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To all of those who think that i’m not answering your calls, SMS’s, e-mails, posts etc, please note the following community announcement.

I’m PM’ing our corporate HO move this long weekend, and things have been going absolutely shite.  Better still, on Tuesday we’ll have zero connectivity to anywhere so we’ll also have 80 staff without any access to the outside world…. double shite…

My phone has broken, so i’m temporarily borrowing/stealing other phones and honestly only responding to *anything* that is:

- About the corporate HO move

- About the corporate HO move

- About the corporate HO move

EVERYBODY (including the better half, family, mates) have been duly ignored as things are NOT looking good. 

So, if you’re feeling raw right about now, I do sincerely apologise, this is the first time i’ve actually been connected to the Internet in 3 days to send anything out.

All will be well by next Thursday, but then i’ll be working through the backlog of work so I might still be out until the following Monday.  Best way to get me right now is e-mail because that can queue and i’ll definitely get back to you.

Loving all your work

A

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It’s funny how when you watch yourself grow up, you realise that you can grow in some ways, but you need to accept your imperfections in others.

I can relate this directly to the conversation I had last night with an old and dear friend of mine.  We have shared numerous pieces of history and I gathered the emotional strength and courage to give her a call as the last time we had spoke it was all relatively unceremonious in it’s execution.

I am proud to say that for an entire conversation we (read: I) refrained from engaging in my old behavioural tactics, conversed (relatively) eloquently and finally showed a side to a friend that she has probably always wanted to see: I’ve somewhat got my shit together.

I even avoided the usual plethora of gross references and endless innuendo that dictates practically every conversation i’ve ever had which was a nice bonus.

It was also interesting to see that while we didn’t agree on all my demons, we respected that I have come to an intersect of my life that whilst i’m not 100% puritan, that I do try to meet the basic guidelines of respectability, with only a slight cheek of rebelliousness that will always plague my personality to some degree or another.

I realised that i’m never *ever* going to even be close to being fantastic, i’m always going to be a little ratty around the edges, and i’m never going to be perfect, even with friends who have less rigourous standards than my own.  In this though, I have realised that the inner peace that comes from being a little ratty around the edges allows me to provide a solid and realistic evaluation on my life and allows me to function reasonably well in an educated society, a skill I have admittedly lacked for quite some time.

The girl and I are good, though we are growing together and I am difficult at the best of times and downright annoying at the worst, so it’s taken me until today on my way to Perth to realise that I simply could be doing a better job as a partner, and a much better job as a friend.  And so i’m going to put the effort in from today onwards to be that better person to my partner and trim off a few of those unwieldly edges in a goal of ensuring the successful blooming of my relationship to the next level.

(and no, nothing bad is going down, i’ve just been a royal PITA lately while I get on my obsession bandwagon with the running thing that I could easily tone down slightly for the benefit of all involved).

So that’s really me as of today, i’m still working on perfect, i’m still not meeting everones expectations, but i’ve come to realise that being 99% there and realising your faults is a whole letter better than being 50% there and having absolutely no idea what you’re doing wrong with your life.

So to the people I spoke to last night, thankyou.  To invitations of face-to-face meetings, i’m working on it and i’m going to do my darndest to ensure that if we do that I don’t automagically slip back into being a complete tosser, so it may take me a while to get it spot on.

But hey, trying is all I have on days like today.

Loving all your work
Adam

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Proving?I?truly am a wanker, here’s what my Heart Rate looked like for 2 hours and 9 minutes on Sunday…

Click Here for the exciting piccie.

Adam

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There’s a million things I could write in this post, but in all honesty it’s Tuesday and it’s 8pm and i’m going to bed because i’m still exhausted from Monday*

I will say these things though:

- Mel/Lucy, you are both unfortunately wrong… i’m not actually going to talk about how painful it was… Because in reality, it actually wasn’t that bad.
- You actually *can* enjoy your running - Until I did my first half marathon I never knew you could truly enjoy yourself while you were doing it…
- 2 hrs, 6 minutes and 54 seconds is how long it takes. That’s a kilometre every 6 mins and 2 seconds … not too bad at all
- I’m booking the next half marathon in during the next couple of days….
* Ok, so maybe I only got 2 hours sleep on Monday morning after drinking over half a case of rum, but who’s counting!

Loving all your work
Adam

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Next weekend marks the day that I push my body to the outer limits… for this month at least.

Next weekend is the Blackmores Sydney Running Festival: Half Marathon, and my first ever attempt.

I must admit that my anxiety level for punishing myself over 21k’s has started to rise in the past couple of days and I now truly realise that next Sunday morning at 6:30am i’m  going to start something that is going to shape how I look at exercise for a long time to come. 

This running thing is something that i’ve actively pursued before, but never with the vigour and reliability that i’ve started with now.  My commitment to getting fit through putting shoes to pavement is a great experience.  It can be done anywhere, with anyone, and with nothing more than a decent pair of shoes, a bottle of water and a commitment to getting your sorry ass out in whatever weather you’re presented with.

I’m grateful that I did do some training when it was still quite cool and i’ve got the long-sleeve sticky shirts to accomodate the freezing weather that will present itself next Sunday (hopefully not raining like it is today when i’m going for a 15k training run!).

But… if it rains, it rains, we run.

I’m just hoping it doesn’t rain
So for those of you who are warmed up in bed next Sunday morning at 6:30am AEST, spare a quick thought for me starting the process of flogging my body for 2 hours and 20 minutes over long stretches of hills, clims, flats, downhills of bitumen in an attempt to cross a line with no other purpose than to say that I made it.

It is a goal that I want to be writing here for you next week celebrating my achievement, and I look forward to sharing it with you.

Adam

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To truly understand the ‘fun, excitement and happiness’ that is business travel one has to do it for themselves.  Because i’m confident that for those who read this page who have not yet travelled for work purposes, those people see it as this glorious globetrotting, all expenses paid, luxurious meals, impeccable service and exciting destinations all the way.

The reality however folks, is far far different to the hype.

My better half is going on her first business trip today, and to mark this auspicious occassion I thought i’d share some of the more ‘exciting’ parts of travelling on company dollars:

- Traffic - Now you thought traffic in your city was bad, well let me inform you that you haven’t seen the half of it until you’ve done a hook turn (from the inside lane, across *all* lanes of traffic, and it’s legal!) in the middle of a sprawling city of millions while you realise that the reason you’ve almost had yourself killed 8 times is because you fucking can’t understand why people keep crossing from the wrong side of the road!

- Air hosts/esses - You think they’re nice to you when you’re going on your holiday and you don’t give a fuck, you’re too busy gaga’ing at your partner who you’re about to get laid with 43 times in the next 10 days and don’t care about the snotty bitch who isn’t prepared to give you the last bread roll.
Now re-apply the logic when you’re tired, underslept by at least a full day, you’re tired because you’re in the wrong timezone and you *really* need something to eat.

Then see how cheery they all seem to be.

- Work - Ah yes, the work.  Because travelling means that you still do you’re 7.5 hour day and go home right… ha!

More like you work 10-12 hours a day, fight traffic in a city you don’t know, eat food in restaurants where the service is appalling and you’re horrified by how much they charge, and all at the same time you realise that when you ‘get back to the hotel’ you need to switch the laptop on and do your normal days work!.. ahhh yes, it is truly bliss this travelling.

- Hotel Rooms - Ah yes, speaking of hotel rooms, i’m sure you’re all thinking mini-bars and charging everything out.  Oh no.  No, no, no, no, no, no, no, there’ll be none of that.  Most companies have strict no-mini-bar policies, so that can of coke you’d usually get from the fridge will cost you $8 and have to be justified to the manager when you return from your hellhole trip in Guatamula.

- Expenses - And this is the *real* beauty.  Most places these days don’t supply corporate credit cards (and in some ways it’s easier when you realise how much paperwork is involved with using one) so you’re effectively dolling out your own salary/credit card limit, to go to work at a place you don’t see (think: airport, office, hotel, that’s all your seeing son!) and wondering how the hell *you* got suckered on losing out for more work, more effort annd a complaining group of staff when you return!

Ever wondered why the experienced travellers ‘let’ their staff go on these trips.

Now you know.

With much love to my sweet and beautiful better half today who experiences this for the first time herself…

Adam

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From a friend of a friend who just returned?from the US…

Bastard….

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Genuine e-mail sent by one of my friends today…

Note: The Rally Car that’s mentioned is a real-llife rally car at a sale price of approximately $120k Australian….

————

Morning all,

This morning I had to deliver Darrens’ rally car back to the workshop at Gordon.  (Darren secured 3rd place at the rally, congrats) Anyway interesting journey this morning.  An hour from my place to Gordon.  Traffic was fucked.

Sooo, I’m sitting in bumper to bumper traffic, in the middle land at the end of the freeway turning left onto Pacific Highway.  Crawling along in first gear. Right land was flowing freely and cars were flying by….

All of a sudden this motorbike in the right land jumps hard on the brake and tries to cut in front of me.  There was a semi trailer behind him probably doing 90km/h.  The bike comes to an almost stop in the right hand.  Semi is all locked up heading towards the bike.  I’m watching it all transpire in the mirror.  Semi was probably a car length from the bike at this stage, still locked up and wasn’t going to stop.  Trailer was locked up right next to me…. 

FUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!

Then the dude on the bike must have checked his mirror, saw the behemoth truck locked up heading towards him, and took off flat out just before the semi cleaned him up.  Very very close call….

After semi went by traffic had to stop due to zero visibility from the tyre smoke from 20 odd locked truck wheels filling the air.  I could hardly breath and I had the windows up…

Anyway, my heart settled down eventually and I continued my leisurely journey singing to myself (rally car has no stereo, left iPod at home).  20mins later my phone rings, it was Lewis, conversation went something like this:

N:  Hey Lewis
L:  Hey Nige, traffic pretty bad today huh?
N: Yeah it’s crap, how’d you know I was in traffic,
L:  Did you see that semi locked up heading towards me?
N: Was that you on the bike????
L: Ah yeah, saw the rally car, thought I’d say hello..
N: You crazy Fucker!!
L:  Yeah, anyway, catch you for a beer later.
N: Cya

———–

Gold!

Adam

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Dear Dad,
 

It seems that Fathers Day was only 5 minutes ago, and the days pass so quickly now that I fear there are moments when we don’t get the opportunities to talk like we used to.  So today, this Fathers Day, I wanted you to know that as your son, there’s no way I could have done any of it without you….
 

Next year represents the first time that you will enjoy Fathers day not only for being a father, but by creating an entire circle of life with your son, my younger brother when he enjoys his first foray into fatherhood, and yours into grandfatherhood.  In that bond you will share something special that only fathers can enjoy.  And what a club to be a member of!
 

I have relied on you on countless occasions for guidance, strength, a solid ear when listening to me bitch and sometimes even a shoulder to cry on.  As part of that you have always found the time, space and energy to allow me to explore both my light and my dark in a supportive environment.  Never berating me for making my own mistakes and always being there to watch me fall with dignity and allowing me to learn the hardest lessons without criticism is truly a feat that you should be proud of.
 

With the lows however come the highs, and through my continue success in work, in love and in life I am confident that you see that the only way I could have possibly ascended to such dizzying heights of happiness is because of the progressive influence, confidence, guidance and support that only a father can bring to a son when he needs it the most.  In enjoying my success I can only hope that you see that this success is a part of you.
 To understand on this day what it will be like to be a father is something that is still not with me, though I do know that you have been a son, and I do know that you made the choices as a father to allow your sons this growth and this bond to their heritage and their father when and as required is something that you should be proud of.
 My elation at seeing two ‘Joys’ in our family as fathers is something that I cannot begin to describe.  Even from my viewpoint a thousand kilometres away, my bond to my father, my brother (and him being a father) is never broken by such a small item as distance.
 For being there when I needed you, for guiding me when I didn’t know it and for letting me find my own path in adulthood is something that I cherish each and every day.
 So on this final day as a father to two sons in both the most revered and exclusive of clubs, fatherhood, I wish you the happiest of fathers days and hope this small message conveys for you that you will always, and forever, been known to me as only one name ….. ‘Dad’.
 With love from son to father (and soon grandfather)
 Adam
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