2009 - a quick sketch

That time of year has steamrolled round again, when I find myself floating in clientless space with the internet at my disposal and a tendency for reflection. So after a little snooping about in the back of people's Facebook cupboards or under their Flickr beds, I've once again cobbled together some of the highlights of this, the 12th year of the potent SRF.

We started with the usual heady mix of good things that NYE brings



for many, with overrated views of underwhelming fireworks:

With the new year, we took part in the rituals of matrimony

as John got his lovely bride.

2009 - a quick sketch (cont)

After much pacing and gender speculation and excellent name suggestions, the Fluppy arrived!

got dunked

and quickly stole some SRF hearts

2009 - a quick sketch (cont)

Some of our other landmarks included the end of study

localisation

betrothal

and weddings of more loved ones.

2009 - a quick sketch (cont)

We indulged some of our abundant talents, both cultural

and physical

And what year would be complete without embracing the great outdoors for a spot of rugged camping?

2009 - a quick sketch (cont)

Notables not captured pictorially by social networking sites (or perhaps by the loose dragnet that is my NYE research) include

the birth of the Five Hundred Showdown
the death of the Gordon commute
the happy marriage of alfresco cinema to the HOC backyard
and our amicable divorce from the SFF

There were cocktails and beach trips and ski trips. There were new jobs and new homes and new shoes. The Swannies came THIS CLOSE to beating St Kilda. We all got a little older, a little richer and forgot a little more of what we learned at uni.

SO with only hours left of 2009, it's time for me to sign off and get on with it.

Here's to good things to come in 2010.

Over and out,
your Evil Blog Administrator.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS SRF!

I hope your hearts are filled with joy.

from your Evil Blog Administrator

Goldilocks Zone

Can't remember who i was arguing with about this - but whoever you are you looked at me crazy like when i said the area that life could inhabit was called the Goldilocks Zone.

I'm going with NASA on this.

Happy Birthday Noodle!

Happy Birthday Shari!

I love Christmas

but not that much.

Or maybe I do? Hmmm....

SRF Pre-Chrissie Fanciness

When: This Friday night

Time: 7:30pm

Where: Low302

Wear: Party frock or schmick manly getup

What: Merry toasting & greedy tasting

Why: Because it doesn't hurt to scrub up every now and then

Who: Jenny & Alex, John & Shari, Nicolai & Mattwa, Jeff, Renae, Carmel, Sarah & Noodle

Who else: ? Let me know if someone else is coming

Cost: $26 a head, plus whatever you drink

Plus: if you can't make it afterall, LET ME KNOW so I don't have to on-charge you your $10

Movie Trailer of the Morning

Bizzare Boredom Relief

These games are pure gold! if you have the time I reccommend you try one (or more...they are seriously addictive) if only for the final engrish comments when you win... such as...

"The katydid that awoke by a sweet smell is a surprise at cake
in the presence and a lot of cakes.
To terrify the katydid, the ant held the birthday association.
The katydid said, It was my birthday today.
It forgot completely apparently due to sickness.
And, everyone ate the cake"

hehehehe "to terrify the katydid the ant held the birthday association......" I think that means the ant held a suprise party for the katydid!

Muppets (no really)

Panic Attack

So apparently spending $300 and a hell of a lot of talent can get you noticed - This film maker it being touted as then Heir Apparent to District 9 guy. Anyhoo for very little cash think he has done an awesome job.

Friday Flashback

From 3 years ago when the Flitcrofts had a very different attitude to sleep. And sheep.

SRF event: Ladies Last Drinks '09

When: Saturday November 21

When specifically: To join the seat-warming contingent, coordinate with Carmel. Otherwise, 8ish.

Where: The Winery - Crown St, Surry Hills

Wear: Frocks and frippery

What: A final chance for idle girlie chit chat - about shopping, right ladies?

Architects, they're such jokers

SRF Event: Mattwa's Mexican Film Festival

OR

Tee hee heee! So the first film on the billing is actually Y Tu Mama Tambien, with nerry a gun fight in sight, but I was physically unable to resist this pun.

See also Desperado and maybe even a little Elvis or Chevy Chase.

At the HOC tomorrow night, BYO Mexican themed alcohol, guacamole & bushy but hilarious moustache.

The current SMH main headline

is about the Twitter response to the end of Rove Live.


ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! Reporting on tweets about a TV show? Not even a TV show about a controversial issue! A show about fart jokes and tour plugs. This makes me TWITCH with outrage. WHERE HAVE ALL THE JOURNALISTS GONE?!!!

How does my garden grow?

Look at this:



After our chili plant tragically succumbed to dehydration recently, we have had to resort to the plastic-wrapped Coles varietals. But these lovely little green shoots have magically* appeared from a tub of dirt and a Tequila-induced burial of a chili therein.

They're only about a centimetre tall, so there's a while to go, but it is very exciting!

* I do realise that plants don't grow by magic but it still seems amazing to me that from a little shriveled seed buried in dirt, come beautiful green leaves! And eventually (depending on whether I remember to water them) even stuff you can eat! Pretty close to magic in my book.

Good luck for tomorrow Noodle!

Just because I love this picture

taken in woollongong after the big ride....

Hear hear!

Seems I missed a veritable buffet of article quoting over the last week or so.

I don't think this will spark any debate - maybe just a bit of eye rolling, but my righteous agitation, knee slapping and "amen sister!" had nowhere to go when I first read this and looked up from my paper for a high five:

The carnivore's dilemma

I know! Right?!

Sydney to the Gong

We made it! WOOT!

Here are some pics for those of you not on bookface.

At the start

French chic

At the summit

The SRF after a killer hill

At the finish line

Sam and John

Thanks support group!

Avoiding the long ride home

The weather was glorious, the ride truly awesome, the scenery beautiful. Team SRF raised over $9,000, and there was some delicious food waiting for us at the end, courtesy of the fabulous support group. Hurrah!

cx

To stir the pot a little

From limited research whilst eating my cereal

Annual Bicycle related death

Denmark 200

Australia 41

Per 100,000 persons

Denmark 3.647

Australia 0.195

In Australia the Death rate halved with the introduction of Helmets. But still 1/3 of deaths occur with people not wearing helmets, and 1/2 of deaths for men age between 10-19.

Copenhagen has increased it cycling rate but overall cycling is down 30% in Denmark with Danes travelling 900,000,000 less km by bike now then what they did in 1990. Unfortunately I can't find KM info on Australia but the good news is bikes are selling more units then cars (over a million a year).

Debate

Young and beautiful girls

Sorry to be spruiking news and current affairs yet again, but did anyone catch Foreign Correspondent last night?

In amongst boring stuff about wind farms were some golden quotes about cycling...

There’s not a hard core, lycra clad mountain biker to be seen, just commuters in street clothes, riding old fashioned rattlers, who aren’t at all deterred by the inclement Nordic weather.

It’s part of policy to have a more lively city, a safer city, a more sustainable city and a city offering more healthy lifestyles.

Authorities don’t dare make helmets compulsory... If we make it compulsory, every third of all the bicyclists will not be bicycling because there are so many small trips where you wouldn’t bother. There are so many young and beautiful girls who wouldn’t like to have a silly helmet on.

Hear hear! Love those Danes!

New Matilda vs Miranda

Nicely said from New Matilda:

As the newspaper business model heads south, though, we've been subjected to the rise of what we might christen the "trollumnist" — the writer who simply "trolls" in a multichannel, multimedia environment. And the erstwhile self-identification of papers like the Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian as quality outlets matters little in the attention economy: on the internet, no one knows you're a broadsheet. Whereas a true columnist might make controversial arguments or challenge common sense, trollumnists merely provoke outrage in order to sell papers, draw links and capture increasingly scarce reader attention. The beauty of it all is that it doesn't take much training to do it, and as media content goes, it's cheap as chips. Any fool can offend people given a reasonably prominent platform.

Sculpture by t' sea

Ay up chucks.

Sculpture by the sea has arrived in the Easter Suburbs, stretching from Tamarama to my fair Bondi.

Art, like

I was thinking if enough people fancied braving the ride out east, I could chuck a barbie (as I believe the locals term it) this Saturday afternoon, for some post-art refreshment.

Just a thought, let me know if you're interested, like.

cx

Newtown Fair

Hi All - Newtown Fair on Sunday - I'll be dropping by for work as we have a stall - Please come and join me!

They're coming...

In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... The A-Team.



Who else is excited?

cx

Looking to replace that train picture Matt?

If anyone feels that they have entered an art-collecting phase of their lives (and are confident enough of NOT being entirely hung-over on Saturday), come along to Art Sydney at Fox Studios this Saturday.



Tix are $20 for 2 if pre-bought. Thorpie might (or might not) be there.

2009 MS Ride to the Gong

Only 10 days to go until the big ride! If you or your loved ones would like to sponsor us, or you'd just like to see how we're going, you can check it out at http://register.gongride.org.au/?The+SRF .

We've almost hit the $6000 mark!

Happy Birthday Lady

A quick stroll down memory lane will lead you to the quite frightening experiment we conducted for your birthday 4 years ago, kindly documented by Mattwa here.

Enjoy!

THANKYOU

to the Flitcrofts, Nicolai, Mattwa, Jeff, Jenny & Alex.

Your help was absolutely wonderful. A special loaf of gratitude fresh from the oven to the sofa boys – Flit getting it out of Ridge St and Nicolai, Mattwa and Jeff getting up that damned fire escape in Neutral Bay. MAGIC!

XXOO

Trans Domicile Fiesta!

Pleased to see dry skies ahead tomorrow when Noodle and I will ACTUALLY. MOVE. HOUSE. (Only two and a half months after taking possession. Yay?)

For those lovely people who have kindly volunteered themselves for a little healthy exercise and a chance to peruse our new investment, our plans will unfurl thusly:

We’ll have a our 2ton truck ready to start loading the big stuff from Gordon at about 9:30am. Once it’s full and we’ve loaded cars etc, we’ll head over to Neutral Bay and undo all our hard work by taking stuff back out of the truck and putting it inside, but this time in our little 2 bedder.

Guzzling pizza and beer while perched on boxes afterwards. Everyone loves a fiesta!

Quidong LWE camping and veranda raising‏

Perhaps a little strangely, this is the only photo I got from the camping weekend:

Here, Jenny is stylishly pimping her best skimpily dressed, leather-clad ho.