couldnt embed the video so if you are interested watch via the link"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpQczxLSWD0
i finally learned something - pity it took me so long. hope all you kids dont make the same me-stake
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
good for a laugh
a friend of mine sent me a file last night which had a joke in it. I have shared it with some people but i thought everyone might enjoy a laugh so here is a link to the file
quote for the day: "It is hard to tell if a man is telling the truth when you know you would lie if you were in his place." H. L. Mencken
on a brighter note:
"I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose." Woody Allen
quote for the day: "It is hard to tell if a man is telling the truth when you know you would lie if you were in his place." H. L. Mencken
on a brighter note:
"I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose." Woody Allen
Thursday, November 27, 2008
so so
another week has rolled on by. what has been achieved this week?
- done a couple of shifts at my new job and have some more lined up next week
- had an interview for a "real" job (as ash would have it) yesterday. wont hear back until next week
- have just spent a couple of hours cleaning the house top to bottom. a clean house always feels better for some reason
- had a couple of meetings with people about the consulting business. slow progress being made here
- cooked a few meals. had a nice slow cooked pork belly last night with the best crackling ever (yum).
- finished ~1000 out of 2500 riders on Sunday in the great bike ride. not bad for a fat "b.....". Average speed was 28km/h which is probably quicker than i have ridden for a while (and i did very little drafting)
So what's coming up:
- going to visit friends (Dale and Girls who are over for a couple of weeks) tonight
- going to a party on Saturday night (an ex work colleagues 60th). that's how you know you are getting old - when friends start turning 60.
- working Monday, Wed and Sat next week (at the moment)
Update:
- everyone seems to be going ok (nothing really to report)
- ben cousin's football career is hanging by a thread. he has nominated for the draft but it looks like only Brisbane might be interested and there is no guarantee
- the lynx continue to get flogged every week (Mel is still getting splinters)
- the weather has been shit (coolish, stormy and windy) and not conducive to cycling
- Xmas is coming (but the money tree has died so all you can expect is a hug)
till next time think about this - I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy.
J. D. Salinger (1919 - )
- done a couple of shifts at my new job and have some more lined up next week
- had an interview for a "real" job (as ash would have it) yesterday. wont hear back until next week
- have just spent a couple of hours cleaning the house top to bottom. a clean house always feels better for some reason
- had a couple of meetings with people about the consulting business. slow progress being made here
- cooked a few meals. had a nice slow cooked pork belly last night with the best crackling ever (yum).
- finished ~1000 out of 2500 riders on Sunday in the great bike ride. not bad for a fat "b.....". Average speed was 28km/h which is probably quicker than i have ridden for a while (and i did very little drafting)
So what's coming up:
- going to visit friends (Dale and Girls who are over for a couple of weeks) tonight
- going to a party on Saturday night (an ex work colleagues 60th). that's how you know you are getting old - when friends start turning 60.
- working Monday, Wed and Sat next week (at the moment)
Update:
- everyone seems to be going ok (nothing really to report)
- ben cousin's football career is hanging by a thread. he has nominated for the draft but it looks like only Brisbane might be interested and there is no guarantee
- the lynx continue to get flogged every week (Mel is still getting splinters)
- the weather has been shit (coolish, stormy and windy) and not conducive to cycling
- Xmas is coming (but the money tree has died so all you can expect is a hug)
till next time think about this - I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy.
J. D. Salinger (1919 - )
Monday, November 24, 2008
new job
i started a new job today on a casual basis. there are many ways to describe this role, none of them very sexy, but i suspect life in this role could become very interesting (if today is anything to go by).
i dont expect this job to be the balance of my working life but i would not have applied for it (and done it today and tomorrow and other days into the future) if i wasnt interested in it at some level (i am sure).
so what do you think i might have become in my spare time? some hints:
- i will surely work with/around interesting people
- cash is involved
- its outside (sort of)
- music is nearby
- there is a uniform (of sorts)
- cars are allowed
PS - family members or those in the know are barred from voting
i dont expect this job to be the balance of my working life but i would not have applied for it (and done it today and tomorrow and other days into the future) if i wasnt interested in it at some level (i am sure).
so what do you think i might have become in my spare time? some hints:
- i will surely work with/around interesting people
- cash is involved
- its outside (sort of)
- music is nearby
- there is a uniform (of sorts)
- cars are allowed
PS - family members or those in the know are barred from voting
Thursday, November 20, 2008
a brave man or a fool
the following was a story in today's electronic media and i am not sure what to think. on the one hand there is so much to agree with, but on the other hand the sentiment is almost (if not actually) repugnant.
_______________________________
THE retail king Gerry Harvey may have a personal fortune of about $1.6 billion but the Harvey Norman founder thinks donating to charity is "just wasted".
Asked in a new book about the role he and Harvey Norman play in the community, Mr Harvey said giving money to people who "are not putting anything back into the community" is like "helping a whole heap of no-hopers to survive for no good reason".
He said he believed in helping "develop people to their potential" because "when they achieve [their potential] they will put a lot more back into the community".
"You could go out and give a million dollars to a charity tomorrow to help the homeless. You could argue that it is just wasted. They are not putting anything back into the community.
"It might be a callous way of putting it but what are they doing? You are helping a whole heap of no-hopers to survive for no good reason. They are just a drag on the whole community.
"So did that million you gave them help? It helped to keep them alive but did it help our society? No. Society might have been better off without them but we are supposed to look after the disadvantaged and so we do it. But it doesn't help the society."
Mr Harvey added: "That is not to say we don't give money away to charities because we have given plenty away over the years. At the end of the day, the more quality individuals you develop in the community, the better off the community should be."
Earlier this year, Harvey Norman donated beds to a charity, Bridge Back to Life, that helps homeless men find rental accommodation.
The comments are in a new book, Master CEOs, by the Sydney funds manager Matthew Kidman.
Clare Martin, the chief executive of the Australian Council of Social Service, said: "I have really been impressed at corporate Australia and their real involvement in the wider community … and I always thought that Harvey Norman shared that as well.
"It does surprise me that Gerry Harvey, who's a very significant business figure, should not share the values of many other corporates."
In the interview, Mr Harvey also said that despite his wealth, "I still have a fear about going broke. I always think about it."
___________________________________
only a brave man or a fool would actually make such statements and allow them to go into print. I am not sure which Gerry Harvey is but i am sure he is bound to stir up an interesting debate especially in the current economic crisis.
It is highly likely that the excesses of the "worthy" achievers in the finance sector and elsewhere will result in a good many "lesser" people in our society ending up as a disadvantaged person (define it). one can only hope gerry harvey remains wealthy (define it) because it would be very interesting for him to be "poor".
Maybe mr harvey should revisit the movie - trading places - for a refresher on the random nature of the universe in relation to wealth and wellbeing.
_______________________________
THE retail king Gerry Harvey may have a personal fortune of about $1.6 billion but the Harvey Norman founder thinks donating to charity is "just wasted".
Asked in a new book about the role he and Harvey Norman play in the community, Mr Harvey said giving money to people who "are not putting anything back into the community" is like "helping a whole heap of no-hopers to survive for no good reason".
He said he believed in helping "develop people to their potential" because "when they achieve [their potential] they will put a lot more back into the community".
"You could go out and give a million dollars to a charity tomorrow to help the homeless. You could argue that it is just wasted. They are not putting anything back into the community.
"It might be a callous way of putting it but what are they doing? You are helping a whole heap of no-hopers to survive for no good reason. They are just a drag on the whole community.
"So did that million you gave them help? It helped to keep them alive but did it help our society? No. Society might have been better off without them but we are supposed to look after the disadvantaged and so we do it. But it doesn't help the society."
Mr Harvey added: "That is not to say we don't give money away to charities because we have given plenty away over the years. At the end of the day, the more quality individuals you develop in the community, the better off the community should be."
Earlier this year, Harvey Norman donated beds to a charity, Bridge Back to Life, that helps homeless men find rental accommodation.
The comments are in a new book, Master CEOs, by the Sydney funds manager Matthew Kidman.
Clare Martin, the chief executive of the Australian Council of Social Service, said: "I have really been impressed at corporate Australia and their real involvement in the wider community … and I always thought that Harvey Norman shared that as well.
"It does surprise me that Gerry Harvey, who's a very significant business figure, should not share the values of many other corporates."
In the interview, Mr Harvey also said that despite his wealth, "I still have a fear about going broke. I always think about it."
___________________________________
only a brave man or a fool would actually make such statements and allow them to go into print. I am not sure which Gerry Harvey is but i am sure he is bound to stir up an interesting debate especially in the current economic crisis.
It is highly likely that the excesses of the "worthy" achievers in the finance sector and elsewhere will result in a good many "lesser" people in our society ending up as a disadvantaged person (define it). one can only hope gerry harvey remains wealthy (define it) because it would be very interesting for him to be "poor".
Maybe mr harvey should revisit the movie - trading places - for a refresher on the random nature of the universe in relation to wealth and wellbeing.
not much to say (or so i thought)
its funny you know but i sometimes sit in front of the computer and wonder what i might say to that small group of people who sometimes wander through this blog. Over the past few weeks it has been a real struggle and i am not sure why. it seems that i may not be alone as some of my blogger "buddies" also appear to be afflicted by the same malaise.
but then i sat here a bit longer and i thought this (i didnt expect that to paraphrase S Cowell)
is anyone out there "worried" about what is happening in the global economy? I am now starting to get a bit concerned about what the next 2-3 years might hold for all of us.
My instinct is that it is not going to be pretty and we are all going to experience a "once in a life time" event (if you werent around in the mid 1930s and perhaps in the 40s). it now looks to me that the global economy - despite increasingly desperate efforts by a host of governments - is going to go to "hell in a hand basket" in many if not all of the major economies. This will change our societies and will influence all of us either directly or indirectly.
if you are young, now is a good time to pay attention (and learn the inevitable lessons). you may actually be young enough to see another one of these global meltdowns in 20-30 years once "we" recover from this one.
no matter what happens the world is going to become a different place (and damn quick) for many people and i dont necessarily mean better. However, that said there will be some incredible opportunities arising out of this debacle.
I think i might just go and plant a few vegetables (kidding)
but then i sat here a bit longer and i thought this (i didnt expect that to paraphrase S Cowell)
is anyone out there "worried" about what is happening in the global economy? I am now starting to get a bit concerned about what the next 2-3 years might hold for all of us.
My instinct is that it is not going to be pretty and we are all going to experience a "once in a life time" event (if you werent around in the mid 1930s and perhaps in the 40s). it now looks to me that the global economy - despite increasingly desperate efforts by a host of governments - is going to go to "hell in a hand basket" in many if not all of the major economies. This will change our societies and will influence all of us either directly or indirectly.
if you are young, now is a good time to pay attention (and learn the inevitable lessons). you may actually be young enough to see another one of these global meltdowns in 20-30 years once "we" recover from this one.
no matter what happens the world is going to become a different place (and damn quick) for many people and i dont necessarily mean better. However, that said there will be some incredible opportunities arising out of this debacle.
I think i might just go and plant a few vegetables (kidding)
Friday, November 14, 2008
Irony
Saw a newspaper article today that although tragic made me smile (i know i am a sad sack)
_______________________________
a woman (in south america somewhere) was killed by a coffin containing her dead husband (coffins usually do that - contain dead people) on the way to a funeral when the hearse came to an abrupt stop and the coffin slid forward and fell on her killing her instantly (broke her neck).
___________________________________________
My thoughts on reading this was oh that's sad then on reflection i thought there could be other ways of thinking about this - like:
- Guess he could not bear to go without her so he found a way to take her with him; or
- she pissed him off so much in life he was still looking for a way to get his own back in death.
Anyway, whatever is the truth of the matter, they will now obviously be re-united. Hope the answer was the former otherwise he/she are destined for a "hellish" future.
_______________________________
a woman (in south america somewhere) was killed by a coffin containing her dead husband (coffins usually do that - contain dead people) on the way to a funeral when the hearse came to an abrupt stop and the coffin slid forward and fell on her killing her instantly (broke her neck).
___________________________________________
My thoughts on reading this was oh that's sad then on reflection i thought there could be other ways of thinking about this - like:
- Guess he could not bear to go without her so he found a way to take her with him; or
- she pissed him off so much in life he was still looking for a way to get his own back in death.
Anyway, whatever is the truth of the matter, they will now obviously be re-united. Hope the answer was the former otherwise he/she are destined for a "hellish" future.
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