Weird things you see on the road

LlamaCar
Originally uploaded by trojen_hoarse

Look closely. I apologise for the filthy windscreen.

Its a llama! In a car!!

Went to Canberra for the weekend. Was really nice. LONG drive, so the llama helped.

- Jen

And in case you didn't hear....

How GREAT are Christmas carols!!! I don't know if its the years of setting up Nan's christmas tree to Burl Ives but I really like Christmas tunes! Its 7:54am in OCTOBER and I'm tapping my feet merrily to 'Have a holly jolly Christmas'.

Ah...but...it IS beginning to look a lot like Christmas.



- Jen

Nobody likes you when you're 23

Going to Canberra this weekend (driving) with a mate, to see a mate. Should be good. Long trip though so I've fired up Pinky (4GB ipod mini) who is looking a bit..worse for wear. I swear the thing grunted and then coughed when I tried to turn it on. It may have hocked up a loogie too. Okay I'm exaggerating. It did beep menacingly at me though.

But anyway, I reset it and had to restore it and it seems to be okay now. The battery is shot though. Lucky for the in car charger.

So now I'm putting lots of road tunes on there. Getting all...awww blink 182!! I'll hate them again in three hours but oh the memories! The sweetness of 'Josie'. The awesome-ness of 'Dammit'. It IS alright for me to tell you what I think about you!!!

I have lots of songs that I associate with things/events so it always makes me feel good when I hear them. I haven't been to that many funerals so...wow only two I think. So I don't have that many sad songs. But for instance 'penguins and polar bears' by Millencolin always reminds me of jases and my 'touring' in his green beat up corolla. How much did you sell that for Jase? $100??

See 'Eagle Rock' by Daddy Cool always makes me feel bouncy and happy - but I also associate it with the start of Wolf Creek. You know where you're sitting there with your hand in your mouth rocking back and forth going 'ooh they gonna get killed'. Or was that just me? For the record - they do have Eagle Rock playing in the movie.

'Rise' by Daryl Braithwaite always reminds me of my sister. I'm sure that was her favourite song when she was about five. I think one year for Christmas I got a walkman and she got a tape player. WITH A RECORDER IN IT! So we both got tapes. I got hits of the 90's and she got a similar one with 'Rise' on it. Mine had new kids on the block, guns and roses and Tom Cochran (life is a highway) on it.

A lot of songs just remind me of 'times' in my life. Like songs I used to listen to driving to Melbourne all those times. 'This years love' by David Gray, 'Sunday morning' by Maroon 5 definitely.

Dire Straights reminds me of Dad particularly 'money for nothing' and 'walk of life' - I think I remember vaguely a trip to Wagga, we must have been really little where we went to a zoo and a goat got one of my sisters gloves. Musn't of been a good zoo is what I'm thinking now. Not if goats were an attraction.

Sniff, 'All these things that I have done' by the Killers reminds me of running because I'd use it to get up that blasted hill near the moonee ponds racecourse.

I can't even get STARTED on the songs of Woodstock Crt. The burnt cds with various punky tunes down in the garage which was always playing if some pool playing and beer sinking was occurring. Oh wow!! 'Hey ya' by outkast - The O-week with the americans!! Best toga party EVER!

'Ride with me' Nelly/John Mayer remix reminds me of opening the lan mine on a Saturday morning because I'd crank that up.

I could be here ALL DAY doing this!!! But I won't. I did think the goat story was funny though.

So everyone, what songs do you associate with things/events? Or, what songs make you happy? What songs do you hate!



- Jen

We went to look at kittens.....

And spent $600 odd dollars on stuff for our overseas trip. Nowhere in the $600 dollars were tickets to GET overseas. But by gosh when we do get there we will be well and truly equipped to carry our STUFF. I really wasn't sure how the big green garbage bag idea would pan out and now we don't have gigantic backpacks!

See the pet shop is across the way from Aussie Disposals and while kittens are cute, they can't carry 20 kilos of stuff around Europe. We know because we've discussed it with our cats and I think Schroddy actually stuck her paw up at me. And hissed.

So into Aussie Disposals we went and the girl was so nice and helpful and showed us the most awesome backpacks (75 litres!) that we bought two...and a sleeping bag for me. Sorry Mum but the metre long sleeping back at home that looks like a big smurf poo will not cut it. Oh and we bought protective sheet thingers for the revolting hostel mattresses we'll be sleeping.. on. I do mean protective for us, not protective for the mattresses. So yeah thats how good a salesperson she was. Not only that but she alleviated our concerns about maybe buying from a place like Kathmandu by telling us how their stuff is the same only called something different, and theirs has a lifetime warranty (they'll fed-ex us a new one if it busts o/s!).

So yay for us. We also bought a vortex (one of those balls with a tail that goes weeeeeee) to throw around in the sunlight. A very fun day.

Also, afterwards we did get to the pet shop windows and they only had doggies. In the window. In the petshop. With waggly tails.

- Jen
p.s we really did just go to look at kittens

SOTM - October 2007

Although I'm about done with this song it well and truly deserves Song Of The Month. My ipod will actually cry if I play it again. I'm sorry shuffleapagus but it really is the perfect song for staring moodily out of train windows to, while watching the building you work in grow closer and closer. It's also the perfect song to listen to after stepping off a train into the dwindling sunlight at the end of the day.

Its ALSO featured in a tv show I'm fond of* (heroes). For those reasons, 'Eyes' by Rogue Wave gets SOTM for October. California by Rogue Wave was also on high rotation this month along with Long Road to Ruin by the Fooies (a catchy tune!).

Eyes - Rogue Wave

Missed the last train home.
Birds pass by to tell me that I'm not alone.

Well I'm pushing myself to finish this part,
I can handle a lot,
But one thing I'm missing is in your eyes.

In your eyes

Have you seen this film?
It reminds me of walking through the avenues.

Washing my hands of attachments yeah,
I can land on the ground,
but one thing I'm missing, is in your eyes.
(Cause I find love),

In your eyes.

- Jen
* Fond of or addicted to??

Oh, well, I fell. You know, it was so... undashing.

Saturday mornings I usually go to a pump class at the gym, and this week I felt like I really had to go because last week the instructor spent a while after the class showing me how to improve my form.

Anyway I got up at 8am after sleeping on the floor in the loungeroom half the night because the man was smacking his lips in his sleep and me smacking him and telling him to shutup had no effect, so I relocated.

The man was taking the car to go to work so I said I'd walk to the gym (up at highpoint). I really had to get my skates on to get there in time and not having any skates it was a jog and hope I saw a tram effort. I was tracking well and was cutting through a park when I got to a tiny little fence, one my long legs could easily bound over. Or one my long legs could easily catch on and tip me onto the ground. Yes, I fell.

It wasn't like I just tripped, still embarassing but not as bad as flying through the air mid-jump only to be thrown back to the ground from a height.

So undashing. If girls can be dashing. Probably not. Either way, incredibly embarrassing. Worst of all there were witnesses. Luckily they were nice and didn't laugh - to my face. I mostly landed bang onto my knees/chest. My knees which are in great shape and can take a battering. Not to mention I still had a few k's to go.

But I made it. I looked like a five year old when I arrived with my dirty bruised knees. Knees are fine just bruised! Lucky it was grass/dirt.

Sigh. Still a jenu.

- Jen

No not me, it's 'I'

I'm upset. Last night the man and I had an hour to fill before spicks and specks and ended up watching some of 'Are you smarter than a 5th grader?'

Well. I am NOT smarter than a 5th grader. I'm not smarter than a 1st grader! I got the one about the St Bernard dog and I knew what 10-3 was so obviously I was feeling cocky. Then I (and most of Australia by the sounds of it) got the following question wrong.

1st grad* grammar too!

Max talked to Darcy and ____

a) I
b) me
c) my

EVERYONE knows its 'I'. Well everyone except kids in year one who apparently get taught its 'me'. Seriously, after my misspelling of 'VACUUM' the other day I'm not feeling too happy. Spelling and big words are my thing. Bad at maths, good at English, thats how its always been. Clearly I am not good at grammar. I just cannot fathom how it can be 'me'!! Now I'm not good at anything!!! I just will not accept that all my life I've been spelling vacuum wrong. The DICTIONARY is wrong. Rove is wrong!

What's worse if a kid said to me 'Max talked to Darcy and me' I'd correct them! Well..I probably wouldn't. But if I they were my kid I would*. So, this poses an interesting theory. What if, kids get taught at school its 'me', then they're going home and getting corrected by their parents!! I really think this is a possibility because all the kids on the show chose 'I', the child of the contestant on the show chose 'I'...everyone chose 'I'.

I rest my case. It's 'I'.

- Jen
* if they were I kid me would..
* I KNOW...IT'S A TYPO AND I'M NOT FIXING IT!!

If you really like carparks..

If you really like carparks..
Originally uploaded by trojen_hoarse

You use them in your wedding photos. I dunno, maybe there was going to be some major photoshopping done to erase the awful yellow wall behind them....we can hope. I can see how the grass and the railing might have inspired them. But still! It's a carpark!

- Jen

Sunset via phone

PhoneSunset
Originally uploaded by trojen_hoarse

I thought this looked pretty nice so I snapped a shot of it. On my phone!!

Still enjoying my new toy.

- Jen

Kanga Bangas and GF BBQs

Last Saturday (yes I know, I'm the last person in the world to blog about it) was the Annual Grand Final BBQ put on by the Malloy's. I went last year and despite my best attempts to convince the man to join me I went alone again.

Where as last year I undercooked the cake I made, this year I slightly overcooked the brownies. Brownies are not cake!! Some were still a bit fudgy in the middle though. Not like the picture in the women's weekly cookbook though!

Took 'Kanga Bangas' - roo sausages I found in the supermarket. They're supposed to be better for you than regular snags. Mashed up roo screams road kill though...
I thought they were pretty good so we're thinking of making them a staple. I think 'Skippy Snags' would be a good alternative name though! Not that Kanga Bangas isn't pretty good.

Anyway, the game wasn't that interesting but it was nice to watch Port get trounced.

Again I had a great time, met some new people and caught up with people I'd met last year. Also determined I AM a geek. Wasn't sure I still was but nope, I've still got it.Speaking of new people I got to meet! Got to have a good long old of the quietest baby ever - little Henry, and saw his sister Kennedy for the five minutes she was awake. Babies sleep a lot!!

Thanks Rae and Tony!! I'll work on the man for next year...but no promises. Yes I mentioned the enormous tv!

- Jen

Bye Bye Broadie

This week has been the first week of the new Craigieburn rail line extension. So now, instead of living on the 'Broadie' line, we live on the Craigieburn line!

Woo!!! I wonder if that will do anything for our property prices? Probably not, but still. It's nice to be able to tell people when they ask that I catch the Craigieburn line not the Broadmeadows line. There was always that 'oh' after I mentioned the 'B' word. Of course now it sounds like I live in Craigieburn so it sounds like I might as well live in Albury.

Of course its too hard to have the words 'Broadmeadows' changed to 'Craigieburn' on the tv displays so it just says 'Information Pending'. Grreaat. I freaked out the first time I saw it because I thought all the trains were cancelled (oh GOD I'll have to catch a tram!). Lucky I asked a helpful Connex guy at the station what was going on. He looked excited to tell me they were running as normal. Mind you, now the trains arrive a minute or two earlier. Go figure. I did catch a very nice City loop/Nth Melb to Moonee Ponds express tonight. Desk to door in 15 mins.

- Jen

We move like cagey tigers

You've heard of facebook, now meet - Catbook. Oh yes, the facebook application thats making me giggle. Uncontrollably. I wonder if it interacts with Dogbook? Probably not.

Also..I just realised I totally misunderstood some of the lyrics to 'love cats'. I always thought it was 'so one flea, one flea, one flea, one flea - pretty'. Yeah. No. It's 'We're so wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully pretty! Usually when I mishear lyrics the real ones make more sense. Like Mum's classic for the song 'I try' - somehow 'Though I try to hide it, its clear - I wear goggles when you are not near'* was never going to be right. I think my love cats lyrics make total sense.

- Jen

* Try, my world crumbles when you are not near

They call me Early Worm...Good morning how are you?

Went out for dinner last night and my stomach was feeling rowdy when we got home so I stayed up and had some water and didn't end up in bed until 12. Content in the knowledge I'd worked extremely hard in the gym and at work all week and I could have a well deserved sleep in. 7am the man gets up and disturbs me in the process..well I decided to sleep diagonally. Then the shower started and I groaned and realised I couldn't go back to sleep. Then I realised that 7am is a sleep in for me anyway so I got up. The man went to work and I went mad dusting, vacumning..is that how you spell..vacumning? It's vacumn right? Oh god. I have no idea. So anyway. I cleaned. Did all our washing - even the annoying HAND washing I put off and put off until I have no nice clothes. Even THAT.

Completely ready for the day by 9am!! On a SATURDAY!

Then we went to the movies, went to harass more travel agents and bought the new fooies album (its so-so right now). Didn't get home and eat lunch until almost 4.

Also, damn the 'pies! Good on them for not giving up and I'm stoked at how close it was. But shattered about how close it was as well. Who would have seriously thought they would have come so close to getting in the GF! At least at the bbq next week I will be able to talk instead of being chewing my lips nervously.

- Jen
p.s. I'm not a real worm but I am interested in things :-)

New phone

new phone
Originally uploaded by trojen_hoarse

Nokia 6120. It's awesome.

Perfect size, not too big, not too small (so I don't have that constant 'oh my god I think I've lost my phone' feeling). 2MB camera so hopefully now I can do some snaps when I see people doing stupid stuff or those awesome sunrises over the city on the way home from the gym. Yeah I know its only 2MB but my last phone was .5MB and the photos on that were..ok. So this should be good.

Haven't put songs etc on it yet. Came with a free 256MB card too, and its perfect timing as my old phone was having..issues and the plan was about to run out. And its costing me only an extra $8 a month for data for two months while I work out if I'll even use it enough to warrant paying more.

We'll see.

- Jen

Song of the month - September 2007

Kaiser Chiefs - 'Everything is average nowadays'.

Yeah, song of the month. Its a new thing. Don't say we're old and tired here at jentopia. Heck no.

So anyway. Kaiser Chiefs - great song. Of course, had I thought of 'song of the month' I probably would have awarded 'Everything is average nowadays' SOTM* a long time ago. Yes. Some abbreviation right there.

But anyway. That song gets me going to the gym, at the gym, on the way home from the gym, on the train on the way to work while I smirk at the people falling asleep and feel smug in the knowledge I've been up from 5am and oh my god my legs hurt and I wish I could sit down. Worst thing about being fit is that no-one will offer you a seat. Old ladies, crutches and unhealthier women beat jelly legs everytime.

The song wins on its upbeat-ness and also the line that I love singing and hard as it is to 'rewind' well on an ipod shuffle I repeat all the time:

"All I need is a ball and a wall
Or a sledge and a hill in heavy weather
All I need is a ball and a wall
A sledge and a hill in heavy weather"

Be a good person^ and download it from itunes.


- Jen

* I've checked, its not an abbreviation for anything dirty. I found Satellite Communications On The Move (what happened to the 'C' I wonder?) and Site of The Month.
^ Be a guilty sucker like me.


p.s. Will I remember SOTM for October?? We'll see.

Superbad

Saw Superbad this morning. Yes, movies on a Saturday morning. I know. Don't worry last night I went to a 30th birthday party for a friend of mine. I have friends who are 30. Anyway, the movie. Went in expecting it to be literally Superbad. It's by the guys who did Knocked Up which I (and I'm apparently the only person in the world) hated. Really didn't like it. But I actually quite liked Superbad. Had some funny bits in it and I found it a sweet movie. Like aww sweet. Which anyone else who sees the movie will probably find weird I guess. Could be working at the lanmine, has given me some kind of feeling of affection for hopelessly geeky teenage boys. That last sentence is going to be taken the wrong way for SURE. I mean..I identified with the characters.I wonder now if the reason I didn't like Knocked Up was that the swearing in it was so annoying because I'm sure people my age don't swear that much!! But teenage boys do so I found it less..offensive.

- Jen

13.15 (93) to 10.14 (74).

And THAT is why I don't like watching football.

Extra time?? EXTRA TIME?? Lucky I don't have any nails otherwise I'd be really dirty because I certainly wouldn't have any now.

Go 'pies though!

How good is Dale Thomas!!!

- Jen

Bored of breakfast

So this morning I stared blankly into our pantry and probably for the first time in my life considered skipping breakfast.

Might not sound shocking to people who don't know me well but I LOVE breakfast. Easily my favourite meal of the day and this morning- I could have taken it or left it. We're in training at work all this week though(8.45 - 4:51pm) everyday and not being able to just go and eat if I needed to meant I had to eat SOMETHING.

I had porridge as usual. But I wasn't happy about it! Didn't go to the gym or anything though so I wasnt ravenous as usual. So I'm well and truly over porridge. I've run out of cereals I haven't done to death like Uncle Toby's Fibre Plus, Oat Flakes, Sultana Bran...I'm just stuck!

I have banana on toast for lunch at the moment so I'm not keen on toast for brekkie and plain fruit won't fuel me up enough!

What does everyone else eat for brekkie?

- Jen

Conn-iving

The connex ad in today's mx showing Shane Wakelin traveling via connex to matches.

Apparently its true though..

He must be leaving pretty early to make sure he gets there on time!

Actually SOMEHOW today my train was 5 minutes quicker. Normally I swipe through the security door at anywhere between 8:15 and 8:20 if I catch the 7:53 express to Flinders via city loop. Today I swiped in at 8:10!! I was shocked.

Damn! This post was supposed to be bagging connex!!

-Jen

Eye of the tiger?

boxingcat1
Originally uploaded by trojen_hoarse

Went to pump this morning, finally worked out why squats weren't hurting me anymore. Not enough weight and not going low enough. Now there's a deep burn which was great.

One of the tracks was a remix of "eye of the tiger "and our instructor had me twitching with laughter. Full on laughter would have been painful I think, given the weight. First of all its eye of the tiger which is always such a cliche when I hear it at the gym, second he asked if anyone had any cats and I pictured (see right). Also last week when the man and I were buying weights there were these TINY little weights maybe a few grams and I had an image of the cats weightlifting using those. Didn't help when the man started pretending to be a cat weightlifting and added a small meow instead of a grunt at the end of each rep. Much giggling ensued.

Yes we are stupid.

THEN, at the end of the track when I'd finished getting over the image of our kittenats boxing and weightlifting - the song finishes with a vehement MEOW!

It was too much!

- Jen