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Wednesday, 23 November 2005 - 'Terrorism' hits Brisbane, round 2

I came across this on the way into work this morning: road blocked, news crews everywhere...		A shitload of people all standing around enjoying a show of some sort...
Police standing around in a group (I've noticed lately they tend to that).		Then I noticed the bomb squad's robot out stretching its 'legs', and all was revealed. Turns out somebody was noticed acting strangely around a rubbish bin (probably a homeless guy) and was seen placing something 'suspicious' in there.
So Robocop got to play homeless for ten minutes, rummaging through the garbage.		Whatever it saw it couldn't get at due to the top of the bin being too small, so this poor bastard got thoroughly kitted up in the 25-degree morning heat and sent over there! "If I don't make it back, tell my wife not to be sad - I've always wanted to go out with a bang whilst dressed up like the Preditor!"
Turn's out he was sent over to set up an X-ray machine for a better 'picture'.		Once it was in place he and the robot both got the hell outta there hehe. Whatever the X-ray revealed can't have been very interesting - the all-clear was given 20 minutes later and we all drudged back to work for another day.

Friday, 25 November 2005 - It only took ten years...
After at least ten years of cycling, thousands upon thousands of kilometres and countless near-misses, I finally got taken out by a car today (albeit a parked one). I didn't go to work yesterday or today because I'm sick, and instead went into town for a little Christmas and grocery shopping. With my backpack full of groceries, I was heading for home along Adelaide Street approaching King George Square doing about 25km/h when some fucker in his 4WD (parked illegally on a bus stop) opened his door right front of me and I slammed straight into the end of it! Now that may sound pretty amusing, but I was then literally inches from getting run over by a van that was coming from behind me. Thankfully my handlebars have bar-ends that deflected the end of his door away from shattering my fingers, and instead the top of my left arm and my left knee took the entire brunt. That sent me straight onto the road on my right-hand side and hence right into the path of the van coming up behind me who either swerved to avoid me or just happened to not be heading straight for me. Regardless, I was pretty damn lucky! I got straight up and went for a wander, my arm was well and truly dead and I thought broken, I couldn't put any weight on my left knee, my right elbow had blood pissing out of it, and my back was pretty sore too. I sat on a bench and assessed myself, and out of nowhere two cops turned up who'd been wandering around. They called an ambulance out to come check on my arm and the rest of me, took my version of events (which was pretty straight forward really - I was biking along with a smile, he opened his door in front of me, wham!), and then took his version (again, probably pretty simple). Ambos turned up barely five minutes later with sirens blaring and everything (either they were having a very quiet day or they'd been told it was more serious than it was), gave me the once over, and that was that. The cops gave the driver a whopping $30 fine for parking on a bus stop and then, to add insult into injury, they lay this on me: "Under normal circumstances, i.e. had he not been parked on a bus stop, you'd be getting a fine for not 'driving' with due care / diligence." I beg your fucking pardon?! "You're expected to ride in such a manner as to avoid accidents." "So what you're saying, officer, is that I'm expected to ride right in the middle of the flow of traffic, pissing off every driver on the road, and that's the law?!" "Correct." Unbelievable.

This is the result when you hit the edge of a car/4WD door at 25km/h on a 15kg bike with 10kgs of groceries on your back (in other words with plenty of momentum behind you).		That bulge isn't muscle.
Few more to add to the collection.		And once again the bike seems to come out of it all better than me. I took a fall several months back when I hit a homeless guy (well actually he was drunk/high, stumbled, and hit me), and the bike came out without scratch while I came out with more grazes and bloodied clothing.

At the moment I can't really lift anything with my left arm (actually I can only just lift my arm for that matter), I'm limping on my left leg, and my back is still sore, but at the end of the day if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time then that's just life. I honestly can't believe I've gone this long with nothing like this happening. When you cycle as much as I do it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that you're going to get smacked sooner or later. Regardless, I don't agree that what happened today was my fault, and I don't see what's so bloody difficult about looking behind you before opening your door - I got into that habbit so anyone can, and should. Ya gotta look eh!

Sunday, 27 November 2005 - My Nike swish

Two days later and it's still bloody sore, along with the rest of me!		Same picture rotated 90 degrees - spot the Nike logo ;) "Fall off your bike - just do it"
We've been finding a few of these vicious little bastards around lately: mopsus mormon, a.k.a. green jumping spider. These things are bloody aggressive! The one on the left was scoping me out as I was lining him up for a photo (then he got to scope out my tennis racquet as I took aim and smacked him with it). One of these bit Adam's girlfriend a couple months back. The bite swelled up like a balloon but fortunately she got one of the non-toxic members of the family.
No, for Adam the fascination (or infatuation) certainly hasn't ended ;)

Tuesday, 29 November 2005

		Another stormy afternoon in Queensland :) Update after my run in with parked cars on Friday: the Nike logo on my arm is fading but I think I've broken a rib (again). It still hurts to fully inhale and to lift anything heavy. Should be right in a week.
Some people will do anything for money.

Friday, 2 December 2005 - Christmas is coming

I found this tonight while stumbling home half-pissed after work drinkies - a big Christmas tree that's been under construction all week, and a lot of people.		Apparently this is a yearly event here. On the first Friday of December, King George Square puts on a show of Christmas carols and whatnot, and at 7pm the tree gets lit and smoke pours out (and chokes all the kids who, despite being repeatedly told not to by security, stand too close hehe).
The fat man himself emerges for a wave and, after the smoke clears, everyone says, "Ahhh, that's pretty!"

Saturday, 3 December 2005 - Hippie fest

Australians love a good protest. Whether it's political, workers' unions, nurses wanting more moolah or whatever, any excuse to get out and march and yell and kick up a fuss will do. Today, it was the "Stop Climate Change" protest.		Naturally, this attracted the bulk of the city's greenies and hippies, and they all brought along their drums and tambourines, and bright colourful clothing for the march / parade.
While the leader of the "Stop Climate Change" clan was belting out some propaganda in the background, he was being interrupted by this guy with his bible and Jesus-sandals. He was hollering some of his own propaganda at the top of his lungs on the steps of King George Square to the uninterested street of people below. His was more along the lines of "Praise Jesus" and "Evolution is bullshit".
Eventually, he was asked nicely to shut the fuck up, which he did.		I saw this drawing and cracked up laughing - Jesus looks like a pretty cool dude!
Amen to that!
After a rousing speech from the guy in the blue shirt, the clan all headed off down Adelaide Street headed for Musgrave Park in West End (1.5kms away). Apparently there was a prize for the best umbrella.
The hippies with the drums, tambourines and other musical 'instruments' led the pack making a really good rhythmical ruckus.		Naturally, they pissed off quite a long line of traffic hehe (this is along Victoria Bridge).
An hour later they made it to Musgrave Park, and had a big hippy fest.
I decided I had more necessary things to do and headed to the Fortitude Valley markets for a little Christmas shopping. I found a guy walking along with this on his arm, a gorgeous three-year-old South American macaw named Rio.		He decided he wanted my sunnies hehe. These things are worth close to $10,000 and apparently have a lifespan of up to 80 years in captivity!

Saturday, 10 December 2005 - GO THE KIWIS!

Today was the third of three one-day internationals between us and the bloody Aussies, played at Jade Stadium in Christchurch. They creamed us in game one, and we lost by a heart-breaking two runs in game two, so today was all about pride. Good start too, Gilchrist gone for a duck off the third ball of the innings.		In true Aussie style they set us a mammoth 332 runs to win - a score that had never been achieved by a team batting second in a one-day international. As you can see, Nathan Bracken (right) felt the urge to give Michael Hussey a congratulatory grope on the arse; again, in true Aussie style ;)
The atmosphere at an ODI at Jade is awesome - especially when it's against the old foes from across the ditch. What's even better is when you get six cops escorting somebody out of the stadium, or some clown running onto the ground hahaha - I love it (and as you can see, so does everybody else)!
Long story short, we pulled off the unthinkable and smashed the required 332 with an over to spare, and thus setting a new record for the highest successful run chase in an ODI. Go the Kiwis!		Unfortunately, having won two of the three games, Australia still won the series and took home the Chappell-Hadlee trophy. But that aside, isn't this just the ugliest photo you've ever seen?!

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