The big story that is dominating the national press at the
moment—bigger than Steve Irwin, bigger than the failures
of Iraq, bigger than the footy finals—is the
match for
the chess world championship between Veselin Topalov and
Vladimir Kramnik currently being played in the Russian republic
of Kalmykia.
Topalov, after cutting down on the clubbing and partying, has been in blistering form over the last year or two and Kramnik may be returning to the quality of play that saw him defeat Kasparov back in 2000. I suspect it is the contrast of styles—the aggressive Bulgarian against the Stalingrad-style defence of the Russian—that has the Australian press so enthralled.
This morning Melbourne time the pair played the second game of the 12-game match and saw Kramnik take a 2:0 lead. The public fervour that met Kramnik's second lucky escape after Topalov was playing all over his ass (and even had a forced mate in three he didn't spot at one point) was almost electric.
The entire nation awaits the third round on Wednesday with the kind of anticipation not seen since Armstrong's moon walk. Topalov has black. Stay tuned.
¶ 10:55 am 6 comments
My brother gave me a watch for my birthday. It tells the time
in binary (that's base 2).
It is the most ridiculous thing ever since ever. I have not worn a
watch for years — you don't need to these days — and here
I now have the world's geekiest watch, and probably one of the ugliest,
but I am not going to take it off. It is
awesome.
I can recommend to you all that you get yourself a brother. Brothers are groovy.
¶ 4:20 pm 1 comments
Here's why I am happy: I had a good weekend seeing my
friends and they're a cool bunch; I tracked down a copy
of a Kashmere Stage Band album on vinyl and it should be
arriving in the mail today or tomorrow; I watched the
soccer team I support (go the Victory!) win their fourth
game in four rounds and get to the top of the ladder; I
enjoyed riding in to work this morning through an
invigorating, gusty, hot northerly; I've got a groovy
new housemate to fill the empty room in my house; the band
I play in has a gig in a couple of days; and today, kittens,
today is my birthday. That's why I am happy.
¶ 9:45 am 3 comments
Something a little odd is happening to me right now. Just this
last half-an-hour I've developed quite a strong craving for waffles
with a generous drizzle of genuine maple syrup. I never eat that facile, overpoweringly
sweet, goopy mess but right now I suddenly find I want some.
You probably don't really need to be reading about this. There are many things you could be doing rather than reading about what some guy wants to eat. Not even what he's actually eating, mind you, but merely the food he is thinking about.
Here is a list of some of the things you might be doing instead:
- Walking in the sunshine
- Cleaning your house
- Writing a novel
- Jägermeister
- Attempting a sudoku
- Planting rosemary seedlings
- Flirting with people
- Performing the productive endeavours for your employers and their shareholders to which you are contractually bound
- Having tea with your parents
- Driving to the beach
- Signing up for cryogenic suspension
- Ringing your friends and talking to them
- Sleeping
- Singing along with trashy radio
- Frolicking with a pet dog
- Learning another language
- Filling in your tax return
- Buying clothes
- Eating waffles with maple syrup
- Playing a musical instrument — the glockenspiel, perhaps
- IM
- Practising your putting
- Dreaming up lists of things to put in your own blog
But instead you read this. Thank you.
¶ 10:50 am 4 comments
John Davison played for Canada in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. He thumped a century in only 67 balls against the West Indies which was a record for the fastest century in a world cup match and the fifth (now the sixth) fastest century in one-day internationals. He followed that with the third-fastest (only 25 balls) world cup fifty against New Zealand a few days later.
Davison was born to Australian parents in Vancouver Island and lived there for a total of five weeks before he returned with his parents to Australia where he has lived ever since. He played state cricket for Victoria and South Australia. He captained Canada in their first first-class match in over fifty years in last year's ICC Intercontinental cup in a match against USA when he took 17/134 bowling his right-arm offspin (which is what I bowl, although I've never taken seventeen wickets in a match) — the best bowling figures in first-class cricket since Jim Laker in 1956.
All Canadians should know his name and cheer his efforts. Hooray for Canadians.
¶ 3:30 pm 2 comments
