New tyres

Stephanie, my car, got her new tyres today. Got them at Goodyear at Milton. Been bloody hot today, was 37 degrees. I came home in the early afternoon and had a couple of beers while watching some more episodes of 'Sex and the City'.

Xmas

Well it's done, Xmas 2005. Was a good Xmas I suppose. Good company, good gifts, good food. I certainly don't get very excited about Xmas anymore - maybe I will should I ever been lucky enough to be a dad.

Had a head cold for the last couple of days but it's feeling alright now. Not much else has been happening...just trying to put the finishing touches to my book. I really looking forward to designing the cover!

I found out that my name in the 11th century would have been Robert Willem Bradan. Now you know.

Boycott Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is a former Soviet republic, and they really have it in for Sacha Baron Cohen, better known as Ali G. Sacha does a few different characters in his show 'Da Ali G Show' and all of them are hilarious - this guy is brilliant. Sacha is British.

One of his characters is Borat Sagdiyev - a Kazakh news reporter. I remember one episode when he, as Borat, was wandering around Cambridge University looking for hot adult entertainment.

Anyway, his Kazakh character has really annoyed some people in Kazakhstan who have tried to censor him on the internet. Sacha has as always used humour to defend his hilarious work and said in a mock-statement...

"Since the 2003 ... reforms Kazakhstan is as civilized as any other country in the world," he said in his video address using the blue Kazakh national flag as a backdrop. "Women can now travel on inside of bus, homosexuals no longer have to wear blue hat and age of consent has been raised to eight years old."

Kazakhstan really needs to chill out.

Xmas party

Yesterday, Friday, I went to the Pacific Film & Television Xmas party in the city. A storm was brewing but I was looking forward to going and so made my way to the bus stop. (No point in driving to the city and paying for parking when the bus is only $2.50). Anyway, I just made it to the bus stop when a huge storm hit. Was perhaps the most intense storm I have ever seen in this area.

The bus arrived and off I went. In the city I got off somewhere near North Quay and walked to the Dendy Cinema (where the party was to begin) and my umbrella got ripped in half because of the winds. I arrived at the cinema soaking wet.

All the party goers sat down in the main cinema to watch some of this year's short films. By and large I wasn't overly impressed with them. For some reason, the PFTC seems to fund lots of comedy shorts rather than dramas. They were okay but very forgettable. I sat next to a woman who writes a kids TV show and we chatted about each film after it had finished.

After all that the party moved next door for drinks. Nice night.

Most recently seen film: Roman Polanski's 1967 masterpiece "Repulsion".

On TV

The commerical I did for the 'Abused Child's Trust' is finally on TV. It was shot back in May and I saw it tonight on Channel 7. No idea why it took so long to go to air. My 'Energex' commercial is still playing too.

My agent said I look very sinister in it.

Changing...

Today I quit my new job. The place was ok, the staff nice and so on, but I've come to realise that I just don't want to do retail anymore. Unless a job comes up in that industry that is really amazing, as far as I am concerned I'm done with retail. I've got an interview for a new job next Thursday, but I don't want to jinx it. It's definately not retail.

I walked home from the Valley to Paddo, and I began to feel really good, very positive. Making this decision is I think by far the best thing I could have done at this point in time. I felt myself moving away from some things that once meant a lot to me. Change does feel good. I was enjoying the walk so much that I kind of didn't want it to end. It was a nice afternoon, I gave someone directions, I bumped into an old friend, and I just strolled home.

Had a nice big dinner and then bought a 4 litre cask of red wine.

Stephanie won't spit out my new "MacArthur Park CD". It is a brilliant CD, but I want it back, so at the moment I can only listen to it in the car.

Allie Fox Words of Wisdom

"We eat when we're not hungry, we drink when we're not thirsty. We buy what we don't need and throw away everything that's useful. Why sell a man what he wants? Sell him what he doesn't need! Pretend he's got eight legs and two stomachs and money to burn. It's wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!"

"I've tinkered a bit with the bible. It's God's owner's handbook isn't it? Except it doesn't work."

"It's an absolute sin to accept the decadence of obsolescence. Why do things get worse and worse? They DON'T have to, they can get better and better! We accept that things fall apart but they don't have to. They can last forever."

"No one, who has the slightest spark, has to endure a moments oppression in this world."

"Man sprang from a faulty world Charlie. It's a bad design, the human body. The skin's not thick enough, too little hair, no claws or fangs. We weren't meant to stand upright. It exposes our heart and genitals."