is it okay if i get nerdy for a bit?

ok, nerd, release!

i'm very excited, and i don't know why i didn't do this before.

i have a model train set in the shed in our backyard (my pop built the entire thing, from the concrete slab all the way to the shed and set itself) and i haven't used it for a couple of years (which is crazy).

the other day i thought "wow, i should really fix it up", and so i have been!

on wednesday i opened the shed to find that the shed was GROSS. as i hadn't touched it for a long time, dad has been storing the lawnmower, wippersnippers and whatever in the shed. dad isn't the best at putting things away and cleaning things (apart from his beloved car) so stuff was everywhere and everything was covered in spiderwebs. there was leaves and grass all through it. the plastic cover over the train set had water all over it from the rain (shed's leak you know).

i pulled EVERYTHING out of the shed and hung up the plastic to dry, then swept out the shed. i got some surface spray an sprayed all the corners down (inside and out) to kill all the spiders and bugs. they were falling from all the cracks as they died for an hour. i then had to sweep them all up!

i set to work on the track itself. the track needs to be clean because you need a good connection between the track and the train wheels for the electrical circuit to work.
it was black. i grabbed my old track cleaner (it's like a rubber thats tough and abrasive) of which i had a small 20c size peice left. cleaning the track wasn't working so well. i had to pack up everything by this point, but i had caught the fever! this thing could be cleaned!

thursday i tried cleaning the track again. i used metho and the track cleaner, but after 3 hours i'd done only 1/3 of the track. i vowed to buy a new track cleaner, and the 10yr old one didn't cut it anymore.
i pulled out an old diesel to try and see if it would work on the track (old faithful as i like to call it. it runs on clean and dirty track) and it wouldn't budge on the clean track. i took one look at it's wheels. caked on dirt. i realised then that this was gonna be a big job.

friday i bought a new track cleaner and dragged esther though hobbyco, the best store in the world.

saturday i set to work again. the new track cleaner was amazing!! i got the entire set done in an hour. the rails were the colour of silver! i raced inside and gabbed 3830 and my 42 class diesel (with heritage rail cars for 3830 and indian pacific cars for the 42 class) and after cleaning their wheels got to have my first play in ages!! it was the best!

esther took a bit of a look cause i dragged her out there, but i don't think she liked them at all. i was a bit dissappointed cause it was a lot of hard work. oh well.

the next few days seem to have rain forecast, so i think it'll be "sit inside and clean and organise your trains, owen" week. a few of them need new rubbers on the wheels because they've perished and some need a new paint job, so it's going to be an interesting trip as i clean and organise them all. i think i'll make a database of each train and carriages so i know exactly what i've got, then match them up according to country and use.

i might take some photos too! who knows!

oh, revesby station had it's new 'lift towers' put in this weekend. they look pretty awesome. that palce is gonna look totally different once it's finished. the culverts over river road seem to be coming along nicely too.

i've also been looking up trains in england for when i go over there (as i love the english steam trains). he national rail museum is in york, which is only an hour and a 1/2 train ride from where i'll be, so i've got to go there. they have 4472, which is my favourite steam train housed there, so i'll be glad to see it again (they bought it out here in 1988 and i got to go on it then. that was the best ever).
hopefully i can find a bunch of other great locomotives while i'm there and get to ride on a few also.

so yeah, i'm totally excited about trains right now.

weird

weird.

monday is my birthday and i'm turning 22.

for some reason thats a bit strange.

i'm going through a time of change, and it's very very annoying. right now i'm doing some things that'll (while are very scary) help me out. i'm also still at college, but also wanting to work. i want to earn money, move out of home and get on with my life.

people say "you're still young, just live it up", but i sure don't feel that way.

everything thats good for me takes a long time to happen. it makes me more thankful for it once i have it, which is great, but i want to start moving on.

many people say to me quite often that moving out of home will do me the world of good. they're probably right though.
the reason i haven't moved out is i'm not in the position to do so, monetary wise.

i can't remember if i mentioned it in my last blog, but i cleaned my room. it's quite amazing how much floor space i have now, and how i still only step on those 3 parts of the floor where i could only step before thanks to habit.

turning point

so today i did some stuff i needed to do and called some people that needed calling. i even cleaned up my room a bit and vaccumed it.

yesterday i threw out all my old uni stuff. it was very freeing.

my floor is now almost 100% empty. it's amazing.

as i finished cleaning just then a song i haven't listened to in a VERY long time. bought back lots of memories. these guys wrote a lot of very bad tunes, but there were a few really quote good ones in amongst them all which very much made up for it. this one sounds very appropriate for how i've been feeling of late. forget the verses, it's the chorus thats important:

The O.C. Supertones - Jury Duty

v1
5 am on tuesday
Why am I up so early
Drive out to santa ana 'cause I've got jury duty
No breakfast short tempered
And I cut my head shaving
Ten miles out I hit traffic
Some days just aren't worth saving

You know I haven't had the best of days
But I want to stop and thank you anyway

v2
At the courthouse I waited
And waited then I waited
At lunchtime my car stalled out
I couldn't get it started
Had a book by c.s. lewis
I finished the last page and
Slept on my desk for three hours
Just like my high school days

You know I haven't had the best of days
But I want to stop and thank you anyway

chorus
Cause every single moment whether sleeping or awake
Is your creation
And what you've made is good
I don't always thank you for the rough days and
The hard times in my life
Even though I should

v3
Got home and decided I'd be in a bad mood
My shy and quiet wife said she didn't like my attitude
Got a call from my mother
Forgot my sister's birthday
I'm a lousy older brother safe to say I've had a bad day

You know I haven't had the best of days
But I want to stop and thank you anyway

chorus
Cause every single moment whether sleeping or awake
Is your creation
And what you've made is good
I don't always thank you for the rough days and
The hard times in my life
Even though I should
x3

where they wander

so today i went a wandering

i took a film camera and a digital camera with me as i went wandering around the city today. i filled my ipod with some good reggae and headed out. here are some of the results (the batteries in the digital camera ran out after a while Sad).

EDIT: YES I KNOW THE PICTURES DON'T FIT!

me waiting for the train:


sydney harbour bridge:


opera house (requested by pedantry):


me chilling on the opera house steps like all the cool kids do:


a traffic light (requested by geo):


"the woman in the red dress.....":


sydney tower:


again:


tasty lunch!:


who says australians aren't racist?:


this little girl was challenging an old asian guy to chess. she was pretty good:


the park. the batteries died after taking this photo Sad:



oh, i also got a passport photo done today for college:

BEST!

ok, so i went to that meeting at JMC (or the Jupiter Mining Corporation as i like to call them, 10 points if you know what thats from) today about doing 3rd year stuff and jumping straight on in to second semester.

i was pretty nervous about it all, as the woman who i was dealing with is a very serious lady.and really full on.

i sat in the hallway waiting for her, when my old 2rd year lecturer Greg Simmons saw me and so we ended up having a great chat. he teaches some 3rd year stuff, and was able to tell me all about it, understood my situation and told me not to sweat it. he said there should be no problems with doing it, told me some things to tell them which would convince them and even offered to "go in to bat" for me if they arrived before he needed to get to class. he ended up needing to leave, but it was exactly the cheering up i needed.

eventually someone came out to get me who was also going to be in the meeting, and it was my 1st year lecturer, Glen! he was pleased to see me too!

basically the meeting consisted of me, the manager woman and glen. the woman was very serious about stuff, but because glen knew me he was all like "nah man, you'll fit right in and love it, no sweat".

so basically, I'M IN! hooray!

it turns out they've updated everything since i was there last too.
they converted the massive old Euphonix analogue beast into a smaller digital Yamaha unit that contains 92 tracks and is hooked up to a ProTools HD system (kills my home system for sure).

the best thing though?
ALL THE WORK IS NOW COMPLETELY RELEVANT

they've restructured the entire course!

i get to record bands again! i get to try my hand at mixing movies in 5.1 surround sound! i get to have a go at recording sound effects!

heck yes! this is seriously the best thing EVER. you cannot understand how excited by all of this i am.

i had to do some crappy stuff before, but thanks to what what does it mean?

i'll have used (for any gearheads out there):
-ProTools HD (92 channels, yes please)
-Euphonix Analogue desk with 2 inch analogue tape
-all the best outboard effects (mostly fully analogue tube components with a bit of digital)

and everyone else will only have used one or the other! i'm extremely lucky to have this chance and boy and i happy!!

:)