Four seasons
Jan. 30th, 2004 01:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hnpccin about one minute.
The weather has been weird again. Flooding, storms, hail and now it's shining bright sun at me and I'm wondering why I decided to leave my sunglasses at home today because I wouldn't need them. After living in Melbourne (motto: don't like the weather? Wait five minutes) for the last 10 and a bit years you'd think I'd know that sunscreen, sunglasses, polar fleece, raincoat, hat, umbrella and t-shirt are all essential items for the day. *sigh*
Last night we played netball. Well, that was the intention anyway. What actually happened was that all of the team, except the one who lives literally around the corner from the ground, got there as the end of first quarter whistle went. Everyone got stuck on Punt Rd, which was even more feral than usual due to (a) storms, hail, flooding and idiot drivers who don't think that slowing down under those conditions might be a good idea and as a result skid, crash and block the freaking road and (b) the Australian Open. We forfeited, not least because we still only had 4 players there (Trish made it 5 mins later, Mandy phoned to say the trams had stopped because an intersection had flooded and we think Elisha gave up in disgust!) and there was 5 cm of water covering the court. I honestly thought they were going to call it off, but no, "Netball is an all-weather sport, just like the AFL". This would at least explain some people's attitudes to tackling in what is supposed to be a minimal contact game.
I should point out that when I say I was going to play, my actual intention was to stand on the court with my arms up, hoping everyone else was shorter than me and I could therefore not move, until we had enough players for a team and then retire and be scorer. Given that I can't run unless I'm on a trampoline (trust me I tried last night - the jolting through the joint is still quite painful) and I just booked in for a CT scan - and of course the court was slippery and I really, really, really didn't want to do any further injury to my ankle.
This morning I woke up to the sound of rain. Really, they should put a catchment area where I live, seeing as that's where the rain seems to be falling these days. It was pouring. I actually woke up about 3am, thought "maybe I should get up and check for leaks - nah, I'll find them in the morning" and went back to sleep. Traffic was feral. Actually, given it was the second day back for most schools, it was worse than feral, it was completely fucked. We left home at 7.45am. And found a leak. In the car. The whole back seat's wet. About half way into the city I hear on the radio:
"And there's a nasty accident on the Monash at Forster Rd - a truck's rolled and lost it's load..."
Now let me see. Forster Rd's the exit for Monash, and I'm going to be completely screwed.
But I didn't have time to worry about that then, because it was pouring so hard I couldn't see more than three cars in front, the road was under about 10cm of water, so I was getting to check the brakes every time I went through a slightly deeper than usual puddle and because both Dean and I are breathing, everything is misting up. Forget the three cars in front, I can't see the end of the bonnet. So Dean's frantically wiping the windscreen with the chamois, while I'm edging through puddles, hoping I'm not going to suddenly discover the brakes don't work, or worse, stop by hitting the car in front. Dean's also putting the passenger seat flat, lying back and wiping around the back window, as we discovered that the de-mister connection has managed to break lose and I can't see behind me either. I've got the window open a couple of cm to try and clear the side windows, which of course means I'm getting wet. Somehow we manage to get to the CBD, drop Dean off, clear the windows.
Now for the freeway. On the up side, the rain stopped. The down side - so did the traffic. At Bourke Rd. We inched along doing about 5-10kph. And stopped. And inched. And stopped. And listened to the in(s)ane woman who phoned into the radio station, apparently to tell them her sexual fantasies about men in the gym. And inched. And stopped. And let the dickheads who push their way along the lane saying "merge right" as far as possible, because getting two cars ahead will make all the difference! in. The problem partly is that I don't know that side of town well enough to try side streets, but to be honest I don't think that would have made a difference - everyone who did know them was trying them and they were stopped too. Gridlock.
Warrigal Rd. Buggerit, I come off and head down to Clayton Rd and then in the back way to the uni. As I'm going over the freeway bridge I notice that the traffic has magically cleared. I'm going to kill someone. Where'd that friggin' rolled truck go? I get to work at 9.15am. Normally I'd be there by 8.30am. Hm.
Normally I'd say I want a train station to Monash, and I do, but in all honesty half the trains and trams were cancelled this morning due to flooding too. I'm just hoping it's better going home. Or that the trucks slow down and stop rolling at least.
Oh and note to self: Don't take Punt Road during the bloody Australian Open! Der!
The weather has been weird again. Flooding, storms, hail and now it's shining bright sun at me and I'm wondering why I decided to leave my sunglasses at home today because I wouldn't need them. After living in Melbourne (motto: don't like the weather? Wait five minutes) for the last 10 and a bit years you'd think I'd know that sunscreen, sunglasses, polar fleece, raincoat, hat, umbrella and t-shirt are all essential items for the day. *sigh*
Last night we played netball. Well, that was the intention anyway. What actually happened was that all of the team, except the one who lives literally around the corner from the ground, got there as the end of first quarter whistle went. Everyone got stuck on Punt Rd, which was even more feral than usual due to (a) storms, hail, flooding and idiot drivers who don't think that slowing down under those conditions might be a good idea and as a result skid, crash and block the freaking road and (b) the Australian Open. We forfeited, not least because we still only had 4 players there (Trish made it 5 mins later, Mandy phoned to say the trams had stopped because an intersection had flooded and we think Elisha gave up in disgust!) and there was 5 cm of water covering the court. I honestly thought they were going to call it off, but no, "Netball is an all-weather sport, just like the AFL". This would at least explain some people's attitudes to tackling in what is supposed to be a minimal contact game.
I should point out that when I say I was going to play, my actual intention was to stand on the court with my arms up, hoping everyone else was shorter than me and I could therefore not move, until we had enough players for a team and then retire and be scorer. Given that I can't run unless I'm on a trampoline (trust me I tried last night - the jolting through the joint is still quite painful) and I just booked in for a CT scan - and of course the court was slippery and I really, really, really didn't want to do any further injury to my ankle.
This morning I woke up to the sound of rain. Really, they should put a catchment area where I live, seeing as that's where the rain seems to be falling these days. It was pouring. I actually woke up about 3am, thought "maybe I should get up and check for leaks - nah, I'll find them in the morning" and went back to sleep. Traffic was feral. Actually, given it was the second day back for most schools, it was worse than feral, it was completely fucked. We left home at 7.45am. And found a leak. In the car. The whole back seat's wet. About half way into the city I hear on the radio:
"And there's a nasty accident on the Monash at Forster Rd - a truck's rolled and lost it's load..."
Now let me see. Forster Rd's the exit for Monash, and I'm going to be completely screwed.
But I didn't have time to worry about that then, because it was pouring so hard I couldn't see more than three cars in front, the road was under about 10cm of water, so I was getting to check the brakes every time I went through a slightly deeper than usual puddle and because both Dean and I are breathing, everything is misting up. Forget the three cars in front, I can't see the end of the bonnet. So Dean's frantically wiping the windscreen with the chamois, while I'm edging through puddles, hoping I'm not going to suddenly discover the brakes don't work, or worse, stop by hitting the car in front. Dean's also putting the passenger seat flat, lying back and wiping around the back window, as we discovered that the de-mister connection has managed to break lose and I can't see behind me either. I've got the window open a couple of cm to try and clear the side windows, which of course means I'm getting wet. Somehow we manage to get to the CBD, drop Dean off, clear the windows.
Now for the freeway. On the up side, the rain stopped. The down side - so did the traffic. At Bourke Rd. We inched along doing about 5-10kph. And stopped. And inched. And stopped. And listened to the in(s)ane woman who phoned into the radio station, apparently to tell them her sexual fantasies about men in the gym. And inched. And stopped. And let the dickheads who push their way along the lane saying "merge right" as far as possible, because getting two cars ahead will make all the difference! in. The problem partly is that I don't know that side of town well enough to try side streets, but to be honest I don't think that would have made a difference - everyone who did know them was trying them and they were stopped too. Gridlock.
Warrigal Rd. Buggerit, I come off and head down to Clayton Rd and then in the back way to the uni. As I'm going over the freeway bridge I notice that the traffic has magically cleared. I'm going to kill someone. Where'd that friggin' rolled truck go? I get to work at 9.15am. Normally I'd be there by 8.30am. Hm.
Normally I'd say I want a train station to Monash, and I do, but in all honesty half the trains and trams were cancelled this morning due to flooding too. I'm just hoping it's better going home. Or that the trucks slow down and stop rolling at least.
Oh and note to self: Don't take Punt Road during the bloody Australian Open! Der!
