Shane.Blamer's blogspot

Drove in to work, Tooronga Again traffic was fine & so i arrived so early that I even had time for a sit in coffee (and muffin, egg & bacon) (Noticed there's a 4Cyte pathology right here. I should have brought my referral, they could have done my blood test for me) NIGHT TERRORS w/ PHANTOM PANDA POWER WIZARD MASTER SMASHER  The pandas were a bit disappointing because they're was no drummer nor bass player. Also i couldn't hear any guitar. And the saxophone player was miming — not moving his fingers. We thought he seemed very drunk but maybe not However, i smiled throughout. Their costumes were incredible. The mechanical stage decor included 2 inflatable tentacles & phallic objects. They played the whole set in time to bugs bunny cartoons with a backing track as a rhythm section I found them highly entertaining, albeit not a very musical performance  Night Terrors were amazing The theremin is such a wacky instrument. It was memorising to watch him, Mi...

Up early & left the house ~ 6:30am To do list • Office works: Buy black cardboard & white pen • Write card • Workout • Meditate Work tasks • 3 meetings @ 9:30am, 11am, and 1pm • API • Traps Bird species: 12 Total steps: 11,000

It's beginning to look a lot like footpath Healesville Freeway Reserve (from Strathdon house to Terrara rd & Bellbird dell) I can see the markings of where the want to construct a new bridge too 

It's a nice, blue-sky morning for a walk Sun is very low in the east. Much cooler than it looks Tuesday night trivia at The Pinnacle, Fitzroy 7pm We were on table 4, there was 4 of us, and we came 4th Total steps: 8,500

Redwood café scrambled eggs Bird species: 13 Weights at lunch time I watched an ice hockey film, mentioned by my mum, Slap Shot (1977, Sam Newman) It's a rags to riches story about a hopeless team who start to pull big crowds by playing increasingly violently. Amusing albeit wall-to-wall politically incorrect: Slurs we don't use anymore, toplessness for no reason. It does not pass the Bechtel test Total steps: 7,500

Bfast at Leeroy's w/ N We walked and did a bird count Then i dropped her home. She wasn't feeling well (perhaps because of her bfast?) At home i napped. It was drizzling Carwyn Cellars to pick up some IPAs for the week (six seven)  Greek Street food: the sagganaki wrap Tallboy & Moose, caught in a downpour with lightning. Thankfully short, ~10 min from my car Total steps: 9,500

Allergy check was successful: next a blood test Brunch at the end of the pier Banks Brewery, Seaford — child friendly Bojaks Brewery, Dandenong South — tasty IPAs Mitcham Social, Oktoberfest Total steps: 9,600

Coles/Foragers TOORONGA OFFICE Can tell from the carparks remaining count that it is the quietest I've ever seen it We had 1 meeting this morning which was useful (but could have been done from home)  I'm trying to get somebody out because we're both sitting next to each other This afternoon i have 1 workshop, which is 2-hours. After that i will be fried and by looking to go home  WEEKEND Visited M&D's straight after work — not too tired Dropped off my guitar as D said he'd get it serviced for me over Xmas Popped in on foragers to try the new Bohemeth DIPA 8% ("Elon's Lapdog") which was very good

Bfast with N at two brothers (i drove myself) Did weights at lunchtime Did a bird count in my backyard Worked until 8:30pm

Light rain, weirdly 19° I've driven down to Rise & Grind 3133 which is convenient because i need to fill up on fuel on the way home I've ordered the granola bowl High wind warning in melb for this afternoon I watched Grand Theft Hamlet (film)

Citizen science "bird count" week I have re-downloaded the app, so i will be able to submit a 20-min count today & hopefully each day this week  Walked up to Dimicks for my morning coffee & banana bread  Half weights at lunchtime & half after work Meditation after work, i feel my chest twitching (with stress i think) Made tacos Caught up on 2 eps of King & Conquerer Watched the cheap seats Total steps: 7,000

Found most of a pack of cards by the train line Worked in the city because my employer had their opening of the new office in bourke street We picked up our new building access card, and got a quick tour of our floor & the ground floor facilities ("end of trip" showers, bike racks, etc)  Everything felt new & some areas weren't entirely complete yet — even on the ground floor That makes 2 days last week (monday, friday) and likely 2 days this week too (monday, friday again) Nando's for lunch with V Left at 5 o'clock on the dot. One beer. Early to bed Total steps: 8,000

The Republic Café, Blackburn Early bfast before the church-goers descend on the cafés ~8:30am Looks like a warm afternoon is forecast. Off to a gig in Thornbury this afternoon  Walked off bfast at Blackburn lake ~ 7,500 steps Home too recharge, sleep some, and do weights It to Thornbury local to see Alister Turrell and Rachel as her duo Gozleme for dinner & home by 9pm I've got to go into the city tomrw. It's opening day for the new AC3 office in bourke st

Smileys Brewery, Pakenam — with N Drove to Pakenham searching for cowboy boots 3806 Brewery, Berwick on the way back. My decided their beers were nowhere near as good as Smileys. Oddly, very fancy food on the menu Dainten Brewery, Croydon. These beers by far the best. We had a tasting paddle at each of the 3 breweries. None of this was planned in advance These weekend days are fun when we Swann around from one thing to the next without any plan for what will happen next The Ten Saints for a fullstop cocktail Total steps: 11,000

At the red supermarket for the 2nd day this week Out with N to Natural science Ordered dinner from the Italian place a few doors dow Bar nearby Foragers Total steps: 7,800

Jolimont café Apparently, i have to work from my customers headquarters every friday no, which is a bit of a shame — i think it should be okay, just more tiring I did weights after work but it took ages — 70 min MOVIE NIGHT 🍿 I have very much enjoyed The Road (2009, Viggo Mortensen, Nancy's pics) • Great colours & art production, i like their post-apocalyptic vibes  • Viggo Mortensen is pretty great in it (and lotr) •Great colours & art production, i like their post-apocalyptic vibes  Viggo Mortensen is pretty great in it (and lotr) • I couldn't quite tell where the story was going or what they were trying to say about society — but i enjoyed that they didn't spoon feed me / left me to my own interpretation(s) Total steps: 3,000

B'fast with N at Kopcha Woke up late, so i drove up. We shared a big bfast Lovely sunny day I need to tell Jo that her hops has sprouts  Work was ok, project workshop #2 (SNMP Traps) Grabbed 6 new release IPAs from A Point Of Difference. Then went upstairs for 2 pots of ocean reach (pelican) hazy ipa Korean for dinner with N, then drive myself home Started watching a new tv series, King's & Conquerors (1066). William the conqueror, UK/France. My Dad put me onto it. It's something like Game of Thrones but based on real events — so no magic Total steps: 6,000

Today was good I was very grateful to be working from home. I had a morning walk, did a workout at lunchtime, and felt the sun on my skin When i went to write my timesheet entry at the end of the day i couldn't put my finger on what it was i did all day, but i feel like i was sitting there focusing on some thing and then other things I, professionally, resisted the urge to type in  who the hell knows tbh lol I spoke with my parentals after work, sitting in the porch in the sunshine for about 1 hr I drunk 2 cans of german pilsner & ate corn-chips

Worked at Coles HQ today (to attend a workshop) My hops like like it is sprouting I think i will buy Halloween tickets for Phantom Panda Power Wizard Master Smasher with T (at Stay Gold) @ Oct 31 for 25$ +bf I was too tired to do weights after my work day in the office, wrestling traffic, and getting up early  I've had some leftover red wine & a beer (pilsner)  I meditated in they backyard when i got home which was a nice change, listening, although lying still became a challenge 

Bradlee played a covers gig at Forager's at 4pm I have put the finishing touches on my secret project ("Mushroom Tarot.") It's now ready to send off to the print-on-demand website, makeplayingcards .com

Brunch at Springfield Rd café, Peddlers B.L.T. on turkish bread (which they called pide ) Then drove to Forest Hill Chase shopping centre to pick up my hair stuff. Earlier in the week i tried but the store was shut for a few days for renovations  Saw amazing creatures at mullum mullum • Tiger snake • Two small kangeroos & three choughs ("chuffs") • After that snake a roo bound closely passed us • Seven more choughs eating, fighting over food  We also saw a geyser which was a bit gross and shot up giving us even more of a fright than either the bounding roo or the snake slithering slowly across the pipeline track about be 5 metres ahead of us Be'lakor at croxton

Car mechanic fixed my orange solid engine light Luke has taken over from John at Ultratune, Knox Worked until 4:30pm, then did weights N came over to drink Rob Dolan's wines that we purchased a number of Sundays ago: Chardonnay, and Pinot noir — "White label" which is (unexpectedly) pricer than their Black label  Pizza for dinner, which we picked up from Vermont South. Genuinely Italian staff & flavours

Jolimont coffee (out the back) Steak night, Mandorin in Boronia Rd

Working in the afternoon only today, from 12:30p IT PROJECT MANAGEMENT: MIGRATION My be project kickoff meeting is at 1:30pm. It's unusual for me to be involved so early in a big project like this, which will continue until the middle of next year (at least) ~ 9 months+ I heard the project manager say that the design hasn't been agreed on yet, so that will be the first challenge. From what i understand, that will mean drawing up a diagram (perhaps several diagrams) that show which computers and software (A) current talk to each other and (B) eventually need to talk to each other There may be other intermediate "designs" that need to be achieved on the way from A to B A difficulty will be the lack of detail: especially when it comes to what exactly does the software do. If there is some ambiguity or confusion or gap then the design may not be complete. The idea will be to have a design that is flexible enough that we can start building without needing to ch...

Mullum mullum, Powerline track  I'm working UK time 9am-12:30pm again today (same as yesterday) which is 7pm-11:30am AEDT It's too nice ofa day to laze around digging like i did yesterday — by 11am i have come for a drive and a coffee and a sandwich and a walk Small grocery shop. Saw trucks moving a portable classroom (?) into the local school

Working late today 7pm (training in UK time zone) Fritters for breakfast at Dark Horse in the Brit with N Snoozed all morning Shower and weights at ~ 4pm, then back to bed

Mr Robertson for bfast (steak sandwich) Mullum mullum walk w/ N (saw zero kangeroos) Geoff Atkinson at sooky lounge ~4 pm Total steps: 12,500

Bfast in Huntingdale/Clayton area A Point Of Difference  Aquarium Foragers Didn't end up going to Brunswick, stay gold to see elm st and my mate A. (Technically, he never confirmed) Had a few too many beers in the sun during the afternoon at Foragers outdoor area from 2pm. EJ's chicken for dinner ~ 7pm, stayed over at N's Total steps: 6,500

Up early, my right eye feels a little strange/blurry It was like that last night when ib finished a few hours on the computer — fixing up the last of my Photoshop project images  This weekend, I think i will be ready to send my 16 images off to the printer to be made into tarot cards The front designs are at least complete. I need to do a final check for mistakes & any tweaking The back design could probably be re-done because i have a new idea. I'll try to draw that up tonight I don't have plans to go out tonight. A metal gig tomrw in Brunswick, Stay Gold (a bit far from me)  And walking during the day with D on satday too Jolimont café w/ A and B, which has become a usual thing — conveniently close by and fun chats That we chatted about the challenges of keeping a volunteering organisation running — especially with aging members, wanting to keep their tradition alive (when there are plenty of other demands and interests that take up a younger person's time...

Stayed up til 2am doing a new Photoshop project  Mushroom tarot - designed by S.Blamer I'm on only 4-hours of sleep and feel a bit loopy Walking up to Rise and Grind 3133 to meet N for our regular thurs bfast together. This café says 37 google minutes, which is further than we would usually go. We like to rotate café every week This deck will be for N's bday which is Nov 1 It will be difficult for me to keep it a secret because i'm so excited about it Make Playing Cards is a website that lets you design and print-on-demand your own playing cards. I have used it several times before: 137 tarot, 137 squares, MOTU flash cards. PHOTOSHOP vs. GIMP I instead use Gimp these days, because it's FREE Gimp is kind of frustrating, most times, because it isn't the same as Photoshop: incl. copy-pasting, selecting shapes, combining layers. i end up hunting around the screen, making blunders. Plenty of common features aren't intuitive. I swear my version is glitchy ...

More sunny this morning I'm got in my hoodie out walking, after my shower

More sunny this morning Hot in my hoodie out walking, after my shower 2nd shower to warm up at lunchtime Re-heated last night's ½ a pizza in the microwave Chatted with D on the phone after work ~ 5:30pm Total steps: 7,500