The collected works of ScottyB

When you wait 18 months for something and you realise at the end of that time frame, what you’ve been waiting for just isn’t going to happen. Or at least it looks that way. And it simply isn’t worth waiting for anymore. You’ll be waiting forever, or you’ll miss out. So you give up on the whole idea of it, relegate it to the back of your mind and succumb to temptation. Its simply not going to happen, the powers-that-be have prevented you from taking hold and grasping it with both hands. So you do it. You buy that one DVD that just never seems to come down in price.

A couple of months ago, I bit the bullet and purchased Spider-Man 2. For a year and a half, it remained on the shelves everywhere. Stacks of copies, retailers had them littering the isles like it was going to be the most successful DVD of all time. It was one of the greatest movies of the comic-book conversion genre, so it wasn’t such a stretch to imagine this was possibility - but there was just one problem. The price tag. The cheapest I had ever seen the plain and simple, no-frills version was $40.99.

Too expensive for what was realistically, a 2 year old film.

Then one day, strolling though the DVD racks at Myer, I stumbled upon a Collectors Edition.

It included;
- Spider-Man 2 Collector’s Edition 2 disc set DVD
- High quality premium collectible packaging
- Exclusive Limited Edition portfolio of artwork - over 25 well know comic book artists created artwork inspired by ‘Spider-Man 2′ specifically for, and only available in this pack
- Concept to Screen Comparison’ Portfolio - view the transformation of various scenes from sketches and concepts to images from the final production
- Postcard Collection of ‘Spider-Man 2′ artwork - 5 postcards which feature original artwork used in the theatrical advertising campaign
- Spider-Man - No More’ Comic Book - reduced size reprinting of the original comic book in which Peter Parker decides to give up being Spider-Man

My jaw hit the floor and I owned it a few minutes later.

So imagine my dismay, just a couple of months later, when I see this appear on the EzyDVD website.

… Spider-Man 2.1 - Extended Edition (2 Disc Set) …

$17.83… Argh! And over 8 minutes of extra footage! How can one go through life not having seen all a movie can offer?! Especially when its Marvel comics’ Spiderman!

Is it crazy to re-buy a film you already own? I have done it once before when the Sin City - Recut And Extended (2 Disc Box Set) edition arrived. And it didn’t feel so bad then.

There’s film fanatic, there’s DVD enthusiast.. but does it ever cross the line into downright blasphemous DVD craziness?

Help me.

My name is ScottyB and I’m a DVDoholic.

Or as I’ve just come to realise after not being able to find it on IMDB, its also known as Lucky Number Slevin in the US.

Straight up, I’m going to come out and say this is a great movie. Actually, its an awesome movie. I’d even go so far as to say this is in my top ten movies of all time.

“After landing in the wrong place at the wrong time, Slevin (Josh Hartnett) must kill The Rabbi’s (Ben Kingsley) son to scratch a $96,000 debt to The Boss (Morgan Freeman) and pay off $33,000 to The Rabbi. He can’t go to the police and he can’t leave the city. On top of all this, behind the scene’s Mr. Smith aka Mr. Goodkat (Bruce Willis) is secretly plotting to kill Slevin.”

It feels like Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, but it acts like Sin City. Josh Hartnett’s portrayal of Slevin as the ‘wrong place, wrong time’ man in this film was outstanding; from the sly looks to the sarcastic comments and smart-ass remarks. Bruce Willis is his usual brilliant self - a flawless performance; and you simply can’t get over how cool he is in this. Nearly every time he was on screen, I had to grin. Awesome. An excellent supporting cast of Morgan Freeman - engineering the madness, Ben Kingsley, Lucy Liu and Stanley Tucci just cements how wicked this film is.

It has been a while since I’ve watched something so slick. And even longer since I’ve been completely in the dark about an ending. The twists and turns are incredible and the finale is jaw-droppingly unbelievable.

The Boss: “I bet it was that mouth that got you that nose.”

Lindsey: “What happen to your nose?”
Slevin Kelevra: “I used it to break some guy’s fist.”

Lindsey: “I was thinking that if you’re still alive when I get back from work tonight… maybe we could go out to dinner or something?”

A superb film.

…

Friday came and went like it does every week, quickly and with the minimal of fuss. Why do Fridays go so fast? Everyone I deal with at work seems in weekend mode and nobody can be bothered creating more work for themselves as its only going to have to be carried over to Monday anyway. Why start it on Friday when it can only be finished on Monday? The prelude to the weekend, the third day of the weekend that’s still a work day.

A beautiful day that ended in spending time with a beautiful woman.

I’ve always considered myself a bit of a romantic, I love sunset walks and watching the stars and just holding hands. Planning new and spontaneous ways to surprise a loved one is a great way to devote your time, the power of imagination and the willingness to let yourself just go with the flow. So instead of the usual fancy restaurant dining on Beaumont Street, the elegant ballroom dancing session, the midnight fireworks, the picnic atop a rainforest lookout or the hot-air balloon ride over Autumn’s divine, I went for something a little more unpredictable last night. We went shopping for chocolates, chips and lollies at Kotara Woolworths before watching a film.

‘Tis the little details that maketh the man.

… would this be sitting in your lounge room or bedroom?!

The ‘Transport’, an egg-shaped fiberglass vessel outfitted with speakers and an array of light-emitting diodes. Mr. Frias, its designer, described it as a “perceptual pod.”

Whatever that means.

Regardless, I think it looks awesome. Does anyone remember those egg chairs? They were like all the hype after they appeared in the Men in Black film and suddenly it was super-cool and all futuristic to have one of them in your house?! Well this is just like those egg chairs. Except this thing hasn’t become famous yet. It just needs to feature in a cool film and you’ll see them everywhere.

At a retail of around $12,000 USD they’re probably a little out of my league, especially as far as optional furniture goes. Ah well.. one can dream eh?

And then there’s always the ultimate in lay-z-boy furniture, the Wave Chaise…

I can just see me sprawled out on that thing, watching the F1 in wide screen goodness. Oh yeah.

…

In other news, the Cockatoo’s were back in force today. I saw about 50 of them on the way to work this morning, the flock of them terrorising the water front just down the end of my street. This afternoon, the regular crowd was around the backyard awaiting their feed. Gramps (or the sick one) was around too.. looking as disheveled as ever. Poor thing. I managed to get the camera out in time to catch a couple leaving. The lighting wasn’t right, but I wanted to try a motion shot - so tried 1/125th at f5.6 (ISO400) and got this.

The other one in the sequence wasn’t worthy of mention though. Oh wait, I just mentioned it didn’t I? Well.. it wasn’t brilliant.

Elders Weather Australia
Temperature 24.9°.
Relative humidity 29%.
A cool breeze blowing at 16-26km/h from the West.

Perfect right?

Apparently not. Because sitting here right now, the office is sealed up, doors and windows closed - blocking what would be fresh air, a lovely breeze and perfectly moderate temperature from permeating the confines of this tiny space.

How anyone can prefer the cold, stale, artificial feel of recycled air directed right on their back to the fresh, real, surrounding feeling of a perfectly lovely Autumn day, I’ll never know. The concept eludes me.

So the air-conditioner runs all day long, consuming power and being noisy, keeping the room at an artificial 22°C… yup - a whole 2.9°C cooler than it is without air-conditioning. And apparently this is necessary or someone in the office would seemingly melt or be unable to cope with work in such a harsh climatic condition that the extra 2.9°C brings.

Its amazing really. To consider that 25°C is such an intolerable hell. Outside right now, I’m looking at plumes of fire erupting from the bowels of the Earth, magmatic lava flows oozing down the roads.. the trees - this morning, green and luscious - now reduced to smouldering piles of wood and charcoal.

People too are unable to move about without protective suits, the raw heat and blazing Sun forcing people indoors to the safe confines of their 22°C air conditioned homes and offices - where icicles grow from the ceilings, liquid water snap freezes before it emerged from the taps and the air is so cold it stings your eyes and corrupts your body with frostbite.

Some people must think this is a reasonable observation of the extreme variation we are forced to endure. For it requires air-conditioning all day to maintain a 2.9°C difference that is all important to the survival of ones self.

Right now I can walk outside the office and can barely feel the difference. The air outside just tastes better.

Lunacy.

How one survives in the middle of our harsh Summer in the midst of 45°C heat, I’ll never know.

Ricky Bobby: “Susan, I’ve never heard you talk like that… Are we about to get it on? Because I’m as hard as a diamond in an ice storm right now.”

Ricky Bobby: “This is awesome.”
Susan: “Yes, it is.”
Ricky Bobby: “Are you climbing on the table right now?”
Susan: “Yes, sir.”
Ricky Bobby: “I can’t believe this. This is like that Whitesnake video where the girl crawls on– Yeah, just like that. What’s her name?”
Susan: “Tawny Kitaen.”
Ricky Bobby: “Yeah, Tawny Kitaen.”
Susan: “She’s really good. She’s great.”
Ricky Bobby: “She’s fantastic. Everyone, turn away. Things are gonna get crazy. We’re gonna make animal noises.”

My new word of the moment; Awesome.

Awesome was one of those words that seemed to go out of fashion many years ago in the school yards and became a subject of ridicule to those who dared continue its usage. I don’t know why this happened, but I guess I also never understood why Tamagotchis were all the rage one minute, then totally out of fashion less than a week later.

At one time, it was also cool to bring along your yo-yo’s and show off the ‘taking the dog for a walk’ trick. By the time I had mustered up enough pocket-money to buy a good yo-yo, you guessed it, they were out of fashion too.

I guess its the same thing with words; that ever-changing, fast-paced cycle of acceptance some strive to in school. To follow the trends, to be cool, to ‘fit in’, whatever that means.

Similarly, ‘awesome’ has suddenly become popular again. Like Bubble Skirts and really big sunglasses. Except that awesome is a more practical alternative to the fads and phases. It doesn’t cost you money, it doesn’t have a designer label attached, making it cost even more money - and you won’t look back in 5 or 10 years and go ‘haha.. how goofy did I look back then!’.

You could credit its sudden uprising in mainstream usage to Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby because of Will Ferrells expert usage of the word numerous times throughout the film. I’d go so far as to say this film has become a cult classic long before it has reached the ‘classic’ status.

So far, this week has been pretty awesome. In fact, so far, this year has been pretty awesome. I celebrated New Years Eve with someone special - for the first time in almost 4 years I wasn’t feeling completely alone. 2007 is a sensational year for films. I’ve lost count the number of movies I have seen and want to go see this year. Some of which I’ve been waiting almost two years for. The Formula One season has begun. And while its a completely overused and almost always exaggerated phrase, it looks to be potentially the most exciting season we’ve seen in ages. And Hasbro has won an exclusive contract with Marvel to produce their toys - and I’m reaping the benefits.

Last night Kate came around and we watched Children of Men.

This film had quite a bit of hype surrounding it on its release. The trailer looked great, the reviews were mixed.

Now I can see why. I guess I went in envisioning a completely different futuristic platform to the film’s base. Not the post-war/post-chaos/fall-of-man backdrop of its reality. It was a dark film - though that much I had expected from the trailers and reviews. And the ending was very abrupt but this served to give it an atmospheric finale and thinking about it, you really couldn’t have ended it a better way.

Clive Owen was great in the lead role. I’ve really seen some great work from him recently; Children of Men about topping it off as his best effort yet. And Sir Michael Caine’s part was just fantastic.. hilarity and bright character through the depression.

Definitely one to watch.

Stumbled upon this little (or rather large) piece of collectible this evening.

Awesome..

Some research later, I found out that only 250 were produced and all were sold. Shame. Though to be brutally honest, I can think of much more worthwhile ways to spend $400 odd. However, knowing me and my impulse buying on items like this, it would have ended up in the post on the way to me, with my bank balance taking an unnecessary dent. I guess its for the best that the stock had gone.

Or so one would think… the related items told a very different and an even more awesome prospect…

*sigh*

Too much to collect, not enough money to discard.

On a slightly more realistic note, I found out that the Superhero Squad collection I have recently purchased has (or is soon to be) expanded.. I have all of Marvel set 1 and Spiderman set 1. According to THIS SITE there is a SET 2 already out, and a third and fourth set in the pipeline for April and May! Thankfully they are little novelty items and affordable ones at that… I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for these little gems to appear in the shops. Starting my own little Marvel force here I am..

Roll on next month when I have an extra room to expand into and there’s somewhere to display all of this stuff!

Heeeey! Shoosh! Shhhhh… SHOOSH!

Usually the lead out of the majority of my sarcastically constructed sentences during phone conversations. Or any sentence for that matter. And a large percentage of comments in real life. The latter is less only because there is the added risk of physical repercussions.

The ability to be sarcastic over the phone will - eventually - prompt the ’shoosh’ response. Those that do not see eye-to-eye with sarcasm, or do not fully understand the true extent of its superiority to regular methods of conversation, will frequently be forced to fire a cold, cutting ’shoosh’ at the offender.

Serial offenders of sarcasm however, are conditioned to this response. They may even at times receive a ‘Shut it Scotty!’ or worse.. the dreaded ‘flipping-the-bird’ emoticon. These retorts are quickly brushed aside and the return to regular sarcastic programming is always imminent.

Confidence recharged, a barrage of sarcasm is always waiting just around the corner for its unsuspecting victim.

While the ‘Shoosh’ or the ‘Shut it Scotty’ are short-term solutions to this rapidly spreading problem, in the end, sarcasm will always win.

Sarcasm is a timeless classic, the craziest perspective and the the most muppet of the standpoints one can take.

With such a list of accolades, how could anyone be confused or offended by any of the forms and guises sarcasm comes in?

On a completely unrelated note; up until today, I never realised it was possible to be sexy just blowing out candles.

Well that time of year is upon us once more.

In the past, this really has made little difference in the scheme of things - you lost an hours sleep, you gained an hours sleep.. and the effect had completely worn off after a day or so anyway. You hardly noticed it in the real world, it was just one of those silly annoyances you put up with when it changed. You adjust and you move on.

However, since joining MINI2, all that has changed.

I’ve come to know mates - great friends that I have bantered with for years now - that just happen to reside in England. Thereby making Daylight Savings that crippling bit more important. The clocks roll back (and forwards for my UK mates) and as a result, we are put at a combined two hours apart. It doesn’t sound so terrible, but the reality of the situation is; when I wake up, they are going to bed. When I’m going to bed, they are waking up or going to work.

And I miss the daily routine, the conversations, the banter, the muppetry and the innuendos. I wake up and the discussions have finished. The last posts littering threads are ‘goodnight’ and ‘goodbye’.

In 1784, Benjamin Franklin published a satirical essay urging Parisians to save money by getting up earlier to use morning sunlight, thereby burning fewer candles in the evening. Franklin did not mention daylight saving time however - he did not propose that clock time be changed. His letter was in the spirit of his earlier proverb “Early to bed and early to rise / Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

This year I’m going to try and get to bed earlier; try and wake up earlier. Hell, I used to do it all the time - back in the day when I was still on dial-up and would get a killer connection in the morning. Back when I used to play Quake with mates overseas and needed better than a 400 ping average to have any chance of landing a frag. Surely it can’t be that hard to change a stubborn body-clock twice a year?

Bloody Daylight Savings Time..

I’ll miss you lot. Roll on October.

After finally managing to pry myself out of bed - and then the next leap - out of my room, I decided that some lunch out would be a good idea. And a bit of shopping couldn’t hurt either.

Rainy days are always good for shopping. Especially rainy Sundays.

Usually I’m the get in, *grab*, get-out sort of shopper. I don’t like shopping centres the least bit. I hate people that live in their own little dream world, stopping flat in the middle of busy walkways, and standing on escalators like they’re the newest rides at an amusement park. I go there in the complete knowledge of why I’m going and exactly what I’m getting and sometimes I’ve even rung beforehand to make sure what I want will be there waiting for me when I get there.

However, in my old age, I have mellowed somewhat.

I occasionally stop when I see big boxes with variations of the phrase ‘DVD sale’ on the sides. I even go to the trouble of sorting through the entire box to see if my favourite classic film is there on sale for $4.95 or if that new release has finally dropped to a more realistic price, allowing me to add it to my fast-growing collection.

The biggest exception to my rule though, is a rainy Sunday. The one time where most people go ‘Meh, bugger it’. And stay home.

The one time where I go ‘Wooo! Lets do it!’. And head to the shops. I love driving in the rain.

Today I knew exactly what I was after. Some of you will already know that my Marvel Comics obsessed eyes spotted these little gems at Toys ‘R’ Us the other day.

And in my ‘3-year old hiding in a 23-year olds body’ state, I simply had to buy them. All. Though imagine my dismay when my all-time favourite Marvel character - Spiderman, wasn’t included in any of the packs.

Cue some internet research and once again, bowing down to the mighty juggernaut that is Google Search, what should my keywords turn up? Exactly what I was looking for.

Without further adieu, I proceeded to the Target checkout with all four packs in hand, a girlfriend chuckling at my inner-child (and deciding, or rather being indecisive on the purchase of a new desk lamp) by my side. You know you’ve found someone special when they support your purchase of toys designed for a 3 year old.

Hell, I couldn’t afford them when I was 3 right? So who says I can’t have them now?

After a solid lunch of KFC Twister(s) and some driving in the rain later (did I mention I love driving in the rain?) I found myself at home again, with a phone ringing.

On the other end was a completely unintelligible voice, merely laughing through the copper wires and doing a fine job of being totally incomprehensible with a suitably half-baked plan that was busy being cooked up about half-an-hour South of my position. This plan would involve bowling and dinner. It also meant I would get to drive in the rain again. And I’d get to see my really good mates from the local MINI-gang. Naturally, I had to accept the half-bakedness and join them on their adventure.

Oh how I love bowling. In what can only be described as the comeback of the century, I came from a dead last, gutter-ball ridden start - with what Kerrie diagnosed as a sexually-frustrated, pre-occupied mind, to finish third with a clear conscience and mind pure of thought. I had ascended to the upper echelon, cleansed my spirit of the impurities of gutter-thoughts and returned to the smoky, waxed floor world of goofy shoes and stale air to stage the bowling recovery of a lifetime. One that will be talked about at Warners Bay Super-Strike for years to come.

I finished on a grand-total of 80.

Immediately after, we looked for a dinner spot. We sat down only to be greeted with some horrific, Country-esque music being unreasonably blasted through a cheap, over-driven sound system. We left.

Headed to Beaumont Street and dined on some fine Hog’s Breath Cafe meals and finished the night off with some skipping down the main street to Cold Rock ice cream parlour, a rendezvous with a NEW new (R56) MINI - cool - and some fine chat amongst friends.

And that’s pretty much my Sunday wrapped up. So much for a summary eh?

I really can’t stress how fantastic it is to wake up to a cold, rainy - some would say dreary and dismal - morning.

Those who disagree aren’t seeing the bigger picture. You endure a Summer, usually lasting for many months. Some days its hot. Other days its hot and humid. Some days its overcast and extremely humid. Most nights are uncomfortable. Some nights are almost unbearable. There are bush fires.

Sure, living in Australia, you do get used to it. Well - you expect it anyway. I don’t think you ever really enjoy sleeping in a pool of sweat or feeling an utter lack of energy on a boiling hot day. Or walking through the hazy, smoke-filled streets. Its an integral part of the Country I love so much and its just part of the climate, part of the feel.

The flip side is, it makes those cold, rainy days that much more satisfying.

I woke up, earlier than usual. And immediately I had to pull the blanket up. It had been months since I remember having to do this. Going to bed with only a sheet over me and waking up requiring the full warming-power of my big thick blanket. For an hour, the lazy bug set in and I just lay in bed, cozy and warm - the sound of the rain beating down on the roof just outside, the wind lashing against the eave-sheets and a distant rumble of thunder. So comforting and soooooo so pleasant.

It took a great deal of energy to pry myself out of bed. To stick my toe from beneath those warm confines into the cooler air outside and to take that first step towards the wardrobe to grab something warmer to put on than my boxers!

I really do hope this is the final setting in of Autumn/Winter.

More of those sort of mornings make ScottyB a happy boy

Yesterday afternoon I found Nemo.

Ever since seeing the hit Pixar/Disney film, I’ve wanted a big salt water aquarium. My mates family have one that is the corner-piece of their dining room - and it looks absolutely fantastic. This huge, curved glass job, with a black base and blue lighting, packed with some amazing fish that look straight out of the Great Barrier Reef - or Finding Nemo.

However, the outlay (of around $2000 for starter kits) is just a little bit too much - not to mention the fact that I’m still living at home in a little dog box of a room, so I wouldn’t really have anywhere to put it. And to add to all of that, its a massive responsibility; salt-water tanks are not the easiest to manage and require a great level of enthusiasm and care. Something realistically for later in life.

The solution was much simpler.

Nemo Pez dispenser!

My own little Nemo - one that requires no attention whatsoever and who’s initial outlay was only $3. Topping it all off, this version of Nemo even dispenses candies. Bonus!

Additionally, he survives just fine out of water

How to spend Friday night? The end of the week, the start of the rest and relaxation that is the weekend.

I always love Fridays because of that ‘final’ feeling.. they seem to go twice as fast as other days and you always get excited that the weekend is upon you.. two whole days to slip away from the nine-to-five and just concentrate on being yourself and doing what you want.

So after work, Kate and I got together for a picnic on the Lake.

… The picnic basket.

Full of tasty breads, ham, chicken, lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese and the drink of Champions - the mighty Coca-Cola, which I managed to spill inside the basket, not realising that the entire balance of said basket relied on the fact that my half-full cup remained in there.

… Beautiful dusk at Lake Macquarie.

As always the colours were amazing.. we came over the hill at Kotara and the colours were sensational, deep oranges and reds.. Autumn colours at their greatest. We didn’t make it to the Lakeside in time for snaps of the Sunset itself, but the palette was just as beautiful afterwards.

… Yummy ham roll!

Its fair to say that Kate can make a good sandwich. Yum! She also took time to act out a rendition for the new Coca-Cola advertisement…

… Welcome to the Coke side of life.

We managed to get a few photos before it got too dark to get a focus. I’ve realised too how heavy the EOS 300D is when its loaded with the battery pack and held at an arms-reach for 30 or 40 clicks.

Kate decided that it would be a good idea to feed a lone Seagull. Who was then joined by a friend. As they both bickered over who would get the stray pieces of chicken Kate was throwing them, she decided it would be a good idea to throw out even more food to them. So within minutes we were surrounded by a small army of Seagulls, all becoming quite vocal at the apparent lack of food to go around and Kate’s unwillingness to give them the entire remainder of our supplies. We survived, relatively unscathed - though Kate was quite dismayed at the birds’ disregard for ‘eating their own kind’.

One last shot before the mosquito population invaded; we had to wave the white flag and retreat to the safe zone of the MINI.

Off to watch some movies, play some Uno and pig out on Salt & Vinegar chips and Chocolates.

Then returning home and posting on M2 until all hours of the morning with my mates from across the other side of the globe.

Friday nights have never been as good.

Tonight I asked myself if back tickles - or a lack thereof - could cause back ache.

Is it plausible that due to an absence, or poor offering of the regular back tickles that accompany a movie viewing, you as the ticklee could cause the tickled to somehow be so disoriented and confused by the absence of this normally guaranteed procedure, as to cause discomfort to the point of pain?

At the mere mention of this concept, I was shooshed - a quite regular response to my typical sarcastic behaviour and train of thought - however, as my mind further delved into this unusual and quirky dilemma, I realised that there may indeed be some genuine substantiating evidence to support this theory.

What exactly that substantiating evidence is I’m not too sure yet, but what I do know is the two; back tickles and back ache are related. And not just because they both have the word ‘back’ in them either. It is possible that back tickles relax the muscles - so the absense of them causes the muscles to tense up which eventually leads to back pain. Maybe its a rhythmic, massage-like treatment for the muscles of the back… and without it, all hope is lost.

Well maybe its not that dramatic.

On the topic of dramatic, tonight I watched a film called The Covenant.

A thriller/action flick which reminded me quite a bit of The Craft. Generally The Covenant received pretty bad reviews, but was well received by forum dwellers, so I decided to give it a go. It doesn’t really rank in there with the ‘teen-flick’ category despite the audience its aimed at.. I found it a little bit darker - also interesting considering the PG-13 rating.

Regardless, it was a pretty easy flick to watch; not boring, enough of a story to keep you interested and even guessing. A few funny moments, a bit of eye-candy in the way of special effects (the crash and the spider scene were favourites.. quite impressive) and I’ll probably end up watching it again some time.

Hard to believe its Friday already. These weeks really do fly.

I’ve always been a fan of rasterbation.  Ever since I first stumbled upon an instructional guide on it, I’ve been rasterbating quite regularly. I’d rasterbate whenever I felt the need. I would rasterbate when I needed a change and I have even rasterbated for my friends. Lately I’ve been doing a lot more of it.

Rasterbation is a good way to burn an hour or so. You can really lose yourself in the act.

You scour the internet for great pictures to Rasterbate too and when you finally find that one special picture.. you fire up Rasterbator and off you go.

Last year I had a 4×4 Rasterbation on my wall, Kimi in the McLaren for those of you from the M2 forums who may remember it. However, this year it needed an update. And this afternoon an update is exactly what I gave it.

A 6×5 (30-piece) Rasterbation - double-world drivers champion Fernando Alonso in the McLaren MP4-22,  with a few wheels airborne for effect.

The badly-lit photo on this dull afternoon doesn’t do it justice, but it is truly spectacular to behold.

Hooray for Rasterbation, I don’t know what I’d do without it.

Mother Nature isn’t messing around these days. When there’s rain about, its serious rain - none of that drizzle crap we have become so accustomed to over the last few years. Heavy, drenching rain soaking the plants to their roots and making rivers out of the roads.

Not long after I arrived home on what was another hot, humid, 30+ degree day, the skies turned dark and in came the storms.

Not that I’m complaining. Instantly the temperature dropped ten degrees and a cool breeze flew in through the windows.

There isn’t much more spectacular in nature than the storm; complete and utter turmoil in the skies, heavens opening, air buzzing and ground shaking. Its hard not to be impressed by the endless power of nature.

Monday isn’t my favourite day of the week - in fact, I assume that like most people, Monday ends up being the harsh jolt back into reality. The resuming of the corporate machine, back to the grind so to speak. So on a Monday morning, as I’m woken by the annoying bells of my mobile phone alarm and I instinctively pull the covers over my head, cursing the sound and feel of Monday morning like Garfield, I’d never have imagined the day could have turned out so nicely.

Work was relatively quiet, only the regular parts orders and quotations, just a mere handful of unanswerable questions, which were promptly redirected to the Melbourne office where they could be dealt with quickly, allowing me to resume the stuff I’m actually ‘officially’ employed to do and I even got the time in my lunch break to update the Photography page here which I’ve been meaning to do for a while now.

Driving home I realised (for the eleventy-billionth time now) how much I really love my car. The weather is cooling down now.. and she feels so much more eagre to pull through the rev range. The scoop madly sucking in more of the milder air, the supercharger inhaling it like a marathon runner and screaming back at me in excitement. It all just flows. Its a car that just works - everything comes together and it feels like the truest motoring experience.

Obsession madly needs a wash though, poor thing. Looks so unloved with the brake dust building up on the rims and the rain spots dotting its silver hide and black roof like freckles on a weathered face.

Somehow yesterday Kate managed to get lost between her place and the shops 3 minutes from my house, so we didn’t get to catch up - much to my dismay (and to hers no doubt) she didn’t get to watch any of the Formula 1 with me. I’m completely convinced that she was absolutely devastated about this, but I have assured her there are numerous other rounds this season that we could watch together and share what is the fantastic experience of F1. So enthused at this idea was Kate and overwhelmed by the pending excitement, she had no choice but to quickly change the subject - it was truly too much for her to deal with.

Today however, we made up for it. This evening to tell the truth. When we went out and saw Hot Fuzz.

I don’t know why, but for some reason I keep calling it Bad Crime. Which of course is the spoof TV show Shaun Micallef created for his critically tolerated ‘Micallef Pr(o)gram(me)’. Imagine the confusion when you ask for tickets to a movie that doesn’t exist.

Not in the least what I expected, but boy was I pleasantly surprised.

Have you ever fired two guns whilst jumping through the air?
No.
Have you ever fired one gun whilst jumping through the air?
No.
Ever been in a high-speed pursuit?
Yes, I have.
Have you ever fired a gun whilst in a high speed pursuit?
No!

Ah yes.. my kind of humour. Plus the movie references really tickled my fancy. And I totally want Danny’s DVD collection!

On a final note, the previews before Hot Fuzz have me excited once again for the next few months of movie-going.

The extended trailer for 300 was shown - I was barely able to contain my excitement. I think Kate thought I was having an attack of some sort. This was followed by an exciting showing of Shooter, the upcoming Marky Mark Wahlberg film - tremendous potential that flick has got if the shots were anything to go by. Oceans 13 is another I’m quite looking forward to. And one I’d never heard a word about until tonight - was Sunshine, a sci-fi/thriller about a team of astronauts sent to re-ignite the dying sun 50 years into the future. And the kid in me wants to go and see the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

I can see some money being well-spent very soon.

EDIT: *phew* - thank heavens for the Autosave feature! Timed out when I clicked publish, pressed back and the entire post was gone! Thankyou Mr. Technology.

Sunny skies, the sound of 19,000rpm, 11 teams, 22 drivers, 58 laps, 307.574 kilometres of the 2007 Melbourne GP. And I loved every bit of it.

As is usually the case, my heart-rate was up before the lights went out. Months had passed since I had witnessed this moment of the GP weekend. The culmination of winter testing, practice sessions, qualifying sessions all amalgamated right here in this one spectacular moment as you wait - eyes fixed on the little red lights above the start/finish line - for the beginning of the first race of the new F1 season.

So much has changed. The grid looks almost entirely different to last years. Rookie drivers, seasoned veterans in other cars, new colourful liveries, Bridgestone as far as the eye can see, my favourite driver sitting in a red car, my favourite team now working with a double world champion.

A day when Kimi Räikkönen, at the helm of the Ferrari F2007, in front of over 105,000 people, would take a dominant victory for the Italian squad - in doing so, making him the first Ferrari driver since Nigel Mansell in 1989 to win on his debut with the team. It was a victory long overdue for the Finn, who went without a win in the lackluster McLaren last year and it set the benchmark for the development and the competition this year.

However, McLaren have thus far answered back, cementing their position as the strong second placed team behind Ferrari with Fernando Alonso coming home with a 2nd place position and the rookie, Lewis Hamilton, running a solid race to pick up the final podium position for the Woking based squad. This excellent result on what was a refreshingly reliable weekend for McLaren-Mercedes means that they are currently leading the World Constructors Championship with 14 points to Ferrari’s 13.

Nick Heidfeld for the BMW Sauber team would eventually cross the line in 4th position. A fantastic result for the BMW team, showing leaps and bounds in performance after the winter testing season. He drove a solid race and brought home valuable points for the team.

Renault, surprisingly ended in the 5th position with Giancarlo Fisichella piloting the R27 across the line, salvaging what I thought from the outset, was going to be a dire weekend for the former World Constructor title holders. His team mate was not so lucky - Heikki Kovalainen back in 10th and making numerous mistakes on his race debut. Team boss Flavio Briatore expressing great dismay in his performance. Things can only go up from here for the rookie to the Renault squad.

Massa salvaged what could have been a horrible race - both for him and for Ferrari after a gearbox problem prevented him qualifying yesterday - and an engine change relegated him to the back of the grid today. The Brazilian made a stellar drive from last on the grid to 6th at the chequered flag.

Nico Rosberg sealed an encouraging 7th for the Williams squad - his team-mate, Alexander Wurz was not so lucky, narrowly avoiding a serious accident when David Couthard attempted an overly-optimistic move down the inside, which resulted in the Britons’ car slicing over Wurz’s Williams - mere centimeters from his helmet.

Toyota, surprisingly, finishing in the points with Ralf Schumacher closing out the Top 8. A good result for the Japanese outfit, especially considering where the pre-season testing had them showing.

…Race Results…

If anything is certain, 2007 is going to be a fresh, unpredictable season.

Only 3 weeks to go until Malaysia!

Welcome back F1.

Well watching it on the television anyway. I really wish I had gotten down there this year - so much unpredictability and excitement thus far.

…Practice 3 times…

Saturday Practice 3 was again a mix of times and teams, with one second covering the top 8 at the close of the session. Lewis Hamilton, described by Ron Dennis as having ‘Confidence, devoid of all arrogance’, once again showed some fine form to land in the 3rd spot and there was a surprise leap by Renault’s Giancarlo Fisichella into the 2nd spot. The front of the pack was again red, led by Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen with a blisteringly fast 1:26.064.

The surprise entry was Anthony Davidson posting a 1:26.491 to land him 4th in the times, just a mere 0.024 behind Hamilton’s McLaren. It was looking the real deal for Super Aguri, who have outpaced Honda most of the weekend with their adaptation of their parent teams’ old chassis.

Felipe Massa in the other Ferrari and Nick Heidfeld in the BMW followed closely behind - a mistake in the last quick lap attempt locking Fernando Alonso to 7th position. The top 8 was closed out by Heikki Kovalainen showing a little more promise for Renault.

…Qualifying Results…

Qualifying at 2pm was without a doubt, the most exciting session I have watched in ages. The coverage was sensational, the focus was on the right drivers at the right times and coupled with my watching the live timing unfold on the computer, it had my heart rate up for a good half-an-hour there.

The first session was clear in showing how close the field truly is this year. Light fuel loads and down just to driver ability, less than one second (yes, that is 1 second) covered the entire top 16 of the grid at completion. Kimi Raikkonen posted a 1:26.644, Lewis Hamilton posted a 1:26.674, Fernando Alonso posted a 1:26.697 and Felipe Massa posted a 1:26.712, separating the front runners by 0.068 seconds.

Rubens Barrichello, Scott Speed, David Coulthard, Vitantonio Liuzzi, Adrian Sutil and Christijan Albers were dropped at the conclusion of Q1.

Q2 began and the times dropped. Most of the front runners delving into the 1:25 time pool. Once again, Super Aguri showed their newfound strength with Takuma Sato holding position and cracking a top 10, Q3 Qualifying entrance for the first time in Super Aguri’s history. Times were exchanged to fractions of a second again, Fernando Alonso in the McLaren finishing the session on top with a cracking 1:25.326 - closely followed by Nick Heidfeld in the BMW with a very respectable 1:25.358.

Most susprisingly in Q2, was the retirement of Felipe Massa - his Ferrari uncharacteristically grinding to a halt as he set off for his fast lap. What was a critical gearbox failure meant that Massa would not continue through to the final qualifying session and would be relegated to position 16 on the grid for the race tomorrow.

So along with Felipe Massa’s retirement, Alexander Wurz, Jenson Button, Heikki Kovalainen, Nico Rosberg and Anthony Davidson would not make the cut for Q3.

Amazingly, the times and positions in Q3 were decided relatively early in the session, without the usual last minute flurry of position exchanges. It was only Nick Heidfeld jumping in at the last minute to split the McLarens that would mark the last big name change at the pointy end of the grid. Kimi Raikkonen dominated early and held P1 for the session, while positions 2, 3 and 4 were exchanged up until the last minute.

A surprising charge from Toyota has them in 8th and 9th on the grid. Giancarlo Fisichella’s Renault managed a lack-lustre 6th on the grid behind Robert Kubica’s late charge to 5th.

A 1:26.072 would be more than enough for Kimi Raikkonen in the Ferrari to grasp pole position for the first race of the 2007 Formula One season. He will be starting on the front row alongside Fernando Alonso in the McLaren. Row 2 will be made up of Nick Heidfeld, 3rd in the BMW and Lewis Hamilton, 4th in the McLaren.

The 2007 Formula One season got underway today in Melbourne.

The new Practice format means the sessions are extended out to 90 minutes each and in addition, they are not using race engines on Friday, so we have seen an incredible amount of action over the three hours today. Sensational stuff - a great rule change for F1 (for once) putting the fans and viewers first.

…Practice 1 times…

Session 1 began with a wet track, meaning some unusual topsy-turvy times but as the session progressed, the rain passed and the track dried out. The times came tumbling as all the teams pulled out the big guns right towards the tail end of the session. Fernando Alonso put in a last minute run to snatch the top spot away from Felipe Massa. The season was already shaping up to be a Ferrari versus McLaren battle.

…Practice 2 times…

The session began with exchanges between Ferrari and McLaren, with a few Ferrari have stepped in with a pretty convincing lock out of the front row with their 1-2 position in Practice 2. The most notable effort comes from Lewis Hamilton however, in P3. This bloke has talent. Fresh to F1, a rookie and his first outing in a race weekend environment and answers back at the critics with what was a near flawless drive and a great result.

Fisichella looked strong until unreliability struck and he was forced to park the car. BMW and Williams too were not too far off the pointy end of the grid. Fernando Alonso finished down in 7th position, but team manager Ron Dennis was quoted afterwards as saying his time was not indicative of true pace as they were running fuel and tyre simulation for the race environment. Quiet confidence - but we’ve seen that from McLaren before.

Super Aguri, no doubt much to the annoyance of Honda executives, had both cars finish ahead of their parent team. That will be an interesting post-practice meeting.

At the moment, it is still anyone’s game - nobody knows what fuel loads are being run, what simulations are carried out and as is usually the case with practice sessions, particularly on Friday, it could all be totally meaningless come Qualifying and Race day.

All I know is so far, its been a sensational opener to the Formula One season. Coverage runs for the three days and we are joined again by Murray Walker.

Going to be a long weekend sitting in front of the television.

Without Twisties as the motto goes.

You’d think that without twisties, everything would be simple - straight-forward. Black would be black, white would be white and women would have an instruction manual. Similarly a road would always be straight - sure it would be boring for us MINI drivers, but it would be uncomplicated and there would be much less margin for error.

Or so you’d think. Because as I type this, from my bedroom, facing out onto the perfectly straight piece of road that is my street, I can hear the all-too-familiar sounds of a car trying to drive out of someone’s front garden just up the road.

Apparently this piece of road - as straight as it is, with its impeccable visiblity - is difficult to negotiate.

I guess when you are a hoon, have Provisional plates on, or a few mates in the car, or a light showering of rain laying on the road (or any combination of the afore mentioned possibilities) throwing a roundabout at the top of the hill into the mix isn’t the best of ideas. Especially when said roundabout isn’t so much a roundabout at all; rather a painted white circle of ever-so-slightly raised tar in the middle of an intersection.

So as Michael Schumacher and Valentino Rossi come racing up the street fully intent on breaking last nights track record, they notice the roundabout - and subsequently decide to do either of two things:

• Continue along at top speed, not giving way to potential traffic from their left or right - possibly driving straight over the roundabout - and possibly losing control as the car/roadbike unsettles itself over the hump - which at speed seems like a jump ramp or
• Brake, check the coast is clear - and in the case of a rear-wheel drive car - proceed to lay down ‘x’ number of donuts around said roundabout. Either ending in a rapid, wheel-spinning acceleration down the road in continuation of their lap, or parking the car in someones front yard.

Tonight, the clever soul involved has decided to park his Mitsubishi Lancer backwards into the garden of the second house down from the roundabout.

Numerous complaints have been made recently by residents of my street. We even got a pamphlet in the mail about it. The unregistered dirt bikes shooting around at all hours of the day, the provisional licence holders that use the loop as their private testing circuit, the superbike riders who attempt to max their bikes out along the length of the road and the night-hawks that seem to be road-testing their new unregistered/garage modified race cars.

Initial response was sending out cop cars to the area. They patrolled during school zone times - when all they booked were doddering old people and Soccer Mums doing 45 kph in a 40 kph zone. While all the race car drivers were out at completely different hours and still perfectly able to proceed with Qualifying through the area at 200 kph in a 50 kph zone when Mr. Plod has gone home.

Eventually they may put speed humps in, but knowing local council, that could take a couple of years - and then a few months to complete the work once it has all been given the green-light, Occupational Health and Safety Meetings have been carried out and breakfast and smoko has finished.

Either that or all of the cars will end up in the front yard of the house up the road with bent rims and suspensions scattered across the gutter.

Life moves pretty fast.