Monday, September 25, 2006
i am on the cusp. i can feel it. the world is moving and it's not gonna take no for an answer.
Dirk is going to vietnam to teach english (heh, my money says he'll teach the locals how to fix their scooters). Hooch's life seems to be fast and furious, Nic (who's blog is off the air, hope all is good doll) seems to be fairly busy.
but really its a feeling of change. that zoo trip really woke me up. and then today when i collected the mail, i had two letters from my sponsor kids. one in bangadesh and one in chile.
every now and then i reach epiphany, or enlightenment. which may, or may not be perfectly true. i usually reach this state after at least 6 beers, whilst in the correct frame of mind. this is probably the third or fourth time, and only once while sober. so i dunno if that complies with the requirements for enlightenment, but i don't really give a shit.
some religions refer to a heaven, but you've gotta leave this world to reach it. my heaven is on this world. sure, there's a lot of people who don't experience it. and i reckon this country is pretty damned cool, but i've seen some other cool countries that are almost this good. but my little moments of heaven lately (apart from diving in malaysia) have involved the kids. watching them and being involved while they experienced something so cool as the exotic beautiful animals at taronga zoo. while it did have a cost, paying money to have fun wasn't the object, it was the kids (and me) interacting with some extraordinary people and the animals they care for that really did it for me.
maybe i've just got spring fever. but i really feel alive. (ok, and a lil drunk as well hehehehe)
a friend of mine has just had her first child, a baby daughter, my kids are healthy and happy, my eldest is just about to finish year twelve, some other ladies at work are just about to have children, a dive shop is screaming for me to drag unsuspecting customers to dive sites, the weather is good, damn, i dunno. but i have this feeling. life is just about to accelerate.
wouldn't be dead for quids. hehehehe. ok, i've gibbered around in circles, and Grandma's clock is bonging, it's time for bed. i wonder what is next
Dirk is going to vietnam to teach english (heh, my money says he'll teach the locals how to fix their scooters). Hooch's life seems to be fast and furious, Nic (who's blog is off the air, hope all is good doll) seems to be fairly busy.
but really its a feeling of change. that zoo trip really woke me up. and then today when i collected the mail, i had two letters from my sponsor kids. one in bangadesh and one in chile.
every now and then i reach epiphany, or enlightenment. which may, or may not be perfectly true. i usually reach this state after at least 6 beers, whilst in the correct frame of mind. this is probably the third or fourth time, and only once while sober. so i dunno if that complies with the requirements for enlightenment, but i don't really give a shit.
some religions refer to a heaven, but you've gotta leave this world to reach it. my heaven is on this world. sure, there's a lot of people who don't experience it. and i reckon this country is pretty damned cool, but i've seen some other cool countries that are almost this good. but my little moments of heaven lately (apart from diving in malaysia) have involved the kids. watching them and being involved while they experienced something so cool as the exotic beautiful animals at taronga zoo. while it did have a cost, paying money to have fun wasn't the object, it was the kids (and me) interacting with some extraordinary people and the animals they care for that really did it for me.
maybe i've just got spring fever. but i really feel alive. (ok, and a lil drunk as well hehehehe)
a friend of mine has just had her first child, a baby daughter, my kids are healthy and happy, my eldest is just about to finish year twelve, some other ladies at work are just about to have children, a dive shop is screaming for me to drag unsuspecting customers to dive sites, the weather is good, damn, i dunno. but i have this feeling. life is just about to accelerate.
wouldn't be dead for quids. hehehehe. ok, i've gibbered around in circles, and Grandma's clock is bonging, it's time for bed. i wonder what is next
Saturday, September 23, 2006
i just had the coolest zoo experience ever. taronga park zoo's roar and snore program.
you turn up on friday afternoon (i was late like normal. organisation and pre-planning is something that happens to other people) and have a few nibblies while the very friendly zoo staff bring out some animals to meet you.
with my poor short, medium and long term memory i'm struggling to remember it all. however there was a carpet python, which kept threatening to head either to the roof or down the handler's trousers. we got to meet an opossum (i think) a ring tailed possum, a littler snake which was very bright orange with red bits, a wierd little lizard with little diamond shaped, um, leathery tiles on his skin. then they took us into a room and sat us in a circle while a koori lad taught us a few things (i shoulda been taking notes) about critters, while a baby wallaby and an echidna crawled around the room seeking attention.
the staff then took us walking around the zoo. we saw fairey penguins (ok, not that exciting, we get heaps of them at home), sleeping lions (very cool) a sumatran tiger whose camouflage let her blend effortlessly into the darkness, red pandas, snow leopards (we had to take their word for it because we didn't see them until the next day), two red kangaroos fighting, and some nocturnal critters.
the next morning, after a 6:00am breakfast, we unpacked our tents and followed our guides for a morning walk through the zoo. we got to go in and feed the giraffes, pat an australian sea lion, see the chef preparing meals for the animals, a choice few ate some worms then we watched the chimpanzees (i think) get up for their morning's escapades. the lady who looked after the sea lion was great. she had him rolling over, shaking hands and generally playing up for the crowd.
i couldn't believe it when last the last thing our handlers said, before letting us loose for the rest of the day, was how much they enjoyed having us. these people must really love their jobs i reckon. they love their animals, they are passionate, friendly, good at dealing with people, and lots of fun.
i'm not usually involved with the above water people who love animals, but these people were special. a credit to their organisation.
the rest of the day was good, not as good as the night before, but had some highlights. the bird feeding school was great. the seal show was pretty good too, but a little too crowded for my liking. and i can see these babies perform at home. the otters were very cool. i love them.
it's a lot of fun, and a very personal experience. roar and snore. i highly recommend it for big kids
you turn up on friday afternoon (i was late like normal. organisation and pre-planning is something that happens to other people) and have a few nibblies while the very friendly zoo staff bring out some animals to meet you.
with my poor short, medium and long term memory i'm struggling to remember it all. however there was a carpet python, which kept threatening to head either to the roof or down the handler's trousers. we got to meet an opossum (i think) a ring tailed possum, a littler snake which was very bright orange with red bits, a wierd little lizard with little diamond shaped, um, leathery tiles on his skin. then they took us into a room and sat us in a circle while a koori lad taught us a few things (i shoulda been taking notes) about critters, while a baby wallaby and an echidna crawled around the room seeking attention.
the staff then took us walking around the zoo. we saw fairey penguins (ok, not that exciting, we get heaps of them at home), sleeping lions (very cool) a sumatran tiger whose camouflage let her blend effortlessly into the darkness, red pandas, snow leopards (we had to take their word for it because we didn't see them until the next day), two red kangaroos fighting, and some nocturnal critters.
the next morning, after a 6:00am breakfast, we unpacked our tents and followed our guides for a morning walk through the zoo. we got to go in and feed the giraffes, pat an australian sea lion, see the chef preparing meals for the animals, a choice few ate some worms then we watched the chimpanzees (i think) get up for their morning's escapades. the lady who looked after the sea lion was great. she had him rolling over, shaking hands and generally playing up for the crowd.
i couldn't believe it when last the last thing our handlers said, before letting us loose for the rest of the day, was how much they enjoyed having us. these people must really love their jobs i reckon. they love their animals, they are passionate, friendly, good at dealing with people, and lots of fun.
i'm not usually involved with the above water people who love animals, but these people were special. a credit to their organisation.
the rest of the day was good, not as good as the night before, but had some highlights. the bird feeding school was great. the seal show was pretty good too, but a little too crowded for my liking. and i can see these babies perform at home. the otters were very cool. i love them.
it's a lot of fun, and a very personal experience. roar and snore. i highly recommend it for big kids
Monday, September 18, 2006
the god of speed. who is he? what is his name? would it be Mercury? swift footed messenger of the gods. a quick google says maybe so, or perhaps Hermes, his greek equivalent, who to me, appears to be the more mischievious, although wikipedia refers to Mercury's volatility.
i watched the movie "the world's fastest indian". i didn't know what to expect, and didn't have great expectations, which maybe is why i loved it so much. so i bought the book. Tim Hanna's "one good run, the legend of Burt Munro".
i'm only 16 pages into it, and enthralled already. it's a frikking good yarn.
i'm gonna have to stop swearing on here i've decided. not because i might offend someone's sensibility (i feel fairly sure that anyone who bothers reading this is about as relaxed as i am) but because i get 2-3 hits a day for people googling for "fish ar5e". sometime last year i put up one of my crappy photos of a fish swimming away, appropriately titled, and have been receiving hits ever since. i'm not sure what they are looking for, but their search terms have me worried.
it was my soccer club's trip away last weekend, and true to form, it was off to rosehill for a day at the horse races. unfortunately, as i was trying to leave for sydney on saturday morning, i got called into work. i ended up arriving at the race course at about 3pm. had to park about a kilometre from the hotel, and the entire team was as merry as the seven dwarves in a goldmine.
i settled in and listened to the yarns, one of the lads thought he'd backed a winner which paid $2000, or maybe he had just spun the team along. he was apparently crying from laughter after one of the other lads tried to collect and failed, calling him a frigging idiot when he returned. another lad won big, then started betting $200 a time, went $3000 up before calling it quits, still $1500 ahead.
i went better than last year, i only bet 3 times, so i only lost 3 times.
mum said i should bet on the horse with the yellow blanket. the first time i bet on both horses with yellow, but they came 3rd and 6th, then i bet on one horse with a yellow blanket, and the other stupid yellow horse won, while the last one with the yellow blanket musta been carrying a picnic basket and an esky as well as he was dead last.
the talent was very nice though. at least 50% of the ladies had short, skimpy, almost see through dresses, tiny undies and no bras. my sister unfortunately burst the bubble for me. she'd been on the boat. she said it was terrible, hardly any guys to look at, and the weather was so good that all the chickies had been in bikinis all weekend.
gah. rotten woman...
i watched the movie "the world's fastest indian". i didn't know what to expect, and didn't have great expectations, which maybe is why i loved it so much. so i bought the book. Tim Hanna's "one good run, the legend of Burt Munro".
i'm only 16 pages into it, and enthralled already. it's a frikking good yarn.
i'm gonna have to stop swearing on here i've decided. not because i might offend someone's sensibility (i feel fairly sure that anyone who bothers reading this is about as relaxed as i am) but because i get 2-3 hits a day for people googling for "fish ar5e". sometime last year i put up one of my crappy photos of a fish swimming away, appropriately titled, and have been receiving hits ever since. i'm not sure what they are looking for, but their search terms have me worried.
it was my soccer club's trip away last weekend, and true to form, it was off to rosehill for a day at the horse races. unfortunately, as i was trying to leave for sydney on saturday morning, i got called into work. i ended up arriving at the race course at about 3pm. had to park about a kilometre from the hotel, and the entire team was as merry as the seven dwarves in a goldmine.
i settled in and listened to the yarns, one of the lads thought he'd backed a winner which paid $2000, or maybe he had just spun the team along. he was apparently crying from laughter after one of the other lads tried to collect and failed, calling him a frigging idiot when he returned. another lad won big, then started betting $200 a time, went $3000 up before calling it quits, still $1500 ahead.
i went better than last year, i only bet 3 times, so i only lost 3 times.
mum said i should bet on the horse with the yellow blanket. the first time i bet on both horses with yellow, but they came 3rd and 6th, then i bet on one horse with a yellow blanket, and the other stupid yellow horse won, while the last one with the yellow blanket musta been carrying a picnic basket and an esky as well as he was dead last.
the talent was very nice though. at least 50% of the ladies had short, skimpy, almost see through dresses, tiny undies and no bras. my sister unfortunately burst the bubble for me. she'd been on the boat. she said it was terrible, hardly any guys to look at, and the weather was so good that all the chickies had been in bikinis all weekend.
gah. rotten woman...
Sunday, September 10, 2006
my parents have a bbq most sundays. when i was 21-ish my mum said she wanted to start a family tradition. which is often mum's way.
it wasn't hugely popular at first. sundays were, like every afternoon and, from friday arvo to monday morning, adventure time. but then there were wives and kids, a few years on and the sunday bbq's are hugely popular.
sometimes it's a good excuse when i've got the kids to take them there so i can relax and know they'll be amused. i rarely go if i don't have the kids. but then, if i don't have the kids on the weekend, chances it means i'm working anyway.
i wish i got on this well with my ex-wife when i was married. we have the perfect flexible arrangement for looking after the kids. whenever i'm not working on the weekend, the kids can come over, if they want to, if she hasn't organised something else. if she wants to go out or has something on, she asks if i can have the kids. if i can rearrange my weekend to have the kids then i do. if i can't have them, then i say i can't, it's cool. if i can, then i do. i've tried to make myself available whenever i can.
i feel a little selfish though. she thinks i do it because i want to help her. but i'm doing it for me, i love those kids and want them over all the time.
anyway, back where i was going. having the family over on sundays. when i was 21, it was the most boring idea in the world. but i'm starting to understand the attraction. this weekend my house was busy. really busy. usually there's just me and occasionally the kids. this weekend i had the kids, son's girlfriend for a while, her dad for a bit too, ex wife made a few appearances, busy busy.
at first i thought it was like this dive club i'm a part of. it's pretty cool. but no, it's cooler than that. i'm not much for sitting around talking, it bores me stupid, but i found myself sitting around, yacking to people and enjoying it.
i'm not making much sense, but i love having people around. now to bring back a bit more adventure on my weekends as well
it wasn't hugely popular at first. sundays were, like every afternoon and, from friday arvo to monday morning, adventure time. but then there were wives and kids, a few years on and the sunday bbq's are hugely popular.
sometimes it's a good excuse when i've got the kids to take them there so i can relax and know they'll be amused. i rarely go if i don't have the kids. but then, if i don't have the kids on the weekend, chances it means i'm working anyway.
i wish i got on this well with my ex-wife when i was married. we have the perfect flexible arrangement for looking after the kids. whenever i'm not working on the weekend, the kids can come over, if they want to, if she hasn't organised something else. if she wants to go out or has something on, she asks if i can have the kids. if i can rearrange my weekend to have the kids then i do. if i can't have them, then i say i can't, it's cool. if i can, then i do. i've tried to make myself available whenever i can.
i feel a little selfish though. she thinks i do it because i want to help her. but i'm doing it for me, i love those kids and want them over all the time.
anyway, back where i was going. having the family over on sundays. when i was 21, it was the most boring idea in the world. but i'm starting to understand the attraction. this weekend my house was busy. really busy. usually there's just me and occasionally the kids. this weekend i had the kids, son's girlfriend for a while, her dad for a bit too, ex wife made a few appearances, busy busy.
at first i thought it was like this dive club i'm a part of. it's pretty cool. but no, it's cooler than that. i'm not much for sitting around talking, it bores me stupid, but i found myself sitting around, yacking to people and enjoying it.
i'm not making much sense, but i love having people around. now to bring back a bit more adventure on my weekends as well
Friday, September 08, 2006
sad news, the King is dead. on news.com.au.
his main website peterbrock.com.au isn't responding. skynews.com.au ignored me for half an hour as well. probably the web servers are overloaded from everyone trying to find out what happened
his main website peterbrock.com.au isn't responding. skynews.com.au ignored me for half an hour as well. probably the web servers are overloaded from everyone trying to find out what happened
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
gah. frikking digital photos. i've been stuffing around with them for weeks.
for starters, lcd screens suck for image editing. if you move up, down or side to side the brightness etc... changes. then i print it, and it's all bleah!
sure sure, you have to have good images to start with. i'm gonna try another printer and another computer with a crt and see what the diff is.
anyway, gotta new book on shipwrecks to amuse me for awhile. "destination never reached" by Max Gleeson
later groovers
for starters, lcd screens suck for image editing. if you move up, down or side to side the brightness etc... changes. then i print it, and it's all bleah!
sure sure, you have to have good images to start with. i'm gonna try another printer and another computer with a crt and see what the diff is.
anyway, gotta new book on shipwrecks to amuse me for awhile. "destination never reached" by Max Gleeson
later groovers
