Sinister: flat out like a lizard drinkin'

[David Hewitt]

G'day all.

FLUFFY

Well, over the last however long it's been, I've said stupid and 
controversial things on this list, poured out personal details that you'd 
really rather not have known, revealed crushes that turned into travels and 
then into weddings, taken digs at people, places and things, and probably 
shitcanned your favourite band, football team and ice-cream flavour.

But never have I received such an overwhelming response to a Sinister post 
as I did when I recently said something along the lines of 'I like dryer 
sheets'. As a result, I've managed to deduce two things:

1. They have dryer sheets pretty much everywhere but Australia, and have 
done for ages.

2. Dryer sheets are really, really good. Really.

I'd suggest that we start up a brand new mailing list in order to discuss 
the merits of dryer sheets in greater depth, and share our mutual love and 
appreciation for them, if it wasn't such a dreadful (and not even 
particularly amusing) idea.

Anyway - thanks for your support, team. Solidarity always. Our damp laundry 
need fear no rain, and our soft buttocks need fear no scratchy, line-dried 
towel. A slightly larger electricity bill is but a small price to pay: for 
as long as there's a dryer in our laundries, there's no cloud that can keep 
the sun from our hearts.

GREAT SOUTHERN LAND

I also said something about Australian national pride, and how many of us 
are only really comfortable with it when some bloke from Williamstown is in 
the finals at Wimbledon, or we're pantsing the Poms at cricket. Again.

I was matter-of-factly presented with a laundry list of reasons as to why 
Australians should be ashamed, since our country and our government is so 
despicably awful. And yeah, they are. So I take it all back. We're an 
international embarrassment, and really can only hold our heads high in the 
sporting arena, which doesn't matter anyway. Fair enough.

What our government gets up to behind closed doors, however, with the 
marginal support of quite cunningly manipulated voters looking mostly at 
what sort of tax break they'll get at the end of the financial year (as 
opposed to the erosion of health care, aged care and education, or the 
continued neglect of the indigenous population, and the horrendous 
mistreatment of refugees), isn't necessarily what happens in my place, 
though, or at the gig at the pub down the road, or in the park on a Sunday 
arvo.

There's a culture that exists here, at least in some places, and at least 
some of the time, that's unique, and really pretty swell. I vote with my 
conscience, and always have done. As such, I've tried to get rid of the 
current mob several times already, and I'll try again. In the meanwhile, 
though, I try to live my life as best I can, do the right thing, be good, 
tolerant and kind to people, and I don't think that's something I need to be 
ashamed of. Most of my mates are decent sorts, too - I think you'd get along 
well.

The fact remains that despite the current government, and a bumpy sort of a 
history, Australia is, for the most part, for most people, as good as most 
places in the world, and better than many. It's mostly tolerant, diverse, 
friendly, beautiful, safe and peaceful. It's also got a gangly, knock-kneed, 
pimply adolescent sort of cultural identity that needs a bit of 
encouragement. Maybe once our political balls drop and our voice breaks, 
we'll get out of this awkward phase and really start pulling the sheilas. Or 
something.

That turned into a bit of a rant. Sorry about that. To sum up: Australia's a 
nice place, despite the fact that our government has done, and continues to 
do, some fairly unpleasant things. If you come here, I'm pretty sure you'll 
like it. Just bring your own dryer sheets.

Oh, and the Poo choked in the tennis, apparently. Whoop-de-doo. Pass the 
lamingtons.

BLOG IT UP, BLOGGO

Christine Irene said:

"so enough of that.  where have the regulars gone?
dirty vicar?  ken chu?  the rachels?  mark?  it is
just eerily quiet round sinister.  see, those blogs
are bad for sinister.  i know that lots of people find
their necessary outlets via blog now, so there is
nothing to say to sinister.  hmm??"

Which is probably a fair point. I, personally, still favour Sinister for my 
incoherent ramblings, though, and here's why:

1. Reading a blog at work is too bloody obvious. It looks like you're 
wasting time on the internet. Sinister just looks like email. If I ever get 
a proper blog up, I reckon I'll make it look like a spreadsheet or 
something.

2. If you write a blog, you've got to lure people to it. You give them the 
choice. Sinister, on the other hand, lets you ambush people in their 
inboxes. Sure, they're here to read wittier and more relevant things, but 
they've got to take the good with the bad. Fiendish, no?

NEW MUSIC

I might have said something recently about the state of new music. I did, 
however, recently fall in love with the new Grandaddy record, which proved 
to me that I still have it in me to like music, which in turn proved to me 
that it's music's fault, after all, that this doesn't happen very often 
anymore. I've since given this more thought, and there seem to be two 
separate, but related problems:

1. Bands that used to be good, aren't good any more. For the most part.

2. There probably are good new bands, but because I'm old, tired, cranky and 
out of the loop - I don't hear them.

Given that, I find that the thought of a new Belle and Sebastian record is 
looming quite large. Perhaps controversially (at least amongst my circle of 
mates), I quite like their more recent offerings, and think they hold up 
pretty well against the older stuff (nostalgia notwithstanding). Can they 
save pop music from dying a death once again? Probably not. But it might not 
be completely unreasonable to hope that the new album's at least good enough 
to be played at the wake. Bring it on, I say.

ENOUGH

That's easily enough for one day, though I should mention that despite my 
chest-pounding 'I <3 Australia' routine, I still love all of you and your 
countries of residence as well. Come and visit sometime.

Bulk love,
-David.

_________________________________________________________________
Hotmail is now available on Australian mobile phones. Go to  
http://ninemsn.com.au/mobilecentral/signup.asp

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