Sunday, August 31, 2008

Diet Coke and Mentos... IN SPACE!!!!!!

(Ok, not really. But its kinda close.)

Never underestimate the lengths to which a true nerd will go to make a gag on YouTube...

Friday, August 29, 2008

Shift + i

Someone actually wrote this down as an excuse for not making a correction from 1 to the equivalent Roman numeral and faxed it to us as work:
'...we cannot correct the approval letter as requested as our keyboard does not have Roman numerals.'

Yes - they'd be the people looking out for public safety then....

Update: so the poor guy who got the fax called them up & explained how to get a Roman numeral (with a straight face). Half an hour passes....

The folks who couldn't figure out the Roman numerals now call back and claim that their computer must be different to ours because they can't get the little strokes at the top & bottom of the I! My guy chokes, splutters and then explains how to change from Ariel to Times New Roman font in a Word document.

I think my poor staff member needs an award for keeping it professional in the face of monumental stupidity.... Vodka should do nicely.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

wanna buy a house?

This one looks good.


Was flicking through the local paper and notice that the street name was a bit familiar....

Almost, but not quite, completely unlike me...

I have taken up Laura's challenge and made a Manga cartoon of myself. To paraphrase Douglas Adams, it is almost, but not quite, completely unlike me. For a start I couldn't find the bit where you attach the children hanging off you. The background is waaaayyyyy too tidy. I'm not looking tired or stressed, and the eye colour is a bit wrong. And my shoulders aren't that narrow, or my bustline that perky. But still, it gives me something to put on my profile.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

I hate to say "I told you so."

Wait, no I don't.
I FRICKEN TOLD YOU SO!!

Oh, surprise surprise, sports and club services are down, and student support is sadly lacking. Oh Em Gee, what ever are we to do?!

Hold the phone, I've got a great idea -

Let's introduce a fee system for students to fund the non-academic aspects of student life. What? No, of course this isn't a reintroduction of compulsory union fees. No one mention the 'U' word! *face palm*


http://news.smh.com.au/national/govt-says-no-to-compulsory-fees-plan-20080821-3z0o.html

The Rudd government has rejected reports it is considering reintroducing compulsory fees for university students.
... But reintroducing compulsory union fees was not being considered, [Julia Gillard] said.

So they're not going to simply reverse the decision of the previous govt. Of course not, cos we don't mention the 'U' word these days.
So let's see how it is worded:

Reports suggested the government was set to reintroduce compulsory fees for university students to reverse a decline in sporting and social services on campuses.

That's what the Union did, wasn't it?

An announcement was due next month with an "opt-out" system to replace voluntary student unionism with students able to choose which services their fees were spent on and whether they wanted to belong to the student union, Fairfax reported.

Oh!! So totally different, then.
Wow, what a notion! You can avoid being in the union by choosing to allocate your fees to Clubs and Socs instead. Or something... Hm.


Someone please tell me that this is an actual improvement on the simple "Pay us money, we'll give you services and representation" idea of student unions and not just a complicated system to avoid the bad press of compulsory unionism because, quite frankly, i don't believe a word of it.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

A Room with a View

I have a pretty decent office in the new house, but as a relatively last-minute idea from Mike we added a balcony off the lounge room. It's brilliant. If the weather's half-decent I spend most mornings out there with the notebook and breakfast. I love the way the sky is constantly changing here, and at 7,000 feet with bugger-all smog its as blue as a blue thing with extra blue in. This is my first attempt at a series of photos taken from the same angle, looking out over my shoulder from my morning office.

I don't really like the framing, and the dark bits have a tendency to make the colours on the actual view wash out, but we don't have a tripod so you kinda get what resting the camera on the windowsill nets you. It should be fairly obvious that I'm not taking these at anything like a regular interval - just whenever I look up and happen to notice something new and wonderful floating by. There are a few better cloud shots from the same balcony over on my Flickr accountbut they're not taken from any consistent vantage point.

Friday, August 15, 2008

I'll stop blatantly linking them...

...when they stop being so damn funny.



I love it for the geek reaction - mine was similar but without the funny analogy - but there's enough of you out there in the teaching profession to get a snicker out of it from the other side of the fence...

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

a bit pathetic, really


from the Age (and countless other news websites). why do stuff like that when you're only going to be found out and made to look stupid? I don't get it.

For All Those Upcoming Celebrations

Be inspired by Cake Wrecks


Concept not understood

Parts of babies


Truely gross Chinese bound foot....

Bon Appetit

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Another Social Engagement in August

While we're on the topic of social engagements in August:

I'm turning 30, on the 30th, my champagne birthday. Come and help me celebrate with drinks at the Marly.
Also, it might be my last birthday in Australia for a while.
Also, also, I'm finishing my masters in November, so that can be part of the celebration.
Also, also, also, end of winter...
Do you need anymore reasons?

Details: 8pm onwards, Marlborough Hotel on the couches opposite the Prego bar. Cnr King St and Missenden Rd, Newtown.

I know this is a bit late for those of you with kids, and clashes with Tina's BBQ, but well, it's my party and I needed it to be simple and on the day (and I'll cry if I want to? No, wrong song).

Monday, August 11, 2008

It's my birthday and I want pancakes.

Sunday 24th August
Breakfast @ my place
7am until naptime

All the usual suspects invited.
RSVP so we can have enough bacon and eggs on the turkinator.

I realise that I share the birthday with some of your daughters so I won't be offended if you have other parties to attend.

It's not an important number birthday. I just thought I'd mark the day with a relaxed morning with friends and good food.

Friday, August 08, 2008

Tina had a cunning plan....

....her house and barbecue and my legendary organising skills *snort*

so.....

Stig & Tina are having a BBQ.

Which I am organising for them like the good social secretary I am (apparently)

Come to their house on Saturday 30th of August sometime after 3pm to burn chairs, books, heretics food substances in celebration of the end of winter.

Bring some stuff to burn and some stuff to drink.

Ya know ya wanna, it’ll do ya good.

Let us know if you need their address etc.

Thursday, August 07, 2008