Golf's a funny game!

So I played golf today at Glen Waverley and got 25 points but I have worked out that I seem to lose my mojo and need to eat at every second hole. I wonder if having breakfast could change that?

Anyway the funny part of golf is last Monday I played at Southern with the WGN in the qualifying team event for the Peugeot Women's Classic - now I only play for the joy of it, my handicap and my erratic game does not a winner make.

However it happened that the other two ladies I played with had reasonable games, mine was okay (got 19 points) but combined our score was enough for us to win the event, get a prize (a compact mirror which obviously is not for me to use to apply lipstick!!) and potentially play in the state final of the classic, which I have discovered is on Thursday 4th December. I'm still highly amused by this! Gotta love playing golf!

geek gadget 2

Geek factor 4/10 - bought this at Dick Smith - 1st as a gift, then for myself then for another gift. Geek factor pretty high - got a couple of "wow that's so cool". I used the sad line of "Now I'm my greatest fan" and the message states "Lyn rocks!" - what else do you need?

Gadget of the week... Eee PC 900

So we have established that I am a bit of a geek, I cannot deny it. Therefore it is my duty as a geek and a purchaser of gadgets to discuss this publicly, mostly because I can.

So I saw this little cutey in the shop and decided that I had to have it... mostly for the geek factor.. that is "Wow, Lyn, that is so cool!" , "yeah I know"

Am I happy? definitely for the geek factor but the machine itself "which I affectionately labelled 'handbook' - well it kinda miffs me. It's a tad slow and I can't get secure wireless working at uni which is really the only place I will use it! It has a 900mhz processor, 1 Gb ram and 30 gb harddrive under the hood and I think it s the processor that's the factor here.

But hey the geek factor gives me a buzz... and I got a free 120Gb hard drive with it. Thinking of giving it a spin with ubuntu, maybe that will make me happier. Will let you know.

Fire!

Okay I admit it. I have a a bizarre desire to watch fire. Big Fires! If I hear more than one emergency vehicle, no matter the time, I'm likely to jump into the car and chase the vehicles in the hope of of seeing a good fire. Extreme rubbernecking!!! Don't get me wrong, I don't want to start the fire, nor for that matter do I want to put it put (that's a job for the professionals, and what an awesome job they do) however I will go out of my way to watch a good emergency.

Yesterday for instance, I played golf, had a reasonable game, managed to get 28 stableford points but I was a little distracted. I had received a text stating there was something happening and an hour or so later, I could see a helicopter hovering and smoke in the distance.

On the way home from golf, the road was blocked and I could see several fire trucks and police cars, and the smoke. So I made my way around the back streets, and I got as close as I could. I was mesmerized by the fireys in action, impressed by the salvo's and their awesome food truck and I managed to get chatting to a woman who actually worked in the factory that was ablaze!

I spent about 45 minutes there, ah good clean fun.

One of the best Christmas days I had ( cos I don't really care about them so much!) was when the power line from the post to the house suddenly removed itself and landed on the iron fence. We called the fireys and had them come around and cordon us off. There was a cute firewoman there too. It was so exciting!!! I even kept some of the tape they cordoned us off with!

Maybe I should date a firey!

Anyway, that's my confession. I feel so much better now :)

Blog after Blog...

I read blogs, but only a few. Some in the paper, some I randomly stumble upon, and Dooce, I always read hers. So this week from Dooce, I found PilgrimGrl who is quite inspiring despite the curve balls life has thrown at her (she's kinda cute too!). Long story short, Jana had what she called a meme on her posts. That is - using a list of questions as triggers, find a pic on flickr (1st page only) and then add it the URL to a mosaic (which I will work how to do in a moment!). Anyway here are the questions:

1. What is your first name? (Lyn)
   
2. What is your favorite food? (Chocolate)
   
3. What high school did you attend? (Ashwood)
   
4. What is your favorite color? (black)
   
5. Who is your celebrity crush? (Eliza Dushku)
   
6. Favorite drink? (bacardi)
   
7. Dream vacation? (island)
   
8. Favorite dessert? (lemon meringue pie)
   
9. What did/do you want to be when you grow up? (journalist)
   
10. What do you love most in life? (family)
    
11. One word to describe you. (funny)
    
12. Your Flickr name. (boffin66)

So here's the meme (mosaic thingy) - it's an image!

Not sure why No.10 didn't work - and here are the links so you can go view the other works of each photographer - all power to them!



1. Inish Boffin 29, 2. Prenent un Bany. Taking a Bath., 3. Watching the fireworks, 4. Journalists Memorial, 5. Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcake, 6. If at first you don't succeed..., 7. Mojito Power, 8. eliza dushku, 9. Through the Clouds, 10. 29/01/08, 11. coffee and chocolate mousse cake, 12. The Lyn valley

Cya

Another weekend passes

So far this weekend, have achieved little with much to do. I rested last weekend so that is not my excuse and slept late today despite having gone to bed early for a Friday nite - went at 10pm, couldn't sleep, got up at 12.30, had a hot chocolate and played poker on FB until 2.00am when I lost my dough (free though it is!)

My intentions for this weekend were as follows:
• Build a bookshelf for Mum
• Pull down the rickety shelter in the backyard (it has a serious lean post windy days and may end up falling over next door’s fence, though I guess I could call the landlord on that one!)
• Retrain myself using access – need it for the new job, told them I could do it but it’s been a while since I trained it so I need to get my head around it again
• Remind myself how to use Lotus Notes – same deal as access!

So far, I’ve bought the wood for the shelves and that is all, I guess I’m feeling less than motivated as I sit here with the headphones on, listening to fave music (Zero 7 at the mo) and avoiding the world I guess.

I feel like I’m in limbo again and I don’t like it much. So much I want to do and so little time.

Ah well 3 weeks til next semester’s study starts and I run out of time again!

Smoking

I’ve always liked the way smokers who roll their own, smoke.

It’s the way they hold the smoke between the first two fingers, and the accompanying habit of using the thumb and first finger, whilst still holding the smoke, to remove loose tobacco from their mouth. Their tongue darts out fractionally to push the offending strands of tobacco out which is then grabbed by the pinched thumb and forefinger. The tobacco is then disposed by rubbing the fingers into the air beside them.

Whether there’s a sexual connotation to that I don’t know, however I’ve never really been a ‘rollie’ smoker. I can’t be bothered fiddling around with them.
Though I am told there are far less chemicals than those found in tailor-made cigarettes. I guess rolling your own makes the act of smoking far more a choice than a habit or an addictive need because of the effort. But it’s only a guess.

I often find myself checking out a rollie smoker.



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Now playing: Delerium - Underwater (Above & Beyond Mix).mp3
via FoxyTunes

2008 - educating me!

I have started studying at RMIT University and I have completed my 1st week of classes and tutorials - okay so 2 of them LOL. One of the classes involves keeping a journal of what I am learning triggers in my own development. I hope I am on the right track and will plod along for this 1st week with the tasks and reading I am required to complete before I seek guidance. It seemed a good idea that if I am recording my readings, motivations and impressions that I should also paste that writing here too - for anyone to view - at least for now.

So the first task was to complete a series of questions from the Authentic Happiness website. I found out that my greatest strength was something I already knew and that is in the diary entry part below however I am also interested by the fact that a U.S. based university is researching positive psychology - theri website is here http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/default.aspx and is open to all to try out their tests.

Journal Entry A

So, having just completed the online happiness and strength surveys I discover something I already knew. My humour is my greatest strength. However I cannot see with deep understanding where those things I believe I value most appear. I want to be respected and valued. I guess that forms part of the many strengths available – Fairness at 4, Honest at 6 and Loyalty at 8.

I highlight these as I am considering moving employment as I feel that these things, respect and value, are not being directed at me and I want them. I also know without highlighting it that value includes remuneration. So I have made those first tentative steps to change employment and have had a 2^nd interview where they ‘loved my energy and drive’. It was a phone interview, they haven’t met me yet! But I am happy I am taking those steps, unlike those around me who keep complaining and don’t act. By the same token I am not acting for the sake of perception. I want to change, I need to change as I am no longer challenged or motivated at my place of employment. Part of the reason I have undertaken this study.

As I type this, I have also decided that I will also paste this into my blog, which suffers from lack of commitment – something I noted was not a strength of mine.

It was an interesting class and lecture, which immediately had me pondering many things based upon the facts the Professor touted.

Firstly, about the professor himself, whom I have affectionately titled ‘the nutty professor’. He interests and amuses me at the same time, therefore keeping my interest. Weird as fish but he got me thinking about a lot of things.

Secondly, he stated that it was proven that listening to music whilst studying over-stimulates the mind and delays the input of data into the memory. Possibly true, however I sit here with headphones on, music not too loud, more to dull the ambient household noise of washing machine and other activities on a Sunday afternoon than to help me concentrate on this task.

Thirdly he mentioned that statistically it has been shown that in the area of Sales that group targets work better than individual ‘star’ sales performance and I was immediately reminded about a conversation I was having with a colleague the previous evening regarding their feelings of unfairness that they were required to aid the team and therefore unable to meet their individual sales target and their value i.e. wage was below par. We discussed how we both felt undervalued.

Finally the presentation aspects of the course. I have been training and presenting for a number of years now. I know that I am confident with the training side of things as I ‘know’ I know the topic and am eager to share my knowledge with others. I am a knowledge sharer; that is how I perceive myself. But a ‘persuasive’ presenter, I know I need to guidance in that and look forward to the knowledge ‘the nutty professor’ can provide me.