Iif you had 19 pennies, they would cover the Earth's landmasses to an average depth of 13.4 zeptometres

You would also have enough money to give me a penny for every year of being alive.

They obviously feed you with a good quality whacky baccy at Cambridge these days...

Maybe, but that's beside the point.

The point being my birthday.

It's today.

Is this just a way to get us to wish you a happy birthday, in which case Happy Birthday SK!! (soon be running out of fingers and toes to count your age on....unless there's something weird about you that you haven't told us), or do we also have to send you the 19 pennies so that you may cover the Earth's landmasses to an average depth of 13.4 zeptometres?

Happy Birthday...! I would have thought zepto's would have been more appropriate for your 21st.  But what do I know?

How's it going at Cambridge?

Happy Birthday SK!! *hugs*

You're all grown up now!

Then again, you were all grown up when we first met years ago

Happy Brithday. Did you also know that at your age the candles on your birthday cake will raise the earths temperature by 3 degrees.

or 3 zeppo degrees...

Might help with the snow there...

What, in the same way that the Butler will arrange to have the drive cleared of snow...?

ummmm..... Not quite

Happy Birthday SK!!

On another note... did you also know.....

That the legislation in Orange County, California, is some of the funniest I have read in a while.

Check out: http://search.municode.com/html/11378/level3/T2_D5_A2.html#T2_D5_A2_s2-5-49

Take note of sec 2-5-49 and sec 2-5-49.1

Also noteworthy: sec 2-5-47(b)  

ROFL!

And what are you doing reading legislation of all things?!

WRT not landing in water ... are the hoping you hit the rim of the pool?

Is this just a way to get us to wish you a happy birthday

Pretty much. Also an excuse for one of those "If you had X Y's they would Z" factoids.

But 19 pennies doesn't do much to raise the average height of the world's land masses. A zeptometre is significantly less than the diameter of a proton.

I would have thought zepto's would have been more appropriate for your 21st.  But what do I know?

Apparently, a meaning of 'zepto' that I'm unaware of

Happy Birthday SK!!

Thanks dek.

Then again, you were all grown up when we first met years ago

I dunno... from other places that have an easily perused post history, if I have cause to look back at old posts I sometimes find myself wanting to slap me-of-several-years-ago about a bit for being an idiot.

WRT not landing in water ... are the hoping you hit the rim of the pool?

"No landing in the water" would seem to be covered by "No jumping into the water"... I have wonder what loophole was found to allow people to jump into somewhere other than the water but still land there.

LOL SK. Do not be too hard on yourself. We are all evolving. Well... most of us.

Apparently, a meaning of 'zepto' that I'm unaware of

10 to the minus 21'ths of a metre

find myself wanting to slap me-of-several-years-ago about a bit for being an idiot

Mate ... yep I do that but it's closer to me-of-about-a-week-ago

^ can't believe I said that.

^ there I go again.

^ see what I mean?

^ bloody hell.

ROFL!!

HAHAHA!!!

One thing I've noticed about the Jones tea bag as opposed to all others is its apparent high permeability. My loose understanding of the sciences coupled with experimental observations under controlled conditions is that as soon as some tea bags are hit with the hot stuff, the air inside will expand rapidly and tend towards inflating the bag to a pressure as tight as a snare drum skin, then subsequently float on the surface not unlike one of those instantly inflatable life rafts that if you ever find yourself in one then chances are your plane has just gone down in the ocean. This applies to your standard Dilmah's plus the Dilmah Green and a Yorkshire of sorts that I have here.

I prefer Tetley myself.

A dead give away that you're on a crowded train is when you feel your phone vibrating in your pocket, then reach down and grab it ... only to learn that the voice at the other end wants some bloke named Dave to pick up a loaf of bread and a litre of milk on his way home.

I read somewhere that this business of only using "freshly drawn water that has just boiled" to make tea with comes from the 19th Century when someone realised that us commoners used to get all sorts of diseases from crappy water.  Apparently, we used to drink lots of ale where the alcohol had killed off most of the bad bugs and tea was seen as a good replacement because it would reduce (what we call now) binge drinking.

Well that's all very well if you make tea in a pot and leave it for the required time to brew (some purists say mash) then when you pour a cup it's at a temperature that doesn't feel like molten lava on the tongue. On the basis that most water is now potable, using boiling water is not really necessary, just use fairly hot water - that way the tea-bag (no matter how cheap it is) doesn't display the same characteristics, as described by Ruskie, then the cup of tea can be made quite quickly and safely drunk without the lava-field effect.

Or just use the spoon to drown it.

Then again, I don't use tea bags. Loose tea FTW!

Theres a Dutch chap here called Joost and as you could imagine he's fairly humourless so he neither thinks it's funny nor does he understand why he gets called Boost Juice.

HAHAHAHAHAH

10 to the minus 21'ths of a metre

and there was me assuming you making some variety of dirty joke...

Dutch humour is rarely a laughing matter...

The poor Dutch.... Getting bashed

Got a laugh out of Boost today. Though it was out of left field.

Oh? 

Poor Boost.... the highlight of his day is making Ruski laugh

Well the irony here is whatever it was that Blew Boost Juice's dress up wasn't funny at all.

There was a Joe Blake curled up in a vacant parking space down the train station this arvo. Looked like a carpet and I suspect it had just swallowed one of the curlew that inhabit nearby. I near shit myself ... not a big fan of these creatures and would have got a photo but I was pretty much high tailing it outta there. Funnyest thing was the bloke whose car was parked next to it didn't see it and near trod on the bastard. Now I wont sleep tonight knowing there's one of these fuckers within 300m.

ummm....  that a snake?

Yep. Snake. Serpent. Viper. There's no good word for them.

EGADS!!

Joe Blake is a pretty good term though.

Now that I know what it is.

The experts here tell me it was one of these ...

http://www.snakecatchers.com.au/Coastal_Carpet_Python.html

Looked like the one at the top right. But cautionsly I treat all snake sighted as 3m Taipans and get outta dodge immediately.

Might be just Boost but it seems the Dutch have high expectations and no manners. Might start calling him Prune Juice because he's giving me the Eartha Kitts.

I have had no clue what you have been talking about for some time now.

But please, continue 

In a nutshell ... Tea Bags, Dutchies and Snakes. Tackling the big issues.

*shudders at the snake pics*

They're marvellous creatures, but man they scare me. Venomous or not

And mebbe Prune juice could do with some vintage apple cider...

Me too SK -

Huh.... there might be a business in this for me... I could be a Ruski translator

I have no observations to report on today.

no entertainment tonight

Tonight I'm going to watch LOST but I gotta tell ya the show is aptly named.

Oh dear... good luck with that

I gave it up years ago

I'll be watching Lost some time tomorrow probably, or the day after.

(Irony: The first sentence I understand for some time is about Lost, which is itself close to incomprehensible)

HHAHAHAHHA

So you've been keeping up with it SK? Are the mysteries being revealed?

Sort of

Maybe...

I don't know.

LOL!

Thanks, I feel good now

Yeah lost. I reckon it's gonna have one of those endings whereby you will want to take your television set and smash it.

Or you will watch as it ends, in slowly increasing disbelief, before shouting "DOUBLE-YOU TEE EFF" in epic raeg at how they didn't explain a damned thing.

HAHAHAHAHA

Yes, I'm expecting both those endings, although I heard they have said they'll tie it all up

*shrug*

This one reminded me of SK, Sir M and Mr Dent. Particularly Mr Dent. Cos it sounds like something he'd say

I have news!! I've been packing!! I'm moving into a lovely new apartment this weekend! 

"no entertainment tonight"

Actually dek - entertainment tonight was on telly earlier 

And yeah... lost... no comment....

Can't see the piccy you posted Dek...

D'oh. Idiot twitpic...

Here Mr Dent: http://twitpic.com/ymibf

And Morgan... MOVING AGAIN?!?!?!

Yeah - I was renting privately and the landlord was being a total prick so now I have my own apartment through a real estate agent so hopefully this will be the last time I have to move for a while. I pick up my new keys this arvo!!

geeez.... hope it works out this time.

Good luck!

Thanks... I'm getting so sick of moving lol

Don't put up with any shit from landlords.  The husband of a friend of Mrs Dent has a "property portfolio". He thinks he is one of the lads because his wife is a real nice lady and she is a mate of most of ours.  Anyway he is the biggest stinking oil-slick around.  Treats his tenants like shit and boasts about what he can get away with and how he (so-called) legally rips off the local housing association.  He used to annoy the hell out of us by turning up for cricket on a Saturday morning.  We were always short of players so he got to muscle in. Anyway he stopped coming after one of the lads, in trying to "run him out" threw the ball and "accidentally" smacked him on the ear.  I had the pleasure of dumping him at the casualty reception in Colchester hospital where I left him to get on with it.  His wife and kids even looked happier for a couple of weeks afterwards.

Quite an apt picture too Dek.  Fucking weather...!

LOL!

I wonder if you'd be less 'grumpy old man' if not for the weather...

Seasonal Affected Disorder syndrome or whatever those posh bastards at the clinic call it...

I think I must be due another medication assessment.

I spent one week in the UK and got depressed. Apart from when we had a snow fight by some lake. That was fun

Bloody weather!!! Stoopid rain!! It's been clear and sunny and stinkin' hot for the last three week and now the weekend I decide to move, we get a monsoonal trough up here blasting through storms and rain like the sky was made from sea and it's all falling down. Seriously monsoon rain sucks! You stand in it for only 1 or 2 seconds and you are thoroughly drenced through. Don't expect you southerners to understand although some of the queenslanders might. And for the UK just picture being in the middle of the rainforest pouring rain x10... x100 ...LOL!!

I don't even think that describes it...

Hey hey, I grew up in the tropics.... I get it

*facepalm* oh yeah... forgot about that lol!

hehehe No worries

Yep, I remembers monsoon's from when I lived in North West Qld..(during the 50's)..

Mmm... just like 'Nam...

In other words, nothing's changed

LOL!!

Go check out the satellite imagery!

http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDE00902.loop.shtml

Darwin not on map no more -- been washed away 

Apparently all the roads a bit further inland were/are flooded - And I'll believe that! Just driving to work this morning was quite difficult, most of the roads were almost small rivers, and the water kept tugging the steering wheel from me! I thought my little car was going to drown! Made for some awesome "waves" though as I drove through them - whoooosh!!

Note: Not my car, but this is what I was doing today!

Whoa! That's 3/4 of Aust gorrrrne!

So you were going around spraying poor passers by

*tsk tsk*

LOL!! I don't think I splashed anyone, but I was kinda hoping I would!!

hahaha E-v-il

Indeed 

I'm almost done packing, just have a few more boxes to sort out, and my clothes, and a few odds and sods.

My new apartment is HUUUUGGEEE!!!! I went there yesterday arvo and just walked around in circles for about half an hour going "wow.. just...wow.."

That's a North East England registration plate...

So yeah... obviously not my car 

Did someone mention packing?

Cuz guess what I'm STILL doing at 3am?

Hey dek, I can see into the future! I predict that at exactly the same time I will be doing the same thing!!

Ya living alone now Morgan?

How much longer do you have?

LOL!

Yep, all by myself 

Well, I have till next Thurs. Leave on Fri. It's 80% done. It's the small niggly things that are left. Like do I take or leave my high school t-shirts?

UGH

Cool! It's about time!

BTW, I'm also watching the first session of the first test of the last Ashes

LOL!!

Yeah I used to live alone, but when I moved down south I sold all my furniture and started sharing. I don't mind living with other people but I think it's time to regain my own space again.

Unfortunately, this means I have to buy all new furniture again 

Why you watching the ashes again?!

Wonder if you have freecycling there...

Doubt it.

Cos I'm clearing out the HDD on the PVR

Damn... and I have all this furniture to get rid off

Damn lol I wish I was closer I'd come take it off your hands 

Trust me, I'd like nothing more!

You still live in the same place? If I know that area, its that people like "street shopping" - I used to do it all the time, always bringing home random crap that i'd find..

Unless you want cash for it, then just ebay it lol

Nah, I've pretty much either recycled or freecycled everything. Can't be bothered listing stuff on ebay. Plus it takes too much time

Exactly. I use ebay for buying only these days.

The furniture I still have time, since I'll have a housesitter/renter.

Subletting?

And Loic, the new Tangler CM will be taking more things off my hands tomorrow.

Not quite. I become a landlord

muhahahahah

Ooh really!?!?!??!!!! Congrats!

Hmm.. I've seen Loic loitering around TanglerLive... haven't had the chance to chat yet.

Yeah, slightly better than leaving the house locked up

Oh yeah, make sure to bug him now

hehehehe

I'm gonna go ask him your favourite question:  "Oi Loic, you a bot?!!"

ROFL!!!

Do it!!

heheheh

I might do it meself. hehehe

This is fun!

Ah crap. Flinty is out

HAHAHA!!!!

*grin*

So.. you plan on sleeping any time tonight?!

Just winding down. Brain can't process decisions anymore. At times I just stand in the middle of the room turning round and round.

And then I catch myself and just stand in the middle of the room

Hahaha yeah I've been doing that. I sort of walk up and down the hallway from one room to the other going "can I really be bothered?" I'm sort of doing the little things bit by bit...

Yeah, I've been working on stuff bit by bit. Only way to do it.

Left the hardest to the last - the study room

I think I should sleep tonight considering I have to pick up my friend at 7am! GAH so early on a weekend..

My hardest room is my kitchen

Last night I got rid of almost half my uni stuff. The media part, which I hated then anyways.

Tonight I just couldn't process anything. Picked everything up off the table and put it on the shelves. *sigh* TBC tomorrow

The kitchen was easy for me. Pretty much gave everything away

Will only take my trusty wok and the like with me.

Oh dear... you better get some sleep!

I have to seperate the stuff thats already in the kitchen, plus I have a box of kitchen stuff, which I have to cut in two because it's too heavy at the moment to carry up four flights of stairs. That's mainly what I have to do with all the boxes I had pre-packed. Stoopid new apartment, why is there no elevator lol

D'oh!!

I hope you're getting movers?

Nope, it's just me and my best friend.

uh oh

I'm pretty much moving around the corner (same suburb move) and couldn't see the point. Plus the movers wanted to charge me $180/hr with a minimum four hours because it's a saturday

Still, that's bloody tiring

I'm like yeah-friggin-right.. And that's why I'm so annoyed at the rain - because now we are going to get soaked doing it!

The last time I helped a friend with a same suburb move, we started at 10 and ended at 12midnight

Ah crap. Yeah, rain ain't gonna help

I don't really have that much stuff though, a bed, tv, a couple of bookshelves and about 8 boxes, plus my clothes. I can do most of it in my car, and I'm hiring a trailer for my bed

Went to bunnings tonight and bought a big sheet of plastic to wrap up my mattress so it doesnt get wet/damaged

*sigh* I have tons of plastic sheeting

It's good for... something.. lol

hahahaha

Everything is good for something - question is, how long do you keep it?

All this giving away has been very freeing though

Until it has served it's purpose and no longer has any use.

....and that is why my house was full of crap....

Hehehehe mine too

No moar I sez!!

*stamps foot imaginarily*

Intervention!!!!!

The other thing is saying no to people. Half the stuff I had wasn't even mine. Was storing them for others

Still have a sewing machine to dump.... owner left it here abt 10 yrs ago, saying she'd come abck and pick it up

annoying

Umm.. that's a bit much lol. Didn't you contact her?

She's in Germany. I think

Couldn't be bothered with any of it. If they haven't missed in in years, they won't miss it now

hehehe true.

Ah, the day's play is over.... sleep

Good luck with the move!

Thanks, I'll be sure to let you know how it went!

(wow, it's been a long time since we did this!)

Goodnight!! 

It has. I've missed it

Nite!

There's a Taffy started here recently. Jenkins is his name. Assume he's a nice fellow because he sounds nice but I haven't understood a single word out of his mouth yet.

What's a Taffy?

Reminds me of Daffy

One of Arfurs compatriot's..

ahhhh

I'm getting the impression that Ruski's really bad with accents...

Maybe this Jenkins chap is speaking in 'Welsh-Gaelic'...

My Accent's fuckin top tip sunshine and no wuckin furries.

I can follow the Een Zeed Ukseent no problem.

Then being the administrator for the NRL tipping comp I sent this out today ...

Afternoon all ...

For anyone completely unbalanced with rabid anticipation, just mildly interested or otherwise, the NRL tipping comp is happening again. Season 2010 is lit to pop on Friday night at Lang Park with the Broncos looking good to give the Cowboys a right old toweling by at least 40. You heard it from me first.

That gives you just over 4 days to decide, deliberate, sign up and then deliberate some more, or if you've just plain old got no idea then you could always use the team colours as a guide. As a last resort Thursdays Courier Mail generally gives a pretty good run down on what is and isn't likely to take place throughout the subsequent weekend of fixtures as well as what goes on off the field afterwards but it tends to be shamelessly biased towards Brisbane and should be used as an indication only.

If you can drop, deliver or wire the entry fee to me sometime between now and early April so we can tie up the fiscal end that'd be fantastic. Obviously the tangible AUD's marked in the denomination of 20 or a combination adding up to the same would be preferred but if this is not possible then give me a shout and we can work something else out.

... then Boost Juice turns up and says he didn't understand a word.

HAHAHAHAHAH

Hej ist een groote klootzak

oder een klein klootzakje

I suspect that might be Dutch largely owing to the fucked up spelling but on Dent's reputation I won't be suggesting to Boost Juice that he is either one or the other.

I think the only spelling mistake is "oder", that's German for "or".  The Dutch word for or is "of"

I'm told the first is something about the clacker bag and the second is something to do with the corn hole.

I'm not even gonna ask....

Indeed.

Hey guys, help me out. Click on this link to invest in my team. http://game.thestartupbus.com/i/5c159c7

Even if you don't sign up, you'll earn me $10 just by clicking on the link. Thanks!

Clikdit 

Done..

While you're at it, click this one too> http://game.thestartupbus.com/i/685bf79

double the profits! 

It too..

You guys truly are the best

Thank you!

Kids got their swine flu vax Thursday night. Early hours of Sat morning the little one was standing in the hallway and proceded to let out an almightly Wallace and Grommit. So I cleaned that one up then last night went out for some exercise and got home about 10:45 and the big one had redecorated his bedroom. Awesome.

Charming.

Not the word I had in mind. But yeah, charming indeed.

The vaccine did that to them?? sheesh

How are they doing now?

Might have been that. Dunno. Was just thinking I should get myself boofed up too. Aren't vaccines just a small exposure to the virus? In which case I might have it now? Cough cough. Now you all have.

HAH

That ain't gonna get me!

Hmm I knew there was a reason i wasn't feeling well and left work early yesterday.

Should say "booted up" above and not boofed up. Genuine typo.

Personally, I don't believe in vaccines. If it takes one tiny particle of someone's sneeze or breath to get you sick, what's a whole needle full going to do? If I get sick, I get sick. Meh, no biggie.

I have had the Swine Flu vaccine before Christmas with absolutely no side effects, as a matter of fact the needle didn't even hurt when I got it..

The winter I got a flu shot was the only winter I got really sick

That happened to me once years ago, but the doctor said that it was purely coincidence and that I must have been incubating the virus before I got the needle..(It takes about 14 days for your body to build an immunity to it)

I think the last time I had an immunisation for anything was in primary school lol

If it takes one tiny particle of someone's sneeze or breath to get you sick, what's a whole needle full going to do?

A vaccine is typically a deactivated form of the virus - similar enough to provoke the same immune response and train your system to recognise the virus, but not actually a working copy. That or a similar virus (similar enough that your immune system would respond to the real thing after being trained on the similar one) that doesn't have the same effects.

It's all there on Wikipedia

which makes me think maybe you weren't full of serious... if you weren't, then ignore me, but the whole "anti-vax" thing has gotten way out of hand, so I feel it bears explaining whenever the opportunity arises, just in case.

hahahahahah!

Don't think anyone is anti-vax here.... Morgan and I are just lazy and so we make up excuses for not getting em

+1 for the lazy ones. The kids are a different matter.

Wasn't trying to imply anyone was a full blown antivaxer, but there's enough bullshit thrown around about vaccines generally that I wanted to make clear what might otherwise be unknown 

I was hoping the finding that the RBR vaccine doesn't cause autism woulda quietened things down a bit, but no go. *sigh*

RBR?

D'oh

I'm sure I typed MMR

Musta been thinkin abt F1

That's what I thought when I first saw deezee's RBR vaccine, since when do we need to be vaccinated aginst Red Bull Racing..

My two were given the MMR vaccine.  The side effects seem to be delayed until the teenage years.  They are:-

1. Uncontrollable urges to demand everything that is expensive

2. Deep depressions when they don't get what they want

3. Zits (especially on male varieties)

4. Inability to buy stuff that doesn't go out of date or fashion the day after they get it.

5. Fussy eating habits

6. Inability to walk anywhere - they are also unable to comprehend the concept of a bus

Plus an assorted variation of other unpleasant symptoms.  I suppose on the upside, amongst the fog of other problems, they appear to be immune to Measles Mumps and Rubella...

heh heh Andro.... you get me

Mr Dent - that's enough to put any parent off the MMR....

Now that I think about it..... I had the vaccine.... and some of those symptoms!

Mine already have #'s 1,2, 5 and 6.

Substitute "break" for "go out of date or fashion" and you can count #4 in.

LOL!

They'll get there....

Remember what your own parents said to you "Just wait until you have kids of your own..." - Their time will come eventually.

Found myself saying that on the odd occasion. Not in any hurry to get square with them as yet though.

Hah!

Hence my genius plan.... not having kids! Muahahahahahha

You just wait till you have grandchildren, and then when their parents start complaining about how they are misbehaving, It's your turn to remind them of what little buggars they were at the same age..That's Revenge..

HAHAHAHAHA

So true

And *that* is why the circle of life continues

Yes Andro, that is something that will be in my back pocket should the situation arise in the future.

..That's Revenge..

Exactly the get square I was referring. I'm going to make sure they're spoilt rotten little turds.

Daughter called today, Mrs Dent called her back to save the impoverished daughter some money.  She (Mrs Dent) seems to think that a £150 or so phone bill is OK for us but not for her.  I asked her if she is suffering from Measles Mumps or Rubella and she rather curtly informed me that she wasn't.  Add another symptom to the MMR vaccine that doesn't come out 'till mid 20's - An unexplained desire to be ungrateful.

HAHAHAHAHA

Complete opposite over here. I call my mum using a calling card, and she says she'll call me back. I try and explain why this way is best (it's cheaper for me) and she hangs up while I'm talking.... *sigh*

Brisbane has a new cross city tunnel and it is called the Clem7 after the great Clem Jones and because it is 7km long. So after a trip to Bunnings yesterday I took the boys through the Clem7 and back in the Landy. On the way I thought I'd better put a splash of fuel in the tank considering no working gauge or speedo and I have no idea how much fuel is in the tank other than rocking it parked in gear and listen for the slosh of liquid going back and forth. And I don't want to be on the news as the first to run out of petrol at the bottom of the tunnel. I know there's already been a flat tyre and a few break downs ... both of which I'd still be a candidate for. Anyway did you know there is no servo on the left side of the road as you drive from Stafford Bunnings through the Kedron Busway construction works past Lutwich towards the Northern approach to the Clem7? There are two on the opposite side of Bowen Bridge Road from the Clem portal but getting to those was a mission. Plus they both have a McDonalds or Hungry Jacks attached to them so immediately the kids are bellowing ... "can we get McDonalds". They don't like Hungry Jacks and I don't understand this because Hungry Jacks fries are exactly the same as McDonalds and that's all they'll eat,.so I went to Hungry Jacks. Not intentionally mind you. I tried to do the old trick of turning right onto Newmarket Road and looping around past Downey Park along Northey Street then left at Bowen Bridge Road to go to the Shell with the McDonalds attached but you cant turn left off Northey into Bowen Bridge anymore. Long story short we got there and back without incident.

Anyway I found out on the news last night the CO and particulate content in the ambient tunnel air was fairly elevated yesterday. I'd say the extra pollutant load would come pretty much down to the presence of the Landy in the tunnel. You see she' s like an old hooker ... a smoke to start up, another to get warm and one or two after a bit of hard work. Gotta tell you it was getting a little warm and fairly tough on the eyes down there. I'm talking about the air quality now and not the Old Hooker.

HAHAHAHAHAH

So you did get on the news

Clem Jones is to blame for the impending destruction of the Earth.

Howzat?

Well LHC needs 7TeV... and then there's Clem7......Coincidence?! .... "SEVEN!!!!"..... hellOOOO???

Besides, we all know that TeV stands for Tunnelius-enterius-Vehiclerium...

HHMMMM...................

Or Terrestrial-Explosion-Velocity... something like that anyway 

So I blame Clem! So there!

HAHAHAHHA

Talk to Ruski. The Green Avenger might be the thing to take Clem down

hahaha 

How long for is the Clem going to be free? I need to take it next Monday which is  in 7 days.

Where are you taking it to? I know a lot of motorists might get upset...

Oh you know they'll add the toll. No such thing as a free ride in Aussie tunnels, no matter how short they are

Is there an option of including a quote here??

There's no toll on the Clem 7 tunnel till Mon 5th April, so you will be ok next Mon (which will be 22nd March)..

Thank you Andromeda.

<MorganK...Where are you taking it to? I know a lot of motorists might get upset..> 

All the way to the Airport.

Then again, I don't use tea bags. Loose tea FTW!

OK. I've gone and uprated myself and got some loose leaf tea and an infusor from one of those poncy tea shops. There were so many and the names are all a bit misleading. So rather than go through sniffing every cannister I noticed the Vanilla Chai which comes to you as Black Tea with Vanilla, Cinnamon, Liquorice, Orange Peel, Fennel, and Cardamon. Very nice. It's a bit fortnight though (too weak). Next go I'll add a bit more to the infusor and leave it to infuse for a while longer. I like the word infuse. Infuse infuse infuse. It's infusing.

Hahaha!!

I have a new pet peeve. Describing the taste of tea or coffee with other taste descriptors.

I have a new fav coffee place here, which rocks. Only problem is, they describe their coffee like this - raw honey, milk chocolate and tangerine juice

Now think about that. Is there ANY way to even imagine what that might taste like?!

Ok, so I'm a bit pissy cos I have no energy to make chai, and have had to settle for Lipton tea

Does Lipton tea taste different over there?

I dunno

But it can't hold a candle to chai

I wouldn't expect that it could, being fluid and all.

That makes me laugh, but I will hold it back and give you my mock frown

grrrrrrr

Gotta say the Vanilla Chai ... there's just too much happening. I'm more you're bog standard sort of person so next time I'll go for a bog standard Chai. Question though ... what comprises a bog standard Chai? The shop I went to had about 6 varieties. I'll dig up what they were shortly. I like the Chai that Twinnings does in the bag and want to replicate that but a little stronger. Ideas ?

Bog standard chai = water + tea leaves boiled together with milk and sugar

Milk = no. Sugar = maybe.

But can I get Chai without it being Vanilla Chai, Mumbai Chai, Deluxe Chai, Sports Chai etc?

I love the descriptor ... "Deluxe". It more or less implies you're getting the bog standard model with some useless shit you don't need bolted on at double the price.

I'm fairly sure there's stock standard chai out there. Just don't go to the fancy places

You know, it's just occurred to me that we might as well be talking about cars

Fuck's goin on dudes?

Nuttin!

Dek has been sick

Blergh...

Dek has been sick

I told you to get the flu needle!...

Seriously though, I hope you get better real soon...  

Yeah, feeling better, thanks Andro

Kids and the pesky germs they bring with em.... *grumble grumble*

Tell me about it!

They're just little germ machines aren't they? And then they come around and cough and sneeze on ya.....

Hai...

But hey, I'm gooder now

Thats good, Deezee...

I notice that when I'm around my grandchildren and they're sick, quite often a few days later I seem to catch the same bug..But you can't tell them to go away, or treat them like lepers, can you?

Exactly.

37 pennies for me today.

Another day, another non-dollar

Can I exchange my pennies for sleep?

Gimme your pennies, I give you my sleep

Sweeeet.

Seriously though, why can't I volunteer to have a day of leave-without-pay, just to stay at home and do nothing. It's not costing the business anything, except for losing my presence in the office. Productivity wouldn't go down because for that to happen would imply that there was any productivity in the first place. And my workplace is the most backwards place in the world so I don't think it would matter anyway.

hahahahaah

But that would mean the company admitting they pay you for nothing. You sure ya want that?

What I meant is that no one does any work in the office anyway - so it's not just me that they pay for nothing, it's everyone. I think I'm the second most productive person who works here, however possibly the least motivated.

Especially today.

I'm a bit over it today too. Nearly didn;t come. The only reason I did is because theres a bloke at home restoring our roof. I'd rather be completely alone.

Sounds extremely good. Let's be completely alone together.

Heh. I'm completely alone all the time.

Anyone around here actually want some company? *looks hopeful*

Let's be completely alone together.

LOL. And I'm only as conformist as everyone else is.

Heh. I'm completely alone all the time.

Me too.. 

Just like the song by Gilbert O'Sullivan, "Alone Again, Naturally"

Did you know ....

Never be to old for this ....

Fucking brilliant. Though I miss who I was back then.

Well, that wasn't the awful noise I was expecting it to be.

Really Sir M?

Maybe you need a hearing test

You need to loosen up and put some fun in your music. I'd suggest shave your head, cover your scalp with a spiderweb tattoo, get hold of a pink Hagstrom Viking guitar for starters. Though the last bit I'd change. Always prefer when Tim plays the dinged up Black Gretsch Country Club and cause he's a leftie he plays it upside down ...

Well today I woke up with what can only be described as a very minor niggle. Not exactly sure what it is yet, haven't really thought about that part too much. But the bottom line is I'm not going to work. Fuck it.

Oh? And of what character is this niggle?

I felt like that this morning too, although I just put it down to being monday and went anyway. Now that I'm here, I really don't want to be

I suspect I might have torn a heart muscle.

Yeah, that sounds pretty minor!

Holy crap.

wtf ruski??

It's figure of speech ie. no ticker. Other uses include "done a heartlidge"

Andro, translation please?

You've gone and turned into a seppo.

I ain't turned into nuttin yo!

^ septic tank

^ clown

Did you know what the largest island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island is?

http://www.elbruz.org/islands/Islands%20and%20Lakes.htm

I love that. Brilliant. In the first place I thought you had the foot on the exaggerator re: your description.

You really do find the most random stuff on the internet....

However, (although not as informant) I have found a guy who is documenting 101 uses for his ex-wifes wedding dress here.

A bit of backstory: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/1057253/mans-wedding-dress-revenge-angers-ex-wife

HAh! Ya should learn to trust me Ruski!

LOL! I like that wedding dress story

That's perfect!

HAh! Ya should learn to trust me Ruski!

With a name like yours hard to do.

grrrrrrrrrrrr

Boofhead has been taking these bog standard muslei bars in his school lunches and just to give you an idea of how bog standard ... with his eating habits we know better than to splurge on the expensive brands. Anyway turns out he likes them. The box does mention chocolate chips but you have to be lucky to draw one from the box of eight that has more than two. Occasionally lucks a fortune. Anyway we have so many boxes of these things and I have become HOOKED! on them. Help me please someone. I need help.

Google>Betty Ford Clinic

Can't seem t0 d0 it. R0lled 0ats and h0ney stuck under the 0 key. Using the zer0 as a substitute in the meantime.

Excuses! Use the on-screen keyboard for people with disabilities, which I believe you may be slowly developing

Get some 'Uncle Tobys Yoghurt Tops', no honey in em, but the mango & passionfruit one's are yummy..(as a matter of fact all of them are)..

Mmm... Mango and passionfruit... yeah I used to eat those all the time!

OMD, I was addicted to those too at one stage Ruski!!

Damn, now *I* want one...

0h, and L0L!!

Get some 'Uncle Tobys Yoghurt Tops', no honey in em

Have to admit to a blooper here, I was just reading the list of ingredients on the 'Uncle Toby's Yoghurt Topps' box, and discovered that they do in fact contain honey.. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

However on a more important note, Did you know that today (21st June) is the winter solstice here in the southern hemisphere, or the summer solstice for those in the north?

Thats today's bit of useless information for you all..(or maybe you found it interesting)..? Anyway, have a nice day/night..

I woke up this morning in darkness (again) and remembered it was the 21st only because emblazened into my brain is that Friday was the 18th which happens to be payday and I can always remember what the day is a few either side of payday, especially whilst eating lentyl soup during the days leading up. Anyway I was thinking this morning yes it's the 21st ... Winter Solstice ... shortest day of the year ... the day containing the point in time, in this case 11:28am when the earths obliquity (southern) is farthest from the sun ... an astronomical geometrical snap shot mostly occurring on the 21st of June but approximately every fourth year in the very late hours of the 20th of June owing to the correction required for leap years and accounting for the extra day accumulated over 4 consectuive Solar years having a duration of approximately 365.25 days according to the Julian Calander ... or 11 minutes short 365.25 years as correctly adopted in the Gregorian Calander in the late 1500's and which is the one we observe, honouring an extra day in February in years divisible by 4 except the centurian years whereby then must be divisible by 400 ... ie. 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not leap years but 2000 was and similarly 2100, 2200 and 2300 will not be the etc etc. Venus is also particularly interesting because in winter it is very bright in the western sky at sun down and eastern sky at sun up but more fun to know than that is it's orbit is closest to circular and has very very slow (6.5 km/h as opposed to earths >1600km/h) retrograde rotation (opposite to all others) so it turns out that a Venesian siderial day is longer than a Venesian year but because of the retrograde rotation the solar days appear shorter ... about half a Venesian year and the sun rises in the west and falls in the east. Uranus is another interesting one because it has a funny name. Plus it has a obliquity of close to 90deg which means it does not rotate like a spinning top such as our Earth and all others but more like a rolling ball and at the time of solstice such as today on earth the Uranian pole points diectly at the sun and a daylight lasts approximately 42 years ... or a darkness 42 years at the opposite end. Yep Andro ... shortest day of the year, pleased someone else marked the occasion and somehow I knew it would turn into a long one which with the train delay it did, but pleased I'm not on Venus or Uranus.

Solstice! ie the days will get longer!

OOOooooh yeah

Nooooo..... I want the short days!! I know you southerners must get sick of it only being light between 8am and 5pm, but the weather up here in D-town only stays cool for about a month of the year. Longer days mean hotter days, and that means that the humid season is not too far off again *sob*

I'm with Morgan on this one.

Thanks for the additional info Ruski and the tour of the solar system, although I'm not really concerned with the alignment of Youranus Uranus at the moment..

I must agree with deezee as I lurrrve long, hot days...

Ok Andro, I'll see you in the summer when you come up this way for the 38 degree heat plus 95 per cent humidity. And the teasing rain that never falls. And when it does, the monsoon that'll get you drenched before you have time to duck under shelter. And then after the 5-minute spontaneous rain session, the extra steamy climate when the sun comes out and turns my city into an extreme greenhouse.

Can't wait.

Still with Morgan on this. A crisp and clear Winter day and the spectacular viewing of Venus (see above) at dusk beats wading through a humid Summer day when the sun just doesn't get the message and sod off.

Andro ... If we ever have to up and move into Uranus it will be handy to have the inside info. It would be a real bugger particularly if you like a long hot day to be caught on the pole where the sun doesn't shine out of Uranus for a few decades.

I get what you guys mean.

I have a new plan to enjoy summer all year - Sydney for 6 months, Brissie for 6

You guys crack me up.  What would I give for a few paltry hours of sunshine.  With (the northern hemisphere) summer solstice out of the way we can now look forward to the nights drawing in and the onslaught of cold rain, slushy snow and awful roads etc etc etc etc.  One thing about rain Morgan.  At least your rain is warm, ours is bloody cold...

See ya in Brissie Mr Dent

I was thinking of Lanzarote...

Yep Dent there is also something really nice about a long summer day sand surf beaches bbqs beer and boobs but 120 in a row can be a bit draining. I reckon Morgan would cop about 150 in a row.

Never been to Darwin Morgan, but I have lived in north west Queensland in a house with corrugated iron roof and walls and with no ceiling or lining...In the daytime if you touched the outer walls (where the sun was shining) you could receive a severe burn...We had a thermometer in the kitchen that topped out at 50ºC then mum would then put it in the ice chest, to stop it from exploding..We had no refrigerator because the town was still running on DC current and anything designed for AC could not be used.(not even our radio or fan).. We had wooden chairs in the kitchen and in the middle of the day we had to put a towel on them to stop them from burning our bums..

Outside there was no grass and the yard was covered with sand from the dry river bed, to stop you from breaking your leg in the cracks in the ground which were about 80-100mm wide..most of the open spaces were covered in this whitish clay which was powdery on the top and your legs got covered in it and when you perspired the sweat ran down your legs and it looked like you had pissed yourself..

The only thing you have that we didn't have Morgan is humidity, 95% humidity would have killed us there, what we had was dry heat..The monsoons had failed two years in a row and it was going on for three years without rain, but then that's why we were there...

The locals resented us southeners (as they called us), I remember the old hag next door complaining, "You bloody southerners come up here with the arse out of your pants, stay for a couple of years and then piss off back down south with all our money".. She never stopped to think, that without all us southeners coming up to help them out, the shithouse of a town would have no reason to exist, as most of the workers (with the exception of the shearers and ringers) were (either state or federal) government employees..

Anyway Morgan, back to Darwin and it's beautiful weather...I would love to visit there and sit in a nice air conditioned pub whilst consuming copious amounts of ale..(strictly for medicinal purposes, of course)..But I know what you mean about the humidity, its not the temperature that's the killer, it's the humidity...

But I still love the hot weather..The people around here start to whinge as soon as the temp goes over about 28ºC..sooks..

HOLY HELL

Anyway, I now have my new garden toy.  A hot-tub!  It's a cheap and cheerful inflatable Layzee-spa, heats the water nicely to 36 degrees (can go up to 40) and bubbles away nicely.  So while the evening sun is in and out of the clouds I can relax with a bottle of wine (as I did yesterday evening) and pretend I'm somewhere warm.  Mind you there is a couple of magpie fledges just over the back fence and they do nothing but bloody squawk for food until the sun goes down.

After finishing the wallow in the tub I then watched the highlights of the first ODI between England and Australia.  That was, putting it mildly, rather a nice night-cap...

Oh wow. Nice one Mr Dent!

I hope the magpies are just happy squawking and don't suddenly decide to attack the inflatable...

I'm relatively free of temperature-related hardship... 28ºC is quite sufficient.

Moving into the 30s it gets officially "too bloody 'ot" for me. One time when I was was at school, in the middle of summer it peaked at ~37. Other schools were sending kids home so they could get heat stroke off the premises and not be their liability, ours just let us sit and swelter in the shade during breaks, and had fans and the like during lessons.

SK!!!!!!!!!

30+ is a bit much, but okay in the shade. And with wind

hey dek

Shade and wind helps. Humidity kills. I think we are agreed.

Ok Dek, you never picked up on the night cap thing. Better than the finest brandy and cigar...

Hey remember when this topic was about my birthday?

Or when it was about tea bags, Dutch stuff and snakes?

Or when it was about Lost?

Or when it was about Morgan moving?

Or when it was about vaccines?

Or when it was about tea again?

Or when it was about music?

Or when it was about the solstice?

... good times 

Mr Dent, I did. And I had a comment, but then I forgotted it

Oh, and it was my birthday recently....

(there, back on topic)

LOL SK.

Just another regular topic then

Did you know..

That Australia has a new prime minister and that she is a female and is also a compatriot of Arfur?

Her name is Julia Gillard and I think she will do a good job..

Kevin Rudd is now (for the moment) on the back bench, the new deputy PM is treasurer Wayne Swan..

Even worse than that Andro, she was born in Barry Island, (old) South Wales.  I wonder who else we may know who comes from there...?

Maybe she'll introduce new rights for sheep...

Our most recent Prime Minister (K Rudd) is the second Australian prime minister to have been voted out of office. Except he resigned only hours before he was forcibly removed.

Fiirst time a first termer was dumped. Labor caucus has stooped to a massive new low.

I thought Kevin was OK. Don't think he directly turned anyones life for the worse. Hating him doesn't count. That's personal choice and a vote best saved for crap like Australian Idol. Having a senate blocked by dickheads like Greens Bob Brown, Family First Cult Party Steve Fielding and the other fool Xenophobe or whatever his name is certainly makes it difficult. Ultimately Kevin was bollocked by the party reaction to insipid opinion polls, the media who beats up the results of which into a story to sell a paper and the idiots who read them and will ultimately vote based on dreadful tabloid journalism.

They're just trying to win the elections. Ain't nothing more to it

Yeah. Maybe he'd have wone the election? Maybe not. But still is no way to treat a Party leader or a PM. This is the first and only time I will agree with Tont Abbott. Could also be the one thing that ruins a genuine interest in Politics.

Oh, I agree.

I get it when the opposition does it. But this just doesn't sit right, even though Rudd was a complete turn off to me.

Actually, I was farking surprised. Was sure there was a law against this.
This is pretty much BS

Mind you, if I were voting, I'd go for Gillard over Rudd.

Between Rudd and Abbott, there was no choice.

Then again, who's to know how Gillard will turn out? They're all cut from the same cloth these days

So fickle is Australian politics, that the only PM to resign (of his own free will) from the post of PM was Bob Menzies, and he had been thrown out of office a few years previously and made a comeback..(to the detriment of this country)

Even worse than that Andro, she was born in Barry Island, (old) South Wales.  I wonder who else we may know who comes from there...?

The ashes of Fred West, British serial killer, were scattered on Barry Island after his body had been cremated on 29 March, 1995. 

...and a certain character on these forums has roots in the area as well.

Also it's difficult to think of a better place to spread the ashes of Fred West.

So fickle is Australian politics, that the only PM to resign (of his own free will) from the post of PM was Bob Menzies,

Unless you include Harold Holt, who mysteriously disappeared while swimming.

"Dammit! I resign!"
*swims into the ocean*

WAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

...and a certain character on these forums has roots in the area as well.

My apologies to Fred West for linking him with the aforementioned creature..

Unless you include Harold Holt, who mysteriously disappeared while swimming.

Nah, Harry Holt caught a submarine to China, where he runs a laundry service.. 

Now *that's* funny!

......."laundry service"........

Yep, don't they have Chinese laundry's in Darwin? (maybe Harry could start one up)

Population influx to South East Queensland is high but this is just ridiculous ...

http://www.nearmap.com/?ll=-27.360343,153.141131&z=18&t=w&nmd=20100608 

Yeah, used to be a good spot for pumpin yabbys and catchin mud crabs..

May get the occasional blind mullet there now..

You can tell no people live there.  Not a pub in sight.

Yep, not a leaf stirred, not a dogs turd dog stirred..

The Pink is not far from there. Name belies its atmosphere. Bit of a scary joint.

Used to have a few lunchtime ale's at 'The Pink' many years ago, when I worked at Eagle Farm..Have to agree that there were some tough hombres hangin around even then

I wanna go check out the Pink

Was just up the road from the Pink I got done doing 73 in a 40 which was followed by a trip to the Magestrates Court. You really don't want to check out the Pink. This is a close as you want to get ...

http://www.nearmap.com/?ll=-27.424305,153.117909&z=18&t=n&nmd=20100608 

I wanna go check out the Pink

Used to have some good counter lunches at The Pink, (possibly still do).

Som wild guys used to drink there, but as long as they left us alone we didn't beat them up too badly..

It gets it's name from the fact that it's situated in Pinkenba and also that it's painted pink. (or used to be).. 

No maps of the shit factory at Luggage Point, Ruski?

(that's where you catch the blind mullet).

You can use the link to the shot of the Pink, click the photomap link to take it off the multi view and pan over to the North East.

Or if you can't figure that out use this one. Don't be fooled by the brown colouration of the ponds on the right. That's purely from the process of aeration and is normal in any sediment laden water that is stirred up. Most urban rivers for example. It is the darker near to black coloured ponds on the left where separation of floating matter by skimming occurs where you'd find one of your no eyed mullets but I'd say they would have well and truely broken down to particulate by that stage. You can zoom in for a closer look. The photo is at better than 7cm per pixel. Can also flick through the date history and you can see the movement of the skimmers.

Andro's No Eyed Mullets

Hmm, a great place for an early morning swim.  I used to have a T shirt with "Luggage Point SLSC" printed on it..Had it specially made by a student practicing screen printing..

Spent several years working just accross the river from there, at the Bris Seafarers Centre..

The Chinese seafarers used to catch anything that moved in the waters there, I used to point accross the river to the treatment plant and tell them what it was, but they used to ignore me..(the treatment was less efficient in those days than it is now)..

I'd drink at a place called Pink, but not one painted pink

That'd just be.... weird...

There is a curry house in Birmingham (where Symonds comes from) called Shimla Pinks

One of the best curry houses anywhere in the world (which serves Brit-style curries)

Birmingham is also a shit-hole.  Luggage Point would have difficulty holding on to any bad reputation it has if it was located there...

What are Brit-style curries? Like Aussie-fied curries?

What's an Aussie-fied curry?

I thought that was Chinese - Fied Lice, for example...

I'd drink at a place called Pink, but not one painted pink

There's a pub in Jandawae known as The Pink and it's painted pink..Actually the pub's real name is The Club Hotel, but as the owner has (for some obscure reason) painted it pink, it is known as The Pink.

(Jandawae is a tiny country town in south east Qld on the Darling Downs) My daughter was a school teacher there many years ago...

There is a curry house in Birmingham (where Symonds comes from) called Shimla Pinks

Do you ever get the feeling someone's watching you, when you are in the Shimla Pinks, Arthur? 

The pub in Normanton is purple

Aussie-fied curry - something that keeps an Indian wanting

Shimla pinks reminds me of this, I not know why

... yes but can you get a Ned Kelly in down town Nagpur and would it rate?

Probably... with lots of curry powder

There are loads of pubs, hotels and houses in East Anglia that are painted pink.  Especially the older variety with the thatched roof, oak frame and "wattle and daub" walls.

I think that the Yanks have even bought a few of them and shipped them across the pond...

*scratching head* Why do they like pink so much?

I think it's shit.

Yes

Yes what?

Yes please?

How is this topic still alive?

Dunno.  Haven't seen many posts for the past few months.

True. Just Sir M there, keeping it ticking over. It was a new post when I checked anyway...

Did you know