one before unlucky

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

I get these crazy ideas every now & again to just walk places I've never walked before, so that's what I ended up doing last Sunday afternoon. After flicking through a copy of a South Australian Walking Trails guide, I realised I've never walked the length of the Torrens River as it winds through the city.

With the trusty camera handy, I took way too many photos but thankfully ended up with a few which are worth showing.

The obligatory panorama from the North side of the Torrens with the Festival Centre, Hyatt & Convention Centre all in shot.

The Convention Centre is quite an imposing feature along the River & the place is all the better for it. Actually this section between King William Street & Montefiore Road is a great place to relax & take everything in. Working on North Terrace, I can walk to the edge of the Torrens in a minute or two, but very rarely venture down. I think I feel guilty for escaping my basement office to enjoy the sunlight or maybe I just look like a dork walking along it in a tie!

The Popeye boats still putter up & down with very few people in them, so I don't know how they survive but like the Glenelg tram, they are icons.

I said I walked the length of the River & I did, but once you get past the Frome Road Bridge, it gets quite scrubby. It's still tranquil, but not very photogenic. However, there aren't too many places you can go & find a path like this in the middle of a city!

There is quite a bit of artwork along the path & some of it's rather good, while some is er.... not! There is one particular bit of art which deserves it's own post & I'll do that sometime soon.

These metal balls exist on a forecourt to the Festival Centre. I admit to never stopping to work out what it all means, but hey, they look cool & that does it for me!

All the above photos get bigger if you click on them & I've left a few more in the Gallery section which I might add to if I get a chance.

posted by elliott # 9:18 pm

Someone in the UK must have watched the Indianapolis 500 after searching for “are green cars unlucky?”.

Well, after everything, Yes. A green race car has never won at Indy & in the 89th running of the event, this little superstition continues to hold true. (Tony Kanaan gave it a shot, but finished 8th.)

I haven’t watched the Indy 500 for a number of years, mainly due to forgetting to tape it. The last time I saw any of it, was the disgraceful result when Paul Tracy was robbed of a legitimate win… not that I’m bitter or anything!

What a race this year’s was though! For the last 40 odd laps, even my folks were watching intently & that was after earlier telling me how boring it was going around in circles!

Australian’s don’t necessarily understand oval racing. An oval at Calder Park Raceway in Victoria used to host Nascar type events, but nothing which could catch any publicity, so the oval is now rarely used & Formula 1 becomes the only international open roof racing series broadcast with any fanfare.

I don’t know what caught my interest in what is primarily as United States series, but I love to sit & watch the tactics & the insane speeds at which it all takes place on high-banked ovals.

It would have been a great spectacle for Danica Patrick to have crossed the line in the coveted first position, but this time around fuel consumption got in the way. However, the publicity which followed her throughout May & each of the 200 race laps, will be even more prevalent next year & with even more experience, well, the celebration can only be huge!

After following the CART series since the late 80’s, it’s great to finally see Michael Andretti win his first 500, even though he left the driving to Dan Wheldon & jumped to the IRL series to do it.

I have seen some great Indy 500 races, but this year’s has to be one of the best. Therefore, I’ll resolve to never miss another Indy 500… unless I forget to tape it of course!

posted by elliott # 5:43 pm

Saturday, May 28, 2005

It's hard to look at the video footage of the Schapelle Corby verdict & not feel something. Whether it be anger, sadness, vindication or whatever.

I tried for an instance to put myself in her position, standing in the court room as someone determined what I would conceivably be doing for the next twenty years. The thought of being locked up for such a time is incomprehensible. A foreign place, no family, no friends, deplorable living conditions & the loss of all dignity, conjures some horrible thoughts. The alternative flashes across the mind pretty quickly & although it would cause suffering to so many, it would be hard not to consider at times.

So many people believe Schapelle is innocent & will serve a penalty for another's crime. I just don't know what to believe. There is a fair amount of evidence which has arisen which would give rise to reasonable doubt under our legal system, but I still have not seen (or has anyone else for that matter) undeniable proof that she was framed.

The Indonesian legal system does its job in very literal terms. The person who was in possession of the drugs was Schapelle at the time they were imported into the country & without finding a someone confessing to ownership, the responsibility lies at her feet. As was stated by one of the judges, the verdict would only be changed if the real perpetrator confessed & was presented.

It's an unusual system, but the subsequent deterrent to drug smuggling & in ensuring the personal security of luggage is massive!

posted by elliott # 10:42 pm

Thursday, May 26, 2005

As is the case with most people in Adelaide who walk along the city's streets, it's very easy to start accumulating sample packs of Fisherman's Friends.

I don't know a single person who has parted with cash to actually buy them & I certainly don't know anyone who would admit to enjoying them. Their recent flavour discovery has been "Apple Spice", which doesn't even sound appealing (think it through & there's a couple of puns!).

However, I need to confess that once you acquire the taste, they aren't that bad! You get over the initial hit of some freak bitter/sour combination, then they really do start to clear the nose & freshen the breath!

I can't believe I just confessed to this!!

posted by elliott # 3:48 pm

Monday, May 23, 2005

Back in March I raved about the awesome concert which Mark Knopfler played. I then recounted the horrible stories of losing the recording of the first half due to my inabilities to do secretive, technical things in total darkness.

I tried contacting people regarding cloning the table of contents (TOC) on a minidisc & even put a plea on this site. Despite a couple of suggestions & numerous emails, I lost hope when assistance was not forthcoming. I placed the disc in storage, silently hoping that by some miraculous event, the TOC would sort itself out. Fortunately, I'm not quite that delusional.

On Saturday night I had a quick search for documents pertaining to my sister's Sony MZ-N1 minidisc walkman. I found a technicians manual & hunted through the schematics with a couple of ideas.

The question is - "Is it possible to clone a minidisc using only the Sony MZ-N1 & not some expensive deck system?"

The answer is - Yes, yes it is possible, because the damn thing worked!

By placing a bit of foam rubber between a latch & the circuit board, it is possible to confuse the unit into believing a disc is still in it. Using a disc with one 80 minute track, you simply read that disc, eject it, place the 'to be fixed' disc in & simply rename it. The other disc's TOC is written & Bob's your Uncle, one cloned disc!

I know there are many poor souls who have suffered the same loss of content on a disc & for those who want more detail on how the above procedure can be done, flick me an email.

The result of this technical persistence, is I now have the first half of Mark's concert. It was well worth the effort!

posted by elliott # 12:10 pm

Friday, May 20, 2005

I'm once again going through the process of updating all the blogrolling links. It seems to be an ongoing battle of putting in new favourite blogs & removing the dead & buried entries.

I admit though, I haven't been all that proactive in hunting down new blogs. The Blog Explosion phenomenon has dwindled & those copying the format never really took off.

The Adelaide Blogs site has been reincarnated as the Adelaide Index & is far unlikely to sustain the abuse of the original. Does anyone actually know who put the new site together?! Kudos to them for a professional job!

In essence, I want to find some more great new blogs to add to the list & if you think a site is worthy, post a comment & I'll think about adding it. Owners of intensely political & mass marketing blogs need not apply!

By the way, whoever performed a search in the last hour or so for "blog+adelaide+guitar+work+hotel+finance" & then had a good look around, let me know if you found what you were after! I'm really curious!!

posted by elliott # 2:08 pm

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Along with a fellow colleague, we have the responsibility of running the footy tips for the current AFL season. I ran it last year as well because Finance seems to get the job along with all the IT jobs!?! (& no one is yet to explain why!)

Anyway, it's been running for seven weeks & after being midfield, I just managed to fluke all 8 tips in the last week, making me equal leader with a couple of others.

Now, because I'm running it, the accusations of cheating are rife, despite the fact my co-organiser led the competition for the first three weeks. Now his luck has run out & is sliding down the ladder, the questioning against him has ceased.

I'm writing this while feeling really shitty & venting without too much prior thought, but I'm quite close to walking up to the main accuser, dropping the tipping sheets, etc on their desk & pulling out of the game. It's a sport I don't watch, it takes up my time to sort it all out each week & I can assure you, that person will be the biggest whinger when the same happens to them. (They also happen to be an equal leader!)

posted by elliott # 12:09 pm

Sunday, May 15, 2005

I went to the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds on Friday, as evidenced in the following photo.

The show is actually a number of months away but a major discounter was having a sale within the grounds. The only reason I wanted to have a look were the tv ads claiming up to 90% off a whole heap of music gear from Fender, Gibson etc.

The search to find the music gear for sale took longer than looking through what they actually had for sale, which was complete crap. The only thing from any major brand was a really trashed second-hand Fender amp head & a stratocaster neck which was a clear forgery! (ironically; as I write this I can hear the commercial playing on the tv!) Anyone thinking of heading down to find a bargain should look elsewhere!

On the way back to my car I walked back between the pavilions & out through a gate to find people being turned away & told to walk around the perimiter of the grounds to find the other entrance. Seemed, since I was wearing a shirt & tie when I walked though, the staff thought I was working in setting up another event on the grounds & didn't question what I was doing! It would have saved me around 15-20 minutes of walking time!

Sometimes looking like a business person pays off!

posted by elliott # 4:27 pm

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

On my way to work, I drive past a second-hand store. As with most second hand retailers, you can see the crud from quite some distance & the smell, well, it normally permeates far beyond the confines of the store. Some people love rustling around at all the old stuff looking for hidden gems, but on the majority they just contain crap.

Anyway, the issue with this particular junk-store/second-hand retailer is a sign in the window sitting on a fire-truck red couch. It states something similar to -"Want it in a different colour? Enquire to place an order."

From my careful analysis, the couch holding the sign isn't new. I'm not an expert & maybe it's one of those new "distressed" couches, but if it's not, what does the sign mean?

My two possible solutions are; 1. Perhaps, you have to wait, possibly indefinitely for a couch in the same style & in the right colour to be dumped by it's current owner. 2. Maybe, it's a one time offer & they simply paint the couch on display the requested colour.

Any other ideas?

posted by elliott # 9:27 pm

Seems to me I get more hits when I don't write for a while. There might be a message in that somewhere!

posted by elliott # 9:25 pm

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Near my office is a room which contains the grease trap for the Hotel. 99.5% of the time, the door is closed & most of the staff who work downstairs don't actually know where the door leads.

Every couple of months, a contract company come in to pump it up to their truck for removal.

They just happen to be doing so at this very moment & it's taking a significant amount of effort just to breath. The light feeling in my head is also mildly disturbing, so I can't imagine what it's actually like being up close & personal with pumping process & I'm sure not about to walk in there & ask!

However, my question is; at what point in life do you come to the conclusion - "Hey man, I'm really good at pumping this shit!" - & take it on as a career!?!

posted by elliott # 11:58 am

Sunday, May 01, 2005

A few photos from a work day fresh air experience. I took a stroll past the War memorial after Monday's ANZAC day & down behind The Govenor's residence. I can't remember ever going this way before, but it's really quite tranquil near the Parade Grounds.

Here's a couple of shots from the walk back to work.

The last one there is the Railway Station before the afternoon rush hour.

I've realised I have hundreds of camera phone images on my hard drive. Some are good, most are crap. I might set up another page of those which are decent & see who can identify where they were taken!

posted by elliott # 7:39 pm

Yeah, okay… stop the nagging! I know it’s been a while since I blogged!

Okay, I know… no one really cared, but I can at least make myself feel important can’t I?

So what’s been going on? Well, There is so many people who have resigned from work over the last few weeks, most of my time has been spent either with farewell drinks in the bar, or trying to find some witty & meaningful comment to write in all the cards which cross my desk!

I’m still in the market for a new job & although I’ve actually only applied for one, it’s already made it back to my boss. I was called in to explain myself about why I wasn’t happy with my current job & why I should endeavor to make myself happy in the position. For the money I’m getting paid!?!, I don’t think it’s going to happen.

I eventually convinced her that I was in a dead-end & if something better came up, I would be absolutely stupid to not jump at the chance! The simple fact is, they will be in a bit of a spot if I disappear, but I keep offering to teach my role to the Financial Controller & it keeps getting knocked back. Have these people not heard of contingencies? Apparently not!

A couple of weeks ago I spent a day with my sister driving around to all the open inspections in nearby suburbs. My sister is currently renting, but the owner is selling the unit which will eventually result in her getting kicked out. Her search is a bit more urgent than mine, but gee, there is a huge range of places on the market for similar prices & it’s not a good thing!

We probably looked at around twenty properties & all within a $20k range of one another. Some were nicely presented but others were crap! One place had more dirt on the carpet than was in the backyard, & another you would literally have to gut inside due to the damage to the walls. In comparison, a place at the same price had three bedrooms, a massive family room, substantial backyard & a nine metre pool!! Unfortunately, the area it was in wasn’t too flash. After all the searching, which is surprisingly draining, I’m thankful I’m not in any rush to buy!

I’m seriously considering mixing the above two subjects, employment & home ownership by looking outside of Adelaide. It’s a huge step to take, but there are literally no positions going which are even appealing in this state. Sydney is really expensive, so it would have to be a really good paying job to coerce me & the same applies (to a lesser degree) in Melbourne. Hmmm… think I’m in a bit of a quandary at the moment.

posted by elliott # 7:36 pm

email

elliotte@senet.com.au

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Saturday, May 28, 2005

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Monday, May 23, 2005

Friday, May 20, 2005

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Sunday, May 15, 2005

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Sunday, May 01, 2005

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