fatvegan

So I was at the cafe and I picked up a Cosmo that was lying there to catch up on all the gossip and latest fashion. I read it for about 20 minutes finding out about all these new celebrities I'd never heard of. But when I got to an article about "new" date rape drugs I was surprised. Sure enough, the magazine was from July 2004.

On Sunday I went to the city with one of my friends. We went to church in Broadway and then strolled up to QVB for some lunch and knife shopping. I ended up buying a very fancy set of Global knives at Victoria's Basement. For the very cheap costings of $275. Yikes.

They are very sharp knives and good. Rather hard to hang onto without dropping them on your foot. Because they have ergonomic handles. Apparently, you don't get RSI because they slip out of your hand every couple of minutes and drop on your foot. Or, as it turns out, slice off tiny pieces of finger or stab you in the palm.

The first night of knife ownership went forward without major mishap. There were a few scares, but no blood. However, the second day saw two crafty kitchen warriors fall to the unwieldy, unyielding blades. Kyung did lose a tiny piece of her finger and spent seven hours in the Emergency waiting room. Her left hand is now one giant bandage. Shameer stabbed himself in the palm and he is still bleeding today.

As the witless one who welcomed these weapons into our harmless home, I can't help but feel somewhat to blame.

Samson & Delilah is one of the best films I've ever seen. Almost certainly the most important one I've seen in a long time. And maybe the best Australian film. It is compassionate and thoughtful and fascinating. I would even venture to say it is respectful, but perhaps that isn't for me to say.

This morning I tried to find a new doctor. I haven't had a regular doctor since I was a child, but often that is annoying. I have been to two doctors in the last couple of years. Neither of them spoke very good English, and I had trouble explaining what was going on. So this time I went through the phone book and pulled out all the doctors Anglo-Saxon names. It is perhaps the most racist I have ever consciously been.

Transformers 2 was the worst of films, it was the best of films. It was a total farce. Utterly absurd. Too long in the wrong parts. Fairly boring. Too many sweeping crane shots across young girl's bodies (i.e. more than none). The script was shit. It wasn't funny at all. Many of the actual transformers were totally ridiculous and looked just like the cute children's action figures they are destined to become. The plot was way to ambitious and yet still dumb. Some sort of conspiracy-theory/end-of-times agglomeration that wandered all over the place. The need for an extra level of bad guy is so typical of Hollywood at the moment and it leaves you feeling more juped than jubilated. The whole romance sub-plot is painful and bad and unnecessary and Megan Fox is silly.

However, overall the film was still brilliant. The fighting was totally great. The fight scenes were massively ambitious and that totally paid off. Most importantly, as promised, the film has transformers in it, and transformers are always well awesome (with the exception of the children's action figure ones). Some of the fight scenes were absurdly long and totally indulgent and there is almost nothing that pleases me more. I had a big smile on my face during pretty much every scene without Megan Fox, when the smile turned to a mild scowl.

I think what I miss most from the first film is the humour and the cohesive (and somewhat sensible) story. I think the other thing I found slightly disappointing was how organic the transformers have become. These days they are kind of half ninja and half ent. But I really like it when they are just robots and act robotic.

So I'll give it 4/5. It gets 4 points for the fight scenes but misses out on the final point for doing every other thing wrong.

[They are reading page after page of I meet Jesus even though you are only supposed to read one. After about five, I am trying to figure out how to get them to wind up. I run through a few different scenarios in my head.]
Them: [suddenly quite impatient] Alright. No more.

I love my job so much. I can't really imagine a better one. I keep meaning to write a good, long blog post about how much wonderful fun it is, but more hilarious things keep happening and the potential post keeps getting longer.

Last night one of the fellow in my house was wondering around the kitchen and he came across a teddy and a doll in a miniature pram. He had the nicest little conversation with the teddy, rather incredulous that there was a teddy in the kitchen. Then he did a good dance performance for the teddy. Then he came over to let me know there was a teddy in a pram in the kitchen. It made me very happy.

I finally met John Coleman yesterday, even though I've been here nine months and it was his music which first made me think about working at L'Arche. Donna introduced him. It went something like this.

Donna: Hey Ryan. This is John. I don't think you've met him.
Ryan: [shaking hands with John] Like John Coleman? [John Coleman nods]
Donna: Yes.
Ryan: Hello.

That was it. My only memory of what he actually looked like was from when I saw him at Blackstump when I was 12 and thought he was a big dag because he sang about love and wore shorts.

Transformers 2 opens on the 24th June. Whose up for it? If you aren't convinced of the awesomeness of Transformers, I suggest you watch it repeatedly until you are. Because it is awesome.

It's the Cronulla riots personified.

Who wants to have lunch today? I got an unexpected day away from the house. But everyone I know has gone away... Perhaps I will gorge myself on Korean bibimbap all alone in the restaurant down the road. Yes. Kimchi also. That will be the plan.

I have seen the previews for Disgrace. I have the overwhelming sense that I'm going to be one of the book-lovers that hates the film. In the preview, nothing about the film felt right to me. Most of all, John Malkovich. The girl was also wrong - she seems like a total basket case. That said, I probably don't want them to make a film, because I don't think it can be done well. I don't even want to go and see it, but I will have in order to criticise it fully.

I have one Augie March ticket for myself. They're playing at The Metro on the 17th July, 2009. Tickets are only $35. Everybody should get one!

Them: [With a mouth full of finger bun] Can I have one more finger bun please Ryan?
Me: What about a crumpet?
Them: I'll make a deal with you. If you give me one more finger bun, I promise you I'll have a crumpet. Scouts honour. [Makes scout's honour sign].