My face, continued

So unlike the last time I went to the dentist, my face still hurts the days after visiting. Whether it was because they did a more thorough job this time on my molars I'm not sure - you are never really sure whether the pain is 'bad' because something is wrong or 'good' because they fixed something and it is healing.

He gets it.

Or whether neither is happening and your dentist was having an off day because he didn't have his lunchtime coffee. He actually mentioned this (the missing coffee section, not the bad performance section) which never fully inspires one.

So I'm sleeping badly and being grumpy. Let's hope it clears up soon.

They don't think that the citizens who elected them are capable of making good decisions for themselves...

It's about what you don't need, says the Health Committee chairman in the UK.

Link

From the article - "The former GP called for a direct ban on “supersized” foods and drinks, so that manufacturers would be restricted to producing chocolate bars, junk food meals and fizzy drinks in standard sizes."

"The Conservative member for Totnes suggested the Government was too fearful of being accused of “nanny state” tactics, and said the public would be likely to adjust quickly to changes to protect their children’s health."

There are always people who say they know better than you in some area - and if they are real experts they probably do. No problems there.

The issue is when these experts or people claiming to be so decide that they shouldn't just provide information and advice, but they must force you to do their version or the right thing because people are too stupid to do it on their own, and this is so wrong it must be legislated to make people do what they suggest. 

While I don't mind a small amount of government paternalism to protect people (for instance, road signs and street lights, seatbelt laws that are not revenue raising, banning dumping chemicals into dams etc) I draw the line at whether people should be banned from choosing what portion size they have - at that point, what isn't in their scope of regulation? How much shampoo you use at night? How often you mow your lawn? It seems silly, but these people think you are that dumb that you can't say 'No' when someone offers to upsize your food beyond you need and desire, and sit there without agency, shovelling food into your mouth, costing the taxpayers billions. And then they blame 'Big Food' or whomever for doing it to you. Sure.

I should be able to work out whether this is good for me or not, and how often I should have it. Or rather I shouldn't be forced into not eating it.

Tim Worstall on the Adam Smith blog sums one of the core issues here :

Link 2

"And there’s an interesting legal point here as well. Clearly she thinks that we’re all too damn stupid to be allowed to decide what to put into our own bodies. Despite their being, you know, ours? OK, so she obviously does think that. But she’s an elected politician: one, clearly, elected by people too stupid to know what they’d like to eat. At which point she’s not really got all that much authority, does she?"

Remember rhis the next time one of our elected representatives decides that they know so much better than us that they need to control how much we eat, drink or watch TV etc. There is a natural contempt for the views of the voters who elect these officials - even though they are the source of their legitimacy. Don't let them get away with it - because it never stops at sugary drinks, or portion sizes. We are adults living in a free society- be informed about your choices, but don't have those choices dictated by you by the well intentioned scolds who run the public policy debates.

It never stops.

Things you don't want to see or hear from your dentist.

Sorry I didn't post yesterday but I was having a not so fun trip to the dentist after a filling decided to come out of my mouth, taking half of another tooth with it.

This was the third visit to rectify that situation and they found some other problems too caused by my original metal fillings from when I was a teenager, so I have at least two more fun trips to go.

Somehow this is one of the top images on the search for dentists. I'm guessing this movie didn't help people with their dentist fears.

Anyway yesterday was the best yet in classic ' things I don't want to see or hear from my dentist'.

2)The ritual shaking of the head as he looks at my file 

3) "That nerve looks really exposed"

4) "I'll need a bigger wedge"

5) "This may hurt for a few days, probably"

6) "Oh. That's not good." - in relation to me not having extras insurance.

So I'll be rectifying number 6 today - while I've been ahead so far in not paying my premium I will end up behind before long at this rate. 

Oh, and I left #1 til last.

1) (to the nurse) "Can you pass the (larger drill)?" 

 I didn't even get that assurance.

Update : 

Now my face is still swollen, and my teeth are very sore. Good, because the roots are still working. Bad, because it can't be good, right?

If my mouth falls out I'll let you all know.

The faith of the earth.

Now anyone who knows me will know I am not a greenie. Not because I hate the environment, rather that the people who run and are the activists of the green movement often seem to want to combine the worst of Malthusian drama, the instincts of control and distrust of society of the Communists and the fervour  language of religion.

Yes, I know you know someone who just cares about the environment and isn't like that. But enough are to allow me to segway to...

It was this last instinct that saw me reflect on this article 

Dying Green

Now people choosing to be buried in caskets made of coffee cups while dressed in mushroom suits is unusual but not wrong. To be honest, when I'm dead I don't mind how and where I'm buried - I'll be dead, right?

It's the implications that these people care so deeply that they want to be buried without releasing the toxins into the air, yet are wearing clothes almost certainly made overseas with caustic dyes and dangerous chemicals, driving cars made of electricity hungry aluminium and using polluting petrol/diesel/LPG to get around. The list goes on. 

But it's the language of penance towards the earth which intrigues me the most - this lady is talking about being buried in a suit of mushrooms she is currently training to eat her body after death.
 

Join usssssss ..... this is not creeeepy at alllllll....

 "I realise this is not the kind of relationship that we usually aspire to have with our food," says Lee.

"It's a step towards accepting the fact that someday I will die and decay. It's also a step towards taking responsibility for my own burden on the planet.”

Just.. wow. Ok- you feel guilty for living a life not subsiding from the land and contributing to pollution no matter what, and when you die you sin, I mean pollute, even more.

It feels like what David Thompson wrote on his blog (The Sound of Wringing) - they are better than you because they feel worse than you.

So you have a movement with an idea of consistent and original sin, I mean continual guilt for pollution and degradation in life and in death, and want to find atonement a better way to help the world and sin I mean pollute no more. They find those who don't accept the faith, sorry, The Science, Blessed be His Name, guilty and say they will be damned by God science and future generations.

I know I'm being heavy handed here - but listen next time you hear one of the leaders of the green movement speak next time and look at the language in use - is it that of a leader of a political party or a prophet of a faith? One very sure of themselves at that? For example from the carbon tax repeal - Christine Milne

“Have we got the courage and the leadership to do what is necessary to save life around the world? The Greens have, but I have to say the Parliament has failed on that,” she said.

And the rest. It's worth a read to get the tone.

The thing that worries me is that you can justify many things in the name of faith, and the green faith does not seem tolerant to those who leave or question it at all. It calls them 'deniers' - apart from the quick wink association with Holocaust denial, if you added 'of the true faith' to the end, would it sound wrong? 

Weekend warhammer.

So this weekend I has my first tournament for Warhammer Fantasy. It's a table top wargame set in a fantasy setting - elves, humans,dwarves, vampires, etc. You can find out more at http://www.gamesworkshop.com regarding the game background and the models.

Basically the game is two armies facing off trying to kill each other off and achieve objectives such as holding a tower, making the enemy run away etc.

Units are formed into rank and file like in ancient/Napoleonic times, with people on horse, chariot, flying creatures and monsters, as well as magic spells flying about. It's not amazingly realistic but I do find it a lot of fun to play and the models themselves are amazing.

Example of 2 armies fighting - my Lizardmen vs another Lizardmen army. Yes, lizard people - humanoid dinosaurs are awesome, right? Hey, stop rolling your eyes.

I do play a lot of the sci-fi version of the game - Warhammer 40000, or 40k for short, but I have only played 3 games of the fantasy before this tournament, so I knew it would be a learning experience. Going in not expecting to win or at least fully compete for a win in a tournament is something new and enjoyable for me - usually my games involve intense concentration and consideration but this time I could enjoy myself fully and just learn from people more experienced than myself.

I ended up doing better than I thought I would,  ending up in the top 1/3 of the room which was a reasonable achievement and met some lovely guys from all around the state who turned up to play which was nice as well.

The time I spent painting my models paid off, getting top marks for my work, which is really gratifying as the time you spend painting and building the models far outweighs how long you spend using them. I'm not the best painter in the world but I like to think I can combine a good theme with reasonable technique.

The really great painters leave me in the dust though - courtesy of whfm.blogspot.com

All in all a great weekend of having fun, drinking beer and playing games - we even got to see Danny Geale get hammered in 3 rounds in the boxing - it was over quicker than it took to make our lunch. (http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/07/27/daniel-geale-vs-gennady-golovkin-round-round-updates-live-blog/) 

Eventually I'll go into more detail into the game and what I do in playing and painting warhammer, but there is probably only so much people can take at once.

They gave a trophy for the best anti social behavior as well - recognizing bad behavior and calling it through humour is a great thing.

Final thought - it's interesting that social behavior was so stressed throughout the weekend - it's great to see but it did make me wonder whether other sports and hobbies even need to do this at all? 

Or is awkward social moments and bad behavior more common in gaming and common enough to be worth stamping out? Do people in cricket and soccer and chess have to proactively deal with this?

Life.

Well, I've had a couple of interesting days at the crossing near my work. Two days ago I was reading my phone just before crossing, then started to cross, when a car flashes its lights at me and then pulls up in the centre of the road. To add to the fun, it is a one lane street in one direction, so this guy has blocked all traffic. 

He then proceeds to get out of the car, come across to where I am, hands me his phone and asks me to turn on the GPS to direct him to a street nearby. 

 Being startled, I didn't proceed to ask him what on earth he was doing, or who he thought I was (was I wearing a shirt that said IT nerd?) but I found apple maps, turned it on and then he took the phone and left without a word, got back into his car he had left idling in the middle of the road, and took off. Strange man.

The day after, same crossing, same time, different result - instead of someone stopping, it was someone who didn't want to. I got to the crossing and started to walk across when I saw another car coming. Well, not a car - one of the pretend utes people buy that is all engine and extra moulded tray space and no actual wear and tear or rear view visibility. 

You know what I'm talking about.

 

So this guy sees me starting to cross, and we start the 'who is going to stop game' - he accelerates then brakes then accelerates again as I react by stopping, starting, then stopping. We do the dance for a bit more, I eventually dash across and then he takes off into the distance like the King's messenger. By his expression, if his car could have let a token of his appreciation in my way as a horse can, he would have done so. 

 

I know, the small stuff isn't worth sweating, but it is unusual that twice in 2 days I've had strange encounters.

 

Today I parked somewhere else. No problems. 

 

The day at hand

Work today - woke up at home, looked outside - the bare glimpse of the sky I could see through the shutters was a down payment on the full gloominess of the sky. 

Go outside to the car - the world seems soaked- a cold chilling rain that seems to instinctively get half the people off the road staying indoors for the day and the rest driving half the speed they normally would to make sure nobody goes any faster on the roads anyway.

Yes, I know you need to reduce speed when it is wet. But sitting behind someone doing 20kph in a 50kph zone is not that much safer - potential road rage and piano falling incidents making up the numbers.

What super slow drivers should be forced to drive, right?

What seems funny is that on the other side of the city you saw weather like this much more often- people were used to it.  I always wonder why one place 45 minutes further north from where I live now got so much more rain. 

I know it's probably got to do with the plateu rising out of Sydney in the north, the urban heat effect, prevalent ocean temperatures and wind direction and greenery, but the reality of it is still quite stark. 

I'm also one who doesn't get cold easily - yes, if you stick me in a snowdrift and pour ice down my back I will be very cold and an enemy for at least a day - but unlike most Sydneysiders I don't automatically reach for my jumper if the temp hits under 20. Or even 10 - it has to be single low digits before I can think about putting on one of my 3 jumpers. And so on days like today, everyone looks at me like I'm some sort of fool and I constantly get asked "aren't you cold?"

"Why yes, but I had to burn my only jacket last night to keep warm and cook a rat for dinner. " I reply. Or wish I could.

Ok, if I lived in a place like this I would wear a jacket or 7. But it's Sydney, so no. 

"No." I actually reply, as little defensive tone in my voice as I can make it. "I'm just great thanks". They look at me like something is wrong with me on some cellular level and don't know whether to pity me or dissect me for science. "You sure?"

Internal feeling after the 6000th repeat of  that question this winter.

"Pretty sure" I finish. 

5 minutes later, rinse and repeat. 

Oh the joys of a (not so) cold day.

The things I consider ...

As fodder for the blog. Context - walking while at lunch, I see an ad on the rear of a bus as I'm looking both ways before crossing the street as per government regulation.

I see a car driving at speed in the ad, but something is off - it has no driver! 

The picture looked like this, but on a bus - the bus pulled away before I could creepily pull out my phone and take a photo of a bus full of school kids, ok?

Was it an ad for a computer controlled car? Was the car possessed by a demon and someone took a picture of it as it sped away, the ad being like the car version of a kid on the milk carton? 

Like this but on a bus?

Was the computer controlled cars code written by demons in some future skynet/hellspawn alliance to destroy us all? Was it all just a bad photoshop (less likely than the others, but possible)?

Yes, I know most people don't have these thoughts. No pity please, it's ok.

Anyway, in the 2 seconds I was pondering that, the rational side of my brain processed the ad text - for RC Cars. Disappointed that there are no computer cars or demon cars (being advertised at least) I thought at least the future is coming to the esky part of the market. 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ryangrepper/coolest-cooler-21st-century-cooler-thats-actually?ref=home_popular

A cross between the look of an esky and the colouring and aesthetics of a construction vest, the Coolest has a built in blender, mp3 dock, USB charger, 18 volt battery, speakers with Bluetooth connectivity and bottle opener, plates and a chopping board inside. 

If only it wasn't $100 to ship it over to Australia.... but I can dream, can't I?

$200 million earned from.,..

Playing a mobile game all about being like Kim Kardashian.

http://techcrunch.com/2014/07/23/life-on-kim-kardashians-d-list/

 Apparently the 5th sign of the apocalypse has begun- you start as an E list celebrity and upgrade by dating famous people, upgrading your 'look' - hair, clothes, body parts (really) and getting better jobs and photo shoots. 

The paparazzi and celeb news become more interested in you as you level up, and you spend energy on dates and work and upgrades, which you can let naturally recharge or purchase 'K-Stars' for a fee from the store (see $200,000,000 profit).

When the site went down and people couldn't log on last week, people lamented on twitter - it became a trending topic - #Fixthekardashiangame

A screenshot of the angst.

Now obviously Kim Kardashian is some form of mega genius - spilling a dodgy tape into a reality TV circus (5 shows and counting?) two celebrity marriages, a million photo shoots and tv interviews, and it's still spiraling. 

But as I said, some grown people are spending time and possibly their money in the tens and hundreds of dollars playing a non competitve game about becoming a celebrity in the same way Kim Kardashian did. I must point that out.

I'm not sure where the entertainment industry goes next after this, especially with Kim K's husband talking about how celebrities are also the new oppressed people -http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/fame_is_the_new_black/

"Rapper Kanye West gave a 45-minute toast to himself following his marriage to Kim Kardashian. It included a claim that “celebrities [are] being treated like blacks were in the Sixties, having no rights”

Wow. I'll leave you with images of the oppressed mans house and let you decide how oppressed he is- 

"If only the people could feel my pain living this life of fame and fortune"

Housework

And so I get home, and decide to push through the tiredness behind my eyes and get some housework done today. I know, I deserve a medal or something. I just remember thinking as I locked up the house last night 'damn who walked all the dirt in, and who used all the plates?'

Of course, the answer is probably me. Cutting across the grass and eating toast was my guess. Plus the lovely wife is sick so I'm looking out for both of us until further notice.

So I vacuum, clean the benches, grumble, clean out the vegetable drawers. And replace the old fruit and veg which looks at me accusingly as I replace it with the new. As if it didn't know this was the way when it moved in the week before. Somehow our fruit box order seems to contain enough potatoes each week to fix a famine, along with its sweet potatoe friends looking like they just came from Priapat.  

Did they have to anthropomorphise it?

Anyway, eventually the fridge bins are cleaned and dried and full of fresh fruit and veg for the week, the garbage goes out, dinner is made and all is well in the world. 

Until I take a closer look at the dirt on the floor and see it needs washing soon too. And the washing is piling up in the laundry. And in my bathroom. Did I mention the weeds that are soon to gain full sentience in my backyard between the pavers? 

Ah well - it's a chance to be a martyr another day, right? Or invent a robot cleaning maid. Anyone want to back a kickstarter? 

 

Prototype picture.

Lunch review pt2 - Sugar Ray's.

Not a foodie but this is a review anyway.

Went for the salad at Sugar Ray's as I said I would yesterday - and they are out of chicken salad. Must be good if it's out, right? So I went for the grilled chicken sandwich - looked tasty, brown bread, added salad at will. 

Chunky, right? 

The wholemeal bread was fresh and soft, the chicken had a touch of spice that set off the well cooked but tender chicken perfectly, and the salad was fresh without being wet which means the whole sandwich didn't go soggy. 

Grated carrot did fly out while eating but I think that is par for the course. The cheese was fresh and actually lived up to the name tasty, and just enough salt and pepper to know that it was there.

All in all the best sandwich shop sandwich I've had in a long time -delicious and I ended up full without feeling like it was made of cement. 

Food - 4.5/5

Price - 2.5/5 - $8.80 is pricy. But worth it for the sandwich. 

Sums it up.

In the news...

Some people are just... petty. It's like they run off of outrage and feeling like they are standing up for something or to something- and as social standards are raised, the bar for what outrages is lowered again and again.

For instance - the social injustices of Thomas the Tank engine Link

Really? Because white smoke comes from coal trains and black from diesel it is coded racism? Maybe it's just smoke, like what is blowing from the authors ... pipe.

After finding this I found it wasn't the first time someone had taken their sociology degree seriously when watching a kids show - 

Link 2

Now the Fat Controller is a tyrant, socialist trains, buses and trucks are ruined or lynched and female trains are marginalized because something something dark side.

It's like there is no sense of proportion or scope here - it isn't a text for children about how white men should rule the world - it's a series of books and shows about trains that have faces and get into trouble and learn how to be friends. 

But I guess it assuages the authors hearts that they are fighting for justice one train at a time.

Justice for you, comrade! Fight the patriarchy and all its capitalist evils! Wait, you just want to take passengers? Splitter!

Fellowship

 I heard an interesting sermon at my church about fellowship on Sunday - basically that it is better than friendship as it has something other than the two individuals at the centre of it, but also because it brings people who wouldn't probably otherwise be close together.

There were another stack of reasons as well, and indeed I have chosen examples of 'lesser' reasons for fellowship being a great thing (being part of God's universal church being número uno if I remember well.)

However, the thought stuck with me - fellowship at church has bought me into contact with an amazing variety of people I wouldn't otherwise interact with, and for a relational introvert such as myself this has given a wealth of experience, understanding and genuine friendship with people of wildly different opinions, tastes, hobbies etc. 

I guess communities were such places in the past as communications distances and population density made socializing almost exclusively with people of your specific type too hard, but all too often I believe we end up in opinion and worldview conforming/reaffirming chambers. 

Even the fellowship of the ring managed to have a debate about what should happen with the ring, right?

Think of the political slant of the blogs and newspapers you read, or the hobby/sports shows, and your friends you made with similar interests. How often do you hear what you agree with? Are you challenged in the way you perceive events and situations? Do you have to think about whether what you believe is accurate and coherent?

And if they do say differently to you, how often do you raise your voice to say 'what about X? Have you considered Y?'

Too often I do see people saying that online only to be howled down if they break from the consensus of their particular chamber - heck the CEO and founder of Mozilla got fired for simply donating for a cause he believed in  (traditional marriage) and having it leaked to a set of gay marriage (individual partner marriage equality?) advocates and then hitting the twittersphere.

There are lots more issues - pick a side in the wrong place on the Israel/Palestine conflict and you will see what I mean. Or who is the best sportsmen in whatever game, whether you liked a movie or not - whether it be war and peace or gum brands, people will draw sides and fight on it.

Back towards the point - if engaging with those who have the most important version of diversity (diversity of thought) is very hard in the world due to friendships being usually built on commonalities, and hard online due to echo chambers dominating their spheres of noise - where do you meet people who mostly aren't like you and engage them in a relational way?

This is why I appreciate the fellowship at church - by bringing us together under a mutual banner of worship I have made friends who are different to me in a way I don't think I otherwise would, encountered experiences and views I otherwise wouldn't have seen or actively avoided. I'm thankful for the privilege of knowing all the people I do because of the fellowship we have.

Again, I'm not picking up on all the points that fellowship is awesome - just some. I hope it made sense and made you think even if you disagreed.

Now, off to play the new Wolfenstein -    I'm not going to try to have fellowship with the Nazi's though - remember that fellowship is awesome, but it is the purpose and teachings/philosophies/aims it is based on that often determines whether it is beneficial or not :p

 

Not really a foodie, promise, but a review pt1

I eat too plainly to be one of those guys.

But a review anyway of a new local ... eatery?

No, not the flight centre. Sugar Ray's (bus not included) is a new place open next to Sutherland station - I passed on the way to get lunch and decided to stop there instead. I think it only opened yesterday - everything is so new I expected to see the wrapping on the furniture. The food looked good - sorry for the bad photos -

 And the place was very, very clean which puts it well above a lot of other sandwich places - though I guess most placed start this way. I mean, who imports grime? I hope as enthusiasm dies down and the new business becomes a weekday grind that things stay at this level - often they slip bit by bit and then suddenly you are wondering why the chicken tastes like tuna on the way back up.

Moving on, there were a ton of staff - seems a family enterprise with at least 2 generations if not more there. Very friendly people.

I ordered the ham and cheese crossiant - a basic staple that may indicate the quality of other offerings, especially as it isn't a specialty store. It came back oven toasted, not pressed which was nice, and warm through without being burnt. 

The crossiant was soft inside and crispy outside without being oily or sugary- a must for a good experience, while the ham and cheese were standard but tasty and didn't feel like they came from yesterday or the discount bin in the fridge isle at Aldi.

All in all a good start. Tomorrow I might try the chicken salad (another staple) and the coffee- both looked and smelt good so hopefully it works out.

So far my part one review gives it : worth a second try, 3.5/5 for the food, 4.5/5 for value (did I mention it was only $4? I can't even get a coffee for that). 

Out of Context Quotes - #1

This will hopefully be a regular feature- short but sweet. Basically, someone says something funny, but it becomes funnier out of context. 

"I am not a spicy nugget" - my lovely wife. 

More to come - hopefully this becomes a weekly thing.

And it's post 1

Welcome - if you are reading this then... Hi.

I'm Stuart Lord - I live in Sydney, Australia and work in I.T. for a local council. I'll leave the rest of the info for later.

This blog is a way to get myself back into writing and expressing myself - hopefully in lots of areas, whether this be my life, gaming, politics, news, or what I had for breakfast. It's less focused in intent than most blogs who have a specific theme - but I'll try to categorize everything so that those of you who are foolish enough to want to read the blog can find the bits you want to see.

I will try not to be obtuse or offensive, but this is almost impossible to do- you are warned- you might not like everything you read.

Apart from that, I hope you enjoy and even comment on stuff that interests you - I'll be as engaged as best I can. 

Finally - the title of the page is because the site is not about a specific subject nor  about nothing - it is about me and what I find interesting which varies on a frequent basis it seems. I hope to have something on show that interests.

Enjoy.