Me: "Do you want to come in the car to the bank with Mummy?"
E: "Yes."
Me: "Great, we'll go to the bank then we'll get some fish for dinner, OK?"
(long pause)
E: "But Mum, where are the fishing rods?"
Err...
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Voting with my feet
I'm feeling all righteous. This week I've made some small changes that are of quite large significance to me (though possibly not to anyone else).
In the past week I have:
* Closed the bank account I have had since kindergarten. Which Bank? Yes, that one (of course). Having been a customer of the Commonwealth Bank from the days when my pocket money was 20c I've been through many ups and downs with them. On the whole the service is ... lacking, but never appallingly so.
No, the issue for me runs deeper than that. A few months ago I was writing a feature that led to me interviewing a fairly prominent businessperson with excellent environmental credentials. We were talking about corporate cultures and how some will never change to be more environmentally responsible. It was she who sowed the seed when she said, "When you talk to anyone from the Commonwealth Bank you can just tell they're never going to change."
So I did a little research of my own.
It appears she is right.
Just how 'green' any bank can be is kind of debatable, but I expect some corporate responsibility from an institution that deals with my savings. The more I looked into it, the more I realised that this bank is appalling ... and the powers that be ought to hang their head in shame.
Today I went into my local branch and asked to close the account. They naturally asked why and I told them - and they actually said this to me: "Ooh, I wouldn't be leaving this bank right now with all the financial instability. This is the best bank for keeping your money safe."
So if I wasn't enraged enough by their temerity last week, when they bought BankWest after crying poor and not handing on a full interest cut, I certainly was by today's little piece of fear-mongering.
Good riddance to them! I feel cleaner (and greener) already.
* Cancelled a too-good-to-be-true Telstra contract. Yes, we had one of those sales people come to our door telling us we were a "high-priority customer" Telstra wanted to woo back from Optus. The guy offered us an incredible deal: national calls capped at a dollar, lots of extras, a credit on our first bill, this kind of thing...
So we signed it.
But we had reservations from the start, because the modem for our cable broadband had to be replaced with a wireless one, which sounds less appealing. It's hard to work your way through all the various providers and plans and bundles, as almost all have something you want but none have everything you want.
Then last week there was an article in the Sydney Morning Herald that said Telstra's sales group TSA, the group employing the guy who came to our house, had been allegedly harassing potential customers, being really pushy and promising anything and everything knowing full well they couldn't deliver on it.
Which got me thinking. There is no way I wish to financially reward, or be associated in any way at all, with a company that employs bullies and condones bullying behaviour.
So on Day 9 of the 10-day cooling-off period I cancelled that contract and told Telstra exactly why.
* I switched my electricity to Jack Green. I've been looking forward to doing this. Our contract for supply ended a fortnight ago, so the time was right. I still can't forgive Energy Australia for the time, about two years ago, when it was revealed that customers who thought they were on 100% green power were actually not. I have a sneaking suspicion we were among them because when this hit the media I rang Energy Australia and asked to speak to someone about whether or not we were actually signed up for 100% green power (as the paperwork in front of me said). They fobbed me off to their "Contracts" department and of course there was never a phone call back or a letter.
So now I am no longer a customer.
Oh, it feels so good!
In the past week I have:
* Closed the bank account I have had since kindergarten. Which Bank? Yes, that one (of course). Having been a customer of the Commonwealth Bank from the days when my pocket money was 20c I've been through many ups and downs with them. On the whole the service is ... lacking, but never appallingly so.
No, the issue for me runs deeper than that. A few months ago I was writing a feature that led to me interviewing a fairly prominent businessperson with excellent environmental credentials. We were talking about corporate cultures and how some will never change to be more environmentally responsible. It was she who sowed the seed when she said, "When you talk to anyone from the Commonwealth Bank you can just tell they're never going to change."
So I did a little research of my own.
It appears she is right.
Just how 'green' any bank can be is kind of debatable, but I expect some corporate responsibility from an institution that deals with my savings. The more I looked into it, the more I realised that this bank is appalling ... and the powers that be ought to hang their head in shame.
Today I went into my local branch and asked to close the account. They naturally asked why and I told them - and they actually said this to me: "Ooh, I wouldn't be leaving this bank right now with all the financial instability. This is the best bank for keeping your money safe."
So if I wasn't enraged enough by their temerity last week, when they bought BankWest after crying poor and not handing on a full interest cut, I certainly was by today's little piece of fear-mongering.
Good riddance to them! I feel cleaner (and greener) already.
* Cancelled a too-good-to-be-true Telstra contract. Yes, we had one of those sales people come to our door telling us we were a "high-priority customer" Telstra wanted to woo back from Optus. The guy offered us an incredible deal: national calls capped at a dollar, lots of extras, a credit on our first bill, this kind of thing...
So we signed it.
But we had reservations from the start, because the modem for our cable broadband had to be replaced with a wireless one, which sounds less appealing. It's hard to work your way through all the various providers and plans and bundles, as almost all have something you want but none have everything you want.
Then last week there was an article in the Sydney Morning Herald that said Telstra's sales group TSA, the group employing the guy who came to our house, had been allegedly harassing potential customers, being really pushy and promising anything and everything knowing full well they couldn't deliver on it.
Which got me thinking. There is no way I wish to financially reward, or be associated in any way at all, with a company that employs bullies and condones bullying behaviour.
So on Day 9 of the 10-day cooling-off period I cancelled that contract and told Telstra exactly why.
* I switched my electricity to Jack Green. I've been looking forward to doing this. Our contract for supply ended a fortnight ago, so the time was right. I still can't forgive Energy Australia for the time, about two years ago, when it was revealed that customers who thought they were on 100% green power were actually not. I have a sneaking suspicion we were among them because when this hit the media I rang Energy Australia and asked to speak to someone about whether or not we were actually signed up for 100% green power (as the paperwork in front of me said). They fobbed me off to their "Contracts" department and of course there was never a phone call back or a letter.
So now I am no longer a customer.
Oh, it feels so good!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Behold the Bokashi!
I think I am in love with my Bokashi bucket. In case you've not heard of it, Bokashi is a kitchen composting system, where you chuck all your food scraps into an airtight bucket, sprinkle a handful of this micro-organism (not as icky as it sounds - it's like handling wheat bran) and it ferments. After it's fermented (it's far nicer than your usual compost, such smells like pickles), you bury it. The idea is that your food scraps break down and become a rather ace soil conditioner.
Boy, does it work.
I present, for your enlightenment, Exhibit A: tomato seedlings of (pretty much) the same size, planted on the same day, watered the same amount, receiving the same amount of sunshine.
The tomato plant on the left is planted in soil that hasn't had the Bokashi treatment; the specimen on the right is lovin' the Bokashi-enhanced soil.
This stuff is amazing.
However, if you are going to rush out and buy a Bokashi bucket, please buy the orginal Bokashi bucket, which is sold by a family in Marrickville who have put lots of work into building the product up and showing at organic markets etc, etc.
Last week I got a press release from Bunnings announcing that they were selling bokashi systems ... of course at an undercut price (about $30 less for the bucket, I think). And probably made in China. Don't do it, support a small business!
**
A completely unrelated question: is this child exploitation?
Boy, does it work.
I present, for your enlightenment, Exhibit A: tomato seedlings of (pretty much) the same size, planted on the same day, watered the same amount, receiving the same amount of sunshine.
The tomato plant on the left is planted in soil that hasn't had the Bokashi treatment; the specimen on the right is lovin' the Bokashi-enhanced soil.
This stuff is amazing.
However, if you are going to rush out and buy a Bokashi bucket, please buy the orginal Bokashi bucket, which is sold by a family in Marrickville who have put lots of work into building the product up and showing at organic markets etc, etc.
Last week I got a press release from Bunnings announcing that they were selling bokashi systems ... of course at an undercut price (about $30 less for the bucket, I think). And probably made in China. Don't do it, support a small business!
**
A completely unrelated question: is this child exploitation?
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Snip, snip
Something rather momentous happened this morning: my son had his first haircut.
Well ... not really a haircut as such, since it's that fine, wispy, ultra-blonde baby hair and there's still not enough for a full haircut. It certainly hadn't grown down into his eyes or over his ears or anything like that. I had my own hair done and the hairdresser simply snipped the longish bits of E's hair in 3-4 places.
It looks far better (neater) ... but it's yet another of those markers, isn't it? That he's not a baby any more.
Indeed he's not. He's three years and two months.
Just hope his dad doesn't notice, because he expressly forbade me to cut E's hair. He wanted it to get longer all over before we snipped it. I personally thought it was starting to look weird, with all these random comb-over bits.
The beauty of this is that he'll never realise I actually had E's hair trimmed ... because blokes never notice haircuits - do they?!!
Well ... not really a haircut as such, since it's that fine, wispy, ultra-blonde baby hair and there's still not enough for a full haircut. It certainly hadn't grown down into his eyes or over his ears or anything like that. I had my own hair done and the hairdresser simply snipped the longish bits of E's hair in 3-4 places.
It looks far better (neater) ... but it's yet another of those markers, isn't it? That he's not a baby any more.
Indeed he's not. He's three years and two months.
Just hope his dad doesn't notice, because he expressly forbade me to cut E's hair. He wanted it to get longer all over before we snipped it. I personally thought it was starting to look weird, with all these random comb-over bits.
The beauty of this is that he'll never realise I actually had E's hair trimmed ... because blokes never notice haircuits - do they?!!
Monday, September 29, 2008
There are consolations...
When we moved from our little tiny house in the inner city out to a suburb on the edge of Sydney's inner west we missed many things. Like being able to walk to groovy cafes, to convenience stores, to bottle shops, doctor's surgeries and delis. In fact, when we first moved there three and a half years ago, I hated it.
But only for a few weeks (and possibly because my veins coursed with pregnancy hormones).
We are now a 20-minute walk from the supermarket and a 40-minute walk from Marrickville (which has, by the way, the BEST shopping street in Sydney) and Earlwood. This morning E and I walked to Marrickville for a coffee and back.
Anyhow, we are further away from everything. But once a year we celebrate our new location with a stein (or two) of beautiful, icy German beer. Because one of the few watering holes we're in walking (stumbling?) distance of is the Concordia German Club (a gloriously un-gentrified former bowling club that's now a croquet club).
Yes, it's Oktoberfest time again.
E was excited to go to the "party" because there was a Nemo bouncy castle. But within two seconds he was in floods of tears and wanting to get off because there were "too many kids". Which was probably true.
So instead we convinced him to play a really cool game: it's called "run to the flagpole and back so Mum and Dad can have a few seconds to drink in peace". He was totally into it.
He also loves the German oompapa music - who doesn't?
And the great news: it's on again next weekend.
But only for a few weeks (and possibly because my veins coursed with pregnancy hormones).
We are now a 20-minute walk from the supermarket and a 40-minute walk from Marrickville (which has, by the way, the BEST shopping street in Sydney) and Earlwood. This morning E and I walked to Marrickville for a coffee and back.
Anyhow, we are further away from everything. But once a year we celebrate our new location with a stein (or two) of beautiful, icy German beer. Because one of the few watering holes we're in walking (stumbling?) distance of is the Concordia German Club (a gloriously un-gentrified former bowling club that's now a croquet club).
Yes, it's Oktoberfest time again.
E was excited to go to the "party" because there was a Nemo bouncy castle. But within two seconds he was in floods of tears and wanting to get off because there were "too many kids". Which was probably true.
So instead we convinced him to play a really cool game: it's called "run to the flagpole and back so Mum and Dad can have a few seconds to drink in peace". He was totally into it.
He also loves the German oompapa music - who doesn't?
And the great news: it's on again next weekend.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
My favourite U2 lines ... well, some of them
Let's do this chronologically, shall we?
An Cat Dubh - Boy
Yes, and I know the truth about you.
For me, this lyric was proof that Bono was in some way otherworldly and that, yes, he did indeed know the truth about me.
October - October
October and kingdoms rise
And kingdoms fall
But you go on
Beautiful. Pure and beautiful. There is so much to love on this album though - it was my fave for a long time.
Rejoice - October
And what am I to do?
Just tell me what am I supposed to say?
I can't change the world
But I can change the world in me
Rejoice.
Rejoice.
I still find these words powerful.
The Refugee - War
In the evening
She is waiting
Waiting for her man to come
And take her by her hand
And take her to this promised land.
I loved The Refugee for its heavy drums, but I dig these lyrics too.
Drowning Man - War
Take my hand
You know I'll be there
If you can
I'll cross the sky for your love.
For I have promised
For to be with you tonight
And for the time that will come.
Gulp. Teary just reading this. It's the intensity of Bono's delivery that gets me every time...
Promenade - The Unforgettable Fire
And I, like a firework, explode.
Roman candle, lightning, lights up the sky.
In cracked streets, trample underfoot.
Side-step, sidewalk.
I see you stare into space.
Have I got closer now, behind the face?
Oh, tell me, Cherry you dance with me
Turn me around tonight
Up through the spiral staircase to the higher ground.
Exquisite.
A Sort of Homecoming - The Unforgettable Fire
And you know it's time to go
Through the sleet and driving snow
Across the fields of mourning to a light that's in the distance.
The Unforgettable Fire remains my favourite U2 album. I adore its quiet beauty. And with this as its opening lines it probably will always remain at the top of my pops...
Running to Stand Still - The Joshua Tree
And so she woke up
Woke up from where she was lyin' still.
The Joshua Tree is a technically masterful album and I LOVE it, but it's not in my top three. This song, however, gives me shivers every time.
Trip Through Your Wires - The Joshua Tree
You, I'm waiting for you
You, you set my desire
I trip through your wires.
Passion perfectly expressed.
Hawkmoon 269 - Rattle & Hum
Like a rhythm unbroken
Like drums in the night
Like sweet soul music
Like sunlight
I need your love.
An underrated song - but another that I will love forever.
Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around The World - Achtung Baby
Sunrise like a nose-bleed, your head hurts and you can't breathe
You been tryin' to throw your arms around the world.
How far are you gonna go before you lose your way back home
You been tryin' to throw your arms around the world.
The entire album is sensational, but this ... this is genius. And live? Blows me away.
Stay - Zooropa
And, if you listen, I can't call.
And, if you jump, you just might fall.
And, if you shout, I'll only hear you.
If I could stay, then the night would give you up.
Stay, and the day would keep its trust.
Stay with the demons you drowned.
Stay with the spirit I found.
Stay, and the night would be enough.
A pretty song.
Do You Feel Loved - Pop
Take the colours of my imagination
Take the scent hanging in the air
Take this tangle of a conversation
Turn it into your own prayer.
With my fingers as you want them
With my nails under your hide
With my teeth at your back
And my tongue to tell you the sweetest lies.
Having said The Unforgettable Fire is my favourite album, I'm realising Pop runs a very, very close second. Equal first, even.
God, I LOVE this song.
I could listen to it over and over and over...
If You Wear That Velvet Dress - Pop
Tonight, the moon is playing tricks again
I'm feeling seasick again.
The whole world could just dissolve
Into a glass of water.
Sheer loveliness. Unbelievable live.
Stuck In a Moment - All That You Can't Leave Behind
I will not forsake, the colours that you bring
But the nights you filled with fireworks
They left you with nothing
I am still enchanted by the light you brought to me
I still listen through your ears, and through your eyes I can see
Oh Bono... swoon.
Vertigo - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Your love is teaching me how
How to kneel
Succinctly spiritual. What else is there to say? This cannot be bettered.
Miracle Drug - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
The songs are in your eyes
I see them when you smile
I’ve had enough I’m not giving up
On a miracle drug
Of science and the human heart
There is no limit
There is no failure here sweetheart
Just when you quit…
I am you and you are mine
Love makes nonsense of space
And time… will disappear
Love and logic keep us clear
Brings tears to the eyes every single time I hear it. Incredible.
Right. I'm off to put a couple of songs on before the little tacker wakes and demands The Wiggles...
An Cat Dubh - Boy
Yes, and I know the truth about you.
For me, this lyric was proof that Bono was in some way otherworldly and that, yes, he did indeed know the truth about me.
October - October
October and kingdoms rise
And kingdoms fall
But you go on
Beautiful. Pure and beautiful. There is so much to love on this album though - it was my fave for a long time.
Rejoice - October
And what am I to do?
Just tell me what am I supposed to say?
I can't change the world
But I can change the world in me
Rejoice.
Rejoice.
I still find these words powerful.
The Refugee - War
In the evening
She is waiting
Waiting for her man to come
And take her by her hand
And take her to this promised land.
I loved The Refugee for its heavy drums, but I dig these lyrics too.
Drowning Man - War
Take my hand
You know I'll be there
If you can
I'll cross the sky for your love.
For I have promised
For to be with you tonight
And for the time that will come.
Gulp. Teary just reading this. It's the intensity of Bono's delivery that gets me every time...
Promenade - The Unforgettable Fire
And I, like a firework, explode.
Roman candle, lightning, lights up the sky.
In cracked streets, trample underfoot.
Side-step, sidewalk.
I see you stare into space.
Have I got closer now, behind the face?
Oh, tell me, Cherry you dance with me
Turn me around tonight
Up through the spiral staircase to the higher ground.
Exquisite.
A Sort of Homecoming - The Unforgettable Fire
And you know it's time to go
Through the sleet and driving snow
Across the fields of mourning to a light that's in the distance.
The Unforgettable Fire remains my favourite U2 album. I adore its quiet beauty. And with this as its opening lines it probably will always remain at the top of my pops...
Running to Stand Still - The Joshua Tree
And so she woke up
Woke up from where she was lyin' still.
The Joshua Tree is a technically masterful album and I LOVE it, but it's not in my top three. This song, however, gives me shivers every time.
Trip Through Your Wires - The Joshua Tree
You, I'm waiting for you
You, you set my desire
I trip through your wires.
Passion perfectly expressed.
Hawkmoon 269 - Rattle & Hum
Like a rhythm unbroken
Like drums in the night
Like sweet soul music
Like sunlight
I need your love.
An underrated song - but another that I will love forever.
Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around The World - Achtung Baby
Sunrise like a nose-bleed, your head hurts and you can't breathe
You been tryin' to throw your arms around the world.
How far are you gonna go before you lose your way back home
You been tryin' to throw your arms around the world.
The entire album is sensational, but this ... this is genius. And live? Blows me away.
Stay - Zooropa
And, if you listen, I can't call.
And, if you jump, you just might fall.
And, if you shout, I'll only hear you.
If I could stay, then the night would give you up.
Stay, and the day would keep its trust.
Stay with the demons you drowned.
Stay with the spirit I found.
Stay, and the night would be enough.
A pretty song.
Do You Feel Loved - Pop
Take the colours of my imagination
Take the scent hanging in the air
Take this tangle of a conversation
Turn it into your own prayer.
With my fingers as you want them
With my nails under your hide
With my teeth at your back
And my tongue to tell you the sweetest lies.
Having said The Unforgettable Fire is my favourite album, I'm realising Pop runs a very, very close second. Equal first, even.
God, I LOVE this song.
I could listen to it over and over and over...
If You Wear That Velvet Dress - Pop
Tonight, the moon is playing tricks again
I'm feeling seasick again.
The whole world could just dissolve
Into a glass of water.
Sheer loveliness. Unbelievable live.
Stuck In a Moment - All That You Can't Leave Behind
I will not forsake, the colours that you bring
But the nights you filled with fireworks
They left you with nothing
I am still enchanted by the light you brought to me
I still listen through your ears, and through your eyes I can see
Oh Bono... swoon.
Vertigo - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Your love is teaching me how
How to kneel
Succinctly spiritual. What else is there to say? This cannot be bettered.
Miracle Drug - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
The songs are in your eyes
I see them when you smile
I’ve had enough I’m not giving up
On a miracle drug
Of science and the human heart
There is no limit
There is no failure here sweetheart
Just when you quit…
I am you and you are mine
Love makes nonsense of space
And time… will disappear
Love and logic keep us clear
Brings tears to the eyes every single time I hear it. Incredible.
Right. I'm off to put a couple of songs on before the little tacker wakes and demands The Wiggles...
Monday, September 22, 2008
Choc face
It's been one of those days where nothing has been going right. What possessed me to give the child a chocolate cupcake to eat in the car seat, I'm not sure, but when I turned around to see this...
...I swear I nearly snapped.
(It's OK, I can see the funny side now)
...I swear I nearly snapped.
(It's OK, I can see the funny side now)
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