snake? snake! snaaaaaaaake! Dole Diary 2003 – 2008

I'm outta here. Starting a new blog elsewhere. A big thanks to everyone who followed it over the last five years. I'll be keeping the blog up for archival purposes.

If you'd like the address of my new blog (which I'm putting together right now), just leave a comment or drop me an email. I won't be linking it here because of potential stalkers (seriously). The new blog may not appeal to the old Dole Diary fans – there'll probably less sniping and anarchism, more on other stuff (but there'll still be a bit of the usual stuff).

I think the highlight over the last few years were the interviews I did when I was writing for various street press. It's all been a lot of fun and gave me a sense of purpose during my time on the dole. Also, the friends I've made through blogging here made it worth it.

For any dole bludgers reading this, I wish you luck in your endeavours and don't let the fuckers break your spirit. My advice if you're being hassled by Centrelink is to constantly reschedule. You'll be surprised at how many job interviews exactly coincide with Centrelink appointments.

That's it. –Lumpen.

work diary

Dole Diary RIP? Maybe.

I haven't been on the dole for ages now. I'm working fulltime (hating it, natch) and can no longer accurately describe myself as lumpenproletariat. So I'm thinking of retiring the blog and/or moving to a new one.

Remember the days when I was doing interviews with Gene Simmons and shit? They're gone. Move on.

On the plus side, my newfound income has meant a Playstation 3 and a fuck-off huge telly. I'm still trying to decide how my complete pleasure in this stacks up with my anarchism.

Will do a proper update soon.

Have I uploaded these before? Maybe not the photoshopped versions, anyway. These are in my folio, though as part of a photobook.

I fucking love going to the Melbourne Zoo, even if they are a bit stabby with the elephants.

eek!

Can't seem to get any work done.

UPDATE: But check out the spider that's on the wall of my bedroom!

go gary, go! goooooo gary!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've taken a break from such things. I should note that, for the first time in ages, I'm not on any Centrelink payments, nor am I studying. I've actually been working fulltime!

I saw Gary Foley speak a few years ago and he's pretty inspirational. There's a brilliant doco made in the 1970s that features Foley called (I think) Ningala Ana Ningla-Ana. That really should get posted up on YouTube.

election fevaaaaaaah!

This video contains everything you need to know about voting in the election next weekend.



Oh, that reminds me, I'll probably be voting for The Greens. I guess that absolves me of all responsibility. Hurrah!

vector eyes

Part of a (very overdue!) work in progress. It's going to have boobs and sperm and everything in it.

fear of a brown planet

Getting the Treasurer Peter Costello in a Flap
03/10/2007

Yesterday I blogged about the fact that once a news journalist, always a news journalist.

That blog was about how news gathering can get into your blood, and about how getting a scoop becomes better than sex (.. err except sex with your wife. Sorry doll..).

Yesterday the Breakfast Club had another scoop of a kind. It was actually more of a trashy magazine splash.

What happened was that some of our guests managed to get the unflappable treasurer Peter Costello in a flap.

The guests, comedians Aamer Rahman and Nazeem Hussein were in the Radio Australia foyer downstairs, waiting to come on the Club, when Australia's treasurer (and hopeful future prime minister) Peter Costello came past them. They spoke for a few moments, after which the treasurer laid a complaint to our reception desk, saying that security ought to tell those two young whippersnaappers not to be so rude to people.

The question remained therefore was: what did they say to him?

So later, when they came up to the Club for their interview we did ask them. On air.

Oh yes, they laughed, a little embarrassed, a little mortified, a little cheeky, we simply asked for his photograph.

Is that all, we asked?

Well, they replied, we did say to him: "What does it feel like knowing that you'll never be prime minister."

Yep that'd be the thing that caused the complaint. You see, Peter Costello has been the PM's deputy for 11 years, and has been annointed as his successor for all that time. The reason that Peter Costello never got the top job was simply that the PM stayed firmly glued to his boss chair for every day of that 11 years, and now that the government looks likely to be headed for defeat at the upcoming election, Peter Costello is smartingly watching his hopes of being PM slip away. Making it even more painful is the fact that yesterday the treasurer would have seen the latest opinion poll which shows the government a gazillion miles behind the Opposition.

In comedy, as they say, timing is all. The same applies to politics. Obviously the effect is magnified when comedy and politics collide, as it did in our foyer yesterday.

font joke

Hey, I feel the same way about Comic Sans too!


If you look really closely, I think you can see some hockey pulver in there.

ad free blog

Look, I know this blog is ad-free but every now and then an ad is made that is actually quite brilliant. So let me say that Cadbury's chocolate tastes like shit and you should never, ever eat it.

Now watch this.

(via the Stay Free Blog)