I’m finally getting caught up in the spirit. Despite a general attitude of Bah! Humbug! towards organised sport (with the exception of footy tipping, kick-to-kick, watching the cricket and street cricket), I decided to get some Commonwealth Games tickets. I was spurred on by the kids getting bombarded with Commonwealth Games propaganda and it being ... [More]
As the purchase of new tyres and another regular service looms, I’ve been theorising: assuming worse-case scenario, that nothing else changes and there is no great revolution in public transport that sees the whole city given usable services to everywhere, could I get rid of my car without going crazy? The main thing at the ... [More]
Some people who wear uniforms (or other specialised clothing for work) are very obvious. The presence of police and other emergency service workers always makes me wonder what’s wrong. Other uniforms are less obvious. Someone called Elly Lukas apparently runs a beauty school. There seems to be no end of girls with their hair tied ... [More]
Lunchtime Monday… maybe something burnt in the Australia on Collins Food Court? I once asked a mate in the CFA about city fire calls. He said that though most are false alarms, they (obviously) take every one seriously, invariably sending multiple units screaming through the streets.
It’s been almost two years since we went looking unsuccessfully for Mulholland Drive on DVD. Kept looking for it during that time, but no luck, apart from one aged looking VHS copy spotted recently. Finally though, a copy turned up on DVD. Oh, the anticipation. By about midway through, I was beginning to wonder what ... [More]
I feel like I’m in the title sequence for The Goodies.
I have a big general rubbish bin, a paper recycling bin and a bottle recycling bin. They all get collected weekly, but I don’t put them out every week. I only put them out if they’re more than half full or have something smelly in them. Otherwise, why bother? Just wastes my time and the ... [More]
Have I mentioned how much I like The West Wing? It’s coming back onto Australian TV in a fortnight, at the rather more acceptable hour of 9:30 Thursdays on the ABC, starting with season 4. The problem is I’m only two-thirds of the way through season 2 in the DVDs my sister lent me. Which ... [More]
At the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan, they’ve built a copy of Flinders Street Station from ice: (via Rod) The Grauniad have done a London tube map of 20th century music. Full version here
I must be getting old. Increasingly I glance at the Business section of The Age. Sometimes I even understand some of it. It must be for the opinion pieces.
St George will stop allowing 4 free withdrawals at other ATMs for Victorian customers from April, as they reckon they’ve got more ATMs available now. Not as many as the other banks of course, though for me it’s not too bad, as my suburb is one of those blessed with a St George branch, and ... [More]
I know that up near Seymour, kangaroos are considered pests. But to a City Boy like me, it’s still nice to see them hopping about in the wild. PS. Monday 7am. When you’re walking around in bare feet, have to watch out for the roo poo.
I was engrossed in my book. The train stopped, and I opened the doors and hopped out. I walked along the platform. This looks different… where did the glass doors from the entrance go? This is not my station. My station’s the next one. The train doors were still open, so I hopped back on, ... [More]
“Classic” Doctor Who repeats finish tonight on the ABC, after running almost every episode still in existence over the past 2 1/2 years. It’s funny to think they started just before the new series was announced. It was also a few months after I had introduced my kids to the show (with DVDs and old ... [More]
Café culture — or should I say Coffee culture is well-established in Melbourne. These days coffee lovers have a reasonable expectation that they can get a decent coffee at most places. Anything inferior is quite likely to result in a backlash and loss of patronage. As I’ve remarked previously, the standard of tea hasn’t come ... [More]
Bloglines users: the problem preventing you reading from Bloglines has been fixed. (Mea culpa, it was my fault.) For those who asked how I did the desk animation, here’s an explanation.