In between days

Of late Ive had few of my peeps tell me that they have been surfing my blog regularly to see if I've added anything new. Mostly what they express is in disappointed tones, as obviously I am a fairly erratic poster. Sorry to all who'd like to see more regular updates, but I never wanted this to be like an online diary. Full of day to day activities and trivialities...not that i don't enjoy a triviality or two. I guess i have been curtailed somewhat by my thematic desires for this blog, which coming to think on it now, it would be hard for me to define for anyone what exactly those were. What is blog worthy to Den? Well surely some of my content covers that, but i guess its a bit random and sometimes things that i think might interest some of my readers, I'm not confident would be appropriate reading for others ;-) Perhaps i need a members only section preambled with "Beyond here scant tales of dendonedid debauchery may await ->"
So having rambled to here i will string together a few journal like thoughts on the last few weeks as a kind of concessional effort for those of whom my blogging inconsistency has disappointed.

I went in to my boxing gym a few weeks ago, i hadn't been in for 3 or 4 weeks due to work and study load, and the gym was full of flowers. I went to the sign in desk and commented to one of the trainers "Well thats a lot of flowers..." His expression drained from his face and he said "Oh...you haven't heard yet" He took me aside and told me that one of the main identities of the gym, senior trainer and organiser 'Megan' had recently passed away. She was 29 years old. I wanted to walk out of the gym and go home. It was so shocking. This old school boxing gym space was very much her space. Hers and her brilliant partner Robbie's. Robbie is a pro boxer and our senior trainer. Together they formed a tight and supportive atmosphere of a home away from home for the people who came to train with them regularly. Megan was 29 and fit as all-get-out. She had a heart attack. I haven't been able to bring myself to call anyone and find out what the coroner's report has said. It's so strange to see someones photo memorialised on the wall above where you have seen them so often...there she was week in week out supporting you whilst you trained,encouraging, chatting about fitness, cooking and philosophy. We were lucky enough to have them over to my mum's for a BBQ last year...Megan was a good person and I am glad I knew her.

I have been in Melbourne working for Ad Assoc at the Spring Carnival. Its been grand. How good is Melbourne in spring?! If you love big grey cities and hidden bars. Me and AB went for a quick beer in the city on Tuesday night. We were looking for a little hidden bar he knew and ended up finding this very cool little open aired rooftop bar several stories up on Bourke street. Sat out on deck chairs on some astro turf and lorded over the city and a couple of pints. Beeeaauutiful.

Wanna see Den doing his own interpretation of a hyperactive 'gay spider man' dance?
Check out the clip at the blog: AIF Class of Oct 07

...Or dancing like a cockney nut job as Tone put it!

I recently graduated from The Australian Institute of Fitness and am now taking my first steps as a qualified personal trainer and fitness instructor. Will keep y'all posted.

You might also wanna say g'day to me at my facebook site
There doesn't seem to be an actual unique url for my page, so just do a search for denny carr and you should find me.

The Ian Curtis/Joy Division film "Control" is beautiful, visually brilliant, sad, funny and moving. Watch for the astoundingly good playing by the actors playing the part of Joy Division. You might swear you were back in 1979 Manchester or London.

Listening to: Joy Division (what else!)

Base Jumping with Survivor Tom

Recently I had this intensely vivid dream. I was trekking in a strange landscape of forests and hills, but it was subtly different to present day earth, perhaps prehistoric even, with massive stands of large and densely leaved alien looking trees and thick coffee coloured loamy soil underfoot. Through this landscape I was making my way with Tom of Survivor Palau. Tom Westman the NYC fireman winner of Survivor Palau no less! I walked up a steady incline
towards a hill crest which became a large bluff and a dramatic cliff edge. Here the path diverged. To my left was a slow meandering trail that wound its way along a hill line and eventually down onto the valley floor and straight in front of me the path proceeded up to cliff overlooking the valley. I peered over the edge of this enormous drop-off, and some 60-80ft below there was a large green lagoon. The lagoon and its surrounds were very beautiful. The panorama filled me with a sad unnameable longing. I considered the paths. I looked at the lagoon and wondered if I might make the jump. I was distracted by fears of broken limbs and alien crocodiles or big fish that might live in the mysterious jade waters below. I turned to Tom and he came up and joined me on the edge of cliff. He paused there for a beat, gave me little smile and then… took a big step off. He descended through the air feet first like a missile, plummeting into the water below with a spectacular splash and then resurfacing moments later looking up at me with a huge and expectant grin on his face. I think I actually spoke aloud and said something like (Smirking to myself) “Now that’s why Tom’s a million dollar Survivor winner and I’m standing on the edge of this damn cliff wondering what to do” I was wracked by fear…contemplating in awe, inspired by Tom’s example, but knees knocking and mind racing at the possible outcomes… I found myself recalling the sequence in Basketball Diaries when Jim Carroll and his friends were base jumping off a cliff, and one of them had never made the jump and was baulking at the edge…I’m sorry to say that I awoke at this point…before this story could force a conclusion…flash images of free fall, underwater rock and being unconscious and isolated in an alien landscape. So it’s somewhat off a cliffhanger I suppose ;-), but I will say that when I awoke I felt as if I were still there, wiped the fine rain forest mist from my face, but quite honestly, and although there’s the benefit of doubt here, I might’ve been just seconds away from admitting defeat and going the long way around.


Listening to: Devoted Few - counting cars

Bomb Jack Coin

We've got this great little 'Cocktail table' arcade computer game at work that has about 50 games from the 80's on it. Me and Neil and some others have been giving the game Bombjack a bit of a belting. Bombjack is a brilliant little arcade game from 1984 that has stood the test of time surprisingly well.
The pub staff can mark their coins with an X on one side and their initials on the other, so they can get their coins back when the computer game chap comes and cashes out the games. Neil left the pub a few weeks ago to take a job managing a store in Kalgoorlie (about 600km East of Perth), and one day after he hadnt been there very long, he looked down on his till and lo-and-behold there was a shiny dollar coin with my very own "DC" & "X" marked on it! What are the fuckin odds huh?! Crazy! I think he's kept that dollar. Cool huh? :-)

A virtual moment with Den

I got up late today around 10:30, hit snooze on my alarm three times. I always get a bit lethargic in the mornings around this time of the year. I think its the transition into the darker colder season. Some people call it S.A.D and I'm inclined to agree with them...that's what it feels like, so I try remember to go outside and stand in the slim bands of undiluted sunlight that part the outer lips of shadow and kiss me neatly on the forehead. I try and catch some rays, bar-up and get on with it.

I had baked beans and an egg for breakfast. I'm trying to eat less grains and less carbs. Which is very hard, because I love wheetbix and toast. Future folk will probably look back on our era and chuckle about everyone all strung out and jittering. High as a kite on all the GOD DAMN sugar. I wouldn't mind so much except that current research suggests it fucks you up in the head as much as it does in the belly.

After breakfast I read a few pages from A Fighter's Heart which is an intensely interesting book about a writers journey through the various sub-worlds of martial arts. I then sat out on my balcony where the sun was shining. In the warmth of its bathe I daydreamed briefly whilst staring down into a neighbours beautifully composed garden....catching sight of lawn, sunny lawn and childhood memories rolling in. Memories of lunches and optimism, the great unknown world of tantalising possibilities. Memories that intersect the present moment...evoking in me contemplation of my current attititude towards life. Learn to let go, learn to charge up on happiness whenever and wherever you can find it. To Be hungry without being consumed by its ambitions. To Be ambitious without being eaten by the future...To be able to survive drought.

I began reading a few pages of the novel Snow Crash. I am looking for references to the Metaverse because I am preparing to write for an oral presentation that I have to give at Uni this afternoon. My presentation is to be on Virtual Reality, with its central reference being an extract from Virtual Reality called Cyberspace and human nature. I could just leave it at an analysis of the prescribed text, but I cant help but throw in Snow Crash, which is one of my most favourite and seminal books. I was contemplating V.R and the Net and hyperreality when I felt compelled to write this little bit...a desire to share a virtual moment. I'm paying it forward right now, because I'm feeling the love and I'd be happy if you could too.

Bless.

Screen West

G’day,

This is an open question and letter To Whom It May Concern at Screen West.

I refer to the West Australian article from 13/1/2007 that outlines Screenwest’s alleged recent funding rejection of a new Australian feature film that was slated to be set in and around Perth.

I would sincerely like some insight into the machinations of Screenwest and its role in the Australian film industry. If the claims made within this article are true, then I just have to ask why?  If a film with a script that has been “praised by the Australian Writers Guild…” and further lauded by “Buena Vista International” has been “refused funding” what is going on?

I also note that this article claims that in the last 10 years Screenwest has “knocked back” three extremely successful film projects in Shine, Rabbit Proof Fence and Wolf Creek. I’m sure I don’t need to spell out how disconcerting it is for a Western Australian film lover and supporter to be told that WA’s chief funding body has passed on three films that went on to collectively earn more than 70 million AUD internationally and 20 Million AUD domestically.

As a Western Australian who has spent several years living in the Eastern States, I have often encountered the view that WA is a cultural desert. It pains me to imagine that this is in any way true. From my point of view and personal experience there certainly would appear to be an annual exodus of artistic talent from Perth and WA. I sincerely hope that the people involved in Screenwest and other arts funding bodies and indeed the WA State Government at large are as concerned about the cultural health and diversity of WA as I am. 

Yours Sincerely,
Dendonedid

aww c'mon guys

Last Monday night we had four idiots walk into our bottlo and take 4 or 5 bottles of spirits off the shelf and then uber-casual-like stroll out of the exit. One of our guys was in the main coolroom and didnt see a thing, but Joshy caught sight of them as they were on the turn and went right up to them and said to them "Come on guys..." that if they "stopped now" and "put the stuff back" that he wouldnt call the police. Other than attack them in some way there was nothing Joshy could do. They responded by speeding up a little, all confidence, and casualled outta there. No fault on Joshy, because we dont get paid enough to be bouncers and he did real well just to get close up and confront them...anyway when we looked back on the security footage we were all struck by how funny Joshy looked as he reached out to these morons, a study of opposites - "c'mon guys...be reasonable" so here it is...the perfect caption: "aww c'mon guys!"

Triple J Hottest 100

I voted in the Triple J hottest 100! Because I rock and Triple J rocks. Do you rock?

Looking over my ten songs for this year, you might notice I’m sporting a heavy bias towards the more indie acts (That’s a kind of tactical voting…isn’t it Pollbludger? ;-) Certainly if I wanted to vote in a more populist way I would’ve at the very least included the following three songs, which I’m certain will feature large somewhere in the top 20:

Kanye West’s - Touch The Sky, Youth Group’s – Forever Young and Lupe Fiasco’s – Kick Push. They’re good songs, but they don’t need my vote. All three of these songs were or still are getting heavy rotation on big FM radio. Some people might even argue that these types of songs shouldn’t be played on JJJ anymore, too big and too popular in the mainstream…although it occurs to me that its good for JJJ to have some “big hits” and good for smaller less known acts that they be heard in the mix with big platinum unit shifters such as Kanye.

Anyway… so I probably won’t have a single song I voted for in the Hottest 100 this year, whereas I had 5 last year! *-)

Dappled Cities Fly - Fire Fire Fire
Deloris - Loup Garou
The Editors - Blood
Faker - Love for Sale
Josh Pyke (Night Hour) - Memories & Dust
Laura Jean - I'm A Rabbit I'm A Fox
Pony Up! - The Truth About Cats & Dogs (Is That They Die)
Red Riders - A.S.P.I.R.I.N.
Subaudible Hum - All For The Caspian
Valentinos - Rain

Top Ten Films 2006

1. Syriana

2. The Prestige

3. Jackass 2

4. Ten Canoes

5. The Departed

6. The Host (Gwoemul)

7. Clerks 2

8. Thank you For Smoking

9. Crude Awakening

10. In The Shadow Of The Palms

──

11. Darkon

12. Seven Swords

13. Shooting Dogs

14. The Great Yokai War (Yôkai daisensô)

15. Overcoming

16. Performance (Special mention)

I had a wonderful year for film going. I saw the most films ive ever seen at cinemas in a year, being 31, of which 14 I saw at the Melbourne International Film Festival. It was also my privilege to briefly work at the utterly superb “rare, cult & foreign” video store The Movie Reel in Northcote. And I attended the Melbourne premiere of Clerks 2 with over three hours of Q&A with Kevin Smith afterwards! Choosing for my list was extremely close this time around and I could have easily done a Top 15 with nothing much between 1 and 15 in terms of how I felt about them. Hence I’ve included 5 alternates and a special mention for Performance, the surprisingly rare 1970 film starring Mick Jagger and James Fox in his last film before an almost decade long sabbatical and alleged breakdown, which was in no small part connected to the psychedelic shenanigans that occurred during the making of Performance. I was very lucky to see a restored print screened at the impressive Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACME) Cinémathèque in Melbourne. Its an excellent and film and I had to mention it, even though it was filmed way back in 1968.