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

The Big Day Out is obviously a conspiracy to force me to exercise. 12 hours of moshing is about my yearly quota I think!
The Chilli Peppers rocked, but I enjoyed moshing the most to Grinspoon (an Australian band). Oh my aching body....

Drinking, gambling, and consorting with women of questionable ethics, hey? What a coincidence! I happen to enjoy similar pastimes myself...happy 21st birthday! I've decided I should really pull my finger out and get with this whole www thing, so I've been playing around with putting photos up on the web, as a start to making a home page...I'm the one with the eyepatch, peg leg, and nervous looking hamster on one shoulder. (Parrots are so out, daaarrlllliiiingggg)

http://www.uq.net.au/~zzawhait/Blue_Moose.htm

I wrote a quickie guide article on XXXX after my last message to you. I submitted the first one I wrote about 9 weeks ago - but I think it may be a little too....practical...oh well. I should write on one how damn painful it is to try and play your new steel string guitar when you don't have callouses on your fingers yet - is that how you spell callus/callous gees I hate mental blocks (resist the obvious temptation there please, I've read Snoopy so I know all about that american "blockhead" word). I got the guitar for Christmas so I'm enjoying torturing the dog with my abysmally woeful efforts at playing chords. One day I might be able to play more than one without having to stop to move my fingers. Don't suppose you know any one chord songs? I can't even play a Ramones song, they use 3 chords in one song!!!

Arg well, back to work tomorrow. It was Australia Day today (woohoo), a public holiday to celebrate either the birth of a new nation or the last nail in the coffin of Aborigine ownership of this continent, depending on your point of view. The aborigine peoples probably aren't as well known as the american indians, but I think they've got it worse over here in a lot of ways. It's very complex, and a lot of fools like to generalise and stereotype, but there's no denying that here in Australia we should be pretty ashamed of the way the original inhabitants of this country are living in some places. Oh well, it's complex, like I said, so enough of that before I say something really stupid. Or maybe it's too late. Bugger.

Have fun, and remember - parrots are out, but the eyepatch is traditional black this year.

Funny I should use that subject....24 hours later...and I've had an entertaining day.

My first motorcycle accident in 12 yrs of riding that involved another vehicle. Funnily enough, I have come closer to death but I've never actually been hit before. Ah well, my sensei would be proud - I did a great break-fall as the taxi knocked the bike away from me (I didnt even scratch my helmet, kept the head up) and I slid down the road for a while. I found myself grinning as I stood up...it was actually kind of fun (and I was happy to be alive Road-surfing!

But bejeesus that taxi front end came close to my left leg! Wow!

MY POOR BIIIKKE! WAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

Road Surfing?? Ahhh! Wow, you're lucky. I hate to sound like a mom(mum), but be careful. A friend's brother had a similar accident, but he's dead. =< So be careful, or at least stop listening to "Angel of Death" before you ride. =P
In the time since I wrote to you last we've had more than a foot of snow, and one gigantic ice storm. I hate the winter time, and so does my parrot. But, I can probably be happily assured that you'll bombard me with stories about your summer wonderland. He, he.
We went to Washington DC on Sunday, and had a blast. We expected to get off the Metro and hit all the dead white guys memorials, but instead we ended up in Chinatown, by some freak accident. It was cool though, because they were celebrating the Chinese New Year, so all sorts of debauchery was going on. We later walked blocks and blocks heading towards what we thought was a dead white guy's memorial, but it turned out to be the National Art Museum. Turns out that the Henri de Toulouse Lautrec paintings about assorted hookers and whores were the paintings which inspired my fiance most. Go figure.
There isn't a whole bunch else going on right now, other than school. I was a member of the college(uni) newspaper for like 2 days this week, then I told them to stuff it. It's a long story, and I'll only tell it if you really want to hear it. =)
Write back soon! Take care. =D

Well, Bikeless for yet another week....I got a "letter of demand" from the taxi company's solicitor, which basically went along the lines of "it's your fault the taxi knocked you into the road causing massive damage to your bike and narrowly avoiding serious personal injury - so pay the money we spent fixing the taxi, and while you're at it pay for the lost income for two shifts - oh and that'll be 35 bucks for legal fees". Anyway, the bike is damaged to the tune of $2900 or thereabouts and the taxi (incl the loss of income and the legal fees) is about $635.

Resisting my first impulse to scour the internet for the most horrendously powerful bomb recipe I could find and use on the taxi company, their solicitor, the taxi owner, the taxi driver, the taxi driver's dog and the next person I saw who threw a cigarette out their car window (gees I hate that, especially when I'm behind them on my bike...erm...where was I? Oh yes) I left it in the hands of my insurance company, and gave them the name of the witness to the accident (who by happy coincidence is an insurance underwriter).

Interesting what you say about your friend's brother - you should read the first few paragraphs of my guide article on "How to Ride a Motorcycle". I know motorcycling isn't as safe as driving, in some respects....ah, I'm sorry, I get tired of people saying how dangerous riding is and don't tend to react well to it. Thanks for caring, and I'm sorry about your friend's brother. Actually, another reason I get shitty about it is because my father was killed in June 98 (he's the guy with the queenfish on my web page). He was 53, and learning how to ride. Anyway, enough of that subject (except to say that if I died riding a bike I'd be happy to go that way - I've been riding for some time now, and it's a big part of my life (as if you hadn't guessed that already)).

It's been a bit cool here, too, must have got below 25 (of course I mean celsius - that'd be 77 in farenheit) this morning. Brrrrrrrrr.

Chinese New Year is a blast! This year we went to this little chinese place, that we usually go to before an evening of Bacchanalianism (did I just make that up or is it a real word?) in Brisbane's chinatown. There are ducks (cooked) in the window, that kind of thing. The lady who works there is a real dragon, but I reckon she's got a heart of gold (you should see her change when someone brings in a kid, all smiles)....she chases people out if they stay too long, that kind of thing. She likes my brother and I (I think) because sometimes she actually smiles and jokes with us instead of just doing the dragon thing. Chinatown is right next to the seediest area in Brisbane, the valley...which successive governments have endeavoured to clean up by putting in a mall and cameras (although given the proliferation of expensive high-density housing, I think the yuppies might succeed where governments have failed - they've already taken live music licences off two venues because a set of apartments went up nearby and the well-heeled residents complained about the noise). Still, it's resisting the change and for now is still an entertaining place to visit.

Speaking about hookers, the street hookers hang out in the valley. Queensland is legalising brothels as of July but there will always be street hookers in the valley. The cops have just been given the power to pose as hookers and actually solicit (which they weren't technically able to do before). What a job that must be, entrap a few pissed blokes into saying "yes" to sex for money and locking them up. I'd be ashamed of that, if I was a cop.

Ah, the joys of living in the country! Found out our septic tank was full the other day...the overflow trench must be a bit blocked, because the toilet backed up! Highly amusing, especially since it wasn't me sitting on the damn thing. Fixed now, so that's good - the people at the servo (that's what we call one of them places you get petrol for your car (service-station)) must think I'm some kind of junkie, cos I kept sneaking into their dunny and not buying anything. It's a 6klm drive to the servo, too.

I'm reading a book on Hell's Angels by Hunter S Thompson - it's good, read it
Cheers 'n' beers

Hello. I'm sorry to hear about your father. =< You're right, that is an annoying thing to have hurled at you all the time. I think that I understand the basic feeling, with people nagging me about smoking. No hard feelings, I hope. =^)

I can't believe what crap that cab company is trying to shove on you. Like you intentionally steered your bike to the cab, and you wanted to go sliding on your ass down the street. That's like a guy who throws a brick at someone's head and then says, "It's not my fault, his head got in the way of my brick." I hate people like that. I hope the cab company doesn't get a dime, and has to pay for your bike. One time I was driving on a really slippery snow covered road, and a car which was going the other direction slid into my path and I couldn't stop in time. It was clearly her fault, but she put up the protest that she had pulled her car over onto the burm of the highway. She was such a huge liar because there was no friggin burm on the entire highway. I digress, I'm just all riled up because I got another goddamned parking ticket from the college "police." It's a big long story, but suffice it to say that there is little parking for commuters, like me, and I really had no other alternative if I wanted to get to class on time (and I did really want to get to class on time because I have a strict German woman who teaches me French. That seems funny in and of itself if you consider the historical context. He, he.)

Did you do anything fun for Valentine's Day? Or is Valentine's Day just another fabricated American holiday made up by the greeting card companies to make more money off us poor schmucks? It's hard to tell with some holidays, but I'm sure Valentine's Day, Arbor Day, Mother and Father's Day are also made up by Hallmark. Greedy people. Anyway, all we did was exchange cards and let his parents take us out to dinner. Weeeee. Nothing I like more than my future in-laws. Really, they're not that bad. His parents are cool, and so is his little brother when he's not being a whiny teen. His grandmother just doesn't like me, and I've never done or said a single bad thing to this woman. It's hard to make an elderly Southern woman like you when you're a young Northern girl. I swear, some people are still fighting the Civil War.

Below 25c? Wow, I'm surprised that you didn't freeze to death. =P You just wait.. Winter for you is coming sooner than you think.

Keep warm, =P and write back soon.

Another week, and still my bike isn't fixed....I'm suffering severe withdrawals. I'm going to uni four nights a week too, and after starting work at 0730 I'm a tad weary when I get home, so if I start snoring or babbling (or losing the ability to spell) that's why.

Valentine's day, Valentine's day...let me see, I'm sure I remember something like that vaguely....no...no...hmmmm, must be an American thing. OK, sorry, I won't take the piss out of yanks, I know how you feel about that. But anyway, we don't have Valentine's day in Aussie, we've got Cascade's day, named after a convict who escaped from Port Arthur, survived by eating mushrooms which turned out to be blue meanies and in a fit of psychedelic mushroom-inspired horniness stole back into the penal settlement, shagged the governor's wife, their daughter, their maid, her daughter and the family goat. He was last seen running into the bush, stark naked, yelling "I've pissed in the water! I've pissed in the water!" and laughing insanely. Now, Tasmania produces a beer called "Cascade", named after this fellow, because beer brewed in that area has a strange, lingering effect and an interesting taste. And once a year, Australians everywhere drink a beer in rememberance of the poor, long-suffering goat (who never really recovered), but Tasmanians drink Cascade and remember their convict past and the gleeful thought of getting one up on the boss.

In the northern part of Tasmania, the beer drunk is Boag's, but that's another story.....

Oh, by the way, sorry you didn't last at the college newspaper. My uni produces one called "Semper", and it's great! Lots of full-on left-wing radical lesbianism and drug-taking, the sort of thing that would probably give your grandmother-in-law apoplexy.

What the hell is apoplexy anyway? I've always wondered....something like a coniption, I imagine.

I bought three textbooks yesterday - cost me 180 bucks!!!!!Fark education is expensive these days. I remember when uni was free (and textbooks were a damn sight cheaper) - the first time I went to uni (I'm 30 (yep I'm old)) it was free - then the government introduced fees, so we went marching and demonstrating and yelling a lot and I bloody nearly got arrested (they grabbed people at random). Mind you, I would wear that conviction like a badge of honour. Education is a right, not a privelege. Oh no, I've forgotten how to spell privilige arrrrrr OK I'm going to bed now.

I hope your lack of replies doesn't mean I've offended you in some way...

Anyway, I got my bike back today (Yahooooo)

And my article on how to ride a motorcycle was accepted as an approved guide entry. I think the last time I got published was in a high-school poetry publication when I was about 15.....

no really, if I have offended you tell me...

Now the cab company is trying to sue me because my insurance company told them to get stuffed, so my insurance company has to decide whether or not to defend the case. If they don't, I sure will. The cheek of it!!!

Well, if I do hear from you again that's cool, if not then cheerio!

Hello. =) Sorry about that, but we were having monumental problems with the internet provider. To make a long story short, they felt that they could totally take our service away at any time for however long they felt like it. Needless to say, I couldn't get my email without constant interruption. That's over now, hopefully.
Anyway, so exactly how long did it take you to get your bike back? Are those wankers still suing you?
Cascade, eh? Hmm. If that's true, that's hilarious.. however, I sense my bullshit meter raising. Where are my boots? =P
Finals are quickly approaching, and I'm already starting to feel that old nervous tic coming on. My parrot hates it when I'm testy. I have 4 classes, and 4 research papers to write before classes are over. Weeeee! Oh, ya.. and now they have me listed as a sophomore because they wouldn't take 2 of my transfer credits! The nerve of them. Or, "the cheek of it!"
An interesting situation happened recently. My fiance's (Ron) 18 yr. old brother was failing English, because he just didn't show up to class and he didn't care. My future in laws asked Ron to write the paper for his brother. The brother is so spoiled because the
parents never discipline him when he gets in trouble and let him do whatever he wants.. result: spoiled brat. Ron did the paper, I didn't think he should. I just thought let the kid dig himself out of his own mess for once, if you don't let him, then he's going to get into a lot bigger trouble and won't know what the hell to do. Anyway, Ron did the paper for him, with the promise that we'd get a fence on the backyard so those little bastard neighborhood kids would stay out of the yard. (We rent from his mom/mum and dad) I don't know.. I still feel kinda dubious about it. (dubious was one of those words that were all over Nancy Drew novels, I love it.)
On the lighter side, I get to see my nephews this weekend. I haven't seen them in such a long time. Last time I knew the 5 year old had 2 wives. I asked him what their names were, and he couldn't remember one. Kids today. Hmm. People always complain about how today's youth doesn't respect the institution of marriage. I'd say he's got it pretty well figured out.
Hope you didn't give up on me. =) Take care, and kick some cab company ass!

Oops, I mean "cab company arse."

Well good, I'm glad it wasn't my lunatic ravings that caused the lack of correspondence....

I'm having an entertaining time at the great halls of learning myself - had our midsemester break (which is really just assignment time)
and our first semester of the year is half-way through. Still got second semester to go - our big break is over Christmas/New Year. Thankfully I'm only doing 3 subjects, but they all involve far too much work for my brain - and I keep feeding it beer but I still have difficulty remembering where my lectures are, never mind the actual contents of the lecture! Ah well, I'll maintain beer therapy for the next couple of months and all should be right by end of semester exams.

At least the paper wasn't done for nothing. I'd write an essay for, well, any number of cheap/useless objects - but a back fence is pretty bloody good. All you need next is a big dog, although if it's anything like mine it's important that the dog is also not overly friendly with any person who happens to stroll in.

As for the taxi company from hell, things are still progressing - my insurance company has agreed to fight the bastards in court, so I'm looking forward to my day before the judge. Did I tell you I've got a witness who is an insurance underwriter? Those poor buggers aren't going to know what hit them. Still, the justice system is infernally capricious so I can only hope the judge isn't a motorcycle hating Volvo owner who wears a hat while driving......

I forgot to mention!!!
I went riding on two different Buell motorbikes a week or so ago - at the Mercedes Benz performance driving track south of Brisbane. They both had race-kits as well!! Wooohoooooo. I kept hitting the rev-limiter going down the back straight because I'm so used to opening the throttle a lot wider and these things are v-twins with lots of grunt down low (like a red-line of about 6 or 7000 compared to my bikes 12 500rpm red-line....erm sorry I'm probably boring you by now....).

(A Buell is an American motorbike with a harley-davidson engine.)

How dubious - my last two replies were reversed in order...oh well, you'll figure it out

Figure it out? Figure what out? Hehe. Sorry. Oh, my brain is so stressed. On top of all the tests and papers, I had to do a god awful French skit on video. God I hate the French. Obnoxious, foul smelling people who would rather feed their internal organs to rabid dogs than not do everything in their power to make sure that tourists feel wholly unwelcome in their boiling pussbucket of a country. Maybe I'm a bit too harsh, the country's not so bad. In fact a good portion of it is quite pretty. It'd be even prettier, if it didn't have horrible pockmarks, called the French, dotting its landscape. Besides, I think you understand because Australians are descended from the English. Well, English convicts actually. Don't feel bad, they might have sent Australia their convicts, but they sent America their religious fanatics. Those are the people I (rarely) call my ancestors. I know that last part has nothing to do with anything previously mentioned, but I like to go on at least one maniacal rant per post. Is maniacal a word? We'll add that to the list with dubious.
How is your lawsuit going? I hope you still have access to a computer by the time the lawyer is done sucking your savings dry. I'm saving up for a bike someday. Someday.
Ah, lovely weather nowadays. I assume that since my part of the world is going into summer, that your part will soon be smothered under the bum of Old Man Winter. Heh. Don't bother giving me those "puppy eyes" either, you teased me plenty when I was sitting in snow up to my neck. My parrot didn't like that one bit. You know, because the snow was so high, even he was covered... anyway.

Well I don't know about the French people so much (although there's this learn French language program on TV here and one of the girls in that is a gorgeous blonde so I watch it when I can...viva la difference - can't understand a word she says, but the way she says it is something else....) but people in this part of the world have a couple of good reasons to really dislike the French government - one being the French nuclear testing in the pacific and the other the bombing and sinking of the Rainbow Warrior, the Greenpeace boat in New Zealand a few years ago by the French secret service. Very rude!

About the convicts, I get the impression that there were a hell of a lot of Irish folk in that lot. Whatever the mix, Australians have a kind of love-hate relationship with pommies (that's the English). On the one hand, they're a bunch of whingers, on the other I think for a lot of white anglo-saxon Australians there's a kind of awareness of a shared origin. I think Australians' great joy in participating in the demise of "tall poppies" comes from that convict past. Anyway, not many Aussies take kindly to being called convicts these days, and it's a common mistake made by visitors to this country....
Funny, isn't it, how we have stereotypical views of another country's people? To Australians, Americans are either gun-mad bible bashers, or loud obnoxious middle aged persons in hawaii shirts. Still, I've never been one to apply a stereotype to an individual, so of course I don't mean you!

Thankfully I don't have to pay the lawyer - they're working for my insurance company! Still nothing much happening with that, and I should be finding out soon what the go is - I'll have to go to court at some stage, and I'm kind of looking forward to it. Mind you, I hope we get the right judge - the importance of that was brought home to me the other night during a lecture in "Psychology and Law" when we had a guest speaker who is a solicitor here in Queensland. He told a couple of amusing stories, one about how when his firm was taking part in a suit on the Gold Coast, and they knew the judge had an eye for young women (they research the judges!). Anyway, the barrister told the solicitor not to come (as the solicitor was not young, female, or good looking) but rather to send his article clerk (who was). They thought they'd have it won. When they got to the court, they were rather shocked to discover that the opposing team had recruited the services (and this is a true story) of a beautiful young lady (she was an ex-Miss Indy) in a very short miniskirt to sit with them. Needless to say, they called it off and settled the case out of court in five minutes. Scary, isn't it....

And yes, it is getting chilly - why, it nearly got down to 15degrees (celsius) here the other night, I'm sure of it. Nearly time to use the fireplace. No snow either, not even in Winter Which is good, because then I'd have to stop riding, and I'm not sure I could take any more bike deprivation....

Eek! I hope I didn't offend you with the past rant. I intended it to be a joke, but sometimes my jokes fall flat on their faces. :::Hiding my Hawaiian shirt and Bible::: Anyway, I'm not really a raving lunatic, sometimes I just like to pretend. You're right about the stereotypes, though. Most Americans are only acquainted with Australia as represented by the mass media, like Crocodile Dundee and Foster's("Australian for Beeehr!"). One of the Simpson's best episodes, I think, was done about Australia. I shudder to think where Australians get American stereotypes. So much of our popular TV is utterly stupid, except the Simpsons. =)
The story you told about the competition of the attractive women in court is incredible. I suppose that woman could add lawyer to her resume now, if that's all it takes. I think one of the few ways a person can get a fair trial in court now is if they have tons of money or powerful connections. Public defenders are so overworked that on average they spend at most half an hour reviewing a case. I could be biased, I'm quite disillusioned with legal and political systems anymore. Like the legal system, political offices can basically be bought by whoever plops down the most cash, in the US at least. I think Clinton (bleck! I hate that man!) spent $35 million or more to help himself be elected in 1992. That's a huge amount of money by any currency standard. I don't know what can be done to remedy the situation. I know little to nothing about Australian legal or political systems, so reading what you have to say about it is interesting.
Wish me luck, I'm applying to an archaeological field school for this summer. It would be incredible hands on experience, and besides I won't have to work with my future in-laws 40 hours a week.
The French program you spoke of reminds me of the video lessons that the prof. uses in class. They have this really cute blonde as the main character. She always wears a red skirt, a white shirt and her hair in a pony tail. Don't know if it's the same one that you've seen. It's a pretty funny program actually, and she's really cute besides.
I have to run to work. Take care and write back soon.

Ah the interesting effects of written communication - no offense taken here at all, so joke away =)
Good luck with your archealogical application! Hey look, my email address is [email protected]'s strange but we've been chatting for bloody weeks now and I've made some good friends in shorter time, so if we lose touch feel free to drop me a mail.
Hmmm well I'm not very talkative this evening...so catchya later

Oh, Does the french video have some old guy who introduces the scenes...and there isn't a word of english spoken because you're supposed to somehow learn french via some kind of osmosis? If so, that'd be the one. If not, then your show sounds like it's got the right idea with the blonde, anyway....

Alas, my hamster has passed away. I was riding home from a hard day's "Yo-ho-hoing" , and he was clinging on my shoulder like he normally does (my motorcycle pirate outfit has little hooks for him for high speed stuff) and I went through a really cold patch of fog near our place...and when I got him he was frozen solid. Ah well, hamsters are passe, and I think it's time for some real style - my next shoulder ornament will be an echidna! Could have some problems with the spiny bits, but I'm sure a quick trim with the garden shears will work wonders.....

Yep it's bloody cold here. Not cold enough to snow, mind you.

I had my last tutorial tonight. Exams in two weeks. FREAK OUT!!! EXAM STRESS!!! ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHhhhhhh

Oh my! I'm awfully sorry to hear about your hamster who has gone to running wheel heaven. Leading cause of death among hamsters.

I started that archaeological field school I told you about before. I'm really enjoying it so far. I know, school in summer, I must be sick. The hours are awful, though. It goes from Wed. to Sun. 8:30 to 4:30. No weekends. I paid money to work the hours of a full time job with no paycheck--How smart am I? They made it sound all impressive in the letters and it turns out to be a 1 story delapidated house with a huge basement that serves as the laboratory. I'll be starting to dig on Sunday, so I don't have to spend much more time in it, anyway. The site apparently has been used for millions of years, so I'll be digging up artifacts from the Indians, colonials and African slaves. We're specifically looking for the first print house in the southern colonies this summer. I hope there are no graves nearby, I'm squeemish about digging up human remains.

It's cold? Oh, that's too bad. All we can get here now is clear sunny days. =P

How did your finals go? I know I bombed my math class. Second math class I've taken. Really, I hate it. I don't think I've ever asked you, but what is your major? I'm thinking it's probably criminal justice or law from some of the things you've said.

Good luck with the echidna. Remember to weather proof it though, or maybe a nice down jacket, or gortex might be warmer.... You don't want it dropping over like that hamster.

Sounds like you're having fun! The idea of archaelogical digs has a certain romanticism, but I guess like a lot of things the reality is somewhat different...Still, I'd be interested to hear how you go (and especially if you find some good stuff). What's a "print house"? Is that a house with a printing machine in it, or is it some obscure name for a brothel? (Hey it's not such a long leap - in Kota Kinabulu I went to a brothel called the "long house" when I was 16...didn't get laid, but that's another story.)

The closest I've come to archaeology was when I went to see an exhibition of mummies and egyptian stuff like that - it was fascinating. They were short buggers back then...none of those big bandage wrapped freaks grabbing innocent victims like you see in the movies, it'd be more like being attacked by a pissed off, wrinkly, brown and crumbly midget.

Actually I probably came closer when I was a kid in PNG exploring the WWII Japanese tunnels around Rabaul. We used to find all sorts of interesting things, including armaments. We'd make home-made rockets out of the cordite we pulled out of unexploded shells..lucky we didn't blow ourselves to bits, really, but ah well you're immortal when you're 10.

I'm studying Psychology (it's a Bachelor of Arts degree, but you can also do it as a Bachelor of Science). I just finished my 2nd year exams and next semester I start 3rd (and final) year subjects. Mind you, since I'm doing it part time, and I'd like to go on to the 4th (Honours) year, and maybe do a Masters or PhD after that, I could be going to uni for the next 10 years!

Gortex, hey? Yes, I think a lovely crimson goretex jacket would go well. Hmmm, I'll definitely have to do something about the spines, though - still, might make it easier to velcro it to my bike if I leave the spines on, and I don't believe in cutting bits off animals when you don't have to. Like those poor bloody dobermans, rottweilers etc that get their tails docked and ears clipped, I hate that stuff.

I had a conference today with the taxi company and their lawyer and my insurance company lawyer - conferences are designed to try to avoid having to go to trial if it's possible, or at least reduce court time. This didn't take very long though, and I think the taxi company's lawyer was a bit taken aback by the fact that I'm not a motorcycle hooligan (I made it clear I've been riding for 13 years and I've never had an accident or even a speeding ticket (much luck, on both counts...especially the speeding ticket part....) and (even better) we have a witness who says it was the taxi's fault. Should be interesting to see where we go from here, I don't think it will get to court, but we'll see.

Have fun digging!