Cultural readjustment part I
Sep. 22nd, 2003 03:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tcpipPolly's and Blue Velvet was fun. Quite a good cross-section of my friends (the aesthetes, the politicos, the techs and combinations thereof) in attendance.
Attendees included the erstwhile caseopaya absolutely beautiful in a little number from Gown of Thorns, the world's best tech, mr. brendan, the wonderful log_reloaded who was jumping up and down in excitement like a bibi, the most elegantly dressed grrrar and her companions (it was great to see her and log_reloaded meet again after years), lei_loo, who is looking just gorgeous and deserving special congratulations on getting those first steps towards joining mediciens sans frontiers, cvisors and friends, including catbiscuit whom I hadn't seen in ages, Claudine, a fellow Linux-hactivist type whom I hadn't seen since my days in the French Club at the Uni of Melbourne in circa 1995, Dr. Anitra Nelson and Comrade Frans (who has just opened a new bookshop "May Day" at 157 Sydney Rd Brunswick), Jenne from the Aboriginal Affairs Policy Committee, a pregnant KT (congratulations!) from our mutual refugee activist work (get a Quaker and a Unitarian together and see what happens), TY, the great cocktail waiter, Stean. And of course, I finally got to see the poster which Cameron from Blue Velvet splashed all over Sydney.
Having turned on the television and discovered that it is still utterly inane I have taken to watching some decent videos as cultural catch-up.
Victorian (and Michael Caine) double epics "The Man Who Would Be King" and "Zulu", the thoroughly disturbed and tragic "Heavenly Creatures" directed by Peter Jackson, "The Cube", a clever sf flick on a very low budget, although it would have even been better if they used a tesseract, and David Lynch's "Dune" which despite the sociological improbability is still worthy viewing. The best for the week however is Stanley Kubrik's "Dr Strangelove". a disturbingly plausible, ridiculous and dangerous scenario with Peter Sellers in multiple roles (any of my friends in the post-cold war age i.e., born post-1980, must see this).
One thing I have noticed is that people in wealthy, advanced, industrial nations are also superficial and insecure. I've seen a couple of instances in the past couple of days where people basically project being insecure by being catty, rude and in one instance downright violent towards others. It doesn't impress me one iota. In fact it saddens me a great deal as the promise of a modern, liberal, and democratic society is that we would be less insecure and more likely to treat each other with respect.
I'll ponder more on this one.
Why does a US government website need to tell people why they don't just nuke the hurricane. Are people really that stupid?
Attendees included the erstwhile caseopaya absolutely beautiful in a little number from Gown of Thorns, the world's best tech, mr. brendan, the wonderful log_reloaded who was jumping up and down in excitement like a bibi, the most elegantly dressed grrrar and her companions (it was great to see her and log_reloaded meet again after years), lei_loo, who is looking just gorgeous and deserving special congratulations on getting those first steps towards joining mediciens sans frontiers, cvisors and friends, including catbiscuit whom I hadn't seen in ages, Claudine, a fellow Linux-hactivist type whom I hadn't seen since my days in the French Club at the Uni of Melbourne in circa 1995, Dr. Anitra Nelson and Comrade Frans (who has just opened a new bookshop "May Day" at 157 Sydney Rd Brunswick), Jenne from the Aboriginal Affairs Policy Committee, a pregnant KT (congratulations!) from our mutual refugee activist work (get a Quaker and a Unitarian together and see what happens), TY, the great cocktail waiter, Stean. And of course, I finally got to see the poster which Cameron from Blue Velvet splashed all over Sydney.
Having turned on the television and discovered that it is still utterly inane I have taken to watching some decent videos as cultural catch-up.
Victorian (and Michael Caine) double epics "The Man Who Would Be King" and "Zulu", the thoroughly disturbed and tragic "Heavenly Creatures" directed by Peter Jackson, "The Cube", a clever sf flick on a very low budget, although it would have even been better if they used a tesseract, and David Lynch's "Dune" which despite the sociological improbability is still worthy viewing. The best for the week however is Stanley Kubrik's "Dr Strangelove". a disturbingly plausible, ridiculous and dangerous scenario with Peter Sellers in multiple roles (any of my friends in the post-cold war age i.e., born post-1980, must see this).
One thing I have noticed is that people in wealthy, advanced, industrial nations are also superficial and insecure. I've seen a couple of instances in the past couple of days where people basically project being insecure by being catty, rude and in one instance downright violent towards others. It doesn't impress me one iota. In fact it saddens me a great deal as the promise of a modern, liberal, and democratic society is that we would be less insecure and more likely to treat each other with respect.
I'll ponder more on this one.
Why does a US government website need to tell people why they don't just nuke the hurricane. Are people really that stupid?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-09-22 05:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-22 06:57 am (UTC)I'll fix that....
I should also mention that a marvellous horngirl took me to an afternoon of Strauss at the Melbourne concert hall, which was the sort of modern culture I really enjoy...
I admit it. I'm a modernist, not a postmodernist. I prefer museaums to shopping centres. I prefer Strauss to rap.
no subject
Date: 2003-09-22 07:52 am (UTC)You have taste ;-P
no subject
Date: 2003-09-22 05:48 am (UTC)PS
Date: 2003-09-22 05:51 am (UTC)Re: PS
Date: 2003-09-22 07:02 am (UTC)Ah, my apologies. "Ertswhile", in the archiac meaning, is something in the past and now, indicating that it is long lasting.
Kind of ironic how the meaning has changed.
There's all sorts of no-longer-used archiac phrases I use.. Like the pre-ww-II French word "Prrrrrr!".
Re: PS
Date: 2003-09-22 10:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-22 06:33 am (UTC)That's one of the saddest things I've seen in a very long time.
no subject
Date: 2003-09-22 08:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-22 10:27 pm (UTC)A heads-up for Mr. Eleganza for noticing the nuke-the-hurricane story first.... Well spotted!
no subject
Date: 2003-09-24 12:34 am (UTC)So?
Date: 2003-09-23 01:30 pm (UTC)Re: So?
Date: 2003-09-24 11:40 pm (UTC)OK, so I've been told! ;-)
Well, first I have to find gainful employment.
Then I have to find a proper place to live (rather than relying on the kindness of my nearest and dearest).
And mumsy wants me to visit her and my brothers over xmas in New Zealand...
So if I can luck out with (1) and (2) quickly maybe I can visit Qld before (3)!
Say.... any sysadmin jobs/web content and style/IT policy positions going?
Re: So?
Date: 2003-09-25 12:58 am (UTC)As for gainful employment - I'm sure that will happen soon enough
Re: So?
Date: 2003-10-08 10:36 am (UTC)