h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I thought of giving myself a night off writing journal entries, but... nah. It's awfully compelling once one gets started.

I'm not really here. I'm about to head off in the general direction of a public meeting about the perfectly hilarious public transport system in my part of town, to see what's being planned and to see if I can point out silly plans before they become silly reality. I have no other form of transport except the local buses, so I have a clear need to be part of the discussion.

Public transport in Canberra is hopelessly inefficient because of the layout of the city. It's a sprawling cluster of 'town centres' separated by 'green' (but more usually brown and inflammable) areas of bushland and parkland and horse agistment paddocks. We have 350,000 people shoehorned into an area the size of Greater London. With this population density of course the buses will be slow and under-utilised. Let's see what bright ideas the Territory government has. I'm particularly hoping for improved weekend services.

The main implication for me, apart from possible transport hell, is that this all means I'm sliding into bourgeois middle age. I used to go to anti-war rallies and gay rights rallies and aboriginal land rights rallies and better HIV treatments rallies and anti-racism rallies, but now I'm concerned about public transport and attending a meeting convened by local ratepayers in my capacity as a local ratepayer. Goodness, how middle-class I've become. Hmpf.

Ivan.

It comes to us all in the end!

I guess if it wasn't for my sons I'd have drifted into the same state years ago. But my sons keep me on my toes.

I used to go to rallies too. Anti nuclear rallies, rallies for abortion rights, anti war rallies, Act-Up rallies. I can't bring myself to go to the Occupy rallies here these days. Too much standing. And chanting. I don't know what good chanting does. Bodies being in the way and getting arrested gets some attention. But I don't think I have the intestinal fortitude to be arrested. And I'm paranoid that it will get me put on lists of potential terrorists or something. Is that too paranoid or what. But you never know, you know?

Oh dear, I've actually never been at any rally-like event at all. Makes me wonder where do I stand...

Hati, you can stand wherever you want. Besides, I suspect you couldn't just go out and protest about government decisions when you were a teenager... That's when I did most of my protesting. Apart from protesting about the invasion of Iraq, of course, which is more recent. And gay rights issues, which are constant problems.

As for last night's meeting... Well. It was all very constructive, I'm sure, but I was the youngest person there by *decades* and my issues aren't necessarily their issues. One of the women reminded me of Queen Mary, with the piled-up curls and the most severe manner. Another one reminded me of Queen Anne, mostly because I'm told she had to be buried in a big square coffin. Goodness, people are interesting things.

Ivan!
The whole tutting at the state of the trains and buses is just so recognisable, when did we hit middle age?

Great to see that you are still on good form and beating the black dog more often than it beats you

Wolfpit! Blimey! Welcome back...

The black dog is in the kennel more often than not these days. I think this will continue.

How are you?

Tippity boo too old chum.

My black dog heavily beaten with the stick of new found responsibility and sulking somewhere behind the breenhouse, he curls his lip occasionaly but that's it.

Living in Romania at the moment which is why I smile at your idea of sparse public transport..

Have just led the MBO of my company so with enough cash in hand to live comfortably until, well until I'm not, thinking of retiring from the corporate world for a few years and catching up on my reading and living again..

oh and thats a Romanian Greenhouse....

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