Why DVDs are better than (Twilight's Last) Streaming.

Friends and colleagues never tire of asking me: “Why do you still buy DVDs when you can go the way of streaming - especially ‘cos you’re so anti-hoarding and anti-clutter?” My answer: “for the same reason I still buy physical books and don’t own a Kindle. It FEELS right.”

In the same way there is weight, heft and texture in a book – the feel and smell of paper is delightful to the senses – there is weight in a disc box set or even the slim box of a single film. The substance of the content - ideas expressed in words, images, sounds – is reflected in the physical packaging and the physical entity of a shiny disc. Good cover art-work and packaging is often more than clever marketing – it’s something to admire. Just think of the various examples of Mad Men DVD packaging (the Mencken shirt box is very cute!).

I don’t own a Kindle or subscribe to Netflix/Stan/Presto ‘cos they have the feel of fast-food-style efficiency – quick and easy, but are you getting more calories than you need? Don’t get me wrong – anyone who knows me knows I value efficiency and nurse my Punctuality and Attendance Complex (PaAC) with a demented ferocity – but sometimes you just want to linger over the spines of DVDs lined up on a shelf. Sometimes you want to let your eyes and fingers trail over your collection and go, “oh, I forgot I had this”. Sometimes you want to tip it towards you with your index finger, open it up, read the notes and decide, “Ooh, I think I’ll watch this” - on a proper television with good vision and sound (not a Fartphone or a computer/laptop/tablet), sitting on a couch with a cup of tea and something tasty on a plate and company by your side (the latter is optional).

I also love the anticipation of waiting for something to be released on disc – it’s like counting down to Christmas or your birthday – and then splurging at places like JB HiFi or the more ‘boutique’ Play store (off Bourke Street). When all those discs in their packaging weigh down my shopping bag, it feels like I’m holding a proper entertainment ‘investment’.

As for clutter building or clogging up your life? Just because you don’t see it piling up on your shelves, doesn’t mean streaming services aren’t full of useless shit you don’t want and will never watch.  Just like my books, every TV show or film that sits on my shelf is a tangible and happy reminder of a great entertainment experience.

‘Streaming’? That’s something snot and piss do.

Wolf Hall - Not The Tudors, thank the Lord!

Howdy peeps!

Been a while since I posted here and I apologise for my tardiness, but since discovering the joys of the Book of Face I have found the very notion of a long, leisurely blog post too bloody hard to contemplate. Sorry.

However, I had the pleasure of watching the BBC television adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall on DVD recently and I finally felt a long overdue urge to review.

Those who know me well have heard me bang on incessantly about Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and its sequel, Bring up the Bodies, two killer novels about the life and times of sixteenth-century Tudor Court enforcer and complicated bully-boy Thomas Cromwell. I’ve even blogged about them here. I love them. I love them so much, I have read them both EIGHT times – and keep discovering little golden morsels I missed in previous readings. True story.

So it was with some trepidation that I approached the television adaptation. After all, Mark Rylance is far too lean and wispy to play the bulky bulldog-in-human-form who was Thomas Cromwell; Damian Lewis is too pretty to play Henry VIII, plus there’s always the danger that any period telly with the whiff of Masterpiece Theatre about it, is going to feel like a parody or a Monty Python piss-take after the first five minutes. Blame Merchant Ivory.

But still, I bit the bullet, bought the DVD from my local JB Hifi and convinced Muddy K to watch it with me. I thought, “if it sucks, at least we can suffer together”.

Well, I can safely say it didn’t suck and Mark Rylance’s fat suit gave him some much needed heft. Phew.  In fact, it was pretty bloody good – it was exceptionally well-acted (Mark Rylance’s eyebrows and mouth deserve their own BAFTA), beautifully filmed (using natural light sources or candles at night where appropriate) and wrapped up in a gorgeous Michael Nymanesque soundtrack.

The adaptation moves at a cracking pace, distilling the story to its barest historical essentials, focusing on key dramatic points from both novels: The hounding and premature death of Cardinal Wolsey; Cromwell’s winning of Henry’s favour; the execution of Thomas More for his unwillingness to support Henry’s break from Rome; and finally, Cromwell biding his time for when he can stitch up the men (and woman) who defamed the Cardinal and hastened his death.

One minor complaint: stripping out all the lovely domestic detail of Cromwell’s life (his warm and indulgent relationship with his son Gregory, his friendship with his mother-in-law Mercy, his support of his sister and her children; his house as a hive of charitable industry and his extended faux-family of wards - like Helen the abandoned laundress) robs the story of some of its texture and Cromwell of some of his motivation. A teeny quibble.

In short, this is pretty darn marvelous and I’ll probably watch it again over the summer. I highly recommend.

Channelling Martha Stewart...

Howdy peeps!

It’s been a very busy last few weeks at work as my team and I collectively prepare to land a jumbo-jet-sized project. In two to three weeks I should be free and clear to raise my head above what will either be the burning wreckage of a plane scattered around some jagged rocks OR the mini-bar of the pilots’ lounge in a swanky, over-air-conditioned airport somewhere in a blistering desert metropolis.

For over a month, I’ve been scrounging around for some spare minutes here and there, cobbling together some semblance of a normal life – connect with Muddy; connect with family; try and catch the odd film; eat a decent breakfast; keep on top of the laundry; hit the gym, and squeeze in some news and current affairs via the Economist and/or ABC TV.

So it was a nice surprise to discover a spare 30 minutes at work this morning to do nothing but focus on me, so….I thought I’d update my blog. And channel Martha Stewart in the process.

Several people have quizzed me for domestic tips recently – friends, one current workmate, my manager and recently, the Other Venetian Girl. Wasn’t sure if I should be flattered or weirded out – do I give off an OCD vibe? Anyhoo, given my fondness for lists (especially when I’m stressed and in near OCD Mode – OMG it’s true!), here’s Dusty’s Top 5 Domestic Tips for the Domestic God or Goddess in You.

1.     Hot water is better for laundry. Unless we’re talking woollens, delicates or removing blood stains, very warm/hot water is the BOMB. The potential savings on your power bills (no need to heat water) are more than off-set by the crappy results of cold-water washing. 30-40 degrees Celsius should be your minimum setting. Coupled with a good detergent (OMO liquid or powder), your clothes will sparkle. The science supports it and I will share the results of a Year 9 experiment involving small squares of mud-stained cloth, some glass beakers and a swizzle stick if pressed.

2.     Dishwashing liquid (Palmolive, Morning Fresh, Fairy Liquid) is FANTASTIC for removing tough grease stains in light-coloured clothes, napery and table linen. This was an accidental discovery which is now part of my laundry repertoire. Trust me – it works. Even if you do it in Summer only and let the sun naturally bleach your white stuff, the results are amazing.

3.   ALWAYS line your bakeware with baking paper. This makes an enormous difference to the texture of cakes and pastry crusts in addition to ensuring nothing sticks. Doesn’t matter how weird the shape of the tin or tray is, it’s worth farnarkling with scissors and cutting the paper to fit the vessel.

4.    When moving house, USE PROFESSIONAL REMOVALISTS! You’ve spent money on the house, the furniture, assorted fees and all the trimmings, but then you’ve decided to ‘save’ money by doing the move yourself with a couple of mates and a 4WD??? Are you an idiot??? Three strong and sturdy experts, a proper truck, rigging equipment and trolleys, and a formal contract/agreement (including insurance) will save you a massive headache. A workmate moved house recently, relying on her 60-something father, a brother with a broken thumb and one 4WD to move the contents of an entire house in a single (wet, freezing cold) weekend. Needless to say, the move did not go smoothly. Her lesson: “next time, I’m budgeting for a removalist”. Amen.

5.       Like Liz Lemon in 30 Rock, you can dry clothes in a (CLEAN) oven or microwave if you don’t have access to a clothes / tumble dryer. True.

Hibernation time...

Howdy peeps! Been a while since I shared my thoughts and musings with the wider world, and I’m starting to wonder if the recent pressures at work have turned my latent introversion into full-blown hibernation. The pressures have been relentless and constant for at least a month and will continue for a couple more weeks. There's been room for Muddy, books and films, but unfortunately not much else.

I promise, once this proverbial jumbo-jet has landed, I will be back with a rant or some musings or a rambling thought or five. It may be about books, films or food. Not sure.

It’s a Dusty Promise.

Coils Ain’t Coils Part 2 – It’s “Me Monster” time…

Howdy Folks!

Ta da! I DID it! I finally got my special Curly Girl haircut at Neel Loves Curls, and I can confirm it was worth the wait. Check the photo below if you don’t believe me.

 

What can I say? This guy is seriously passionate about curly hair and the Curly Girl (CG) method and will talk your leg off about his conversion to the “CG Religion”. Because I’d already started ‘practising’ as a CG and have a good regimen for my hair, I think I might have stolen his thunder. Sorry, Neel, you’re preaching to the choir. Really, I’m a convert.

He has a copy of Lorraine Massey’s Curly Girl handbook which he made me look at while I waited my turn. Having looked at it in depth now, I might remove it from my Amazon wish-list and try and score a library copy instead. I think I know all this stuff already from countless CG internet sites. Still, it’s good to say “I’ve looked at it”.

Neel’s salon is suitably theatrically decorated - clearly to match his own fabulous personality, but also pretty basic and a comfy in its setup. It’s essentially a space above a shop (Quick Brown Fox on Brunswick Street). It consists of two chairs, and one basin so there’s a wait if there’s someone at the sink. Don’t expect super-trendy, high-tech fancy-shmancy salon trimmings. He DID say he and his business partner Christine are considering a bigger salon space with an extra chair for a colouring specialist. I welcome this, as the place where I get my colour done is rough with the towelling off, acts offended that I bring along my own sulphate/paraben/silicone-free products whilst NOT offering a chemical-free alternative AND they think it’s weird that I don’t let them dry it off with a hairdryer or straighten it any more. If Neel gets a CG-friendly colourist, then the experience will be complete!

Neel looked at the photos of inverted bobs I took in and seized on one in particular that he and his partner Christine both loved. That’s what he gave me and I am very happy with it. Seriously, the guy can cut hair. Dry cutting is so much gentler and quicker than a wet cut. Neel sculpted my hair like a gardener doing exotic topiary on a garden hedge, and removed the boxyness/pyramid shape instantly. I think it will grow out beautifully as a result, and maintain its shape for a few months at least (I hope).

He then washed my hair at the basin. He asked if I wanted a co-wash or a low-poo shampoo wash. I opted for a co-wash, just to see how he did it. Basically he ‘washed’ my hair with conditioner instead of shampoo then conditioned it as normal. There was a lot of squishing and squelching and light-handed rinsing. He patted my hair dry with an old tea-towel then put me back in the chair to start the styling process. This was the most useful part of the experience and I learned a lot about styling in just 20 minutes with Neel.

Neel mixed/'cocktailed' a 20-cent coin-sized blob of Miessence gel with a generous  squirt of Jessicurl hair oil and really worked it into the wet hair, coating each hair strand by strand, then finger-curled it into spirals all really tightly from the scalp/crown. I sometimes do this at home, but it takes me ages. Neel did it in half the time. He then got about 10 Deva Clips and lifted the finger-curled swatches of hair and clipped them so that they sat off the scalp to dry. This adds volume, and given I am starting to thin out from hair loss, I can do with some volume, so I may grab some Deva clips when Muddy and I are next in the US and try this out myself.

I then sat under one of those wall-mounted hooded electric dryers for 10 minutes – Neel calls it the Darth Vader. Once done, Neel removed the clips then made me turn my head upside down so he could finish off the drying with a diffuser on a hand-held dryer. He used hot heat but minimal movement and no hand-touching of the curls. Two scrunches later, and we were finished. He even put a sticker badge with his logo on it on my cardie – cute.

All in all, a great experience. In the three days since I had my haircut, I’ve managed to mimic the same post-salon effect by conditioner-washing with stuff from the health food store and using a general dollop of hair “crack” – the  delightful ‘Knot Today’ leave-in conditioner by Kinky Curly, after which I dry my hair with an old t-shirt and a microfibre hood. The last step is to use massive amounts of gel and pomade and work it through to create lovely curls. And then…

Sit. Wait. Keep warm. Don’t touch your hair at all. Curls will follow.

Check out the pic again if you don’t believe me.