You (really!) had to be there...

Matchbox 20 was been from day one and still is one of my favourite bands. I was sad to see them breaking up and I was thrilled to see Rob Thomas carrying on with his songwriting and singing career.

The thing about Rob Thomas is that he seems really genuine. A well-balanced male who can write, talk and sing. No stunning beauty, no pin-up - an ordinary looking guy with a gift.

It just happens that Lesley has a thing about Rob. Rob's new album gets a lot of play at home and in the car. She loves the acoustic session that Matchbox 20 did a few years ago and the DVD finds its way to our screen often enough. And it's all about Rob connecting with te audience and telling stories while introducing the next song.

It just happened that Rob announced that he would play Melbourne on February 14th which also happens to be hir birthday. I am sure this was the biggest threat to Melbourne's younger male population. You try to be romantic with your girl and all she can think that night is Rob on (and perhaps off) stage. To me, hoerver, it was the perfect Valentine's day present :) but I will not elaborate further on this point. I am quietly gloating inside...

Rob played for 1 hour and 45 minutes. And to our silent requests, he played not just his new album but also all our favourite Matchbox 20 songs - the ones who really touch people, whatever their mood or circumstances. He also sang one of only three David Bowie songs I like. And the place went crazy. Totally.



He 's got a magnificent band together; The drummer is a character and a half, the guitarist is wild, the bass player seems to have his guitar fluidly connected to his body so that the music flows into him, the keyboard player/guitarist is cool with the keys and at the same time wild on his lap steel.

All in all, it was a fantastic night. I hope a DVD comes out soon. Last night's concert is now my favourite ever. It has just overtaken Nickleback's Long Road in 2004.

If any of you were there, I hope we share the same memory. If you are going tonight, be prepared to be moved.

Me, Me, Me

It so happens that my employer owns a large car fleet and novated leasing company. They claim that, because of their purchasing power and volumes every year, they can get cars at prices that dealers cannot beat. There's a catch, naturally. No shop front.

As my current Astra is coming out of lease later this year, it is only natural that I have started to look for a new car. I have gone as far as obtaining some quotes for some cars we're interested in. Looks attractive, no complaints so far. But it's also only natural that one has to see, feel and test drive a car.

So we head off to our local motorcar dealer and are greeted by the smiling vulture - are we buying or are we leasing. My hunch: neither. We're here to perve (excuse the spelling), to squeeze information out of the vulture and to ultimately score (sorry, demand) a test drive. So I reply that we're leasing, because ultimately we are - although technically not through Vultures Inc.

Chatting creatures that we are, we get talking, I'm asked who I work for and once the honest reply hits his ears, the realisation is causing his eyebrows to shift closer together: "aaaah, so you lease through XYZfleet...". Shit - do vultures have to know everything?
But I share my bit of knowledge, that we are not commited to buy through XYZfleet and we are free to seek a better quote, should a sales-driven (number of, as opposed to commission) vulture exist. Does he believe me? Didn't look like. So he asks me to double check! Because he knows everythig about XYZfleet and my employer! What cheek...

And as he painfully takes us through a couple of cars, I ask him kindly that in a month's time I'd like to come back for a test drive or two. A quick nod probably means "whatever" or "I'm not listening" or "we should start charging time-wasters for test drives".

Not impressed. And what's worse, I can see his point. He's an employer of a franchisee, he doesn't give a rat's arse about Mr Motorcar's wealth. He's working his ass off in a market where many are tempted by cheaper novated leases as a result of purchasing power. I do understand.

But the nature of the vulture is well known. Selfish, ruthless, cold... I'm left feeling guilty and he's off to the next couple of customers, off to another sale.

How the hell am I supposed to test drive the car I want and buy it where I want from? Because, after all, it's about ME!

Bloody Evolution

Vampires. Complex creatures. I like the way they are portrayed in books, where my imagination is free to explore and paint the picture about how they look and behave. I have grown to disagree with the way certain movies depict them eg. From Dusk to Dawn.

This is a short(ish) blurb on my fascination not so much about the creatures themselves but about the way they have been perceived, or invented, over the years and how their legacy is explained to us, books versus films.

Backtrack 1#: The Historian and Anne Rice. While on holiday at Cradle Mountain, we did some reading in the comfort of our log cabin, in front of the fire while it was snowing outside. I picked Ian M. Banks' The Algebraist and Lesley picked Elizabeth Costova's The Historian.

Late last year I started The Historian myself. It's the story of Paul and Helen, two historians from either side of the Atlantic who meet by both of them embarking on the same journey: Him to find his tutor and dear friend and her to find her father. Ultimately they are tracing the steps of the head honcho of the vampires, Count Dracula.

This book is captivating. In a similar but very pleasant manner as the DaVinci Code, historical events and locations are explored and described with passionate details. It gives a very convincing account of how Count Dracula came to be and his legacy over the centuries and you can't help but admire the man, his conquests and abilities. The author is very cleverly swapping narrators between the male historian and his young daughter.

About the same time I finished The Historian, I had also finished the 6-month project of renovating our upstairs retreat and bedroom. The retreat features inbuilt shelving and cupboards so we got talking about filling the voids with our evolving book collection. Then Lesley suggested that I read the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. My only Rice experience to date had been the movie Interview with a Vampire, the fist book of the series. Unable to find that book, I got started on The Vampire Lestat and then moved on to The Queen of the Damned (still in progress). Rice's talent in describing all things vampire is simply exquisite and you cannot help but feeling a degree of admiration about the creatures. Such amazing, supernatural powers such as the ability to transfer images mentally from one to another, telekinesis etc. But with all this perfection, there's a flaw: daylight is a big no-no.

Backtrack #2: Underworld and Underworld:Evolution
Two years ago (and during our early courtship), Lesley and I went to see Underworld. It was really enjoyable and the midnight session and (coincidentally, of course) the cold and rain outside only enhanced the experience. Except for Scott Speedman's performance as Michael, which was wooden. All vampire rules were there. Vampires must die a mortal death, only to be awaken centuries later and come back stronger.

Last weekend we saw Underworld:Evolution. Amongst other evolved facts, Speedman's acting has evolved too. No longer Mr Pitiful, we're now talking Mr Smarty "it all makes sense to me" Pants. Michael and Selene kick werewolf ass and utilise some kick-ass weaponry to fight the bigger wolves. We relaxed and were going with the flow...

...But as it seems that all good thing must come to an end, here's the spoiler - which came to me hours later: Underworld:Evolution was leading to an all-out, visually impressive ending. And it was quite all-out captivating, except for the last few seconds: The 'evolved' vampire Selene (and perhaps their offspring, if Underworld:Maternity is ever released) is no longer affected by daylight.

I am sorry, I don't like it. It's not normal.

Christmas in August

In August 2005 we took a few days off and visited Cradle Mountain. As we don't like having it rough, we booked the Cradle Mountain Lodge resort for 5 nights.

We flew to Launceston on a cold but sunny morning and jumped in our hired Hyundai Excel. Having stopped at a couple of places on the way - mainly for some warming liquor provisions as well as the necessary accompanying cheeses, crackers etc - we arrived at the resort. It was no longer sunny but not that cold either - however we were drawn to the fire in our cabin and got it going quickly!

After a relaxing spa, pre-drinner drinks and dinner, we studied the guides and brochures - walks, tours and the "must experience" Spa Sancruary, situated in the resort.

The surprise of the holiday came the next morning - 15 centimetres of snow all across the resort and the nearby places of interest. We found it hard to walk around as we were not prepared for the snowfall! But we tried our best and it was a good way to kill time. Not that we were bored but to put it in context, a 25-minute walk in dry weather took over an hour in icy conditions.

Cradle mountain is a unique place on Earth. We read about the Europeans who found it and fought to preserve it as part of the National Park. The pictures we took capture some of the magic of the place. There's more for me to upload, hang in there...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kostasw/sets/72057594060073354/

My favourite spot, if I had to pick one, was Glacier Lake. Due to the slippery walking conditions we didn't walk all around Lake Dove and a couple of other walking tracks. But we saw nature to its purest, winter elements, chewed pure white snow, carefree wombats walking around in slow pace and crows tapping on our cabin window for a snack.

To me, it was an unforgettable experience. I can't wait to go back, for some more walking and discovering. From now on it'll be hard to choose the warmer states in winter from this piece of paradise.

Here I am...

Well, it had to be done. A late adopter, rather than follower, I have finally succumbed to the temptation...

But, most of all, the blog is a tribute to three people and their families. I have shared many days (and nights, thanks to our Employer at the time and our own good will) with them and due to personal circumstances at the time I was unable to be close to them in their happiness.

However, blogging and e-mail has ensured that visibility still exists - I am thrilled to know how well they are doing!

It may sound soppy, but it's the honest truth... I'm sorry to not have kept in touch as much as I would have liked. My deep-dives go on for too long.