Archives
This is
my annual post where I sum up what happened in my professional life in that year and look ahead to what's going to happen in 2011. I do this so I can have a handy record that I can get to in seconds. (Hence the "last day of the year" tag.)
For reasons I'll explain in more detail below (but are mostly I was not online much) 2010 was ridiculously productive for me. I now have more than 100,000 words of my 1930s novel. Most of it written this year. And I declare those words to be good. ((I'm sure when I re-read them I'll be less thrilled but right now I think they're fabulous. I'll ...
Posted by Justine at 13:06, December 31st, 2010 under 1930s NYC novel, Admin, Cricket, Excuses, Last Day of the Year, Liar, Publishing business, RSI, Writing life, Zombies v Unicorns |
So I have no idea that Australia only need two more wickets and England a handful of runs to make Aus bat again and thus reduce overs and increase chance of securing draw. Only 15 overs remaining.
I AM NOT FOLLOWING IT AT ALL.
Writing, working hard, ignoring the nail biting finish.
COME ON AUSTRALIA!!!
Posted by Justine at 12:55, July 12th, 2009 under Cricket, Sport |
Posted by Justine at 9:08, April 28th, 2009 under Cricket, New York City/USA |
I wonder why it is that women in sports get so little attention. Unless they're tennis or golf players and pretty. Or winning gold medals during the Olympics.
I've been following the
women's world cup online, but apparently I don't have much company online or offline where
very few folks have been going to their games. I don't get it. The NZ v Pakistan game sounds like it was amazing. Wish I'd been home to see it. ((Here's hoping the Kiwis can crush the Poms in the final. Guess, I'll find out when I wake up.)) Games were $5 each or $35 for a pass to see all of them. Standards were high yet attendance was crap.
And then there's ...
Posted by Justine at 0:44, March 21st, 2009 under Basketball, Cricket, New York City/USA, Sport, State of the World, Sydney/Australia |
Posted by Justine at 13:59, March 15th, 2009 under Cricket, Magic or Madness trilogy, Praising, Sport |
Posted by Justine at 1:28, March 8th, 2009 under Cricket, Liar, Sydney/Australia |
Posted by Justine at 17:14, March 3rd, 2009 under Cricket, State of the World |
So, this is very weird but I've had three people write to ask if it's true that I changed hotels in Perth in order to watch the South Africa v Australia test.
Yes, it's true. The Duxton did not have Fox 3, the Hyatt did. What else could I have done?
Posted by Justine at 21:23, March 1st, 2009 under Book tour, Cricket, Sport, Travelling |
Posted by Justine at 1:17, February 16th, 2009 under Cricket, Ranting, Sport |
Posted by Justine at 0:48, February 14th, 2009 under Cricket, Sport |
Posted by Justine at 11:59, February 7th, 2009 under Cricket, Praising, Sport |
Posted by Justine at 3:11, January 8th, 2009 under Cricket, Sport, Sydney/Australia |
Tony Greig just said on Channel Nine that "South Africa's cricket team has had a quota since Nelson Mandela was elected."
Um, no, Mr Greig. South African cricket has always had a quota system. It's just that prior to the end of apartheid that quota was 100% white.
Posted by Justine at 0:06, January 6th, 2009 under Cricket, Sport, State of the World |
Posted by Justine at 0:12, December 30th, 2008 under Cricket, Sport, Sydney/Australia |
Posted by Justine at 18:47, December 25th, 2008 under Cricket, Food, Praising, Sport, Sydney/Australia |
Posted by Justine at 0:03, December 21st, 2008 under Cricket, Food, Sydney/Australia |
Posted by Justine at 19:25, August 10th, 2008 under Cricket, Liar, Sport, Travelling |
. . . Is USians what know zero about cricket writing about it.
Today's example comes from the New York Times and concerns
a novel that's been written about the Staten Island cricket club ((And apparently other things such as 9/11, family, politics, identity. That kind of stuff. Obviously, none of it as important as cricket.)) by one of the members, Joseph O'Neil. Here's my favourite bit:
That Mr O'Neill in his other life happens to be a novelist is a matter of indifference to most of his teammates. They're more interested in him as an accomplished batsman, a sure-handed fielder and a decent off-speed bowler.
Off-speed! Hahahahahahah! Perhaps they meant "
off-spin"? Or has the Staten ...
Posted by Justine at 12:13, May 17th, 2008 under Cricket, New York City/USA, Praising, Reading |
Cricket Buzz just named its
top 51 cricket blogs and I'm on the list!
Yay!
And also---how embarrassing! I have been very remiss of late when it comes to cricket blogging. I mean I haven't mentioned the blessed sport since March and not written anything proper since January. Largely because (for reasons beyond my control) I have not been home since May of last year. ((Waaaaahhhh!!!!!)) Thus I have not been immersed in cricket culture and have not been keeping up with things such as the new
Twenty20 Indian Premier League. ((The link is to a NYT article explaining the League which will amuse those of us who know about cricket and hopefully be a clear-ish explanation for ...
Posted by Justine at 0:00, May 12th, 2008 under Bloggery, Cricket, Liar, New York City/USA, Sport, Sydney/Australia |
Rome was unbelievably wonderful especially the food. A friend of mine spent four months in Italy and gained around three kilos---I think I managed that in one week. Excellent!
I am at work on a post about the fabulous food we ate and a number of others---including another writing one ((See? I do listen to you. You ask that I blog it and blog it I will.))---but work on my next novel has got in the way of finishing them. Stupid novel! Not to mention the erraticness of our internet access. But, soon, my pretties, soon!
In the meantime I'm exhausted but happy: there's cricket on the tellie. All's right with the world. And even though England's doing kind of okay I ...
Posted by Justine at 19:11, March 24th, 2008 under Cricket, Excuses, Sport, Travelling |
In the vociferous arguing about the ins and outs of who behaved worst over the second test etc etc there are people implying that criticising the Australian cricket team is unAustralian and whingey. ((Though what's more Australian than whingeing?!))
Please! I love my country, I love cricket, but when the men's team behave like dickheads they should be called on it.
People who play sport at a professional level are not exempt from the social contract. No one is. Writers (to pick a random example out of the air) shouldn't behave like dickheads either. Recently I was at an award ceremony where the speeches of the winners were generous and moving. All but one. This one person got up to accept their ...
Posted by Justine at 0:01, January 9th, 2008 under Cricket, Sport, State of the World, Sydney/Australia, Whingeing |
I've had a few people writing to ask why I'm not commenting on the disastrous second test between Australia and India. There are several reasons. I've not been able to follow any of the cricket as closely as I'd like. I haven't had time.
But mostly because I'm embarrassed. And, well, I think
Greg Baum and
Mike Coward have expressed what I feel about it so well that i don't really need to add anything.
I will though: I'm sick of Aussie sportsmen (and, frankly, it's the blokes, not the women) behaving like dickheads. I'm not Indian, so the bad behaviour of the Indians doesn't make me ashamed, and, you know what? We're the host country here. We should be ...
Posted by Justine at 0:00, January 8th, 2008 under Cricket, Sport, Sydney/Australia |
Posted by Justine at 12:07, July 31st, 2007 under Bloggery, Cricket, Sport, Sydney/Australia, Whingeing, Writing life |
Posted by Justine at 18:24, April 8th, 2007 under Bloggery, Cons & Other Gatherings, Cricket, New York City/USA, Scott's books, Sport, Young Adult literature |
Posted by Justine at 12:52, March 31st, 2007 under Bloggery, Cons & Other Gatherings, Cricket, Listening, Praising, Ranting, Reading, Research, Sport, Viewing, Words & Language |
I was going to rant all over my blog today about the bloody
ICC's idiotic decision to demand that
youtube take down all footage from the World Cup. But then I found
this excellent rant that says everything I want to say. Here's a taste of Andrew Miller's wrath:
Only three days ago it was suggested on this website that the events of the past week might serve as a wake-up call for cricket's fiscally obsessed powerbrokers. Fat chance. A game run increasingly by lawyers for lawyers, has deemed it necessary to go to war on the very online enthusiasts who can spread the word of a game whose reputation has been dragged through the mincer.
It is an ...
Posted by Justine at 9:15, March 28th, 2007 under Cricket, Ranting, Sport |
Shashi Tharoor has written a
wry op ed piece for the New York Times on the World Cup and how Americans are oblivious to what is preoccupying a billion plus folks at the moment. It ends thus:
In any event, nothing about cricket seems suited to the American national character: its rich complexity, the infinite possibilities that could occur with each delivery of the ball, the dozen different ways of getting out, are all patterned for a society of endless forms and varieties, not of a homogenized McWorld. They are rather like Indian classical music, in which the basic laws are laid down but the performer then improvises gloriously, unshackled by anything so mundane as a written score.
Cricket ...
Posted by Justine at 9:20, March 23rd, 2007 under Cricket, Magic or Madness trilogy, New York City/USA, Sport, State of the World, Sydney/Australia |
For the next month, there's an ad for Magic's Child up on
Locus online. Tis my very first one and I'm dead excited. Ordinarily, I can't stand ads but somehow it's different when it's an ad for one of my books. That makes me want to pat it and sing it songs. Lovely, lovely ad. Designed by the fabulous Courtney Wood who also made those beautiful screensavers which you can now download from the links in the sidebar.
There is now a cover for the Science Fiction Book Club's 3-in-1 version of my trilogy. It's called The Magic or of Reason.
In other vainglorious news, the
Hathor Legacy likes Daughters of Earth, describing it as ...
Posted by Justine at 11:35, March 22nd, 2007 under Bloggery, Cricket, Daughters of Earth, Magic or Madness trilogy, New York City/USA, Praising, Sport, Vainglory |
Every
world cup it seems
there's a debate about whether allowing in the so-called minnows of the game is a
good idea or
not. Because every world cup there are 200-plus run victories as Bermuda or Scotland or whoever are bowled out for less than a hundred by Australia or India or whoever.
It's happened again this year. Herschelle Gibbs even smashed a
world record 36 off an over against the Netherlands. For those whose maths is as poor as mine that's a six off every single ball. No one had ever it done it internationally before, not in ODIs and not in test cricket.
The argument
against the inclusion of minnows is that they help ...
Posted by Justine at 18:05, March 17th, 2007 under Cricket, Sport, State of the World |
Posted by Justine at 10:07, February 13th, 2007 under Bloggery, Cricket, Excuses, Praising, Sport |
Scott just sent me this because we both love cricket and monkeys. ((He
found it here, but I'd love to know the original source.)) It is the personification of our love. It makes me so happy!
Though I gotta say that's a pretty suspicious looking bowling action. And why is the umpire lying on the ground? Because the monkey is totally using body line? Check it: the monkey's aiming at their heads! Or perhaps because the monkey has used six different balls? That's gotta be worse than ball tampering, right? Bad cheating monkey!
Posted by Justine at 16:52, February 11th, 2007 under Cricket, Frippery |
For ages people have been telling me that I have to see
Lagaan. Well, now I have. And everyone's right. It is the best movie of all time. No contest.
It has everything that should be in a movie: cricket, the British are the baddies, more cricket, dancing, singing, a love triangle, and more cricket. Lagaan is perfect. (Well, it could have been longer with a wee bit more cricket and a few more songs, but other than that---perfect.)
At least seventy minutes of the movie is a cricket match. How did that make any sense to American viewers? Cause most of the folks who've recommended it have been yanquis who know nothing about the noble game. How did you keep ...
Posted by Justine at 1:34, February 6th, 2007 under Cricket, Sport, Viewing |
This one breaks my brain.
From the Sydney Morning Herald the
Australian cricket team responds to accusations of being arrogant, rude, sledging bastards:
"The way I look at cricket, you do everything possible to win. Some people like the verbal side of the game, some don't, but you just get one with what your job. I take what Vincent is saying as a backhanded compliment."
Hayden, Clark's Australian teammate, was equally indignant.
"If he considers that to be the case, I'm not unhappy about it, to be honest," Hayden said. "It's a great clash between New Zealand and Australia and long may it continue. It doesn't matter what sport---we could be playing kick a cockroach from here to the wall and we'd want ...
Posted by Justine at 12:39, January 31st, 2007 under Cricket, Ranting, Sport, State of the World, Words & Language |
Posted by Justine at 18:04, January 25th, 2007 under Bloggery, Cons & Other Gatherings, Cricket, Excuses, Fashion, Young Adult literature |
I cannot explain why this make me so very very very happy. It just does.
Australian fast bowler, Brett Lee, in a duet with Indian legend
Asha Bhosle. Why don't more cricketers sing?
The song is currently no. 4 on the charts in India. Wonder if they'll release it here?
Posted by Justine at 14:49, January 21st, 2007 under Cricket, Frippery, Listening |
Posted by Justine at 9:01, January 8th, 2007 under Cricket, Excuses, How To Ditch Your Fairy, Viewing, Writing goals & milestones, Writing life |
The last day of this year's Ashes series didn't even amount to two hours of play, but it sure did sum up the series. Australia bowled well; England crumbled. Didn't run except when Andrew Symonds was holding the ball ready to run them out. Then Langer and Hayden got the handful of runs necessary for the 5-0 sweep. It took five overs longer than I thought it would on account of Harmison finally decided to bowl some scorchers. But then it was done.
And for years I will have fun telling folks that I was there to see Langer, McGrath and Warne say goodbye to cricket. The way I've already been able to skite about being there to watch Steve Waugh ...
Posted by Justine at 18:22, January 6th, 2007 under Cricket, Sport, Sydney/Australia |
Today I will share with you one of the many reasons I love cricket. This is more for me than for you, because I am currently very cranky with cricket---specifically with the Australian and English cricket teams---and I need to remind myself of the love.
Australia because they got out way too early: Warne? Gilchrist? I'm looking at you! Where were your centuries?
And England because they crumbled and lost five wickets. Yet a-bloody-gain.
I would like to remind you both that I have tickets for tomorrow's play and right now I'm not seeing it go past lunch. A pox on both your houses.
I am also pretty dirty on the weather. What? You can rain all night? But barely disturb the cricket? Curse ...
Posted by Justine at 18:47, January 4th, 2007 under Cricket, Sport, Sydney/Australia |
It's been another good year for me professionally and I will now skite about it: My second and third books, Magic Lessons and Daughters of Earth, were both published to some very nice
reviews and
reader responses. The whole Magic or Madness trilogy sold to
Editora Record in Brazil, Magic or Madness and Magic Lessons sold to
Mondadori in Italy, while Magic Lessons and Magic's Chld sold to
Amarin in Thailand. And then there was the recent sale of the trilogy to the
Science Fiction Book Club for a 3-in-1. Not to mention Magic Lessons being on the shortlist for the Aurealis.
It was a great year for
Scott who hit the ...
Posted by Justine at 9:50, December 31st, 2006 under Bloggery, Cricket, Daughters of Earth, How To Ditch Your Fairy, Last Day of the Year, Magic or Madness trilogy, Praising, Scott's books, Sport, State of the World, Sydney/Australia, Vainglory, Writing goals & milestones |
What is wrong with England?
shite fielding: Look at Australia in the field and then look at England. The Poms with a few exceptions (Collingwood, Panesar, Pietersen) have no intensity. They don't run down every single ball, turning fours into threes, twos into ones, and saving singles. They look lethargic and bored.
shite captaincy: Flintoff looks lost. He's not leading by example given his poor batting displays and erratic bowling and he's not leading on the paddock. His field placings have been all over the place. He elects to bat when the wicket is iffy. He doesn't seem to know whether he's playing test cricket or Sunday arvo mah jong. And way to not show any confidence in your new bowlers ...
Posted by Justine at 9:11, December 29th, 2006 under Cricket, Sport, Sydney/Australia |
Posted by Justine at 9:47, December 26th, 2006 under Cricket, Excuses, Sport |
I just came across a
lovely piece by Mark Lawrence about the outsiderness of living through Australian summers while knowing very little about cricket:
What [being a migrant] means is that I have very little understanding of the finer points of cricket, and don't play it at all well. I can't tell the difference between 'long leg' and 'short leg', and I have absolutely no idea where 'mid-on' is. After over a decade living in Australia, I do have an idea of how the game is played, but only a middling understanding of how it is scored or how a test proceeds. Strategy? Not a scratch. So much so that during the recent Ashes test in Adelaide, I ...
Posted by Justine at 0:01, December 23rd, 2006 under Cricket, Praising, Reading, Sport, State of the World, Sydney/Australia |
Shane Warne is retiring. I cannot believe it. He was good for another three or four years easy. What the hell?!
Thank God I get to see him bowl in Sydney. He is the best bowler I've ever seen tweaking the leather. And I've seen some greats. I don't know what I'm going to do with no Warne to watch? Aaaarggh!!
And what is he going to do now? The mind boggles.
How can I go to bed on this calamitous news?!
Update: I have deleted comments on this thread which I deem to be disrespectful. When I am in deep mourning my sense of humour is impaired. I do not mock your sporting idols (okay, except for Johnny Damon. But that's different.)
Posted by Justine at 0:19, December 21st, 2006 under Cricket, Sport |
The Ashes are back where they belong and all is right with the world.
Now if only they'd give us the actual urn!
Posted by Justine at 16:32, December 18th, 2006 under Cricket, Sport |
I haven't been blogging the third test because I've been sitting in front of it entranced, transfixed, and incapable of typing (plus there's the whole absence of wireless thing). Those first two inning were something else, weren't they?
I can't tell you how thrilled I am to see Andrew Symonds back and making magic for the Australian test side. He's one of the best fielders of all time. His bowling was fabulously effective---if only he could stay in a tad longer he'd be a lock on the number six spot. Frankly, I think his performance in this test should bag him number six no matter what. His fielding alone makes an insanely big difference. Plus he's one of the most entertaining ...
Posted by Justine at 12:38, December 16th, 2006 under Cricket, Sport, Viewing |
See, that's the problem (("Problem" here is a synonym for "glory".)) with test matches. They don't always go the way you think they're going. First innings points can mean nothing. There are five days, fifteen sessions. Oodle of time for oodles to happen. Any one of those sessions can go badly, one or two or three or four or five or more players can have an awful match, and yet that team can still win.
Like Australia did today. On the back of fabulous second innings efforts from Lee & Warne. Especially Warne. He may well be a dickhead off the paddock, but on he's a genius. And both of them were being written off after their first innings. Drop Warne? ...
Posted by Justine at 19:14, December 5th, 2006 under Cricket, Sport |
168 runs off 36 overs. Can we do it? Oh, yes, we can!
Posted by Justine at 16:17, December 5th, 2006 under Cricket, Sport |
And
so it begins in sunny Brisbane three hours ahead of sunny Bangkok. I'll make no predictions of the 5-0 variety (though wouldn't that be nice?) but I will say that you're barking mad if you think England has a chance in hell of keeping the Ashes.
Yes, I know I said that last time too. And frankly if it hadn't been for some shocking lapses by the captain we woulda won that and all.
Here's to the next few weeks of battle. May it be as awesome as four two years fifteen months ago, except with the proper ending this time.
Oh, and check out the
English Ashes cricket blog (via
Alison). Fabulous!
Posted by Justine at 8:56, November 23rd, 2006 under Cricket, Sport, Sydney/Australia |
This is not a question I get asked very much. Not directly, anyway, but every single time I post about sport someone writes and asks me when I'm going to post about interesting topics again. That's right, the biggest complaint I get from you, dear readers, is that I talk about sport too much. (( It's particularly weird as I've hardly blogged sport at all this year. Very little mention of cricket, the World Cup, or the Tour de France; pretty much nothing about the Liberty's unhappy WNBA season, and hardly any mention of all the various Australian triumphs this year. I've been busy, okay?))
Now I ain't never gonna stop writing about sport, no matter how many of you are ...
Posted by Justine at 0:03, September 26th, 2006 under Basketball, Cricket, Fans & readers, Sport, Tour de France |
Posted by Justine at 18:05, August 5th, 2006 under Bloggery, Cricket, Frippery, Magic or Madness trilogy, New York City/USA, State of the World, Writing goals & milestones |
