Spud Blog

My Mr and Mrs

2012-02-05T01:35:00.000+10:30

Well guys one week ago today I married the girl of my dreams. We left Australia two and a half weeks ago for our trip of a life time and it definitely hasn't dissapointed. We saw the sights of San Fransisco and Oakland and then had the most insane, out of control week in Vegas. We only just made it to the wedding but it was absolutely perfect! Everything went smoothly and the location was amazing. We decided on the Valley of Fire after seeing photos of it on the net and in person it didn't dissapoint. There were a few anxious moments where all we could see were boring brown hills but once we dropped into the valley and saw the stunning red rock formations all the nerves calmed. The day was amazing.

I am writing now on a train from New York to Philadelphia. Philly is the next stop on our trip across the east coast of the US. New York was unbelievable. There was so much to see and everything was awe inspiring. We did as much as we could in the six days we were there but you could spend a life time there and not see everything. The highlights were definitely our horse a carriage ride through central park and and ferry out to see the statue of liberty in blue skies. It will be interesting to see what Philly will bring to the table.

Well that's all for now. Byes.

My Horror

2011-11-01T08:04:00.000+10:30

Well happy Halloween everyone. I hope you were treated well and only tricked, into CANDY!

My All New and Improved

2011-10-05T17:51:00.000+10:30

Well after Five long years of dots I have decided to change the layout of the old blog here. Change is a hard and daunting thing sometimes especially when you are changing something that has always been the same. I was so sick of the same old website but I didn't want to change what I had started all those years ago. Now that the change is here I realized I should have done it a long time ago and that change is the best thing possible. Move on and move forward people. In the next few months my whole life is going to change so why would I really dwell on something this minor. Still ironing out the kinks but let me know what you think?

My Plans to Plan

2011-10-03T14:20:00.000+10:30

Recently Domi and I have been very unexciting people. We have been busy being hermits and planning the rest of our trip/wedding/honeymoon. I have to say it has been fun though. We have booked nearly everything that we can for our trip and had some great fun doing it. The newest bookings we have made are our Disneyland tickets, which Domi was more excited than a little kid about and also we booked tickets to a American Ice Hockey game in Washington.

We have also been trying to save money but have been very unsuccessful in the last couple of weeks due to the fact that we have found so many cheap places to have dinner. Last week we ate out 5 out of the 7 nights. We have found $10 Schnitzel nights, $10 salt and pepper squid nights, cheap tea night at IKEA, lol, and also a couple of other restaurants which seem to want to cook for us cheaper than we can buy the food from the grocery store. It is really a tough life we lead.

Bye now.

My Computer Hatred

2011-09-15T18:28:00.000+09:30

This last month has been hell for me for one reason only. My computer shit its self and decided to die. Painful, is all I can say. There is nothing that annoys me more in this word than trying to fix a computer. Somehow we got a virus and that lead to not being able to even get the thing to turn on. So yes it has been a struggle but I think its back to normal. Hopefully otherwise I am going to throw it at something.

Today though is very exciting because today is the last day in my lifetime that I will be 24. Tomorrow friends I will be older by just a little bit and I will turn 25. I completely and utterly cant believe I have hit this point in my life. I feel like I have been very lucky in friendships, love and in life in general and in last 24 years. I hope things continue in this fashion and even though the last 24 years have definitely not been easy, they have been enjoyable and I think that's the only wish I have for the next 24. So heres to getting older people and enjoying life!!

Byes

My Time Limit

2011-08-17T21:00:00.000+09:30

I get the feeling lately that I have been burning the candle at both ends. Everything has been crazy. It all started with work. Now for those of you who don't know, work is a huge part of my life and lately it has been ruling my life. My parents have started building a new house for themselves so we have been working on that as well as trying to get all of our other work done as well. Now normally work slows down a little in Winter but this year things have sped up and with the extra house to be built its been almost too much work.

The highlights of the last few weeks have been booking our flights over to America and finally booking most of our trip. Domi and I really can't wait. It is still 5 months away but god I can't wait to get on that plane at Adelaide airport and to jetset away on our holiday/honeymoon. I have also spent time with good friends lately. People that understand me and how I am at the moment. Sometimes its hard when I am stuffed from work but still stressing about the next day to make conversation and be enthusiastic but its easy with some.

Well just another quick post because I am going to bed. Have fun people and now pictures!

This is a photo of the crane loading concrete panels onto our truck. It is 8 tonne of concrete 10 meters above a 2 million dollar crane.

This is stage one of putting up the panels. We still have 25 left to lift!!!

This just made me laugh. Gravy??? Really???

My Monday Morning Tunes

2011-08-08T07:37:00.000+09:30

Here are some songs to start your working week off with.
First up is 360 featuring Pez and "Just Got Started". Its a banger!

To keep it rolling here is 360 featuring Josh Pyke and "Throw It Away".

And last but in no way least is Gotye's new one "Somebody That I Used to Know". Love it.

My Twitter Post

2011-07-28T07:32:00.002+09:30

There is nothing funnier in this world than watching a cat, play with a ping pong ball, in a bath tub...

My Well of a Time

2011-07-05T18:32:00.000+09:30

The last couple of weeks have been pretty hectic at work and if you haven't noticed by now, work is a huge part of my life. The weekend was different. It was very relaxed. Domi and I caught up with my parents Friday night to talk trip plans and organize things for the wedding. We went all out and had toasted sandwiches and it was just nice. The weekend was really family based actually and Saturday night we went out to Magill to see Domi's mum and her new boyfriend. Its really great that she has finally found someone and they are really good together.

The rest of the weekend was, well, I'm not going to lie, spent playing video games with Domi. It was good though and I think we both needed it.

This week again has been full on already. At the moment I'm working on a job putting stormwater pipes and sumps in for a new building at the Morphetteville race course. I have been there for a bit over a week now and it has rained every day. Now rain after finishing would be no dramas but while you are trying to connect down pipes and different old connections makes life a pain in the ass. The pipes we are putting in are 450mm so when it rains there is a lot of water... Everywhere. It hasn't been too bad a job really and I am working for another company so I turn up in the morning and if it has all turned to shit over night I just dig it all out again and away we go. One surprise is what we have found in the ground. We have found all the usual things like gas pipes, water pipes, fire services, fibre optic cables and power cables. We even found some odd things like old rubbish and horse shoes but I was pretty blown away when we found an old well!?! Definitely what I was expecting to scratch my excavator bucket over.

Bye now.

My Addiction

2011-06-28T16:47:00.000+09:30

I have recently realized that I have a huge addiction to coffee and all things caffeine. Now I know I'm not exactly standing in front of a group of people saying "Hi, my name is Phil, and I listen to hair metal and am a Meth addict" but hey give me some credit for outing it. Now I have always loved a coffee, especially in the morning but lately I think I have taken it a bit to far with energy drinks. I seemed to get sucked in at the service station or shop and buy two instead of one due to the cheap price but always end up drinking both instead of just the one. I guess its a better addiction than some but I am still weary. I had the thought about participating in dry July but instead of not drinking alcohol I thought of giving up coffee/caffeine but to be honest I don't know if I could. The giving up alcohol would be a piece of cake. I don't really drink that much. Sometimes on the weekend but hardly during the week at all so I think I will just forget I ever thought about the caffeine thing and do that.

Just a Thought

2011-06-22T19:10:00.000+09:30

Firstly...
I Love being so in love with you and I love that cheeky smile you gave me.
I Love that after really meeting him I know what you see and that he is right for you.
I Love that you changed your whole life for someone and now it has made you happier than I have ever seen you.
I Love that today you did but Hate that tomorrow you wont.
I HATE that when you walked through our door I could see the depression on your face and I am so sorry that your life isn't going to plan.
I hate that we haven't seen each other in a while but Love that there are going to be so many stories at dinner tomorrow night.
I LOVE that you are in a new relationship with our old friend and I Love that smile you have on your face.
I Love that a simple question has reminded us how long we have been friends.
I do Love your friendship and I promise we will be over to see you soon.

I Love that one day, one of you, some of you, might actually read this.

My Wordless Monday

2011-06-13T16:20:00.000+09:30

My Lemon Weekend

2011-06-05T16:47:00.000+09:30

This weekend has been bliss. I was destroyed from the week of work and fell asleep early Friday night after having an absolutely amazing roast dinner that Domi cooked. After working a lot of weekends lately having two days off is awesome. It feels like a little holiday.

Saturday was spent doing some intense gardening. I joke, I joke. There is nothing intense about gardening but you just don't see those to words together very often. I pruned and weeded the gardens and it was just good. It was nice to be able to just do random things I wanted to do outside with out having to fly around and do it all quickly like a normally do. Our lemon tree has been fruting like a crazy tree so I decided to start picking late Saturday afternoon. After filling two giant bags I got sick of it and stopped. I probably only picked half the lemons and when I weighed the bags there was 23 KGS of lemons in total. That's a shit load of citrus mate. So now we have to work out what to do with all these lemons.

Today was another lazy day really. Domi and I went down to Marion shopping centre to wizz around and get some clothes. I really do hate shopping so I was in and out of there. Got a couple new shirts, a couple of jackets and things like that in preparation for our trip to the USA next year. It will be weird leaving boiling hot Australia with a suitcase full of jackets and jumpers.

I think this week will be a bit of a catch up week. Due to working a lot and the wheather being average Domi and I haven't seen a lot of our friends so I think this week we will try and see some people we haven't seen in a while. Its a hard time of year with the days being so short. Its hard to do anything when its dark at 6pm. I do like the cold but I am starting to get sick of winter. Bring on the warmer months and the longer days mother nature.

Byes

My New Beat

2011-06-02T21:23:00.001+09:30

Well its been a slow couple of weeks now. A lot of tiring work and not a lot of anything else. To get by I have found some awesome new tunes. Here they are so check them out.

This is the new song by Boy and Bear, Its called Feeding Line. It has a very Mumford and Sons sound to it. A great song!

Something a little different in this one. Its Diafrix with Simple Man. Its just a really catchy tune.

Last but definitely not least is Close Your Eyes with Song For The Broken. Some thing a bit heavier and a bit more up beat to end on. Get on it!

Got a pretty busy weekend coming up. Emma and Brad are up for dinner tomorrow night before heading out to see the Lost Show play their last gig as a six piece band. Not to sure about Saturday day or night but since I'm not working I think I might just do nothing for a bit. Should be good. Hit me up if you are in Adelaide town! Byes

My Headspace

2011-05-24T07:25:00.000+09:30

Lately I have had a lot on my mind. Now when I say that I don't mean a lot of things are troubling me or anything like that, I have just been busy. I have been thinking about a million and one things. Whether it be things to do with work or things to do with life or things to do with our trip. I have just been thinking and thinking and thinking and to be honest my brain isn't working. I think I need this holiday. To bad its still 8 months away.

The last week was a pretty boring one. It really has started to be wintery outside and as always when the weather turns to shit it makes you want to do less and less. Plus after working in rain, wind and cold all day the last thing you want to do is have a shower, get all warm and then go back out in it again. So last week was a pretty quiet one. We were meant to go and see The Lost Show play Saturday night in town but I had a really early start and a half day of work turned into a really tough full day and after the week I had I just couldn't drag my self out of the house and was in bed asleep by 9PM. Its an exciting life, I know.

Apart from work madness its been all go on our trip planning front. Domi and I have been planning our wedding and honeymoon for a while now but it is really coming along. We have booked our flights to, and accommodation in New York, DC, Philadelphia and LA and have pretty much worked out what we are going to do in each city. We still have a bit to do for San Fransisco and Las Vegas but most of our time there will be taken up by friends, family and the wedding. If you have been to any of these cities, please please tell me what is a must see and what isn't worth it because we really want to get the most out of our trip.

Well that's it. Bye now.

My Question Time, Take Two

2011-05-14T17:23:00.000+09:30

Well I don't know what happened but Google and Blogger seemed to have died over night. All the comments have disappeared so I'm really sorry to those people who left comments and questions and to those of you who couldn't comment. Lets try it again though. Any questions or anything you want to say? Do it.

My Question Time

2011-05-12T21:19:00.000+09:30

Alright this is a bit of a long shot but I'm going to go ahead with it. Lately I have noticed a lot of new readers on here and I have to say that it is awesome. I'm so happy people read this, and I'm surprised people come back or choose to follow. I have to say though I write on here for me and not to please anyone else. This is important to me because one day I would love to get all these ramblings made into a book that almost details my younger years in a way. Anyway I'm rambling more than I should.

Todays post is a question post. I would love it if anyone and everyone asked me a question. If you know me it can be something to do with our lives or on the other hand if you don't know me it can be something as boring as my favourite soft drink. But don't ask that because its cherry cola and that is a chain email question from the myspace days. So thats it really. The best question will win an awesome prize.
(Prize may not be awesome or real, depending on your interpretation of prize, awesome or real)

Anyway ask away people!

My Uplifting

2011-05-03T20:39:00.000+09:30

Well its been a while now hasn't it. It seems like a billion things have happened and the whole world has changed again.

Lets go way way back and talk about Easter. All I can say is that I drank and ate enough beer and food to feed half of the Pacific Islands for a week. Its pretty much what our long weekend was based around. We kicked it off Friday night with a few close friends up at our place. For some reason at 6:15PM we decided to have shots. The night was messy. We drank a couple bottles of spirits between three or four of us and for no other reason than we just did. God I felt it the next day though. Domi woke pretty early but I couldn't even get out of bed. I rested my weary head for another few hours and then felt pretty good for some strange reason. We cleaned up the house and then spent the rest of the day on the couch watching NCIS on DVD. Easter Sunday we drove down to see my family at our family farm where my mother had waffles and a lavish breakfast waiting for us. We wolfed them down and then a short while later we had lunch. Lunch consisted of meat. All sorts of marinated chicken and some steaks. We wolfed that down to. After those light meals we then wolfed down cake and chocolate. I felt sick to say the least.

We had no time to rest though because there was more drinking and eating to be done on Hindmarsh Island at Emma's parents shack. It was a picture perfect night so we sat out under the stars and ate more food and you guessed it drank more alcohol. After a game of kings where Emma and Brad drank a full glass consisting of half red wine, half beer, we retired to bed.

We saw the sights of Goolwa the next day and then headed back into town to let our stomachs contract and our livers de-marinate but received a text that more eating and drinking needed to be done so it was back out again. We met up with Nicole and Calvin (two culprits from Friday night) as well as Adam and had tea at our old stomping ground, the Kentish. A small amount of shenanigans occurred at the bar and then later at Adams house but after such a huge weekend we were all partied out and it was time to get back into the swing of work.

It was almost bizarre being back at work after having so long off. The week, even though only three days seemed to last forever except for Wednesday night. Wednesday night was bliss. Domi and our celebrated our five year anniversary by having a beautiful home cooked meal and some amazing wines. Domi cooked an entree of bruschetta followed by fillet mignons with garlic sauce, asparagus, roast potatoes and stuffed red capsicums. It was absolutely amazing. Easily the best meal I have ever eaten outside a resturaunt. After such a full on weekend it was so amazing to just be able to relax and spend some time with her. The incredible meal was a bonus too.

Apart from all that craziness my world has been pretty much same old same old. Work has been a bit crazy. We lifted some of the concrete panels that we have been pouring and moved them off of our casting bed so its on to the next round of pours. The panels we lifted were lift shaft panels so they looked odd because of all the doorways they had in them. Bah.

Anywho I'm off to watch some TV before an early night. Bye now.

My Fifth Year Of Happiness

2011-04-27T07:15:00.000+09:30

Today, five years ago, Domi and I started our relationship. It has been an incredible five years with many highs and lows, with many of the lows outside of our control, but they have been the best five years of my life. We have accomplished so much together and I am so incredibly lucky to have her. I honestly can't believe it has been five years, it only seems like yesterday that we were both living at our parents places driving across town to see each other at night. I think we both knew from the start that our relationship was serious and I cant wait for next year when I get to call her my wife. Happy anniversary my angel. You always have been and always will be, the love of my life.

My Pizza Feast

2011-04-19T07:34:00.000+09:30

Last night on a spur of the moment decision, Domi and I decided to make pizza's for tea. We used to make them all the time when we first moved into our place but haven't for what seems like forever. Damn they were good to. After making all the dough and everything, over eating like crazy and washing up, both Domi and I were in bed by 9PM. Haha, god we live a life of excitement.

At work we have been pouring tilt up concrete panels. Its basically where you pour concrete slabs in a pile and then tilt them up and use them for walls. Its no a bad job but its ridiculously tough on your body because it is a lot of work at awkward angles. So far we have poured three and only have about 20 to go... Blah.

Also here is a photo of some tight parking I did the other day in the truck. I had to back down the driveway of a house and even though you cant see it in the photo, the back of the tray of the truck is actually touching the brick wall of the house. A very tight spot.

Bye now.

My lazy Sunday

2011-04-17T17:37:00.000+09:30

Right now I am doing just about my favorite thing to do on a Sunday. I'm sitting at home in front of our fire, eating cookies and drinking coffee, while watching the Formula One race in shanghai. It's turning out to be an amazing race with many different strategies mixing cars and teams up. I know it's a bit bogan but nothing beats watching motor sport on a Sunday.

We had a really great day yesterday down at Mclaren Vale for Susi's birthday. We drank wine and ate cheese out in the beautiful sunshine and it really made us realize how good life is. We left the Vale and headed back to Susi's for pizza and more booze. Even though I didn't drink that much last night and my head was very clear this morning it's still great to have a lazy Sunday. Hope you enjoy yours.

My Time Travel

2011-04-07T17:54:00.000+09:30

Sometimes I forget about this blog. I do. Its almost as if I travel forward in time and then all of a sudden I haven't written in here for weeks. It has actually been a full on couple of weeks. Work has been good then shit and then good and a bit shit but life has been awesome. In the last few weeks we have seen some great live music, spent some awesome nights with good friends and also footy season is back so that's in the mix too.

After all this time I don't have that much to say which is odd but oh well. I have been enjoying myself lately because I have discovered a whole heap of new bands. There is nothing better than finding a new band to listen to after you have felt bored with your music collection. Here is a song. Enjoy

My Race Weekend

2011-03-21T20:24:00.000+10:30

The weekend started early last week because instead of working Friday we went to watch the motor racing at the Clipsal 500. The week seemed to fly past and Friday was upon us before we knew it. Our race day started early with Domi and I meeting up with my parents as well as a big group of people we know and work with for breakfast at a little Cafe on Frome road. It is what we do every year and its always a good start to what is normally a long day.

By 9am we were in our favourite track position getting set up for the day. Nearly every year we sit in a little elevated spot on turn 7, which is one of the best spots on the track. It was perfect weather for watching every form of car go past, so that's exactly what we did. Don't believe me, check the photos.

After our relaxing day Friday it was back to work for me and it seems like I barely blinked and the weekend was over. I did nearly 12 hours Saturday and was beyond stuffed Saturday night. Its sad to say but at 24 years old I was asleep on the couch at 8:30pm Saturday night. I only worked half a day on Sunday doing a couple of small jobs and then made it home just in time to see the start of the last leg of the Clipsal 500. It was bliss to just sit on the couch and do nothing. It was also a pretty thrilling race and I was happy because the winner was driving a Holden. Go the Reds!

My 3 Day Olive

2011-03-17T07:48:00.000+10:30

Last weekend was a long weekend but I will tell you know it went quicker than any weekend we have had this year. Work was pretty crazy last week so I was amped up for a weekend of activities.

We started the weekend with food. My parents invited us out for dinner to celebrate their wedding anniversary and a group decision was made to head on down to Pantai in the Pier Hotel complex. It incorporates two restaurants Thai/Indian and modern Australian side by side and you can order off either menu. I went for the asian option and ordered a Lamb Madras which was soo soo spicy but incredible all the same. We drank and watched the sun go down and life was good.

Saturday morning started early in preparation of a long day ahead of us. I had told our friend Catrina that we would take her out for her birthday and had decided on touring the Mclaren Vale wine region. We arrived at the first winery at about 10:30 after stopping for coffees in the town of Mclaren Vale. Since it was a bit too early for wine we ate everything to do with olives. We bought olive oil, garlic olives and olive tapenade, which we devoured later that afternoon once home. We took in the sites and then moved from one winery to the next until I was hungry enough and the girls were drunk enough to stop for lunch. We ate at a restaurant called El Torro which is on the main street of Mclaren Vale. We are all Mexican food nuts so thought it was a good choice. The food wasn't overly Mexican, more modern Aussie with a Mexican theme. It was great though and all three of us waddled out of the restaurant as full as can be. After touring three more wineries and popping in at a brewery for me it was time to make the trek home.

We needed a moment to relax before going out that night and contemplated a nap before deciding on food. We ate our weight in dips, olives and bread it was all very sophisticated except we started the feast with cocktail frankfurts!

The night was nothing to hectic, just a group of friends celebrating Helen's moving in. She is back from the UK and has moved in with a good friend of ours. She is British! That is all...

Sunday it was off and racing again as we had to prepare for a wedding. Domi has working with a lady named Tracy for a couple of years at the hospital and Sunday was her wedding day. It was meant to be held at West Beach on the sand but due to the wind they had it in a park. The ceremony was beautiful and quite enjoyable and the weather just held off and only a couple of spots of rain were felt.

The ceremony that night was held at the Grand Hotel in one of their conference rooms and even though I hardly knew anyone there I made friends as usual and after the waitress kept bringing jugs of beer to our table I even had a bit of a dance with Domi (who looked so amazingly beautiful).

Monday was a public holiday and damn I was happy about it. After a weekend of drinking and running around I felt like I needed all week to get over it. This week has been such a blur I don't really know wat I have done and its already the weekend again.

I am going to the Clipsal 500 tomorrow which will be bloody good so expect an update from that. Woo. Happy St. Patties day too. Byes

My Weekend at the Port

2011-02-24T22:59:00.000+10:30

This past weekend was actually one of the best Domi and I have had in a long time. Our great friend Jess has recently started dating a professional fisherman from Port Broughton. Now if you don't know where Port Broughton is, Google map it you numpty! So up we drove Friday night though the driving rain until we pulled into the little town of Broughton where the sunset shone through the clouds and we met two great friends. I went to school with Jess' new boyfriend for one year but it was 8 years ago so quite a bit had changed and it was almost as if we should have introduced our selves again.

We had arrived in the town quite late so decided to head straight out to tea. We ate at a small restaurant on the main street where Jess had been working part time while she had been up there and the food was great. The restaurant owner stirred us up about being friends with Andrew and Jess and then we hit the pub. When I say we hit the pub, I mean we hit the pub hard. After a couple of drinks at tea we seemed to be more than in the mood for a couple more. We met half the town and nearly drank the pub dry before somehow getting home to Andrews parents farm.

I blame Jess for the messy night because at 1:30am she came over with 4 Jager bombs! Needless to say we woke up the next day with sore heads and one of the worst hang overs I have had in a long time.

The day started out very slowly out at Andrews parents farm. We had plans to go out fishing early but that never eventuated. We finally drug ourselves away from the couch and walked along the main street of Broughton. After an orange Powerade a a stroll on the jetty we finally made it back to Andrews place to get the boat ready before we hit the water. Our friends Emma and Brad arrived just in time to jump in as we sailed off. The sea air cured our hang overs for a very short time until we stopped moving, and the rocking started. It didn't really bother me until I looked down to bait a fishing hook and then urgh... It hit. Domi and I were very green so we headed back into the harbour to drop some crab nets. We drifted in the calm waters for a couple of hours but didn't catch a lot so cruised back to dry land.

That night we met the rest of Andrews family out at there farm and then cooked up a feast of seafood. I was the odd one out because I don't eat seafood, but the steak I ate was out of this world! We ate like kings and the conversation was great. All in all they are a great family and it was amazing to have a real country gathering/meal. It didn't take long after tea before people started falling asleep and before we knew it, it was Sunday.

We had another feast Sunday morning with bacon, eggs and BBQ'd tomato and mushrooms, before heading out on a guided tour of the property and the surrounding beaches. We also took in the sights at Fishermans bay as well as seeing Andrews other boats and cold storage areas. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Adelaide and all to soon the weekend was over. I could have stayed a week in Port Broughton and believe me the weekend went all to quickly. If your ever in that part of the state pop in.

Bye now.

A tough year...

2011-02-22T22:05:00.001+10:30

I had plans for a big post about the great weekend Domi and I had, but to be honest I don't feel comfortable writing about how happy I am on a day like today. It seems it has been a real tough star to the year. So far in Australia alone we have had devastating bushfires and floods and today Christchurch in New Zealand was hit with it's most deadly earthquake. The vision that has been broadcast has been truly shocking and our hearts go out to all those people who are suffering lose. The world it seems is in turmoil, mother nature is playing havoc and all those people in the middle east are seeing some of the biggest change in a lifetime. Devastated is the only way to describe many regions of the world at the moment.

It's with a heavy heart that I say, by now. I hope tomorrow is a better day for us all.

My New Tunes

2011-02-08T06:41:00.000+10:30

You know when you hear a band for the first time and even before the song finishes you can just tell that you will be into them. Some bands you can hear a couple of songs and like one but not the others. Well whens it comes to this band I like them all. I just stumbled across these guys the other day. They are called 'King Cannons' and they are a small band from Melbourne, Australia. They have a ska, rocky sound and its just great music. Here is the single of their debut EP and a live song. Hope you enjoy.

My National Peanut Butter Day

2011-01-31T11:24:00.000+10:30

DAMN! I only just found out that last Monday was national peanut butter day. Damn. For those of you who know me I am a huge peanut butter fan and it has to be smooth, none of this crunchy stuff. Can't believe I missed it.

My Oz Day 2011

2011-01-31T10:56:00.001+10:30

Every year there is an Australia Day tradition amongst our group of friends. We have a BBQ, chill out in the heat, drink beer and listen to the Triple J Hottest One Hundred. For those of you who don't know Australia Day celebrates the arrival of the First British Fleet in Sydney Cove in 1788, or in laymen's terms, when Australia was started. For those of you who also don't know, the Hottest 100 is a countdown of the top 100 songs from the past year. Its a good day to say the least.

This year the tradition continued at our place. We had about 20 great friends come round. There was food, beer and even Kate and Matt's beautiful baby girl Luella. It was the first time a lot of us had seen there baby so she was a popular person for most of the day. I think it mad a lot of us realise where our lives are going to be heading in the next few years and there was even talk of the next few Oz day parties having to have kiddies areas and activities. A bit daunting but exciting non the less.

The Hottest 100 started at 11:30AM and kicked on until about 8:30PM so it was a long day. It was weird this year because Australia Day fell on a Wednesday which meant everyone had to work the next day. Even with an early night I really didn't want to drag my self out of bed the next day. Work to say the least, was hell.

Bye now.

My Break

2011-01-19T21:18:00.000+10:30

Well since Christmas, life has been a little hectic and because I didn't get much of a holiday I guess I kinda forgot about this for a while. A holiday from Blogging I guess you could call it. Well I'm back. Refreshed and A bit eager. I have big plans for this year and big ideas. I think its going to be a good twelve months. A short post to get back into it but also a video. This is a great song, Janelle Monae with Tightrope. Get your gospel on people.

My Post Post

2010-12-29T20:04:00.000+10:30

Sometimes I think this blog becomes a bit of a burden to write in. Sometimes I think about something to write about all day and once I'm home and on the computer nothing will come out. Some days its all to easy and blogging seems as exciting as it did all those years ago when I started. I'm definitely not going to stop. I do enjoy it. Even if no one ever reads it or no one leaves another comment. I think I will always write something down on here.

My aim this year was to post more than I did last year and I think I will do the same this year. Call it a new years resolution if you will but its a good way to provoke motivation. I don't know if the post have been interesting but hey they are there so read them if you want. After all, I am doing this for me. Byes

My Wii Moments

2010-12-27T07:38:00.000+10:30

One of the best presents I got for Christmas this year was the new Donkey Kong game on Wii. My lovely fiance Domi gave it to me and it has nearly been over played already, lol. It brings me back to my childhood playing Super Nintendo at my parents shack. The new game is very similar to the old, except for enhanced graphics and things like that. Its harder too, or maybe I have lost my nack? Awesome game though. You can borrow it sometime.

My Late Christmas

2010-12-26T16:38:00.000+10:30

Well Merry Christmas world. I know its a bit late for a Christmas message but I have been busy. In fact the last two weeks have been down right hectic. We have been ridiculously busy at work and have about 4 weeks work to do between now and the first week in January. Domi and I have been running all over town seeing bands play, seeing friends and having general fun and Christmas has been in the middle of it all.

Our red and green season started with dinner at my parents Christmas Eve. It was a food bonanza with everything from meat pie floaters for entree to a chocolate fountain for desert. We rushed away from mum and dads to catch up with some of our friends for a drink or two and exchanging of gifts. It was then up early the next morning for Christmas day brunch at our house with my family and Domi's family. Then a short nap in the afternoon and off again to Domi's mums place. She cooked tea for us Christmas night and it was a beautiful but extremely heavy meal. Damn I slept well last night.

I hope you all have had a hectic but fun Christmas. I can't wait for the new year to come. This last year has seemed to have flown by in a blur. Even though it has been a good year, it has had its ups and downs and I'm ready for a new start. bring on January.

Byes.

My Photo Sessions

2010-12-09T07:20:00.000+10:30

First up, mainly because its hilarious, my cat sleeping on my filling system.

This is a shot I took of my ute inside a shed. Its blue.

I went to work, I sat on an excavator and I knocked a tree down. That is all.

Domi and I went for a walk around our are and we say this. I named it "Little truck on pile of dirt".

And finally this is our new dining room table and awesome Shag rug. Check it.

My Life on the Road

2010-12-07T20:05:00.000+10:30

Some days are diamonds and some days are definitely duds. Lately I have had a couple of dud days. One day last week all I did was drive. I drove a fully loaded truck and trailer from a job site, to the dump, to the quarry and then back to the job and then repeated the loop. I managed to clock up 220km. Now that might not seem like much because in 8 hours you can drive to Melbourne but I did all that driving around town doing no more than 60kmph. Too much driving in something that weighs in at 45 tonne!

One thing I did notice while I was driving was that there is a fine line between the right age for a kid to have his face painted and a kid who is slightly to old and looks like a creep.

The weekend was a good one and a great break from the working week. I spent some great time with certain people who I haven't seen enough lately and also realized that spending time with certain people can really make you realize that you don't see certain people enough. Good times.

Well its this week again and I'm off and running. I poured a piece of concrete curb yesterday that was 45 meters long and it nearly killed me. Way to much work for one day.

Byes

My Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T19:17:00.000+10:30

This year was a big thanksgiving year. When I was a little kid we always had a family dinner with my parents, my sis and I but it was nothing special, just an ordinary dinner but for a reason. Now that we are all older thanksgiving has become a bit of an event. This year my family, Domi's mum and sis and my sisters boyfriend all gathered at my parents for a feast. My mother cooked turkey and a whole heap of American foods from her childhood. Many of them I had never even had before which was amazing. She did my favourite, Sweet potato with maple syrup and marshmallow on top, and after eating the whole turkey we enjoyed banana splits for desert. Not a bad night.

Last night was another celebration but a celebration of another kind. It was a surprise birthday party for my long time friend, Adam. The surprise party was organized, one to celebrate his birthday but two because he hates birthdays and celebrating them. Its always fun to give him a hard time so that's what we did last night. There was beer and incredible cup cakes. A good night.

A band I'm obsessed with at the moment are The Gaslight Anthem. Here they are playing "The '59 Sound" with Bruce Springsteen. Mad. Check it.

My Calm Water

2010-11-15T20:06:00.000+10:30

Well lately I feel as if I have been treading water a little. Work is good and really flat out but I have been working on the same site for weeks now and I'm getting a little bored. I like to move around and do different things and being in one place gets to me. I'm sick of driving to the same place every day. I know most people with a desk job have to drive to the same place everyday but they are used to it. Most days I go to work its somewhere I have never been before, and I like that. For the last 3 weeks I have driven to Lonsdale, walked into the same building and dug a trench from here to there and then gone home. I think its time to spice it up a bit.

On the other hand I have found two incredible bands lately which I am enjoying driving to. Keep it up fellas.

Byes

My 450th

2010-11-12T17:55:00.001+10:30

Well today is the 450th time I have typed words down as a post on this damn blog. Today is a bit of an occasion as well and for once its nothing to do with me or my blog. I have talked my self up enough over the years so now its time to give a shout out to Streetlight Symphony. Today is the day my two good friends Steve and Aaron have finally released their music to the public via iTunes. I have to say congratulations guys. I hope this is only the start and I hope this leads to greater and bigger things. Its been a few years in the making so please check these guys out. Give them a listen, a download and support local music. Its better than that Jay-Z album your listening to any way.

My Wisdom

2010-11-10T22:01:00.000+10:30

This last week was as hectic as the last month or so has been. Domi and I have been doing a lot of exercise lately so after working like crazy all day and then running/walking/swimming at night I'm stuffed. I didn't work the weekend which was so unbelievably good. My first days off in three weeks. We really just relaxed and took it easy during the day Saturday and then went out that night. It was Steve and Bridie's house warming Saturday night and it was a damn good party. We drank and were merry. The one thing I took out of the night was that a lot of our friends are really moving on with their lives. Weather it be new relations moving forward or new jobs or even huge things like new houses. Everyone seems to be doing pretty well lately and that is a good thing. I think this year has been a bit of a hump for some people and now they are over it things are running a bit smoother. Its nice. Its always good to see friends happy and its good to see how new things inspire people and get them motivated. I like it.

My Lazy Weeks

2010-11-02T22:00:00.000+10:30

Well with the last couple of weeks being more hectic than a speed freak at a rave, blogging hasn't been that high on my list. I know its terrible and I know I should have written down what I have been doing but to be honest I can't even remember what I did yesterday. So instead here are some random photos that I have taken recently-ish.

I changed the tires on our bobcat. Not exciting???

Our entree Domi and I enjoyed for her Birthday. Exciting????

Driving through the country near my parents farm, turned a corner and in the middle of the road, Chicken!!!!!

My Lose of Time

2010-10-27T20:49:00.000+10:30

You know how sometimes work takes over your life. Except life has been crazy as all hell lately so work and life started fighting with sleep and its been two ridiculously hectic weeks and I cant remember the last time I wrote here or what I did yesterday or why everything is so busy. I'm tired though. Its a good tired though.

Today was 4 years and 6 months for Domi and I. Celebrations were in order and so we did.

Good night people. Enjoy the fight.

My Hectic Hell of a Time

2010-10-14T07:48:00.000+10:30

These last couple of weeks could not have been any more hectic. I swear if life moved any faster I wouldn't be able to see you through the blur. The reason life has been so crazy is that for the last two weeks I have been running the business due to my father being pretty sick. In between organizing a couple of big jobs and working like crazy, Domi and I have also been incredibly busy. This week for instance, we have seen two gigs, had tea with friends, a birthday and its only bloody Thursday, let alone the weekend which was just a mess of events and driving from one end of town to another.

Monday night was the first gig, its was Alexisonfire at HQ. This is the sixth or seventh time I have seen these guys and I swear they get better every time. We ended up sitting in the VIP section with a couple of other friends who play in bands and are connected in that scene. We sat right up in the roof rafters looking down over the whole crowd and the band. It was a great vantage point and made the gig even better. They played a couple of songs I had never heard them play live before as well as covering a Midnight Oil song which I thought was hilarious/awesome! An incredible start to the week.

Work was work Tuesday but I worked ridiculously hard and after a late night I was buggered that night but it was off to see Paramore with Domi and some other peeps. Domi is a huge fan so the tickets were a bit of a birthday present. I'm not a huge fan but I know a few songs and they put on a great live show so they were interesting to see. Domi loved it so that's all that counts. We watched the band and then bolted to our car to get home to bed. Another late night followed by a huge struggle to get out of bed the next morning.

Last night we had a nice tea with one of Domi's work colleagues, She is a really nice girl and its great to finally have put a face to the girl I speak to on the phone. It was bliss to have a mildly relaxing night before we get cranked up for the weekends festivities.

The most important event of this week is my fiance Domi's birthday today!!!!! Happy birthday babe. Love you. Enjoy your day.

Bye now.

My Commonwealth Games

2010-10-06T07:27:00.000+10:30

There are many things that are awesome about the Commonwealth games. There is the great sporting events, the many different types of sports, the fact that Australia wins everything but the absolute peak of the games appeal are all the funny names of the athletes.

So far I have picked up on a few. In the swimming Australia has Emily Seebohm, pronounced "C-Bomb", we all have a friend who is a C*NT. Also from Australia we have the table tennis player Miao Miao, pronounced "Meow Meow", hilarious. The best I have seen so far was a tennis player from Scotland, Mhairi Brown, Pronounced "My Hairy Brown", she lost her match but because of her name she is a winner in my eyes, I'm great full she didn't flash her Hairy Brown to the crowd though!

Anyway, this has been another working week. I'm still working at a Stimulus site. Its not very exciting but I think today will probably be my last day. Then it will be on to the next job, could be here could be there, but you know I will either be digging a hole or filling one in. Woot.

My Stimulating Work

2010-10-02T22:25:00.000+09:30

I have been stimulated. And no its not a weird as it sounds. The government is still carrying on with its economic stimulus packages through its school building programs and this last week I have been working at one of those site. Technically I have now been stimulated by Julie Gillard! Not the nicest really, but the money was nice. We dug a trench from here to there and then filled it in, you know the usual, but because its a government building site there is a lot of rules and regulations that you have to comply with to work there. The is nearly someone watching you all the time to make sure you don't do anything you shouldn't or are not licensed to do. Its a bit tedious.

Apart from that it really had been a mundane week. Celebrated the grand final rematch today at Nicoles house as well as a bit of a party for her birthday. It was such a beautiful day and a bit of a change because we all sat out in the warm sunshine. Its definitely starting to warm up. A good day with good people and a great BBQ, what more could you want really.

Anyway, talk soon, yea?

My Sporting Weekend

2010-09-27T07:36:00.000+09:30

How bloody good was the AFL Grand Final draw!!!! I could not believe how crazy that was. For those of you who don't know or didn't see it the Australian Football League grand final was on the weekend and the two teams, St Kilda and Collingwood, drew! Its crazy I know. The other crazy thing is that in AFL there is no time on or extra time, a draw is a draw and so they come back next week and play again. Another game, another 100,000 people and another million BBQ's around the country. I really didn't want Collingwod to win so a draw was the perfect result for me. Hopefully this weekend the Saints get up.

The other incredible sporting event of the weekend was the Singapore F1 race. I have been a fan of the F1's for a long time and I am the first one to admit that a couple of years ago the sport became incredibly boring. The passing was limited and the racing was boring but this year has been one of the most exciting years in history. Last nights race in Singapore was no different. The race is held under lights which provides spectacular cinematography but the race, damn it was a good race. Too complicated to be written down through my little mind but all I can say is three different races all rolled into one by the end resulting in Webber and Hamilton colliding, Hamilton came off second best resulting in Webber's championship lead increasing. I hope the next race follows the seasons trend and is as great as this one.

My Hospital Visit

2010-09-23T18:05:00.000+09:30

Well this last week was a wealth of excitement all building up to a visit to the hospital! The weekend was damn fantastic. I did a cash job Saturday morning before heading home to set up for my birthday party that night. It started out as a small group of people and ended up with around 25 to 30 people outside all having a good time. Many of you were probably there. It was such a good night and there were so many great people. Some I have known for a life time and some I met that night. The best thing about having a party at your house is the last hour or so when most people have left and you get to hang out drunkenly with four or five good friends. I enjoyed it immensely.

Sunday was sluggish to get started, mainly due to the throbbing inside my head. Domi and I decided to go out and spend some of the spoils of my hard day at work the day before. We toured round to a few furniture stores to buy some bar stools for in our kitchen. It would have been quicker to find Where's Wally but after three hours we finally found two that we liked. We did a deal and were all ready to take them home when the lady said "we don't have any in stock so they will have to come from Melbourne, they will be here in 2 to 3 weeks!!!!! 2 to 3 bloody weeks! Melbourne in only an 8 hour drive, I will go get them myself for gods sake! Not very happy but I guess thats the way things are.

Before we knew it the working week was back again and it was Monday, or Tuesday or something. I laid more concrete and dug more holes. Tuesday night though I had an accident. My hand got crushed. At the time I didn't think it was too bad but the blood kept flowing and the swelling kept swelling. That night it didn't look to bad so I left it and decided I would go to work the next day and see how it felt. By Wednesday afternoon it was badly swollen and I could barely move any of my fingers. I got home and Domi told me straight away that we needed to go to the emergency. Fearing it was broken/infected I agreed and off we went.

I have had bad luck in the past with breaking fingers and having them heal wrong so we went down and sat in the emergency room. We sat and waited and sat and waited and then were moved into another room where we sat and waited. Finally after nearly 5 hours of waiting, 4 x-rays, 2 cokes and a packet of M&M's I was given the all clear. Nothing serious was broken but I had a nasty infection in one of my knuckles and that had caused a lot of the swelling. I was given a big box of pills and we were out the door. Thank god.

Its still pretty sore today and movement is very very limited but at least nothing is broken.

My Turning 20-old

2010-09-16T19:48:00.000+09:30

Well I know you all have been waiting months for this day to come around and its finally here. I'm now officially 24! I know its ridiculously exciting and but please refrain from making a scene like you did last year at my 23rd.

In all seriousness turning 24 is a bit like turning 20, your not a teenager any more and it's not your 21st its just another birthday. I spent the day toiling away at work and it was just another day. This evening Domi cooked me chicken breasts stuffed with spinach and feta, wrapped in prosciutto as well as a grilled Hallourmi cheese salad. It was incredible. Not a bad way to turn 24 actually.

My House Lukewarming

2010-09-13T20:30:00.000+09:30

Last week was really varied with work. I did a whole range of things. One day I bored holes in the ground, which I later concreted and then sat a transportable building on, I also dug a hole in solid rock for a small pumping station to go in. It was a tedious job because even with our rock breaker I was only able to dig down in 200mmm layers. Very slow when you have to dig 1.8 meters deep! It was a bit of an odd week too because its almost starting to warm up but the rain is still being a pain.

The weekend was good. Really good. Domi and I hung out Friday night and were both pretty stuffed so watched the Aussie rules football finals as well as on of the first American NFL Games for the season. I really enjoy watching the NFL, its brings back all kinds of good memories from my times in America. All I needed was a Dr Pepper and half a dozen of my loud relatives around me and I would feel like I was back there.

Saturday as usual was spent tidying up the house. I worked meticulously outside on the lawns and the gardens and by the end of the day the whole place looked great. I was going to take photos but as usual forgot. I planted some plants out in the front garden and even though I thought they were weeds they have now grown, greened and flowered... bonus!

Good good friends of ours, Steve and Bridie just moved into their new home so we were off round there Saturday night for a first look and a early small house warming (lukewarm). We ate pizza drank and got very merry. The girl and I both felt horrible the next day but it was definitely worth it. There was some hilarious photos taken of the girls on the make shift dance floor.

We started Sunday really ridiculously slowly and drug ourselves out of bed to watch the movie U571. After that the day picked up a little. We shopped at Marion for a present for my mum for her Birthday, Domi finished some of her paintings and I watched a lot of TV.

We had dinner with my family that night for my mums birthday and the food was fantastic but the first beer lasted me most of the night. Bloody hang over. I'm getting to old to drink this much.

My Laugh

2010-09-09T20:38:00.000+09:30

There is no way you cannot laugh at this! Awesome.

My Chili Night

2010-09-07T07:32:00.000+09:30

Last night I decided had to be curry night. I had an average day at work so I thought I would make a green curry to lighten my mood a little. It turned out to be one of my better efforts, curry wise and I felt great after. The only problem I have with chili and any spicy food is that it makes me sleepy. I really don't know why it happens but any time I eat spicy food its almost like taking a sleeping tablet. I'm fine when I eat it but about an hour later its sleep time. I read somewhere that chili in particular clears your sinuses which allows you to sleep better but I can't for the life of me work out why when I eat it I fall asleep. I made it to 9:00pm last night which was pretty good but the day I had was hardly strenuous so I definitely wasn't tired from that. I guess its just my bodies excuse for being lazy.

So I guess that's my scientific conclusion for the morning, chili+me=lazy!

My Horridness

2010-09-03T19:10:00.000+09:30

Today was horrible. Shit in fact. It rained solidly all day long and I was soaked from about 10am onwards. I was working for a Plumbing company digging a hole for a pump station and inlet and out let pipes so couldn't just leave when the weather turned sour. The guys I was working with didn't want to be there either so the mood was gloomy. We finally finished at 2pm and by that time I was soaked through to my jocks. Everything I was wearing or near was soaking wet. Not the most enjoyable day.

I got home and Domi being Domi had chicken noodle soup waiting for me. I just don't know how I put up with her sometimes. I showered, souped and everything was all better, well, except the weather. Its still violent and shit outside but at least there is beer and footy and warmth inside. Enjoy the storm ladies and gents.

My Weary Mind

2010-09-01T20:05:00.000+09:30

Well I should write about something exciting or something interesting but I'm just not going to. I'm tired and right now I just want to type these words for a while before I head off to bed. Today was like any other day except it was the first day of spring. It wasn't a nice day though and outside now, its raining, raining really heavily actually. So to you Spring, not what I was expecting. No warm weather and no hay fever which was awesome actually. Anyway I'm off to bed for a date with Beverly Hills Cop and Domi. Byes

My Diversity

2010-09-01T07:30:00.000+09:30

Yesterday was a day of dirt and dump trucks at work and then arts and crafts at home. We dug a sewer trench that was about 120 meters long which involved moving a hell of a lot of soil out and then a hell of a lot of quarry material back in. It wasn't the most exciting job but hey it was work. That photo was taken in the quarry where they cart raw materials around with those articulated dump trucks.

After work I arrived home to find my beautiful fiance Domi painting some paintings for our home. We shopped on the weekend for paints and canvas' so she could do some painting during the week. She is doing a couple different styles for different rooms in our house but also doing a couple for us to give Steve and Bridie when they move into their new home. This first one she has done is a bit abstract and is going into our study. I have to say, its looking good baby. Can't wait to see the rest of your works of art!

My Couples Weekend

2010-08-30T20:39:00.000+09:30

This weekend was a pretty lazy one. The girl and I did a bit of shopping but mainly just relaxed Saturday. I'm still feeling very average so it was nice to just do nothing. We worked around the house and then enjoyed a really beautiful tea before heading out to the Boho Bar for Erin and Kat's birthday celebrations. There was a big crowd there. Lots of old friends from my school days and also a few guys I hadn't seen for years. One thing I came to realize was that a huge amount of my friends are now in serious relationships. Its bizarre, a couple of years ago Domi and I and one other couple were the only people in a relationship. Our group of friends has always been a single group. Now a days it seems that all but a few have paired up. I guess we really are getting older.

We celebrated again Sunday night with a huge dinner at the Strand for Steve's birthday. Steve is a great friend of mine. We went through school together, played in a band together and have really stuck together through our adult lives. Him and his fiance have just bought a house in our area so its a great time for them. We drank wine and beer and enjoyed good food. The only downer on the night was that when Domi and I got back to my car some scum bag had keyed the tailgate on my ute. My car is only 12 months old so it pissed me off immensely. I'm hoping I can buff most of the scratch out but we will have to see.

My Sickly Sweet

2010-08-27T16:40:00.000+09:30

I'm sick. I know a lot of people already think I'm Fully Sick but this time its just regular sick, and it sucks. One of the worst things about working outside is working outside when you are sick. Its been cold, drizzly and horrible and feeling shit terrible doesn't make the horrid weather any better.

Steve and Bride stopped by our place on Wednesday night for tea and we chatted about them moving into their new house and everything else imaginable. It was a bit of a couple night but not too cheesy. We had plans to all go to the Nova Heaps Good Band Competition last night but I felt like absolute death and couldn't make it. Steve told me it was a great night and the two bands that won were amazing. I on the other hand was in bed at 7:20pm which was Awesome!

Last but not least this is a song that everyone in their lifetimes should here. It makes you realize how talented some people are and that you can make truly beautiful music with next to nothing. Bon Iver - Skinny Love.

My Mundane Weekend

2010-08-24T07:51:00.000+09:30

Counting, counting and counting. That's really what the weekend entailed for Domi and I. We spent 15 hours Saturday at a election polling booth directing people, crossing names off and then counting votes. The money was very very good but the day was very very long and horrifically boring. It was about $500 each for us to work there but we started at 7:30am and by the time all 4000 green House of Representatives votes and 4000 white Senate votes were counted it was 11:00pm. We weren't exactly keen to hit the town when we finished so yes, you guess it, bed time. Its not something I would like to do every weekend but for the money it was worth it.

The rest of the weekend was pretty slow. Domi and I just relaxed and enjoyed not counting. After such a mind numbing day it was really good to just let your mind drift and relax. How was your weekend?

My Blackish Tinge

2010-08-19T20:56:00.000+09:30

Well for the last two days I have been pouring and finishing coloured black concrete. Its pretty much the same as normal concrete except for the fact that its black and gets on everything and it doesn't bloody come off. I am covered in it. I have one more small pour tomorrow and then I won't be using it for a while, thank fuck. Its shocking, and has changed my normally pale skin to a weird blacky brown. Yay for variety in my work diet. At least the finished product looks good.

I wish every photo I take from now on has a thumb in it. Woo.

My Weekend Wrap

2010-08-17T16:47:00.001+09:30

The weekend was hectic. Well to be honest the last seven days have been pretty insanely busy. The end of last week, work wise, was crazy. We had to get a footing concreted because the forecast was for rain all weekend and this week so we worked like crazy and just got it done Friday before we got a sprinkle of rain. Friday night was an early one because I was on the job site at 6:20 and the job is an hours drive away! Saturday was another early start because I had a little job to do and the rain was predicted to get heavier. I thought I would start early and maybe beat it but I wasn't so lucky. I pulled up to the job and had barely gotten out of the truck when it started to bucket down. I worked like crazy for four hours in driving rain and was finished by 11 which I was overwhelmingly happy about. It was back home after that for an incredibly enjoyable hot shower and then off again.

After a quick shower and a bite to eat Domi and I went shopping for a new car for her. With the wedding coming up we are a bit pushed for cash but we really want to get her a new vehicle in the next twelve months. We had a couple in mind and so drove around to a couple of dealerships and test drove till our hearts were contempt. I think at the moment its a toss up between the new Mitsubishi Lancer and the new Mazda 3. We test drove a Holden Cruze but neither Domi nor I were a huge fan.
After doing a million miles in someone else's car we drove home to get ready for a big night out.

Saturday night was spent at the Adelaide Casino in the Balcony bar for Elyse's birthday. There was a lot of familiar faces and it was a really good night. I was annoyed because by about 11pm I was ready for bed. I had fun but even though there were flickering lights and loud noises I was having way to much trouble staying awake so It was off home to bed by around 12:30. God I live a rockstar life.

Sunday was pretty much all go as well. We got up and did some ridiculously exciting house work and then were off down to the Dublin for Bridie's birthday. Domi and I had a drink and a chat and then headed home to finish the house work excitement we had built before we left and then it were headed out for tea and Nathan and Cat's new place. The house they are renting is stunning and the wine and food was spectacular. Before we knew it it was late again and work was calling in the morning so we made the trek back home for a good nights rest.

I didn't do a lot at work yesterday which was bliss because I needed a day to get over the weekend. Such is life I guess. Bring this weekend on.

My Tumble

2010-08-10T22:41:00.000+09:30

Yesterday was a pretty boring mundane day at work. Except for one small accident. I had a load of clean soil in the truck that had to be dumped, so as i do, I drove to the dump at Lonsdale to get rid of the soil. The load had a bit of grass and other rubbish in it which they frown upon so I had to try and hide it when I dumped. When you tip the dirt out of the truck you tip over the edge of a huge dirt pile that is about 10 meters high. I backed right up to the edge so everything would fall down the embankment and no one would see the grass. I had to swing the tailgate of the truck so it would all come out. That was where the trouble began. It was incredibly windy and so I had to really push the tailgate to get it to open. With one great push it opened up, and I lost my footing. I slid and tumbled the whole way down the embankment. The soil was all lose and I couldn't stop myself. I landed in a heap at the bottom and looked up to see and mini avalanche of dirt coming down on top of me. I think about a half a tonne of dirt landed on me and most went in my boots and pockets. I got up, dusted myself off and tried to climb back up the pile... I couldn't. I ended up walking the whole way round the dump to try and get back to my truck which was sitting, running, with the door open. I was very unhappy and also quite filthy. Just another day I guess.

My Energy Kick

2010-08-06T18:17:00.000+09:30

Energy drinks are something that fascinates me. I wouldn't say that I am hooked on them but I enjoy drinking them and I enjoy trying new ones. The other day I tried and drank a Wicked energy drink. It had 33% extra energy in the can which seemed like a great thing at the time but was too much. I spent the rest of my morning feeling uncomfortably energetic and felt quite excited about the fact I was wearing a BLUE SHIRT!!!!!!!!!

My Day Off

2010-08-04T16:45:00.000+09:30

Today was wet, wild, windy and bloody horrible. It was to wet for us to be able to work on any of the jobs we have going at the moment so I had the day off. Days like these don't come around very often so I enjoyed it immensely. I watched a baseball game between the Phillies and the Marlins which was actually really interesting because American baseball is only on TV during the day time and I never get to watch it. The Phillies won the game which was good and then i did some exercise and now here I am.

I added a couple things to the blog today. The first is the exciting news that The Spud Blog now has a Facebook page, so head on over and check it out. You can even like it, if that's what makes you happy. The second is those nifty buttons at the bottom of all the posts. Instead of having to comment you can just leave a quick reaction. So check those out and if you don't like it I will throw a set of steak knives at you for good measure.

My Music

2010-08-04T13:25:00.000+09:30

This is one of the songs that I cant get enough of lately. Its not the type of song I would normally listen too but it is probably one of the catchiest songs I have ever heard. Love it.

Here is Little Red with Rock It

My Photo Day

2010-08-03T07:33:00.000+09:30

For one of the days last week I carted soil from a job site to a dump on the other side of Adelaide. Driving all day isn't the most exciting of things to do so i kept my self entertained by taking photos of everything around me. There was a dog who lived at the house were we were working. It was a Kelpie cross Blue Healer and had one of the best temperaments I have ever come across in a dog. It loved that we were working there and was a huge fan of the piece of meat pie that i fed it.

The next photo was one of two planes crossing paths in the sky. I thought it looked great when I saw it, so guess what? I took a photo.

On my last trip to the dump I saw an animal in the distance, I caught my eye because straight away I thought to my self, that is a strange looking dog. As I got closer I soon realized that it was a fox. Even though Foxes and normally very timid it was not bothered by me at all. I drove right up to it. Took a photo and then watched it stalk and kill a rather large rat.

My last trip for the day took my to the Stonyfell Quarry to get a load of rubble. It was a foggy, overcast day, so it proved for some great photos up in the Quarry.

The Weekend

2010-08-02T20:47:00.000+09:30

This weekend was peacefully awesome. It was spent relaxing with Domi and chilling out with a group of special friends. Friday night was a perfect relaxing night after a pretty hectic week. Domi and I headed on down to Tilney's place. We ate pizza, watched the football and just hung out. Saturday night was a very similar night except at our house. It was actually quite weird seeing Tilney two nights in a row because she is always busy and so are we. It was great to catch up on everything because we haven't seen each other in a few weeks. She is someone I always have time for. Sunday night was spent with another friend who we haven't seen for a long time as well. Jess came up to ours and stayed for tea. She has been jet setting around the country lately so she was full of stories and as always it was just great to see her.

Dom and I also managed to finish our save the date cards for our wedding. We made the decision a couple of months ago that we were going to get married in the Valley of Fire which is just out of Las Vegas. Its going to be a bit of a stretch because, it is on the other side of the world, but all of my American relatives will be there and hopefully some of our Australian friends too. Domi did 95% of the work on the invites and they look incredible. I was relegated to putting sticky tape on things but I did it pretty well. We will be sending them out soon and hopefully some people can make the big trek.

My Story

2010-07-23T07:07:00.001+09:30

I was working recently with an electrician which my family has know for many years. We were talking about everything in general when he started telling me a story about a job he had done earlier that week. He began to tell me that he was working at a young ladies house when he noticed, sleeping on her couch, a rather large cat. He made a remark about how big it was and she replied, "yea its a pure bread Persian and it weighs about 9 kilograms, I'm not very happy with it though". He went on to ask why she was so unhappy with this seemingly peaceful cat. She then proceeded to tell him that one week earlier she had gone out and bought a miniature shih tzu puppy. She had the puppy for a few days and had bought it a special bowl and special food and everything was going well. She went off to work one day and when she returned home she couldn't find the dog. She looked everywhere in her home until she found something she wasn't expecting. There on the ground in front of her were two back legs and half of a tail. The big fat Persian, weighing in at about 9 kilograms had eaten the whole dog!!! She then stated that the little puppy cost her $400 and that she had never had a $400 dollar meal in her life but her lazy fat cat had now enjoyed a $400 Shih Tzu mignon. She was very unhappy.

My Foggy Start

2010-07-20T21:49:00.000+09:30

The other morning I walked out to the garage to get in my Ute and start another day and when the roller door went up, this is what confronted me. The fog gave the whole street an eerie peaceful glow. The trees up and down the street looked spectacular with their dull colours and a white back ground. It made everything seem dream like.

It wasn't the best start to the morning because its hard to get motivated when the world was dressed in its softest clothes but I managed the get to work and the day turned out to be pretty rewarding.

My Observations

2010-07-16T18:07:00.000+09:30

Today was a funny day. Not due to the work I did, that was quite boring, but due to what happened to me while I was having lunch. We were working near a shopping center so we went there to have lunch. We were sitting outside one of the coffee shops right near the entrance doors waiting for our food and coffee when a little girl ran full speed into the glass sliding doors. She must have thought they were going to open quicker than they did and ended up hitting them. She was fine and got up and walked off but I thought it was pretty funny. Only two minutes later and women walked out of the coffee shop and walked straight into the table we were sitting at. She obviously was paying any attention to where she was walking and nearly fell on her face. She got up and walked away fine but again I thought it was pretty funny. It was a bizarre series of events.

It was a very mundane day so I appreciated two lighter moments. Byes

My Pizza Night

2010-07-13T17:20:00.000+09:30

Last night, even though it was a lazy Monday night, I came home and made pizza's. We have people over all the time and make home made pizza's but not normally on a week night because it is a lot of work and is time consuming. We have two pizza stones that we put in the oven to cook the pizza's perfectly. Last night I just felt like pizza, so I made it...

I got very carried away with the chili flakes on the last two but they were still incredible. I definitely have to make them more often. Come round some time, Phil's Pizzeria!

My Job of the Week

2010-07-12T17:10:00.000+09:30

Well the job for this week is another concreting job. It was a concrete slab 15 meters by 12 meters located at a scrap metal recyclers. It was an odd place to work because all day long cars were being crushed and different types and pieces of metal were going everywhere. It was a hard days work because there were only three of us but we got it all done and the end result was pretty good.

My Wild Winter Weather

2010-07-11T16:46:00.002+09:30

Friday night was a night of extreme winds and rain. When we woke up Saturday morning the front yard was littered with tree branches and leaf litter. One larger branch managed to fall directly on our phone cable and had pulled it out from the house. It meant we had no phone or internet which was really quit a pain. I called the phone providers and told them of our problem and was told that this was a very common problem in the area after the winds from the night before.

Not having the internet was surprisingly annoying and I never realized how much Domi and I rely on it. Our service has just been re-connected so here I am! How exciting. The internet feels new again.

Bye

My Job of the Week

2010-07-01T22:03:00.003+09:30

Well this is a new segment here at the Spud Blog. Its called job of the week and well its were I post a photo from a job I did this week. Pretty simple. This week's job of the week is a small bedroom and bathroom addition. We poured the slab and then it rained and I got soaked trying to finish the concrete. Awesome. Enjoy.

My Celebration Week

2010-06-20T22:23:00.003+09:30

This last week has been on of anniversaries, celebrations and milestones. The first was that it was our one year anniversary of being in our home. Dominique and I moved in one year ago and it seems like only yesterday. So much has changed and this place really is a part of us now. I can honestly say that buying our home is the best thing we have done so far. The celebration was a party for Steve and Bridie's engagement. They are the next couple after Dominique and I to get engaged and so we celebrated Saturday night at the HWY function room. It was a pretty raucous sort of night and way too many drinks were had on my behalf. The milestone, and possibly the most important, was that this week was the four year anniversary of me starting this blog. Over the past four years there has been a lot of ranting, reviewing and all out dribble posted on this site but I promise it was all top quality. I'm glad I have kept this thing going and even though the past few years have been a little on the lean side, I think letters will always be typed into short rambling sentences and the words will flow on.

Here is to another four years of rambling on about what ever needs to be rambled about. Happy birthday blog.

My Dissapointment

2010-06-15T12:28:00.003+09:30

Alright so the world cup is here and everyone is excited and going soccer crazy in Australia. We all thought Australia would do really well because we did pretty well last time, but we were not so lucky. Our first game was early Monday morning our time and we got flogged! Germany thrashed us 4 nil and to be honest from what I saw on the replay we played terribly and deserved to lose. Its really sad because we played really well in the last world cup and it would be great for soccer in Australia if we won a couple of games but I think the campaign for this year is well and truely over.

I had to work the Monday that the game was on so didn't stay up to watch it and am glad I didn't. No one likes to see their team lose like that. Im not exactly soccer crazy but I will probably watch the next game because we play Ghana and we might have a small chance of beating them. Good luck soccer roos!

My News Update

2010-04-17T17:32:00.002+09:30

Well here it is a quick news update of all the things that are happening in my life.

1. I got engaged! Woot! Dominique and are so happy and are really enjoying this new time in our life. We have had our engagement parties and now it is on to planning the wedding.

2. There was an earth quake here last night. It was a 3.8 but it is the first earth quake we have had in Adelaide in about 50 years so its a bit of an event.

3. We planted a veggie garden, lol.

Bye.

My Technical Step Back

2010-01-20T13:10:00.002+10:30

I don't know why but I have taken a step back from Technology in the last few years. When I was younger I knew everything there was to know about every new gadget or piece of technology that was out there and now I just don't seem to care. The first thing I don't really care about is Blu-ray DVD's. What the hell are Blu-ray DVD's???? I know how they work but what makes a movie different because it is on Blu-ray and why do they keep advertising them? The next thing I don't care about is Twitter. I don't see why you need to write a sentence about what you are doing every 12 seconds. I mean I struggle to fill a blog post with what I have done over the past week let along writing every minute. I also hate iPhones. Not because they are part of this new crazy technology but because I don't have one. The problem with my work is that it is always dirty and dirt kills phones. It is pointless me getting a phone with a big touch screen because it will be ruined in 6 months. Damn I want cool apps tho!!!

Well now that I have had my rant I need to mention that I am only 23 and not 60 so I didn't type this up on a typewriter, but I am sticking to simple things. Maybe an iPhone one day but definitely no bloody Blu-Ray.

My Outside Renovations

2010-01-18T15:14:00.000+10:30

It was all progress this last weekend. I put the steel posts in for our retaining wall and domique painted one of the walls in the living room. The house is really becoming ours and we are finishing room after room. Even though its a lot like my normal work, it doesn't feel like working because you get to enjoy the rewards. I really enjoy it actually.

Sunday was spent down at Glenelg with Jess Telf for her going away. She was over seas for two years recently and is heading back over for another 7 weeks to meet up with her long distance boyfriend. We enjoyed a few drinks and a lot of warm afternoon sun. It turned from a horrible morning into a glorious afternoon. A really great day to be drinking in the sun.

This week is back to work as normal and hopefully I cat pick up the concrete sleepers for our retaining wall and finish that this weekend. Woo.

My 2010

2010-01-12T16:57:00.004+10:30

Well its a new year and I honestly cant believe 2009 is over. It was a huge year. Dominique and I bought our house, I bought a new ute and just about ever week something amazing happened. So far 2010 has been just as eventful. Work has been absolutely crazy and even with all the doom and gloom of the recession we still have almost more work than we can handle. I have just started doing some landscaping in the front yard of our house so that will brighten the whole front up and make it look so much better.

Last year was a lean year for me blogging wise but I am going to try and get back into it for 2010. See you soon.

2009-10-26T17:46:00.002+10:30

Here are a couple of my favorite videos at the moment. The first is a bloke covering the drums on the Phoenix track 1901. Its a great song and the drums are great to watch. The second is Jamie T playing Sticks and Stones live, I just like this song really. Also last but not least its Lady Gaga Screaming, which is really quite funny. Enjoy

My One Man Work Woes

2009-10-25T18:33:00.002+10:30

For the last two weeks I have bee working by myself and although at times it has its ups it also has its downs. Thursday and Friday of last week was a huge struggle because I was doing a job that should always have been a job for two people but instead I had to struggle by myself. On the upside though I finished work early thursday and had a beer with Susi. Things have been a bit rough between Susi and I for a few years now but since she has gotten back from a two year trip through Europe we have been reinventing our friendship. We just chilled out in the afternoon sun and enjoyed a conversation with a couple of beers. I didn't think about it until after but it has been a good 5 years since just the two of us have hung out. We put each other through a lot of bullshit in the past with a failed relationship but now I think we are finally over it all and have moved on. I like it when things turn out well.

Apart from work life has been pretty great. The girl and I bought two huge pots to put on our front step with a couple of spikey plants which I think look fantastic and also bought a couple of wine racks from Ikea. The house is really starting to look nice and become completely ours which is great.

I have struggled to write on here for some reason but I'm trying to get back to it. Byes.

My Party Weeks

2009-09-22T16:05:00.002+09:30

These last couple of weeks have been spent working hard during the week but partying pretty hard on the weekends too. We started with our house warming which was quite a big day. We started in the afternoon and had a bbq later in the night. We listened to the new tunes from Streetlight Symphony who is a collaboration of Steve and Az from the Lost Show and drank the night away.

The second reason for partying was the momentous occasion of me turning 23. The last year has involved so many things changing that I still feel 22 because it went so damn fast. Domi and I bought our beautiful house, I bought a new car and every other thing in between meant I lost track of time. We did the usual family dinners and had a couple of people round to ours Saturday night to enjoy a few drinks. Not a huge celebration but 23 isn't really a stand out birthday.

Still having fun. Whats up with you? Byes.

My New Home

2009-08-23T15:37:00.003+09:30

I'm back! I really dont know why it has taken me so long to post after we moved in. Maybe I needed a break from blogging, I dont know, but I know im back. Its been a crazy time the last two and a bit months. We moved into our house, I bought a new car, we unpacked and tried to fill all the rooms with something, we got two kittens, the kittens got sick and had to go back to the vet for a week, we got the kittens back and then here we are. It has been a roller coaster. I hectic draining roller coaster but its been the best two months of my life. Dominique and I have been so great and the house is really starting to become our home. We have gotten past the stage of it feeling new and weird and now its definitely ours. Every week or two we make a new purchase which makes another room feel the way we want it too but we still have a bedroom with boxes in it and another bedroom with just a bed.

We are getting there and its great showing people the place when they come round. I think our house warming will be very soon.

Well after all that time that's all I have to say. Here are a couple of photos.

My Brand Spanking New Video

2009-06-17T20:07:00.002+09:30

Well this is it. the Brand new Alexisonfire music video for Young Cardinals. Enjoy.

Also, the making of.

My Music News

2009-06-14T15:14:00.000+09:30

I am ecstatic about three things that are happening this month. The first, obviously is our house. The second is seeing Karnivool play, and their new CD coming out but the third caught me by surprise. Alexisonfire are releasing a new album and I knew nothing about it. I was listening to the radio the other day and they played a song off it for the first time. In my eyes Alexisonfire are one of the best bands the punk world has seen. I cannot wait to hear the whole cd and hopefully this means they are touring here soon.

My Northern Days

2009-06-03T20:12:00.002+09:30

For the last two weeks I have been working out in Adelaide's northern suburbs . We have been digging the trenches to run data cables to surveillance camera's inside power sub stations. I have never really traveled to that side of town and I have to say, it is a different world out there. They are the lower class suburbs and the people are completely different. Everyone is looking for a fight. We get abused by people all day long just because we are there. We went into a McDonald's for a coffee and I noticed blue lights and syringe bins in the toilets. Different.

We finished our job out there today and I am glad for two reasons. One the whole area is harsh, its such a different environment and two because the drive in the morning sucks. Its over an hour so we have had a lot of long days recently. Can't wait to get to the next job.

My Island Weekend

2009-06-02T20:18:00.003+09:30

This past weekend was spent celebrating the lovely Emma's 22nd birthday. Her family have a holiday house down south on Hindmarsh Island, so we packed up and headed down Saturday afternoon. Emma is one of my oldest friends. She was in my reception class when I started school so we have known each other for a good 18 years now.

We arrived at about 4PM and started celebrating straight away with a few bevies. It was a really great night and even though we had to brave the bitter cold I was surrounded by some of my oldest and dearest friends. We ate a great meal for tea and then enjoyed butterfly cupcakes that were made by Rhys' girlfriend Amelie.

The night, week and weekend were all top off by my two friends Steve and Layno. They presented me with a ticket to the upcoming Karnivool concert. I was devastated because I couldn't spend the money on a ticket due to the house and our mortgage and so for them to buy me one was amazing. Its going to be an incredible gig and I think the first round will be on me.

Sunday was spent with sore heads relaxing outside in the cold air with warm sun on our faces. Domi and I played a couple of games of chess on their oversized wooden board and then made the trek back to town. Definitely a good weekend.

My New Area

2009-05-17T21:11:00.002+09:30

Last night was a night spent in our new neighbor hood. The weekend started terribly. We woke up Saturday morning to find that Domi's car had been broken into outside of my parents place. They had smashed the back window and tried to get in but couldn't so just left it. There was nothing to steal inside the car so its a real pain that we have to get the window fixed for nothing. Its a real kick in the teeth because its money we really cant afford because ever cent we have at the moment is going towards our house deposit.

After that annoying start to the morning the day did get a lot better. We decided to drive back to Dominique's mother's place so she could do some packing but just ended up lazing away on the couch and watching different games of football. After tea we went up to Steve's parents house which is just around the corner from Domi and I's new house. It was a really great relaxing night, we actually sat outside for most of the night and just hung out, so it was great to catch up with some old faces. We talked for hours about linking different actors through 6 degrees of movie separation. We managed to link Steven Seagal to Denise Richards in just 4 move. It may sound nerdy but it was hilarious at the time.

Today was another very lazy day. We did a little packing and sorted through some purchases from yesterday. We bought a $10 toaster and a $10 kettle so we will see how long they last. I don't think they will be the best but hey its the last two items I want to spend money on so they will do. P.s if you do break into our new house don't smash a window and don't steal the toaster or kettle. Byes.

My Concrete Chaos

2009-05-11T22:40:00.002+09:30

Last week was hell due to work being so hectic. On Wednesday I had possibly the most stressful day of my life. It started Tuesday with me working a twelve hour day trying to get a job ready to be poured Wednesday. Wednesday came and the concrete pour was going well until the third concrete truck just didn't show up. I rang the concrete plant and was told that there was a burst water main and they couldn't batch any more concrete! I went off my face at the person on the phone because I couldn't believe something like this could happen and they didn't even ring me to let me know! I was very unhappy and very stressed because I had a 80 square meter addition half poured and no concrete on the way. I ring up four different concrete companies but they couldn't send a truck for an hour and a half so I had to wait and see what was going to happen. Luckily 45 minutes later a truck showed up and the pour continued. Its not a good feeling to have a job half finished and 5 guys standing around doing nothing. Very stressful.

Apart from that the rest of the week was pretty good. I worked for another concreter and we poured 200 square meters Thursday and Friday so very productive. The weekend was relaxing.

The best part about my week was watching an old punk DVD with Adam and Sam, it was something we hadn't done in years and it really brought back good memories. For a Saturday night where we did nothing, it was the best one I have had in a long time.

Byes

My Australian Lesson

2009-05-11T16:26:00.001+09:30

Hip Hop is something you either like or dislike. I am not a huge fan but Australian Hip Hop is something completely different. Here is an old video to celebrate the Hilltop Hoods new single/cd coming out soon. Check it.

My House Photo's and 400th POST!!!! Wooooo

2009-05-03T20:48:00.001+09:30

Here are some photos of Dominique and I's new house. Damn I can't wait to move in.

My Packing

2009-05-03T19:08:00.002+09:30

Well with the new house purchase and the move getting ever closer Domi and I are slowing packing everything. We have been living at my parents house for the last couple of weeks sorting through everything from my old room and packing what we are going to keep. This weekend however we stayed at her place to pack some of her things. All up we have half filled my parents spare bedroom with boxes and boxes of all our crap. Its amazing how much crap you can accumulate over the years. I think out of everything I own, I have only packed half.

The highlight of this weekend was my 5 year school reunion on Friday night. I was great to catch up with a lot of people who I haven't seen for a couple of years. It was bad to see that a few people hadn't changed at all but great to see that some people have. It was odd that with a couple hundred people in the room I still managed to hang out with the same 20 people I see every week. Oh well, still great to catch up.

Work has been hectic to say the least. Im working by my self due to the fact that my father is overseas and I really could use a second person. Its amazing how much longer it takes you to do a job completely by yourself. Its been great though because I do like working by myself and doing my own thing. Being so flat out does make the days go incredibly quickly though. I have a little over a week left until my old man gets back but I have about a months work so I will definitely be crazy busy. Should be a good week. Byes

My New House!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-16T21:05:00.002+09:30

Ok so I know its been so so so so so long since I have written but to be honest I haven't even stopped to think in the last couple of weeks because life has been so hectic. The big news is Dominique and I have bought our first house!!!!! We put an offer in for the place about eight weeks ago and found out two weeks ago that our offer was accepted. It is incredible news because we had all but given up on getting the house and were completely sick of looking. Its a beautiful house in a very nice area. We think it is perfect and now just cant wait to move in, Finally. Just a quick post to let everyone know the good news. Here is the outdoor are and our kitchen.

My Weekly Higlights

2009-03-23T20:55:00.002+10:30

The last week was a good one in some ways but also a bad one. It was bad because we are still waiting to see what happens with the house we put an offer in on. It was great because of all the awesome things that happened. Here is a quick wrap up of the highs and some lows.

Monday: We concreted a driveway and once finished left. About ten minutes away from the job we got a phone call saying that the mans dog had got out and run up and down the driveway. We rushed back and had to work like hell to make it look half decent. It went from a job that looked like a million dollars to a job that looked very average. Bad luck for him. (LOW)

Tuesday: I saw a mentally challenged man dressed in a suit waiting for a bus. It made me smile because I have never seen someone so proud of the way he was dressed.

Friday: I went to the Clipsal 500 to watch the races with a few people. It was a really awesome day with great weather.

The weekend: Went down to our farm and relaxed. Watched the Clipsal 500 races all weekend and had a few beers with Hoggot and Sam when they came down. All up a very good weekend.

My Disappointment

2009-03-15T15:19:00.002+10:30

This week was a bit of a disappointment for the girl and I. We put an offer in on a house. Our offer was a bit lower than their asking price but we though we could negotiate and maybe meet them in the middle of both. We were very disappointed to hear that they rejected our offer and wouldn't budge on their price. We were both gutted because their price is more than we could afford. It was such an incredible house. I really wished we had gotten it. I guess its back to looking.

My HC Training

2009-03-10T18:50:00.002+10:30

Im tired. The last week and a bit have been absolutely draining for me. I started driving lessons to get my Heavy Combination (HC) License on Monday of last week and after three 5 hours lessons and then a grueling 9 hour session on Sunday I completed the training. I learnt in an old piece of shit truck with a 15 meter long trailer on the back. Now that I have completed it I can drive anything up to 50000kg, which is more than I will ever need. I only need the license to tow the trailers that we put our excavators on but had to go to the trouble of getting a semi license. I am so glad it is over because 5 hours of driving a semi trailer around town is too much and 9 hours was hell.

Apart from that the week was a blur. I cant really remember much of it. Had Mexican Thursday with a few people and the Ed hotel Saturday night to hang out and then again Sunday for Ashley's birthday. A good weekend ruined by a 9 hour driving lesson Sunday. Now its another working week again and its all a blur.

The BIG news is that the girl and I found a house that we really like so we put an offer in and are waiting now. Hopefully we get it, so keep your fingers cross for us!!

My Country Feel

2009-02-24T22:07:00.000+10:30

Over the last month or so we have been working South of Adelaide in a rural area called Yankalilla. It has been good and bad but it has definitely been different. One of the great things about working down there is the country people and how trusting they are. The craziest thing I have done since going down there is loaded our truck by myself in the Quarry. Now in town you are not allowed out of your truck in any of the quarries and you are loaded by a loader driver who gives you an exact weight. Down at Yankalilla the guy who runs the quarry just told me to do it myself. He asked me if I knew how to drive a loader which I can and then just said, well you can do it cant you? So for a whole day I carted rubble to our job loading the truck with a $400000 machine that some guy is just letting me use! I don't think I would be that trusting with something worth that much with someone that I have never met and only have his word that he can opperate it properly. Thats like buying a Ferrari and handing a 22 year old the keys and asking, you can drive a manual can't you? Very funny, I think.

My Valen-zoo-tines

2009-02-21T12:56:00.005+10:30

The girl and I are a little bit different when it comes to things like Valentines day.Instead of doing something uber romantic like going out to tea with candles and wine we drove an hour out of Adelaide to a place called Monarto Zoo. The Zoo is a large parcel of land that was bought 20 years ago and has now grown to one of the biggest animal parks in Australia. It is home to Lions, Cheetahs, Giraffes and many other African animals as well as many many Australian animals. We spent a whole day taking tours and walking around the park. We took about 200 photos so hear are a couple. The rest will be on my Photo Blog. Woooo

My Country On Fire

2009-02-10T19:34:00.004+10:30

It was a weekend of immense highs and immense lows. The girl and I went down to my families farm to spend the weekend away. It was such a beautiful weekend and we had such a great time relaxing and just being together. We saw so much wildlife down there which really kept us busy for most of the time. We woke up Sunday morning a realized that there was a mother, father and joey Kangaroo lying down in the backyard, about 5 meters from the backdoor. They stayed there for most of the morning and then returned later that evening. At one stage there was another group just out from the house so there was 7 Kangaroo's in our view from the couch, pretty amazing. We also put a heap of seed out for the birds and counted 7 Gallah's, 5 Rosella's, 2 rainbow Lorikeets and 4 Blue rens it was like a zoo. The highlight of the weekend was when we saw a pair of Yellowtailed Black Cockatoos which huge and incredibly beautiful. They are very rare and highly endangered but the pair has been living in the area for the last few years. We played a lot of Super Nintendo and Wii and relaxed for most of the weekend.

That was the good of the weekend. The bad didn't come until Saturday night when an emergency news broadcast came on the TV and told us of the Victorian bushfires. We first heard that 35 people had lost their lives and hundreds of homes had been destroyed and over the weekend and until now both tolls have kept rising. Some of the stories that have been broadcast have been absolutely horrific. The death toll is around the 200 mark now and may rise further. My heart goes out to all those people who have been effected and I, just like most people have been absolutely shocked and shaken by what has happened. It truely is a tragedy and has been the worst peacetime tragedy in Australian history. I hope the fires are controlled soon and I hope no more lives are lost. On a solemn note on a very solemn day. Byes.

My Pool Party

2009-02-05T20:07:00.002+10:30

The weekend was great. We chilled out Friday night and Saturday before heading to Emma's place to eat pizza, party and swim in her rent-a-pool. She is house sitting so decided to have some people round which was great for us because at around 9:30 it was still so so hot and we were still in the pool. We had some awesome conversations about some weird things, one being a sexual position called the rifleman which I wont explain and will let you research for yourselves, lol. We finally hit the wall around three and went to bed.

The girl and I stayed there Saturday night and Sunday was spent eating awesome bacon and eggs cooked by none other than the great Emma and then swimming in the pool some more. We broke up the party to all head down to see Sam off to the UK. Him and another friend, Lachy, are going over for a month. They are going to catch up with Kate, Susi and Jess who are also over there so that will be crazy. I'm so jealous of everyone going away but I'm glad that we are saving for a house. That is more important to me at the moment. I would like to travel overseas again some day. Hopefully we can afford it later in life. Wooo

My Questionnaire

2009-01-30T21:28:00.002+10:30

I though tonight was going to be a really good night. Australia is playing South Africa in the cricket and its the semi finals of the Australian Open so lots of good TV. They both turned out to be crap. We are losing the cricket and I'm sick of tennis, so here I am answering a questionnaire thing. Its a what would you do survey, hope you enjoy.

1.) What would you do if you were in a corner and a snake was staring you down?
I would definitely move to the blue corner because obviously there are snakes in the red corner.

2.) If you were standing at the top of the Eiffel Tower?
I would look left then right then left again for mimes.

3.) If you were on the moon?
If I was on the moon I wouldn't be so hot. I would also weigh a lot less than I do now, but would still be just as hungry.

4.) If you were a contestant on American Idol?
I would be very embarrassed because one, I cant sing very well and two because I was on American Idol and that's nothing to be proud of. (sorry kelly clarkson, no capitals for you!)

5.) If you woke up naked in a park?
Now this one is not so silly because as most of my friends know I once left a house party which was 6 blocks from my house and managed to take a detour and pass out. I woke up on a lawn bowls green the next day with some old lady staring at me. I was very confused but still fully clothed. Maybe next time though.

6.) If you won 100 million dollars.
If I won that much money I buy everything I wanted and then invest the rest and try to help out the world through aid and charities with the money I could make off the original 100 million. I would definitely buy a Ferrari or three.

7.) If you had 500 kilograms of cheese.
If I had that much cheese I would be in heaven. I love cheese. I had a slice earlier and it was every bit as dairy as it should have been. Brilliant.

8.) If a blizzard dumped snow where you lived.
I would be incredibly surprised because its currently about 36 degree Celsius/100 Fahrenheit. On the other hand I would grab as much as I could and put it on the lawn because we have water restrictions and cannot water it and it needs a drink.

Well that's it now I have to find something else to type about. Byes

My Day Off

2009-01-30T15:45:00.000+10:30

Yesterday was a scorcher. It was way to hot to work so we pulled the pin and didn't even bother doing anything. It was such a relief to not have to face the heat again. I spent most of the day inside enjoying the air conditioning and playing Wii but at around 2:00PM the power went out and I was back in the heat. Luckily it was only off for an hour but it still annoyed me.

It didn't cool down at all in the evening but the Lost Show were playing a gig at the Backpackers bar down at Glenelg so we headed out anyway. We got hotdogs and ice cream for tea and then got to the bar pretty early. It was just us and a few of the band guys which was great to hang out because they haven't played a show in a while and I hadn't seen the guitarist, Dan, since new years eve. The bar had their air con on but it was dismal and still around the 30 degrees inside which was pretty oppressive. As the crowd grew it got hotter but the show was awesome which made it all worth while. I really hope they start playing more gigs because they have been slack lately. Damn they are good live though.

After a couple of beers and all that heat we retired early and headed home around the 11pm mark. it was great to get back to an air conditioned car and house and yes I slept like a log.

I'm disappointed because today is the Big Day Out music festival and I'm not going. The line up this year was pretty average and I just couldn't justify the $135 for a ticket. Its always such a great day though so I am disappointed. Hopefully next years line up is better and I will be back into it. Anyway I'm off to go be hot some more. Byes.