dun dun.... DUNN!

Dribbbbbles

So it's Monday afternoon. Yet another week down, and only two and a half till I finish the year and take an enforced three week holiday. Seems work is closing down and no one will be working over that time.

This is new to me, as my previous two jobs allowed me to work through (other than the public holidays). That way I could take holidays further into the new year. This was, I'm going to be short about three and a half days. And I want to take two days off in late February. So it'll be October before I have another three weeks of annual leave up my sleeve. By which time, it'll almost be time to start preparing to take more time off (no doubt) over Christmas! Vicious bloody circle... Oh well, not much I can do about it. I asked about the possibility of coming back a week early, but it seems no one else will be around to let me in.

In other work news, I'm going to Milan next year for the International Furniture Design Fair in April. I can't wait - I've never been overseas. Hell I don't even have a passport yet! But that's in the works. It's already down to five months till we leave - so much to do...

I bought my ticket to Dream Theater's Adelaide concert on Friday - I'll be all dorky and post a photo of the ticket when I receive it. :-)

I had something else that I wanted to type about, but it escapes me right now. No doubt it'll return to me at about 4am tomorrow! Grrr.

---EDIT---

I remember! Time for a little grumble (surprise surprise).

I have a slight issue with Myspace. I pretty much only use it to keep track of what my favourite bands are doing, seeing as every man and his dog is on there. When Dream Theater announced their Australian tour, I was able to control myself just long enough to post a comment on their page, saying how rabidly excited I was. The next day I logged in to find no less than twelve bands had seen my comment and requested to be my friend. Uhhh no thanks. I admit to taking  lot of joy in hitting Deny to each one of them, including the dodgy looking mullet-armed German dude who looked like he was stuck in an endless early-90s Skid Row fantasy. You're no Sebastian Bach, champ.

Seriously, I don't care about your two-bit busted-arse band. If I liked your music, you'd already be a friend. I'm well and truly over Myspace members' fascination with needing to have four hundred and sixty seven thousand friends. Leave me out of it.

Our Little Idiot...

...Enjoying her favourite pastime. Until I decide to annoy her. ;-)

Oh My God...

Oh my god oh my god oh my god.

Dream Theater, the one band I have longed to see live more than any other, but who have never toured here, have announced that in January next year, they're coming. Monday 28th January, An Evening With Dream Theater will hit the Adelaide Showgrounds. Considering I've been waiting sixteen years (since I first heard their music), this will be one of the biggest concerts I'll ever see. Sure, that's my opinion, but I know I'm right. :P

Holy poo.

Bring it on!

A Night with Cog

Kel & I went off to see Cog play last night at HQ. They were supported by Dead Letter Circus, a Brisbane band, who were pretty good but were hampered from sounding better by a pretty shitty mix. The vocals were hard to hear which was a shame as I was looking forward to seeing what they were like. They were also pretty limited in stage movement due to Cog's drum kit being already set up. Nonetheless there was a lot of energy in their set.

Last time Cog came to Adelaide, they played the same venue, just over a year ago. For some unknown reason, we were bypassed on their short "Boomerang" tour earlier this year which pissed me off. But it was well worth the wait. Flynn, Luke & Lucius put on another awesome show. The sound these guys can churn out is impressive in its power and cohesion. And the lighting show put on really built the atmosphere - one thing HQ should be commended for.

If only the same could be said for a) HQ's drinks prices (seriously, $4 for a 300ml bottle of water?) and b) the arrogance of the security staff. One tough guy pushed his way through the crowd at the back bar, glaring at anyone who dared not to see him coming and still be in his way when he barged through. Toolbags like that bug the hell out of me. We're all paying customers who are here to see the bands, not some big knobhead in a dodgy green shirt who thinks he's better than Jesus at parting things.

But all this couldn't dampen my enjoyment of the show (though the drunk dude behind me shouting every five seconds had a good crack at it). I'm unashamedly a big man-fan of Cog, and couldn't fault the gig, other than Luke's bass rig dying for a few minutes. But credit to the other two - rather than leave the crowd to get restless while they sorted it out, Flynn & Lucius put on an impromptu jam which, for all we know, was possibly how they wrote the melodies on the upcoming album. Well done guys, you should add that tune to the album - I liked it a lot!

One downside to the night was the news that we have to wait till March or April for the new CD. I have this slight issue with bands who release singles so far in advance of the long player coming out. It's more of a quirk of my nature really, because at the end of the day, who the fuck cares what I think?! I guess I'd prefer they built the momentum of the pending release closer to release date. I worry that they're building the hype with the new single, What If, nearly six months before the album lands - the hype might've well and truly worn off by the time Sharing Space drops. But we'll see. Who knows, we might get another single off it before launch day. Fingers crossed. Then again, on the up side they'll probably kick off another tour when the CD goes live, which I'll never say no to. ;)

So in summing up my lame-arse review of the show, Cog rock my socks. They are still my current hero-band, and this gig will tide me over till the next time they grace our shores.

Some of my dodgy-arse camera phone photos:

Swayback

For those who might grace these pages every now and then, you might have read me blabbing on about a local band called Swayback. I've known the bass player for about six or seven years now, have done some photography and built their website for them.

Well, they're getting ready to release their second album, and have a new single out, complete with rockin' film clip:



Rock on!

Diablo

Ok, I've found my Christmas present. I don't care if I never get another Christmas present for as long as I live. Just as long as I get one of these:



A Smart car with a Suzuki Hayabusa motor in it - what more could a boy want?

Just Another Manic...

Yes it's Monday. So what's going on to cause this blog entry to be posted at a time other than the now normal 4:00am? Ab-so-loot-ly nothing. Just felt like typing random dribble really. :)

Work's getting more interesting - we've finally managed to wade through the vast majority of the backlog we faced. So now we can get on with designing new products. Which makes Adam a happy boy.

Photography is in a bit of a rut at the moment. I had a paid job last week but I just don't have the motivation to get off my butt and shoot something. Probably not helped by the total lack of inspiration I've got going on right now. But hey, it's not like I've never faced this sort of thing before and it went away. Just gotta give it some time to finish its hissy-fit and let me move on.

I've been trying to think of something I can do as a hobby, alongside my photography. So far, all I've thought of are getting back into building plastic model kits (something I used to do a number of years ago) and perhaps seeing if I can fin a cheap acoustic guitar and go back to chicken-scratching along to my favourite music, and dreaming of that-time-that=-will-never-come when I'm a rock star. Other than that I'm a not really sure what else would keep my mind involved for very long. I'll figure something out.

Have been getting into Facebook a lot lately. I've been able to find a bunch of people I went to school with, which is always cool. I always like reminiscing about school days - they were a lot of fun to me.

Other than that, all is well. :)

Cog's new video

My current "hero" band, Cog have a new song out. Here's the film clip.



Sounds like they're taking some inspiration from their early stuff, which is awesome. We're going to see them on November 11th @ HQ, and I cannot wait. New album is out early next year.

It's Just Another Rainy Night...

Ah, you gotta love an early 90s Queensryche reference...

So here I am, about a week after my last night-of-shitty-sleep, tapping away on the keys (woo a Fear Factory reference - I'm on fire!) because I woke up at about 1:30am. The cat's been pissing me off this morning. I tried to lie down and snooze for a while, but she kept moving things and making the little noises that prod me out of anything that approaches a nap.

Hope that coffee machine is stocked up...

I've been workng through my CDs, getting them ripped and onto the MacBook. Not too many more to go now and I'll be set. One beautiful thing about this little sucker is that Sony BMG's copyright protecion bullshit software on The Butterfly Effect's Imago album doesn't work. So I have sweet MP3s of the whole album on all my machines now. Take that, big business!

I discovered Facebook the other day too. I've so far found a bunch of people I went to school with, one I went to uni with and I found a mate who moved to the UK six months ago who I thought I'd lost contact with. So it's pretty cool for that I guess. Other than that, it feels a little inflated. But I'll give it some time to settle down and see what I think.

Speaking of inflated, I had a dabble in Second Life a few weeks ago. Kinda cool that you can fly around the worlds, but really, what's the point? Other than a dodgy 3D engine, it's just a dressed-up chat program that chews up my bandwidth.

Can you tell I'm a little tired?

Yawwn

So here I sit, once again unable to get a good night's sleep. This really bugs me, because I'm constantly in need of sleep (at least that's what my sore eyes tell me!). I was able to pass out for about three hours, but about 2am I was awake, but unlike most times, there was nothing on my mind.

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night with a revelation, or having suddenly remembered the name of that 1980s artist you have been trying to recall for days? Howard Jones is the one I can never remember, with his seminal (cough) track, Like To Get To Know You Well. But anyway, this time there's nothing bugging me. Nothing that justifies this lack of sleep. And that shits me.

So I guess the coffee machine at work is going to get a workout later today.

I've now got my little MacBook set up with the software that I wanted. This will allow me to do a lot more mobile photography and to shoot heaps of shots, particularly in RAW mode, which is something I want to do a lot more of. Especially now that I've got a 2Gb CF card in my camera. Course, when I eventually upgrade my DSLR (That damn Nikon D300 is calling my name... curse you Nikon!), I'll be capturing images at over double the resolution, so I'll instantly lose capacity! It's a vicious bloody circle, all this new fandangled technology, I tell ya.

FYI, if I start posting with a lot of spelling mistakes, I apologise. This keyboard is taking some getting used to...

The Photo Booth application was something I wasn't expecting to use much, but I figured I can use it to pop up a current image of myself at the start of each blog. NERRRD!!

Uh yeah, anyway, that's about all I can be bothered typing up right now. Till next time.

New Toy

Just a quick update to let you know that Im typng this blog on my new toy - I bought a MacBook.

And now that I've got the wireless ADSL set up, Im cooking with gas. :)

Work's going well - flat out busy wth new projects, as well as cleaning up existing ones. But it's far more enjoyable than my previous job. Especially after Richard Pratt (the man who owns Visy Board) admitted to price fixing with Amcor, their biggest competitor. Bet that's a happy place to be at the moment!

Photography's going well, although I'm getting a little tired of people asking me to work with them, or do a job for them, only for them to disappear as things get formal. Seriously, please stop messing me about.

Till next time. :)

Welcome to the 21st century

Listening to: Something For Kate - Pinstripe
--

Well, I'm finally dragging my ass into the 21st century. We've got broadband. :) And I'm SMRT enough to hook it up and not fry the electrical circuits in the house and the PC. Score!

Seriously though, it's so nice to be able to load pages at a normal rate. I've been on dial-up since about 2000 or so, and have also used high speed internet access at uni and various jobs. While I loved the fast speeds, I would simply go home and slip back into dial-up mode, patiently waiting for the modem to dial in and the pages to load eventually.

Recently we've been having issues with our phone line.Telstra twiddled their thumbs and ragged their knuckles kicking and screaming into the modern world of customer serivce, and took three weeks to fix a crossed phone line with our neighbour, but eventually after having basically no home internet for a month, we were back online. Just before the phone line filled its nappy, I'd been looking for a new ISP and had decided to upgrade to ADSL. I picked out the plan I wanted, the modem was chosen and the ISP booked in (almost). Finally, after Telstra got their shit together, we were able to join up.

Yesterday I got the message that it was ready to roll, so I shot into town on my lunch break and grabbed the modem and an ehternet card for my aging PC. After work I got home and immediately started playing. All my concerns about connecting it up and stuff like that quickly went out the window - this shit's easy to do!

So finally we have high speed broadband access. We're pretty much up to date on the techo side of things. Except for the aformentioned aging PC. I'm going to be getting a laptop in the next month or so, as the router I got supports wireless networking. But the PC will need to put out to pasture soonish. It's still going ok, but its teeth are getting rather lengthy.

Next stop, Google Earth 4.2, complete with hidden flight simulator mode. :)

Ramblings

Listening to: Fear Factory - Replica
--

I am a duplication
Innocently
I was conceived
So violently

I had a dream the other night, that I met Dream Theater. The fact that one second they were wearing the classic mid-90s white basketball shoes with black jeans and black T-shirt, and then the next, they were all in casual clothers with their hair cut shorter doesn't seem to stick in my mind as much as the fact that I was sitting next to guitarist John Petrucci, talking about when they would be touring.

For those who don't know, DT have never hit the shores of Australia, despite having been in the industry for twenty years now.

I love my dreams sometimes, they're so random. Then again, the one I had when I was about five, where I was being chased round my grandmother's house by a Tyrannosaurus Rex, wasn't so lovely. I've only ever had that dream once, but I've never forgotten it. I can still see myself clear as day, running around the house, with this god-awful thing behind me.

Have you ever had a dream where you knew what was happening, but couldn't see it? See, I knew there was a T-Rex after me, but I don't actually remember seeing the bastard. I know it was behind me - I just don't remember looking at it. Needless to say when I was that young, it spooked me which probably why I can remember it so vivdly.

I wonder if that's got anything to do with my morbid fear or being approached from behind without knowing. In my previous job, I sat with my back to the corridor. To overcome this fear, I placed a small convex mirror on the edge of my computer screen, so I had a view of any movement behind me. I didn't necessarily want to know who was there, just if there was someone there. It was there for a good twelve months before someone (never did find out who) complained to my manager saying it was "unprofessional", and I was asked to remove it. I moved it to a less obvious location on the partition, where I could still see it, but it was difficult for others to see.

Anyway, enough about my bizarre tendencies. If you're not aware, Nikon have announced the D300 and the D3. While I would love the latter, the former is more within my target price range. I've been planning on upgrading my venerable D100 for a while, and was eyeing off the D200. But with the D300 being released, I have a new prize to keep my eye on.

One thing I noticed while reading up about the D3 is that, because it's a full-frame sensor, if you stick a DX lens on it (which were designed specifically to get around the multiplifaction factor associated with non-full frame sensors), the D3 will actually reduce the size of the image you take, from 12 megapixels to around 6 or something.

Not something those semi-pro shooters who have a bag full of DX lenses want to hear I bet - hope you held onto your FX lenses!

A Taste Of Culture

Listening to: Machine Head - Battery
--

Friday night was a true cultural experience for us. The General Manager of the company I work for is Maori, and wanted to put on a show for all employees and their family, with a Maori twist. Instead of your traditional barbecue, or in my previous employer's case, a spit roast, he decided to put on a traditional Maori Hangi.

To start the night though, we were treated to a Maori welcoming ceremony which was amazing to see. When Kel and I were planning our now-delayed trip to NZ, we were able to learn a bit about the Moari culture and heritage. So to be able to see it right in front of us was incredible. The passion and pride the people involved showed made me think about the fact that, as Australians, we really don't have that much history. Sure, we've got two hundred or so years behind us, and a broad mix of cultures and heritages, but the Maori people have probably thousands of years of customs and history. To be witness to a small part of this history was an honour.

Then came the food... Cooked in a hole in the ground for about five hours, made for some mouth-watering meat. Perfectly cooked chicken, delicious lamb and beautiful smoked pumpkin and potato made for a fantastic dinner.

And to top the night off, a group of Cook Islanders performed traditional dances and drumming for us. Couldn't ask for a better experience, really.

A huge thanks to Clark and his crew for putting together a night that I know I won't forget any time soon. Beats my old employer's work dinners!

Life

Listening to: Dream Theater- The Ministry Of Lost Souls

--
Hello mirror

So glad to see you again

It's been a while

Well, here I am, four weeks into my new job. I'm slowly hacking my way through the quagmire that is the current documentation backlog, and am slowly making notes on how to improve the whole system. File storage, file references (the CAD software we use relies heavily on linked files and properties within those files - time-consuming to set up, but very powerful once it's sorted) naming conventions, supplier contacts, that kinda thing.

It's a lot to take in, but I'm getting there. I'm yet to spend some time on the factory floor, getting used to the different stages or production, but it's on the agenda and I'll keep pushing for it to happen. I'm also planning to ask to spend time with the guys installing our products, so I can see what they need to deal with.

It's nice to be able to sit here and work away, without the constant drumming noises of the huge die-cutting machines at my old work. I got used to it pretty quickly, but it's a change being able to hear the keystrokes on the keyboard! Every now and then I'll hear someone drop a length of aluminium rod, or hear the chop saws cutting up the steel tube, but other than that, it's a peaceful environment.

I'm also working on a little design project that's proving deceptively challenging. At first glance I thought it wouldn't be too tough. Man, did I underestimate this sucker! But I'm working through each issue as they come up, and I'm almost there.

And to top this first month off, in about two and a half hours, I'll be flying to Sydney for the Saturday inDesign show. Sweeeet.

In other news, my second photographic exhibition is coming to a close. No luck in selling, but for it was never about sales. I was proud to see my work hanging in a public space. Sure it would've been nice to flog it off, but I've achieved my goal.

Till next time.

New Horizons

Last night was the opening night of Refuge:refresh and was another fantastic night, with three prints selling (two of them Kel's"!). Crowd numbers were a little less than last time, but still a lot of people shuffled through and shard a beer or wine with us.

Over the last month or so, I've been feeling a little... uneasy about my photography and where I'm at with it. I've been getting the sense that I'm in a but of a rut. I've been shooting a lot, but haven't been the satisfaction out of it that I used to. It's like I'm just going through the motions.

A while back, I bought a Holga 120N to try new things and shake it up a bit. But I've only used it once, and it's been in the cupboard since. I made a pinhole camera and haven't had the first film processed yet. I have a box of exposed 35mm film that contains film that are probably about five years old. I have a habit of starting something, but never going on with it. Digital is easier to follow through with, but now it's less satisfying.

Recently, I started to read up about processing my own film. I've never done it before, and thought it a bit daunting, using all the chemicals and stuff. But I found a step-by-step tutorial on how to do it on Flickr, and the light has turned on above my head.

Something's gotta change before I crack the shits and walk away from it entirely. I love photography, and don't want to give up on it. Until recently, I've gotten so much out of it, that I just can't give it up. I'm planning on learning how to process my own film, so I can scan it (somehow - haven't thought that far) and work on it, without having to wait for the lab to do it all for me. A film scanner is a possibility, but I need at least $2000-$3000 for an entry level scanner.

I'm going back to basics, and I'm starting again. I have the creative ability to make this work, and I have the ability to learn the technical side to make this work. Stuff the techno-shit, stuff the rules, stuff the conventions. Anything goes.

The exhibition opening last night reinforced the fact that I'm really not all that comfortable with selling my work. I like the fact that people want to buy it, but there's something that just feels wrong to me. So I'm not sure if I'll be in any more exhibitions - at least not hte next one or two. We'll see.

By the way, Take A Photograph is currently in hibernation, but I have plans for it to be evolved over the next few weeks or so. Stay tuned. :)

Fresh Start

Listening to: Dream Theater - Constant Motion
--

I started my new job yesterday. Wow, talk about a great start. I've already been able to fix up a pretty big CAD file and drawings associated with it, and I've been given my first design job. And apparently I'm going to Saturday InDesign in Sydney at the end of the month.



If that's how my first day was, I can't wait to see what's going to happen today!

This time it feels... right. Here's a company that isn't afraid to drop me in the thick of it. They trust me and the skills I bring, and are willing to let me go for it. I like that. A lot. I'm getting a feeling about this job that I haven't had before. I did the whole metal detector thing which felt good except for some of the people. I did the whole box thing which pretty much sucked except for some of the people.

It's like I've been trying to find the right balance between the job and the people. I know it's only my first day, but so far the people have been great. No one is jumping out at me as being a potential tool, which is a rare but awesome thing.

Fingers crossed this is the chance I've been dreaming of for ten years.

Spendings

Listening to: Devildriver - Burning Sermon
--

So I've officially left my job. I guess till tomorrow I'm between roles. Feels a little odd really, knowing than in about 30 hours I'll be starting a whole new chapter in my life. Excting though - can't wait. Maybe that's why I can't sleep right now...

I was paid for the annual leave I had accrued, so we went shopping. I needed a new stock lens for my camera. I'd been eyeing off the Nikkor 18-135 f/3.5-5.6 for a month or two. Naturally I bought it. ;-) It's nice to have double the focal lenth to play with now - gives me a lot more flexibility. I also bought a new polariser, as my old one broke a while back. Kel picked up the 60mm f2.8 Micro which looks like a nice clear lens.

I picked up the new Devildriver CD yesterday - talk about brutal. I shall enjoy assaulting my ears. I also did some clothes shopping. I grabbed a new shirt, and a couple of jackets, as well as some more pants for work. Nothing exciting - just required.

Ooh ooh, and we picked up our prints for the upcoming Refuge: refresh exhibition. My vertical panorama looks stunning framed up. I almost don't want to sell it!

Oh The Possibilities... Part 2

Listening to: Chevelle - Well Enough Alone
--
Further to my last post on the cardboard pinhole camera, I came across a black solid cardboard in an arts supply shop on the weekend. So I bought a sheet and brought it into work to test out. I was a little unsure how it would fold once it had been cut, as it's a solid board rather than a corrugated hollow board. Hollow boards can fold into themselves, as the corrugated part collapses, whereas the solid board behaves differently. The outer layer wants to stretch as the inner layer folds. My hunch was that the outer layer would tear due to it's inability to hold together under tension.

And I was right. Each fold, whether it was 90º or more, tore the outher liner every time. The board was so thick (about the same as the corrugated board I started with) that it really didn't take too much to rip. theoretically I suppose I could use it, but I want these suckers to look good on the outside, not with bits of torn paper all around it.

So it's back to the drawing board as far as using a black paper. I'm running out of time to use the CNC table here at work (I finish this job on Thursday), so I'm leaning towards buying some black spray paint for the internals of the box.

Hey it's all a learning experience. I've got a roll of film from the white pinhole camera I built, so UI'm keen to get it developed and see how it turned out. I'm a little unsure as to how well I made the pinhole, so that could its downfall. But we'll see.

Oh the possibilities...

What happens when a packaging designer decides to make a pinhole camera? What could possibly be the outcome of crossing this camera with this CNC cutting table?

This:


A few months back, I started wondering how I could challenge my photographic skills in a more complex way than by just using a film SLR. I started to research pinhole cameras and wondered if there was anyone making cardboard pinhole cameras. I stumbled across this page and was blown away.

After some more digging and exploring the interweb, I uncovered a PDF file of plans for a cardboard pinhole camera, and a PDF showing how to assemble it. Being a packaging designer and having access to aforementioned cutting table, I decided to have a crack. I started from scratch with only an A4 print-out of the plans. The PDF was pretty inaccurate and not terribly detailed. So I would design a piece, cut a sample and fold it up to see how it fitted together. Tweak it, cut it, try again. Gradually I started to assemble a collection of CAD files that were slowly fitting together to make a camera-shaped object.

Fast forward through about another fifteen to twenty steps of prototyping and re-sizing, and you have this:


With a copy of the Pinhole Designer software available for free download from Pinhole.cz, I was able to determine the best size pinhole for the focal length of my camera. In turn, this gave me the required exposure times, taking into account the film I'm using and reciprocity failure info. I am now in the process of testing it with medium format film.

Will let you know how it goes. :)

Cultivating My Own Nonsense

Listening to: Trivium - Entrance Of The Conflagration
--

Exhibition's open now - go look, buy, investigate, marvel, scoff. :)

Opening night went extremely well. The place was packed and everyoine had a jolly old time. We sold three prints on the night, and (at least) one more has sold since then. Now we start planning the next one.


So it was my birthday on Saturday. Hip hip hooray. I turned the magical 32. Kel and I went into the Central Markets for a couple of hours of wandering and experiencing the fresh food and gourmet cheese, coffee and miscellaneous shops. I really enjoy going in there - this was my first time in many years. But I think we'll be going back a lot more often.

Saturday night we went off to see Shrek The Third. Admittedly it was a bit of a let-down in the context of the first two movies, but still a good laugh. I love these Gold Class-style movies theatres though - being able to lounge back in a recliner and sip on a coffee while munching on buttermilk scones is heaven. :)

Sunday was spent in the hills, trying to capture the shot I want for next month's exhibition - I think I got it. I"m going to do a vertical panorama which will be big. Like 12x33 or so inches. :)

Monday (public holiday - god bless the Queen's birthday :)) I tried to pull a bunch of weeds out of the garden, only to find the little barbs really do actually sting. My arms broke out in a landscape of little bumps that itched like a bastard. Go me. Think I'll just buy some weed killer, even though it's strangely soothing to rip weeds out of the ground.

Dad tried to contact me for my birthday - he sent me a text message saying he'd call later. Still waiting.... Not that I've got much to say to him. He's ignored me for exactly a year, then expects things to be as per normal. I don't think so.

Through The Endless Grey

Listening to: Metallica - For Whom The Bell Tolls
--

I did something for the first time in my life today. I resigned from my job!

I've already had my exit interview and set the date of my departure. Can't wait to see how green the grass is on the other side! I've been offered another job and I start in four weeks.



Don't forget the Refuge Exhibition if you're in Adelaide next week. Come along and say hi!

Refuge Exhibition

Listening to: Devildriver - End of The Line
--

refuge

Comprising of two 4 week long exhibitions, starting June 7th, this exhibition at the Wheatsheaf Hotel, Thebarton explores the theme of refuge as a personal escape.

The photos bring to light our sanctuaries and our connections to natural environments. Ruled by the ever ncroaching lives of mobile phones, voice mail, e-mail, we all need a place where we can retreat and reflect and truly be ourselves.

The Wheatsheaf Hotel
39 George Street, Thebarton SA
7.00pm Thursday June 7th

--

Both Kel and I are participating in this exhibition. The FlickrSA group is made up of local photographers, who all met via the Flickr photography sharing website. There are twelve exhibitors whose styles vary significantly, but blend together to form an ecclectic yet exciting group.

If you're in Adelaide and would like to view the works, you'll find them on display (and for sale) from opening night (June 7th @ 7pm) until the 2nd of July, when the second round of FlickrSA photographers (including some from the first exhibition) will display their pieces.

So Long, I've Been Waiting

Listening to: Cog - Naming The Elephant
--
Take two a day, all again
Get out of my way, all again
You're late for work, all again
Feels like this life's
Slipping away


So David Hicks is out of Guantanamo Bay and has returned to Adelaide to finish his sentence.


Who fucking cares?


Does it really need to be the top story in all forms of media, print, radio and TV? Foes the world really have nothing else to do than to read/watch what this self-confessed terrorist ate on the plane flight (that my taxes helped to pay for) home? What movie he watched? What he wore as he walked off the plane? How big the security guards who escorted him were? Which gate of the Air Force Base he was taken out of? What roads he travelled to get to Yatala Gaol?

Honestly, is that the best the media could come up with? The man is a terrorist. Self confessed, too. Course, who really knows how truthful his confession was. After all, you'd probably say what you needed to after having been treated so poorly for so long.

But honestly, can't we focus on happier news? The dude's out of the Guantanamo Gulag, and into more virtual-solitary in Adelaide while the folks up-on-high figure out what the hell to do with him. I don't need to know what his plans are for when he gets out; what university course he wants to study.

Blah Blah Blah.

Move on, please.

When Packaging Designers Go Bad

It's a looong story. :-)

My day gone

Listening to: Fear Factory - Machines Of Hate

--

I leave for work at 6:45am, and this has been the view a few times this week:


I leave work at 5:00pm, and this has been the view on my way home:


Losing basically a whole day of sunlight is quite a depressing feeling. The price of working for The Man I guess.

Every Breath Leaves Me One More To My Last

Listening to: Dream Theater - Pull Me Under

--

When I was younger, I used to spend a lot of time building plastic models of cars, aircraft, ships and anything else I felt like making. I wuold go into the hobby shop, much like other kids in candy stores, and spend hours (or at least what felt like hours) ogling all the kits that were on the shelves. I would look at the huge 1:15 scale Formula One car kits up on the "top shelf" that was always waaay out of my price range. With my jaw on it's way to the floor, I would drool over the complete kits that were on display in the glass cabinets, amazed at the level of detail the maker had put into it. The exhaust stains from the exit pipes on the Spitfire engine; the grease marks around the drag car engines. It never failed to impress me.

Occasionally, I would also flip through the model-making magazines in the newpaper shops, gob-smacked by the effort the top-line makers would put into their work, even going so far as to scratch-build models, something I still struggle to comprehend.

Recently, I have been working on a little side project here at work (to be announced further down the line), and while investigating and researching said project, I came across a whole new arena of model makers that I never knew existed.

The art of origami is something I grew up fascinated by, but never did I realise paper modelmaking was so huge. I think the best example of this is Yamaha Motorcycle Company's Japanese website, where you can download highly detailed PDF files of paper model kits of their motorcycles, as well as animals and season scenes.

I printed out one of the motorcycle kits, and and am in awe of the people who have designed these kits. The level of detail is unbelieveable. Right down to individual wheel spokes, and chain - even the front struts are separate parts. But if you think that's detailed, check out the Ultra Realistic Model section, where you can download separate sections of a motorcycle. The exhaust system is enough to blow your mind. It'd take a fair bit of patience and time to build one of these kits. Guess who printed one out last week? ;-)

Etcetera is my worst enemy

Listening to: Faith No More - Absolute Zero

--

Cog are returing to Australia in June to play some gigs on a short tour. Guess which city they're not playing in?

:-|

I've come the realisation that I'm in this job till at least the end of September. Wev'e booked four weeks of holidays from late August to late September, and I really need some time away. So I'm going to keep my eyes on the job market, to see what's out there. But until we get back from our holidays, I won't be applying for anything till then.

As much as I want to move on to bigger and better things and find something that will challenge and stimulate my brain, for now I need to sit tight and keep my head above water.


Why oh why in the name of all things small and furry do they call it IT support? What support do they offer? I have just spent six and a half (read 'em, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and a half) hours waiting for someone, anyone to fix my log-in problems. I have achieved two fifths of fuck all. I have completed one job, when in the same time on a "normal" day, I would've done about fifteen or twenty.

So after losing over half my working day, I'm left to catch up. Of course I did it. But to be left for that long without even email access is pretty fucked up.

A little smile on a homicidal bastard

Listening to: Stonesour - Come What(Ever) May

--

Found a photographer who's stuff is pretty cool. If you're not a fan of HDR and that kind of unnatural lighting (though I'm pretty sure he uses standard lights - just knows how to set them up well), you probably won't enjoy this guy's work. But I think it's pretty impressive and worth a look if you're open to different ideas and styles.

Dave Hill Photography


There's a moth stuck in the louvres outside the 'window' next to my desk. I call it a 'window' because this is all I can see out of it:

Really not the sort of environment that is conducive to creativity or productivity. But hey that's just me...

Anyway, back to the moth. I think I saw it fly in there earler today. Something white caught my eye as I was plodding away at making boxes. And just a few minutes ago I noticed it was still there. I guess it's met some sort of untimely demise in a spider's web or something.


The weather has finally turned I think. The last few days have been deliciously cool, even with a bit of rain. Of course, we could do with a lot more rain - the water supplies are getting quite low. What we need is a good solid soaking for about a week. A couple of hundred millimetres should do us for now. The front lawn at our new place is struggling. I was able to soak it last weekend for a good couple of hours, but due to the water restrictions, I can only do that once a week. Though, I reckon it's starting to look a little greener.


Not a lot else to typey-type about at the moment. Living quietly, working lots, not sleeping nearly enough. The usual really. ;-)

Viking Hats, Cheese Slices and Calculators

Listening to: Faith No More - From Out Of Nowhere

--

Kel and I said farewell to a couple of friends on Saturday night. Pat & Lisa are moving to England for the next couple of years. I've known Pat for about ten or twelve years - we used to play soccer together - and have been good mates with Lisa for almost as long.

So it feels a little weird to know they're going to be on the other side of the world as of this weekend. But it's also making me more exicted about getting to New Zealand later this year. At this stage we're planning to go for four weeks, and drive ourselves around the whole country (not something we'd be able to say about many countries!).

It's times like these that make me want to start living a little. We've both been so busy with Christmas, then work, then moving and work combined, that I think we're suffering from a lack of time to ourselves. So even though our trip to the land of the long white cloud isn't till the end of August, we're about to start planning where we want to go, and start booking stuff.


The new house is going well - kitten's still getting used to the floorboards instead of carpet! But she's becoming a lot more comfortable with her new surroundings and is getting back to her cheeky sneaky ways.

The grass in the back yard is getting long - the previous tenants didn't bother to cut it before they left... I'll be buying my very own lawnmower soon, but for now I have to get someone to come and cut it for me.


For those who might not be aware, a group of South Australia photographer from Flickr have joined forces to hold an exhibition of their work in June & July this year. I will be posting more details as they come to hand - stay tuned.

Settling In

Listening to: Tool - Vicarious

--

Just a quick note to let you know we're all moved in to the new place. Now to unpack...

Kitten's still pretty confused by the new surroundings, but she's getting better. It's nice to be able to have a long hot shower - first time in nearly eight weeks we've been able to do that.

Roof Over Our Heads

Listening to: Stone Sour - Through Glass

--

We have a house to move into. The inside is a bit like a Swiss chalet, or maybe a Swedish sauna:



But hey, at least we can put up some photos of black and white cows and pretend we're somewhere in snowy Europe.

The agent for our current place has been a right tool; pushing us around, trying to get us to sign a periodic lease (which means a bond) and so on. But we got some advice and didn't have to sign, as long as we gave him a date for us moving out. And my uncle (who is passing himself off as the owner) hasn't helped. He refused to return my phone call till after we'd made a decision... There's one more member of my family that I won't be seeing again.

And what's even funnier is that our current place is already being advertised! The future tenants will be paying $50 a week more. That place needs some serious work before anyone can live there.

So all the worrying and stressing I've been doing has gone away. This weekend is our time. Time to relax, unwind and get some stress relief in, before we continue packing - we're well into it already. Just need to get the kitchen and lots of little stuff sorted.

All 'n Sundry

Listening to: The Mars Volta - Vicarious Atonement

---

Today is the 24th anniversary of the Ash
Wednesday Bushfires, that destroyed around 500,000 hectares of land in Victoria and South Australia. 75 people died in those fires - 47 in Victoria and 28 in South Australia.

I was seven years old when they hit. I remember walking out the front gates of my school and seeing Dad waiting to pick me up, as the traffic lights up the road were not working. I looked up the road towards the Mt. Lofty ranges (maybe six or eight kilometres away) and seeing 100 foot
high flames leaping off the hillside. The sky was brown with ash coming down from the hills.

These are the things I will never forget.

Hopefully we have all learnt some valuable lessons from those days. We haven't been hit by bushfiress as bad as those since. And touch wood we never will be again...

--

I went to the doctor's a week or so ago t have a general check-up. I've been so tired lately that I wanted to make sure there was nothing sinister at work. He poked, prodded, tapped here and listened there. Did the whole height-weight-say aaah thing. Other than being overweight (duh), everything seemed normal. He took some blood and ran a bunch of tests on it. I went back at the
end of last week to get the results.

I had pre-conceived ideas about what the results might tell me. I was sort of expecting my iron and blood sugar levels to be down. I figured that could be a cause of my lack of energy. I also expected my cholesterol to be way up. I don't exactly look after myself as well as I could.

Turns out my iron and blood sugar levels are fine. My cholesterol level was 7.3 (safe limit is up to 5.5), so I've got some work to do on that. I'm trying to cut right back on the oily fatty foods, and trying to up my intake of healthier (read rabbit food) things. I also want to get back into walking in the mornings.

The doctor also said that my liver enzyme levels were slightly elevated. He requested more tests for hepatitis B & C, and told me if I didn't hear back from him, everything was fine. So far I've heard nothing.

One good thing to come out of my blood tests: I already have a resistance to the virus that causese glandular fever. Somewhere along the line I've come into contact with it (never had it that I know of - tho my brother did many years ago), and my immune system has built an immunity to it. So there's one nasty that'll never get me.

--

Every now and then, you see something that makes you stop. You watch, your eyes fixed on the screen as someone does something so amazing and breath-taking, you get goosebumps.

This is one of those times:

Grumble Grumble

Listening to: Dream Theater - Endless Sacrifice

---

Changed the layout of my blogs. The grey was too depressing.


So we have applied for two places to rent. Hopefully we will hear about them this week.

We started packing our stuff up no the weeked, to save time when we have to move. We are hoping to have all the non-essential stuff packed away by the end of the week. Just quietly, I'm hoping we don't have to move this weekend - it's going to be 40°C all weekend. Yuck.

This really isn't something either of us wanted to do, but if my uncle wants to be a prick about it, then he can fucking well deal with it. I'm waiting for the agent to ring this morning (I was going to ring him, but fuck 'em, he can ring me), to find out if we are in fact moving and when we plan to be out. That's a date I can't give him at the moment. When we have somewhere to move to, then I can tell him. But until then he can wait. I know they will both want us out so they can get more rent. But they are not going to push us out any sooner. Because I will not be made homeless to appease my money-hungry uncle's desires. For once, he can work around my schedule.

And after all that, our hot water service still isn't working properly.

We're both tired, stressed and struggling to stay composed. To be fucked over by a relative after living in the flat for over three years (and for Kel, two and a half years) without any major complaints, is seriously dis-heartening. I always knew my uncle was business-minded. But to ambush us like he has is unfogiveable. Honestly, I wouldn't feel upset if I didn't see him again. Like ever. Kinda like my Dad, but that's a whole other story!

I know we received a good discount on the rent - I knew that from the day I moved in. And I wouldn't be so upset about the rent going up by as much as it is if I'd known in advance. If my uncle had called me (or told me when I rang him about the hot water service - he can't tell me he didn't know about the agent then) to give me warning about the agent coming into it, and the rent probably going up, then we would've have more time to prepare, start looking for a new place, or accept the rent increase. But no, he chose not to discuss it with me. He chose to keep that information from me, and now we've been ambushed and are on the back foot.

Sometimes I wonder how I'm related to some members of my family...

Never mix family and business

Listening to: Slayer - God Send Death

---

The flat we live in at the moment is part of my late grandfather's estate. Three years ago, my grandmother asked me if I'd like to live there. She wasn't going to charge me full rent, and I was welcome to stay as long as I wanted to. Being in a pretty well-to-do (aka snooty) suburb, on a beuatiful street, close to Norwood Parade, who was I to say no?

Fast forward three years. My uncle has taken over the responsibility of looking after it. Now he wants to put it back into the hands of a real estate agent. Thing is, he didn't bother to ring us and just let us know. No, he ignored the list of problems we need fixed (I mean, how dare we ask for the dodgy hot water service to be looked at?). The agent came round last night, poked hs nose in all the rooms, told us it wasn't an inspection and then proceeded to tell us how we should look after the place. He also told us the rent would be going up by 30 - 40%.

Long story short, we're moving. I'm not going to be ambushed by my own fucking family. Yes I know I get cheap rent. But I look after the place, and don't complain about all the things I could. I don't ask for them to fix everything that I probabply should be asking about. They're family. Shows you how important the blood connection is then, doesn't it?

(By the way, the song I'm listening to isn't necessarily relevant. It's just fast, loud and helps me get the frustrations out. I love my metal.)

FallingWater 3D

Listening to: Birds Of Tokyo - Off Kilter

---

Thanks to onestar for this link.


If you've ever heard of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, you've probably heard of the house he designed at Bear Run, Pennsylvania, called FallingWater.

Well, Digital Urban has created a 3D model of the house and its surrounds, using the Half Life 2 3D rendering engine.

Meat is Murder

ehehehe...

Raaaaar!

Listening to: Sepultura - Beneath The Remains

--

If you've read my profile on the left there, this might help it to make some more sense. I'm a packaging designer. I work with a lot of cardboard. I get bored sometimes and need to do something odd.

So I completed my Cog CD collection on the weekend. I managed to get my mits on Just Visiting parts 1 & 2. I didn't think I'd be able to find them in a CD shop, but there they were, sitting in JB Hi-Fi, calling my name.

Not that it was a priority purchase for me, as I'd already gotten the MP3s off the website. But at least now I've got all the discs.



Are you Australian? Are you a Dream Theater fan? do you want them to tour? Like, really want them to tour? Do you not give a shit? Do you have better things to do?

I don't care. Go here now. Pretty please with cream on top. If Dream Theater tour here I'll be a happy little Vegemite.

2006 Music to me

Listening to: Stone Sour - Come What(ever) May

---


If you haven't already seen it, go check out my new photoblog, Take A Photograph. I've started it up so I can post random meaningless (or perhaps meaningful) images that I capture day to day. On my phone, with my cameras, I don't care.



Songs of 2006 (otherwise known as my turn to try and sound like a real music reviewer):

1. The Butterfly Effect - A Slow Descent

Rocking, pounding, soaring melodies and vocals from one of the best Australian bands going round. This, for me, is probably the best song they've written, at least from a rock & roll point of view. The film clip is also very well made and produced, using a pretty simple set-up but creating a cracker video.


2. The Mars Volta - Viscera Eyes

Long, complex and fascinating prog rock track from a group that I've heard mentioned as the System Of A Down who like to write songs longer than two minutes. It also seems they're out to make longer songs than Dream Theater - I never thought that would be possible. I'm new to these guys, but theirs is a sound that I'm still exploring and I'm liking what I find.


3. Tool - Vicarious

Five years later and their sound hasn't really changed, but this song is a triumphant return to the scene. Brooding, dark lyrics with trademark Tool sounds that seem to almost hide the fact it's a seven minute song. I just love the way it grows slowly, then recedes, only to return with a arse-kicking finish.


4. The Living end - Wake Up

A departure from their usual style, this song seemed to strike a chord with the radio audience across Australia. A political message mixed with haunting melodies and vocals. Chris Cheney might not have a voice as complex and Clint Boge from The Butterfly Effect or Ian Kenny from Karnivool, but he grabs your attention and doesn't let go till the very end. A true classic.


5. Eskimo Joe - London Bombs

I heard this song on TripleJ not long after Eskimo Joe released Black Fingernails, Red Wine and it stuck with me for months. When we picked up the album, it was the first song I went to. The title track had been played that much I could almost make out all of the lyrics. But London Bombs is such a beautiful, warm track I could listen to all day and night.


6. Trivium - Ignition

I've seen these guys cop some serious shit for sounding like Metallica. But to me, these guys make the music I wish Metallica had made, but they don't have the egos and arrogance to go with it. I'm really hoping I can grab a ticket to the Big Day Out, because Trivium are on the bill. Their sound is raucous, loud and almost unrelenting its pursuit for your eardrums. For me, I like to secretly pretend I'm listening to what Metallica could've been.


7. Stone Sour - Reborn

Corey Taylor from Slipknot has a softer side. Sort of. Stone Sour was his (and Slipknot guitarist James Root) band before Slipknot came along, and with the release of their second album, they are growing up and becoming a really solid hard rocking group. Reborn was the first track I heard from the album Come What(ever) May, and it's probably the toughtest song on the CD. Now to cross my fingers and hope they tour here soon.


I know there's only seven here, but that's I got right now.

As for 2007, here are some of the releases I'm crossing my legs to get hold of:

1. Cog

This one goes without saying really. The guys are about to head to the US to start recording the follow-up to The New Normal, their first full-length release that turned into a bit of a juggernaut. I'm a shameless Cog fan, so it shouldnt' be much of a surprise that it tops my list. They played some new tracks at their show late last year and they sound awesome. So as soon as I hear a release I'm setting up camp at the local CD shop. Good thing I know one the guys who works there. ;)


2. Sunk Loto

These boys have been fighting a tough fight to keep their heads above the water lately, with dodgy record labels, shitty deals and band members exiting stage left. But they toured late last year, with Cog and their own headline tour, and previewed new tracks from the album they're about to start recording (if they haven't already). They were brutal, loud, fast and heavy songs that my ears are already tingling to hear again.


3. Fear Factory

I'm quietly holding out hope that Fear Factory will get back in the studio and fix the mistakes they made on Transgression. I fucking love this band, and Archetype - their previous release - blew my head off with its power and strength. But then they release Transgression a year later, and it felt rushed, disconnected and pretty lame, with two covers and a bunch of bitsy tracks on it. Not to mention when toured Australia, they skipped Adelaide. Last time, they left Korn on the tour bus and took Static-X to the Heaven nightclub and tore it a new arsehole. So they've got some work to do in my eyes. Here's hoping they pull their fingers out.

4. Swayback

Ok, so this one's more obscure to those reading this who don't know me. I know the guys from Swayback, and have done some website design & photography work from them - my stuff even made it into their CD sleeve. They spent the latter half of last year touring pretty heavily to get themselves out there. This year I'm hoping they'll be getting into the studio to recored the follow up to The Quest For Rock & Roll, the album that saw them sign to Half A Cow Records. They're a great bunch of guys, and they know how to write a catchy, cool rockin' song or two. Keep an eye open for them.


5. Dream Theater

It's been a couple of years since the godfathers of prog rock (to me at least) churned out an album. Their last studio release, Octavarium, didn't grab me like their earlier works - at least not as a whole album. I know they've released a couple of live CDs in the last year or so, but I've already got three live CDs from them - I don't really need more versions of the same songs. So I'm hoping they're writing new stuff and are putting together another masterpiece like Six Degrees Of Inner Tubulence. While I'm talking DT, hurry up and tour Australia, god dammit!

6. Mudvayne

Their 2005 release, Lost And Found had a lot of self-created hype, but it was a pretty major let-down for me. Their second CD, The End Of All Things To Come was a brilliant listen, full of complex songs built on head-kicking rhythms and vicious vocals. But Lost And Found didn't come anywhere near the kind of progression I was waiting for. It was far too "more of the same" for me to enjoy. And it felt like all bar about one or two songs were written on the same day with the same inspirations. There's no real diversity or creativity here. So these boys, like Fear Factory, have some ground to make up with me.


Ok, I think I've had my music reviewer fix for now. If I come across stuff I like, I'll abuse your eyes with more of my ramblings.

It's Official

I'm a Cog tragic. I have Open Up as the ring tone on my phone.

It's too damn hot to write anything else. 40°C days suck hard.