Long Distance Call

Eliza is reading the new Liane Moriarty book "Nine Perfect Strangers". One of the themes is women's rage and frustration with life. It's a recurring message in Moriarty's novels which explore the complex lives of the suburban "Mum". Eliza thinks the anger stems from the crunch between personal career ambitions and private domestic duties. It leaves little time for joy.

Somehow, the notion of "having it all" has been re-cast as a bit greedy. Women are told they shouldn't aim for personal and professional bliss all at once. "You can't have it all, just not at the same time." Which may be true, but prompts Eliza to wonder what women are willing to give up?

The truth is that Eliza found motherhood much more fun when she gave herself time to enjoy it.

Geraldine thinks women are angrier than generations past, or possibly more willing to be honest about it in public. But she also acknowledges that there are many societal pressures making that work/life juggle harder than before.

It wouldn't be a Long Distance Call without discussion of international news and politics. This week Geraldine and Eliza have been horrified by the grizzly murder of a Saudi journalist at his own embassy in Turkey.

Does advertising belong on the Sydney Opera House?

How about advertising for a horse race?

Eliza and Geraldine hate the idea, as do thousands of others. But it’s gone ahead and prompted a debate about how the demands of big business should be weighed up against the protection of the important cultural icon.

The controversy was augmented by a particularly nasty exchange between Sydney broadcaster influential broadcaster Alan Jones and the Chief Executive of the Opera House.

Eliza and Geraldine discuss the disgraceful interview (the audio has been posted on the Facebook page ‘Long Distance Callers’). And Geraldine reveals that many years ago she used to work very closely with Jones at a commercial radio station.

In other news, Geraldine is still basking in the glory of selling her house. She’s waking up early to pack it up, including the spare room with many of Eliza’s old school memorabilia and high heels!

The things we do to our parents.

Thanks for listening!

LINKS

The Everest horses Alan Jones will have his eyes on

RN Breakfast: Outdoor ad industry says Opera House is not a billboard

Peter Fitzsimons: Gladys, how could you?

Peaky Blinders

Boyer Lectures

Geraldine has sold her home! Hooray! It's been a white-knuckle time.

She broke the rules of real estate by buying a new home before selling her current place. The Sydney market has dipped recently adding to the stress.

Geraldine began the moving process this week by emptying old red wine bottles down the sink. Eliza is mortified by the waste and can’t believe her Mum has given Merlot the flick.

Eliza is back in Beirut after a brief holiday in Australia for her Dad’s birthday. She’s caught up on books and TV as well as the incredible Supreme Court nomination hearings out of the America.

Finally, Eliza tells Geraldine about some criticism on the Facebook page, which she takes on the chin! Just type “Long Distance Callers” in the search function on your Facebook page to join the discussion.

LINKS

Playground at HMAS Platypus Sydney

*FEAR: Trump in the Whitehouse

The New Yorker on Fear

President Trump mocks Christine Blasey Ford

ABC: Lebanon says Israel may be preparing to strike targets in Beirut

Kavanaugh and the Starr Inquiry

Slow Burn podcast

The Larry Awards

Any Ordinary Day – Leigh Sales

*Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Nine Perfect Strangers Liane Moriarty

More on Liane Moriarty

The podcast begins with reaction to the startling news out of Australia that the Managing Director of the ABC – Michelle Guthrie – was sacked on Monday.

Geraldine believes there are lessons to learned about running the public broadcaster in the 21st century. And perhaps even some lessons for women seeking big leadership roles too.

Eliza had a funny encounter at Beirut airport over the weekend with some Australian men who were back in Lebanon for curious reasons.

She’s back to Australia on a flying visit this week for her Dad’s 70th birthday. Eliza and Geraldine plan to sneak in a quick meal on Saturday night after watching the AFL Grand Final.

NOTES

Why the ABC Board sacked Michelle Guthrie

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/sep/25/why-the-abc-board-sacked-michelle-guthrie

Mark Day’s interview with Fran Kelly

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/michelle-guthrie-why-was-the-abc-boss-axed/10301964

MI5 and Me – Charlotte Bingham

Eliza’s son Sean started school this week. It’s a big week in any family but made harder by moving to the other side of the world. Eliza thought she’d be skipping through the streets with glee after the long three month break. But it was upsetting and she spent the morning worrying if he was ok.

He was, of course. But sometimes life doesn't turn out like you planned.

It’s those unexpected reactions and feelings which change our opinions on the big issues. Geraldine thinks life is all about changing your mind. Recently she received an email from the former Governor General Bill Hayden, inviting her to his baptism. Yes, that’s right, the former aggressive atheist was converting to Catholicism at 85.

He’d changed his mind. And it prompts a conversation about why that’s not prized in Australian politics. It seems voters are more attracted to those who stick to their views regardless of the circumstances.

Eliza finish this week's episode with the best of the Facebook group “Long Distance Callers” and muse about the best conditions to grow roses and bougainvillea.

Rome Exhibition in Canberra

Bob Carr Run For Your Life

Bill Hayden converts to Catholicism

Middle Eastern food:

No, this is not a podcast about cooking or fertility, but about what it takes for women to succeed at work.

The episode begins with a discussion about Geraldine’s television interview with the man known as “Mao’s Last Dancer”. Li Cunxin is a brilliant Chinese ballet dancer who is now running the Queensland Ballet. He’s a fascinating man with an incredible discipline, which prompts a discussion about how discipline and a systematic approach to life can be very useful for your career. Right up until the point where you have to be willing to break those rules and structures if they’re holding you back.

Then it’s onto Julie Bishop’s failed tilt at political leadership in Australia. And the ongoing challenge to British PM Teresa May by Boris Johnson: foppish cad turned Chief Wrecker.

Eliza finishes with an update on the homeless Syrian boy who sleeps rough outside her Beirut apartment. Eliza and her family are making rapid progress establishing their new lives in Lebanon, except for a slight glitch last weekend which will go down in family folklore as the time the great Beirut project nearly fell apart.

LINKS

Mao's Last Dancer

Compass Sacred Space interviews: ABC TV

Eddie Ayres

Ben Quilty

Geraldine Doogue: The Climb.

Geraldine talks Brexit on ABC Saturday Extra

Matthew Parris’ scathing anti-Boris colums are behind the Times paywall. So here’s a link in the Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/mar/26/matthew-parris-boris-johnson-london-mayor-times-attack

Documentary: Three Identical Strangers.

http://www.threeidenticalstrangers.com

Geraldine and Eliza are back for their first Long Distance Call from Beirut to Sydney.

Beirut is a beautiful city full of cool people who are obsessed with food. Beirutis are loud, emotional, warm and very friendly. Most corners of the city are a reminder of the country's turbulent past and trouble across the border in Syria. A truly fascinating place!

It's also dysfunctional and full of bureaucratic challenges. Eliza thinks she's aged twenty years in the past month alone.

Geraldine reveals her first impressions of life under a the new Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. She's still in a bit of shock about all the political upheaval and doesn't think the country will be richer for it.

In true LDC style the women finish up on a lighter note. Do you wear sunscreen under your makeup? No, Geraldine doesn't either.

Tune in!

Eliza has been staying with Geraldine for the past five weeks. And they're still on speaking terms!

This episode is a wrap of the holiday's greatest hits: the Fourth Estate documentary on the New York Times, Ken Burns' Vietnam War and the latest on American politics.

Oh and there's a healthy dose of chat about the perils of growing your hair and personal grooming.

We hope to have an episode next week, but Eliza isn't sure if the internet will connected in her new home. Fingers crossed.

Thanks for listening!

Life is changing for Geraldine and her daughter Eliza.

Geraldine has bought a new house and Eliza's about to leave Indonesia for Beirut (via Sydney).

Geraldine is downsizing from the family home she built with her late husband Ian. The prospect of getting the house ready for sale is daunting as well as exciting. The packers are coming to Eliza's house tomorrow, so she's procrastinating by buying more furniture.

Eliza has come to really enjoy Jakarta after a tough start. It's been a warm and gentle place to raise her kids but Eliza and her husband Adam are looking forward to their new adventure in the Middle East.

Don't forget to visit the LDC website longdistancecall.com.au or log onto the Facebook page Long Distance Callers.

This week the women discussed:

Oprah talks to Maria Shriver

Germaine Greer and the Menopause

Anatomy of a Scandal

The Shanghai Wife

Force of Nature

The Fourth Estate

Welcome to a special edition of Long Distance Call.

This week Eliza brings you a report from Indonesia.

It's a story about her time here and an incident that's bookmarked the posting.

In January 2016, shortly after she arrived with the her journalist husband Adam, a group of terrorists attacks central Jakarta.

They killed four people. It was the suicide attack in Jakarta for over a decade and the first time ISIS had hit Indonesia.

Eliza was appallled and fascinated. She wanted to know who planned the attack, and what happened to the victims?

That was three years ago. Eliza's now in her final fortnight in the country and the mastermind of the Thamrin Attacks has just been sentenced to death.

Eliza and her mum Geraldine will be back next week for their regular Skype chat.