Shane.Blamer's blogspot

Molly Rose, Collingwood Beer judging night, albeit we voted for our mates Eastern suburbs did well • 1st: Cali IPA, Hawthorn ... on point, delicious • 3rd: "Ginger" IPA, Natural Science, Blackburn Beer tastings was quite a fun event. It was a battle of the suburbs. Blackburn who came 3rd were the brewers who invited me The clear winner was Hawthorn. They had the least adventurous beer (no sneaky ingredients like ginger or carrot or pink peppercorns). They did a modern IPA in the Californian style. Won by a country mile. It was really impressive & easily the best Foragers for a fullstop beer: Ocean Reach WC IPA Total steps: 8,700+

Broken sleep, bad dreams i can't remember  Woke at 7:30am which is close enough to my target 7am. I don't use an alarm (when i'm working from home) Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos in Healesville Far Reserve. I counted 7 of them, loud enough to hear over my single earbud I decided to walk up to Boronia Rd for a proper sit-down, barista coffee – even tho it will make me late to login HOW WE WORK My first meeting of the day is generally a 10am stand-up with only 2 other people. We say what we did yesterday & what we plan to do today. If there are any blockers then we prioritise/escalate CONTROLLING THE COSTS & DEADLINES The project co-ordinator is not very experienced, out of his depth – which is common with project managers too. Every task is more complicated than they expect: More subtasks, more dependencies TASK TRACKING SOFTWARE We have tracking tools that could help them, in theory, although people tend to use the tracking tools in a way that doesn't...

Jolimont café for a coffee Short lunch break ~ 30 min I forgot to pick up my beers at lunchtime. My calendar app has started behaving differently: After the "event" is finished then that notification disappears. I don't look when i'm busy, so i miss it Early to bed, super tired Walked 5,500 steps 

Slept in Walked in the rain with N at mullum mullum We saw 18 roos – including a very young pouch joey with arms like twigs, a family of 7 coughs, and a white horse Wines and steaks at Cherry Hill hotel in reynolds rd (donvale/templestowe). It's a bistro just slightly more classy than usual. Most tables empty Foragers have half-price beers on Sunday nights because they clean the lines but it surprises me every time. They have the pots already poured sitting on the bar in front of each tap – every time i think ok who is the Rockefeller who just bought two of every beer they have 

Walked 9,000 steps with N along the eastern freeway reserve near Doncaster, Middleborough rd to Elgar rd Rested in the afternoon. Ordered groceries & beers. Walked up to the Nunawading train station LEADBEATER (RICHMOND) Vanishing Point started early ~9:15pm-10pm • Silvio had a leg injury, so he was seated • Chris said he felt sick but was very smiley • The young blonde guitarist was new to the band • Young drummer & bass player i didn't recognise $30 entry (door charge, eftpos) $15 beer (a pint, mountain goat) Uber ride ~10 min THE GEM (COLLINGWOOD) 10:15pm-~1:30am Charlie Lane started a little late $20 entry (door charge, less for cash)  $50 (pots, 6 x $8.58, mill "darklord" black ipa) THE MILL aka. BENDIGO HOTEL (COLLINGWOOD) "Eclipse" heavy metal DJ's: saw Julz, missed Saul $26 (schooners, mill haze & "fresh hop" haze) I talked my way into Bendigo without having to pay the cover charge for the metal dj because it was 1:30am (even th...

Train (Mitcham CBD) Luke Kidgell stand-up at Hamer Hall with N The theme was very loose, Good intentions. He is famous for online videos. In one he interacts with a person with tourettes that went viral apparently All 3 comics were young, fairly in control. Approx 90 min of comedy (no interval) 7pm-8:30pm. The crowd was vocal, calling out now and again "Who here is spontaneous?" Yay!!! And on a bit of a delay: Yay! "Hang on that's not spontaneous. You really thought about that before you responded. You've evaluated. That's *calculating* – which is the OPPOSITE of spontaneous" There were plenty of really funny bits and chunks, and one-liners which are always difficult to remember. "It took Japan only 50 years to go from Seppaku to Pikachu" Ms Gunn secret bar under the Clocks pub at Flinders Street train station. Bar tender with the table necklace makes us feel at home. Cosy, dimly lit table right up the back. Table snacks. Sparkling ...

Breakfast at Inked³ (under new management) I had a huge "to do" list today & a lot of it got done. There are still a few work things i want to do tomrw: laptop experiments, macro fixes, doco TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS (MY HEALTH) ☑ Phonecall with GP, blood test results: all normal ☑ Reqested a referral to a specialist from my GP ☑ Got a bunch of balm/pills questions answered Indian restaurant in johnston st fitzroy @ 7pm Then trivia at Sugar Glider cocktail bar nextdoor I had beers with Teigan after triv and we ended up solving the world's problems Trivia was a complete success. We came 3rd overall. They aren't a franchise, but the host we met and he did a great job. Interesting questions I noticed a good number of ozzy and sabbath t-shirts were being worn around fitzroy yesterday, which felt nice to see – especially the threadbare, well worn and sun faded

Dimmicks café (Boronia Rd) for morning coffee Woke up to the news that Ozzy Osbourne died  This pic is a fairy treehouse that has been in the hole at the base of a tree for several years in Stevens Reserve. I have taken maybe a dozen photos of it over that time. My contributions were the metal crab & the tiny furniture which was given to me by fk27 ... with a dvd film of the same name, Tiny Furniture (2010) This week feels long. How is it only Wednesday My back seems improved. I will try a day without panadol. Weights still seems a few days away I caught up on last night's Cheap Seats Had one Seeker "Tropico" Hazy IPA 7.2% tinnie &  Wolf of the Willows "Persistence IV" 10% (330ml) Both great. A lot for a midweek tv/couch night Today was an itchy day. No anti-histamines taken Knocked off work at 6pm. Bedtime is 9:40pm Total steps: 6,000 WEEKEND PLAN 1. Thu inked³, indian & trivia 2. Fri luke lols (hamer hall), secret bar & foragers 3. ...

Stayed at home Filled up on petrol & drove up to coffee in Boronia Rd ("sweeping 7/11 views") L had flu-like symptoms, so we have done a raincheck until next Tue With was fine, no issues ... plenty to do, but taking it as it comes My back is not 100% yet, i'm on panadol only which has been okay (not ideal). No weights. N days wait 3 days and then any inflammatory pills I didn't buy Voltaren balm I watched Mystery Train (1989, Jim Jarmusch, Japanese, some Steve Buscemi in the final act) which was quite good, but i have seen so many good things that it has come in at #19 of the year ... so far. It was 3 loosely interconnected stories "Anthology" is probably correct The 3 stories involve the same hotel, there is some overlap in time (because you hear sounds from the previous act "thru the hotel walls" in the subsequent acts) ... and all 3 acts/stories at least mention Elvis ... because it's set in Graceland Total steps: 1,000

Coffee for breakfast at Jolimont café Got blood taken, even tho i forgot to fast Work wasn't too bad, a very quiet day really I did "pretend" weights – stretched without putting any stress on my back. It still hasn't healed completely, altho it's the best it's been for a week Watched a movie, Jim Jarmusch. Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai (1999) which was very cool

Mordialloc beach  I drove to Mordialloc with N. Parked in park street a bit before 11am. We had brunch at the canteen & then did 10,000 steps along the beach. Mostly sunny, not too crowded Wolf Of The Willows was a bit basic except for 1 imperial stout called Persistence II Boatrocker brewery, i got the regular stout 6% PJ's Mexican for dinner in Ringwood, shared 3 entrees Final glass of wine at Mitcham Social ~8pm 

I walked at Yarren Dheran Very many kookaburras. No echidnas despite the signs Dropped in at First Hill Chase to see N. We had a beer at the dodgy pub up the top, The Chase Hotel Then visited my family for my sister's bday (earlier this week), hung out at M&Ds from 4pm-8pm. We drunk 0% beers, janes squires Total steps: 8,000

Mr. Robertson (Snorkle Rd, Nunawading) July "me" day • Quick shower, panadol, ½ a big breakfast, rosti • 2nd shower, detangle hair, quiet phone time • Music, podcast, bed rest, morning meditation  • Upgraded phone from Android 15 to 16 • Green Gully trail templestowe: black cockatoos! Solo mission: 1. Prohibition wine bar, Camberwell $19 pinot noir 2. Walked 45 min to The Hills bar in Surrey Hills  3. Train to Bar Nearby (Box Hill) and home ~11pm

Breakfast with N Some success at work (after 2 days of test fails) Took a lunch break. Made up tuna sandwiches Foragers night & tomrw is a "me" day

Australian magpies My blue fingerbot design appears to be still working as expected. It had been a few days and the blue masking tape hasn't loosened (so far) The previous design used black duct tape and it only lasted 24 hours – then stretched (or peeled)

This morning I've remote controlled my kettle I walked 12,000+ steps yesterday, so I decided no walk today & had a fake coffee instead Walk to Brentford Sq for a lunch-break & meditated My back is sore. I think i've pulled a muscle, so no weights today Called my sister & my mum Watched last night's Cheap Seats and then Gruen 

Back hurting today – tight muscle on right side I tried rolling on the physio cylinder for a few min Sitting at a desk all day doesn't sound comfortable. I'm glad it's a short week Coffee at redwood café, boronia rd My throat feels a bit funny No lunch break 5:45 PM My back is still a bit painful. I have take more panadol TRIVIA AT HOWLERS IN BRUNSWICK I drove. Couldn't park directly out front. Found a park in the alley behind The Retreat. We came equal 3rd. It was over quickly, 7 PM - 9:30 PM The front section of Howler was a nice room for trivia. The curry was very good. The burgers looked small. Conner did a solid job. He was quite funny at times. His beard and hair were on point Dropped off T most of the way home. Stopped in at Safeway near my place to buy bread Total steps: 12,000 

Templestowe Laksa was cancelled as D felt unwell  I walked around Jenkins Park in templestowe. I found a tunnel where you can walk under the main road. You can keep on going much further than i did today – perhaps 3 times further north Mullum mullum walk too. A mob of approx 6 roos Mitcham Social for steaks & Pinot noir later. Mustard, chips, pepper gravy/jus Total steps: 6,000

My german friend T put me on to these  Speed for groceries online – arrived mid afternoon I did a bit of work like a lunatic  Weights (slowly) and some pruning, which had me in a bit of a rash Headed out to Redwood tasting room, st george's rd in fitzroy

My german friend T put me on to these  Speed for groceries online – arrived mid afternoon I did a bit of work like a lunatic  Weights (slowly) and some pruning, which had me in a bit of a rash Headed out to Redwood Tasting Room, st george's rd in fitzroy Bad Decisions johnston st (basic, band upstairs) Shady Lady i liked (reminded me of Eyvie's) Souvlaki. Uber. Zzz.

Walked home (Mitcham - Vermont) felt shady Watched a film Point Blank (1967) was no good  Pizza – saschuan prawn Hope brewery Porter (10%) Fell asleep in the couch  Skipped weights

Shared a mini breakfast with N at 7.:30am MP vege burger for dinner – quite good Walked to Foragers for beers so i didnt have too worry about leaving my car & collecting it tomrw T met us up. Lots of bar-fly regulars, 10 or 11 doing tastings

Chimney ducks Counted 11 bird species on my morning walk Steps so far: 5,000 One bird i couldn't name - jouvenile pardalote(?) My house was 12°C before i put the heater on  I'm logging on at 9:15am, although i already checked my MS Teams messages with my phone  Strangely, my Virtual PC connection hasn'tt timed-out overnight

Rainy, windy, drove to coffee Two Brothers is a little out of walking distance – because of the time it takes, not sure to distance/difficulty  Walked at lunchtime. This jar of coloured stones is a fun "offering" in spied on the Lost & Found stump today

Jolimont café chilli scramble & a coffee Saw king parrots Walked for 30 min or so Workout at lunchtime  Got the robot to vacuum Listen to some Darknet Diaries & Ctrl Alt Speech Watched the 2nd half of Dog Day Afternoon (1975, Al Pacino) And watched some more Bluey episodes. I'm rating them this time & creating a list of my favs

Wine barrel i took from someone's hard rubbish Coffee at culineria in brentford sq Walked with N from highstreet rd to jell's park. We saw a powerful owl (and 19 other bird species) Hard Rd brewery in bayswater. Chicken burger, cabana, onion rings. ESB, Red IPA, Brown, DIPA Foragers for a fullstop beer. Pinot noir, OC DIPA The bar was playing the final black sabbath gig festival Total steps: 13,000

Oh Hi coffee & panino (Mitcham - Vermont) Drove home. Slept 2 more hours

Mum's Lasagna (Greensborough - Mitcham)  I have a mate who's a sumo They charged him extra for his flight  Because of his weight?  No, because he brought his dogs with him (I wrote this joke last night in my sleep and woke up laughing. That last line kept cracking me up when i was writing it down but I guess you had to be there) After Mum's lasagna, i watched some of the AFL in the lounge. Played some guitars with Dad. Then meet up with N and T at foragers

Manty Ray Coffee Roasters I had a baker's delight apple & walnut scroll for breakfast Walked to manta ray for a morning coffee. It drizzled slightly on my walk home. I was a little late logging in  My fingerbot successfully turned on my ducted heater (from bed) this morning, which was a good way to start the day I had done wordle overnight at ~2am when i woke for a little time. Keith And The Girl podcast out me back to sleep. The guest was Mimi Cherry DARKNET DIARIES I've listened to some Darknet Diaries podcast episodes this week too. I am nearly up-to-date  One episode was rather shocking. Thieves took over a phone number by doing a SIM-swap scam. They had targeted people who held a lot of crypto currency. Up to $2mm in the case of one victim By stealing the victim's phone number the criminals could intercept the victim's Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) code. That allowed them to login to Gmail and other online accounts. They could reset the victim...

Parking fine:  $102 (Forest Hill - Mitcham) I picked up my FREE trial contact lenses from OPSM. They are Oasis brand 1-day (purple). One set of 5 pairs is BC 9.0 which is the same Base Curvature of my current brand, Moist (blue) The other pair to try is BC 8.5, so slightly smaller I spontaneously decided to go from Foresr Hill Chase to buy beers at apod. Of course i then went upstairs for a pot. My mate T came, then N Anyway 3 pots later, i accumulated a parking fine I watched TOUCH OF EVIL which is b&w, Orsome Welles stars/directs. It put me to sleep on the couch

Edinborough Castle (Vermont - Brunswick) We went Ms Smith's trivia. It was far for all of us except S who lives in Yarraville. We came 3rd overall. There were very many teams T was unimpressed. He found Ms Smith's energy to hyper (whoop whoop). We decided we wouldn't be back – so we drunk our FREE jug of beer. G managed to upgrade is from the lager to a porter Beforehand, S and T and myself ate Sri Lankan all-you-can-eat. It was only $25 and all tasted great. It is very near to the Retreat hotel corner I arrived ~20 min early, so i dropped in to the Retreat. They had some local IPAs i'd never heard of in the fridge. I instead had the Urban Alley on-tap IPA (6.8%) which was really pretty good. That's the brewery at Knox O-zone shopping mall