I recently took part in a blog meme titled ‘How Aussie Are You?’. It was simply meant as a bit of fun, especially since my aversion to sport, meat pies and the outdoors often makes me wonder whether there is something my parents aren’t telling me about my true nationality.

One question, about having an ‘actual conversation’ with an Indigenous Australian, did get me thinking. I think the wording of the question is clumsy, but I have assumed that the word ‘actual’ was used to imply that the conversation was one of substance rather than simply words exchanged with a tour guide, gift shop staff member or other superficial ‘tourist’ conversation.

The question came to mind again when late last week I found myself chatting with a complete stranger at a coffee shop where I was killing time with my two sons while waiting for an appointment.

An older lady was sitting alone at an adjacent table and after exchanging a few meaningless comments, I invited her to join us. For the next 40 minutes I had the most fascinating conversation with this woman as she talked about her younger years as a teacher in New Guinea, her Swedish ancestry and her love of drawing and classical music. Complete strangers, we managed to cover a lot of conversational ground and I was fascinated and inspired by the information she shared about her life story.

What I shared with this woman was an ‘actual conversation’. Not idle chit chat, my aversion to which I have referred to before, but a meaningful exchange of ideas and information. We didn’t get personal – I have no idea of her name, political preferences or religious beliefs for example – but we did engage in a conversation that went beyond the superficial.

We live in such a busy world. We are constantly rushing from one place to the next with minds cluttered with endless ‘to do’ lists and schedules, leaving little time or attention for engaging in meaningful conversation with those closest too us, let alone with acquaintances or strangers. I’m so glad that I took the time to include this woman in our lives, however briefly, and I hope that she went home that afternoon feeling that she had connected with someone as well.

Excluding family and close friends, when was the last time you took the time to have an ‘actual conversation’ with someone? Do you ever strike up a conversation with a stranger at a coffee shop, on your bus or train journey home from work or with one of the mums at school? Do you keep thinks light and fluffy conversation-wise unless you’re with close friends? Do you wish you had more time to stop and smell the conversational roses?

Summary (Popular Penguins website)

Flame-haired Grady McNeil is beautiful, rich and defiant. Her privileged society life leaves her wanting, and excitement comes in the form of the highly unsuitable Clyde, a Brooklyn-born, Jewish parking attendant. When Grady’s mother and father leave her alone one summer in their New York penthouse, her secret affair intensifies and she is forced to make decisions that will alter her future indelibly. Truman Capote’s recently discovered debut novel is a captivating portrayal of first love.

Comments

I haven’t read any Truman Capote before, although I have always loved the movie Breakfast at Tiffanys and have that novel on my TBR pile.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect and have to say that I found the plot of Summer Crossing a little shallow and the ending far too abrupt. This is perhaps not so surprising given that this novel was ‘discovered’ only relatively recently and is evidence of Capote’s earliest writing career.

Despite my issues with the plot, I found the imagery of the book quite captivating and very evocative and I read the novel quite quickly. The afterword by Alan R Schwartz, Capote’s lawyer and trustee of The Truman Capote Literary Trust, was also very interesting, particularly as I was not particularly familiar with Capote’s personal story.

Review Copy Details
Title: Summer Crossing
Author: Truman Capote
Publisher: Penguin Books (Australia), 2009 [Popular Penguins series]
ISBN: 978-0-14-104537-5
Genre: General Fiction

Summary (from Walker Books Australia website)

John is obsessed with dominoes. But not with playing the traditional game, he is obsessed with toppling. He spends hours setting up spirals, ramps, patterns and lines of dominoes all for that satisfying toppling beginning with a small push in the right direction, everything falls as it is meant to.

When John’s friend Dom falls sick and is diagnosed with cancer, it is John and his friends’ worlds that fall apart. Can they face Dom and support him through this uncomfortable illness? It’s hard for all at first but John and his friends find a way to comfort Dom and laugh with him again. They even find support and understanding from an unlikely source within their class, the school bully.

Comments

Another wonderful novel by Sally Murphy in the style of her previous novel Pearl verses the World.

It’s definitely worth keeping the tissues nearby if you are reading this with your children. If your kids are reading it by themselves, its worth following up with them to make sure they don’t have any questions or issues arising from the story, as Dom’s diagnosis with cancer and other elements of the story could be confronting for some children.

I love Murphy’s free verse style with her novels and the illustrations by Rhian Nest James are a wonderful complement to the story, adding depth and meaning and enabling Murphy to keep the text and descriptions to a minimum.

I’ve always believed that it is important to give children opportunities to think about ‘bigger’ issues in a way that is age appropriate and I think that Toppling is a wonderful way of doing just that. The free verse format, relatable characters, humorous touches and appealing illustrations all work well together to create a novel that is very readable for a younger audience despite the serious issues it raises (such as serious childhood illness, friendship and bullying).

Details
Title: Toppling
Author: Sally Murphy
Illustrator: Rhian Nest James
Publisher: Walker Books Australia, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-921529-42-9, 127 pages
Ages: 8+
Genre: Children’s fiction

Related links

• Review of Toppling at Suite101.com
• Sally Murphy’s Aussie Reviews website
  

I find myself mentioning Twitter more and more often in general conversation of late. After sitting mesmerised by my computer screen last night and again this morning as I watched #spill unfold, I went to be wondering how I ever managed without my Tweeps to keep me informed and entertained.

So, to avoiding writing a serious post about today’s political events, I’m going to list all the reasons I love Twitter.

Hashtag Discussions of Significant Events
Whether it’s #spill/#spillard, #WorldCup2010 or #JustinBieber, I get to supplement my meagre knowledge of politics, sport, celebrity or the event/crisis du jour by eavesdropping on more knowledgeable and/or entertaining people chat about it. Sometimes I add my own comments, other times I just watch and learn. (Disclaimer: I’ve never actually followed a discussion on Justin Bieber. I just want to make that clear. Not that I’m judging, but… well, actually, yes I am.)

Hashtag TV
Watching #Masterchef, #QandA #Greys, #Lost, #origin football? If you are, you can curl up on the lounge with your laptop/iPhone and chat with fellow tweeps watching the same show. If you can’t be bothered, you can simply follow the tweets to know how it all ends and save yourself some time. Win-Win.

No Virtual Reality Games
I know that Mafia Wars did temporarily infiltrate Twitter, but it was much easier to ignore than repeated gifts of a calf or sheaf of wheat for my farm in Farmville or invitations to dine at CafeWorld. You know I love you too, Facebook friends, but you do realise that your Farmville farm isn’t real, don’t you?

Following Followers (or not)
You want to follow me? Fine. Go ahead. I only need to follow the people I find interesting or entertaining (or both). Tweet about what you had on your toast for breakfast and I’ll leave you to it without cluttering my Twitter stream with your comments. If only I could filter all my social interactions this way.

Hashtag games
I rarely join in, but I’ve enjoyed many of the hashtag games that regularly do the Twitter rounds. #LesserMovies #GreaterNovels #SpillMovies #FishMovies – there are some seriously quick-witted people out there and I thank you all for the many laughs you’ve given me.

Brushing shoulders with Celebrity
On Twitter, I get to rub shoulders with ‘celebrity’. I’m not talking about being one of Oprah’s gazillion followers, but rather actually interacting with various public figures (authors, politicians, journalists etc) in a meaningful way, even if it is only a one-off tweet or comment. 

Finding My Tribe
I’m not sure how it happened, but somehow the whole process of interacting on Twitter seems to draw together people with similar interests and complementary personalities. I’ve met people from all over Australia and all over the world with various backgrounds that have become friends – not e-friends, but genuine friends. I’ve been encouraged and supported, entertained, shared insights and information and simply had my world improved and made more interesting by some amazing people that I would never have met otherwise.

Do you love Twitter? Hate it? Don’t understand what all the fuss is about? Leave a comment and let me know why.

I don’t have a lot of indulgences in my life – I don’t drink a lot of alcohol, smoke, gamble, drink coffee, coke or even soft drinks in general. I don’t watch much television and I don’t go out all that often without my kids in tow.

You know, reading over this, it has suddenly become clear why I don’t get many party invitations.

I’ve listed all the things I don’t do, so I should point out that I do have some weaknesses. I’m rather fond of chocolate, spend far too much time chatting on Twitter and have a love of books and the written word that borders on obsessive.

I also love tea.

It has been one of the delights of 2010 that I have discovered The Tea Centre at a local Westfield shopping centre. I’m slowly working my way through their extensive catalogue of teas – black, green, white, flavoured, fruit and more. My current favourites are Sydney Special, Strawberry Cream, Ritz Carlton and Stockholm Blend.

After years of being limited to Earl Grey, English Breakfast and Irish Breakfast while friends had 19 different varieties of coffee on offer at cafés, I’ve finally found out what it is like to have a range of choices. It has been wonderful, spectacular, amazing. (Further evidence, as if you needed it, of why those party invitations don’t make it to my mailbox).

A good friend would be pleased that I have found pleasure in such a simple thing, that I’ve found a way to indulge my senses in a way that doesn’t cripple my budget or endanger my soul. A good friend certainly wouldn’t accompany me to my own little piece of paradise, then go home and send me an email with a link to this article about a recent study which has found a strong association between tea and rheumatoid arthritis.

This post is for you, Meredith. You really are a killjoy.

Summary (Magabala Books website)

This is the story of Mary, a young Aboriginal girl who lives on a red and dusty cattle station. Shunned by the other girls because of her fair skin, Old Ned, one of the community elders, finally speaks up. With words full of knowledge and wisdom, he teaches the girls that Aboriginal identity transcends skin colour and that family, community, country, culture and spirituality is what being Aboriginal is really about.

Comments

There are so many reasons to be impressed by this short picture book, not the least of which is that it was written and illustrated by a Year 12 student. I particularly enjoyed the way that the artwork complemented the story so well and the way the illustrations were so suited to make the story even more meaningful to the primary school-aged audience.

The story looks at the idea of racial intolerance from an interesting perspective, with the local indigenous children rejecting Mary because her skin and hair are fairer than theirs because her father is white.

I love that the emphasis is on character and connection ‘how you feel in your heart and soul’ rather than appearance. Mary feels a strong connection with the Koori traditions of her mother and Ned informs the other children that Mary is a fair skin black fella, that it is her heart not her skin that determines where she belongs.

This is a simple story with an obvious but important message. I have enjoyed reading it with my children and it has given us an opportunity to talk about lots of issues involving friendship and belonging.

The author, Renee Fogorty, is a descendant of the Wiradjuri people of central New South Wales. 

Details
Title: Fair Skin Black Fella
Author/Illustrator: Fenee Fogorty
Publisher: Magabala Books, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-921248-14-6
Genre: Picture book
Age: 6 – 12

I found this meme at Tina Gray {dot} Me, who apparently borrowed it from Flawed. It’s like the circle of life, but with blog content rather than cute animated Disney characters.

So here goes, I’ve highlighted all the one’s I’ve completed and added some extra comments in brackets here and there (you might want to remove these if you copy & paste the list for your blog). I have a score of  67/102, which is probably better than I expected.

How many of these things have you done?

1. Heard a kookaburra in person. (I’ve also had a sausage stolen from my plate at a BBQ by a kookaburra)
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Seen a koala.
4. Visited Melbourne. (I’m guessing changing planes at Melbourne airport doesn’t count)
5. Watched a summer thunderstorm.
6. Worn a pair of thongs.
7. Been to Uluru (Ayer’s Rock)
8. Visited Cape York.
9. Held a snake.
10. Sang along with Khe San. (in a pub while drinking beer. Doesn’t get more Aussie than that)
11. Drank VB.
12. Visited Sydney.
13. Have seen a shark.
14. Have used Aussie (and NZ) slang naturally in a conversation.
15. Had an actual conversation with an indigenous Australian (Aboriginal). (Not sure why this is particularly ‘Aussie’, as Indigenous Australians can be found all around the world. To round this point out, I should also note that I have had conversations with Australian’s of a variety of cultural backgrounds including Serbian, Greek, US, Chinese, Indian, Sri Lankan, Tongan, German, Canadian, Vietnamese and too many others to mention.)
16. Eaten hot chips from the bag at the beach.
17. Walked/climbed over the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
18. Used an outside dunny, and checked under the seat before sitting down.
19. Seen Chloe in Young & Jackson’s.
20. Slept on an overnight train or bus.
21. Been to Sydney’s Mardi Gras
22. Have gone bush-bashing.
23. Taken a sickie.
24. Been to see a game of Aussie Rules football.
25. Have seen wild camels. (both camels in the wild and angry camels – do I get to count this twice?)
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Done a Tim Tam Slam.
28. Ridden in a tram in Melbourne.
29. Been at an ANZAC day Dawn Service. (I’ve been to ANZAC services, just not at dawn. My dad used to run two-up games on ANZAC day, so I should get bonus points for that)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. (I’ve seen the sunrise/set over both the Pacific & Indian oceans)
31. Held a wombat.
32. Been on a roadtrip of 800km or more. (biggest Aussie roadtrip has been almost 10,000km)
33. Seen the Great Australian Bight in person.
34. Had a really bad sunburn.
35. Visited an Aboriginal community.
36. Seen a redback spider. (several times, unfortunately)
37. Have watched Paul Hogan.
38. Seen Blue Poles in person. (and discussed how much it cost and whether it was worth it)
39. Wandered barefoot in the bush/outback.
40. Eaten Vegemite.
41. Thrown a boomerang.
42. Seen the Kimberleys.
43. Given a hitch-hiker a lift.
44. Been to Perth.
45. Have tried Lemon, Lime and Bitters.
46. Tried playing a didgeridoo.
47. Seen dinosaur footprints.
48. Eaten Tim Tams.
49. Been to Darwin.
50. Touched a kangaroo.
51. Visted the Great Barrier Reef.
52. Listened to Kevin Bloody Wilson. (not by choice, so maybe I shouldn’t count this one)
53. Killed a Cane Toad.
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre.
55. Have read and own books by Australian authors. (I’ve even talked to several Aussie authors, so I should get bonus points for this one)
56. Visited Adelaide.
57. Know the story behind “Eternity”.
58. Been camping. (I didn’t enjoy it, but I have done it, so that counts)
59. Visited Brisbane.
60. Been in an outback pub.
61. Know what the term “Waltzing Matilda” actually means.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Listened to Slim Dusty (My husband’s Nan had a photo of herself with Slim on her 90th Birthday party invitations)
64. Own five or more Australian movies or TV series. (I even have season 1 of Skippy. That kangaroo could do everything)
65. Sang along to Down Under. (Khe Sahn & Down Under mentioned. What about singing along to Gangajang’s ‘Sounds of Then. That should count too, right?)
66. Have stopped specifically to look at an historic marker by the side of the road. (Banjo Paterson’s memorial and the Burke & Wills tree)
67. Eaten a 4′n’20 pie.
68. Surfed at Bondi. (I haven’t surfed anywhere despite growing up on the coast. I have been to Bondi though, so maybe a 1/2 point for this one)
69. Watched the cricket on Boxing Day. (also watched the start of the Sydney to Hobart and don’t forget watching The Race at Bathurst in October)
70. Visited Hobart.
71. Eaten kangaroo. (and emu and crocodile and camel)
72. Seen a quokka.
73. Visited Canberra.
74. Visited rainforests.
75. Used a Victa lawnmower.
76. Travelled on a tram in Adelaide.
77. Used a Hills hoist.
78. Visited Kata Tjuta
79. Used native Australian plants in cooking.
80. Visited the snow.
81. Chosen a side in Holden VS Ford.
82. Visited the desert.
83. Been water skiing
84. Read The Phantom.
85. Visited Parliament House. (Old & New)
86. Gone spotlighting or pig-shooting. (For those that know me, I’m not kidding. I really have done this)
87. Crossed the Nullarbor. (I’m guessing flying over it in a plane doesn’t count)
88. Avoided swimming in areas because of crocodiles.
89. Listened to AC/DC.
90. Called someone a dag.
91. Voted in a Federal Election.
92. Have been swimming and stayed between the flags.
93. Had a possum in your roof.
94. Visited the outback.
95. Travelled over corrugated roads.
96. Hit a kangaroo while driving.
97. Been well outside any mobile phone coverage.
98. Seen an emu.
99. Have woken to the smell of bushfires.
100. Subscribed to RRR.
101. Patted a pure-bred dingo.
102. Seen the Oils live.

If you use this meme on your blog, come back and leave a comment. If it’s your most recent post, the comment luv feature sure add the link to your comment automatically.

This year I enrolled at university and I have recently completed my first subject.

I had pictured the return to studies as a fulfilling and affirming experience. With my mind challenged by erudite and intellectual discussions, I was going to take the academic world by storm and prove, if only to myself, that after 12 years as a stay-at-home mum I was still on the ball and at the top of my game.

Right.

Instead of the idyllic scenario above, I found myself slowly descending through the many levels of Hell as I tried to decipher a totally incomprehensible text book and find something that I could relate to in the lecture notes and forum discussions.

I passed my first essay (just). I rallied somewhat with assignment two – a 14 question quiz (my score was 12/14) and I’m still waiting on the results for the 2000 word final assignment which I affectionately dubbed That Stupid Essay of Which We Shall Never Speak Again.

Yep. My first semester at uni was a real eye opener.

I like to think that I’m an intelligent woman* and the fact that I found the subject I was studying so totally beyond my ability to comprehend was a great shock to me. I found myself wondering whether I had made the right decision to return to tertiary studies and seriously considered throwing in the towel (and then burning the text book).

The saddest moment by far was the point when I acknowledged that I would be happy (well, ecstatic in fact) if I could simply pass the subject. I was no longer aiming for a HD with flashing lights and sparkles. A simple pass would fill me with joy. It’s not really in my nature to aim for average, so this was a major concession. (My final essay mark is still pending, so I still have my fingers crossed for that pass).

I’ve just started my second subject. A first year Australian Studies subject at Griffith Uni which I am really enjoying. The course notes and forum discussions are interesting and I am actually interested in and learning from what I am studying. Such a pleasant change to the past 3 months.

Before moving on with my new subject, I think that I need to make a clean break with my past:

Dear Cultural Studies,

As much as social convention dictates that I tell you it wasn’t you, it was me, the fact is that the failure of our relationship was all your fault. I’ve found someone new. Someone that doesn’t delight in confusing me and making me feel intellectually inferior. I wish you well, but I have to say that if I don’t hear the word ‘discourse’ again for the rest of my life, I will die happy.

Yours sincerely,

Susan

Bring on Semester 2.

* I also believe that chocolate is a health food (it contains vegetables (cacao) and dairy so it must be good for you) and that somewhere there is a housework fairy who has my name on her ToDo list, so my opinion might not be entirely reliable.

Two married couples: Kate and Cary, Cressida and Luke. Four people who meet, click, and become firm friends. But then Kate and Luke discover a growing attraction, which becomes an obsession. They fall in love, then fall into an affair. It blows their worlds apart. After the fall, nothing will ever be the same again.

A gripping insight into the anatomy of an affair in the tradition of Anita Shreve, Josephine Hart and Anne Tyler. (summary – back cover)

Comments

I love a story with realistic characters with depth and complex personalities and I think that’s what appealed to me most with this novel. Each of the characters has flaws and strengths that are clearly shown as the story develops.

I enjoyed that with the multi-perspective narration I was able to see into what each character was thinking and what influenced their decisions, especially when some of those decisions seemed so misguided or ill-conceived. Insight into how each character was influenced by their past and their personality kept me turning pages as I waited for them to have moments of revelation or for other characters to realise what was happening around them.

There are no easy answers or solutions when relationships go wrong and betrayal occurs and I appreciated that the novel didn’t finish with everyone’s story tied up in a neat bow. Life is messy and the conclusion of the novel worked for me particularly because it was so true to life.

I bought a my copy of After the Fall after ‘meeting’ the author on Twitter, perhaps demonstrating my own rather pathetic need to establish a connection with celebrity, no matter how tenuous (my connection, that is, not Kylie Ladd’s celebrity status). I’m so glad that I did, as I really enjoyed reading this book and have recommended it to others. I’m excited to hear that Kylie has a second novel due for release in early 2011 and as soon as she announces the title, I’ll be adding it to my TBR list.

If you haven’t read After the Fall yet, you really should pick up a copy. Go on. Off you go. I’ll wait here ‘til you get back.

Title: After the Fall
Author: Kylie Ladd
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, 2009
Genre: Contemporary women’s fiction

Related Links
Review of After the Fall at Suite101.

There are few moments as satisfying as the opportunity to deliver a well-timed “I told you so”.

I know that I’m about to offer conclusive proof that I am a less than ideal parent, but a small part of me was waiting for the results of my son’s saxophone exam yesterday, knowing that they would offer me the opportunity to quietly (and just a little smugly) remind him that I had told him, several times, that regular practice was the best way to master an instrument.

I know it’s more than a little immature, but I was going to say it anyway.

The fact that I didn’t say it isn’t a sign of the ‘good parent’ voice winning out over the ‘tell it like it is’ parent voice. No. It was because my only-practices-his-saxophone-when-forced-to son received an A for his exam. That’s right. An A.

How did this happen? I have absolutely no idea. I guess I could fall back on the ‘my child is a musical prodigy’ theory, but I’m more inclined to believe that the universe is out to get me and some eddy in the space time continuum cause the sound waves to warp in the examination room just to pull the rug from under me.

My biggest problem now, aside from wondering just how long I will be able to put up with the smug smile my son gives me every time his saxophone is mentioned, is trying to work out how I will get him to practice regularly from now on. I give my chances of getting him to practice even 3 times a week as somewhere between Buckley’s and none. *sigh*

Sometimes life just isn’t fair.