While I was waiting for a train at Brighton Beach yesterday morning, there was a bulldozer doing its thing nearby. I stood there watching it ferrying loads of dirt from one pile to the other. I was pondering if someone could make a mint of money by setting up a quarry somewhere, and letting blokes ... [More]
Thoughts on the free Melbourne Tourist Shuttle bus service: Despite the name, it’s not a shuttle, it’s quite clearly a loop. I was going to say that unlike the (also free) City Circle tram, every bus I see go past is empty. But it’s not true: I saw one last week that had about 10 ... [More]
The good We had a low-key but enjoyable celebration of Marita’s birthday on Saturday. In doing so I discovered that both our suburbs are host to dog-related cafes — the Dancing Dog in Footscray, and the Spotted Dog in Bentleigh. And both do a very fine meal. The bulk of the rest of the weekend ... [More]
I’m guessing the drought is still on, because there doesn’t seem to have been much rain recently. (Today being an exception.) Obviously the impact in rural areas is a big problem, but what does it mean in urban areas? Water restrictions will keep going. No bad thing. I can’t believe until recently people used to ... [More]
Walk The Line — The story of Johnny Cash, and in particular his drug addiction and relationship with June Carter, based on his autobiography, which doesn’t paint him in entirely a good light. Interesting to see where some of his better-known songs, such as Folsom Prison Blues, and Walk The Line, come from. Really good. ... [More]
You might think you’re the customer at the supermarket, but actually supermarkets make most of their money by selling shelf space to manufacturers. They are the real customers. You might think you’re the customer when you buy a newspaper or watch the TV, but the media make their money by delivering viewers/readers to the advertisers. ... [More]
You have to feel some pity for the Australian morning daily papers. All this World Cup excitement, including a game last night won by Australia, but the lead times to get their newspaper onto peoples front lawns by breakfast time means they can’t report the results. They try and make up for it, but there’s ... [More]
“In the mansion of life, we can’t all be the state bedroom. Someone’s gotta be the outside bog, and that’s you!” — Vince, in Pratt Outta Hell, by Ben Elton I wonder how many people are happy with the job they’re in, and how many are just killing time/earning some bucks while they work towards ... [More]
Here is a combined list of my most played 21 songs from both my home PC/iPod, and work PC. I’ve listed 21 (rather than 20) because I’m going to assume the top one is some kind of computer glitch, since there’s no way I’ve listened to that song more than a couple of times since ... [More]
The Howard government is doing it again. It’s just like the republic debate all over again. Back then it was not Do you want a republic, it was Do you want a republic with a Prez replacing Her Maj and the GG, appointed by a two-thirds majority of parliament. This time the energy inquiry being ... [More]
I had to have a fix. It had been weeks. I have found a source, a legal source, but it’s expensive. Amid stories of black market bananas, I can reveal that I had three bananas in my house this week. Don’t bother trying to break-in now to steal them; they’ve been eaten. These were decently-sized ... [More]
Hands up who has private health insurance and understands how their fund works? I have it (to avoid the extra government slug if I don’t) and I hate it. I have no idea how it all works. I’ve just pared back the coverage because I was getting little benefit from the hefty (and ever-increasing) premiums ... [More]
Happy 6/6/6. The early morning noises in the roof have been back, a regular fixture at about 4am most mornings in the last couple of weeks. Is it a possum? A rat? I don’t know, but some mornings it’s scurrying around and making scratching noises in the wall between my bedroom and the bathroom, up ... [More]
Spotted this parking restriction sign in Elsternwick. My question is this: How is it possible to over-stay the four hour limit between 8am and 12 noon on a Saturday? Why did they even bother restricting the parking on Saturdays? So I thought that was pretty silly. Until I saw this one around the corner from ... [More]
Just before the Games, the powers-that-be replaced rubbish bins at the city loop underground stations plus Flinders Street, Richmond and North Melbourne, with big plastic transparent things. For security, y’know. So you can see any suspicious packages that get dropped in, and panic appropriately. But at nearby South Yarra station, which is probably busier than ... [More]
Evidently at the school they’re considering a ban on A pinch and a punch for the first of the month due to some over-enthusiasm from some of the older kids when pinching and punching. Not to mention the invention by somebody of A kick in the dick for the first of the month…