Journal Entries
A rainy day in the bush
Posted Apr 27, 2004
It was ANZAC day on Sunday, and because I live in Victoria it was a public holiday, instead of having it on Monday.
On the up side this meant I could go a visiting.
My family and I went to Cockatoo which is in the hills outside of Melbourne. Lots of windy roads, and trees. It would've been beautiful if it wasn't so wet and cold. Well, it still was beautiful.
My uncle lives in Cockatoo with his young family. His oldest daughter, 5, was sick in bed. Poor little thing, she is better now though. Got an award at school yesterday!
The youngest boy, 3, was a bit shy when we first got there. He'd walk around with his eyes closed. I think he thought if he can't see us then we weren't there!
At one point he was sitting on his dad's knee, next to me. He had this little robot/transformer type bird toy thing that he called a Pooh Pooh Bird. It was explained to me that the Pooh Pooh Bird flies around and does pooh on things, and people and you can't wipe it off. This is when the Pooh Pooh Bird did a pooh on my keyboard (I had my computer with me). "Oh no, Pooh Pooh Bird, not on my keyboard!" I exclaimed. I then said to my young cousin, "I hope Pooh Pooh Bird doesn't pooh on me!" (Of course then he had to.) My young cousin aimed the bird at me, getting closer and closer. "No Pooh Pooh Bird! No Pooh Pooh Bird!" I cried, but to no avail. "Pthhhh" said my cousin as Pooh Pooh Bird poohed on me. He then proceeded to hover Pooh Pooh Bird over his dad's coffee, "Pooh Pooh Bird poohed in your toffee dad," he said clearly pleased with himself.
After that he came out of his shell and showed me some of his other toys and how he could play games on the computer. He is very good on the computer for a 3 year old let me tell you!
Discuss this Journal entry [9]
Latest reply: Apr 27, 2004
conversations
Posted Apr 24, 2004
I wish there was a better way to oraganise our conversations. My current conversations are starting to spill over, so I have to 'click here to see more conversations', then I have to look through the same ones all over again to find any that have current postings. 
Discuss this Journal entry [14]
Latest reply: Apr 24, 2004
Blurburger
Posted Apr 15, 2004
For anyone who likes a touch of the weird.
http://www.blurburger.com/
Discuss this Journal entry [8]
Latest reply: Apr 15, 2004
Jury Duty
Posted Apr 7, 2004
I was summoned. Is Jury Duty compulsory in other parts of the world? It is in Australia.
There's something a bit strange about having to take the day off work, because you've been summoned. There's no choice, you have to be there. (Unless you've a really good excuse) I have nothing against Jury Duty, it has to be done by someone.
It just feels a bit weird to be told, don't go to work, be here on this day. It's like receiving orders, or something.
I was thinking about this post on the way home, and thought I was going to be really articulate. Sorry.
I arrived in the city at 9am. Not having to be at the court until 9.30 I did a walk around the block. Down William, up Lonsdale, up King, Down La Trobe. Back down William and into court. I arrived at 9.15, went through a metal detector. The security guys x-rayed my bag. They thought there was a pocket knife in there, and did it again. It turned out to be the batteries in my discman. I went through and and handed in my summons. They ticked me off, handed it back then directed me to the end of the corridor where the pool room is. There's actually a pool table in there, but no one played. There were tea and coffee facilities, but I left it for later. I sat down and pulled out my novel, and waited until they called for us.
I had dressed up, as had most people. One woman turned up in tracky-dacs and sneakers, and why not? I had on nice slacks, a salmon coloured satin shirt and a faux-suede bone coloured jacket. Not exactly conservative, but neat.
It was deathly quiet in the room. All I could hear were newspapers rustling, people breathing, and what I imagined to be the sounds of court in session off in some distant room. At 9.30am we were all called in to the lecture hall next-door.
We were told that the courts are closing down for a short break and they didn't actually need a jury today. The had to have a panel to provide back-up incase one of the cases needed a new jury, and that's why we were there. The Jury supervisor told us that she doubted we would be needed and would probably be discharged before noon.
I was surprised at the relief I felt on hearing this. I'm not sure whether I wanted to be on a Jury or not. I think I have a problem with not knowing what I'm doing in the immediate future. If you get on a Jury the average case goes 7 days, some longer some shorter. I didn't even know if I would have to attend until 4.15 yesterday afternoon. They make you ring the day before to see if you're still required.
I must have a thing about planning ahead, I like to have some idea of what's coming.
Well, after that little announcement we were shown a video on what to expect during Jury selection in a criminal case. I was surprised, and relieved to note that you don't have to swear on the bible. You can take an affirmation instead. (There's actually about 17 different religions you can swear on.) After the video, there was a little talk about civil cases, and how they're different. Then we were all sent back to the pool room to wait and see if we were going to be needed.
That room must be the most boring place on earth. The Jury supervisor said they tried to make it as nice as possible, and they have. There's comfy chairs, puzzles (the pool table) tea, coffee, biscuits. It's just soooo silent. I was reading a novel, the third in a really exciting trilogy, but had trouble concentrating. I desperately wanted to put my headphones on, just to hear some noise, but didn't for fear of missing the announcement. It was cold in there too. I guess I felt confined too, I remember thinking it's like I'd been given detention.
Finally the announcement came to go back to the the lecture hall. A court guy (don't know what his actual title was) thanked us all for coming. (Like we had a choice,) He said that it's only recently that they do things this way, that they used to make the back-up panel stay all day. After what seemed like a great deal many more words, he finally said he'd had word that we weren't needed and that we would all be discharged! We would all be recorded as having attended, and are exempt from call up for the next two years. It was 11am. We had to wait for our names to be called out, then we received our cheques and could go.
I walked out side and felt like I'd suddenly been set free!
The train ride back was great. I listened to 'Semisonic' on my headphones, but could still hear the sounds of the train and people around me. It's like the world had reset and gone back to normal.
Discuss this Journal entry [19]
Latest reply: Apr 7, 2004
The Universe
Posted Apr 2, 2004
I think I've come up with a theory of what the Universe was like before the Big Bang. Well, actually, I don't 'think' I have, I know I have.
I'm not a physicist, so I can't describe it all in quantum particles and stringy bits, but here goes.
I think the universe is like a star.
A star develops from a huge cloud of gasses. Gravity pulls at the gasses and they swirl around and become tighter and tighter until a star is born (and chunks of rock swirl around it busy becoming planets).
As the star gets older it gets bigger, expanding until it finally explodes. (Obliterating the planets.) Sometimes it contracts again into a very tiny little sphere, then explodes. Wham! A whole new cloud of gasses, and new stars get born all over again.
That's what I think the universe does. I think at some point before the Big Bang, the universe was pretty much as it is now, expanding, then it reaches a certain point and begins to contract. It becomes so small, the particles fighting for space, churning and burning. Eventually the friction is too much and there's a Big Bang. The universe is born again, it goes on expanding until it reaches a certain point, then starts to contract. . .
Well, that's my theory of life, the universe and everything. I can't manage to make it equal 42, but I'm sure someone can. It sounds about as logical as anything else I've ever heard.
I'm probably not the first to think of it. It just became so clear in my mind all of a sudden, I had to share.
Discuss this Journal entry [12]
Latest reply: Apr 2, 2004
Researcher U198131
Write an Entry
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."