the ekka 2

I am having the utter most awful writing slump at the moment; I just can’t get the words right out of my fingers so I warn you in advance.

Whilst shooting Sideshow Alley on Wednesday night I was given a tip from a fellow ‘tog that the roof of the car park across the road could provide some awesome shots. I eagerly took note of his tip. However I thought I don’t think I would feel comfy up there late at night therefore I skipped going up there that night but decided to come back later in the week with a partner so tonight Mum and I headed in to the car park in time to get photos of the fireworks as well as general views.

It was like a block party up there (well not quite but close), there was four of us with tripods, numerous car fulls of families who had decided that $3-6 in parking fees was a much better price to watch the fireworks then at least $45 for entry fees to (2 adults, 2 kids).

Once I had gotten set up, we chatted and waited till imagine our surprise when the man and son a car over from us said is that you Ruth? Ruth Stephenson? (Mum’s maiden name). Turns out it was a bloke called Jeff/Geoff who went to high school with Mum and was best mates with my uncle. What an utter coincidence! He was there with his son who is roughly the same age as myself and is a design student at the arts college and was out taking photos of the night as well. So they chatted and we did our thing. How cool was that?

ekka

Things I learnt – Enabling mirror lock-up and using the camera on bulb with a remote is a tricky operation to ensure that the shutter triggers when you want it to. Will have to practice more with that.

Things I have realised – I don’t take photos because I scrapbook. I scrapbook because I take photos. Hence I am undertaking a swing in my financial output to ahh support Canon more than I do Bazzill. No more scrapbook spending unless it is on more adhesives, albums or page protectors. I wonder how well I can stick to that thought because I really need some more alpha stamps lol.

Other than taking photos and developing my raw’s, I have not been up to much just the usual combo of uni and work. This weekend I am getting stuck into an essay I have due on Thursday on the question of “Is total war obsolete?”

the ekka

ahhh, that wonderful ten days of August when the show comes to town 🙂 Spent the arvo/night in at the looking at all the aggie displays, sampling the foods, surveying the photograph competition, having a strawberry ice-cream and well doing what I do best taking photos 🙂 I didn’t buy any show bags nor go on any rides or buy anything other than the token strawberry ice-cream. I have heaps of photos to go through but I have posted one on the plog alreay – solo guy and ferris wheel

concerts, concerts, concerts

As we draw nearer to summer, the concert calender really hots up 🙂 and it really looks like I am going to go broke and this does not even include the couple of festivals that are coming up, why do I have to like music so much???

August 19, 2005 – Little Birdy (playing this weekend, really cheap tickets, might go in after work to see them)

August 22, 2005 – Nine Inch Nails (not going but wouldn’t it be awsome to see them live especially to see Perfect Drug live)

September 4, 2005 – MxPx & Motion City Soundtrack (going to skip this one as well but it would be a good show to go to)

September 10, 2005 – The Mountain Goats (A case of almost wetting my pants, a super rad band that I discovered on KEXP one day and it is the day before my birthday how could it get any cooler?? )

September 15, 2005 – Spoon (will probably be my second birthday present to myself, like many people I found them through the OC and it has become so much more sense then)

Sepember 18, 2005 – The Hives (They’re sweedish, they rock and it is a 18+ even that means no squealing 10 year olds)

September 23, 2005 – Black Eyed Peas (Thought about going to this as I do like a good selection of the songs but it is one pricey concert ticket so going to skip this one)

September 24, 2005 – Garbage (again could be a good show but the tickets are way overpriced for who Garbage is, sorry folks maybe next time)

October 1, 2005 – Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger (Hope to drag Matthew or have him drag me to this show, what a combo of great bands for a night of ska’ing)

October 2, 2005 – Simple Plan, The All-American Rejects and Kisschassy (Sam and I are going to this, trying to toss up at the moment between getting mosh tickets off ebay for a little bit more or sitting up the back in the seats. We both saw Simple Plan when they played earlier this year with Green Day but I am going to see AAR – swoon, I almost had a heart attack when I saw they were coming out with SP, love, love, love AAR and then Sam wants to see Kisschassy, a really good band from Melbourne – Going to be one hell of a good night)

Ocotober 29, 2005 – Missy Higgins, Ben Lee, Howie Day, Ray LaMontagne and more. (This hopefully won’t be as much of a pot smoking night like Jack Johnson was but it will still be a nice summer evening out at the gardens for some top music)

November 26, 2005 – Oasis (how could I not go to this? not sure who I will drag along yet maybe Matthew but I mean these are the guys who have written so many classic songs it will be a great night)

December 2, 2005 – Foo Fighters (I was too young to see Nirvana live but at least I can see Dave Grohl in the Foos)

simple day

Today, was a simple day, spending time with my mum going shopping with her, something I can’t remember the last time I had done. Buying a new sæng(doona) and then buying a new quilt cover set that my parents will give me for my birthday next month – Paisley by Esprit. It is so utterly gorgeous and I can’t wait till I get it on my birthday :):)
Finding a new magazine in the newsagent is always fun, even better when it is very similar in style to Real Simple but is a home-grown aussie publication called Notebook. The issue I picked up was the launch issue and I can see this magazine filling a niche in our domestic magazine price and it is over half the price and more pages than Real Simple as well. Bonus 🙂

Tonight Sweet Home Alabama was on the Telly, so I grabbed my sæng, all nice, new and fluffy and settled down for a good chick flick. That movie always makes me smile 🙂
Work tomorrow, I start in 6hrs so it is off to bed now 🙂

now it is just me

I have sat down to try to write this many times in the past 24hours and each time nothing has really come out but I am sitting down now to try again.

Yesterday I said good-bye to the life I had enjoyed, loved and cherished for these last fifteen months. I will never be sorry for the times I have had with Sean and his family, the experiences and places I have gone. Netball, Slurpees and Cricket are three of the first things that come to mind about the new things Sean and his life showed me.

However, not all good things never end and I realised that whilst I will always love Sean, the love I felt for him now was very different from the love I had felt for the last fifteen months, I no longer saw him as the one I wanted to grow old beside. He was no longer the one for me.

I asked myself so many times, why had my feelings changed so quickly and for that I can offer no rhyme or reason so I did what I knew I had to do. I broke it off with a wonderful guy. I felt terrible doing it, for hurting him and for not been able to offer him a substantial reason other than that it no longer felt right for me.

And now it is just me, no more Sunday cricket adventures. Just me, trying to figure out what I need to do in my life and how to fill my time.

iTunes Meme

The flu is basically gone, I have some minor head aches but all is good 🙂
I saw this on Niki’s blog and thought it looked fun 🙂

How many songs?
4174 songs, 10 Days, 18 Hours, 33 Minutes and 28 seconds total playing time, 15.79 GB (Though this is a rather partial collection, it includes most of my music, some of Matthew’s and some of Karl’s but not all the music of theirs I listen to. As well as a fair bit of crap music I have to get round to deleting).

Sorted by song title, the first and last songs:
’97 Bonnie and Clyde – Tori Amos (none of this Enimen stuff here)
Zoot Suit Riot – Cherry Poppin’ Daddies

Sorted by artist, the first and last songs:
Here without you – 3 Doors Down
Gimme All Your Lovin’ – ZZ Top

Top 10 most-played songs:
(Most played at No. 1)
Hide and Seek – Imogen Heap
The Wind – Cat Stevens
Money (That’s What I Want) – Flying Lizards
My Paper Heart – The All-American Rejects
With or Without You – U2
Bat out of Hell – Meat Loaf
Swing Swing – The All-American Rejects
Sorry – Rooney
Caravan – Rachel Portman
Orange Sky – Alexi Murdoch

Top 10 recently played songs:
(Most recently played at No. 1)
Bang and Blame – REM
Please Me Like You Want To – Ben Harper
9 Times a Day – Xavier Rudd
You were meant for me – Jewel
Night Moves – Bob Seeger
Copperhead Road – Steve Earle
Stuck in a Moment – U2
Bruca Manigua – Buena Vista Social Club
How Do I Deal – Jennifer Love Hewitt
Africa Unite – Bob Marley

Find “sex�; how many songs? 9
Do Ya Think I’m Sexy – N-Trance feat Rod Stewart
Sex Bomb – Tom Jones with Mousse T
Sexual Healing – Ben Harper
Sexual Healing – Marvin Gaye
Sexy – Black Eyed Peas
Sexy Boy – Air
Sexy Thing – Hot Chocolate
Sexyplexy – Jack Johnson
So Unsexy – Alanis Morissette

Find “death�; how many songs? 6
Death Defy – Motor Ace
A Lack of Colour – Death Cab For Cutie
All is Full of Love – Death Cab For Cutie
Expo ’86 – Death Cab For Cutie
Lightness – Death Cab For Cutie
The New Year – Death Cab For Cutie

Find “love�; how many songs?
Global Search — 215
Song title Search — 117
(5 most played songs)
I’d Do Anything For Love – Meat Loaf
Pride in the name of Love – U2
Love Song – Amiel
Where is the Love – Black Eyed Peas
What the World Needs Now is Love – Burt Bacharach

Find “peace�; how many songs? 3
Peace – Norah Jones
Peace Train – Cat Stevens
Love and Peace or Else – U2

Find “rain�; how many songs?
Global/Song title Search — 52
(5 most played songs)
Crying in the Rain – Carole King
The Beauty of the Rain – Dar Williams
Over the Rainbow – Eva Cassidy
Downtown – Brainstorm
Just a Walking in the Rain – Johnnie Ray

Find “sun�; how many songs?
Global/Song title Search — 84
(5 most played songs)
Sun Street – Katrina and the Waves
Hello Sunshine – Super Furry Animals
Island in the Sun – Weezer
Sunshine on my Shoulders – John Denver
Sunny Ray – Mambo All-Stars