Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

Samson and Delilah

2009-11-24T14:26:00.003+10:30

I've been sick for about two weeks now. It started with a bit of a cough, oh and also a disinclination to play beach frisbee. That should have been a massive warning sign. Then I had to crank the heater in the middle of a heat wave. Then I freaking fainted! Then a massive loss of energy, appetite, blah blah. (And - boys stop reading for a sec - coughed so hard I got my period two weeks early. Weird, right?) I've been calling it bronchitis, because that's what the antibiotics I'm on treat (among many other things, including impetigo, which I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's not) but it's probably some random, unspecified chest lung infection thingy. Anyway, it's all over pretty much, except the crazy annoying cough.

How did I get this? I have a theory.

I cut off all my hair. And with it all my strength and resistance that I'd been hanging on to since before Mixed Nats, when everyone I knew was sick and I refused to get sick.

(That's what's known as a segue.)

I hate the idea of regret, because I am very much 'look at what's in front of you, deal with it.' Therefore, I've been saying that I'm glad I cut off my hair because if I didn't I'd still be wondering what I'd look like with it short, and that's true - actually, no, it's not. I wish I didn't cut my hair. There, I said it. Not because it's not a nice cut, because it's fine - on someone else. I like my hair long, and maybe I've read too many books where characters are completely defined by their long, thick, beautiful hair, but I miss having that characteristic about me.

How fast does hair grow? Hair extensions aren't that expensive, right?

Ultimate CHAMPIONS

2009-11-08T13:27:00.007+10:30

Try Sarah's Tops: League Champions.

Wednesday was League Grand Final night, and Flinders had three out of four teams in the finals (Seven Wonders, Donna Hay and the Cupcakes, and Try Sarah's Tops - yes, it is necessary for you to know this, so you can understand our awesome sign, below). The Div 2 game was first - Go Wonder Cakes! - and was tight the whole way, before a rather anticlimactic win by the Cupcakes. About which I feel a little bad, as I may have made some comments about the undefeated Wonders team not being my favourite for the win. Oops.

Then the Div 1 game in which the legendary Tops defeated AU. By a lot, although they had me worried for a second there in the middle of the game. But our boys were awesome as usual, and our girls were useful, and I did an awesome cut (or so I've been told) and dropped it (should've layed out), and I caught some other goals, and I need to play better D on the wing (I've been a point the whole season) but did ok with the help of my sideline who I dragged away from their pizza and chillaxing time to help me out, and then WE WON!!!

Also, I won joint Most Improved Female. And got equal third Div 1 Female MVP with a whole bunch of other people, which I think is kind of more impressive. Pretty sure I am going to have to be way more awesome next season if I want to win any kind of individual award. So it was that Flinders won both grand finals and most of the individual awards (and Tops players won both Most Improveds). And so ended my first year of frisbee.*

I didn't get to make a speech on Wednesday, but I would like to thank a few people now. First of all, the game itself, which is such an awesome environment to play and learn and get better in. Secondly, everyone that plays frisbee in SA and Australia, especially the people I've had the enjoyment of playing with and against. And finally, anyone that has taught anything about the game, especially the ones who went out of their way to teach me new things when they could have been improving their own game. And I would like to make special mention of the two people who have helped me the most, my first two captains. You guys are awesome. Yay frisbee!

*Except for the Flinders Social Grand Final that myself and the rest of the Rasczak's Roughnecks will be ~~winning tomorrow night~~ coming damn close to winning and beating an updefeated team, but sadly it is not to be. Awesome game though in crazy hot weather. Would be better if I learned to catch, however. Yeah Roughnecks!

(Also, I forgot to mention that three times this League season I got 6/6 tips right. I am a tipping superstar. Not as much as the people who actually won money from it, but pretty close.)

Before and After

2009-11-02T22:33:00.004+10:30

Before [so loooong!]:

After [so shoooort!]:

Halloween (as Sookie Stackhouse) [so blonde and so long!]:

Bad Attitude

2009-10-22T11:09:00.003+10:30

I really do believe that sports can bring out great things in people: teamwork, trying your best, good sportsmanship, etc. However, there are some people in whom it can bring out the worst.

I never thought I was one of those people.

When I was playing basketball, I would have a bit of an attitude occasionally, and foul people cos I was angry, but they were one-off spurts of temper. What I'm finding now is a constant, entire game's worth of sooky, crappy mood. And it sucks.

(I should say, too, that to me, shin splints, vague knee 'problems', and mental game all fall under the same category of "imaginary. see also: suck it up, princess, just play.")

My main problem is that I can see these moods beginning, and think to myself, you should stop this right now, or it will last the rest of the game ... and then I don't stop it. I indulge the petty, whiny side of my brain, and don't try as hard, and expect other people to do things when I should be doing them, and have a bad attitude in general. It's self-indulgent, and attention-seeking (hey, it's blogging!) and I don't like it at all.

I am slightly concerned that this is some fundamental flaw in my personality ... but the other side of my brain scoffs at this, all, "No-one is fundamentally anything, just DECIDE TO BE AWESOME, AND BE AWESOME."

Ok, Self. I hear you.

"And then! Best thing ever...!"

2009-10-15T22:33:00.006+10:30

So. Mixed Nats. In a word: awesome. But please, stopping at one word? Yeah right. So here we go.

Three day tournament, nine games, 24 teams, three SA teams who all beat their seeds, and Smurf doing better than any other SA team ever!

Yeah, Pillow Fight!

Me being awesome: The first game I don't think I touched the disc, except for a failed attempt at a D. At some point during the next game or the one after that I realised that cutting for the disc = getting the disc (am a genius) and that I could be confident and do good things. So I did.

My first goal was made more spectacular by the fact that I refused to catch it normally and instead had to slide on my knees then back, bounce the disc off my hands, knees, and stomach, and then catch it. Score! And yes, that was a the first of a few, maybe one a game? Which is pretty awesome, I think. More awesome, even, is the fact that I wanted the disc in the end zone: I wasn't (very) scared of dropping it and so I was attacking* and catching the disc much better.

*Except for that time I didn't, right outside the end zone. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

And I discovered something in frisbee that is really fun: getting Ds! Running through and slamming a disc into the ground is totally energizing! I seriously recommend it. I probably did one of those a game as well.

De-fence!

Almost awesome but not quite: I am sad to report that I got neither a layout nor a Callahan this tournament. I did however dive for a ricocheting disc this one time (and drop it but that's neither here nor there) - the first time I've gone for a disc that I wasn't expecting - so that was a nice first. And my team also played an awesome zone in the last game, keeping the other team in our end zone for about ten years (which, yes, would have been the perfect time for a Callahan, but we just kept putting the pressure on and eventually they turned it over). So good work! Now be more awesome!

Spirit: Frisbee is big on Spirit. This was the first time I'd had the opportunity to play Spirit Games, and I even won one! (Slapping people on the arse is apparently totally my calling in life.) Plus, I really think my team should have won some kind of award for our uniforms: official shorts of Pillow Fight? Pajama pants, naturally!

The official P-Fight uniform.

Oh and, funny story, the one time I thought I was going to get a prize: One team was telling us about how they give out an award for potential instead of MVP, and I was like, hell yes, this is me, I am way behind everyone else, clearly I have potential all over the place. And then they said we were all awesome and they were going to do MVP. Devastated. On the plus side, I'm awesome, on the down side, I'm not awesome enough to be MVP. Ah well.

Smurf playing Ultimate Ninja.

Fitness: I was really, really, really happy with my fitness during the tournament. About two months ago I drew up a reward exercise chart, and since then I've only cheated a little. And I was able to run for three whole days and in our game last night (that we had to go straight to from the airport). So that was awesome, and I'm glad I was so ~~stubborn~~ persistent about doing something every day. On that note, however, my physio is freaking magic, as my shins didn't hurt at all the first day, and only a little the second and third (a bit more last night, however, and my knees kicked in then as well, but whatever, Mixed Nats is over), and this was probably maybe possibly helped by me taking a few days off last week.

Buddies: I didn't really know the people on my team that well before we left, whereas I am good friends with people on one of the other teams. This happens to be the really good team, so I knew they would be focused on their team (and they should be) and I would be busy with mine and we wouldn't have much time to hang out during the tournament. My team turned out to be full of awesome fun people (yeah Pillow Fight!) and being with them was sweet. There was still the element of "go play with the little kids, the big kids are busy" that I knew I would feel, but it wasn't really a problem for me, as we all had things to do and people to hang with and frisbee to play!

I had the time of my life...

First game back: I am a wayy better ultimate player now than when I left for Hobart. If I played frisbee all day every day? I would be amazing so fast! I did my first one handed catch in our league game, off a throw gone 'astray,' and it was so sweet to be able to grab a disc that had been somewhat written off. Plus I felt like a real ultimate player doing the kind of awesome catches that they can do (notwithstanding the fact that closest defence was half a field away!).

Conclusion/The Future: By the end of the second day, I was feeling pretty good about myself. Got some Ds, scored some goals, am an ultimate superstar. And then the frisbee gods smacked me (and my whole team) DOWN with a crappy loss, which brought me right back down to earth. You're not awesome, but be awesome.

I have no idea if this is a realistic goal or not, but I'm aiming for Nationals 2010. Actual Nationals seems way more important and harder to get into than Mixed Nats, and it would mean a lot if I was selected. [Although I have to say a massive thank you to everyone involved in getting me to Mixed Nats, every awesome thing I can do now is because of you.]

I think I have to work on my attitude. There is a difference between determined and obnoxious, and cursing on the field (even at yourself) is so shit I can't even tell you. [Here's an idea: cut the stupid throwaways, stop letting players break you, and there'll be no need for cursing.] I'm kind of eternally frustrated at my lack of skills, but also really optimistic at the moment, mostly to do with all the brilliant people I have to learn from and the amazing experiences I had in Tassie.

A glass and a half of ultimate goodness, aka the awesome people I have to ~~beat~~ learn from.

In actual conclusion, Mixed Nationals, Hobart 2009 was a fricking awesome trip: the people, the fields, the food, the weather (sunny every day!), the mad ultimate skills. I have a loong way to go, but it was a massive jump start to my frisbee game, and for that I am very grateful and happy and excited about what comes next.

Ultimate Updates

2009-10-08T11:12:00.002+10:30

Yes, I caved. I signed up for Twitter. Mostly so that my Facebook status updates won't get overrun with Mixed Nats updates.

If you would like to see what I'm up to in Tasmania:

Go to my Twitter page.

This will have all the updates I've sent, ultimate-related or not.

Go to #amuc09 updates.

This will have all the updates anyone has added relating to the Australian Mixed Ultimate Championships of 09.

One day to go!

Bring It On: Mixed Nats

2009-10-05T17:33:00.003+10:30

Nationals are [October 10th]. Regionals are in, like, four weeks. I talked to her. She's cool with this.

Every time I say I'm going to Nationals, I get Bring It On quotes running through my head. I can't help it. It's probably good that I only say Nationals when I'm talking to non-frisbee people (as the complicated frisbee lingo of Mixed Nats can be a bit tricky if you're not used to it), so it doesn't really happen that often.

So anyway, Mixed Nats is in, like, less than a week. This will be my first time playing Nationals. The highest level basketball I ever played was NT Clubs, and although I was a volunteer at the 14 Boys Nationals in 2003, I've never been away to play a tournament until I went to Keith this year for frisbee. So this is pretty massive for me. I got my uniform last week (with my NAME! and number!), and my costume for the party Saturday night is sorted.

My shins are doing okay (which is to say: hurting like crazy some of the time, then not at other times) and my knees are feeling steadily stranger but not hurtier, which I think is good. I took some forced time off last week, TOTALLY AGAINST MY WILL, LIKE, I HAVE TO BE READY, which my prissy little body parts probably appreciated.

I do kind of agree with rest and recovery days - in theory. Not in practice where this is my first nationals, and I have to get fit (which, probably I don't, as we will have like a million players and minimal field time), and I am the worst player (don't be all nooooo because: yes. new player, wouldn't expect anything else), and yes it's a learning experience, but the more I already know the better things I can learn when I'm there.

Shut up! You don’t have it yet, you don’t have it! Give it up already!

However, the universe conspired against me to cancel all my usual sources of getting better due to sickness, Uni Games, lack of players, like, I'M PRETTY SURE YOU SHOULD ALL BE FOCUSED ON ME. No, as it turns out (shockingly!), my level of awesome is not central to everyone's plans, so myself and the team as a whole will just have to do the best we can, with interrupted (and FRUSTRATING!) preparation. I'm slightly more accepting of that this week than I was last week.

I am really looking forward to playing at a higher level, seeing other people who are actually awesome playing, hanging out, having a mini-break from Adelaide, and exploring Tasmania (where I've never been before). Not looking forward to: being the worst player, playing badly, realising there are things I didn't know I didn't know, and the cold Antarctic weather. Despite those, I'm pretty sure it will be totally awesome!

All Frisbee, All The Time

2009-09-05T18:30:00.012+09:30

All what?
Ultimate Frisbee. (Or just Ultimate, if you prefer.) Apparently it totally is a real sport. And it better be for all the effort I'm putting into it.

What effort?
I'm playing Social and League, and practicing my throws, and going on runs to get fit, and playing in tournaments.

That sounds fascinating. Please tell us more. *Rolls eyes*
Thanks, I will. So I started playing Social at the start of the year. You may remember I won Most Valuable Female? I was also playing Womens League then, although I did nothing particularly spectacular there.

I spectacularly stood around talking.

This semester I'm playing Social and Mixed League, and - check this - going to Mixed Nationals.

How can you be going to Nationals? You just started playing.
Good point. My argument is usually either (a) they were desperate for girls, (b) they think I'm good enough even though I'm clearly not, or (c) I am awesome, depending on my mood. My team kinda depresses me, honestly, because they make me realise how not good I am, but on the other hand, playing with and against awesome people makes you awesome, etc.

Also, frisbee is odd in that most people come to it from another sport. Basketball has helped me a lot with defence, field awareness, things like that, but is no help at all in reading the disc, throwing it, etc. But given that some people already have basic fitness and sportiness, they are able to get up to a reasonable standard fairly quickly.

That is a basketball catch if ever I saw one.

In related news, I predict that Tassie will be having a heatwave on the weekend of the 10th-12th of October.

Any other tournament news you'd like to share?
Why, yes. As you know I went to Keith, and lost my adidas drink bottle (devastated!), and was very hungover. I hope I have learned my lesson about drinking to excess before the tournament is over. (Clearly I didn't, to which the Smurf/Pillow Fight training after the AWI will attest.)

The what?
The Adelaide Women's Invitational. The AWI is an awesome tournament first held last weekend, which utilises a 5-2 women-men ratio (very unusual for mixed frisbee which is usually 4-3 or 5-2 guys' way). It happens at a good time, in that all the other comps around at the moment are mixed, and playing all (or even mostly) girls is totally different.

Me and the AWI tourament organiser on the post-tourney pub crawl. It's all fun and games until you have to get up and play frisbee the next day.

My team (MUD!) won Most Spirited, came second overall, and I won Most Valuable Beginner Female. (My prize was a pink fluffy tiara. How awesome is that!)

So basically you are the best of the all the crap people?
Well, yes, I believe I have said something like that to someone in an effort to make my "I won a pink tiara! I am so awesome!" sound a little more humble. However, I don't think I will continue to refer to it that way. For a start, beginner doesn't mean crap, it just means new. And secondly, that's kind of doing a disservice to the award itself, which (I imagine) is meant to recognise and encourage and promote newer players, and playing it down negatively doesn't help that at all. So therefore, thirdly, I am happy with the fact that I am one of a whole bunch of new girls who are working their way up the ranks of SA Women's Ultimate, but by no means do I think the tiara means I am the best. player/beginner. ever. Yet.

Yet, hey?
Yes, yet. I plan to be fricking awesome sometime very soon and I am struggling with the part where all that isn't happening now now now. Like, my catches in the end zone are getting great, and I have pictorial evidence to prove that ...

... but my throws are shithouse in games, although they're getting better in one-on-one practices.

Not to mention I'm in an interesting place between beginner and real player, where I don't want to be treated like I don't know anything, and would like to recognised as a legitimate player on a team, but on the other hand I still need pretty much everything explained to me and will do nothing if I don't have something specific to do, and I wait for other people to call things when it's really up to me now. Which is what I want! But not!

Ok, chill. So ... one-on-one training? What the hell kind of sport is this?
One where people are very very helpful. Plus there aren't any coaches that aren't players, and everyone knows everyone, and most people are totally eager to share what they know. Not to mention frisbee practice goes better with someone to throw with, so I have been recieving instruction from some awesome ultimate players, who get to ... practice catching bad throws? Everyone wins!

My effort at a forehand.

Everyone knows everyone? Like, actually?
Yeah pretty much. Frisbee is a very social sport, played by a fairly small and tight-knit community, and one which places a high emphasis on good spirit. This leads to more hanging around watching and after games, which leads to ... people having too much time on their hands, playing Fantasy Ultimate, where you pick a positive (person who if they do good you get points) and a negative (who you want to do bad so you get points), lots of heckling and crap from the sidelines, which is all in good fun but can be confusing to play to, as your sideline players are a totally valuable asset and people playing fantasy, not so much. But yes, good spirit, good friends, everyone knows everyone. Yay ultimate!

But you can't actually know everyone, can you?
Unlike basketball, where I played with roughly the same group of girls for ten years straight, frisbee teams change way more often, meaning you play with a lot of different people fairly often. Thus far, I've played on this many different teams: Red Hot Go, Fury-ess, Blue-nami, Try Sarah's Tops, Rasczak's Roughnecks, MUD, Donna Hay and the Cupcakes, and Pillow Fight (and I'm playing for 7 Wonders this week).

So, you don't have a life anymore, basically?
That is it, essentially, yes. The cult that is ultimate has taken over my life, I have a bajillion page list of things I want to learn or get better at, and I really, really want a frisbee shirt with my name on the back. Then I can totally retire. Until then, all ultimate, all the time.

Error Patrol

2009-08-13T22:13:00.002+09:30

Why, Sea Patrol? Seriously.

I have just finished watching Season 3 of Sea Patrol, and I'll tell you what, it annoyed me.

One. Sometime last season, I realised that the reason they are all "Charlie-eight-two" and "X-ray-eight-two" all the time is because their boat's number is - ready? - 82. I was so proud of myself for figuring that out, and it only took me two seasons to do it. Hence, them including the 82 on a shot of a different patrol boat was just insulting. Here's a five minute lesson in photoshop: go crazy.

Second. A massive (well, for one episode) storyline involved the acquisition of a tattoo. You would not believe how much of this episode was devoted to a tattoo. The very next episode? Shirtless sailor, no tattoo. Ok, we'll call this one even.

C. And this is the worst one. The one I waited all season for. Early on, the Nav gets a goldfish from her fiancee who (spoiler!) dies. She soon notices he (the fish) is getting fat. Good little tv-watcher that I am, I can see this shit coming a mile away - he is not a she, and she is totally having the dead fiancee's babies. Hints of the "gosh he looks a bit off-colour" nature continue to be dropped throughout the season, and I am all over it. I bet I know what she names the first baby fish! And here we are, season finale, drumroll please, and she ... lets the fish go.

WHAT. THE. HELL.

Are you fricking kidding me, Sea Patrol?

I really think this could be a great show. I appreciate all the ~~sailor boys running around both shirtless and in uniform~~ promotion of Aussie tv talent, and I think you should keep up the good work. But please, for my sanity, get a fish pregnancy continuity editor. Please.

Cake and Resolutions

2009-08-08T18:24:00.004+09:30

Tuesday was my birthday. Many people have cake on their birthday. This year my cake consumption has been off the charts.

Friday: Order cakes to take to work. Buy 1/4 blueberry cheesecake to eat, just cos.
Tuesday: Pancakes for breakfast. A massive slice of Cheesecake Shop Treasure Cake for lunch. More Treasure Cake for dessert.
Wednesday: Passionfruit Cheesecake for lunch. A Vili's matchstick for an after-frisbee snack.
Friday: Chocolate and sprinkles-covered apple for lunch, as I was saving room for my Hog's Breath steak, where I also downed a mudslide. And for dessert, home-made banana cake.
Saturday: More Treasure Cake for breakfast. And afternoon tea.

I am currently in possession of about a quarter of Treasure Cake, a few slices of passionfruit cheesecake, and two and a half banana cakes.

LUCKY I EXERCISE...

Gratuitous frisbee photo, from the Keith Calippo Classic, my first tourament. Am hungover.

I am starting a new exercise plan, as I have discovered I am totally not league fit, and also I have been invited to play mixed nats (as in Nationals!). And you know, the cake thing. It will involve frisbee, running, skipping, weights, crunches, lunges, and, as ever, some kind of reward chart. Maybe the reward will be cake!

Also, randomly, I have made a birthday resolution, to basically be nicer and happier. That means no sentances starting with "S/he is such a ..." as I have decided that sentances like that rarely finish well. Also I will stop saying I "only" work at A Sports Store and A Bookshop, and become invested in them. Or I will get a job somewhere I will be invested.

That took a bit of a different turn there, but look! Cake!

Mmm. Cheesecake Shop Treasure Cake. Chocolate mud cake with custard-filled profiteroles. And much chocolate.

What's My Age Again?

2009-08-04T20:30:00.001+09:30

Today is my birthday and I am wishing for summer on my birthday candles.

I'm also wishing for these things, or a time machine so they could be around when I would be age-appropriate for them.

Heelys.
Last year Montana and I heelyed around on Christmas Eve. I would love to wear them to work but alas, we don't sell them in my size.

Ripstik.
When I went up to Darwin for skywalker's birthday this year, my neighbourhood kids (all grown up since I've been away!) let me have a go on theirs. I was pretty bad at it, but I could be awesome with a bit of practice!

Kids' Jeep.
How awesome is that?! It fully goes, none of this pedaling or push along like I had to do with my fire engine. Uphill, in the snow, both ways.

Trampoline.
The obsession continues.

What was your best birthday present ever? What did you always wish for?

Meet Nepture. Or maybe Sebastian. Or Eric.

2009-07-31T18:23:00.009+09:30

This post is for skywalker, who I'm pretty sure is thisclose to flying down here and stabbing me with my own unicorn if I don't get these pictures up rightnow.

A. For Christmas last year, skywalker and I both got little magnet men, which provided us much entertainment on our Great Ocean Road Trip, as a campervan is basically all metal, and magnet men and metal go together like, um, unicorns and mermaids. (This may or may not make sense in a paragraph or so.)

I had the brilliant idea of taking photos of our little men and sending them as postcards, going back and forward until someone ran out of awesome poses. As it turns out, I was the only one to have any awesome, as I'm still waiting for the return postcard.

Abs of steel, or some kind of lightweight metal alloy I'd imagine.

B. When my awesome brother went on his awesome Odyssey trip, he not only bought me a beautiful silver ring that I wear every day, he also went to "a glass place" (I'm pretty sure that was the full and complete description I got) and bought me ...

... Neptune! I'm pretty sure his name is Neptune. However, it may be Sebastian or even Eric. Follow this awesome logic: Unicorns are big in Veronica Mars. Veronica Mars lives in Neptune. Neptune was king of the sea in The Little Mermaid (and, I'm sure, other things like mythology and shit) which featured Sebastian and Eric. It makes perfect sense, really. What do you think his name is?

A+B. Nepbasric appears somewhat more aggressive than I had intended, as Magneto was supposed to be gently patting him on the head, but I guess he took offense at that or whatever, lesson learned.

Not even going and can't find another topic

2009-07-18T18:49:00.002+09:30

Whoo BlogHer!

Apparently it's that time again, and to say it's snuck up on me actually means a lot when you consider how religiously I counted down to it last year. Of course, that may have been because I was going then, and I'm not now, so ... yeah.

Here are my tips: Talk to people. Have fun. Take photos.

People will talk to you. You will talk to people and they will talk back to you. You will not talk to everyone. You will have an awesome time. You will want to remember it.

If you're struggling for what to say, try these: I love your shoes. Hi, I'm [whoever] which leads to them saying hi back. What was your favourite session? Do you have a card wow what an interesting blog name / picture / tagline. Where are you from which leads to wow I have a relative / never been / always wanted to go there.

I kind of hate the question 'What is your blog about?' although you should have an answer ready. How about 'What is your favourite post you've ever written?' which might seem kind of weird but I think it will lead to more discussion.

And also you can cover anything you do/say with 'I'm asking everyone this' which totally legitimises anything, cos it's a THING you're DOING. Like, for reals.

Odyssey Updates

2009-06-28T18:08:00.002+09:30

If you're like my dad and didn't realise that the Odyssey update page was in fact being continually updated, maybe you'd like to check it out.

There was a little swine flu scare moment there but (SPOILER!) everyone is fine and the trip continues.

Skywalker will arrive in Adelaide on Monday and I get him Wednesday morning. (I have joint custody with our grandma while he's here.) Things we are planning: ice-skating, the Beach House, Aussie Pizza, ultimate frisbee, DVD marathons, and driving in my car.

Adelaide Odyssey 09: Wicked.

Medal Heroes

2009-06-23T10:37:00.003+09:30

When I played junior basketball, our end of year presentations were fairly predictable. Myself, Flick, and Bee were the ones who showed for every training and every game. We knew we were likely to get trophies, the only variable was for what. I have every variety of Coaches Award; I was rarely if ever the best player on the team but I was Most Consistent, Best Team Player, etc.

I had no presumptions of getting a medal at the Social Frisbee grand final last night. (If anything, I would have bet on Most Improved or Best New Player for League.) I also didn't care, which is unusual for me. I knew I wasn't Most Spirited and there are about a billion better players than me out there. And yet somehow ...

2009 Semester One Female MVP For Flinders University Ultimate Frisbee Social League.

I am very honoured, and pretty sure I need to play a shitload better next season to earn it.

The Odyssey

2009-06-16T11:18:00.008+09:30

At my school (which is now my brother's school) the Year 11s do a trip down the east coast. This trip, called the Odyssey, flies them from Darwin to somewhere on the north-east of the country (I went to Cairns, skywalker went to Brisbane) then busses them all the way down the east coast, visiting theme parks, national monuments, and (for most, for the first time) SNOW.

Skywalker left yesterday and will be travelling for two weeks before finishing the Odyssey in Melbourne and flying to Adelaide to visit me. This will be the update page for his adventures.

Mon 15, 11:03am: Odyssey!
(Me: Whoo dude have an awesome time and keep me updated)
Mon 15, 11:51am: Kk. C u in 2 weeks.

Mon 15, 6:36pm: Just got my luggage from brisbane.
(Me: Cool i just watched my breath at frisbee)

Thurs 18, 5:39pm: *sigh* i have managed to lose my Tower of Terror photo already... :(

Fri 19, 1:37pm: We're in SYD!
(Me: Have an awesome time and don't fall off the bridge. How's it going?)
Fri 19, 6:35pm: Lol, kk. Cold but awesome. Going to the rugby atm

Mon 22, 9:55am: This is insane. We have been driving for like 1 1/2 hours and we are still in syd

(Me, Mon night: I won female MVP!)
Tues 23, 3:09am: Wooo! Gratz.
Tues 23, 7:10am: It is now -2...
Tues 23, 9:48am: Snow is fun!!

Wed 24, 12:47pm: Btw may not be coming to Adelaide
(Me: Whaaaaaaaat?)
Wed 24, 1:58pm: 2 kids with flu maybe swine flu, getting tested. Whole bus could be quarrantined
(Me: Where are you now? You just chillin on the bus?)
Wed 24, 1:13pm: Yeah in ACT. Prob not gonna get to origin.
(Me: If ur quarrantined will you make up the time? Get to melb late?)
Wed 24, 1:43pm: Melb in 2 or 4 days. We are going to origin. Ppl who have been in the same groups as sickies will be tested tomorrow. Its unlikely that it is swine flu. If it was we would all be sick by now.
(Me: Kk. Also there will be frisbee training and possibly pick up game you can come to if ur here on a monday)
Wed 24, 1:56pm: Yes!!!!

Wed 24, 6:41pm: Im at origin, straight behind the goals, near the QLD contingent
Wed 24, 8:26pm: 6-18, QLD up
(Me: Nice and cold?)
Wed 24, 8:28pm: Yes but it isnt too bad
Wed 24, 8:28pm: Nsw just scored
Wed 24, 9:56pm: QLD WIN!!!

Thurs 25, 7:51am: 4 ppl confirmed as flu *might* be swine flu
(Me: When do you find out?)
Thurs 25, 5:13pm: Tomorrow at the latest
(Me: Cool. What did they let you do today?)
Thurs 25, 5:20pm: War memorial, ANZAC parade, AIS, aust museum, art gallery and had a look at the embassies
(Me: Oh cool. So they're letting you do stuff. Any sniffles?)
Thurs 25, 6:08pm: Yeah but i had them the whole trip. They are from the cold
(Me: Good stick with that story. And if all the ais athletes come down with it...!)
Thurs 25, 6:11pm: Lol yeah

Fri 26, 6:06pm: There is no swine flu, we are all ok

Sat 27, 4:30pm: In in wicked atm, @ interval
(Me: Jealous. Is it awesome?)
Sat 27, 5:15pm: It was wicked

Sun 28, 2:32pm: My feet are sore...And chelsea has blisters
(Me: Thanks for the update. You at the footy atm?)
Sun 28, 2:36pm: Nah he made it non compulsesy so i didn't go
(Me: Dude i'm at work i could've seen you on tv! What are you doing instead?)
Sun 28, 2:38pm: Playing cars with chel and emma
(Me: That's the most exciting thing you could find to do in melb?)
Sun 28, 2:40pm: Yeah Lol Nah our feet are sore
(Me: Go sit on a tram! What time is your flight tomorrow? Do you have to wait after the others come back? Anyone else coming?)
Sun 28, 2:48pm: I cant be bothered with the tram, in ou use but i will check, i think i will be about the same time, no one else
(Me: Cool. call gma before you leave so she picks you up. And call me when you're at hers and we can make a plan)
Sun 28, 2:50pm: Kk

(Me: Hey girlies. My bro is down from darwin and we're going iceskating his last night. We'd love you to join us, fri 3 7:30 til 11pm. Cost is $17. Hope to see you soon)
Sun 28, 5:32pm: Lol kk
(Me: Should be a good night)
Sun 28, 5:33pm: Hell yeah, tell me who else says yes

Mon 29, 9:11pm: I'm here!

Isn't it all just fascinating? I'm riveted. Also, I wish I had some pics of my trip to show you. I took five rolls of pre-digital film. That doesn't seem like so many photos now, but it was hells expensive to develop.

The weekly thing that made me roll me eyes before I realised it was the most Awesome Thing Ever

2009-06-14T14:29:00.004+09:30

It's currently like -853905 degrees here at the moment, so I've been looking for a new winter jacket. For some bizarre reason, like I cannot even fathom what the designers were thinking, almost none of the jackets I've found and liked include a hood. Seriously, why?

This is where this product comes in:

I know what it looks like, and yes, it is actually a beanie attached to a scarf, but you know what, kooky head-slash-neckwear designers? You have achieved what, for some reason, the crackheads over in jackets have not been able to.

ETA: And also? It's gloves!

Plans Just Aren't What They Used To Be

2009-06-12T19:53:00.003+09:30

I think I'm going to blame mobile phones for this one.

In the old days, you would make a plan, sometimes weeks or months in advance, and you would have the relevant details (when, where, for how long, etc) way beforehand and set in stone. This was because you didn't have a mobile that you could use to text someone two minutes before you were supposed to meet them, telling them you all of a sudden weren't coming.

Mobiles have enabled us to call our parents for a ride or our mates for a spur of the moment ice cream mission, but they have also encouraged us to be poorly planned and inconsiderate of other people and prior plans.

Here's an idea, youth of today: make a plan, stick to it. Want to go to dinner? Let's decide to go to dinner! And let's actually go to dinner, when and where we said we would.

Sporting Heroes

2009-06-08T22:01:00.003+09:30

I would like to offer two shout-outs to the sporting heroes of today. (As in, like, actually this day today, not as in today this vague region of time.)

The first one is to myself, who stayed for frisbee training, even though we don't have any more League games, and even though it was only 12 degrees and pelting down with rain (a talent I didn't know Adelaide possessed) (the decent rain part, not the cold part) (Adelaide is excellent at doing cold, a fact I tried to block out but which keeps being forced back to me), and even though hail was forecast, and even though I dropped every catch in the Social game prior to training except for the really hard one against like three boys. High five to me!

The second one goes out to my brother, skywalker, whose basketball team won their preliminary final tonight, against probably all predictions except mine, and did it fairly impressively if he did say so himself, 65-36. Nice work, boys, now kick arse in the grand final!

Any other sporting heroes out there today?

Helpful Heroes

2009-06-07T19:36:00.002+09:30

Yesterday in the car park at work, we were trying to put my new headlight globe in, and having minimal success, when a nice trolley boy came over and offered his assistance. In five minutes it was all done, and he wandered off back to his trolleys.

Today at work I put through an adidas Originals t-shirt for a young girl and her friend. We were all shocked when it came up at $11.99 and she was justifiably delighted. Unfortunately, we didn't have any left in my size, but wait, maybe the Darwin store does. It does! And now my dad will pick one up for me and a friend from work, and he will send it down to us out of the kindness of his heart.

He doesn't know this yet, but it will happen. Hey dad, I'll call you in a few, ok? We'll chat.

First Car

2009-06-05T21:58:00.002+09:30

Today I officially took possession of my first car. I have a feeling my car's name may be Jack or perhaps Jackie but this is yet to be established.

If anyone in the Adelaide/SA area needs a ride, I am totally up for it! Wanna go get dinner? I'll drive! Need me to pick you up after a big night out? I'm there. I estimate this will last approximately a week, or until I realise that a car, unlike a scooter, does not in fact cost five dollars to fill up.

Phrasebook-Writing Heroes

2009-06-04T12:34:00.000+09:30

Cathy from Work (who I'm sure I gave some cleverly-disguised nickname once upon a time, which I now can't remember, so Cathy it is) is going to Europe later in the year, and is naturally very excited about all this. Considering I work in a bookshop which is currently giving away free copies of a French phrasebook, the ideal going-away pumping-up tool seemed obvious.

It was hilarious to read what the writers felt were necessary phrases to be able to say should one find themselves in a foreign country.

Condoms, pregnancy tests, drag queens, and "discos" (hee) all made an appearance, but my favourite came a the end of page filled with "Do you come here often?" "Will you walk me home?" "I like you" "Let's make love" "Do you like this?" Yes, that is nice" "No, stop!"-type phrases.

"Never mind, I'll do it myself."

That is one self-sufficient traveller right there.

Ultimate Heroes

2009-06-03T23:54:00.000+09:30

Unfortunately lost our Ultimate grand final, but my cleats did awesomely, and I got a catch and an assist. Yay Ultimate!

Heroes Of The Roads

2009-06-02T19:06:00.005+09:30

Today at work my Crazy Manager was all, "I hope my tire isn't flat when I go home" and "It was on a lean" and "I noticed when I went to get petrol last night." Dude, last night? You went to get petrol, your car was on a lean, and you didn't feel the need to pump up your tires?

Turns out, she'd never done it before, and since my hero of a father forced me to learn how to pump up and change car tires the second I got my Ls, I could be the hero of modern women everyone by spreading the independence a little and teaching her how.

(Not to mention she got to be my hero by driving me home instead of me having to catch the bus then walk from Marion in the cold and the rain and the dark.)

Then on the way home we were stopped at some lights when we saw a car heroically not run over an old man, and cause a three-car rear-ending for his trouble.

PS: Today I bought a car and I will get it on Friday. Emma-From-Work (who is selling her car to me) is my hero!

NaBloPoMo June: Heroes

2009-06-01T17:28:00.002+09:30

I don't even remember how to - oh! So you press these little things here with the letters on them on and - hey! Words on the screen! That's just amazing.

Day One of NaBloPoMo for June 2009. (This should in no way indicate to you that there will be any subsequent days of NaBloPoMo for June 2009 or indeed any other month.) The theme is "Heroes" and your time starts ... now.

Heroes is an awesome tv show. At least it was. I'm not so sure now but I think it still might be. The guys are still hot, so that's cool. Season One was completely brilliant, and at the time it was one of the best shows on tv. Save the cheerleader, save the world. The show had a focus, the characters had goals, and the massive cast was, for the most part, awesome.

Season Two, not so much, and in fact I think I might have blocked most of it out as not much is springing to mind. I think there were some good ideas that didn't really come off and some bad (read: boring) plots that went on faaar too long.

And Season Three. Some flashes of the old Heroes I thought. (The parking garage in the ice was CLASSIC.) Claire's hair? Dude, ew. The ending? Weak, guys. Be man enough to actually kill someone if you're going to, as we all know it's not going to stick.

I have high hopes for Season Four, but Heroes, you better get your act together. A clearly defined mission, a little continuity, make rules for your mythology and stick to them, and I'd totally appreciate it. Cos I love you.