Slinking around the studio

Top 100 - Hangin' Tough, New Kids On The Block # 8

Story by Felicity


My song is 'Hangin' Tough' by new Kids on the Block. I asked for the cassette for Christmas when I was 12. A cassette-shaped package was put under the tree a couple of weeks before christmas and I was sooo excited that I couldn't stand the possibility it could be something else. So I got out of bed one night after everyone was asleep and carefully peeled off the sticky tape to check what it was. It was Hangin' Tough! I could barely wait til Christmas! On Christmas day I was still just as excited as if it had been a complete surprise!


Artwork by Karin

Shabooh Shoobah

So, here I am on a Friday night all geared up to do work on my Top 100 exhibition...drink poured, music on - and now for the irony.


I bought Shabooh Shoobah last week from the record man at Bus Depot Markets, and that's what I decided to put on. In the first 10 seconds I was taken back to I don't know how many years ago....as a teenager in the back of a car somewhere in Germany, driving back to a little town in the Austrian Alps. And I remembered. On that trip I had a tape - I think it must have been a mixed tape I'd made myself, and as soon as track two came on I was sitting in a car, driving on a highway, past flat and empty fields. 


I was probably wishing I was somewhere else, or maybe not. I would have been daydreaming, that much is for sure and I'd say I was wearing some sort of pastel coloured penguin shirt with matching plastic coloured bangles. The coolest kid on that German highway.

Three wrongs...

Expensive, fake and ugly.

Protecting the perimeter

Twelve years ago, we moved to Canberra, and around that time Barney was taught to 'get the birds'. 

Sometimes I regret that.

Music of 2011

Okay - I thought 2011 was a pretty crap year for music. One mixed CD later and I stand corrected. My friends who write about music much better than I do, should write about all these songs...I'm just going to list the songs and link to my favourites. But before that - how good is getting a mixed CD? I used to love making mixed tapes and I usually make a new playlist for different trips, dinner parties and get togethers. But CD's are fun, so I'm going to say that 2012 is going to be the year of the mixed tape CD.


1. Jay-Z and Kanye with Otis Reading. I guess I got my swagger back, that is a fricking understatement! 

2. Adele - Rolling In The Deep. I don't actually know what Adele looks like, but I want to imagine platinum blond hair, dark eyeliner and 1960's style tops with pussycat bows. And that's what this song sounds like.
3. Black Keys - Lonely Boy. The biggest sounding two piece band there ever was.

4. Kelly Clarkson - Mr Know It All. I have to pass on this one.
5. Lykke Li - Youth Knows No Pain. My friend Taffy Bubblegum gave me this CD sometime last year, and I didn't really listen to it much. I think Lykke Li would definitely go shopping with Adele for pussycat bow tops.
6. Tom Waits - Chicago.Tom Waits belongs in the Iggy Pop school of 'how the fuck am I still alive?'
7. Anna Calvi - Desire. Who is Anna Calvi and is she related to PJ Harvey?
8. Cold War Kids - Royal Blue. Lots of places in the song to clap. Gotta like that.
9. Gotye - Somebody I Used To Know. 2nd pass.
10.Florence and the Machine - Shake It Out. I suspect Florence hangs out with Adele and Lykke Li. They have different musical influences, but they're still all friends. I think they go op shopping on Saturdays, then go drink tea out of vintage limoges tea cups.
11.Kanye West - Made It In America. Sweet baby jesus.
12.Gillian Welch - Way It Goes. This is a lovely song. Actually lovely probably isn't the right description when you listen to the lyrics...
13. Wilco - Open Mind. I'm kind of scared to write anything about Wilco.
14. Ryan Adams - Ashes and Fire. I've managed to avoid Ryan Adams. I've now been cajoled into listening... I really like this song. Ryan Adams reminds me of that guy from the movie Once.
15. PJ Harvey - Last Living Rose. PJ is a poet. Amazing.

16. Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers. This was played on the radio a lot. Smoky voice, catchy chorus.
17. Tom Waits - Hell Broke Luce. The best Tom Waits song ever. Left, right, left.

18. Wilco - Capital City. This is a really sweet song. Are these guys the Beatles reincarnate? 
19. Avril Lavine - What The Hell. Dance around in your lounge room to Avril. What? What? What? What the hell? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Karaoke anyone?

Starting to dislike cockatoos

A lot....

Etched ponies

I saw these before Christmas time, when my Bad Episode of the Good Life friend was visiting from Bowral. I so wanted to buy them, but just didn't need glasses. Somewhere between now and then I decided I DID very much need glasses. Especially etched pony ones. Luckily they were still there. From Canberra Antique Centre, which is an excellent shop. When I fall into a bucket of money I'm going to buy all my shiz there. 37 Townsville Street Fyshwick.

Bike ride

Today I went for a bike ride in the fading afternoon sun. I went past the old railway, and down by the glassworks and through the park I try to avoid. The one with all the cherry blossoms. I followed the lake with the breeze at my back and took a turn to the right down the big avenue - the one with all the galleries and green canopy of trees. The rose gardens in the sun, and a left, and then all of a sudden back at that place we drove to one night. You said it was a party with friends of work friends and that I couldn't come. If I were honest with myself, on that night, there was a sinking feeling that all wasn't right. But I was stuck - damned if I did and damned if I didn't. 


For whatever reason, the rest of the ride was filled with different places - like where the car was parked over night when it should have been home, and the empty morning walks down Wentworth Avenue. Early Sunday mornings, just with the dog who couldn't understand why I was crying. Thank god for sunglasses.


None of it matters now, but its funny how all those places are always there, and I don't think or mind them - and they don't mind me. Except for today.

Sunday morning

It's been weird times over here in the yellow house. Too much time to think, not enough time to think. But Sunday was just right. No thinking - just tea, mooching with the dog, lunching with friends and then not much else. Heater on in summer and big dreams on the couch while the dog had running dreams on the floor...his little legs all kicking between snores. I've been chasing birds, and chasing smiles, but found them both on a quiet Sunday.

Rainbow Connection

China Doll

Guest review of China Doll Sydney. I did ask permission to post this and she was happy for me to. I love it and kinda wish more restaurant reviews were like this. I'm also really  envious that my mum went to this restaurant before I could:

We had ,Pork San chow bow ,Duck pancakes ,Grilled Asparagus with Black beans .B B Q butterflied Prawns ,Steamed Coral trout with Snow peas and Bok joy , Bandang Lamb Curry and Jasmine Rice. The Waitress asked if we were very hungry .She suggested to have a half portion of the Curry .She was right, we had plenty .Everything was just beautiful ,plenty of water and Bernie ordered a nice bottle of Chardonnay ,Len had some Sorbet and Bernie had a Chocolate pudding with drunken Cherries .I think he was a bit disappointed because it looked like The Custard I make.

China Doll Woolloomooloo Wharf, Sydney 

Perfect sky

Have you ever?

Meet Hugo. He is like a human but is really a 70 kilo dog.

The Women on the 6th Floor

I'm going to start writing about every time I see a film. Why? Because I think I'm either getting stupider or forgetful, and I have (it appears) no ability to remember films I've seen, no matter how recent. I had to check back on my own blog to remind me of a film I saw only a few months ago*. Sadly I didn't write a post about it - so here is where we are right now. Writing a post about a movie so when I forget it in two months I can check my blog before driving myself mad.


So the movie - it's a nice film. Kinda freaked me out in bits. It's really about why you shouldn't judge but you can't help judging! It's a nice story though, and I hadn't read about it anywhere - so the date it was supposed to be set did keep me guessing for a while but if you know when Franco was around til, you'll figure it out. I'd recommend it if you want to see a happy, light film. Just don't go see it with your weird, overly attentive, aging boss.

*Even now I've forgotten the name again of that bloody movie (checking google...crazy stupid love! Great film btw) 

Like a bad episode of the good life

Do you know how hard it is to get four chickens into a chicken coup? Hard for us city slickers...well two ex city slickers and me. One of the ex city slickers even talked about what will happen to the hens once they finish laying. I'd prefer to think of them just hanging around and dying of old age eventually. Sure you will probably end up with 24 chickens if you want to have a continual set of laying hens, but the yards big enough!

T.G.T Osaka Japan

The most beautiful item in my house right now...anyone have ideas for mini drinks? I'm thinking limoncello on ice.

New Years

Perfect eve of new years day spent with friends in the country, followed by 167 k's drive where all I spotted was a fox, ute, two trucks, a car and a van towing a trailer. 

Home in time to watch fireworks, and to ring in the new year with my fur friend. It was so nice to be sitting in my yellow house, listening to records, and making a good start to 2012. I think this year will be okay, hope it is for you all too.

Who knew...Christmas can be tasteful!

Exchanging gifts in the Southern Highlands.