Sunday, July 31, 2005

Something ado about a Sunday night when delaying bedtime



Can't get over this album... How much they have changed, how great they sound, how beautiful the songs are. It's become a constant in the last week.


Been bludging too long and they want me to do Mutual Obligation, looks like it'll be Work for the Dole, which I did back in '98 or '99 in Bendigo. The thing is I don't want to settle on a job, I've tried and I can't stand mundane phone work anymore. I'm looking into going back to uni next year but can't decide what to do...

At the Centrelink interview I was offered my choices and I see one called 'Vibrant Art' which was listed as:

*Drawing and painting
*Photography
*Displaying produced art work for exhibition
*Visit to different Art Galleries in Victoria
*Donating art works to community



Instantly I say "I'll do that one!" Almost coming on the guy at the same time. What better for me to do than what I already do. He makes a phone call, he makes pathetic little whimpers into the phone and hangs up:

"It's full for months."

"!?!?!?!!!?" Why fucking offer something that's full for months dickhead? Fucksake!

The other two that I may choose, if they're available is a PC Salvage operation or a video documentary on Footscray RSL which lists Adobe Premier as some of the software used. I don't know which way to go.

I really need a job but I just aren't willing to settle again, maybe this will spur me to action anyway.

Friday, July 29, 2005

And Wild, Wild Women...

Been travelling for work again but I am back now.

Wednesday night was a change from the ordinary as I had organised a group of work friends to attend a whiskey appreciation event in the city. Now I do not like whiskey particularly, but it was free and if 3 people turned up from the 8 who had confirmed I would score a nice set of 3 miniatures.

Well I jumped in a hire car straight from the airport and turned up there dragging a suitcase and laptop and looking every bit the international travellor of style (having swapped my suit skirt for jeans in a cramped airport toilet). The pre drinks area quickly filled up with city office types and others drinking the free whiskey/scotch/bourbon half nips and hooking into some delicious cheese (LOVED the cheese and should have chased up what the smoked cheddar was).

I sat on some stairs chatting to the only 2 people who had confirmed who actually turned up (piking twats the rest of them!). It was all rather naice (spelled as pronounced).

Filing into the lecture room, we sat at long tables with 6 covered glasses at each place, and a large glass of water. These too were half nips so no one was going to get completely smashed unless they drank someone elses or two.

The presentation was entertaining and informative and I would highly recommend anyone interested in having a fun couple of hours book themselves and friends in. I now know more about these types of alcohol than I ever thought I would.

The climax to the night was tasting the Wild Turkey Rare Breed barrel proof jet fuel. This managed to burn all the way down as well as fill my nasal cavities with an alcohol smell that was still there 24 hours later. Very potent stuff.

My verdict- whiskey, scotch and bourbon still tastes like shit but I tried!


Thursday, July 28, 2005

Quick one

Walked into the cop shop today with my housemate so he could get a lost property sheet for his mobile phone that got stolen/lost a while back and while we were waiting I was looking at the wanted signs on the wall - Which are always of interest to me, seeing how many family members I can spot =)

Anyway, the first one I look at has

WANTED FOR RAPE AND MURDER
Three men of ethnic descent


So I point to it and say to my housemate

"Fucking wogs get all the good jobs"

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Copy/Paste Part One.

From Thursday, July 21, 2005.


So, it's my first week back to school. I woke up this morning, it being my 2nd day back. I get dressed, go out to the car, start it and the motherfucker wont move. I'm thinking to myself, 'No, No, NO. I'm not catching the fucking the shool bus. Those bumpy bus rides always make me crack a fat.'

I hop out of the car and check out the front tyres. 'WHAT THE FUCK!!!!@^#@%@' the front right tyre had been punctured! I suppose living in Sydney, the capital of Lebanon, this kind of thing is prone to happen. You always get those little lebs trying to break in or put their 18 month old baby brother's shit in your mailbox. You kind of get used to it, but i had a fucking assessment to do in engineering... and there was only one thing left to do. Catch the Bus.

So im running for the bus, i get on and sit down. They are trialling these new things in Sydney where you just swipe your little card and it deducts money from it. It's a fucking cool thing because i don't have to carry change around like a hobo anymore. Anyways, the bus ride wasn't too bad. I mean i had a boner half the way but that wasn't because of the bus ride... i had a babe from my year sitting next to me. And Oh My Fucking God. I'd tap that shit if it was starting to rot. Well... not really.

Finally i get to school, and soon enough i find out theres no assessment. We are doing some Year 11 Crossroads thing where we get to learn about sex-ed, trust, relaxation, study skills and all that poofters shit.

First session is relaxation. How fucking gay was it do you ask? Yeah, it was so gay i fell asleep. And all the class saw me snoring too. So what's wrong with having a siesta during a relaxation session? Nothing, i say.

Next came Sex Ed. I was sure i'd seen it all. I've seen Goatse, Tubgirl, and all those other sick shit shock sites. But nothing. I repeat, NOTHING could have prepared me for what i saw.
First picture the teacher hands around the class is of a syphilis infected muffburger. I wont go into detail, but has anyone seen a bulldog that's just eaten mayonaise?

Anyhoo, after a shit fucking session seeing mongled vaginas and penis' for an hour, i saw one of the funniest things evar. My mate walks out of the class, as white as a ghost and faints head first to the floor. Haha, and to think im his friend. I stood there and laughed so hard while my other mate put him in the recovery positon. Rofl damn that was a great end to the session.

I think that's about it. Got a lift back home with the bloke that fainted, changed over the tyre on my car with a spare i got my mum to bring home and all was good.

So theres my first post. I'll try blog at least once a month but being me, i'll blog about 3 times then forget to do it for a year and blog again.

btw- i need to finish fixing this chair because this is bullshit.

Cheers

Monday, July 25, 2005

Pre-Birthday Blues

So today im doing my usual thing.

I go off to Engineering and start my practical work. We have this new guy in our class and i thought i'd let him weld before me. What i didn't know is that he had no fucking idea what to do. About 15 minutes into the lesson i go to check up on him, and you know what the stupid nigger had done? He was sitting on the chair crying his fucking eyes out with the welder sitting on the table in a way that the button was being pressed.

Now i'm not too sure why he was crying. It might have been the rapid escape of gas out the end of the mig welder, or maybe the fact that there was a massive fucking coil of wire flowing out the end of it. Now if you don't allready know, ill enlighten you.
Mig welders, unlke arc welders have a continuous flow of wire that comes out the welding peice. This is what melts and in turn creates the weld. Well this shit had been coming out for probably the last 10 or so minutes.

I went up to the side of the class and grabbed a set of pliers. I ran over to the wire and snipped the cunt off. Now i wasn't gonna let the teacher know what happned, so i had the task of getting all the wire and throwing it out somehow.

I told the faggot to shut up and scrunch all the wire in a ball, then i grabbed it and threw it out the window. About 635ms after, (that's what CS does to you) i heard this *BANG*. I ran over to the window and the ball of wire had hit some shitty 1980 celica. Not that bad.

Rest of school was gay. We had an assembly at lunch because some fuckwit drilled a hole through a water pipe, so they had to cut the water off to the school. This meant no pissing, and especially No Shitting.
After about 30 mins they fixed the water prob and a surge of year 7's ran to the toilets. It was like a massive gathering of lebos receiving a call that their best friend was in a fight.

Anyhoo, i get home and sit down infront of the TV. Fucking great, i think to myself. It's my birthday in 5 days. ZOMG CABLE W00000000!@#%#^@#
Also, i placed a few bids on a set of speakers. Fucking nice ones too. Thing is the price has just risen to over 300 bucks. and $300 was my limit. ARGH.

Bah fuckit. if i look around i can probably get the speakers i want for 500 bucks. Better than a set of 2nd hand ones for about $350 me thinks.

So thats it. 5 days wooo. Can't fucking wait.

Cheers.

Sunday, July 24, 2005

I'm in a posting mood tonight

Wow at the link field - that's neat! So I thought I better make a post about a link...

The other night I was trawling GBS and found the latest Ghost Story Thread so bookmarked it and came back a few hours later on when I was settling in for the night (~2AM).

Oh, and for anyone who's interested my unemployed ass is doing night shift now, that's right unemployed people can do that because they don't have to get up for work in the morning, so I'm generally up from around lunch till maybe seven AM - I've always worked better at nights, but what work!? Well I just function and enjoy nights better then.

Anyway, I am through a couple of pages and not particularly impressed, the previous years thread had some amazing writing in there. A few more pages and I was warming up, had some nice music down low, lights off and the monitor tilted down so I could read from bed.

Another couple of pages and I'm loving it, there's plenty of humor, a few scares and some great writing in general. Then I hear it, sounds like someone trying to come in the back door, which is a giant sliding glass contraption which has been broken since we moved in. Because of it's broken state it is both heavy and loud to move.

I listen, I choose to ignore - I was much more comfortable being naked in my warm bed reading ghost stories (Oh, and I'll forgive you if you block that mental image). Anyway, I have had a cricket bat behind my door since we moved in - after hearing how bad the area was and a replica pistol in my drawers. I feel protected in there.

No more noise comes and I'm reading, I hear softer noises now, at the side of the house - MY side of the house where there is a secluded little gravel pathway but it's not a gravel walking sound I hear, it sounds like someone talking really low - like the classic movie cliche of a black slave's bassy voice but not booming, just nice and quiet.

I listen and it fades in and out, I re-assuringly light a cigarette and try to keep reading but my mind's wandering - I know it's not my neighbor - he's like the Urkel of white guys and a voice to match.

Fuck it! To the batmobile!

I pull on my white terry-towel robe (liberated from Jamiesons in Sydney) and grab the mini-maglite off the desk and the cricket bat and make it all the way to the hall...


Then I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and back up. I throw on a pair of pants and a shirt that were crumpled on the floor and despite the cold, go to it. Moving nice and quietly into the backroom I'm still listening, stalking, eye's jumping around the room and outside.

I see nothing, I hear nothing and I'm convinced it was just the ghost stories and my tarded up imagination. I unlock the backdoor anyway. I try and open it quietly. I fail miserably. It clunks and makes a small screech and I leg it around the corner of the house to peer into the darkness.

Nothing moves, nowhere to hide down there either, I was tripping. I get back to the corner when I hear it again

*murmermurmermurmer*


I spin around, I stand on the bottom railing of the fence and there's my neighbor talking to a large black man in whispered tones. I sigh and try to listen in but can't hear a thing. I walk back inside dejected for not having seen a ghost.

I dump the bat and torch and decide to grab some water.

*BOOOM*

Housemate 2's door flies open and he barrels into me.

*ARGH! I jump and back up instantly*
simultaneously
*Whoa! And he starts laughing*

I panting and he's laughing... It's not fair.


I've always been a jumpy person though, and I've always been around people who liked to make me jump. Friends and family. Oh well, I don't mind so much - I just wish I could get some payback...

Saturday, July 23, 2005

What's It Gunna Be Boy ? Yes Or No?

A fellow atomican has requested that this blog link to his blog. Why he didn't just request to become a regular poster here is beyond me, but there is no accounting for ego on the internet.

So I invite everyone that stumbles on this page whether you are new or one of our regulars to post in the comments section your answer to the following question

Should a permanent link from this blog to this blog be included in our link list?

Vote away!

Friday, July 22, 2005

Tired And Emotional

Tired and emotional is an oft' used euphemism for being pissed. I am not pissed. I am tired though. And when singing "Brick" along with the car radio this afternoon, emotional.
I don't know where this week has gone. Struggled to keep my head above water the whole time and I don't think I accomplished much either.

Highlights of the week
  • Spotted a job on the work job list I like the look of and applied. Experience in the advertised area - zero!
  • Told boss I had applied for a job and he tells me he is sending me to Melbourne next week and that he is working hard to create a new position for me within the department
  • Went to a women's breakfast meeting and listened to a talk about raising profile in corporate environments
  • Decided to be a life coach
  • Decided not to be a life coach
  • Decided to leave that decision till later
  • Had Indian takeaway Thursday
  • Had a house inspection Friday (yay for the joys of rental accommodation)

Thursday, July 21, 2005

Just dropping by...

Been busy

Jeremy got a decent job
We're moving house


Talk later. lol

Sunday, July 17, 2005

Kids and donuts.. WTF is the world comming too?

I was out at Miranda Westfield today with a mate of mine looking for the original Gorillaz album, since a search of Bankstown and Paramatta shopping centers revealed nothing (except for some japanese Gorillaz album that I bought, only to realise it was not what I wanted).

I headed to Miranda coz its not often I go there, the high concentration of Australian people who go there make most of my asian friends un-easy, and its also a bit of a drive.. but today I was bored, and I know Miranda is a biiiig shopping center, so it was decided.

We head inside and within seconds of entering the building, find a Sanity store that has the requested article in stock, I also notice that a Krispey Kreme has now setup shop inside the Westfield and is right next to the Sanity music store that we had entered.

After purchasing said CD, we headed to KK for a box of 12 original glazed donuts.... although it violates my 'Bad Carb' diet (being refined sugars), its been fucking ages since I ate these things, so fuck it, I split the box with my mate.

We are sitting, minding out business eating these fucking things (which are awesome to eat BTW) and as the last donut is sitting in the box, a group of about 3 girls aged mabey 12 - 15 come up to us at the table and launch into a series of questions about the donuts.

"how much do the donuts cost?" they ask
"$13 for 12" my good willed friend answers
"Oh, ok. So you have eaten 12 of them have you?" they continue
"Nah, theres still one left" and after a pause "Would you like..."

Before he could finish lifting the box off the table, one of their little hands shot out and grabbed the donut, knocking my mates coke over (spilling it on him) and the girl who grabbed the donut ran off.. the other two hesitated for a minute before they ran off as well, leaving us sitting there stunned.

Now I ask you, what the fuck is the world comming too when kids of this age will take food from a fucking stranger like that... and I am not the friendliest looking person you would meet in a shopping center either.

If I was to chase after them and try anything then I would probably be up on assault charges... but if the drinks were open cup like maccas coke, etc.. I would have fucking thrown it at them.

Anyway, thats society for you.. $2 donut is worth risking their life for.

Saturday, July 16, 2005

Going To 'Nam

My bestest girl friend and I have talked casually in the last couple of months about taking a trip, just the two of us, to Vietnam. Both of us started in the department we work for about the same time, became close friends over the last 5 years. Work has finally got the best of us and we are both jaded, frustrated and need to move on to fresh pastures. In lieu of chucking in our jobs altogether and living on the dole, we decided last week that our idle banter about Vietnam would be made a reality.

So we decided to go in October. I am really excited about this trip. I want to see the foreign and exotic sights. The temples, the cheap clothes and books, the smiling children. The trip we are thinking of signing up for is an intrepid tour that is basically backpacking but with your rooms and trains pre booked for you (so no paying for tour guides kick backs etc).

Here is the description of the trip from the Intrepid page

14 days Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)
Hanoi, Halong Bay cruise, Hue, fishing town of Hoi An, Nha Trang beaches, Ho Chi Minh City

All of your accommodation and transport is taken care of, so if exploring Vietnam without the stress of backpacking sounds appealing - then this is the trip of your dreams! This trip is designed with independent travellers in mind; you know how long you have and how much it will cost, but how you choose to spend your days is up to you. We allow you the freedom to disappear with guidebook in hand and discover Vietnam independently without being herded like cattle. Trains are a fantastic way to get around Vietnam, so this trip makes the most of the time with overnight trips and day trains through lush, green countryside.

I do feel a bit guilty for a couple of reasons. One is the money. It will be about $2k worth of holiday. Which happens to be about the same amount as my tax return. Which would also have added to the house deposit savings nicely. Add that to the fact I already had a holiday in NZ earlier this year and it seems a bit excessive. But I am going to do things while I can...and I can now.

The other guilty feeling is that I have promised to take the kids overseas on holiday one day too. Next year would be a good time actually with my eldest in between exam years and my youngest old enough to appreciate things. That holiday will be even more expensive as I want to take them to England and Europe.

Anyway I'll post more on the trip as it comes to hand.

Thursday, July 14, 2005

I Think There's a Devil Spawning Inside Me

I estimate I'm 4 -5 weeks gone and I could be no more than 6 so the following picture, taken an hour ago is sooo wrong. I'm praying it's not multiple babies. Only 2 weeks ago I was 58.2kg...just 1kg more than my lowest and my stomach was washboard straight. I admit I've put a little bit of weight on all over as I've overdone the carbs lately but geez, this is ridiculous. It's actually very uncomfortable already.




Jeremy reckons there's something evil growing in there!

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Sending Genetic Material Through Customs


Today I had to send a couple of swabs containing samples of my DNA to the USA. It hadn't crossed my mind that I would need to supply a customs declaration. On the spot I had to decide whether my cheek swabs were an animal food product? A commercial sample? God forbid, a GIFT? With a postal worker tapping impatiently on the counter my brain froze in fear, what if they open it to check what it is....What if they determined it should be something other that what I had said, what if they came after me with a 357 magnum and a clock tower. I ran through every possible permutation and then just ticked a box.

I declared it as a document (even though I clearly marked the label DNA SAMPLE ) I am typing this from an undisclosed location from an encrypted connection *shivers in the corner*

So, you ask me, what are you doing sending parts of yourself in the mail? Well I have been waiting for several months for my back-ordered kit from National Geographic. NG in conjunction with my employer are doing some funky research into the origin of the species and I though it would be cool to check where we had come from.



You didn't see me do this!

Saturday, July 09, 2005

It's My Disease And I'll Cry If I Want To........ (And A Lot Of Times When I Don't)

As my 4th decade approaches I feel the need to speak about things that have bothered me in the past. Bothered me so much that I kept my thoughts inside while debating whether I should be telling someone (a professional someone) just to get the thoughts straight and out of my head somewhat. We I didn't and I haven't sooooooo.... time for a little blog ramble about things that disturb me about having MS.

1. I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Dave. Dave, my mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I'm a... fraid. HAL (Douglas Rain) 2001: A Space Odyssey Ahh it sounds so easy when you read the literature...brushing casually over the words "cognitive deficits" like anyone can live without a few cognitive processes. OK so I am getting older, and not being able to articulate names of things (or people) is something you would expect of someone in their eighties but here I am still in my thirties talking like Homer Simpson "Marge, where's that... metal dealie... you use to... dig... food? ...". Unfortunately when you look basically normal, the fact that you can't remember the word for something can create the assumption that the cause is one of the following drugs, booze, drugs and booze, you are a moron.
I know I have lost quite a few IQ points in the last few years too. Probably about 20. Maybe more. Luckily I was a bright spark to start with. I remember reading after being diagnosed (oh deary me the internet has some horror stories from some people with MS) about this guy who was in the US army (or was a marine or some other ra-ra military job) who was diagnosed because his reports had deteriorated to the level of an 8 year old attempting to describe events. He then went on to talk about how MRIs had shown he had a hole right through his brain about the width of a pencil.
My ability to write beautiful prose has been damaged too and it is much harder than it was a few years ago to write a nicely rounded sentence, to sit back and admire the creation. Now it is a hard slog to get the words there in a decent structure, first go (as you can probably tell from the blog and my lack of self editing :)

2. I never thought I'd be so tired at 22. - Jules (Demi Moore) St Elmo's Fire When I was a teenager my father took to calling me lazy. Not only was I going to school, I was working a casual job and I was training 5-6 nights a week for Athletics or long distance running. Because I would prefer to rest rather than clean ovens or hand weed gardens he would scream at me and point out my other siblings were doing their bit yadda yadda yadda. I would look at them and wonder why they didn't feel so tired they could hardly speak. Fast forward a decade and the same thing was happening when it came to working and house cleaning, another decade and add 2 kids to the mix. I always thought I was lazy, there could be no other explanation, other people didn't get tired, other people could walk around in the city for hours and then come home and cook and clean, other people didn't need a nap at 3pm on summer afternoons.
The fatigue factor has always stuffed me around, I have felt guilty that my kids have seen me almost zombie like because I was so tired I couldn't focus on what they were saying. I know now that fatigue is the most wide spread symptom of MS. But I bet it is one of the least understood by non-MS people. Again, I look normal until I can't stand up any more. I've got my reputation as superwoman to uphold but dammit won't some fucker give me a hand with the housework*?

3. I was going to write about how I cry too easily now (see title then reference emotional lability) but couldn't be arsed after seeing this table that I have neatly stolen to put in what I have and have not experienced. There are more symptoms than are listed below too...like the fact at 24 my cat scan showed my brain had shrunk to the size of a 60 year old's.

Description
Optic Neuritis
Blurred vision, eye pain, loss of colour vision, blindness NO
Diplopia
Double Vision NO
Nystagmus
Jerky Eye Movements YES
Ocular Dysmetria
Constant under- or overshooting eye movements YES
Internuclear Ophthalmoplegia
Lack of coordination between the two eyes, nystagmus, diplopia YES
Movement and sound phosphenes
Flashing lights when moving eyes or in response to a sudden noise MAYBE
Afferent Pupillary Defect
Abnormal pupil responses NO

Motor Symptoms

Description
Paresis, Monoparesis, Paraparesis, Hemiparesis, Quadraparesis
Muscle weakness - partial or mild paralysis YES
Plegia, Paraplegia, Hemiplegia, Tetraplegia, Quadraplegia
Paralysis - Total or near total loss of muscle strength YES
Spasticity
Loss of muscle tone causing stiffness, pain and restricting free movement of affected limbs YES
Dysarthria
Slurred speech and related speech problems YES
Muscle Atrophy - Wasting of muscles due to lack of use NO
Spasms, Cramps - Involuntary contraction of muscles YES
Hypotonia, Clonus Problems with posture NO
Myoclonus, Myokymia - Jerking and twitching muscles, Tics YES
Restless Leg Syndrome Involuntary Leg Movements, especially bothersome at night NO
Footdrop foot drags along floor during walking YES
Dysfunctional Reflexes MSRs, Babinski's, Hoffman's, Chaddock's YES

Sensory Symptoms

Description
Paraesthesia Partial numbness, tingling, buzzing and vibration sensations YES
Anaesthesia Complete numbness/loss of sensation YES
Neuralgia, Neuropathic and Neurogenic pain Pain without apparent cause, burning, itching and electrical shock sensations YES
L'Hermitte's Electric shocks and buzzing sensations when moving head YES
Proprioceptive Dysfunction Loss of awareness of location of body parts NO
Trigeminal Neuralgia Facial pain NO

Coordination and Balance Symptoms

Description
Ataxia Loss of coordination YES
Intention tremor Shaking when performing fine movements YES
Dysmetria Constant under- or overshooting limb movements YES
Vestibular Ataxia Abnormal balance function in the inner ear Hmmm NO
Vertigo Nausea/vomitting/sensitivity to travel sickness from vestibular ataxia NO
Speech Ataxia Problems coordinating speech, stuttering YES
Dystonia Slow limb position feedback err I don't know
Dysdiadochokinesia Loss of ability to produce rapidly alternating movements, for example to move to a rhythm NO

Bowel, Bladder and Sexual Symptoms

Description
Frequent Micturation, Bladder Spasticity Urinary urgency and incontinence YES
Flaccid Bladder, Detrusor-Sphincter Dyssynergia Urinary hesitancy and retention YES
Erectile Dysfunction Male and female impotence PROBABLY
Anorgasmy Inability to achieve orgasm YES
Retrograde ejaculation Ejaculating into the bladder NO THANKS
Frigidity Inability to become sexually aroused YES
Constipation Infrequent or irregular bowel movements YES
Fecal Urgency Bowel urgency YES
Fecal Incontinence Bowel incontinence YES

Cognitive Symptoms
Symptom

Depression YES
Cognitive dysfunction Short-term and long-term memory problems, forgetfulness, slow word recall YES
Dementia NO
Mood swings, emotional lability, euphoria YES
Bipolar syndrome AHAHH I Dont KNOW
Anxiety YES
Aphasia, Dysphasia Impairments to speech comprehension and production YES

Other Symptoms
Symptom
Description
Fatigue YES
Uhthoff's Symptom Increase in severity of symptoms with heat YES
Gastroesophageal Reflux Acid reflux YES
Impaired sense of taste and smell YES
Epileptic seizures NO
Swallowing problems YES
Respiratory problems NO
Sleeping Disorders NO
Inappropriately cold body parts YES




* both my children and my partner do help with housework...the surface stuff anyway. I need a CLEANER

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Lying Straight At Night - Yes I Am Now

I worked for a local ISP for about 6 weeks several months ago. I was sacked prior to my trial period ending on the pretense that the job really needed a full-timer and not two part-timers, which they had changed it to in order to hire me. Possibly so...the job was hard when the front end didn't know what was going on in the back end, but I also believe that my opposition to their prices had something to do with it (and the unlimited plans hadn't even been introduced yet). Of course, this was never raised as a reason though.

I shall say no more and let the links do the talking. The first link is said company (yes it is totally legit) and the ensuing links are opposing companies price lists for dial-up plans. I have taken out the direct URL linking by requiring you to remove the space between http:// and www. Thus, they must be copied and pasted into a browser and not be seen as linked to this page...for both legal and privacy reasons.

http:// www.acenet.com.au/docs/dialup.php



http:// www.tpg.com.au/products_services/dialup_pricing.php
http:// www.dodo.com.au/plans_dialup.html
http:// www.internode.on.net/dialup/index.htm


I could never figure how anyone signed up for them when there are all these advertisements for cheap plans on TV...but they do! Particularly older customers that feel they need a local walk in store to feel comfortable. The problem is that the company only operates Mon - Fri from 9am - 5pm. There is no outside of hours support whatsoever.

Ummm...I Think It's Environmental

Well my friends the possums have wrapped themselves up in their fur coats and buggered off to where ever possums hang out in winter. Possibly Paris. So nothing should be disturbing my precious sleep. My precious, so pretty, mmmm pillow.

But NO! Last night it was the clicking of dog toenails on the tastefully glued down fake floor board tiles in the kitchen. Their toenails are long, and they jump around a lot clicking and ticking when waiting for their food to be prepared. Follow that up with _HaunT_ coming into the bedroom after feeding the dogs and kneeing with a CLANG the oil heater that has stood at the end of the bed for the last two months.

Which means here we are some 10 minutes till the start of the holy of holies in Australian rugby league and I am yawning and thinking about dropping into bed under the doona and falling to sleep.....mmmmm...zz...zzzzz...zzz.

Sexiest man ever to play league


mmm tasty

Sunday, July 03, 2005

Garlos Pies

Finally got to try these pies last night at about 11pm.. On the way home from Vanna and Sil's birthday meet I stopped by the local Garlos pies with a couple of mates to have myself some pie.

Let me tell you, the wait was worth it. These pies were the nicest pies I have ever eaten.

The prices are like $3 - $5 per pie which is quite reasonable for a pie of this magnitude.

My favourite pie is the beef, garlic and cheese one. A crispy, flaky top, a thin crunchy base and a delicous real meat filling... fucking tip top work there.

I recommend if you see a Garlos pie shop anywhere, give them a try.

Absolutley stunning work there :)

Darrkon

Saturday, July 02, 2005

Running With Scissors

My 10yo daughter has decided that when she grows up she wants to own a scissor shop. It will have nail scissors, hair scissors, sewing scissors, pinking shears, designer scissors, left-handed scissors, a bvig display window of scissors...and designer hole punchers.

Hmmmm...at least I know she's mine.
Your Daddy Is Arnold Schwarzenegger


What You Call Him: Papi
Why You Love Him: He's your sugar daddy

Kink Curious

For a long time (years?) I have patrolled the backroads of the blog world, and the internet, reading about the thoughts and deeds of those that partake in interesting sexual activity. I really don't know why I do this. I like reading about this sub culture, looking at the pictures they post, figuring out from the half said things what is really going on there. The thought of participating in some of the activities does not excite me at all though. I did say some, not none *wink*. I wonder if my kink is a form of digital voyeurism.

I can relate to some bloggers' tastes (say Charges' love of porn, not not of her love of rough anal sex porn) but what turns others on is a total mystery. I can, to a point, understand that there are things that people find sexually exciting. I can understand that some of those things may not even be, in my eyes, construed as sexually related at all. But when it comes to the end of my "normal" yardstick and the activities extend beyond it it, then I am left in a limbo land that despite trying to be as open minded as possible, I cannot follow.

When I was about 14 I wrote a piece of erotic fiction. I can still remember my fear that my parents would find it as I added to the story each night and then hid it under my mattress. It was many pages long and handwritten (no PCs back then apart from my new TRS-80 with no storage). I don't remember very much about it apart from the fact it involved Nazis, bondage and sex. The story excited me, and possibly the thought of being caught being "naughty" might have excited me too.

At 14 I had NO idea about sex from a pornography perspective (had the obligatory Where Did I Come From book at 13 though), apart from what I had read in my furtive reading of Blue Movie that was on the top shelf of my parent's bookcase. But that was enough to get the hormone crazed neurons firing enough to put pen to paper. My memory banks have supplied the the image of me tearing it up into little pieces one day, but I wonder if I really did.

I still enjoy reading erotic fiction, some is more exciting to me than even pictorial porn. Yay for imagination! It has crossed my mind, more than once or twice, to write some myself. But that would maybe say something about what is hidden inside me that I don't want others to know, think, believe. And that is weird because I usually don't care what people think of me at all.

So I in my suburban life find a few thrills outside the norm by regularly reading blogs like this and this or this , all fairly tame in the spectrum of kink out there, and dreaming about being more sexually interesting.

Friday, July 01, 2005

Take me out to the pie shop

Theres a pie shop called Garlos.. theres a couple around Sydney, but I know the one in Botany is open 24/7... I want to try these pies.

I have heard they are pretty leet and now is the time to find out. But no one is game to take a drive with me to sample this shops warez.

What a bunch of pansy friends I have.

Anyway, If I do con someone into comming along for a piece of pie tonight, then I will certainly write about the experience here.. you can count on it.

Anyways, heres hoping someone else is interested in pie before the night is out.

Darrkon