OMG Look whose on Blogger!!

I wonder if this actually is Pete Townsend?
How awesome though, this is the benefit of the internet

Click HERE for Pete Townsends' Blog!!

Good Eating Part 2

In this part we'll look at people you need to know to start eating better in your neighbourhood.

Influential People YOU Need to Know

• Your local Butcher - This guy you need to visit when ever you can. He'll have good quality meat, he can help you choose what you need and can even dice up stuff for stir fries and curries. Take the time to say hi and tell him about what you need. Local Butchers are being squeezed out by faceless supermarkets, staffed by bored teenagers. This guy will work to keep you coming back and cares that your a satisfied customer.
  If you shop around you can even find Butchers that specialise in organic (hormone free) meats. Thats some tasty eating right there bubba.
  
• Your local Green Grocer - For much the same reasons as above. This guy is local, he sources the best fruit and vegeies he can find. They always let you try before you buy (have you ever gone past one of those places and not been asked to try an apple or orange!!) and its a great place to try stuff out of your comfort zone!!
• Your Local Community College - These guys will run cooking courses in the evening. ENROLL NOW. They are a lot of fun, you'll learn new ways to cook , make some new friends and have a ball.
  Put yourself out there, you've got nothing to lose - plus you get eat what you've cooked!!

Okay the message here is two fold, one get out and meet people in you neighbourhood! and two use the expertise thats available! Don't be afraid to say hi and ask questions. People are always willing to help you, especially when you smile!!

Next time I'll discuss the Food Pyramid and its similarity to bullshit.

Good Eating Part 1

Whenever I hear someone talking (or blogging) about good eating or diet, I always have some advice.
So in the spirit of know-it-all-itis (Al Gore syndrome) I thought I start an occasional series on good eating.Perhaps you can learn something and share the results?

1. Stop eating Crap - Sounds like simple, plain advice - but people do find it convenient to resort to prepackaged food. No I'm not talking just about the Macca's and KFC, I'm talking about 2 minute noodles, soups in a can, TV dinners. The whole range of packaged 'heat and serve' gunk out there.
Its all crap and its lazy eating.
Motto;- I've you've got time to boil water or microwave plastic for 5 minutes - You've got time eat properly

2. Eating well won't make you thinner - This is a big point to grasp, if you eat well you will become healthy, not fit. You will process food better, you'll have more energy during the day, your skin will be less oily, you'll actually start to smell better. Believe me, if you eat well you'll get sick less often and for shorter periods. But you won't lose weight per see.
If you want to lose weight, actually lets cut the crap on that dog whistle - its not about losing weight its about changing your body's shape. If you want to do that, just exercise regularly.
Motto;- Healthy is the fuel you put in your body. Fitness is how well your body runs.

3. Time Makes the Wine - Believe it or not changing your diet, eating smarter and better takes about 6 weeks to show visible effects on your body. But the sooner you start the sooner you can see results, it won't happen overnight. Don't get impatient, have some humility. You mind might be super fast, but your body is the same model we've all be using for the last 10,000 years. If you try and put the effort in to cook, use good ingredients and eat what your body is going to use. It will all start to come together.
Motto;- A watched kettle will never boil (especially if isn't plugged in!!)

Okay people love sound bites and the above 3 bullets are that in spades. But the message should be clear, good eating starts with smart choices, taking time to exercise and an understanding of the body's clock. You work with those variables and you can start getting healthy today.

Gaze into the face of Crazy!!

Lately we've been having big storms in the evenings around Canberra. They build up during the day and usually break around 4pm.
Sometines they last a few minutes, sometimes they stay over a specific location and sometimes thay'll last longer and spread over a whole area.

But as always they set Calvin off his head. The little bastard can't wait for the first roll of thunder. He's off and out into the back yard screaming his head off, telling Thor to keep the fuck out his yard (or what his tiny wee mind imagines). Wild eyed, full of joy and excitment, like a child hopped up on red cordial and coffee the night before Christmas. He'll keep this up for as long as the storm wants to go and he has never yet given up first.
Even with my hands around his throat.

And last night he kept it going until 3am.

Another City Report - Wellington

This is another in my city reports. I was asked recently for some insight into the city of my birth (actually the city of my birth is Lower Hutt, but if you have trouble finding Wellington...). The below brief city notes have been submitted to the CIA Fact Book, we can all rest better for my exhaustive research.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Local Weather - There are three states of weather in Wellington;
1. Just about to rain, 2. Raining, 3. Just finished raining.
It is always windy.

Local Sport - Rugby. Seriously its all anybody will want to talk about. Details below to help you acclimatise quicker;

• National Team - All Blacks (cruelly robbed of many victories by the evil referee/Wallibies/Springbocks/Frence/Global Warming etc. Be prepared to answer questions or criticism of past matches regardless of whether or not you care or even saw the game. This applies even if you are from Victoria.)
• Super 14 Team - The Hurricanes, lost the final last year to an unusual display of black magic by the Crusaders (they cloaked the entire pitch in a thick mist, then scored a record number of tries when no one was looking)(cheating bastards)
• Regional Team - The Lions, you won't care enough to watch them so don't worry.

+++
Local Arts Scene - Vibrant. There are more theatres and galleries per head of population than anywhere else in the Southern Hemisphere (if you don't believe me, just ask someone - they will tell you, again and again and again....) Usually produced to a very high standard of quality.
+++
Local TV - Very Good. Well it has to be, everyone stays inside out of the rain.
+++
Transport - Get a car or get used to public transport. The other very viable alternative is to walk everywhere. Don't waste your money on the cable car. Parking in the city is hit and miss.
+++
Topography - Hills are what the locals refer to the charming sheer cliffs surrounding the city. Most of them are taller the Snowy Mountains. All of them have houses on.
+++
Cuba Street - Once the dangerous alternative haunt of the Wellington Underground scene. Its now a thriving shopping precinct. Walk to the far end for the Real Groovey Records store and kiss your paycheck good bye.
+++
Cuisine - Kebabs and fish 'n' chips. There are actual restaurants, but kebabs and the old FNC are foodgroups in themselves. They bring the family together.
+++
Beer - Tui and Waikato are good North Island brands. Speight's is the South Island's gift to the country. Don't drink it unless you actually own a 500,000 hectare sheep station - otherwise you're just a poser.
+++
Earthquakes - Will happen regularly. There will be at least 1x 5.5+ Richter Scale shake per year. Locals will lower there voices when they talk of the impending 'Big One'. Smile and nod, sip your beer and have a deep thoughtful bite of your kebab.
+++

No one knows when it will strike, but you can assume you have plenty of time to catch the bus home, put your feet up and watch your latest DVD from Real Groovey records.

Hearing my own Voice

As you all know, I volunteer at a community radio station ArtSound FM.
Well I finally got to hear myself today. The station has a regular promo/announcement called 'Arts Diary' and I've volunteered to be one of the voices who writes, records and edits the promo.
I spent 4 hours on Sunday working to get 3 promo's sounding just right (approx 7 minutes of air time total) and I think I pulled it off.

To be honest I had my cringe factor turned up to 11 when my promo started... But it actually sounded pretty good. I mean I could hear all the little mistakes and some slightly sloppy editing, but all in all - not a bad effort.

You can judge for yourselves soon, the station website will be posting my next one in a weeks time.

More Zombie Stuff!!

In this LINK you can read a serious review about a fun topic - Zombies!!!

Someone I think is drawing a long bow here, deconstrucitng the Zombie genre.
The review reads like someone who hasn't found the C.o.S.G yet.

ATHF IS THE BOMB!

If you've been living under a digital rock {for your face} lately, you may not of heard about the City of Boston Def Con One response to a Stealth Marketing campaign for the upcoming Aqua Team Hunger Force movie [Which I promise you Seraph, will be better than 'Snakes on a Plane'].

Well the web is pretty much alive with talk about the over reaction. Thank goodness there is an election next year - over there.

But my little chickadees, you may want to know more or better yet even view an episode or two.
Visit here and enjoy [LINK]
I also recommend Robot Chicken.

Can't Sleep...

Its true, I can't sleep right now (its 4am). Just a little too excited - I got a new job yesterday!!

Actually this is a lot like jet lag, when I'm in the States I find my mind is too overstimulated. A combination of sugar, beer and 75 channels of 'there must be something on..'
So currently I'm wide awake about an hour an half earlier than I usually get up. I'm sitting here wondering if any of this will make sense in the daylight, listening to Durran Durran (or maybe I am dreaming...)

Did my regular radio gig last night and found a crazy arse Haitian Voodoo Rite to play. It was only about 2 minutes, but when you see something like that - you have to do that shit!!!

Had to get my truck towed to the garage, it just died in the arse. I'm not mad though, she's off getting fixed for whatever mystery beset her (Durran Durran was a fairly base heavy outfit... just noticed that. Sorry had to stop this line to comment on 'Wild Boys').
So anyway, tuck nackered and should be sorted in a week or so - its not the repair work so much as the parts. Its still awesome.

Feeling a little more sleepy - I won't bother editing this. Lets see how it reads in a couple of hours!!