Halloween?

Over the previous two October 31s I haven't been in Canberra - been on travel somewhere, last year it was Broken Hill. So this was the first Halloween in Canberra.

And we actually had trick or treaters. Lots.

Now, I wasn't prepared for this - we had no candy because we weren't expecting anything. We hadn't even seen anything in the papers about trick or treat, the way you do in the US saying what night and time it will be.

So we cowered with the shutters drawn, so the kids couldn't see us not giving them candy.

BUT - I had to take out the trash (to keep the cats out of it...), so I went out the back gate, right as a batch of kids came up to ring the bell. Busted!

I told them, "Sorry I don't have any candy, I didn't know Australians did trick or treat."

So a little boy (maybe 7) dressed as a devil came up and gave me a handful of candy.

I said, "You don't have to do that!" but his big sister (maybe 10) said "That's okay, Mum says we have enough candy to sink a battleship."

So I took it. Nice kid, and nice parents. And a first for me: trick or treaters coming to my house and giving me candy!

An Obscure Economic Indicator

The Guardian in Britain has come up with a new leading economic indicator, a way to predict how the British economy will go.

AC/DC. Not the power, the Australian heavy metal band.

Seems AC/DC's biggest hits correspond with Britain's economic lows over the past 35 years. Per the Guardian:

Highway to hell

1973: AC/DC form in Sydney, Australia.
Economy: Start of the oil crisis, which saw the price quadruple

1980: AC/DC release breakthrough album Back In Black
Economy: Inflation in UK reaches 20% and unemployment nears 2 million

1990: AC/DC score comeback with The Razor's Edge
Economy: Recession in UK imminent

2008: AC/DC top UK album charts
Economy: Biggest world recession in decades looms

So, the release of Black Ice - which is selling like hotcakes, and is number 1 in the UK, proves how bad things are. Sell your pounds now!

The Running of the Sheep

Every spring the charming little town of Boorowa (in New South Wales about 80 miles from Canberra) has an annual Irish Woolfest, to celebrate the winter harvest of wool. They have all the fun things - good food, crafts, bagpipes and dancers, beer, sausage sizzles.

And they have the Running of the Sheep, Boorowa's answer to Pamplona's Running of the Bulls.

All played strictly for laughs, of course. The annnouncer went on and on about how one person injured last year was still in the hospital. I suspect that is a slight exaggeration.

But it was still pretty fun and funny. They fenced off the main street in Boorowa, brought in 150 sheep, and had a couple of herding dogs herd them down the street. It wasn't exactly blindingly quick - the sheep prefer to huddle, all trying to get to the middle away from those annoying dogs. Then one sets off and the rest follow. All very fun!

Kath & Kim, #1

The US version of "Kath & Kim" was on TV tonight here in Australia. The story-line was (as in the first American episode of "The Office") identical to the debut of the Australian series, which established the story line: mom falling into a new relationship as spoiled daughter's marriage hits the rocks.

Couple of observations.

First, thumbs up for doing away with the laugh track, one of the single most manipulative, vile inventions from the depraved mind of humanity.

Selma Blair isn't nearly as fat as the Kim played by Gina Riley. Also, her face seems kind of... expressionless.

Molly Shannon seemed OK as Kath, at least for this first episode.

No Sharon. Which for me is OK.

The camera work was disconcerting a bit. Reminded me again (no surprise) of "The Office."

Lots of time in the mall, like the original, and shallow conversation sprinkled with malapropisms.

Verdict: uncertain. It was fine. But I think I'll need to see an episode or two of original scripts to develop a feel. I don't love it like Tom Shales, at least not yet. But I don't hate it, either.

Kath & Kim, Coming to America

Well, the moment approaches when "Kath & Kim" hits American TV screens. This is an adaptation of the brilliantly satirical Australian sitcom of the same name, which is a huge hit here that draws 2 million people to their TV sets - pretty good in a country of 21 million.

I was very worried when NBC announced that Molly Shannon would be playing the mother role of Kath, mostly because she has never particularly impressed me. And then there were stories, breathlessly repeated in the Australian press, about cast changes and revamps and rewrites, and even speculation that the American version was so bad it would never even air.

But Tom Shales, the TV critic at the Washington Post and somebody whose opinion I respect, has seen the first episode - and he likes it. He REALLY likes it: As superbly superior as Shannon is (a comparison to Lucille Ball, while inevitable, would not be overreaching), the whole cast shines, and not just in refracted glory. "Kath & Kim" is a frantically tacky fracas.

So maybe it's worth checking out. Anyway, it will also be shown on Australian TV quite soon. So I guess I'll watch at least the first episode and see if it works for me.