The Rodeo

I have been asked by Kim and Jason to take part in their Adultitis Escape Plan, a 40-day plan to become more childlike (not childish)
and to reduce stress and prevent dullness, depression and [insert
another word beginning with ‘d’ here]. Of course I’m gonna do it.

Dreary-ness, that begins with ‘D’.

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The twenty-second task: Do something to make the world a better place.

I think the world would be far better off without people whinging all the time, so my effort to make the world a better place is to announce today, 1st February, as ‘No Complaining’ day.
I am going to try and positivitize (great new word!) the area
around me by not complaining at all today.

Anyone who would like to join me in doing this is welcome to do so.

So, The Rules:

1) No complaining. If something sucks, deal with it. Or get help. 
Don’t whinge about it. That really won’t fix it.

2) You ARE allowed to say that something was bad - i.e., you get 
your leg ripped off by a savage dog - say “Ouch, it appears a dog has torn my leg from my body. If somebody could staunch the free flow of blood, and perhaps call an ambulance, that would be most excellent”.

3) Cries of pain are allowed (see point 2).

4) If someone starts complaining around you tell them to knock it
off. They can complain tomorrow. If they really must.

5) Don’t complain about not being allowed to complain. You didn’t have to join in you know.

6) You don’t have to stop complaining for only a day. Make it a week, month or year if you can. A lifetime would be great too.

Enjoy your complaint-free day.

RodeoClown: not complaining today.

I have been asked by Kim and Jason to take part in their Adultitis Escape Plan, a 40-day plan to become more childlike (not childish)
and to reduce stress and prevent dullness, depression and [insert
another word beginning with ‘d’ here]. Of course I’m gonna do it.

Dreary-ness, that begins with ‘D’.

---

The twenty-third task: Take a picture of the most childlike spot in town.

Sometimes the obvious response to a task is the best, so Jen and Mat accompanied me to Gloria Park, which happens to be about two minutes walk from our house. Or twenty minutes if Mat walks too.

RodeoClown: loves showing off his family.

I have been asked by Kim and Jason to take part in their Adultitis Escape Plan, a 40-day plan to become more childlike (not childish)
and to reduce stress and prevent dullness, depression and [insert
another word beginning with ‘d’ here]. Of course I’m gonna do it.

Dreary-ness, that begins with ‘D’.

---

The twenty-fourth task: Figure out a way to add some color to your day in a new, unusual, or wacky way.

Inspired by Jason’s blue milk. I decided to have some too.

I saw Beru Lars years ago on Star Wars drinking it, and always wanted to try, but never got around to doing it. After adding the food colouring, the milk did taste a little bit different (but that might have just been my imagination). Mat seemed to like it too.

RodeoClown: has got a blue milk moustache.

I have been asked by Kim and Jason to take part in their Adultitis Escape Plan, a 40-day plan to become more childlike (not childish)
and to reduce stress and prevent dullness, depression and [insert
another word beginning with ‘d’ here]. Of course I’m gonna do it.

Dreary-ness, that begins with ‘D’.

---

The twenty-fifth task: Talk in a phony voice or accent to a complete stranger.

I actually completed this task without trying to. I answered the doorbell at work, and a courier was there with a package for Ed (the tech guy). “G’day”, I said. But it didn’t come out right at all. Sounded almost like… Irish.

I figured I’d better keep it up for the remainder of the conversation otherwise I might sound wierd, what, with the switching accents and all.

He didn’t seem very interested in a chat, just wanted me to sign his little computer-thing.

He didn’t even care that I, Paddy O’Shamus, was obviously a member of the IRA, and all I ate was potatoes. The clover in my hair didn’t phase him, nor did my green top hat and suit (overflowing with gold coins). I offered him a taste of the magical land of leprechauns, rainbows and Guinness, and he couldn’t care less.

Poor guy.

RodeoClown: didn’t sing about rovin’.

We just went to tuck Mat into bed, as we do everynight before we retire ourselves, and found him asleep with a book open on his lap.

We’d heard him making noises about an hour earlier and thought he was up playing with his toys when he should have been asleep. He wasn’t though, he was in bed, having got up to get a book to read, and then gone and tucked himself back in and was ‘reading’ himself to sleep. He smiled when we came in, but didn’t want us to put the book away, so we left it there to get after he had drifted off.

We just went back in then and found him fast asleep. The heading on the page he had open: Sleepy Dreams.

RodeoClown: has the cutest kid in the world.

BOCTAOE - but of course there are obvious exceptions
You can assume that everything I say after (and before) this is bounded by this sentence.

Wired 12.12: Roads Gone Wild
Less is more when designing roads. Now why can’t the RTA think like this?

Basic Paintball Tactics
Paintball tactics. For next time we play (whenever that might be).

Churchianity: Withdrawing from the real world ? part two
Being Christian != subscribing to right-wing politics. Or smoking. Or drinking. Great article.

Footprints…A New Version
It’s sappy, but it made me smile.

Facts about Jack Bauer from 24
I’d say these are mostly pretty accurate. Language warning.

Pong Clock
This clock looks freaking awesome (read: expensive)

MLA Australia Day lamb campaign
Sam Kekovich on being un-Australian. Watch it. You know it makes sense!

EdCone.com: Thanks for Reading
On the lack of manners in our society. A good read Mr Cone. Thankyou.

Del.icio.us links brought to you today by the letter L and the number 8.

I have been asked by Kim and Jason to take part in their Adultitis Escape Plan, a 40-day plan to become more childlike (not childish)
and to reduce stress and prevent dullness, depression and [insert
another word beginning with ‘d’ here]. Of course I’m gonna do it.

Dreary-ness, that begins with ‘D’.

---

The twenty-sixth task: Open to a random page in the dictionary and look at the first word on the
upper left-hand side. Keep turning pages until you find a word you don’t know.
See how many times you can use this new word in a sentence today.

variegated \VAIR-ee-uh-gay-tid\, adjective:

1. Having marks or patches of different colors; as, “variegated leaves or flowers.”
2. Varied; distinguished or characterized by variety; diversified.

We have variegated plants in the garden, and Mat’s topics of interest are also quite variegated. I think I managed to use this word a few times in the day and it will probably remain in general usage for a little while yet.

RodeoClown: has an increasingly variegated vocabulary.

I have been asked by Kim and Jason to take part in their Adultitis Escape Plan, a 40-day plan to become more childlike (not childish)
and to reduce stress and prevent dullness, depression and [insert
another word beginning with ‘d’ here]. Of course I’m gonna do it.

Dreary-ness, that begins with ‘D’.

---

The twenty-seventh task: Take a routine you do everyday and put a childlike spin on it.

I’ve started walking to work from Central Station, rather than catching another train for a single station. This walk takes about 10-15 minutes each way, so today I decided to walk swinging my arms in synch, rather than opping each other.

What am I talking about?

Next time you walk, you will notice that your arms naturally swing opposite to the direction you are placing the foot on that side. So, if you put your right foot forward, your left arm will swing forward to match it. This keeps your balance quite nicely.

If you make a conscious effort to swing your arms together instead of separately, you’ll find your body moves differently while you walk, jerking back and forward at the end of the swing.

People also look at you funny. I don’t know why.

RodeoClown: swinging.

I have been asked by Kim and Jason to take part in their Adultitis Escape Plan, a 40-day plan to become more childlike (not childish)
and to reduce stress and prevent dullness, depression and [insert
another word beginning with ‘d’ here]. Of course I’m gonna do it.

Dreary-ness, that begins with ‘D’.

---

The twenty-eighth task: Buy something that captures the spirit of childhood for under $5.00 (including tax).

After I got home today, I went for a drive with Jen and Mat and then pulled in at the shops to purchase one of these:

I have been asked by Kim and Jason to take part in their Adultitis Escape Plan, a 40-day plan to become more childlike (not childish)
and to reduce stress and prevent dullness, depression and [insert
another word beginning with ‘d’ here]. Of course I’m gonna do it.

Dreary-ness, that begins with ‘D’.

---

The twenty-eighth task: Ask an expert something you are curious about in his/her field.

Jen and I went to see Dr Parry, our obstetrician.
She’s an expert in the whole field of baby delivery type stuff.

We asked her about breech deliveries vs. caesarean sections.

Found out a whole bunch of stuff on that topic. If the baby has it’s head up when it is due to be born, it is considered to be in the breech position. They should be facing the other direction (for best results).

Some doctors won’t deliver babies in the breech position, rather, they’ll just perform a c-section and take the baby out directly, as this way the baby won’t get ’stuck’ on the way out. Dr Parry said she would let Jen try a breech delivery if she wanted as she’s had a baby before and so we her body can handle it.

Hopefully baby #2 will turn over shortly and we won’t have to do either of these options, but it is good to know what happens in both of them so we can make an informed decision if we need to.

RodeoClown: is praying that this baby will turn over soon. Please pray too.

I have been asked by Kim and Jason to take part in their Adultitis Escape Plan, a 40-day plan to become more childlike (not childish)
and to reduce stress and prevent dullness, depression and [insert
another word beginning with ‘d’ here]. Of course I’m gonna do it.

Dreary-ness, that begins with ‘D’.

---

The thirtieth task: Figure out a way to bring some fun into a dreaded task today.

Friday is my work at home day, and I was trying to fix a particularly annoying bug that has been sitting on my to-do list for the last six months. I had to keep restarting a server and then changing things to test it worked correctly and didn’t break anything worse than it was to start with. Not particularly fun. And the fact I had managed to put it off for six months is a good indication that I wasn’t looking forward to it too much.

I noticed a book sitting on the bookshelf to my left -  a book of logic puzzles. The type with a bunch of clues and a grid you use to determine who did what, where and when kind of thing. My mother-in-law found it at her place lying around and gave it to me the other day. Thanks Carol! So while I was waiting for restarts and tests to run, I solved a few of these puzzles. Not super exiting, but it made me feel a whole lot better.

RodeoClown: logician-magician.

I have been asked by Kim and Jason to take part in their Adultitis Escape Plan, a 40-day plan to become more childlike (not childish)
and to reduce stress and prevent dullness, depression and [insert
another word beginning with ‘d’ here]. Of course I’m gonna do it.

Dreary-ness, that begins with ‘D’.

---

The thirty-first task: Find a place to sit quietly for ten minutes. Listen for at least one sound
that you would not have normally noticed.

I sat at my computer in my little office space at home and just listened.

I can hear the dishwasher engine, and the occasional quiet ‘clink’ as things get moved around in it.
Whoa - I just heard a series of loud bangs… bang. bang-bang. bang-bang-bang-bang. Gun? Fireworks? Gone now, but it was definitely unexpected.
I can hear the fan in the bathroom whirring as it sucks the moisture out of the air in there (there’s a fair bit as I slipped getting in the bath and created my own little tsunami…).
I can hear my computer occasionally spin up the hard drive as it writes something, and then spin back down when it is done (this is very quick).
I can hear the occasional gumnut drop onto the roof (which is tin, so it’s very loud).
I can hear cars on the highway, and another going past our house.
I can hear the clock just outside the door ticking (very quietly).
I can hear a truck braking as it comes down the hill on the highway. And another.
I can hear a freight train pushing as hard as it can to go up the hill. It’s drowning out pretty much everything else. It has a low noise of the engine, but also a loud squealing of the wheels. Actually, it could be coming down the hill.
I can hear the toilet cistern open up and start refilling (we have a small leak that I need to try and fix again).
I can hear the water in the dishwasher swishing around.
I can hear some small insect outside.

RodeoClown: quiet.

I have been asked by Kim and Jason to take part in their Adultitis Escape Plan, a 40-day plan to become more childlike (not childish)
and to reduce stress and prevent dullness, depression and [insert
another word beginning with ‘d’ here]. Of course I’m gonna do it.

Dreary-ness, that begins with ‘D’.

---

The thirty-second task: Do something that will get you to laugh out-loud (one that puts you in danger of peeing your pants a little bit).

On the train on the way home, I had a small boy (maybe 6) and his mother sit opposite me in a  4-seater.

The young boy was getting a bit bored, as I was doing a crossword and his mum was just sitting there. She didn’t look much older than me.

Anyway, I put my crossword away and just sat there pulling subtle faces at him. He decided that it was appropriate to do the ‘underarm fart’ trick. Repeatedly.

My response was probably the best (for him) and the worst (for his mum, trying to remain serious on a packed train) - I tried not to laugh. Of course this resulted in me cracking up and laughing long and loud along with him.

I thought about joining in myself, but I have never learnt the art of the underarm fart :(.

RodeoClown: is not convinced that flatulence is a virtue.

I have been asked by Kim and Jason to take part in their Adultitis Escape Plan, a 40-day plan to become more childlike (not childish)
and to reduce stress and prevent dullness, depression and [insert
another word beginning with ‘d’ here]. Of course I’m gonna do it.

Dreary-ness, that begins with ‘D’.

---

The thirty-third task: For no reason at all treat yourself to something out of the ordinary.

Jen met me at Penrith station, and we didn’t have the boy with us, so for no real reason at all I decided we needed to get something nice to drink. Like milkshakes.

Jen got a plain old chocolate milkshake, while I got a Peppermint-Choc-QuakeShake(tm), which is pretty much just a peppermint chocolate bar crushed up and dropped into a green, peppermint flavoured thickshake.

Tasty and filling
RodeoClown: hadn’t tried this before.

Ok, I’ll join in.

brrreeeport.

RodeoClown: breeporting.

I have been asked by Kim and Jason to take part in their Adultitis Escape Plan, a 40-day plan to become more childlike (not childish)
and to reduce stress and prevent dullness, depression and [insert
another word beginning with ‘d’ here]. Of course I’m gonna do it.

Dreary-ness, that begins with ‘D’.

---

The thirty-fourth task: Think about some of the things you liked to do as a child. Pick one and do it.

I’ve always loved the idea of superheroes, people with superhuman abilities fighting crime and all that sort of thing. The idea of being able to do things that mere mortals could not is an idea that I constantly think about. Which abilities would be the best fit for me, and what would my weaknesses be.

Telekinesis sounds pretty cool, but laser eyes and adamantium claws are also extremely awesome.

So, as you can probably guess, as a child I loved watching superhero cartoons, primarily X-men, which was just so well done. I can see flaws in it now that I’m older, but the fact they killed off (supposedly) one of the main characters, who was even in the opening credits, sealed the deal with me. This wasn’t a cartoon like the others I’ve seen. Also, they got the voices so perfectly right that even seeing live actors play the roles still sounds wrong in my head. Wolverine espescially, that guy just didn’t put a word wrong, bub.

The comics are cool too. I think my favourite (having only read the synopsis) story is this one in Ultimate X-Men (they started afresh without all the baggage from the hundreds of other comics). A child has recently manifested his mutant ability, the ability to kill all living things that come near to him. Wolverine finds him alone in a cave and talks to him, his mutant healing factor keeping him alive near this deadly kid. Ah, just reading that overview makes me feel tingly, it is so well written, and such a sad story. I nearly cried just reading it.

Anyway, after thinking about how cool those comics and cartoons were when I was a kid (an now), I watched a few episodes of X-men:Evolution, the latest cartoon incarnation of these superheroes. Not quite as great as the old cartoons, the new intro music isn’t anywhere near as memorable and the voices don’t quite fit, but still very well done, with some great stories.

RodeoClown: can kill you with his mind.

I have been asked by Kim and Jason to take part in their Adultitis Escape Plan, a 40-day plan to become more childlike (not childish)
and to reduce stress and prevent dullness, depression and [insert
another word beginning with ‘d’ here]. Of course I’m gonna do it.

Dreary-ness, that begins with ‘D’.

---

The thirty-fifth task: Do something to make the day of a child.

This task was pretty easy to complete. I make Mat’s day just by turning up. He waits for me at the front door when I’m due to get home and I can hear him from a few houses away shouting “Daddy!”. He’ll jump into my arms and proceed to tell me all about how he hurt his finger in the door (we get it Matty, it happened months ago and you are fine)!

Having someone love you this much and showing it in this way is more than I can explain. It’s completely different from the romantic crud thrust upon us around St Valentine’s day, different from the love of a spouse, different from the sex all around us, it is pure and comes from an absolute dependence upon someone else. There’s nothing like it in the world. It’s brought me to tears more than once.

RodeoClown: can’t wait to get home tonight.

Who’s Afraid of an Argument? The Insecurities of the Abortion Rights Movement
Why is the debate about abortion discarded as being purely ‘religious’ in nature? A good insight into the lack of debate regarding abortion and when a human being becomes inherantly valuable (I think it’s from conception).

The Myth of Happily Ever After
4 myths about marriage. Good advice.

Whatever: Writing Tips for Non-Writers Who Don’t Want to Work at Writing
Please, PLEASE read this. Thankyou for your attention. Oh, don’t forget to do what it says; writing with correct grammar and punctuation makes it easier to understand you.

That’s Just Your Opinion
On the demise of the expert. Except, some people really are experts, and you should probably listen to them (within their field anyway).

RU486 debate
Why should women have a say regarding men and rape? OR why shouldn’t men have a say in discussions on abortion?

Help for Bible Students (Part One)
Lots of good stuff here - mainly about the bible and translations etc. Unfortunately for Dan, his page is not too easy on the eyes… sorry Dan.

The Fishbowl: You Wouldn’t Steal a Movie
I hate this ad at the beginning of movies. Movies I’ve ALREADY PAID FOR. Idiots. (language warning).

Del.icio.us links brought to you today by the letter T and the number 3.

I have been asked by Kim and Jason to take part in their Adultitis Escape Plan, a 40-day plan to become more childlike (not childish)
and to reduce stress and prevent dullness, depression and [insert
another word beginning with ‘d’ here]. Of course I’m gonna do it.

Dreary-ness, that begins with ‘D’.

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The thirty-sixth task: Accessorize your wardrobe today with a touch of childhood.

My normal work attire consists of a t-shirt (or normal shirt) and pants. Not exactly standard business attire, and the exact type of clothes I wore as a kid. The clothes I wear are pretty much straight from my childhood as it is, so I wasn’t sure what I would do for this task.

Until I visited my parent’s house.

I found a handbag my mum had made, and saw that if I put it on my head, it looked like a cross between a chef’s hat, one of those russian hats, and a beefeater hat. Cool.

I marched around their house for a bit while wearing it, and managed to get everyone there to laugh out loud. Espescially Mat. He fell over laughing.

Kids can wear anything they want and as long as they feel like it’s cool, it’s cool.

I’m cool.

RodeoClown: probably wouldn’t wear this outside.