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    Base Basics…


    2022 - 09.15

    Well I may not have got to a blog entry the next day, but it seems I’m managing one today.

    Overall Monday was not a bad day as far as getting some things done that had been holding me back. I got a 6km walk in with my friend Tony and followed that up with coffee and potato wedges, sour cream & sweet chilli sauce. What a treat!

    Tuesday I spent time cleaning up that car & house a bit and catching up on some reading. Sorted out the mortgage for the month with the bank since that had looked a bit dicey on Monday but thanks to the help of a friend and my dad I’ve limped over the month given that I’d not been able to work as much as I would normally.

    Wednesday I went over to dad’s prior to a bit of Menulogging and had coffee, brunch and a good chat. I’m quite happy that my relationship with him has continued to improve over the years and I can tell he’s been making a considerable effort over the last year to be more positive about the things I do or try. Last week I took him out to dinner for my birthday and he really enjoyed himself which heartened me immensely. We’ve been discussing Elizabeth II’s death a bit the last few days and the feelings and thought’s it’s brought up for us both. He’s seen 3 Monarchs over his life so far, whereas I’ve only ever known Elizabeth II, but she’s definitely had the longest and largest influence over both of us. We’re both sure we won’t see her like again in our lifetimes. Charles III will no doubt do well and I think William will follow on well too.

    Forthcoming house related projects will be some woodchipping and mulching over the coming weeks, as well as some more wood collection, since the cold weather’s not finished yet. Once the weather picks up it will be time to strip the varnish and revarnish the doors and windows externally.

    As far as entertainment goes I’ve been focussing on reacquanting myself with some RPG’s and seeking out new ones, some for Solo play, as well as hopefully enlisting a few people into testing a couple of them out. I’m also trying to keep at least one boardgame going solo upstairs now to reduce the amount of Youtube time, additionally working on getting the miniatures for my copy of War of the Ring (1st edition) painted. Down the track once I’ve improved my painting skills I’ll do the 2nd Edition copy.

    I’m also aiming for at least one book a week read to catch up on my flagging reading list I assembled 2 years ago.

    I’m just waiting on a couple of purchases on Amazon and then I’ll be cancelling that subscription until I need some more free shipping. I have little to no use for Amazon Prime outside of the free shipping. Streaming is not really an entertainment option for me these days, it really hasn’t been for years. Those who know me know my attitude towards contemporary entertainment coming out of Hollywood & the large media conglomerates these days. I don’t ever really see me returning to either source for visual entertainment while I’m of sound mind. My friend Julie & I have been watching the Peter Jackson LoTR Trilogy recently because she’s never seen the extended editions. For me it’s also a small protest of no consequence to anyone against Amazon’s “Anus of Power: Bezos’ Folly”. I’m not giving it a single click that they can count as a view from me. There is now NO Intellectual Property that I’ve ever really thought significant in my life that hasn’t been polluted and denigrated by the modern media monsters. I’m over watching the relentless Bushfires that were those IP’s. There is no entertainment for me in their new material now. I have hard media for anything I’ve thought worth watching multiple times, that I’ve collected over the years. My entertainment now resides in board gaming, RPG’s, PC gaming (mostly old), books (mostly old), my Art and my family and friends.

    Focus of Gratitude for the day: Despite the Health Issues I do have, I’m still able bodied and have options than many in this world unfortunately do not.

    Creativity versus Art…


    2019 - 08.08

    I was commenting in a photography blog earlier in response to the question, “is an Artist born?” I think it’s quite a nuanced answer. Some of the conversation mirrored what I seem to be hearing a lot today: that creatives are artists. I am of the opinion that there’s a difference between being creative and being an Artist (although Artists are certainly creatives).

    In my experience almost all people are creative given opportunities, resources and encouragement. Even without encouragement people will still be creative from time to time to get through a situation etc. Hobbies are often an expression of creativity. But, the Artist is a different beast. There is an obsession with theme and process, determination, and long-term conscious and unconscious observation being melded with an insight. All of this manifests in a pursuit of expressing and representing a vision or perspective. Often through alternative processes and mediums.

    I posit that for the Artist there is no other path that is not a living death. There is an interesting documentary called “David Lynch: The Art Life” about David Lynch, often known for his surreal filmmaking but is an extremely prolific sculptor, photographer, painter and practitioner of assemblage. It’s very enlightening around this idea without being overly political.

    The Art Life…


    2019 - 02.03

    I’ve been watching The Art Life, a documentary about David Lynch and “The Art Life”. It’s such a different picture of David Lynch than I’ve previously had, so much so that I was wondering if there are two David Lynch artists, the Director and the Artist. By that I mean literally separate human beings. But it’s one & the same. That aside it’s provoked some interesting thoughts. So food for thought.

    Some of his inspirational “mottos”:

    • Coffee, food & art (work).
    • Compartmentalising life and those others in it.
    • Keep making “bad art” until you find your good art.
    • We’re deeply and constantly influenced by others all our lives. Keep making until you find your own art.

    I’m so glad he’s refused to be part of the “hollywood establishment” because it’s inspirational to know that people can make it in their own way.

    Back Through the Archives…


    2016 - 11.18

    Morning of sorting through Archives & Backups to determine what can be trashed. Watch a french movie called “Livide”, which was a pleasant change from the fairly slash happy, saw ‘em up type of Horror film we get these days almost all the time.

    The Truth is out There…


    2016 - 01.25

    The Truth may well be out there, but given that the bulk of people in this country who actually will be keen to watch X-files show no interest in waiting for anything else they want to watch and will most likely download it to watch, I can’t see that the network 10 is doing themselves or the show any favours. Personally I for the first time have put money into “pre-ordering” via an Apple TV / iTunes Store Season’s Pass. Yet, I feel I will still get shafted and be waiting an inordinate amount of time to watch this show. I’ve made the gesture of playing the Industry’s game and legally purchased in good faith. I suspect VERY strongly I shall be proved the fool. Where the Entertainment Industry is concerned though, it will be the first and last time. They have only this chance to demonstrate they deserve my business.

    Goodbye Major Tom…


    2016 - 01.11

    The Entertainment Industry has lost a extremely talented person today with the death of David Bowie. I wish his essence the best of journeys.

    He DID live long & Prosper…


    2015 - 02.28

    I was saddened this morning to hear that Leonard Nimoy is DEAD! The Man who became an Icon: Spock is Dead…

    The Big Sleep (lack of)…


    2011 - 05.31

    Now I finally get to be like Sam Spade…

    L.A. Noire has arrived and I saved at least $30! Loving that Oz Games Shop!

    Death of a Salesman (if ONLY)…


    2011 - 04.29

    There was a time not too long ago (1990’s & early 2000’s) when a TV series had a season to warm up. Not only that, a Season was a good 20+ episodes. A series had time to grow, find it’s feet and an audience had time to see the multi-dimensionality of characters, and the ideas the series was trying to explore.

    There’s no doubt these days that’s not the case. It’s all about Lowest Common Denominator – LCD (and not the screen). Series with any real intellectual and creative stimulation are ruthlessly “euthanised” because audiences in general clearly can’t deal well with show’s that don’t spoon feed them every thought and emotion. Couple that with a medium rigidly unresponsive to the way a large number of viewer wish to absorb the media (i.e. WHEN AND WHERE they desire. Instead of embracing new opportunities to let viewers enjoy shows, studios continue to try to tie their viewers down to schedules that don’t mesh with their daily lives.

    It seems we’re in the decade of no imagination or creativity at all. A significant number of movies are poor remakes of classics or cult favourites. Even series are beginning to follow suite. Is it that Studios believe that there is no one alive that remembers the originals? There are some that clearly attempt to ride the fame of their antecedents, and then make a mockery of them. Effects don’t make up for creativity and challenging your audience. Clearly the Electronic Games Industry is following in it’s cousin’s footsteps with many pretenders and few rebels.

    My TV has been nothing but a “display for more than fifteen years. I don’t even think about what’s on TV, don’t use it for “news” or any other type of information. In fact I find a TV on and displaying a transmitted show invariably annoying to the extreme. Not only is the content utterly appalling for the most part, but insulting. Certainly I watch products generated by the industry, but for so long I’ve chosen a “removed” mode like many others. Pay TV went that 15 odd years ago when they started advertising. The only possible thing that could persuade me to engage that service is if I could literally pay for the 4 or 5 stations I might likely watch on a regular basis. I don’t want 20 channels of rubbish, just so I can have 3 or 4 reasonable ones to try and pick some content from that I can choose to watch at a time of my choosing.

    Equally I’ve tired to a large degree of buying many PC games. Copy Protection has become so annoying that I can’t be bothered taking chances on many games I’ve not researched and clearly have a strong pedigree or some outstanding feature. And just because I’m not buying a lot of games doesn’t mean I’m pirating them. I honestly can’t even remember the last time I “evaluated” in any form other than a demo.

    30 Days & 30 Nights…


    2011 - 02.14

    Well with a slight “blip”, I’ve made 30 days without a JB purchase, which is a significant landmark for me.

    Not since the store first opened here have I gone a month without a purchase! Can’t say I’ve really saved any money yet, but have spent it on more “productive” things with regard to working on the house.

    There will begin changes ever so slowly…