Captain Ordinary

Hey all.

I was out last night and one of my good mates commented on that i haven’t updated my blog in a while, so here goes. This one’s for you, Sarah!!

Well time certainly has flown since my last blog. Soo much has gone on. I’m currently sitting at my computer with my digi camera and calendar, trying to remind myself what i‘ve been up to.

By far the biggest thing that has happened in my life over the last 2 months is that Michelle and i have started seeing each other. ahhhhhhhh!!! Yep, we’d been spending an awful lot of time together and it just felt right to take the next step. I was a bit worried at the beginning, not knowing how i really felt, but this feels right. It feels right in every way. I’m so happy. It feels soooo good to be close to someone. Just to hold someone’s hand or rest your head against another. I’ve never been this close to anyone and knowing that the other half wants to be with you too is sooo re-assuring. A friend asked me a few months back “If you had to rate your quality of life and satisfaction out of 10, what would it be?”  Well, a few months back I said 7.5. I live in a kick arse house, have awesome mates, love my job and I’m healthy. The only thing missing was someone to share it with. If that question was asked now, i’d say 9.9. Just have to get rid of a lil ‘parental loan’ and i’ll be as happy as a pig in shit!!

These last 2 months have been filled with good times. Loads of gigs have been the order of the day.  At the beginning of June Shell and I had a bit of a The Basics fest!! They were doing a bit of a tour, so we decided to have a few road trips to go and catch them play.

First gig was in Geelong. I picked up Shell and headed off on the hour trip to Geelong. We hadn’t seen The Basics is ages, so we were keen to see their latest.  We arrived at the joint, and there were abut 5 ppl in the audience. eek. Not a good start.  Anyway, we had a bit of a chat to the boys, then they started to set up. Just before they got on, Kris comes over and asks if we’d sit on their merch stand and sell stuff. Sure we said. So, we got a seat the whole gig, nice. It was pretty messy. Drunk fools and The Basics didn’t play all that well.

The next night Shell and I jumped in the car and headed out 1.5hrs to Castlemaine. We both had the next day off, so we planned on crashing in Castlemaine for the night. We arrived at about 9pm, drove around the town a bit looking for a place that was open, but everything was shut or full. Bugger. Well, looked like we were driving back to Melb after the gig.

I’m happy to say that the Castlemaine gig was a lil ripper. Plenty of good vibes and sweet rockin music. It was held in the National Theatre down the main drag. It’s a sweet venue, with 1950’s booth seating at the rear and a cool stage and dance floor. Castlemaine is Tim’s hometown, so i think all his relos were there to support the band. The gig went for about 2hrs and we were all danced out by the end.

The last Sunday in June was a pretty busy one. Shell and I saw 2 gigs that day. The first was Jordie Lane at the Northcote Social Club. I’d had a pretty big week and was pretty knackered. Shell and I struggled through the gig, which at one point I nearly fell asleep standing up!! It was a pretty good gig, I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind. After that we headed into the city and caught a comedy gala. I’m sure it was funnier than I thought, but my tiredness had gotten the better of me. There were some pretty big comedians there and I did laugh out loud on more that a few occasions. Shell is slightly obsessed with Judith Lucy and that’s who she really wanted to catch.

I caught up with Pete and Jackie at the start of July. It was Jacks birthday, so they headed to Melbourne for a dinner and catch up with friends. It was also a chance for Pete to meet Shell. It was a pretty fun night. Again, good food and company.

I’ve been doing a fair bit of riding also. A few weeks ago me, Raenier, Ollie, Andy and Gilles headed out to the You Yangs for a day of sweet riding on the wicked trails out there. We met at 11am and rode till about 4pm. It was sweet fun. I haven’t had that much fun in aaages. It was a sweet day and the trails were in super good condition. Checkout the VIDEO HERE and the pics below.

My good mate Jules recently celebrated his birthday, so we all headed out for a meal and a few drinks. We all met up near their place and rocked the night out.

Work has been going pretty good. I’m loving it at the moment. Having Jess there has really lightened the mood and given the shop something that it had been missing for a while. We’ve been trying a few different things to get people to come into the shop. One thing was to sponsor a bike club. We organised sponsorship with a club then organised a special sale night, where they could all come and get stuff at a pretty big discount. A special night, only for them and not the general public. We brought bikes down from Sydney and organised special deals and displays for the night. What a fizzer. Pretty much, out of the 500 active members, we only saw about 5. It was soo shit. We go out of our way to help people out and you just get a kick in the nuts for it. Fuckin roadies. All the same. Whore themselves round the shops and don’t show their support to the people that try to help them out. They can all go to hell. And i even missed a The Vulpine gig for the sale.

The next night was a lil pearler. Me, Shell, Jess and Jimmy had tix to see The Herd. They are an Ozzie Hip Hop band and they really rock. They played in StKilda and it was totally packed out. They played all their big hits and got the crowed jumpin!! Good times indeed!!

The next major gig was The Hilltop Hoods Friday night gig at the old Metro, and it was also the beginning to a very busy weekend. I went with Shell and Jess. We’d had tix for a while and they’d sold out shortly after they went on sale. The security was pretty tight getting in. They scanned our license and then patted us down for any weapons!! Talk about strict!! It was kinda funny when i gave my license to the dude. He scanned it then gave it back saying “wow, that’s as old as mine!!” Haha!! So, the gig. How was it?? Well, i think that Jess couldn’t have said it better. “They were good, but i don’t think i’d see them again.”    I concur.

The night after Hilltop Hoods, Shell and i went to a very special solo show by Katy Steel, the lead singer from Little Birdy. She was performing with another few artists who were involved with the FreeZa foundation. She played at the Play House at The Arts Center. I got tix pretty early, so the seats were uber good. We were about 6 rows from the front and right in the middle. It was an awesome gig. She’s got such an amazing voice for such a lil gal.

Now, Shell seems to think that i’m obsessed/stalking Katy Steel, but it’s simply not true. Yes, I like seeing them perform and try to get to every gig they do. Yes we did see her catching the tram home the night after her solo gig. Yes, i did see her changing her socks on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Street one morning on my way to work. Yes, I saw her running around Princess Park and then go into a house. And yes, I did get tix numbered 1 and 2 for their next gig at the Ferntree Gully Hotel. It’s all just a coincidence!! Nothing to be worried about Shell………. It’s not ‘stalking’, it’s ‘selective walking’.

Sunday was Avenue Q day. Now i’m not quite sure how to explain what Avenue Q is. I suppose that it’s The Muppets crossed with South Park. You can read about it HERE or see a video sample HERE. It was a pretty fun time. Lots of laughs. I’d never been to anything quite like it. If it’s playing near u, go see it!!

Over the last few months I’ve been attending Wednesday night trivia down at the Comfy Chair. It’s pretty fun. I’m pretty crap at it, but i’m not there to win, i’m there to catch up with people and have a good meal out. It’s also a really good thing for Shell. She comes along and meets new people and gets out of the house. It’s really cool that she’s willing to come out and meet all my mates. A few weeks back me, shell, nick and jess headed out to the Ultimate Trivia Championships out in Diamond Creek. There were about 12 other teams there, all from around the traps, aiming for the title of Ultimate Trivia Champions. We usually come top 2 or 3 at the local trivia, so we thought we’d do ok. Boy were we wrong. We go hammered!!!! thing we came like 9th or something. Suppose that it shoes the standard of trivia at The Comfy Chair!! Haha!!! Ah well, it was good for a bit of a road trip and it killed an afternoon!!

Last week Shell and i went to see FourPlay at the East Bruns club. I haven’t seen them for about 2yrs and it was a pretty good gig. They rocked out. It’s been so good seeing gigs lately. And having someone willing to go see them with me is even better!! However i’m spending a lot of money on gigs and I need to save a bit before i head overseas. Oh, have i told you i’m going overseas?? Well, i’m heading to Las Vegas for InterBike, then riding for a week there, then onto the UK to hook up with Amy and ride for another 2 weeks, then onto Hong Kong to see Kathy, then home. Oh, then up to Port Mack to see Shell’s folks. 5 and a bit weeks in total. Can’t bloody wait. SUMMER HERE I COME!!!!!

Oh, some other VERY exciting news has happened over the last month too!! My really good mates Ian and Carli are having a baby!! Yep, they are about 19weeks now. Sooo exciting. So, Ian is having his last hurrah over in Vegas with me in September!!! Oh and some even bigger news, but i’m not aloud to say yet!!!! But it’s exciting!!! More in the coming blog!!

We’ve also changed housemates in the last month. Tara, who has been living here for like 3yrs has moved out to find a house to buy and Hugh, who moved in only a month ago, moved out with his missus. So, Simon and I had to find 2 new people. It was pretty shit. We got dicked around soo much. I hate finding new people, im over it. Think that the start of next year i’l prob move out. Just over living with 3 other people. I’d never live by myself, think i’d go craaaazy. 1 or 2 other people is prob the go.

So my life is pretty good at the moment. I just have to keep reminding myself not to spend too much time with Shell, or i will neglect my other mates. I don’t want to become one of those people who never goes anywhere without his girlfriend and won’t go out unless she goes. I have to make a point to see my mates. Mind you, most of my mates have partners now and we’ve all seemed to have quieted down a bit. That might just be because it’s Winter, but we’ll see.  I was chatting to Kelly last night and we were talking about organising a camping weekend in November. Now that should be fun!!!

This coming weekend shell and i are seeing The Audries, then i’m riding with Ian on Tues, then Shell’s dad comes down the following week, then Little Birdy on the 12th out at the Ferntree Gully Hotel.

Later dudes!!!

Hey everyone.  I just had a pretty cool weekend.

I had Friday and Sunday off, so my weekend was a bit split up, but still uber cool.

Friday wasn’t really a whole day for me. I got out of bed at the very respectable hour of 12:30pm. Yep, a bit of a sleep in for me. It’s been ages since i’ve really slept in like that, my body must have really needed it. Friday was a pretty much a lazy day. After breakfast/lunch, i sat inside and finished my last blog, which took FOR-EVER!!!! So, i sat in my pj’s all day and pat next door neighbour’s kitty, which i’ve adopted through feeding and showin it a lil bit of love. For dinner i headed into the city and met up with Jo. She had bought me tix to see Little Birdy at the HiFi Bar in the city. I was pretty excited. We met up at Chocolate Buda, at Fed Square, for a spot of dinner, then we headed down to the gig.

I’ve seen Little Birdy a few times and was very impressed with their sound and live show, so seeing them again was a real thrill. The lead singer, Katie Steele, is a lil sexy minx.  We were standing a fair bit away during the gig, so the feel wasn’t quite there, but it was still good fun. We were standing on the top of a flight of stairs, so we could really see the action down on the dance floor.

Saturday was a looong day. I got home from the Friday nights Little Birdy gig at about 1am, then i got up at 5:50am Sat morn to go to the shop to lead the shop road ride to Mordy and back. It was a pretty nice morning. I didn’t mind taking the ride. Get out early, see the beach and catch up with some mates. It was a really nice ride down there. I was on the front setting the nice casual pace, i didn’t want to leave anyone behind, so i was taking it really easy. We arrived in Mordy, where Megan met us and rode with us back to the shop. It was really good to ride with Megan again. I haven’t ridden with her for ages, so it was good to spend some time with her on the bike. We arrived back at the shop at about 8:45, where Jess was setting up.

Saturday night was a lil ripper too. After work i went over to Shell's and picked her up. She’d bought me tix to see Little Birdy out in Ferntree Gully!!! Pretty funny!! So, we had a lil 1hr road trip out to the far East burbs, there the Ferntree Gully Hotel is. We had a good ol Roast of the Day, then headed into the gig.

It was a pretty sett gig, freakin loud though. Both Shell and i had ear plugs, and it was still uber loud. We were much closer this night, with only about 3 people in front of us, super close!!! Katie totally rocked out and the crowd was pretty revved up.

Luckily I had Sunday off, so i had time to recover. On Sunday arvo Jimmy came over and we went for a bike ride out at the You Yangs. It’s been a few months since he’s been out there, so there was a heap of changes which he hadn’t ridden. We rode for about 2hrs, and we were buzzing by the end. It was a really good ride, perfect way to finish the weekend. Good riding with good company.

Speaking of good company, i’ve been spending a bit of time with Shell. We hang out heaps and have become pretty close. I can feel our friendship taking the next step and I think that i’m kinda ready for it. She’s super nice and really caring. Well, we’ll see how things go. I don’t wanna rush anything cause she’s just gotten out of a 8+ year relationship and i really don’t want to rush her into anything.

Next Wed night is Pub Trivia. I went there last wed night and we came second. It’s a real fun night and i’m really enjoying the fun and atmosphere. Bring on Hump Day night!!!!!

That’s about it for now.

Later dudes!!!

I had a few big things on during the week following Pete and Jacks wedding.

About a month before, i’d been chatting to a few mates who i use to do Taekwondo with, and i suggested how we should all turn up for a one night only slog fest/training night. We all agreed and the date of 22nd April was set. We all hadn’t trained for about 4 years, so it was going to be interesting to see how much we’d all lost!! The night was a secret, so none of the TKD instructors knew, just me, Sarah, Rach, , Peils, Pauline, Angie and Naomi. 2 other mates, Garry and Dave were going to show up, but they piked!! Softies!!

The night before training i headed out to the garage and dragged out my TKD uniform from the bottom of my cupboard and ironed all the heavy creases out and hung out to air. I was getting a lil excited. I really enjoyed training when i was there, but towards the end, i’d lost allot of motivation and the classes had changed its dynamic a bit, so it wasn’t as fun.

We all met out the front about 10mins before training, not knowing what was install for us. It was really good to catch up with everyone again, although i see them every few weeks. We headed up stairs and caught up with our head instructor Alf, and a few of the gang which i recognised. It was a super massive class because they’ve been struggling with numbers, so they had combined the classes to make one massive class.

We trained for a full hour and by the end i was pretty tired. We did heaps of arm work (punching and jabbing) and a fair bit of kicking. I didn’t find it too hard to keep up. However, when we were doing doubles (2 kicks with each foot one after the other), in my head it was POW POW, but in reality my legs were doing POW…….POW. Haha!! After training we all went for a hot chocolate and more of a catch up and a good ol laugh. My body wasn’t too sore straight after training, however 2 days after, i could hardly walk!! My whole upper body was sore. My arms were super sore and my back muscles had seen better days!!

It was cool to go back for one night, but i really need more motivation to keep going.  Same time next year?????

The next Saturday was ANZAC Day. Like last year, i organised a MTB ride. I got up at 4:15am and headed down to the Shrine of Remembrance, where i met up with some others. We attended the dawn service, the  jumped on our bikes and went on a MTB ride along the Yarra. It was a pretty good ride, with some good laughs and riding.

I got back home (after riding 45kms), jumped in the shower, then headed over to James’s Bucks day. We all met at a Paintballing in South Melbourne. I’ve never been to paintballing before, so i was a lil worried about what was going to happen. There was about 20 of us that turned up, s it was a really good group. After signing all legal rights to sue over injury or death away and sitting through a safety video, we were each given a mask, jersey and a painball gun.

It was pretty cool fun. We were put into groups and headed out onto the playing field, filled with obstacles to hide behind, for a few games of shoot em’ up!! One thing i was amazed at was how far the balls fly. I thought they’d be only go like 10meters, but they fully go like 50meters!! I got hit a few times. It kinda stings when you get hit, but the adrenaline is pumpin so much that you don’t realise how much it hurts till you’ve finished! We played paintball for about 3hrs. I was pretty tired by the end.

After paintballing we all headed to a pub down in Port Melb for a few drinks and snacks. After then we headed into Crown Casino and hung out an another pub, before heading to dinner. Sitting at the pub in Crown i was nearly falling asleep. I was finding it hard to concentrate and my eyes were stinging!! We headed to dinner, but didn’t eat till about 8:30pm, cause there was a stuff up with our booking. The meal was pretty good and i was pretty stuffed by the end. After dinner, we headed down to King Street and went to the strippers. We went into Spearmint Rhino. Now, i’m not an expert on strip joints, but i’d have to say that out of the 3 or 4 i’ve been to, the Spearmint Rhino would have to be the shittest. There was only one stage, so there wasn’t much going on. I hung out there, with the boys till about 10:30pm.

After leaving the strippers i headed over to Shauna’s housewarming party. It was an S & M theme, so you had to dress up an something starting with S or M. I had a look in my dress up cupboard the night before and dragged out my Surgeon costume.

Me checkin if Megan was still alive. She was….obviously.

It was a pretty fun party. There were Milk cartons, Mix Tapes, Spartans, McDonald’s workers, Merv Hughs, Ski Bunnies, Milk Cows, Satan and Milk Maids. I ended up leaving the party at about 12:30am. I was totally wrecked by the time i got home. I’d been up since 4:15am Sat morn and got to bed at about 1am Sunday morn. 21hrs awake. Woo for me!!

The following Monday my crazy week had caught up with me. TKD training on Wed, then paintballing on Saturday, meant my legs were totally shot and my body was in a world of pain, but totally worth it.

The next major even was Caitlin and James’s wedding. The ceremony was out in the Dandenong Ranges, about an hours drive out of Melbourne. I headed out there with Rach, Jimmy and Peils. It was a really good ceremony, however i’m more a traditionalist and prefer a proper wedding, with a minister and readings and in a church and all, but that’s just me. When i get married, i’m gunna get done in a church. It was a really good night, with loads of good food and dancing to be had by all!!

Last weekend my mate and I headed to Bendigo and the weekend. The main reason was to go to a music festival called Groove in the Moo. It’s a big day of bands playing on 4 stages at the Bendigo Show Grounds. On the Saturday morning me, Andy, George and Michelle met up with a bunch of local road riders and went for a 65km ride with them. It was really nice to get out and ride in the country. No dickhead cars, no dickhead other riders and no freakin traffic lights. It was a really good ride.

We headed to Groove in the Moo at about 3pm. There were 4 stages, so we spent the day walking round the stages and saw many bands. We saw The Grates, Van She, De La Soul, The Hilltop Hoods and The Living End. I’d have to say that the best band of the day was by far The Living End. I’m not a huge fan of them, but they totally rocked out. We ended up getting home at about 11pm.

Jees dude, your nuts must be getting squished!!

One thing that was pretty shit at the gig was the amount of people drugged up to their eyeballs. When i was walking round i’d pass groups of people with bags of pills, dealing them out. At one stage, when we were watching The Hilltop Hoods, there was a group of guy in front of us snorting stuff from a vial. What dickheads. Well, i hope they all die from drug overdoses. At least that will clean up the gene pool!!

So, that finally brings us up to speed. I’ve just had today off. I was pretty tired last night. I had a shop MTB night ride, that finished at 10pm. I got out of bed at 12:30pm today and i’m still now sitting in my PJs (it’s not 5pm). Tonight i’m seeing Little Birdy with Jo and tomorrow night i’m seeing Little Birdy again with Michelle. Can’t wait.

Well, that’s about it for now.

Later dudes!!!

Hey there everyone.

March and April were pretty huge months, busy busy busy, so i’ve decided to combine them together.

As you can guess from the title, there were lots of weddings, parties and other shenanigans that went on.

The beginning on March started with going to see Basement Jaxx. I’d seen them a few years ago and was pretty impressed with their sound and show, however this time i wasn’t so impressed. They’ve lost a lot of their flair and that big dance sound. It was an average gig, nothing to really write home about.

Probably the biggest thing to happen this year happened on the 14th of March.  For the month prior I was collecting donations for the “Leukaemia Shave for a Cure”. I had a whole stack of hair on my head, that needed a good cut, so, what better way to cut it then to raise money at the same time. There was the choice to color your hair of shave it all off. I said that if i raised $1500 i’d shave my head. Well, up until about 4 days before the shave party, i looked pretty safe, with only about $1000 raised, but as the day got closer, so did the $1500 mark, and sure enough, the day before the shave party, i’d reached the $1500 mark. I pretty much knew i was gunna get there, a few of my mates were like “If you need $500 to get you to the $1500 mark, i’m putting it in. You’re gunna be balder than a babies bottom mate!!”

I had a Shave party, with a Hat theme, for the big shave. The hat theme was because I was going to be wearing a hat for the next few months, till my hair grows back. Also, I had a Silent Auction. The auction was to bid on who got to shave my head. The highest bidder, wins the privilege. It was a pretty fun party. Everyone was in a party mood and having a good time. I’d also organised The Vulpine to play a mini gig in my kitchen too.

So, during the night I had people placing secret bids, to shave my head. The winning bid was put in by the members of The Vulpine, for $120!! Everyone gathered outside, then the clippers came out.

Before…

During……..

After……..

Bald as a Babies bottom!!!!

By the end of the night I’d raised a total of $2199!!!! WAY more than i could ever had hoped for. A HUGE thank you goes out to everyone who donated for a good cause……….my baldness!!!!!

So, it feels pretty funny with no hair. I’d gone from a full head of Crusty the Clown hair, to looking like i’m joining the army!! One HUGE shock was how cold my head is now. I nearly died from brain freeze the first morning i rode to work. I’ve since bought a skull cap to put under my helmet!! I also can’t stop rubbing my head. It’s strange, it just feels nice. Am i strange?? Haha!! Everyone’s been pretty positive with the new do. Much better than the mop i use to have!

Jess and Gus’s wedding was coming up at the end of March, so Gus had his Bucks party the weekend before. We all met up at a pub in the city then headed to the European Beer Cafe for a spot of dinner. My brother’s Bucks was coming up at the start of April, so i was keeping an eye on what worked and what didn’t on the bucks, so i could make Pete’s a good one. After the Beer Cafe, we all wandered the streets for about 30mins, not really knowing what to do or where to go. We ended up in another bar, for more drinks. That’s where i left the boys. Apparently, after i left they moved onto the strippers, sure i didn’t miss anything there.

The next weekend was Jess and Gus’s wedding. Over the last month or so before the wedding, i’d been Jess’s lil Guinea Pig. She was making lil Giger Bead Men to have on the tables, to show people where to sit. So i was her lil taste tester. I was totally over Ginger Bead by the time the wedding happened!! Haha!!

So, the wedding was held in a tiny lil chapel in Melbourne Uni. Jess looked totally amazing. I hardly recognised her.

At the start of April was my bro, Pete’s, Bucks party. I’d been organising it for the last month, so finally it was time to see if it would all come together. We all met at the pub in South Melb for a meet and greet and a spot of lunch. People had come from all round. There was a bunch from The Dong that came down and also from here in Melb. After lunch we all headed down to Sde Track, which is a Go Karting place. We drove for about an hour and we were all pretty tired by the end of that.

After punishing ourselves at Go Karting, we headed down to Albert Park Driving Range for a few hours of “Whack-fuck”. Again, there was heaps of laughs and bevvies consumed, which added to the excitement!!

After we’d all suitably whacked as many balls as we could handle, we all made our way into the city to a restaurant called The Hofbrauhaus. It’s a German themed restaurant, with loads of schnitzels and HUGE beers!!

We all had a gut full of food at the restaurant then moved our full bellies to a bar call Madame Brussels. It’s a trendy bar with 20 somethings getting round in skinny jeans and fluro clothing, not really the place for a Bucks night. Anyway, we hung out there for about 2hrs, then finally decided to move on to some better entertainment……..and that’s where that night will end………

All in all it was a very successful night, with loads of laughs and good times. What did i learn about planning Bucks parties? Make sure you organise to do different things and not just wander round the city and also make sure you do things that The Buck wants to do, because it’s all about him!!

On the 9th April was my 30th Birthday. Yep, i’m finally out of my 20’s. Again, there was a party at my place, and the theme this time was Fluro. It was a kinda weird party. All the regulars showed up, dressed to impress, but the vibe was a bit different. There wasn’t the party atmosphere which usually happens. Everyone was pretty reserved. I think they’d all partied out from my shave party, now that was wild!!! Although it was a crazzzy party, everyone that matters to me showed and it was really good to catch up with everyone.

The night after my party me, Shell, Sarah, Jules, Raenier and Emma went and saw Dylan Moran. He’s the lead character from Black Books and is super funny. My cheeks were seriously sore by the end of the night.

On the 18th was Pete and Jaqui’s wedding. My younger brother was getting married before me…..damn him!! hahaha!! I drove up to The Go with Andy, another Groomsman, on Friday arvo. We arrived at Pete and Jacks place, then we all headed down into town, where we were all having a big family dinner. After dinner, we all went back to the Hotel where we were all staying. It was pretty funny that night. The last night my bro is an un-married man, he’s spending it with his brother in the same bed!! Haha!! Not gay at all!! Haha!! Yep, we were short one bed, so me and Pete shared a bed.  What??? Haha!!

The wedding day started at about 7am, with Jaqui’s Dad shouting at something!!! So, we were awake. The morning pretty much consisted of us killing time till the wedding. The wedding was at 3pm, so we all headed into the city and had breakfast. Then me and Andy bummed round the city and checked out some bike shops.

1pm came and it was time to get ready. All us Groomsmen had hired suits, so it was time to get all spiffy and show the world that we can scrub up ok!! Everything went ok, apart from a lil hick-up with the flowers for our suit collars, but it was all sorted.

We arrived at the church at about 2:40 and hung out in a back room till all the guests had arrived and Jaqui was out the front in the car.

Finally the big moment arrived. The service went soo smoothly. Jaqui looked sooo beautiful and the brides maids were looking stunning too. Everyone said the right things in the right spot and by the end i had a new sister in-law. After the service we had a load of pics out the front of the church, then we were whisked away for more formal pics.

We arrived at the reception at about 6:30pm. It was kinda cool sitting up the front at the bridal table. You get to look at everyone all night, but everyone also gets to look at you too!!

There was plenty of good times at the reception, loads of dancing and drinking too. Finally the speeches came about. Dad gave this really awesome speech, based on this song and how we are all like a Moat to Pete and Jack. It was soo sweet. Jaqui’s dad also gave a sweet arse speech too, him and Pete are pretty close and pretty much best mates. There was one sour point to the night. One of the speeches didn’t really go according to plan, or to everyone’s taste. I was, and still am, pretty pissed off with what was included in the speech, it was horrible. I didn’t know where to look. I know that there was 2 people who wanted to pull the speech, but you can’t do that. We all just had to sit through it. How can you get up at a wedding and bitch and moan about how bad your love life is at the moment and how much your life sucks. It’s meant to be about the married couple and how happy they are and how perfectly suited they are to each other and ponies and flowers and mushy shit like that. Anyway, it was just a lil disappointing.

So, the night raged on with plenty of drinks and food and dancing, till about 1am, when i retired for the night!!

The next we all had a huge breakfast and reminisce on the night before.

It was such a cool weekend. My lil bro got married to the girl of his dreams (a gal that I hope to meet someone like one day), all the fam was together and the weather was spot on. I’m soo happy for Pete and Jack and they will be happy together forever.

Ok, so i’m pretty stuffed from all this writing. I’ve been at it for like 4hrs now. I gotta go to bed.

Part 2 to follow shortly.

Later Dudes!!!

Well, the title says it all. Not very much happened in Feb.

2 major things happened in February. I bought a new car and Black Saturday.

Saturday 8th Feb will be remembered in Australia for many years to come. On that Saturday, the temperature reached 47degs and there was a wild hot northerly wind reaching up to 100km/h.  I remember riding my road bike in the morning and it being 30degs, at 7am. I finished work at 12noon and the temp was about 36degs and by 4pm the temperature hit 47degs. Crazy arse bushfires ripped through north east Melbourne and through east and south east Victoria.  173 people died, 2,030 homes destroyed and over 4,500km2 of land was turned into a smoldering black mess.  Check out more details here.

The other thing will change my life for ever……well for the next 10yrs at least. I purchased a new car. Now, when i say new, i really mean second hand…..from my folks.

From this……..  

To this………

So, i managed to sell my ol’ Charade for $1500!! I was pretty sad to see it go, but i knew i had to retire her. My new car is pretty good. She’s my first car i’ve had with power steering, power windows, automatic, cruise control and all the good stuff. She is a bit boring to drive, but at least she’s reliable and that’s what i need. I haven’t found myself drivin much more, i’m still getting use to how big she is.

So, that was Feb…..told you so.

Later dudes!!

Yo freaks!! Yeah, i know, looong time no read blah blah blah. Just haven’t been in the right frame of mind, or had spare time to do an entry, but, here i am.

So, it’s May already. The 5th month of the year. I’m really struggling to remember what the hell i’ve been up to since my last entry, so i’ll have to get my calendar…………………right, got it.

Right, where to begin?? Suppose the start of the year is a good place.

So, i started 2009 in a relationship!! Yep, that’s right. I was seeing this gal, Lauren, for about a month, before she dumped my ass. She said that she was too busy and wasn’t prepared to slow down a bit and fit me in. I really thought we had something special, but I guess she had other ideas and wasn’t willing to change. I’m the kinda person who likes to feel wanted and needed. I felt that in the beginning, but she just seemed to shut me out towards the end. So, that was that. Kinda spoilt my New Years though. I left a sweet arse party with all my really close mates, drove an hour, to spend NYs with a gal who didn’t want to be with me. Next year will be better…..couldn’t get much worse. However one funny thing that did happen was down at the beach. We were all walking along the beach, watchin the fireworks around the bay, then Nick wades out into the water. The next thing, he’s holding this baby Shark!!! We were all long WHF???!!! It was pretty funny. Nick just grabs this shark and is holding it!!

January was a pretty busy month. It was full of gigs and spending time with good mates. My good mate Michelle came down from Syd and stayed for a week. We just bummed round and had a good ol’ time.

January also mean cricket time. Pete and Wallaby organised a Day/Night cricket match at the MCG. Was a hoot. I got pretty sun burnt, just like last year.

But, by far the highlight of January was seeing Camelle. She’s a French musician, and she totally rocked out. That gig is deff in my top 5 gigs (behind Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx, Tool and TISM). You should deff check her out!!

Let me start by saying a big Happy New Year to everyone out there. I trust you all had a sweet arse festive period.

So, 2008 has come and gone, now 2009 is upon us. What will the year have install for us this year?

I was copying all my camera pics over to my poota and was looking back on the year. It has been a pretty fun year. Below are some of the highlights for me.

The Buddies:

The Bizz:

The Bands:

The Basics  The Vulpine Little Birdy MORE COW BELL!!!!

The Grates The Herd  Block Party The Bawdies The Basics. R.I.P. The Vulpine EP launch

My friends have been very important to me in the this last year. their friendship, love and just being them, has made my year. They are always there, through thick and thin. I'm always worried that i'll get old and not keep in contact with them, just like my school mates. But, i've realised that the friends i have now, I'll keep for life. They are the most special people to be around and I look forward to the coming year, full of good times.

What will 2009 have install for me?? Only Jesus knows.

Later Dudes!!!

Right, December.

The start of December was interesting. The Basics had a gig on at the East Brunswick Hotel, along with The Bawdies (a Japanese Rock n Roll band). It was a co-headline act, so i was really looking forward to seeing both bands rockin out. I headed down there with Jess and Lauren. First up were The Bawdies. I tell you what, they totally wail!!! We'd seen them about a year ago at Ruby's and they were good then, but now they are really really good!! Full of energy and excitement.

And now to The Basics. Watching the last few Basics gigs has been like watching a baby Deer die.  It tries to get up, but it just doesn't have the strength to get to it's legs, no matter how hard it tries. same with The Basics. They try to get the vibe back, that they had back in the beginning, but it just doesn't come, no matter how hard/drunk they try. The Basics gig set started with Tim going missing. Kris, Wally and Dave had set up all their stuff and did a sound check, while Tim was nowhere to be seen. Finally Tim shows, pretty pissed and not really organised. The other's weren't impressed and sat to the side of the stage looking uber unimpressed. The Basics had a very hard act to follow and i was very afraid that it was gunna be a fizzer. How right i was. There was no love between them all, they'd even left their signature suits off. Kris stood to one side of the stage and Tim the other, not really giving each other anything. Wally was looking mega tired on the drums and didn't seem to care. It was horrible. As the gig went on, people were leaving and at the end, it was pretty much the die hard fans left. Kris announced that it was pretty much their last gig in Melb and The Basics were going to be no more. They all looked soo tired.

The Basics falling apart

Tim and Kris

One funny thing to come out of the gig was the on going joke that i'm Tim's brother.  4 people came up to me and asked if i was Tim's brother!! One girl, who was a photographer which i'd met at a few past gigs, was introducing me to her friends as Tim's brother!! Haha!! Pretty funny!! Tim's my brother from another mother!!!

As i rode home, i was pretty sad. The Basics have been a part of my gig scene for the last 2yrs and i've had some pretty amazing times seeing them. I'm going o be keeping an eye on what they all get up to next.

The middle 2 weeks of December I was Shell come and stay with me. She was down to check out Universities and to chill out for a bit. She's just broken up with her long term boyfriend and sold their house, so she's on a mission to re-invent her life!! We hung out a fair bit and did some touristy things. I thought that we could possibly have something, but i quickly realised that our lives were too different and there was no way i was going to have a long distance relationship. It was cool to spend the week with her, but after catching up with her in Sydney a few months back, it made me realise that there was no way. I know that she wanted something more, but I wasn't going to let myself go there. 

On the 12th was The Vulpine's EP launch. I'd been looking forward to this for the last month. I was super excited to see them play at a really good venue, with loads of people. The night went smashingly!!! The sound was awesome and the vibe was hot hot hot!!! It was really good also to catch up with everyone again, together. It's been months and months since we've all caught up and i realised that i'd missed them all so much.

I went to another track even in the middle of Dec. It was the third race in the Track Revolution series.  I organised a bit of a crew to meet there and hang out. There was Murray, Raenier, Emma, Shell, Jess, Jo, Megan, Lauren, George & Michelle and myself. We all met up and headed into the center bar area. It was a really really good night. There were heaps of people there that i hadn't seen in aaages. Pete and Heidi, Damo and Libby, Loren, Jimmy from OnOne, Chris from GKA, Vince from St.Kilda, Marlon and a few others. I felt kinda bad chatting to everyone, cause i'd organised a whole group to go and now i was kinda just going off on them. But i couldn't just ignore the people there, would have been rude. You don't really realise how small the cycling industry is, till everyone is together having a good ol' time together. Lauren was like "How do you know so many people??" I guess if you act like an idiot at races, then people remember you!! haha!! There was some good racing and some good crashes too!!

Just before Christmas Caitlin organised for us all to catch up, before the holidays. I headed into Cookie, in the city, where i met up with Caitlin & Jimmy, Sarah & Jules, James & Peils, Rachel, Felicity, Jam and Cristen. It was a really good night. Everyone was in a super fun mood, with a lil help from Mr. Alco-ma-hol. James was totally pissed, cause he'd been drinking from lunch!! Sooo funny!!

Christmas this year was like no other. Because the folks had sold their house in The Dong, we had Christmas in Bendigo. No more Christmas in The Dong. I caught the train up there on Wednesday after work. It was only $14 one way!! feckin cheap!! Mum and Dad picked me up from the station and then we headed to their new place. Christmas day arrived and me, Mum and Dad went to their local church for a Christmas Day service. After church, Isabel arrived at the house, from Geelong, and then Pete and Jacky arrived after lunch. I'd eaten soooo much for lunch, i felt like a real fatty. It was present opening time!! We all sat around the tree and watched Dad play Santa. We all opened our presents and had a good ol' time, with a few big laughs thrown in!!

After opening the prezzies it was dinner.....more food!! Haha!!

According to my state-of-the-art 'micro' watch, it's FOOD TIME!!!

Healthy!!

 
 
Santa had a few too many Brandys and miss judged how close to park the sled behind Is's car!

Boxing Day, George and Michelle arrived. They stayed Boxing night and i scabbed a lift back with them on the next day. It was a pretty good Christmas, full of good times and good food!!

Next major even in New Years. Can't wait. I'm going over to Jimmy's place for his NYs party.  Should be a hoot.

Later Dudes!!!

Hey everyone.

So, it only a few weeks till the end of the year. Where has it all gone??

As you've all realised, I've been pretty lazy with my blogs entries, so I apologies. I know how much you all hang out for my dribble.

November was pretty busy for me, so I'll start at the beginning.

It was cup day at the beginning of Nov. I organised a shop ride, out to a place called Diggiwarrah. I've ridden out there a few times with Gilles and Carli, and it is a really good trail. It's probably the most technical trail around Melb. Anyway, we had about about 8 riders turn up. It was a small, but really fun group. We rode for about 4hrs and by the time we got back to the cars, we were all pretty knackered. It was the first real MTB ride I'd had since i'd gotten back from my hols. It was really good to get back out on the bike. I'd been a bit worried about my neck, and what my riding was doing. It was a bit sore during the ride, however, the next morning i woke up, it was like day one again!! Soooo stiff and sore. I went to my Physico for another 3 times in November. My neck is about 90% better. I still get a lil twinge every now and then.

The second week in Nov was the Gravity 12hr Mountain Bike Race, held out at Rosewhite in country Victoria. This year me (Pirate Doug), 'First Seaman' Gills, 'Captain' Carli and 'Deck Hand' Angus were in the "6 Nuts and a Beaver" team. We've ridden this race the last 3 years, and it's a highlight of my MTBking calendar during the year. Everyone came over to my place on Friday morn, where we did a final pack and jumped into the cars and began our 4hr journey to the race track. It was a lil cloudy in Melb when we left, and the closer we got to Rosewhite, the worse the weather got. We finally arrived at Rosewhite at about 3pm, to rain, wind and cold weather.  We drove down to where we camped last year, and who should be there, but the guys that camped next to us the last 2yrs!!

We found our spot and began to set up. Because it was raining, we set up the Gazebo, then each of us set our tent up under it, then moved the Gazebo, then set another tent up under it, then moved it and so on, until we had a tent city of about 6 tents and 2 Gazebos!!

The rain continued for all the afternoon and into the night. It was freakin freezing. Camping along side us, were some more of my mates. Andy and Dee with their lil son Xander, and Dee's sister Sharon and their Dad Harold. It was their first trip to the Gravity and they were pretty excited!!

So, after setting up our tents and sitting in the rain and cold, i can tell you that I was totally over the whole camping thing!! Haha!! Still, what's camping without good mates, fun times and dodgy weather!!

At about 2am the wind really picked up. There was a massive crash out near our tents. I got up to find my Gazebo had taken flight and landed about 10meters away between 2 cars and a tent!!. I secured it with a few containers of water, then headed back to bed.

By the time Saturday morning had arrived, the rain had all gone, the wind was light and the sun was shinning brightly!!! What a fabo day!!!

The race started at 9am, and went till 9pm. Angus was the first rider, then me, then Carli and finally Gills.

The day turned out to be a pretty special day. I'd have to say that it was the most fun i've had at this race. We had a sweet camping spot, my team mates were super fun and everyone was having a really fun time.

As usual, we all took the day pretty casual. We weren't really bustin our balls to race hard, just treated it like it was a day out on the bike. This year i'd brought a Black Board, so during the day we were writing messages of love to the riders as they passed us. We had a lil countdown on the bottom, also, to let ppl know how long to go. It was a huge success. We could see peoples faces light up as they rode up to the sign, which we'd change the message every hour or so.

Again, i couldn't help myself and dressed up for the occasion. I rode 3 laps in a Pirate's costume, then my final lap in this:

The night ended in a huge gathering for presentations, where we ended up coming 2nd in the mixed 4s, and then heading down to the massive Bon Fire, for more shite talking.

All in all it was a super fun weekend which i'll look back on for months to come.

In the middle of November my cousin Erin came down from QLD for a week. She was down here with some workmates and they were stayin in the city together. It'd been nearly a year since i'd seen her and I was pretty excited to spend some time with her. We hung out a few times and just chilled.

During November I also went and saw Block Party. Jo and I headed down to Festy Hall to see them play. They totally rocked out, however Festival Hall is a shit of a place to see a gig at. The sound is pretty shit and the stage area is pretty average too.

The Track UCI World Championships were also on during November. I went on the Friday and Saturday night. Friday night i went with Megan, it was her birthday, so i shouted her a ticket, then Saturday I headed down there with Raenier and Emma and Ollie. Both nights were pretty fun. On the Friday night I had a pretty embarrassing moment. So, we are sitting on one side of the track and there are some mates on the other side. We were trying to find each other, so, i stand up and start waving the program guide in the air, to get their attention. As I'm waving it around, a piece of paper has shot out of the guide and landed on the track, then slid down!! EEEKKK!! Everyone pretty much saw it, and i was a lil embarrassed. If a cyclist had run over it, there could have been carnage (not that that's what I want....no...of course not....). Luckily an official saw it and picked it up, phew!! Pretty funny though!!

I think i mentioned a girl named Jackie in my last post. Anyway, we had been spending a fair bit of time together and I thought that we were getting on like a house on fire, but it seemed that it was only pretty much one way. Anyway, i hadn't heard from her for a few weeks, she had had exams, so i thought i'd leave her to concentrate on that, so i asked her if she'd like to hang out some more. Well, she pretty much said that because she knew how i felt, that she didn't want to hang out anymore. It was a shot in the nads, but at least she was honest. Her loss i guess.

At the end of November I headed down to the folks new place in Bendigo. They'd sold the place in The Dong and i was there for their first weekend in Bendigo. It's a pretty nice house, very 'hobbyish'. They will love it there. It was a bit of a rushed weekend. Drove up on Sat morn, and then drove back on Sunday arvo. My car is going pretty shit at the mo, so the drive wasn't that crash hot.

And so ends November.

Later Dudes!!!!

Cutting Fully Sick!!!

Later Dudes!!!