Category: Diary

Said goodbye to my mate Mark last night.

He’s my closest friend and the lucky guy is off to America for a few years to teach. Went to see a movie and then a quick snack, shook hands and that’s it – gee I’m gonna miss him. I guess the thing that concerns me most though is that he’s considering becoming a vegetarian. Apparently American meet has too high a fat content for his liking so, whoops, there it goes. Maybe we can organise comfort packages of good Aussie steak to see him through.

My farewell gift (apart from a great fridge magnet of his most despised Doggies player that Rae suggested) is his own travel diary web site. I can recommend adding www.markuswalsh.com to your bookmarks/favourites – Mark has a unique world view that will be well worth reading when he starts it up.

Regular readers will no doubt remember the Guests That Ate Our Weekend incidents (see the archives, July 1, 2002). Well, there’s more drama brewing.

Rae decided that she couldn’t be part of the bridal party – it would just to be too stressful and most likely result in the death of several innocent people – so she wrote Sharyn a letter. Nothing too specific, just that she thought she could no longer be part of the bridal party and that she was withdrawing. She posted it last Thursday.

Rae and I arrived home last night from Rob’s birthday dinner to find the light blinking on our answering machine. I pressed ‘play’.

“Hello Raelene. It’s Sharyn. I got your letter. Call me.”

She didn’t sound happy.

So, if you try calling us and no one answers the phone between now and October, don’t be surprised. Leave a message, we’ll get back to you. Meanwhile, if you have any suggestions on how to deal with disgruntled rednecks please leave a comment.

Found this link on this blog. You’ll need the Flash Player to view it, but pretty much everyone should already have that installed.

Amazing stuff.

Take a bow Buford T. Justice, your blog is fantastic.

The tale of a westerner living in China, or maybe attempting to live would be a better description, is wonderful. Especially when he can find web sites as good as the one below. As I can’t put it any better I’ve copied the following from his blog:

“Came across this little nugget of teenage angst and alienation, not too mention some classic amerispeak. Classic, almost stereotypical stuff. I know, I know – she’s all confused and hormonal, etc. To tell the truth she sounds pretty much like I did when I was sixteen [or twenty seven]. However, I’m not a teenager anymore so I feel ‘like, dude, totally’ free to take the piss out of her adolescent self-absorbtion.”

After a minor dummy spit I shut down my Amex card recently. Well, it all was finalised today when I received a cheque from American Express for the outstanding balance.

Yep, I’m now 74 cents better off. Want to know what that’s worth in your currency? Well www.xe.com will tell ya. But for something most everyone will understand – it’s half a packet of small fries at McDonalds.

I’ll try not to spend it all at once.

News from my home town :

Pubs angry at vomit tax
03jul02

PUB owners in the regional Victorian town of Shepparton are spewing over a local council’s decision to impose a so-called vandalism and vomit tax.

The City of Greater Shepparton has increased rates for licensed premises open between 3am and 6am, promising to use the extra revenue to clean up vandalism, litter, vomit, urine and other human waste left in the streets by weekend revellers.

The council expects the pub tax will generate an extra $20,000 in revenue next year, part of the cost of having a street sweeper patrol city streets on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

The owner of one of the six Shepparton pubs and clubs that stand to be affected by the rate increase said the vandalism and vandal tax was unfairly targeting licensed premises.

“They’re accusing us of being responsible for litter, vandalism and human wastes such as vomit, urination and defecation,” Ray Sharawara, owner of the Shepparton’s Goulburn Valley Hotel, said.

Mr Sharawara said pubs and clubs were required, under the conditions of their liquor licences, to keep their premises and surrounding areas clean.

Not that Shepparton, population about 30,000, has a problem with vomit and vandalism, he said.

“Shepparton is just a normal provincial town, no different to any other town,” he said.

Mr Sharawara said licensed premises should not be slugged with an 11 per cent rate increase – which will cost his business about $3,000 this year – compared to the overall rate increase of five per cent.

But Shepparton’s deputy mayor Anne McCamish said the pubs and clubs had 18 months warning of the rate increase to cover the cost of cleaning up the after-effects of late-night partying.

“Obviously the problem is coming from the licensed establishments,” she said, of the mess found in the city on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

“It’s not the kind of stuff I’d want to walk in or smell or see,” she said.

“Shopkeepers clean it up at the moment and they complain bitterly to us.”

Cr McCamish said the council could not claim credit for the new tax, given its colourful name by a councillor at last night’s council meeting – the City of Greater Geelong also imposes such a tax on its licence premises.

Taken from www.news.com.au

Sitting here at my desk working away when the phone rings. Someone in Pathology needed to know the postal address for the pathology department at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Apparently being a web site designer qualifies me for this sort of task.

Just in case you may one day need the information you can find it at the following page : http://www.pennhealth.com/upmc/upmc_vi_files/mail.html.

My dad is 80. For the first time in all those 80 years he had his hair cut by a woman this week. All in all, he didn’t mind it a bit. Thinks he might go back.

Oh dear, bring the smelling salts. I need reviving. The bank gave me my $25 back.

It did come with a little slap on the wrist and whilst on hold I had to to listen to Celine Dion (I don’t really care it that’s not how it’s spelt) but I promised to be a good boy and not do it again.