Last night I went out to dinner at Wolfgang Puck’s with a bunch of people I used to work with. We ate, drank and were merry, and then walked out onto St Kilda Road to find our various ways home. I suddenly started to feel really queasy, and said so. We were just about to ... [More]
Category: Melbourne
Melbourne stuff
Watching my horse running fourth in The Cup last Tuesday I suddenly wondered… have we always known that putting small people on horses would help them win? Or did someone suddenly realise one day a few centuries ago? And did his competitors work it out? Maybe it was like Australia II’s winged keel? "Gee, Fred’s ... [More]
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Grand Final remainders
A few of weeks ago the AFL "Thump Those Sydneysiders Into The Ground" Grand Final was on, and we decided to have a few people over for the traditional viewing of the game accompanied by Roy & HG’s superlative and entirely piss-taking commentary. A slight over-estimate in the amount of food and drink did, however, ... [More]
Apparently in the last few weeks hundreds of people in the south eastern suburbs of Melbourne have been phoning authorities to tell them about UFOs flying overhead. The usual UFO flight path appears to be about the same as the night time flight path of an advertising blimp, which is illuminated at night. Actually for ... [More]
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Festivals galore
This weekend half of Melbourne seems to have been holding festivals of one kind or another, with varying success. The Lygon Street festa in Carlton is an annual event. The great thing about Lygon Street is its international flavour, which means you’re unlikely to run into Pauline Hanson there. If the Middle East crisis is ... [More]
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My weekend
I think I got the travel bug during our US trip in April. It’s so refreshing to go somewhere different. But for small doses of that kind of experience, perhaps it’s not necessary to go flying off to different continents, and with it the risks of travelling – crashes, hijacks and the most dangerous, airline ... [More]
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The mobile revolution
The mobile revolution has a problem. With over two million Australians now carrying mobile phones, one aspect of the technology is really creating problems. Not the cost, not the environmental impact of towers, or even the overloading mobile phone frequencies. It’s the phones themselves. They all sound alike. Almost daily on the train, you’ll hear ... [More]
Common urban commuter tribes of the 67 NAME: Middle-aged white collar male (Daggus Middleagi) APPEARANCE: Greying or disappearing hair. Striped tie, Hush Puppies. Pullover under jacket on cold days. Plastic raincoat on wet days. ACCESSORIES: Old beaten up briefcase. NEVER has a walkman. Always has an umbrella – just in case. VOCABULARY: Not known to ... [More]
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Common urban tribes: Groovy women
Common urban commuter tribes of the 67 NAME: Groovy women (Hippus floppyhatti) APPEARANCE: Never over 40. Generally wearing boots, a beret, beanie or floppy hat. Short hair and an abundance of black clothing. ACCESSORIES: Gloves during winter. Cloth bag or one of those dicky little backpacks. Probably has a mobile phone, but then, who hasn’t? ... [More]
School buses. There is nothing quite like an American school bus. I don’t know why they have to be that colour, but it’s cool. Maybe they found people just didn’t spot them unless they were big, yellow and with lots of stop signs attached. After a few days on holiday in America, the school buses ... [More]
Common urban commuter tribes of the 67 NAME: Young male executive/consultant (Yuppis Andersenis) APPEARANCE: Double breasted suit or jacket and trousers. Fancy tie. Button-down collar. 55% chance of cuff-links. Trenchcoat in winter. ACCESSORIES: Mobile phone generally concealed about person, but nobody ever calls. Copy of The Financial Review. Briefcase or big leather diary. VOCABULARY: Mostly ... [More]
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Common urban tribes: Skateboarders
Common urban commuter tribes of the 67 NAME: Skateboarders (Skatus bigpantus) APPEARANCE: Loose t-shirts, and very big pants. Often with caps on backwards, smelly sneakers. Always bad haircuts. ACCESSORIES: Skateboard, soft-drink bottle, multicoloured misshapen lump which might have once been a bag. VOCABULARY: Mostly complaining about school, or talk of the skateboard spare part trade. ... [More]