10 years have got behind you.......

First of all please allow me to pay homage to Richard Wright, the keyboard player for Pink Floyd. His compositions for Great Gig int he Sky, Us and Them and many many other Pink Floyd songs inspire me. To you Rick, see you on the Dark Side.

Make that 20 years have got behind you!!! (I am of course referring to the song Time by Pink Floyd). I recently attended my 20 year school reunion. I have to laugh....I went to two senior schools in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales - one a private school and one a public school. The invite for the public school is a PDF document floating around facebook to meet up in a pub in Sydney, whilst the private school invite is a full colour production to meet in a marque on the old rugby field for wine and jazz and then to retire to the one school site art gallery for a catered dinner and drinks.

So, I attended my private school reunion. What a quite amazing experience and very much surreal. Some people have not changed one bit in 20 years, where others appear to have aged 50 years let alone 20 years (drugs and drink seem to be the aging factors in a few of the ex students). The biggest surprise of all was to learn that the biggest clown of them all (the one who used to pick his nose and flick the boogers, catch his farts in his hands and share them...you know the one, every school has one) became the vice principal of the school. A brain surgon, a news producer, quite a few internet site designers, a few real estate types, a storeman (an dear old friend of mine who experienced some difficult times) and a girl who wins the prize for the most outstanding answer to the mandatory "what do you do for a living" question.....a shoemaker. Memories of events long ago filed in the section of brain only to be accessed during old age dementure were conjured up to the accompaniment of loud laughter and slaps on backs. From success on the rugby field, headmaster episodes, camping stories, old flame reminders to toasts for absent friends, the reunion was a great event. To those that say they have no desire to go to a reunion to meet up with people from the past, believe me when I say, there are those that want to meet up with you - if you get the opportunity, do not miss it.

My public school 20 year reuinon is on in three weeks time at a pub in the heart of Sydney. It will be different but I cannot wait to go. Watch this space.

Short Word: Sorry for my absence, I wil be trying to write more often here.

Politics

Tasmanian politics......scary. Here are some of the reason why I sometimes get a little worried about the future of the State. Yes, I stole this from one of the local rags in Tassie, but it does prove that I am not alone in my concerns. Reminds me a little of Papua New Guinea......

The top six reasons to be a concerned tax payer in Tasmania:

Police Commissioner Jack Johnston voluntarily stood down pending an inquiry into whether he improperly disclosed official secrets linked to a police investigation.

Former deputy premier Bryan Green being charged with the crime of attempting to interfere with an executive officer of the Crown in October 2006. The charge related to an agreement the then infrastructure minister signed with John White, head of the builder accreditation firm Tasmanian Compliance Corporation.


The decision to abort the Resource Planning and Development Commission assessment process for the planned Gunns pulp mill in favour of fast-tracking legislation through parliament.


Steve Kons becoming the second deputy premier to quit in as many years when he admitted lying to parliament in March this year.


Premier Paul Lennon resigning unexpectedly in May after four years in charge of the state, forcing another Cabinet reshuffle and the promotion of Mr Bartlett.


The Government facing possible legal action from a former ministerial driver who had an affair with Economic Development and Tourism Minister Paula Wriedt.

Conspicuous Silence.....

A bit concerned that there is a significant and foreboding silence about the Pulp Mill of late. There is a rally on the 23rd August 2008 at City park which I will be attending which should be interesting. My sources keep saying that they are just in the dark as everyone else and that they are just waiting in limbo (these are people who have significant money tied up in the contracts). I know the State are a bit pissed about being left in the lurch (Bartlett not being told about Scottsdale despite meeting with John Gay two days before the announcement of the redundancies left a bit of a sour taste I would beleive). I know if a contracting company that have sign lengthly leases for interstate and international contributors to the Mill that are also in limbo and slightly concerned that this is dragging on.

So much for the "absolutely must start construction September 2007" and rushing through Parliment to bypass the RPDC. Costing a million a day if construction not started then was my recollection of the statement made....must coming close to 365 million in the red by now (at least). Couldn't be the best senario for shareholders surely.

Can anyone else see the irony of bulldozing a local soccor field to build a head office and placing plastic cows on the grass......aka - Gunns head office in Tasmania.

Perhaps Gunns are just holding off the announcement that the Pulp Mill is scrapped until Spring so that the those having parties celebrating can be held in some warmth!!!!

Ting Tang.......

Well he came down to earth and he lit in a treeI said Mr. Purple People Eater, don't eat meI heard him say in a voice so gruffI wouldn't eat you cuz you're so tough.

It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eaterOne-eyed, one-horned flyin' purple people eaterOne-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eaterSure looks strange to me (One horn?)

.......My partner recently performed in the musical SHOUT! and one of the songs was Purple People Eater. I cannot get this BLOODY song out of my head....someone please shoot me.

Ticking away, the moments that make up a dull day.....

.......No Dull Days here my Pink Floydian devotees.

Oh, to only be frittering away the hours in front of a fire with a good book, or nibbling some cheese next a glass of Pinot, to watch a good movie that I have never seen before (becoming an extremely rare event!). Perhaps a week away at a beach house or a couple of days in a mountian hut with just my lady and a guitar.

Just not enough hours in the day, days in the week etc etc. Wake up, get school lunches ready, check back up tapes, email, daily news, update business blog, dress kids, take to school, day care, check what in stock for meals, plan dinner, go to work, work butt off for eight hours, pick up kids, cook dinner, bath kids, check clothes ready for next day, washing, see lady off to rehersals, update bsuienss blog, check emails, plan weekend visit from inlaws, prepare for move to new office, arrange babysitter for performance night, check ebay auction, pay for ebay purchases, check Real Estate Agent (because nobody bloody rings us!!!!), see what is happening with the Empire (Gunns and the Pulp Mill saga), go for a hour walk (weight is comming down...that is working!!), make sure there is power money in the meter.....etc etc.

No different to anyone else I guess, but felt like a vent!!!!

Cheers y'all.

Scared.....

......you should be.

Seen the petrol pump lately. Had a look at what is made from petroleum products lately (is that a plastic mouse in your hand?). Ever wondered how those groceries got to the supermarket. How do the scientists get to the lab to study alternative fuels.

Iran. Israel. United States of America. Russia. Saudia Arabia. Share....what do you think.

Biofuel........sure, what is Africa going to eat?

Surely someone is working on something else and working hard. Please let us know that something is happening out there as quite a few people are taking this all for granted.

Comments anyone?

Ummmmm

I have logged in a few times of late and find myself trying to come up with something to write and end up deleting what I have written due to it not sitting right with me......not this time, I am just going to write a bit of stuff, whatever pops into the head and see where it ends and then click post without reading it....why not hey?

Cluster bombs, good news is that most of the world have signed a treaty banning them, bad news is that USA, Isreal, Russia and a few other wantabe world leaders find themselves above such treaties and have refused to sign. Getting very disappointed in world affairs.

Lennon, our now ex Premier. Not quite sure what to say here as the rammifications are still to be seen. On the outside it seems that a new leadership may be the thing needed for Tasmania, and fromt he last week Bartlett (the successor) seems to be sayign the right things....quite inpressed with his stand on protecting farm lands against plantations. High hopes I have for Mr Bartlett and his team and I blow out the candles and wish for the smart and caring state that he is promoting as his soap box...time will tell.

Real Estate Agents...........We have a new one that seems to be doing ok........so they tell us.

One of our friends have split from each other. It is a shame as they were a great couple and we were just getting to know them. They have a daughter the same age as my son. They seemed so tight these guys and although eccentric (a quality that I admire) they seemed like they had it together. New job, new study direction, new house.....all normal signs of a healthy go ahead relationship and future....then out of the blue we hear that they have split up. If you guys are reading this and you know who you are, don't become strangers, drop in and say hi whenever, however, whyever...no reason required!

Ebay. I have been a bit of a e bay addict of late. A buyer, not a seller. I have been looking for an orrery and settling for some old documents that I would liek to get framed. I sit and watch these items for three or four days and put a bid on them early and get excited that no one else has discovered these treasures and then in the last 20 seconds (I am not joking for those that do not know the ebay thing) the price seems to go up until I lose the item....sometime the price goes up hundreds of dollars in the last ten seconds! I am a e bay loser.

Tasmanian pinot is good. I had the good fortune to attend a function a little while ago that have around 60 pinots for taste. I managed to taste all of the wines and then go back to the best to ensure I made my decision correctly (you had to enter a judgement at the end). Besides from being quite pished, I managed to pick the top two wines (not in the correct order though) that wont the day. The Sunday was a bit of a right off, but well worth the experience to taste some great wines.

Brrrrrr - winter is kicking in. The house we are living in is quite cold. It can be warm, but with electricity going up some 17% (!!!!!!) the cots to keep warm is get quite high. It is a worry when you have to pay so much to keep warm. We are lucky that we are doing well with our income stream, I feel for those that are not as it must be a real struggle to survive today.

In keeping with the aformentioned theme, I reached a new record in filling the car with petrol the other day....one hundred and twleve dollars (A$112.00). For one tank of fuel. This of course was for the premium fuel that we use because our car calls for it but also it helps reduce the emmissions (higher octane...best we can do until someone can mass produce hydrogen engines). Definately a culture change comming up. No longer can a family just go away for the weekend without considering the very high fuel portion of the equasion. Looking forward to that magnetic or hydrogen invention that will be good for everyone and not be reserved for the movie stars. I still think that the magnetic field has something there for us........

Well off for my run now. Sorry for the ramblings.......

Later.