Largely through my work, I’ve spent much of the day immersed in the terrorism attacks in Paris. On top of the professional, there was concern for a friend who lives in Paris (who I’ve yet to hear from in reply), and for another friend whose partner lives in Paris (everything is all okay).
Though there are obviously tragedies which happen all of the time, and indeed attacks like these happen all of the time in the Middle East (including Beirut this week), this attack has really “hit home”. I love Paris, and knew exactly when, where these attacks occurred. I also really like French people – they suffer with a bit of “bad press”, I think. Also, there’s clear evidence those involved were “under the radar” (digitally speaking), and so it has helped to bring home that we’re living in difficult times.
“This will be the century of terrorism and climate change”, I said to a friend in an email.
Here in Sydney, the colours of the French flag were projected on the Sydney Opera House, and there was a vigil at Martin Place. Particularly touching was the large group of expats who were singing in French.
“He spent half the night pacing back and forth to the door, checking if you had returned home, and eventually woke me up when you finally did,” my sister Pat recounted her husband’s concern over my night out in Lismore for our school reunion. Despite being in their 70s and 80s, they still worry about me as if I were a teenager attending an end-of-high-school event.
It’s been over four decades since I graduated from Richmond River High School, and here I am back in Lismore for a school reunion. The first reunion was held in 2004, which I helped organize. Although I was involved in planning this event too, I had to take a step back due to ill health. Nevertheless, I managed to attend and even found myself on the dance floor for a while. YMCA is pretty easy to dance to, even with a missing half-leg!
Welcoming attendees at the door of the Lismore City Bowling Club, I found myself saying, “I’m sorry, I don’t recognize you,” to a few people I hadn’t seen since high school. Yet, as soon as they mentioned their names, recognition flooded back.
While some women have maintained their hair color with just a few greys peeking through, some men have acquired noticeable beer bellies. Some women have embraced their grey hair, and it’s apparent that age has left its mark on us all. Amongst the men, the phrase “spent a bit of time in the front paddock” (country people will understand) springs to mind, referencing their “beer bellies”/
Though many of us stuck to our high school cliques, others were open to mingling with less familiar faces. I found myself engaged in lengthy conversations with individuals I never spoke to during high school, prompting me to ponder why we didn’t connect back then.
The answer perhaps lies in the competitiveness of our youth, something that seems far removed from our current selves, comfortable in our aging skins.
Embracing a former classmate whom I’ve sporadically encountered over the years, he quipped, “We’re part of the ‘still standing’ group,” alluding to our joint near-death experiences in recent times. A number of people in our class have passed away, sadly.
This reunion differed from the previous one, with some absentees from the last gathering making it this time, and vice versa.
The following morning, a few of us visited our high school building, which had suffered severe damage in the 2022 floods. While we couldn’t access the school grounds due to safety concerns, we gathered by the fence, reminiscing about the highs, lows, and quirky moments of our school days.
We even made the March 23 edition of the Lismore City News
I spent some time on the weekend as a “tour guide” for some friends visiting from the US. On Saturday, I took them to “Wendy’s Secret Garden” https://thelimbshift.com/2018/04/22/wendys-secret-garden/ and the “Cartoon Walk”, both at Lavender Bay. If you’re ever visiting Sydney, or have visitors, they’re both highly recommended things to do. Catch a train or ferry, and then walk around past Luna Park.
I was chatting with a colleague today, and he asked why ABC Radio News is heard at 7.45am and not 8.00am, which is the convention for most radio stations. I did a few searches, and couldn’t come to a conclusion, though 7.45am dates back to 1932 when the ABC started, though noting that bulletin was on 2FC, now Radio National. Anyone know? A shift change at the Post Master General? :)
Previously Shared On Google+. This was the discussion.
I once heard it was because the shift started at 8am and people could listen to the news before it started. That was in the middle of last century however so I can’t work out why it is still at 0745
28 Mar 2017
I always thought it was because the AM program starts at 8AM.
28 Mar 2017
AM has only been around since the late 60s, whereas this appears to have gone back to the 1930s. A bit of digging around and commentary on Twitter, seems to suggest it was due to an arrangement with newspapers. The theory was, 0745 was the earliest the ABC could read out the newspapers without impacting on sales. See press clipping from 1935 below, found by a colleague on Trove.
29 Mar 2017
CANBERRA, Wednesday.-Although the Australian Broadcasting Commission has considered establishing its own newsgathering staff, the Commission will still rely on the metropolitan news papers for its news services. This statement was made in the House of Representatives to-day by the Minister representing the P.M.G. (Mr. A. Parkhill), in response to a question asked by Mr. Clark (Lang Lab, N.S.W.). Mr. Parkhill said tho Comnmission paid the Associated Australian Press about £1450 a year for the right to transmit news made available by this organisation at certain stipulated times and for certain periods. The agreement, which recently expired, was being renewed on similar terms.
29 Mar 2017
I’m glad that the best part of a century after the decision was made, we are still programming our radio based on reading newspaper stories.
29 Mar 2017
Its time it was moved its a silly placement in time. Ask ABC TV News to place the 7pm news at 6.45 !!! Mind you AM would not budge !!! I agree with Rae.
There was a slight tinge of sadness as we packed up the Chinese New Year Exhibition at Sydney Town Hall.
Unlike setting up an exhibition which is all about the future, bumping out an exhibition is all about the end of something.
My friend Kate has done an amazing job putting all this together, and so of course I wanted to be there to help at the less-glamorous end of things.
Packing Up Exhibition
Everyone last night did an amazing job, dealing with bubble wrap, sticky tap, screw-drivers and the like. And as a number of the artists arrived to pick up their works, it was great to see them chatting to each other.
Crown Street, Surry Hills By night it’s lots of glamorous restaurants, while by day it’s often a lot of people with substance abuse problems. This morning, for example, there were two blokes at the bus-stop who had been drinking for days on end, it seems. I’ve actually seen these two blokes before and I think they look like they might be brothers. Brothers who obviously have had too much to drink over a long period of time. Every time I see them it’s early or mid-morning and they each have a bottle in hand, and they’re always shouting and screaming at each other.
Still, I love Surry Hills even if it’s sometimes a little confronting. And it’s kinda nice just hangin’ out in my ‘hood. doing nothing in particular, except relaxing and getting to do the things I really like doing. For example, instead of gulping down a coffee on the way to work and reading the newspapers online, I had lovely a mid-morning coffee at Cossie’s Cafe.
While I normally read the papers “for a living”, mostly skimming them to be honest, it was such a pleasure to actually read all the stories that I found personally genuinely interesting. And I love the little witty one liners you find in the opinion and letters columns such as this one in today’s SMH by Michael Deeth of Como West…
Mr Rudd’s intinerary for his last day in China is as follows: a meeting with President Hu Jintao and then a tour of a power station. The remains of the day will be at his disposal. In summary – Hu’s on first, watts on second and I don’t know is on third.
Right now, it’s lunchtime and it’s a bit wet and miserable. Hardly the best weather for my holiday-ette, is it? Still, the goal for this week was a bit of “me” time, so the weather doesn’t matter so much, does it? I half-thought about going to the beach for a walk this morning, but it was cold and miserable when I woke at about five o’clock. So I bashed out a few work-related emails, feeling happy and confident that I had done all that I needed to do for a guilt-free week away from the salt-mine.
I’ve also had a reasonably productive couple of hours at the State Library this morning doing some family history research. I’m heading off to North Sydney shortly for lunch with a friend. Don’t you just love holidays?
It’s Monday night and I’m at home watching my favourite “geeky” television show, Call For Help which screens on the “How To Channel”. Fifteen minutes into the program and they’ve yet to tell me anything interesting, but it’s generally speaking a very interesting program. Aside from watching television, the last week or so has been a combination of good fun (lots of socalising) with lots of work though not much in the way of “culture” as is my usual want.
Damo and I went to dinner on Thursday at Pello, a terrific restaurant on Stanley Street, East Sydney. I’ve been there twice, and Damien has been there once before, and we’re both agreed it’s a great place for dinner. Although the entrees are, perhaps, a little overpriced, the mains are well-priced, though at a premium restaurant level. For the entree, I had a delicious blue cheese dish, which unlike most of the blue cheese I’ve had before, was smooth and sublime. It was accompanied by figs, pork belly and white asparagus. On their own each had strong flavours; combined they were a delight. For entree, Damien had the chicken, squab & foie gras galantine, peach & salty pistachio praline, which was excellent. For the main course, I had the Kingfish, which cooked perfectly, maintained its flavour, but wasn’t overpowering. For mains, Damien had the the crisp tallabung (it’s near Gunnedah) pork belly, prawn colcannon, apple puree & cumin essence, which was also excellent. The service is also excellent and I’d highly recommend it for a special night out, without being over the top.
On Friday, we had “farewell drinks” for Kirsty from work who is going off to a new job, though hopefully not forever. Afterwards, I caught up with Paul and Graeme for a drink or twelve. Paul left for the UK on Saturday, so it was a fitting farewell that we should have damaged our livers in such a manner. Now that he’s gone, I’m going on a detox diet! No seriously, it was great having him here, as discussed previously on this blog, and I look forward to his return.
Actually, speaking of Paul, I blame him and Patrick for my current interest/obsession in Melodifestivalen. What? Melodifestivalen is the series of country-wide heats held to determine who should represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest. Last year when Patrick came to visit he brought his Melodifestivalen DVD with him containing ALL of the heats from last year’s contest and I became instantly hooked. So far there’s nothing quite as camp as last year’s “Drag Showdown” which included the oddest looking “Agnetha” I’ve ever seen in an ABBA tribute group. Go on, take a closeup look, you know you want to.
Anna Sahlene
Unfortunately my favourite song so far, “This Woman” by Anna Sahlene has failed to make the Swedish final. The song starts off sounding like Donna Summer’s “On The Radio” before making its way into Cher “Strong Enough” territory. Although there’s a couple of good tunes, some of the other songs are just too appalling for words. If you’re a fan of bad pop, I’d draw your attention to “Oh Yeah” by Elephantz or “Kameleont” by the Electric Banana Band. And then there’s “Mi Amore” by Velvet which is a total Britney Spears ripoff (although contextually this is probably fine, since all of Britney’s songs were recorded in Stockholm with a Swedish writer and producer). If you want to listen to some of these songs or view the videos, there’s a terrific little website which I’d recommend.
One of the interesting aspects about Eurovision this year will be whether or not Magnus Carlsson makes it through with “Lev Livet”. Although I can well imagine enjoying this song on the dance floor, in my view it’s too cheesy for even Eurovision. But what would be interesting is that Magnus’ former bandmate in Alcazar, Andreas Lundstedt is in a band called Six4One, representing Switzerland. Alcazar broke up in a nasty fashion a few months ago with an acrimonious fallout. Magnus is a Linda Eastman, Yoko Ono kind of character, brought in to join the already successful Alcazar when he and Andreas began a relationship. But according to a report in Swedish newspaper, Expressen Magnus was interviewed by Expressen few days back, where he claimed that he had a field day playing around with the press in order to gain publicity. He said that he faked his relationship with Andreas Lundstedt just to gain publicity. Andreas Lundstedt, who was also a member of Alcazar, has told Expressen that he’s shocked by the comments made by Magnus. Andreas has told the tabloid newspaper that he used to love Magnus at one time, and he doesn’t understand why he’s made these comments. You can read more about this juicy tabloid story in English.
All of this, of course, and more, will be discussed at length at my annual Eurovision Party. The 2006 contest will take place in Athens on 18th and 20th May, with the usual Sunday night screening on SBS. Last year’s party was a hoot and I’m sure this year’s will be just as much fun. If you haven’t already, please mark it in your diary, and if you’d like an invitation to this exclusive event, drop me an email.
Anyway, nothing else to report. Working from home tomorrow, yes really I will be working, as I have a couple of major things to write and I need a quiet space away from the dailies and then catching up with fellow bloggers, Glen & Mark tomorrow night. Anyone else feel like a bevvy?
