelligent and responsible. What is he doing drinking with a moron like Fevola?
Then, you have to wonder about how responsible Judd really is. Doesn't he realise that Fevola's whole off field history is littered with some very ugly incidents involving alcohol?
Which leads me to wonder whether or not Fevola was set up - whether Judd knew what he was doing when he started off at 2pm at Crown with Fevola, and wanted to get Fevola so tanked up that he made an utter fool of himself in public and got kicked out of the club.
Interesting theory of mine. I think Judd's conduct in this whole sordid mess is far from blameless.
Apparently he followed some female Herald Sun journalist into the ladies toilets and groped her or something like that, and that he also tried to grope Rebecca Twigley, girlfriend of Carlton captain Chris Judd.
Which might explain why he was traded so quickly out of Carlton.
What is now apparent is that Fevola had started his binge at 2pm in the afternoon with Chris Judd.
Which does raise a few eyebrows and a few questions.
Firstly, Judd has the reputation for being intelligent and responsible. What is he doing drinking with a moron like Fevola?
Then, you have to wonder about how responsible Judd really is. Doesn't he realise that Fevola's whole off field history is littered with some very ugly incidents involving alcohol?
Which leads me to wonder whether or not Fevola was set up - whether Judd knew what he was doing when he started off at 2pm at Crown with Fevola, and wanted to get Fevola so tanked up that he made an utter fool of himself in public and got kicked out of the club.
Interesting theory of mine. I think Judd's conduct in this whole sordid mess is far from blameless.
Titus Andronicus at RMIT in the Melbourne Fringe Festival
On Thursday night, as a spur of the moment thing, I treated myself to a performance of Titus Andronicus at RMIT - it was part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival.
For those who do not know, Titus Andronicus is one of Shakespeare's earliest plays, and could perhaps best be described as the Bard meets the Road Runner. It is highly gory, with about a dozen people killed in the course of the play, a rape, and several dismemberments (plus some cannibalism). Indeed it could best be compared to a Road Runner cartoon where the Road Runner also gets killed - in each scene.
In other words, the play is so over the top that it is laugh out loud funny, and requires a great sense of fun and lots of over acting to make it work.
The RMIT production was even more interesting in that they got five pretty girls to play each of the two main female characters, Tamora and Lavinia, simultaneously.
Everyone seemed to be having lots of fun, and there was lots of fake blood at the end.
I greatly enjoyed myself.
For those who do not know, Titus Andronicus is one of Shakespeare's earliest plays, and could perhaps best be described as the Bard meets the Road Runner. It is highly gory, with about a dozen people killed in the course of the play, a rape, and several dismemberments (plus some cannibalism). Indeed it could best be compared to a Road Runner cartoon where the Road Runner also gets killed - in each scene.
In other words, the play is so over the top that it is laugh out loud funny, and requires a great sense of fun and lots of over acting to make it work.
The RMIT production was even more interesting in that they got five pretty girls to play each of the two main female characters, Tamora and Lavinia, simultaneously.
Everyone seemed to be having lots of fun, and there was lots of fake blood at the end.
I greatly enjoyed myself.
Farewell to the Redback Hotel
Last weekend, was walking down Flemington Road, and was saddened to note that the Redback Hotel has closed - it is to be replaced by an apartment block.
So too the Stork opposite the Vic Market, and also now the Canada is long gone....
To say nothing of the Melrose, at the other end of Flemington Road, which has been shut and an office block for about 15 years.
Some fond memories of visiting the Redback in my early to mid 20s. It's pleasantly located in a part of Flemington Road where there are lots of old trees and old houses, with a certain country feel to it. Beer was good, and whilst it did not have a beer garden, it was one of those pubs that did not need one, due to the general ambience of the tree lined streets surrounding it.
There used to be a jazz trio which played there back in the mid 1990s on Sunday afternoons, making for a pleasant way to spend some time there in the summer.
Of course, there are various evil and sick minded government policies which have resulted in the demise of such pubs:
. increases in land tax which fail to appreciate the heritage value of pubs, which forces the owners to close and sell up
. new liquor licensing rules written by idiots which increase the cost of liquor licenses to the point of ruination for many pubs
. appalling high density planning policies which encourage inner city apartment blocks to spring up like mushrooms and which destroy the soul of our suburbs.
Yes, we can thank that incompetant moron socialist premier, Mr John Brumby, for such lasting damage to our fine state.
So too the Stork opposite the Vic Market, and also now the Canada is long gone....
To say nothing of the Melrose, at the other end of Flemington Road, which has been shut and an office block for about 15 years.
Some fond memories of visiting the Redback in my early to mid 20s. It's pleasantly located in a part of Flemington Road where there are lots of old trees and old houses, with a certain country feel to it. Beer was good, and whilst it did not have a beer garden, it was one of those pubs that did not need one, due to the general ambience of the tree lined streets surrounding it.
There used to be a jazz trio which played there back in the mid 1990s on Sunday afternoons, making for a pleasant way to spend some time there in the summer.
Of course, there are various evil and sick minded government policies which have resulted in the demise of such pubs:
. increases in land tax which fail to appreciate the heritage value of pubs, which forces the owners to close and sell up
. new liquor licensing rules written by idiots which increase the cost of liquor licenses to the point of ruination for many pubs
. appalling high density planning policies which encourage inner city apartment blocks to spring up like mushrooms and which destroy the soul of our suburbs.
Yes, we can thank that incompetant moron socialist premier, Mr John Brumby, for such lasting damage to our fine state.
Cyclists - Public Nuisance on Public Transport
God how I hate cyclists!
Crowded train at Newmarket at 8.20 am the other morning. Crammed myself into the last carriage - and LO! there were two bikes in the doorway, taking up a lot of space which should have been occupied by commuters, and which made it unsafe for the rest of us.
This is, as I remind you, gentle reader, against the whimpish policies of the Victorian Government, which politely asks cyclists to refrain from bring their bikes onto trains during peak hour.
Is it any wonder that I and most ordinary decent people hate cyclists so much?
Times like this, I wish that I owned a pet dog - a big mean one - whom I could sic onto cyclists the way that they do out in the country.
Crowded train at Newmarket at 8.20 am the other morning. Crammed myself into the last carriage - and LO! there were two bikes in the doorway, taking up a lot of space which should have been occupied by commuters, and which made it unsafe for the rest of us.
This is, as I remind you, gentle reader, against the whimpish policies of the Victorian Government, which politely asks cyclists to refrain from bring their bikes onto trains during peak hour.
Is it any wonder that I and most ordinary decent people hate cyclists so much?
Times like this, I wish that I owned a pet dog - a big mean one - whom I could sic onto cyclists the way that they do out in the country.
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