T-Shirt for the Cause

I came across this sweet tee on Threadless' website - and the bonus is that $9 of the $12 cost goes towards rebuilding the flood damage in Australia, Brazil and Sri Lanka.

I ordered one quick!

Its a bit Noah's ark-esque but I dig the colors and the fact that that cheetah is showing some commendable restraint.

George Washington Would Be Proud

I was reading an article in the paper yesterday about a former teacher's trial for conducting inappropriate relations with a student. Instead of the usual shamed-head-hung-low-as-he-walks-into-court pic of the perp, there was a judge in an old fashioned 18th century white wig.





btchpls













Now I think the wardrobe could use a bit of updating --- or do they? If I were sitting trial, I wouldn't be shattered about my verdict, simply because I couldn't take a man in a bogus Thomas Jefferson costume seriously!

Why put judges in "traditional" costumes and no one else? How about keeping other professionals looking like the "good ole days?"






The Fuzz














Gettin your hair did














Hey look, 18th century dogs can play the piano















This surgical mask on the plague doctor shown here could double as a towel rack. Surgery gets messy.

















Even dragon cartoons are more fun now

Superbowl Monday?

Feeling a bit homesick today as Superbowl Monday just does not carry the same ring. That and the fact that there are barely any viewing parties, commercials are just regular old Aussie ones (which can be funny but its not the same) and I have just checked in at work and will not be watching the game. I'll make myself feel a bit better by saying that both teams are disgusting!

Side note: a local Aussie company posted the menu from Barack Obama's Superbowl party. Isn't his wife on a health food rampage across the states? This food is over-the-top junk. Like when a vegetarian starts eating meat again, going back to looking at menus like this made me feel nauseated.

Greetings from Wee Waa

I'm constantly amused by the names of towns, cities, mounts and lakes here in Australia. They sound as if they were named by heavy marijuana users, cool aboriginals that don't give a shit, or a prude British settler who was unimaginative and struggling under the stronghold of heavy depression.

Pothead names:
Cock Wash - City in SA
Chinaman's Knob - a hill in VIC
Pimpinbudgie -City in QLD
Tom Ugly - City in NSW
Tittybong - City in VIC

Aboriginal names that make you feel silly to say:
Woolloomooloo - City in NSW, means "young kangaroo"
Poowong - City in VIC, means "carrion"
Wee Waa - City in NSW, "means fire for roasting"
Boing Boing - City in NT, means "mosquitos buzzing"

These are the titans of bleakness (my favorites):
Eggs and Bacon Bay - TAS, must have had a positive breakfast experience here
Foul Bay - in SA, hopefully not closeby
Mount Buggery - VIC, couldn't be buggered to climb it
Nowhere Else - SA, I'm puzzled
Useless Loop - WA, what about the Salt Mine that's there?
Lake Disappointment - really promising tourist spot in WA

OPI Stop It, You Are Embarassing Me

So I am flipping through the David Jones department store catalogue this morning, and my jaw dropped when I saw this new line of "whip-cracking" OPI nail lacquer. Some may say this is a tribute to Texas, but I cry abomination.

"Its Totally Fort Worth It?" Mildly irritating.

"Do You Think I'm Tex-y?" Ugh, nauseating.

They forgot the "Now" in the "Y'all Come Back Ya Hear?"

"Don't Mess With OPI?" Btch Pls.

"I Don't Want to be A-Lone Star?" Whoever wrote this is destined for a life of solitude.

"HOUSTON WE HAVE A PURPLE?!?!?!"

I took the liberty of scanning in the magazine so you could see how silly it looks.

Now upon further research, I found out that this line is not just in Australia, but is international. As a girl who is heavily rooted in Texas, I am so embarrassed that this campaign is reducing a place with so much personality to these silly, cliche nail polish names. And yes, in Australia they cost $19.95 a bottle!

Holy Cat-5

Australia's biggest cyclone ever touched down last night on the Northeast coast. And for newbs like me, a cyclone is not a water-born tornado but just a different name for a hurricane. No deaths reported yet but extensive destruction was revealed when the sun came up.

Imagine my disbelief and horror when I learned that there appears to be no order in the naming of the storms. Cyclone Anthony made landfall on Jan 30 and the current one skipped straight to the Y's and is called Yasi. What the hell kind of name is that?

A baby girl was born at 6am in the middle of the storm's wrath. Despite giving childbirth in the midst of a massive disaster, mom (Akiko Pruss) was able to maintain common sense when asked if she would name the baby after the storm.

"The baby will not be called Yasi, Akiko doesn't like that name at all."

(Obliteration)

Taking the Relaxed Culture to the Next Level

I take the bus to work. This can at times be a source of anxiety because I am always at the mercy of the driver.

Frequently the bus will make "catch-up" stops, which are prolonged pauses at a stop in order to catch his cycle up to schedule. I am used to the usual catch up stop that almost always takes place before I enter the city.

However, today there was a rare catch up stop that lasted longer than usual outside the gas station, about ten minutes from work. When I caught onto it, I looked up and noticed that the driver was gone. About four minutes later he came racing back onto the bus, newspaper in hand -- straight out of the gas station toilet. No shame was conveyed whatsoever in his decision to leave us hanging while he read the paper on the crapper.