in praise of libraries
I love libraries.
At my local libraries (Fairfield and Nortchote) they have lots of books and DVDs and all sorts of things. Today I borrowed Series One of Deadwood, a book about permaculture, and a book of Aesop’s fables.
If something you want to borrow is at one of the neighbourhood libraries they will deliver it to your local library the next day.
If someone has borrowed something and you want it next you can reserve it and they email you when it’s available. They also email you when it’s time to bring your books back.
You can look at all their catalouges, check availability and reserve things on the web. I think you can even extend a loan online.
The librarians are very friendly. Today the librarian let me borrow the 3 Deadwood DVDs even though I already had 3 other DVDs at home. I thought that was really nice of him because I didn’t know you were only supposed to borrow 5 DVDs at a time.
It is all FREE. (Well you have to pay $1 if you reserve something but that’s not very much and you only have to pay if you still want it when it’s available).
Why can’t public transport be more like libraries?
PS. These are some of my favourite libraries:
Fairfield and Northcote libraries
The Baillieu library
Rotterdam library (an odd choice perhaps but I spent many happy hours and read my first Patrick White novel there).
PPS. Someone pointed out the other day that it is hard to think of any famous librarians. Here are a few:
- Casanova
- Laura Bush
- Marcel Duchamp
- Mao Tse-Tung
- J Edgar Hoover
- Karl Marx
- Barbara ‘Babs’ Gordon (Batgirl)
- Ben (my friend)
three into seven
In addition to studying for a Dip Ed this year, I’ve also started a part-time course in Steiner Education. This term we’re doing painting (as well as lectures, reading and stuff).
Here is my painting from the first week’s exercise.
You start with a blank white sheet of paper. So full of potential, yet also vaguely intimidating. Come on. Show me what you’ve got.
A band of yellow splashes across the middle third. At Steiner schools the children paint on wet paper, encouraging them to learn to paint rather than draw with paint. The paint bleeds into the paper and often the painting changes a lot as it dries.
Red on the top third.
Then blue across the bottom.
At this point if you tilt your head to one side it looks like a flag, possibly for a small central American or Caribbean country.
When the yellow is taken up into the red some softness and texture starts to emerge. And more depth when the blue is brought up into the yellow.
Sunset, a lake, a landscape.
I am happy to leave it there, the blue is open and inviting.
Others add red to the bottom of the painting, completing the cycle and the spectrum.
An open letter to Ivan Basso
Dear Ivan Basso,
I have watched you compete in the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and “got to know you a little” in Overcoming.
You are one of my favourite cyclists. Not because of your talent but because you are such a gentleman. Like the time you won a stage of the Giro holding a picture of your newly born child or the time you called Lance for advice when your mother was diagnosed with cancer. Sensitive and vulnerable actions like those are rarely seen in professional sport and never seen in Australia. Consequently you won me as a fan.
You were the leader of the world’s best cycling team and had several years of dominance to come. With Lance gone you had a few yellow jerseys waiting for you in Paris.
So why did you get into blood doping? Why? Why? Why!
I understand the reasons must be varied and almost justifiable. Nothing is ever black and white. The pressure put on your shoulders must have been immense and I guess it only takes one moment of weakness to make you a doper.
Maybe you are not such a gentleman after all? Maybe you just have good PR skills? Its a cliché but I don’t know what to believe anymore. Infact drugs in cycling is getting rather boring.
I don’t believe a super star like you has to justify his actions to the “ordinary” man. What you do is your choice and yours alone.
Having said that… fuck you and every other sports person who takes drugs!
Regards,
Ben
P.S. I still like you and really hope you do you time and come back and win some races. Hopefully a team good enough for your talent will want to work for you… but I doubt it.
missing pumpkin
MISSING - One large green pumpkin (Like the one pictured below*)
Last seen in our garden on the 30th of April.
Much loved and missed, we had been nurturing and caring for our pumpkin for months. Our pumpkin was happy and has never disappeared like this before. We fear foul play.
We would be grateful for any information regarding our pumpkin’s whereabouts or wellbeing. Reward by negotiation ($/kg).
The missing pumpkin does not have a face.
101 things to do with a $5
1. Fix a slashed tyre on a bike
It seems that the 1988 decision to produce Australian currency in polymer instead of on paper has provided the nation’s citizens with more than indestructible rainbow coloured cash.
Cyclists take note: the $5 is a handy addition to your puncture repair kit.
On a recent rail trail it seemed my luck had run out when puncture number two announced itself with a loud hiss on the homeward stretch. A little ingenuity was needed to protect the tube from foreign (pointy) objects that would make their way in via the gaping hole in my 3-year-old tyres.
Mr Toured-Tibet-On-Two-Wheels suggested using a $5 note as a lining/barrier between the tube and the outside world, a great idea that lasted at least 30 kilometres and was still going strong when I retired the tyres for a shiny new set of Schwalbe marathon tyres (thanks for the recommendation Mr I-Conquered-Alpe-d’Huez).
Calling for other unexpected uses for a $5 (keep it nice).
Alan Jones is a…
