Starts

If some ways, the year starts now.  It's partly the fact that WSBK and NASCAR kick off this weekend.  And it's partly because Taff is running away to college on sunday. I think I'll pick up a The Macallan 18year dollop of liver poison to anti-celebrate.  Having Mr Sykes circulating with the number 1 on his bike will be way cool this year.

A picture of Bass Strait.

My MR training has progressed to the point where I now know what things I don't know, rather not knowing anything at all.  I've skipped the idea of a UQ Masters and will head down the road of AIR accreditation instead - mainly because I want to cover the theory of pulse sequences before 2016...  Getting into an MR seat is a bit tricky at the moment with a shortage of radiographers on deck.  One decided to take the year of to complete an arts degree, and the boss therefore decided not to replace them.  Another destroyed her knee in a netball game and won't be back for several months.  So now whenever someone else calls in sick with the flu or a hangover, I end up solo in U/S or (gasp horror) end up supervising in general - with nary a magnetic field to be seen.  Ho hum.

Scottishness

The dirt riding is fun at the moment.  Andy and Kobe have joined Lach and I on our verge trimming trips the last several times.  They both claim to have become 'addicted' to the dust, fumes and lack of adhesion.  All's good then.  

Andy and Kobe scaring the cattle.

World Events of Note

The world has been holding it's collective breath. There has been a very important demonstration of democracy on display for all nations, peoples, kindreds and tongues to witness. The results will be far reaching such that everyone on our planet will bob up and down on the ripples of this great nation's policies and ideals. You have guessed it: New Zealand is having a general election.



On to important news. The (probably only) Christmas present for the older children has battered the bank account. Called a Thumpstar 125 something, it has contained within it's horizontally aligned forward facing eighth litre single cylinder more than ten horses. It can allegedly reach speeds of 31 yards per second, and when washed after a hard day of environmental paddock vandalism will resemble a blue colour. The blurb says that it will carry 100kg, but doesn't go so far as to say that it will actually move under that load. A helmet, and petrol to run it on aren't included this year, maybe next Christmas.

extra-vehicular activity

Took delivery of our new blue truck last week. Did manage to avoid the Toyota salesdude who lied to Number 6 about almost everything to do with Eddie the 204. Nice truck - Jennie has let me drive it twice now. It does MP3s, lets you plug your ipod in, has 201kw and hasn't been vomited in yet. It also has a reversing camera so you not surprised after you run over the dog, again. During the IM concert trip we went to the Brisbane motor show with the el bravo clan and had a pleasant time. There was a smattering of cool stuff, lots of balloons and lots of car salesmen. I'm a little over car shopping.

Bella at Humble Pie factory - last trip in the silver truck.


Lach and Taff under rearview


Taff with a retro Honda (CB1100R colour scheme)


Lach and Bell posing with a 350Z


Genna showing real taste in bikes


Mmmmm


New blue truck

Taff, Bell and Lach on the north wall at Ballina

green green grass of home

Up at 0430, away at 0530 and home by 1330. The last big run for the old truck before we take delivery of the new one. There was obviously no shortage of precipitation during our away.


The local river reached minor flood level for the third time this year as another ten inches fell over the several days prior to our return. Pointless Pippin, the red rat rodent mini dachshund hadn't exactly lost weight at his dog motel either, and the kennels weren't washed out into the Tasman Sea . So all is back to normal. Bought the latest After Forever CD today and am still in a quandary as to the shade of black to wear to the Maiden concert next week. Decisions, decisions.

Just before sunset we were treated with a John Constable sky. Nice.

Don't turn your back. Don't look around. And don't blink.

Watched it again - possibly the best episode of any sci-fi, thing, ever. Didn't know it gave Taff nightmares for a week, but she still wanted to watch it again. Have narrowed the 7-seater car field down to 2. The Odyssey and the Kluger. One is from a cool dealer, the other a bunch of slimebags. One has underwhelming power, the other 110hp more. One will make us grin at the petrol pump for years, the other will make us grimace. It will come down to who gives the best trade. If I wanted real power, I'd get another bike. Leavers: one going off on 12 months maternity leave, two leaving because they weren't given contract extensions yet - you need a little certainty in life. It looks like the big boy will be staying after all - the practice staff unanimously voted him off the island and the partners withdrew their offer. People Power!
Alonso is officially back with Renault, and so Kovalainen has been moved on because he was good enough to challenge him? I'll have my old car back, and the team I slagged off for half a season, and please give me an absolute crap team mate so I look good? Maybe Renault are planning to lose all their 2008 constructor points anyway so bugger having a points earning second car...
Lewis was way cool on TG. Pity season 10 is drawing to a close. X-15 3 was right - the dual controls for high atmosphere must have given it away. BTW, Occulomency is currently blocked by my work firewall for containing too many subversive words!

In Command of the Known Universe

I went to the dentist in 1978 even though I didn't need to. In order to make this a regular thing for my dental health I went again in 1988. It came up in my desk diary organizer in 1998 so I hung the expense and just went. So, here it is, early spring 2007. Way to early to contemplate a trip to see the license to print money oral drilling and filling dudes. Haven't got a toothache yet anyway. I do have several dozen small holes though: the chocolate is not to blame.
I always wondered what number 6 really meant.
Should have bought a manual. The truck is six years and 90kkm old, but that's no excuse to lunch it's automatic gearbox. The little Honda is just made to rev, and is only just getting going at 6krpm. The same is not true of the truck when it refuses to change out of 1st and hits 6krpm with a scream that would win an international metal idol competition. So the guys have got it for awhile. They estimate the labor ought not to exceed $500. That's nice. At least when a manual transmission dies you have a satisfying screeching, grinding and crunching of metal under your feet for your money.

ding dang dong

It didn't ring true. Our usual car service people had sold up, and the new people told us after a minor service that the brakes on the truck needed a lot of work: new front pads, machining of discs, back drum shoes and replacement arm thingy that pushes the pad against the drum. It was critical they said, a safety issue. The man drew a few diagrams on the back of the receipt to authenticate his story - he was well spoken, welsh, in clean overalls, and had shifty eyes. So I went to a tyres, brakes and suspension place because three out of four tyres were past their wear indicators, and the dudes there gave the brake system a going over. No problems found, with specific reference to the findings of the other place. It was the eyes - he will have to work on more convincing visual contact.
Have bought foogs a two month blizzard card which I will activate if WoW-BC runs adequately on his PC. Am looking forward to seeing him again, must acquire a keg of vitamin G to celebrate. Have a problem with Jen's laptop crashing whilst doing anything more complex than solitaire. The HDD now shows increasing bad sectors, and the onboard sound has died - it's three years old and I'm reluctant to pour anymore money down that redundant black hole. A new HDD and replacement sodimm ram will cost more than half the value of a new (better) one. Bloody computers.

weiße Ameisen

WoW facts, me: NE Pr dinged 37, Lach NE Wa 41, Roo NE Dr 41, Taff NE Dr 64... another weekend sacrificed to the god of blizzard. Mister Stoner knows how to corkscrew a bike then. His win at Laguna Seca was aided by the two main US riders Hayden and Hopkins taking each other out in the first lap. Also the no-win pole position thingy has been broken with Stoner doing it from pole, and on a lesser note - Hamilton has broken his string of podiums in the troublesome F1 race in germany: was going to watch it but Le Tour was too interesting...

An inspector type dude discovered white ants in the timber pile lying outside on the grass - the timber has now gone. Surprising what a bit of motivation will do for you. The ants ignored the hardwood and went for the pine - fussy little buggers. They could have made the other wood a bit lighter or easier to cut to length for the skip. Went down to the bridgestone dudes who after inspection decided four tyres were the go for the truck. There goes a grand. Still, we should therefore spend less time going sideways in the rain now.

and all that jazz

Had my second drive today of the 121 replacement: a purple Honda Jazz. It handles better than the Mazda did, but then again that's like saying chocolate tastes better than cucumber - a bit pointless. It's only done a 100km so the engine is (to quote Biggles) as tight as an owl, and even the stereo isn't run in yet although a good dose of Turisas will help that. 

Have instigated the mental rules: don't dwell on it, and a leave work at work policy to cope with the increasing number of moronic medical officers who can't see something unless a permanent medical imaging record of it exists. These rules (DDoi + LWaW) ought to stop me becoming too violent within the first five minutes of getting to work. Nuff said. Haven't decided if I'm actually going to re-register as a sonographer next year anyway.