I'm loving this right now...

Firefox.

Nice day for it...

This evening after work I had the opportunity to share a dive with my two best buddies. Our three paths only crossed for the first time a few months ago. There's a great photo of these two underwater posted here. What's great about this photo is that it shows one of my mates teaching the other a NEW cool thing... How to experience the underwater world. This photo demonstrates to me that great experiences can be had by just letting yourself be part of something. Also, it was great to see someone experience their first dive. I think these two lads are the greatest, and finally, all three of us together did something so very cool tonight. Gota love that. The water was a little murky where we entered, but after finning our way along the rocky reef for 60m the visability improved a lot. We were visited by friendly Blue Groupers (The labradores of the sea) and we saw more stingrays than I had seen on any other dive here previously. Visually, it wasn't the most excitiing dive, but it was still a great dive to share.

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Terrify :: adrenaline rush


2. Month :: There's only 12 of them


3. Throat :: noise


4. Invasion :: The alarm clock EVERY morning


5. Nail :: biting


6. 12 :: months - Damn I feel ripped off on this one!


7. Bicker :: relationships


8. Thomas :: has a mullet


9. Sibling :: freinds forever


10. Delude :: that's trickery!

You can play too.

Yes, that's Sex and The City: Season 2 on the big screen...

and I was there to see it. By pure coincidence.

And the funny thing was, I had been here once before on a wendesday night when this show was on at the pub, and it was probably one of the crapiest nights I had had this year. And it happened here only a few weeks ago, so it is still fresh in my mind. Only once or twice before in my life had I had crappier nights. The First being when my 10 year relationship ended... I felt like I didn't want to visit this place again on a wednesday night for a long time.

But, when my mate Tim txted me earlier today, I was thinking, "Cool, a few games of pool to round off a few days of fun! I'm crap at pool, I just don't get it, but I always love chatting with someone over a game of pool..."... skip forward an hour or two and:

- I'm watching on the big screen "Sex and the City: Season 2", and Ok, sure it's only on the projector screen at the local, but yes, in full colour, the series that, made it "ok" to laugh about relationships.

- But, I was torn between this on the big screen, and "When Good Citizens Go Bad and get Caught on Tape!" on the smaller screen. Hey, I saw a truck tailor get absolutely SMASHED by a train!!! Storm chasers capture a tornado up close on video! It was, wait for it Kookyknut, "Awesome"!

- I was stuck there.

- And, having a good time.

- A few beers later, Kookyknut wins "BEST DRESSED"! Yes, that's "Best Dressed at a Sex And The City Night!" Damn it! Why wasn't it me?! Damn, I need some new T shirts!

- Could this night be any different to the previous night I was there on a Wednesday?

Yes it could. Tonight, I enjoyed myself. This topped off a bloody enjoyable day all 'round. Actually, it topped off a good xmas break, which in turn, is a great way to end the Year.

Now, that's a beard...

and it's itchy as all hell! But I shall persist with my goal to have it for a month. Don't ask why I'm doing that, I just am. However, if I had to publish a reason, I think it's because it makes kissing more enjoyable... The irony is that I'd just like to find someone who enjoys kissing a beardy :)

I went for a quick ride down to the Royal National Park this morning for breaky at Bundeena. On the way back did a slight detour via Como. This is a very beautiful part of Sydney that I never knew existed. Also found a Geocache today in another part of Sydney that was reasonably new to me as well, Hunters Hill. The cache was hidden in a nature reserve that was created thanks to Jack Mundy and the Green Bans. - Hey, not only is Geocaching getting me out into the country side and fresh air, it's educational as well. Judo bought a new GPS today that had a "Geocache Mode" as standard. We used it today and it took us to exactly the right location... Geez, with my gps you'd be lucky to get within 4m of the cache location.

And if it wasn't Xmas Day, I'd be cranky...

because after riding around Sydney trying to find somewhere to have a nice Christmas morning breakfast, I found 1 cafe open. I get the feeling that the rest of Sydney who were looking for coffee this morning also found this place. It was aptly named too. "The Grumpy Baker". I don't think he was coping with the amount of people ordering coffees... well all variations of coffee, "I'll have a lite soy latte with three shots of coffee and a skinny cap with two shots and ummmm, sugar, yes, I'd like sugar too, but can you put raw sugar in the soy and do you have coffee sugar? I'd like that in the cap thanks" said one ultra slim woman. It seems that everyone there had a "special" way to have their coffee. I think he was relieved when I said, "Just a flat white thanks." I didn't get the flat white, I got a strong cap instead, but I wasn't about to upset him by returning it. I returned to my parked bike about 45 minutes later to find someone had snapped the front right indicator off. GRRRrrrrrr.

But I've been for a quick ride through the streets of Sydney because it's one of the few days in the year that all the streets are empty and I can do zig zags through all my favorite parts of the city. I was smiling, got home, did some repairs on my bike and had a great chat to my family - who are currently in Nth Qld having a champagne breakfast on a beach near the Whitsundays. Nice. Am looking forward to catching up with Kookyknut later for our Boxing Day Eve celebrations.

Merry Christmas to all of you who have taken the time to share my blog with me. Hope you are all enjoying your day.

Wow - my house is just so festive now...

that I have 50cm of tinselly goodness erected next to the TV. AND There's even presents for me under it. Woohoo!

So today for lunch I had...

Salmon Sashimi.
Yum. The flavor was so delicate and the texture was melt in the mouth. Also with this delicious dish I had some small cucumber and sesame rolls and a couple of pieces of karage chicken with a sweet chili sauce.

+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+

I was contemplating blogging about my night last night with Kookyknut, but I'll just leave it at: We had a fun night to celebrate the end of his working year and I really didn't care that I was not going to have even close to a full nights sleep before turning up on work's doorstep this morning.

Thanks buddy, you're the best.

Something is not quite right...

with this picture.
Sometimes I just get puzzled. WHY is there a urinal where this one is? Think about that for a moment.

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Hardball :: The corporate line


2. Sleepless :: in pain


3. Graduation :: ceremony


4. Presents :: are so hard to buy if you want the right gift


5. Toe :: tapping tunes


6. Lotion :: motion


7. Snicker :: grow up!


8. Eve :: beautiful


9. Investment :: in the future


10. Pain :: and pleasure

You can play too.

I'm loving this right now...

My mates and their company.

My friend Chris's enthusiasm.
My friend Gleno's "How ya doin'?" txts
My friend Killer's eyes.
My friend JJ's laugh.
My friend Farmer's attitude towards everything.

The way my friend Kookyknut's beautiful smile lights up any room.
The way my friend Judo's understanding and tenderness really does hit the spot.

and so much more in life, but these things are just the best. Sometimes you realise that you are one lucky person. Tomorrow will come and these people will be part of it for me. So I'm lucky.

For one night I'd love to get all these friends, and for those that are lucky to have them, their partners, around the kitchen and dining room for a get together so they all could meet.

The group ride...

is something that I've only ever taken part in on a small scale. i.e: two other riders, max. Well not today.

This is The Road Warriors Cafe at Mt White. This could be any given Sunday. Today, I joined a group (bike gang *hahahahahahhaaa*) for a ride from Newtown to Mt White and back to Balmain for a pub lunch. I met some nice lads and, surprisingly, enjoyed myself. Go figure?!

Look what santa brought me for xmas...

It's in my blood...

These two crazy cool cats are my Mum and Dad.

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Research :: can be twisted into whatever you want it to be


2. Chuck :: up


3. Insert :: here


4. Bang :: on time Mr.


5. Lousy :: hangover


6. Rehearsal :: is for losers, just get out there and do it!


7. Critics :: sometimes are worth listening to


8. Memory :: short


9. Squid :: excellent way to ride a bike


10. Remove :: me from your spam list

You can play too.

One more for the road...

Sweeeeeeet Berry.
The ride down to Berry was very cool. There was a storm brewing on the horizon that I was keen to beat. The best part of this ride was between Kiama and Berry. The roads were smooth, curvaceous and free from traffic. It was so enjoyable to twist from one corner to the next at speed.

A dangerous game.
I love doing this, and I know I shouldn't... On the freeway between Marulan and Goulburn the big rigs were out in force. Being legally limited to 90km/h (yeah right!) the trucks speed down the hills and overtake me and then as they speed past I like to let them in front and ride so close to their tailgate that you get sucked along in their slipstream. It's dangerous, it's thrilling, it's a very cool feeling, and I know it's wrong.

Thank you and goodnight.
After lunch in Goulburn at the "stunning" Paragon Cafe we decided to leave the freeway and head the "back way" to Canberra. The weather was warm, I was tired and was kind of losing concentration. The ride was not the most interesting. It's amazing how dry the landscape is down that part of the country. The grassy hills were all looking the same golden brown... Next thing I know, my bike is shaking, I'm desperately trying to keep control of the bike. Microsleep. That's not a great thing to do at any time, but on a bike, yipes! I ran into some tree branches, flew back across the oncoming traffic lane to the other side still trying to control my bike, I smashed my foot onto another tree and then somehow re-gained control of the bike... all this within seconds and my speed not dropping below 80km/h and now I was wide awake. Luckily the roads were empty, because if they weren't, I was a goner. I'm still AMAZED that I have no injury other than a bruised foot and that UDE (my bike) was in one piece apart from tree sap splashed across the tank and the odd branch still wrapped around the instruments.

Bugs
I love Canberra. I have a feeling I may end up moving there one day. "That's madness!" I hear you all shouting! But, no, I really love this city. Every time I visit it just keeps getting better. On the road trip I experienced some of the roads and rides around the city. The scenery, while dry, is absolutely spectacular. The Brindabella's are stunning. On one of the rides I must have ridden through about 5kms of grasshoppers on the road. They were splatting against my boot as I road along at speed. It was actually very amusing. But it's the roads that impressed me this time. I could live here quite happily. All I need would be a small unit with a lock up garage and a big fish tank.





As Jamiroquai says
"This corner of the earth is like me in many ways..."
Dry, barren, desolate, empty, emotionless... ;) Judo, shall I go on?



Snap Crackle and Pop
I visited Jervis Bay for the first time on Saturday. This place is like a small corner of the Garden of Eden. Naturally we rode to the little pristine beach called "Murray's Beach". There was a strong wind blowing across the bay and with it it brought in thousands of Blue Bottles. The water was so clear and tempting that I had to swim. Luckily the blue bottles were easy to spot on the surface and were easy to dodge. Judo and I rode squid in our boardies back to the Hotel in Huskisson. There's nothing like the feeling of zooming along on your bike without bulky protection. A word of advice for novice bike riders: This is a bad habit so don't do it. But I love it. Slap my wrist. Later that evening the tide had retreated and as we walked along the beach the thousands of bluey's that were washed up on the beach sounded amazing as they popped under foot. I love fossicking around rock pools when the tide is out.

More pics here.

ROADTRIP!

Follow the purple line... that's where me and my bike are riding starting tonight. Sydney to Berry. A night there. Berry to Canberra. Having a night in Canberra. Then doing some rides around the ACT. Then riding to Batemans Bay. Staying there for a night. Then up the coast to Huskisson. Stopping there for a night, then zooming back up the coast to Sydney on Sunday.

Who said I was predictable?

Today's tasty treat was Yoshinoya's "New" Curry Chicken Bowl. MMmm MM. I love this curry. It's kind of like the curry my Mum used to make with good ol' "Keen's Curry Powder".

I'm lovin' this right now...

It's tasty. It's probably good for me. It's Japanese fast food.

I've been running away from work to the other side of the city for an early lunch at Yoshinoya trying to beat the crowd. Today's tasty choice from the menu was the Grilled Beef Bowl Meal. This comprised of miso, karage chicken, the above mentioned Beef Bowl and a Coke. I seriously could have eaten just 4 or 5 servings of the karage. Deep fried goodness! I'm yet to be convinced that this is actually "grilled" beef. It tastes just like the regular beef bowl, "Gyudon". Gyudon is very thin slices of beef simmered in a special broth made up of stock, wine and over 40 spices (so the story goes).
This entry in Wikipedia is interesting.

Anyone want to join me for an early lunch sometime?

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Hello :: there


2. Flinstone :: 's meet the


3. Corn :: salad sushi boat


4. Interview :: process


5. Deviant :: Ummmm... me


6. Concept :: create one, get it approved, then the client changes their mind


7. Bridge :: ing the gap


8. Karen :: KILLER!


9. Encounter :: surprise


10. Biological :: break (It's a song)

You can play too.

Actually...

I have to set the record straight... Geocachers are a friendly and welcoming mob.

And this weekends event was...

The Great Auzzie Xmas BBQ Geocache Event.

The morning was cool and overcast so deciding to ride was one of those decisions that could have been very wrong. It wasn't. In fact, it was a perfect bike riding temperature.. By the looks of the pic, we could have been in some cool part of the world for breaky, but no, it was just Glebe. The picnic was at a place called Mortlake. Had never been there before, so navigating on the bikes from a memorised map was a mighty good task by Judo.

Met a few fellow Geocachers. Met up with Farmer and family there too. They had come in from Bathurst for the weekend. The Geocachers are an, ummmm, "interesting" bunch of people. There was a time trial cache hunt which I just tagged along with Farmer and crew. I think 15 minutes was the final time. The fastest was around 12minutes to find the 4 caches and solve the puzzle.

Well, that was a cheery album... not.

The whole new Faithless album has a new-born baby theme. It's title is "To All New Arrivals". I would think that over the past 18 months Faithless have had some new children enter their lives. One of the band members may have had a close call with their child during birth. Every Faithless album has at least one Dido vocal, this one song is hauntingly sung by her.

"Last This Day"
-Faithless

Lines to the skin
That have seen neither sun nor sin
Tubes to the mouth
Can not laugh or sigh or even cry

Drop in the ocean
A second in our time
One Star in the endless sky
But you mean
The whole world to me
Your an island of life

So please
Last this day
Stay one more day
Please last this day
Stay one more day
And stay one more day
And just one more
Just one more day

All this madness around us
You, all knowing and so still

You were made in love
and grew in hope
and born in pain,
you had them running around
trying to make you breath again
one tiny link
in an endless chain

But you mean
The whole world to me
Your an island of love

So please
Last this day
Stay one more day
Please last this day
Stay one more day
Please last this day
Stay one more day

Somedays every thing just goes your way...

and then days, like today, it just gets off to the wrong sort of start.
I cooked dinner last night just for myself. If you know me, you'd know that's quite unusual... I experimented with Korean starch noodles, vegies, chicken and some thai chillies, soy, and penut oil. So, in the early hours of this morning, I was rudely woken with a STRONG desire to go to the loo. This desire lasted about two hours.

So, when I re-awoke this morning to the sound of the alarm clock, I seemed to be struggling a little to get ready for work. I opted for the easy iron shirt, packed my bag, went to the kitchen had my swig of Yakult, picked up the rubbish and walked out the front door to the bin. Closing the door to the morning behind me. Realising then, as the door clicked into locked position, that my keys were resting next to my computer keyboard. (Plane Spotter is out of town, so I couldn't rely on his set of keys to get me back inside)

My team meeting at work went an hour and a half overtime. It dragged on... and on... I didn't get a chance to go out of the office for lunch and ended up almost arguing "business logic" for new development work and defending my team's heavy workload and short time frames.

But as soon as I walked out of the office today, the world had righted itself. My walk home from The Rocks went so smoothly. I seemed to get every green walk light. This NEVER happens. It's usually stop-start all the way home. AND... I luckily I had leant a spare set of keys to Judo the day before and he was waiting back at home to let me in. There was a slight cooling wind. Dinner was tasty. Conversation was interesting. People were smiling... I was smiling... I picked up the new Faithless album from Hum. And now I'm going to lie back in bed, chill and enjoy listening to it as I drift into pillowy comfortable slumber. Still smiling.

Just a very quick update...

the trough has been cleaned.

Unconscious Mutterings

Rhyme :: time
Substantial :: loss
Instant :: regret
Greed :: corporate
Brad :: 's got a sexy bike
Season :: 's in the sun
Accomplished :: The end of the road...
Invite :: me next time
Sparkle :: and shine
Rainbow :: Storm

You can play too.

And the winner is...

not us. But we did do ok. The results have been posted and we came 68th out of a field of 171. Our aim was to finish in the top 50%, so not bad for my first urban adventure race.

I know this is slightly gross but...

this cockroach has been in this trough for 3 weeks. Now what does it say about the cubicle?
1. I piss on him every time I go to the loo.
2. How sturdy is he!
3. Does it really ever get cleaned?

I, personally, still think the troughs should be cleaned more fequently...

The "cusp of love"...

is a very precarious place to sit. With one false move you could be sent tumbling down the side of it with nothing to grab onto. No holds. Nothing to put your feet against to stop the slide. Just falling, no net.

Sometimes you're going to land on your feet. But other times, when you don't know why you're falling, you're going to land on your head and break something.

Ouch. I'm broken in numerous places.

Ready... steady... go

Today I took part in the Sydney AdventuereMax race. This race was a hell of a lot of fun. Think: The Amazing Race, but only local and only public transport. It's my first adventure race of this sort. I took part in this race with Judo, and had a heap of help via phone ("phone a fiend") from Kim.

If running all over Sydney in a "stylish" red bib, doing tasks such as..
rock climbing in St Leonards
putting together tiny wooden puzzles on a train across the harbour bridge
kicking soccer goals with your left foot
basketball hoops
running through Paddy's Market to find stall #767
visiting the Travel and Adventure expo to find a Motorola stall
searching Centenial Park for some federation landmark
Walking the wharves at the Fish Markets to find some boat
cruising the harbour
running up Glebe Point Rd trying to figure out what war memorial has a checkpoint on it
tasting a juice drink and having to identify the three fruits that the drink was made from
all within a 6 hour non stop race against another 170 teams of 2
..than, this is your event.

I had fun.... I'm a little wrecked now, but what a bloody good day.

Putting myself out there (part 2)...

This is a tune I wrote Wednesday night.
It's called "I Didn't Mean It That Way" - Muzbot

It's Friday...

and I haven't made a post since Tuesday.
What's going on in my life then?

Oh, hang on, now I have.

Unconcious Mutterings

1. Teacher :: Pick me!


2. Fifty :: ways to leave your lover


3. Crossword :: ZZzzzz Boring


4. Stuffed :: Olive, dry martini


5. Family :: album


6. Purr :: fect


7. Toad :: in the hole


8. Cocktail :: Cheesy 80's Cruise movie


9. Insecurity :: Ummmm, do I have to answer this one? I might muck it up.


10. Magical :: Love

You can play too

Surely you would have seen the proof...

and thought, "I don't think the spacing is quite right on that font. Can we fix that before we print?"

A pub with balls.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas;
Soon the bells will start,
And the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing
Right within your heart.

I love this time of year. Although, this year, I'll be spending it alone. Not the happiest thought.

Count 'em...

My garage this morning.
-==-
1) Mine
2) Farmer's
3) Mine
4) Plane Spotter's
5) Judo's
-==-

Hooray for Friday!...

gota love the local pub and the friday night meat tray.

My favorite...

film is on teev this weekend. (Channel 7 8:30pm, Sunday)
This is the doco that has inspired me more than any other film I have ever seen. It's the reason why I got out there and learnt to climb. I can't recommend this film highly enough. It's a true story and proves that the human spirit is a truly amazing beast.
As a quick summary: Simon and Joe go climbing a mountain that had not been climbed before. As they climb further into uncharted territory Joe falls and breaks his leg. The rest of the story involves getting him off the mountain. The cinematography is simply breath-taking, and if that does not take your breath away the white knuckle tension will. It's one of those rare films proving fact is far more engaging than fiction.
There is far more to this story than this movie portrays. I shall post more after the movie screens, so as not to give too much away prior to it's screening.

Sydney 4pm...

Inspired by a post by Bec, I have taken a couple of pics of the city as I left work today.
All except the last one, that is one my sister sms'ed me of her new puppy called Jack.

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Nick :: at nite


2. Focus :: people! You're not listening!


3. Police :: man


4. Miles :: Jazz


5. Earn :: your keep


6. Twice :: shy


7. Razor :: stupid scooters


8. Personality :: bypass


9. Dumped :: :(


10. Reliable :: Machinery made before 1960

You can play too

In and out meme...

From Kookyknut

Soda Water or Mineral Water
Soda - I prefer a slight bite over a sweet tang

Tim-tams or Anzac Biscuits
Anzac Biscuits - But only when they're fresh out of the oven. I'm one of those freaks of Australian nature that don't like Tim Tams.

M*A*S*H or Happy Days
Happy Days - M*A*S*H was tedious.

Chocolate or Cheese
Hmmmm... Cheese. From the strong blue to a mild brie.

Kisses or Cuddles
Oh, smack a hot pair of lips against mine and I'm in heaven.

Fold or Scrunch
Scrunch.

Red or Blue
Blue - but I'm more of a lime fan.

Mac or PC
Duh - Mac.

Hot or Cold
Cold - so long as there's a fire place and a nice bottle of red.

Tetris or Pacman
Pacman - I love the thought of being chased and then turning the tables.

Lasers or Fireworks
Lasers - They don't fizzle out.

Elvis or The Beatles
I was a huge Elvis fan in highschool. Now, I'd have to go with Beatles. I understand now how brilliant melody writers they were.

Big Spoon or Little Spoon
Little - Especially eating desert. Savor a flavor for longer I say. I'm not one to shovel food.

White Bread or Brown Bread
White. But I do love peanut butter and banana on brown.

Gangster Rap or Death Metal
Death Metal. Why? The lyrics are so endearing and inspiring.

The weekend that was...

involved a lot of riding. So here's a picture from today... busted perving.

Meme: My Life as a Soundtrack...

This is not going to be pretty people.
If your life were a soundtrack, what would the music be?

Here's how it works:

Open your library (iTunes, winamp, media player, iPod).
Put it on shuffle.
Press play.
For every question, type the song that's playing.
New question - press the next button.
! Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool !

Opening Credits
"Touch Me With Your Love" - Beth Orton

Waking Up
"Love Is Strange" - Everything But The Girl (this one actually seems like a waking up song!)

First Day of School
"MyMyMy" - Armand Van Helden

Falling in Love
"All Through The Night" - Cindy Lauper (see, I said this wouldn't be pretty)

Breaking Up
"Sub-Culture (Edit)" - New Order

Prom
"Heaven" - Lamb

Life's Okay
"Giving Myself Away" - Faithless

Mental Breakdown
"Manhattan Idyl" - Henri Rene & His Orchestra (This is so appropriatepriate too! I'm sure lounge music would accompany my descent into madness!)

Driving
"Your Lovin' Arms" - Billie Ray Martin

Flashback
"Stephanie Pompougnac" - Morento Featuring Clementine (Bossa Mix) (Ahhh, beautiful french lyrics)

Getting Back Together
"Let's get down" - Supafly V's Fishbowl (LOL)

Wedding
"Delerious" - Prince

Birth of a Child
"Lido Shuffle" - Boz Scaggs (Yes, BOZ SCAGGS!)

Final Battle
"I'm A Wonderful Thing (Baby)" - Kid Creole & The Coconuts

Death Scene
"Legion" - Junkie XL

Funeral Song
"Knob Job" - Angel Alanis

End Credits
"Circles (Just My Good Time)" - Busface ft Mademoiselee E.B.

Tonight at the Dag-land...

oops, sorry, the Raglan.. we had live music.
Tonight, me and my mate Kookyknut, went to the pub for dinner. And by the time the live band came on, we were the only two in the pub. It actually created a very weird intimacy. Thank god for pints of beer. It's the beer that prompted me to be a little more vocal than usual... so that the rather large kiwi dude playing the guitar knew Kookyknut's first name by then end of the night and was offering the mic and bongos over to him... "Maybe next time" was Kookyknut's response.

A change is as good as...

blah blah...

I actually had an hour to myself this evening so I decided to update my blog template.
If colours were solids I would have been chucking them over my shoulder like a mad scientist - just trying to get the right combination... In the end, I came up with this.

How cool is this...

currently in my back yard I have 4 motorbikes and 1 Holden SS ute!

Sequencing and smearing....

sounds like something you'd do at a trashy dance party. But it wasn't. It was what I learnt tonight at climbing.
Sequencing is a technique of alternating left and right grips to enable a further reach sideways. Smearing was a technique where, if there aren't any foot holds, you get a strong grip with your fingers and then use your feet against the bare wall to move up. It requires further practice from me.

There's something very un-natural about "walking" up a vertical wall. But smearing is a very handy technique to know. I'm now starting to get a greater appreciation for those dudes and dudettes who get out there and do this stuff up a cliff face.

The other exercise we did tonight was to climb up the wall with one hand behind our back. Yep, only one hand. It wasn't easy. Half way up we had to swap hands and continue using only the other hand. I would say I got three quarters through this one before I couldn't go any further. Kookyknut had just as much luck as me on this one...

Judo has a new toy...

and I have a new riding buddy! Woohoo.
Judo's new 07 GSXR600 is a very nice bike.

I have the concentration of...

a strainer. Ok, did that make any sense? My wandering mind is causing me too much grief. Not really the best to be out and riding on a bike. But I actually thought I was riding very well. So well in fact, that I decided to do some weaving down a quiet street and stand up on the foot pegs. "Look Ma, no hands!"

Well, Mr Policeman didn't think I was being very clever. Damn. That's where the lack of concentration comes into it! I didn't even see him. Although, he must have been slightly impressed because he didn't book me. I just got a little talking to about the "should do" and "should not do" of riding in the streets. I didn't say this, but I just kept thinking, "Man, if I'm going to learn to do handstands I need to practice somewhere!"

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Theft :: wrong


2. Storage :: is expensive


3. Pick :: of the litter


4. Los Angeles :: Who cares?


5. The one :: and only


6. Accent :: Exotic


7. Rivalry :: Inter-departmental


8. Process :: habit


9. Streets :: where you live


10. Museum :: train station

This was a very un-interesting Unconscious Mutterings.

you can play too

My mind was elsewhere this morning...

and I miss read the lights at the pedestrian crossing and stepped out in front of a car. For a very quick second tires screeched and horns blared. I wasn't hit. How could this be? I'm so sure now that I was very lucky this morning. So, I was sworn at and I felt like a complete fool. My heart was racing and I was breaking out in a nervous sweat. 5 minutes later as I walked further towards the city I burst out laughing and thought to myself that there is no way I would want to die being hit by a car. I have grand plans that my death will possibly be caused by attempting something actually dangerous, not crossing the street...

the coolest thing I saw today was...

not this tree. It was in fact the smooth round boulder encrusted hill behind the tree. My love for geology grows. My timing for taking pictures from a moving vehicle gets worse.

the weirdest thing I saw today...

was a road sign for "Hanging Rock" and tied to the sign, was a real rope noose which was wrapped around this big hanging rock. It made me laugh.

I had a great weekend. Judo and I went to Canberra for the weekend. I kind of get the impression that I'm not a good friend to have. You see, Judo had planned to go down Sat night so he could be up bright and early on Sunday for a race event being held in a state forest in Canberra. So, after ariving in Canberra, Saturday evening started off great with dinner at an Italian restaurant. I wanted pasta with a creamy sauce and peas and got exactly that. It ended with us being still out later with me inching closer and closer to a dancefloor with each new song that was played. Then a song was played that got me all the way onto the dancefloor. I have no idea what it was. I was having a great night. Judo was having a great night. It was just plain fun. Canberra once again impressed me with it's coldness for people who are on their own and the warmth of the place if you have someone to spend some time with.

I'm not sure how well Judo woke up, but I can say I had a mighty big headache. And worst of all, Judo didn't make it to his race. Instead we went and had some stomach lining breakfast. Oily food. Mine served up with lashings of melted cheese. I just LOVE how sometimes if you just choose to react differently about something and take that different route how your day can be filled with unexpected laughter and seeing/experiencing things you've never experienced before in your life. We went on a road trip around the outskirts of Canberra and saw some mighty good bike riding road. I'm keen to get back for a weekend on my bike and do that ride.

I'm loving this right now...

but it's a long post.
--------------------------
"Stopwatch Hearts"
Delerium

Not that I'm that hard to Please
but lately when I hit the street
it's hum-de-dum
(hum-de-dum-de dum)
When the hard times hit
they Hit the biz
The hardest hit make the best of it

Strong dollar stockbroker right to the bottom
Sink down with your boomtown
High water realtors arrive
With numbers over their eyes
Stopwatch hearts

Good God I love the party-starved
businessmen with stopwatch hearts
They don't beat
(They tick)
They don't beat
(they tick)

Good God I love the party-starved
businessmen with stopwatch hearts
They don't beat
They don't beat

'Round that corner
Down the street
There's a dive where working girls retreat
from their hum-de-dum
(hum-de-dum-de-dum)
So tilt that felt hat to the side
Thrift store 3 for .99
Gonna get me one
Gonna get me one
(and Get it every night)

Strong dollar stockbroker right to the bottom
Sink down with your boomtown
High water realtors arrive
With numbers over their eyes
Stopwatch hearts

Good God I love the party-starved
businessmen with stopwatch hearts
They don't beat
(They tick)
They don't beat
(they tick)

Good God I love the party-starved
businessmen with stopwatch hearts
They don't beat
They don't beat

Good God I love the party-starved
businessmen with stopwatch hearts
They don't beat
(They tick)
They don't beat
(they tick)

Good God I love the party-starved
businessmen with stopwatch hearts
They don't beat
They don't beat

(they tick)

So tilt that felt hat to the side
Thrift store 3 for .99

Gonna get me one
(and Get it every night)

The trashy 70's horror flick...

is such a good option for thursday night viewing.
the "Trilogy of Terror" is one of those midday movies that you somehow catch glimpses of when you're a kid and that one scary scene in the movie stays with you into adulthood. I say "scary scene" but now when you watch it you just can't help but laugh and add your own script edits and commentary. I had not seen this movie since I was probably 7 or 8 years old. What a classic.

The lads cooked up another FEAST. So much tasty food in one week!

you know sometimes...

you just look at a sunset and go... "Shit, that's pretty awesome. I'll NEVER see this again. I could actually die right now and be ok with it."
I'm actually very cool with that thought. This moment.

Unconcious Mutterings

1. Costume :: disguise


2. Beg :: for mercy


3. Hottie :: do they really need to be told they are?


4. Celebrity :: Over rated


5. Saturday :: My day.


6. Buckle :: and folds in the earth's crust create amazing mountians


7. Doorbell :: Ding dong


8. Rude :: Who me?


9. Absence :: Does not always make the heart grow fonder


10. Hyper :: fun

you can play too

Such a nice day for a ride...

so I rode down through the Royal. So many bikers out there enjoying a cool sunny morning. Probably the last chance for them this year to wear their leathers in comfort.
I opted for the summer jacket thinking it would be a hot one... but alas I froze as soon as the speedo hit 70km/h. I stopped off at Bundeena for a coffee to warm up in the sun. Happy Sunday.

See...

Cheap eats.
My saturday night isn't going to be the most entertaining... I did go back to the Lord Raglan tonight to sample the $4 pie and mash. Well, it was good. And, I didn't even have to pay extra for the peas tonight.