New Year’s Eve thoughts
This NYE, I’m not out and about. So instead, amidst the chaos and heat of today, here are some random thoughts (including some attempted ideas for blog posts during the year that never got past embryo stage).
I’ve seen two Dymocks bags disintegrate after being kept for a few months. It’s great that they biodegrade rapidly, but don’t try and reuse them for long-term storage.
Why do some people turn on their indicators way too early before making their turn; in some cases before the street before the one they’re going to turn into?
Likewise, how do some people leave their hazard lights flashing as they drive down the road? Do they not hear the click… click… click?
Why do a few people run along the platform after the train’s stopped, to choose the optimum door, even when it’s not crowded? Even when it’s a newer model train where you can easily switch carriages? Just get on board, we’re late already!
That some people sit in their car, parked, with the engine running and the aircon on, on a 20-25 degree day, is a sign that petrol is still too cheap.
Why do some people pay over the odds to live in areas with good public transport, then never use it? (Because no matter how they travel, they know such properties are better investments, that’s why.)
What gives? “Safe” brand recycled tissues have returned to the supermarkets… just as the “Naturale” recycled brand of napkins has vanished! Why do we get the choice of either/or, not both?
Ian Henderson is very straight-faced on the ABC TV news. But his appearances on ABC radio 774 at about 5:45pm each weeknight are a stark contrast… there’s humour, comment, opinion… everything you don’t get from him at 7pm.
Someone told me this at dinner the other night, and Wikipedia confirms it: The countries that have not adopted the Metric system are: Liberia, Myanmar and the United States.
That’s all for now. Happy New Year.
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Death and destruction
A few weeks ago an Age Saturday crossword question about Anwar Sadat brought back some memories. While I remember well news of the deaths of John Lennon and Princess Diana, Sadat’s assassination was sitting there in the back of my mind. I recalled footage of chaos at a grandstand, which I suppose I’d seen as an 11 year old when it happened.
This morning I woke to the news that Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated in Pakistan. I’m not sure what to make of it. Obviously they’ll be a big impact on democracy in Pakistan.
Meanwhile it was sad to hear of the death of a woman the other night in Flinders Street, hit by a car doing an illegal U-turn at speed. I don’t know how many times I’ve waited to cross the street at that spot. Reports say that the 26-year-old driver wasn’t affected by alcohol or drugs. One can only assume that it was the result of him being a completely reckless dickhead behind the wheel.
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Heading home for Christmas
Southern Cross Station, 9am Christmas morning
PS. Bonus: Related Herald Sun story and ABC online!
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The horror of Highpoint
Well I haven’t quite finished my Christmas shopping, but I have at least got over the hump, thanks to a few fruitful hours spent at the very noice Highpoint yesterday. It wasn’t half as crowded as I expected — and the beauty of Highpoint is you can easily get there without the car, and the endless pain of looking for a park.
It was a tad annoying though that their automated Directory thingies seemed to shut down at about 5pm (the usual closing time on a Saturday), and naturally they’ve got rid of almost all the human info booths and paper guides. It took ages to determine that in fact there is no Dymocks at Highpoint.
Toys R Us was looking like a bomb had hit it, particularly the soft toys section, which was awash with soft toy carcasses as far as the eye could see.
Some of you might remember me talking about the SuperScrabble my mum invented a few years ago, combining multiple boards and sets of letters for a Scrabble extravaganza. Turns out the makers of Scrabble have figured this out to (I’m going to assume they didn’t just copy her idea), and released an official SuperScrabble, which I found in one of the games shops.
I haven’t actually bought a stupid amount of stuff — I’m determined not to. But a few little-ish things that people will (hopefully) appreciate receiving. ‘Cos there’s an awful lot of crap out there in the big wide world of retail.
Anyway, it’s just about over, and I’m looking forward to the day itself, when the shopping can be put behind us and we can do that spending time with family that’s the important thing about Christmas.
Happy Festivus, all.
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Bah, humbug!
Happy Gravy Day.
Last night I saw the Bourke Street decorations by night for the first time.
But I was in a bad mood this morning. After a recent good run, I had two hassle-filled commutes in a row — last night at 10:30 the trains were still stuffed after the storms, and this morning, well dammit, I was just about at the station three minutes before the train was due, but then another train went over the crossing, and I had to watch helplessly as the 9:21 left two minutes early.
And I had come to the realisation that here we are, four days before Christmas, and I’d completed virtually none of my Christmas shopping.
A lunch with colleagues cheered me up a bit, but this afternoon stomping about the CBD rain, I was actively considering scrapping what few Christmas gifts I’d had worked out, and giving everybody either
a) nothing at all — damn throwaway consumerist society, that’ll show those shopkeepers
b) gift certificates — I don’t have time for this, you choose something
or
c) a goat for an impoverished village from Oxfam Unwrapped — hey if you want to go for broke, you can buy a bridge for $675.
Things improved slightly after that, and I did find a couple of good, worthwhile presents for people. But I’m keeping those options open.
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A load of rubbish
I have a 240 litre bin for general rubbish (emptied weekly) and a 240 litre bin for recycling (emptied fortnightly).
Usually I put one kitchen bin bag out per week, and the recycling bin is about three-quarters full when emptied.
So our weekly household waste comes to about:
- 30 litres of general waste
- 90 litres of recycling (paper, cardboard, bottles, cartons, cans)
The latter has probably dropped a fair bit since the No Junk Mail sticker went up. I do subscribe to the newspaper, but much of that goes into the recycling at work. I’ve considered a compost bin, though the size of my garden doesn’t really warrant it. I can still do more to reduce my consumption though.
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From primary to secondary
In the past I’ve seen pictures of an American preschool graduation — in which they ludicrously dressed kids up in gowns and (mortarboard) caps. I’ve only worn a cap and gown once in my life — for my university graduation, after three years of (sometimes) hard slog earning my bachelor’s degree.
This type of academic dress dates back to medieval times, and is steeped in history. Maybe it’s just me, but it strikes me as devaluing the meaning and significance of achieving a graduate-level education if they dress little kids in the same stuff — particularly at kindergarten level where, let’s face it, it’s pretty much impossible to not pass. Why do we insist on dressing kids up like adults anyway?
Isaac’s primary school graduation last night had none of that. Smart casual was the order of the day. The programme included a couple of musical numbers, presentations to the kids of a certificate (and they got to say a few words each — quite amusing in some cases) and a couple of speeches from staff members. The principal noted that this group was the first he’d seen go right through primary school, and that he believed they were a talented and genuinely nice group of kids — something that struck a chord with me since that day I saw some of the senior kids in action in the school yard. And he reckoned very few of them had ever been sent to his office!
It seems so recent that Isaac started primary school. Time really does fly.
A couple of weeks ago was his high school orientation day. High school, even government high school, is an expensive business, as it turns out. Some $600 in annual fees, $500 in books (some of which will last multiple years), and we haven’t even got onto the uniforms yet. But I’m confident it will be a good quality, effective education, which is the most important thing.
There should be a state government $300 school start bonus coming our way, which will help. Not that I’m scrounging; I’m sure there’s people struggling with the costs more than me, let alone those sending their kids to private schools next year, who could be spending tens of thousands of dollars.
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The amazing two-dimensional building
I was reminded at the weekend that near where I used to work, there’s a partly-triangular building. It’s at the corner of Nicholson Street and Victoria Parade.
Here’s what it looks like from above…
(Picture: Whereis.com.au)
But look at it from the Lonsdale Street exit of Parliament Station, and it looks like it’s flat — two-dimensional.
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