Mister Brisbane: Shifting bricks
Tea time | Prequel profusion | Saying sorry | Alleged incidence | What's on
I read recently that Lego has had a 14 per cent spike in sales in the first six months of this year, which the company puts down to families spending more time together during the pandemic. It got me thinking about the things we did as a family when I was young, and how things have changed over the generations. For starters, we used to eat dinner together (although we called it “tea”). Does anybody do that now? My grandfather had a huge jigsaw puzzle set out in our lounge room that he slowly completed over several weeks (or was it months?), and we kids sometimes played card and board games. As I wrote recently for InQueensland, board games are making a comeback — although not necessarily the ones we played back in the day, such as Monopoly and Cluedo. Several of the creators and producers of these games are located in Brisbane, and they are serving a global audience. Does anybody out there play board games and, if so, do you stick to the old favourites or are up for something new and challenging?
Join Brett Debritz and Spencer Howson for the Mister Brisbane show on Reading Radio at 1296AM or DAB+ in Brisbane on Tuesdays at 6.30pm, Wednesdays at 2pm and Saturdays at 7.15am. It is also available as a podcast on popular platforms including Spotify, Apple and Google Podcasts.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
When do you eat your evening meal? Apparently, any time after 6pm makes you more likely to be “fat and unhealthy”. A UK survey on the subject found that 25 per cent of people ate between 5pm and 5.59pm, 43 per cent between 6pm and 6.59pm and 23 per cent between 7pm and 7.59pm. I wonder what an Australian survey would find. When I was a child, we always ate at 6 o’clock on the dot. That habit has returned recently, but other people I know — many of them slimmer and healthier than me — eat much later in the evening.
(Hat tip to Robert Rea.)
THE YOUNG ONES
An online (and real-life) friend has noticed a trend of TV and film prequels featuring a well-known protagonist at an earlier age. He notes Young Morse, Young Sherlock Holmes and Young Wallander (above), to which I can add Young Sheldon, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and Young Frankenstein. His tweeps have thrown in several suggestions for future programs, including Foyle’s Childhood, Poirot in Nappies, Miss Marple at Daycare, Jake and the Pudgy Teen and, perhaps my favourite, Old Doogie Howser. Any others?
OWNING IT
“Sorry” may be the hardest word to say, but sometimes you’ve just got to do it. I recently ordered from a delivery service and berated a restaurant staff member over the phone when the meal was late arriving. It turned out that the app I used had misidentified the delivery address and that I had somehow set it up with the wrong phone number. When I discovered that it was partly my fault, I rang them back to apologise. I know a lot of people who would’ve just let it slide, either through arrogance or embarrassment, but I think being honest enough with yourself to say sorry to somebody else is important. If only more people in the public arena did the same thing.
GOODBYE/ HELLO
As media belts tighten, more and more talented journalists are leaving their jobs. On Monday, ABC Brisbane newsreader Shelley Lloyd announced that she was joining them. She tweeted: “After 24 years, I’ve decided to leave the ABC. It’s been the greatest privilege of my career to present @abcnews every morning on @abcbrisbane. Sad to be leaving but grateful for the wonderful opportunities I’ve been given. Will read my last bulletin on Friday. Excited about what’s ahead, whatever that may be! Thanks for listening.” She ended the tweet with the hashtag #abccuts. In other radio news, Peter Psaltis is rejoining NewsTalk 4BC to present a Brisbane Wide World of Sports show plus sport news during the Neil Breen and Ray Hadley programs.
JUST LIKE THIS
More places that are like other places. This week: Vienna. According to online sources, Czernowitz in Ukraine is “the Vienna of the East”, as are Llow in Poland, Ruse in Bulgaria and Taichung in Japan. The “Vienna of the West” might be Paris or Los Angeles or Regina in Canada, while the “Vienna of the North” is St Petersburg (pictured), Liberec in the Czech Republic, Bruges in Belgium. A little closer to home, vying to be the “Vienna of the South” in Australia are Inglewood and Bendigo.
STREET ALLEGATORS
Indulge me, if you will, as I vent over one of my pet hates … why is it so hard for some journalists to grasp the correct usage of the word “alleged” when reporting on crimes and court cases? They seem to think it’s a catch-all “get out of jail” word, so they throw it in to their copy willy-nilly. In the above example, the act itself is not alleged, what is presumably alleged is that a certain person committed the crime. (Although, as I noted elsewhere, it is remotely possible that the victim fell on the knife.)
P.S. Once this is settled, I’m going to start on the difference between “less” and “fewer”.
MEANWHILE …
Don’t forget that many of the Brisbane Festival events are free. Check them out here.
If you missed The Beatles at Festival Hall in 1964, this is the next best thing. The Beatles 50 Years On show will play at QPAC on February 18 next year. Details here.
For those Lego fans out there who were hoping to attend the Bris Bricks Expo at Chandler next month, the bad news is that it’s been cancelled. However, you can still get involved in Lego-related activities by visiting the club’s website.
FEEDBACK
Image: WikiWookie
In response to my question as to our “dud” tourist attractions, Terry simply responded: “Most of them.” He later added: “I recall as a kid vainly whinging and whining for my dad to pull up at Magic Mountain when we drove through the Gold Coast on the way to see Qld grandparents. When I was an adult and made my own decisions I found it was a waste of space.” Andrew noted: “Anything ‘Big’ is usually an invitation to disappointment. Or derision. Big Pineapple, Big Merino, Big Prawn. Although the one which takes the biscuit (don’t think we have a big one, do we?) would have to be the Big Earthworm in Gippsland. Looks like, and is, a rounded concrete wall.” Adam wrote: “The Wiggles ride at Dreamworld was complete [expletive] and The Wiggles themselves ought to have been ashamed for signing off on that garbage .”
In my special midweek update, I referred to this InQueensland story and asked for memories about FM radio in general and Triple M Brisbane in particular. On the first question, Kiwi Paul said: “I recall station staff asking students for funding to upgrade from AM to FM at what became Wellington New Zealand’s first FM station. Said they ‘It’s hard to describe, but you’ll like it.’ General meeting passed it enthusiastically. The rest is history.” Danny agreed that FM beat AM in terms of music quality, but reckoned that it was Wayne “Waynee Poo” Roberts (who was on 4BK in the 1970s and later on 4IP and 4BC) who changed they way breakfast radio is done. Shari said: “I went to a MMM focus group when they were fairly newish. I was young and keen. I think they got on to people via Uni. loved it so much the sound was amazing!” Oh, and thanks to the people who pointed out, as I did in the original story, that 4ZZZ was broadcasting in FM stereo before Triple M, albeit on a community licence.