After blithely stating that if I lost this baby due to an accident I wouldn't hunt down and get medieval on the person involved in the accident (on an LP post), I had time to reflect today on that very topic after we were involved in a very minor car accident this morning. We are all fine. Well the car is looking worse for wear, but the rest of us are all good. Shaken but not stirred.
But it did make me think what if something did happen. Would my views on things being an accident and no one's fault still hold. Just to give you some background - we stopped behind a couple of cars that had stopped ahead of us, the driver behind us couldn't stop in time and hit us and pushed us into the car in front. Low speed, and minor damage to the other two cars, but we being in the middle copped a bit more damage. I was in the passenger seat, and wearing my seatbelt, so I was only thrown forward a bit and didn't get thrown into anything. The airbags didn't deploy so it wasn't serious. Charlie was a bit upset, but possibly because he lost hold of his drink rather than anything else. He seems fine tonight.
The car was still driveable, so after exchanging details we drove home. I had plenty of time to think about how I would feel if anything did happen to bubs, who had gone quiet. Fortunately we had spoken to our midwife who had asked us all the pertinent questions re pain, bleeding etc which were all absent and told us that the baby would be quiet for a while due to the shock, so we weren't panicking. But I did wonder about my earlier stance. Okay it was an accident, the driver of the car that hit us did their best to swerve and stop and avoid hitting us. But what if something had happened to the baby? Would I still feel that it was all an accident or would I want revenge? As I calmed down and the shock abated I decided that I wouldn't hunt them down, but I would be very very angry for a long time. Then I decided that maybe I shouldn't make rash statements on blogs that might come back to haunt me. I shudder to think how many other rash statements might be out there waiting for me.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
The Quiet Bunch
Everyone asleep or something...wakey wakey, hands off snakey.
Plug for Anna's blog- Miss E.
For those who don't know her, she is a very cool country vet turning cop. Now thats a tv show idea if i ever heard of one.
Anyway check it out, and somebody post something controversial and/or interesting. Or it will be me ranting about the invisible sky fairy again and we all don't want that, now do we? hmmm
A Cunning Plan has Eye Candy Day....cuteboys men to look at.
Plug for Anna's blog- Miss E.
For those who don't know her, she is a very cool country vet turning cop. Now thats a tv show idea if i ever heard of one.
Anyway check it out, and somebody post something controversial and/or interesting. Or it will be me ranting about the invisible sky fairy again and we all don't want that, now do we? hmmm
A Cunning Plan has Eye Candy Day....cute
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Alas poor Gowings! I knew him, Mark Foy's
Okay... so I didn't know Mark Foy. Nor Horatio. Nor Yorick. But I certainly knew Gowings. And now he is gone. He was certainly a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. But where is the well-dressed gentleman to shop now? Granted, in today's society he is possibly meant to turn up in his underpants alone; but I want more than that. Where is the gentleman's department store of tomorrow? Where will I find my cut-throat razor, fine wool suit, akubra hat, moustache wax and hacky-sack all in the once place ever again?
I know they had a slighty eclectic collection of goods, but honestly it was the best place a man could go if he wanted to dress well. Or shop for gifts. Camping gear in the same store as beer branded t-shirts along side cufflinks? Surely that was genius! Where did it all go wrong? Why no bail-out package for something which was somewhat of an icon of Sydney? They lasted over 130 years and always seemed to have enough people through the doors. Was there serious mis-management? Fishing through their fiances, the executive director was on $250,000 in the year they lost $13 million dollars (2004).
Still... I need an answer to my question. Where do I shop for these things now? Sure I can browse on the internet for these goods and order them in, but it's just not the same. Trying on suits or browsing for random gifts doesn't work so well over the web. At least not for me. And certianly not for the range of things they had.
I did go in there twice in their last few weeks. It was depressing to see a once great store fall from grace. I was watching as the seething mass of vultures picked through the remains whilst a lone gentleman working at the store was attempting to maintain some decorum. "No, the hats are not on sale". "Would you like to try that on?". "I can help you find your size". He looked like he had worked there for the past fifty years. I wonder what he is doing now.
I know they had a slighty eclectic collection of goods, but honestly it was the best place a man could go if he wanted to dress well. Or shop for gifts. Camping gear in the same store as beer branded t-shirts along side cufflinks? Surely that was genius! Where did it all go wrong? Why no bail-out package for something which was somewhat of an icon of Sydney? They lasted over 130 years and always seemed to have enough people through the doors. Was there serious mis-management? Fishing through their fiances, the executive director was on $250,000 in the year they lost $13 million dollars (2004).
Still... I need an answer to my question. Where do I shop for these things now? Sure I can browse on the internet for these goods and order them in, but it's just not the same. Trying on suits or browsing for random gifts doesn't work so well over the web. At least not for me. And certianly not for the range of things they had.
I did go in there twice in their last few weeks. It was depressing to see a once great store fall from grace. I was watching as the seething mass of vultures picked through the remains whilst a lone gentleman working at the store was attempting to maintain some decorum. "No, the hats are not on sale". "Would you like to try that on?". "I can help you find your size". He looked like he had worked there for the past fifty years. I wonder what he is doing now.
Your tax dolla at work.
Many of you will remember my endless ranting about the idiocy of the new management at UNSW a few years back, when they decided to completely screw up the only functional campus-wide IT group that the uni had. Don't worry, I'm not going to start in again - heck, they paid me nicely to go away - I just wanted to share the deliciously ironic latest twist.
When they did our restructure they went from something called a "horizontal model" to a "vertical" one. Near as I can tell - once you strip away the BS - the "horizontal model" means that everyone knows how to do their job, but they have to work together to solve problems, and the "vertical model" means that everyone knows how to do a little bit (but only a little bit) of everyones job, but has to take complete responsibility for a given problem. Like that was _ever_ going to work.
Apparently they've decided to have a new restructure. Their new and innovative idea for how to revitalise the university IT is to go with a horizontal model (like we used to have, and we told them over and over was better for the task) rather than the current vertical model (which we told them was shite right from the start.) And the sad thing is, since they're idiots and have no clue and they've squandered half their talent and completely demoralised the rest, they're almost inevitably going to screw this up too. The funniest (and most ironic) thing is, they are probably so blissfully unaware of everything we ever said to them that they don't even realise that they are finally admitting that we were right.
Ah, the sweet sweet smell of vindication...
When they did our restructure they went from something called a "horizontal model" to a "vertical" one. Near as I can tell - once you strip away the BS - the "horizontal model" means that everyone knows how to do their job, but they have to work together to solve problems, and the "vertical model" means that everyone knows how to do a little bit (but only a little bit) of everyones job, but has to take complete responsibility for a given problem. Like that was _ever_ going to work.
Apparently they've decided to have a new restructure. Their new and innovative idea for how to revitalise the university IT is to go with a horizontal model (like we used to have, and we told them over and over was better for the task) rather than the current vertical model (which we told them was shite right from the start.) And the sad thing is, since they're idiots and have no clue and they've squandered half their talent and completely demoralised the rest, they're almost inevitably going to screw this up too. The funniest (and most ironic) thing is, they are probably so blissfully unaware of everything we ever said to them that they don't even realise that they are finally admitting that we were right.
Ah, the sweet sweet smell of vindication...
into the Historical Archives we go...
I've been tidying up. god knows it needs to be done...
stop laughing you lot!
and part of the tidying up involved completely resorting and efficiently compiling a shite-load of photos. yes, back into the folders which have their negs. yes, writing the approximate date of when the photos were taken onto the front of the folder. did you know, sometimes I even write the negative number on the back of the photo?
I'm sure someone else out there does that too.
there's got to be some still lurking around somewhere else (isn't there always?) but for the main part, it's been done. and in doing all the sorting I came across photos of Lemming Tabards Marks I and II. we won't go into the technical details of how Mr Nw's original tabard was the Real Lemming Tabard Mark I and so all the others are actually a number out of whack... it's now a Relic and so therefore is Something Else Altogether.
so for the purposes of historical archiving, and feeling all sentimental when Coz posted all those lovely puffy-panted piccies, and for saying yet again Gosh-darn-aren't-we-triffic, I present:
Lemming Tabards Mark I: Default Mode, circa 1991
(can anyone date this photo more accurately?)
awwww... weren't we all 15 years younger? I think this was the first time Mr Tops fought with us - and became our Knight Councillor (whateverthatis). Coz fought with us too, somewhere there's a photo like this with her in it, wearing her red archer's outfit. and I really didn't remember that Giblet was there all those years ago! Andrew and Two-Eyed Pete were also fighting - there's a group photo of us and Deorc to prove it. this might well have been the year of the Lemming Palanquin, of which only 1 photo exists, and I don't have it. you know, any time you want to carry me on a platform and scatter rosepetals again, just let me know...
Lemming Tabards Mark II: The Puffy-Slashy Years, 1995
a shame we're draped all over the the War Cart, which was as wond'rous a site to behold as our prettiness. also a shame that there were so many photos taken of this 'photo-op', and yet no-one can find any of them... because we looked rather triffic at the time if I do say so myself. also, please to be admiring the most fabulous Lemming Wall, which successfully hid the complete brothel that our campsite was. I mean looked. admit it - our campsite really did look bloody terrible! the Wall was great, and also pretty Mighty, right up until it was used as a shower screen. oh how the Mighty have fallen. and look at how little the Roof-Dood is!
Lemming Tabards Mark III: The Enormous Trousers Era, 2000-
need I say more? I though I'd post another of the new lot just so we can see them all side by side.
when you think about it, the dates mean it's almost time we thought of a new theme, you know. we can do anything...
...but not Viking. ;-)
stop laughing you lot!
and part of the tidying up involved completely resorting and efficiently compiling a shite-load of photos. yes, back into the folders which have their negs. yes, writing the approximate date of when the photos were taken onto the front of the folder. did you know, sometimes I even write the negative number on the back of the photo?
I'm sure someone else out there does that too.
there's got to be some still lurking around somewhere else (isn't there always?) but for the main part, it's been done. and in doing all the sorting I came across photos of Lemming Tabards Marks I and II. we won't go into the technical details of how Mr Nw's original tabard was the Real Lemming Tabard Mark I and so all the others are actually a number out of whack... it's now a Relic and so therefore is Something Else Altogether.
so for the purposes of historical archiving, and feeling all sentimental when Coz posted all those lovely puffy-panted piccies, and for saying yet again Gosh-darn-aren't-we-triffic, I present:
Lemming Tabards Mark I: Default Mode, circa 1991
(can anyone date this photo more accurately?)
awwww... weren't we all 15 years younger? I think this was the first time Mr Tops fought with us - and became our Knight Councillor (whateverthatis). Coz fought with us too, somewhere there's a photo like this with her in it, wearing her red archer's outfit. and I really didn't remember that Giblet was there all those years ago! Andrew and Two-Eyed Pete were also fighting - there's a group photo of us and Deorc to prove it. this might well have been the year of the Lemming Palanquin, of which only 1 photo exists, and I don't have it. you know, any time you want to carry me on a platform and scatter rosepetals again, just let me know...Lemming Tabards Mark II: The Puffy-Slashy Years, 1995
a shame we're draped all over the the War Cart, which was as wond'rous a site to behold as our prettiness. also a shame that there were so many photos taken of this 'photo-op', and yet no-one can find any of them... because we looked rather triffic at the time if I do say so myself. also, please to be admiring the most fabulous Lemming Wall, which successfully hid the complete brothel that our campsite was. I mean looked. admit it - our campsite really did look bloody terrible! the Wall was great, and also pretty Mighty, right up until it was used as a shower screen. oh how the Mighty have fallen. and look at how little the Roof-Dood is!Lemming Tabards Mark III: The Enormous Trousers Era, 2000-
need I say more? I though I'd post another of the new lot just so we can see them all side by side.when you think about it, the dates mean it's almost time we thought of a new theme, you know. we can do anything...
...but not Viking. ;-)
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Bonsai poetry.
We've all done it, I'm sure. Usually without noticing at the time.
Turn a simple enough idea into one line of poetry.
I'm not talkng about witticisms or (heaven forfend) those ubiquitous Successories quotes, but rather a pinch of beauty in the otherwise mundane dross of everyday language.
I was writing an email to a friend whom i met at choral festival last week (think Rowany festival with less excuse for strange clothing, more singing and bigger tents) and reflected that;
Outside the bubble of IV, the rainbow colours blur to a storm cloud.
And I was pretty impressed with myself.
Ob is a champion at it (apart from his I had four espressos with lunch; I can see through time which I'm sure he stole from somewhere else but buggered if i know where) ;
You can't see as far back as merely strange from Mr. Winkle's house with a telescope.
So the call goes out, give me your bonsai poetry, or favourites from elsewhere.
One line only...
Turn a simple enough idea into one line of poetry.
I'm not talkng about witticisms or (heaven forfend) those ubiquitous Successories quotes, but rather a pinch of beauty in the otherwise mundane dross of everyday language.
I was writing an email to a friend whom i met at choral festival last week (think Rowany festival with less excuse for strange clothing, more singing and bigger tents) and reflected that;
Outside the bubble of IV, the rainbow colours blur to a storm cloud.
And I was pretty impressed with myself.
Ob is a champion at it (apart from his I had four espressos with lunch; I can see through time which I'm sure he stole from somewhere else but buggered if i know where) ;
You can't see as far back as merely strange from Mr. Winkle's house with a telescope.
So the call goes out, give me your bonsai poetry, or favourites from elsewhere.
One line only...
'Qing Hell
If you suffer from three left feet and hands like me, you'll take horror-pleasure in the adventures of this chap, who:
at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge last Wednesday lunchtime ... tripped upon his shoelaces, tumbled down a set of stairs and crashed into a set of three, 300-year-old Chinese vases, which had sat happily undisturbed on a windowsill at the bottom of the staircase for a good 40 years.
Stay brave and true comrade, I feel your pain.
at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge last Wednesday lunchtime ... tripped upon his shoelaces, tumbled down a set of stairs and crashed into a set of three, 300-year-old Chinese vases, which had sat happily undisturbed on a windowsill at the bottom of the staircase for a good 40 years.
Stay brave and true comrade, I feel your pain.
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