I am a Fish

Red Back

2008-01-07T22:07:00.000+11:00

Continuing with the arthropod theme of late, here's a couple of pictures of a rather large red back I found in the garage while I was cleaning it out the other day.

It's a little hard to get scale here, and for some funny reason I didn't stick my finger next to the spider for reference. Even though red backs aren't large spiders, this one was pretty big.

Back Online...

2007-12-13T12:25:00.000+11:00

So I haven't blogged for a long time, but it hasn't been easy with two hospital visits for operations on my kidney stones putting me out of action for a while. I've finally had the last operation tho, so hopefully things will improve from here. My advice, never get kidney stones. You'll want to top yourself. I don't know if they're worse this time around than before, all I know is that yesterday I was longing to be put out of my misery. I can't really tell the difference between being in agony and being in fucking agony, so that might give you an idea of the difficulty in comparisons.

Anyway, I'm much better today. And on a positive note, Jess and I got engaged on the 1st of December! She's a fantastic girl and a real support, especially during these trying times. I also got my motorbike licence last weekend, so I'll be on the lookout for a moto come January. Can't wait.

Here's a damselfly that I saw in the Botanical Gardens the other weekend. Will post more pics when I have a minute.

The wait is finally over part 2

2007-11-11T20:54:00.000+11:00

After being stuffed around again for my surgery, it's finally happening tomorrow, 12th November.
Will post again when I'm back on my feet again.

The wait is finally over.....

2007-10-18T13:10:00.000+10:00

I assume that it's pretty clear to most people out there that our public health system is a joke, and I won't disagree with that due to my first hand experience. However, my long and painful wait is nearly over. After almost 6 months of waiting, I've finally been booked in for surgery to remove my kidney stone on October 29. This, mind you, was after the surgeon said July. Better late than never I guess. Anyway, to celebrate this marvel of modern medicine, I'm proposing we have a 'Stone's Out' or a 'No Stone-fest' party at the Condo in November with the exact date TBA. Hope to see you all there to join me and some friends in having a brew or two and flushing out my now stone-free kidney.

Rims

When the compass points North...

2007-10-07T18:27:00.001+10:00

The champagne flows...

Strange people appear...

and it's all free!

Now that's a reason for everyone to smile

Happy 21st Trace

2007-10-07T18:14:00.000+10:00

The birthday girl

Presents for Tracey's big day

The chocolate cake was huge, as were the door-stop sized slices handed out

A young reveler with an over-sized glass

Hope you had a fantastic night Trace. We certainly did.

Air show @ Temora

2007-09-26T17:13:00.001+10:00

Jess and I decided to go to an air show out at Temora the other weekend as there were 3 F/A-18 Hornets visiting from Williamtown, near Newcastle. It was well worth the travel and entry fee as we were allowed to be up close and personal with these $40 million machines
A quick plug for the museum and airport, their vintage collection is outstanding.

With a chair, hat, sunscreen and esky in hand we were set for the day. No alcohol allowed though.

Here I am at the back of one of the fighters. The engines are huge, as is the plane itself. At 17.1 metres long, they're much bigger than a bus.

One of the F/A 18 Hornets on the tarmac.

Jess admiring the Hornet. We did get to have a look in the cockpit, however they wouldn't allow me to take photos as the planes are still in service. In other words, we still use them to kill people so we can't share any secrets. However, I'm sure what's on these planes is readily available on the internet.

A vintage plane doing a loop.

Finally one of the F/A 18 Hornets took to the air and did a display. We were rather close when they started the engines on the 2 planes on the tarmac. Earplugs were advised but I don't mind the sound or the smell of the avgas. Click on the pictures to see them enlarged.

Phantom in Melbourne

2007-09-09T21:44:00.000+10:00

How's the serenity!?
A little stop along the way at Bonnie Doon was the perfect place for a photo opportunity.

After arriving at our hotel in Melbourne, it was a mad rush to get into the city in time for dinner at Dracula's. This was an extremely frustrating and infuriating trip as the traffic was a nightmare and it took us more than an hour and a half to travel about 20km!!! I have to admit I lost my cool a few times, resulting in expletive laden outbursts, and of course we were late for dinner and missed our ride on the ghost train. The honeymoon was over before it began, I'm never moving to Melbourne.

Here's a couple of vampires you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. Although I had calmed down by this stage after a fun night of food and cabaret. I would recommend this to anyone who hasn't been before, the food is ok and the show is funny in parts, however it's probably not worth the 65 clams it costs each.

The big night arrived and it didn't disappoint. Anthony Warlow is fabulous as the Phantom with a great voice. Christine and Raoul were also excellent. Sorry about the lack of photos from the actual performance, but of course we aren't allowed to take pictures. We had dinner at a nice local Chinese restaurant (don't tell Jimmy!) and then after the show we caught a tram down to Crown Casino, but we won't mention what happened there.

Here we are in the traffic again, leaving Melbourne on Sunday. Despite the odd gripe, I had a wonderful weekend and wished it had been longer. Thanks to Jess for a great time and for being navigator.

Mix and the Mitsubishi

2007-09-05T10:24:00.000+10:00

Scace, Pinko and I had an early Sunday morning start as we headed out for a little country drive and a round of golf at Yass. It was a gorgeous day, however the standard of play wasn't so pretty. The odd climb over the fence into a paddock to retrieve a ball was not unexpected and a great day was had by all (sorry no photos as Mix has them all). Continuing the recent focus on automobiles, particularly Mitsubishi's, this little escapade allowed us the opportunity to assess and review Scace's new Mitsubishi 380.

It's been claimed to be the smoothest and quietest Australian-made car on the market, and they're not wrong. If it didn't have a speedo I swear you could be coasting at 140 and only feel like you're doing 100. The 5-speed auto is like olive oil and has a sequential shift so you can have a little bit of fun. Under the hood is a 3.8L V6 24 valve SOHC producing a neat 175kW and 343Nm of torque. I was surprised by its grunt off the mark, given this relatively simple setup. But, being neat and simple also means there's less chance of something going wrong and it's cheap to fix if it ever does. Fuel economy is claimed to be class leading, but the way we were driving it didn't exactly help consumption.

The interior was what I would expect from a base model car. The steering wheel has a nice feel and the instrument panel was tidy. Stereo and climate controls were also easy to use and looked the part. Some people don't like the use of plastic dashboards etc, but that's how cars are made these days, so live with it. All up I'm very impressed with Mix's buy, as this was a real steal for what he paid for it. I wouldn't mind a nice family car with cruise for those long trips away, but I'm a little too attached to my Fiesta to give it up anytime soon. Congrats on the good value pick up Scace.

Rimsy's Reviews - 2007 Mitsubishi Colt

2007-08-22T12:34:00.000+10:00

Rimsy's Reviews are back by popular demand and first off the blocks is a recent purchase by Mick Perez of a 2007 Mitsubishi Colt. Now, I've never been a fan of Mitsubishi's ever since the old Magna did 3 engines in record time, however they were the old days and todays Mitsubishi's are a much better breed.Under the hood its got a 1.5L DOHC pumping out a whopping 77kW, which is actually 3 more than my Ford Fiesta Zetec, which has a 1.6L engine. Not bad. A cerb mass of only 1050kg puts it right up there in terms of fuel consumption, claimed to be 5.9L/100km in the 5 speed manual. My sources tell me it's a treat to zip around town in, even if it's a little restricted on room. The price? Well, depending on which model you get, it starts from $15,990 and goes up to $18,990 for the LS auto. For the petrol heads there's also a Ralli art version with a turbo that takes it up to 113kW, however the $29,990 price tag leaves a bit of an aftertaste for mind.

Well, there you have it. A good little car with a good little price tag that won't drink like a fish when it comes to the bowser. Nice buy Mick.

Update

2007-08-22T09:40:00.000+10:00

There hasn't been much to blog about lately. Nothing with photos anyway. I was thinking about doing a review of my new mobile phone, a Sony Ericsson W880i. It's pretty sweet. Got all the latest stuff that I want (except for GPS) and it's an mp3 player as well so no need to buy an ipod. It's got a 1GB memory card too so plenty of room for those songs and photos etc. And it's got a 2.0 megapixel camera, pretty standard these days. Full review with pictures coming soon. (hopefully)

Anyway, I was going to blog up the John Butler Trio concert, however the drummer was taken ill and the show was postponed. Dunno if we will go to the rescheduled concert. I will blog up Phantom of the Opera after we see it in Melbourne next month so be prepared for me to rave on about it. It's been nearly 10 years since I saw it last.

That's it for now. Looking forward to the next Singstar get together. Special mention here for Pinko and Jen who have been struck down with a cold/flu, get well soon guys.

Mum's 55th

2007-07-31T21:16:00.000+10:00

We're a little light on for photos unfortunately. If anyone has some more I'd appreciate a copy.

A couple of suits appeared to celebrate the occasion.

Jenny and Pink looking the part. Thanks for coming along guys.

Finally...

2007-07-13T12:08:00.001+10:00

Well, it's been a long time coming but someone with half a brain has actually written an intelligent and objective article over at APC, instead of the usual drivel that would make even the stooges in the Microsoft and Apple marketing machines proud. A good little read for those interested in IT.

Check it out at

http://apcmag.com/6624/end_of_the_pc_era_dont_make_me_laugh

"Personally, I’ve never bought an Apple product because I think they look like pretentious pieces of plastic, and that for every Apple product out there, someone else has produced a product which functions the same if not better and looks a damn sight slicker too.

At least 6% of the global PC market doesn’t agree with me, but I’m not losing any sleep over that.

If we have to talk about the iPhone, I would argue that a unit which you have to send off to get the battery changed isn’t exactly pushing back the boundaries of innovation. Although getting people to pay good money for it is a triumph of marketing."

Never has a truer word been spoken.

West Wyalong

2007-07-02T22:31:00.000+10:00

On the weekend Jess and I went to visit Kev, Melissa and Elouise out at West Wyalong. Her mum, dad and other two sisters also traveled down from Tamworth for the weekend so I had the pleasure of meeting all her immediate family.Daddy's little girl. Jess and her father, Don.

The Angwin girls: Laura, Jessica, Melissa and Teagan

Sunday arvo was spent playing some tennis and riding dirt bikes around the ample bushland in West Wyalong. Here's Elouise getting a taste for riding from a very young age.

Jess was rather trusting of my riding skills so we went for a little ride together on the old Suzuki. Push starts were the order of the day after the clutch cable gave out.

"Say, that's a nice bike". Kev's prized Honda XR. Thanks for a great weekend guys. See you again soon!

Apple iPhone

2007-07-02T15:38:00.000+10:00

Well, it's finally here (in the US anyway) after all the hype and shameless self promotion that usually accompanies the launch of any Apple product. However, I've tried to keep an open mind as this is a revolutionary piece of electronics and no doubt I'll end up using something like it one day. I've read widely about its pros and cons and I've included my 2 cents worth below.

Firstly, I must admit it's a pretty nice looking phone and is a good size for putting in your pocket. However, I will never buy a phone based on what it looks like, so lets get down to the real reasons why you'd buy a mini computer (that's basically what it is). Music - this thing is the best iPod that Apple has ever released (that's not saying much), however previous iPods allowed you to just drag and drop files onto them (like using a USB) which can no longer be done. This thing must "sync" through iTunes. This is a real deal breaker for me, as iTunes is a pig of a program and I refuse to run it on my PC.

To use an iPhone in the states, you must sign a 2 year contract with AT&T and use one of their data packages (total cost around $3000 over the 2 years). Since AT&T only have 20% market share on the wireless networks, that means 80% of people will have to cancel their existing contracts and change over just to use an iPhone. If Apple go the same way with their Australian release it's hard to say what will happen, as Telstra is firmly in bed with Microsoft, hence they would be an unlikely candidate. Apparently you can change the SIM card (but not the battery), but the phone is still locked and won't work with anything other than an AT&T SIM card.

The phone has email and a web browser, however the US version only supports EDGE (100Kbit/s and that's only supported by Telstra in Aus), so Apple would be likely to change this to 3G for here (1.8Mbit/s). The battery life is average and can't be easily replaced, there is no GPS which is a real drag and it's only got a 2 megapixel camera. OK, it's not supposed to be a camera, but other phones on the market have had 3.2 megapixel cameras for months so Apple should have gone with it. All in all it looks like a fab little product with idiot-proof menus, however waiting for the 2.0 version might be the way to go. As for making calls, the clarity is supposed to be excellent. At around US$500 for one, you would hope so.

This is for you, Steve

2007-06-29T15:27:00.001+10:00

Well I've been told I have to blog more, preferably about cooking and the like, so here's a little something for you folks out there.

Jess and Elizabeth made this Elephant Cake for a colleague's birthday over at the College of Arts and Social Sciences the other week. Unfortunately there aren't any photos available of the cake being made, sorry Steve. It was a nice gesture by the aforementioned parties, however I won't hold my breath for it to catch on over here at the College of Science.

Bad Taste Cocktail Party

2007-06-18T17:36:00.000+10:00

On Friday night The John Curtin School of Medical Research played host to the Bad Taste Cocktail Party.

Michelle and Jodie were two of the bar staff for the night, looking suitably bad taste. Michelle also helped organise the event as well as pre-mixing 3 of the cocktails for the night.

As the epitome of bad taste, the mullets were out in force. I obliged with this black, curly number.

Duncan joined in on the fun with some of the natives as well as sampling the cocktails on offer. The Terry's Chocolate Orange cocktail was a crowd favourite.

Jess looked fabulous in her purple suit and floral blouse. A curly wig and fishnet stockings completed the horrid ensemble.

With style this good, we would have been right at home in Western Sydney.

The party was a great success and I look forward to the next social event on the John Curtin calender. Thanks for being a fantastic host Michelle!

Fun @ the Zoo

2007-06-14T21:23:00.000+10:00

Jess and I decided to do a little sight-seeing around Canberra on Sunday, taking us to the lookout at Government House and onto the National Zoo and Aquarium. The Governor General lives here at Yarralumla and Black Mountain Tower can be seen in the background

Here's Jess and I in front of a Tigon, a cross between a tiger and a lion. These animals do not occur naturally, however they have some unique abilities, such as being able to roar like both a lion and a tiger! They are also larger cats than either the tiger or lion, meaning that if they did occur naturally, they would be the largest cats in the world.

This is a real tiger, which is found in the wild, but for how much longer depends upon the stupidity of mankind who continue to hunt and destroy the habitat of these magnificent animals. This guy must have been dreaming about the Hundred Acre Wood though, as his Tigger impersonation suggests.

Jess managed to locate some of her smaller cousins at the zoo, however they were sleeping so we could not get any photos. Some interesting facts about these little guys are that they are the only penguins found in Australia and that once they have found a partner, they mate for life.

I have no idea what kind of bird this is, but he was quite happy to pose for the camera. If anyone does know what kind of bird it is, please let me know.

This Red Panda is one of the cutest inhabitants of the zoo, based on this evidence. It must have been tiring climbing all the way up that tree, see he decided to have a nap while he was there. Thanks to Jess for a great Sunday afternoon at the zoo and for those of you who have never been out there, I suggest you go one day and have a look.

Have you seen this man?

2007-06-14T21:00:00.000+10:00

A couple of Fridays ago saw a crazy night at the Moose, with copious amounts of alcohol consumed and the odd spilt beverage. Ned Kelly made an appearance, however thankfully all the shooting was left for the pool table.

Here's Jess and Michelle at the Wig and Pen showing why they're the darlings of the camera. Although the drinks were rather pricey, it's not a bad place to sit down and have a chat over a pint.

I felt a little like Allan Border as Pinko tried his Merv Hughes impersonation downstairs at the Moose. I think the smile on my face says it all. Cheers for a top night guys.

Drinks with Jess and the Chemistry Crew

2007-05-22T10:34:00.000+10:00

On Saturday night I was lucky enough to be invited along to dinner and drinks out at Mary's and Jess' place. It was a top night with amazing food and conversation, with a little alcohol thrown in as a social lubricant.

Here's Jens and Zak hanging out at the focal point of any great get together, the kitchen. Jens made an irresistible chocolate cake for dessert and one piece was never enough. The mouth said yes but the waistline said no....My compliments to the chef.

Much of the lounge room conversation was focussed around music and Mary's CD and DVD collection, a nice little eclectic selection with some cracker albums. However, the presence of a Guy Sebastian number tainted it slightly.

Jess got back to her Tamworth country music roots with what appears to be an impromptu boot scoot. Always a good way to finish off a night. I'd just like to say a big thank you to Jess, Mary and Jens for all your hospitality and amazing cooking. Hope to see you again soon! P.S. Happy Birthday Jess.

Around the Labs

2007-05-22T10:08:00.000+10:00

For those out there that are wondering what the hell I do all day, here's a little sample of the Cooper lab over at BoZo.

As you can see, it's a well oiled machine over here with everything sorted alphabetically, or just dumped anywhere there is bench space. Both systems seem to work well, side by side.

My bench, seen here on the left, is a little less cluttered than the rest of the lab. This is where most of my evil plots to do unspeakable things to insects are hatched.

Meet Periplaneta americana, the fastest thing on six legs. Also known as the American cockroach, this little guy will eat pretty much anything. However, contrary to popular belief, these cockroaches are very clean animals and spend much of their time grooming themselves to cover their body with anti-bacterial peptides.

Missy Higgins @ AIS Arena

2007-05-14T15:02:00.000+10:00

Celeste and I went to see Missy Higgins on Saturday night in what turned out to be a fantastic concert. Although the pictures aren't that great when they're shown so small, here's a little look at what it was like.

Missy was supported by Triple J Unearthed winner Leroy Lee, seen here on his brand new guitar.

With love songs a plenty, the visuals added to the mood of the songs. She's not a bad guitarist either.

A big thank you to Celeste for inviting me along for a great night. With beers only available in cans, the bogan feel only added to what was already a real 'Carbon Neutral' Aussie concert with gum trees and all. Onya Missy.

It's been a while....

2007-05-02T10:59:00.000+10:00

Blogging has been slow of late, however I am endeavoring to be more consistent with updates and pictures as they come to hand.

ANZAC day was a fairly low key affair, however drinks were had to remember all the diggers and soldiers who gave their lives so that we could live ours in relative freedom. The Big Buck Hunter at Shooters was played to honor the fallen, and although they weren't the Turks, those bucks put up a game fight of their own.

Here's a photo of me emerging from one of the more 'classy' public establishments in the city. Not a flattering photo, but it'll do.

The Music Lives On

2007-04-05T13:26:00.000+10:00

Today is the 13th anniversary of the death of Kurt Cobain. Together with band members Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, Nirvana revolutionized the music world by pushing alternative rock or 'grunge' firmly into the mainstream limelight with their album 'Nevermind'.

Nirvana's brief existence came to an end in 1994 with the death of Kurt, however the band remained very popular and undoubtedly changed the lives of millions of people around the world, including mine. Miss you bud.

Another win for the Trout

2007-03-29T10:01:00.000+10:00

Wednesday night not only saw myself complete my 28th year on Earth, but also another fantastic performance from the Trout. Surpassing the 200 mark for the first time, all batters dined on the sometimes unorthodox bowling. Highlights included Anwar's half century with the bat, Chris' 6/-25 with the ball and Phil's spectacular acrobatics in the field. The catching by all the team was first class as well. Congrats team and well done.

Salmon Trout still swimming upstream...

2007-03-23T09:21:00.000+11:00

Wednesday night saw the first defeat suffered by the mighty Trout. Although we didn't get the desired result, I was impressed by the effort and commitment shown by all the team. We were blooding some new players, many of whom were only playing their first or second game. A little bit of experience will have these guys slogging sixes in no time. Well played team.

Here's Nate showing us how to work the ball to the leg side. Remember you get bonus runs for hitting the ball into the side nets, so aim for them. Anwar doesn't need to be reminded how to hit a six, clearly our biggest hitter.

Chris and Pinko carving up the bowling. These guys can really pile on the runs when they get going with some extravagant stroke play.

Steve and Steve complete the chemistry connection. I don't really understand the mechanism, but with a little more reaction time I think they'll generate a fine product.

A frustrated captain questions the umpires decision. It goes without saying that the umpire had a shocker and I was baffled by a number of decisions that night. However, it's all about enjoying yourselves so I hope everyone had a good time.

Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder

2007-03-22T19:05:00.000+11:00

Brew #3 is all mixed and underway. This one is a Cascade Pale Ale that I picked up at Coles. Should be a beauty.

Brew #2 was bottled on the 19th March, much to the delight of the Fellowship. This was a Coopers Real Ale, bought on good advice from experienced brewers. Cheers for lending us your bottle capper, Pinko.

These bottles have been earmarked for Brew #3, however a bit of soaking and scrubbing will need to be done before they're ready. Brew #1 is almost ready to drink. I've penciled in a "home brew unveiling" get together for sometime after easter, if people are keen.

House Warming

2007-02-25T21:40:00.000+11:00

Saturday saw the welcoming of Nate and I to the neighborhood. The locals (and imports) warmly rolled out the red carpet (well ok, it was wine) to make us feel right at home. Thanks to everyone who came along and made it a great night.

The Steve Irwin references, like the beer, flowed all night. Cheers Pinko!.

We managed to scrape some clothes together and stumble into Civic to finish the night at Transit Bar. There's no bald patch on this head of hair.

Posts coming soon!!!

2007-02-25T13:42:00.000+11:00

Watch this space