This will hurt me...

AT this point, the sky in fact appear to be the limit!

Signs on a pole. Napoleon Street, Battery Point. June 2012. I do very much like this poem. Bill Clinton's favourite poet, allegedly... Momma Welfare Roll , Maya Angelou Her arms semaphore fat triangles, Pudgy HANDS bunched on layered hips Where bones idle under years of fatback And lima beans. Her jowls shiver in accusation Of crimes cliched by Repetition. Her children, strangers To childhood's TOYS, play Best the games of darkened doorways, Rooftop tag, and know the slick feel of Other people's property. Too fat to whore, Too mad to work, Searches her dreams for the Lucky sign and walks bare-handed Into a den of bereaucrats for her portion. 'They don't give me welfare. I take it.'

Jen and Hen audition for the circus. Unfortunately, they were both knocked back.

Detail. An Awfully Beautiful Place: The Antarctic Art Of Stephen Eastaugh. The Carnegie Gallery, Argyle Street. June 2012. One review for you today, An Imaginary Life by David Malouf imagines the story of the Roman poet Ovid, during his exile in Tomis (in modern day Romania). This one reminds me very much of J.M. Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians . Like Coetzee, Molouf has a post-colonialist sensibility. The central tension in An Imaginary Life is found in the relationship between the civilised cosmopolitan Ovid, the barbaric local tribe, and a wild child who has grown in a state of nature. The clash between the ‘cultured’ and uncivilised really is at the heart of this dreamlike tale. The narrative moves beautifully and seamlessly along, conjuring up a timeless, haunting mood that could as easily be two thousand years into the future as it is two thousand years ago. There are some big questions here what is the meaning of life? What is the distinction between instinct and c...

Ezra has somehow managed to construct an experimental death ray that transforms sonic energy into a deadly weapon. It's been quite a disappointment.

Surprised seagull. Geilston Bay Boat Ramp, Geilston Bay. June 2012. It’s Theme Thursday time again, and these week – like the perplexed seagull above – I am left to wonder about LIFE'S UNCERTAINTIES. Certainly, we wouldn’t like life to be too certain. I normally try to eschew the deterministic understanding of events that some espouse. Not for me is the Wu wei [ 無爲 ] of the Tao. I just can’t get behind a philosophical standpoint of “non-doing” and just drift along with events and shrugging my shoulders at all around me. If there is one thing that history has taught me, the path of least resistance often leads to a place where you don’t want to be. Biological or genetic determinism just scares me too much, so I prefer not to think about it. Besides, you really don’t want to be on a journey with fellow travellers like Herbert Spencer , Francis Galton , Charles Davenport right through to Dr Mengele and his crowd . I am probably more sympathetic to historical determinism th...

YOU try getting them to sit still and look at the camera!

North from the casino. Sandy Bay, Hobart. June 2012. Wordless Wednesday.

Ezra takes a little break as we stroll around Derwent Avenue into Lindisfarne. Thankfully, there was no frost that morning...

Lines. East Derwent Highway, Geilston Bay. June 2012. And yes we are continuing our slog through the Q and A shamelessly stolen from Sunday Stealing. This week, The Imaginary Meme, Part Four 61. Ocean or pool? It depends on the weather. If it’s too cold I am heading to the pool. 62. Fridays or Ruby Tuesdays? Fridays, although I don’t mind The Rolling Stones. 63. Did you want to go to college? Again? I wouldn’t rule it out, but it is probably a longshot. 64. What did you buy last time at a mall? Some presents for Ezra. 65. Which close friend have you known the longest? It depends on how you define ‘close’. Probably my wife. 66. Why do you like the music you do? Because it makes me feel something that I like feeling. 67. Do you read much? I read all the time. I love reading. 68. Favourite country? At the moment I have a hankering for Finland. 69. What is something you wish you were better at? Tranquillity. 70. What’s your favourite album/ CD? This is a v...

Are you sure Hank done it this way?

Kangaroo. Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, Brighton. June 2012. The Internet is a wonderful place filled with the rich and varied treasures of the world holds (as well as a lot of pop up ads.) The following are some things that I've had a look at in the last week. I call this: a Compendium of Click-throughs for Monday Morning.. National Geographic Traveller Magazine: 2012 Photo Contest Australia’s rich talk about saving the environment; the poor bear the burden of doing it When should a child have a say about the food they eat? Is the world getting better or worse? The more things change… There was no golden age for newspapers, which means we shouldn’t be too pessimistic about the future. 10 Reasons Countries Fall Apart. States don't fail overnight. The seeds of of their destruction are sown deep within their political institutions.

Ezra is winning.

Someone has been busy. The laneway off Murray Street, Hobart. May 2012. Sunday you say? A top five you're after? Okay. After this picture. Can you make out the name? The laneway off Murray Street, Hobart. May 2012. Continuing on the graffiti theme, how about My Top Five Bits Of Graffiti Public Art Displays Spotted Out And About In Hobart! More of the same. Words on a wall. The state of the nation. Knitting terrorists. A creative use of the locale.