As my mother might say…

I just told my daughter not to stick anything smaller than her elbow in her ear…

Dirt Music

I have just finished Dirt Music by Tim Winton.

I went off Tim’s work… Cloudstreet was okay but The Riders was awful and since then I just couldn’t bear to go back but then a person whom I respect said that if I didn’t like Tim’s work, Dirt Music was the one I’d most likely like… so when I saw it on the “yet to be put back on the shelves” trolley at the library* I thought I’d give it a go.

It still took me about a month to pick it up… I had Robin Hobb and JK to read first, not to mention Philippa Gregory and Maeve Binchy (okay okay but I needed to escape)… but eventually I started reading.

And you know what?

I liked it. It was good. I felt the adjectives were a little too frequent in the opening chapters, a little pretentious, but either they weren’t, or I got used to them. I really enjoyed it. Yes and even gasped out loud at the end.

Everyone else has read it so I don’t feel the need to ramble on about the plot but yes, I will pick up this West Australian author again. Tim, you have redeemed yourself!

* I always scour the returns trolley. I love to see what others have been reading and I’ve discovered some new authors which I would never have found on the shelves… I recommend this practice to the regular library visitor as a short cut to new authors. Otherwise I just browse my faves on the shelves…

The ethics of buying and selling online

So I bought a Chloromatic ESC 24/36/48 Replacement Cell yesterday online for my pool which is now greener than my lawn. And the lawn is green.

I shopped around and found one at a very good price - about $200 cheaper than any other store either online or actual. And in good faith - I bought it.

Today, I get a phone message… “Oh um hi, you ordered a replacement cell yesterday, and well we’ve just taken over the company and we’re losing so much money at that price and um, could you call me?” And she leaves an incomplete phone number.

I went back to the website and I can see they’ve upped the price to $665 - still $30 cheaper than all the competitors.

So what do I do? Play hard ball? After all I have my order confirmation email… and would they give me a discount if the day after I ordered they dropped their price? If it had been an actual store I would have it installed already. And I probably wouldn’t have bought it online if the price hadn’t been so much less.

Or, be compassionate - they have just bought the store apparently… she did sound a bit upset.

Or, compromise - ask for the cell at cost price and pay postage…

I’m on the horns of an ethical dilemma - what do you think I should do?

Update: Sometimes when you do nothing, the problem solves itself.

We have tried to contact you about the cell you purchased on our website. We are currently under new management as from July 1, 2007 and hadn’t realised that the companies that supply the cells have had a huge price rise. So we didn’t realise until you purchased it that we can’t even buy the cell for that price. If you can help us get the order up and running would you consider buying the cell for our “cost” price with FREE delivery.

Of course I graciously said yes.

And will use their business again.

My favourite joke

Went to a great party last night. A 40th. Loads of people dressed in cowboy outfits, the children made the cocktails (I was driving so no, didn’t have any of those) and there was country music (ah well).

This morning my hair smells like woodsmoke.

I saw my first flatmate - we shared a unit in Bunbury - and I haven’t seen her since about 1990. She’s exactly how I remember her - with slightly shorter hair.

Anyway I got the opportunity to tell my favourite joke so I thought I’d share it with you too… aren’t you lucky?

Why did Chris de Burgh cross the road?

To get to the middle of course!

Hehehe… LOL… ROFPMP!

Hair removal

I was in at the beauticians today getting my eyebrows waxed (as you do) and I pondered that someone somewhere must have discovered a cream that permanently stops hair growing… but there’s no way they would market it.

An entire industry would fold overnight. 

Fighting couples might give each other bald patches in their sleep (imagine that!).

Oh but think how nice it would be never having to contemplate a bikini/leg/underarm/upper lip/eye/back, sack and crack (choose the most relevant) wax ever again…

Mmmmmmm…

Sore legs

Over the last few days my legs have been aching… as if my boots have been too tight or there’s a slight cramp in the calf that makes the whole leg ache… It’s annoying.

I don’t mind having sore legs if I’ve done something good - like walked a long way, or done a lot of lunges, or skied, or roller-bladed, or danced all night.  But having sore legs from doing nothing, sucks.

Groover says not to worry, it’s probably motor neuron disease or DVT… how comforting of him.

When are you going to Karratha again?

Pet Peeve

I hate it when I’m talking to someone and they say:

Oh hi, I just wanted to dialogue with you about…

What the?!! What happened to the verb “to talk”.

Do we have to use nouns now for everything?

Yes, this happened to me today.

I said: “You mean you want to talk to me?”

And she went silent.

So I said “Well c’mon! Who uses dialogue as a verb these days?”

And she said “Well me I guess.”

BTW - That is A dialogue.

Hurrumph.

Saving the Planet

“If Google had a black screen, taking in account the huge number of page views, according to calculations, 750 megawatt-hours per year would be saved.”

In response Google created a black version of its search engine, called Blackle -http://www.blackle.com/, with the exact same functions as the white version, but obviously with lower energy consumption…

So now you can do your bit. :)

UPDATE: Hmmm apparently it wasn’t Google at all!! I wonder when the lawyers will be sent out.

UPDATE 2: From an email I received today: “Megawatt-hours per year” is a really perverse way of measuring power - it contains 3 different units of time in the one quantity. They could have just said it would save 85 kW. Which is bugger-all anyway.”

Bugger.

Will I still be blogging at 107?

Olive has just started.  How brilliant is that?  What a wonderful record to have. Thanks Pav.

Back to work

Going back to work has certainly slowed my reading of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows but I have finished it, and therefore the series at last.

I found it to be pretty good.  Better than 5.  As good as 6.  A nice rounding off of the series.

But DK is delusional if she thinks noone will be able to carry on the series if she stops writing.  Perhaps she is just leaving herself open.  It’s a rich world she has described and I’m sure a thousand and one tales could be set in it. 

Going back to work felt rather flat.  I guess I was hoping that the old enthusiasm would blast away my uncertainties.  Well it looks as if interviews are at least 5 weeks away so I’m not going to stress yet.  Last minute Larissa.  That’s me!

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