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I’m home. Or am I?

I’m sitting at mum and dad’s house, which hasn’t actually been my home for about 3 years, trying to figure out where home is. I’ve used my time in Brisbane so far to catch up with people who I hadn’t realised I missed as much as I think I might realise when I go back to Townsville.

Unfortunately some of these people (hello Mel and Sara) said my blog was too wordy and complex for them to understand… so for the rest of this post I’ll try to use words with one bit part (syllable for the uninitiated or ignorant, I figure I can write longer words in brackets and maintain consistency).

My small girl tribe mate (sister) plays her valved horn (trumpet) now (syntax is going out the window with this one syllable thing). She is quite good.

My flight on the day before the day that was (yesterday) was late by four hours. They had to send a new plane from this place to the place I came from due to bad stuff in the first plane. I had to sit at the plane place for what seemed like a long time (it was a long time) so I bought a thing made from trees with words in it (a book – that’s a tough concept for the ignorant reader to get their head around I guess). I think the plane group should give me my cash back for the book – they did give me six bucks to buy food. That is a rate of one and a half bucks per hour. I’d be paid more for my time if I worked in a sweat shop (technically one word I think).

I went to the pub last night and then to a shop that sells flat bread things with meat (pizza), I was with Nat and the guy whose name is like the nut group (Knobby). Those boys make me laugh more than any one else. It made me think of the game I want to bring in to the world. For the purposes of describing this game I’m going to use some two and three syllable words. I think people should play restaurant taboo – where you have to order without using the name of the thing you want or any words they use in the description – funny how stylisticly this would tie in with some of the sentences above, eg the pizza sentence. So you have to walk into maccas and order the thing with three bits of bread (big mac) or the bird burger (McChicken), or the tiny pieces of rabbit (chicken McNuggets), or the frozen pig fat with brown sauce (chocolate sundae).

The challenge is now out there. Sorry about all those big words.

I went back through some old posts to see if there were any comments I’d missed – Leah has made some interesting comments to some posts. Particularly her stance on chequebook journalism which I’ll address in my next “journalistic theories” type post. She also bagged out my headlines for my press releases. That wasn’t very nice Leah. I cried.

Comments

CB says:

You are missing another rainy Big League Saturday. What a disappointment for you….

Nathan says:

arghh. Too many syllables. The ignoramuses (I can use that word because they won’t understand it) won’t understand your comment CB.

disappointment means – to feel “let down”

CB says:

Don’t be mean to Mel and Sara. I mean really, how many people always read the whole post of what you write?
Besides, even if you wanted to use the word ignormaus in plural, shouldn’t it be ignoramii?

Nathan says:

probably, but I wanted to add syllables to ensure they couldn’t understand.

CB says:

rude

Nathan says:

they’ll get that. It’s short enough. I suspect you’ll win the admiration and respect of Mel and Sara for taking a stance in their favour.

Everyone from Brisbane is already asking who CB is…

CB says:

As if everyone in Brisbane is asking.
There are a lot of people in Brisbane. Don’t go assuming they all read your blog…

Nathan says:

ok, everyone I talk to in Brisbane is asking… well not everyone… but a surprising number of people.

And I think it’s because of comments like that where you insult me.

CB says:

I’m not insulting you, just making sure your feet are on the ground…

Nathan says:

insult is a very strong word… How could my feet not be firmly on the ground? With a head this big gravity is more than enough…

Smallest CB says:

Technically Nathan is right. The the greater (bigger, ill keep it simple for CB) the mass (weight) of your head is, the greater (larger) the gravitational force (what prevents astronaut CB when you jump) is on your head.

Please discontinue you endeavour to hinder the augmentation of Nathan’s cerebral cortex with your townsvillian vernacular.

CB says:

I CANNOT BELIEVE I JUST GOT INSULTED BY MY YOUNGEST BROTHER.

I am not talking to you anymore…

Nathan says:

Hello youngest CB. Thanks for spelling that out so clearly for CB Snr.

Who aren’t you talking to CB?

jo says:

OK here are some restaurant taboos:

1. Little balls of doughy stuff that make you want to vomit when you eat them

2. Green coloured stuff looking remotely like snott which burns your mouth when you eat it. Now famous thanks to Lee Harding (who i think stinks when it comes to music)

3. The yummiest drink in the world when you want something sweet. Has floaties in it which some people may find off putting.

4. The BEST veggie in the world. One of nathan’s least favourites.

Prize for anyone who posts correct answers. I will give you a brown bar of stuff that comes from outer space.

RjB says:

Here are my answers…

1. Chouquettes
2. Wasabi
3. Bubble Tea
4. Broccoli

Scott says:

When did Nathan’s Blog become a slug-match between Nathan and CB?

I ask, because I want to know how much I’ve already missed and where I can get transcripts.

Just to be pedantic, Nathan, early in your blog when you attempted to refrain from using words with >1 syllable, you used ‘Before’.

Also, you described that thing you read which is made out of trees. That, as you accurately pointed out, is known as a book. As far as I know, book only has one syllable (unless some are hiding).

Now I want to play Jo’s Taboo game. Here goes:

1. Little balls of doughy stuff that make you want to vomit when you eat them
–Popcorn (not really doughy)

2. Green coloured stuff looking remotely like snott which burns your mouth when you eat it. Now famous thanks to Lee Harding (who i think stinks when it comes to music)
–Wasabi?

3. The yummiest drink in the world when you want something sweet. Has floaties in it which some people may find off putting.
–Townsville water

4. The BEST veggie in the world. One of nathan’s least favourites.
–Potato

Prize for anyone who posts correct answers. I will give you a brown bar of stuff that comes from outer space.
–a piece of Mir?

Nathan says:

I also used the word any… it was the thought that counted – it’s hard dumbing oneself down for the sake of the masses. I feel a little dirty. I think nathanintownsville.blogspot.com sold out.

There may be a few other discussions like that in the archives too…

jo says:

i think i have a picture now

jo says:

this is so people in townsville can know what nath’s family looks like

Anonymous says:

1. gnocchi
2. Wasabi
3. Bubble Tea
4. Broccoli

RjB says:

What is the point of submitting your answer if you don’t submit your name? I don’t understand…. why don’t you put your name on it anonymous? Is it just to annoy people?

Nathan says:

That was a little bit of sibling rivalry… one sister trying to annoy the other.

Unfortunately Maddie gets no Mars bar.

Sara says:

This isn’t exactly what I had in mind Nathan when you said you might mention me in your blog… Oh well, I probably shouldn’t make assumptions. Really, I should have guessed how imprudently impudent you are. (I looked those words up in a Thesaurus, does that disprove Nath labelling me uneducated? And another thing, don’t unintiated and ignorant mean the same thing? So really, aren’t you just repeating yourself for the sake of making yourself look more intelligent? It could be similar to saying that your post alludes and insinuates that Mel and myself are uninformed. While each word had its own distiction, in this instance it’s clear that they both mean the same thing.)

Now how am I going at proving my acumen?

On a lighter note, CB; you’re a champ! Thanks for sticking up for us!

Hey, has anyone read Ephesians 4:29?

jo says:

Maddie I can’t believe you spoilt my game. NO MARS BAR FOR YOU!

Haven’t you ever read the small print of any competition where it says no employees or family members can enter.

Nathan says:

Sara,

How come your post was submitted at 7.21pm when church starts at 7.15?

andrew @ TWC says:

hmmm, scintelating conversation so far to be sure, unliem to the rest of you mob i found something else of significance in the blog – the question of “where exactly is home?”

is it (a) where ever i lay my hat? (b) where the heart is? (c) out on the ranges? (d) heaven?

well, ultimately i’d have to say (d), I mean under Christ it’s where you’d end up (if you aren’t under christ then it ain’t home), in terms of this physical realm though i think i’d have to say that home is where the heart is – there is something so much more real about being at “home” with a person then at “home” in a place, although combining the two would blur the distinction a little.

Anonymous says:

I hate to be the one to point this out Andrew but if home is where the heart is, that means you are at home wherever you go doesn’t it? I have to say I haven’t ever felt at home while sitting on a train or at work but my heart is always there with me. Interesting…

The Grammar Nazi says:

“Home is where the heart is” is one of those ridiculously sappy comments that accidentally got famous somehow.

Leah says:

“As if everyone in Brisbane is asking.
There are a lot of people in Brisbane. Don’t go assuming they all read your blog…”

lol. Nice.

I’m sorry Nathan. They were just funny, that’s all ^_^

lol @ cb getting insulted by her youngest brother :D

Mel says:

Nathan – you egotistical pig!
It was great having you back… but may also be great you’ve left – I just read the blog & if you were still here, you’d be injured or dead…

DON’T EVER COME CRYING TO ME ABOUT BEING SICK – I WON’T HELP YOU! My university degree mustn’t be enough to prove i have some intelligence, so I won’t use it to help you. You don’t need big words to be intelligent. I read plenty of books – maybe even more than you! I don’t see the use in talking myself up by pretending to sound smart. (Unlike some)

Sara & I are intelligent.. perhaps you are just too thick to see it. Our suggestion was to make it more reader friendly – not so wordy… Or pretentious

Thanks CB – you are great!

Smallest CB says:

Thanks Leah,
I feel proud to get a mention.

Nathan says:

Hello smallest cb. I think you’re the funniest of the whole cb clan.

CB says:

He is indeed.
And I’m still not talking to him. Meanie.