I like big red balls and I cannot lie

We went for burgers tonight and the guy who served us asked how our night was going. I said, "Yeah, good; we both napped til about 7.00 then watched Total Wipeout."  Nah, I didn't say that because I wanted him to think we're younger and cooler than we really are, but that is what we had been doing during the earlier part of the evening...and it's what we do most Saturday nights lately. Total Wipeout, I mean, not so much the napping. 

Total Wipeout (and its chilly weather variant Winter Wipeout) is a very family-friendly game show hosted by Richard Hammond that has people navigating a watery obstacle course with lots of bouncy obstacles and silly sound effects. Honestly, who doesn't get a laugh out of people bouncing off things, being whacked in the face, hit in the head with things, slipping and sliding off things, and...did I mention bouncing off things? The big red balls are our favourite obstacle. 

Here's a rare example of someone successfully crossing the big red balls...

...which is remarkable, but kind of boring because it's funnier when people fail. Like so: 

  

And these guys: 

It's not sophisticated, but it makes us laugh like loons. 

Sunshine, botox, bridal binge

Yesterday's golden hour 

The last two days have been filled with glorious sunshine. I walked the 40 minutes to my osteopath appointment this morning for the first time in aaaaages to make the most of the warmth. I bared my pasty white arms and gave my vitamin D levels a boost. Aaaah...spring. The smell of jasmine is everywhere and magnolias are blooming, even though the trees are still bare of leaves. 

I had my neurologist appointment yesterday. I'm gonna get botox! As well as its cosmetic and other therapeutic benefits, the toxin is effective at preventing migraines in many sufferers. I have to keep a diary to show that I have 15 migraines a month before the government will subsidise the treatment, so for the first time ever I'm willing my head to ache! Fifteen seems like a lot, but I think I'll get there. The treatment costs $1,200 and lasts only three months so it's not an option if I don't qualify for the subsidy.  

It's weird that being injected with the most deadly toxin known to humankind feels preferable to taking medication every day. (No one has ever been poisoned by it during a treatment.) I didn't ask about whether the treatment will have cosmetic benefits, if you're wondering! 

I had a lovely dinner with the girls last night - a farewell dinner for a friend from my old work who is leaving to for an extended stint of travel, the lucky thing. The food was tasty and we had a lot of laughs.  

I've had a huge wedding show binge this afternoon. I've lost track of how many hours of wedding programs I watched*. I'd be watching Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta right now if I hadn't already seen the episode earlier in the day.  So annoying! 

(*Yeah, I know I should have been outside enjoying the late winter sun, but I didn't have the energy for it. I still enjoyed the sun shining in my big lounge room window and the gentle breeze blowing through my flat.) 

JBPM: day 23

I've just seen the promo for the return of Masters of Sex on SBS on 31 July. Hooray! I've missed it. It's the first TV drama in years that I have mad the effort to watch every week.

  

I started reading Brooke Davis' debut novel, Lost and Found, last night after finishing Mark Forsyth's Elements of Eloquence the night before. I only made it through the first chapter of Lost and Found before my eyelids got droopy, but I like it already. I hope I can keep my eyes open long enough tonight to get through another chapter. 

Back to sushi for lunch today, but I have finally found a good sushi place near my new office. It's called Macchiato. Not your usual name for a sushi place.  Yes, they  do coffee. Sushi and coffee.  

JBPM: day 15

I saw a Nankeen Night Heron  fishing from one of the jetties along the river on my way home tonight. I always walk as close as I can to the water's edge to increase my bird-spotting chances. 

We watched a David Attenborough's Life of Mammals on TV tonight. I'd never heard of this funny little creature, the sengi or elephant shrew, before. Look at their noses! Look at them run! The most remarkable thing is that the baby is nearly fully grown in just a week.

I had heard of the pangolin, which also featured in the same episode (about insect eaters), but I cannot get over what a bizarre creature it is. And look at it run, pootling along on its hind legs.  The world is a strange and amazing place. 

Milquetoast!!!

Happy new year! I hope 2014 is treating you well so far. I'm on holidays still, and have spent most of this year (ha) reclining on my couch watching Bored to Death on DVD and chuckling heartily. 

It's a comedy about a heartbroken, struggling writer called Jonathan who lives in Brooklyn and moonlights as an unlicensed, bumbling, but actually-quite-successful private investigator. My favourite character is Jonathan's boss/friend/father figure, George, who's played by Ted Danson. He's a heavy drinking, pot smoking, several-times-divorced magazine editor, who is far less jaded and cynical than one would expect. He detests boredom and gleefully helps out with some of Jonathan's cases. 

Anyway, I'm not writing  a review here...this post is about word nerdery. 

In the first couple of episodes George uses the word 'milquetoast' (a timid, spineless person) twice. 'Don't be a milquetoast, Jonathan," he said. I already liked the show before that, but I liked it a lot after George said milquetoast. 

Then I got 'milquetoast' stuck in my head like a one-word ear worm. A wordworm. It kept popping into my head randomly and often. (This happens to me sometimes for some reason. It used to happen with 'antimacassar' and 'amygdala'.) 

This morning I woke up early, fell asleep again and milquetoast featured in my dream, but I don't recall what actually happened. I woke up thinking about milquetoast. If only I could work it into a conversation...without people thinking I'm saying "milk toast". 

I have also watched two seasons of Girls. It only occurred to me after I started watching Bored to Death that both series revolve around the lives of struggling writers living in Brooklyn. Total coincidence. 

I was prepared to find Girls irritating, but I didn't. I liked it a lot and chuckled heartily at it. 

PS I have left the house this year. 

Day 29: Jolene and other old White Stripes songs

I've just found a bunch of old White Stripes songs on iTunes. B-sides mostly, if that terminology still applies - stuff that's not on their albums anyway. I'm sure the songs weren't there last time I looked. They are mine now. I will listen to them tomorrow. 

I've been listening to the White Stripes - my favourite band - today. I have many favourite songs, including the live Under Great White Northern Lights live cover of Jolene. It's just so damn raw. It gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it. I doubt another straight man has so convincingly begged a woman not to steal his man before.  

I had yummy lemon cheesecake gelati at Fritz tonight. We're still doing our Friday night Grill'd and Fritz thing (although we haven't had the gelati so much lately). Soon the weather will be warm enough for us to start walking there again instead of driving. 

I spotted a ghost sign on the way there tonight. I can't believe I haven't seen it before since it's on a road I've been down many times. I guess I've just been looking the wrong way every time.

I watched Masters of Sex after I got home from dinner. It was excellent, of course. 

Day 28: Masters of Sex, snick, double ending

Waiting for the rain

Anyone else a fan of Masters of Sex? I rarely watch TV dramas series, but I tuned in from the start after reading about the hype surrounding the show, and I was hooked from episode one. I love it. (And no, not because it's a bit saucy!) 

It's based on the fascinating real-life story of pioneering sex researchers Masters and Johnson, but there's a host of other interesting characters with their own compelling stories (I assume these are mostly fictional, but I'm not sure). 

It's the only show I've bothered to watch online after missing an episode on TV. Lately our SBS reception has been so bad I've had to resort to watching all episodes online after they've aired.  I actually kind of like it better that way. I can watch them whenever I want.  I like coming home on Friday knowing I have that episode of Masters of Sex to look forward to. 

Yeah, I know, this isn't novel to most people, but don't forget I still hire DVDs.   

Snick

One of my favourite sounds is the little 'snick' when I remove my security pass at the end of the working day and tuck it back into my bag. I'm freeeeeeeeeeeeee.      

End of Month

Tomorrow is the end of the week and the end of the month (and thus the end of billing). I like when the two coincide. 

What's that Skip? A plate, figs and bread

I was wandering around Chapel Street Bazaar yesterday afternoon when this caught my eye:

A SKIPPY PLATE! My brother and I had these exact melamine plates with Sonny and Skippy the Bush Kangaroo on them when we were young uns. I'm not sure what happened to them, but I'd long forgotten about them. There were two plates at the bazaar, in pretty good condition considering they're more than 30 years old.  Yes, I bought one.

According to the Skippy Wiki (hehe), Skippy was banned in Sweden because psychologists thought it would fool kids into believing animals could do things they can't actually do! It also says Skippy is still being aired in Iran. How delightfully odd. (Click here for a collection of Skippy-related videos, including the opening titles and a Fast Forward spoof.)

I bought two fresh figs at the green grocer yesterday. Yay! It's fig season again. I'm going to have them for dessert tonight. 

We bought a slab of Turkish bread from the kebab shop on Swan Street yesterday. It's so soft and light and delicious...and I might not have eaten anything else today apart from the rest of the slab. Oops.  

Only FIVE DAYS of work to go before I'm on holidays - or only 4.5 days if I'm lucky enough to leave early on Friday. Of course I have a packing list of stuff to take with me to Sydney and a rapidly expanding list of things to do when I'm back in Melbourne. 

Breaking through, squawking, laughing

It was a gloomy (but mild) afternoon in Melbourne. It felt a little ominous, like the calm before the storm, but so far no rain has fallen.  As I was walking home, the sun weakly and briefly broke through the clouds before disappearing again.  

As I was crossing Morell Bridge, a cheeky cockatoo landed on top of one of the lamps and started squawking loudly, seemingly at a woman who was standing nearby. It was looking down at her and really letting rip. Maybe it wanted a cracker? She ignored it, but I took a photo.

In between squawks 

Speaking of Morell Bridge, I must remember to tune into ABC1 at 8.30 on Sunday night to watch The Mystery of a Hansom Cab because some of it was filmed near Morell Bridge. The  telemovie is based on the 1886 novel of the same name, which was a best-selling  murder mystery set in Melbourne. (I haven't read it.)

***

I forgot to mention something funny Luke said to me the other night. I haven't laughed so much in ages. In fact, I didn't just laugh; I guffawed. 

Luke (snuggling up to me): You know what you smell like?

Me: No, what?

Luke: A cricket bat.

Me: Bahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahaha etc. 

(For the record, what he could smell  was rose hip oil, not linseed oil, which cricketers used to use (and possibly still use) to condition their bats.)

***

Here's a little something for the word nerds among you. 

Angel and Gin

I nearly choked on my lamb chop tonight as I was browsing through the day's junkmail over dinner - in a good way. I've been looking for a DVD box set of the full series of Angel for quite some time, to no avail. And there it was tonight, sitting in the BIG W catalogue! Big W, of all places! Yays!

I. Must. Own. It.  It can be an early Christmas present to myself....er...as well as the pair of rather expensive shoes I bought last weekend. Hey, if I don't spoil me, who will?

I love Gin

Remember the mix 'tape' I got from my NZ Twitter pal? Well, one of the songs on there is by a young NZ woman called Gin Wigmore and she is fantastic. How did I not discover her before now? Thank you Twitter pal!

I bought her debut CD Holy Smoke last night and it's great. I am playing it right now quite loudly because....MY FLATMATE IS AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYEEEEEEEEEEE! *jumps on up and down on bed* Ahem.

Here is a song called Oh My: