I kind of figured I was done with music festivals, but heard about the Soundwave Festival in Adelaide next February and think I'll give it a go.
Nine Inch Nails are headlining, and Alice in Chains are performing too, which will be quite a feat seeing as their singer died like a decade or so ago. Apparently they've got a new guy now though, and the guitarist did a lot of the singing anyway, so should be good.
It's not the kind of thing I can see myself staying at all day - the rest of the bands fall in the hardcore/metal/punk genre, and so I'm guessing I'll get sick of all the emo kids with their full sleeve tattoos, long fringes, and razor-blade scarred limbs. But I don't think I can pass up the chance to see Alice In Chains, one of my favourite bands from the 90s.
Anyone want to join me?
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Avocado on a Quarter Pounder???
I went down to Marion this morning to get a CD player installed in my car at JB Hi-Fi. The guy told me it would take about 45 minutes, so I figured I had two options - shopping or eating. I chose the latter.
Went up to the food court thinking I'd get a donut from Donut King, but those guys have gone crazy with their prices. I settled on Maccas, and told myself it would be a combination breakfast/lunch.
So I'm standing there waiting to order, and I notice that they now offer avocado on their Quarter Pounders. That, to me, is a very strange thing to do. I'm probably biased because I hate avocado, but I don't see how those two things would mix at all.
Thankfully there is some sanity evident in the bigwigs who run McDonalds = they've reduced the cost of the apple pies back to $1, like they were back in the 80s. At that price I figured I couldn't really say no.
Went up to the food court thinking I'd get a donut from Donut King, but those guys have gone crazy with their prices. I settled on Maccas, and told myself it would be a combination breakfast/lunch.
So I'm standing there waiting to order, and I notice that they now offer avocado on their Quarter Pounders. That, to me, is a very strange thing to do. I'm probably biased because I hate avocado, but I don't see how those two things would mix at all.
Thankfully there is some sanity evident in the bigwigs who run McDonalds = they've reduced the cost of the apple pies back to $1, like they were back in the 80s. At that price I figured I couldn't really say no.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Team building day
So we had our team building day yesterday, and there were no quad bikes to be seen. Nor Go Karts. Instead, we went on a bus trip to Monarto. Awesome.
We got there about 10ish, and had a half hour update, then did a getting to know each other exercise. We went round the room, and everyone said their name, how long they'd been with the organisation, and something they were passionate about. I said "Music", most other people said stuff like "Changing perceptions of South Australia interstate" or "Developing regional communities through tourism."
After this we did the next best thing to quad-biking - we had someone come in and give us a two hour course in "stakeholder management". Once he was done, we had a barbecue lunch, which was actually quite delicious.
After lunch we did the bus tour of the grounds, which would have been better if I hadn't already done it with Michella last year.
Finally, the day concluded with us being split up into groups to each make a 30-second tv ad for Monarto. Or basically do a thirty second play, like you might do on the last night of a camp. Ours wasn't particularly funny, although a few were. Much of the humour seemed to be based on gay-jokes. I'm 95% sure none of the people there were gay.
We got back on the bus around 4pm, and were back in Adelaide just after 5pm. Not a terrible day by any means, but definitely lacking the element of fun I was expecting.
We got there about 10ish, and had a half hour update, then did a getting to know each other exercise. We went round the room, and everyone said their name, how long they'd been with the organisation, and something they were passionate about. I said "Music", most other people said stuff like "Changing perceptions of South Australia interstate" or "Developing regional communities through tourism."
After this we did the next best thing to quad-biking - we had someone come in and give us a two hour course in "stakeholder management". Once he was done, we had a barbecue lunch, which was actually quite delicious.
After lunch we did the bus tour of the grounds, which would have been better if I hadn't already done it with Michella last year.
Finally, the day concluded with us being split up into groups to each make a 30-second tv ad for Monarto. Or basically do a thirty second play, like you might do on the last night of a camp. Ours wasn't particularly funny, although a few were. Much of the humour seemed to be based on gay-jokes. I'm 95% sure none of the people there were gay.
We got back on the bus around 4pm, and were back in Adelaide just after 5pm. Not a terrible day by any means, but definitely lacking the element of fun I was expecting.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Saving the world
I had someone come to my door last night collecting for charity. I don't get a lot of visitors, so got a little excited when I heard the knock on the door. Sadly, it was just someone who wanted my money.
She explained that she was collecting for some international wildlife fund, and this year they were collecting for the River Murray too. She asked me if I cared about those things, and even though I don't really, I said I did. It's not that I'm anti-wildlife or the environment - it's just that I think there are more important things to focus on. Like people for example. If someone said to me "We've got a rare polar bear here, and a human, and we're going to kill one of them, which one would you like to save?" I'm taking the human every time. Just common sense really. Let's solve the people problems first, then we'll deal with the animals.
So I tell her to hold on, I'll just go find my wallet. I grab it and realise I've only got twenties, and no way do I care about polar bears that much. So I ask if she has change.
And she tells me that it's not that type of thing, she's not actually collecting money now, just "signing people up". She tells me I fill in this form, and then at the end of the month, I send them all the loose change that I've put aside. I figured that was something I could deal with, I do hate having a bunch of coins in my wallet, so I agree to take the form. Then I notice that there are details for my bank account or credit card details. Turns out, when she said "you give us your loose change", she actually meant "give us your bank account details, so we can siphon money from your account every month."
Of course, that wasn't going to fly, so I politely explained that it didn't really sound like my thing, and wished her a good night.
It was the second time in the last week someone had asked me for money in convoluted, creative manner, and I'm not a fan. I got a phone call from Mumbai a few nights ago where the caller started off by saying that my phone number had been randomly selected and I had won a free mobile phone. Of course they were trying to sell me on a phone plan. Just once I'd like to hear someone ring and say "I'm gonna be totally honest with you, I'm going to try and convince you to change your current telecommunications provider." It's possible I'd still hang up on them, but it would be a more pleasant experience for both of us.
She explained that she was collecting for some international wildlife fund, and this year they were collecting for the River Murray too. She asked me if I cared about those things, and even though I don't really, I said I did. It's not that I'm anti-wildlife or the environment - it's just that I think there are more important things to focus on. Like people for example. If someone said to me "We've got a rare polar bear here, and a human, and we're going to kill one of them, which one would you like to save?" I'm taking the human every time. Just common sense really. Let's solve the people problems first, then we'll deal with the animals.
So I tell her to hold on, I'll just go find my wallet. I grab it and realise I've only got twenties, and no way do I care about polar bears that much. So I ask if she has change.
And she tells me that it's not that type of thing, she's not actually collecting money now, just "signing people up". She tells me I fill in this form, and then at the end of the month, I send them all the loose change that I've put aside. I figured that was something I could deal with, I do hate having a bunch of coins in my wallet, so I agree to take the form. Then I notice that there are details for my bank account or credit card details. Turns out, when she said "you give us your loose change", she actually meant "give us your bank account details, so we can siphon money from your account every month."
Of course, that wasn't going to fly, so I politely explained that it didn't really sound like my thing, and wished her a good night.
It was the second time in the last week someone had asked me for money in convoluted, creative manner, and I'm not a fan. I got a phone call from Mumbai a few nights ago where the caller started off by saying that my phone number had been randomly selected and I had won a free mobile phone. Of course they were trying to sell me on a phone plan. Just once I'd like to hear someone ring and say "I'm gonna be totally honest with you, I'm going to try and convince you to change your current telecommunications provider." It's possible I'd still hang up on them, but it would be a more pleasant experience for both of us.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Keep on rockin' in the free world
The first round of acts for the 2009 Big Day Out were announced today, and it's the worst lineup I've ever seen.
The "headliner" is Neil Young. I actually don't mind a bit of Neil, every decade he seems to write one or two good songs. Would I want to go see him in concert though? No I wouldn't.
Headlining the boiler room is the Prodigy. If this were 1997 it would probably be big news, but I'm pretty sure noone cares about them anymore. I have their CD Fat of the Land up on ebay at the moment, and despite the fact that it features their biggest hits "Firestarter" and "Smack My Bitch Up", it hasn't got a single bid on it yet.
Also in the lineup are The Living End (who I don't care for personally, but I recognise they've got a decent size audience), Arctic Monkeys (who I've only heard once but thought were a poor-man's Strokes) and Sneaky Sound System.
I don't really enjoy the Big Day Out at the best of times - the combination of hot weather, drunk and stoned kids, and bad sound isn't a recipe for success. But sometimes I feel like I don't really have a choice - like last year, when a reformed Rage Against the Machine played. After years of hoping they'd someday get back together, I wasn't going to pass up seeing them because the situation wasn't ideal.
This year I'm not even remotely tempted to go though. I'm wondering what the turnout will be like - if it's anywhere close to years passed it will confirm my suspicions that the majority of people who go couldn't really care less about music, they just go because it's the thing to do.
The "headliner" is Neil Young. I actually don't mind a bit of Neil, every decade he seems to write one or two good songs. Would I want to go see him in concert though? No I wouldn't.
Headlining the boiler room is the Prodigy. If this were 1997 it would probably be big news, but I'm pretty sure noone cares about them anymore. I have their CD Fat of the Land up on ebay at the moment, and despite the fact that it features their biggest hits "Firestarter" and "Smack My Bitch Up", it hasn't got a single bid on it yet.
Also in the lineup are The Living End (who I don't care for personally, but I recognise they've got a decent size audience), Arctic Monkeys (who I've only heard once but thought were a poor-man's Strokes) and Sneaky Sound System.
I don't really enjoy the Big Day Out at the best of times - the combination of hot weather, drunk and stoned kids, and bad sound isn't a recipe for success. But sometimes I feel like I don't really have a choice - like last year, when a reformed Rage Against the Machine played. After years of hoping they'd someday get back together, I wasn't going to pass up seeing them because the situation wasn't ideal.
This year I'm not even remotely tempted to go though. I'm wondering what the turnout will be like - if it's anywhere close to years passed it will confirm my suspicions that the majority of people who go couldn't really care less about music, they just go because it's the thing to do.
Monday, September 29, 2008
More discrimination
So this Thursday we have our "team building" day for work. In what was a very poorly kept secret, we were meant to be going quad-bike riding down on the Fleurieu Peninsula. However, the owner of the business realised after taking our booking that there wouldn't be enough time for our entire group to ride, so he cancelled it.
Now we're looking at going Go Kart racing, another past time which discriminates against solidly built fellows like myself. Since all the cars have the same engine, which isn't that powerful to begin with, the lightest drivers always come out ahead.
The last (and only) time I went was for Ash's bucks night. I can clearly remember the feeling of utter helplessness as I floored the accelerator while watching all his skinny Greek friends fly past me.
I was teamed up with Con Pappas, and we were meant to switch every 20 laps, although he forgot and did like the last 60 on his own. At the time I was kind of pissed, but looking back it was probably for the best, otherwise I would have still been going round that damn track with everyone else done and ready to leave.
I'm hoping that maybe this is all a trick, pretending like we're not going quad bike riding because everyone found out that we were, then surprising us all at the last minute. I don't think our management is that devious though.
Now we're looking at going Go Kart racing, another past time which discriminates against solidly built fellows like myself. Since all the cars have the same engine, which isn't that powerful to begin with, the lightest drivers always come out ahead.
The last (and only) time I went was for Ash's bucks night. I can clearly remember the feeling of utter helplessness as I floored the accelerator while watching all his skinny Greek friends fly past me.
I was teamed up with Con Pappas, and we were meant to switch every 20 laps, although he forgot and did like the last 60 on his own. At the time I was kind of pissed, but looking back it was probably for the best, otherwise I would have still been going round that damn track with everyone else done and ready to leave.
I'm hoping that maybe this is all a trick, pretending like we're not going quad bike riding because everyone found out that we were, then surprising us all at the last minute. I don't think our management is that devious though.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sunday 28 September 2008
Got up this morning and after 28 years or so decided to give another church a go, and went to Edwardstown Baptist (where Ash and Kerry and their respective spouses now attend). It was quite a good experience, the people seemed nice, and the message was good. Plus it's just down South Road, so convenient to my new location in the inner South West of Adelaide.
After church Ash and Ange had all of us over for a delicious meal of chicken and chips. When Natalia started crying Paul and Kerry left, and Ash and I got down to some PS3. I beat him twice in NBA 2K8, but he kicked my butt badly in Gran Turismo, even giving me my choice of car and driving lower end model himself he destroyed me. Maybe driving's not really my thing.
After lunch I drove down to Marion to buy a new CD player for my car. Mine broke around three years ago, and I never got round to replacing it. I had no idea what to look for other than a detachable face and ipod input, so I just went with the one that was marked down the most. Got a $170 Kenwood one for $89, and even arranged to get it installed next weekend.
When I was younger, stealing car stereos was a popular thing to do. I think I had mine stolen twice, and at least one of those times it was just a tape deck. I hope everyone has moved past that phase, because I don't really want to be cleaning broken glass off my front seat anytime soon.
After church Ash and Ange had all of us over for a delicious meal of chicken and chips. When Natalia started crying Paul and Kerry left, and Ash and I got down to some PS3. I beat him twice in NBA 2K8, but he kicked my butt badly in Gran Turismo, even giving me my choice of car and driving lower end model himself he destroyed me. Maybe driving's not really my thing.
After lunch I drove down to Marion to buy a new CD player for my car. Mine broke around three years ago, and I never got round to replacing it. I had no idea what to look for other than a detachable face and ipod input, so I just went with the one that was marked down the most. Got a $170 Kenwood one for $89, and even arranged to get it installed next weekend.
When I was younger, stealing car stereos was a popular thing to do. I think I had mine stolen twice, and at least one of those times it was just a tape deck. I hope everyone has moved past that phase, because I don't really want to be cleaning broken glass off my front seat anytime soon.
More Damien Rice brilliance
An audience made recording of an unreleased song, and it still sends chills down my spine. I have absolutely no idea why Coldplay sell out stadiums and he remains widely unknown . . .
Saturday, September 27, 2008
A brief history of the twenty-first century
A short excerpt from Chuck Klosterman's new essay that I liked:
October 2, 2051
In the new age of global remoteness, military strategy becomes murky. Conventional wisdom suggests Australia is the most important region, as it can only be invaded via Indonesia. Others point to South America, since it is vulnerable only to Central American freedom fighters or North African warlords. Everyone agrees that Europe is a waste of time.
October 2, 2051
In the new age of global remoteness, military strategy becomes murky. Conventional wisdom suggests Australia is the most important region, as it can only be invaded via Indonesia. Others point to South America, since it is vulnerable only to Central American freedom fighters or North African warlords. Everyone agrees that Europe is a waste of time.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Discrimination
I hate discrimination, of all kinds. Especially when I'm the one who is being discriminated against.
Some of you may know it has long been a dream of mine to go skydiving. Not a dream in the sense that I spend most of my waking hours working towards this occurence, more a "If the opportunity ever presents itself, I think I'd like to do it" kind of thing.
Anyway, one of my friends has decided she's going to go on her birthday this year, and has told me I can tag along if I want. She also mentioned that there would probably be some sort of discount involved if we book together through the Entertainment Book, which goes a long way towards explaining why she's happy for me to crash her birthday celebrations.
So we look up the details on their website, and sure enough, there's a discount offered, but there's also a surcharge for people "over 90kg".
Now I know what you're thinking, but in fact it's true, I am over 90kg. Somewhere around the century mark actually. And I'll concede that yes, I am a little overweight. But why do they have to rub my face in it by charging me more? Do they need to bring an extra parachute for my fat ass? Is it danger money for the poor instructor who has to accompany me to the ground?
Besides, if you ask me, 90kg isn't even really that heavy for a fully grown adult male.
I think I might look around to see if this type of discrimination is industry standard. If it is, I guess I'm just going to have to hit the treadmill.
Some of you may know it has long been a dream of mine to go skydiving. Not a dream in the sense that I spend most of my waking hours working towards this occurence, more a "If the opportunity ever presents itself, I think I'd like to do it" kind of thing.
Anyway, one of my friends has decided she's going to go on her birthday this year, and has told me I can tag along if I want. She also mentioned that there would probably be some sort of discount involved if we book together through the Entertainment Book, which goes a long way towards explaining why she's happy for me to crash her birthday celebrations.
So we look up the details on their website, and sure enough, there's a discount offered, but there's also a surcharge for people "over 90kg".
Now I know what you're thinking, but in fact it's true, I am over 90kg. Somewhere around the century mark actually. And I'll concede that yes, I am a little overweight. But why do they have to rub my face in it by charging me more? Do they need to bring an extra parachute for my fat ass? Is it danger money for the poor instructor who has to accompany me to the ground?
Besides, if you ask me, 90kg isn't even really that heavy for a fully grown adult male.
I think I might look around to see if this type of discrimination is industry standard. If it is, I guess I'm just going to have to hit the treadmill.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
ebay update
So, over the last week I've sold 50 items on ebay, bringing in a little more than $400 cash money. I'm about halfway to my target, ie having enough money to buy one of these . . .
It's actually quite an enjoyable process. Putting stuff up isn't a whole lot of fun, but watching the final minutes as the price starts to climb is a strangely hypnotic experience. And it's great sitting at work and getting emails periodically that say "so and so has just sent you $20 though paypal".
I've found that especially on the cheaper items, you make most of your money out of overcharging for shipping. And there's an added bonus, as ebay charges you a fee based on a percentage the selling price, which is exclusive of your shipping costs. The most annoying thing is people who want to come and pick up their purchases. Especially when they have bought a DVD for $1, and want to drive to your house to get it. I think I'm going to specify no pickups from now on. It kind of reminds me of what I hate about garage sales . . . by and large, you don't want to be dealing with the type of people who haggle over a dollar or two.
It's actually quite an enjoyable process. Putting stuff up isn't a whole lot of fun, but watching the final minutes as the price starts to climb is a strangely hypnotic experience. And it's great sitting at work and getting emails periodically that say "so and so has just sent you $20 though paypal".
I've found that especially on the cheaper items, you make most of your money out of overcharging for shipping. And there's an added bonus, as ebay charges you a fee based on a percentage the selling price, which is exclusive of your shipping costs. The most annoying thing is people who want to come and pick up their purchases. Especially when they have bought a DVD for $1, and want to drive to your house to get it. I think I'm going to specify no pickups from now on. It kind of reminds me of what I hate about garage sales . . . by and large, you don't want to be dealing with the type of people who haggle over a dollar or two.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
I'm too old for this . . .
For the third week in a row I joined Ash's Tuesday basketball pick-up game last night. I thought I was getting used to it, but my body is telling me otherwise today.
It was a pretty good series of games though, and I felt like I won more than I lost. Thankfully the numbers were down a bit, we had 15 last week, which led to games of 5 on 5 on 5, with one team always waiting in defense (so no fast breaks). With a rotating group of 8-10 players last night though we were able to play proper full court games (even though the full court is maybe 2/3 the size of a regular court), which was much better. Especially during the final game where I teamed up with the best point guard there (only known as "Foetus", possibly because of his resemblance to Mike Dunleavy), and got to actually run the break, rather than just jack up long threes.
Quick aside - after reading Basketbawful's "Hacker's Rules" here, one guy stood out last night as perfectly fitting this mould - the gangly, awkward kid, who couldn't shoot, pass, dribble or play defense, but kept saying stuff like "Wow, my fitness has really dropped off in the last week." Right, that's the reason you can't play . . .
We finished a bit after 12, but by the time I got home, and had a shower, it was approaching 1am. I was feeling dehydrated, so I had several glasses of water. I think I fell asleep just after 2am, but because of the water drinking binge, I ended up getting up several times during the night to go to the bathroom. So, not feeling so crash hot today, and wondering if maybe I am getting a little too old for this type of thing.
It was a pretty good series of games though, and I felt like I won more than I lost. Thankfully the numbers were down a bit, we had 15 last week, which led to games of 5 on 5 on 5, with one team always waiting in defense (so no fast breaks). With a rotating group of 8-10 players last night though we were able to play proper full court games (even though the full court is maybe 2/3 the size of a regular court), which was much better. Especially during the final game where I teamed up with the best point guard there (only known as "Foetus", possibly because of his resemblance to Mike Dunleavy), and got to actually run the break, rather than just jack up long threes.
Quick aside - after reading Basketbawful's "Hacker's Rules" here, one guy stood out last night as perfectly fitting this mould - the gangly, awkward kid, who couldn't shoot, pass, dribble or play defense, but kept saying stuff like "Wow, my fitness has really dropped off in the last week." Right, that's the reason you can't play . . .
We finished a bit after 12, but by the time I got home, and had a shower, it was approaching 1am. I was feeling dehydrated, so I had several glasses of water. I think I fell asleep just after 2am, but because of the water drinking binge, I ended up getting up several times during the night to go to the bathroom. So, not feeling so crash hot today, and wondering if maybe I am getting a little too old for this type of thing.
What Darren's watching
Last week I got season five of Entourage off Amazon, and I've flown through it. Perhaps it says more about my social life than the show itself, but the thing I love about Entourage is what a lot of people hate - it's lightweight entertainment that doesn't ask for a lot from you.
The last series I watched before this was the final season of The Wire. Absolutely brilliant television, but man does it take a lot out of you. Thankfully there wasn't an ambiguous, Sopranos-esque ending, but in some ways it would have been better. Watching the endings for some of the characters was heartbreaking, especially after you've followed them for years.
Anyway, there's not a lot of this in Entourage. If The Wire is about the consequences of actions - both by individuals and institutions - Entourage is about the complete absence of consequences. Vince and his posse run out of money? No problem, through some crazy turn of events, he'll get a multi-million dollar job offer the next episode.
Season five does show the guys struggling a little bit, with Vince's vanity project Medellin struggling to find a buyer, and everyone crashing at Johnny's new apartment. You never really get the feel that it's permanent though, it's just a small speedhump on their way to an even more lavish lifestyle.
What I did like about season five was there was a lot of Billy Walsh, probably the best character on the show outside of Ari. For some reason he always reminded me of my friend Boris Djuric. Anyway, his constant verbal battles with both E and Ari are a definite highlight of the show. The writing seems to be a little below the standard of the first two seasons, there's not quite as many classic Ari lines in each episode, but there's still enough to make it laugh out loud funny every now and then.
The last series I watched before this was the final season of The Wire. Absolutely brilliant television, but man does it take a lot out of you. Thankfully there wasn't an ambiguous, Sopranos-esque ending, but in some ways it would have been better. Watching the endings for some of the characters was heartbreaking, especially after you've followed them for years.
Anyway, there's not a lot of this in Entourage. If The Wire is about the consequences of actions - both by individuals and institutions - Entourage is about the complete absence of consequences. Vince and his posse run out of money? No problem, through some crazy turn of events, he'll get a multi-million dollar job offer the next episode.
Season five does show the guys struggling a little bit, with Vince's vanity project Medellin struggling to find a buyer, and everyone crashing at Johnny's new apartment. You never really get the feel that it's permanent though, it's just a small speedhump on their way to an even more lavish lifestyle.
What I did like about season five was there was a lot of Billy Walsh, probably the best character on the show outside of Ari. For some reason he always reminded me of my friend Boris Djuric. Anyway, his constant verbal battles with both E and Ari are a definite highlight of the show. The writing seems to be a little below the standard of the first two seasons, there's not quite as many classic Ari lines in each episode, but there's still enough to make it laugh out loud funny every now and then.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Ultimate fantasy
Or not. . . Even though our fantasy basketball draft is still a month out, we set the order for it today. I did it via a nice little website which you feed your team manager email addresses into, and it randomly assigns an order, and emails everyone their spot. As it's all automated, there was no way for me to cheat. Which is kind of a shame, because for the second year in a row I got a really crappy pick. It was much better in the days when Ash and I used to rig it each year.*
As soon as I saw the draft order email I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. Number nine. In a ten team league. In that split instant, all my dreams of watching Chris Paul rack up the assists, Kobe scoring 30 plus a night, and Lebron flirting with a triple double every game were dashed.
Instead, I'm left talking myself into certain best-case scenarios, like "Sure (player x) has a history of injuries, but he was fine last year, perhaps he can do it again". Or "Maybe he's been practicing free throws this off-season, instead of knocking up team dancers".
Nevertheless, I'm slowly coming around. I'm definitely at the acceptance stage in the cycle of grief. I've come up with a few ideas, which I won't share here, since 75% of you guys are in my league. Let's just say as long as no more blue-chip players get injured in the next month, I think I'll be OK.
* Just a joke Mike. I can sense your blood pressure rising ten thousand kilometres away.
As soon as I saw the draft order email I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. Number nine. In a ten team league. In that split instant, all my dreams of watching Chris Paul rack up the assists, Kobe scoring 30 plus a night, and Lebron flirting with a triple double every game were dashed.
Instead, I'm left talking myself into certain best-case scenarios, like "Sure (player x) has a history of injuries, but he was fine last year, perhaps he can do it again". Or "Maybe he's been practicing free throws this off-season, instead of knocking up team dancers".
Nevertheless, I'm slowly coming around. I'm definitely at the acceptance stage in the cycle of grief. I've come up with a few ideas, which I won't share here, since 75% of you guys are in my league. Let's just say as long as no more blue-chip players get injured in the next month, I think I'll be OK.
* Just a joke Mike. I can sense your blood pressure rising ten thousand kilometres away.
What Darren's reading
If I had to list the five greatest books of all time, four would be written by Chuck Klosterman.
There's his brilliant debut "Fargo Rock City", which is both a biography of his teenage years in North Dakota, and a history of eighties metal. There's "Sex, Drug, and Cocoa Puffs", the collection of pop-culture essays for which he's probably best known. You've got "Killing Yourself To Live", which people either love or hate, which is kind of about a cross-country trip visiting sites where rock stars died, but is really about understanding love and death through music. And finally, there's Chuck Klosterman IV, which is just a collection of his previous writings plus a new short story. It's probably the worst thing he's released, although I'm sure he'd recognise that, I think it was mainly just a means of allowing his readers access to some of his earlier work.
I got the new Chuck Klosterman book "Downtown Owl" in the mail yesterday. Following on from the short story in his last book, the new one is entirely fiction. But after reading the first two chapters on the bus this morning, it's obvious that he's again taken parts of his own experience, specifically the knowledge of what it's like growing up in a small semi-rural American community, and written about that.
I haven't read a whole heap in recent years, but I can't wait to get through this one. Detailed review to come soon . . .
There's his brilliant debut "Fargo Rock City", which is both a biography of his teenage years in North Dakota, and a history of eighties metal. There's "Sex, Drug, and Cocoa Puffs", the collection of pop-culture essays for which he's probably best known. You've got "Killing Yourself To Live", which people either love or hate, which is kind of about a cross-country trip visiting sites where rock stars died, but is really about understanding love and death through music. And finally, there's Chuck Klosterman IV, which is just a collection of his previous writings plus a new short story. It's probably the worst thing he's released, although I'm sure he'd recognise that, I think it was mainly just a means of allowing his readers access to some of his earlier work.
I got the new Chuck Klosterman book "Downtown Owl" in the mail yesterday. Following on from the short story in his last book, the new one is entirely fiction. But after reading the first two chapters on the bus this morning, it's obvious that he's again taken parts of his own experience, specifically the knowledge of what it's like growing up in a small semi-rural American community, and written about that.
I haven't read a whole heap in recent years, but I can't wait to get through this one. Detailed review to come soon . . .
Monday, September 22, 2008
City to Bay
My long distance (well kind-of) running career spanned about eight months - from last year's City to Bay in September to the half marathon I ran in May this year. This second run left me unable to walk properly for about a week, and I vowed I would never willingly run such a distance again.
So I never really considered doing the City to Bay this year. But reading about it in the paper today, I kind of wish I did.
Not for the fitness benefits, or the sense of accomplishment, but because it featured celebrities from my favourite reality show, "The Biggest Loser".
Apparently Cosi (my favourite from last season) ran the whole way, which you'd expect, seeing as he looks pretty fit these days. As did JJ, the annoying truckie from Adelaide. Shannan, the trainer with a heart of gold, also ran it, and in a respectable 48 minutes (although some 18 year old guy who's still in high school did it in 34 minutes, so . . . ).
Some of the contestants didn't fare so well though. Gary (the big fella who was going bald), Nicola (the super-sized Meadow Soprano) and Carrie-Anne (one half of the annoying twin combo) all opted for the 6km route. Which they WALKED. I would expect that from their pre-Biggest Loser selves, but if you've been through the show, and lost all of that weight, you can at least run 6km, if not 12km.
I don't think any of them live in Adelaide, which makes it even worse - they booked tickets, accommodation etc just so they could come to our city for the weekend and walk a measly 6km. What an incredible waste of everyone's time.
So I never really considered doing the City to Bay this year. But reading about it in the paper today, I kind of wish I did.
Not for the fitness benefits, or the sense of accomplishment, but because it featured celebrities from my favourite reality show, "The Biggest Loser".
Apparently Cosi (my favourite from last season) ran the whole way, which you'd expect, seeing as he looks pretty fit these days. As did JJ, the annoying truckie from Adelaide. Shannan, the trainer with a heart of gold, also ran it, and in a respectable 48 minutes (although some 18 year old guy who's still in high school did it in 34 minutes, so . . . ).
Some of the contestants didn't fare so well though. Gary (the big fella who was going bald), Nicola (the super-sized Meadow Soprano) and Carrie-Anne (one half of the annoying twin combo) all opted for the 6km route. Which they WALKED. I would expect that from their pre-Biggest Loser selves, but if you've been through the show, and lost all of that weight, you can at least run 6km, if not 12km.
I don't think any of them live in Adelaide, which makes it even worse - they booked tickets, accommodation etc just so they could come to our city for the weekend and walk a measly 6km. What an incredible waste of everyone's time.
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