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.

 
 
 
 

Hilarious....

Sham Motorcade Passes by APEC Security
September 6, 2007 - 7:14am

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Members of an Australian TV comedy show, one dressed as Osama bin Laden, drove through two security checkpoints Thursday before being stopped near the Sydney hotel where President Bush is staying.
The stunt embarrassed Sydney police who have imposed the tightest security measures in city history for a summit of leaders from Pacific Rim countries, including Bush.
Police arrested 11 cast and crew from the TV program, "The Chaser's War on Everything," and impounded three vehicles, the Australian Broadcasting Corp., which airs the show, said on its Web site.
Cast members put together a sham motorcade, hiring two motorcycles and three large cars on which they put Canadian flags. Police waved the motorcade through two checkpoints before pulling it over near the Intercontinental Hotel where Bush is staying.
Cast member Chas Licciardello got out of the car dressed in a white tunic and cap and wearing a long fake Osama bin Laden-style beard.
"No particular reason we chose Canada," cast member Chris Taylor was quoted as saying on The Sydney Morning Herald's Web site. "We just thought they'd be a country who the cops wouldn't scrutinize too closely, and who feasibly would only have three cars in their motorcade _ as opposed to the 20 or so gas guzzlers that Bush has brought with him."
Bush is a frequent target of "the Chaser," as are Australian politicians. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the stunt proved security was working.
"Whatever you think of the humor of 'the Chaser,' the honest truth is they were clearly not going to harm anybody in a physical way," Downer said. "They presumably were, as is the nature of their show, aiming to humiliate a lot of well-known people."

(The Chaser is THE best show on TV. No fear, no shame, no bias - they'll target anyone as an object of satire.)
And thanks to Susan for reminding me about the story.

Friday Fill-in

1. I admire lots of people.
2. I crave nicotine.
3. I dislike conformity.
4. I enjoy music, reading, conversation, lots of stuff.
5. I wonder why?
6. I want to be rich!.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to having the house to myself, tomorrow my plans include work, Tav, nothing special and Sunday, I want to have a reason to smile!

From Madame Snape

What book are you?

You're To Kill a Mockingbird!

by Harper Lee

Perceived as a revolutionary and groundbreaking person, you have
changed the minds of many people. While questioning the authority around you, you've
also taken a significant amount of flack. But you've had the admirable guts to
persevere. There's a weird guy in the neighborhood using dubious means to protect you,
but you're pretty sure it's worth it in the end. In the end, it remains unclear to you
whether finches and mockingbirds get along in real life.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Pinched from Shirl's.

T13 update

Cos I left out Shirl. So bad of me.

Not really sure what to say

I found out this afternoon that a friend, not a close friend but a friend nonetheless, was found dead last night. Don't know how or why - possibly a heart attack. Mid-30s. At one stage she was going to come with me when I did my long-service trip back in '05. Circumstances conspired against her and she didn't make the trip. We've caught up a few times since for a drink or two and a natter. Now I'm thinking I should have made more of an effort to catch up more frequently.
I'm not sure why I'm even writing this. I'm feeling kinda numb more than anything. I suppose I just don't expect to hear that people younger than me have shuffled off this mortal coil.
Sleep well Trace.

If they blog it, he will come

and he did.
Here
Cool.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things I like beginning with S:

1. Smith, Robert - and I don't care if you're all sick of hearing about him. :)
2. Sunshine - starting to get a few more sunny days now. Just makes the place look so much more inviting.
3. Sex - I think I remember it being pretty good.
4. St Kilda FC - disgustingly underachieved this year. But there's always next year.
5. Sisters - got two; one went to Africa, the other one came from Mars.
6. Scotch - don't mind a drop every now and then. Blended or single malt, I'm not fussy.
7. Socialism - as it's meant to be with everyone working for the common good, not the totalitarian travesties that pass for socialism in some places.
8. Silk - probably my favourite fabric. Not that I have much silk stuff.
9. Surfing the 'net - something I do too much, but it can be fun.
10. Scenery - out on the open road, along the coast, up in the hills, wherever the people aren't.
11. Snapping photographs - I think I'm addicted to my camera.
12. Songs - not just Cure songs. :) There are so many great tunes out there. Thankfully. I think I'd go mad if there weren't.
13. Silliness - everyone needs a bit of silliness in their lives.
T13

A visit...

And very pleasant it was too. :) Nothing much to report really - we just chatted for 3 or 4 hours, in between me serving customers. Susan was very gracious and even bought a book or two. I quite like having visitors - who's next????

 
 

Creek at Monbulk

Creek at Monbulk, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

Yesterday I went up to Monbulk to try out some long exposure water shots. There's a guy in Tassie who produces some beautiful pics and I wanted to have a go. These aren't spectacular or anything but I'm quite happy with the results. Not bad for a first try I thought.

Today.....

The Shrub is in Sydney for the Apec meeting. Any school kids who go to the protest will be charged with truancy. Hahaha, kids are truant all the time and they never ever do a bloody thing about it. Just another attempt to scare people off and stifle free speech.

Equine influenza broke out in Sydney a week or two ago. Horses across the country are not allowed to be moved. The Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival is in grave danger of being cancelled. The Melbourne Cup is a huge event here - it'd be disastrous if it didn't go ahead. Ironically, the flu originated from a horse at the Sydney quarantine centre.

And more Sydney stuff - Susan is not Skiing in Bolivia today. As I type she should be getting on a train to Boronia to visit my little bookshop.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

What Julie Means

J is for Joyful U is for Unusual L is for Likeable I is for Important E is for Elegant

What Does Your Name Mean?

Elegant hahahahahahahahaha

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Scrabble :: triple word score


2. NyQuil :: huh?


3. Roadtrip :: wish I was on one


4. Idiot :: politician


5. Bandages :: injury


6. Series :: final


7. Summer :: is December, January, February


8. Prompt :: quick


9. September :: Spring


10. Chicken :: chook

from here

Inside the lily

Inside the lily, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

Testing out the close-up kit - pretend macro lens. I quite like this. :)

Happy Father's Day

Hug a dad today. :)

Photo Hunt

PhotoHunt
This week's theme is "dirty". Madame Snape has gone with her take on the theme. Here's mine:
1. Rubbish bins
2. Dirty washing basket
3. Nothing makes a place look dirty like rubbish strewn everywhere.
4. I am so dirty on this team for NOT making the finals!

 
 
 
 

All over red rover

Adelaide won last night. I knew I hated Collingwood! No chance for the Saints to make the finals now. :( :( :(

And on a completely different theme: As of today I'm now using Firefox as a browser instead of IE. It already knows who I am so no more endless signing in on blogger - that's obviously an IE problem, not a blogger one. Doesn't look that much different to IE - hopefully it'll work a whole lot better. Only one way to find out....

And thirdly: First day of Spring today - not very warm but the sky is blue. :)

Friday fill in

1. The last time someone flirted with me was Wednesday night at the Tav. Silly old drunk!
2. I am SO glad that weather's getting better.
3. Where in the world is the pot at the end of the rainbow.
4. Long weekends are a thing of the past.
5. Coming up next: Father's Day.
6. I adore Robert Smith. (Well, his music anyway)
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Adelaide losing, tomorrow my plans include the Saints winning and Sunday, I want to celebrate or drown my sorrows. And probably go and see Dad!

from Janet

New chooks

New chook, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

Four brown ones, four black ones and one white one. We should get some eggs out of that lot. The rabbit is trying to assert itself as a co-resident but the chooks aren't convinced yet.

It's crunch time

Last round of the season. Collingwood must beat Adelaide tonight and the Saints must beat Richmond tomorrow if they're to make the finals.
Gawd, I'm going to have to barrack for Collingwood tonight. I hate them with a passion.

(Note to US types: barrack for = root for in your language. Root has a whole different meaning here.)

And I'll just add that it's the last day of winter here and it's not going out without a bang! Cold, wet, windy, grey. *sigh*