Freakin Stenches Man!!

Everyone has a Zombie plan

Mine invloves hiding out at a mall (not original I know, but practical) then wait for winter to freeze those suckers and get out there with a hammer... SMACK DOWN time baby.

Then I decleare myself supreme ruler etc Institute a 'No John Denver' music policy with brutal consequences for those who disobey, print loads of 'Jez is Tops' t-shirts - that must be worn on my birthday and no bogans. Period.

First time in Adelaide

Hi y'all, I'm in the South of Australia today - listening to Johnny Cash sing Big River (the 1958 version from the Johnny Cash Show).

Something of an associated here in this town as the Murray River flows close by. Actually Adelaide is on about the same longatude as Sydney, so it ain't all that far south as you would think (Melbourne is further South by far)(Some say not far enough).

I haven't seen too much of the city yet, only flew in last night, but it looks pretty nice. Lots of colonial era buildings about with some medium sized hills off to the west.

Will go for a walk later today and report.

Songs you'll never hear from SingStar

I do enjoy SingStar, probably the best use of technology for those too lazy to muck about with UltraStar code. Having reviewed the track listings for the new Anthems game coming out, I was struck by the fact that the only Pet Shop Boys song they could find was an Elvis cover.

Which got me thinking, how do they cull their playlists? 2 Jimmy Barnes songs is pretty bad (especially since one of them isn't Khe Shan...) and why Black Sabbaths Paranoid (why not Iron Man or War Pigs...).

Songs I'd like to see on Jeremy's SingStarRocks;

1. I Wanna Rock - Twisted Sister
2. Jump - Van Halen
3. Legs - ZZ TOP
4. MOFO on a MotorCycle - Machine Gun Fellatio
5. Whip It - Devo
6. I Love Rock and Roll - Joan Jett
7. I Was Made for Loving you - KISS
8. Mama Said Knock you out - LL Cool J
9. God Save the Queen - Sex Pistols
10. Killed by Death - Motorhead
11. Back in Black - AC/DC
12. Wild Hearted Son - The Cult
13. Jane Said - Jane's Addicition
14. Dancing With Myself - Billy Idol
15. Welcome to the Jungle - Guns 'n' Roses
16. Enter Sandman - Mettalica
17. Dude loked like a lady - Aerosmith
18. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zepplin
19. Highway to the DangerZone - Kenny Loggins
20. Rollercoaster - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
21. Burden in My Hand - Soundgarden
22. Greg the Stop Sign - TISM
23. Candy - Iggy Pop
24. Closer - Nine Inch Nails (but with this video)
25. Schools out - Alice Cooper
26. Binkini Girls - The Cramps
27. Louie Louie - The Kingsmen
28. Underdog - The DirtBombs
29. Peace Frog - The Doors
30. 911 is a Joke - Public Enemy
31. The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden

This years must have stocking filler!!

SingStar has a new game coming out for release in time for Christmas (Baby Jesus would approve!). They are calling it SingStar - Legends, and it looks a whole lot better than the disappointing Anthems.
Track list for Australia/NZ release below;

Aretha Franklin - Respect
Jimmy Barnes -No Second Prize
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Jimmy Barnes - Working Class Man
David Bowie - Life On Mars?
John Farnham - You're The Voice
Dusty Springfield - Son Of A Preacher Man
John Paul Young - Love Is In The Air
Elton John - Rocket Man
Elvis Presley - Blue Suede Shoes
Jackie Wilson - Reet Petite (The Finest Girl You Ever Want To Meet)
John Lennon - Imagine
Johnny Cash - Ring Of Fire
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama
Madonna - Papa Don't Preach
Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning
Pet Shop Boys - Always On My Mind
Silverchair - Tomorrow
Sam Cooke - What A Wonderful World
The Jackson 5 - I Want You Back
The Monkees - Daydream Believer
The Police - Roxanne
The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody
The Angels - No Secrets
The Easybeats - Friday On My Mind
Tina Turner - What's Love Got To Do With It?
U2 - Vertigo
Whitney Houston - Greatest Love Of All

Notes from San Diego Airport

I very rarely have time to catch up with myself when I'm travelling - But this time I decided to make some notes.

San Diego is about 40 minutes odd south from Carlsbad (where I usually stay) and is a pretty easy drive along the freeway (so called because the speed limit posted serves as a 'suggested minimum' to most drivers). So I left early to beat the security rush and because I hate waiting in the security line, or any line for that matter.
Things I can tell you about San Diego airport;
- Its a lot like Perth, minus the international flights. It has the same small departure lounge with one or two concession stands selling overpriced water [There was a recent relaxing of the liquid no fly rules, provided you buy the liquid INSIDE the terminal - Fuckers].
- People covet the electrical outlets so as to charge phones or in my case watch dvd's. Actually I missed my spot and wound up reading a local newspaper cover to cover. Did you know Encinitas celebrated its 20th anniversary as an incorporated borough of San Diego last weekend?!? Really, you didn't - how sad for you. Then you probably also didn't know about the Viking Festival they held - kind of like a medieval fair, if Panterra organised it (I guess, I mean what do you do at a Viking festival "Hey man, Beowulf is the shit!!", "Oh yeah Bro, you totally got that right.", "So dude you wanna drink some larger and ravish some hot chicks?", "Yes I do my long haired Viking friend, Yes I do...").
- I discovered that it is now possible to get $1 coins in the States and that these $1 coins are rejected by every vending machine I could find.
- In San Diego, Mexican food is the equivalent of Chinese food in Australia, only with a higher level of sanitation - but a lot less flavour (oh yeah, I went there).

I was also touched by a young girl and her parents, she had to have been around 12yrs old for sure. She looked happy and quite unremarkable except for this wonderful pair of Gold Mickey Mouse ears. She wore that hat with all the pride of a Marine - you go girl!!

Besides all that, it was an airport terminal. My only glitch was with the ticketing machine, it was self serve. I hate technology, I hate it with a vengeance - and no wise arse remarks about this Blog. I'm talking about the kind of technology Geeky MacFreaky comes up with "To make your life easier" or in this case to fuck with your mind AGAIN as you try and comprehend how get your boarding pass. I despise with cold hatred those sorts of innovations - I want someone behind that counter, I never want to have to think for myself while I book in. That is not my job.
I'm looking at my hastily rearranged flight itinerary (so I can get out to Baltimore for 4 days of training). The gosh darn machine wants my booking number, what they hell does my booking number look like!?!?! I try another menu option, now it wants my frequent flyer card - but won't read the damm thing. Option 3 tells me to pick up the phone and it will connect me with an operator - FUCK YOU!!! I am not talking to chimp-stuffing-olive-munching-cheese-cracking-goat-loving-somabitch!!!!
Then the baggage handler guy with minimal English and a nice smile presses the buttons for me and I work out how to upgrade myself....
I feel small and ungrateful, I slink away toward the security check point - ashamed and dishonoured.

Latter as I relax in a seat with more legroom watching my dvd a buddy 'gave' me, I think to myself, "Maybe I don't hate technology, maybe I'm just getting old."

On the plus side, at my age I can buy all the cool stuff I want when I want (if my wife will let me!)

Far from the maddening crowd

I write this on sunny Monday morning in Baltimore a place I can almost find my way around in the dark. Which is what you need when you fly in from Chicago at 10.30pm local, having started at 10.30am in San Diego. Which is where I have been for the last week. But 10.30pm ET is only 7.30pm WT and about lunch time in Canberra, but only 8.30pm central...
Anyway, I'm awake and fully functioning sitting at a spare desk of my companies Baltimore office and I thought I'd post a note. All going well I'll be home this Saturday in time to play my regular morning soccer game!!

This month is just going to fly by, I have this Saturday to myself and every other waking hour is spoken for. But that is not to say it's not going to be fun October holds the following, an intensive radio presenters course, a week in Brisbane (for work), an all day fitness assesment, cleaning and polishing the deck, fishing and most importantly Halloween!! Which doesn't get much of run here in Australia - sadly.
Somewhere in the next month I hope to set up our first Halloween party, we'll have scary stories, bobbing for apples and budgies (have been watching Bottom series 3 on the planes)