What if?

As humans we tend to spend our lives worrying about "what if"s. Like "what if" the plane crashes, there is a fire or my computer blows up. What ever happened to enjoying life?

Do we spend too much time worrying about what might go wrong to truely enjoy the things that go right? Are we by nature a pesomistic bunch that truely believes that if anything can go wrong it will?

Don't get me wrong I was in cubs (jnr scouts) for many years and I know the motto is "be prepared". Anyone who has been camping with me knows I like to be ready for all likely eventuallities. I always have money put aside for "a rainy day" and all that.

I know I spend too much time worrying about things. I check the oil in my car every week. I make sure I always have a bit more in the bank then I need. I spend ages worrying about my relationship and my friendships. Is this a bad thing? Should I let what will happen happen and just enjoy life?

There are several things in life which perhaps I dont worry about enough. For instance when I ride on the road I never think "this might be the last time, I might get hit by a car and never ride again". I guess this is an example of the kind of thing that if you worry about it then it will happen because you are too busy worrying about it to prevent it. So what should we worry about and what should we just let flow naturally?

I guess the main thing I want to know is how much should I worry about my relationship. I trust Andrea with all my heart and know that she won't abuse that trust. Yet I still worry about everything I do and say. I know Andrea trusts me too and we talk about everything quite openly so I know we aren't having problems. There have been many times where we are apart and I have found myself thinking I wonder what she really thinks of me. This is despite the fact I know. Is this human nature or me being silly? Our relaionship is soo important that I want to be sure that I dont stuff it up. Is this one of those things where if you worry about it you may be too busy to prevent it going wrong? Or is it one of those things that needs active worrying?

What do you guys worry about? Do you think you worry too much or not enough? Should I stop worrying about worrying? Or about the fact that worrying is worrying me? Is there something that you think I dont worry about enough?

Maybe Alfred E Neuman has it right.

Have fun.

Helen

Some of you have probably heard more than others about Helen Killpatrick. Some of you have probably heard so much about her that you dont want to read this. Others have never heard her name and have no idea how much of an effect she had on my life.

Helen is the only person on this list that I am no longer in contact with. The reason she is on the list still is because she was a very important part of my past.

Helen and I did hospitality at TAFE back in year 11 and 12. We instantly hit it off and became great mates. We both knew from the start that we would end up going out at some stage but we proceeded to take it in turns to be in relationships just as the other became single. Eventually this stopped.

Helen and I (to my knowledge) never officially started going out. The upside of this is we never broke up or argued. We just drifted along, hanging out heaps then going our own ways before drifting back together again.

We used to hang out a lot after TAFE and occasionally on weekends. Some of our more memorable times together were spent getting kicked out of carindale having missed a movie because it wasnt on, shopping in carindale and watching riverfire on my 17th birthday. This last one is a memory that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

One of Helens greatest skills was that she was left handed. Not a skill I hear you say. Well when you can sit in class doing your work holding hands it is a skill in my mind.

One bad thing about Helen is that she lived in Carindale which, on my old bike, was a real pain in the butt to ride to (maybe not as bad as bogan logan). We wont even mention her taste in music.

My memories of Helen will never fade. She is the only ex I have that I would genuinely like to catch up with and find out what she is doing with her life. Believe me I have tried.

Msg to Helen: Wherever you are, whatever you are doing I hope you are truely happy with your life because you deserve to be. I am so sorry I never kept in touch. I hope that one day you will stumble apon this and get back in touch. You have left me with many happy memories and no bad ones. I will never forget the time we spent together.

Have fun.

The Quotes File

This was something that Joel (if I am correct) started in the Mi-PAL lab. Basically the idea is to have a place where you keep funny quotes. The one in the lab is just stuff said by the members of the lab. I think this one will be open to anything funny/inspirational you guys hear/read/think of.

Feel free to post stuff by famous ppl and any of your mates just remember to tell us who said it (and possibly who they are). So start posting comments about funny/inspirational stuff you have heard.

Have fun.

Mark and Brooke

Well once apon a time I had a job. Thats right... Ed actually did something. I was a kitchen hand at a tiny little place called Arriva.

It was a pretty easy gig to score. One day I decided it was time to get another job, opened the paper, saw an add for a kitchen hand in new farm and rang up. Brooke asked me to come in the next day for an interview I said "I can come in now if you want" so I did. Brooke read my reference aloud to Mark and offered me the job there and then asking me to start the next night. My reply was of course "I can start now if you need someone for tonight". The rest is history. I worked every night they were open from that day forth until I started uni. Once uni started I worked every shift that didnt clash with classes. Of course within two weeks of me being there they fired the other guy in the kitchen and gave me his job as well.

Mark and Brooke like these little red Italian car things called Ferrari's or something. I think they think these things go fast or something. They have cars everywhere. If there was a F1 race the kitchen closed bang on time and everyone worked their arses off to make sure we got out of there on time to watch the start.

Working at Arriva was a whole heap of fun. We played many jokes (mainly on Brooke). Including moving her tiramisu off the bench and replacing it with an empty container and some cream on the floor while she was gone. Needless to say the reaction was hillarious.

So is this joint any good? Well gourmet traveller recons it is: top 10 pizzas in Australia edition. Restaurant and Caterers think it is: best pizza restaurant. Various news papers and magazines would agree. As would all their customers. So yeah I guess its not bad.

Mark is one of those guys that loves a good laugh. There have been plenty of times where Mark will break out into his very own versions of songs that we all know like "beds are burning" which became "how can you sleep while your breads are burning" everytime I burnt a garlic bread. Anytime someone would complain Mark would sing "what about me" until they shut up.

Mark is an ideas man. He had the great idea that we should put cameras in the kitchen and have it like big brother. It would have been far more exciting than any reality tv show you have ever seen. There is no other show where a head chef will tap his tongs twice and throw a hot pan across the kitchen into the sink just as the kitchen hand dodges it without even seeing it, time and time again. The amount of food the three of us managed to pump out was insane some nights.

Brooke is pretty good for a laugh too. She is from Canberra so we can always just laugh at her. Just joking.

Mark and Brooke have taken me to some great (read: expensive) restaurants like Restaurant 2 and Kabuki. We have had plenty of great food in the restaurant too like zucchini flowers, deep fried calzone, a heap of different cheeses... mmm cheese. No wonder I loved working there soo much.

One day I might fill everyone in on the rest of the people that I worked with at Arriva and maybe even at my other jobs... maybe.

There is a few things about working there I dont miss: peeling prawns, scrubbing mussels, chopping tomato.

Msg to Mark and Brooke: Ferrari's suck! just joking. Thanks for all the laughs. I dont think I will ever have a job that is that much fun (or work) again. You have taught (and paid) me heaps over the years and shared plenty of great food with me. I am getting around to coming in for dinner again.. hopefully on the 15th. 11?

Have fun.

Joel Fenwick

I know how much some of you have been waiting for this one. Funny how it falls on the day of my PLI exam (Joel was my tutor for this subject). So those of you who know Joel will probably know whats coming. Those of you who dont will probably recognise some of these traits from some of your other friends but you have probably never seen them all rolled into one strange strange guy.

Joel == root. Joel is Mr Sys Admin like you have never seen them before. He is a linux nut. He insists on doing things "right". He is not a huge people person but you put him in a room full of computer geeks that know less then he does and you cant stop him.

Joel is the kind of person who obeys the Uni's 40km/h speed limit coming out of campus. He does everything by the book even when it makes no sense or would be heaps easier not to.

Joel loves to spend his spare time playing star craft and settlers and reading the svn manual. He also watches House and Dr Who (as all true geeks do). He has a kiwi finger puppet that is holding a sheep.

Joel is the cardboard tube master that controls the monkeys of the lab. If they misbehave they have to wear the shrek hat of shame. Joel is also the list king of the lab. Every meeting he has a "short" list of things to mention.

Never EVER try to out geek Joel. Someone recently made this mistake in a CCN lecture and got tottaly taken down by Joels intimate knowledge of Sci-Fi (red shirts hey...).

Joel HATES having his photo taken, so he always carries a camera. This might not seem logical at first but because he ahs a camera there is no need for anyone else to have one so he doesnt end up in many photos. And when he does "need" to have a photo taken they are.... well look below. Yes that is his official team photo.

Joel has the messiest car. I have never been in it I have just seen him getting something out of it one day and... yeah, I thought my car got bad when I was on a road trip.

Joel lived WITH Val. That isnt entirely true I just love his reaction when you say it like that. He lives in the same unit complex that Val used to live in. So all up he lived WITH one of my mates, was my supervisor on the team and my tutor for one of my subjects. Now he is my lecturer and tutor for a subject! Needless to say I get my fair share of Joel's time.

As you can imagine from what I have said Joel and I have our differences but he is a good bloke.

Msg to Joel: Shouldn't you be doing work for your PHD? How's that going btw? ;) Thanks for everything you have, despite my best efforts, taught me a lot over the past couple of years and I will never forget that. As a sign of gratitude I decided to not mention matrix operators.

I suppose someone should tell him about my blog so he can read this!

Spaß haben.

Italian

OK OK, stop hassling me already!

Claire is on my case about organising dinner at the Italian restaurant that I used to work at (Arriva in New Farm). I am keen for it but I need to know how many of you guys are and what days and times would suite you. The kitchen is open 5:30-9 Tue-Sun and provided Mark cooks the food is perfect (Brooke is from Canberra so cut her some slack ;) ).

So yeah I was thinking not next Tue but the following Tue the 8th 15th of August at like 7pm. Any objections, suggestions, comments?

Anyway if everyone who is up for it could leave a comment and let me know then I will get organised. If ppl dont read my blog then they aren't invited! The only way to reserve a seat is to leave a comment (Elli is the exception to the rule, Nee can comment on her behalf).

Oh and if you are reading this Mark and Brooke dont worry I will let you know more than 10mins before we show up how many ppl are coming.

Avere divertimento.

Rain

Well here I am at uni in the rain. I rode here in light rain but now it is really raining. The plan is to (maybe) do some work here until it eases then ride home but I might end up getting very wet :( The things I do to help look after the environment and my fitness (ok maybe my bank balance aswell).

Well atleast we are getting some rain, cant complain too much.

I was worried it was going to rain heaps yesterday when I walked home from West End via Buranda having walked there from Roma st having walked to the Morningside train station. And people think I am obsessed with walking!

The walking was made fun by Claire and Lara. Claire joined in on the walk from Roma st to West End with Lara and I before leaving us to go to work. Lara and I then continued on our way to go and find food which ended up being Greek sweets from the bakery run by the two sisters that gave the cooking demo at Paniyiri (the Greek festival).

Of course if I was being mean I would mention Lara walking past a laundry and saying "hey there's a cat in there" resulting in us turning around and walking back past to surely see a plastic bag sitting happily ontop of one of the washing machines.

The food we had (Katafi and Galaktobureko) was really nice and we went down to the park and watched the sun set by the river (jealous yet Andrea?). We then started our little walk back to Buranda (it was actually Lara's idea). We walked past her boyfriend busily working at the Green Papaya unfortunately he didnt see his girlfriend walking past with a really cute guy because he was too busy actually doing work. Having walked to Buranda I just had to walk the rest of the way home.

Other than that I have been getting back into my uni work and it looks like it will be a fun and challenging last semester. I should stop blogging now and actually do some study for my exam tommorow (leftovers from going to Germany). Or I could just watch The Family Guy with the other guy here in the linux lab.

Now I have eaten all my chocolate :(

Have fun.

Matthew

Matthew is the last person in the photo of the four of us (left) to be blogged about. He is the one standing behind Claire. Matthew, incase you cant figure it out, is a member of the Mi-PAL team and came to Sydney and Bremen with me.

Matthew and I have only really known each other via the team and one subject (Web Programming) which we did last semester. Matthew, like Claire and I, was crazy enough to do an IAP project with the team. Matthew managed to land the wonderful project of localisation.

Localisation is the task of knowing where you are in the world.... sounds easy hey. Spend 6months working with AIBO's and get back to us ;)

Matthew is probably the team member that managed to get the most sleep in Germany! He is also the one that played Diablo 2 on the plane over and in the hotel over there! Talk about being a geek. Matthew doesnt really drink.... well until he started spending time with Claire Dave and I. He is a cheap drunk.

Matthew bought the most memorable thing in Germany when he bought, with the last of his money, a gothic sorta stick thing with a skull on the top of it. We refused to walk with him after he bought it.

Matthew is the unofficial maintainer of "The Quotes File" where we keep memorable quotes from team members. This all changes when he starts drinking and becomes the member that is getting quoted. Dave has a book with some absolute beauties in it. Dont worry Matthew I wont post any here but it may come up at your 21st.

Msg to Matthew: Vision is perfect! Thanks for all the laughs... Just remember to think before talking a little more... especially around Vlad and Claire! We're almost finished and soon we will be out there in the real world... scary. Hope to work with you more (and maybe have a drink or three) with you in the future.

Have fun.

Emma and Andy

Emma and Andy are yet more members of "the iFunk crowd" (a bit like the IT crowd but with more episodes).

My first real memories of Emma and Andy stem from Nee Fest 2005 where one night rather than going down the hill to the toilets Emma decided she was tough enough to pee in the bushes as was Andy of course. So off they went and did their business and on their return Emma proudly stated that they finished together... well there's a first time for everything Andy.

Emma is one of those crazy people (I know a few of these) that is always smiling. I have only ever seen Emma annoyed once and even then she was still smiling.

Andy is one of those guys that looks like he could hurt you but wouldnt. From what I hear he is gentle and caring and generally looks after Emma pretty well.

How's this for a small world, Andy (Andrew) went to primary school with Andrea who ended up going to Uni with Emma! Weird hey.

Emma went to Thailand with Andrea which I am sooooo jealous about. If you want to see photos they are on Andrea's site.

Last but not least. As much as they might try to deny it they are next in line to have a baby.

Msg to Emma and Andy: You guys always make social events worth going to. You are both always very nice to others (even when there is no need). You WILL make great parents for next Novembers birth schedule ;). You have certainly been a welcome addition to my social life. Andy, you better keep her hidden away because a few of my friends that have seen photos have asked "Who's that? She's hot!". I havent shown them any photos of you yet maybe some of them would have the same reaction. See you at the next BBQ (*HINT Adam HINT*). Oh and you still havent invited us around for dinner by the fire place! You better do it before it gets too hot.

Have fun.

Why Geeks Are Worth It

Most of you would have seen this already but I thought it might be a good time to post it here.

My comments are in BOLD

This posting from: http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/66795671.html is kinda funny. It's told from a female point of view.

Why Geeks and Nerds Are Worth It... Date: 2005-04-03, 9:30PM PDT

In the wide world of dating, there are many options. Do you go for the flashy guy with the smooth smile, or the dude in the corner typing away on his laptop?*no I am not in a corner atm* The following are reasons why I think my fellow females should pay more attention to the quiet geeks and nerds, and less attention to the flashy boys.

1.) While geeks and nerds may be awkward, theylre well-meaning 9 out of 10 times. That smooth dude with the sly grin and the spider hands? Wonder what HIS intentions are... plus, I've never had a geek guy not call me when he said he would. Score major points THERE. *yeah I am pretty good on that front*

2.) They're useful. In this tech-savvy world, it's great to have a b/f who can make your laptop, desktop, and just about anything else that plugs into a wall behave itself. *have already made that offer to Andrea*

3.) They're more romantic than they're given credit for. Ok true, their idea of romance might be to make up a spiffy web-page with all the reasons why they love you, with links to pics of you and sonnets and such... but hey. It lasts longer than flowers, plus you can show your friends. *hahaha, blog about Andrea anyone?*

4.) Due to their neglected status, there are plenty to choose from. You like 'em tall and slender? There are plenty of geeks/nerds who are. You like 'em smaller with more meat on their bones? Got that too. *no wonder I was left at the bottom of the barrel so long*

5.) They've got brains. Come on now, how can intelligence be a bad thing? *damn straight!*

6.) Most are quite good at remembering dates. Like birthdates and such, especially if they know it?ll make you happy. Due again to their neglected status, they're more attentive than guys who 'have more options'. Plus, with all that down time without a steady girlfriend, they'll likely have mental lists of all the things they'd love to do once they GOT a girlfriend. *19/1 31/1 26/5 29/7*

7.) Sex. Yep. Sex. I'm not really familiar with this myself, but I've friends who've been intimate with geek guys and it's raves all around. They say a virgin wrote the Kama Sutra... all that time thinking about sex, imagining sex, dreaming about sex, (they are male after all) coupled with a desire to make you happy? Use your imagination. *no comment ;) *

8.) They're relatively low-maintenance. Most can be fueled on pizza, Twinkies and Mt Dew. No complicated dinners needed here, so if you're not the best cook, eh. Can you order a pizza? *sorry, I am high maintenance. I need LOTS of REAL food*

9.) Most frequent bars as often as slugs frequent salt mines. You won't have to worry much about your geek guy getting his 'groove' on with club hotties because, frankly, he'll be too busy rooting around under his computer wondering where that spare cable went. You won't have to worry about him flirting with other women because, 9 out of 10 times, he'll zip right by them in a perfect b-line towards the nearest electronics store. I've seen this happen.
Me: "Eww. Victoria Secret's Models... They're so skinny. How is that feminine? You can see her ribs!"
Geek Guy: "ooooooo..."
Me: "Hey!" *notices he is staring lustfully towards the computer store*
Geek Guy: "What?"
Me: "Never mind..."
*sorry but I do notice girls unlike some (Joel), and we all know what Adam is like!*

10.) Although he may not want to go to every outing with you, you can arrange swaps, as in, you'll go to his Gamer Con dressed as an elf princess if he'll take you to the ballet. Plus, if he doesn't want to go someplace with you, you won't have to worry much about what he's up to. You'll probably come home to find him asleep on his keyboard in a sea of Mt. Dew cans with code blinking from the screen. It's ok. He's used to this. Just toss a blanket over him and turn out the light. *already offered to do this, I am not into gameer cons though. and I generally make it into bed*

11.) His friends aren't jerks. I can't stress this enough. You'll more likely get "Omg! A GIRL!! Can I see?!" than "Hey hot stuff back that ass up here and let me get some grub on..." They're awkward geeks too and will, 9 times out of 10, treat you with the utmost respect and, more than likely, a note of awe. A cute girl picked one of their clan to date? It could happen to them! Hope! Drag some of your single girlfriends over, open up a pack of Mt. Dew, crack open the DnD set and get working. Nothing impresses geek guys more than a girl who can hack-n-slash (well ok maybe if she can code... a geek can dream). *hahaha.... soooooo true (holles). and as for the girls that can code, I can vouch for that (val and claire)*

12.) They're rarely if ever possessive. They trust you, so you can be yourself around them. You like to walk around the house in a ratty t-shirt for comfort? He won't care. He does too! They won't get pissy if you don't wear make-up or don't want to bother primping your hair. If you gain a few pounds, they won't try their best to make you feel like crap. *hahaha we have had this exact conversation!*

13.) They're usually very well educated. Physics majors and the like. See #5. You won't have to listen to him blathering on about his car (ok maybe a little) *sorry, its wrong here*, he'll have loads of other interesting things to talk about. Politics, world events, how much the chicken burgers down at the local place rock, so long as you douse them in hot sauce... *the one I had tonight was pretty good*

14.) You'll almost never have to hear, "Yaw dawg whazzap!!" plop out of their mouths. Unless it's in jest. They spell properly, use correct punctuation, and are able to tell the difference between the toilet and the floor *ADAM!!!*. They almost never get "wasted", so you won't have to worry about coming home to find him and his friends passed out on the floor amidst a pile of beer bottles. Mt. Dew cans, perhaps... *....maybe....*

15.) And the final reason why geeks and nerds make great boyfriends: They actually give a damn about you. Not how you look (though that's a plus), not how skinny you are, not how much make-up you primp yourself up with, but they like you for you. That kind of thing lasts longer than "DaMN baby you got a fine ass!!!" Believe me. *HELL YEAH I care about you Andrea! but you look damn fine too, thats a nice little bonus on the side ;) *

< END OF STUFF >

So there you have it. Andrea isn't tottaly crazy after all! Well maybe a little.

Have fun.

Nee

Well.... yeah... Nee...

How much of an effect can one person have on your life in a year? Well a hell of a lot.

But before we go into the last year lets go back to grade 1. Yes, I have known Nee that long! We both went to Bulimba State School. Nee was pretty much the Nee I know today minus the boyfriend, baby, car and alcohol. Nee cared about those around her and was always up for a laugh... nothing has changed.

Fastforward a year or 17. Luckily Nee is now a geek. I might be a slight geek myself even. Due to this I managed to find Nee on school friends and we started chatting on msn. As a result I got invited to my first ever iFunk BBQ at Nee and Adams place for Nee's 22nd birthday. The BBQ was like all good iFunk BBQ's, absoloutely awesome. As a result of the BBQ I was invited to the best ever camping trip (Nee Fest). After that there was no escaping the iFunk clan.

Nee has certainly boosted my social life by introducing me to a really cool group of people. And of course at this point I should point out that Andrea is one of Nee's Uni mates.... so big thanks needed right there.

When at trivia with Claire and Matt and Paul (and once with Dave and Carlie) there have been several questions about small island nations. My answer has always been Tonga even though it has never been right :(

Nee was the only person crazy enough to come swimming with me in the mornings at the start of this year. I hope as soon as it gets warm enough we start going again. I also planned to start going to the markets every weekend with Nee but that has had trouble getting off the ground due to my social life and lack of short term memory.

Msg to Nee: Nee you have no doubt changed my life and the lives of all those around you. We all love you and we know you love us (except for Adam ;) ). Of all the people from primary school I could have met up with again you are by far the coolest and I am glad you are the one that I found first. I wish we had never lost touch with each other and I shall endevour to make sure we never do again. We will all always look up to you and respect your opinion as you are wise beyond your years. As a result I know that Elli and any other children you have will be very well bought up and educated. Keep up the good work. Your pasta bake ROCKS! as does the rest of your cooking. I cant wait to get back into swimming. I will never forget all that you have done for me.

Have fun.

Blog Frequency

I have had several complaints about the rate at which I blog! I cant help it I am addicted. You all asked for it, now you got it. I have a lot of lost time to make up for with this thing. Deal with it.

Besides someone has to make up for all the slackers out there (Adam!).

I am just glad I get to see Andrea (that wonderful amazing girl that has brightened up my life no end) more often than most ppl update their blogs. I am just hoping that one day I will get to see her more often then I blog.

Have fun.

Dave

Dave (everyone calls him David but to me David is my father) is a member of the Mi-PAL team (the robot dogs). Dave is a second year IT student based at the Gold Coast campus.

As part of the Mi-PAL team Dave has joined in the fun that was the trips to Sydney and Bremen (Germany). The trip to Sydney was Dave's first ever time on a plane! As part of the team Dave has mainly worked on the network code and the goalie (several of them). Out of all the members of the team Dave is the most like me (sorry mate). He is the only person crazy enough to walk everywhere like I do (he let me down in Germany and left "the boss" to take up the challenge, which he gave in to, apparently walking 20 odd km around a foreign city after 36hours on aircraft was too much).

Dave almost competed in the ACM programming comp that I went in at the end of last year but pulled out because he knew he couldnt beat me ;).

Dave has been accepted into my 'inner circle' of mates by going through the usual channels of holding a BBQ and inviting me. Good work Dave. Others take note that the holding of a BBQ or other food event is a sure way to strengthen a friendship with Ed.

A blog about Dave wouldnt be complete without mention of "The Jacket". This jacket is part of the legend that is "Perfect Dave", he who can do no wrong. It would seem that putting on "The Jacket" transforms anyone such that they become irresitable. ;)

Dave is kept under control by Carlie whose birthday just happened to fall on the day we left for Germany.

Interesting trivia: Dave's Mum loves (and I mean loves) frogs. They are everywhere in her house.

Msg to Dave: You have really added a lot to the experience that I have had with the team. We have shared some really good times, and a lot of alcohol (no mention of time taken to find the toilets in the train station). I hope we keep in touch because we work well together and share a lot of interests. Tell Carlie and ya Mum I say "Hi". Last but not least lock that jacket up before it kills someone.

Have fun.

The final leg

Today I have finally started my final semester of my Ba IT.

I cant wait to graduate and earn some real money.... mainly so I can move out of home (or atleast be able to afford petrol to be able to drive about 60k a day).

This final semester I am doing Knowledge Representation, Theory of Computation, Operating Systems and Computer Communications and Networks. Should be a whole heap of fun.

Hopefully soon I will be writting a blog entry titled "congratulations Ed".... soon.... and by the time I officially graduate I should have a haircut and Andrea should have her house built and I should be back from 8 weeks in NZ. I will finally be able to start the next fascinating chapter in my life... but this one is pretty damn good right now.

EDIT: I almost forgot to mention that my first day back at uni almost ended abrutely when a crazy Tongan woman almost ran me over while I was riding home.

Have fun.

Dads 50th

Most of the past week has been spent preparing for dads 50th birthday party.

Yesterday was crunch time and everything went well despite a bit of rain. Croquet and pims with endless food followed by tennis. Everyone had a blast and we got to see people that we havent seen in ages.

Happy Birthday dad.

Have fun.

Crowy

Crowy is the nickname of Anthony Shepard. Everyone knows him as Crowy, to the point where if you talk about Anthony everyone takes a few seconds to think then says "oh Crowy...".

Crowy went to school with Glen and later worked at ACCC with Glen. Crowy has, like Glen, helped me with a lot of computer stuff over the years and has taught me a whole bunch.

Crowy is the uber geek amongst geeks. He has more harddrives than he has dollars in the bank. More processing power than you could ever need. etc.. etc.. And then of course there is the ridiculous amounts of Anime, Games, Movies, Tv Eps and "stuff".

Crowy also happens to be a bit of a bogan (dont deny it). He drives his parents VN commodore station wagon, wears ACDC shirts and has been known to have unfashionable hair styles as any true Aussie bogan does from time to time.

All in all Crowy is a good bloke, a bloody good laugh and a damn insane Quake 3 player.

Msg to Crowy: Man its been ages since we had a decent LAN. I guess it would help if I had a better computer. Thanks for all your help over the years, plenty of fond memories.

Have fun.

Glen

Where do you begin this one?

Well Glen used to live (when he was still at home) two doors down from Tim (blog to come). Glen used to be the center of a social group that Tim was part of and I started to get invited to hang out with them all just before the group imploded (it wasnt me that caused it, I swear). Anyway there was a lot of tension and stuff amongst the group and because I was sort of an outsider I wasnt too messed up with all the stuff going on. Long story short Glen and I started hanging out especially once he moved out of home just down the road from me.

Glen is the king of the geeks (except in the LAN and gaming department, Crowy pwns that one). Glen upgraded the ram on my 486 so I could play the original GTA. Glen built the only real computer I have ever bought (yes I am a geek and have only bought 1 computer and 1 laptop). Glen has worked at several computer joints over the years and has plenty of stories to tell.

Glen also owns a Celica (or what was a Celica) which we both spent countless hours working on under his house on riding road. We spent many nights just chatting away under the house playing with the car.

Because Glen was broke and we are both "waiste not want not" kinda guys when Glen moved out we made the most of council toss outs. We managed to score everything from computer monitors to tvs to dryers to printer to speaker boxes. It is amazing how cheaply we can be entertained.

I am reasonably sure that Glen is the one that started me on the jogging craze. One night with Brad we decided we should go for a jog. We only went once but I enjoyed it. I certainly know that Glen got me back into cycling after several years off the bike and for that I owe him immensly.

I couldnt write a blog abotu Glen without mentioning his driving ability. ummm how do you sum this up "INSANE". You have never seen a girly car move like this. For those of you who were wondering if the log book top speed of 155km/h for a manual 1.5L mirage was accurate... well no... apparently the correct figure is 203km/h (with a tail wind).

Some of my greatest memories of time spent with Glen have been cycling "moments". The afternoon of my 21st was spent riding down Mt Gravatt in the pouring rain at speeds which probably werent all that safe. The most memorable one was riding down from the summit of Mt Kosciusko in the pouring rain again.

Glen is the only person who was crazy enough to quit his job and travel around the Australian outback with me in the middle of summer. One day I will write a blog all about the trip.

Glen has now settled down and has a woman, a kid, a baby and all that resposibility stuff.

msg to Glen: You are the WORLDS most outgoing computer geek. Your technical knowledge of hardware has always amazed me. I dont think there are that many people that have both of these to the same level, in fact I would say it is a very rare combination of skills. I am sure you will use this to live a very happy life with your family. You have taught me soo much and shared so many great times with me. Thanks for everything mate. Tim Tam's and Ice Coffee Break to you.

Have fun.

Elli

Well little Elli (Ellianah Lily Tongia-Royle) is the beautiful little daughter of Adam and Nee. Elli is sooo cool that she already has her own blog! http://www.ifunk.net/baby/

When I first caught up with Nee again after 10years she had just found out that she was pregnant. I think I was one of the first to pick up on the subtle hints in her MSN nicknames. I got to become friends with her and Sdz as they went through the wonderful process of becoming parents. Adam and I started jogging and we were getting reasonably fit. After Elli was born Adam decided he had better things to do for some reason and we both got lazy.

Now I have had the joy of watching Elli grow on a weekly basis and seeing how happy Nee and Adam are with their little bundle of joy (and funny smells/noises).

I know that Elli will have a great life with two VERY loving parents. She is very well behaved and loves to laugh and be part of the crowd at parties.

Msg to Elli: I hope you have a fantastic life. Enjoy your years of stress free living before your tight arse father kicks you out of home as soon as he legally can ;). Dont smoke or do drugs. Dont start drinking too young, no matter how much 'peer' pressure your father puts on you. Ohh and your mum is always right... if she is not there, ask your father and invert the answer.

Have fun.

Congratulations Abby

As of the 19th of July Abby is officially graduated!

She managed to get herself (with a bit of work) a Ba Journalism & Ba Arts. Champion effort.

I cant wait to graduate. But uni is a hell of a lot of fun. If only everything in life was free we could all be students.

Have fun.

The boys night

Thanks Cam, Ricks and Adam for a great night!

The rest of you male slackers will have to make up for it next time! We are thinking of making it a regular thing. The girls do it fortnightly so we might just copy them since they are SOOO cool and all.

The next one is going to be Ricks choice of venue, maybe Ricks can drive the four of us aswell? Make it so that the venue chooser is the designated driver? Any objections? Obviously they wont be able to drive everyone but the four of us live close so it makes sense.

Details to be provided in the not to distant and you all better be there this time.

Have fun.

6 times in a minute!

WOW

Nee is like super-blogger-woman. She has just updated her blog 6 times in 1 minute.

CHECK IT OUT

Congratulations Nee. We are all here to support you... we could all be there to support you if you and Adam have another BBQ *hint*.

Have fun.

The Block

No I am not blogging about my block that I live on or a block of LEGO. I am blogging about Andrea's block of land.

Yesterday arvo I went to a team meeting down at Logan and had the brilliant idea that I could meet up with Andrea on her way home from work. I then offered to show her the little robot doggies, in return she said she would take me to her block of land.

Well the meeting finished and we started playing settlers. Claire left just before Andrea arrived so Andrea took over Claire's spot and WON (with no understanding of the game). I showed Andrea the robot's which she thought were cool (who wouldnt).

We then headed off just down the road and up the hill and saw what is still a block of dirt and rocks. Most people wouldnt find this very exciting. Andrea however was so excited (she was with me so what do you expect) and I must confess I got very excited for her.

I am also very jealous that she is building her own house! sooooooo unfair. She does deserve it though.

We then (Casey you might want a bucket) watched the sun set in the park.

Of course being a true geek I quickly returned home to jump on MSN. I told Danni that I went and saw the block and she IMMEDIATELY asked if I was moving in with Andrea..... A WEEK AND A HALF people! Technically we shouldnt know each other well enough to be mates let alone dating. Dont get me wrong I would love to live with Andrea but I thinkwe both need a little more time before we go making decisions like that. Besides the house hasnt even been started!

We know you love us Danni but our relationship cant run at 1000km/h just for you. Sorry.

Have fun.

Claire

Claire is a Multimedia/IT student at Griffith Uni in her fourth and final year. We first met in "Programming Paradigms and Languages" in semester 2 of 2005.

Shortly after starting this course I joined the Mi-Pal team and started work on the Robocup 2006 project. Claire had been on the team for some time at this stage. We didnt really work together that much and only really saw each other a couple of times before the holidays started.

Once the summer holidays were apon us the lab moved to Logan (oh we all love Logan, dont deny it) and Claire and I began to work together more. A crucial factor in the early part of our friendship was the fact that the train station was a fair walk from the lab and I had a car.

We both agreed to do an IAP project with the lab (20CP of fun and paperwork) and soon began working together 2-3 days a week (1-2 once semester proper started). We certainly have our differences when it comes to working but on a social level we get along very well.

Then of course came Germany which brought the whole team closer together and we all became great mates and have socialised a fair bit since we returned.

Well thats how I met Claire now what is she like....

Ohh dear, do I really have to explain that one. Claire is very different... but she is great.

I have given Claire the nickname "the bestest" I am not sure how it started but it stuck. To be fair she is pretty damn good. She out programs most of the guys I know (I fear she might even give me a run for my money in several areas). She has very VERY strong opinions about stuff and sticks to her guns like no one else I know. You do not want to argue with Claire mainly because she is always right but also becuase she will never EVER give in.

Claire's most notable feature is her hair. I think it looks great and she only takes like 1 minute to brush it in the morning and then it looks great! sooo jealous of that.

Claire is a very smart girl and takes no crap from anyone. As a result I think Claire has a great future infront of her and she knows it.

Msg to Claire: One day you will make a great leader. I dont know what you will be leading but it will be something/someone. Never loose your drive and motivation. Never change your hair! Most importantly of all send that damn email!

Have fun.

Guys Night

In response to the girls having their little pay day girls night thing and Nee's constant nagging that Adam needs to get out of the house I am organising a guys night.

Thursday night, 7pm The Norman at Annerly. (not the Normanby Adam!)

This might become a monthly thing if your lucky.

If everyone could drop me an email if they are keen to come so I know how many ppl to expect. We will just meet up at the entrance to the restaurant part (around the back) at 7pm.

So any guys that are reading this are invited.

Sorry girls, you already have yours.

Have fun.

Andrea

So who is this Andrea chick?

I had met Andrea a few times at several social events with Nee and Adz and she seemed like a pretty damn nice girl. I had always assumed that she had a guy on the scene because... well girls that good are never single.... thats just a rule.

In the last week of June, amongst my hectic social life, I began to wonder if I had ever had any evidence to confirm that she had a boyfriend or not. I couldnt make a call either way except for the fact that she seemed like such a nice girl who had her life well and truely sorted... not to mention the whole good looking thing she has got going on.

Nee to the rescue... randomly on the 1st of July Nee decided to announce that she had been talking about me with the girls... 'knowing' that these girls, all very VERY good looking (you guys rock), all had boyfriends I jokingly said 'any hot single girls'.... and Nee's response was 'Andrea...'. Its a pity that this chair is so hard to fall off or the story might be more interesting. Needless to say I was shocked (and plesently suprised).

I had been looking for a girl for about the past 1.5years after getting sick of being single in first year. That was until my new financial year resoloution that I could survive being single til the end of my degree as this would make more sense. So having just decided that I didnt want to start a relationship (like within a few hours) here I am talking to Nee getting a lecture on how perfect Andrea and I would be together. Why I didnt decide to remain single earlier is beyond me but if I had to do it over I would do it exactly the same so that I got to go out with Andrea again. Hell I would go another 2.5years of being single if I had to.

So Andrea and I did the only thing you can do these days and started chatting on msn just before a BBQ on Sunday the 2nd. We went to the BBQ and chatted a little and eventually ended up sitting next to each other on the couch 'playing' poker (that is a reference to cheating at poker you dirty minded people). Then Andrea left before we really got to talk.

We continued to chat on msn and get to know each other a bit better for a few days and I decided I was going camping. I started asking around to find other takers and noone was keen except for Andrea but she had to meet her builder to approve something to do with her house (i am getting to that). I got back from camping at lunch time on Sat 8th, parked the car, walked inside without unpacking anything, went to my computer, signed into msn and invited Andrea around for dinner. She said yes and the rest is all history.

So here I am with a girlfriend again... scary for those of you that have only known me as single Ed. Oh and I have finally found a girlfriend that might actually be suited to me. She is in the process of building her own house, she has a full time job that she loves, she has a social life, she has a car and ....drum roll....SHE CAN ACTUALLY DRIVE!!!. I was soo happy when I got in the passenger seat of her car and felt comfortable. We have a ridiculous number of little things in common, we have our differences too but we agree on all the important things.

Well if you want to know more about the coolest sweetest nicest cutest sexiest smartest.....etc... girl in the world GO HERE.

Only 7 more hours til I get to see her and get a big hug. I am sure you will hear plenty more about her in the not too distant.

Msg to Andrea: You have certainly made a HUGE impact to my life in a very very good way. It feels like we have known each other for ages already. I hope to spend a lot more time with you getting to truely know you. See you this arvo. *big hugs*

Have fun.

The people you will hear about

Who are all these damn people that Ed keeps talking about?

Well I decided I had to come up with a fair way of starting to tell you all about my mates. Since you dont all know each other I figured I would write a blog on each person/couple/group so you can get to know these people that keep popping up in my stories. The only fair thing was to draw names out of a hat but being a programmer I couldnt be bothered finding a hat and used a compiler instead.

The following is the first randomization that came out. This is the list I came up with off the top of my head of the people that I can tell you about. If anyone is reading this and isnt on the list please let me know and I will generate a number for you and add you to the list. If you dont want to be blogged about tell me.

{189=claire, 503=elli, 612=glen, 673=crowy, 846=dave, 943=nee, 965=emma and andy, 1077=matt, 1085=joel fenwick, 1441=mark and brooke, 1483=helen, 1513=val, 1863=lara, 2220=the schache family, 2740=casey, 3150=the watson family,3195=adam royle, 3374=bek, 3432=stu, 3579=danni and rob, 3614=the narloch family, 3738=uni mates, 3760=robbie, 3895=cam, 3953=the schacher family, 4137=shobbz, 4167=tim and maddy, 4481=holles, 4824=andrea, 4876=ricks, 4954=abby and gordon}

Clearly I will have to start using my own numbering system where 4824 comes before anything else, but other than that the order looks like a good mix to me. Any objections to rolling with this order?

I better start writting about Claire aka "The Bestest" but I am pretty sure the one about Andrea might take me a while to write....

Have fun.

p.s. Casey: now your more special than Jo because you have been given a number and since I dont know anything about Jo and Jason they miss out.... for now.

My wonderful bike

While I had a great time at Noosa on Tuesday morning (today) I woke up and really wish I had taken my bike.... so I thought I would fill you all in on the story of my 29'er

What do you expect? I ride the damn thing nearly every day. Of course you are going to hear about it.

Back in my first year of uni (2004) I was riding to and from uni and work on my old KHS dual suspension mountain bike. I was doing about 400-500k a week on a bike that weighs about 25-30kg. NOT FUN.

I made the decision that it was time to buy a decent bike at long last. I was looking at a road bike but after talking to Marty at Planet Cycles got talked into getting a Hybrid of sorts. The bike he recommened for me was a Gary Fisher 29'er Utopia.

Well after a few months of thinking about it I finally ordered myself a $2000 bike. The only problem... there were none in Australia :( and no stock in the states :(.

After 10.5months of pain and suffering on my old bike waiting for my new one Marty rang me and told me they had a Fisher 29'er in but it was the model above the one I was looking at getting. I went in for a test ride and fell in love instantly. I had to have it.

So that is the short story of how I ended up with my Montare. I have now done about 15,000km on it and it has only had one service (i should take it in for another) and I havent had any dramas with it except for the brake pads I killed.

My advice to anyone looking for a bike is to go talk to Marty because he did a great job for me and cut me a VERY sweet deal after waiting for my bike to show up.

Well that is enough blogging time to go for a ride.

Have fun.

Nooooooooosa

Well I have just returned home from an awesome weekend at Noosa... despite the rain.

I headed up Thursday and had a nice peaceful day. Friday morning I jogged out to the beach and did a bit of wandering around before it started to rain. Andrea showed up at 5:50 on Friday and we went for another walk along the river and got fish and chips for dinner which we enjoyed on the couch with a few drinks.

Saturday morning we headed into the Eumundi markets and ate lots of yummy food and met up with Adam, Nee and Elli and did a little bit of cruising around the markets. We then went back to the unit to sit around eating cheese and junk food and drinking and talking which continued right through to dinner. Emma, Danni and Rob joined us for this junk food and chatting.

Adam managed to pull off another fantastic BBQ and the girls did one of those salad things.

Sunday morning we all slept in but because Adam slept in we didnt get our breakfast in bed. The rain finally cleared up so we went down to the river for lunch then all them lot left me all alone :(

Monday the weather still couldnt make its mind up but I went for a swim at the beach anyway followed by ice cream :)

This morning the weather was back to being great and sunny so after cleaning up I went for another swim and icecream before cruising home to check my email.

It was a truely awesome weekend thanks to all those wonderful mates of mine. Its a pity that Abby and Gordon and Andy couldnt make it but we survived without them.

Thanks guys. There will be more of these trips so keep your ears to the ground and your eyes on my blog.

Have fun (I know I did).

Congratulations Val

Val just recieved word that she has successfully graduated with this email:

"Hello Valerie  
Your graduation status has been assessed as Approved and you 
are now eligible to graduate. 
Congratulations on successfully completing your studies."

Well done Val, if you were still in the country I would drvie/ride to your place and give you a massive hug. Unfortunately the ocean going status of my hilux is still under assessment.

Oh and for those of you who havent picked up on it yet Val == Compmouse.

And as a side note Adam came jogging again today.... I think I have him hooked. Also I am about to leave for Noosa and it is just over 32hours to go until Andrea gets there :)

Have fun.

Tim and Maddy's place

I just returned from dinner with Tim and Maddy at their new place... thats right Tim is out of home. My first thought when he said he was moving out was "how on earth can you leave your mothers cooking". As it turns out Maddy has a pretty damn good grasp of things in the kitchen.

The place is in an awesome spot in coorparoo and is a two 'bedroom' (aka 1 bedroom, 1 bikeroom) apartment that has a sweet kitchen. They seem pretty well set up and seem to be loving the freedom.

Ohhh how I long for freedom... if only I had a job.

Well good luck to them and I hope they continue to enjoy it. And thanks heaps for dinner :)

Have fun.

Politicians suck

Ok well you all already knew that but what can we do about it right?

What if we didnt elect ppl for three years that make all our decisions for us? What if we had a say in all the issues we want to have a say in directly? But surely to do that we would need an efficient communication medium that everyone has that can handle masses of information..... oh hang on.... there is that electronic interweb thing..... thus the idea begins.

What if all citizens were given a log in to a government run website that is well designed (hahaha, did i just say that?). This website would be used to publish current issues that would normally be presented to parliment. Everyone can vote on the issues that they care about and ignore the ones they dont care about. No more compulsary voting. No more rocking up without any ID and getting your name marked off by a complete stranger that wouldnt know if you were Mr Blogs or Mr Smith. No more having to choose between 3-4 ppl that you dont agree with... I mean what are the chances that you will have a candidate that will agree with your point of view on every issue for 3 years?

So what do you guys think? Too revoloutionary? Surely if any country in the world is in a good posistion to do it we are. We have half decent internet coverage around the country and we are a fairly young nation with a strong technology section.

Do you think we would have sent troops to Iraq if we had this system? What else do you think would be different if it came down to a true majority rules situation. Would there be chaos? Would the quality of life increase?

Have fun.

******************************* * COMMENTS FROM MSN * *******************************
Yeah, I think it's a great idea, however obviously there is a need for: - unbiased political information - we need to inform the public what the real details are, otherwise people are voting based on propaganda - spam-proofing (validate drivers licence number?) - sms voting (how cool would that be??) - better education in public schools :)
12 July 5:25 PM	Published by: Adz
Some related links, speaks about QUT in Brisbane pioneering some shit. http://wiki.media-culture.org.au/index.php/E-Democracy_-_E-Voting_-_Online http://www.communities.qld.gov.au/community/publications/documents/pdf/edemocracypolicyframework.pdf
12 July 8:22 PM	Published by: Adz
I just wrote a comment on here and my computer just stuffed up and deleated it!!!! :( Anyway...here is what i wrote....as much of what i can remember anyway. I think this is a great idea. I HATE voting. I hate the fact that you have to take time out of your day to go to a school (on a saturday - which you really don't want to do when you have been at one all week) to go and line up and vote for one of many people that you have no idea what they stand for. I don't follow election campaigns becasue as far as i'm concerned no political party is going to make decisions that i agree on all of the time. At some stage every political party is going to screw me over in one way or another. I would defenatly use this idea....I would much prefer to vote on the issues that i actually have an opinion on and leave someone else to figure out the things that i don't really care about!
12 July 8:24 PM	Published by: Andrea!!!
I don't mind voting at a polling booth, mainly cause it's usually very quick and I can fit it in quite easily. However, my technique for choosing who I am going to vote for is not so scientific. I usually go for the ugliest, most unattractive politician. I feel the need for unbiased political information is much needed. Most of the shit that is shown on TV is about slandering the opposition. Surely there's a better way??
12 July 9:37 PM	Published by: Adz
There's a lot wrong with this solution, it's like communism, sounds good in theory but not in practice. While it's true that no one person will be able to speak for everyone on every issue think about this, have you ever been in a situation where you have a group of say, 3 or more people trying to agree upon out where to go for dinner or anything really; not pretty. And that's just for simple stuff, not stuff that's closer to home like say water issues or taxes. --------------------------------------------------------- "I mean what are the chances that you will have a candidate that will agree with your point of view on every issue for 3 years?" Ok, well there's a problem here too, if everyone votes the vote probably won't go the way you want every time either. --------------------------------------------------------- Third problem, Internet voting. A large majority of the population of Australia isn't young and many of those people aren't comfortable using a computer. There's another portion that's not "connected" which means you would be excluding those people who don't have the ability to access the Internet either because lack of physical means or lack of skills. Most people are creatures of habit and familiarity, make too drastic a change and it will simply fall apart. P.S. I'm really beginning to dislike this blog format. I don't know what messed up javascript Microsoft is using in here but it said that my entire reply wasn't there in the textbox even though it was.
13 July 12:47 AM	Published by: Compmouse
I was waiting for something along the lines of Stu's "in theory communism works" saying. Yeah I know it is a far fetched idea but I think you will find that a large majority of Aussies have internet skills. Libraries could have special terminals that are idiot proof just for the purpose. Re: the ID issues. I was thinking tax file numbers. Re: the dislike of the blog. yes I know, I will write a proper one myself... one day.. Re: better education in public schools. Yeah I think teachers (especially music teachers in primary schools) are worth sooo much more than what they get paid. Maybe if they were not such party animals they would be even better ;) Re: "Ok, well there's a problem here too, if everyone votes the vote probably won't go the way you want every time either." its not about it going "MY" way (even though that is clearly the best) it is about it going the way that the majority actually wants. Is that not what a democracy is about. How many people do you know that think "yeah I love paying this much tax so we can have troops in Iraq" (yes I know Canada said no but that is just my point, the majority of Australians said no but there isnt anything WE can do about it, other than pay for them to kill people). Re: "I think this is a great idea." YAY, i am glad you do because you are going to have to put up with a whole heap of wacky ideas that come out of my head. You're fantastic. Re: "... messed up javascript Microsoft is using...." DONT use IE. if it doesnt work in your silly firefox then use Opera... give in to the dark side.... it may cause you problems at the pearly gates but in the mean time it will work for every website in the world other than learning@GU. Are you having fun yet?
13 July 9:43 AM	Published by: Ed
Ed said: "I was waiting for something along the lines of Stu's "in theory communism works" saying." Oi! And what exactly is the first line of first reply? Chopped liver?
14 July 5:45 AM	Published by: Compmouse
That is what i meant Val... i waited til you said that to post a reply... good work
18 July 2:48 PM	Published by: Ed
What?
19 July 2:38 AM	Published by: Compmouse

Adam did it again!

OMG. I tried to drag Adam out jogging again this morning and after trivia i decided to make it 7:30 instead. Adam rang me just before 7 telling ME to hurry up!.

I think there must be something wrong with him..... well more so then usual.

If anyone else feels like jogging around Bulimba in the mornings let me know.

Have fun.

******************************* * COMMENTS FROM MSN * *******************************
Oh my god! there is something wrong with him!!!!
12 July 3:58 PM	Published by: Andrea!!!
Mmm.... there is something wrong with me. Who wants to guess what it is? No, I'm not going to supply "before and after shots"....
12 July 5:27 PM	Published by: Adz
Eyah, I'll jog with ya. Im my dreams when I'm still sleeping.
13 July 10:57 PM	Published by: Ricks

Greek Food and Trivia

Today i resisted buying a new lcd tv and instead dragged Adam out of bed at 7am to go jogging.... and *drum roll* HE ACTUALLY DID IT. I must admit my fitness was a little lacking compared to when we used to go but it was a good way to start the day.

Then came time to go to Claire's place (Robocup team member/uni mate, front and center in the picture of the four ppl). Claire, Matthew (back center in the pic) and I did a little shopping then had a greek food day. We had zucchini fritters and dip, halloumi cheese, other cheese and greek sweets. We also made stuffed capsicums but were too full by the time they were ready. I wore my Toronto t-shirt and as a result all the food was awesome.

The t-shirt was given to me by Val, a mate from uni. She is a great cook (not that she ever made me anything :( ) and was present at Pinyari when Claire and I decided to have a Greek day.

Following this was trivia at Morningside services club which was great fun yet again.

I will be neglecting the blog while i am at Noosa with Andrea and those other people i hope you all understand and can survive.... the good news there is that Emma and Andy are going to come up :) YAY. To those that werent invited this time there will be more weekends up there but you cant all fit in there at the same time. sorry.

Well time for me to go to bed ready for another morning jog...

Have fun.

******************************* * COMMENTS FROM MSN * *******************************
*stops shivering* OK, now I've got my "Ed fix" I can continue on with my work. Oh yeah, sleep is good too.
11 July 10:35 PM	Published by: Adz
LOL I'm glad the t-shirt is being of some use to you. :D I have to say though, this MSN Spaces thing... why MSN spaces?? I have to open it up in IE just to comment properly! *tsk* I would have thought that you of all people would have chosen something more... I dunno... Googlish? Say, blogger perhaps as a first go? Oh well.
11 July 11:53 PM	Published by: Compmouse
It works in Firefox for me... however I think a homegrown solution (like http://ifunk.net/ for example) is much cooler and almost manditory for a real nerd.
12 July 7:58 PM	Published by: Adz

blogging at last

Ok so a few people have been hassling me to start the whole blogging thing and since my mates dont update theirs often enough i have nothing better to do. That and Andrea told me i HAD to.

So i guess in my first blog entry thing i should tell you all what is going on in my life atm. I am 1 semester off finishing my bachelor of IT, I am still contemplating selling my wonderful hilux, i have agreed to get a haircut after my final exam at the end of the year, i am planning to cycle around New Zealand for 8 weeks to celebrate the completion of my degree and i plan to do honours next year...... there was something else but it slips my mind at this point in time........ oh yeah..... some chick named Andrea (or something) thinks i am kinda ok.

In all seriousness Andrea is fantastic and we are 'together' but i havent quite got round to actually asking her out (which has to be done just so that Nee, Emma and most importantly Danni can have something concrete to gossip about). I even changed my status on here from single to "in a relationship". It is scary after all this time to be in a relationship especially one that feels so right it isnt funny. I will write a full blog about Andrea at a later date but since she is the one that wanted me to write this she probably doesnt want to read about herself all day. *big hug* out to you Andrea... and i guess the other three girls mentioned above can have one too for their 'assistance' in the forming of our relationship.

I am finally getting back into jogging and cycling after 6 months of being busy with Uni and Robocup. Adam is still as lazy as ever which doesnt help.

This weekend I am going to Noosa with Andrea, Nee, Elli and Adam. Hopefully Danni and Rob will be there on Saturday, Abby and Gordon are planning to visit, Tim and Maddy might come up, Emma and Andy havent responded, Ricks cant make it and ihave just told Cam. Most of these people (other than Tim and Maddy) are people I have met via Nee and her Ifunk crowd. Other people I have met via this group include: Casey, Jo and Jason, Ash and Debs, Cinda, Courtney, Dave and many many more cool people.

As many of you know i was recently in Germany for Robocup 2006 in Bremen (where they make Becks). It was a lot of fun and i will probably post a blog entry about that too. Claire, David, Matthew, Stuart, Hugo and Vlad all added their own little something to the experience. Not to mention all the other members of the other teams, NUbots and rUNSWift (the other Aussie teams,1st and 2nd) in particular, along with the German Team and Dutch Aibo for the night at the micro brewery, and Hamburg dogbots for their support. More on that later.

Before all the Robocup madness, and indeed before i met all the Ifunk gang I was trying to catch up with old mates from primary school. I have kept in touch with Tim and I still occasionally see Emma but other than that I have been out of touch until I made the effort to find people. The first person I found has certainly had an amazing effect on my life and I owe her SOOOOO much thanks for everything. I am of course talking about Nee. The other people I have managed to track down (with Nee's help and the help of the other people I have caught up with) are: Travis, Michael, Robbie, Manda, Maria and Rory (I hope I didnt forget anyone). I cant wait to find more people and start actually meeting them again after more than 10 years.

I have also been keeping in touch with Lara and Bek from high school and we are planning to track down Chevelle and catch up again. I have also emailed some other people to see if we can organise a get together.

As much as I would love to mention all my mates in my first blog I think if I covered all the LAN people I know and my Uni mates and all the misc other people in my life the blog would be huge. Then I would have to start on my family.

I think for my following blog entries i might mention more about my life (past present and future) but I am also willing to take suggestions from the audience (YOU) about what i should write about (no i will not write about my new LCD TV).

Well Andrea is getting impatient and dinner is ready so that'll do ya for now.

Love you's all.

Have fun.

******************************* * COMMENTS FROM MSN * *******************************
YAY!!!!! I'm impressed! First of all...*hugs* back to you as well. Thanks from me to the girls as well...especially Nee with her VERY OBVIOUS matchmaking...she didn't think it was but it was! I'm looking forward to meeting all of these people that you have mentioned. Except for the ones that I already know! And I'm defenatly looking forward to Noosa!!! :)
10 July 8:22 PM	Published by: Andrea!!!
WOO-HOO I got a mention! :)
10 July 8:44 PM	Published by: Casey B
FINALLY!!!
10 July 8:58 PM	Published by: Adz
Well done on the blog Ed... 'bout time too... Andrea - Being OBVIOUS, have OBVIOUSLY worked, so OBVIOUSLY that makes me the coolest OBVIOUS person in the world! :P PS - Enough with the hugs... get a room already... hehehehe :P Seriously... I'm happy for you both... Have fun! Love Née x x x
10 July 9:04 PM	Published by: Nee
it's now tuesday and there's no update
11 July 1:43 PM	Published by: Cameron
I suggest you update your blog - you're already slacking off! Now everyone can see why I hardly ever go running. Slacker cracker!
11 July 3:21 PM	Published by: Adz
Yeah Ed! although i am glad that you have finally blogged, i am also hoping that you and Andrea will be too busy loving each other's company that BOTH of you wont have much time to blog.. but still enough to respond to the ones i post on my site! :) PS. I dont gossip- i chat! hehe.. PPS. Still dont know about Noosa.. am begging Rob to try and get it off. PPPS. Did Andrea mention she was first up for babysitting when Bub gets here.. that includes you too now... just letting you know! :)
11 July 4:42 PM	Published by: Dannii
I do believe this is a family blog. NO SEX NOISES PLEASE! nah kidding, type as much filth as ure mind can conjure up!
11 July 5:40 PM	Published by: Ricks
C'mon Ed, I think we've all waited long enough for your next entry!
11 July 6:39 PM	Published by: Adz
Ed, you MUST send me a pic of you after you get your hair cut, I'm so excited to see what it looks like and to hear about what you think of it. But it's a long semester ahead of you so good luck, not that you need it, I know you'll do great. And congrats on starting your own blog, I'll just aggregate this and then I'll always know when you update! :D I'm glad to hear you're having such a good time!
11 July 11:48 PM	Published by: Compmouse
I got a comment too Casey, ur not so special :P
13 July 4:30 PM	Published by: Jo