the backup??

Wow, not sure I am meant to be here, but have broken in! The chunkytoast is a constant update for me as well, so I thought I would let you know what is happening down here.
Tara has been working on th Big Day Out site team here in Sydney, it is a big show (55K) and the biggest in Australia, so she has been working hard, long hours. I think it is currently 15 days straight and at least 12 hrs a day.
Food - which is apparently why we read, and here is me thinking it was so you all knew how great I am? Well there is catering and it is not bad, not sure what, but the day i was there was a nice steak and veg, so very Aussie.

As for me, as i know your dying to know, I am on the road, for the 2nd time in 12 months (nice!) with the Kings of Leon, very easy as i already knew them, and all they want is rock and ladies!

Big Day Out wise - I will review - White Stripes not seen, (some bad blood there!) Iggy wow, give it away, Franz please another drum beat, please. Sleter Kenny - so good, Magic Numers great and always drunk, as for the dance side not my scene so not worried. Crowds = ugly, Parties = ugly, gossip none??? Boring I want a fight!

Haydn on behalf of a tired Tara

Chuck Taylor for everyone

Just a quick post...there's some major brand alignment going on at the Big Day Out. There will be the Converse Essentials Stage this year, and, how fitting considering that in the office today 4 people sported their Converse All-Stars. The shoes are ok if you're an office worker sitting most of the day, but I stil l can't wear them for much walking. Which is why I included the Sauconys in my bag today, too. By the way, I'm sporting the blue pair.

And in culinary notes, I enjoyed my first ANZAC biscuit today, a staple and tradition of the Australian/New Zealand armed forces (not quite sure what the AC stands for at the end...). Kind of like a macaroon, yum.

After a long day's work...

It is starting to be a busy month...I will be helping out with the Big Day Out Sydney show and Haydn goes on tour with the festival next week, which likely means there won't be too many culinary or leisurely notes to share. However, it looks like I might become well-versed in Worker's Comp, Public Liability, and payroll taxes. Rock n' roll, man.

Here are a couple of pics from a night at our "local" as they call it -- the pub right up the hill from where we live, the dear old Royal. After a long day, Haydn and I met Joeley and some of her colleagues for a few beers and some Justin Timberlake and Yes on the jukebox.





Because most food places around us close at 10, we were out of luck for getting food. But hey, Dominoes came in in the clutch. Their thin n' crispy is pretty good. Especially after a schooner or two or three of Carleton.

--tara

Following the recipe

Well, I was mistaken. I was thrown for a loop. There was no BBQ'ing last night...there was Popsy cooking up a recipe from a Jamie Oliver book! The first time he has ever followed a recipe, he contended. And he bravely took on Venison with some kind of blueberry and juniper berry sauce. It is pretty hard to find venison around there parts, so he used beef. Not much juniper to be found either, but it didn't matter. It was a wonderful sauce, rich without being too sweet, and nice and fruity. We had salads as well as a chilled kind of Italian red wine, Lambusca. Nice for summer.

Dessert was homemade brownies by Michelle -- homemade! So chocolatey good are the homemade from scratch. And we looked at the half moon through a telescope and sat outside. Sometimes the quality of life in Sydney is ridiculously good.

And while there were no junipers, it seems there was also a lack of good lighting for the pics. I should have turned on the flash, but I think you get the drift...







Maybe we should invite Heath and Michelle over for Sunday dinner sometime...heh heh...Brokeback Mountain isn't out yet in Australia, but the media here is only has glowing things to say about Our Heath and once in awhile his Michelle and their Matilda. When you're an Aussie who really hits the big time, you get may get christened with the "Our" before your name everytime it appears in print. I think Tom Cruise was even an Our Tom back in the day.

--your tara

a quiet one around here

It's been a week of overcast days and afternoons at the library. I've been doing some non-chunkytoast writing and am at my most productive in a setting where other people are working away too. There is something about the quiet camaraderie (and wifi connection!) that keeps me motivated.

But the weekend has been a bit more sunny, a bit humid at times. We watched the movie "The Door in the Floor" the other night , very good in a creepily odd John Irving kind of way. But Jeff Bridges, always good. Always and forever The Dude. We ordered pizza from a place called Big John's. I wanted to try it because the name seemed like a great pizza place name and they have a neon sign, so I figured it was promising. It was pretty good -- in a bit of a pan-style Pizza Hut kind of way, which we need once in awhile.

On Saturday, Haydn worked very diligently to eradicate an annoying virus that had infiltrated my computer. We thought Macs didn't get viruses, but that was proven wrong.

So here I am, blogging on a Sunday. Went for a run this morning over to Bronte...still no Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams spotting there. Eventually they'll have to take a walk along the beach or something. But upon my return home, Haydn and I went to the shops and I got a Frosty Fruit (so good to have a fruity icy treat post-run) and some produce. I made a very Australia meets California kind of breakfast with avocado, cantaloupe/rock melon (it's rock melon in Oz), toast, and cheese. With a dash of Wisconsin in the form of Martha's Hot Mustard that was sent for Christmas. It's good mustard (and I think can be found at Woodman's in Madison), but my dad -- Martha's cousin -- and I always thought "hot" as a description was a bit off -- it's actually more sweet.





Dinner at Pops and Michelle's tonight, so I will bring the camera and I expect some BBQ'ing to be going on.

happy weekend!
tara

a few more highlights

Fulfilling the request from Sam...more pics from the holiday. Featured very prominently in my pics are Jack and Ella, as they are rather photogenic and because Miss Ella often exclaimed "Take a picture!"











A couple of New Year's pics from the Annandale...




And, lastly, New Year's Day at Bondi Beach...with temps in the low 40s celsius. We're talking low 100s F and near-melting conditions for Midwestern natives. It was so hot we waited til about 4 pm to head to the beach, as it would have just been too hot in the sun. But the water was chilly and really refreshing and awakening.


After the beach, it was time for ice cream from the New Zealand ice cream place, and I quite enjoyed the Creme de Coconut cone I had. There seems to be rival nations in the ice cream market, as there is also a Danish Ice Cream place at Bondi, but no Australian Ice Cream shop, tho I have seen one in central Sydney -- making that NYC East Village Australian Ice Cream place not seem quite so random.

But day 2 of 2006 has brought a respite from the sweltering conditions with some grey skies and cooler temps, 21C/60s F, I'd say. It is still ice cream weather to me, tho...

tara