Happy Birthday Shan…
You’re now a .com 
All in time for the fort building madness of tomorrow.
Feats of Engineering
There have been many amazing feats of engineering in the world, throughout all the ages.
The Pyramids of Egypt - with the Great Pyramid built in 2560 BC as a tomb for Khufu. It was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years. Caused awe and wonder for millenia. Probably wasn’t so popular with the people who built it, what with the whips, and the lugging of massive stones and all that.
The Great Wall of China - The world’s longest human-made structure, at over 6,400 km, built between the 5th Century BC and the 16th Century to protect Northern China from Mongolian hordes. People used to claim that it could be seen from the moon, but Google Earth quickly put that belief to rest.
The Empire State Building - 102 stories, Art Deco design, what’s not to like? It was the tallest building in the world for 40 years, after it’s completion in 1931.
Le Viaduc de Millau - It’s the tallest “vehicular” bridge in the world, 343 metres at its tallest point, taller than the Eiffel Tower and 38m shorter than the Empire State Building. It just looks awesome.
But they have all been topped.
What amazing feat could top all of these wonders?
The raised-couch-on-deck of course.
The flat is in the perfect location to get a good dosage of sun most of the day, especially through the afternoon. Sunday, the sun was out in force. So we moved the couch onto the deck. I sat there studying. Jordan, however, had other plans.
It’s not easy being Green
Buses truely suck.
I mean, sure, they’re better for the environment than every one having cars.
But I just hate waiting for them. It’s horrible. You just stare down the road, eyes constantly searching for an oncoming bus.
And then… looks like… pretty sure… yes! It’s a bus.
Better get the ticket out ready so I don’t have to fumble around when I’m getting on.
Look up again, it’s still ages away. Has it even moved? Probably.
Slowly, it comes towards you… and you squint at it, and you realise that it’s not your bus.
So you start the procedure over.
You might take a break every now and then to check your phone, or examine the graffiti around the bus stop. You might play with your ipod a bit, and even look the other direction to see what’s happening down the street. You might kick some stones around, try to check out the hot girl sitting on the bench without being too obvious, or peer into the corner dairy and wonder if there’s something need.
But none of these last more than 15 seconds. Because in that amount of time, anything could have happened on the road. And the bus is probably on its way. (This also prevents you from ever going into the dairy, because you know that as soon as you do, the bus will arrive, and leave before you can get back out.)
Worst is when you get to the bus stop just after the bus left and you don’t know.
And you’re hanging around, waiting, waiting, waiting. Watching as bus after bus arrives… but yours doesn’t.
Happened to me today. I was waiting in the rain.
I actually gave up after five minutes because two buses came and took everyone away with them. There’s always a few people going to Uni at 8.30. So I must have missed it. Decided to head down the road to get coffee.
Get it I did, and then restarted the waiting procedure outside the coffee shop.
When my bus finally arrived, a good 8 minutes late, it arrived in style. It practically limped up, this impressive thumping sound coming from the rear.
True enough, ten minutes into my journey, the bus breaks down. The driver radios for a replacement bus, which takes its sweet time to arrive.
We all clambour into the new bus - well, it’s more a half dash, it was pissing down by this stage.
After what seems like an excruciating wait, the bus driver starts off again. And very nearly crashes into the broken down bus as he turned onto the road. The guy sitting in the front seat actually jumped up and across the aisle.
Finally, in the middle of town, the replacement bus breaks down.
I mean, what the fuck. How hard is it to get a bus which actually works? So we clambour into yet another bus - ironically, the bus which was meant to have come after the one I took, which had by that stage overtaken us.
Got to uni a good hour later than I had planned.
Moral of the story - get to the bus stop on time. Or buy a car.
Am I a traitor?
So.
The French beat us. 20-18… and NZ is out of the Rugby World Cup. In the Quarter Finals. I don’t think many people thought that would happen.
And to think I got up at 8am to watch it… dragging Shannon with me. Who only realised quite near the end that it wasn’t actually the final of the world cup - and then couldn’t comprehend why we’d gotten up so early to watch it.
I was ready for us to win. Had a load of witty remarks about how disgusted the French must be with the presence of the NZ Rugby ball, or countless posters of Dan Carter all around Paris.
But no. We’re out.
A repeat of 1999, we won’t hear the end of it for a while. As one (foreign) workmate said on Friday, he’d hate for New Zealand to lose because then the whole country would go into mourning for months.
He’s not too far wrong.
I realised only once I got home from the supermarket that my choice of lunch wasn’t overly patriotic - a loaf of French bâtard bread, and a roll of camembert.
Ah well.
Breaking and Entering for Beer.
Sometimes, during a completely mundane day, you end up doing something incredibly weird.
And you stop, and think, “When I got out of bed this morning, I did not think it would lead me here.”
So it was for me today, when I broke into Nick’s house. Emphasis on the broke as well -I had to literally break the latch off his window to get in.
As I was hoisting myself through his window I couldn’t help but giggle to myself. I mean, what on earth was going on? Midday, I’m supposed to be spending the day studying, and instead I’m breaking into a friend’s house?
Unfortunately all his money goes on clothes and stuff, so there was nothing too great to take off with, given that that was my chance. Except for a bit of scotch, but he offered that freely. And it was only 1pm. I had things to do that afternoon.
So why?
It came in the middle of a mundane day. I was busy studying up at Uni. Decided it was time for a break, and suggested we meet up for coffee. Apparently he had far too much to do. Next thing you know, I get a message askign what I’m doing right now.
I figured I was going to get coffee after all.
But no.
“Can you break into my house and put my groceries away? They delivered them and left them at the door.”
So there you have me, playing around with the window on the side of the house, slowly loosing the latch with the help of a stick, before ripping the thing out, all the while keeping one eye on the road to make sure no one got the wrong idea and called the cops. Every so often I would stop what I was doing and lean ever so innocently against the side of the house. And whistle. All so that Nick’s cheesecake wouldn’t melt, and his mince wouldn’t go off. And, of course, so the whole lot wouldn’t be stolen.
I can’t complain really, it added interest to an otherwise boring day… and he’s promised me a dozen beer.
There are few things I wouldn’t do for friends a dozen beer.
Heineken, Stella, or Pures please.
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Adey Ben, 2 months without a post is terrible. Get moving!!!!!
yojoe What about Missile Pops?
Shannon OMG. Check it out… http://mudhead.uottawa.ca/~pet e/beard.html
Ben A singular beer won’t quite cut it. But you’re on the right track…
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