Grand Final

Today's the day. Last game of the season. Geelong Cats V Port Adelaide Power. I'm going for the Cats because they're a Victorian team. I'm closing the shop at 12 and then I'm off to a Grand Final party.
Sport in general is huge in this country, and in Melbourne particularly. Grand final day is always a big one, regardless of who's playing. Hopefully, next year it'll be the Saints!!

Favourites again

Favourites again - bit of an Icelandic theme this time., originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

Iceland features pretty heavily in this collection. From what I've seen on flickr it looks like the most fascinating place.

Friday Fill-in

Is on holiday this week. I'll have to find some other way to amuse myself.
Weather is awful, business worse. I'm bored with shelving books. Think I'll go play on flickr.

Burma - they are killing Buddhist monks!!!

Lifted this from Susan at EBC It's just a disgusting situation.
Buddhist monks have been leading protest marches in Burma against the military government's approach to human rights and democracy - ie., they don't allow either. Aung San Suu Kyi is still under house arrest despite being elected to lead a democratic government in 1990.
The monks leading this current protest are now being killed by police and military. At least two have been beaten to death and another shot. How many will be killed before this is over will probably never be known because.....

Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association are outraged by the measures adopted by the military junta to prevent journalists and activists covering the on-going crackdown on protests. Most of the country’s mobile phone lines have been cut and the Internet network has been drastically reduced. Charges by police and troops on demonstrators in Rangoon, especially near the Shwedagon pagoda, have left several dead, while dozens of people have been arrested and injured.

"The generals have not hesitated to use force to repress peaceful demonstrations widely reported in the international press," the two organisations said. "Knowing it is protected by China and the international community’s impotence, the junta has cut the country off from the rest of the world in order to better crush the nascent saffron revolution. We appeal to the international press to step up its coverage by trying to get journalists into the country so that this dramatic situation is not played out behind closed doors."

At 3 p.m. today, the military authorities disconnected most of the country’s mobile phone lines, preventing journalists and demonstrators from reporting on the crackdown launched by the security forces in the heart of Rangoon. Several journalists have been injured today, including Than Lwin Zaung Htet of the magazine The Voice.

The authorities have closed Internet cafés in Rangoon while the government-controlled Internet Service Provider, Bagan Cyber, reduced Internet traffic speed. It is getting harder and harder to send or receive photos and videos sent from Burma. Dozens of foreign journalists have been refused tourist visas by the Burmese embassy in Bangkok.

Burmese blogs, websites and Internet cafés have been closed for the past few days, while it is becoming increasingly difficult to call Burmese mobile phones from abroad, especially to Ba Maw, Mandalay and Myitkyina.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things I like beginning with V:

1. Vikings - always a great subject to teach. Young lads, especially, get sucked right in. "We come from the land of the ice and snow, From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow."
2. Valhalla - another Viking/Led Zep reference.
3. Valkyries - on a roll here.
4. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin - one of the great minds of the 20th century.
5. Venice - on my list of places to visit.
6. Vegetables - gotta have them.
7. Valar - perhaps Gandalf was one of them.
8. Vino - always up for a glass or two.
9. Valinor - home of the Valar.
10. Variety - always a good thing.
11. V3 - my motorola phone, currently up to no good on flickr.
12. Vincent - old British motorcycles. The Rolls Royce of bikes.
13. Violets - pretty flowers.
T13

Another picture combo

Trees from Warburton, sky from Boronia. :)

 

Yesterday...

I went back up to Warburton. Clare, Georgia and I walked up to La La Falls. It's a 45 minute walk UP the mountain. I didn't need the reminder of just how unfit I am!! At one point the track turned into a bog. I missed the rock and ended up like this!
The falls were fairly disappointing after all that. Just a trickle of water so the pics (on flickr) aren't all that exciting. Got some decent ones on the way back down, of tree ferns and such, which I'll post tomorrow. Saw a lyrebird which was exciting, but it ran off into the bush before I could get a pic. Rare to see them in the wild so I was quite happy to catch a glimpse.
My shoe:

 

Taya's birthday cake

1. The cake, complete with Freddo Frogs.
2. Taya making a wish. She wouldn't cut the cake herself 'cos she didn't want to have to kiss the nearest boy if the knife went right through. Too cute.

 
 

Phone went to a party, got lucky.

Let this be a lesson to you kiddies. Drink too much and who knows where you'll wake up.

 
 

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Singles :: doubles


2. Blaze :: fire


3. Sandwich :: cheese


4. Outside :: inside


5. Gooey :: sticky


6. Industry :: heavy


7. Exclusive :: mutually


8. Warranty :: guarantee


9. Magical :: Mystery Tour


10. Heels :: ankles

from here

Combining pics

Programme called Photomatix that I was put on to in flickr. Could be fun!

 

Robert Jordan

died last week. He'd been ill for many years with some strange blood disease, I think. I've been hooked on the Wheel of Time series since I started reading it in 1990. The series is not finished with the last book still to come. I hope there's someone in his organisation able to finish it. Sad news.

Saturday Photo Hunt

This week's photo hunt theme is 'paper'. Too easy. Here's some paper.

 
 
 
 

Happy Birthday Taya

6 today. (I think it's 6, hope so.)

 

Birthday/Wikipedia meme

(Not that I think Wikipedia is all that reliable.)

Seen at Diane's
Search your birthdate (excluding the year) on Wikipedia and list 3 events, 2 births and 1 holiday.
Here's mine for 24/4:
Events:
1. 1184BC - The Greeks enter Troy using the Trojan Horse (tho' I suspect the actual day this happened is speculative.)
2. 1916 - Beginning of the Easter Rising in Ireland
3. 1990 - Gruinard Island, Scotland, is officially declared free of anthrax after 48 years of quarantine.
Births:
1. 1934 - Shirley Maclaine
2. 1957 - Boris Williams, drummer for The Cure 1984-93 (Yeah!)
Holiday: (and there's a whole three to choose from)
1. Australia - Kapyong Day. A day of remembrance for Korean War veterans, named after the Battle of Kapyong in 1951. (I've never heard of this day.)

Friday Fill-in

1. I think therefore I am.
2. I desire a stress free environment.
3. What if women ruled the world.
4. The best thing about my job is the endless supply of free books.
5. When will I get a photo on Explore? Hahaha.
6. The best thing that happened to me so far this week going out to Warburton and spending the day with Clare and Georgia.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a quiet night, tomorrow my plans include a family dinner for Taya's birthday and Sunday, I want to have a successful day!
from The Snapery

Thursday Thirteen

Things I like beginning with U:

1. Upper Yarra Valley - where I was on Tuesday, great area for photography.
2. Upside of Anger - Kevin film that I quite like.
3. Underhill - pseudonym of Frodo when he was on the road to Bree.
4. Untitled - the last track on Disintegration. Hauntingly beautiful.
5. Us and Them - a favourite Pink Floyd track, from Dark Side of the Moon.
6. U2 - but only in their early days. Very little since The Joshua Tree has excited me.
7. Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division. Great band, great album.
8. UV filter - good for lens protection.
9. Unstuck, Doing the - another Cure track, from the Wish album. "Let's get happy!"
10. Up - it's so much better to be up than down.
11. Ultima - Underworld, The Black Gate, Serpent Isle, etc. Old, huge RPG computer games that are still my favourites.
12. Ummagumma - Pink Floyd album from way back (1969?). Has that excellently named track: Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict.
13. Ummm - handy little word when you can't think of anything else!
T13

I think I've taken some okay photographs!

Warburton, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

This is the creek in the forest opposite sister Clare's house in Warburton. All long exposure shots a) because I like them and b) because the light wasn't good enough to do anything else. I'm really happy with this set of pics. :)

Cap'n Jack

You are The Cap'n!

Some men and women are born great, some achieve greatness and some slit the throats of any scalawag who stands between them and unlimited power. You never met a man - or woman - you couldn't eviscerate. You are the definitive Man of Action, the CEO of the Seven Seas, Lee Iacocca in a blousy shirt and drawstring-fly pants. You’re mission-oriented, and if anyone gets in the way, that’s his problem, now isn’t? Your buckle was swashed long ago and you have never been so sure of anything as your ability to bend everyone to your will. You will call anyone out and cut off his head if he shows any sign of taking you on or backing down. If one of your lieutenants shows an overly developed sense of ambition he may find more suitable accommodations in Davy Jones' locker. That is, of course, IF you notice him. You tend to be self absorbed - a weakness that may keep you from seeing enemies where they are and imagining them where they are not.




What's Yer Inner Pirate?
brought to you by The Official Talk Like A Pirate Web Site. Arrrrr!

Seen at Shirl's

Yesterday...

Went out to Warburton to visit Clare and Georgia. We were going to go up to La La Falls but Clare had an appointment and so that got canned till next week. We did go down to the river for a stroll though. I fell flat on my back along the riverbank while trying to get to a good place to take photographs. The camera wasn't hurt thankfully but I spent the rest of the day with a muddy bum.
Georgia took me into the forest across from their place - got lots of good long exposure shots of the creek in there. Look out for them on flickr. :) I'm trying desperately to not post them all at once!!
This is a HDR version of one of the shots from the forest.

 

More flickr

I posted this for yesterday's 365 days project. Then when I checked other pics in the group I found that Diane had posted this.

Doo do doo do

Flickr family

Georgia has opened a flickr account - just a few photos from the Africa trip so far. Drop in and leave a comment in you feel so inclined. :)
(Hopefully this won't be like her blog and fizzle out after a few weeks!)

365 days reject

He just didn't look comfortable.

 

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Rita :: lovely Rita, meter maid...


2. Comedy :: British


3. Polar :: north and south


4. Idiots :: politicians


5. Perception :: the doors of


6. Infected :: nasty


7. Fake :: false


8. Relating :: empathy


9. Distraction :: blog


10. Gamble :: lose

from here

Lunch

Hamburger with the lot, no lettuce, bbq sauce. Yummo!
Couldn't put me in the pic Shirl - need two hands to eat one of these.

 
 
 

Another meme

Swiped from The Snapery

01. If you could have super powers what would they be and what would you do with them? (Please feel free to be selfish, you do not have to save the world!).
I think the ability to fly would be pretty good. Imagine all the nifty photos you could take.

02. Were you to find yourself stranded on an island with a CD player...it could happen...what would your top 10 bloggers island discs be?
Disintegration - The Cure; Led Zeppelin Remastered box set; Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd; Live Seeds - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds; Floodland - Sisters of Mercy; Decade - Neil Young; Faith (Deluxe edition) - The Cure; Substance - Joy Division; Substance - New Order; Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (Deluxe edition) - The Cure.

03. If you were a smell what would it be?
Jasmine

04. What bird would you most like to be?
A Lyrebird - not because they're reclusive and hide in the shadows but because they are wonderful mimics. I'd be able to sing any song in the world and sound good doing it!

05. If you were a bird who's head would you poo on?
John Howard

06. Are there any foods that your body craves?
Occasionally, but it's always something different. This week I had a bit of a craving for fettucine carbonara, so I made some last night. Yum.

07. What's your favourite time of year?
Spring - new growth, wonderful scents in the garden, days are getting longer and warmer (well, in theory anyway), promise of better times to come.

08. What's your favourite time of day?
I don't really have one - good things can happen at any time.

09. If a rest is as good as a change which would you choose?
Change, definitely.

10. If you could have a dinner party and invite any 5 people from the past or present who would they be? (Living or deceased.)
Kevin Costner, John Lennon, Neil Young, Robert Smith, Jimmy Page. There'd be only one topic of conversation - music!

Tag yourself if you feel like playing along.

For Shirl

A real hamburger.
The chips and coke are optional. :)

Saturday Photo Hunt

The Photo Hunt theme for today is "plastic".
So here's some plastic - video plugs, street light cover, pickguard and water tank.

 
 
 
 

Raining this morning.

Cherry blossom, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

Day 1

One phone/365 days. Day 1, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

Don't worry, I'm not going to post a pic of the phone here every day. But I thought I'd at least do Day 1.

Friday Fill-in

1. Chips or chocolate? Neither really, but if that's the choice - chocolate.
2. Pickles on your hamburger? That'd be a Maccas abomination of a hamburger. Real hamburgers don't have pickles.
3. Baked potato: with everything or sour cream and maybe a touch of sweet chilli sauce.
4. The perfect meal is one that someone else has cooked.
5. Martinis, wine, beer or anything, all of the above (except the beer, ugh).
6. Your favorite pirate is (technically not food, but still yummy)that'd be Captain Jack. No contest..
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to not much at all, maybe a bit of footy on TV, tomorrow my plans include work and the Tav and Sunday, I want to do absolutely nothing but I know I'll have to work!

via The Snapery

Not having much luck...

First I did the wrong theme. Then the pics in Take 2 disappeared, so I've deleted that post. What does today have in store for me, I wonder?

Change of subject:
I found this nifty group on flickr - one object/365 days. It's like the self-portrait group except you can pick any object to photograph. It has to be the same object each day though. This suits me as I hate having my picture taken and would never join a self-portait group. So I've decided to use my phone as the object. It rarely gets used so it might as well do something useful. :)

Create a Connection

The theme this week is "beauty" so I thought I'd go with some shots which show off the beauty of Australia.
1. The 12 Apostles - Great Ocean Road, Victoria.
2. Tallow Beach - Pacific Ocean, NSW.
3. Byron Bay - NSW
4. Warburton - the Yarra Valley, Vic.

 
 
 
 

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things I like beginning with T:

1. Toyota - specifically my Toyota Corolla. Nearly a year old now.
2. Tolkien, JRR - the author of my most favourite book ever, The Lord of the Rings.
3. Tennis - I'm not playing this season due to team members who never turn up. I kinda miss it.
4. Travel - love to travel. So looking forward to 2010.
5. Taglietelle - especially with the Carbonara recipe I got from The Cook and the Chef TV show. Yummo!
6. Tardis - I'd love to have a time machine and just potter about the universe.
7. Television - I'm not a huge TV watcher but there are some shows that I like.
8. Taya - niece #3. She's such a cutie.
9. Taking photographs - I'm addicted.
10. Ten Years Gone - one of my fave Led Zep tracks. On the Physical Graffiti album.
11. Tandoori chicken - love Indian food, especially tandoori dishes.
12. The Tav - more specifically The Oak Tree Tavern, the local watering hole.
13. Triple R - www.rrr.org.au Unless you listen you won't believe how good this radio station is. Diversity in the face of conformity.
T13

US Open

Roger Federer has just won his fourth straight US Open title. Saw the first two sets on TV before I left for work. That man is just a genius with a tennis racquet.

I'm quite happy with this

Magnolia again, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

Close-up kit (pretend macro) works okay I think.

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Dork :: me


2. Refurbished :: furniture


3. Basket :: case


4. Mousse :: chocolate


5. Studio :: recording


6. 8 ball :: pool


7. Masking tape :: spray painting


8. Love :: missing in action


9. Wilder :: feral


10. Lindsey :: Davenport

from here

Saturday Photo Hunt - Music

I guess you know what's coming....

 
 
 
 

PhotoHunt">Photo Hunt

Create a Connection

Via The Snapery
The theme is Autumn - that means red leaves, on the trees, on the ground.