Tommy's Ramblings

Go here!

2007-08-19T08:51:00.000+10:00

This post exists for one reason only: to urge you to head on over to Kate's blog and read her commentary on 'Facebook'. It will only take 5 minutes to read, and is certainly worth your time!

Here be the link!

My New Friends

2007-06-13T11:40:00.000+10:00

Hi all!

I have a couple of new friends i am sure you would like to meet.

This is Penguin:

and this is Alf:

We got given hand-tamed Cockatiels on Monday!

They are living in our formal dining/computer room at the moment, meaning that Alf is sitting on my right shoulder as i type this.

Lots of fun! Perfect to distract me from learning the deponent forms of Greek verbs :(

According to Alison...

2007-06-03T21:44:00.000+10:00

According to Alison, i am expected by some people (herself included) to actually post on my blog. What a silly, silly idea, i thought. But, just now, something made me want to find the hyperlink to my blog and type in something, purely to see who is actually reading it!

Has anybody ever seen Northern Exposure? Alison hates it, says it is too slow, to which i would like to respond that that is exactly the point! Everybody should watch at least the first couple of episodes. Unfortunately, because not many people watch it the DVDs are incredibly expensive :(.

That is all.

What Tom Gets Up To When Left To Himself....

2007-01-09T20:43:00.000+11:00

Well, Alison has fled to France (again), and my family went on holidays up to Coffs Harbour for a week yesterday, so today i was pretty bored. So, what did i do with myself?

I made a pie, of course!

As you can see, it was actually 2 pies, because Woolies didn't have large enough base thingies. Yes, i admit it, i didn't make the bases, but that was because the recipe told me to go out and buy ready-made bases!
I did make the filling, though, from scratch, using raw ingredients, and ALL BY MYSELF! Ha, and you all thought i would never be domesticated enough to cook for myself. This now brings my cooking repertoire up to Pizza Muffins, Toast and Chocolate Pie! At least i have all the essentials covered :)

More evidence of my making-ness:

See! See that right there! That is mess in the kitchen sink from MY OWN COOKING!!!! Using ingredients which i went and bought from the shops!!!! No packet pie here.

Oh, and it was (is, there is still a lot left for me to eat!) very very yummy.

This thing is stupid. What if i don't want a title?

2006-11-24T22:47:00.000+11:00

I finally have some stuff to mention!

Finished Uni for the year today, with a lovely exam on Ciceronian Rome - last exams are always such fun, because i am usually past caring so just relax, take off my shoes, write a bit, sneeze and cough and annoy everybody else, then leave and make it to the bus stop before the mass exodus has occurred!

The other great thing at the moment - Cricket! What great timing, to finish my exams and suddenly have nothing to do when, out of the blue (well, the 'Gabba, actually), the first Ashes test just happens to be on! Which reminds me, i must go out and buy a small radio to take on beach mission so that i can listen to the 5th test, though by the looks of things it won't be coming down to the 5th! While one can never underestimate those English, without their precious reverse-swing-oriented pitches their bowlers have really shown their inability to be successful against the Aussies.

Went to the local Penrith City Library the other day (while i was supposed to be studying/watching the cricket) and they were having a book sale! Book sales at libraries are the best places to buy books, mainly because you can grab c.20 semi-good books for around $10! It was lovely, even though it meant spending an hour sorting through a lot of junk on Asian politics and Mills and Boon to get at the good stuff :). Also borrowed the second book in the 'Bartimaeus' trilogy by Stroud - the first one was hilarious, this one should be just as good! Is there something wrong about going to the local library, only to spend all your time rummaging through crappy old books being sold and trying hopelessly to make sense of the Children's section, where all the books i want are housed yet are in no logical order? I guess i spend enough time doing quazi-serious stuff at Mac Library, so should be allowed to behave like a kid at the local library.

Hmm, that's about it. Might go watch some Star Trek. Oh, no escaping Tom's rant without having to endure some Dilbert:

Poor old people!

Dilbert

2006-11-18T20:03:00.000+11:00

Anybody who has ever done Software Design will appreciate this:

Oh, and this one nearly made me laugh quite loudly on the train home from Uni:

:)

2006-10-23T10:37:00.000+10:00

Alison is not an angry person. Really! I dunno where you all are getting that idea from.

Oh, and Becca, i can't tease you about being a Trekkie anymore, my next door neighbour gave me the entire Star Trek: The Next Generation on tape (as in, i now have 48 casettes on my living room floor) and i can't stop watching them - they are good!

Let's Use This For Something Useful

2006-10-13T15:35:00.000+10:00

Howdy all,

Have finally figured out something for which this blog can actually be used - to review a new CD!

The CD on review today is Straight Outta Lynwood, by Weird Al' Yankovic. Picked it up this morning as a bit of a treat for myself (i have a job now, so can afford to buy something for once!) and, after two full listenings (and a third which is taking place as i write this) i (finally) feel qualified to write my review of this CD.

Coming three years after his last (phenomenal, in my opinion) album, Poodle Hat, this CD sees Weird Al (just Al from now on) do 5 direct parodies, the obligatory Polka medley of various famous songs and 6 originals. First off, let's go through each track.

1. 'White and Nerdy'
Apparently this is a parody of a famous RnB song by some guy called Chamillionaire (what a wanky name), but i have never heard the original. As such, this track is through-and-through in the RnB-style, which upon a first listening is incredibly annoying (for anybody who dislikes RnB, that is, which i assume to be 99% of the population). However, after a few listens the fantastic lyrics of this song, about a 'White and Nerdy' guy who just wants to 'roll with the homies', really come out and make you forget that it is an RnB-ish song (which, i have discovered, sound great on my stereo).
To get the most from this song, you really need to have seen the film clip for it. This being the 'single' track from the album, Al has made another of his brilliant film clips which, thanks to the recent innovations of sites such as YouTube and Google Video, is avaliable on the net for easy viewing! Check it out here.

Many of the lyrics i connect with (no, not the bubble wrap, you sicko!), and it is a fantastic parody which really ridicules the 'Gangsta' stereotype. Is good!

2. Pancreas
An Al original, this song is, to be perfectly honest, really stupid...which is great! In true form, Al has written an ode to his favourite bodily organ. Its ridiculous, silly and highly catchy. It's something you really just have to hear.

3. Canadian Idiot
As you might have guessed, this is a parody of Green Day's recent and highly popular hit, American Idiot. Same tune (like, exactly the same. Al has a really good band.), lyrics tailored to make fun of all the Canadian stereotypes - hockey, maple syrup, mooses, Celine Dion, curling and their use of Celsius! Al also makes some more subtle remarks about his own country (the US of A) - Canadians don't even bring their guns to the mall, how ridiculous! Ends in Al mockingly calling for a pre-emptive strike on his northern neighbour, because things are too good there.

Not the best song on the album (it relies too heavily on the already-catchy American Idiot tune, instead of clever lyrics), but definitely not the worst.

4.I'll Sue Ya
An original, but with a 'Hard Rock Headbanging Linkin Park Fred Durst rock-rap' sound (not good at all, i assure you) all about ridiculous things people sue each other over. Could have been much better - the lyrics are too bland, and the music itself is horrible. I'll be skipping this one.

5. Polkarama!
The ever-popular Al Polka Parody track, included on all his recent albums. Take c.10 recent, famous songs, choose just their well-known lyrics, and sing them in a ridiculous way, all set to Polka music. Far too much fun for one song! This time round, it features snippets of Take Me Out (Franz Ferdinand), Let's Get It Started (The Black Eyed Peas), Don't Cha (The Pussycat Dolls) and Candy Shop (50 Cent), among many others. One of the best songs on this album (they always are!), if only for the fact that it makes the lyrics of so many popular songs sound really really stupid.

6.Virus Alert
A song for nerds or anybody else who constantly gets emails warning them of the latest mega-computer virus which is threating mankind. This particular virus will do many horrible things to you, my favourite being 'make you physically attracted to Sheep'. A wonderful song, very 'Al' in style. It won't get much attention, but i really like it :). Just be sure not to open any email with the title 'Stinky Cheese' - you have been warned!

7. Confessions Part III
Apparently Usher has released two songs detailing his confessions to some woman, Confessions Part I and Confessions Part II. I just read an interview (see, i do research! Its found here) in which Al said that, upon hearing both of Usher's songs, he couldn't help but feel as if Usher had been leaving out some stuff from his 'confessions'... so he decided to write a part three! Vomiting on the woman's dog, not changing his underwear for 27 days, peeing in her sink and fantasising about a midget when kissing her, its a wonder this unknown woman has put up with him this far! A very funny song, again in the RnB style.

8. Weasel Stomping Day
Definitely not a song for the animal lovers out there, this track details the joys of Weasel Stomping Day, where you 'spread the mayonnaise on the lawn', 'put on your Viking helmet' and 'stomp a weasel's gut's right out' - basically, a weasely version of Whacking Day (think Simpsons). I'm not a fan of animal cruelty, but this is an amusing song. Sounding like a Christmas carol this song is sure to get many people fired up. Maybe Weasels are a problem pest in the states, like Cane Toads are down here?

9. Close But No Cigar
The song for any man who is just never happy with the woman he is with, constantly finding silly faults with a person who seems to be perfect. Take Janet, a woman with 'a body hotter than a habanero', 'lips like a ripe pomegranite' and 'a smile so incredibly radiant you had to watch it through a piece of smoked glass', yet who just isn't good enough, as she owned a copy of Joe Dirt on DVD. Or Julie, a 'world famous billionaire bikini supermodel astrophysicist' who made Charlize Theron look like a 'big fat slobberin' pig' who had one earlobe slightly larger than the other. Close, but no cigar. Very funky and catchy, funny to listen to, one of the best songs on this album. Oh, and don't worry A, i'm not going anywhere!

10. Do I Creep You Out?
A ballad (which, in true boy-band style, reaches a climactic, harmonic peak, being a parody of 'Do I Make You Proud' by Taylor Hicks) about what i assume to be every girl's nightmare - a guy madly in love with a woman he hardly knows, collecting her discarded gum, feeling the warm spots on her chair, wanting to suck her fingers, carve her name into his leg and sniff the pit stains on her blouse. Very funny.

11. Trapped in the Drive-Thru
This is the epic song found on every Al album (think Albuquerque on Running with Scissors, or Bob on Poodle Hat), and, to be honest, it sucks. This song parodies 'Trapped in the Closet' by R. Kelly, and while i haven't heard that song, from what i hear it is a wierd song to begin with. As such, Al tries to make his version the exact opposite, and the end result is an 11-minute description of a married couple's trip to the drive-thru of a famous fast food chain. While it does have the usual story-like feel to it, most famously seen in Albuquerque, the deliberate mundaneness of the story makes it painful to listen to, as does the damned annoying RnB 'beat' (read: drone) in the background. Reading the lyrics is worthwhile (they take 3 pages!), but listening to the song more than once is not advised. Just listen to Albuquerque instead, it is far more enjoyable :)

12. Don't Download This Song
A fantastic way to end the album, this track is (mockingly) all about why not to steal music from the 'net. This one im not going to comment too much on as, in a further parody of the topic Al is singing about, the song is avaliable for free download! http://www.dontdownloadthissong.com/ (click the picture). I like it :)

That's it for the tracks which are on the album. However, there is one track which has failed to make it to the album which deserves mention - You're Pitiful, a parody of James Blunt's 'You're Beautiful'. Blunt's record company asked Al not to include the track on the album, as they felt it would damage Blunt's image, so Al complied...and instead released it to an even wider audience by making it avaliable for free on the 'net (one host being here). Be sure to download it and (after you have bought Straight Outta Lynwood) add it to the album when you burn your to-be-played copy (which you should be doing to save your originals from being scratched!), as it really does belong in the mix.

All up, i have enjoyed this CD. Yes, it has a couple of tracks which i will be skipping from now on, but the vast majority of the album is enjoyable. Oh, and i haven't mentioned it yet, but it comes with 2 discs, the secong being a DVD with 6 film clips and a behind-the-scenes documentary. The cover and booklet art is also brilliant, really mocking the 'gangsta' culture. If you have liked Al at all in the past, you should find some enjoyment in owning this album.

Tom

nosilA

2006-08-22T18:34:00.000+10:00

I have the most wonderful, lovely and awesome Girlfriend ever. Seriously.

That is all.....

2006-08-19T22:31:00.000+10:00

Yes, again Alison has compelled me to post on the blog. I think it is only Alison who reads this, which is why i don't post on it normally - i see Alison pretty much every day :D :D :D!

Uni is lots and lots and lots of fun, and pretty darned busy too! CU keeps me occupied, and my insistence on wanting to get half-decent marks in Archaeololgy takes up much of the rest of my time.

Daniel bought a yacht, we visit it tomorrow!

Might think of some stuff later. Alison wants me to go to bed, she has a secret boyfriend and wants to talk to him instead. I had better abide by what she says, apparently he is quite big and muscular and could bash me up if i annoyed Alison too much.

P's and Degrees

2006-07-19T15:53:00.000+10:00

Yes, this is another blog thingy brought about at the insistence (read: constant bugging) of Ali.

Holidays are cool, especially Uni ones. At Mac, for our mid-year break we get at least one month off, more if you are lucky enough, as i was, to have all your exams finish in the first week of the exam period. Consequently, as i write this i have already been off uni for a month, with a week and a half left of my fabulous holidays. They don't call it Club Mac for nothing!

Got my results the other day, not too bad at all. Am quite excited about going back to uni, this semester's classes (The NT and its Times, Arch in Sth Italy, Ciceronean Rome) are looking like being the most interesting yet.

I also got my P's today, at the grand old age (as far as having one's P's goes) of 19. Was quite fun, the test dude was pretty nice, i tried to engage him in a conversation and occasionally he would open up and say something back. All in all, quite a pleasant experience, mainly because, even though i have no intentions of driving anytime soon, i now no longer have to learn!

Night y'all.

For A

2006-07-10T20:30:00.000+10:00

Yes, i haven't posted in a while, a reflection of my lazy nature (how do i survive at Uni? I dunno....). Anyways, at the willing of Alison (is that the term i want?) im writing something.

Holidays are fun, especially when they go for a month and a half :). Camping is also fun. The Warrumbungles are nice, i would recommend that everybody should visit them but that would spoil the niceness, so STAY AWAY FROM THE BUNGLES! Will put up a nice picture for you, though, so you can see what i am telling you to keep away from. Its from the Grand High Tops, overlooking the Breadknife, which unfortunately we didn't manage to get to this trip because the track was closed for repairs - silly locals saboutaging our fun!

Anywho, i need to go shower, so im leaving now. If you want me to post again bug Alison, she is the only one who holds enough sway over me to get me to post on the blog.

Holidays!

2006-06-20T09:01:00.000+10:00

Yesterday, Alison reminded me that i had my own blog, and that i should write something. So here it is!
Yesterday was also a good day for me because i finished Uni for this semester, with a delightful exam in Latin! Then caught a bus into the city, over the Harbour Bridge. Tell me, does anybody else never get sick of going over that bridge? I Love it! Especially on the train, going from Wynyard to Milson's Point, sitting on the top carraige level - what a view! You should all do it in your Uni breaks sometime, when you get to Milson's Point there is a lovely park where you can sit, relax and watch the harbour under the shade of the mighty bridge :)

Oh, i have to go and get dressed now, and go into Uni to visit Alison after her first exam! Bye y'all!

A 'Fresh' Start!

2005-11-24T19:29:00.000+11:00

Okay, this time i definitely AM going to do this blogging-thingy. I mean, how hard can it be? I think actually remembering to write stuff on here will be the hardest thing.

I finished my first year of Uni today! Yay! It has gone very quickly, but has been my best year to date - not only do i go to a great Uni, am doing Ancient History and am getting okay marks, but (most importantly) i have found my Ali! :)

Finishing Uni will no doubt give me a lot of time now, i have already set about cleaning up all the files on my computer (gee, im just soooo interesting, aren't i!). Oh, and i am a Mac-obsessed boy, just thought i'd get that out in the open!

Bye all, have a great night (or day)!

Hmmmm

2005-08-08T09:58:00.000+10:00

Hey All (all being mainly Missy :P),

Dunno how this will work, or if i will even remember to write on this thing, but here is my Blog.