Politics (part fifty eight)

I think the other reason I'm so bored with the campaign is because I know most of the policy already. Well, actually, I know very little of it in detail. But I know it's general thrust - unless the party to which I belong goes off in some particularly weird direction. Building reactors for instance, although I have specifically asked about that.

So the slow rolling out of policies does not interest me the way we're told the rest of the country is interested. One thinks that might actually mostly be in the minds of the media... Are people in the outer suburbs really waiting with baited breath for the realse of each party's Arts policy? I doubt it.

I know that the federal ALP will have a better education, health, broadband and tax policy than the current government. I know that no IR regime could possibly be as bad as Work Choices. I know that it wouldn't take much to have a better defence policy. I could make some suggestions myself right now! Get a coast guard. Don't buy the F-35s.

And I know that there are good talented people currently sitting on the opposition front benches who are, frankly, less evil and creepy than the current government.

So the slow rolling out of policy bores the heck out of me. I simply sit and hope for a moderately progressive left-of-centre federal Labor government along the lines of the first Hawke government. And I know for a fact I'll be dissatisfied with a fair bit of what a Rudd government will get up to, but then the changes of there being a Paul lead socialist-lefty-culture-jammer administration are less than nill. It would be an ace government - free education for all at all levels, paid maternity and/or paternity leave. No advertising on television. Rupert Murdoch thrown out of the country forever. *sigh* But I will settle for the aforementioned hopefully progressive Rudd government... Man, I really do home my optimism is not misplaced. Still... Anything would be better than Ruddock, Howard, Costello, Abbott and the rest of those right wing nutjobs.

I just want them out now. Today. This moment. As soon as humanly possibly. Which I guess is a long way of saying: Vote, or at least preference highly, Labor. Thank you and good night :-)

House Hunting

I spent a fair chunk of Saturday house hunting. We - some old housemates of mine and I - are looking for a place to rent. Mostly for economic reasons, I confess.

I'd forgotten what twonks real estate agents are. At two of the places, we had to ring up and remind them there was supposed to be an inspection on. I was standing around the front of one place so long I got sunburnt.

House one was in Coburg. A little further out than I'd like, although I looked on a map and it was actually only a few streets from Brunswick and about four kilometres from where I am now! It was a huge place (although for a guy who lives in a one bedroom flat, all places look huge to me) on the side of a hill, so the main living area was in three levels. Weird. Huge main bedroom (mine :-) with what was almost a walk-in robe, and an en-suite with two basins!!! We will be applying for this one :-)

House two was in North Fitzroy. Very near Clifton Hill. And about three doors down from the house old/new housemate Barbara lived in when she first moved to Melbourne. We waited for aaaaages for the Real Estate Satanist to arrive. I called them up - a lady from a couple from Sydney who was also waiting said "You're a lot politer than I would be!" We got to chatting, and I tried to explain that Fitzroy was a bit like Glebe or Newtown. We also met three women who lived around the corner - we encountered them at three houses in a row! I suppose we shouldn't have been so friendly, given we're effectively competing :-)

The house itself was shite. It had some very weird renovations - there was a kind of mezzanine room over the living room, out the back. It was reached by a tight, very rickety spiral staircase. And had no door and no windows on a gap which looked down on the living room below. Eep. Nice spa though :-)

House three was also a bit weird. It had what could have been three bedrooms downstairs, although they weren't huge. And weird little window alcoves along the main corridor. The front yard was covered in those annoying white pebbles, which got jammed under the front gate! The upstairs bedroom was huge and rather ace - it had it's own living area and an ensuite. That one's mine :-) However, it was a tad pricey and just a bit weird, so, well... We'll see.

House four was the winner. (That picture in the ad is wrong - it was actually the one behind the one in the picture.) It was obviously still occupied by three students, which was cute. They had a huge number of bikes in the shed and ethernet cables strung all over the place. The bedrooms weren't huge, but again there was an Ensuite, and the rent was great - it would be about half what I'm paying now. Did I mention the great location? Across the street from Barkly Square shopping centre - I could get one of those jeep things and shop there. Also very close to Sydney Road. We'll be applying for this one - along with everyone else on earth.

We chatted to one of the guys who lived there. He said the place was great and the agents nice. That would make a pleasant change!

Barbara and I went and recovered in a cafe on Sydney Road. Ah, the lifestyle... Someone has to do :-)

Cat Alarm Clock

I know this cat!

Watch on YouTube

Hmmm... It occurs to me that I should be a) shopping b) cleaning my flat c) getting through my email d) burning a cd e) getting over my cold f) looking for a new place to live g) getting some lunch h) paying my cousin for this Mac i) etc. etc. etc.

But no, I must blog :-)

Speaking of Youtube

This is a whole lot of kinds of wrong. A bit like middle aged Village People:

Watch on YouTube

Barber Shop Ewoks:

Watch on YouTube

Last Youtube for today I swear!

Here's something a bit more highbrow. This is an animation to a piece of Slam Poetry:

Watch on YouTube

Saw this at the Animation festival this year.