I have to admit the redneck in me is seeking a revival. I have a hankering to go up to the farm to get on the motorbike with the shotty and the .223 and see if I can bag a few pigs. Haven’t done it for years. Apparently the pig problem up there is getting worse. I’m trying to organise a weekend with my ex, I hope my eye is still in!
However, before I go up, I want a new toy to play with. My friend Tom from Adelaide recently got a new model glider, and I want I want I want I want! Who invented a “budget” anyway?? grrr
So I tried an experiment this weekend. Adam and I have laid out a couple of goals to improve household happiness… save money (at least keep to budget) and eat healthier. Now, as most people will know, eating healthy and conveniently isn’t always cheap. Even worse if you subscribe to the “organic” phenomenom (not a chance here!)
So, we went and bought a crockpot, $30 from Big W. I asked my mum if she knew any recipies… shesuggested some ideas, so I went and got ingredients, and cooked it up today (with some further improvisation). It was really good! Adam was licking the bowl afterwards. And there’s enough to last us half the week!
So, here it goes.
Ingredients
1kg beef (I used blade steak) , cut up into cubes.
8 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and diced
6 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, not drained
3 onions
750mL beef stock
1/2 cup red wine
2 tsp crushed garlic
flour
Method
Cover the beef with flour, and brown it in a frypan.
Toss all the vegetables into the pot, then top with the meat. Pour in beef stock, wine and garlic. Cook on low for 8 hours. When ready to eat, heat on high for 1 hour. Goes well with some nice fresh bread.
Tip If you want to thicken the gravy up a little, mix in some flour and margarine, gradually until consistency is right.
It’s always the gay boy that comes second in the big comps isn’t it? Anthony Callea on Idol, that guy on Big Brother last year, and now Rhys on So You Think You Can Dance. Both Rhys and Jack were brilliant though. I was amazed (and completely jealous! I wish I could dance).
I haven’t watched much of the show, just a few YouTube flix and the final show tonight. I’m sich of reality TV. From what I’ve seen, I think it’s there’s much better talent than on Idol. It could also be that I’m a singer, and cringe every time an Idol contestant hits a wrong note.
Anyway, for those who don’t know these two boys, here’s a clip from when Jack and Rhys did a dance together from Chicago.
What a weekend! Was only away 30 hours, but it felt like a week.
Started the weekend out by exercising my brand new Gold Frequent Flyer card and going into the Qantas Club for an hour or so. Adam liked the idea of free champagne, especially before getting on a plane (he’s not an easy flier!) I’m an old hand when it comes to airports / flights / lounges etc, but to Adam he gets excited every time he gets on a plane to go somewhere. It’s so cute!
As you might have already known, I’ve been excited as all hell to see Phantom of the Opera. Mostly because Anthony Warlow was starring as the Phantom. For years, Anthony has been an idol of mine (I’m not one to have idols, per se, so it’s quite a feat that I think of Anthony as one). He’s such a versatile singer, and even after performing the role for so long, he still sings it with such passion and really brings out the jealous and bitter nature of the Phantom.
Aftewards it was time to relax with a few drinks at The Beat. Oh. My. God!
How Brisbane has changed. I haven’t been to Brisbane for 3 years, and the last time I was there, I wrote in this post
The one thing I think I find quite attractive about Brisbane boys is that all of them have this element of country hick in them… you could almost swear they were straight until you see them groping a drag queen. Add in a little bit of country naiveness… adorable!
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What happened? Last Saturday night, the place was rife with twinky queens, possibly even more flamboyant than Sydney’s! The Beat has turned trashier than Stonewall.. I felt really old and butch there. Two drinks, we were outta there.
Took Adam back to the Medina Executive, which I have to give a shout out as being somewhat brilliant in customer service. I had booked for us a nice 1-bedroom apartment overlooking the Brisbane River, however when we got there Adam noticed a very small splatter of what looked like blood hidden under one of the vanities. I mentioned it to reception, 5 minutes later we were given the keys to their penthouse apartment, and given a bottle of red for our trouble. And of course profuse apologies. Can’t complain with that!
Sunday was very relaxing; a slow start in the morning, breakfast downstairs, a wander through the markets at Southbank, a ferry ride to New Farm, followed by a very nice meeting with fellow blogger Eddie and his boy Sam. Eddie gives a very accurate account in his blog – 2 pairs of extroverts meeting for the first time, armed with coffee. Need I say more? I highly enjoyed meeting these boys…they’ ve been together for almost as long as we have, and it’s very refreshing to see that they act just like we do (married couple? Us? Naw, never!)
The rest of the weekend… well needless to say plenty of champagne and conversation at the Qantas Club, followed by a quick and painless flight home. Shelton, naturally, was excited that his daddies were home.
So, all in all, I think Adam was very spoiled over the weekend. “Best anniversary ever” I think were his words yay!
I must apologise for perpetuating a bullshit story in my previous post, taken from an article I saw in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Naively, I thought the SMH didn’t stoop to the scrape the stories of the Telegraph’s shoes. I was wrong.
I stand by my statement that I think the teachers should be educated before the kids, however I’ll give the “Gay Lobby” another chance (whoever they may be).
This article highlights one of my pet peeves when it comes to gay lobbying. Using politically correct terms in schools is the *last* thing lobbyists should be trying to push for.
Don’t get me wrong… I believe that children should be better educated about the existence and tolerance of homosexual / alternative relationships before they leave school. But trying to persuade schools to phase out common terms like “girlfriend†and replace it with “partner†??? What a joke! This is why terms like “gay agenda†come out. Sometimes I wonder what these lobbyists are smoking.
How about we start with something a little more down-to-earth and achievable… For example how about at least a class when students are taught about the need for tolerance and the different types of relationships available, and that all are acceptable? Wait, before that, educate the teachers! My form tutor at school (i.e. pastoral care teacher) used to commonly state that he thought homosexuals were “evil†and should be eradicated at all costs. Certainly an uplifting sermon.
Perhaps we all need to have input into the direction that activists take. Left to their own devices, they get carried away methinks.
So today, Adam and I celebrate surviving 4 years together without killing each other. Honestly… I don’t know of any other boy who could put up with my kooky demeanour like he does. We promised each other it was only going to be small affair.. a nice dinner at a restaurant or something like that. He’s taking me to a French restaurant tonight in Darling Harbour, where he’s threatened to eat some snails (how can people like that??? Ewwwwwwwww!). I warned him though… there’s no way he’s kissing me after eating snails marinated in garlic!!
Well… restaurant or no restaurant, I’ve always been a schemer when it comes to presents. For ages, I’ve been wanting to take Adam to see Phantom of the Opera, but the Sydney season doesn’t start until May, and nearly all the good tickets are booked out already! So I surprised Adam this morning by telling him that we’ll be flying to Brisbane to see the Phantom this weekend. I had all this planned weeks ago, and it’s been killing me not being able to tell him! Needless to say he was a happy boy ïŠ
Speaking of which.. I had better run! Don’t want to be late for an anniversary dinner, or I might not get another one!
One of the cool things about running your own site is being able to play with the database and pull out info that most blog engines (Blogspot, livejournal etc) haven’t implemented yet as a feature.
One of the main things that lets me know if a post is controversial or popular is the amount of comments it receives. As such, I decided to pull out the 20 most-commented posts that I’ve had over the years.
I’ve been keeping an eye on the media in the leadup to the Chinese Olympics, as I’m very curious to know how the Chinese are going to handle such a big event, and whether they can live up to the standard set down by Olympics before them.
So far the Chinese have been hampered by government bureaucracy, delayed construction of facilities, and the heat being applied to them regarding Tibet. Not to mention, of course, the concern that they were going to force Western visitors to experience their lovely “squat” toilets.
When the heightened threat of terrorism reared its head in September 2001, the impact on the Athens games was noticeable… the Games lacked a certain atmosphere that was present in the Sydney and Atlanta Games. With the activism surrounding China’s human rights record, protests at the torch relay, I can only envisage that the Chinese-hosted Olympics will be envenomed by the Chinese government’s “lockdown” approach to threat.
I love the notion of the Olympics. I believe it should be completely politics-free, and it should celebrate everything that is wonderful about humanity. I certainly got that feeling during the Sydney Olympics, not just because it’s my home town, but because the atmosphere throughout the city during the games was undeniably ecstatic, with no second thought given to whether a major event would be bombed. Our biggest worry at that time was whether CityRail would fall over, and whether Cathy Freeman would get a gold medal.
I was fortunate enough to be at the Opening Ceremony for the 2000 Olympic Games, which I got to see free of charge as I was performing with the Sydney Philharmonic Choir. The other performers didn’t get to see the whole show, but we were lucky enough that we were required to be in the stands the entire time. Each audience member was given a wristband that light up when they waved their hand… I don’t think the television cameras could accurately capture the look of an entire stadium pulsing as all 110,000 people (including Johnny and Antonio) waved their hands together. The scale of the whole operation… performers, choreography, music, I honestly don’t think it’s been topped since. I have no doubt however that the Chinese will try.
Yes, “mundanity” is a word, so Webster’s would have me believe. I’m back in Sydney now, and recovered from jet-lag which hit me hard on the weekend. Thankfully, QANTAS upgraded me to “Premium Economy” on the way back, which are basically the seats that used to be in business class before they upgraded to the pods they have now. I had a bulkhead seat by the window, so lots of of leg room, which is good for such a long flight! Also, the scotch was better. 3 Chivas Regals later and 2 nondescript pills with an effect like horse tranquiliser, and I was out like a light
So what have I been up to since I’ve been back? Well, apart from rampant amounts of much-missed groin-grinding, I’ve been catching up with people, going to little soirees around the place, and getting everything back in order before going back to work last Tuesday. Awwww… tell ya what, they missed me at work (even if they would never admit it). Within minutes I had managed to create a paper mess on my desk and speak loudly on the phone… they all rolled their eyes. Gus was back
I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do with myself now. I need a project, a scheme, even an unfortuitous plan to break up the monotony that I will fall into if I’m stuck in the office for weeks on end. The only travel I will be doing in the near future will be to Canberra for a few days (woo hooo! *groans().
Meanwhile I’m looking after my mother a bit, poor girl. My grandfather (her father) is in hospital, probably won’t last until the end of the week. They think he suffered stroke on the weekend, he is now in a coma and rapidly deteriorating. He’s 90+, so he’s had a good innings, but still it’s always a tough time on the family. Personally, I’m not that upset and neither is Mum. I think there comes a time where all that you wish is that the person is not in pain.
Anyway, I’d better go give my boy a hug… I’ve got 2 weeks left to finalise plans for our 4-year anniversary. I have a cunning plan. In fact, it is as cunning as a fox what used to be professor of cunning at Oxford University, but has moved on, and is now working for the UN at the high commission of international cunning planning.
yay!
