Spencer Tunick and public nudity
You know that famous artist, the one who takes huge group photos of naked people in famous locations? Yeah, he’s coming to Sydney. He needs volunteers for a photo to be taken at the Opera House. Oh yeah, we’re doing it. This comes at a pretty opportune time. I’ve been undergoing a real attitude change towards my body in the past year. I’m not at my “ideal” BMI/weight, but this seems to be the weight where I’m happiest. I feel fit and strong. I like my curves. Looking at the scale in the morning doesn’t wreck my whole day anymore. I think I’m ready to get naked in public with hundreds of other people. I’m think I’m finally proud and happy in my own skin.

As for the Snook, apparently public nudity was a big theme of his college years. So it didn’t take much convincing to get him on board.

Today was our office’s weekly workout at Spudds, so I took along my workout clothes. About half an hour before the time, I discovered that I was the ONLY ONE GOING. There are normally about 6-8 of us, but a combination of holidays and rescheduled meetings meant that everyone else had to bail. I considered chickening out. When there are half a dozen people, it’s easy to kinda hide in the back and work at your own pace. The company was going to pay for the time regardless though, so I figured I’d be stupid to turn down what was essentially a free personal training session. So I went. “Just you?” Spudds asked. “Yep.” For the next forty minutes, he put me through the wringer. Cardio machines, free weights, squats, abs, the climber, all kinds of stuff. He tested my heart rate at a couple points, and he seemed pretty happy with it. (Go the HR training!) We also talked nutrition, and he wants me to eat more often. Yep, I have official trainer dispensation to have three healthy snacks a day. I’m also going to try to do an extra session at the gym each week. He finished the workout by telling me that I’m going to be his “new project.” I guess it wouldn’t hurt to shake things up a bit!

Google Reader Tricks for Craft Bloggers. That video tutorial is worth watching for anybody who uses Google Reader, regardless of whether you have a blog. My jaw actually fell open at the last bit, where she shows you how to see how many people are subscribed to your own blog feed. So simple, and yet I never thought of it!

They are married too.
Christopher has written a lovely blog post about being married to Matt. They went to a taping of Big Bang Theory a few months ago, and at one point in the evening Christopher found himself telling the entire studio audience that they were amongst the lucky few gay couples who got married before Proposition 8. The audience responded with applause and cheers. I love that. (He’s collecting other gay marriage stories on his blog We Are Married Too.)

What’s a Jawa’s favorite vegetable? ZUCCHINI! I laughed.

Happy Australia Day!
The Snook and I celebrated the holiday by hosting a small barbecue at our place. We cooked some beautiful barbecued lamb, garlic chicken, and damper on the grill. Tia, Daniel and Rohan brought potato salad. Steph and Eva brought some amazing Australian-themed bento boxes, including one designed to look like a jar of Vegemite. (No Vegemite was actually IN the bento, thank goodness.) Rachel – who still persists in not having a blog – brought a gorgeous panzanella salad. And for dessert, I whipped up a “Lamingtonmisu” from Not Quite Nigella’s recipe. (I used storebought lamingtons, cut them in half, and just wedged them in the pan as best I could.) Everyone scoffed when they saw me making it, but it really did turn out awesome! Clean plates all around. Other than that, we availed ourselves of the Snook’s homebrew and tried not to move too much. It really was stinkin’ hot today.

It made me a little sad to see comments on Twitter and Facebook from Australians who choose not to celebrate the day. I can understand their position, but not all national pride is misplaced. Many of us chose to come here, and we are proud to call ourselves citizens of this country. It’s nice to have a day where I’m reminded of it.

What do we think of the Jindabyne Cowl? For some reason I’m a little obsessed with it. I can’t figure it out. I doubt it would look good on me. And yet I can’t stop staring at it and itching to buy the pattern.

Home Decor for Absolute Geeks. Some nice stuff in there! My favorites are the pixelated couch, the ASCII curtains, and the arcade coffee table. (Having a sit-down MAME cabinet to play Ms Pac-Man on is a lifelong dream.) I’m amused that they included the Lego Star Wars minifig magnets… because we already have those on our fridge. 🙂

This Saturday is the 2010 Opera in the Domain, and the knitters will be out in full force. This will be our fourth year in a row! Let’s just hope the weather holds…