Picto-memento post: Dog’s Tales at the Toff

It was dark. Stories and memories were shared. Images remain.

DBC Pierre warned us not to go drinking with lizards and snakes (before shedding his own skin).

Carmel Bird and her grandson shared some fun buns, surrounded by guns.

Josephine Rowe and her father were talking about birds and weren’t talking about birds.

Kalinda Ashton’s shopgirl character was perhaps misinterpreting the signs.

Tiffany Murray discovered music and father figures.

David Carruthers was thrust into a position of fear and responsibility.

And, because of a crush, Elif Batuman judged a unique contest and sat with a canoe.

The young and the restless.

This session was particularly notable for me, because I accidentally made a rude gesture at Michael Williams. But I only did it because he pointed at my computer and hissed ‘Lies! All lies!’ He’s not all sweetness and light, you know.

I had originally circled in my program (what I call ‘job-seeking’ behaviour) the Adventure Story session featuring Rupert Isaacson, whose book about his son’s affinity with horses and shamanic healers sounds so extraordinary, but it was sold out. Note to self: check the program to see what’s sold out next time! Since my friends always say that I look like a television comedy shaman, though, I thought I could live with missing out. What to do? Since I had just run back, puffing, from the SYN studios, the logical choice was Our Restless Life with Brigid Delaney and John Carroll.

Kalinda Ashton introduced the session as being about new technologies and their capacities to connect and disconnect us. What defines life in the modern era? Does the instant allure of online mediums distract us or serve us? Do we have too much choice or too few choices underneath it all?