I was very glad to have my hat during the walk yesterday - I’d had a few qualms about wearing it, as it is felt (rescued from the op shop for $5), and I thought it would be too hot. It was hot, but with my sunnies, lots of sunscreen, and lots of bottled water, I made it.
I have no idea how many people turned up, but in any case it was good to see so many people there, from all walks of life. True to form, I forgot to bring the camera, but Tom M Wilson has some nice shots. This great picture (from Tom) shows the colour and the crowd. I walked next to a Tibetan Buddhist nun, and the two giant puppets in the picture, for most of the march.
It was calm and pleasant (even if we were all hot) and there was a pleasant energy to the whole event.
I found it amusing and a little sad that the Liberals (conservatives) decided not to send any representation to the walk.
Personally, I still have a lot to do to reduce my impact on the environment. I tried the Australian Conservation Foundation’s Eco-Calculator - I’m amazed at how much you can do to reduce your impact on the environment, just by changing your diet!
Amusing aside: after the walk I went to stock up on some of my favourite handcream and deodorant. The lady in the shop took one look at me and said: “You need a nice cool glass of water, dear. Your aura is all.. whoosh!” She gestured with her hand sweeping over the top of her head. I didn’t suggest that she could probably feel the heat radiating off me, and agreed that yes, I was very hot from having just come from The Walk.
A few of my colleagues and friends, including many of the lint team, are attending the Information Online conference in Sydney at the moment. The conference opened yesterday. I wish I was there - I guess I’ll just have to enjoy it vicariously. Michelle McLean has already written the first day’s events up on her blog - thank you Michelle!
Another book/reading-related post. I know it’s late (you’re supposed to do this before 1 January), but I reckon it’s still early enough in the new year to join in: the To Be Read challenge (thanks Kathryn for the tip!).
The idea of this challenge is to list in your blog twelve books that have been on your To Be Read list for more than six months (I’m sure most avid readers have these lists - whether in your head, in your bookcase, or that tottering pile next to the bed). Then, you read one per month. Kathryn reports that the blogger from whom the challenge emanated, MizB, is also offering a prize:
Every 3 months, for the duration of the challenge, I will pick one challenge participant’s name from a “hatâ€. That person –if they’ve read the amount of books for that time (ie: 3 books in 3 months; 6 books in 6 months, etc)– will receive a small gift (via snail-mail) from me.
Prize or no prize, this sounds like an interesting challenge. My list:
- My Name is Red, Orhan Pamuk
- Patrick White: A Life, David Marr
- Empires of the Word, Nicholas Ostler
- Immortality, Milan Kundera
- Aké. Ìsarà . Memoirs of a Nigerian Childnood, Wole Soyinka
- Patah Sayap Terbang Jua, Abdul Samad Ismail
- Riddley Walker, Russell Hoban
- The Memoirs of a Survivor, Doris Lessing
- The 158-Pound Marriage, John Irving
- Belonging: Australians, Place and Aboriginal Ownership, Peter Read
- The Unconscious Civilization, John Raulston Saul
- Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Depending on time and inclination I might also attempt:
- Babel-17, Samuel R Delany
- Beat of the City, H.F. Brinsmead
- Beloved, Toni Morrison
- Brightness Falls from the Air, James Tiptree, Jr.
- Vanity Fair, W. M. Thackeray
I also hope to continue my reading of Marcel Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past: Swann’s Way (yes, I finally started, Prof Leddy!).
