It's started...

Free speech is over… Sedition Laws and the power of the internet have collided… Read this article from today’s SMH and be prepared to be astounded.  Prime example of how Howard is killing off this country and converting it to a police state.

I’d love to be the first case of someone saying I am inciting Terrorism…

Howard, you’re a tool.  You have put this country into the deepest of shit and it will take us years to get the world to a place of peace and harmony.  I blame you personally for throwing your pissant 450 troops and a bucketload of vile rhetoric about how important it is to stay in Iraq and exert our ideals over the people of the Middle East all for the sake of fucking Oil.  Instead, I know I am not alone in thinking that Bush and Blair AND Howard should face War Crime Charges.

Just because we have the biggest armies, doesn’t mean we have the right to exert our views on the countries of others.

Saddam was a horrible dictator, but he is undergoing trial and will be punished… why are we still there??

Please direct all sedition law breach subpoenas to the email link on your right.

When Office Drinks Go Bad...

Nursing a hangover and lethargy this morning after not getting in until 1:30am this morning… Let’s just say that an external work function got out of hand and when our hosts determined that we should get into the Xmas Spirit and that “spirit” included Mr Johnnie Walker and Mr Smirnoff it all went down hill from there…

The 12:18 train from Central is an interesting one given that it was just me at one end of the carriage and a girl at the other (front) end.  A guy, clearly pissed, gets on the train at Parramatta and roughly demands to know if the girl is “getting off at Penrith”.  She nods and he says very rudely “Good, Wake me when we get there.” He then promptly slumps across the aisle from her and goes to sleep.

The girl gets off the train at Blacktown (i.e before Penrith) and he sleeps on.

He was still sleeping when I got off the train at Glenbrook (past Penrith) and I can’t stop thinking about him waking up at Lithgow or somewhere at 3am… lol.  Sucker.

Today shall be a very quiet day spent at my desk… given that half my team were at the function with me last night, I am sure that my “quiet day” will be enthusiastically supported…. Gotta love Xmas wind down… :-)

I didn't win, but...

I did get a lot of good ideas from the Top 11 (wtf??) finalists of the SmartyBlogs Blog Of The Year Competition.  I will be honest and will say that I will look at certain aspects of some of these blogs and pretty much rip off some ideas, but I guess that’s what its all about isn’t it – sharing of ideas and tools/techniques…

For the record though, I am bemused by the winner… weird site, weird topic… and perhaps not the best “aesthetically pleasing” site amongst those Top 11. But who am I to judge! LOL!

Things to do and do and do!

I’m sorry, but I am consistently thinking about my holidays to be worried about anything else at the moment… This weekend being my birthday weekend then a short fortnight at work before Xmas holidays means that I have not really given a rats arse about anything else.  Morris Iemma struggling to justify the PPP system (that’s Public-Private Partnerships to you lay folk) and the debacle that is the Cross City Tunnel hasn’t registered in my brain as something worth comment.  The funeral of Van Ngyuen… didn’t read much about it.  The trial of Saddam Hussein and his berating of the judge and the fact that the head of his defence team is actually an American (how ironic is that!) hasn’t caused me to vent on this blog either.

Instead its looking forward to my own time off and it basically starts this weekend!!  Birthday celebrations wont be excessive but will be extremely enjoyable!  Quiet night at home Friday, relaxing day looking after Brooke on Saturday whilst Kate and Niki slog it out at the dance rehearsals (Brooke will be finished by 10am).  Saturday night dinner with mum & dad in the city (Milsons at Milsons Point apparently – no little about it, nor do I care.  Its just a night out to relax!). Sunday at the Adventure Palace with my good friend Tommy Dean where I will give the HyperPitch a whirl… Sunday night with Niki’s family around the pool – may even take the swimmers myself for an evening dip.  Its all good!

Then not a lot (but enough) to do at work to wrap up the year which does include my end of year Performance Review.  Bonuses etc hinge on this, but at the half year I was looking very good and I certainly haven’t gone backwards, so that will be more a hassle than a worry.  Work Xmas functions a plenty with the major party being a 1920’s theme… I am on the lookout for a Fedora hat, some braces for my shirt and a matching bow tie… preferably white.  If you can help, let me know.

Then that’s it!  Holiday time!!  3 weeks of doing what we feel like!

Some of the geeky things though that I want to do in the break are:

·          Paint the remaining Dwarves for CanCon in January.

·          Switch ISP to iinet and get Broadband2 and a much larger plan than my current poxy Bigpond one.

·          Get D&D back up and running… my regular group hasn’t met for 6mths and I think I may want to start up a D&D group.  I have people like Tommy and FLo who played in my most recent group… plus some of the guys who have played with me for years from school days may want to play… plus anyone else who is keen.  So I will be looking for 4-5 players who want to meet once a month… let me know if you’re interested.

On top of that, I will be busy around the house… odd jobs that just need doing.  Plus of course “Day Trips” with the kids to the beach, the mountains, the city etc etc.  Don’t want to get caught in the tourist type things, but rather just hanging out and perhaps exploring Sydney a bit more.  Perhaps even a day fishing on a BBQ boat on the Hawkesbury!

 

eTags... and how will i get to work?

Had a quick chat to my mate Glenn this morning who was at the time signing up for the new M7 eTag thingy and decided on the spur of the moment (as I am prone to do) to do the same…

So I am now waiting on some big box thing to stick on my windscreen! W00t!! Feels like Xmas!!  I am now part of Big Brother’s grand plan.  I got my e-Tag via ROAM which gives me $50 credit for the new M7 and access to all the other freeways (which aren’t free anymore).

Now comes the challenge of how do I get to work in the City and back again to the Mountains… do I go down the M4 and through the rabbit warren of Concord / Leichhardt to the City West Link through to the Glebe Island (and perhaps the Cross City Tunnel), or do I go via the M4 – M7 – M2 route and in over the Harbour Bridge OR do I go M4 – M7 – M5 – Eastern Distributor route and come into my work nearly directly on the east side of the City?

Should be interesting (and of course expensive!!).

 

Four Cars Too Few

Well, the day starts well… The normal 8 car train has decided to go on a diet and shed half its length.  4 cars.  What does State Rail think when they slot a 4 car train on the tracks?  Do they call this a service?

Well we haven’t got there yet, but I reckon there will be pandemonium at Emu Plains when this train is supposed to pick up the bulk of its passengers.

**LAPSTONE – already people are standing**

I was though going to talk about other things today and not State Rail… but my view of the world has been clouded by the red haze of anger at my shitty commute…

Happy thoughts… Happy thoughts… not long until Xmas.

Erection Drawing?

(erection drawing)
Originally uploaded by ratfish.

Possibly the worst example of "Engrish" ever...

Apparently a toy birds instruction manual...