Mr Mascellani's Musings

Spring And Other Things

Spring is here in Sydney and I have been doing springy things such as spring cleaning.I have found that The Ramonesare the best band to listen to while spring cleaning. The Dead Kennedys aren't bad either. In fact, a compilation of 1970's and 80's punk bands makes spring cleaning all that more pleasant.And a bit of opera, now that I come to think of it, Mario Lanza singing songs such as Santa Luce,O Sole Mio, and Non Sun Dorma. Hey we'd better put some Madonna on that tape - hmmmm, and some Kraftwerk as well.

"She's a model in a magazine, and she's looking good".

Yep. Punk, opera, Madonna, and some Kraftwerk you'll be spring cleaning like a gold medal winning Olympic spring cleaning champion.

I'm actually a pretty bad spring cleaner. I'm a collector, clutterer, and hoarder. It takes me ages
to spring clean because I am always stopping to look at, listen to, or read something that I have
rediscovered. Something that once was lost and now is found. a photo, a cd, a book. And I can't
be the only cigarette smoking writer who comes across one million billion zillion cigarette lighters
and pens whilst doing spring cleaner. What happens to them?

It happens all the time.

"Wow! Look at these lighters and pens, there must be a year's supply here.

Three days later, they disappear again.

Books are another problem. I have about five bookshelves worth of books (which reminds me, I
have to buy myself three more shelves) I really should cull them (the books). It's time for me to
be harsh again and get rid of some of them.

I'll donate them to St Vinnies or the The Salvos

Movies And Me

Almost as far back as I can remember, I have always loved watching movies and I still
love watching them.

One of my dreams is to sit in a cinema and watch a movie that is either based on a script
that I have written or one of my poems, short stories, or novels.

I'm not all that interested in glitz 'n' glamour and being rich and famous although wealthy and
comfortable woud be cool). I would just like to sit in a darkened cinema and watch as my story
plays out on the big screen.

Some appreciative applause from the audience would be nice.

Some Film Links:

Alfred Hitchcock:
Filmography
In Black And White: Italian Neorealism
It’s A Sad And Beautiful World
Paul Auster: The Defintive Website
Images: Russ Meyer
Sci Fi Movies.Com
SWIP's List of Suggested Films to Use for Teaching Feminist Philosophy
The View Askewniverse
Tim Burton.Com
The Wickerman
Why A Duck?

My Grandmother's Place

My last entry about my garden reminded me of my grandmother's (my mother's mother) place. When I was a kid, her place seemed like a wonderland of fruits and veggies set in the suburbs of Sydney or, to be precise, Fairfield. The first thing you noticed was her long grapevine (green and purple) that stretched all along her long side fence that went along her driveway. And then, in her yard, she had many different types of trees: lemon, orange, mandarin, macadamias. She also had chickens and dogs. My grandmother was an Italian - a nonna, not a nanna- and keeping a vegetable garden grapes vines, and fruit trees was pretty much par for the course. There was always something special about it all and I feel nostalgia for it.

My Garden

"Hey"! said my brother when I visted him during my last vacation,

"You didn't mention in your journal that the fruit and vegetable garden
was started by me".

That's true. It was.

But now my brother has gone to live in Queensland, I have taken over the
garden. The vegies that he planted are gone and I will soon be planting
some more- hopefully,in the next few days. I just have. to do some more
work with the soil and then I should be right to plant a few fruits and
vegies: carrots, tomatoes, beans. rockmelon, watermelon-that sort of thing.

I bought Gardening - a commonsense guide to help me with my gardening endeavours.

I look foward to watering and weeding and doing all those other gardening
things. And then enjoying fruits (and vegies) of my labours. at
Spring/Summer time barbeques.