Last five movies watched

Pick of the bunch: "Life Is A Very Strange Thing". Modern France through the eyes of an eccentric, likable character whose personal and family histories, open mind, sense of humour and wide range of acquaintances allow him to appreciate the good aspects and understand the bad. Superb.

[Viewed on: MS Store, Kanopy x4.]

Deckchairs in a hurricane

When "Dingo" folded, I was like a stunned mullet. I thought I'd failed. I felt responsible. As if a lowly subeditor could be responsible for the demise of a national magazine. My instinct was to return to the retail sector, preferably at the closest Kmart. I remember a colleague trying to talk me out of it. Then I was offered a trial on another mag and everything was OK.

When "Ralph" folded, I was worried for a different reason. I'd been on the verge of 10 years with the company: long-service territory. A quick phone call to the media union resulted in an assurance I'd be paid pro rata for the accumulated time. In the end, it was a sweet redundancy package, and I was headhunted by another publication for the same role (chief sub).

When "UFC Magazine Australia" folded, despite the fact I was editor, it felt beyond my control. As on "Ralph", the ad count was LOW. The advertising department hated us or were hopeless or both. But our new owner didn't believe in paying for brand names, so there was zip I coulda done to convince them to renew the UFC licence. I happily went freelance.

Clever twins

In the season of "University Challenge" nearing completion, there were twin sisters on different teams: Katie Marrow (Physics; Imperial College London) and Rebecca Marrow (Biology; St John's, Cambridge). I'd hoped they would meet in the series final as that would have given it a highly amusing extra dimension. Alas, St John's were eliminated in the second round and Imperial narrowly went down to Warwick in yesterday's first semi. Never mind - it's an achievement even to make it onto the program. Imagine how competitive it must be when Katie and Rebecca watch quiz shows together!

Coincidentally, there were twin bros on a recent ep of the Oz "Mastermind". One was a journalist (special subject "Flight Of The Conchords"), the other a flight instructor (The Highwaymen). The journo beat his brother convincingly and won the night, but he was unable to repeat that success on the Friday.

Australia's hidden witches?

Finished an OpenLearn course (my 39th) entitled "A Spiritual Revolution? Wicca And Religious Change In The 1960s". In the final section, the course's author(s) noted that according to the 2011 UK Census, there were more than 55,000 peeps who identified as pagans in England and Wales, making it the seventh-largest religion in the UK. I checked the religious-affiliation data from the 2016 Australian Census and found there was no category for Paganism. Presumably, those who try to follow the oldest ways were included in Other and/or No Religion, the latter somewhat vaguely also covering "secular and other spiritual beliefs". Our next national census is being conducted this August. Maybe Aussie Wiccans and other pagans will receive greater recognition this time 'round. Maybe they aren't fussed.

No fillings required, gold or otherwise

Needed to visit the dentist last Tuesday for a check/clean, which meant seeing my GP on the Monday to get a hit of antibiotics (to take an hour beforehand). When you've had a heart operation, there's a risk of serious infection. Surprisingly, not from the dentist's foreign cooties entering your bloodstream, but from bacteria that may be in your own mouth! Staph and strep can cause a nasty business known as endocarditis. The ol' ticker is normally well protected from this happening. After you've had an op, though, it's "shields down". Anyway, everything went fine.

Last five movies watched

Pick of the bunch: Hope-instilling documentary "Own The Room".

[Viewed on: old promo DVD, Disney+, Netflix, Netflix, MS Store.]

YT recs

A few folks contacted me about my recent podcast recommendations. Wondering where I find the time to listen to them all (I skip the odd episode that doesn't appeal), and also suggesting more for me to try. Given that I don't usually receive that much feedback on anything, I've decided to follow up with a list of YouTube channels to which I subscribe. Enjoy!

CHESS

Fionchetta

DOCTOR WHO

Doctor Who

ICELANDIC LIFE

Hrafna

JAPANESE LIFE/TRAVEL

Cakes With Faces

Paolo from Tokyo

KARATE

Jesse Enkamp (especially his investigations into the art's origins!)

LANGUAGE

Oriental Pearl

Xiaomanyc

(Used to be Laoshu as well. RIP, brother.)

MAGIC: THE GATHERING

Good Luck High Five

Magic: The Gathering

POP-CULTURE

Digitiser (a lot of junk food reviews these days)

PRO WRESTLERS

KanaChanTV (WWE's Asuka)

RPGs

Dave Thaumavore

Dungeon Craft

Questing Beast

What Would The Smart Party Do?

UFC

Ufc

VIDEOGAMES

Consolevania

Indigo Gaming (the cyberpunk docos are a must-watch!)

MetalJesusRocks

Octavius King

RetroGamerNation (basically a C64 channel)

Not that many, but I tend to be busy listening to pods ;-P

Last five movies watched

Pick of the bunch: "Made You Look". Modern-art fraud on a grand scale. Enough said.

[Viewed on: BritBox, DVD, Netflix, Netflix, Netflix.]

Grave musings

We went to Raymond Terrace Cemetery so Mum and Dad could tidy their parents' graves. As always, it was very peaceful. A couple of workmen were readying plots, while a group of sporty ladies made their way around the nearby golf course. But it's a big graveyard and we were the only visitors.

I actually started with the historic Pioneer Hill Cemetery which is across the road from the modern one (and next to the links). Spying a golf ball in the grass, I picked it up and cleaned it on my shirt, only to discover the force of the swing which knocked it out of the course had also split the ball open.

The oldest person buried on P/H - Owen Keegan - was born in 1759! It gave me a real feeling of the weight of history. Nothing to compare with viewing rock art in Kakadu. That felt ancient to the point of being beyond time. Still, I'd never realised the roots of the town of my infancy ran so deep.

When I reached M+D, they'd almost finished their maintenance (each had brought a small knife). They were generally happy with the state of things, though a layer of white pebbles might improve the appearance of one grave and something could be planted in a rectangle of jet-black dirt in another.

I find it unlikely that all four of my grandparents ended up buried in the Terrace, given they were from a far-off town, the same town, a different state and a different country. Then again, I suppose everything in life is unlikely. Two died relatively young and two very old. What does that bode?

Mum and Dad checked on the spot where they themselves will be lain to rest. It was purchased years ago, either when my father was seriously ill or the price was set to rise. There is room for me as well, if I want. I don't like to think about such things. Hopefully I can make it 101, like Owen Keegan!