Handcastle

i updated the Handcastle
Originally uploaded by -eti-.

This is very cool - a person has a blog called Handkasteel / handcastle. It's basically pictures of children's drawings on their hands. Nice.

BB-Tim

Yesterday I think I saw BB-Tim upstairs at the Townie watching St George v The Eels. The bar was almost deserted as it's become non-smoking and the maybe BB-Tim stood out given his suntan and hair.

It's kind've interesting, I've just read the final webchat transcript, here's a couple of the questions:

Foiler: Tim, everyone keeps referring to your time in the house as a sociological experiment - what would you say are your greatest "findings"?
Tim: Childhood family is undoubtedly the most important factor in people's development and that people really can change given the time to concentrate.

and

redkazza: Tim, you changed so much since the start of BB appearance wise, any further changes you might make? PS you look great!
Tim: Yeah, I've got a couple of tattoos planned. Obviously I had to go through a lot of legal issues with local councils getting approval and all that with my tan and my hair, the shaving and the painting of the nails and the muscle building, but changing your body is fun.

So, Tim was able to change into a tanned skin, and hair streaked person given the 'time to concentrate'. I hope he gets more than that out of the whole experience.

miami

I've been reading (and viewing) around and about Miami. Started out with Joan Didion's Miami originally published by Simon & Schuster in 1987. It's a complicated work, starts out with the place and ends up with Reagan and the contras. Particularly weird to be reading it now after Reagan's death, and the war in Iraq. Moved on to James Ellroy's American Tabloid (Arrow 1995) to keep the Miami and Bay of Pigs, and Kennedy theme going . . . but I gave up on that last night, almost half way through the book. I like the complexity of Ellroy's stories, but find the violence too much, and the characterisations - the smart opportunist, the flawed idealist - kind of wearing. Now I'm back with Didion and The Last Thing He Wanted (Alfred A Knopf 1996). It gets to Miami early on, then moves to an unspecified island somewhere in the Caribbean.

And last night we watched two episodes of Miami Vice on dvd. Nice.

What else could I read? Could back over some Elmore Leonard, and Bashevis Singer. Any other Miami recommendations?

true confessions

I'm addicted to Big Brother. I haven't watched the show this season, but I've read at least half of the online diary. And Nadia, the winner of last years UK Big Brother has just gone into the Gold Coast Big Brother house:

The intruder alert goes off and Vesna jumps up: "Intruder! I told you!" Greg comments: "Who would that be, that's bulls**t." BB introduces Nadia and Vesna greets her: "Hey Nadia, how are you love?" Tim and Greg introduce themselves and she offers them the champagne. Nadia asks: "Who told you my name?"

Vesna asks: "Are you from Spain?" Nadia explains she's from Portugal but lives in the UK. Tim opens the champagne and pours them a glass each. Nadia explains: "I'm not an intruder. I'm just a special guest." BB diary day 93

Nice and good one Vesna, don't lump the portugese in with the spaniards, and go Nadia for borrowing Melanie's line re: not an intruder, rather a special guest.

train history murals

Apparently the Devonshire St Tunnel murals (some of which were painted by kids from Caringbah High School) are going to be replaced by murals depicting the history of the railways in New South Wales. Wow! What a relaxing and visually stimulating subject for commuters to engage with!

I think the history of graffiti on railway property in NSW would be far more interesting. We were talking the other day at work about the refurbished Hilton, and the missing plaque to the victims of the Hilton bombing, and the graffiti all over the Illawarra line exhorting us to free the Ananda Marga. Then there were years and years of "Led Zep Lern" penned inside carriages, over and over again, until you wanted Zep to Lern some other phrase.

The current murals have been there a long time, and are a bit worse for wear, but the history of rail strikes terror into my heart - can't we have something colourful and decorative? fun even?

please blow bubbles

Please blow bubbles for Sonia & Ben
as they walk down the aisle as
Husband and Wife

found this morning outside St John's college, University of Sydney

macdonaldtown station

macdonaldtown station
Originally uploaded by lynn.

My new job is 9 to 5 and in town, so it's back to catching the train to work. Which is a good thing - I like Macdonaldtown Station.

Here's yesterday's bird list: dove, willie wagtail, 2 x pee wee, magpie, 2 x lorrikeet, pigeon, (and heard only wattle bird, sparrows)