The long and dusty road home

I returned to Canberra via the snowy mountain highway once again - enjoying the empty and windy roads through the foothills of the Great Dividing Range.

Jingelic - what you see is pretty much the entire town

All was going swimmingly until the long patch of dirt (about 35 kms) between Tumut and Wee Jasper. I took the signposted turnoff to Wee Jasper, but I supposed to take the next, unsignposted turnoff. I ended up doing an extra 10 kms of really rough dirt road. The other trail, although supposedly longer is better graded and has less hairpin turns despite being the more minor road.

The memorial at Tumbarumba

8 kms out of Wee Jasper, on the final hairpin, my concentration wavered and my front wheel found a nice big trench on the side of the road. Even though I was moving quite slowly down I went, the rocks gouging massive chunks out of my right fairing.

Luckily all the damage is aesthetic and the bike still works fine. I stopped in the Wee Jasper pub, The Stables, for a beer and to watch a bit of the cricket. I ran into a young bloke who also recently walked away from a motorbike accident, although he was hit by a moving car and his GS 500 has since been totaled. Here is a link below to a great video of him and his bike zooming around Wee Jasper.

Wodonga Races

I went to the Wodonga Boxing Day races this year. Pictured is the fascinator that stood out the most.

It is exactly what you think it is.

And people wonder why I hang shit on the south side of the Murray

The Earledom

After a decade of campus lifestyle I finally took the big step forward and moved out. I found a great place in Lyneham, just around the corner from Tilley's. My new address is on Earle St.

My new abode, nicknamed the Earledam.

It has a large kitchen and a servicable, if lightly overgrown, backyard. It also has a garage for my motorbike, which saves me about $100 a year in insurance.

I no longer have to worry about bums stealing/vandalising my bike

I live with two ex-Bruce Hall residents, both of whom have graduated from uni. One of them recognised from the interhall AFL competition as we played against each other.

The kitchen in it usual state of repair

It's a bit further from the city and uni than Fenner, but it is much easier to get to Mitchell (the location of my new job).

The backyard, just ripe for some beers in the sunshine

Stubbsy has made the transition across to the Earledom ready to resume his mascot duties, although he currently just resides on my bed watching TV all day.

Stubbsy making himself at home on my bed. He seems to have lost his Bombers scarf.

There is only a small amount of storage space in my room, so I a using plastic tubs for my books and DVDs. I also had to buy a new desk for my computer.

My new desk. they are much more expensive than I remembered.

I also have too much beer to easily store. Here is a photo fo half of the beer that had to be transported (by motorbike) from Fenner to the Earledom.

Half of my undrunk beer. I found space for it all, but it was tough.

It took me one and a half days to clean by flat in Fenner, but I guess I did a good enough job as I got my bond back.

My flat in Fenner. I lived here for 4 years - that's longer than most degrees!

And so it was with a heavy heart I finally packed up my things and left Fenner, which has seen me through a Bachelor of Science, a graduate diploma in Science Communcation, and 90% of a Phd.

2011 winter comp

The stats from the winter ACT 8-ball comp were released today. I started strongly this season, winning just above 70% of my games until the final four week in which I suddenly slumped horribly. I ended with a win percentage of 58% which placed me 19th in Division 3 (from about 60 players).

My ACT ranking are on the rise also. After the winter season stats were entered into whatever database the committee uses. I rose 40 places to be ranked 120th in the ACT. I am still debating whether or not I play another season but I would like to creep into the top 100. I have a sneaking suspicion our team will drop to Div 4, which I am not too keen on.

RedRum

Do you know that feeling you get when you've just lost 6 hours of work?

The feeling of helplessness that slowly breeds deep the pit of the stomach, feeding off the uncertainty of the last click of the mouse button.
Even as your mind scurries over your most recent actions to determine if you actually have displaced the metaphoric blood, sweat, and tears poured into a literal lexicon of intelligence; the uncertainty that plagues you snowballs into an infallible truth.This simple realisation precludes a narrowing of vision to include nothing but the computer screen, which, in turn, fades into a blur.
The sudden rise of rage that cannot be quelled without immediate retribution on any animate or inanimate object that is at hand after which you are once again left tired, lost, as well as physically and mentally sore.
The sudden shift in thinking as you try the most inconceivable methods of recovering lost documents, each one more improbable than the last until finally you collapse into the pit of despair; the mind shuts down and slowly...nothing.
Yeah, I just felt that - luckily I was wrong.
On a positive note I have just realised a flaw in my saving and backing up techniques.
I copy all my latest and greatest work from my computer to my flash drive, which is then saved into my computer at uni. This is apparently backed up on some mega storage system somewhere in the RSC. Anyway, for a brief moment I thought I had accidentally dragged the old stuff from my flash drive to my PC which has my new stuff (instead of the other way around). Copy and Replace - why yes, don't mind if I do. Bada boom bada bang, all my recent hard work replaced with my not so recent inadequate work. Fortunately I didn't do anything backwards - at least that's what my newly acquired house mates should be thinking.

Final Days

The end of my tenure at Fenner is nearing an end (actually at the time of writing this article it has already finished), but there is still one formal ball to be had before I leave the twin towers that epitomise the Australian tertiary education.

Georgia and Bec in the first photo and Isaac and Blake in the second - sassin' it up

I attended my final Valedictory dinner. It was a fun affair as usual. As Sub Dean as I was seated on one of the VIP tables, which means free alcohol, and so I (over)indulged in booze.I picked up my third (and final) graduation mug and received my final award.

The Head of Hall, the lovely Dr. Jasmine Jury, decided that Fenner needed an award that recognizes long-term commitment. After too many years of involvement it was decided to name the award after yours truly. This means a) I can now walk around legitimately asking "Don't you know who I am" and b) I now have an award at the ANU named after me!

The draws women like moths to a flame!

To win the award, a resident has to be in their last year of residence, have lived at the Hall for at least three years, being involved in interhall arts and sports throughout their residency, have held positions as an office bearer and on the social committee, and to have performed well in the roles. I was the inaugural winner, but another ressie also one it this year (Laura Clarke).

That's Laura on the right, with Georgia

The prize for winning such a prestigious award - we are now VIP alumnis, and will be invited back to every Commencement and Valete Ball as VIP guests until Fenenr Hall stops being Fenner Hall or they lose my address. An honour board will be put up in the common room next to the other major prizes (Head's Collegiate, Fellows Prize, Arts and Sports person of the year, etc) which will record all the recipients and the year they win the "Phillip Gatt Award".

Here I am with Louisa and (2010 Sub Dean) Kate.

After Valete most of the SR team ended up at Knightsbridge where we drunk cheap cocktails and made insightful but humorous observations about the world around us.

Is this the last time Grimesy, Michael Dan and me will get to sing our song - We four men, drinking beer...

Dancing Prison

I've been writing all day and my mind is starting to go a little crazy. Anyway, check out this crazy video - a prison in the Philippines in which the Warden has decided to limit gang feuding through the medium of dance.


There a plenty of their videos (I think they perform for the public once a month). This particular dance clip is of much higher quality than the rest, it turns out they were visited by dancers/choreographers, which explains the black and white guys as lead dancers.

Homecoming Queen

12 months have flown by without anyone the wiser (I definitely haven't learnt anything new anyway). It seems like only last week that I was trying to hide my sniffles as Pinko jetted off to the States for his first post doc appointment, and now here he is sucking on a cocktail like there isn't enough tail!

He loves it!

Mid October Pinko returned to our sea-girted land and when he flew into Sydney the boys were there to meet him.

Pinko, Marty and Roberts living the good life (spare a thought for the under appreciated photographer)

We had a gay old time rocking out in downtown Sydney. The first night we drank ourselves silly at the bar associated with the backpackers we were staying at.

Many friends appeared for the first night and I leaned a valuable lesson - Sydney requires pants that cover the ankles.

The next day morn Pinko and I revived ourselves with a shaky 5 km run and some kebabs. Then the team headed to Manly so that Pinko could swim at a beach in a cool summer rain, while Marty and I enjoyed some tasty cocktails.

Marty and I enjoyed a competition of pick a cocktail from the menu they no longer have the ingredients for.

Our third and final night took us on an eventful journey to Surry Hills to watch the French valiantly overcome an undermanned welsh squad in the Rugby World Cup semi final.

The Dolphin hotel is Australia's only known sideways drinking hole.

I managed to procure a reserved sign from the Hotel which I will use for dastardly deeds in the future (look out Canberra).

Here I am reservin' some beer

Somehow, amidst the extreme bigness of Sydney I ran into Mel Stammell at the Dolphin Hotel, despite the fact that she too lives in Canberra.

Mel and Me

After many beers Roberts and I took a walk down Oxford Street before finding our way to a rooftop bar with Marty to finish off the night. All in all it was a splendid trip and wait for the moment we do something similar again.

Not every establishment we visited was classy. Here are the boys bashing there way through some bathroom doors.

Sports, Piestche, AND Bill

One lazy Saturday us boys headed to the Tradies to enjoy a lazy afternoon of watching sports, drinking the beer and celebrating Piestche's birthday. It was special day because on offer was the following - 2 x AFL finals, 2 x NRL finals, 2 (or maybe 3) x rugby world cup matches, and the thrid day of the Australian/Sri Lanka Test match. The day went well and we were all very gentlemanly like, until I found out it was Bill's birthday too. So after drinking all day it seemed only fair to celebrate Bill's special day too. Goof, Jase and I headed to town and that's about where I need photos to remind me what happened.So, it turns out Bill was allowed behind the bar at the PhoenixWe had martinis
The Bartenderess came out for a photo...
I don't know what that is, but it has milk in it! I also have my sunglasses still - they did not make it home with me (possibly left at macca's).

Summer Journeys - Adelaide to Albury (last leg)

The final leg was by the most mentally challenging. I was excited about following the Murray River from Adelaide back home, but I think Michelle found the landscape too bare and dry (in other words too Australian).

One bike, one river

From Adelaide we rode through a hailstorm of locusts to Murray Bridge (that is the name of the town) and then wound our way north through tiny villages such as Blanchetown and Swan's Reach heading towards the Sturt Highway.

Yeah, Blanchetown was weird

We had lunch at in a quaint little town that had general store. It was for sale and the owner's did not seem happy about owning it.

Water skiing in Renmark

We passed a place called Kingston (the 2nd one in SA) OM, where OM stands for On Murray. We stopped in Renmark for a rest and a cool down and so I could steel myself for the 130km straight that separates Yamba from Mildura.

Cool fountains: Renmark

The only highlight from this one and a bit hour journey was crossing the SA border (I like taking photos of border signs).

These photos make me think I've achieved something

We picked up eating supplies in Mildura and searched for a suitable camping place on the Murray. We found one about 30 mins after nightfall and proceeded to share our 'tent' space with approximately one million mosquitoes. I clocked up about 1 hours sleep.

Michelle with breakfast the next day. She was not pleased as heaps of mossies flew out of bag as soon as I opened it.

The next day we broke records for how quickly we could pack up camp in order get away from the mossies. I was super tired, but I loved the scenary on the drive home, sticking to the Murray Valley Highway and stopping every time I thought I might fall asleep whilst driving. We crisscrossed the NSW/Vic border multiple times before reaching Mulwala where we stopped to check out the old war machines.

Using my matrix-like abilities in Mulwala

Finally we shot through Corowa and Howlong on the way back home where was a warm bed and substantially less mossies.

Howlong is a special place with a special sign

The next day we borrowed Mum and Dad's car for the drive back to Canberra. I feel the need to point out that while the were less mossies in Albury than on our night out camping, there were still some in our bedroom.

The Murray being dammed in Albury

You see, many a mosquito hitched a ride with us inside my bike bags. Those sneaky bastards than terrorised us the following night.