The Key Issues

(Photo courtesy www.sydneymanlyholiday.com)

This morning I went down for a surf with Posh Lawyer and seeing as it was a south swell we headed to Queenscliff beach* (see map) which is better angled to catch waves from a southerly direction. After finishing for the morning we changed as quickly as possible and tried to make our escape from the cold beach wind as the temp was about 8 degrees. The car, however, had other things in mind. Despite many tries, curses, unlocking and relocking of various doors, pushing of buttons, swiveling of steering wheel and more cursing, it just wouldn't start. The culprit turned out to be the keys, which couldn't deactivate the anti-theft immobilizer after said keys had been immersed in the ocean. So, we set out for home on foot. By choosing QC as our beach instead of Manly it added a good ten minutes to the long walk back.

PL was kind enough to lend me his surf booties because my feet were so cold it hurt to walk. He stopped at the garage to get a mechanic, while I clown-walked all the way home through the shopping district and up the hill in the booties that were several sizes too large, my wettie, a hoodie and a tuque. I got strange stares from people in suits as I trudged up the hill, blocks away from any ocean and no surfboard in tow.

Figuring that I could grab my bike and still make down the hill to the 8:25 ferry, I hurried to get ready and out the door. As I reached my bike I noticed the lock had green residue on it, similar to the colour copper turns in the sun. Paying no mind, I shoved my key in the lock, which had been sticky the last few times I had used it, and turned. The key snapped off in hand, twisting like pulled taffy. It was now 8:15 and I had less than ten minutes to get down the hill and buy my ticket before the gates closed at 8:23. I cursed the salty sea air that had corroded my lock and the fact that I insisted on having a third piece of peanut butter toast when I should have been running for the ferry.

I made it to the wharf at 8:25, after running through a construction zone and ducking under barricades, tape and rolling barriers, attracting yells from the workers. To my surprise, the jet cat was late and I made it by an eyelash.

Lesson learned: Salt + water + air + keys = bad news bears.



*Note: Manly actually goes through three name changes as you travel up the beach; Manly, North Steyne and Queenscliff but is, in reality, the same stretch of sand.

PLAYLIST I

1. Cut Copy - Lights and Music

2. Muscles - Hey Muscles, I Love You

3. Architecture in Helsinki - Heart it Races

4. Nick Drake - Cello Song

5. The Roots - Get Busy

6. Sparkadia - Too Much To Do

Australiana II - The Caged

1. My arch-nemisis, the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo.
2. Koala, avec eau de eucalyptus.
3. Dingos, not eating any babies yet.

Australiana I - The Wild

Get ready for some cheesy, stereotypical tourist pictures!


I am obviously thrilled.



Mama Roo and I discuss the sub-prime mortgage crisis, impending recession and whose lawn is best. Verdict: Blame Bush, and the Kerrigans down the way.


Jervis Bay bottlenose.

Sandwich Stealers

Yesterday I got off the ferry and went for a quick walk before work to the botanical gardens. Near the sculpture garden I spotted some ibises searching the grass for food.

The ibis was the first strange Australian bird I met, and I saw my first ibis in the park near the Sydney Aquarium. My friend Kelsey told me it was the "sandwich-stealing bird" and that I should be very careful when eating near them.


After a little research I found out they are also called "tip turkeys" (tip is Australian for garbage can) and have been subject to culls. The favoured method of culling involves coating the eggs in canola oil (Canadian canola?), blocking the air holes and preventing the matter inside from becoming a little birdie. The problem with this method is that ibises are long-lived, so a reduction in chicks born won't immediately be reflected in the population. This article even mentions the possibility of extinction, which is pretty sad. Maybe instead of killing them all off, we could just learn to share our sandwiches?

In other news, this is my 50th post! Yay 50! Happy Gold Anniversary! I wonder if I'll get a mention from the Gov General as they do with marriages? I think I deserve it.

Random Canadian Vandals Hit Australian Bus Shelter

It says HOSER in case you can't make it out.

Book Club

Here is the new selection if you want to read along.
30 Days in Sydney: A Wildly Distorted Account by Peter Carey.
Last month's book was Shantaram.

This Post Really Is About Surfing

Yesterday morning it rained, and then was sunny.
I tried out my new wetsuit, which you can see below. I found out the best way to test a new suit for water-resistance is to grab one of the arms and pinch it closed between the elbow and shoulder, then breathe air into the sleeve as if it were a balloon. The faster the air leaks out, the more water gets in, and the colder you get. My suit gets a solid "decent" rating from Posh Lawyer, but after it's stretched out a bit it may be downgraded to "average".



Went out and surfed north of what is affectionately referred to by locals as the "shit pipe". It functions solely to empty the storm drains and sewers of Manly directly into the sea.




Post surf, my board next to the new surfmobile.



In other news, some surf pros visited Manly for an afternoon of filming yesterday. To see some pro shots of pro surfers, click on this link to surfer/photog/man-about-town uge's webpage, Aquabumps. Needless to say, I didn't take the picture below, he did.

This Was Going to Be A Post About Surfing

Instead, this is a post about how I can't seem to get to work in the morning without forgetting something.
Today it was my USB key. Yesterday it was my security pass. Sometimes I forget my lip chap, sometimes my lunch.
I was going to post some pics of my new wetsuit, Posh Lawyer's sweet new surfmobile and the raining while sunny situation down at the beach this morning, but alas, with no card reader and no USB to speak of, you are out of luck.
To be fair I did get up at 545, so cut me some slack.

A really long time ago I promised some pictures of New Zealand, and I never did post them. So instead of surfing, you get New Zealand travel pics.

Kuba, Andrew, Me, Kelsey

Watch out! I got two bullseyes and I'm pretty darn accurate.

Milford Sound Kayak Trip

Domo Arigato Lomo, My Lomo.

I have got a new camera. It is a Lomo Fisheye 2, and it only takes fisheye shots, and it uses film. Yes, film. I'm a bit frustated by the lack of colour saturation and digital noise (aka grain on film) problems with my digital camera, and because I can't afford the big dollars to get a better digi cam, I'm going back to the old school.
"Yes, yes," you say, "But Andrea, what about Photoshop?"
Well I say to you, "Do I really want to waste my time sitting inside colour-correcting my digital shots, when I could be outside taking more shots of all the fun I am having? No siree, I do not."

A brief note about the camera: Lomo cameras are created by the Russian company Leningradskoye Optiko-Mechanichesckoye Obyedinenie. They are film cameras, inexpensive point-and-shoot things designed for the masses ages ago and now re-popularized by hipsters and film devotees everywhere. Their charm is in their hazy imagery and blurry exposures.

So here are a few teases from my new camera.
Enjoy.

Don't Tell My Mom

Lighthouse Beach, courtesy tropicalnsw.com.au


Bad news today. A 16-year-old boy was killed by a shark up the at Lighthouse Beach, near Ballina. Apparently he died from blood loss due to massive lacerations on his leg.

As I was reading the statistics at the end of the article though, I noticed a few things that I would like to address.


1. New South Wales is home to the most recorded fatal shark attacks in Australia.

NSW is also the most populous state in Australia, with 6.7 milllion residents, of which 4.2 million live in greater Sydney (see Aus. Bureau of Statistics). Just to put that in perspective, Queensland trails NSW in shark attack deaths by only 1 and that state has 3.8 million residents, or just over half the population. Which state is really most dangerous? (NSW = 254 total attacks with 73 fatal, while QLD is 234 total attacks, 72 fatal.)


2. Chance of shark attack death.

"In the last 50 years, there have been only 60 human fatalities (1.2 per year) in Australian waters from shark attack," states the Taronga Zoo Shark Attack file. The same file notes that 2-3 people die from bee stings every year, and far more people die from drowning than from shark attacks. For more interesting statistics click here.

Surfrider Australia has compiled a list of preventative measures one can take to reduce their risk of attack. Some of the more interesting tips include not wearing shiny jewellery which can be mistaken for the glint of fish scales, and that sightings of dolphins doesn't mean sharks aren't lurking nearby.

And finally, there's this tip that is clearly directed at 12-25 year-old boys everywhere:
"Do not harass a shark if you see one. It may harass you back."

Newspaper Fantastic Part 2

This page is scanned direct from today's morning paper. I tried to get on with The Manly Daily when I first moved to town, but they were having none of it. I think they know how sweet their gigs are and aren't keen to share.

Newspaper Fantastic Part 1

Whooo! Check me out!