running is usually my fall back option when i have exhausted all other possible outlets for some exercise, it's generally not something that i would choose to do but with a severe lack of dancing in my life at the moment i was getting abi† desperate. monday nite i went for a jog and it was moderately nice - not fantastic and certainly not consistent for the whole half hour but it did the job.
tuesday i went to a class at the gym wi†h my mum called "strong to the core" which is (as you guessed it) basically all about abdominal workout stuff. it wasn't exactly beyond me but i sure was buggered afterwards. my mum said it took her 5 days to recover from her first one of those classes. it only took me 3-4 (it's only been minor pain in the last day or so) but i wasnt able to push our brand new recliners back with my fatigued torso and had to use the (rather handy) handle.
last nite i ran again and god it was GOOD. it felt really good. no stopping every half block to walk - i had made it two train stations up the line before i knew it. usually i tend to do a conservative circuit around my block (allowing a quick return home) - but last nite i just found myself so liberated by this new found ability that i just wanted to keep going and going and going.
so i've decided that i MUST harness this new power and use it as much as i can before i loose it. who's with me?
a treat: brand new shorts, socks, sports bra and sleek hair cut to match. woo hoo.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Sunday, March 19, 2006
the games
well as most of you know the commonwealth games are currently happening here in melb. there's tones of athletes and tourists from all over the world come to visit our home town. what does that mean for people like me? there's way more traffic than usual, lots of quick-fixes have been put in place to make melbourne seem alot nicer than it is. there is less rubbish around the place, new signage ..and even the homeless guy that does laps of flinders street station has new clothes -and SHOES!
what does it exactly mean for ME? well i worked one day on friday as a last minute fill in. part of the linen team helping to drive around the village and drop off/collect towels from 6am to 3pm. most of my collegues were 30 something blokes with big beer bellies and half sneered when they saw that a GIRL was going to be working with them. pfft yeah it's hard manual labour but sure as hell isnt out of my reach. i was pretty fucking buggered by the end of they day but that was probably more to do with sleep deprivation and in contrast to my usually rather relaxed lifestyle.
lunch was provided. it was amazing. they provide more food than i could possibly dream of getting through in an entire day; hot smorgas board, salad bar, fruit salad, yoghurt, bread, sandwiches, chips, chocolate bars, desserts, cakes, muffins, ice creams, water, coffee, tea, bikies, and cereal for breaky. i mean they did mention something about it being a good feed but i would never have imagined that. most people looked rather lethargic after lunch from over eating. i thought i was being disciplined by only have some rice, curry, salad, fruit and yoghurt but it was still too much.
i'm not sure if i will be working again as they want someone who can work the entire way through - i have commitments to my other job etc.
but it was really interested driving around the village and seeing all the different flags for different countries everywhere. then as people started to get up we saw loads of differnt athletes training and getting themselves organised all over the place. i just remembered thinking "oh my god! MUSCLES!!" muscles everywhere - it was beautiful.
i was surprised to discover that all the other workers around the place (besides the police and the cleaning contractors) were all volunteers - even the ones doing shitty jobs like sweeping the tan bark back into place around the gardens - what tha??
there were also a nice scattering of entertainers around. the first ones i saw (and were my favourties) were these guys on stilts in strongmen/lifesaver outfits including the old fashioned striped swimsuit; the lifesavers cap and massive porn-moustaches; and faux rubber muscles all which made their little capped heads look like pin heads in comparison. when i asked to have my photo taken with them they're like "of course you can gorgeous!! wow, that's a bright shirt! are you okay?? are you sure you dont need mouth to mouth resusitation?!" hehe it was pretty cool. as i walked away i realised that the oversized calf muscles were actually massively curved to disguise the springs attached to their stilts allowing them to bounce 5 metres into the air. i was extactically excited.
..there were also four sheep a bit later. covered in (non stuffed) sheep skin suits with puffy chops around their thighs and shoulders. they would follow each other around in a pack and make subtle movements with chewing expressions and sometimes breaking away from the group to get down on all fours to stare at a passer by. they were fantastic!!
i thought they were amazing and positively wasted on the under populated village - just athletes with nothing but sport on their minds. no appreciation.
today it is nice and sunny - a sunday. still considering what to do. Smoothy is contemplating a walk up to the local hippy commune to see if he can find me a pub bike. readers might be interested to know that my bike riding is slowly getting better. i'm still having massive problems getting on adn off when the seat is put up to the actual height it is meant to be. but last week i DID ride all the way back from dp's place and up that enourmous hill with dying. ..we will see.
that's all for now bloggers. xox
what does it exactly mean for ME? well i worked one day on friday as a last minute fill in. part of the linen team helping to drive around the village and drop off/collect towels from 6am to 3pm. most of my collegues were 30 something blokes with big beer bellies and half sneered when they saw that a GIRL was going to be working with them. pfft yeah it's hard manual labour but sure as hell isnt out of my reach. i was pretty fucking buggered by the end of they day but that was probably more to do with sleep deprivation and in contrast to my usually rather relaxed lifestyle.
lunch was provided. it was amazing. they provide more food than i could possibly dream of getting through in an entire day; hot smorgas board, salad bar, fruit salad, yoghurt, bread, sandwiches, chips, chocolate bars, desserts, cakes, muffins, ice creams, water, coffee, tea, bikies, and cereal for breaky. i mean they did mention something about it being a good feed but i would never have imagined that. most people looked rather lethargic after lunch from over eating. i thought i was being disciplined by only have some rice, curry, salad, fruit and yoghurt but it was still too much.
i'm not sure if i will be working again as they want someone who can work the entire way through - i have commitments to my other job etc.
but it was really interested driving around the village and seeing all the different flags for different countries everywhere. then as people started to get up we saw loads of differnt athletes training and getting themselves organised all over the place. i just remembered thinking "oh my god! MUSCLES!!" muscles everywhere - it was beautiful.
i was surprised to discover that all the other workers around the place (besides the police and the cleaning contractors) were all volunteers - even the ones doing shitty jobs like sweeping the tan bark back into place around the gardens - what tha??
there were also a nice scattering of entertainers around. the first ones i saw (and were my favourties) were these guys on stilts in strongmen/lifesaver outfits including the old fashioned striped swimsuit; the lifesavers cap and massive porn-moustaches; and faux rubber muscles all which made their little capped heads look like pin heads in comparison. when i asked to have my photo taken with them they're like "of course you can gorgeous!! wow, that's a bright shirt! are you okay?? are you sure you dont need mouth to mouth resusitation?!" hehe it was pretty cool. as i walked away i realised that the oversized calf muscles were actually massively curved to disguise the springs attached to their stilts allowing them to bounce 5 metres into the air. i was extactically excited.
..there were also four sheep a bit later. covered in (non stuffed) sheep skin suits with puffy chops around their thighs and shoulders. they would follow each other around in a pack and make subtle movements with chewing expressions and sometimes breaking away from the group to get down on all fours to stare at a passer by. they were fantastic!!
i thought they were amazing and positively wasted on the under populated village - just athletes with nothing but sport on their minds. no appreciation.
today it is nice and sunny - a sunday. still considering what to do. Smoothy is contemplating a walk up to the local hippy commune to see if he can find me a pub bike. readers might be interested to know that my bike riding is slowly getting better. i'm still having massive problems getting on adn off when the seat is put up to the actual height it is meant to be. but last week i DID ride all the way back from dp's place and up that enourmous hill with dying. ..we will see.
that's all for now bloggers. xox
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
literate?
well, i'm trying to get back into the reading for pleasure thing. it's been a while and i'm feeling extra rusty but slowly getting there.
ham lent me a copy of The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency which was quite a lovely read. a collection of short stories that eventually made up one larger picture. great for those with short attention spans. easy language. quaint small town fables.
my next hurdle was lady-trash at it's best with Sex, Murder and a Double Latte. i went to the library and selected half a dozen paper back _lady_ books (many of which were pink and with titles much like this one). this was the only one that actually ended up reading and required 2 renewals but was well worth the work. i really enjyed it. including one rather painful day at work where the anitcipation of reading that final chapter and finding out who the killer was almost killed me. i was so excited and involved that i found myself get butterflies as i read it on the train.
my next trip to the library i found three more nice reads - again must be paper back and smallish to fit in my bag. i got caught up in the excitment of a book sale and free dvd borrowing that i didnt realise that i had borrowed a book called "Odd Fish and Englishmen" and another entitled "Of Cats and Men" ..no-one can critisize me for being inconsitent.
i'm currently reading the one about cats. i didnt realise it but it's all short stories about women and their cats and men. most of them i;ve found rather frustrating. the first was possibly the most annoying with an account of this woman whom becomes insecure in her relationship after stumbling onto her husbands porn collection - i'm mean i'm not that partial to a bit of neurotic behaviour at the best of times but come on! i'm hoping that it gets better. ..or i might have to take drastic action.
i also think that the library rocks. i think i migth go there again today. i like the walk there in the sunshine. and i like taking my ipod.
.. love my ipod - i suspect that nothing in my life could ever be better than my pod. it completes me. i *heart* my pod. sigh.
ham lent me a copy of The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency which was quite a lovely read. a collection of short stories that eventually made up one larger picture. great for those with short attention spans. easy language. quaint small town fables.
my next hurdle was lady-trash at it's best with Sex, Murder and a Double Latte. i went to the library and selected half a dozen paper back _lady_ books (many of which were pink and with titles much like this one). this was the only one that actually ended up reading and required 2 renewals but was well worth the work. i really enjyed it. including one rather painful day at work where the anitcipation of reading that final chapter and finding out who the killer was almost killed me. i was so excited and involved that i found myself get butterflies as i read it on the train.
my next trip to the library i found three more nice reads - again must be paper back and smallish to fit in my bag. i got caught up in the excitment of a book sale and free dvd borrowing that i didnt realise that i had borrowed a book called "Odd Fish and Englishmen" and another entitled "Of Cats and Men" ..no-one can critisize me for being inconsitent.
i'm currently reading the one about cats. i didnt realise it but it's all short stories about women and their cats and men. most of them i;ve found rather frustrating. the first was possibly the most annoying with an account of this woman whom becomes insecure in her relationship after stumbling onto her husbands porn collection - i'm mean i'm not that partial to a bit of neurotic behaviour at the best of times but come on! i'm hoping that it gets better. ..or i might have to take drastic action.
i also think that the library rocks. i think i migth go there again today. i like the walk there in the sunshine. and i like taking my ipod.
.. love my ipod - i suspect that nothing in my life could ever be better than my pod. it completes me. i *heart* my pod. sigh.
Monday, February 20, 2006
clips on the internet
hmmm, as seen in my previous post there are clips available online from the recent competition held in melbourne. alot of competitors are getting upset about having their image (in whatever form) online and available for the wider swing community to access.
sure i feel sympathy for them - it's always wierd when you realise exactly how exposed you are. i'd like to say "yes, if they dont want them online - they should be allowed to request the removal." ..BUT there is another part of me that is just far too excited about moving into another phase in lindyhop multimedia use. it's like we are contributing in a whole other way than just observing what our international counterparts are dishing up. we're establishing an identity of our own. this can only mean great things for australia's visiting potential and perhaps even having our reputation preceeding us as we go globe hopping.
i think it will also put things into perspective alittle more for both sides of the coin. my mind keeps getting drawn back to a particular move that was recreated from the UHLS clips in the competition. it was a rather tricky move and got an amazing audience response in the original context but it's recreation actually had no value because the context was not appreciated at all. a move that is executed at slower tempos in a routine or class has more impact if it can be done at much higher speeds and socially. but if it is just performed for the sake of being performed then it has no impact at all. and just _looks like_ they are purely mimicking clips that can be found on the internet. would it not be nicer if australia were more aware of themselves in terms of holding their own weight. sure rip everyone else off - and make it your own - but when on display to the rest of the world, arent we more likely to want to improvise, extend and challenge ourselves to the limits.
i just went and watched all the footage available online (i still havent gotten around to looking at my own stuff yet) and well yeah, it's nothing to be ashamed of at all. it's pretty nice stuff. aussie's can hold their own! fucken yeah!
sure if i were on there (to a greater extent) i'm sure i'd be much less excited but i'd like to think that i'd be able to get over it ..eventually.
incidentally this whole thing reminded me of another situation where my image had been used without my permission:
-at mlx last year someone came up to me and said "hi my name is X. you must be Y, i know you from the AJC dvd." my reaction was pretty shocked as i hadnt really considered that something like that would either exist or have me on it.
it was somewhat shocking but it's not really doing anyone any harm. and if you think about it- if we all started getting upset about our image being used then there would be no images to use. ...coming from an ametuer film-making perspective at the very least.
*edited to remove t-shirt reference.
sure i feel sympathy for them - it's always wierd when you realise exactly how exposed you are. i'd like to say "yes, if they dont want them online - they should be allowed to request the removal." ..BUT there is another part of me that is just far too excited about moving into another phase in lindyhop multimedia use. it's like we are contributing in a whole other way than just observing what our international counterparts are dishing up. we're establishing an identity of our own. this can only mean great things for australia's visiting potential and perhaps even having our reputation preceeding us as we go globe hopping.
i think it will also put things into perspective alittle more for both sides of the coin. my mind keeps getting drawn back to a particular move that was recreated from the UHLS clips in the competition. it was a rather tricky move and got an amazing audience response in the original context but it's recreation actually had no value because the context was not appreciated at all. a move that is executed at slower tempos in a routine or class has more impact if it can be done at much higher speeds and socially. but if it is just performed for the sake of being performed then it has no impact at all. and just _looks like_ they are purely mimicking clips that can be found on the internet. would it not be nicer if australia were more aware of themselves in terms of holding their own weight. sure rip everyone else off - and make it your own - but when on display to the rest of the world, arent we more likely to want to improvise, extend and challenge ourselves to the limits.
i just went and watched all the footage available online (i still havent gotten around to looking at my own stuff yet) and well yeah, it's nothing to be ashamed of at all. it's pretty nice stuff. aussie's can hold their own! fucken yeah!
sure if i were on there (to a greater extent) i'm sure i'd be much less excited but i'd like to think that i'd be able to get over it ..eventually.
incidentally this whole thing reminded me of another situation where my image had been used without my permission:
-at mlx last year someone came up to me and said "hi my name is X. you must be Y, i know you from the AJC dvd." my reaction was pretty shocked as i hadnt really considered that something like that would either exist or have me on it.
it was somewhat shocking but it's not really doing anyone any harm. and if you think about it- if we all started getting upset about our image being used then there would be no images to use. ...coming from an ametuer film-making perspective at the very least.
*edited to remove t-shirt reference.
Melb Swing Fest
this is what i wrote a week or so back:
i'm sitting here in my pj's eating the biggest bowl of museli/yoghurt/pear you've ever seen and reading everyone's comments of the weekend just passed on SwingTalk and i'm thinking that if i dont post about it soon, the normal levels of sleep may overtake my memories and it will all be lost forever. what to do?? blog blog blog.
so, what is MSF??
The Melbourne Swing Festival as run by Swing Patrol in celebration of The Harlem Hot Shots and their South East Asian Tour. All nine members of the group were in town for the weekend - no Hannah, but the new face of Jenny which was still lovely.
I think I have a crush on each of them for different reasons. In fact I KNOW that I have crushes on them - I've been telling everyone I possibly can ..including my Squeeze.
Mattias was a bit of a crowd favourite which was no surprise really considering how much of a ladies man he is. I personally like to hang back and just watch him in action - not too excited about the prospect of actually flirting with him. I loved watching him in the disco outfit in the performance - it's his flirtiness that gives him that amazing stage pressence! He's certainly easy on the eyes!
Zackie is the sweetheart guy that you'd most definately like to sit down and get to know, he's much less caught up in the fame of it all and acknowledges everyone. I REALLY enjoyed the dances that we had - he made my nite on friday nite!!
Daniel is just beautiful! I suspect that if he did actually come out social dancing that i would not be able to get enough of him. i like his bouncy-ness and how playful he can be. if he were an animal he'd be a bunny or some kind of playful puppy - i'd just want run up and squeeze him.
Asa -Daniel's parter- is so cool in contrast with him. she seems to be a bit of an ass-kicker and would get his life under control. the fact that she is hubba-hubba-mamma only makes her COOL attitude even more likeable.
Frida was scatting in class one day and i was starring at her porcelain skin as she sung "goo gi di da gah!" and i suddenly thought she was like a dolly. a sassy dolly. of all the HHS's she was the one that let her personality show through the most in classes and made lots of jokes.
And Lennart is totally the eccentric, mad scientist of them all. i often wonder what his story actually is. why does he stay on and train up these young bucks?? he takes the piss out of himself alot - i've noticed.
i did not really get much of an idea of what Fatima and Jenny were like. next time.
i give the workshops a 10 out of 10!! i felt that it was certainly challenging enough even though the standard of the stream wasnt that high. alot of material was familiar stuff that i had maybe learnt before at another stage but was able to REALLY understand it and claim it as my own. i hope i can remember enough to document it for future reference!
i also have a renewed faith in all things old school! the old school swingout. the old school active follows. the old school rhythms. all things that i havent really been doing at all for the last year or 2. i've decided that i want to be much less of a passive follow and put more of myself into my dancing. it makes sense that i did it for a while (especially when competing with those passive follows for leads and dancing with leads that dont appreciate it) but it does not explain why i've forgotten completely how to play; i let it take over. i miss my other crazy girls like lotte, doz and linnea.
i cannot express how unbelievably inspired i was after watching the stage show on sat nite! amazing recreationist dancing and kick yo ass lindyhop. i had about 12 dances before being dragged away for food but they were probably some of the best dances i've had in the last year - and the craziest!! attired in tassles and heels i pulled out some truly stupid stuff - EXCELLENT!!
once again team Brunswick (well part thereof) was back in full form! serious punnage and silly car rides ahhoy!! special thanks to sam and dave for meals, chocolate and looking out for me in general. they kept me from reaching "critical mass".
some lovely faces back in town like perthies make for excellent fun.
the film festival wasnt THAT out of my league so next year i will definately have to enter a film of my own. i just need some more focus. plus Swing Kids sucks balls. i'd much rather be publicly humiliated than sit through that again!.
this is what i wrote today:
uh oh!! yes i am forgetting lots of stuff i learnt. oh dear.
what else happened over the weekend you ask? hmm well i didnt enjoy the competition so much with stomach cramps and upset belly for most of the evening. i missed alot of the events as i hid outside in the fresh air. so disappointed fans i will have to find another opportunity to flash my boobs in public places. there are clips available for your viewing pleasure here.
there are also now a million melbournians going to harrang this year. i'm such a trend setter - ha! ..well maybe i could make that claim if i knew that i was actually going this year: the job hunting is still going on.
since that weekend i've been doing lots of non-dancing type things. abit of yoga, abit of bike riding (i'm still seriously bad at it though). a few films, abit of work.
we finally test drove the new board game i got for xmas. settler fans will be pleased to hear that the cities and knight's extension set makes the whole game much harder and more complicated!!! i found it really hard to figure out my game plan cause there was just so much going on.
anyways, hope all are well. i'm sorry i dont post as often these days. i'll will try to make a better effort. mwuah!
i'm sitting here in my pj's eating the biggest bowl of museli/yoghurt/pear you've ever seen and reading everyone's comments of the weekend just passed on SwingTalk and i'm thinking that if i dont post about it soon, the normal levels of sleep may overtake my memories and it will all be lost forever. what to do?? blog blog blog.
so, what is MSF??
The Melbourne Swing Festival as run by Swing Patrol in celebration of The Harlem Hot Shots and their South East Asian Tour. All nine members of the group were in town for the weekend - no Hannah, but the new face of Jenny which was still lovely.
I think I have a crush on each of them for different reasons. In fact I KNOW that I have crushes on them - I've been telling everyone I possibly can ..including my Squeeze.
Mattias was a bit of a crowd favourite which was no surprise really considering how much of a ladies man he is. I personally like to hang back and just watch him in action - not too excited about the prospect of actually flirting with him. I loved watching him in the disco outfit in the performance - it's his flirtiness that gives him that amazing stage pressence! He's certainly easy on the eyes!
Zackie is the sweetheart guy that you'd most definately like to sit down and get to know, he's much less caught up in the fame of it all and acknowledges everyone. I REALLY enjoyed the dances that we had - he made my nite on friday nite!!
Daniel is just beautiful! I suspect that if he did actually come out social dancing that i would not be able to get enough of him. i like his bouncy-ness and how playful he can be. if he were an animal he'd be a bunny or some kind of playful puppy - i'd just want run up and squeeze him.
Asa -Daniel's parter- is so cool in contrast with him. she seems to be a bit of an ass-kicker and would get his life under control. the fact that she is hubba-hubba-mamma only makes her COOL attitude even more likeable.
Frida was scatting in class one day and i was starring at her porcelain skin as she sung "goo gi di da gah!" and i suddenly thought she was like a dolly. a sassy dolly. of all the HHS's she was the one that let her personality show through the most in classes and made lots of jokes.
And Lennart is totally the eccentric, mad scientist of them all. i often wonder what his story actually is. why does he stay on and train up these young bucks?? he takes the piss out of himself alot - i've noticed.
i did not really get much of an idea of what Fatima and Jenny were like. next time.
i give the workshops a 10 out of 10!! i felt that it was certainly challenging enough even though the standard of the stream wasnt that high. alot of material was familiar stuff that i had maybe learnt before at another stage but was able to REALLY understand it and claim it as my own. i hope i can remember enough to document it for future reference!
i also have a renewed faith in all things old school! the old school swingout. the old school active follows. the old school rhythms. all things that i havent really been doing at all for the last year or 2. i've decided that i want to be much less of a passive follow and put more of myself into my dancing. it makes sense that i did it for a while (especially when competing with those passive follows for leads and dancing with leads that dont appreciate it) but it does not explain why i've forgotten completely how to play; i let it take over. i miss my other crazy girls like lotte, doz and linnea.
i cannot express how unbelievably inspired i was after watching the stage show on sat nite! amazing recreationist dancing and kick yo ass lindyhop. i had about 12 dances before being dragged away for food but they were probably some of the best dances i've had in the last year - and the craziest!! attired in tassles and heels i pulled out some truly stupid stuff - EXCELLENT!!
once again team Brunswick (well part thereof) was back in full form! serious punnage and silly car rides ahhoy!! special thanks to sam and dave for meals, chocolate and looking out for me in general. they kept me from reaching "critical mass".
some lovely faces back in town like perthies make for excellent fun.
the film festival wasnt THAT out of my league so next year i will definately have to enter a film of my own. i just need some more focus. plus Swing Kids sucks balls. i'd much rather be publicly humiliated than sit through that again!.
this is what i wrote today:
uh oh!! yes i am forgetting lots of stuff i learnt. oh dear.
what else happened over the weekend you ask? hmm well i didnt enjoy the competition so much with stomach cramps and upset belly for most of the evening. i missed alot of the events as i hid outside in the fresh air. so disappointed fans i will have to find another opportunity to flash my boobs in public places. there are clips available for your viewing pleasure here.
there are also now a million melbournians going to harrang this year. i'm such a trend setter - ha! ..well maybe i could make that claim if i knew that i was actually going this year: the job hunting is still going on.
since that weekend i've been doing lots of non-dancing type things. abit of yoga, abit of bike riding (i'm still seriously bad at it though). a few films, abit of work.
we finally test drove the new board game i got for xmas. settler fans will be pleased to hear that the cities and knight's extension set makes the whole game much harder and more complicated!!! i found it really hard to figure out my game plan cause there was just so much going on.
anyways, hope all are well. i'm sorry i dont post as often these days. i'll will try to make a better effort. mwuah!
Sunday, February 12, 2006
quotes
there have been a few quotes or moments over this weekend that has just made me laugh laugh and laugh. this was one of them:
"you'd better not be thinking about red shoes as i kiss you!"
says one cheese to a ham.
"you'd better not be thinking about red shoes as i kiss you!"
says one cheese to a ham.
Monday, January 23, 2006
summer activities
oh boy has it been hot lately!!! whoa, i get out of the shower and i'm already sweating, so i feel like i'm sweating all the time. my house unfortunately got abit warmer than it should considering i've got lovely thick brick walls and not many windows.
my parents have gotten abit of a shock from leaving weather like this and going to snow in europe - i suspect it's quite a rude shock to adjust to.
but nice summer things can still be done in this weather. desperation sent me to the cinema on friday and i almost went shopping yesterday to escape the heat. some friends held a traditional swedish crayfish party on sat which was lovely in the airconditioning comfort but my fish stinking clothes didn't appreciate stepping outside into the heat - oh boy, that's a stench!! quite an enjoyable lunch tho. sad goodbyes for a visiting swede and nice friends to chat with.
yesterday was lovely too. Smoothy and i packed up a picnic and headed down to fitzroy gardens for some music and lazing about in the grass. the music wasnt exactly ideal and the usual swing demonstration voices were a tad distracting but the food, surroundings and company was extremely pleasant. the original plan included many more poeple and a game of twister but this ws much nicer. ahhh.
right now it's alittle bit cooler- so i'm airing my house out hoping that it will last till the next 40degree day.
i'm starting to get abit lower on my list on MUST-DO summer activities; i've already been to the beach, zoo, jazz in the park, bike riding, pleasant park walk, had lots of bbqs, picnics, games nites, lots of wine and cheese evenings, eaten lots of fruit (including cantalope), late nite gelo bar visits, tuesday nite pearly shells.
things i havent done yet: the nite market, moonlight cinema (although their schedule is much less enticing this year)..
my parents have gotten abit of a shock from leaving weather like this and going to snow in europe - i suspect it's quite a rude shock to adjust to.
but nice summer things can still be done in this weather. desperation sent me to the cinema on friday and i almost went shopping yesterday to escape the heat. some friends held a traditional swedish crayfish party on sat which was lovely in the airconditioning comfort but my fish stinking clothes didn't appreciate stepping outside into the heat - oh boy, that's a stench!! quite an enjoyable lunch tho. sad goodbyes for a visiting swede and nice friends to chat with.
yesterday was lovely too. Smoothy and i packed up a picnic and headed down to fitzroy gardens for some music and lazing about in the grass. the music wasnt exactly ideal and the usual swing demonstration voices were a tad distracting but the food, surroundings and company was extremely pleasant. the original plan included many more poeple and a game of twister but this ws much nicer. ahhh.
right now it's alittle bit cooler- so i'm airing my house out hoping that it will last till the next 40degree day.
i'm starting to get abit lower on my list on MUST-DO summer activities; i've already been to the beach, zoo, jazz in the park, bike riding, pleasant park walk, had lots of bbqs, picnics, games nites, lots of wine and cheese evenings, eaten lots of fruit (including cantalope), late nite gelo bar visits, tuesday nite pearly shells.
things i havent done yet: the nite market, moonlight cinema (although their schedule is much less enticing this year)..
battling
on thursday nite at the usual weekly social dancing haunt there was an informal competition held in preparation for an upcoming festival involving several exciting events and a much more in depth competition evening.
one particular comp was a "lindy-battle" of the likes which has never been (to my knowledge) held before in australia. the term "battle" to me raises images of hip-hop, break and popping/locking and the format of this wasnt too far from that. we were dividing into 2 teams of 6 couples and to take 2 phrases of music in turns. captains were elected and about 3 mins planning was provided before it commenced.
i fucking loved it!! i had the time of my life. i cant think of a better way to approach competitions. it was like one big massive jam but with your buddies, and the opportunity to jump back in with further ideas again and again. usually with comps you are either dancing while your opponents are or only get one opportunity to out-shine each other during the "shine" periods. this back-and-forth format with "listening" and "speaking" roles opens whole new doors for playing off each other and using the inspiration provided by other parties' efforts as the basis of taking your own dancing to the next level. i might liken it to that "coversation" that occurs during a social dnace between the lead and follow. ..just en mass
i also especially like that it is in team situations. the pressure is not on just one or two people to perform every single time and it leaves it open for alot more variation and showcasing of different people's strengths(weaknesses).
i liked the fact taht the teams were chosen randomly at the last minute as well. there was no time to get caught up in the competitive clicquey stuff because you had no idea who you were going to go with anyway. i also liked the fact that you had to make friends with your team mates just like THAT. it made for a really nice vibe. the fact taht i had some very fine friends on the opposite team meant that i was playing up for them - and the whole (not serious) agressive/fighting/ battle thing - by doing all sorts of playful gestures in an effort to wind them up a bit (and the crowd).
i think i've decided that i prefer there to be as little planning as possible, allowing people to actually respond to the other team as they bring it - rather than just going through the motions of what was planned 5 minutes ago.
not to say that there isnt any value in having a few tricks to fall back on when you're stuck for ideas.
i also think that a flexibility across the team in regards to whom is dancing next and what will be performed allows for more variation and interesting dynamics on the floor. a captain/team that is unwilling to get carried away in the moment/fly on the seat of their pants would be a great hinder on overall creativity of the battle.
i like to think that the actual competition coming up will inlcude a nicer balance between lindy-hop and silly stuff (that's not say that i wasnt one of the main drivers behind the silly stuff - but if i were alittle smarter i would try to hold back and have the silly stuff in context a little more). i'd also like to see more musicality and kick-yo-ass lindyhop/charleston/swing dances.
i did however like that fact that there werent that many aerials going on. i suspect that it would cause a much more dangerous situation than the standard competition-aerial situation. aerials in themselves are quite crowd pleasers but generally a spectating crowd is alot more diserning about how aerials are included/inserted into the dancing in a competion - there is time to watch and listen carefully during a spotlight. but this team-battle-thang is far more frenetic and chaotic ...with some couples being kicked out unprepared by their own team members ..and the music, all but the phrasing, is ignored.
for photos see flickr.com and search dogpossum.
one particular comp was a "lindy-battle" of the likes which has never been (to my knowledge) held before in australia. the term "battle" to me raises images of hip-hop, break and popping/locking and the format of this wasnt too far from that. we were dividing into 2 teams of 6 couples and to take 2 phrases of music in turns. captains were elected and about 3 mins planning was provided before it commenced.
i fucking loved it!! i had the time of my life. i cant think of a better way to approach competitions. it was like one big massive jam but with your buddies, and the opportunity to jump back in with further ideas again and again. usually with comps you are either dancing while your opponents are or only get one opportunity to out-shine each other during the "shine" periods. this back-and-forth format with "listening" and "speaking" roles opens whole new doors for playing off each other and using the inspiration provided by other parties' efforts as the basis of taking your own dancing to the next level. i might liken it to that "coversation" that occurs during a social dnace between the lead and follow. ..just en mass
i also especially like that it is in team situations. the pressure is not on just one or two people to perform every single time and it leaves it open for alot more variation and showcasing of different people's strengths(weaknesses).
i liked the fact taht the teams were chosen randomly at the last minute as well. there was no time to get caught up in the competitive clicquey stuff because you had no idea who you were going to go with anyway. i also liked the fact that you had to make friends with your team mates just like THAT. it made for a really nice vibe. the fact taht i had some very fine friends on the opposite team meant that i was playing up for them - and the whole (not serious) agressive/fighting/ battle thing - by doing all sorts of playful gestures in an effort to wind them up a bit (and the crowd).
i think i've decided that i prefer there to be as little planning as possible, allowing people to actually respond to the other team as they bring it - rather than just going through the motions of what was planned 5 minutes ago.
not to say that there isnt any value in having a few tricks to fall back on when you're stuck for ideas.
i also think that a flexibility across the team in regards to whom is dancing next and what will be performed allows for more variation and interesting dynamics on the floor. a captain/team that is unwilling to get carried away in the moment/fly on the seat of their pants would be a great hinder on overall creativity of the battle.
i like to think that the actual competition coming up will inlcude a nicer balance between lindy-hop and silly stuff (that's not say that i wasnt one of the main drivers behind the silly stuff - but if i were alittle smarter i would try to hold back and have the silly stuff in context a little more). i'd also like to see more musicality and kick-yo-ass lindyhop/charleston/swing dances.
i did however like that fact that there werent that many aerials going on. i suspect that it would cause a much more dangerous situation than the standard competition-aerial situation. aerials in themselves are quite crowd pleasers but generally a spectating crowd is alot more diserning about how aerials are included/inserted into the dancing in a competion - there is time to watch and listen carefully during a spotlight. but this team-battle-thang is far more frenetic and chaotic ...with some couples being kicked out unprepared by their own team members ..and the music, all but the phrasing, is ignored.
for photos see flickr.com and search dogpossum.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
digital freedom!!
it might be really old! it might be really slow! it might even take up more than half of my desk and give me a neck ache stooping to use it. but it's mine, and it makes me happy.
as seen at dogpossum.org i am now in debt to The Family and will one day need to repay this favour otherwise live in fear of 'taking a trip to Vagas' ..or perhaps Broady, if we localise it.
but really when it comes down to it, i dont mind being looked after by an underground crime syndicate like this one, at least i know that the upmost care will be taken with all food preparation and the their websites will never crash*.
..although i'm not sure how they are going to transport any carpet rolled bodies on the back of their bikes. that'd be some hardcore paneers!
*haha! ..well not without alot of shouting first.
as seen at dogpossum.org i am now in debt to The Family and will one day need to repay this favour otherwise live in fear of 'taking a trip to Vagas' ..or perhaps Broady, if we localise it.
but really when it comes down to it, i dont mind being looked after by an underground crime syndicate like this one, at least i know that the upmost care will be taken with all food preparation and the their websites will never crash*.
..although i'm not sure how they are going to transport any carpet rolled bodies on the back of their bikes. that'd be some hardcore paneers!
*haha! ..well not without alot of shouting first.
slacker
yep, thats right i have posted in ages!!! i'm a slacker.
lots been happening tho. well lots of nice summer things, i havent really had a whole lot of time for things like blogging or other such nerdy internet things (unless it involves sudoku - yes i know!)
so, how was my xmas?? lovely! enjoyable! just a nice quiet lunch with the fam and an international visitor. we had delicious oysters, prawns and crayfish with a nice light salad. i drank lots of champagne and wine. my mum made a gluten free xmas pudding with custard. i got haighs chocolates instead of stocking fillers. my dad is still increasingly obcessed with mince tarts. he ssearches them out like a predator. they have no hope of survival. to him xmas is all about mince tarts. when visitors come over he might offer them one (not to the family tho) but you might note than the one he is actually eating is of quite different quality to the ones he's happy to share.
to me xmas is not about the pressies, it's about the food and the grog. i felt like i drank alot over the holiday period. and ate lots too. many evenings with nice wine and cheese. my waist is still feeling it. i'm getting back into the active stuff again but some of my clothes are fitting more snuggly than i would prefer. and i sweat profusely still.
started getting abck into yoga. realised what 2-3 weeks off does to your fitness. ouch!
also starting doing a bit of bike riding. i'm attempting to get myself alittle bit bike fit so that i can do nice social bike riding type things with Smoothy.
speaking of Smoothy ..just allow me to gush for a moment .. :) ahh! what a lovely thing.
he also managed to feed my game obcession for xmas. after solving abit of a mix up i've gained a copy of 'cities & knights' (which is a settlers extension set) and an on loan games box from my good cambridge friends. so it's all sytems games at the moment. i'm currently yet to work out the exact rules of this new thing but i'm ever excited about such prospects.
so yes, zot and lott have left our sunny shores for the cold and miserable winter on the other side of the world. but even more excitingly: much closer to holland and an interesting/impressive new job. i was a tad concerned that they would make the flight at all but all went well. craziness. here's hoping they've arrived safely and are making themselves comfortable in their new home. australia will miss them and wish the best of luck for their new beginnings.
been doing abit of cooking as well lately. with ham, with Smoothy, with my fam, by myself. i've decided to write a recipe blog. possibly to be converted into a database (listed by ingredients) at a later date - depending upon Smoothy's time constraints. last i made a mediteranian rice salad with tuna. there wasnt a whole lot around the house but that work a treat:
-half a can of tuna
-one cup of rice
-2 tomatoes chopped
-half a cucumber
-half a dozen black olives chopped
-parmasen cheese.
cook rice, cool. add other ingredients and pour dressing over:
-T olive oil
-T balsamic vinegar
-t grainy mustard
-half t garlic
-T lemon juice
top with fresh chopped basil leaves and parmasen cheese.
serves 2 hungry people.
other tasty treats that i'm loving at the moment. is lamb. or red meat. has to rare!! thyme is also a new flvour that i'm using a bit lately. made a good thyme and lemon lamb with a olive,fetta and lemon rice salad and a yoghurt and spinach cold salad. sam serves this with a tomatoe and chickpea vegie slop with lots of cumin and corriander. but when i made it my bro made a cumin chicken and i made a sweet salad (well it tasted sweet next to the other things) of: capsicum, picked onion, tomatoe, and cucumber.
Smoothy made an excellent risotto also with tomatoe, spinach and thyme. we had issues with the broth and made it far saltier than my tastes but it was still pretty nice.
hmmm i'm getting hungry now...
lots been happening tho. well lots of nice summer things, i havent really had a whole lot of time for things like blogging or other such nerdy internet things (unless it involves sudoku - yes i know!)
so, how was my xmas?? lovely! enjoyable! just a nice quiet lunch with the fam and an international visitor. we had delicious oysters, prawns and crayfish with a nice light salad. i drank lots of champagne and wine. my mum made a gluten free xmas pudding with custard. i got haighs chocolates instead of stocking fillers. my dad is still increasingly obcessed with mince tarts. he ssearches them out like a predator. they have no hope of survival. to him xmas is all about mince tarts. when visitors come over he might offer them one (not to the family tho) but you might note than the one he is actually eating is of quite different quality to the ones he's happy to share.
to me xmas is not about the pressies, it's about the food and the grog. i felt like i drank alot over the holiday period. and ate lots too. many evenings with nice wine and cheese. my waist is still feeling it. i'm getting back into the active stuff again but some of my clothes are fitting more snuggly than i would prefer. and i sweat profusely still.
started getting abck into yoga. realised what 2-3 weeks off does to your fitness. ouch!
also starting doing a bit of bike riding. i'm attempting to get myself alittle bit bike fit so that i can do nice social bike riding type things with Smoothy.
speaking of Smoothy ..just allow me to gush for a moment .. :) ahh! what a lovely thing.
he also managed to feed my game obcession for xmas. after solving abit of a mix up i've gained a copy of 'cities & knights' (which is a settlers extension set) and an on loan games box from my good cambridge friends. so it's all sytems games at the moment. i'm currently yet to work out the exact rules of this new thing but i'm ever excited about such prospects.
so yes, zot and lott have left our sunny shores for the cold and miserable winter on the other side of the world. but even more excitingly: much closer to holland and an interesting/impressive new job. i was a tad concerned that they would make the flight at all but all went well. craziness. here's hoping they've arrived safely and are making themselves comfortable in their new home. australia will miss them and wish the best of luck for their new beginnings.
been doing abit of cooking as well lately. with ham, with Smoothy, with my fam, by myself. i've decided to write a recipe blog. possibly to be converted into a database (listed by ingredients) at a later date - depending upon Smoothy's time constraints. last i made a mediteranian rice salad with tuna. there wasnt a whole lot around the house but that work a treat:
-half a can of tuna
-one cup of rice
-2 tomatoes chopped
-half a cucumber
-half a dozen black olives chopped
-parmasen cheese.
cook rice, cool. add other ingredients and pour dressing over:
-T olive oil
-T balsamic vinegar
-t grainy mustard
-half t garlic
-T lemon juice
top with fresh chopped basil leaves and parmasen cheese.
serves 2 hungry people.
other tasty treats that i'm loving at the moment. is lamb. or red meat. has to rare!! thyme is also a new flvour that i'm using a bit lately. made a good thyme and lemon lamb with a olive,fetta and lemon rice salad and a yoghurt and spinach cold salad. sam serves this with a tomatoe and chickpea vegie slop with lots of cumin and corriander. but when i made it my bro made a cumin chicken and i made a sweet salad (well it tasted sweet next to the other things) of: capsicum, picked onion, tomatoe, and cucumber.
Smoothy made an excellent risotto also with tomatoe, spinach and thyme. we had issues with the broth and made it far saltier than my tastes but it was still pretty nice.
hmmm i'm getting hungry now...
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
it's official!!
yep, that's right it's official! officially the season for silliness. i was trying to avoid the xmas thing for as long as possible but its here and in all our faces now.
i am far too broke to celebrate xmas and there's a few rather delicate presents to be organised. people are going away to visit their families, other's have their's coming into town. this time last year my parents were on the other side of the world and i had the pleasure of sharing my xmas with some lovely friends. this year it's back to normal with my family doing all the normal stuff (well normal for our family).
something that really struck me this year is the amount of alcohol that seems to be flowing in the silly-season. i for one have only been to 1 maybe 2 xmas parties and found myself drunk as a skunk ..and i'm not really one for drinking taht much usually. other's seem to be REALLY hitting the piss. one friend even expressed concern for their health. it's a crazy time of year that's for sure.
other traditional xmas thangs: the beach!! seafood, chocolate, bbq's, good crockery, candles. the boxing day trip to the cinemas will also be continued with the release of the new Narnia film as an adequate Lord of the Rings replacement.
as yet my fam have not set the xmas menu just yet, but there is discussion of taking our meal out of the house and down to our local scenic river-side luncheon spot. it gives me images of tupperware, over cooked meat, beetroot stains and sticky fingers but who knows, ti could be quite pleasant.
i am far too broke to celebrate xmas and there's a few rather delicate presents to be organised. people are going away to visit their families, other's have their's coming into town. this time last year my parents were on the other side of the world and i had the pleasure of sharing my xmas with some lovely friends. this year it's back to normal with my family doing all the normal stuff (well normal for our family).
something that really struck me this year is the amount of alcohol that seems to be flowing in the silly-season. i for one have only been to 1 maybe 2 xmas parties and found myself drunk as a skunk ..and i'm not really one for drinking taht much usually. other's seem to be REALLY hitting the piss. one friend even expressed concern for their health. it's a crazy time of year that's for sure.
other traditional xmas thangs: the beach!! seafood, chocolate, bbq's, good crockery, candles. the boxing day trip to the cinemas will also be continued with the release of the new Narnia film as an adequate Lord of the Rings replacement.
as yet my fam have not set the xmas menu just yet, but there is discussion of taking our meal out of the house and down to our local scenic river-side luncheon spot. it gives me images of tupperware, over cooked meat, beetroot stains and sticky fingers but who knows, ti could be quite pleasant.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
yoga - gemelli
went to yoga both mon and tues this week. really exciting stuff.
i've got big weaknesses any time i try to twist my hips in a bent position but i've been learning all about how to relax the muscles on the back of my hip and find that good spot. in particular we've been working on the gemelli which is the smaller muscle just under the glutes. i've decided to make friends with it. it might be small but damn it makes a big difference.
in particular we were doing alot of inverted poses on monday nite. think: flat steady hands, upper arms inside shoulders, scapular down back, long spine, then stack hips at the top of this tower by pulling the upper glutes and gemelli on top just like building blocks. it's beautiful really.
Smooth Arms also attended a class with me last nite. oh my god, i was quite surprised. he was excellent. you should've seen his Down-Faced-Dog. it was amazing!! "how do your hands/shoulders feel?" "what?? oh, there's no weight there, i can almost just take them off the floor." i'm always somewhat taken aback/disappointed when someone who never does any yoga can make it look super easy when i've been working on this stuff for 2.5 yrs now. it really was amazing tho. he really IS a natural. ..well minus the wierd rib cage thing.
Ham and i have settled down in yoga these days. much less rowdy, but i'm sure it would've been obvious to the yoga teacher that Smoothy is a friend of mine by his general behaviour. hehe. he's just too much fun, i guess.
so this is the last week of the term for yoga this year which is a bit scary. i'm not sure what is going to happen over summer, i'm in pretty good shape and dont want to loose it. hopefully i'll maintain some of it.
i've got big weaknesses any time i try to twist my hips in a bent position but i've been learning all about how to relax the muscles on the back of my hip and find that good spot. in particular we've been working on the gemelli which is the smaller muscle just under the glutes. i've decided to make friends with it. it might be small but damn it makes a big difference.
in particular we were doing alot of inverted poses on monday nite. think: flat steady hands, upper arms inside shoulders, scapular down back, long spine, then stack hips at the top of this tower by pulling the upper glutes and gemelli on top just like building blocks. it's beautiful really.
Smooth Arms also attended a class with me last nite. oh my god, i was quite surprised. he was excellent. you should've seen his Down-Faced-Dog. it was amazing!! "how do your hands/shoulders feel?" "what?? oh, there's no weight there, i can almost just take them off the floor." i'm always somewhat taken aback/disappointed when someone who never does any yoga can make it look super easy when i've been working on this stuff for 2.5 yrs now. it really was amazing tho. he really IS a natural. ..well minus the wierd rib cage thing.
Ham and i have settled down in yoga these days. much less rowdy, but i'm sure it would've been obvious to the yoga teacher that Smoothy is a friend of mine by his general behaviour. hehe. he's just too much fun, i guess.
so this is the last week of the term for yoga this year which is a bit scary. i'm not sure what is going to happen over summer, i'm in pretty good shape and dont want to loose it. hopefully i'll maintain some of it.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
yoga + dancing
as i said before, jams are fun. and are made even funner if all sorts of different people go in with all sorts of different partners. i've just gotten my hands on some more footage from the mlx weekend, including stuff of some jams on the thursday nite.
it's funny even watching footage of myself dancing makes me nervous - esp performances or jams. it's like i'm back there in the moment with all these people watching me but this time i get to be the observer/critique/cheerer. am i nervous of my own assessment?
anway, so i watched it and was pleasantly surprised by it. infact i was soo over come with joy at the perfect display of posture that i had to gloat to several people (including my yoga teacher). i guess i wasnt expecting it to look too great but i just suddenly realised that the work that i've put into my posture with yoga has been integrated into my dancing (well to a degree).
i liked the way my neck went right into my back and my spine was the longest, leanest thing eva!! not too keen on the amount that my hips are moving - might need to work on some more abdominal stabalising exercises. but my feet were certainly moving fast and while they didnt leave the floor clearly at every moment they were certainly not dragging and I WAS DOING TRIPLE STEPS. another nice point was my arm. lovely and long. outstretched in a nice relaxed way - slightly curved - and right through my wrists and finger tips.
another good thing about watching more 'social' stuff (compared to performance stuff) is that i can see where i missed stuff and the lead has compensated for me. oh i love thy leads. such lovely things.
i know that i already mentioned how i love people actually social dancing in jams and specifically with a variety of different people but i'd like to reiterate. it's my favourite thing!! i have a crush on all leads that do that. mwuah!
while i'm holidays i think i'd like to get back into building my dance fitness up. esp with the http://http://www.harlemhotshots.com/en/ coming to www.melbourneswingfestival.com.au. i've certainly got the time anyway. plus i'd like to work on a few more aerials again. it's that time of year: sunshine, day light savings, no study, holidays.
it's funny even watching footage of myself dancing makes me nervous - esp performances or jams. it's like i'm back there in the moment with all these people watching me but this time i get to be the observer/critique/cheerer. am i nervous of my own assessment?
anway, so i watched it and was pleasantly surprised by it. infact i was soo over come with joy at the perfect display of posture that i had to gloat to several people (including my yoga teacher). i guess i wasnt expecting it to look too great but i just suddenly realised that the work that i've put into my posture with yoga has been integrated into my dancing (well to a degree).
i liked the way my neck went right into my back and my spine was the longest, leanest thing eva!! not too keen on the amount that my hips are moving - might need to work on some more abdominal stabalising exercises. but my feet were certainly moving fast and while they didnt leave the floor clearly at every moment they were certainly not dragging and I WAS DOING TRIPLE STEPS. another nice point was my arm. lovely and long. outstretched in a nice relaxed way - slightly curved - and right through my wrists and finger tips.
another good thing about watching more 'social' stuff (compared to performance stuff) is that i can see where i missed stuff and the lead has compensated for me. oh i love thy leads. such lovely things.
i know that i already mentioned how i love people actually social dancing in jams and specifically with a variety of different people but i'd like to reiterate. it's my favourite thing!! i have a crush on all leads that do that. mwuah!
while i'm holidays i think i'd like to get back into building my dance fitness up. esp with the http://http://www.harlemhotshots.com/en/ coming to www.melbourneswingfestival.com.au. i've certainly got the time anyway. plus i'd like to work on a few more aerials again. it's that time of year: sunshine, day light savings, no study, holidays.
risotto
oh boy am i looking forward to my dory to come home so we can make more excellent meals.
that's not to say that im not having an excellent time without her. dp outdoes herself every single time and cheeney is still iron chef brunswick. but i've also had to adapt and have found that Smooth Arms is also an excellent cooking buddy.
on friday we made an excellent risotto that would make the ladies jealous. i had to take a photo to commemorate.
this one had tomatoe, spinach, thyme, basil, garlic, mushroom and a REALLY nice parmasen! hooray for stinky cheese! and yes that is a ladies salad beside it.
bbq round up + pics
well on sunday i held a BBQ of sorts. partly for xmas, partly for some internationals that are in town partly cause i wanted to make the most of the sun but mostly just cause i CAN and i'm holidays.
it went quite well. Ham and Cheese came over early and offered their services (which i am eternally grateful for). we ate well! oh boy did we eat well. there was; tandoori chicken kebabs; paprika chicken wingets; little hamburger things; 2 x ladies salads; spicy spanish potatoe salad (without the chilli); a variety of bbq-ed vegies (including thyme & red wine mushrooms); fresh crusty bread; a delictable selection of pestos, dips and cheeses; fresh fruit; and other lovely things that some thoughtful guests had brought along. yum!
pictures have been posted on dp's flicker page. cheeney was playing with his fish eye lense which makes everything seem bigger and grander than it actually is. as you can see it was a gorgeously sunny day and the shade that we enlisted from Smooth Arms was much needed. the garden looked superb actually, i was surprised at exactly how well it scrubbed up. the house as well - you can hardly tell that my parent's only realised what was going on 2 hours earlier*. ..mind you i did spend the week leading upto the BBQ cleaning the house in it's various forms on a full time basis. and it's never looked cleaner.
there were also some lovely friendly people there to hold it all together (including one swede**). i also had a moment of realisation that half of my friends that are male are all:
-camera nerds
-bike nerds
-computer nerds
guess what the popular topics of conversation were?? ..and does that say something about me? am I a massive nerd as well?? oh dear.
and like all good event's held at my house i got to have a few drinks to relax after all that running around at the end. it's not like i can take credit for the organisation (i made a good attempt at Miss Delegation) it seems that i dont always do so well in pressured situations like that. ..and nor do any member of my family***. it's all for the learning tho. i think of them like dance competitions or public speaking - it gets easier as you go along.
all in all it was most enjoyable. perhaps i'll be able to manage alittle more independently next time.
*my parents may just be competing with my bro for the oblivious award. ..and yes i did tell them! two weeks earlier and several hundred times inbetween as well.
**sorry linnea!
***as demostrated several times during the day. thanks mum!
it went quite well. Ham and Cheese came over early and offered their services (which i am eternally grateful for). we ate well! oh boy did we eat well. there was; tandoori chicken kebabs; paprika chicken wingets; little hamburger things; 2 x ladies salads; spicy spanish potatoe salad (without the chilli); a variety of bbq-ed vegies (including thyme & red wine mushrooms); fresh crusty bread; a delictable selection of pestos, dips and cheeses; fresh fruit; and other lovely things that some thoughtful guests had brought along. yum!
pictures have been posted on dp's flicker page. cheeney was playing with his fish eye lense which makes everything seem bigger and grander than it actually is. as you can see it was a gorgeously sunny day and the shade that we enlisted from Smooth Arms was much needed. the garden looked superb actually, i was surprised at exactly how well it scrubbed up. the house as well - you can hardly tell that my parent's only realised what was going on 2 hours earlier*. ..mind you i did spend the week leading upto the BBQ cleaning the house in it's various forms on a full time basis. and it's never looked cleaner.
there were also some lovely friendly people there to hold it all together (including one swede**). i also had a moment of realisation that half of my friends that are male are all:
-camera nerds
-bike nerds
-computer nerds
guess what the popular topics of conversation were?? ..and does that say something about me? am I a massive nerd as well?? oh dear.
and like all good event's held at my house i got to have a few drinks to relax after all that running around at the end. it's not like i can take credit for the organisation (i made a good attempt at Miss Delegation) it seems that i dont always do so well in pressured situations like that. ..and nor do any member of my family***. it's all for the learning tho. i think of them like dance competitions or public speaking - it gets easier as you go along.
all in all it was most enjoyable. perhaps i'll be able to manage alittle more independently next time.
*my parents may just be competing with my bro for the oblivious award. ..and yes i did tell them! two weeks earlier and several hundred times inbetween as well.
**sorry linnea!
***as demostrated several times during the day. thanks mum!
Friday, December 09, 2005
london = poop
does anyone else feel like australia is relocating back to the uk? i'm still constantly amazed at exactly how many people i know that are going/have gone. i cant imagine what proportion of the london population is actually from Oz. at first i was shitty, but now i'm REALLY amazed. what is going on? honestly? i spoke to someone tonite who said "just get a one way ticket. do it now!" ..oh yeah doz, there is a nice frenchie coming your way.
but then again it is 2 am and i'm starting to ramble.. it's REALLY bed time.
but then again it is 2 am and i'm starting to ramble.. it's REALLY bed time.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
jams
in swing dancing 'jamming' is something that is use quite common - just as musicians use jams as a way to showcase their skills so do dancers. a circle is formed in which there is (usually) one couple that pulls out their bestest stuff for a short period untill (ideally) they are kicked out of the circle by the next couple.
i've noticed that melbourne has been feeling somewhat jam shy in the last few months. i'm not sure entirely why but i had suspected that it had to do with some unwanted attention recieved by certain people who regularly reside in jams. they became reluctant to jump in and others are not neccessarily rising up to the occasion.
during mlx i was surprised to see so many jams (the first nite had two jams and the usually crappy cbd) ..but if i think about who and what was involved in the weekend i'm not entirely surprised that there were so many bursting to get out there and shake their groove thangs. there was a pretty nice vibe during the whole weekend, and people were generally alot more social and excitable than usual. the perthies are also total JAM SLUTS!
jams can also be manipulated to inndividuals/groups advantage. traditionally a spontaneous event, such things are rather easy to stage as either showpieces (for non-swing crowd), ice breakers (at balls), ego builders ..or a whole range of other uses. i was involved in recently in one such event where the music was pre-organised and a routine pre-choreographed to be pulled out in the second half of a jam. this was surprising for some (esp the poor couple that got trapped at the start) but it soon became apparant later on what had occured. i'm still not sure how i feel about the whole thing as a general rule - i mean: how far is too far? how does it make the previous participants feel to be upstaged like that? what about the people who wanted to go in afterwards? what about the audience? did they expect more a traditional performance format? ..it's not like it was the first time someone had done it - it has become an increasing trend to see multiple couples doing short routines in a jam - but i think we just took it to a whole new level.
tonite i witnessed a different kind of jam. there was a band playing at our usual thursday nite haunt and the crowd was getting tired-er and tired-er and the songs were getting longer and longer. so someone suggested that we 'jam' the last song (which was a cruiser track). and i was surprised to see that the whole room got into it. this kind of thing was a very supportive atmosphere and i quite enjoyed it. a simular feeling might be observed in a jam that is part of a class where everyone was included and cheered. my favourite part is not just that all different kind of people were going in - from all different levels - but that people were going in with different people than they usually dance with. mixed and matched dance partners = real social dancing. ..and well, the obvious part (seeing as i dont have a partner for this kind of stuff) is that i get to go in too!!
yes i am a bit of a jam slut. it's true, i wont deny it.
so, how do we encourage different people to get out there in jams? leading by example? cheering harder for new people? spreading the word? staging jams more often? who knows.
my bed time. xxc.
i've noticed that melbourne has been feeling somewhat jam shy in the last few months. i'm not sure entirely why but i had suspected that it had to do with some unwanted attention recieved by certain people who regularly reside in jams. they became reluctant to jump in and others are not neccessarily rising up to the occasion.
during mlx i was surprised to see so many jams (the first nite had two jams and the usually crappy cbd) ..but if i think about who and what was involved in the weekend i'm not entirely surprised that there were so many bursting to get out there and shake their groove thangs. there was a pretty nice vibe during the whole weekend, and people were generally alot more social and excitable than usual. the perthies are also total JAM SLUTS!
jams can also be manipulated to inndividuals/groups advantage. traditionally a spontaneous event, such things are rather easy to stage as either showpieces (for non-swing crowd), ice breakers (at balls), ego builders ..or a whole range of other uses. i was involved in recently in one such event where the music was pre-organised and a routine pre-choreographed to be pulled out in the second half of a jam. this was surprising for some (esp the poor couple that got trapped at the start) but it soon became apparant later on what had occured. i'm still not sure how i feel about the whole thing as a general rule - i mean: how far is too far? how does it make the previous participants feel to be upstaged like that? what about the people who wanted to go in afterwards? what about the audience? did they expect more a traditional performance format? ..it's not like it was the first time someone had done it - it has become an increasing trend to see multiple couples doing short routines in a jam - but i think we just took it to a whole new level.
tonite i witnessed a different kind of jam. there was a band playing at our usual thursday nite haunt and the crowd was getting tired-er and tired-er and the songs were getting longer and longer. so someone suggested that we 'jam' the last song (which was a cruiser track). and i was surprised to see that the whole room got into it. this kind of thing was a very supportive atmosphere and i quite enjoyed it. a simular feeling might be observed in a jam that is part of a class where everyone was included and cheered. my favourite part is not just that all different kind of people were going in - from all different levels - but that people were going in with different people than they usually dance with. mixed and matched dance partners = real social dancing. ..and well, the obvious part (seeing as i dont have a partner for this kind of stuff) is that i get to go in too!!
yes i am a bit of a jam slut. it's true, i wont deny it.
so, how do we encourage different people to get out there in jams? leading by example? cheering harder for new people? spreading the word? staging jams more often? who knows.
my bed time. xxc.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
time to say goodbye to a friend
this household has been the home to two fine furry friends in the last couple of years but last nite one of them passed away.
it was pumpkin that went - as named for her orange fur and excessive cuteness. she was the most active and excitable of the two. my mum went outside late last nite to check on them before bed and found her layed out and still. poor little thing.
the other bunny -spud- seems fine, just pottering along. although i'm quite concerned about her long term mental health because they certainly relied upon each other greatly for support and dreaded being apart for any length of time.
i have been using pumpkin's image (a pic that cheeney had taken while babysitting one day) for quite some time now (as profile pic) but i dont know if i feel so comfortable about that now.
in the past we have burried pets in the garden and planted a new plant over each in memorial but i'm not sure what we will do now.
Monday, December 05, 2005
damienrice.com
damienrice.com
yes, this is my music of the moment right now. cant get enough. i definately need to get hold of the whole albumn. i first fell in love with 'cannonball' and 'delicate' following a friends advice. but this live version of 'volcano' is also exceptional drewlable. i quite like this chick's voice, it's delicious.
yes, this is my music of the moment right now. cant get enough. i definately need to get hold of the whole albumn. i first fell in love with 'cannonball' and 'delicate' following a friends advice. but this live version of 'volcano' is also exceptional drewlable. i quite like this chick's voice, it's delicious.
zach braff
i'm still having dreams about him. cant say much more than that. he's dreamy!!
ps. thanks to free to air tv for still providing my regular hit at 2 x episodes every week day. oooooh!
ps. thanks to free to air tv for still providing my regular hit at 2 x episodes every week day. oooooh!
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