Journal Entries
Out Of The Blue
Posted Oct 25, 2008
Just as I left Australia I treated myself to a couple of CDs, ordered online. They arrived earlier this week.
One is the classic Electric Light Orchestra's 'Out Of The Blue'. I haven't listened to it for years and as soon as I put it on I was transported back to my teens 
I lost 30 years in three seconds.
Sadly they soon came back again 
What with listening to ELO and reading early Iain Banks novels, I'm on quite a nostalgia trip. I'm loving it 
Fb
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Latest reply: Oct 25, 2008
Let battle (or at least skirmishes) commence
Posted Oct 22, 2008
Having had a very smooth ride here in NZ so far, I now have two wee hassles which are a) irritating and b) time-consuming to deal with.
Neither are life-threatening or likely to give me sleepless nights, but are more like buzzy wasps in my ear. And I need a rant ;-P
One is with my NZ bank. One is with my telecom provider in Australia.
Probably no surprises there then 
It turns out that my new bank (which is the same as my old bank in Oz, but with "NZ" in its name) doesn't provide the same internet bill-paying and money transfer service 
Silly me to assume that because they have the same name and logo, they'd provide the same service. Consequently I shall have to set up *another* account here with another bank (one which does allow me to transfer money internationally) in order to send money to Australia to pay off my credit card 
The credit card, incidentally, is with the original Oz bank 
And my telecom provider in Australia is still sending me phone bills to my old address - both landline and mobile. Both were cancelled in mid-September (I know it worked, because they stopped working 
). In order to sort it out, I am informed that I must phone a landline number in Oz during working hours - at my expense. The current state of play is that I am refusing to do so: I want either an email address to write to, or an international freephone number (if such a thing exists). What a bloody nerve... their mistake, but I have to pay to sort it out. I don't think so thank you very much.
Frenchbean on the Warpath.... you have been warned
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Latest reply: Oct 22, 2008
Last night's DVD
Posted Oct 14, 2008
“Cry, The Beloved Country” is a great film. I read the book so long ago that I had forgotten much of the detail of the story. Watching the DVD last night was a reminder of the long-ingrained social acceptance of white supremacy in South Africa – amongst the whites if not the blacks.
And of course, the juxtaposition of the evils of discrimination and the stunningly beautiful landscapes are the crux of the film. One so inexplicable (to me at least) and the other so breath-taking in its delight.
It’s worth a look, if only as a reminder that generations of prejudice cannot be swept away in just a decade or two. No wonder Africa is still a mess.
Food for thought...
Fb
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Latest reply: Oct 14, 2008
I hate living in town
Posted Oct 7, 2008
Last night at about 8pm a low-loader drew up outside my apartment complex and off rolled a JCB, roller and tar-machine. Then another one drew up.
At 9pm they closed the road.
At 9:30pm they started scraping the surface of bits of the road.
At 4:30am they left, having spent the entire night driving backwards and forwards outside my window. And beeping every time they put the machines into reverse 
When I got home this evening, they were already all set to close off the road again and a huge articulated low-loader full of new big machines has just drawn up.
So I guess tomorrow will be another zomby-like day in the office 
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Latest reply: Oct 7, 2008
VPs
Posted Oct 4, 2008
I'm listening to the US VP debate. Vey interesting. There's a lot of banging on from the Hockey Mom about corruption and greed on Wall Street, like it's a sudden realisation 
Anybody who watches the news must have realised decades ago that the prime force on Wall Street (and all financial areas) is making money for the sake of it: aka greed.
Give me strength...
Interesting debate though. Biden would have my vote - so far. I'm half way through.
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Latest reply: Oct 4, 2008
frenchbean
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