wilful.dualism

2003-02-16T19:31:00.000-08:00

Okay. Post-return hiatus will be ending shortly - blogging shall return.

2003-01-12T21:52:00.000-08:00

From my mother: An article on the un-Australian-ness of the Outback Steakhouse.

Readying for departure.

Tonight we went to a little going-away party in my honour, featuring the people I've met here, and one I hadn't met before who's staying at C's house at the moment. It was pleasantly enjoyable; they're nice people. I'm even going to miss some of them.

Driving home, there was fog across the whole place. Very beautiful; I took some pictures, one or two of which may even come out nice when blown up past the titchy digicam screen. I find myself perturbed at an image whose beauty I noticed but did not stop to capture.

2003-01-06T23:15:00.000-08:00

I'm sleeping on the couch tonight.

Being horizontal has issues with a persistent cough I have going on - that, and I've lost my voice, but other than that I'm mostly recovered from my illness. On the couch, I can sleep half-sitting, and breathe.

It reminds me of the last time I had a bad cough at home. I slept in the lounge, in my father's recliner chair. Half sitting, half curling up on the very comfy chair, subliminally aware of being surrounded by the scent of my father. I can't really say what he smells like, because he just smells like Dad - comforting, in a way, because it's warm, and it makes me feel like I'm three years old again, sitting in his lap, which I always, always loved.

Of course, this couch smells of poodle. Far less satisfying.

What with the thing where I've been sick for a week, not a lot's been happening. We saw Two Towers again - oh, I love it so.

2003-01-02T15:38:00.000-08:00

I am a gigantic sook.

For I call Australia so I can talk to my mother for about forty-five seconds before she goes to work, just so I can tell her I'm sick and have her feeling sorry for me.

The Nature Of Rae being such that above all else, when I'm sick, I want my mum.

And a meat pie, for no other reason than that I can't have one, I think. Stupid America.

2002-12-30T15:56:00.000-08:00

Why I have the best mother in the whole universe.

From e-mail:

Today on K-Mart's "50% off" sale I bought a set of 3 DVDs: "The
Vintage Performances", "The Modern Masters" and "The Streak", which
is not about naked runners but about the Aussie Test winning
streak. I haven't watched them yet, but they look good! Total
time: 278 minutes.

What a last day's cricket today! I've kept the highlights for you.

I love my mother.

2002-12-30T13:09:00.000-08:00

"I'm a mama's boy. I pity tha fool who isn't." - Mr T. AT&T ad.

2002-12-29T18:05:00.000-08:00

Race humour in America

I've been watching a lot of Comedy Central. There's been a whole bunch of standup comedians on.

The one I'm watching right now, Carlos somebody, is an interesting one. A fundamental rule of standup: only non-whites do race comedy. This guy not only does a lot of race comedy, he goes on the point of that.

He says that white people don't have freedom of speech like non-whites. "You don't believe me, white people? Monday, tell my jokes at your work." His fundamental thesis seems to be "get over it, people, let's have FUN".

With which I kind of sympathise, because his jokes aren't nasty. Some of them I kind of disagree with, but he isn't offensive. He's making fun of everyone, not one group, which always helps, and he has some genuine social commentary in there. (One of the ones I found interesting was his pointing out that, though he was born in Honduras, if he's in the south-west he's Mexican no matter what he says, but if he goes to Florida suddenly he's Cuban.)

And one thing he said is the essence of Political Correctness Gone Huh. Apparently there's a thing where Hispanic people found the Taco Bell chihuaha offensive, because it represented them. Carlos: "How retarded do you have to BE to look at a DOG and say 'hey, that's me!'?"

I think he's right in that the world would be a better place if people just calmed the hell down. On the other hand, political correctness was necessary when it started.

Middle ground is good.

2002-12-28T13:29:00.000-08:00

Something that may be significant.

Michael Palin and John Cleese are on this episode of Saturday Night Live. (Yes, they are the funniest thing going, they're Palin and Cleese.)

What sketch do they get put to do, on SNL, with the top writers of SNL available?

The Parrot Sketch.

The Monty Python one.

Though I don't remember, did the original end with Michael Palin inviting John Cleese back to his place?

So, the best the writers of SNL can do with star comedic material like John Cleese and Michael Palin is resurrecting Monty Python. (But then again, what's funnier than an ex-parrot? Whose metabolic functions are of interest only to historians? And who has ceased to be?)

2002-12-26T16:28:00.000-08:00

Dude.

I'm in favour. (Mind you, I shouldn't say that while I'm in the country, I'll get deported.)

2002-12-26T14:27:00.000-08:00

There's an ad showing for a really quite sick reality series, at the moment.

Joe Millionaire.

An ordinary fella just inherited fifty million dollars, and now he's looking for true love. Bunch of girls being wooed, or something.

Only thing is?

The multimillionaire thing is a lie, he's a workin' class man, and they ask: Can true love survive a fifty million dollar lie?

My answer would be hell no. Forget the fifty million dollars, it's the "so, you've been lying to me constantly the entire time I've known you" aspect that would be something of a dealbreaker.

2002-12-26T11:22:00.000-08:00

I already know far too much about Saturday Night Live. I have only myself to blame, for watching the SNL Christmas Marathon. I have a crush on Tina Fey. I think Jimmy Fallon is adorable. I sulk when they show pre-Jimmy-and-Tina-on-Weekend-Update episodes.

The episode I'm watching right now is back when they still had Adam Sandler, Mike Myers and David Spade.

Watched one yesterday with Winona Ryder - I have to say, it's good she can make fun of herself with the whole shoplifting thing.

My overall judgement on SNL is that it's good - of course, considering it's a marathon thingy, I'm probably watching the cream of the crop of SNL episodes. They do have some bad sketches, and the problem is when a sketch is bad, it keeps on being bad for far too long.

And in this episode in particular: Adam Sandler is annoying as hell. He's been annoying as hell in every movie he's done (sub-section on The Wedding Singer: that one was kind of good, but for once he wasn't playing a moron and he had Drew Barrymore to raise the tone no end).

Still. It passes the time when it's Christmas and I'm too sleepy for anything else. Even with a two pound jar of Swedish Fish.

2002-12-25T11:51:00.000-08:00

I've been watching Comedy Central (all Saturday Night Live, all the time). Episode that's currently on is actually cool, because it features Ian McKellen hosting, and Kylie Minogue as a guest.

Ian McKellen RULES.

And he dragged up as Maggie Smith, too. And said, as "Mags", that Ian McKellen would get an Oscar because "they have to toss that old queen a bone". And kissed Jimmy Fallon onna mouth.

He also clearly loves Kylie Minogue, which amuses me no end. When she was singing he was in view in one shot up against a side wall of the stage she was on, bopping happily.

He's funny.

2002-12-24T19:54:00.000-08:00

And she walks and talks, and never shows she's frozen hard inside...

My eyes sting from crying earlier. I hate crying - it doesn't suit me at all, because it makes me headachey and whimpery and it makes my eyes sting for hours. Though I feel better for a shower.

C called earlier, apparently shocked and horrified that I'm electing to spend Christmas Eve alone. But, really, I am in no shape to be company to anyone but a dog that just drowses on a chair and growls at me, tonight. I'm not so much depressed as just solemn, and quiet, and content to curl up with orange juice, a blanket, and a French and Saunders DVD, because...

... Well, because I love my family, even when I don't think I do, and even though I hate the commercialisation of Christmas it genuinely means something to be with Mum, Dad and Arwen at Christmas, and I'm not. And I just want to curl up inside and be elsewhere. Just make believe that it's not Christmas, tonight, and do laundry, and watch TV, and drink orange juice and eat Ben and Jerry's out of the carton.

Mum, Dad, Arwen - I love you. Merry Christmas. I'm sure you'll all be driving me nuts just as soon as I get home, but right now, I miss you all so very, very badly.

2002-12-24T16:38:00.000-08:00

I have decided that my parents suck.

No, hear me out, including you, Mum and Dad.

I am, right now, incredibly, stupidly homesick. Because right now, it's Christmas morning in Perth, and my family are probably up, and doing family things, and probably are ridiculously happy doing things without me.

And my parents suck for not clinging to the tail of my planes with their teeth so they could camp out in the wilderness waiting to be around so they could hug me at Christmas when I'm missing them and my sister and my friends so much it is actual, physical pain.

A conversation.

Martha: Do you want to go home?
Rae: Huh?
Martha: Do you want to go home? You know you can leave early, if you want.
Rae: No. It still wouldn't get me home by Christmas, and when it's not Christmas I'll be okay.

But it's so good of her to offer, I think. Prompted, natch, by the fact that I've been crying my eyes out for the last half hour. I've decided I'm now opposed to "family holiday"s such as Christmas because for those of us who are, like me, twelve million miles from their families, it provides a motive for a rapid transition from "well, yeah, I do miss them, but I'm having a great time and I'll see them in a few weeks so I'm okay with that" to "oh, god, I miss them, what am I doing spending Christmas in America of all places, I want my mummy and my daddy and my sister and my friends and I'm going to cry and cry and cry because they're far away".

Tonight is dinner with some of Martha's friends, again, but I've elected not to go - I'm going to be too teary-eyed to be pretty, and too depressed to be good company, so I'm staying home and phoning Australia again, timed to be Christmas Day. I'm probably going to watch French and Saunders DVDs (because anything heavy would kill me) and put up with getting my face licked in exchange for hugs from the dog.

Everyone I love sucks for not coming to California with me.

2002-12-24T14:21:00.000-08:00

Sir Paul McCartney finally has a coat of arms.

2002-12-24T13:38:00.000-08:00

I am watching Martha Stewart.

She is lame.

She has bad hair.

I don't get what the big deal is at all...

2002-12-23T11:06:00.000-08:00

I've been reading Bruce Campbell's autobiography, If Chins Could Kill.

Bruce Campbell puzzles me. He's a good actor. Let me emphasise that - he's a good actor, because the man can act, and one gets the impression he's good to work with - not a prima donna and he's done enough off-screen work that he doesn't make trouble for the crew.

So why the hell is almost every movie he's in crap? Why doesn't he get cast in good movies? He's got to be one of the most famous and most popular actors who never starred in a major film. Usually, he's the guy you're looking at going "wow!" for the miracles he can perform upon godawful material.

Anyway. Martha has Evil Dead 2 *and* Army of Darkness on DVD. We must watch these at some point, haven't seen 'em in ages.

(I would kill for some of Martha's DVD/video collection. I just wouldn't kill her for it, so I shan't be bringing it back with me. Shame, really, we could have one hell of a marathon at UniSFA.)

2002-12-21T14:44:00.000-08:00

Things I Will Miss, When I Leave The U.S. (part one)

- Pink lemonade.

- In-N-Out. (Cheaper than McDonald's, and the best burgers ever!)

- Ben and Jerry's. (Although, really, being out of range of it is kind of a good thing.)

2002-12-20T13:45:00.000-08:00

There's a billboard I keep seeing around here that looks like it should have been written by a member of the Fool's Guild.

Remember, it's not Toady, it's Todey (Toddy)

Or something like that.

For a car dealership.

2002-12-19T12:50:00.000-08:00

The story of the trip to Lake Tahoe is a tale of adventure.

It is a tale of epically magnificent scenery.

It is a tale of rainstorms.

It is a tale of snowstorms.

It is a tale of mountains.

It is a tale of nearly 300 photos taken.

We set out a little after 6am on Monday. We drove for a very long time, through threatening weather and much rain.

And we drove, and drove, and drove, stopping for both breakfast and lunch at fast food restaurants, and snackies and breaks at petrol stations. I don't have pictures of this, but along the Interstate there are these places where there's a freeway exit to motels, and fast food joints, and nothing else that I can see; and nowhere near anything else. Some of these places have actual town names. I can't help but wonder if people live there, or commute, and if they commute, where from, and if they live there, what it's like to live in a place like that or even grow up in one.

There are also places where there are random houses, far from anywhere, without even access roads that I can see, and I have no idea if people live there, and if they do, what they do there.

I do have more scenery photos:

Finally, we got into the mountains.

We were concerned, at first; there was a lot of runoff from melting snow in evidence, and we were steeling ourselves for minimal snow, and making the best of it. More on that later. We continued taking occasional photos as we climbed the mountain, including snaps of Bridal Veil Falls. On the way back down there was a lot less runoff, and the waterfall was less full, which made it both more veil-like and less pretty.

We started seeing traces of snow along the sides of the road, and on cars coming down off the mountain; this we took as promising. Finally we got up to the snowline.

Here endeth part one of the Tahoe diary - later I'll go on. (Just think how many pretty photos I'm not putting up here.) And yes, eventually I'll continue the Journey Diary of the flight and so on, and get to the actual good bits.

When I finally get around to putting together my redesigned webpage with photo gallery and all, there shall be much prettiness in evidence.

Tahoe Diary: Part Two.

At the snowline we had to put snow chains on the tyres. We weren't sure how to do this, and so were going to get the Chain Control guys to do it - but they were completely hidden, when we searched about five miles back down the mountain for them, so we ended up doing it ourselves. The chains we had were really well-designed, fortunately, and my only trauma was having to do things in the freezing cold when I had not yet adjusted to snow temperatures.

On and on we drove up the mountain, thence to encounter a snowstorm, and blowing snow, and general hazards that made getting over it very slow going. A guy in a small orange truck in front of us was having serious problems.

His brakes failed on the icy downslope - fortunately he was a sensible lad, and, being already moving very slowly, carefully ran his vehicle into a snowbank to stop it. A couple of times, that I saw, poor man - it must have taken him forever to get down the mountain. (We eventually overtook him.)

Eventually we got over the mountain, and to the check-in place for accommodations - there to discover that the place we were supposed to be staying was completely buried in snow, and we were being put somewhere else - somewhere about two blocks away, praise all controlling forces of the universe. We left at 6:15am. At this point, it was about half past four.

So we went to our new temporary abode. Which was kinda blockedish too, so while the guys were on their way to clear some driveway for us we went and got dinner at the casino, and stopped off for very basic groceries.

Photo taken the morning we left.

The next morning, there'd been much snow. Between that, and the vehicles that keep the roads clear coming by and leaving a little wall of snow and ice at the edge of the road, the car was blocked again.

Before...

and after I dug it out.

That snow piled on the roof that I didn't think to clear - up high, and all - caused us a minor problem later, when Martha braked and it slid down over the windscreen.

We went out and touristed around the town a little, but not much, because it was still snowing. We did get proper groceries, and I got some presents for people. The town was pretty, but the conditions less than inviting.

We ended up going back to the house. We had Kraft dinner and pre-wrapped sausages for dinner that night, or as I like to think of it, If I Had $1000,000 Cuisine.

The next morning, we had reasonably clear skies and an un-buried car: observe the view from the window of the house.

Here endeth part two, edited onto part one for continuity.

2002-12-18T21:46:00.000-08:00

I'm back!

Proper report on highlights of the trip to Lake Tahoe - with photos - will come later. For now, chronicles of the drive home.

- For dinner, we went to In-N-Out. There, I ate the best burger I have ever tasted.

- We drove past a sign that said: "A Street".

Rae: "Heheheh. We are now passing: a street!"
Martha laughter.

We'd been on the road for ten hours at this point, mind you. Shortly afterwards we passed B Street and C Street. There are some exceptionally imaginative naming conventions for streets in place in the USA.

- There are FRIGHTENING numbers of trucks in transit on the I-5.

- Riding down 101, I was staring out the window when I heard Martha swear at the truck just in front of us. (Again with the on the road for over ten hours at this point.) I looked up, and saw that the truck in question had wandered across the dividing line and into our lane, and was swerving back.

"Someone's attention wandered," says I.

As we passed the truck, I looked up into the cab, the interior lights of which were on.

"... Someone's reading a book," says I.

While driving. Also, moron truckie dude looked like John Denver.

- Much, much snow was in evidence on the drive back that wasn't there on the drive up. We arrived in a snowstorm, to five feet of snow already in place - the place we were supposed to stay was completely buried, in fact, and we stayed somewhere else instead. There was more snow while we were there. 'Twas great fun.

And, yes. I am back.

2002-12-15T09:23:00.000-08:00

So, yesterday we took Sadie to get her shots so she can be boarded while we're away for a couple of days. Went to a Petsmart - they had the cutest kittens there. Sigh. I want one. Had lunch at TGI Friday's - mine included onion rings which were actual rings of onion, battered. Novel experience - and very nice.

Last night we went to dinner with a friend of M's. The waiter sucked at his job, but the food was pretty good. And N lent me a coat and gloves and headband thingie to take to Lake Tahoe. (We leave tomorrow morning - I'll be out of touch for a couple of days.)

2002-12-13T14:12:00.000-08:00

New conceptual meaning to "vileness".

We went shopping today. Various places - including Barnes and Noble, the biggest bookshop I have ever SEEN, where I bought things for Mum, Dad, and Mat, and also Maroon (Barenaked Ladies) for myself; K-Mart, where I got some new track pants, jacket and thermal underwear for when we go to Lake Tahoe (and also I suppose for Terracon, and never any other time...) and I had a buffalo-meat hamburger, too. (Nothing exceptionally special, but decent.)

The vileness?

Twinkies.

I ate about one bite of one, and was overcome with revulsion, faint nausea and a snap headache. Gave the rest to the dog, and the other two from the three-pack ended up in the garbage disposal - though the dog was begging for them. They're impure sugar, and yet, somehow, they taste more sugary than just sugar does. Unspeakably. Vile.

The mountains remain beautiful, but the air is unbelievably hazy.

2002-12-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

2002-12-12T19:10:00.000-08:00

A day of tourism!

Martha got off work early today, so on our way to the grocery store (so. much. strange. stuff) we took a scenic route - drove around the mountains, went through Malibu and Malibu Canyon.

Malibu Canyon is stunningly, stunningly beautiful. Marred at one point where someone's painted what looks kinda like an ad hoarding, that says CLASSICS, onto the rocks, and by a place with graffiti further on - couple of names, and a peace sign.

I hadn't taken my camera - have to go back at some point for photos, I think, but they won't do the place justice. There's a highway through the Canyon that would be a nightmare if there were an accident there, too.

Also, I drove today - just on the side-streets. It's kind of disconcerting having everything be the wrong way around. Especially since the wipers are on the right and indicators on the left. And I finally got to try Phish Food.

Oh. My. God. It's wonderful!