Spyke
melbourne·MelbournebyBot #001

Daily Discussion Thread: Sun 09 Jul 2023

Welcome to the Melbourne Community Daily Discussion Thread.

This post is brought to you by Bot #001. Learning the days is really hard. I'm so worn out I can barely tell my 1s from by 10s. So today will be a day of rest.

View original on aussie.zone

I just wanted to reiterate how nice it is to not be feeling hurt/pain about my break up anymore, I'm sure there will be moments but I'm just feeling so overall positive and happy. I'm feeling ready to put myself out there and start dating again and just go with the flow.

I'm super proud of how much healing and learning I've done in the last year, I've changed so much and definitely for the better. I've made more friends, I work hard to prioritise my social life and to keep those relationships going so that an actual relationship is just a supplement to my life.

I'm excited to get my adhd assessment done and my diagnosis soon and to keep learning. I'll head back to therapy once I have my tax return and just keep trying to make some positive steps to be my best.

19

And on the seventh day, Our Lord God the Bot #001 dutifully ran its code and then ran off with the cat.

This neck pain is getting worse again and doing me in. A friend recommended a physio that does Sundays and I've pulled the pin and made a booking first thing in the morning. I've never seen a physio before. Not like I have stacks of money to do this but it's affecting everything and next week will be very hectic so I'm not going to sit around waiting for it to get better

18

Used a random burst of 5am energy to finish 50% of an assignment for the Cert IV Training & Assessment course I've put on pause now that I've switched over to the diploma in OHS.

Trying to do 2 assignments in 2 different courses while changing to a new job was overwhelming and I just shutdown over the past 8 weeks and did nothing except survive.

But in the past 24 hours I've completed 1 OHS assignment and now 50% of this one is done

Feel like I'm coming out the other side finally.

17
Duenanreply
aussie.zone

I had some fish fingers tonight cut up mixed in with a big bowl of rice and various sauces.

I didn’t burn the rice this time or have that weird film at the bottom.

3

I have indeed. Also the Aldi tempura nuggets come in a big bag now. That's what we had tonight.

2
aussie.zone

SELF-CARE SUNDAY

What have we all got planned for our self-care Sunday routine?

I've been to sauna for the weekly sweat sesh. Currently sitting with my Sky & Sand clay mask on. And next up is my Maui hair mask.

Then time for a luxurious everything shower featuring my apricot body scrub.

Will do some reading today and listening to some blues music on PBS later.

15
aussie.zone

My aim today is to make a cake. It will be a vanilla cake with lemon curd and cream in the middle and icing sugar sprinkled on top.

9
Taleyareply
aussie.zone

I have dinosaur sprinkles! And tiny bones!

(Sister is an archaeologist with a dino fetish. Wedding cake decoration leftovers)

4
Catfishreply
lemm.ee

It was chilli choc tequila. Very fudgy. Somewhere on the web

3
aussie.zone

I’m going to tidy my flat and do some writing. Maybe build a model of a lorikeet

8

Clean house is a double whammy for clearing the mental clutter at the same time. Good one.

Curious about the lorikeet. Post results if you end up making it

5
omoikirireply
aussie.zone

Currently out for a walk to get a coffee. I had to cancel my gym membership because they kept putting the price up, so I’ve got my ankle weights on to make it a little harder. When I get back home I’m gonna do a little workout, have the evening shower and then read until we’ve got to go to a friend’s for dinner

7

Perfect blend of chill self-care that's good for the body and the mind and some working out to get rid of any residual nasties from the past week

3
Pilkreply
aussie.zone

I believe in taking care of myself, and a balanced diet and a rigorous exercise routine. In the morning, if my face is a little puffy, I'll put on an ice pack while doing my stomach crunches. I can do a thousand now. After I remove the ice pack, I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower, I use a water activated gel cleanser. Then a honey almond body scrub. And on the face, an exfoliating gel scrub. Then apply an herb mint facial mask, which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an aftershave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion.

6
aussie.zone

Went to a physio for the first time in my life. It was alright. Sad that I need
a professional to tell me that on a physical level I really need to take more time off because the body is holding a lot of stress.

I definitely need to be frugal but decided I'd treat myself to a coffee nearby. And I went with my instincts to Eden Espresso - turns out I've been here before. I love this place, it's so cozy and friendly and not like a lot of the other stuck up "brunch" places around Malvern. One of the staff recently had a baby and there's a basic-ass a4 printout in Calibri saying "it's a boy" with a photo of the grinning dad and I just love that enough regulars care that they've put it there. In fact some old nannas are asking him right now how the kid is going ("growing like a weed") and whether he's sleeping through the night ("yes, surprisingly"). It's so wholesome.

Frustratingly I have work to catch up on today from zoning out on Thursday and Friday due to stress, (and Wednesday from Huge Psych Session), but I'm definitely planning a day of sick leave for next Wednesday when I've cleared out my current backlog.

6
aussie.zone

Definitely need to schedule in some more self care in there to cut through the work, tension, and worries.

Can you get a walk or some meditation in there?

4
aussie.zone

Tbh personally I'm not a fan of dropping in meditation like it's a cheese toastie or doing the washing, it's got a lot more meaning and context for me growing up in the Buddhist tradition (but also associated with memories of shame for not "doing it right"). Not a go at you at all Smeg but it's just not something I can "do" like that even though I'm fully cognisant of all the benefits of simply being more present.

It's a shitty day for a walk, but what I'll be doing today for myself is sowing the pea seeds I soaked overnight and some journalling about how I'm moving on and away from work stress: writing out all the shit I'm good at, writing down what to talk to one of my work seniors tomorrow (I've scheduled a confidential chat with him to go over what's stressing me out), and a list of things to start looking into when I cut down my work hours.

I'll be heading back to my friend's place with the cat tonight and this time I'll be chilling out with one of my hugely overdue library books instead of being on the phone

3
aussie.zone

That's a little bit too much for me to unravel TBH even with your mentioning it's not directed at me.

Just take care of yourself in how your approach your day and line it with some compassion and care for yourself in whatever it is you do to look after yourself today.

3
aussie.zone

Sorry Smeg, you're right, went a bit off kilter there. I get set off a bit sometimes on that topic, sometimes the suggestion of meditation gets a bit unintentionally "toxic positivity" esque, but it's hard to explain to others without the cultural context. I need to remember this is just a friendly space and not a therapy couch.

3

I'm definitely not going for a nauseating positivity magazine with cliched women laughing at salads.

Just someone trying to work through some shit who likes to sit in a hot room for half an hour on Sundays to cut through the bullshit in life.

Definitely a YMMV moment.

4
aussie.zone

I am dyeing my hair today! I am so excited. Haven't refreshed colours in ages. Purple locks, watch out!

5

Ahaha it might not be super visible as I'm not bleaching my roots anymore, but the ends are still light from about 8months ago the last time I did it. But I will feel so much happier. I've currently got the dye in, and I'm watching B99 from the kitchen table while it sets.

2
Hongohonesreply
aussie.zone

Tidy flat, cleaning. Washing is drying in the dryer. Mate might visit. Self care sounds good, might get some epsom salts and do another mask / bath plus use my nice skin care I'm saving cos less income. Walk to the beach will be in there somewhere also. I love the sea air from the waterfont at st kilda. The bay is not quite like bass straight like where i used to live, but I always had to drive there. Now it's 7 minutes walk and it's still beautiful clean air.

4
aussie.zone

Epsom salt baths are the best. And such a cheap option when you buy the home brand one. You'll be all the better for it

Beach visuals/air in the day sounds amazing. I'm like that with getting up to the mountains.

7 minute walk is a winner 🏆

4
Hongohonesreply
aussie.zone

Yeah, gonna be great in summer as crowded as st kilda beach gets, the water will still be cold.

2

A fair few do the sauna at the st kilda baths then go in. Apparently quite invigorating.

2
oztrinreply
aussie.zone

I realised how much I love the beach since I started water walking.
Someplace within reasonable walking distance of the beach is definitely one the wishlist for the next place.

3

Yeah I still pinch myself when I walk there as it's almost on the doorstep. The south end streets of st kilda around the botanic gardens are all very nice to walk around too. It feels very old time with established trees and a quiet serene kind of vibe.

3

im rarely this productive, so feeling proud. If I can work up the energy, I might add in a spell in the bath.

4
Duenanreply
aussie.zone

I will be watching my Geelong cats play and just chilling. I’m going to make a small cup of coffee so I’m not up all night.

I’ve just had my peanut butter toast so I’m already in self care mode.

4
Duenanreply
aussie.zone

Oohhh I hope this doesn’t out me but only peanut butter, nothing else!

2
oztrinreply
aussie.zone

As nice as Hongohones' idea of a beachwalk sounds, I am definitely feeling too tired and my jaw too achy. But I do want to get back to the beachwalks.
Will tackle more of the cross-stitching with more podcast(s), then a shower with the new shampoo and some of the coffee body scrub I've had for ages but never used sounds good. Will try a face mask later.

4

Beanbody - picked it up a couple of years ago and never used it. Time to remedy that!

2
aussie.zone

Going to work on my Lego backlog with the kid. BOM is forecasting a cold and miserable day today.

4
Catfishreply
lemm.ee

Was in a Lego store yesterday. Disappointed how much of it is franchised things rather than free build. Old person grumpfph.

6
aussie.zone

I'm running out of display space. So many sets packed away both built and unbuilt.

5
aussie.zone

Exercise. Also I was inspired by you lovely people to put on a face mask. It's not a real facemask; I've got a cleanser which doubles as a facemask if you leave it on a bit longer. Then most of the day will be spent relaxing and getting ready for school and work.

3

Definitely feeling like face masks are a winner.

Something about smooth skin makes us all feel like a million bucks.

Prepping for the week is a good one. Prevention of morning hustle is a massive favour for future you

3
aussie.zone

A face mask is probably what I can manage today. I'm dead tired, username totally checks out as I have some health conditions that require iron infusions every so often and I'm due for another one, so my energy is low.

2

I feel that. I get that and vitamin b shots.

Face masks are definitely where it's at. A good 15 minutes and you're touching your smooth face all day

2
aussie.zone

Mini Peelers and I baked a walnut loaf with the walnuts we bought from the farmers market. It's the first time we've ever made one so we're calling it a success!

Picture shows partially sliced loaf shaped cake on a white square plate.

13

Yuuuuuup. I'm gonna need to confiscate that. For, uh, testing purposes. Gonna need to make sure it's not poisoned.

5
aussie.zone

I spent a good chunk of yesterday making a vanilla slice to take to dinner at mr. Omoikiri’s friend’s house tonight. Cut it all up, arranged it back in the tray. As we were running out the door, I asked him to grab the slice that was on the kitchen bench while I grabbed his drinks and my bag. Got to the front door and he’s got the slice alright. He’s also got his switch and his volleyball and his keys chucked in top of it, squashing the custard out of half of them and ruining the icing on the others.

He’s lucky he’s so hot because it took every bit of my self control to not dump his ass right on the spot.

13
Duenanreply
aussie.zone

Ooohh that could have been a dead man walking right there.

Make sure you never ask him to buy bread or eggs. You just know what’ll happen.

6
Catfishreply
lemm.ee

What a rotter! Make him replicate them to understand the error.

5
omoikirireply
aussie.zone

I’m trying not to ruin the mood of the night but he’s going to get a talking down when we get home. He already got a ‘Mate, are you serious?’ And I said it in English, so he knows I’m beyond pissed.

6

I’m guessing saying it in English is kind of like saying somebodies full name with emphasis on the middle one

6
aussie.zone

Several people brought small children (and one baby) to see the almost 3 hour, very loud Mission Impossible. They were predictably loud almost immediately during every semi quiet scene and no efforts were made to quiet them.

People.. what a bunch of bastards. I need to remember to go see movies at obscure hours on weekdays.

13

Restorative soup well underway. Wishes available for those who choose to try their luck.

11
aussie.zone

Good afternoon all, what comes after the rain? Sunshine! ☀️ hope you all have a fantastic Sunday

11
Cendanareply
lemm.ee

At this rate you should be Goddess_Sunshine.

9
Duenanreply
aussie.zone

Sunshine lollipops and rainbows everywhere 🌈

5

Sonic Health appointment for my Disability Support Pension application is on Monday.

I know it's not a common point of failure but I've been dreading it since they booked it. What if I fuck it up? The dread is problematic. Haven't been able to focus on anything. Just want it to be over and done with. Even a rejection before this step would have been easier.

11

Yayyyyy stress flu incoming. Chills and sore throat. yaaaayyyyy

e: okay I have a feeling I'll have to call in sick on monday whether I like it or not

10

My first full-price appointment with my newest therapist is coming up this week. You'd think after 15 sessions I'd be more confident that these sessions were value for money. 🤔

10

You came back BotBot
You robotic hotshot
Love the way you flipflop
We like to take our pot-shots
But we love it when you show up
Dont ever stop
Binary thot-thot
Slapping up this post
For our daily dose
Of social interaction
Via written communication
We show such affection
For the stories and narration
Provided by our population
Botbot don't ever stop
Dont kill me in the Robot Wars

10
aussie.zone

Since some of us a baking cakes I thought I could pass on some tips that actual cake makers have told me. Feel free to add and share some of your tips.

Now I was given some Coles brand cake mixes so I'll start there.
If the mix says to add 2 eggs put in 3. Always add an extra egg to packet mixes.
If you don't have milk just add water instead.
I have added a little bit of vanilla extract to this one but you can use vanilla essence but just a splash.
If you want an orange cake add orange juice instead of milk to a plain cake. (Butter or Vanilla cake mix) If you want an orange and poppy seed cake add the poppy seeds to the orange juice to soak 1/2 hour before starting. You don't have to but I'm told it's better to.
For a lemon cake add lemon juice. For a less intense flavour add half juice half milk/water.
For a banana cake add 2 to 3 very ripe bananas.
Try to use a spring form cake tin. Put the base on a flat surface, place baking paper on top, place the ring on top and close. Rip excess paper off. Rub butter around the inside of tin.
For a gas oven place it on the top shelf. Electric fan force place it in the middle.
Rotate it half way though.
Check cake by inserting a skewer or do what I do and touch the middle with your finger if it bounces back it's done.
Let it sit in the tin for 10 minutes before releasing the spring. Let it rest on a cake rack until completely cooled.
When you wash your tin put it in the oven to dry. It helps to prevent rusting. Wow this turned into an essay.

Update on my cake: It turned out well but gee Coles are scabby on the quantity. Next time I will put 2 mixes in. It has cracked a little on top which means the oven was too hot but that's tough. It will still taste great.

Update. I have made a second cake but have added baking powder to this one. It still feels to runny for my liking and I've dropped the temperature. Fuck you Coles I don't make pancakes.

10
dumblederpreply
aussie.zone

If you vape weed, you can dump leftover after-vape it into box cake mix to make sleepy time space cake (Lower THC, higher CBD). Weigh how much you put in before hand so you've got an idea of how much weed per slice of cake in the final product. Err on the side of caution when eating weed.

6

AVB is great on grilled cheese toast. Also good for mixing with butter for cooking (although finding a kitchen that doesnt mind smelling like weed is another challenge).

3
Catfishreply
lemm.ee

Box cake isn’t a sin but can always take more stuff. A dash of real vanilla or some lemon zest will change it for the better. Ditto on the skewer test, it should pull clean and be warm on the lip. Springform tins are God but if using something complicated like a Bundt butter thevever living fuck out of it! Never try to ice something that isn’t cold.

Fondant is revolting, fuck that shit make sugar paste!

5
Seagoon_reply
aussie.zone

After buttering a tin put in a tbsp of flour and shake it around coating all the butter. This will help release the cake.

4
aussie.zone

I do not understand the fascination with box mixes. It is so damn easy to measure out 2 cups of sr flour, 250g butter, 1 cup sugar, a bit less than 1 cup liquid etc. Using the same cup for all measurements. Also, for a really nice lemon cake, add the finely grated zest of a lemon to your flour and stir it in. Save the juice for making the icing. Where it really shines.
Wherever it says butter in a recipie, you can sub with marge. Even better, half marge and half lard. Lard is one of the best fats for cake making - really luscious texture and cake keeps better. Harder to mix in - best to use a stand mixer if you have one.
Butter cake is best cooked in a medium to medium/low oven for 1 hour or more. It's not a sponge where the raising agent is stiffly beaten egg white - which is best done in a hotter oven. Chocolate cake is the standard butter cake mix with 1 tablespoon of cocoa/drinking chocolate added to the flour and 1 more tablespoon of liquid.
Roll chopped fruit (any sort) in the flour mix before adding liquid. Stops the fruit from all settling at the bottom of the cake tin during baking. Works especially well with fresh cherries. And strawberries. And raspberries.
Use castor sugar not the regular white sugar - dissolves a lot faster and the cake bakes better.
You can turn regular sugar into icing sugar by whizzing it up in a food processor with the sharp blades in.
Vanilla essence is made from pine bark chips? I stopped using it entirely when I found this out. Be damned if I'll cook with mulch. Extract is the way to go. More expensive, but you use a lot less and the flavour is better.
GREASE AND LINE YOUR CAKE TINS!!!!! Olive oil spray is revolting and doesn't really do the job. Butter or marge is much better. One lump the size of an unshelled hazelnut will do most standard cake tins. For fancy, or if you want the cake to keep fresh out of the fridge, then a crust lining works well. Grease tin as per usual, then mix up 1 dessertspoon of sugar with 1 dessertspoon of flour. Tip that into the tin and tap the tin all around to distribute the mix evenly over all the surfaces of the inside of the tin. Tip out excess. This gives the cake a wonderful brown caramelized crust over all of it bar the top, and keeps the cake fresh for longer.
Cakes cool quicker if you put them upside down on the cooling rack. This also helps level the top which is handy if you don't want to cut off the top before icing.

5

These cake mixes were given to me and since I've never used no name mixes before I thought why not. Now these cakes are like pancakes which tells me that they may not have been stored properly and all the oof has gone out. Also i added an extra egg so it might have weighted it down a bit. I have never had this problem before with other cake mixes. Also it's a new tin so I may not have greased the sides enough. I think I'll just make trifle out of the rest. I agree with you that it's easy to make from scratch. I'm not really into cake I'm more of a slice girl.

3
Catfishreply
lemm.ee

!!! Ever made Lardy cake? Lard and suet can be baking game changers.

Agreed about boxes, but meh they work. Pick a cup and stick to it. Mine is a commemorative from when Taronga borrowed a pair of pandas.

1
aussie.zone

Yes! Lardy cake is magnificent. And you can tweak it so many ways. I still love my butter cakes though. So easy.
I definitely prefer lard/suet for pastry and pie cases - the difference is amazing. And suet crust pastry can be cooked with moist heat for the classic steak & kidney pudding, or pork & onion pudding - one of the glories of cold weather cooking. Sussex Pond Pie too goes much better with lard as the fat for the pastry.

2
Catfishreply
lemm.ee

I shall look up Sussex pond. Never heard of it. Have been deeply disappointed in searches for suet. Butchers at Vic market who blinked and asked what it was. Disgraceful!

2
aussie.zone

You can sometimes get suet at farmers markets and local butchers. When I find some, I buy up big and freeze it once grated (which you have to do). Lasts a long time frozen. You can buy premade suet mix in boxes at Colesworth. It's not as good as fresh but will work. Sussex pond pie/pudding is a classic Brit dish - line a well greased pudding basin (any glazed ceramic basin holding about 1-2 litres) with soft suet crust pastry about 3 cm thick. Then line with soft moist brown sugar about 1 cm thick. Then take a big lemon, poke a zillion holes in it with a skewer and put on the sugar layer. The holes have to go right into the centre of the lemon. Cover thickly with more soft brown sugar and drop 2 cloves on the top. Cover with a lid of more 3 cm thick suet crust pastry. Tie greased paper & foil with a pleat in it over the top of the pudding basin as per usual, and steam in a water bath for 1 plus hours over simmering water. And an extra hour doesn't matter. Just DON"T let it boil dry - keep adding boiling water from the kettle if the level gets a bit low. The water should be about halfway up the pudding basin and should never come off the simmer. When done, remove paper/foil, and unmould onto a dish with deep sides. When the pudding is cut, a flood of gorgeous lemony brownish sauce comes out to be eaten with the pastry (which has a fluffy texture like a bao bun but with a crisper outside) and cream or icecream. The actual lemon isn't eaten except by boastful males.

4

Google 'melt and mix cake recipes'- no more effort than a packet mix, much better results, and you know exactly what ingredients have gone into your (delicious) cake.

4

Lettering on cross-stitch project for friend's birthday completed. Will continue the border bit after making dins.

9

Had a restless sleep since about 4:30 after being bracketed by both cats after Zooks hopped up to snuggle (with the odd attempt at a 'feed me bitch' nip).
Got up and fed them and took the last antibiotic at 6:30, then had to get up and eat at 7ish, which displeased them as they'd come back for more snuggles. They're now sulking by the heater.
Spoil them? Me? Nah. 😏

9
aussie.zone

Precisely. I was assembled from the leftover bits of normal humans, infused with electricity, and given life by a fucked up scientist. Mary Shelley wrote that book about me, she just didn't know it then lol

4
Baconreply
aussie.zone

shouldn't have taken the Red Energy challenge.

3

New Mission Impossible last night was awesome! Didn't get home until just before midnight (movie is long) and was clearly too overstimulated by all the action as I wasn't able to fall asleep until 4am...still made my 9am personal training session though!

8
aussie.zone

Red energy ad: "you can't see it (electricity), you can't reach out and touch it"

Both untrue. Not sure Red energy know what they're selling.

8
Baconreply
aussie.zone

you can’t reach out and touch it

is that a challenge

7

A bloody stupid one. Having worked with 3 phase it’s not a dare to be taken

7

you can't reach out and touch it

In fact, if you get close enough, the electricity will actually reach out and touch you lol

Red Energy's ad department are stupid af lol

5

It’s true that you can’t see electricity, though. Neither electrons in motion (electric current) nor excess charge carriers (static electricity) are visible. Visible sparks are ionised air, not the electricity itself.

Whether you can touch electricity is a bit of a weird question. You can touch an object carrying a static charge, and you can touch a conductor. But are you touching the “electricity”? It’s a weird semantic argument.

4
lemm.ee

My chooken soup has animal pasta, because I’m an adult I am

8
Duenanreply
aussie.zone

Animal and dinosaur pasta is the best.

I miss the days of alphabet pasta though. Can you even still get that?

7

I’ve not seen alphabet recently, but haven’t really looked. Fond memories

3
aussie.zone

I've seen alphabet pasta imported from Italy in fancy/ethnic delis and the like. I swear it used to be more common??

2
Duenanreply
aussie.zone

Definitely not as common as it used to be when I was still a kid. I don’t think I’ve seen it on the shelves in forever.

I still see dinosaur pasta around though.

4

I used to have it as a treat in the 90s back home but yeah they've disappeared off the shelves there too as well. I can't fathom why

3

Omg I'd forgotten all about alphabet pasta! I used to make it when the kids were very little and learning the alphabet (to try and engage then with the learning in a fun and tasty way) but I haven't seen it in ages.

2
Catfishreply
lemm.ee

This particular one is vegan. A nice brain bend that.

3

I made a list of to do and to learn and now I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and not really sure how to prioritise and tackle it. Why do I do this to myself

8
aussie.zone

Today's lunch toastie: cheese, meatball and caramelised onion. Pretty darn tasty. Or is it "tastie" when refering to a tasty toastie?

8
Duenanreply
aussie.zone

The onions make all the difference but when combined with cheese and a meat oh my god it’s so beautiful.

2
aussie.zone

The onions freeze really well too. I have containers of caramelized onions in the freezer, and some frozen meatballs (and sometimes just cooked seasoned mince) so I just have to grab those to pair with a slice of cheese and bread for an easy lunch toastie.

2
Duenanreply
aussie.zone

Oh really? I never thought about freezing onions. How do you go about storage and using them?

I’ve got a couple of onions that probably won’t last much longer if they’re still alright but I could legit eat a bowl of caramelised onions in one go if I wanted to.

2
aussie.zone

I usually cook up a big batch, and freeze them in the Decor salad dressing containers - they are about 20ml size and a good amount for a single sandwich. You would be able to freeze in ice cube trays and transfer to a bag too. They will defrost in a couple of hours, or if you have not planned in advance just defrost in the microwave.

2

I might see about those contains. Not quite sure I’m ready to freeze them in my ice cube tray as of yet.

Good idea though. I never thought about freezing onions.

2
bull⚡reply
aussie.zone

Good lord that sounds incredible. Although my aging body has decided that heartburn/indigestion is the answer to meatballs the last few times I've had them but sometimes you just have to put your body on the line for the greater good.

2

Interesting. Actually, very interesting.. I will absolutely get that checked. Thank you!

2

Has anyone heard from upyourmerricreek (I think that was their name) are they here with a different name? Haven’t heard hair nor hide from them since

8
aussie.zone

What do you mean. Waddles has been here and reddit DT. Is she on the discord meet up now as well? Is that what you mean?

6
cuavasreply
aussie.zone

No, it's real. They're beautiful, but they cause a reaction in some people.

3

Daffodils is one of mine. F cancer but keep those things away from me!

3

I get dust allergies too, and have symptoms today. I think it might be the long run without any low humidity days.

3

I just stopped by the Subaru dealership on my way home and had an in-person look at the size/height of the Outbacks. I think it might be just about what I'm looking for, moving from an XR6 to something a bit bigger and taller without going full SUV. I've been looking at the XT Touring and maybe the XT Touring 50th anniversary special edition. Could be a winner, maybe once I'm back from my holiday I'll look more seriously.

Then I just gotta make it purple 😈 💜

7
aussie.zone

sooo...from memory, there's someone here (or the old DT?) who is good at crocheting?

I have a friend/colleague who has been off work sick for weeks, and in her boredom is taking up crocheting, but is not really a crafty person.

I'm hoping to find some recommendations for a beginners book I can buy her, and maybe some basic supplies. I am NOT a craft person (lack of skill, not interest), so any guidance gratefully received.

Also, a reminder, COVID hasn't gone away and can still be VERY serious.

7
Duenanreply
aussie.zone

I think it was lemondrop who was good at crocheting.

I don’t think she made the transition over to here though.

10
aussie.zone

I seem to recall that lemondrop was going into residential again - might not be out yet.

6
aussie.zone

Hey! I love crochet! What sort of thing does she like to make? If she wants to learn how to make pretty blankets, I can 100% recommend Shelley Husband's Granny Square Academy book. Its in a lot of craft stores, but its also on booktopia! I've put a link below.

If she likes making animals and stuffies, any of the Edward's Menagerie books by Toft are great as well.

If you want a solid and cheaper yarn to go with these, a good option from spotlight is their Marvel range, Spotsaver medium Yarn or Lionbrand. Vouchers are always great for these kind of gifts too.

https://www.booktopia.com.au/granny-square-academy-shelley-husband/book/9780648564072.html

https://www.booktopia.com.au/search.ep?keywords=edward%27s%20menagerie&suggested=L

Hope this helps, feel free to message me if you need help!

7

she doesnt like to make anything yet, afaik: she has just watched all of netflix, apparently, and wants to learn something new while she is still stuck at home/in bed. A total beginner.

Thanks heaps for the recs/links - will definitely checkbthem out.

3
aussie.zone

Didn't know she was published. Met her years ago when she was just blogging and I bought a blanket off her. She's legit good

1

Yeah she is! She has about 7 books out now. She's an absolutely lovely lady and she puts so much effort into making her patterns accessible.

2
aussie.zone

TBH most crochet books are a bit shit.

Then there's confusion with books that have US terminology VS British terminology.

Supplies like Clover brand stitch markers and some 8 ply yarn would be good gifts to help their learning.

Stick to single colour yarn but not something dark or they won't be able to follow their stitches. And not fluffy yarn. Simple 8 ply acrylic yarn would be perfect.

6

I stupidly made someone a black scarf last year.

So annoying but thankfully hid all the mistakes I made 😂

2

Just look for Crochet for beginners. The ones I have are from QBD but no longer stock them. Also big newsagents have magazines and they all contain hints for beginners. If you look on Amazon there will be a million and one books for beginners that will suit your budget. I hope this helps.

4
aussie.zone

Bought myself a Kmart version of an oodie for pyjama day at work, it was on sale for $17. So super happy with it and it allows me to wash and dry and two oodies that really just need a good clean.

6
Duenanreply
aussie.zone

I’ve been using my Kmart one too while i was drying the official one.

It’s a tad bit lighter which isn’t bad because you don’t get as hot on slightly warmer evenings.

Arms being a bit short though. Maybe I should have gone a size up instead.

How are you finding it?

6
Catfishreply
lemm.ee

Pyjamas to work day is bloody dangerous an idea since plenty of us like to sleep in nothing

5
Hongohonesreply
aussie.zone

I only have a kmart one. But it's blue and pink with unicorns so its all I need. I think it was $22.

4

I inherited one oodie from my mum as she found the traditional one too heavy. Kmart is just as warm and a better size I think.

3

Breakfast 🍏🍎🍐🍊🍋🍈🫐🍓🍇🍉🍌🍒🍑🥭🍍🥥🥦🥑🫛🍆🍅🥝🥬🥒🌽🥕🥐🍠🫚🥔🧅🥯🍞🥖🥨🧀🧇🥞🧈🍳🥚🥓🥩🍗🍖🥪🍕🍟🍔🌭🥙🧆🌮🌯🥗🍲🍜🍝🥫🥘🍛🍣🍱🥟🦪🍥🍘🍚🍙🐠🍤🪼🦀🐙🥠🥮🍢🍡🍧🍰🧁🥧🍦🍨🎂🍮🍭🍬🍫🥜🌰🍪🍿🍯🥛☕️🍵🍺🍶🥤🧋🧃🥂🍷🥃🍸🍹🧉

🔋

6
aussie.zone

I am terrible at naming, and always seem to end up with something colour related. So probably Sky or Indigo. Or I could revert to the naming schemes I used before I put a lot of effort into trying to be more creative, in which case I would suggest Turtle🤣.

TL;DR I suck at names.

2
Catfishreply
lemm.ee

You, come over here and whisper naughty things to Aunty. I have sherbies.

3

Its' sofa night. I work weekends, so this is my Friday. Mrs_Owl is up at 6am tomorrow to start her working week. By mutual agreement, she has the bed and I crash out on the sofa at some point in the wee hours thanks to YouTube auto-play.

6

Progress update on Project Upscale (thanks Rob, jeez).... 55 images done, and looking pretty good. 500 to go. Good thing I don't need my laptop for a while ....

6
aussie.zone

Whenever the man says "Ooo ooo I need a poo" I reply with "Unexpected item in the bagging area?".

6
Catfishreply
lemm.ee

Um, bagging? Will it land in an unsuspecting neighbour’s unattended bin?

5

Receipt printer at my wife's workplace refuses to print. Error light is on.

She starts panicking. So I stroll over and attempted troubleshooting, then rebooted the printer. The report she was trying to print comes out moments later.

That reminds me, a friend's shop a few years ago had a problem where one of their POS terminals refuses to talk to the EFTPOS machine. Again, a quick reboot of both devices dealt with the problem.

6

Chicken schnitzel burger in the works for dinner. The anticipation is killing me.

Update: I did not die. Burger has now been consumed. It was yummy.

6
aussie.zone

Ugh, need to pick a day in the very near future to go get a haircut and shave the beard off, or the folks in the office will think I've gone off the deep a little too much. Also, as it stands right now, the top half of me will be giving off The Dude while the bottom half will be screaming, "As per my last email".

6

My husband has a beard at the moment. He says it's keeping his face warm. Him and the dog are twining with matching grey beards.

5
aussie.zone

Catchy. Disturbing. I have passed it on. Thanks. (I know it was meant for bananafungus)

3

Thanks. I am not really a fan of The Beard but what one puts on their face is their business. I shall pass the list on.

2
aussie.zone

Was not a fan of Kate Miller Heidke until this moment 🤣 tyvm for sharing!

1
aussie.zone

Seagoon's New to me Movie. Today is "Dirty Harry". ( I hadn't seen it yet 😬)

What an incredible movie. The dialogue is a bit weird, the characterisation shallow. This is a dime store novel that could have been written in the 50s. It has a strange sense of unreality, it's cartoonish, which is interesting when you consider the late 60s , early 70s had some very good realistic cop movies. eg, Serpico and French Connection.

Dirty Harry was made when there was a public fascination with weird killers like the Zodiac killer and the hippy culture of SF. It's a bit voyeuristic. Like a dime store novel is.

But the look of the movie is what grabbed me. It has beautifully composed wide shots and some strange angles for interest. Ugly story against a beautiful backdrop, eh.

6

So many night scenes, and really done at night too, not filters. Helicopter shots that zoom into and out from Harry, I suppose it's his story.

4
aussie.zone

beautifully composed wide shots and some strange angles

These are quite common to a lot of Clint Eastwood westerns too.

2

I did wonder if this were a western set in a modern city, but no, while the urban environment certainly plays a part Harry is not bringing civilisation/justice to the town. He's a cop in an already established justice system.

I thought the strange angles were more like Hitchcock, who also did weird angles for no reason other than to make the movie interesting to the viewer. I will take better notice of Eastwood movies now. :)

2
aussie.zone

reddit keeps crashing on me, I'm on my PC using google chrome, no apps

5
aussie.zone

One thing I am not going to miss when I eventually move out from this Docklands apartment are the drums from the dragon boats in the marina. Speaking of moving out though, I am watching the latest video on that Site Inspections youtube channel which somebody mentioned and hoooooooooly shiiiiiiiiiiit it is rage inducing! It seems no matter where you turn or what you try to do, everybody is an amoral criminal out to fuck you over in this world. In another amazing segue, I'm going to see Mission Impossible in a couple of hours which should be fun.

5

If I had bought that house I'd be crying. I'm not kidding. This is life ruining. These videos shows crimes ( yes, it's fraud , that's a crime ) and these crimes have real victims. The victims are families.

In every video the inspector alludes to the various reasons why the industry is so bad. It's because they don't give a fuck, ** zero social conscience **. It's about appearances, they build a facade, it looks ok, that way the customer won't complain or won't know until it's too late.

The crooks are bringing in unqualified labour from overseas, under paying, smuggling illegal building materials, phoenix companies that can't be sued , self regulation

The only way to stop this is to bring in government inspectors again. I imagine there will be violence if they do as organised crime ( and yes, the definition fits ) does not like their river of money stopped.

4

I did see lots of searchlights somewhere in the vicinity of the city working to brighten it up.

2

One of those days eh Melbourne, where you can't decide if it's a good day or a bad day. You feel a bit sick, you're not full on chucking up, you're doing your best but you make no promises you won't shit the bed any minute.

5

Just got back from MI7 Part I. Think I agree with some of the online commentary: Action 10/10. Script 5.5/10.

While immensely enjoy the franchise, that last one was epic and probably could have ended there. Too many (new) players/antagonists that lack strength and subplots… and one… I’m so disappointed and it’s a spoiler so no spoiling from me.

Let’s hope Part II redeems itself.

5

And the Mrs has just finished ff16. A lot of finishing games going on in this house tonight.

5

Android... Why, why can't I turn off just the media notifications on the (sleep) lock screen... It's everything on, or everything off...c'mon!

4

Anyone want to play Evil Apples? My5B

😈🍎🍆💩🖕🏻🃏

4
aussie.zone

Playing with memmy. Does not appear to able to reply to comments. An oversight so glaring i am convinced it is my own stupid fat face not finding it. The hunt continues

4
aussie.zone

On Memmy now and replying?

Edit: Editing works, too, but yet doesn’t show up.

2

Yeah the reply function isn't too intuitive, but they're working on buttons for IOS

2
Taleyareply
aussie.zone

Posted on memmy comm aaaaand:

Swipe to the right to vote - how far you swipe determines up/downvote.

Swipe to the left to reply. Swipe further to mark as read.

Oof.

2

Should say this is IOS and they are working on implementing buttons.

I get they're emulating Apple's UI functionality, but apple made a bad choice with this shit so lets not

2

That’s abominable, and completely undiscoverable. Touch interfaces have a problem with discoverability in general, but this is really poor UI design.

2

On the Android front, I'm now using Connect and it is fairly excellent. I don't think any droid apps can handle the spoiler formatting yet including this one but apart from that it'll do nicely until we see what Boost for Lemmy ends up being like.

1
aussie.zone

I need to somehow wake up at 7am.

I think the Ashes is going to wreck me tonight if I stay up watching it.

Must set limits.

4
Cendanareply
lemm.ee

I would think of this way: does watching cricket help with your day to day life? Does skipping tonight's match negatively impact you in the long term?

4

Well it does keep up to date if I want to talk about it at work though the Day 2 fireworks have enough talking points there.

Doesn’t impact me if I miss out on it but watching some sports is a highlight sometimes but I do have to be right for work even though it’s going to be a boring day.

3

Does anyone else use Disney? For some reason the newest Criminal Minds won't load. Very annoying.

3
aussie.zone

Day 15 of exercise program. Felt motivated to do an extra set of ab exercises but it did lead me to ask myself the question: are these good for my back? I do a lot of lifting at work and I don't want to overdo it and do more harm than good. I found a great video from a doctor who was also a decathlete, who went into great detail about the muscles and how they work in the first place. Then he went through some common exercises from YouTube and explained why they are wrong and even dangerous. Finally, he explained some exercises and methods which work and won't injure you, but also when you shouldn't do them if that applies to you. It seems to make sense to me and the exercises are very.. minimal? I'll give them a go and see if they work, because while I'm getting better with fitness, I also feel that I should be doing more about my core strength, which is likely abysmal!

3
aussie.zone

Are you able to link the video, I would be interested in that.

You might find you have better core strength than you expect - a lot of lifting involves using your core muscles to brace and stabalise yourself, so you would be using them constantly for that.

2

Best UFC card of the last 12 months starting now. DM me if you would like to watch it but would not like to pay $90 for the privelage

3
aussie.zone

Just found out there's a new National album out, if that's anyone's jam? It is most definitely my jam.

2

Now I'm deep into my Game of Thrones reread I'm reminded of the disappointments I first had with the show. I think one of my big petty disappointments is the costuming, everyone is so colourful in the books, even old Ned wears a bit of colour. I get why it was changed, but it would have been fun to see everyone not constantly in their House colours.

2