I finished my first book!

Be happy for me!

As part of this fifty-book craze, i'm gonna do little reviews, to a) get me in shape and b) Because it's what I saw someone else do, and I am shamelessly aping it. Speaking of apes, I saw part of Planet of the Apes. Hi-larious. We have to see it sometime.

Damn you, you dirty stinking apes!

1. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt.

This is a odd little book. I've heard commendations of this before, mostly in pop-culture filler trash, and most recently in Zz's booklist. I learnt there's a movie as well. I can't remember exactly, but I think the guy has done something recently as well. Anyway, here's a small synopsis of the book: It's about a town. Not just any town, but a specific town. Called Savannah.

Savannah is effectively in the Deep South, but it's become all weird and, not quite gentrified, just...dotty. Berendt does a good job of both getting and showcasing the odd characters around the town; the scientist with the deadly poison, the drag queen, the antique dealer, the grandiose houses. He manages to make it interesting without glorifying. Being a magazine writer helps.

There is effectively no plot: you read through about half the book just learning about the oddballs who live here. The only 'major' plot point as such involves a protracted murder trial involving the above antique dealer. The thing is, the characters themselves are so interesting, and writing smooth enough, the book doesn't really tend to bog down. There is plenty of asides, distractions, commentary, but essentially, works. He's convinced me enough to visit this place at least. Berendt himself put it best: the town is like a luxuriant glasshouse, tended by an indulgent gardener, so that the ordinary became extraordinary, and that the oddball eccentrics tended to survive. It's a good read. Lots of nifty facts, and I didn't realise how important this town is. Whitney invented the cotton gin there damn it! I love those things. Can't get enough of them. Ginny.

I might just update this post as I go along, possibly quite like some form of...say, a progress report. If the post gets too big, i'll break it up, yadda yadda yadda etc etc. Now go read.

It's been a double post day

And so here I go.

After my period of momentary depression today morning at the loss of socks (Yes, it IS that serious), I got ready, much much later than I was supposed to.

Anyway, my mum is so paranoid. She doesn't like me picking up stuff from people i've bought from cause she believes it too dangerous. This is laughable for its surface value, but it gets absolutely hilarious as this story progresses.

Machiavelli was right. Fortune controls about half your life; the other half is your decisions. What I learnt today is that I need a refresher course in how to read street numbers, and that I really should eat. Anything at all.

On with the story. I left house much later than I expected to, and it was basically four when I left for the city, which is where I've picking up the goods. This was bad. I should have left earlier, when I was going to a place that I barely knew and for what was going to be an extended trip.

So I left, got to Central Station and...I got lost. I kinda sorta forgot that street numbers have a system to them; which is why seeing 803-815 on the one side of the street made my think the person I needed to see was inside the Country Comfort hotel. I go inside, ask the dude at the desk, and he mentions: "812 would be on the other side of the street (doofus*)" Oh right.

*He didn't actually say this, but I imagine he would have.

So went to other side of the street, and then after wandering in and out of the vagaries of Central Station, realised that streets don't have to be symmetrical. Oh yeah. When I got to the place I needed to, the guy had left, and I was without games. I probably should have paid more attention to the name; you know, "Christchurch", "St Laurence", etc. The guy apparently works for a church. Which is next door to where he actually works. Oooooookay. I don't particularly think that people who work for a church would be particularly shady. They have God to account for. Now that's a hell of an auditor.

My doubts about the Pharisees aside, I decided to go bookstore hunting. I wanted to find Abbey's which has recieved several (read: 2) celebrity (Crosbie and Office lady, atleast by my standards) endorsements about their Anc. History collection. I was a little tired from not eating enough and it was a hot day, so I went to the bus stop, saw three buses, and thought I could catch one. I was wrong. Missed all three. I took it as a sign.

I started walking up George street to go up the QVB, which is where this famed bookstore was. Along the way, I encountered not less then three (soon to be two, one closes on friday. I'm hurrying back there like there's no next-next-next-next-tomorrow) bookstores; I went into so many bookstores I kinda lost count. I passed the Metro, unsure whether to buy a ticket to BSS. I didn't. But I will tomorrow, cause they ROCK.

I found Abbey's easily, and it's open late too. Nice. Right about next door was another bookstore called Galaxy bookstores, and it specialises in basically what it says. Fantasy, sci-fi, related objects. The most random thing was a Buffy vampire stake; that was kinda retarded. Otherwise, nice enough bookstore.

This was where stuff started getting a little surreal. I got into Town Hall station to go home, and I started getting free shit. A woman (quite forcibly I swear) foisted off on me a Lemon Lime and Bitters (don't cheer, it was diet). Befuddled by this sudden attack, I kinda wandered around looking all confused. I hadn't started drinking the Lemon Lime and Bitters yet, when suddenly they started giving out bottles of ginger beer (SCORE!). Not small bottles either; 750 ml ones. I wanted to trade my 'diet' for the bottle, but she just gave it to me. It wan't entirely full (this doesn't mean I'm an optimist, I just couldn't phrase it properly in the antonym), and this is what led me to my hypothesis.

See, after they gave out all this free shit, they started packing up and leaving. What i'm guessing was that they were giving away free samples of Bundaberg stuff, and they were closing up, and I was just there at the right place at the right time. In retrospect, not much of a hypothesis. Either way, ended up with free drinks. It was worth the train ticket and the not getting stuff.

Greg Proops is insane. He's so damn cool. And incredibly funny. I never knew how engaging he was at stand-up. Yay. That's my story. I have a few errands to run, and hopefully, I will be prepared for everything. Night.

Contrary to belief, knowledge does not bring truth - it brings doubt.

An otherwise low note on a very good day.

There is no greater act than caring, and life is just an exercise in that, from start to finish.

LAN was fun. It really was a very nice way to start the end of the HSC. A good bunch of people, a good bunch of games. Nothing too cohesive, nothing too divisive. It worked out well for the outlay of investment.

I've got my grand master plans set out, and they will be executed with Napoleaonic precision and Caesarion (what is the proper suffix for Caesar? Caesarion was the son of Caesar and Cleopatra) zeal. Even if it doesn't work out, I could always pull a Benedict Arnold and abandon ship. It doesn't make sense to pursue a Pyrrhic victory and die Nathan Hale style.

I have learnt that I need to sleep deprive myself more often. I really am starting to hate certain people whom apparently I am related by blood. By george, blood may be thicker than water, but it's consumption isn't crucial to your life, you throw up after consuming copious amounts of it, and it certainly isn't thicker after mixing to water in a ratio of 6:1. What do these people have against life? I hope they get consumption and die.

Bitterness is a flavour that is too often overlooked. There are plenty of things that can add bitterness to your cuisine: bitter berries, bitter gourd, cyanide, etc. Try some today!

After a while, you really start getting sick of exclamation marks. Seriously.

Now, I am off to encourage and participate in the optimisation of the reallocation of resources that occurs so splendiferously in the capitalist system. Dynamicism and redundancy are two key aspects that is essential to the survival of any system, be it political, financial, economic, religious or philosophical. Meretricians to all.

Not with nuclear arms!

You can't hug your children with nuclear arms.

It's nearly over. I can taste it. It tastes...like stale pudding. And missed opportunities. Speaking of which, that happened today. I saw a book on euthanasia which looked really interesting, but I didn't have any money, and it was only two bucks, I put it down for a sec to get money from my mother, and someone else picked it up. That was annoying. But I bought myself another book to console myself. And pizza. Good pizza.

My parents really aren't that bad. They're quite delicious topped with cilantro. Because it is the spice of kings. And parents.

Yes, this is shifty and deceptive. It's also a bit a of an accident. I forgot about it :P

Overacting = lame.

Night.

I knew it would happen

I did it! I hit the proverbial jackpot!

See, see, Ebay DOES pay off. I managed to snag 2 decent games cheaply! Say it with me now...

WINNAH!!!

The guy lives in Sydney (apparently he works near Central Station) so I am gonna go pick them up! Yayyyyyyy. Even then, the postage rates he offered were really cheap, making it that I don't even have to get up off my seat of victory!

And all it took was hours of my life.

I missed lots of other bargains though :( The economist inside of me (and outside) is crying.

I'm a little too nervous to study for exam(s). It's kinda weird. Safran's new show is awesome! Kinda low key, kinda random. You need a faith lift indeed. That is all.

I hate families.

Walking along in really nice weather, kinda cold, but not too cold, bright yet not sunny, I wanted to go on the swings. Then I saw a family on it. Due to their breeding abilities, they monopolised the swings. Bastards. What about the Scary Loner!? Ever think about them?! I'll show them...In the middle of the night, when they're tired because they've SWUNG SO MUCH AND NOT LET ANYONE ELSE HAVE A GO CAUSE THEY OUTNUMBER THEM, i'll be waiting...Cut off their legs, that's it. How you gonna swing then huh?! HUH?!

That's right...bitch.

I am not studying like the good little beaverbee I should be. I did manage to win two games of Alpha Centauri, and have another vendetta against a specific mission in a game. Greaaat. The memories of Mount Hyjal are still too fresh.

Oh it'll happen one day. You just watch.

I didn't think it would happen to me, but I am actually living in a place that makes me so angry, I feel nauseous. And I gained weight! Woo, 56!

I've started some study. But not much. Today was 'Guy' Fawkes day! (his name was Guido, for gods sake.) Let's all bring down Parliament. Cause if it's one thing that has too high self-esteem, it's Parliament. Yayyyyyy.

The HSC is finishing soon! Just six more hours. I'm counting it down. All the way down. To downtown.