flashman181

The night time temps start to slowly dip below 20 degrees C for first time in 30 years and the neighbourhood rejoices. Not because of the temp mind you, but because it means I now start wearing pyjammas at night. Just hope I remember that on the Midnight pit stop. This means that the brief glorious Qld Winter of 3 week duration can only be months away

If I were Phanto or Rabs I would be a bit concerned. 2 of the big 4 piss takes of the 12th man are now gone. By all accounts Richie was a true gentleman and intimately entwined forever with the word cricket much like how liar and politician are inseparable. Initially Billy B said that was it, no more records. His latest comment was “I cant see another record being made” This could reflect on the fact that vinyl died 20 years ago of course – that would be his politician like excuse for previous comments. Quite clear what he should do. Release the very first 12th man album along with a new and much touted “Richie Benaud: This is your life ” and here comes the zinger. The price? 2 for $22 with all proceeds going to skin cancer research #ideasman #ivegotamillionofthem.

Not much else in the sporting world to report. You know the Masters was a bit dull when some clown in the Aussie media ties Spieths win to his Aussie Open win the previous year because you know Rory won it the year before and then won two majors! Justin Rose walked off the 18 th , turned to his caddie and said “book me a flight to Australia later this year. Oh and get me some fish and chips too “. The other interesting post script was Dr Woods copping flak on social media for his assertion that a bone popped out in his wrist but he pushed it back in. Bit harsh really, if anyone knows how to quickly pop back in a bone that accidentally slips out of place it would be Tiger. Especially if there was a knock on the door. Still, 10 years ago no one would have questioned him

Raylan has ridden off into the sunset for the last time. Not a great finale but then it falls more into the Sopranos Spectrum rather than the Dexter Dump file. By that , I mean you will rate it more highly upon reflection but in the immediate aftermath you are sad that these characters are gone forever and that colors your thoughts. There would never be a perfect ending. The flash forward a few years finale seems very popular these days

SPOILERS. The Raylan/Ava/Boyd triangle was well handled if slightly unbelievable. The last line ” we dug coal together” was memorable. The takedown of Markham too easy, the shootout with Boone a tease and simply not enough Wynn Duffy

It was clearly better than SOA or Mentalist. The big one coming up off course is Mad Men. I have always assumed that it is Don jumping/falling out of the window in the opening montage and there is enough shit in his life to indicate that is a possibility. Of course it is more likely a metaphor for his own personal descent. Time will tell. Netflix continues to impress , especially with their original offerings. While Bloodline was really Revenge on Gilligans Island, Daredevil is my current favourite superhero adaptation, ackowledging of course I know very little about all the back stories. If it aint Superman or Scrooge McDuck I am a bit lost. In other TV news Louie, VEEP, GOT and Silicon Valley all returned with strong premieres while the never dead Community continues to impress. For me Louie is like Seinfeld with a harder edge. They both use observational humour of course but Louie is grittier and his show at times is certainly cringeful to watch. Even if you dont like the episode plot his snippets of stand up at start and end are worth it alone. Madame Secretary – or How Hilary Really Had An Important Job – tackled the old distressed Russian nuclear sub yarn this week. Like everything, The West Wing did it so much better previously

US politics continues to enthrall of course, admittedly through the eyes of Stewart, Oliver, Maher et al. Dumbasses in the Democrats seem to get a tougher time than Ratbags in the the Republicans in general media. Of course when you see that Bill O’Reilly has two books in the NYT April Best Sellers list – Killing Jesus and Killing Patton – it becomes easier to understand if not accept. His autobiography Killing the Truth to be released next year is a guaranteed best seller. Hillary does seem to have a lot of baggage and not just talking under her eyes. Mind you the Republican lineup is no Melbourne Cup field. More like the 7th at Dapto Dogs. No doubt when in Washington in February next year will feel the buzz around. Of course that may just be a tazer because I climbed the White House fence.

Digital and Streaming are two words usually associated with Prostate function, or lack there off. Now though they are the buzz words for the happening entertainment world. Aussie Netflix has launched shortly after Stan and Laurel and surprisingly Treasure Island (land of pirates ya with me?) seems to have got a tad excited. Of course there is even HBO Now available if you know how to set up a US iTunes account and doctor your DNS -lets face it forget the 3 Rs this is what they should be teaching in schools now. Keeping our Prostate analogy foremost in our minds it is good timing as certainly sick and tired of the Fisting by Foxtel I get at present. Did the math last week and reckon I pay $102 a month for a weekly US PGA event and two sports shows! Makes that electronic nose hair remover seem cost efficient. On top of the price gouging of course they simply refuse to answer your email queries in a suitable timeframe. So netflix runs to about $11, Stan (if stays which is unlikely) $10 and HBO $20 Aussie per month so can dump Foxtel, sort out some kinda pass for digital play of golf and still have money left for a weekly massage with Ling Ling at Golden Fingers, Station Square. And not an eyepatch in sight, yay! Speaking of which , the Dallas Buyers Club LLC was certainly interesting. Will scare the casual pirate fairly straight I imagine with no real cost return for them so not sure why they went with it. Your average pirate is a complex person mind you. GOT Season 5 first 4 episodes leaked on line (still with the prostate analogy, clever eh) and were the bottles of rum popped ? Maybe, but still you had the whiners saying “what only 480p? Piss off, I’m waiting for 1080p”. Some people need a swat with a big dragon tail.

Its rare that you would say a Masters golf tournament is boring but this year was as close as you may get for a while. 3 things were confirmed. Nicklaus is the greatest ever, Spieth is the real deal, and Tiger is back. What is it with Tiger and stray roots? Has he not learned his lesson yet?? To make the cut and finish with the score he did is rather amazing and his mental toughness was never in question but to bring back that short game he had a few months ago to Augusta was daring. Drama does always seem to follow him though – especially when not winning:) Still for me , only one question remains – what the fuck was Tiger’s current 19th hole wearing at the Par 3 contest on Wednesday? In other sports news, are the Broncos the real deal this year? Still think they will struggle by year’s end as will St George. Both teams are doing well on guts and great defense but lack the real firepower to blow teams off the park. They still have Boyd to return of course which should help and should not be too decimated come SOO time. Good of the QT man of rugby league to acknowledge the groundwork laid by Hook previously when reviewing the solid start this year.

Lovely weekend catching up with My Generations including NDD – now distant daughter. Toowoomba is a lovely town at this time of year with plenty of great eating options and parks to visit along with excellent B&Bs. As always it is a joy to not only see how booteeful all 5 grandkids are but also how well behaved they are and a credit to their respective parents. Back out in a few weeks for Grandparents Day at Will and Pat’s school followed by a rugby match the next day for Will. Its ok will steer him towards rugby LEAGUE slowly and sneekily:) Driving back from Flashman Inc, Sunshine Coast HQ bright and early this morning and as the sun slowly rose on the horizon life was looking pretty good

Now I just have to go out and check my bunkers …………

Maryhole is unique, no further proof required. Woke up this morning to a sea of blue and wasnt even at the beach. I am of course referring to the radar image on BOM and the threatening mass heading our way. There was no way we could miss this downpour surely? Galoshes ready, golf sticks packed away for another Wednesday. As each hour passed the blue became sparser and swung around below us. No doubt some areas like No Sunshine Coast were copping it big time but not Maryhole. So headed out to golf under grey skies but put my faith in technology. Yeah right, what was I thinking. Started raining after 4 holes but not unbearable and saw it out to finish 9 holes relatively comfortable if not necessarily leading the field. After another 6 holes though it started up again and playing Standard Scratch and noticing that I had more rails than pluses seemed like an opportune time to head in and call it a day. I always say if you cant finish something then you should leave early.

It was good to get out in some almost fresh air after an extended visit to the couch in recent days. I had debated about signing up for Netflix Aussie for almost 10 minutes but when I saw first month for free just had to give it a go eh. Picked up an Apple TV – always excellent products really – and was set up and ready to go in under 10 minutes. Now the library at present is not as good as US obviously but really for $10 a month you cant lose. Currently watching Bloodline and while it can get sudsy at times it has a brilliant cast. Why hasnt Ben M done a Dustbin Hoffmam bio already – or at least recreated Ratso from Midnight Cowboy? Ms Candellini gets hotter over time – much like Maryhole. KC will always be Coach sadly and think his acting range is limited. Netflix was described in other media commitments to me as like being on a plane with IQ or similar – its not that it is a complete range but really just so easy to find something to watch with the click of a button. And that is spot on. I watched Waldorf Salad on Fawlty last night. Not something I would normally do but it was there so why not. The chef has opened the can.

The best team won the World Cup cricket, just a pity they act like assholes so much of the time. Kiwis were all class throughout the tournament. Speaking of assholes, sick and tired of hearing about Jeremy Clarkson. Prize boorish oaf and good on BBC for kicking his ass to the curb. Best thing England has done since ……. ok best thing they have ever done. There are assholes and then there are clowns . Billy Gordon. Lauded initially for bringing honor to your people only to be revealed as a deplorable stereotype all along

USA 2016 – brilliant catchphrase not framed yet- is largely settled. Fly into Dallas, onto Washington and then Boston. A one nighter in NYC on way home so can hook up with Qantas and maybe snag that great lounge at JFK one more time – hopefully the Southern Comfort is not empty – before flying out of LA. February 2016 again – so more snow on the way no doubt, especially in Boston. Cheers

Autumn , cleverly disguised as Summer, is upon us but you wouldnt know it. I fear autumn and winter will pass in the same weekend and then spring will be gone by middle of the week. In Melbourne you get 4 seasons in one day, in Maryhole you get three in one week! Still, me no complain. Much.

So the Aussies “demolished ” India. Hardly. As good as Smith was (does he have any room left on mantle for MOM awards?) there are still some areas of concern that I fear NZ may exploit. Now the Kiwis have had a massive advantage playing all their matches on sheep paddocks – with very friendly sheep. Now it may come back to bite them so to speak. Suddenly the biggest match of the tournament is being played on our side of the ditch and while Victorians are not as accommodating, or intelligent, as sheep they do play in a big paddock. If Mitch had not clobbered 30 of 3 at the end then India may have been chasing only 300 and then at the end as bad as they looked it was 70 off 6 rather than 100 off 6. When Haddin dropped that difficult but definitely catchable one it looked a bit gloomy. If I left the room and heard the crowd roar it was because India had done something good! Is great to see though that Indians living in Aussie land still prefer to actually be seen on the big screen then to see their team win. On average you would have to say there are a fair % of stunning looking Indian women – at least amongst those that follow cricket. Finch is still out of form and Watto will always be an enigma. Good captaincy from Pup, no doubt had his buddy Warnie in his earpiece. Really is a cavalcade of commentators available – I would stick with Warnie, Waugh and Bhogle – the rest can carry the drinks. Lara is a bit like Wally Lewis – brilliant player, hopeless commentator

The German wings disaster is simply unimaginable. As always the media look for the angle straight away and many focused on the word “budget” and then chased down any possible problems ever with the A 320. Prospective passengers on these planes would have been shitting themselves. Is it responsible journalism? Well there is no such thing really with the desire to fill our screens with continual, and often misleading, updates. Certainly “death by pilot” would not have been near the top of the list I imagine – until the first recordings became available. One cannot imagine the terror of being in a plane that is going to definitely crash hard – and then for some passengers to no doubt see a pilot screaming to get back into cockpit would be mind blowing.

USA 2016 – The Returned is slowly forming but by no means set. Washington is a lock and Boston looking good but after that not sure. Sadly once you dont fly onto NYC you are no longer on Qantas but relying on American airlines. These are fine of course , simply not as easy to book etc . The current dilemma, all things being relative of course, is do you fly back through LA as usual with a stopover somewhere on the way or rather do something totally out of Love field – oops I mean left field and go to Dallas. As a bit of a JFK junkie there is appeal but it appears that Dallas is very much a car city. Qantas do fly directly back to Aussie land from there on an A 380 but it is a 17 hr flight and you have to land in Sydney first. One always wants to experience new things on holidays – just not sure 17 hr flights is one of them. Still plenty of time to decide – not that I will make use of that of course :). In the world we live in these are not major issues I want my devoted followers worrying over

TV land continues to fill in the long hours. All the hype about Netflix this week in Aussie land which certainly looks well priced for what you get but my present problem (again factor in relativity %) is the current streaming device to my TV has no Netflix app . So at present the status quo remains. Last Man on Earth has really picked up with the addition of JJ and Justified is building nicely to conclusion hopefully. Girls was a good season and enjoyed Broadchurch 2 much more than first season. Still a veritable mountain of stuff to watch as now back into full on sports watching with cricket, NRL, Golf etc. Its the only reason I have Foxtel!

Well, better go get that washing on the line. Definite possibility of rain this afternoon according to bureau. Man, are they going to be red faced when the new Reich demands they keep 2 years of data. You thought your Grandma’s slide night “My Sexual Awakening” was embarrassing

Why wait to muse on a Monday when you can scribble on a Saturday

So back in Maryhole for a week now. It was 35 degrees when I left Philly and it is 35 degrees here as well. Spooky eh? Not really, one is F and one is C and in between is some complex maths formula involving fractions and shit with the end result being ITS TOO BLOODY HOT HERE. Between F and C U  Know is trouble and pain.

When we last left our hero he was in a strangely empty bar approaching a full bottle of Southern Comfort with intent. The rest is a blur. It was a long 36 hrs with a couple of highlights. Spent an hour sitting in a plane on a corner of LAX airport far removed from any gate as there were none free. Cheap Trick were then on the plane from LA to Brisvegas. I knew I knew the old rocker guy but couldnt place him. Walking through the corridors at Brisvegas towards baggage claim just happened to be next to one of the “new” band guys who asked me about a connecting flight to Perth where they were playing. Small world. As mentioned in other media commitments PE on Qantas is well worth the extra money in my view if get fares on special. You then also have the option to upgrade to BC for acceptable number of FF points

After the long train/flight/car 36 hr trip overseas travel was furthest thing from mind. That lasted about 2 days after I hit the lava pit AKA Maryhole. The travel bug well and truly has me so at present am considering another trip back to USA next February. There are two things that may affect that. Q Super falls through the floor or the thought of dealing with Centrelink again is just too much for an old man to deal with. Seriously I have never known such an incompetent mob to deal with. Works smoothly when all set up but change one thing and it takes you two weeks to recover and that involves several long phone calls – or at least long waits on phone. Obviously the trick is to book and pay before the stock market dives:). With any luck the Aussie $ may stay above 50c US. And I know what 50c looks like trust me – as usual bought home my own bodyweight in loose and useless change

Lots of TV to catch up on on return and top of the list was HOC Season 3 – which in part was responsible for desire to return to Washington sooner rather than later. It was good of course but the weakest of the 3 seasons for me . Frank was a bit too placating as President and got kinda tired of the long wistful stares of Claire. Doug had a long story arc and the ending was not really acceptable. Of course I will watch Season 4 – maybe with Barack, all things being equal. Luckily my Netflix subscription had kicked in which meant could also watch Unbreakable Kimmie from my Tina. I really liked this although suggest small doses. If nothing else the title tune is Unforgettable. Great run of co stars with Hamm being the standout. As Mad Men approaches the end sadly I wonder what Hamm will do because all of his comic turns have been brilliant – but is that juxtaposed to Don Draper especially? In general I worry about future dramas actually . Outside of these couple and the usual suspects it was great to get back into some sport and totally inaccurate weather forecasts

Australia looks “pretty good” in the non white flannel caper but really if Watto had been caught as should have then we could have had a semi final with the worlds biggest recorded TV viewership. Instead it will only be 236 billion. The Fox series of Cricket Legends episodes has been great with the Unbreakable Kimmie Hughes the standout. Man they treated him like shit but he has a great attitude. Footy wise, the Broncs are 2 from 3 but at best are minor top 8 chances simply making up the numbers. Bring on the SOO now please. PGA Golf is entering a great phase with the Masters looming but also great current tournaments like Bay Hill with the King Arnie but no Black Prince. I even got out and swung the shaft a few times myself. Well it was certainly too hot to play golf trust me!

So the end of March approaches and the possibility of single digit overnight temperatures approaches. Easter is just around the corner with a great gathering of the Della Clan planned which is always fun. Then a trip to Beachy and Woomby to see some grandkids and disperse some cheap USA souvenirs. The good news kiddies is if you dont like them just wait a year

The old fart is going back!

The big day approaches when one leaves this land to travel to a galaxy far far away but before we go that renowned bitch Nature, M. has decided to throw a slight curve ball

I have noted with displeasure that when I want the weather bureau to be right they are wrong and vica versa. So yesterday for golf there were some annoying scuds around just before tee off – the weather app suggested rain on the hour every hour for the afternoon so pulled out. It didnt rain until after 3 pm! So now all the models suggest this cyclone “should” have passed through by Saturday – and associated heavy winds and rain with it. This is critical with flight out booked for Sunday from Brisvegas. I see today all Qantas flights to and from Bundy and HB are naturally cancelled “until further notice” . There was a slight concern previously that NYC may have issues with ice and snow but considered that if at least got to LA the holiday had started. If I dont get out of Brisbane on Sunday though I will not be a happy chappy. Also a slight concern leaving the house locked up and secured with winds a coming as needed to at least start heading south in case of road blockages tomorrow. So presently sitting at Flashman Inc NoSunshine HQ tracking this cyclone and hoping it does not stall. Or cause too much damage for anyone. Guessing my bunkers are going to be a mess though 😦

So in the lead up to QLD election found myself watching a bit of Richo & Jones which is a surprise as generally loathe The Parrot. It is surprising they can house two massive egos in one studio. Richo aint no shy wallflower either but he should stop sprouting on other media outlets how he is going to let Jones have it tonight. If nothing else Jones knows numbers and sprouts forth confidently on a range of issues. When he started making sense on Q&A I knew it was time to go back to Glee. Bowen did himself no favours though this week when as shadow treasurer he did not know the tax thresholds and was left squirming for a minute or two. Lot of talk these days about the problem with politics in Australia so will give my 2c worth – being MY BLOG and all. Been a mess for at least 10 years. You need a charismatic leader like Hawke or a dynamic personality like Keating to get the message across. Little Johnny did ok with neither of course except simple human decency I guess. But since then governments are voted out not voted in. We want to get rid of the clown in there but the opposition does not inspire at all so you get a few cross benchers elected that screw everything up. Of course Newman showed quite well that even with massive mandate you can still screw things up if a complete tool. Abbott will lose, if still PM, but it wont be because of the brilliance of one Bill Curly.

Sporting wise the Aussie one day side make up looks good. Either Warner or Finchy blast away, Watto comes out and combs his hair and then gets out quickly so the talent can follow, Smithy may just be dropping off touch but his fielding is superb and then we get to the meat. Marsh and Maxwell are the goods. If Faulkner can get back in then he and Haddin follow and the middle is rock solid. No genuine spinner may be a problem against class side like SA but Starc is in superb form and with Mitch on Aussie pitches they should advance far. Bailey or Pup? Both have their strengths but personally would push for Bailey. So basically when Faulkner is fit, drop Watto and have Hazlewood and Cummings fight for other quickie spot. During the world cup they have had short “legend” segments on at times with Crash Craddock. While Thommo is always good value, Wasim Akram has stood out clearly so far as the class act

Next blog should be from NYC – or from a canoe on Runway 68

So the countdown is on. Barring unforseen circumstances, like Newman selling Brisbane Airport, this time in 4 weeks should be chilling out in NYC unless my usual luck with weather keeps up. Expected temps for that time of year are around 2-10 degrees max. If I still had testicles they could be in danger of finally dropping. With me there though , it could run to 20 of course and Maryhole will experience a freakish cool February with daily maxes < 35 degrees! Seriously if you want it to rain here just send me away – ergo yesterdays downpour. Now, being the little anal retentive I am when I go south to Flashman Inc HQ SC I power down most things like computer and pull out aerial etc , especially this time of year. I did not pull TV plug out of wall but certainly turned it off. Drove car in garage this morning bright and early only to hear noise from upstairs. Had Ms Maddern dropped in to personally apologize and just hung around all weekend sorting my sock drawer ? No, the TV was on and some soccer match was in full swing. Spooky shit. No one had slept in my bed or eaten my porridge so assume it was that rainy thing yesterday that did something. In future power will go off at wall as well

Speaking of odd things what is with all the hysteria about American Sniper? Couple of issues I spose. First up , why be surprised at Box Office numbers? The world is largely full of morons who feel much safer when someone like Crazy Chris is out there killing the “savages”. Or Liam Neeson! Now u can argue about the quality of AS all u like but there can be no doubt about Taken 3 – it is pure nonsense but because “not based on a true story” is only escapist fare so its fine to line up around the block to see it I guess. The main gripe with AS though, which in part divides along political sway at least in the US, is the glorification of him as a hero. No doubt he was not the full block of chocolate even before he did 4 tours – he would have lost more fruit than nut after that though. I know I am in minority here but I can simply watch the movie as an action piece (a very good one to boot) without getting caught up in what it says about the war in Iraq or the man himself. I mean I grew up on John Wayne movies after all! The guy no doubt did some bad things but also good things as well after his return – which ultimately led to his death. In this day and age you cant refer to other humans as he did and that is a true and correct view in the multicultural society we live in but you should not let a few misplaced statements like that forever colour your view on a matter. Or you can, its your call. It doesnt help that everyone knows Clunk’s political views of course.

Most of week now is filled with either working on golf course or playing golf. Last Wednesday clearly demonstrated these two should not intersect. Once you get involved in projects then your interest raises and hard to switch off so wandered out early last Wednesday to just tinker around with a few things when the opportunity to fix the bunker on 9 came up so 3 hrs later it was done and I couldnt walk. Two hours after that I teed off in usual Wednesday group. You know how most pros would be pretty happy returning a -12 score? Apparently there is one event that does not apply – Standard Scratch! Ok, so no more work on mornings of golf. Of course after rain of last few days the good work has in part been undone. But this is what it looked like after Wednesday and before Noah started hammering away on Friday 😦

A week is a long time in politics so a 3 week campaign is your basic nightmare. The LNP will win for 2 main reasons. They have a massive majority and a weak opposition. Like in the recent test cricket sometimes it aint how good you are but rather how bad they are. Cowbell is making it a presidential type campaign because Anastasia Beaverhausen is beige personified. Love or hate the Red Ranga she had a certain presence. Simply having a chickie babe as leader does not guaranteee electoral success. Of interest though locally are the fanciful claims by the opposition here that they will reopen the closed Pathology department at the Maryborough Hospital. It is a nonsense and anyone voting for that reason is kidding themselves. It does bring out the usual ratbag brigade in the comments section of the newspaper though. Serial posters who simply have a view on everything and need to share it regardless of any apparent insight or knowledge on the particular subject. If you want to vote regarding the loss of services locally kick out the incumbent for not supporting us – dont vote in someone making ludicrous promises.

The Golden Globes have come and gone and while always great to see My Tina and Her Amy together it wasnt their best show. The “Would You Rather” game was good and a couple of good one liners but the Cosby joke was always going to get the soundbite and the Korean bit was lame and racial stereotyping at its worst. And simply not funny. Unlike many though MT cannot be accused of being a late comer to the Cosby tale having called him out way back in Season 3 of 30 Rock. Yes it is a link to a link…..

The other certainty of course was that someone would say “Je Suis Charlie” and get a standing ovation. Most presenters were awkward or embarrassing with Wig and Heder leading the way in a cringeful skit that simply was not funny. Magilla and Don Cheezel were great and Clooney all class. Some surprise winners I guess but the clear champs on the night were The Affair and Boyhood. Birdman is very good – or at least Keaton is – but dont get the comedy category. On the local front just finished The Code which was very good and The Good Wife has had a stunning start to the second half of Season 6 although not convinced should have taken on the very complex Ferguson issue. Outside of that, well it is Screener Season folks

There were some good moments in the recent test series with India but really the inept Indian bowling attack has simply prolonged a couple of Aussie test careers methinks. Flat tracks generally make for dull games only saved here by a couple of batting collapses. Smith is batting the house down and is an exceptional fielder only surpassed by his tendency to whine. First there was the runout which was all his fault but no the quick point had to come out. Then Spidercamgate. It may be distracting – tough shit, take it like a man. Or if you dont like the new technology bought in hand back 100k of your salary. By all means raise your concerns as Captain but do it behind closed doors noy out in the middle like some schoolkid who dropped his jelly beans in the mud. Still wonder if some bowling attacks wil lwork him out in the future with his tendency to walk across the stumps. Time will tell

Newsflash. Queensland summers suck. As the late great Robin Williams would say. It is hot, damn hot

On the bright side, trip to NYC is less than 6 weeks away now and while the snow may have passed by then it should still be pleasantly cool methinks. My efforts to spend my birthday evening at The Jimmy Fallon Tonight Show failed miserably. Apparently there is a 30 sec window once a month at 2 am Aussie time to get tickets for the next month. Larry David stage show starts the week after I leave. Looks like beer and burgers with occasional Flat White will have to do. Security will no doubt be high but what can you do. Go with the flow, hope for the best and sit near the black box.

Je Suis Flashie.

Well everyone else does eh. Random thoughts in no particular order and obviously reflective of only what I have seen or experienced. Dont get your panties in a twist if Kardashian Kapers et al does not appear in any worst of life list – I dont watch it. Of course with early onset Alzheimers hovering there is probably stuff I loved I simply forgot about – 364 days is a long time, one day at a time.

Best TV of 2014

Fargo was the best new show for moi especially the way they based it on the movie but didnt. Billy Bob was perfect. Solid runs by the faithful like OITNB, HOC, Good Wife, MM and Americans. UK continues to deliver quality drama especially in the mini series ilk like Happy Valley and The Missing along with returning Line of Duty. Most pleasant surprise of the year was Black Mirror – always great when you discover a show late and suddenly there a few seasons to watch. There was one piece of TV though that have rewatched a few times over the year – The Keating Interviews with Kerry 0’Brien. Now, love him or loathe him he is a fascinating character and when you see some of the clowns we have today attempt to speak on some subjects it is great to roll this one out to hear someone who had a view on everything and could actually express himself succinctly and often with wit. As someone who does not watch much animated at all Rick and Morty was a surprising treat

Most Disappointing TV of 2014. As opposed to worst because I simply dont watch some crap. Bit of a Melbourne Cup field here but lets see if we can narrow it down.

SOA was generally a good season but a poor self-indulgent ending left a sour taste. Same with Homeland – a good season until one of the worst season finales in recorded history. The Fall Season 2 had all the hype but no real substance as simply a competent 6 parter dragged out over 12 episodes and then still left hanging a bit. The Mentalist is simply rubbish now.

The Titanic Award for Rapidly Sinking Quality in Media. Channel 9. Their news is padded with fluff, their morning show is Ricki Lake on Valium and even their cricket telecast is dull most of the time. Their reporting of major events like the Sydney Siege is generally embarrassing. To be fair 7 and 10 are likely worst – dont watch them

Biggest Media Circus The death of Phillip Hughes was tragic. The following weeks of coverage inexplicable really. Did not take long for the mourning cricketers to return to same old behaviour

Best Movies of 2014 Remembering previously outlined criteria not a lot to choose from here as watch much more TV than movies

Nightcrawler was a standout and Gone Girl very solid. Edge of Tomorrow was a pleasant surprise. Much like with Rick and Morty was suprised how much I ebjoyed The Lego Movie. Snowpiercer was an interesting ride and Grand Budapest suitably bizarre

Most Disappointing Movies of 2014

Dont get all the love for Guardians of the Galaxy. Amazing Spiderman 2 was anything but. Chef was vastly overrated. There are worse movies out there certainly – but I didnt see them

Best Sporting Moments of 2104 The Rise of Ricciardo. Brisbane Roar winning A league. Two golf majors for Rory. Waratahs win Super 12. Steve Smiths batting this series. Rabbitohs win NRL

Worst Sporting Moment of 2014 The Blues win SOO. Where is the fun in that ?

Favorite Book of 2014 Still Fooling ‘Em. Gone Girl a close second. I dont read much

Favorite Music of 2014 Darlene Love singing Christmas Baby Please Come Home for the 753rd time on Letterman

Best New Holiday Destination of 2014. Berlin.

Biggest Bitch in the World 2014 Berlin Bahn Service Desk Attendant

Most Disappointing New Holiday Destination Tough one really as all holidays are great as are all cities but would have to say the cost of living in Copenhagen combined with a very poor hotel room gives it the nod in a very small field

Best OS Coffee in 2014 Coffee to Go in Aix-En-Provence

Worst OS Coffee in 2014 Talk about your Melbourne Cup field! The clear winner though was some cafe in Millau whose name and location was immediately wiped from my memory luckily

Best CLP of 2014 CLP

Worst CLP of 2014. Still 2 days to go……

Best Photo of 2014 Saw some great sights and took some great photos. The Festival of Lights in Berlin was holding a slender lead until my GC1 came up with the clear winner only a couple of weeks ago

Ok this could have easily slipped into a Monday Moan but somehow has only got worse in the last few days

Last week it was two bit celebrities with a tenuous link to Robin Williams filling media feeds with their memories of the gifted man

But that pales into insignificance in the face of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge videos flooding the internet. Now its a worthy cause no doubt although when I think of Lou Gehrigs disease I always harken back to the great Pride of the Yankees movie . The basic premise is that if challenged you have 24 hrs to video yourself, and upload sadly, with a bucket of ice water being poured over you or pay $100 to ALS charity. Once done you can then nominate 3 other people – a classic pyramid scheme that Bernie Madoff could only dream off. The twist in the tail though that I am sure your average moron may not know as water cascades over where their brain should be is that once accepted and even taken you still have to donate money to the cause – just less than $100. Now figures would indicate it is a roaring success with 13 million being donated in last couple of months – 50 times average donations . I dont think we need to see someone like Bill Gates soaking wet to understand that some people always give money to good causes. Its the fifth rung celebrities looking for more exposure that annoy – much as in the Robin Williams saga. The true givers in this world dont need or desire the recognition. If you a renowned twat like Bieber then you will try anything to sway public opinion. Or maybe you have a new movie coming out…….

Now if my Tina wearing a suitably tight T Shirt uploads a video I may have to change my mind. However in the meantime, much like the great Letterman tribute to RW, there are some worthy efforts if you care to browse.

Here is the clear winner to date (as extra bonus he does call out Tina F)