Mr Mascellani's Musings

Aquarium Update

Not much to report since the last time I updated.

I bought some plants bought a new Dwarf Gourami to replace the one that died.
I also did a 20 % water change.

The fish seem happy and well. Everything is going along finely.

My brother and I went to see The Road To Perdition, last week.

I enjoyed it. Tom Hanks does a fine acting job. A real
underthe skin subtle performance that truly captures
the sad, regretful guilt-riddeness of the family /hitman
he portrays.

It (the movie) is a bit a slow and underdone in parts
but all in all it is a very good movie that is worth
seeing.I recommend it.

It was reviewed on The Movie Show and when David said
that the moviewas an adaptation of the graphic novel , Margaret said (something like)

“Oh you mean the comic book”

“Oh you mean the comic book”. Now, I might be wrong but
I think I noticed a bit of a sneer on her face and some derision
in her voice when she said it.

Maybe I’m just being an oversensitive comic/graphic novel collector
and cartoon/animation fan. They are a much maligned art/writing
form that have never truly received the attention they deserve.

Here are some links:
Beautiful Stories For Ugly Children
Coming Attractions: The Preacher Movie
Lupo Alberto
Tabula Rasa: Gallery: Pounding Tales
The Dreaming: The Neil Gaiman Page
Web Comics: Mark Evanier
Zeitgeist Films | The Films of the Brothers Quay

But What Would You Do?

While it is true that things are not going too badly for me now,I have in the past worked for average and below
average wages.I have been a student and unemployed. I know what it is like to not have enough money, no
savings, to be constantly in debt.

It sucks. Your life becomes like a Marx Brothers' movie that isn’t funny.

When your mailbox is filled with final payment and intention to disconnect notices and ‘this matter has been
referred to our collection agency/legal department letters” and when you are constantly borrowing from Jill to
pay Jack, and hiding from every Tom, Dick and Harriet that you owe money to-then money becomes the main
focus of your life.

And, of course, you have no social life.

“ Why don’t you come out with us on Friday night”
“I’m short of money”.
“That’s ok, we’re only going for coffee and a movie”.
(Thinks: hmmm, the last time I went for coffee and a movie it cost more than 65 cents and that’s all I’ve
got on me until I get paid in 12 days time)

“Coffee and a movie, he? Sounds good, I’ll let you know.
“Ok, bye”.

One thing that I learned during my years of financial embarrassment is that people who do have money, and
who have never suffered financially can’t seem to wrap their minds around concepts such as “short of money”
or no “no money”

“Just coffee and movie” Sheeeesh. In Sydney, that’s going to be about $50.00.

One of the best things about going from unemployment to employment was being able to go to a restaurant
and concentrate on the food side of the menu instead of the price side, and ordering an entrée instead of
pretending that I wasn't hungry.

You'd think that after surviving on Austudy, the dole, and meagre wages that I would have learned to more
careful and miserly with my money- but no. I get paid fortnightly.And I usually live the first week as a king
and the second week as a pauper.

Yes, unless you have enough money to pay your bills and expenses with some left over for leisure and
social activities your life is pretty much fucked, that is why I have a day job that I do to the best of
my abilities.

But if tomorrow if I won the lottery, inherited enough money, or was to be supported financially by
some benevolent benefactor(ess) I would give up my day job without hesitation.

And I used to think that most people would do the same.

I was wrong.

Whenever the “would you work if you won the enough money not to” conversation comes up lot of people say

“Yes, because what would you do if you didn’t work”.

What would you do?

Have you read every book ever written? Can you speak every language? Watched every movie? Travelled to
every country? Can you play every musical instrument? You could become involved In causes and charities.
And, let’s face it-if you're stinking rich, what’s wrong with doing nothing every so often?

At this point, the person who would not give up his day job looks at me as if I were crazy. And says something such as:

“But I don’t like reading or travelling.
“They were just examples”.
“I’d still keep my job –I couldn’t think of anything to do if I didn’t do it-I’d be bored.”
“Well, if that’s the case, keep your job".

Each to his/her own.

I’m pretty certain that I will never be rich. But to me one of the best things about being rich would the freedom
of choice that comes with it. In fact, unlike people who aren’t rich it isn’t even a matter of choice unlike them
you don’t have to choose between buying a car or going an overseas holiday or putting down a deposit on a
house because you can’t affford to do all Three- you can, if you’re rich. The car, the holiday, and the house
are all yours. You can do or not do whatever you like whenever you feel like it.

The satisfaction of working and saving up for something? Overrated.

I mean, to me, doing something flying over to Belgium in your private jet to have waffles for breakfast and
then tipping the waiteress enough money so that she can quit his job (if she should want to), pay off her
house and send her kids to college sounds like a better way of spending your time then let working in a
job that affords you no satisfaction, working with people you don’t particularly like and for clients that are
rude ignoramuses because It is the only way that you can pay your mortgage (or rent) debts and bills.

But like I’ve said each to his/her own.

“But what if everybody thought like that who would work?” is something I often hear.

Well, the answer is that not everybody thinks like this and never will. There are workaholics who would work
24X7 if they could, no matter how rich they were. God bless and good luck to them.

I Don’t Hear That Train A Coming

In Australia we have a television show called The Panel Basically, it is a show that consists of four or five regular panellists, one or two guest panellists and guests. It takes a humorous (but sometimes serious) look at the current affairs of the past week.

On one show that aired recently the special guest host was Jessica Hardy from Australian Big Brother 2and Sir Bob Geldof was a guest.

Sir Bob told the story of a woman that he met on a train. A Jewish woman who had escaped the Nazis and competed as a swimmer in the Olympics, representing England, and was doing so again this year, as part of the “Golden” Olympics (i.e. the Olympic games for elderly athletes, of which I can’t remember the proper title.)

After Sir Bob had finished telling his touching story about the woman’s
bravery and courage;Jessica was looking at him, staring with wide-eyed,
opened mouth surprise like a child who was seeing fireworks for the first
time.

“Do you catch the train? She said with a mixture of delight,
disbelief, and wonderment in her voice.

The other panellists laughed. And one of them said something like

“It just shows that you’re a man of the people” And then the show
continued.

But a lot of Sydney-siders would be able to relate to Jessica’s reaction.
I mean you never hear anyone say,

“If I win the lottery, I’m going to buy me a golden train pass”, or

“Jack and Jill you have both been made partners in this law firm:here
are your yearly train passes”.


No. Regular day to day train travel and success do not go hand in
hand.

We, train travellers are seen as losers that is why, for example, after years,
years ,of regular track and maintenance work that is done on
weekends, the NSW State Rail Authority still can’t get things right.
Incorrect indicator boards, Incorrect signage, incorrect announcements,
badly organised and orchestrated replacement buses- not enough of them,
not on time, and too crowded.

And the abuse the railway stuff cops, I almost feel sorry for them.
Almost.

The psychological evaluation that underlies the entrance exam for
The State Rail Authority must indicate those members of the populace
who either don’t mind or enjoy being abused.

But weekend or weekday, I can’t see the point of abusing some hapless
railway worker, like the teenage bank clerk, it’s not his or her fault that
things are fucked with the organisation he works for.

I mean, seriously, I have seen people scream obscenity filled tirades
of abuse at the poor railway sap who is sweeping
the platform floor.

Train travel in Sydney is a very infuriating and frustrating business;
so, I appreciate and know those people’s anger. But what do they
expect the poor cunt with the broom to do? Unlike Mussolini, (s)he
who sweeps the platform does not have the have the power to make
the trains run on time.

Like one lad said to me after an announcement was made that our
train would be late-ten minutes after the fact,

“This is our life”.

This has been whinge, a whine, a gripe, a moan, and bitch session,
so I won’t offer up any solution.

I guess, one thing to be grateful for is the fact that our (Sydney’s)
incompetent railwaysystem is a constant reminder that we do not
live under a fascist regime.

Laugh, cry, think;don’t jump in front of a train.