'Tis not every question that deserves an answer.

Underwater selfie #1, Douglas-Apsley waterhole, Douglas-Apsley National Park

Underwater hello. Douglas-Apsley Waterhole, Douglas-Apsley National Park. February 2016.

Stealing a Q and A again, this time the Garage Sale Meme.

Is your phone right next to you, or at least close by?
It’s switched off and in a drawer.

What windows or tabs are open on your computer right now?
Only Opera browser. Three tabs.

Is your phone a touch screen?
Yes, a Nokia Lumia.

Who is the last person to call you?
My wife.

What was the last movie you watched?
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. With the kids.

What are you doing tomorrow?
I’m thinking of climbing a mountain.

Are you in a good mood?
Pretty much. It’s early, though.

Do you think exes can remain friends?
It’s highly unlikely.

Are you starting to realize anything?
That things matter less than you usually think.

Do you follow rules or break them?
Follow. I am prepared to push against them if there’s an ethical blur.

Are you currently looking forward to anything?
Japan! We’re headed there in less than a month.

Could you go a day without eating?
Of course.

How many bracelets do you have on your wrists right now?
None.

Do you scream stuff out the car window?
Never.

Do you have reason to smile right now?
If I stop and remind myself.

What do you do when you need to relax?
Breathe, and run.

What are you listening to right now?
An interview with someone about Polish Holocaust survivors.

What’s your greatest fear?
Being forgotten. Or being remembered.

Do you have a best friend?
The missus!

Are you afraid of death?
Not afraid, but I can’t say I’m looking forward to it.

Do you open up to people easily?
When I decide that I want to. I do a good line in shutting down too.

Has anyone upset you in the last week?
Not particularly.

What’s your favourite drink?
Water.

What are you craving?
Thighs.

How did you sleep last night?
Well enough.

Would you ever consider turning your house into a B&B?
No.

What was the first thing you ate today?
I haven’t eaten yet.

Do you have anything more important you should be doing right now?
It’s still dark! Give me some time…

Have you ever eaten tofu, and if so, did you enjoy it?
I made tofu for dinner two nights ago. I like tofu.

What was the last type of meat you ate?
Pork sausages.

What colour is your toothpaste?
White.

Have you taken any medication today?
No.

Have you ever inhaled helium?
Years and years ago.

Have you set an alarm today?
No

Do you keep up-to-date with current news and events?
As much as I try not to, I do.

Have you asked someone for advice today?
They’re all asleep!

What colour is your shampoo?
A golden brown. I rarely shampoo though.

Have you watched more than an hour of TV today?
I wouldn’t have watched an hour of TV in the past six months!

Ever wake up early on Saturdays to go Garage Sale shopping?
No, it is not my scene.

Mad as hell

So there I was, arm hooked up to the machine, watching my plasma swirl away into a bag while the morning news dribbled across the screen like a bad fever dream. And what were they showing? A "riot" in Melbourne, allegedly. The sort of riot where the real thugs wear body armour, carry pepper spray and look like they just walked off the set of RoboCop. The people they were beating? A ragtag crew of teenagers and old hippies—probably fresh out of a drum circle, still smelling of patchouli. But sure, let's call it a riot. Now, here's where it really gets good. I mentioned this spectacle to a few people later, thinking maybe they'd share my outrage or, at the very least, give a damn. But no. What did I get instead? A smirk, a chuckle, and—oh, the pièce de résistance—"You should really just let it go." Let it go? Yeah, let me uncork a nice, overpriced cup of coffee, sit back with my legs crossed, and soak in the latest reality TV trash. Why bother caring when ...

Hold me now, oh hold me now, until this hour has gone around. And I'm gone on the rising tide, to face Van Dieman's Land

Theme Thursday again, and this one is rather easy. I am Tasmanian, you see, and aside from being all around general geniuses - as I have amply described previously - we are also very familiar with the concept of WATER. Tasmania is the ONLY island state of an ISLAND continent. That means, we're surrounded by WATER. That should help explain why I take so many photographs of water . Tasmania was for a long time the place where the British (an island race terrified of water) sent their poor people most vile and horrid criminals. The sort of folk who would face the stark choice of a death sentence , or transportation to the other end of the world. Their catalogue of crimes is horrifying : stealing bread assault stealing gentlemen's handkerchiefs drunken assault being poor affray ladies being overly friendly with gentlemen for money hitting people having a drink and a laugh public drunkenness being Irish Fenian terrorist activities being Catholic religious subversion. ...

Something unpleasant is coming when men are anxious to tell the truth.

This is the moon. Have I mentioned how much I adore the zoom on my camera? It's Theme Thursday you see, and after last week's limp effort, I have been thinking about how I might redeem myself. Then I clicked on the topic and discover that it was BUTTON. We've been hearing a lot about the moon in the past couple of weeks. Apparently some fellas went up there and played golf and what-not forty-odd years ago. The desire to get to the moon, however, was not simply about enhancing opportunities for Meg and Mog titles and skirting local planning by-laws in the construction of new and innovative golf courses. No, all of your Sputniks , "One small steps" and freeze dried ice cream was about one thing , and one thing only : MAD Now, I don't mean mad in terms of "bloke breaks record for number of scorpions he can get up his bum", no I mean MAD as in Mutual assured destruction . When I was a young man you see, there was a lot of talk about the type of m...

This will hurt me...

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