I mightn’t have won any Qantas Awards this week (not entering them tends to be something of a setback in that regard), but I must admit being slightly chuffed when a friend emailed today to tell me I’d been quoted in National Radio’s Mediawatch programme. And not because of my day job, but as a blogger, talking about media hype over dog attacks.
Mediawatch no less. Lock up your daughters, Cracker has arrived.
The funniest thing is that they got someone to pretend to be me when they read bits of my blog out. Which is flattering 'n' all, but I have to say, if there’s a next time could they perhaps get someone a little younger sounding? Hell, if I'm available I'll do it myself, I'm sure I could do a pretty good impression of someone trying to sound like me.
Speaking of National Radio, and I do love it so, one of the smartest thing I’ve heard anyone say about the whole boy racer party car deaths teenagers in crisis tragedy thing was on Morning Report yesterday, from an 18 year old called Josh who attended the Celia Lashlie hootenanny:
I thought they way they blamed like cellphones and cars, the utensils for people’s actions rather than the actions themselves, yeah the cellphone’s the means for getting the message across but its still the people’s actions, what they do with the message rather than the message itself that’s to blame.
Out of the mouths of babes (well, an 18 year old, and as it was a radio report, I have no way of evaluating his babe-status) it sounds screamingly obvious, but yes, while a number of the adults are running around blaming newfangled technology they clearly haven’t come to terms with, the problem is much simpler, and far from new. It's the kids themselves.
When Scott Finn was killed at an illegal street race, his father Shaun joined in calls to clamp down on such activities. However speaking on the radio, he said he knew his son regularly attended these races and often came home and told him what went on there. I know 18 year olds can be a law unto themselves, but it sounds a lot like he was tacitly condoning his son’s involvement prior to his death, doesn’t it?
On a lighter note, and I have previously mentioned this in The System but thought it worthy of repeating, I was giggling for days after heading to the gym last week.
There’s this young lady who works there, friendly and pretty, always talkative. So when I turned up to the reception the other day, we did the hi, hello, how’s your day been, fine thanks and so forth, while I was rifling through my wallet trying to find my gym membership card for her to scan. Eftpos card, nope… credit card… nope… Foodtown card, nope… as I found my gym card I exclaimed “God, we have so many cards these days don’t we?”
“Yeah” she agreed, “poor trees…”
Finally, a few links for pure entertainment value.
Perhaps if this woman changed her book about horses saying no to drugs to horses saying no to boy racing she could sell a bunch to hysterical parents around the country.
Warning: The theme to Planet Unicorn will create an earworm. Which is okay, as long as you don’t mind wandering the streets loudly singing about a planet full of unicorns. (hat tip - Katie)
Also, I very much like the song Lay Your Head Down by Keren Ann. It’s simple, but nice in that Mazzy Star kinda way, and probably great for winter snuggling.
If you’re not watching Planet Earth on Prime on Sunday nights at 8.30pm, then what the hell are you doing? The episode on shallow seas last Sunday was one of the coolest hours of television I’ve ever seen, cooler than if you put the Fonz in a freezer.
However from that episode, the prize for Gayest. Animal. Ever. must go to the Pygmy Seahorse. Not only is it about 2cm long and two tones of pink, but the two males fighting for territory is possibly the most effete form of aggression I have ever witnessed.
(NB: Do not watch all of Planet Earth on YouTube. You will miss the entire point of its hi-def slow mo greatness).