Mmmm...I love chilli. Fresh chilli, dried chilli, chilli sauce, chilli stir fry, pickled jalpenos, chilli sin carne, scrambled eggs with chilli, hot curry, home grown chillis and anything else that's spicy (I'll even go for hot english mustard, horseradish or wasabi).
Recently, my regular supermarket chain, as they tend to do, decided (in their infinite wisdom) to discontinue stocking my favourite chilli sauce.
Byron Bay Sauce Company chilli sauces totally rock.
So, anyway, I was definitely feeling the loss from my vast collection of chilli sauces.
Thank god for the internet.
I found this amazing website that sells all sorts of chilli sauces. Some that even the greatest of chilli afficionados (me, of course) had never heard of.
I managed to order at least a couple of each of the range. I was a happy girl. A "Hot Chilli Woman" if you please.
Then I discovered the chilli heat ratings system.
One thing you'll be fully aware of if you eat a lot of chilli, but will be oblivious if you don't, is that the more of the stuff you eat, the more tolerant you become.
Since I eat chilli pretty much as a major part of three meals a day, I have a pretty reasonable tolerance. I laugh in the face of things that make NTB sweat and hear ringing in his ears. I can't even taste a touch of tabasco in a dish. I thought I was invincible.
So the new chilli sauce website had ratings, in heat, of 1 to 10.
The sauce that I spotted had a rating of 10+++.........the highest you could get. It was called "Dave's Insanity Hot Sauce". And it was supposed to be the hottest chilli sauce you can buy in the country. I was instantly hooked. I had to have it!!!!
Right up until the point where I spotted the product below it in the catalogue....
Dave's Ultimate Insanity Hot Sauce!!!!
Of course I ordered some. It was supposed to be even hotter than the hottest sauce ever on sale in this country.
On the label it warned - "Use one drop at a time"
I ignored that.
Well, the verdict could be weak, boring, couldn't even taste it. How disappointing. :-(
Except it wasn't.
Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe I'll just have one drop next time.
IT'S AWESOME!!!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Pirates Vs Ninjas
Even if you've never followed a link I've put on here before, you should follow this one. Click through the slideshow using the flag men down the bottom, and be prepared to laugh!
I especially love the "Google Fight" section!
J
I especially love the "Google Fight" section!
J
Monday, July 23, 2007
Counterpoint
On a lighter note....some good stuff to say....
Happy birthday to NTB (stands for "Not The Boy", as my beloved shall henceforth be known).
Happy birthday to Nic...sorry I called a day early. I'm sure you'd wonder if I was an alien body-snatcher if I didn't get a little confused now and then.
I have a new toy. But that's a whole separate post...and since I seem to have been a bit light on those lately, I'm going to save it for another day.
J.
Happy birthday to NTB (stands for "Not The Boy", as my beloved shall henceforth be known).
Happy birthday to Nic...sorry I called a day early. I'm sure you'd wonder if I was an alien body-snatcher if I didn't get a little confused now and then.
I have a new toy. But that's a whole separate post...and since I seem to have been a bit light on those lately, I'm going to save it for another day.
J.
Fun & Games
I'm trying to stay positive. You'd think I would be excited. After all my dramas with trying to get my internet working at home, faulty mobile cards that had to be replaced, issues with getting my connection to work on my new laptop and various other issues that make my blood boil, it seems I'm finally sorted.
You could say that the excitement was kind of tarnished by having to spend pretty close to 2 hours over the last couple of days on hold to my provider. The exciting new thing that they promised would work, really didn't. Finally, after the first long wait, an entirely humourless service rep, and getting cut off mid-conversation, I managed to get online.
Even at this point I was pretty excited.
Well that lasted a whole day until it stopped working. I tried calling a few more times at various stages over the weekend and spent a lot of time on hold before having a bit of a tanty and giving up (following the advice of the nice lady who suggested I "call back at a more convenient time").
Tonight I got pig-headed, knowing that I only had one more day until my cooling off period ran out and I was potentially stuck with a dud that would never work.
Finally everything seems to be working, even my email (woo-hoo, no more webmail!). It only took 40 minutes on hold and 15 minutes on the phone to the charming (yep, sarcasm) fellow who finally ended up helping me out. I'm not sure it wasn't by accident.
My phone download connection still doesn't work with the USB cable, but I seems to have configured to bluetooth to work properly so that's that bit sorted.
The last thing to worry about is my MP3 player software. As one of the problems with my old laptop is that the CD/DVD player doesn't work properly, it's been great fun for the last couple of months having to download music on one laptop, transfer via USB thumb drive, then convert and upload to my MP3 on my old laptop. (Yes, that's me being sarcastic again).
After quite a bit of research, and no results, I finally decided to go directly to the source and email the company that makes them. Maybe something I should have done a long time ago, as they responded promptly with a link to a (secret, I'm sure) part of their website and details of the software upgrade that should be compatible with Vista. I've downloaded it, but after recent disappointments, I don't want to get too excited.
Wish me luck.
I've also been sick.
And I've been doing my tax.
I could be a little cranky. Maybe.
You could say that the excitement was kind of tarnished by having to spend pretty close to 2 hours over the last couple of days on hold to my provider. The exciting new thing that they promised would work, really didn't. Finally, after the first long wait, an entirely humourless service rep, and getting cut off mid-conversation, I managed to get online.
Even at this point I was pretty excited.
Well that lasted a whole day until it stopped working. I tried calling a few more times at various stages over the weekend and spent a lot of time on hold before having a bit of a tanty and giving up (following the advice of the nice lady who suggested I "call back at a more convenient time").
Tonight I got pig-headed, knowing that I only had one more day until my cooling off period ran out and I was potentially stuck with a dud that would never work.
Finally everything seems to be working, even my email (woo-hoo, no more webmail!). It only took 40 minutes on hold and 15 minutes on the phone to the charming (yep, sarcasm) fellow who finally ended up helping me out. I'm not sure it wasn't by accident.
My phone download connection still doesn't work with the USB cable, but I seems to have configured to bluetooth to work properly so that's that bit sorted.
The last thing to worry about is my MP3 player software. As one of the problems with my old laptop is that the CD/DVD player doesn't work properly, it's been great fun for the last couple of months having to download music on one laptop, transfer via USB thumb drive, then convert and upload to my MP3 on my old laptop. (Yes, that's me being sarcastic again).
After quite a bit of research, and no results, I finally decided to go directly to the source and email the company that makes them. Maybe something I should have done a long time ago, as they responded promptly with a link to a (secret, I'm sure) part of their website and details of the software upgrade that should be compatible with Vista. I've downloaded it, but after recent disappointments, I don't want to get too excited.
Wish me luck.
I've also been sick.
And I've been doing my tax.
I could be a little cranky. Maybe.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
WOOHOO!!!
I know you can't actually see me sitting here writing my post. If you could, however, you'd see me with a big grin on my face.
After about a million attempts and different approaches, I finally have an internet connection, at home, on my new laptop (instead of the old one with the dodgy hard drive).
I know it sounds like a small thing, but given the amount of hassles I've had to get to this point, I think I have a right to be excited.
WOOHOO!!!!!!
After about a million attempts and different approaches, I finally have an internet connection, at home, on my new laptop (instead of the old one with the dodgy hard drive).
I know it sounds like a small thing, but given the amount of hassles I've had to get to this point, I think I have a right to be excited.
WOOHOO!!!!!!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Public Transport pet peeve number 1
Remember this post about public transport? It was my top ten (or more) things I hate about public transport.
Well, I've recently come to realise that there was one that I missed. A BIG one that I missed. It's gazumping the rest and heading straight to number one.
PEOPLE WHO SNIFF ON TRAINS!
I hate you all. Take a bloody tissue with you on the train if you have a cold. I hate you. Don't sniff every two bloody seconds and sneeze and spread your germs around.
I particularly hate you all because now I have a cold and I'm sniffling myself.
Note to self: remember tissues for train journey tomorrow morning.
Well, I've recently come to realise that there was one that I missed. A BIG one that I missed. It's gazumping the rest and heading straight to number one.
PEOPLE WHO SNIFF ON TRAINS!
I hate you all. Take a bloody tissue with you on the train if you have a cold. I hate you. Don't sniff every two bloody seconds and sneeze and spread your germs around.
I particularly hate you all because now I have a cold and I'm sniffling myself.
Note to self: remember tissues for train journey tomorrow morning.
Live Earth - Sydney
Yes, as the title would suggest, I had an amazing weekend. My gorgeous sister Petrina visited and we went along to Live Earth Sydney. It was an amazing day - such a great atmosphere and fantastic acts. Just as a note to everyone who read the articles in the paper and were wondering, I have to recommend that seating is a good way to go for events like the one I attended on Saturday.
The place was packed to the rafters and I have to say it was the biggest concert I've been to in terms of crowd numbers. I think I've been to bigger festivals, but for a one-stage show it was a pretty impressive crowd.
The absolute highlights of the day are very closely tied. John Butler Trio are an old favourite of mine and I've seen them play a few times before, but this was by far the best gig I've seen. They also clearly have the greenie credentials and were really fired up about such an enthusiastic crowd and it really showed.
Seeing Crowded House live was a pretty amazing experience. It was great to see a band I enjoy who I had thought that I would never get to see. The crowd went wild and it sounded like every person there was on their feet and singing along with every word. And they've still got it - they have a real ability to make a connection with the crowd on a really personal level.
Runners up were Missy Higgins, Eskimo Joe and Blue King Brown, who I had never heard of before, but who's CD I will be putting on my birthday list.
Even the weather stayed good for us (which is a big ask given the weather chaos this winter) and all together it was one of those days that you just never want to end.
The place was packed to the rafters and I have to say it was the biggest concert I've been to in terms of crowd numbers. I think I've been to bigger festivals, but for a one-stage show it was a pretty impressive crowd.
The absolute highlights of the day are very closely tied. John Butler Trio are an old favourite of mine and I've seen them play a few times before, but this was by far the best gig I've seen. They also clearly have the greenie credentials and were really fired up about such an enthusiastic crowd and it really showed.
Seeing Crowded House live was a pretty amazing experience. It was great to see a band I enjoy who I had thought that I would never get to see. The crowd went wild and it sounded like every person there was on their feet and singing along with every word. And they've still got it - they have a real ability to make a connection with the crowd on a really personal level.
Runners up were Missy Higgins, Eskimo Joe and Blue King Brown, who I had never heard of before, but who's CD I will be putting on my birthday list.
Even the weather stayed good for us (which is a big ask given the weather chaos this winter) and all together it was one of those days that you just never want to end.
Geek time
If you happen to have 20 minutes to kill and are feeling particularly geeky, this is an extremely interesting read
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
The Big Day
Today was the big day - my big television debut!!!
OK, that's a bit of a lie. I ended up on local TV news for Burnie, Tasmania, when I was in primary school for being part of a jump rope for heart team and met Fiona Coote. I suppose that was technically my television debut.
And then there was that time when that thing happened and I had quite a lot of TV interviews and such. But that's a whole different post for another day.
But anyway, today was a big day for me and Ronene and Australian television.
It was so weird seeing myself on a show that I have watched on many occasions in the past - Ready Steady Cook.
Before you ask (I know you're going to), you can check out the recipes here. For the record, I was soundly beaten by an outstanding strawberry meringue roulade. I think we did pretty well, though, with
Crumbed goat’s cheese with asparagus, tomato and saffron salsa
Mushroom and goat’s cheese arancini with pesto
Mushroom, asparagus and goat’s cheese risotto and, last but not least;
Upside-down apple and raspberry tart
I had to note that the whole thing somehow looked a bit like a home movie. Not because of any lack of production skill, but just because that's the only medium I'm used to seeing myself on the small screen.
I also noted that I found it pretty cringe-worthy. I think it's even worse when you know the daggy comments are coming. Something on par with seeing yourself telling a dad-joke.
I noticed that I liked my hair better that short. And that it has grown quite a lot since the taping.
So, that's it. All over and done with. Of course, if you watch this space, I'll see what i can do to try and work out how to get some of it online for friends and family. If you want to see it, you may have to pretend to be one or the other!
For those that caught it, hope you enjoyed it. For those that didn't, guess that's lucky for one of us!
J.
p.s. check out the continuity problem at the end. A prize for anyone (other than Ronene, Tresha or Harriet) who can pick it!
OK, that's a bit of a lie. I ended up on local TV news for Burnie, Tasmania, when I was in primary school for being part of a jump rope for heart team and met Fiona Coote. I suppose that was technically my television debut.
And then there was that time when that thing happened and I had quite a lot of TV interviews and such. But that's a whole different post for another day.
But anyway, today was a big day for me and Ronene and Australian television.
It was so weird seeing myself on a show that I have watched on many occasions in the past - Ready Steady Cook.
Before you ask (I know you're going to), you can check out the recipes here. For the record, I was soundly beaten by an outstanding strawberry meringue roulade. I think we did pretty well, though, with
Crumbed goat’s cheese with asparagus, tomato and saffron salsa
Mushroom and goat’s cheese arancini with pesto
Mushroom, asparagus and goat’s cheese risotto and, last but not least;
Upside-down apple and raspberry tart
I had to note that the whole thing somehow looked a bit like a home movie. Not because of any lack of production skill, but just because that's the only medium I'm used to seeing myself on the small screen.
I also noted that I found it pretty cringe-worthy. I think it's even worse when you know the daggy comments are coming. Something on par with seeing yourself telling a dad-joke.
I noticed that I liked my hair better that short. And that it has grown quite a lot since the taping.
So, that's it. All over and done with. Of course, if you watch this space, I'll see what i can do to try and work out how to get some of it online for friends and family. If you want to see it, you may have to pretend to be one or the other!
For those that caught it, hope you enjoyed it. For those that didn't, guess that's lucky for one of us!
J.
p.s. check out the continuity problem at the end. A prize for anyone (other than Ronene, Tresha or Harriet) who can pick it!
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