Sunday, December 26, 2010

Can you believe a month?

I cannot believe I let the time get away from me like that.  Its been so long.  Its been so busy.  Its been racing.. and fun and much work and Christmas.        I won an MRR KOM again,  am riding really rather well, quite  a bit better than this time last year.   And much other stuff has happened.   Writing about it all in one blog is going to be somewhat large.

OK the bus story..     Following the MRR near miss with an agressive and stupid Grenda bus on Doncaster road   which I followed up in earlier posts...  I finally received this communication from Bryan Tudor of Grenda bus lines 


Dear David
I have been unable to identify a driver of the description you gave who was in the
area at that time.
I understand that does not help either of us, you would prefer a more satisfactory
resolution and I are keen to address any behavioural issues of my drivers as
required.

On behalf of Grenda I apologise for your unfortunate experience however I am
heartened to hear that you have observed improvement in Bus Driver behaviour over
the years.
We do work hard to ensure that standards are maintained and the safety of our
customers, drivers and other road users is paramount.

Yours sincerely

Bryan Tudor"

To explain the situation again briefly we pretty much narrowed the bus down to one of two at a specific time.  But it appears that another bus service  occasionally supplies drivers and despite a description of the driver as female, Indian appearance,  somewhat overweight and at least into her 30's and probably older she could not be identified or so it appears.    Which led to my response.

"Sorry to hear that Barry.   More than a bit perplexed tho.

 I will at some point get a picture of the driver concerned or possibly
demand to see their licence.   Assuming they turn up on this side of the
world again.    If I get a pic I,ll send it on.

I do think it possible you have unauthorized people driving your buses...
bothersome that.    More so for you.. the liability issue is horrifying.

Anyhow have a very pleasant Christmas.     Should you need any IT related
help feel free to contact us..  we wont be going on hols. 
 Take care. 
 Regards

Dave "


I hasten to add that Barry has been responsive and I have no reason to believe he and Grenda have not tried their best.    Generally the bus drivers have been great.  Especially on that route.   Although I had a near miss in the subie a week ago when the bus beside us in the RH lane swerved hard left to pick up a fare.  I braked savagely as did the two lanes of heavy traffic behind.   Stood on the horn.    He swerved back into the right lane.    stopped dead.   As did I 2 metres behind... and behind us many more pre christmas rush hour trafic vehicles.     He eventually moved forward and left a couple of meters  so he was blocking both lanes.. and propped until his passenger ran up to him and crossed for the bus.  I gave him a good look.. nope.. not our homicidal Indian.   This one looked to be a homicidal Anglo Saxon.    Bus was a Ventura.   Was in Middleborough rd at 9:16.   And I had a camera.  I always have a camera these days.  And having a mate working for Ventura was able quickly to establish he was from the Oakleigh depot.   But I guess  that the companies are mostly trying.    And one idiotic move is still not the same as trying to intimidate cyclists.

What else has happened?   Got the snakebite site up and happening on shopify   Difficult to get it up and one customer will be getting a decent bill.  It involved in the end some custom programming.. setting up a spoofing mail server.. so mail could go to and from the address without us actually dedicating a mail server to it, image editing..  and some customised programming that stretched even Kathy.   Woot.  Really happy with that one.   And another 2 sites to do for that customer.    And I now know a lot about on line ecommerce sites.   If I can find the right product(s) we can run one of these ourselves.   If you have the right product let me know.

Two good friends have broken up.   And the person who didn't leave is determined to blame.. and probably in the end to hate the other.    For everything.. right back to the war.    Not entirely without cause.. but not entirely with cause either.    Cos its very seldom black and white.   I just find it unspeakably sad.     Both of these people are good people .   Both of them are well worth knowing.   Seriously sad.     

Did anyone see the Dr Who Chrissie special?   Your love has a day of life left.   She can stay frozen forever but has one more day of living to go.    So you grow old scared to let her out for that last day.    What would you do?    Loving and losing is tearfully awfully sad.   Loving and never having is way way way worse.   Grab that day.. cherish it.. say goodbye.   and remember them for the rest of your life.   So I say.   Of course its easy to say. 

  Love is the most special of all (insert Deity of Choice) gifts bestowed.    And the one thing sadder than losing it has got to be seeing it turn to hate.   We see family homicides all the time on the news.  Its by far the saddest of all outcomes.  Luckily I dont understand it.  I dont understand hate.  I understand dislike and despise.. but hate involves too much negative energy.  It takes as much energy to sustain as love but without the upside.     I remember having a row with my dad.. when I was a teenager in which I saw him visibly age.   Thats stayed with me my entire life..  it was a revelation.   No more hate for me.   If I have too I could hurt someone.. even kill them.  Not hate them.   I loved my Dad.  I still love my Dad.  Kevin  mate..  its nearly your birthday and I miss you every day.     

I dislike and despise this stupid dangerous bus driver,   perfectly willing to be a 10 000 kg bully .. not willing to risk her skin.. likely knowing she would be difficult to trace..  and scaring and possibly injuring or killing someone else not even a problem for her.   I do wish her the Christmas and indeed the life she deserves.    And I would very much like to see her not driving anymore.. in fact being on a bicycle would be so karmic.   But hate?   Nope..   Not worth the energy.

 I shall write briefly on the death of my Macbook.   Poor thing was a victim of a domestic.   Members of my extended family plotted and murdered the poor innocent thing  (full of wireless snooping and network hacking software as it was)      Loved my Macbook.   Leah and Mike poisoned it.. it died in great agony,  its life flickering out.  as scotch oozed out of every orifice.

Getting the data back was no real problem..   It is what we do for a living.  Bit of a ding in the work tho   A couple of days later A very depressed Dave sent Kathy  down to buy another for $1340 ish.   Could have taken a few bucks of that by shopping around but not much.    Anyway I completed the autopsy yesterday, it looks like the casualty was the main board.    (The logic board in Mactalk)    Its got one chip that looks hot,  some exposed copper.. one slightly damaged connector.. that looks melted.   Sigh.   Poor thing.   I have found a bloke that is going to have a go at the board.  its multi layer, and beyond my repair.    But I am guessing its going to wind up as bits on Ebay.   Guess what Apple want for a motherboard.  Go on guess?     Machine new is $1340.. how much do you think the main board is?    Try $2200!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   And $180 to fit.  Ok the fitting price is reasonable.  Holy frak tho.  

The new one has the dodgy charger connector finally sorted.  Runs a teeny bit cooler.   Has not got all the software reinstalled yet.  Getting there.   

  Leah..  I love you.     And I am mildly fond of your old man.   Dont go doing that again.    Please.