| My interesting Liverpool factoid show |
[Jul. 18th, 2009|11:23 am] |
Rain, rain, very cold driving rain.
The session I wanted to attend got cancelled: 2nd time in a row. Worst organized conference ever.
Now that I've gotten my crabby out, my last couple of days have been good. The Slavery Museum was appropriately inspiring/sadness inducing. Half of the 3.5 Africans shipped to slavery were carried on Liverpool-owned ships. The Tate here, although small, was well curated. Port Sunlight... see above, false advertising city, but very interesting (early urban planning experiment by Lord Lever, soap billionaire). BTW, the planning department here, the oldest in the world, was set up by Lever after he won a lawsuit against the Daily Mail. The Daily Mail accused Lever of 'sharp practices' because he reduced a bar of soap from 16 to 15 oz and charged the same price. That seems sharp to me, but he won the equivalent of millions. It does appear that everything I like here is based on evil.
The conference dinner last night was in a huge glass Victorian green house. My Aussie academic buddy and I sat with a bunch of cute young Dutch PhD students and shamelessly chatted them up. I guess the Dutch empire was evil too, but I do love Dutch boys. |
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| My fantasy life |
[Jul. 17th, 2009|09:06 am] |
PG, who knows me so well, sends me this:
“When Phil Keoghan got the call Thursday telling him he'd been nominated for an Emmy, the host of "The Amazing Race" says he was standing in his garage in his underwear, scraping the walls in preparation for a home renovation.
Perhaps it was his way of not appearing overconfident as he waited for word on whether he'd scored a nomination for best reality show host. After all, the genial New Zealander had been passed over last year when the category was added to the Emmys.
….
Keoghan, meanwhile, has respect for all of his fellow nominees and says he's excited about joining them at the party.
"I'm in good company and I feel honored to be part of the group," he said. "Obviously it's a lot better to be part of it than not, you know. I could be home still scraping my wall, right? In my underpants." “
So... to summarize. Phil Keoghan. Doing home renovation. In his underpants.
Also, I saw 'Public Enemies' last night. And although Johnny Depp usually doesn't do it for me, he did in that. Michael Mann makes pretty pictures. |
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| Liverpuddle |
[Jul. 16th, 2009|12:57 pm] |
So the good news: Liverpool, for folks who like Victorian architecture, is a candy shop. Wait until I upload pictures.
And the bad news: I'm crabby and I want to go home.
This always happens after travelling for a few days. The innovation of being a new place and (often) seeing loved ones fades, while missing hubbie and kids intensifies. Especially at conferences.
It was hot yesterday, and I got nauseous in the train (because I can't read on trains) and I dragged my suitcase uphill and couldn't find the student residence I was staying in and I'd bought some tea bags and small bottle of milk so I could have a cuppa when I settled and there was a communal kitchen and not a cup anywhere. Fortunately, the fellow at the front desk was a dear (as is every Scouser I've met so far) and loaned me a cup. Other dears: the maintenance guy who walked me to the residence, the woman at the front desk who helped me with my bag up the stairs, the students who helped me find the free internet.
Not so dear: 30 people at the all male 'planning theory' presentations in session 1, 5 people at the all female 'planning for diversity' session 2 I was in. The dumbass presenter in session 1 who said there was no planning theory on diversity planning, and then doesn't show up to session 2.
One more session, and then I'm going to spend the rest of my time here perving buildings and befriending Scousers. I'm at my usual default position: Academics can go to hell. |
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| Bizness |
[Jul. 15th, 2009|07:20 am] |
Sigh, yesterday it was back to work. I handled some irritating emails and tried to call the organizing I wanted to visit again (I had emailed last week and they hadn't responded). No answer. Finally, I decided to go to the place and try it in person. It is near enough to the Museum of London that I had a backup plan. There were 3 staff there, who were either so flat out working they don't check phone or email messages (it has happened to me) or were new and clueless (the latter turned out to be the case). Because it is a small non-profit organization, their staff turnover is unbelievable. They were very interested in the history of their organization, which I've been visiting and writing about since 1988!
After lunch and some good info sharing, I went to University College London. I wish I taught there. Another sigh. Although I can't afford this city. And their offices are pretty grotty. And you don't see sunshine for months at a time. Okay, maybe not.
Off to Liverpool in a few hours. Not enough time in London. Again. |
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| More songs about buildings and people |
[Jul. 13th, 2009|02:59 pm] |
The UK sun is so thin and watery compared to Australia. BGA and I watched 'Jindabyne' last night (he'd loved 'Lantana' so he needed to watch it) and the light in the film was so harsh and bright. Such a haunting film, too.
Anyhow, in the real world of London, I was on a Pre-Raphaelite kick and wanted to see Leighton House, but it is closed for a couple of years for major renovations. Despite that setback, we had a lovely sunny Sunday at Holland Park next door. We had an ice cream and reminisced about how the kids loved the Adventure Playground there (it is an ace adventure playground, if you are ever in London with kids). Now, of course, they are both too big for the playground - wah! We strolled through the northern bit, which feels so wild and yet is in the middle of Kensington. There were tons of cops. No cruising. Very odd.
Then today I was up at the crack of dawn, because I'm very unhappy with the paper I'm about to give. I fretted over it for a while, then decided to be a tourist for a while. So I sat in the front seat at the top of the double decker bus and wished the kids and PG were with me - we used to squeal when the trees brushed against the bus. Then I was happy to be alone again, because no one in my family would tolerate two hours in the National Portrait Gallery, perving my Tudors and my Victorians. I spent a bit of time in the National Gallery too, but I hit my limit of saints' heads on platters and that sort of stuff pretty quickly.
London is cleaner and greener that it is in my memory. No pigeons in Trafalgar Square and a big yay to that, filthy birds. The public transport is better, and now that there is a Pret a Manger on every corner, I don't have to worry about getting food poisoning. Oxford Street is the only place that is looking tattier than in the past: I guess I'm not the only one who liked hanging out at the Westfield Mall.
I'm in an almost ridiculous and culturally cringe-y state of Anglophile pig heaven, wishing I lived here while wishing I was home at the same time. I do love this city. |
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| London |
[Jul. 12th, 2009|10:09 am] |
Happiness is... the scented garden at Ravenscourt Park, even with jetlag and a light drizzle.
( cut for travel bliss ) |
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| Deathstar Cold Has Obligingly Kersploded |
[Jul. 9th, 2009|08:41 pm] |
On Monday, my scratchy throat started, and I was in my usual denial: worked a full day of work.
On Tuesday, the kids went off to winter camp. The Guy, who has had the cold for a week, and I went: "Whee! No kids! Let's do couple things!", and went off to Heide, the contemporary art museum, to see an exhibit on Melbourne Modern that was closing this week. First off, the exhibit was complete crap. Just a whole bunch of disconnected things that happened between 1920 and 1970: no real themes and no good art or crafts. Second, we both felt like poop on a scoop. So we went home and have spent the last three days in bed. Only, not in the good way at all. The highlight has been 'Masterchef Australia'. Sigh.
But the upside of all this virtue (the first time I've taken sick days off since my massive mental collapse in January 08) is that the horrible scratchy throat, full body ache, I hate the world blahness has finally broken a bit, and I got the all clear from my delightful doctor today to travel. As a friend says, I may as well be warm in the UK with my cold than cold in Melbourne. So off I go! |
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| I hab a colb |
[Jul. 7th, 2009|01:38 pm] |
I'm lying on the couch fielding phone calls from media... a final report on one of my research projects came out today. I hope I don't sound as stoned as I feel.
An okay article about Bella, Buffy, and Sookie as female role models:
Twilight's Passive Female v. Buffy
I disagree with much of the article. Buffy had several choices. She could go rogue like Faith or get cut off from love like Kendra. And Luna as the anti-thesis of Bella? WTF?
ETA: my colleague passed on this email:
"We are just back from our week in Toronto. We got [caraway)'s book on Parkdale from the library up there, but I had to leave it after 150 pages (out of 202 total) after running out of time. Fascinating read." This guy works for the Australian federal government. Buy the fracking book, cheapskate!! |
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| Handing the Crown over to Drama King |
[Jul. 5th, 2009|10:16 am] |
PG has been fighting a bad cold since we got back from hiking. He's in one of those moods where he just spent 20 minutes comparing the US to Weimar Germany. TMZ as Cabaret, that sort of thing.
I, on the other hand, am coming out of a two month slump. I don't know what it was about work - the perfect storm of too much to do, not feeling appreciated, and working with a couple of idiots - but I couldn't get my mind off work when I was at home, which is always a bad sign.
Now I'm in a pinheaded mood. I've tried to watch 'Saving Grace' and other intellectual tv, but I keep on going back to stuff like 'True Blood' (for which I've developed a Buffy-like obsession), 'Castle' and yes, even my daughter's favorite 'Bones'. Yesterday, we all sat in front of MTV, catcalling Michael Jackson's Top 50. Not so sound like a pedophile myself, but his career hit a straight downward trajectory right after he turned 12. What a sad, sad life.
Movies in the school break? 'Mamma Mia' (that Streep can sing!), 'The Fox and the Child' (scenery-gasm), 'Coco Avant Chanel' (fashion-gasm). What is the word for happiness in trivial things? |
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| Further Adventures in Scouting |
[Jul. 2nd, 2009|07:25 pm] |
First off, my double life is official. I'm dealing with Scouts on Facebook under my real name. If you want to see that life, feel free!
On Monday and Tuesday, we took a bunch of Scouts on winter school break to Mount Baw Baw. Baw Baw is about 3 hours northeast of the city, in one of the prettiest parts of Australia, Gippsland. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough snow to ski, so we did some very half-assed tobogganing. We decided to check out a nice-sounding hiking trail so a couple of the scouts could sign off on a hiking requirement. That trail turned out to be a non-trail. After 8 river crossings over ruined bridges and getting eaten up by leeches, we decided to turn back. It was pretty though.
( cut for pretty ) |
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| Find myself a city |
[Jun. 28th, 2009|11:48 am] |
The Guy and I are having a lackadaisical argument about cities. A bunch of people I know have come back from Montreal recently, and they don't understand how I ever left it. There are many times I wonder that as well. But almost every anglo of my generation left it. It is a great city to live in if you don't have to earn a living. I would return there in a flash if either of the two English-speaking unis offered me a job.
The Guy prefers Toronto. Other than loving family and friends there, I have no desire to live there again. Too sprawling, too hard to get away, and something about the air there played havoc with my allergies and borderline asthma. My lungs love Melbourne.
And then there is London. I dream about London a lot. You can throw yourself in any direction and start walking and see something interesting. I see London the way that Lily Allen does in the LDN video: all the dogshit transmogrifies into gold in my recollection. I really think that city saved my life when I was a teenager and hated everyone. The Guy is prosaic and talks about how it is hideously expensive, particularly since appearances are so important there. Oh yeah, and then there's the Poms. I did find the culture a bit difficult in my sojourns in London.
This cities discussion is occasioned by a bout of upcoming travel. I 'did' Australia in the beginning of the year: 2 weeks in Western Australia hiking with teenagers, then 4 days in Adelaide and two in Darwin. Australia is great when you want to be out of the city. The cities themselves... meh.
Now I'm hungry and itchy and almost horny for travel again. I'm off by myself for a conference in Liverpool next month, and am spending 4 days in London on the way. I can't wait to spend time with BGA, one of my favorite people. He was my brother's partner for over 20 years, and is a combination big brother- foster parent- friend to me. I met him when I was 11, 35 years ago, and as I say, London was the haven and salvation of my teen years. But aside from seeing a loved one, I also can't wait to walk along the Thames near The Dove at Hammersmith Mall, and have an English breakfast sandwich at Pret a Manger and stroll along the bookstores of Charing Cross Road and see my favorite faces in the National Portrait Gallery... all my old haunts. As I said years ago, London is the lover too posh to maintain.
Then I return to Australia for a couple of days and go off again: this time to North America with the family. It started off as my nephew's wedding, but now it is getting bigger than Ben Hur. The UN is paying me for 2 days consultation in Washington. I've never been there before, so even though late July is apparently dead hot and not a good time to visit, off we all go. The Girl wants to visit Helen Keller's grave at the National Cathedral (she is a bit obsessed with that fascinating woman right now, more power to her). The Guy wants to dive into the Smithsonian. I just want to stand at the Lincoln Memorial and pretend I am there with Mr. Smith and Marion Anderson and Eleanor Roosevelt and Martin Luther King and all my American heroes. Whatever trouble I may have with the Empire and its politics, there are some big heroes there, and I expect to get a little teary eyed at the Constitution, even with the 3/5 of a person and second amendment. After all, London is Empire too, along with Chaucer and Dickens and Charing Cross Road. Anyhow, one day in NYC (again, the first time the kids have seen it - Statue of Liberty, Empire States Building, On the Town tour, in short) on the way to Washington, then on to Toronto (the publishers of my new book are organizing a launch, so it is party all 5 days there), then back to NYC for a couple more days before we go home.
I will not cease from my explorations. Maybe the end of those explorations will be to return to the place I first started. Maybe not. |
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| Stuff Currently Boggling Me |
[Jun. 25th, 2009|01:34 pm] |
1. Ed McMahon was still alive???
2. The Chaser was ever funny???
3. Vampires can change hairstyle??? (now that my old obsession Spike and my new obsession Eric have done so, I'm a believer).
My son cracked me up last night. When we were watching an ad, and he referred to an academic 'authority type' as Douchey McSweatervest. I am now trying to get a University nametag with that name.
Further updates as unnecessary. |
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| Almost Creepy |
[Jun. 23rd, 2009|04:22 pm] |
I'm reading a journal article by someone who is not a student of mine but who has cited everything I have ever written in a rather adoring fashion. It is almost creepy.
Speaking of creepy, I just loved s2e2 'True Blood' (which I'm downloading in pretty crappy dribs and drabs from Youtube: so much looking forward to ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) downunderdeb's care package). Without giving too much away I hope, more Eric! more Pam! more digging around and chewing on disembodied limbs! okay, maybe not the last one. Biggest. Ewwww. Evah. And I loved 'Oz'. |
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| Work, shopping, cooking |
[Jun. 21st, 2009|05:33 pm] |
Work: Friday was a good day. An excellent day, even. An early education specialist, a physiotherapist, an international human rights lawyer, and an urban planner walk into a bar... well, it was a small interdisciplinary group talking about children's rights, and it was fascinating. I guess if I was able to completely separate myself from the constant crap and lack of recognition, I could enjoy myself just being paid to think.
Shopping: Saturday, the Girl and I went for a mega-shop on Bridge Road. Bridge Road is where good fashion goes to die, i.e. it is chockablock with designers' discount stores. We got a wardrobe for the Girl to go to our big family wedding in August: two dresses, two skirts, two party shoes, two necklaces, a clutch bag, also two hats and a pair of mittens for school use. The fashionista sales lady was overwhelmed: a veritable Cinderella, in ugg boots, grey hoodie that says 'grrrr', jeans, messy hair, comes in and wants to be a Lady. Even the mother and grandmother in the next changing room chipped in. Mind you, their ten year old was wearing a leather bomber jacket and lace up leather knee high boots, so I wasn't too sure about their ideas on appropriate attire for the pre-adolescent. Then, and this gives you an idea how sad I am, I bought a dress in a matching shade with my daughter's. I have no sense of fashion. Sometimes I regret that.
Cooking: We cooked corn on the cob, along with a rice and cheese cassarole, to go on our new plastic corn cob set, on Saturday night. Tonight, I'm cooking corned beef, but we'll have that mid-week when the Boy gets back from cadet camp.
In other news: Our baby rabbit died, and I've entirely given up on rodents. Enough minor heartbreak. Save it up for the major heartbreak.
We are coming up to that set of anniversaries I always dread: 14 years since my brother died, 6 years since my friend of 20 years threw himself off an expressway bridge, 6 years since we moved to Australia, a move about which I continue to be equivocal. Wake me up when the solstice ends, to paraphrase Green Day. |
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| Waiting for the Deus ex Machina |
[Jun. 14th, 2009|09:41 am] |
It came to me in a flash the other week, as I asked to a high ranked woman who has always been a good mentor to me, what my problem at work is. I keep on waiting for the creaking wooden structure to come on stage: what the medieval dramatists called "god in the machine". Then a man in a pasted-on white beard will tip his head above the wooden structure, point his finger like Michaelangelo's Old Testament God did to Adam and poof! justice will be served and I will be able to do what I do best without interference from higher-ranked idiots.
Whereas the correct way, the better way, the only way to stay sane, is to cope with injustice, do what I can do and stop trying to change the things I can't change. To shut up while I go through this promotion round, to grin and bear it, to wait for slow change to somehow happen.
But I am emotionally incapable of doing that.
Thus the dilemma.
PG is camping again. He took the car. It is so healthy not to have a car. I did all my week's grocery shopping at the organic market. Veggo the kids will go, poor protesting souls. I made 'gypsy soup' from the Moosewood Cookbook, one of my favorite recipes, with pumpkin and green capsicum and chickpeas and paprika, and gingerbread. The Girl had a bowling party to to go, but since our local bowling alley has been closed down for a housing development (the local planners should have required the bowling alley to stay, and build housing on top of it), she had to go way the heck and gone. So we walked to the train station, which seems so far away, but is only a 20 minute walk and off she went to the wilds of Keon Park. We also had to shop for a present locally. We bought some lollies at the milk bar and a little paperclip holder to put the lollies in. We also discovered a retro shop which had been open for 2 years but we'd never noticed it before, and there we found some corn on the cob holders, just like the 1950s ones I had as a child and lost in one of our moves (I mean those long curved plastic containers so you can roll the cob in the butter properly, as well as those corn-shaped ties so you don't burn your fingers). We were rapt.
As usual, as long as I don't think about work, I am happy. |
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| The Internet is for Porn! I mean... art! |
[Jun. 8th, 2009|04:02 pm] |
Today, Melbourne was jolie laide. It was a dark and rainy winter’s day, and occasionally the sun would create lovely patterns of light. PG and I went to the art gallery. We saw the John Brack exhibit. That artist had an odd trajectory. He started out with a distinctive style that uglified already very ordinary people and places in a muddy palette:
Then in his 60s, he moved towards painting objects - pencils, playing cards, postcards - in a hyper-realistic mix of colours:
I prefer the later stuff.
We also saw the annual high school art exhibit, which as usual, had some outstanding stuff. However, teenaged artists, like any artists, should never explain their work.
Our other highlight this Queen's Birthday was seeing Avenue Q, which just opened. Even though it was the first Friday night after previews, the theatre was half empty. Recession? Swine flu? Maybe Sesame Street isn't part of the zeitgeist in Australia? Anyhow, it was fabulous, and we've been quoting the Bad Idea Bears all weekend:
"bad idea bear: Or you could hang yourself..
bad idea bear: Yay! We found this really nice rope!
Princeton: I'm not goin to hang myself!
bad idea bear: Awwww...
Princeton: Will you guys get outta here?
bad idea bear: well ok...but we'll leave the rope just in case" |
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