Mr Mascellani's Musings

Book Review

The last book I read was The Best Australian Stories. Peter Craven, (ed). The next one I will be reading is
Wild Surmise by Dorothy Porter.

I'm At A Loss

Is it just me or is there something screwy about asking
someone where they lost something? If you know where
you lost something, then, technically, it isn't lost-is it?

Yet, whenever I lose something that involves filling out some
form in some I office there is always "location where 'X' was
lost" type of question.

And whenever I point out the irony of this question to the clerk
who gives me the form. He/she looks at me with a vacant, hurt,
confused 'I- have-no -idea-what -you are-talking-about- please-
leave-me-alone-I just work-here' type of look on his/her face.

In fact, I don't even bother pointing out the ridiculousness of the
question anymore. I just write 'Sydney' in answer to that question.
I've had no complaints so far. Yes. I lose a lot of things. If all the
umbrellas and keys that I have lost were all suddenly found they'd
stretch from Sydney to Saturn, so I guess I'm not perfect. Far from
Oh, it all makes me feel bemused.

Aquarium Update

New additions: Floating plants, a red-tailed shark, a red-eyed tetra.
Deaths: both dwarf gouramis, the cat fish, a honey gourami.

A Secret Shared

is no loger a secret. Why is when you tell a person a secret
and you say, "Don't tell any one". They get offended.

"You don't have to tell me not to say anything, I'm no blabbermouth"!
But if you don't tell to keep quiet-they truly are blabbemouths.
"Well, I didn't know that it was meant to be a secret, besides
I only told..."


That's why,now, I only tell secrets that I no longer wish to be secrets.