At the waterfall

At the waterfall
Originally uploaded by Carafaele

Simon's dad Doug showed us around his property this afternoon. His little macadamia trees are growing well and look nice in their lines across his hills. This photo was taken at the base of a small waterfall at the foot of his property. It was lovely there with lots of moss-covered stones and the promise of opals growing inside them. Helen was very keen to take us exploring further, but we went back to the house and had a swim with her instead.
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A Byron Christmas

A Byron Christmas
Originally uploaded by Carafaele

We're staying with Simon's uncle near Byron Bay. We spent the afternoon here at Lennox Heads before meeting with Amy for drinks in Byron.
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A Merry Toad-stompin Christmas to Y'all!

A Merry Toad-stompin Christmas to Y'all!
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

Down at Bruces for Christmas this year. I've had a wonderful day, and we're currently winding down on the back porch, huntin for a cane toad.
Merry Christmas y'all!
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Exciting News! Cradle of Filth Are Touring!

Only weeks after lamenting that I will probably never see Cradle of Filth play live (I bought their live album a few months ago), it has been announced that they will be playing Australia! Not just Australia, but Brisbane, too!
I'm most excited!
I immediately went out and bought their latest offering (which I also didn't know about) in anticipation. JB have the 2x disc edition for $26.99
They play the Arena on the 31st May 2009.
Details here:
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com.au/artist/Cradle+Of+Filth
I can't wait! What a great year for music!
In January I'll be seeing Underworld, Nick Cave & The Badseeds, and Pnau (among others), and who knows who else will make an appearance this year! Woohoo!

Listening to: Cradle of Filth - Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder (album - and it's rockin)

A Beautiful Day In Brisbane

A Beautiful Day In Brisbane
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

I've just ducked over to Milton on my lunch break to pick up the last of the Christmas shopping for Lilly.
I'm walking along the river. It's a beautiful temperature, everything looks wonderful, and I'm smiling. I've grown quite fond of Brisbane.
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Kitteh's Back!

Kitteh's Back!
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

Sitting on the veranda this afternoon, and up the stairs walks kitteh! Yay!
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Doodle of the Day 20081218

Doodle of the Day 20081218
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

I've spent most of today and yesterday waiting as MapInfo pulls data off of the network. Our servers aren't designed to pass the amount of data we require, so everything moves slowly when mapping aerial photography. For instance. Today I had to wait 10 minutes for a screen refresh. 10 minutes!
Needless to say, it's VERY annoying.
This is one page of doodles that I've been doing while MapInfo does its thing.
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Variety Store Fun

Variety Store Fun
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

I'm excited to be at the local variety store. Almost as excited as this kid.
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Picnicing at Wellington Point

Picnicing at Wellington Point
Originally uploaded by Carafaele

It's a gorgeous day, albeit disgustingly humid at home, and we have just finished eating fish burgers while sitting on the grass here at Wellington Point, on Moreton Bay. There are tons of wind surfers out, and the breeze off of the water is fantastically cooling.
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Not a Franger

Not a Franger
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

No, this isn't me sucking down the contents of a soiled franger. Believe it or not, it's an ice cream from Korea. For some reason (the only one Lilly and I can come up with is novelty) the manufacturer thought it logical to fill a latex sheath with chocolate ice cream, and market it with a turtle on the wrapper. Clearly the parallels with space docking weren't of concern to the marketing dept.
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No Nuclear Missiles

No Nuclear Missiles
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

Up on the Sunshine Coast with Lilly, and saw this sign on a wharf.
I thought it cute.
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Another Patch Job

Another Patch Job
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

They're trying to fix it again.
I must admit, I'm impressed with their attentiveness. There are other markings on the road now, so maybe they'll do more than a patch job soon.
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One Day Weekend

One Day Weekend
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

As I said earlier (didn't I?) I had to work last Saturday in helping to map the storm damage for the emergency services. Bit of a bummer, coz it meant that I had to cancel my Margharito Night, and then I was so pooped after work that I didn't even end up going to that Dub Night at the Step Inn.
But this lack of activity didn't ruin the weekend, as Lilly and I decided to head on up to the Sunshine Coast on Sunday for a swim at the Beach.
Fortune was smiling, as just as we were getting ready to leave, Toby called up to see if anything interesting was happening.
So off we choofed to Toby's house (which took longer than usual because we went a different way to find the Inner City Bypass closed without fair warning), and then on up to the Sunny Coast.
First thing we did when we got there was stop at Dickie's Beach for some lunch. A most tasty treat (no photos available) of chicken roll, fish burger, steak sandwich, and beer battered chips.
After such a lovely feed we thought drinks were in order, so we went and bought some bargain basement Woody longnecks.
We then decided to find a secluded beach in which to enjoy our vices.
This took a further half hour in the car, but we found a winner!
We climbed to the top of a dune, found a bit of shade, played some tunes (or at least Toby did), drank, smoked, swam, and had a merry ol' time.
Nice.
Afterwards, we went to that awesome Morrocan restaurant that we went to with Lilly's cousin Daniel. Although Toby didn't pick the best dish, and it was a little expensive. But I still dug it.
By the time we got home, I was well and truly ready for bed.
I slept well that night.
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damn

damn
Originally uploaded by Carafaele

Brisbane is fucked. The inner city bypass is 'closed' but they didnt have any signs saying that until we were already on it! Fucked!
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Storms

Storms
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

Over the last week, Brisbane has suffered massive damage due to massive storms. As such, I've been moved to occasional shift work to help map the damage for the various emergency departments.
However, last night things got a little bit more exciting as I volunteered to help remove a tree from the road (so that the Lord Mayor could get out of a car park) after a short, but very violent storm hit the CBD.
It was an awesome storm, actually. We were watching it from inside our building, and the rain was so thick you could swim through it. The wind was so strong that lamp posts were bending, trees were snapping in two before our eyes, and the Seven Eleven's front window just blew right in! Wowsers!
So last night was a nice change from usual work, and it was made nicer by up being fed like kings.
But, it looks like the party I had planned for Saturday may have to be cancelled, as I might be working a 1pm-9pm shift. Damn.
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It's (coming) back...

It's (coming) back...
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

Remember that big fucken hole that appeared up the road from my place?
Well, after the recent storms we've been having, it's now coming back.
No real surprise, as council only fixed a symptom of a much bigger problem; an aquifer that is undercutting the road.
Of course, the council workers only do what they're told ("patch that hole up"), so I can't really blame them.
Still, this problem isn't going to go away.
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Last Weekend: A Photo Montage

We began by playing Guitar Hero: World Tour. Our eyes and minds started to expand.


We went for a walk to the park in the dark, and sat like ghosts in the children's play area.


Simon thought about colours, and the specifics of life.


We lay on the ground in the middle of the park and stared at the moon and the silhouettes of the trees that encircled us.


Something bit me.


It was somewhere in this grass.


Simon was concerned, and the bright flash made him wonder if any of it was really happening.


We walked home and sat on our balcony, where we were further confused by this photograph.


Up close, the world looked all wavy and wobbly.


We got naked, put a canvas on our bed, and finger painted (not a euphemism, nor a metaphor). The colours astounded us.


When our painting was done, we put it on the table on our balcony and admired it for an hour or more. Every way we turned it we saw new things, and sometime soon we are going to draw over the top of it in black marker.


The next day, Mike came around and got addicted to Guitar Hero: World Tour.


We then went to a German restaurant and ate amazing food (see posts below).


Some days later, our favourite kitty, Kitteh, came to visit.


He fell asleep. The end.

In Hospital

My inner (or middle, I don't know) ear has been giving me a bit of curry the last few days, but tonight when I was eating it kind of popped, and now it's really, really uncomfortable.
In true Brisbane style, there were no medical centres open, so I've been waiting in the emergency ward for the last two hours as its been getting worse.
Sigh.
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Weeeeee!

Oh yeah!
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Black Forest Cafe Restaurant

Black Forest Cafe Restaurant
Originally uploaded by Carafaele

We are at a german restaurant! Simon, Mike K, and myself have ordered delicious pork hock, duck, schnitzel, all with dumplings and various german side dishes. And beers!
As you can see, there is a guy playing the piano! He also plays the accordion! Many songs from the Sound of Music.
Ah! He just played us a special song on the accordion! Aww...

Later, we're going to play guitar hero world tour... Woot!
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Midnight Fuck

The house that we live in is divided into three units, all (fairly) identical in layout. We live in the middle unit, which is a pain because it means that we hear noises on both sides and we annoy people on both sides with our noises.

We are currently in a music war with the couple living in the unit behind us, who seem to think that we are playing music maliciously loud and with a sub-woofer. We are not; the sub has been turned off since they moved in, and we've been very careful not to have the music above a reasonable level. Really. The problem is that the walls here are very thin - fibro crap - and the layout of each unit places their bedroom next to our lounge room. Tough shit, says I.

Currently, there's nobody living in the unit at the front of the house. The owner has been doing renovations on it for aaaages. But last night, somewhere around midnight, Si and I started to hear this little dog whining and howling, getting louder and louder before dying down into a soft whimper. We ignored it, until our room started to shake and shudder - the cup of water on our desk went all Jurassic Park, our computer monitors threatened to tumble, and you could feel the whole floor vibrating.

Was a huge tanker driving past? Was our gas heater about to explode? Was it an earthquake?

No. It was the owner and a 'lady friend' fucking in the empty first apartment. HARD fucking. HARD cumming.

Who knew he had it in him to give someone that much pleasure?

Also... do we make the house shake? If so, no wonder the families with kids have moved out since we arrived. Fuuuck these walls are thin.

Dinner

Dinner
Originally uploaded by Carafaele

Cooking away... We're going to wrap this up in mountain bread and eat it - perhaps with a g&t - on our balcony.
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Brisbane Jazz Club

Brisbane Jazz Club
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

I'm currently at Brisbane Jazz Club, at a Gypsy Jazz Night.
It's wonderful. A really quaint community-run venue, right on Brisbane River. If I had my real camera, I'd snap a proper picture of the outlook, but I don't think it'd work on the ol' N95.
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New Cushions!

New Cushions!
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

Wee!
A bargain at $10 a piece. Kind of.
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Sad, hung (over) Simon

Sad, hung (over) Simon
Originally uploaded by Carafaele

His head hurts. Poor pumpkin.
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Outside

Outside
Originally uploaded by Carafaele

We're sitting outside on our balcony and we've just finished eating weet-bix. Simon is feeling quite delicate after drinking half a box of $10 goon last night, but he's happy because this balcony is like an oasis for him.
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My Baby

My Baby
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

I am totally in love with my SqueezeBox Classics.
The fact that I have accessible music throughout the house has made such a difference to my life.
So much so that it has even taken me by surprise.
It's so wonderful.

Listening to: The Beatles - Yellow Submarine (album. Ever since Chrissie's 30th I've been interested in The Beatles, so I downloaded their entire discography the other month. I am now beginning to understand their following).
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Glasshouse Mountains

Glasshouse Mountains
Originally uploaded by Carafaele

We decided to drive home the scenic way via the Glasshouse Mountains near Beerburrum. It's starting to storm, and the mountains are encircling us on all sides, jutting up into the sky in some very strange and beautiful shapes. Gorgeous.
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Saturday

Saturday
Originally uploaded by Carafaele

What a wonderful start to the weekend! Simon and I have just been for a refreshing swim in the ocean here at Dickies Beach near Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast, and we are now having a picnic lunch in the shade of some trees. Beautiful!
Couple today with my adventures last night dancing in a retro club with my cousins, my friend Suzie, and an aging boozer named 'the grasshopper', and I don't think life can get much better!
Also, Si picked up a subwoofer today for $50! Bargain.
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A Special Message From Toby

A Special Message From Toby
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

A picture says a thousand words. Or four of them, really.
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A Big Fucken Hole!

A Big Fucken Hole!
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

As I was walking home yesterday (before the storm), I noticed these witches hats in the road. I didn't stop and look, however, as I was distracted by the approaching (and spectacular) storm front:



This morning, I did stop and look, and holy shit it's a big fucken hole!
It's obviously caused by water, but the last storm event was a week ago, and the witches hats only appeared yesterday. Of course that doesn't mean the hole wasn't there earlier, but I'm suprised no cars fell into it. It's HUGE!
Ok, not big enough for a car to fit in, but a wheel definitely would, and that would be enough to get it stuck.



And it's DEEP! Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera on me, so I couldn't use anything other than the crappy flash on my phone to try and illuminate the innards (it didn't work), so you can't really tell from the photo, but it would be over a metre deep.
Well, I'm impressed.
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Nice Day, Shame About the Job

What a beautiful looking day.

As I left the house this morning, and proceeded to walk up my street, I was overcome by how fantastic it all looked.
What a shame I'm now on the bus, heading to work.
Saturday was lovely, too.



Lilly and I ended up having lunch at a lovely little cafe overlooking the beach. I ordered an oven baked gnocchi, and Lilly a garlic prawn, fetta, and sun-dried tomato pizza.



We then went to the beach, saw some whales (both actual and figurative), went for a swim and a walk, bought a smoothie, and then took the scenic route home (by this stage I was getting sleepy, so I also had a nap in the car...).
It was all so beautiful that we decided to move up there in the next year.
Nice.
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The Next Morning

The Next Morning
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

Turns out dinner wasn't Mexican, but Morrocon, and it was INCREDIBLE. So tasty, wow.
So that was good.
We had a few pre-dinner drinks with Daniel and Lulu, and I was feeling a little happy by the time we went to dinner (which may have contributed to my opinion about the food).
We went to a pub afterward, and then had more drinks back at Daniel and Lulu's hotel room (where we slept the night).
I got really, really drunk. It was really fun!
This is the view from their balcony.
Lilly and I are now driving around seeking breakfast. I'll let you know how it went.
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Blissed Out

Blissed Out
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

Right now I'm sitting in the car in Mooloolaba, and am feeling just wonderful.
I've eased the seat back, wound the window down, kicked my shoes off, and as the cool breeze blows over my face, I smile.
I'm feeling really good right now. I think little feelings from last weekend are coming back, coz I feel like a king.
Lilly and I are up here for her cousin's wife's 30th birthday. She's just come over from Mexico, and we're going out for Mexican for dinner tonight - just in case she's homesick or something, I suppose.
So we decided to make a day/night/morning/early afternoon of it all, despite both of us having plenty of assignments to do (Lilly is, at this very moment, doing some editing work next to me in the car. I'm really enjoying hearing her read to herself).
At least I have been given a week off work to do my assignments, so my stress-factor has now been significantly reduced.
That is all. Back to relaxin'.

Listening to: Lilly, birds, waves, children, cars, smiles.
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