The Voyueristic Appeal of Lists

Yeah, usually I hate these things, especially when they start rivalling Tom Clancy books in length. But every now and then you just can't resist them. I really wonder if lists such as these are of any interest to people who don't know you. At their best, they are a few minutes of introspection, at their worst, they are spam that you use to try and make yourself look cool. Well, with that dubious introduction, here it is anyhow.

3 jobs i've held:

• game designer | director | baseball kiosk attendant.

3 movies i could watch over and over:

• LOTR Return of the King | Dark City | Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels

3 places i've lived:

• Sydney, Australia | Norfolk, Virginia | Antwerpen, Belgium.

3 favorite tv shows:

• Battlestar Galactica (new version) | Rescue Me | The Colbert Report.

3 vacations i've taken:

• 1 day white-water rafting off the Mt. Blanc glacier (Italian side) | 4 months trekking North America | 6 days walking to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro

3 websites i visit regularly:

• MacDailyNews | Soccernet | Digg.

3 favorite foods:

• cheese | Cold Stone's cheesecake fantasy ice-cream | duck | mangos. (yeah, thats 4)

3 places i'd rather be:

• in bed with GW | in front of my iMac | on the couch | (in summary: not at work.)

And because this thing was remarkably light on music, I added this:
3 songs last played on iTunes/iPod random play:

• Leave You Far Behind—Lunatic Calm | Who Are You—The Who | Heaven—Talking Heads.

Nearly Getting Things Done

I finally got a day all to myself today, and it included all manner of tediously enjoyable domestics like washing benches, cleaning the car, Skyping to Australia, scrubbing mud-stains out of soccer shorts, and satisfied napping on the couch.

I my cleaning flurry I found a November purchase, the productivity manual Getting Things Done. I haven't got around to reading it yet.

Is there a help book recommending the best way to get around to reading help books?

A Light At The End Of The Insanity

The last few weeks have been, without any exaggeration, hellishly busy. But interspersed with a work schedule truly out of control, there have been highlights that have glimmered like sparks of joy within the ashes of the madness. Taught me more about my new company than any previous month couild have, and hopefully more than any upcoming month will!

Here's the lowlights and highlights:

LOW: The impending deadline of "The Project" I am managing at my new job. Every area of this project that I cast my gaze into reveals all manner of problems hidden within the (not-so-dark) corners that people either ignore, or assume someone else will handle. And that someone always seems to be me, while they trip home at 6pm, and I log up 80+ hours. The lack of "taking ownership for a problem" here can be truly astounding, especially by people with manager in their job title. Its been less like project management, and more like baby sitting!

LOW: Soccer games being constantly cancelled due to wet grounds on lovely weather days, and then the day they decide we have to play because the schedule is too far behind, it's a biting 43F with sleeting cold rain, and enough mud to build your own Flinstones-style stadium. Means one game every 3-4 weeks, which isn't helping with fitness/health/stress/back. I miss The Ex-Company lunch time kick-arounds horribly.

LOW: The Gorgeous Wife heading to Oz for work, for ten bloody weeks! Know I know how the local Navy wives feel (not literally mind). Loss of her support structure (i.e. someone to whinge to) makes it that little bit tougher, which is then complicated by long hours, no time for grocery shopping and bad eating & drinking habits. if ever I was to take up smoking (which I wont), this would be the month.

But, it's been so long since I posted that I haven't mentioned the good stuff!

HIGH! Flashy Epson Scanner for my birthday! Means now do I not only have 3000+ digital photos I want to touch up, but an adiditonal 5000 film photos to scan and touch up. This life is too short.

HIGH! Hefty payrise. The owners have the fear that I am about to get up and leave (that fear is well justified). Threw some money at me, and want to send me somewhere nice. Doesn't solve the coporate issues here, but it's a damn sight better than *not* being recognized! (CheeseMan -- wanna join me at a Busch race with press passes?)

HIGH! Fun party! The Yanna had a little gathering that was a lot of fun, even though a complete sausage fest. Well catered, fun bunch, within walking distance, and some tasty Olive Juice. That it was held on my birthday was an added bonus.

HIGH! the games we did play, resulted in our "Poms & Colonials" team finishing first in the our league. 46 goals For in 7 games is not bad for a short season!

HIGH! Absence reinforces how much I love the GW!

I missed Battlestar Galactica last week due to the need for . Anyone have a torrent address I can grab it from? What abotu an opinion as to whether it is worth watching?

I swear I will have something interesting to blog next week, when hopefully the light at the end of the tunnel gives me a few days off.

Big Beer Ad

Watched the Superbowl tonight, at a little-shindig organized by Hollywoood, and excessively catered by Square-Pants whose mini-dogs in pastry were exquisite (but whom couldn't give the mushrooms away - it was a football game, after all). Game was won by a team with the lamest sports-logo ever. One well done commercial amongst a pretty-lean bunch was a beer ad (what else?) where the crowd holds up cards forming the beer.

But if you think that was good, this is bloody fantastic, and hilarious to boot. You need a little volume for this one, cause the sound track (sung to the tune of O Fortuna— for the classically inept amongst us, think of the iconic music from the Excalibur movie) is half the fun. It's for an Aussie beer, called Carlton Draught. For your viewing pleasure, I give you:  The Big Ad.

With credit to my mum for sending me the link (how cool is a mum who sends you links to beer commercials, and recommends you blog them!).

And what was with Seahawks disallowed TD? What a crock.

That can't be good for my check-book

This local snippet surely put Warren in pig-heaven!