Search This Blog

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

You have killer taste...


THE GAP by Ira Glass from frohlocke on Vimeo.

Ira Glass is a wise man. You may know him from his work on the American public radio program, This American Life, where you can hear a wonderful mix of reportage, storytelling and other unexpected audio wonders. Here, in just over 2 minutes, Glass with the help of artist Daniel Sax, gives you all the encouragement you need to persevere with your creative ambition.

You can thank me (and Ira) later...

Linking with Meet Me At Mikes because Pip is right. It's important to acknowledge those who inspire us.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Taking Stock... February 2014

 

 
Inspired by Meet Me At Mikes (slightly edited version!)

Making :  a little crocheted cat from the book Super Scary Crochet by Nicki Trench
Cooking : Maple Olive Oil Banana Bread as seen on Shutterbean
Reading: 'Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and The Greatest Treasure Hunt In History' by Robert M. Edsal with Bret Witter
Wanting: to see the film of the above
Looking: out a lot of train windows
Listening: to Welcome To Night Vale podcasts
Enjoying: the new season of Sherlock on DVD
Liking: Instagram
Wondering: what to read next
Loving: the cooler weather
Watching: Star Wars and Indiana Jones with the kids
Hoping: those recently affected by the Victorian bushfires are finding their feet again
Marvelling: at the creativity behind White Night Melbourne
Needing: a few early nights to get me ready for a busy two weeks at work
Smelling: lemon-scented eucalypts
Wearing: uncharacteristically flat shoes
Following: Kaz Cooke's adventures at the State Library of Victoria on Fellow Frockery
Noticing: so much more now that I have to walk so much more
Getting: very good at using a myki card
Bookmarking: the Art Loss Register and Interpol for amazing stories of lost and found treasures
Disliking: the direction I see my country heading in
Snacking: on apricots and almonds
Coveting: nothing
Wishing: for 'a room of one's own'
Helping: the kids back into their busy school term routines
Hearing: good things about the 100 Story Building and their work with maginalised children and young people in Melbourne.

Phew! How about you? Have you been taking stock too?

Monday, February 10, 2014

New year, new eyes...



This year has started off very differently from previous ones. For the first time in over 20 years I find myself without a car (it seems I have a problem distinguishing between 60, 70 and 80 km zones when I'm driving). The last time I went on a train coincided with the purchase of my first car in 1991 so it was with some trepidation that I took the first of many trains I will have to take to work over the next 12 weeks. As I've mentioned before I am very claustrophobic and the thought of peak hour trains gave me more than a few sleepless nights over the Christmas break but I must say that so far I have been pleasantly surprised.

Here's some things I've learnt already walking and taking public transport:
  • I have a bus at the end of my street that will take me everywhere I regularly go in my local area including the train station.
  • The buses go every 15 minutes.
  • There is no advertising on my local buses (and very little graffiti). It is air-conditioned and very fast.
  • Only one of the milk-bars within walking distance of my house sells bread.
  • The trains I have caught have all been on time, cool (even during the heatwave), clean and quiet.
  • The trains are nowhere near as crowded as I thought they would be unless I catch one at the height of peak hour.
  • It takes me almost half the time to get into the city compared to driving.
Not only that but I now have an extra hour to myself everyday to read, listen to podcasts and see suburbs I've lived in for many years from a totally different angle (but more about that in other posts).

I do realise that once the train is late/breaks down/ traps me in a tunnel I may change my tune but for now I'm happy to accentuate the positive.