JamesX

I’ve finally broken the 5 tip barrier, tipping 7 last round! It’s about time I get a decent score, although it was an easy round and there were a few who got 8 this week. It brings me to a total of 39, which is around 30th in both the work and OHA comps - so a little way to go yet!

In other news - I’m so over uni. Do I mention that often enough? I mean really, it never seems to end. Maybe it’s just because I work full time and have to squeeze the most ridiculously huge subject around that that it just wears me out. Of course, it doesn’t help that I seem to spend even more time at work nowadays. I’m back and forth all the time setting up for this and that… I really need to start sleeping at work… only kidding! :) The excitement of finishing uni is comparable only to that of finishing Year 12. It’s weird because when you think about how far away it is, time seems to go really slowly, but really so much happens in a week that the days just fly by without you noticing. I suppose it’s all about perspective really, because obviously time is constant - it’s fun how the mind works.

Also today, and even more exciting than uni, is that it STARTED SNOWING! All the cold weather and rain is making for perfect conditions for the snow to start to fall. I’ve already planned the first trip up to Hotham and hopefully, after such a terrible season last year, the cover will be really good this time round. At the end of the day, any skiing is good, but it’s the really good days that you remember, so here’s hoping that there’s a lot of those this year. I’m still in two minds about the season pass - I might wait and see how good the snowfalls are before committing to that one. I’ll have to keep an even closer watch on the weather now.

Well we’re a quarter of the way into the footy season and my tipping hasn’t been so good this year. I think average is the only way to describe it, perhaps consistently average. So far I’ve tipped 4-5-5-4-5-5 for a total of 28. It’s not all that bad when you look at it - I’m ranked 29 at work and 30 in the OHA and I’m only 2 points away from being in the top 10 so there’s still plenty of time to catch up. It’s been a tough season for tipsters, no one at work has managed to tip 8 yet, so the jackpot is already $140. The real consolation comes when I look at Brett who’s right down at 49. :) Maybe our luck will change soon…

Well the 2007 footy season kicked off this weekend and I’m slightly disappointed that I only managed to tip 4 winners this round. I guess I should have heeded Mark’s advice about tipping the Sainters but it just wasn’t in me.

I suppose there’s some consolation that the first round is always a tough one to pick, but I’ll only know if 4 is going to be good enough when I find out tomorrow what everyone else tipped. This year, as well as the work comp, I’m also in the OHA footy tipping which, believe it or not, has no entry fee and has cash prizes up to $500 for first place. I couldn’t say no!

Hopefully I can make up some ground in round two!

Well there’s been a lot happening lately. Obviously too much for me to be bothered finding time to post. I suppose the Tattoo was the most time consuming event of late but there has been plenty of other things happening too.

Pluto was dumped from our solar system on Friday, not that you would have noticed - anyone who’s been reading The Age lately knows what I’m talking about. But it’s not all bad. I have video for anyone who’s interested.

I’ve discovered that it’s not just me who’s been busy of late. Everyone seems to be working hard - be it uni or work, everyone has somewhere to be. It’s making keeping up with people quite difficult but for those in the know, the monthly dinner is on again - 7 September. I’ll be emailing the details out soon.

The footy tipping has been going well this year. As of round 20 I’m on 107 - just two points behind the leader. Hopefully I can make up some ground in the last couple of rounds. It would be a shame to drop out of the top three after leading for so many rounds. Plus I want to win my money back!

Of course then there’s uni. That’s going well. Very well in fact, with a 100% average on assignments so far. I don’t think I’ve ever managed to get 100% for six assignments in a row, so it’s looking like a good semester. Once this one’s out of the way, just two courses to go next semester and I’m all done - finally! I’m doing a funky digital imaging course this semester so I might post some of my work on the blog as I see fit.

I really don’t know when the next post will be. You’ll just have to wait and see.

Oh and before I forget - HI MEL!!

I’m off to a good start this year with the footy tipping. After the first two rounds at six a piece, my total is 12. Not bad considering the start of the season is always the hardest to tip. At work, I’m currently leading the competition (equal with three other people but with the lowest cumulative margin). Maybe I’ll be able to stay in good shape for the rest of the season and not bomb out like I ususally do! Go Collingwood!

This post is a continuation of Happy New Year…

July
War of the Worlds and Live 8 were making headlines in July and semester 2 and GigManX continued to roll along. Around mid July, grandma returned from the UK and Richard and I began to move into the Widget arena with the new assortment of ISP Usage widgets. Stu M managed to injure his back (obviously *cough* working too hard!) and Muppets Inc. was born in my Organisational Behaviour class. We celebrated birthdays for Ed and Gronow and capped of a relatively busy month with System Administrator Appreciation Day.

August
Uni was powering along well and my results were higher than ever. Podcasting was starting to make it’s debut and the ski season provided a perfect opportunity to get away for a weekend. Houses were burning down, the weather was crazy and the WordPress Tiger Style caught my attention.

September
September was a time for many developments. JamesX 5.0 was launched and rekindled the blogging spirit. September also saw the return of The Bitch Box and the surprise release of the iPod nano. eBay acquired Skype and my thoughts turned to how much snow would be awaiting me at Perisher. Returning just in time to expand my gadget collection with the Harmony 880 and RAM upgrades on the table.

October
October was quiet as the uni year ended (for RMIT anyway :)). James Blunt was in our ears and we had new iPods to listen with. Addo’s blog made a comeback along with my gallery. And that was it for October, but not before the clocks went forward and my new office was ready.

November
Spring Carnival fever hit Melbourne in November and it was Cup Day and Stakes Day that kept me busy this year. Dennis got older and I finished exams. The question now was what to do next. Two days at home and I had my gadget fix - TomTom GO 500 was here at last! Of course, November is always an exciting time for me, but this year was extra special for it was my 21st!. The party was huge and is still a fun topic. But it was tiring and some serious resting was in order!

December
December was seemingly busier than most with enrolments and concerts, birthdays and Christmas it was as packed as it could get. But I did get some toys along the way, new plates for the car and iPAQs for work. Then came the K600i to wrap up season, just in time for organising Boxing Day, it seemed it would never end. But it did, and it was time for a break, escaping to Bright for the last few days of 2005.

And so there you have it. The whole year in one (well two if you want to be picky) little package. For those who were here for the journey, thanks for your support. 2006 looks to be a promising year.