Category: Diary

I spent today in a beer garden, sitting in the sun enjoying many cold beers.

Well, that was one of the dreams I had while lying in bed, staring at the ceiling (we do have a lovely ceiling rose) listening to the gate squeaking in the wind.

I had to get up to go collect Phee, as Rae is working late, and I’m feeling better but time in bed will out way time out of bed by a large margin today. Hopefully it’s a return to normal transmission tomorrow.

Until then, cheers and please shut the gate.

Rest easy, this isn’t about food poisoning. It’s about JB’s, our local pizza place.

One of the highlights of the recent move was that we were moving to within an easy stroll from our favourite caf? and our favourite pizza place next door. Since we’ve moved both have been sold to new owners.

Gary and Renee are still at Vinegar, if only for another week, but Billy has been gone from JB’s for three weeks now – and in that three weeks we’ve decided to seek our pizza from elsewhere. The first sign came the night we moved in here. Ordered the pizza and told 20 minutes, so I wander up in 20 minutes only to find that they hadn’t even been put in to the oven. Strike one.

Last night we ordered two. One was not what we asked for, and we paid more for it ’cause it was supposed to be seafood and we ended up with cheese and tomato, and the other was, well, not to put to fine a point on it, rubbish. The bases tasted like the pre-made ones you get from Coles, the toppings were so light on as to be almost not there and any flavour remaining was hidden by the burnt crust. Strikes two and three, we’re out. To show you how bad it’s become the dedicated team of drivers have all left too. In three weeks they’ve killed a business Billy had built up over many years and all ’cause they wouldn’t listen to him.

We’re hoping the new owners of Vinegar won’t make the same mistake; it’s a lot further for good coffee around here.

Updated 10th Jan 2006.

Nick’s comment below made me realise I really should link to what we think of JBs Pizza in Spotswood now.

Just dropped Tom off at the vet. He’s been in a fight and has a nasty abscess on his back which has to be flushed.

As I was leaving Hany picked up Tom and brought him out to the front door to say bye.

That’s why my vet’s cooler than your vet.

Netspace sent me an SMS today to tell me my ADSL was connected and ready to go.

I wonder what I’ve been using for four days already then?

It’s Rae’s birthday today. The first bit won’t be fun for her, facing the ex-agents from hell so if you want to do a nice thing, pop on over and wish her a happybirthday.

Happy Birthday Hon.

My dear 6 Music from the BBC,

you were only gone a few days but for this short time I was lost, cast adrift with aimless ears.

I promise I shall never let you go again. Never. Well, unless we end up hating the neighbours here too and have to move again and my ADSL is gone and it takes a long time to get it reconnected.

But until then I am devotedly yours.

Tony

To all those who commented and mailed r.e Barlow McEwan and Tribe’s strongarm attempts, many many thanks. I could write more but it’s just too draining to contemplate them, all we want is for the whole mess to be over once and for all. Oh, and for them to go out of business if at all possible.

Anyways, moving on to wetter things.

Got home from final day of the course today to find both cats waiting outside. Wet. In the rain. Not under the carport. Not under the front porch. Not in the garage and not in the little garden shed. These poor wet felines are also having trouble with the front door. Our old door opened left to right so they became accustomed to sitting a little back on the left hand side so they could run in. Big problem now ’cause our door now opens right to left. They still sit at the left hand side, slowly being wedged betwixt door and wall. Belter is beginning to realise, which is not bad for such a flibidygibet of a cat, but good ole big thick Tom still sits waiting for the door to miraculously let him in.

First off, the course. 8 hours of nothing but MS SQL – so intensive there’s no time to apply what you’ve learnt. My head is swimming with SELECT, INSERT’s, UPDATE’s, DROP’s; will have to find some time somewhere to install the trial and play around before all the information gets tangled in a ball I can never undo. The teacher, from Monash Gippsland, is good, especially given the conditions.

The course is in what looks to be a private residence in a very 70’s area of Endeavour Hills. Apparently if they have enough numbers, which they never do ’cause they don’t market the courses, they hold them in the city. We have three PC’s set up on rickety tables with one 33k modem connected. The room seems to be a deserted lounge room lined with that lovely 70’s creation, panelling. The curtains are burnt orange and let’s not talk about the carpet.

And not talking about carpets leads me neatly on to the second part of the day.

Barlow McEwan and Tribe. The agents who did nothing to ensure the quiet enjoyment of our property, the agents who couldn’t get keys cut, the agents who took three days to respond when our fence fell down, the agents who don’t return calls, the agents who don’t respond to faxes, the agents who don’t send a fax when you request one, the agents who never once responded in writing to any of written requests. I’m sure you get a picture.

These agents called today and told me the place was a mess. They tried to tell us they would have to replace the carpet. They tried to tell us the kitchen wasn’t clean. They tried to tell us we damaged the garage we had no access to. They have threatened to take all of our bond. She even asked if we had painted the walls! In all my years of renting, that’s 17 now, I have never had any of my bond kept.

I requested she put in writing her concerns and to fax them to me. Surprise, surprise when there was no fax waiting upong my arrival home.

Just when we thought we were rid of them, and today was the official end of lease day, they have dragged us back in.

In an otherwise very topsy turvy day (more of which later) I have one great thing to report.

ADSL is connected!!!

In just three working days since they received my application to transfer the job is done. For once I can’t moan about Telstra, although I prefer to heap my praise on Netspace for delivering me from dial up hell.

Well it’s a new house so time for other new stuff. I’m finally teaching myself PHP, with thanks to Bee and Daniel which means I should be able to wean myself off the evil clutches of Microsoft‘s ASP. I can’t escape from Microsoft entirely though – work is sending me on a course tomorrow and Tuesday to get me up to speed with MS SQL 2000. It’s a little alarming that the course requires me to travel past Dandenong, and apparently at a private house, but hey, more stuff to know so it has to be good.

I’ve also managed, without my precious ADSL, to put some junk valuable goods on Ebay, to get all outstanding work done for my clients, get my invoicing up to date and send out some quotes. Fingers crossed this new office set up will help me keep this up.