Things Are Looking Up

I have had an epiphany, of sorts. I have realised it is mid September, which means that life is taking a turn for the better. Let me explain why:

1. The days are getting warmer and longer. It is therefore a matter of mere weeks, if that, before the daily tradition of wandering up to the park after work with several beers resumes. Sitting in the twilight with a bunch of friends as the mutts run amok/ sweet talk* picnickers and killing a few coldies (that last bit is me, not the dogs) is absolutely THE best way to wind down after a day at work.
2. Feastability - the Newtown food and wine festival - is on this Sunday. A day of sitting in the sun, eating too much yummy food and drinking too much. Then somehow transporting myself to basketball and either playing completely out of my skin or out of my tree, one of the two.
3. Oktoberfest. Yes, in September - don't ask me, they are German after all. Sure, efficient - whatever. Get the month right. Anyway, the only thing better than friends having Oktoberfest parties, complete with a plethora of wurst, is going to the Concordia Club. A former bowling club, mere metres from Tempe station. Not much beats chowing down on a pork knuckle in a giant tent on a bowling green and shooting vile corn schnapps. What I want to know is, how big are the hands of those freakin German pigs, and who thought of making corn schnapps? OK, I can understand it is probably an old, old recipe with the schnapps, but, er, people have now invented alcohol that actually tastes ok. German people, are you listening? Hallo? Keine schnapps bitte!
4. Last long weekend before Christmas. Suck it up guys. Oh, and it is my birthday too, which is sadly an increasingly numerically irrelevant excuse to have a few drinks.
5. My house is no longer like an icebox when I get home. Just threw that one in there as it has nothing to do with drinking, and I don't want anyone implying there was a pattern emerging.
6. Newtown Festival is only a month away. A day of sitting in the sun... er, eating too much yummy food...... um, ... drinking maybe too much... and bands playing. That's right, there are bands and all that. phew.

I love September...

*"Sweet talking" usually happens when said mutts realise picnickers have a cold chicken, cheese platter, packet of chips, Ok, any old damn bit of vaguely edible stuff. It MAY involve sitting up like the epitomy of well-behaved dogness, in the hope that picnickers will throw the whole damn chook your way. Failing this, continue to sit up, but with an obviously increasing degree of difficulty as the excitement of uneaten poultry causes barely contained oscillation of the muscular tissue. If this doesn't work, circle around the picnic blanket hoping another picnicker will drop a plate full of salami. Most importantly, be aware of the location of your owner at all times, as getting caught begging means getting seriously busted and pinned on the ground while all your mates dance around doing the canine equivalent of pointing and sniggering while chanting "You're in trouble. You're in trouble". Hey, at least they don't actually nick the food. Almost never.

Guy Gavriel Kay

.... is a writer of what I can probably best describe as 'historical fantasy'. His first works were the Fionavar Tapestry, which was pretty much straight up fantasy, and pretty good at that.

Now he writes fiction based on different historical periods, but set in fantasy settings. OK, I may be making it sound like crap, but I think his stuff is really good. For example, probably my favourite of his works is "The Lions of A-Rassan", which is set in a world based on mediaeval Spain. Northern Spain in the period in question was controlled by the European based Christians, while Southern Spain was controlled by the Moors from Northern Africa/Middle East. Yes, they are the ones responsible for the Alhambra and all that. Anyway, this book is well written fiction, with the added bonus that comes with good and well researched historical fiction - a bit of blurring of the lines between fact and fiction. It follows several characters on both sides of the 'fence' and explores a lot of issues that come from that.

He has also done stories based on 18th/19th Century Italy, Mediaeval Languedoc and the Byzantine Empire, just to name a few.

OK, on to the point. I just got his most recent book, at least the most recent one I have found here. It is The Last Light of the Sun, and is set in the era of the Vikings, and Celtic/Anglo/Pict British Isles. For obvious reasons to any who have read my ranting before, there is something of a fascination in that period for me, so it is exciting in itself. I am about a quarter through, and loving it. If you are some random trawler, please don't post and ruin it (like I get any random trawling through here), but I just want to recommend it.

No, not getting any kickbacks, unfortunately. Unless someone who knows someone, in which case, bring it on baby!

so Su-shi me...

I eat at the sushi train in the local shopping centre quite a lot - we don't quite have the CBD range of culinary delights out here. Sushi is both tasty (when fresh and quality - which this place is, IMHO) and relatively healthy, at least in comparison to the OPorto, Thai bain-marie place, Kebabs and Subway that are the competition.

Now a friend, a former doctor who is a clever guy, has told me not to have too much sushi as the fish that are the primary source, salmon and tuna are also at the top of the local aquatic food chain (with the exception of the ones that are caught by human fishermen - something tells me they didn't quite graduate at the top of the food chain seeing as we are chowing down on them ourselves). This means that they have quite high concentrations of heavy metals, as it accumulates up the food chain, and the 'big fish' get all the crap from the little Nemo's they munch on. So this means you are meant to only have 2 serves of this type of fish per week.

I have no idea how much is in 2 serves, but having sushi 2 or 3 times a week probably puts me near that threshold, I suspect. So what the hell are we allowed to eat these days, other then a frickin salad? Cos I gotta say, the salad thing gets tired rather quickly, especially without any of that evil dressing, etc. Sheesh.

DVD Store Blues

"[The Time Warp]? I hate it! It's boil-in-the-bag perversion for sexually repressed accountants and first-year drama students with too many posters of Betty Blue, The Blues Brothers, Big Blue and Blue Velvet on their blue bloody walls." Tim Bisley, Spaced.

Those of you who have visited before (yes, I know you have both been here a lot, just work with me, oh, and ta) will know that probably my favourite show is Spaced. You will also know that nobody I know has seen it unless I have shown it to them, which makes my desires to either (a) quote it or (b) discuss it equally futile. Yet it does brinng to mind an issue that has been bothering me recently on a few occasions when at home, less than entirely well.

Why is there so much crap at the DVD store? Most times I go, there might be something I haven't seen yet that looks vaguely ok, but most of the time it is pure crapola with an extra serving of kaka. I end up gravitating to the Weeklies section with movies I have almost all seen before. Many of them are crap too, don't get me wrong, but at least I know there will be something there worth watching. That or I could watch Firefly or Spaced with the commentaries on. Again.

For the record, I only own one of the movies Tim referred to, although I may have 2 different versions of it and lobby cards for same movie. Maybe. And no, I don't have any Betty Blue posters. Unfortunately. That would so date me.

Living Good

I am sure that there are lots of people posting about the loss of Steve Irwin, and it is sad news indeed. I was never a huge fan, but had some respect for his success and passion, and the loss of a husband and father is truly terrible.

Now Steve Irwin made a dangerous living, and it is only due to his high profile that we hear more of his death than that of many other tragedies. Not that that makes it any less so. It just goes to show that you never know when your time is up, no matter how wealthy, successful or popular you are.

At the risk of this seeming like a tasteless segue, I was checking out the smh this morning and saw that they have announced the latest Good Food Guide. I used to enjoy going to top restaurants with friends. Not every week, you understand, but just every now and then, as a treat. Those nights of fun company, great food and nice wine (ok, any wine is a good start but something nice certainly helps) are some of my greatest memories. Let's face it, it is almost all about the company, and I am fortunate with my friends.

Most of those friends, however, have been breeding lately. Now that is all well and good - they are very happy, and their kids are.... their kids. For obvious reasons they tend not to socialise to the same extent as they used to, although we still catch up with bbq's, lunches, etc. It is all to easy to let things slide though, and I have been as guilty of this as any.

Here is where it comes together - we should not make excuses and put things off, assuming we will have a chance to make it up later. Whether it is nice dinners, lunch, or catching up over a few beers, we should appreciate friends now, as they are one of the greatest assets we have.