I'd Buy That For A Dollar!!

2004-12-03T11:37:00.000+11:00

THIS BLOG HAS MOVED

Goldfinch Family.com

2004-12-01T07:13:00.000+11:00

~~ NOTICE ~~

This weblog will be moving on the 3rd of December.

The new address is goldfinchfamily.com

All comments will be lost (no biggie really).

I appreciate your patience as we all endeavour to make your visit a safe and enjoyable experience.

P.S. The new site is a little 'bare' but I will be decorating it in the weeks to come.

2004-11-30T09:34:00.000+11:00

THREE THINGS

THREE THINGS I DO NOT UNDERSTAND
1 – Aggressive Drivers
2 – Management ;)
3 – Belly Button Lint

THREE THINGS I AM WEARING RIGHT NOW
1 – Mismatching Socks
2 – Work Shirt
3 – Long Shorts

THREE THINGS ON MY DESK
1 – Two Computers (G5 & G4)
2 – Ctenanthe - Grey Star (Pot Plant)
3 – Guinness Coaster

THREE THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE
1 – Sky Dive
2 – Have a Home Theatre
3 – Go To a Greenbay Packers Game At Lambeau Field

THREE PARTS OF MY HERITAGE
1 – English
2 – Scottish
3 – Australian

THREE THINGS I LIKE ABOUT MY BODY
1 – Eyes
2 – Smile
3 – Hair (amount of)

THREE THINGS I DO NOT LIKE ABOUT MY BODY
1 – Weight
2 – Height
3 – Lack of Chin

THREE THINGS MOST PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW ABOUT ME
1 – I Was Born In Wellington, New Zealand
2 – My Middle Name Is John Howard
3 – I Met Kristin At Scruffy Murphy's

THREE THINGS I SAY THE MOST
1 – It's All Good
2 – Rad
3 – Good Stuff

THREE PLACES I WANT TO GO
1 – Florence, Italy
2 – Grand Canyon, Arizona
3 – Outer Space

THREE NAMES THAT I GO BY (ASIDE FROM MY OWN)
1– Finch
2– Bert
3– Boffo

2004-11-29T07:24:00.000+11:00

Okay, I'm sorry but I didn't get around to writing up about what the pics were in the previous post. I'll make up for it (I hope) by filling you in a little with what has gone on, is going on, and post two more pics from the wedding.

It's been a busy couple of weeks as we prepare to move (yet again) this Saturday (4/12). We will be moving to Lindfield which will make it a shorter trip for Kristin into the city when she starts work in January, but it will ad about 15 mins to my trip... oh well, we all love getting up at 5am for work!!

We had a few of Kristin's friend over on Saturday night to celebrate her birthday that was a week ago. It was a nice night with Gerard & Briar joining in the fun as well. Our last guest didn't leave 'til 2:30am so I got my second wind and watched the Wallabies beat the English for the second time since losing to them in the World Cup final.

This photo will give you a better view of the Brides dress as she walks down the isle with her mother who gave her away.
Everyone together now "Awwww..."

At the reception, we all danced up a storm. It did seem that the 'oldies' were showing us a thing or two though. Seen here, Mel's Pop rips up the dance floor with Mal's (and my) Granny.

2004-11-21T22:00:00.000+11:00

Here are some pictures from the weekend. I'll edit this post and add comments to them later in the week.

Mum & Bub

Great Great-Grand-Parents

Charlotte & Bop

Family Fun

I Love Your Nails

The Reception

Fireplace

Cutting The Cake

2004-11-18T17:19:00.000+11:00

It's a small world after all...

Of all the times I could have gone into the plate making room, I happened to go in this afternoon. And of all the rag bags in Australia, of all the rag bags in Pemara, of all the rags in one rag bag, a plate maker at my work picked this one:

What is it? I know a few of you who know what it is!!

To find out, just look in the comments, hopefully someone will have pick it ;)

2004-11-17T10:08:00.000+11:00

Well, as I had said in the previous post, today is Thursday because I have Friday off making tomorrow Friday for me and not Thursday like it is for everyone else... this train of thought has made things a little confusing. I keep forgetting what day it is!!!

The only thing that is important is that I remember it's the 17th today!!

Happy Birthday Timbo F5

2004-11-16T08:03:00.000+11:00

20 Years Ago, I ...
1. Was five years old and living in Wahroonga
2. Discovered how to swear thanks to the Twelfth Man. I was also asking "Who you gonna call?"
3. Was looking forward to starting school at Warrawee Public

15 Years Ago, I ...
1. Was excited about seeing 30 second shorts of a show called The Simpsons on The Tracey Ullman Show
2. Repeated year 4 (because of my age I swear) and started school at Barker College
3. First and only huge family holiday over seas (not including Fiji or New Zealand), 3 weeks traveling around the USA

10 Years Ago, I ...
1. Was in year 9 at Barker
2. Was sweet 15 and never been kissed
3. Crossed my legs after hearing what Lorena Bobbitt did

5 Years Ago, I ...
1. Had just started dating a lovely lady named Kristin
2. Had a 1967 Rambler Ambassador
3. Was living in Waverton with my parents

3 Years Ago, I ...
1. Had moved out with Kristin and my big bro to Artarmon
2. Was awarded DuPont Australian Flexographic Apprentice of 2001, award included a trip to the USA, I arrived home 11/9/01
3. Kristin guessed the Secret Sound

1 Year Ago, I ...
1. Got married for the first time ;)
2. Moved from Greenwich to St Leonards
3. Was retrenched and within 3 weeks was employed again

So far this year, I ...
1. Have had a baby girl with some help from Kristin
2. Moved to Hornsby
3. Have started playing touch footy with some mates

Yesterday, I ...
1. Went to work (happy, happy, joy, joy)
2. Played touch footy with my mates
3. Had home made hamburgers for dinner

Today, I ...
1. Just made it to work (I'm really not a morning person)
2. Thought about tinkering with an even newer Blog
3. Hope Kristin gets the marinader at the Tupperware party she is going to

Tomorrow, I...
1. Be thinking it's really Thursday not Wednesday because I'm taking Friday off
2. Will be thinking of my big bro on his 29th birthday
3. Will get confused because they have moved the new episodes of the Simpsons to Mondays

2004-11-13T17:54:00.000+11:00

A nice day today. We took a stroll down to a local reserve. It did end up being a little too breezy for our liking but we still managed to take a pic or two

We decided that a trip to the shops to window shop for Kristin's birthday and get a spot of Chrissy shopping done. While there, there was a photo stand that gives you a portrait for $7, with your best photo going into a competition to receive some free portraits. I took this 'behind the scenes' photo.

Inspired by this sitting, we took it upon ourselves to capture our own Glamour Shots

2004-11-10T13:43:00.000+11:00

Charlie & The Chocolate Factory

Totally Trivial:
# A camera lens worth $540,000, wasn't properly secured when trying to get a shot of a vat of chocolate. As a result, the camera fell into the vat which destroyed it.

# Screenwriter John August had never even seen Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) when asked by Tim Burton to write the script. After finishing the screenplay, he finally watched the 1971 version, only to be surprised at how much darker the "family film" was to his own.

2004-11-09T21:40:00.000+11:00

101 things to do with your child... well... okay, things I do :)

2004-11-06T09:03:00.000+11:00

Charlotte has been making little chomping/chewing motions with her mouth, without anything in it. We thought, seeing as it's been four months, that we would give her some Farex. As you can see by her expression, she wasn't quite too sure what to make of it.

2004-10-29T11:38:00.000+10:00

An endless supply of smiles :)

What a cheeky little thing!! Rolling around as she does.

After a good play, you need some time to grab a few z's.

2004-10-28T07:54:00.000+10:00

Sorry for the lack of posting...
I was going to post about smells and stuff, but i have been tinkering with a new blog site.
Some pics and stuff will be up soon :)

{EDIT}
It was only a matter of time: iPod Photo.

Creating a seperate company from Apple for the iPod was a smart idea and has given the iPod some room to move, check this out for a novel idea:

2004-10-20T16:37:00.000+10:00

I should tell the stories behind some of these pics...

One thing they say you should do for your baby is give them "Tummy Time". In this day and age where SIDs is a well know cause of death for young babies, we try as much as we can to reduce the risk of it happening. One way to do this is to keep the cot bare of objects that could suffocate the baby, toys et al. Another is to keep the baby on its back as much as you can, because of this, the babies necks don't strengthen well. A way to increase the neck muscles is to lay (and supervise) the baby on its tummy. While not all tummy time is spent on dads tummy, she does seem to enjoy it (not sure if it's due to the soft nature of my tummy...).

We have started to give Charlotte a little top up of formula. She is also starting to pick things up and bring them to her mouth. Now she may not have held the bottle for long, but I think it's impressive.

Kristin heard Charlotte chattering away like crazy the other day. She thought it would be wise to see what was making our little chicken so vocal. Upon entry Kristin was greeted with the sight of two little pink legs hanging out of the cot. Not seeming to care at all (or not even knowing more like it), Charlotte was happy enough to keep mumbling through her two fists. I wonder if she could beat me by getting both fists in her mouth at the same time...

2004-10-19T07:22:00.000+10:00

Yesterday, Monday the 18th, was National Chocolate Cupcake Day in the US.
Need I say more?
No.
I has not stopped raining for around 30 odd hours now. And I love it.

2004-10-18T18:10:00.000+10:00

We wish we were there as well ;)

2004-10-17T13:20:00.000+10:00

Directions for downloading these pics:
* Click on the pic, you'll get taken to my Flickr page
* Select "All Sizes" located to the left of the image
* Choose your preferred size Thumbnail, Small, Medium or Large
* Then click "Download this version"

2004-10-13T20:17:00.000+10:00

Ummm... another pic of Charlotte

2004-10-10T22:55:00.000+10:00

Charlotte and her great grandfather Pop. (he's about 92)

2004-10-08T20:46:00.000+10:00

The wonderful view of Tahlee's great lavender garden

A wonderful day on the golf course

2004-10-08T07:31:00.000+10:00

I'm sorry for the lack of photos, it's been a full on week at work. I should be able to get something up over the next few days.

In other news, I'll be starting a new blog site soon and I'll have a .com address that is more relevent to me and my family than this one.

Two things to think about:

# Everything in life is important, important things are simple, simple things are never easy.

# The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds, the pessimist fears this is true.

2004-10-05T07:31:00.000+10:00

"Yeess welcome back"

Had a great long weekend up at the Hunter. I'll have cool photos and more updates this arvo.

In the mean time, head on over to Tahlee.com for all the latest updates on the grapes, social events and family photos.

2004-09-29T07:38:00.000+10:00

Well this morning at about 5am Kristin, Charlotte and Valerie hit the road for a 900km trip to Toowoomba, Queensland. Valerie is a school teacher and seeing as its school holidays and Kristin is still off work (till January), they decided it would be nice to show off Charlotte to all her great uncles and aunts and some second cousins who are all in Queensland. They will also head out to see her great grandfather in Miles, another 215km... lucky they have a nice air conditioned car, I'm just not too sure how Charlotte will go on a 12 hour trip, gotta love those truck stops!!

In other news, this means I can watch my Star Wars DVDs!!! See, Kristin has not seen the original movies from the 70's and 80's. When she sees Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith in May next year she'll watch them then.

This weekend is looking quite full, and with new computers due at work any day now (today actually), next Wednesday will roll around and Kristin & Charlotte will be back before I know it.

2004-09-28T07:27:00.000+10:00

Pics, pics and more pics ;)

~

~

~

2004-09-27T13:03:00.000+10:00

We have some wonderful (well I think so at least) pics to post. We just need to wait for our image hosting site to get up and running again :)

2004-09-26T14:48:00.000+10:00

More cute pics...

2004-09-24T07:42:00.000+10:00

I got a call from Tim last night. It was nice just to have a yarn with my big bro and catch up on all that is going on in Scotland (well, things to do with him at least) and just chat about computers and movies. I told him I would post a pic of Charlotte that has been taken recently, so here they are.
Click on the image to get a larger version
I have done this so that the page loads up nice and fast. The first pic is of Charlotte when she first grabbed onto something.

2004-09-20T13:03:00.000+10:00

I'll be posting some pics and stuff from Gerard & Briar's engagement party that was last Saturday some time soon... well when I get my hands on some pics ;)
I have a friend who is cycling from Perth to Sydney for charity. Go to his website EzyRidersTour.com.au for info and updates, they are a silly bunch.
Oh and the pics on this site should be working now.

2004-09-17T08:09:00.000+10:00

Hmmm..... for some reason the site that hosts our pics is having problems.
Bummer

2004-09-15T20:55:00.000+10:00

Here are a few pics of Wayne's 21st... ok, it's all of them ;)

2004-09-15T10:08:00.000+10:00

I love Dilbert

2004-09-14T09:52:00.000+10:00

We had my Bro-in-law Wayne's 21st Birthday party on Saturday night. Two of his many, many Uncles came down from Queensland and his Nana also joined us all. Here is a nice shot of "Little" Nana

While sitting down to dinner last night Kristin noticed that Charlotte had done something new, she had grabbed onto one of her play-things!! What a smart little chicken

I saw Hellboy on Sunday night and thought it was a nice little romp. I wouldn't put it in my "I'll buy that when it comes out on DVD" basket but it was good none the less. I could go as far as give it a "I was glad I got to see it on the big screen" and a "Yeah, it was a lot of fun". Unfortunatly it will also gets "Was a bit slow in parts" and "Didn't quite know what was going on".
The most trivial bit of info I have about Hellboy:
After completion of the Hellboy make-up, the only part of Ron Perlman's body that can actually be seen are his eyelids.

2004-09-10T10:04:00.000+10:00

A while back I got into watching CSI: Miami, the stories/crimes were interesting and the characters had some depth to them. I couldn't quite see what the original CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was all about, Grissom came across as some silly, nerdy, socially inept character that had few redeeming features... well after watching a few episodes I was converted. No more Miami for me, Las Vagas is where I want to be solving my murders! During the Olympics they ran repeats, giving me the chance to see all the background episodes I has missed to date. I am now up to speed and hankering for Tuesday to rock around each week.

They now have a new series called Cold Case on Channel 9. It's based on people who solve cases that have been filed away for years and never been solved...until now!!! It was OK but I think the flashbacks were a bit cheesy, the soundtrack was good though (and bound to change each week as we find ourselves in yet another year with yet another unsolved case).

In the reality section of crime solving, Channel 7 now has Forensic Investigations. They pool together all of the original footage and information they can find from murders and crimes that have been solved and the perpetrators incarcerated. With minimal reenactments and detailed interviews with investigators and people involved, this show gives you an all too real feeling (seeing as it is real... duh). Add to that the fact that these crimes happened here in Australia (Northern Beaches in last weeks episode), it hits a little too close for comfort leaving you with an uneasy feeling but you get some satisfaction seeing these people found out.

2004-09-09T07:43:00.000+10:00

In 13 days time the original trilogy of Star Wars will be released on DVD for the first time, in what some reviewers are saying is the best ever restoration of a film onto DVD. The fact that Mr Lucas is not releasing the original theatrical versions of the films has upset a few fan-boys. To add insult to injury Darth Lucas has tweaked the Special Editions that were released in 1997. The addition of Naboo to the celebrations scene at the end of Return of the Jedi, the cleaning up of the dated '97 CGI and some other minor cosmetics (Han now shots Greedo quicker after Greedo fires first) could be seen as reasonable... the problem a lot of people are having is that they have replaced the old actor who played Anakin Skywalker in Return of the Jedi with Hayden Christensen the younger version... doesn't quite faze me much, we'll just have to see all 6 movies back to back to appreciate the final effect.

2004-09-07T11:45:00.000+10:00

For more pics of Charlotte's Baptism go to Wayne's Photo Site. He also has some other pics that are cool.

2004-09-07T11:37:00.000+10:00

In News To Hand...

Dr Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant, Beaker, are everything Britain looks for in a scientist - they're accessible, humorous and occasionally blow each other up.

The two muppets, who created an array of crazy gadgets on The Muppet Show, defeated Dr Strangelove, Dana Scully from The X Files and Star Trek's Mr Spock in a poll to find Britain's favourite screen scientist.

The balding, white-coated Honeydew and flame-haired, bulging-eyed Beaker created an array of crazy gadgets on the popular television show.

"They're the kind of scientists you would like to be but never quite dared to," said Alan Slater, a scientist at Exeter University.

Reuters

2004-09-05T21:18:00.000+10:00

A great day today.
My first Fathers Day and Charlotte's Baptism:

Wishing you were here Tim :(

2004-09-04T09:55:00.000+10:00

Today sees me at home with Charlotte. Kristin has gone over to her parents to help them out with some work. Now it's my time to corrupt her mind... muwhaa ha haaawr ha ha!!!!!
Tomorrow sees Charlotte's baptism and my first Fathers Day, as a father that is. Kristin and I have chosen Nicola, an old school friend of Kristin's to be Charlotte's Godmother and Tim my brother to be her Godfather. Seeing as Tim is in Edinburgh at the moment we'll have Kristin's brother Gerard filling in for him.

2004-09-02T07:18:00.000+10:00

Wow, two days in a row.
Last night we found out that the soccer season is over and thus the lights at the oval we go to to play touch football now has no lights!! Major bummer. The only thing that could make me happy was a new episode of The Simpsons (Smart & Smarter), they still have the magic touch on me.

I'm not too happy with City Rail, well more so than usual. I was waiting 50 minutes for a train yesterday with not so much as a 'Sorry for any inconvenience'. To make matters worse, later in the evening I went back to the train station and had to wait a further 15 minutes for a train running 5 minutes late?! Maybe they should print a new timetable that is 10 minutes later than the one we have now but don't tell the drivers...

2004-09-01T09:54:00.000+10:00

Yes, welcome back.

I'll be posting more often in the future, I just needed some time to settle into some sort of... well... I"m not too sure what but I wasn't posting.

In news to hand, Charlotte & Kristin are doing just fine. Little Miss has been making more and more noises and participates in 'call and response' quite well. She does however get fed up when her toys don't join in and 'cracks the shits'.

In non family news, Apple just revealed the new iMac G5

If you have an old Mac and are thinking of getting a new one, you need wait no more.

2004-08-22T20:28:00.000+10:00

The family portrait we took at the races.

2004-08-21T21:06:00.000+10:00

The three of us went to Randwick Race Course last weekend for Kristin's works 5th birthday. This nice photo is of myself & Charlotte with Duncan & Gavin, just two of Kristin's lovely work colleagues.

2004-08-17T22:02:00.000+10:00

Due to a few friendly emails, I have replaced the pic of my dad with one of him and mum.
In other news, Blogger have removed their advertising from the top of my blog and replaced it with a search field... better than the ad but still useless to me :)

2004-08-15T21:21:00.000+10:00

In the imortal words of Monty Python's Flying Circus:

And now for something completly different!!

If you want to test out the strength and quality of this amazing thing we call The Internet, then just go HERE. This thing has EVERY character from ANY TV show you can think of. We tried Alf, Bumble Bee Man and Gill from The Simpsons, Lister from Red Dwarf, Vivian from Young Ones, it even got Betty from Hey Dad and Steph Kennedy from Neighbours!!! Give it a go, you'll be racking your brain for someone to stump it with :)

2004-08-13T07:19:00.000+10:00

Okay, all things Charlotte aside Kristin and I are doing well. We seem to have a busier social life now than we did three months ago. Kristin & Charlotte are going to a few different Mothers Meetings and play groups each week and I'm off to working and playing touch football with a few friends on Wednesday nights.
This weekend sees us going out to teppanyaki for a birthday dinner and the Races for Kristin's works 5th Birthday bash. Next weekend we'll all head up to Tahlee with Kristin's parents to have a few drinks and share some European holiday snaps. It's going to be Charlottes first time up there and I'm looking forward to her seeing it (and playing with Buzzy & Tipsy).
In a little bit if sad news, a good friend of mine Nick received the Big Brother Movement Award for Rugby a while back and received a scholarship to play rugby in Scotland. He was due to fly out of Sydney last Monday (9/8) but someone else thought otherwise, while playing his last game for Gordon on the Saturday he was unfortunate enough to have his Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee snap. So now the plane ticket has been pushed back till October, he'll have surgery and hopefully have a strong recovery in time for some games in Scotland... such is life hey?

2004-08-12T21:36:00.000+10:00

This is what our days seem to be full of

Even playing doesn't tire her out, she just has buckets of energy!!

You thought the last two smiles were big!!

It's not until her last feed of the night (~10:30pm) that she sleeps well, and sleeps well she does (till ~7am!!)!!

2004-07-31T16:13:00.000+10:00

I haven't been posting much... kind of got our hans full at the moment.
Here is the number 1 place I have set myself to get to in my lifetime. It's the Pont De Vecchio in Florence, Italy.

Photo taken by Roger Goldfinch

2004-07-19T20:08:00.000+10:00

::Hot News::
My Brother-in-law Gerard successfully proposed to his girlfriend Briar last Saturday.
Congrats you two :)

"Wow Dad! Your sidebar rules, check out all the links and stuff you have!"

I'm sure she would say that if she could talk... and surf the net.

2004-07-14T12:24:00.000+10:00

Kristin

Phil

Charlotte

2004-07-12T16:37:00.000+10:00

We finished the film from the film camera yesterday so here are a selection of film photos (I got them to scan them on CD as well) from the 22nd onwards...

Me holding Charlotte right after she was born

Kristin holding Charlotte for the first time

She makes some funny/cute faces (almost 'One Miilllion Dolllaars!')

This is what we call 'Milk Drunk', she is still alive just a little drunk...

2004-07-09T12:18:00.000+10:00

Time to get nerdy:
Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) has just wrapped up for another year. This is where Apple invite all of the developers for the Mac along to see what is planned for the future of Mac (and to give them the tools to develop new features to take advantage of the new things).
Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple started his keynote by giving some stats on music downloads, iTunes, AirPort Express (with AirTunes) for Mac & PC, and iPod your BMW.

Next up was something that blew my mind. Previously Mac held the record for large Cinema Displays at 23"... well, they have redesigned their 20" & 23" displays to have a smaller footprint, smaller bezel (boarder), 2 Firewire ports, 2 USB ports, and better quality (and PC compatibility via a DVI connection), but why stop there? Why not make the next size up 77% larger!!! 30"!!!! This things has to have 2 DVI connections!!! Plus, if you wanted you could add another duel DVI card and have 2 30" displays next to each other!!!!!

I'm getting tired writing about all the new things coming up so here are just some of the new features of OS 10.4 (Tiger):
• H.264 to be incorporated into Quicktime and iChat.
• Safari RSS
• Spotlight search engine (can even find text that is embedded in a PDF!).
• iChat with 3 other people, or up to 10 people with audio only.
• Dashboard Exposé for Widgets.
• Automator. Automate commands... pretty much anything you can think of doing. i.e. download pictures from a webpage, upload them into iPhoto into a new folder, delete them from the desktop, import them into iDVD and create a DVD slideshow. All in the one action.

I'll return you to regular programing now ;)

2004-07-08T18:57:00.000+10:00

Congratulations go to my sister Amy and brother-in-law Andrew on the birth of their third child Bethany Anne Heap, born this afternoon weighing in at 10lbs 7ozs. More information I'm sure will be posted on their blog.

2004-07-07T14:15:00.000+10:00

Charlotte & Charlotte's Grandpa

2004-07-05T17:26:00.000+10:00

Took Charlotte to see her Great-Grandparents (my mothers parents) today. We caught up and heard a few more war stories (always interesting). Here is a picture of Granny and Charlotte. Bamma is in my banner if you want to see him :)

2004-07-03T16:31:00.000+10:00

Kristin's parents are back and making up for lost time with Charlotte. Little Miss C got quite a lot of gifts from various people Peter & Valerie visited OS (and a bundle from her Grandparents thenselves who bought something in every port - just kidding).
It wasn't just Charlotte who scored from the trip...

Thanks go to everyone who made this surprise a... um.. surprise, and possible. :)
oh, for those of you who don't know, it was the Brett Favre jersey.

2004-07-01T14:52:00.000+10:00

We are just getting into the swing of things and trying to make some routines that will work with us.
Kristin's parents have left LA and are now in transit back to Sydney, we'll see them (and the brothers) tomorrow morning for a breakfast and an over due introduction.
In other news my sister Amy has made it to the magical 1st of July for the $3k baby bonus. Well done you guys and all the best.
My parents are still OS and will be back on the 24th, we miss you guys :)

2004-06-28T10:14:00.000+10:00

Well, Charlotte is 6 days old today yay!
Last night was our first night at home and things didn't go too well. Charlotte just wouldn't take to the breast and I did a few walks around the block to the chemist for bottles, lids, formula (which we haven't used yet) and some panadeine. We did end up having a wonderful night due to Charlotte having some good feeds of expressed milk in a bottle. All rested and ready to go to our Early Childhood Centre this arvo.

Leaving the Hospital

Cute in the car seat (I love the James-Bond-villian-looking scar (scratch))

2004-06-26T09:43:00.000+10:00

First bath... not to happy about it

2004-06-24T13:42:00.000+10:00

More photos can be found at Wayne's Photo Site

2004-06-24T10:57:00.000+10:00

Everything is running smoothly. Charlotte is taking to the breast well and Kristin's supply is coming along.
I'd like to thank everyone for their wishes, prayers and support, it does mean a lot to us.

2004-06-23T00:37:00.000+10:00

Add:
17 hours,
Nitrous oxide,
Pethidine,
Epidural,
General Anaesthetic,
and an Emergancy Cesarean and what do you get?
Charlotte Joyce Goldfinch

Priceless

The Details:
Born 2:40pm, 22nd June 2004
Weight: 4525g (10lbs)
Length: 55cm

Mother and Baby doing just fine :)

2004-06-21T18:25:00.000+10:00

In other important news...

2004-06-21T16:09:00.000+10:00

Yep, another few days down and still no bubby... just holding out till Thursday night.
It's like knowing that you are getting this totally boss Birthday present but you only sort of know when your birthday is. Now it is the time of my birthday but I don't have my present... get it?, nah, neither do I (feel sorry for Kristin, she has to put up with these kind of analogies all the time)

2004-06-19T17:03:00.000+10:00

D-Day+3
The reason for not posting for a while is not due to the birth of our first child, but from sheer laziness!!!
Kristin was due to give birth last Wednesday, oh well... we are booked in for her to be induced this Thursday night (24th) which means she may be born that night or some time on Friday. At the moment we are past the frustration of not knowing when she is coming and are willing to just wait for Thursday (or before is she so chooses).
I'll be taking Friday off work if she is being induced, then back to work on the Monday (just to knock over some work if needed, and Kristin will still be in the hospital), after that I have three weeks holidays!! I'm looking forward to being able to spend that time with my family (all three of us), and it will give me the chance to take a HEAP of photos ;)
In other news The Simpsons Season 4 will be out on DVD just in time for Fathers Day, I love it when things like that just slot into place.
Star Wars: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back & Return of the Jedi will be released on DVD in the Special Edition (and maybe some more adjustments) only, in September. I'm looking forward to not only having the OT (Original Trilogy) on DVD but also the new feature length documentary about the Saga... hmmm

2004-06-13T21:19:00.000+10:00

Comparative photo:
Kristin 39 1/2 weeks
Amy 34 weeks (8 1/2 months)

2004-06-13T19:49:00.000+10:00

What happens when I don't have much to do...

2004-06-12T23:07:00.000+10:00

I was reminded very abstractly about how when DVDs were starting to be released, that I thought about the DVD titles I would love to own. There were only two (well three if you included Star Wars but back then Star Wars was never going to be released, bring on September 21!!), The Blues Brothers and Stand By Me. These two movies alone would last me a lifetime on a deserted island, well, one that had a DVD player... and a huge widescreen TV... oh, and electricity to power them of course.

2004-06-12T20:11:00.000+10:00

2004-06-12T17:20:00.000+10:00

Pics taken today at Wahroonga Park.

2004-06-09T22:29:00.000+10:00

2004-06-07T20:11:00.000+10:00

I had an old dream crushed tonight.
I was in Wahroonga (where I lived 1979-1995) and had a few minutes to spare, so I did something I had been meaning to do for a while. There is a video store located in the carpark and up some narrow stairs, it's called Video Vault. For many, many years all the signage has been up managing to survive the elements which would lead me to think "Has this tiny video store managed to hold on to a bunch of loyal customers and stay in business?" There would be a "Video Vault Is Open, Up Stairs" fold out sign... surely it's still open?!
So I did it. I went up the stairs. When I got to the top (well, it's halfway up the staircase but if you are at your destination surely you are at the top?) I was surprised to see a gutted room, littered with a handful of old TVs, VCRs and printers. I hesitated for a while. Should I go in? If I stepped in who would I find there? Bugger it, I needed closure. I took the plunge *bingbong**bingbong*. It sure smelt the same (memories of standing at the horror section just staring at the covers and getting scared flood back).
I'll spare the the boring dialogue but I just told him that I had not been there for about 12 years and was wondering if it was still a video store. He reinforced the fact that it had been around 12 years so the chances were slim. After offering his TV repairing skills and his large range of goods (the ones scattered on the floor) I departed. I did have closure, but at what cost?
On the other hand, there are still shops there that have not changed one iota. I mean seriously, even the owners/workers of the Fish n Chip shop on the corner are still there!! And they haven't changed anything in the shop, the prawn cutlets are still in the same place, right next to the tartar sauce.

2004-06-01T12:23:00.000+10:00

A heap of childhood memories and feelings come flooding back and all you need to do is mention a TV show... I'm not sure if this is the new sign of a misspent youth?
Shows that do this for me:
Alf, MASK, Valerie, Perfect Strangers, Family Ties, just to name but a few and who could foget You Can't Do That On Television... classic

2004-06-01T08:13:00.000+10:00

If you feel like seeing some more of this world, go to my Bro-in-laws photo site. He has heaps of pics from his trip around Australia, but it is also the home of the HUGE gallery of pics from my In-Laws trip through South America/North America/Ireland/Greece that they did a few months ago and just the other day they updated their trip around France/Spain/etc... which they are still on!!! Right now!!!
There has been a link to it in the Photos section for a while but I just thought you might like to know... while you are checking out those links, there is one for a mate of mines Bucks Party ;)

2004-05-30T20:44:00.000+10:00

Yummy food. Kristin has been cranking out some wonderful meals and some fantastic snacks since she has been off work.
From the Melting Moments seen below to the very scrumptious Chicken & Leek Pie we had with my parents.
I love food soooo much. I also think that I have been cursed with a bottomless stomach. For many years I have been able to finish pretty much anything that is on my plate, and then some!! These days I can still eat it all but I have made a conscious decision to try and only eat what my body needs (though recently I have been caving in to sympathy cravings), no more, no less... how much that is, well, I'm still deciding ;)

2004-05-26T12:15:00.000+10:00

Coming Soon...
I think i'll post a "How To" series, starting with "How To Eat A Meat Pie"

2004-05-24T12:24:00.000+10:00

Troy

For honor. For victory. For love. For destiny. For passion. For Troy

Not quite up to the standard of Gladiator, but it was still fun to watch. Very long running at 163 minutes, this gave the director time to flesh out the relationships between the major characters.
As you may know it is based on Homer's Illiad, and I use the term based very loosely. See it at the movies if you must get the whole 'experience' of the big screen, otherwise save it for a good night in when it comes out on DVD, no doubt with loads of extras and behind the scenes footage.
Great performances all round with extra credit for Eric Bana, Peter O'Tool and German newcomer Diane Kruger.

Totally Trivial:
Two biologist were employed to protect the eggs of turtles on the beaches of Mexico where filming took place.

2004-05-23T01:42:00.000+10:00

Kristin, 36 1/2 weeks

Outlined by me in a way which I had never done before but thought of this afternoon... or might just have to do with the 1:46am time ;)

2004-05-22T16:12:00.000+10:00

How cute do those booties look in a drawer!!

2004-05-22T16:08:00.000+10:00

My Brother-in-law Wayne dropped by last night and took one of his famous self shots. He has gotten so good at these that you no longer look directly up his nose!!

2004-05-21T18:28:00.000+10:00

My computer

... just thought you might want to see it

2004-05-20T20:14:00.000+10:00

This pic always makes me smile. It was taken during my trip to the States in '01. I have no idea why this dedicated chair is there...

Oh, it's in Chicago (That's pronounced Chick-a-go by the American Indians)

2004-05-19T22:02:00.000+10:00

A crane place I pass on the way to work. Kind of freaks me out, I don't know why, maybe it's because they look like giraffes.

My desk... well part of it at least. Look around, there are some fun things there ;)

On second inspection, due to the resizing of the image it's hard to make out my lava lamp and Roxannes sign that says "SMILE: It's the Second best Thing You Can Do With Your Lips"... some things are better left alone ;p

2004-05-18T22:39:00.000+10:00

Our way to brighten up the walls of the nursery

2004-05-17T16:37:00.000+10:00

This might come in handy soon

2004-05-16T21:39:00.000+10:00

A big Thanks goes out to Tim (as well as Mum & Dad and Wayne) for my new toy.

I think you'll be seeing more pics as the weeks, months and years unfold ;)

2004-05-14T08:05:00.000+10:00

Please vote in my new Poll about what Domain Name to register.

2004-05-12T17:00:00.000+10:00

What's in a name?
I read this months issue of Empire Magazine and found an article about disaster movies interesting. It reminded me that there are some people out the that just don't get it. In recounting some good and bad disaster movies in history the article named some movies whose titles don't leave much to the imagination, for example The Night The Bridge Fell Down and Aliens From Another Planet?!?! I mean really, could they have been Earthlings from another planet?
The article follows from a cover of the new film The Day After Tomorrow where the director says big studios didn't think audiences would 'get' the title, offering Superstorm as a suitable replacement. I'm in the school of 'let the audience make up their mind' (discussed in a way here), so what if the title makes no sense!... or the movie for that matter.

2004-05-11T07:48:00.000+10:00

How do you play your game?
It seems that with All Star Survivor over, a few contestants got offended with how some of the others played the 'game'. The idea behind Survivior is to "Outwit, Outlast & Outplay" it seems that the final two did this, but did they loose some genuine friends along the way? Those who played the game and did not have friendships outside the game with fellow contestants took it all as being part of the show. Those with friendships before the game seem to have, through actions taken on the show, broken their bond and fractured what friendships they had. These people seem to have thought that friendships were worth more than the $1m dollar prize... but would they have felt the same about their friendships if it was them in the final two?

2004-05-08T09:20:00.000+10:00

What happens when someone comes up to you and says "Remember me? Long time no see!"?
This happened to me last night. I was having dinner at Claypots when an elderly waiter came up to me and uttered those words... hmm... he look familiar so my response was "Sure I remember you" the problem was I just could remember where I knew him from. Now he's not one of these people that tell you right away, he's the kind that keep you guessing and I don't like that!!
I have this faint recollection of the waiter serving me food... in a take-away shop... but where? When?... I'm starting to guess back in my old suburb years ago, "Was he from Con's? The Fish & Chips shop?"... I'm running out of ideas when he gives me a clue. "If I say the name Daniel what would that mean to you?"... I'm still lost. "How about Network Graphics/Graphic Synergy?"
I'VE GOT IT!!!!
Taz, this guy, he used to cook my morning tea for about four years, about three years ago!! Being the apprentice, I would collect everyones orders for morning tea, fax them off (the shop was just over the road but the fax was quicker) then go and pick them up. For four or so years, every weekday, I would go over and chat to Taz and Rose. They were a lot of fun. A good break from work ;)
Now this is either a testament to how, given time, you tend to forget some people that have been in your life day after day... or just my bad memory. I think it's the latter.

2004-05-07T07:45:00.000+10:00

I've had a nice few days.
On Wednesday I played Touch Footy with some friends and then picked up a BBQ chicken & chips for my 'special' dinner (it was the easiest and cheapest thing I could think of without going to KFC, Macca's etc...)
Last night I went to The Blue Gum for a few quiet drinks and some nice bistro food. It kinda makes you feel silly when you reserve two tables for 20 people and you get a turnout of about 8 people. It's all good though, I had a good time and almost won $50,000 on a scratchie, I was sooo close!! ;)
Today is my bro-in-laws birthday (Hippo birdie two ewe) and we're all going out to dinner tonight, should be a good night.

2004-05-05T08:32:00.000+10:00

This Day in History

1821: Former French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte dies in exile on the island of St. Helena.

1921: Chanel No. 5 perfume, created by perfumer Ernst Beaux for Coco Chanel, is launched.

1925: Biology teacher John Scopes is arrested for teaching the theory of evolution, which is outlawed in Tennessee public schools; he is later convicted in the so-called "Monkey Trial."

1961: Astronaut Alan Shepard makes a 15-minute suborbital flight, becoming the first American to travel in space.

1981: Bobby Sands is the first of 10 Irish Republican Army hunger strikers to die in a Belfast prison; they were protesting their treatment as criminals rather than political prisoners.

Born on this day

Christopher Morley, writer and editor (1890)

Karl Marx, political philosopher and revolutionist (1818)

James Beard, chef, cookbook writer, columnist, and critic (1903)

Tammy Wynette, country music singer and songwriter (1942)

Philip Goldfinch, graphic reproductionist, jack of all trades (1979)

2004-05-04T12:13:00.000+10:00

May the Fourth be with you

2004-05-03T09:53:00.000+10:00

A weekend full of "I'm sorry but I can't let you take anything", "3-somes","How cute is that!", "Nice shot" and "$1 million"
Friday night was a quiet night we were going to spend together with a video, the only problem, they wouldn't let us rent anything!! We are a member of this video rental chain in another region but it seems our card is not valid anywhere else (no statewide database?), on top of this we had no proof of a new local address!! Oh well, their loss. Our gain though, was that there was a 3-some on, 'Four Weddings and a Funeral', 'Top Gun' and 'The Terminator'. It was fun to flip from Floppy Haired Hugh Grant to Tom Cruise and/or Arhnald.
Saturday we got some time to put together the cot and change table, pretty simple stuff, looks good but. <-- Aussie talk rules!!
I took my new clubs for a swing on Sunday, a day that was almost picture perfect, good times had by all.
To cap the weekend off and to start a 12 week relationship, Big Brother had it's first show for series 4. Not much has changed this year, back to basics with no mixing people up in different houses etc... just one surprise, they are playing for AU$1mill and they don't know it (they think it's still only worth $250K).

Stay Tuned!!

2004-04-28T12:16:00.000+10:00

My thought on why time seems to go faster as you get older:
When you are 15 yrs old you only have about 10 or so years worth of memories to reflect on, thus meaning that the next year of your life will add 10% more memories making the year long in retrospect.
When you are 35 yrs old you have about 30 or so years worth of memories to reflect on, thus meaning that the next year of your life will add only 3% more memories making the year quite short in retrospect.
That way, no matter what your age everyone seems to always say "Wow, that year has gone sooo fast!"
Note: Please excuse the roughness of my calculations, they are just a guide.

2004-04-27T12:07:00.000+10:00

Well we made it into our new digs over the weekend with minimum damage and chaos. Only a few crummy plates and some cool, small bowls I used to use to put grated cheese in broke. What we have to figure out is where everything goes... this time though, we have too much room!! We'll find a way to fill it all out I'm sure.

Kristin and I also shared our first wedding anniversary on Monday and we celebrated by driving over to the Watson's Bay Hotel for some fish n chips, very nice. We also got together the Bridal Party for a BBQ on Saturday and hung out and watched the Waratah's match... good times had by all.
At the moment we are not fully connected to the outside world. Our home phone is not connected and thus we don't have internet and therefor can't receive any emails... bummer. Everything should be right by the end of the week.
P.S. I'm writing this from work (it is my lunch break).

2004-04-22T07:57:00.000+10:00

There might not be many posts to speak or read of in the coming days for I am moving.
The move is taking place tomorrow (Friday) and Kristin and I have taken the day off to make sure the movers take the right boxes and that we get it all done in one day with as little trouble as possible.
The new abode is in Hornsby, a good half hour north of the City of Sydney. It is a smart move for us being that it will save us money, get another bedroom (for Little Miss) and heaps more storage. It is still an apartment of such but not quite like our last place.
May your weekend be filled with... um, stuff... go the Waratahs!!!!

2004-04-20T23:05:00.000+10:00

What does our job say about us?
When was it that we chose our area of work?
How long do we see ourselves working in this area?
Why do we spend more time away from the ones we love by being at work?
How long does it take you to explain what your occupation is?
Do we get enough monetary return for the work we put in?
Do we love our work?
Do we work for love?
Do we work to survive?
Do others understand what it is that we do?
How much does your life depend on your current employment?
How many lives are affected by your work?

I think there are a million and one questions relating to work. Do you work at all? The questions above are not ones I ask myself, they just interest me.
It always boggles my mind (like how someone lives next door, down the road, even in Dapto, people live their lives and we are none the wiser, but that's another blog) just how many people are out there 'working'. On New Year's Eve there are train conductors that help us catch the train into the city and bus drivers that drive us home on the night-ride in the morning. Someone has to be setting up the fireworks, someone has to report about the event for the news the next night... it just goes on and on and on, you get the drift right? Well, all this makes me thankful for the position I am in and the control I feel I have (to a certain degree obviously ;) ) over the choices I have made and choices I will make in the future.

2004-04-18T20:55:00.000+10:00

The Logies are underway at the moment. Australian TVs 'night of nights'. A load of crap really, but nice to have on in the background.
For all of those people who love 'Anti' programing, last week the Fugly Awards were announced. These are the awards for such things as "Worst Male TV Personality", "Most Biased Sporting Commentator" and "Most Spankable Female TV Personality" gotta love 'em.

2004-04-16T08:03:00.000+10:00

How long can you talk about The Simpsons for? Last night was the last night of our seven week Antenatal course at RNSH. Standing out the front chatting to two other blokes from the course, conversation soon drifted away from the oncoming fatherhood chit-chat and landed smack bang in the middle of Springfield. I needed a little restraint and politely discussed the pros and pros of watching The Simpsons and how it is funny on soooo many levels. With 15 years worth of back-catalog, it would be hard to stop once you get started.
"Hey! I loved when Evil Homer did his little song & dance" Followed by everyone singing "I am Evil Homer, I am Evil Homer" and so on and so on.
I had thought with this Blog that I could insert a few 'Random Simpsons Quotes' (no, not Jessica Simpson, though they are funny as well)... might be a weekly special.

P.S. Ever wondered what Homer would look like as Frankenfurter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show?

Go Here for more. I dare you! It's addictive.