79. Attend 20 live music gigs and blog about each

Attend 20 live music gigs and blog about each - Guns N’ Roses in Townsville. 5/20

OK, so your BFF is a massive Gunners fan and they are playing in Townsville. What else is there to do other than book an airline ticket and four nights accommodation in far north Queensland? It’s was a great excuse for a holiday and a great reason to check out a part of Australia that I may not otherwise ever visit.

The gig itself was a massive open air affair on a car racing circuit just out of Townsville. Prior to going to the gig we went to a pub for a few pre gig drinks. The pub was full of feral drunk men and had a topless bartender who looked about 17. I spoke to one guy who was drinking beer straight from a jug. I commented that it was a good way to drink, his reply, ‘what the fuck would you know’? Friendly.

The gig itself was great although in true Axl style we waited for more than 2 hours for Gunners to come on stage. The locals weren’t impressed and I thought at one stage there was going to be a riot. We danced, we had fun and we made temporary friends with a few locals. Would I ever return to Townsville? Probably not, but I am so glad that I went. It was 10 out of 10 fun.

 

Guns N’ Roses in Townsville

Thursday 2nd December 2010

$120 per ticket

83. Post 50 images (or footage) from the internet that moves me, inspires me or educates me

83. Post 50 images (or footage) from the internet that moves me, inspires me or educates me – 3/50

I love to smile at strangers. I love to say hi to strangers. I love this.

Reblogged from i can read : http://tumblr.com/xb0104i2bw

 

79. Attend 20 live music gigs and blog about each

Muse

79. Attend 20 live music gigs and blog about each – Muse, 4/20

Muse had long been a favourite band of mine and I was disappointed to not see them when they last performed in Melbourne in 2007. I swore then that I would see them next time they toured here. However I was really disappointed by their last album The Resistance. I felt that that album was overblown, too excessive, too Queen like. So when tickets for this tour went on sale I decided not to go, then decided last minute to go. I had waited too long to get tickets and missed out on general admission and ended up being seated high up in Rod Laver.

The gig itself was outstanding, although I found it difficult to connect being seated so far away. They played lots of my favourites, Black Hole, Time Is Running Out and Uprising accompanied by amazing strobe lighting and effects. It was a great gig, I only wished that I was on the floor to fully enjoy the experience.

Muse

Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne

15th December 2010

$110 per ticket

61. Eat at 30 venues listed in The Age Cheap Eats Guide 2010

61. Eat at 30 venues listed in The Age Cheap Eats Guide 2010 – 6/30

North Island. I have walked past this place time and time again to line and up wait for a table at its popular neighbour Dench. Ms EPG and I decided to eat there not long ago and I was very impressed. I was ready for a break from an egg-centered breakfast menu and that’s what I found at North Island. For starters I had a bowl of Coco Pops, great value at $4. It was a generous serve of nostalgia. I followed this up with an ham, cheese and tomato pide which was absolutely delicious ($8.50). Ms EPG had the North Island Beans, ($9, pictured below).

The coffee was outstanding and the staff relaxed and attentive. I will definitely return for another bowel of coco pops and to sample something else from the menu.

The Age Cheap Eats Guide 2010 gave North Island 2 out of 3 stars.

North Island

111 Scotchmer Street
Fitzroy North VIC 3068
(03) 9486 8864

61. Eat at 30 venues listed in The Age Cheap Eats 2010

61. Eat at 30 venues listed in The Age Cheap Eats 2010 – 5/30

At the time of eating at Northern Soul I was well over the standard breakfast fare of eggs on toast with a side of mushrooms or bacon and that is what I ordered. I was disappointed in my breakfast but more disappointed with my choice of breakfast. My breakfast was bland and uninspired and I felt unwell after eating it. I had considered the Pancakes w/ banana, mascarpone, toffee honeycomb and maple syrup ($14) and noticed another customer eating that with a big smile on their face. The coffee was good and they were doing a great trade in take away coffees.

Below, my breakfast. Poached eggs on toast ($8) with a side of mushrooms ($3).

Below, EPG’s breakfast; poached eggs on toast ($8) with a side of roasted tomato ($3) and spinach ($3).

The Age Cheap Eats 2010 gave Northern Soul 2 out of 3 stars and a great review.

Northern Soul

843 High Street, Thornbury

Phone: 03 9480 2333

61. Eat at 30 venues listed in the Cheap Eats 2010

61. Eat at 30 venues listed in the Cheap Eats 2010 – 4/30

Each Peach is located in a small pocket of Lygon Street that I am yet to fully explore. We ate there on a beautiful rainy Saturday afternoon when the place was pretty quiet.  Seated at the large pine table in the front room we were able to relax and look out onto the street at the passing parade of locals out walking their dogs and picking up the Saturday papers. I was impressed with the ambience of Each Peach. There was something very familiar and homely about the place. Perhaps it was the bookshelf lined with cookbooks or the wall hanging comprised of vintage tea towels. I was also impressed with the menu which was largely organic and made on premises. It included organic sourdough toast with a selection of homemade jams (vegan) for $7,  and three-egg omlette filled with spinach, fetta and pine nuts $12 and pecan spelt waffles with organic banana, maple syrup and homemade ice cream for $12.

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For breakfast I had the ultimate BLT, thick-cut free range bacon with organic lettuce, tomato and chili jam plus and egg and aioli for $15. My partner, Ms EPG, had the big greek baked beans on organic sourdough olive toast (vegan) for $10. While I liked being at Each Peach I was not overly impressed with the food. The bacon was cut too thick for my liking and was far too fatty and salty. While the food was prepared on premises and was organic it lacked flavour and seemed to have been prepared without much attention or love. We finished our meal with one of their biscuits, a Snickerdoodle that was absolutely delicious.

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Despite being disappointed with our meals I would give Each Peach another go. Perhaps next time I will choose the organic oat and walnut seasonal fruit crumble with thick yoghurt for $9. Something to look forward to…

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BLT before and after.

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The Age Cheap Eats 2010 gave Each Peach 2 stars and a great review.

Each Peach
506 Lygon St
Brunswick East
Phone; 9383 4529

17. Film & edit my sister Paula’s wedding

I am notoriously slow with editing any project. It took me a year to edit my sister Sandra’s wedding DVD and it almost took me a year to edit my sister Paula’s wedding DVD but it is now completed and was posted to Western Australia last week. This task is complete!

83. Post 50 images (or footage) from the internet that moves me, inspires me or educates me.

Born in Ireland, Karma is a self-taught street artist who brightens up the streets of Dublin with thought-provoking stencils. Karma’s pieces are really inspirational, and a nice reminder that the world is not such a crappy place (havanadonnalina).

(source: havanadonnalina, via ancestryinprogress)

61. Eat at 30 venues listed in the Cheap Eats 2010

61. Eat at 30 venues listed in the Cheap Eats 2010 – 3/30

Trippy Taco is close to where I work so I have eaten there a number of times. I always feel excited about eating there but have been disappointed on each occasion. The problem is that it should be so good (and it’s obviously doing something right considering the loyal patronage of hipsters lining up on the day I was last there) but it’s not. The problem is the sogginess of the food.

I have eaten the burrito several times , each time the burrito was so soggy that it has literally fallen apart before I could finish it. The last time I ate there I decided to try something different, hoping that it would be less soggy. I ordered the Original Trippy Taco, a fresh house made corn tortilla topped with cheese, black beans, salad, salsa, avocado and fresh lime. I opted for the meal size; two tacos for $9. It was OK, some bites were bland and others were tasty but again it was so soggy. I had to eat the second taco with a knife and fork because it was so soggy that I literally couldn’t pick it up to eat it. If they could fix the issue with the sogginess this place would be rockin!

The Original Trippy Taco – meal size = 2 tacos for $9.

The Cheap Eats 2010 give Trippy Taco one star.

Trippy Taco

48a Smith Street, Collingwood

Phone: 9415 7711

61. Eat at 30 venues listed in the Cheap Eats 2010

61. Eat at 30 venues listed in the Cheap Eats 2010 – 2/30

The Vegie Bar in Fitzroy is one of my favourite places to eat in Melbourne. The food is reasonably priced and consistently good and the service is efficient while relaxed.  I usually can’t go past the Mostly Greens which is an meal action packed with nutrition for a reasonable $14. This time I chose the House Salad with Rice Balls which is also nutritious and tasty and exceptionally great value at $10.50.  On this occasion I also had a Raspberry Lassi made with raspberries, yoghurt, fresh apple juice and honey which was a delicious finish to my meal for $5.90.

The Vegie Bar also do great burgers which come with a tasty side of salty and delicious chips, thin crust pizzas and roti wraps. They have a great selection of local and imported beers and wine and are BYO with corkage at $2.50 per head. I prefer to get there early for dinner to save the long wait for a table, but even with a wait, it’s always worth it.

The House Salad with Rice Balls, delicious and nutritious and only $10.50!

The Cheap Eats 2010 gives the Vegie Bar one star.

The Vegie Bar

380 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

Phone: 9417 6935