What is in a name?

So my mum is changing back to her maiden name - Hudson. Recently she asked me if I wouldn't mind if she did so. I think that it is a great thing for her to do seeing as how she and my father have not been together in about ten years now - why should she hang on to his name? It's possibly the first overtly feminist thing my mum has ever done, although I know she's always been a feminist, just a quiet one. You know the sort. She just does things her way instead of talking about it all the time. It was only later, on reflection, that I realised it would mean that my mother would not have the same last name as myself or my siblings. As someone who doesn't plan to change my name (even if hell freezes over and I do end up getting married) I think retaining the name you were born with is a good way to go. Of course this is generally your father's name anyway and pays no respect to your mother's side of the family which isn't particularly fair. When mum told me about changing her name, I briefly thought about taking my mother's maiden name, as why should I keep my father's name when he is only half of who created me but then I wouldn't be appreciating his side of the family. The only way to get around this dilly of a pickle is to hyphenate but where does it end? If I was a hyphenation of my parents' last names my last name would be Hudson-Auden, then if I were to have children I would use both my name and my partner's name which would make the poor little tacker's last name Hudson-Auden-Cowper-Yates. Phew. What a mouthful. Clearly that idea isn't going to work for very long. So in conclusion, naming sucks and is never a true representation of who you are and where you came from, but does it really matter anyway?

Watch out for those obese babies!

Whilst travelling home from work last night on the train I was reading a very intellectual and stimulating journal, not sure if you've head of it - it's called MX (free tabloid from the people that give us the excellent Herald-Scum). So as I was devouring the cutting edge journalism found within, I came across an article that was discussing how a link has been found between levels of Leptin (a protein hormone) and obesity. It seems that the more Leptin you have, the less obese you will be. Now scientists have found that there is a certain level of Leptin that babies receive from breastmilk but of course this isn't enough to combat all the obese babies we have running around, so other scientists (working for big evil food corporations that produce baby formula) have decided that babies should be getting more Leptin than nature provides and have upped the level of Leptin that babies receive in baby formula. Thank god! Now there will be no more excuses for having fat babies! Come on! Talk about starting early on getting a complex!

We escaping Melbourne winter (briefly)

Yay! So I've just booked tickets to go visit my brother Tony in Cairns where he is stationed for six months whilst working for the Bereau of Meterology. It's tough, really. He has to rough it in a four and a half star resort for the whole time which work pays for! So Eduardo and I are going for a visit at the end of June to escape Melbourne's winter which we will have endure for a month at that time. Although it's already getting a little chilly around here. It's gonna be great. Maybe we'll go sky diving or white water rafting or scubaing, like my brother did this week and met Wally the giant mauri wrasse! See pic below.

Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Hello out there. Let me start by saying a big sorry for not posting in, like, forever. I know, I suck big time. It's just that I've had a mountain of paperwork (or should that be labwork) to do. Blah, blah, blah, get on with it! So Eduardo and I went to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival last Thursday night and we saw two shows. First up was Tim Minchin, who we had never seen before but he'd won heaps of awards so I figured he couldn't be all bad. Turns out he's f*#@ing excellent! He's not just your regular stand-up comedian. He is an accomplised pianist (yes, I said pianist) and singer/songwriter to boot! So his show is entertaining musically as well as being hilarious. Perhaps part of why I enjoyed his show so much is that at the age of 32 he is going through a very similar stage of life to myself. All the references and anecdotes I found strangely relevant (except perhaps the one about how he worries about whether he could perform sexually with another partner after so long with one partner, if for some reason his wife died or got a degenrative disease). Hmmmm not sure about that one. So any way his show gets a big 5 thumbs up from me.

So after that Ed and I were concerned that the next show wouldn't be as good and would leave us feeling disappointed. Not to fear, Ross Noble is here! This man is uber crazy. He said it himself when he said "If I ever get Alzheimers no one would notice". Ross's show went for over two hours with him talking non-stop about anything and everything in a very haphazard way. It's hard to describe his style, it's a bit like Billy Connelly on speed perhaps. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. I laughed until I was crying. I laughed until I felt weak. I was trying to imagine what it would be like to live with him. I'm sure with him there is no on/off switch. I think I would probably kill him after five minutes. But for a two hour show it was awesome. I also give him five thumbs up.

I know it seems like I'm a bit easy when it comes to reviewing shows but most of the people that know me know that I am quite critical, especially with films. I have an ongoing debate with a friend about Daredevil the movie (the one with Ben Affleck) and how it is possibly the worst movie ever! He maintains that it is actually a very good film and he (supposedly) should know as he studied film at the Victorian College of the Arts. B'ah what does he know? The kid playing the young Daredevil (or whatever his name is) before he grows up and becomes Ben Affleck is much more convincing as a blind person than Ben Affleck will ever be. On reflection, perhaps it is Ben Affleck that I just can't stand. So anyway, where was I? A friend asked me which comedian was funnier and I found that Ross Noble made me laugh more (although a lot of the time it's because he is just so bizarre - I was just speaking to my brother who went with me to see Ross at the Festival a couple of years ago and the only thing that either of us can remember about it was something to do with facial meatflaps - hmmmm, don't ask me) but that I preferred Tim because with him you get to watch a music concert as well as laugh (I apologise for the length of that last sentence, if it was in an academic essay it would have to be ripped to shreds, but this is my blog so I'll do what I want, of course I realise that this whole rant thingy is making it even longer, oops again!). So, anyway the festival has been awesome and I highly recommend going to see either of those shows.