photo friday: mmx in review

water lilySo here we are... at the last day of 2010...

Like last NYE, today has been incredibly hot... and I discovered at about 11pm last night that my evaporative cooler wasn't actually doing any evaporating because the fabric that turns on little rollers in the back wasn't turning.

Cue me at 9am this morning standing outside The Good Guys waiting to buy a new one... which I probably would have done with much less fuss had I not found one online that I liked and that they were supposed to have in stock... which they turned out not to have in stock... so I ended up getting my second choice, which though the temperature is still in the mid 30°C range, is holding up okay.

I also stopped off and bought a bucketload of fruit which I'll turn into fruit salad very shortly...

And learning from my previous mistakes, I changed my bedding first thing this morning so I didn't have to attempt it at 11pm while my bedroom was stinking hot.

It's a little strange that I actually remember last New Years Eve with such clarity... most of it anyway... although specifically I remember exactly where I was sitting and what I was doing as I started something that has had a serious effect on my life for the last year...

That's right... just after 5pm last NYE, I started my Twitter account!

I think my first tweet was in reply to former blogger Tom, but I can't tell at present as older tweets are offline... but it's definitely made a change in my life...

And you would think so, given that I've made 6489 tweets up to this point... that's nearly 18 tweets a day...

I've discovered a whole new group of online friends, started the #60mmo live tweeting phenomenon with Peteski and Twillyon (which actually skews the hell out of my tweets per day number), found that sometimes if you say something on Twitter people you never would have expected to reach answer you... and you end up maybe a little bit smarter (although possibly with a slightly smaller attention span).

So to any of my Tweeple, friends and followers who read this, thanks for this first year of tweeting... I wouldn't have missed it for anything.

In other general news for this year...

I spent the entire year working, I decided to not blog every single day, I travelled to both Sydney and Melbourne (and didn't get laid in either city), I bought a new teevee and entertainment system, my iPhone has pretty much been welded to my hand for the past twelve months and went a little crazy at both the Fringe and Cabaret Festivals...

And I don't appear to have done a single meme in the last twelve months... but luckily, my NYE tradition (see also 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) takes care of that...

The first line of the first blog post for each month...

2010 year of the tigerJanuary: Welcome to the new decade, and more specifically to 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity... or, if my walk this morning is any indication, the International Year of Hot Boys!

February: It's been a very trying day... mostly because I've been unable to concentrate on anything properly...

March: I have this sense of impending... well, not exactly doom... but I feel like the Universe needs to balance out my account, what with all the Fringe fun and the new teevee and everything... I'm guessing it's just rampant paranoia...

April: Since sets of pictures of hot guys in bunny/Easter related outfits are in short supply, today's Random Hotness is APlusK himself (and that's the first time I actually GOT that username), Ashton Kutcher...

May: I didn't intend to do either, but I gave my credit card a serious workout today, and I ate Lynx shower gel...

June: While I haven't actually read any of the reviews, general buzz for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time hasn't been especially complimentary... but I didn't think it was as bad as all that.

July: Today's Random Hotness... a model, in his underwear, in the desert, holding onto a giant picture frame...

August: This trip to Melbourne is very different in a lot of ways to trips we've made before... we're much more focussed this time... we have actual plans rather than just wandering around wherever the wind and whim takes us.

September: Sometimes it amazes me how the perfect photo for a template sometimes falls right into my lap right before I'm about to change it.

October: This is another version of the artwork from the centre of last Saturday's montage... it was a great piece of art... with all the layers and the lighting that moved and changed...

November: Hey, guess what... I'm in Sydney!

December: The Summer 2010/11 yaniblog template comes courtesy of Sculpture by the Sea (unsurprisingly)... I mean, really, how many homosexuals can resist a bit of rainbow action now and again?

So that's it for 2010 pretty much... I wonder what next year will bring?

Current Mood:

random canine hotness

Given that we're just a day away from New Years Eve, today's Random Hotness fits perfectly with some calendar related hotness and cuteness!

The Peter Alexander Hot Boys and Cute Dogs 2011 Calendar is full of both... and was also my present to Princess T this year... the only confusing thing is that the dogs all seem to have boy names... or the boys have dog names...

But I'm guessing Andrew and Jack are the boys, and Bailey and Max are the pooches...

hot boys and cute dogs 2011 calendar - max and andrew hot boys and cute dogs 2011 calendar - bailey and jack
Current Mood:

movies: tron: legacy

tron: legacy - the game has changedIf ever there an easy way to show just how far computer generated effects and animation have come in the last 28 years, the gaping chasm between the original TRON and TRON: Legacy would illustrate it perfectly.

The new movie is as beautiful and slick and polished a movie as the original now looks incredibly clunky.

And the 3D was put to good use as well, since pretty much all of the footage that occurs in the real world is in 2D, but once we go onto "The Grid" is all turns into beautifully crisp 3D. And thankfully they resisted the temptation to use the 3D to make things (like the discs) fly out of the screen, it's about depth rather than cheap tricks.

Comparing it to the original though is both a curse and a blessing... visually it's in a whole new universe, but really, the story of the two movies really isn't THAT different.

And I'm not sure you actually need to have seen the first movie to really get this one. They do a fairly decent job of describing what happened (as much as they need to anyway), and the rest, well, it pretty much takes care of itself and doesn't need a whole bunch of explanation.

Of course that's if you don't try and dig too deeply into the meanings behind certain things... like why computer programs need a dance club... or how exactly you would survive in a place with no food or water (even if you could "create" them, would they actually sustain you)... if those four girls cut off Sam's clothes to allow him to be wrapped in a skin tight "cyber suit", why did they leave his very bulky underwear in place... you know, nitpicky type stuff.

Speaking of Sam and his underwear... he's played by the very lickable Garrett Hedlund, who looks pretty good in his underwear... and equally as good in his skin tight black suit.

I did think that the character was a little bit of an obnoxious brat though... sure, you lost your Dad and appear to have an unlimited trust fund of some nature... but you're 27, quit acting like you're still a teenager. I guess that's his character arc though...

I will admit to being a little distracted by some of the slang Jeff Bridges uses... I know that he's supposedly been trapped inside The Grid for the last 20 years... but I'm pretty sure nobody was using some of those phrases in 1989... they have a very 70's vibe to them, and it just pulled me out of the movie a little.

So, in essence, the movie looks amazing... it sounds amazing (thanks to Daft Punk), but the script is a little sloppy around the edges.

Still worth seeing though, if only for the visuals.

yani's rating: 3 programs out of 5

post christmas madness

this pretty much sums up the way i felt about todayIf I EVER make any kind of statement again about going to the Post Christmas sales the day that the stores reopen, could one of you please arrange to have me punched in the face repeatedly? Thanks!

We did a very stupid thing today.

We went to Marion on the first day of the sales. I choose to blame Ma... there were a few things we kinda wanted to get from the catalogues, and since today was Movie Day anyway, Ma thought we could kill two birds with one stone and go to Marion.

Big mistake!

I'm still not sure how the hell I managed to make it through the day without either punching somebody in the back of the head or really stopping and telling somebody what I thought of them as they meandered around the shops. It was truly horrible though.

And unfortunately we used up our Good Carpark Luck on a stop at Harvey Norman on the way down to get Ma a HD set-top box... so Marion involved a lot of driving around and around and around and around and watching other people take parking spaces that should have been ours.

If the crowds out in the mall itself weren't bad enough (seriously, leave the fucking pusher at home... better yet, don't bring grandma to the shops with you and your toddler and your pusher... leave the fucking pusher and toddler at home with grandma... and don't get me started on the groups of people just standing in the middle of the path... I just ended up ploughing through a number of them with cries of "Scuse me ladies"... always ladies)... when we actually went inside the major stores it just got worse.

In Target they were queued from the front of the store pretty much all the way back to the back of the store... or the end of the toy department anyway. And in Big W, both the self-serve and regular lines stretched back to the gardening department at the very least.

It's fucking nuts! You've just spent the last month buying every conceivable piece of crap under the sun... what the hell else is there to buy?! And are you just buying it because it's 20% off, cause that's just plain nuts!

Anyway, surprisingly when we went down to Kmart, nobody was lining up and the store didn't look as busy... but that was possibly because everyone had already been there and stripped the store of all bargains. And all I wanted was another cheap frying pan... nothing.

We stopped off at Spago for something to eat (since the movie wasn't for another hour and a half)... possibly the weirdest bruschetta ever... on really thick focaccia bread rather than more normal bread.

After we were finished eating, we may have wandered aimlessly a bit, but then we headed up to the movies... to see Tron Legacy... not just in 3D, but also in one of the VMax theatres (more on that later)... very fancy smancy! Kind of a cross between a regular theatre and Gold Class... better chairs, more room, although I could probably have done without the little blue lights between every second chair that stayed on for the whole movie.

Once the movie was over, we got an icecream from Cold Rock and wandered off the long way back to the car... which took us through the food court, and who did we run into but J and Pika... who started by asking us a fairly insane question about cheese and space... don't ask.

We chatted with them for a little bit, then took our leave and headed back to the car.

And that was about it really.

But seriously, somebody needs to punch me if I ever try and do that again...

Current Mood:

unconscious mutterings 413

I'm going to have a completely and totally lazy day today... in fact, if I can avoid it, I'm not even going to open the front door...

However, I do need to tidy up a bit before I resume my day of sloth...

Unconscious Mutterings...
  1. Detective :: Film Noir
  2. Bra :: Lacy
  3. Prove it :: Wikipedia
  4. The end :: Is the beginning
  5. Messy :: Drunk
  6. Immovable :: Object
  7. Jingle :: All the way
  8. False :: Beard
  9. Comprehend :: Problems
  10. Scream :: Loud

post-christmas round up 2010

christmas tree 2010Christmas Afternoon

I wonder if the fact that we've had the Ultra Lounge Christmas Cocktails CD on repeat since I got here just after 7am has anything to do with the fact that I kinda wanna kick somebody. Of course if that's the case, then it's my fault, since it's my CD and I'm the one who put it on "Repeat All"...

Or maybe it's just the magic of Christmas!

But backtracking slightly...

I woke up stupidly early this morning... actually I work up at about 4am, thought "fuck this for a joke" and went back to sleep, but I ended up waking up at about 5:30 again and figured I might as well get up and start the day.

And because it's a Saturday I didn't need to go my daily walk... actually I didn't need to do it because I haven't really done it for more than a month... I just needed the extra sleep and the extra time in the morning. I need to get back to it soon though... maybe I'll start it up again before New Year.

Anyway... I had a shower, got dressed and sat down in the lounge and it was only 6:30am! I wasn't quite sure what to do then... but I decided to text Ma and see if she was up and about... which she was, so I packed up the car and headed out the door.

And there was actual rain on the way up to Ma's place. Okay, it was about 15 specks, but still... the weather has taken revenge for it though and it's all warm and yuck at present.

When I got to Ma's place she was in the mad throws of making final batches of Ham Hearts and the kitchen was somewhat overheated. Eventually she finished with that and we threw our usual Christmas breakfast in the oven (croissants).

Once we'd scoffed them down (and I'd polished off a king sized Iced Coffee) we did the first round of presents... which pretty much consisted of whatever was in the brown paper bag for Ma and toy soldier related stuff for me.

Next up, Ma went around the corner to see her sister and drop some stuff off with her while I stayed behind and tidied up a bit, did the washing up... you know, helpful son stuff.

We were due at La Cousina's place by about 9:30, so after Ma came back and got ready we packed up the car and headed out to their place.

I know it's only once a year and everything, but I'm glad we only spend a finite amount of time there. It's all a bit... you know... actually I'm not exactly sure what it is, but whatever it is, it definitely is that. I'm pretty sure that I say something similar every year though... which is pretty much why I only see them all once a year.

All the presents went down well, and I got something actually useful from them ($30 iTunes card), which is nice.

Ooh... The Grinch... I wanted to watch this last night...

Anyway, we were at La Cousina's for about an hour and a half, then came back here to put the Weber on and get the turkey and stuff ready to go in. Instead of the usual Dolly Parton style buffet turkey we usually have (and end up with more leftovers than either of us are particularly interested in) we went with one of the stuffed turkey roll things (nice, but the stuffing was a bit m'eh).

While we were waiting for the Weber to heat up we had Round 2 of presents...

christmas presents 2010So while there appears to be lots of DVDs, although not that may actual DVDs if that makes any sense (lots of cases, not that many actual movies/shows)...

It took Ma ages to make her way the Big Bag of Many Parcels (and we had a brief pause in the middle to go and turn the turkey roll etc)... and I think she may have ended up with more bits and pieces than me this year... not that there's anything wrong with that. I really don't need that much stuff (nor do I have a lot of room for too much random crap)... although trying to find room for all the DVDs is going to be a challenge. And I picked the animal bookends with the thought that I'd have my new bookcases by now... which obviously I don't... maybe in the new year.

Once we were done with all the presents (and the fact that I was packing boxes and bags away from my presents as we went, and Ma was folding up tissue and putting ribbon in a bag made the actual clear up a hell of a lot earlier), Ma went off to prepare the vegetables and whatnot while I arrange my presents for their annual photo and then made up the table like I do every year.

christmas table 2010We didn't end up eating until about 2pm... but everything way pretty nice... the veg was maybe slightly overcooked (sweet potato, beans, broccoli and potato), but the turkey was nice and moist, and the sausage meat was as delicious as ever.

I will admit that I was a little bit cranky by this point... or maybe not cranky, maybe just a little flat... I don't know. I didn't snap at Ma or anything... I was just a little off.

After dinner we tidied up, and Ma sat down to fiddle with her DS (not the new game I bought her though, she's still finishing off the old one) and I broke out the laptop and, well, here we are...

And I'll finish this off later...

Later

Actually the afternoon was surprisingly dull...

Since we only finished lunch at 2:30, there really wasn't THAT much afternoon left still to happen... I sat and footled around on the laptop, Ma footled around with her DS... The Grinch was on in the background, but I don't think either of us was really paying that much attention to it.

By the time it was finished it was about 5... then with one thing and another we killed some time (mostly related to DS footling), then just before the Kung Fu Panda Holiday special was due to start Ma made some fruit salad which was very nice... then we kind of flicked from one holiday special to another, ending up on the Mythbusters Holiday Special, which I think I must have seen a whole bunch of times at this point.

Once that was over at 8:30, I packed up the car and took myself home. Which then resulted in some unpacking, and some sitting around footling with the laptop.

So all in all, a good, if not especially different or unique Christmas!

Current Mood:

photo friday: not a creature is stirring

not a creature was stirring... except for these two and their tree... from the david jones christmas windowsOne of the things that I loved about the David Jones Christmas windows in Sydney was these little mice. They showed up in most of the windows, doing cute little things echoing what the people were doing.

I'm still undecided about whether the mouse on the right is holding a toy soldier or not... I thought it was, but now I'm not so sure...

It's Christmas Eve!

And, as usual, it's been a Christmas Eve that pretty much revolved around pretending to work in the morning, and getting my hair cut in the afternoon.

But backing up slightly...

This week hasn't been quite as much about food as last year, although food/chocolate did keep appearing on my desk throughout the week... and H-San bought doughnuts again... plus we went out to lunch on Tuesday... and today we (we being me, Sugarmonkey, Rockstar and The Hobbit) took money out of the swear jar and went and bought ice cream with it, which was nice.

One of the things that arrived on my desk was from H-San, and it wasn't so much the chocolate itself as the fact that it had a little wooden toy soldier Christmas Tree ornament (something they didn't put on their tree I'm guessing), which was incredibly sweet. In fact I was quite touched just because it was so sweet!

And parcels from all over the US (Los Angeles, Orlando, Chippewa Falls and somewhere in Connecticut) have continued to appear on my doorstep this week... sadly I'm still missing out on one... and I'm hoping it's just been delayed rather than either not being sent at all or else being stolen from my doorstep. I do love getting parcels though!

Anyway, back to today... when I got into work this morning most of the overhead lights were off on our side of the floor... which I always quite like, but it never lasts very long because somebody invariably comes in and switches them on... not today though! I left them off, and everyone else (not that there were that many of us) left them off, so we spent the morning in a nice cool half-light! Woohoo!

Like I said, we went out for ice cream at around 10:30... and on the way back we gave the rest of the change I had from the swear jar to this girl busking just off Rundle Mall... I'm sure she wondered what the hell was going on because I tipped all these 10c pieces into her guitar case from the plastic bag I was carrying them in.

She did need to sing louder though!

By the time we got back I only needed to fill in about an hour before it was time to leave! Yaaay!

And then it was Haircut Time!

When I got there I got the little white takeaway container out of my bag with the Christmas goodies in it for Tink, and she recognised it as soon as she saw it, and, like everybody else, was very gleeful about getting the goodies again this year.

Essentially we did the same hairstyle as the pre-Sydney cut, but messed around with the colour a bit... instead of it being all "golden blonde" on the sides, it's now all "oh holy fuck that's so blonde" blonde instead... the top part still has some of my original colour to it, but the overall effect is blonde.

So much so that after Tink washed the colour out she insisted on doing something to it to tone the sides down. I only really saw my reflection across the room, but it was INCREDIBLY blonde... like scary neon blonde... but after she did whatever it was it toned down nicely.

All up, with all the gasbagging and cutting and colouring and waiting for colour to be ready, I was pretty much in there for over two hours. Seriously, it takes time to look this... well, good or something.

I do look like I could do with a tan though, especially when I was standing next to Tink who is both blonde AND has a tan... which would be nice if I could tan...

Anyway... when I was leaving Tink gave me a little sample size "Blonde Glam" shampoo and conditioner, and she also had a green rolled up tube, which she said she thought of me as soon as she saw it. Turned out to be a "John West Perfectly Cut" calendar filled with photos of the two sweaty shirtless dudes from the John West ads, one of whom looks a little Brad Pitt-ish. So that was both funny and sweet.

Once I left I went downstairs to get some lunch in the Myer Centre because I was starving... then had half an idea to go and buy myself some Havana thongs to wear on Christmas Day. This was a stupid plan, as once I finally tracked them down in Jetty Surf there were too many people in the store and the thongs didn't actually have a price on them... so fuck that shit.

So I came home.

And now I'm about to head out to get pizza for dinner, because who can be fucked cooking on Christmas Eve!

Current Mood:

random xmas hotness

Only two more sleeps to go before it's Christmas... and I'm keeping with tradition with today's Christmas themed Random Hotness...

Normally I'm not a big fan of white Christmas trees... but pornstar Topher DiMaggio makes it okay somehow!

topher dimaggio's white christmas topher dimaggio's white christmas topher dimaggio's white christmas
Current Mood:

ma's presents 2010

ma's presents 2010It's that time of the year again... that Seasonal Point of No Return where I buckle down, OD on tissue paper and wrap Ma's Christmas presents!

Usually there are as many bags, boxes and other associated receptacles as there were presents to begin with... but this year I indulged in not only some serious recycling of packaging materials, but some concerted minimalism (well, it you don't count the amount of ribbon and tissue paper I used)...

The red square bag with the Matryoshka dolls on it was from Ma's birthday last year... and the brown paper bag is actually something we got take out in earlier this year would you believe!

I was panicking a little when I got all of Ma's presents out, because they seemed to take up more room than I thought they would, but then I unfolded the Matryoshka bag and it was much, much bigger than I remembered, so it all worked out just fine in the end.

As you can see from the lower right side of the image at the top of the post, even though Ma is only getting three parcels (counting the seahorse which will probably find it's way into another brown paper bag between now and Christmas Day), every single thing is wrapped up individually in tissue paper and tied in varying degrees of accuracy with ribbon! Over 15 metres of ribbon in fact...

And all of those individual parcels are...
  • Red Bella Textiles scarf
  • Professor Layton and Pandora's Box DS game
  • Pastiche Lovelinks bracelet with three Murano glass beads
  • Black wooden bead earrings
  • Origami fan earrings
  • Black Lola & Bailey Sundial Sunrise earrings
  • DVDs
  • Parky's People
  • Envirosax bag
  • Momiji Robin message doll
  • Snowman ornament
  • Snowman card
  • Sydney Calendar 2011
  • "Velvet Glove" artwork
  • Harajuku Lovers Wicked Style "Music" perfume
  • Harajuku Lovers Summer "Love" perfume
  • Nougat Limar (Cherry Cranberry Pistachio, Wild Berry Macadamia & Chocolate Pistachio)
  • Seahorses
    • Metal garden seahorse statue
    • Large dangling seahorse earrings (thank you eBay)
    • Enamel seahorse bag charm
    • Seahorse surfboard pendant
    • Framed origami seahorse
    • Small triple seahorse painting with easel
    • Sand seahorse sculpture
    • Wooden seahorse sculpture
    • Seahorse soap
    • Wooden "craft puzzle" seahorse
    • Joseph Austin seahorse card
    • Koala riding seahorse ornament
I can't help but think that there's something I've forgotten to wrap... although for the life of me I can't think what it could be...

Current Mood:

gaymoviefest 2010

I've been watching an awful lot of gay themed movies of late... like, A LOT of them... and I've reviewed others in the past, so here are some thoughts on what I've been watching.

Oh, and there will be spoilers! And I'm trying a different method of "scoring" them... whether or not I would recommend them to others...

So, in chronological order...

tan linesTan Lines

It's like the casting directors of Home and Away set out to make a "realistic" gay drama, watched some art house movies along the way, got confused, didn't want a happy ending, got confused again... and this is pretty much the result.

It's neither particularly realistic and gritty overall, nor is it a total piece of soap opera fluff. What it really is is fairly uneven, very odd and somewhat less sexy than I think it was intended to be.

It isn't helped by the fact that the lead actor, Jack Baxter (and that's NOT him on the poster) looks like he's about 12, so you end up feeling more than a little bit dirty.

I also have no idea why the hell they felt the need to include Midget's "part time job". You know that it's sketchy and not what he says it is the first time you see him head off to do some "gardening and shit", but it's seriously twisted and honestly doesn't make ANY sense at all!

Overall it's a bit uneven... the script isn't great, the acting is pretty average, and on top of that, the ending is fairly damn depressing. Realistic maybe, but still depressing.

Would I recommend it: Nope... like a few of the other movies on this list, is has moments where you can see the movie it was trying to be, but they're too few and far between.


edge of seventeenEdge of Seventeen

Edge of Seventeen is probably one of the more realistic coming out stories I've seen, even with the retro overlay of it being set in 1984. The lead character, Eric, falls in love during his summer job, loses his virginity... and then the guy never returns his calls.

I'm guessing that at least parts of it are autobiographical for writer Todd Stephens (who is also responsible for the two "Another Gay..." movies) since it has a lot of truth in it. Or maybe he's just that good a writer and Chris Stafford is that good an actor that he can make it feel that real.

It's also one of the first movies I've ever seen where the coming out process actually triggers the physical/style changes in it's main character that I think most gay teens go through to some degree, I know that I did once I started going out... the hair went white blonde, the clothing got edgier and tighter, all that...

I also have to give major snaps to comedian Lea DeLaria, who I've only ever seen being funny/obnoxious in things... she proves the old adage (or maybe it was Joss Whedon who said it), comedy is hard, drama is easy.

Would I recommend it: Yes, thoroughly.


the mostly unfabulous social life of ethan greenThe Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green

Ethan Green's social life may not be particularly fabulous, but it's certainly never dull.

While I've seen a couple of strips from the original comic series, I wouldn't say that I'm really that familiar with the source material for this movie. I'm not sure exactly how, or even if, it stacks up against the comic.

As movie in it's own right though, it's sweet... it reminded me a little bit of The Broken Heart's Club, not so much in storyline, but more in the general feel, even if parts of Ethan Green are much more over the top and farcical.

Farce is a good way to describe it actually... not a true farce in the literal dictionary definition of the word, but it certainly is played for laughs and there are improbable situations and some over the top performances.

But it's a sweet film, Daniel Letterle who plays Ethan is very cute (he does remind me a bit of Noah Wyle though, which doesn't make him any less cute) and it was amusing to see Meredith Baxter as Ethan's mother now that she's come out as a lesbian.

And even though he's probably not conventionally gorgeous, I did have a bit of a thing for Dean Shelton as Punch... but what's not to love about a character who says "I'm a sensitive, globally aware kind of guy who's horny 24 hours a day"...

Would I recommend it: Yeah... it's sweet and fluffy... it's a bit like fairy floss really. Enjoyable while you're in the middle of it, but not especially filling.


otto or up with dead peopleOtto or Up With Dead People

Otto is a zombie. Or maybe he's pretending to be a zombie. Or maybe he's a zombie pretending to be a person pretending to be a zombie.

Actually, I don't think Otto is a zombie... but he may have suffered a blow to the head at some stage.

He is adorably cute in his zombie makeup though, which I'm sure says more about me than I would like.

Throw in a woman who's directing a zombie porno or manifesto or zombie porno manifesto movie, a bunch of people pretending to be zombies, a zombie orgy and the fact that the whole movie is in German, and you can pretty much guess what you're going to end up with.

It's bad, but at the same time, it's kind of so bad it's good... except for the fact that I don't think it was supposed to be as bad as it turned out to be... and good varies depending on your yardstick.

And there's full frontal nudity... full frontal zombie nudity in fact... not that that's an indicator of whether a movie is good or not, it just makes slightly more sense in this film because of the whole "zombie porno" plot like.

But then it is a Bruce La Bruce movie, so you have to expect both weirdness and cock!

Would I recommend it: If you like weirdness, zombies and cock... sure, why not... but don't expect it to actually be "good".


trickTrick

I really enjoyed this movie, even though if you think about it for long enough the whole central premise just falls apart, and it contained yet another annoying female fag hag character.

Gabriel is a showtune writer/composer (gay stereotype much) who shares a tiny New York apartment with inconsiderate straight boy Rich and has to endure self involved fag hag Katherine not realising that she's actually a whiny little bitch who needs to get over him and just die... ahem... sorry, but I really didn't like Katherine.

Anyway, Gabriel sees Mark on the subway, Mark cruises Gabriel and they head back to Gabe's apartment to screw around (hence the title).

Unfortunately the universe has other plans and keeps throwing obstacles at the two sending them on a whole night of searching for somewhere to fuck.

Of course they can't find anywhere and end up being interested in more than just hooking up.

There doesn't ever seem to be a particularly good reason why Mark just doesn't walk away from the whole situation. And I don't think it's ever actually addressed... they just keep wandering around together.

Personally, if that had been me and some random hookup's roommate had come back early and thrown us out of the apartment, I would have just called it a day.

But even with its flaws, it's a fairly sweet movie, and you do root (Australian pun intended) for the two leads to get it together.

Although I was somewhat annoyed at Gabriel for being so much of a doormat with everyone... but that was his character I guess.

Would I recommend it: Definitely... although if you have an aversion to Tori Spelling then you should avoid it.


were the world mineWere the World Mine

What would you do if you discovered that you had the power to turn everyone you knew gay? Would you rush out and make sure that your entire town started getting same sex loving?

And would that play well against the backdrop of a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream?

Actually it kind of does. Putting aside the moral quandary of "forcing" people to get it on with people who they're actually not attracted to without the aid of fairy dust, it's a sweet movie that attempts to make a number of good points about tolerance and "walking a mile in someone else's shoes before you judge them".

I will say that the poster for this movie is somewhat misleading, if only because the fantasy sequence featured in it only takes up a very, very small proportion of the actual movie.

And honestly, the whole subplot between the main character's mother and the "faded Southern" Avon lady clone is a little bit cringeworthy.

Would I recommend it: Yeah, just don't expect the whole movie to be like the poster.


presque reinPresque Rien

I went into this movie knowing nothing beyond the fact that the two main characters get naked and screw on a beach at some point.

What I wasn't expecting was a fairly angsty storyline with jumps in time and location that are fairly confusing and don't really explain everything that I think they really should have. All of which adds up to a somewhat unsatisfying movie with a particularly m'eh ending.

And while the aforementioned sex scene actually feels about right in the context of the movie, there's also a somewhat unnecessary close up shot of the main character's uncut cock which doesn't really add a lot to the movie. Don't get me wrong... I like a little full frontal male nudity in my pop culture, but I also like it to have some kind of relevance to what's going on at the time.

I've read a few reviews of this movie online that make me think that in part I didn't necessarily "get" parts of it... but given the way that the movie is structured and maybe given the fact that I was watching it in French with English subtitles, maybe parts of it were just lost in translation.

On the other hand, maybe other people are just reading things into the movie that weren't necessarily there.

Would I recommend it: No... it has nice moments, but the fact that it confused me with some of the jumping around in time makes me give it the thumbs down.


eating outEating Out

The main problem I have with this movie is the ending... so this is about to get particularly spoilerific...

There are four main characters in this movie... Caleb (the straight boy), Kyle (the straight boy's gay roommate), Marc (the gay roommate's gay crush) and Gwen (the straight girl).

Essentially Kyle has the hots for Marc who has the hots for Caleb who has the hots for Gwen who has the hots for pretty much any gay boy. Also, Kyle has the hots for Caleb, Gwen has the hots for Marc... and Caleb pretends to have the hots for Marc so that he and Kyle can get into Gwen and Marc's pants respectively. It all gets a bit convoluted and farcical. And there's a completely unnecessary scene with Caleb being "outed" to his parents towards the end.

The problem is that the characters of both Kyle and Gwen are pretty damn unlikeable. Kyle comes up with the whole overly complicated plan, then sabotages Caleb when Caleb and Marc end up hooking up.

At no point does the character of Kyle actually redeem himself so at the end when Marc ends up with Kyle and Caleb ends up with Gwen, it feels totally undeserved. Why should Kyle who has connived and conned and schemed and played everyone actually end up with the "man of his dreams"?

Similarly the character of Gwen is just obnoxious and, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense why Caleb is willing to go through all the drama just to get into her pants (and really, she's not that hot).

Personally I would have been much happier if Caleb and Marc had ended up together (differences in sexual orientation notwithstanding), they were both much nicer characters.

Oh, and I'm guessing the only reason that the version I watched was the "Unrated" version was the fact that you get to see Caleb and Marc's cocks. Which, while nice, didn't actually add a damn thing to the scene given that it comes at the end when they're putting their clothes back on.

And, really, it's written and directed by the guy who not only wrote/adapted Boy Culture but who created Rick and Steve... and I love both of those!

Would I recommend it: Probably not... the Caleb/Marc stuff is nice, but there's too much of it that didn't sit right with me.


holding trevorHolding Trevor

Well this was a thoroughly self indulgent and pointless piece of cinema.

I don't know what point the writer and/or director were trying to make exactly, but I'm pretty sure they failed. In fact, the writer essentially failed to complete the last third of the movie and it's all very vague and I guess the idea was that you could read it more than one way... but essentially it felt to me like it ends on a big fat downer.

But after learning that the guy who wrote it was also the star, the level of self indulgence makes some degree of sense...

And yet again, this movie was pretty much filled with people I didn't really care about. The titular Trevor was okay, but his two friends/roommates... thoroughly horrible people, who do nothing but emotionally and verbally dump on him all the time.

The only real bright spot are the love scenes between Trevor and Efram... they're sweet and tender and fun and funny.

Would I recommend it: Sure, but switch it off ten minutes before the ending and make up your own!


Yossi & Jagger

At only 65 minutes, Yossi & Jagger seems to finish right at about the time it's ramping up, but at the same time it says what it needs to say without a lot of padding and frills and is content to leave it at that.

The closest way to describe it is that it's kind of an Israeli version of Brokeback Mountain... only with soldiers instead of mountains, and without any wives.

I will admit to being highly confused at the beginning of the movie because the titular character of "Jagger" is also called by his real name, Lior. In fact, the whole "Jagger" thing isn't explained until the very end of the movie (I kind of assumed that one was his first name and the other was his surname).

There are a couple of little subplots that make the setting feel more real but at the same time don't really go anywhere in particular, and parts of the ending where Yossi declares his love for Jagger in front of other soldiers made me wonder what would happen to him, but it's never addressed.

It's also an interesting window on a culture where everyone is expected to do military service, which doesn't just mean looking cute in the uniform, but actual fighting and killing. And what happens in that world when you're gay. The movie doesn't answer the question, I'm not even sure it poses it, but it certainly made me think about it.

Would I recommend it: Yes... it's short and mostly to the point, although it's not the happiest movie ever made.


big edenBig Eden

I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this movie... I had a feeling it was going to be one of those "big city guy finds quirky people in the countryside, cringeworthy culture clash ensues"... in fact, I nearly changed my mind at the last minute and watched something else... but I flipped a coin, and it kept coming up heads (no, really... I flipped a coin).

And boy am I glad I went with it. It was nothing at all what I expected and turned out to be the very best movie I've seen so far as part of #gaymoviefest2010!

It's sweet, it has heart, it's centred around seeing what's really there instead of what we wish was there. And that gay men over 30 who aren't stunning beautiful can still find love.

And to never underestimate the kooky folks in a small town.

It was also nice to see a movie where the female characters weren't essentially playing "gooseberry" and none of the drama comes from their relationships with the gay men... the men have more than enough drama of their own without needing to involve the women.

The standout performer without doubt was Eric Schweig as Pike... you totally feel for him and watching him transform throughout the movie is beautiful to watch.

It's beautiful, it's funny, it's sweet, it's sexy in a whole "lingering looks and touches" kind of way.

Would I recommend it: Yes, yes, yes... a hundred times, yes! Don't just sit there, go find this movie.


redwoodsRedwoods

I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to take away from this movie. What I do know is that I was phenomenally distracted by Brendan Bradley's enormous chin and incredibly square jaw. Like "I couldn't help but stare at it every time he was on screen" kind of distracted... which isn't so great when he's the lead actor.

So much chin! Attractive... but that's serious chin.

Anyway, as I was saying, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to take away from this movie. The aforementioned Big-Chinned Lead (BCL aka Everett) is in a relationship and they have an autistic (adopted) son. Partner and son go on vacation, BCL stays home and meets Much Hotter and More Interesting Dude (aka Chase).

So all the time BCL and Chase are getting closer and closer and flirting and whatnot, all I can think about is his partner and the son and how he's never going to leave them. And all the way through them doing the deed, I keep trying to work out who's fault it is... BCL for cheating on his partner or Chase for getting involved with someone who is already involved.

When the partner and son come back (additional spoiler alert, skip on to the next paragraph if you want to avoid it), partner says one thing to BCL and the next thing, BCL is packing a suitcase and storming out in search of Chase... and then the writer gets lazy and doesn't bother with the whys and wherefores of "you've got to go back... but I love you" rubbish, he just cuts to five years later. And then the dreaded "gay men die at the end of gay movies" curse kicks in... admittedly it's only happened in three of the twelve movies I've seen so far, but it's an easy out when you can't think of a way to end the movie happily.

I also have no idea what the last scene is supposed to signify... besides, they just looked goofy walking down the hill like that.

And for a movie where one of the lines about Chase's writing (he's a writer) is something to the effect of "when you go off on these little asides, you have a tendency to get a little sentimental"... and, honestly, it's very much a case of a writer writing something as fiction but it being completely on the nose about his own writing. It's very sentimental, and fairly by-the-numbers.

It could have been great though... lose the partner and the son... give them some other reason to not go running off together... follow it up with the same ending. Although, thinking about it, that does end up making it sound a little Brokeback.

Also, enough with the incidental full frontal male nudity. This movie suffers from one of the same problems that something like Dante's Cove does (notice I said "one"... DC has a LOT of problems, most of them aren't found in Redwoods)... the only people who show cock are not the two lead actors.

You want to show dick, be consistent... either don't show any or show everybody's. And if your two leads won't show what Mother Nature gave them, have the less attractive members of the cast put it back in their pants.

Would I recommend it: It's kinda middle ground... if you've seen everything else gay themed, then maybe give it a shot... it's not horrible, but it's not great either. And it's another one that I might suggest you stop 10 minutes before the end and make up your own ending.


dream boyDream Boy

This is not a happy movie... Abuse, incest, rape, murder... not a happy movie at all.

Actually it was fairly hard to watch at times because of that. And because of the father/son relationship, and the religious overtones...

The script is adapted from the book of the same name, which I did read ages and ages ago, but I didn't really remember any of it beyond the school bus and something about a tent. And none of it really came back very strongly as I was watching.

It's one of those movies where the dialogue is very sparse and everything is communicated though looks and movement and some degree of landscape porn.

One thing I will say, which relates to more than just this movie... why would you go down on someone when your friends are in the next room, the door is wide open and they'll be back any minute? Who the hell does that? It's just asking to be busted. I know, I know... it's plot development and whatnot... but as someone who snuck around giving his best friend clandestine blowjobs for the latter half of his high school experience, it's just not something you do!

The two leads, Stephan Bender and Max Roeg are quite good... their performances feel very real, even if the dialogue is occasionally a bit crap.

I have to say that I didn't particularly like the ending... having looked on Wikipedia, it appears that the book ends in a fairly similar way, but it's one of those endings that can be read more than one way... I just found it a little confused (not confusing, I just think the movie didn't really know which was it wanted to end) and not as satisfying as it could otherwise have been. It's one of those instances there a movie misses out from being so sparse and from not using narration to give us a characters inner voice.

Would I recommend it: No... but not because it's a bad movie, it's just a very sad, depressive and painful one, and I don't know that I'd want to wish that viewing experience on anybody.


the tripThe Trip

Like "Were the World Mine", this is a movie whose poster doesn't appropriately sum up the subject matter. It looks as though the whole movie is going to be about two guys on a trip though the American "West"... but in fact the whole thing is a three part period movie that is mostly set in LA.

So not quite living up to expectations there...

Discounting that though, it's not a bad movie. It takes place over three distinct time periods... 1973, 1977 and 1984... the first two of which feature a lot of wigs... wigs that vary in quality... can you tell I was a little distracted by the wigs?

It's also a movie that changes in tone quite a bit as it goes along. The first section feels a little romantic comedy-eske... the middle section is drama... and the last section is pretty squarely in the melodrama/Thelma and Louise mould once it ramps up properly. The last section is also where the poster image comes from and is probably the most "unrealistic" of the three sections.

I don't mean that it's bad... just that it stands out next to the first two sections and takes a risk with pushing the story in a particular direction.

The film makers also decided to frame the three sections of the story against real life events, most notably the Anita Bryant controversy in 1977... partly it does this by using actual news footage as a bridge between the sections, covering the major "gay" news events of the times.

I'm not sure how effective this really is, if only because the story is one that probably could have been set at just about any time with no great change in it's narrative. None of the real world events are so desperately wedded to the plot that you couldn't have set it in 1999, 2003 and 2010, or during just about any time period from the 70's onwards.

The use of news footage did kind of pull me out of the moment a few times, especially during the Anita stuff since the characters are in Los Angeles, and the whole Harvey Milk stuff was happening in San Francisco, it just felt a little false to me somehow.

The two lead actors are quite good though... even with the sometimes awful wigs they have to contend with... and I think I actually prefer Steve Braun with long hair.

On the whole it's a movie with a slightly uneven tone and a particularly unhappy ending.

Would I recommend it: I think this is another one where you stop watching about 10 minutes from the end and come up with your own ending... overall it's not a bad movie, I just didn't like the ending.


a question of loveJuste une Question D'amour

I think I've reached my fill of coming out movies... it's pretty old hat for me now and I'm getting to the stage where I want more from my gay drama than boys who can't tell Mum and Dad that they like cock.

Having said that, Juste une Question D'amour (or Just a Question of Love) is a fairly good example of the genre.

I had a slight problem with the version I was watching though, as the occasional subtitle was missing, but I got the general gist of it all.

The two leads, Cyrille Thouvenin (who kept making me think of That Vampire Movie Guy, but a much prettier version) and Stéphan Guérin-Tillié are both very watchable, and other than perhaps a slight awkwardness to the major love scene, very convincing.

But overall I think there was one line at the end of the movie that kinda "saved" it for me... or if that's not the right word, then it made me more hopeful than I might otherwise have been by the end.

One of the characters (and I'm not saying who) says "Give me more time" (or the French equivalent obviously) which made all the difference.

It was also one of those movies that managed to feel longer than it was somehow...

Would I recommend it: I would... especially as a coming out movie, although whether it would be appropriate for someone who has major issues with their parents or not I'm not sure. Also, hot French boys are hot...


newcastleNewcastle

They're blonde, they're tanned, they're half naked, they're hot... they're surfers...

I started the journey with an Australian gay movie of questionable quality about surfers and I'm ending it with an Australian surfing movie with a lot of homo-erotic and a little bit of actual gay content...

What I really wanted to do was to be flippant about this movie... the boys are all quite cute (even if the lead character does have a bad attitude), there's lots of shots of them in nothing but low hanging boardshorts or less... there's more homo-erotica than you can shake a stick at (lots of slow motion lingering shots of tanned bodies glistening with water... granted they're surfing at the time, but still), and there's the cute alternative little brother who is so very obviously a big homo and having a crush on one of the surfers that seems to be being returned somewhat...

There's lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of swearing, more than a few recognisable Australian actors, lots of beautiful cinematography, and seemingly not much story.

At least that's where I was until about three quarters of the way through the movie.

That's the point that it takes a somewhat radical turn in both tone and feel (unrelated to the gay subplot thankfully), and it turns out to actually be a pretty damn good movie... and I found myself both getting choked up in a couple of spots, but also feeling genuine apprehension and dread at that was happening.

And you know what, even with the radical turn, it works. Yeah, the turn is total and there's some silly fluff about skinny-dipping (Xavier Samuel, Lachlan Buchanan, I've seen your doodles... kinda), and it does seem to end rather abruptly (although there is a nice little tag teaser before the main credit crawl starts)... but I think writer/director Dan Castle can be proud of his efforts... he's made an excellent movie.

Is it a "gay movie"? In truth, probably not... but I can definitely understand why a gay audience will appreciate it.

Would I recommend it: Very much so... come for the hot half-naked surfer boys and the homo-erotica... stay for the strong movie it turns into.


Some final thoughts...

I wasn't sure it was possible to be somewhat homo'ed out... but I could very well be reaching that stage... that's an awful lot of gay cinema!

Pretty much all of these movies are, at heart, romances... well, except maybe Otto and Newcastle, but then they still have boy on boy romance as a plot point, even if Newcastle doesn't develop it that much.

But then, romance and drama are just cheaper aren't they... all you need is a room and two people and you're away.

The other thing that I'm regularly surprised by is usually how mediocre a number of these gay movies are in one way or another. There have been a few surprises along the way... but I had to kiss a fair few toads to find the princes. Again, it boils down to a lot of them being "independent" movies... and as a general rule independent movies are often a mixed bag as far as acting, story and overall quality are concerned.

Without doubt, Big Eden has been the best movie of the bunch... but I think Newcastle is second, but as I said, I don't know how "gay" it really is. Trick is probably somewhat further back in third place, even if I did want to punch Tori Spelling in the face whenever she appeared on screen (mostly that was about the character... mostly). Yossi and Jagger was good too, but it was very, very short.

Now I have three days to seriously mainline Christmas movies...

Current Mood:

unconscious mutterings 412

I bought an "Ultra Lounge" Christmas Cocktails CD today... so cheesy... so Christmasy... so fab... the first song... "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Mambo". They also had Volume 2... I may have to go back...

You dig Daddy-O?

All the goodies were well received... although by the time I got to work, distributed them all and printed out the little index images, I was kinda ready to go home again...

Unconscious Mutterings...
  1. Charts :: Top of the
  2. Best moment of 2010? :: The Fringe Festival back in February/March... not one particular moment, but definitely an experience
  3. Checkered :: History
  4. Glass :: Jaw
  5. Resolve? :: Walk
  6. Expensive :: Eveything
  7. Humongous :: *Waggles eyebrows suggestively*
  8. Scent :: Sandalwood
  9. Trashy :: Novel
  10. Candles :: Glow
Current Mood:

our christmas goodies

It has been a very, very, very, very long day... but as with Trimming the Tree before it, a much better organised day for the most part.

I was up this morning at some seemingly ungodly hour to incredibly Winter-eske weather... but that was fine, because there is nothing worse than trying to work with warm chocolate and whatnot on a hot day...

I was down at Ma's by about 8am give or take... and it was pretty much on like Donkey Kong from that point. I started with my Rocky Road (woohoo), and then did pretty much all the prep work... mixed the dry ingredients, soaked all the dried fruit in booze (trying something new this year), washed and dried things over and over and over and over (I swear, I cleaned the food processor no less than 6 times)... and Ma made the balls... at least until I ran out of prep, then I started on balls.

We got all that part done by about noon, had some lunch, then started on the chocolate dippage and decoration... but we were pretty much done by about 4:30 give or take.

Which all makes it sound easy... but it's exausting, tiring work. But really, the end result is totally worth it, even if I hardly eat any of it (bar my Rocky Road obviously).

I also Twittered the beginning, middle and end of the process.

Once we'd had a little bit of dinner we then had to box up all the goodies I take for people at work... which is 11... plus one for Tink on Friday... so an even dozen. And it's not just the little boxes of goodies, it's also little bags with a couple of Ham Hearts and a couple of Mince Tarts in them...

But I do love the reaction when people see them...

And I'm going to reveal the magic this year and include the recipes...

This is how you do it (more or less... I generally double the booze components... well, at least double)...

Rum Balls

1 tin condensed milk
1 packet crushed plain biscuits
1 cup desiccated coconut
½ cup chopped sultanas
2 tbls rum
2 tbls cocoa
chocolate sprinkles (to coat)

Combine rum and condensed milk, add to dry ingredients. Form into balls and roll in chocolate sprinkles (or additional desiccated coconut).


Chocolate Balls

In saucepan, combine:

1½ cups white sugar
125g (4oz) butter
3 tbls cocoa
½ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Allow to boil, remove from the heat and add:

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup toasted muesli
1 cup desiccated coconut

Allow to cool, roll into small balls then roll in extra coconut.


Sherry Truffles

1 tbls cocoa
¾ cup sultanas
2 tbls chopped Glacé cherries
½ cup chopped walnuts
125g crushed sweet biscuits
⅔ cup condensed milk
1 tbls sherry
250g dark chocolate melts
30g Copha
50g milk chocolate melts

Combine condensed milk and sherry, add to dry ingredients (except the chocolate and Copha) and mix well. Roll mixture into small balls and refrigerate 10-15 minutes.

Melt dark chocolate and Copha over double boiler. Dip truffles in chocolate and coat, tap off excess, then place on foil lined tray. Allow to set. Drizzle milk chocolate over the top to decorate.


Hazelnut Delights

1 packet crushed plain biscuits
1 tin condensed milk
⅔ cup Nutella (or any chocolate hazelnut spread)
300g milk chocolate melts
100g roasted hazelnut halves

Combine biscuits, Nutella and condensed milk. Allow mixture to stand for a while until stiff enough to roll into small balls, then refrigerate 10-15 minutes.

Dip balls in chocolate and coat, tap off excess, then place on foil lined tray. Top each ball with hazelnut half. Allow to set.


Macadamia Apricot & White Chocolate Truffles

½ cup chopped dried apricots
2 tbls brandy
550g white chocolate melts
30g butter
½ cup condensed milk
60g chopped macadamia nuts
½ cup desiccated coconut
silver dragée (decorating balls)

Combine chopped apricots and brandy, cover and stand for 30 minutes. Combine 300g white chocolate melts and butter in a pan, stir over low heat until melted. Combine condensed milk, desiccated coconut, macadamia nuts and apricot mixture into a bowl, add chocolate mixture and stir well. Place in wide bowl and refrigerate for an hour.

Roll mixture into small balls and refrigerate 10-15 minutes.

Melt remaining white chocolate. Dip balls in chocolate and coat, tap off excess, then place on foil lined tray. Top each ball with silver dragée. Allow to set and store in refrigerator.


Mini Chocolate Puddings

350g Christmas pudding
200g dark chocolate melts
75g white chocolate melts
red mini M&Ms
small green candies (holly or tree shaped if possible)

Roll pudding into medium sized balls. Melt dark chocolate. Dip balls in chocolate and coat, tap off excess, then place on foil lined tray and refrigerate 10-15 minutes.

Melt white chocolate and pipe small amount on the top of each ball. Top each ball with red mini M&M and two small green candies. Allow to set.


Peppermint Ice Balls

2 cups icing sugar
¼ tsp cream of tartar
1 can condensed milk
½ peppermint essence
3½ cups desiccated coconut
40g dark chocolate melts (to decorate)

Combine condensed milk and peppermint essence, add to dry ingredients and mix well. Roll mixture into small balls and refrigerate 10-15 minutes.

Melt dark chocolate and sprinkle over balls randomly. Allow to set.

Current Mood:

last shopping saturday for the year

that's quite a christmas stocking you've got there sir!Outside the snow is falling
and friends are calling 'Yoo hoo',
Come on, it's lovely weather
for a sleigh ride together with you.


Okay, so there's not actual snow... but there was rain this morning... rain, the week before Christmas... what's up with that.

Anyway, it's the last weekend before Christmas, tomorrow is our Annual Goodie Making, so I was left to my own devices today. And I managed to get a bunch of stuff done, and still be home by about 1:30...

So a fairly productive day all up.

I started off as usual at the supermarket, didn't quite manage to get there before it opened, but I think they'd quite literally just opened right before I rocked up, so that wasn't so bad.

Part of me is a little concerned about the fact that since Christmas falls on a weekend this year, so the shops don't open again until Wednesday, so I'm going to end up with no food in my house. Of course that's a complete exaggeration, plus I can always go other places and pick up milk and whatnot, but still...

Anyway... after getting stuck behind a slow old lady in the checkout line (which wasn't helped by the fact that the check out boy was also slow), I wandered around Red Circle Boutique and found Scott Pilgrim on DVD for $20! Woohoo! Of course, I discovered later in the day that there is also a two disc edition with twice as much footage on it... but you get that...

After stopping off briefly to unpack, I headed down to Marion. I fully expected it to be complete and total chaos and thought that I'd have to drive around and around looking for a carpark, but it turned out to be reasonably civilised. Well, in the carpark anyway... the mall itself was a little nuts.

The Universe was kinda looking after me this morning to be honest... as I was leaving the supermarket I found $5 on the floor, I got a carpark at Marion with pretty much no effort... and when I popped into the Oroton store to ask them about their giant toy soldiers in the window, I walked out with a free toy soldier sticker...

So not massive important stuff... but sometimes all you need is the little stuff to make you feel like you're winning.

Other than that I probably could have saved my time and energy and just stayed home (the sticker was probably worth the trip though).

After stopping off for a Boost Juice I headed home around noon, but came back via the Christmas Shop... yeah, dangerous I know... but they really didn't have anything remotely interesting... they had a few new things, but they were Nutcrackers... or in the wrong colour.

So that was essentially my last Shopping Saturday for the year!

Current Mood: