I thought this was cute

friend / business partners cat peering over at us whilst we worked!

Manly-shelly

no not a butch girl name michelle, but my regular swim from Manly Beach to Shelley beach. Well when i say regular, I mean regular in summer, and usually when I can find some mugs to do it with me. Someone asked me how far it was, I really had no idea (well its between 500-900m or so), so thought i'd just find out via the power of google maps. So here it is... problem, you can't drag the walking router into the sea, which is kinda reasonable i guess, but you get the idea.  This morning was pretty grey, 20degrees, a bit of northerly swell, so not a great a swim, but very clear, lots of fishies.... didn't see the family of young bronzer whaler sharks however....

Big windy, 2008 pre report

Okay, so I have been very slack with write up, and photos. Writeup has been a time issue, and photos a technical thing. However me Williams has done is proud witn a very amusing set of summaries and some initial photos here http://thebogun.blogspot.com/, more to come .....

Don't see this on the tube!

Life's a bit hectic, but when you see a whale on the morning run into the city, its time to stop and take reflection!

Traffic jam in the harbour!

Sun princess, one hell of a boat, clogged things up a little on the way back on the key cat this evening!

..... Ps reports and photos from the "Big Windy 2008" holiday soon

Docked for the evening!

A whole week at sea, an awesome time in sun and wind. A detailed description to follow, but couldn't resist, 30deg, mega winds, about to hit the town in Hamilton again.... Well it is the saturday!

Oh my god, there are standards that work

As someone who has done many things in the it world over the past 15 years, I seem to be constantly drawn into debates about standards, merits and fall. Victim to lack there of.

So imagine my surprise and elation, when preparing myself mentally to spend an entire day to install a car radio I've just bought, to find out there is an ISO standard for car radio connectors. This of course after I'd spent hours purchasing crimps, connectors, wire and tools expecting to reverse engineer my old cars electrics.

But a joy to be able to unplug this standard this intermediate connector and have the radio just work. Ok so its wasn't quite that easy as the antenna connector is not part of the standard, but almost.

Now if they could just make it so that routing the additional cables didn't remove most of the skin on my hands had fingers, and getting the original radio out require tha apparent complexity of removing not only the full dash board facia but a good chunk of the engine block, then we really have evolved!

Manly back to glam

After weeks of rain back to glam.... Ok not perfect a little wind!

My new place.

So the move went smoothly, if not just a painful experience. It was pouring with rain on the day, which made everything slow and even more painful.
I'd been packing for days, thinking i'd reduced my personal posessions, only to realise yeah i still had stacks. time for the spring clean, after the move, typical. when you come across things in boxes in the garage you'venot touched for a year+, it really is time to cleanse.
Anyhow, remaining packing on Friday, following a hearty breakfast, movers turned up around 1pm and the game was on. I cleaned the rooms post departure of all items, then the bathrooms. We popped over to the new place and i assisted with the unloading and logistics, only to rush off back to original place to finish off bathrooms and await mr steam cleaner. He was late. It was 6:30 before all was done... emergency food from the local burger joint was a ncessary evil, before embarking on the reverse process of unpacking.
The new place is not as modern, and a little smaller. But a different, a more functional layout, allowing social kitchen activity into the lounge, wooden floors, and of course a view. Yes I'm on the beach front. A first. And rather nice.... but unfortunately the waves are currently hindering sleep rather than improving it. that should come with adjustment!
Final unpacking took most of Saturday (also a crap day so no major issue), then poped out with a few friends for food and well deserved relaxation. The downside of 2 days of activities, well behind on work for the week... had to work all day today (sunday). Oh well, its all been worth it!

Moving house is like a box of chocolates....

.... Er no it bloody well isn't its like root canal surgery but without an anisthetic, 20 times longer, and probably more expensive. Been packing for days (and I actually thought I had downsized over the last few years), moving blokes (four Russians who chain smoked in between van visits, but they were really good!) turned up at 1 pm, steam carpet cleaner guy at 530pm..... My new place looks bombed out Iraq, I am just getting some food, first food since breakfast. I think I am about to pass out..... Further details to follow......

Early start but worth it

Very early start for a quick 18 before work! Gary the dentist leaving a bunker after a rather nice approach at the 13th!

I know times are tough but.....

This morning I witnessed a first. I saw an older gentlemen meticulously unrolling the doggy poop bags, ie lots of them, to take off for his own use. I can only presume he either is really being hit hard by the now looming recession, oooh, I said the r word, or does have a huge pack of dogs at home!

Sore stomach from laughing! Chris rock.

A strange and rare phenominon normally reserved for over doing it at the gym, waking up with sore stomach muscles!

What at face value looked like it could have been a very expensive set of tickets, 5 of us set off to see chris rock on his "No apologies" tour at Sydney entertainment centre in darling harbour. Turned out to be just guys and to be honest I think we were glad.

Inspired observation about the opposite sex lead to 2 hours of side splitting comedy, certainly for the males in the audience (this was proven by the revelation that when Nick had popped out from the venue to go to the little boys room, he witnessed a bench occupied by a number of sombre looking females who clearly weren't appreciating the humour of the short afro American from new jersey).

Like all these things it was a combination of someone having the balls to comment on things, mostly relationships, that most do not have the guts to say. Especially as the size of said balls seemed to progressively grow, almost without noticing, that on reflection in the pub after the do,admittedly fueled with a few beer tasting beverages, that he was bordering on the rude. It was still bloody funny either way!

Being a local

A few of is supporting the local manly sea eagles. Well a couple of the team do live in my block of apartments!

Navy exercises on manly beach

Not your average day at the beach!

Snow in Sydney!

First time in 100years it snowed.... Well actually it didn't. Technically it was hail. Kinfa weird that I was on the beach in tshirt and shorts at the weekend. It does feel bloody cold though. I have definitely gone soft, when I mean cold I mean 10deg.......

Christmas in July!

Well we don't have a chance at a summer xmas' which tends to be on the beach! So someone always has a turkey on the bbq!

Salad king of manly

My regular eve meal

My first year of skiff racing, 2008

A few photos of life by the harbour for my first season of skiff racing, rigging up during the nicer days weather, some action shots and celebrations when we managed to not come bottom of the table... we even got in the local paper

Rage against the machine.... The bicycle variety

I am back into my biking in a big way. Its quicker into work, I get good exercise everday, sometimes 2 times when I get to the gym or swim as well, I feel so much better for work than getting the bus (no ferry to work for north Sydney unfortunately). Oh and for the green ones out there, I am doing my bit (well apart from what feels like continuous washing that I have to do..... I am sure there is some interesting green trade offs for washing machine electricity and phosphates from cleaning products versus oil burning of a car.... Hmmm)
The problem is Sydney drivers are just so unsympathetic or down right distaining towards the pedalling few.
Some of this is not a straight forward debate however.
On a simple level there is ignorance. I was sworn at by a motor bike rider to "get off the ****** road". Nice. Not sure where I am meant to go, as its illegal on the pavement /sidewalk here. Even more ironic that its from a motor cyclist!
On another level its impatience. Being held up my a bike because the road is so bad you can't pull over enough for them to pass. And even if you did that opens up the possibllity of cars trying to squeeze dangerously close.
A final level is lack of awarness. I was almost knocked off the other month by someone opening a car door, and before that cut up as I was inside in. The blind spot. This is stuff you ride defensively against. And coming from London, more defensive than most.
But the other day I was followed, beeped and yelled at because I had jumped a red light. I know its against the law, its kinda the unwritten rule. I mean we are already taking our lives into others hands with few upsides (apart from wearing lycra, but I dpby want to post about that incase I get all these google hits from people searching for weird fetishes!).
I don't do it when cars or predestrians or me are in jeopardy. Circumstances where its clear the lights are about to change or a clear view of opposing traffic.
So what is it that drove this driver to anger. Was he jealous? Did he like my lycra? No it turns out he's annoyed that "we" break the law and he can't. So while taking a tirade of abuse from this guy I am politely trying to ask him "er, so do you chase up behind cars breaking the speed limit and open abuse at them? So you have never broken the speed limit yourself? Are that predestrian over there, he just jaywalked, quick go and girl abuse at him!"
You see my point? ..... I need to stop trying to be too smart, idiots like that don't seem to have reasoning capacity, and ultimately they are in 1 tonne of metal and I am not! think its just the lycra myself!

Quick rant..... Plane travellers

Used to fly lots, now much less, but nothing has changed. Why isn't it that people can't board quickly.... Even supposid regular business travelllers. Surely taking your bloody jacket off before you enter the plane would save 10 seconds while the rest of us wait in line and can't pass because this person DOES NOT think! Times that by all the idiots and we may have.departed on our scheduled slot..... Jeezzz......

Surf art auction

A friends an artist (you may remember the big swirly, brightly coloured, painting at my place), amongst other things: personal trainer & budding child author.  As part of some local chamber of commerce initiative a "surf art auction" was held, where all these local artists and celebs (some definitely not artists) were given surf boards to paint on. An amazing array of artwork, some actually very good, some... not so. anyhow a blind auction for many pieces and a standard auction for the "top pieces" see bad photo, and another friend bought 3 pieces!

Lawn Bowls... But no whites

Sunday am with a few from volleyball. Sun not arrived yet, but the beer arrived at 10 am!

Catching the last jet cat home!

Ok so I am over doing the blogging but I am on the jet cat back from the city. A rare occassion as I work in north syd (cycle or bus to work)..... A fine site I am sure you'll agree....althoug I admit I'm a little bit tipsy and can't focus on the screen as normal.... Must be the fact that I don't have my glasses on..... Bloody hell its cold though. 6-7 deg at dusk / night the last few weeks. A real shock to the system..

Winternet... not internet

a weird messenger chat with Matt, with regards to his deposit on the new iphone didn't count for anything....

[09:30:12] Matthew Sinclair says: Yes. I feel like writing a letter to someone ... but I can't really be bothered. I don't quite care that much about it.
[09:39:15] Ben Forrest says: letter, i believe that what blogs are for ;)
[09:40:12] Matthew Sinclair says: Oh yeah ... I forgot. I hear this Interweb thingy is going to be big.
[09:40:40] Ben Forrest says: i believe its winternet... thats why its so big now... its winter
[09:41:21] Matthew Sinclair says: That's a little but surreal. But amusing, nonetheless.

silly....

Emptying the basket is a waste of time!? Opinions needed

This has happened before. I am not normally an angry person and have, over many illustrious years, become very relaxed about things out of my control..... But super market checkouts still irritate me. I place my hand basket on the conveyer belt. Still full. Normally I would place all items onto the belt, but was laden with othe bags. The subsequent exchange went something like this (with a touch of poetic license, COT is checkout teenager)
COT "please empty the basket"

Me "why?"

COT "please empty the basket"

Me "look. What is the difference between taking items out of the basket compared to off the belt. It all ends up in a pile over there anyhow. Surely its more efficient to save the extra step and just scan items direct from the basket?"

COT "please empty the basket"

Me "why?"

COT glares at me

Me ..... Reluctantly empties basket

..... Am I wrong? If it had been harrods of London where 2 additional staff co-ordinate packing of your fur lined shopping bags for optimal weight and balance I would kind of understand. In that case the degree educated check out professional would scan items. Based on the same weight balance metics.

But this wasn't harrods. This was manly aldi. They don't even put items into bags for you. Whigh I don't mind. The prices are great and I like that. But surely this backs up my pov that emptying the basket onto the belt is a complete waste of time and I can spend it more fruitfully reading the strategically placed copy of "hello" or similar which I would never buy but when you have time to kill as your basket passing along the belt its a good time to find out if Britney spears has finally split up with Kevin......

I can be such a bloke sometimes!

Really must take out the recycling..... I can't shut the cupboard!

Am I a twittering idiot?

The world of the web is a fasting moving beast, much of which has pasted me by. I never really got "into" Facebook forexample, and it seems that may now have been and on its way out (although a company like that worth a quarter of the original $15bn is still not bad for a geek come good if you ask me!).
Anyhow another phenomenon is Twitter (basically a private (or public) notice board where you update quick posts, a bit like a nano-blog, as you go). now when i first heard of this i really thought what IS the point. However having achieved a more life balance (well apart from emptying the recycling) I was reading Ade's post about Twitter. And I thought, it could really work, if you have an efficient way of posting quick thoughts (a bit like sending an SMS) onto your twitter feed.

In an environment where there a few who live / work around Manly, it should be a perfect way to keep a rolling update of where i am, if i'm going for coffee etc. etc. etc. that as someone who has worked at home before and gone slowly insane due to lack of human contact, should provide a great way to keep a community alive.

So I send an email to a few friends who i think could benefit, and of course, being the geekiest out of the lot i get the standard, but what about messenger, skype, face book, ... the phone! The thing is people don't (well i'm crap on the phone, and if i have to ping lots of people to find out if they're around in manly for a coffee, why not say that i'm available to all!) I can see the point, but its like most things that involve change, people don't always grasp it. And the more I think about it, its the way forward, especially with cool like utils like twitterific and digsby, which allow you to update ALL your messengers, twitter, facebook wall posts, in one quick easy way.

BTW - if you want to see what i'm twittering about, feel free to contact me and you can subscribe to it.... its kinda fun!

Tuesday, a winters day here in manly

I currently have 2 jobs. Soon to be 3. The great thing however is that both (soon to be all 3) give me the luxury of working from home.
Now that is cool in itself, as I,m actually more productive at home despite all the distractions (see photo
), and my mate Carl who is a personal trainer and tends to have the middle of the day off. That for us means a surf (still learning you'll be sad to hear even though I have been trying for the last God knows how long, and today as you will see from the beach, not a lot of waves!), tennis, or just a distracting coffee......

About to plat some afterwork tennis (ok, i was playing tennis)

Haven't posted for a v v v v v long time. Time to make amends, and with the power of the blackberry let's see what we can do for all the avid viewers out there!