Friday, February 24, 2006

Size doesn't matter, does it?


Well, my little blog has reached over 200 posts and 5000 hits! I'm not sure if this is supposed to make me feel good or bad. How should I measure these things? Is 200 posts in three years a good average? Or maybe it is a sadly pathetic one...

How bout the hit count...should I have more hits than 5000? I don't know!

Kieran Culkin once said, "It's easy to cash out and make a lot of bad movies. I'd rather be dirt-poor on the streets and have done good films."

If I translate that over to my little blog, I should pay more attention to my content than my popularity or mass production. It is good advice that I will take close to heart.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Ode to a gunshot blast

I'm back


After a long weekend visiting long lost relatives I'm back.

This is not to say that I have marvelously interesting things to post, but rather that I have returned from my travels and will endevour to post something in the next little bit...we all hope that the interest level will be significantly better than this post.

Friday, February 17, 2006

Indiana Jones


As an Indiana Jones fan, i feel i can publish this....maybe not completely legally but with a good heart none-the-less....

Thursday, February 16, 2006

my passport my passport, where-for-art thou my passport?

i seek it here,
i seek it there
my mother seeks it everywhere!
is it in hevean?
or is it in hell?
that damned elusive passport?

is it me? do passports just hate me? it seems that every chance they get they take a walkabout on me.

when i find it again, i'm inserting a homing beakon into its back cover!

in all seriousiness, will everyone pray for me to find it very quickly? i'm really sunk if i don't find it soon!

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Pride


The Olympics have struck a cord with me. For the first time, I see how the Olympics can be more than puffed up two year olds challenging eachothers with "I can run faster than you!"

US speed skater, Joey Cheek, won gold on Monday night. He announced that he was going to donate this prize money to Darfur refugees. This shocked me but what shocked me more was his challenge to the sponsors of the Olympics to match his gift. The challenge itself didn't shock me, but to whom it was addressed did. So often I have seen people from the USA assume that if another person is doing what they are, they can afford the same things they can. It was nice to see the challenge was not put to other winners of the Olympics, but rather those who obviously have the money to donate.

Anyway, this is my congratulatory response to Joey Cheek, for winning the gold and making a stand for a country that every nation wants to forget exists!

Monday, February 13, 2006

Just for Chris


I found this cartoon and immediately thought of Chris. No offence Chris, I'm sure that your a good driver. But I remember the first thoughts I had when I began to "regularly" get behind the wheel of a car. I believe they went something like, "I can't really be old enough to be doing this!"

(in my case I probably wasn't. Being a mere child of 15)

Hope


Friedrich Nietzsche once said, "Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torments of man."

George Bernard Shaw said, "He who has never hoped can never despair".

Today I put off paying our immigration agent. Why? Because I'm hoping we won't need him. I"m hoping that a brilliant job will open up in front of me and I'll be whisked away into a life full of happy working days and pockets full of cash.

I fear that the truth will be much more stark. It will be a penniless existence, relying solely on the kindness of friends for survival for the continuing months.

My options are very few. None of them strike me as great.

If I stay in the USA I have the option of continuing work. I will continue to get free room and board, but I will continue to emotionally shrivel up.

If I go to Australia, I will have very little money to survive on, and no hope of getting work (because I'll be a tourist) but i will be able to emotionally breath again.

Dear God, what do I do? I trust that you have a path, but I have yet to find it. Maybe I am walking on it without knowing.

Whatever the case may be, I continue to trust and hope.

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Sexy


Picture 112
Originally uploaded by thielemiester.
how cute is this picture?!

Chris sent it to me...or rather posted it on flickr for all to see. I think it is one of my favourites. I know everyone is constantly saying how silly his hair looks in plats but i like it. Yes, this is definately one of my favourite looks.

Lola Rennt


"Mankind, probably the most mysterious species on our planet. A mystery of open questions. Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? How do we know what we believe to know? Why do we believe anything at all? Innumerable questions looking for an answer, an answer which will raise the next question and the following answer will raise a following question and so on and so forth. But in the end, isn't it always the same question and always the same answer?

A football is round, a game lasts 90 minutes. That's for sure. Anything else is merely hypothetical. Off we go!"


It was these opening lines that set the stage for the beautiful film, Lola Rennt. It is the story of a couple who must obtain 100,000 marks within 20 minutes. The story is told three times each when the one realised that the money or the life they are about to lead is not the one they want. Each time the money is thrown away in favour of their relationship.

For an action film, it just might have more meaning than meets the eye.

More than oops

I recently wrote an article that was based on my own experience. The problem was, "my own" experience drew heavily from someone else's life. The ethical thing to do would have been to contact this person and ask permission to use details of their life in my story. In my own selfishness, I decided not to. Not because I thought they would have denied me permission, but rather it would have taken time and I just couldn't be bothered. Besides, it was going to be published in a magazine that they would never see.

It came as quite a surprise then, when a few weeks later it was published in a DIFFERENT magazine that I was sure this person would come across. All my excuses suddenly fell short in the face of a long friendship that was now threatened.

After this person read the article they were shocked to find that several of the examples I gave did not fit with what they felt happened. Our memories and understanding of events were different. Not only was this embarrassing, I suspect it hurt them that I hadn't paid more attention to the details.

While this person has assured me that they have forgiven me, I am still plagued by guilt.

James says, "confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed". I guess in my posting this, I'm looking for healing. So it is here on my public site that I acknowledge my ethical laps. To the person whom I have betrayed, I am sorry. I am sorry that didn't take the time to check with you. I am sorry that you have now have reason to question my trust. I am sorry....

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

all you want in a hotel room

I suppose, in preparing for a wedding, one is supposed to fantasize about the hooneymoon. well, so here it is, my ulitmate place to stay for the honeymoon! The place is called Anniversary Inn. Only located in the USA (as far as i know) and specialising in unique themed rooms. i thought those of you also planning hooneymoons or just get aways might enjoy fantasizing about these rooms with me;)

Here is the Treasure Island SuitAnd here is Romeo and Juliet Suit

and lastly, the Swiss Family Suit!
Now if only i could find something like this in Oz....

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

clay-mation


fish6
Originally uploaded by narnia_k.
My mother's third and fourth grade class watched Wallace and Gromit. In order to teach them how difficult molding clay is, I helped them make their own clay-mation film. After almost 4 full days of making the models and then snapping pictures, their film was finished. Click on the picture to see the full range of filmatic stills.

thief


thief
Originally uploaded by narnia_k.
i have sworn off children. I've got great reasons for it...mostly biological reasons, but this little boy almost changed my mind. ALMOST. he did not succeed, but he came DAMN close!

i spend less than an hour with him over the weekend but we bonded quite quickly. When it was time for me to leave, he ran to block the door and then tried to follow me out the door when i finaly snuck past.

what a sweetheart!

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Birthday Celebration


In less than 5 days i turn 24...at least i think i'm going to be twenty four....with all my lying about my age online, i'm never as sure as i used to be that my age is accurate.

This year i've determined to do something completely different. I've decided to drive five hours to spend it with my brother. My decision stems from two things.

the first is i spend about as much time with my brother as the pope does with his girlfriend....so i don't ignore him, i just don't get to see him too often.

Secondly, In the past three years, i have not been with my brother to celebrate anything (besides christmas). It would be a rare but favourite treat to spend my 24ish birthday with him.

It is all just too bad that my birthday weekend also falls on Super bowl Weekend.