Synergy And Cross Promotion

Hmm - a dilemma for the new year. As you may or may not be aware, I have started up a flickr account, to which I add piccies of myself and what I have been interested in in my life. Now, I am wondering whether to cross promote myself, by linking to my actual flickr site from here, and to my blog from over there.

The question is, however, do I really want to take away the 'admittedly if you looked hard enough you would figure me out' sense of anonymity I have on here. After all, I am posting pics of my actual self, in amongst all the scenic pics, over at the picture site. Not so concerned about the personal side of my life, the caution is more tilted towards if workmates or bosses found the picture site, be able to see it was me, and then come over this side of the divide, where, all in all I have given a good view of my job, but at times I have been either sarcastic or negative about it.

It was when pictures came into the frame that that Delta air stewardess got sacked, after all. And although if workmates or bosses strayed in here all by themselves, it could be figured out with a bit of concentration who I was, where I work etc, it would be a whole lot easier with personal piccies attached.

But the whole fact that I blog to the world and send pictures to the world, means I should take the consequences anyways, or so some sort of logic could perhaps tell you, but it would be much more fun to get others to work things out than connect the dots for them. A kind of seperation of powers, maybe, between the writing and visual threads of Pauly government :)

What illegal wiretapping LOL?

And anyways, if I don't acknowledge SPECIFIC sites or links from each side of the divide, I always have plausible deniability. Yes, it may seem that a Paul in Brisbane from New Zealand etc etc could be me, but it may well not be as well. Or something like that. With pictures it would be harder to deny, if it came to it...

Hmm, 9/11 doco on TV at the moment. All the domestic shock and international sympathy he had when he had the bullhorn at Ground Zero, and look at him now. And yes, in Pauly world, everything links to everything somewhere in the seven degrees of seperation thought pattern :)

Grateful any readers feedback on this train of thought. Does anyone out there in internet land have a personal issue with linking their own pictures to their own words, or do people prefer to try and keep their online info as far from their real lives as possible?

This is one where I really would like some feedback :)

Paul

Observer

The follow on thought from the previous post is of course, doing it all by myself. There were couples in the botanic gardens and South Bank, cuddling, kissing, and the like, no nothing too graphic - or even on the 'beachfront', the sense of being by myself. If I was with a group of friends, either guys or girls, or with a significant other, I would feel less like an observer, and more a participant in the day. I might have actually gone swimming or at least paddle my toes with a wingman or woman around, rather than the 'guy alone with a camera bad idea' thinking.

Going to the movies by myself is one of the worst habits I ever got into. Sure it gives you independence to see what you really want to see, rather than compromise, but as I have gotten older, it feels stranger and stranger to go out to see a movie by myself. I would love to have a buddy to just go to the movies with or something, but that means going further than I have to establish friendships in Brisbane...

After the day I have had, Brisbane still isn't Wellington in my affections, but it is growing on me :)

Pauly

Energetic

I actually went out today, and not as my usual routine to the shopping mall or a movie theatre. I went into the city with the express idea to take some pictures, and actually had quite a lovely time. By myself of course, but one step at a time people :)

I waited until 1.30pm to head in, meaning I had lunch at home, and had left it too late to pick up a movie as well, which turned out OK actually. I got off the bus outside of City Hall, took the obligatory piccie there, and picked up some extra film - after taking pictures of clouds and spiders at home yesterday, I only had three or four pictures left on the current film. And that was not going to do at all :)

Headed down to the riverfront down by Eagle Street Pier, wandered down to the Botanic Gardens. There are some ugly sculptures in the city - took a pic of one, which was the backdrop to some sparrows drinking from leaky irrigation, but as for the rest, forget it. They is just ugly.

Saw a mother duck with a couple of ducklings, the ducklings still have the fuzzy downy type of feathers. I ummed and ahhed as to whether to take pics, some people came from the opposite direction, and the ducks headed into the undergrowth - I got down next to them to take a pic, obviously a bit too close cos mother duck was hissing at me, but hopefully the pic will come out all right...

Had a lemonade ice block from the cafe, sat down and relaxed for about ten minutes, just taking in what a great idea it had been to come out for the day. Went down to the 'tip' of the gardens, and took in the mangrove walk. Saw a couple of people kayaking across the other side of the river, and that will hopefully be a good picture. A mother and her kid had stopped by the side of the walkway, they had spotted a couple of tiny crabs - I stopped and watched from the side for a couple of minutes, the crabs, not the people, but didn't take a picture. They were very small, and I don't think my zoom would have gone in enough.

Walked across the Goodwill Bridge to South Bank. Walking under the South East Freeway, thought that from underneath the highway looked like a vaulted cathedral - just a stray thought. Stopped in the middle of the bridge for a couple of minutes, just watching the ferries chop their way through the water. Nice and relaxing. And then, on the other side of the river, looked down on the HMAS Diamantina, part of the Maritime Museum.

Thought about going in to the museum, but didn't get around to it - thought instead how much fun it looked like for a kid to run around the old frigate. Oh dear, a kid thought LOL.

Wandered down South Bank, was in the mood for a beer by this stage - walking up a thirst as it were. Went past the South Bank 'beachfront', thinking it would be nice to dip my feet in, but then had the guy by himself with a camera thought, maybe not best if I stopped and looked around - yes, it was best to look straight forward and keep walking LOL. Bikinis, five minutes walk from a city centre, I tell you. Let alone the camera in my hands train of thought - no, not thinking of the women, thinking of the kids, there was a bit of trouble with dodgy people taking pics of kids at South Bank a few months back. One of those clear the beach issues...

By the time I had rushed through the beach area, I was at the Cultural Centre end of South Bank - I had missed going 'inland' to the pubs earlier on the walk. And an entirely different crowd were leaving the Cultural Centre - dressed up, with Dirty Dancing programmes in their hands. Yes, the musical must be in town - nobody puts baby in the corner and such.

Walked across the Victoria Bridge, thinking I might duck into the casino for a quick beer, but then thought maybe the Irish bar below Wintergarden, whose name completely escapes me at the moment. Got a strawberry, banana and lime juice instead from one of those overpriced juice bars, but that got me the strength to go back to St Stephen's Church behind the Post Office, where I had walked to Eagle Street before. I had thought that there were good camera angles on Elizabeth Street there, but didn't take any on the walk down. Took some more piccies of the church and such :)

And then caught the bus home. Was considering taking pics of that sculpture next to the new David Jones complex, but was just too ugly LOL. There is a park, or should I more accurately say, a traffic island, in Lutwyche, with some sort of memorial on top of it, that I would like to have a closer look at sometime - as well as the park just half a block up from that with the cliff face showing to the east. Or perhaps the cemetary as well, tastefully done of course.

And after going out for the afternoon like I had just done, came home and wanted to have a swim. Unfortunately, there had been cleanser chemicals put in the pool or something, so I could dip my feet in, as I wanted to do down at South Bank, but as for swimming, only if I wanted to maybe burn my eyes out LOL.

So the energy went into making my mother a cuppa instead - allow her to put her feet up and watch the tennis. I think the tennis is about the only sport my mother actually allows herself to watch - don't even get her started on how stupid the other sports are, especially rugby :)

Still full of energy, I really did need that swim :)

Pauly

Again On Rage

Rage the television music program, not the emotion. After the 1987 Countdown last night, they had a Rock Arena on show from January 1, 1987 - only nine years ago, but seems so much longer. And on this particular Rock Arena, they had Crowded House - well, I just had to stay up even later to watch it, didn't I?

And then I started getting sleepy, and just hanging out for Don't Dream It's Over. I was going to go to bed after that, but then they immediately went into Mean To Me - something about the line 'and the sound of Te Awamutu' does it to me every time.

Especially after Don't Dream It's Over - I admit, I had tears streaming down my face. Not sure why, homesickness, the lateness of the evening, just listening to fucking damned good songs? I dunno, but whatever it was hit me big time...

Thoughts of London, of Gallipoli, of the rose coloured tint to summer that the Weather With You video always gives. Obviously Crowded House is more than just music to me - somehow their songs have gotten tied up in the emotional parts of my brain for some reason...

It's a similar feeling to when I fly into Wellington, seeing the harbour, the hills etc... similar but not quite the same, because I know that the Wellington feeling is pure homesickness :)

Pauly

Hair Band Alert

Yeah, started watching the 1987 episode of Countdown, the era of Hawke, Thatcher, Gorby and when Reagan wasn't just an aircraft carrier, and Europe's Final Countdown is first off the taxi ranks. I'm sure I have heard that song in car ads the last five years or so, but the leather jackets, the tight pants, the lipstick, the hair - it's the total package LOL. And look, they're moshing now...

Oh. Love this song, Bizarre Love Triangle, by New Order. Love the Frente version even more, but eh, you take what you can get - it was Frente that remade it, am I right? And Crowded House are the hosts this 'week' - hmm, what are you supposed to feel when you see someone who committed suicide later on, thinking of their drummer, who around this time last year I think left this mortal coil. It's been ages since I have seen a pic or video of Kurt Cobain as well...

George Michael with his best Iceman from Top Gun plus stubble look in the Knew You Were Waiting vid. It's interesting how 25 years can change reputations, in the past hour I have watched Michael Jackson, Gary Glitter and George Michael be mentioned on the show. Remember, Georgie boy got caught by that undercover cop exposing himself in the public toilets in LA. Didn't seem to harm his career like the other two though, but still, a dent in his rep nonetheless...

I could go on, Cameo's Word Up just on at the moment, but eh, have said enough about old music already this morning I think :)

Pauly

More Countdown

Oh Mi God. On Rage tonight we have more Countdown episodes from the early 80s, this time 1982, and after starting off with Joan Jett, we have Culture Club when they were actually in the charts with Do You Really Want To Hurt Me, rocketing up the ranks from 21 to 8. How old is Boy George nowadays anyway? Madonna is 47, and she was about the same vintage...

The first music video I remember watching is a toss up between Karma Chameleon by Culture Club or hmm Buffalo Soldier by Bob Marley. A long time ago for either of them anyways LOL. Damned old skool music, it gets me to stay up to marvel at the awfulness of it every time - and just think, there are kids out there today who already think that about my preferred music timeframe of the 90s LOL.

I made it to the refined timeframe of Rage by watching a movie about Ernest Shackleton's expedition to Antarctica 1914-16. I had always thought it was a disaster kind of story, like Scott, but even though Shackleton didn't make it to the Pole, or do the trans-Antarctic thing like he was hoping, he kept all of his crew alive, under the worst of circumstances. A sister expedition, laying supplies for the expedition from the opposite side of the continent, wasn't so lucky though. It's hard to imagine having to have two winters in a row down there, in the circumstances they had back in those days...

OMG - I have NEVER seen this video before, but I love the song - Billy Joel's Allentown... mmm, that was nice - I remember listening to the Billy Joel best of on the way from Ottawa down through New York state and New Jersey on the way to NYC, and also coming to mind is Bruce Springstein, and wanting to watch the Deer Hunter as well all of a sudden - feeling very steel mill, coal mine, blue collar all of a sudden...

Or maybe it was Six Months In A Leaky Boat that was my first video? Hmm.

Almost as scary as how catchy I Love Rock And Roll still is, is the hairstyles and clothing of the live studio audience aargh. And how Bronx or Joisey is Joan Jett's accent? Only one good song in the top ten from Dec 12 1982 - Rock The Casbah by the Clash. Mmm, I KNEW they did some eighties stuff, and Lee Harding I'm So Punk It Hurts, didn't do it as his eighties slot.

It's late at night and I'm delirious obviously, admitting viewing Australian Idol LOL. And what was Australia and England on when they put Pass The Duchie as number one all those years ago? It gives me hope that in 25 years time, the music crimes of Lee Harding and the Crazy Frog will be forgotten by the next generation - until they show retro Video Hits replays LOL.

OMG, yes another one of those moments, now we have Bad Reputation on the telly box, olld skool Joan Jett song. Now, this song was on the soundtrack of a 90s movie I am sure, but which one? Grosse Point Blank perhaps? Let's go googling :) Ohhhhh, it was Freaks and Geeks on TV, that my sister watched occasionally when I was in the same room - wasn't a biggie for me...

Next segment is from 1987. Hmm, will it seem less retro? Retro of course being a better word than I was originally thinking of LOL...

But I should stop rambling, even though this may be of some entertainment value. To someone. Maybe...

Pauly

Money Money Money

Hmm. Interesting. A Russian oil tycoon pours almost 400m pounds into Chelsea Football Club last year, they spend 280m on players, and still make a loss of 140m pounds. Their player costs are almost a million a day, as an Arsenal fan all I can say to that is fuck LOL. And where does all the money come from anyways - as long as you stay away from politics in Russia, you can robber baron all you like I guess...

Has been a quiet day thus far - am NOT going to go back into the Palestinian election results just yet, nor am I going to ask Oprah why she thinks Brokeback Mountain is icky, when the main gay stuff is over in five minutes of a two hour movie...

Will mention the fact that I believe I have diverged quite a bit in my movie and cultural tastes from my parents in my next post I think - I see nothing wrong with movies with a gay background or rap music, starting sentence for ten points perhaps :)

Later peeps
Paul

And Anyway

Just adding another thought to the previous post - I hate going in and actually changing posts after I have completed them - I think Israel's main foreign policy thing of the next six months will be how to 'sort out' Iran's looming nuclear capability, rather than what happens in the West Bank and Gaza. Unless, of course, Hamas do piss all their electoral respectibility away and declare another intifada...

Anywaysssss - onto better topics methinks. I caught Brokeback Mountain today. Is a very good movie, though it doesn't grab you by the collar and capture your attention that way. Thought it was just a good campaign for Wyoming tourism before the plot finally started to sink in. It builds slowly, though not too slowly thank goodness, weaves a great story around you, though again, not in that all immersive way most movies seem to nowadays, and gently leads you to the end. There are twists and turns of course, some rather big, but the movie is just set at a slower pace than 'wham bam bam', as it were.

It's more a relationship movie than a gay movie or a cowboy movie - just had a thought about it, I think it reminds me of how I felt when I watched Boys Don't Cry, that kind of not sure how to feel about the movie topic actors whatever similar to that Hilary Swank first Oscar performance. Although Boys Don't Cry all in all was a far nastier uglier movie than Brokeback...

By the end of the movie today, I walked out of the theatre and tried to think if there was anything bad about it - trying, in my own way, not to be lured into easy praise by what I have heard from the critics and awards and such. And I realised there wasn't anything bad I could find about the movie at all. Powerfully acted, well directed - the cinematographers should get a damned Oscar of the Decade for what they did LOL.

It's a bit slow to get going, and it doesn't grab you by the scruff of the neck, but by the end of it you come out thinking it was a very enjoyable movie. And that's all that you can hope for.

Felt a similar detachment to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon when I saw that as well - not by the scruff of the neck and beautiful cinematography. Though I enjoyed Brokeback far more, detachment and all...

Pauly

Democracy

Am not sure how to word what I am thinking about the Palestinian elections.

We had near 80% participation, Hamas got around 65% of the seats in the Legislative Assembly. It seemed to be a festival day, not just an election, and remember, this is only the second democratic election the Palestinians have had. But, because they apparently voted for the wrong team, no one in the West seems to have anything nice to say about the potential incoming government.

Sure, they haven't torn up the part of their constitution saying that Israel doesn't have a right to exist - sure, they have been responsible for suicide bombings and terrorism. And sure, I understand the Israelis not wanting to have anything to do with them, but what were the alternatives for the Palestinians.

During Fatah's time at the Palestinian Authority helm, there has been corruption, nepotism, Israeli settlement building, and endless Israeli incursions into supposedly Palestinian territory. And, especially over the last year, a deteriorating sense of chaos. Dare I say it, probably what Israel wants in the Occupied Territories at this time, keeping the divisions going and splintering even further.

Or wanted, seeing as a probable Hamas government is the product at the moment. Hamas have kept a ceasefire going for about a year, and didn't mention destroying Israel in their campaign, rather focussing on the law and order in the territories themselves.

I was feeling like grinning, in a sardonic way, when Bush was on TV saying the US can't do deals with parties that pursue war. Weapons of mass destruction anyone?

If only the Israelis and Palestinians could come to some sort of arrangement over Jerusalem, then the Wall could be built on what could be agreed on borders, and we could have our two state solution - behind barbed wire and concrete of course, but it could be a solution. Maybe in another fifty years time, they would could trust each other enough to bring the wall down, but not in my lifetime probably...

Just a few thoughts, an opinion or two...

Paul

Reagan vs The Jellyfish

Yes, you read that right, the USS Ronald Reagan left port six hours earlier than scheduled due to Moreton Bay jellyfish. Plural is jellyfii or jellyfishes? Anyways, too many of the poor suckers were getting into the ship's water intake, and clogging up the generators or something. I can just imagine the Iranians getting together jellyfish battalions LOL.

And here I was thinking Reagan was in town another couple of days - it must have been Monday when it got in, rather than Tuesday, and the whole tour trick of saying five days, meaning four nights with a couple hours either side - although I still have my USS Constellation pics from 1999 to console me, and I saw pics of the boat on other blogs, and another blogger whose opinion I trust said the ship wasn't too impressive anyways (maybe it was the first nuke ship visit to Brisbane, maybe?).

I will console myself with those thoughts - and no doubt more US ships will be visiting in future. Have they thought up a name for the next carrier they have commissioned? Oh, it's Dubya's dad - predictable, but eh in reaction. Though yeah, I do have to admit, aircraft carriers and stealth bombers do it to me every time :)

Pauly

Shore Leave

The USS Ronald Reagan, CVN-76, arriving in Brisbane on Tuesday. Apparently it is the carrier's maiden voyage after setting sail from San Diego on January 4. Along with various Global War On Terror stuff, Brisbane is it's first overseas port of call, and apparently is the first time a nuclear powered US ship has docked in Australia.

I was in Sydney in 1999 when the USS Constellation docked at the naval yards there, and there was an open day and everything - I wanted to go on board for the tour, but the line was hella long, and I didn't want to burn up the entire day on the one thing - it was just novel to see an aircraft carrier, because, as a Kiwi, US ships probably won't be docking in Auckland or Wellington anytime soon - damned anti nuclear legislation.

This time around though, the Ronald Reagan is docked all the way out at the mouth of the river at the Port of Brisbane, there are no open days, and only essential traffic is allowed out to the port anyways. And I think I heard something about them not allowing any ships into the Brisbane River itself from the ocean while the carrier is in port, for five days.

A little thing called September 11 happened between the time of the Connie in Sydney and Ronnie in Bris - oh, my bad, Reagan's nickname was The Gipper, wasn't it. Oh, and the US Administration declaring war on lots of things.

So, unless I have the telescopic lenses from either Sandgate or Pinkenba, probably won't be able to even get a good picture of the carrier - and that's all my spare time is about nowadays, the perfect picture LOL...

Saw a couple of sailors in town yesterday though, mmm navy whites, reminds me of that uniform I wore for the Christmas party LOL. Say what you like about US policy though, an aircraft carrier usually always reduces me to drooling - or a stealth bomber :)

Permission to stop blogging, Sir! Carry on, Mr Hornblower LOL...

Pauly

Glorious Day Outside

It is a beautiful day out, and I am so tempted to go and soak it in (and, perhaps, take some lovely piccies as well - with my two a day rule on flickr, they may see the light of day on the net about the same time that New Horizons gets to Pluto LOL). But I also have a feeling that ten minutes out and I would likely get quite hot. Maybe have to think about catching a bus or train to somewhere, preferably air conditioned, the train or bus, I am not in the mood to just mallrat all day.

Is after midday already here though, so I will probably miss out on most of the flag waving tub thumping patriotism that is Australia Day - was thinking it might have been good to take piccies of the celebrations, but have been mucking around all morning thus far. But there will be a Chinese New Year thing in the Valley on Sunday, so that might be worth going to.

Geez, I am actually thinking of going out and being outside, rather than sitting around malls or movie theatres, what is wrong with me LOL? Maybe it's the impending thirtieth or something, was feeling old the other night, realised I am too old for a quarter life crisis anymore LOL. More probably maybe my inspiration is people saying I take good photos, and thus me wanting to take more :)

I was thinking last night about blogging about kinda depressing stuff, like the seemingly blatant corruption at the AWB - Australian Wheat Board's - oil for food inquiry going on. Yeah, they agreed to circumvent the UN sanctions, but they did really want to tell people about it - yeah right.

Or the whole Google self censoring their Chinese site, whatever happened to 'don't be evil' guys? I was considering mentioning them, but eh, they are downer topics right at the moment LOL, and I am pretty happy with the world all told today. Dunno why, but I am...

Hmm, this isn't a downer topic though - sex calms nerves before public speaking. Or indeed any stressful activity, umm now am thinking of job interviews or mortgage applications, bad Pauly. Interesting article - and that is the closest I am coming to a sex blog for the forseeable future LOL.

But then again, with the urge to go out thing, it is only day one of a four day weekend :)

Of course, have to fit in a movie there somewhere as well, this week we could have Brokeback Mountain, Munich or umm Underworld. You have to have a cheesy movie choice as a back up when the other choices are so serious :)

Pauly

Another Project

So, yes, Flickr has become another of my projects I think. Am going to keep - am going to try and keep it at a rate of two pics per day uploaded, to keep well within the upload limit, and also to give myself about three months before having to figure out whether to upgrade it (ie pay money) or not. Damned addictive websites LOL.

Two pics a day will mean that getting anywhere near the modern day will be the task of ages - I am up to August 1996 currently, and just completed my sixth album of 300 pics each - and I am only up to September 1998. Although not all 1800 pics are 'show off' worthy, there are enough to keep me going for months - and of course a few thousand taken after 1998...

Which segues nicely into my other long term project - getting copies of all the photos I have ever taken LOL. When I went over to Canada, I dumped a lot of photos that weren't up to my exacting put in the photo album standards back then. Silly silly me - I could have just sent them over to Oz to the parents. But of course, when I went over to be with K it was going to be for a long time... won't say forever, but I did have hopes...

The Tories won in Canada - well, they got the most number of seats. I can't 100% remember the numbers in the last Parliament, but the numbers are even more unstable this time around - although good to see the Tories do OK in Ontario and even more surprisingly Quebec. An entire ten seats in la belle province - wow.

No doubt more unstable government and another election within eighteen months. What do Canadians really want? Maybe less politicians LOL - oh, and Martin has stepped down as the Liberal leader. It's a pity, he seemed a nice enough guy, but the circumstances of his premiership couldn't have been much worse. Note to Gordon Brown or Peter Costello perhaps, don't do a palace coup?

Later peeps
Pauly

O Canada, Our Home And Native Land

Canuck moment of the day - well, apart from seeing the actual hockey team continue to recover from their usual mid season slump - I did the voter analysis over and Globe and Mail...

And dear oh dear, I am all over the place with the policies. Health I am a Lib, defence and taxes I am a Tory, family and environment is with the NDP, while law and education I would be agreeing with - dear god - the Bloc. Well, it was a trick I say, they translated the policy into English, how was I to know LOL.

I can take the quizzes, but as for the actual vote, being a Kiwi as I am, my opinion on Canadian politics isn't going to make a hatful of difference to anyone. That is my pre-election view of things, I am sure if anyone was in the mood to trawl my archives, they would see where I sit on the House of Commons fence...

Pauly

Perfect Timing

Was getting myself all caught up in the cricket on Channel 9 - Australia probably heading towards a loss - that I had forgotten about the Channel 7 'glamour' match at the Australian Open in the tennis, Maria Sharapova versus Daniela Hantuchova. It is, of course, all about the tennis - nothing so crude and vulgar as their model looks LOL.

Was thinking yesterday further on the whole what to do for my 30th thing. Had a couple of passing thoughts as to either going to Ayers Rock or walking the Milford Track back home. A big banner event like one of those two. Would be nice - was looking at the costs of airfares to Uluru though and hmm, they will have to go on special before I would really consider it. Was also looking at rail trips to outback Queensland as well, but again, with the cost. Is a nice idea though...

Went down to Chermside to do some window shopping and movie viewing today - got some more reprints down of my Egyptian trip back in 1998, and also dropped in a film for my parents, that was about ten months old or something. Bought a couple of books, and went to see The Producers - the timing was wrong for Underworld Evolution, and I had been warned off The Family Stone as too girly.

The Producers itself - hmm, I have been told that the original was better, the non musical one with Gene Wilder. And yes, Matthew Broderick with a geeky voice was quite annoying, but all in all a good movie, not a great one - it's no Chicago, thinking of recent musical based movies I have seen. And anything with Uma Thurman in slinky clothing gets my vote LOL - though the gay director and that whole camp bit was the funniest I thought...

They are releasing Commander in Chief, the TV show, over here, as we are being told over and over again by advertising during the tennis - I dunno, if Australia doesn't really show interest in what is happening in Washington in real life, why on earth would we watch a fictional show about it? And another query, is this supposed to be a sequel to the West Wing or something - or is Geena Davis, aka Hilary Clinton, going to be a NEW fake space time continuum LOL?

Oh, and that's what I was going to mention today - the new baby in the Danish royal family was christened today. And surprise surprise, his name was Christian - the Danes have only alternated their kings' names between Christian and Frederick for about 200 years, how surprising. What was somewhat more surprising, well, maybe not when I think of it, was how overboard the Australian media was about it. Front page news, before the first ad break on all the networks, as if just because the mother was a former Australian, it's as if the country has a vicarious link to Copenhagen.

Attention Australian media outlets - there are a lot of babies born and christened right here in Australia that could be more deserving of media attention than some Danish kid. He is not, repeat NOT, a kingaroo, the only way you could really claim dibs on a royal is if some British crown prince or princess in future takes a fancy to some other person at the Royal Australian Yacht Club. In case the media was unaware, we are still part of the British Commonwealth, we haven't seceded to be up there with Greenland and Iceland as former Danish colonies.

Although there would be more chance of gold medals at the Danish Commonwealth Games LOL.

Hmm, how do you get that type of job? Hantuchova's trainer just came out, as she has strained something, and, due to modesty's sake, they had to leave the court to strap her up. Because those shorts would have to be cut off her - but remember, it's all about the tennis LOL.

Later peeps
Pauly

Mmmm, Tennis...

Some people hate tennis, or don't understand it. I can understand their point of view, and during weeks such as the Australian Open or when I have the chance to watch the other Grand Slam events, I mainly have it as background viewing, but when it does catch my attention, it does so with avengeance.

And I really should have divided that paragraph into two, perhaps three sentences LOL. Anyways, example - some people wouldn't be enthralled with the prospect of a nine deuce game, but that was my engrossing point of tonight, with this Federer Mirnyi match, lots of drama in just one game. But I do have to agree with the anti tennis crowd about the whole scoring weirdness LOL.

Was looking at a map of London just before, from the Travel London site - I think it was a bit of that whale in the Thames story, a bit of looking at pictures of Piccadilly Circus, a bit of the Arsenal Everton match on BBC livescore that got me thinking of Old Blighty - and a map doesn't do justice to the city.

The whole sense of just being a couple of kays down the road, or across the river, and it being a totally different culture, still crammed in like sardines, but with hardly any buildings being over three stories. Or catching the tube from Leicester Square to Waterloo, switching to the main line to Croydon, or catching the bus from Elephant and Castle, or getting off at Thornton Heath, and seemingly being in five different cities on the same trip. Yeah, I miss the whole crazy place.

Or Earls Court or Hyde Park seeming to be foreign territory. Or trips to Twickenham feeling like the Odyssey, it seemingly taking so long to get out there :)

And yes, I will stop reminiscing about London now, I am sure it is easy to get sick of :)

Oh, the movie choice tomorrow will be either Underworld Evolution, The Producers or the Family Stone - V was telling me the Family Stone would probably be too girly for me - she had seen it with a friend today...

Later taters
Pauly

One More, I Couldn't Resist

Off To Pluto We Go

The New Horizons probe launched on Thursday - two days behind schedule, but still in time to slingshot around Jupiter and arrive at Pluto by 2015. If there had been too much of a delay in the launch it would have taken another three years, and Pluto's atmosphere would probably have frozen, so all is good.

It is, of course, an unmanned probe - someone I know, when told it would take nine years to get to the destination, said 'I hope they have enough food'. This person was again more interested in food when the Huygens probe landed on Titan LOL.

Mmm, space exploration, one of my fave topics :)
Pauly

I've Discovered Flickr

So if I seem somewhat distracted in my blog entries over the next week or so, in the 'honeymoon' period with a new site or game or whatever that I seem to have, apologies now LOL.

The Canuck election coming up on Monday, North America time - looks like the Tories are just losing a bit of their momentum, and may have to make do with a minority government. But that is just what the polls are saying, one of the elections back home they were forecasting a National massacre and Bolger kept the Prime Ministership - in his immortal words, 'bugger the pollsters'. Ick, there's a thought, we elected Bolger to be PM three times.

But then again, when was the last inspiring Kiwi leader? Heck, we elected Holyoake for about twenty years, and from my history lessons the country was pretty dull back then...

World stock markets have been stuttering this week - the Nikkei lost a few hundred points because of possible Live Door company fraud, and the Dow tanked overnight, Aussie time. Of course, does this have any use in the real world? I keep hearing how more and more people are doing the stock market and such, but apart from my super fund, which is compulsory in this neck of the woods, it doesn't impact me at all... no, not even oil costs, since I don't have a car.

What's that you say, transport costs mean more expense to get goods to shops. Eh, you know what I mean when I say it doesn't personally effect me.

I never make, and therefore never break, New Year's resolutions, but am thinking of getting some ideas together for this upcoming thirtieth birthday of mine. Should I go to the gym - I enjoyed it, from hindsight, when I went with SWI for those trial times in Wellington.

Should I perhaps start planning for my retirement - have avoided it in the time since I have joined the workforce, but everybody is supposed to be responsible for their own retirement nowadays, not like in the twenty or thirty years past when you got to retirement and the taxpayers bailed you out totally. Damned baby boomers and oncoming drop in workers to pensioners ratio LOL.

Any other ideas for a thirtieth resolution would gladly be taken on the back of an envelope or email perhaps :)

The Iraqi election results were released today - the Iranian leaning Shia coalition won the most seats, but not an outright election. Now, the difficult question, is it better to have a government of national unity where everyone agrees to everything but hardly anything changes, or to have a proper opposition, where things could change more quickly, more disagreements, but hopefully settled in a political rather than a civil war sense.

More later
Pauly

More On The Food Angle

My meals this week have been all over the place. The evening meals are the same as ever, and full of nutritional goodness I am sure, but I have been skipping breakfast so far this week, apart from the occasional drink of water, and my daytime eating has been out there.

Monday I had Chinese for lunch, potato chips after lunch and potato chips on the train home, Tuesday, I didn't have any lunch, because had been nibbling on crackers, cheese, dips and a muffin for the birthday morning tea at work - I had a Gloria Jeans iced coffee at lunchtime instead. Yesterday I had shepherd's pie for lunch, and today I had a spinach and cheese roll for morning tea and a Europe summer roll bar for lunch.

Not so much what I am eating, but the brainlessness of the choices, very much not really thinking more than two minutes ahead. I want to diet, and just maybe have a muesli bar or two during the entire day, but then I get hungry, have the two minute think, and have a pie instead. Very much just going through the motions when it comes to my food choices at the moment, I don't really care one way or the other, as long as I'm not hungry...

But I would like to lose some weight though.

Just feeling very wishy washy this week I think. As per usual when coming back from Tas...

Oh, and TDE isn't going to be moving interstate after all.

Pauly

Anatomy Of A Web Trawl

We start off, as ever, in the rareified atmosphere of my blog home page. No new comments, once again, curses and all that. I would roll over in shock if more than one person a week, month, millenium added thoughts to this corner of the interwebs - hint hint, plug plug, whore whore...

A scroll over to site meter, to see who has fallen into my web over the last day. I get excited over the fact that I seem to have hit a good patch where people in their dozen per day are visiting - still wondering whether anyone is repeat visitors, but eh, you got to take what you're given LOL.

I open up a blogger session to put down my thoughts for the day - I was going to start off with work, or what I have eaten this week for lunch - was looking at the Tassie diary and I seem to love detailing what goes into my stomach, for almost every meal. But for some reason decided to give everyone a quick glimpse into my 'I've jumped online and I've gone cold turkey from chatrooms, what do I do now' mind. For some reason.

The next window to open is a toughie, but I decide to have a look at what is happening on the world news stage, checking out the top story on the BBC website, from whence I can easily retreat into the white noise - so much is going on, I am meaning - of the front page.

The other choice for a fourth page to open would have been The Spin Starts Here, which tonight comes in at number five, but I felt a tinge of guilt at the time I have spent there over the last few days and weeks - over and above seemingly my first (internet) love of international news...

Oh, and we do have an email account around here somewhere - the next page to have a pop taken at it is my gmail account. The only things that come in are endlessly recycled jokes, footy news from the Guardian and various airline specials. Of course, it could help if I sent a few emails outbound myself...

Later on in the surf, no doubt I will be heading to check out the latest NHL scores, the latest polls from Toronto in the Globe and Mail, see whether this week of Doonesbury is a repeat or not, maybe head over to Wonkette for an eye on what happened overnight in Washington, The Capital Of The World, see the casualty toll for the day on Iraq Coalition Casualties. And probably trawl the Guardian and New York Times.

That sounds about a full evening of webbing fun to me - oh, and of course the work and food blog entry, which will probably be worked on at various points in the night :)

Pauly

While I Was Away

First the good stuff - and everyone who reads me regularly knows I am a 'space the final frontier' kind of guy. The Stardust probe made it back to Earth after a 4.6 billion kilometre trip out to the orbit of Jupiter to meet up with a comet and collect some dust. Despite re-entering the atmosphere at about 46,000 kph, the parachutes deployed and it came down safely enough - yay for science.

And in other NASA news, the New Horizons spacecraft is due to launch tomorrow. This is the first probe to head off to Pluto - should be there in about 2015 or so, even though New Horizons is due to be the fastest probe ever sent out in space. 33kg of plutonium fuel and all. And once/if it reaches Pluto, the boffins are thinking about directing it out to other Kuiper Belt debris to investigate.

Though I am sure once the thing launches they will call it something snazzier than New Horizons. I will take my Titan landings over how my eggs are cooked any day of the week, twice on Saturdays LOL.

On less positive news, H5N1 bird flu has apparently hit Turkey hard - no stupid puns please. The first human deaths outside of East Asia, and the feeling that authorities sat on the news of an outbreak without doing anything, leading to everyone seemingly heading to the doctor's in the country and Europe being worried and double, triple checking anyone coming from Turkey - guess this isn't the time to smuggle a Zinger burger through an airport?

The Iranian government was very very naughty and broke IAEA seals on their nuclear facilities. In response, the Brits, French, Germans and Americans are very unhappy, and have managed to get the Russians and Chinese onside enough to have an IAEA meeting where they might manage to recommend sanctions and stuff to the UN Security Council, which would have to make any final decision. We should be expecting Israeli air and commando strikes any week now...

And doesn't international geopolitics sound so kindergarten trivial sometimes. Of course, if there weren't already ten thousand nuclear warheads on the planet...

And the aforementioned Canadian elections. After being wiped out in 1993, only retaining two seats in the House of Commons, it looks like the Conservatives are striding to victory over there - hell, they may even win some seats in Quebec again for the first time since Kim Campbell...

Rubbing hands, now, where is that colour coded map that we can see updated with the various ridings/electorates and to which party they go to - there is always one on the media websites somewhere. Now, the election is next Monday I think, now, when will be optimal staying at home grabbing the results as they come online time? Tuesday afternoon and evening methinks.

And yes, I am pathetic when it comes to international politics LOL.

Pauly

Back On Deck

Guess who's back, back again - damn Eminem and his catchy lyrics LOL. While I was away I had over seventy visitors - have I made critical mass in the blog market, or was it just the wonders of search engines with how much stuff I have written?

The wonders of being found with 'backpacker murders hume highway', 'eminem and sexualisation of women' - I've used the word sexualisation? Goodness - 'oldies song tempees', 'carrie fisher in skimpy costume return of the jedi pic', 'vietnamese beauties' and 'split enz' just to cover the first umm six or seven categories searched for while I was away hmm.

Will have to do more of a run down of what happened while I was away when I get home from work - have to rush out the door shortly. Bleah, work - and a whole five days of it this week, after almost three weeks off. It was like so exciting yesterday even, can I stand the excitement of another four days :)

TDE is going to Sydney for work, probably in about a month's time.

Oh, and the Canadian election campaign looks like a change of government is going to happen - c'mon the Tories LOL. And yes, Canadian politics is one of my topics of interest, sad huh...

Pauly

Fifteen January Twenty Oh Six

V thinks she has me pegged for preferred tourist thingies now - scenery and historic looking buildings, a la what was at Penguin, and she may be right. The coast road to Ulverstone was lovely as well, took another couple of piccies and bought a new shirt in a clearance place in Ulverstone - too bad I didn't try it on first thought, I was sure it was an M, not an S... size wise that is...

Did a quick flit through the Ulverstone shops and then had a twenty minute walk on the beach. Apparently V used to camp a lot out that way during summer - as a kid or adult I didn't quite figure out, but I could see the wave of nostalgia hitting her - in a good way.

Was a nice time out in the wather and on the sands... got to shin level only, the water I should say. Headed up to Brannon's Lookout next, above Turners Beach, more lovely panorama, went to the Cherry Farm just outside Latrobe for cherry jam, ice cream, pies and the fruit themselves. Yum. The cherry wine and port would just have been overdoing it LOL. Then a quick scenic photo stop by the side of the road at Sassafras and then home. Well, via LHA's place to drop off some of those cherries.

Next on the agenda was LRO's birthday - seven years old I think. I had been over exerting myself on their trampoline last time I was in Tas, in October, and LRO was happy when hearing I would be down again, as I would get 'hot and sweaty' all over again.

The grandparents, the parents, V and I and assorted others - plus six kids, five of whom were under ten, two of which were toddlers. Had more food, more drink, somehow V and my trip to Liffey Falls the following day was to turn into five kids, another couple of adults, and our dinner with V's workmates on Saturday got another four family members attached.

I did do a quick trampoline with the girls but unlike last time was not going to play tag. And wasn't wearing a jumper and jeans like I did in October, and thus avoided hot and sweatiness. I took one of the toddlers on the swing, and, when she wanted to get on the trampoline, took her back to her parents in my arms - she found my sunglasses and was putting them on - was quite a sweet sequence indeed.

Finished off watching City of Angels that night - hadn't been missing out on much.

And set the alarm for the first time on the holiday, because LRO and her two sisters were going to be dropped around at 9.30 sharpish - they had gotten out of shopping in Launceston with their mother to go walking at Liffey Falls.

They turned up at 10am, and there were only two of them, one of the kids bailing apparently when she discovered it would be out in the countryside, and walking would be involved. LRO brought around a battery operated sleepy bear toy, and both she and MRO pottered around the house for an hour before we went picnic shopping - V did the bakery without the kids in tow, I did the supermarket and basically as soon as the car stopped, both girls volunteered to go into Woolies with me - when we were in the store both girls went in different directions, leaving me to ponder the one who would be best to follow.

We caught up with MDE and SDE, and their two kids, IDE and KDE, who were also coming out to Liffey with us, and we were on the road. They went off for petrol, we waited for them in a side street - somehow, in a town the size of Mount Thomas, we couldn't link up again for ten minutes LOL.

Then out to Liffey Falls themselves, with me and V up the front, and the kids in the back - I got a flashback to all the drives my family did when I was a kid, and realised I was up the front. Was a very warm and fuzzy feeling - I think my uncle training is coming along quite nicely...

Onto a dirt road for the last ten kays to the falls, the first dirt road I have been on in ages. Add in a windy narrow dirty road as we descended into the valley at about 20 kph, and I haven't been on a road like that in ever I think...

Got to the car park picnic area, had a bite to eat, before heading on the 45 min return track down to the Falls. Was a good bushwalk down, and the Falls themselves were magnifique. The kids, apart from the toddler, were in the water basically as soon as V gave permission, and scampered about for a good half hour - each of them fell over, but not seriously. Guess which muggins was mentally preparing himself to wade in if anything serious had happened?

But seeing the kids play was the icing on the cake - it wouldn't have been the same if it were just V and I... and the other adults left me to watch over them, and gauge when playtime should finish - very responsible kind of feeling.

On the walk back up to the cars, V struggled. She said she should start walking around town again after the whole Liffey Falls thing, but maybe in a couple of weeks, at the earliest. Once we got back, we had bread rolls with meat and salad fillings for a late lunch, and it was all very civilised. Apart from the horse flies and lack of mobile coverage.

Afterwards, we headed back into town for ice creams (guess which muggins volunteered to pay again), dropped off the kids, grabbed a DVD and pizza and fell through the door at home. Pizza wasn't Eagle Boys or Dominos, but it was good for a non-chain one.

V soaked in the bath while I watched Tribe on SBS, and we then veged out watching In Good Company on DVD.

Yesterday, Saturday, was Launnie Day. And pick up everything for everybody day, DHA's prescription, KRO's singing Santa power pack and dancing gnomes, if we could swing it. No to the gnomes, unfortunately.

Went up to the lookout from Monday overlooking Cataract Gorge - hope the pictures come out well - and then stopped into RLY's to have a coffee and a chat. Then down into town for shopping - put my camera films in for developing - one of the few times I have got pics before the applicable diary entry - got some boiled lollies at Gourlays, yum, very old fashioned with the big jars and scales, YUM.

And then had a very nice lunch, at T2, a cafe. Chicken and avocado toasted sandwich, wedges and expensive 250mL Coke - well, I guess you are paying for the glass bottle LOL. I got snapped by V for maybe smiling a bit too widely, bing too personable in my conversation with the pretty waitress, and then was on to more shopping. Went into Colorado and bought a very nice shirt, browsed, and picked up the piccies,

Went over to City Park to see the monkeys, saw the monkeys, Japanese macaques, and is just a very nice park anyways.

Then the highlight of my trip from V's point of view happened - I jest, somewhat. I pumped petrol for her in one of those cheapie self serve places, saving 11c from the cost of petrol in the village. She hates doing her own petrol, because the petrol cap is too hard to get off. All that bowser pumping in Canada came back to me in a flash LOL.

Almost as soon as we got home, changed and freshened up we were out again, back to Launnie, for tea at the Canton, Chinese. We did try for the Mee Wah, but they were booked out. Rode in with KRO and TRO, and arrived about right on 6.30, the booking time, with everyone else already there. Everybody being LHA, DHA, MMA, AMA, SKA and JKA, the last one being the only one I haven't met before.

The food was reasonable, the service could have been better, but all in all it was OK. The Mee Wah has a better reputation apparently. I had dim sums and spring rolls, sweet and sour pork and chicken with almonds, and brandy snaps. Conversation, as it always seems with that group, was half shop, half light hearted banter, but then dessert left and people talked perhaps an hour too long - without our own wheels though, it would have been rude to bail. Got home last night about quarter past eleven.

This morning lazed around the house, went out to Westbury pub for lunch, and then went around to LHA and DHA's place for a final cuppa this time around. Showed them both my photos from the week, V says I have a knack for photography and should go into a course - she says that about my writing as well - and LHA said there were some very good ones.

Then packing, driving to the airport, a quick drink and the usual teary farewells. Good, uneventful flights, and about half an hour out of landing in Bris now...

Friday Thirteenth, Jan 06

Yesterday we were going to see V's former workmate and husband out at Shearwater but by the time we had rung she was doing something down this way of all places, so change of plans, V suggested going down to Penguin.

Very nice historic kind of town, very scenic, was a lovely sday, although a bit windy, but the water down on the beach was very cold. Took a heap of piccies, had fish and chips by the seaside beach, including lovely battered flake, and then drove up the coast road, rather than the highway as we had come out. Beautiful coastline, took a couple more piccies.

12.01.2006

So had a big burger combo, but a REAL burger not a chain one, for lunch. Then had a looksee around the mall, looked at clothes shops, both men and women, the big newsagents in town, Angus and Robertson, Target Country, which only had clothes, a quick trawl through Chicken Feed and then got pressies for both V and my nieces' birthdays... had a quick look through Sanity and thought of getting DVDs and CDs, but can do that at home...

Went to Harris Scarfe, a Tassie version of Farmers or Myer I think, saw nice clothes, but since they were shirts and since I had already bought clothes from K-Mart earlier that day, was talked out of buying more - although that Fila shirt especially was nice. Got out of town, parked at the war memorial at the mouth of the Mersey river, took a few piccies.

Visited V's former teacher, had a reasonable chat and a quick coffee before going to the movies to see Fun With Dick And Jane. Still shuddering at the thought of the last movie we saw in Tas, Constantine, but Dick and Jane got a good review from V.

Came home, V cooked the 'bottom butcher' sausages in the George Foreman grill, and, as she has told everyone since, not one drip of fat came out of them - and they were yum as well. Watched Top Gun on DVD that night - were all the plotlines cliches when it first came out, or just in the twenty years since? Such a brilliantly cheesy movie...

Wednesday started off quietly, a lazy breakfast and then V and I headed into the school that she works at. Caught up with SKA in the office, and then headed to The Deli for lunch with both SKA and LHA. I had a Hot and Spicy bagel, was very yum, the girls chatted and V sent me to check the barbeque sauces, before heading back to school and the girls chatting for another hour or so.

In dropping off LHA she suggested we head out of Caveside which I picked up, even though V wasn't so sure about doing a country drive. So we drove through the countryside, past Chudleigh and Caveside, through Mole Creek, and decided to go on a bit further to King Solomons Cave, through the Great Western Tier conservation area, mmm old forest smell and feel, before deciding to head back.

Had an ice cream at Chudleigh, told LHA we were lost in an SMS, and then headed back home. V and I had a very nice, very civilised evening in, with the roast turkey roll, roast potatoes, roast sweet potato, parsnips, carrots and pumpkin, while I watched the various news services - was very yum when we tucked into it.

Oh, after tea on Tuesday we had gone out to the new, improved Woolworths to trawl the aisles and get the sweet potato - although V wouldn't come down the last aisle with me, freezer section LOL. After the roast we had a quiet night, V cross stitching, while I Movie Showed, Ab Fabbed - although that show was always sucky, trying to update it to modern times is wankier still - and we both Bachelored. Went to bed, tried watching City of Angels, but someone kept falling asleep LOL.

Eleven Jan Two Thousand Six

Yeah, so I check in at the video booth kind of thing, pass my bag across at the check in counter, no showing of photo ID, go through security, no showing of photo ID, go onto the plane, both in Bris and Melb, without showing ID... not sure whether it is progress or not, I always thought the five levels, extra levels of security at airports after 9/11 was overkill or not, but when it isn't there, it feels like there is something missing - damned post traumatic paranoia...

The flights themselves were pretty non descript - read the Economist and had a row to myself on the Brisbane to Melb leg - had about three quarters of an hour layover in Melbourne airport - enough time for a Whopper Junior and not much else. Yum, Burger King - or so they call it in this neck of the woods, Hungry Jacks.

The Melb to Launnie leg finished off the Economist and started into the Black Ice, the next Michael Connolley book I am reading. And everyone asking were your flights good - flying is pretty non descript nowadays, as much ask how your train commute everyday is...

Got to Launceston, V and LHA were there to pick me up, and went directly to RLY's place in town, did not pass go, did not collect $200, for a BBQ... promptly got lost in the appropriate suburb, but in the wrong street, before I got hold of the map book and put the homing beacon in the car, although of course after V had to drive a couple of extra blocks before getting our bearings.

RLY and SLY's place is on the side of a hill and has a great view, just around the corner from overlooking Cataract Gorge, and they have landscaped the backyard very very well. Apparently was just a grass covered hill when they got there, and they have put in about three levels, about three paths leading up and down, a pond, a few seats, colour coordinated corrugated iron fencing, and even a vegetable garden right down the bottom - I was quite impressed with the yard.

Had a huge back deck as well, where the BBQ was set up. Only thing that the outside area needed was a roof on the deck, it was drizzling on and off, and after the food we went inside. Also there was MLY, one of our hosts' kids, and BWI, V's former boss, CWI and their kids ZWI and EWI.

Had a yum lunch, seasoned chicken legs, sausages, including a couple of beer battered sausies, chops, potato salad and coleslaw. Also had a couple of beers.

Then went inside to play spoons and matchbox, which is much to complicated to explain in a paragraph... had another couple of wines, , as RLY was forcing it down my throat LOL. Biggest thing of note from the games was how competitive BWI is.

We then wandered over to the park overlooking Cataract Gorge. Absolutely gorgeous view, and will have to go back later in the week to take piccies - didn't have my camera with me. The pics may not come out the best, but just add the sound of the water babbling and you will be in relaxation central, mmm...

We headed back to the house to have coffee. BWI and family headed home, and we talked to RLY and SLY and time slipped by quite easily and before we knew it we were leaving about 5pm, right on peak hour, or Launceston's approximation thereof.

V and LHA were just about to get into how talkative some people were, when suddenly something happened with the car, there was a clunking in the engine. V was not happy, and the car turned blue as it seemed the manifold had fallen off a pipe or something again - I'm not the most car literate of people - and V's stress levels went through the roof.

The mechanic's place where she got the manifold fixed first time around was closed by the time we got 'home' from Launnie, so it was decided to get the thing fixed first thing in the morning, with all plans for the rest of the holiday dependant on what happened and how long it would take.

V's brother GDO was watching the Twenty20 match that night. 40,000 people at the Gabba, a fabulous night for promotion of the sport, blah blah wank wank - totally one sided match - has anyone that has batted second in that type of cricket won? If Australia had lost would everyone still be rah rah? I think not...

I watched until the end with a thin grimace set on my face, while V went to bed to watch some crap Billy Crystal Debra Winger DVD, Forget Paris I think it was - worse than the cricket, if that can be believed...

Woke up to watch Sunrise yesterday, with V ringing the mechanic's every 15 mins from 8am. Someone finally picked up at 9 ayem, and then minutes later we were down there. It was a quickish twenty minute job to fix so we went over the road - I wanted to have brekkie at the 50s diner but it was closed, V wanted to buy plants.

We then headed across back to the mechanics - car parts around the wall, the car up on a jack, a wood burner with a bucket of biscuits on top, the jerry made office, haven't been in a factory setting for ages. V's stress level went down as quickly as it went up, and bonus that the mechanic didn't charge as it was a related follow on from the last screw up.

Went home for brekkie - yum, cheese and butter muffins, and then out to Devonport. Went to K-Mart first, V was going to swap an iron, but had forgotten to bring it. Looked at the toys, DVDs and XBox demos before finding a nice long sleeved T-shirt jersey thing and jean shorts - haven't had new jean shorts in like a long long time.

Went into town next, and then checked out Molly Malones to see whether we felt like a pub lunch - didn't feel like a big meal, so were thinking about Maccas or a quick burger meal or something, but found Stonies, a 50s diner kind of place in Devonport mall. Ended up having a big enough meal - I had chicken burger with tomato and mayo with chips and salad, while V had the chicken wrap version of what I had.

Was nice, and in a nice atmosphere - unlike Hungry Jacks/Burger King, these guys actually backed up the wall memorabilia with a fifties and sixties soundtrack.

Ten January Twenty Oh Six

Another trip, another notebook bought - why can't I remember to take the previous travel diaries with me - it's not as if in the five A5 notebooks I have bought I have filled the entire eighty pages LOL. So yet another exorbitant cost for the pad itself, and even more exorbitant for the pen, along with the Economist, and is an expensive start to the holidays...

A bit unsure of whether the whole not having to show my photo ID all the way from Brisbane to Launnie is good or not - a step back from the paranoia post 9/11 or whether security is just a bit too lax.

More later, Top Gun to watch tonight...

A Royal Procession

Will be doing the royal wave out the car window the next few days, am off down to Tassie again to visit V. Could have done a boring what is happening in world politics post today, there was a cool change in the weather and I didn't feel gritty or have a headache, but was too caught up playing computer games instead LOL.

'Cool change' for Brisbane meaning highs similar to what northern Tassie is supposed to get over the next few days. Will be taking a couple of items of warmer clothing, just in case...

And the July to December highlights of 2005 post will have to wait until I am back as well, have an early flight tomorrow, so should be in bed early. 'Should' of course being the operative word...

Pauly

Okay, Time For Just One More...

Rage are having an early 80s night apparently, old Countdown episodes from 1980 to 1983 or so. Mmm, a young INXS, in fourteen years time you will be dead Mr Hutchence. And love the asymetric haircuts on the guys LOL. Pat Benatar young and Tina Turner trying to look sexy in a small gold dress hmm. And Split Enz, Straight Old Line in this 1983 one.

Just thinking, 1983 would be about the same time that I started showing the slightest interest in RTR back home - RTR was short for Ready To Roll. And about the first memorable music clip that I can remember from those dim, distant, ancient times was Split Enz with Six Months In A Leaky Boat.

Just something about the Finn brothers that brings instant nostalgia and warm fuzzy feelings in my chest or stomach. Although one thing we didn't have to deal with back in EnZed was Molly Meldrum .

Paul Young Love Of The Common People, Billy Joel Uptown Girl, Say Say Say by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney. And Mick Jagger not looking like a geriatric LOL. Hnm, apparently the Rolling Stones did a music video with some El Salvador deathsquad footage.

Back when the CIA was supporting the civil wars in several different countries, including err Afghanistan. Almost every topic can come full circle, if you find the appropriate six degrees...

Paul

2005 - The Year That Was

Not sure how interested anyone will be by a recap of my past year, but, seeing as doing recaps is the new black, and yes, I would jump off a cliff if everyone else did, we will see how we go...

January was the trip over home with V to see the grandparents and to see RBU/KAR get married. Got an extra day's holiday what with the Freedom Air staff mauling my old passport, trying to give me the sob story that the airline would get fined if Australia rejected me blah blah. Oh, happy days indeed - but at least the extra day was gloriously fine, and I got to sit on the waterfront as I did in my work lunchbreak years ago, with an ice cream as an added extra.

Oh yes, and how could I think of forgetting the Huygens probe landing on Titan, with V more interested in how her eggs were going to be cooked...

The most memorable thing from February was my first trip to Tasmania like ever in history. Reminded me of the Wairarapa or Hawkes Bay areas back home, nicely rural, and Deloraine itself fitted my Mount Thomas visions perfectly LOL. Also got confirmed that I would become permanent at work, unlike several other temps that I was relatively close to - although the paperwork would take until April to sort out, so they didn't have to pay for Easter holidays...

Oh, and the days where MGT was my eye candy LOL. And February was the month I finally bit the bullet and got around to repaying my debt - only another nine months to go LOL.

March was V's Dad's funeral, and wangling a couple of days out of my boss as 'emergency' leave. Got a lot of brownie points from the family for getting down there, but apparently broke up V's best friendship of the past x amount of years - although from the sounds, I was only partially the problem...

I thought April was a bit of a wash out when trawling my memory, but hmm, reading the actual entries, there was JPH's birthday and also the merging of the 'tribes' at work - geez, was it that long ago that it happened? 'You Can Do It Put Your Back Into It' indeed Ice Cube LOL. Oh, and yes, the cultural evening done by the work social club with the strippers involved - how on earth could I forget that gem of an evening out :)

May was the trip to Melbourne, the memory that jumps out at me. Mmm, Collingwood v Hawthorn at the 'G, with hot pies and cold beers all the way, yum. And the way that evening turned out later on, waiting for about an hour for a ride home. Oh the wonderful charming nature of V's sister's boyfriend - Mr 'Nobody's Listening To Me'. Oh, and Schapelle Corby got convicted that month. Yeah, it was pretty quiet :)

June, hmm not much happened, apart from one of those movie script kind of nights for SWA's leaving the company, where -

'Oh, and by this stage, SMG and MDA had found us again - one of those nights where all of Brisbane just seemed to be background to a dozen people perhaps, finding and refinding them continually over the night. Made me think of movies such as Swingers or Go, if you have seen those movies you will know what I mean - or perhaps an extended version of a sitcom episode, where you can imagine that New York city exists only as a background for these six friends in huge cheap apartments on chef or paleontologist wages LOL.'

Not much else of note happened in June - hmm, how pretentious is that Paul, quoting from your own blog LOL.

OK, have to stop there for the night, that humidity headache is just too annoying to keep concentrating just now.

Pauly

Is Autumn Arriving Soon?

I hate this weather. Feeling gritty and sweaty all over again about two minutes after getting out of the shower. A constant small nagging headache that never quite goes away. The feeling that my brain is being baked inside out.

The lack of air conditioning in my bedroom, and the feeling that, even if I wanted to, I don't have the authority in the household to turn the downstairs aircon on.

The climate back home in Wellington was perfect - I thought so then and I still think so now. Not too hot in the summer, not too cool in the winter - maximums, if you were lucky, of 27 in January, and the coolest it ever got was -2, in Wellington itself not the valleys. Perfect.

No, I am not homesick at the moment, I am just too damned hot in Brisbane for five months of the year.

Paul

I Feel Something Is Missing

I feel I have been neglecting the blog somewhat. My personal life bits are still in here, for what they are worth LOL, and work is there as well, when I am in the office, but the thing I think is missing is the geopolitical angle.

Although why I feel it is missing, I'm not sure. It's not as if people come here to find out all the news rather than the newspaper websites, or that I cover the stories half as well as, say, the Wonkette or TSSH do.

And it's not as if I have gotten any less outraged by what is happening in the corridors of power, or want to whinge any less - unconstitutional wiretapping anyone? I think the fact that it is summer in the subtropics may have something to do with it, with the lack of drive to do ANYTHING in the heat and humidity...

And all my readers are hurrahing the heat and humidity keeping me away from the boring political stories LOL. Maybe in winter I will be firing on all cylinders again.

Meanwhile, the summer edition of my blog will continue to feature great fast food chains of the Antipodes LOL - today we have Oporto, perhaps the best chicken burger chain I know of. And the chips are to die for, perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked. And best of all, no pangs of homesickness a la Burger Wisconsin :)

Yum.

Pauly

Strange Dream

You start reading 2000AD comics again and see what happens. Had a weird dream this morning, with umm Judge Dredd not happy with Judge Anderson, the psychic one, who had a job to do but said she had better things to do or something...

Was a guy in a coma who was having strange people coming into his dreams, or something, hence the psychic angle. He awoke after an extended period of time in the coma, brain damaged. He could only get a job in a hotdog stand, with the most mentally exerting task to put extra sugar on donuts. But apparently in his dreams during the coma he had been given subliminal messages to make bombs or become a suicide bomber or something.

Apparently if Anderson had done her job right, there wouldn't have been a problem with bombings - the guy who was in the coma wasn't aware of what he was doing.

Damned stoopid comics so easily gotten back into my brain LOL.

Pauly

A Step I Should Have Taken A Long Time Ago

I deleted mIRC from my computer this afternoon. That programme of course being my primary window into chatrooms. I am going to try and stay out of them as well, and should have made this move a long, long time ago.

When I came back from the second trip to see H, the 'Irish, break my heart' edition, I threw myself into the chatrooms full tilt. That was my personal life basically - I was too traumatised to go out and meet anyone, and luckily I had some responsibility at work the following few months, otherwise I could have just given up on that as well.

And when I say I went into chatrooms full tilt, I shook the bars until I near enough broke it - or at least my reputation in them. I flirted over the top for about six months - it is amazing what some people will tell you, and how easy it was to press the buttons to get those people talkative. Not one of the times of my life I look back on with the most fondness if you catch my drift.

And then there was K and Canada. One of the things we quarrelled about was me sitting around online during the day, because I didn't take the time and effort to get a working visa before heading over there and not being able to work blah blah blah old story, but I had the chatroom thing going there - well, it was how K and I met anyways.

And finally, after two years back home, I am biting the bullet and getting rid of chats. At least for now, and fingers crossed I can stick to it. I mean, I don't need to go on there and meet new people - I should concentrate more on the Brisbane angle of things perhaps on meeting people IN REAL LIFE lol.

And I don't like aspects of my online persona. I am sure it is just the real life me exaggerated somewhat, and the talkative, outgoing thing is OK, but there are aspects of me I don't like on there. Hence if I stay away from chats, there will be less outlets for the less attractive parts of me. And that's all I have to say on that subject.

I was thinking about getting rid of instant messengers, but let's take one step at a time. Not sure where I wanted to go with this post, but if I got a sense of an idea across, that will be better than I think I have written...

Pauly

Burning Up The Annual Leave

Another three days off that I wasn't expecting. There is little electronic work - ie emails or faxes or internet orders - around the entire company at the moment, the phone calls that I am on are still busy enough, but on Tuesday they asked if anyone wanted the rest of the week off, if you had the leave built up.

I jumped at the chance to not be there. I badly didn't want to be there on Tuesday morning, and after TDE had smiled hello at me, I thought that's all I came in for, where's the exit LOL. Didn't want to be there - so when the acting boss came around saying do you want to take the time off, I jumped at the chance - even though I don't have anything planned for the time off.

V said I was just wasting leave, but I will build it up again quickly enough - I didn't take any leave in the past six months, so might as well burn it up while I have the chance.

Realised on Tuesday that I dislike the Brisbane weather, I am not enjoying my job at the moment - although that could just be a post holiday season thing, and the weather, well, can't really do much about a five month summer LOL.

And was reminded on Tuesday that TDE could be moving down to Sydney. All that is in question apparently is the pay package, if it isn't high enough she won't be moving. Hmmph, the chance of another friend leaving work - why on earth can't people that I don't like leave the company instead of those I do?

Had a lazy day at home yesterday, may have another one today, or I may go and catch a movie - possibly Narnia, possibly...

Later peeps
Pauly

Another Hot And Sticky Day

After my lack of sleep last night, my parents went out and bought a new fan, that will hopefully be less noisy than the old one. And then spent about five hours installing it - old wiring, the power not getting all the way through to the fan, fuses blowing. I won't ask another thing from them for the next three months or so, what with the palaver that a new fan brought...

But at least they were thinking of my best interests :)

Apart from that comedy drama, I watched the cricket today - and also salivated over the website of the Best Burgers In The World LOL - yum, and Burger Wisconsin even got a mention in that newspaper of newspapers, the Guardian, what with gourmet burgers in London. Very yum. And even some easy going laid back music on the site as well. With a choice of tracks mmm. Very Salmonella Dub, err, if I have the band name right...

When I saw the Hataitai address in the store listing, I just wanted to reach through the screen and recapture the best of 2001 and 2002. My at home life was pretty crap, computer and not much else, but when I went out of the house, I had fun fun fun. I heart Wellington LOL, damned homesickness...

When last I looked for Burger Wisconsin on the web, there wasn't anything apart from a passing reference on a travel blog - that must have been about a year ago now though. God, I miss Wellington, but I'm not so sure I could just slot in there again...

Oh, and found this website while lazily trailing through the BBC quirky stories. Some organisation is having an international vote for the current Seven Wonders Of The World, since the list hasn't been updated in 2000 years, and six of the previous holders have been destroyed. Very ambitious idea, and the global vote will take place all this year, with the 'winners' being announced New Year's Day next year...

I hope they get recognised more than just the usual vote a moron TV shows or websites, it's a pretty fantastic idea. For my money, the current top seven would be the Easter Island statues, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu - that old Incan city on the side of a hill in Peru, the Pyramids, the Statue of Liberty and the Taj Mahal. Go have a look see at the site, they have a top 21 to choose from...

Later peeps
Pauly

Humidex Warning

Humidex is partly a measure of relative comfort in heat. Or so my very early morning brain is telling me. It isn't the hottest night we have had this summer here in Brisbane, but believe me, I think it is the most uncomfortable.

I tried getting to sleep earlier on, but woke up because the fan was making me too cool, believe it or not I think I may have been about to get a chill. However, putting the fan on lower levels didn't work, because it was then too noisy - it needs a bloody good oiling or something...

Then, turning it off, the heat hit me. But it was a dry heat, seeming as if I let it continue, my skin would hold the heat in instead of letting it out. My room is barely bigger in area than the size of my queen sized bed - maybe two feet clearance apart from that. And the only bedroom without air conditioning, I gave up that luxury when my sister 'needed' the larger room...

So stuck with overheating, catching a chill or not sleeping due to the noise of a fan, I came downstairs and tried to sleep on the couch in the lounge. Slightly cooler, very slight, but scratchy fabric, which got me thinking that my entire body is scratchy at the moment - I was twisting in discomfort upstairs already, another thing to ruin any sense of comfort level...

Not the hottest night of the year but clearly the most uncomfortable. There go any plans I had for tomorrow, well, today - will be doing my best to catch up on sleep instead of going to any movies or anything...

Paul

Television At Its Best

I shouldn't be watching this, really I shouldn't, but the 2006 Bartercard Miss V8 Supercar is on TV at the moment. But of course, it is all about the motorsport, it is not, repeat not, about belt like miniskirts, beach volleyball, and bottle blondes. I really should find something more worthy to watch. Maybe at the next ad break...

Maybe the ad break after?

Pauly