Muzbot: September 2008

20080930

Move on, nothing to see here...

I've had a shit week so far and we're only at Tuesday.
I make it a point not to discuss work matters here on my blog, so I won't.

Short post then huh?!

20080928

Time to butch it up a bit...

after yesterday's "skirt and fluffy slippers" episode. Today was about the big ships and warfare. It's the local naval base open day today and they had a few ships in port to explore. I'm a huge fan of ships and to be able to wander through a guided missile vessel was an impressive way to spend a sunny sunday.

I enjoyed checking out the naval diving equipment and the onboard navigation systems. That's me standing on the bow of HMAS Diamantina. This is one of Australia's minehunter class of ships.

Now, please excuse me, there's motorsport on TV and beer in the fridge so that's the rest of my afternoon taken care of.

20080927

It seemed like a good idea...

after wandering around the fashion nightmare that is Paddington and some well deserved Saturday afternoon beers.

Dave and I think we have come up with what must be the biggest fashion "no no". Ugh boots and kilt.

BUT, I'm the sort of guy that can carry it off. No, really, see! Trust me... I am a style guru, and on these warm spring afternoons a little taste of under kilt freedom is very welcome.

Don't you just love impaired judgment.

20080926

Kids these days...

Metaphors from Year 12 English essays: (Thanks D for sharing)

Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master
He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pin hole in it.
She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature prime beef.
She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh like the sound a dog makes just before it throws up.
Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever
He was as tall as a six-foot three-inch tree.
The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM.
The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't
McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a supermarket bag filled with vegetable soup.
From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on holiday in another city and Sex in the City comes on at 9:00pm instead of 9:30.
Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.
The hailstone leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot oil.
John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.
Even in his last years, Grandad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted.
The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.
The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.
"Oh, Jason, Take me!" she panted, her breasts heaving like a Uni student on $1-a-beer night.
He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame. Maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.
The ballerina rose gracefully en pointe and extended on slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.
He was deeply in love. When he spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.
She was as easy as the TV Guide crossword.
She walked into my office like a centipede with 98 missing legs.
It hurt the way your tongue hurts after you accidentally staple it to the wall.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Now it's your turn. Get creative and complete the following using a metaphor:

"Within an instant his heart broke..."

20080923

Way back when...

1954

1970
Complete with dodgy glasses.

Snaps go out to h&b for putting me onto this one.
Try it yourself at www.yearbookyourself.com

I'm loving this right now...

"Nature Boy" lyrics:

There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he

And then one day
A magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return"

20080922

Bit of a big weekend...

I keep telling myself that I really should grow up soon, but surely I'm not too old for these sort of weekend shenanigans just yet.

After hanging out with "long lost friend" on Friday evening (having fun helping him with his new Mac), I had going away drinks to attend for another good friend who is moving to Qld. These started at 11pm and I had every intention to only stay for an hour or so because the celebrations were in one of my least favourite nightclubs, Arq. Yes, handbag heaven Arq. Well, before I knew it it was daylight outside and 7am Saturday morning and I was having a great time still boogieing my arse off to really crappy music. Why stop now? So down the street we trundled to the local dayclub. The thing I like most about these sort of unplanned evenings are that they are so much fun and you meet so many new people.

Luckily dayclub closes at 1pm and I was home by 2. Rest. Then up and out to grab dinner and do some late grocery shopping. Sleep.

Up at 6am Sunday morning to get ready for the annual Sydney Running Festival. I had really lacked preparation this year so I wouldn't make the half marathon distance and opted early on for the 9km Bridge run. It was an enjoyable run, apart from the few occasions where I felt my brain bouncing around my head as I ran. Really, at a couple of sections of the race my brain felt like it was mushy and slopping up and down as I ran. Totally weird. But I think I was pretty much on pace to be equal to last year's run. Very happy about that.

Following on from the race I popped my head into dayclub once more just to say a final "goodbye" to my mate who was continuing the party, then home to some sweet sweet slumber. And boy did I sleep well!

20080914

No, really it is...

You think I would have read the label and put this beer back on the shelf, but NOOOOooo, I just had to buy it.

20080910

I am addicted...

to Gelato Messina. It's the finest gelato in Sydney and a favourite on my dining outings. Actually, at the moment, it's receiving a daily visit from me.

Tonight I discovered a flavour that I had never tasted before and I'm totally won over by it. It's Dulce de Leche. I can not put into words how amazing this little scoop of gelato is. In fact, I announced to my flat mate that there now IS something better than chocolate.

The other flavours on tonight's plate were:
honeycomb, panna cotta, pistachio and choc chip.

The thought of another scoop of Dulce de leche is making my mouth water as I post this.

A little bit of shopping...

is always good for the soul, and when it's new tyres it's a special day indeed.

These are the Diablo Strada tyres from Pirelli. Sexy aren't they?! I've been tossing up whether or not to get some new tyres for the past couple of months. Selecting the right set of tyres has been making me put off the choice, but I finally decided to go with these Pirelli ones because of their performance. For my style of riding they offer me a great balance between wear and traction.

My first ride on them yesterday afternoon was so bloody enjoyable. Rolling around the street corners I could feel they provided me with perfect turn-in and lean. As I approached the home stretch I could feel that with a bit of heat in the tyres I could start scrubbing them in with a little more confidence. I just have to say "SWEET!"
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Here's a local sign that I find rather amusing...

20080907

I'm going through...

a very big 80's Oz music phase right now. I'm loving this one more now than I ever did before.

20080905

I can finally welcome spring...

phew. And so, today this is me.
There's a hint of a smile and a glint in my eyes.

It took me 8 days of bed rest, but I've finally recovered and have a slight spring in my step. I've been soooooo bored recently cooped up at home, cabin fever had really set in.

Even though it's raining outside I feel spring has arrived. Leaves on the elm trees on the street below me are unfolding. I'm sure over the next 2 weeks the Sydney streets will start filling with renewed growth. Spring is by far my favourite time in Sydney.

20080904

Food meme

So, continuing on with the meme theme at the moment, here is one about food. This is kind of torture for me because I've not really been eating for the past few days...

1. How do you like your eggs? As a simple omelette, not too much filling. Maybe just some mushrooms and cheese. I even love the sushi style Tamago one.

2. How do you take your coffee/tea? Coffee: never made at home, in a mug, white with two. Tea: White or black depending on if I actually have "in date" milk in the fridge. So, that's mostly black at home.

3. Favorite breakfast food: I'm going to go with crumpets. I love these.

4. Peanut butter: Well, in Qld we called PB "peanut paste". It had something to do with the peanut farmers and dairy farmers arguing over the use of the word "butter". But I like mine crunchy.

5. What kind of dressing on your salad? I often like an undressed salad. I do like a light French dressing though.

6. Coke or Pepsi? Hmm. I like both. I'm no cola snob.

7. You’re feeling lazy. What do you make? 2 minute noodles.

8. You’re feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order? Ham and Pineapple.

9. You feel like cooking. What do you make? Chicken and asparagus risotto.

10. Do any foods bring back good memories? Crab. My grandfather was the president of a fishing club and I can remember going out in his boat checking crab-pots for fresh crabs. I don't eat crab these days, but even when I see one I still have fond memories of them cooking at home or at my grandparent's place.

11. Do any foods bring back bad memories? It's not really a bad memory, more a sickly feeling. Cherries. I just can't stand the sight of these things. I was so ill as a child after eating cherries that even to this day I will avoid looking at them.

12. Do any foods remind you of someone? Not really. Food tends to remind me of different places or time, not really a person.

13. Is there a food you refuse to eat? See Q11.

14. What was your favorite food as a child? Home cooked fudge or coconut ice. My mum used to make the BEST coconut ice. It was never crumbly and sugary, it was so creamy and ever-so-slightly chewy. It was delicious. Oh god what I'd give for some of this right now.

15. Is there a food that you hated as a child but now like? I was just talking about this with my flatmate the other night. Brussels sprouts. I really like these babies now.

16. Is there a food that you liked as a child but now hate? Toffee. I can't stand the thought of eating a solid lump of sugar.

17. Favorite fruit and vegetable: Fruit: Strawberries. Oh how I love these juicy red packages of goodness. I even love how in a punet of strawberries the flavour can range between tangy and sweet. It's a mystery how they can taste so different, yet so similar. Vegetable: Corn. The smell of corn on the cob cooking is just heaven to me.

18. Favorite junk food: I'm going to go with KFC here. I don't eat it often, but sometimes I just want to go out and dig into a two piece feed, mash and all. I guess my other fave junk food would have to be potato chips (crisps) with beer at the pub.

19. Favorite between meal snack: Polly waffle. I sometimes think I devour way too many of these. I think these may be an Aussie only food.

20. Do you have any weird food habits? It's not weird, well at least not in my books, but I don't like to eat fish that isn't farmed or self caught. The widespread raping of the ocean is something I feel ashamed of as a human.

21. You’re on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on? Diet? me? I'm not one for dieting. Sure, I'm conscious of what I eat, but I've never been "on a diet". So let's say I'd fill up on Realfood's Corn Thins. These are good enough on their own or with peanut butter spread over them.

22. You’re off your diet. Now what would you like? A real good Surf and Turf steak thanks, with lumpy mash and green beans. The surf part has to be garlic prawns and the turf part med-rare for me.

23. How spicy do you order Indian/Thai? I like medium spicy Thai, but funnily enough, I don't like spicy Indian at all. I can do Mexican really spicy. MMMmmmmm.

24. Can I get you a drink? Sure, if it's warm outside, we're sitting by a pool and you're paying I'll have a Caipirinha. Otherwise, just get me a beer thanks.

25. Red or White Wine? Red, preferably a cab-mer. Or if it's going to be white, make it a dry crisp very cold one.

26. Favorite dessert? Custard.

27. The perfect nightcap? Umm, my perfect nightcap is not suitable for publication.

20080903

Shrinkage PtII...

Thanks for all the well wishes I've received recently. The good news is that I'm feeling much better today.

The past five days my Wii has been measuring exactly how much my illness has effected my weight. 3.6kg in 5 days. You can see on Saturday I was at my regular "happy with this" weight of 72.4kg. By this morning I was down to 68.8kg. Way too light.

Now that solid food is welcomed back into my life I plan to regain those lost kg with some tasty tasty food. Tonight was a calorie loaded dinner followed by custard and the thinest sliver of orange cake (Thanks Terry).

This really is a boring post, so I'll end it here and get back to listening to Transvision Vamp.

ps: That werewolf picture below REALLY gives me nightmares, and has since I was a young lad.