Month: December 2006

Merry Christmas to everyone

Ok, so it’s my first Christmas with a blog.  Please don’t hang me for being so trite and mundane as to do what I expect nearly every other blogger has done/is doing – wishing their readers a Merry Christmas.

To me, the Christmas/New Year season is a time to reflect on the year just past, and enjoy time with one’s family members.  For many this is not easy, a fact I know from personal experience.  Nevertheless, I believe this is the one time of the year where we should make the effort to go that little bit further to show our family, friends, and even people we don’t know, that we aren’t all arseholes or Scrooges (you, in the back row, was that a “Bahh, humbug!” I just heard?).

I care not what your religious background and beliefs may be.  You are as entitled to them as I am to mine.  I do believe, however, that NO religion intends to inflict pain or suffering on any member of the human race, nor for that matter members of the other species that inhabit this fragile little world of ours.  It is mankind that creates wars and conflict in the name of religion, not religion itself.  Sadly, it seems the only way we can protect ourselves from people with tyrannical and megalomaniacal tendencies is to fight back, and defend our way of life.  What brings these people to want to cause such trouble?  Intolerance for their fellow man, for one thing.  Warped views of societal structures other than their own, for another.

Whatever the cause, why can’t they just learn to live in peace with the rest of the world, and learn to tolerate, indeed rejoice in, the many variations of humankind and our society?

To all those that perchance come across my humble blog, I wish every one of you a peaceful and joyous Christmas season (whether you believe in that particular religious system or not) and success and prosperity in your endeavours in 2007.

Joke Number 2

I received this one from a client.  It’s another “Blonde” joke, which I normally wouldn’t post (my wife is blonde and dispels the “dumb blonde” myth, although she does sometimes use the myth to her advantage, like the time she got the better of a used car salesman about 6 months ago and got a fantastic deal on a replacement car for a troublesome Peugeot).

Blonde Parks Car In Snow

Norman and his blonde wife live in Calgary, Canada. One winter morning while listening to the radio, they hear the announcer say, “We are going to have 8 to 10 centimeters of snow today.  You must park your car on the even numbered side of the street, so the snowplough can get through.” Norman’s wife goes out and moves her car.

A week later while they are eating breakfast, the radio announcer says, “We are expecting 10 to 12 centimeters of snow today. You must park your car on the odd numbered side of the street, so the snowplough can get through.” Norman’s wife goes out and moves her car again.

The next week they are having breakfast again, when the radio announcer says “We are expecting 12 to 14 centimeters of snow today.  You must park……….. ” then the electric power goes out.  Norman’s wife is very upset, and with a worried look on her face she says, “Honey, I don’t know what to do.  Which side of the street do I need to park on so the snowplough can get through?” With the love and understanding in his voice like all men who are married to Blondes exhibit, Norman smiles and says in a gentle tone, “Why don’t you just leave it in the garage this time?”

2006/2007 Ashes Cricket Test Series

Game 3 of the Ashes series begins at the WACA in Perth today.

Can the English cricket team do anything to restore their battered confidence and pride?  They face an enormous task to retain the Ashes trophy.  They must win at least 2 of the next three games, and do no worse than a draw in the third.  Given the way they threw victory away in the Second Test in Adelaide, I wouldn’t be putting my money on them.

In a way, I’d like to see them put up a bit of a fight to keep the series alive.  However, as a true blue Aussie, I want to see our team continue to crush the “old foe”.  The English win in the previous Ashes Series in England certainly seems to have sparked renewed interest from Australian spectators.  I get the feeling this interest is more than likely a desire to watch the Australian team avenge the loss of the previous series.

I can hear the chorus already……. “C’mon Aussie, c’mon, c’mon ….”

2006 V8 Supercar Series is done & won

Congratulations to Holden driver Rick Kelly on finishing as winner of the 2006 series, narrowly outscoring Ford driver Craig Lowndes.  The two drivers were so closely matched that at the start of the last race they both started on the second row of the grid, with equal points in hand.

Ford supporters are bemoaning a racing incident that saw Lowndes’ car suffer damage that severely affected the performance of his vehicle.  The incident involved Kelly, who was given a “drive-through” penalty as a result of that involvement.  Kelly did not suffer any significant damage to his vehicle and was able to make up enough lost ground to finish well ahead of Lowndes.  Kelly finished 18th in the last race, and Lowndes finished in 29th place.  As Kelly remarked, it wasn’t the best possible way to achieve the prize but it showed how his season of consistently finishing races rather than risking a “DNF” in pursuit of a win in each race of each round was the way to win the series.

To all my fellow Holden supporters I say “Go Team Red” in 2007!! To all the Ford supporters, especially those complaining about Kelly’s win, I just want to raise two points for you to consider.  Firstly, Kelly isn’t the first driver to employ the tactic of consistent high place finishes to win the series – Ford driver Russell Ingall used the same tactic to win the 2005 series.  Secondly, stop whining about Kelly’s alleged driving tactics in the last race that you claim took Lowndes out of the race.  I’ve seen the footage of the incident and it was nowhere near as bad as Russell Ingall’s infamous Eastern Creek incident with Mark Skaife in 2004.  Thirdly (ok, so I thought of something else while writing the other two points – so sue me), Ford teams have (with financial assistance from corporate Ford Australia) a habit of poaching drivers from Holden teams – both Craig Lowndes and Russell Ingall “cut their teeth” in high profile Holden teams.  Seems Ford find it difficult to develop their own drivers, and when they do the driver leaves (remember Marcus Ambrose?)…… 😛

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