Epic Fail and Batman

I’m sorry but this is absolutely ridiculous. The world is full of stupid people.

Not meaning to be degrading or anything like that, but seriously. I had a go at editorial for publishing it on the front page. I suppose it would be a nice human interest story if the woman wasn’t so stupid.

I mean, yes it is sad that the poor boy can’t go to the Gold Coast – especially since he’s in remission for cancer and everything. But, reading between the lines, his mother had the ability to take the money out of the finance company a week ago and she chose to reinvest it for another 30 days instead.

This amid reports that Hanover was in trouble because they had invested heavily in Five Mile and Dave Henderson and that loan – worth millions of dollars – was defaulted on. But just because and employee of the company told her the money was safe she thought she’d be okay to re-invest.

Plus, it’s not like they’ll never be able to go – Hanover is working on getting the money back to investors. It’s a process, lady. You made a bad financial decision and now it has to work it’s way through. That is life, and yes it sucks but, the way I see it, if you take a risk in investments then you’ve got to be willing to strike out every so often.

And there’s still a chance they’ll get their money back, it all sounds like it could be quite positive. The funds are just frozen to prevent a run on the company and – like I said, the odds are they will recover some of the money.

In other news…the man who went with his friends to recover a stuck vehicle, got stuck himself and then died 2km from his house when he told his friends to go get help. At midnight, in the middle of the storm. Stupidity? That article here.

I have a few things to say: Firstly, it is terrible that a man died. Secondly, it is terrible a man died for so stupid a cause. Thirdly, I cannot believe we ran this on the front page of the newspaper. Fourthly, with friends like the ones he had – who needs enemies?

It is terribly tragic that he leaves five children behind – one who is only 10 months old and will never know her father. But there are a number of factors that contributed to such a tragedy, and to be honest this tragedy could actually have been avoided had a few things happened – namely, that people had utilized common sense and not gone out to rescue and (presumably abandoned) vehicle that was stuck in a riverbed at midnight in the middle of a storm.

But according to his partner he “does this all the time”. Apparently he is some sort of superhero who goes out rescuing stranded cars in the middle of the night all the time. AND he’s an asthmatic.

He is basically more awesome than Batman.

Of course, if he was Batman he probably would still be alive today. Or, at least he’d have a more reliable sidekick – like Robin. Sadly for him he had three incompetent friends. All of whom abandoned him to the wild weather and the cold. When he couldn’t walk. Which is what all good friends should do. That and not call the police as soon as you get home when your friend is missing and risks dying from cold and exposure. Wait a few hours, then call them. Stoopid!!!

Pictures courtesy of www.failblog.org.

Speaking of Batman, we went to see The Dark Knight last night. Man, it was awesome!!! It did make me sad to think that Heath Ledger will never reprise the role of the Joker. I think he might have damn well been the best Joker I have ever seen. I have no idea how they’ll replace him for the third. We came to the conclusion that the only person who could possibly replace him was Johnny Depp.

I think I will have to buy it when it comes out on DVD and I’m not even that great of a Batman fan. I have to say that the last two movies would have to be the best representation of a comic book I have seen in the past few years.

I have no words to describe it. The acting was superb. Christian Bale is awesome as Batman, probably one of the best I’ve seen. (Certainly better than George Clooney!) Heath, I have already spoken about – he was just incredible and it is so, so sad that this role might have been the reason that he was on sleeping pills and resulted in his death. Also, I may have to join some sort of “I love Gary Oldman” fan club. Because I really do love Gary Oldman. He’s just so versatile! (Sirius Black vs. Commissioner Gordan)

Just…wow. If you haven’t seen it yet you probably should!!!

Gastroporn

Peanut butter munchies - stolen from here

Nummy!!!

Glorious weekends

I just don't know where the week's go to. Wasn't it the beginning of July not THAT long ago? And now all of a sudden we are mid (verging on end of) July.

(Please note that when I say "verging on" it is because I work in the newspaper industry and hence am always three days ahead of myself anyway...I think this is why my weeks go so fast...but I have no empirical proof to back this up with...)

It is pouring with rain this morning. Was kinda nice to be able to lie in and know that I didn't need to be anywhere for AGES and listening to the rain on the roof. Cold out of bed but what the hey.

Last night:

Boys playing Cranium. Smid is like the Godfather.

We break the pantry door (no, really) and Smid has to fix it. Jen sprays us. Lol.

Charades...

We are such children sometimes!!! Ah well, at least we amuse ourselves. Retarded though we may be. I shall miss such nights.

I feel like I should have lots to do today, but am completely unmotivated to move from the couch to having a shower. Although I really need to...

Digression: I made an egg and mushroom muffin sandwich for breakfast...very tasty but resulted in egg getting EVERYWHERE. My clothes, my hair...argh!

Hence need for shower. I'm sure everyone wanted - no, NEEDED - to know that. Hah!

Am glad for a work free day. And even better than a work free day is a work free haircut achieving day. I have needed a hair cut for SO long and have been putting it off because of non-money-having-ness. (Hint: If you hyphenate everything it automatically becomes a word - coining and assimilation into the general lexicon be damned!) But the payrise has FINALLY kicked in and I am celebrating. Plus, if I get hairdresser for the wedding out of this I will be stoked.

Double whoop for no work though, everything is getting a little "politic" and catty. Tired of it. Some people just need to get over past issues and let bygones be bygones. Don't ruin what we have!!! Lol.

Right...shower time!

Foodie

Trifle was great success! No pictures as it is all eaten now.

Today I am trying my hand at custard square. Which - as it turns out - is not as easy as it could be without a rolling pin.

It did result in me googling the origins of custard though - which was about 3 pages back on Google, surprisingly enough! Am hoping this will be a success. Although the Sminternet seems to think that custard square cannot be made by normal human beings.

We shall see...

Mmmm....

I have a strange craving for trifle.

This is what comes of watching The Office.

I may make trifle...

Edit: Okay, have bought the necessary ingredients (and then some!) for making trifle. Shouldn't be too hard, right?

I bought the latest Hillsong CD on Friday. Well, actually I bought the CD/DVD special edition.

I wasn't going to...but I felt compelled. Well, I didn't. But I really, really wanted the version of Healer on this CD. Mike Guglielmucci wrote it. For those that don't know, Mike was a youth pastor back in the day. One day he wasn't feeling well and so he went to a doctor to see if they could figure out what was wrong. Turns out he had this wicked aggressive form of blood cancer. They gave him two weeks to live. He went home and wrote this song.

This was back in 2006.

If you watch the video, Mike is up there singing with his oxygen tank next to him. He can barely finish the lines of the songs but he sings them with such conviction that you can't help but be moved. We watched the video this week at a music night and I seriously cried.

It's such a powerful song. It really, really speaks to me. And to be honest it speaks the truth, you know? Nothing is impossible for God. Nothing.

So far liking the album, really love Stronger. Which we've already been doing in church. Nice to hear it how it's meant to be done though! Brooke Fraser makes a few appearances on it. Will do a full review at some other point.

PS: Like the new layout? One of my own. I'm loving it at the moment. Just need to get the boy to fix up the links. Last one was way too dark for my liking after awhile!

Nacho Weekend

There is nothing quite like braving the cold conditions to stand out on a veranda to take photos of the snow as it falls...

I had a WHOLE extra day off work this weekend...it was fantastic. Obviously with so much time on our hands the only sensible thing to do was to brave the 3 and a 1/2 hour drive down to Ohau. We'd been planning this trip for quite some time and had all been looking forward to it. Four of us set out on Thursday night - and completely missed the bad weather. Two of our party set out on Friday night and got caught out by the weather - and had to spend the night in a motel room at Burke's Pass!

Nevertheless those of us who had made it through safely persevered with the cold and bravely went out for a walk once the snow abated...look at the mountains. Awesome, right??

Meloui...not the drink, the couple. Rugged up because obviously it is COLD...felt a little like we were in Canada. Not that ANY of us have ever been to Canada before. But it was so wintery and wonderland-like that you kind of imagined it that way.

Without the bears of course!

Brrr...us facing into the village INSTEAD of out at the scenery. We are the retardation. But hey, the village looks very pretty. So does the lamp post next to us. We will find our way to Narnia next....

Clouds on the way back from our walk...pretty, right? Was very, very awesome!!! I like being out there...so few people and all the home comforts. And it's just so QUIET. Brilliant :)

Boys breaking up icy puddles so they can play with the ice. So amused...lol. Ah nature and it's wonders....

Ice ice baby....

Isaac and his ice shard that he chipped from the road...Ah am so proud of mah boy...lol. These are the achievements in life worth remembering! Hehehe...Not to mention that I later got him in the ear with a snowball. Yes indeedy I am awesome!!!!

Most awesome action shot ever!!! I love my new but not new camera. It takes awesome photos and they are all in many pixels so I can enlarge them :)

I tell you what though, I seriously, seriously needed the time off work. I haven't really had a break since January (when I started) and I'm not likely to have a break till November - when the wedding madness truly begins!

Long trudge back to warmth and hot drinks!

The past...month (?) in pictures

The day we had so many dishes that we did not know what to do...also known as the night we had fish pie...

See...not jus tin the corner but all the way down the bench!!! Possibly the laziest moment ever in our flat.

The day after Jem's birthday...the Arrested Development allusion that he did not get and hence we were successful in confusing him. Although that is sometimes not hard.

The sun coming out from behind the clouds today...we are in Ohau, it has snowed, rained and the sun has shone. Life is good :)