Tas Mania

It's often daunting starting one of these things. I'm usually a bit anxious that not enough has happened that's of any interest, but at the same time I worry that too much has happened to be succinctly wrapped up in a few paragraphs. It's like, if you don't mow your lawn for 4 weeks, the job becomes far more difficult and the length of the grass can be enough to stop the rotors on the mower if you're not careful. On the other hand, to use a shaving analogy, if you shave too often - like if you have to shave before going out for a special dinner and then you have to shave again for work early the next morning - you end up with iritated skin. Mashing both analogies together and applying them to blogging: post too frequently and you'll become irritating, too seldom and it'll become too difficult (and may even stop the blog altogether). I'm probably just over-thinking this again, eh?

Blogs seem to have quietened down a lot lately. Maybe everyone's moved over to FaceBook and blogs are becoming "so 2006", or maybe people are just really far too busy at this end of the year. Hey, less than a month to Christmas :) We've managed to get pretty well organised for Christmas this year: the tree is up, as are the decorations on the bannister and over the fireplace, 90% of the presents are bought and wrapped and under the tree, and the first half of the 70-or-so Christmas cards went out this week (the rest will be written and sent over the weekend). Mel's the powerhouse behind most of these preparations, although we both jointly devoted a bit of this month-long holiday to getting prepared.

The trip to Tassie was good. We struggled a bit from a health perspective, with both Mel & Jessica out of action for at least some of the time there, but we did have fun. We saw some lovely places: we thought some places were heavily underrated (Chudleigh region), while others were overrated (Tamar Valley). Next time we're there we'll know where to spend more time, and where we can afford to skip. I'll think I'll post some pics now - just a handful - before heading to bed. I may follow up with some others later (incidentally, if you sign up to FaceBook which has a much better photo gallery feature - you'll see a lot more of the photos from the Tassie Trip). Goodnight, Matt


(PS. What did you think of that Election result? I can't say I'm even remotely a fan of Kevin Rudd, and I think his win merely tops off the most 'successful' fake campaign I've ever seen. With that said, I sincerely hope I'll be proven wrong in everything I think about him: I'll hope for the best, but expect...well...you know.)

2:52...

Well it's 2:52am and I'm somehow still wide awake, so I'll try to make the most of my insomnia by posting a quick update.

What's news? Well, I'm on holiday at the moment: almost 3 weeks through the 4 week break (it's gone SO fast!). We had plans to do a bit of travelling up through NSW and QLD (including taking Jessica to Wiggles World), but a few obstacles got in the way. The biggest hurdle was that Jessica came down with Tonsillitis, and has really only perked up again from yesterday (not quite 100% yet, but heaps better than she was with the 40 degree fever, inability to eat or sleep etc...). It was a really serious infection, and it knocked her for six, so it's just wonderful to see her running around and singing and dancing again.

The holiday has been a pretty low-key affair (yeah I know, such a departure from my usual life-in-the-fastlane). We've: spent a day at Healesville Sanctuary, taken Jessica swimming a few times, been to Grace's birthday party, let Jessica help Mum feed the animals on a nearby farm, done some gardening, done a little video-editing, gone to the gym about 7 or 8 times, been to the doctors three times, and spent several days knocking over about three quarters of the Christmas shopping (Mel even has everything wrapped and carded). We have plans to put the tree up on the last day of my leave (the 26th) and at this rate we'll be able to put all of the presents under the tree at the same time: I think that's about the most organised we have ever been.

We are managing to get away for 7 days though. We're sailing over to Tassie tonight, returning on the morning of the 23rd. None of us have been there before, but keep hearing glowing reports from family and friends. We'll be in Hobart for 3 days (Port Arthur, Salamanca Markets. Mt Wellington etc) then travelling up the East Coast (Freycinet Peninsula, Wineglass Bay, Bicheno, Bay Of Fires etc) then round again to Launceston for a day or two. Expect to be inundated with photos when we get back (aren't you lucky that nobody has a slide projector, so we can't bore you with a 5 hour slide night?). When we get back, I'll be spending the rest of Friday with Susanna and some of her school friends shooting a funny music video clip, and on the Sunday we'll be at a work Family Christmas Day at Melbourne Showgrounds (a bit like the BP Christmas parties all those years ago, Dad?). And of course in between there's that pesky voting thing!

Speaking of that trip, I really do have to get to bed since it's now 2:55am and there's a HEAP of things to do tomorrow before we leave (like all the packing).

Take care - I'll talk to you again in a week or so,

Matt

P.S. our great friend Michelle convinced me to sign up to FaceBook recently, and it's been a lot of fun browsing through networks of friends and linking in with different people that you may have lost touch with etc. If you're interested in signing up for yourself and seeing what it's all about, go to http://www.facebook.com (Bec, Jon, Grace, Mel are all there too, so you don't have to be scared).

P.P.S. Congratulations on the new job Jeff!

Sick Bay

So, on Monday we decided to make the most of our day off, and the warm weather, by heading down to Cape Patterson. It's been a year since we were last there - I don't know how that happened - and Jessica's last time at the beach was when she was still crawling! So it was with some enthusiasm that we piled into the car in the early afternoon...

The headaches and stomach pain started just a few minutes from our destination. We talked about turning around but, as we'd been driving over an hour, it only seemed fair to Jersey to let her run around for a few minutes at least. Jersey did have a great time, as did Jessica, and we even got some lovely photos and video despite the fact that the sky had turned grey and the weather quite cold. Increasingly sore, we walked back to the car after about 30 minutes, then headed off home. That's when the vomiting started.

The trip home took two-and-a-half hours, with all of us physically ill at different intervals (we stopped at least 6 or 7 times). Mum & Bec then selflessly came to our house to help us, since we were in no state to look after Jessica properly. We spent 4 hours in Hospital - 3 of those hours waiting to be seen. Jessica & Mel continued to vomit well into the evening (12 times for Jessica in fact), and were both in a really bad way. To add to the misery, we then managed to give the bug to Mum who spent Wednesday in all sorts of pain, thanks to her caring for us from Monday night through Tuesday night (again, we're SO sorry Mum - and so very thankful).

So I don't think I could say it was a brilliant day at the seaside. On the bright side, though, we did capture some nice footage! I put some of the clips together in the wee hours of Saturday morning - about 3:30am - and have posted a very low-quality version below. I haven't posted to YouTube before so I don't know how/if the quality can be improved (it'll likely be on the Family Album though).


The song is called "Home", and it's by Phil Wickham, from his beautiful new album "Cannons". You can buy it here, and/or you can find a lot of Phil's own clips on YouTube by starting here.

Flight Of The Grumble-bee

Written Wednesday 10th:

Hey there. It's 5:05am on Wednesday 10/10 (although it won't be when you're reading this), and I'm sitting in gate lounge 4 at Melbourne Airport. In my psychotic eagerness to get to the airport in plenty of time to change my seating allocation (in the hope of getting a seat where my legs aren't crushed by the seat in front), I ordered a taxi for 4am. He was early, traffic was great, and I got to the airport at 4:40 - almost an hour too early. And would you believe that I had already been allocated an exit row seat - the row with the most legroom - so I didn't need to be here early anyway!

The gatelounge TV is showing the NBC Today show, and they've been discussing the #1 issue facing that society at the moment. Iraq? Afghanistan? The Presidential Race? Crime? Nope: deodorants that leave white marks on your clothes (seriously, they are doing a full-on investigation). So I've switched over to the iPod and this laptop - and I'm currently listening to a weekly current-events trivia podcast, NPR's "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me" (It's a great show, and I've learned a lot about U.S. politics too - so make sure you subscribe to it if you have iTunes installed somewhere).

So I'm heading back up to Brisbane today, and staying though until Friday night. I can really think of at least seventeen dozen places I'd rather be, principal among them being back in bed and not far from M & J & __? (thanks for the notes of congratulations, too!). I know, I know, I keep predicting that each trip will be my last, so I won't make that mistake this time 'round. It's funny (in a sad way) that when I first flew to Brisbane earlier this year for work, I dismissed the idea of joining the Frequent Flyer program on the basis that I was never going to be a frequent flyer. Then, with every subsequent flight, I lament that I never joined up, but I again rationalise that this really is my last flight so i again avoid joining up. Given that this is now my 10th trip in 8 months, I'd probably have enough points to fly to New York by now if I had joined. Idiot! What's the bet that if I bite the bullet now and join up, Murphy's Law will dictate that that'll be the end of my travelling? Maybe that's reason enough to join!

Well, I might pack this up and take a stroll before we board: us old codgers need to loosen up.

Written Friday 12th:

OK, now it's 4:05pm on Friday, and I've just arrived at the Brisbane gatelounge for my trip home. Looking back at what I wrote earlier, I can be so whiney! I'm really looking forward to getting back home of course, but Brisbane wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, or as I intimated it would be above. The motel I stayed in was very, very old and basic, but at the same time it was clean and quiet - and on the list of my wants and needs when travelling, they;re pretty much the top of the list. They also had a great cook, who prepared coconut prawns with Atlantic salmon, with a Margaret River cheese platter etc. You had me at "cheese".

I was also invited out to he home of some friends who recently moved from the Vic office to the Brisbane site (Kate & I used to sit together, and her husband Chris worked two desks away) - and we all had a great evening together. They have two kids - Danny, 17 and Tara, 20, and apparently I wasn't too old and daggy for them - that's always nice! The work I'm here to do has been pretty straightforward but at the same time very productive and on top of that, the weather has been 32 degrees today. The plane has been delayed though - in keeping with every other Friday afternoon flight I've had at Brisbane - but since I'm now looking at the bright side of things, this at least lets me go and stretch those old-codger legs again, eh? Have a great weekend.

(Oh and last but certainly not least, I just learned that my sister got a full time job today - one that she looks set to really enjoy - despite originally going in to interview for a totally separate part-time role. CONGRATULATIONS Bec!)

More, please?

That's a favourite phrase of Jessica's: whether in response to a soggy, empty icecream cone, the fading out of a song she was gyrating to, or the credits rolling on a Wiggles DVD. It's also somewhat apt for this post.

Do you know what you're doing on May 11, 2008?

We do. We're having a baby!
(since the first one turned out so beautifully, why wouldn't you?)

We had the first scan today, and everything is progressing really well (it was nice to see that our Obstetrician had a photo of 2-week-old Jessica up on his wall, and we were able to reintroduce them to each other). Mel & baby are both doing well, but Mel is feeling queasy for a LOT of the day. Baby's at 9 weeks and 3 days, so hopefully the morning sickness will abate in a few weeks time. Naturally, we'll keep you posted.

Well, I've gotta go pack my bag and try to get to bed, as it's a 3am start tomorrow (heading to Brisbane again until Friday night). Lucky me :(

Matt

21 today!!!

Months, that is.
(I can't bear to think about her ever being 21 YEARS old!)

She keeps getting more precious by the minute, and I'm very conscious that this blog has done very little justice to that fact...especially of late. Will try very hard to post at least one or two clips of the increasingly-wonderful Jessica in October. And implicit in that is that you'll also see some clips of the wonderful Melissa, too.

Come to think of it, I'll need to be making video clips at a pretty speedy rate from now on, as it's just over 12 weeks to Christmas (and therefore, 12 weeks to "Family Album 2007"). Add to that the fact that I'll spend probably 11 of those weeks trying to get some rudimentary comprehension of the new software, and I'm in some real trouble!! It must be high time for all those family members with cameras and video cameras to step in and replace me, no?! Trust me, it really is very easy - I just make it LOOK difficult.

Matt

Pro Creation

People often ask me why I haven't left my job yet.

Lots of people.

It's a question that seems to unite disparate groups of people, who may not agree on very much else except their shared conviction that I need to leave my job. In fact, I was asked the question again tonight.

I certainly don't mind the question - not in the slightest - and I take it as a reminder that people genuinely care about my welfare (and also that I might need to tone down the extent of my whingeing!). And since I occasionally ask myself the same question (some weeks much more often than others), I really can't blame others for wondering too. Well, the reasons that I stay in my job are both complicated and very simple. Although now's not the time to elaborate on those arguments, today emphasised just one of those key reasons...

A couple of months ago I wrote that I was hoping to one day purchase Final Cut Studio 2. (If you don't believe me, here's that post). "FCS2" is a highly-advanced video editing, soundtrack design, 3D motion and DVD authoring suite from Apple, and it's used by Emmy-award winning TV shows & Oscar-winning movies etc etc. It's quite expensive by my standards (you could very convincingly argue that it's worth ten times it's R.R.P., but that's not the point here - it's still very expensive regardless of it's value). The software I use now, MediaStudio Pro 8, costs about one-third of what FCS2 costs (and even then, I only use MSP8 because I was given a free copy by the company!), but if I'm to ever 'graduate' to a more polished and professional quality level, I'll need to move up to learning FCS2; it's the industry standard. The fact that Ulead/Corel seem to be discontinuing MSP after this version certainly helped to make that decision (and push us away from PC's to the Mac itself).

Well yesterday, after a few months of saving - helped by a bonus from work - I was finally able to...[insert drumroll please]...purchase Final Cut Studio 2! Apple have already shipped it, and the tracking website predicts that it will arrive here tomorrow. I'm very excited. I'm not a shopper by any stretch, and I really don't get excited about buying things for myself (case in point being my wardrobe consisting almost-exclusively of decades-old clothing from K-Mart). I actually get very anxious about buying things - particularly things for myself - but this particular purchase excites me because of what it represents. The potential to be unlocked here is immense, and I've had many sleepless nights wrestling with all of the possibilities. I actually have something of a grand plan in mind - I guess it's been brewing for at least the last 18 months - and yesterday's purchase is a big stepping stone on the way to reaching those larger goals. (I may share some of that grand plan here on day, but if you think my current posts are long and rambling, wait until you get me talking about THAT!).

Anyway, the bottomline is that, while I may not love my job, and while they may not always treat me particularly well, and while it may not be leading me where I ultimately want to be going, I am immensely thankful for it. It's an avenue, a stepping stone, a springboard, and a great means to end. In a very real way, it affords me the opportunity to pursue something bigger and better, and I'm getting pretty excited about those future prospects (if you have an hour free sometime, I'll bore you with my big plans!).

Well, I really need to go get to bed. It's a big day at work tomorrow, followed by a big evening installing all 9 DVD's of Final Cut Studio 2. And then I have to start on the 6 BIG, heavy manuals, which will probably take weeks to read and months to understand (I've been reading what training materials I can find on the web, and downloading tutorial podcasts, but it's not really working without the software in front of me). So, you'll either see a very excited post from me tomorrow night, or you won't hear from me for the next 3 months while I try desperately to get my head around it all.

Probably both.

Good night,

Matt

Gee-whiz

Did you all see the big game yesterday? Geelong vs Port Adelaide? Hardly a game that anyone from Adelaide will be telling their grandkids about. I must be THE least sports-mad person I know, but I found it a terrific game to watch. I know some people have complained that it was too one-sided (especially for a Grand Final), and that a margin of 119 points (yep, 20 goals!) makes it all a bit boring. But if you spent your working week sitting beside Marg - the most passionate Cats supporter in the world - you'd have been caught up in her emotional journey too. She's 60+, goes to every single game, knows every stat and - as a single mother herself - has adopted every player as one of "her boys". We were seriously worried about her heart failing during the tense leadup to the finals, especially during the 5 point win to Collingwood last week. So a quick SMS to her at the siren on Saturday - just to check on her welfare - was met with "You beauty - this is the best feeling EVER!!!!". She and her daughter then drove to Geelong after the game, and spent the evening driving around the town tooting their horn and screaming in delight - with tens of thousands of others apparently. When I spoke to her today, she was barely able to speak - her voice almost completely gone from all the cheering. Even though I don't really 'get' sport itself, it's wonderful watching people who are THAT passionate about anything.

One minute's cone of silence

Did you realise that today is the second aniversary of the passing of Don Adams? If you're not already aware (oh the humanity!) Don played - or rather, was - Maxwell Smart, Agent 86. If you're too young to have seen Get Smart after school (as I did), you'll likely still have heard him after school as the voice of Inspector Gadget. He died at age 82 on September 25th, 2005, from a lung infection, after a long battle with bone lymphoma. (Incidentally, that was also the same month that Simon Weisenthal (The Nazi Hunter) & Bob Denver ("Gilligan") passed away). Bet you didn't know that he was also in the U.S. Marines, and that he was the only survivor in his platoon in Guadalcanal (where he contracted malaria)? Or that he was born Donald James Yarmy, to Hungarian & Irish parents? Or that he was married three times and had seven children, and that his youngest child is named "Beige"? Well you do now.

!sdrawkcab...lacipyT

Last Wednesday (the 19th), the guys from MuteMath again performed "Typical" on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" - this time in reverse and in a single take...