Three for three! Excellent. :-)

In other words, viewers, last night’s visit to the good old Palace was one of the best I’ve ever had. All three of my yummy babies showed up, and I was able to have them all for lovely dances without a problem, and I wish every visit was like this one (but you all knew that, yes?).

So with the impending retirement of one of them in mind, along with my desire to get into sync with the Clipsal 500 weekend and bid her a proper farewell, I’ve flipped my lucky penny again and decided to go in on February 3rd (because the penny landed on Heads, naturally). And yes, I’m going to miss her like crazy when she hangs up the stilettos, so I plan to make the most of the time I have remaining with her.

Meanwhile, I’ve breathed a sigh of relief on account of the nutty dreams I was having about a certain former dancer prior to this last visit not turning out to be premonitions after all. Of course, there’s a chance that something could go awry next time, but maybe – just maybe – I can lump those particular dreams in with my regular ones nowadays.

I never was particularly good at sharing, y’know……

…… and very soon, it looks like I’ll have to do a lot more of it. It’s practically inevitable that my older brother will be moving in with my mother and I, since he has little choice but to sell his current home due to financial issues. And since it’ll take some time for him and his lady friend to find a new place to rent or buy, he could be with us for two months or more.

Don’t get me wrong, viewers; I love him as a brother, but the fact is that I haven’t lived under the same roof as him for nearly ten years now, and even at that time, there were occasions when I felt that the relationship was more akin to that of a father and son (with him being the “father”, so to speak) than that of siblings.

That’s where the title of this entry comes in; whether it was a large pack of chips or lollies, or time on the Internet, he was very adamant that even minor things should be shared equally amongst us, even when there was no obligation to do so, and especially when we were much younger. Also, at certain times in which my parents wanted me to do something, and I didn’t proceed to do it straight away, you could be quite sure that he would be quick to enforce their will upon me. Thus making me feel like I had three parents instead of two, and two were plenty, thank you very much.

So even though the odds should be against any of us reverting to old behaviours during this forthcoming period, a part of me still can’t rule it out at this point, and therefore, I feel a bit uneasy about this.

Of course, that’s not the only thing I’m feeling uneasy about at the moment, because with my next Palace visit only two days away, I’ve been having a couple of particularly vivid dreams about a certain former dancer again, and I’m still as determined as ever to not let that bit of history repeat itself.

A masterstroke for Mount Gambier! :-)

If what I’ve been reading of late is any indication, the new Mount Gambier Marketplace – complete with Big W, Woolworths, 35 shops and South Australia’s first Masters Home Improvement store – should be taking shape very nicely as I type this. It’s due to open in the middle of this year, and the coverage given thereto by regional newspaper The Border Watch has been most positive. And I’m sure that the response from the locals will be just as encouraging once the place does open, since with the forestry industry around that city facing an uncertain future, any boost to the local economy will (and should) be welcomed.

In contrast, however, the publicity being given to the proposal for a Masters Home Improvement store at Glynde (on the former Robern Menz site on Glynburn Road) in Adelaide’s arch conservative eastern suburbs has been overwhelmingly negative. By giving more attention to the 180 or so NIMBYs (Not In My BackYard types) who want it stopped because they fear it will disturb their peace and infringe upon their quality of life, that particular edition of the Messenger newspaper is giving me the impression that it’s siding with them in this case. Which, in turn, would send a strong message to potential investors that certain people would rather arrogantly preserve their own lifestyles whilst robbing others of a chance to improve their own lives through gaining employment. Thus having the devastating effect of these companies reconsidering their investments in Adelaide and the state of South Australia as a whole.

And yes, viewers, I realise that employees at the Home Timber & Hardware store down the road at St Morris will have concerns about the future of that store. But fear not, because since the Danks Group – encompassing the Home Timber & Hardware, Thrifty Link Hardware and Plants Plus brands – is also co-owned by the Masters Home Improvement joint venture partners – Woolworths Limited and American hardware giant Lowe’s – these days, no jobs should be lost in the transition to the much larger store when the time comes.

And now, another good thing has turned bad…… :-(

With one week to go before Australia Day, it’s an absolute certainty that a message from “Lambassador” Sam Kekovich will have graced Australian television screens by now, and it has. Under normal circumstances, I would’ve looked forward to seeing it, but having seen the way in which the campaign has been taken to a more cringeworthy degree this year than in previous years, that enthusiasm has been swept away.

Before proceeding any further, let me state for the record that I was not a fan of Aqua’s smash hit “Barbie Girl” when it was released 15 years ago, and I’m not a fan of it now. So why the advertising people decided to cave into this lowbrow “karaoketing” trend and get Sam Kekovich, Melissa Tkautz (who still looks tasty after all these years) and Justice Crew to sing a new and somewhat Autotuned version of that song is beyond me. And don’t start me on the appearance of Richard Wilkins in the three minute clip either, since even the mere mention of anyone or anything to do with Keynotes (remember that show? If not, Google it) brings back a few unpleasant memories.

Some of you may be thinking that I’m taking this too seriously, and should just take it as a lighthearted parody. However, I simply cannot do that in this case, because there are so many of these all singing, all dancing commercials being made these days (case in point: the Coles “No Added Hormones” campaign) that it’s getting beyond a joke, and going to the point where it becomes a celebration of all things tacky and cheesy instead of a piss take. So if the full clip makes the transition from YouTube to commercial television (and it might), I’ll be reaching for my remote control as quickly as possible.

Well, I WAS expecting a game changer……

…… and last Saturday at the good old Palace, I received one. As a consequence, I now have a much better idea of how much longer my run at the club will last: about three more years.

It appears that a certain rosy babe of my acquaintance will continue to work as a dancer for that length of time, and I’m most grateful for that. However, one of my other favourites plans to retire from dancing after the Clipsal 500 weekend, so for my next few visits, I’m going to make a point of having her for dances each time. And I certainly hope that no one else attempts to drive a wedge between us again before any of those visits.

I know what you’re thinking, viewers; what do you mean, “again”? Well, here’s what I mean: as those of you who have read an earlier post may know, I was slightly disappointed and a tad perplexed that things didn’t quite go to plan on the previous visit, but someone (and I don’t care who it was) had mistaken that feeling for blood red rage, and had therefore given my tiny brunette playmate the impression that I was going to lash out about it. But of course, nothing could’ve been further from the truth, and I went to great lengths to put her at ease and reassure her that I was understanding of her situation.

So the visit was still a successful one, and I await the sight of women in and out of sexy little bikinis on the 27th very eagerly.

Thoughts for another Friday the 13th! (Insert evil laugh here ;-) )

Don’t worry, viewers; I’m not going to grab a chainsaw and hockey mask and do a Jason Voorhees impression. I’m just going to speak my mind as usual, so here we go:

1. Methinks the folks at WIN Television are playing silly buggers with viewers through Nine Adelaide and Nine Perth again. For a good deal of today’s cricket telecast, they’ve given us a coverup of the usual Channel Nine Wide World Of Sports watermark with a solid logo, complete with a blue background and “CRICKET LIVE” underneath it. Which was completely unnecessary, since the Nine logo was still dotty, and among Australians at least, only a complete moron wouldn’t recognise a cricket pitch. Naturally, I’m glad that the coverup portion has now vanished (though “CRICKET LIVE” remains as I type this), but when one factors in both the experimentation with a dotless Nine News logo in both cities a while back and next week’s relaunch of Nine News on the east coast at least, I still suspect that there’s an ulterior motive;

2. A few weeks ago, a caller on Adelaide’s talkback radio station 5AA sounded completely convinced that the Myer store at Westfield Tea Tree Plaza is facing closure, and I’m finding that very hard to believe. Sure, both Myer and David Jones have been hit pretty hard by a recent downturn in retail sales, but for Myer to shut down its second largest Adelaide store for any reason would be a major shot in the foot, to say the least. Although it wouldn’t surprise me if the store sacrifices its ground floor in the future, if only to allow Woolworths or Toys ‘R’ Us to move in and to make better use of its other three floors. And besides, I’m more inclined to believe that the store would only close if David Jones doesn’t move in as part of the centre’s currently stalled redevelopment, since co-located Myer and David Jones stores tend to be the most profitable ones; and

3. If it hadn’t been Friday the 13th, I would’ve gone into The Palace tonight instead of tomorrow, but since I’m a tad on the superstitious side, I didn’t want to put a jinx on things. So tomorrow it is.

Three outings down, but I’m still not done! ;-)

I have to say that Murray Bridge is a nice little city, and Hannah Grace Watson is a beautiful little baby. The dedication went well, and it was very pleasing to see Tim and Claire’s extended families once more, though I didn’t get a chance to hold tiny Hannah myself, largely due to her being changed, fed, and passed around to numerous female family members. So a couple of little tickles had to suffice, and I’ve no doubt that I’ll at least see the immediate family once more this year.

Also, I’m thankful that I didn’t run into Ade and Annie (as I’m more inclined to call them these days) in my travels afterwards, since it would be only too easy to do in such a small city. And speaking of travelling, I honestly thought that I’d need an hour and a half to get there, but since it only took an hour and ten minutes of driving each way, I was quite surprised.

Meanwhile, another sexy theme week is looming at the good old Palace, so I’m going to the club again this Saturday to get into sync with those Summer Nights. (No Grease or Aerogard jokes, please. ) Let’s hope that a couple of rosy young ladies will be living to dance for me on the 14th.

Two outings down, with one to go……

Forgive the lack of a smiley face in the title this time, viewers, but my Palace visit last night didn’t pan out in the way I was expecting. Sure, I was relieved that one of my three favourite ladies turned up and made the save, so to speak, but the absence of the other two really threw me nonetheless. That said, though, I’m grateful to my rosy baby for contacting me, and I hope she likes the birthday card.

And while we’ll live to dance another day, tomorrow should prove to be a pleasant day as well. But once again, I can’t help envisioning a scenario that I hope doesn’t come to pass; since my so-called father and his future second wife are living in Murray Bridge these days, and it’s not exactly a big city either, the chances of bumping into them may be quite strong. And considering that I still have lurid nightmares about the partial breakdown of my immediate family and the whys and wherefores thereof, I doubt that my reaction would be the most cordial one.

So maybe it’s best if I focus on the dedication of Tim’s new daughter, and think about other activities later.

One successful outing, with two more on the way…… :-)

That’s right; the meeting with Tim Watson and Kim Agnew (another mutual friend of ours) went very well, and we ended up seeing The Iron Lady at the Eastend Cinemas. I must say that it’s a brilliant film, and if Meryl Streep doesn’t win the Best Actress Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher, I’ll eat one of my numerous baseball caps.

And while this outing went swimmingly, I’ve also prepared for the next two:

1. In light of my next Palace visit taking place in two days from now, and since that’ll be four days before a rather rosy birthday, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for my blooming playmate to be present, so I can give her the nice card I’ve purchased. And it really is a nice card, since the funny ones I tend to give to family and friends might not be to her taste; and

2. Since christening cards don’t come in comedic varieties (and fair enough too, since it’s a generally serious occasion), another nice card will be given to the Watson clan by me on Sunday at little Hannah’s dedication. And on a side note, it’ll be the first time I’ve actually been into the CBD (if one could call it that) of Murray Bridge, since aside from a visit to the old Puzzle Park in my youth, I’ve only ever driven or been driven past it.

Wish me luck, viewers.

Another new year, and another new look! :-)

Before I proceed any further, viewers, I’d like to wish you all a Happy New Year, and I hope you like the new look of the blog as well. Expect a few other tweaks to occur over the course of this year, with a new name being one of them.

And now that the clock has ticked over into 2012, I hope that this year turns out to be better than the last two in certain respects for me. But don’t mistake that desire for a New Year’s Resolution, folks, because I don’t make those, and besides, they’re just about impossible to keep in certain cases. And no, I don’t believe that the world will end on December 21st.

Nonetheless, I have quite a few things to look forward to in the next week. In addition to my Palace visit on Friday, I’ll be catching up with my good friend of nearly 17 years now – a certain Tim Watson, who is over from Busselton with his wife Claire and their three children – in Rundle Mall on the 4th, and in Murray Bridge on the 8th for the dedication (the Salvation Army’s equivalent of baptism) of his new daughter, Hannah Grace Watson. Having not seen the rest of his family for several years now, I await that latter outing with great interest.