I know Barack Obama ultimately may not quite live up to expectations, but I have high hopes, and I’m certainly not sorry to see the back of George W Bush… I had to laugh when I saw a photo of the Ikea Oval Office they set up at Union Station in Washington DC, complete with ... [More]
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Recycled tissues are back
I wrote in December that recycled tissues had disappeared from the supermarket shelves. I did find an email contact for ABC Tissues (who make the Naturale brand) — they told me to expect their recycled tissues back into Woolworths/Safeway stores soon, in a new packaging. Last week Flerdle commented that they’d been spotted in Brunswick. ... [More]
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Enterprize
Whatever the reason, sometimes it’s great to try something new. The idea for this one came from noting the kids getting hooked on Star Trek. Yesterday we headed out for an hour-long sail around the bay on the Enterprize, the replica of the 1829 schooner that brought some of Melbourne’s first settlers from Tasmania. If ... [More]
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Pair of morons
What are the odds? Within five minutes of each other last night, I spotted two drivers yakking away on their phones as they drove down the street, both with personalised licence plates. So, TOOZ and COURTZ… you’re a pair of morons. Speaking of personalised number plates, why would you choose the plate MAGGOT?
She looked about twenty. She sounded upset on the phone. She wasn’t quite sure where she was going, and her phone battery was running out. The heat in the tram was stifling. She hung up and started to sob. Then she collapsed. She mostly fell downwards, and didn’t seem to bump her head. A couple ... [More]
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Harbourtown
Went with the kids last week to look around Harbourtown, the new bit of Docklands which has the big wheel in it. Much of Harbourtown is looking a bit basic at the moment. The shopping centre is open, but half the shops aren’t, and some are obviously still getting stock in… the EB Games had ... [More]
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Who are you?
When I was younger I used to focus on a fairly narrow range of music, heavily influenced by what my peers had introduced me to. One day circa 1988 Raoul brought over a VHS tape of some band he liked called The Who. It was a compilation called Who’s Better Who’s Best. I remember I ... [More]
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Easter Saturday
Apparently, officially, Easter Saturday is now called “The Saturday before Easter Sunday”. That’s really not a very catchy name.
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On the phone
Dear TZO 421: If you have one hand holding a cigarette, and the other holding a mobile phone, how do you expect to be able to drive your car properly? It’s astounding how many people drive along holding a phone to their ears. So stupid. A couple of times earlier this century I tried having ... [More]
I was tagged by Patrick: Seven things you may or may not know about me. I’ve been blogging for a while, so you might think there’s nothing left that’s unknown about me, but in reality only a fraction of my life appears on my blog. That said I may struggle to think of things that ... [More]
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Barassigate: Day 5
Now don’t get me wrong — street violence is a terrible thing. And legendary footy coach Ron Barassi has to be commended for putting himself at risk on New Year’s Eve to come to the aid of someone being attacked. The whole thing is symptomatic of some of the worst ills of society. But really, ... [More]
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Brief things
Haven’t blogged for a bit, so here’s a brief catch-up. I helped Tony and Rae and family move last week. The inevitable comment that pops up when geeks move house: packing the moving van is like Tetris. Of course, when you get a full row of boxes, they don’t disappear and make more space… The ... [More]
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How to get into a hammock
I’ve wanted a hammock for ages — ever since I moved in and found hammock hooks fitted to the back veranda. And finally this Christmas I got one, thanks to Marita. Alas it didn’t quite fit the hooks, so I trotted off to Hammock HQ today at the Victoria Market to get the requisite extension ... [More]
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How many trains?
Attributed to a government spokeswoman: as part of the Victorian Transport Plan, 38 new trains would be put into the system in 2009, increasing the train fleet by 40 per cent. — The Age: One in 10 trains either cancelled or delayed WRONG. We already have: 95 Comengs, 7 Hitachis, 36 Siemens, 29 X’Trapolis = ... [More]
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Christmas
Happy Boxing Day. Well, we had a pretty good Christmas. The haul’s headliner was a Nintendo Wii — actually bought for the kids (to their surprise and delight), but which has already proven itself to be a helluva lot of fun for me too. A bunch of smaller presents too, and not a dud among ... [More]
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Best wishes at Christmas
When I moved, I figured that for once I intended to stay put for a long time, so I might as well do the neighbourly thing and get to know my neighbours. Not that I’d been unfriendly to previous neighbours. Well okay, maybe if they deserved it. But neither had I gone out of my ... [More]