james o'brien

Here it is, my fourth “Pointless” post in a row. I don’t what that says about me at the moment, but it’s not a reflection of how I feel about the content. However, the librarian in me needs to find suitable categories to apply to blog content and “Pointless” is the only one which really applies. But anyway, enough of that. as the point of this post is that there’s a bunch of blogs I regularly monitor, mostly because the readers are quite entertaining writers, but sometimes because I know them. Here’s what a few of them are up to at the moment.

First of all, there’s Mark who has obviously gone to pot since moving from Sydney back to Perth. In his latest latest entry, Papertrap, reveals I was walking down the street the other day, and I had my mobile phone clipped on to my belt. After a while, I got to thinking how much more comfortable it was there than in my pocket, and how all those people who think a mobile phone looks better in your pocket are missing out on some sweet comfort. To which I replied… Oh Mark, a simple sentence can end up saying so much. Did we teach you nothing about fashion in Sydney? At least you’re not as bad as my ex-boyfriend who often has his iPod clipped to his belt.

Down in Tassie, Miss Andrea also writes about being “out of touch” when she declares When do you finally admit that the world is moving on, and perhaps you’re not quite keeping up? The ARIA awards were announced last night, but that didn’t faze me. For the past umpteen years I have ignored the television coverage, mainly as a protest against the mainstream record companies’ attempts to hijack the entertainment. Human Nature? Puhleeze. It’s getting worse than the Grand Final. Rock music? Aussie rules? Hello?

Meanwhile here in Sydney, the cultural capital of Australia (I wrote that to annoy Melbourne readers who might take issue, but to whom I say look at the figures in terms of actual participation in the arts, both practioners and audience. Making variety tv shows and having third rate standup comedy does not equate to being a cultural capital), there’s The Other Andrew who similarly complains about being a bit old when he writes: I mentioned yesterday about feeling a bit blech, about being tired and having sinus & allergy symptoms. One thing kind of struck me this morning as I was doing the 20 minute trudge from the nearest train station to my office. This week – I feel old. To which I replied, as a sign of solidarity… On the cusp of my 41st birthday, I’ve begun to hold the railing as I walk down staircases..

And even closer to home, in the heart of the ghetto, there’s Gayety, who writes From when I was very young, my mother warned me about public toilets and parks. “Homosexuals hang around those places,” she would say, as if the term alone was sufficient warding. Not sure what to say about that.

Newly arrived in the ghetto, specifically, and in Australia, more generally, The Schlager Lout, has gone to print with a photograph of himself in a kilt, revealing Look! It’s me in a kilt! This was actually taken at a party in London a year ago, but don’t worry, I’m still just as hot these days and am planning to début the kilt at a gentlemen’s bar of my choosing here in Sydney v v soon (teamed with thongs/flip-flops to give it some local flava).

Continuing with the international theme, there’s my friend Kate who is currently in China who writes… Spent the afternoon at the pearl market – 4 stories of ‘rocks’ interspersed with electronics, watches, cosmetics, folk arts rolls of material (silk, cotton, linen, denium and clothing, from tshirts to wedding gowns to suits to funky multi coloured fur coats. Managed to purchase a number of beautiful silk kites from a couple of inches across to eagles with a 2 meter wing span, and a goldfish, butterfly and dragon.

Yes, an interesting set of blogs, but I should also offer apologies to other bloggers including Tyson, Angus, Tom and Pat who write interesting things, but at the moment, they’re just not interesting enough to make my Blog Snapshot.

But finally and sadly…

Sultana Blog who writes about the death of ABC Broadcaster, Wally Foreman: It’s been four hours since I learned of Wally’s passing. We’d been given a heads up that the news was probably not going to be good but even so when Glenn took me aside and told me I guess I went into a state of shock.

It was so very sad to hear of Wally’s heart attack earlier this week, and then tonight to receive a phone call, telling me about his death. Wally was a really lovely man. A really lovely man. My best wishes to his family and friends.