I am totally and utterly addicted to my laptop. When I write stuff about people being obsessed with their phones, remember that. Every move I make, practically, involves my laptop. The first thing I do when I get up in the morning is switch it on, the first thing I do when I come home in the afternoon is switch it on, the last thing I do in the day is switch it off. I hardly have an hour at home unless it involves my laptop. I don’t remember a time when my laptop wasn’t the focus of my life. (Well, I do, that is why I am writing this, I guess) I don’t really remember that other life. What did I do with my time? My laptop is my sole focus.
Of course, I do switch it off from time to time. I do leave it occasionally.
We took Buddy to the dog park. I think there was a Keeshond there. We thought it was a cream coloured Chow, (from a distance) to add to the other, lovely, chows that come to the dog park, but no blue tongue, when we got closer. It was very excitable and playful.
We walked out the back of the dog park with Buddy cooperating somewhat, translation he only rolled onto his side and stuck his legs in the air and refused to go once, after that he was good. Once he gets used to a new way, he is fine, but to start with a new route is not to his liking. Oh no. We walked around Brunswick Street, Johnson Streets and back up our street, so we all get some exercise instead of standing in the middle of the reserve.
The sun shone. It was a nice morning.
So, I’d organised from where to get the some more wood, but we had to go and pick it up ourselves. In all the ringing around, I realised the big, wog guy is not over charging for his wood. Good to know. Well, you can never be too sure now a days.
We got to Keon Park just after midday. It looked like the place you’d go to buy your meth, or get your grandma's car re-birthed, after you’d removed it from the garage in her first year of her dementia without telling the rest of the family, to pay for your meth. GTI hatchbacks are meant to be doing 200ks on an autobahn, not used as mules to cart wood, but we loaded it up with wood none the less. It is the only car we have. Jill suggested hiring a ute from Bunnings, but Jill would suggest that.
When we were done the guy running to place asked, “So how much do you think you got?”
I said, "Dunno."
He said, “Make it $80 then.”
I should have said, “$50 worth.” He may have just come at it, who knows? I never think fast enough to do such things. We are all too self-conscious. What is it they say, fortune favours the bold. But I didn’t think of that until we were half way to Preston.
We ate dumplings in High Street Preston. Sam went in to order and the food usually takes some time. There was a chemist Warehouse across the road, which I saw from the restaurant door, and I needed a script filled, which I had with me but had left in the car. We parked a fair way up a side street and I went back to the car to get my script. It started raining as soon as I got to the car and I had to run all the way back to High Street in the rain. It was that kind of rain that just got harder and harder the more I ran in it and there was not shelter to be had from it. It felt like I was never going to get out of it. (Still, the rest of the country is in drought so can't complain too much)
Chemist Warehouse was soooo slow. The customers just seemed to be pushing in all the while, despite having beepers. I wasn't sure if it was because of the slow service, or the state of mind of the customers? I’ve never waited so long for a script to be filled.
The dumplings were heading towards cold by the time I got back to Sam sitting at a table full of food. Lovely though none the less.
I looked in Cash Converters for CDS, speaking of addictions. They had none I wanted. Sam shopped for food in the Preston Market while I looked. Then we rendezvoused back at one of the Chinese shop in High Street where Sam bought roast pork for dinner.
We got cat food at the pet shop in High Street. The cute son was there. The father had to get us the large bag of cat food out the back. Several times the cute son asked, “Is he still getting it out for you.” I couldn’t help but think, I wish you’d get it out for me.
We parked in front of a white 205 GTI. I told Sam I wanted to buy one. He said it was awful. No accounting for taste.
The traffic on High Street was bad, what a surprise. Saturday is peak hour now a days, no fucker stays home any more. The traffic everywhere in Melbourne's inner suburbs is bad. (Thank you Matthew Guy for ruining the city) I can already hear the politicians in a few years, when the inner suburbs of Melbourne are in gridlock on the weekends and we don’t even crack it for the last place on the world’s most liveable city. “Oh yeah, we got the planning wrong in the early 2000s, didn’t we?” They’ll say sipping cocktails from their property developers resorts. “We could have done that better.”
So, we sneaked around the back way. Stott Street, Herbert Street, Westbourne Grove, Park Street, (I think you could also go Dalziel Lane. I’m looking at google maps now, normally I am just speeding along not at all concerned what the street is called, just as long as we keep moving forward) Charles Street, momentarily and then back onto Park Street, (Oh, it looks like South Park Street. Who wouldn’t want to live in South Park Street) Left onto Westgarth Street. (This is where you can encounter some traffic, but don’t worry you are not on Westgarth Street for long) Right onto Rucker Street, (left onto Cunningham, right onto McLachlan Street) if the traffic on Westgarth is bad, otherwise keep going to McLachlan Street, down to Walker Street (don’t go up Cunningham Street, it will take you no where you want to go) Walker Street will take you a round about way back to High Street, and then you turn right. (It looks like Phillips Court turning into Hales Court will also get you to High Street, but I haven’t gone that way) And then there is usually no traffic after from there. Traffic avoided. It is the intersection of Westgarth and High Street that causes all the traffic. What they have done to the street there at the shops is ludicrous. It is the problem that really needs to be fixed.
So, that is the way you can speed through the back streets of Thornbury/Northcote to avoid the shitty traffic problems on High Street.
Sam asked me why he always felt exhausted driving with me.
“Because there are so many fools to straighten out on the road,” I reply. Every second driver seems to be an idiot. I blame the 50 kph, 40 kph, speed limits. Drivers are now so confused they default to 40 kph. It is really annoying.
It was raining on and off.
Home by 3pm. We lit a fire, naturally. What else do you do when you have new wood?
We started watching An Awfully Big Adventure, a Hugh Grant film I bought in St Marks op-shop on Thursday, but it was dreadful and I fell asleep and Sam turned it off.
We ate roast port and Bok Choi for dinner.
Sam watch something dreadful on the development of batteries for the new world energy requirements. (I should be interested in this, it is the future, after all)
We watched Sense8. There are cute boys in Sense8. Sam was glued to his iPad and he told me to choose. Buff American boy, German boy, Spanish boy, and African boy, what is there not to like.
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