This will hurt me...

Yes Ezra, there is a Santa Claus.

Manly Ferry. Sydney Harbour, Sydney. September 2012. Street Song , Thom Gunn I am too young to grow a beard But yes man it was me you heard In dirty denim and dark glasses. I look through everyone who passes But ask him clear, I do not plead, Keys Lids acid and speed. My grass is not oregano. Some of it grew in Mexico. You cannot guess the weed I hold, Clara Green, Acapulco Gold, Panama Red, you name it man, Best on the street since I began. My methedrine, my double-sun, Will give you too lives in your one, Five days of power before you crash. At which time use these lumps of hash - They burn so sweet, they smoke so smooth, They make you sharper while they soothe. Now here, the best I've got to show, Made by a righteous cat I know. Pure acid - it will scrape your brain, And make it something else again. Call it heaven, call it hell, Join me and see the world I sell. Join me, and I will take you there, Your head will cut out from your hair Into whi...

Beach-coming weather?

Dozing gator. Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney. September 2012. The Milkman in the Night , Andrey Kurkov Andrey Kurkov is my favourite author of post-Soviet blackly comic, absurdist tales. This isn't really his best (a little too much telling rather than showing for my taste), but it is an enjoyable little romp through modern-day Kyev. C+

Ez gets close and personal with the rather innovative water feature in Darlin Harbour, Sydney.

SHARK! Manly Sea Aquarium, Manly. Sydney. September 2012. Theme Thursday again and I am challenged by the theme of ANGELS. Well, I don't know any ANGELS and I'm not certain that I've ever met one. Which is why I've written a story, maybe it's a parable. Anyway, I call it Simon's Wife . Simon’s wife often thought of Simon as she did the dog that she had as a young woman, a German shorthaired pointer named The Black Prince . Like The Black Prince , Simon was loyal energetic and enthusiastic. However, also like The Black Prince , Simon could be needy, aggravating, over familiar and often trailed a distasteful smell about him. Helpfully, many of the skills and techniques that Simon’s wife applied to the day-to-day handling and management of The Black Prince were equally useful and applicable to Simon. Tone of voice, consistent and poised body language was critical. Whenever The Black Prince became a little too boisterous or even a little too frisky, Simon’...

Oops!

Faith. St George's Church of the Martyr, Battery Point. September 2012. Wordless Wednesday.

Poser.

Waiting. Howrah Bluff, Howrah. August 2012. We're rapidly approaching the end of Sunday Stealing, so someone find me some new questions QUICKLY! Until then, The End is Near Meme, Part 2 21. Biggest lie that you've ever been told? That people get what they deserve in life. 22. Blondes, brunettes, redheads or bald? Brunettes. Every time. 23. Who do you phone most? Jennifer. 24. What was your first job? Delivering newspapers. 25. What were you doing before Sunday Stealing? A little series that I called " Ads that I like ". I made it up to number 123 before Iput that one on hiatus. 26. If you could get plastic surgery what would it be? I'm not interested in plastic surgery, but if anyone wants to stump up the cash to get laser surgery so that I don't have to bother with these glasses I'd happily do it. It's less about vanity than it is practicality though... 27. Why did you fill out this survey? The pass the time. 28. What do you ...

Thumbs up!

As you know, the Internet is a wonderful place filled with the rich and varied treasures of the world holds (and RSS feeds.) 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... The tale of Lego... The Sunday Times' headline: "100 cod left". The actual figure...? 21 MILLION . Has there ever been a more statistically-incorrect media headline? The BBC explores why media outlets struggle so much with complex data . Also, a nice overview of Berlin and its 'democratic' canteen culture... They’re all on welfare AND taking our jobs! A nice little piece on confirmation bias . Language changes. Get used to it! Experiments on mice show that early social deprivation leads to problems with working memory and social behaviour which aren't reversible. It may help us understand and treat behaviour disorders in humans . " Most of the British Empire in the 19th and 20...

Guess what Ezra's eyes are drawn to...?

Hobart in the Spring. King Street, Sandy Bay. September 2012. This Sunday, my Top Five celebrates the fact that we have shifted our clocks! Yes, it is My Top Five Things That I Like Best About The Shift To Daylight Saving Time! It makes the walk home from work far more pleasant. It means that my usual wake up time of 4:30 am is now the [slightly] more acceptable 5:30 am! It saves on lightbulbs! It broadens the scope of my photography (especially when you're stuck at work for the bulk of the day. It supports my thesis that Western Australians and Queenslanders are simpleminded and needlessly antithetical.