What I Learned Today

Miyazaki’s Spirited Away is, and I quote, “too scary! too scary! too scary!” for two year olds.

At first Marlowe was enchanted. Then it got dark, the parents turned into pigs, and demons started appearing out of nowhere. And that was the end of Spirited Away for Marlowe. “Too scary! Too scary! Too scary!”

Never give up on the Liberty. They always come back in the second half. (Unless they don’t.) Um, Coach Coyle? How come Erin Thorne got more minutes than Shameka Christon?

Never give up on the Australian men’s cricket team (not that I didn’t already know that). Yeah, yeah, England have declared. Yeah, yeah it would be a miracle to get four hundred on the final day of a test. But I have not given up! Just a flesh wound. The merest of grazes!

Rosé is the only thing to drink on a hot summer day. That and young coconut water. Or, you know, actual water. Or champagne. Or whatever drink you happen to like . . .

Thunderstorms rule! (Yeah, I already knew that one too.)

108 comments

  1. niki on #

    mmmm – never go work in england when you are about to lose the cricket….

  2. Justine on #

    What’s with this ridiculous defeatest attitude?!

  3. jonathan on #

    we shall, we shall, we shall overcome some day. i hear australia are about to tour england. will be cool when they get there. maybe today?

  4. Justine on #

    Harsh, Jonathan, very, very harsh.

    I’m loving this test series. Best in years. Amazing what taking inevitability out of the picture does for the interest level. Not that I weren’t interested before.

    Also: this is the best English side in years. Yes, they’re the age old enemy, but it’s much cooler defeating a worthy foe than a crap one. Yes I love it when we thrash ’em, but I’m also going to adore us pulling out a draw today!

  5. niki on #

    What’s with this ridiculous defeatest attitude?

    sitting in a room fully of english fans listening to digital radio broadcast….just lost another one …

  6. Justine on #

    Yeah, yeah, yeah. As long as we’ve got Warne coming in to bat. We will survive!

  7. jonathan on #

    ok. yes, this is the best english side in year’s. they’re not as good as the scorelines are making them appear, but they are good. australia is looking distinctly shaky, and playing badly. they should have won the second test. no excuses. i don’t know if serious team rebuilding is now on the cards, but the entire upper order must be somewhat in question. same for the bowling lineup. dizzy’s career is in real jeopardy, as is the career of one or two others, i’d say.

    good points? punter’s back. under pressure, he’s played like the guy we know, which is great. shane is a legend, and mcgrath is too. but, other than that, very worrying. if we lose a sixth wicket before about 300 this game is done.

  8. niki on #

    yes ’tis true much better english team – actually it’s quite amazing being here – people are going crazy – there was a massive traffic jam with people trying to get the last tickets into the game this morning – it’s getting so much more coverage than the footbal eheheheh 🙂

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/front_page/4153306.stm

  9. jonathan on #

    it’s 5/249. they need 174 to win off 37 overs. watching clarke, you don’t think clarke and punter think they can win?

  10. niki on #

    don’t jinks – but yes it’s getting very exciting – all very possible but not sure if I want that as I might be suffering some bruses if australia do it…

  11. jonathan on #

    clarke just out. well, now it’s hard. hmmm.

  12. jonathan on #

    and it wasn’t me. i did *not* jinx ’em. honest.

  13. niki on #

    sure you didn’t …. this is “a nail biter” arggg….

  14. jonathan on #

    nails? you got nails left after the last test? who had time for them to grow back?

    arg! there goes gillespie. maybe for the last time ever in test cricket. can warnie do magic? hope so.

  15. niki on #

    let just hope for a draw ….but i am enjoying the english commentators commenting on how their bowlers hair flow in the wind as they run up to bowl …

  16. jonathan on #

    i’ll be happy with that from here. if punter can make it stumps, the draw could happen. i think if he does get out, the game won’t last long. fingers crossed.

  17. Justine on #

    Nice to see you two enjoying yourselves!

    I, too, am suffering from a fingernail deficit. Gulp. Aaargh. Gulp. Seems like with every bloody ball something’s about to happen.

    Though, of course, my trust is in Warne. Who is a god just like the Greek and Roman ones—complete with superpowers and tabloid antics.

  18. niki on #

    it’s looking like rain …..

  19. Justine on #

    Oh no! That would suck!

  20. niki on #

    maybe …maybe not 😉

  21. Justine on #

    Wash your mouth out! We’re going to save this match without more bloody rain. Damn it!

  22. jonathan on #

    rain, rain, come from spain…. 121 runs of 108 legal deliveries. gah.

  23. Justine on #

    Jonathan! You’re as bad as my sister.

  24. Justine on #

    hah! The Pommy commentators are starting to concede the draw. Hee hee!

  25. niki on #

    getting too dark to play hehehehehehe ….

  26. jonathan on #

    pietersen dropped warnie. heh. they say he’s up to test cricket. back to the pajamas for him.

  27. jonathan on #

    as bad as your sister! niki is plainly a woman of great wisdom. it’s you pollyana’s who are the worry. 🙂

  28. niki on #

    c’mon it was a hard catch and the light is dimmmmm :))))

  29. Justine on #

    Oh, yes, if you’re not a doomsayer you’re a pollyanna. Please! My faith in the oz cricket team just isn’t quite as shakeable as you two doubting Thomases!

  30. Justine on #

    Now bloody Henry is saying England deserve to win this game. Please! We deserved the last one. That’s cricket. You can’t tell me Ponting’s six-hour marathon shouldn’t earn us the draw. Damn it! And he just hit another four!

  31. niki on #

    why thank you jonathan – I must say though that justine must have some wisdon to have thought of compairing such superiour and intelligent people as ourselves with each other.

  32. Justine on #

    Oi! This is my blog and if this ganging up on me continues textual revenge will be exacted. You have been warned.

  33. niki on #

    bugger …..forgot about the god aspects of blogs .. . and how wonderful my glorious sister is!

  34. jonathan on #

    not no stinking doomsayer. the australians, as a team, have played consistently badly since they arrived for this tour. the pajama series was a mess, and the test series (some individual highlights aside) has been little better. the top 5 batters have scored less than warnie. punters innings is the longest by an australian batsman (in terms of balls faced) in something like 18 months. there *has* been bad luck, but there’s also been poor technique, worse application, and terrible arrogance. if this tour does anything, it might remind australia of the values that border, taylor and waugh stood for. high quality cricket played with guts. if the australians were playing to their abilities, rather than their egos, this wouldn’t be a close game or series at all.

    and niki – we are wise, intelligent and generally superior. it’s obvious. and do *not* think about getting 7.5 runs per over. Though Justine is much more wonderful than us.

  35. niki on #

    – could be a bit cleverer about changing our posts…I want to go home but I have to wait for the cricket to end….

  36. Justine on #

    I think most of what you say is true. But I think the main factor is this is the first time they’ve been truly tested since India. It’s quite a shock after always cruising to suddenly be tested. They haven’t done it with shining colours exactly, but I don’t think they’ve been as dire as you’re painting. We creamed them in the first test and England only narrowly won the second.

  37. jonathan on #

    home! home! it’s one o’clock in the morning here. i want to go to bed. still, who can turn away?

  38. niki on #

    150 !!!! go ponty

  39. Justine on #

    I sure can’t stop listening. Despite all the work I should be doing. I’m behind on several deadlines . . .

  40. Justine on #

    Yay! Ponting just got his 150!

  41. niki on #

    yes but I have to leave before I get mobbed – the timing is very delicate …

  42. jonathan on #

    woo hoo! go punter! what an innings. and i’m sure he’s going for a not out here. said it before, if this test achieves nothing else for australia, it’s seen punter play himself back into form.

  43. niki on #

    not deadlines for me – I’m ALLL done :)))

  44. Justine on #

    You’re not going to get mobbed.

  45. jonathan on #

    deadlines? sob. they sit, sadly, by the in tray. i *have* to get things done. but i can’t not watch.

  46. niki on #

    he’s dropped !!!

  47. Justine on #

    Only ten more overs . . .

  48. niki on #

    no he caught it !!

  49. jonathan on #

    ye gods! did you see that! warnie is gone. sob.

  50. Justine on #

    Bloody hell!

  51. niki on #

    we’re off to watch it – see you later

  52. Justine on #

    Hey–it hadn’t happened when you posted. Time delay!

  53. Justine on #

    Bye Niki!

  54. jonathan on #

    it’s down to lee and punter. fifty five balls. no one is letting this slip away. if england wins, they will have fought. if australia saves the game, they’ll deserve it. whoot.

  55. jonathan on #

    see ya niki. catcha for the next test.

  56. Justine on #

    Aaarggh!

    And following the radio commentary. It feels like something’ll happen on any given ball. Very nerve wracking!

  57. Justine on #

    Oops, I’ll go back and expunge. Doesn’t do to share family nicknames. Nothing happened, Jonathan. You remember nothing. These are not the droids you’re looking for . . .

  58. jonathan on #

    don’t trust the commentary. ponting looks very solid. he’s been like a rock all day, and nothing’s changed. lee looks ok too right now.

  59. jonathan on #

    do you think if i ask she’ll tell me the corollary name that no doubt accompanies the name which was never said and shall never be repeated?

  60. Justine on #

    I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mr Strahan.

  61. jonathan on #

    so the 1,761st test match ever comes down to the last 45 balls. wow.

  62. jonathan on #

    heh. i bet you don’t.

  63. Justine on #

    I know, this series is just insane. It’s like everyone’s on speed!

  64. Justine on #

    You reckon it’s the influence of 20/20?

  65. jonathan on #

    i think it’s a combination of several things. the pace is a combination of 20/20 on the poms, 50 over stuff on them both. and then there’s rank arrogance on the aussies part. this is vicious stuff. lee is looking solid, though.

  66. jonathan on #

    just as an aside, warnie has been the aussies best player this series. notice that he’s the only player to go the UK and play for six weeks or so before the test matches. the others had a holiday.

  67. Justine on #

    Vicious indeed. Bloody poms and their bloody bodyline. They’ve been trying to kill us for decades!

  68. Justine on #

    Very good point about Warnie.

  69. jonathan on #

    heh heh. that’s what i like. a nicely one-eyed view. after all, we’ve been nice and gentle with the poms. that wasn’t blood i saw on strauss yesterday. 🙂

  70. Justine on #

    Spontaneous bleeding that was. They’re all haemophiliacs those pasty poms. Just remember: these are the bastards who invented bodyline!

  71. jonathan on #

    well, in the face of that kind of logic, i can but agree. what will cheryl make of all of this when she reads the thread?

  72. Justine on #

    You reckon she will? I tend to give up on threads if they get too long.

  73. jonathan on #

    you’re probably right. this kind of thing is only fun while it’s happening, then it’s a palimpsest of the excitement that happened some other day.

  74. jonathan on #

    ponting is out! ack!

  75. Justine on #

    God damn the time delay! It still hasn’t happend here.

  76. Justine on #

    Now it has. Bugger.

  77. Justine on #

    It’s all up to Lee and McGrath.

  78. jonathan on #

    one wicket. twenty four balls. lee and mcgrath. speechless.

  79. Justine on #

    Just a flesh wound!

  80. jonathan on #

    lol

  81. Justine on #

    If they survive they’re gunna be black and blue . . .

  82. jonathan on #

    oh i think they are and all that.

  83. Justine on #

    Do you remember a test series like this? I really think this is the best I’ve ever seen (er, heard).

  84. jonathan on #

    do i? gosh. australia playing the windies back in the early 80s. if australia could only eliminate the dumb stuff, i’d be happier, but this is extraordinary.

  85. Justine on #

    See, i don’t remember that too well at all. I have a clearer memory of the 60/61 tie and I wasn’t even born yet . . .

  86. jonathan on #

    just don’t let us lose two cliffhangers in a row. that’d be cruel.

  87. Justine on #

    It would indeed. Fourteen balls left . . .

  88. jonathan on #

    heh heh. always wished i’d seen the tie in india that they didn’t even televise in australia. twelve balls to go.

  89. jonathan on #

    and imagine how lee feels. he was out there when they lost last week.

  90. Justine on #

    If we hit a six off each ball and there are some no balls, we could still win!

  91. jonathan on #

    i love your attitude. wouldn’t want you batting right now, but the attitude is good.

  92. Justine on #

    And of course in the face of this incredible test series with interest in Cricket in England at insane levels–they’ve sold the exclusive rights to cricket to cable. Thus guaranteeing that they’ll lose a lot of the new audience. Idiots.

  93. Justine on #

    Mate, I will so settle for a draw!

  94. jonathan on #

    typical!

  95. Justine on #

    Even if we lose (which we won’t) Aggers is right: test cricket is the best sport in the world.

  96. jonathan on #

    not the draw comment, about cable. six balls. nails being bitten.

  97. Justine on #

    Don’t you mean the flesh where once there were nails?

  98. jonathan on #

    yes. four balls. and a single. three balls.

  99. jonathan on #

    one to go.

  100. jonathan on #

    they’ve done it!!!!!! yes!!!!

  101. Justine on #

    We did it!!!!! This has been amazing (and fun chattin about it with you). I feel very strange. Nervous tension still abounding! Good night, Jonathan! Good luck sleeping!

  102. jonathan on #

    you’re right. this is the best series. and go ponting. and and and. balance for the lost last week.

  103. Justine on #

    I repeat: Oh. My. God!!!!!

  104. jonathan on #

    good luck with the deadlines. don’t know how i’ll sleep. good night till next time.

  105. jonathan on #

    ps. test cricket is the dull stuff, yes?

  106. niki on #

    what a match !!- that was fun :))) –

  107. Cheryl on #

    of course i read the bloody thread. would have joined in if I knew it was happening, but i was too busy watching the game.

    no whingeing about brutal bowling, please. i’m sure brett lee will get his own back soon. must remember to tell strauss that you are only supposed to nut the ball in soccer.

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