A new addition to my wallet...

is this snazzy Manly Fast Ferry multi-trip card.

Lately I've been leaving work late. When I leave late, all I want to do is get home so I've been heading to this wharf (pictured) to catch the Fast Ferry home. It's fast because it's only about a 16-18 minutes journey instead of the 35 minute Manly Ferry. And the views... The eastern side of Circular Quay presents people with some of the most amazing views of this city, and then we zoom away from it.

But, there's more to the Fast Ferry than just a quick tip home. You can enjoy a glass of wine or a beer out on the deck in the open air and cruise the harbour every night. Every now and then you may even be offered free champagne. And that is what I call great customer service. It seems every one who works on the ferry is enjoying their time too.

Last night when I boarded the announcement went something like this: "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Welcome aboard and thanks for choosing Manly Fast Ferries. It's a beautiful night and we'll be cruising at sea level and, for those on the top deck, at an altitude of about 14ft with an expected arrival time at Manly of approximately 16 minutes from now. We'd like to welcome back our ferry frequent fliers and offer a special welcome to those passengers traveling with us for the first time. The bar is open, the week is nearly over, so sit back and enjoy your ride home."

It's only 20c more than the single ticket on the big slow ferry! But shhhhh, we don't want this little secret gem to become too popular...

Five signs you've had a top night...

1.  A friend wipes the blood from your forehead. 
2. You say "Blood? Am I really bleeding." 
3. You get in a cab, then some time later projectile vom out the door, not sure if the cab is moving or stopped.  
4. You wake up, throbbing head, smile and say "So where am I?" 
5. You shared the whole night with lads whose company you really love.

Something today made me happy...

I caught up with someone I admire and who keeps me real.

And - to just hang out for lunch together was really good.

Big ups, as they say, to him...

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

oh what's "Big ups"? Time for a modern slang lesson:
*taaa daaa*
"Big ups" means "Massive props to someone you respek.. dawg."
(you know I'm doing weird gansta hand signals while I type that...)

Fry update...

Ok, still hard to photograph, but look, they all have eyes now. So maybe tonight they will hatch out and get gobbled up by the other fish in the tank.

cheese or chocolate?

Give me a bit of tasty cheese and some water crackers over chocolate. Although, I'm now partial to a Fry's Turkish Delight and a coffee at the moment.

Ask me anything

It's just as amazing as a volcano erupting...

my "boys" have laid eggs. Yes, I'm totally in shock.

This is very unexpected. Yesterday morning #2 was being very protective of the rock that Blanket is on. As I looked closer I saw him tending to a clutch of eggs. They were not easy to photograph as Blanket is covering them so please forgive this not so clear shot. In clownfish the male is the smaller of the two: making #2 the male and Sandy the female.

This morning I watched the eggs a little more and realised small fry had already formed in the eggs and look close to actually hatching. They must have been laid about 6 days ago. Now, don't go expecting me to have any of these little fry survive. They will be gobbled up in no time by my other fish in the tank.

I'm very fascinated with my tank at the moment. Each morning I sit in front of it and get lost watching the amazing little invertebrates and critters that inhabit my tank.

Roller derby

is a lot of fun as a spectator sport.

Saturday night Mark and I went to the roller derby at the Brisbane Convention Centre. The bout was put on by the Northern Brisbane Rollers and was the name of the two teams were: Love Rockettes vs The Diner Might Dolls. But first, let’s talk about the crowd...

Hot. This is very much a crowd I do not feel uncomfortable with. I shall describe them as the subculture hipsters and rockabilly crowd. Sexy tattoos on people everywhere. Awkward teenagers who don’t fit in at school were there as well as kids. Yes, fun for the whole family. The crowd was huge too. Is this sport growing popularity or what!

Now, the teams. You have to have a roller derby name to play this game. Here are some of my faves from the night: Love Rockettes: Chastity BeltHer, Dreadly Diva, Thumpalina. And on the Diner Might Dolls: Dead Meat, Smackerina, Queen Slander. Mark and I decided we needed roller derby names too. Mark was Mark 'Em Down and I was The Muzzle.

On to the game. Don’t know the rules? Well, the teams gave a Roller Derby 101 quick lesson before the game started. You could watch the movie “Whip It” or here is a clip that will explain it to you:


The night was licensed and the cue for beer or food was long, but they moved quickly. Seating was a premium and you had to get there way early to bag a seat. You could stand at the back of the seating or sit on the floor in the suicide area. This area was reserved for 18+ and you had to be prepared to get run over by the players if they were pushed in your direction. There were no ringside barriers. This was where we sat.

My one gripe for the night was I was feeling very under the weather with my head cold and my patience was a little short. I would have loved to have been able to get into it a lot more. I felt better during the second half when I was at the back of the crowd, with a little more space. But all in all it was such a fun night.

what is your email?

My email is one of the methods I use to communicate electronically.

Ask me anything

Unconscious Mutterings :: Week 376

1. Habit :: needs to be broken
2. Relaunch :: rework
3. Mondays :: sleepy
4. Bootstrap :: tight
5. Funk :: What's that...
6. Appreciate :: stuff
7. Yay! :: for everything
8. Life :: and love
9. Sheets :: 3
10. Date night :: the ad for it is on every ad break.

I wanna do this...

The Savannah Way.

It's a road trip. But not just ANY road trip, it's a road trip to the XTREAM! I'd go this way: Cairns to Broome. This trip would have to be one of the greatest continental coast to coast drives in the world and it passes through some of the most spectacular scenery and wonders that this country has to offer. And it's all in an area I have yet to explore: The Top End.

The Savannah Way is a reasonably new drive. It was officially launched in 2004 as a joint adventure tourism effort from the two States and one Territory of the Top End: Qld, WA and NT. I've been told that depending on the season that it may be drivable in a 2WD, but is inadvisable, and many of the tracks are designated 4WD only. Sounds like fun to me.

Just check out some of these landscapes.

So c'mon, who's with me? We'll hire a Britz 4WD camper that seats 4, hit the dusty, muddy, dry and wet roads and have an adventure.

Meet Benny...

the blenny. Isn't he a happy chap. Look at the smile! He's one of the new additions to my bedroom. I had initially thought I would not see much of this fella because he's a small dude, only about 4cm in length, but he's curious and I see quite a bit of him. I think he loves his new home. There's lot's of little holes and crevices for him to play in. And now meet Carol the coral:

 This is a bit ambitious of me, but I'm giving some live coral a go. I'm really going to have to pay very close attention to the water and the nutrients to keep her alive.

Hanging off Carol are Tim, Toby and Taylor the tubeworms. They came along for the ride. They are very shy and very sensitive to movement and light.

So, this is kind of how things are looking at the moment. Carol is off to the right of pic, Snuggie at the back behind Carol. The boys are happy and even little Veruca (top purple/blue blur) have all settled in well.

Unconscious Mutterings :: Week 375

1. Philanthropy :: Google it
2. Said :: sayings
3. Blanks :: fired
4. Tapas :: expensive
5. Orgasm :: yay!
6. Movement :: down there
7. Detention :: punishment
8. Restaurant :: new food choices
9. Weird :: science
10. Sniffle :: cold

It's coming...

OMG OMG OMG! Yes, I'm a little excited.
2010 MotoGP season starts this weekend.
*deep breath, deep breath*

Zipping up my boots...

goin' back to my roots. Getting back to my roots of the past few years and sitting on the edge. I like the edge.

I live close to Nth Head. It's a short walk from my place to these beautiful cliff faces. It's easy to get to as there are paths through the bush leading to some lookouts. But, paths are for pussies! I felt like getting close to the rock and with my trusty 510 bouldering shoes (that rarely see the light of day these days) I went on an adventure.

It had to be early as it's illegal to climb Nth Head. On most of the climbing websites they say that if the rangers catch you here they will slap a fine on you and confiscate your climbing gear. Well, I'm not that hardcore, so I was just doing short walls so no climbing gear was required. My destination was:

There are paths to each of the ledges, so it's easy to walk to a wall and climb up to the next ledge for a breather. Here's a closer look at where I plan on sitting for a few quiet moments:

Upon reaching my goal this is the view down over the edge:

I have to say I was being super cautious. We've had some rain over the past few days and there was a lot of loose sandstone, but the rain had also washed a lot of the smaller sand away making the rock feel sticky to grip. A very good feeling. Above my resting point was another small wall. This one was an easy climb to the very top. This view is looking down the final wall:

I would encourage anyone to come and visit this spot. Bring a bottle of wine, some cheese and crackers and it's beautiful to sit and watch evening approach. It truly is one of my fave spots in the world. The view from up here is spectacular:

I love just sitting and being quiet. I don't really think about much, my mind is usually clear and I just experience the moment. Nature provided me with all the thought I need. The updraft, the sound of the waves crashing way below, the sun on my face and my head is clear.
See how satisfied I look:

It was a good Friday...

Unconscious Mutterings :: Week 374

1. Bow out ::PAAARTY!
2. Relationships :: bless them
3. Facebook :: big time waster that I like.
4. Items :: list
5. Ours :: and yours
6. Sting :: in the tail
7. Hangover :: cure
8. Contacts :: business
9. Lonely :: only the
10. Seven days :: in one week