One reason cats are better than dogs
Posted by cacophony in : My life , 11 commentsWell, this cat, for one: http://www.games-ranch.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2344
Mystery cat takes regular bus to the shops
Bus drivers have nicknamed a white cat Macavity after it has started using the No 331 several mornings a week.
The feline, which has a purple collar, gets onto the busy Walsall to Wolverhampton bus at the same stop most mornings - he then jumps off at the next stop 400m down the road, near a fish and chip shop.
The cat, nicknamed Macavity, has one blue eye and one green eye
The cat was nicknamed Macavity after the mystery cat in T.S Elliot’s poem. He gets on the bus in front of a row of 1950s semi-detached houses and jumps off at a row of shops down the road which include a fish and chip shop.
Driver Bill Khunkhun, 49, who first saw the cat jumping from the bus in January, said: “It is really odd, the first time I saw the cat jumping off the bus with a group of passengers. I hadn’t seen it get on which was a bit confusing.
“The next day I pulled up on Churchill Road to let a couple of passengers on. As soon as I opened the doors the cat ran towards the bus, jumped on and ran under one of the seats, I don’t think any of the passengers noticed.
“Because I had seen it jump off the day before I carried on driving and sure enough when I stopped just down the road he jumped off - I don’t know why he would catch the bus but he seems to like it. I told some of the other drivers on this route and they have seen him too.”
Since January, when the cat first caught the bus he has done it two or three times a week and always gets on and off at the same stops.
Passenger, Paul Brennan, 19, who catches the 331 to work, said: “I first noticed the cat a few weeks ago. At first I thought it had been accompanied by its owner but after the first stop it became quite clear he was on his own.
“He sat at the front of the bus, waited patiently for the next stop and then got off. It was was quite strange at first but now it just seems normal. I suppose he is the perfect passenger really - he sits quietly, minds his own business and then gets off.”
Why is gardening good for the soul?
Posted by cacophony in : My life , 9 comments 
As of Saturday, my wee Westgarth terrace has a compost heap. It’s nothing special (and it certainly ain’t pretty) but it makes me feel good to look at it, doing its composting thing in the corner of my little yard. I’m looking forward to using it to create a springtime vegie garden.
Recently, I’ve spent most weekends out there, cutting back the vines that had taken over my garden. In fact, it was so overgrown when I moved in that I couldn’t tell where the pavers stopped and the dirt began. Now it has been tamed somewhat, it’s actually a nice place to spend time in, especially while gardening.
Which brings me to my question: why does it make us feel good to tend our gardens? Why is digging in the dirt good for the soul?
…and then there was one
Posted by cacophony in : My life , 4 comments 
Well, I’m joining LadyChaos in the Newly Single Club. No sympathy, thanks. I’m actually doing ok.
I’ve discovered though, at least for the moment, that I quite like my life without someone in it to distract me from my music, my books and my garden - and my neuroses, for that matter. I’m happy to spend some time alone for now.
So my question is: how do I stop myself from becoming so used to my independence and self-reliance that I shut prospective lovers out of my perfect life?
“Dinner on Friday? Oh, I have to wash my hair…”
Spackfiller for the soul
Posted by cacophony in : My life , 1 comment so far 
This day has been so awful I am staying up til midnight just to make sure it goes away. What do you do to cheer yourself up when you’re having a shocker?
Present perfect tense
Posted by cacophony in : My life , 7 comments
My friend recently stayed interstate at the house of his old friend, who I have recently fallen out with. This ex-friend has piles of unwanted CDs by virtue of her job as a music reviewer. The reviewer girl and I had a major falling out this month and I’m still so mad at her I’ve just about written off the friendship.
My current friend came back to Melbourne with 20-odd discs from the reviewer’s collection that he thought I would like. And I do - they are really great records. (In fact, one of them I had until it was stolen from my car late last year.)
So here’s my dilemma: do I accept the CDs even though they came from a girl I am cranky with? And is it rude to refuse them when my friend went to the effort to choose them and bring them back to me?
Like Cold Chisel says, should I “mind taking charity from those that I despise?”
Big Day Out of Bounds
Posted by cacophony in : Entertainment , 9 comments
So the Big Day Out organisers are urging people to leave their flags at home, to avoid stirring racial tension at the rock festival. But the flag, to me, is not about race at all. That is the point, isn’t it?
The festival is known for taking risks (as any girl who took part in the 2004 She Pee disaster will attest) but this move will probably cause more friction than a couple of flag-waving zealots could.
Has the Big Day Out jumped the shark?
The organisers’ message is under NEWS at: www.bigdayout.com
A balmy balls-up in the Midsumma heat
Posted by cacophony in : Entertainment , 3 commentsFederation Square
Last night, Melbourne’s annual queer festival Midsumma had its opening party at Federation Square. All the bars got into the spirit (the multicoloured wig on the Transport drinks wench was a nice touch) but the drinks were a little pricey ($7 for a beer in a plastic cup from Arinji!). My gang of four had a great night drinking and chatting, meeting old (and new) friends and enjoying being out and about in our beloved city.
There were bands (including one with the delicious name Love Box), people boogie-ing and public snogging. There was air-kissing, booze, networking and the beginning of scores of relationships. And Melbourne’s gay community did what it does best: party.
It went off with a bang. Well, not for me, but there’s three weeks of the festival to go!
Midsumma events run until February 11. www.midsumma.org.au
Location:
Cnr Swanston and Flinders Sts Flinders St Cnr
Swanston, VIC 3000
Australia
(03) 9655 1900
C’mon … kids?
Posted by cacophony in : Sport & Leisure , 5 comments
Last night, a few new friends took me to the Australian Open. Young Lleyton Hewitt was on the court, grunting and screaming “c’mon!” at appropriate moments.
I’ve been a spectator at many sports but this was my first elite-level tennis game so I was surprised at how well-behaved everyone was. There were only a few large groups in the crowd - decked out in Australian flags with “AUSSIE” written in Texta on their arms - and most spectators seemed to be middle-aged couples. There was little whooping, no whistling, only a sprinkling of silly chants and even the clapping was quiet and reserved.
Yes, it is early days of the competition and yes, it had been a bloody hot day; but where’s the spirit? You can barely hear yourself think at most AFL matches. Even during a boring cricket match at Junction Oval, the kids get a little rowdy sometimes. I think I’ve heard more yelling at the golf.
So why are we so reserved? Is it just tennis? Why do we watch sport like we’re sitting on the couch at home? Is this a symptom of too much televised sport?
What is the point of going if your sportsmen don’t know you’re there to support them?
In the swim
Posted by cacophony in : Local services , 5 commentsYes, there is a drought but do councils have the right to close our beloved pools?
Sorted out for Es and whizz
Posted by cacophony in : Entertainment , 3 commentsSome people crave food, others are hooked on crack. Me, I’m addicted to music.
It doesn’t seem to matter what kind of music, even, though I do like it when the bass is so loud it makes my ribs vibrate. I can’t get enough of it and I’m willing to go way out of my comfort zone to find it (read: Belgrave).
Sometimes I go to see bands I’ve never heard of because they have cool names (read: Actor/Model and Ouch! My Face at the Tote tonight).
Going to see live music is just like a drug: you buy your tickets from a shady-looking fellow and you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get. You’re in a crowd of a hundred people but it feels like the band is playing for you. The gig has the capacity to ruin your night or change your life.
Like a drug, there are side effects: tinnitus, sore feet, tiredness, agoraphobia and the propensity to get drunk. And you have to deal with people pushing in front of you, being covered in smoke (bring on the smoking bans!), the hair-flick dancers, the mosh pit couples and the mobile phone snappers.
So why do I keep going back? Because there is something old, almost primal, about listening to music in a crowd. Because there isn’t any experience like it. Because I have a thing for musos.
And because I’m hooked, clearly. But is that so bad?
