It's Good News Week...

YES ladies and gentlemen, I'm now in the process of re-acquainting myself with the wonders of world after nearly seven months wrapped up in the coccoon that was my job.
And what a seven months it's been! Possibly the biggest (and certainly least expected) news story during that time would have to be the untimely passing of Steve Irwin after a stingray got a bit scared of the khaki suit swimming above it. Most people will remember where they were when they heard Irwin died. In my case it was at a services stop between Nice and Avignon in southern France on the same day I heard my brother was being posted overseas and my boss found out I'd fucked up in a very big way. Although everyone probably expected Irwin to go by death by wildlife, who'dve thunk a stingray would do the trick? Coincidentally a US man is in a critical condition after a stingray jumped on his boat and stabbed him. Seems they have the taste of blood...
Soon after Australia was hit by the death of motor-racing legend Peter Brock, again doing something he loved doing (Cagey, please keep your hands off yourself). Seems bizarre to think they're both gone, but that's the way of the world.
UK readers will probably have kept up to date with the Big Brother 7 fun and games - even at a distance they've seemed somewhat unreal: which, it turns out, it was. The big-name couple has split up, which registers a 0.000000001 on the shock-o-meter. I mean really, who'dve thought that a relationship with tens of millions of people watching their every move (and that was when they were out of the house) would last? Plenty apparently.
Then of course there's been the fun and games associated with "Brangelina" - the unholy beast formed when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie hooked up. I know they're both very famous people, and that between them they've probably stimulated more fantasies amongst the people of the world than marijuana, but seriously, calm down people!
Throw in the 2006 World Cup where Australia was finally making it's follow-up appearance to their 1974 World Cup. Some good performances against some quality teams meant we got through to the round of 16, only to be denied by some incredible diving from the Italians. Seriously, these guys are like the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers - get within three feet and they'll jump around like a dying kangaroo.
Then there was the truly frightening news that North Korea had got itself a nuke. These guys are so scary and unpredictable that they make Saddam Hussein look like a meek little pussy cat. Of all the countries in the world that we know have nukes, these are the fuckers most likely to give the world the collective finger and fire away.
Hopefully now that I've re-emerged back into Reality, things will start going back to normal - starting with Australia winning back the Ashes. Now that'd be useful!

What Do You Get When You Fall In Love?

liALL you get is lies and pain and sorrow; to paraphrase the immortal Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
One of the interesting facets of travelling around Europe and meeting an absolute truckload of people is that there are times when you get to see them at their most human, their most vunerable.
Sometimes this is when something bad has happened - like when a passport goes missing - although the majority of the time it's when someone is around a member of the opposite sex they quite fancy.
Gone may be the devil-may-care attitude that normally applies, replaced with a bumbling attitude that often causes the object of their affections to forget what it was that was attractive about them in the first place. Likewise, two shy people may begin to really open up after meeting each other: a match made in heaven so to speak. Seeing someones face light up when they talk about their absent other half is something everyone should be made to watch when they're feeling blue (unless it's because of a break-up of course. Then it's penguin videos!).
What really gets my back up though are people cheating or generally being dishonest.
I have to say this partially comes from the bitter personal experience of seeing a marriage close to me disintegrate because one person couldn't stay faithful for whatever reason, while I've seen many another person almost in tears because someone they had feelings showed blatant disregard for them.
No matter what the problems are in a relationship*, it seems cowardly to just write it off without concern for the other party. If they're making an effort to patch things up, the other person needs to be honest and call time face-to-face.
Too many people begin agreeing with Bacharach and David's lyrics at the start of this post otherwise.

*Yes Cagey, I'm aware of the fact that me giving relationship advice is like asking George W. Bush for help in an IQ test...