In this weird, confusing, sometimes frightening world we live in it is extremely comforting and reassuring that some people are putting their inventive powers to the betterment of all mankind.

WAKE N' BACON

PS My birthday is just round the corner, if you're looking for that gift idea that says how much you really care.

Despite myself I have grown to like Robbie Williams' Lovelight. I vowed to hate everything off Rudebox but this has grown on me. Go figure!

The Good Shepherd raised more questions than it answered:

* Why does Matt Damon's smile still make me a little wobbly in the tummy? Still as bad after all these years as when my world first moved an inch to the right upon seeing Good Will Hunting.

* Why put someone like Angelina Jolie in such a piss-weak role?

* If everyone is getting old (Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, William Hurt) does it mean I'M GETTING OLD?

* Why do people make almost three hour long movies? Say what you have to say and get on with your life, I saw. Self indulgence is not an attractive quality in a director (sorry Robert). It's only a good quality in bloggers.

* Why do people choose to enter the spy/espionage/politics game? What is the attraction? What does it mean? Why does anyone bother? I sat through this film understanding the words but totally missing the point, the motivation, the meaning. Please explain.

This much cuteness deserves a blog entry!
(and no mention of Britney's hair or carbon credits)

Penne with Pesto

Atlantic Salmon with Avocado Salad with Warm Orange Vinegrette

Saturday night dinner at the DeepKick residence. Why does it require a blog entry?

Because... are you sitting down?...

No, really! You need to be sitting down! YOU. WON'T. BELIEVE. IT!!!!!

MY HUSBAND COOKED DINNER.

Yes, Big Jay who generally can't boil water. For whom toast is an accomplishment.

All I can say is THANK YOU He Cooks. What started as a Christmas present idea with little prognosis of success has resulted in an enthusiastic husband who has signed up for the full course and is gingerly dipping his toe into my domain (i.e. the kitchen).

As Big Jay would say "Happy Days!".

You know generally I'm a live and let live type of gal. I'm not a fan of organised religion of any sort but if they don't bug me with their God shit I won't bug them with my atheism.

But recently I've really got my back up about these damned Exclusive Brethren (just their name gives me the major shits). The personal terrorism to families they are committing in the name of their stupid, fucked up "religion" makes me sick.

I really get very very angry and upset at the crap which is perpetuated on people, on families, on communities... in the name of religion. Why can't these morons, these dangerous morons, just pull their heads in and stop fucking up peoples' lives.

How can they be so very cute and yet so very annoying all at the same time?

Friday night was date night, thanks to my sister who babysat the munchkins. Thanks again, JB.

For once we easily agreed on the movie we both wanted to see - Stranger Than Fiction.

I really liked this movie. It was beautifully done on every level. You could call it Adaptation Lite. You could parallel it with The Truman Show. But it stood on its own feet very well.

All the performances were good. I could nitpick Will Ferrell and say he played it just too straight, but I won't. I loved Dustin Hoffman, really perfect. I loved Maggie Gyllenhaal, she is sweet but has an edge; something reminiscent of early Winona Ryder but better.

I could nitpick the derivative daggy song sung in an endearing fashion to win the girl's heart (see Ten Things I Hate About You, The Wedding Singer et al), but I won't.

It all worked for me and I had a tear in my eye as the credits rolled. Damn it when the cynical exterior cracks slightly and the moral of the story actually touches my craggy old heart.

RIP Anna Nicole Smith.

She may have been somewhat of a media whore/joke but I did have a soft spot for her.

I am fairly certain Howard had something to do with her "mysterious" death as well as her son's "mysterious" death but I used to like him so I feel confused by this certainty that he somehow did them both in.

Does this mean we'll never see Bobby Trendy again? Will he be doing the funeral? So many questions.

We're trying not to take it personally.

On Tuesday afternoon when I picked up Marianna from daycare, she put on her backpack and we walked down to the gate together, as usual. When we were standing at the gate Marianna looked at me then turned around and started walking back up to her daycare room. "I stay here," she said.

This morning when Jason went to get her out of her cot she said "No, I stay here". And rolled over.

What are we to make of this behaviour? Twenty months old and so sassy.

Ummm, that was nice...

Well, actually it was kind of weird and funny.

It was my night out with Jules at the filming of the Australian version of Gordon Ramsey's The F Word. This version stars Matt Moran and I have only a small amount of confidence it will be anywhere as fun and entertaining as the original. Of course there's no-one quite like Gordon so it will be interesting to see how this comes across on the tv.

The shoot itself was too boring. Really. Jazz things up a bit, people. Jules and I had a great time, we always make ourselves laugh and enjoy each other's company, no matter how many hours a day we spend together.

The premise of the show is it's set in a "real" restaurant environment and three non-chefs are invited to cook a three course meal under the beady eye of Matt Moran. The meals are served to us, the "audience". We judge whether it is restaurant quality and "vote" by stating whether we'd pay the $40 per head.

Our meal was a starter of Salt and Pepper Squid, with baby Bok Choy. This was quite nice, the sauce was piquant, but the Bok Choy was cold and I did have an eyelash hair as a hidden surprise. The main was Roast Pork Loin with baby roasted Pears, Brocollini and Smashed Potatoes. The meat was lovely (though the crackling could have had more "crackle"), the vegies were not hot (again) and I wasn't a fan of potatoes (either mash them or served them whole, I say). Dessert was a very good Panna Cotta with a refreshing salad of Citrus with Pistachios.

While there were some small problems, as listed above, I have eaten worse, cooked by alleged professionals and paid much more (flashback to infamous Aqua Luna incident, as an example). I was happy with my meal. The fact it was eaten sitting back to back with a minor celebrity didn't hurt. Yes, I hob nobbed with Anthony Callea (first OzIdol runner-up). Well, actually there was no hob nobbing but he did sit directly behind me so there is a good chance my frizzy orange hair will make it into shot when Matt Moran was chatting with him.

So look out for my television debut on Channel 7. I'm the one looking uncomfortably comfortable, laughing hysterically a lot of the time and saying "nice" a lot.

I have a very handy husband. It's a pity he chooses to only use his handiness on a limited and very exclusive basis. Because when he does use it - WOW!





A beer tub.


A wine bucket.


A handy tea towel rail.


A beer top bin.


A sense of humour.


It has EVERYTHING!!




Our very own outdoor bar, for under $100 in materials. Much bigger and better than a similar, much smaller one, which is selling at the gorgeous kitchenware shop at Cherrybrook for $349.

It's moments like these when I start to believe he didn't just get his carpentry qualification from a Corn Flakes' box.

This one never gets old.

"Look mum, we have beards!"

A belated, though extremely important, public service announcement!

A History of Violence is the worst movie ever made. Well, maybe not the worst, but definitely in the top (or should that be bottom?) five. Right alongside Two If By Sea and What Dreams May Come.

I'm just telling you for your own good. Just so you don't waste around two hours of your life which you will never, ever get back. Learn from my mistakes, I'm begging you.

Everything about it sucks. Possibly they started with a good idea and then, somehow, it all came apart. The script is laughable, the acting one dimensional. It really doesn't have a redeemable feature. Even Viggo couldn't save it for me. I can only imagine some very large favours were called in to get Ed Harris and William Hurt involved with this stinker.

Don't say I didn't warn you.