40, Stop, Look, Go!  #
Tuesday, 25 Mar 2008 09:15PM
Would it be too much trouble to make the speed limit of the approach for every road/train crossing that doesn't have a boom gate 40km? And then, at the train line, put a Stop sign?

At least then if someone still manages to not see and then hit or get hit by a train, they first had to break two laws to do so.


Lego  #
Tuesday, 25 Mar 2008 01:11PM
One of the many silly things I did on the weekend was to go through my old Lego and write down which Lego sets I have for my insurance.

(Actually, I went through photos of my Lego collection. Last year before I boxed everything up for the garage I took photos of the instructions for everything so I would know what I had without digging through boxes. I'm a genius.)

I have a decent collection of Lego, for which I have to thank my family for buying me as a kid. The majority of it is Space Lego from the early to mid 80s, with some mid/late 80s Technic and a couple of Town and Castle sets. I also admit to having four modern Star Wars sets.

Helping me get the numbers and names right were the fan-made Lego databases at LUGNET and Brickset. Lego helpfully included a unique number for each set which made looking up details a lot easier. I noticed I have have better quality boxes/instructions for my sets than a lot of the pictures on these databases, but I stopped myself (for now) from putting the effort into sending them scans. Thanks again to mum who at some point kept cut outs of all the pictures on the boxes and pasted them into a book.

I know where I got that collector sense from... although I also remember Dad used to have a matchbook collection. And a stubby holder collection.

I did (and still do) have a huge urge to go through my Lego collection and build everything again. It's been well over a decade and a half since I've done that.

I used to do it every holidays.


Weekend  #
Tuesday, 25 Mar 2008 12:56PM
Thursday I received eggs and hot crossed buns and free beer from work, followed at night with a lovely lasagne at my in-laws.

Friday is already fading into long term memory (read: forgotten), but I remember searching the garage for cufflinks, updating my insurance list of books and other junk, and finally finishing watching The Prisoner. I remember the last episode being stranger, but this time around the second to last episode was my favourite. The DVD helpfully indicates six or so "core" episodes to the series, and I think next time around I'll try just watching those. I noticed the whole series is at JB HiFi for $40 now. I thought $50 was a bargain.

Saturday was spent shopping at JB with birthday vouchers (including buying the new Patton release, "Perfect Place"), a walk around Bunnings (which as usual, cost more than $100), and a horrific nightmarish trip to IKEA to get a replacement screw and CD boxes. They didn't have the boxes, and the screw took 20 minutes of waiting in line behind an idiot who kept sending the poor IKEA drone back into the warehouse to find one that looked more "green and squiggly".

Saturday night was spent in the city watching Ross Noble for the forth year in a row. He was funny, but I'm used to his style now. Even when he's saying something different (which he always does), I know what's coming. I would have liked to have seen Tim Minchin but he's in New York at the moment.

They're we ripping up Flinders and Swanston Streets which was fun to watch (forgot my camera...) although there was no easy way to get from Fed Square to Swanston street so there was a lot of extra walking.

We had dinner at Tomodachi at Melbourne Central. It was nice, and the sushi really was good, but it seemed like it was trying to be more impressive than it was. I think it's aiming at the sushi train business, but it's too expensive for that, and the decor doesn't quite match the prices either. Following dinner we had a drink in Cho Gao across from Tomodachi. Very nice looking place and almost empty (all the smokers were out on the balcony). Relaxing.

Sunday the extended family went to Warrandyte for a picnic/wasp-dodge and a walk along the Yarra. We finished the night watching a Tim Minchin DVD, so we got to see him after all. 'Twas good.

Monday we gardened. We gardened ourselves to painsville. I hurt. And then, Monday night, it rained, watering in all the new plants and saving me getting up early to do it.

Thanks clouds!