incomplete disarray.

May 30

Yet another $47,500 lens that I am selflessly denying myself. By my calculations, that’s $95,500 I’ve saved this household - easily justifying the miserly sum of $17,000 for the Canon C300 itself.

(and that’s not even counting the Audi I didn’t buy on the way home today).

Can I convince Melly that this $17,000 camera is a sensible (some might say “essential”) investment, if I point out that I’m not [yet] seeking clearance to buy the $47,000 lens to which it’s attached? Positively frugal, right? Sacrificial even.

I know what you’re thinking: “you’re a wonderful and thoughtful man, Matt, and she’s so lucky to have you!”

Apr 23

[video]

Mar 19

I’m not alone here, right?

Mar 07

Hello again, purdy Sydney!

For this view, I’ll excuse your crummy roads, lousy weather, giant cockroaches…maybe even that weird “sport” thing you’re always going on about.

Mar 03

Do

sblaufuss:

idointernet:

I have never written anything.  Aside from school papers and W9 forms, I keep away from writing because I don’t think I’m terribly good at it.  I don’t tweet too often.  I certainly don’t write posts on tumblr.  I have ideas for things to write all the time though.  I can’t even begin to tell you about all the scripts, sketches, books, bits of advice that I have started and never completed over the years.  I don’t want to be considered a bad writer, speller, comedian so I don’t write.  I’m thus saved from all the ridicule.  Go me!

Here is the general formula that keeps everyone from doing things they would love to do. 

Success = 1
Failure = 0

0 < 1

No one wants to be a zero.  So if we can’t be a success, if we can’t be perfect, then why try at all?  It’s too much time.  It’s too much work.  It’s easier to just forget about it.  

Super.  We’ve prevented ourselves from ultimately ending in a shattering defeat.  Good thing we did nothing.  Ah, but perhaps we weren’t seeing the full equation.  Perhaps we didn’t look at the true reality of our goal.  Here’s a new more realistic version of our formula:

Doing = ∞
Not Doing = 0

Success = Doing + time
Failure = Not Doing

Doing > Not Doing

Doing opens you up to infinite possibility / infinite greatness.  Not doing brings infinite nothingness.  0 x any number is still 0.

I want to write well.  I want to write funny sketches.  I want to write a book.  I want to put up a staged show.  I want to have a web series.  

Want x Not Doing = 0

Want x Doing = ∞

MATHS!

I am sooooo scared of being a 0.  All I want is to be a 1.  Now if good writer is 1 and bad writer is 0, though, what is not a writer at all?  I’ve always seen it as a scale between good and bad with mediocrity somewhere in between.  I never take into consideration the state of not choosing to do anything at all.  Think of it in terms of a light switch.  The light can be either on or off… but not choosing to write is like having a beautiful chandelier and no switch at all.

I am now doing.  Right now.  Not later, tomorrow, when I have time, when things are perfect.  Now.  Doing makes me available for the infinite possibilites for my efforts.  I will not be a 0, it’s mathematically impossible.  If it’s impossible for me to be a 0 then it’s impossible for me to ever be a failure.  

Do.

:D

This is outstanding advice, and something that’s taken me almost 35 years to learn.

Feb 24

You know that feeling

…when you’ve built up a huge amount of respect and admiration for a public figure over the years, but when you finally have a chance to meet them, they turn out to be so much…less…than you expected?

Well, what’s the absolute opposite of that feeling?

This morning I had a chance to meet and chat with a long-time hero of mine, and - once I got past my first few fumbled sentences - had a fantastic, 78 minute discussion full of insight, genuine interest and generous encouragement.  

I’m truly indebted and so very grateful.  

Feb 22

And our Pixar Picks Are…

(Yep, some serious, scientific evaluation is going on in our household).

Jessica & Benjamin were completely, unanimously opposed to Monsters Inc (hence it’s position in the bin) and lauded Cars 2 as their overwhelming current favourite.  Ugh.

[video]

Feb 15

HVDD!

Jan 21

Dec 17

[video]

Dec 13

“

Then, as conversation turned to the future and Gillard’s pledge in her speech that “Labor says yes to the future”, Rudd said something else.

“F—k the future”, he laughed, literally flipping the bird in front of the assembled journalists to punctuate his remark. As he thrust his finger in the air, the crowd could barely believe their eyes.

Rudd then posed for photographs with bar staff and disappeared into the night.

Dec 04

“If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties.” —

I sure hope that pithy aphorism is true, Sir Francis Bacon.   

“Begin With Certainties” may as well have been on our family crest.