Debrief

I noticed a lot of things when I was home over the last few days about my family and the town.
One thing that is great about rural towns is that when there is a crisis people jump out of trees to help out. That's certainly what happened when our house burned down last Thursday week.
I arrived a week after it happened and people were still approaching my parents offering help in various ways, just amazing to watch.
In a way I wasn't surprised as they are reasonably well known through a few different avenues.
Still, it was great to see and it really does give your faith in people a boost.
I can't imagine how it was for my family who had around one minute to get out of the house or put themselves at massive risk.
Dad handles it by joking about it which I don't think is that great, Mum's more visibly affected an she has become quite touchy about power points being turned off at night.
My sister has, more than anyone else, taken the loss of things harder than the others from what I've seen. She was more attached to photos and other items. My nephew is a bit jumpy about fires which isn't surprising. We were walking to the shop last night and when he saw smoke coming out of a chimney he started calling out about a fire in that house.
As far as I'm concerned, I still don't really know how I feel about it. It was surreal walking through the house and seeing it as basically a shell.
Unsettling is the best way to describe it I guess. I haven't lived there for more than a decade but I guess it was always home. However, as time went on after I left home all that time ago I liked going there less and less as the house appeared to age and became less comfortable to live in. Even to the stage where from a few years ago I was telling mum and dad that they needed to upgrade their living situation. From then I guess I became more detached from the house.
If there is a good thing to come out of it then it is that my parents will be able to build a more modern and more livable home.
The house is being demolished in the next week but I reckon it will be Christmas at least before they have a new house. In the meantime they are living in a rented property which isn't bad but they don't see it in the same way.
I was trying to tell them that a home is not a house it is the people, but perhaps it's still a bit too soon for that. And perhaps it is a lot easier for me to see it from that perspective right now.

Gone in 45 seconds

I took these pictures back home of my parents' house, the one I grew up in. It took just around 45 seconds for the fire to take hold and rip around the house. Scary, and I wasn't even there.

The first is obviously the front, the second is the back verandah and the third is my old room.

Lots to tell

I've returned from my trip home where I took quite a surreal walk or two through our burnt out house.
There is certainly plenty to say and I took some photos which I will go through shortly and put up one or two. I definitely feel better about the situation now I've been there, seen everyone and seen the house for myself.

Visual imminent

Tomorrow I am off back home for a few days and it is going to be a strange trip.
The fire notwithstanding just seeing the place after being told about it is going to be a experience. I don't know how I feel about it exactly but the fact I have felt a bit off now and then over the last few days is a good indication of how I feel about it.
The good news is that everyone is in a new house for the time being so this trip will be going home without really going home.
See what I mean, kinda strange. Hopefully once I see it and everyone things can settle back down again.

You Don't Mess With The Zohan

I reckon about 10 years ago I might have found You Don't Mess With The Zohan pretty funny.

It appears I have grown up somewhat, though I laughed pretty hard during Dude! Where's My Car? and Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle. Maybe they were funnier, simple as that.

Adam Sandler is Zohan, an Israeli soldier who is seemingly indestructible but longs to move to New York and become a hairdresser - as you do.

Problem is, he's never cut anyone's hair before.

From the first scene it's made pretty clear exactly what Zohan has going for him and once he does get the scissors in his hands uses it to his advantage, and the customers' pleasure.

There is a back story in there that resurfaces just when everything is going great but I won't bore you.

Zohan had its moments, it was funny at times (particularly the hacky sack game involving a cat), but it is B-grade juvenile humour and the accents get annoying fairly quickly.

There are cameos from interesting people, most notably for me Mariah Carey who is apparently adored by middle eastern people. I probably should have seen it coming when Zohan kept wearing Mariah t-shirts.

This is not Sandler's best comedic work and I think it is a shame this is the same man who was stunning in Reign Over Me last year. Lift your game, mate.

A 6 out of 10.

Wax on, wax off

I'd been considering it on and off for a while but yesterday, because I felt like it, I decided to get the hair on my back removed.
I guess you could say it was a vanity thing, in a way, but it was more of a cleanliness issue than anything else. So now my back feels, funnily enough, quite naked.
It also feels a bit cold now and then. The experience of getting the hair removed wasn't as painful as I was expecting, thankfully, but it wasn't exactly comfortable either.
This morning I had myself psyched up to get a tooth removed but didn't have to in the end. I wasn't really looking forward to bleeding for most of the day anyway. So not sad about that one.

Storm

One of the great songs by my favourite band, Lifehouse, called Storm. Good for people who need a pick me up, or who want to remember the bigger picture.

How long have I been in this storm?
So overwhelmed by the ocean's shapeless form
Water's getting harder to tread
With these waves crashing over my head

If I could just see you
Everything would be all right
If I'd see you
This darkness would turn to light
And I will walk on water
And you will catch me if I fall
And I will get lost into your eyes
And know everything will be all right
And know everything is all right

I know you didn't bring me out here to drown
So why am I ten feet under and upside down
Barely surviving has become my purpose
Because I'm so used to living underneath the surface

If I could just see you
Everything would be allright
If I'd see you
This darkness would turn to light
And I will walk on water
And you will catch me if I fall
And I will get lost into your eyes
And know everything will be all right

The Incredible Hulk

If Edward Norton has done a bad film I haven't seen it. So it wasn't much of a risk to see The Incredible Hulk .

Everyone knows what it's about.

This is an interesting take on the Hulk, though, with Dr Bruce Banner (Norton) exiling himself to find a cure for the `green' but being tracked down by General Ross (William Hurt) to recover the weapon Banner has inside him.

Liv Tyler is the girlfriend and seems to have been typecast in that kind of role.

The only real criticism is the CGI which at times isn't as impressive as it should be. But the positive is thatthe Hulk isn't as unbelievably large as he was in the previous attempt at this story.

A nice cameo at the end from Robert Downey Jr to give us an idea where the story is going to go. It's enjoyable and a worthy comic book conversion. A 7.5 out of 10.

The pool guy

For the first time in at least half my life I went `lap' swimming tonight.
It was actually a very good time though I only did six laps (hey, when you haven't done something like that in years and years you don't do 50 straight up!) it was a good experience.
I swum in an outdoor heated pool and it was a very pleasant experience. After being pestered for weeks to try it I am glad I did, and since I bought a pair of goggles I'd say I will be going back.

In other news, it appears there won't be a lot left from inside the house though my family isn't yet allowed to enter the shell yet as it is considered dangerous. Apparently there was an appeal on the radio at home today and people came from everywhere to help out which is great and I think a little overwhelming for mum and dad.
Someone even offered to let them stay in an empty house they own. Not sure what the long term situation is other than they intend to rebuild but those decisions won't be made until next week. Personally I have been a little shaken today but in a weird way, I still don't know how I feel about it all just yet. Maybe that will come when I see it.

It's all a bit surreal

Fairly normal Thursday night then I get a phone call.
My mum doesn't usually call me on the mobile so it was strange to hear her, then she says the house had burned down.
I still don't know what to think, obviously it is a bad thing, but I don't know the extent of it. Following the initial disbelief the term `burned down' doesn't mean the house was completely gutted but it may be safe to say a good portion of it has been significantly damaged.
The good news is that everyone got out in time and no-one was injured at all. Thank God it didn't happen while they were asleep.
So the house I grew up in is effectively no longer. I'm not sure how I feel about that, on one hand I spent 19 years or the best part of living there and on the other I've been telling my parents for several years they needed to upgrade.
So now they will have no choice. I really didn't want it to happen that way and at this point I don't know what possessions can be salvaged, if any.
Like I said it is all a bit surreal and hard to fathom from 500km away.

Season 5 artwork

The big day is August 26 for the release of season 5 of One Tree Hill on DVD. A few day's lag for me to get it ordered and delivered from the USA but it was worth it for the first four seasons.
Season 5 took a while to warm to, kind of like watching a new series all together.
The good thing about it was that although the series skipped ahead almost five years everything was plausible, except for Brooke being a fashion mogul until you found out how.
I was fortunate enough to get to write a short review of season 4 for the paper recently (I gave it four stars) and got to have a swipe and Channel Ten for ignoring such a great series.
I'm intrugued to find out what will happen in season 6 and whether it will be the final season. I've heard that consideration is being given to a new theme song but I think this is a really, really bad idea.
One Tree Hill's theme song is, and always will be, Gavin DeGraw's `I Don't Want To Be'. They didn't use it in season 5 except for the last episode and I'd rather them continue the black intertitle and no theme than try and change it.
Otherwise, bring on September 1.

Best laid plans

I was supposed to be catching up with a mate tonight but unfortunately he's had to work back.
It's a shame for a couple of reasons, I was looking forward to it but mainly because we haven't met up in quite a while due to logistical issues.
Anyway here's hoping that it can be rescheduled for later this week.
Coming up I have two weeks off which is great news.

The Happening

The Happening in simple terms is the biggest load of crap I've seen in a while and if it's not the worst movie of the year then there's a howler out there just waiting for me.
Warning, spoiler clue at the end.
It's very hard to believe that the man who stunned us with The Sixth Sense could get it so wrong. The key to these movie was there and I think everyone worked it out but it just wasn't anything special.
I'm disappointed in Mark Wahlberg who has been so brilliant lately but he did his best I suppose with the `material'.
There were elements of the film that were uneasy, edgy and a shade unnerving but they were very few and far between. Most of the film was very disturbing and overdone - we don't need to see graphic details of something over and over again to get the point.
I'm in a bit of shock as I write this `review' because I just can't understand how something with a huge amount of potential can be so thoroughly stuffed up.
As a quick summary, one morning in New York's Central Park people just stop and are overcome with an urge to kill themselves. This keeps occurring in other places in the state and Elliott (Wahlberg), a school science teacher, is one of the survivors trying to outrun whatever it is that is causing the tragedies.
Without completely giving it away, I was surprised not to see Al Gore in the credits anywhere.
A 3 out of 10, easily the lowest rating I've given in many, many years.

The comeback we had to have...apparently

Just when you thought it was safe, New Kids On The Block have reformed and released a single called Summertime and it is as you would expect.
I'm well and truly past being embarrassed by my music taste and I admit I didn't mind NKOTB in the 90s and still have the Hangin' Tough CD. But, come on, if they are going to have a serious dig at a comeback they could have done better than a cheap Backstreet Boys imitation.
Chicken and egg I know but BB wouldn't be caught dead putting out this kind of music let alone the video. I really wanted to like the song. I don't.
I very much liked Joey McIntyre's solo song Stay The Same and he should have stayed solo, IMO.

Nick D'Arcy

The Nick D'Arcy saga is an interesting one.

(pic news.yahoo.com)

Should he be allowed to compete at Beijing despite having clocked someone on a night out after a number of drinks. Of course his court case is still pending so he hasn't been found guilty of anything. Yet.

The initial `shock, horror' reaction seems to still remain and it is my view that his hearings with the AOC have been horribly slanted against him.

What he did is not right. Clearly. But has it bought swimming into disrepute?

I would argue that it hasn't and agree with a talkback caller I heard saying that to bring a sport into disrepute your actions should occur on the sporting field or have an overall damaging effect on the sport's image.

I had never heard of this guy until he qualified for the Games. I don't see how an average person can say this, little known, person can damage the public's view of any sport.

Can anyone say that D'Arcy's actions have left a lasting effect on swimmings's image? Do we now view swimming as a lesser sport than we did before? I don't think so.

The AOC should have said to D'Arcy their decision on his Olympic spot hangs on his court case. If he is found guilty and given a penalty then he can't represent his country. If he isn't then he is free to take up his spot. He could have kept training in peace and be judged by the law before everyone else judges him.

Now I have no association with Nick whatsoever, I have never met him, but his is the most blatant case of trial by media I've seen in a while.

Would this have happened if it was Grant Hackett? I think not.

Time to get off my soapbox.

Dumb idea of the month

I was reading one of the papers the other day and read that a live action movie of The Smurfs was being proposed.
I know Transformers worked, but they were robots, how the heck are the going to make foot tall blue creatures plausible and interesting enough to fill 80 or 90 minutes.
The Flintstones didn't work and you'd think they would have learned from that mistake to leave some things alone. Really, who wants playing Smurfette on their list of credits?
Surely there are more original ideas out there.

Writing a book

It occurred to me today that I should have a go at writing a book.
It's just an idea, kind of out of the blue based on something someone said to me today.
I don't know whether it will work, whether I will finish it or whether it will be any good (particularly because I haven't come up with a topic yet) but I think it is something I should try.
There are a couple of topics that have come to mind and I think it will be a fiction based on real events mainly because I think that would be easier.
Another idea I thought was that I could document my experience over the last few years.
Hmmm. We'll see where this leads....

Prince Caspian

Prince Caspian is very much a worthy continuation of the Narnia series, three years after the much loved The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe.

The good thing for me in watching this film was that I wasn't as emotionally connected to it as I was the first film. I don't recall it as vividly if I actually got through the whole book when I was younger.

In contrast to LW&W, I wasn't sure what I was in for as far as plot goes except the obvious - that the Pevensie children return to Narnia some 1300 years after they left (actually only one year or so in human time) and it is a very different place.

Summonsed by Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) who is fleeing for his life in the forest of Narnia, Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy return to lead the Narnians in a revival that is set to restore the rightful balance in their world.

There is an appearance by the White Witch (Tilda Swinton) in quite a disturbing scene and of course there is the take home message from the CS Lewis story.

For me it came in the scene where Peter and Susan were talking about Aslan and why he didn't believe Lucy saw the lion. Peter wanted proof. He was told that maybe it's not up to Aslan to prove himself to us.

That is very true. I was actually thinking quite a deal about that in the car on the way home.

An excellent film and one that didn't take itself too seriously with some very funny scenes and whimsical characters, it deservied its M rating though, and it will be interesting to see what they do with Voyage of the Dawn Trader.

Even though I have a soft spot, and always will, for The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian was a better film. An 8.5 out of 10.

Sunshine

It's great to see the sun for a change. After a week or so of cloud and rain it is also a bit strange.
A bit of cabin fever sets in when it is like that so taking the opportunity to get outside has been excellent and get some sun onto the skin.
Also good to be hanging clothes on the line and not using the dryer.

Be positive

This is something I find hard at times.
Today is a good example. I got to work and starting feeling a bit off. I left midway through the day and spent the rest of the afternoon worried about all manner of things to do with my health.
I thought I was past that. I have a particular issue at the moment that is more annoying than anything else which is being treated and it hasn't healed up just yet.
So today I got all wound up about these things. I did take some action with relaxation and some anti-anxiety methods but I seem to end up having to resort to this.
Being positive doesn't come easy to me, unfortunately.

October Road

I just finished watching the first episode of a stunningly promising series when I discover that the show has recently been cancelled at the end of its second season.
October Road, the story of a writer Nick Garrett who comes home after 10 years away to face the life he ran away from and the friends he used as fodder for his best selling novel.
Nick is played by the very likeable Bryan Greenberg, who for three seasons was Jake on One Tree Hill (maybe this means we'll find out what happened to Jake in series six), and I guess that's part of the appeal.
We get a small glimpse of life in 1997 before Nick left his girlfriend Hannah, best mate Eddie and a band of interesting friends for a six week holiday. Only thing is, he never came back.
Ten years later he arrives back in Knights Ridge to find everything has changed. Hannah has a son, who may or may not be his son, and Eddie is so cut that Nick abandoned him that he `never, ever' wants to be friends.
I'm going to persist and watch all 19 episodes (6 from S1 and 13 from S2) in the hope that ABC (in the USA) will see sense and at least allow closure of the series or another network picks it up (the CW would do well with it in my opinion).
Until then I have a new obsession until One Tree Hill returns.

About face

I'm reconsidering my position, somewhat, on Facebook.
I still object to it in the same ways as previously but it has come to my attention that there could be an advantage or two to it.
I'm going to sleep on it and decide tomorrow.