I Love My Ring

The origins of the giving wedding rings goes back a long way. It is a symbol of love and commitment to each other.

But there are extra ways to be reminded of that special someone than the mere presence of the ring.

1. A callous has formed on my hand below my ring finger. It reminds me that marriage is hard work, but worth it.
2. Touching something metallic results in a clang. A ring from the ring that makes me think of my wife
3. Her rings sparkle more than mine but watching her admire them always makes me smile

Shopping For Blokes/Dummies

Shopping is not something that comes naturally to us blokes. This would especially be the case with shopping for clothes. If it were up to us we would get around in track pants and t-shirts everyday. While very comfortable these outfits don’t present you in your best light.

There are benefits of dressing well. It gives a good impression as it shows you want to look your best and that you take care of yourself. Looking more presentable to the opposite sex is not a bad by-product either.

But us blokes need some help. From someone who knows what looks good. Someone other than your mother as there comes a time when she shouldn’t be selecting your clothes. Although my options were scant until this year when I found Val.

Val is a friend I met a couple of years ago when I joined her bible study group. She used to work in advertising but is currently making cakes. As a stylist she is so good that she may have to start charging. She’s very stylish herself, I don’t understand how she chooses her outfits sometimes but this is due to male ignorance, as she always looks great.

Val read my very random blog posts on fashion (A Fashion That’s Growing On Me 19/7/07, Girls In Skirts 11/3/07, Fashion Beefs 13/11/06) and was impressed with what I had to say, despite the rebuttal from others. It came up again in conversation then, surprisingly, she agreed to be my fashionista stylist for a day of shopping.

Some tips for blokes in preparation for a day of shopping:

• Do a cull – offload stuff that you don’t wear or is worn out. Send good stuff to op shops, while old t-shirts make great rags.
• Know what you want/need – for me I had a lot of daggy polo shirts from when I was teaching and needed more smart casual pants, shirts and shoes.
• Know how much money you have to play with – you have to be willing to drop some dosh. Although it is possible to shop economically, you just need to pick the right shops. I took a liking to shops like Just Jeans, Jeans West and Cotton On.
• Go with an open mind – some suggestions might never have crossed your mind due to your shopping novice status. I was surprised with a few articles that Val chose, yet she was right about all of them.

Who knows, you may even enjoy it and learn something.

Getting It Eventually

Been watching BBC comedy Yes Minister lately. It was originally screened in the UK in 1980. But by the time it hit the Haynes Household it was the late 80’s / early 90’s. I remember brother Danny watching it incessantly and religiously. I was only about 10 so part of me wanted to be the annoying younger brother by not liking it and bagging it out profusely, just out of spite. Also, his laugh was so loud that it hurt my ears when I dared to step into the same room. Above all that, I just didn’t get it

I wasn’t really into politics at the time and the humour was too grown up for me. The subtleties would usually fly right over my head if I were to try and persevere with a viewing. Also the sets were very dull and dreary, but it was the 80’s.

But now, I thought I’d give Yes Minister another chance, without Danny in the room to at least give my ears a break. I’m into politics a bit more now (in case you haven’t noticed) so the subtleties sink in instead of being lost on me. Most importantly, I am finding it very funny. Probably a reason why it is so funny is that it is closer to the truth than people might think.

For a homegrown version, check out the ABC series Grass Roots. Based on the behind the scenes of a local council.

Our Nation’s Capital

It’s official, I love Canberra. It’s an easy place to get around and everything feels so cruisy.

Best of all, most places to go are free.

Here’s a run down of my recent 6-day stay.

Thursday 13th March

Information Centre – very helpful first port of call

Friday 14th March

Questacon – I used to rate Questacon as a must see on any visit to Canberra. While it is still fun and interesting, the exhibits hadn’t changed much at all since my last visit over 6 years ago. It is a bit pricey to at $18 for an adult. Still worth a trip with children though.

Gold Creek – There is a lot of stuff at Gold Creek, including the miniature village at Cockington Green. We visited the old federation style shops

Saturday 15th March

Old Parliament House – Was interesting to learn that this house was always meant as a short-term purpose. It outlasted its proposed 50 year life and was going to be knocked down. I’m glad they kept it, a lot of interesting history in those walls.

Manuka – Wanted to check out where the footy is played when the AFL comes to Canberra

Sunday 16th March

New Parliament House – A beautiful place to walk around, very serene.

Old Bus Depot Markets – Very artsy but nice to walk around and check out what people are creating.

Canberra Glassworks – Next-door to the markets. People can book in to create their own piece of glasswork. Next time in Canberra I intend on giving it a go.

AIS – Just drove past this time, as it was late in the day. Somewhere to tour properly next time.

Monday 17th March

Art Gallery – A special exhibit was on at this time on landscape painting. Art usually isn’t my thing but I went into it with an open mind to perhaps find out what art I like. Funnily enough it turned out that I like Australian landscape paintings.

War Memorial – There is so much here that it needs a few visits. It’s a good thing it is free to enter.

Ainslie Football Club – Ainslie plays in the AFL Canberra. Had to check out how good it was. Very nice looking club and great food.

Tuesday 18th March

National Museum – They had the Legends of League exhibit and that’s all we checked out. The museum is full of stuff and can be overwhelming, which is why we gave the rest a miss for this trip. Luckily, this place is free to visit also, unless you wanted guided tours.

Wednesday 19th March

Big Merino – Now in it’s permanent location closer to the freeway.

The Bakery of Goulburn – Has become the must stop location when heading south. Overlooks the Big Merino.

Apparently I’m Mortgage Stressed

Welcome to the new buzzword courtesy of the media – “mortgage stress.” A google search will bring multiple pages of news stories, one such example is linked to this post. A definition of mortgage stress would probably say something like:

Stress that is brought on by financial constraints resulting from mortgage repayments and rising interest rates

Their formula is apparently based on whether 30% of your income is going towards a mortgage. So according to them I am mortgage stressed. Yet I don’t feel stressed about my financial situation at all.

I have a budget, a good one set up by brother Danny. Therefore I know where my money is going. Mortgage repayments are updated and finances are juggled around them. Money is allocated for essentials such as food, utilities and other expenses such as car and scooter.

So when people say they are struggling I believe that there is always more to the story that they are letting on, for example:

• Did they overextend themselves in the first place in order to get that house?
• Are they sacrificing anything in order to pay for mortgage?
• How good are they at saving money?
• How much goes onto credit cards and are these essential purchases?
• When buying food is it brand names or generics?

People have had it very good for a long time and have become too used to a standard of living. Well, newsflash, things aren’t always fantastic, Year 12 Economics would have taught people that. The border between needs and wants have become blurred.

2007 – The Year Of Relative Action

I like to look back on where I was at the same time last year. I was still mopey from a break up, churchless and lacking a bit of direction. Then I look at what has gone on this year and I come up with the name, my year of action, as it was the first year I really stopped relying on others to make my decisions and do it for myself.

First The Moping
It did take longer than I had expected to move on from all that. Perhaps I was more emotionally involved than I cared to admit. But with the help of some good listeners and a book that helped proceed through “the process” I was able to at least become normal again. Possibly the best piece of advice came from a male friend. Perhaps it was that it was delivered in such a blokey fashion that it struck a chord.

Being Churchless
Firstly I wanted to tackle the question of whether leaving the previous church was just running away from my problems. I became satisfied that I just needed to make my own life after becoming so entwined in someone else’s.

I first looked toward friends that go to other churches. This worked well for two reasons: they were willing to listen to what was on my mind and it was good to see how other churches did things. Finally I checked out the one I am at now after it was recommended to me through family friends for it’s large young adult population.

After going just twice at the end of 2006 I was locked into their Young Adult Weekend Away (YAWA) on the Australia Day Long Weekend. That was a huge out of comfort zone experience but meeting one person led to another and so on. Now I have made some pretty good friends there.

Direction

I had never thought of moving out let alone buying a place until I was checking out the brand new units at Pemulway. It became something I really wanted to do and it felt like it was the right time. Pemulway turned out to be too pricey but that didn’t stop the search. I set up an inspection in March and from there it flowed very quickly. This move is the main reason for my calling this year my year of action. It’s the biggest move I have had to make and now that it is done I would recommend it to any young single adult.

Career wise I was pretty satisfied this time last year, as I had just started my job with the Ambulance Service. I was contemplating applying for Level One Ambulance Officer, ended up doing so, but getting knocked back very abruptly.

Due to events that panned out during the year I thought I should go back to teaching but was unable to get a job in Sydney. So I guess I’m no better off in this area.

Just to think that this year is just the beginning.

Life Lessons From Football Coaches

At least do something!! Do!!
Don’t think…..Don’t hope. Do!!!
At least you can come off and say I did this, I shepherded, I played on.
At least I did something.

John Kennedy
Hawthorn Coach 1960-1963, 1967-1976
Premiers 1961, 1971, 1976
Runners Up 1963, 1975

A true innovator of his time. A most respected man by everyone within his football club and from the rest of the competition. An educated man who knew how to get the most out of his players from his words.

The quote above is one that I like to utilise whenever I feel a little down in the dumps and perhaps a little lost and directionless.

I tend to over think things and not act on anything. As a result some opportunities pass me by and I end up regretting my non-action.

At least do something. Don’t get stuck in a rut that will be increasingly difficult to crawl out of. Don’t get stuck too much in a routine that you become inflexible to change.

Any sign of procrastination and I have mum shouting at me, “Just DO something!” So just do something even if it's not quite what you want to be doing, at least it is something.

On Two Wheels

Preamble

The procrastination is over, at least in one small aspect of my life. For a while I have wanted to get my motorcycle licence but never got around to not putting it off. There are various reasons why it hasn’t happened up until now. The main reason being that mum didn’t like the idea of me riding a bike. What mum does?

The main impetus for getting the license now was because of my work with the Ambulance Service NSW. It became clearly evident early on that it will be difficult to park next to the station, or anywhere near the station on some days. I have been bitten twice from the parking sharks for $77 each time. With a bike / scooter I can park inside the station where all the emergency vehicles are parked, in what we call the ‘plant room’. I will still have the problem of where to put it at home though. The drum kit might have to stay in its cases for an extended period.

Pre Provisional Training

I completed the pre provisional motorcycle training course with Stay Upright. They are situated underneath the motorway at the James Ruse Drive exit. Entrance is via Wentworth Street off Parramatta Road.

I was really nervous and tense at the beginning and it showed. The good thing is that the course is designed to take you through the steps slowly and gradually add extra skills. There was a lot to learn before we even started the engine.

Eventually I got moving and was able to lift both feet off the ground and onto the foot pegs – it’s harder to get them up than you might think. Meanwhile a girl in one of the other groups had an ‘off’, but to her credit she jumped straight back on the bike and kept going.

Cornering proved difficult to begin with. Something as simple as looking into the corner by turning your head helped with this and eventually it was coming naturally. Then he threw in changing gears before you get to the corner. I was terrified of the clutch when I learnt to drive a manual car. I thought the same would occur with the bike. It started to click and I was doing circuit after circuit of the track.

I was probably the slowest in my group, and I may have been holding up others but there was no way I was going to speed up for their sake, maybe they should have been going slower as well.

There was more riding on the second day. I was feeling more confident which was good and bad. Good, in the way that I was staying upright and feeling comfortable on the bike. Bad, in the way that I was forgetting some of the simple things, such as holding up the gear leaver when switching in between 1st and 2nd gears which resulted in me stalling and holding up the other fellas for a short period.

My group seemed to be progressing better than other groups on the track. We were also told of some horror stories from the afternoon session of riders struggling with some of the basic elements such as gear changing and braking. Our teacher was at a loss of what to do with them once we had gone.

The course climaxed with a simulated road situation involving everything we had learnt. I thought I had stuffed it when I made a few mistakes but he must have seen enough in me to give me the Certificate of Competence.

Knowledge Test

After about 10 practice tests on the RTA website it should have been a forgone conclusion that I would pass, and I did. Most of the questions are common sense but I still managed to make one mistake.

Buying the Scooter

Last November I reluctantly divulged the information of my desire to buy a scooter to my Auntie. Unknown to me she had a scooter that she was trying to sell. She was very willing to sell it to me, but there was the problem of retrieving the goods from my Auntie’s residence as she lives in Wagga Wagga. To make the trip worthwhile I took mum along. She was able to spend some time with my Auntie while I was able to test ride the scooter. Once we were done we could load the goods in the Ute and drive home eagerly awaiting our next trip down to Wagga Wagga.


Riding off into the sunset

It might only be 100cc but it has plenty of go off the mark. I am able to be more relaxed as I don’t have to worry about changing gears. I opened the throttle on my test ride and it can get up to 80 km/hr but not much more. There is space for a passenger when I get fully licensed, although finding a willing participant may prove difficult.

Lacking Wisdom

Last week I became just that extra little bit dumber. No I didn’t drink myself into a stupor. I had my remaining wisdom teeth taken out, three of them to be exact. It was quite an ordeal but something that was necessary, as I’m sure all those sans wisdom teeth people will attest to.

I just started going to a new dentist in Wentworthville on the recommendation of Mum. He’s as good as I’ve ever had, mind you I have only been to two dentists that I remember.

It’s a very uncomfortable position that you are put in. All you want to do is swallow but you can’t because the anaesthetic makes your whole mouth numb. To make swallowing harder they place an apparatus in your mouth to keep your jaw ajar, but at least you don’t have to physically hold your jaw open as the procedure could take a while.

The dentist occasionally asks if you’re ok which is nice, but I’m unsure whether he is getting the positive inflection on my “uh huh.” He kept on going so I can only assume that he also holds a Masters in Linguistics along with his qualifications in Dentistry.

So if anyone has to get their wisdom teeth out, I recommend that you do not put it off any longer. As my last dentist once said to me, “Get it done while you’re still on your parents health insurance.”

House-Sitting

I house-sat for a week over the Christmas/New Year period. I have house-sat a couple of times at this same house. I like to take this opportunity when it is given to me because I use it as an experiment to see how I would cope if I were to move out of the family home.

I like to look at my ability to live without the little luxuries to which I have become accustomed. I ask myself, can I live without such things as:

• Mum’s cooking
• Cable Television
• Air Conditioning
• Clothes washing/ironing
• The Internet

Mum’s cooking
I have always had an interest in cooking and have become very competent in the kitchen. I think it came from going food shopping with mum for many years. As well as watching some cooking shows on TV, my favourite TV chef being Ainslie Harriot, from Ready Steady Cook among other shows.

Cable Television
This is going to be hard, as I have found some shows I like to watch and it would be nice to be able to continue watching them. Although a detachment from Cable Television has been made easier with the new AFL TV rights deal.
The last time I house-sat this place, the TV wasn’t even working which was disastrous. I had to go home straightaway and bring back one of our really small old TV’s.

Air Conditioning
We haven’t had it too easy at home regarding air conditioning. For years we only had one room that would stay pretty cool on its own even on the hottest days. Now we have ducted air conditioning for upstairs so we can get to sleep easier on the warm nights. I can’t get to sleep when it’s warm, so if I can’t get a bit of cooling then it may pose a problem.

Clothes Washing and Ironing
I haven’t had to stay in the house long enough to require doing my own washing but I already acknowledge that this will be an issue for me and a continual struggle.

The Internet
Everyone has broadband by now surely. Once you go broadband you can’t go back. I would struggle with dial up and even worse I would go mental without the internet altogether. It’s a good thing then that at this house they have wireless broadband.

Overall verdict:

Canada or Bust

I don’t think many people know that this year could have turned out very differently for me. I was seriously considering doing a 6 month stint in Canada: working, playing footy and travelling. For various reasons I felt I had to pull out, the main one at the time being my application with the Ambulance Service, which has only just come to fruition.

I would still consider it for the future. There was one main drawback, the “Footy Culture.” I have been part of this culture from playing Footy for so long. I got used to being in it without really participating in it. This culture involves (amongst other things) going to the closest pub after games (usually a club sponsor) and getting drunk, just for the heck of it. I was never into that so most of the time I didn’t go, but when I did go I wasn’t very comfortable on most occasions, even though these blokes were somewhat friends.

In Canada I thought this would be amplified as I would have to live, work, socialise and play footy with the same people. It would be harder to get away. I doubted whether I had the strength to cope with all the pressures. Maybe if I starred on the footy field they would let me be. Apparently it would not be hard for me to be a star of Canadian Footy.

So if I give it another year or two will I be better equipped to cope with going to Canada? It seemed like a double edged sword, I originally wanted to go because I could play footy over there in a developing competition, but I find it hard to cope with the footy culture sometimes. Any practical solutions?