If you read this drivel packed blog often enough, you will see that I have myself a possibly healthy dislike for a lot of things in life...
Today I am adding another one to the list...A list that includes, but is in no way restricted to, women with oversize prams, bad drivers, breeders, my family, my girlfriend, my girlfriends family, people who say they have 'mondayitis', drunks, bigots, Adelaide (including people, drivers and attitude of the place), breakfast radio, old school pals who think I give a damn what they've been doing the last 13 years, animal cruelty, carnies, the local truck stop AKA the drop off point at local primary school, skateboard punks, 14 year old girls dressing up like 25 year old hookers, 25 year old guys chasing aforementioned 14 year old girls, Kochie and Mel, dwarves presenting the weather (see Denyer, G.), 'hard hitting current affairs' shows, ignorant twats that listen to everything that comes out of aforementioned hard hitting current affairs shows, strangers who think they should strike up conversations on public transport and last but in no way least Darryl Somers.
Todays new entry is couples at the gym.
As with all rules, there are exceptions...being someone who seems to spend a lot of time in gyms (1 part narcissist, 2 parts self hatred), I have seen 3 couples that can function well with each of them in there....as mentioned, they are exceptions.
Now I am all for people improving their fitness and what not, and if it ultimately means less people are keeling over with heart attacks and diabetes, then I am even more all for it...however, there is a time and a place for everything, and in my opinion, the gym is one place where you really don't need to be groping each other, or scurrying over the to the treadmill in between each set to make sure the little woman is doing ok and give her a big kiss.
You see, at my gym in particular, a majority of the clientele is male, and a large majority of that are the types of guys that consider using the left hand as picking up. Displays of public affection (which I must admit, do make me want to kill more than usual) only make these poor chaps feel even more inadequate, which leads to frustration, then quite possibly tears. Also, if you are like the guy in the gym today who made a point of giving the daggers to any guy that dared look at his 'woman' who was plodding away on the stepper, you had best be able to back that up...and seriously, the amount of cocksure young lads who figured that with their gal by their side, they could do anything, that have been knocked off their perch by sexually frustrated, steroid fuelled, back acne covered stay ins, is pretty high.
So for God sake, if you must go to the gym at the same time...leave your hand holding and nose rubbing for elsewhere, cause the majority of us, really don't need to see it...
One good thing however, no one humming along to Aqua or 'My Humps' this week...thank God for small mercies.
Have had holidays from uni this week, and this week coming up, so as a result I haven't been out much as I have been trying in vain to do assignments from home. I've never been the worlds best studier, in fact I would have to be in the bottom 10% of the pack. I guess I am easily distracted and always seem to find something else to do...
A standard day for me in the last week has been :
get up around 8-9: have breakfast, talk to the dog. 9ish: go on the computer with intentions of doing work. 9ish and a bit: check emails, laugh, begin email conversations. 10: See above. Perhaps do some work in between trying to make witty remarks. 12: Have lunch, so well deserved. Watch Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (side note, came across a show once called 'Straight Plan for the Gay man." was pure gold. Needless to say, has never been seen since.) 1: Maybe go back to computer for a while, continue email conversations. Perhaps research some things further. 2: Go to the gym 3: Come home. maybe check email again. 4: Walk the dog 5: get back and start thinking about cooking. 6-9 Warden gets home from work. Hear all about how her day sucks, count down minutes till she falls asleep on couch so I can have some peace. 9: Put her to bed. Start either watching Scrubs or play X Box. 1am: go to bed...
And the cycle continues.,..I really need to get out more!
This number is based on a scientific formula that compares how many questions you answered correctly on the Classic IQ Test relative to others. Your Intellectual Type is Word Warrior. This means you have exceptional verbal skills. You can easily make sense of complex issues and take an unusually creative approach to solving problems. Your strengths also make you a visionary. Even without trying you're able to come up with lots of new and creative ideas. And that's just a small part of what we know about you from your test results. [/B]
I also readt on mensa's website that they take you if you get anywhere between 130 and 132, depending on the test taken. So armed with that knowledge, I can safely say I have a reasonably high IQ...
Which makes me mad at myself for never applying myself to anything more than I have to so I can get a satisfactory result, when I know deep down if I just spent a little bit of time on something, I would do so much better. Why push myself to do better when gliding through will do?? In high school for instance, and this no lie, I got a year 12 score of 75 out of 100 by doing less than one hours homework a week and being away for large chunks of it. When I was there, I averaged one class a day I wouldn't show up to also, so you could say I lacked dedication.
Even now, as a supposed mature age student, I do a fraction of the extra work I should, yet still manage to get credits for everything I hand up and even for exams where I may read over the notes a couple of times the night before. Surely if I actually applied myself, I could be doing a hell of a lot better...but that would require effort, and that is something I seem to holding on till I actually want to use it....damn me
the terrorists have won...at least in this country....and the government could not be happier.
What has been created by 9/11, the Bali bombings, London bombings et al, is a culture of fear. People are now more than ever suspicious of their foreign neighbours, even if they have lived next door for 10 years. They are scared of foreign travel, some are concerned about going on public transport...essentially we have become a society forever lookingover our shoulders and jumping at shadows. Agreed, the terrorist threat is there, and is frightening, but it has always been there in one way or another, just before it never actually affected the psyche of the nation so much.
Middle Australia, where the river of racism has always been just below the surface anyways, now feels somewhat justified in its long held attitudes and the current climate makes me believe that if One Nation came back now, they would make a massive mark in all states, not just Queensland. The fact I am thinking this does not bode well for Australia as a society.
In a country built on multiculturism (second only to the US), current attitudes are threatening to put us back to the 1940's. And the current government is rubbing its hands together (as would Labour if they had a clue or any policy.). Whichever party was in power in 2001 must have seen the writing on the wall that they could ride this fear thing for years and not get voted out. How else could a government get voted back in with IR reforms that it has implemented? The only way this happened is cause of the culture of fear that has been created, and the flames of which have been fanned furiously by John Howard and the Liberals. A society in fear will stay with what it knows...a society in fear will be subserviant...a society in fear will line up to join the war (maybe not according to recruiting figures) and the women will all work in munitions factories and bang American sailors on R&R....a society in fear will not want change at the top, it craves stability and don't think for a second that both major parties aren't well aware of that fact.
don't get me wrong, Its not like I am a radical or anything, I am by all appearances a pretty standard 30 year old white guy, but....
I seem to have this need to go against the common opinion on almost everything...I would have been an outstanding debator for causes that no one wants to touch. I guess I can always see both sides of the story and feel I should become an advocate for the unpopular or unheard side more often than not...honestly, it shits me from time to time as it just makes me frustrated with people around me and their stupidity and narrow mindedness.
But what kills me the most is that I live in Adelaide, which is as much of an AFL town as you could possibly find, yet I honestly could not care less about the game or any of the teams in it. It is almost like living in Vatican city and being Muslim...it seems that the great conversation starter in Adelaide is "So you a Crows (Adelaide) or Power(Port Adelaide) man?" When I reply none of the above or any other team for that matter, I normally get a look of bewilderment mixed with disgust. Not having an AFL team here is almost like admitting you beat your kids (I would say wife, but that is more common than you think down here). Admittedly there was a time I kind of connected with the Crows a bit, when I lived a couple of thousand kilometres away and had forgotten about the narrow mindedness of the town.
I guess having been a rugby player as a kid didn't help my cause here, but what made it even more glaring to me was being out one night years ago with a few friends, when a couple of blokes started hanging shit on one of my friends, who was a small guy with glasses, AKA easy mark. Of course, me being the patron saint of hopeless causes, I tell these guys to fuck off, to which of course one of them does the chest bump thing to me, to which of course my response was to belt him and try and bite his mates nose off (not quite, but you get the idea). Long story short, bouncers come and kick me out (probably not entirely the wrong call), but let the two who started this stay around. Wasn't until the next day I found out that they were both Crows players at the time AKA protected species...since that day, my dislike has grown like a weed.
I seriously need to get out of this town.
Side note, when in New Zealand earlier this year, I fit right in...something in that perhaps.
Am working with one of the 5 most annoying people I have ever known today...
I have had a variety of jobs over the years and can honestly say that as much as I have had the pleasure of working with some bang up individual, I have also worked with my fair share of tools. It started with a guy I use to train in a gym back in 94...I see him every now and then these days washing cars in car lots. He may well have been slightly retarded so it is harsh to call him names, but regardless, he was a tool. In the Army, I worked with an inordinate amount of tools...indeed, I was somewhat of a fish out of water from time to time there. Since then, I have come across jobs where they are in lower concentration, but due to this, they stand out like sore thumbs.
One chap like this is Gordon.
Gordon is probably mid 30's, could be younger I guess, but is hard to know. He is reasonably tall, around 10kg overweight I would guess (not good weight though...he is skinny fat, meaning he has skinny arms and no ass, but a big gut). Every conversation he has can come down to one of three categories. 1. Computer crap 2. Stories from his past as a petrol station attendant and 3. Unwitty double entendre filled stories. Don't get me wrong, I can spin shit with the best of them and can be as sexually disgusting as the next guy, but I draw a line and know when it is appropriate for the conversation...anything topic is ok if in the right context. This ass hat knows none of that...
And to top it all off, he has no doubt the most annoying laugh I have ever heard...hard to explain, but it is high pitched and constant (he laughs at his own material) and makes me want to throttle his over bloated head till fluid comes out his ears...
And yes, he is here till I leave tonight...time to put the earphones back in and pretend not to hear him.
I've been here since 9.30am today and I can honestly say I have done nothing worthwhile apart from email folks and watch Scrubs episodes (I also watched Two for the Money...Al Pacino, Matthew Machoweveryouspellit and Rene Russo...not bad, about sports betting, being true to yourself and power in relationships...ok film, but you can almost see the parts where the directors etc figured "Shit, we have Al Pacino on board...best give him some monologues...even if they don't necessarily add anything to the movie."). The smell in the roof here is back and I am starting to figure it is due to workmates who have recently left the company unexpectantly...I don't think they have moved to greener pastures as their farewell emails suggested...rather darker and stinkier pastures, AKA the ceiling of the building.
Anyways, on with the ramblings...
1. As of now, I have two weeks off of uni...and to be honest this has come at a really good time for me. Motivation has dropped off the last week or so and I have missed more and more of it...have found myself asking "Why?" more and more often, which for me is never a good sign. The gap between myself and the 19-20 year olds there is becoming more pronounced also...not that I am one of those 30 year olds who looks down his nose at younger folks, but after a while it can all get a little tiresome. Hopefully in the next two weeks I can knock some assignments over and get some enthusiasm back.
2. Before work today, I took the dog for a walk and the gf decided to come along. For some reason I can't explain, the whole walk I could picture myself turning toward her and smacking her right in the mouth...sure she was talking inanely away, but nothing new there...honestly she was in a decent mood and everything, but for some reason, I just wanted to swing for the fences...thankfully, I don't play like that.
3. Quick question...if your partner called you at say 5.30pm one night and said they would be working late and perhaps getting something to eat afterwards with a new colleague, then they get home after 12, on a work night where they ordinarily are in bed by 8.30 snoring their head off, in pretty good spirits, but not saying much about the night...would you be concerned??
I ask cause this happened at my place a couple of nights ago. I didn't mind, indeed it was kinda refreshing to have a night of peace and quiet. I told a mate of mine and he suggested I should be concerned...my response was "I couldn't be that lucky"...is that a bad sign??
1. After just having a shower, where I do some of my best thinking, I realised that I have 3 caps, one bucket type hat, one wide brimmed hat, 3 beanies and one balaklava. This is because I am lazy and rarely brush my hair or indeed get it cut. My last haircut was done by myself, with clippers and I gave myself a very shaky mohawk...my defence is I was bored and needed a trim anyway. It is rare for me not to be wearing a hat of some type (which although is pretty stupid, is at least somewhat sun smart, and as I am lucky enough to able to wear trackies and t shirts day in day out, not so impractical), which gives me mild anxiety cause there will no doubt come a time where I need to go sans hat for some reason...what will I do? I bought some hair product over 2 years ago...I just checked the tub, is 7/8ths full still. I have no idea and probably need a stylist. I am a prime canidate for a Queer eye makeover.
2. Boredom has lead me to do some silly things in the past and continues to do so to this day (reference my haircut). Thankfully, God invented DVD's and TV series on DVD...if not for the ability to watch 24 episodes of Scrubs in a 2 day span, I don't know what I would do.
3. After watching Foreign Correspondent last night, I just may run away to Borneo to help out at an Orangutan orphanage. Due to massive amounts of their native habitat being cleared for palm oil plantations (never buy this stuff people...fucken evil), the orangutans are left homeless and although there is still large areas left, they are somewhat territorial and wish to return to their original places...they don't understand why the trees are gone. Add to that rich wankers who think that an orangutan would be a cool pet who pay big bucks so pricks can go and steal babies from their mothers, only so the rich tool can have a baby one, that inside a couple of years is an adolescent and is way stronger than any human around, therefore is discarded as is uncontrollable (no shit, they aren't domesticated). Orangutans can live to around 50 years old...seriously, who needs a pet that lives that long. Let them run free in their own land for Christ sake.
Why as a race we seem to have a death wish for this planet and all living things on it is way beyond me.
For the first time in months I had an actual day off without anything work or uni related....crazy and to be honest, somewhat weird. However I did go to the movies and see United 93, cause you know it is almost 5 years since 9/11 and we all became scared and more suspicious of difference.
My review will be in lazy journalist style, with a good section and bad section, and an overview at the end which will end up nothing like a film review.
The Good: Pretty amazing story and a seemingly realistic recreation of how it must have been on the plane and in the control rooms around America. Obviously 9/11 was a huge moment in modern history and has pretty much shaped the way a lot of our lives have continued since. The subject matter is handled pretty well and is filmed in a kind of frantic way which adds to the 'realism'
The Bad: As far as a movie goes, is hard to find much bad, although there really needs to be some mentioned made that a lot of the actions of the passengers in the taking back of the cockpit part are extremely speculative and can at best be pieced together by the recollections of phone calls made from the plane to loved ones. I don't doubt that there was some effort made to fight back, but what actually happened will never be known.
Overall: Not bad, I give it 3 out of 5 however I think there is a bigger picture behind all of this.
The western world is currently living through some testing times, definitely, but the this is harldy helped by the culture of fear that has been encouraged by the governments and the general media of these countries. I'm not a religious person at all, but I am open to everyone having their own choice. Does religion kill people? No, but extremists do, and every religion has its extremists...however we hardly ever hear about it unless those folks do something weird like wear a rag on their heads or pray 5 times a day. Personally, I have known a stack of Muslims, and they are no more violent than a majority if Christians I have met. Obviously there is an element of Islam that is driven to try and makes it point by any means necessary, but this is hardly a new thing...Christians have been doing it for years also.
Ultimately, I guess a society in fear is a society that can be managed easily...just as Governments like it. In the 50's it was Communism, now it is Muslims. At no other time would the general public be so flippant about the handling of refugees, or would the Cronulla riots actually gain support by some sections of the media (seen as good, solid white Australians fighting back against the evil swarthy middle easterners). For a country that has gained so much from multiculturism, we are proving to be not much more than bigoted rednecks and a step above buring crosses
Flinders ranges camp. Walked too much for my liking. Go again next month :(
3 days, 22 kilometres. Saw as far as my eyes could from 700 metres up. Saw endangered animals. Feet and calves are sore. Hips feel like I need them replaced. I hear they can do marvellous things with carbon fibre these days... My dog missed me a lot...not sure about the gf though! Now have 3 assignments due in the next week or so, which I need to start shortly. Good times.
Should have taken a camera for some pics, however knowing how far we were going, figured the lighter I packed the better.
Now listen, even though I am in the best shape of my life -- and I am, by the way...I mean, fact of the matter is you could pretty much bounce a damn quarter off my butt, you know, if you...if you wanted to.
