Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Simile endowed

Just to annoy all five of you who read both, I'm going to post the same recommendation here and in MySpace:

I'm reading a book called I Hate Myself and Want to Die. It's about the most depressing songs ever written and the writer just has such a way with words. His similes, in particular, are outrageously funny while still being apt (hence the title of this post). "Love Will Tear Us Apart", which I love (he also tears into songs that fail in their attempt to be profound or are just dead wretched), he describes thus:
Joy Division's jittery sound was innovative at the time and their audiences pogoed endlessly at their gigs but, overall, their pessimism and lo-fi anxiety becomes exhausting after a while, like reading a book about Caligula while running on a treadmill.

You should read the ones he pulls out for songs he doesn't like!

Friday, June 22, 2007

Left off the map

Recently I paid my first visit to Tasmania. My girlfriend's mother and partner have moved down their and are refurbishing an old church with ubiquitious stunning water views. We weren't there long enough to tell whether the locals have the kind of Cinderella complex that sandgropers were always so prone to but it is well known that the island does get left out of some discussions on Australia.

You can see my history listing of the place in the February archives but for now just wanted to give you a quick impression. It's a truly beautiful place.
It's still relatively unspoilt, with lots of old style grocery stores and service stations quite close to the capital. And there are any number of small, and very cute, marsupials that have been wiped out - or never made it - on the mainland. The good thing is, given that A and her mother are close, we will be going back.

Everyone's tip before I went: visit the Salamanca Markets. Quite so; they are probably the best markets I have been to. And the food is impressive too.
And, yes, we did go to Mount Wellington.