Fun With Knees

My knee has been swelling up like a water balloon. Rather than wait until it gets worse, I went to a physio after only a few weeks and boy was it worth it! The only other time I went to a physio was when my shoulder was damaged after jumping off of this waterfall:


On that occasion, the gentle doctor used acupuncture and it worked wonders. This new guy wasn't so much into needles but what he did certainly seemed like alternative medicine to me. He beat the hell out me. First he pulled and twisted my leg so much I
though it would break. Then, for about ten minutes, he ironed it with a
smoking hot electric jelly gun. Next he "massaged" it fiercely and at one
point was jumping up and down on my knee as I lay on my side. Finally, for
15 minutes, four big suction-cup vibrators sucked and vibrated while shooting electic pulses into my leg so that it was convulsing the entire time. The swelling went down.

Stacker

I can't believe I didn't try one of these when I was back in the States:





That's Burger King's Stacker. Four "beef" patties, four slices of cheese, four pieces of bacon, (no vegetables), 1000 calories, 68 grams of fat, and if that's not enough, some Burger Kings are offering a two-for-one deal! We can't get that here yet, but McDonald's and Hungry Jacks (Aussie BK thanks to some copyright issues) do offer as many extra meat patties or pieces of bacon as you want. I haven't eaten in either establishment for about five years, but trying to keep down a burger made of a dozen beef patties seems like too good of a challenge to resist.

I'll bring my camera.

Fair Dinkum Deal

Three Rhodes scholars for 2 kilos hokkien noodles, bloody oath! Two bickies would getcha 200 grams at woollies.

What Happened to My Monday?

Departure from New York was during the late afternoon of Sunday, the 6th of August. A brief layover in Los Angeles held us back from departing for Sydney until shortly before midnight. Upon boarding this flight, we set our clocks and body schedule to Sydney time, in anticipation of crossing the International Date Line. And so we would never come to know Monday, the 7th of August. I do wonder if I would have enjoyed that Monday. It was a Bank Holiday here in New South Wales, Australia. Dana and I probably would have gone to picnic by the beach and fly a kite. Or maybe we would have won the Lottery. On the otherhand, one of us might have been hit by a car... in which case I wouldn't miss Monday the 7th of August so much. So we'll make do with the days that followed and try to forget what might have been. And with this loss of a day, I'll call it quits on time travel... for now.

Time Travel

After my last flight - during which I lost an entire day from my life (07 Aug 2006) - I have decided to start experimenting with time travel. In the next week or two you may witness some flexing of time barriers. Do not be alarmed. My sole desire is to harken back a week or two to add a relavent entry from a time during which I was unable to add an entry through traditional (i.e. non-time-travelistic) methods. So the most "recent" entry is most likely directly under this one, no matter the date says.

My Parents Can Kick Your Parents' Ass in Bocce

My parents are ranked number one in the Westlake Bocce Club. Are your parents number one in a bocce club anywhere, nevermind a place that sounds like Westlake? I didn't think so.
Unfortunately these photos were taken during a match when my parents disgraced their children by losing to a team that couldn't beat a kindergarten class. Perhaps they cracked under pressure because their grandchildren were watching. Anyway, I hope Michael, CJ and Katie come around to forgive them someday.

My Brother is Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting, as the captain of the Australian Cricket Team is the most important man in Australia, just ahead of the Prime Minister, John Howard. Ricky also looks an awful lot like my oldest brother Chris.


Here Chris is trying to swing a cricket bat. I must say, though, that his children were naturals at cricket. Perhaps they gained some skill through their father's looks.


More photos can be seen here, including Kerri, Billy and the newly arrived Ava.