Pete’s 30th
OK, so it was a month late, but Saturday night we finally celebrated Pete’s 30th. As always, the party was themed and Pete’s choice: Internet Phenomena
I have to say that, initially I was unconvinced that this was a good choice of themes, but I was proven wrong. What a great idea! It’s always good to come up with something different, so you can see how creative people get. And for a self-professed geek, this was the perfect option….our guests really were more creative than I ever anticipated
the “net”
red tube
….and all the photos will be available soon via facebook, I’m sure 
All in all though a great night was had by all (at least I hope so, I know I had a good night), and especially Pete (or should I say Lyall?) who kept reiterating the fact that “it was probably one of the best parties we’ve had”, and “oh what an awesome night it was”, and “I had a really fun time tonight”….anyways, inside joke really, but I’ll share so that I don’t sound like one of those crazy people muttering away to themselves and laughing at their own jokes when no one else knows what they’re talking about….
So Pete’s dad, Lyall, is one of the jolliest fellows I know, and when he’s had a good time (especially after a bevvy or two) he has no problem telling everyone what a great time he’s had….over and over and over again. It’s funny and it’s cute. Is that right?! I probably shouldn’t call an old person “cute”, should I?! Oh well….he is, and he makes every occasion so joyous, that it’s infectious.
Filed under Family & Friends | Comment (0)Quality of Produce (or lack thereof)
It bugs me when…..
Supermarkets and green grocers advertise “Fresh Produce”….I’m sorry but it’s been many years since I’ve seen “fresh produce” in our local stores…..I remember when I was a wee tacker and I used to go grocery shopping with Mum, the fruit and vegies we’d buy would last in the fridge for anywhere from 2 – 6 weeks. The only thing I can buy that would last that long now is onions. Everything else I buy, I’m lucky if it keeps for 1-2 weeks. It’s been a thorn in my side for years, but what can I do about it? I’ve tried boycotting certain stores that refuse to sell fresh foods, but that doesn’t work, because we need a great volume of people in the community to do the same to make any sort of difference.
I think I’m going to have to drag my butt out of bed early on Saturday mornings and try out the Saturday Fresh Market at Brisbane Marketplace….hopefully the produce will be fresher, cheaper and more of the profits will go directly to the farmers….
Filed under Gripes, Random Stuff, Uncategorized | Comment (1)Fast Food Drive Thru
OK, perhaps I’m being petty here, but it really bugs me when…..
I go to McDonald’s, Hungry Jack’s, KFC or any other fast food outlet, and I’m being particularly lazy and go drive-thru.� The line is really long so I sit there for 5-10 min while all the cars go through before me….then I finally get to the window or speaker box and the drive-thru kid says “Welcome to xxx, please place your order”….I’d love to place my order, but I don’t know what I want�yet because the menu is�RIGHT AT THE SPEAKER BOX.�This means that the last 5-10 min of waiting in the line has been wasted, flicking through shitty radio stations looking for a half decent song,�or sussing out the people that are eating in, whom I can see right through the restaurant window (on that note, why do they call them restaurants – they’re far from what I would consider a restaurant to be – note to self, look up criteria for restaurant).� Anyway, back on topic, that time waiting in the line could have been used more efficiently, looking at the menu and deciding what I wanted BEFORE I got to the speaker box.� Now I just sit there and go “ummm, I’m just looking at the menu at the moment” and hold up everyone else in the line behind me, who in turn will wait their 5-10 min and then do the same thing when they get to the speaker box.�
AAARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!
And just to add insult to injury, most of the menus don’t list everything they sell and the corresponding prices.� Go to Maccas, for example, walk inside and have a look at their menu boards….you know how they’re all segmented? – usually about 5-8 sections depending on the size of the store.� I can guarantee that there will be only 1-2 segments with small print, listing their menu items….now I have good eyesight, don’t wear glasses or contacts, and don’t usually have trouble reading signs (near or far), but I truly struggle to read their menu.� All the other segments are filled with large pictures of selected menu items, which is all good and well if I want one of those few selected items, I can clearly see what it is, how much it is and what it has on it, but as for anything else, it’s left up to your best guess….you might as well walk up to the counter, wait for the pimply kid to ask you what you would like and say “How about you just surprise me!”
Filed under Gripes, Random Stuff | Comment (1)State Election
Don’t know how everyone else feels about the elections, but I’m really glad the latest state election is over.
The constant slagging match between the parties drives me nuts. There has to be a better way to get your message across rather than Labor saying “the LibNats suck”, and the LibNats saying “Labor sucks”….obviously I’ve paraphrased here, but essentially that’s how the whole campaign goes…..surely you could be more mature and focus on the positive side of your own party’s offerings rather than the negative side of your opposition.
Another element of elections that gets my goat is all the wasted paper at the polling booths. I’m sorry but if you haven’t made up your mind as to who will get your vote prior to arriving at the polling booth, then I don’t think a pamphlet with the candidate’s face on it is going to make that decision for you. And if you’re like me, you stride ahead, head down and say boldy “no thanks” when they try to hand you the paper….I’m only going to throw it in the bin as soon as I walk inside anyway, so I’m saving myself a couple of seconds by not having to dispose of the rubbish myself. What I’d really be interested in finding out, is how many trees are lopped to produce election pamphlets alone, and how much money is spent on campaigning….I don’t expect it would be a small sum, and I’m pretty sure the money could be better spent.
Anyway, I see positive and negative sides to both major candidates so it’s almost a “catch 22″, but that being said, congratulations to Anna Bligh and the ALP.
Filed under Gripes, Random Stuff | Comment (0)Triple J have sold out!!!!
Picture this: it’s Sunday night, I’m relaxing on the couch watching So You Think You Can Dance and Rove, when during the commercial break I see an ad for Triple J’s Hottest 100 CD. Nope, I didn’t switch channels…..channel 10 is advertising Triple J’s Hottest 100. My gripe with this is
1. ABC advertising on channel 10…
2. …in PRIME TIME
3. and the songs on the album are almost all commcercial
Whatever happened to Triple J being the alternative / indie option for music????!!!! If I want to listen to any of that music you’re flogging off on your CD, I can flick over to Nova, B105, River……or countless other stations. SORRY TRIPLE J, BUT YOU’VE SOLD OUT!!!!!!!!
Filed under Gripes, Random Stuff | Comment (0)Clever Advertising
I really have to give kudos to many marketers and advertisers out there….there’s more to it than you would believe. If you want to know more about the ads you see everyday, check out the Gruen Transfer hosted by Wil Anderson (http://www.abc.net.au/tv/gruentransfer/) for not just an informative view but also an entertaining look at the world of advertising. The Gruen Transfer is on ABC1 Wednesday nights 9pm, right after Spicks and Specks. For those who missed it, you can check it out on Thursday nights on ABC2 at 8:30pm……go on give it a go!
And on the topic of advertising, there has been a lot of media coverage over the last few days with Pauline Hanson and “those photos” – is it her? Is it not her? Well in the afternoons in Brisbane, there is a free newspaper that is pretty good for the bottom of the bird cage….until this appeared:
Nice work Nandos…..some very clever (and prompt) advertising
The Nandos ad reminded me (well actually, it reminded Pete, who in turn reminded me) of the Veet ad used in the USA when Obama was elected president:
Nice work Veet…..another example of advertisers jumping on the bandwagon quickly. And if I may be frank, I think there’d be very few who wouldn’t praise this ad campaign.
And these are just for your enjoyment…..again, a great campaign from Lynx:
Cyanide and Happiness
So so wrong…but so so entertaining
Clarkson Quotes
Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson is full of wisdom…anyone who has watched as much as a snippet of the show will already be aware of this. Here’s some of Clarkson’s finest quotes:
‘I’m sorry, but having a DB9 on the drive and not driving it is a bit like
having Keira Knightley in your bed and sleeping on the couch.’
‘… the last time someone was as wrong as you, was when a politician
stepped off an aeroplane in 1939 waving a piece of paper in the air saying
there will be no war with Germany ‘
Illustrating the lack of power of a Boxster: ‘It couldn’t pull a greased
stick out of a pig’s bottom’
On the Vauxhall Vectra VXR: ‘there is a word to describe this car: it
begins with ’s’ and ends with ‘t’ and it isn’t soot
‘The Suzuki Wagon R should be avoided like unprotected sex with an
Ethiopian transvestite’
‘The air conditioning in a Lambos used to be an asthmatic sitting in the
dashboard blowing at you through a straw.’
‘Koenigsegg are saying that the CCX is more comfortable. More comfortable
than what… BEING STABBED?’
‘This is the Renault Espace, probably the best of the people carriers.
Not that that’s much to shout about. That’s like saying ‘Ooh good I’ve got
syphilis, the BEST of the sexually transmitted diseases.”
‘I don’t understand bus lanes. Why do poor people have to get to places
quicker than I do?’
Clarkson’s highway code on cyclists: ‘Trespassers in the motorcars domain,
they do not pay road tax and therefore have no right to be on the road,
some of them even believe they are going fast enough to not be an
obstruction. Run them down to prove them wrong.’
‘ Britain ’s nuclear submarines have been deemed unsafe…probably because
they don’t have wheel-chair access.’
On Mandela’s claim that Cuba is a good advert for democracy: ‘Well Mr
Mandela why don’t you go and ask one of the 12 year old Cuban prostitutes
which way her parents voted?’
‘Now we get quite a lot of complaints that we don’t feature enough
affordable cars on the show……so we’ll kick off tonight with the
cheapest Ferrari of them all!’
On the Lotus Elise: ‘This car is more fun than the entire French air force
crashing into a firework factory.’
‘Sure it’s quiet, for a diesel. But that’s like being well-behaved…
for a murderer.’
‘I don’t often agree with the RSPCA as I believe it is an animal’s duty to
be on my plate at supper time.’
‘There are footballers wives that would be happy with this quality of
stitching… on their face.’
‘Much more of a hoot to drive than you might imagine. Think of it if you
like, as a librarian with a G-string under her tweed pants. I do, and it
helps.’
‘You cannot have this car with a diesel. It’s like saying, I won’t go to
Stringfellows tonight, I’ll get my mum to give me a lapdance, she’s a
woman!’
‘Tonight, the new Viper, which is the American equivalent of a sportscar…
in the same way, I guess, that George Bush is the equivalent of a
President.’
On the Porsche Cayenne: ‘Honestly, I have seen more attractive gangrenous
wounds than this… It has the sex appeal of a camel with gingivitis.’