ATB

Alarm went at 4:00.  Got up.  Loaded bike and started eating. And loading the car.    At 4:30 Kathy wandered out bleary eyed.   We set off for the house of JAC.

At JACs in Ashburton I made the decision to put on another jersey.  Good call as it turned out.  And we rode around the corner.. picked up Julie Anne and set off

for the start.   We went various routes and as we rolled down through Ashburton Julie Anne commented on the dearth of cyclists.   Immediately they appeared. One rode past us asking if we were off for a short training ride.  Then we got onto Richmond Bouli and were in the middle of a line of twinkling tail lights.   I'm a little worried about my left foot that I scalded on friday and about the sore backs I have had all week but my bike is properly sorted for the first time in months and I am confident and happy.  

We rolled down to the start.  300 metres away Julie Anne nearly got collected by a half wit dweeb in a 4WD that did a U turn in front of her.  After dropping off a cyclist.  Some people are a waste of air.   Seriously.  How can you not be aware in that environment and yet have a functioning brain?   How can you be a cyclist and know someone that stupid?  It's maddening.   Happens every time.  One Amy's ride Kathy (in the long ago days when she could recognise a bike at first glance) nearly got doored by some fool who standing beside his car flung the door open into a non stop line of cyclists.  In order to drag out..... a bike.     He seemed offended when I told him what to do with it.   Amazing.

And we found what we thought was our start position.  And waited.  Chatted to the neighbours.  A tandem with a middle aged couple.   Bones.   Various others.  We waited for the 6:00 am start.  And waited.  And waited.  Struck up lifetime friendships. Shared our life stories.  Pretty sure a couple of people entered long term relationships.    Listened to bad jokes.  An offer of chain lube that many should have taken up.  Julie Anne found she had forgotten her gloves.   Hmmm.   We waited and waited and waited and waited.  At  6.55 we were flagged away.

We are flagged away and after much loudspeaker directives that we must not run red lights we are flagged through one on city road and then another.  A cop at the third one is recognised as a television star.   I'm just rolling along with everyone else.  But eventually I pull up and wait for the other two.  And a minute later along they come.   We roll past the cafe we had ridden to on Saturday.  And a moment later Julie Anne,  notorious for getting lost in elevators says "Where are we"   We roll out and up the Westgate.   Roll up it.  And this time on the descent only two loons overtake on the left.  The three of us are still keeping in sight of each other.  We weave off the freeway at each exit and on at each entrance in the weird way the ATB does it.  At least once their are no signs whatsoever.  Its well and truly daylight now.   And we turn left through Altona.  And the pace picks up a bit.  

The three of us are riding together.  I see an abandoned rain jacket.  In way better shape than mine.  I think "I'll have that"   I tell the others.  Stop.  Ride back for it.  Grab it.  Set off after the rest.  10 minutes later at 45 kph I turn right at the roundabout and grit my teeth to run them down.  The wind is now bang on the nose.  I slowly claw back the bunch..   at 30 odd Kph.  And catch. And they are doing 20 kph.  Huh?

We roll along and turn back up the freeway.  As always I am utterly gobsmacked at how BV reads a map.   But really its a semi familiar route.   The three of us are still together.  And we are in the middle of a bunch slogging into a steadily rising headwind towards Werribee.    The riders on the front are quite steady.. I'm happy to sit in behind them as is Jenny.  As always Julie Anne,  enthused by the genetic legacy of her children, has attack on her mind but for the moment at least she is behaving.

Our bunch is passing the odd other bunch.   We are going OK.   And we turn into the back of Werribee.  JAC says "we are stopping in Werribee"  I am not enthused as we are moving well and yet the wind is steadily increasing.   Stopping seems a bad idea.  But its Jenny's ride.  "OK" I nod.  Jenny says "We are not stopping at Werribee."  And we roll straight through Werribee. Way to get a rhythm happening.  Or not.

We are back on the freeway heading for Geelong.  The two guys up front are doing well.  I'm hanging on a wheel,  I'm OK  I can do this all week.  A seagull flies past.  Backwards.  I turn to tell the others.   Not there.  No one is there.   500 metres back of empty space.   I let the wheel go.  Julie-Anne comes up.  I ride with her for a while.     Slowly.   A bunch goes past.  Another.   We stop.   I take a leak.   Another bunch .   Jenny.   Hmmmm.

Rainjackets come out.   We set off.  The wind is now elfin ridiculous.   Rainjacket is leading to controllability issues for me.   I stop.  The girls continue.  A big bunch goes past.  Another.  I shed rain-jacket.  It starts to rain.  Sigh. I set off. Dogged solo pursuit.  The wind is stupid.  I am doing 22 and killing myself.  I can see this big bunch.  I keep catching riders but every rider I catch has just been shelled.  Many km later I tag onto someone on the back of the bunch.  I can just see Julie-Anne  up front.   Well further up.  OK  I need a break, this wheel will do.  I settle down.  And some dweeb on a SS tries to push me off my wheel.   Really?  Better luck next time sport.  Comes up along side and moves over trying to intimidate me off the wheel.  Does not end well for him.   

We start through the outskirts and refineries of the prettiest side of Geelong.    As the bunch fragments the three of us group up. And stop at the first stop.   The relief at being out of the wind is great. Julie-Anne gets gloves.  We set off.  Gosh the bike lane is rough.   And the road is rough.   Really really rough.  Teeth rattling rough.   Ohhh.   We stop.   Dead flat front tire.     Change it.      Set off.   Long lovely rolling downhills towards Queenscliff.   Go past the people on the tandem.   Just outrunning a little storm.   Hmmmmm..  Stop.   Front tire is down.  Bad tube?  

We stop. It pisses rain on us inside of a minute while  I change the tube.  Then I discover its one of the weird ones where the valve sits in an insert which can be unscrewed and partially is.   Damn.  The tube is probably fine.  We set off.  I love these rolling hills.   Its frustratingly difficult to not blow the other two away.   I roll along.   And a rest stop.  I dive in.. the other two go past.  Yes they have a track pump.  They seem pleased to see me . No one else there.  Too close to Geelong I guess.  Some fumbling with the track pump.   Its 10 minutes before I am away.  Looking forward to a good hard chase to get the rest of the team.  But they are waiting for me.   I cant resist.  I go hard for the next 10 km anyway, leaving them staring - disillusioned at having waited for me.   Then sit up and roll.  My back hurts a lot.   I roll and I roll and I roll.   I catch the tandem (and about 5 others ) up a hill.  chat to them.  Talk to another bloke.  Just idling along.    Into Queenscliff.   Finally in the single lane bit of main road catch up to some really really hopeless riders.    Go around them eventually in the interests of safety.  Take the couple of little climbs seated.  Stop by the woman vollie directing into the ferry.  Watch dozens of cyclists (including the entire half dozen hopeless riders) sail past her completely getting her directions wrong.   Eventually the team turns up.

Lunch.  My lunch.  Julie-Anne's lunch.  The 1:00 pm ferry.  We are running quite late but hundreds are behind us.  I eat most of the food in my pockets.     I lay on my back on the steel deck … it helped my back a lot.    Off the ferry.    100 metres down the road JAC has a flat.    We fix it and just as I reach for a pump a team support guy (not our team) runs up with a track pump.  Win.

As we roll down to Dromana I keep the pace low as I can trying to keep with the other two.  Every once in a while Julie-Anne shoots ahead.   Then when I catch her I look back and both girls are dropping back.  Julie-Anne is the energiser bunny.  Invariably every time I stop they flash past a minute later and I have to hit far more than my previous cruising speed to peg them back.    Not entirely sure whats going on there unless its that they are actually averaging a faster pace than I but are not comfortable overtaking other riders.  Maybe.   

Up into the hills.  Here I cant resist and put on a little pace.  Julie-Anne comes up.. tells me Jenny is right behind.  I press on.  Julie-Anne out of sight.. cant be far back.   The big hill before Mt Martha?   I go up it steadily and not too hard.  I pass maybe 200 people going up it.  Stop at the top.   Have a leak.   A drink.  A chocky bar.  Julie-Anne races past.   Head down bum up.   I chase.  Catch her on the long down hill.    She says Jenny is right behind.    Hmmm… maybe not on that downhill.    I go past Julie-Anne on the next descent.  I look around and she is gone.  I sit up.  Crikey my back is sore.  Where the hell are they?   I roll the rest of the way into Frankston.  Never raising a sweat.  I literally roll all the way down Olivers and into the rest stop.   Where I wait.  For 28 minutes.   Hmmmm

Julie-Anne goes past "David, wait for Jenny..  I,ll meet you at Mordi"   Uhhhhh OK.   Jenny comes past.  Not 15 seconds behind Julie-Anne.   I get Jenny on my wheel and set off in pursuit.  This is easily doable.  I am spending more time looking back than forwards.  We pick off other riders.  I look back several times and we have a string of maybe 15 or so behind Jenny.   I keep adjusting my speed.  Jenny hangs on.  "Enduro's rock" she yells.    I can see Julie-Anne but cant quite bridge the gap.  Every time I try Jenny comes off and at one point grabs another riders wheel.  :(    But we are doing great.  We get into Aspy and Julie Anne is waiting.  We don't stop.

And now the wind is just silly.   Its a vicious gusty crosswind.  Its so savage that we are copping sand off the beach and occasionally even spray.    I try my best to stay with the others but they are slowing down in an attempt to stay up during the gusts and IMO you need a little speed to improve your chances and this is very dodgy riding.   I'm having a scare or two on a very stable bike at stuff I am really good at.  I see several near misses amongst other riders and am worried about the girls.  These are familiar roads otherwise and its just coming home from another training ride in lousy conditions.   At each set of lights I am standing feet flat on the ground and stretching my back in an attempt to lesson the pain.    Its my only tiredness issue tho.  I eat the last couple of things in my pocket.  Drink the last of my water   The girls are still in sight.   In Port Melbourne some fool rides into my back wheel and crashes.  He is unhurt.   I am not overly sympathetic.   We turn for home.  The relief to be out of the wind is amazing  we group up.   Julie Anne goes slightly wacky racing.   She makes a couple of winceworthy moves in the quite dodgy traffic.   But its all OK. Jenny is riding well and smart.   And at something like 7:40 the 3 of us  dead abreast cross the finish line.   It made for a great photo. 

And on to beer.

Taxi drivers used to have a clue

Had a conversation with the driver of M 6084, a Silvertop taxi today Tuesday 21 June 2011 at 15:40. I watched him block both lanes at intersection of Collins and Exhibition Streets. while heading east. Then at the corner of Spring and Exhibition I congratulated him on his evident skill as he came to a sedate stop with all 4 wheels on the bike box. He asked “What bike box” Then he said and I quote. “You cyclists need to remember that the roads belong to us You need to get out of my way” He was entirely serious.

An utterly incompetent, careless (but sadly not carless ) and selfish driver of the sort few of us want on the roads.

What I find particularly annoying about this is that I spent 15 years driving Silvertop Taxi's, My DC was 117951. But the taxi industry does seem slightly on the nose atm. Ever tried to find a number or email to make a complaint directly to the company? Difficult huh?

I will be drawing the attention of the Taxi Directorate , Bicycle Victoria, the Amy Gillett foundation, my local MP, several online forums and anyone else I can think off to this individual and his attitude. I hope someone acquaints him with some brief description of Victorian road law. When inevitably he is involved in a serious accident I will do my best to make sure he is held to account.

Regards

David Thomas.

The Black Box

Heh.  Back.  Blogging regularly.  Lets get the readership thing happening.

OK  Todays subject is about what I think is the best way to change driver behavior that is achievable by riders.    The single thing that would make the roads safer for cyclists would be massive police enforcement of the sort of behaviours that threaten us..  harassment, close overtakes,  hooks and the like.   Thats not going to happen.  We have many coppers on the road but few operational traffic cops and even fewer.. the last number I heard was 6... bicycle cops in Melbourne.   Yesterday  a quarry truck passed us carefully and in the other lane and I thought he was exceptionally courteous until I noticed the police motorcycle hanging behind him.  This enforcement would work brilliantly but with few coppers and most of them and all the cameras very very focussed on speeding and revenue,  the safety of riders is a very low priority

The second most helpful thing would be a change in laws that meant that in any collision the more vulnerable user was assumed to be in the right unless other proof was offered.  That has happened in many places around the world and could happen here.  But I,ll talk about that another day.

But neither of those is actually in the hands of riders.   What can riders do?  Well they can make complaints against stupid and dangerous drivers.   Which usually comes down to "he says she says".   Unless you have a witness.   But...  remember my post the other day?  More and more riders carry video cameras.  The technology has reached the point that a helmet mounted camera can give enough resolution to identify a offender and show the details of an incident.

But will the police and courts accept such video evidence?  The answer is 'yes'.   Here is a link to an Australian Cycling Forums posters  "how to " on getting the police to act on such a complaint.   Poster Oxford  has had several successful prosecutions to his credit.  And he is not the only one.  More and more people are carrying these camera's.   A truly famous incident of  a couple of years ago in the US is this one in which Californian motorcyclist Dawn Champion is clobbered by a car that u turns into her on the freeway.. then claims its her fault.    Guess who was experimenting with a video camera?

We had one with us on Saturday..   Here is  a bit of video of me climbing a truly silly hill.  But later on we were harassed by a truly silly man as detailed in Saturdays post.   Do me a favor and never do any business with this arse$## company.  

 And you know.. this video thing really really pays off.   David.. one of the other riders on Saturday was on his brand new bike  bought with the insurance payout on his old bike.  Dweeb turned right in front of him.. didn't see him because his windows were fogged in the rain.  Because he did not see any  one and because many caterpillars are smarter  than this 'gentleman', he 'knew' he was safe to turn.   David got a payout in the end.. video evidence would not have hurt.  If he had been killed and the other driver had run.. he might not have been ever caught.   You can see how video might at least see some semblance of justice done.


The sooner motorists just expect that cyclists and motorcyclists will be videotaping the accident they cause the sooner the bulb over their head will go off.  Stupid dangerous or harassing behaviour will cost the offender.  The way this will happen is for more of these cases to be publicised.. for us to be more proactive in going after stupid drivers and insisting they be charged... and for us to have the evidence to back it up.. so that motorists think all cyclists or motorcyclists may be videoing them.

The technology is here.  The  camera,s now are sensitive, robust and long lived enough.. even cheap enough to do the job.   But the perfect camera does not exist.  I have a wish list.

A perfect camera would

• Have at least 2 hours life.  
• Take an external battery or be easy to change batteries in
• Give a really obvious low battery warning.
• Retape over its storage medium thus that it saved the previous two hours or so  but did not need media reformatted.
• Have a button that when pushed would save the previous 5 mins or so and stop it being overwritten. 
• Have a G switch or mercury switch .. so if you had an accident it would save the video while you were on the road.  A genuine black box
• Possibly have a high res button that would take and store a single high resolution shot if pushed.
• Be robust and fairly weatherproof  impact proof and fool proof.
• Be affordable and even fairly cheap.

Can you think of any other features?   I will be discussing this further.   

The really stupid make themselves so obvious.

So today  we went for a ride in the hills.  My poor filthy CR1 spent last night having the back wheelbearings replaced in preparation.   However I had no spares or money to fix the drive train.. totally rooted by a winter of perpetual riding in the rain.   So I set off on this epic 100 Km of hills with only the large chainring.   53.    

Vidman had organised the ride from Ringwood to King Lake.  Lots of up.    4 of us set off... Viddy on his brand new exotic italian thing, moi,  Roger  on a near identical TCR to mine.. (Roger bought me a spare chainring to the start..thanks mate)  and Susan on a GT.    We set off.

Good ride..   lots of up,   lots of traffic.. no real aggression except for the incident this post is about... a couple of close overtakes.  Roger had a helmet cam.. if any video turns up I,ll link to it.   We did King Lake by every hill Viddy could get into the route.  Owch.

We finally returned to Ringwood down Doncaster road.  By then  my huge amounts of time out of the saddle.. cos of the lack of gears had left me feeling pretty shakey.    Susan who is a newby rider and had done brilliantly was also struggling.  I was grimly hanging with Vidman..  Roger with Susan.. who was off the back somewhat.

We were in the bus/bike lane..    2 other lanes.  At the lights.   A greenish crewcab Hilux or similar pulled up in the same lane at the lights.

Now this is the bit that gets me.   These guys are almost never brave enough to have a go at the lights.  They will wait till the lights change...  then yell out the window then roar off.  Often weaving close as they do.  If they catch another light they will sit and hope you don't catch up.. if you do usually they will coldly ignore you until the lights change.. wind the window down quickly yell some more abuse and roar off.  Such has been my experience.. and on this occasion thats exactly what happened.  The lights changed, the bloke that had been behind/beside us at the lights for a minute or so   roared past, yelling out the window...

"Single file you %^^$$%"

Class all the way.   Courageous too..NOT.  You had 2 lanes dick head and we were in the bus/bike lane.. as were you.  Oh and.. for your information bikes can ride two abreast legally.    Its in the road laws.  If you dont know the road laws. and I mean all of them then you IMO flat should not have a licence.   Two other lanes.. go use one.    Got no comeback..  Try the "You dont pay your road tax' bleat of stupidity.   Neither do you genius; it doesn't exist.

So far,  normal enough.  Another day another arse.     But their are other rules the stupid obey that are nearly as rigid.    They so often have very recognisable cars... (referred to by the cops as 'bookme cars',  or they have personalised number plates or they have signwriting on the car.  This bloke had sign writing.     For these people www.emeraldproperty.com.au.

Way to go.  I,ll be dealing with you guys from now on.   Exclusively.   I am so impressed with your choice of staff that I could not resist.  Me and Vidman both remarked on the intelligence and personality and indeed knowledge of the law of your employee...employer... owner.. whatever at great length.  We are such fans.

But it gets better.   Later on. we were at the Casa Vidman, happily eating when the subject of road behaviour came up.   As it often does.   "Yes ' says Roger.... "I remember that guy ('guy' was not the word he used)  he pushed up close to us at the lights, didn't say anything then took off yelling abuse... he hit me with his mirror."

Hmmmm.  Hit and run.  Even for a mild collision thats a felony.   Thinking about that camera yet?    And a few seconds later had a go at us.   What a fast learner.    

Who seriously goes out on a Saturday morning to be a high visibility arse to as many people as possible? Why?  Why are some people such an unpleasant addition to a fairly nice planet.. how do they get on when it has to be obvious that they really are not much?    Compensate by driving aggressively perhaps?     I guess its good they are so obvious.. makes harm minimisation easy.   But still.. we are averaging less than one ass a month these days.  The last one was the cab driver who ended up having a very unpleasant time  with the VTD as a result.   There you go..  real asshole.. easily identifiable... not smart.   Its a solid trend.

So add to your  people not to deal with  http://www.emeraldproperty.com.au/  I'll send them an email.. see how they respond.. should be fun

My legs hurt.   A lot.   DISC tomorrow.  I can feel the pain already.

Its raining... raining in my heart.

And on my head.. and apparently everywhere else as well.  

One way or another I have ridden.. and had to ride on 13 out of the last 14 days.  On every single occasion I have got wet.  On several occasions soaked to the skin.  On one occasion.. on Blackburn rd.. ridden through fast flowing water over the bottom bracket.  

Someone commented   "we need the rain"   Not true.  I have ridden in no rain catchment in the last two weeks.    Where I have been the rain does no good.  Well it sure as hell is doing some good for the panel shops.  Business must be booming.   Wrecks everywhere.  And broken glass,  the bogan droppings left over from vehicle intercourse.

Which brings to mind the question.   Why oh why does everyones driving.. usually barely adequate,  go completely to crap in the rain?    Been thinking about that a lot this week.   I think some of it is the cyclists perception.  Less brakes means we feel more vulnerable.  Visibility.. especially at night.. especially with oncoming lights can be nearly non existant.   With glasses on you cannot see a thing.. with them off you risk grit in them.. and only one of mine works.   You blink a lot  and in heavy rain you just cannot see a thing anyway.

The bike moves a bit quicker for the same effort which in reduced visibility has the same effect.   Tire noise from cars overtaking is way louder..  making them seem closer.    Near misses are in the nature of things a bit nearer.   All this is perception

And the car  drivers seem to lose peripheral vision.  they can see only straight ahead so instead of ignoring your presence some dont even see you.   And you are out of peripheral vision sooner.  We have all dealt with the stupider bus drivers who move over when halfway past you.. cos the cab has overtaken you.. so they have forgotten your existence.   With car drivers in the rain this happens the moment you are out of the the wiped zone of the windscreen.  Somehow the reduced visibility means the dumber have to stick their nose out further from the side streets too.  And one meets the ocasional nong like the one who lurched out yesterday from a parking spot as I passed.. no lights and it was well and truly dark. Without lights in the rain.. he had no chance of seeing me.. so he didn't.  Missed by inches.. on the left.  on a one lane road.

But  all this aside it seems to me that some of the time many car drivers show a serious callous disregard for others just because its raining.   For the last 3 days I have been coming straight down Johnson St in peak hour in the dark and rain.  Plenty of cyclists.  And its a 40 kph zone.. with a bus/bike lane.   But its full of way faster than 40 traffic  using both lanes and stupidly .. ruthlessly determined to beat the cyclists to the next light or to get in front to brake and turn left..   Although you are clearly going to pass them at the lights.    They push pass stupidly close just to stop on the end of a line of traffic 3 lights long.   Its like they were wet and miserable and rushing home to get dry.

I really dont understand it.   I do a little more understand road rage.   I got hooked on a fast downhill (in the rain on Wed.   I had to turn with the car to dodge him.   Chased him down.  Lets just say... the discussion was physical.. luckily his wife apologised for his stupidity.    Dave Rafferton (Vidman) had his lovely felt written off in much the same accident a month ago.   And I could name a dozen others from the last few months.

We really really need laws that make people responsible for the injuries they actually cause.   We need the onus on proof to be on the heavier vehicle.  We need hit run drivers put in jail even when the injuries they cause are trivial just so people get the point its unacceptable to run.  What we need most of all is a little common sense.   Its wet for crying out loud.. be a bit more careful.. not a bit less careful


  

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.  

Who dat driving the bus

Following my meeting with the very annoying Grenda bus on Doncaster road, as detailed in this post,  I had several phone calls from the operations manager at Grenda.  Interesting.   You can follow this in the appropriate thread here on BV forums.  Anyway it was good that they were proactive.  The bloke who rang me was certainly being responsive and good on Grenda for that.   BUT..

Several conversations later an issue became apparent.   We will see if quote works better this time in this blogging software.. but this is my forums post.

Well I have had a further conversation with the operations manager at Grenda bus lines. It seems that the bus was one of two.. I suspect the earlier of the two.. that were Grenda services but actually driven by drivers supplied by Tullamarine bus lines. To date they have not positively identified the driver, as neither should have been a woman. 

Sorta interesting huh? I explored the possibility of their driver being of uncertain gender. The Grenda bloke is quite serious about following this up.. and I will carry a camera for a bit.. but it looks like their is some possibility that unauthorised people are driving their buses.... or at least their is some issue of accountability to be sorted

I really dont know how thats going to turn out. I,ll keep on it tho
Editing my first shopify site at the moment.   Well actually the owner and I are editing it from different suburbs at the same time.  Strange and likely to end badly  but so far so good.   Cheap URL registries on the other hand I am going to keep clear off in future.  Register free has some connection with Oz IT... but Oz IT is easy to set DNS up with and Register free has hidden those settings somewhere.  Not cool