TASTY ITALIAN SPAGHETTI CHICKEN **YUM** **YUM**

 USB Salvage Operation - Open Borders

A short blog entry today expressed in point form.

1. Rescued two mislaid USB flashdrives which fell out of the LG OLED TV

2. Savoured a beautiful Italian meal 'Spaghetti Chicken' with accompanying 

    chardonnay. I've included a picture below. It was so tasty!

3. Continued reading of Murray Leinster's "The Forgotten Planet" (1954) for
    Roger's Cheap Book Club

To My Amazement Blogger Still Exists

Have you ever stumbled across something from your past that you had completely forgotten about? Well, that's what happened to me when I tried the new Bing search engine, which comes with the incorporation of the famous language model, ChatGPT. To my surprise, I discovered my old Blogger account, which I established back in 2005. It's amazing to think that I'm typing this message in 2023, almost two decades later!

Now, I've heard people say that blogging is no longer relevant, and some of my friends have even told me that it's a waste of time. But for me, it's not just about updating others on my life; it's more about starting a discussion and raising important issues that I care deeply about. 

In the sixteen years since I last wrote on my blog, I feel like I've grown a lot as a person. I have gained more perspective on issues such as climate change, indigenous rights (particularly the Voice to Parliament and Australian Constitutional inclusion of indigenous people), and other progressive reforms such as marriage equality, euthanasia, and abortion. These developments have made Australia a fairer and more inclusive place, providing its citizens with more choices. 

In addition to my interest in social issues, I have also developed a passion for reading books. I try to challenge myself by reading something new every week, exploring different genres and topics that I may not have previously known much about. For example, I am currently participating in Roger's Cheap Old Book Club, which is run by BookTuber Michael K. Vaughan. Vaughan is an expert on classic literature, particularly the works of H.P Lovecraft, Edmund Rice Burroughs, and Robert E. Howard. You can find his website below, where he discusses a variety of books in an interesting and informative manner: 

https://youtu.be/qF8Bejcw2IE

I have already finished reading February's book club selection, "The Prisoner of Zenda" by Anthony Hope, and I am now halfway through March's selection, Murray Leinster's "The Forgotten Planet" (1954).

If you're interested in joining the book club, you can find the full list of books below. All of these books are freely downloadable at Project Gutenberg in e-book format (epub is best for Kindles). You can also join the Project Gutenberg discussion on a Discord channel, which can be found on Vaughan's BookTube site on YouTube. So, whether you're interested in social issues or classic literature, there's always something new to discover and learn about

ROGER'S CHEAP OLD BOOK CLUB SELECTIONS FOR 2023

February

————-

The Prisoner of Zenda / Anthony Hope

 

March

———-

The Forgotten Planet / Murray Leinster

 

April

——-

New Arabian Nights / Robert Louis Stevenson

 

May

——-

The Three Imposters / Arthur Machen

 

June

——-

The Lone Star Ranger / Zane Grey

 

July

——

The Last Man / Mary Shelley

 

August

————

Gladiator / Philip Wylie

 

September

——————

The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard / Arthur Conan Doyle

 

October

————

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary / M.R. James

 

November

—————-

When the Sleeper Wakes (original non-revised edition) / H.G. Wells

 

December

—————-

No Name / Wilkie Collins

Election Called

It's been a couple of days since I last blogged. I saw a play 'Riflemind' on Friday night which I totally loathed - perhaps the worst piece of theatre I've seen in the last 10 years - a complete waste of $70. The play had no structure, was lethargic, the actors had nothing to work with despite being an A Grade cast. What made it a special event was attending the Sydney Theatre Company's launch - I got to speak to John Doyle (AKA Roy Slaven), Jonathan Biggins, David Berthold & Jackie Weaver - all really nice actors. I think I spotted Eddie Perfect in the crowd, too - he's an artist I've recently become interested in especially with his cabaret - I must buy the 'Angry Eddie" CD one of these days - it's supposed to be quite good.

Yesterday I went to John Miller's Gallery and had a look at Kerrie Cole's work which surprised me as she doesn't usually work in oils - I've only really seen her pastel and watercolour works before. These new works were interesting - scenes of Newcastle Beach from surrounding buildings. In several of her pieces I appreciated her composition and thought overall her works were a success.

I also had a look at the new JB Hi-Fi store at Westfield Kotara where I expected to pick up Six Feet Under: S5 on DVD, only to find it wasn't on special (the special only applied to S1 & S2). Hopefully next week I'll have more time to look around the store - I'm after some foreign movies at the moment 'Eyes Without A Face', 'And Your Mother Too' etc.

Today Prime Minister John Winston Howard called a Federal Election for 24 November. It's good the phoney election campaign is now over and the respective parties can advertise their election policies to the Australian voters. I think people have become annoyed with all the political ads on television from both sides of politics (I know I have) and hopefully during the six week period we might see some solid policies emerge hopefully from both sides.

Tonight I am going to see Susie Porter in 'The Caterpillar Wish'. I hope I enjoy the movie.

Apply away!

Tomorrow will be a busy day for me as I start voluntary work in the Archives unit at the University of Newcastle on the photographic scanning / metadata project. I will be putting in a good six hours, or as long as the unit needs me for.

Other plans for tomorrow include making a start on the four library applications that close on Friday. I think I'll probably have most success with the casual library assistant position with Lake Macquarie City Library, though will also put in an application for the two library technician positions; the final position is of General Library Assistant at the university - I don't think I have much chance of getting than one, so if will apply for it last. If I find I'm running out of time, I'll ditch it, but I want try at least submitting all four, or three of the four at best.

I had a day inside today, I just didn't feel like going out, and really had no need as TAFE hasn't called me in for quite sometime. I'm hoping eventually the university will call me - I unfortunately didn't make the cut for the exam invigilator's position, but perhaps it was for the best as I'm intending to enrol as a student at the university next year and would have had to surrender the position anyway. I can't really see a lot of money coming from it - less than $500, but work is work I guess and I can't be picky - a couple of hundred dollars here and there would really help me out.

Thankfully no more houses have caught alight, but I am really worried by the situation with two houses so close to me now thoroughly destroyed. It was difficult to get to sleep last night and I'm not sure if it will be possible to sleep for the next fortnight, wondering if my house will be next. I will have to be positive and turn my attention to reading and listen to my Paul Mauriat collection, as a way of finding inner solace.

Firebug

I am particularly worried that two houses the street next to mine have been burnt down. I am across from the house that burnt down several weeks ago, the other is at the top of the hill. If these firebug incidents continue then my house could be next.

I do not know why people burn other people's property down, but I can tell you it is a very distressing experience for the people's whose property is extensively damaged and who have to start again, but also equally distressing for the people who wonder if their properties will be the next to go up in smoke. I intend updating both CD & DVD inventory lists and submitting with insurance company ASAP.

Last night, I was busy watching television shows. I watched Masters of Science Fiction which had well-seasoned actors of the likes of Sam Waterson, Judy Davis, John Hurt etc but I am not sure I really liked how the stories were filmed. The original short science fiction stories they were based on looked interesting enough. After watching these, I watched several episodes of the original Twilight Zone series, which I enjoyed. Eventually, I'd like to buy the complete original series on DVD, but money is a bit scarce at the moment.

This afternoon I am finally meeting Terena for our delayed coffee session. It will be good to catch up on library news. Tonight 'Prison Break' & 'Heroes' is on - Tuesday's tend to be very relaxing television nights for me.

Lazy Sunday

Not much to report for today. A social day doing the galleries and having lunch at Longbench Cafe with a really good friend of mine.

Wanted: New Computer NOW!

It's been pretty much a non-eventful day today, probably the highlight of the day was finding out the JB Hi-Fi outlet at Westfield Kotara opens next Thursday and they have Six Feet Under Season Five for a nicely priced $24.95 - I don't have much money at the moment, so I'll probably charge it.

Late in the afternoon my computer was most unfortunate to experience 'the blue screen of death'. The HD is obviously on its way out, despite the recovery check I executed via the recovery console suite, saying the disc was fine. Thankfully after this check everything performed normally, or as normally as my drive will allow - it comes up with a 'Master File Table is corrupt' error a thousand times. When I eventually get some more solid work the first thing I'm going to do is buy the new Dell $3000 secret beast featured in this month's PC Authority - it's supposed to be an exceptional beast, and I might buy a $4000 monitor to go with it - why not blow some money to get a good system - it's definitely worth it.

Next computer purchase I'm avoiding supermarket ALDI PC specials and getting something decent again. The Medion died a tragic half-death around this time last year and has morphed into a now half-working machine since the HD is on its way out, hence why I rely on my external HD (perhaps the most intelligent purchase I made this year seeing I almost lost 2000 emails).

Mind you if anyone can help me out with a new replacement beast to ensure computer reliability until then, I won't say no :)

A Supernatural Television Event

I had a marathon television watching session this afternoon with 'Pushing Daisies', 'Chuck' & 'Supernatural'. Now I wouldn't say that 'Supernatural' is really all that good but I mainly watch it for its dark, scarey atmosphere. 'Chuck' was a little different but had an interesting story; it is obviously aimed at the older teenage market. 'Pushing Daisies' was a little too weird for me - the narrative was clever but I didn't feel everything was equal to the sum of its parts.

Tomorrow I am going shopping at 7.30am and hopefully having coffee by 8.30am at my favourite coffee haunt 'Jamaica Blue'. I feel like acquiring a new DVD so might buy myself a nice treat like 'Pulp Fiction' or 'The Queen'. I tend to be very price sensitive with how much I'll pay for a DVD - these days I usually wait for them to come down to $12-13 and make a list of the movies I want.

On Sunday I hope to meet Terena for coffee as we didn't get to our coffee session after the Charlestown Library Information Session last night. Then in the evening it is off to the Newcastle Film Society to see the movie of the week. So all in all, it should be a fun weekend. I hope to report more over the weekend.

The Raymond Chandler Puzzle

This morning I booked a ticket to go and see Sydney Theatre Company's 'Riflemind' for next Friday. This production stars Susie Porter, Hugo Weaving, Jeremy Sims, Marton Csokas, Ewen Leslie, Susan Prior, Steve Rodgers, and is being directed by Philip Hoffmann Seymour. I've decided to arrive two hours earlier so I can attend STC's 2008 theatre launch which details the new productions for the coming year.

I'm thinking I might start reading Raymond Chandler's "The Big Sleep" as this is the book for discussion on ABC television's next 'First Tuesday Bookclub of the Month" to screen the second week in November. I am a big fan of this movie as it is film noir, but I have yet to read the book. Chandler was once asked to describe his story and basically said it was indescribable. So maybe I'm looking at a challenge, who knows? This will be my first Raymond Chandler novel.

Tonight I am meeting Terena for the library info session at Charlestown Library. I will give a report later on how this session went and if coffee was an enjoyable experience.

Sticky Rice

Had an excellent day today! The filing project for James Fletcher Mental Hospital is going exceedingly well. I have actually almost completed the first project and will soon be on to the second which entails some cataloguing.

I decided to have lunch at Monet's Cafe which is situated on the hospital grounds. I ate a delicious red beef curry served on a bed of jasmine rice, a very tasty treat indeed. The weather today was 36 degrees, and while I wasn't outside for long, I actually enjoyed being in the fresh air.

Dinner at Lan's Vietnamese Restaurant in Darby Street, with family was a delicious treat. I ordered the Curry Chicken dish in a nice creamy coconut sauce. The accompanying bowl of sticky rice was very nice when mixed in with the curry and devoured. Drink wise I decided to stick with a Jacob's Creek Dry Chardonnay, and while it wasn't the best chardonnay I've tried, it really hit the spot.

Tomorrow I am going to a library information session for a casual library assistant's position at Lake Macquarie City Library. The session for me is more about meeting the people from the library, than receiving actual details which I earlier received over the phone. I am mainly going to support my best library friend Terena as she is interested in applying too, and then after we've having coffee at Charlestown Square.

Library Planning

Received project details from the university's archives department for the three projects they are willing to offer me; I personally prefer the photo digitisation project but would like to work towards indexing UniNews and photocopying text of past student handbooks for archival purposes. All projects are appropriate for my library technician skills. I think I will enjoy volunteering my time in this department of the library.

Other news:

I had coffee today at my usually coffee haunt 'Jamaica Blue' at Westfield Kotara. They do a really good job, and the pear and raspberry bread was excellent. It was nice getting out of the house for a couple of hours.

I haven't heard yet if I've got on as an exam supervisor at the university - if I don't hear within two weeks I know I've been unsuccessful. I must go to the TAFE and pick up an application kit to apply to be an exam supervisor over there.

Tomorrow I undertake my massive filing job at James Fletcher Mental Hospital and plan to leave an hour earlier than usual - I'm going to Lan's Vietnamese Restaurant with my parents and brother. The food is really nice there - I promise to give an account tomorrow of how I find it.

Dollar Dazzlers

Well, the once little Aussie battler that was struggling at a gravely depreciated 47 US cents in 2001, has recovered its losses from the fall-out of the US sub-prime credit crunch, and is now hovering around the respectable 89.12 US cents mark. I believe the Aussie will reach parity with the greenback before January 1 2008.

A couple of things which I predict may affect the Aussie's appreciation. It is my belief that Israel, the United States, England, France & possibly Australia will launch a military strike on Iran before the end of the year or possibly in 2008. Diplomacy appears to have failed with the Iranians not ceding an inch - what do you do when a rogue state won't give up their atomic powers? Iran with nuclear warheads is a dangerous threat to the wider world. I believe any military action will have adverse consequences for the whole world and therefore could affect the $A value quite significantly. It is my hope the once Aussie battler will achieve parity with the greenback before these unfortunate events unfold.

I'm in a really lazy mood right now. It looks like I'll be happy with watching TV downloads and doing not much else with it being a NSW public Labour Day holiday and all. I really don't feel like composing much right now. I'll write some more tonight and report on the latest 'Desperate Housewives' series, as well as anything else I can muster up from the deep caverns of my mind.

Update: Desperate Housewives season opening seemed a bit flat and not very interesting; this television show had so much spark in Season One, but lost it in Season Two, to partly regain it in Season Three. Season Four appears like it could be a repeat of Season Three all over again. So in conclusion this series has lost much of its originality but I'll keep watching but am not expecting anything majorly groundbreaking to occur throughout this series. Also I forgot being a long weekend 'Kath & Kim' wasn't screened on Sunday as this was the NRL rugby league grand final - so now I have to wait a whole week to see Episode Seven.

The Red House Concert

Well as you can see it's yet another sunny day. I found this free clipart image while browsing the NET. I think it describes my continued upbeat mood quite nicely.

Today I've been catching up on reading Peter Temple's 'The Broken Shore' (2005) which is capturing my attention to its fullest. I can recommend Temple as a crime writer - he was recently mentioned on ABC's First Tuesday of the Month Book Show, with the panel giving his work the full thumbs up, and I concur with their verdict.

Tonight I am wandering off to the movies to see Michael Winterbottom's 'Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story' (2005). I like Jeremy Northam as a period actor, and I noticed the rather silly David Walliams from 'Little Britain' fame is in it too - I wonder if this will be a straight role for him? I shall report whether I like this film or not a little later on.

I recently caught Chris Duncan's 'Red House' & 'Fyvie's Embrace' classical concert broadcast direct from Newcastle Conservatorium via 106.1 ABC FM. I'm a big fan of Duncan's Scottish music, as it is very upbeat and relaxing. If you want to try something a little different I can recommend these two albums released on the Australian ABC Classics label. Catherine Strutt on piano also makes it a grand performance to listen to.

Update on Tristram Shandy: the beginning started really well as they were making the film adaptation of the book, but by a third of the way through, the film lost it for me. I was more interested in the story with the showing of the film, than the making. It completely slowed the film down to a disappointing crawl. Now I know this film got rave critical review, but it didn't win me over at all. I felt Mr Winterbottom was being too clever for his own good, despite a promising start. Jeremy Northam was excellent, while Gillian Anderson was completely wasted in this film with nothing to do, no where to go, nothing... nothing... nothing... and why the Pacino Godfather bit at the end.... what did it all mean? Wasted Wasted Wasted.

Tomorrow I might watch an old classic like 'All About Eve', 'Mildred Pierce' or 'The Letter'.

Digital Delights

As of today I officially started holidays from study. I have a financial services assignment to complete which is basically basic Econ101. I'm hoping TAFE will call me in to do some administrative support work for them - holiday periods are generally very good because the campus is quiet with no students around.

I'm looking at doing some work for the university in their archives section, they need someone to digitise historical photographs and text documents to eventually be deposited in their digital repository. There's also a large indexing job which entails going through UniNews from when it was first founded and preparing a detailed index of significant items of the university's history. Then there is cataloguing to be done, something I wish to improve my skills in as I love a good challenge, and then finally a meta data project which again sounds challenging.

I'm hoping I might get to Sydney these holidays as I wouldn't mind visiting some art galleries, plays, and catching up with some friends. I have the time, so I should utilise it as best as possible before I return to full-time work or voluntary duties.

Yet another day of t-shirt and shorts weather - I surely hope it continues as Spring is my favourite season with the weather not being too hot nor too cold, just right in between most of the time. I am looking forward to more sunny days ahead.

Here Comes The Sun

It's another sunny day today with a rather strong wind but thankfully is still shorts and t-shirt wearing weather. I'm in rather good spirits today despite paying over $300 in various bills. I might actually go out and search for a new book to read - BIG W at Charlestown have a very interesting selection I find at an affordable price. I also feel like a coffee.

I really don't have a lot to ramble on about for today, so I thought I'd share my upbeat mood with you in the form of a short entry mainly about the sunny weather.

My Return

Well it's been sometime since I've posted. In the last 11 months I've been busy with work at TAFE and at the Uni providing administrative support to several departments. I've also been extremely busy with my studies which have been going well. It's difficult to make a steadfast commitment to publish regularly, so I'll attempt to log-in every now and again and write something up that hopefully appears to be interesting to those reading the blog.

Today I would like to discuss the issue of friendship. What people say and what they do, mean a lot to me. Sometimes you can get mixed messages from people, in that they will be nice to your face but say nasty things behind your back, or worse still, publish untruths about you on the Internet. I'm thankfully one of the very few who has encountered this appalling behaviour.

I have now adopted a "one strike and you're out policy". If someone appears to say something totally offensive to hurt my sensibilities, why let them back into my life? This is a mistake I've made with a couple of people in the past, and ultimately it has led to more stress than what it is worth knowing them. They may be apologetic and attempt to win favour, but I've decided to remain steadfast in my opposition to their behaviour, and they are unable to re-enter into any relationship with me.

Moving on:

As it is not my position to appear negative I'd like to discuss the current crop of US TV shows. New episodes of L&O: SVU, Prison Break and Heroes are available to watch. Prison Break hasn't really impressed me this series, in places it appears to be a rehash of Series 1, but only worse - the plot will apparently lead somewhere in the end, I can't see them languishing in SOMA for very much longer. Heroes was more substantial and rewarding but I still believe this show is a heap of hogwash most of the time, yet appealing on an emotional level. L&O:SVU's opening touched upon multiple split personalities and was interesting - it was nice seeing Munch being given extra screen time - for some reason he reminds me of Mr Spock from Star Trek - it must be those ears.

Anyway it's time to venture out into the sunlight with shorts and t-shirt.

Uni adventuring

It looks like I'm definitely off to University next year to study the Double Degree of Library Management / Information Technology at Charles Sturt University. This bois going to be very busy from the looks of the detailed assignments and essays that are part of the course structure. I'm actually quite excited that my mind will be stimulated one more. Having a year of study was a good rest, but I think it's better to be actively engaged intellectually than constantly glued to the internet downloading TV and movie files.

The new Internet Explorer 7.0 looks very nice, but I think I might still stay with Firefox until I explore it further and discover its various flaws. I noticed that one major security flaw has already been reported.

Yesterday I ordered my new ADSL provider. I've decided to move from Exetel to Internode. I believe it's best paying more and getting a service that has loads of bandwidth with direct connections to the US, and no limitations on P2P downloads in the form of P2P throttling which my former ISP is implementing in mid-Nov. If unhappy with your ISP, my advice is to become proactive, investigate your options, then churn if need be. Don't stay with mediocrity!

- NewcastleBoy

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y ! ! ! !

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y


P E T E R !!

Further tales of a sick father

Yesterday afternoon I visited my father at Lake Macquarie Private hospital - he is recovering well and should be out by Monday. All the equipment has arrived - high chair and bathroom aids for him to use.

Yesterday morning I went birthday shopping for a very good friend - both our birthdays fall on 12 December which is Monday. I actually know what I'm receiving for my birthday - "Little Britain: Series 1 & 2" DVD set. I really love this show, comedy at its best, great for brightening up my day when I've had a really shitty one.

This evening I'm going to the Xmas party for the Newcastle library social group which was formed in October. We're going to a Chinese restaurant called Romances at Morisset. I've been informed the food is below par, but I guess we're going more for the company, so I guess I should treat it as a wonderful social experience.

I'm having an early breakfast today on Merewether Beach at a supposedly nice cafe, which mother has arranged. I'll report on the quality of the food tomorrow when I get some free time. I've heard it has great food, and it's been a good 2-3 years since I last had breakfast out somewhere nice, so I'm really looking forward to venturing there.

- NewcastleBoy

Half-a-Tree

Today I visited my father who had hip-replacement surgery early this morning. He seemed in really fine spirits, so that was good to see. Hopefully he'll be coming home on Friday.

I accessed E-services at the TAFE NSW website and noticed there were more results inputted for the library course. I passed Cataloging Procedures and achieved a Credit. I wasn't sure about this subject as I didn't complete any draft copies of what the final answer might be before finalising the answer on a new sheet of paper during the examination. I felt confident enough to write the answer right away making any amendments if required.

I doubt I'll ever become a cataloguer, it's not easy and one really has to concentrate so carefully to get things right. Most people have no idea what cataloguing involves - basically it's a 10-15 step procedure - everything has to be there from Statement of Responsibility to Subject Headings, Dewey Numbers and ISBN - on a computer this is catalogued using MARC coding which requires knowing the numbered fields to input the information into.

Tomorrow, mum is taking me out to lunch to celebrate finishing the Diploma in Library and Information Services. I also have to start writing my library job application for Lake Macquarie City Library. I noticed the Local Council only accepts job applications via email, so I guess that will save on paper, writing on an envelope, as well as saving on postage costs of $2, and perhaps saving half-a-tree, no doubt :)

- NewcastleBoy

My Favourite Film

Last night I watched the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) list of Australia's Top 10 favourite films as selected by Australian viewers. I'd like to point out that this list has no bearing on greatness, and often the films chosen are turkeys or downright dull in my honest opinion. Of most annoyance to me, there was only one film that was over 30 years old "Gone With The Wind", which definitely drags after intermission into a ridiculous melodrama, going on and on. I have decided to present this list, and then show what my list would be.

ABC Viewer's Poll List of My Favourite Film:

1. The Lord of the Rings
2. Amelie
3. Blade Runner
4. The Shawshank Redemption
5. Donnie Darko
6. Star Wards: Episode IV - A New Hope
7. Pulp Fiction
8. The Princess Bride
9. G0ne With the Wind
10. Fight Club

Click here to see the Top 100 My Favourite Films at ABC's Website


My Top 10 Favourite Films:

1. Vertigo
2. It's A Wonderful Life
3. The Leopard
4. Singin' In The Rain
5. Laura
6. Mildred Pierce
7. All About Eve
8. The Red Shoes
9. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
10. The Searchers

Please feel free to leave your Top 10 favourite movies in the comment section. I'd be interested to see what you all choose as your favourite film.

- NewcastleBoy

A Great Indulgence

As most of you would already know by now, watching movies and collecting DVDs is a big part of my life. In the past month the DVD stockpile has grown significantly larger. I have a range of good quality 1930s, 1940s & 1950s movies to watch with the addition of:

Movies

• The King Kong Collection - features King Kong, Son of Kong, Mighty Joe Young
• The Bela Lugosi Collection
• The Razor's Edge (original 40s movie)
• House of Bamboo
• House on 92nd Street
• Street with No Name

TV series

• Sopranos : Series 5
• Wonder Woman Series 1 & 2 *yes I loved the series back then & I love it as much now**
• The League of Gentlemen : The Complete Series *dark, offbeat & immensely funny**
• Little Britain : Series 1 & Series 2 *again, funny, quirky and well done**

Animation

• Battle of the Planets Boxsets 1-5 **reliving my childhood here**
• Star Blazers : The Comet Empire **one of my favourite space opera cartoons**

Music

• Bert Kaempfert Live in Concert **This guy was an easylistening maestro of supreme talent**

So, I guess you all know what I'm doing with my spare time now in between writing library job applications, visiting friends, and getting a lot of reading and blogging done :)

- NewcastleBoy

To BLOG or not to BLOG.. that is the question

People have asked me why I suspended my Blogging around May 31 this year. The answer is that TAFE library study got way over my head, and at one point I really thought I wasn't going to pass the course - yes, my course was extremely full on and I decided instead of writing the occasional entry (which wouldn't have been too fulfilling), I'd wait until after I finished TAFE on Thursday December 1. As a result of ploughing my heartfelt energies into my TAFE library studies, I've significantly boosted my marks and achieved a Distinction in at least three (maybe) four subjects.

If I had a wish, it would be to go back and fill in all the days I've left unblogged, but my blog is a true account of significant events that happen in my life during the week, day, month, year, so it would be highly unethical to do this.

So with this explanatory introductory statement now over explaining the temporary hiatus and cessation of my blogging activities for a good six months, I now once again gallantly proclaim that BLOGGING is now back on the agenda as of now....

HAPPY READING EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Even Keel

I've been much busier with TAFE than I thought I would be this semester. Overall, I'm trying to maintain an 'even keel' with my course.

I hope to write more next month.

- NewcastleBoy

Dungeons & Dragons

It's difficult to believe that it has been almost 1.5 months since my last BLOG entry. I've had a tumultuous settling-in period with my Diploma of Library Services TAFE course. Somehow, it just doesn't feel as enjoyable this year - it seems much more technical & full on. The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) exam, which in general is an extremely dry and uninteresting subject, was an extremely hard paper - there were more than a few teary eyed students after the exam proclaiming they'd failed dismally. I've also had at least 1.5 weeks off due to sickness - so I guess this left me a little unprepared for the Dewey exam which was extremely difficult - I was actually shocked I passed it. Overall, I'm sitting on a 80% grade average. I view this as reasonably good, but I'm still holding out for a Distinction grade average at 83%.

Since starting holidays on 8 April, I've managed to cleanup my room, throwing away a lot of old clothes / books in the process. My room actually looks liveable in, again.

I've also started on Patricia Craig's biography of Canadian-Irish literary talent, Brian Moore. It's very good so far, giving an insightful account of Moore's ancestral background.

Other books to tackle over the next month include:

• Ian McEwan's "Enduring Love"
• Alex Miller's "Journey to the Stone Country"
• Allan Hollinghurst's "The Line of Beauty"

I've recently joined a Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) roleplaying gaming group, and so far have found the gaming very addictive. I play my next game this coming Sunday. The people in the group are very pleasant and very passionate about the game.

This week I watched "The Day of the Triffids" (1981 BBC produced mini-series starring John Duttine), which was recently released on DVD. I was surprised to learn the series was directed by an Australian, the late Ken Hannam. Overall, I felt the presentation was reasonably faithful to John Wyndham's satisifying science fiction work, which is a classic in its own right.

Other DVDs to watch this holiday period include:

• The Bad Seed
• What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
• Lantana

Hopefully, I'll get a chance to watch these over the next couple of days.

I'm hoping to make an active return to my BLOG, even if I can only afford to spend 5-10 minutes a day, I'll try to type something that's worthwhile, now that everything seems to be returning to normal in my life.

- NewcastleBoy

Husky Voice

The last couple of weeks I haven't felt the best - I have a very sore throat which hasn't really managed to go away. I was hoping to battle on with this and continue on with my TAFE studies uninterrupted, but as it could be something more serious I'm taking some sick leave and visiting my doctor for an examination. Yesterday, my voice was really dying, SOOOO HUSKY and rough.

When I'm feeling up to it I'll increase my blog activities on a more frequent basis. There's certainly a lot of news to impart to whoever wants to read it :)

- NewcastleBoy

Back at TAFE

I started TAFE last week

Out of Order

My computer is going into the service centre for some adjustments. I'll be back in a couple of days.

R.I.P Grandma Ida Longworth March 1920-Feb 2005.

- NewcastleBoy

Cataloguing Dilemmas

With less than a week to go before I return to TAFE (a polytechnic equivalent), I've decided to study Michael Gorman's library cataloguing text Concise AACR2, as it feels like my brain's gone all mushy since studying last year.

In today's Newcastle Herald (the Hunter Region's leading newspaper), the lead story details preliminary expansion plans for Charlestown Square Shopping Centre, which is managed by Lend Lease Corporation.

The plans indicate the Centre expanding across to swallow up the land that occupies the existing Charlestown Bowling Club. A new modern bowling club has been foreshadowed for Ferris Oval. The plans also show the Centre getting a new cinema complex, underground carpark, and Charlestown Mall being re-opened up to vehicular traffic, with surrounding boutique restaurants and bookstores a possibility. If these architectural plans become reality, Charlestown Square will become the largest shopping centre in the Hunter Region.

For the rest of the afternoon, I'm spending time with my mother giving her a basic computer lesson in file management of her floppy disks, and then in the evening, I will be attending the movie musical group I've been faithfully going to since early 2000. The group is currently exploring early musicals from the 1930s.

- NewcastleBoy

And the Stars Said...

I'm taking some time out today to pamper myself, but in an effort not to disappoint, I'm leaving you all with some rather entertaining quotes from these well known celebrities.


"Women might be able to fake orgasms. But men can fake whole relationships."
~Sharon Stone


"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch."
~Jack Nicholson


"I read somewhere that 77 per cent of all the mentally ill live in poverty. Actually, I'm more intrigued by the 23 per cent who are apparently doing quite well for themselves."
~Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead)


"Clinton lied. A man might forget where he parks or where he lives, but he never forgets oral sex, no matter how bad it is."
~Barbara Bush (Former US First Lady)


"Ah, yes, divorce..., from the Latin word meaning to rip out a man's genitals through his wallet."
~Robin Williams


"Instead of getting married again, I'm going to find a woman I don't like and just give her a house."
~Rod Stewart


"On the one hand, we'll never experience childbirth. On the other hand, we can open all our own jars."
~Bruce Willis (On the difference between men and women)


"And God said: 'Let there be Satan, so people don't blame
everything on me. And let there be lawyers, so people don't blame everything on Satan."
~George Burns


"There are only two reasons to sit in the back row of an airplane: Either you have diarrhea, or you're anxious to meet people who do."
~Henry Kissinger (former US Secretary of State)


"Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is a sport for black men. Golf is a sport for white men dressed like black pimps."
~Tiger Woods


"Things you'll never hear a woman say: 'My, what an attractive scrotum!'"
~Patricia Arquette


"Capital punishment turns the state into a murderer. But imprisonment turns the state into a gay dungeon-master."
~Rev. Jesse Jackson


"Women complain about premenstrual syndrome, but I think of it as the only time of the month that I can be myself."
~Roseanne Barr


"According to a new survey, women say they feel more comfortable undressing in front of men than they do undressing in front of other women. They say that women are too judgmental, whereas, of course, men are just grateful."
~Sean Connery


"Having sex at 90 is like trying to shoot pool with a rope."
~George Burns


"In the last couple of weeks I have seen the ads for the Wonder Bra. Is that really a problem in this country? Men not paying enough attention to women's breasts?"
~Hugh Grant


"There's a new medical crisis. Doctors are reporting that many men are having allergic reactions to latex condoms. They say they cause severe swelling. So what's the problem?"
~Dustin Hoffman


"When the sun comes up, I have morals again".
~Elizabeth Taylor


"There's very little advice in men's magazines, because men think, 'I know what I'm doing. Just show me somebody naked.'"
~Jerry Seinfield


"See, the problem is that God gives men a brain and a penis, and only enough blood to run one at a time."
~Robin Williams


I hope you enjoyed those funnies.

- NewcastleBoy

Balmy Weather

It's a really hot day outside today. I've been sipping lots of Diet Coke down in my computer study area, in the lower-depths of the house, in an attempt to re-hydrate myself. Sometimes I wished this house had air conditioning.

I found a couple of excellent websites dedicated to nostalgic retro computer games from the 1980s in The Sydney Morning Herald's computer magazine supplement ICON (29 January). I remember many a passionate day playing Pacman, Defender of the Crown, Wolfenstein, Duke Nukem 3D, Bruce Lee, 1942, Raid Over Moscow, Mission Impossible, Ghost 'n' Goblins etc on my trusty Commodore 64. I'm pleased to let the enthusiasts know that you can now play many of these games on your PC by downloading from the following sites:



Liberated Games

Abandoned Games

Emulation Ring

Home of the Underdogs


For the rest of the day I'm going to clean up my personal photo collection and arrange them into folders resembling some logical sequence.

- NewcastleBoy