Category: Diary

This getting healthy thing is becoming expensive. Yesterday I had to go shopping for new jeans. That last time I bought jeans (maybe a year or so ago) I was size 38. Yesterday I bought size 35.

Now that feels good.

Each year on the 31st May I take a photo f the street, here’s this years edition.

2011 – Not many visible changes this year, no new neighbours. Given how bare the street looks I really should switch to taking this photo in summer.

2010 – Every block built on, every house lived in and five changes of occupants in the past year including two new neighbours for us.

It’s getting to the stage where people have recovered from building and are now beginning to start working on the front of their houses. Still a long way to go but the street we hope to live in for a long time yet is slowly coming together.

2009 – Every house built and lived in and one remaining block is underway.

2008 – Four houses under construction and empty blocks everywhere.

Bert is big on making signs at the moment – notice the dragon bite.

I spent a good deal of Sunday afternoon curled up in the foetal position. Initially it was on the floor but then I managed to get myself on to the bed. I’d had this sort of pain before but not quite to this extreme so I decided I’d better do something about it and went to the doc yesterday.

Today I had an ultrasound and wouldn’t ya know it…I have a 1.5cm stone in my gallbladder. Always good to know the crippling pain you experience isn’t imaginary. Now it’s up to the doctor to decide on treatment but I’ll be pushing for having the gallbladder removed, I have much better ways of spending Sunday afternoons.

I’m all blocked up. I just can’t seem to get back in to the swing of reading at the moment. I was burning through the first Game Of Thrones book when I hit a brick wall and I haven’t picked up my Kindle in two weeks now, the latest National Geographic sits by the bed untouched and there’s a copy of The Guardian Weekly from last week still in its wrapper.

I’ve decided to take some action. Game Of Thrones is now on the back burner, and I have a sneaking suspicion it will stay there for a long time even though I was enjoying it immensely, and I’ve just bought Stonemouth, Iain Banks’ latest novel. If a good dose of Mr Banks can’t get things moving again, nothing can. I may even leave early today and have a quick read in the car before picking up the kids.

I remember the first time we went to the footy at the G. We stayed at the Sheraton and mum ordered a box of sandwiches from the kitchen. My memory is of chicken and mayo with some curried egg in a white cardboard box. There was a thermos of tea too.

I wonder what dad would have made of my lunch today. Wholemeal Vietnamese roast pork rolls with a (freebie) bottle of enhanced hydration water.

Both Rae and I are readers, always have been. Is it any wonder then that Bert has the reading gene. This morning while his brother and sister enjoyed some telly in our bed while I got ready for the day he was snuggled in a big chair reading his book. I’m betting that if I offered him the day at home in that chair reading he would have taken it today.

This is an open letter to a fellow patron who attended the screening of The Last Starfighter at The Astor last Monday.

Dear Sir,

As a fellow geek father I understand that you wish to introduce your son, or in my case sons, to the films that meant so much to you as a child. There’s nothing like the thrill of seeing them enjoy classic 80s movies and ask lots of questions afterwards that you are proud to still know the answers to. I get it. I am a geek. I am a dad.

However, may I propose The Astor at 7.30pm is not not the place to bring your 5(ish) year old. You sat there and loudly telegraphed each plot point, ruining the few the moments that I had forgotten were coming up. It was obvious your son wasn’t paying attention, and didn’t particularly care (“now can we go home?”) but you persisted none the less. I tried to ignore you but it became too much, which is why I turned around and asked you to stop. Which you didn’t, you only lowered the volume.

Please, the cinema, especially The Astor which is a temple to film, is not your lounge room. It’s not a DVD that you can rewind, there are other people sitting close to you who have paid good money to watch the film without it being ruined. I hope you may have learned a lesson, but I doubt that you have.

Next time stop and think. Your child will probably enjoy the movie just as much as we did watching it at home and you won’t ruin the night out of many people.

Yours sincerely

Anthony Malloy

Is it odd to be sentimental over ties? It’s been almost five years since I’ve had cause to wear a tie on a daily basis and they’ve been sitting in our cupboard for all this time. I think I’ve worn one once, to a wedding, in this time, but that’s it. Someone requested ties on Freecycle the other day so Rae suggested we offload them to someone who wants them.

I’ve kept the tie I was married in and my dad’s ties but the rest are now sitting in a bag by the front door, ready to start a new life somewhere else. It’s strange to feel a little sad to see them go.

Hey Mum, can’t even put the book down to eat breakfast, remind you of anyone?