July 27, 2003
THE MOLE IS BACK!!!!!
The Mole: Ok, the first episode of The Mole was on tonight. This time they are in New Caledonia so lots of pretty scenery.
The Hubby and I are up between two for The Mole at this point. Both the blond cheerleader girlie named Nikki (with two k's of course) and Josh (who is in PR but seemed more like a used car salesman) acted kinda shifty. But this was only the first show. But then again there was Petrina who forgot her number....hmmm.....I will say this, I'm sure the two guys that didn't have to jump out of the plane because they were too big. Yikes.
More next Sunday.....
-gg70
Posted by gadgetgirl at 08:31 PM
Watch them ducks go! Thousands
Watch them ducks go!
Thousands of rubber ducks are expected to wash up on the American coast - after more than 10 years at sea.
Posted by gadgetgirl at 11:54 AM
busy busy
The hubby and I had a bit of a film festival yesterday. We went to a matinee to see AutoFocus at the Hayden Orpheum. Good flick. Hard to remember that Greg Kinnear started out on Talk Soup. (Don't get me wrong, I loved Talk Soup, but he did some amazing acting in this film.) And Willem Defoe is perfectly sleazy, as usual.
Well, anyway, when we got out of AutoFocus we noticed that A Might Wind was starting in 45 minutes. So what the hell, we jumped back in the queue and got tix for the next showing of A Mighty Wind. God, how funny is that team? If you haven't seen it they actually ahve a bit of a twist at the end.
I'm going to have to sit down and watch Waiting for Guffman again this week.
And I finally finished the newest installationin the Harry Potter series. (can I get a whoo-hoo!?!?!) Don't worry, I wont give anything away, but let's just say that the I had a pretty good clue who was going to die from the first few pages. No huge surprise for me.
Today is all about getting things done. Laundry, dishes, a bit of homework, giving the fur ball a bit of a brush, maybe do a little bidding on an Ebay item or two, etc.
hmm, my tea is cold. better get a top-up.
-gg70
Posted by gadgetgirl at 09:33 AM
July 26, 2003
One week down, a million
One week down, a million to go. No really, the first week of class was really great. I know that things are exciting when you first start them, but I have a good feeling about all of this. (but ask me again when the weather is cold and rainy and I'm waiting for a train at 9:30 after a 12 hour day).
So I've been looking for cool library stuff on the 'net. Here's a couple:
http://warriorlibrarian.com/
http://www.renegadelibrarian.com/
I'm sure I'll find more.
Oh, and I am now officiallyrelated to a feminist rock star.
Rubber Nun has been cited as a 'blog of note' at Ms. magazine. whoo-hoo! As if we didn't know that she rocked.
Posted by gadgetgirl at 08:27 AM
July 22, 2003
I had my first class
I had my first class last night.
I got sooo lost and ended up in the wrong class. (right department, wrong class) And there were all of these cool 30something girls in there (funky cardigans, squarish glasses, Dr Martins, etc). I was thinking, 'yeah, I'm seeing a study group at the pub!". But alas, I found out me class was on the other side of department with the not so cool (=no pub study group). I guess I'll have to focus on my studies this semester.
oh well, it least it is good to know that there are people going into this industry that look like they could be potential friends.
Class again tonight.
I'm kinda glad that work is slow this week, it gives me an opportunity to get myself a little settled into all of this. But I'm sure next week will make up for it. the whole new season comes in and things are gonna get crazy.
the only thing that has me stressed out is weather of not I can get out of this computer class. It is structured in three modules. Computer Essentials, Spreadsheet Essentials, and Database Essentials. The first past is the section I really would like to get out of. Most of it is how to turn on a computer, how to write a document in Word, what a disk drive it, etc etc etc. Easy peasy stuff. But the other two parts I have some gaps in my knowledge that I would like to fill in. Now I would just take the whole module and just to get a good grade but this class is on wednesday mornings and yeah, I can flip my schedule around some weeks to be able to go to class, but I would rather not have to for the full 18 weeks. Hopefully I can talk to them about this and work something out.
fingers crossed.
oh, and the new Jane's Addiction CD comes out today! whoo-hoo! Hopefully there will be a copy somewhere out there for me in the Northern Suburbs.
-gg70
Posted by gadgetgirl at 08:31 AM
July 20, 2003
aw man, you gotta see
aw man, you gotta see this. I'm going to have to take this to Big Day Out next year. But it might be too easy.
thanks bro for that one.
-gg70
Posted by gadgetgirl at 04:50 PM
July 16, 2003
I am sooooo not getting
I am sooooo not getting involved in this thread. This could get ugly quickly.
-gg70
Posted by gadgetgirl at 07:29 PM
July 15, 2003
fun with photoshop:
fun with photoshop:
Posted by gadgetgirl at 10:07 PM
July 13, 2003
1. I just found out
1. I just found out that July is National Ice Cream Month. Now that is a celebration I can get involved in!
2. When good crochet goes bad!
3. NINE days until the new Jane's Addiction CD comes out
Posted by gadgetgirl at 07:31 PM
July 12, 2003
damn stright! -gg70
damn stright!
-gg70
Posted by gadgetgirl at 06:07 PM
July 10, 2003
I nicked this from wyseowl's
I nicked this from wyseowl's journal.
I just love the part of about the Australians adopting unsuspecting tourists and taking them to the pub. This has happened to me a few times over the last 6 years.
enjoy,
-amy
The Confusing Country
By the late Douglas Adams
Australia is a very confusing place, taking up a large amount of the bottom half of the planet. It is recognisable from orbit because of many unusual features, including what at first looks like an enormous bite taken out of its southern edge; a wall of sheer cliffs which plunge deep into the girting sea. Geologists assure us that this is simply an accident of geomorphology and plate tectonics, but they still call it the "Great Australian Bight" proving that not only are they covering up a more frightening theory, but they can't spell either.
The first of the confusing things about Australia is the status of the place. Where other land masses and sovereign lands are classified as either continent, island, or country, Australia is considered all three. Typically, it is unique in this.
The second confusing thing about Australia are the animals. They can be divided into three categories: Poisonous, Odd, and Sheep. It is true that of the 10 most poisonous arachnids on the planet, Australia has 9 of them. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that of the 9 most poisonous arachnids, Australia has all of them. However, there are curiously few snakes, (though those that are there are usually deadly) possibly because the spiders have killed them all. But even the spiders won't go near the sea. Any visitors should be careful to check inside boots (before putting them on) under toilet seats (before sitting down) and generally everywhere else. A stick is very useful for this task.
Strangely, it tends to be the second class of animals (the Odd) that are more dangerous. The creature that kills the most people each year is the common Wombat. It is nearly as ridiculous as its name, and spends its life digging holes in the ground, in which it hides. During the night it comes out to eat worms and grubs.
The wombat kills people in two ways: First, the animal is undestructible. Digging holes in the hard Australian clay builds muscles that outclass Olympic weightlifters. At night, they often wander the roads. Semi-trailers (Road Trains) have hit them at high speed, with all 9 wheels on one side, and this merely makes them very annoyed. They express this by snorting, glaring, and walking away. Alas, to smaller cars, the wombat becomes an asymmetrical launching pad, with results that can be imagined, but not adequately described.
The second way the wombat kills people relates to its burrowing behaviour. If a person happens to put their hand down a Wombat hole, the Wombat will feel the disturbance and think "Ho! My hole is collapsing!" at which it will brace its muscled legs and push up against the roof of its burrow with incredible force, to prevent its collapse. Any unfortunate hand will be crushed, and attempts to withdraw will cause the Wombat to simply bear down harder. The unfortunate will then bleed to death through their crushed hand as the wombat prevents him from seeking assistance. This is considered the third most embarrassing known way to die, and Australians don't talk about it much.
At this point, we would like to mention the Platypus, estranged relative of the mammal, which has a duck-bill, otter's tail, webbed feet, lays eggs, detects its aquatic prey in the same way as the electric eel, and has venomous barbs attached to its hind legs, thus combining all 'typical' Australian attributes into a single improbable creature.
The last confusing thing about Australia is the inhabitants. First, a short history: Some time around 40,000 years ago, some people arrived in boats from the north. They ate all the available food, and lot of them died. The ones that survived learned respect for the balance of nature, man's proper place in the scheme of things, and spiders. They settled in, and spent a lot of the intervening time making up strange stories.
Then, around 200 years ago, Europeans arrived in boats from the north. More accurately, European convicts were sent, with a few deranged and stupid people in charge. They tried to plant their crops in Autumn (failing to take account of the reversal of the seasons when moving from the top half of the planet to the bottom), ate all their food, and a lot of them died. About then the sheep arrived, and have been treasured ever since.
It is interesting to note here that the Europeans always consider themselves vastly superior to any other race they encounter, since they can lie, cheat, steal, and litigate (marks of a civilised culture they say) - whereas all the Aboriginals can do is happily survive being left in the middle of a vast red-hot desert, equipped with a stick.
Eventually, the new lot of people stopped being Europeans on Extended Holiday and became Australians. The changes are subtle, but deep, caused by the mind-stretching expanses of nothingness and eerie quiet, where a person can sit perfectly still and look deep inside themselves to the core of their essence, their reasons for being, and the necessity of checking inside your boots every morning for fatal surprises.
They also picked up the most finely tuned sense of irony in the world, and the Aboriginal gift for making up stories.
Be warned. There is also the matter of the beaches. Australian beaches are simply the nicest and best in the entire world. Although anyone actually venturing into the sea will have to contend with sharks, stinging jellyfish, stonefish (a fish which sits on the bottom of the sea, pretends to be a rock, and has venomous barbs sticking out of its back that will kill just from the pain) and surfboarders.
However, watching a beach sunset is worth the risk.
As a result of all this hardship, dirt, thirst, and wombats, you would expect Australians to be a dour lot. Instead, they are genial, jolly, cheerful, and always willing to share a kind word with a stranger, unless they are an American.
Faced with insurmountable odds and impossible problems, they smile disarmingly and look for a stick. Major engineering feats have been performed with sheets of corrugated iron, string, and mud. Alone of all the races on earth, they seem to be free from the 'Grass is Greener on the other side of the fence' syndrome, and roundly proclaim that Australia is, in fact, the other side of that fence. They call the land "Oz", "Godzone" (a verbal contraction of "God's Own Country") and "Best bloody place on earth, bar none, strewth." The irritating thing about this is they may be right.
There are some traps for the unsuspecting traveller, though. Do not under any circumstances suggest that the beer is imperfect, unless you are comparing it to another kind of Australian beer. Do not wear a Hawaiian shirt. Religion and Politics are safe topics of conversation (Australians don't care too much about either) but Sport is a minefield.
The only correct answer to "So, howdya' like our country, eh?" is "Best {insert your own regional swear word here} country in the world!". It is very likely that, on arriving, some cheerful Australians will 'adopt' you, and on your first night, take you to a pub where Australian Beer is served. Despite the obvious danger, do not refuse. It is a form of initiation rite. You will wake up late the next day with an astonishing hangover, a foul-taste in your mouth, and wearing strange clothes. Your hosts will usually make sure you get home, and waive off any legal difficulties with "It's his first time in Australia, so we took him to the pub.", to which the policeman will sagely nod and close his notebook.
Be sure to tell the story of these events to every other Australian you encounter, adding new embellishments at every stage, and noting how strong the beer was. Thus you will be accepted into this unique culture.
Most Australians are now urban dwellers, having discovered the primary use of electricity, which is air-conditioning and refrigerators.
Typical Australian sayings:
"G'Day!"
"It's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick."
"She'll be right."
"And down from Kosciusko, where the pine clad ridges raise their torn and rugged battlements on high, where the air is clear is crystal, and the white stars fairly blaze at midnight in the cold and frosty sky. And where, around the overflow, the reed beds sweep and sway to the breezes, and the rolling plains are wide. The Man from Snowy River is a household word today, and the stockmen tell the story of his ride."
Tips to Surviving Australia:
Don't ever put your hand down a hole for any reason whatsoever. We mean it.
The beer is stronger than you think, regardless of how strong you think it is.
Always carry a stick.
Air-conditioning.
Do not attempt to use Australian slang, unless you are a trained linguist and good in a fistfight.
Thick socks.
Take good maps. Stopping to ask directions only works when there are people nearby.
If you leave the urban areas, carry several litres of water with you at all times, or you will die.
Even in the most embellished stories told by Australians, there is always a core of truth that it is unwise to ignore.
See Also:
"Deserts: How to die in them"
"The Stick: Second most useful thing ever" and
"Poisonous and Venomous arachnids, insects, animals, trees, shrubs, fish and the sheep of Australia, volumes 1-42"
Posted by gadgetgirl at 08:09 PM
July 09, 2003
oh man,Sparky is so getting
oh man,Sparky is so getting a job!
-gg70
Posted by gadgetgirl at 09:01 AM
July 08, 2003
I finally got off my
I finally got off my ass and and uploaded the awesome site that Miss Helen designed for our local Stitch N Bitch.
man that gal can design the hell out of a site.
behold!
http://sydneystitch.cjb.net/
-gg70
Posted by gadgetgirl at 05:12 PM
I'm such a slacker
I really should be working right now. I just don't feel like it.
So here I am updating my journal.
Rob and I spent Sunday in the city. Junk food for lunch (sad but true, we could have had some beautiful seafood or hand made japanese, but we opted for Taco Bell) Then off to
The Powerhouse Museum. They had this really fun exhibit about special effects. Mostly lots of blue screen stuff, morphing, and some stuff about lighting. And this great exhibit of hats created by Philip Treacy. wow.
They also had a big sale on their Legos. I got a few more Star Wars Lego sets to complete my Jabba's hideout. It will have everything, a bikini clad Leia, a trap door for Luke to fall down, and Han in carbonite. fun stuff man!
I meant to go to knitting at the Cricketers last night but after a dodgy Chinese lunch I just wasn't feeling up to it. I'm still paying for it today. (the lunch, not the knitting night) Far too many trips to the loo. (TMI, I know) (note to self, when they only charge $5 for a boxed lunch there is probably a very good reason)
-gg70
Posted by gadgetgirl at 12:02 AM
July 06, 2003
So I recently finished my
So I recently finished my bookbinding class. We did a bunch of projects but I think the one that I am most proud of is this one.
It started out at a paperback version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. After a little sweat and paste I think it came up pretty cool. Not perfect, but pretty good.
-gg70
Posted by gadgetgirl at 09:14 AM
July 05, 2003
Six years ago today I
Six years ago today I arrived in Australia.
Very jet lagged but none the less
So here are a few things I have come to love about my adopted home.
1. The Royal Flying Doctor Service
2. Tim Tams
3. 4 weeks paid holiday a year.
4. It is illegal to declaw cats.
5. The bird life. As long as I live in Australia I will never get used to seeing rainbow lorikeets, kookaburras, and cockatoos in my back yard.
6. That the holiday to remember the fallen war heros involves getting up at dawn for a service then heading off to the pub (at like 7am) to gamble the day away playing two up
7. jjj
8. Voting is compulsory.
9. The legal system recognizes de facto relationships.
10. Canberra is not just the nation's political capitol but also the nation's porn capitol. You gotta love it!
Posted by gadgetgirl at 07:25 PM
July 02, 2003
aw man, I want one
aw man, I want one of these for Sydney...
Posted by gadgetgirl at 05:44 PM