Straya

This photo was taken by Google maps on the afternoon of Australia day this year at Bondi Beach.

Doesn't it make you want to go for a swim right now?

Shadows at our new house

We moved in January from Paddington to Alexandria.

The new place is very photogenic; it gets alot of light, and these create interesting moments around the house.

The pressed tin ceilings are especially cool.

The photo above is actually taken in the late afternoon with the light reflecting of a parked car into the hallway of the house, through our security door.

I wonder if by winter, we will have different light and shadow...

All the rest at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bimbam/

The internet sucks

This photograph illustrates why the internet a) sucks b) is fascinating.

I Googled 'modern kitchen' and I get a photo a freaky Halloween half-rabbit kid.

The internet got my search wrong. And yet - it found me something surprising...

I <3 interweb.

Hazardous living

If you consider that there has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq theatre of operations during the last 22 months, and a total of 2,112 deaths, that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000 soldiers.

The firearm death rate in Washington D.C. is 80.6 per 100,000 for the same period.

That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in the U.S. Capital which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation than you are in Iraq.

Conclusion: The U.S. should pull out of Washington

No houses - no shit

While we were house-hunting there were reports in the media every day about the Sydney rental market going through the roof. This just enforced what we saw ourselves - not many properties advertised, lots of people at the inspections and over-priced places.

An article in the paper today has a photograph which is very familar. This is what greeted us at most inspections, including for this place.

Makes feel really happy we got somewhere when we did. And very sorry for anyone who hasn't.

Some interesting things from the article:

- "... city's lowest rental vacancy rate in 20 years could push up weekly rents by as much as $150 by year's end."

- "Sydney's 1.5 per cent vacancy rate was the lowest for 20 years."

- And this quote by house-hunters rings true: ""It's not very nice, but we still put in an application." !!

Designs itself

I have been meaning to do something with this in a while.


This is a scan of a label from a hair gel tub. I like the random way the letters have smudged off over time. You couldn't get this kind of randomness if you tried.

The gel is crap though.

I guess this is a pretty nerdy post. Am I the only one who would be interested in this?

Arrgh freelance. It never rains.

One week you're moving house, the next you're unpacked but have 6 clients all needing things yesterday. Such is the life a sole trading freelance designer. I really have to work out a way to manage when work comes in. If you havin any ideas please forward them to ineeditdoneyesterday@freelancesucker.com.au

I shouldn't complain, I need the work, my last paid day in Doha being in mid December. I had just got so peacefully used to working in an office with just one single client and job at hand.

How quickly I forgot what it was like to run an under-funded short film festival, art direct a magazine, quote and write proposals, design some exhibition stands and CAD up some retail. I did do some sums last year and I think I was writing more than 60 work-related emails over 5 overlapping jobs every day.

It's so hard to find good people these days.

Eeek I think my next appointment is arriving - gotta run!

Cast adrift

Moving sucks, we all feel that. This move feels like it has taken forever. Today we we will remove the last of the stuff we cannot give away from our front porch. St Vinnies visited but weren't interested in taking away perfectly good household items (may of which had been bought from them!).

Also haven't had a phone or internet for two weeks, which adds to the feeling of disconnection. Haven't had new pages in my diary. Washing machine was broken. Fridge didn't fit anywhere. No chairs!

But it's starting to look good now - we really were ruthless with getting rid of shit we didn't need. So even it's a much smaller house it doesn't feel full of junk. The test will be when we're both hard at work from home. Will be able to stay tidy then?

Mum got me some pots and herbs for my birthday. Yay lemongrass. I must be getting old and boring.