Shane.Blamer's blogspot

KopCha, rooks rd 8:30 AM Drizzle. Felt tired. Up late My favourite coffee place near home, Rooks rd. They have their own house blend with their logo on it, KopCha. So i don't know who the actual coffee roaster company is. It used to be some coffee brand called Dark Horse (from memory) Weights & some stationary bike Soldat zombies & the rest of the Soumah white wine, chardonnay from friday night - held up ok, not great Total steps: 1,400 ____ On this day: 2025 . Week enough to do weights. Prhned my lavender. Set up my FingerBot (first attempt) to control my ducted heating on/off

Nigel coffee. They didn't have any hot food School holidays = better traffic 12:30 PM Lunch-break. Frittata (quiche) down on Level 1 ~ $14 (way too much rice) 4:50 PM That's close enough to 5 o'clock for me. I'm the last to leave (except for the new manager) Played some soldat zombies 8:55 PM Watched some Bluey episodes. I'm up to Series 3 Total steps: 10,000 (for the 3rd day in a row) ____ On this day: 2025 . Cold & flu-like symptoms. Didn't do a RAT. Walked up to collect car from Coles, Mitcham.

Milk & Wine Co., Heathmont Chilli scramble / Turkish eggs 1 PM Olinda Falls, very steep. Dirt roads felt too narrow Olinda bottle shop 2:30 PM Toilet stop in Ranges bar & café 3:30 PM Mitcham quick power nap. Home to Vermont to shower Walk up to Mitcham social. Strak & steak salad. They seem to give us American mustard instead of Hot English, and mushroom sauce instead of pepper. We saw L & C on a date, they sat outside Walked up to Dutch Rules for a martini 7:50 PM Uber home to Vermont Watched this week's Gruen (finally). Pretty good, but no Todd 8:45 PM Bed time ____ On this day: 2025 . Cool & flu-like symptoms. N walked over a care-package to my house. We walked at Mullum Mullum. Newly opened Sub_Urban rooftop for a 250g steak. Foragers. Uber'ed home. Didn't start over because of N's cough.

Chesterfield farm 7am woke up in vermont, wordle in 4/6. Cold, fog Birdie Cup café for bfast, in Scorseby ~ 14 min. Great coffee, food, venue, staff, and restroom 10 AM Chesterfield Farm, Scoresby ~ $22. We saw an impressive murmur of starlings, cows (calves), bin chickens, cockatoos (hello), crested pigeons, regular pigeons (rock doves), ducks, geese, peacocks , peahens, guinea fowls, turkey, chickens, roosters, goats (headbutts), sheep, emus, ostrich, camels (spit), alpacas, eastern-grey kangeroos (joey), fallow deer, red deer, shetland ponies, horse, buffalo, budgerigars,  highland cows , donkey, pigs, bantam chickens (chicks), rabbits, guinea pigs (pups), parrots, rainbow lorikeets, turtle, farm dogs. 12 PM Home to rest 4 PM Train to newly re-opened Cherry Tree Hotel, Cremorne. Want you check out the renovation. The beer list didn't look too good we heard Holy Moley for a pre beer, Chadstone Shopping Centre 7:45 PM Rone exhibition, Chadstone Shopping Centre 8:15 PM...

Figure 9 café for breakfast & drove N to work  We did pretty well with the Herald Sun shark quiz Washing. Weights. Petrol. Contact lenses  Guided mindfulness meditation 5:30 PM Finished for the week, but i feel a bit coldie so i go visit my parentals this weekend. I'm hoping i can shake it off overnight if i rest N came over for pizza & a movie, Time Machine with Guy Peirce which was at least short ~ 9 min ____ On this day: 2025 . Thursday night trivia at the Birmy. Arrived early, so went to Beermash for a Range "Pulp Free" DIPA 8.3% (small pour,150ml).

Coffee at CRU+ in Hawthorn East Drove into the office today, even tho it's a thurs Was at home yesterday -wednes- to do my small production change (which went well i think) Upped my weights yesterday & can slightly feel my right elbow - so it isn't completely healed yet Feel a slight headache, which could be last night's 2 beers (?) because the 1st one was a 10%er I will try to remember to watch this week's Gruen at lunch-time ... i forgot 8:45 PM Yo Momma, Italian pasta in Mitcham Rd for dinner w/ N. I drove then got us to Foragers That's a bit of a crowd here tonight, 14 inside and i haven't ventured outside yet. Too cold, i'm under dressed (not in my leather jacket) ____ On this day: 2025 . WFH. 14°C. Instant coffee. Coles Online grocery delivery. New contact lens trials continue.

Phone photoshop for T (based on David Bowie) Jolimont café coffee, and a B.L.A.T. ~ 8:15am Weights at lunchtime After work: Soldat zombies (VPN is working well), Cheap Seats ____ On this day: 2025 . Acid-reflux. Inked² café. Worked without a break.

Walked to Redwood café to check whether it had improved - it hasn't The chef/barista was their by himself. He was trying out an automatic door-bell, which played an annoying tune. A thoroughly uncomfortable vibe 10 AM Physio, possibly my final session on my right arm 10:45 AM I've popped in to the bahn mi place, but in the end felt like a pie 1 PM Meditated I watched ep 4 of darth maul on my lunch break 5 PM Logged off the laptop Bird species: 11 Total steps: 6,500 ____ On this day: 2025 . Jolimont café. WFH. Workout in 2 parts. Project work at the red supermarket. Watched Steve Buscemi film "Living In Oblivion".

My contact lenses end up in the weirdest places Cold morning. Woke up in Mitcham Failed wordle Had a fairly poor night's sleep, but a good day at work. A total shit show. But those are sometimes the best days Not my circus, not my monkeys  Ordered some groceries from Coles online Played some soldat ctf / zombies with hellas Started watching the Darth Maul animated tv series 10 PM Bedtime ____ On this day: 2025 . Oh Hi café. Walked around The Round. Worked on Low-Vis Ninja. Did my "3rd-beer" comic strip.

Jells Park Up at 10 AM Mr Robertson burger 12:45 PM Jells park, sunshine 14°C • Black swan • Grey heron • Grebes both adult & jouvenile • White ibis 300-800 5 PM A light dinner & wines at the "new" restaurant/bar that's next to Budgie bar (Budgie smugglers) in Ringwood, off Maroondah hwy Delicious. Batting above it's weight. Generous serving sizes. We got to 3 anti-pastas. Not too pricey at all. Wines good too ____ On this day: 2025 . Hoping it isn't covid. Mullum mullum APOD then Foragers. Uber'ed home.

The Corner (Park Orchards) Park Orchards is a suburb i had never been to & tbh was confused about where it was Park Espresso & Eatery looked like a Greek fish n chip shop that they'd turned into a modern Greek/Turkish café Quality breakfasts, relatively inexpensive, fantastic coffee (flat as a tack) We walked nearby, around the off-lead dog park & then on to the 100 Acre Flora & Fauna reserve Came home for a nap 12:30 PM Woke up Uber to Ragtime Tavern, Preston The plan is: • Barton Fink - had never been • Carwyn Cellars - expensive, i saw a $70 pot • Shotkickers - doom bands from 7:30pm -- Opening band -- Shipyard: 2 price, atmospheric & intense -- Giant: mentioned vibes, Gothenburg 1999 -- "Non" headlined, no vocals, i felt bored/tired tbh ____ On this day: 2025 . Felt like i was fighting something. N got asthma med. Trump bombs iran

CRU+ café, tooronga village, hawthorn east 7 AM Woke up in Mitcham, showered at home • Heard a gang-gang cockatoo (at home) • On my drive to work, saw 4 black cockatoos 8:15 AM Got to work in good time. It appears somebody has made contact with my car's front left bumper - a red car by then looks. Not too worried about it 11 AM Early lunch, dumplings (4x) & a walk • Spotted 2 black cockatoos, high-pitched cawwing, and flying against the blustery wind Left work close to 4:30pm and got home at 5pm Ate sandwiches, put on some Evergrey (new album) 6:15 PM Natural Science: hazy beer & pan-fried gnocci Bar Nearby: pinot noir, met some racist outside Dutch Rules for a 2nd night in a row: GSM, beer. Not too late ____ On this day: 2025 . Inked². Perhaps getting sick.

Dutch Rules, whitehorse rd, mitcham Called in sick today. Was going to wfh - headache 7:30 - 9:30 AM Bfast w/ N at KopCha 10:30 - 11 AM Chatted with D on whatsapp about Brunswick East, bennie, her new job, her band practice Shopped on ebay for underwear. Used (more of) my Ebay credits that i got thru work 2nd coffee - just an at-home instant, sitting in bed to keep warm & ducted heating on, warming the house a few degrees to 21° (cosy temperature) 11:30 AM Paid my plumber's invoice, was only $375 (all up) That was to get: • 1 junior guy out on the public hol to advise (also tried a temporary repair which failed which he said it might) +  • then at 9am on the tue 1 senior guy who took approx 2-hours to fix it permanently (with the required part from the plumbing supply guys at Reese, and removing the pan completely) 11:45 AM Still a bit headachy. My back & shoulders feel tight (because of my headache? or: the cause of) 2 PM Played some guitar, mostly to s...

Jolimont coffee The house has stayed strangely warm overnight ~ 19°C 7:15 AM Wordle in 4/6 8:15 AM Jolimont café for a coffee & smashed avo I got 11½ in today's Herald Sun quiz. It felt like i only missed a few out of 20. I should have never added up my score NEWSPAPER'S DAILY TRIVIA The ½ because i guessed Electric Vehicle batteries instead of EV chargers Before are companies the specialise in which service? • Evie • Chargefox • Jolt 1 PM Weights. Spotted all 6 tank fish in record time. Fed them. And my fishpond orange shubunkin (and 2 or 3 young dark/invisible shubunkins?) 2 PM Finished weights. Guided mindfulness meditation 10:45 PM I watched Cheap Seats, played more zombs & some f guitar. 1 x 7.4 beer +1 x 8.4. Now bed time ____ On this day: 2025 . Movie night in concrete clayton.

Cru+ café (Hawthorn East, near my work) 8:30 AM I found a cute coffeeshop yesterday on my lunchtime walk & remembered to try it today Cru+ Work lunch: fish, veges & a Guinness schooner 7:30 - 9:30 PM Installed proton vpn on windows 7 to decrease my ping to my fav Poland soldat zombie server. It had been successful (down from 400 to 300 ms) 10 PM Bedtime. Guided mindfulness meditation ____ On this day: 2025 . Monday. Worked from home. A fairly typical work day.

Team meeting 8:40 AM Feels chilly this morning, clear skies ~ 6°C 12:30 PM Lunch break. Made my own sandwich at the side street independent sandwich café like i used to ~ 6 years ago or so (2019-20) 9 PM Some thoughts on a.i. (response to an email from my Dad about a recent Beato video on LLMs) It seems strange but most users opt to pay monthly for ChatGPT. They aren't making the switch to one the 100s of (less famous) free alternatives that can be downloaded & kept offline. Yes, the monthly price for ChatGPT (and the Microsoft/Google alternatives too) will have to rise to cover their a.i. data centre costs, service their debts, pay back their investors. But for now, chat bots are only in the initial growth phase - trying to maximise users & usage. Later, i expect their shareholders will force them to focus on maximising quarterly profits - something like Facebook and YouTube have done (paid advertising) or like Netflix and Spotify are doing (boil-the-frog pric...

Grey fan-tails at westerfolds park (not shown) 10 AM Guided mindfulness meditation Weights 1 PM Westerfolds park There is no rain forecast  Cyclists on every path No g.d.k.r's Headed Up The Usual Hilltop • 23 coughs (the most i've ever seen; by double) • 5 kangeroos up the very top, they hopped away  Total steps: 9,000 ____ On this day: 2025 . Met N's younger brother O. Took original photos for The Adventures of Low-Vis Ninja .

Kangeroos at Mullum Mullum Slept in, felt a bit hungover Grocery shopped for a few items KFC Walked at mullum mullum 1:45 PM Back home, back to bed 5 PM White Heat (1949, film noir, undercover in jail, top of the world ma) really excellent ____ On this day: 2025 . NeO at 170 Russell. Psycroptic (Tas.). Went to Cherry. Met 2 farmers from the country.

Far Side hawthorn east (next door) 6 AM  WORDLE in 6/6. I have exhausted my list of starting words, so i am back to thinking of a starting word in the moment However, i have a looong list of what i've used so i can avoid repeating myself I also have a short list that the a.i. (google gemini) claimed are on my long list & never have been the Wordle solution: so i can play those again and again to increase my chances of a hole in 1 8:33 AM Lots of free car parks at work ~ 100+. Thirty-three min door to door down Burwood Hwy 11 AM I have a slight headache (that panadol at 8am has been unable to completely solve) Meetings, meetings, meetings 4:30 PM Left work early 5 PM Uber to richmond to meet up with L. Peak hour traffic. It took 1-hour. (I was expecting 30-min) 6 PM • Pink Lemonade next to richmond station • South of the Wall for taco & gauc until 7:30p • Far Side sat at bar & chatted with guy from UK • Foragers ____ On this day: 2025 . Thu. Worked in Russell...

N didn't come to bfast due to cold or flu-like symptoms  I went to KopCha and researched the history of the café, 150 rooks rd nunawading 8:15 PM Watched the Cheap Seats and Gruen (one beer) Early to bed. QuickEeze for acid reflux ~9pm ____ On this day: 2025 . Sleeping thru. Podcasts put me straight back to sleep. Manta-ray café.

8:45 AM  Wordle in 5/6 for me too. I'm at Tooronga (Hawthorn East) waiting for my coffee. It's got to Wednesday quickly ____ On this day: 2025 . Irritated eye continues. OPSM. Bluey. Cheap Seats. Brentford Square's Culaneria café for the last time: toastie cheese not melted.

Breakfast yoghurt at Figure 9 café Plumber messaged to say he's on his way 8:45am 10 AM Plumber has gone to Ringwood to get the rubber seal he needs He's an older bloke than the young guy from Sat. Seems to be on top of it. Says the rubber seal looks like the original from the mid- 1950s when the house was built 11:30 AM Weights. Listening to SYSK on "Dailing 911" (as in the emergency phone number) 4:30 PM Finished work a bit early Pizza guy gave me a free dessert 8 PM I watched this one (it was very good) The Big Heat (1953, cop, wife murdered, the mob) Total steps: 9,000 ____ On this day: 2025 . King's Bday. Monday. Crusty eye issue. Itchy skin issue: planning to seek advice. By 2026 it is solved.

Hunter & Barrel Breakfast at Mr Robertsom Beach walk at Chelsea Heights / Edithvale Gummy shark in the fish tank at the Pokies joint Bad Sheppard, Cheltenham 3:30 PM Eastland, motu at the cinemas Hunter & Barrel for dinner 6:30 PM Masters of the universe (2026) 9:30 PM Foragers Total steps: 12,400 ____ On this day: 2025 . Eye issues (since Fri night). Sunday 

Gnotuc avenue, aspendale Felt like a walk on the beach Toilet saga: Day 2. The 2L tub filled up overnight, bit of a wet floor but mopped up quickly & easily. The tap was fully on instead of fully off (fixed)  7:55 AM Jolimont café to use their out-house. Walked around the block for 15 min to give them time to finish opening A bunch of reds toadstools behind the horticulture centre in jolimont rd ~ 2 lots. June mushrooms - they remind me of The Smurfs 8:15 AM Coffee ordered. Lavatory used. What a relief 9:30 AM Driver to Gnotuc ave, aspendale. To have a walk along the beach. The dog-to-human ratio is about 1:1 I'm zipped up in a leather jacket. The morning sun is warm on my back  I did a guided mindfulness meditation on the beach: listening to sounds & grounding. Interesting, because i usually wouldn't feel comfortable to close my eyes in a public place NIGHT • Natural Science (prawns, spag ragu) • Bar Nearby • Foragers ____ On this day: 2025 . Lilydale Lake...

Wordle in 3/6 9:30 AM  Coffee in bed Weights Toilet leaking, wet floor  I've turned off the tap (and emptied it as much as i could)  4 PM Had to call about 6 plumbers. I had 3 call back.  • Two said $750 callout (it's a public holiday).  • One said he's charging $150 extra for the public holiday = $350 total. Potentially $70-80 if he needs to take the pan out. He said he'll send someone out in the next 1-2 hours. I've given him the gig. Texted him my address which he thumbed up. 5 PM Emergency plumber has arrived. Temporary patch up job ~5:15pm. Can't use toilet for at least 2 hours. Returning on Tuesday when plumbing parts suppliers are back open 6:30 - 7 PM I'm due at Foragers to meet Tassie Kate for the first time Unfortunately, i had ordered it before i noticed my toilet issue isn't fixed I've texted them that i need them to come back to 19 lex tonight. Talked to them on the phone: They really can't do anything before Tuesday except re-try to...

Camberwell 7:30 AM I have an optimist assortment at 10am, but unsure if i should keep it - my did throat seems to have disappeared (?) If i keep my appointment then i'm supposed to put my contacts lenses in my eyes for 2-hours beforehand 9:30 AM I had breakfast at jolimont café with A + B 6 PM Uber to Balwyn North to try out Bellevue Cellars • I've been to the venue before, off the freeway  • No fun beers: Hazy Pale / Balter XPA (no IPAs) • He will open a bottle of W.A. Pinot Noir for me • Only charged me $10 for a glass Bar Alba • Sessions Kew is not a bar • Back to regular $19 glass of pinot noir • Haven't eaten • The proprietor (?) shook my hand & introduced me to a few of the staff - she had dark curly hair &: an accent i couldn't place  • We flipped her coin to decided that i should walk too the next wine bar vs. uber to Camberwell I walked down to the Postmaster / Skinny Dog corner & found the "bianco" door to the ...

Rise & Grind café w/ N - even tho i feel a sore throat coming on A very rainy day. Heatherdale rd. Quick walk to the 1st bridge. Many bin chickens Workout at lunch-time, felt okay. KATG podcast Fish souvlaki for dinner (2x) from Brentford Square, Captain's Choice fish & chip shop T sent me some Tony Martin podcast segments to listen to (incl. Dion "What's it gonna be!") Bed early. More pods: SYSK, Origin Story _____ On this day: 2025 . Lloyd Spiegel at Sooki Lounge in Belgrave (on-stage w/ Canadian guitarist). A comedic & impressive show. Such story-tellers.

8:45 AM Nigel coffee & a miso peanut-butter cookie  I found a display unit on the side of the road during one of my walls around the block at work today. On my drive home, i took it - uber the cover of darkness. There was actually 2 units but i may have broken one of them as i picked it up because it fell to pieces. I left it curb-side 6 PM Home, changed into comfy clothes, bed-sheets changed, ducted heating on  Quick meditation Chatted with N on three phone for about an hour Chatted with D on whatsapp about her upcoming gigs. She just completed 1 month without alcohol Push-up challenge begins today: 137 per day, for 24 days.... yikes. Total steps: 10,600 ____ On this day: 2025 . Heard hen's night copped covid. Chatted with my family on them phone. Pizza. Cheap Seats. Guitar. Sad news about JB's son died.

Manta-ray coffee roasters - Winter menu My usual magic & a warmed-up plain croissant. Plus a bottled apple juice I brought my overhead headphones to listen you some Green Lung on spotify 10 AM Physio #5 a vast improvement over 2-weeks ago 12:15 PM Weights w/ warm-up weights for curls & rows 6 PM Notorious (1946) a bit boring the 1st hour or so 7 PM I tried to get Optus to help me with my Soldat ping issue, which i've had for about a week. It was a frustrating 1-hour and we didn't get anywhere 8:40 PM Cheap Seats was really good. They did a gag with body-doubles of themselves behind the desk (and signing autographs "meeting the audience"). They pretended to be in space. And they had a skit at a Baker's Delight where Tim was learning how to work there 10 PM Notorious (1946, hitchcock, cary grant, ingrid bergman, spies, wine cellar, poison) - good ending SYNOPSIS Carry Grant and Ingrid Bergman are spies. They fall in love. She is investigating one...

I made it to work on time from Mitcham, although i feel a bit sick. Went for a walk, ostensibly to warm up 9 AM Trying an egg & bacon muffin w/ my coffee Grateful for my headphones, and my powepack to re-charge them on the run  Blue sky, very chilly Tomrw physio (final?) Friday OPSM eye test, therefore WFH Next week is a short week due to King's Bday on Monday ____ On this day: 2025 . Walked up to collect my car from the train station. Didn't go meet up S to see a film at Nova in lygon st carlton.