Useful Skills

In the October 2008 issue of Popular Mechanics the featured article is “101 Skills Every Man Should Know”

Now I know what you are thinking. “That would be useful to know.”

You would think so wouldn’t you? But upon perusing the article I found it decidedly lacking. Sure it had some stuff like:

• How to hide a secret room.
• Grill with charcoal.
• Hang food in the wild.
• Drive in snow.
• Conquer an off road obstacle.

Most of the items were along the lines of:

• Tape drywall.
• Iron a shirt.
• Paint a straight line.
• Solder wire.
• Change a diaper.

I am sure some of the above skills are useful and will come in handy somehow, sometime… maybe.

But come the Apocalypse, Zombie Uprising, Rise of the Machines or invasion by the scaly Intergalactic Imperial Lizards just how useful would it be to know how to “Iron a Shirt”?

“Oh here come the Zombies. I had better iron a shirt so I look good when they eat my brains.”

Sure it would be useful to know how to “hang food in the wild” but you have to catch your bloody food first. Or “how to hide a secret room” but no mention on how to build gun racks for your room or how thick the walls have to be to stand up to a nuclear strike or how to vent out the exhaust fumes from the generator without giving away your position.

Would it not be more useful to know how to reload your auto shotgun in three and a half seconds while fending off a hoard of Brain Eaters.

So here is my challenge to you, my loyal, and hopefully prepared, readers.

I want you to list five useful skills that a man or woman should have and if you have any of those skills.

I know we have touched on this subject before in the late Journalspace however we have some recent additions to our little community and I need to know who would be useful to admit into the People’s Republic of Redcliffestan or tie to stakes as decoys.

Social Networking

Last week end I signed up for Facebook and Twitter. I initially signed up for Facebook because my sons use it. I used to keep in contact with them through Instant Messaging (IM). Lately they were rarely on IM and found out that they now use Facebook and Twitter.

To my suprise I find that a few of the Burgers and my fellow bloggers are already there.

It made me realise that over the last 3 years or so while I have been dealing with my medical problems the technology world has passed me by. Sure I have been reading and participating on a few select Technology Blogs, newsletters and websites but I have not really taken much notice of the new innovations and trends. A few years ago I would have looked at the technology, analyzed it, played with it, looked at ways it can be used personally and as a business tool and perhaps even been involved in the development of some of it.

Another thing that I realised is that I have more online friends than real life friends. At the height of my medical problems I noticed that friends and acquaintances faded away. The main reason for this is that because I was either in hospital or restricted to home I could not participate in their social activities so eventually they gave up asking. A bit like your single friends after you get married.

You, my loyal readers, may have noticed that I have not attended any local blogger and burger gatherings such as the recent Chaz Day or Nat's (Girl Clumsy) theatre productions. But rest assured that once I am fit enough I shall be attending.

Since I started blogging it has been you guys and gals who have invited me into your little piece of the world to share some of your life. In return you have given me encouragement and helped me through the difficult times and for that I thank you.

I have also learned things. It has been interesting to see the blood and sweat that goes into getting a book published, via Birmo's Blog. The hard work needed to put together a theatre production, Girl Clumsy, Squire Bedak. The experiences of others in writing and life in general. And not just Australians but New Zealanders, Americans, English. I have learned something from all of you.

We are a diverse group of experiences, knowledge and nationalities and it has been an interesting and enjoyable journey.

Now for a bit of pimping. My Facebook and Twitter is here: Facebook Twitter

As I have not been with Facebook or Twitter for long and I am still learning I cannot give you the good and bad of them. First impressions is that they seem simple and straight forward.

Stay good and be kind to each other.

Post Lurgie Ramblings

First, if you want a good laugh slip over to Jennicki's blog (Adult Films and the Easter Bunny).

NO! Not now. Read my post first. Bloody ingrates.

I think I have knocked the Dreaded Lurgie on the head... I think. The last remnants are valiantly hanging on. Over the last 6 days I have taken that many lotions, potions and concoctions I glow in the dark.

I see that Havock has taken up the baton and now has the Lurgie. Bloody Copy Cat. That'll teach him to visit my blog or maybe it was because he spent 2 days alone, naked, playing with his 360 and a plasma big screen.

I have called off our invasion of New Zealand. Why? I hear you cry. Well they are holding my eldest son (Ashley) as ransom. That's right. Those sneaky Kiwis have my son. Let me explain.

My son's girlfriend (Stace) is a New Zealander and they have decided to shack up. But not here in good ole Oz. They are moving to NZ, to Stacy's home town. A little place at the southern end of the South Island called Lake Wanaka.

It is about 2 hours north west of Dunedin (Dr Yobbo's stomping grounds) and about an hour south of Mt Coook. It is a touristy place with boating and fishing in the summer and skiing in the winter. They tell me it is cold, very cold. Stace said it started snowing at her family's place last week. It should be interesting as my son is a Queensland boy and rarely ventured south of the Queensland border. There is plenty of employment opportunities in the area and Stace is going to finish a Teaching Degree so they should be OK.

So now I will have a place to stay when I visit NZ.

It has been raining for the last week. Not much of a problem here as the runoff just goes into the sea but it has been flooding inland around Caboolture and further north around Hughesy's Place in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Sunshine and blue skies here today. I went for an amble along the beach this morning and there was no storm damage which is good.

With the Lurgie and rain I have been doing a lot of reading. Some Tech stuff to get the brain working again and started reading Clive Cussler's Arctic Drift. I also read a book on life as a soldier in the Roman Legion in Syria in 100 AD.

I have also been putting some thought into what I am going to do when I am fit and healthy again. The employment situation is looking grim out there in the big bad world. There are several options that I can concider.

My teaching registration has expired so I would have to renew that if I want to go back to Education. My specialisation was Adult Education and I believe that some of the requirements have changed so I will have to look at that and see if I need to upgrade.

I could resume my Technology career. My area was Integrated Information Systems and Emerging Technology. I also did a lot of R&D work in that area. I would like to go back to R&D but it will take a lot of work to get up to speed on the latest developments.

There is also the option of Business Administration but that might be a bit too much stress to jump into after 3 years of intensive medical treatment and trying to stay alive.

Then again I could just forget about all of that and find something that would not be too stressful. Perhaps do a Barista's course and go and serve delicious coffee to all the other people stressing out. If that doesn't work out at least I might learn to make a decent cup of coffee.

Anyway I'll sort it out. But first I have to get fit enough to go back to work. So I might just concentrate on that first.



Pysy hyvä ja olla ystävällisiä toisilleen

I blame the Faded Red Head.

I have succumbed to the dreaded Lurgie. I feel like a semi-trailer has run over me. For the last couple of days I have feeling a bit off but this morning I woke up feeling and looking like death warmed up. Even the little blue pills have not helped. I blame the Faded Red Head. I think I caught it when I visited her blog.

For the first time in many years I have given the Festival of Sails a miss. The Festival is a big community party held just up the road at Sutton's Beach. The Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race starts at the mouth of the Brisbane River and the yachts head up to a marker in front of Sutton's Beach and chuck a big U-turn to head out to sea for the race to Gladstone. If the wind is from the south they usually have their spinnakers out and it is magnificent to see the yachts in full flight.

Anyway the Council puts on this big party on the beach with all sorts of wonderous entertainment and events. Singing, dancing, clowns and lots of food. Last year about 10,000 people turned up.

Alas this year I stayed at home, doped up to the eyeballs with all sorts of remedies and potions, drowning in my own misery.

Now onto something more important...



It is time to invade New Zealand, intern all Kiwi nationals living in Australia, confiscate all the property and goats of the a fore mentioned internees. That uppity little land of the long white cloud has gone too far this time. Well not the people of New Zealand but their Supreme Leader John Key.

"It's totally ridiculous for Australians to claim that they have pavlova or Phar Lap or any of those iconic New Zealand items,'' Mr Key said today.

"Everybody knows that they're ours and for Australians to claim ownership of them is quite inappropriate.''

Read the full story here: Kiwi PM lays claim to Aussie icons.

Bo bra och vara snäll mot varandra

Bah Humbug Easter!

I was over at Domestic Daze's Place and she was rabbiting on about Easter and the Relos and it brought to mind a couple of quick rabbit related stories.

Bah Humbug Easter, I say.

At one time I managed hotels.

At Easter I would always put Rabbit on the menu. Roast Rabbit, Rabbit Pie and Rabbit Stew.







At another time Roger Rabbit was the movie de jour. So I put Rabbit on the menu and put on the sign outside:

Who Killed Roger Rabbit?

We don't know but today's special is:

Rabbit Pie

Anyway Easter has been cancelled. This photo expalins why.

Stay good and be kind to each other.

Huzzar! Big Bad Al is on the mend!

Good News, Big Bad Al is on the mend.

Had an appointment with the Cancer Specialist today (Wednesday) and he was the bearer of good news.

The lab results from the operation I had at Christmas time showed that what was removed was benign or dead. Leftovers from the Chemo which had successfully nuked all the evil stuff.

He said that he had snuck in during the surgery that I had last week and had a look and was satisfied that there was no visible signs of the cancer present.

The Blood tests and other tests that I had were also negative for indications of cancer cells etc.

I have another operation in about 3 weeks (tentatively around the 21st April), this time by the cancer dude to confirm that all is right with my innards and that the infection has been dealt with. If all is unky dory I then go onto a routine of check operations every six months for the next five years. The Blood tests and poking and prodding will also continue on a regular basis.

After that all I have to do is wait for everything to heal, start on getting physically fit again and deal with some associated medical problems and I should be ready to enter the normal human world again by June/July.

It has taken three years but I now feel confident in saying that I have beaten the evil demon. A little bit more work to do on my part and all will be right once again in Big Bad Al's world.

Stay good and be kind to each other.