Sept 11

On this day, eleven years ago, I was undertaking my recruit training. I was sitting in the RAP (Regimental Aid Post….like a medical centre) and was watching the TV, which was a novelty as I had not seen TV for a few weeks, and all that was on was the attack on the World Trade Centre. Little did I realize that this event would overshadow my entire military career due to the increased level of security and the massive increase in operational tempo that is still ongoing today.

What did strike me was massive sadness. It is the same sadness that I feel each year on the anniversary o the attacks. Sadness at the loss of innocent lives. Sadness at the loss of personal freedom in the name of anti-terrorism. Sadness at the ongoing erosion of human rights and our privacy in the name of anti-terrorism. Sadness that the terrorists won, and have no doubt they have well and truly won.

Look at what we have given up. Look at the losses we have sustained on all fronts. The initial loss of innocent lives. The subsequent loss of lives in other attacks. The loss of our rights and privacy, the loss of freedom. The loss of thousands of soldiers around the world who were doing no more than following the orders of their governments. The loss of thousands of innocent lives in the Middle East.

And what have we gained from this? Is Al-Quada done? Is the Taliban gone? Is the fighting in the Middle East done? Are we free from fear and fear-mongering? Have our respective governments given us back our privacy and freedom? Do the people in the Middle East feel more secure or safer? Have we made the world a better place for our children? No, no, no, no, no, no, no and no.

What we have achieved is massive loss of both civilian and military lives. Our governments have more power than ever. We have even managed the impossible and managed to erode the freedom of the internet.

This year one emotion hit me even more than sadness….anger. Why was I angry? Well apart from the stuff detailed above, there was one clear reason. This morning I was listening to speeches on the radio and sound bites of people in the USA. Across the board one thing struck me and got me really angry. They all thanked God and praised him for helping them and the nation.

I am going to say this loudly….WHAT THE FLYING ROLLERBLADING JESUS FUCK?

Am I the only one who can see that the whole reasoning behind the attack was religious? This would never have happened if religion did not exist.

What makes you think that your God is the correct one? Why is the Christian God real but the Islamic God is made up? From what I have read all the Gods are essentially the same but the rules and regulations are slightly different regarding how to worship him/her/it. If your life is so devoid of love and life that you need a God to make you feel like you have a purpose than at least choose an interesting one like Zeus. He can throw fricking thunderbolts people and removed his siblings from his father’s stomach. Or, speaking of his father, what about Cronus, he castrated his father with a sickle. Forget turning water into wine (hell I can turn water into beer in about 6 weeks without too much effort) that is some proper cool god shit.

Please stop thanking God. If it wasn’t for the belief that all the religions have that they are correct and everyone else is wrong then we would need to remember these people in the first place. God is that last person you should be thanking, it was the various versions of God that caused this tragedy in the first place.

Peace will only come through acceptance. I am not asking that you change who you believe in, but how about allowing others to live their own lives without interfering. Mind your own business, love your fellow humans, love the animals and stop fucking about with things that don’t concern you.

P.S. same goes for LGBT marriage, abortion, government and the internet. Stop sticking your fucking religion where it doesn’t belong and isn’t welcome.

Day One Hundred and Thirty Three

SO, we got smashed with rain last night and there was thunder and lightening and all things frightening. Then this morning I was awake about 5am and the windows started to rattle and the house shook and it went for about 15-20 seconds. I thought it was just a really long rolling thunder as we get them quite a lot.

Turns out it was a freaking earthquake. AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHH

Meh, wasn't much really.

I see iiNet has won their copyright case again. Hopefully the bastards will piss off now. I will stop downloading TV shows from the US and UK when they get shown here in good time or there is an option to pay a small monthly subscription to download them. many of the shows I watch don't even get shown here so the only way I get to see them is by downloading them.

Got a soccer coaching clinic tomorrow, will see how that goes.

Day One Hundred and Thirty Two

Hosting a Munchkin tournament tonight. I hope people actually attend. If not then the four of us can play and it will still be fun.

Day One Hundred and Thirty One

All my archery stuff is up to date. looks like I will be getting a new bow, but they won't have it until the end of the month. Not much else to sat today, been pretty boring lately.

Day One Hundred and Thirty

Done the entry forms for our first shoot on the new range. Added it to the insurance with AA. Did a little bit around the house, back is still hurting. Looks like I might be coaching soccer as there is no-one else to do it. I was hoping not to as the Archery club already takes up a heap of my time.

Day One Hundred and Twenty Nine

Not much to say today. Back is hurting even more. Hoping to get a new bow soon.

Day One Hundred and Twenty Eight

Went out to the new field range today, it is just about done. A few more loads of gravel to fix the road and a bit of mowing around the control area and we should be all done.

Now my back hurts and I am ready for bed.

Day One Hundred and Twenty Seven...

So I am back. Mowed the lawn today and dragged the spare trailer out from down the side of the house. Need to go and collect stuff from the out-laws soon. Going to the Caravan and Camping show with Mum next weekend and I need to go out to the archery shop.

Someone has set fire to one of our permanent targets which is really helpful. It is always great when we have to fork out more money because of fuckwits with no brains.

Need to make more sauce tomorrow to take away next weekend, of course that means I need more bottles so its time or me to bugger off and get to drinking cider for the greater good....that's my story and I am sticking to it.

I'm Back...

Well after 2 weeks of dealing with blog issues and the posts not publishing I have finally managed to get back online. To make up for the missed days I will kick off again today and just continue from here. I am still having issues with the last two weeks of posts and if they ever appear then it will just be a bonus.

Day One Hundred and Twenty Six...

Last day of work. YYYEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Having another farewell lunch today with a few of the people I have been closest with. Then it will be time to hand in my access card and my remote access token adn head out the door for the last time. I should be sad, but fuck that shit.

I have been saving todays lesson until today as it fits in nicely. I have lost count, I think this is #4.

Three decades of Lessons #4 (maybe): Don't tkae shit from anyone.

If your boss gives you shit, tell them to fuck off. If they still do it, find another job or just resign. There is plenty of work out there if you are willing to look. Many people find themselves in the situation that I was in where the company needs you more than you need them. If that is the case, use that to your advantage. I probably could have done so, but instead I just chose to resign. I know from experience that things here are going to get worse and I feel for those I am leaving behind. But I need to look after me and mine and I am out the door.

I think this sums up my mood today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN53BLdsWWk

Here the lyrics for those who wnat to read them:

Fuck the norm, I can't understand

Live my life, by the rules of no one

I am me, that can't be wrong

I do what I do, when I do, that's how I like it

Conformity, amputate my soul

Made of stone, smashed the mold

Indifferent, so fuck you all that

Whine, bitch, nag, complain, cry

If ya don't give a shit ya getcha' hellyeah

Throwin' fists in the pit ya getcha' hellyeah

Think you're fuckin' with this well hell no.

Balls, volume, strength getcha come on

Drinking beer smoking weed ya getcha' hellyeah

Gotta bruised attitude ya getcha' hellyeah,

Think you're fuckin' with this well hell no

Balls, volume, strength getcha' come on

Fuck you all, that won't understand

Be a man, no more and no less,

I'm just me, no matter what you say,

I am, who I am , what I am, that's how I like it

Typical, fucking lifeless clones

My attitude, embrace my own

I don't care, so just walk away and live your

Dull, dead, bland, boring, life

Don't give a fuck and don't think I ever will,

For the prim and the proper it's a shallow jagged pill,

Don't really care if you like me

I just hold up my drink and get my HELLYEAH!

So point your fingers and throw your stones,

I'll be smokin' and drinkin' and breaking fucking bones

To all you fuckin' people thinking you're better than me,

I hold up my middle finger and give my hellyeah!

Day One Hundred and Twenty Five...

Second last day of work. Farewell lunch today. I think a few people were surprised at my request that instead of collecting money for a gift, they give any money collected to charity.

Lesson number three: Give what you can, when you can and shut up about it.

I like to give to charity. I also tend to keep it quiet when I do give. I don't really give to any religious organisations because most of them have more than enough money already and they spend a tiny amount of what they get on charity. I also refuse to donate to any comp[any that uses 'chuggers'. A Chugger is a charity mugger, one of those people with a clipboard who stand there and pester people for their bank details. They sicken me and should be banned. The charity they represent gets nothing for the first 12 months as the money is paid to the chuggers and they company they work for.

Once I discover a charity is using chuggers I cease to donate to them and they can get fucked. I have no respect for these people and the charities that use them can raise money without them but think they can make more with them. Why don't they see ti is a put off and makes people not what to give them money ever again?

I strongly belive if you have $5 in your wallet give it to the charity guy with the bucket. You don't need a coffee or a Coke, drink water. If one thousand people give the guy $5, then the charity will have $5000 and that sort of money can make a difference. When you give, shout up about it. We don't all need to frickin know how good you think you are. It just shows that you are a bogan who needs other people approval to make you fell good about yourself.

Day One Hundred and Twenty Four...

Didn't shoot at archery this morning, went along, did some admin. We went out yesterday and mapped out a new field course on a property we have been given access to. It should be good and we are hoping to invite other clubs to come along for the day and join in.

After that, did the shooping and then cooked. I love to cook and it makes me happy to know that my family eats fresh food that i have made from sccratch. i know what is in it and it has no preservatives or chemicals in it.

That leads me on to lesson two. This is one that i have only really embraced in the last year. Cook what you can yourself, from local indredients if possible and you will be better for it. We have started making a fair chunk of stuff ourselves. I make my own sausages and our meat is sourced from two butchers who get it from local farms. Both of them know the farmers who they get the meat from nd they get it delivered daily. We make our own tomato sauces, our own breads and pretty much else I can make myself. This has made our food so much tastier and also made it much healthier as well. Don't think of cooking as a chore, becuase it is not. It is fun nd something you can do with your family or in a group. Start a baking circle with your friends once a week and spend an afternoon baking, talking and drinking good wine.

Day One Hundred and Twenty Three...

Cut down the bottlebrush bush in front of the house today adn trimmed back the hedges. I broke my secatuers adn hedge trimmers. I might spend more than $6 on the next set I get.

So my first lesson from my first three decades is to love your family and friends above all else. Your family and friends (proper friends, not just hanger ons) are the ones who are there in thick adn thin. They will always be there regardles of what you do, how much you fuck up and how retarted you are. They are the most important part of your life and you need to treasure them. Love them, treat them with respect and make sure you let them know you are there and you care.

Day One Hundred and Twenty Two...

Feeling like crap today. I have a headache but at least I am almost done with work. I see that the two people from the archery club who went to the Archery Nationals both got bronze medals. Congratulations guys, hopefully a few more of us will compete next year and take home some more medals.

Been thinking about life so far, I might write a few of my thoughts down over the next few days.

Day One Hundred and Twenty One...

Ahhh, thirty years old. I feel as though being a teenager was only 2-3 years ago, but it was actually two children, a wedding and a military career ago. Now to get on with the dirty thirties.

Not much to say as I am still thinking about my life so far.

Day One Hundred and Twenty...

Why the Australian retail games industry needs to change.

I have been considering this for a while, so I have decided to write a few pieces about what is wrong with gaming in Australia and why things need to change. The first one is all about pricing and why our retail stores may be at risk.

Given the recent collapse of GAME in the UK, you would assume that the major game retailers in Australia might be starting to worry. Retail conditions across the board are pretty rubbish and have been for a few years now, but you are even more at risk when a large part of your target audience is tech savvy and know their way around the interwebs.

My most recent experience with the bricks and mortar stores came a few days ago when I went looking for a copy of The Old Republic, but first I need to set the scene. I know I am late to the SWTOR party, but only two MMORPGs have held my interest in the past so I am sick of forking out $100 to play for a few weeks then get bored.

For your information the two that held my interest were Ultima Online and EVE. I originally hooked into WOW but was severely disappointed by the fact that it really has bugger all to do with Warcraft as we knew it at the time. EQ and EQII, LOTRO, Guild Wars, RuneScape and Warhammer Online have all had a go and been quickly turfed in the disappointment bin. Because of these disappointments and many hundreds of wasted dollars, I decided that I would wait until there was a free trial of SWTOR as there always is with every game.

I finally had a chance to hook in and I was addicted. I was in love after about 3 days and decided I better buy it before my 7 day trial was up. So pay day rocks around and now we come to the issue of gaming in Australia. I very rarely buy games from bricks and mortar stores, but I thought that maybe they have changed...

First stop EB Games. Walked in, didn’t even look for it. Went straight to the counter and asked. ‘Its ninety dollars mate’ came the reply. A look of puzzlement crosses my face followed by ‘You do realise this is a 4 month old game?’

‘Nope, only came out this month’

‘In Australia perhaps but anyone who was really keen has been playing it for months’

‘But it’s only been released this month’

‘But the rest of the world has had it for four months now, surely it can’t cost that much’

‘Yep that’s the price because it is only a new game’

I shook my head and left. Next stop, JB Hifi. Same deal, only their gaming staff thought it was released worldwide on March 1....seeya. Called the GAME store near my house, same price. Starting to see a pattern here. Obviously I was naive and the stores haven’t changed a bit.

I took to my usual haunts. Not on Steam, Goddammit. Now I might actually need to sign up for ORIGIN, something I have been trying to avoid since it was launched since it offered me nothing I couldn’t get from Steam. ORIGIN AU has it listed for $89.99. WTF? For a digital copy? I might as well buy it from GAME and then I will have some handy coasters to put my beer on.

Time to dig a little deeper. Unfortunately my usual game key haunts like Greenman don’t have it so I did a little googling. After reading some reviews of where people in Australia have bought a key from I jumped onto one of the sites and had the key emailed to me and loaded up on my SWTOR account in under 10 minutes. I hear you all shouting at me ‘What was the bloody price!?’ Well, It was really expensive and it set me back a whole $40.

That is what it wrong with gaming in Australia. Why would I take the time to go to a shopping centre, park the car, go to a store, buy the game for more than twice the price and then drive home again. I can get the exact same game online and be playing it within 10 minutes without leaving my house which leaves more time (and money) for me to spend with my kids. Time for the brick and mortar stores to step up or fade away.

Day One Hundred and Nineteen...

I am just going to give you a link today that sums up how I feel pretty well.

Dreams

Day One Hundred and Eighteen...

Eight days to go.

Why do people think you will respond anything other than badly when they email you and ask you to do a mojor task and respond in 15 minutes. Especially when it is not one of your jobs and you already have massive amounts of work to get done. How about you get stuffed and I will get to it when I get to it. If it was urgent you probably should have asked last week when you first found out about it. It's enough to make me want to resign.....hehehe.

I have kept up my walk each day and I am feeling much better for it. Have to make sure I keep doing it now.

Day One Hundred and Seventeen...

Nine days to go.

Had archery this morning. Got some good practice time in. It was really good to spend time practicing instead of coaching. Had a good time chatting to Dean as we shot. I enjoy shooting with people I can just chat to as we are going as it makes the whole thing much more enjoyable.

Did the shopping after that and made more roasted tomato sauce with the boy. I bottled some this time and I will need to get more bottles. Also baked bread and cornbread. Need to make soda bread tomorrow night and I think it is meatballs for dinner.

Day One Hundred and Sixteen...

Birthday lunch today. People drove from Sydney to be there. Lots of beer was drunk and the food was fantastic. Followed that up with a trip to Plonk and then more drinking at home.

Got a replacement pasta machine, the River Cottage Everyday cookbook and money. I will get more presents once they arrive from Mum and the Woman.

GOing to bed now, very tired.

Day One Hundred and Fifteen...

Eleven days to go.

Had lunch with one of our solicitors today. It made me realise that there are a lot of people I have dealt with that have been fantastic and they are the ones I will miss. Unfortunately the few people that make life difficult make it impossible to actually stay.

Birthday lunch tomorrow. Can't believee I am almost thirty. Where the hell has the last 10 years gone. At least it has been a fun decade adn I have got a lot done. Served in the Army, got married, had two beautiful kids. Hopefully the next decade is just as much fun.

Why is it that people send in the difficult work on a Friday afternoon? As if I am in the mood to reply to this crap now.

Day One Hundred and Fourteen

Twelve days to go.

Got heaps of work done today but overall it was pretty boring.

On my way to work I watched about 5-6 guys walk past a woman trying to change a tyre on her car. They all walked within a metre of her and not one stopped to see if she needed help. Fuck that shits me, is you life so fucking important that you can't be fucking polite. Quick, rush to your APS 5 public service job and pretend you are improtane when you are nothing more than a fucking worm.

For the record, I stopped and changed the tyre. took me all of two minutes adn my boss was fine with me being late since I was doing something nice. I fucking hate that people have no courtesy anymore, it is all me, me, me. You can all fuck off and learn some fucking manners.

Day One Hundred and Thirteen...

So.....handed in my resignation today. Feels like a massive weight off my shoulders. I ow have two weeks of this left and then it is time to go. In a way I am really sad as the company has been good to me for the most part and I really enjoy what I do until the last couple of months. I am going to point the finger at one person in particular and over the next two weeks I am going to make the issues clear to those further up the chain of command to see if I can improve things for those left. It is really sad that in the space of a few months I have gone from loving my work and my workplace, to hating it and being excited to leave.

It has been an odd day. I got through heaps of work, which isn't odd, but at the same time I wanted to be somewhere else. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Day One Hundred and Twelve...

Not much to say today so I won't take up too much of your time.

Started walking at lunchtime. Exercise sucks.

Scheduled downtime for SWTOR, having withdrawals.

Day One Hundred and Eleven...

Come on home time. I have stuff to do and then games to play. I have children to feed, a garage to finish cleaning, Children that need to have books read to them and help with homework, and then finally SWTOR to play. Too much to do and too litlle time.

I decided I should probably tidy up the massive piles of paper on my desk. Pretty much all of it went in the recycling. What happened to the paperless office idea, did they finally realise it was never going to happen, although a large part of the paperwork could be cut down with some cheap tablets and a system like Dropbox to allow agendas, training docs, case summaries and frequently used docs like legislation to be carried on a portable device. Of course this is too hard so it won't happen anytime soon in a large company.

Day One Hundred and Ten...

First archery championship of the year today. I did shit. My neck and back was sore to start with and I haven't been practising enough because I have been coaching all the time. I think I will need to spend less time coaching and more time practising from now on. Next week I am going to walk back from 90m and set my sights up. Target championship is next.

Did a little more cleaning and housework for the rest of the day. Not much to tell. Also played more SWTOR and watched Clone Wars at the same time.

Day One Hundred and Nine...

Heffs birthday party today. The big three-oh. We will also finally get to meet his Mum. He lived with us for three years but we have still never met her.

The rest of the day was spent cleaning the garage out. we have a skip and I have gotten rid of so much crap it is not funny.

I have started playing The Old Republic and it is great fun. I normally only play MMOs or a month or two then get bored. I think I will keep at this one. SOme, like WoW I played for about 3 hours and got over it. Iwas just shitful.

About to go to the party now. Bye.

Day One Hundred and Eight...

So my team leader is on leave and the atmosphere in this place is so much better. Peopple actually seem happy to be here. I think I worked out where the morale problem is.

Went to Woollies this morning to grab an iced coffee and spotted these beauties out of the corner of my eye. There needs to be a way for me to send half my money to George Lucas and he can just take a crap in a bag and mail it to me. That way we cut out the middleman. He still takes my money and I still get shit for all my effort.


So Tomorrow night is Heffs birthday. Can you guess what his present is? I think the wrapping paper was very appropriate for a 30 year old man.



I went to get a Laksa for lunch and at the last minute got a wonton noodle soup. I wish I had of stuck with the Laksa, the soup tasted like donkey balls...maybe that explains what was in the wontons.

Got my intive for SWTOR for a 7 day trial. I know I will end up playing it past the seven days, we will ahve to see what happens. Now I just need to download the game which should only take a month or so... No doubt it is a 5 trillion hexabyte download.

Day One Hundred and Seven...

It looks as though any posts that I publish from my tablet do not publish. They save, but do not appear online. I apoplogise for there being days where there is no update and then 4 in a row. I will try to make sure I check them from my laptop to ensure they are published.

Again, I didn't want to be here today. I am really getting tired of dreading coming to work and then I get here and have no motivation to do anything.

Fuck me, it's on like fucking Donkey Kong. I am sick of seeing people treated like shit. It is now time to stand up and if I have to sacrifice myself in order to make life better for others than that is what I need to do. It's time to stand the fuck up, face me like a man and try and pull that shit on someone who will push back. As usual you only pick on the weak and the scared. I know you read this because I have been told. Read this, digest it, understand it. Your time has come, motherfucker. To use a phrase made popular by a band my loving wife introduced me to 'I FIGHT FOR THOSE WHO CAN"T FIGHT AND IF I LOSE, WELL AT LEAST I TRIED'...You are on notice. Your time has come. You know who you are. Man up and explain yourself or we will bring this down on your head.

Day One Hundred and Six...

Well not much to say today. I mowed the lawn adn then kicked around at home. Kat made Chorizo and Chilli pasta for dinner which was yum.

I did a little bit of work to the archery club website and booked a skip to clean out the garage and do one of our regular clean-ups this weekend.

Day One Hundred and Five

I really want today to hurry up. I have tomorrow off and I don't want to be here today. It is really sad that in the space of six months I have gone from loving my job and enjoying being at work to hating it and dreading coming here. I think that speak volumes about the changes that have occured since my team leader went on leave.

Day One Hundred and Four...

So, it is a public holiday in the ACT today. This means there are only 4 of us in the building as the ACT staff get the day off. We have to work on a skeleton staff because we manage NSW work. I hope the day goes quickly.

 I have the worst headache. It started about 9am and hasn't stopped since. I really hate headaches and wish they would die.

Had a roast veal sandwich for lunch, got the veal from the smae place we get chorizos from at the markets. I was really yum. I think it will need to be put on regular sandwich rotation at least once a week.

Day One Hundred and Three...

Back at Acery today, a small turn out of members due the the ACT long weekend, but a fair few new people. Lots of new members joining up. Next week is the first championship rund, so I had to get my sight sorted to shoot 18 metres. Hopefully now it should be all good and I can get some decent scores on the board.

Toby and I made pizza for dinner. It was really nice. Made it with my own tomato sauce, which I think we are going to start making en masse and storing.

Day One Hundred and Two...

Just kicking around a home today, getting washing done and tidying up around the house. Cooked my home-made sausages for dinner, they were nice but very meaty. I will need to play with the recipe for a bit to get it right.

Sitting back, drinking wine and watching Star Wars: Episode V at the moment.

Day One Hundred and One...

Ahhhh, Friday. Without a doubt the best day of the week. It is also the day that I am most likely to procrastinate because I don't want to do any work and I have completed all my work for Friday earlier in the week. I could start on next weeks work, but can't be stuffed.

Need to work out what to get Heff for his birthday. He is being particularly unhelpful and not responding to my emails. I am not sure why as it is not like he actually does any work...heehee.

I don't want to wait any longer for more Raspberry Pi's to be available. i ahve put my name down for two of them and I really want them now. My intention is to buld one into a case that can fit in a pocket or handbag and will be able to plug into any TV or monitor (such as the one in my car) and be able to be used. I am going to start work on the OS shortly in preparation for it. I have noticed that the RP specific Fedora system is now available so I might use that as my base. It will be able to connect automatically on booting to my Box and Dropbox accounts to access all my documents that I have on my Laptop at home and means that I will be able to carry it instead of my Laptop when I go away.

The second one will be used to get the Boy interested in programming. I will hook it into an old monitor and it can be his personal toy. I want him to build it, with my help, and continue to develop it into something that is tailored to him. I think that he would love to do something like that and if he starts now then he may be headed for a career in programming or app development.

I wonder whats for dinner tonight, maybe it's time to message Woman and find out.

Day One Hundred...

Well, here we are. One hundred days since I began on this adventure. Much of it has been drival and stupid shit...in fact all of it has been drivel and stupid shit.

I note that Day One Hundred happened to fall on New iPad announcement day. I have noting to read on the net because it is all pointless Apple shit that I don't care about. I notice with glee that once again they have put out a product that is slightly worse than the current android offering in every way except one (the display). This means that when you sheep rush out to buy one you will be buying something that is already obselete. Have fun with that.

I see that the new proposal for media regulation in Australia would have me classed as a publisher becuse I get more than 41 hits a day. Awesoem, hopefully someone will start paying me like a publisher...not fucking likely.

I wish this rain would bugger off. It has come and go all day. I am glad I parked near work becuase I was late this morning, it's really annoying when I park and walk and then it rains and I have to walk 1.5km in the rain.

Day Ninety Nine...

I see that the USA has decided that they can shut down any site with a .com domain as these domains are controlled by a US comany, namely Verisign. This is absolute bullshit, who made the USA the supremem ruler of the world? I have a .com.au site so I am unaffected but I am still disgusted that they believe they can do this. It is now time for the rest of the world to tell them to go fuck themselves and spread control of these things around the world.

Speaking of US companies and tech stuff, am I the only one who doesn't care about what Apple is going announce tomorrow. I really couldn't care. IT will be another stupid device for stupid people are are too dumb to be trusted with full access to the world so they buy devices that are inferior and live ina  'walled garden' where they can't hurt themselves. It will also be overpriced, underspecced and fueled purely by hype rather than innovation and good design.

Just found out that my employer will not be replacing any staff that resign. Bwahahahaha guess who holds the power now bitches. Time to tighten the screws that little bitr more. This is made even sweeter by the fact I have had two companies contact me now, I don't even need to apply for jobs. I know who is giving them my details and I know he reads this. Thankyou.

Not sure if Woman has somethign planned for dinner, if not I am thinking it might just be pesto because that is what I feel like.

Day Ninety Eight...

Today is Woman's 30th Birthday. We are going to the National Gallery to see the Renaissance exhibition, that is her birthday present from me. They do not allow phones or cameras to be used in the exhibition so I will need to fill you in afterwards.

Fuck me, those paintings are awesome. I can't bel;eive the detail and skill in them and they are so awesomely preserved for something so old. The oldest ones dated back to the 1400's I think. To think they have surveived that long and still look as good as they do is awesome.

After the exhibition we walked around the rest of the gallery. Since about 1870, art has been shitful. There was two paintings that were just white with a red border and that is apparently art. I have some of those at home, they are just walls I haven't stuck shit on yet. fucking hell, I can't beleive people pay for this crap. The Indian and Asian sections are awesome, but it appears that the caucasian idea of art has been in steady decline. Now it is just what ever shit you can come up with.

Dinner was a failure. I did stuffed pumpkin again but it was too big and it cracked at the bottom and fell over. I am thinking I might try and do some really small pumpkins and see how they go down.

Day Ninety Seven...

Took a trip to Belconnen today....and you fuckers bag out Queanbeyan. Fuck me, I felt like I needed a shower when I got home to get rid of the dirty feeling. The place is miserable and just looks dirty. I couldn't wait to get back to NSW.

Spent the rest of the day cleaning and cooking.

Day Ninety Six...

Went to see Warragamba Dam this morning. It was good to see it overflowing at last. Had lunch at Wallacia Hotel afterwards. Food is good, tables were in nice shady areas and they have a really nice courtyard with plenty of shade and playground for the kids.

After that drove back and now it is time for bed.

Day Ninety Five...

Well obviously I am meant to live with the rain this weekend.No matter where I go it seems to be determined to follow me. Off to dinner soon and I guarantee that I will come home soaking wet.

I have been testing Windows 8 and submitting bug reports to Microsoft. It is actually very robust and I am finding a lot fewer issues than what I found in Windows 7. Overall I am very happy with it and the new Start interface is awesome, although it takes some getting used to and that will be what people will complain about the most.

I will try and get some pics tonight and post them up from my phone, but I make no promises. Check back for updates later.

Day Ninety Four...

Sooo tired, I don't want to be here. I also don't want to spend three hours in the car driving to Sydney. I have a feeling I will be out like a light when I get there.

At least it is not raining a lot today. They are predicting increased rain for the Saturday and Sunday. I won't be here but it will probably be raining in Sydney as well. That could put a downer on the birthday celebrations. Mor importantly, it will be my birthday soon. Dirty Thirty. I feel like 21 was only 2-3 years ago.

BOOOOOOOOORRRRRRREEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD. I am struggling to stay awake.....*snore*......Not even Lamb of God is helping me to stay awake.


Time to go, seeya

Day Ninety Three...

Snore, I have done five days work in two. Now that's not a bad effort and reinforces my claims that refusing to let me work part time is just wrong.

So the river that runs through my home town has flooded, that means traffic will be a nightmare. We were the second last car over the low level bridge before it was closed, but now there are only two ways back into town.

Took ages to get home, and now I am buggered. Need to pack to go away tomorrow but that shouldn't take long. Time to fire up a bit of Star Wars me thinks.

Day Ninety Two...

Back to work today. Thank god it is only for three days. Well it turns out that they have declined my application to work part time due to staffing levels. Well I have a few things to say about that (language warning):
1. Staffing levels are not my fucking issue. You are the fucking morons who have decided that a recruitment freeze will magically iomprove our performance and returns on ionvestment. That is a practice that has worked so fucking well int his business before....ohh wait it was one of the main reasons why your (I say 'your' because 'I' was involved in another part of the business at the time) performace two years ago was the worst if the fucking state. You are a bunch of fucking morons.
2. This thinly veiled contempt you have for staff is what is driving us all to go somewhere else. I have loved this company and intended to stay here for a very long time, but I am now at the point where I am looking for work elsewhere. The sad thing is, it has only become this bad in the last few months when our boss went on maternity leave and we got an acting team leader with no people skills who treats everyone like shit.
3. I manage to get all my work done and a fair chunk of everyone elses each and every goddamn day of the fucking. Last week I got 5 days work, plus other peoples work done in three days. I am currently on track to do even more this week. How can you justify that workload is a reason why I can't work part time and take one day off a week? It seems to me that it is becuase other people can't get their work done. Again, THIS IS NOT MY FUCKING PROBLEM!
4. You said I can resubmit the application in late May/early June. The only paperwork you will get from me after this is my goddamn resignation which will tell you exactly where you can shove your job and go fuck yourselves. The last thing you will see of me is when I walk out and give you the finger as I cross the road. The only reason I am here is so that I can tke my time finding a new job in the right place.

On a positive note, I have completed my course today. I can now use that to get a new job in the industry, big thanks to my employer for investing in me :)

Day Ninety one...

Sat around at home and watched TV. Cleaned up the house a bit and did some washing. Not looking forward to driving to Sydney again on Friday. Sorry that my last few days have been short. I have been flat out and haven't had time to write much. I will try and improve on it tomorrow.

Day Ninety...

Not much to say today. Coming down from yesterday. Drove home. That is all. Bed now

Day Eighty Nine...

SOUNDWAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lamb of God was everything I hoped it would be, Coal Chamber were brilliant, Slipknot were awesome, BLS was fantastic. The whole day was so insanely awesomesauce. I can't wait for the next one.

Now my feet are sore, I am sunburnt and I really need to get some sleep.

Day Eighty Eight...

Little Brother is getting married today. So excited. He has found a Woman that s perfect for him and I hope that everything goes perfectly for them today. I have written my speech and it is awesome.

The wedding and reception were awesome. The bride was beautiful and the groom was suitably nervous. I have put some pics in below.

Day Eighty Seven

So, this is the last day of work before the wedding and Soundwave. Everything is packed, I have written my speech and just waiting to finish work. I can't wait, such a busy weekend ahead but it will be so much fun.

Onto the world of politics. I really wish these dumb fucks in power would cut this shit out and just fuck off. You are making look like some two bit piece of shit country who can't sort their crap out. It is time to get rid of the factional caucus crap. Each party should put up 2-3 candidates to be the party leader. When we vote we have a second bit of paper to vote for who will lead each party. That person is in charge until the next election. That way the people actually have a say in what goes on.

I have a question, why do people buy crap cars? For example, what good reason is there to own a Ssangyong. They may be cheap but so are Hyundais and they look a million times better. If we don't buy the really shit cars they will just go away. The same applies to all products. Why do you buy crap quality food? is it worth saving 40 cents? why do you buy many foods at all, apart from raw ingredients? It is really easy to make a lot of stuff yourself. Bake your own bread, it is yum, good for you and easy. Next week I am geting a meat grinder, then I can make sausages and mince. There will be no more reason to buy them. Will it be more expensive then getting sausages from Coles...probably a few cents more per kilo. Will they taste better, be healthier and be more enjoyable since I made them...for sure. BTW, meat grinders will be $15 at Aldi next week, get in on the action.

I have no idea how that went from a rant about shit cars to a rant about making my own sausages. I am a bit exited to be making my own nad I will be posting the results up here. That reminds me I need to track down some skins...

Day Eighty Six...

I am back in action. Working hard and......well not much really. Trying to get all my work done for Monday/Tuesday next week since I am away for Soundwave. Can't fucking wait, I look forward tothis all year.

Made more tomato sauce last night and it worked much better than last time. This time I blended it in the food processor and then strained it through the pasta strainer and it is heaps thicker. Woamn has promised to get me a meat grinder next week, Aldi have them for $15, then I can start making sausages and stuff. I need to be rich and live on a farm so I can do this stuff all the time.

Day Eighty Five...

Still sick and now my whole body hurts from vomiting and lying in bed all day. I am feeling a little better and I have eaten which is a bonus. I have finished Stargate Universe and caught up on all my other shows, plus found a new one called Luck that look alright.

Need to write a speech for the wedding on Friday and it is not going well. So not well in fact that i haven't even started :)

DAy Eighty Four...

Sooo sick, can't stop vomiting. I thought I would be goof for work, but after 15 mins adn 2 trips to the toilet I decided that I couldn't do it.

On the upside it means that I can finally see the end of Startgate Universe which has taken me forever.

Day Eighty Three...

Less than a week until Soundwave and Christioans birthday. So excited. This week is going to drag on for sooooo long. On the upside I have two 4 day weekends in a row. Woohoo for good planning. The following week is Womans birthday adn then we are going to some art shite after we get back from Sydney. To be honest, I am looking forward to the art stuff, but it is not normally my thing.

My 30th birthday plans are pretty simple by comparison. I intend to go to the pub with friends and family, have lunch and do some drinking. Seems like the ideal way to usher in the Dirty Thirties to me.

Day Eighty Two...

More people to help today with the working bee, had a committee meeting as well. That wasn't too bad, at least we know we are on the right track now. I think I will put up a list in the shed of what we need to get done and we can do little bits every few weeks.

Didn't do much else. Played with the kids and mowed as much of the lawn as I could.

Day Eighty One...

Archery club working bee today, as usual there were two of us there. We still managed to get a bit done and hopefully there will be more attendees tomorrow.

Off to have dinner at Walsh's now to celebrate a 50th. So glad it won't be a late one as we need to collect the kids, I am buggered.

Day Eighty...

I have been doing this for eighty days now, and apparently there are over 100 of you out there reading it. I wasn't aware my life was so interesting but I am glad you are here for the ride.

I am sitting at my desk and it is pelting down with rain, but the sky is blue. Gee I love summer in the nations capital -_- Now the rain is gone and the sun has come out. FFS pick some weather and stick with it for the day.

Only a week left until we head up for Soundwave and Buttheads wedding. Getting so excited. I love Soundwave. I might need to try and get some metal shows in while we are in Germany. The band I am looking forward to the most is Lamb of God.

SO, rumours abound of Android 5.0 in Q3 2012 and that it will be on tablets as a dual boot with Windows 8. All I can say is FUCK YEAH. Apple can suck a fat cock. A dual boot Andriod/Windows device will be awesome and will be so much more functional than the iPad. The iPad will look like a kids toy in comparison, but then again most Aplle users have the technical ability of 4 year olds so they are still going for their target market.

Day Seventy Nine...

Not much on again today. A few things of my own and then I will likely get roped into someones else crap again.

My new big push is for sustainable fishing. I implore you to only eat fish that can be caught sustainably. I many parts of the word entire fish populations have been depleted because of overfishing. Australia has started to take action and has large marine reserves as well as protecting our marine borders from illegal fishing. To make it even easier you can get an iPhone app by searching the app store for Sustainable Seafood Guide.

Please try to only eat the follwoing types of fish:
Abalone (Farmed Only)
Australian Bonito
Australian Herring
Australian Salmon
Blue Mussel
Blue Swimmer Crab
Bream
King Goerge Whiting
Leatherjacket
Luderick/Blackfish
Mackeral
Dolphinfish/Mahi-mahi
Moonfish
Mudcrab
Mullet
Scallop
Squid/Cuttlefish/Octopus
Tailor
Trevally
Whiting
Fresh Water Trout

The biggest thing that we need to be concerned about is Canned Tuna. There have been massive declines in Tuna populations worldwide but all of our canned tuna is imported and Australia has no control over how they are caught. The validity of dolphin friendly claims are in doubt and Sharks and Sea Turtles are commonly harmed through Tuna fishing.

Many of the fish I have listed above can be used in place of any other fish is any recipe. My preferred way to eat any fish is with a little salt and pepper and some Thyme. Stick them in the oven to bake for about 10 mins and they are delicious.

Day Seventy Eight...

Flat out like a lizard drinking today. But it is not my work...

Woman and I have decided to go to Europe in April 2014. We are going to start in Germany and go to Berlin, Sttutgart, Prague, Brno, Vienna, Salsburg, Budapest, Lviv, Kiev, Moscow, St Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen. The idea is that we will drive from Berlin to Budapest, then train through Ukraine and Russia to Finland and then boat to Sweden and drive to Denmark.

Now we have 2 years to do the research and firm up the plan, but I want to keep it pretty lax so we can take our time if we like.

Day Seventy Seven...

What a boring day, I have bugger all to do.

Still no idea on working part time, haven't heard anything back yet. Not really much to write about today.

Day Seventy Six...

I was going to go to the 4WD show on the weekend and completely forgot...oops. Never mind, there is always one on somewhere.

I have been overcome with this idea of travelling. The current options are either Portugal, Spain and Morroco or Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Ukraine, Russia and Finland. I am thinking of going the end of next year for about 5 weeks. Woman wants to come, but the biggest challenge for me will be being away from the kids.

Day Seventy Five...

Only went to archery for about 30 mins today, I wasn't meant to be there at all. Came home and I feel pretty ratshit again. Time to rest adn see how I feel later.

What a day of cooking. I have cooked bread, Chorizo and pasta for lunches, Beer battered Fish for dinner and made my own tomato sauce. The sauce is yum but is not very thick, I may need to try and play with the recipe.

Day Seventy Four...

Still feel really sick, glad I didn't go to Sydney. Still need to go and do the shopping hope I feel better this afternoon.

Went to do the shopping, feeling much better now. So glad I took th time to rest. We have been buying so much fruit and veg lately, all part of trying to lose weight adn be healthier.

Just had dinner, I cooked Butternut Pumpkin stuffed with Leek, Gruyere and Creme Fraiche. It was so yummy, I wonder what else I can use Creme Fraiche with. I wonder if I stir it into my pasta sauces at the alst minute what will it taste like. Boy is cooking Vege Pasta on Wednesday so I might give it a go then.

Day Seventy Three...

Feel so sick today. I am supposed to drive to Sydney tonight but it is not going to happen. There is no way I am in any fit shape to drive for 3 hours.

That is all today, too sick to care.

Day Seventy Two...

Wondering how dinner will go down tonight. Woman always complains when I cook lentils or chick peas or anything that sounds remotely vegetarian. I hope it will be a winner although the recipe is from an unproven source.

They are warning of floods for the Queanbeyan River valley this weekend, awesome....not.

So ICS is running really well on my phone. In fact it is running better than what CM7 was. I am glad I made the switch, now debating if I will make the switch on the tablet.

Oh my sweet baby goodness, Billy Connolly is going to be in the Hobbitt. This just makes me want to see the movie even more. I can't wait. *ssqqqqqqquuuuuueeeeeee* (Yes I did let out a little girly squel when I read the news)

Day Seventy One...

I get the distinct feeling that I am not very well liked by those above me at the moment. Of course they are above me in position only, as people and morally they don't even rank on the same scale. I am really jack of the favouritism and crap that goes on here. It is bullshit. SOme of us a re watched like hawks while others get away with murder.

Soo tired, I want to go to bed...unfortunately it's on 2pm.

I think it might be time to update my phone to Ice Cream Sandwich (the latest Android version). I wonder how much of my custom programming I will need to re do to make it work how I want again. Wish me luck...

IT looks liek ti has worked. I have a few little issues, but I have managed to sort them without to much issue. Only one that will require a bit of coding at some point this week. If anyone has a Samsung Galaxy S I highly recommend the upgrade to ICS, much faster and looks heaps better.

Day Seventy...

So today is the big day. Time to face the boss and tell him what I want. I am determined to come out of this with what I want as the way it has all gone down is bullshit. I have made a mental list of demands and what I want to say. i have every intention of going in and dictating what I want and it is up to them to accomodate it or I will start looking elsewhere.

Only 2 hours to go and I am surprisingly not nervous at all. I have accepted that one of two things will happen:

• I will go in, lay down the law, tell them what I want, we work out a compromise, everyone is happy.
• I will go in, lay down the law, tell them what I want, they refuse to work with me on a compromise or solution, I work part time until I go and work somewhere else.

Regardless of what happens, I win. hance the lack of nervousness. I know I am good at my job and I know they would struggle without me. My results and ability speak for themselves, they need to come to me.

So, it has happened. I told them what i thought, they threw a bunch of management speak back at me, I nodded and accepted that they would never admit I was right or my ideas were better. At this point it dawned on me that they are just more corporate tossers. I told them I wanted to work part-time, I don't think beleived me as my leader nearly crapped herself when I gave her my formal request 20 mins later. Now I just have to wait for the response and then decide what my next move will be.

As far as I am concerned, at this point in time with bugger all staff and heaps of work, they need me more than I need them. I have the skills and qualifications to go to another insurer, lets see if it plays out that way.

Day Sixy Nine...

Its day Sixty Nine...dinner for two :)

I have realised in the last day just how many things you require your thumbs for. Opening beer. Opening Wine. Tying shoelaces. Washing your face. Remove the park brake on the car. Use your phone. Drink tea. Everything requires the use of your thumb. Thankfully I still have one.

Arranged my suit for the wedding today. Unfortunately they won't have the one I wanted but they have my second choice. It a shame because I love 3/4 length jackets.

Don't want to be at work today, but at least the day went quick. See Ya

Day Sixty Eight...

Fuckin oooowwwww. Was making lunch and I cut a massive chunk out of my hand with the bread knife. Fuck it hurts and it bled for about 3 hours. It is all bandaged up now and I will have to change the dressing tomorrow night.

That has pretty much destroyed any plans for the rest of the day so not much else to talk about.

Day Sixty Seven...

Ahhh Saturday. Went and picked blackberries this morning, there were a fair few around but it looks like there are many more still to ripen. Toby came with me and we had a pretty good time but headed home once it got to hot.

Went to the markets adn got our fruit and veg but didn't do much else. Rob came over for dinner and we played munchkin for a couple of hours.

Day Sixty Six...

Bloody rain. Where the hell is summer?? I don't mind the rain, except I wanted to start digging garden beds tomorrow. I was also planning to sort out the weber and the spit and tryo to get the back patio all arranged how I want it. I also need to run the lawnmower over the backyard again and poison the driveway and path.

Might also do some baking this weekend. I can get the kids to help me to make some bikkies and cupcakes since they eat them all. I also want to try and dry apples and we are going up to the mountains tomorrow to collect blackberries to make some jam.

Day Sixty Five...

Back at work today. While getting ready for work I felt really anxious and started to feel sick again, but I pushed on and made it here. I don't have an issue with the people I work with and I know it is not my fault that it happened but I feel like a disappointment to everyone. I feel like everyone here is looking at me going 'Well he wasn't good enough' even though that isn't the case. I know it was a situation where the circumstances were really shit and things just went against what we were trying to do but it doesn't change how I feel.

I feel like I have let down Woman and the kids as well. We were so excited that I was finally going to get my chance to prove myself and then I had to face them and tell them it wasn't happening. They know why and they know it was nothing I did, but I still feel as though I somehow let them down.

It makes me wonder why I should look forward to anything or feel happy about anything. What is the point of getting excited if things are just going to get snatched away from you. I need to get outn of this stuopid spiral of depressing self pity. Fuck it, harden the fuck up. You are Adam. Your psyche is fucking bulletproof. This fucking place has no right to bring you down. You have lived through so much more than them, you have defeated depression, you have lived and done things they dream of. Harden up, aswallow your emotions and move the fuck on. Life has kicked you in the guts, again. So kick the fucker in the head, tell God to get fucked and push through like you always do. Time to fire up some 'Warrior' (these are not the full lyrics, just the bits that snap me out of this shit).

'Do not hide now
Act like a warrior
Show your pride now
Solidify your place in time'

'As I stand before you
With a warrior's heart
Now I can feel the strength that will
Ensure my victory this time'Fuck I love music. Some people just have it on as a background noise but I find that music speaks to me in a way that no one and nothing else can. Music is intensley personal if you let it. It can bring tears, it can bring joy, it can show love and it can arouse hate of the worst kind. I think over the next little while I will post up some of my favorite lyrics to demostrate what music means to me. I will also post up the song title and artist so people can go and have a listen for themselves and maybe I can convert some to seeing music as more than just noise.

Let's kick it off with Slipknot and a bit of 'Duality'

'I push my fingers into my eyes
It's the only thing that slowly stops the ache
But it's made of all the things I have to take
Jesus it never ends, it works it's way inside
If the pain goes on, I'm not gonna make it

All I've got, all I've got is insane
All I've got, all I've got is insane
All I've got, all I've got is insane
All I've got, all I've got is insane'
I love this song because there are few people who know me that will argue that there is not a little bit of insanity about me (apparently you can see it in my eyes). I constantly feel as though I am fighting with myself and trying to prevent the insane side from coming out because I don't want people to see it. I think it is the little piece that is left from when I suffered depression and, combined with what has now been diagnosed as mild autism, it is always there just below the surface guiding who I am and it actually hurts to hide it.. But when it boils down to it that little insane piece of me is the only thing I can rely on, it is the only thing that is real to me.

Day Sixty Four...

Not at work today. Just feel deflated. The thought of going to work makes me feel sick and I want to vomit. I really need to get over it but I feel like the rug as been ripped out from under me and I have just been left hanging.

Baked some cookies and put a lot of effort into cooking lunch which made me feel a bit better. It helps to do the things I enjoy. Playing with the kids made me feel heaps better, but I think Woman gets a bit annoyed when we spend an hour jumping on the bed. I still try and live life by the philosophy of 'Growing old is compulsory, growing up is optional.'

Well I am out for another day, see ya.

Day Sixty Three...

So Woman has approved the plans for the new garden with only one change, I forgot to add strawberries. I am still pissed off today at the events of yesterday. It is not the first time I have been screwed over, but is certainly the worst. This time I am going to do something about it. IT's time to put these fuckers back in there place and realise that without staff they are screwed. If it doesn't help me at least it will help someone else further down the track.

I really don't want to be here today. I am just really over it. I just feel really let down and deflated. How is it possible to maintain your motivation when everything get pulled out from under you?

Made most of tonight's dinner last night which means there is not too much to do tonight. I just feel like going home and going to bed.

Day Sixty Two...

So my plans for the veggie garden redevelopment over winter are coming together. I will see if I can scan my very crap pictures and post them up at some point. I am planning to put in tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, potatoes, pumpkins, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, beans, herbs and fruit trees. Hopefully by this time next year I will have heaps of veggies and will be able to preserve heaps of them.

So here is the new garden plan

 

Hopefully I can get it all done between now and the start of next spring, that way we will have veggies growing by next summer.

I also just remembered that we need to drive up into the mountains to get blackberries, but I have a feeling it might be too late in the season for them. I might make a quick run up there on Saturday morning to see if there are any up there for my jam.










So apparently no matter how good you are at your job, you get marked down because of everyone elses performance and you end up being scored no better than some COCKFACE WHO CAN'T DO THEIR FUCKING JOB PROPERLY!!!!! What this has demonstrated to me is that they like to reward mediocrity and punish those who work their arses off. Well fuck you, I will just stop doing all this extra crap and be mediocre.

Well no more from me today, nothing much to talk about. Too pissed off.

Day Sixty One...

Not going to write much today. Too tired.

Archery this morning, new sight is finally starting to come together. James came out for a shoot, I think he enjoyed it. First scored round of the year next week so hopefully my sight doesn't give me too much grief.

Didn't do too much this afternoon. Did the last of the cleaning up from last night and watched some River Cottage. Rigatoni and Meatballs for dinner.

Day Sixty...

Winter-een-mas party day. I have been up sicne 7am, cooking and baking and getting stuff ready to go. Cancon is also on this weekend so I need to find to go to that. Bread is currentl;y baking, bacon and egg rolls are on the way for breakfast then there is a huge pile of things to get done.

Cancon was good, didn't really buy much this year which is a change from past years. By next year my army will be painted so I might actually compete in the 40K tourny. Rob is doing better than last year which is good, I think the switched to Tyranids has paid off for him.

Everyone will start to arrive soon, the bread looks really yum, i have marinated the chicken, chips will be put on soon, time for some cider.

Day Fifty Nine

Something has been on my mind. I am thinking of exploring the option of a community garden. I am actually wondering if it would be possible to set up a company/not for profit organisation that goes around and assists to establish community gardens around the state/country. I think they are fantastic for building community spirit and encouraging people to work together. They also promote healthy eating and there is nothing like proper veggies rather than the crap from the supermarket.

I am wondering how I could go about it. I am actually scared to take it anywhere because I have had good ideas previously and when I have written to people for support they tell me to bugger off. The last one was my idea to set up a fund for driver training for new drivers. I even spoke to a driver education place and with the pricing they were willing to provide we could send approx 1800 young drivers to advanced driver training courses for $100k. How is that not worth government investment? They waste billions on crap we don't need, but this could save lives and if it saves one life then it is worth every cent.

I might see who wants to get involved and help me out. I reckon if I can set one up in one community then I might have a better chance. Time to write to the council I think. I have looked into it and there are a few community gardens about but they are not widespread.

THose who know me, know that I hate the way Apple bleats on about everyone who brings out a rectangular phone is copying them. To put in prespective for those is doubt, here is an Iphone 3GS (the model that was current when the Galxy S2 was released), the Galaxy S2 and a whiteboard marker. Maybe Apple should sue the makers of the whtieboard marker because it looks more like and Iphone than the Samsung does,

And for one last giggle for the day http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/02/01

Day Fifty Eight

Australia Day today. I love this country, but I get the shits with a lot of the people in it. Just because someone was born elsewhere does not make them any less Australian than you. Until the people of thios country learn tolerance and compassion can we ever really call ourselves the lucky country? WHy is gay marriage not legal? Why are people with disabilties treated like lepers? Whay are boat people treated like the scum of the earth?

The true scum of the earth are the people who sit around claiming centrelink payments, while pregnant with child number six and their defacto is out robbing houses and stealing cars. They are normally the first ones to go 'I'm Australian and proud of it' and normally the most intolerant. They contribute nothing to the economy and are a drain on our country.

Refugees on tthe other hand, which is what boat people are, have come from unspeakably bad places, seen horrors we wouldn't dream of and have normally suffered at the hands of the governement of their home country. Most of them are happy to work and are willing to fit into our society if only they were given a chance. They will often overcome massive obstacles to survive and then when they get here we treat them like second class citizens.

It's time we start to make a change. It's time to rebuild communities and get to know each other again.

This is me calling out the people of this fine land. Being self obsessed and only askeing what is in it for you is no longer okay. Get off your arses and do something about it. Say hello to your neighbour. Ask the old lady next door if she is okay. Help your work collegues when you see the struggling without expecting a pat on the back. Play with your kids. Laugh at the world. Look around you and see the beauty in a leaf or a spider. Embrace the worlsd and all that is good about it and soon the positive will outweigh the negative. Stop rushing and take your time. Life is more enjoyable when you relax.

Please join with me and lets make the world a better place. Lets start out with a simple mission - Say hello to five strangers each day and give $5 to a charity each week.

Day Fifty Seven

Read a story about how Google is going to share your personal data across its services. A lot of people moaning about privacy but if it is going to make my experience better than why is it wrong? I personally think it is a good thing and I like having one login for all my services and apps.

A quick look on my Google Dashboard shows that I regularly use the following Google products:

• Analytics
• Android - on my Galaxy S
• Android - on my Iconia A500
• Android Market
• Blogger (obviously)
• Calendar
• Chrome Sync
• Contacts
• Docs
• Gmail
• Google +
• Picasa
• Reader
• Webmaster Tools
• Youtube
• Google Wallet

Thats a lot of stuff to be controlled by one company and I only listed the things I use at least once a fortnight. The reason I use them is that they are accessible, easy to use, mostly free and are available on my phone, tablet, PC and Woman's iPhone. The reason I never embraced Apple prodcts like this is because they only worked properly on my iPhone and I ditched that and swore never to get another one ever again.

Had lunch for work today. Went to Belluci's and the food has gotten better...finally. It was getting so bland and crap but it looks like they have addressed that and started to provide good food again. I am also a fan of Peroni and they have it on tap which is a bonus.

Looking forward to a day off tomorrow, need to prepare for Winter-een-mas. I will have to get the back yard sorted adn wash down the outdoor setting so we can sit out there.

Day Fifty Six

So much to do today, although I have noticed that I write more in here if I have it open during the day. Then I can just chuck little things in as I go.

Well after last weeks blackout I see the SOPA is losing supporters like there is no tomorrow. It is good to see the will of the people finally gets a look in. Now if only we could have the will of the people done in Australia.

I also see that Anonymous is continuing its attacks. While I am sure they believe in what they are doing, it is at the point now where it is just a bunch of whingers having a tantrum. The world has stopped paying attention and your actions are not going to change anything. It's time to give it up and hop back in your corner, regroup, develop some structure and a mission and then come out swinging.

I am ready to go home now. Have to bake bread tonight. I don't want to be here for another hour adn a half. *cry*

I note there are upcoming Android developer forums in Sydney. I am not too keen to go, however it has made me wonder if I should get into developing and releasing apps? As it stands I work on my own ROMS based on CM7 and I modify/degbug existing apps to do what I want with none of the features I hate. I have also started removing the ads from some of my most used apps, but I have not developed and released an app or offered my ROM out to the world. Mainly becuase what I do is tailored to me and I don't need the headache of people poking holes in stuff.

MAybe I will just keep working on stuff for myself...

Day Fifty Five

In a course today so not a lot to say. It was the last one, which is fricking awesome. No more of this shite, it's the last time I put my hand up for anything for work.

Got home at 5:30pm which is the earliest yet. Leaving early meant that I didn't get stuck in treaffic. SO hapy to be home again.

Kat made a really yum Beef Salad for dinner. It was delicious with Big Ricks Honey Mustard Sauce.

Day Fifty Four

So I am in Sydney now. Sitting in a hotel, bored out of my mind. I am going to have dinner in a sec adn then I might go for a walk.

Archery was alright. I am getting sick of people who never help do anything in the club but expect to be treated like they are special. I spent half my morning cleaning up and making the joint look presentable. Only one other person bothered to help me.

I am also jack of only two people doing the coaching. It means that we only get to shoot every second week. I am going to push for more coaches or we will need to dial back our coaching sessions.

Day Fifty Three

SO, today is my foray into spatchcock cooking. I have just made some yummy soda bread and I am planning my menu for tonight. It looks like ot will be Pot Roast Spatchcock with Chorizo and Butter Beans and on the side will be Roasted Beetroot, Oven Roasted Chips and Soda Bread.

Well dinner was delicious, my oven was not big enough so I had to stagger my cooking times which meant the beetroot was too hard still but other than that it was great.

Day Fifty-Two

Ouch, my fricking head hurts. I have had a small headache for a few days now but it has gotten really bad in the last hour or so.

I am going to try and get some slepp to try and recover so thats it from me today. Sorry.

Day Fifty One

So, no entry yesterday. Blame SOPA.

The other night I was preparing some DIY 2 minute noodles and I was going all over the kitchen asking where the 'Wesley' was. It took a minute before Woman realised that I have been calling the mortar and pestle 'Wesley Crusher'. It was definately a funny moment. I love stupid little funny moments in life, they make it worth living.

For the record, homemade instant noodles are yummy and healthy. Recipe is here. The tomato apparently put the kids adn Woman off so I am going to try some other ideas. Maybe a chicken one.

I have been laughing my arse off at the morons on Twitter who are screaming about Wikipedia being down for 24 hours. It is hilarious. Here's an idea you morons, read the page on Wikipedia that is replacing all other content and it will explain why they are doing it. You could also learn how to use you web browser for more than just tweeting and looking at ladyboys and press stop or hit escape between the page you want loading adn the Javascript redirecting you to the blackout page.....dickheads.

Day Fifty.....Gone Dark

Day Forty Nine

What a glorious day, shame I am stuck in an office. At least i have a window seat so I can look out upon the world and marvel at how wonderfully complex it is. On the other hand, why do people feel the need to throw rubbish all over the joint? Put your shit in the bin you dirty bogan trash. I might start cleaning it up on my lunch break, at least that will get me out of the office otherwise I just sit here and work through lunch while I eat.

It does occur to me that i am complaining about some rubbish, but one of the joys of where I work is that there is a fair bit of green space and trees and stuff. I could be in an office in Sydney and be looking at another building or a carpark. I love this place, it's just the Canberrans that shit me. Most of them are okay, but there are still a fair few stuck up irritating ones.

Someone must have heard me complaining about the rubbish on the ground because the guys doing the lawn mowing are now picking it all up. I am not envious of their job, but I am glad that they do it. There are lot of jobs I wouldn't want to do, but if no-one did them then things would go to shit. The problem is we tend to look down on these people, when we should be thanking them.

So I have decided my next cooking foray will be into game birds. I have ordered some spatchcocks to collect on Saturday morning and I will be pot roasting them. I will let you know how it goes.

I am missing Coke too much due to my diet, so I am onto the Coke Zero. I figure it won't hurt my diet as it has no sugar and no fat in it.

Day Forty Eight

At work again, my head really hurts. I woke up with a slight headache and it has been getting progressively worse. Panadol has done nothing, nor has drinking water. At least I don't have much work to do.

I should note now that January 18th I will be going dark. There will not be an actual entry for that day. I will be going dark for the good of the world in an effort to protest against the SOPA legislation in the US. If this gats through in the US it will only be a matter of time before our moronic politicians will do the same here. I will endeavour to post up an article on SOPA, what it is and what it could mean for Australia in the next couple of days. Other than that, please join me in supporting the people of the USA to try and destroy this abomination.

I am sick of hearing people say "that's a first world problem'. Of course I have first world problems, I don't live in a third world country, do I you fucking morons. As an experiment, I sat here at lunch time and said 'I only have a kilo of rice for meals this month'. The same morons who whinge at me about my first world problems asked why I didn't just buy more. So when I do have a (fake) third world problem you give me a first world solution.

FFS, what am I supposed to do. Fuck them, I will continue to whinge that I can't find the Warhammer book that I want and that 'Time Out' chairs are out of stock for five months...they can all get fucked.

BTW...Time Out Stool

Day Forty Seven

Back to achery today. Had more new people turn up than we have had since at least March last year. It was good, although it was also tiring as I was coaching for the day. Hopefully we can get some new members from it all.

Cooked yummy (and healthy) fish and chips for dinner. Even Kat ate all the fish. It was just a rainbow trout that I put in the same pan as the chips, put some salt and pepper on it and baked for about 15 mins. It came out really nice, better than any of the ones I have done with lemon and stuff and baked in foil. Used my chip recipe I posted up previously and served it with a salad.

Day Forty Six

Drove to the Central Coast today, to collect Son, and then drove home. It was about 8 hours driving, plus the 3 hours last night. Sooooo over it, sssoo tired. Must sleep.

Day Forty Five

Yay, new sight is here for my bow. Can't wait to fit it up and shoot on Sunday. Now for the long tedious process of tuning it and sorting out my distances. The scope is HUGE, I didn't realise it was so big, but that is all good, the aperture on my peep is tiny so I wouldn't have been able to see it all anyway.

At least the sun is out today, it has been sssooo cold this week. I wonder where summer fucked off to this year.

Have to drive to Sydney tonight and then back tomorrow. I am so sick of that road, I need a private jet.

Day Forty Four

So it looks like posts that I write on my phone go missing occassionally. It never seems to happen on my tablet and they are both running Android and both use the Blogger app but both have been tweaked and customised by me. Obviously there is something in the phone that I need to sort out. It might have to wait until Febuary as I am a bit busy.

I really hate it when people make up work to justify thier jobs. We have some new shit at work that we all need to do, but it adds nothing to the claim. It was obviously dreamed up by someone who needed to justify their payslip at the end of the week. I have no intention of doing it and they can get stuffed.

Day Forty Three

***It appears another post written on my phone has gone missing. Sorry :-(***

Day Forty Two

Not much on today. I cooked a delicious curry for dinner. It was very yummy. Recipe is here.

Started watching Sherlock. It is actually really good. I have read the books and this is a pretty awesome modern adaptation of the books.

Not much more to say today, will see how I go tomorrow.

Day Forty One

Back to work today...over it already and I have only been here for 20 minutes. Its a good thing I logged on from home yesterday and cleaned out my emails and did a few small jobs. It was less to do today.

So it looks as though we have a solution for the carer issues. The Daughter is going to stay with the out-laws for the week. That means we awill be child free, time to nude up :)

I have no idea where my MP3 player has gone. It must be in the car somewhere, not that it matters since Son broke my headphones and I wil need to go and get more. I might do that today in fact so I have something to listen to on the way back to the car.

I want to get more Skylanders for son to play with, however they are out of stock everywhere, even overseas. Obviously it was the must have toy this year for Christmas. I might go into GAME and see if they can reserve some for me when they come back in stock. I just had a look at the list of Skylanders. I thought there were 12, turns out there are 32 main ones and 6 specials that are exclusives.

Day Forty

I really don't want to go back to work tomorrow. I logged in this morning and had 500 emails. Most of them are now gone, so I don't have to deal with them tomorrow.

As promised, here is my chip recipe, It is pretty easy and is stolen from River Cottage.

Get your potatoes, peel them and cut them into your chips. I prefer them to be chunky like wedges. Then chuck them in some water and boil them until you can stab them with a fork. Drain them and then toss them about in a bowl to rough them up and make them crunchy.

While they are boiling, grab a roasting pan and stick some oil in the bottom, about 2mm over whole bottom. Stick that in an oven at about 200 degrees to pre-heat the oil. This is really important. Put the chip in after they are roughed up. Chuck some rock salt, black peppercorns and italian herbs in a mortar and pestle. Crush them up and sprinkle about half over the chips. Put the other half to one side.

Stick the chips in the oven for about 40 mins (or until crispy), turning once. When they are done, take them out and dish them up, then sprinkle the rest of your salt mix over it. Done.


So it turns out that we have o carer for the Daughter until the middle of next week. WTF are we going to do now?

Well See ya later, alligator

Day Thirty-Nine

More cleaning today. Then we had Rob over for a roast. For the first time ever Kathryn was not able to criticise anything that I cooked. I did some really yummy beetroot and some chips. Here is what went down.

Beetroot
Get whole fresh beetroot. Cut the stems off, leaving about 2-3cm of stem on it and leave the tail on. Wash them really well under cold water, DO NOT peel them. Place them together on enough foil to make a loose package (I used two bits of foil, one under the beetroot and one for the cover).

Crush and coarsely cut two cloves of garlic and chuck them in with the beetroot. Put some pepper and salt on them and then drizzle Ricebran oil over the top. Cover them with the foil to enclose the package, but make ure it is not to tight. Whack it in the oven at about 180 degrees for about an hour. They are cooked when you can put a knife through them easier than cutting  block of cheddar.

Top and tail them, chop them up (I chopped them into largish pieces) and put the on the plate, then drizzle some balsamic vinegar over the top of them.

YUM.

I will post up my chip recipe tomorrow.

Day Thirty-Eight

Started cleaning up today. Putting away all the presents from Christmas. Went and did the shopping since we had no food at all. Wrote up our meal plan, there are some interesting new things on there.

Met with one of the Archery club member. We are going to try and hold an event in Canberra and it looks like we may get some sponsorship from Canberra Casino. Hopefully that plays out because we need all the help we can get this year.

Day Thirty-Seven

Dropped Toby off today. Then we drove back home. So nice to be back in our own house again. I get to sleep in my own bed and sit on my own lounge.

I will probably keep writing these on my tablet at this stage until I get a chance to get my laptop out. Then I will start writing proper entries again.

Day Thirty-Six

Didn't do much today, just relaxed at the out-laws. Dropping Toby off tomorrow then he is gone for a week and a half.

Day Thirty-Five

Went into Cowra today. We went to the train museum and had seen it all in 30 mins.

The rest of Cowra took about 20 mins to see. There is bugger all to do here. I think if we come back it will be with someone else in the same campsite so that there is someone to talk to.

Decided on the way home to pack up early and go back to Sydney. We were going to pack up tonight and leave tomorrow, but I might just pack it all tonight and drive back so I have a day to relax tomorrow.

Day Thirty-Four

Just sat around and relaxed today. Took Caitlin for a swim. She is not keen on the muddy water. I think we will need to get her into swimming lessons this year.

Going into Cowra tomorrow to the train museum. That should be fun. I love trains.

Day Thirty-Three

Went to visit Mum today, got to her campsite and they were not there. We left a nite, went to Cowra for petrol and lunch then went for a drive. Got back here and there is a note at our campsite and they had come to visit us. We missed each other as we went different roads to get to each other.
Toby has gone to stay with them for a few days as he was getting bored here.
Saw about a million rabbits, four goannas, a blue tongue and a red-bellied black snake.