flashman181

The Hangover Part 1

Posted: June 5, 2013 in Sport

No, not that rubbish movie series. Its State against State, Mate against Mate. COAG??? Nope State of Origin ya goose

There are only 2 significant sporting events in the calendar year. Augusta Masters and SOO. Never have we snapped the quinella for Qld . Never have our chances been so good as 2013. Then Loz had to stick his nose into it didnt he. And what a nose. Now its easy to hate Sticky AKA The Angry Ant AKA Carlos Smierson AKA Games Greatest Thinker. Its impossible to hate Loz. I tried I really did

The night did not start well. I accidentally caught the last 5 mins of The Block. Someone was inflating a blow up pool. People watch this crap???? Then the usual 40 minutes of Channel 9 drivel. Ok the first segment with Tyrion Lannister saying he had never seen a Blues team win was amusing. I have never seen a Dragon (Red Ranga not withstanding) . We are even. I am no Gus the Goose fan but at least he has some cred. What the fuck did that clown Ken Sutcliffe ever do on the Sporting field. At least Tom Waterhouse has vowed to pull back from being on TV. Hey wait a sec isnt that ………

Now Qld’s two greatest strengths are also its two biggest weaknesses. They are so relaxed and unfazed they only wake up when 10 points down. When they actually decide to play they can score quite easily as demonstrated by the ease of the Boyd try set up by the very unusual site of Hodges running from dummy half. But in the first half it was like someone dropped the keys to the Inglis boat in the middle of the ground and they all decided to bunch together in the middle and help look for them. At least they all had a leak before play. The second thing of course is the renowned loyalty. The Dads Army jibe was not far off the mark. We looked slow in the middle. Did anyone else notice how things picked up when Parker (no spring chicken) and Teo came on? They actually ran hard and offloaded. So Qld has to lose a series because it is the only way people like Myles and Harrison will pass on. Even if do or die for the third one we will pick the same players who have been there before. We invented the Pick and Stick plan and it works well – up to a point. We will lose a series soon though because of it

Before the match Greg Bird said how he loved Queensland to live in but was a true blue which is kinda fitting because he plays like a QLD forward from the good old days – Axe 2 maybe? He and Lewis were superb and Hayne was all class at the back. Gallen smacked Myles around a bit – likely deserved – and then had a good old whinge and whine to the ref about something that happened in 1981. I dont mind Gallen actually. In fact I dont really hate any Blues player – except maybe Haynso. JT was far from 100%. Not an excuse, simply an observation

I do hate the NSW biased media though. Its like the POMS. Kick their ass around from sunup until sundown for 10 years and nothing. They win one series and suddenly ya cant shut them up. If and when NSW win this year it should take about 5 minutes until the first mention of the word “dynasty” drivels forth. But it is like the cricket in a way where we will clearly lose The Ashes this year. Its only sport folks. Its not The Red Wedding or anything life-changing. And that is good, because the one thing I know at the end of any sporting disappointment is where I live and where I wake up in the morning

QUEENSLANDER

Like Riding a Bike?

Posted: June 3, 2013 in Midlife Crisis in Maryhole

Shit Yeah! And its not the wind in your hair feeling because you should be wearing a helmet ya clown. But there is freedom. Also Power and Acceleration – couple of serious intoxicants. But then there is also Exposure and Vulnerability

I took up Motorbike riding late in life when my other dream of being the first Aussie to wear the Green Jacket looked unlikely. Now this has its pros and cons. On the plus side one is more mature and sensible and realise that going 180kmh does not make you brave, simply stupid. Was able to do Q Ride so wasnt stuck with a pissant motor mower disguised as a 250 cc motorbike. Also have you seen the price of petrol ?? On the con side because one is sensible and mature – ok old – one does not have the reflexes or agility of a youngun. Not a big issue in a straight line but one does slow down in tight corners which I am led to believe is one of the joys of riding fast. Also, 2 hrs in the saddle is my limit these days before the bot bot and the back need a break. Of course these days just happy to get the leg over and not fall off – and that extends to bike riding.

So Mid Life crisis No 4 began about 6-7 years ago with an old Kwaka 650. It was red so must have gone fast, as my Mum would say. Quickly moved on to a Suzuki SV 650 which was a sweet ride before finally agreeing with the CLP – Yes Honey bigger is better – and bought a brand new Suzuki SV 1000. Now racked up > 50,000 k on it and it will be my last bike. Now back in those days finances were a bit tighter and only had a Hyundai Excel shitbox which was lucky to make it to Tiaro and back so Suze became the transport of choice when visiting Flashman Inc headquarters on Sunshine Coast or Offspring in Toowoomba. I would set off for the 2 hr ride come rain, hail or shine and commune with nature from the inside out. This would even include leaving occasionally at 0430 in the morning dressed like Nanook of the North for the trip back to Maryhole and then a full days work. I even did a couple of Rides for Daniel – where it always seemed to rain! Riding in the rain is like playing golf in the rain – dont like setting off in it but if it happens during the event then so be it.

Then financial position improved and so did car. A very passable 2006 Mitsubishi 380. That first time I drove down early in the rain and decided to stop into Maccas at Gimpland for a sausage egg McMuffin (is there a better breakfast roll around??)and coffee for breakfast was life changing. This is quite enjoyable and comfortable – and can also listen to Roy&Hg on the way. Sweet. Suddenly I started to trust the weather bureau. Ok it may rain sometime in next few days, better take the car just in case. Suze sat in the corner of the garage looking forlorn and unloved – something we have all felt at times. This went on for about 3 months and then became a reduntiree, and then the JANUARY FLOODS. It was a sign from God surely. Move to NSW? Fuck off – QUEENSLANDER!!!!!! Then one day, during the rain, an oldish guy (probably my age but not in my pristine condition) knocked on the door and said he had heard from someone at the hospital that I had and SV1000 and would I be interested in selling it. Now I was slightly interested I guess so took him under the house and showed him Suze. “Can I sit on it please to get a feel?” Sure mate. Ok 5 minutes later he had somehow got his arthritic hips to lock in and he was able to sit on the bike – and his face lit up. Now this was a biker who was going to be buried with a bike if he had to but was never going to stop riding. It struck me. I didnt want to stop either. So after another 5 minutes he was able to get off and finally left with a tear in his eye. So it was time to start riding again but it was going to be a slow process becasue it seemed every time I travelled south I needed the car to take extra gear yada yada yada. My story and I am sticking to it

Then I got serious. Updated Will and even got a Power of Attorney drawn up with nominated Plug Pullers – who I must admit seemed slightly excited at the prospect of the power! Then a quick check of the bike by loyal mechanic and then a plan formulated. One should not underestimate the uneasy feeling one gets if travelling at 120 kmh – no cops read this right? – when one has lost a bit of confidence and there is not a lot between you and a lot of pain. So lets start slow with some trips to Toogoom to see GC2 and BF1 – who it just so happens just got himself a motorbike. Spooky eh. And it was a glorious cool brisk Queensland winter morning today to head off. Next will be the 2 hr trip to Sunny Coast followed by the 4 hr trip to Toowoomba. Not all in the same day mind you – and Toowoomba may wait until Spring. I may be old but I aint stupid.

My only question though is do I push the bike through Maccas drive through or stay mounted?

Wasted Days and Wasted Nights

Posted: June 2, 2013 in Uncategorized

Ahh that Freddy knew how to lay waste – to a pair of scissors that is.

I played Cowboys and Indians as a youngster. Dressed up at times too but the Construction worker always butted in. Probably preferred war games though in the sandpit with the plastic toy soldiers and tanks etc. In those days we still had ……. crackers! Now that was fun with little soldiers. And all the time we were accumulating Vitamin D to boot. Of course as I got older and discovered girls I realised there was more fun to be had in sandpits so game play moved indoors …. and the slow decline began. Over the years there have been many good games come along in the “war” genre but they were never perfect and usually involved having to relate to other people! If a game doesnt have bots I am not interested. Always a PC boy never that keen on PS 3s etc. (Ok I have no manual dexterity – happy now?). Then we had the infusion of games into Facebook which while appeared “free” were anything but. Yes Zynga am talking to you. Slowly the mobile phone/iPad took over but once again struggled – yes manual dexterity again ok. Then like a phoenix rising from the ashes an innocuous little turn based game grabbed my eye in the store because it involved Knights. And Lords. Fittingly the Holy Grail of Time Wasting had arrived. Knights and Lords? Nah doesnt sound right, why not call it Lords and Knights.

Started playing a few months ago and like most of these games the online community is very helpful to us noobs. Pure chance to choose to join Immortal Byron on the Australia 2 server and the slow learning process began. Now these guys could be axe murderers for all I know – or worse still Victorians – but they quickly became online mates. There was Boom, Muddie, Dilligaf, Sneeky, Norris, Dopey and Sleepy – just to name a few. Ok there are no siwsh graphics. There is also no constant requirement to “buy to continue past a wood hut and 1 rusty knife” . Yes Zynga I am talking to you. You gather wood, stone and gold like we have in every game since …. well Medieval times I guess. You build walls, keeps, barracks yada yada yada. But its all a numbers game. And it requires thought and planning. And no life. Tick Tick Tick

So we are at war at present. Now the CLP will tell you I already spend too much time on this. On a recent weeks holiday I was under threat of having to purchase her a new pair of shoes if I played the game that week. (Thank me for Vacation Mode eh fellas?). As if she could have fitted another pair of shoes on the plane – it wasnt an Airbus 380! So after going cold turkey it was time to throw myself fully into this battle and support my new found mates and actually claim a castle of one of those other mongrels – whom I suspect are Blues supporters! (Sorry boys but this is war!)

Now I couldnt play golf on Saturday because we had to plan our Sunday AM launch. Its all about SVT – or as we call it Server Time. You dont want to attack at night and lose half of your troops. Duh! So it was all go for 0800 on Sunday – but by late Saturday not everyone had checked in – this could get ugly. Now you can fake attacks – probably a ploy to attract women players who find this a natural action in life . Apparently. So the clever approach is to fake 9 castles and only hit one for real so he has spread his defense thinly. When it works it is a thing of beauty to see. Of course it can take hours from launch of attack to actual attack – and the enemy is notified immediately. So the counter attacks to your castles begin. So up at 0530 on Sunday morning to initiate the multiple castle attack to try and catch him unawares. from 2.5 down to 1 hr travel time. My clever fakes from Saturday had drawn counter attacks to my other castles. 14 attacks over the whose day – had to be fakes right, who would throw about 10,000 troops at one castle? So part A worked perfectly and by 0900 my 13th castle had been christened. Now I can relax rest of day and just check whether he sent 1 ox car or 1 spearman in each attack for fits and giggles. First attack @ 10:00. 500 Lancers, 500 Archers, 500 Swords. Hmm, ok thats interesting but I can handle it sweet. Next attack same. After 5 attacks the same I am starting to think my nana nap is in peril here. Now I wont bore you any further with the intricacies of this clever game but timing is critical – attack forces landing in same 10 minute window join forces. The defending castle must have > 51 units left to continue to next battle phase. By 4pm I was trickling like a 70 yr old with an enlarged prostate! Now this a great defense ploy. You remove many of your troops to a nearby empty castle and slowly trickle feed in 51 troops at a time in 10 minute intervals. Had fought off > 8000 attack troops and left with one ox and one whore only to see final battle report. Remaining attackers – 51! Fuck you are kidding me, I am going to lose this castle because that bloody whore didnt screw one more attacker to death! Wait 10 minutes for next and final report and Bye Bye Flashtown. Nothing happened. Another 10 minutes. Nothing. No more attacks. Ok, he must not have sent Silver! Knob kiss. And there on the horizon is Muddy with 1000 Armoured Horsemen – but sadly no more whores. Oh well may as well go to bed then.

I am not an alcoholic – well certainly not a functioning one. But I just had a lost weekend. I really achieved nothing except one more castle. This cant go on. Or can it? I dont know – but I have to get back now because some bastard just lit up Flashville and I have to get back there to contact da boys.

Before the Next Teardrop falls?

Melboring 2013

Posted: May 22, 2013 in Travel

Only a few days in Melboring this time around but always enjoyable. Smooth short flight from Adelaide where it seems you just take off and then start descent – bit like Justin Bieber. Spending first couple of days with Brother and wifey which always means great food and great wine – a recurring theme on this jaunt. We did travel to Geelong on the Friday for personal reasons and it was rather brisk down there. Interesting anecdote on our return to Southern Cross around 3 pm that day. Felt like a toasted sandwich just to tide us over before throwing on the feedbag later that night and so were very happy when we saw this big bright neon sign “TOASTIE”on the second floor. 2 TCTS please. “Sorry we are out of Toast. Will have to take sign down” WTF. You know toast starts as bread right? And here is a heads up – that is a fixed sign methinks ya clown. So instead we went into Federation Square to have a peek at the Hollywood Costume display at ACMI. Not cheap @ $20 a hit but great for any movie fan – not so much the costumes but the little anecdotes about each character.

Next morning we headed off to Monsieur Truffe for breakfast in Lygon Street. A little red door leads into a wonderful eatery – highly recommended. And they make chocolate on site! We were dropped off at Mantra on the Park very early and no surprises that our room was not ready. Had a wander around town in the light drizzle but decided to sit in the foyer and see if we could scare up our room early. Didnt work but still got in before 1300 – and we got another upgrade to a 2 bedroom apartment. Knobber Knobber. This then changed our plan of attack for meals for next two days – with so much fresh produce in easy walking distance. First up though was a coffee catchup with Viggo and Sidley in Lygon Street. By now the weather was clearing and the next day dawned bright and clear – perfect for the walk into Queen Victoria markets. We think we could live here. Dropped off fresh supplies for lunch/dinner and then onto free City Circle to check out the shops at Harbour town. Never crowded but always genuine specials – a winning combo for moi. It is always unfortunate though when you have to mingle with bloody tourists. Doesnt matter if Aussies/Yanks/Japs or whatever – whenever you get a travelling group together – even on the bus to the airport – they never fucken shut up! Talking loud across aisles whatever! So, after lunch we decided to leg it down to Southbank -Melbourne is an easy walking city. Lucky enough to catch a great street performer basking in the sun while strolling the avenue. Sundays are busy in Melboring though – except for good coffee houses which remain closed!

Headed out to the airport next morning nice and early for breakfast in Business Class QC – when in Rome and all that:) Good flight home in great comfort. We had 3 flights on this trip and all followed the classic Seinfeld paradigm. We made up time on every flight and arrived early every time – why not just fly faster in the first place? So another great visit to Melboring passed and the next one is already taking shape – a week in an apartment this time near Lygon Street/Victoria markets later in the year.

Checking my Q Super this morning would indicate this is doable as has been a good couple of months. This is a fluid situation of course and can change rather quickly. Interesting how your focus on money matters shifts when you are no longer earning but rather watching. Maybe it is time to look for some part time work to fund my travel requirements.

Of course in Qld when winter approaches there is no better place in the world to be.

And really, wouldnt you rather sleep in on these days then get up and go to work? Lets hope the Aussie $ survives better then our batting lineup in the Ashes.

Adelaide 2013

Posted: May 16, 2013 in Travel

Was only a short but fun stay. Flew in Business Class from Brisvegas – not really worth it on domestic flights on the older planes. Checked into Sebel Playford in Adelaide with news of free upgrade to top floor two level suite – very nice although no view . And for us oldies the bed is up in loft and the toilet is down the winding spiral staircase at night!! Top staff and top service. We spent first afternoon wandering through Rundle Mall and dodging showers and then onto some parks and the Japanese gardens. Met up with a friend for dinner at the Sebel and the food was great. Next day dawned rather wet for our all day wine tour to Barossa with Adelaide Top Food and Wine tours. Not an issue though as had an hour drive first in a very comfortable Renault Minbus with our excellent host Danny. Bit of a knob kiss first up with only 3 people in total on tour – they have max of 12😃. First stop Chateau Tanunda was superb thanks to hostess Brigette – could have stayed all day. Then onto Rockford, some lunch at Agnaston and then onto Penfolds and Langmeil before a stop off at Maggie Beers farm. Lastly an informative drive around Seppelts before heading home – to peak hour traffic😒 Fantastic day with very friendly cellar doors, great wine and food, and excellent company. Highly recommended. Light dinner hat night

At last a sleep in to the ungodly hour of 0700 and then a light breakfast at Sebel. This was fine but the coffee service was slow as also trying to run a takeaway service for passing consumers – look after the hotel guests first people. Then out into the light drizzle and a leisurely walk up North Tce past all the Uni buildings before heading into King William Street to catch a tram to Glenelg. Bit like St Kilda – without the great food and coffee:). Pleasant way to spend an hour though before back into central Adelaide for a wander. Then back to hotel for a couple hours rest as had a dinner reservation at Celsius that night.

Superb food and service along with great ambience. This is rightly a well recommended fine dining experience. The free appetiser and home made bread were welcome additions to complement the excellent food and wine. The only negative was the wrong choice of still water rather than “filtered tap water”.Now $10 a bottle is not that unusual but they should at least leave the bottle at the table so you know when a second one is opened!!!! $20 for 1.2 bottles of still water is simply unacceptable and that was where your tip went Sweetheart. However this is a wonderful dining experience and would gladly return next time. Price was commensurate with this level of dining

So it was a wonderful couple of days but not sure we need to come back except as a stop off point for more wine tours:) and this is very likely given the little dip of our toe in the water. So next time we would stay at Sebel, eat at Celsius but maybe plan a 2-3 day wine tour with the ever flexible Danny from Adelaide Top Good and Wine Tours.

Now, I’d drink to that.

The Big Tease

Posted: May 3, 2013 in TV

Dexter has its problems as a continuing saga given he should have been boxed, wrapped and buried half way through Season 1. However, one thing it does do well is have a new villain each season with plenty of air time. Now avid followers will know of my annoyance with the Red John character in The Mentalist and his infrequent appearance given he is clearly central to the whole Jane character. Imagine my dismay then when 2 other shows went down the old “intermittent but by far the most interesting nemesis” path this week . First up we had Pelant reappear on Bones. It is a good character that simply goes missing for weeks on end only to reappear at season’s end to hook us in again. Then lo and behold on Elementary, Moriarty reappears after first surfacing a few episodes ago and subsequently disappearing again. Now we all know he is the key nemesis in any Sherlock Holmes retelling but you just sense we will have an M+ episode followed by several M- episodes because heaven forbid we bother with story continuity. Its rare that I find myself saying Person of Interest does something very well but in this case they have with the Elias character – easily the most interesting character on the show who is always impacting in the background whether in or out of prison. Its rare to have an episode where he does not at least get some reference. And that is a relevant reference too unlike on The Mentalist where Jane may be asked “Who was that guy that killed your family and draws a Smiley Face?” “Oh thats right, Red John. So when can we chase him down again?” . After we investigate the fascinating case of sexual harassment in the army or maybe after Rigsby nails Van Pelt again? Wait a minute, that just happened. Woo Hoo. And we have the 5th season finale this Sunday night titled “Red John’s Rules”. Could it possibly be that Punxsutawney Phil is going to appear at last? No, of course not but he will be mentioned. We may even be favored with a Don Draperesque back view shot from a distance. The only thing we can be certain of though is he wont be caught.

Oh, and a sixth season of course.

Masters 2013 – The Dark Shark Emerges

Posted: April 14, 2013 in Sport

Roy and HG always referred to IBF as The Dark Shark – it was funny at the time but not totally valid. IBF was a nice guy who could putt. Until he went to la la land in his head. Adam Scott has always had a strong tie to Sharkie and is the first to admit his influence on him. He probably falls somewhere in between IBF and GWS in the personality stakes but like his mentor/hero he is the purest striker of a golf ball in his era who more often than not is let down by average putting. These guys dont get to where they are being bad putters but if you look for their weakness it is the flat stick

So we come to the 72nd hole in The Master 2013 and Scotty( hereafter TDS) faces a very similar putt that GWS did to win all the bikkies back in 87. And it was pissing down. The Masters winner always birdies the 16th – TDS and Angel both faced a similar putt on 16 – TDS missed, Angel holed. The engraver moved from A to An…Ok, back to 18 – so who looked away? Not me , its the car crash phenomenon, you cant look away. He holed it and deservedly went slightly beserk. He made the long walk up with every man and his dog cheering him and high-fiving him. Back in the mist the ever cool and always lovable Argentinian Angel played one of the best shots you will ever see to 3 feet for certain matching birdie. Adam was still on cloud 9 in scorer’s tent and the camera shows his head swivel up to the TV when he hears the roar. His jaw , and likely his bowels, must have dropped . And then the true story begins

Sinking one great putt may be considered a fluke by the cold-hearted. Now TDS had to emerge from the warm hut into the doom and gloom and refocus again. Golf is a game of inches – and we nay think the way that TDS’s ball stayed out of the water on 15 showed that. But everyone who plays golf knows it is the 3 inches between the ears that matter. Not only did TDS have to redo it all again but against the totally relaxed and unflappable Angel. Walking to the playoff tee someone in the crowd leans over and yells QUEENSLANDER – is it an omen?After good drives on 18 they both leave approach shots short and it comes down to chipping. Angel plays a pearler that almost goes in. The one thing you dont want to see at The Masters is someone lose the tournament – you want someone to win it with a great shot or putt. So when TDS nervously left his chip short he faced that demon length putt – and nailed it. Out to 10 and another great tee shot from TDS only to have Angel blow it past him almost with an iron. Angel is on the green in birdie range and then TDS plays one that finishes just that little bit closer. Angel turns around and gives him the thumbs up. Class. Ok these guys are multi-millionaires who dont really need the money but when was the last time you saw one of over paid NBA/Soccer/Cricket clowns show such grace under pressure?? Angel’s putt finishes within a bee’s dick and then The Moment arrives. Remember it has been pissing down for hours. Notoriously fast greens are now slower but how much slower? Like all of these greens on first view the putts look quite simple. Then they show a different camera angle and you realise that what appears flat is not even close to it. How do they remain upright, let alone putt on these. He putts, it drops, the crowd erupts – and the monkey jumps off the back of Australian Golf.

Make no mistake – this is huge and oh so critical to the Australian Sporting psyche. We are a proud sporting nation who has always punched above its weight but struggled in a couple of big events. You can cross The Masters of that ever dwindling list. Sharkie will be interviewed of course and he will say how happy he is for TDS and it will be true. What he wont say, but we all know, is that he would fork over 10 million and 2 wives for one green jacket.

Will TDS now win the remaining 3 majors this year and challenge The Golden Bear’s major record? No. He will probably miss the cut in one of his next 3 events. Golf is like that. It was an amazing leader board all day with 3 Aussies in the Top 5 most of the time. You have to think this was Leishman’s best chance whereas Day will likely challenge again. JD shot his load on the 17th when he went back a club without apparent discussion with caddy and dropped it into the bunker. With 2 superb bunker shots under his belt already he didnt have a third in the bag. And Tiger? Who cares. Regardless of the rule change the penalty incident on the 15th will stay with him and slightly tarnish an already dulled lustre in the eyes of the golfing world. He does have a hot girlfriend though. Lets face it, most of them do.

The final 9 holes of The Masters is the greatest sporting theater you will ever see. If you had to pick the winner as the last group entered Amen corner and you got it right 3 out of 10 you would be burned at the stake for being a witch. This year marks about the 30 th time I have watched at least part of it live – being a reduntiree does have certain advantages now:) While this year will now rank as the most memorable there is one dead certainty – I will be watching it again next year even if it is a 15 yr old Chinese boy playing in the final group with Ben Crane and he is 10 shots ahead.

If only to see TDS place the Green jacket on his shoulders.

Tradition + Class = Golf.

Monday Morning Coming Down

Posted: April 9, 2013 in TV

No not the well known song Sunday Morning Coming Down as grumbled by KK but rather a catch cry of the wonderful world wide web that envelopes us

When I was a youngun in Brisvegas , as in school age young, Sunday night was the big TV night for the week because it was movie night on FTA TV. Of course in those days you also only had roast chicken once a month – spookily also on a Sunday. Sundays were something to look forward to for a number of reasons then. And lets not forget the great Sunday afternoon matinees. Good times.

These days we have to put up with reality nonsense like The Block or The Voice or The Vomit…….

But in the good old USA Sunday nights still rule. Now we have Game of Thrones, Vikings and Mad Men to savour. Next Sunday night they are even going to squeeze in a Good Wife episode, return of Nurse Jacki and Veep and even a Mentalist episode +/- a Red John appearance. But we live in Australia so Sunday nights equate to late Monday mornings when the goodies start to roll in

MM is simply a great show that needs your full attention for full reward. As my old mate Viggo said it is a show you need to deconstruct. The double episode worked a treat and was needed to complete this little intro to what promises to be an even better and even darker season

Vikings has been a revelation. It is what Spartacus should have and could have been. No needless blood splatter and front bums – just engaging story with realistic fights. And of course it is a fascinating mythology and period of history. Once I stop seeing Jax Teller as Ragnor I just sit back and let it flow over me.

Game of Thrones is an enigma to me. Recently rewatched last 4 episodes of Season 2 as Season 3 lead in and they were superb, better than I remembered. Ep 1 of Season 3 was good if not great but episode 2 was a tad dull – not enough Dinklage and no dragons. Now I seem to be in the minority here but I like me some dragons – the ultimate killing machines. I have not read the books but do struggle at times to follow the various characters and hence may enjoy more on a rewatch.

So with the big 3 ably supported by a stellar supporting list Mondays have got very busy. There is not much room left for anything else folks.

But this Monday is different, all other events pale into insignificance to the one must watch TV event of the year. And its live

Its the last 9 holes of The Masters folks. Best sporting event eva. Doesnt matter if Fred Funk is holding off Neville Nobody by 6 shots – you cant look away.

Do yourself a favour.

The First Trimester

Posted: April 5, 2013 in Midlife Crisis in Maryhole

Only seemed appropriate to compare reduntiring to pregnancy as in both diseases your stomach expands and your number of comfortable sexual positions decrease. So it has been three months since R day, do we have a report card if not a scan ?

The Good. Being old enough to access your Super but young enough to remember you had it enables one to clear debts which is a nice feeling. Debt free and income free dont quite match but its a start and allows one to sleep a solid 3 hours a night. After the debauchery that was the last few weeks of work leading into Xmas its good to report have actually lost some weight. This has not been due to nervous fretting but rather a concerted effort to reduce intake. It all comes down to portion size folks and if the CLP can put up with smaller meat portions these last 10 years then so can I for 3 months. Its not all that hard really although Easter loomed as a problem time. 6 weeks with no chocolate and then that bloody bunny rocks up with that smart ass grin on his face because he knows no one can resist chocolate when it comes in such small brightly wrapped innocent looking bundles. Plenty more time to spend with the grandkids too but that has had its “limitations”. Plenty of time to play golf but that has not been all smooth sailing either

The Bad. Budgets. When I want to go to Toowoomba to see Grandkids I have to factor in the cost of petrol. When I want to play golf more than once a week then that costs money too. You have to consider these things when there is no little rainbow pot of gold every 2 weeks. The day can be easily broken into two parts now – before 3pm and after 3pm. Somewhat frustratingly I still get up early and usually at gym by 0600 – for no reason whatsoever except my coffee place opens at 0630 and is few doors down from gym. I am a creature of habit and so still get up early go to gym most days, grab coffee on way home and then have leisurely breakfast whilst on computer. Then a few jobs around house etc while it is cool, some more puter time, a few shows, a cuppa and some lunch yada yada yada and before you know it is 3pm. Then you hit the wall. Too early for drinkies (apparently!) and most of the jobs are done. Maybe a bit of reading but that usually leads to headaches. Anyway eventually it gets to 430 pm and its time for some wine and crackers and a wind down on puter listening to some podcasts etc. You get through to 6 pm and then it is quite acceptable to have dinner given my advanced age. Then into the evening viewing and before you know it bedtime has rolled around. You probably know it better as 830 pm. Then it all starts again after a somewhat restless night

So, is it what was expected? No, not really. Golf has simply been disappointing for a number of reasons, not least being a body full of aches and pains. In a strange way though almost too relaxed at golf now to really try that hard anymore. A scoot around in a cart on a leisurely Wednesday afternoon is not quite the regimen I had envisaged and the handicap is heading in wrong direction. There are certainly times when it is hard to fill in the day. Most weekends are joyfully spent at The Ponderosa (Flashman Inc Sunshine Coast HQ) but the weekdays drag. Of late there has been a very strong wanderlust which is frustrating when coupled with a reduced income to enjoy such pleasures. So many shows I watch remind me of places I have been and want to return to – again and again. Maybe I should watch more reality TV! Nah, if it comes to that just shoot me.

At least Winter approaches (along with Game of Thrones, MM,BB….) and with it that long afternoon shortens a little. Of course it also dark now early in the morning. This eliminates that first look in the mirror which may be a blessing in disguise. There is a trip to Melboring in May to look forward too and even going to throw in a couple of days in Adelaide so that Maryhole seems exciting when we return. In the meantime , time rolls on.

Oh no. Its 3 pm

Crap.

The Weak Season Finale

Posted: April 3, 2013 in TV

Shawn Ashmore, who has committed professional suicide by being associated with The Following, was asked about how a season finale should run. His response regarding the season finale for The Following…….. follows

“What I will say, without giving too much away, is people rarely love the finale. Sometimes shows end on such huge cliffhangers that it’s exciting because it pumps you up for the next season and I understand why they do that. But, sometimes there’s a sense that there’s no closure, no satisfaction about what happened in that season. The creative team really does a great job of not only tying up and giving some satisfaction, emotionally and character-wise, but also leaving it wide open for a second season. It’s a huge episode.”

Now The Following has a huge advantage because nearly every one wished that episode 1 was also the season finale – alas that has not happened but the bar is so low 43 mins of commercials would be a step up come finale time. This can not be said for The Walking Dead and certainly not for Justified which had their season finales this week. Probably not helped by return of GOT and my personal favourite Vikings being in full swing

TWD had a very good second season. My general loathing for all things Zombie related is well known by my loyal band of Followers (the non-psychotic version natch). Season 3 started in the prison and ended in the prison and that pretty well sums up the lack of progress in this yarn. They dont mind killing off some major characters which is definitely a plus but the story simply does not engage me anymore and I imagine that Season 4 premiere will sneak up on me without any warning…… like a zombie even……. and may wait for a season rewatch in 2016 if any good vibes abound

Now Justified is a different animal altogether. Has been a great season but someone seems to have blinked at the end and forgot it was the season finale. Of course I will watch Season 5 premiere tout suite but it will seem more like Season 4 Ep 14 I imagine. Of course I blame Zea. She bought across a The Following script by mistake! They appear to have no idea how to handle Patton Oswalt all season? The show has some good baddies but do think Goggin’s character and his interactions have not really evolved. They have never quite recovered from the loss of Mags Bennett but do like Win Duffy et al.

Its a rich vein of TV around at present with the imminent return of MM also so this finale disappointment will quickly pass but the weak season finale is becoming a common event as many show runners get on the Dexter bandwagon and just keep churning out the seasons

However, as women will always tell you, all the build up in the world means nothing if no satisfactory conclusion at the end which only leaves one unsated.

And unlikely to go back to the well again.