For Sale: 1990 Nissan Skyline GTE.
More details in this trademe listing.
The time has come, alas, to part with our beloved car. It will be replaced by a wagon - for our latest family member requires lots of peripherals.
We need to talk.
More.
Communication is vital to building community. Any communication is good. Time spent face-to-face is better.
Saturday night was cool - thank you to all who were present.
Watching a movie together is all well and good, but aside from providing a talking point, it eats up valuable time that could be spent strengthening relationships and hence building community. I glad we played board games and talked instead.
Plug: Help build community at YBC. A good place to spend New Year's.
Tapu Misa writes this article.
What does it say about the self-centered unthinkingness of some groups of people when Charity organisations get upset about the fact that the new smoking ban in bars and casinos might mean less people will be gambling, and hence less money comes their way?
Its like opposing efforts to lower the road toll because less accidents may mean emergency services staff are put out of work.
Perspective, people.
In other news: These photos just in.
Alex has started a blog. Contrary to popular misconception, if you have a blog you're a geek, but not necessarily a nerd. Geeks are cool. Welcome to the ranks of geekdom, Alex.
Russell Brown's Hard News at the award winning Public Address is a very good read.
I've tweaked my template yet again. Shadowy goodness.
Mother who breastfeeds pup 'didn't want to waste it':
This has outraged and disgusted some people. It apparently took the full front page of Hawkes Bay Today. But is it news? Leighton Smith was discussing it on the radio yesterday, and postulated that news is anything unusual or out of the ordinary. But really - should this sort of thing take up as much media real estate as it did?
I mean, who actually cares? Obviously some people do, but its really none of their collective businesses. Why should people get all up in arms about someone else's personal choice(s)?
In my opinion, although it is sensational and sensational stuff does sell, I deem it entirely un-newsworthy - a veritable waste of space and time.
Case sets "frightening precedent":
This is case of a father who suffocated his five-month-old daughter hours after being told her brain would never develop. He was aquitted of all charges.
That jury would have been the last place on earth I would have wished to be. It was reported that there was not a dry eye in the court, and having a 17-day old son myself, I have total sympathy for this man. I completely understand his actions.
However, even in such a situation as this, is murder excusable? This jury said 'yes'.
I say 'no'.
This was premeditated murder. He willfully took the life of his daughter. And this case does indeed set a frightening precedent. It is illegal in New Zealand to take the life of another. How would Lesley Martin have fared with this case as a precedent? She was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment for attempted murder after injecting her mother with a fatal dose of morphine.
It is a little frightening, really.
Today, I am house-ridden with throat infected. This is the second in a series of such days. I sleep a bit, read the 'dailies', and spend time with my wife and son. The doctor has taken a swab of my throat, and will soon let me know if the infection is viral or bacterial. I have a prescription for antibiotics all ready to invoke at a moment's notice, should 'bacterial' be the call.
It seems wrong. It goes against the spirit of blogging. Go publicaddress.net, particularly Russell Brown's Hard News. A real blog.
Bah - roll on Netguide Awards 2005.
tvnz.co.nz was nominated for four categories, but didn't take an award. Which is possibly fair enough.
What wasn't fair enough was xtramsn.co.nz winning the 'Best new Web site or relaunch' category. It isn't a new website, and simply making a new front page does not constitute a re-launch.
I personally think that the tvnz.co.nz new site/relaunch should have won if only judged on the sheer scale of the project. A massive site having undergone massive change (from nzoom.com to tvnz.co.nz).
But personally I love the metservice.co.nz site. Beautifully designed with a great user interface, heaps of information, and it performs well.
No question about the winner of the 'Best Personal Blog' category. I had only recently discovered bizgirl, but she writes extremely well. I guess being a librarian helps. You have to read it.
In other news, my blog looks better.
Removing many of the margins makes it look simpler, cleaner and less busy.
Moving the linkbar to the left kinda consolidates the page a little better. Making the post title backgrounds red ties the most recent post to the page title banner, making the post title more prominent
Justifying the post text makes it easier to read.
I trust you will enjoy your visits all the more.
- 7:25am : Overhead power line (powerpole, not big HT pylon) termination arcing, making a loud buzz and pretty bright sparks. Potentially dangerous.
- 7:26am : House with windows and doors flung wide open, and Louis Armstrong singing Mack The Knife from within, at volume. Whilst all around is peacefully quiet but for the buzzing of an arcing power line termination nearby. Rather eerie.
Toby - asleep
Originally uploaded by Danny_B.
Toby is pretty much domininating my posting right now.
He is such a good kid. I love him so much. He is a little jaudiced, as he was three weeks early, and that has made him a little sleepier. He should come right in a few weeks, with regular feeds and some good sunlight on his skin.
He is really well behaved, and only cries when you'd expect him to - dirty nappies, hungry, wind, etc.
Michelle is doing well and is getting plenty of sleep in between feeding Toby.
I'm kind floating on air right now. Everywhere I go I feel so proud - not in an arrogant, cocky kinda way, but in more of a responsible, blessed fashion.
Well... Bush won the US presidency. He won by a greater margin than he did 4 years ago. It seems to me as if the silent majority spoke up.
Toby - two days old and up close
Originally uploaded by Danny_B.
Hey everybody - meet Toby!!
He is doing great - feeding really well now, and sleeping heaps - I think I've only seen him with his eyes open four or five times.
Michelle is recovering really well, but could do with a lot more sleep.
I changed a nappy all by myself this evening! Yay!
I'm particularly excited!
There will be more news and photos to come.
Toby is three weeks early and yet a good size at 3kg.
He is healthy and strong, making his first noises and taking his first breath as soon as his head appeared. He feeds well and is very alert, yet contented.
Proceedings were fairly quick, especially for a first child, and Michelle did very well - I am so proud of her.
Thank you all for your prayers and support - I'll try and get a good picture of him up soon, for you all to see.
