Dwindling

Summer is slipping away.

At some point my deal with summer broke down. I'd work a bit during the busier times in early January, in return for some hotter weather in February.

YOU SCREWED ME SUMMER. SCREWED ME!

Right now I have the last two days of this week to look forward to, and that's it. I also don't have the time to actually do anything with those two days. Damnit!

Summer is a tease.

SNAP!

I'm not sure who authors the preamble to the Crikey daily subscriber email, but this is so bang on:

""I've never been one," the Prime Minister said yesterday, "who believes it makes much sense to devote an enormous amount of time and energy and commitment of one's life to win election to parliament, and to the high office of decision-making, and then to spend the next stage of life busily handing over decisions to people who are not accountable." He was explaining why he believes Cabinet should maintain personal control over dispensing the RU486 abortion pill – and yet, when it comes to "busily handing over decisions to people who are not accountable," that's precisely what the Prime Minister and his most senior colleagues did when it came to the "decision-making" involved in paying apparently illegal bribes of $300 million to the regime of a country he was about to invade..."

But I wont do that.

Ten days ago, Video Hits was rolling off the number 1 hit of every year from 1990 till 2004. For 1993 it was the 11.55 minute epic, I'd Do Anything For Love by the rotund rocker Meatloaf.

How do I know it was released in 1993? How do I know the song runs for 11.55? Because I own the album it is cut from: Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell. Reliving about five minutes of the clip lead me to dig up the CD from the very depths of my wardrobe.

Of the many embarrasing albums I puchased as a pre-teen (or tween as modern marketing has come to describe adolescents between the age of 8 and 12) Metaloaf's return to the mainstream Bat Out of Hell II is one of the more notable. Others include Ace of Base's The Sign (the home of hits such as All That She Wants and The Sign) and a Rod Stewart album that may may not have had the song Downtown Train on it.

But I digress...

Bat Out of Hell II wasn't the album alone either, it was the special limited edition enhansed album. This went beyond the duties of a special limited edition enhansed album, this included a poster - a Meatlof poster.

Behond the scarf clenching sexiness:



Clearly my 11 year old self needed a better set of role models.

A Poem

*ahem*

Collette
You are hot.
So hot.
Still so very hot.

Warren.
Blows.
So blows.
Still so very blows.

WHY.

Why, why why.

...why.

*bows for applause*

Our Wankers in Havana

Cat Empire recorded their album Two Shoes in Cuba.

Utter blow hards.

1000 Steps.

Your old friend The Student is in the midst of a healthkick at the moment, as free time allows me to try and get a fit before uni fires back into life and eats up all my time.

A well known, and rather steep, walking track out my way is the '1000 steps' - a walking track the works its way up into the forest. A few mates, and myself have been doing this track two or three times a week for the past few weeks.

I am by no means a fit person, but I think it's probably not cool when i am stuffed after about ten steps. Regardless, my unwavering desire to actualy subject myself to the torture, sometimes at 7am, is testament to sort of thing that goes on during January - the month of nothing.

On your way up, you pass people on their way down. They greet you with an empathetic look on their face as they pass you, aware of the build up of lactic acid in your thighs and calves as you climb step after step, and the vague 'why the fuck am I doing this?' thoughts in your head.

The Great Outdoors website chooses to highlight a more unusual feature of the track:

Kokoda Track Memorial Walk
Upper Ferntree Gully, Dandenong Ranges VIC

Located in the Dandenong Ranges, a 40 minute drive north east of Melbourne, this is a one to two hour uphill walk of medium difficulty which takes you through the State Park. The walk incorporates 1000 steps and has 13 commemorative plagues along the way.

Heathen joggers be warned.

I never sugarcoat a shakedown.

...and I mean never!

The later half of Friday was spent at the cricket - one day cricket. The Australian innings was pretty entertaining, the Sri Lankan one not so much. The bogan element was alive and well in the crowd, with the blue singlet in force. As were swarms of loud mouth 14 year olds in the formative years of the development of their mature male selves.

Okay. I'm approaching my mid twenties, as Cavalier reminded me during a round of golf on Friday morning. The tendancy is, even in my slightly older youth, to always say 'I was never like that' and 'we weren't such cocks when I was 14' - truth is of course, that we were.

But let it stand that some kids are just cocks.

When I was in my teens, I had misappropriated arrogance and alcohol as an excuse for public displays of wankery. These guys had mob mentality to make up for arrogance, didn't have alcohol as an excuse for two reasons; a) no one would serve them, and b) you cannot get pissed off mid-strength beer that costs $5.20 per glass anyway.

Oh, and one of them had a whistle.

Wankers.

Ghost of leader passed haunts Lennon.

Many like to lament (in my view sometimes unfairly) the federal ALP leadership of Mark Latham.

I, on the otherhand, like to celebrate the sweet justice that is karma.

From The Age:

"It was revealed today Mr Lennon received thousands of dollars worth of free accommodation when he accepted an upgrade to a six-star suite at Melbourne's Crown Towers during last year's spring racing carnival.

The upgrade came just days before Mr Lennon signed off on a $700 million internet gambling licence to James Packer."

Karma indeed.

World Series Grogblogging

No coloured uniforms, no white balls, no drop in pitches, no Kerry Packer.

Just me and Ruth having some beers.

We're the brash new television friendly version of the tired old grogblogging format!

dripping

Dear Heat,

Hey! Have I told you how much I love you lately? Seriously, I love you. I have missed you so much. Heck, I even flew to Queensland to see you in August.

But - and I want you to know it's a small thing - but I just want you to fuck off at night when I'm trying to sleep. Seriously, I have shit to do during the day that requires me being remotely alert, and I need sleep to do that.

You're sticking around till February, maybe March. This will work a lot better for both of us if you can take it easy at night - and remember, I still love you.

Love, The Student.