Time Management

Last Friday I drove to Sydney and back again. In between I had meetings and pitched by 3 year business plan for the business area. I'm not complaining, I got a lot done and it was well worth the effort.
You know I've been driving for about 6 or 7 years now. It is in fact one of the most fun things I can do with my time. The Canberra to Sydney drive is about 3 hours, give or take traffic, each way. And I have done it so many times its like a pleasant afternoon drive, no hurry - enjoy the sights.
Tomorrow I get to do it again, there is a training course up in Sydney I've been signed up for. The only problem from my end is its Karins birthday tomorrow.
I'm writing this from the radio station, I'm about to go on for 2 hours.

So tomorrow I will cook my lovelly wife a birthday breakfast in bed (bugger, forgot to get flowers - hmmm might check out the servo on the way home...(yeah if I want a divorce :)
There will be bacon eggs, pancakes with real Canadian maple syrup and whipped cream!!

It should be fantastic.
Every now and again though I feel like there isn't enough hours in the day. But I'm learning, that just means I need to move faster.

A wet Saturday

A wet Saturday, its like I deserve a do over. Though I shouldn't complain, we did have Wednesday off.
It was ANZAC day once again and once again I am amazed at the indifference of Australians to the NZ part. ANZAC to them just means Australian Army Corp. There is ZERO recognition of New Zealand, its all become proprietary.
And don't get me started on John Howard defining the term as more or less anyone who votes Liberal or watches channel 9. Check out the Wikipedia listings, see just how minimal the recognition is...

What frustrates me the most is trying to explain to Aussies that New Zealand has a very different view of the ANZAC spirit and Gallipoli. Its viewed by Kiwi's as a moment of nationhood, in much the same way as modern Turkey does. Not so the Australians.

Its the one and only time of the year that this country just pisses me off.

A Good Kind of Hurting

Yesterday I played my first game of soccer for the new season.
(Mental note for next time, don't play soccer after working out on my legs at the gym!)

I forgot just how much fun it is to race around a field for an hour or two (and even score a GOAL!). Just to refresh people's memory, its two teams divided equally amongst whoever turns up into Red - The Spitfires and Blue - The Lightnings. There is no skill level to speak of, but a basic rule of thumb is good sportmanship and courtesy.
Which I think are excellent values for us all.

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Made the mistake of wandering into JB HiFi afterward and walked out with amongst other things the latest Bowie best of, he seems to put one out every few years. This has some of newer stuff on it as well as the covers made popular by Nirvana et al.
Which is a good thing, I guess. My last best of got chewed by my shitty old CD player. Don't ask how, I assure you it is scratched to shit...

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After soccer yesterday, cooked a seafood paella and chowder, just to experiment and because Karin asked. A bit of change for me, I'm not a seafood person per see, but it seemed to work out ok. This morning woke up with stiff and sore, all the way to the hips. But I still feel it's worth the fun of running around like kid for a spell!!

Lets get serious!!

Have signed on with Seraph to the whole 48 Hour Film thing. I have no idea what I'm in for other than it should be a lot of FUN!!

Every year I hear these great stories from Seraph and I'm always like, Dude - you gotta hook me up and he's always like Dude - I keep forgetting or you're not serious or I thought you were dead...

I might've made those last ones up.

But we've begun, we're doing script writing exercises and soon we will be a finely oiled team.
Lets git it on!!!

Dumb TV

I don't watch a lot of TV, well not in this country at least - US Cable is hard to beat.
Right now my beloved is glued to the 'Biggest Loser', fat people losing weight for money.
How that is entertainment is the true miracle of Easter.

Having said that, I'm busy watching episodes of the Venture Brothers on YouTube.

This I must remember

So a couple of weeks ago I got a mountain bike. Principally for the pleasure of a Sunday afternoon bicycle ride. Which is a lot of fun, actually its more than that - its a lot of good old fashioned great fun!!

But I sometimes need to remind myself that I'm not Evel Knievel and should not attempt dirt jumps until I can land properly. Which to say, I'm a whiz at the jumping part, just haven't got the landing part squared away.

Still it is fun to have skinned my knees... Carpe Diem et al

Everything Changes

Happy Easter everyone!!

So I found myself wondering this morning, why do I still bother playing video games? As I've blogged before I'm not a techno or gadget boy, by any measure. Yet I enjoy having a computer game as a distraction.
I was prompted to think about this during the game 'God of War', it was while I was attempting to beat five colours of crap out of a giant mechanical minotaur. The game play is basic as to be absurd, run here - run there, bash this-mash that.
And yet I keep wasting my time on it...

I don't get it, I'm waiting for my epiphany. My moment of clarity. But I just keep pushing buttons to see what happens next - but its always more of the same...

Today is a lovely Autumn day, the sky is a perfect crushed powder blue. The season is changing the cold from the night is stretching longer and longer into the morning. Soon it will be the whole day. There is so much to see and do OUT THERE.
Why do I keep this stupid machine...


No wait I remember - SingStar

Scary Sequal

Hey gang!! Its scary movie time again!!!
I love zombie movies and although 28 Days Later wasn't specifically an undead movie, as such...

Anyway, no time for symantics. Its shotgun-a-grabbin' time and holein'-up-in-a-bunker time once more.
28 Weeks Later is the sequal!!

I haven't bothered with too much of the plot details. At a guess I'd say, things seem to go well at first, then they don't, small team of survivours, a few get picked off, darkest before the dawn, then the conclusion.
But I propose an awesome plot twist - England is WAY TOO infected for repopulation. It will always remain a threat - solution nuke the fucker!!
What do you think? Too obvious!?! - It will make for a shorter film though - which means less zombie/infected scenes... its a trade off.

Check out the trailer HERE

Radio in my brain

Boy howdy, I tell you whut! All this work and no play makes for a dull, but profitable life.

Y'know how sometimes you'll wake up and have a song in your head? Well I did my regular radio spot last night an hour long world music show (and yes I did play a mandetory accordian track). One of the songs was by a Basque group and it was fantastic!! In the first instance; Wow what good fortune to have been able to find them and secondly now get the feck out of my head.

To do List, Upon Taking Office First Draft

This is a list of things I intend to do, should by accident or design I become Emperor of the World;

1. Install Death Metal music around auto-tellers to motivate 'old people' to get their shit done FASTER (a recent trial at Redfern station produced similar results with young people and classical music).
2. An immediate moratorium on Queen's ' Bohemian Rhapsody' - No commercial radio station shall be allowed to play THAT song for at least a period of 18 months between rotation. Fuck you Wayne's World; it was ready to die at last and now they play it still EVERY FUCKING DAY!!
3. Jihad on Jamie Oliver
4. Customer admisitered therapy to motivate the attitude of surly young people who work in retail
5. Hand portable car batteries and nipple clamps for responisble adults while retail shopping.
6. Fast Food chain restaurants will be obliged not to serve fat people, for their own good.

More rules to follow...

City Report - Sydney

This one is a long time in coming.
I thought I'd add a report on the probably the most famous city in Australia largely because its so far been a glaring omission. Actually what has prompted me to write this one up is just having spent a week up on North Sydney for work.

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Transport - Usually good, although on Wednesday the entire metropolitan rail network was shut down due an accident involving a motorcycle and a van on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. God help you if Dick Chenney is in town...
It was the 75th anniversary of the Harbour Bridge this weekend.

Travel Times - Typically any Sydney sider who does not work in the suburb in which they live can expect to commute for up to 1 1/2 to 2 hours covering any distance from 20 Kms to 100+ Kms. This time in transit is regardless of the mode (bus, ferry, train, car). It is actually about the same amount of time to drive to Sydney from Canberra as it is to fly.

Cost of Living - Sydney has as a rule, has highest cost of living of any city in Australia. In recent times Perth has crept up to challenge this title - which frankly boggles the mind as to what you could possible be blowing your money on in Perth?!? it largely boils down to the revenue raising tactics of the State Govt of NSW. There are plenty of taxes that a Sydney Sider will pay twice (or three times if the local council is involved).

Housing - There are two types of houses in Sydney, the one you own and the one you wish you owned. Everyone in this city wants to be on the up and up. Get the right kind of house, get to the right kind of suburb, enjoy all the trappings that come with that kind of postcode. Whatever that may be. As a rule of thumb people settle in one ghetto of Sydney and never move out or at least never from long. Whether its the Eastern Suburbs (but only as far South as Bronte), the Inner West (Glebe to Leichhardt) the West (Parramatta and beyond) as examples.
As a result its best to think of Sydney as a series of small townships.

Entertainment - There are 2 things to do in Sydney on the weekend, go pubbing or go clubbing. And you can be assured that regular conversation is impossible in either situation.

Beaches - Wonderful! Sydney has the best beaches of any Capital City in Australia. Unfortunately in order to get out to them, you rely on public transport as there is never any parking and your car is liable to be broken into while your there.

Sport - Sydney will leap on the bandwagon of ANY local team, as long as it is doing well. The Sydney Swans are a prime example, ticket sales go through the roof if they are on a winning streak and drop like a stone if they are on a losing one.

Celebrations - Sydney is a party city and will show off at the drop of a hat. That said the events are always spectacular (largely due the harbour) and well attended. Its no surprise to me that the Sydney Olympics went off as well as they did.

People - As a rule the people of Sydney are friendly and always have the time for a chat. But this, as a rule, can be applied to most Australians. Its in their character to have a good old yarn with a complete stranger it is certainly one of the first things I noticed about them.

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Sydney, in my opinion, is a city thats at its best when visited. Its a great holiday destination, its bright, shinny and you can view 2 of the worlds most recognisble landmarks from any spot on the harbour.
I can't live there myself. The crowds piss me off, I hate driving through the city - it takes forever to get anywhere. No one reads books - everyone reads magazines...
Like I said, for me at least, a great place to visit.

What I did before I got a proper job

Hey Y'all,
You are in for a treat amigos' I have the pleasure of showing you a picture of my TOTALLY AWESOME F-100 and of me getting ready to go fishing up at Lake Eucambene.
It was a great day. I managed to convince my usual partner in crime Ando to join me and together we proceeded to catch no fish at all.
Which is good news for the fishing industry.

Believe it or not where the truck is parked is an area of the lake catchment called the Pan Handle. Its usually under water, if you can see the tree line in the background - thats where the lake would be at full capacity.
Its currently holding 8.5%.

Unemployed

Yes indeed friends, I'm unemployed until Thursday.
I have a few days in between jobs, so I guess that makes me unemployed. Which in turn makes me wonder what do the unemployed do? I tried feeling sorry for myself and blaming society - but my heart wasn't in it. Then I thought I could use this time to improve myself and read a book or two - but seemed to go against the Bogan 'Esprit de Corp'.

Finally I hit on it - unflattering facial hair.
Today I started my goatee.

Some Saturday Funk

Seraph has been posting a Hierarchy of Geekdom, its a lot of fun to read and I look forward to more posts. So far I can claim no association with the groups named to date. That said, I am something of a music nerd (by which I mean, I have a vast store of useless trivia about a whole range of music - and everything in the top 40 these days pisses me off)
So in the spirit of solidarity with my hygene challenged indoors types, I present a video by Money Mark. You get one Nerd Point for knowing who he is, you get a second Nerd Point for knowing the significance of the keyboard featured in the track and you get Uber Nerd Points if you can name the guys in the animal suits!!!

A cute wee video

Just love this video!!

What a great line "Do you feel like a chain store - Practically ignored"

I decided to swap the video out for a link so people could load the page faster!!

Good Eating Part 3

I Hate Jamie Oliver, he's like a Silkie Terrier - small, annoying, yappy, unhelpful and loved by women in their 40's.
I like Antonio Carluccio, he's like a regular human being - he gets his passion across in a simple and infectious way. His recipes inspire, they beg for creativity and variances on the theme. His teaching method is simple, he never patronises his guests - he honours them.

The difference between these two are in my mind - I want to punch one repeatedly for being an annoying patronising git, while the other inspires me to cook. Good Eating is as much about ingredients as they are about technique and recipe.

But most of all it should be about having fun.

Have a look at this LINK to a story from Kiwiland about a book to teach kids the love of cooking!!

Madness from the Skies

This awesome shot was taken (by someone else!) on Tuesday night in Civic (the CBD of Canberra). A storm similar to the type that hit out palce on New Year's strode through the northern suburbs of Canberra.

Flash Floods and severe hail damage was the order of the day. Even at 6am yesterday I could still see lightning to the north as I walked Bishy.

The storm hit Canberra about 9.30pm.
That white stuff on the ground is a half metre of hail.
The location is Northborne Ave looking toward Sydney.

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.

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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.

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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.
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Local TV - Very Good. Well it has to be, everyone stays inside out of the rain.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!!

Its Still More Fun than Work

!!!HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY EVERYONE!!!

This weekend just past was the Australia Day Long Weekend. Which is good because, well obviously everyone loves a long weekend (provided you are getting paid for it...).
So from Thrusday afternoon until this morning I had a fantastic time - 3 days of barbie's, the odd beer or two, snags, truck driving and radio shows!!
On Friday a work colleauge of Karin's held an Aussie Day/Housewarming pool party (in Australia it's illegal to have an Australia Day party without either a pool or a game of backyard cricket). Which was lovelly and about 6.30pm I ducked off to the Radio Station to do my regular gig, then it was back to party!! I was a great day and we had a rare late night (in bed by 11.30...)

Saturday was another BBQ, this time at our house. By now our new French Doors looked really good - after mucho trouble in getting them in the first place. It was another late night, but this time it was Singstar's fault!!

Sunday was the quiet day, I had a 2 hour shift on the radio. It was a mixed bag of music and I hadn't really prepared for it - SO IT WAS FLY BY PANTS TIME!!

Thankfully it was also community radio, so I didn't sound too bad

Fire in the Sky

Last Saturday while standing on my driveway, en route to my neighbours BBQ I spied in the heavens the Great Comet of 2007.
Otherwise known as the McNaught Comet, named after a local astronomer Robert McNaught 'who observed the comet near Coonabarabran in 2006' (thanks ABC).

This photo was taken over Wamboin, but on Saturday over my place it looked just as spectacular

The tail was amazing - fanning away like a feather! Its getting fainter now in the heavens and I'm told will be gone by early Feburary. But this truely does shit on Halley's comet.

Probably because this is an Aussie comet!!


Here is the link to Wiki page if you would like to know more - LINK

New Years Resolutions

This year I've decided to actually have some goals, other than try and not get fired.
I actually got a lot done last year so it has inspired me to set some projects and see how I do over the next 12 months.

Goals;
1; Do a French Cooking Course - One of my favourite cook books is 'The French Kitchen' by Joanne Harris. Great recipes, a fun layout, awesome pictures of little corners of France. A really charming book and one of my favourite inspirations when I'm cooking. So I figure why not actually do a French cooking course?!? I figure someone around here must run one...
2; Improve a language - For this one I'm tossing up between Italian and French. Italian because I flunked it so badly the last time I tried and I have an Italian brother in law. So I figure it'll be good fun should I ever get the chance to do a cooking tour of northern Italy. The French because I actually enough to be dangerous, but not enough to be competent. Added to which, it might be good for my job prospects...
3; Get a regular radio gig - Already started with this one. Having done my radio course I still haven't followed through with any regular air time. Have to fix that, I love doing it!! So I've volunteered for a one hour fortnightly spot on Fridays hosting the World Vibe show.
My plan is to see how my schedule goes and get another gig as well.

It will be fun to see how I track to these goals and I'm sure I'll add a few extra ones as the year progresses. I always in believe in being flexible to your circumstances.

Christmas Hols must end Soon!

I've been somewhat lazy (I am somewhat lazy...) with my postings as of late. This is what 3 weeks of holidays will do to a man.
Well to be honest I can't actually say 3 weeks of actual holidays, the first week I was almost driven insane by the absence of work and was living in dreaded excitement of the pending arrival of my 1979 Ford F-100. Then my truck arrived, by which time Karin was on holiday - which meant my life had purpose and order (or more precisely Karin told me to do things.)

Then we had Christmas itself, which was a grand affair with most of Karin's family coming down from Brisbane to join us. Then they went home, then I relaxed for a day, then it was the New Years storm. Finally Karin has gone back to work and I can go fishing to my hearts content.

I go back to work on Monday.

Highlights!!!
- Had a lovely day with my nieces before Christmas so their Mum (Karin's Sister Ness) could wrap presents. One of the rare occasions after which I have not wanted a vasectomy.
- Got my Truck (full description to follow with pictures, set Thrill Rating to HIGH!!)
- Australia got the Ashes, after humiliating England (The best way to win)
- Warnie the cheating, lying, bogan genius has retired.
- Was nearly electrocuted by lightning while trying to clear a clogged drain
- My Brother Ben and his wife Rhonnie had a wee baby girl (Alexandra Jane Rossiter)
- Finally got to clean the garage out

If there is more to tell, I can't think what it would be.
Best wishes to you all for a fantastic 007

This weather is making me thristy...

As if the weather couldn't get any more weirder!?!
On New Years Eve we had a torrential downpour complete with Thunder, Lightning and about a metre worth of hail!!
Thank goodness we were home, hard core party animals that we are. Dude I was out there in my gumboots shovelling hail and water out of blocked drains as fast as I could (nearly got hit by lightning). The storm lasted for 2 hours and thats a lot of water that hit our part of Canberra.

We got off lightly with only minimal damage to our kitchen ceiling (but my Porsche and Karin's expensive collection of Baroque art works were destroyed (should the insurance people ask))

So it was a cleansing start to the new year with all the old dust washed away!

Xmas Hols

Being on holiday is a lot like being in prison, if you can make it through the first 3 days - you have a fighting chance.
I hung in there baby, I tell you what. Yesterday I was so bored I almost watched day time television. It was my low point.
Today was much better, slept in, went fishing in the morning, had lunch, almost finished Ratchet and Clank, did Chrissy shopping (got a 2 for 1 deal on some Viz annuals and found a Great Uncle Bulgaria Womble doll for my 'any day now' nephew/niece (Ben and Rhonnie's first)

Never thought it would be so hard trying to actually relax?!?

A Bad Dog

So this morning at 5.30am I got up as usual and took our Wolfhound out for her morning walk. I take her out first as she needs a longer stroll than the other two (she's a big ole girl, clipping the scales at just under 50kg).
Well Bish and I headed out on our usual route, down the end of the street out over to the school field. We've being doing this for a couple of years now and have it down to a regular routine. Once we get to the school field, I let my girl off the lead for a couple of minutes so she can streach her legs.
But the proviso has been, she learns to come when I call her and we work on our command structure (ie I'm in charge and do what I say).

All had been going well until this morning. Bish was fooling around in a silly mood (not unusual) when her ears went up and I saw just on the ridge of the field 2 kangaroo's. Well I knew this meant trouble, I started to call her back and she took off like a rocket to chase the Roo's...

I ran like a bastard and got the top of the ridge in time to see Bish collapse in a heap after loosing her footing.
She got up and watched the roo's hopping away at a fast rate. She turned back and saw the mountain of fury that was holding her lead.
She lowered her head and put her tail down and trotted back like a true penitent to sit at my side.

We went home in disgrace with a kick to the bum.

We were very quiet on the short walk home.

I'd like to think she has learnt a lesson, but it'll be a while before I'll let her off the lead again.

Eucambene River, Wind, Trout and Platypus

Dude!!!!!
Had my fly fishing field trip this weekend and didn't catch a damm thing. But as you should know, thats not the point of getting out there amongst some beautiful scenery. Its all about having fun.
And have fun I did!

The Eucambene River is now dammed to form the Eucambene lake, but the 'Big Dry' (now in its 7th year of drought) has evapourated a good 76% of the dam's capacity. So the head of the river is pretty much back to its original state, although with about 3 foot less water than I would have liked.
But it was chock full of trout and thats a fact.

I got down there about 8.30am on Saturday (The Eucambene is about 30 mins west of Cooma - so about south 2 hours odd from Canberra). And the class headed off from there, about 12 all up. The thing about fly fishing is the weight of the line is what allows you to cast not the fly, unlike lure casting.
And the thing about trout fishing is you have to cast up stream from behind the trout (Trout face the direction of the current - its where the food is coming from). So when the wind is blowing down stream and your trying to cast up stream... it ain't gonna happen baby!!

So Saturday was a wash as far productivity was concerned. But I did learn a lot and I got some practical feild experience and covered a fair bit of the river. So from a recon perspective, very successful indeed.

On Sunday, I got up super early and headed off just as the sun was rising to beat the wind. It was while I was checking out a pool ahead of me that I saw the platypus!!! He (I guess) was have a swim with some trout just minding his own business. I stood up to get a better look and he he turned to look at me... just drifted by with the slow current and checked me out.

Amazingly cool stuff.

So no fish, by I do have the lay of the land and will return the fabulos Eucambene very soon and hopefully catch a fish on my fly rod!!

A candidate for SingStar

This song is brilliant! Its a fantastic little number, a duet between Marc Almond (yes THAT Marc Almond) and Gene Pitney (no, the other Gene Pitney).
The song is a ripper, a really great powerful belter.

But watch and listen for the 2 styles. Mr Almond has a lovelly velvet sound, really rich and smooth. He has a great range for this number, listen how he adds a bit of menace to his voice in the first verse!!
Now Mr Pitney (who sadly, passed away this year) is renowed for his pitch and vibrato and OWNS this song. But again, listen for how professionally he harmonises with Mr Almond in the third verse. Its effortless, they crank the power up to 11 - then release it suddenly!!

What a great duet, I'd love to see this number on a future SingStar... who knows?
[LINK]

BuffMan

Thought I'd give y'all an update on my gym goings on.
I've be hitting the weights for about 10 months now (usually 3 times a week at lunch time) and I have to say its been a great thing to do.
The whole going to the gym started from a back injury I gave myself last Christmas. I had been drinking like a fish and eating like a pig (which is not imply that pigs are no less renowned for their drinking than fish - but you get the point). According to the bathroom scales I was clipping 80kg and had a stomach, that was well fat.
Anyhow, I figured one morning I should do something about it all and began doing push ups and sit ups. Then I fucked my back up.
Added to all this my wife had begun her health kick and was looking fantastic!! I really needed to pick my game up.

With my back fucked up my posture was going to shit and I had less and less energy, but I was still eating the same crap. So I was gaining more weight because I was doing less, because I had less energy, because I was carrying so much surplus weight.
I made the decision to go to the gym and it has been a good decision.

But it hasn't just been about the gym, at the same time I radically changed my diet. Bread, potatoes and heavily fried food - OUT. Good quality vegetables, gluten free stuff and sensible sized serves - IN.
So in other words - regular exercise and a balanced diet = a fit and healthy BubbaJay.
I would make the point to differentiate between 'fitness' and 'healthy'. In so far as you don't get both from doing only one of them. Dropping potatoes and bread where a hard thing to do, but I tell you what, I was carrying a lot of bloat that cleared up after a couple of weeks.
Try it for yourself, if you don't believe me.

Anyway, this is not just the rambling of a fit and healthy man, science types also agree [LINK]

Sooo near to the Holidays

Dammit!!! Is it Christmas yet ?!?

Well I know it isn't but I have 2 weeks left on the farm before I can skip away for 3 weeks of holidays and Dude - I have totally checked out.
Which is not to say I don't have stuff to do... Its the, 'can I be fucked to start anything with only a few days left before the silly season truely kicks in' attitude.

I guess I'm just tired, this week is a rare week - one without travel. So I'm just trying to avoid starting any work that might hang over my holidays.

Boy this reminds me of school, the holidays are never going to get here!!

Firefox vs Explorer

I'm not a technologist.
For example I have a 10 year old tv, an even older stereo system and few other mod cons (except a second hand PS2 upon which much Singstar, KillZone and Rogue Trooper is played)(and only those games because I've seen other people play them).

But when I come across something good, I like to share it with others. This morning my Microsoft Internet Explorer automatically began to download version 7 of itself. I find IE to be frustrating and limiting and slow, but the thing that pisses me off the most is the bloody updates that change files and registry entries BUT NEVER explain just what the fuck they doing.
So anyway, v.7 downloads and I begin again to submit to the hassle of installing it (its been available for a couple of weeks but I just did not want to load the fucker (most everytime I do, I lose my settings or the bastards arses around with the rest of the computer, chews up clock time and generally fats around eating chippies and watching old episodes of Red Dwarf while hogging the brown couch of valuble ROM)

I was not surprised when the Microsoft installation screen began asking me to update and change a whole bunch of my settings, in other words devote time and energy to critical decisions with little or no explanation of the choices not shown or the nature of the consequences.
I decided fuck that and did something I should have done a long time ago.

I downloaded and installed Mozilla's Firefox browser.
I will never go back.

Things work faster and run far more economically than the old fat and bloated application. I had 3 screens to click through for installation and my favourites folder was automatically imported.

If you have not yet tried Firefox, I strongly urge you to. It is the Pepsi Taste Test of the internet, you can decide for yourself.
But in my opinion Firefox is a welcome guest who is courteous and well mannered on your computer.

[Link]

Day of the Tradies

Had to take today off, which meant I was 'working from home'.
The reason for this well needed break was the installation of our new air conditioning system (two wall mounted split cycle systems). And as long as we're doing that karin and I scheduled in a whole bunch more stuff to get delivered or fixed.
So I had a plumber come by and fix our toilets and a few taps, got a skip delivered so I could finally empty the crap out of the garage (something very stisfying about flinging rubbish HARD into the back of a skip and watching it SMASH TO PEICES (the exact same way as if the Hulk had done it).

But with out a doubt the best thing we got delivered today was our new mattress. I don't know much about mattress technology, I have slept on a lot of mattress's, so I do have experience in determining what is good, better or best. So let me tell you friend with confidence when I say this mattress is The SHIT!!
I just put my head down for 5 minutes, I slept for 1.5 hours... and I did not want to get up!
There are a lot of reasons to want to go to bed ( I can think of 2) but this mattres is a whole book of reasons by itself.

Keeping Busy

Well last Friday was my day on air at the radio station for the radiothon. Our goal was to raise $30k for a new transmitter over 10 days. By the time I got there it was day 8 and we had raised $17k (I'm glad to say by the end of Friday that had crept up to $20k).
I've been so busy with work and travel lately that I've not had the time to devote to Artsound FM, but I decided that I should take a day off and go in and help. Reporting for duty at 10am I was on air at 10.01am and co-hosted a 2 hour shift.
Then there was a 2 hour break manning the phones then back on for 2 more hours and rounded off my shift with more time manning the phones.
The good news is that by Sunday 6pm we had raised the $30k!!! So I feel happy that my small contribution helped.

Crazy Discount Weather!!!

ITS ALL GOT TO GO!!!!!!!!!!

You would not believe it partner, last Wednesday it snowed on Canberra. In fact it snowed on a great deal on the East Coast, from Hobart up to the Blue Mountains.
Please bear in mind this is November (or more accurately Movember!!) and therefore late Spring early Summer. Did I also mention this was Australia?!?

And today its 34C+ with bush fires raging from one end of the coast to the other. You would be hard pressed to believe me I know!
A lot of people may want to point to global warming in much the same way our ancestors may have pointed to witches in order to ascribe blame for all the ills of our weather. I'd suggest it was more a case of a very cold snap coming off the Antartic at an unusual time.

Or witchcraft....

There's a strong case for both, really.

Corny Arnie

Do you remember 'Last Action Hero'?
I do, but only because there was a great AC/DC single on the soundtrack - Big Gun. The version on the soundtrack (yes I bought it from the bargin basement bin) was a studio take, you can even hear the sound engineers at the end going 'that was awesome!'

It is definetly a classic AC/DC track and thanks to YouTube we can now watch the video including Arnie fooling around as Angus!!! (ho-ho now we larf!!)
Just classsic!
[LINK]

Now I Fly Fish

Got my fly rod yesterday and man it is sweet!!
For those who care its a Sage LE series 5 weight (even comes with its own case, which is handy). I'll spool on the line tonight and get some practice casting in for class next week.

I have to say that I've veiwed fly fishing as something of a goal from the moment I started this great hobby about 3 years ago. To be honest it is not as hard as it looks to cast, if you have ever held a tennis raquet and hit a ball - you can fly cast.
The great thing about the course I'm on is that at the end of it we go on a fishing trip!!!
Very good chance I'll catch a fish on one of those!!

A good use of your time

You have to wonder, who gets up in the morning and thinks to them selves - 'I reckon I'll teach some dolphins how to sing the Batman theme.'

And they still get paid, gotta love the science industry
[LINK]

Angry Monkey BMX Stunt

Haven't much of these guys, but this one is awesome [Link]

Notes from Adelaide cont'd

Now I'm back at my desk (for today at least, I'm off again tomorrow for a week) I thought I would finish off my previous post about Adelaide.
I'm not feeling too inspired to write elegant prose, so in no particular order;

ADELAIDE HIGHLIGHTS

1. 
   Had a cab driver who knew Damien Martin personally (showed me photos of the pair of them together) and claimed he had at one time or another transported most of the Aussie cricket squad around town. He was a cheerful enough chap but his B.O. was blinding.
2. 
   On the Saturday after climbing out of my hangover, I hired a bike by the River Torrens and had great fun going for a bike ride to the beach. Didn't get there in the end as my work colleague called me (he had just climbed out of his hangover) and I convinced him to join me on the bikes. What jolly good fun we had, up hill and down dale and going a bit off road here and there... An afternoon of total regressive fun!!
3. 
   Adelaide has one main drag whose opposite ends are as chalk and cheese. The northern end (Rundell St) has many cafes and restaurants, quite a classy district. While the southern (Hindley St) end is the red light district with quite a lot of seedy bars and strip joints.
4. 
   There is a LOT of heroin on the streets.
5. 
   On our last night in town I wanted to get away from the city (had enough of underage drunks, heroin addicts and seedy pubs - this is what happens when you travel with a Marine!). So we headed past the Gabba and the statue of the Don and found this neat little pub that had great music and atmosphere. Food was awesome, folks were friendly and on Mondays they host 'Pub Cinema' - on the bill for next week was 'Return of the Jedi' and Rocky'.

Overall impressions;
Adelaide has some great buildings and they've done a great job with public art. The food is wonderful, but I would expect nothing less from a city so close to the Barossa Valley. It was a fair bit cooler for me that week, but this is the changing of the seasons. Very easy to get around the city and the city is close to the airport.

Final conclusions - Could I live there... I would say yes I could, but I prefer where I am.

Honourable Mention

Another cartoon from Weebl and Bob, this time with a name drop of someone we should all know... [Link]

Sick Daze

I got back from Sydney on Tuesday night, just in time to make it to my Fly Fishing course I started this week.
But I woke up on Wednesday with a brand new passenger in my gut. It hit me about 10am at work and kept up a steady flow of house cleaning for 2 days, I lost 3 kilos. Today being Friday I managed my first solids, toast and marmite.
I know I'm feeling better when the first thing I want to do around the house is clean. But not having eaten anything for 2 days my energy level is low.
Now I actually have a legitmate excuse for my Playstation, but I feel guilty about 'wasting a day off'...
I don't think I'm quite right in the head yet.

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)

Another silly Song - About CRABS

This is anothre silly but catchy toon!!
And its all about Crabs!!

[Link]

Ninja song!!

This is a very cute video and the song is dangerously addictive!!!
So get ready to Flip Out Like A Ninja

(here)

Super Barrio Man - Luchador Libre!!!

Horray!! At last I finally saw a movie that was as much fun as the trailer - Nacho Libre (Starring Jack Black and directed by the Napoleon Dynamite director, guy, dude... whatever) It was fun, Jack Black was fun and there was mucho Luchadores, great fun for young and old and pleasantly, not one swear word.
After watching a film about Mexican style wrestling, Ash and I were getting a bit carried away Luchador style in the parking lot after the film - But neither of us had been drinking!!! Holy cow!!! Just shows what is possible with good clean fun from time to time.

Actually it reminded me a bit of a Wes Anderson film.

But the I have to confess I am easily suckered in by a good movie trailer. I regularly visit the Apple.com/trailers site and pass a few minutes away. And yet how rarely does the feature do justice to the trailer (ie Star Wars Ep1!!). Some times you know its going to be crap, you just know (ie Miami Vice) but you watch it anyway. Well Nacho Libre delivered as much fun as it promised - and that my friends is a magic all to itself.

Its the last one!?!?!*&^*

Alas after 15 great years of fun and good times, this year is to be the last, the very last Metal For The Brain
Oh woe is me, Metal for the Brain is/was a great concert. A whole lot of fun for lovers of live and loud music. Me mate Ash and I used to enjoy wandering around, drinking a beer or two and getting down to some metal sounds.
The best thing about the concert is that the proceeds go toward victims of brain injury. Believe it or not his is actually a benefit gig (every year some of lovely ladies from the Brain Injury Foundation man a sasuage sizzle tent and are always pleased for any extra donations and a cup of tea). I myself can confidently assert the crowd is always pleasant and well mannered, its a great atmosphere for one and all.
I have cleared my schedule and come November 3rd, I'll be ready for some fun metal noise!!

Fully Fledged Radio Star!!!

I did my radio show and it was awesome!!
Its been a choldhood dream and there I was, actually fulfilling an ambition. Quite an honour I must say and not an everyday event.

Gotta say, people who do that for a living make it seem easy...
I was on for 2 hours but I spent about 5 hours preparing in the evening the week before. A lot of work goes into a radio show. Had my playlist worked out, timed it properly and had a little script to read off so I didn't sound like some mubling, bumbling fool.

In the end the 2 hours flew by, I finised up with more music than air time. Played my sponsorship promo's as per the running sheet and threw to the satelite news feed on time. Did my job well! Even got a call from a listener who congratulated me on doing a great job!!
And after the show, what a buzz! waht a buzz indeed!!

Good clean fun people, thats community radio I tell ya that for free buddy!!

I made the grade!!

All right, as you know I've been doing my radio DJ course with a local community radio station (ArtSound 92.7 FM). Well I was contacted a week ago to do a slot on Sunday, horrah! But I hadn't quite finished my final exam if you will (my On Air Check as they call it).
So some drama's ensue and last night I recorded 30 odd mins of me and got the pass with flying colours this afternoon!!!

I'm in baby!! I'll be hosting Patchwork 10am - 12am, which is a Folk Music show. Now don't say it, first off you are wrong - there is an incredible depth and variety to Folk Music. Its not all Judith Durham and Morris Dancing. And secondly - screw you, I'm a gonna be on air!!!

I totally rule!!!

Bloody Saturday Soccer!!

Well it wasn't too bad, I didn't get hurt for a change.
The important thing is we won 5-4 (1 goal from me!) and we were playing 5 a side, which is an absolute bitch because you are running like a bastard the whole time.
Playing in those conditions its easy to get carried away and try to REALLY give a 110%. My team mate Ross decided that with 5 minutes to go while we were 5 - 3, that Tyson must not score a goal that still would have meant we would have won (if you follow my meaning... it wasn't that big a deal if Tyson scored).
So in a last ditch attempt, Ross slides in to bloke the ball and collects himself on the goal post, and let the goal through anyway...

Poor old Ross, a very nasty cut and a trip to the hospital for stiches. The lesson here is that saturday soccer is all about fun, its about forgetting your troubles for a while and enjoying the company of your friends.
From time to time, its okay to let a goal through.

Ross should be back in action in a week or two.

Best value for $20 ever... this week

Had a heckuva good time on the weekend, Karin and I went up to the Blue Mountains to see my Ma and Da. Which is always nice.
On the Saturday went headed over to Katoomba to check things out. Aside from anything we needed to get a rug for our family room (since we've had the floorboards down the dogs have been skidding, slippin and sliding something fierce).
But that's not the best ever $20 ever spent.

The best ever $20 ever spent (that Saturday) was on an extra special bargain. There are plenty of second hand places in Katoomba and one of them was having a garage sale, amongst the usual crap of tea pots, busted snow boots and very wrong LP records was my find.... A portable gas BBQ, complete with 4 extra gas cyclnders!!!!!!!!!
Holy Crap!!!!
Needless to say, I tried to act cool and raced off to the nearest ATM pushing the old, weak and infirm from my path. Then returned to claim my precious (BBQ).

Now you may call me a dork (many have) but I remind you that I go fishing a lot and a portable BBQ is very handy to have. Not to cook fish, because I hate seafood, but to cook steaks and the like... if I can't be bothered to go to a restaurant... who knows...

But here then is a photo to make you mortals tremble with envy!!!
(actually mines black and comes with its own carry case and 4 extra gas canisters - Now thats VALUE right there friend)
(Korean BBQ places use these guys at the table)
(I think its cool)

Its just Magic!!!

You have to check this out Link
This guy is a freaking sorceror!!!!

Movember Time!!!!

Dudes, Movember is up and running again this year
Check out this Link!!!

So get your self ready, get a sponsor, get a team and get Mo'ing!!!

Not crazy, and I have an invisable friend to prove it.

Yes thats right, I'm not crazy. Well not in the diminished responsibility capacity.
I had my meeting with a Neurologist on Friday. As you may now in May I went to my local GP to get some handle on my dizzy spells. Some drama's in between. Concluding last Friday with a visit to the specialist.
He diagnosed me with Migrane Associated Vertigo.
So what? Well it accounts for the dizzyness, the nausea, the motion sickness etc
The great news is he feels it is curable. I take some pills for about 2 months and we see what happens.
The down side is, I'm off booze for those 2 months.
(actually I decided, fuck that on Saturday. Had myself half a beer and felt I was on a roller coaster, not good and lesson learned)

So lets git it on for kicking this MAV!!

Miami Vice - So Many Unanswered Questions

Over the weekend I had a busy time of it, Saturday was soccer (played for the Reds, we won 4-0), taking cat piss stained carpet to the tip, fishing - didn't catch anything but did see a guy land a carp on a fly rod!! and then off to my mate Ash's birthday party (sitting around drinking and singing SingStar Anthems - not as good as the others I feel, I'm sure they could have picked more than 20 songs, unless they had a tight deadline... who can say?)

On Monday night I helped Ando pick up a quater ton of wood that that the council had chopped down (bush fire prevention work). I then went off to see Miami Vice with Ash!

I already had low expectations since I found out it wasn't going to be a comedy a la Starsky and Hutch style (a pity). But thought what the hey!
First impressions - I do like Michael Mann's directing style and I did appreciate the 'realism' of bullet wounds and what a 16 wheeler will do to you at 90 mph. Did like the global nature of the crime organisation (hinted at but never revealed the connection with the Chinese, gun running and mercenaries etc)
Second impressions - these are the things that bug you after a day or two; did not like either lead, none of the principals sounded convincing sprinkling their 'cop talk' with phrases like CONOPS, TACOPS, Counter-Intel, Go-Fast Boats etc They said those words but I'm not sure they really understood what they meant.
Also the big shoot out at the end in which they kill everybody who could help them with prosecuting 'Mr Big' and then let go a principle witness... WTF!!!
CONOPS will be pissed

Yeah gotta say I wasn't too impressed overall. Did like the Phil Collins cover at the end of the movie - nice reference to original series.

Nice Choreography

Just how much time did these guys spend getting the moves worked out and how many times did they try before they got in one take!?!?!?!
Link

Something to smile about

I like this one, good and light hearted.

Crisistunitity!!

I got really drunk on Wednesday night (it was our 3rd anniversary and I had to take a dog back to the pound), I won't bore you with the gruesome details - but lets just say I was late into work the next day.
As I was lying on my deathbed, Thursday morning when I heard the sound of running water. Thought maybe Karin was doing something in the kitchen. Turns out the on-suite was flooding.
Some idiot left the tap running (not going to name names, y'all know who you are).
Thats the crisis part.
The oppourtunity part - Karin has been on me for a year to get floorboards. I, for my part, have been stonewalling her. Well wet fucking carpet that smells of cat piss is REAL hard to ignore Buddy. Let me assure you of that now.

So I relent and now we are getting the floorboards next week and I have a happy wife.
Everybody wins, Baby!!!

1 - 2 - 3 = HATRICK!!!!

What a game, had to swap teams for soccer today (as I arrived late). So I was playing for the Blue Team (The Lightnings) instead of my traditional Red Team (The Spitfires).
It was a bit daunghting going up against my old team mates, BUT we kicked their arse!!!
Final score 4 - 0, with 3 goals from me!!!

Did shag my bum ankle though after the 3 goal, so while I have super pumped - I also have my leg elevated.

Not exactly to plan

Well Ole Rocky did go up to Mum and Dad's, but he came back with me. He is just too big and too strong from them to handle. That and he really seems to like chasing cats - not good.
So Rocky is back at our place, he gets on well enough with our dogs, except for Calvin (who is a shit), He doesn't get on with our cats, of which we have four.
So its a segregation policy in force I'm afraid.
I'm booking him in for 'spud removal' this week and Bark Busters are coming round on Sunday to try and cure the cat thing.
Unfortunately we can't keep him at our place four dogs and four cats is just too many. But we also don't want to pass on a problem. Here's hoping Rocky can find a good home out there!



+++++++++++++++++++ UPDATE UPDATE +++++++++++++++++
Poor old Rocky, on Wednesday we call from our neighbour that Rocky had jumped our fence and was in his backyard. It was no problem for Ian (our neighbour) to put him back in our garage. The bad news for Rocky is we can not keep him.
That afternoon I had the sad task of taking him back to the pound and surrendering him to their care. Fingers crossed this good ole boy, I hope there is a family out there who need a great dog, have no cats and a tall fence.

My new friend

This here is Earl, or Rocko I haven't decided which yet.
Today is the day I get him out of the pound and tomorrow we go for a drive up to the Blue Mountains where Mum and Dad will look after him.

I found Earl/Rocko a week ago, he was a stray wandering around the business park where I work. It was a Thursday afternoon and I had just finished up at the gym. As I was walking back to the office I noticed this handsome young fella, walking this way and that and enjoying the mid-winter sun.
I stopped to have a chat and see if he had any collar (which he didn't). I figured he belonged to one of the builders nearby and kept on my way to the office.
Rocko had other ideas.
He followed me into the foyer and I realized he was lost. So I took up to work and begun ringing around to see if anyone had reported him missing.
The RSPCA said no. The Pound said no. The building site said no. No near by vet clinics had a dog fitting his description. All the while I was doing this Earl/Rocko was sitting under my desk quietly, with only the occasional sigh escaping.
My work colleague Pete (who is also a dog person) looked on-line at the lost dog websites, we couldn't find any sign Rocko was missed. We gave Rocko some water and a few biscuits, which he appreciated. I could tell from his temperament, he was a well socialised dog, who knew basic instructions. Someone had lost him.

Well that was effectively the end of my working day, I took Rocko home and walked him over to our local vet to check if he had a microchip. On the way to the vet I noticed some markings on his side, some mongrel bastard had branded the word 'Pill' on him!?! Go figure.
To my relief (at this stage) Rocko was not micro-chipped, I would have hated to have given him back to the kind of dickheads who brand dogs.

Rocko stayed with us over night and with great regret in my heart, I had to drop him off at the pound on Friday morning. By now, Karin and I had decided Rocko would be coming home to live with us (making the grand total 4x Dogs, 4x Cats).
At the pound I was advised Rocko would stay there for 7 days and if no one claimed him, he could come home with us. The photo above is from the ACT Domestic Animal Services website Link
Well a week has been and gone and this afternoon I can pick him up.
I told Mum about Rocko and she said I have too many dogs as it is, her and Dad will will take Rocko as a companion for their dog Polly.

He is off to a great home tomorrow, where he can look forward to a long life of being spoilt and well loved.
Turned out nice again!

Goal scoring machine!

Dude, played soccer again on Saturday and freaking won the match!!
Final score 2-1 Spitfires defeat Lightnings.
I plugged the second goal for the Spitfires!

Needless to say I received a hero's welcome - from my dogs, when I got home (Karin was out). I gave a blow by blow account of the game to TJ, who looked on with awe and wonder (Calvin got bored and fell asleep, while Bishy walked off somewhere.)

Well I was excited...

Late but Great!!

Look what I got!!!!!

An original Judge Dredd, inked and coloured for me, by an actual 2000AD Judge Dredd Artist!!!!!!!!!!!!

Robin Smith worked on 2000AD during the early days progs 200 - 600, smack bang encompasing my collection. This is freaking amazing!!!

It turns our Robin is the neighbour (in the UK) of my Brother in Law (Karin's older brother). His wife is over visiting and she gave us this picture as a belated wedding present. Their neighbour Robin was kind enough to whip this one up at their request, after they found out what a Judge Dredd maniac I am.

What a fantastic gift and I am one proud groom. I've been a Dredd fan for over 20 years and I never in my wildest dreams ever thought I would be given something like this...

Words - failing - urge - to - be - crazy - happy - and - thank - baby - Jesus - rising....

Music Hop-scotch

Hmmm Yeah!! Bubbajay is a happy boy!!
I've got an invite to help guest programme a Folk Music show.
Now I know what you are thinking, 'Dear Bubbajay, you do know don't you that Blood Duster, although they are local, aren't actually a local band..?'
Yes I know and neither is 'Killed by Death', 'Fuck I'm Dead' or 'Mayhem'. (ps Mayhem is still my number one all time best concert, Norwegian Death Metal is where IT IS AT for a live show!!!) (Swear to God).

But, dear reader, you forget I also love Bluegrass, amongst other things. So I have a mission to put together a 2 hour Bluegrass special. Bubbajay is a happy man!
I was figuring on starting with 'Big Rock Candy Mountain' and try to hop-scotch to 'Folsolm Prision'.
Shouldn't be too hard, its resisting the urge to drink moonshine on air while I smoke my corn cobb all 'at way down the hollar thar...
Git my car all souped up and that, so as I can slide over the hood an all.
Yeah.... that's be jes fine, Pogo, jes fine.

Soccer, On Air, Pirates!!

Well Saturday was fun packed and no mistake.
My buddy Ash invited me to a 'semi-serious' game of soccer in the morning. Twas the Spitfires (red) vs the Lightnings (Blue). I was on the Red team with Ash and we kicked arse 4-2. We played for about an hour with 3 rests in between. Just good fun to be running about a field in winter, kicking a ball about with your mates.
Did notice however that even I've going to gym a fair bit this year, I have no where near the energy reserves of the 12 year boy who used to play soccer in Lower Hutt. My legs are hurting this morning.

Still must say I'm looking forward to next week!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I got on the radio and had 30 minutes of air time as well!! What a blast, it was fantastic fun and a lot easier than it looked. My very first on air track was 'When I was a Lad' from HMS Pinafore, thought that would be a suitable start. My host DJ was very gracious, I had brought along some tracks thinking I'd just be in the interview chair. But we had a talk and John offered to put me on from 1pm, so I took it!! Did a 30 minute spell and had a fantastic time!!
I'm very lucky to have had such a supportive mentor!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Saw Pirates O.T.C Dead Mans Chest last night, a lot of money for what essentially was a whole lot of filler. Just got the feeling of the story being streched out to accomodated a third film. Not to say that it wasn't bad, but I think Peter Jackson has a lot to answer for. He made it look easy.
Good fun, but perhaps it will bear up better once the third film is out.

Other notes, in the trailers they showed "Beyond the Sea - The Bobby Darin Story", I have seen that one in the States and I thought it was great.

Some time to mingle ...

Had a lovely introduction to the people of Artsound FM this evening.
One of the long time presenters was retiring and me and the rest of my classmates were invited to attend the party.
It was great everyone was very friendly and really positive about me joining the team! What a wonderful introduction!!
First question everyone asked me, "So, what sort of music do you like?" Thats a great question and an even better ice breaker at a Radio station party!

I may even be on air for bit tomorrow lunch time.... How exciting!!

Get back to where you belong!

Check out this LINK!!!
Kick ass 80's vids, currently enjoying Bomb the Base.
Something for everyone!!!

All Comedy Should Be Like This

This is funny, very funny. Look if you dare...
It is my idea of funny, it is my idea of comedy gold, it is performed by my hero's,
I love it.

4th of July and Superman

Today is the FOURTH of JULY a big deal to my friends in the States.
On Local radio here in Canberra the fuckwit ABC was holding a phone poll to see who was the greatest American - people conspicuous by their abcense; Frederik Douglas, Henry David Thoreau, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincon, Ben Franklin (was mentioned, but none of the other founding fathers), Woodrow Wilson, Rosa Parkes, I could go on...
The Fourth of July is a celebration of the public reading of the Declaration of Independance, an interesting document in itself. All the people who signed this document, for I have seen a copy at the courthouse in Annapolis, were also signing their death warrant if they lost the war or were ever captured. To write this document and commit to this process and to publicly declare who you were (a traitor to the Crown) took balls. "Give me liberty or give me death" said Patrick Henry and he wasn't kidding - those were the choices.

So, I've spoken a bit about this twee poll conducted by ABC 666am (seriously, that is the freq of the station) who would I nominate? After some consideration I would nominate George Washington. Not for his qualities as a tactitian, he was competent not brilliant, but his qualities as a gentleman and as a hero for the people. When the Treaty of Paris has concluded the Continental Congress met to discuss the 'what next' question. Although the Bill of Rights had been drafted, this was a tenuous foundation for the Republic. Power could have abused outright and a dictatorship cum monarchy installed. George Washington was in a position to seize power, sweep away the Continental Congress and install himself as 'President for Life'. He was the Head of the Army, he had the troops, he would have won.
Instead he did something remarkable, he resigned his commission. He then went onto become the first and second president of the Republic and worked hard to consolidate the Republic. He was the citizen first and the solider second, a high minded ideal indeed.

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

As it is the Fourth of July, I though I would also post my review of 'Superman Returns' . I liked it I have to say. I thought it worked very well, I enjoyed the nod to the previous films and I think the new guy did a good job as Superman/Clark Kent.
Couldn't help thinking of the speech from Kill Bill 2 though.