Kelly Clarkson

Hi everyone. As you can see from the title of this blog, Kelly Clarkson, this blog is about, well, Kelly Clarkson. Actually, it's about more than that, although I could quite easily fill this post talking about how much she ROCKS and how I saw her live and she was sensational and I love her songs and her new song is cool and Since You've Been Gone is one of my all-time favourite songs and how ... well, you get the picture. But as I said, this post is about more than that.
Kelly has just released her new song, My Life Would Suck Without You. It is a cool song, no doubt about that. There is more to it than that though. I read a review saying this song was the sound of a rock star with her tail between her legs. When Kelly released her last album - which I actually thought had some good songs, although it wasn't as consistent as I know she can be - she went out on her own. A lot of people thought this was a bad idea, that she should stick with the winning team, etc etc, blah blah blah. The album didn't do quite as well and now she is back working with known success writers. I hope I have that all correct, I am pretty surte i do, but that isn't the point anyway. The point is, we should never bag someone taking a risk. She was at the top of her game, she was killing it, and she said now I am going to try and do something that isn't sure-fire, but i will have responsibility and I will be the one out there to take the praise or criticism. It actually reminds me very much of when Michael Jordan stopped basketball and started playing baseball, because he wanted to try something he loved doing and he wanted the challenge. When he wasn't a "success", he copped a bagging. But that isn't the point! People stay stagnant. People go along, especially if they are good at something, and they do it day in day out and then it doesn't become a challenge anymore. The thrill goes. we have to look for thrills. We have to put our aasses on the line, and I don't mean donkeys, and we have to take the chance that we will fail. Because that is when we get to experience everything the world has to offer. We don't plod. We risk falling to have the chance to soar. if it happens that things aren't a massive success, we can go back and start over again at what we know. That is not crawling back with our tail between our legs. It is stabilising before we go off again to try something else new.
That was the longest paragraph I have ever written.
And that close to the shortest.
My point is, do not stay at what you know and are good at just because of that. It isn't wrong to try something when people question it, saying things like, "But you are doing so well at ..." or "But that isn't as secure as ..."
Take a risk. Learn to fall. learn to fly.
Go Kelly. You rock.

Have a great week everyone, and keep living the dream.

Seeya

Wally

Marysville and more

Hello again! I know, I know, I have been slack for ages again. It is getting to be a bit of a habit with me these days, the slackness and the DVD watching and the lying on the couch and the eating Doritos and the ... just kidding, that was all just yesterday afternoon! On other days I have been working, and teaching myself piano, and marketing, and last night I went and saw and AWESOME show called Starbound. Picture this. You get 60 kids, between 14 and 21, and in two, count 'em, two weeks they learn around twenty song and dance routines from broadway musicals around the world. And, not only learn them, but perform them at a standard that blows your mind. It was so cool. A few songs at the start of the second half in particular were amazing, and right after I finish writing here I am hitting iTunes to try and find them on there, although I would pay to buy the versions I heard last night, I kid you not.

So what else have I been up to? Well, I did take a bit of time off and go away for a week. That's right, I was away in the hills of Marysville, staying with Ashana and my mum, and for a few days Makka my niece, and for a couple of days Mels my cousin-in-law. It was really nice. Marysville, if you ever get the chance, is a very nice place to visit. Just past Healesville, over the Black Spur, up a hill our car struggled to even get over, and you're there. And when you are there, you must, I repeat MUST, go and see Bruno Torf's sculpture garden. I will not say anything more on the topic than that, I will let you find out for yourself and report back to me. And you will love it, I have no doubt. I am not a gallery person, I have to admit, which makes being married to an artist who volunteers in a gallery interesting, but I don't really like them. But this one blows me away every time. And I have been there many, many times.

So go there. That is an order.

Until next time, keep living the dream.

Seeya

Wally

HAAAAAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE!!!

Happy new Year's everyone!!! And because I missed last week, Merry Christmas as well. Sorry, I am in a bit of a rush. We have guests and are going out and I have to ype really fast so ;lkjfgkjbsdf djkbf sdfjsjfbsr hfklwe f!!!

Seeya in 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stay gold.

Wally

Food, food and more food

Yep, that's why I haven't posted for a couple of weeks, I have basically just been eating my way through December. Yum Cha at the Red Emperor (mmmm, yum cha), too many Vegemite or honey sandwiches to count, dinner and lunches at Condottis, dinner at Vue de Monde, possibly the fanciest pants restaurant I have been to, although the Sofitel one is up there, literally and figuratively speaking. Is that how you spell figuratively? I don't know, the spell check thingie isn't working for me. Sigh, it's a tough life huh?

So apart from eating what's been going on? Markets have been busy as anything, I have popped back out to a few schools, Brunswick South included which was great fun as per usual. Three visits there this year, my record along with three visits to St Pauls in Warragul. A few others have had the pleasure/luck/misfortune to see me twice!

Anyway, that is it for me today I think. I am a bit tired and I am about to cook dinner for lunch, as I am off to the Dingley Twilight Market this afternoon. Mmmm, dinner for lunch, and tuna pasta at that. Life tough? No way at all, I am having tuna pasta! All is good with me!!!

Have a great week and keep living the dream.

Stay gold.

Wally

A fun feast at Cheltenham East

Howdy pardners! How's your week been? Actually, don't answer that, unless you do it as a comment on this blog. If you say your answer, I won't hear it ... unless unless you're Ashana and you're here saying it to me. And you could just tell me then, you wouldn't have to read this to know I am wondering how your week's been.
Anyway, let's move on. I hope you've had a good week, let's leave it at that. If you want to fill me in on some of the details, feel free to comment or email.
I've had a great week. I spent Monday out at Cheltenham East Primary School, and I had a great time. We drew, we laughed, we listened to burp sound effects on my phone, all very, very good. Some of the kids even gave me a picture for me to keep, and then today Harry gave me one he had done on his computer, so that was very cool.
Tonight, I know it's Friday night, and I should be out raging or something, but I will be in bed nice and early as I am up at 4:15 tomorrow to journey out to Red Hill to do the market out there. Say hi if you see me there. Then on Sunday I am out to Yarra Glen for that market. Whoo, it's all happening!
Have a great week everyone, and keep living the dream.
Stay gold.
Wally

Running rings around Pakenham Springs

That's right. The regional tour has continued over the last couple of weeks. A couple of weeks ago I was out at Eaglehawk North P.S. near Bendigo for two days. It was a great couple of days, and I got to catch up with the big grizzly bear that roams around those parts.

Then I was out in Pakenham at Pakenham Springs Primary, a new school that has only opened this year. It was a very cool couple of days too, I had a great time drawing and mucking around with the kids. Some in-jokes were started and there were lots of laughs, which is just how I like it!

Then this week I was back in the car dropping off orders. Monday to Melton West, Tuesday to Pakenham, Wednesday to Eaglehawk, Thursday to Pakenham, Friday to sleep? No sir, I was out at the Festival of lights in Frankston, one of my favourite festivals of the year to go to. And, although it was a quietish night cusomer-wise, us stallholders had great fun. We did one of those stories where someone writes a sentence, passes it on, and the next person writes a sentence, and so on. Very cool story too, even with an illutration. We did two actually, both very funny, both just a little weird! There was Captain Shiny pants, and a boy made up of two boys, one of which was a hunter, the other a vegetarian. It was great fun and a great way to pass the time. I am back out there today for the big one, the motherload, the broo haha, the day I hope to sell a whole truckload of books!!!

So have a great week ,and keep living the dream.

Stay gold.

Wally

Share-a-not launch into the world

That's right baybee, the Share-a-not is coming to a world near you!!! My brand new book, The Share-a-not (if you didn't guess that already), is out ... well, sort of anyway. I have copies, and you know what? I may have already written about this last week. I will check once I am done. So you may be reading all this for a second time, but too bad so sad my friend, I am excited! I am having a book launch next weekend for the book, in the luverly Ivanhoe Library, with great people around me, and from then on it is just a matter of time before The Share-a-not hits the bookstores. At this stage we are looking at it being sometime in December or early january. What? you say? After Christmas? Well surely that isn't a bonus. Correct, I would answer, it would certainly have been my preference to have the book in bookstores before Christmas, that being when lots of people buy books and all, but it's not meant to be and that is that. So it falls on me to sell as many as I can and I plan on doing exactly that! Markets, schools, fairs, fetes, festivals, I will be at them all and I will be pushing my book so hard that it will be like concrete, or diamonds, or something even harder than a diamond, whatever that may be.

So that is my main news for this week. I was out at Ruthven Primary for my last week, whic hwas a little sad, as I have really enjoyed my time there and will miss the kids greatly. They were a great group and made me feel really welcome and I just had a ball. So thankyou Ruthven Primary School, I hope you all enjoyed my time there as much as I did.

That's it from me. I am off to Bendigo on Sunday to do workshops at Eaglehawk North Primary with my old mate Anthony. It will be great to catch up with him after not seeing him for a few years, and it will be great to meet some new kids and have some fun drawing and writing and reading and chatting with them.

Have a great week everyone, and keep living the dream.

Stay gold.

Wally.