Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Crikey, She's a Beaut!

A national day of mourning has descended upon the continent of Australia, heads bowed for the death of Steve Irwin - AKA, the Crocodile Hunter. The Prime Minister has promised a state funeral and appropriately called him an 'extraordinary man'. The tele is filled with nothing but Irwin clips of him handling various snakes and reptiles over the years.

Peggy and I went to see David Suzuki last night with some friends and were goaded into a moment of silence for the tragic and untimely death of Steve Irwin. Now, I've been criticized as being un-empathetic in my demeanor, but Irwin's death was neither tragic nor untimely. I feel sad that he has left behind a family, but also think that he got what was coming to him for years on end. The man danced with death for a living, how could it not be expected that one day his antics would come back to 'bite' him?

When our relatives visited a few months back, we went diving off a similar reef out of Port Douglas, where Irwin was killed. There were never any overt warnings about stingrays and how they are potentially harmful. Yes, people have gotten stung on the ankle or leg when descending upon rays lying on the bottom - but never were they deemed life threatening. Irwin must have been handling this ray in a pretty aggressive manner to have it pierce his heart, as opposed to a mere mandible. Video footage of the attack exists, but I don't care to watch.

So, we bid you adieu Crocodile Hunter, for you died doing what you love - indeed an admirable quality. Will the same be said for Paul Hogan or Greg Norman?

posted by ncawthon at 4:50 PM

Sunday, September 03, 2006

H & R Whack!

P-Diddy and I went to H & R Block yesterday to get some advice on our
taxes, walking out a half-hour later, $130 lighter and none the
wiser. Bloody outrage! We thought that a pro-active accountant might
be able to find loopholes or deductions that could possibly improve
the 40% deduction rate taken from my contracting work last year.
After punching up the numbers online, there still wasn't the balance
we were looking to get back. So, consult the professionals, right?
That's what they do all day long and should have easily been more
insightful than Mr. and Mrs. Joe Schmoe.

So, we met with Donna Ling in the Bondi Junction branch of H&R Block,
who seemed nice enough. She asked a battery of basic questions, all
pretty standard. We then started getting the vibe that this was an
upsell job - cost was $130 per person, not couple - she started also
suggested filing for certain exemptions and refunds that we had
already known about, slyly smiling when I asked if there was a charge
for each one. Consequentially, the numbers that she gave us were no
different than the ones we found at home. Peggy and I looked at each
other and gave a frustrated shrug. Why are these people still in
business? Is it because some people can't / won't use the internets
or fill out forms?

Lesson learned, I guess, is that if ever needed we have a second
career in accounting.

posted by ncawthon at 4:39 PM

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Happy Labour Day all you state-siders! We hope your extended 3-day is
a restful one.

We transferred 'The Moose' to his friends apartment last night after
a rousing badminton match. He's going to be staying there for an
extended period of time, or until he can find a place more suitable
to his needs. We enjoyed having him here and sharing stories from our
respected cultures and spirituality. Yesterday, we attempted a swim
lesson at the beach. He was a trooper, having a go at floating and
the doggie paddle whilst gulping the occasional wave or two. We will
try again on the next beach day.

The next few weeks will be a flurry of conference paper writing and
preparations for the Mannen Visit: Redux. We're going to go out of
town for a few days next weekend to the Hunter Valley with some
friends for wine tasting and general good times. Should be a welcome
distraction to hopefully a productive work week. Weather is inching
up there, reaching a nice 80 degrees yesterday, welcoming Spring to
the Southern Hemisphere. Despite the pessimistic title of this
posting, once we're past a few administrative hurdles, it should
shape up to be a good month.

posted by ncawthon at 4:20 PM