(Mis)guided Youth?

Am I a good-looking young fella or what?

On not so youthful matters.

Today's check up at the hospital revealed the kid to be about 3kgs and there are still 5 weeks to go!

Me in 1984

I think the only difference is that I have more hair in 1984 than I do now. I have the shorts somewhere at home in Australia. Maybe one day it will be a Harley.

Have You Ever ...

Now this is something doing the rounds in the blogosphere of late and I have seen it in a few places such as Bilbo's blog, Rima's blog, and more recently at Creepy's blog. I have looked over the list and have finally decided why the hell not. So, the things I have done are in bold. The things in green are on the bucket list.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink (but it was only my mates and I in the bar and some bar staff -- cheap bastard really!).
02. Swam with wild dolphins.
03. Climbed a mountain.
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive.
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid.
06. Held a tarantula.
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone.
08. Said “I love you” and meant it.
09. Hugged a tree.
10. Bungee jumped.
11. Visited Paris.
12. Watched a lightning storm.
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise.
14. Seen the Northern Lights.
15. Gone to a huge sports game.
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa.
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables.
18. Touched an iceberg.
19. Slept under the stars.
20. Changed a baby’s diaper.
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon.
22. Watched a meteor shower.
23. Gotten drunk on champagne.
24. Given more than you can afford to charity.
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope.
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (depends on what is meant by "the worst possible moment").
27. Had a food fight.
28. Bet on a winning horse (and a lot of losers as well).
29. Asked out a stranger.
30. Had a snowball fight.
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can.
32. Held a lamb.
33. Seen a total eclipse.
34. Ridden a roller coaster.
35. Hit a home run.
36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking.
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day.
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment.
39. Had two hard drives for your computer.
40. Visited all 50 states (a little bit US centric).
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk.
42. Had amazing friends.
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country.
44. Watched whales.
45. Stolen a sign.
46. Backpacked in Europe.
47. Taken a road-trip.
48. Gone rock climbing.
49. Midnight walk on the beach.
50. Gone sky diving.
51. Visited Ireland.
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love.
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them.
54. Visited Japan.
55. Milked a cow.
56. Alphabetized your CDs.
57. Pretended to be a superhero.
58. Sung karaoke.
59. Lounged around in bed all day.
60. Played touch football.
61. Gone scuba diving.
62. Kissed in the rain.
63. Played in the mud.
64. Played in the rain.
65. Gone to a drive-in theater.
66. Visited the Great Wall of China.
67. Started a business.
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken.
69. Toured ancient sites.
70. Taken a martial arts class.
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight.
72. Gotten married (twice).
73. Been in a movie (but I ended up on the cutting room floor).
74. Crashed a party.
75. Gotten divorced (once).
76. Gone without food for 5 days (have a look at my picture -- do you think it looks like it?).
77. Made cookies from scratch.
78. Won first prize in a costume contest.
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice.
80. Gotten a tattoo.
81. Rafted the Snake River.
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert.”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason.
84. Performed on stage.
85. Been to Las Vegas.
86. Recorded music.
87. Eaten shark.
88. Kissed on the first date.
89. Gone to Thailand.
90. Bought a house.
91. Been in a combat zone.
92. Buried one/both of your parents.
93. Been on a cruise ship.
94. Spoken more than one language fluently.
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour.
98. Passed out cold.
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country.
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over.
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge.
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking.
103. Had plastic surgery.
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived.
105. Wrote articles for a large publication.
106. Lost over 100 pounds.
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback.
108. Piloted an airplane.
109. Touched a stingray.
110. Broken someone’s heart.
111. Helped an animal give birth.
112. Won money on a T.V. game show.
113. Broken a bone.
114. Gone on an African photo safari.
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears.
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol.
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild.
118. Ridden a horse.
119. Had major surgery (do the appendix count?).
120. Had a snake as a pet.
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours.
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states.
124. Visited all 7 continents.
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days.
126. Eaten kangaroo meat.
127. Eaten sushi.
128. Had your picture in the newspaper.
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about.
130. Gone back to school.
131. Parasailed.
132. Touched a cockroach.
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes.
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey.
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read.
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
137. Skipped all your school reunions.
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language.
139. Been elected to public office.
140. Written your own computer language.
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream.
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care.
143. Built your own PC from parts.
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you.
145. Had a booth at a street fair.
146. Dyed your hair.
147. Been a DJ.
148. Shaved your head.
149. Caused a car accident.
150. Saved someone’s life.

Well that is it...Now you know more about me than you did before!

1 April 2008

Fooled ya!

No worthwhile post -- Happy April Fool's Day!

Top hoaxes of all time (according to someone) are here.

Unyil

Unyil is my walking companion, confidante, friend, and dog. Unyil and I, we have a deal--I take her for a walk every single day, no matter what time or how tired I might be, and she doesn't bark at people walking by. I am keeping my end of the bargain.

But seriously, the point of this post is that owning a dog, particularly a dog as man's best friend and all, is therapeutic and beneficial. I enjoy spending time with Unyil and if some one was willing to pay me to stay home and spend more time with her then I would but I have yet to find someone this wise!

Everyone should own a pet and especially children (and some adults). Pets teach discipline in that the care needed to ensure that the animal is looked after is ongoing. Even when you might be having that really bad hair day, your pet still needs attention. This is the therapy angle. A bad day always gets brighter when you get home, to both your family and your pets. One of the best parts of my day is getting home after work and Unyil being excited to see me and bouncing round in circles until I sit down and she gets a long-awaited tummy and back rub.

It is nice to be loved no matter what, and this is what pets can bring to your life.

As I sit here in the study and write this post my furry little companion is sleeping at my feet, as a matter of fact on my feet, this is an important dog strategy so that I cannot sneak away without her noticing. Reminds me of a Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam) song, "I Love My Dog"...

Thinking About No. 1

It is early in the new year but even saying that begets the fact that ten days have passed already--time flies even when you are not having fun!

As much as I do not like to make New Year's resolutions...I have indeed made one, but only as of today. For me resolutions are like any other rules we make, destined to be broken and broken resolutions are the seeds for disappointment and regret of not having achieved what we felt to be important to us.

The trepidation aside, I have resolved to think more about myself and a little less about others. The rationale is simply by being more true to myself and pursuing the things that I consider important, and chasing the dreams that I have, then I will by default make a bigger and better impact on those around me.

So, here's to No. 1....go get 'em!