Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian is a delightful book and a wonderful starting point for anyone interested in nautical fiction. It’s the first in O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin series and I’m glad I started here, as it sets the scene for future novels. Jack Aubrey is a frustrated lieutenant waiting in a Mediterranean port for his [...]
Where now for Labor?
The Australian Labor Party is surely at a crossroads. Whether it can become relevant again at a national level remains to be seen. I’m probably not the only person nervous about the looming prospect of John Howard controlling the Senate. I would feel much safer with the balance of power in the hands of a [...]
Lower cholesterol
I had a cholesterol test last week for the first time in 18 months. The result came back today and showed my ratio score to be 3.7, down from 4.7 in November 2003. Both results were within the desirable range of less than five. Juliet suggested we have pizza tonight to celebrate! My first cholesterol [...]
The Closet
I watched an excellent French movie on SBS last night called The Closet, starring Daniel Auteuil, Gerard Depardieu and Thierry Lhermitte. The main character was a nice, dull accountant who learns that he’s about to be sacked and contemplates suicide. A new-found friend persuades him to pretend that he’s a homosexual, thereby raising the spectre [...]
Uphill climb
I went jogging uphill for the first time today. I completed a 10km run along the Mount Buffalo Road, to the top of the first major rise, and back to Porepunkah. It was pretty tough going, I must admit. Unlike cycling you don’t get the reward of coasting on the way back either. Momentum carries [...]
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