Tall Guy Talks

Just one more message

2011-04-08T23:22:00.004+10:00

Hi! This is Gye Greene, not Tall Guy. TG is off on walkabouts, and he asked me to take control of his blog (there's been some tacky comments on some of the postings, so he gave me his login; for convenience, I've merged his blog in to my Google account).

TG will come back eventually -- I presume! ;)

Meanwhile, I'm still blogging here.

ADDENDUM: Hm! By adding TG's blog to my roster, it's labelled all his old posts as being from me. Ah well; whatever.

--GG

The entry which is not an entry

2006-11-28T16:36:00.000+10:00

Dear Readers,

As you have no doubt noticed, I have been incredibly in-active in regards to posting entries to my blog. My last entry was in late April of this year; it is now late November.

I could have posted entries, simply out of a sense of obligation. But, that is hardly the point of maintaining a blog, is it?

If I am inspired at a later date -- particularly when Gye Greene finishes his Dissertation, and we can once again engage in hijinks (musical, or otherwise) -- I will likely resume posting.

Until then... watch this space. On a quarterly basis, I suppose. ;)

--GG

Very short ''political orientation'' quiz

2006-04-28T10:19:00.000+10:00

GG's dad sent this to several of us. It is a very short (ten items) self-diagnostic quiz, to determine where you are along two dimensions: Liberal/Conservative and Libertarian/Government Intervention.

I found myself fairly far along the ''Liberal'' end of the spectrum, and balanced between Libertarian and Government Intervention tendencies.

The quiz is here: http://www.self-gov.org/quiz.html

--TG

Political ''Conservatives''

2006-04-28T10:03:00.000+10:00

Under the American political system, the term ''Conservative'' is a bit of a misnomer, as one who was truly conservative would also be consistent in their views and behaviors, across all subjections. Or at least, one would think so.

I found this quote to be very insightful:

Why is it that [Conservative] lawmakers are gung-ho for personal responsibility and government abstinence when it comes to healthcare, welfare, and minimum-wage laws -- but they can't vote "aye" fast enough when it comes to intrusively legislating morality?

Its original context is here.

--TG

Reasonably good movie

2006-04-17T10:21:00.000+10:00

Last night we rented the movie ''Fever Pitch''. In brief, Drew Barrymore plays a workaholic thirty-year-old, and Jimmy Fallon plays a thirty-something who is an extremely nice, very sweeet guy. The question arises: Why is he still available? What is wrong with him?

The answer is that he is obsessed with baseball.

Although it was billed as a ''romantic comedy'', it was not particularly funny. Although there were a few amusing moments, there were very few laugh-out-loud moments.

That said, it was a reasonably sweet movie, and reasonably enjoyable. It was a ''pretty good'' movie, and was in no way a ''stinker''. Thus, it was worth getting if you are at the video rental store and can't think of anything else. It might be of particular interest to those who are particularly enamoured with baseball.

--TG

Gadget for Gye Greene?

2006-04-13T10:16:00.000+10:00

Although the LED is blue, not green, I still believe that Gye Greene would appreciate this:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/gear/8122/

For US$15, I think the price is very reasonable. :)

--TG

Missed the date

2006-04-06T10:05:00.000+10:00

Well, that is sad: I missed the one-year anniversary of starting this blog. I just now went back and checked, and my first entry was on 6 March, 2005.

Ah well: 6 April can be my ''1+1'' anniversary -- one year, plus one month. :)

--TG

A change in the weather

2006-04-03T21:26:00.000+10:00

After a few days of being pleasantly cool, the weather has reverted -- temporarily, we hope -- to warmer than comfortable.

The last few days were largely overcast, punctuated by drizzle. Sunday was the exception, with some warmth.

Today began cool, but by 10am was warm, verging on hot.

It is nearly 9:30 at night, and is 82F (27C) indoors.

As I say: warmer than we would like. And, no breeze.

--TG

Guerrilla antismoking

2006-04-02T18:41:00.000+10:00

Gye Green, The Lady, and The Kid went to the local shopping centre to run a few errands. Unusually, I came with.

While The Lady and The Kid were eating in the food court -- The Lady has a sentimental attachment to McDingo's breakfasts -- GG and I nipped out to a printing shop located on the exterior of the shopping mall. We were curious as to their prices for printing a *.jpg onto a t-shirt.

As we left the mall entrance we noticed three males, perhaps twelve to fourteen years of age, sitting on a bench and sharing a cigarette between themselves. The printing shop was immediately to the right of the bench, and closed on Sundays.

As we returned to the mall entrance, GG made alternating eye contact with each of the boys and asked, ''You do know that that stuff is bad for you, don't you?'' ''Huh?'' one of the boys replied.

''Smoking's bad for you. You know that, right?'' GG elaborated, as we continued to walk past. The boys mumbled something, and continued -- presumably -- to continue sharing the cigarette.

GG and I discussed his behaviour on the way back to the food court. He said that he didn't fully expect to change their behavior by ''calling them out''. At the same time, he did not feel that he could say nothing -- and, by allowing a behavior to continue without comment, tacitly approving. He says that if people do not comment against wrongs, then people will not realize that others disapprove, and thus continue their behaviour.

He acknowledged, however, that there is a time and a place. We saw those three young males, intentionally -- or ignorantly, in the felt invulnerability of youth -- shortening their lifespan even as their wide potential lay in front of them. Apparently, he felt that this was a worthy time and place.

Seeing these young people smoking made me sad.

Later in the day, we say a trio of teenaged males secretly -- so we thought -- distributing cigarettes among themselves. Again, GG commented on it to them.

What causes people to smoke? GG says there is a fair body of research on this, and one of the largest predictors is simply having parents who smoke. Unfortunately, this obscures whether it is some biological tendency, learned or socialized behavior, or a combination of the two. But certainly, it must be hard for parents to convince their teens to not smoke, when seeing adults smoke has been a normal and natural part of their youth.

I used to think that people who smoke were either ignorant, gullible, or weak. Although I think that still holds true to some extent, it is also consistent with what GG told me: that most adults who smoke, began as teens or before. Indeed: teens can often be ignorant and gullible. And they can be weak -- not having fully developed the level of resolve that they will have as adults.

The more cynical would say that it is simply Darwinian. Technically, it is not truly Darwinian, as they will likely reproduce before dying from conditions related to smoking.

In all, seeing anyone smoke -- in particular, people who are kind to others -- makes me sad.

--TG

Trigital technology

2006-03-29T10:18:00.000+10:00

Last night GG and I were talking about the idea of basing digital technology on trigital, rather than digital, states. (That is, instead of two-state, on/off, zero/one, having a three-state, high/low/off.)

This might take a little more power than current, binary-based digital technology, as there would have to be sufficieinet range between the ''high'' and ''low'' states to leave room for a ''low'' state. But, you could arguably fit 50% more data onto the same amount of physical space.

I am not sure how charges or states are currently stored. Conceptually, however, if magnetized particles are currently oriented either towards or away from a reference point, a third, ''in-between'' state could be oriented tangental to the reference point.

Or, if they are currently in line versus across, the third ''in-between'' state could be at an angle: as in ''_'' versus ''|'', and the new state would be ''\''.

The new terminology would be ''trinary'' rather than ''binary'', and ''trigital'' rather than ''digital''. In addition, instead of ''bits'' and ''bytes'', they could be ''trits'' and ''trytes''.

Remember: You heard it here first! :)

--TG

Gentle Ralphie

2006-03-28T09:42:00.000+10:00

We are very lucky to have such a gentle dog in the house -- particularly as there is a young child who lives here. Over the last week or two, The Kid has taken a particular interest in helping to feed Ralphie.

For her age, she is remarkably strong. She can lift the nearly-full plastic tub of dog food, which is as large as her torso. GG removes the lid for her, and she now can almost scoop the food into Ralphie's dog bowl by herself.

Last night, she was squatting next to Ralphie's dog food bowl as he was eating. She would reach in, next to his frantically-eating mouth, and pull out a piece of dog food. She would show it to us, say something in Baby, then replace it -- then remove another piece of food. Some dogs might have growled, or nipped; Ralphie just kept eating.

He has a few faults -- including the destroying of ''used'' socks that fall on the floor and left unattended. But at least he is very good with The Kid.

--TG

News unreality

2006-03-27T21:41:00.000+10:00

During a commercial break during a television show tonight, a news announcer came on with a brief news update. He noted several things of importance, with one sentence each. His last sentence was that some rookie racecar driver had been killed that day. Then he said -- with a smile -- ''Enjoy the rest of your night.''

That just seemed wrong to say that.

I'll bet that guy's parents won't be enjoying the rest of their night.

--TG

I still exist

2006-03-27T13:20:00.000+10:00

I apologize for not having posted any blog entries as of late. Unfortunately, I have not done much of interest.

GG and The Lady are still waiting for news on their house plans; construction being completed by July or August is appearing less likely.

And, the weather is definitely cooling down: both GG and myself have worn long pants, not shorts, for the past three(?) days. :)

--TG

Ow!

2006-03-20T12:50:00.000+10:00

While opening a can of baby food for Gye Greene -- he was about to feed The Kid -- I cut myself on the lid.

That hurt!

Upon reflection, I have not cut myself -- at least, not to the extent that I needed a bandage -- since I moved to Australia.

Fortunately, I posess excellent clotting ability.

--TG

Land grant

2006-03-11T10:47:00.000+10:00

Last night after dinner Gye Greene and I were talking about household chores when we were children. I mentioned that I had disliked yardwork -- particularly weeding -- as a child. GG suggested that perhaps it was it was not my plants that I was weeding, but rather those selected by my parents. I agreed with his insight.

Based on this, GG decided that when his child is old enough to understand, he will give her a small little area of the yard, to do with as she wishes: plant a vegetable garden, grow a rosebush, plant a tree or two, or whatever. Perhaps fence it in; maybe build a park bench; to mow, or to not mow. Simply... whatever.

It would probably begin as a small area -- perhaps two feet by two feet (1m x 1m) -- and expand as the child's abilities -- and vision -- expand.

GG conjectures that it might provide a sense of territory, and maybe build responsibility, and/or an enjoyment of gardening: it's your plants -- which you chose, bought with your allowance, planted and watered.

And: he says that since I live here, but am in ''permanent houseguest'' status, might I like a small piece of land, as well?

I would. :)

And thus, am looking forward even more to completion of the new house.

--TG

Air drums on e-bay

2006-03-09T13:39:00.000+10:00

This came up among the results of one of my automated e-bay searches.: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7395721204&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1

I have seen ''air guitar'' ads on e-bay, but this is the first ''air drum set'' auction I have seen.

The ''Q & A'' section of his auction is moderately humorous, as well.

--TG

Inter-dependency of people

2006-03-05T12:54:00.000+10:00

This is one of those touching parables that get sent around by e-mail. However, this one I liked enough to post to my blog. :)

This could be applied to global warming, as well as other world situations that begin as local problems.

--TG

The Thread in our lives

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.

"What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning. "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it ."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured, you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of mousetrap catching its prey.

The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught.

The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with the farmer around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember -- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

Doggie photo

2006-02-28T10:44:00.000+10:00

Can one post too many doggie photos to one's blog? I think not.

My life is peaceful and uneventful at the moment. I suppose that is a good thing. :)

--TG

More gift music

2006-02-25T10:40:00.000+10:00

Gye Greene has been playing the Devo cover of Nine Inch Nails' ''Head Like a Hole'' fairly frequently over the last few weeks. I may, or may not, have mentioned that we have decided to cover this song.

This morning, I found myself singing it, and realized that it would make an excellent candidate for our ''gift music'' concept album.

I can already foresee the shape it would take. It would have several distorted electric guitar parts, but -- due to our self-imposed limitations --no synthesizers. Any basslines would be performed on the piano, which would actually work well and give the song some power. And the drums we would be ''allowed'' to use would be a rack tom, a floor tom, and a kick drum -- all very ''lower-octave'' and thus powerful -- but also potentially cluttered and indistinct. The ride cymbal will add some distinction, but it will also have to serve as a crash: to prevent ''choking'' the ring-through, we will have to track the two roles separately.

This will be an interesting challenge. Hopefully, the end result will be enjoyable, rather than just the result of an intellectual and artistic exercise.

This will take place when GG finishes his Dissertation, of course. :)

--TG

Illusion website

2006-02-23T10:57:00.000+10:00

This is from today's edition of an e-mail newsletter called "This is True'', to which I subscribe.

''BONZER WEB SITE OF THE WEEK: http://www.2loop.com/3drooms.html -- 3D Painted Rooms. This page, on a site essentially filled with time- wasting fun stuff, is simply cool: seemingly nonsensical interior paint jobs suddenly pop into very sensical patterns when you look at them from the exact right spot, sometimes looking as if the *air* in front of you is painted. It's how I wish I was able to paint my room when I was a kid.''

Just so you know, they say that: SUBSCRIPTIONS to "This is True" are free at http://www.thisistrue.com

--TG

Strange public toilet

2006-02-20T10:40:00.000+10:00

Gye Greene's sister e-mailed with this interesting public toilet in Switzerland. It is apparently part of some art installation.

Essentially, the cubicle or mini-building is out on the sidewalk, and consists of one-way glass: people can not see in -- but you can see out (as you are sitting on the toilet). Creepy.

http://www.snopes.com/photos/arts/toilet.asp

The rhetorical(?) question asked is ''Could you use this toilet?''

--TG

Amusing newspaper ad

2006-02-18T10:03:00.000+10:00

One of the local liquor store chains is called ''Liquor Land''. This name always amuses me: it sounds like a seedy amusement park from a ''Simpsons'' episode. (''Ooh -- Marge!!! Liquor Land!!!'')

This advertisement was in yesterday's newspaper. Notice that it gives 20c off on gasoline -- when you buy SIX OR MORE BOTTLES OF WINE!!!

Somehow, a liquor store offering discounts on gasoline with your purchase seems... wrong. Somehow it seems like it is contributing to drunk driving.

Related to that, several ''bottle shops'', as they are called here, offer a ''drive-through'' service. Again, that seems... wrong.

But also, darkly amusing.

--TG

Gift music

2006-02-15T10:32:00.000+10:00

Last night GG and I went out to pick up a pizza. On our way there, we re-explored the idea of writing some songs using only instruments which were received as gifts. In the past, we have considered doing this with a song or two, but upon discussion we feel we could create an album's worth of songs -- eventually.

This would be consistent with the fine tradition of artists imposing arbitrary constraints as a means of maintaining their interest, providing a challenge, and perhaps breeding innvation.

In order to maintain the quality of the songs, we would build this album parallel to our regular output. Rather than composing simply for the sake of filling up the album with songs performed with gift instruments, we would generally go about our usual musical endeavors. If a song we write seems suitable for implementing with ''gift instruments'', we would do so. Of course, we would also, on occassion, attempt to develop songs solely with gift instruments. We will have to keep a tally of which songs developed through which process.

Gye Greene keeps a list of all his musical instruments, including where and when he acquired them, and their cost. For our purposes, ''gifts'' would essenteially mean ''free''; they would not necessarily have to be acquired through birthdays or Christmas.

On this basis -- and without GG consulting his list -- we'd have access to a piano (bought with wedding gift money, plus some money from GG's sister's estate), a Chinese stringed instrument, a balalaika, a melodica, some meditation chimes, a kick drum, a rack tom, a floor tom, and a ride cymbal. Ah! -- and GG's white ''mirror ball'' guitar. And the violin, the trumpet, and the clarinet. A reasonable arsenel.

From this list, I can already see some implications: without an electric bass, the piano will have to provide the basslines. And the partial nature of the percussion equiptment will shape the sound in an interesting direction as well.

In addition, over the years GG has received two microphones, a small guitar amplifier, and two or three guitar effects pedals, that GG's received as gifts. Technically they're not ''instruments'', so they fall outside the rules of our endeavor -- guitar picks, strings, cables, and the actual recording equipment would not have to be gifts, just the actual instruments. But we can emphasize their use when choosing our signal processing and microphones.

A good title for this album might be ''Gift Music'', or ''Gifts from Around Us''.

--TG

Free CD!

2006-02-14T10:24:00.000+10:00

There is a grassy strip in front of our house, parallel to the road, which The Lady (and family) refer to as the footpath. Annoyingly, some people who drive past throw their garbage out along this strip. Once in a while I walk along the footpath and pick up the garbage -- in particular the glass bottles, so that they do not get shattered when the city workers mow the grass.

On ocassion, however, something useful is discarded. This morning I discovered the Cher ''Believe'' album: no case, just the CD. I brought it inside and washed it with soap and water, and carefully dried it.

Although it is slightly scuffed in places, it plays reasonably well, with minimal skipping.

A free CD! :)

On a completely different note: I am looking forwards to GG and family returning this afternoon. As, I am sure, is Ralphie.

--TG

Stinky logs

2006-02-13T10:40:00.000+10:00

GG is doing an experiment with soaking wood. As I believe he has mentioned, he is interested in woodworking. During thte week before leaving for the conference in Hobart, Tasmania -- they flew out Monday, 6 February -- he noticed that some construction workers on campus had left a small pile of logs (eight?), about 1.0m-1.3m (3-4 feet) in length, and roughly 20cm (8'') in diameter. He took the three nicest ones (i.e. no side branches) home. They are some sort of gum tree (i.e. eucalyptus).

Because they were cut during the summer, the ''sap was up'' -- which doesn't yield as good quality of wood. (It's better to harvest lumber during the winter, when the tree is dormant.) He had just read in a woodworking magazine about soaking wood in water, to get the sap and resins out, so he tried that: he filled the ''wheelie bin'' (the big plastic recycling bin, on wheels) with water, then soaked them. In the hopes of preventing mosquito larvae, he poured linseed oil across the surface.

Unfortunately, linseed oil -- being organic -- can rot. The surface was becoming rather foul smelling. Thus, when GG phoned yesterday, I asked for permission to terminate his experiment. He agreed.

I dumped out the water, including the logs: this smelled like a pile of damp sweatsocks, but after a few hours, the puddle drained and it smelled much less.

Tomorrow, after the ends of the logs have dried a bit, as per GG's instructions, I will paint the ends with boiled linseed oil, to slow the moisture loss from the ends -- thus minimizing splitting. When he returns he will use wedges to rough-split the logs into planks, to allow for further drying with minimal cracking and checking.

--TG

Bizarre basses and guitars

2006-02-07T10:03:00.000+10:00

I found this website while web-searching for something else.

http://www.bunnybass.com/e-zine/amusing/amusingindex.shtml

It has photos of strange, weird, and/or horrible guitars and basses, submitted by readers. The commentary is generally amusing.

Please note that there are typically three guitars per page -- so be sure to scroll down!

--TG

Useful disposal of pennies

2006-02-02T10:54:00.000+10:00

Here in Australia, they no longer use one-cent pieces: if you are paying cash, the cash register automatically rounds off the price to the nearest five cents.

However, if you live in the U.S., there are still pennies. Some people find them annoying. However, there is a generous, non-wasteful way to dispose of pennies: please see Old Roommate's blog entry at http://www.andsoitbegins.org/weblog/2006/01/contains_less_c.html
.

--TG

Misleading real estate ads

2006-02-01T10:21:00.000+10:00

This morning, The Lady saw two real estate ads for homes in our neighborhood -- both of which made her rant for some time. Good-naturedly, of course.

The first advertised a new housing estate, with many houses crammed together around little cul de sacs. The ad offered ''seclusion'' and ''getting away from it all''. ''Yes, except for all your neighbors sitting right on top of you,'' The Lady pointed out. It also touted ''thirty minutes from downtown.'' ''Yes, as long it it's not peak-hour traffic...'' said The Lady.

The other ad was for a house on acreage. It mentions ''the sound of cooing koalas.'' ''Bwaah!!!'' exclaimed The Lady! For, as those of us who actually live out here (as opposed to those who sit downtown, writing ad copy), koalas do not coo: they grunt like sick pigs!!!

--TG

Dusty house

2006-01-23T10:05:00.000+10:00

As I have mentioned before, and as you have seen in my recent blog entry, I sleep out on the veranda. One minor difficulty with this is that we are so close to the road that road dust gets kicked up, and covers things. This is a problem for most of the house, not just my ''room'': You wipe down a shelf, and within a week or two there is a layer of dirt -- not dust, but dirt -- on it.

The house was moved here from elsewhere back in the 1940s, I believe, by The Lady's grandfather. At the time, it was just a dirt track. Over the years, it was upgraded to gravel, and later, it was paved.

I took this photo through the front louvres, to show our proximity to the road. If it was a suburban road, it would not be as much of a problem: our distance is probably similar to what you would find in a ''residential'' neighborhood. But we are semi-rural, and people have taken to using our road as a shortcut between other, more major, roads. Thus, more volume of traffic than for most people's houses.

We also have a difficulty with road noise: If you are out on the front veranda, conversing, you must pause in mid-sentece and wait for cars to pass before finishing your thought.

For these reasons, GG and The Lady are building their house (on the lot next door) much farther back from the road.

--TG

Fun with autotimers

2006-01-18T12:22:00.000+10:00

I borrowed the digital camera from Gye Greene, and did some experimenting with the self-timer and a tripod.

This is me, out on the block of land upon which GG and The Lady will (eventually!) build a house.

Truly, I am a man who is outstanding in his field.

(Well, GG's field...)

--TG

My room

2006-01-16T10:19:00.000+10:00

Last week GG and I tidied up the veranda a bit. The prev week he had cleared out his ''dissertation'' office at Uni, and the extra boxes of things exceded the home office's
saturation point. Boxes were also piled in the living room -- primarily on the sofa -- and needed to be moved.

As we were re-arranging the veranda, I realized that I had never included any photos of my ''room''. So, here they are.

As you can see, it is not truly a room. Instead, it is a lounge that I sleep on. During the summer it is pleasantly cool in the evening -- although during the winter it becomes a bit cool.

My clothes and other belongings are stored in miscellaneous boxes out on the veranda, or on a clothes rack -- actually a bamboo bar, hung from the ceiling (not shown) a metre or two away from my bed, around the corner from additional boxes.

--TG

Laundry strategy

2006-01-15T09:43:00.000+10:00

Here is a tip for those of you (like myself!) who are un-timely with doing your laundry:

Have shorts, pants, shirts, socks, and undies in both darks and lights. That way, if you have only managed to the the darks (or lights), you still have clothes to wear! :)

Or, you could just do your laundry more regularly...

--TG

Raining buckets

2006-01-14T14:28:00.000+10:00

This is a photo from a fair while ago (27 Nov), that I forgot to post until now.

It is raining -- heavily -- in the back yard.

Crikey!

--TG

Nice dog

2006-01-12T10:27:00.000+10:00

Can one ever have too many photos of a nice dog such as Ralphie?

I think not. :)

--TG

Matching voices

2006-01-11T10:23:00.000+10:00

(And, of course, ''Matching Voices'' would be a very good band name, album title, or song title.)

GG received the first season of ''Wonder Woman'' for Christmas. I have been watching it yesterday and today, while he and The Lady are at work.

I suddenly realized that Lynda Carter's voice -- both in vocal quality and inflection -- sounds like Drew Barrymore's. Interesting.

Go and check it out, if you do not believe me. :)

--TG

Two lizards

2006-01-07T10:38:00.000+10:00

So far this morning I have seen two little lizards (or, as GG might say, ''leetle leezards''). One was in the dining room, and one was in the kitchen. In both instances, I gently encouraged them to hide behind furniture, as Ralphie does not play well with lizards.

I rather like having (little) lizards in the house. Hopefully, they eat the bad bugs. And to one from the Seattle area, it is rather exotic. :)

--TG

New song to cover

2006-01-05T10:37:00.000+10:00

GG bought a fair nume of used CDs on his trip to Seattle; I'm listening to them now. One of them is Thomas Dolby's The Golden Age of Wireless, which includes the semi-hit "She Blinded Me With Science" -- a very good song!

I will ask GG to add it to our ''Songs to Cover'' list.

One of the things about the Ramones that both GG and myself appreciate is their inclusion of a cover song or two on every(?) album. We ought to do that as well. :)

--TG

All have returned!!!

2006-01-02T16:09:00.000+10:00

Gye Greene, The Lady, and The Bub have all returned from their overseas trip! No offense to Ralphie, but GG and The Lady are **much** better conversation!

We hung about The Lady's parents' place (across the road) for a few hours, then went to McDonald's for lunch.

That evening I fixed them a mostly-nutritious dinner of Ramen noodles: straight for The Lady, and with frozen veggies for GG.

--TG

A benefit of summer

2005-12-28T10:11:00.000+10:00

One benefit, at least, of the summer heat is that at least one does not freeze one's patootie off when exiting the shower.

Of course, one sweats like a monkey -- which requires several showers a day to continue to feel human...

--TG

Random though: Album ratings

2005-12-20T10:42:00.000+10:00

I just had a random thought:

Many albums have a ''Parental Advisory Warning'' sticker, warning parents of violent imagry, bad language and such.

It's a wonder, then, that so few hip-hop albums are rated ''G''.

--TG

Just me...

2005-12-13T10:02:00.000+10:00

...and Ralphie. Everyone else left for Seattle this morning.

Let's see now: Two scoops and a biscuit for his morning bowl; three scoops with a ''plop'' of the wet food at 5pm.

All right, then. :)

--TG

More and more summer

2005-12-08T21:43:00.000+10:00

It is 9:45pm, 83 degrees Farenheit, and 76% relative humidity. It is indeed summer in Brisbane.

--TG

Nice sky

2005-12-07T10:15:00.000+10:00

One nice thing about Australia -- or at least, this part of Australia; I can't speak for the rest of it -- is the clear blue sky.

It's hot -- but it's pretty.

--TG

Two more songs!

2005-12-05T10:18:00.000+10:00

My apologies: I just realized I never posted the additional two songs.

One is ''Bewitched'', which is a cover of a song by the Olympia band Beat Happening. They are a three-piece: On each song, one person sings, one drums, and one plays guitar. On our version we added electric bass. Also, our version is slower than theirs: Deliberately so, to give it more of a groove, or feeling of power. But mostly, this tempo was just how it needed to sound. Also, please note that there is a very gradual ''reverse feedback'' fade-in -- so please exercise caution in adjusting your PC speaker's volume settings!

The other is ''Talking to Myself''. Old Roommate gets a mention in this. It was primarily written by Gye Greene, inspired by an episode at work. I belive this one was recorded after we discovered compressions -- so the recorded sound may be a little ''tighter''. This may be our most ''commercial'' song that we've yet recorded.

However, both of this are from a 4-track, onto a ''master'' cassette tape, and then played into the PC and converted to an MP3 file. Eventually we'd like to re-master all of our older songs by mixing them down directly into the PC -- or pehaps even dumping the individual tracks onto the PC.

We'll see. :)

--TG

Nice Ralpie-dog

2005-12-02T10:32:00.000+10:00

Lacking any other interesting or exciting thing happening in my life, I thought I would post a photo of my little canine friend, Ralphie.

Ralphie very much enjoys lounging about under and behind GG and The Lady's bed. They placed their bed at a fourty-five degree angle from the walls of the room, thus creating a little hidden triangle of sanctuary for the kind little dog (as well as occasionally the next-door-nephew). The first photo was a ''surpise'' shot.

The second photo shows Ralphie emerging from his lair, coming to say hello to me.

Finally, Ralphie has emerged from under the bed, and is lying down next to the cot, waiting for a scritch.

During the days when GG and The Lady are at work, Ralphie is my only companion.

--TG

Interesting ceiling

2005-11-30T10:39:00.000+10:00

I have been reduced to blogging about ceilings! This is a photo of the ceiling in the living room of our house.

Apparently, The Lady's grandfather created this ceiling. If you were able to look closely, you would see that these are not, in fact, solid beams: Instead, they are planks (possibly 1'' x 6''?) nailed together into elongated ''box'' shapes.

Very clever! And, a good look.

These ceilings are very tall -- perhaps ten feet. This has inspired The Lady and GG to pay the extra for higher ceilings in the house they are having built. (Plus, GG says the higher ceilings are better, acoustically -- for recording purposes.)

--TG

Free items from GG

2005-11-28T10:23:00.000+10:00

How very nice!

Last evening, GG gave me a perfectly good -- although half-used -- bottle of aftershave.

Very nice of him.

P.S. How sad that my life is so dull that my blog entries consist of people giving me half-used toiletries. :)

--TG

Fun with brass

2005-11-25T21:25:00.000+10:00

Usually The Lady watches The Bub in the evenings, while GG works diligently on his Dissertation. The exception is when The Lady has to do a brief task, which is when GG gets to play with her.

Tonight, however, The Lady had to run to the store. GG decided to break out the trumpet, as he sometimes does. Tonight, however, he also decided to break out the trombone as well! We had a jolly -- but pathetic -- jam session, the two of us -- much to The Bub’s amusement.

I am looking forwards to when GG finishes his Dissertation: He’s generally happy, but he seems even more happy when he’s had a chance to play some music.

--TG

Peculiar Gye Greene

2005-11-25T10:16:00.000+10:00

When GG changes The Bub's nappies [diapers], part of his ritual is to place the clean nappie on his own, and/or The Bub's, head. Both he and The Bub find this highly amusing.

Last night I realized that not everyone would find this ''normal''. Perhaps it is because I, too, am open to wearing household items as hats that I did not realize this earlier.

A good motto: ''Most things can be a hat.''

--TG

Fun with brass

2005-11-24T21:25:00.000+10:00

Sweet Ralphie

2005-11-24T10:18:00.000+10:00

Ralphie usually sleeps under Gye Greene and The Lady's bed -- but this morning I woke up to find him asleep between my knes, with his head on my thigh.

After a while, though, he got bored and wandered off.

Still: A very sweet dog.

--TG

Cereal head

2005-11-18T22:28:00.000+10:00

While having a bowl of cereal for breakfast this morning, it occurred to me that the box -- once emptied -- would fit nicely on my head. I tried it, and it in fact does.

I will have to be sure GG and I incorporate this wearing of cereal boxes into a music video.

--TG

Speed of Dog

2005-11-15T10:14:00.000+10:00

The night before last, The Bub’s orange crayon went missing.

This morning around 8:30 we discovered the speed of a dog’s digestive system: about 34 hours.

--TG

The wit of Gye Greene

2005-11-12T10:14:00.000+10:00

Gye Greene has an endless supply of bad jokes: he’s a regular corny-copia.

--TG

Lists of Technological Progressions

2005-11-11T10:54:00.000+10:00

Although people of my generation did not get to wittness the invention of the airplane, or the transition from horses to automobiles, we forget how many technological changes we have been witness to.

Below are a handful of lists -- in approximate chronological order -- that Gye Greene and I came up with last night. At which point along these timelines, dear reader, did you come in?

Car Audio
-No radio in car
-AM radio comes standard
-AM/FM radio comes standard
-(Was ''AM/FM with 8-track player'' ever standard?)
-AM/FM with cassette deck comes standard
-AM/FM w/ CD player coms standard

Home/Personal Audio Media
-Player pianos
-Cylinder phonographs
-78rpm records
-33rpm LPs
-Reel-to-reel tape players
-8-track decks
-Cassette tape players
-Walkman-style cassette players
-CD players
-Walkman-style CD players
-mp3 players

Automobile Restraint
-No seatbelts
-Optional after-market seatbelts
-Seatbelts standard with car
-Baby car seats
-Shoulder harnesses
-Toddler car seats
-Front airbags
-Side-impact airbags

Computer External Storage
-Punch cards
-Magnetic tape
-8”(?) floppies
-5” floppies
-Cassette drives
-3” double-density floppies
-3” high-density floppies
-Zip disks
-CD-R
-CD-RW
-USB flashdrives
-DVD-R
-DVD-RW
-Mini-hard drives

Home Lighting
-Incandescent bulbs
-Fluorescent lights
-''Energy-saving'' spiral fluorescent lights
-LED-cluster bulbs

Clothing Attachment
-Lace up with cord
-Frogs
-Hooks and eyes
-Buttons
-Zippers
-Snaps
-Velcro
-Future? -- electromagnetic pads? static-charge pads? gecko feet VanDerWal force pads?

Telephones
-Vertical, with separate earpiece on a cord
-Rotary dial
-Touch-tone pushbutton dial
-''Brick'' mobile phones
-Home answering machines
-Home voicemail
-Medium-sized mobile phones
-Medium-sized mobile phones with text messaging
-Teeny mobile phones
-Teeny mobile phones with mp3 players and digital cameras

Capturing Movies
-Big film (35mm?)
-8mm home movies
-Video cameras
-Digital video cameras
-Digital cameras and cell phones that capture video

Feel free to add your own suggestions. :)

--TG

Another Aussie-ism: plates

2005-11-09T10:48:00.000+10:00

Gye Greene and The Lady are at work. I just checked the mailbox, and there was an invitation to the local Neighborhood Watch group.

When this group was first formed -- after a series of residential burglaries in the area -- the invitation said to ''please bring a plate.'' GG and myself both thought that asking people to bring their own plate was remarkably environmental -- although we wondered why bringing one's own cup was not also specified.

However, The Lady informed us that ''bring a plate'' actually means to bring some food!!! -- specifically, a plate -- with food on it! Ahhh...

Upon some thought, this is not terribly different from the U.S. expression to ''bring a dish'' or ''bring a hot dish''. Yet, somehow I did not make the connection.

We did not end up attending -- but if we had, it might have been embarassing! (Although we could have made the excuse that we are but Americans.)

What made me think of this is that today's invitation specifies ''Please bring a plate of food for supper.''

Much clearer. :)

--TG

New posts retroactively added

2005-11-08T10:32:00.000+10:00

Please note that I have, en masse, added posts dating back to 30 October.

At the request of Gye Greene and his paranoia(?), I had agreed to postpone posting in my blog any entries which related to his absence.

--TG

2005-11-07T10:02:00.000+10:00

Today I read in Old Roommate's blog about the loss of one of his pets. That is sad -- although to be truthful, I never bonded with his birds: There was nothing wrong with them, but I simply don't find pet birds to be terribly interactive. Bird-lovers may disagree, so perhaps it is just me.

On the other hand, I was pleased that Bear, the dog, is still doing well. Gye Greene and I roomed with Old Roommate for a number of years, and Bear both pre- and post-dates our co-occupancy with Old Roommate.

Bear is without a doubt the kindest, sweetest dog in the whole world. And that includes Ralphie. When Ralphie has stolen something he is not supposed to have -- perhaps a sock from the laundry hamper -- he will grumble and growl a bit as you try to confiscate it. I have never known Bear to growl, or nip, or any-such. If anything, he tends towards the passive, subordinate side.

Bear's neediness -- most dogs are needy; Bear more-so -- leads to some amusing chracteristics . When we roomed with Old Roommate and sat around the kitchen table reading the newspaper, Bear would sit on the floor next to your chair, place one paw on your knee and look up at you as if to sympathetically say ''I know how it is...'' If he didn't get patted, then after a few attempts at empathy he would walk under the table and lie down on your feet (particularly in the winter).

A sweet dog.

Also a bit of an older dog. He was ''used'' when Old Roomate picked him up -- from an animal shelter, I believe -- and this was prior to his first marriage. Thus, I believe he was acquired around 1993. If so, that would make him around thirteen years old -- which is rather senior for a dog.

Again: A sweet dog. It would be nice to get a dog like him here in Brisbane, but I am not sure his breed -- American Eskimo (related to Samoyeds) -- is easily available here.

--TG

Happy Birthday to Gye Greene!!!

2005-11-06T10:14:00.000+10:00

Happy Birthday to Gye Greene!!!

I bought him a CD of Laptop, one of his favorite bands.

--TG

Gye Greene returns

2005-11-05T10:03:00.000+10:00

Gye Greene returned from his business trip to Canberra yesterday afternoon. I would have accompanied The Lady to the airport to pick him up, but she decided it would be the most efficient for her to leave directly from work -- and I did not want to hang about her office all morning.

None the less, I was pleased to see GG when he got home! :)

--TG

Nice talk with The Lady

2005-11-02T10:21:00.000+10:00

Last night I had a pleasant conversation with The Lady.

As I mentioned, Gye Greene is in Canberra this week. He phones nightly -- or rather, The Lady phones him, as the room changes for phoning out are rather expensive. The Lady talks to him for a fair amount, and then I talk to him for a small bit. He says misses his wife and daughter terribly.

After talking to him this evening, The Lady and I discussed the weight of GG's dissertation. She is a bit concerned that its cumulative weight is wearing him down in subtle but important ways. We both agree that although he seems happy, he will be even happier once he is done.

We discussed other things, about her job, and the house that she and GG are having built next door, and how The Bub is progressing (she now stands unassisted with fair stability, although she has not bothered to attempt walking). I do not remember the specifics -- but I do remember that it was a pleasant conversation.

--TG

Race relations make me sad

2005-11-01T17:59:00.000+10:00

I have just finished watching the portion of the evening news which covered Rosa Parks' memorial service. Listening to the speakers -- most of them African-American -- and realizing that I am across the ocean, in another country -- made me think about how even though certain changes were initiated fifty years ago, the situation has not completely been changed.

There is still economic inequity, divided heavily along racial lines. There is still fear, discomfort, and uncertainty. And until people are living together in something approaching -- as Gye Greene would put it -- a random distribution, such that interactions with people of different appearance is typical and natural, rather than something unusual and uncomfortable, I do not see how it will change.

Thinking all of this made me sad.

--TG

Gye Greene goes to Canberra

2005-10-30T10:17:00.000+10:00

In a few hours Gye Greene is flying out to Canberra, the capitol of Australia, for a week's worth of training. Apparently, he is to be a part-time Data Archivist at work; he will be meeting with other people to learn the technical (and perhaps philosophical?) aspects of data archiving.

GG seems excited about the prospect, as it gives him a chance to -- as he says -- ''Get his geek on''. However, I will miss him, as despite my living with him and The Lady for two years, I am still much closer to him than to her: The Lady is cordial and pleasant, but we do not share the same rapport that GG and I do.

--TG

Twarting paperazzi through applied economic theory

2005-10-28T10:04:00.000+10:00

One issue that Gye Greene and I occassional discuss is the price of fame. Among other costs, it would be sad to lose one's privacy.

One possible solution might be to apply the economic principle of Supply and Demand: as the supply of something increases, the value decreases -- thus lowering both the demand and the asking price. Conversely, when something is rare, that (usually!) increases its value.

This explains why candid photos of celebrities fetch such a high price: Oo la la! Britney Spears without any makeup!

Should GG and myself become famous one day, my proposed strategy is to flood the market with exceedingly mundane ''candid'' snapshots of ourselves: me brushing my teeth; me going into the grocery store; me leaving the grocery store; me getting to a car; me getting out of a car...

My flooding the market with photos of myself should utterly devalue them. Thus, there would be little financial incentive for photographers to stalk me (or GG, or his family) -- their payment from magazines would be too low to warrant it.

It would be worth a try. If we become famous. ;)

--TG

Goofing about with Gye Greene

2005-10-24T10:21:00.000+10:00

Yesterday, Gye Greene took a few minutes away to goof around with me and the digital camera. We both decided that we needed new photos for the ''profile'' sections of our blogs.

Those with keen eyes might notice that I'm lacking my right arm. In brief, it has to do with an automobile accident that happened soon after Gye Greene and I met: GG still feels bad about it, although I've long since forgiven him.

I shot the photo of Gye Greene taken out back, in front of one of the many sheds. Curiously, out of all the photos we shot, he forgot to smile in all of them.

It was actually a rather hot day, so both of us were a bit warm: ''Sweating like a monkey'', as GG likes to say. (To which The Lady typically replies, ''How do you know how much a monkey sweats???'') So we both changed out of our costumes as quickly as possible! :)

--TG

Movie review: ''The Pacifier''

2005-10-22T10:41:00.000+10:00

Last night The Lady suggested we rent a movie, and GG felt he had been sufficiently diligent that week to participate. We rented “The Pacifier” (2005). It stars Vin Diesel as a Navy Seal who is assigned protection duty to five children while the mother is away -- and ends up playing nanny until the mother’s return.

Every time Vin Diesel’s character said “I’m a seal,” Gye Greene exclaimed, “No he’s not! He’s a human being! Seals have small black noses! (etc.)”

The movie is a little cheezy and a little thin, but harmless. It’s essentially family-friendly

It also has the fellow who plays “Robert, the older brother” in “Everybody Loves Raymond” and the thirty-something mother from “The Gilmore Girls.”

Again, the movie is not brilliant, but harmless, and has some funny bits. Get it if you want to rent a movie but no one can agree on a movie, and/or nothing else looks good.

(note: Here in Aussie-land, they refer to baby pacifiers as ''Dummies.'' But I don't think ''The Dummy'' would have worked as well for an Action-Comedy movie.)

--TG

Good ferret/robot vacuum blog entry

2005-10-20T10:12:00.000+10:00

In browsing through my morning assortment of blogs that I read, I thought this one -- from Old Roommate -- was entertaining.

--TG

Two more Australian differences

2005-10-19T10:11:00.000+10:00

The Lady had a large headache last night, so Gye Greene, The Bub, and myself drove out to get takeaway pizza.

Two Australian things that I am still not used to:

(1) You are not allowed free ''near-turns'' (in the U.S., no ''free right on red'').

(2) Hour-long t.v. shows start on the half hour, not on the hour. (Ex: ''The Apprentice'' starts at 10:30pm, not at 10pm or 11pm.)

Also: Last night, the start of ''The Apprentice'' was delayed by ten or fifteen minutes for special Live Footage of Princess Mary of Denmark (but formerly of Australia!) and Prince Frederik emerging from the hospital with their firstborn.

I commented to The Lady that when Prince Frederik gets to change the nappies, it will bring a new meaning to ''The Royal 'Wee'.''

But, she was not amused.

--TG

You can be an action figure!

2005-10-18T10:45:00.000+10:00

I was browsing through some of Gye Greene's old issues of Linux Format (a UK magazine), and I came across this:

This company -- herobuilders.com -- will custom-build an action figure of you: US$425 for the standard version, or US$525 for a talking one. (US$40, or US$60, for each additional one.)

Custom tattoos, clothing, and such are extra.

(The mention was in Linux Format #65/Apr 2005, p. 10)

The price is a little high -- but perhaps it would be worth it for a special occassion, such as a graduation or anniversary.

--TG

Cooler weather

2005-10-16T10:03:00.000+10:00

It has been warm -- bordering on hot -- the last few days. But we had a bit of rain on Thursday, and it's rained contstantly -- although to varying degrees of intensity -- since early evening yesterday.

The temperature is now a soothing 69 degrees F. indoors. Judging by Gye Green's rain bucket at the side of the house (he catches the rain, then uses it to water the plants), we've had two to three inches since yesterday.

Unfortunately, once the rain ceases and the sun returns, all the dampness in the ground will be heated, and thus converted to humidity! But, at the moment, it's rather nice. It reminds me of Seattle. :)

--TG

Strange Bird

2005-10-09T20:54:00.000+10:00

Around 2:30pm today, while everyone except Ralphie was out grocery shopping, I came out from the kitchen into the dining room, and saw a bird just standing there on the ground. It must have come through one of the open windows: it was a warm day today, so several windows were open, and none have flyscreens. I went to get the digital camera, and when I came back it was walking into the kitchen.

(Kitchen = green linoleum)

It was remarkably tame -- or perhaps a bit dim? Or, injured? I say this because it let me get within an arm's reach of it, yet it showed no fear. And it was not moving in the rapid, jerky ''bird-like'' manner I would expect. It simply stood, then walked; stood, then walked.

Throughout all this it did not make a sound.

Then it came back through the dining room, into the laundry room.

The wooden gate is to allow us to keep the door open for the breeze, yet prevent Ralphie from pinching the laundry and chewing them.

Ralphie came over and sniffed at the gate, but the bird was safely inside.

Ralphie barked, and the bird hopped up onto the louvres. It sat there a while, and I took a few more photos. This time, I got within two feet of it.

I then thought I would go outside and shoot a brief video clip of it. By the time I got outside, it had hopped down onto the grass, by the side of the house. I tried to get the video footage, but the batteries abruptly went flat.

I went inside for more batteries, and by the time I returned, the bird had walked to the front of the house. I thought perhaps it was hungry or thirty -- this would explain its lack of energy -- so I went inside and got two bowls off the pile of dirty dishes. I placed some stale Cheerios into one (we feed them to Ralphie as a treat), and half-filled the other with water.

I placed the bowls some distance in front of the bird -- who simply stood there. To encourage it, I gently tossed a Cheerio in its direction. It walked forwards, picked it up, dropped it, picked it up again, and dropped it again. ''Perhaps it is too thirsty to eat something so hard'', I thought to myself. I made small splashing noises with the water in the second bowl, then stepped back. The bird walked forward and stepped into the bowl (Well -- that is efficient!!!), and took several drinks, dipping its beak into the bowl, then tilting it's head back to glug-glug-glug it down.

I tried taking a photo, but the camera batteries again were flat. (??!!) I went back inside, but discovered that the rest of the rechargeable batteries were in the ''to be recharged'' bowl. However, out of the several ''dead'' pairs, I attempted to milk one or two last shots out of some.

Note the brown contents in the water bowl that did not exist in the first photo. In hindsight, perhaps I should not have used our ''real'' bowls.

Now lacking the ability to take any sort of photo, I sat with the bird a while longer, then went back inside for a nap. As I slept, I dreamt of writing a children's picture book based on the experience, in which a bird flew into our house and stayed around the yard thereafter: I named him Andy, and fed him hot cocoa in the winter -- in the illustration, he wore a red striped scarf -- and raspberry smoothies in the summer. When I awoke from my nap it was around six, and near dark. I went outside, but Andy had apparently left.

--TG

(P.S. I think Tara -- a blog-lady who likes birds -- would have enjoyed this. It was a magical experience.) :)

Song #2 -- intentionally banal lyrics

2005-10-07T10:49:00.000+10:00

This second song is called ''All I Want''. Gye Greene wrote it, played the instruments, and did the vocals; I programmed the drum machine and helped with the recording chores (e.g. mic placement).

GG says he was attempting the most cliched lyrics possible, although some turned out rather original (e.g. ''I like you swell''). This is more on the ''punk rock'' end of our spectrum of musical styles.

--TG

A song from GG & TG

2005-10-05T10:27:00.000+10:00

Gye Greene has graciously allowed me to blog about some of our older songs, two which he discovered some still-valid links. (This also saves himself the time to introduce them.)

Which to link to first? We have four available. Perhaps the most meloncholy first...

This one is called ''Psych Smile.'' GG wrote this back in college, about a girl in his Psych class. A very nice, smiley girl -- but one whom he knew deep down was not the ''right'' girl for him. But still...

The instrumentation is intentionally kept simple. It's a bit of a musical haiku, really -- not verse, no chorus -- just one short paragraph.

--TG

Pizza mantra

2005-10-03T10:08:00.000+10:00

Gye Greene drove out for takeaway pizza last night. The docket (i.e. receipt) lists the toppings. Apparently, for a standard pizza, you get four units of topping, distributed how you like. For example, The Lady's preference was two units of onion, and two of ground beef.

To me, the docket read like some sort of chef's mantra:

Mushroom,
Mushroom;
Onion,
Beef!

Onion,
Onion;
Beef!
Beef!

Perhaps there's a song in there...

--TG

Extreme tourism

2005-10-01T11:36:00.000+10:00

I just saw on the news that there's been another set of Bali bombings. The Australian government is recommending that Australians defer any travel to Indonesia. Upon seeing this television report, I reflected that these bombings must be severely damaging the Indonesian tourism industry.

That thought inspired an idea: Extreme tourism! In it, you would deliberately travel to a locale high in political unrest or terrorist activity; stay for a week; and if you don't get kidnapped or killed (or both!), you would fly home and brag about your adventures.

For those desiring an additional thrill, an additional $100 would gain you a Stars 'n' Stripes baseball hat, and a t-shirt that says "Hey! I'm an American! (Get used to it!)"

As with "extreme sports", I predict this "extreme tourism" will primarily attract males in their teens and twenties. Providing they embark on their "travel adventures" prior to reproducing, "extreme tourism" could have an inadvertent impact of a "Darwinian" nature.

--TG

Hamster joke

2005-09-29T10:17:00.000+10:00

Because the world can always use another hamster joke.

Received by e-mail -- most likely, through Gye Greene's Dad.

--TG

---------------

A mangy looking guy who goes into a restaurant and orders food. The waiter says, "No way. I don't think you can pay for it."

The guy says, "You're right. I don't have any money, but if I show you something you haven't seen before, will you give me the food?"

"Deal!" replies the waiter.

The guy reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a hamster. He puts the hamster on the counter and it runs to the end, across the room, up the piano, jumps on the keyboard, and starts playing Gershwin songs. And the hamster is really good.

The waiter says, "You're right. I've never seen anything like that before. That hamster is truly good on the piano."

The guy downs the hamburger he ordered and asks the waiter for another.

"Money or another miracle," says the waiter.

The guy reaches into his coat again and pulls out a frog. He puts the frog on the counter, and the frog starts to sing. He has a marvelous voice and great pitch. A fine singer.

A stranger from the other end of the counter runs over to the guy and offers him $300 for the frog. The guy says, "It's a deal." He takes the three hundred and gives the stranger the frog. The stranger runs out of the restaurant.

The waiter says to the guy, "Are you crazy? You sold a singing frog for $300? It must have been worth millions."

"Not so", says the guy, "the hamster is also a ventriloquist."

E-mail scams

2005-09-27T11:19:00.000+10:00

I once read that you can't scam an honest person. And, to a large extent, that is true: scams tend to prey upon someone trying to get ''something, for nothing''.

Or the very slow-witted, I suppose. But generally, dishonest people.

As an example, the so-called ''Nigerian'' scams, in which you are e-mailed by some foreign government offical, saying ''I'm not supposed to be doing this, but...'' Right there: If it's illegal in his country, maybe you shouldn't be getting involved -- perhaps?

Just a few days ago, I recieved this e-mail, which I've excerpted here:

TINUBU SQUARE, VICTORIA ISLAND,LAGOS-NIGERIA
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA
TINUBU SQUARE, LAGOS

From the Desk Of: Mr. Igweson Andy
Executive Secretary Governor (CBN)

IMMEDIATE PAYMENT OF FUND

From the records of outstanding Clients/next of kin inheritancebeneficiaries due for payment with the Federal Government of Nigeria,your name as next on the list of the outstanding Clients whohave not received there last installment payments.

First of all, I know I don't have any relatives living in Nigeria. So, as an honest person, I would realize immediately that this message is mis-directed. (And, by the way, through what source did they [in error] recieve my e-mail address?) So an honest person would e-mail back, saying ''I'm sorry, but you have the wrong person.''

I wish to inform you that your payment is being processed and will be released to you as soon as you respond to this letter. Also note that from the record, your last installment balance credit is US$10.million dollars (Ten Million United States Dollars).

Now that's odd: What account would have a balance of exactly US$10,000,000? Particularly as it is in a foreign currency. Wouldn't it be -- at the very least -- plus or minus a few thousand? This seems... artificial.

Please re-confirm to me if this is inline with what we have in your record. Also re-confirm the followings:
1) your full name.
2) Phone, fax and mobile #.
3) Company name, position and address.
4) Profession, age and marital status.
5) Scanned copy of int'l passport.
6) Bank Details.

As soon as the information is received, your payment will be processed and effected to your nominated bank account or by cash depending on your preference.

If they have managed to contact me, shouldn't they have my full name?

Why should an estate settlement be concerned with my occupational information?

What relevance does a passport have with an estate settlement?

And, why should they need my bank details -- particularly if they also offer to send me the money in cash? Should they not just offer to send me a bank cheque?

Again: Only the dishonest, and/or dim.

--TG

Old cars

2005-09-25T10:12:00.000+10:00

I was restless at home, and thus thought I would walk around the property a bit. So, I took a few shots of The Lady's family's cars.

The Lady's family -- for whatever reason -- has a tendency to drive old Rovers. Her brother and his wife, who live next door each drive a Rover of a similar body type to the one GG and The Lady drive, as does The Lady's father, and Next-Door Uncle as well. Oddly, they are all either white, or a shade of green (of which GG approves!).

To the right is the car The Lady and GG drive. Behind is, under the carport, is The Lady's mother's car: you can't see it well, but it's a large, heavy hatchback with a sporty look.

The Lady's parents also have a few older Rovers in their back yard. I'm not sure why they have them there -- perhaps for eventual spare parts? However, they no longer match any of the cars they currently drive. The Lady says that back when her brother was in college, he started to restore one of them, but then ran out of time. However, Next-Door Uncle restores cars as a hobby, as is now retired -- so perhaps he will assist The Lady's brother (mostly by providing knowledge and tools).

This is an example of one of the older Rovers in the back yard. There used to be three, but aproximiately a month ago, The Lady's brother, GG and myself helped drag the car into the brother's back yard. He hopes to eventually convene all three cars there. And then? Who knows.

--TG

Reading with the dog

2005-09-24T10:03:00.000+10:00

I thought this was a good photo of Ralphie and The Lady sitting in the living room, reading. The Bub is out of the shot; you can see her toys strewn about.

Posted with permission of The Lady, who typically doesn't like her photo being taken.

--TG

Zero degrees of separation

2005-09-22T09:56:00.000+10:00

It's a small world, and my blog is (hopefully!) interesting! And I have noticed that there are occasional people reading my blog who I do not personally know.

As I think I have mentioned, my blog is pseudonymenous (sp??) -- I write under a pen name, and refer to friends by fake names as well. So, some friends and family might not even know about my blog.

Have you ever noticed that you'll forward an e-mail joke or story, and within a few days, you receive the identical (or very similar) e-mail back, from a different source? Someday it'd be neat to receive by e-mail -- by way of a friend or family member -- an amusing photo, joke, or story -- and realize, "Hey! That's from my blog!!!"

Someday... ;)

--TG

Intersection of Brisbane and Seattle weather

2005-09-20T10:30:00.000+10:00

Today and yesterday, I noticed that the early-spring weather of Brisbane -- right now -- matches my recollection of early-autumn Seattle: cold morning and evenings, but warm, not-quite-hot, days.

It appears we are at the crossover point, or intersection. Perhaps there's a cosmic significance? :)

--TG

Bottle tree

2005-09-19T22:24:00.000+10:00

I thought I'd take a walk around the yard. I also wandered across to The Lady's parents' place, and took a photo of this tree which I find interesting.

It is called a ''bottle tree''; I like the look. GG says he hopes they'll plant a few of them in their yard, once they build their new place.

--TG

Amusing/unfortunate trombone name

2005-09-18T11:06:00.000+10:00

I was browsing for trombones on e-bay...

I found one whose model name is ''Artist'' (fair enough!), and the brand name is ''Conn.''

Thus -- instead of, for example, a ''Fender Stratocaster,'' you have a ''Conn Artist''!!!

And, coincidentally, they're not cheap, either.

--TG

More antepodean delight

2005-09-17T10:20:00.000+10:00

In Australia (or ''Aussie-land''), they drive on the left, not on the right.

As mentioned before, light switches are flicked down for ''on,'' and up for ''off.''

And -- of the two major political parties, the Liberal Party is actually the more conservative of the two. (Labor is the more ''liberal.'')

--TG

Knocking down shrubberies

2005-09-16T10:47:00.000+10:00

Yesterday (Thursday, 9/15/05) the bulldozer/scoop machine fellow that Gye Greene and The Lady hired came to the lot next door and took away much of the shrubbery that covers the lot where the house will eventually go. (GG says the fellow charged $85/hour -- which seems reasonable.) Below are some ''before'' and ''after'' shots that I took.

This is standing in the front ''pasture'' area, looking towardsd the road, but a little to the right.

This is a similar view, although I was standing a little bit forwards. You can somewhat see the road in this shot.

This is standing in front of the Old Homestead, looking at the front lawn of the house next door.

This is afterwards. Note that the other house is much more visible. Gye Greene and The Lady will eventually plant some trees along the fenceline.

Much of the dirt is from the bulldozer/scoopy machine's treads.

This is the ''before'' shot of the end of the Old Homestead -- the opposite end to the front door. My right shoulder is to the road, and the neighbor's house (from the above photo) is behind me.

This is the ''after'' shot. There used to be concrete troughs lying on the ground -- or rather, embedded in the ground -- lying in front. (Or actually, off to the side.)

This is the ''before'' shot of the Old Homestead. It is the side of the building, but it faces the road. The front door is on the end that is to the right.

And -- this is the ''after'' shot. The strange, catcus-like plant is still growing across the top, but the shrubbery across the front is gone.

It all looks a bit like a bomb blast. Of course, the grass that was chewed up by the tractor treads doesn't help the appearance. Eventually, the grass will grow back.

It's all rather shocking -- probably because it all happened in the space of a morning. I suppose I shall get used to it.

And eventually (new estimate: May 2006) there will be a house where the Old Homestead now sits.

--TG

Two good movies

2005-09-15T11:33:00.000+10:00

One characteristic that Gye Greene and myself share is the tendency to enjoy movies for certain scenes. To this end, we will sometimes watch only segments of a movie, fast-forwarding to ''the good parts.'' The DVD format (rather than videotape) facilitates this mode of watching.

One movie I recommend is ''Jackie Chan's First Strike.'' An adequate plot, a good number of funny bits -- and family-friendly! And, naturally, the choreography of the fight scenes is excellent! Below is a snapshot of the famous ''ladder scene'' -- one of my (and GG's) all-time favorites!

''First Strike'' is an excellent introduction to Jackie Chan's series of films.

Gye Greene and I also have a soft spot for movies about bands -- as I believe I've mentioned before. Below is a snapshot of the scene from ''[This is] Spinal Tap'', near the end of the movie. Nigel and David have known each other since childhood, and are the key members of the band. However, they had a falling-out, and Nigel left the band. In this snapshot, Nigel is visiting the band backstage before a gig, to tell David that one of their singles is doing very well in Japan, and perhaps the band should re-form. At the end of this scene (the snapshot), Nigel tells David (despite David's frosty reception to his proposal), ''Hey -- do a good show, allright?''

And here is the scene shortly thereafter, up on stage, where David has gestured to Nigel to join them onstage (Nigel is standing in the wings), and Nigel is gesturing ''Me?''

Very touching. At least, if you've been in a band. ;)

--TG

Political photo: Hurricane Katrina

2005-09-14T15:38:00.000+10:00

I am not usually ''political'' (I don't think!), but this photo amused me; I just recently received it by e-mail -- titled ''G.W. Bush, on Vacation'':

The relief efforts -- or lack thereof -- have been a consistent component of the nightly news here in Australia.

--TG

Proper weather

2005-09-14T10:04:00.000+10:00

Today we are having proper weather. And by ''proper'', I mean ''Seattle-like.''

Marvelously overcast, with just a touch of drizzle now and again. A good ''sit by the window with a good book and a cup of tea'' weather.

Brisbane is a lovely place, but it's often a bit to glare-y for my taste. ;)

--TG

Violence

2005-09-13T10:07:00.000+10:00

This quote is rather grim.

I think in some instances it is valid; however, I feel violence should be a last resort.

''After a decade of standing under nightclub neon and nearly losing my faith in human nature, I had the growing realisation [sic] that violence was not the answer. It is a cruel and ugly language, the parley of ignorant men, but a means of discourse none the less and when you are dealing with the hard-of-thinking, sometimes a quick punch in the eye is better understood than a lengthy negotion. Some people -- even despots and dictators on the world sage -- will listen to nothing less.''

(pg. 34, Dec 2004 issue of Blitz, an Australian martial arts magazine that GG checked out at the library for me; found quote 29 Jan, 2005)

--TG

Over-producing/over-writing a song

2005-09-12T10:20:00.000+10:00

''Equating time spent and quality may in fact be empirically false. Painting teachers encourage students not to overpaint a picture, continuing to put paint on the canvas until an initially good idea is buried in a muddy mess.''

(Howard S. Becker, Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article, pg. 131; found Feb. 4, 2004)

--TG

Groucho Marx quote: Principles

2005-09-11T10:41:00.000+10:00

''Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others.''

(received by e-mail June 30, 2000)

--TG

Social movements

2005-09-10T10:56:00.000+10:00

“Movements do succeed -- just not in the ways they thought they would.”

(Found, 5/21/05, pg. 39 of Fraenkel, Peter. 2005. “Whatever Happened to Family Therapy?” Psychotherapy Networker, 29: 30-39, 70.)

--TG

Ralphie returns!!!

2005-09-09T17:02:00.000+10:00

Ralphie is back. He's a little wheezier than usual, and rather tired. But he seems happy to be home.

And I'm happy to have him back! :)

--TG

Un-sick Ralphie!

2005-09-09T09:21:00.000+10:00

GG phoned me from work to say that The Lady had talked to the veterinarian, and Timmy can come home today!

I am pleased. :)

He's actually available to be picked up in an hour or two -- around noon, perhaps -- but I don't drive. So The Lady will leave work early and pick him up.

--TG

Poor sick doggie

2005-09-08T19:36:00.000+10:00

Ralphie has been at the vet's today. I'm rather worried about him. I'd write a full description, but Gye Greene already wrote a fair amount; please see http://gyegreene.blogspot.com/2005/09/eventful-morning.html

All
by
my
self
:(

(During the day; at night, I'm a happy lad! Except for the missing pup, of course...)

--TG

Brisbane clouds

2005-09-07T10:45:00.000+10:00

Today the sky is a stark blue, with fluffy clouds. The clouds give the sky depths and texture.

Most of the time, the sky over Brisbane is just stark blue -- reminiscent of the default desktop setting on Windows-running PCs. I can see why people would like it -- but as someone from Seattle, I prefer ''mostly cloudy'', or even overcast.

I wish I could post a photo, but I can't find where Gye Greene hid the digital camera. Some other time, perhaps.

You'll just have to use your imagination. ;)

--TG

Fastest way to cool cans of drink

2005-09-06T11:05:00.000+10:00

Last night we -- the entire household -- gathered around to watch the t.v. show Mythbusters. Among their exercises, they experimented with several means of cooling cans of drink to just above freezing (frosty!), starting at room temperature.

Their results:

-5 mins = ice and water in an ice chest, with lots of salt to melt the ice

-15 mins = ice and water in an ice chest

-30 mins = ice in an ice chest, no water

-freezer did somewhat worse; 'fridge took a loooong time

Thus, to super-charge your cooling process -- add ice!!!

--TG

Bub eating things

2005-09-05T11:46:00.000+10:00

I have noticed that Gye Greene and The Lady often tell The Bub -- when she's about to put something in her mouth -- "You don't want to do that."

I do not think that is actually true: I think she does want to do that!

Words are funny things.

--TG

A good artist: James Michael

2005-09-04T10:44:00.000+10:00

As everyone else (except Ralphie!) is out doing a Father's Day walkabout, I am at home with GG's collection of CDs.

One of GG's CDs that I particularly like is Inhale by James Michael. Catchy tunes, although the lyrics aren't consistently deep. And it veers towards Cobain-esque self-loathing. And if you listen closely to the lyrics, many songs have an undercurrent of ''drugs have ruined my life, or make me depressed.''

But, again -- catchy tunes!

Lyrically, I found track 9, ''I'm o.k. with This,'' to be one of the strongest songs; it's also one of the softer songs. (These lyrics -- as with all song lyrics -- work better within the context of the melody line.) For example:

You have a sensitive side, and I knowI've a history of pushing things a little too farTogether we just kind of put our heads down and say''I'm okay with this if you are.''
I am easily embarrassed, and youHave the tendency to show me off wherever we areTogether we just kind of put our heads down and say''I'm okay with this if you are.''
You are carefully focused and II've a habit of forgetting where the hell we areTogether we just kind of put our heads down and say''I'm okay with this if you are.''

Rather a sweet song, actually.

In contrast -- although still a catchy song! -- is track 1, ''Inhale'': very Cobain:

Look at me, I'm heroin chicI'm a tape loop speechI suck my cheeks in when I'm doneAnd I'm in love with everyone
My my my // You could hang aroundMy my my // It's just a nervous breakdownMy my my // I'm always overestimating everything

The series of price stickers on the back indicate that he bought it for $4, marked down from $8, which was lowered from $8.80. Such a deal! Easily worth more than that.

If you like music of the Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Bush, Collective Soul, Live, Stone Temple Pilots genre, you would probably enjoy this album.

It makes me think, "If Kurt Cobain was from Kansas..." (?!!)

--TG

Happy Australian Father's Day!!!

2005-09-04T10:17:00.000+10:00

To Gye Greene, and all other Australian fathers, I wish you all a happy Father's Day! :)

--TG