I’m reminded of a Cobb & Co. driver whom I often met in my childhood days in western Queensland. He was once asked by a lady passenger if he’d ever been caught in a bushfire. ‘Oh yes,’ he said, ‘I… Read More ›
business
Interview
After sending out tons of job applications, I was finally offered a job interview. My interview was at Woolies in the Northside Plaza for a checkout chick position. I am pretty confident about it. In fact this interview brings home… Read More ›
Signs
Painted on the shop-front of a signpainter in Wagga: I am not Superstitious but I do believe in Signs. — Pam Thornton in Bill Wannan’s Come in Spinner Related articles 5 funny signs that meant well, but didn’t get it… Read More ›
Population Vs Environment
— Bob Carr on The Social Impact of the Population Boom, 7.30 Report, ABC1, 28 January, 2010
My First Driving Lesson
I had my first driving lesson last Monday. It was…interesting. Scary. Exciting. Fun. Freeing. Easier than expected. The very first thing I had to do after pulling away from the curb was to make a turn. I was absolutely terrified… Read More ›
Food
This is my fourth speech from the Competent Communicator Manual. I gave this speech on 25 May 2010. The exercise is ‘How to Say It’. The title is ‘Food’ and the time is meant to be 5-7 minutes. I came… Read More ›
Alejandro Jodorowsky
One day, someone showed me a glass of water that was half full. And he said, “Is it half full or half empty?” So I drank the water. No more problem. ~ Alejandro Jodorowsky
Freeman Dyson
“The destiny of our species is shaped by the imperatives of survival on six distinct time scales. To survive means to compete successfully on all six time scales. But the unit of survival is different at each of the six… Read More ›
Sibling Rivalry
Have you ever had one of those days where the kids just won’t stop bickering? You know the ones – when the house is filled with whingeing and whining and ‘Stop That!’ and ‘Leave me alone!’ and ‘That’s mine!’ and… Read More ›
Walter Cruttenden in ‘Lost Star of Myth and Time’
“Scholars of ancient technology, R.J. Forbes and others, tell us that the Sumerians used petroleum-based products extensively, not only as a fuel, bit also for projects such as waterproofing and paving.” ~ Walter Cruttenden in ‘Lost Star of Myth and… Read More ›
Diane Setterfield in ‘The Thirteenth Tale’
“There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your… Read More ›
Bob Becker, quoted in ‘What’s Happening to Our Girls’ by Maggie Hamilton
“Kids are so used to having all these whizz-bang toys, they have forgotten how to entertain themselves.” —Bob Becker, quoted in ‘What’s Happening to Our Girls’ by Maggie Hamilton
From the inside flap of ‘Four Past Midnight’ by Stephen King
“Past midnight, something happens to time, that fragile concept we employ to order our sense of reality. It bends, stretches, turns back, or snaps, and sometimes reality snaps with it. And what happens to the wide-eyed observer when the window… Read More ›
Joe Queenan in ‘Balsamic Dreams’
“Baby Boomers like to take credit for everything good that has happened to this society in the past three decades, but invariably blame anonymous miscreants or wayfaring strangers for everything bad.” —Joe Queenan in ‘Balsamic Dreams’
Joe Queenan in ‘Balsamic Dreams’
“They [Baby Boomers] had not been the first generation to sell out, but they were the first generation to sell out and then insist that they hadn’t.” —Joe Queenan in ‘Balsamic Dreams’
Ian Simmins in ‘Fortean Times FT227:62 ‘
“Science can be looked at in two ways, I suppose: as a selfless quest for knowledge in the service of human progress; or as a really good excuse to blow shit up.”
Arthur C. Clarke in ‘The Hammer of God’
“It came in vertically, punching a whole ten kilometres wide through the atmosphere, generating temperatures so high that the air itself started to burn. When it hit the ground, rock turned to liquid and spread outwards in mountainous waves, not… Read More ›
Very F***ing Pissed Off!
F*k! My 6yr old daughter just came inside with a piece of metal in her foot. The f*ing labourers the real-estate hired to clean out our gutters left all the debris everywhere for us the clean up. This included bits… Read More ›
Buffalo Dusk by Carl Sandburg
The buffaloes are gone. And those who saw the buffaloes are gone. Those who saw the buffaloes by thousands and how they pawed the prairie sod into dust with their hoofs, their great heads down pawing on in a great… Read More ›
Answering Machine Messages
Hi! We’re actually at home right now, screening our calls. Leave a message and if we pick up, you’re someone we want to talk to. If we don’t pick up…we, can you say “hint”? [beep] [Start this message normally, but… Read More ›
My Son Drowned MMy Keyboard
Stormy spilled a glass of water all over my keyboard yesterday. Despite having dried it out, the darn thing no longer works and we can’t afford a new one at the moment. Thus, I am currently limited to the moments… Read More ›
Finland, Cultural Lone Wolf by Richard D. Lewis
Opening Sentence:If you ask someone which country ranks first in global competitiveness in business, the most common answer would be the U.S. or Singapore or Japan. Synopsis:Finland, Cultural Lone Wolf is the story of an accomplished nation and her extraordinary… Read More ›
Shelved
Well, I finally got around to putting my bookshelf together the other day. I’ve never done anything like this before – Earth is the go-to guy for furniture assembly. I’ve never so much as screwed a screw or nailed a… Read More ›
The Humble Milk Delivery
I remember when I was a child visiting my grandmother in North Rocks, NSW. Staying over in school holidays was a coveted treat because it gave us the chance to be there on ‘milk day’. Milk day came two or… Read More ›
51 Uses for Coke
1. Remove grease stains from clothing and fabric 2. Remove rust; methods include using fabric dipped in Coke, a sponge or even aluminum foil. 3. Remove blood stains from clothing and fabric. 4. Make gooey Coke funnel cakes . 5…. Read More ›
Treat for the Kids
Last week, we were very short on money, and we had a grand total of $AU50 for groceries. Needless to say, there were no luxuries! In fact, the kids put up with a watery Corned Silverside & Vegetable Soup most… Read More ›
Life as We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer
Opening Sentence:Lisa is pregnant. Synopsis:No Shops. No TV. No Electricity. No Daylight. No idea if your family is alive or dead… Could you survive? An asteroid will hit the moon at 9.30 this evening. The astronomers say there’s nothing to… Read More ›
Fancy a Career Change?
Now aren’t you glad you don’t have to do these old-fashioned jobs? bottom-knocker – an apprentice who helped make saggars (clay containers) bummaree – a middleman seller at fish markets cats-meat man – one who roamed the streets selling pet… Read More ›
Rafferty's Rules is Closing Down 