Thursday, June 14, 2007

A Chat with Friends 2

I notice that Neil is trying to get me to respond to another meme. I may do so, but first I want to continue the chat begun in my last post.

There I mentioned the post by marcellous, The most expensive convenience shop in the world: the most boring film. Leaving aside the question of convenience stores, the modern equivalent of the old corner store, I have to agree that Deeply poetic, visually stunning and painterly abstraction are all code words for slow. Very slow.

When I read this comment I went on a different track, wondering when the phrase "code word" emerged. We all know what it means, a word that is used as a symbol for another meaning. But when did it begin?

I do not know. One day I will find out! However, and more to the point, I have enjoyed marcellous's comments on the film festival.

Gordon Smith continues his journey through the outback. I often mention Gordon's photo blog. This time journey is the wrong phrase since rain has forced Gordon has spent far more time in one place than expected. There is only so much one can do in Innamincka while waiting for things to fine up!

My introductory post on Australia's water wars - one day I will complete the rest of this series - drew comments from anon who disagreed with my definition of New England. Anon referred me to a protest blog - a Clarence Valley protest - on Malcolm Turnbull's great water grab for the Clarence.

Now I suspect that anon may well be Judith Melville, the author of the protest blog. This may not be true, but in any case I have enjoyed the conversation.

The blog is very new, but for reasons regular readers will understand, I strongly support the use of blogs as a device to articulate protest and do like blogs from what I see as part of my own area even where I disagree on points of detail. So do visit and encourage Judith to keep posting.

As an aside, I was pleased that Judith changed her blog lay out between my first and second visit. Assuming that I am not completely confused as to memory and mixing blogs together, I found the light writing on a dark background very hard to read.

Thomas, please take note. Those of us now forced to wear glasses find light on dark difficult to read, especially where one has lost the main pair and has therefore been forced to use an earlier variety.

I was pleased to note that Adrian had taken a break from the PhD and obtained a regular job for a period because, as I said in my comment, I thought that it would be helpful. A number of us were worried that Adrian would stop posting.

David Anderson continues his good posts on View Italy. I especially liked his post on the Venetian island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni because this was a place that I had heard about from an old mate, Noric Dilanchian. An Armenian by background, Noric has been educating me on Armenian issues for a number of years.

I am out of time. I still have multiple friends to mention, but this will have to wait until a later point.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for taking an interest in our lives. We take an interest in your life, too.

Jim Belshaw said...

I know that's true, Adrian. And that is nice.

Do keep posting, including stuff about your family and life experiences. Vey few people realise, but blogging is a way of accessing experiences that we would not otherwise have access too.

Anonymous said...

It's nice (that seems the right word, primary school teachers notwithstanding) to know somebody is reading attentively.

In the meantime, I have been waiting to see if you will be saying anything about the recent unsuccessful attempt to gain court approval for the purchase by the Art Gallery of NSW of a half-interest in Tom Roberts' "Mosman's Bay" from the Hinton Bequest. I'm rather sorry it's not still at the (Old) Teachers' College. Perhaps I should be looking on your New England page?

Jim Belshaw said...

While we all blog for our own reasons, marcel, it is always nice to know that someone out there reads us.

I haven't forgotten about the Hinton matter. Indeed, during the week I had lunch with Annette McCarthy whose Dad Bill played a key role in the formation of NERAM. I have also checked commentary in the Armidale Express. I have one post to complete first, then plan to write.