You hear that, Mr Andersen?

Flamethrower, Briscoes, Clifton

I was thinking about movies, and how if you were making some kind of post-apocalypse style movie, it would be kind of cool to get a bunch of the same sort of people who enter Scrapheap Challenge to make you working stuff. Or the people who build crazy things and then post the plans online -- like this guy's flamethrower. And it would make a natural special feature for the DVD -- after all, we already know that the making of these kinds of things can make good TV. ;)

Of course, it might be harder to work this sort of thing into a typical RomCom -- but that just makes it cooler if you did. Maybe the quirky friend or sidekick can be a tinkerer? Or having the argument between the romantic leads while they're fighting in giant homemade mecha?

Oh, man, now I have this idea for a version of The Pirates of Penzance, except the pirates are a biker gang, and Fredrick has stayed with the gang so long because the leader had custody of him (though a hilarious yet legally binding mix-up), but he is now going to go and become a cop. I guess the General would become a Governer, and... okay, I'm putting way too much thought into this. ;)

***

The Lyall Bay Briscoes opened yesterday, and there was a flier with a 50%-off and three 30%-off vouchers in it. (You couldn't get electrical stuff with the 50% voucher.) What lead to my downfall was that they were handing out fliers at the store door, so I could go through twice...

I know I didn't really need a set of good cutlery, but it's nice to know that I now have something other than the ones with the bright yellow plastic handles. And I kinda needed a floor-lamp over by the DVDs. And an electric fan will be good in the coming summer months. And since I can't find the awesome clock my sister gave me, I needed a wall clock, and it was only $8 (down from $35). And I needed to update my wine-storage situation.

I have no justification for the icecream maker or the ice shaver, though. Well, maybe I can make a case for the icecream maker saving me money in the long-term, since I won't need to buy icecream; but as for the other appliance, my ice isn't even that hairy, so what does it need a shaver for? ;) Actually, I have a number of different fruit syrups, so being able to make shaved ice will be quite handy. Plus, of course, it'll be useful for fancy alcoholic drinks -- even if the cartoon penguin on the front runs counter to the whole "sophisticated" tone that you generally want for cocktails.

In my defence, I want to make it clear that there were several items that I thought about buying, and chose not to -- I decided I didn't need a waffle-maker, not even one that made waffles shaped like penguins. And I don't eat enough bread to justify a bread-maker, and I really don't need to clutter up my bench with one of those sandwich press/grill things.

And I bought no crockery or glassware! Well, except for a set of margarita glasses. But otherwise, nothing. And it was all on sale!

Hmm. I think I'm lucky that my natural laziness will protect me from going and buying things too often. :)

***

I just finished the new book by Jane Clifton, Political Animals. It was interesting, and I enjoyed reading it, but there were certainly times when I wished I had a concordance -- she's been writing on politics for nearly thirty years, and she's quite happy to assume that you remember Tuku Morgan's expensive underpants scandal, or Winston back when he was a National MP, and my memory for this sort of thing is fuzzy in the extreme. Presumably, this is the result of her experience as a periodical columnist -- she's got a very conversational style, and a good conversationalist doesn't spend time telling you what you already know.

Do I feel I understand our politicians and political process more, having read the book? Yep -- I feel like I have a better handle on Winston Peters, and why we have the leaders and cabinets we do. And it made me wish, yet again, that local government were more glamourous, or at least that it was easier to pay attention and care, and get others to do the same. Councils are getting more and more power, and we've had plenty of examples of how ideology and bees in mayoral bonnets can override consultation and/or common-sense. (Though I guess the fact that we're not going to be tearing up the streets, shutting down roads and throwing money away on street racing means that they're not completely unswayable.) But I get the feeling that local bodies are much more static than Parliment, and most council members are going to stay in once they get there -- so even if good people stand, they'll probably get discouraged before they get in.

Anyway, quite a fun, mildly autobiographical book by an author I always enjoy reading. :)

Tune in next time for my thoughts on what I'm reading now -- Queen Bees & Wannabes.

Posted by svend at October 20, 2005 1:53 PM