p a p e r t r a p [ d o t ] n e t : for British eyes only!

Crap this is a pretty late update. I do try to write something each week, I swear.

Mark — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 10:48:22 +0000

So a lot of things happened this week. I had a jeoarb interview for a pretty good government job and (despite the fact that I had to do a handwritten assessment in my terrible smudgy handwriting) I got invited back for another one next week. It’s now ten people and four jobs, so I’m thinking the odds are pretty good. Mind you, one of the other applicants I met in the lobby when I went for the interview earlier this week just casually revealed that he was a fucking lawyer. I mean, why does a lawyer even want a government job? Fuck. Anyway, as long as there aren’t three other lawyers in the group I should stand a chance.

I also got my new bike, which I had been waiting for for weeeeeeeeeeeeks. It’s a sweet-ass bike and I’ll post some photos but for the moment feel free to check out this picture here: http://www.bacchettabikes.com/bikes/performance-bikes/strada The only problem is that I’m still having a hard time keeping it in a straight line. I need to do a bit more practice in the empty underground car park at Woolworth’s before I mix it up with the traffic.
And today I went up to York to help my mum work on her house. I dug in a soakwell, finished the retaining wall and put in some new light fittings. Yes ladies, I am handy.

Finally, I wish to solicit your opinion regarding the proper use of the comma. According to Tom and Eleesha, you should not put a comma before the word ‘but.’ In my opinion, however, doing so reflects the natural pause that you would put in when speaking. I would like to know your opinion!

Of course, if you opinion differs from mine I will harangue you ceaselessly.

I would try staying up for 48 hours, but it sounds so boring. I would end up swallowing a fistful of No-Doz and playing ukelele all night, two nights running.

Mark — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 13:50:43 +0000

So this weekend we went out to the Brash and Sassy EP launch at Manhattan’s. It was an excellent show. The fashion, the beats and the on-stage banter were all quite brash and, further to that, extremely sassy. On the other hand, the place was awash with hipsters and the support acts were way dull. We left early to pick up Tom and Eleesha’s kid from the babysitter.

On Saturday we watched some dvds, drank some beer and ate some instant-setting jelly. It was basically ideal.

Today my friend Kate invited me out to lunch with some of her friends. She hangs with a pretty diverse crowd, and including the two of us there were only three Australians there out of twelve people. They had some good food and were very friendly, although it is a bit hard for a reserved Australian like me to get a word in when the jovial, outsize Israelis are yakkin it up.

After that I did a 20k bike ride, which I’m pleased to say is starting to feel like a very short distance. Then I finished off a short story I was writing and did some ironing. Good weekend, I say.

In other news, Lucy was going to write a list of things she wanted to do before the age of 30, but didn’t make a very good start, so I’m wondering: what are the things that really should go on the list? The ‘Murtaugh list,’ shall we say. Because it’s only a couple of years before I’m thirty.

So, on the way home today

Mark — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:08:16 +0000

I was on the bus and it was going down the freeway. Plenty of traffic but it was moving fast. Suddenly the bus starts swerving from left to right. It’s a big bendy bus so it swerves slowly and all the passengers are holding on to their seats as goes one way and then the other. I wonder if the bus driver has gone nuts and is trying to run some cars off the road or maybe just wants to try and flip the bus over the barrier and into the bushes by the roadside. For some reason I’m smiling. It was cool. Anyway, the bus slowed down and the swerving stopped; I think it had something to with high winds bending the bus in the middle as it was driving along. I hope it happens again next time.