Positive Result

After a week long wait to see what blood tests gave which results, it was finally confirmed this afternoon that Helen is indeed pregnant.
Now a  rejoiner - it is only two weeks. While it is great news, we both must be vigilant in understanding that anything could happen in the next few weeks, and we must be prepared to deal with that.
But it is good news. Let's hope nothing untoward happens, and that Jess does get that baby brother - or sister...

Working in the Heat

It reached 35 degress today. All in good usually. It is February after all. Of course, today the air con at work had decided to pack it in. Again. Why do we even bother getting it fixed if, on the days it is required, it doesn't work anyway?!?!

Having also said that I would never again fill in entries in the Oven Temperature Log and Bakery Log that others who work at BP had 'forgotten' to fill in, I was forced to renig, when the shop auditor decided to turn up this afternoon. As such, I was forced to do this, despite my pleas that I wouldn't. I'm so sick of having to cover other people's arses, when there is no chance that they would do the same for me.
And, because of the heat, we sold a million drinks and ice creams.

Oh well. It's over for another day. Maybe there is some cricket on in South Africa I can watch tonight...

Rainbow!

How bloody good are they! I have just began to rediscover them after a long absence, and can't believe how good they are.
Last week, I downloaded a video of them Live in Munich in 1977 - and it is just brilliant. They are all young(er), Ronnie's voice live is magnificent, and Ritchie is brilliant without being big-headed and hogging the limelight.
On the back of this, I have just pulled out the entire Rainbow discography - and realised how brilliant they are. I had forgotten just what magnificent albums Rising, Long Live Rock 'n' Roll, Down To Earth and Difficult To Cure are.
These guys should have such a higher profile in the annals of Heavy Metal history.

Trivia Night

Had a great time at the cricket club trivia night last night. Despite not winning...
Actually, not winning was not the thing of concern. Last week, Simone and I had made a bet (on behalf of our tables). Whichever of our tables that won got a bottle of spirits from the other. They beat us by three points. Of course, we were robbed, and I explained this to them politely at the end. Strangely, none of them agreed.
So it looks as though I'm up for a bottle of vodka, as it is highly unlikely anyone else on my team will cough up some moolah for it.
Damn it!  
Jess seems to have recovered well from the trauma of yesterday. Thankfully. Her finger is battered and bruised, but seems OK. I will ask Manette about it when we go over to see the Kearin's new place this afternoon.

Mashing Fingers

It was not a good afternoon. I had gone over to Neville Hilton Oval to watch 1sts in their match against The Rail. Helen had left Jess with me, and Rocket and I had decided to walk around to the other side of the oval where the shade was. Half way around, Jess began screaming. I thought I may have scraped her leg on the fence - but it turned out that her finger had got caught in the arm of the pram that folds when you collapse it. Somehow, it pushing the pram, it had opened enough for Jess to get her finger in.
And she screamed and screamed. And I just didn't know what to do about it. I rang Helen, she came and picked us up, and we got her home. With a bandaid and some Savlon, and sitting in front of the Teletubbies, she recovered. Her father, however, was shot. As harrowing as it was for her, it was the same for me - without pain.
I am not very good at coping with things like that. I hope I don't have to do so again anytime soon.

On and On

Hey! Last night at work went OK! Despite the fact that our price remained at 96.5cpl, and the Caltex up the road went to 103.9cpl, it wasn't too bad. The fact that it was the end of the working week after only two shifts probably helped a bit.

The 1st Final in the VB Series has begun. Hayden has been dropped, with Clarke opening and Katich batting at 7. Interesting move, especially as Clarkey only made 9. 1/29, and the Pakis are looking pretty good. An upset on the cards? Quite possibly. It will be up to Ponting to do the business I think...

Off to M&D's this arvo, and see how Flynn and Sophie have enjoyed their first week at school. If they are in the same class, I pity their teacher. 

Remembering Di

Ah - the first day back at work after a month off. And guess what? It was exactly the same as I left it. Hardly felt like I had been away at all. The same woman who comes in with LPG, but never knows what pump number it is, despite me having asked her for it twice a week for 5 years, was in again this arvo. The same bloke who tells me his odometer reading as soon as he hands me his card, even though I ask him to wait until it comes up on the screem twice a week for 5 years, was in again this arvo. The same old people, doing the same old things. *sigh*

It absolutely hammered down with rain at 4pm. The clouds had been building for an hour, but it came in a hurry. Helen rang me at 8.30pm, and told me we almost got flooded again - with all the water coming off the back road through the back of our house again. So it's back to abusing the council again. That should be fun. *sigh*

Had a lovely day with Jess and Helen again before work. Jess is growing up quick now. I am now always reminding myself to take advantage of her while she is this age, before she becomes more independent of her father. *sigh*

Today (yesterday now, of course) was the second anniversary of Di Hogan's death from cancer. I took time to remember her again today, as I do often anyway. It's hard to believe that it has been two years without her sometimes. Even last week when I walked to the bar at the Golf Club, and Bob grabbed my shoulder, I turned around to see him, and just expected Di to be with him. *sigh*

Crazy Stuff

So, it has begun again.

The damn Caltex just up the road from our beloved BP has begun raising its fuel price on Tuesday mornings again.
As a result, both yesterday and today, they were selling fuel at 97.9 cpl (cents per litre, for the uninformed), and we were at 82.9 cpl.

As a result, I have had two ridiculously busy shifts. $2500 in the shop yesterday, and $2200 on tonight's shift.

As if it isn't busy enough this time of year without that shite going on?!!?
And, of course, along with this, we have the know-it-all tourists coming in and demanding to know why this hasn't been done, or why that dopesn;t work, and why don't I just get out there and fix all of their problems RIGHT NOW, because they are the mst important people in the world....

I hate Christmas.

Anyway, such is life, I guess...

Steven decided to add a 'Most Annoying Of 2003' list on e-mail today.
Here's mine :

10. Collingwood again failing at the final hurdle. God it’s a hard life following the Mighty Magpies…

9. Brett Kimmorley. Cockhead that only gets picked when his Dad (Chris Anderson) insists he should play.

8. Steve Waugh. Just fucking go already!!!

7. Shane Warne. Admit you’re bloody wrong, have NO idea about style, and get on with it. If he replaces MacGill in Sri Lanka I will be one very pissed off lad…

6. Darren Lehmann. Finally scores runs a-la Dean Jones (at the very last chance before being dropped), then injures himself BOWLING!!!

5. Shane Fulton. His less-drinking, leave-early, don’t-show-up-at-all tendencies of 2003 have been extremely ordinary. Needs a good kick up the pants.

4. Iron Maiden and Metallica. Both should have pulled the plug in 1993. The world would remember them more fondly.

3. Fucking tourists. They should all be lined up against a wall.

2. Masterton Homes. Just because.

1. My bloody in-laws. This has been the worst year ever. If I cut them out now, maybe 2004 will be redeemed!

Top 10 Albums of the Year

So, it’s December, and in December one should always try and figure out their favourite ten albums released during the previous 12 months.
(In point of fact, one could do a lot of lists, including movies, but I don’t reckon I saw 10 movies this year, so I won’t bother with that!)
So here goes – the top 10 releases of 2003 :

10. Odyssey – Symphony X.
The first album I have heard from this band, and fairly impressive. Very Dream Theater-ish orientated, along with the typical power/progressive metal influences that permeate the scene these days.

9. St. Anger – Metallica.
Really gave this a huge try, and it is certainly better than recent efforts. Still, despite this, it is still missing those elements from the 80’s that made Metallica stand out from the crowd. The songs they have played live certainly sound better that way.

8. As Live As It Gets – Blaze.
A highly impressive live performance from this band. This proves once and for all that they are not just a bunch of musicians with a high-profile-two-band-ex-singer. They are terrific in their own right. Excellent versions of their own songs, along with Maiden/Wolfsbane songs that are not performed anywhere else these days.

7. We’ve Come For You All – Anthrax.
Overdue return from the New York lads, and a good one at that. They’ve been talking up ‘metal’ for 18 months now, trying to portray themselves as one of the leaders, but you still get the feeling that they could have done more with this. As good as John Bush is, his vocals sometimes feel one dimensional…

6. Rabbit Don’t Come Easy – Helloween.
Listen to this after The Dark Ride, and you wouldn’t believe one followed the other. ‘Rabbit…’ is an excellent album, but pales in comparison to its predecessor. Still, it compares favourably with all of their other albums since Andi Deris joined the band after the appalling ‘Chameleon’.

5. The Blessed Hellride – Black Label Society.
Zakk goes from strength to strength in his one-man stand to keep metal at the forefront of the community. Each Black Label Society has gotten better and heavier than the previous instalment. Can anyone imagine what Ozzy’s next album will be like with Zakk writing it?

4. Train Of Thought – Dream Theater.
I’ve only had this for a week, but it is certainly a pearler. The heavier sound, in particular on the opening tracks, is damned impressive. It took me a long time to get into Dream Theater, but this album easily ranks this highly in the releases of the year.

3. Dance Of Death – Iron Maiden.
It isn’t often that a Maiden album wouldn’t be #1 on my albums of the year, but this one is just that – not. The album itself is great (or it wouldn’t be #3…), and though my choices are not dictated by the “no tour of Australia AGAIN”, that has probably hurt it. I’d also say that Maiden have reached the middle-age security blanket of metal – nothing ferocious, just dependable. Not that there is anything wrong with that…

2. Skeletons In The Closet – Gamma Ray.
Simply superb live album, showcasing rarely-played songs that ROCK! In my humble opinion, the premier metal band on the planet.

1. Masterplan – Masterplan.
Why was Helloween’s album unable to match their previous effort? Because they kicked out Roland Grapow and Uli Kusch, who wrote their heaviest material. They then formed Masterplan, and this is their debut effort. Very classy, and with great songs and vocals. Following it up may be difficult, but in 2003, they reign supreme!

The Numbers Are Done!

I really can't believe it, even now. The Kiama Cricket Club First Grade numbers are finalised!

Rocket, Xavier and I met at Kiama Library this morning at 9.15am, and at opening time at 9.30am, we began this onerous and time consuming task.
Heading for the microfische, we began sifting through each copy of the Kiama Independent, year by year, in search of every person to play cricket for Kiama First Grade since the introduction of the South Coast District Cricket Association in 1946.

Yep - you are right. We are lunatics.

There was no break. No TIME for a break. I sat in front of that goddamn thing, pages flashing across in front of my eyes, for hours and hours, reading out each new name that came up.
The library was to close at 5.00pm. After Xavier used some crap excuse to get away at 3.00pm, Daniel and I raced the clock - and won. We finished at three minutes past five o'clock. Every last player written down and numeralised.

(...and if we've missed someone, then too bloody BAD!!)

And so, after years of torment, I now know that my number is 229. The 229th cricketer to play for Kiama First Grade.

I'm not sure it was worth it...

The monthly Genral Meeting of the cricket club followed at 7pm - but as usual, four thousand people were unable to attend, and so it was again a complete waste of time.
The beer and scotch, however, was not a waste of time. It was incredibly necessary.

The weather is dingy. We may well be washed out tomorrow. That rain dance has finally worked!!

More email Thoughts of the Day

1. I can't believe anyone in Australia really sat down and watched an OPENING CEREMONY – especially one for a rugby World Cup. I mean, no one gives a rats arse, do they? I know I don’t. The Wallabies were a bit shaky, but showed that perhaps they have learned that if they’ve shelled out $5 million for 3 ex-League Internationals, that perhaps they should start getting the ball out to them! David Lyons had a pearler, as did Phil Waugh and George Smith (as per usual). We’ll see how they go in about 3 weeks…

2. Having taken Friday off work, I was pleased to see it was the right move, as I saw all of Hayden’s great knock (hope you took my advice, Anthony…). People will always say “it was only against Zimbabwe”, but for Christ’s sake! Anyone who bats that long deserves a record. Especially one that was previously held by Brian Lara!! It’s just a shame he didn’t go on to get 400. That would have been something. Good to see he got good support from Gilchrist – a century in a session, 113* off 94 balls, and no one even knew he was out there batting. Remarkable.

3. Fucking Holden’s. Piece of shite cars that somehow still get all the breaks with the pace cars to win yet another Bathurst. I’m sick of it. At least those two pricks Perkins and Skaife didn’t win this year. And if you have to resort to barracking for Kiwi’s to win Bathurst, Joel, then you’ve got serious problems. Thank Christ I wasn’t up there again.

4. Schumacher VS Senna. If that occurred, they’d both kill each other.

5. Steven Holz continues to defy the critics, adding another 68 to his first match 50 to easily be the leading scorer for Kiama 2nds this season. However, he again threw away a great chance for a century on a very plumb deck at Cavalier Park. This time, however, he didn’t even let me tell him that – he knew without my input. Still, he gets another chance this weekend. We’ve already won on first innings against Jamberoo, and lead by 130 runs with 9 wickets in hand in our second innings.

Bono was complaining about money again, so Anthony then came up with this grand idea for next year's Bathurst 1000...

Maybe our own entry next year would increase your enthusiasm John ?
Proposal:
- Team name: "West Kiama To Win"
- Sponsers: The West Kiama consortium and a couple 'o' flower shops.
- Drivers: John and Peter
- Electrix: Me
- Mechanix: Bill (with his BP experience) and Shane (father is a mechanic).
In good hands there
- Music and alcohol coordinator: Kearo
- Entertaining us while we wait for the chump drivers to come back into the
pits: Steve opening in the NSW v Vic first one day match of the season.

....sound OK ?

My own thoughts were as follows :

Bill and Shane look at car as Joel drives in for pit stop and driver change.
“Well…..the fuel goes in there….the oil in there…..can’t check the radiator while the engine is hot….tyres seem a little worn…….”

Thoughts

So – Collingwood again proved that you need more than home ground advantage and favouritism to win a Grand Final. Despite the obvious disappointment, those of us who are realistic Magpie supporters realize that the best team won, and that, again, Collingwood over-achieved during the season. Quite amazing that the standout side of the season – Port Adelaide – again made no impact on the finals. Can Collingwood recover next year and snare the flag? Not a chance in hell. We’ve had our shot, and blew it. Such is life.

Canterbury was unable to live up to the promise of 2002, which is no great surprise. To attempt to overcome last year’s debacle, and win the comp this year was always going to be a tough achievement. I’m sure Canterbury supporters will be happy with the way they finished, however.

Easts V Penrith - no one saw that one coming. And – does anyone really care?! Easts are rich bastards, Penrith are westies wankers. Of course, we all know we are all barracking for Penrith this Sunday, but surely no one really gives a crap about the game…

CHRIST I am sore from Saturday!! Bloody cricket is a ridiculous game to play. Especially when you bowl the first over of the day until the final over of the day. 3 hours, broken only by a ten minute interval for change of innings, and 15 minutes for Tea. Worth it all. We won by an innings and 70 runs. Steven Holz’s 50 was followed by the veteran leg spinner taking 5/26 and 7/58. A good start for 2nds all round, while the all-star 1st Grade side lost by 5 runs.

Good to see Zimbabwe off to a great start – being beaten by a Perth Grade side. Should be a fascinating Test series, starting next Thursday…

Purchases on weekend from Utopia :
· Wildest Dreams DVD single. Has the video clip for the song, a 2 minute bit from the studio (hardly worth putting on!), and two remixes from the Brave New World album. For $20, I sort-of wish I hadn’t bothered, but it can only increase in value, I suppose…

· Blaze – As Live As It Gets. Blaze Bayley’s new band, double live album. Excellent! Blaze does his best songs from his two album’s, and all the songs he co-wrote with Maiden. All sound great. I was most impressed.

· Gamma Ray – Skeletons In The Closet. Double live album from end of last year, on tour where the fans chose the setlist. This just bloody well ROCKS!!! Great songs, unbelievable versions, Kai hits all notes, Dan plays all double kick in time. This is pretty much the album of the year – if you want to include live albums. Just. Fucking. Brilliant!

· DVD – The Dream with Roy & HG. Have been looking for this double DVD for ages, and finally found it. Contains highlights from The Dream during the 2000 Olympic Games. They are just too funny. Over 7 hours long, it is bloody great!

Top 100 Metal Albums of all Time

Not mine, mind you, but on the Metal-Rules website. Not bad really. Must do mine again one day soon...

#1. Metallica - Master of Puppets
Metallica are a band that opened many doors for a lot of fans/bands. They also opened many doors and provided a lot of listeners with a gateway to other more extreme bands. Sadly, much of their material post "the black album" hardly qualifies as heavy metal, but in their prime this band dealt out thrash metal that was second to none! Just listen to "Damage Inc." or "Battery" and even today they still stand up against what has come along.

#2. Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast
It is of no surprise that IRON MAIDEN comes close to the top spot. Culling fans from all areas of the metal spectrum, Iron Maiden, clearly are one of the true innovators in heavy metal. The intro to the track "Number of the Beast" has become one of the "prayers" of heavy metal with just about every fan knowing it word for word.

#3. Metallica - Ride the Lightning
Arguably Metallica's heaviest album, the glorious RIDE THE LIGHTNING comes in at #3! This was the album that really started getting Metallica recognized around the world. It was followed up with MASTER OF PUPPETS which is really what put them on the map. However, the impact of RIDE THE LIGHTNING was definitely felt with "hits" like "Fade To Black", and "For Whom The Bell Tolls" to lesser hailed (but equally memorable) tracks like "Escape" and "Creeping Death" .

#4. AC/DC - Back in Black
Some of you youngsters will no doubt say "WTF is a classic rock band doing in a heavy metal list?" It is true that AC/DC has become darlings of the classic rock radio circuit, also their recent performance with the Rolling Stones in Canada to several hundred thousand people only goes to show that their appeal extends well outside of the metal realm. All this aside, that does not mean that their contribution to heavy metal in the 70's and 80's should be ignored! BACK IN BLACK is not only one of the best heavy metal albums of all time, it is also one of the best selling "normal" albums of all time as well!!

#5. Slayer - Reign in Blood
REIGN IN BLOOD is hailed by many as the definitive Slayer album. Clearly most of us here at Metal-Rules.com agree, as the album comes in at #5. As I've said before, listening to this album is like a religious experience. "Angel of Death" is one of the best Slayer songs ever written. The whole album plays like the soundtrack to hell. Learn the sacred words of praise, hail SLAYERRRRRRR!!!

#6. Iron Maiden - Powerslave
Iron Maiden's POWERSLAVE is a monster of an album. After the success of NUMBER OF THE BEAST and its follow up PIECE OF MIND, Iron Maiden was hard pressed to deliver an album that would match its predecessors. They would not disappoint as POWERSLAVE, with its instant classic tracks including "2 Minutes to Midnight" and the epic "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" would cement Iron Maiden at the forefront of the metal world and spawn the massive and seemingly never-ending World Slavery Tour.

#7. Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
Maiden again? Yes, again...making for the third entry in our top 10! Many people consider this the pinnacle of Maidens career and with tracks like "The Trooper", "Still Life", "Die With Your Boots On" and "Flight of Icarus" it is hard to disagree. Piece of Mind turned 20 years old this year and forever will be a classic of the metal genre.

#8. Dio - Holy Diver
Ex-Rainbow, ex-Sabbath vocal god Ronnie James Dio comes in at #8. Pushing to his 60's, this old goat can still easily kick the ass of the majority of singers on the scene.

#9. Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss
SEASONS IN THE ABYSS is considered by some to be the last "classic" Slayer album. Songs like the evil title track and speed metal masterpieces like "Born of Fire" and "War Ensemble" have become fan favorites standing shoulder to shoulder alongside the band's past material.

#10. Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengeance
Rounding out the top 10 is SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE, the quintessential Priest album in the eyes of many. Fronted by the “metal god” Rob Halford, Priest have been one of the defining bands of the metal movement. “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” helped to create a new generation of metalheads and showed to the world that Metal Rules!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#11. Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime
#12. Judas Priest - Painkiller
#13. Guns n' Roses - Appetite For Destruction
#14. Motley Crue - Shout at the Devil
#15. Judas Priest - Defenders of the Faith
#16. Megadeth - Rust in Peace
#17. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
#18. AC/DC - Highway To Hell
#19. Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz
#20. Metallica - Kill 'Em All
#21. Judas Priest - British Steel
#22. W.A.S.P. - W.A.S.P.
#23. Slayer - South of Heaven
#24. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
#25. Megadeth - Peace Sells…But Who's Buying?
#26. Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time
#27. Dio - Last in Line
#28. Helloween - Keeper of the 7 Keys Pt. II
#29. Judas Priest - Hell Bent For Leather (AKA Killing Machine)
#30. Van Halen - Van Halen
#31. Motley Crue - Too Fast For Love
#32. Accept - Balls to the Wall
#33. Iron Maiden - Killers
#34. Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman
#35 Slayer - Show No Mercy
#36. Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
#37. Motorhead - Ace of Spades
#38. Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny
#39. Judas Priest - Stained Class
#40. Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
#41. Anthrax - Among the Living
#42. Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry
#43. Black Sabbath - Heaven & Hell
#44. Helloween - Keeper of the 7 Keys Pt. I
#45. W.A.S.P. - The Last Command
#46. Rainbow - Long Live Rock and Roll
#47. Def Leppard - Pyromania
#48. Skid Row - Slave to the Grind
#49. Megadeth - So Far, So Good...So What!
#50. Megadeth - Countdown to Extinction
#51. Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King
#52. King Diamond - Abigail
#53. Dismember - Massive Killing Capacity
#54. Halford - Resurrection
#55. Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
#56. Testament - Practice What You Preach
#57 Led Zeppelin - IV
#58. Death - Symbolic
#59. Mercyful Fate - Melissa
#60. Sepultura - Beneath The Remains
#61. Bruce Dickinson - Accident of Birth
#62. Deep Purple - Machine Head
#63. Scorpions - Blackout
#64. Van Halen - 1984
#65. Slayer - Hell Awaits
#66. Venom - Black Metal
#67. Ratt - Out of the Cellar
#68. Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath
#69. Iced Earth - Something Wicked This Way Comes
#70. Blind Guardian - Nightfall In Middle Earth
#71. AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
#72. Metallica - And Justice For All...
#73. King Diamond - Them
#74. Blind Guardian - Imaginations from the Other Side
#75. HammerFall - Glory To The Brave
#76. Van Halen - Van Halen II
#77. Overkill - The Years of Decay
#78. Kiss - Destroyer
#79. In Flames - The Jester Race
#80. Exodus - Bonded by Blood
#81. Black Sabbath - Mob Rules
#82. Skid Row - Skid Row
#83. Megadeth - Killing is My Business...and Business is Good
#84. Testament - The Legacy
#85. Pantera - Cowboys From Hell
#86. Venom - Welcome To Hell
#87. Twisted Sister - Under the Blade
#88. Dokken - Tooth & Nail
#89. Accept - Restless & Wild
#90. AC/DC - Let There Be Rock
#91. HammerFall - Legacy of Kings
#92. Saxon - Wheels of Steel
#93. Manowar - Kings of Metal
#94. Twisted Sister - You Can't Stop Rock & Roll
#95. Scorpions - Love At First Sting
#96. Van Halen - Fair Warning
#97. Black Sabbath - Vol. 4
#98. W.A.S.P. - The Crimson Idol
#99. Kreator - Pleasure To Kill
#100. Death - Individual Thought Patterns

A Workweek Has Endeth

It was an 8am wake up call from the little girl this morning - which worked out OK, because it meant I had a full day to stuff around with, and allowed Helen to get a bit more sleep. Still, guess I'll regret it at a later date...

Finished setup of programs on new computer this morning, and also finished the short Cricket Club history I've done for the website. Master Daniel must be pleased! He's only been bugging me for it for two months!

Work wasn't too bad this evening. A long first week back at work has gone surprisingly smoothly. I realise this can't last - but it was nice for a change, what with trying to organise sleep patterns and such.

Work Cruddy Work

I must admit - I wasn't looking forward to returning to the land of work. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that gut-wrenching feeling when you know it's time to change jobs because you hate the thought of going back soooooo much - it was really just that I didn't want to be away from the little girl!
Still - I even set the alarm for 6.20am instead of the usual 7.00am, just so I could get up and relax at breakfast rather than bolt it down. I think I'll keep it that way, as I felt good on arrival at BP Albion Park.

The day itself ran smoothly, if busily. 15 grand for the day kept me going without much of a chance to think about too much.

Spent a relaxed eveing in front of the TV watching the usual Monday shows.
Jessica is still going great guns. She's eating well and still settling OK. Surely this bubble must burst soon!

Damn Cheap Pastry!

A warning to all consumers - do NOT, under any circumstances, purchase Coles' Home Brand Puff Pastry if you are cooking a pastry-oriented dish.
It. Is. Crap!!
I spent most of today preparing some brilliant fillings - a curry beef that had been on the stove for three hours to ensure maximum tenderness, and a chilli bolognese mince. However, when it came time to actually making the pies...THE BLOODY PASTRY DID NOT COOK OR RISE!!!
GodDAMN I was pissed off! I had a good mind to take what remained of Coles' Puff Pastry, and tell them where they could shove it!
There will be no cheap options in future when it comes to purchasing puff pastry!

My last shift at work tonight for about three weeks. I do feel as though I need a break. Working for six months straight, serving and dealing with the public, is a bloody hard slog. I did 15 months straight once, but I needed shock therapy to get over it.
Of course, it won't be a "real" holiday, but I'll try and use the time as wisely as possible.

My album list at work lately has certainly been a mixture. MP3 players are a godsend - convert albums to MP3, fit 8-10 albums on a disc, take it to work, hit random, and there goes the next nine and a half hours!
For the past month, the albums on cycle have been :

900lb Steam - ANIMAL
Appetite For Destruction - GUNS 'N' ROSES
Dehumanizer - BLACK SABBATH
Garage Days Re-revisited - METALLICA
Killing The Dragon - DIO
Masterplan - MASTERPLAN
No World Order - GAMMA RAY
Resurrection - HALFORD
The Chemical Wedding - BRUCE DICKINSON
To Hell With The Devil - STRYPER

And I'm not sick of them yet, which means a) a new world record, and b) all these albums ROCK!!!

Only a Week to Go

Today's task was window cleaning. No, not ME, you bufoon! Helen! This pregnancy thing is getting out of hand. Oh well - next Wednesday is when the real work begins.
No, not ME...

At work tonight, I decided to have a go at picking 1st and 2nd Grade teams for Kiama for the upcoming season - having been a selector for the majority of the past four years.
Thank goodness I've gotten out of that! It will be nigh on impossible to keep everyone happy this year! Not that we were able to do it in previous seasons - but this season's job will be particularly difficult.
Good luck to all participants.

I arrived home from work at 12.40am - to be greeted by my still-awake wife. No, not still cleaning...staying up to watch Pride And Prejudice.....AGAIN!!!
At least she did it while I was out.

*Shudders violently at the thought of having to watch that rubbish*

B-Day Approacheth

You can tell that we're closing in on B-Day...

Helen and I were watching TV this evening (Rove [Live] to be precise), and Helen Kept prodding her tummy.
I enquired as to what she was doing, and she replied that she was getting worried, as the baby hadn't moved all day. My opinion was that there probably wasn't enough room for it to move much anymore, but this didn't stop Helen from being concerned.
Within sixty seconds, she had woken her unborn child, and it rippled and rolled for the next hour.
Justice is done.

On the subject of my lovely wife - why is it that she can't just sit still for five minutes? I mean, she hasn't stopped cleaning for days! Clean, organise, re-organise...
I know that I read in one of her four million pregnancy books/guides that, for the final months of pregnancy, women can carry on like this - "creating a nest", I think it was called.

"Loony-Tunes", I call it!!

Yep. Reggie's a Winner

Hey! What a surprise! Reggie won Big Brother!
I only said that after the first week. Can't prove it now, of course. Guess that is what makes this such a handy tool in regards to predictions.

Talking about predictions, here is what my predictions were for the NRL final positions this season (as quoted in an e-mail on March 14), with their current positions in brackets.

1. Cronulla (14)
2. Easts (4)
3. Dragons (7)
4. Canterbury (5)
5. Newcastle (9)
6. New Zealand (6)
7. Brisbane (3)
8. Parramatta (11)
9. North Queensland (10)
10. Wests (13)
11. Penrith (1)
12. Melbourne (8.)
13. Manly (12)
14. Canberra (2)
15. Souths (15)

Yep. I'm on fire once again...

Another Dodgy Sunday

One of these days, I will actually acclimatise as to how much scotch is enough. I did think avoiding beer was the answer to ridiculous hangovers. Although what I had this morning could not accurately be classed as a hangover, the symptoms were similar.

As such, a day of rest was prescribed. Helen was off to do more "scrap-booking" at Di's for the afternoon, so I slouched in front of the TV, and watched the Aussies finish their demolition of Bangladesh in the cricket, and the Roosters slay Manly in the league (which is always enough to raise a smile).

The Big Brother eviction threw up a surprise tonight - Dan was voted out instead of Chrissie!! What was going on there?! It is only the second time all series that I've been wrong about who is going to be evicted. Absolutely ridiculous!

Helen has been busily going through scrap-booking things all evening. Looks as though she's found herself yet another hobby. Though from the prices I saw, it ain't gunna be a cheap one! No doubt she will be able to justify it well enough to herself, and then, illogically, to me as well....