Scaling down

After a lot of thought, I have deleted my Tumblr and Twitter pages. I will be staying on Blogger (obviously) and Facebook, but only logging in to them about once a week.

Addster would do better at blogging if he applied himself in class

1:07 of 11 and co. in part two (8-13) of six, ETA ~27/08:

http://bit.ly/p0Rd1W

Georgian pinching match

An ol' pal of mine may be heading down a dangerous path...

"Beware of anyone who drinks excessive amounts of Mountain Dew. Back when I was a police officer, any time I broke into a meth laboratory or pulled someone over who was trafficking drugs, I found a shit-ton of empty Mountain Dew containers on the floor of their trailer or backseat of their car"

- Forrest Griffin, "Be Ready When The Sh*t Goes Down" (2010)

And yes, I have been watching "Horrible Histories". Avidly.

Emergent behaviour

Notes on the Sydney Anime and Manga SHow (SMASH):

* The big new venue - Darling Harbour Convention Centre - was brilliant. Finally, a local con where you didn't have to fight your way between dealer tables! The separate auditorium was a truly impressive space in which to hold the cosplay comp, etc. Getting there via escalator even gave the event a hint of a Comic-Con feel :-)

* I wasn't in a buying mood and spent a mere tenner on merch... Bead coaster of the classic "Space Invaders" ship firing its cannon. Badge saying "It's a trap", with an arrow to the right. Sheet of stickers based on "Super Mario Bros" power-ups. A T-shirt of The Who that replaced the band with the 4th, 8th, 10th and 11th Doctors was tempting, but I don't regret not purchasing it.

* SMASH has consistently placed a greater emphasis on the creative side of the hobby than Animania (or Supernova or Armageddon Expo), and that was clearer than ever this year - more colleges seeking to attract students, more art supplies for sale (computer and paper), and more fannish wares. A guy flogging anthropomorphic sketches reminded me of an erstwhile acquaintance.

* Also on the increase were the anime club booths, eg. there's now a Parramatta group called Parra-noia. Oh, and I should have added in the last point that the crafts on display included Gundam model-making in the form of (what I assume was the Australian heat of) the Gunpla Builders World Cup. Some amazing paintjobs/dioramas!

* Won't go into detail about the costumes. Suffice it to say the choices highlighted the enduring popularity of certain shows, eg. "One Piece". There was an apparent rise in skintight cossies - I suppose winter is the optimum time to wear them. Still passed a few (exclusively male) stinkies. We suffer for their art! Several of the stall-holders went to the trouble of dressing up, eg. Solid Snake was peddling plastic weapons.

* Just on the stinky thing... As is sadly the norm for these gatherings, there was a general lack of manners. People walking around, coughing openly, obviously carrying the nerd flu. I don't believe I heard a single "excuse me", though I always offered one when I inadvertently bumped into someone. Unlike the family that trooped across my foot like a line of ducks, without uttering a word of apology!

* Other developments - Digital radio station SBS Pop Asia was playing over the sound system, which was apt. Attractive cosplayers were selling photobooks of themselves in character (I'm guessing this is standard practice overseas). There were three comperes for the cosplay comp, but they didn't work me. Let's just say their humour was skewed towards a younger audience. When they interrupted the entrants with a shambles of a charity auction, I exited.

* Irrespective of my old-man grumbles, SMASH 2011 was the most professional, user-friendly convention of its type that I've attended in Sydders. PS. While banging out this half-arsed report, I've had the first 5Dolls mini album on repeat. There was a girl at the con who resembled Chanmi (asymmetrical blonde bob from Coed School era) to such a degree I had to do a double-take. Maybe it was intentional.

"Broken Leg" by Bluejuice*

(from 2009's "Head Of The Hawk")

Walking around on broken leg
Well, I can't get you outta my head
Well, I can't get you outta my head
You don't want to know me

Walking around on broken leg
Well, I can't get you outta my head
Well, I can't get you outta my head
You don't want to know me

And all these fakes and all these frauds
And you get your leg up and the big supports
I'm drowning
I'm drowning

Went to bed with Petra and Jen
They don't want to see me again
All your lovers and all of your friends
They don't want to know me

Walking around on broken leg
Well, I can't get you outta my head
What was that that I heard you said?
They don't want to know me

And all these fakes and all these frauds
And you get your leg up and the big supports
I'm drowning
I'm drowning

And all these girls with their high IQs
And you can try to resist but it's no use
I'm drowning
I'm drowning

It all comes down to you
It's all on your head
What you do
What you do
What you say

It all comes down to you
It's all on your head
Are you gonna get up?
Are you gonna stay in bed?
Woah

Walking around on broken leg
Well, I can't get you outta my head
Well, I can't get you outta my head
You don't want to know me

Walking around on broken leg
Well, I can't get you outta my head
What was that that I heard you said?
You don't want to know me

And all these fakes and all these frauds
And you get your leg up and the big supports
And all these girls with their high IQs
And you can try to resist but it’s no use
Woah

Walking around on broken leg (woah)
Walking around on broken leg (woah)
Walking around on broken leg (woah)
You don't want to know me


*These lyrics are unofficial and therefore may not be 100% accurate. The CD booklet only quotes a line from each song.

http://bit.ly/16KGjF

You unmake a good point

The Special Set at Sushi Hon, located in the Food On Five section of the Pitt St Mall Westfield, is the most satisfying Japanese meal set I've ever had - and I've had many. Quality ingredients (nothing greasy), careful presentation and little touches like the wedge of fake crab in the udon soup and the dish of seasonal fruit pieces on the side won me over.

Shear(man) delight

I'm not sure if it's appropriate for fanBOYS to squee, but if it is, then that's what I did when my copy of Robert Shearman's "Everyone's Just So So Special" arrived in the mail. My luvverly black hardcover copy, signed and numbered #69, that is! The Pommy bloke's two previous short-story collections, "Tiny Deaths" (2007) and "Love Songs For The Shy And Cynical" (2009), just oozed originality - the former picking up a World Fantasy Award, the latter a British Fantasy Award - and I expect "E/J/S/S/S" to be no different, with its theme of "a new history of the world, filled with the sort of people who seem to get left out of the books taught from in schools". The best part - we 100 purchasers of the limited-edition HC are promised a supplemental tale by Shearman (500 words min.) about an ancestor/descendant of ours with the exact same name. Commencing August 1, these extra yarns will be published here - http://bit.ly/roozeo. I've gotta polish off a couple of other worthy tomes before plunging into "Everyone's...", but if your curiousity's been aroused, I doubt I could improve on this synopsis - http://bit.ly/nFxM0l

Nuance

In the June 2011 issue of music rag "Mojo", an unnamed member of indie rockers British Sea Power makes a nice point about LP/CD/MP3 snobbery:

"We find it weird when people have that strong an opinion on audio formats. Isn't it a bit like judging films by what telly you watch them on?"

111%

Listed below are just some of the gigs that, based on positive F2F interviews, I really thought were mine...only to receive no callback, having presumably been pipped at the post by a more suitable candidate.

Report writer for a private detective agency

They liked the fact I was studying English, had won a scholastic prize from the local newspaper and dabbled in creative writing. I think the deal-breaker was that I didn’t have a car. (The office was a long way from where I was living, and I imagine there were occasional late nights involved.) My Dirk Gently fantasies dashed, I never applied for this sort of position again.

Video store attendant

With plenty of customer-service experience, including a stint as an usher, I was confident. Especially when the manager lady kept making encouraging comments like, "I'm glad you're so tall - I'll be able to get you to put up all of the posters for me." As it was, she didn't get me to do anything. My "Clerks" fantasies dashed, I never applied for this sort of position again.

Salesman(?) for a web search engine

If that sounds vague, then so was the classified advert, and the chap who interviewed me was downright enigmatic. He spouted conspiracy theories for 30+ minutes, before announcing, "So, Adam, the answer is yes." What the actual question was remains unknown. My backdoor-into-the-IT-industry fantasies dashed, I never applied for this sort of position again.

There were numerous other "jobs that got away", but I was memory-jogged about this trio recently while discussing ancient employment history with a colleague. Did you notice my strategy for dealing with rejection? :-)

NSFJ

After the thee-ah-tah on Saturday, I decided that as I was reasonably well dressed - good shoes, good jeans, new shirt, sportscoat - I'd eat somewhere fancy. My editor had mentioned French/British restaurant Balzac during the week, and since friends and family members had been recommending it forever, I made up my mind to go there. Phoned 'em on the way and was sitting at an upstairs table 20 minutes later. The interior was an elegant arrangement of white, cream, browns, grey and black. Columns, drop lights, minimal plants, with thick sandstone blocks and wooden shutters keeping out the sights'n'sounds of the main street. If 13 years of private education gave me anything, it was a sense of entitlement, so after a perfunctory glance at the menu, I plumped for the nine-course degustation with matching wines. Ahem...

1. Salt cod croquette with sauce tartare
NOTES: Underwhelming. My mother makes far superior croquettes.

2. Fennel veloute with spanner crab and spanish onion vinaigrette
NOTES: More like what I was expecting, ie. it reminded me of a dish from Tetsuya's.

3. Hot smoked bonito rillette with pickled cucumber, shaved fennel and king crab
+ 2009 Atlas "172^" Riesling (Clare Valley, SA)
NOTES: The first properly interesting taste and a decent combo with the wine.

4. Roast skate with saffron noodles, calamari, clams, mussels and fennel
+ 2005 Domaine Barmes-Buecher Pinot Gris Traditional (Alsace, France)
NOTES: Impossibly delicate pasta, couldn't criticise the ray or other seafood. Complex!

5. Cream of Jerusalem artichokes with schnitzel of lamb shoulder and belly, barley and manchego
+ 2008 Nebbiolo D'Alba, Brezza "Santa Rosalia" (Piedmont, Italy)
NOTES: Another wonderful creation that was so creamy, so savoury and so moreish.

6. Daube of beef cheek with onions, sprouts and horseradish
+ 2009 Vdp Yves Cuilleron Syrah (France)
NOTES: Slow-cooked in stock for 5-6 hours, the meat was as tender as it was flavoursome.

Forewent the post-mains cheese platter. I knew I'd probably have sufficient real estate - despite preceding this lot with a large buttered roll and a Cascade Light - but I thought I might save that pleasure for a return visit in the company of a fellow epicure/garbage guts.

7. Chilli roast pineapple with coconut
NOTES: No wine with this "pre-dessert". Candied pineapple in a yummy coconut foam.

8. Quince tart with cinnamon ice-cream
+ NV Barbadillo Pedro Ximenez (Jerez, Spain)
NOTES: May be forgetting an ingredient here. OK tart, top-notch ice-cream, but just give me the sherry in future.

9. Selection of petits fours
+ Green tea (my choice)
NOTES: A coffee truffle, white chocolate'n'macadamia nut cookie and strawberry jelly cube, charmingly served on a bed of chocolate pastry crumbs inside a decorative curl of bark.

In conclusion, considering Balzac is in my own backyard, apparently easy to book, with service to rival that of pricier establishments (believing they'd undercharged me, I queried the total), it may become my new place to drag out-of-towners. Lest I lie by omission, I will admit it was tough not to grow bored alone throughout what ended up being a three-hour meal, but that was hardly the fault of my hosts. Next time I'll bring a guest - and we'll have the cheese!