Movie Review - The Spectacular Now

THE SPECTACULAR NOW

(2013), USA, 95 Mins

Dir: James Ponsoldt

Ok, when it comes to young adult/coming of age type films, this basic plot for a movie may sound rather familiar, but bear with me!

A seemingly very popular young high school senior, Sutter (Miles Teller) is loving life in the now – he has the charm to worm his way into just about anything, he has a beautiful, popular & happening girlfriend, & a handy part time job. Basically he is the life of the party as his class approaches the end of school. But when his girlfriend suddenly dumps him & forces him to re-evaluate where he is headed in life, he finds himself drawn to the smart but socially outcast Aimee (Shailene Woodley). Initially in Sutter’s eyes, it may be just a rebound while she assists him with schoolwork, but Stutter soon becomes very attached to Amy, & likewise the rather shy Aimee finds herself opening to a new world in finding her 1^st ever boyfriend in Sutter.

  As I mentioned, this storyline has a familiar ring to it on first glance, but The Spectacular Now is anything but another typical teen romance once we get into the details of the film. There is a lot more to Sutter than his initial output. Why does he sneak a drink from his hip flask every opportunity he can? What exactly caused his father to leave his mother, & how deeply does this affect Sutter? Also Aimee is finding her way into a world with more independence, but how is that affecting her relationship with her own family? And where do their lives lead them once school finishes?

Its these kind of deep issues, plus the first rate performances from Teller & Woodley that really separate The Spectacular Now from other films of its genre. There is real chemistry between Sutter & Aimee, & we really get a feel for their struggles as they try to find themselves & where they are headed – right from the first meeting, up until their inevitable tension & possible breakdown of the relationship.

With an excellent supporting cast containing the likes of Jennifer Jason Leigh & Mary Elizabeth Winstead, The Spectacular Now is literally just that...spectacular! I really found myself immersed in the film & I really identified well with Sutter & Aimee, & you find yourself hoping they can find a way through their struggles in growing up. I really like that the film avoided the pitfalls of other coming of age films, & also avoided a more typical Hollywood ending. Be prepared for some heartbreak along the journey, as well as plenty of heart-warming moments.

I saw The Spectacular Now at the Melbourne International Film Festival back in August, but it has just been given a limited general release now, & this is definitely worth tracking down if you can. It was the standout film I saw at MIFF, & one of the films of 2013, no question. A real gem, I’m going to give this **** ½

Movie Review: Gravity

GRAVITY

(2013) USA/UK, 90 Mins

Dir: Alfonso Cuarón

Gravity is a sci-fi/drama/thriller set in outer space, starring A list names Sandra Bullock, & George Clooney. And for 95% of the film, starring ONLY this duo!  Bullock plays Dr Ryan Stone, who is on her first space shuttle mission. While Clooney plays Matt Kowalski, who is a veteran astronaut on his final space expedition. They are the only surviving crew of the space shuttle Explorer, after a freak space debris matter from a Russian satellite take out the ship & the rest of the crew. Stranded in deep outer space, having lost contact with mission control back on earth, Stone & Kowalski are left to their own wits, experience & knowledge to somehow survive & formulate a plan to get back home to earth. Battling great odds, will they be able to possibly survive?

I’m deliberately not going into any more detail about Gravity, lest I spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet. Especially seeing Gravity’s biggest charm is the drama & suspense it quickly builds – we really get behind the two survivors & are on the edge of seats to witness if they can make it back home.

Credit must go to both Bullock & Clooney, as I mentioned above they literally carry 95% of the film with just the two of them featuring. Both are in arguably career-best form here, & it shows with the rave reviews Gravity has secured. Speaking of,  I rarely read many reviews before seeing a film, but the hype surrounding Gravity was hard to pass up reading a few. Also with a 97% rating on rotten tomatoes – rarefied air indeed – my expectations were very high going in, especially as I’m a big Sandy Bullock fan. I guess I was really expecting to be blown away with a really awesome, top shelf film.

So did it live up to that hype for me? Short answer, not quite. L I wanted to be totally amazed by it, & don’t get me wrong, it’s a great film – just not 97% great. Perhaps it’s the theme of the film – I’m not the biggest outer space movie fan, & this film probably isn’t for everyone. It can be a little slow moving at times, & younger fans may find it harder to identify with. But I’m being super critical here, Gravity has a LOT going for it!  The film graphics are spectacular – everything is visually amazing in the outer space setting. As I mentioned above, Clooney & Bullock are great, & you can’t help but be entranced by their predicament & gripped by the unfolding drama.

I only saw this in 2D, but Gravity is definitely one film worth plonking down the extra bucks to see in 3D – the space scenes with the lack of gravity (no pun intended) of objects & the space shuttles themselves would look amazing in 3D. Definitely keep this film in mind come early next year when the big movie picture award season rolls round – I’m pretty sure Gravity will be featuring highly in several categories!

Gravity is still screening in plenty of good cinemas & no doubt some bad ones too (though none quite as bad as that pun!). While not the awesome, blow-away movie of the decade that some have called it, it’s still an excellent film, especially if you can catch it in 3D. I have no qualms giving this ****

Ashes Preview

Well, seeing everyone else is doing previews of the upcoming Ashes/AFL Draft, I may as well throw my 2c in! Obviously a big day tomorrow for a heap of youngsters hoping for a crack at AFL tomorrow. But us Cats fans have a saying - in Wells we trust. He's the expert in drafting the next group of kittens to pull on the blue & white hoops. And as much as I love my AFL above every other sport, the up & coming new blood in one area I don't have a lot of expertise in. So we'll leave that to the experts, shall we? On the other hand, everyone has an opinion on how the upcoming Ashes series will pan out. The old enemies, Australia & England, will battle for the oldest prize in cricket again starting from tomorrow, & as its in Australia under the backdrop of summer (if it ever arrives here in Victoria), at a time where we'll be able to watch it, we're all pumped for it! Especially as we are seeking revenge on the Poms after a tense 3-0 loss in England earlier this year. As a kid, I was actually probably more so into my cricket than my footy, though people who know me or have followed me on twitter for any length of time may find that hard to fathom. I used to hang out for the start of the cricket season down under - probably cause it indicated that the school year was coming to a close, & the Xmas/summer holidays were nearly upon us. We would be free to go go out & play cricket in the backyard & the street, throwing the tennis ball down like we were Dennis Lillee, or Craig McDermott to our hearts content without having to worry about homework, or getting up early for school the next morning. Indeed, daylight saving meant more hours out having fun - a concept that seems to have been lost in the computer games/smartphone/electronics age than Gen Y have grown up in. For us, it also meant we got the chance to catch up with some extended family members,usually just after Xmas to exchange gifts at our grandparents place, if we were lucky, we'd all catch up at some point in January down at our holiday house in Apollo Bay. This was back in the day we could still take time to all get away from the regular life - before our society became 24-7-365. One thing about the Crofts - we're all sports mad! Especially cricket mad! So there were plenty of chances for a good hit at cricket. So over the summer, it was cricket, cricket, cricket. While today the game maybe doesn't hold quite the special place in my heart as it used to (unlike most of my cousins who are still involved at a lower level to some degree) but this is the big one. And while we tend to be divided during AFL season denying n which AFL club we support, nothing beats coming together to support our national team. So what does the next couple of months hold? I think this will be one of the closest series in recent times. Sure we got done 3-0 just a few short months ago, & while we (forgive me for calling the Aussies we, but hey this IS my blog!) did play some good cricket, & didn't have luck on our side at time with the weather, England clearly deserved to win. When it mattered, they found something extra. This time round, it will be on our pitches, & our conditions, which will obviously suit us better. We haven't lost a Test in Brisbane, where proceedings kick off tomorrow, in over 20 years. Perth with its extra bounce is always challenging for visiting teams, while pitches in Adelaide & Melbourne are not easy to dislodge batsmen. That being said, we need to beat England, not vica-versa. Neither team is completely settled. England are still searching for a 3rd pacemen to support Broad & Anderson with Bresnan still out injured. They still are a batman short of a settled top 6 as well, plus have injury doubts over keeper Prior. The Aussies also have spots up for grabs. We know the 1 vacant batting spot has been given to George Bailey for his debut. I'm happy with this decision. I know its been a different form of the game in different conditions, but Baileys maturity & experience is the key that gets him over the line in my book. You can't keep going back to the likes of Khwaja & Hughes time after time. Our bowling will be tested, with 3 or 4 frontline bowlers out injured - for the first couple of Tests at least. A lot will depend on whether Johnson can get the radar right, & whether Harris can play all the Tests without getting injured again! The humid conditions forecast for Brisbane may tempt Australia to go with all rounder Faulkner & leave Lyon out, but we can't keep falling for the trap of overlooking Lyon. Lets face it, hes never going to be on a par with Warney, but hes a good honest spinner. We will need his variety. So who do I give the nod too? As much as I hate to say it, England do look that little more settled, & have that little more talent right now. If our captain fails with the bat, or worse still that back of his plays up again, the middle order suddenly becomes very brittle. Ditto if another fast bowler breaks down. England you sense have a more even battling line-up, & have 1 or 2 more resources in the bowling stakes. Will this can be offset somewhat by our home conditions, I'm sad to say I think, they still might be too good for us. Remember a drawn series is enough for England. So I sure as hell hope I'm wrong, but I'll say England 2-1. I think we will learn a lot about our senior cricketers this summer too. The opportunity is there for the taking - who will stand up & deliver the goods? Time will tell!

Movie Review: Elysium

ELYSIUM USA, 109 mins Dir: Neill Blomkamp Elysium is a 2013 sci-fi flick I saw at the movies a few months ago, so be on the lookout for it on DVD by Christmas! It stars Matt Damon & Jodie Foster. The year is 2154. People are largely divided into 2 classes – the ultra rich, who live on a space-station sort of setup, hovering over Earth which is called Elysium, while the rest of the population inhabit the Earth, which has become a desolate, rubbish ridden & overpopulated planet where sickness & disease are common. They are also overseen & forced to work under robots with little to look forward to in life. Meanwhile on Elysium, the rich live a life of care-free luxury; with everything anybody could want, including a bed in every home which can instantly cure any illness. Anybody trying to reach Elysium illegally however meets with dire consequences. Damon plays Max Costa, who after contracting a lethal dose of radiation in his job, vows to make it to Elysium to cure himself & take childhood friend Frey (Alice Braga) with him. Meanwhile, Secretary Of Defence on Elysium, Jessica Delacourt (an excellent performance by Jodie Foster), is ruling the station with an iron fist in an attempt to gain complete control of Elysium, & is prepared to go to any lengths to stop the likes of Max & his cohorts from making it to the luxury station. So with this background conveyed to the viewer, Elysium really does set itself up well for what should be an excellent film, especially as I’m a big sci-fi fan. But alas it really goes astray in the middle of the film, getting bogged down too much in Max’s internal battles. Also we lose momentum as the film focuses on his relationship with Frey & his agreements he is forced to make with smuggler Spider (Wagner Moura) & his cronies. It is really hard to get behind Max as the films protagonist as well - though Damon does a fairly convincing job in his primary role here, Max is just not that likeable a person. The film does conclude well, as Max & Co finally make it to Elysium for the inevitable showdown. The futuristic special effects & indeed the whole Elysium station comes across very well on the big screen, no expense of the budgets spared on this film. Jodie Foster is also perfectly cast in her role as the ruthless, ice cold, power hungry politician of Elysium who will do anything to maintain the station for the upper class only. Action fans will also not feel left out with plenty to keep them satisfied right throughout the film. To wrap things up, I found Elysium to be a quite an entertaining film, but the thing is that it could have been so much more. Had there been more sympathy for Damon’s character & less distraction in the middle of the film which dragged things down, it would have really made a difference. As it stands, Elysium is only a good sci-fi/action film, instead of a great one. I’m giving this ***

Movie Review - Rewind This

OK, so somehow, I've been "dobbed in" to do a regular movie review for work as part of a new internal communications/social network for our company. that is to be launched soon. They wanted something "fluffy" (their word not mine) to go with all the business info stuff. So I thought I may as well share it with this blog, add a bit more content!
For a bit of background info for you all, I'm not generally a big movie buff - sport is obviously my major thing, but it just so happens we're about 3/4 of the way through a 2 week period of the year where I become a movie geek rather than a sports geek, thanks to the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) which is in its final days for 2013. If you're looking for an alternative to your major Hollywood blockbuster, or interested in seeing a different side of the movie genre, MIFF would be well worth a look - be it a lost classic, an International film, an independent movie from an up & comer filmmaker, a Night Shift classic late night cult film, a Documentary, or of course a Homegrown Aussie film getting its first ever release, MIFF has lots to offer. So it is the highlight so far from MIFF 2013 which is the the 1st cab off the rank for a movie review.!

REWIND THIS!

USA, 91 min

Dir: J.Johnson

 If you're a fellow Gen X'er like myself, then you'll have grown up with the humble home video cassette. Sure today, we have Blu Ray, VOD, Netflix, etc but back when our generation was growing up, it was all about this brand new concept that allowed us to first watch movies at home, known as a VHS. Rewind This is a really interesting, very funny, & poignant documentary that takes us back for a look at the video cassette - from its beginnings, right through until its demise due to the DVD.   

We hear from movie geeks still devoted to the VHS genre (& we're talking some SERIOUS geeks still with literally wall to wall VHS movie collections), archivists & various filmmakers themselves as they discuss how they see how the video cassette changed their lives, & dominated the movie media market for the 80's & most of the 90's. We look at the uprising of video stores across the land, & how Hollywood blockbusters could sit side-by-side on the shelf with cheesy direct-to-video releases. We even briefly delve into how this changed the adult film business, & how the landscape in Japan was also changing rapidly. We get a heap of clips from a bunch of so-bad-its-good horror & cheesy movies from the era & that had the audience in fitfuls of laughter. The film looks at the making of a home movie thanks to the video camera, & we witness the lengths that some everyday people went to in their quest for making a film - to the extent of recreating Raiders Of The Lost Ark in its entirety - now that's dedication!

Rewind This! wraps up with a look back at all involved in the documentary on how they see the positioning of the VHS in the modern era. The true value of nostalgia is not lost upon most fanatics & collectors, to the extent where video cassette conventions around the world are gathering storm, proving there is still a strong fan base for this part of  film media. There is also a belief in physical media possession, which flies in the face of the way the industry is headed today - e.g. Netflix, YouTube.

Obviously I'm right in the target audience for a feature documentary like Rewind This! Hey, I can still admit I have a VCR in my room still too! But a person of just about any age would find some value in this film. Even if its for the classic clips from movies you never though could possibly have existed back in the 80's! It is a well constructed & very well put together piece, giving you a decent history lesson, & an insight to what the genre still means to many dedicated VHS fans out there, to throwing in plenty of laughs along the way, Rewind This! is a really great feature, & well worth checking out. Look for it on VHS at your local video store, haha! :)   I'm giving it ****

 

 

 

What Footy Meant to Me Growing up

WHAT FOOTY MEANT TO ME GROWING UP

  

Sorry for leaving nearly 5 months between posts: never said I'd be any good at keeping this going! I guess 2013 has been a fairly up & down year so far, but seeing its Friday, & things have been into perspective somewhat over the last month or so (something I might discuss down the track if I remember to write again soon) I'll write about a primarily positive topic, & one of my passions in life.

So, footy. Australian Rules Football. Our great homegrown game that only true Australians really grasp, though that is slowly changing around the world thanks to the good work of many people - though its something that you won't find on the front or back page of the Herald Sun anytime soon.

 Its been my lifeblood, so to speak, pretty much all my life. Sport has always been an integral part of the Croft family for at least a generation or two, much to Mum's anguish - part of marrying into a Croft clan I guess!   

My Grandfather was a supporter of Collingwood believe it or not, but luckily for me, when my father first moved to live in Geelong for work as a young man, he went along the line of "when in Rome...." & decided since he was now a local, he'd better take up supporting the local team - the mighty Geelong Football Club. So when I arrived into the world, Dad was keen to pass that support down the line. We lived in Mildura for my first few years, but moved back down to live in Geelong when i was 5. While I still do have a few faint memories of Mildura, my most vivid memories from early childhood days will always be down at Kardinia Park. Even back in the early 80's, Dad was a busy man & worked long hours. So on Saturdays during footy season, it was father & son quality time together, & whenever Geelong was playing at home, he'd take me to the big game. I was fortunate that I took interest in the games very early on, & really looked forward to those Saturday afternoons.

 Of course, being the 80's, all games were played at 2pm on Saturday afternoon at suburban grounds with a reserves match on beforehand.  We'd park in South Geelong, stroll along the railway lines up to Kardinia Park, with the whistle of the V-Line footy special train in the background, quite often rugged up in a dufflecoat & beanie as we endured a cold & often rainy or foggy Saturday down at G town. Back then it was only standing terraces only for the most part, unless you got to the ground early enough to grab a spot on one of the wooden rows of seats that surrounded the fence on the Moorabool Street side of the ground. Don't think we ever got there that early though - you'd literally have to be queueing at the gates at 11am when they sprang open to get one of those elusive spots! Nope, it was always top deck of the terraces on the half-forward flank, just to the right of the traditional old scoreboard. Sometimes we lucky to arrive early enough for me to get a spot against the railing. Especially in my early days I could lean or even sit on the rails if I got a little bored, or at the breaks in the game. Mum usually packed us some sandwiches & fruit drinks, or often Dad would come home from a couple of hours work Saturday morning with some fresh rolls from the bakery, & some fresh strassburg, & we'd knock up some lovely rolls to take down to the footy.

Back then, it was first-in best dressed as far as viewing points were concerned (which i why it was a bonus to get a spot at the railing). Sometimes supporters made concessions for a kid, but often it was a case of leaning over people or swaying to see the action depending on where the play was on the ground! If it was raining, out came the umbrellas, making it virtually impossible for a kid like me to watch the game. Plenty of arduous fans muttered "get the umbrellas down" the instant it looked like stopping! 

Also there were little food options at the ground itself. I have fond memories of the crabby old lady at the hot donut stand proclaiming "It's only me serving, sorry", as you spent your entire half time break queueing for a warm bit of dough & faintly warm jam in the middle to ward off the cold! Then of course you had to squeeze past dozens of people on the terrace on the way back, & remember where Dad was situated amongst hundreds of other supporters sitting down & giving their legs a rest, or consulting the footy record to find out the codes of the other games' scores posted on the main scoreboard. Not to mention trying to find your way down to the packed toilets with very basic facilities! I remember on my 14th birthday Dad getting us & my grandparents who were down visiting reserved seats in the R.J Hickey stand behind the goals (this is the the stand that was just recently torn down to make way for the new stand being finished off now) - pure luxury! Pity the boys just came up short against the West Coast Eagles that day, spoiling my birthday! :(  

We usually take a footy along too for a bit of kick-to-kick on the terrace.. On extra special occasions, if Dad judged we'd had a good win, we'd even head onto the hallowed turf of Kardinia Park itself for a kick, & even once or twice head down the players race to pat the boys on the back. There were many times on Dad's orders that we'd slip away well before the final siren, tails between our legs, as Geelong crashed to another defeat. One time that almost came back to bite us on the behind - a game v the Swans in 1988, we looked done & dusted & Dad said that's enough, time to go. Optimistic me tuned on the radio on my brand new Walkman, locked it on to 3GL with Teddy Whitten calling the action as we strode back to the car. Turns out Robert Scott had a shot to win after the sire, but hit the post! 

While attending the footy is much more different experience nowadays, & is certainly more comfortable & enjoyable, I wouldn't trade those early days for a kings ransom in money. I got to see the likes of Daicos, Doull, Johnson, Salmon, Duntall, Flower... all the big names from the 80's & early 90's go through their paces at Kardinia Park well before things like switching games to bigger grounds became the norm. I saw many great players donning the blue & white hoops of Geelong come & go. Robert "Scratcha" Neal, Peter Johnson, Neville Bruns, Micky Turner, Darren Flanigan, the list goes on. Of course that gradually gave way to a more successful era as we entered the 90's - Brownless, Couch, Bairstow, the Hocking boys, Darcy, Stoneham. But still there was 1 player that stood above all - Gary Ablett snr. Even in the days when Geelong weren't a great team, it was worth it just see the great man wearing No. 5 in action. some of the stuff he could do & goals he could kick left me in disbelief. to this day, I rate him at the greatest player I've ever seen play our great game.

As the years rolled on, we even started going to some games in Melbourne. More great experiences as I was now old enough to understand the game well, but like the old saying goes, "theres no place like home". and that would always be Kardinia Park to me. Despite the heartbreaks of going so close to wining a Grand Final in the late 80's & early 90's, my father had taught me well - I was a die-hard cat fan for life, & a footy follower forever. 

As our game started to change & the ground facilities with it as footy was gradually evolving into what we know it as today, I grew old enough to start attending games by myself, or with some mates from high school. Dad also started working more often & more hours on Saturday, but he would still come down when he could - he always knew where to find me at the ground! That flank in the outer on the Moorabool St side was always our spot, & remained so right up till the end of the 2003 season when they began construction of a new stand that was to become the new Hickey Stand. After a season of using the standing room behind the goals at the city end - now known as the Ablett Terrace - I saw the writing on the wall, & upgraded to a reserved seat for 2005. By this time, Dad rarely came to many games, content I guess in the knowledge that the Cats footy fan gene had been passed on, & happy to watch the game on TV! So it was just me, though occasionally I'd organise a seat nearby if a mate wanted to head down for a game. 

We are about to enter a new era at Kardinia Park (OK, call it Shell/Baytec/Skilled/Simmonds Stadium if you wish) next week with the introduction of lights & the unveiling a new grandstand, truly bringing the Geelong Football Club& its home base in the modern era.We are very lucky to still have our own ground, when you consider most other Melbourne suburban clubs' home grounds have fallen victim to the evolution of AFL footy. Credit must go to the current board at Geelong, & those that have served over the past 10-12 years for their vision in bringing the club into the 21st century, & taking an old & rapidly declining stadium into what we know it as today!  My niece also has taken on the Cats as her team, & has started coming to home games the last few years, which has led to Dad also coming back to some games too - he & my sister take turns in bringing her along & letting her cheer on her beloved cats in person. So there are 3 seats waiting for us in the Gary Ablett Terrace next Saturday evening for what will be a historic night, & we can't wait!!

GO CATS!!

First for 2013!

 That Was The Year That Was

Happy New Year!! Hope everyone had a good Christmas, & a bit of time off over the festive season. So 2013 is here, 8 days in already. I had hoped to write over the break, but inspiration didn't strike alas. Having 10 days in a row off work for the first time in 12 months didn't inspire me to do too much in the the way of writing, even though I didn't do a lot over the break - more on that to come.

I got nothing specific to chat about today, just quickly to look at my highs & lows of 2012, my pretty unspectacular Xmas/New Year break, & a few things on the horizon in 2013! Only my 2nd full day of work here, things still fairly quiet - I guess a fair few of our suppliers still on their break - so lets do this now.

I look back on 2012 with mixed feelings - it was my 1st full year in the new job, & after a busy start to the year which involved settling in & organising the new office & completely getting my head round the job tasks, I settled in to a pretty good routine. A good group of people & modern facilities certainly helped. And before I knew it, the footy was back & I had a very big year, getting to over 50 games by my count if you include NAB Cup, VFL games & finals!! Adding in everything else socially, I kept busy for most of the year, while manging a couple of trips Harborside - including getting to the GWS Giants' 1st ever game for premiership points - a trip to Adelaide, this time last year, & a quick getaway to Cairns in October for a few nights.

On the flip side, we had a few family health issues which made you think twice about things. I felt I didn't quite achieve a few of the things I had hoped to - in financial terms mainly. Though I guess a new queen bed, a new MacBook, & a ticket to the AFL Grand final at the full retail rate will take the edge off your bank account in a hurry! Also, I sadly had to put a big black line through the names of some people who I either thought were my friends, but thought wrong (as I've spoken about before), or others I just continued to drift away from, as happens over time. I know that people coming & going from your life is perfectly normal part of life, but its always something that I personally find hard to do. Especially as I'm far from the best at replacing them with new friends & contacts.

So, to wrap it up, my highlight & lowlight of 2012: The highlight was definitely my 20 year high school reunion in March. I guess there's not much in-between with these things, either it really clicks, or you spend 90% of the night sitting in the corner sipping a drink, feeling very awkward & totally out of place. Luckily it was the former for me - the girls who organised the night picked a perfect spot to have it, & had things planned very well. Drinks, finger food, some old high school photos that had re-surfaced... all led to a very engaging night that I really really enjoyed. Great to catch up with so many familiar faces & catch up on 20 years worth of news. Head was spinning from so many memories & laughs & moments in time from some of the best years of your life! Especially as you know by now, I'm a bit socially awkward - but this night I mingled & chatted with almost everyone! Its amazing how some people looked exactly the same, & had barely changed, while others I honestly didn't recognise at first! The night went so well in fact, that there was serious discussion about making this an annual event! The next few months will determine whether that happens or not I guess, now that 9 months have since passed.
The lowlight is a bit more generic - that pathetic game of footy the Cats played in the elimination final at the MCG against the Freo dockers. Considering what was on the line that night, & as many predicted, 2012 would be Matthew Scarlett's last year in the game, that was just such a terrible effort that night to put it mildly - what a way to send off one of the greatest players to ever pull on the Blue & White hoops! :( I haven't been as angry as I was that night in a long, long time. My brother paid witness to that - come half time, he had re-located halfway down the aisle of seats, & i didn't blame him at all! I only need to track back to my tweets that night - I was seriously pissed off!!

Sorta ironic that both my highlight & lowlight of 2012 involved a Geelong-Fremantle game! Of course, the only other meeting between the teams last year was in Rd 1 on March 31st -the same night as my high school reunion!

Xmas/New Years

This section will be brief! We finished up at work on Friday Dec 21st, with a Xmas lunch celebration, complete with giveaways, the work KK, etc before an early finish. Was a nice way to wrap up the year, especially seeing  i won one of the door prizes - a $50 Coles/Myer gift card, very nice! I actually popped out & caught up with some old work colleagues at dimmeys Head Office (the ones still there at least) & to say Merry Christmas. Reinforced how glad I am I left too - it was deathly quiet, hardly anyone left anymore. Was quite depressing in a sense, actually!
My Christmas itself was fine - just spent with the family at home (one advantage of being single - only 1 set of family you need to visit, haha) My niece & nephew were over round 8.30ish to drag me out of bed & go open the presents with everyone else! My brother & his partner came down for lunch which was really nice, & after the traditional afternoon snooze, I ducked up to my sister & brother in laws place (within walking distance) for an evening drink & to reflect on what we all got from "Santa"! Nothing spectacular, but very enjoyable notheless.
I usually go to the cricket at the MCG on Boxing Day, but I have to admit on being totally uninterested with Sri Lanka being the opponents this year. Plus the prices seemed higher, too. Just not worth it - I popped up to the big smoke, did a bit of shopping, then found a good pub with a nice beer garden to watch the cricket on the big screen. Could think of worse ways to spend Boxing Day!
Rest of the break was mainly R & R. I got down to to Torquay for a couple of days (love the new Geelong Ring Road, makes it a lot easier) when it wasn't too hot & too crowded, & just basically took it easy. Was nice just to forget about the usual grind & not have to worry about going to bed at a reasonable hour & wake up to a darn alarm every morning!
Even New Years Eve was low key this time. I'd pretty much decided last new year's that I was just over the whole big party scene for New Years anyway.. A BBQ at home with family was more enticing, complete with drinks on the patio courtesy of the esky filled with cold ones on ice, with some tunes from the radio counting down till midnight. Was in bed not long after 1am! Also, it was back to work on January 2nd, so not really worth doing anything too huge.

2013?

So we had a quiet roll in to the new year at work, too. Was just a skeleton staff last 3 normal working days after New Years last week, with a short work day too - wasn't complaining! I'm not really a big one for New Years resolutions - was actually asked this at a End Of The Word/Xmas Party I was at just before Xmas - and I think the world just turns too quickly to set too many goals these days. Just look at these terrible bushfires in Tassie right now - sure the people who have had their lives disrupted the last few days had goals they were aiming for. Things just change too quickly in the modern world for mine.
That being said, I was looking medium term at another overseas trip. for the last year or 2, I'd envisioned going to the UK in June-July 2013 & catching some of the Ashes Test matches. But you have to face facts sometimes: its realistically not something I'm going to be able to afford. Not at the moment anyway, I know things can change. Anyway, I have to admit I'm not as sold on going as much anymore, seeing that the next set of Ashes Test matches will be just a few months later on, back here in Australia. It sort of de-values those matches in England a little for me. Next time we tour will be 2015 I think, so that may be a better long-term goal? We'll see. In the meantime, seeing I came back on Jan 2nd, & have a few days of leave still owing. (only problem with the new job was having to take almost 2 weeks of leave just 7 weeks into the job owing the re-location of the office over Xmas/New Years 2011) I'm thinking of settling for a few night sessions of the tennis, & taking a week in late Jan/early Feb instead while the weather is still good but after the school holidays are over & taking off somewhere. Right now that somewhere is... Fiji! :) But keep it under your hats, haven't booked yet, or even put my annual leave in either, though I'm not anticipating an issue at a quiet point of the retail year. Stay tuned, come next post I should have the details, whoo-hoo!!

One Thing to go On...

So NYE was the final trading day for Dimmeys Richmond -  where I began my 14 year career with the company in October 1997. Early 1998 through to early 1999 when i was working at Richmond is what I would rate my most enjoyable time with Dimmeys - it was before the cutbacks, staffing issues, mismanagement, etc. I could do a whole post on my time at dimmeys, so I won't go into details now. But when I walked past it on the weekend for the 1st time since it closed, I kinda expected to feel something - sadness, nostalgia, memories of the best times I had there..... but I felt nothing at all. Good in a way that I've fully moved on, sad that I had a lot of friendships & good times there, that seem to have been permanently scarred by more recent memories & how I was treated in subsequent years. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing? In a more general sense, its certainly a loss for the area - so now the building just becomes another supermarket with some upmarket apartments on Level 1?  Hmmmmmmm...  At least the tower & wall along Green St has been Heritage listed & can't be touched. Still a sad occasion, especially for the staff still working there. Hope my old big boss has enough heart to find a role for them at another the stores.
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