Overheard recently on a Footscray street: “Well, they can stick their crappy house right up their Kaniva pass” (man – bad temperedly – into mobile phone whilst gesticulating wildly.) Where? (and how???) Which is completely unrelated to the notable postmark on mail I received from the UK: Happy birthday Dr Who!

There is a new person in the world today. Welcome to little Alia Rose Pollard. And congrats to her mum and dad – Kathy and Gary. Big smiles!

One of the most useful benefits of my new student card (complete with dodgy photo) is, of course, student priced movie tickets. Or it would be a useful benefit if I remembered I had it in my purse when purchasing said tickets. I guess at the moment it’s benefit is still ‘potential’ given I haven’t […]

This one comes courtesy of my office mate – Trish. An inveterate bargain shopper, Trish spied a long sleeved, polar fleece, zip fronted top on sale at a certain department store. Just perfect for keeping out the winter chills. And under $20. A bargain indeed. She pounced. While waiting at the checkout she noticed the […]

I attended the book launch last night, arriving with five minutes to spare – thanks to a longish wait at the bus stop. I purchased my book. Said hello to the familiar faces from the history department crowd squashed into the back of Readings bookshop. Tried to worm my way to the counter for a […]

I’m going to a book launch tonight – which is all very well. Bravo. Bravo. Book signed, etc. Excellent. But to get there from here I must brave the most unreliable bus in the world. OK so I could walk from Smith St to Lygon St BUT I’m wearing my pointy boots which – while […]

The heater at work is broken. Someone left it on overnight and it’s run out of puff. (It was mighty toasty though when I arrrived this morning.) Each time I walk past it, it flashes and blinks its digital display accusingly at me. The ambient temperature is gradually lowering. About every hour I put on […]

Reading over someone’s shoulder on the train this morning I spied the headline ‘Pagan: I won’t change’ in a section of the paper seemingly devoted to a critique of footy’s current coaching styles. ‘Hmm,’ I thought. ‘That’s an unorthodox approach.’ Do they employ druids? Does it mean dancing? Are training sessions held under the full […]

After a weekend of heavy reading for the new course, I thought work might offer some light relief today. Which it has – of sorts. Light-headed relief really. We’ve got the painters in doing touch up work and the whole building consequently is awash with paint fumes. (Awash is probably wrong for fumes, but my […]

It was early Monday evening. It was on the escalators at Melbourne Central station. I was ascending. He was descending. I had a map of RMIT and an air of distraction. He had a McDonalds takeaway bag of chips. I looked up to get my bearings. He leaned across and said, “Will you marry me?” […]