The Dragon song of the same name

It's been raining on and off now for two days, which believe you me bubba's is kind of a big deal. Where I lived in Canberra you might get a dash of rain in the afternoon or overnight, but hardly ever a whole day. Now I can look out my window and see the neighbourhood covered in fine rain or mist.
I recall growing up with this kind of thing in the old country. Mum would have stashed away so toys or books for rain days. These were the times before video's you see, when a child was required to utilise their imagination. Mostly I think it so Mum could ensure I stayed indoors. I loved puddles. I like water as a rule, but puddles held a magnetic attraction for me. They were best experienced by jumping on them and watching the water SPLASH!! It was a game that never got old. But it get my clothes soaking wet, so you can see why Mum might not have been a fan.

It is still raining outside.

No Spring, Yet... or is it?!?

What is Spring trying to do?

Yesterday saw Mt Buller get 40+ cms of snow, while a few days earlier it was sunny and over 20c. The snow is welcome, even though neither Evie or I are heading there (other, higher responsibilities to manage). But it does ask the question, what is going on with this whole Spring thing?

Other news, band practice has been going well and I've discovered I play better without a beer or two. Thankfully that doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things re Friday nights, but it is good to have that validated.

Tuesday was a trip to Adelaide and the whole week was taken up by meetings. It threw my non-work schedule out the window. No gym, less internets. My little girl only saw me leave for work and kiss her goodnight when I got home.
I know I'm not the first dad to have that happen, but I think it sucks.

I'm working on a plan for a 'better way'. One that involves not wining lotto (though it would be handy) for a change. I'll flesh it out in more detail in a later post.

Lancelot Link

Boy howdy, just re-read my post from this afternoon. What a maudlin rant!! Anyway here are links of interest:

• Because I have often ranted against the food in America. This (LINK) is in defense of the indefensible.
• Because Dan Brown is just a truly, truly dreadful phenomenon (LINK1)(LINK2)
• Because computer games these days are just so unimaginative (LINK)

Enjoy!!

Time Flies

Today while driving back from lunch I listened to a report on All things Considered about the events leading up to fall of the Soviet Union. For some reason it took my mind back to 1989 and those early years at university.

It’s what you can get nostalgic about. For no good reason I looked up the website for my old university. I was hit with flood of memories, stronger than they’ve been in years (decades). For some reason I recalled the vague sense of ambition we all had. The fun we all had. The learning, the conversations, the carelessness of all. The summer holidays which were almost identical to regular class weeks (for me at least) except I carried I change of clothes in my backpack and not my class notes.

I remember our writing club, each week you brought a piece of writing and handed it around for some peer review (which was always meant to be constructive and amazingly I found it was). I wanted to be a writer, badly. Perhaps it was the only strong ambition I ever had in those days. But I never applied myself to the study of being a writer. To be honest I don’t think I ever knew where to begin. Or perhaps I just liked the idea of being a writer without putting myself to bother of actually writing something.

I’ve looked up from my desk and I see my work colleagues engaged in ‘work’. Something I need to get back to, though I wish just for a moment I didn’t have to.

Helping Ma

Just finished a survey by the University of Melbourne into Breast Cancer. My Mum has had a history with it going back 12 years or so. They asked me some health questions and weight questions and oddly drinking questions.
Which got me to reflect on my drinking patterns over the past 20 years or so. These days I rarely drink, usually its 1 or 2 beers on a Friday night at band practice and perhaps a glass of wine at our family lunches once a fortnight. If that.
This is down from the dozen or more 'standard drinks' of my youthful 20's per week. Although when they asked the question I was thinking, 'are they asking about Schooners, pots, pints, longnecks or stubbies?' Truth be told I can't actually remember exactly how much I used to drink, but I recall I rarely if ever let a day go by without one.

These days I don't drink because of personal decisions and because I find hangovers chew up so much of my weekend I hate wasting my time on them.

But I was glad I could help out with the survey. I'm even giving blood for them, something that shocked Evie who knows my aversion to that sort of thing. I hope it helps the survey and I hope it helps other people including CJ. Nice to feel part of something bigger than myself.

Trailer Time

I could definitely get behind this kind of war effort.

LINK

Looks like The Dude is back, abiding and on a hitch!!

Its not me, it must be the kids who are out of touch

The other day I was in a car that had tuned into Triple J (I stopped listening after they dumped Merrick and Rosso then amped up their advocacy journalism). So anyway, I'm listening away to the current generations breakfast hosts as they discuss this decades Hottest 100 of all time (LINK). They invited listeners to participate in a quiz to win a copy and in the spirit of commercial radio they could win it before it goes on sale NEXT WEEK with LOTS of icy cold cans of COKE etc...

Anyway, long story short, they called Blur an 'Old' band.

When did that happen? When did Blur become old? I asked. I still remember watching the episode of Top of the Pops where Blur and Oasis went head to head for number 1 single one of the week.
Then I paused for reflection.

That was 1995. Way to go grandad.

Time for some remembrances of things past (HERE).

More Dumb

Following on from my previous post about 'Dumb' overheard this week at work someone talking about this great movie they saw of Vlad the Impaler. They individual in question was excitedly relating how 'really historical' it was and that this guy 'was like the original Dracula'.

Words fail me.

A link to a similar theme HERE

It comes by night

Oh my dear Bubba's, I awoke last night to a feeling of intense pain on my back. I do not know what it is that I did but I have a muscle cramp that makes sleeping difficult. Its that painful.

I probably should not be typing at the keyboard but, Meh!

******************

The weekend just past saw us do our first family trip to the snow! We all manged it very well logistically. Little CJ is good traveler (for her age) she managed to sleep most of the way to Mt Hotham and back. She is also a very relaxed little lady and is comfortable in all manner of settings (pubs, hotels, restaurants etc) and even more happy to have a crowd (much like her Dad) to entertain.

The snow itself was okay... Very icy and cold on the lifts. But the big win for me were the Demo skis I tried. They were a pair of next seasons Atomic Blackeyes, very comfortable, great edge and highly maneuverable. Not fast, per se, however my fitness level this year is well below last years so the speed thing is less of an issue.
Those skis did not let me down the whole day, which is more than I can say for some of the previous models I used last year.

So although we only got one day in for the skiing it was a worthwhile road trip to take the whole family away. Looking forward to our next trip!

Made of Awesome

John Hughes passed away last week. In my mind the ending of 'Pretty in Pink' was the wrong one, should've gone with Duckie.

Well I caught up with my classic '80's movie Better Off Dead. Stars a very young John Cusack, involves skiing, has some truly forgettable music (except for the Muddy Waters track) and also has the chick who played Joan of Arc in Bill and Ted's (thats gotta be worth something).

Best of all I discovered upon viewing it with my beloved last night that it was written and directed by Savage Steve Holland. Thats right kids, THE Savage Steve Holland of Eek! the Cat fame!!!

Wonderful when you understand why you connect with something...

Idiotocracy

One of my pet hates in other people, and this is only something that I come across every now and again, is the realisation that I am actually smarter than that person. Do I sound arrogant by saying that? I hope not, I hope it is a brutal reality that we all should face. There is a bell curve to a persons ability to learn, we are familiar that there is a sliding scale as to how well one retains information.
Some people are just dumber than other people.

So when I say 'smarter' than someone I mean that in about every measure that its possible to take. It's difficult to hold a conversation with someone who takes time to catch up with ideas. When you have to slow down mentally to engage with that person. When it dawns upon you that you are in the slow lane of the intellectual highway behind a Nana in a busted arse of a car. When you have to use short words, avoid even mildly multi-stepped arguments to advise a person not to advertise their disbelief that the Holocaust ever occurred (based on the viewing of a Holocaust deniers DVD because presumably it is easier to watch 20 minutes of TV than to read any of this pfaff).

Another real life example would be hearing someone tell me that they bought all the Harry Potter movies on DVD because they don't like reading. Or to be held in awe because you know not only the name of the ship in 'Alien', but what book it was taken from, the name of the author and have read both the book in question and 'Heart of Darkness' (actually happened, person in question was complaining about the complexity of the questions on 'Who wants to be a millionaire'. Had I answered the above question I would have been on $200,000).

What is even worse than dealing with a dumb person, being held in awe as if I'd just invented fire, is coming across people who for some reason get resentful. As if its my fault that I can remember the basic periodic table because I listened to Tom Leher growing up and I like Gilbert and Sullivan melodies. If they get resentful because I'm smart I get resentful because they are not. Because it hurts my brain slowing down, because they are a conversational dead end, because it pisses me off to think that these people can breed, drive cars and worst of all that they can vote.

On Friday I was sent a link (in jest) that suggested a Big Mac contains all the necessary nutrients a growing child needs in meal. I have no comment other than to point you, gentle reader, to the following links
Here and Here.

An Open Letter

To the court of moral smugness,

Have you ever been troubled by a selfish and or evil parking person near your house. I too am afflicted by a similar person or more accurately person's or probably more alerting but not alarming Parking Terror Cell. This PTC, if you will, appears to be made up of YOUNG PEOPLE (who are, as a social demographic, not well known for thinking of others)(I am told however that it is a phase)(I assume YOUNG PEOPLE as the cars are almost always P-Platers and have fully sick mufflers).

I live on a quiet and narrow street, we are blessed with kind and considerate neighbours on both sides (everybody loves good neighbours). Our house is a terrace that includes a basement garage where my wife parks. I park my manly car on the street, the narrow street.

Enter the PTC: Stage Left... Who then parks directly opposite our driveway, like a lump of inconsiderate cholesterol choking an artery. There is the whole rest of the street to park along side, its a long street. But for whatever reason, directly opposite our narrow driveway is where they want to be.

Perhaps it fulfils some extreme design as befits the manifesto of the PTC.

So in conclusion if you know someone who can, ask them to reign pillars of fire upon they who transgress the protocols of parking decency.

Kind Regards,

BubbaJay

H'Scopes

My dear Mater put me onto this site [HERE] lots of fun astrology stuff!!

Can't say if it is at all accurate, but worth a look.

Burger Files: Name and Shame

Well Bubbas, a few blogs ago I posted about my utter dislike for places that served salad with burgers. So it happened again and now I get my cyber revenge.
Cafe on Burgundy I name and shame you for an awful burger and for daring to cover 1/3 of my plate in an inedible salad. The chips were sh&thouse, the burger was very average - but the salad. What were you thinking.
Am now sending the cyber-lads over for a kicking...

Snow Time

Can't write for long, holding wriggly baby, squirming out of grasp.

Quickly then (silence small internet hating enfant, Daddy will give you his loving, TOTAL, attention soon) I wish to announce that next month we get to go to the snow!!

Epic Win.

Curse you Helstra

The largest telecommunications company in Australia is also the most incompetent. I despise that company, my internet is supplied via a 3G card (ps I discovered the person responsible for withholding the adoption of the 3G standard in Australia for so long, then crippling it's introduction. So I actually know who to blame for my lousy service) (funny how life turns out).

I finally worked out how to monitor my data throughput. The fraking 3G service is capable of 7mg's TOP. But mine has only managed a maximum of 17% of that in the past 20 minutes! This means we will be going cable and not through Helstra.

Though how often I or Evie will be allowed to use the internets remains to be seen...

Abscence

Well my apologies Bubbas, I'd have written sooner but y'know I've been tied up. My little girl is just a bundle of energy. My days of late have been taken up minding our little blessing and enjoying every minute of it!

The fact is I'm only able to write this short note as I've taken home sick this afternoon. So nothing intelligent or clever to say, just tired and a bit under the weather.

Music and My Daughter

There are things I am learning about my baby girl that amaze me everyday. I go to work, come back home and voila; she has been upgraded.
The other night I was in a jamming mood, so I got out my guitars to fool around with a couple of country numbers (simple C, D, G variations). Evie calls out to say CJ is grooving to the sound.
For the next couple of hours I'm showing off to my daughter.
And she is loving it!! She has a boogie thing going on, she is vocalising (not doing too bad) and concentrating.

So I'm feeling good about that, but last night I'm busting out some jams (Utah Saints, PWEI, Bomb the Base etc). Evie calls out again and I wind up cuddling a beat box baby!! She loved it!!

Her current favourites music wise, Chris Issak, LL Cool J, Glen Campbell and Young MC.

Cricket

The Ashes are back on.
One of my favourite things to do in summer is to drive home after work and listen to the cricket on the radio. The television is good,but radio has something magic and personnel about it. Perhaps its because the commentators are talking in slightly hushed tones. As if you were both at a table in cafe and the match was sitting at a table just opposite you.
To me it means summer evenings with the promise of a BBQ and a beer. It's quiet times and enjoying some national pride as the Aussies ritualistically smack the snot out of the pompous Pom's. Occasionally the Pom's win, which is great because off the field most of the Australian team are degenerate scumbags whom Channel 9 place on a pedestal for public adulation. Every Australian at heart is an iconoclast.

And then there is baseball. The only people who care about a baseball v cricket rivalry are the Americans (bless them). The first baseball game I watched all the way through (and loved) was the Red Soxs versus someone else. We were at a pub/bar in San Diego, a friend from Boston was explaining the various players and their strengths and weaknesses. Then all of a sudden 3 beers later, the game ended. Abruptly.

I like baseball and I like cricket. Both make excellent radio and both are summer sports. But Cricket has it in one respect that baseball does not, length of matches. I'm used to enjoying the run chase of a one day match. The final days of a test can be thrilling. Still not converted by the 20/20 matches though.

Occasionally an American writer in their sad insular way tries to get to grips with Cricket. This article (HERE) is a Pom in America, writing for Americans. I think he does a good job.

A new Favourite

Hooray!!
Check out this blog, Everything is Terrible
HERE

Fun, wrong and kitsch. All at the same time.