Did you get a renewed contract?
And how good is it when they start saying stuff, especially Dada?
The small joys today thread (a bit of Yang for FoA Yin of late)
SJ: jumping on a plane to Syd tonight, visiting family, then visiting one of my best mates in Canberra.
NSJ: shitty perth weather at the moment, hopefully flight isnt delayed.
Didn’t know you and ezy were mates
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ha!
my mate did tell me to bring my niner with me…too much hassle tho
So. I ride through Fitzroy Gardens every morning, even though it says no bikes. (It’s a Stupid rule so I ignore it) and about a year ago some 50ish year old business man yelled at me, I was wearing headphones so I said “sorry dude can’t hear you” as I rode past him, he yelled more and I turned and shugged my shoulders in a provocative way and and kept riding. The dude raged out and started chasing and screaming at me, it was a pretty funny site. I just rode away giggling. The dude ruined his own day.
Then a couple of months later I was riding through and another dude yelled at me as I was approaching (I ride quite slowly through the park cos it’s real pretty)
And as I went past I just said “why do you care? Relax pal” and that made him angier and he started motioning that he wanted to fight. I just kept riding.
I’ll often get dirty looks and what not so obviously it annoys some people that I slowly meander through the park in the morning.
After that one I thought I’d start experimenting with my approach to these people.
It’s like I had a do over, like groundhog day.
So I tried a couple of of things like if they say some shit I would just kind of agree and say “yeah I know”, as I’m riding past in an agreeable tone, and that kind of thing.
My latest thing is I ride through and force a big earnest, friendly smile as I ride through.
And no shit, it works! People who are giving me dirty looks more often than not will just pull it back, or go back to normal face.
Some people smile back and I haven’t had any yeller’s or finger wavers.
I figured it out! I had do overs! I groundhog day’d it.
So yeah.
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Closest I ever got to biffo was with an old bloke in that park for this very reason. He said he was gonna call the cops and I said he should, and he called me a sanctimonious little man, and I suggested I felt the same about him. Meanwhile Charlotte literally rode away cos she had never seen me so angry hahahaha. These days I follow your model of smiling, it defo works.
Or you could just change your route. Or you could walk your bike through the park and enjoy it a little more slowly.
Because there is a rule, people who see you breaking it will get pissed off. It’s just the same as a driver sitting at a red light getting pissed off watching a cyclist run the red. Cyclists struggle to get respect from a lot of people. Little things like this add up. And those people may or may not be irrational in their anger. But do you really need to piss them off?
If you don’t like the rule why don’t you contact the local Council and say something about it? And if you feel you are justified in riding slowly and safely through the park, then why don’t you say to the Council that the rule should be altered to allow slow safe cycling? The Council might have something to say in response, and there may even be some rational counter-arguments you are not aware of for why it is a good idea to stop cycling in this one park.
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yeh I think youre basically right but this was years ago just after the law was passed.
That said I think the main problem is the concept of cycling as some kind off societal/political body. When that’s the case then you have already shot yourself in the foot because every action you do speaks for all others from the group. It doesn’t apply to car driving so unclear why it does for ppl who ride bikes.
More generally my main gripe is the Australian habit of being so gleeful in their desire to dob others in. I see ppl break the law all the time but you see a particular desire to call out everything cyclists do wrong.
Yeah the whole you’re a cyclist therefore you represent other cyclists is stupid.
I once said to a driver who said I was giving cyclists a bad name that he’s like a murderer cos drivers kill 1000 people a year in Aus. He didn’t really get the link.
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Germany gives parents 14 months of paid Parental leave to share as they wish - we’re going for the 12/2 month split. Work contract has no expiration date, but I’ll need to renew my visa for the last time when I get back. I can apply for residency before the next visa runs out, but I’ll need to do a language test.
She’s reached a point of saying ‘nananana’ when she doesn’t want something - cool but a little annoying. Dadada has turned into just a sound for excitement (not the worst association). She’s also worked out a tongue click somehow.
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NSJ: house got burgled yesterday. Took two computers, old iPhone, iPod and some cash and made a huge mess
SJ: fast efficient police response, two really nice crime scene officers came by today, who were also very interested in our house renovation.
Efficient officer in Moreland who seemed onto it and keen to get a result.
SJ: tracked one computer to an address in lalor, officer was real fast and called me every 30mins with updates and for more info.
Made a warrant, arrested someone, recovered two computers. All today!
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How about the iPod with 2Unlimited loaded up?
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That would have been a NSJ/SJ
are u telling me the system works?!
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Kinda. And police can be nice and efficient
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ppl have been banned for less!
SJ:
Robbed a house, managed to score Two computers, old iPhone, iPod full of sick 90s dance music and some cash.
NSJ:
Got busted for it today. Kept the iPod but.
ACAB
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WTB. Anyone got a cheap iPod?
Brendan is long gone.
2LiveCrew or 2Pac…