Journal Entries
Bombings in Madrid
Posted Mar 12, 2004
I have just two words for this: utterly disgusted.
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Mar 12, 2004
The delight of wine
Posted Nov 24, 1999
Sometimes you can have a perfect wine experience.
A few weeks ago I visited my parents in Stanthorpe, in south-east Queensland. Stanthorpe is in the heart of what's called the "Granite Belt", an area historically volcanic and whose well-drained sandy soils (combined with cool nights on account of the elevation) are ideal for growing fruit, including grapes. Hence the area's rapidly growing reputation as a producer of premium wines.
We did some tasting, including a tiny place called Winewood - a husband-and-wife operation with all grapes grown, picked, crushed, fermented, bottled and stored onsite. They are the first growers in the district to grow the Marsanne grape - which I tasted, turns out it's quite a tart, spicy white grape with undertones of citrus.
The winemaker recommended it be drunk with spicy meat meals - poultry etc. So I bought a bottle, took it home, and drank it with a green Thai chicken curry. And do you think the wine and food complemented each other? PERFECTLY. The food brought out the undertones of the Marsanne, the Marsanne's spiciness perfectly complemented the mild spice of the chicken.
Life's little pleasures.
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Nov 24, 1999
Mindf**k
Posted Nov 10, 1999
I live in Australia. I was looking at the Bureau of Meteorology's website today and chanced upon the latest weather satellite image of the Australian contintent. Living in Sydney, I focused on the approximate point in the south-east of the continent where Sydney is located, and then all of a sudden I experienced this really intense sense of vertigo. I don't know how high up the weather satellite is - something like 100+ kilometres isn't it? - but my mind entered some kind of circular loop - a deadly embrace - wherein I was simultaneously looking down at my continent, imagining myself as an infinitesimally small dot somewhere on the picture, yet at the same time *being* that dot.
I think I need a drink.
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Nov 10, 1999
Rugby union
Posted Oct 13, 1999
God help me, I'm starting to like rugby. I've gone 29 years so far without falling in love with body contact sports, but now ... with the World Cup in full swing ... I confess I'm getting into it. Couldn't explain the finer points of the rules to save my life, but I know a try from a field goal, and as I watch it more I'm realising that there is an awful lot of strategy and skill to the game. (At least 50% of the players are still complete meat-axes, but still.)
Carn the Wallabies!
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Oct 13, 1999
Bad luck and destiny
Posted Sep 20, 1999
I had an interesting weekend. My father backed over our family's 12-year old cat, needless to say the poor little bugger is dead. Naturally you'd think Dad feels pretty low about this. Thing is, this was not the first time he's run over the cat. He managed to do it about 3 months ago and broke the cat's leg - so you could, from a certain point of view, deduce that Dad took 2 tries to do the thing properly!
It makes me reflect on poor Dad's incredibly bad luck in having the misfortune to be the one to run over the family cat not ONCE, but TWICE 
... and also on the nature of predestiny. It would appear that fate really had it in for Puss this year.
Discuss this Journal entry [4]
Latest reply: Sep 20, 1999
ZiggyS
Researcher U60349
Write an Entry
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."