Category: Escapades

  • Please reboot the aircraft

    I was hearing vague snippets of the disaster that was the Virgin Blue computer system, but my JetStar flight had its own problems. Everyone was seated (that is, except for the restless and very, very sensitive toddler standing on the opposite window seat, who burst into tears whenever mum dared suggest he sit down and…

  • Fire drill

    I do respect fire drills. Honestly, I do. However, when the alarm started sounding at around 11:30 this morning I happened to be naked, wet and soapy, as a result (fortunately) of being in the shower. I was fairly certain it was a drill because I’d seen another drill earlier in the morning for the…

  • Eddies in the spacetime continuum

    …behind that sofa. Either that, or it’s the evolutionary process at work in the Swan River.

  • On the eve

    The annual day of mystery and mild trepidation approaches, when things are not quite as they appear. A lot of effort seems to go into it among the technical community. I’ll be scouring the contents of my RSS reader throughout the day looking for my fix. Or at least I would I thought it was…

  • Freeway riding

    Another Freeway Bike Hike comes and goes. Team Exermacise was down to three people this year, due to a combination of injury, other commitments, and general slacking off. It’s a nice ride – the fastest 30km (or 10km, or 60km) you’re likely to do on a bike, at least in Perth. However, I’m now sitting…

  • Continuity

    The bony part of my nose met with the fridge door in an uncomfortable deceleration this afternoon, leaving a nasty cut. This occurred less than a second – literally – after having explained to some friends that I no longer felt sore as a result of rock climbing. Lesson learnt.

  • The arrogance

    I took a good opportunity today to feel smug and superior on my bike. My regular “scenic route” to uni takes me down a bike path right next to the Kwinana Freeway. With a slight headwind and managing 25-27km/h, I was overtaking the peak hour traffic for the whole 6-7km distance. Normally I can only…

  • Photos

    For those interested, I’ve uploaded my entire photo collection from New Zealand. (Well, obviously not the entire collection – I had to remove those incriminating shots of Wilson Tuckey doing… well, I’m not quite sure what it is he was doing, but he was certainly hard at work.) Unfortunately, I have limited web space, which…

  • Christchurch

    The drive to Christchurch was long, and took us through the middle of the South Island, away from the mountains of the west to the summery east. The wind whipped up an enormous swell on the light, milky-blue waters of Lake Pukaki. The colour comes from the tiny particles of rock (rock flour) suspended in…

  • Milford Sound

    Kiwi Experience runs day trips to Milford Sound from Queenstown: five hours on the bus each way, in the middle of which you get a two hour cruise up and down the fjord. One of my friends and I decided this itinerary was a little abrupt given how beautiful Milford Sound was reputed to be.…