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September 2005
The Walrus did beseech.

Reading:
Carl Sagan: The Demon Haunted World - Science as a Candle in the Dark. I lent this to some alien-loving friend about 10 years ago and never got it back, so finally bought another copy. This book sums up everything you need to know about my views on pseudo-science.

Listening:
Nature's Best 3: The Best of NZ Music

Watching:
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Apropos of nothing, I have started ululating like Johnny Depp does when he calls the Oompa Loompas. Bliddleliddleliddle! This scares people.

Eating:
A Peanut Butter KitKat. Interesting.

Liking:
The flashing 'safety' lights we've put on the dogs' collars, so that when they run around in the dark, it looks like little miniature ravers are dancing madly all over the football oval.

Pondering:
Are there people who seriously have not heard of Split Enz? Or Crowded House? No, seriously.

August 2005
"O Oysters, come and walk with us!"

Reading:
JK Rowling: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Listening:
Gorillaz: Feel Good Inc.

Watching:
Mythbusters. I think they have a bigger budget now ... there's a lot more explosions.

Eating:
Werther's butterscotch. Can't find these things online. That's because they're all in my desk drawer at work.

Liking:
Bloglines. Bloggy goodness.

Pondering:
Badger. Badger. Badger. Badger.

July 2005
And shed a bitter tear.

Reading:
Human Croquet: Kate Atkinson

Listening:
The Killers: Hot Fuss

Watching:
I watched Madagascar. I spent the first half in agony, trying to figure out the voice of the giraffe. It's David Schwimmer. What a letdown.

Eating:
My Terry's Chocolate Orange preoccupation has returned. I can't stop.

Liking:
PAIH! And cheesecake. Baked cheesecake. Oh yeah.

Pondering:
Now is the winter of our discontent ... I am seriously considering making this my voicemail message at work.

June 2005
"I doubt it," said the Carpenter,

Reading:
Good Wives: Louisa May Alcott. Hey, it was $1.95. Cut me some slack.

Listening:
The Chills: Submarine Bells. We could dive into suns though it's not recommended.

Watching:
Clueless on DVD. I bought a DVD!

Eating:
Chocolate afghans. I can bake! These have pecans on them! They're good!

Liking:
The onset of winter. Scarves! Coats! Cool boots!

Pondering:
That cat is awfully close to the heater. How hot do cats have to get before they spontaneously combust?

May 2005
"That they could get it clear?"

Reading:
Cloudstreet: Tim Winton

Listening:
Beck: Guero

Watching:
I watched Hellboy on DVD last night. I have a real problem with Selma Blair. She SHOULD be good, but she's ... not.

Eating:
Baked cheesecake.

Liking:
My new camera. Mmmm. Expensive.

Pondering:
Surely it's not frittering away money if I buy books with it. Books! Learning!

April 2005
"Do you suppose," the Walrus said,

Reading:
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

Listening:
A terrible 80s mix CD I made for a workmate. It has Falco! FALCO!

Watching:
Lost, just about the only TV I'm watching at present. TV sucks.

Eating:
Cooking chocolate. Hey, I'm desperate here.

Liking:
When people recognise the movie lines I mutter under my breath, and, better yet, elaborate on them. "It's not a tumah!"

Pondering:
Are my dogs more animal or mineral? Because their fur is FILLED with sand and grit.

March 2005
Swept it for half a year,

Reading:
Wizard and Glass, Stephen King

Listening:
Where is the Love, Black Eyed Peas. Yes I know it has Justin Timberlake shut up shut up SHUT UP.

Watching:
Jackass: The Movie. The papercuts had me cringing more than anything else.

Eating:
Milk biscuits I brought back from NZ. They are like Marmite in that if you didn't eat them as a kid, you will hate them now. I can't stop eating them.

Liking:
The pen pot on my computer desk, which is a stoneware jar for "Ma Spong's Apricot Jam". Man, I love eBay.

Pondering:
The door just fell off our front loader washing machine. Just ... fell off. This does not bode well for future laundry requirements.

February 2005
"If seven maids with seven mops

Reading:
Shogun, James Clavell. Yes, still. It's long, all right?

Listening:
Love, Angel, Music, Baby: Gwen Stefani

Watching:
Welcome to the Jungle: Stifler vs The Rock.

Eating:
Udon noodles

Liking:
Summer ... even when it's raining.

Pondering:
Otherwise sane adults who email me crappy, sappy chain letters. Have I not been clear about my feeling on these things? They stay AWAY from me. And no, you will never get a "Kiss From An Angel!!!1!" from me.

January 2005
They said, "It would be grand!"

Reading:
Shogun, James Clavell

Listening:
Oceans Twelve soundtrack

Watching:
Kite surfers at St Kilda

Eating:
Byron Bay Chilli salsa

Liking:
Daylight savings

Pondering:
My sudden need for green cordial. Am I reverting to childhood? (Actually, I was never allowed cordial as a child. And LOOK HOW I TURNED OUT. Let this be a lesson to all of you.)

December 2004
"If this were only cleared away,"

Reading:
Maus, Art Speigelman

Listening:
U2, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

Watching:
The spirit of goodwill, alive and well in carpark buildings all around the city. (Sarcasm is a Christmas spirit, right?)

Eating:
First cherries of the season. Expensively delicious.

Liking:
My tiny real Christmas tree, adorned with fairy lights. I fear the fake tinsel trees.

Pondering:
The perils of Christmas clothes shopping for others: What size IS my dad, exactly?

November 2004
Such quantities of sand:

Reading:
Travel brochures.

Listening:
Weezer, Island in the Sun. No wait, now it's Wham!, Last Christmas (Pudding Mix). I should really find the "shuffle" button on this thing.

Watching:
Kath and Kim.

Eating:
Raspberries.

Liking:
DING da da da!

Pondering:
Yes, we have an inorganic hard rubbish collection. It doesn't mean you can throw all your shit out on the grass verge THREE WEEKS before the collection begins.

October 2004
They wept like anything to see

Reading:
A giant pile of Cuisine magazines, the hoard of a friend returning to New Zealand. They make me feel hungry, but too inadequate to cook.

Listening:
Some back catalogue: Dimitri from Paris.

Watching:
Co-workers and their fake tan mishaps in aid of the Spring Racing Carnival. Youll laugh! You'll cry! You'll go all streaky and orange!

Eating:
Dumplings at yum cha.

Liking:
Planning my February travel. So little time! So little money! So don't care!

Pondering:
If the dog turns his head away from the cat, does that mean the dog becomes invisible and hence safe from any potential attack? All signs point to YES.

September 2004
Were walking close at hand

Reading:
Get Fuzzy

Listening:
Modest Mouse, Float On. Over and over. And over.

Watching:
All the movies I've missed over the past few years: Memento, Life is Beautiful, Amelie.

Eating:
Chocolate cake made with melted dark chocolate. Damn you, Delicious.

Liking:
The magnolia tree flowering outside my bedroom window.

Pondering:
If Mr. T keeps feeding the Brown Dog coffee beans, will the Brown Dog eventually become so manic that he propels himself over the seven-foot fence and into the stratosphere?

August 2004
The Walrus and the Carpenter

Reading:
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time", Mark Haddon.

Listening:
To myself, singing every random phrase in the style of TMBG's "Particle Man". ("Going to work, going to work. Triangle man hates going to work...") I realise this is annoying but the truth is I CANNOT STOP.

Watching:
The Black Dog's toy destruction method: First he goes for their eyes. Then their ears. Then he rips into their soft underbellies, to pull out reams of polyester stuffing. Nature, red in tooth and claw.

Eating:
Meeeat. So much meat. Will it ever end?

Liking:
Firefox. I have become Firefox's bitch. I don't mind saying that it's the tiniest bit pathetic.

Pondering:
The green things are spring onions. The little brown onion-like things are shallots. I don't care if the whole of Australia thinks these are both called shallots. You are ALL WRONG. It wouldn't be the first time.

July 2004
There were no birds to fly.

Reading:
"A Short History of Nearly Everything", Bill Bryson.

Listening:
"Chicago", the soundtrack. Apart from the Richard Gere tracks. I hate that guy.

Watching:
DVDs from Fetch Me Movies. Free trial for a month! Thank you sir, may I have another?

Eating:
Shropshire blue cheese.

Liking:
Taunting Mr. T, who will be 30 this month. "Look at your hair! Shiny, shiny silver in the light..." If I'm throttled, you all know who to blame.

Pondering:
This guy who has come forward saying he shot the dingo which took Azaria Chamberlain. I hope your 15 minutes of fame taste very, very bitter.

June 2004
No birds were flying overhead-

Reading:
"The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat", Oliver Sacks.

Listening:
"The Nosebleed Section", Hilltop Hoods. It's all about the Melanie Safka sample.

Watching:
The mail for eBay parcels. Mmmm, eBay.

Eating:
Orange Tic Tacs. I can devour a 4-pack in an ad break. I'm pretty sure I will die choking on one.

Liking:
"After all, what is your hosts' purpose in having a party? Surely not for you to enjoy yourself; if that were their sole purpose, they'd have simply sent champagne and women over to your place by taxi."
-- P. J. O'Rourke

Pondering:
Rebel Sport's new catchphrase: "Winning is the mark of the rebel". This INCENSES me. In NO WAY is winning the mark of the rebel. The mark of the rebel would involve losing, or starting a brawl, or possibly not turning up to play at all.

 

May 2004
No cloud was in the sky:

Reading:
"The Catcher in the Rye", J.D. Salinger. I'm a leetle behind on my core reading. And you're all phonies.

Listening:
Some unattended cellphone with no message bank. TURN IT TO SILENT, we're all begging you.

Watching:
A documentary on honey badgers. It's either that or the new "Big Brother". My conscience is clear.

Eating:
Pumpkin and bacon soup. She cooks! She cleans! (actually, strike the cleaning) She pulverises vegetables into tasty bowls of fun!

Liking:
Papaya goo as a lip balm. Who knew rotten fruit could be so beneficial?

Pondering:
Why should everybody get up, if Five is going to make you get down? Idiots.

 

April 2004
You could not see a cloud, because

Reading:
"How To Eat", Nigella Lawson. Food p0rn.

Listening:
"The Virgin Suicides", Air

Watching:
The cat preparing an elaborate dog ambush. He's going to scare the crap out of them. I can't wait.

Eating:
Pistachios. That totally counts as eating my greens.

Liking:
Booking flights for holidays in May. Cannot. Come. Soon. Enough.

Pondering:
Why does Adelaide bother having a half-hour time difference? Suck it up, Adelaide. You're either with Perth or with us.

 

March 2004
The sands were dry as dry.

Reading:
"Otherland" series, Tad Williams

Listening:
"Walkie Talkie Man", Steriogram

Watching:
"Newlyweds" ... I can't watch, but I can't look away.

Eating:
Lindt bunnies. Damn you, expensive, delicious bunnies.

Liking:
The figs ripening on the tree in the backyard. Now if only the dog doesn't eat them first ...

Pondering:
Is it wrong to spend over $200 on a pair of shoes? Hypothetically speaking, that is.

 

February 2004
The sea was wet as wet could be,

Reading:
"Amphigorey Too", Edward Gorey

Listening:
"Fairytale of New York", The Pogues

Watching:
Finding Nemo DVD

Eating:
Millions of peaches, peaches for me

Liking:
Goatmilk Comforting Body Cream, Crabtree & Evelyn. This habit is more expensive than crack.

Pondering:
Why don't Australian petrol pumps have the little clicker that keeps the petrol flowing? It's a conspiracy against those of us with weak hands.

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