Education Can Be Fun

30 and 31 March – After what was possibly a meltdown (can’t be sure but can’t rule it out) from the normal operator I was pleasantly surprised to log on to find Dottie in the chair, and a finer dispatcher you couldn’t have asked for – polite, fit as a fiddle, skilled like Shifty but without the politics (apparently) and fair like Kev (without the aggravation) - so, all in all a pretty good day.  A last minute decision was made that I had to see the Pixies who were playing at Luna Park on Friday – hadn’t given it much thought up until then so was forced to delve into the slimy business of the professional scalper – not a nasty bloke but didn’t get a good feeling from him at all (and when I actually arrived at Luna Park an old woman offered me a free one – go figure).  In any event, overpriced ticket but it was valid when I got there.  Took Frangelica – still no working back brake so she had to be fixed – a few little issues with a grinding noise up the hill and still not used to the toe clips (one fall and a couple of near misses on the way there but none on the way back so maybe I’m getting better).  Great band – wasn’t sure if I’d really enjoy the concert because in reality I didn’t know anything about them and hadn’t really listened to them at all apart from the month across America when I listened to a greatest hits CD about a thousand times – but, they played a bunch of songs I knew they played, a bunch of songs I knew that I didn’t know they played and a whole bunch of others that I’d never heard.  The lead guitarist had a lot of guitars, I discovered that there was a girl in the band and the drummer looked like an IT professor.  Standing for hours on end is never pleasant even when you are enjoying yourself but it was very educational.  Attempts to visit my north shore ‘friend’ failed despite a valiant effort on my behalf – so had a relatively smooth ride back home, only one completely unprovoked incident with a muscle car on the George St strip who just didn’t like the fact that even after spending a $100k+ on his machine he was still being overtaken by a velocipede.  
Blinded by the light on Saturday morning and ventured out to Cheeky for a failed attempt at finding a brakes for the fixie (Pixie the Fixie???) and the toe clips felled me once again (I don’t think anyone saw) - took the long train journey to the mountains – got some good reading done (finished all of the previous day’s papers and my book (last page three minutes from the end of the journey – timing) - very strange crowd on the Mountains line – pleasant afternoon up there and after hearing the woes of giving birth from EK have decided that a child will never pass through my pelvic floor).   More journeys and returned home to watch Dr Strangelove in bed – nice to have the company but not good when trying to stay awake.  Scary movie – not much has changed.