Gundaroo Jack

"Revelation" #1
The more action I take, the better I feel. I set a new action PB of 6 on Sunday, to be quickly topped by a 7 yesterday (leading to an ADAC so far in January of 4.0). Skype chats, writing letters, lunch with my only Canberra-based ABS friend, plus a return to a stretching regime all add up to a really positive vibe :)

"Revelation" #2
Buying good quality shoes translates to even more enjoyable walking. This evening I christened my new foot-holders and they're awesome! In fact I feel like going for another walk right now, even though I just got home! Go for it Bertie, walk again! ... Nah, I'm going to watch the 20/20 game instead...

Ready to walk

Here's a picture of my fancy-schmancy new walking shoes (I only just noticed the orange flavour... they were obviously calling me!):



and here's the reason I needed new shoes:



That hole goes all the way through to my foot, and is repeated on the other sneaker too. My $15 pair lasted me over 100 walks, let's see what $80 of Nike does for me :)

Labels

If you've ever wanted to see all my graphs collected together, or confirm how soft I am in every movie review, you can now use the handy new label feature.

Right now, you can check out everything tagged as 'action', 'tv', 'movie' or 'music'.

[DVD] Superman Returns

On the cutting edge of entertainment, as always, I finally got around to watching the continuation of the Superman movie saga...

And it was excellent! Brandon Routh was perfectly cast, and managed the duality of the Clark Kent/Superman roles really well. There were a few moments of inconsistency with Lois Lane, but through the script, rather than Kate Bosworth's performance. James Marsden was strong in his role as the third vertex of a love triangle. And you can't go wrong with Kevin Spacey and Parker Posey, as they balanced the comedic and dramatic needs of their characters perfectly.

I'd read that the movie was low on action, but I thought it had just the right balance between character and full-on spectacle.

A worthy addition to the Superman canon. (Plus, with 3 hours of making-of on the DVD, you're left in no doubt how it all came together).

Obnoxious permanence

As kuka points out, it didn't take me long to fall off the wagon of non-postage. I got too caught up in my "Earl" watching, and then reading The End of Science, as well as going for my first walk of the year (not getting home from that till almost 9, since I had to wait for the heat to ease off).

I don't actually want to be the master of mediocrity, so I'm going to display what little common sense I might have in only posting when it feels pointmore to me. It shouldn't all be about the stats :)

Most of my thoughts the past week have been work driven, and I'm not sure yet how much I want to post about that. Screen caps of budget spreadsheets don't necessarily enhance the excitement factor of my writing... or maybe they do... in which case this is even more dull than I thought...

Happy now B?

Delicious subsidy

Ah, sleep, how sweet it tastes! I finally managed to grab enough zzz's to help me power through a busy work day and a bus ride to my family's place, before finally succumbing to an almost-nap (watching the cricket can do that to a person).

I'm really pumped about some of the stuff happening at work right now, although I have to avoid getting too excited, since that leads to insomnia for me just as surely as stress. It's all about balance and moderation (and Bertie Mabootoo!).

The cynical among you will note this is a post purely to extend my streak to 6 straight days ;) That might even be a personal best already! Quantity over quality! The battle for mediocrity is mine!

Indelible legacy

I've finally given up on meaningful titles (at least for now)...

Had a great time at dinner last night, catching up with Liv, J, Shaq and The Darwin Two (confidentialising names can make for an interesting sounding group :) Enjoyed a tasty Aloo palak at the Taste of India, then a so-so decaf soy capuccino (the second wankiest drink I've ever ordered, not quite matching the blended soy ice mocha) at Cafe Essen.

When I got home at midnight, I was stunned, thinking it was maybe 10.30 and never once having checked the time. Being with friends totally overcame my tiredness and for 5 wonderful hours I was largely ache free and my brain actually functioned a little conversationally.

I've found out I won't be getting a new housemate yet after all, the prospect found a better location yesterday, but I've done the soul searching necessary to realise that I'm kinda ready to share my house again. Or maybe I'm just sick of buying my own DVDs...

This is exactly the kind of blog post derided in conversations at dinner last night :) Am I worried about alienating my devoted readers with bland tellings of the events in my life? I can't afford to worry about that, it's all I've got!

Filler

Really, I'm only writing this to help me stay awake long enough to go out again, on a bus ride to Civic. But I do have some stuff to say:

1. I've been awake since 4am, less than 4 hours after getting to sleep, and still survived my first day back at work for 2007.


2. I may have a housemate again for the first time in over 12 months, without even having to advertise.


3. I'm going to dinner tonight with a group of friends (none of whom I've seen since 2006!) once again requiring no organising effort on my part.


4. I hurt all over because of my fatigue, but my stomach is behaving, and so I'm happy.

How much longer can I maintain my post-a-day habit? Suspense abounds...

Ah summer!

I hope the rain is helping someone, because it's certainly playing havoc with my walking plans! Any climate change doubters still left might possibly be convinced by the fact that Canberra now has afternoon storms more fitting for the tropics... (although thankfully without the heat).

Farewell 2006

Because no other blogger in the world will be doing a wrap up of the year just finishing...

I have to say that, despite my current bout of nasty fatigue having the potential to negatively colour my feelings, 2006 was a really positive year for me. I made at least one new friend, strengthened other friendships, found the cause (and some of the solution) to years of nausea, walked heaps, blogged plenty (almost twice as much as 2005), regained my enthusiasm for work (which had endured 18 months of doldrums), lost 10 kilos and even travelled to far-flung Melbourne.

The trick for me now is to not see that as being the end of the line, but as a launching pad. There is still so much for me to do to feel comfortable with who I am, to increase the positive contribution that I make, to actually feel like I'm not just squandering some vast well of potential by not acting on any of it.

Will I be writing a post 12 months from now where I bemoan missed opportunities, or will I be celebrating great success in meeting my still nebulous goals? You'll just have to keep reading to find out :) Thanks for joining me on the oft-dull journey so far!

The dark side

On the other side of the customer service coin, or somewhere in the middle, I bought a new DVD burner on my way home yesterday and the sales guy, although friendly, was a bit too keen to dazzle me with his detailed knowledge of not only the item I was buying, but also computers in general. Since I at no stage had a chance to get a word in, he had no real way of knowing what my expertise level was, and didn't seem too worried about whether I comprehended his techo spiel. Perhaps I'm too obvious an IT geek?

Nonetheless, I now have a fully functional DVD writer in place, as opposed to the barely limping one I've been dealing with for over a year. Even better, the drive worked first time, which I haven't been able to say very often in my previous CD, DVD and hard drive self-installs.

I did, somewhat ironically, miss the slightly-dusty-but-still-easily-readable label at the bottom of the case telling me how to take the front off so I could actually remove the existing drive. After that, though, it was plain sailing :)

Lights out

Yesterday, after a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon catching up with K, having lunch and seeing "Happy Feet" with B and The Boy, and avoiding a thorough drenching in the sudden downpour (which arrived while we were in the movie), I got home to find that my lights were out. All my appliances continued to work, and flicking the circuit breaker did nothing.

I called ActewAGL, got straight through to an operator, and something mysterious was done to fix my lights within an hour of the call, before it was even dark outside. So, in an era of poorly thought out automated messages, it's nice to find a bastion of excellent customer service which involves real people solving a problem in a timely way with a minimum of fuss.

Slow learner

A list of the simple, obvious things I've been trying to drum into my head over the past several years in an effort to clean out lots of mental baggage. Am I getting there? Not really, but I remain optimistic that with continued effort I will successfully deculcate myself of any last vestiges of adult thinking :)

[TV] Bones

If being compelled to watch 22 episodes in 4 days (especially when I worked on 2 of those days) is any indication of quality, then this is a winner. If that's not enough evidence for you, well there's just no pleasing some people... but I'll try and satiate your curiosity.

Emily Deschanel plays Temperance "Bones" Brennan, a major genius in the field of forensic anthropology, who speaks her mind and is usually right. David Boreanaz plays Seeley Booth, an FBI agent who convinces Bones to become his unofficial partner. Hijinks ensue :)

This is the closest you're going to get to the Mulder/Scully camaraderie of The X-Files, with the addition of a host of quality supporting characters, all of whom have interesting back stories that are gradually revealed as the season goes on. There are plenty of comedic touches, genuine tension and drama, tugging of heart strings and one moment that actually made me jump in surprise, which almost never happens. There's action too, but the beauty of it for me is watching smart people come up with answers to problems, instead of rushing around shooting everyone.

Basically, I'd like to believe I'm smart enough to maybe make it into Bones team in a small supporting IT role :)

We want action!

"So Bertie", I hear you ask, "did you actually graph anything for November?" Sadly, the answer is yes. Happily, you now get to see those graphs...

First, an above average walking month:


"Sure Bertie, those columns look great, but what if I want to see them as lines?" I'm glad you asked :)



Finally, with a slight improvement of 0.04 over last month's ADAC (despite partying too hard for my birthday and forgetting all about weights) the overrated action count:

New music

Rather than continue with my lack of posts, here's one of my many easy outs. You know the one , where I list all the new CDs I've bought without actually bothering to say any more about them...

Nothing Safe - Alice In Chains
Mutations - Beck
Blur - Blur
The Datsuns - The Datsuns
Greatest Hits - Devo
I Don't Think I'm Pregnant - Diana Ah Naid
Mallee Boy - John Williamson
Attack - KMFDM
Hau Ruck - KMFDM
Bricks Are Heavy - L7
Public Warning - Lady Sovereign
Hollywood - Little Birdy
Freaked Out And Small - Presidents of the USA
Love Everybody - Presidents of the USA
John Henry - They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants
Here's To The Mourning - Unwritten Law

Stupid new toys!

OK, obviously as soon as I got access to Blogger Beta, I decided I'd change all three of my blogs. It worked OK for two of them, but this one had been so heavily modified that it's going to take me some time to restore the 3 columns and other niceties I'd put so much work into.

I could just go back to the old one, but I'm practising only moving forward :) A chance to learn a whole new set of syntax, specific to Blogger layouts...

Much easier than thinking

Stealing material from B, here are my much less interesting answers...

Four jobs I've had:

Research assistant at CSIRO
Maths tutor
Coder extraordinaire
Team leader

Four Movies I could Watch Over and Over:

Terminator 2
Bad Eggs
The New Guy
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

Four places I have lived:

Canberra
Canberra
Canberra
Canberra

Four TV Shows That I Love:

Veronica Mars
Angel
Arrested Development
The X-Files

Four places I have been for a vacation:

Byron Bay
Melbourne
Tomakin
Around Australia

Four websites I Visit Daily:

I don't actually go to websites much, thanks to the wonders of RSS feeds, but here are some blogs I lurk at...
Slow Leadership
Management Craft
Positive Sharing
Joel On Software

Four Favourite Foods:

Tuna and rice
Chicken schnitzel with mushroom sauce
Spaghetti bolognaise
My Dad's chips

Four places I would rather be:

Location-wise, I'm pretty happy right here
More metaphorically, with friends

Four friends blogs I read every day:

Krafty Kuka
Dreaming All The Time
Hello, Here's Me!
Two Fruits

Destination: Mystery! (Part 3)

Day 5



Caught a train to Em's and spent the afternoon chatting with her, and having a lively debate on politics and world affairs with her grandmother. Enjoyed a few forkfuls of mixed vegetable fried rice for dinner, my most substantial eating for a week (I'd forgotten how awesome food could taste!).

Day 6
Walked uphill into the CBD to meet Jen and AM for lunch, at a lovely little eatery called "Wheat" (the irony of this, given my gluten-free past, was not lost on me as I struggled through part of a tasty chicken salad). Tick catching up with my 3 Melbourne friends, my trip was now complete!

Had a brief chat with Em on the phone, distracting her from all the work she was stuck late at work trying to get done, then spent the evening in front of not much on TV and some more fried rice.

Day 7



Wandered the Crown Casino Complex and Federation Square, taking a sunnier set of photos to complement the overcast ones from earlier in the week, while trying to work out at least one touristy thing to do. An hour of walking later, I stepped into the Immigration Museum, which was just round the corner from my hotel, and spent an enlightening 3 hours looking at everything on offer.

On my way back to the hotel, a young guy asked me for directions to Lonsdale St, and I confidently pointed him in the right direction (confirming, when back in my room, that my confidence was warranted). Almost a local in one week!

My final night in Melbourne was made perfect by an actual restaurant meal with Em and, as I saw her off at the train station, my thoughts turned to my imminent return home.

Day 8
Woke up at 5.30 having had 3 hours sleep and, after killing some time trying to stomach my breakfast, headed into a windy, cold Melbourne morning. The beginning of my trek home! My plane was delayed by half an hour, which was exactly what I didn't need, but I had the whole back row of the plane to myself and a little shut-eye let me enjoy the view as we closed in on Canberra. 13 degrees in Melbourne became 31 in Canberra, but the most important thing as my Dad dropped me off home was that I survived (and even enjoyed!) a week away for only the second time in the past 3 years.

Will I be rushing headlong into a new life as an intra/international jetsetter? Well, no, because it was frankly exhausting to fight my poor health the whole week, and it'll take me some time to store up enough energy to launch myself at my next challenge.

The more important question, though, is: Did I enjoy my holiday? To that I can say a resounding Yes. Thanks largely to the efforts of awesome friends like Em and Jen, who spent time with me despite their own busy schedules, I feel that I squeezed every last moment of fun out of my Melbourne week.

Bertie, what was the point of that story? ... I like stories :)

Destination: Excitement! (Part 2)

Day 3
No sleep = Not feeling good. Note to self: Don't stay next to a main street without double-glazed windows next time.

Failed in my attempts to catch up with my ABS pals, but wandered the CBD anyway, in a glorious quest for another salad sandwich. Quite the gourmand, huh?

Tried to nap, but sleep continued to elude me, so I threw caution to the wind and headed to St. Kilda with Em for an extravagant sushi dinner (well, a single piece of vegetable sushi...). Before I knew it, 10pm had rolled around, and it was time for me to leave Em to the excitement(/crowd/smoke/noise) of the Gotye concert while I headed back to bed, finally catching some sleep thanks to the wonders of ear plugs.

Day 4



Yay! Sleep! Still staying very light on the food, but strolled the Yarra waterfront, busily snapping photos for the first time since I arrived. Coincidentally, this was the only overcast day of the entire week, thus my later set to show how much brighter the sights were during the rest of my visit.



Met up with Em to see the outstanding Earth From Above exhibition and do more riverbank wandering (leading to my favourite photo of the trip).



Stay tuned for Part 3 where I catch a train, a plane and see some automobiles!