The Weekly Fix

2010-07-15T13:15:00.000+10:00

2010-07-08T13:36:00.000+10:00

he's back.....

2010-07-07T14:46:00.006+10:00

STOP PRESS!!!
The woodster is back... so if you're looking for trouble then you know where to find it.....

Raoul Duke Joins Facebook & The Weekly Fix

2010-06-23T17:59:00.005+10:00

Raoul Duke, Hunter S Thompson's alter ego has joined Facebook with the primary objective of automatically feeding posts from The Weekly Fix, so you will never miss a post. If you would like to post on The Weekly Fix you will need to join so leave a comment and Raoul Duke will send an invitation enabling you to become a member. If you are already a member and have forgotten your username of password leave a comment and you will receive an invitation to join again.

Only friends of Raoul Duke will be able to see posts from The Weekly Fix through Facebook so you don't have to worry about work colleagues getting a peek of your mutant lifestyles.

The Weekly Fix

2010-06-15T17:12:00.005+10:00

Welcome to the latest edition of The Weekly Fix.

The Weekly Fix has returned to its original home and has undergone a face lift. The yellow background with streaks of red represents the blood & sweat required to don the Yellow Jersey.

The Fix now has separate pages: HOME, FEAR & MUTANT SHINDIGS.

HOME- Homepage of The Weekly Fix
FEAR - A page dedicated to the NYE Party "FEAR". (Under Construction)
MUTANT SHINDIG - A page announcing upcoming events, parties & gatherings.

We have the option for having up to 10 pages so any suggestions will be most welcome.

If anyone has a twitter account they would like added to the sidebar. Just leave a comment

Bring back the FIX

2009-02-24T12:58:00.001+10:00

Bring back the FIX and maybe some biff...

Weekly Fix Upgrade to Version 3.0

2009-01-28T00:22:00.002+10:00

This will be the last post on the Weekly Fix 2.0 as we have a new site.

Here is the link to the Weekly Fix 3.0

Hope you like the new Weekly Fix and hope to see you all become members.

This site will remain here.

President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address

2009-01-23T12:00:00.001+10:00

Australia Day Quiz - Answers Posted Australia Day

2009-01-19T23:30:00.002+10:00

1. What is the date of Australia Day?
         (A) The 1st of January
         (B) The 25th of April
         (C) The 26th of January
         (D) The first Tuesday in November

2. How many stars are there on the Australian flag?
         (A) 5
         (B) 4
         (C) 7
         (D) 6

3. Australia Day celebrates what event?
         (A) The opening of the national parliament in Canberra
         (B) The landing of the First Fleet at Botany Bay
         (C) Captain Cook's landing at Botany Bay.
         (D) The landing of the First Fleet in Sydney

4. What song did Slim Dusty sing at Darling Harbour on Australia Day
in 1995?
         (A) Waltzing Matilda
         (B) The Pub With No Beer
         (C) Advance Australia Fair
         (D) God Save the Queen

5. What special event is held in Cobram every Australia Day?
         (A) The Waltzing Matilda Marathon
         (B) A pie-eating contest
         (C) A gumboot throwing contest
         (D) The Peaches and Cream Festival

6. Which political leader resigned his position on Australia Day 1995?
         (A) John Howard
         (B) John Hewson
         (C) Alexander Downer
         (D) Bob Hawke

7. What special event is held in Montsalvat every Australia Day?
         (A) The Peaches and Cream Festival
         (B) A pie-eating contest
         (C) A gumboot throwing contest
         (D) A jazz festival

8. Which Prime Minister of Australia began his term on Australia Day
1966?
         (A) John Gorton
         (B) Harold Holt
         (C) Gough Whitlam
         (D) Robert Menzies

9. In which year was the first Aboriginal Day of Mourning and Protest
held on Australia Day?
         (A) 1901
         (B) 1938
         (C) 1915
         (D) 1928

10. What sporting facility was opened on Australia Day, 1981?
         (A) The Australian Institute of Sport
         (B) A new tennis complex in Melbourne
         (C) A new course for the Todd River Regatta
         (D) The new SCG

11. Who was at Fowler's Bay on Australia Day in 1841, looking for a
cutter?
         (A) Captain Cook
         (B) Matthew Flinders
         (C) Phillip Parker King
         (D) Edward John Eyre

12. On Australia Day in what year did SBS become the world's first
national multilingual radio service?
         (A) 1994
         (B) 1984
         (C) 1974
         (D) 2004

13. Which nation celebrates its Republic Day on Australia Day?
         (A) Thailand
         (B) Sri Lanka
         (C) India
         (D) Indonesia

14. What is the name of the biggest star on the Australian flag?
         (A) Epsilon crucis
         (B) Alpha crucis
         (C) Southern Cross
         (D) Federation star

15. Which Australian cricketer was born in Adelaide on Australia Day
1962?
         (A) Ashley Mallett
         (B) Don Bradman
         (C) Anthony Dodemade
         (D) Tim May

16. What is or was the Fremantle Doctor?
         (A) a cool breeze
         (B) a dose of salts
         (C) a vicious criminal
         (D) a famous cricketer

17. Which Australian politician famously began a 1972 speech "Men and
women of Australia"?
         (A) Paul Keating
         (B) Sir Robert Menzies
         (C) Gough Whitlam
         (D) Ben Chifley

18. In what month is or was ANZAC Day?
         (A) April
         (B) November
         (C) May
         (D) March

19. By what name is Henry Handel Richardson better known?
         (A) Mark Twain
         (B) Miles Franklin
         (C) George Sand
         (D) Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson

20. Which poet created the character Bill the bullock driver?
         (A) Henry Lawson
         (B) Henry Kendall
         (C) C. J. Dennis
         (D) Banjo Paterson

21. Which poet created the character Hanrahan?
         (A) P J Hartigan ('John O'Brien')
         (B) Henry Lawson
         (C) Banjo (Andrew Barton) Paterson
         (D) C. J. Dennis

22. What happened on Ross's Farm at Christmas time?
         (A) a hailstorm
         (B) a plague of locusts
         (C) a flood
         (D) a fire

23. What was the middle name of Bob Menzies?
         (A) Gregory
         (B) Graham
         (C) Gerald
         (D) Gordon

24. Which poet created the character 'The Triantiwontigongolope'?
         (A) Henry Kendall
         (B) P J Hartigan ('John O'Brien')
         (C) Banjo Paterson
         (D) C. J. Dennis

25. What happened on the day whose anniversary we celebrate as
Australia day?
         (A) A flag was raised, a toast was drunk, and a volley was
             fired.
         (B) A volley was fired.
         (C) A toast was drunk.
         (D) A flag was raised.

26. In what year did the Nationality and Citizenship Act become law on
Australia Day, so we could be Australian citizens for the first time?
         (A) 2001
         (B) 1949
         (C) 1967
         (D) 1901

27. What name was given to Australia Day in the 1820s?
         (A) Wattle Day
         (B) Botany Bay Regatta Day
         (C) Terra Australis Day
         (D) Anniversary Day

28. In what decade did Australians start holding regattas on Sydney
Harbour to celebrate the day we now call Australia Day?
         (A) 1790s
         (B) 1850s
         (C) 1820s
         (D) 1880s

29. What special event marked Australia Day in 1864 for Sydney people?
         (A) A pie-eating contest in Hyde Park
         (B) A foot race to Parramatta and back
         (C) A bicycle race to Melbourne
         (D) A yacht race to Newcastle and back

30. What different way of celebrating Australia Day took place in
Canberra in 1972?
         (A) A marathon session of parliament
         (B) A regatta on Lake Burley Griffin
         (C) An Aboriginal tent embassy
         (D) A foot race to Tidbinbilla

31. What happened at Waterloo Creek on Australia Day in 1838?
         (A) A massacre
         (B) A horse race
         (C) A smallpox outbreak
         (D) A gold strike

32. What famous surfing event took place at Manly on Australia Day,
1908?
         (A) The first use of a surfboard
         (B) The first surf rescue
         (C) The first surf carnival
         (D) The first daylight bathing

33. Which explorer enjoyed a dish of cockatoos on Australia Day, 1845?
         (A) George Evans
         (B) Major Mitchell
         (C) Edward John Eyre
         (D) Ludwig Leichhardt

34. Who wrote 'Robbery under Arms'?
         (A) Henry Lawson
         (B) Rolf Boldrewood
         (C) Marcus Clarke
         (D) Ruth Park

35. Who was shot and beheaded by two settlers in 1802?
         (A) Bennelong
         (B) Pemulwuy
         (C) Nemarluk
         (D) Truganini

36. Who wrote a short story about "The Loaded Dog"?
         (A) Henry Lawson
         (B) Banjo Paterson
         (C) C. J. Dennis
         (D) Henry Kendall

37. Who invented the box kite?
         (A) Almroth Wright
         (B) The Wright Brothers
         (C) Charles Wheatstone
         (D) Lawrence Hargrave

38. By what name is Brent of Bin-Bin better known?
         (A) Rolf Boldrewood
         (B) Henry Handel Richardson
         (C) Miles Franklin
         (D) Henry Lawson

39. By what name is June Gough better known?
         (A) June Dally-Watkins
         (B) Dame Joan Sutherland
         (C) Dame Nellie Melba
         (D) June Bronhill

40. What happened at Waterloo Creek on Australia Day in 1838?
         (A) A massacre
         (B) A horse race
         (C) A smallpox outbreak
         (D) A gold strike

41. What famous surfing event took place at Many on Australia Day,
1908?
         (A) The first use of a surfboard
         (B) The first surf rescue
         (C) The first surf carnival
         (D) The first daylight bathing

42. Which explorer enjoyed a dish of cockatoos on Australia Day, 1845?
         (A) George Evans
         (B) Major Mitchell
         (C) Edward John Eyre
         (D) Ludwig Leichhardt

43. Who wrote 'Robbery under Arms'?
         (A) Henry Lawson
         (B) Rolf Boldrewood
         (C) Marcus Clarke
         (D) Ruth Park

44. Who was shot and beheaded by two settlers in 1802?
         (A) Bennelong
         (B) Pemulwuy
         (C) Nemarluk
         (D) Truganini

45. Who wrote a short story about "The Loaded Dog"?
         (A) Henry Lawson
         (B) Banjo Paterson
         (C) C. J. Dennis
         (D) Henry Kendall

46. Who invented the box kite?
         (A) Almroth Wright
         (B) The Wright Brothers
         (C) Charles Wheatstone
         (D) Lawrence Hargrave

47. By what name is Brent of Bin-Bin better known?
         (A) Rolf Boldrewood
         (B) Henry Handel Richardson
         (C) Miles Franklin
         (D) Henry Lawson

48. By what name is June Gough better known?
         (A) June Dally-Watkins
         (B) Dame Joan Sutherland
         (C) Dame Nellie Melba
         (D) June Bronhill

49. In what Australian city would you find Busby's Bore?
         (A) Canberra
         (B) Sydney
         (C) Brisbane
         (D) Perth

50. The part-Aboriginal detective of Arthur Upfield had what name?
         (A) Napoleon Bonaparte
         (B) Nemarluk
         (C) Pemulwuy
         (D) Dirty Harry

51. Which famous poem contains the line "But their style of playing
polo was irregular and rash"?
         (A) The Geebung Polo Club
         (B) The Grog-an'-Grumble Steeplechase
         (C) How the Melbourne Cup Was Won
         (D) The Hunting of the Snark

52. Which large near-Earth asteroid was first detected on Australia
Day, 1955?
         (A) NGC-4636
         (B) AN10
         (C) SMART-1
         (D) WD40

53. What important nuclear event happened in Australia on Australia
Day, 1958?
         (A) The discovery of uranium deposits at Rum Jungle
         (B) The HIFAR reactor went critical
         (C) A US nuclear test dropping fallout on Australia
         (D) A British atomic test at Maralinga

54. In which year was the Australia Day anniversary first celebrated
(though not by name)?
         (A) 1788
         (B) 1820
         (C) 1789
         (D) 1901

55. Who suggested in 1911 that May 24 be celebrated as 'Australian
Day'?
         (A) Robert Gordon Menzies
         (B) William Morris Hughes
         (C) Andrew Fisher
         (D) Very Rev. Fr O'Reilly

56. Which explorer arrived at Roebourne on Australia Day in 1874,
having started in Adelaide?
         (A) Peter Egerton Warburton
         (B) Major Mitchell
         (C) Edward John Eyre
         (D) John McDouall Stuart

57. Before we had Australia Day, in 1700, which place was hit by a
tsunami on that date?
         (A) San Francisco
         (B) Broome
         (C) Geraldton
         (D) Honshu

58. Where did cracksman Raffles commit his first robbery?
         (A) in Adelaide
         (B) in Perth
         (C) in central Sydney
         (D) outside Melbourne

59. Who dictated The Jerilderie letter?
         (A) Ben Hall
         (B) Black Caesar
         (C) Ned Kelly
         (D) Dan Kelly

60. Who wrote 'At Dead Dingo'?
         (A) Henry Lawson
         (B) Rudyard Kipling
         (C) Lindy Chamberlain
         (D) Banjo Paterson

The Top 43 Appointees Who Helped Make Bush The Worst President Ever

2009-01-19T23:22:00.000+10:00

Only days left till Bush is Gone

Just a little reading regarding his legacy

The Onion Post On Bush 2001 - Not So Funny Anymore

2009-01-19T23:19:00.000+10:00

Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over'

January 17, 2001 | Issue 37•01

The Corporate Connection

2009-01-16T09:42:00.002+10:00

Schmen!!

2009-01-15T13:30:00.002+10:00

Publish Post

Ani DiFranco Interview

2009-01-10T19:40:00.002+10:00

My favourite website at the moment is Fora Tv the interviews are first class and the subjects are amazing people in their fields. Here is an interview with Ani DiFranco.

check this out....

2008-12-18T15:57:00.002+10:00

a classic.... you'll love it...

http://www.struttergear.com/products/STRUTTER_BUBBLE_INFOPAGE.html

maybe even a christmas present idea???

a little chrissie cheer......

2008-12-18T11:11:00.003+10:00

for those of you who are vegas residents or even vegas bound there will be a few fixers chrissie drinks going down tomorrow night....

date: friday, 19th December
place: the paddo
time: 700 pm onwards

so if you feel like catching up and enjoying some christmas cheer before we split up into our family circles please come along... all welcome...

2008 Top 5 Sporing Moments

2008-12-11T07:34:00.005+10:00

5. Viewed - Melbourne Cup

Viewed gave Bart Cummings a record 12th Melbourne cup in the closest Melbourne Cup ever raced.

The race was so close that the runner up actaully ran the fasest race as the time is measured by microchips in the saddlecloth. Bauer must have had a slighty slower start to the race.

This would have made number two if I had of picked the winner, I think my tip came close to last.

4. Michael Phelps - Olympic Swimmer

An amazing eight gold medals in one Olympics could rightly see Michael higher up the list, but the fact that he was almost expected to achieve the feat before the games began and that he was very lucky with three out or the eight swims, I could not place him in the top two.

Will go down as one of the greatest Olympians of all time.

3. Usain Bolt - Olympic Sprinter

A freakish performance by 22 year old Jamaican Usain Bolt in 100m final in Beijing was my standout of the 2008 Olympics.

Easing off in the last 30m to smash the world record in a time of 9.69 seconds was incredible. He then managed to back it up breaking Michael Johnson's "unbreakable" world record running 19.30 seconds. To cap of an incredible week he collected another gold and world record in the 4 x 100m in 37.10 seconds.

Could easily have been higher in the list, except the fact he raced in the 100m sprinting final and in my opinion there is a good chance that every competitor is on drugs.

Usain Bolt could well be the exception I would be very happy if proven wrong.

2. Matt Mitcham - Olympic Diver

My favourite moment of the Olympics. Matt Mitcham was the only openly gay competitor in Beijing out of over 10 000 athletes, had quite the sport in 2006 due to depression and was competing against two Chinese divers who had shared every gold medal on offer at the Olympics thus far.

I was watching the 10m platform diving live when one of the greates Australian sporting moments unfolded.
There was one dive left for each competitor.

Zhou Luxin the Chinese diver leading the competition saved his worst dive for last scoring 74.80 giving Matt a mathematical chance of winning gold, giving Matt a target of 107.30.

Matt's last dive a back two-and-a-half sommersault with two-and-a-half twists was his hardest dive saved for last.

Watching that dive was one of the most intense sporting moments. Matt won the gold with a score of 112.1 out of a possible 114, the greatest dive in Olympic History. Inredible......

1. Qld State of Origin Team

Qld leads NSW 13-12 in interstate games and after losing the first game of the series there was the very possiblity that NSW could lead the series count for the first time in Origin history.

Qld won the series to make it three in a row. No team has ever won four series straight.

Top Lists for 2008

2008-12-11T07:29:00.002+10:00

It is that time of year where people decide on their favourite lists, moments and memories so for the rest of the year I will be compiling lists commemorating another year.

If you have any idea of lists you would like to see let me know.

Shopping Nights at Absolutely Fabulous

2008-12-02T19:17:00.003+10:00

Hey Fixers,

you're all invited to late night shopping at Mum's shops.

Beat the major shopping centre crush and select from the finest range of funky gifts for your loved ones. All within air conditioned luxury accompanied by complimentary champagne!! If you choose to purchase you'll have your gifts professionally wrapped for free...

New Farm, 766 Brunswick St, 4th Dec til 7:30pm

Woolloongabba, 39 Logan Rd, 11th Dec til 7:30 pm

New Farm, 766 Brunswick St, 18th Dec til 7:30pm

If we don't get to see you, have a top notch festive season and a cracker of a new year!!

Merry Xmas

Leuko

ASTEROIDS

2008-11-25T07:40:00.001+10:00

Galaga has been replaced by Asteroids.
BSR you can even sign you high score, though the top 10 will take some skill to achieve.

Game On...............

KIWIS WORLD CHAMPS

2008-11-23T15:08:00.003+10:00

Well done Kiwis you deserve the win, it is the first time a team other than Australia has won a World Cup since England in 1972. The last time a Kiwi side beat Australia to a trophy in league was against a Wayne Bennett coached Tri nations Side. Bennett lost his job and Ricky Stuart took over taking pot shots at Wayne regarding not facing up to media and the culture that developed in the Australian team.

Since then the media has hailed Ricky Stuart as Australia's greatest coach because he has the highest winning percentage of all national coaches even though he has only coached 16 games. Some sections of the media have even suggested he keeps the job for life.

Well Ricky I have not seen one interview from you promoting the game in this World Cup and now you are the first Australian coach to lose a World Cup in 36 years.

BRING BACK WAYNE!!!!!!!

Once again NZ as much as I hate to lose against you mob your win will do wonders for the game, and guarantee the World Cup will be played in four more years.

Congratulations now give us back Wayne, you can have Ricky.

Oh almost forgot Sonny Bill Williams you may as well stay in France who gives F$%k about you. The Doggies don't need you and the Kiwis certainly don't need you. To think you reckon the game can't survive without you, well we are all doing fine down under without you.

Finally commiserations to Bear. Mungus was listening to the TV coverage with me through skype but left with Australia leading 10 nil, I was joking with him that Langer had bought an esky on the field and the Aussies had started celebrating, how wrong I was.

Throat daggers, strawberries and cream

2008-11-22T09:36:00.003+10:00

Just woke up with the mightiest of hangovers. The pain in my head is that bad that even the illegally held "inmates" in Guantanamo would feel sorry for me! It feels a bit like I chewed the head off a bat Ozzy style but I am that bat if you can picture that. Wow, bit of Dr Seuss going on there...

Dave Grohl sums up my state perfectly when he warbles:

It's times like these you learn to live again

It's times like these you live and live again

It's times like these you learn to love again

It' times like these time and time again

Yeh Dave......yeahhhh....

A SCHEMER SMILE WEBSITE

2008-11-18T19:27:00.002+10:00

Hi fixers been busy trying to build a personal website and it has been a real challenge.

The hardest part was uploading it to a host site other than Apple's Mobile Me service which cost $150 a year. I have basically sat at my computer for 8 hours a bottle of Jim Bean and a long neck trying to get the sucker uploaded.

It is finally up but nowhere need completed some fonts and colours are not displaying correctly and some content is missing so I will work on getting rid of the bugs.

Anyway check it out. Currently you can't add comments to the blog section but I will work on it.

I haven't paid for my own domain name so the URL links are quite lengthy. I will rectify that sitaution once I master the layout of the site.

To visite a scheMer sMile click here or on the title of this post.

GAME ON

2008-11-16T19:27:00.008+10:00

From 17th November till 15th February the State Library of Queensland will be hosting Game On. A history of video games which has thrilled over a million visitors worldwide.

With more than 100 playable games, including some rarely seen consoles, a host of films based on video games and workshops for game developers this is a must for any of you who use to raid your money box to drop 20c pieces in games such as Mario Brothers, Galaga, Asteroids, Frogger and Pac Man.

Films showing include Tron, eXistenZ and Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

To commemorate this landmark event I have added Galaga to the bottom of the page.
Press the space bar to start the game and to fire bullets. A word of warning this is more difficult than the original.

At Cottenham Street Bear taught me a lesson in playing Pac Man, (the man is a freak) so I am looking forward to hearing how he goes.

Enjoy......

Here's to silent simon!

2008-11-15T22:54:00.002+10:00

With critical Sunday rapidly approaching I thought it would be fitting to offer a toast to those whom we mingle amongst that add so much value to our lives yet never attract the accolades. You know who I'm talking about, the quiet achievers of this world, those that are responsible not for making/generating the major advancements or revelations in life but contribute more valuably by making all the small steps in between. I'm talking about the average joe's; the person who fills the photocopier with A4 so that you never have to work out which tray the darn paper feeds from; those who push the bell just before your bustop ensuring that you don't have to worry about lifting a finger; and those who keep rotating the kegs in the cool room of our local pub so that we can enjoy our non-stop lager/ale fix. We never get to see them, but we appreciate their work. So join me in raising a glass and thanking all the silent Simon's out there. They are really what makes this world go around!!

Parking Warden = IQ of 2

2008-11-14T14:23:00.002+10:00

Bear has started a group on facebook Parking Warden = IQ of 2 which I believe has the makings of of being one of the most popular groups on facebook. So if this interest you then join and spread the word.

GMAIL VIDEO CHAT

2008-11-14T09:27:00.001+10:00

The world best free email has now introduced video chat, so if you don't have skype (also free) you can now video chat via gmail.

Absolutely Fabulous

2008-11-10T21:26:00.002+10:00

Mum and Mary had a full page write up in the Courier Mail on their shops today if anyone is interested.
Page 33.

Go Kumuls

2008-11-08T22:52:00.010+10:00

The World cup just roared to life with a cracking match between NZ and England. England dominated early proceedings and held a commanding lead only for NZ to perform a remarkable comeback to smash England 36-24.

This result is important for two reasons, firstly NZ will be brimming with confidence and will now fancy their chances against Australia and there is nothing better than beating a confident Kiwi outfit.

Secondly if my country of birth PNG can perform the impossible and beat Australia it will send England tumbling out of the tournament without even reaching the finals.

Go Kumuls!

Join The Road Trip Revolution

2008-11-08T20:26:00.015+10:00

Just got of skype with Denno and and NYE is set in motion. After much searching Denno has found a campsite silly enough to accept our convoy of wicked campers. The campsite is at Darlington Beach.

From the South
Approximately 5 minutes North of Woolgoolga, turn right into Arrawarra Beach Road, drive 150 metres, and then turn left at the Darlington Beach sign. Continue for 1.4km to the park entrance.

From the North
Approximately 55km from Grafton, turn left into Arrawarra Beach Road then continue as above.

Sydney to Coffs Harbour is approximately a 6hr drive or 550kms. Brisbane to Coffs Harbour is approximately a 5hr drive or 427kms.

GPS Co-ordinates: Longitude: 153.187314, Latitude: -30.046835

The park has three styles the ensuite site the powered site and the unpowered site we have the unpowered site.

The unpowered site is amongst 10 acres of sub tropical bushland or on the bank of an inland lagoon – it’s your choice! All camping areas are adjacent to amenities buildings and close to the camp kitchen.

The costs are $55/van covering two people with a min seven nights. (28th dec - 4th Jan)

We are thinking of setting up in the tropical bushland as the lagoon will probably be filled with to many family's though we have access to all facilities.

This is not yet set in stone but it looks like the vans will cost nothing as long as we produce a promo video of the road trip which will be used by Wicked Campers to promote their business.

The movie will be entitled Join The Road Trip Revolution Video.

Anyone interested in a road Trip of a lifetime let Denno or myself know we have a reference number for the booking as you will need to book the site yourself. Deposits are one nights accomodation.

More details to come........

Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko

2008-11-08T18:10:00.005+10:00

Is this the hottest world leader you have seen? Yulia is the current Prime Minister of Ukraine.

Online Photo Editors

2008-11-07T22:22:00.004+10:00

Want to be able to edit photos online without having to buy software programs. Here is a list of the top 10 online photo editors currently on the net.

FIND 100 MOVIES

2008-11-06T19:35:00.003+10:00

Remember the Virgin band competition the Salmeister posted a few years back, here is another, this time the picture contains 100 movies. Toy Story and Napoleon Dynamite are two that initially stand out.

Global Gathering

2008-11-05T09:06:00.004+10:00

Just a reminder Global Gathering is fast approaching and if anyone is keen I still have some tickets for sale at $95.00.

Brisbane line up includes

Kraftwerk
Mark Ronson
Fischerspooner (DJ Set)
Sasha
Above & Beyond
Felix Da Housecat
LA Riots
The Orb
Larry Tee

Go to Brisbane Global Gathering for full details

COL & ISA

2008-11-05T08:43:00.001+10:00

Col and Isa are heading back home which will make all fixers very happy.
you check out their latest blog at Colisa Course

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS

2008-11-05T08:22:00.005+10:00

Mum and Mary have opened a second Absolutely Fabulous store at Woolloongabba (39 Logan Rd) the other at New Farm. (766 Brunswick St). Here are some pics of the new store.

WEEKLY FIX COMMENTS

2008-11-04T16:51:00.002+10:00

I have had a request to allow bloggers to comment anomalously again as some people could not be bothered to log in to comment. I guess I understand, sort of, well not really, but anyway anonymous comments are now permitted though each comment will be moderated so expect delays before comments appear on The Weekly Fix.

This will also make my job of deleting spam much easier.

SIDE BAR DILEMMA

2008-11-04T16:08:00.004+10:00

Something that annoys about this site is how on a mac the site displays as it is intended with the right sidebar starting at the top of the page yet on a PC the right sidebar seems to be pushed down the page making it seem out of position.

I have changed some of the HTML code to try and get the side bar at the top of the page as it is intended to look. So those poor souls out there who use a PC can you please let me know if the changes have worked.

It would be great if everyone's view of The Weekly Fix was the same.

Melbourne Cup Tips

2008-11-04T13:14:00.003+10:00

My bets for the Melbourns Cup

TO WIN: Mad Rush
TRIFECTA: Mad Rush; Ice Chariot; Profound Beauty.

Good luck everyone with your bets.

MOVEMBER 08

2008-11-04T07:46:00.004+10:00

A little late but it is Movember which means everywhere you look mens eye brows are moving south for a drink all in the name of prostate cancer and depression.

GOOD LUCK OBAMA

2008-11-04T07:08:00.004+10:00

The final day of campaigning takes place in America and Obama seems untouchable. The question remains will white America really vote a black man for presidency. When polled, saying you would vote for Obama and actually voting for him in the privacy of the ballot box seems to be Obama's only hurdle.

The shorthand phrase used to describe this is "the Bradley effect", after the failure of black candidate Tom Bradley to win the California governorship in 1984, even though late polls showed him ahead by seven points.

In 1989, another black politician, Douglas Wilder, won the Virginia governorship by just 0.4 per cent when polls had shown him leading by double digits.

First polls should close around 11.00 am Brisbane time and we may even know the result by 2.00 this arvo.

Good luck Barack.

Just found this article

Looking to honor the forty-third President of the United States of America, George W. Bush, the recently formed Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco is looking to change the name of the Oceanside Wastewater Treatment Facility. It seems the group would like to rename the SF Zoo adjacent facility to the 'George W Bush Sewage Plant

PICKING A WINNER IS ALL IN THE NAME

2008-11-03T18:45:00.002+10:00

I have only ever picked two winners in the Melbourne Cup Brew (2000) and Vintage Crop (1993) and those were based solely on names that meant something to me and this year there is a horse called Mad Rush that also depicts my life, so if you are undecided for the Melbourne Cup jump on board you won't regret it.

Good Luck

Social networking: under the microscope

2008-11-02T17:43:00.003+10:00

Walking through the Mall last week with a friend an incident occurred that got me thinking about what really beats at the heart of the social networking phenomenon. We were taking in the sights and soaking up the buzz of the swarms of people who descend on the Mall each and every day when my friend stopped abruptly and said, "quick, don't move!" - which I thought was slightly oxymoronic but I did as she asked. She manoeuvred herself such that I realised she was using me to shield her from the gaze of one of the passers-by. I said, "what's up - who are we hiding from?" to which she replied, "there's an old friend of mine, I don't want her to see me...". This in itself made me wonder why she wouldn't want to see her friend but then she followed by saying, "she always tries to chat with me on facebook but I always ignore her..." and here comes the cruncher, "....because I don't really like her!!". As we chatted it became evident that my friend never really liked this girl at all. When I questioned her why she accepted this person onto her friend list she came up with a mountain of reasons. Everything from, "well I couldn't hurt her feelings," to , "she might bad mouth me to the rest of our circle of 'friends'....." to "why not - I don't have to see her".

Now I know myself that I have friends on f'book who really have only made it there to boost the total number of friends I can 'show-off' to everyone ("oh my God!! You are soooo popular!!!") and if we were really honest with ourselves there'd be more that could identify with that than not. So, I did a bit of research into the validity of social networking and what might be behind the fact that we continue to 'socialise' in cyberspace with those who we could not be bothered speaking to in the real world. Being a relatively new area, the research is by no means deep or robust, but some reasons have been offered that really do make sense. Here are a few:

1) We feel better about ourselves when we log on and see how total number has grown ("only 2 more friends and I'll hit 100!! YAY!!)

2) The more friends we have the more we appear as a person who is nice, easy to get along with and even socially adept ("can you believe Marto has 3oo friends??!! Wow, I have got catch up with him....")

3) Perceived success has been positively correlated with the number of ''friends' you have ("geez - johnno must be really kickin it in life - look how many friends he has!!")

All pretty good reasons I reckon to accept the friend request from that kid at primary school who you haven't seen in over 20 years and who used to always chew up his bus ticket and flick it at you making all the other kids laugh and giggle at your expense. I say hit 'accept' cause in the end you'll appear cooler, nicer, more successful and it might be the only way you can finally get some payback for all that torment. Just don't bother stopping and talking to him if you see him walking in the streets....

What are your thoughts on social networking....

MELBOURNE CUP FIELD/ODDS

2008-11-02T09:37:00.003+10:00

Here is the field for the 2008 Melbourne Cup.
Post your tips and predictions.
Good Luck

WHAT IS UP WITH AUSTRALIAN SPORTS COVERAGE

2008-11-02T08:39:00.003+10:00

Last nights Bledisloe match between Aus & NZ was a major disappointment, and I am not referring to the result but the coverage itself. The commentary was a second ahead of the images. It is quite annoying when the ball is kicked in the air and you are told what the catcher of the ball does before he actually catches the ball.

At least we got to see the match, in the rugby league world cup you are lucky if you even get to see a match. I had planned on watching Fiji vs France with Dirty Pierre when I realized not one station including Fox Sports would be showing the match.

Even when there is a match on TV it is delayed for pathetic shows like 60 Minutes which over the years has turned into a glorified A Current Affair.

FEAR 09/10

2008-11-01T12:06:00.003+10:00

Seems the majority of fixers would like to see FEAR for 09/10, with 72% voting to resurrect FEAR.

A couple of years ago Dennis & Beck left Australia for the UK to head up Wicked Campers which has been a huge success for them. They are returning for a holiday and we going on a road trip this New Years. Convoys will be heading from Sydney and Vegas meeting at a National Park just outside Coffs.

More details to follow.......

AUSTRALIA SET TO JOIN IN INTERNET CENSORSHIP

2008-10-31T17:57:00.003+10:00

Here is a list of countries that Australia is keen to join in censoring the internet.

10. Pakistan
9. Burma
8. Yemen
7. North Korea
6. Syria
5. Cuba
4. United Arab Emerates
3. Saudia Arabia
2. Iran
1. China

Is this the end of democracy as we know it?

AUSSIE COMEDIAN HECKLED

2008-10-31T17:20:00.001+10:00

FAVOURITE MOVIE QUOTES

2008-10-31T14:28:00.005+10:00

Just finished watching Pulp Fiction and got me thinking of one liners in movies.
My favourite quote from Pulp Fiction is when Jules and Vincent are cleaning up a car after Vincent accidently shoots some dude in the back of the car.

JULES: Well, I'm a mushroom-cloud-layin' motherfucker, motherfucker! Every time my fingers touch brain, I'm Superfly T.N.T., I'm the Guns of the Navarone! IN FACT, WHAT THE FUCK AM I DOIN' IN THE BACK? YOU'RE THE MOTHERFUCKER WHO SHOULD BE ON BRAIN DETAIL! We're fuckin' switchin'! I'm washin' the windows, and you're pickin' up this nigger's skull!

What are your favourite quotes from a movie.

Left or Right Brain

2008-10-31T09:04:00.002+10:00

Do you use your left or right side of your brain.
Can you use both?
I see the image moving clockwise and am unable to see it move anti-clockwise.

NYE

2008-10-30T15:38:00.001+10:00

Heard a rumour Tyles & Sal are having a new year's eve party.
What time does it start?

Pacific Nations Set For War

2008-10-29T07:51:00.004+10:00

As expected the Rugby League World Cup has been bitterly dissapointing, the opening match was not even considered important enough to show live, having to wait for channel nines's 60 minutes to finish before telecasting the opening match.

With NZ and Englang putting in substandard performances in the opening round it is difficult to see anyone challenging Australia.

Tomorrow night will see two teams face off that have a reputation as the most spiteful relationship in world sport.

Both Samoa and Tonga have been warned to perform their traditional pre-game war dance in their own quater as every time a player has stepped over the half way mark an all in brawl has ensured.

But Tongan winger Cooper Vuna - who will lead his nation's "Sipita'u" - last night warned there will be "no stopping anyone" if Samoa step over the halfway line.

"I don't know if the coaching staff or the management could stop it. There will be no stopping anyone."

If you like your sporting contests played with passion then don't miss this game, it should be a cracker.

Samoa v Tonga live 6.45pm Fox Sports

VINNING FAMILY REUNION

2008-10-27T17:11:00.007+10:00

Just spent the last few days near the Snowy Mountains at a family reunion, and had a fantastic time. Over 40 relatives traveled from England, Fiji and all over Australia to my Uncle's farm near Thredbo for four days of celebrations.

Festivities included kite flying, fishing for yabbies, photograping local wildlife and plenty of drinking. Everyone stayed in caravans, combies and tents on the property. All the food was provided from the land. My cousin built an outside pizza oven for the event which went down a treat.

I have plenty of relatives that love to party hard so I wasn't out of place cracking my first beer with breakfast every morning. Not everything went to plan, within an hour of arriving I had broken my collar bone in three places had three shots of morphine, and subscribed a cocktail of medication which just added to an impressive stockpile I had accrued for the weekend.

I had such a brilliant four days that I have put my hand up to host the next reunion.

MICK'S LINKS

2008-10-16T17:53:00.002+10:00

Want to be able to watch any movie when ever you want without leaving home go to
Mick's Links

Golden

2008-10-13T13:54:00.004+10:00

Hi guy's, thought I'd drop a line from Canada and let you all know where I'm at these days.
Golden is the town in British Columbia and it's a small ski town that is host to Kicking Horse Mtn.
Web cam Link - http://www.kickinghorseresort.com/mountain/webcams/
I've just finished a busy summer working in Labrador and the Yukon towing survey equipment up and down the ranges.
Home now and getting the heating side of things organized with the wood furnace in the house and the wood pellet stove in the garage, plus the hot tub...wicked.
There's tons to do in the area and the next thing on the list is a motorbike to get me to the back country for serious hikes and camping. Best news would be the start of some Heli-ski flying out of Mica Heli lodge this winter.
With all the new families out there, I guess there's not many left to come visit but those of you that are up for it, your welcome.
Later mutants
Ash

parklife verses franti....

2008-10-13T08:47:00.009+10:00

hey ho daddios... shagga and i and a few others doubled up and went to parklife and spearhead within a week of each other and the differences were huge. in fact so much so that they are worth writing about...
i think the only word to describe the emotion we felt was "shock" when we hit parklife which was at the riverstage. first of all everyone was just so young... i mean really, really young and there was such a difference in the attitude to the festivals of old. first of all in the fixers day we were concerned with not being concerned if i can speak for all? it was almost like we tried to look like we didn't care (even though we did). at parklife everyone was almost overly concerned with their look. the lads were all short haired, waxed, buffed and bare chested wearing bubble gum coloured clothes (aka corey worthington) and the ladies matched the look dressed to the kilt as well. there also lacked a real vibe, a roar if you like and there was a general lack of common decency that bonds everyone in the various lines you stand in that are par for the course at all festies. the actual act line up was good but the performaces were very ordinary. goldfrapp looked tired and flat, 2 many djs sound was too low, soulwax played exactly the same set as at the v festival and diplo had an mc that wouldnt shut up. all in all i walked away thinking that one question that haunts every festie goer at some point or another...... AM I TOO OLD? are festies like the byron bay blues, woodford, pyramid and peats ridge that last bastions of solid choice festivals... it also made me think of producing "bring back FEAR" t-shirts and handing out to all that know.
fast forward a week of pondering and we found ourselves at spearhead who played at the tivoli. well i tell you what; this team have never disappointed and i dont expect they ever will. michael franti gives a 100% to everyhting he does and right from the word go he had the crowd jumping. i dont think there was a person who didnt leave with a soaked t-shirt and for the first time in ages i only drank a single beer because the performace was better than than the need to queue for a drink (i know.. i know)...
so i was lifted by the fact that one performance negated the other and at the end of the day i will only remember the one i enjoyed.. but it still begs the questions - am i too old? do i now need to be selective in choice and not choose a festie just because of its line up?
one thing that i have realised is that there is an urgent and dire need to:

BRING BACK FEAR!!

test

2008-10-12T11:25:00.003+10:00

yoo ho's

MEMBERS ONLY

2008-10-11T19:27:00.005+10:00

Anyone who would like to be a member of the Weekly Fix please email me at messer (dot) michael (at) gmail (dot) (com) and blogger will send you an invite to join the Fix.

The benefits of membership is being able to create Posts and comment on Posts as I have disabled the ability to comment anonymously.

Blogger is owned by Google so if you already have a gmail account, joining is a sinch.

Currently the Weekly Fix has eleven members (listed in right hand sidebar), you are all available to create posts and comment on any post, though you will need to sign in to make the most of your blogging experiences.

where there was two... now there are three...

2008-10-07T10:50:00.008+10:00

i thought i would quickly blog something to make it official and public. i think most of you may already be aware of this but for those who are not aware of our news... it is...... wait for it... yes... sally is very pregnant and in good health... she hit 13 weeks yesterday and our 12 week scan indicated a healthy being inside of her which is great news...

so we join the long line of fixer pregancies..... a new stage of life will soon begin.. bring it on... am i ready.... i dont knooooooooow... but we are very very happy and absolutely delighted at the fact that new beginnings are on the horizon.. yes folks we really think its time to breathe life into this world.....

any guidance or tips greatly appreciated.

interiors

2008-10-05T16:17:00.005+10:00

We finally got around to snapping a few interior shots off. Enjoy.

we found the door handles in a asian inspired store in west end. we are pretty happy with the outcome.

the hallway looking towards the master bedroom.

the bathroom out to the back of the property.

the interior deck looking to the lounge.

well, thats about it... we mulched the pathways this weekend and the next thing to do is plant the garden beds out whilst there is a little spring left. slowly but surely as they say..

You Tube Favourites

2008-10-05T11:27:00.011+10:00

Does anyone surf You Tube for entertainment. Here are a couple of my favourite videos at the moment.
If you have any favourites you would like to share, post a link with your comments.

walls and beds...

2008-09-30T10:20:00.006+10:00

bluey and shagga popped on in to lend hand in the garden. a retaining wall behind the potting bench as well as the garden bed infrastructure were on the agenda and all were achieved.

everyone agreed that is was noice not to get trashed on this occassion although I came pretty close to it saturday night (sleep being my saviour) and bluey still managed to leave with an injury.

Saturday entailed getting the retaining wall up and running followed by shagga's famous "kulbayaka" for dinner.

Sunday saw the garden beds materialise, the planting of the ceremonious King Shatoot White Mulberry as well as a wander around the eco village followed by a dip in the creek.

Not bad for a weekends work and thanks must go to the bluemeister and shaggatron for coming along to hang out and lend a hand.. you folk rock...

Global Gathering

2008-09-26T21:25:00.005+10:00

Been waiting anxiously all week to discover which ‘world renowned international festival’ will be coming to Australia before the end of the year? The UK mega-festival Global Gathering will be making its way across Australia this November, meaning we’ll get to experience one of the world’s most loved dance and live music events before 2008 comes to a close.

The Australian debut of Global Gathering will be a joint venture between festival founder Angel Music Group, alongside Future Entertainment and Ministry Of Sound Australia, and the respective parties claim the tour could very well be “the biggest venture of its kind in Australia to date,” as well as “a milestone for festival culture in Australia”. Will it live up to the unbeatable reputation attached to its UK counterpart? Details are scarce at this stage as far as dates, venues and lineups are concerned, but the organisers promise all will be revealed over the coming weeks.

The legacy of Global Gathering is known to more than a few Australian dance music fans, with storming live sets having been broadcast worldwide since its launch in 2001. It really is looked to as the pinnacle of international dance festivals. Every year over 50,000 excited punters congregate at the Long Marston Airfield in the final weekend of July, making it the biggest dance weekender of the European summer. The Angel Music Group are coming hot off the heels of their most successful event yet, with attendance exceeding 55,000 at the 2008 event, and a smokin’ lineup that saw Kanye West, Moby and Mark Ronson playing live, along with DJ headliners like Armin Van Buuren, John Digweed, Roger Sanchez, Above & Beyond and many, many more.

Global Gathering has made the pilgrimage to six different countries outside the UK this year, and Angel Music Group promise that special care will be taken with each international event to mould it to the local market, meaning it’ll offer the best possible lineup of musical talent, the highest production values and an party that’s a true reflection of the original UK festival. Roger Sanchez had this to say after playing this year’s UK event; “Simply the best electronic music festival in the world, bar none.”

Global Gathering lineup:

Kraftwerk
Mark Ronson & The Version Players
Gorillaz Sound System
Sasha (excluding Perth)
Above & Beyond
Felix Da Housecat
Fischerspooner
DJ Sneak (excluding Sydney)
The Orb
Dirty South
ATB
LA Riots
Larry Tee
The Potbelleez (excluding Sydney)
Kazu Kimura
Tydi
& more still to be announced!

If anyone would like tickets at the opening price of $95.00 drop me a line as I have 15 tickets.

Prices are currently $115.00 with over 10,000 tickets sold last week so this festival will sell out.

Thanks Wayne

2008-09-21T07:45:00.010+10:00

Went to Lang Park last night and would have to say it was one of the most gut wrenching experience since those cheating Italians knocked the Socceroos out of the World Cup.

After a disappointing build up to the game where the media's sole focus was on off field dramas instead of the collosus battle about to erupt. Wayne and Tunga's possible last game for the Broncos ensured this game would be viewed with high emotions.

Melbourne never looked like beating the Broncos so to have the game stolen in the last 30 seconds was a cruel blow to the gutted 51000 crowd.

New Global Underground Tunes

2008-09-20T00:21:00.004+10:00

For those of you who like the Global Underground series... check out their myspace site as well as http://www.globalunderground.co.uk/. I think there are a couple of good albums being released.
Any other music tips greatly appreciated too...
Ciao for now!

Bets

2008-09-17T03:02:00.003+10:00

Here an other update on the betting front...

What a turnout!!!

Next week, half of the fixers will be eliminated, that's if the little co-pilot is showing off his or her bits! But I am sure it will put a show on for us especially with a mother nicknamed 'sweet lips'.

goodbye hazlewood...

2008-09-12T11:32:00.003+10:00

a few parting shots of a house that served us so well.
its funny how a room/deck can look so bare and desolate when everything is removed that made it special. this is the place that held so many great events from the spur-of-the-moment catch-ups to the full on parties and yet it is just any old deck looking at it now.
shagga lending a hand. 5 nights and two full days it took to clean that place.... it was bloody cleaner when we moved out than we we moved in.... full bond back. thanks for all yer help shags..

a great wall...

2008-09-12T11:12:00.004+10:00

a few of the clan came over to lend a hand in the construction of retaining wall behind two of our water tanks. thanks must go to mr and mrs harvey plus the dog-a-log. we really appreciated your assistance and whilst it aint the great wall in china it certainly is the great wall in currumbin as looking at it will remind us of the laughter, sweat and tears that went with the day...
loading the back fill into the barrows before the relatively steep journey up the hill to the back of the property. there is no need to point out that after the 20th trip your bones start to ache. there was never a light load...
rusty providing some much welcomed assistance to the hound..... the finished product. let it rain i say... funny enough it is now and those tanks are 85% full.
we are compiling a few shots of the house inside and out and will be posting them shortly. stay tuned...

Calling on...

2008-09-04T22:34:00.005+10:00

Calling on Mickus Wickus, Shagga, Bear Skinrug and all other mutant fixers ... put your bets in ... the sex of the little co-pilot will be revealed soon!

Sicilian Adventures

2008-08-30T06:21:00.004+10:00

For our Sicilian adventures... check out the Colisa Course...

Update on the betting front....

2008-08-27T23:08:00.003+10:00

hi all! great turnout on the betting front...
Here the updated table:
Let me know if I got any numbers wrong...

Calling on all betting fixers...

2008-08-20T19:12:00.003+10:00

These are the bets so far...
Do we have any more betting fixers out there?

What do you get when... ???

2008-08-14T04:53:00.004+10:00

There must be something in the Brissie water...
I am 14 weeks pregnant!!!! Yes, up the duff!!!! & I am pretty sure that Col is the father. I am just wondering who the mother is...

So what do you get when you cross Sweet Lips with Colamari?
Ha ha, scary question, I know...
If you think that you know the asnwer, then put in your bets for sex, due date & weight.
Col and I will find out the sex at the next scan, which will be end of September, therefore, bets will have to go in before then!
All we know is the estimated due date:
8th of Feb 2009

Here Colamari's bet:
Girl, 13th of Feb, 3.8kg

I am thinking:
Boy, 10th of Feb, 3.4kg

DIRTY 30

2008-08-10T01:25:00.007+10:00

Find out more about this Dirty 30 celebration:

http://colandisa.blogspot.com/

Olympics 2008 - GO CHANTELLE NEWBURY

2008-08-09T04:28:00.006+10:00

Col and I met Chantelle Newbury (the first Olympic Gold medallist for Australia in diving since 1912) on our flight back from Hobart to Tasmania. We chatted for the throughout the whole 2 hour flight and drank all the little champagne bottles that the plane had on board. Neddless to say... we got very drunk & entertained the whole plane! Hmmm... annoyed the whole plane more like it! Chantelle truly fascinated us with her Olympic stories & bubbly personality. No question we asked her bothered her and we definitively drilled her with questions. After giving birth to 2 kids, she is now back on the diving board in Beijing to jump for gold!! Go Aussie go!
Chantelle told us that she is going to attempt a secret jump that no female has yet ever attempted. Damm I forgot the name of the jump but it will be making the headlines... so make sure to watch it!!!And here the proof... and check the magazine I am holding... he he!

Best of friends... what less would you expect from us after a 2 hour chat ;o)

LIFE ON THE WEST SIDE

2008-08-02T17:44:00.011+10:00

Just thought that I would check in with everyone and let you know whats up on the west side! Most of this is going to be about the ocean because that is what my life over here revolves around most of the time and really there is not much else happening in Exmouth town that is worth writing about. After a whirlwind visit over east for the wedding and a quick stop over in Melbs to see the family, I found myself back in the middle of no where and in the midst of whale shark season......just the perfect place to be. By that time whale sharks were in numbers and the days out were awesome with lots of action and the last of the warm water and good weather. On my birthday which I spent on another charter boat we swam with 12 whalesharks, a new record, and it was perfect way to spend the day. During the month of June we saw the arrival of the mighty Humpback whales and my favourite manta rays, which unfortunately this year have not come in the numbers we are used to so my swims have been limited but I have been smiling for the rest of the day when I have had them. The life on the reef this year has been huge with loads of food in the water to keep all the fish and other animals in our waters longer. Highlights so far: swimming with a mother and calf humpback (absolutely huge the mother was), getting way too close to an 8m whale shark on numerous occasions because the visability was down, driving the boat and playing with 150 spinner dolphins, seeing a rare sighting of a Southern Right Whale who had a young calf with her, diving with up to 12 manta rays swimming around and just being out on the boat on a great weather day! After five seasons I am still so excited to be jumping in to swim with whale sharks and manta rays and I never stay out of the water as you just don't know here what you might see.

I have also started my flying job which I enjoy but end up sapped of energy at the end of each flight. Seen some great action from the whales, been loving seeing this coast line from the air and get completely blown away by the huge amount of oil and gas operations that are happening just off our coast - everything is really bloody huge! Have been flying mainly out of Exmouth but have also done one trip up to Broome for a few days.

I am now officially a Uni student and have started the long haul of becoming a Marine Scientist and to say that I am a little overwhelmed at the moment would be an understatement. My books have arrived but I am not really sure where to start and have constant thoughts of "why and when did I think this was a good idea?" Hopefull this will get easier! My netball the team, The Pink Lips, are undefeated this year and heading for a position in the Grand Final.....trying not to get too confident but we are all competitive and want to take the trophy home.

Other than that life in Exmouth hasn't changed much over the years. Luckily for me there are loads of great people who live here and they help to make living in a small town so much fun. Those people along with the ocean and the Ningaloo Reef make this place very addictive and I really don't want to leave at the end of the year. I have only a few months before having to pack up again and head south for my 3 years in Perth and already I am thinking about when I can come back again.

What are Colamari & Sweet Lips up to?

2008-08-02T04:55:00.007+10:00

I finally updated our blog again and there is lots more to come... so stay tuned for the latest Colisa Course adventures.

hmmmm.. maybe its time to come home overseas fixers?.... House prices fall in most capital cities

2008-07-31T13:32:00.001+10:00

AUSTRALIAN house prices fell in a majority of capital cities in the last few months as high interest rates brought about the weakest housing market in four years. National house and unit prices could dive by 10 per cent next year as a prolonged real estate slowdown sets in, online real estate data group Australian Property Monitors (APM) said. Median house prices fell in five of Australia's eight capital cities in the three months to June 30, according to APM's figures.
Perth had the biggest median house price fall, at 2.8 per cent, followed by Sydney's 2.1 per cent decline. Hobart suffered the biggest median price dive for units - 3.8 per cent - and had the nation's cheapest capital city real estate with the median unit price at $207,568. Brisbane's unit prices posted a 3 per cent slump and there were falls in three other capitals.
Adelaide was the only capital city not to experience a quarterly fall in house or unit prices, with both measures rising by 0.4 per cent in the three months to June."The June quarter housing data is the weakest we have observed since 2004," APM general manager Michael McNamara said. "It is likely these results are the canary down the coal mine and that rapidly rising mortgage rates and a looming economic slowdown will usher in a sustained period of property market weakness." For the year to June 30 , four capital cities posted double-digit median house price growth. Melbourne house prices grew by a nation-leading 14 per cent to $449,888 over the year to June although Sydney still had the most expensive median house price, at $542,488. Over the same 12 months, Darwin home unit prices climbed by a nation-beating 17.9 per cent to $324,454. Adelaide was the only other capital city to enjoy double-digit price growth for home units, rising an annual pace of 16.9 per cent. Sydney kept the title of having the most expensive median price for units, at $366,622, marginally ahead of Perth and Canberra.

99% complete....

2008-07-29T17:19:00.004+10:00

well, if energex were a racehorse then it wouldnt be named pharlap. we are still waiting for connection and do not know when they will turn up. sally went through the house and filled out a defects and omissions report and pat our builder is currently attending to this. this would be the last thing on his list of things to do..

the bow deck.... i know, i know.. sally has already done the "ï am the king of world" thang... how did our house end up looking like a cruise ship..?. go figure... the hull is iron made to rust so it should turn a myriad of colours over a period of time.

a nice example of the mid-afternoon sun hittig the rammed earth walls creating thermal mass that should keep the house a little warmer at night...

the main bathroom... with a bath that even i can enjoy.... by candlelight... at night... with a glass of red and sally rubbing my shoulders..mmmmmm

the eco village vdp (village design process) wanted skirting 600 mil down from the house. this would hide the pipework etc. we have come up with the idea of "living"skirting so have put wire trellis in place and planted passionfruit and jasmine vines. we hope this should do the trick... 11th of august still d-day for this tribe....

97% complete... three weeks out!

2008-07-19T17:19:00.004+10:00

the tanks are connected, plumbing finished, sparky's work done and the painters have splashed on their first full coat outside. we are on track for our august 11th move....

the above shot gives you a good indication of the house levels by looking at the roof line

the kitchen is complete-just needs a fridge and a chef and some organic home grown?!

The hoop pines peeking into our bedroom

lounge looking accross indoor deck to kitchen.

another shot of our favoured radial sawn timber...and the potting bench and sink. A little work on the garden is required...ummmm perhaps a lot actually.

94% complete

2008-07-13T08:01:00.010+10:00

two days work lost to rain and the faffing around by many of the subcontactors has eventuated in the site not being where it should be right now. we didnt reach our much hoped for 95% complete. it was a very big week (often 20 cars parked outside our property) which finally saw our cool as a cucumber builder pat turn red as a tomato. oh well, if it was ever going to happen it this was the week and he seemed fine yesterday now the worst (in terms of volume of subbies on site) is over...

the solar hot water system is now complete (finally at the preferred angle of 26 degrees for winter sun - as the sun sits lower in the sky over the cool months). the painters still havent painted the gyprock under the radial sawn timber but it was more important for them to concentrate on the interior (something they still havent completed - and should have!).

behold australia's first 5 star toilet. i cant belive this hasnt been thought of before! a sink has been placed on top of the cistern and when the user flushes the toilet they wash their hands in the water (fresh from our tank) that fills the cistern for the next flush. should we use a nice eucalyptus soap (or similar) then the flush will incorporate a semi-clean/disinfect as well....

almost done in the ensuite. The toilet has a soft close lid which means you can just drop the lid and the seat will return to normal position without slamming (perfect). we bought the duchess off ebay and the builder dropped the sink into it leaving a very cool "cottage bathroom effect". the lights are from ikea - a store i have come to respect greatly....

above are our bedroom lights that we found on sale in january. they suit perfectly. the blue frame around the window is painters tape that will come off soon.

lastly i thought we would show you a few of the local inhabitents that are always around the eco village. there has never been occassion when they havent been spotted and with 80% of the 465 acres being left in its natural state we dont expect them to be going anywhere in the near future. next week the floors should be sanded and polished which means the interior should then be ready for a final inspection and fit off... our fingers are crossed (and removalists booked) for august 11th....... but as they say in the building industry.... anything can happen....

92% complete...

2008-07-05T17:28:00.005+10:00

we are really getting down to the wire which will really tests this fixer's ability to come up with new topics for the blog.. pat, our builder, commented yesterday that he would be complete in two weeks if there were'nt so many hoops to jump through at this stage of the game... by the end of next week the plumber and electrician should be wrapped up. we then apply to energex to do a final connect from the on site electrical box to the house.. this will take approx ten days from application-- then we apply to the Eco Village Design Panel for final appoval in meeting all the sustainability requirements-- then we take this ticket and get the surveyor out for final council approval-- then we get this ticket and attach it to our final invoice from pat which we need to get through the bank which will take another 5-7 days... so you can see how two weeks will be more like four....

The daybed is finally in completing our indoor/outdoor deck. Originally it was supposed to be a dayseat being only 200 ml wide but we managed to change this to 400 ml making it the perfect place to enjoy a cup of tea and the courier mail on a sundee morn..

you might be able to get a hint of the colour in the above shot. porters doe skin. the gyprock under the window to the right of the pic needs to be painted doe skin as well. the awning also needs to be fitted out.

the bow deck is coming along off the kitchen is coming along quite nicely. they will wire it up this week completing this area of the house. I had to chuckle as the heavens had opened on this day and I smiled at the thoughtof our tanks filling up now that the downpipes had finally been connected. Little did I know that the plumber had yet to put a bottom bung in the tanks ( as well as a few final connection pieces) so it was all in vain...
by the end of next week with the interior complete, the house will be handed over to the flooring dudes for a final sanding and polishing. after that she is all done barring a few final bits and pieces....

further developments..

2008-06-28T15:57:00.007+10:00

so...... less than 8 weeks until completion and the house is really starting to take on a character of its own.the above cladding is weathertex. Weathertex is made by breaking down local hardwoods to its constituent fibres using steam and pressure (the hardwoods come from sawmill tailings, thinings and managed forests - no old growth forests are used making it very eco-friendly). the fibres are then transported to the presses in a liquid bath that removes all of the starches and sugars making the finished product very un-attractive to ants and termites. the "wetlap" (liquid goo) is then squeezed under great pressure and high tempartures in massive presses which activates the natural lignins in the timber that forms the glue which holds the structure together. this brings the product weathertex into being..
the carport is almost finished. the builder just needs to render under the radial sawn timber and lay down base. the sandstone paving effect has also come up a treat and will look even better once we wash the stones at the end of the build.
the plumber has finally linked the two largest tanks to the gutters and soon our much needed "liquid gold" will start collecting. The two tanks in the above photo have 22,600 litre storage capacity each. The one under the bow is 9000 litres and there is a small 3000 litre tank collecting water off the carport roof.

the laundry is just about complete. we are really happy at this usage of space. to the left we have cupboards and the washing machine at ground level. a sink and bench space for folding and large cupboards at shoulder/head height. on the right (not visible) it's all one very large cupboard that is layered with shelves. screened hanging space (some under cover) will be off the deck.
next week we should have the outside cladding first coat of paint finished which will really give us a first glimpse of "the look".

interiors.................

2008-06-22T19:45:00.009+10:00

and the build continues. Pat's team are almost finished with the interior and will soon be moving outside to finish bits and pieces. there's still atleast 6-8 weeks work but the house is really starting to take character.
above is the kitchen. the cabinetry is spotted gum and the benchtop camphor laurel. in the above pic the benchtop is raw (freshly cut) and the sealer will be applied this week which will really bring out the colour and grain.

the main bathroom is really starting to take form. the shutters will provide ventilation allowing breezes to circulate throughout the house. the bathroom tiles are fedora walnut and have really come up nice (i just had to marry someone with expensive tastes).
we hired a landscaper for a few hours to assist with the stone pavers from the front stairs to the carport. they are huge sandstone blocks that required a bobcat to move (too heavy even for two). I rolled up my sleeves and was helping the dude position the blocks but almost lost my foot at one stage when I slipped in the mud and saw one of the sandstone blocks (on its side) teeter towards me. I managed to get out of the way just in the nick of time.
the painter should be in this week to finish the inside and then the plumber and electrician will move in to do their stuff.... things are changing constantly.

this year's pick of festies - PARKLIFE

2008-06-19T18:53:00.005+10:00

Now in its ninth year, PARKLIFE is as much an Australian icon as the eucalyptus trees under which it was first staged, and once again in 2008 this festie will be bringing a tasteful array of fresh and experienced international live acts and dj’s to Brisbane and the rest of Aus.

Goldfrapp
Soulwax
Peaches
2manydjs
Dizzee Rascal
Martin Solveig
Plump DJs
Diplo
Jesse Rose
Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Blackalicious
XXXchange
Metro Area
Elektrons
Yuksek
Van She
Dragonette
Boy 8-Bit
Familjen
Bag Raiders Live
Ajax
Slyde
Grafton Primary
Van She Tech
& many more

BRISBANE
Saturday,
October 4 2008
Riverstage
Tix go on sale July 15th and whilst it might fall a little short on the European offerings the u.k. fixers are privy to - Sal, Shags and I reckon its worth the price of admission.
we'll be there - anyone else??

who wants to be a queenslander?

2008-06-12T16:40:00.003+10:00

but do WE want him? no bloody way! (it looks like hodges is telling him that anyway)... I missed the match due to an inconvenient ship in freo but thanks to coltrain i was kept up to date with one of the most defiant qld battles in origin history. yeah farken ha!!!!! the queenslanders need to stand up and take a bow. steve price once again, the bloody warrier he is, lead our team into battle and all stood tall.
i just love origin.. especially when we stick it to them.....

doors....

2008-06-12T15:36:00.005+10:00

we popped down to the property today to check out progress and its all about the doors.

the rajastani front door is on and we are pretty stoked with the outcome. its over 100 years old and just too beautiful not to be proud of it. we grabbed the handles in a cool shop in west end which suit it perfectly.

a pic of the doors leading into our bedroom. above the door there will be glass framed in hardwood and we will finish off the rest of the wall in painted gyprock.
we also dropped into the kitchen designer to have a look at our cabinent doors for the first tme. The doors are made of recycled spotted gum and our benchtop will be camphor laurel.
its all moving along quite fast now. next week the tiles, kitchen, laundry, bathroom fit out and architraves and skirting.yep its all coming along quite nicely (including our mortgage). it really is nice to see a long time dream come within reach. can't wait..
keep yer posted.

Bring on Origin 3!

2008-06-12T09:43:00.001+10:00

30-0

INTRODUCING THE NEWEST CREW MEMBER, LITTLE ALEX HARVEY

2008-06-10T20:16:00.011+10:00

Check out the Madness for more ......

rant

2008-06-03T20:10:00.004+10:00

fark me.... you would think it wouldnt be so hard. I dont see what the big deal is? hunt to fullback, slater to the wing, lockyer in command and prince off the bench as one bloody effective impact player. just why don't the qld selectors give him a go? whats he done wrong? the only thing prince is guilty of this season is guiding a new team to the top of the league.
darius boyd earnt himelf a jersey and don't get me wrong he's a great player and will no doubt do us well, but is he a better option then one of the league's best players?
thank gawd steven price is back..... Anyway, ENUFF... i guess we'll just have to wait and see.... do or die..... a call to arms boys..... we have to win this year so we can rub the faces of those dirty roaches in ground and smile at an era of QUEENSLAND SUPREMACY!!!

Jimbo is looking at putting up the big screen at his house. all those that are interested give him a shout for further instructions...

high above brisbane....

2008-06-01T17:18:00.002+10:00

check these shots taken from breeza and col's camera. col and I bought the girls a flight for their brithdays. can't highly recommend it enough though we had to giggle when we seemed to stop still right over one of brissie's dumps.....

radial sawn timber

2008-06-01T15:42:00.008+10:00

things are proceeding along at a rapid rate now. its hard to keep up with all the decisions needing to be made. you hope the little things you may not be putting enough thought into now wont be the ones to haunt you later. a new favourite feature has taken over from the rammed earth walls at present. shaz and mark your sons name may well have been "radial sawn harvey" if you had let me choose the name of your son.....
love the look and angles the rough cut gives. i wish we had used more..

above shot is from the lounge room looking to bedroom 3 (right) and to the main bathroom and bedroom 2 (left). you can just see the front door on the floor next to one of the recessed wall lights. lock up next week....

external cladding is almost complete. on the left the white cladding (master bedroom) is weatertex weatherboard - obviously to be painted. it gives you a good indication of how our bedroom sinks into the hoop pine forest... it wont be too long until we are able post a tentative housewarming date as pat reckons he is still very much on for a august handover..

now......what do you think colamari is up to??

2008-06-01T15:21:00.003+10:00

more pics from 10 may....

2008-05-29T19:45:00.002+10:00

breaking news........

2008-05-28T16:05:00.003+10:00

Rusty has popped................ Mark and Shazzy are the proud parents of a beautiful baby boy. born at 12.47pm on the 28th of May. 6.1 lbs.......
Both the baby and Mum are doing fantastically........... dad's cool too....
by the way it looks like borgus won the bet being the closest to the mark.. looks like I get to name the baby..... ummmmm....... let me think about that.......????

place yer bets....

2008-05-24T21:53:00.015+10:00

whadda ya reckon folks. when are burgs and rusty (a.k.a. shazzy) gonna pop......

to give you a heads up burgs is due the end of june, shazzy on june 15th..... post a comment and place yer bet -> date, sex, weight.................... extra point for birthing postion..

current bets for rusty

shazzy - boy 18 june 7.1lb

mark - `gal 16 june 7.0lb

borg - boy 07 june 5.2lb

sal - boy 17 june 6.12lb

shags - boy 14 june 7.2lb

col - boy 18 june 6.0lb

breeza- gal 13 june 2.75kg

george - boy 18 june 7.0lb

manta - gal 12 june 6.5lb

dog - boy 16 june 6.6lb

burgs - boy 19 june 7.4 lb

si - boy 14 june 7.9lb

current bets for burgs

burgs - gal 27 june 8.8lb

si - gal 6 july 9.3lb

borg - gal 27 june 6.7lb

sal - boy 5 july 9.2lb

col - gal 25 june 7.8lb

breeza-boy 18 june 3.2kg

shags - gal 2 july 8.olb

mark - boy 30 june 7.5lb

shazzy - gal 3 july 8.6lb

george - boy 3 july 8.6lb

manta - tba

dog - tba

winner of each gets to name the baby. futherest one away has to host the party!!!!

we now pronounce you mr & mrs erectus...

2008-05-24T21:15:00.004+10:00

what a special day. we just loved it and really felt honoured by everyone's presence. I SO do!

What a pretty lot the crew are! Plenty of style and panache.

Why so many tears? Apparently they had all wanted to marry Tyler.Even Mick Jagger shed a tear.

palais de erectus

2008-05-24T20:24:00.005+10:00

check out the current stage.

we were quite excited to see the radial sawn timber effect today. the timber cut is straight off the tree and not squared off. it gives it a bit of a log cabin effect. our builder hadnt used it before so we werent quite sure of the final look. we love it.

the windows are in. most of the roofing and gutters complete. electrical, coms, and plumbing near complete. shes about ready for lock up.
lock up to keep this type of creature out. a modern day monger....
you can sort of see how thermal mass will work in the picture. the winter sun will come in and warm up the rammed earth walls making the house nice and toasty. in the summer the sun sits higher in the sky and will be blocked from hitting the r.e. walls by the angle of the roof keeping the house nice and cool. pretty cool eh.....

LAST CHANCE TO SEE RARE BEASTS

2008-05-23T12:31:00.004+10:00

They're not often seen these days in aussie waters and sadly this Sunday will be the last opportunity for a sighting of the Exotic German Painted Sweetlips fish and the Eastern Shovelnose Ray. Col and Isa are taking a big jet plane back to the UK this sunday night, so we're having a Sunday Session at the Breakfast Creek Hotel to see them off. 3pm kickoff. Come one, come all.

state v state.... mate v mate.....

2008-05-21T16:13:00.001+10:00