BUCKS! night

BIG big day. I didnt want to commit myself to a major one considering I've been on good behaviour for so long. Today was going to be a real test. Sherry was kind enough to drive Doug and I over to Marty's who lived in the new estate where Waverly Park once was. On the way I was carrying Sherry's make-u back hoping it would make Doug panic a bit. I also told him 'I hope you brought your bathers', and a fake phone call 'yeah./.sorry someone else will need to bring the rope' Sherry dropped us off, i threw the make-up bag back into the car and from there on in it was on. Beers, pool, poker at Marty's. I hit a couple of nice shots but couldn't match Doug's arse I mean class. Doug's oldest brother Andrew was pretty mean with the stick too. They had a bit of a showdown later on at the RACV club.

We played poker and I absolutely tore the best man a new one. He shouldnt have played his pocket 9's after solid re-raising by me on 2 bets. i had pocket Jacks and they held up. I then won the next hand on Ace high, so I was a massive chip lead. unfortunately i think that win set a precedent for the rest of the game as people were winning on rubbish. I layed down twice and the one decent hand i did push with i copped a bad beat on the river. But thats Poker as they say in the classics.

Doug of all people won! I mean. This was a good start for the young man and that only served to make the rest of the nights shannigans all the more painful for him. We told him then and there that he would suffer. We were all pretty jolly by this stage. Marty ushered us outside for a some group photo shots. he had a bit of Austin Powers about him - not in vocular delivery but more just in photographic execution. Anyway, marty the ranga took the photo. Back row - Jimmy, Chris, Clint, Andrew, Matt, Murray, Doug, Andrew, Carlos, Jarryd, Trent, and I cant remember the name of the guy from Doug's work. But yeah we then went for a walk down the street, cans in hand. Low and behold - on Jackson's road a Party Bus had pulled up. Awesome! Seats all along the sides. We got onto the freeway with good olds blokey party songs. Walk this way, thunderstruck etc. hahah The boys even played a bit of hard core corners in the back seat. We made a few pitstops along the way before hitting the RACV xclub. First the bus pulled up alongside the Yarra for a a pitstop and then we went to the Victoria market to sample some fine cheeses. I especially enjoyed the Bree. I didn't know Doug was a cheese man but he sure took a liking to it.

We then went to the RACV club and shot some pool. We had to be let in in dribs and drabs. I was in the last group of 5 to be let in and I reckon that was about 30 minutes after the firsr group went in. Doesnt matter as I had a good chat with Carlos.

Was good to see Carlos. I'd forgotten all about him. J-rock too. Good times with that old gang. They all lok well. But yeah, the RACV club had massive tables, mahogony and red royal carpet. All that was missing was a cigar or a pipe to complete the experience. I think I downed a Bloody Mary just to add to the alacholic differntation that i would put my body through for the 15 hour drinking session. Beers, Kilkenny, Beam's, scotch and dry's, Bloody Mary's, Skittle Bombs. Crazy. I felt seedy until Monday.

After RACV club we went to Nandos. That was pretty good. Chris was off his chops and had his 'Darlin' ' Phrase going. hahaha - a bit of a food fight also broke out.

Cant really remmeber what happened next but yeah we then hit some clubs and bars. Unfortunately the groups got split up which was a bit of a downer. We headed to some really shit palce off little bourke street. paid 10 bucks entrgy and stayed for 2 minutes. Clint and Marty both missed out on the Elephant Wheelbarrow but yeah - we had to set up shot somewhere. Too much barvado and stuffing around going on. And not the good stuffing around.

More shots, beers, chatting and we got a bit of a dance happening too. that was good fun. hahah - teh mosh circle for Bullet with Butterfly Wings. my god! how old are we??

We then went back to the hotel and relaxed for a while. Sherry, teh absolute bestest girkfriendist in the worldest picked both Dough and I up and we went to Maccas. I would have loved to have tried the Angus burger but it was brekky time so had to settle with the McMuffin meal action. That orange juice did not go down well.

Hit the pillow at about 6am and was amazed that I actually got to sleep...or passed out. Congratulations Doug. I'm pretty positive you had a good time and all teh beswt for a long and happy future with Stella.

Ashes Cricket with Rodders

Well after we both had our practise runs earlier in the afternoon we both settled in for some 2 player co-op cricket. Rodders had made a nice 300 with Phil Hughes notching up 112, while i had made 422 with captain Rick making 144. After struggling in our opening match and having a re-think over a game of cards we got back into it. We did pretty well too. Eventually being all out for 720. I controlled Ponting after a bad Katich run-out. Punter top scored with 445 not out off about 220 balls,. This included roughly 75 boundaries, Rodders made 116 again with Hughes and also made 61 with Watson. Unfortunately the spinners, mostly Panesar, took the wickets leaving Ponting going at it with the tail enders. To Rodney's credit he really hung around well, especially with Peter Siddell. I think our 10th wicket partnership was around teh 150 mark with Siddell getting only 1 run. hahaha. Ah well. Rodney did real well to help get me to 350 and then 400. It took some real farming of teh strike. So yeah Ponting 445 not out. Top score so far

Ashes Cricket

Well i got my first century today. Wrapped. England chose to bat first on a flat track at Cardiff. Posting a reasonable score of 350 I knew I would have to play well and be patient. My previous top score was around 240 or so, but usually I'd throw wickets away after losing my top scorer. I ended up making 422. Hughes 40 (34) 5 4's S.Katich 21 (27) 2 4's Ponting 144 (80) 25 4's 1 six M.Clarke 44 (33) 6 4's 1 six M.Hussey 0 (3) M.North 55 (30) 10 4's B. Haddin 1 (2) S. Watson not out 65 (31) 13 4's Johnson 25 (14) 3 4's B. Lee 4 (7) Siddle 2 (4) Extras 21 no balls FOW - 66, 73, 182, 182, 277, 284, 332, 385, 416, 422 Best bowler - S. Broad 5/119 off 9 overs

Brithday where i got my Wings

Well its the day after my birthday and i gotta say yesterday was a big day. I didnt have anything planned and intended just to cruise through it. Maybe go out to lunch with shez and have dinner at home - that's it. But it turned out to be pretty action packed. I tried to get a good night sleep the night before so I hit the sack about 11pm. I was pretty tired anyway, but after 2 hours of laying in bed with the Nets v Suns 2OT game from Dec '06 on I still couldn't sleep. So I got up and went back out to the general living quarters. Gaz had sent me a message pretty much right on midnight and guessed the age too. Not bad for a full blown squeeza. So I stayed up till about 3AM in the mornin'. Played 18 holes of Resort, bit of table tennis ta boot. I can't remember if I played cricket as well. I must have done a few things to be up until 3. Anyway, went to bed and chucked on some Raymond. I watched pretty much a full episode of Season 8 called 'Boy's Therapy'. Was pretty funny - I hadn't seen it in a while so i really enjoyed it. All i canthink of is Frank saying 'It really paid off.' and 'I owe it all to Marie's Mouth'. Nodded off nicely just at the start of the next episode. I woke up way too early though. I reckon it would have been just after 7Am. Felt tired and heacachy but kind of pumped at the same time. Tried to have a ibt more of a dose but couldn't so by 8.30 i was up. I made myself a Sherry special for breakfast. egg on tomato, ham and muffin X 2. Why wasn't Sherry making me a Sherry special on MY birthday. Well she had a conference call to do with work. No excuses! I should have demanded a post conference conference. On the bench were 2 cards. One was from Mum and another one was from the dogs. Woof! Woof! Sherry then gave me a gift and a bon bon. Oh yeah and a card. The card was cool. Kind of like Fliss' Vague vard. This one was a basketball one. At least it didnt say because I was 32 (Mgic Johnson's number) i'd got AIDS from slamming to many rings. Donuts sent me that message today. Nice work although he said Merry Xmas and something about an empty sack. Sounds like a depressing christmas or birthday for any man. Sherry firstly also gave me a book -Greatest Sports fiction and non-ficiton aritcles of 2007. Should be a good read. And also a scroll. See below I then played a bit of Zen Pinball - Shaman table. Could only get about 6 million, witha few 'wearing no-o-o underwears' going. Played Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook and got my highest score to date. 229,800. Yeah! Then we headed down for brunch to the Pancake Parlor. Lovely! I didnt quite no what to have but i was pleasantly suprsied. It was sort of like Bolognsese pancakes. I didnt even expect the bolognese and screwed up my face when it first came out. But it combined really well with the ham and the cheese. Shez had like a Hawaian Crepe. Also nice and then we shared a bavarian pancake - cineman and apple with ice-cream. We then went and tried to get my jersey organised for framing. It was a bit of a headache. Didn't quite have the right colours and i wasn't overly impressed with the attitude of the staff either. Old chooks. Then went home for an hour. I was pretty titred but then Sherry gave me a 3rd scroll. GOing into the coity this time. Had to be theire by 4.30. I had no idea for a change. Shez did really well to suprise me. Even Rodders was there. I hadn't heard from him all day so i kind of suspected something. But yeah the Flight sSimulator was awesome. Flew around Las Vegas and the old Hong Kong airport. Then had dinner at the Dumpling place. No hot and sour soup was a let down but it meant i got to try new things. Was pretty impressed actually. Flied lice, bok choi, noodles, dimplings and coke! I hadnt had softdrink or caffeine for a month. Then went to JB - Rodders bought cricket (when he got home and played it he messaged me about 6 times with score updates - apparantly Hughes got 80 - when the messages stopped i new the collapse was on). I got a game for 5 bucks. Sherry then drove home and we dropped Rodders off befgfore going home and having really nice Mud cake made by Mum. We then watched 1/2 of Shoot 'em up - which I thought was a cool movie. Jsut plaiun old shootin' without the rootin'. We were both pretty tired though. Fliss messaged me and i got 1/2 through saying thanks but stopped so sorry about that Fliss. So I didnt even see out the day. Was in bed and asleep 1/2 through an episode of Raymond. So apologies Gaz again - you were there when the date ticked over to the 13th and again late at night. Appreciated. But got heaps of warm wishes from everyone so thanls to all - Daniel and Angela from Otter, Shannyn, Jay MC, Travis, Todd and Tim from JB, Newbs - although a day early, Amy Dodge, Daniel Banik, Amy, Dangas, Callan, Donuts, Paddington, Fliss, Pete, Sharee, Jeremy, Amy, Caz, Mum, Gaz, Rodders and of course Sherry.