The ending to Day 2 was all about getting home to sort through my things, to take delivery of goods, to re-discover what has been missing for so long ... well, a week or so. [it is, I think, interesting that I am still noticing the absence of things, but then find them later (e.g. money bowl, sharpening stone), but some remain 'lost']For the most part, there was a lot of things to put into the kitchen, to get set up for cooking/cleaning, and clothes to carefully put away - Kristie and Felix came to help, and she carefully folded everything, before stacking into piles where she wanted things to be ... One thing that is especially obvious/apparent is that I really, really have too much room for just 1 person ... Now, what to do about that, hey?
Went to Cyril Walker at lunch, and they had a rather neat little BBB rainjacket, which the gent seemed to feel would be most suitable ... although he did suggest the Santini jacket instead ... which they did not have in stock ... Many things to spend money on, but whether to and/or when is the challenge - after all, am only in that part of the City for another7 days ... then off to the Docklands site, to try something new - or, rather, do the same thing, but in a different locality. Again. So soon after moving, yet again. And again ... Seems to be the theme of the last few years?
Anyway, the Giant is back together, after a few glitches working out how things best go together - still not getting any better doing those rear wheels, I tell you! Still, the only way I am going to get Bernini back together is to buy a multi-tool, ride it, tweak it, and keep refining the position - who knows, maybe one day (in the not so distant future, I hope) I will (finally) have got it together and actually be comfortable on the bike(s)? Of course, by then I will have probably developed my flexibity some more, and need to reposition myself, so the synergy will be transitory at best?
The train trip back was insane! Got to the North Melbourne station, onto the train, and then was entertained literally most of the way by a girl studying a Diploma of Preaching with the aim of becoming a Pentecostal Minister, and a guy studying to be a teacher, but was barely more than a child himself, at least in attitude, etc. But the girl too was quite innocent in her own way; however, more a blissfully conscious unawareness, choosing to be closed to uncertainty and doubt. When in doubt, the Lord will provide/ protect? I read an interesting FAQ about Sumer ... although I am a bit concerned about where I am getting these pages from, for I read a paper the other morning discussing Derrida + drugs, but am unsure where it originated from ... I think the FAQs contained a lot of transliteration of available texts, as there seemed to be a certain consistency with the tales being repeated? I noticed this too with the Oxford text, which seemed to indicate, at least to my own mind, that there were certain cuniform characters utilised in repeated patterns, so that the interpretation/translation of them seemed to be inconquent, or at least sensically inconsistent?
Cooked a rather simple little vegetable fritarta, as I still have a large number of vegies in the fridge, and must do my best to utilise them - remember, 5 serves of f&v per day ... or something like that, anyway ;)
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
The week ending that was ...
Ending on Friday night, it was off to the Wok Express out at Moonee Ponds with Craig to visit his old TL, be introduced, and for him to deliver a set of rosary beads, from his trip to the Holy Land. She was, needless to say, suitably impressed, finding them to be quite pleasing to the eye and hand, as they were (are?) of a solid texture, almost metallic. The intention was to just meet her, hang out for a hour, but inevitably we stopped for something to eat, and so I ended up having a chicken with noodles, Vietnamese style ...
Of course, at 1945 Felix rings up to say that he + Kristy are sitting at my place, waiting for me so that we can all go out together! So I went back in and bolted my food, said my goodbyes, and toddled up the road to the train station ...
Where I discovered it would be another 20 minutes until the next train ... which meant that there would be no easy connection to a Geelong train for about another 30 minutes - this being Friday night, after all ... So, thought I may as well wander in and around Southern Cross station ... where there was a tremendous police presence, doing 'random' weapons checks, as well as 'transport' police checking tickets ... got out of there and wandered down the road to the new offices - which were not quite finished ... and there would seem to be a sense of isolation surrounding them - get in, do your work, go home - although there are some little parks about a block down to go and sit in the sun (?) during lunch break, so we will see ...
Got back to Southern Cross to hear the announcement that the train had been replaced by a bus ... which kind of sucked in that it was a bit more cramped than usual, and more people were closer together, so I learnt a lot about interpersonal human psychosexual ambiguities than I usually readily assimilate on my nightly journey ... But was also kind of cool because it was different; we went down the freeway; we left 10 minutes earlier; and, got in at almost the same (expected) time ... Which may well have been a tad earlier, except that the driver managed to almost get lost before going into the Geelong station, and had to turn around ... which was quite fun in and of itself ...
Went out to the White Eagle, had two (2) beers and a rather nice Polish vodka, plus a few games of pool, which Felix kept winning convincingly ... Kristy had bought over a 'cheap' bottle of vodka, so a lot of that got consumed during the evening as well, usually mixing it with limes and soda water, whilst Felix had got a few cans of Bundy Red to enjoy ...
Then up in the morning, Kristy out the door, quick shower to refresh, pulled the lycra on, fiddled with the settings on the Yukon - even remembered to change the bike settings on the Garmin :o then off on the wide pathway down the Bellarine rail trail ... which seemed to be sealed almost ALL the way past Leopold to the Portarlington road ... and the great big dip has been filled in, so that you just go around it now ... Got to the little park just outside of Drysdale, next to the train station, and had a quick breather, called Simon, left a message, then set off back along the Portarlington back into Geelong - bit bloody windy on the way back, I tell you! Anyway, the only real besmirchment on this wonderful trip, leaving aside the pleasure(s) that I forewent having it so sealed, was that as I crested the hill out of Leoplod, an 'elderly' couple were meandering along the path, with the man having a mirror on his handlebar, but still neither moved ... so I politely said 'Passing on the right' to which the old girl almost fell off her bike but eventually moved over. As I passed her by, she said 'Have you got a bell?' but when the m,an said the same as I passed him, I turn to him and replied, 'Yes, it is called the 'get the fuck out of my way' bell' before pedalling off on down the slope ... However, once I had turned the corner and was out of their sight, I looked down and realised that it was an accoutrement that I had not yet replaced on the bike ...
After I got back into town, I kept going for a pedal around town, visiting BOQ for some $$$ before shooting over to the PO to check out PO Box availability and redirection costs. After that, I toddled over to West Geelong, thinking to visit Cafe 9 zero (no longer there), Michael's (extremely busy), and so off to Bicycle Factory for a reasonable chat with Greg - and Nick was there too - about what had been happening in the GTC, life in general, etc. Heading back to Pakington Street, but Michael's was if anything, even more busy! So I set off down to the very end where I negotiated the rather tricky pathway, listening to my discs squeak in agony as I headed downwards to the riverside path, for a little meander to check out the times that E & S were open that weekend ... Which turned out to be quite fortuitous, for the fellow I asked about the hours turned out to be 'the' man, the capo of the establishment ... who promptly offered to have the 'boys' drop the washing machine around later that afternoon. Which I promptly accepted. So, sat at home pottering about, rang Simon and advised I would catch up after the delivery was made ... Whilst waiting, I prepared a slight variation on my sliced vegetable frittarta, with the remaining cous-cous mixed in, held together with eggs, and then pouring a lot of parmesan over the top, before sealing under the grill. Used a lot of thyme in the mix, which seemed to emanate throughout ... When it got there, I gave the boys a stubbie each for later, and followed the promptings to put a 'dummy' load on, with half the required detergent. Thought at the time how intelligent the machine was to display the actual time of day, although it was slightly out, but then realised that was actual the time required to do the load of washing - 2 hrs, 43 mins :o Anyway, once it was on, I was free to toddle off to visit Simon at the Fig & Vine Deli (it perhaps being a little late in the day to go to Gobble), where he promptly gave me his Nalini 'Base' top that he had rediscovered in his drawer recently ... Insisted on giving him $20 for the jacket + afternoon tea, which he seemed happy to accept (I hope) ... But the memories of that jacket! Hope it holds up to expectations, as I admit that I may well have a slightly skewed perspective in regards to its breathability and water resistance ... Also discussed a few other topics, such as the ideals for an urban, around town machine and what his plans may encompass, as he seemed a bit down, or disorientated, but then perked up with considerations for September rides ... Got home and finished off the grilling of the other side of the frittarta, before eating it, sipping a beer, and going to bed early!!! Bit shagged from last night's endeavours + riding ...
This is was supposed to be the fortnight that we played around in the kitchen of Felix, on Saturday afternoon, exploring a few life skills, to see what could be seen in terms of developing a sense of satisfaction for completing set tasks, but ... he had a family weekend! Which is, I suppose, humbly admitting it, of at least equal importance? Maybe.
Then there was Sunday ... Waited for 8AM, popped over to station to see Greg (+ Rolf and Harry) off on a mysterious tour that was to do 100k through Ceres to Steiglitz, then went off to the markets, at the Showgrounds ... Not much in the way of plants this time, but I picked up some proteas, eggs, bread (lots of bread), vegies (zucchini, apples, garlic, eggplant, onions, mushrooms, chillis (mild, hot, hotter), carrots, etc.), and a lemon-macademia cookie ... Threw it all into the bag, jumped on the Yukon, and headed back. As I came past the station, saw Geoff, so cried out that I was just going to put a load of washing on, would be there ASAP, but probably be about 5 minutes late, and promptly rode into a concrete bump at the end of the parking spot ... much to the amusement of Pam, Dave, etc. who I had not noticed lurking in the shadows ... Anyway, went home, dumped bag of stuff, threw wanshing on, changed into lycra, checked settings on Garmin, changed it to the Opera, and rushed over to join the mob, only to see so many people I had ridden with before! This is why I came to Geelong, to ride with people, to get on, fit in, and have fun. Pretty much went out the Bellarine Highway, turned left up Swan Bay Road :) and then into Drysdale for morning tea. Finished that, came back in along the Portarlington Road, before turning off at Curlewis, following the sealed railtrail to the bottom of Leopold, where Geoff, Pam (although she then turned for home), and I headed back along the Bellarine Highway again to meet the crew where they crossed and then back up the rail trail back to the station. At the end of which, there was only Geoff/Heather, Simon, and John ... although Lindy said a fond farewll as she kept pedalling and Bruce came over to say a quick goodbye. Showed John the outside of the place and Simon the inside, where we had a cup of tea, some ricotta/honey on toast, and then got him to assist me with the sliding door into the lounge (my bedroom), as it transpired that the guide had been flared at one head, so was not sliding correectly, and was slipping upwards to get jammed! However, once that was rectified, I hung the washing out, jumped back on the bike, and went with him back to East Geelong, where I did a bit more shopping - more herbs, some butter, milk, ham, yogurt, anchovies and capers (I think that was all?) ... Then it was time to head home and play with the carnivorous plants, finding that they were all a bit dehydrated, so I set them up with some plates, and pushed one up into the closest tree ... but am unsure if that was the best option, as it seemed to have a little heat stress on the leaves, so will reassess this next weekend, maybe move it to the other tree (as I had originally considered)? Finally made a ham sandwich, grabbed a beer, and lay down in the beautiful warm room, snug as a bug beneath the quilted rug, with the heater going ... only to have Felix arrive, so was off to the Lemon Tree Laundromat to put the clothes through the dryer, as they had not dried enough during the day - note to self, maybe Saturday is the better day to do washing, cleaning (not that anything much got done this weekend), as it allows more time for unexpected delays ... Anyway, whilst there we argued the toss in relation to the messages which he claimed he had not received, and when I checked my records, I had sent them through to his home phone, so that would seem to explain why he had not received them ... Whilst there, also ran into Drew, who had used to come to Harvest Liquor, back in the day, and has since: got into fencing, as a sole trader; has a 3 year old boy, that he absolutely loves, and spending time iwth, as they both a lot of energy to expend - such as going for swimming lessons together; and, seems to be consuming a bit of alcohol? Anyway, after that little adventure, went back and showed Felix how to access/download apps for 'Mavis', such as Internet radio, Golf, and a Scrabble game ... on which we finished the night with me withdrawing in disgust, as he resoundly thrashed me at a game!!!
Of course, at 1945 Felix rings up to say that he + Kristy are sitting at my place, waiting for me so that we can all go out together! So I went back in and bolted my food, said my goodbyes, and toddled up the road to the train station ...
Where I discovered it would be another 20 minutes until the next train ... which meant that there would be no easy connection to a Geelong train for about another 30 minutes - this being Friday night, after all ... So, thought I may as well wander in and around Southern Cross station ... where there was a tremendous police presence, doing 'random' weapons checks, as well as 'transport' police checking tickets ... got out of there and wandered down the road to the new offices - which were not quite finished ... and there would seem to be a sense of isolation surrounding them - get in, do your work, go home - although there are some little parks about a block down to go and sit in the sun (?) during lunch break, so we will see ...
Got back to Southern Cross to hear the announcement that the train had been replaced by a bus ... which kind of sucked in that it was a bit more cramped than usual, and more people were closer together, so I learnt a lot about interpersonal human psychosexual ambiguities than I usually readily assimilate on my nightly journey ... But was also kind of cool because it was different; we went down the freeway; we left 10 minutes earlier; and, got in at almost the same (expected) time ... Which may well have been a tad earlier, except that the driver managed to almost get lost before going into the Geelong station, and had to turn around ... which was quite fun in and of itself ...
Went out to the White Eagle, had two (2) beers and a rather nice Polish vodka, plus a few games of pool, which Felix kept winning convincingly ... Kristy had bought over a 'cheap' bottle of vodka, so a lot of that got consumed during the evening as well, usually mixing it with limes and soda water, whilst Felix had got a few cans of Bundy Red to enjoy ...
Then up in the morning, Kristy out the door, quick shower to refresh, pulled the lycra on, fiddled with the settings on the Yukon - even remembered to change the bike settings on the Garmin :o then off on the wide pathway down the Bellarine rail trail ... which seemed to be sealed almost ALL the way past Leopold to the Portarlington road ... and the great big dip has been filled in, so that you just go around it now ... Got to the little park just outside of Drysdale, next to the train station, and had a quick breather, called Simon, left a message, then set off back along the Portarlington back into Geelong - bit bloody windy on the way back, I tell you! Anyway, the only real besmirchment on this wonderful trip, leaving aside the pleasure(s) that I forewent having it so sealed, was that as I crested the hill out of Leoplod, an 'elderly' couple were meandering along the path, with the man having a mirror on his handlebar, but still neither moved ... so I politely said 'Passing on the right' to which the old girl almost fell off her bike but eventually moved over. As I passed her by, she said 'Have you got a bell?' but when the m,an said the same as I passed him, I turn to him and replied, 'Yes, it is called the 'get the fuck out of my way' bell' before pedalling off on down the slope ... However, once I had turned the corner and was out of their sight, I looked down and realised that it was an accoutrement that I had not yet replaced on the bike ...
After I got back into town, I kept going for a pedal around town, visiting BOQ for some $$$ before shooting over to the PO to check out PO Box availability and redirection costs. After that, I toddled over to West Geelong, thinking to visit Cafe 9 zero (no longer there), Michael's (extremely busy), and so off to Bicycle Factory for a reasonable chat with Greg - and Nick was there too - about what had been happening in the GTC, life in general, etc. Heading back to Pakington Street, but Michael's was if anything, even more busy! So I set off down to the very end where I negotiated the rather tricky pathway, listening to my discs squeak in agony as I headed downwards to the riverside path, for a little meander to check out the times that E & S were open that weekend ... Which turned out to be quite fortuitous, for the fellow I asked about the hours turned out to be 'the' man, the capo of the establishment ... who promptly offered to have the 'boys' drop the washing machine around later that afternoon. Which I promptly accepted. So, sat at home pottering about, rang Simon and advised I would catch up after the delivery was made ... Whilst waiting, I prepared a slight variation on my sliced vegetable frittarta, with the remaining cous-cous mixed in, held together with eggs, and then pouring a lot of parmesan over the top, before sealing under the grill. Used a lot of thyme in the mix, which seemed to emanate throughout ... When it got there, I gave the boys a stubbie each for later, and followed the promptings to put a 'dummy' load on, with half the required detergent. Thought at the time how intelligent the machine was to display the actual time of day, although it was slightly out, but then realised that was actual the time required to do the load of washing - 2 hrs, 43 mins :o Anyway, once it was on, I was free to toddle off to visit Simon at the Fig & Vine Deli (it perhaps being a little late in the day to go to Gobble), where he promptly gave me his Nalini 'Base' top that he had rediscovered in his drawer recently ... Insisted on giving him $20 for the jacket + afternoon tea, which he seemed happy to accept (I hope) ... But the memories of that jacket! Hope it holds up to expectations, as I admit that I may well have a slightly skewed perspective in regards to its breathability and water resistance ... Also discussed a few other topics, such as the ideals for an urban, around town machine and what his plans may encompass, as he seemed a bit down, or disorientated, but then perked up with considerations for September rides ... Got home and finished off the grilling of the other side of the frittarta, before eating it, sipping a beer, and going to bed early!!! Bit shagged from last night's endeavours + riding ...
This is was supposed to be the fortnight that we played around in the kitchen of Felix, on Saturday afternoon, exploring a few life skills, to see what could be seen in terms of developing a sense of satisfaction for completing set tasks, but ... he had a family weekend! Which is, I suppose, humbly admitting it, of at least equal importance? Maybe.
Then there was Sunday ... Waited for 8AM, popped over to station to see Greg (+ Rolf and Harry) off on a mysterious tour that was to do 100k through Ceres to Steiglitz, then went off to the markets, at the Showgrounds ... Not much in the way of plants this time, but I picked up some proteas, eggs, bread (lots of bread), vegies (zucchini, apples, garlic, eggplant, onions, mushrooms, chillis (mild, hot, hotter), carrots, etc.), and a lemon-macademia cookie ... Threw it all into the bag, jumped on the Yukon, and headed back. As I came past the station, saw Geoff, so cried out that I was just going to put a load of washing on, would be there ASAP, but probably be about 5 minutes late, and promptly rode into a concrete bump at the end of the parking spot ... much to the amusement of Pam, Dave, etc. who I had not noticed lurking in the shadows ... Anyway, went home, dumped bag of stuff, threw wanshing on, changed into lycra, checked settings on Garmin, changed it to the Opera, and rushed over to join the mob, only to see so many people I had ridden with before! This is why I came to Geelong, to ride with people, to get on, fit in, and have fun. Pretty much went out the Bellarine Highway, turned left up Swan Bay Road :) and then into Drysdale for morning tea. Finished that, came back in along the Portarlington Road, before turning off at Curlewis, following the sealed railtrail to the bottom of Leopold, where Geoff, Pam (although she then turned for home), and I headed back along the Bellarine Highway again to meet the crew where they crossed and then back up the rail trail back to the station. At the end of which, there was only Geoff/Heather, Simon, and John ... although Lindy said a fond farewll as she kept pedalling and Bruce came over to say a quick goodbye. Showed John the outside of the place and Simon the inside, where we had a cup of tea, some ricotta/honey on toast, and then got him to assist me with the sliding door into the lounge (my bedroom), as it transpired that the guide had been flared at one head, so was not sliding correectly, and was slipping upwards to get jammed! However, once that was rectified, I hung the washing out, jumped back on the bike, and went with him back to East Geelong, where I did a bit more shopping - more herbs, some butter, milk, ham, yogurt, anchovies and capers (I think that was all?) ... Then it was time to head home and play with the carnivorous plants, finding that they were all a bit dehydrated, so I set them up with some plates, and pushed one up into the closest tree ... but am unsure if that was the best option, as it seemed to have a little heat stress on the leaves, so will reassess this next weekend, maybe move it to the other tree (as I had originally considered)? Finally made a ham sandwich, grabbed a beer, and lay down in the beautiful warm room, snug as a bug beneath the quilted rug, with the heater going ... only to have Felix arrive, so was off to the Lemon Tree Laundromat to put the clothes through the dryer, as they had not dried enough during the day - note to self, maybe Saturday is the better day to do washing, cleaning (not that anything much got done this weekend), as it allows more time for unexpected delays ... Anyway, whilst there we argued the toss in relation to the messages which he claimed he had not received, and when I checked my records, I had sent them through to his home phone, so that would seem to explain why he had not received them ... Whilst there, also ran into Drew, who had used to come to Harvest Liquor, back in the day, and has since: got into fencing, as a sole trader; has a 3 year old boy, that he absolutely loves, and spending time iwth, as they both a lot of energy to expend - such as going for swimming lessons together; and, seems to be consuming a bit of alcohol? Anyway, after that little adventure, went back and showed Felix how to access/download apps for 'Mavis', such as Internet radio, Golf, and a Scrabble game ... on which we finished the night with me withdrawing in disgust, as he resoundly thrashed me at a game!!!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Day 1 begins
Day 1 begins, and it is already surprising how full this train is :o *Note to self* Be sure to consider getting on at the last carriage after all! Seems relative, but there may be more room in that carriage, in terms of how people get into this thing. Reminescent of a bell curve? Still, at least there is a 4 seater with room for me to have my legs stretched out on. So far. For all of that, it is quite warm in here, what with all the body heat and the amount of clothes that people are wearing in here, so maybe I could get by without the jacket? Still, it did make for a more pleasurable time standing on the platform before this all headed off, so shall see how things progress for the rest of the day, hey? There is an option ... um, not sure what that option is to be, as just pulled into North Geelong and
a) somebody got on, climbing into the seat opposite;
b) there were an awfully large number of people that got on at that station; and,
c) somebody came screaming up the ramp with a Giant road bike, and jumped on ...
There are two more stops to pick up passengers, North Shore and Lara, then express to Footscray, so it will be interesting to see what the passenger numbers are like at each of those stations. According to the information I downloaded last night, the best option is to change trains and get one that is going to Flagstaff station, but the choice remains of whether to do so at Footscray or North Melbourne ... Would think that North Melbourne will have more options, but would also be a little more complex to move around on ... spoiled for options am I, hey? Take it one step at a time - never know, might even be able to mix it up day to day?
Well, this is Lara and there seem to be a few people here as well, just to fill up what available space there was, and now people are even standing ... Ha! Ticket collector came around to check tickets, pulled the wallet out, flashed the ticket, then went to put back into back, and completely missed it, making it a bit difficult to retrieve the wallet from the floor where it had fallen, amongst all of these feet and legs ... Really must check whether all of these postings have been uploaded - am starting to feel that I am writing in silence, that these musings are being lost into only the silence of creation. Of course, it is amazing that it is after 8AM and it is still so wan outside - the things we do for fun, hey? It is almost like the sun has not even fully arisen as yet, but then, when will it? There is the option of speccing up a bike for off road use and taking it bouncing around places such as You Yangs or down by Anglesea? Will start with the rail trail first, get a feel for that, and see where I go ... Option may be to convert the Giant to more aggressive off road (bigger tyres, replace suspension, etc.) and get an around town bike. Or convert the Giant to a more around town bike (panniers, rigid forks, etc.) and get an off-road bike, maybe a dual suspension ... 'Problem' is that I really do need three (3) bikes: 1 for road, 1 for around town; and, 1 for puddling along the rail trail, if not more ... The Giant did quite well as a combo for the last two, especially with the panniers on it, so that may be the way to go again? Actually, thinking about it, Footscray may well be a hub station, with several lines coming into/out of the station, as just went through Werribee and realised that there would be trains coming through there that would also go to Flagstaff, as it too is on the suburban lines ...
Incidentally, after to-ing and fro-ing (largely from me trying to talk him out of it, or at least to rationalise his purchasing decision), Felix has gone ahead and purchased an iPad. The last 2 nights have been an interesting experiment in setting it up and exploring its possibilities, so I hope he gets the usage out of it that he so richly desires/deserves ... Last night it kept hanging when we were trying to access the App store, and what a drama it was to try to set him up with an Apple ID - seems all of his previous email accounts had been hacked, and closed down due to suspect activity ... Hmm ... well, that will do me for the trip in, I suppose???
a) somebody got on, climbing into the seat opposite;
b) there were an awfully large number of people that got on at that station; and,
c) somebody came screaming up the ramp with a Giant road bike, and jumped on ...
There are two more stops to pick up passengers, North Shore and Lara, then express to Footscray, so it will be interesting to see what the passenger numbers are like at each of those stations. According to the information I downloaded last night, the best option is to change trains and get one that is going to Flagstaff station, but the choice remains of whether to do so at Footscray or North Melbourne ... Would think that North Melbourne will have more options, but would also be a little more complex to move around on ... spoiled for options am I, hey? Take it one step at a time - never know, might even be able to mix it up day to day?
Well, this is Lara and there seem to be a few people here as well, just to fill up what available space there was, and now people are even standing ... Ha! Ticket collector came around to check tickets, pulled the wallet out, flashed the ticket, then went to put back into back, and completely missed it, making it a bit difficult to retrieve the wallet from the floor where it had fallen, amongst all of these feet and legs ... Really must check whether all of these postings have been uploaded - am starting to feel that I am writing in silence, that these musings are being lost into only the silence of creation. Of course, it is amazing that it is after 8AM and it is still so wan outside - the things we do for fun, hey? It is almost like the sun has not even fully arisen as yet, but then, when will it? There is the option of speccing up a bike for off road use and taking it bouncing around places such as You Yangs or down by Anglesea? Will start with the rail trail first, get a feel for that, and see where I go ... Option may be to convert the Giant to more aggressive off road (bigger tyres, replace suspension, etc.) and get an around town bike. Or convert the Giant to a more around town bike (panniers, rigid forks, etc.) and get an off-road bike, maybe a dual suspension ... 'Problem' is that I really do need three (3) bikes: 1 for road, 1 for around town; and, 1 for puddling along the rail trail, if not more ... The Giant did quite well as a combo for the last two, especially with the panniers on it, so that may be the way to go again? Actually, thinking about it, Footscray may well be a hub station, with several lines coming into/out of the station, as just went through Werribee and realised that there would be trains coming through there that would also go to Flagstaff, as it too is on the suburban lines ...
Incidentally, after to-ing and fro-ing (largely from me trying to talk him out of it, or at least to rationalise his purchasing decision), Felix has gone ahead and purchased an iPad. The last 2 nights have been an interesting experiment in setting it up and exploring its possibilities, so I hope he gets the usage out of it that he so richly desires/deserves ... Last night it kept hanging when we were trying to access the App store, and what a drama it was to try to set him up with an Apple ID - seems all of his previous email accounts had been hacked, and closed down due to suspect activity ... Hmm ... well, that will do me for the trip in, I suppose???
Day 1 ends
Day 1 ends, and I have discovered that it is important to get the train from North Melbourne. Otherwise, like tonight, I stand around at Footscray Station waiting until 1910 for a train ... makes for a long day ... Besides, the earlier train, the one I would catch from North Melbourne, has a drinks car, so I could recline in the lounge car, and unwind after a hectic day at the office. Or is that maybe a little too optimistic, a little too gilded of what the actual realities are? Only one way to find out I suppose, get on that train tomorrow and explore! Guess that means back to the favourite website to explore what the options are ... But, it must be said, that this particular service is quite significantly depopulated, so whether I aim for the earlier service or just find something else to do would seem slightly immaterial, or at least until further evidence is presented ...
Getting a teeny bit worried about the hair position, as I feel that I may be getting to have this scraggly heap, especially as the forefront is rapidly retreating ...
As for the office itself, it is different ... yes, different is possibly the best phrase to use, as there are significantly things that go on which vary from how I used to do things, back in the day, in a land far, far away ... There are flushing urinals, instead of the little tablets ... the team seems so much smaller, yet louder! But this may be due to them occupying a smaller area, and sit more in diamond formation than side by side to each other? ... the dining/break out room has telephones for CSRs to use during their breaks to make calls. But it is on another floor entirely, so time is spent getting to/fro the room ... The actual CS&S area seems to be spread over three (3) floors, with the LBH team(s) on the lowest floor. Not that they are ever seen ... there is a training room up here, and it actually has computers, etc. in it for the use by trainees ... I am still taking Specialist calls, and in fact spoke to about 6 people from CHM :o almost more than I would talk to in a normal day! Even when I was physically there in CHM ... the table is unbelievably low (!) but there seems no mechanism to raise it, although they appear to be up/down desk (i.e. power assisted) so I do wonder how high I will be able to get it up? The chair itself is exceedingly low, so will have to hope that it also will go up an amazing distance to match the table when I get it up. Did try to tee up another seating arrangement, go to another desk, but the t/l was not quite as keen as I was ... around the corner is the Queen Vic markets, so I guess I will be exploring there a couple of times before we set off to the new place down at Docklands? Around the other corner is also Cyril Walker Cycles and a rather decent cookery shop, so there is much to see and do. Still not discovered any 'decent' coffee place(s) as yet - maybe I should make that my anticipated spending for the day? Coffee in the morning, alcohol on train home? It is a thought ...
Other than that, it seems a good little trip in and out on the train, just need to be aware of timing issues, be prepared, have things to do above + beyond utilising Silver Rocket for the travel. One option may be to utilise the time to read and/or prepare submissions for advancement of learning, maybe download some texts to be enjoyed? Might also be a time to set up emails, etc through a client, and then action them during the travel time???
Getting a teeny bit worried about the hair position, as I feel that I may be getting to have this scraggly heap, especially as the forefront is rapidly retreating ...
As for the office itself, it is different ... yes, different is possibly the best phrase to use, as there are significantly things that go on which vary from how I used to do things, back in the day, in a land far, far away ... There are flushing urinals, instead of the little tablets ... the team seems so much smaller, yet louder! But this may be due to them occupying a smaller area, and sit more in diamond formation than side by side to each other? ... the dining/break out room has telephones for CSRs to use during their breaks to make calls. But it is on another floor entirely, so time is spent getting to/fro the room ... The actual CS&S area seems to be spread over three (3) floors, with the LBH team(s) on the lowest floor. Not that they are ever seen ... there is a training room up here, and it actually has computers, etc. in it for the use by trainees ... I am still taking Specialist calls, and in fact spoke to about 6 people from CHM :o almost more than I would talk to in a normal day! Even when I was physically there in CHM ... the table is unbelievably low (!) but there seems no mechanism to raise it, although they appear to be up/down desk (i.e. power assisted) so I do wonder how high I will be able to get it up? The chair itself is exceedingly low, so will have to hope that it also will go up an amazing distance to match the table when I get it up. Did try to tee up another seating arrangement, go to another desk, but the t/l was not quite as keen as I was ... around the corner is the Queen Vic markets, so I guess I will be exploring there a couple of times before we set off to the new place down at Docklands? Around the other corner is also Cyril Walker Cycles and a rather decent cookery shop, so there is much to see and do. Still not discovered any 'decent' coffee place(s) as yet - maybe I should make that my anticipated spending for the day? Coffee in the morning, alcohol on train home? It is a thought ...
Other than that, it seems a good little trip in and out on the train, just need to be aware of timing issues, be prepared, have things to do above + beyond utilising Silver Rocket for the travel. One option may be to utilise the time to read and/or prepare submissions for advancement of learning, maybe download some texts to be enjoyed? Might also be a time to set up emails, etc through a client, and then action them during the travel time???
Full moon posting/raving, part I (06/05/12)
Flew in, it is bloody cold here - the welcome of coming into Aavalon with a stiff breeze cutting through my ribs made me extremely glad that I had the foresight to ensure that the leather jacket was available for wearing off the planet! Prior to leaving, people had laughed at me for the amount of clothes that I had left to take on the plane, but as soon as I got off the plane, I knew that I had been right. Indeed, the only item I did not have on was the alpaca jumper, and even that was a bit of close run thing, but I wanted to at least feel the cold, to acknowledge that a change had occurred. Anyway, Felix picked me up, we grabbed some Cougars + coke on the way in, stopped to order some pizzas, and then went t othe house ... OMFG, what a place!
Initially the sales pitch was as a 2BR cottage, but it is quite huge - could in fact be 3BRs? But ... the oven door does not shut properly ... the sliding door into the firplace room does not shut ... there are a few holes in walls ... the wooden panelling does not always match ... the wood surround in the shower has come loose ... etc. Oh, and those Giramondo wollen tights that I have replaced? Well, brought down the spare (old) pair just as a lurk, and they are working a treat ... except that they are barely being held together - so many holes!!! Moths?
But gosh it feels good to be in there - it has a good feel to it, and as long as I stay focused on building a home, I think we may have something to work with? One of the challenges that I will face is furnishing the place - do not want to spend too much just to fill it and then have to abandon it in a few years ... but then also want to expend some effort to ensure that the quality is there to sustain for that period of time ... Hmm ... Interestingly, the attention keeps fading in and out, what I need, how to achieve it - is all just $$$ after all ... so, back to planning and considering how it all fits together, what I can do to ensure the success (or otherwise) of this venture ... food/herbs/garden ... bikes ... television (?) ... furnishings ... kitchen prep and presentation ... study in/and study (actually, that is probably something that needs to be focused upon in the more immediate future ... there are so many things, variables/unknowns, in the forthcoming future, so I need to acknowledge what is worth preparing for (or anticipating) and plan accordingly?
Thus, the theme for this initial posting? Preparation!!!
Initially the sales pitch was as a 2BR cottage, but it is quite huge - could in fact be 3BRs? But ... the oven door does not shut properly ... the sliding door into the firplace room does not shut ... there are a few holes in walls ... the wooden panelling does not always match ... the wood surround in the shower has come loose ... etc. Oh, and those Giramondo wollen tights that I have replaced? Well, brought down the spare (old) pair just as a lurk, and they are working a treat ... except that they are barely being held together - so many holes!!! Moths?
But gosh it feels good to be in there - it has a good feel to it, and as long as I stay focused on building a home, I think we may have something to work with? One of the challenges that I will face is furnishing the place - do not want to spend too much just to fill it and then have to abandon it in a few years ... but then also want to expend some effort to ensure that the quality is there to sustain for that period of time ... Hmm ... Interestingly, the attention keeps fading in and out, what I need, how to achieve it - is all just $$$ after all ... so, back to planning and considering how it all fits together, what I can do to ensure the success (or otherwise) of this venture ... food/herbs/garden ... bikes ... television (?) ... furnishings ... kitchen prep and presentation ... study in/and study (actually, that is probably something that needs to be focused upon in the more immediate future ... there are so many things, variables/unknowns, in the forthcoming future, so I need to acknowledge what is worth preparing for (or anticipating) and plan accordingly?
Thus, the theme for this initial posting? Preparation!!!
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