My girl got offered a new job the other day and it means stars in the sky and a buzz in life for both of us. She has been working at the Womens and Children's Hospital in the theaters off and on for many years but for the last twelve months or so she has been working casually, but with not enough hours. She has been struggling with the lack of hours and working night shifts, earlies and late shifts. The new job is in the office coordinating the patients. Its nine to five, Monday to Friday so it will give her so much more stability and make her life so much easier. I'm so glad she was offered this because she needs it so badly. The extra money and better hours are only a small part, its the stability of having a regular job with a consistent pay check that is the major thing. I'm proud of her too because she has worked hard to get this and she was chosen ahead of a few other people. She starts tomorrow and I think she will do well. Plus I think she is one cute secretary!
Work today, for me, was long and average. The work I have been doing lately has been pretty average and I have been working more as a laborer which is a bit crap because I don't like doing that. I have been working by my self a lot but not on one man jobs so that has been a struggle. Life is so much easier when there are two people. Trying to do a two person job by yourself takes three times as long and it gets so damn frustrating. I have a break tomorrow because we are going to a different job that involves me being on an excavator for most of the day so thats a change. I little change is all we need hey?
I have been listening to a lot of Rage Against the machine lately. So thats why.
In the beginning... Was the funk... And there were renegades.
More photos up on The Photo Blog so check them and... Byes.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
My Race Weekend
This past weekend was an odd one. I felt flat out because a lot happened but I didn't really do a lot.
Friday was a huge day. We started out by getting breakfast at a place in town before heading in to see the V8 Supercars at the Clipsal 500. We walked in a got a really great spot on Pirie street. We were right on turn 7 and it proved to be one of the best spots on the track. There were a few crashes in front of us as well as some great passes and a lot of sideways cars.
The best parts of the day were both on a off the track. There was a big crash were a Porsche spun out and hit the wall right across from us. An old Charger from the Touring Car Championship spun and just touched the wall in the same spot as the Porsche but the funniest part of the day was when the driver got out and ran down to the fire marshals area. He was quite round and managed to look like was sprinting even though he was only moving at a quick walk. I have never seen someone move there arms so fast with no effect. There were a few other spins in front of us as well as dozens of cars getting airborne over the curbs. Just as the utes came out for the last race of the day it started raining so that provided a lot of entertainment because they slid everywhere.
For some reason people were very comfortable with coming up to our group of people and standing really close to us to watch the race. There was nothing wrong with it, it just only happened to us. People would walk 200 meters down the track and then stop and push in between us and watch the race. It was weird. About two groups down from us a guy fell asleep in his chair and had his mouth open for about two hours so that was entertaining too. It was a good day.
We stayed at the girls house Friday after the racing so Saturday morning we drove back to mine to watch the start of the 500 at mine. The day slowed down after that. We sat on the couch for most of the day and then after not finding anything to do on Saturday night we sat on the couch, ate pizza and watched a whole season of Family Guy. It sounds lame and boring but it was a good Saturday night. I needed a weekend off because lately it has been 21st after 21st and for the next few weekends its a lot of the same so a Saturday night chilling out at home was good.
Sunday revolved around watching the rest of the Clipsal 500. The last 250 kilometers was the best of the whole weekend. There was a lot of great racing and a huge crash that took out 3 Fords which made my family happy. In the end Jamie Wincup won. He is a Ford driver so that wasn't good but a lot of Holden drivers did well so that made up for it.
The cricket was on as well Sunday and Australia scored a huge total and India put up a great fight to almost match it. Australia won by a bit in the end so it was a great game. In between the two innings the girl and I went for tea with Hoggot, Emma and Layno. We did the usual, which lately hasn't been the usual and got Mexican and Ice Cream while talking crap, lol. It was a really great dinner though. Its been a long time since I have seen Emma and it was good to catch up.
Not a bad weekend really.
I have posted more photos on the Photo Blog and will continue throughout the week. Byes
Friday was a huge day. We started out by getting breakfast at a place in town before heading in to see the V8 Supercars at the Clipsal 500. We walked in a got a really great spot on Pirie street. We were right on turn 7 and it proved to be one of the best spots on the track. There were a few crashes in front of us as well as some great passes and a lot of sideways cars.
The best parts of the day were both on a off the track. There was a big crash were a Porsche spun out and hit the wall right across from us. An old Charger from the Touring Car Championship spun and just touched the wall in the same spot as the Porsche but the funniest part of the day was when the driver got out and ran down to the fire marshals area. He was quite round and managed to look like was sprinting even though he was only moving at a quick walk. I have never seen someone move there arms so fast with no effect. There were a few other spins in front of us as well as dozens of cars getting airborne over the curbs. Just as the utes came out for the last race of the day it started raining so that provided a lot of entertainment because they slid everywhere.
For some reason people were very comfortable with coming up to our group of people and standing really close to us to watch the race. There was nothing wrong with it, it just only happened to us. People would walk 200 meters down the track and then stop and push in between us and watch the race. It was weird. About two groups down from us a guy fell asleep in his chair and had his mouth open for about two hours so that was entertaining too. It was a good day.
We stayed at the girls house Friday after the racing so Saturday morning we drove back to mine to watch the start of the 500 at mine. The day slowed down after that. We sat on the couch for most of the day and then after not finding anything to do on Saturday night we sat on the couch, ate pizza and watched a whole season of Family Guy. It sounds lame and boring but it was a good Saturday night. I needed a weekend off because lately it has been 21st after 21st and for the next few weekends its a lot of the same so a Saturday night chilling out at home was good.
Sunday revolved around watching the rest of the Clipsal 500. The last 250 kilometers was the best of the whole weekend. There was a lot of great racing and a huge crash that took out 3 Fords which made my family happy. In the end Jamie Wincup won. He is a Ford driver so that wasn't good but a lot of Holden drivers did well so that made up for it.
The cricket was on as well Sunday and Australia scored a huge total and India put up a great fight to almost match it. Australia won by a bit in the end so it was a great game. In between the two innings the girl and I went for tea with Hoggot, Emma and Layno. We did the usual, which lately hasn't been the usual and got Mexican and Ice Cream while talking crap, lol. It was a really great dinner though. Its been a long time since I have seen Emma and it was good to catch up.
Not a bad weekend really.
I have posted more photos on the Photo Blog and will continue throughout the week. Byes
Sunday, February 24, 2008
My Block
I have so much to say but I'm tired and I can't think of a way to say it. I will post a huge post Monday so for now you will have to deal with this. I posted a heap of photos that I took Friday at the Clipsal 500 up on the Spud Photo Blog. I will put more up tomorrow night and this week. Hope you enjoy them.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
My Pass
I passed! With flying colours actually. I am so relieved. I knew I was going to pass but its still a bit nerve racking. I forgot my log book and didn't realize until I was about 2 minutes from the driving place so I had to rush home and grab it and rush back. I made it there but was 5 minutes late. The test consisted of driving around town doing different maneuvers for two hours. I didn't stuff up at all on the drive and in the end got 98% for road rules, only because I pulled out and one car had to slow down which technically isn't giving way and I got 96% on all the gear changes. You need 90% on road rules and 80% on gears to pass so I did pretty well. Its a huge relief to have got it.
We are heading out to the Baccus Bar at Henley to celebrate so after a few beers I don't think I will want to go to work tomorrow, lol. Oh well. Life goes on. Byes.
We are heading out to the Baccus Bar at Henley to celebrate so after a few beers I don't think I will want to go to work tomorrow, lol. Oh well. Life goes on. Byes.
Monday, February 18, 2008
My Big 30..........0
Check it. This is my 300th post, woot. How crazy is that. I started this blog in June 2006 to avoid studying for my midterm exams for uni. So much has changed since then but I'm still writing here whether you like it or not.
Today was ridiculously hot. It got up to 39 degrees and the sun was scorching. At 8am this morning it was 34 degrees and its still hot outside now. I had a driving lesson this afternoon and it all went really well. I have passed all the assessments now I only have to do a hill drive where I drive up a steep hill and then down it in all the right gears using the exhaust brake and the gear box to slow me down. Should be different. After that I just have one more lesson for my final drive and then I will be on the road in a truck. Well sometimes.
I watched Top Gear tonight. It was the one were they bought little cars and converted them into stretched limo's. It was hilarious. I have to say that Top Gear has to be the best show on TV. It definitely beats watching Grey's Anatomy anyway. I had to do that last night with the girl. Geez I'm a good boyfriend. Oh well have fun. Byes.
Today was ridiculously hot. It got up to 39 degrees and the sun was scorching. At 8am this morning it was 34 degrees and its still hot outside now. I had a driving lesson this afternoon and it all went really well. I have passed all the assessments now I only have to do a hill drive where I drive up a steep hill and then down it in all the right gears using the exhaust brake and the gear box to slow me down. Should be different. After that I just have one more lesson for my final drive and then I will be on the road in a truck. Well sometimes.
I watched Top Gear tonight. It was the one were they bought little cars and converted them into stretched limo's. It was hilarious. I have to say that Top Gear has to be the best show on TV. It definitely beats watching Grey's Anatomy anyway. I had to do that last night with the girl. Geez I'm a good boyfriend. Oh well have fun. Byes.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
My Let Down
This weekend was an odd weekend. Friday night the girl and I went out for drinks with one of her friends who is back from Melbourne for a few days. He is a firefighter in Melbourne but him and his wife are from here and come back every few months. It was good to see them but it was a huge let down because he was quite drunk. Every time they come back they organize drinks and he gets really drunk. It sucks because we want to talk about everything and how their life is in Melbourne and when he is intoxicated he is a bit of a joker and doesn't say a lot. It was an average night in the end and the girl was especially disappointed because this is about the third or fourth time in a row it has happened. I don't know what to say because I am the same but sometimes I think its possible to party too much or at the wrong time.
Saturday night started in the same way. Our plans for Saturday night involved going to one of my ex girlfriends 21st's. The only way to describe our relationship now and the way the night went is awkward. We are kind of friends but due to the way that the relationship ended and the fact that she stalked me for a long time, we will never be good friends. We don't ever catch up like some ex's do but I agreed to go to her 21st's because it was the right thing to do. We had a house warming to go to after so we decided to get there pretty much as it started and then leave pretty early. The only problem was that when we got there it was my girlfriend, me and my ex. Awkward. Hoggot said he would get there early too but did not show up until about a half hour later. I could have killed him.
Once all of my friends got there we started talking and it all went pretty smooth. It went smooth that is until we went to leave. For some reason there weren't many people there and when my friends started to leave a lot of the people who we didn't know started to leave too and when the girl and I finally left there was only about 5 people and her family left. I felt so terrible about leaving, let alone how awkward it was. It was not a good start to the night.
After the most awkward party of my life the girl and I headed down to Elyse's new place for her house warming and that made up for the start of the night. There were a lot of happy, awesome smiling people there and we had fun. I talked to an old friend Julie for the first time in many many years and found out how she was going in life and everything else so that was nice. We left at a decent hour and headed home so the girl could rest her head. It had been thumping for most of the night so she did well to last as long as she did. Little trooper.
I'm looking forward to this week. Hopefully by Wednesday I will have my full HR truck license so I cant wait to get that done. Byes
Saturday night started in the same way. Our plans for Saturday night involved going to one of my ex girlfriends 21st's. The only way to describe our relationship now and the way the night went is awkward. We are kind of friends but due to the way that the relationship ended and the fact that she stalked me for a long time, we will never be good friends. We don't ever catch up like some ex's do but I agreed to go to her 21st's because it was the right thing to do. We had a house warming to go to after so we decided to get there pretty much as it started and then leave pretty early. The only problem was that when we got there it was my girlfriend, me and my ex. Awkward. Hoggot said he would get there early too but did not show up until about a half hour later. I could have killed him.
Once all of my friends got there we started talking and it all went pretty smooth. It went smooth that is until we went to leave. For some reason there weren't many people there and when my friends started to leave a lot of the people who we didn't know started to leave too and when the girl and I finally left there was only about 5 people and her family left. I felt so terrible about leaving, let alone how awkward it was. It was not a good start to the night.
After the most awkward party of my life the girl and I headed down to Elyse's new place for her house warming and that made up for the start of the night. There were a lot of happy, awesome smiling people there and we had fun. I talked to an old friend Julie for the first time in many many years and found out how she was going in life and everything else so that was nice. We left at a decent hour and headed home so the girl could rest her head. It had been thumping for most of the night so she did well to last as long as she did. Little trooper.
I'm looking forward to this week. Hopefully by Wednesday I will have my full HR truck license so I cant wait to get that done. Byes
Friday, February 15, 2008
My License
This week has been a tough week and one of the main reasons I got through it was because on Wednesday and Thursday I had a driving lesson from 2pm till 5pm. The lessons are to get my HR truck license which is a heavy rigid license. It allows me to drive a tandem truck which is a truck with one set of steering wheels on the front and two sets of driving wheels on the back. I can drive anything up to 22.5 tonne so its a biggish truck. I plan on getting my HC license which is a heavy combination license. That will allow me to tow a trailer behind the truck and allow me to carry 45 tonne which is our what our truck and tipper trailer holds. I cant sit for that license for another year so my HR will have to do for now.
After two lessons I'm doing pretty well and I will get my license in the minimum six lessons. The only downside is that the lessons are $285 each so its going to cost me $1710 plus all the government charges and the fee for the actual license with my pretty picture on it so its not cheap. I need it through because on days where my dad doesn't work I can still carry on with any work where as now I have to do things that don't involve the truck.
The first lesson was really good but I struggled with the manual gearbox a bit. The gearbox is a Road Ranger style gearbox and it is completely different to anything I had driven before and when you are under instruction they want you to double clutch all of the time! That was a challenge to start off with but after a while and some missed gears I got the hang of it and I was off. I haven't had any accidents or anyone even honk at me but I did nearly crash into a lady who suddenly stopped at a pedestrian crossing. The lights were green and there were no pedestrians but she still slammed on her brakes. Luckily I was watching and after locking up the trucks brakes and honking at her for a long time we both drove off. I guess I have a lot to look forward too on the roads. Byes
After two lessons I'm doing pretty well and I will get my license in the minimum six lessons. The only downside is that the lessons are $285 each so its going to cost me $1710 plus all the government charges and the fee for the actual license with my pretty picture on it so its not cheap. I need it through because on days where my dad doesn't work I can still carry on with any work where as now I have to do things that don't involve the truck.
The first lesson was really good but I struggled with the manual gearbox a bit. The gearbox is a Road Ranger style gearbox and it is completely different to anything I had driven before and when you are under instruction they want you to double clutch all of the time! That was a challenge to start off with but after a while and some missed gears I got the hang of it and I was off. I haven't had any accidents or anyone even honk at me but I did nearly crash into a lady who suddenly stopped at a pedestrian crossing. The lights were green and there were no pedestrians but she still slammed on her brakes. Luckily I was watching and after locking up the trucks brakes and honking at her for a long time we both drove off. I guess I have a lot to look forward too on the roads. Byes
Monday, February 11, 2008
My Picture
I read an article today that shocked me and saddened me immensely. Polaroid have decided to close their plants and stop making the instant Polaroid camera. Due to a slump in sales and the increase of digital camera sale they are no longer viable to make. I was so disappointed because I think there is nothing cooled than old Polaroids. I have never owner a instant Polaroid which makes it even worse but I think I might have to make a purchase off eBay to get one. Digital photos all cool but nothing beats a hard copy. I know its old fashioned and obviously not the feasible thing to make anymore but I still think they are awesome.Work today was work and everything else was about the same.
This week is going to be a bit hectic though because I am starting my lessons to get my HR truck license. I don't know how I will go because the truck I will be driving has a Road Ranger style gearbox in it and I have never driven anything like it but I will see how I go. My first lesson is Wednesday so wish me luck. Once I get my HR license I can drive any tandem axle truck and after a year on that license I can get my HA which means I can drive anything but a road train. Its all pretty crazy. In a year I will be able to drive any vehicle under 70 tonne! Still feel safe on the road??? Lol.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
My Cool Summer
It was cold Friday. I know that sounds boring but it hasn't been cold for months. Let alone during the day time but Friday at work I nearly froze to death. This whole weekend was cool especially the nights. The nights were freezing. I though it was supposed to be summer?
Friday after work I was pretty stuffed and the girl had just finished working six night shifts so neither of us were very excited about anything but we managed to conjure up some enthusiasm and headed out to Hally's new place for a bit of a house warming party thing. I didn't think it was going to be a big thing so the girl and I rocked up in trackies looking pretty daggy and there was about 20 other people there so that was a bit awkward. We didn't stay long because we were both tired and it was soo cold. He is renting with another friend of ours so we did a bit of a tour of the house and then went home.
The girl and I woke up late Saturday morning and didn't end up rising till 1:30 in the afternoon. We decided to head to Marion to do a bit of shopping so the girl could buy something to wear to Katrina's 21st which was that night. We must have looked in just about every store at Marion before she found a nice top. She tried it on and she looked hot so we bought it and left. I saw a friend I went to school with who is a cheerleader/dancer. She was doing some promo stuff with Coca Cola so we chatted for a bit and laughed at one of the other guys who was giving out free hugs.
After leaving Marion we got home and struggled to find motivation to get ready to go out. We managed to scam a ride with Layno and were barely ready by the time he arrived. We got Katrina some nice cocktail glasses and a bottle of Midori. The bottle of Midori was a personal joke because when we were in year 9 or 10 we had a party and after shotting most of a bottle of Midori Katrina puked green spaghetti. It was quite possibly the grossest thing I have ever seen. Hilarious though.
Katrina's was really good and after too many beers and alcoholic slushies I was toasted and we came home. Today though my head feels like someone put rocks in a tin can and rattled it. Not good. A good weekend though. Byes.
Friday after work I was pretty stuffed and the girl had just finished working six night shifts so neither of us were very excited about anything but we managed to conjure up some enthusiasm and headed out to Hally's new place for a bit of a house warming party thing. I didn't think it was going to be a big thing so the girl and I rocked up in trackies looking pretty daggy and there was about 20 other people there so that was a bit awkward. We didn't stay long because we were both tired and it was soo cold. He is renting with another friend of ours so we did a bit of a tour of the house and then went home.
The girl and I woke up late Saturday morning and didn't end up rising till 1:30 in the afternoon. We decided to head to Marion to do a bit of shopping so the girl could buy something to wear to Katrina's 21st which was that night. We must have looked in just about every store at Marion before she found a nice top. She tried it on and she looked hot so we bought it and left. I saw a friend I went to school with who is a cheerleader/dancer. She was doing some promo stuff with Coca Cola so we chatted for a bit and laughed at one of the other guys who was giving out free hugs.
After leaving Marion we got home and struggled to find motivation to get ready to go out. We managed to scam a ride with Layno and were barely ready by the time he arrived. We got Katrina some nice cocktail glasses and a bottle of Midori. The bottle of Midori was a personal joke because when we were in year 9 or 10 we had a party and after shotting most of a bottle of Midori Katrina puked green spaghetti. It was quite possibly the grossest thing I have ever seen. Hilarious though.
Katrina's was really good and after too many beers and alcoholic slushies I was toasted and we came home. Today though my head feels like someone put rocks in a tin can and rattled it. Not good. A good weekend though. Byes.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
My Shaky Week
A few weeks ago we found out that one of the builders we work for has Parkinson's Disease. My dad has known him for 25 or more years and I have known him most of my life so its a bit of a downer and it came as a bit of a shock.
In true Australian fashion we have been making light of the situation by cracking jokes and giving him nicknames like shaky Stevens. Its all in god fun and he gets a laugh out of it so its all good. It definitely isn't the nicest way to go and it would never be nice to find something like that out. He has suffered from headaches and muscle twitches for a few years and then all of a sudden his right leg just started twitching quite noticeably. Hopefully it progresses slowly because it can get quite debilitating quite quickly. Definitely not a nice disease.
In true Australian fashion we have been making light of the situation by cracking jokes and giving him nicknames like shaky Stevens. Its all in god fun and he gets a laugh out of it so its all good. It definitely isn't the nicest way to go and it would never be nice to find something like that out. He has suffered from headaches and muscle twitches for a few years and then all of a sudden his right leg just started twitching quite noticeably. Hopefully it progresses slowly because it can get quite debilitating quite quickly. Definitely not a nice disease.
Monday, February 04, 2008
My Poor God Damn Forehead
I'm freaking peeling! I got burnt on my face and neck on Friday and I have just started to peel. I hate being burnt more than anything and today at work it was hot and I had to wear a hat to stop myself getting even more burnt and it was hell. The only thing worse than being sunburnt is something rubbing your sunburn.
Enough of my rant though or this will turn into a "Grinds my gears episode". Work today was actually pretty good despite the whole sunburn thing. We worked on the new trailer we bought and it is almost finished so that is great. I had my car at home so after work I grabbed some clothes and headed to the girls house for tea. We had some awesome soft tacos and then chilled out. She left for work at about 9:30 so I have been bumming around on the computer since. I watched a little of the super bowl but we only get the replay here and I knew who won so I wasn't all that interested. I'm not a fan of either team so that didn't help. Bring back the 49er's golden years I say, lol.
Enough of my rant though or this will turn into a "Grinds my gears episode". Work today was actually pretty good despite the whole sunburn thing. We worked on the new trailer we bought and it is almost finished so that is great. I had my car at home so after work I grabbed some clothes and headed to the girls house for tea. We had some awesome soft tacos and then chilled out. She left for work at about 9:30 so I have been bumming around on the computer since. I watched a little of the super bowl but we only get the replay here and I knew who won so I wasn't all that interested. I'm not a fan of either team so that didn't help. Bring back the 49er's golden years I say, lol.
My Big Day and Huge Weekend
After the huge day we had Friday the weekend didn't slow down. We had Brent's 21st Saturday during the day and although we were supposed to be there at 12:30 by the time the girl and I got up it was 1pm. We were stuffed from the Big Day Out and the girl had only had a few hours sleep after working all night. We managed to get our shit together and I picked Calvin up from the Bay before heading to Brents. We cracked the first beer at about 2pm and it cured my hangover. There was a different crowd at Brents so we did a bit of catching up and talked about the Big Day Out and different stuff.
We left there at about 5:30pm and drove up to Treloars new place for a house warming. We stopped on the way to pick up some alcohol. Calvin and I ended up buying a six pack of beer and two four packs of cruisers. I know it sounds girly but they were so easy to scull in the car, lol. I bought the beer and then ran out so Calvin had to pay for the cruisers. He got paid out by me and the girl who served him so it was fantastic. We only stayed for about and hour at Treloars because we had to rush home to get dressed and fed before Kosta's 21st. Rhys was at Treloars so we spoke about his trip that he had just been on to Europe and Blake was there after he got our of hospital. Blake is a plumber and was working with an Oxy torch when he dropped it and it exploded. We suffered second degree burns on his hands, arms and legs and has to wear burn socks for the next twelve months. He said the doctors were hopeful there wouldn't be much scaring which is amazing. We did a tour of the house which is awesome and then headed home to wolf down some Risotto before dressing up all shmick for Kosta's 21st.
We got to Kosta's on time which was a change for the day and got straight into the beers. It was quite a big party and there were a heap of people I knew there. I did the usual and wandered around chatting to everyone and it was a really great party. The speeches were short and sweet but really good and then it was back to partying and drinking. The girl and I left very tired and very drunk at about 1:30 and after giving Luke a lift into town in our taxi headed home and fell asleep before our heads ever hit the pillow.
Today started slowly and didn't speed up. I was tired and hung over and the girl was tired. We got up and ate and I watched the cricket while the girl slept to get ready for her night shift tonight. The cricket was washed out which was disappointing because Australia was going to win.
All in all it was an awesome weekend. It is definitely going to take me most of this week to recover though.
We left there at about 5:30pm and drove up to Treloars new place for a house warming. We stopped on the way to pick up some alcohol. Calvin and I ended up buying a six pack of beer and two four packs of cruisers. I know it sounds girly but they were so easy to scull in the car, lol. I bought the beer and then ran out so Calvin had to pay for the cruisers. He got paid out by me and the girl who served him so it was fantastic. We only stayed for about and hour at Treloars because we had to rush home to get dressed and fed before Kosta's 21st. Rhys was at Treloars so we spoke about his trip that he had just been on to Europe and Blake was there after he got our of hospital. Blake is a plumber and was working with an Oxy torch when he dropped it and it exploded. We suffered second degree burns on his hands, arms and legs and has to wear burn socks for the next twelve months. He said the doctors were hopeful there wouldn't be much scaring which is amazing. We did a tour of the house which is awesome and then headed home to wolf down some Risotto before dressing up all shmick for Kosta's 21st.
We got to Kosta's on time which was a change for the day and got straight into the beers. It was quite a big party and there were a heap of people I knew there. I did the usual and wandered around chatting to everyone and it was a really great party. The speeches were short and sweet but really good and then it was back to partying and drinking. The girl and I left very tired and very drunk at about 1:30 and after giving Luke a lift into town in our taxi headed home and fell asleep before our heads ever hit the pillow.
Today started slowly and didn't speed up. I was tired and hung over and the girl was tired. We got up and ate and I watched the cricket while the girl slept to get ready for her night shift tonight. The cricket was washed out which was disappointing because Australia was going to win.
All in all it was an awesome weekend. It is definitely going to take me most of this week to recover though.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
My Incredible Day Out
My god it was a huge weekend. It started Friday with the Big Day Out. We started down at Glenelg were the girl and I had breakfast with everyone before doing Jagerbombs at the Jetty bar and then driving/tramming our way to the show grounds. There was about 12 of us so we couldn't fit in one car so the girl drove some of us and the rest caught the tram. The day was off to a good start.
We got in the gate after all the lines and then had to line up straight away to get alcohol tokens. They have a system at the BDO where you buy tokens and then exchange them for alcohol but it sucks. All you do is end up standing in two different lines instead of one. After another line we met up with the tram goers and headed into the main arena to see some music. The first band up for the day were a band called Operator Please. I had heard some of their music before and wasn't really a fan but on the day they kicked ass. They played a few covers and they were an awesome starting band. Next up was Anti Flag who I like but I didn't know how good they would be live but as with Operator Please, they kicked ass. They played an awesome set and really got the crowd going.
After Anti Flag finished we all split up and bit and a few of us went and saw Gyroscope over on the Green Stage. I was really into Gyroscopes old CD but didn't really listen to their new one but they were still really good. We cruised around a bit after they finished and got some food which as usual was incredibly expensive before heading back to the main arena to see Midnight Juggernauts who were talked up a bit by Sam. We got there about halfway through their set and I'm sorry but I thought they were crap, terrible in fact. We suffered through the rest of their set and then Regurgitator came on. I have never been a big fan of Regurgitator so we didn't really watch them that intently.
The Hilltop Hoods were the next band on after the Gurg and the girl is a big fan of theirs so we decided to head int the D to crank the mosh for Hilltops. We only just made it in because it was full and got a good spot before Hilltops started. It was really hot outside of the D but in the mosh it was unbearable. The girl lasted a lot longer than I thought she would have because it was pretty rough and so so hot but after about three quarters of their set we got out and headed to the back. We were both boiling hot and she was suffering a bit because someone stepped on her foot awkwardly and it was bruised already. He chilled out and enjoyed the music and fresh cool air before seeing the start of Grinspoon before heading out.
We went to the beer tent to get some brewskies and to chill out for a bit and recover. We watched Grinspoon on the huge screen and met up with everyone we had lost during the last few bands. We decided to take it easy and get some food before getting ready to see Karnivool who started at 6:40pm. We ate and chilled out in some shade in front of the screen and watched a bit of a band called Arcade Fire who might have been the worst band I have ever seen. I don't know how they got a gig at the BDO let alone on the main stage at a good time. They were terrible. There was about 15 of them on stage all playing different instruments but none of it sounded any good.
After a bit of chilling out we were pumped and ready for Karnivool. Karnivool are one of the reasons I bought a ticket. Thy are always awesome live and didn't disappoint. We didn't go in the mosh because we were all pretty rooted at that stage but got a good position just back from it. It was a good decision not to go in because for most of the show three massive guys were fighting until one of them was dragged out unconscious! The set was incredible and Karnivool as usual put on an amazing show. It was definitely worth buying a ticket just for them.
After Karnivool we had another wait before Brand New started. We decided on seeing the start of their set before going back over to the main stages to see Rage against the machine. I only know Brand New's old songs so I was hoping they would start with old stuff and they did. They started with a bang in fact with their drummer and another having a drum off in an acoustic jam session with extra guitarists and the vocalist going crazy on one of the drum kits symbols. After that was over they got right into a few old songs that we knew. I was very impressed.
We stayed as long as we could and then ran over to see the start of Rage. We didn't didn't think we had a very good spot because the whole main arena was packed but in the end it was perfect. The girl had to go to work at 10:30pm so she watched three of Rages songs before heading off. I had planned on walking her to her car but was really worried when I found out I couldn't get a pass out to allow me to get back in. We pleaded with the security but they said they couldn't do it so I was just about to walk out with her and miss the rest of rage when she said she would ask a police officer to walk her. She headed out the gate and took about two steps before realizing a bouncer from the bar she used to work at was standing right there. He was about a foot taller than me and about a meter wider so I thought she would be pretty safe. I ran the whole way back to the beer tent and then back into the arena to catch the rest of rage and in the end I only missed two songs which wasn't bad. Rage Cranked! They were incredible, the singer Zac had a few political rants which was awesome and they ended up playing a bit of an encore so we definitely got our moneys worth. It was totally worth buying the ticket.
After everything finished up I met up with everyone to work out how we were going to get home. We decided, like the other thousands, to catch the tram. As we walked out the 4 lane roads were turned into pedestrian paths and we blocked the road most of the way down to the tram station. We got there just as one was leaving and then had to wait a good 15 minutes for the next. Getting on the tram was a challenge and it ended up being a huge push. It was a little bit like a rugby scrum actually. We made it on though and managed to stay on after a few people were kicked off because it was too crowded. The ride was hilarious with a few drunk guys and us having a laugh at different people expenses. The highlight was the whole tram parting to make an isle for people to get out and off the tram. Once off everyone gave them a rousing farewell with cheers and clapping.
We were the last to get off because Glenelg is the last stop so we stumbled out and decided that a Yiros was the best thing for the moment. We all got our food, Steve and Bridie headed home and so we headed up to Hoggot's sister Elyse's unit to eat. After a quick tour of the unit, devouring a Yiros and a stint on her balcony I was ready to head home. We got a lift with Elyse back to Sams car and then he dropped me back at mine. I barely managed to have a shower without falling asleep and then I crashed.
It, as usual, was an awesome day. This was my fourth Big Day Out and it was awesome. The only down side was that I got BUUUURNT. I don't know how but I managed to get fried. In our earlier years Sam and I got fried at the 2003 BDO and swore it would never happen again, but it did. I applied and re-applied sunscreen but still got fried on my forehead and neck. Oh well, the day still kicked ass. Photos on the Spud Photo Blog too.
We got in the gate after all the lines and then had to line up straight away to get alcohol tokens. They have a system at the BDO where you buy tokens and then exchange them for alcohol but it sucks. All you do is end up standing in two different lines instead of one. After another line we met up with the tram goers and headed into the main arena to see some music. The first band up for the day were a band called Operator Please. I had heard some of their music before and wasn't really a fan but on the day they kicked ass. They played a few covers and they were an awesome starting band. Next up was Anti Flag who I like but I didn't know how good they would be live but as with Operator Please, they kicked ass. They played an awesome set and really got the crowd going.
After Anti Flag finished we all split up and bit and a few of us went and saw Gyroscope over on the Green Stage. I was really into Gyroscopes old CD but didn't really listen to their new one but they were still really good. We cruised around a bit after they finished and got some food which as usual was incredibly expensive before heading back to the main arena to see Midnight Juggernauts who were talked up a bit by Sam. We got there about halfway through their set and I'm sorry but I thought they were crap, terrible in fact. We suffered through the rest of their set and then Regurgitator came on. I have never been a big fan of Regurgitator so we didn't really watch them that intently.
The Hilltop Hoods were the next band on after the Gurg and the girl is a big fan of theirs so we decided to head int the D to crank the mosh for Hilltops. We only just made it in because it was full and got a good spot before Hilltops started. It was really hot outside of the D but in the mosh it was unbearable. The girl lasted a lot longer than I thought she would have because it was pretty rough and so so hot but after about three quarters of their set we got out and headed to the back. We were both boiling hot and she was suffering a bit because someone stepped on her foot awkwardly and it was bruised already. He chilled out and enjoyed the music and fresh cool air before seeing the start of Grinspoon before heading out.
We went to the beer tent to get some brewskies and to chill out for a bit and recover. We watched Grinspoon on the huge screen and met up with everyone we had lost during the last few bands. We decided to take it easy and get some food before getting ready to see Karnivool who started at 6:40pm. We ate and chilled out in some shade in front of the screen and watched a bit of a band called Arcade Fire who might have been the worst band I have ever seen. I don't know how they got a gig at the BDO let alone on the main stage at a good time. They were terrible. There was about 15 of them on stage all playing different instruments but none of it sounded any good.
After a bit of chilling out we were pumped and ready for Karnivool. Karnivool are one of the reasons I bought a ticket. Thy are always awesome live and didn't disappoint. We didn't go in the mosh because we were all pretty rooted at that stage but got a good position just back from it. It was a good decision not to go in because for most of the show three massive guys were fighting until one of them was dragged out unconscious! The set was incredible and Karnivool as usual put on an amazing show. It was definitely worth buying a ticket just for them.
After Karnivool we had another wait before Brand New started. We decided on seeing the start of their set before going back over to the main stages to see Rage against the machine. I only know Brand New's old songs so I was hoping they would start with old stuff and they did. They started with a bang in fact with their drummer and another having a drum off in an acoustic jam session with extra guitarists and the vocalist going crazy on one of the drum kits symbols. After that was over they got right into a few old songs that we knew. I was very impressed.
We stayed as long as we could and then ran over to see the start of Rage. We didn't didn't think we had a very good spot because the whole main arena was packed but in the end it was perfect. The girl had to go to work at 10:30pm so she watched three of Rages songs before heading off. I had planned on walking her to her car but was really worried when I found out I couldn't get a pass out to allow me to get back in. We pleaded with the security but they said they couldn't do it so I was just about to walk out with her and miss the rest of rage when she said she would ask a police officer to walk her. She headed out the gate and took about two steps before realizing a bouncer from the bar she used to work at was standing right there. He was about a foot taller than me and about a meter wider so I thought she would be pretty safe. I ran the whole way back to the beer tent and then back into the arena to catch the rest of rage and in the end I only missed two songs which wasn't bad. Rage Cranked! They were incredible, the singer Zac had a few political rants which was awesome and they ended up playing a bit of an encore so we definitely got our moneys worth. It was totally worth buying the ticket.
After everything finished up I met up with everyone to work out how we were going to get home. We decided, like the other thousands, to catch the tram. As we walked out the 4 lane roads were turned into pedestrian paths and we blocked the road most of the way down to the tram station. We got there just as one was leaving and then had to wait a good 15 minutes for the next. Getting on the tram was a challenge and it ended up being a huge push. It was a little bit like a rugby scrum actually. We made it on though and managed to stay on after a few people were kicked off because it was too crowded. The ride was hilarious with a few drunk guys and us having a laugh at different people expenses. The highlight was the whole tram parting to make an isle for people to get out and off the tram. Once off everyone gave them a rousing farewell with cheers and clapping.
We were the last to get off because Glenelg is the last stop so we stumbled out and decided that a Yiros was the best thing for the moment. We all got our food, Steve and Bridie headed home and so we headed up to Hoggot's sister Elyse's unit to eat. After a quick tour of the unit, devouring a Yiros and a stint on her balcony I was ready to head home. We got a lift with Elyse back to Sams car and then he dropped me back at mine. I barely managed to have a shower without falling asleep and then I crashed.
It, as usual, was an awesome day. This was my fourth Big Day Out and it was awesome. The only down side was that I got BUUUURNT. I don't know how but I managed to get fried. In our earlier years Sam and I got fried at the 2003 BDO and swore it would never happen again, but it did. I applied and re-applied sunscreen but still got fried on my forehead and neck. Oh well, the day still kicked ass. Photos on the Spud Photo Blog too.
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