Day 66: The macha is always greener in another's cup

Day 66 (9 Feb) The weekend arrives though sleeping in doesn't. Not that I don't try but habits set in and I find myself getting up at the usual time. No clarinet rehearsal today but there is a plan to catch up with a colleague in town I haven't seen since the time of our postgrad studies a decade or so ago. 

The birds, at 6.12am

Thus at 6.12am 'life as normal' proceeds--feeding the lorikeets, coffee, breakfast and catching up on the week's papers. As a resident of the federal electorate of Griffith, I've been invited by a friend to contribute some occasional pieces on views from Ruddland, 'the constituents' view' as much as one can. I'm looking forward to that.

The catch up with the colleague was interesting. The opportunity to sit and chat about security and foreign policy issues is always welcome. I have largely stayed in academia, she has moved fluidly between the academy and the public service; she wants to return to the academy, I want to move on. Perhaps it is a case that the macha is always greener in another's cup. (You may have to refer to yesterday's post to grasp that reference.)

Waiting, at 6.12pm

Later in the afternoon there was a rather impromptu decision to go to a movie with another friend. 'Lincoln' is a movie that has been on the list for a few weeks, planned during the weekend of X-TC Oswald, we decided tonight was the time to go. It became an adventure in itself. 

Our preferred cinema is in the city, usually accessible by train but the spontaneity of the decision limited the public transport options. Easy, drive; problem: the football at Lang Park; car park too full to land the car and see the movie. Continuing therefore with the 'come what may' theme, within a few minutes we found ourselves heading towards a suburban cineplex. At 6.12pm then, we were about to hit the freeway to get to the cinema for a 6.20 or 6.25 start. Luckily suburban cinemas have a long enough run of ads and shorts that a 6.20 start, we calculated, would give us time to get in to buy tickets. 

We made it, we felt like it was a bit of an action movie sequence to get down the freeway in time, wait in line for the tickets and find our way into the cinema. Our guesstimate of time to get there without missing the start was right: 20 mins of ads meant we had plenty of time. 

The movie? It was good. I like to see movies as movies, not accurate historical reconstructions. Some have been critical of its accuracy. The negotiations that went on between the Republicans and the Democrats over the slavery amendment may or may not have been accurate; however, they certainly conveyed the feel of what goes on in the context of political argy-bargy. Back to politics...back to the other blog...back to watching the politics of today. 

Leisure or work...it always comes back to politics in one form or another for me. 

Get me my macha...