The other day I was minding my own beeswax up at the local shops, waiting at the lights, waiting to cross the road.

I noticed a guy standing near me who was also waiting to cross the road. Then I noticed that he was recording me on his iPhone!

This is how he was standing:

Just imagine that it’s a man wearing a black jacket and holding a black iPhone. Also, his boobs weren’t as big as mine.

He was standing stock still, with his phone pointed right at me. He was looking down, but his head was at an angle that would have given him a better view of what was being recorded. I cottoned onto what the hell was going on and moved closer to him. I starting eyeballing him and he suddenly put his phone in his pocket and got all twitchy.

Once the lights changed he hotstepped it across the street and I started charging after him. Not that I knew what I was going to do – and not that I had any actual reason to suspect him, except that he was standing funny and holding his phone like he was filming for a Today Today expose – but I didn’t want him to think he was going to get away with it.

He ended up at the nearby pub and I was going to go in and challenge him, but I chickened out because I wasn’t in the mood for being punched in the face. A minute later I walked back, ready to ask him to show me what he recorded on his phone.

But he was gone. And now I’m kicking myself that I didn’t think quick enough to bust his chops when I had the chance. But then I wonder what might’ve happened if I did…?

Did I do the right thing? Should I have challenged him on the street straight away where I was unprotected? Should I have challenged him in the pub where staff and patrons would be witnesses? Did I do the right thing to not actually confront him at all?

Cause I’ve been fantasising that I totally kicked his arse and he never filmed another unsuspecting woman ever again.

I don’t make a secret of my fascination with street art. Or graffiti, if you wish.

Not tagging, where idiots practice writing their initials or their tag or childhood drawings of Snoopy.

Living in the inner-west, there’s a LOT of all of the above. But it’s the street art that I love. And so much of is stunning. There’s even a genuine Banksy stencil in Enmore.

We have an external wall that has been painted many times by a local guy. Don’t know his name, but every now and again he comes by and asks if he and his mates can re-do the space. They supply the spray cans, we provide the canvas. By us giving them permission, they’re not breaking any laws. We love talking to them as we come and go and while the smell of paint is gross, I like that we’re giving them a creative outlet.

But lately there’s been a hint of a turf war around Enmore. Nasty messages being left on walls that have had hours… days… spent on them. Creating something visually beautiful, often thought-provoking or funny.

This is the latest:

Technically the cat one is older, but it’s the same sentiment as all the new messages. Writing nasty shit like this just goes against the ethos of street art and street artists. This is tagging in its ugliest form.

Not noice.

From today’s news:

The South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) says it is worrying that two girls lost last night in a stormwater drain raised the alert on a social networking site rather than ringing 000.

OH. MY. GOD.

What’s happened to our youth when they’d think of Facecrack before, oh you know, calling the emergency number.

:headdesk:

I always thought of 000 as one of those ‘common knowledge’ things in life. Apparently I’m old-fashioned and a fuddy-duddy!

Although, I have to admit that my second thought was “wow, you can get mobile phone reception in a drain?”

I’ve always been a bit… particular… about the Australian English spelling of “gaol”. As in, not “jail”. I think it’s linked to memories of my childhood when I would read and re-read (and re-read) books about the history of my home town of Grafton that had a multitude of references to Grafton Gaol.

And those stunning Jacarandas.

As the world gets smaller and smaller, Australia’s turning more and more to American English-spelling. Makes sense when you consider how big America is (and how much I enjoy perving on their President), but American English is still a breakaway from real English!

Whenever I see a news article online using “jail”, I call them on the spelling. I’ve done it on SMH, ABC Online, and SBS News’ Twitter account. I never get a reply.

Earlier this year I read Bill Bryson’s Mother Tongue and now I’m even more determined to not let American English take over:

We’re not America, FFS. Let’s spell it “gaol” and not “jail”, okay?

* My sub-editor has pointed out that we speak English, not Australian (or American, etc.). Blah blah blah. You get the gist of what I mean, right?