downward dog

Dr Bob is a colleague of Don's who is quite fascinating - he's a short portly man in his 50s, is somewhat of a genius, has been a clown, very into the arts, has run a theatre, teaches tae kwon do, has a doctorate (hence the dr part of the Bob), has prodigious children, does a whole lot of other stuff I'm forgetting (and which Don is too engrossed in work to remind me of) and is engaging and interesting and entertaining etc etc etc.

As part of our "omigosh we're so fat" self-intervention thingy, Don and I decided that we might include some yoga in the regimen. We started idly looking about for a class (there is no shortage of yoga in Hippytown 2037) which we could walk to and, more importantly, was at a convenient time. I'm not one of these jump out of bed and greet the world smilingly at 5am freaks, I need to be dragged out of bed at around 7.40ish, so the class had to be in the evening or a weekend. Don, in the course of idle chit chat, mentioned our intent to Dr Bob, and what do you know? Mrs Dr Bob teaches yoga classes on Saturday and Sunday mornings (of course she does) nearby. And might I just say that Mrs Dr Bob is just as lovely and amazing as Dr Bob is¹. Mrs Dr Bob is also staggeringly fit.

We've been to two beginners classes now and let me just say, I am so very very crap at yoga. This surprises me, as I had done a couple of months of beginners yoga roughly 12 years ago and was not too bad at it - certainly I could do everything with a fair degree of competence. I don't know what has happened in those intervening years (particularly as I am fitter now than at any time since I was about 15), but Gods, I suck! And being my perfectionist self, when I suck, I suck hard.

The first week we had to kick up into a handstand against a wall. "Ah ha!" I thought, "not a problem!" (if you click over there <-- on the link to my name under 'contributors', you'll see a lovely profile photo of me handstanding on the hallowed turf of the SCG). All went well - until I had to lead with my non-favoured leg, I kicked up ... and fell, rather spectacularly, on my head. Hilarity ensued (well, I thought it was hilarious - everyone else was concerned).

And now, not just as a result of the falling on my head, but mainly because of general ineptitude, I get the whole: "Everyone, do this. Carol, you might want to do it this (much easier) way".

Not the greatest thing for one's psyche. Nonetheless, I will persist - persevering at something you are particularly terrible at has got to be good for you, right?

Right?

¹I'm always baffled by super-interesting, high achieving families. How do they happen? I suppose it is too late to be born into one?

Hottest 100 v2009 - the winnahs!

I remember back in the day when triple J referred to 26 January as "Invasion Day" - to hear hottest 100 crowds today at Parramatta park (what?!) chanting "Oi Oi Oi" was a bit unsettling (and not a little revolting).

And bloody hell, we may as well have been listening to Nova or TripleM. Honestly! This radio station really has turned into teh suck ever since it went regional. Gods, I feel like Terry Wogan ranting about Russian bloc Eurovision voting.

Anyway, on with the results:

Don receives the wooden spoon again (poor baby, with the fabulous taste in music)!

Bessie, to the amazement of us all, did really quite well with her very many Flight of the Conchords tips.

Joe/Frank narrowly beat Dfkan (and me) to first place. It really went down to the wire in the top 10 with Joe/Frank, Dfkan, Bess and I all swapping places with almost every song.

The final rankings:
Joe/Frank
Dfkan
Carol
Bessie
Don

Well done Joe/Frank! His name will be inscribed upon the trophy when it is eventually acquired (currently watching some quite odd trophies on eBay - the preferred one having got away).

stomp stomp stomp

Don and I really piled on the pudge over the Christmas break (it was building up before that, but Christmas/Mom really cemented it) - so we decided to Take Action.

I've recommitted to the gym (missed several weeks over the C/M break), Don sees a trainer with a group from EasternSuburbsPowerDrinkers on Wednesdays, we've started yoga on Saturday mornings¹ and today we went for a hike in the Royal National Park (I do have what I think could be quite good pix [despite being taken on the dodgy-cam), if I had a functional computer, I would share them²). I now sport a very smashing trucker style tan on my thighs (the perils of wearing shorts) and arms - despite liberal applications of sunscreen.

Also, we've gone two weeks without either after works snacks or ... alcohol (on weekdays)! Utterly shocking, I know. But, by gods, we'll rid ourselves of those bellies eventually! Well, at least until our enthusiasm wanes and we return to our natural slothly state.


¹Which deserves a post all on its own.

²Gertie's hard drive is far too full to put pix on. I'll have to address that (I've so far established the apple+r and the fn+delete).

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really very strange frugal tip #34536

From the home of make your own self tanning lotion with cocoa and moisturiser.

9. Don’t drink (your water!) while you’re chewing, or vice-versa. This falls in line with #7. Besides nurturing good manners, it will help slow you down and avoid depositing chewed up food into your beverage.

Just, what?

amish

I do so hate it when we go over our downloady allocation and are reduced to dial-up speed. I am not entirely sure how I coped Back In The Day (I'm sure I was a heck of a lot more productive). Actually Back In The Day Fenton and I used to take turns on the internets and then go off and do lots of cool crafty, buildy impressive stuff in between turns.

This, along with the death of my proper computer, has kind of made me reflect a smidge, and I am really considering ramping down the computer use. Never fear, I'm not considering abandoning the blog again - although with the frequency I post lately, it may as well be abandoned. But am thinking about an internet free day once a week for a while, so that I might concentrate on Other Things. I'm also thinking of concentrating my use to things I am interested in, rather than just mindless crap (TV-style).

============

And, oh dear, I just noticed all those comments over there <--.

How did I miss them? I figure it must have been all of those drugs I did at the turn of the century.

That and the fact that I rarely look at the actual blog. Part of my new internet approach may be to read my fave blogs via the link over there (<---), rather than mindlessly using the reader.

Note to self: be a better blogger!

hottest 100: v2009 (5)

And finally, from last year's winner of the wooden spoon:

Art Vs Science: Flippers

Cut Off Your Hands: Happy As Can Be

Eddy Current Suppression Ring: Which Way To Go

Flight Of The Conchords: The Most Beautiful Girl In The Room

John Steel Singers: Rainbow Kraut

M83: Kim and Jessie

Santogold: Lights Out

Ween: Your Party

Wiley: Wearing My Rolex

Drapht: Jimmy Recard

$%^#$&%ity, $%^#$&%, $%^#$&%

After the week-long visit by the babies, I was set to write some meaty catch-up posts (complete with pix).

Alas, I cannot get to said pix because my primary computer has decided to die (or should I say is rapidly approaching death - possibly at my hand), and the posts would be nothing without photos - particularly given that I was lying about the meaty part and they were going to be quite light on actual content (which will teach me for being a lazy blogger).

After 2 weeks of not being touched and working perfectly well before that, the dear thing refuses to even boot into in safe mode and I am rather keen on hurling it out the window at this point.

This makes me quite cross, as it has everything on it. Although it is comforting that I will be able to retrieve my data (if only one of the other 4 computers here had the ability to connect sata drives!). I think I'm going to have to get me some NAS and keep working on Gertie the macbook (I think The Universe may be try to tell me something here: see that list of things which are not resolutions).

Anyway, regular blogging (sans images) should commence in the not too distant future, given that I am finally sans hausguests.

hottest 100: v2009 (4)

Picks from the reigning champion (dfkan) ...

Sia: The Girl You Lost To Cocaine

Pez: The Festival Song

The Presets: Talk Like That

Ladyhawke: My Delirium

Late Of The Pier: Space And The Woods

Does It Offend You, Yeah?: Dawn Of The Dead

Ting Tings: Shut Up And Let Me Go

MGMT: The Youth

Kings Of Leon: Revelry

Kings Of Leon: Sex On Fire

hottest 100: v2009 (3)

Carol's winning pix...

Prodigy, The: Invaders Must Die

Ween: Your Party

Eddy Current Suppression Ring: Which Way To Go

Flight Of The Conchords: Business Time

Jay-Z: Brooklyn Go Hard (Ft. Santogold)

Art Vs Science: Flippers

Drapht: Jimmy Recard

Mercy Arms: Shine A Light Down

Cut Copy: Far Away

MGMT: Kids

With an honourable mention to Sebastian Tellier: Divine, who it took 20 minutes to decide to remove (and I'm still not sure if that was the right decision)

hottest 100: v2009 (2)

The Joe/Frank edition

Coldplay: Violet Hill

Empire of the Sun: Walking on a Dream

Flight of the Conchords: Most Beautiful Girl in the Room

Kings of Leon: Sex on Fire

Killers: Human

MGMT: Electric Feel

The Living End: White Noise

Presets: This Boy's in Love

The Verve: Love is Noise

The Vines: He's a Rocker


¹I have no idea what this is supposed to be, will have to confer with Joe/Frank

hottest 100: v2009 (1)

Bessie's pix:

Flight of the Conchords: Bowie

Flight of the Conchords: Inner city pressure

Flight of the Conchords: Most beautiful girl in the room

Flight of the Conchords: Ladies of the world

Flight of the Conchords: Hiphopopotamus Vs. Rhymenoceros

Ladyhawke: Paris is burning

End of Fashion: Fussy

Pez: The festival song

Ting Tings: That’s not my name

Los Campesinos: Death To Los Campesinos!

hottest 100: v2009

You may recall the hottest 100 of last year, in which the haushold competed to be the top pickerer of 2008 and which Dfkan won with her Knights of Cydonia pick at the very last song, just nudging out Joe/Frank, who was the winner up to that point.

Anyway, this year, given my peculiar love of family trophies, we'll be having a (as yet, un-purchased, but watching on eBay) trophy for the winner, which adds that extra dimension of "should I tip for love or to win?".

Tips to follow...

where in the world is mrs armstrong?

Last Wednesday evening, Don and I caught up with Heather for a post-Christmas/post-New Year/post-Festivus/post-Mom drink.

It was damned and revoltingly hot and still and opressive on the stroll back from Newtown to Glebe (had to work off those beers), but enlivened by the following (please note that I am eschewing inverted commas in this tale):

My phone rings

totally oz female voice says: this is Mrs Armstrong

me: I’m sorry, who is it?

mrs a: It’s Mrs Armstrong

me: I think you have the wrong number

mrs a: No, it’s Mrs Armstrong and I have your dog here in my yard, you should come and get it

me: I really think you have the wrong number, I don’t have a dog

mrs a: Well, your phone number is on the collar

me: Honestly, I don’t have a dog

mrs a: It's a little white shaved poodle

me: Really, it is not my dog, I don't have a dog

mrs a: Well, I will call the number again and if it is you, you had better come around and get your dog.

mrs a hangs up.

I chuckle with Don about about the weirdness of it all.

However I check my messages, and sure enough, I have a voicemail from Mrs Armstrong at 86 some street in a suburb I have never heard of. The message says much the same as the phone conversation - ie. get my dog pronto. At this point I think I will just go and just claim the dog if she is persistent, Don would love a white poodle - he's a big fan of any white fluffy small dog.

After I listen to the message, the phone rings again.

mrs a: Is this the girl I spoke to before? This is Mrs Armstrong, you really need to come and get your dog

me: Yes it is, I've just listened to your message, where was it that you live?

mrs a: Hfusarytksjhfkas (at least, that was what it sounded like)

me: I'm sorry, I'm having trouble hearing you, where was that again?

mrs a: Hfusarytksjhfkas

me: I don't think I know where that is and I really don't have a dog.

mrs a (getting more terse): Well your number is on his collar, he's a little white poodle with a jewelled collar and the number is [reads my number]

me: Yes that is my number, but truthfully, I don't have a dog, I haven't ever owned a dog, it sounds like the kind of dog I would like, but it is not mine. Where is it that you are? I'm in Glebe. [silence] In Sydney.

mrs a: Sydney!!!

me: Yes, I'm in Sydney. I don’t know the place you say you live, where is that exactly?

mrs a: It's in Perth

It was around this point in the conversation that Mrs Armstrong finally and grudgingly admitted that perhaps it might not actually be my dog, still I think she harboured suspicions about the telephone number (which I could not explain, because I have had that number for a couple of years).

I suggested that she might want to call the RSPCA and wished her good luck in her quest.

Really, I wanted to fly to Perth to rescue the poor wee doggy from the cranky Mrs A, who apparently has no first name (or perhaps that is just the convention in WA?).

i might consider doing these things, but then again, perhaps i won't

So, lets get back to that list of things that I might want to do during the year, but which I am positively not resolving to do in 2009.

• I will not spend a whole year reading (and re-reading) Ngaio Marsh novels to the exclusion of all else
  
• Continue our experiments in cooking (this has really been working quite well) carried forward
  
• Continue the efforts to save lots o' cash (has also been working quite well, except for that minor art-buying hiccough - and the new small art-buying hiccough which is about to occur next week)
  
• Keep up the gym thing (min 3 days a week) carried forward
  
• Leave the office at least once per day (even if only for 5 minutes) and take a mental health day every once in a while. I have taken Dishy Boss's excellent lead and blocked out my calendar every day for lunch, because I work with the sort of morons who book meetings during lunchtime.
  
• Go on some sort of honeymoon! (or at least a faux wedding night)
  
• Have more adventures, of all sorts. carried forward
  
• Do not spend every evening zonked out in front of the computer and not engaging with what I am mindlessly scrolling/clicking through
  
• Use Gertrude the macbook for more than browsing (ie refamiliarise myself with the mac os)
  
• Blog moar carried forward
  
• Use "splendid" and "neat" a whole lot more in conversation (and maybe even "smashing" or "keen"). "Cool" and "awesome" becoming somewhat tired, I think. carried forward
  
• Consolidate and organise the now even more enormous itunes libraries carried forward
  
• Do not promise to send emails within a certain time frame because I invariably will not do so (particular apologies to Harriet and my Lesbian Lover)
  

I'm sure there were more, I just forget what they are, when I remember I will add.

<much laterly added>

• Italian lessons (see comments)
  
• Throw out every horrible piece of white or beige granny underwear that I own. This follows on from "and she just wore these horrible bras all the time..." (scroll down), despite buying a whole lot of new stuff, I keep reverting to the ghastly - I figure if they aren't there, I won't be able to wear them.
  

Again, I am sure there will be more additions.

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mashup

We've been playing "what's that TV theme?" for most of the evening. And I have been quite impressive in my guesses of programmes I have not seen for quite some time (such as "the paper chase" - which I watched on the wee black and white teev on my room late at night when I was a small thing: "stay open to all things unknown and new").

Perhaps I could be a smidge bit tiddly1, but this made us both cry

Oh! Miss Elly! Oh Digger (in absentia)!

1I realise that my most recent posts have me being under the thrall of the evil liquor, but I swear I'm not in need of a twelve step programme.

it's just a jump to the left

the humanity!

LEARN 'THE SYDNEY' AND WIN

LEARN THE SYDNEY FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN QANTAS A380 FLIGHTS TO LONDON

Not only is our new dance The Sydney a treat for your feet - but it could win you a very stylish trip to London in the Qantas A380.

The Sydney is a dance specially choreographed for Festival First Night by one of Australia's leading choreographers, Australian Dance Theatre's Garry Stewart.

Just after sunset on January 10, we're stopping the action across all ten open-air stages and our special guest dance instructors from Swing Patrol will teach everyone The Sydney. Have you ever danced with over 200,000 people? Come and help us transform the CBD into possibly the world's largest dance floor!

'The Sydney' is short and easy to learn. Be one step ahead - watch the video (with instructions), learn the moves, show your mates and bring them to Festival First Night. The winner will be announced live in The Domain on the night.

Thankfully, I'll be locked inside The Metro with Gomez that night.

I sincerely promise catch up postering (and emailing) this weekend, but might I just mention that it is utterly smashing to both shower with the bathroom door open and walk about the house in one's undies?

It really is.