The Walking Dead

I'd organised to catch up with a friend for a few quiet ones on Friday night but i was so knackered i had to cancel. I sat in on a professional food shoot on Friday and despite doing absolutely nothing but chatting and watching, i just had no energy left. For those who don't know how a food shoot goes, this is about as professional as it gets. There are three - the photographer, the stylist and the food assistant. The assistant cooks the dishes, the stylist "finesses" the food and the photographer captured the shots. I also pitched in by reseting the standby timer on the stylists laptop so she wouldn't always have to re-login. If there's one thing i took from the day it's that photography is no different to painting a wall. It's all in the preparation.

Saturday was spent predominately at the photo imaging expo in Darling Harbour. In between comparing lenses ranging from minuscule to John Holmes size, i spent some time watching the official awards judging process (Basically an opportunity for judges to pit their opinions against each other like rutting walruses).

On Saturday night we had Bodhi's friend Hari for a sleepover. He's really attached to his mum so we thought it would be a case of him screaming his lungs out all night and It didn't help that our teenage neighbour was also having a sleepover. But, like a 100-1 longshot that no one sees coming on the outside, it was actually Bodhi who stole the show by waking up several times during the night ensuring that Sunday was a day of the walking dead.

see ya,
Minas.

Shooting Blanks

Hey Gang;

Apologies for the tardy posting. No excuses really but I'm going to need to start take notes of what we do during the weekend because this hectic lifestyle of mine means that I'm drawing a blank come Monday.

You might remember last weekend that i babysat hurricane Katrina for a few hours, well this weekend started with her, her baby sister and Mum coming to stay. Renee is hubby-less while her man gallivants around Europe saving their business so we had 'em all over for an old fashioned sleepover. Sleep however was very thin on the ground. Trying to put Bodhi and Isabella to sleep in the same room gave us an idea for a new TV show - Australia's Biggest Screamer. Kind of like one of those Japanese humiliation shows where you see how long you can last with two kids turning their tonsils inside out.

Saturday is currently a black hole in the memory banks.

Sunday started with a trip into the city. We had free tickets to the new Ice Age 3D flick so went in for a look see. Arriving late, we could only find a seat down the front. I was ruing the conditional surrender of all cameras and phones prior to the pre-release screening. The sight of Bodhi reclining on Sam's lap with the screen light washing over them in their 3D glasses is something I'll savour for a long time.

The only other news to share with you is that my year long water photography project has proved incredibly successful in ways in which i hadn't imagined. Not one month into my crusade to highlight Australia's lack of water, Sydney has officially declared an end to water restrictions!!! The sprinklers are back baby!

see ya,
Minas.

Miracles

I don't use the term lightly but not since The Baby Jesus has there been a miracle quite like this. And i've seen it with my own eyes. Just three words describe it - Selley's Mould Remover. I had no idea our bathroom was white.

It was a really boring weekend just gone which has led me to the realisation that if it wasn't for Friday night footy, i honestly wouldn't know how to start these weekend reports.

On Saturday morning I convinced Mum to come into Chinatown with me for some market shopping. Produce there is cheap but doesn't last long. I regard this as proof of no added preservatives so there'll be no more produce from Woolworthless for me, nosiree. We snuck in a selfless visit to Yum Cha while there, for Bodhi, to broaden his cultural awareness. Not for us.
That night The Lovely Samantha and I braved the cold with Bodhi and went into Circular Quay to check out the Vivid Sydney light display. Thankfully they got the Opera House display spot on because some of the others more looked like a blue light disco on spumante than anything resembling art.

Sunday was pretty relaxed until the afternoon when i had the pleasure of looking after Bodhi and Isabella while their mums went to Mere's baby shower. Now, I can't be sure, but i've got a sneaking suspicion that Isabella was hurricane Katrina in a previous life.

see ya,
Minas.

The Long Weekend

Hey Gang;

It was a long weekend here which means eight days instead of the usual seven.
My career change hasn't amounted to much at the moment apart from trying to motivate myself to take at least one photo every day. The year long project is nothing new, it even has a name in the online flickr world - A 365 Set. But, being Australian and constantly reminded of our national lack of water, i thought i'd make it a bit tougher on myself. So, i've imposed a condition that each daily shot include water of some sort. The irony is that despite being such a drought plagued country it's been raining every day since starting (although ten days in the commitment levels are already being tested). Here's my set so far.

Friday was more of the usual dinner in front of the footy. Saturday didn't amount to much other than taking Bodhi swimming while The Lovely Samantha worked on her Special K figure in the gym. I gotta tell ya, our little man is a natural in the pool. He just doesn't stop smiling, even underwater. With the amount of chlorine he swallows were working up to a business as pool cleaners.

Sunday was a beautiful winter's day, chilly but sunny. We walked to Newtown where Sam spent what precious little money we have left on a totally superfluous pair of boots. I protested vigorously, presented my case to the court only to see it thrown out on a technicality (i hadn't been back in the country long enough to re-validate my license to argue marital law).

Monday didn't amount to much apart from reading the papers and taking photos.

see ya,
Minas.

The Portfolio

Hey Gang;

Another friday, another night at home in front of the footy. Home made hamburgers were superb.

I woke up late on Saturday just in time to see The Lovely Samantha and Bodhi head out the door to the Orange Grove markets. Bad weather forced them back home for an umbrella. Just enough time for me to get dressed, hide the umbrella and convince them to go to Paddy's markets instead. I don't particularly like markets but chinatown has a certain appeal. On Sam's suggestion i went into a chinese butcher to see the price of my favourite cut of the month - pork loin. At $10 a kilo, it's a wonder they're still in business. I walked out three kilos heavier which should safely see us through the winter but the savings may be short lived kids. Our freezer is now making a weezing noise. It's a hand-me-down and i'm not sure how old it is but whenever it starts up it sounds like an old miner with the black lung.

Sam's Dad is in town so we passed on Sunday's Yum Cha Birthday bash for Mere. It's a shame because with neither of us working, dining out is definitely out and we don't have many occasions for actually going out. In honour of the sacrifice we hit the bikes in search of further savings at the fish market ($9.90/kg for silver dory - keep that one under your belts).

On a serious note, I should probably take some responsibility for Shalome's off-again-on-again relationship being off again. If not for last week's coining of the term "binary man", then it must surely be due to the high culinary standard we set at dinner last week. Having left with the promise of matching our hospitality how was I to know the pressure of trying to live up to those lofty gourmet heights we set would take such a toll on their relationship. Should I have mentioned it was just silver dory?

If you want to see a sneak peak of the photos I'm considering for my portfolio, click here the colour is a bit out on this website, but you'll get the idea.

see ya,
Minas.