My dealings with a Telstra Pre Paid Sim Card

Bought said card on Saturday 3rd of December for $2 from K-mart.

Got home and spoke to a Telstra sim activation team person- was told it would take 24-48 hours to activate. Sweet I thought- better than 5 working days that I'd heard about somewhere.

Sunday. Went back to Broadway Telstra shop and thought I'd ask again- the guy said confidently that it would happen Monday morning between 9 and 11 am. Cool, OK.

Monday the 5th December 11:50am came and no action.

I called. I was told network/technical issues were worked on over the weekend and that it should happen by Tuesday morning- if not call one of the 13 numbers.

I decided to call again just after 3pm and say that's what i was told to do.

I got thru to someone and they checked my account for what seemed like15 mins- they said they will make a report and someone will call and give me an update.

I didn't get a call.

It's now 7:40am Tuesday.

Lets see what happens today.

The phone wasn't activated by 11am so I rang again. This time they blamed Vodafone BUT they did activate my service BUT with a temporary number. I was on the phone for over 30 minutes to get this done! I was also told I would get a phone call to update me with what is happening etc.
I added credit to my account which they said would be transferred once my number was ported.

I also made an online complaint with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.

It's now Wednesday the 7th of December, 7am. I haven't been called with an update.

I got a few tweets saying that the service is ready to be ported but now waiting on Vodafone.

That's about it. No phonecall.

Thursday the 8th now.

At midday I got a call from Vodafone but was unable to answer so I then rang shortly after and spent 20 mins on the phone and only was told that Porting was slow and no indication of when porting would be complete. No apology for not contacting me earlier either.
A bit before 3pm I got a call from Teletra's complaints department- fairly helpful but suggested that I contact Vodafone to confirm my number/account is still active so that porting could go ahead.
I called Vodafone and was told it is still active and then rang the Telstra guy to confirm that.
The Teltra guy was going to see what he could do with his tech staff to make things happen and that he would call me Friday by 5pm to let let me know one way or the other.
It's now Friday am, still using temporary number.
Can't remember if I made any calls on Friday but I did receive a flurry of calls and texts on Friday afternoon and it became apparent that my number had ported. I was able use my phone as normal.

On Monday the 12th I got a call from the Telstra case manager to apoligise for not calling on Friday like he said he would- he was sick- and offered to make amends for the delay by adding $150 credit on my account with a 6 month expiry date and 4GB(!!) of data with a 30 day expiry date.
I was pretty happy with this- essentially it's 6 months credit/ free use.
That's it- a seemingly simple porting took a week! Poor service from both providors.

NYC 2011

Just testing to see if this will work.

Thurs 5th November

Freaky German propaganda poster.
Warhol.
Salvadore Dali- small painting.
More Warhol.
Not sure who did this.
Or this.
View from Moma.

We went to Moma- the buildings design was great-lots of areas overlooking other floors giving the person looking down vertigo. Anyway we saw some pretty famous artwork.
After this we headed to St Patricks Cathedral for a look.
On from here to the Rockefeller Centre, and saw a few people on the ice rink.
It was quite cold today.

Weds 4th Nov

I went to Irving pl and got my jesus lizard tkt
then to Nevada Smith's for Liverpool v Lyon game.
off to st marks place to look at cd stores
then got a piece of pie(pizza) before making my way to dba bar
Leave there for blind tiger but too full so go to maccas and head to the apartment
Di's got the flu.

Tuesday 3rd November

A building that was owned by a famous banker- he also published a newspaper that would print photos of men who left there wives which was often enough to get the men to go back.
Picture of an old movie theatre waiting to be refurbished.
Guss's pickles- soon to be leaving the LES.

We went to the Lower East Side Tenement Museam and went on a walking tour of the area for about 90 mins. Immigrants thru the years would shift into this area and live in high density buildings- it was a good tour.

Monday 2nd November

I routine by now has been to sleep in till about 11 or later, have coffee and brekkie and go up the road to get a cappucino/mocha then come back to the apartment and decide what to do next.
This day was quiet....
Walked down 8th Ave and Hudson, looking for a chinese restaurant we went to last time we were here but couldn't find it, that was it.
Quite cold.

Sunday 1st November

Nyack, footy and then back to Chelsea.

Saturday 31st Ocober

This is the Tarrytown Hall by the station.
A spiders web- can you see it?
Di and Carol all dressed up.
Greg and Di all Dressed up- don't ask me who I'm dressed up as tho.


I didn't get to see the All Blacks game but we won.
We caught the train to Nyack. It was my first time at Grand Central Station - very nice.
The ride up to Nyack was nice.
So we went to the the Halloween Parade in Nyack- as you can see we got dressed up for the occasion which many people did- I have a new found respect for actors or people who wear wigs as it was really uncomfortable and weird to wear! The parade itself was kinda lame in a funny kinda way- not many floats and they even had people walking in it who were spruiking themselves to be elected in the local elections. Not to worry as Ben had warned us.
The weather was mild tho a little damp. We went back to Carol's and took our wigs off and walked back to Nyack and went to this nice restaurant for dinner.
All up it was a nice night.

Friday 30th October

went to... Broadway and Soho...caught the subway to Broadway & Lafayette and walked down Broadway.
It was really busy, A Friday arvo seemed like Xmas on George Street. The intention was to have a look around Soho but we mostly checked out Uniqlo and Topshop which were really packed!
I'd had hoped to check out Uniqlo for a while and it was pretty good- packed with heaps of people stocking up on basics like jeans, tees and cashmere tops at good prices. I got a pair of work chinos and two basic tees.
We grabbed a bite and walked along Broome Street towards the West Village and home.
Since it was Friday we went out for dinner at a nearby place called Safran for dinner. It was a little more swanky than we thought but that didn't matter as we had a nice dinner- i had boneless roasted duck and Di had shrimp and grapefruit salad and roast duck rolls.

Thursday the 29th of October

Nice day, but coolish.
Had a coffee- shopped a bit in Chelsea/8th Ave.
Went to Pastis for a coffee and a cheese platter- had a bit of a look around the Meatpacking District then went to the Apple Store for an iTunes voucher and got a cover put on my phone.
Very lazy day.

Wednesday the 28th of October

Another late start to the day- eventually we had a coffee somewhere.
At 3:45 there was a few soccer games on so I went to a place called Nevada Smiths to check it out.
The teams playing were Liverpool v Arsenal and Chelsea v Bolten, at the same time they had a game on from Germany and a game on from Italy! Only the sound for the Arsenal game was up and the Chelsea game was on downstairs.
As time went by the pub was about 80-90% full and people started singing and chanting, especially when a goal was scored. The Italian game was Naples v Milan, and Naples came from behind to draw the game 2-2- the noise and excitement a couple of dozen Italians made when Naples got their 2nd goal was amazing! And the Liverpool game was really good even tho they lost 2-1.
It was about 6 as I left there and headed south to a bar called Hop Devil Grill on St Marks place.
This is another craft beer place I wanted to check out and luckily for me I made it in time for there 4 hour happy hour! I ordered some food and a nice organic IPA. Had a nice porter after that and made it back to the apartment just on 8pm, in time for the base ball.
The World series baseball is on and I don't understand the rules yet.

Tuesday 27th of October

Slow start to the day.
We went to the Morgan Library which also holds a museum. We just looked at the Old Library building which was amazing just in itself- grand and ornate. Well worth a look.
The weather was drizzly and crappy most of the day.
After the library I headed off to The Pony Bar which was on the other side of town- I walked but I'll have to get to know the buses.
At the Pony Bar I overheard a kiwi guy talking about the All Blacks so I chatted to him for a while- he was into craft beers so that was quite good.
After a couple of drinks i meet Di around Herald Square and we caught the subway back to the apartment.
We then went to a local Thai place for dinner.

Monday 26th of October

We got up late, eventually made our way to Cafe Grumpy on 20th.
Did a bunch of washing, took a pair of trousers to the dry cleaners.
I managed to break the zip of my blue Icebreaker top and I was hoping I could get that fixed at a dry cleaners but it's pretty unlikely so far.
A little later in the day, I meet Di @ TJ Maxx and we went to a Dinner for an early meal.
After this we went to Dave's New York and bought two pairs of Levi's.
Back to the apartment for a quiet nite in.


Di has sussed out how to get the cable tv channels!

Sunday the 25th of October

Yesterday (sunday here) was such a great day- Ben (carol's partner) picked me up and we drove over George Washington Bridge, great views north and south of NYC and New Jersey. Drove up the highway which was tree lined and all the leaves are a shade of gold at the moment, as we got into Nyack Ben stopped at this bottle shop that I went to last time we were here- all they stock is beer! So i got a quick dozen different beers to sample-alright.
We got to Carol's place and then walked down to a nearby jetty and Ben took us out in his boat. We went up river for about 30+ mins and looked at the houses and turned around and raced back toward the Tappan Zee Bridge and looked at some more houses. The sky was blue and the tempature was mild.
After this we went for a bite to eat (burger of course & two glasses of Southampton Double White which were all super!) + back to Carols.
Ben and I took off about 6pm to Meadowlands (in New Jersey) to see the New York Giants play the Arizona Cardinals (a cardinal is a stupid little red bird!) and the Giants lost- it was pretty cool to be there amongst 80,000 punters even if they did lose. Something the punters do is turn up early to get a car park and pull out the BBQ and have a feed and a few brews before the game-in part 'cos the price of food in the stadium is so expensive.
It was pretty close and a draw was on the cards right down to the last seconds. The game finished 11pm or so- v. late for a Sunday.
So, thanx Ben and Carol for making it such a top day!

Saturday the 24th of October

Slow and late start to the day.
I went and got some takeaway coffee's which are just so-so here and usually over priced.
Di was tired so I decided to venture out by myself.
Went to Rattle & Hum Bar.... this is another bar I was hoping to get to and try some of their rotating beers. They had some Rogue beers on tap so I tried a couple of them... I got a tasting flight of 4 different beers but it wasn't exactly clear what glass was what, so I had to guess.
I also ordered some mini burgers which are made up of a long bun cut up to inch and half pieces with a little meat Pattie with a bit of sauce on top. I got 5 of them for $13.
It started to get a bit busy 'cos a college football game was own.
So I go back to the apartment.
Carol and Millie arrived 6 or so and Di and I got changed and we headed out to find a place for dinner. It was a bit wet but we headed towards the Meatpacking District and managed to get into The Standard Grill. We had an Aussie waiter.
I had Iceberg lettuce with blue cheese and bacon for an entree, which was super.
Swordfish for my main, something I've never tried before- it was pretty good, fairly raw and sparsely presented.
For dessert the three of us shared a bowl of chocolate mousse that was delivered with three spatula's!
We walked back in the rain- the rain was wet, yes wet I tell you.
Carol went up to stay with Ben and we looked after Millie who much to my horror is use to sleeping on the same bed as Carol.

Friday the 23rd of October

I think we had a bit of a sleep in- the weather has dropped down a bit for today.
We caught the subway to 86th Street to the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum going past the Guggenheim on the way. The building is amazing- it was owned by Andrew Carnegie and we tried to imagine what it would of been like to live in- each room had it's own feel to it.
The exhibition was quite good, included some iPods and more stuff can't remember.
After a look around, which was free as it was National Design Week, we headed south to a a church we saw on the way, called "Church of the Heavenly Rest" which had it's own little cafe basically in the church itself. We grabbed a sandwich and coffee and then had a quick squiz around.
We caught the train and went seperate ways at 14th street- Di went home and I made my way to The Bowery- specifically to The Beer Room @ Wholefoods Market.
They have about 1000 different beers for sale! Where as in Sydney I'm always dissapointed with bottle shops, here i was overwhelmed, so much so that i couldn't make up my mind and left empty handed! oh well i'll have to go back next week!

got back to the apartment.....
Since it's Friday it's Date nite, so we went to 5 9th Restaurant for dinner. We sat out under a awning but it rained so i shifted my seat.... Di had beetroot carpaccio and I had goats cheese tart for entree and for main Di had Lobster in foam butter and I had a lovely lamb shank.
Dessert was creme brulee for Di and molten chocolate cake for me. Mmmm super.
Had a glass of Californian Cab Sav that was faultless.
Had to catch a taxi home 'cos it was wet.

Thursday the 22nd of October

A view of The Standard from the High Line.

A beautiful day- clear, sunny and about 22 degrees.
HBO were filming a show called "How to Make it in America" in our apartment building today.
We got off to a slow start- headed down 7th Ave to look for a cafe I saw the nite before- we found it but they didn't do espresso coffee so we headed north looking for a place. Had a decent coffee and went back to the apartment.
We then walked along 15th and headed for the High Line- this is an old elevated train line used for delivery goods to factories in that part/side of town- we entered on 16th and walked south getting off where it finishes. We then walked around the Meatpacking District check out all the swanky boutiques that had no customers, saw another film crew filming the same TV show and made a booking for a nice restaurant.
We popped into the Apple store on 9th and 14th and got a cover for my iPhone-cool.
We came back to the apartment and had a bite to eat and to chill for a bit.
We then did a bit of shopping- heading first to Urban Outfitters on 6th and 14th and headed up 6th Ave to Old Navy, Filene's and Bed, Bath and Beyond.
I came back with a cheap pair of shorts and a tee and Di got a nice jacket.
Got back and then popped over to the Westside Market and got some flounder which Di heated up and served with a rice salad. Pretty good, and a nice wheat beer to top it off.

Wednesday the 21st of October

Near Times Square.
The Dakota Building-couldn't see any blood!

After a late start to the day we went to Cafe Grumpy on 20th St- we both had decent coffee's.
Came back to the apartment for a bite to eat.
We then caught the C Train up to 72nd street and had a look at the Dakota Building, made our way into Central Park and Strawberry Fields when a special person broke out into the theme song-so we quickly got out of their and walked to the Zoo.
The Zoo was pretty good - saw a few cute animals including the Snow Leopard.
We then made our way to Central Park South and meet up with Carol- after a coffee we made our way south and drove around the Meat Packing District.
Tonite I walked down to the Blind Tiger Ale House for 2 quick beers- the place was packed and the streets were buzzing on my walk back-people at 10pm just about to order a meal!
Bewdaful weather today, 20 degrees and thursday is meant to be super too!

Tuesday 20th October

Today we made our way to Brooklyn, specifically to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. The gardens were open and free but the Museum was closed.
The garden was nice, very pleasant to have a wander around in.

Monday the 19th of October

We walked along 14th and had a look around Union Square. Lots of fresh produce as it's a Farmers Market a few days a week,

We both had a look in the big Barnes and Noble, I went to Paragon Sports. ( I got a black pair of New Balance shoes.

Got a bite to eat at some stage and had a look at Filens Basement and 1 other store. Made our way to WholeFoods Market for a coffee- we were going to have a look around buy it was so packed we didn't bother.

Came back to the apartment- we got the internet fixed as it hadn't been going properly.

It was a bewdaful day, about 15 degrees in the sun.

Sunday the 18th of October

Di and Carol took off to Nyack.

I caught the subway to meet Ben at a bar btwn 82n and 83rd, called Ship of Fools.Ben had to book a table as it gets so busy-it was packed out with people watching the American Football.

Their was 43 TV screens, 2 guys were on a couch on top of a pool table, just to save space!

One guy was so into it he was sweating and yelling at the screens-needless to say his team lost.

It was really noisy and quite an experience.

After the game Ben and I drove to his place in Harlem and watched a bit of TV.

Di and Carol arrived about 7 ish and we went to a BBQ Ribs place for dinner- it was alright.

I haven't been sleeping well.

Cold again,

Saturday 17th October

Had a quiet morning.

We went to Filenes's Basement and then to Dave's New York- I got a pair of Levi 501's for $35.

We then went to T-Mobile and got two phones.

Went to a supermarket on 17th and got some stuff for diner- a roast chicken no less. I got Carol a bottle of wine but unbeknown to me it was low alcohol.

Carol came round later.

It's still been cold.

Friday 16th OCTOBER

This is what I put on Facebook:
"Ok we are in NYC-I'm @ the Apple store as we don't have the Internet connected yet.
The flight from Sydney was sweet but the connecting flight was a big pain- not enuf security were on service to clear us for our flight to NY and so we were queing with minutes to go - luckily they held the plane for us and others that were in the same predicament.
We luckily bumped into Carol while we were searching for our bags- which was another drama! So Carol took us to the city and we went out for dinner.
Still, the apartment is good
It's cold- 6 or 7 degrees.
OK more later"
I also posted this at about the same time:

I reckon the weird expposure makes this photo neat!
Helloween is big here in NYC.
we saw this display at the Chelsea Market (cnr of 9th Ave & 16th St) the building use to be a biscuit factory- Oreo's were made there- now it's foodie heaven with all sorts of deli's & markets. We had a lite brekkie in one place and while we were eating a group of people came in on a food tour- they all had a glass of chocolate milk that sounded like it was very nice.
After a look around at a few delis and du purchased a couple of mini pumpkins to get in the festive mood- we braved the cold, a high of 7 degrees, and walked back to the apartment.
Di felt like a nap so I thought I'd go and sort out my iPhone.
Waked to 6th av and 17th St and popped into an AT&T (phone company) to see about there plans-the only thing they could do for me was $100 for calls and text and no data- the guy said your better off trying T-Mobile which was across the road. They could give me locals calls, text, date and cheap calls to Aus & NZ but it was still going to cost $100! Still I knew this and signed on. We put the sim card in but the phone wouldn't recognize it even after heaps of rebboots! After a bit of discussion they said that maybe it may take a couple of hours to connect to the network - also they questioned if the phone was unlocked - they said they would refund me if it doesn't connect after a couple of hours.
So I went for a walk- I checked out this grocery store on 17th for everyday basics-it was OK, not particuarly cheap but convenient.
Next it was down to the Apple store on 9th and 14th to see if they could help- the guy I spoke to was very helpful but all the same their was nothing Apple could do for me.
I used the wireless to add a post to Facebook and check the weather-took off to the apartment.
Di was napping still-so I filled out my lotto and headed up to the T-Mobile store to get my refund- that took a while but I got the cash.
Came back to the apartment and it was time to eat.
We headed up 7th and found this busy little French restaurant- it was nice, I had lamb shoulder and di had pork.
On the way two girls stopped us to ask for direction to get to Union Square- I said down to 14th and catch the L train across- simple. That was my odd new York moment for the day!
We went to the market closest to the apartment and got a few things for brekkie and I got a beer- a Laguintas IPA which was very nice- di thought it was horrid and not what a beer should taste like.
I tried to hook up the internet but it didn't happen- bedtime.
Don't know if I won 200 million $'s in Lotto."

Trial

Just trying this out to see if it will work, here's hoping!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I'm Big In Canberra

On Tuesday (30th June) I went to Canberra with 3 work colleagues to have a look at how The National Library do things. It meant for a very long day- I got up at 5am, caught a train to Westmead (nr Parramatta) at 6:30 and got their a bit after 7. We took off a bit after 7:30 and got to the Library at 10:45.

Sick and Tiring Week

We both had Monday and Tuesday off sick with a rotten cold.
Tuesday was a $50 million Lotto, it jack potted and 'cos so many people bought tickets it is now $90 million! And Thursday, next week, is $15 million. A big week.
Di had today(Fri) off and has gone to Dapto- I'll go down on Sunday.
I'm watching footy tonight and tomorrow nite.
The new iPhone came out this week, I'd really like one but my wife won't let me get it.

Next week I'm going to Canberra to The National Library on a work trip-my first out of town trip that I've been on with work. I'm the junior so i'll have to behave but since it's down and back in the one day there'll be no time to any trouble making!

Been a bit sick still this weekend, however I went to the pub Saturday nite to see the All Blacks play Italy-they won but they arn't looking good so it could be a long season!

Went to Dapto today- Perry and my bewdaful wife were working very hard in the back yard so i was compelled to help out for a change.
Got back about 9pm and I'm watching the The Confederation Cup playoff between Spain and South Africa.

I'm thinking about buying an iPhone outright - it might cost a bit but I'll be able to take it to New York with me and put a local SIM card (T-Mobile or Verizon??) in the phone and avoid International Roaming fees and get to use a quality 3G Network. I'll also be able take it to NZ next year too. I'm thinking I can sell it next June for a good price and update for a newer iPhone model. Mainly I 'll have a new phone (toy) that I want without being tied into a contract.
My Dad lands in Sydney Thursday 2nd of July.

Long Tiring Week

No real news this week.
The weather has been mild to crappy.
On Friday after work we went to The Sydney Festival which was quite good- they had a little ice skating rink and food stalls around it on the forecourt of a church. I should of taken a photo as the lights on the church look really nice- they also had a mini snow flake maker.
I had bratwurst on a roll with mustard and that cabbage stuff with a nice Pale Ale.
We got home and were shattered-went to bed early and got up at 7am for early weekend shift.
We finished work and made our way to Summer Hill and got a few things for dinner. Di had a nap and I took off to the pub to watch the AB's- they one this week in another tight game.

Today, Sunday, Di slept in to about 11am and I'm coming down with a cold which i probably got from Di who's been sick all week.

I was reading an article on New Zealand Herald website about a sociologist complaining about the Lotto in New Zealand being too high - $30 million- and that people gamble more than they can afford and that has negative side effects around the community. This guy reckons it should be capped at $15 million as after that people go about loopy .....i mention that because......
On Tuesday, Oz Lotto is $50 million.
Weds it's State of Origin.

Super Short Week (starting 8th June)

I missed a week.... we worked to 6pm most nites. The Aussie $ made it to 82 cents US and has gone down since, hopefully it will work it's way up and we'll get some $ exchanged.

Di and Perry went to Bangkok on Friday evening- poor Di woulda been fretting about the flight even more with the news this week about the French Air plane crashing just off Brazil- but they both seemed fairly relaxed.

So the toilet seat is up, there's a pile of dishes and hardly any lights on! (I have used the clothes dryer-don't tell Di tho!)

I've been doin nothing at all. I guy at work lent me some Henry Rollins Show DVD's, a triple set no less. I checked a site and found a Sinead O'Connor video from the show on the net, quite good.

I meet up with a friend (Jacko) on Saturday a 5 ish at The Golden Barley for a beer and a chat-as I was leaving this guy yelled out "Grig, is that Grig?" I felt pretty stink but I had to say hello to the guy who was um, pretty jovial- his name is Craig Morebeers- i don't know his real last name. It seemed quite a good pub (it's big and old style mostly) actually as my friend knew quite a few people and in general people seemed friendly.

I also made up another Google Map of places to go for good coffee in Manhatten:

View Coffee NYC in a larger map

Di and Perry get back on Thursday morning- i'll pick them up and we have no work to the Monday- so that's good.

My father and his partner are coming over in early July so i'll take a long weekend off when they are over too.

Today is Queens birthday, it's 4:30 and I'm going to The Local for a couple and a burger then i'm going to watch a game of leugue and come home and watch a repeat of Flight of The Conchords on SBS at 9pm. Great Plan!!

That worked out fine.

Today, Weds was uber cold for Sydney, a high of 16 but with wind chill the news said it was about 8 degrees! But with clear blue skies, bewdaful. It's meant to be the same tomorrow so Di and Perry are in for a fright!
They got a fright alright. We did nothing on thursday, went to Dapto on friday and didn't do much on Saturday either. The All Blacks lost to France 27 to 22- fuckin hell!

Oh, the pic at the top is of a phones that we might get while we are in New York, it's from Verizon who have the best coverage and service in the States, and only for $20 US!

Today, we went to see Hangover- it was hilarious, I was in tears a couple of times.
That was our weekend- even tho it was 4 days long it didn't seem like it.

Week of the 25th of May

Not much going on.
Di goes to Bangkok with Perry next friday- that's the 5th of June.
It's been a quiet week 'cos we've both been working to 6pm, Di does anyway and my flex time is pretty bad so I've been staying back too.
Tonite I had Volleyball and we drew with the best team: I gotta say that I played the best I have all season, I was really g'd up and was yahooing and yeah-ing- had a really good time. I did it for Barcelona who beat Manchester United 2-0 against the odds!
Friday- did nothing. Saturday went to Dapto- it was wet and cool. Came back late, tried to stay up and watch the FA Cup final but fell asleep and recorded it instead.
Sunday: slept in a bit, got up and potted then went for a coffee. Came home and I actually did some cleaning and now i'm about to go see Front End Loader.
Had a good time and was home by 9:30-very civilised.
Short week coming up. Yah!

I'm excited!

So we have reserved a Studio at The Chelsmore (flickr photo's here) , I'm uber excited to the point of distraction!
So excited that I spent a few hours online the other nite trying to suss out Supermarket's near where we will be staying, which is the same place we stayed at in 2004.
Yes, I said Supermarkets.

View Groceries NYC in a larger map.

Also I bookmarked a butcher called Big Apple Meat Market which is up in the touristy area (42nd st) but not everyone knows about it- I found out about it on Yelp.
The other thing I've been doing is: I downloaded a map of The NYC Subway and I've been trying to work out how to get from A to B- with a little help from Google Maps, see below:

View Larger Map

According to the above I walk from the Apartment to (A) the 14th St Station @ 7th Avenue of the 1 2 3 (red) line and catch the train to Christopher St- sweet! {This is a (B) bar that I really want to go to-so I'm over the moon it is so close.}
See how close we are to 3 major lines! So that's pretty bloody handy!
We could quite easily catch the train from JFK to the Apartment- just one change and onto the L train and we're there! (might look into that, tho not really what ya want after been on a plane for 24hrs!).
And if we take our laptops and have internet hooked up it'll really just be like home but we'll be in NEW YORK!!

Fri nite: my team lost 14-10. We're out of the finals.
Saturday: Di had a 9:45-1:45 shift so I took her to work in the car. Got home and pottered about then I caught the bus (trackwork in Summer Hill) to The Local Taphouse which took an hour and a quarter! Not long after it started pouring down. I sat down and read for a bit and had 3 beers- an American India Pale Ale(Feral Hop Hog) that was delish, a Pilsener that was pretty good and a Chocolate Stout that was pretty damn good too! I drank lots of water and had a nice old time.
Today, Sunday, I had work @ 12 which is just as well 'cos I stayed up to 1pm+ to watch the footy at the pub- The Crusaders lost-bugger! Work was so so. I left @ 5 and went to The Local to have a beer and wait for Di to arrive from Dapto- we got some groceries came home and had dinner.

Short week 1

On Monday after work Di went to Dapto to keep an eye on Harold 'cos Bessie had gone to Mudgee for a friend's funeral- so I got a pizza, drank some wine and watched a DVD. The movie was "Goodbye Pork Pie" which was an iconic New Zealand movie that came out in 1981. It really was a movie for the time 'cos it didn't seem very funny to me 25+ years later, more silly than funny! Still it was very popular.
Had nite shift on Tuesday.
Volleyball on Thursday nite, we lost 2 sets to 1 but played well.
We have today(friday) off and I have Monday off too. Doin nothing, just waiting for kick-off.
We did nothing Friday-slept in to late and went at got a coffee, bought a chicken on the way home and had that on brad rolls for lunch. I went to the local pub at 5:30 for the Blues v Crusaders game and got a couple of Pizza's on the way home.
Saturday we slept in and then meet Maggie @ a place near Redfern that had a Farmers market and a bunch of art and craft stalls- very very boring, but Di liked it.
Went to the pub for the Chiefs v Brumbies & Canes v Reds game-sat witha guy I knew this time. My team won and have made it into The Finals. Good News!
Sunday: slept in, esp Di as she's very lazy! Went to Bondi Beach- found a park after some crazy bad driving. Went to The Markets, same sorta thing as the day before:smart crafty stuff that no one really needs, and kinda pricey.
We then around the corner and off the main drag to a cafe for lunch- very nice.
We were going to go to a movie but that would be just too much for one day!
I have Monday off.
This coming week we may be able to confirm where we are staying in New York.
Nice weather this weekend too. 21 degrees and fine tho a bit windy one nite.

It's May Already!!

I got my cheque from Prime Minister Krudd in the mail- my accountant sent it to me which was good of him. I tried to tell Perry that I got $1500 'cos i'm a kiwi but he didn't buy it.
Di had Monday off work but she went on Tuesday. Di ordered some goodies from Sierra Trading Post - only took a week to arrive, so Di's happy.

Flight of the Conchords clip from YouTube:



The lesson here: don't sleep with Australian women!! Hilarious.
This week, news.com.au did a story about this clip/episode- I can't find a link but readers were making comments and it was pretty clear some people just didn't get the joke. I might start introducing Di as Keitha!

On Wednesday nite we go see Air Supply with The Sydney Symphony at The Opera House- it should be wild!
It was great-they were really entertaining, real showman. They just had so many hits! Di was dancing and waving her arms around. The guitarist was jumping around too and the other band members were striking poses like they were some hard rock bank- bizarre. When the two main guys : Graham (guitar and vocals) and Russell (vocals) walked out into the crowd people went crazy and rushed up to touch them! Anyway, we enjoyed the show.

My volleyball team won on Thursday but the other team were uber short!

Friday I went to watch my footy - two guys came up to my table and asked to join me-i said OK. One guy was Austrian and had lived in NZ for 6 or 7 years and was quite knowledgeable about rugby, the other guy was German and was to fly to NZ on Sunday and then was catching a bus to New Plymouth to meet his girlfriend! Ha, small world or what.

On Saturday Di worked and I bummed around. I picked Di up @ 1 and we went to a Mall- got some stuff for dinner, that was it.
At 5:15 I went to my local to watch The 'Canes v The Chiefs- pretty entertaining game and although my team lost they are still in the top four.
Today we went to Dapto.

Sexual Harassment

Still Sick! Bugger!
Haven't been doing anything, just sitting around home playing on the Internet.

So what's the Sexual harassment bit about then? Well, there is a contract worker at work who sits in stack and he makes a point of saying hello to me all the time- just a hello and that's it, then he checks out my ass or whatever pervert poofters do. ( A normal bloke would say how'd ya team go in the weekend or something blokey like that- not this guy).
On Friday this reached it's zenith- as I'd been sick from work for a few days- I didn't make it to this part of stack till Friday, when this guy says "Haven't seen you for a while" or something like that, so I mumble 'yeah i've been sick'. Anyway, I've got a good mind to get Perry to have a word to this guy and say "Keep your eyes off my meat, bitch" or get my wife to have a word with him, that'll really mess with his head!

It's been a quiet weekend. I went to watch the Canes on Friday nite. Had work on Saturday.
Did nothing Sat nite- Di has somehow managed to catch my cold.
We did nothing today.
I sussed out this great store in Brooklyn that I wanna check out, they have about 1000 different beers, over 200 cheeses and lots of chocolates- yes that's right, it's a health store!
Check out the site here.

week starting 20th April

On Sunday nite Vinnie spoke to me on the phone, of course he called me a 'pooh bum' and I said he was, but he did speak to me on the phone and he doesn't do that alot.
Hayley has put some good shots of Gus and Vinnie on Facebook.
Tuesday: Tonite we watched a program called "Around the World in 80 Gardens". The reason I tuned in cause it was going to Oz & NZ. The last garden the guy went to was in New Plymouth(!) called Te Kainga Marire. I've never heard of it but it's not far from the Te Henui walkway. So I'll have to go there next time I'm back.
Went to Volleyball and lost.
Felt a bit sick Friday- sore throat but made it thru the day- didn't go to watch footy after work. Had a really crap sleep and woke up feeling worse- so I didn't go to The Local for the ANZAC day brews and I'm sitting home drinking water. I think I will go and watch the Canes v Brumbies game. The Canes killed it, thrashed the Brumbies big time 56-7! First time The Canes have been at the top of the table as far as I'm aware.
The pub was busy as it's Anzac Day.
Sunday: My cold/flu is in full force- feeling pretty lousy and probably won't go to work tomorrow. Still went to Dapto tho to pick up my wife.

Week starting April 13th

It's Tuesday already. It's almost 11 and Di hasn't got up and made my coffee!
We did nothing yesterday- the weather wasn't great.

In the 80's in NZ a movie called "Goodbye Pork Pie" was released- it was about a couple of guys who took a stolen Mini from Auckland to Invercargill and the hi-jinks that happens on the way. Since it's the Mini's 50th birthday, a car club in NZ has arranged a fun drive fundraiser that tracks the trail of said movie. I mention this because my Dad is on this trip with an old mate of his at the moment- i got a text from him today. It sounds fun!
My Duvel t-shirt arrived in the post- thanx Carol. (I look hot in it!)
Thursday:my volleyball team has a bye. After work I walk to my accountants place and pick up my tax refund, then walk up to The Cross and catch a train to Bondi. Di's paying off a lamp still.
Di and I get a BBQ Pork Soup- it was delish! Perry Goulder gets a foccacia and finished off Di's soup! We have a look around- Perry thinks i'm ill 'cos I didn't buy anything!

This week marks 6 months till we go to New York!! Any thoughts on what we should do/see/eat/drink? I reckon a big part of a trip is plotting and planning what you will or might do. When we went in 2004 I went to a bar (by myself) that i'd heard about on the net (go here) and since then I've heard of more bars (here, here, here, here and here) that have lots of US/Euro (craft) beers on tap that I wanna check out. They have good happy hours too, which makes it not too pricey! Di's sister lives near a bottle store that sells beer only- imagine that, beer only! So cool. (And it's run by a scary chick!) I'm going to work out a list of beers months in advance that I wanna get that you just never see over here.
This is my short list of bars:
View New York Bars I wanna visit in a larger map
This is an exhaustive list of bars, breweries and bottle shops:

View Beer Demystifier New York City in a larger map

Tonite I went to watch the Blues v Highlanders game- quite entertaining.
Saturday: got up late, had a coffe and next thing you know it's time to go & watch The 'Canes play (3:30 sydney time)- as per usual they took a while to really get on top, but hey a win is a win! Did nothing Sat. nite.
Sunday: Di slept in forever then we got a coffee. Got some groceries in Leichhardt and that was our weekend.
Work is getting busy so I figure this could be a long week coming.

Two Short Weeks, One Long Wknd

Had work Mon, Tues and Weds. We both have Thu- Tues off.
No big plans. Today after a coffee and a well earned we rest we went to a (big) Bunnings nearby.
Di got some garden stone things for her parents place then off to the Supermarket in Summer Hill to get supplies- the Queen is coming! Not HRH, but Perry Goulder in all his glory.
We are going to the local leugues club to see Abbalanche (get it?!) and hopefully i'll be multi tasking with a Hurricanes v Force game on somewhere in the building.
On Saturday we will go and see a friend from work who lives out in the suburbs somewhere.
Sunday will be Dapto.
Monday and Tuesday relax.
I had Volleyball on Thursday nite-we did next to nothing during the day.
On Friday we went to a B-day party for Louis- he turned 1. Louis is the spawn of Mark and Annie who live just a block away- and Di and I work with Mark. We had a nice time in the park, it was quite sunny and after a few beers we felt wiped out.
Perry came around about 6pm and we had a lovely meal- salmon with a champagne jus then, we went to see Abbalanche- do I need to say see the above photo? They started late (9:35+) which was a mixed blessing as i got to see The 'Canes come from behind and beat the Force-boy was I excited. Anyway, Abbalanche were quite good but we were a bit tired by the time it was over.
Perry stayed the nite, we got up late-ish and went for a coffee. At about midday we headed off in the car to Casula:

View Larger Map
This is where another friend from work lives, Maria P, and we had lunch with her and her daughter. Perry eat so much he turned white and couldn't move. Anyway we had a nice afternoon talking shop. Got home and was so full we didn't end up having dinner!
Went to Dapto today- meet Tim's girlfriend Emma who seems nice. Didn't do much. Those dogs are such a pain in the arse, I can't tell you!
Bessie and Harold have a new lounge suite, it's pretty good.
The week that was.

Sick Again

My throat just started getting worse and worse yesterday and last nite I didn't sleep a wink.
My ears are blocked just to top it all off!
Saw the doctor on Monday and have the week off.
I'm now on Twitter - can't say i'll use it alot but now you know.
Just saw the bank guy today, not great news but not the end of the world either.
Thursday, I jumped in the car and met Di and Perry and Westfield Bondi- Di is paying off a lamp.
I had a delish BBQ Pork Soup ($13.50) that had these huge slabs of Pork in it.
It's Friday, i'm still off sick and Di has the day off- anything could happen!!
On Saturday we went to look at a house:here's the link . The photo's are kinda flattering. We liked it but it was overpriced and in a need of alot of work. Still interesting.
Sunday: we worked today.
A short week this week and then Easter, we have Thursday to Tuesday off, Yeah!

Easter in our sight (Mar 23rd - 29th)

After what seemed like a long week we're hanging out for Easter.
Not much happened this week, tho the weather was nice.
In the news this week was a story about interest rates dropping to as low as 2%- so that was interesting-how much of that the banks will pass on remains to be seen.
So we are playing a bit of wait and see at the mo. I've been reading a few books about buying property and bought another magazine called "Your Mortgage". It's quite interesting.

Di went to Dapto on Friday morning, i went to work. After work I meet Mick The Record at the Rugby Club and watched The Blues v Warratahs game- the Blues lost. Got home 8 ish and played around on the net for a bit- went to bed late.
This morning (sat) I went to get my lotto at the crack of noon and went to pay off this big mirror Di bought down the road- it looks nice- the guy at Ellens was helpful and we used his van to take it to our apartment and we both lugged it up the stairs. Sorted.
The Lotto tonite is $20 Million- all up $30 mill was on offer this week.
I'm just being a bum and waiting for the footy to start and i'll probably spend the rest of the day/evening at the pub! Cool.
Dapto on Sunday.
I picked Tim up in Wollongong at got to Dapto 12:30 or so. Perry was there already of course.
Twas a nice day BUT I came down sick.........................

Week starting 16th of March

On Monday after work Di, Perry and myself walked to Perry's place in the Cross. Carol was outside Perry's waiting for us.
It was a lovely evening and from Perry's balcony you can look at the harbour and across the city. We had a bottle of bubbly and went looking for somewhere to eat- we ended up at Macleay Street Bistro which got busier as the nite went on. I had (wild) Barramundi which was very nice.
We caught a cab home and it was 10:30 or so-fairly late for us.
Tuesday. Carol heads back to New York today on a 11 o'clock flight. We got to the airport just on 9am-perfect timing by me! Carol went thru to customs a bit after 10 and we head off home.
We decided to take the TV to the technician- it was really heavy and awkward to take down the stairs and we had to put it in the boot with the lid tied up with wire.
I drove it around the corner to the tech guy- it ends up he's going on holidays starting this saturday! (I spoke to him today-$250 to fix it)
On Monday I saw an article in The Sydney Morning Herald website about Delta airlines offering cheap flights to the US- we were waiting on these! I did a quick check then and there and it ended up being $1100 return, including taxes!! So, on Monday nite I tried making a booking but the last step wouldn't work. I tried again last nite and I was able to get a ticket for Di but had problems with the credit card transaction trying to get my ticket.
So after nite shit on Tuesday I tried to make the bookings again and finally after speaking to my credit card/Mastercard people that the security alarm went off on my card 'cos I was making a big overseas transaction. It was a real headache and it was stressing me out!
Today at work I spent another hour on the phone and I still haven't got to the bottom of it.
Bottom line is: Di and I are going to New York in October!! Yahoo, it's been a long time coming.
The exchange rate isn't great but who knows what will happen between now and then.

Got the TV fixed-turned up to the guys shop about 5:30 and convinced the guy to help me take it home...went in his van and he and I carried it up the stairs into our apartment. Yeah!
Went to Volleyball and although our team defaulted due to lack of players I still had a game for almost two hours! I was knackered! Got home @ 10 went to bed after a shower.
I had work on Friday, but Di had the day off.
After work I went to The Rugby Club to watch the 'Canes lose and then came home.
Saturday had a bit of a sleep in and then a coffee. Di and I went to a BBQ with some Volleyball people in Kingsgrove. We stayed for a a few hours and had a nice time.
Came home a bit tired as it was quite a hot day- had some dinner and I went to the local pub to watch the Crusaders v Warratahs game- it was pretty exciting, the Crusaders won!
On Sunday we headed to Coogee again- got their about 11 ish and after 5 mins found a great park just across from the beach for free for 4 hours. It was really nice- I went for 1 swim.
Came home and took it easy.

TV Blew Up!

So, this week Di went to Dapto on Monday morning with Carol for the week.
I was left to fend for my wee self!
Eventually I cooked and prepared my own meals but I did have pizza for lunch and diner over a day or too!
I made a butter curry which was unimpressive and likewise so was the Greek Salad I made with ingredients that just weren't quite fresh enuf. Oh, well, nevermind.
On Thursday I was getting ready to go to Volleyball and thought I'd check the weather report on TV and then it happened. The TV made a fairly loud electrical sparking sound, the picture decreased to just the centre of the screen and then disappeared altogether! And then it started to smell- so i turned off the remote and switched it off at the wall! Bugger.
I had Friday off so I went to see a technician nearby and told him what happened and he gave me the impression it wasn't that uncommon and it should be repairable, so I'm not sure when I can take it to him which means we'll be without a TV for a little while.
Friday the 13th was Bessie's birthday so I drove down and got to Dapto for midday- picked up Di and drove to Wollongong to pick up Tim and his new girlfriend Emma who wasn't feeling well so I didn't get to meet her. We then went to The Lagoon and Carol eventually arrived with Bessie and Harold. We all had a nice lunch and a nice time was had by all.
We then returned to Dapto, I got some groceries at the Mall and came back to watch the footy(Blues v Cheetahs). We stayed to watch the first game of league between the Melbourne Storm and The St. George Illawarra Dragons which was quite good and ended up with a Golden Point win to The Storm.
So we left late and got home late.
Got up at 7am for an early weekend shift- Di started at 9:30 and me at 9:45. We had to get a train as their was something going on in the city with roadblocks in place. I finished at 2:45 and we got a train back.
Carol came up from Dapto and at about 7:30 ish we took off for a bite- we decided to go to The Bondi Iceburgs which has a flash part and a RSL club part. We had dinner in the RSL part which was nice with a table looking out to see and lots of lightning flashing about. We then went to the flash part for a drink which was nice too. The valet was $35!! Got home and crashed.
Sunday, we got up late and decided to go to the beach- I suggested we try Coogee. We took off about 12 without knowing exactly how to get there and hit a bit of traffic on the way- it takes so long to get anywhere in Sydney!
We managed to get a great park near the beach and unlike Bondi they are free! It was very nice.
I went for a swim and got dumped onto my chest! I might be sore tomorrow.
But it was a lovely end to the weekend.

It's March already!

Can't believe it! Just on a month of Daylight Savings left.
It's now Monday the 9th.
Fairly uneventful week. Thursday Volleyball.
Friday went to the The Rugby Club again to watch 2 games. Di and Carol picked me up on the way back from Perry's place.
On Saturday we went for a coffee. Di put a deposit on a big mirror from the Interior Decorating place in Summer Hill.
I went to my local to watch The 'Canes v Cheetahs game which wasn't that great. It finished 2:15pm here. I then caught a train to Bondi Beach and meet up with Di and Carol- soaked up some rays and chilled out.
We got home 6 or so, had a shower and went to The Wests Leagues Club which is near by. They have an Italian Restaurant that is a sister one to another place in Haberfield that we go to a bit. I didn't really get what I ordered (calzone) but it was OK all the same. There was this old guy playing a piano/keyboard (sounded bad whateva it was) and singing and occasionally walking around the room playing a trumpet- we did our best to ignore him.
On Sunday we went to Westfield Bondi - $10 valet parking only! Got a coffe and potted around.
I bought nothing except 2 rice paper rolls ($5) and just went in the tech stores looking at LCD TV's and car stereos. Very boring.
Got home and had pizza- it wasn't a health food weekend!
Di and Carol have gone to Dapto for the week. It's Bessie's bday on Friday the 13th!
So I have Friday off work and I'm going to drive down for the day. We both have work on Saturday.

Week starting Mon 23rd

Not much going on this week.
Just had Aboriginal Awareness Training- wasn't too bad really.
Check my leave-I have almost 60 days extended leave, almost 17 days REC leave and almost 60 days sick leave! So i've got plenty of leave up my sleeve for a decent holiday...I've got the time......
A pub I went to in Melbourne is opening a bar in Sydney, called The Local Taphouse in Darlinghurst. I hope to go their on Friday nite for a beer and maybe watch the footy!
OK I'm off to lunch.
Had two games of Volleyball on Thurs nite, I was knackered after the first game! (which we lost) but we won the 2nd game, just.
Slept really badly and went to work, after work I went to the Rugby Club and meet my mate Mick to watch The 'Canes v Crusaders game- Initially I fell asleep I was so tired! It was a bloody great game and I was very happy with the result.
I got home and we ordered some pizzas and called it a night.
We were so tired that we slept in and hit alot of traffic on the way to Dapto. Carol was driving so I just sat in the back and behaved myself. We picked Tim up at his work and got to Dapto about 1 ish or so. Harold had his lunch so I took off and got the usual.
A bit later I went up the mall to get pooh paper, fruit and a beer for the Chiefs v Sharks game. Everyone commented how funny I was as I drank more and more beer.
So Bessie seemed alot better and Harold seemed OK too- tho Harold likes to do active type stuff
that he shouldn't really do. We left about 8pm.
On Sunday I had work at 12- we slept in a bit again so Di and I didn't make it to a cafe for a coffee before I left. Work was OK, a little busy but bearable.
Left work @ 5 and drove to this new pub I mentioned above- Di and Carol arrived after I finished my first beer and we ordered another round, finished those and went upstairs to check the view and grab a bite. I had a beef burger which was super, Di had a vege burger and Carol had mussels. It was a nice finish to the weekend.

Still Sick

It's Wednesday and i'm still off work sick, I'll probably go to work on thursday tho my throat is feeling pretty crappy.

It's Sunday now. I went to work on Thursday and Friday.
Friday after work I went to the Rugby Club to watch The 'Canes v Highlanders game which was pretty bad and I nearly fell asleep! (This bar had Monteiths and Steinlager pure)
From their I made my way up to Oxford Street as I was meeting Di and Carol for dinner. I got there early so spent 30 or 40 minutes looking for a place to watch the 'Tahs v Chiefs game- the pub was seedy but I wasn't hasseled to buy a drink so I was happy and got to see about 20 minutes of the game.
So at 8:20 I headed off to Universal which is owned by Christine Manfield who is another chef book writer. I got their early so I walked in and got our table and looked like a loser waiting for those two- Carol is always late.
They arrived and we got a table away from the noise coming from the restaurant next door, got a few drinks and perused the menu. It's sort of a degustation menu in that the servings are small and so you can try a few things. I had a tamarind veal salad with betel leaf and sweet & hot dressing- once the heat kicked in it really kicked my ass! That was nice. I had Wagyu beef tongue salad which was nice too. For desert a layered trifle type thing with raspberries on top.
We all enjoyed the food and service. Yes it was expensive.
On Saturday about midday we headed off to Westfield Bondi , the traffic was really bad and took us an 1 hour and 15 mins to get there!! This shopping Centre is huge and I wasn't in need of anything so I just potted about pricing some mobile phones, car stereos and big screen T.V.'s.
Went to a little Japanese homeware store for a bite- Di got a very nice looking Udon with prawns and I just got some sushi.
Left Bondi and got home 5 ish.

7:15 and I headed off to my local to watch the Crusaders v Brumbies game- ran into two guys I knew and sat with them watching the game. Got a burger ($15.50) and a pint of Guiness ($6.50) to get me thru to 9:30. (I intended to give up beer for six months but that's on hold at the mo!)

Sunday: Had a little sleep in and a late breeky, went to Summer Hill for a coffee and get some groceries.

Bessie' illness has reoccured but she has seen a doctor - Carol has decided to stay on a bit longer cause of this- hopefully Bessie gets better as it's her birthday on the 13th of March.

That's about it- we're just sitting around doin nought which is nice as I have work next sunday.

This weeks news...Mon.9th-Fri13th

So the weather has changed this week, wet and humid (91% as i type) and not getting above the low 20's. We left the fan on Monday nite and come Tuesday arvo my throat was feeling sore and got worse that nite- i couldn't sleep as i felt like i was drowning in my own phlegm!
So I went to the doctor on Weds- he said I had a throat infection and gave me 2 days off. While I was there i got him to check my skin for any cancerous growths as i've never had that done before, he didn't find anything that worried him so that was cool. I also weighed myself -85kg- as I'm planning on giving up beer for six months or so to see what effect that has on my weight. (I also got Di to measure my waist but didn't write it down, almost certain it was 97cm).

I cooked diner on thursday- bit of a disaster as the recipe i used was meant to be grilled not stir fried! What a dick! Tasted alright but not that great. I hope the house we buy has a gas stove top.

Today is the first day of the Super 14 which i had arranged to be off months ago! I'm meeting a few friends today and tomorrow hopefully.

I didn't win Lotto (2 ticket holders won $20 mill ea) or Powerball ($15 mill next thursday!). Lotto is $14 mill for Valentines day.

Bondi on Sunday 8th Feb

This is what greeted me as I was walking down to the beach. Di's on the sand but it's too blurry to see her. (photo taken with my phone, 1.3mp)
We arrived later than we had planned and struggled to find a car park but after trying for a bit I got a park (with a 2hr limit) two minutes from where this photo was taken. It was 11:45 and there was a nice breeze- a little gusty as we had to hold our sun umbrella a bit.

Since we only really had two hours I went for two swims, I can tell you the water was very cold as my legs and arms never really warmed up the whole time. And I could see the squirms on peoples faces as they got in- with a couple of girls screaming and heading away from the water.
So at 1:30 we headed to the open public shower to wash the salt and sand off-
got a cold drink and drove home. I felt cool for hours, tho I got a little burnt.

It's called a Blog

I've been meaning to do this since I was last over and I've finally got the impulse - so here goes.

As we have a few plans I thought I'd write some of them down to see how they pan out and this way you get to find out what we are up to. Our plans are thus:
1)Buy a home
2)Buy a car
3)pay off credit card
4)Go for a holiday to New York.
Fairly lofty plans you might say, but i think we can do all these things.

Our savings for a mortgage are coming along and we will probably see a few banks in the coming months- so hopefully that will sort out our first three plans.
You may of heard that the Ozzie Govt are giving a $950 handout, so I'm going to use that towards a flight to NY, but, I have to put in last years tax return or I'll miss out on the $950!
(And I have to update my passport too).
So we'll see how these things come together. We haven't decided what suburb we are going to live in yet, we have thought of Sutherland way......
Check this map below: we live near Ashfield and have thought about living around Sutherland. The reason is that by train it's still a fairly quick trip to work on an express and it's not so far to Dapto. It does take about 45 min to drive thru the city/suburbs and the motorway starts just after Sutherland- it takes another 40 mins from Sutherland to Dapto.


It's been pretty hot over here for the last week or so. We are thinking of going to the beach early tomorrow to beat the mad rush. It will get to 43 out Penrith! (On thursday,payday, I bought some roses for Di to beat the rip off Valentines Day prices but they wilted the next day!)

This is a big week for lotto too: $40 mill on Tuesday, $10 mill on Thursday and $14 mill on Saturday = $64 mill up for grabs, surely there must be a spare million bucks for us!

It's late so i'm going to clock off. Later.
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