Tuesday 3 April 2007

(*) Weekend Fun

Saturday night was interesting... I went to a lovely relaxed venue in town with some friends for a dinner and show kinda thing. The group was something and a style I'd never ever seen live before - they were a 'Salsa' band called 'Babalu'... all Latin rythmns! They were very good at what they did tho - great musos. It was a real eye opener to see and hear a totally different style of music to what I'd experienced live before. It was good but I'm not sold on it tho! heh heh

Sunday I decided to go for a sail at a Mini-Regatta at nearby Oberon. Anyways... I came first in the two races I sailed on [in my division!] Yay! If only I'd sailed in one of the races on the Saturday, I would have won the whole thing [as it was 'best three results to count], but that's fine. The big catamarams did NOT appreciate getting beaten by a small 'tupperware bathtub' boat in the really light breezes! [My class of boat will always beat a large heavy cat in a drifter! heh heh]. All that sailing practise out on my own at Chifley Dam seems to have paid off. I sailed really well, even if I do say so myself! heh heh

I got some bad and shocking news just last night... some friends in Brisbane are going thru health hell...
"...[D] has been hospitalised, considered to be dangerously ill with a BP of 265 over 170. He is stable at the moment with a medicated 150 over 100 but still not good. As a result he has been diagnosed with Malignant Hypertension with Renal Failure. He is pre-dialysis but thats at the moment. We don't know what the future holds. His heart should repair but his Kidneys are fucked..."
Geebus... haven't those guys been thru ENOUGH already? I feel hopeless being so far away and not being able to do anything practical. Gagh!


Started my casual work at The Reject Shop yesterday... twas OK, but their concept of 'training' is an absolute JOKE! I was given a small booklet, told to read it, fill in a questionaire - and that was my "training"! Gagh! I mean - I wasn't even shown where the TOILETS were! Absolutely hopeless! They'll probably sack me for it, but tomorrow [my third and last day] I'm gonna pull aside the manager and @IC and give them a run-thru of how their 'training and assessment process' is poorly lacking - as an outsider/newbie coming into their business point-of-view. Basically - as far as an induction and training for a new employee - it was the worst possible scenareo I've ever come across, let alone studied! I could easily write my whole UNi dissertation on my experience.. "How NOT to Introduce a New Employee to the Workplace"! heh heh. I mean, I'm a 42-yo guy with lots of workplace experience [granted], but they still treated me as if I was a 16-yo noob with nil workplace experience. If mine was someones' first experience of being introduced to a workplace, it'd be plainly horrific! Like I said, I STILL don't know where the toilets are! hahahahaa

Nah, uit's not such a bad place to work for, but their 'training' and making someone feel welcome and a part of the team is surely lacking, and that's something the small mamagement team there need to know, basically. Sure they may look at me like, "Who's this asshole?", but for the sake of the next new employee...

Monday April 2nd 2007

1. Where did you go on your last vacation?
Wow... I did two long car trips in November and December to bioth Brisbane and melbourne [like 4,000 kms], but I don't know if they were a 'vacataion' as such, but they were damn relaxing tho! I really enjoy long drives like that, even if one of them was towing my small sailijng boat back home for 1,000 kms! heh heh. Actually, off the top of my head [and I'm sure to be wrong the more I think about this, but anyways!], one of the last places I went to for a planned 'vacation' was a few days at Kiama on NSW's South Coast. Beautifully relaxing. In the middle of winter it wasn't busy, but sunny enough to enjoy the days down along the coast, even got to see some whales passing by!

2. Would you go there again? Why or why not?
To Kiama? Sure! It was the birthplace of one of my favourite writers, Charmian Clift, so that's always an attraction for me. But the South Coast as a whole is a beautifully picturesque place. Lots of little spots out-of-the-way to discover and simnply curl up on a deserted beach somewhere and enjoy the sun.

3. How many vacations do you take in one year?
Seriously? Maybe one, but more often that not I'll just go camping overnight somewhere, like out at Carcoar Dam. But I don't consider that a 'vacation', but just like a short day trip for some casual camping. Like doing it tho.

4. Where would you REALLY like to go on your next vacation, if money was no issue, and how long would you stay?
The Greek island of Hydra, hands down, game over! heh heh. I'd like to stay there at least a month, to give the place a real go. I know I would find it very very 'alien' at first, so I'd need the time to kinda mellow and relax into the place.

5. Do you put a little money aside each week (or month) to save up for your vacation?
Well, I have some very rough plans to go to visit Hydra sometime this year [or maybe next?]! yay! But no, I don't usually put money aside specifically for it. Any budget funds usually go towards travelling in my car or accomodation for sailing regattas [like at Belmont the other week] and things like that! heh heh

Week 217
I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Trembling :: Freezing cold shivers
2. Shut up :: The Famnous Eccles from The Goon Show
3. Heights :: Scared of
4. Monica :: I can't think of anything to say!
5. Delicious :: Jenny
6. Joint :: wafts of smoke drifting across a dim room
7. Ferry :: 'Cross the Mersy
8. Bliss :: Movies
9. Rejection :: Such is Life
10. Satisfying :: Children's laughter


Monday Music Mambo
Hello world! Here's another mambo for your enjoyment. Today is Great Lover's Day.

1. Name three of your favorite love songs. Oooh... [wracks brian to think... hits brain... work brain, come ON!] "Something" by The Beatles; "Layla" by Eric Clapton [Derek & the Dominoes]; "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers [ya, corny I know, but what a great feel]

2. Name three musicians well-known for making great love songs. Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon

3. Name a song that's so good you'd write a love song for it (if it were an actual person). And tell us why. Well, it's not exactly a 'Love" song, but Stevie Wonder's song "Lately" is just an awesome expression of music, feel and lyrics that express the lost longing and mistrust in a relationship... it just makes me want to cry [oooh, that's one of the lines!], it's just such a powerful song!

Random 10 - Week 99

10 songs that sum up your weekend...or were on your weekend playlist...and one picture that relates back. (oh, and if you feel like it, tell us why you picked the songs you did)
  • "Mr Tambourine Man" - The Byrds - it simply does NOT get any better than this folks! heh heh

  • "Jenny Artichoke" by Kaleidoscope [1969] - a rare pop gem!
  • "Girl's Eyes" by The Who [1967] - outtake from 'The Who Sell Out' LP
  • U2's compelation CD "1980-1990
  • Errr, to be honest, I can't remember anything else I was listening to over the weekend! D'oh! Silly brain...


1. PC or Mac? (You must choose one or the other.) PC, only because it's what I've been using for the past 10 years or so. Notjhing against Macs tho... my vert first computer was a Mac Plus back in the early 1990's! heh heh

2. How much do you like one over the other, and what's the main reason? I've nothing against Macs, it's just that I've been using Windows-based PC's for so long, it's like a habit. I haven't had access to a Mac for years now anyways.

3. What would be easier to do without for a week: your cell phone, your television, or your computer? Cell phone... mine's a glorified answering machine... I don't use it to actually call people on, that's what the landline is for.

4. Take the quiz: Are You a Computer Geek? A geek? Not really... only somedays, but not really. I know how to somethings [but not a whole lot in comparison to some] only because I've been learning by 'trial-and-error' for so many years, when it comes to computers. And I'm still learning... there's always something new to learn with technologyn constantly updating. BTW... the quiz was simply too long... sowwy!

5. What things do you feel more addicted to than your computer? [no comment] Kidding! My sailing boat, perhaps?

6. If your computer has to go in for service and you're without it for a week, and you have the chance to log on at a different computer, which are you most likely to do first: check news headlines, check email, or update your blog? Check emails, in case my brother was trying to contact me or something like that. The rest I can live without.

"Counting Sheep"

1. What do you wear to bed during cold nights? At least a t-shirt and some bed socks. For years I never wore anything to bed... I guess I'm getting older! heh heh

2. What do you wear to bed during warm nights? Absolutely nothing... or if it's really muggy or humid, an old loose t-shirt.

3. What is your bedtime routine? Hmmm... toilet, teeth, set/check alarm, a bit of reading in bed, grab mah teddy and... zzzzzz.......... I'm one of the lucky ones who normally fall asleep almost straight away, but some nights I suffer thru bouts of sleeplessness.

4. How many hours of zzzs do you usually get in a night? Is that enough? I must get my eight hours, otherwise I'm a brain-dead cabbage the next day!

5. Do you remember your dreams when you awake? Oh, I wish I remembered some of them, but only about 20%. I do know that my dreams are very vivid, very realistic, and very colourful! I've gotta start writing them down again as soon as I wake up.

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5 comments:

  1. I love Mr. Tambourine Man! Thanks for playing :)

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  2. congrats on the regatta!
    sorry about your friend, i hope they are able to help.

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  3. Kudos on your wins there on Sunday, Mal. Sounds like fun, racing the big cats in a bathtub! LOL

    Spring is only just beginning here -- after a week of warmish, sunny weather with daytime highs in the single numbers and overnight lows in the minus teens, this week it's all over the place with rain, snow, sleet, hail and thunderstorms and that was just today! More snow and chilly is forecast for the rest of the week. Went out to the lake yesterday and it's still frozen. Although, I'd not trust it to walk on now -- too mushy around the edges. It's only a matter of time before I can throw on the dry suit and have my first paddle of the year!

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  4. Thanks for sharing your MM. Hope you'll have a terrific vacation at the Greek island of Hydra soon.

    Take care!

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