So I finally think I've worked it out...

 

Those that know me will know that I'm a sucker for a short haired brunet, and I finally think I know why.

 

I finally moved into the new place in Acland St in St Kilda (the cenre of the known universe), and after an impromptu celebration at The Espy, crawled home and unpacked the cd collection. While microwaving a late dinner watching a U2 gig on TV, I turned the sound down and put on an old Lisa Stansfield album called 'Affection'. What a rush - so many memories came back, including the reason I fell in love with electronica in the first place!!

 

Those that have heard me mix will know my passion for a solid non poppy bullshit female vocal. Those that know me well will also know my penchant, neigh unhealthy destructive addiction, for serious womanly brunets... And I think Ms Stansfield is the cause of that! Such awesome soulful tunes and such good old West Coast Oz memories!

 

For those of you that have no idea what I'm on about, check out;

 

 

For those that do, just nod knowingly....... and if you ever in Oz Ms Stansfield, I have a fridge full of the finest and a pair of 1200's, a DJM300 and a deep desire to chat and find out just what's in your record bag....

 

You may not be a lady, but your all woman... Thank God, Allah, Buddah and Kharma for that.

 

Too much said!

 

S.

Apologies for it being such a long time since the last update. Things have been busy, what with a 4 day work trip to the (lack of) snow at Mount Hotham and busy weeks at work. On the upside I'm finally moving back to my beloved St Kilda to a cool little place on Acland St. I've popped some photo's up of the new place - hopefully it will look a whole heap better once my furniture finally gets here from Perth

 

Also forgot, was a guest of Ford at the recent Rally of Melbourne...Nowhere near as much fun as competing, but if you're stuck watching a rally being fed and watered by a manufacturer is the way to go - once again check the pics!!

 

More later

 

 

Just back from the limited snow at Mt Baw Baw. First time back on a snowboard for 2 years, and event though the snow wasn't the best, I still had a ball. Big thanks to JB for organising it way way back in May. Enjoy the photo's!

Woooohooo! Yes I bought a bike, and yes it's the one in the photo's. Had it about two weeks now and can't stop riding in. This has also added to my complete hatred of people who drive white Toyota Landcruiser Diesels. If you don't know how to drive get off the fucking road - don't by 2500kg of unguided black smoke belching 4wd lard..Yes one has tried to kill me already. Anyways, more later. Have to sleep sometime

Ok its been a while since I updated my blog. A fair bit has happened, but the main things are:

 

1. I got a job!

 

I'm the In-House Sales Manager for Oakley South Pacific - and loving it! Just getting up to speed with what I'm supposed to be doing and how to do it. You know, just the usual new job jitters and having to understand a completely new business model and organisational structure. Thank got they're on SAP, so I have some comfort level there.

 

2. I got my motorcycle learners in Victoria

 

A two day course at H.A.R.T in Victoria and I'm legal to ride up to 250cc for the next 12 months. Next month it's off bike shopping to see if I can't find myself a decent GPX250 or ZZR250.

 

More later....

Loving being back ibn Melbourne! Still don't have a job, but I do have a nice little place just near the corner of Glenferrie & Burwood Rds in Hawthorn. Unfortunately on the night I moved in and during a blatent bout of stupidity I managed to stick a nice new carving knife fairly deep into my left (thank god) hand. In the process I managed to sever the nerve leading to my index finger.

The upshot is that I go into St Vincents for surgery to re-attach the nerve tomorrow, and will havwe a fairly slidy bandaged hand for the next two weeks. Not really the way I wanted to start Melbourne Mk2, but better to get all the bad luck out of the way first right? Anyways, the new address is

u301/383 Burwood Rd
Hawthorn VIC 3122

Feel free to pop in anytime next week - I can't drive one handed so I'll either be home or not very far away....

In other news, a big thanks to two of my favorite people in the world - Mish & Dave - for putting me up for a month. If it wasn't for you guys I wouldn't be in Melbourne. Thank you sooooo much!

I haven't got net access sorted out at the house yet so I might be a bit sparse on email, but I'll let you all know when it's up and running.

Be Well.

S.

Hi all. Hope everyone had a great Xmas and an awesome end to '05 and start to '06. Just a quick note to let you all know that I will be back in Melbourne from the 13th January onwards. For those of you emailing me on the 'stuart.diggins@exemail.com.au' or the current 'digginss@atlasmetals.com.au' accounts, they wont work to well as I won't be able to reach them in Melbourne. The mobile number stays the same, and as always the 'stu_d@inthemix.com.au' always works

Finally the weather in Perth is warming up! Highlights of the weekend were a great second motorbike lesson with Dave the wonder instructer still telling me to get more aggressive witm my riding style. That was up until we started practicing for emergency braking. I love getting stuck into hard braking in cars and it was just the same on a bike. Next week we venture out of the parklands and onto real roads - Woooohooo! Can't wait. Later that night we had my 35th celebration at the house (see photos). Awesome night! Thanks to all who made it along, and a big thanks to my sister for letting the party happen in the first place, and to Daz for mixing up an awesome set at the start of the night. Some people were heard to say 'I usually hate dance music but this stuff's great', top work considering the total lack of cheese played on the night. I also noticed that I pull ridiculous faces while mixing.... Sunday recovering and I check the uni website to see if results have been posted. High Distinction (80) for one unit and a Distinction (73) for the other. All in all, a nice weekend.

So yesterday I turned 35. Discussions leading up to the day lead me to believe that this particular birthday does not represent a mid point. Therefore I can't grow (back) the ridiculous pony-tail, bling up on tacky chunky gold jewellry from Dubai and put the deposit down on the bright red Porsche.

Just as well to, because I'm broke!! And I don't think I could handle the required Genesis & Phil Collins albums in the cd player...So this year has been just a practice for the real deal male mid life gig pencilled in for 2010.

Preparations started on the 27th November by battling through the paperwork at the Morley office of the WA Department of Planning and Infrastructure. After waiting 30 minutes on a chair with a ticket watching Jerry Springer amongst people who looked like they had been previous guests I got called up, sat a 5 minute test, handed over $53.50 and waled away with my first learners permit in 18 years. Paperwork done, next up the physical preparations.

You can't wear a helmet all day and not look like you've just woken up when you take it off. The day before just about every rally I've ever done has involved a quick haircut to minimise looking ridiculous once the lid is removed. So it was off to the hairdressers to get a little trim...Ok, it's about the same length as a used tennis ball and has beautifully accentuated the male pattern baldness I seem to have aquired over the last few years. Exactly not what I wanted just before a 35th, but short of having to say 'yeah yeah' all the time there's bugger all I can do about it.

So the 10th December 2005 rolls around & I do the breakfast thing with the family members. (Thanks to all that sent SMS's on the day - and one at 12.01am, you know who you are, nice work!! - and to those who didn't don't sweat it - odds on I've forgotten yours in the past!! 2.00pm rolls around and I get in the car and off to Alert Motorcycle School (http://www.alertmotorcycleschool.com/) for my first ever motorcycle lesson.

Met up with Dave the instructor, donned my lid, jumped on the back of a black (perfect) Honda CB250N and headed off to a park with little carparks joined by roads and roundabouts. After a bit of instruction about the proper way to get on and off the bike & how to start it, it was time to ride.

Dave: Do you just want to stay in 1st gear or do you want to try and change gears

Stu: I think I'll have a crack at changing gears (no surprises there!)

Dave: Okaaaaay...Off you go then, just stay under 50km/h

Stu: Cool *Dopey grin from behind a full face helmet*

Last time I really rode a bike was on my old YZ80 trail bike when I was about 15, and it all came back! I know, just like riding a bike right :-) Ok apart from the indicating, watching for traffic etc etc, but we did see 4th gear a couple of times

I get back to where Dave, and the next bit just sealed the whole deal about learning to ride

Dave: Ok you're changing up at about 2500 to 3000 rpm. It's a bike, it can happily rev to 9500 rpm. Change up at at least 4 - 5000 rpm.

I'm just learning and he's telling me to rev the bloody thing - SOLD!!!

The rest of the lesson was awesome fun. The slow control stuff was hard though. Doing figure eights with the bars cranked over as far as they will go at 3km/h slipping the clutch in 1st gear controlling the speed with the rear brake and trying like hell not to put a foot down. More practice should solve that though.

Next lesson on the 17th and I can't wait. Will definitely be off to get a full face helmet (the one I use for rallying would make me look like a postie!)and a jacket. Discussed the lesson with the Harley riding uncle over dinner later that night, and he's said that when I get my licence we'll go for a ride up the coast together & he'll bring out the old bike (1938 Harley WLA 750 Flathead). Can't wait - I love seeing that bike on the road and can't wait to finally get to ride next to it & my uncle along the coast from Fremantle to Mindarie watching the sunset.

I have been hitting the decks hard in preparation for a little 35th soiree next weekend. That combined with getting older has drastically altered what I've been listening to when not mixing. For those of you of similar age and broad musical tastes, here's my iTunes heavy rotation for the last week or two...Some of you will be well surprised, but some of you won't :-)


Here's Where the Story Ends - The Sundays
Tomorrow Wendy - Andy Prieboy
Don't Talk - 10,000 Maniacs
Under the Milky Way - The Church
Sunflower - Paul Weller
Ashes to Ashes - David Bowie
Streets of Your Town - Go Betweens
Sometimes Always - The Jesus & Mary Chain
Loosing It - The Underground Lovers
Transmission - Joy Division
Atmosphere - Joy Division
Going Underground - The Jam
Loose Fit - The Happy Mondays
Walking Down Madison - Kirsty MacColl
My Ever Changing Moods - The Style Council
Waiting For The Great Leap Forward - Billy Bragg

Fingers hurt now....More later....

P.S Curling is an awesome sport!

	Finished my last exam for the year at 4.30 today. Time to get on with real life ....and finally get back to playing with the decks again!

	I hate Perth cops. Have since I was a child. They're fat donut eating pricks who have no life and the only thing that makes them happy is pissing people off..... So I'm walking to Gloucester Park for the second running of the Perth Special Stage of Rally Australia. First car started at 7.17pm and I'm running a little late. Get to the corner of Adelaide Tce and Plain St with not a car in sight, so I cross the road. Now I believe I have some dcemonstrated competencies in crossing roads. Ive done it in Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney Brisbane & in cities like Paris & Rome. Sometimes I've even done it under the influence. Ive been doing it for over thrity years and I always look left then right then left again like the ads on TV used to always say. To date, I've never been hit by a car crossing a road at an intersection so I think my record speaks for itself. Now as I'm crossing the road I see two of the aforementioned fat donut eating little hitlers replendant in gestapo style jodpurs and jackboots leaning up against their Police issue Honda penis extentions looking pissed off about working on a Friday night while real humans go out and have fun. I successfully cross a road devoid of any cars, only to be called over by a stumpy beer gutted short haired blue uniform with a particulaly bad demeandor who asks me for my drivers licence - that I've only had back for less for 24 hrs - takes down the details and issues me with a $150 fine FOR F*CKING JAYWALKING!!!! It actually says 'crossing contrary to the red man' on the ticket - presumable because Constable Adolf "Tubby" Adams can't actually spell jaywalking. Now here's the rub. I'm crossing the road with a tallish blonde friend of mine from Melbourne who's over for the Rally. I get the ticket, she doesn't even get a warning!!! My new mission in life now is to compose a rant, find 'Tubby's" commanding officer and see if I can't get him driving a desk! There is no way I'm paying $150 for using my discretion to cross a street!!!! Ahhhhh, that feels better already....The weather is nice at the moment though :-) Rant over.

I wonder if anyone is reading this? Good typing practice anyway..

New vinyl arrived this week - God love mail order tunes because I sure as hell can't find anywhere in Perth to buy quality tunes from...

Joshua Collins - Feel it in the air
Rachael Starr - Till there was you (Cheese I know...)
Synergy - Hello Strings
Gabriel & Dresden - Portabello/Serendipity (WEAPON!!)
Armin Van Buuren - Shivers sampler (it's Armin, couldn't resist)
Soul Tan Feat. Steph Vezina - How Long (dead dead sexy)

All ex vinylwarning.com.au

Had a mix with the new tunes this morning in preparation for the parental onslaught that is Fathers Day - my first 'in person' fathers day for 8 years. Glad I did cos it put me in an impervious good mood for the rest of the day. Ok that and a pint of Stella followed by a couple of glasses of Henshke's Hill of Grace over lunch...

Still haven't found any good nightspots in Perth yet, although haven't been out for about a month. Got dragged to the Paddington Alehouse (referred to as the paddoooooow maaaate)by the well meaning sister & her boyfriend on friday night. It doesn't count as going out - made the Geebung in Hawthorn look classy. Foootball on the big scren didn't help. Must admit that Eagles supporters bear a remarkable resemblance to old footage of the Hitler Youth when they win a game. Very happy to leave that place....Can't say I'll be going back in a great hurry. Hopefull the Hdson Gallery in King St will re-open soon. Have heard good reports but its been closed for renovations since Ive been back.

In unrelated news, I've been toying with the idea of getting a mid 60's Vespa or Lambretta for when I get my licence back (65 days & counting), but that's a story for another time when I don't have a pressing assignment on the legal ramifications on psychometric testing for employment to complete

It' hard to focus with a pair of 1200's in the spare room.....

With sincerest apologies to an old bloke called Bill who lived in London a long time ago....and to anyone reading this attempt at humour.

"To blog, or not to blog: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous critisism,
Or to blog against a sea of troubles,
And by writing end them? To write: to blog;
No more; and by a writing to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be written. To write, to rant;
To blog: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that writing of blog what dreams may come….
And lose the name of action.--Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember'd."