Wednesday, November 30, 2005
well this week is starting to wear thin. i've got a pic up on my desktop from phillip island, which has been a nice distraction when i'm feeling overwhelmed.
today has been stuffing around with our anti-spam filter. and content management for our firewall servers. typically, nothing works out of the box and needs to be fiddled with.
we had an internet filtering presentation from a company called content keeper yesterday. i dunno if we can justify the expense though unfortunately, it's on a per user basis, and we'd end up paying about $7000 annually, on top of about $4000 to purchase. the initial purchase i could justify, but the maintenance is a bit expensive. what i liked about it is that you can pretty much set it and forget it. someone else has already done all the tricky bits for you. we'll probably end up with our existing solution, which is a bit fiddly.
so much for working smarter not harder. the more fiddly little solutions we do, the more crap i've gotta stay on top of. and the more computer crap there is, the more often some of it breaks down.
i'm trying to avoid doing overtime. if i follow my predecessor i'll be in here nights and weekends, he lasted about 18 months then decided he didn't want to do it anymore. so i'm trying to avoid working extra hours, but it's almost impossible to achieve anything during the day. every man and his dog, and the boss, want to interrupt me all the time. i get nothing done...
today has been stuffing around with our anti-spam filter. and content management for our firewall servers. typically, nothing works out of the box and needs to be fiddled with.
we had an internet filtering presentation from a company called content keeper yesterday. i dunno if we can justify the expense though unfortunately, it's on a per user basis, and we'd end up paying about $7000 annually, on top of about $4000 to purchase. the initial purchase i could justify, but the maintenance is a bit expensive. what i liked about it is that you can pretty much set it and forget it. someone else has already done all the tricky bits for you. we'll probably end up with our existing solution, which is a bit fiddly.
so much for working smarter not harder. the more fiddly little solutions we do, the more crap i've gotta stay on top of. and the more computer crap there is, the more often some of it breaks down.
i'm trying to avoid doing overtime. if i follow my predecessor i'll be in here nights and weekends, he lasted about 18 months then decided he didn't want to do it anymore. so i'm trying to avoid working extra hours, but it's almost impossible to achieve anything during the day. every man and his dog, and the boss, want to interrupt me all the time. i get nothing done...
Sunday, November 27, 2005
well despite a shitty forecast, we had some really nice weather on saturday. but i didn't get to go for a dive. a dive club from the illawarra was down, complete with 3 armloads of uni students, and boatloads of tanks to fill.
fortunately it wasn't as bad as last time. maybe the forecast put them, off. last time we filled tanks for them (and our own divers) i spent the whole weekend filling, only leaving the compressor to sleep (and go to the little boys room) and raid the kitchen for food.
this time i had a bit of a break saturday morning, getting brekkie ready at 7:00, still blissfully unaware, some communication from the boss would have been nice at this stage, i'll harass the bosses about that later. at 9:00 i saw the boat approaching, and put 2 and 2 together to get about 7, and spent the rest of the day until about 9:00pm filling.
had a few nice breaks though. in between filling you're expected to be helping people out of the water, carrying cameras to the fresh water rinse tub at the front of the boat, and keeping the hot dry towels coming from the dryer.
the weather was lovely. hot and sunny. and then there's some noise.
when you surface, it's good manners to signal the boat. a big fat ok signal, means all is good, one arm raised, means please pick me up (two fingers, visa, 3 fingers pointing down, mastercard)
one arm flapping, all is not good. i look out the side, an instructor is flapping. oh shit. shit shit shit.
evaluate options, they are between 50-100 metres away. i yell to the boss, do you want me to swim or are you gonna take the boat (tender), but i already know that by the time he gets the boat in and organised, i'll be there already. i remove my new boat shoes (and break the fucking strap), dump my shirt and sunnies, and grab the big fucking fins and my mask and i'm on my way.
i'm about halfway there and i realise i'm hyperventaliting. swimming on the surface is hard, i usually duck under a couple of metres, and move easier, and surface every now and then to breathe, but i can't do that, i need to keep them in sight. plus i've seen an instructor signalling for help, and a diver with him lying motionless on the surface. i force myself to slow down and breathe.
fortunately she has just had an anxiety attack. the instructor says he's in the unenviable position of having a panicked diver at the surface, and a diver below. so i tow her back to the boat and try to interrogate her whilst being reassuring. i think the most reassuring thing i said was that i was trying to be reassuring, but i was stuffed from the swim!
before you discount an anxiety attack as being feeble, breathing compressed air can be very insidious. the harder you breathe, say for example, that you are swimming hard or something has screwed up and you are stressing a bit, the harder you breathe, the worse it gets. when you do a rescue course, the number one thing they teach you is self rescue, and the main thing is "stop, relax, breathe".
later she feels a bit stupid about it, but i try to tell her otherwise. she's had a valuable learning experience. she does a few more dives without incident.
another piece of experience to stow away for future reference. and a few thousand heartbeats i'll never get back
fortunately it wasn't as bad as last time. maybe the forecast put them, off. last time we filled tanks for them (and our own divers) i spent the whole weekend filling, only leaving the compressor to sleep (and go to the little boys room) and raid the kitchen for food.
this time i had a bit of a break saturday morning, getting brekkie ready at 7:00, still blissfully unaware, some communication from the boss would have been nice at this stage, i'll harass the bosses about that later. at 9:00 i saw the boat approaching, and put 2 and 2 together to get about 7, and spent the rest of the day until about 9:00pm filling.
had a few nice breaks though. in between filling you're expected to be helping people out of the water, carrying cameras to the fresh water rinse tub at the front of the boat, and keeping the hot dry towels coming from the dryer.
the weather was lovely. hot and sunny. and then there's some noise.
when you surface, it's good manners to signal the boat. a big fat ok signal, means all is good, one arm raised, means please pick me up (two fingers, visa, 3 fingers pointing down, mastercard)
one arm flapping, all is not good. i look out the side, an instructor is flapping. oh shit. shit shit shit.
evaluate options, they are between 50-100 metres away. i yell to the boss, do you want me to swim or are you gonna take the boat (tender), but i already know that by the time he gets the boat in and organised, i'll be there already. i remove my new boat shoes (and break the fucking strap), dump my shirt and sunnies, and grab the big fucking fins and my mask and i'm on my way.
i'm about halfway there and i realise i'm hyperventaliting. swimming on the surface is hard, i usually duck under a couple of metres, and move easier, and surface every now and then to breathe, but i can't do that, i need to keep them in sight. plus i've seen an instructor signalling for help, and a diver with him lying motionless on the surface. i force myself to slow down and breathe.
fortunately she has just had an anxiety attack. the instructor says he's in the unenviable position of having a panicked diver at the surface, and a diver below. so i tow her back to the boat and try to interrogate her whilst being reassuring. i think the most reassuring thing i said was that i was trying to be reassuring, but i was stuffed from the swim!
before you discount an anxiety attack as being feeble, breathing compressed air can be very insidious. the harder you breathe, say for example, that you are swimming hard or something has screwed up and you are stressing a bit, the harder you breathe, the worse it gets. when you do a rescue course, the number one thing they teach you is self rescue, and the main thing is "stop, relax, breathe".
later she feels a bit stupid about it, but i try to tell her otherwise. she's had a valuable learning experience. she does a few more dives without incident.
another piece of experience to stow away for future reference. and a few thousand heartbeats i'll never get back
Friday, November 25, 2005
some pics
me going through siberia. learning how good grunt is down the main straight. catching someone at turn 11 (or maybe there he goes hehehe)
i want one of these
debugging our fast rider. him riding down the straight. and later going around siberia
our medium rider in a group on the main straight. then he's catching some others at turn 11. out of mg heading to turn 11.
nothing particularly exciting, but they'll get a kick out of it
update: seeing as i'm a famewhore ;-) here's some more from the pro photographer.
out of siberia and through siberia on the second day when i'm going, errr, less slow :-)
me going through siberia. learning how good grunt is down the main straight. catching someone at turn 11 (or maybe there he goes hehehe)
i want one of these
debugging our fast rider. him riding down the straight. and later going around siberia
our medium rider in a group on the main straight. then he's catching some others at turn 11. out of mg heading to turn 11.
nothing particularly exciting, but they'll get a kick out of it
update: seeing as i'm a famewhore ;-) here's some more from the pro photographer.
out of siberia and through siberia on the second day when i'm going, errr, less slow :-)
Thursday, November 24, 2005
damn, back at work today. it was meant to be a day off (to sleep) but things didn't work out that way. ended up grabbing about 3 hours sleep all up, so it'll be early to bed tonight. i'm still buzzing from the last few days.
i did a few kooky things too :-)
as i've said previously, we were divided up into 4 groups. slow, medium slow, medium and fast. well we've got 3 riders, i'm in medium slow, another is medium, and another is fast, and the sessions run the same way too. after our fast rider gets in, we fill up, check chain, chain oil, and whatever we've been fiddling with, before sending me out again.
as phillip island is such a fast flowing circuit, we're really lasting well on tyres, one set of slicks has lasted the three of us all day tuesday, and 2 sessions wednesday. then we change to a new rear slick and a nearly new front one. and i'm first out on them. and i totally forgot about pumping up the brakes and nearly ran into the bike in front of me as we lined up to go out on the circuit. the front brakes had a poofteenth of brake, and the rear had none, so i held what front i had and madly pumped the rear, narrowly missing the bike in front and the armco to one side. breathe in, breathe out. pump pump pump.
a minute later they're waving us out and it's all history. it's like surfing, you are only thinking of the moment, your future is the next corner, and the one after that. especially as i start to relax and stop doing kooky mid corner screwups. smoother and faster.
on the telly, as they blast down the straight, you see them dip down towards the sea. i thought that must be magic seeing that in real life. it looked good from the pits, as the bikes dipped out of sight and you could just see bass straight, but on the bike, i didn't see the sea until the second day, and that was on a slow bit looking right. when i was going down the straight i saw nothing but track, wall, bikes, the tacho (occasionally) and braking markers.
*reality check*
my mates convinced me to go in the second slowest group instead of the slowest, as there are too many kooky riders in the slowest groups usually, and they didn't want me to get taken out. so i went in the medium slowest group. i was probably the second slowest rider in that group until the end of the first day, when they put a few of the superbike school riders up from the slow group into it.
on the second day, i started a little faster, and while still warming up my tyres (and my confidence) i let a few faster riders through and then chased them, i saw where they overtook the slower riders, followed them, and gained a few confidence points.
but in reality, by the end of the second day, when i'm confidently doing between 2 min 1 sec, and 2 min 3 sec, i'm still not the quickest in my group, and there are two groups quicker than me. my red group rider is the quickest in his group, and while he'd qualify for the australian superbikes, which is our aim for him, he still needs to find a few more seconds before justifying the expense of a bike that will take him there in a couple of years.
i know what i have to do to go faster. brake later, especially turn one, go faster through the turns, especially siberia through to lukey heights, i just like doing what i'm doing. i'm not particularly fast, but i'm loving it
*/reality check*
sorry, i'm going on and on about it (ok, i'm not sorry at all :-) ) it's been nearly 10 years since i've had a chance to cut sick on a decent bike (in the dry) and 2 dedicated days on a beautiful circuit like this have left me with a really warm fuzzy feeling. speed, i love it.
i did a few kooky things too :-)
as i've said previously, we were divided up into 4 groups. slow, medium slow, medium and fast. well we've got 3 riders, i'm in medium slow, another is medium, and another is fast, and the sessions run the same way too. after our fast rider gets in, we fill up, check chain, chain oil, and whatever we've been fiddling with, before sending me out again.
as phillip island is such a fast flowing circuit, we're really lasting well on tyres, one set of slicks has lasted the three of us all day tuesday, and 2 sessions wednesday. then we change to a new rear slick and a nearly new front one. and i'm first out on them. and i totally forgot about pumping up the brakes and nearly ran into the bike in front of me as we lined up to go out on the circuit. the front brakes had a poofteenth of brake, and the rear had none, so i held what front i had and madly pumped the rear, narrowly missing the bike in front and the armco to one side. breathe in, breathe out. pump pump pump.
a minute later they're waving us out and it's all history. it's like surfing, you are only thinking of the moment, your future is the next corner, and the one after that. especially as i start to relax and stop doing kooky mid corner screwups. smoother and faster.
on the telly, as they blast down the straight, you see them dip down towards the sea. i thought that must be magic seeing that in real life. it looked good from the pits, as the bikes dipped out of sight and you could just see bass straight, but on the bike, i didn't see the sea until the second day, and that was on a slow bit looking right. when i was going down the straight i saw nothing but track, wall, bikes, the tacho (occasionally) and braking markers.
*reality check*
my mates convinced me to go in the second slowest group instead of the slowest, as there are too many kooky riders in the slowest groups usually, and they didn't want me to get taken out. so i went in the medium slowest group. i was probably the second slowest rider in that group until the end of the first day, when they put a few of the superbike school riders up from the slow group into it.
on the second day, i started a little faster, and while still warming up my tyres (and my confidence) i let a few faster riders through and then chased them, i saw where they overtook the slower riders, followed them, and gained a few confidence points.
but in reality, by the end of the second day, when i'm confidently doing between 2 min 1 sec, and 2 min 3 sec, i'm still not the quickest in my group, and there are two groups quicker than me. my red group rider is the quickest in his group, and while he'd qualify for the australian superbikes, which is our aim for him, he still needs to find a few more seconds before justifying the expense of a bike that will take him there in a couple of years.
i know what i have to do to go faster. brake later, especially turn one, go faster through the turns, especially siberia through to lukey heights, i just like doing what i'm doing. i'm not particularly fast, but i'm loving it
*/reality check*
sorry, i'm going on and on about it (ok, i'm not sorry at all :-) ) it's been nearly 10 years since i've had a chance to cut sick on a decent bike (in the dry) and 2 dedicated days on a beautiful circuit like this have left me with a really warm fuzzy feeling. speed, i love it.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
the end of day 2 at phillip island, we're just driving out of the pits now on our way back home. it's gonna be a big night, i think i'll get home around 3:00am. but i'm as happy as.
the team who organise the phillip island ride days are really organised, and the track is fantastic.
after putting on new slicks i went out a little slower to scrub them in, turned out i was going quicker than the previous day. the first session was pretty unco though. some really kooky mid corner changes of direction and stuff. i'd catch up to someone going slower, but someone quicker than me would catch up and get in my way, then i'd catch them up again.
in between each session we'd have a yarn about what we were each doing, and i told them about getting the death wobbles down the straight. then they learned that i'd been snapping the throttle open in 4th, 5th and 6th. so they told me to get my bum further back, weight on the pegs, and open the throttle a little more gently. tried to get onto the straight quicker and by the end of the day it was working a dream, and a lot more comfortable.
by the last session i'd worked out a few new places to overtake, and managed a couple of 2:01 lap times in the last session. fun fun fun. and slick tyres are awesome.
the team who organise the phillip island ride days are really organised, and the track is fantastic.
after putting on new slicks i went out a little slower to scrub them in, turned out i was going quicker than the previous day. the first session was pretty unco though. some really kooky mid corner changes of direction and stuff. i'd catch up to someone going slower, but someone quicker than me would catch up and get in my way, then i'd catch them up again.
in between each session we'd have a yarn about what we were each doing, and i told them about getting the death wobbles down the straight. then they learned that i'd been snapping the throttle open in 4th, 5th and 6th. so they told me to get my bum further back, weight on the pegs, and open the throttle a little more gently. tried to get onto the straight quicker and by the end of the day it was working a dream, and a lot more comfortable.
by the last session i'd worked out a few new places to overtake, and managed a couple of 2:01 lap times in the last session. fun fun fun. and slick tyres are awesome.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
well it wasn't easy, but we got here.
after work on monday we drove to sunny-fucking-goulburn, left my car, and drove the rest of the way to phillip island with a friend from sydney.
in hindsight, had we known in advance how to get there, it would have been easier. oops...
the track is an absolute dream. there are 4 groups of riders on track days. fast, medium, medium slow, and slow. despite belonging in the slow group, my friends convince me to go in the medium slow group. they usually have more experience, and are less likely to crash into you.
i've done a few track days at eastern creek. i really enjoy them, but these guys are really really organised. usually after about 20 minutes, we are running 30 minutes behind. not here, it all runs like clockwork. and the track is a fucking dream to ride on.
eastern creek is fun, but this is different in a whole new kind of way. eastern creek is a lot of wrestling the bike, go hard, brake hard, turn hard, do it again, phillip island is fast, much faster than i'm used to, and long flowing corners. i've managed to wear to the edges of our slick tyres for the first time ever. and not once have i felt that i was lacking grip. it's a lot different from the telly, you really get no idea of the ups and downs, and lovely cambered corners.
to someone who is actually fast, my best laptime would be less than exciting, 2:17. on my last session, i got a 2:17 on my second lap, after it had been drizzling and i was a bit apprehensive, i then got stuck behind another rider. instead of watching the track, i watched the rider, i had a few chances to overtake, but the riders here are so polite and considerate, i was obliged to do the same, i waited until i could safely overtake with a large margin for error, but then i'd get overtaken by riders much quicker my myself (i was about the second slowest rider in my group). and they'd get in my way. 30 seconds later they'd be gone and i'd catch up again.
i finally get my shit together, get past, and get several seconds gap, after circulating at about 2:19 behind this rider, only to see the chequered flag indicating the end of the session. damn. would have been my quickest yet. should have either gone harder, or given the other rider a bit of a gap so i could put a few quicker laps together.
and flying down the straight, i think i'm glad i have no idea how quick we were going, because if you don't get your weight on the footpegs, and put too much weight on the seat instead, then the front wheel gets light and starts wobbling. really really. a very apprehensive experience at whatever speed that was...
and the beautiful corners, going on and on forever. blasting out through fast sweepers, then over lukey heights. what an experience. i'll never forget it
after work on monday we drove to sunny-fucking-goulburn, left my car, and drove the rest of the way to phillip island with a friend from sydney.
in hindsight, had we known in advance how to get there, it would have been easier. oops...
the track is an absolute dream. there are 4 groups of riders on track days. fast, medium, medium slow, and slow. despite belonging in the slow group, my friends convince me to go in the medium slow group. they usually have more experience, and are less likely to crash into you.
i've done a few track days at eastern creek. i really enjoy them, but these guys are really really organised. usually after about 20 minutes, we are running 30 minutes behind. not here, it all runs like clockwork. and the track is a fucking dream to ride on.
eastern creek is fun, but this is different in a whole new kind of way. eastern creek is a lot of wrestling the bike, go hard, brake hard, turn hard, do it again, phillip island is fast, much faster than i'm used to, and long flowing corners. i've managed to wear to the edges of our slick tyres for the first time ever. and not once have i felt that i was lacking grip. it's a lot different from the telly, you really get no idea of the ups and downs, and lovely cambered corners.
to someone who is actually fast, my best laptime would be less than exciting, 2:17. on my last session, i got a 2:17 on my second lap, after it had been drizzling and i was a bit apprehensive, i then got stuck behind another rider. instead of watching the track, i watched the rider, i had a few chances to overtake, but the riders here are so polite and considerate, i was obliged to do the same, i waited until i could safely overtake with a large margin for error, but then i'd get overtaken by riders much quicker my myself (i was about the second slowest rider in my group). and they'd get in my way. 30 seconds later they'd be gone and i'd catch up again.
i finally get my shit together, get past, and get several seconds gap, after circulating at about 2:19 behind this rider, only to see the chequered flag indicating the end of the session. damn. would have been my quickest yet. should have either gone harder, or given the other rider a bit of a gap so i could put a few quicker laps together.
and flying down the straight, i think i'm glad i have no idea how quick we were going, because if you don't get your weight on the footpegs, and put too much weight on the seat instead, then the front wheel gets light and starts wobbling. really really. a very apprehensive experience at whatever speed that was...
and the beautiful corners, going on and on forever. blasting out through fast sweepers, then over lukey heights. what an experience. i'll never forget it
Monday, November 21, 2005
some piccies from my weekend
when i jumped in a lone seal swam past. didn't stay to play though. i found a 4 legged sea star. i've never seen one of those before. i've seen a 5 legged one with a missing leg, but they grow back, this one looked like it was only meant to have 4.
barry the bull ray tried sneaking up on us when we weren't looking. his favourite game during night dives is "murder in the dark". he'll sneak up behind you, if you turn around and see him, he'll swim away. the boss says if you wait until the last second, he can't stop in time, and he'll swim right over you. he's about 5 foot in diameter across the disc.
found a cuttlefish in a cave, another looked like he was asleep.
a little nudibranch which i somehow managed to get in focus, and two more as well.
i wasn't looking where i was going and nearly ran into this port jackson shark. he was content to sit there while i took a few shots, which meant i'd almost certainly found him before the cook, she would have grabbed him by the tail and stirred him up.
i also managed (by accident) to find a red indian fish. whenever i go looking for them, i never find them, this was pure luck. a friend of mine on the boat in the background behind a wobbegong shark that we found. a fish called a bastard trumpeter i think. dunno who comes up with these names...
i also found these tiny nudibranchs. the big one is about 2 mm long. i didn't even see the littler one until i zoomed in on the picture on my computer.
when i jumped in a lone seal swam past. didn't stay to play though. i found a 4 legged sea star. i've never seen one of those before. i've seen a 5 legged one with a missing leg, but they grow back, this one looked like it was only meant to have 4.
barry the bull ray tried sneaking up on us when we weren't looking. his favourite game during night dives is "murder in the dark". he'll sneak up behind you, if you turn around and see him, he'll swim away. the boss says if you wait until the last second, he can't stop in time, and he'll swim right over you. he's about 5 foot in diameter across the disc.
found a cuttlefish in a cave, another looked like he was asleep.
a little nudibranch which i somehow managed to get in focus, and two more as well.
i wasn't looking where i was going and nearly ran into this port jackson shark. he was content to sit there while i took a few shots, which meant i'd almost certainly found him before the cook, she would have grabbed him by the tail and stirred him up.
i also managed (by accident) to find a red indian fish. whenever i go looking for them, i never find them, this was pure luck. a friend of mine on the boat in the background behind a wobbegong shark that we found. a fish called a bastard trumpeter i think. dunno who comes up with these names...
i also found these tiny nudibranchs. the big one is about 2 mm long. i didn't even see the littler one until i zoomed in on the picture on my computer.
Sunday, November 20, 2005
well that was a great weekend.
the local dive club came on for their annual trip away at home. the diving was less than fantastic on saturday, but even though the visibility was less than exciting, there was heaps of stuff to see at the dive sites we usually don't go to.
one of the cooks was on as a customer, while our newest (cutest) cook was on as well. that saying about too many cooks.... well it's all true. spell nuisance.
but we managed to get both of them pissed on saturday night and a big night was had by all. we did fancy dress on saturday afternoon, so there was no night dive, so after filling my last tank at about 5:30, it shower and beer time. but the earlier you start, the earlier you finish. about 1:30am only the crew was still awake, so we shutdown the generator and the boat went to sleep.
and just in case:
the cook is not single, and i'm not interested, she's cute but that's all
diving while under the influence of alcohol is not recommended. the first drink of the day, is the last dive of the day. i felt seedy on sunday morning, but i wasn't hungover.
i love scuba diving. it still amazes me how hard some people can make it. you don't have to get lost, you don't have to swim far. on some of the most fun dives of my life i haven't swum more than 15-20 metres from the anchor.
it doesn't take 30 minutes to put your gear on and get in the water. i didn't know at the time, but once the boss put the stopwatch on me. i was helping everyone get ready to get in the water, no one had yet jumped in. she said "wanna go for a dive?"
2 minutes and 30 seconds later i was in the water, first. i had to go to a locker at the front of the boat and get my tank and weightbelt, to the top deck for the rest of my gear, assemble it, put on my wetsuit and then scuba gear, then get in the water.
all the customer's gear was already assembled, and their wetsuits were hanging up waiting. this weekend, as i'm in the dive club and was working for free, i felt the need to do normal dives, rather than come up early and be helpful and stuff, so i'm doing some nice, long, relaxing dives. i came up from my dive about 5 minutes after the last divers had got in, and i'd been in the water for 45 minutes.
i'm not blowing my own trumpet here either, my boss, and the cook (girls, so they use less air anyway) would both have easily outlasted me underwater. i'm not particularly fantastic on my air consumption, but i always find it funny how long it takes some people to get in the water.
my first dive today was a good example. usually i'm a bit naughty and all my dives are logged with the buddy's name of "Han", it's short for "Han Solo". today one of my mates was diving with me as his missus had ear problems. i'm in the water about 5 minutes before he finally gets in. i get buzzed by a seal, (photo tomorrow) in the meantime but it doesn't hang around. we do our dive, get out, relax, shower, get changed, stuff around, then the other divers start getting out.
no, there is no point, i'm waffling. but, when you're away on a dive trip, and it's time to go diving, all you have to do, is put on your dive gear, and get in the water.
sorry, my bad, it's a perspective thing, until you're the poor bunny sitting on the boat waiting for the divers to return so you can raise the anchor, serve the meals and generally keep things running to schedule, you'll never understand why we want you get get in the water and get on with it :-)
but then, divers are special people, they do kooky things. some of them are even kookier than me. gotta love that
and if you think this is all unstructured, drunken gibbering, you win a prize!
the local dive club came on for their annual trip away at home. the diving was less than fantastic on saturday, but even though the visibility was less than exciting, there was heaps of stuff to see at the dive sites we usually don't go to.
one of the cooks was on as a customer, while our newest (cutest) cook was on as well. that saying about too many cooks.... well it's all true. spell nuisance.
but we managed to get both of them pissed on saturday night and a big night was had by all. we did fancy dress on saturday afternoon, so there was no night dive, so after filling my last tank at about 5:30, it shower and beer time. but the earlier you start, the earlier you finish. about 1:30am only the crew was still awake, so we shutdown the generator and the boat went to sleep.
and just in case:
the cook is not single, and i'm not interested, she's cute but that's all
diving while under the influence of alcohol is not recommended. the first drink of the day, is the last dive of the day. i felt seedy on sunday morning, but i wasn't hungover.
i love scuba diving. it still amazes me how hard some people can make it. you don't have to get lost, you don't have to swim far. on some of the most fun dives of my life i haven't swum more than 15-20 metres from the anchor.
it doesn't take 30 minutes to put your gear on and get in the water. i didn't know at the time, but once the boss put the stopwatch on me. i was helping everyone get ready to get in the water, no one had yet jumped in. she said "wanna go for a dive?"
2 minutes and 30 seconds later i was in the water, first. i had to go to a locker at the front of the boat and get my tank and weightbelt, to the top deck for the rest of my gear, assemble it, put on my wetsuit and then scuba gear, then get in the water.
all the customer's gear was already assembled, and their wetsuits were hanging up waiting. this weekend, as i'm in the dive club and was working for free, i felt the need to do normal dives, rather than come up early and be helpful and stuff, so i'm doing some nice, long, relaxing dives. i came up from my dive about 5 minutes after the last divers had got in, and i'd been in the water for 45 minutes.
i'm not blowing my own trumpet here either, my boss, and the cook (girls, so they use less air anyway) would both have easily outlasted me underwater. i'm not particularly fantastic on my air consumption, but i always find it funny how long it takes some people to get in the water.
my first dive today was a good example. usually i'm a bit naughty and all my dives are logged with the buddy's name of "Han", it's short for "Han Solo". today one of my mates was diving with me as his missus had ear problems. i'm in the water about 5 minutes before he finally gets in. i get buzzed by a seal, (photo tomorrow) in the meantime but it doesn't hang around. we do our dive, get out, relax, shower, get changed, stuff around, then the other divers start getting out.
no, there is no point, i'm waffling. but, when you're away on a dive trip, and it's time to go diving, all you have to do, is put on your dive gear, and get in the water.
sorry, my bad, it's a perspective thing, until you're the poor bunny sitting on the boat waiting for the divers to return so you can raise the anchor, serve the meals and generally keep things running to schedule, you'll never understand why we want you get get in the water and get on with it :-)
but then, divers are special people, they do kooky things. some of them are even kookier than me. gotta love that
and if you think this is all unstructured, drunken gibbering, you win a prize!
Thursday, November 17, 2005
summer soccer again tonight. physical exercise is always good, helps exorcise my daemons. when you're puffing for breath and trying to keep up, there's no time for dwelling on faults, guilt and fears. it's go hard or die trying.
the first half we play the best we have ever played. we are winning 2-0 and we are simply amazed with ourselves. 1 minute into the second half they score, oops, a bit of to-ing and fro-ing and we end up hanging on by our fingernails for a 4-3 victory. i do some of my usual klutzy moves, i get taken out by the keeper and end up in the air about 3 feet above him, and fall on him, woops, sorry dude, i take out 2 of their guys with similar klutzy manoevers. woops, sorry, my bad. but i enjoyed myself. i thought we'd lost, as i don't count really well either when trying to run and breath.
a coupla beers afterwards at the pub. at least i had one beer free night, tuesday. next week i'm working on monday thru wednesday. we shall see...
ps: ever noticed that when everything is cruisy and good, that i don't write much. but when i'm screwing up heaps, feeling like shite, and generally miserable, that i produce heaps of crap on here?
the first half we play the best we have ever played. we are winning 2-0 and we are simply amazed with ourselves. 1 minute into the second half they score, oops, a bit of to-ing and fro-ing and we end up hanging on by our fingernails for a 4-3 victory. i do some of my usual klutzy moves, i get taken out by the keeper and end up in the air about 3 feet above him, and fall on him, woops, sorry dude, i take out 2 of their guys with similar klutzy manoevers. woops, sorry, my bad. but i enjoyed myself. i thought we'd lost, as i don't count really well either when trying to run and breath.
a coupla beers afterwards at the pub. at least i had one beer free night, tuesday. next week i'm working on monday thru wednesday. we shall see...
ps: ever noticed that when everything is cruisy and good, that i don't write much. but when i'm screwing up heaps, feeling like shite, and generally miserable, that i produce heaps of crap on here?
it seems i am condemned to repeat past mistakes.
i've been feeling increasingly uncomfortable about being in a relationship, but it never seems to be the right time to talk about it. so i think that along with work stressing me out, i've been letting that stress me out as well.
so my girlfriend sms's me this morning asking if everything is ok, she's getting wierd vibes (not too surprisingly i spose). i'm at work so i don't have the time to drop everything and find her and talk it out, and i can't ignore the message or brush it off or say i'll talk about it later, cause all those things will make it worse. so i respond telling her i'm feeling uncomfortable etc... and i think i've just done the unpardonable sin of breaking up with someone via sms. BLEAH!
fucking thursdays. i've never been able to get the hang of them
things i should remember
1/ i am fucking hopeless at relationships. so don't inflict myself on anyone. ever
2/ when in sand, gas it up
3/ when faced with two evils, always choose the one you haven't tried before
4/ stay single
update: we caught up at lunch and had a talk. i feel better now, and i think she does too, but that stuff still stresses me out. i'm giving up on relationships
i've been feeling increasingly uncomfortable about being in a relationship, but it never seems to be the right time to talk about it. so i think that along with work stressing me out, i've been letting that stress me out as well.
so my girlfriend sms's me this morning asking if everything is ok, she's getting wierd vibes (not too surprisingly i spose). i'm at work so i don't have the time to drop everything and find her and talk it out, and i can't ignore the message or brush it off or say i'll talk about it later, cause all those things will make it worse. so i respond telling her i'm feeling uncomfortable etc... and i think i've just done the unpardonable sin of breaking up with someone via sms. BLEAH!
fucking thursdays. i've never been able to get the hang of them
things i should remember
1/ i am fucking hopeless at relationships. so don't inflict myself on anyone. ever
2/ when in sand, gas it up
3/ when faced with two evils, always choose the one you haven't tried before
4/ stay single
update: we caught up at lunch and had a talk. i feel better now, and i think she does too, but that stuff still stresses me out. i'm giving up on relationships
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
my little sulk of the day :-)
one of our outlying areas sent an email to their boss, which she forwarded to us. it was about some computer problems they were having and "why wasn't anything being done!"
turns out the first problem we thought we'd resolved months ago. at the time, after trying some changes, we asked them to let us know if it happened again. their other problem is that they have problems accessing the internet on some weekends. likewise we've asked them to contact us.
so of course they didn't bother telling us they were having problems again, they just rebooted 500 times and when it eventually came good, they thought that they'd fixed it by rebooting. (it's possible, but unlikely) cue forward a couple of months until now, they email wondering why we hadn't fixed it. sorry my esp is broken.
so, again we ask them to call us and log a call when its mucking up, so we can fix the problem. so one of them rings up this morning and says "we've been told to log a call when it mucks up" as though we won't be able to fix it. turns out she's right. she didn't bother ringing up while the frikking thing was playing up. she rebooted 500 times and when it worked, THEN she rang up.
if it ain't broked, we can't fix it.
so i sent back more simple instructions. when computer stops working, remove hands from keyboard, then ring for help. don't touch...
one of our outlying areas sent an email to their boss, which she forwarded to us. it was about some computer problems they were having and "why wasn't anything being done!"
turns out the first problem we thought we'd resolved months ago. at the time, after trying some changes, we asked them to let us know if it happened again. their other problem is that they have problems accessing the internet on some weekends. likewise we've asked them to contact us.
so of course they didn't bother telling us they were having problems again, they just rebooted 500 times and when it eventually came good, they thought that they'd fixed it by rebooting. (it's possible, but unlikely) cue forward a couple of months until now, they email wondering why we hadn't fixed it. sorry my esp is broken.
so, again we ask them to call us and log a call when its mucking up, so we can fix the problem. so one of them rings up this morning and says "we've been told to log a call when it mucks up" as though we won't be able to fix it. turns out she's right. she didn't bother ringing up while the frikking thing was playing up. she rebooted 500 times and when it worked, THEN she rang up.
if it ain't broked, we can't fix it.
so i sent back more simple instructions. when computer stops working, remove hands from keyboard, then ring for help. don't touch...
Monday, November 14, 2005
what a great weekend. i'm feeling a little tired and sore now, but i'm still feeling pretty happy.
we had a group of people on board from Snorkel Inn in Kogarah. these guys were great fun, we really enjoyed having them aboard. despite the visibility being crap, the weather was warm and mostly sunny, and they stayed up late friday and saturday nights, having a few drinks, playing loud music and laughing and having a great time.
unfortunately it was my turn to stay up on saturday night. the crew did their usual "crew behaving badly", and then some of the customers started joining in. usually i stop after 2 vodka shots, but we got a little silly and i think i stopped at 5, or 6, i think. i was a little bleary on sunday morning!
the weather on sunday was even better than saturday and some of the customers felt obliged to sun themselves in their bikinis in between dives. the crew appreciated that very much let me tell you :-) sometimes i really hate my job.... (NOT!)
i took some photos, they all turned out crap, this picture of a wobbegong is the least crap. he's about 4-5 foot long. i had a dream last night that i bought a decent strobe for my camera. maybe i should convert that dream into reality...
we had a group of people on board from Snorkel Inn in Kogarah. these guys were great fun, we really enjoyed having them aboard. despite the visibility being crap, the weather was warm and mostly sunny, and they stayed up late friday and saturday nights, having a few drinks, playing loud music and laughing and having a great time.
unfortunately it was my turn to stay up on saturday night. the crew did their usual "crew behaving badly", and then some of the customers started joining in. usually i stop after 2 vodka shots, but we got a little silly and i think i stopped at 5, or 6, i think. i was a little bleary on sunday morning!
the weather on sunday was even better than saturday and some of the customers felt obliged to sun themselves in their bikinis in between dives. the crew appreciated that very much let me tell you :-) sometimes i really hate my job.... (NOT!)
i took some photos, they all turned out crap, this picture of a wobbegong is the least crap. he's about 4-5 foot long. i had a dream last night that i bought a decent strobe for my camera. maybe i should convert that dream into reality...
Friday, November 11, 2005
finally frikking friday
i was having a pretty shit time of it too. after i rebooted a server last night our online map system stopped working. and a few other little headaches. very depressing.
anyway. we're getting rid of these two old line printers. they are about the size of two bar fridges, but heavier. we've had them for nearly as long as i've been here. they weren't much good when we got them, but they did last a long time. but now they are stuffed and we're sending them off to the scrap metal yard.
this dude turns up to pick them up in an old f100 one tonner. he reverses back, i tell him when to stop, then he turns off the engine and jumps out, except the motor won't stop, it's coughing and spluttering and carrying on. "stop!" the guy tells it, and gives it a bit of a kick. ever seen the movie uncle buck? well the motor coughed a bit more, then BANG! it backfired and shot black smoke out the back. scared the shit outta me. then i had the giggles for about an hour.
lunch at pub. beer is good. bring on the weekend, it's boating time :-)
i was having a pretty shit time of it too. after i rebooted a server last night our online map system stopped working. and a few other little headaches. very depressing.
anyway. we're getting rid of these two old line printers. they are about the size of two bar fridges, but heavier. we've had them for nearly as long as i've been here. they weren't much good when we got them, but they did last a long time. but now they are stuffed and we're sending them off to the scrap metal yard.
this dude turns up to pick them up in an old f100 one tonner. he reverses back, i tell him when to stop, then he turns off the engine and jumps out, except the motor won't stop, it's coughing and spluttering and carrying on. "stop!" the guy tells it, and gives it a bit of a kick. ever seen the movie uncle buck? well the motor coughed a bit more, then BANG! it backfired and shot black smoke out the back. scared the shit outta me. then i had the giggles for about an hour.
lunch at pub. beer is good. bring on the weekend, it's boating time :-)
Thursday, November 10, 2005
well, friday is almost upon us. thank the gods for that.
soccer tonight, we managed a draw against a team that shoulda kicked our arses. so that was all good. now i feel good. maybe i should give up working. it just makes me cranky.
so now i'm playing my favourite game. it's a computer geek game. actually it's a computer geek game from the '80's. ever played dungeon? or adventure? it's text based. it's kinda like both of those, a level i never new existed when i was playing dungeon (on a digital vms system). multiplayer, and lots of enhancements, still text based though. some of it is based on ad&d, other stuff on, well other stuff :-)
i like it anyway, gives me a brain workout, and no cranky lusers (local users, or just losers, your choice) giving me shit and i can just relax and play.
soccer tonight, we managed a draw against a team that shoulda kicked our arses. so that was all good. now i feel good. maybe i should give up working. it just makes me cranky.
so now i'm playing my favourite game. it's a computer geek game. actually it's a computer geek game from the '80's. ever played dungeon? or adventure? it's text based. it's kinda like both of those, a level i never new existed when i was playing dungeon (on a digital vms system). multiplayer, and lots of enhancements, still text based though. some of it is based on ad&d, other stuff on, well other stuff :-)
i like it anyway, gives me a brain workout, and no cranky lusers (local users, or just losers, your choice) giving me shit and i can just relax and play.
finally got around to booking my day on the track at phillip island racetrack. we're going down for two days, the 22nd and 23rd of november. i'm only booking for the first day in case we throw the bike down the track or something stupid like that. i'll worry about wednesday on wednesday, and if i miss out, i don't really care.
looks like the slow group for wednesday will still have places anyway. i was told to avoid that group and go for the next quickest, it could be the kooky slow person who does wierd stuff who takes you out. oh well. wait and see now.
my mate just rung up and asked if was excited yet. i think my excitement gland is on holiday. so the stress and having-a-shit-time-at-work glands are taking it's place. nearly recovered from tuesday night, soccer again tonight. so i'll be whining about old age and stuff again tomorrow :-)
on the boat this weekend, and no weekends off until the 3rd december. with the lovely warm weather i'm looking forward to it. the water is still cold though, gotta fix my hood tonight while i'm thinking of it or i'll have another ice cream headache when i get in the water on saturday arvo
looks like the slow group for wednesday will still have places anyway. i was told to avoid that group and go for the next quickest, it could be the kooky slow person who does wierd stuff who takes you out. oh well. wait and see now.
my mate just rung up and asked if was excited yet. i think my excitement gland is on holiday. so the stress and having-a-shit-time-at-work glands are taking it's place. nearly recovered from tuesday night, soccer again tonight. so i'll be whining about old age and stuff again tomorrow :-)
on the boat this weekend, and no weekends off until the 3rd december. with the lovely warm weather i'm looking forward to it. the water is still cold though, gotta fix my hood tonight while i'm thinking of it or i'll have another ice cream headache when i get in the water on saturday arvo
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
well i survived the day. stayed back late to reboot a stupid server, then went to soccer.
managed to score a goal! so that's my yearly average out of the way. afterwards the guys went to the pub for a few drinks. but i'm trying to be good. i'll have some on thursday after the game.
i was spared the temptation as i had to go back to work and reboot the stupid server again...
in early tomorrow morning to screw around with two other ones that need to be restarted and have some diagnostics run on them
managed to score a goal! so that's my yearly average out of the way. afterwards the guys went to the pub for a few drinks. but i'm trying to be good. i'll have some on thursday after the game.
i was spared the temptation as i had to go back to work and reboot the stupid server again...
in early tomorrow morning to screw around with two other ones that need to be restarted and have some diagnostics run on them
today is generally a lot better than yesterday.
it rained pretty heavy early this morning, which relaxed me and helped me sleep, and now the sun is shining.
soccer this afternoon so hopefully if i end up all stressed out and grumpy at the end of the day i can vent my frustrations by chasing the ball (and then sitting down trying to get my breath back)
stop, relax, breath. (and that's just at work)
it rained pretty heavy early this morning, which relaxed me and helped me sleep, and now the sun is shining.
soccer this afternoon so hopefully if i end up all stressed out and grumpy at the end of the day i can vent my frustrations by chasing the ball (and then sitting down trying to get my breath back)
stop, relax, breath. (and that's just at work)
Monday, November 07, 2005
today was one of those days.
i woke up feeling generally unwell, we not really unwell, not particularly hungover, but not happy and realised that i really really didn't want to go to work. so i used up some time owing to me and took the day off. this isn't entirely without precedent. we're allowed a day off every 3 weeks, if we have enough time up, and the 3 week period ends at the end of next week. seeing as i've got a few people away next week, this week was the ideal time to have it. to i made it today.
the boss is back from having a few days off, so no doubt he is champing at the bit to interrogate me about what i've been doing, and why hasn't everything been achieved. well he can wait and do it tomorrow.
i did some stupid chores around the house and thought that i would finally get around to going to the gym and do some exercise. good for the body, good for the brain. unfortunately i've come to the conclusion that i'm the most out of condition i've ever been in. in fact i think i'm the most out of shape, out of condition, and generally unhappy that i've been for a long time. and i don't like it.
so i think plan a is to stop drinking for a while, especially after a stressful day at work, do a little more exercise, and give myself a set date to aim at. say sometime next may, how about the 15th. drinking for more than a few days straight tends to screw me up emotionally, i think i've been saturated for too long.
i'll try get back to drinking only on weekends, doing more exercise, and try and sort myself out a bit at work. if i still feel like shit by the 15th of may, then i'm gonna chuck this fucking job. and go north surfing for a while. or something...
i woke up feeling generally unwell, we not really unwell, not particularly hungover, but not happy and realised that i really really didn't want to go to work. so i used up some time owing to me and took the day off. this isn't entirely without precedent. we're allowed a day off every 3 weeks, if we have enough time up, and the 3 week period ends at the end of next week. seeing as i've got a few people away next week, this week was the ideal time to have it. to i made it today.
the boss is back from having a few days off, so no doubt he is champing at the bit to interrogate me about what i've been doing, and why hasn't everything been achieved. well he can wait and do it tomorrow.
i did some stupid chores around the house and thought that i would finally get around to going to the gym and do some exercise. good for the body, good for the brain. unfortunately i've come to the conclusion that i'm the most out of condition i've ever been in. in fact i think i'm the most out of shape, out of condition, and generally unhappy that i've been for a long time. and i don't like it.
so i think plan a is to stop drinking for a while, especially after a stressful day at work, do a little more exercise, and give myself a set date to aim at. say sometime next may, how about the 15th. drinking for more than a few days straight tends to screw me up emotionally, i think i've been saturated for too long.
i'll try get back to drinking only on weekends, doing more exercise, and try and sort myself out a bit at work. if i still feel like shit by the 15th of may, then i'm gonna chuck this fucking job. and go north surfing for a while. or something...
Friday, November 04, 2005
woohoo! friday!
now to work out how i can get over town for friday drinkies. i'm sure i'll find a way.
plus i've gotta find a reasonable adsl provider for my parents. they only use the intermanet for checking the crossword and hotmail, but they're thinking of getting a second line, i think for the same price i can get them on broadband, and get a better connection than their existing one.
they thought the telstra one looked good. so i had to explain to them what a shonk it is. they thought that 200MB would be enough. took me a while to explain to them that once they had adsl, 200MB wouldn't even cover the required microsuck automatic updates.
and if they do any browsing...
the local provider has a similar plan. i used to work for them when my brother-in-law (at the time) owned it. so i was curious to see what their plan was. so i was suitably impressed to see that they've copied telstra. they're gonna have a lot of pissed off users in a coupla months i reckon.
now to work out how i can get over town for friday drinkies. i'm sure i'll find a way.
plus i've gotta find a reasonable adsl provider for my parents. they only use the intermanet for checking the crossword and hotmail, but they're thinking of getting a second line, i think for the same price i can get them on broadband, and get a better connection than their existing one.
they thought the telstra one looked good. so i had to explain to them what a shonk it is. they thought that 200MB would be enough. took me a while to explain to them that once they had adsl, 200MB wouldn't even cover the required microsuck automatic updates.
and if they do any browsing...
the local provider has a similar plan. i used to work for them when my brother-in-law (at the time) owned it. so i was curious to see what their plan was. so i was suitably impressed to see that they've copied telstra. they're gonna have a lot of pissed off users in a coupla months i reckon.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
i have found a new definition of annoying.
one of our main software packages has stopped working. one department completely relies on it, and about 20 other people from various other departments. not to mention their customers.
but get this, the head of the that department, and heads of other, similar departments from all over the country, are all at a conference with the software supplier right now. ok, technically it's a conference, but really they talk for about 30 minutes, then they see some stand up comedian/hypnotist, play golf, have drinks, have dinner, have more drinks... you get the point?
my problem is that i've rung up asking for technical support. and there's no-one available to help me, they are all at the fucking conference. the lady who answered the phone said that someone should get back to me in about 30 minutes. i can't get upset at her because she's just doing her job and doing what she's been told. but i still think it's fucking ridiculous.
i would probably have been slightly mollified if she said she'd page or call one of them and they should get back to me in 30 minutes. but i told her that it was kinda urgent as said package isn't working for our whole organisation, and she replied she'd tell the first person who walked-in-the-door...
if someone rang my helpdesk with a similar problem, and none of the techs were available, and i wasn't here either, they'd be bouncing off people's mobile phones until they got someone to drop whatever they were doing and get over and fix it.
bleah!
update:
they got back to me, more than the promised half hour, about an hour i think. and gave me a bodgy-brothers solution to prevent it happening again. like my mate's self-adjusting clutch. you adjust it yourself.
one of our main software packages has stopped working. one department completely relies on it, and about 20 other people from various other departments. not to mention their customers.
but get this, the head of the that department, and heads of other, similar departments from all over the country, are all at a conference with the software supplier right now. ok, technically it's a conference, but really they talk for about 30 minutes, then they see some stand up comedian/hypnotist, play golf, have drinks, have dinner, have more drinks... you get the point?
my problem is that i've rung up asking for technical support. and there's no-one available to help me, they are all at the fucking conference. the lady who answered the phone said that someone should get back to me in about 30 minutes. i can't get upset at her because she's just doing her job and doing what she's been told. but i still think it's fucking ridiculous.
i would probably have been slightly mollified if she said she'd page or call one of them and they should get back to me in 30 minutes. but i told her that it was kinda urgent as said package isn't working for our whole organisation, and she replied she'd tell the first person who walked-in-the-door...
if someone rang my helpdesk with a similar problem, and none of the techs were available, and i wasn't here either, they'd be bouncing off people's mobile phones until they got someone to drop whatever they were doing and get over and fix it.
bleah!
update:
they got back to me, more than the promised half hour, about an hour i think. and gave me a bodgy-brothers solution to prevent it happening again. like my mate's self-adjusting clutch. you adjust it yourself.
