Categories
transport

New train timetables next month

Tomorrow it’ll be known if Metro has met their monthly punctuality target for the first time. As-of yesterday the daily update on the Metro web site was sitting on 88.7% (last updated 28/9), clear of the 88% cut-off. (That’s 88% of trains less than 5 minutes late.) For the first time in many moons, you  ... [More]

Categories
Melbourne Ranting

Walking etiquette

I hope my kids don’t feel offended when I point out good etiquette to them. I think they probably know it all by now, but sometimes I’ll point it out just to remind them, and sometimes I’ll point it out/affirm their actions a little louder than usual so that others in the vicinity can get  ... [More]

Categories
Consumerism Food'n'drink

The hunt for Big M egg flip

Billboards for Big M’s limited edition Egg Flip flavour are popping up all over the place. I had a hankering to try it, to see if it was good if I remembered. So the kids and I went looking, in all the places that usually sell Big M (aka “Big M seller fellers”). Safeway? Nope.  ... [More]

Categories
Melbourne

Spring is here

To me, Sunday seemed like the first genuine day of spring. Warm enough to ditch the jumper and walk around in a t-shirt most of the day. No hint of rain. The sun streaming (on and off) through the window. (So much so that I do believe I may even have a slight sunburn on  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Not the Rome Metro

You’re going to have to trust me on this because it doesn’t show up well in the picture, but this train seen this morning said “ROME” on the back, instead of “METRO”. Evidently someone had been re-arranging some of the letters By some freak occurrence, last week I found myself travelling on the Upfield line  ... [More]

Categories
News and events Sport

The New Delhi games mess

I’m finding the situation in New Delhi fascinating. For those outside the Commonwealth and/or who haven’t heard, the city is having enormous problems getting ready for the Commonwealth Games. Sure, there are always stories like this ahead of big events, but in this case, there’s been an apparent terrorist attack (several tourists injured in a  ... [More]

Categories
Politics and activism

Take out the trash day

One episode of The West Wing focuses on Take out the trash day, when the government dumps so much news onto the media that the bad stuff is lost amongst the sheer amount of information. Last week the Victorian government had its equivalent, when over 200 reports were released on a single day. I went  ... [More]

Categories
Home life

Big and bouncy

We got the trampoline six years ago. Problem is it’s been used less and less over the years, so yesterday we donated it to Emma and Nick and Zoe. I’m relieved someone wanted it, actually. The fashion these days is the trampolines with the netting around the sides, which this old thing doesn’t have. After  ... [More]

Categories
Health TMI

Dandruff

For many years I’ve used Herbal Essences shampoo. While I hated the ads, I liked the shampoo. But recently I’ve noticed tell-tale white residue on my clothes. Oh no. Dandruff. Not nice. So I’ve switched to anti-dandruff shampoo for a while. It doesn’t smell as nice, but it appears to be working.

Categories
transport

Bike helmets

Radio National’s Background Briefing had a feature story on the bike helmet debate yesterday morning. You can download it and listen to it here. It talks about Melbourne’s bike share scheme; the experience in Europe (where cyclist numbers are higher, but injuries are lower) vs Australia (which it sounds like is the only country with  ... [More]

Categories
News and events

Dude, you have no Koran

If you didn’t see this on The Daily Show, it’s a classic. “I snuck up behind him and took his Koran. He said something about burning the Koran, and I said ‘Dude, you have no Koran’, and ran off”

Categories
Friends and loved ones

“You couldn’t have a full-blooded aborigine or Chinese teaching”

“You couldn’t have a full-blooded aborigine or Chinese teaching.” Well, *obviously*.