The Hotdog Festival

To celebrate the F1 race, GB and I decided that we would watch it home on the 50" plasma and invite a few friends around to have a hotdog festival. We had stopped off at the Vic Markets on the way home from Supanova to pick up a couple of snags. We got some Bratwurst, Polish Kransky, Garlic and Black Pepper Beef and Hot Debrincer (sp?).



By the time people arrived, I had knocked back a couple of these G & T lovelies and was feeling very happy.



All in all a fun and definitely stomach expanding way to spend an afternoon watching motorsports.

Supanova Melbourne 2009

I decided to join GB at the Supanova Melbourne 2009 expo.  The main reason I was going was to be apart of GB's world, and also the actress who plays Starbuck in the new BSG was doing signings and a chat Q & A session.  So I thought, why not.....sounds fun.

We spent over 1.5 hours getting to the show grounds.  And there was only one hall of booths...selling comics, games, costumes and figurines.

 

      

GB and I got bored and didn't wait around for the talks....which I am in two minds about.  I would have been very interested in them, however find the whole star who plays someone you admire thing hard to reconcile.

I am quite happy to line up and stare at Rossi because he IS the best motorcycle rider in the world, however lining up to see an actress that just embodies the the character that you like is a different story and usually ends in everyone being very embarassed.

There were quite a few anime fans who dressed up.  The Anime fans found there was too much Sci-fi and vice versa.  Would I go back?  mmm  perhaps, if they made the tickets cheaper.

GB takes me to his GP!

Our household is divided into the F1 GP fan (Geekboy) and the MotoGP fan (me).  I have taken GB to the Superbikes one year to give him a small taste of what I do for a week every year around October. 

I have never been to the F1 round in Melbourne, even though I have lived here for almost a decade.  The F1 experience is usually a Father & Son time for GB.  This is the first of many events that GB will be without his dad.  So I was quite honoured when he asked me to go with him this year.

This is the first year of "twilight" sessions for the Australian leg of the race.  Considering we are in daylight savings time, just means that the sun is still out but perhaps there will be less cases of heatstroke. 

So, Friday night we headed off to the beautiful Australian roadtrack around Albert Park for free practice.

First stop was to the drinks tent

  

We spent the most time at corners 1 & 2, then we had a look at the other displays around the track.  

  

Coffee NOW!

Since I have started working early, so I can leave on time, every now and then I am having 2 coffees in the morning. After abusing caffiene while living on the Gold Coast (my formative years as I like to think of them), I usually can only handle a 1/4 strength latte per day. Now I am having 2. The first couple of days I suffered head spins and heart palpitations. After 2 weeks I now crave the second cup.
My coffee lady knows me by sight and we don't even have to speak. I walk in - she makes me coffee - I hand over the cash and we both kind of nod to each other and it is done. I like it.

#72 Make the backyard look pretty by planting some drought hardy plants

Decided to visit Chris & Marie's at Carrum Downs to help me with this project.  I bought 2 x bags of potting mix, 3 x 5" Lantana plants and 14 x Daisy Sprays.  All this for the bargain price of $48.

Now they don't look much at the moment - but give it 3 months and I will probably regretting the decision to go with Lantana.  I just figure getting something that is a pest and hard to kill would be perfect for our yard, which doesn't get much love.

The before shot.

The baby plants that are going to grow and make my garden pretty.

        

I also put some pots out the front.  I have Camillias in the terracotta pots and the daisy sprays in the iron pots.   

#95 Be Chocolate free for 1 calendar month

Hooray!  I did it.  Of course the first thing I did yesterday, after my 31 days were up, was make the chocolate cake of doom.

#23 Go without alcohol for 1 calendar month

This was harder than I anticipated.  I endured sober Trivia nights, BBQ's and Poker nights.  And at the end, when the 31 days was up, I celebrated my strength of will by having an eating and drinking extravaganza.  I chose Lynda to invite to my sobriety party because it had been a long time since we had been out drinking together and the idea was to have a nice relaxed evening.

And it was great.  Ate too much, Drank too much. Today I feel like shit.  Welcome back to the bottle!

Productivity increased

Yesterday was a doing day. Fridge guy came and put new seals on the fridge/freezer. We might just be able to make ice-cubes now instead of the freezer becoming its own massive ice cube.

Sue, The Cleaner, dropped in to give me a quote etc. She starts next Friday. Keeping any environment where GB exists clean is a full time job.....so I am getting some help so no resentment develops.

To make my day as productive as possible, because I hate taking annual leave for chores, I also decided to cross one more item off my 101 list. I have now done 8 /101 feeling pretty good :)

Then it was party time. I completed the 31 days with no alcohol and chocolate. Didn't succeed on the beach walks or the taking in lunches. So they will have to be tried again at another time. To celebrate the achievement of the two items, I had Lynda over for a sobriety party. Which entailed drinking lots and eating lots. Pictures to come when Lynda gets around to emailing them to me :)

Queen Vic Markets

Decided to take Crossley on the Queen Vic Market tour Lenore style. This is how is goes:

• Get to the market and promptly enter into the food hall.
• Make sounds which audibly equate to salivating
• Look at all the cheeses and breads and deli foods
• Go back to the begining and buy a hot dog
• Find a place to squat to eat the dog
• Walk around the organic fruit/wine section and buy a fig or two
• Go back to the begining and buy a coconut macaroon
• Eat macaroon on the way back into the city

A night of Bikes

Really enjoyed my get together with fellow female riders last night. Informative information sessions and no overly feminist ball busting penis envy going on.

There was a little bit of a sales pitch here and there but otherwise a well organised and friendly event. They allowed us to sit on most of the bikes and encouraged the licence holders to come back for test rides etc. I saw this there and instantly started drooling. You could be a squat troll horror and still look hot on this:

They also had this bike for sale, a mere $104,750.00, the 2008 Ducati Desmosedici RR

I spent the trip home daydreaming about getting a Monster 696 next year (yeah dream on) and I got home to find my licence had arrvied in the mail that day! I bounced up and down lots.

These boots are made for riding

I am heading off to a Heels n Wheels event in about 2 hours. My sister recommended I attend as it offers information to beginners and even a mentor if required etc. On the surface sounds like lots of fun. I will be interested to see the ratio of women who love riding and the women who have something to prove to the "penis-endowed" riders.

In the next 6 months I have to do the following for my bike.

• Have my jacket sleeves adjusted so my elbow armour sits properly
• Get the indicator fixed - it didn't survive my first dropping of the bike
• Get the kwaka to a mechanic and have the 3 things I am currently aware of fixed
• Save up to get it registered etc

All sounds reasonably doable.....if all my expendable cash was devoted totally to the bike. Why are all the enjoyable hobbies so expensive?

Some assistance

I have been struggling to keep my mind focused.  The main reason for this list was to help with my focus.  There has to be a way for history not to repeat itself.  But I catch myself in the same old habits and making poor choices.  Perhaps I need some assistance.  

Back to it.

FOOD

Roast Vegetables. Garlic, pepper and Rosemary as seasoning.

Prawn Salad. This rocked with a bit of chilli.

Things at work are changing. I have the CFO of the company entrusting me and another 2 colleagues to make up the "super-projects-for-internal-systems-fantastic-team" . They pulled my old team out from under my ex-boss and have given them back to me to sort out.
I feel the responsibility and belief they have placed in me. It is surprisingly satisfying.

Work and famiy are doing well - those areas I have covered. I am failing miserably in the other.