WELL. THAT WAS A TAD DEPRESSING.

Just got home from a NAU -Northern Arizona Uni- production of Grapes of Wrath. Very well done, great minimal sets, awesome musical accompaniment, but wow the glass or three of wine afterwards helped.
I have never read the book, (have read Cannery Row, which i loved) or seen the movie so I only had a vague idea of the storyline.
HMmmmm remind me never to become a 1930's Oklahoma dirt farmer searching for a better life in California. Unless it comes with jaunty songs then just maybe....

I plugged in "Grapes Of Wrath" into Youtube and got this which made life a whole lot better.



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DRIVE THRU ELVIS HERE WE COME

Finally organised our Las Vegas trip. Been talking about it since we got here as a quick getaway/wedding anniversary/try and drink our body weight in cheap cocktails fun time.

Spent a night in Vegas in '99, it really is a another planet but we didn't do much except wander around, eyes full of neon.

This time we have plans.
Cunning Plans

Staying at Circus Circus, which is right on the Strip and had good priced rooms. I remember liking Circus Circus cause it had free acrobatic shows and someone had managed to train cats to vaguely follow orders, I was very impressed, and lots of funny little games which you could win stuffed toys. Where you put the kids while you gambled away their college fund.

Plan 1- Have tickets to see my favourite Bullshit artists and magicians Penn and Teller. Bullshit is a great show and I'm really looking forward to seeing their magic.

Plan 2- Cirque Du Soleil production of 'O'. There are about 8 different shows but this one is based around water which sounds awesome. Can't go wrong with these guys.

Plan 3- Have a Romulan Ale and a plate of Tribbles at Quarks Restaurant, and maybe get married by a borg.

Plan 4- Shoot a BFG

Plan 5- Wander around eat and drink on the cheap. People watch and maybe find a cheap, empty Craps table.

It's not for a couple of weeks yet, so stay tuned.

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R YOU SAY

DV has a meme about a letter and things you like which they start with.
I asked and she gave me R

ROSE- Except the actual stalk is ungainly and ungraceful but the flower and the family rocks



EMERGENCY ROSE- Every boot should have some..


ROBOTS- Until they enslave us all then they sucketh


RED RIGHT HAND-one of my favourite songs ever! I had to find a way to get Nick Cave into the list.

RUINS- Ohh yeah!! I fall in love with them, buy them a drink, they never return my calls. But I still yearn.
RHUIN- ok he is a girly Orc but I loves hims


Gad! I took screen shots of Rhuin but pain in the arse to convert...bah.
Here is closest thing.
Which looks nothing like Rhuin but she is kinda hawt!

If you Google 'Wow female orc' it comes up with a green elf like chicky.sexy,buxom and tattooed.
Woot! I'd give someones right arm to look like her.


heh I asked Rob about the letter R, he said he didn't think he was that bad. I didn't even think that...hehe I had his WOW character as a favourite,what more does he want??!!



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WEEKEND DU JOUR

Been reading Miss Jimmy and The Other Andrews blog about their sweet weekends. Keeping up by blog and email is the next best thing to being there.
My weekend was pretty nice to.
I worked at the pub till 7pm Friday and Saturday which was ok but I have been promised better shifts soon.
I drove home on Friday night, picked up Rob and drove back into town. We had yummy yummy Thai for dinner, just walking in and smelling the place takes me straight back to Newtown. Its very good food and great for home cravings.
We then wandered to The Wine Loft, which is a great little space a couple of floors up. Its easy to miss if you don't know where it is, just a glass door then up some stairs, but worth it. We had a few glasses of wine and played Mancala. They have over 30 games to choose from I think we will be hanging out there more often. We then wandered back down to my pub and chatted to a few folks. It gets busy when I'm not there.
Rob drove home, decided to catch the bus next time.

Meteor Crater- hard to show how big it is.

Saturday morning was slug fest. I started work at 3:30 and this time was smart, caught the bus downtown. The bus stop is a ten minute walk away and the ride about 5 minutes.
Rob took Darwin for a 6 mile bike ride, she loves running behind it and its good exercise for all.

Rob caught the bus to meet me at work, saves on that pesky driving thing. Had a yummy Mexican meal, back to The Wine Loft to continue my Mancala victories, a few games of pool and a easy Taxi ride home.
Brilliant!
Greeted by a very, very excitable puppy when we got home.

On the edge of the Crater.

Sunday morning was a bit slow. We had planned to drive out to the Grand Canyon Caverns, a funky looking cave system 100 miles from here. It was in the latest edition of 'Arizona Highways' - Thank you again Amanda for the subscription, its a good magazine.
We spent longer at Mike and Laura's place chatting so it was getting late for a long drive. So we revised and drove out to Meteor Crater, about 30 miles from Flagstaff. Its a big hole in the ground caused by a big space rock 50,000 years ago give or take. Its 4000 feet across and 500 feet deep and kinda looks like a Dr Who quarry.
The used to train astronauts there cause it was a moon like crater but I'm not sure how they changed the gravity.

We had Darwin with us, who had to wait in the car while we looked at alien rocks. I have a Arizona guide book and found a walk complete with Indian ruins and lava about 10 minutes from home.
The amount of stuff around here still boggles me. Many great day trips and even more further afield.

Lava bubble cave.

It was a good uphill hike in mad wind. On the top of the hill are lava bubbles which the local Indian's used for storage and living. Can just see the remains of a pueblo but the caves are everywhere. Had great views of the surrounding flat land and peaks. The San Francisco Peaks are actually part of a huge volcano which exploded yonks ago so there are alot of volcanic cinders and artifacts all around.

Pottery Shards of Olde

There are alot of pottery shards scattered around. I'm assuming they are old and not seeded there to excite tourists like me, but I can't imagine that would happen. It is pretty amazing to hold something that was made so long ago.

Working this afternoon so better go and do something with the morning other than read blogs.
Toodlepip

The Peaks. Flagstaff is behind and to the leftish.

FACES OF A SECOND CHANCE

My volunteer work is going well, despite a few missed weeks due to travels and bunged up arm. They are pretty happy to have me and I'm learning alot. I need to ask more questions though to make myself even more useful.
I went yesterday, not really sure how I would go with my arm still sore but I didn't want to skip another week.

I cleaned a few things, watched some surgery and mainly watched over the dogs waking up from having their insides ripped asunder.
The bigger dogs they wrap in doonas and place on the floor so to monitor vital signs and make sure they don't injure themselves. As they wake up they can thrash around and whack their head on the floor and walls.
I was the anti whacking device. Another thing they do when still under the influence is drool....alot, a whole heap, it never ends, it covers everything.
"How do you get so much drool out of such a small dog?..."


I took photos of puppies and a few cats, I was going to take more photos of some of the adult dogs and not have them all looking like Gitmo Bay footage, but I was coldly welcomed to the Spring Winds. I was warned they get strong, cold and annoying and yea verily they are. So I hasty snapped a few cute puppies before I ate too much dust and was whisked off to Oz. Which actually would have been awesome, could have stopped in for a Chardy and only needed a one way ticket back.


I'm not about to become the Madde Dog Lady of Flagstaff, but its tempting at times. Alot of the puppies and kittens come in abandoned, malnourished, scared and filthy. Its great to see them all cleaned up, healthy and well socialised.

Oh yeah and the cats are pretty cute too.

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GOOD EATING ON ONE OF THEM

This is one of the weirdest things I have seen today, so I had to buy some for the most spoilt canine eva.

$1.99 for a can of beaver.....mmmmm

I CAN'T OPEN A BOTTLE OF WINE BUT AT LEAST I CAN KILL TROLLS

I didn't have to go to work on Sunday, they decided Saturday night not to open till later. Not sure why but ehh. So I lost out on about $50 and my Vietnam vet. marine friend coming back in to ask me to run away with him every 5 minutes for 4 hours.
The box of our stuff hasn't left Sydney yet so its a excuse to buy stuff, bloody annoying but what can we do.
Rob and I went shopping, he has no jeans left and needed new shoes. Then we ended up Downtown learning all about Mountain Bikes. The area is full of great bike trails and we thought it would be fun plus good exercise for us and the dog. We took a couple for a test run.
I am a idiot.
Went down this small but steep hillock, and I put on the front brakes.
Front brakes!!
I hate front brakes. All they are good for is locking up the front wheel and tipping you over the handlebars onto the road, which results in your back all scratched up and landing on your left elbow rendering you crippled for at least a week.
I know better than that....fracking front dumb brakes.
We will never mention front brakes again.


Anyway we bought the bikes, mine complete with scratches. They are shiny red with shocks and other cool bike stuff. They are the same make and colour which is uber couple daggy but I'm sure I'll be adding more dints in time, maybe a few stickers to personalise it.

But for the time being I'm useless. If I ever permanently lose a limb the first thing I'm doing after getting all manner of funky claw attachments is shave my head. Hairs a bitch with one good arm and one very painful one.


Things I can't do or takes me 10 painful swearing minutes

Brush my hair
Tie back my hair
Get dressed
Get undressed
Go to work
Go to the gym
Go volunteer
Make guacamole
Bring in the mail
Drive
Go shopping
Ride my fracking bike

Things I can Do

Watch 'Heroes'
Watch 'Bones'
Kill baddies
Sit on my arse
Walk the dog
Drink tea
Read "DM of the Rings".... its bloody funny and long

As Amanda pointed out "No body ever hurt themselves playing World of Warcraft...." so true.
*sigh*


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ITS ALL ABOUT HOW COOL I AM

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

JUST BECAUSE IT WAS MY IDEA TO MOVE COUNTRIES DOESN'T MEAN I CAN'T POUT.

Those of you going to Rowany have a great time...*sniff*. I'll be working. Serving beer but not the same at all. First time I have worked a Easter ever and second Festival missed in 14 years.
*sigh*
Everyone else have a good one aswell. Remember whats its all about- chocolate and days off work. Keep it real.

YOUTUBE THURSDAY NIGHT

I go in phases with YOUwastemylifeTUBE. I ignore it for months then spend days constantly looking at stuff. These are the days of looking at stuff.
Stuff I have found with film clips I have never seen, or weird montages peeps have throw together.


The Weeping Song- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. I could put up all of his stuff but I will restrain myself. Love Blixa and Nick's duet. I always thought Father meant Dad not Priest...my non religious (thank god) upbringing showing it self.

The Highwaymen- Highwayman. The Big Country Four. I went with Dad sometime in the late 80's to see these guys. Caught the bus from Newcastle to Sydney. They were really good and played solid for over 2 hours which impressed me at the time for a bunch of 'old' guys.

Dance Music- The Mountain Goats. From my fav album "The Sunset Tree' done with sock puppets... as you do! Also 'Woke Up New' from his latest 'Get Lonely' and his first real music clip. Most of the other stuff is live and sucky quality unfortunately.

The Waifs- London Still. Great song, easily replaced with 'Flagstaff Still' ;)

Antony and the Johnsons- You Are My Sister Saw Antony at the Leonard Cohen tribute at the Opera House in 2005. Strangely twitching sublimed voice man.

Leonard Cohen- Bird On The Wire. *sigh* Affected this 15 year old in strange ways I'll tell ya that for free.

I could go on....and on.
Since our box of worldly possessions hasn't even left Sydney yet...WFT!! This is a music haven for the time being.
Stay tuned.


ohh ok just one more.

Jeff Dunham and Peanut. I went to a friend of Mike's for a BBQ when Rob was away. They are kinda SCA but we won't hold that against them. After dinner they put on a ventquilla ventrilla dude who speaks through puppets. I was a bit dubious in a can't sleep clowns will eat kind me fashion but steeled myself. It was fracking funny and very clever in bits. He has a bunch of characters sometimes two going at once but this bit killed me.


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TO CATCH A FERRET

Before we even left Australia Laura had arranged for us to help out with the Black Footed Ferret monitoring nights. We jumped at the chance, I mean wild Carpet Sharks, totally awesome.
So on Friday night Rob, Laura, Jamie (9) and I drove down to Seligman. Its over a hour and on Route 66, the main highway bypasses it now, and the main street is full of old skool neon and Route 66 signs. It looked pretty cool.
We met up with the other volunteers and the Rangers for a introduction session on filling out data sheets, setting traps, using the GPS etc. Met our experienced guide and drove off into the cold night.

Setting the trap. Wrapping it in hessian continues the tunnel, tricking the ferret.

BBF's are endangered but seem to be recovering well. Thier diet is 90% Prairie Dogs and they live in the burrows. Due to farmers and hunters killing large numbers of prairie dogs because they compete with the stock for grazing land and tripping into the holes is not much fun (first hand experience) they were very close to extinction. So for healthy Ferret populations you need healthy Prairie Dog populations.
The area we covered was on private land and were introduced from captive bred ferrets. The maps we had showed the high density areas of Prairie Dogs so that was where we searched.
We used spotlights from the truck to light up their eyes. They glow blueish in the light, we saw lots of rabbits which glow reddish so at least we weren't tricked too often.

Trapped and totally calm.

We also tracked on foot. The person who invented a lightweight battery will go down in history. Carrying a 20 pound battery in a backpack to light up a 2 pound spotlight is just damned crazy.
Bloody heavy and tripping and falling down a burrow with it on your back sucks.

We saw several ferrets and traps were set. They had to be checked every hour cause of the cold. The others were out walking and Rob and I were spotting from the truck when I saw the tell tale blue. I kept the light on him as Rob walked up to see which burrow he was in. Sat out of the burrow watching till Rob could almost touch him. We set the trap and blocked any other nearby exits and went back to spotting. We met up with the others and checked the other traps.

Being poked and prodded

We got one in the trap we set and took him back to Ferret HQ, where he was gassed, microchipped (he was a wild born), vaccinated, and check over over before being taken back. Beautiful looking with a creamy pelt, black feet and mask.

At this stage it was 5:30 am and I had to work at 11am so I drove back by myself. Home at 7am, in bed, quick sleep and up at 10am. I managed to stay awake for the day but wasn't going to go back for another night since i was buggered and had to work again on Sunday.
Had Chinese for dinner with the gang and watched the last two episodes of season 3 Battlestar (i know who the final five are...very exciting).

How cute is he...damn cute I say. Looks abit like Guinness.

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SHINY

Your results:
You are Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command)

Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command) 75% Malcolm Reynolds (Captain) 70% Wash (Ship Pilot) 60% Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic) 55% Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic) 50% Jayne Cobb (Mercenary) 45% River (Stowaway) 45% Inara Serra (Companion) 40% Alliance 40% A Reaver (Cannibal) 30% Derrial Book (Shepherd) 15%

Dependable and trustworthy. You love your significant other and you are a tough cookie when in a conflict.

Click here to take the Serenity Firefly Personality Test