Well, the last few days have made for a fairly unpleasant end to the week. If you haven't heard about the "Shellshock" bug that was found in Bash, you can read a fairly shitty article about it on The ABC website; or probably an news website, at this point.
***
Just from talking to other people on site, I get the impression that anti-Muslim sentiments are back on the rise. There's been a fair bit of talk about "sortin' these fuckin' camel jockey's out, once and for all", and "I knew it was a bad idea, lettin' all these rag-head cunts into the country". I'm not saying these sentiments aren't out there normally anyway, but it's just been more of an overt surface-level thing in the past couple of weeks.
I haven't been consuming much news outside the tech sector, so I'm playing some catch-up here. As I understand it, this all starts with The Islamic State In Iraq; a (non?) group so nebulous that nobody can decide exactly what to call it and their symbol is a generic Muslim flag. From what I gather, this, um, movement has been around in one form or another for ages, but earlier this year they started getting perilously close to the Kurdish-Iraqi city of Erbil, where Exxon Mobil and Chevron have a huge presence. At that point, America started dropping bombs to defend the Christian Yazidi people -- who turned out not to be Christian at all. So then these Islamic State jokers started releasing beheading videos -- which wasn't really a new thing. In fact, if you look, the internet is littered with gruesome torture and execution videos from the middle east. But these ones took the media by storm for some reason. Which was a bit odd, considering everyone in the media was making such a big deal about how they didn't actually watch any of them, and neither should anyone else. However, most of the independent analysis I've seen describes them as being weird, atypical and fake-looking (maybe I shall hunt them up).
A month ago, the executioner was identified as Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary. Which makes it puzzling that this article from today didn't mention his name, and appeared to give the impression that his identity is still a mystery.
So then a week ago, police in Sydney and Brisbane conducted raids, and nabbed a bunch of blokes who were planning to make their own beheading videos. But the whole case may or may not hinge on one phone-call that nobody's actually heard? Is that right? Meanwhile, a man in Melbourne has been killed after attacking police who were not(?) investigating him for threatening the PM; The Defense Force chief has apologised after a sailor retracted his claim that he was attacked by two men of middle eastern appearance; some fat cunt who may or may not have had a knife, did some ranting at an Islamic school; and I seem to remember a couple of months ago, police shutting down a Jewish school to investigate a toolbox in a ute which, for some reason, they thought might have been a bomb (it wasn't).
The takeaway from all this is that the AFP has been exercising its right to detain people without charge, and Labor and the Libs have teamed up to give the intelligence agencies expanded powers to spy on citizens and new protections from both whistle-blowers and prosecution? And we are being subtly cajoled into the idea that we need to get used to having fewer freedoms -- except in Queensland, where we are being overtly warned that we should expect to be stopped and searched by cops who are armed and jittery.
I'm not saying there's any type of conspiracy going on, but I'm sure I smell bullshit, opportunism, and fear-mongering at work here somewhere. It would be nice to have someone like Mr E around to ask about all this.
***
On a lighter note, I'd like to suggest some sort of a word-watch pool, that keeps an eye on terms that seem to be in uncommonly common usage. I'm going to kick things off with "shibboleth", which I think I've heard about three times this week, and prior to which, I think I'd probably heard about three times in total. Watch out for it being used to describe any kind of identifying marker that ties someone to a particular group.
Also, feel free to suggest your own words. If this becomes a thing, I might do up a scoreboard or something. We'll see.
How's your week been.
***
EDIT
I've spent the day chasing news stories all over the web. This bloke is an ideologue and an activist, so if you watch his stuff, I recommend you put your critical thinker's hat on and get ready to be preached at. So, probably not that different to watching the regular news. But, at least his video transcripts contain links to full source material and have a sense of chronological context about them, which is not something you can say for most journalism these days.
I think this one's the most relevant:
This one's on the same topic, but from a year ago. There's some overlap, but more background, too. And this one's a general overview of American foreign policy. And this one's what makes it all happen.
And here's a series on Ukraine that I found interesting:
one : two : three : four
I might have to keep an eye on this guy.
Friday, 26 September 2014
Tuesday, 23 September 2014
Half-Baked Sci-Fi Ideas And Crap
A while back we discussed dreams, and I mentioned that I write down dream ideas if I find them interesting enough. And just now, we've been talking about sharing unfinished stories with people.
So, I thought why not throw out some of my favourite half-baked story ideas that've come out of my dreams and taken root in my brain. Both of these are not so much stories, as they are premises for stories, and they're both inspired by my love of old sci-fi anthologies, like The Twilight Zone.
Probably most importantly, they're both ideas that I would like to explore in greater detail, but feel like I keep running up against the limits of my own intelligence. Basically, I would like to see someone much more clever than me have a go at these.
It wouldn't help you win the lottery, because you couldn't see the future, but you could probably own the stock-market. You could single handedly advance the human race to no end. You could invent and build every technology possible. You could cure every disease that was physically curable. But would you? What secrets would you keep to yourself? Why? And what if you wanted to use your once-in-the-history-of-mankind gift to reshape society and humanity itself?
You wouldn't be able to make your abilities public. You know that there are people who would have you killed. Would you set yourself up as a political puppet-master? Would you make yourself some sort of celebrity, or operate completely from the shadows. How would it all work? What would you have to do to achieve your goal? How far would you go to do it?
NOTE: I really wouldn't want this to devolve into a clichéd story of absolute power corrupting absolutely. There must be more interesting things you could do with it.
Fast-forward a thousand years; how has the world changed? Most cultural images of strength and power now depict women. Most of the world's combat troops are women. Action heroes in movies and comics are almost universally women. Men's sport has been reduced to a quaint sideshow. Sexual assault is a shadow of what it was. Domestic violence has been flipped. The cultural shift has led to women becoming a dominant force in business and politics.
Is the original scientist now considered a hero, villain, or something else. Is this hotly debated? Has the world changed from having more women in power, or have women changed? How? More masculine? What happens to men? Do they become more feminine in nature? Do they feel marginalised? Are they bitter and resentful? How does that surface? Do underground organisations of men with extremist views form? If they can't go out and bash/rape a woman without getting themselves killed, do they do something much worse?
***
So, has anyone seen anything that explores any of these ideas in an interesting way?
I know you guys are writers. Have you got story ideas bouncing around in your heads that just feel too big for you to think through properly? Are they sci-fi related, or something else?
So, I thought why not throw out some of my favourite half-baked story ideas that've come out of my dreams and taken root in my brain. Both of these are not so much stories, as they are premises for stories, and they're both inspired by my love of old sci-fi anthologies, like The Twilight Zone.
Probably most importantly, they're both ideas that I would like to explore in greater detail, but feel like I keep running up against the limits of my own intelligence. Basically, I would like to see someone much more clever than me have a go at these.
Ms Know-It-All
What would it be like if you knew everything? If you could effortlessly analyse every thought that everyone on the planet has ever had. If you could clearly picture every particle in every atom in the universe at once. If every aspect of reality was open and obvious to you. And if you could gaze back in time and see the very origins of existence. What would you do?It wouldn't help you win the lottery, because you couldn't see the future, but you could probably own the stock-market. You could single handedly advance the human race to no end. You could invent and build every technology possible. You could cure every disease that was physically curable. But would you? What secrets would you keep to yourself? Why? And what if you wanted to use your once-in-the-history-of-mankind gift to reshape society and humanity itself?
You wouldn't be able to make your abilities public. You know that there are people who would have you killed. Would you set yourself up as a political puppet-master? Would you make yourself some sort of celebrity, or operate completely from the shadows. How would it all work? What would you have to do to achieve your goal? How far would you go to do it?
NOTE: I really wouldn't want this to devolve into a clichéd story of absolute power corrupting absolutely. There must be more interesting things you could do with it.
Girl Power
The idea here is that a crazy, genius, feminist, scientist unleashes a highly contagious virus that infects every woman on earth; making them ten times stronger than men.Fast-forward a thousand years; how has the world changed? Most cultural images of strength and power now depict women. Most of the world's combat troops are women. Action heroes in movies and comics are almost universally women. Men's sport has been reduced to a quaint sideshow. Sexual assault is a shadow of what it was. Domestic violence has been flipped. The cultural shift has led to women becoming a dominant force in business and politics.
Is the original scientist now considered a hero, villain, or something else. Is this hotly debated? Has the world changed from having more women in power, or have women changed? How? More masculine? What happens to men? Do they become more feminine in nature? Do they feel marginalised? Are they bitter and resentful? How does that surface? Do underground organisations of men with extremist views form? If they can't go out and bash/rape a woman without getting themselves killed, do they do something much worse?
***
So, has anyone seen anything that explores any of these ideas in an interesting way?
I know you guys are writers. Have you got story ideas bouncing around in your heads that just feel too big for you to think through properly? Are they sci-fi related, or something else?
Sunday, 21 September 2014
Cartoon Roundup
So, I've been watching cartoons for the last couple of weeks. I like cartoons. In a way, they're a bit like comic books brought to life. With regular shows, the story telling is confined by the limits of the actors and the sense of "believability" that you can create. If you use the medium correctly, cartoons can be a much more robust medium for conveying ideas. Much like how a political cartoon in the paper can sum up a complex issue and make a clever commentary in a single panel; with animation, you can make a point by warping, exaggerating, emphasising, or omitting things in a way that's much harder to do in live action without breaking the suspension of disbelief.
How's that as a wanky justification for watching silly kid's shows?
Anyway, here's what I've been watching...
This one's a high-school drama from Japan. Hase is good-natured, awkward, not-overly-bright lad, with exactly one friend - the smart, cool, tall, hansome Shogo, who acts as his sounding board and voice of reason. Hase becomes enamored with and decides to try and court Fujimiya, a pretty and intelligent classmate who appears to have no friends at all. What Hase discovers is that Fujimiya has been intentionally isolating herself, because she has a mental disorder. About once a week, her brain malfunctions and wipes out all memory of the people she cares about (it's a little more convoluted than that, but that's more-or-less the gist).
So the show revolves around Hase's determination to help Fujimiya live as normal a life as possible in spite of her condition. Even though Fujimiya starts a journal, so that she can keep track of who her friends are, Hase's romantic intentions are stymied by the fact that their emotional connection is repeatedly obliterated and needs to be rebuilt from scratch. There's also the problem that, once she starts to be able to manage her problem, Fujimiya is a much more likable and endearing person than Hase, so once she starts being able to make more friends, there's the danger that Hase will be squeezed out.
It's a neat little show with an interesting premise and some genuinely touching moments; unfortunately, there's a but. Rather than going really in depth with the stuff I just talked about, towards the end, they decide to "spice things up" by introducing an antagonist who holds some terrible secrets about Fujimiya's past. Frankly, it's complete shit and a real shame. Still, I'd say it's worth watching for everything up until the final story arc. I found the scene where they watched fireworks on the beach truly heartwarming, and Fujimiya's mother egging Hase on in his romantic pursuits cracked me up.
8/10 (excluding the end)
Looks like you can watch it here.
Also from Japan, but completely different in tone, Kill la Kill is an absurd farce that lampoons other shows and animation conventions, while still managing to develop strong characters and tell its own story.
Set in a high-school where the student-council has absolute authority, even to the point of publicly executing those who step out of line. This control is maintained by the fact that the council manufacture their own school-uniforms, embedded with enigmatic "life-fibres", which give the wearer superhuman powers and abilities. Over the course of the show, we find out that the council controls the entire city and has its sights set on world domination.*
*Obligatory plot twist notwithstanding.
This get shaken up when tomboy-ish transfer student Ryuko shows up wearing her own sentient super-uniform and wielding a giant half-scissors that is able to slice through life-fibres. Will she be able to fight her way to the top of the school's pecking order and uncover the mystery of her father's murder? Will she be helped or hindered by the secret underground resistance movement known only as "Nudist Beach"?
You'll need to have a very particular sense of humour in order to make it to the end and find out. If I had to make comparisons, I'd say this is a bit like an animated Naked Gun or Spaceballs, but with enough of a proper storyline to keep things tense and interesting for two dozen episodes. It's a particular taste, and the pacing does seem off in a few places (a little bit of a drag at times) but I think overall, it does what it does quite well.
8.5/10 (including the end)
And this one looks to be up here.
This one's from America and probably needs the least amount of explaining, since it's similar in tone to well established shows, like Futurama; only much more kid-friendly.
Dipper and Mabel are twelve-year-old cousins who are on holidays at their uncle's place in Gravity Falls - some hick town out in the backwoods somewhere. In each episode they encounter bizarre phenomenon that the locals seem either oblivious to or strangely accepting of. This gives it a bit of an X-Files / American Gothic vibe.
The show has strong continuity, and plot threads that develop over time. I don't know how you'd go watching the episodes out of order. And for a show that draws a lot of entertainment value from silly humour, it can also be remarkably mature at times. A good example of this is the crush that Dipper develops on an older girl, Wendy (far right); which becomes a motivator for a lot of things in season 1. The way this gets resolved at the start of season 2 is probably what put this on my definite recommends list.
I'd also like to make mention of the dynamic between the two protagonists, Dipper & Mabel. Even though they squabble like most siblings, they're also portrayed as best friends. I find it really neat.
9/10
Unfortunately, you're on your own in finding this one.
There you go. I don't know how you feel about animated shows, but if you don't mind them, there might be something here for you. Also, I'm thinking I might do a best cartoons ever post at some point.
EDIT: These two scenes are from the first episode of season two. I think they stand up okay on their own, and they kind of show off the tonal range of the show.
1) The Pine family are throwing a party. Mabel wants to sing karaoke with Dipper and Grunkle (Great Uncle) Stan, Dipper accidentally raises the dead, Stan comes to the rescue.
2) The Pines discover that the zombies are susceptable to "a perfect three-part harmony". Mabel gets her wish.
How's that as a wanky justification for watching silly kid's shows?
Anyway, here's what I've been watching...
One Week Friends:
This one's a high-school drama from Japan. Hase is good-natured, awkward, not-overly-bright lad, with exactly one friend - the smart, cool, tall, hansome Shogo, who acts as his sounding board and voice of reason. Hase becomes enamored with and decides to try and court Fujimiya, a pretty and intelligent classmate who appears to have no friends at all. What Hase discovers is that Fujimiya has been intentionally isolating herself, because she has a mental disorder. About once a week, her brain malfunctions and wipes out all memory of the people she cares about (it's a little more convoluted than that, but that's more-or-less the gist).
So the show revolves around Hase's determination to help Fujimiya live as normal a life as possible in spite of her condition. Even though Fujimiya starts a journal, so that she can keep track of who her friends are, Hase's romantic intentions are stymied by the fact that their emotional connection is repeatedly obliterated and needs to be rebuilt from scratch. There's also the problem that, once she starts to be able to manage her problem, Fujimiya is a much more likable and endearing person than Hase, so once she starts being able to make more friends, there's the danger that Hase will be squeezed out.
It's a neat little show with an interesting premise and some genuinely touching moments; unfortunately, there's a but. Rather than going really in depth with the stuff I just talked about, towards the end, they decide to "spice things up" by introducing an antagonist who holds some terrible secrets about Fujimiya's past. Frankly, it's complete shit and a real shame. Still, I'd say it's worth watching for everything up until the final story arc. I found the scene where they watched fireworks on the beach truly heartwarming, and Fujimiya's mother egging Hase on in his romantic pursuits cracked me up.
8/10 (excluding the end)
Looks like you can watch it here.
Kill la Kill:
Also from Japan, but completely different in tone, Kill la Kill is an absurd farce that lampoons other shows and animation conventions, while still managing to develop strong characters and tell its own story.
Set in a high-school where the student-council has absolute authority, even to the point of publicly executing those who step out of line. This control is maintained by the fact that the council manufacture their own school-uniforms, embedded with enigmatic "life-fibres", which give the wearer superhuman powers and abilities. Over the course of the show, we find out that the council controls the entire city and has its sights set on world domination.*
*Obligatory plot twist notwithstanding.
This get shaken up when tomboy-ish transfer student Ryuko shows up wearing her own sentient super-uniform and wielding a giant half-scissors that is able to slice through life-fibres. Will she be able to fight her way to the top of the school's pecking order and uncover the mystery of her father's murder? Will she be helped or hindered by the secret underground resistance movement known only as "Nudist Beach"?
You'll need to have a very particular sense of humour in order to make it to the end and find out. If I had to make comparisons, I'd say this is a bit like an animated Naked Gun or Spaceballs, but with enough of a proper storyline to keep things tense and interesting for two dozen episodes. It's a particular taste, and the pacing does seem off in a few places (a little bit of a drag at times) but I think overall, it does what it does quite well.
8.5/10 (including the end)
And this one looks to be up here.
Gravity Falls
This one's from America and probably needs the least amount of explaining, since it's similar in tone to well established shows, like Futurama; only much more kid-friendly.
Dipper and Mabel are twelve-year-old cousins who are on holidays at their uncle's place in Gravity Falls - some hick town out in the backwoods somewhere. In each episode they encounter bizarre phenomenon that the locals seem either oblivious to or strangely accepting of. This gives it a bit of an X-Files / American Gothic vibe.
The show has strong continuity, and plot threads that develop over time. I don't know how you'd go watching the episodes out of order. And for a show that draws a lot of entertainment value from silly humour, it can also be remarkably mature at times. A good example of this is the crush that Dipper develops on an older girl, Wendy (far right); which becomes a motivator for a lot of things in season 1. The way this gets resolved at the start of season 2 is probably what put this on my definite recommends list.
I'd also like to make mention of the dynamic between the two protagonists, Dipper & Mabel. Even though they squabble like most siblings, they're also portrayed as best friends. I find it really neat.
9/10
Unfortunately, you're on your own in finding this one.
There you go. I don't know how you feel about animated shows, but if you don't mind them, there might be something here for you. Also, I'm thinking I might do a best cartoons ever post at some point.
EDIT: These two scenes are from the first episode of season two. I think they stand up okay on their own, and they kind of show off the tonal range of the show.
1) The Pine family are throwing a party. Mabel wants to sing karaoke with Dipper and Grunkle (Great Uncle) Stan, Dipper accidentally raises the dead, Stan comes to the rescue.
2) The Pines discover that the zombies are susceptable to "a perfect three-part harmony". Mabel gets her wish.
Thursday, 18 September 2014
Fucking Lumps
It's amazing how something so small can cause so much anxiety.
I found a new one tonight in the shower and haven't been able to stop groping myself since. It's ridiculous. There's only a tiny fraction of a chance that there's anything sinister about it, and even if there is, there's no point in worrying about it. In fact, considering the way the placebo/nocebo effect works, it's quite possible that worrying about this stuff could actually be harmful.
Still, I know this is going to be on my mind until I get it checked out. Looks like once I get home, I'm going to have to get off my arse and find a new doctor. I might finally be able to see about getting a vitD test while I'm at it, too.
I hope you're in good health.
I found a new one tonight in the shower and haven't been able to stop groping myself since. It's ridiculous. There's only a tiny fraction of a chance that there's anything sinister about it, and even if there is, there's no point in worrying about it. In fact, considering the way the placebo/nocebo effect works, it's quite possible that worrying about this stuff could actually be harmful.
Still, I know this is going to be on my mind until I get it checked out. Looks like once I get home, I'm going to have to get off my arse and find a new doctor. I might finally be able to see about getting a vitD test while I'm at it, too.
I hope you're in good health.
Tuesday, 16 September 2014
Baby Elephants Are Adorable
Who woulda thunk it?
I saw the end of this show on the weekend. It's the first time I've seen an elephant being born. Also, I didn't realise that elephants have breasts between their front legs, rather than any kind of rear udder.
Anyway Melbs, it struck me that you might be in the mood for some of this sort of caper at the moment, what with your own daughter reaching (legal) adulthood, etc, etc.
Nothing special going on here. Been very busy. Didn't have any time off over the weekend. Been watching cartoons in the evening.
The loud fuckers next door have been fucking loudly. The condom argument has cropped up a couple more times, but I don't get the sense that she's budging on the issue. Thankfully, they seem to go at it mostly in the early evenings, so I don't have to listen to it while I'm trying to sleep.
No crazy shenanigans or off-the-wall conversations. No other news at all really. Am planning a cartoon roundup when I have some time off.
Maybe.
Bet you're looking forward to that one.
I saw the end of this show on the weekend. It's the first time I've seen an elephant being born. Also, I didn't realise that elephants have breasts between their front legs, rather than any kind of rear udder.
Anyway Melbs, it struck me that you might be in the mood for some of this sort of caper at the moment, what with your own daughter reaching (legal) adulthood, etc, etc.
Nothing special going on here. Been very busy. Didn't have any time off over the weekend. Been watching cartoons in the evening.
The loud fuckers next door have been fucking loudly. The condom argument has cropped up a couple more times, but I don't get the sense that she's budging on the issue. Thankfully, they seem to go at it mostly in the early evenings, so I don't have to listen to it while I'm trying to sleep.
No crazy shenanigans or off-the-wall conversations. No other news at all really. Am planning a cartoon roundup when I have some time off.
Maybe.
Bet you're looking forward to that one.
Saturday, 6 September 2014
ZZZzzzZZZ
This post is probably going to run the risk of coming off as moping self-indulgence with a side order of sympathy-fishing; however, that's not how it's intended. It's more just about fascination with how the brain works.
That's my story anyway, and I'm sticking to it. And in order to combat the possibly dour tone this is going to take, I'm using a bunch of cheerful colours. Take that, brain!
***
Today, we briefly talked about guilt over wasted opportunities; and you also mentioned that P was having anxiety dreams. This got me thinking about some of my own issues around sleep.
Do you experience any other weird brain shit, either sleep related or not?
That's my story anyway, and I'm sticking to it. And in order to combat the possibly dour tone this is going to take, I'm using a bunch of cheerful colours. Take that, brain!
***
Today, we briefly talked about guilt over wasted opportunities; and you also mentioned that P was having anxiety dreams. This got me thinking about some of my own issues around sleep.
DREAMS
I have two types.
Type 1 - Audio only: The most common. All senses are completely blocked, like an out-of-body experience, except there is a noise. Usually it sounds like there's talk-back radio playing in the next room, but it's turned down too low for the voices to be distinguishable. Sometimes there's music playing, sometimes it's really good.
Type 2 - Audio & Video: These dreams work like a movie or video game. I view the action from a disembodied third person perspective. Usually there's a character whom I recognise as being an avatar -- a protagonist, if you will. Sometimes it's a woman, sometimes a man, sometimes an animal, but it's never me. The level of control I have over the actions of the avatar varies greatly. Sometimes I even get "god-like" control over the whole dream-world. That's pretty fun.
From listening to other people talk, I think my way of dreaming is atypical. I don't mean the content, which I'm not going into, since it's mostly pretty absurd, but, um, the format, I guess? For example, my dreams are never first-person and they never feel "real". What are yours like?
I have two types.
Type 1 - Audio only: The most common. All senses are completely blocked, like an out-of-body experience, except there is a noise. Usually it sounds like there's talk-back radio playing in the next room, but it's turned down too low for the voices to be distinguishable. Sometimes there's music playing, sometimes it's really good.
Type 2 - Audio & Video: These dreams work like a movie or video game. I view the action from a disembodied third person perspective. Usually there's a character whom I recognise as being an avatar -- a protagonist, if you will. Sometimes it's a woman, sometimes a man, sometimes an animal, but it's never me. The level of control I have over the actions of the avatar varies greatly. Sometimes I even get "god-like" control over the whole dream-world. That's pretty fun.
From listening to other people talk, I think my way of dreaming is atypical. I don't mean the content, which I'm not going into, since it's mostly pretty absurd, but, um, the format, I guess? For example, my dreams are never first-person and they never feel "real". What are yours like?
PRE-SLEEP
Here's where things get dark. I hate going to sleep. I don't mean I hate sleeping, but I hate that period between when I start to go to sleep and when I actually get there. In that space of time, my mind floods itself with all the self-loathing it can muster. Every bad thing I've ever done, every poor choice I've ever made, and every opportunity I've ever wasted, rips into my brain like a famished hyena. I really do get the meaning of the phrase "how do you sleep at night?" The last thing that goes through my mind before I get to sleep at night is how much better off the world would be without me.
Sucks balls, doesn't it?
If this is a common experience, I can only imagine what war veterans go through. The only remedy I've found is with exercise. If I exhaust myself physically before bedtime, I can drop off to sleep fairly quickly, so the regrets don't get a chance to get a good foothold before I'm completely out of it.
What's it like when you fall asleep?
Here's where things get dark. I hate going to sleep. I don't mean I hate sleeping, but I hate that period between when I start to go to sleep and when I actually get there. In that space of time, my mind floods itself with all the self-loathing it can muster. Every bad thing I've ever done, every poor choice I've ever made, and every opportunity I've ever wasted, rips into my brain like a famished hyena. I really do get the meaning of the phrase "how do you sleep at night?" The last thing that goes through my mind before I get to sleep at night is how much better off the world would be without me.
Sucks balls, doesn't it?
If this is a common experience, I can only imagine what war veterans go through. The only remedy I've found is with exercise. If I exhaust myself physically before bedtime, I can drop off to sleep fairly quickly, so the regrets don't get a chance to get a good foothold before I'm completely out of it.
What's it like when you fall asleep?
Do you experience any other weird brain shit, either sleep related or not?
Friday, 5 September 2014
The Quieting
Nothing funny this time I'm afraid. I said that I'd had my fill of awkward, strained conversations, and since then, there haven't been any. Marvellous. I should try asking for things more often. I wonder if it'll work on Mathias Cormann?
Anyway, conversations with Old Mate from China have been professional, if a little curt. At least he hasn't brought up penis size, or shown me anymore porn. But that's not to say there hasn't been porn around. This leak of celebrity nudes, aka: "The Fappening", has been pretty hard to get away from. But I suppose it goes to something I said just recently, it does seem like everyone is taking photos of everything all the time now.
... and uploading them to the cloud. Apparently.
Bloody hell.
Anyway, as I said, um, somewhere, there's a lot of file trading going on out here. Everyone's got a laptop, or one of those portable media player thingies, or both. I've seen some very interesting animated shows. Must remember to write about them.
That's it. How was your week? If you're reading this in a few days time, then how was your weekend?
Anyway, conversations with Old Mate from China have been professional, if a little curt. At least he hasn't brought up penis size, or shown me anymore porn. But that's not to say there hasn't been porn around. This leak of celebrity nudes, aka: "The Fappening", has been pretty hard to get away from. But I suppose it goes to something I said just recently, it does seem like everyone is taking photos of everything all the time now.
... and uploading them to the cloud. Apparently.
Bloody hell.
Anyway, as I said, um, somewhere, there's a lot of file trading going on out here. Everyone's got a laptop, or one of those portable media player thingies, or both. I've seen some very interesting animated shows. Must remember to write about them.
That's it. How was your week? If you're reading this in a few days time, then how was your weekend?
Monday, 1 September 2014
Foreign Affairs Confusion Continues
If you read the previous post, the title of this one is probably going to be completely misleading.
ANNA: Excuse me, our van have broken down. Could you help, please?
ME: Um, yeah, ya wanna lift into town?
ANNA: No, we call the auto-mechanic on the mobile phone, and he says he will be coming soon.
ME: ... Right. So, do you need something ... ?
ANNA: Ja. You see, our English is not so good. We think we might need someone to, um, translate when the auto-mechanic gets here.
ME: ... You're German, right?
ANNA: Ja.
ME: ... Do you think I speak ... German? ... For some reason?
ANNA: ... Well, no, but you understand what I'm saying, ja?
ME: ... Yeah. Your English sounds fine. I can't see why a mechanic would have trouble understanding you.
ANNA: ... um ... okay. I understand if you need to go. ... but ... um ...
ME: Okay, *sigh* {fuckit} I can probably stay until the mechanic gets here.
ANNA: Danke! Danke! Thankyou!
So ... the translation thing was obviously bullshit, but the question is, what were they really scared of? That someone would pull up and attack them? That the mechanic was going to be a rapist? Or try to rip them off? Or rob them? Or that he'd demand sex as payment? Or that he wouldn't come at all? Are there stories in Germany about devious roadside mechanics in Australia? Is my brain going to the wrong place after what happened two nights ago? And why not just be honest about whatever they were worried about?
I think I've had my fill of weird strained conversations, for a few days at least. I'm not a great conversationalist, even at the best of times. How's things with you?
Today I was flagged down by two german girls whose van had broken down.
ANNA: Excuse me, our van have broken down. Could you help, please?
ME: Um, yeah, ya wanna lift into town?
ANNA: No, we call the auto-mechanic on the mobile phone, and he says he will be coming soon.
ME: ... Right. So, do you need something ... ?
ANNA: Ja. You see, our English is not so good. We think we might need someone to, um, translate when the auto-mechanic gets here.
ME: ... You're German, right?
ANNA: Ja.
ME: ... Do you think I speak ... German? ... For some reason?
ANNA: ... Well, no, but you understand what I'm saying, ja?
ME: ... Yeah. Your English sounds fine. I can't see why a mechanic would have trouble understanding you.
Anna shoots Julia a worried look and then turns back to me with pleading eyes.
ANNA: ... um ... okay. I understand if you need to go. ... but ... um ...
ME: Okay, *sigh* {fuckit} I can probably stay until the mechanic gets here.
ANNA: Danke! Danke! Thankyou!
It's probably a good thing I did. They didn't have any water or toilet-paper with them. Something which earned them a proper scolding from Grumpy Aunty Alex™.
So ... the translation thing was obviously bullshit, but the question is, what were they really scared of? That someone would pull up and attack them? That the mechanic was going to be a rapist? Or try to rip them off? Or rob them? Or that he'd demand sex as payment? Or that he wouldn't come at all? Are there stories in Germany about devious roadside mechanics in Australia? Is my brain going to the wrong place after what happened two nights ago? And why not just be honest about whatever they were worried about?
I think I've had my fill of weird strained conversations, for a few days at least. I'm not a great conversationalist, even at the best of times. How's things with you?
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