A Gold Rush or a DQ?

Being quite an Olympics fan myself, the past week has been quite distressing for me. It's not because Australia hasn't won enough Gold medals (we haven't but we're doing okay), not that there hasn't been enough good sportsmanship (apart from a notable bronze medal throwing event I don't recall too much evil happening) and not because there hasn't been enough eye candy (did anyone notice Andrew Lauterstein in the Australia medley relay team on Sunday?). It's because there is no TV reception for the official Olympic broadcaster, Channel 7,  where I live. Not even with satellite TV. 

And before you suggest it - the internet coverage here is nowhere near satisfying enough. Live streaming? Not on your life. Perhaps 3 minute bytes some hours after the events. 

Now it's not ALL bad - there is coverage by SBS - the 'complementary broadcaster' but if you want swimming, diving, gymnastics or any of the major athletics (and I SO do) then forget it.

I've managed to see the swimming finals at least which aired around lunchtime in all manner of places - from the waiting room at work - to a selection of pubs along the coast here as well as various events at home with some very accommodating family and friends. It's 'One World Many Television Screens' for me. 

But I know I'm a little more obsessive than most. So I have a poll running - up there on the top right - what do the olympics do for you?

Go on - tick a box.

And if you tick the third box specifically - you may want to scroll down to check out the olympic challenge entries. (More entries are heavily welcomed).

After the 1500m swim final today we went for our own planned swim and The Frenchman surprised me by not stopping when he usually does... He was doing his own 1500m. Very cute. 

Olympic Challenge #8

Stephen Looking out from a Southern Closet has sent in this rather spectacular photo of the popular American Artistic Gymnastic Team after their medal performance.

Send someone who's caught your eye from the Olympics, to superchilledtrevor@gmail.com

For more competition details click here.

Interview Panel: Saturday August 15th

Superchilled asks a selection of people, who also blog, questions about life the universe and everything.

Today's scenario: 

The police are knocking at your door - you can see them but they can't see you? What do you do? 

The Green Light at the end of the Dock

Martin: Well first I would need to get dressed, then I would open the door and assist them with their investigation – because it wasn’t me. I promise.

Just Beautiful Men

Eric : (I find this concept of this question hilarious) Anyway two scenarios immediately come to mind:

1.If I'm not knowledgeable of guilt or any crime I've committed, I'd probably go and answer the door without a second thought.
2.If I am knowledgeable of some sort of guilt on my part, I'd probably... find the biggest cover I can find, and enter into my deep basement closet to cower in fear :-(... all the while feeling totally pathetic of course...

Geoff & Terry

Geoff: Put on something sexy and answer the door.

Terry: I would answer the door, after all what could I possibly be guilty of?

London Preppy

LP: Answer the door, quote the following lyrics from 99 Problems by Jay-Z: "And I know my rights so you gon' need a warrant for that"

the naked drag queen

Bruce: If the police are knocking on my door and I can see them but they can't see me I'd probably open the door and find out what they want. I don't have a guilty conscious about anything I can think of and my curiousity as to what they could want would get the better of me. Cops have been tremendously helpful on three seperate occassions in my life. No I am not a Pollyanna.

What would you do?

Olympic Challenge #7

Peter von Amsterdam sends these images of fellow countryman Epke Zonderland, competing for the Netherlands in Artistic Gymnastics at the Beijing Olympics.

Send someone who's caught your eye from the Olympics, to superchilledtrevor@gmail.com

For more competition details click here.

Olympic Challenge: #6 Steeve Guenot

The Frenchman has discovered this Frenchman, Steeve Guenot from the Greco-Roman wrestling competition. A gold medal winner - I think he wins for more than just his sporting prowess. He also has an impressive mugshot on his Olympic page.

Send someone who's caught your eye from the Olympics, to superchilledtrevor@gmail.com

For more competition details click here.

Lyndon Ferns

A reader suggested I consider Lyndon Ferns, who will be competing in today's 100m freestyle final for South Africa. Here is a video of him being interviewed earlier this year and a few photos including Athens in 2004 when they won the 4 x 100m freestyle relay. 

I think I'm in love.

Here he is in the centre winning gold in 2004

and here on the left competing in 2006.

I think I'd like to see a reader find a great photo of him from Beijing to enter in the superchilled olympic challenge. Anyone?

Wild Olympic Wednesday

Can you get too much of the Olympics? Probably - but we'll soldier on anyway.

Every Wednesday is Wild Wednesday here at superchilled where you're challenged to do something a little different from the every day. Today's quest is to find an Olympic sport that you've always been interested in, but never done - and actually go and try it. Diving / Triathlon / Gymnastics / Greco-Roman wrestling / Rowing... whatever it is and for what ever reason - look up where you can do it nearby and go and give it a shot - take some friends - get an instructor - just give it a go - maybe we'll see photos of you here from the London Olympics...

Olympic Challenge: #4 + #5

Martin from TGL@TEOTD sent these two photos in. The first one here is, and I quote, "the hot hot hot boys from the USA artistic gymnastics team". I think he might be right. We'll call them all #4

#5  below is South African Swimmer Gerhard Zandberg. 

Martin is impressed by his arms. (perhaps also by the fact he too is South African?) 

There's all that and more it seems. He's a whopping 204cm tall! And I expect more photos will follow. 

Send someone who's caught your eye from the Olympics, to superchilledtrevor@gmail.com

For more competition details click here.

Olympic Challenge: #3 Matthew Mitcham

Tom Cat from Bondi Beach sends this photo of Matthew Mitcham , from the Australian Diving Team. He came to the public eye when he incidentally came out prior to the games. Watch out for him spinning above the the diving pool soon.

Send someone who's caught your eye from the Olympics, to superchilledtrevor@gmail.com

For more competition details click here.

Olympic Challenge: #2 Rami Zur

Speeding Bullett sends this photo of Rami Zur , who caught his eye, from the US Olympic Kayak Team.

Send me someone who's caught your eye from the Olympics, to superchilledtrevor@gmail.com

For more competition details click here.

Am I the Antigay?

On Saturday I'm in the mood for shopping. I'm not usually in the mood for clothes shopping so I take advantage of it and head to Oxford Street Paddington with The Frenchman to explore my options. And for this shopping expedition I'm looking and feeling kinda straight. I don't have anything that much coordinates and my hair is kinda unkempt, but I feel comfortable and relaxed and confident. It's a sunny winter day and the street is sparkling. So we enter a shop and there are some okay things, but they're not selling what I'm in the mood for buying, that's okay, and we move along to the second shop where the Frenchman looks for shoes I'm bored and by the third shop I'm desperate to get out. There's dance party music pumping everywhere, I'm not even remotely connecting with any of the not-so-straight-acting guys selling me stuff, and the scents I'm inhaling are über-gay to the point of nausea (are  they pumped through the airconditioning?). How are they über-gay exactly? I don't know but it's an autonomic evoked response so I'm not going to question it. 

I've become the Antigay. 

I'm supposed to feel at home in this gay-friendly strip, but I'm starting to think I need to start buying Bonds clothing or, better still, wearing whatever my husband buys for me. Then I can avoid shopping altogether. 

We leave without buying anything and head out of the GAY ZONE to catch up with a friend. I don't want to go back in there so we eat locally and entertain ourselves outside the Zone. Though it turns out that outside the Zone is becoming more popular with gay men too. But I'm okay with that, in fact I like it. A lot.

Bonds Ad.  45sec

Thing is - I'm still attracted to the guy in the ad. 

I can't truly be the Antigay - maybe it's just a phase.

Olympic Challenge Entry #1

Monty has sent me this photo of Alain Bernard, competing for France in Swimming (obviously), making this the first entry in the

Superchilled

Olympic

Challenge.

Do you think you can find a better photo of an athlete at these games?

 email your photo to: superchilledtrevor@gmail.com to enter the challenge.

Let the Gaymes Begin

So I'm starting  a competition.

An Olympic competition which I'm calling the Superchilled Olympic Challenge.

And this competition is easy and fun. 

All you have to do is find the best images of Olympian men taken from the Beijing Olympics and send them to me. I'll post them individually as they come in - and then at the end - everyone will get to vote for their favourite photo / athlete to determine the winners.  

The world is a big place - and you are all reading this from different parts of the globe, so you're also going to have different local news and sports sites that you might stumble upon. Hell you might be at the games yourself and find some of your own Olympic athletes to photograph - snap away. [if you are in fact at the games I'm curious if you can actually see this blog at all - do let me know]

You can email them to me at superchilledtrevor@gmail.com

If two people send in the same image - it will be the first who gets the glory - just as in the Olympics. 

If you know details of the photograph - who it is of, and who took it - please send that as well. 

Let the Gaymes begin.

It's not about sport, it's about new technology...

On the outside it looks flashy, powerful and new. You've got to have it!

Unpack the box and look really closely at your keyboard.

Grab your magnifying glass and and get close and personal with your new screen.

Your microprocessors.

Your super-fast optical drive.

And how you feel when something goes wrong.

Interview Panel 8-8-8

Superchilled asks a selection of people, who also blog, questions about life the universe and everything:

You've just had the best sex in your life, what do you do next?

Here are today's responses:

The Green Light at the end of the Dock

Martin: Something like the directions on a shampoo bottle - Rinse and Repeat…

Just Beautiful Men

Eric : Let's see, I'd probably get a good nights rest, take a shower, go to work the next day, and call home letting James McAvoy know that I'd be back around 6:00pm for a repeat performance... oh wait, you meant in real life? Ok, follow all the steps noted minus the sexy McAvoy call part :-(

Geoff & Terry

Geoff: Thank the French rugby team for a lovely time (ooh la la).

Terry: Thank Geoff for a lovely time (hahaha) and have a really strong espresso.

London Preppy

LP: I don't have sex of course, because I'm asexual, but if I ever found myself post such a vulgar experience, I guess what I would do is just try to quickly forget about it

the naked drag queen

Bruce: After having the best sex of my life I'd probably want to hold or be held by the person I had it with. Unless I had it on my own in which case I'd probably settle in with a good book and a cup of tea.

What would you do next?

Wild Outdated Wednesday

My ipod is playing away - but despite having the music I've specifically selected, I get through about 2 minutes of each track before I hit the 'skip' button and move to the next one. I liked the track, but I'm ready for the next. And the next. And why isn't there something new already? Sure I downloaded new tracks today, but they're not new enough.

I walk past the newspaper stand in the morning and don't buy the paper because I know it's already out of date despite having just landed off the truck. I go online and know the update on the update. 

We used to have years when certain things were 'in' or 'current' , then it was seasons, now it's minutes or seconds. Sometimes in fact, they're over as soon as they've been mentioned. If you don't know what the new black is, then you're already too late. 

With facebook updates, text messages and now GPS enabled phones you can know not just what people are doing RIGHT NOW but where they're going - you can even see where they are before they get there if you track their iphone on your iphone, cross link with google street view and local web cams...

So what's today's wild wednesday challenge?

Forget the updates. Buy the paper, read it on a park bench with your phone, GPS, ipod, blackberry, notebook all switched off. Wear something out of date. Don't cut your hair. Don't wear hair products. 

Have an update-free day.

Breathe a little.

I stuffed up

The Interview Panel below was initially published with the incorrect link to the blog the naked drag queen - it's now been updated. Apologies Bruce. Everyone please go and click on the correct link now. He does good blog.

Interview Panel Tuesday August 5th

Superchilled asked a selection of people, who also blog, questions about life the universe and everything. 

Here are some of their responses:

If you could take the place of any world figure (ie you take on their role) who would it be?

The Green Light at the end of the Dock

Martin: Bono – he has taken a successful music career, stepped out of the box and now has direct access to many high level players at a political level. To be him you could experience being a famous entertainer and influential philanthropist simultaneously.

Just Beautiful Men

Eric : Outside of politics, if there was a world renown figure I'd like to replace, it would probably be Peter Jackson. Just the thought of having free-artistic/creative reign for a major motion picture production possibly viewed by millions around the world would be my ideal dream job... (emphasis of course on the 'dream' part)... Also I wouldn't mind replacing Richard Branson... that guy might quite possibly have the most exciting life out of anybody else I can think of (being a billionaire is always a plus too)...

Geoff & Terry

Geoff: Any great movie director with the aim of making the definitive film that shatters the consciousness of anyone who watches it (from that moment onwards they cannot help but see the interdependence of life on this planet).

Terry: Secretary General of the United Nations (Geoff says I need to add a rationale- It would be great to be in a position where I could really support and push humanitarian principles especially in the realm of individual human rights).

London Preppy 

LP: Rocco Ritchie because he's blonde, rich and free of any responsibility.

the naked drag queen 

Bruce: I would hate to try and fill anyone else's shoes to be honest. Mine fit quite nicely. But, if I was to play a role similar to anyone I admire it would have to be the actress Shirley Maclaine. (Go easy I could've said Liza, Bette or Barbra!) I admire Shirley because she has written material that deals with spirituality and self discovery and then found a way to perform it on stage in a sensational way. She is gutsy and eager to learn more about life and her writing books such as "Out on a Limb" and "Going Within" have made a big impact on my life.

Food for the Soul

Saturday brunch I cooked scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, slowly roasted tomatoes, and mushrooms on sour dough brought in from Bourke Street Bakery by our weekend guests.

I guess it's my signature brunch menu. But I like it.

With our friends we took our dogs walking to the beach and rock platform near home and most of us got drenched by some rogue waves that were higher than anticipated. We laughed a whole lot even as we walked in squelching shoes back home. Those classic moments that are embedded forever in one's memory. I love the waves, I love the power of them, and on this sunny day they were particularly spectacular as they surged over the rocks, and us. 

Dinner on Saturday was based around a vegetarian risotto that developed from various element brought in and some we already had. Today's brunch was cooked by our guests who combined various fresh fruits, crepes and bacon with maple syrup. Now I know it's a popular combination in North America (? anywhere else?), but here and to me it's a confusing mix. I tried it for the first crepe, and it wasn't bad - but I stuck with more traditional combinations for my subsequent crepes. 

What I liked most about the meals this weekend was that everyone brought something, made something and became a part of the whole food preparation experience. A sharing thing. A communal thing. Spending time sharing experiences, discussing all and sundry and just being. Doing it at home is much more rewarding as there's never pressure to leave like when you see the closed sign hung up on the door. And it was all pretty spontaneous, which made it all the more fun.

The Frenchman's Chocolate cake didn't hurt either.

Did you cook anything for your weekend?

'This is not a drill' Friday.

By the time I have breakfasted at diggies with friends - it's already been a busy work day. But there's a whole new day ahead, and I'm certainly not expecting what comes next.

A short time later as I'm walking out the door of the hospital where I'm based, to go do a series of home visits, a whole movie scene plays out literally at my feet.

There's a car pulling up urgently in front of the hospital. As it stops two men drag this limp body from the car towards me. Through the automatic doors they deliver a man with a congested blue face to my feet. He's unresponsive. They're yelling urgently,' he's been blue for a few minutes', 'he's overdosed on heroin', 'he needs narcan' as they slap him about the face and yell his name, hitting him again as if it might reverse his drug induced coma. 'Do something!' they yell as I stand in a vacant entry corridor in a hospital with no emergency department. There's no alarm to press, no equipment to speak of and not a lot of people around, just a lot of wind that has also just blown in from the west.

I put my briefcase and files on the floor and go through the routine resuscitation steps,  he is breathing but hardly and ineffectually, he has a strong pulse still, thank god, but he needs a working airway and the narcan (which rapidly reverses the effect of the heroin) as his fellow junkies have said. Still, despite much yelling and sending off of staff who have wandered by, no cardiac arrest team has arrived and we have no equipment, no oxygen, and he's still blue. 

Ultimately equipment arrives and with an ad-hoc team he is brought back to life. [Think airways, Oxygen, IV cannulas, and the revered Narcan.]

It's a very irregular start to my day in palliative care. I wander off as he sits up and starts vomiting. He's breathing, he's alert again with the general hospital staff now looking after him. I'm a little shocked, and a little pissed off at the people who so carelessly come close to death on a daily basis.

my gym

The patient I am going to see doesn't answer when I knock on his door; despite me prearranging the visit. I call his mobile and he's shopping at the supermarket. I'm exhausted and I really haven't started. Eventually I finish work and get to the gym where I run for 35 min and gruel through weights, abs and stretching which actually replenishes my energy levels. On my way out of the mostly straight gym I am propositioned by a cute guy who's also just finished there. I smile. 

Oh, what a day of contrasts.