Just another couple of good paragraphs from the NYT article quoted in previous posting -
'The military is measuring its progress against a 43-page document, prosaically titled "Multinational Force Iraq Campaign Plan: Operation Iraqi Freedom." Under this plan, the military uses up to 215 measurements to gauge progress in 15 pivotal cities and 7 smaller towns that must be brought under control before nationwide elections can be held.
The measurements are reviewed weekly by senior officials, including 25 military planners nicknamed the Brainiacs, who are responsible for anticipating worst-case situations and proposing possible solutions. Every other week, General Casey and his top aides adjust the measurements to reflect changing dynamics on the ground. '
The war in Iraq as management meeting - and we all know how much we hate those...
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Oh, One Last One That Caught My Eye
An NYT article that compares battlefield Iraq with City Slickers or Blazing Saddles LOL -
'Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, the head of training and equipping Iraqi security forces, has a more colorful analogy. Succeeding in Iraq, he says, is like a cattle drive from Texas to Wyoming in the Old West: the cattle are the myriad tasks that need to be done in Iraq, and American and Iraqi trail bosses are battling insurgent rustlers, treacherous conditions and daunting logistical problems to keep the herd moving. "I don't think it's too late to succeed, but it's not going to be easy," he said. "The bottom line is, you just have to keep it going." '
Hmm, where's the eating beans scene then LOL
Pauly
'Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, the head of training and equipping Iraqi security forces, has a more colorful analogy. Succeeding in Iraq, he says, is like a cattle drive from Texas to Wyoming in the Old West: the cattle are the myriad tasks that need to be done in Iraq, and American and Iraqi trail bosses are battling insurgent rustlers, treacherous conditions and daunting logistical problems to keep the herd moving. "I don't think it's too late to succeed, but it's not going to be easy," he said. "The bottom line is, you just have to keep it going." '
Hmm, where's the eating beans scene then LOL
Pauly
Sunday Morning
Hi all - ooh, it's Halloween isn't it? Not a big thing in Australia, not like North America, but we will see how many kiddies wander around tonight I guess. New neighbourhood and all, haven't yet gotten the feel for how 'community spirited' this place is - talked to a neighbour on one side and boys kicking footballs around two houses over on the other side, and a dog on either side of us as well. Is good the space this new place has, and the lack of noise (thank you carpet) can't hear when everyone is up LOL.
More reaction to the Bin Laden video - he did look relaxed and comfortable and confident on it, didn't he? Another site I was looking at last night said the phrase 'tanned, relaxed and ready', as if the Hindu Kush is Saint Kitts for overworked executives or something LOL. And the snap polls are showing a swing to the incumbent in the Election cos of Osama's intervention. Hmmph.
Shouldn't it be well we haven't caught him yet, so we should be thinking about that? Or how that even the French left was saying we are all Americans now on September 12 and then revoked that on March 20 (the Iraq invasion date)? How the Administration has pushed through their worldview with NO consideration of non-Americans - we aren't asking for a veto George and Dick and Donald, just real consultation would be nice. We WANT to be on your side of the with us or against us divide, but give us diplomacy rather than a we are right so you must be wrong attitude. Grr.
More bad news from Iraq - eight Marines killed, nine wounded, in a suicide bombing. But of course with Al Qaeda being top of the pops, the mess in Iraq is relegated to third story in the news if that. Worst day for casualties in six months. And another bombing in Baghdad on Al-Arabiya, one of the cable news networks, freedom on the march indeed - what a fucked phrase, and the leader of the free world is spouting it as if he believes it.
BBQ today, with beer mmmm good combination :) Will see how the afternoon pans out :)
Pauly
More reaction to the Bin Laden video - he did look relaxed and comfortable and confident on it, didn't he? Another site I was looking at last night said the phrase 'tanned, relaxed and ready', as if the Hindu Kush is Saint Kitts for overworked executives or something LOL. And the snap polls are showing a swing to the incumbent in the Election cos of Osama's intervention. Hmmph.
Shouldn't it be well we haven't caught him yet, so we should be thinking about that? Or how that even the French left was saying we are all Americans now on September 12 and then revoked that on March 20 (the Iraq invasion date)? How the Administration has pushed through their worldview with NO consideration of non-Americans - we aren't asking for a veto George and Dick and Donald, just real consultation would be nice. We WANT to be on your side of the with us or against us divide, but give us diplomacy rather than a we are right so you must be wrong attitude. Grr.
More bad news from Iraq - eight Marines killed, nine wounded, in a suicide bombing. But of course with Al Qaeda being top of the pops, the mess in Iraq is relegated to third story in the news if that. Worst day for casualties in six months. And another bombing in Baghdad on Al-Arabiya, one of the cable news networks, freedom on the march indeed - what a fucked phrase, and the leader of the free world is spouting it as if he believes it.
BBQ today, with beer mmmm good combination :) Will see how the afternoon pans out :)
Pauly
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Back I'm Back
Guess who's back, back again, Osama's back, tell a friend. Four days before the US presidential election Osama comes back with a new vid and it's in to the number one position with a bullet (taking off those old DJs with the top forty charts). Bit of a worry, he didn't look sick or on the run to me in the video. No comment beyond that from me though.
The Red Sox won the World Series - great to see - when even the Arizona Diamondbacks can win and the Red Sox can't - well, I guess that mantle of worst luck team will just be the Chicago Cubs alone - damn, they just missed the playoffs this year.
The move itself, from bayside Brisbane to northside Brisbane, hmm the moving itself was relatively OK for me - Dad took the day off to help the packers, Mum and I went off to work and then just got back to the new location. And yes, even not having the computer for a few days was OK - but unplugging my TV and my radio, hmm that just is against the grain I think. Not having access to ANY news coverage or entertainment for a whole 36 hours, it beggars belief LOL. Especially when the US election is looming so large and umm err less of a glasstight case, the Apprentice 2 was on LOL.
Having a BBQ at a workmate's place tomorrow - in honour of Jo's 30th, me, Lisa and Mel got invited over. BYO drinks, all food provided :) Should be fun, and be good to see the girls outside of any linkage to work LOL - even the after work drinks on Fridays have more than enough work talk attached to them. Will see what happens :)
And had drinks after work yesterday - couldn't have a blinder due to the fact that I had to remember to take the correct train line home - not Cleveland anymore matey :) but was a good one, was organised by the work social committee (they don't call themselves that, but it boils down to the same thing), was different to the usual Friday haunt, which was nice in a way but they didn't have a pool table LOL. And a different crowd as well - Sharon still has to be good to get away with a few drinks next week, her birthday, Jo was not in the mood for sticking around workmates from my understanding, and Mel had a quick drink and then left - had the car, got to be responsible.
So of the usuals, only Lisa stuck around for any length of time, and she was mainly talking to her friend Leeanne - she of the sticking out hip bones LOL, and were those tan lines I vaguely saw? Hmm, was getting dark and I was trying not to be too obvious, as I believe most of the guys were trying NOT to be :) Also making an appearance that I took note of and talked to, were Melanie, Kate and Nathan. Others who I bumped into were Ceri, Sandy, Lindsay, Jo and Michael (Burns both of them), and Adrian and Kylie turned up after their seven o'clock shifts :)
Was mainly talking to Kate, Nathan and Melanie, slowly getting inebriated three for the price of two drinks and deep fried Chinese sort of stuff - was meant to be yum cha but I thought that term was for fresh food as well? Just talking general stuff with those three, but the thing that stands out in my mind most is Melanie's dirty jokes and her use of the C word. Hmm, always impressed by a girl not afraid of that word - although have to hide that under my faux shock in a workplace setting - watch that space LOL. As in the developing friendship angle, am so NOT going to threaten whatever is going on outside of the workplace if you get what I mean.
Only thing was, due to a) my having to behave and not have a blinder and catch the wrong train and b) still feeling on the outer a bit on the longer term staff members, was that when Adrian, Kylie, Nathan, Kate and Melanie decided to wander off down the Valley to do some dancing, I found myself being responsible to my train schedule mainly and not going with them. Still, watch this space, am slowly but surely making progress on the work friend angle of things with the longer termers LOL.
More later :)
Pauly
The Red Sox won the World Series - great to see - when even the Arizona Diamondbacks can win and the Red Sox can't - well, I guess that mantle of worst luck team will just be the Chicago Cubs alone - damn, they just missed the playoffs this year.
The move itself, from bayside Brisbane to northside Brisbane, hmm the moving itself was relatively OK for me - Dad took the day off to help the packers, Mum and I went off to work and then just got back to the new location. And yes, even not having the computer for a few days was OK - but unplugging my TV and my radio, hmm that just is against the grain I think. Not having access to ANY news coverage or entertainment for a whole 36 hours, it beggars belief LOL. Especially when the US election is looming so large and umm err less of a glasstight case, the Apprentice 2 was on LOL.
Having a BBQ at a workmate's place tomorrow - in honour of Jo's 30th, me, Lisa and Mel got invited over. BYO drinks, all food provided :) Should be fun, and be good to see the girls outside of any linkage to work LOL - even the after work drinks on Fridays have more than enough work talk attached to them. Will see what happens :)
And had drinks after work yesterday - couldn't have a blinder due to the fact that I had to remember to take the correct train line home - not Cleveland anymore matey :) but was a good one, was organised by the work social committee (they don't call themselves that, but it boils down to the same thing), was different to the usual Friday haunt, which was nice in a way but they didn't have a pool table LOL. And a different crowd as well - Sharon still has to be good to get away with a few drinks next week, her birthday, Jo was not in the mood for sticking around workmates from my understanding, and Mel had a quick drink and then left - had the car, got to be responsible.
So of the usuals, only Lisa stuck around for any length of time, and she was mainly talking to her friend Leeanne - she of the sticking out hip bones LOL, and were those tan lines I vaguely saw? Hmm, was getting dark and I was trying not to be too obvious, as I believe most of the guys were trying NOT to be :) Also making an appearance that I took note of and talked to, were Melanie, Kate and Nathan. Others who I bumped into were Ceri, Sandy, Lindsay, Jo and Michael (Burns both of them), and Adrian and Kylie turned up after their seven o'clock shifts :)
Was mainly talking to Kate, Nathan and Melanie, slowly getting inebriated three for the price of two drinks and deep fried Chinese sort of stuff - was meant to be yum cha but I thought that term was for fresh food as well? Just talking general stuff with those three, but the thing that stands out in my mind most is Melanie's dirty jokes and her use of the C word. Hmm, always impressed by a girl not afraid of that word - although have to hide that under my faux shock in a workplace setting - watch that space LOL. As in the developing friendship angle, am so NOT going to threaten whatever is going on outside of the workplace if you get what I mean.
Only thing was, due to a) my having to behave and not have a blinder and catch the wrong train and b) still feeling on the outer a bit on the longer term staff members, was that when Adrian, Kylie, Nathan, Kate and Melanie decided to wander off down the Valley to do some dancing, I found myself being responsible to my train schedule mainly and not going with them. Still, watch this space, am slowly but surely making progress on the work friend angle of things with the longer termers LOL.
More later :)
Pauly
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Last Report For The Week
Well, the computer heads to the box in a couple of hours for the Big Move, so this is probably the last time I will be on for the week - but maybe it will be good to have a break from election coverage. LOL, there will be lots of fun and non political stories after November 2, like Iraq and North Korea and Sudan.
Halliburton moment of the day in this article. $7.2 billion dollars to the company so far, and the article shows how many subcontractors skimming profit are in between the grunts on the ground (the private grunts, not the military ones) and the Pentagon. Outsourcing war, I'm sure it was a good idea at the time LOL. Oh, the example of private contractors they use in the article are those ones whose killing caused all the fighting in Fallujah in April.
Bubba is back in the race, only seven weeks after quadruple bypass surgery. And watching the crowd in the news article on the TV, you could just see the energy raising above a normal Kerry stump speech. Or was it just my interpretation, always have been a Slick Willy fan LOL.
The Iraq story of the day is the looting of 340 tonnes of high explosive sometime over the last eighteen months since the invasion from a storage facility fifty kays south of Baghdad. Yes, the invasion did indeed make America safer (not).
Laters tater - see ya on the other side of this move LOL
Pauly
Halliburton moment of the day in this article. $7.2 billion dollars to the company so far, and the article shows how many subcontractors skimming profit are in between the grunts on the ground (the private grunts, not the military ones) and the Pentagon. Outsourcing war, I'm sure it was a good idea at the time LOL. Oh, the example of private contractors they use in the article are those ones whose killing caused all the fighting in Fallujah in April.
Bubba is back in the race, only seven weeks after quadruple bypass surgery. And watching the crowd in the news article on the TV, you could just see the energy raising above a normal Kerry stump speech. Or was it just my interpretation, always have been a Slick Willy fan LOL.
The Iraq story of the day is the looting of 340 tonnes of high explosive sometime over the last eighteen months since the invasion from a storage facility fifty kays south of Baghdad. Yes, the invasion did indeed make America safer (not).
Laters tater - see ya on the other side of this move LOL
Pauly
Monday, October 25, 2004
Damned Late Night Movies LOL
Hmmph, when I'm trying to get some 'it's Monday morning tomorrow' sleep - you know the sort LOL, the channels put on stuff that is B-grade, but better than going to sleep level LOL. Had Driven on one channel - Sly Stallone as a CART or Indy racer LOL, that somehow manages to head to all the Formula One countries hmm LOL - there was Backdraft on another, pretty stodgy movie, but again, better than going to sleep - and Best Laid Plans, which also looked kinda stodgy, but Reese Witherspoon ironed out any deficiencies LOL, but then I looked up and it was like quarter past twelve ick.
Hmm, this is an interesting article - poor little salmon species, two of them, basically being given an extinction certificate by the Canadian Environment Minister. What's more important, money or biodiversity? If I were in Western Canada I would be watching what has happened with the Grand Banks and the fishing stock there, has basically collapsed, and THEN reassess whether fishing is that important. That said, salmon steaks are a very good meal, especially when wood smoked LOL. Spawning populations down from 25,000 between the two species mid last century, to 110 counted now. If that's not damned near extinction I don't know what is.
And with my comments about Gitmo yesterday, here's something from Iraq that is along the same rolling eyes how stupid and disregarding of your image can you be kind of thing - the CIA taking high value prisoners out of Iraq to undisclosed locations hmmph.
Had a couple of viewpoints from the locals about the no doubt just after November 2 battle of Fallujah over the weekend, and here is the NYT view of the Marines itching for a fight themselves. The troops at the end of the article are sounding pretty bitter about the home front, everyone just must remember that we don't need to stigmatise this generation like the Vietnam vets - support the troops, dislike the policy more like.
What the fuck does Freedom on the March mean anyways? Just reading about that ambush of the Iraqi troops near the Iranian border, and as Iraq descends deeper and deeper into a huge hole, can the President start bloody telling the truth? That he doesn't have a plan for making things better there that DOESN'T involve more bombing, that he is holding off flattening Fallujah until after his own re-election, and that there is probably a majority of Iraqis that want the occupation over with... truth, pfft, there's a joke. And those truths are just on the Iraq thing, let's not even go with the economy and rich friends and crap.
Okies, that's enough spleen vented for this evening LOL.
Later taters
Pauly
Hmm, this is an interesting article - poor little salmon species, two of them, basically being given an extinction certificate by the Canadian Environment Minister. What's more important, money or biodiversity? If I were in Western Canada I would be watching what has happened with the Grand Banks and the fishing stock there, has basically collapsed, and THEN reassess whether fishing is that important. That said, salmon steaks are a very good meal, especially when wood smoked LOL. Spawning populations down from 25,000 between the two species mid last century, to 110 counted now. If that's not damned near extinction I don't know what is.
And with my comments about Gitmo yesterday, here's something from Iraq that is along the same rolling eyes how stupid and disregarding of your image can you be kind of thing - the CIA taking high value prisoners out of Iraq to undisclosed locations hmmph.
Had a couple of viewpoints from the locals about the no doubt just after November 2 battle of Fallujah over the weekend, and here is the NYT view of the Marines itching for a fight themselves. The troops at the end of the article are sounding pretty bitter about the home front, everyone just must remember that we don't need to stigmatise this generation like the Vietnam vets - support the troops, dislike the policy more like.
What the fuck does Freedom on the March mean anyways? Just reading about that ambush of the Iraqi troops near the Iranian border, and as Iraq descends deeper and deeper into a huge hole, can the President start bloody telling the truth? That he doesn't have a plan for making things better there that DOESN'T involve more bombing, that he is holding off flattening Fallujah until after his own re-election, and that there is probably a majority of Iraqis that want the occupation over with... truth, pfft, there's a joke. And those truths are just on the Iraq thing, let's not even go with the economy and rich friends and crap.
Okies, that's enough spleen vented for this evening LOL.
Later taters
Pauly
Sunday, October 24, 2004
Real Life LOL
Hi, just a real life entry as opposed to the websurfing - not much to tell, but did get Robbie Williams' Greatest Hits CD yesterday - I can't stand the guy but he has good songwriters LOL. And on the book front, I bought China Melvielle's Perdigo Street Station - steam punk I think the genre can be termed LOL, the civilization hasn't discovered electricity yet, and lots of mutants around - intriguing book so far, about an eighth of the way in.
Did I mention that it got up to 39 degrees yesterday? Is 31 today, and watching the car racing from down in Surfers Paradise, about an hour south of Brisbane on the Gold Coast (think of Miami Beach and you may have an idea of it LOL - there is actually a suburb called Miami down there) - mmm official Indy Girls LOL, they are fully clothed in a one piece, short sleeves and like shorts as pants and everything but tight tight lycra LOL. The Indy hanger on girls are in less, I would say LOL. But why I am still up in Brisbane and not down there is a, money, and b, as if I could talk to an FHM model without being mute, and c, it's almost too hot to do ANYTHING :)
Hmm, one of my other IE screens has frozen so will save this before trying anything else LOL.
Paul
Did I mention that it got up to 39 degrees yesterday? Is 31 today, and watching the car racing from down in Surfers Paradise, about an hour south of Brisbane on the Gold Coast (think of Miami Beach and you may have an idea of it LOL - there is actually a suburb called Miami down there) - mmm official Indy Girls LOL, they are fully clothed in a one piece, short sleeves and like shorts as pants and everything but tight tight lycra LOL. The Indy hanger on girls are in less, I would say LOL. But why I am still up in Brisbane and not down there is a, money, and b, as if I could talk to an FHM model without being mute, and c, it's almost too hot to do ANYTHING :)
Hmm, one of my other IE screens has frozen so will save this before trying anything else LOL.
Paul
Falling Down
Reminded myself yesterday to mention this movie, due to seeing guys with briefcases on the train into work on Friday. And I was like, what on earth do you put in those briefcases, thinking it, not saying it out loud, and then thinking of D-Fens (Michael Douglas) only having an apple in his briefcase after actually being laid off months before. And then thinking, yeah if Douglas was hot and pissed off in 1993 when the movie came out, just imagine how stressed he would be this year, what with for starters mobile phones which can track you down anywhere LOL.
Life in the West has just gotten faster and faster paced in the last ten years, and thinking the term jobless recovery, and terrorism endless credit that is going to catch up with us all in the end and a fear election campaign yippy skip LOL. Hmm, another DVD to add to the must get list LOL.
Ah good time to take a break from politics and all, the World Series is starting as I write LOL - still before the top of the first, some ceremony going on - god I wish I had pay TV LOL, maybe at the next house :)
Hmm, but back into it though, good Economist article about how oil prices are going through the roof - and isn't it during summer that it is supposed to be cheaper, the northern winter and heating oil needs always spikes it a bit more? That's the thrust of the article, saying that stockpiles in North America can't be guaranteed - ick, $60 a barrel perhaps? LOL of course the Economist was predicted $5 barrels before OPEC got annoyed at the low price about hmm four or five years ago.
Hmm, wondering how much coverage the damage asbestos mining has done in Australia has made it to the rest of the world. Basically up until hmm twenty years ago I think they were big into asbestos mining here, before they realised it was very very dangerous. One of the major companies that did the mining, James Hardie, has scurried off to set up an offshore head office in the Netherlands I believe, leaving the compensation fund for the sick miners a few bob short (bob is slang for pounds, lol back before decimalisation, pounds shillings and pence etc). Basically the company board and executives is made out to be like kitten killers or something equally as repellent, unAustralian even (worst insult you can give over here LOL), and then they go handing out a huge compensation package when they resign.
That 'James Hardie' link is a good background actually, even if it is written by a union LOL. The most background I had before reading that was a Midnight Oil song LOL, Blue Sky Mining. Mmm, hearing that song in the Outback, Antipodean pub in London :)
Mmm, and mention of the Canadian bar just around the corner in Covent Garden - think I went in there to watch some ice hockey once, waiting for the rugby to start at one of the other pubs around. God I loved London :) OMG, is the only pub outside Canada to serve Molson on draught - that's bizarre actually, would have thought the whole I Am Canadian thing would have meant more expat places would have had it, what not even Michigan or Florida LOL.
Four one to Boston bottom of the second, bases loaded for Boston... early in the game but I just feel that this will be a blow out to the Sox, what with being at Fenway, having beaten the Yankees in the pennant race, and the whole twenty years since a World Series and eighty years since a World Series win, they will be up for it. Smack me if the Cards turn out to win it LOL.
And going back to Euro travel days again - it was kinda surreal having a Cold Chisel tribute video in a bar/restaurant in Goreme, central Turkey - although the country does get flooded by Aussie and Kiwi tourists in late April, but yeah, still surreal LOL. What must the locals think of us? Easy marks probably LOL.
Hmm, the New York Times has had some attack dog coverage of Iraq and September 11 the last few weeks - today's target is the reset of military justice a la Guantanamo etc. Didn't even talk to the national security advisor, secretary of state or Congress hmm. 560 people who have stayed in Cuba care of the US Marine Corps, and only four of them have been charged bleah. And don't even get me started on the whole Abu Gharib sort of stuff happening. Very good article actually, as all these in depth ones are - just a bit of a question mark about the timing though, Mr or Ms NYT - right before an election hmm. But good investigative reports over the last week or so.
I would have to say that in my opinion the setting up of Guantanamo outside the juridsticion (sp?) of either the federal courts or the Geneva Convention has done the most damage to America's image over the past few years - yes, even more so than the war in Iraq - politicians lie, wars get started for the wrong reason, governments put through tax cuts at the wrong time of the business cycle LOL, but to just lock up people who MIGHT have done something wrong for indefinite time frames, well, that is just WRONG. Part one of an ongoing series LOL, the NYT article.
Hmm, and a Guardian article on the upcoming battle for Fallujah. I can't see why this isn't a bigger part of the story with the US election, because from my view, asking for Brit troops to cover non Fallujah central Iraq at this point in time just seems to be waiting for the US election to be over before the likelihood of high casualties. It is good to see that the casualty rate this month is 'moderate' compared to the last four months especially, but is it just me getting the feeling that the Americans maybe aren't being aggressive against the insurgents this month, before the election and everything? It's a scandal that a town the size of Wellington is being bombarded daily - the thirteen years of Iraqi no fly zones in microcosm perhaps.
This on the supposed difference between April's fighting and November's (?) - 'This time military planners say the US Marine assaults will be led by special forces, who will pinpoint insurgent positions as they move through the city block by block, pushing the fighters back until they are stopped by the river and trapped by a cordon around the city. That is the theory. Iraq has a nasty habit of turning the theories on their heads. Nowhere more so than here.'
LOL, Maureen Dowd from the NYT on Kerry hunting goose - 'The senator is desperately trying to prove his regular-guydom. He's using more contractions and dropping G's, T's and N's, as Ms. Wilgoren points out, and he drank Budweiser with his male aides while watching a Red Sox game, when you know he was dying for an imported beer.'
LOL, talking of the Red Sox, and no, not just going to do a score update - here is the Guardian's take on their pennant win. Athens versus Sparta indeed LOL.
Lunch time here - time to post this and hope it gets through LOL. Cut and paste Paul cut and paste...
Laters
Pauly
Life in the West has just gotten faster and faster paced in the last ten years, and thinking the term jobless recovery, and terrorism endless credit that is going to catch up with us all in the end and a fear election campaign yippy skip LOL. Hmm, another DVD to add to the must get list LOL.
Ah good time to take a break from politics and all, the World Series is starting as I write LOL - still before the top of the first, some ceremony going on - god I wish I had pay TV LOL, maybe at the next house :)
Hmm, but back into it though, good Economist article about how oil prices are going through the roof - and isn't it during summer that it is supposed to be cheaper, the northern winter and heating oil needs always spikes it a bit more? That's the thrust of the article, saying that stockpiles in North America can't be guaranteed - ick, $60 a barrel perhaps? LOL of course the Economist was predicted $5 barrels before OPEC got annoyed at the low price about hmm four or five years ago.
Hmm, wondering how much coverage the damage asbestos mining has done in Australia has made it to the rest of the world. Basically up until hmm twenty years ago I think they were big into asbestos mining here, before they realised it was very very dangerous. One of the major companies that did the mining, James Hardie, has scurried off to set up an offshore head office in the Netherlands I believe, leaving the compensation fund for the sick miners a few bob short (bob is slang for pounds, lol back before decimalisation, pounds shillings and pence etc). Basically the company board and executives is made out to be like kitten killers or something equally as repellent, unAustralian even (worst insult you can give over here LOL), and then they go handing out a huge compensation package when they resign.
That 'James Hardie' link is a good background actually, even if it is written by a union LOL. The most background I had before reading that was a Midnight Oil song LOL, Blue Sky Mining. Mmm, hearing that song in the Outback, Antipodean pub in London :)
Mmm, and mention of the Canadian bar just around the corner in Covent Garden - think I went in there to watch some ice hockey once, waiting for the rugby to start at one of the other pubs around. God I loved London :) OMG, is the only pub outside Canada to serve Molson on draught - that's bizarre actually, would have thought the whole I Am Canadian thing would have meant more expat places would have had it, what not even Michigan or Florida LOL.
Four one to Boston bottom of the second, bases loaded for Boston... early in the game but I just feel that this will be a blow out to the Sox, what with being at Fenway, having beaten the Yankees in the pennant race, and the whole twenty years since a World Series and eighty years since a World Series win, they will be up for it. Smack me if the Cards turn out to win it LOL.
And going back to Euro travel days again - it was kinda surreal having a Cold Chisel tribute video in a bar/restaurant in Goreme, central Turkey - although the country does get flooded by Aussie and Kiwi tourists in late April, but yeah, still surreal LOL. What must the locals think of us? Easy marks probably LOL.
Hmm, the New York Times has had some attack dog coverage of Iraq and September 11 the last few weeks - today's target is the reset of military justice a la Guantanamo etc. Didn't even talk to the national security advisor, secretary of state or Congress hmm. 560 people who have stayed in Cuba care of the US Marine Corps, and only four of them have been charged bleah. And don't even get me started on the whole Abu Gharib sort of stuff happening. Very good article actually, as all these in depth ones are - just a bit of a question mark about the timing though, Mr or Ms NYT - right before an election hmm. But good investigative reports over the last week or so.
I would have to say that in my opinion the setting up of Guantanamo outside the juridsticion (sp?) of either the federal courts or the Geneva Convention has done the most damage to America's image over the past few years - yes, even more so than the war in Iraq - politicians lie, wars get started for the wrong reason, governments put through tax cuts at the wrong time of the business cycle LOL, but to just lock up people who MIGHT have done something wrong for indefinite time frames, well, that is just WRONG. Part one of an ongoing series LOL, the NYT article.
Hmm, and a Guardian article on the upcoming battle for Fallujah. I can't see why this isn't a bigger part of the story with the US election, because from my view, asking for Brit troops to cover non Fallujah central Iraq at this point in time just seems to be waiting for the US election to be over before the likelihood of high casualties. It is good to see that the casualty rate this month is 'moderate' compared to the last four months especially, but is it just me getting the feeling that the Americans maybe aren't being aggressive against the insurgents this month, before the election and everything? It's a scandal that a town the size of Wellington is being bombarded daily - the thirteen years of Iraqi no fly zones in microcosm perhaps.
This on the supposed difference between April's fighting and November's (?) - 'This time military planners say the US Marine assaults will be led by special forces, who will pinpoint insurgent positions as they move through the city block by block, pushing the fighters back until they are stopped by the river and trapped by a cordon around the city. That is the theory. Iraq has a nasty habit of turning the theories on their heads. Nowhere more so than here.'
LOL, Maureen Dowd from the NYT on Kerry hunting goose - 'The senator is desperately trying to prove his regular-guydom. He's using more contractions and dropping G's, T's and N's, as Ms. Wilgoren points out, and he drank Budweiser with his male aides while watching a Red Sox game, when you know he was dying for an imported beer.'
LOL, talking of the Red Sox, and no, not just going to do a score update - here is the Guardian's take on their pennant win. Athens versus Sparta indeed LOL.
Lunch time here - time to post this and hope it gets through LOL. Cut and paste Paul cut and paste...
Laters
Pauly
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Blogging About Blogs
Just one last article about the election for today (fingers crossed) - not even actually about the election per se, as about the way that some blogs are big into the political analysis. Would be stroking my own ego to even say that what I do here when in Politics mode is analyse LOL, I just write about stuff that I like I guess.
Strangest thing about one of the blogs mentioned, Andrew Sullivan come on down LOL, is that he hasn't seemed to have made up his mind about a party or candidate to go for - OMG, there IS such a thing as an undecided voter, or at least blogger LOL.
The weather has been marvellous today, he says sarcastically - it got up to 39 degrees and has been humid as anything. Just melting basically since about ten ayem. And started packing stuff up as the parents are moving next week, Friday to be exact, with me the usual passenger bleah. It will be fun indeed if the weather is this scorching moving day - and am going to have a bit of socialising at work Friday evening, must make sure I get the right train home LOL.
And that's another thing - with this move I will be offline for a few days - apparently the puter will be packed away on Tuesday and I won't have access to it - which although annoying is understandable, and I can do without 90% of what's on it (grits teeth, wipes away potential tears LOL) BUT.... I will be missing at least five days of the Presidential campaign, in all its glory - AARGH! To be cut down to three or four media outlets, all of which are Australian, one of which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, from my anarchic lefty New York Times Guardian view of the process. Will be a stressful few days I know :)
Pauly
Strangest thing about one of the blogs mentioned, Andrew Sullivan come on down LOL, is that he hasn't seemed to have made up his mind about a party or candidate to go for - OMG, there IS such a thing as an undecided voter, or at least blogger LOL.
The weather has been marvellous today, he says sarcastically - it got up to 39 degrees and has been humid as anything. Just melting basically since about ten ayem. And started packing stuff up as the parents are moving next week, Friday to be exact, with me the usual passenger bleah. It will be fun indeed if the weather is this scorching moving day - and am going to have a bit of socialising at work Friday evening, must make sure I get the right train home LOL.
And that's another thing - with this move I will be offline for a few days - apparently the puter will be packed away on Tuesday and I won't have access to it - which although annoying is understandable, and I can do without 90% of what's on it (grits teeth, wipes away potential tears LOL) BUT.... I will be missing at least five days of the Presidential campaign, in all its glory - AARGH! To be cut down to three or four media outlets, all of which are Australian, one of which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, from my anarchic lefty New York Times Guardian view of the process. Will be a stressful few days I know :)
Pauly
Ten Days To Go
Until the US Presidential Election - and no doubt far more than ten days to go until we have a lawyer approved decision - ick, it better not be like 2000 - let's do a recount of electronic votes, yeah I can see that happening LOL. First article of the morning about it, from the LA Times, says that the Dems have given up on the South for this campaign, well apart from Florida.
Hmm, a bit of a downer on the start of the World Series, a Boston student killed by a 'non-lethal' cartridge hitting her in the eye, all that CSI tape just around the corner from Fenway's entrance apparently. Who to blame, the unruly and quite possibly drunk celebrants or the cops who did the shooting, there was a bit of cars burned and rubbish bins through windows going on at the same time. Still, anarchy doesn't deserve death - will wait to see what the investigation shows.
Good article about Formula One here - saying how the British Grand Prix is under threat but that no matter what happens Bernie Ecclestone will get richer, and the interest in the race is who comes second to Michael LOL. Best humour bit was the kid pressing the crossing button even though his mother doesn't want to cross LOL.
Hmm, Kobe Bryant is talking to the media again - and even more surprisingly the Denver Nuggets want to sign him - yeah, that would be good, have him playing in the state where his accuser got too stressed out to go ahead with the case - distinct difference to not guilty in my mind, more a no contest plea. Ick. Oh, and by the way, who won the basketball last season? Wasn't sure whether they were still playing but I saw the phrase 'season opener Nov 2' in the article hmm.
No wonder the Simpsons chose Springfield as a name for their fictional town LOL, there are SEVENTY ONE of them in 36 states in the Union. Article about the election from Springfield Missouri is where I got that nugget of information from LOL.
For all the talk of constitutional amendments and stuff, this quote, from the Missouri article is very apt - '"People are so short-sighted," he says. "They can vote against abortion but there'll still be abortions. They can vote against gays but there'll still be gays."'
Ick - the Republicans have brought out a new fear ad, with wolves gathering waiting for a Kerry win - I hate to say it, but if it is in the right markets (which I'm sure the Republicans have figured out) it could be very effective. Security moms etc - reminds me of the ads saying that mortgage rates will rise under a Labor government in Australia the election just gone, or there was an ad in New Zealand in the 1975 election with dancing cossacks, saying that a vote for Labour (we keep the U in the NZ spelling LOL) is a vote for the Soviet Union - most memorable ads ever in a New Zealand campaign LOL, and had nothing to do with truth - ah the 70s LOL.
Security moms pfft, worried about keeping their families safe from terrorism, has anyone actually gone out and asked that (in a non-biased way lol, do you want to keep your family safe from terrorists is a loaded question), are you WORRIED about terrorism in Grand Falls North Dakota LOL - yes, September 11 was horrid, but New York and Washington were the cities hit, it wasn't as if there was targetting of Michigan or California or whatever. This is very much a fear election, and has basically been a fear presidency.
Oh, this is interesting, if not altogether unexpected LOL - 'The president, meanwhile, has surprised some of his supporters by deciding to take a rest from the trail, withdrawing to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, for the weekend.' It's obviously been all the stress of having people disagree with him LOL.
Good article in the Washington Post here, the Prez has been to Pennsylvania 41 times since being President - is he ever actually in Washington LOL - well he ran last time on the premise of bringing an outsider's view of the Beltway. Oh, there's just too many lies and misleading statements from both sides to even start trying to list them all, lol I just link to articles you can read the information just as well as I can :)
Mmm, Bubba aka Slick Willy is going to make election appearances this time around, based on doctor's advice of course, what with bypass surgery a month or so ago. If Gore had just used Clinton a bit more in his campaigning rather than twisting himself in knots on whether to use brainy Bill or Monica Bill, ah, what iffing LOL.
Statement from John McCain on one of the talking head shows today - 'He added, "The rhetoric in this campaign is as bad on both sides or worse than I have ever seen it -- on both sides."' - this was after saying that Bush was a safe pair of hands in Iraq, well he would have to say that wouldn't he - mmm President McCain, thinking that he would have gone with the Powell rather than Rumsfeld Doctrine in Iraq. Arrgh, what iffing again LOL.
Is it just me or is the debate much more toxic this time around than anything I have seen previously in US politics? Oh, well apart from the 2002 mid terms and the Willie Horton Dukakis sinking ads in 88 LOL. The Republicans will say if Bush gets in that of course we have been right in everything we have done in the last four years, even if the pinko media kept harassing us - the Dems will be well at least that is over and by the way you stole the election last time around LOL. Just a feeling I am getting about the motivation behind each campaign.
Oh, and this is good, an Iranian newspaper is supporting Dubya winning the election. Oh, and that creep in Italy, Silvio Berlusconi wants the Republicans back in as well LOL.
Just had a disturbing thought, if there is a terrorist attack on a polling booth or city or something on election day, will there be contingency plans to extend the voting or will the voters have to turn up at a poll even though they might be bombed on polling day? Scenario from an article I read a couple months ago. The results would be seriously skewed if half of the voters were too afraid to venture out for the day or glued to their TV sets...
Another tax break that was too good for Bush to pass up LOL. Read about this in this week's Economist actually - will get rid of export subsidies (good) but will be a big lolly grab for lots of companies in the short term - up to $136 billion I think I read. Now that will be covered by the federal surplus of course LOL - what, we are in deficit, get rid of the reality based thinking and it is all God's work LOL, and He works in mysterious ways :)
Okies, gotta get offline for a bit cos there are phone calls expected or some crap. Get a second line would be the best option, and make sure it is ADSL or ISDN LOL. Remind me that I want to mention the movie Falling Down next entry (hopefully later this afternoon).
Pauly
Hmm, a bit of a downer on the start of the World Series, a Boston student killed by a 'non-lethal' cartridge hitting her in the eye, all that CSI tape just around the corner from Fenway's entrance apparently. Who to blame, the unruly and quite possibly drunk celebrants or the cops who did the shooting, there was a bit of cars burned and rubbish bins through windows going on at the same time. Still, anarchy doesn't deserve death - will wait to see what the investigation shows.
Good article about Formula One here - saying how the British Grand Prix is under threat but that no matter what happens Bernie Ecclestone will get richer, and the interest in the race is who comes second to Michael LOL. Best humour bit was the kid pressing the crossing button even though his mother doesn't want to cross LOL.
Hmm, Kobe Bryant is talking to the media again - and even more surprisingly the Denver Nuggets want to sign him - yeah, that would be good, have him playing in the state where his accuser got too stressed out to go ahead with the case - distinct difference to not guilty in my mind, more a no contest plea. Ick. Oh, and by the way, who won the basketball last season? Wasn't sure whether they were still playing but I saw the phrase 'season opener Nov 2' in the article hmm.
No wonder the Simpsons chose Springfield as a name for their fictional town LOL, there are SEVENTY ONE of them in 36 states in the Union. Article about the election from Springfield Missouri is where I got that nugget of information from LOL.
For all the talk of constitutional amendments and stuff, this quote, from the Missouri article is very apt - '"People are so short-sighted," he says. "They can vote against abortion but there'll still be abortions. They can vote against gays but there'll still be gays."'
Ick - the Republicans have brought out a new fear ad, with wolves gathering waiting for a Kerry win - I hate to say it, but if it is in the right markets (which I'm sure the Republicans have figured out) it could be very effective. Security moms etc - reminds me of the ads saying that mortgage rates will rise under a Labor government in Australia the election just gone, or there was an ad in New Zealand in the 1975 election with dancing cossacks, saying that a vote for Labour (we keep the U in the NZ spelling LOL) is a vote for the Soviet Union - most memorable ads ever in a New Zealand campaign LOL, and had nothing to do with truth - ah the 70s LOL.
Security moms pfft, worried about keeping their families safe from terrorism, has anyone actually gone out and asked that (in a non-biased way lol, do you want to keep your family safe from terrorists is a loaded question), are you WORRIED about terrorism in Grand Falls North Dakota LOL - yes, September 11 was horrid, but New York and Washington were the cities hit, it wasn't as if there was targetting of Michigan or California or whatever. This is very much a fear election, and has basically been a fear presidency.
Oh, this is interesting, if not altogether unexpected LOL - 'The president, meanwhile, has surprised some of his supporters by deciding to take a rest from the trail, withdrawing to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, for the weekend.' It's obviously been all the stress of having people disagree with him LOL.
Good article in the Washington Post here, the Prez has been to Pennsylvania 41 times since being President - is he ever actually in Washington LOL - well he ran last time on the premise of bringing an outsider's view of the Beltway. Oh, there's just too many lies and misleading statements from both sides to even start trying to list them all, lol I just link to articles you can read the information just as well as I can :)
Mmm, Bubba aka Slick Willy is going to make election appearances this time around, based on doctor's advice of course, what with bypass surgery a month or so ago. If Gore had just used Clinton a bit more in his campaigning rather than twisting himself in knots on whether to use brainy Bill or Monica Bill, ah, what iffing LOL.
Statement from John McCain on one of the talking head shows today - 'He added, "The rhetoric in this campaign is as bad on both sides or worse than I have ever seen it -- on both sides."' - this was after saying that Bush was a safe pair of hands in Iraq, well he would have to say that wouldn't he - mmm President McCain, thinking that he would have gone with the Powell rather than Rumsfeld Doctrine in Iraq. Arrgh, what iffing again LOL.
Is it just me or is the debate much more toxic this time around than anything I have seen previously in US politics? Oh, well apart from the 2002 mid terms and the Willie Horton Dukakis sinking ads in 88 LOL. The Republicans will say if Bush gets in that of course we have been right in everything we have done in the last four years, even if the pinko media kept harassing us - the Dems will be well at least that is over and by the way you stole the election last time around LOL. Just a feeling I am getting about the motivation behind each campaign.
Oh, and this is good, an Iranian newspaper is supporting Dubya winning the election. Oh, and that creep in Italy, Silvio Berlusconi wants the Republicans back in as well LOL.
Just had a disturbing thought, if there is a terrorist attack on a polling booth or city or something on election day, will there be contingency plans to extend the voting or will the voters have to turn up at a poll even though they might be bombed on polling day? Scenario from an article I read a couple months ago. The results would be seriously skewed if half of the voters were too afraid to venture out for the day or glued to their TV sets...
Another tax break that was too good for Bush to pass up LOL. Read about this in this week's Economist actually - will get rid of export subsidies (good) but will be a big lolly grab for lots of companies in the short term - up to $136 billion I think I read. Now that will be covered by the federal surplus of course LOL - what, we are in deficit, get rid of the reality based thinking and it is all God's work LOL, and He works in mysterious ways :)
Okies, gotta get offline for a bit cos there are phone calls expected or some crap. Get a second line would be the best option, and make sure it is ADSL or ISDN LOL. Remind me that I want to mention the movie Falling Down next entry (hopefully later this afternoon).
Pauly
Friday, October 22, 2004
Casualties? What Casualties?
The phrase from the Blues Brothers, 'we're on a mission from God' rings true with this story. When Pat Robertson is scared, the rest of us should run for the hills LOL.
And here are some wildlife pics of the year as judged by the Guardian. And no, I don't think seals or frogs or bears have political tendencies to the left LOL, so a purely apolitical piece in the Guardian - lol love ya to bits really guys :)
Just a quick one tonight, has been an exhausting day and week and is damned hot right now, how am I going to get to sleep LOL. The girls weren't in the mood for a drink, which was probably a good thing - Jo is off in Sydney, Mel had the horrors of a free bar last night, and Sharon has to be good so that she can be let out for her birthday LOL - she did call me sweetie though :)
Spot ya tomorrow morning
Pauly
And here are some wildlife pics of the year as judged by the Guardian. And no, I don't think seals or frogs or bears have political tendencies to the left LOL, so a purely apolitical piece in the Guardian - lol love ya to bits really guys :)
Just a quick one tonight, has been an exhausting day and week and is damned hot right now, how am I going to get to sleep LOL. The girls weren't in the mood for a drink, which was probably a good thing - Jo is off in Sydney, Mel had the horrors of a free bar last night, and Sharon has to be good so that she can be let out for her birthday LOL - she did call me sweetie though :)
Spot ya tomorrow morning
Pauly
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Don't Get Too Excited Guys, It Was Only The Pennant
Yes yes, I know it was the Yankees and all, and it was the first time in baseball that a team had come back from three nil down, but it's not the World Series. OK, I lie, let's celebrate for at least twenty four hours LOL, until they figure out who is going to lose to the Sox :) mmm, it MAY come true, Massachusetts v Texas in the baseball LOL.
'Only two North American sports teams had come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series - the 1942 Maple Leafs against Detroit and the 1975 Islanders against Pittsburgh in a sport called hockey. Surely, you remember hockey.' - ouch, especially on that last sentence LOL.
Onto the more mundane topic of politics, this is an interesting one - trying to figure out how all these newly registered voters will tick their papers. The poll in the article says it is 61 to 39 in favour of Kerry, but who is trusting the polls this time around LOL.
Eh, it's not only Iraq that is a mess in the Middle East - yet another disturbing story from the Gaza Strip here. What can one say to stuff like this, what can be an appropriate reaction?
And going to mention but not going to link to the latest Madrid bombing footage. Thank god it didn't have any sound otherwise it could have been as traumatic as those executions in Iraq. I could see some people frozen not sure what to do and they were right next to the explosion about ten seconds later - too smokey afterwards, at least in the footage I saw, to see anything, thank goodness. Evil happens in the world, but I don't need to see it graphically on my TV screen thank you very much.
Gods, lol am I gonna be sucked into watching The Apprentice Two - is on now, 10.30 timeslot, think it is just starting hmm - how can a show where the competitors are all so uptight and WEARING TIES and corporate wear be rating well? Ah well, I hear the reality shows are starting to tank this season in North America, so there is hope yet LOL. Well, maybe apart from Survivor :) although even the Big S has it's good seasons and bad seasons.
Oh gods, Trump TV aka apprentice is like watching a bad team meeting at work - 'what does he bring to the table' and other such sayings indeed. Blech. Let's play the team meeting game though lol, who are the attractive people in this meeting :)
Talking of meetings, had our Xmas Party organising committee meeting, six and a half weeks to go and our first meeting LOL. Lot of good ideas flying around the room and all, Sara from Billing the girl who we were drinking with on Appreciation Tuesday, very fit, is on the team LOL, but above and beyond just Sara is the fact that there are only two guys on the team - BIG smile LOL. But of courseeeee I'm gonna behave LOL, being part of the committee means I can't get slaughtered on the night - another good thing.
Rolls eyes, the girls on the apprentice are saying they will sell more ice cream because of their more advanced skill sets - well if that's what they are calling tits and ass nowadays LOL LOL. But here comes the bad meetings vision LOL, a nominated boss in the girls team Yvana is open doors policy bleah. Was a good take off of this show in Doonesbury a couple weeks back LOL.
I'm getting sucked into watching this showwwwwwwww aargh LOL. Or at least my usual trick of listening and one eye on the TV and one eye on the puter :)
Laters guys
Pauly
'Only two North American sports teams had come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series - the 1942 Maple Leafs against Detroit and the 1975 Islanders against Pittsburgh in a sport called hockey. Surely, you remember hockey.' - ouch, especially on that last sentence LOL.
Onto the more mundane topic of politics, this is an interesting one - trying to figure out how all these newly registered voters will tick their papers. The poll in the article says it is 61 to 39 in favour of Kerry, but who is trusting the polls this time around LOL.
Eh, it's not only Iraq that is a mess in the Middle East - yet another disturbing story from the Gaza Strip here. What can one say to stuff like this, what can be an appropriate reaction?
And going to mention but not going to link to the latest Madrid bombing footage. Thank god it didn't have any sound otherwise it could have been as traumatic as those executions in Iraq. I could see some people frozen not sure what to do and they were right next to the explosion about ten seconds later - too smokey afterwards, at least in the footage I saw, to see anything, thank goodness. Evil happens in the world, but I don't need to see it graphically on my TV screen thank you very much.
Gods, lol am I gonna be sucked into watching The Apprentice Two - is on now, 10.30 timeslot, think it is just starting hmm - how can a show where the competitors are all so uptight and WEARING TIES and corporate wear be rating well? Ah well, I hear the reality shows are starting to tank this season in North America, so there is hope yet LOL. Well, maybe apart from Survivor :) although even the Big S has it's good seasons and bad seasons.
Oh gods, Trump TV aka apprentice is like watching a bad team meeting at work - 'what does he bring to the table' and other such sayings indeed. Blech. Let's play the team meeting game though lol, who are the attractive people in this meeting :)
Talking of meetings, had our Xmas Party organising committee meeting, six and a half weeks to go and our first meeting LOL. Lot of good ideas flying around the room and all, Sara from Billing the girl who we were drinking with on Appreciation Tuesday, very fit, is on the team LOL, but above and beyond just Sara is the fact that there are only two guys on the team - BIG smile LOL. But of courseeeee I'm gonna behave LOL, being part of the committee means I can't get slaughtered on the night - another good thing.
Rolls eyes, the girls on the apprentice are saying they will sell more ice cream because of their more advanced skill sets - well if that's what they are calling tits and ass nowadays LOL LOL. But here comes the bad meetings vision LOL, a nominated boss in the girls team Yvana is open doors policy bleah. Was a good take off of this show in Doonesbury a couple weeks back LOL.
I'm getting sucked into watching this showwwwwwwww aargh LOL. Or at least my usual trick of listening and one eye on the TV and one eye on the puter :)
Laters guys
Pauly
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Three Allllllll Let's Have It
LOL, an English soccer chant in the title, in view of the comeback Boston are making in the American League Championship Series - another win this morning (Aussie time), to take it to a game seven - dare we hope Red Sox nation?
My net is going somewhat slowly at the moment, because I have found the wonder of downloading music again - but freaking dial up speed, just thought I would mention that my fave song of the last couple months is The Reason by Hoobastank :) Nice lyrics and stuff, and is what I am downloading at the moment. Is it from a legal source, who knows LOL?
Hmm, the Simpsons have gone downhill the last few seasons - tonight's episode, no doubt a season and a half behind North America, has Homer doing Queer Eye - shakes head, is sad...
Just thought I would do a random thought couple of paragraphs or whatever that I was thinking of in the train to work this morning - see how busy my mind is or something, when I should be relaxing LOL...
Listening to REM Out of Time - thinking of Green - saw it in the store in the five dollar bin eek - but when I get it next it will be Green Mark III LOL - REM are coming to Brisbane in concert, will they play much of their old stuff - Alicia Keys is also doing a concert in town, mmm thinking of being in the front row, Falling indeed - Springstein last concert I went to played mostly new stuff but still good - Dem concerts after 30 years of sitting on the fence - Born in the USA was taken over by Reagan cheerleaders, but was really about Nam - the Rising is a good CD and song - thinking Billy Joel seeing the lights go down in Broadway - ground zero at the WTC -
- Losing My Religion my fave song, do I need to update my fave songs as I'm doing with my movies? - how can I think of doing that to my attempted suicide song, sooooo important in my life, in both good and bad ways - talking of fave movies, which to choose in my new top five, The Beach or Coyote Ugly, can only have one stupid cheesey movie in the top five at any one time - both have good soundtracks - Lee Ann Rimes take on All Saints - thinking of the commentary on the CyUg DVD - Seinfeld DVDs are coming out soon - Xmas present perhaps - what to get for Xmas presents for V? - something to do with the NZ trip? -
Back to thinking of Green - I Remember California, especially the lyric Trident Submarines - wow, that was before the Soviet Union collapsed, geez I feel old LOL - most of my fave CDs are around that time - geez, high school was a waste of time - mmm French Canadian girl in the Habs hockey jersey - listening to Rage Against the Machine playing 500 in the seventh form common room - fave subject was History, geez and if I had gone to uni only interesting topic was Politics, and then I land a job later in Foreign Affairs -
- thinking of Metallica, which brings me to my closest school mates - thinking of the wedding I went to, before that friendship went south - hope this one in January isn't the same - thinking of London, and the fact that I didn't have breakfast at home, either a chocolate bar or muffin on the way to work - drinking with Mark and Jo and enjoying my time there -
not so much the Berlin Wall falling I noticed, as the Romanian revolution over Xmas 89 - oh no, I'm thinking too much, I'll cause myself a seizure with all the electrical brain storm that goes with it -
There was more, as I didn't have a pen and paper with me to write everything I was thinking of down, but the above is how far my mind wanders even at the quietest times :)
More (probably) in another entry later tonight...
Paul
My net is going somewhat slowly at the moment, because I have found the wonder of downloading music again - but freaking dial up speed, just thought I would mention that my fave song of the last couple months is The Reason by Hoobastank :) Nice lyrics and stuff, and is what I am downloading at the moment. Is it from a legal source, who knows LOL?
Hmm, the Simpsons have gone downhill the last few seasons - tonight's episode, no doubt a season and a half behind North America, has Homer doing Queer Eye - shakes head, is sad...
Just thought I would do a random thought couple of paragraphs or whatever that I was thinking of in the train to work this morning - see how busy my mind is or something, when I should be relaxing LOL...
Listening to REM Out of Time - thinking of Green - saw it in the store in the five dollar bin eek - but when I get it next it will be Green Mark III LOL - REM are coming to Brisbane in concert, will they play much of their old stuff - Alicia Keys is also doing a concert in town, mmm thinking of being in the front row, Falling indeed - Springstein last concert I went to played mostly new stuff but still good - Dem concerts after 30 years of sitting on the fence - Born in the USA was taken over by Reagan cheerleaders, but was really about Nam - the Rising is a good CD and song - thinking Billy Joel seeing the lights go down in Broadway - ground zero at the WTC -
- Losing My Religion my fave song, do I need to update my fave songs as I'm doing with my movies? - how can I think of doing that to my attempted suicide song, sooooo important in my life, in both good and bad ways - talking of fave movies, which to choose in my new top five, The Beach or Coyote Ugly, can only have one stupid cheesey movie in the top five at any one time - both have good soundtracks - Lee Ann Rimes take on All Saints - thinking of the commentary on the CyUg DVD - Seinfeld DVDs are coming out soon - Xmas present perhaps - what to get for Xmas presents for V? - something to do with the NZ trip? -
Back to thinking of Green - I Remember California, especially the lyric Trident Submarines - wow, that was before the Soviet Union collapsed, geez I feel old LOL - most of my fave CDs are around that time - geez, high school was a waste of time - mmm French Canadian girl in the Habs hockey jersey - listening to Rage Against the Machine playing 500 in the seventh form common room - fave subject was History, geez and if I had gone to uni only interesting topic was Politics, and then I land a job later in Foreign Affairs -
- thinking of Metallica, which brings me to my closest school mates - thinking of the wedding I went to, before that friendship went south - hope this one in January isn't the same - thinking of London, and the fact that I didn't have breakfast at home, either a chocolate bar or muffin on the way to work - drinking with Mark and Jo and enjoying my time there -
not so much the Berlin Wall falling I noticed, as the Romanian revolution over Xmas 89 - oh no, I'm thinking too much, I'll cause myself a seizure with all the electrical brain storm that goes with it -
There was more, as I didn't have a pen and paper with me to write everything I was thinking of down, but the above is how far my mind wanders even at the quietest times :)
More (probably) in another entry later tonight...
Paul
Monday, October 18, 2004
The Canada Slot
Hi all, just doing a check of the Canadian news, and CBC is doing a Greatest Canadian series over the next couple of months - the top ten are still to be decided, but the top fifty to eleventh spot are in a list in this Globe and Mail article.
And the Great White Northerners are really going to miss their hockey as the labour dispute goes on - this journalist goes into almost loving or obsessive detail as to how the Hockey Night In Canada show WOULD have been if only the season had started. Ron would have turned up at 2.30 at Air Canada Centre, Don at 5.30, and the other lesser teams settling down in their seats at Montreal and Vancouver LOL.
I do love Canada ya know :) maybe I shouldn't but I do...
Paul
And the Great White Northerners are really going to miss their hockey as the labour dispute goes on - this journalist goes into almost loving or obsessive detail as to how the Hockey Night In Canada show WOULD have been if only the season had started. Ron would have turned up at 2.30 at Air Canada Centre, Don at 5.30, and the other lesser teams settling down in their seats at Montreal and Vancouver LOL.
I do love Canada ya know :) maybe I shouldn't but I do...
Paul
Tobacco Nazis
First I would like to say I am not a smoker - well, umm, after a few beers a packet of Malboro's (royalties this way please Mr Cowboy LOL) starts looking attractive - but at most, a social smoker. But is tobacco illegal yet? No? Well, would someone please tell me why the anti tobacco brigade have so much power nowadays? The proposed new rule that got me most annoyed in an 'it's their own bodies isn't it' way was the fact that yes, there will be smoking areas in beer gardens in Queensland next year, but no, there won't be any entertainment or any food allowed in those beer gardens. Like, if people want to put ash in their food let them go for gold, it all goes down the same throat anyways LOL. Well, at least without access to pokie machines, smokers won't be problem gamblers anymore.
I just find it so hypocritical of Western governments to go all out about the evils of smoking etc, but if they really hated it, why not ban it, that would be more understandable to me. Then who would pay the shortfall in taxes - well, in George Bush's America, deficit what deficit, but you know what I mean. And beer is just as evil a drug, and yes, playing devil's advocate here, I like beer LOL, but it does just as much damage as tobacco does. Where are the anti alcohol nazis, and not meaning the anti drink driving brigade...
Oh gods, have to change the channel, or am going to be drawn into this show like a car crash LOL - the Secret Life of Fleas on SBS. The female gets on top during reproduction and the male is the complex one LOL, and the female can store male flea reproductive materials (again with the suppression LOL) for up to several months. Too late, I have to go find a link for this show LOL. A flea can take fifteen times it's weight in blood in a DAY. And that's about enough of flea information methinks.
The Red Sox got a pasting yesterday 19 to 8, and playing sudden death baseball today managed to snatch a 12th innings win, after being down a run in the ninth. Still hard to see them winning three in a row - or more to the point, the Yanks losing three. Wellington versus Canterbury in the NPC Final back home, go Lions :) And that's enough of the sport for today at least.
Guardian article wondering out loud how mentally astute Dubya is. Just thought I would give the source in the first two words so if you do go in and read you can't blame me for knowing the angle the site is aiming from :) whatever you think about the article, you have to admit that Bush didn't look comfortable in the debates. And when did he last see a Democratic or undecided voter, apart from the St Louis debate?
And whatever I think of the Administration, Bob Herbert of the New York Times umm is both a much better writer and more on the attack than I am - '...obsessively hawkish middle-aged men who ran and hid when they were of fighting age...' - now THAT'S harsh, though true LOL. Very good article, please read. And he has also been attack dog on moves to disenfranchise black voters, especially in Florida.
And isn't the phrase President Kerry getting more and more comfortable? Although, purely in a hypothetical sense, it would be interesting to see how much more of the international system the Bush Administration could shred with another four years - hypothetical only please - still too damned close to call and too nerve wracking to think about.
'After the Saxonburg rally the crowd were greeted by a handful of Kerry supporters. One man wore a hood with wires on to imitate the victims of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. Arguments broke out and abuse was shouted. One woman, driving an SUV, twice steered her car off the road, apparently aiming at the protesters. In 2004, American election rallies are not for the faint-hearted.'
Oh, and here is a smattering of love sent the Guardian's way for suggesting foreigners write emails to Ohioans to try and change their minds about who to vote for. Limey bastards indeed, goodness what do they think of the New York Times or Washington Post LOL. And this is to a newspaper in one of the few countries that have sent troops to Iraq - lol, what about Poland you may ask :P - one of the writers says remember the War of 1812, hmm was a draw I thought, with both Toronto AND Washington getting burned to the ground LOL. Not a place for the faint hearted indeed... remember, this is to an ally that seems to believe in the First Amendment even though it doesn't have it...
Oh, and finally, thanks to theGirl's comment, first on my entire journal woohoo, on the previous posting. And strangely, after my first link to a sexually based website, my daily readership goes way up - who woulda thought :)
Later taters
Paul
I just find it so hypocritical of Western governments to go all out about the evils of smoking etc, but if they really hated it, why not ban it, that would be more understandable to me. Then who would pay the shortfall in taxes - well, in George Bush's America, deficit what deficit, but you know what I mean. And beer is just as evil a drug, and yes, playing devil's advocate here, I like beer LOL, but it does just as much damage as tobacco does. Where are the anti alcohol nazis, and not meaning the anti drink driving brigade...
Oh gods, have to change the channel, or am going to be drawn into this show like a car crash LOL - the Secret Life of Fleas on SBS. The female gets on top during reproduction and the male is the complex one LOL, and the female can store male flea reproductive materials (again with the suppression LOL) for up to several months. Too late, I have to go find a link for this show LOL. A flea can take fifteen times it's weight in blood in a DAY. And that's about enough of flea information methinks.
The Red Sox got a pasting yesterday 19 to 8, and playing sudden death baseball today managed to snatch a 12th innings win, after being down a run in the ninth. Still hard to see them winning three in a row - or more to the point, the Yanks losing three. Wellington versus Canterbury in the NPC Final back home, go Lions :) And that's enough of the sport for today at least.
Guardian article wondering out loud how mentally astute Dubya is. Just thought I would give the source in the first two words so if you do go in and read you can't blame me for knowing the angle the site is aiming from :) whatever you think about the article, you have to admit that Bush didn't look comfortable in the debates. And when did he last see a Democratic or undecided voter, apart from the St Louis debate?
And whatever I think of the Administration, Bob Herbert of the New York Times umm is both a much better writer and more on the attack than I am - '...obsessively hawkish middle-aged men who ran and hid when they were of fighting age...' - now THAT'S harsh, though true LOL. Very good article, please read. And he has also been attack dog on moves to disenfranchise black voters, especially in Florida.
And isn't the phrase President Kerry getting more and more comfortable? Although, purely in a hypothetical sense, it would be interesting to see how much more of the international system the Bush Administration could shred with another four years - hypothetical only please - still too damned close to call and too nerve wracking to think about.
'After the Saxonburg rally the crowd were greeted by a handful of Kerry supporters. One man wore a hood with wires on to imitate the victims of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. Arguments broke out and abuse was shouted. One woman, driving an SUV, twice steered her car off the road, apparently aiming at the protesters. In 2004, American election rallies are not for the faint-hearted.'
Oh, and here is a smattering of love sent the Guardian's way for suggesting foreigners write emails to Ohioans to try and change their minds about who to vote for. Limey bastards indeed, goodness what do they think of the New York Times or Washington Post LOL. And this is to a newspaper in one of the few countries that have sent troops to Iraq - lol, what about Poland you may ask :P - one of the writers says remember the War of 1812, hmm was a draw I thought, with both Toronto AND Washington getting burned to the ground LOL. Not a place for the faint hearted indeed... remember, this is to an ally that seems to believe in the First Amendment even though it doesn't have it...
Oh, and finally, thanks to theGirl's comment, first on my entire journal woohoo, on the previous posting. And strangely, after my first link to a sexually based website, my daily readership goes way up - who woulda thought :)
Later taters
Paul
An R-Rating
Hi all - well, it's 11 o'clock Sunday night, I'm not sleepy and the highlight of the Aria Awards was seeing Kasey Chambers' dress - not quite a Rebecca Twigley, but in the same ballpark - just saved a moth that the cat had half eaten a wing off, and thought I might as well write a bit, with pen and paper as the computer would be too loud to turn on at this time of night.
Sex. Contrary to the personality I try to cultivate, especially through this blog, I am not an asexual sophisticated socialite, who appreciates the female form only artistically or aesthetically LOL - could we BE any further from the truth? The truth is I am the typical male, though I try to suppress it in my own mind as much as possible. In real life on first encounters I can be painfully shy, and the shyness gets worse the greater the attraction. Although I am getting better at that with age, not sure whether it's really better or just better acting LOL.
When left to my own devices (always dangerous) I feel I have the usual typical male appetite for porn etc. Although again, there is that suppression reflex - when I first started buying Penthouse etc it would be from a newsagent in another part of town, the brown paper bag treatment, keep it for a couple of days, a week at most, and then throw it out in a sense of overwhelming shame and guilt. To an extent, that guilt haunts me still, even in this 21st century Britney Spears Paris Hilton Pamela Anderson porn just a google away world we have now. Most of the time I still feel some sort of shortcoming or failure on my part for going to, shall we say, dodgy sites.
This site seems refreshing though (caution - material of an explicit sexual nature through link). I have always preferred words and stories on the subject rather than pics or vids - using your imagination rather than seeing the same platinum blonde girls with fake... smiles etc etc. I'm sure you get the drift. And with blogs of this nature, from what I have seen/read, most of them peter out to a slow end or bring too much of the rest of their real lives into it.
This girl has managed to stay near enough to the central point of her writing for ten months now, with the mentioning of work and an outside life adding depth to her scenario rather than overwhelming the central thrust (as it were) of her blog. No blog could survive on sex alone I feel, and the glimpses of other parts of her life make me wonder what sort of mate or drinking buddy she could be - platonically of course LOL.
And I think it is incredibly brave to put so much of your intimate self on the web - I know it is meant to be MOSTLY anonymous, but just thinking back to that Washington Congressional intern who was outted earlier this year after writing a fairly softcore account of her three or four boyfriends. I wonder if I were in a situation of serial dating shall we say whether I could write that freely (suppress suppress LOL, see how well I am trying to tiptoe delicately around this entire entry!).
Instant messaging yeah sure, I can be very open in that environment, but blogs or emails, hmm - and I think it would come across differently writing as a guy as well. Would it be more of a boast?
Anyways, think I will cut and paste (when on computer) this and email it to the author of that linked site, just to let her know I appreciated the reading material - and no, not just in THAT way. Notes of appreciation are usually good :)
Pauly
Sex. Contrary to the personality I try to cultivate, especially through this blog, I am not an asexual sophisticated socialite, who appreciates the female form only artistically or aesthetically LOL - could we BE any further from the truth? The truth is I am the typical male, though I try to suppress it in my own mind as much as possible. In real life on first encounters I can be painfully shy, and the shyness gets worse the greater the attraction. Although I am getting better at that with age, not sure whether it's really better or just better acting LOL.
When left to my own devices (always dangerous) I feel I have the usual typical male appetite for porn etc. Although again, there is that suppression reflex - when I first started buying Penthouse etc it would be from a newsagent in another part of town, the brown paper bag treatment, keep it for a couple of days, a week at most, and then throw it out in a sense of overwhelming shame and guilt. To an extent, that guilt haunts me still, even in this 21st century Britney Spears Paris Hilton Pamela Anderson porn just a google away world we have now. Most of the time I still feel some sort of shortcoming or failure on my part for going to, shall we say, dodgy sites.
This site seems refreshing though (caution - material of an explicit sexual nature through link). I have always preferred words and stories on the subject rather than pics or vids - using your imagination rather than seeing the same platinum blonde girls with fake... smiles etc etc. I'm sure you get the drift. And with blogs of this nature, from what I have seen/read, most of them peter out to a slow end or bring too much of the rest of their real lives into it.
This girl has managed to stay near enough to the central point of her writing for ten months now, with the mentioning of work and an outside life adding depth to her scenario rather than overwhelming the central thrust (as it were) of her blog. No blog could survive on sex alone I feel, and the glimpses of other parts of her life make me wonder what sort of mate or drinking buddy she could be - platonically of course LOL.
And I think it is incredibly brave to put so much of your intimate self on the web - I know it is meant to be MOSTLY anonymous, but just thinking back to that Washington Congressional intern who was outted earlier this year after writing a fairly softcore account of her three or four boyfriends. I wonder if I were in a situation of serial dating shall we say whether I could write that freely (suppress suppress LOL, see how well I am trying to tiptoe delicately around this entire entry!).
Instant messaging yeah sure, I can be very open in that environment, but blogs or emails, hmm - and I think it would come across differently writing as a guy as well. Would it be more of a boast?
Anyways, think I will cut and paste (when on computer) this and email it to the author of that linked site, just to let her know I appreciated the reading material - and no, not just in THAT way. Notes of appreciation are usually good :)
Pauly
Sunday, October 17, 2004
All You Needed To Know...
About the US Presidential Debates, are in this easy to digest article - and yes, it is another humorous take on things :) Brooks, the writer, has boiled down the big issues, as the candidates saw/said them, and mashed them all together, lol kind of like the election ads I hear are going on over there at the moment, but in a funny, not terrifying sense.
Wow, Detroit is the biggest Iraqi city outside of Iraq. Learn a new thing every day, lol I knew that Michigan was biggest concentration of Arab Americans, but not specifically the Iraqi connection. Can go to sleep happy tonight, LOL always should learn a new thing every day, and I have and it's not even lunchtime LOL.
But on the other side of the ledger, military voters are dividing three to one in favour of Dubya, apparently. Interesting, what with the casualties they are taking in Iraq.
Winding down for the morning here, lol more attention in umm chatrooms than on news websites, spot ya later peeps.
Pauly
Wow, Detroit is the biggest Iraqi city outside of Iraq. Learn a new thing every day, lol I knew that Michigan was biggest concentration of Arab Americans, but not specifically the Iraqi connection. Can go to sleep happy tonight, LOL always should learn a new thing every day, and I have and it's not even lunchtime LOL.
But on the other side of the ledger, military voters are dividing three to one in favour of Dubya, apparently. Interesting, what with the casualties they are taking in Iraq.
Winding down for the morning here, lol more attention in umm chatrooms than on news websites, spot ya later peeps.
Pauly
Hollywood Goes To The Polls
Very very funny article this, about who is right wing and left wing in Hollywood. Sodom and Gomorrah indeed, and the Republican target that keeps on giving LOL. Passion of the Christ versus Fahrenheit 9/11, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and Ben Affleck versus Big Arnie and Shannon Doherty LOL.
Very funny, from EITHER side of the electoral divide you are sitting on at the moment, Pauly's number one recommended website read at the moment, and NOT depressing LOL :)
Very funny, from EITHER side of the electoral divide you are sitting on at the moment, Pauly's number one recommended website read at the moment, and NOT depressing LOL :)
Life In Baghdad
Hey all - just started reading the latest Iraqi reports, and thought I would link a few into here. Still as depressing as ever, but it's not going away, so have to write about it sometimes. This is a good one, from the San Francisco Chronicle, detailing the Iraqi reaction to all the chaos. And on a similar slant, this is from a BBC reporter, from the Western foreign viewpoint. Both as depressing as each other actually - did the Viet Cong target journalists and non military foreigners in that war?
And don't others find it ironic that Saddam's Presidential compound, that was supposedly the heart of evil when he was the boss, suddenly got new owners and was called the Green Zone, centre of all that was supposedly sweetness and light in Iraq? I don't think the 'landlord' - population of Iraq - is happy with either tenant LOL. And yes, Afghanistan is still unsecure and everything, but people are still flowing back into the country - with Iraq they are wanting to leave.
Oh, and this is a worrying development - well, at least as worrying and developing as the whole US mission in Iraq already was. A platoon refusing to do a supply mission because they thought it was suicide - the trucks they would have been driving were not armoured or something. Morale must be going through the floor for the US Army and Marines with this coming out so publicly.
There are and will be no winners in this conflict, it appears.
Oh, and this one - I linked a report a few days ago about a restaurant in Fallujah being bombed, and here is confirmation apparently, in amongst a wider report of how that city is doing - 'Falluja's most popular kebab restaurant used to be the place to go at the end of the day to break the Ramadan fast - but that was bombed by the Americans this week.'
US troops are dying and starting to disobey orders, Western foreign non military workers are either being kidnapped or are too afraid to leave the Green Zone, Iraqi civilians are bearing the brunt of the bombings and insurgency from both sides of the conflict, the insurgents are dying as well, but the religious ones especially have their God to save them. No winners, none at all.
That's enough depression for just now - will try and find some good or at least non-Iraq news for my next post...
Paul
And don't others find it ironic that Saddam's Presidential compound, that was supposedly the heart of evil when he was the boss, suddenly got new owners and was called the Green Zone, centre of all that was supposedly sweetness and light in Iraq? I don't think the 'landlord' - population of Iraq - is happy with either tenant LOL. And yes, Afghanistan is still unsecure and everything, but people are still flowing back into the country - with Iraq they are wanting to leave.
Oh, and this is a worrying development - well, at least as worrying and developing as the whole US mission in Iraq already was. A platoon refusing to do a supply mission because they thought it was suicide - the trucks they would have been driving were not armoured or something. Morale must be going through the floor for the US Army and Marines with this coming out so publicly.
There are and will be no winners in this conflict, it appears.
Oh, and this one - I linked a report a few days ago about a restaurant in Fallujah being bombed, and here is confirmation apparently, in amongst a wider report of how that city is doing - 'Falluja's most popular kebab restaurant used to be the place to go at the end of the day to break the Ramadan fast - but that was bombed by the Americans this week.'
US troops are dying and starting to disobey orders, Western foreign non military workers are either being kidnapped or are too afraid to leave the Green Zone, Iraqi civilians are bearing the brunt of the bombings and insurgency from both sides of the conflict, the insurgents are dying as well, but the religious ones especially have their God to save them. No winners, none at all.
That's enough depression for just now - will try and find some good or at least non-Iraq news for my next post...
Paul
Saturday, October 16, 2004
WOOHOO I have PICS LOL
Gotta give a plug for the company concerned, Hello :)
And yes, I know I probably sound very newbie about it, but not having access to pics on here has frustrated the hell out of me sometimes :)
Pauly
And yes, I know I probably sound very newbie about it, but not having access to pics on here has frustrated the hell out of me sometimes :)
Pauly
Comments
Finally played around with the buttons on my settings, and, if anyone wants to leave comments on my blog, I THINK I have set it up so now you can :) Before that it was only registered users who could comment, and with my blinding popularity aside, lol, it was only me regged. So let me know what you think, please :) Six billion blogs in the naked city, this has been one of them LOL.
Good LA Times Article
This one is in today, saying that because of Sept 11 and all the immigration tightening up, the United States sometimes seems to be closed for foreigners. Visa delays and even with the best allies, Australia and Britain for instance, oh, let's take retina scans and finger prints - do we get read our rights before or after the fingerprinting LOL.
I didn't like US Immigration even BEFORE Sept 11, and since then they have become even MORE scary. Oh, and bringing in the checks to land borders as well as the airport ones - won't be too long before Canadians and Mexicans have to jump through hoops as well.
Pauly
I didn't like US Immigration even BEFORE Sept 11, and since then they have become even MORE scary. Oh, and bringing in the checks to land borders as well as the airport ones - won't be too long before Canadians and Mexicans have to jump through hoops as well.
Pauly
Sausage Sizzle and Other Stuff
First off, Walmart versus the World moment - the largest company in the world is deciding to build a store a half mile away from Mexico's most important Aztec site - hmm, how far away are the big stores from the Colosseum in Rome, the Pyramids and similar. Ah well, they got planning approval and all, it must be alright then LOL. 'A small altar unearthed during the construction of the Wal-Mart store will be preserved in its parking lot.' - well, that's nice LOL, having visions of the Seinfeld lost in the carpark episode here, oh, Aztec altar LOL Jerry would have gotten more than just a talking to if he had done stuff on THAT lol.
So yeah, had a sausage sizzle to start fund raising for the work Xmas party yesterday - I volunteered to set up etc, and got half an hour out of real work to do it (volunteered my lunch break, but my boss said take the half hour as 'work' time), woohoo. But I thought that guys did the cooking in sausage sizzles, bbqs etc, it's the unwritten rule? Not at this one LOL - I was left buttering bread and cutting the sausage links LOL - and it was a GIRL doing the cooking, although I have to admit, a pretty one, so it wasn't as harsh seeing the fairer sex do men's work LOL - and yes, I AM joking :)
So hello to Naomi, from the ninth floor (we HAVE a ninth floor LOL?) and Annette and a couple of others whose names escape me at the moment. Was kind of glad I wasn't cooking though, when the stove blew up and all we could cook with was one medium size electric frypan LOL. Ah, funny story for future telling, and we could at least still cook it - had it in the boardroom on the ground floor (yes, another place new to me) instead of outside - apparently we had it outside last year but the council closed it down LOL, cos is a council park on the rest of the block, hmmph, permits LOL, it's just a sausage sizzle - can't bring out the we are doing it for the kids line, which could have won them over, alcohol for an office Xmas party doesn't quite have the same ring LOL.
And by opening my mouth at the wrong time, I also became the casual day fund raising money pixie (yes, I put pixie in the email out to workmates LOL), gold coin donation, thought about shower me with gold in the email, but thought better of it, and put shower me with coins instead LOL.
Coalition of the willing eh? I know that merely encouraging the French, Germans etc isn't going to bring up a miraculous couple of divisions to cover an American downsizing in Iraq, and not meaning to diss Bulgaria, but the way to allow more American troops home is NOT to continue to niggle at Old Europe - eg, accusing the French of being corruptable by Saddam's potential oil money LOL.
Just doing my daily check of the Iraqi situation - basically the third website I check every time I come online, after BBC News and Doonesbury LOL, something about the order of spelling LOL - when is it going to become more positive? If ever - was the coverage of Vietnam this constantly depressing?
Anyways, back to my day yesterday - went out after work for a few drinks, and damn honey voiced female customers, lol and to kill time waiting for the others, and wanting work down NOW NOW NOW LOL. Tried to do a nine segment order (we usually only do five, but I was on my own time) but the timing it gave wasn't NOW NOW NOW, had to ring her back and get the work reassigned, since I was WELL over shift LOL. Moving desks as well, getting an aisle seat now, yay, my preference over window seats, yes you get the view but you don't get the random social contact that an aisle seat gives :) and although I have only moved within my quad, the problem staff member of a couple weeks ago is moving way down the other end of the floor yay.
Anyways, to the pub, Mel and I wandered over together, and Jo turned up, and then it was Lisa and Trevor. Usual usual, Mel's flatmates had taken her car halfway to Sydney and back, she was not happy, Jo is annoyed with work, Lisa is actually on work probation LOL, she chucked a hissy fit last Friday in a meeting with her boss, and the temp agency was called in and everything.
Melanie G and her mate, whose name last night I finally figured out was Nathan, had come in shortly after Mel and I had gotten there, and were playing pool, with me trying to avoid looking at Melanie when she was bending over taking shots LOL, and eventually our two groups kind of merged, and were playing pool and everything - was good to have a chat to another attractive girl :) Not sure whether it's just the vagueness of a good evening out, or whether Melanie and I were actually having a few good conversations - teaching me the J outlay of correct pool ball placement in the rack, doing the two or one shot gesture to each other NOOOOOOO not those ones LOL.
She said to me that she likes seeing me do well at work, since she trained me for a couple of days with the initial ridealongs and stuff - oh mi goodness a specific to me conversation LOL, and she was out to get drunk (liked my use of the word inebriated LOL) last night since she had broken up with her boyfriend of eighteen months on Tuesday. Ouch. And got a hug from her which stuck in my mind cos it was unexpected, think I gave her one back when she left :) She had gone off smoking for three weeks before the breakup, was back on it last night, yeppers, been there done that with stress lol when I almost became a real smoker in Earlsfield.
Sharon and Justin turned up after her shift ended at 7pm, shortly after Lisa left for the night, and as he said later, Justin made sure I didn't buy any more beers last night, because I was generous the first time we went out. Trevor was getting well pissed and a bit obnoxious with the girls, or so it was reported to me, so we kind of said our goodbyes and then caught up a bit further down the footpath - by this stage of the night it was Mel, Justin, Sharon and myself, and we wandered up to Royal George in the Valley. By the time I had started feeling hungry, the Orient had shut their kitchen down and also no luck at the RG - so Sharon and myself went to dodgy kebab place and she had chips and I had a pizza slice. Should have had more to eat, but when I should have been getting some food in LOL, was having a good conversation with Melanie, lol good new contact to put on the work instant messaging methinks :)
Caught the quarter to midnight train home, after spending about an hour chatting to Sharon and Justin about who knows what, LOL yes that good a night, and with that little food - should have eaten more throughout the day, McMuffin, real muffin, sausage sizzle and pizza slice does not suffice.
Okies, thats the what happened during my day email out of the way, off to websurf and maybe the websurfing report for the week :)
Pauly
So yeah, had a sausage sizzle to start fund raising for the work Xmas party yesterday - I volunteered to set up etc, and got half an hour out of real work to do it (volunteered my lunch break, but my boss said take the half hour as 'work' time), woohoo. But I thought that guys did the cooking in sausage sizzles, bbqs etc, it's the unwritten rule? Not at this one LOL - I was left buttering bread and cutting the sausage links LOL - and it was a GIRL doing the cooking, although I have to admit, a pretty one, so it wasn't as harsh seeing the fairer sex do men's work LOL - and yes, I AM joking :)
So hello to Naomi, from the ninth floor (we HAVE a ninth floor LOL?) and Annette and a couple of others whose names escape me at the moment. Was kind of glad I wasn't cooking though, when the stove blew up and all we could cook with was one medium size electric frypan LOL. Ah, funny story for future telling, and we could at least still cook it - had it in the boardroom on the ground floor (yes, another place new to me) instead of outside - apparently we had it outside last year but the council closed it down LOL, cos is a council park on the rest of the block, hmmph, permits LOL, it's just a sausage sizzle - can't bring out the we are doing it for the kids line, which could have won them over, alcohol for an office Xmas party doesn't quite have the same ring LOL.
And by opening my mouth at the wrong time, I also became the casual day fund raising money pixie (yes, I put pixie in the email out to workmates LOL), gold coin donation, thought about shower me with gold in the email, but thought better of it, and put shower me with coins instead LOL.
Coalition of the willing eh? I know that merely encouraging the French, Germans etc isn't going to bring up a miraculous couple of divisions to cover an American downsizing in Iraq, and not meaning to diss Bulgaria, but the way to allow more American troops home is NOT to continue to niggle at Old Europe - eg, accusing the French of being corruptable by Saddam's potential oil money LOL.
Just doing my daily check of the Iraqi situation - basically the third website I check every time I come online, after BBC News and Doonesbury LOL, something about the order of spelling LOL - when is it going to become more positive? If ever - was the coverage of Vietnam this constantly depressing?
Anyways, back to my day yesterday - went out after work for a few drinks, and damn honey voiced female customers, lol and to kill time waiting for the others, and wanting work down NOW NOW NOW LOL. Tried to do a nine segment order (we usually only do five, but I was on my own time) but the timing it gave wasn't NOW NOW NOW, had to ring her back and get the work reassigned, since I was WELL over shift LOL. Moving desks as well, getting an aisle seat now, yay, my preference over window seats, yes you get the view but you don't get the random social contact that an aisle seat gives :) and although I have only moved within my quad, the problem staff member of a couple weeks ago is moving way down the other end of the floor yay.
Anyways, to the pub, Mel and I wandered over together, and Jo turned up, and then it was Lisa and Trevor. Usual usual, Mel's flatmates had taken her car halfway to Sydney and back, she was not happy, Jo is annoyed with work, Lisa is actually on work probation LOL, she chucked a hissy fit last Friday in a meeting with her boss, and the temp agency was called in and everything.
Melanie G and her mate, whose name last night I finally figured out was Nathan, had come in shortly after Mel and I had gotten there, and were playing pool, with me trying to avoid looking at Melanie when she was bending over taking shots LOL, and eventually our two groups kind of merged, and were playing pool and everything - was good to have a chat to another attractive girl :) Not sure whether it's just the vagueness of a good evening out, or whether Melanie and I were actually having a few good conversations - teaching me the J outlay of correct pool ball placement in the rack, doing the two or one shot gesture to each other NOOOOOOO not those ones LOL.
She said to me that she likes seeing me do well at work, since she trained me for a couple of days with the initial ridealongs and stuff - oh mi goodness a specific to me conversation LOL, and she was out to get drunk (liked my use of the word inebriated LOL) last night since she had broken up with her boyfriend of eighteen months on Tuesday. Ouch. And got a hug from her which stuck in my mind cos it was unexpected, think I gave her one back when she left :) She had gone off smoking for three weeks before the breakup, was back on it last night, yeppers, been there done that with stress lol when I almost became a real smoker in Earlsfield.
Sharon and Justin turned up after her shift ended at 7pm, shortly after Lisa left for the night, and as he said later, Justin made sure I didn't buy any more beers last night, because I was generous the first time we went out. Trevor was getting well pissed and a bit obnoxious with the girls, or so it was reported to me, so we kind of said our goodbyes and then caught up a bit further down the footpath - by this stage of the night it was Mel, Justin, Sharon and myself, and we wandered up to Royal George in the Valley. By the time I had started feeling hungry, the Orient had shut their kitchen down and also no luck at the RG - so Sharon and myself went to dodgy kebab place and she had chips and I had a pizza slice. Should have had more to eat, but when I should have been getting some food in LOL, was having a good conversation with Melanie, lol good new contact to put on the work instant messaging methinks :)
Caught the quarter to midnight train home, after spending about an hour chatting to Sharon and Justin about who knows what, LOL yes that good a night, and with that little food - should have eaten more throughout the day, McMuffin, real muffin, sausage sizzle and pizza slice does not suffice.
Okies, thats the what happened during my day email out of the way, off to websurf and maybe the websurfing report for the week :)
Pauly
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Nuisance Or Obsession?
Just a reference in the title to Kerry's statement he would like terrorism to be a nuisance again - good op ed by Thomas Friedman in today's New York Times - I especially like the last paragraph and last sentence...
'I wish Mr. Kerry were better able to articulate how America is going to get its groove back. But the point he was raising about wanting to put terrorism back into perspective is correct. I want a president who can one day restore Sept. 11th to its rightful place on the calendar: as the day after Sept. 10th and before Sept. 12th. I do not want it to become a day that defines us. Because ultimately Sept. 11th is about them - the bad guys - not about us. We're about the Fourth of July.'
And from today's NYT editorial -
'The president refused to accept any responsibility for the lapse of the ban on assault weapons and completely dodged the question of whether he wanted to see the Supreme Court reverse Roe v. Wade, while Mr. Kerry gave strong responses to both questions. "I believe that the right of choice is a constitutional right," he said. "So I don't intend to see it undone."'
What is it with this Administration and responsibility?
'I wish Mr. Kerry were better able to articulate how America is going to get its groove back. But the point he was raising about wanting to put terrorism back into perspective is correct. I want a president who can one day restore Sept. 11th to its rightful place on the calendar: as the day after Sept. 10th and before Sept. 12th. I do not want it to become a day that defines us. Because ultimately Sept. 11th is about them - the bad guys - not about us. We're about the Fourth of July.'
And from today's NYT editorial -
'The president refused to accept any responsibility for the lapse of the ban on assault weapons and completely dodged the question of whether he wanted to see the Supreme Court reverse Roe v. Wade, while Mr. Kerry gave strong responses to both questions. "I believe that the right of choice is a constitutional right," he said. "So I don't intend to see it undone."'
What is it with this Administration and responsibility?
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Japanese Rush Hour Subway Experience
Hey all - just had an interesting train ride home - it was about fifteen minutes late, only had half the usual number of carriages, and the only difference to something similar to the Japanese subways was that they didn't have the railway staff pushing us in LOL. Was an experience though, though no chances for umm dodginess, and anyways, hmm of COURSE my mother gets into the same exact area of the train as me bleah.
Not much else going on at the moment - got volunteered for helping to organise the office Christmas party, get my face and name known fingers crossed, and even though bleah will be fund raising and probably staying sober most of the party night, will probably be worth it.
Oh, our upgrade of systems at work - don't even go there LOL. Teething problems and everything and hmm will get used to it and be more efficient and all, but the thing I don't understand is people getting so stressed about it - yeah, the bosses are riding us a bit, but the system is something we have got to get used to, and three days is far too short a time to make statements like I hate this blah blah. Just relax, do your best, don't blow a gasket LOL. Oh, two new staff members coming into the team on Monday, Cook Islander and a Kiwi, Maori I think, girls both and the Kiwi is umm quite buff LOL. Behave yourself Pauly :)
Oh, Mel was sick the last couple of days, and got an instant message from her this morning, she had apparently had a nutty weekend, and was now seeing a psych. Been there, done that, got the tshirt LOL - will have to keep an eye out for her...
Hmm, just watching SBS News, is Veteran's Day in Spain or something, and the government didn't invite the US along, instead having a little French contingent in the parade. Oh, geopolitics, how petty things can be. Ah, to have a bit of civility in things again, instead of 'Old Europeing' or Bush bashing...
Later peeps
Pauly
Not much else going on at the moment - got volunteered for helping to organise the office Christmas party, get my face and name known fingers crossed, and even though bleah will be fund raising and probably staying sober most of the party night, will probably be worth it.
Oh, our upgrade of systems at work - don't even go there LOL. Teething problems and everything and hmm will get used to it and be more efficient and all, but the thing I don't understand is people getting so stressed about it - yeah, the bosses are riding us a bit, but the system is something we have got to get used to, and three days is far too short a time to make statements like I hate this blah blah. Just relax, do your best, don't blow a gasket LOL. Oh, two new staff members coming into the team on Monday, Cook Islander and a Kiwi, Maori I think, girls both and the Kiwi is umm quite buff LOL. Behave yourself Pauly :)
Oh, Mel was sick the last couple of days, and got an instant message from her this morning, she had apparently had a nutty weekend, and was now seeing a psych. Been there, done that, got the tshirt LOL - will have to keep an eye out for her...
Hmm, just watching SBS News, is Veteran's Day in Spain or something, and the government didn't invite the US along, instead having a little French contingent in the parade. Oh, geopolitics, how petty things can be. Ah, to have a bit of civility in things again, instead of 'Old Europeing' or Bush bashing...
Later peeps
Pauly
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
RMD?
Yes, yes, I know Fallujah is the most anti-Western city in the Middle East at the moment, but really, the US Air Force bombed a restaurant in that city? Haven for terrorist organisations indeed, hmm no, better not make any jokes about American fast food restaurants or similar, don't need to give the nutters more ideas... but really, let's bomb a restaurant and keep winning hearts and minds LOL.
Transcript here of a report about a crocodile attack Up North - not only did the crocodile wander into a tent to start dragging a guy to the sea, but a 60 year old woman jumped on its back to distract the animal from eating some guy... no way would I go camping in a tent in this country :)
Just a quick one tonite
Pauly :)
Transcript here of a report about a crocodile attack Up North - not only did the crocodile wander into a tent to start dragging a guy to the sea, but a 60 year old woman jumped on its back to distract the animal from eating some guy... no way would I go camping in a tent in this country :)
Just a quick one tonite
Pauly :)
Monday, October 11, 2004
Life Imitating Art?
This article is very Day After Tomorrow, scary...
Climate fear as carbon levels soar
Scientists bewildered by sharp rise of CO2 in atmosphere for second year running Paul Brown, environment correspondent
Monday October 11, 2004 The Guardian
An unexplained and unprecedented rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere two years running has raised fears that the world may be on the brink of runaway global warming.
Scientists are baffled why the quantity of the main greenhouse gas has leapt in a two-year period and are concerned that the Earth's natural systems are no longer able to absorb as much as in the past.
The findings will be discussed tomorrow by the government's chief scientist, Dr David King, at the annual Greenpeace business lecture.
Measurements of CO2 in the atmosphere have been continuous for almost 50 years at Mauna Loa Observatory, 12,000ft up a mountain in Hawaii, regarded as far enough away from any carbon dioxide source to be a reliable measuring point.
In recent decades CO2 increased on average by 1.5 parts per million (ppm) a year because of the amount of oil, coal and gas burnt, but has now jumped to more than 2 ppm in 2002 and 2003.
Above or below average rises in CO2 levels in the atmosphere have been explained in the past by natural events.
When the Pacific warms up during El Niño - a disruptive weather pattern caused by weakening trade winds - the amount of carbon dioxide rises dramatically because warm oceans emit CO2 rather than absorb it.
But scientists are puzzled because over the past two years, when the increases have been 2.08 ppm and 2.54 ppm respectively, there has been no El Niño.
Charles Keeling, the man who began the observations in 1958 as a young climate scientist, is now 74 and still working in the field.
He said yesterday: "The rise in the annual rate to above two parts per million for two consecutive years is a real phenomenon.
"It is possible that this is merely a reflection of natural events like previous peaks in the rate, but it is also possible that it is the beginning of a natural process unprecedented in the record."
Analysts stress that it is too early to draw any long-term conclusions.
But the fear held by some scientists is that the greater than normal rises in C02 emissions mean that instead of decades to bring global warming under control we may have only a few years. At worst, the figures could be the first sign of the breakdown in the Earth's natural systems for absorbing the gas.
That would herald the so-called "runaway greenhouse effect", where the planet's soaring temperature becomes impossible to contain. As the icecaps melt, less sunlight is refected back into space from ice and snow, and bare rocks begin to absorb more heat. This is already happening.
One of the predictions made by climate scientists in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is that as the Earth warms, the absorption of carbon dioxide by vegetation - known as "carbon sink" - is reduced.
Dr Keeling said since there was no sign of a dramatic increase in the amount of fossil fuels being burnt in 2002 and 2003, the rise "could be a weakening of the Earth's carbon sinks, associated with the world warming, as part of a climate change feedback mechanism. It is a cause for concern'.'
Tom Burke, visiting professor at Imperial College London, and a former special adviser to the former Tory environment minister John Gummer, warned: "We're watching the clock and the clock is beginning to tick faster, like it seems to before a bomb goes off."
Peter Cox, head of the Carbon Cycle Group at the Met Office's Hadley Centre for Climate Change, said the increase in carbon dioxide was not uniform across the globe.
Measurements of CO2 levels in Australia and at the south pole were slightly lower, he said, so it looked as though something unusual had occurred in the northern hemisphere.
"My guess is that there were extra forest fires in the northern hemisphere, and particularly a very hot summer in Europe," Dr Cox said. "This led to a die-back in vegetation and an increase in release of carbon from the soil, rather than more growing plants taking carbon out of the atmosphere, which is usually the case in summer."
Scientists are have dubbed the two-year CO2 rise the Mauna Loa anomaly. Dr Cox said one of its most interesting aspects was that the CO2 rises did not take place in El Niño years. Previously the only figures that climbed higher than 2 ppm were El Niño years - 1973, 1988, 1994 and 1998.
The heatwave of last year that is now believed to have claimed at least 30,000 lives across the world was so out of the ordinary that many scientists believe it could only have been caused by global warming.
But Dr Cox, like other scientists, is concerned that too much might be read into two years' figures. "Five or six years on the trot would be very difficult to explain," he said.
Dr Piers Forster, senior research fellow of the University of Reading's Department of Meteorology, said: "If this is a rate change, of course it will be very significant. It will be of enormous concern, because it will imply that all our global warming predictions for the next hundred years or so will have to be redone."
David J Hofmann of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration centre, which also studies CO2, was more cautious.
"I don't think an increase of 2 ppm for two years in a row is highly significant - there are climatic perturbations that can make this occur," he said. "But the absence of a known climatic event does make these years unusual.
"Based on those two years alone I would say it was too soon to say that a new trend has been established, but it warrants close scrutiny."
Climate fear as carbon levels soar
Scientists bewildered by sharp rise of CO2 in atmosphere for second year running Paul Brown, environment correspondent
Monday October 11, 2004 The Guardian
An unexplained and unprecedented rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere two years running has raised fears that the world may be on the brink of runaway global warming.
Scientists are baffled why the quantity of the main greenhouse gas has leapt in a two-year period and are concerned that the Earth's natural systems are no longer able to absorb as much as in the past.
The findings will be discussed tomorrow by the government's chief scientist, Dr David King, at the annual Greenpeace business lecture.
Measurements of CO2 in the atmosphere have been continuous for almost 50 years at Mauna Loa Observatory, 12,000ft up a mountain in Hawaii, regarded as far enough away from any carbon dioxide source to be a reliable measuring point.
In recent decades CO2 increased on average by 1.5 parts per million (ppm) a year because of the amount of oil, coal and gas burnt, but has now jumped to more than 2 ppm in 2002 and 2003.
Above or below average rises in CO2 levels in the atmosphere have been explained in the past by natural events.
When the Pacific warms up during El Niño - a disruptive weather pattern caused by weakening trade winds - the amount of carbon dioxide rises dramatically because warm oceans emit CO2 rather than absorb it.
But scientists are puzzled because over the past two years, when the increases have been 2.08 ppm and 2.54 ppm respectively, there has been no El Niño.
Charles Keeling, the man who began the observations in 1958 as a young climate scientist, is now 74 and still working in the field.
He said yesterday: "The rise in the annual rate to above two parts per million for two consecutive years is a real phenomenon.
"It is possible that this is merely a reflection of natural events like previous peaks in the rate, but it is also possible that it is the beginning of a natural process unprecedented in the record."
Analysts stress that it is too early to draw any long-term conclusions.
But the fear held by some scientists is that the greater than normal rises in C02 emissions mean that instead of decades to bring global warming under control we may have only a few years. At worst, the figures could be the first sign of the breakdown in the Earth's natural systems for absorbing the gas.
That would herald the so-called "runaway greenhouse effect", where the planet's soaring temperature becomes impossible to contain. As the icecaps melt, less sunlight is refected back into space from ice and snow, and bare rocks begin to absorb more heat. This is already happening.
One of the predictions made by climate scientists in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is that as the Earth warms, the absorption of carbon dioxide by vegetation - known as "carbon sink" - is reduced.
Dr Keeling said since there was no sign of a dramatic increase in the amount of fossil fuels being burnt in 2002 and 2003, the rise "could be a weakening of the Earth's carbon sinks, associated with the world warming, as part of a climate change feedback mechanism. It is a cause for concern'.'
Tom Burke, visiting professor at Imperial College London, and a former special adviser to the former Tory environment minister John Gummer, warned: "We're watching the clock and the clock is beginning to tick faster, like it seems to before a bomb goes off."
Peter Cox, head of the Carbon Cycle Group at the Met Office's Hadley Centre for Climate Change, said the increase in carbon dioxide was not uniform across the globe.
Measurements of CO2 levels in Australia and at the south pole were slightly lower, he said, so it looked as though something unusual had occurred in the northern hemisphere.
"My guess is that there were extra forest fires in the northern hemisphere, and particularly a very hot summer in Europe," Dr Cox said. "This led to a die-back in vegetation and an increase in release of carbon from the soil, rather than more growing plants taking carbon out of the atmosphere, which is usually the case in summer."
Scientists are have dubbed the two-year CO2 rise the Mauna Loa anomaly. Dr Cox said one of its most interesting aspects was that the CO2 rises did not take place in El Niño years. Previously the only figures that climbed higher than 2 ppm were El Niño years - 1973, 1988, 1994 and 1998.
The heatwave of last year that is now believed to have claimed at least 30,000 lives across the world was so out of the ordinary that many scientists believe it could only have been caused by global warming.
But Dr Cox, like other scientists, is concerned that too much might be read into two years' figures. "Five or six years on the trot would be very difficult to explain," he said.
Dr Piers Forster, senior research fellow of the University of Reading's Department of Meteorology, said: "If this is a rate change, of course it will be very significant. It will be of enormous concern, because it will imply that all our global warming predictions for the next hundred years or so will have to be redone."
David J Hofmann of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration centre, which also studies CO2, was more cautious.
"I don't think an increase of 2 ppm for two years in a row is highly significant - there are climatic perturbations that can make this occur," he said. "But the absence of a known climatic event does make these years unusual.
"Based on those two years alone I would say it was too soon to say that a new trend has been established, but it warrants close scrutiny."
On The Way Home
Hmm, on the way home today, lol cute girl who works on the other side of my floor at work (Data, not Voice, whose name I don't know) got into the lift at the same time I did, and said her back was sore - I asked whether she had done it at work, she said she didn't know, I WAS going to say well I hope it gets better soon, and all I said was well I hopeagihaldsar or similar LOL - well, she WAS/IS cute.
Then the Masons were out on the town, wearing white suits with black bow ties and going into their secret handshake building - dickheads LOL.
And then a 'police incident' held up the trains at Central - best guess is there was a mugging or something at Brunswick Street station, and the trains were about twenty minutes late. But then when we got on the train the girl next to me (I was reading my Economist LOL) started chatting to the person on the other side of her, and he got off at Morningside and I was soooo wanting to say something to her - starting along the lines of I wish I could do that, talk to strangers blah blah, but as Wynnum got closer and closer I clamped up more and more, and probably inner mind thought good, I can have a heroic failure without saying anything LOL. And yes, as soon as I was off the train I was verbalising these thoughts :)
It may sound strange, but The 4400 reminds me of that episode of the Simpsons where Homer got the big promotion to another company, but the rest of the family hated it, while Scorpio his boss tried to take over the world, while the mundane Homer things still went on LOL.
Just some quick observations :)
Pauly
Then the Masons were out on the town, wearing white suits with black bow ties and going into their secret handshake building - dickheads LOL.
And then a 'police incident' held up the trains at Central - best guess is there was a mugging or something at Brunswick Street station, and the trains were about twenty minutes late. But then when we got on the train the girl next to me (I was reading my Economist LOL) started chatting to the person on the other side of her, and he got off at Morningside and I was soooo wanting to say something to her - starting along the lines of I wish I could do that, talk to strangers blah blah, but as Wynnum got closer and closer I clamped up more and more, and probably inner mind thought good, I can have a heroic failure without saying anything LOL. And yes, as soon as I was off the train I was verbalising these thoughts :)
It may sound strange, but The 4400 reminds me of that episode of the Simpsons where Homer got the big promotion to another company, but the rest of the family hated it, while Scorpio his boss tried to take over the world, while the mundane Homer things still went on LOL.
Just some quick observations :)
Pauly
Late Shift
Hi all - late shift at work today, 11 ayem until 7 pm, so a bit of time to be home earlier in the day rather than later - won't get home until about quarter past eight, eek, so wolf down tea (microwaved up LOL) and see who got kicked out of Australian Idol (it better freaking be Casey), and then watch The 4400 - mini series about missing people returning home - American, so it's been on the airwaves over there a while ago I guess. Wasn't going to watch it, but had it on mute while I was talking to V and gradually got more and more distracted :)
Greg Murphy and Ric Kelly won Bathurst yesterday, some real good thrills and spills - one car launched over the back of another, one car hitting a KANGAROO (yes it does happen) and wrecking half the engine - poor old kanga though, and hmm there seems to have been a reluctance to show the roo flying off the bonnet, as if to say that animals don't get hit by cars blah blah, or that the war in Iraq is fair game for TV coverage (not thinking battle scenes so much, but those shots of Abu Gharib) but the poor little animals LOL, can't show damage to them.
And another very Australian moment, as well as the kangaroo and Bathurst and all, there is Lindy Chamberlain on the morning TV show, she apparently has a website (I wasn't going to put links in today, in a hurry, but a Lindy Chamberlain website is just too surreal LOL), and if you don't know who Lindy is, you are either a young un or have NO idea of Australia at all - although sometimes I wonder if I do, what with Howard getting a fourth term LOL.
Michael Schuhmacher won his thirteenth race of the season in Japan, and Wellington are top of the table in the NPC back home (yay us). Haven't checked the Arsenal score thus far this weekend, but no doubt they won lol - oh, of course, Premiership was on hold, what with the internationals at the moment - England 2 nil over Wales. Yanks up over the Twins, and will play the Red Sox in the AL finals... OMG, Portugal drew 2 ALL with Liechenstein!!!! That's like umm the Faroe Islands (get your atlases out) coming within three points of the US basketball team, yes you/they had a bad Olympics but OMG surely you can still imagine? After the atlas visit of course LOL.
Hmm, sometimes I wonder about my faltering readership LOL - especially when I see some of the popular blogs, maybe I should use the words sex blog more often (although I should be more crude if I REALLY wanna see a spike LOL). Food for thought for later methinks...
More bombs in Iraq, surprise surprise - Australia is SO lucky not to have lost any lives over there thus far. US election and Bush not admitting ANY mistakes bleah. And almost off the front pages of the international papers already is the Sinai bombings, so sad that there is enough terrorism and arguing about terrorism (US and UK politics I'm thinking of here) that there is such a quick turnaround of each tragedy.
Off to work, longgggggggg day ahead, and oh yay, the wonder of the upgrade to look forward to :)
Pauly
Greg Murphy and Ric Kelly won Bathurst yesterday, some real good thrills and spills - one car launched over the back of another, one car hitting a KANGAROO (yes it does happen) and wrecking half the engine - poor old kanga though, and hmm there seems to have been a reluctance to show the roo flying off the bonnet, as if to say that animals don't get hit by cars blah blah, or that the war in Iraq is fair game for TV coverage (not thinking battle scenes so much, but those shots of Abu Gharib) but the poor little animals LOL, can't show damage to them.
And another very Australian moment, as well as the kangaroo and Bathurst and all, there is Lindy Chamberlain on the morning TV show, she apparently has a website (I wasn't going to put links in today, in a hurry, but a Lindy Chamberlain website is just too surreal LOL), and if you don't know who Lindy is, you are either a young un or have NO idea of Australia at all - although sometimes I wonder if I do, what with Howard getting a fourth term LOL.
Michael Schuhmacher won his thirteenth race of the season in Japan, and Wellington are top of the table in the NPC back home (yay us). Haven't checked the Arsenal score thus far this weekend, but no doubt they won lol - oh, of course, Premiership was on hold, what with the internationals at the moment - England 2 nil over Wales. Yanks up over the Twins, and will play the Red Sox in the AL finals... OMG, Portugal drew 2 ALL with Liechenstein!!!! That's like umm the Faroe Islands (get your atlases out) coming within three points of the US basketball team, yes you/they had a bad Olympics but OMG surely you can still imagine? After the atlas visit of course LOL.
Hmm, sometimes I wonder about my faltering readership LOL - especially when I see some of the popular blogs, maybe I should use the words sex blog more often (although I should be more crude if I REALLY wanna see a spike LOL). Food for thought for later methinks...
More bombs in Iraq, surprise surprise - Australia is SO lucky not to have lost any lives over there thus far. US election and Bush not admitting ANY mistakes bleah. And almost off the front pages of the international papers already is the Sinai bombings, so sad that there is enough terrorism and arguing about terrorism (US and UK politics I'm thinking of here) that there is such a quick turnaround of each tragedy.
Off to work, longgggggggg day ahead, and oh yay, the wonder of the upgrade to look forward to :)
Pauly
Sunday, October 10, 2004
Sunday Morning
Hmmph, wake up this morning and yep, can confirm that Howard did win, it's on the international wires, so it must be official.
Ah well, I can console myself with the fact that it is Bathurst Day here - Australia's version of the Indianapolis 500 or the Monaco Grand Prix - ie, biggest motorsport day of the year - mmm six hours of watching cars go around Mount Panorama (the name of the track).
Oh, and I signed up for Amnesty International on Thursday, yay me. Doing something for the world blah blah blah :) Now just going to get hounded for my bank account number blah blah, maybe I should be proactive and ring them first LOL LOL.
Interesting story this one, there's a company in New York that sends wingwomen out with single guys to hit on girls - since wingmen is soooooooo 1980s and Top Gun and all LOL. I dunno, spending $50 an hour to maybe get a REAL date hmm, some people just have too much money LOL.
Later taters
Paul
Ah well, I can console myself with the fact that it is Bathurst Day here - Australia's version of the Indianapolis 500 or the Monaco Grand Prix - ie, biggest motorsport day of the year - mmm six hours of watching cars go around Mount Panorama (the name of the track).
Oh, and I signed up for Amnesty International on Thursday, yay me. Doing something for the world blah blah blah :) Now just going to get hounded for my bank account number blah blah, maybe I should be proactive and ring them first LOL LOL.
Interesting story this one, there's a company in New York that sends wingwomen out with single guys to hit on girls - since wingmen is soooooooo 1980s and Top Gun and all LOL. I dunno, spending $50 an hour to maybe get a REAL date hmm, some people just have too much money LOL.
Later taters
Paul
Saturday, October 9, 2004
Three More Years, Three More Years
Just doing the electoral cycle chant for John Howard - looks like the government has taken out another election hmmph. I don't really mind the Liberals or the Nats really, it is just John Howard who I can't stand, what with him being the public face of locking up asylum seekers and buddying up with the US administration and sending troops to get a trade deal out of it, and not even a very good one. Let's shower the electorate with bribes etc, and running a scare campaign about mortgage rates that had no shred of truth about it.
Basically, if you tone down my attitude towards Bush, you've got my thoughts of Howard easily LOL.
Speaking of which, the Debate seems to have been pretty evenly scored, but a bit more venom in it. Actually got to listen to it on the radio, and yes, it was probably my bias, but Dubya sounded a lot more well don't blame me it could be worse whiney about him - though I'm guessing that could just be his voice. National polls in a dead heat now in the States.
Got two DVDs today - When We Were Kings, the Rumble in the Jungle documentary, and The Royal Tenenbaums - saw Lost in Translation there as well, but it wasn't on sale dammit. Next time perhaps, or maybe The Beach - yeah, I know, lightweight movie, but it brings back good memories :)
Pauly
Basically, if you tone down my attitude towards Bush, you've got my thoughts of Howard easily LOL.
Speaking of which, the Debate seems to have been pretty evenly scored, but a bit more venom in it. Actually got to listen to it on the radio, and yes, it was probably my bias, but Dubya sounded a lot more well don't blame me it could be worse whiney about him - though I'm guessing that could just be his voice. National polls in a dead heat now in the States.
Got two DVDs today - When We Were Kings, the Rumble in the Jungle documentary, and The Royal Tenenbaums - saw Lost in Translation there as well, but it wasn't on sale dammit. Next time perhaps, or maybe The Beach - yeah, I know, lightweight movie, but it brings back good memories :)
Pauly
Weekend News Report
As alluded to in the personal entry this morning (as opposed to the internet news and views one) here is the story about the local bushfires yesterday. Five houses destroyed, state of emergency in Toowoomba, dozens of grass fires around, not nice at all. And it's only October, doh.
Also, before we get too depressed with what is happening in the news, Swiss monastery Saint Bernard dogs for rent LOL - they aren't exactly for sale cos the monks still want them for the tourists in the summer, but hmm efficient helicopters and heat seaking equipment versus slobbery dog with brandy, awww sometimes progress sucks LOL.
Countdown for the second Presidential Debate is underway - hmm whether to watch the webcast or catch the highlights on the net shortly after it has finished LOL. I'm not American, if I was I would be a decided voter, so maybe we will stick with the highlights package LOL.
'Watching' the Anaheim v Boston game at Fenway at the moment, top of the seventh, Boston up 6 to 1 in the game and up two nil in the series, unless there are five runs by Anaheim in the next three innings it will be goodbye Angels. We will see.
Eh, the story I have been avoiding, but with me and my geopolitical bent, it had to come in here, and no, I haven't been avoiding it cos of any bias in the Israel Palestine thing, but just cos it's a horrible story, the bombing on the Sinai coast of the Taba Hilton and a couple of other places. Thirty confirmed dead, about the same number missing, about a hundred injured, virtually every Israeli in Egypt heading home - is the West winning this war on terror at all? Virtually every week there is another strike by terrorists, and yes, we are considering the terrorism/resistance in Iraq differently, because I think there were about 4000 attacks and bombings in August or September alone (in Iraq). And there was a bombing outside the Indonesian Embassy in Paris yesterday as well, a few wounded, a few windows shattered, but still an attack nonetheless.
Speaking of Iraq, that British hostage Ken Bigley was executed this morning. I've had an acquaintance the last week or so emailing me a link to one of those execution video sites - I have NO intention of putting myself off food for a week and having that psychological scar on my brain for a long time - if I want to see stuff, I will decide myself thank you very much - every death in this war, every non-natural causes death, is tragic in itself if you look at each individual case - there is no need to gorge on videos of it, words on news stories are enough thank you very much.
Hmm, the Israeli media doesn't seem to be sure who did the Sinai attacks - the Palestinians or Al Qaeda (or a similar organisation). Reminds me of the Spanish government rushing to blame ETA for the Madrid bombing instead of a wider network. Just what the world needs, a confused and riled Israel - expect Israeli bombings of wider Arab targets over the next week or so.
OMG and guess what, Anaheim got five runs in the ONE innings - top of the eighth, six all. I put the mockers on the Red Sox I guess. I will shut up on baseball predictions from now on LOL. Me, shut up, yeah right :) Boston having used three pitchers in the last one and a bit innings eek.
And there's an election in Afghanistan today as well - this is a scary story related to the poll. What sort of damage could 40 000 litres of petrol do in a city? I have a bad feeling that this one won't be the only sort of plot in that blighted land today.
With that Canadian sub, dunno whether I mentioned it last entry, there has been one death due to the smoke inhalation and one sailor in intensive care. The Chicoutimi (think I spelled it right all by myself LOL) is being towed back to Scotland currently, should arrive there by Monday. Broken down sub story kind of funny, broken down sub with death attached less so.
More Canadian news - Martin is going to use a flying Taj Mahal, basically a Prime Ministerial private jet blah blah, bought by Mulroney as he was on his way out, Chretien refused to use it, and tried to sell it off, but the funniest line out of the story is that Kenny Rogers looked at it, but it wasn't good enough for someone who lives in Branson, Missouri - oh those wacky Americans LOL.
Reading more about the Sinai stuff - geez, I'm glad I saw that part of the world already. I would hate to go through it now, what with Damascus worried about the Americans and Israeli's encircling them, and Egypt about to take another kick on the tourism market - at least Turkey is kinda sorta looking like it could be part of the EU someday in the next century LOL. Before September 11 there seemed to be an Al Qaeda related strike every two or three months, now it seems weekly if not more frequently. Lot of angry people out there currently, both in the West and in the Muslim world.
No WMDs found? Blame France and Russia for trying to get sweetheart deals from Saddam if ever sanctions came off. LOL, that's basically the defence mechanism for Bush and Cheney when the CENTRAL PLANK of the invasion turns out to be a lie. Oh, and blame the CIA as well, they have been a good kicking target since September 11 LOL.
Good related article this one - saying that the whole British reaction to the war and how it started is agree to disagree and move on (rather than the US way of we were right, facts, what facts - and by the way I never said that Iraq was talking to Al Qaeda LOL), which is making the whole NO WMD FOUND story a bit of a yawn. As Freedland says, let's go back to January 2003 and know then that Iraq had NO WMD lol, hmmm, up is down and war is peace and very 1984 eh. But a combination of war fatigue and the hawks saying it doesn't matter how it got started, how are we doing in the here and now, bleah.
Hmm, off the track a bit (thank goodness I hear you say) but this one is about some cloned cats being put up for show in New York. And by show, I mean one of those this is a perfect pedigree blah blah, that the movie Best In Show slung off at.
Okies, off a bit earlier than usual - out shopping, I might pick up a new book or CD or DVD or something - hopefully will be on later to hear the debate or have the pundits filter it for me LOL.
Pauly
Also, before we get too depressed with what is happening in the news, Swiss monastery Saint Bernard dogs for rent LOL - they aren't exactly for sale cos the monks still want them for the tourists in the summer, but hmm efficient helicopters and heat seaking equipment versus slobbery dog with brandy, awww sometimes progress sucks LOL.
Countdown for the second Presidential Debate is underway - hmm whether to watch the webcast or catch the highlights on the net shortly after it has finished LOL. I'm not American, if I was I would be a decided voter, so maybe we will stick with the highlights package LOL.
'Watching' the Anaheim v Boston game at Fenway at the moment, top of the seventh, Boston up 6 to 1 in the game and up two nil in the series, unless there are five runs by Anaheim in the next three innings it will be goodbye Angels. We will see.
Eh, the story I have been avoiding, but with me and my geopolitical bent, it had to come in here, and no, I haven't been avoiding it cos of any bias in the Israel Palestine thing, but just cos it's a horrible story, the bombing on the Sinai coast of the Taba Hilton and a couple of other places. Thirty confirmed dead, about the same number missing, about a hundred injured, virtually every Israeli in Egypt heading home - is the West winning this war on terror at all? Virtually every week there is another strike by terrorists, and yes, we are considering the terrorism/resistance in Iraq differently, because I think there were about 4000 attacks and bombings in August or September alone (in Iraq). And there was a bombing outside the Indonesian Embassy in Paris yesterday as well, a few wounded, a few windows shattered, but still an attack nonetheless.
Speaking of Iraq, that British hostage Ken Bigley was executed this morning. I've had an acquaintance the last week or so emailing me a link to one of those execution video sites - I have NO intention of putting myself off food for a week and having that psychological scar on my brain for a long time - if I want to see stuff, I will decide myself thank you very much - every death in this war, every non-natural causes death, is tragic in itself if you look at each individual case - there is no need to gorge on videos of it, words on news stories are enough thank you very much.
Hmm, the Israeli media doesn't seem to be sure who did the Sinai attacks - the Palestinians or Al Qaeda (or a similar organisation). Reminds me of the Spanish government rushing to blame ETA for the Madrid bombing instead of a wider network. Just what the world needs, a confused and riled Israel - expect Israeli bombings of wider Arab targets over the next week or so.
OMG and guess what, Anaheim got five runs in the ONE innings - top of the eighth, six all. I put the mockers on the Red Sox I guess. I will shut up on baseball predictions from now on LOL. Me, shut up, yeah right :) Boston having used three pitchers in the last one and a bit innings eek.
And there's an election in Afghanistan today as well - this is a scary story related to the poll. What sort of damage could 40 000 litres of petrol do in a city? I have a bad feeling that this one won't be the only sort of plot in that blighted land today.
With that Canadian sub, dunno whether I mentioned it last entry, there has been one death due to the smoke inhalation and one sailor in intensive care. The Chicoutimi (think I spelled it right all by myself LOL) is being towed back to Scotland currently, should arrive there by Monday. Broken down sub story kind of funny, broken down sub with death attached less so.
More Canadian news - Martin is going to use a flying Taj Mahal, basically a Prime Ministerial private jet blah blah, bought by Mulroney as he was on his way out, Chretien refused to use it, and tried to sell it off, but the funniest line out of the story is that Kenny Rogers looked at it, but it wasn't good enough for someone who lives in Branson, Missouri - oh those wacky Americans LOL.
Reading more about the Sinai stuff - geez, I'm glad I saw that part of the world already. I would hate to go through it now, what with Damascus worried about the Americans and Israeli's encircling them, and Egypt about to take another kick on the tourism market - at least Turkey is kinda sorta looking like it could be part of the EU someday in the next century LOL. Before September 11 there seemed to be an Al Qaeda related strike every two or three months, now it seems weekly if not more frequently. Lot of angry people out there currently, both in the West and in the Muslim world.
No WMDs found? Blame France and Russia for trying to get sweetheart deals from Saddam if ever sanctions came off. LOL, that's basically the defence mechanism for Bush and Cheney when the CENTRAL PLANK of the invasion turns out to be a lie. Oh, and blame the CIA as well, they have been a good kicking target since September 11 LOL.
Good related article this one - saying that the whole British reaction to the war and how it started is agree to disagree and move on (rather than the US way of we were right, facts, what facts - and by the way I never said that Iraq was talking to Al Qaeda LOL), which is making the whole NO WMD FOUND story a bit of a yawn. As Freedland says, let's go back to January 2003 and know then that Iraq had NO WMD lol, hmmm, up is down and war is peace and very 1984 eh. But a combination of war fatigue and the hawks saying it doesn't matter how it got started, how are we doing in the here and now, bleah.
Hmm, off the track a bit (thank goodness I hear you say) but this one is about some cloned cats being put up for show in New York. And by show, I mean one of those this is a perfect pedigree blah blah, that the movie Best In Show slung off at.
Okies, off a bit earlier than usual - out shopping, I might pick up a new book or CD or DVD or something - hopefully will be on later to hear the debate or have the pundits filter it for me LOL.
Pauly
Catch Up
Hi all - well yes, been busyish the last couple of days - must have been, because I haven't had any home internet time at all LOL. Work has been interesting because we are ramping up for a major upgrade to our systems on Monday, and basically the old systems went down midday yesterday (Friday), but we still had to work, just doing it paper and pen and some back systems available LOL, and actually having to think a different way - lol was on early shift so only had to do that for three hours, gods being on lates and doing it for seven LOL LOL. Lisa didn't see the suggestion to pick work off the old system and print it off before the thing went down and thought that it was good enough to sit around reading magazines and getting the occasional phone call LOL, hmm she hadn't had a couple of happy days.
Got a really nice email from a sales rep that I did some work for yesterday morning, really easy work (at my current level), setting up one new phone line, and the rep came back with 'OMG Paul you are so bloody great, thank you soooooooooo much' LOL, obviously someone had been on too much coffee, but no it is really nice to get a really appreciative response, because it is just so unexpected. Like when customers say oh my *insert corporate name here* account is really really good, and you guys do a fab job - have come across that a couple of times, and it has basically left me speechless - when customers say it, that is. When internal people say nice stuff, it is just a nice big smile, and when it's a girl hmm asl and photo please lol NOOOOOOO not at all :) not like that in the workplace hehe.
But OMG the amount of banter and more that goes on in that place, I'm not REALLY fussed by it going around me, but I do roll my eyes sometimes - lol, that's something about the average Kiwi bloke, of the post feminism generation, with at one point the top five jobs in the country filled by women (Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, Governor General, Attorney General and Chief Judge), we can be very whipped by the whole equal opportunity, sexual harrassment, all men are rapists kind of argument. Well either that or Once Were Warriors LOL. So yeah, normal reaction at all the sexual banter is to roll my eyes, if it gets too much LOL.
So yeah, socialising the last couple of days, on Thursday had drinks with Mel and Jo and Janet. Mel was just killing time before taking her girlfriend out for an eight month anniversary surprise meal, but hmm is being flirted with by attractive Billing eye candy (female, has a boyfriend but is apparently bi) - Mel is holding the line on that front, which is nice to see. Lisa was due to turn up as well since she was working late Friday, but had to go home cos of personal reasons, something stressing her about her relationship. Jo and Janet and I went for beer and pizza in the Valley, which was very nice - good name for a pizza Chick Magnet LOL, and just had a nice evening, and went home at a respectable hour, just after eight LOL.
OMG Duran Duran have got a new song in the charts - lol, let's get the Wham reunion rumours started again. Hmm, but the tune is from a TV show I think... off to Google it LOL. Ah, off Queer Eye I think...
Last night had another reasonable evening, after killing time in Dymocks (bookstore, the one where the assistant called me darl in front of V LOL), wandered back to the pub, waited around for Mel who turned up late, thought she had actually ditched the idea of pubbing lol, but she brought Lisa with her in her afternoon tea break, and had a quick beer - Mel and I had a longer beer, and her evening with Lennie went well, nice dinner, made up of cheese platters mainly by the sounds, and then off to some gardens and down on the knees and a white rose given - sounds a classy evening :) Mel wandered off to get picked up by Lennie, and said that Sharon would be turning up shortly, so again I watched the cricket for about five minutes. Sharon turned up with Jonathan, who seems a nice guy, but that I hadn't really had a good chat to yet - had a better one over a quick beer on his part, and a longer one with Shazza. Talking movies mainly, as well as work blah blah...
Yesterday was the first real HOT day of the season, only in October so mid to late spring, but walking out from mid morning to the time the sun went down it was nice in the air conditioned office, but as soon as you walked outside, it was like breathing humidity, and as if the wind was hotter than the still air, and it was windy yesterday. The shade didn't even give any relief today, which is the first time this season (I don't say this year, because February March is just as bad if not worse, the previous summer winding down) that has happened. Shade has been good up until yesterday, and looks like we are in for a bad bushfire season. Wednesday there were a couple of big fires that broke out around town, and then yesterday when I was in the pub, it just got smokier and smokier outside, and I thought of Canberra being hit badly by the fires a couple of years ago. Of course, the CBD should be safer than the suburbs, but it was very smokey, and not just cigarettes I'm talking. Think it got up to 36 degrees, Celcius, yesterday.
Hmm, what else is going on personally, as opposed to news and international and internet wise (next entry LOL) - think that is it for now, mmm pizza on Thursday LOL.
Onwards and upwards
Pauly
Got a really nice email from a sales rep that I did some work for yesterday morning, really easy work (at my current level), setting up one new phone line, and the rep came back with 'OMG Paul you are so bloody great, thank you soooooooooo much' LOL, obviously someone had been on too much coffee, but no it is really nice to get a really appreciative response, because it is just so unexpected. Like when customers say oh my *insert corporate name here* account is really really good, and you guys do a fab job - have come across that a couple of times, and it has basically left me speechless - when customers say it, that is. When internal people say nice stuff, it is just a nice big smile, and when it's a girl hmm asl and photo please lol NOOOOOOO not at all :) not like that in the workplace hehe.
But OMG the amount of banter and more that goes on in that place, I'm not REALLY fussed by it going around me, but I do roll my eyes sometimes - lol, that's something about the average Kiwi bloke, of the post feminism generation, with at one point the top five jobs in the country filled by women (Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, Governor General, Attorney General and Chief Judge), we can be very whipped by the whole equal opportunity, sexual harrassment, all men are rapists kind of argument. Well either that or Once Were Warriors LOL. So yeah, normal reaction at all the sexual banter is to roll my eyes, if it gets too much LOL.
So yeah, socialising the last couple of days, on Thursday had drinks with Mel and Jo and Janet. Mel was just killing time before taking her girlfriend out for an eight month anniversary surprise meal, but hmm is being flirted with by attractive Billing eye candy (female, has a boyfriend but is apparently bi) - Mel is holding the line on that front, which is nice to see. Lisa was due to turn up as well since she was working late Friday, but had to go home cos of personal reasons, something stressing her about her relationship. Jo and Janet and I went for beer and pizza in the Valley, which was very nice - good name for a pizza Chick Magnet LOL, and just had a nice evening, and went home at a respectable hour, just after eight LOL.
OMG Duran Duran have got a new song in the charts - lol, let's get the Wham reunion rumours started again. Hmm, but the tune is from a TV show I think... off to Google it LOL. Ah, off Queer Eye I think...
Last night had another reasonable evening, after killing time in Dymocks (bookstore, the one where the assistant called me darl in front of V LOL), wandered back to the pub, waited around for Mel who turned up late, thought she had actually ditched the idea of pubbing lol, but she brought Lisa with her in her afternoon tea break, and had a quick beer - Mel and I had a longer beer, and her evening with Lennie went well, nice dinner, made up of cheese platters mainly by the sounds, and then off to some gardens and down on the knees and a white rose given - sounds a classy evening :) Mel wandered off to get picked up by Lennie, and said that Sharon would be turning up shortly, so again I watched the cricket for about five minutes. Sharon turned up with Jonathan, who seems a nice guy, but that I hadn't really had a good chat to yet - had a better one over a quick beer on his part, and a longer one with Shazza. Talking movies mainly, as well as work blah blah...
Yesterday was the first real HOT day of the season, only in October so mid to late spring, but walking out from mid morning to the time the sun went down it was nice in the air conditioned office, but as soon as you walked outside, it was like breathing humidity, and as if the wind was hotter than the still air, and it was windy yesterday. The shade didn't even give any relief today, which is the first time this season (I don't say this year, because February March is just as bad if not worse, the previous summer winding down) that has happened. Shade has been good up until yesterday, and looks like we are in for a bad bushfire season. Wednesday there were a couple of big fires that broke out around town, and then yesterday when I was in the pub, it just got smokier and smokier outside, and I thought of Canberra being hit badly by the fires a couple of years ago. Of course, the CBD should be safer than the suburbs, but it was very smokey, and not just cigarettes I'm talking. Think it got up to 36 degrees, Celcius, yesterday.
Hmm, what else is going on personally, as opposed to news and international and internet wise (next entry LOL) - think that is it for now, mmm pizza on Thursday LOL.
Onwards and upwards
Pauly
Wednesday, October 6, 2004
Stuff
Hmm, looks like Cheney won slightly in the Vice Prez debate, and it sounds like it was pretty evident him and Edwards didn't like each other, but really, everyone is looking to see whether Dubya can bounce back from his drubbing last Thursday.
Hmm, Dido is coming to Brissie, would consider going, but the tickets are over $110 - hmm, I mean I like her music, and she is hot, but not THAT hot LOL. Mmm, Angelina Jolie, I would pay much more than $110 to see a 'concert' of hers - mm and to be in the front row LOL, sorry, male fantasizing there :)
The Canadian Navy got a new submarine, courtesy of the Brits, on Sunday - two days after setting sail from Scotland to Nova Scotia, the power cuts out. Wonderful eh, no hockey and another sub breaks down LOL. No power means no stabilising of the ship, therefore lotsssssss of rolling and dipping and stuff. Nine crew with smoke inhalation injuries, but well enough to be treated on board - shuddering remembering the Kursk sinking, more submarine thoughts...
Where does the name Chicoutimi come from anyways? Some Iroqouis chief perhaps? Off to google LOL. First (translated) page is that it's a town in la belle province... somewhere in the Sageunay (sp?) area - hmm that name is familiar... where's mapquest LOL. Oh, north of Quebec City... oops, must drag my eyes away from what might have been - tours of the Atlantic provinces, or maybe a trip to see the Red Sox at Fenway (or hmm the Patriots more likely LOL) - snap out of it Pauly... and especially stop mapquesting around Ottawa... :( what might have been...
Anyways, the playoffs are underway in the baseball, Minnesota, Boston and St Louis take first blood in their series. Now that the Mets are out, I'm hoping Boston do something in the post season.
Hmm, reading an NBC affiliate report on the Veep debate - Edwards said the Americans were taking ninety percent of the casualties in the war, Cheney came back with well it's only fifty percent, since the Iraqi security forces are getting killed as well. Rolling my eyes here, what sort of defence of the war is that - oh, let's just double our casualties so that the percentage looks better LOL. And that was a good line about Edward's inexperience, the Dem basically saying if what we have had the last four years is experience, count me out LOL (what he actually said was do we need four more years of 'this kind of experience', just to clarify the CORRECT quote LOL).
OK, reading further into the debate and everything, maybe less a slight Cheney win as a draw - Cheney may come out better because he may have staunched the damage of Grumpy Boy LOL. Edwards comes out well from the reports I am reading.
Okies that's enough for now :)
Later taters
Pauly
Hmm, Dido is coming to Brissie, would consider going, but the tickets are over $110 - hmm, I mean I like her music, and she is hot, but not THAT hot LOL. Mmm, Angelina Jolie, I would pay much more than $110 to see a 'concert' of hers - mm and to be in the front row LOL, sorry, male fantasizing there :)
The Canadian Navy got a new submarine, courtesy of the Brits, on Sunday - two days after setting sail from Scotland to Nova Scotia, the power cuts out. Wonderful eh, no hockey and another sub breaks down LOL. No power means no stabilising of the ship, therefore lotsssssss of rolling and dipping and stuff. Nine crew with smoke inhalation injuries, but well enough to be treated on board - shuddering remembering the Kursk sinking, more submarine thoughts...
Where does the name Chicoutimi come from anyways? Some Iroqouis chief perhaps? Off to google LOL. First (translated) page is that it's a town in la belle province... somewhere in the Sageunay (sp?) area - hmm that name is familiar... where's mapquest LOL. Oh, north of Quebec City... oops, must drag my eyes away from what might have been - tours of the Atlantic provinces, or maybe a trip to see the Red Sox at Fenway (or hmm the Patriots more likely LOL) - snap out of it Pauly... and especially stop mapquesting around Ottawa... :( what might have been...
Anyways, the playoffs are underway in the baseball, Minnesota, Boston and St Louis take first blood in their series. Now that the Mets are out, I'm hoping Boston do something in the post season.
Hmm, reading an NBC affiliate report on the Veep debate - Edwards said the Americans were taking ninety percent of the casualties in the war, Cheney came back with well it's only fifty percent, since the Iraqi security forces are getting killed as well. Rolling my eyes here, what sort of defence of the war is that - oh, let's just double our casualties so that the percentage looks better LOL. And that was a good line about Edward's inexperience, the Dem basically saying if what we have had the last four years is experience, count me out LOL (what he actually said was do we need four more years of 'this kind of experience', just to clarify the CORRECT quote LOL).
OK, reading further into the debate and everything, maybe less a slight Cheney win as a draw - Cheney may come out better because he may have staunched the damage of Grumpy Boy LOL. Edwards comes out well from the reports I am reading.
Okies that's enough for now :)
Later taters
Pauly
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