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....