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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hearing my own Voice

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

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

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

More Zombie Stuff!!

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

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

ATHF IS THE BOMB!

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

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

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

Can't Sleep...

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

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

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

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

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

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!