I have decided to embark on a life long search for a “normal” person, I’m sure they exist, I just seem to be a beacon for strange people

Its all down hill now tommy

back to work in the morning,

Suicide bomber dies prematurely

ABC radio news

The weekend began at 5:11 yesterday morning I woke up and had my shower, everyone else woke up and john packed the car and we all piled in, there was me, jo kemp, jo French, jane, john, anna and Hannah. & of us all in the Hannah van. Our first stop was musslevrook Maccas, but on the way to maccas we drove through Ceasnock where john showed us some noise barriers that he had been involved with. Hannah poo’d her pants at maccas. We drove and drove and stopped at some other places for driver changes and seating changes. Arriving in Armidale we went to my parenst house first and jane and jo and jo and me went inside, jane and jo French got ready for the wedding whilst me and jo kemp made ourselves at home.

I think the parental meeting went ok, jo seemed a bit shy, I’ve never seen her shy before it was kind of cute.

My parents are funny chaps, they have a new digital camera, very dangerous in the hands of my mother.

My nan was rude and talked about me and jo getting married.

Then today we all came home again, lots of driving, I don’t think 7 people in a 7 seater car is ideal on long trips,
We came back home a different way down “thunderbolts way” which was very beautiful and scenic, I liked it a lot, john was getting tense with janes driving on the steep bits.

We listened to the cricket and had a jolly old time.

Now I’m home, met daivd and we had a kebab and ice cream, just hanging out.

Well I woke up at 7:30, Hannah was in a grumpy mood, so a solid 4 hours sleep, then I sent mum a message and she called me at about 8:30 then again at 9:00 I went to the station to get a train to the city so I could meet mum at the art gallery with my cousin and get some money off her so I could go to the department of immigration and get a re-entry visa for my dad.
But there where no north shore trains, as usual my pals at cityrail where dogging me, so I had to catch a train down the main line, which takes much longer, I eventually got to the art gallery and rang mum, she came outside and met me then we went inside and had coffee with my cousin (I had a juice). Then I walked to broadway to go to the department of immigration, bit of a posh looking building on the outside, but inside there where about 200 people all sitting on chairs in rows like an airport departure lounge, I took a ticket which was number 506 they where up to number 443, so I sat and sat and more and more people crammed in, the man next to me asked if I wanted to swap tickets with him because he was waiting for a friend and didn’t want his number to be called before his friend came, I said yes thankyou and took his ticket which was number 467. It took about 35 minutes to be called up, I went to counter 12 and I told the lady I was here to get a re-entry visa for my dad, she took dads passport then said ok now you need to go to level 1 and they will sort you out and she printed me out another ticket C76, I went upstairs to where there was another large room with similar seating to downstairs, I took a seat and sat there watching the screen as the numbers went by, After sitting there for an hour I noticed that no numbers went past with the letter “C” at the beginning of them, they where all “M’s and “B’s” and “D’s” and “L’s”. So I went and asked the man in the black suit (he had a tag on so he must work here) I asked him why there was no letter “C’s” coming up on the board like not even the numbers below mine, he told me that the person who looks after C was at lunch. And that I should go sit back down in case I miss my number.
So I went and sat back down, it was quite hot. I’m sure the building has quite good air conditioning but its probably not built to cool 200 people in a confined space.
I cant see a point to the down stairs waiting because as you enter you take a ticket from a machine that has one button so its not like you are choosing your reason or department. Then you sit, your number gets called, then they send you upstairs to do more sitting, for all I know this could go on all day until I reach the top floor of the building.
Anyway I think it was about 2 hours waiting upstairs, until C76 was called to counter 46, so I went to counter 46 and this very nice lady said “how can I help you” I told her I was waiting for my next ticket so I could go sit down and wait again, she laughed and said yes it’s a bit like that isn’t it! She took dads passport and prepeared hi re entry visa, then she said that will be $120, (that’s why I met mum to get money). I said yep I’ve got it here. Then she said “sorry we don’t take cash, we only take credit card, eftpos, or cheque”. I wasn’t all together with that, I only had cash, stupid government, I told her that I only had cash, I think she could see a hint of frustration and said if you have the exact amount I’ll take cash. I did! She was a nice lady.
The whole experience reminded me of my centrelink days only the department of immigration is far worse.

After all that I left the building quite hot and a bit frustrated but quite relieved to be out of there, I went to broadway maccas and had a calm down large McChicken meal (with no mayonnaise). A man in maccas ordered his food, he got eat in, so all his food was on his tray, he then turned around and walked out across the road with his meal on his tray….very strange, I think maccas may have just lost a tray.
Now I’m in a internet café across from the department of immigration, time to go home and have a nap I think.

It’s 3:15am and I just finnished editing a wedding video, the big one, the final product is 1 hour and 20 minutes long.

sooooo much work,

now i’m going to bed

the posts still exist you can get to them by clicking here, hopefuly they will be posted again one day

The team at howies halfpipe would like to apologise for this technical mishap and we are working hard to rectify the problem, please take our sincerest apology and we are sorry for any inconvenience caused

Howies Halfpipe Team

Well i have now seen my first film of 2004, not the greatest film, but it was watchable, it had your typical hollywood feel good momments and some bad acting by bad guys, a poor script especially the main character but not toooooo bad, David let me use one of his free tickets at hoyts, so we went to chatswood.

not enough time, too many things to do,

I think the visitor statistics for my blog are bad for my ego.

The past few days have been quite large with bigger numbers than usual visiting my blog, and today whilst walking to davids house I found myself thinking about how popular my blog is and then began dreaming about being interviewed by the Sydney morning herald, them doing a special peace on

“what is fast becoming Australia’s most visited website, a blog, what is a blog you may ask, well Howie from Sydney’s upper north shore is this nations most acclaimed blogger, A blog is like a journal only this journal can be read by the whole world and not only read but the whole world can leave comments and interact with what is written. Blogs (standing for web logs) have been around for several years and there are literally millions of blogs on the web, open for everyone to read.
Howie began blogging in July 2002 after being inspired by his friend Ryan who had been blogging for some time, Howie didn’t take it on with a great level of energy, as is eminent in his archives with entire months of no posting. But as the months went by Howie became more and more serious about his blogging trying hard to post everyday and not bore his readers, his audience began to rise slowly, not really sure how his audience was growing Howie continued to post, sometimes quite witty, other times quite serious but always portrayed in a unique and entertaining way. While the layout is simple the content makes up for it.
The University of Queensland believes that it is Howie’s simplistic approach to layout and content that is the reason for his popularity, with readers not needing to delve too far into themselves to relate to the issues raised and revealed. The University is currently monitoring the visitor statistics and is scheduled to release a full report in late November……………………….”

Then I began appearing on TV shows like Rove live and the panel doing interviews and motivational seminars telling people to get their own blogs, and blog merchandise like bumper stickers and t-shirts and hats and mugs and pencils and mouse pads.

It would be kind of cool

Damn stats, I could stop reading them, but where is the fun in that, its my blog I’m allowed to self indulge, I mean why wouldn’t you self indulge if you had Australian most popular website

I really feel like a swim, it is “shirts off summer” it is very hot, and i want to swim, the problem i have is that i’m mindning hannah until 7:30 and no one has a pool and the beach is a long way away

Today was a very small foodcourt day with just myself, david and julian.

I think visitors to the foodcourt expect it to be some big extravagant experience that you will never forget and will tell your grand kids. But its not, I get excited about it because its fun, I love it but when you think about it. It’s just a few people sitting down eating a meal together talking about random stuff, its not a big event, but its still a good event.
Sorry if it has been built up as some extravagant outing and then you arrive and its not,

? Be on “the panel”
? Be on “whose line is it anyway?”
? Be a comedian
? Write and direct a comedy film
? Write sketch comedy
? Tap dance (with a suit and top hat and a cane and stuff)
? Be an afternoon or night radio host
? Be a general host, M.C for stuff
? Start my own company
? Take singing lessons
? Be in a band that sings silly songs and parodies
? Drive a train
? Make tom do the camera stuff in a film that I write and direct, but still do all the important shots myself
? Stop being rude to people
? Get married
? Get fit
? Clean my room
? Write a book
? Take photos
? Own an OB van and camera equipment
? Get on the front page of the Hornsby advocate

Last night after the bonza Frisbee game at Waitara oval I headed off to jo’s house, we talked to barbs and watched optus tv, then it was too late for me to come home so I stayed in james’s room (james wanst there this week) he has an ex-olypmic bed, one of the beds from the athletes village, the problem being is that it was a bit short so my feet hung over the edge.
Today Helen came and we went up to the RTA and jo got her L’s, I was a bit unsupportive in the whole matter I’m sorry jo. But she did it, well done jo.
The car wash was fun, the boot is shiny, the bonet is shiny and some of the doors are shiny but the roof is not, silly executive automated car wash.
Bit of wedding video editing, bit of watching the cricket in grace Bros with david on a couch in the tv section, then community dinner.
We played Frisbee out in the street for a while, that was a lot of fun, I really am enjoying my summer of Frisbee throwing.