Congratulations to Greg Long for winning the Eddie today. I think that's only the 8th time in 25 years that the contest has been run (waves have to be over 25ft for the comp to be on).
I think this was his 100 point ride: (Thanks L.A. Times...)
Ross Clarke-Jones got 6th. Still the King.
Hope Tom Carroll gets better. He separated his ankle from his shin yesterday so didn't compete. He claimed it was "a freaky accident" after which, his foot was "just flopping". Forever the Hellman, he'll be back.
Had an awesome day at Rottnest Island today so I'll put some pics and a story up tomorrow.
Wow, where has the last month gone? 2 crazy weeks in London organising stuff and 2 crazy weeks in Perth seeing people and places.
Our excuse for coming back to Aus was for Simon and Hanna's wedding. That event was one day long. We felt we would need another 59 days after that to recover. So we have one month in Perth and one month in melbourne. Perfect.
The first few days in Perth were wet- Sydney stylie wet. Everyone spent hours telling me that it was unusual; I ignored their pleas and apologised in advance to anyone coming to melbourne. But it eventually cleared up and temperatures allowed our pasty English skin to warm up to the true Australian heat. Within a few days we were ready for low 30's and that's what we got.
Our first weekend was taken up with the wedding, beginning with a lawn bowls session at North Beach Bowls Club on the Friday: (Humpy, Neilly, Simey and Tommy...)
Saturday was the wedding itself:
...and the fun of shooting Reservoir Dogs stylie photos:
The next couple of days was a blur of BBQs. Until it all culminated in a boat trip up the Swan River to some wineries, including the location of the wedding only 6 days previously.
It was all relatively classy (for a Booze Cruise) until at lunch our crew/ waiters/ hosts started singing bad show tunes for us.
This continued back on the boat, however, it became fun when we realised that one of the dudes was actually quite good- and cheeky. It emerged that he was a top 100 (finalist?) of Australian Idol and he loved it.
...but so did Gayle: A lot.
...and like Mother, like Son:
But when Simon and I joined a climate change protest
and Simon danced with a Polar Bear
we figured it was almost time for another drink. A few more days and a few more BBQs bring me to now. I'm well and truly back in Australia. More meat and beer than a Czech restaurant... I'm looking forward to a quiet week down in Yallingup next week, and then melbourne in mid-December for more of the same.
Congratulations Si and Han, it was a beautiful wedding.
I have always been baffled by the cracked mirror we have in the corner of the room I never go into at home... What the hell does "I allus has wan at eleven" mean? I always took 'wan' to mean won, 'has' to mean had, and 'Allus' to be the scary looking Santa impersonator in the picture. Was 'eleven' a game?
It was never as though I gave up guessing. And despite searching the National Archives, and Google's research abilities, I'm still guessing. Apparently the scary Santa impersonator was an English gold prospector named Sam Griffin. He rocked into Victoria just as the gold was running out but he worked at a saw mill and at a pub near Warbuton. A photographer from Melbourne took a photo of him at the bar and a few years later Carlton Breweries bought the pic. They renamed him Sam Knott and shortened his original quote for a promotion.
He originally said: "I allus has wan at eleven, it's a habit that's got to be done. Cos if I don't have wan at eleven, I allus has eleven at one." Fair call. So 'eleven' isn't a game, it's a time. Further research tells me it was 11am, to be exact. And 'wan' is not won, but one.
With today's society tut-tutting a drink before mid-day, yet binge drinking being the norm, I put it to CUB to re-release this promotional material with the last part of his quote: "I allus has eleven at one". There. Much more responsible. Nobody likes an early drinker...
So that just leaves me with one question. Who the hell is 'allus'?
"Clever" is the word that perhaps describes ENTPs best. The professor who juggles half a dozen ideas for research papers and grant proposals in his mind while giving a highly entertaining lecture on an abstruse subject is a classic example of the type. So is the stand-up comedian whose lampoons are not only funny, but incisively accurate.
ENTPs are usually verbally as well as cerebrally quick, and generally love to argue--both for its own sake, and to show off their often-impressive skills. They tend to have a perverse sense of humor as well, and enjoy playing devil's advocate. They sometimes confuse, even inadvertently hurt, those who don't understand or accept the concept of argument as a sport.
ENTPs are as innovative and ingenious at problem-solving as they are at verbal gymnastics; on occasion, however, they manage to outsmart themselves. This can take the form of getting found out at "sharp practice"--ENTPs have been known to cut corners without regard to the rules if it's expedient -- or simply in the collapse of an over-ambitious juggling act. Both at work and at home, ENTPs are very fond of "toys"--physical or intellectual, the more sophisticated the better. They tend to tire of these quickly, however, and move on to new ones.
ENTPs are basically optimists, but in spite of this (perhaps because of it?), they tend to become extremely petulant about small setbacks and inconveniences. (Major setbacks they tend to regard as challenges, and tackle with determin- ation.) ENTPs have little patience with those they consider wrongheaded or unintelligent, and show little restraint in demonstrating this. However, they do tend to be extremely genial, if not charming, when not being harassed by life in general.
In terms of their relationships with others, ENTPs are capable of bonding very closely and, initially, suddenly, with their loved ones. Some appear to be deceptively offhand with their nearest and dearest; others are so demonstrative that they succeed in shocking co-workers who've only seen their professional side. ENTPs are also good at acquiring friends who are as clever and entertaining as they are. Aside from those two areas, ENTPs tend to be oblivious of the rest of humanity, except as an audience -- good, bad, or potential.
Recently I've seen a few photos of my favourite athletes enjoying themselves, so I decided to start a collection of them. (And short of anything remotely interesting in my life to add to this blog, I may as well post them all here...)
I'll start with surfers. (...cos they're usually pissed anyway.)
Hoyo pictured with Ry Craike. Hoyo's probably not even drunk here- it's just what he does.
Luke-E with Occy. Two of the greatest surfers of all time and a bottle of Jaegger. That's a party.
Taj. As usual, just "getting stoked with the other kids".
Jordy. Working his magic...
Steds. Subtle as usual, yet still makes an impact.
Campbo. This is as aggressive as I would ever like to see Campbo. He can throw a punch.
Eugene. The loosest cannon on tour. I'm sure we can find a better pic of Eugene. Send 'em in.
Ok. I'm ready. It has been brewing for a few months and over the last few weeks I've been consciously considering the pros and cons of returning to triathlon to polish the last thing on my triathlon list- the Ironman.
I originally planned to do this at around 25 years of age but I guess that decision was made when I was 15 and surrounded by triathlon. When I left triathlon at 17 there seemed no point going back because the only reason I did it was to be better than yesterday and that would require all my time and effort. I know people who still do that and good luck to them but I, personally, would rather have friends.
So something over the past 6 months has changed in my mentality surrounding racing that has allowed me to consider doing this without destroying my lifestyle. For me to do longer distance races my goal is no longer faster and stronger. I have always wanted to finish Hawaii and to do that I need to qualify so I still need to be quick but it's not the be all and end all. My new goals surround pushing myself further, going longer.
Triathlon is such a simple sport but psychologically very complex once you start investigating your reasons for being there. So I can't do it without goals- that would just be a swim, ride and run. I'll race the Geelong half ironman in February 2011 (what? I've got a lot of work to do!) with the aim of racing Ironman Australia, possibly in Port Macquarie in March 11, but more likely in Busselton in Dec 11.
I recently came across some photos by an American snowboard photographer which I absolutely love. Sometimes I'll see a collection, within which, maybe 3 shots will make me smile and the rest will bore me but nearly every photo from this dude blows my mind.
I read about Cole Barash in Outside Magazine, who said he was only 21 so the quality of these pics amazed me even more and in reading the below blog posting I couldn't help but laugh at the positive approach he takes:
Monday, February 9, 2009 Your bags are overweight sir... That will be $3100.
I travel heavy and frequently. And in all the places, airports, and countries I have departed from, I have never had a problem quite like this one....
Usually I am able to get by without paying overweight, being a loyal customer (1k mile) with united. Usually its all good. But it was a bit different this time flying from Zurich to Japan. Apparently, you are only allowed 20 kilo of total baggage allowance, and they allowed me 40 kilo. I had a total of 85 kilo to check on. The lady at Swiss airlines said, "sir, you are 45 kilo overweight, and we charge 70 swiss franks (about $70) for each extra kilo. Your total for 45 kilos will be 3100 swiss franks. She was not kidding, and i started to freak out as she was not going to budge. So I tried to solve and the only alternative was to have my bags shipped with TNT (fed version in switz) to Japan to show up 3 days later. So I missed my flight, and shipped the bags.
That was 9 days ago, and my bags still arent here. I have been in Japan without my lighting kit, or snowboard bag. It has been an interesting one for sure and has caused me to shoot quite different only with one flash. I am still very heated at this whole situation but I realized three things from this
1 This is traveling, combos of foreign variables sometimes produce bullshit 2 Some things in life, you cant control, and you have to make the best of, even at the most stressful of times. 3 When shit hits the fan, negative energy will bring negative outcome more times than not. So stay positive, and think of all solutions of a problem before deciding. 4 Fuck swiss air
So Clare Weberloff, the Chk Chk Boom girl, is in discussions with the producers of Big Brother- possibly creating another monotinous TV program. I'm down with people milking it.
In other news, a 19 year old Perth student's website has been shut down and is being investigated by police because his fictional character 'Nigel the Crazy Noonga' has been deemed to be racist.
I'm not going to waste time discussing the ins and outs of each case. I see both sides of both instances- I just think it's funny that one case allows the perpetrator access to great resources and the other simply gets shut down. Moral of the story? Get Max Markson to represent you.
Another observation is much closer to my heart. CJ Hobgood- one of the best and most deserving surfers on tour- had his boards stolen the night before a competition started in France. Additionally painful because: a) there were 9 boards in total; b) this is the start of a 3 comp European leg of which all boards needed for the next two months were stolen; c) he is currently running 4th in the world.
CJ won Mundaka last year and I would expect he will do particularly well in Europe again this time around so unlike Micky Piccon, I don't lay blame upon a gang of theiving Spanish surfboard smugglers who make stealth missions across the border to steal boards in the dead of night, only to disappear into the Basque landscape. No. My suspicions land squarely on the ASP leaderboard. Current number 5 on tour is... Damien Hobgood. Is this a case of sibling rivalry? Is this an inside job?
What a monstrosity. Julian Wilson throwing up an arial pop shove-it then hits the lip riding goofy and he gets a 5.8. 5.8? You want progression? Start judging progressive moves. Perry (Hatchett- head judge) you're a dinosaur. Go home. Taj is the greatest surfer to never win the title and that's because he was progressive and didn't get judged properly. Now he's one of the most boring competition surfers on earth because he knows his moves wont be judged properly. The reason Josh Kerr left the tour is because his moves weren't judged properly. The only people who watch this sport are surfers. You know why? Cos it's fucking boring. There are 5 tricks in the whole sport- top lip, bottom carve, floater, tube, and cutback. 2 of those tricks can't even be done unless the wave is a certain shape- which rarely happens because the tour only goes to poor locations. No wonder nobody other than surfers watch the sport; it's the same 3 tricks over and over again. It's boring. ASP: ditch the judges. Get young judges who recognise progressive moves. Ditch the same old locations. Take the tour to great waves EVERY stop. 5.8 for Julian Wilson's arial pop shove-it? What a joke. I'm done with supporting competition surfing. Nothing new has happened since 1992 and I'm over it.
I was rudely awoken at 7am on Saturday. 7am wasn't the problem. It was the fact that it was Saturday and it was my birthday. Luckily there was good reason for the rude awakening- a long overdue sports massage at the only slot available. So after the myotherapist had a field day on my twisted leg muscles, I was offered an amazing breakfast, some spare time and then a trip into the city for a tour of the pubs I've been meaning to see for ages: the oldest in London. I've wanted to visit the pubs with literary associations or where notable figures were regulars.
Deneil and I started the day at Ye Old Cheshire Cheese in Fleet St. Rebuilt in 1667 after the great fire, the vaulted cellars are thought to be part of a 13th century monastery. Goldsmith, Tennyson, Doyle and Dickens used to hang out there in their respective times but there's no proof that Johnson did, despite his crib being 200m away. With detective work Doyle could have used, I came to the conclusion that Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese was a dump back in the day. If I lived that close to a pub but didn't frequent it, it must be crap.
Unfortunately that's as far as my Sherlock Holmes ability went. When Curty and Eva appeared at the bar I thought of it as nothing more than coincidence. But when Brett also 'coincidentally arrived' I was onto it. Deneil had organised a surprise pub crawl.
After Wendel and Seabrook arrived we moved on to the Cittie of Yorke. There has been a pub on this spot since 1430 but the building was rebuilt in 1920. Its a huge hall with tiny cubicles on the side, which are rumoured to have been used by lawyers for consultations.
After Clare arrived we moved onto the newest looking pub, which claimed to be 'the oldest licensed premise in London'. The White Hart.
Apparently the White Hart was first licenced in 1216, and being so close to the Old Bailey it has been the final stop for those about to face the noose. The website mentions Dick Turpin as a patron just prior to his hanging- mildly misleading given he was hanged in York after over a year of living up there. Regardless of the history, the present was amazing as another 10 or so friends were waiting there for us. We had some food and moved onto one of the first pubs I went to when I got to London, the Lamb and Flag.
Apparently over 300 years old, this used to be called The Bucket of Blood because of the bare fist fights that took place here. In 1679 John Dryden was attacked in the alley way and now one of the rooms in the pub is called the Dryden Room. Once again, thanks to Deneil's immaculate planning more friends arrived. By this stage I was able to spend a good amount of time with people as their arrival was staggered throughout the day. The last stop for the evening was one of the most revered bars of London- Gordon's Wine Bar.
Established only in 1890, it is thought to be one of the oldest wine bars in the world. Before becoming a wine bar, the building was the residence of Samuel Pepys. The inside was very busy so we managed to get a table outside. Great bar and great cheese, and with all the excitement I managed to sip on a white port. There you go mum, there's hope for me yet.
On the way home, inspired by local history, Deneil and I took the long way and checked out a few laneways in Chiswick. I don't know the history of them, although with the amount of reading and exploring I did in Chiswick when I wasn't working, I would certainly like to find out.
Thanks very much to everyone who came along. It was an awesome surprise. I had no idea this was being planned. Incredible thanks to Deneil who knows me so well, I fear her impending boredom as our lives progress! Thanks also to Wikipedia- you didn't think I wrote this blog off the top of my head, did you?
Considering I'm at work, I should make it quick. I just have to point out the below:
1) Kenenisa Bekele is running the 5,000m for a share in the $1m bonus at the IAAF Golden league in Belgium tonight. There are 3 athletes still in the running (you have to win your event in each of the 6 (?) events throughout the season to share in the jackpot).
2) Backing Nick Keifer at $12 against Nadal in the tennis today is a great bet in my eyes. Rapha says he is "100% ready" but that means everyone else's 100%, not Rapha's. £10 on Keifer thanks.
3) I'm paddleboarding in Brighton tomorrow and hanging for it so I've been following this 'race': http://www.supfryslan.nl/ Check it out. I hope to get photos tomorrow...
4) Rage Against the Machine are still *%$&"*@~# awesome.
This is for those who can't be here today. A collection of videos, photos, and whatever I find so you can sit there eating roast lamb, watching the footy and still feel like you're here!
I'll start with some tunes to put you in the mood:
Then give you one of the very few photos I can find: If you look carefully over Rob's left shoulder you can see Dave Pethick and Lucan messing around- and possibly Graham in front trying to look non-mischeivous in front of the police horses!
I should make this post educational:
To remind you of the shit fight that is Notting Hill Carnival, you can send yourself back to Sancho Panza:
And then prepare for a riot:
Found another photo:
But I'll leave you with one last tune- just to leave Lucan wanting more...
Check my twitter periodically if you want to live vicariously!
It only took us 7 months to get around to it, but we finally held our engagement party on Saturday. It wasn't as though there was a lot of planning, it was more like we couldn't be bothered organising it. Too much emphasis on the weather, making sure everybody was free, and then there's the added pressure of making sure people talk about it for years to come.
So we picked a date, and then left it as late as possible before saying we REALLY need to plan this. Despite only 2 weeks notice, Deneil and I were both amazed and humbled to have 43 people rock up on the day. I like to put that down to the fact that we are awesome people but in reality I think it's because everybody wanted to have a stab at lawn bowls.
Amanda showing how it's done.
Thanks to Deneil, Clare and Renee who cooked all night on Friday, we were able to set up a picnic in the park, just outside the bowls club and people took turns working through about 22 bottles of champagne and bowling. I'm not sure if alcohol assisted bowling ability, but I do know that without the right hat, you're nothing.
Jay rocking the latest fashions.
Team Extreme: Scott, Kelly, Deneil, Me, Dave.
Renee and Abby working it for the cover of Bowls Monthly Magazine.
If Scalens made 'footy' cards but for bowlers, this would be the shot.
"Jack High, Ruth!"
I can feel the power already: Deneil launching a missile.
Umm...
The distance from the Jack. Nothing about Tommy...
Spider showing what he learned after all those years at the St Kilda RSL.
Brett working his magic.
Call of the day had to come from Clare who said "I can't wait til I'm 70; finally a sport I'm good at".
After bowling we moved down to the pub (because 22 bottles of champagne is never enough).
...where there was a bit of this:
...a bit of this:
...too much of this:
...and then a lot more of this:
Thank you so much to Ravenscourt Bowls Club. If you haven't been to lawn bowls before, psych yourself up with some Perry Como, grab some friends, and head down there.
Thanks Renee, Clare, and Deneil for cooking awesome food. Thanks Dave for coming up from Torquay especially for this, and I know there were a lot of people who postponed/ blew off other engagements so they could attend/ bowl/ drink free champagne. Thanks for all the presents, too- you all rock.
I'll leave you with something to get you in the mood for some extreme lawn bowls this weekend.
