Laura Seabrook's Ramblings

Yesterday things were, well not right.

I went out for food shopping but ended up going into town looking for a 2nd hand (or affordable) student chair. The old one I have just doesn't hold my weight that well any more. There was a bit of running about , from office works to a place that sold $200-$400 chairs that certainly WOULD hold my weight, but in the end I got a 2nd hand one from the salvos for $35. Not the most comfortable but certainly the the most sturdy.

Got it back home via a couple of bus trips but felt really ill on the way home. It was a warmish day yesterday and I may have been overdressed and too warm. Have a chicken salad roll for lunch at the chip shop but by the time I got home (at 2pm) I was feeling sick, giddy and tired. I had planned to do more scripting in the afternoon, but when I booted the Studio PC one of the hard drives was mysteriously "off-line" - all the aprtitions were there but listed as "healthy primary partition" by the Windows Management app! Likewise booting to Linux showed that they were online but inaccessible! I realised that I was not up to sorting this out just then, and trying to was likely to bring on a disaster by trying to fix the wrong thing. I shut it down and went to bed.

Woke up about 6pm. Not quite refreshed. The PC had fixed itself after Windows did a CHKDISK on all the missing partitions! Watched a Dr Who repeat and a bit of Fantasia (bought the DVD of it last week) but couldn't keep my eyes open after the 2nd segment. Dozed off until 11:30pm, had a toilet break, and then slept until 6am. Not feeling the greatest this morning, but today it's really very cold here. No danger of falling asleep, and I have Bobby with his jacket on and under a blanket.

But it's a worry when I feel ill for no particular reason. When I got home I had the shakes, felt giddy and my vision was slightly blurry. Better today. Some of the symptoms reminded me of the food poinoning last year - hope it wasn't the chicken roll from the shop - but I felt sick on the bus as well.
 

I decided that today would be a good day to take Bobby on the bus to see Ron (one of his previous owners) at the Aged Care Unit at Wallsend. I've taken Bobby there before - it's one bus trip to and back (with the bus stop practically outside the unit). When bus drivers have questioned me I've pointed out that that he's in a carrier unit and is no trouble.

But today it was a new bus driver who radioed the depot, asked if an animal in a carrier was OK and they said NO. That means I can't take Bobby to see Ron via the bus any more. To make matters worse, there was a "chance of showers" today and it only seemed to rain over the bus stop!

I will be investigating whether or not that ruling is correct and appropriate, and the reasons why or why not. I took Bobby to see Jenny when she wass still alive and that involved four bus rides on both private and state buses and there was never any problem, so why now? Just now though I'm going to have to phone Ron and tell him I can't bring Bobby like I have been. We could get there and back by taxi, but that would be roughly between $20 to $30 each way! Can't afford that.

GRRR!


Update: Phone Ron and he said to let it go. I'm going to investigate this a bit further though.

I found this on the Travelling with Pets page:
 

Pets on Sydney Buses

Customers may also board a bus with a pet such as a dog, cat, bird or other animal. Any such pet must be restrained in a suitable box, basket or other container to be allowed on board as required by the law (NSW Passenger Transport Act and Regulations). The bus driver may refuse to allow a pet on a bus if this poses a risk to the safety of other passengers or the bus. Pets that are not clean, appear vicious, or likely to annoy, threaten or inconvenience other passengers will not be allowed on a bus.

Of course this isn't Sydney and they are not State buses, but - I happen to know that the service has been LEASED by the State government, so maybe it applies anyway.

I was feeling crook yesterday, today, not so much. I was feelling miserable yesterday, today I had fun. It was a better day.

The one thing I needed to do was go and get a blood and urine test. I could have gone to a number of places but I decided to go to the collection office in Kotara because I'd never been there before.

As it happened, I got off to a silly start. I Caught or tried to catch the 9:05 bus out, but just before it came (late) two over-width vehicles were towed through Northville Drive, at low speeds. That meant that I couldn't meet the connecting 363 bus and because of that the also connecting 224 bus later. We got into Glendale 20 minutes late, and I settled getting a 334 to Kotara instead. Only this one does a very tortuous circuit around thre or for suburbs before it even gets to Kotara. I felt bus sick by the time I got off. Nonetheless, I decides to walk to the collection office but also got off one stop later than I expected. It was a brisk walk and I discover a path around a Catholic School near the railway (and the school hospital called "House Hospital", though I don't think he practices there ) .

Anyway, got to the collection office, gave blood and urine, and was on my way. First stop was at Office Works, looking for labels I could stick around LAN cables for troubleshooting, and metal rings for Bobby's collar (easier to put the clip of the lead through) but found neither. However, I started feeling in a flamboyant mood and bough two giant wing clips (perfect for clipping sheets of paper to drawing boards), a bookmark, a small notebook, a document holder and a big hessian shopping bag to put it (and later loot) in - some of the money on the bag goes to a charity of some sort. Then I made my way around to Westfields.

Then I did something I've never done before - I went into centre management and suggested they move the "please use the ramp" signs from where they are to better locations. There's a driveway for cars up into the car park at the front, and when I wait for the bus nearby I always see people walk across the busy driveway rather than up and down the pedestrian ramp that's right next to it. The signage contributes to that, because on one side the sign is on the fencing mid-way up the ramp (so you don't see it unless you're already on the ramp) and on the other side (which i saw on the way out it's at a baby's eye height where few people noticed it.  Next time I'm there I'll see if my suggestion was taken up (which was to put the signs at eye level on posts nearby).

I went to K-Mart looking for rings and labels and came out with a "Fairyland" metal pencil case - just right for uni days - and two 160 gsm acid free A3 sketch pads (much better than the cartridge paper I normally use). Then, wandering down to the food hall I paused to browse in Borders, and came out with a book on Adobe Flash for less than $40 (I intend to learn flash and animate with it)! Had the usual Indian Curry I like there (only this time with a really HOT Beef Vindaloo which cleared my sinuses)and after a short walk through Woolworths (where I bought 3 x hard to find 750ml containers and a small party mix) I caught the bus to Charlestown.

At Charlestown I was just in time to see a session of Rango. At first I found it alternatively frightening and creepy (see another post) but it was a really fun film as well, and walked out  feeling contented and relaxed. Did a bit of spot shopping, buying rubber bands, another acid free sketch pad, low energy lights, sticky labels, and posting tags from a couple of shops. I ended up with all this:

Then it was two connecting buses straight home, where I am now. All through today I read another volume of the Sandman series, and finished reading it on the sofa out the back. And you know what? I think I just had an Artist's Date! I feel much better now and refreshed. My right knee still aches a bit and I've been moderately queasy all day (the Vindaloo actually helped settle that) but I feel GOOD.

It was a better day today.

My first mistake was going out today.

For some reason I wasn't sure if it was a holiday or not. I needed to go out and do a small amount of food shopping. Got ready to go out one the assumption that it was a regular day.  Just as I'm about to race up the street Bella appears sans collar. Both pups were on the chain under the trees, so she must have slipped off. I could try to reattach the collar and chain, but I was already a little late, so I just put her inside down my end.

I raced off to catch the bus and was instead given a lift by someone to Cardiff. Did a little light shopping (went there explicitly to get a dog chain and some coaxial cabling) and then caught a bus back to Glendale Supercentre. Spent a bit of time checking out potential bargains but everything (that I was interested in) was disappointingly much the same as before Xmas. Bought a 30cm box fan in ALDI, and some food in Coles, and waited for the bus - which didn't come.

I waited from 1:03pm until 2:13pm for the bus. A bus came in with "SORRY, NOT IN SERVICE" showing, and then pulled out and changed to my number. A man and his two sons were waiting for a bus and it transpired that this was theirs, but the driver hadn't put the right sign up. When one finally came I complained about the missing bus only to be told that there wasn't one because today's a public holiday with a holiday timetable. D'Oh! Got to Barnsley, traipsed down the street (my feet and right knee are hurting badly) and got home to find that Stripe (with collar) was down my end as well. I can only assume that he whinged too much on the chain by himself.

Am just about to have a cuppa of Peppermint tea and spend most of the rest of the day brain dead. Might just stay home tomorrow  - should have stayed home today.

It was odd coming home tonight on the bus. We turned down Garth St and the bus driver stopped. From where I sat it looked like a pram in the middle of the road and a dog tied to it. The bus driver and I got out and when we got close discovered that it was an elderly man fallen face down on the road trying to reach his walker, with his dog tied to that.

We tried to get him up but it wasn't until an oncoming car stopped and the driver helped that we got him up again. He seemed more or less conscious (though he was smoking and he smelled of turps) and insisted on carrying on walking down the street in the road. There wasn't anything else that we could do but it was a bit scary.

Did he get home without falling over again? I don't know.

I have a tradition of not going anywhere in over Easter. When I break that tradition things don't go well and today was no exception.

I decided to do a little food shopping at Glendale, which I tend to do anyway on a Sunday. However I fell at the first hurdle when I forgot to adjust for the end of daylight saving and turned up at the bus stop an hour early. Rather than walk home and back, I walked up to the next proper bus stop, and waited there. Not a problem though I wa only wearing thongs (silly of me). Anyway I got to Glendale, and ignoring the clues (few cars parked, and a stream of cars circling the shops) got off the bus only to discover that all a newsagent and the cinema were shut for the day.

Seems the centre was shut FRIDAY and SUNDAY but not Saturday and Monday. Sigh - caught a bus to Cardiff (with a very friendly but obviously inexperienced bus driver) to discover that only the hot bread shop was open. Bought some bread and only just caught the local bus going back. I decided that it wasn't worth trying Coles at Edgeworth, but saw signs that the IGA at West Wallsend was open all weekend. However, if I went there, the bus would have turned around and left for the next run while I was shopping, and there would be a long wait for the next one. My foot was starting to feel sore by now so I just got off at the roundabout, went to the chip shop, and went home.

I ought to know better. I was going to go shopping on Friday but went to the NUAC AGM instead. As it is I can get by by defrosting some sausages from the freezer. I have however run out of pet milk and eggs - two ingredients to feed Hallie with while she's nursing pups. Oh well, it's only a couple of days.

Comedy of errors methinks.

Needed to get out today - just to get out of the house.

Saw "The Lovely Bones" which brought me to tears.

Got lost on the buses going to Wesfields and had lunch at John Hunter Hospital instead.

Got to Westfields via Charlestown (roundabout route). Bought shoes and tops at Rivers, hand towels at Sam's Club, a Set Top Box at Good Guys (also also records to / plays from USB storage), and a DVD (The Frighteners) at JB's.

Caught bus to Glendale, bought bread, beer and and iced tea, and browsed Whipper Snippers (Line Cutters) at Bunnings.

Got to Barnsley and bought chips at the shop. Am slightly drunk after a beer. Have had mild diarrhoea all day.

Really did need to go out. Cried a lot today as well.

This morning I kept chatting to people on the bus. My original intention was to go to Wallsend library, do a little shopping, get the hell out of dodge and get home before it became to hot and humid to bear (the rains have finally stopped). But, that didn't exactly happen.

I bumped into Helen on the bus who used to go to university when I was doing my Bachelors. Lots of things happened to her in the meantime, though she now lives one suburb away from me. She mentioned that she'd applied to continue her studies via UAC and got an offer from the uni! It just so happened that today was the first advisory day and she was going in to sort it all out. I offered to come in with her and assist where needed.

Now apparently she was going to meet a friend there as well. The friend didn't show and I took her to the Info Commons where she got the correct information about what she should do. Apparently that was to go to the Great hall at 2pm and talk to people. That was a few hours away and she had to meet up with her friend so I said I'd double back to Wallsend, go to the library, do some shopping and come back - which I did (and bought more than I'd anticipated, you can get a 2 person tent for $7.50 in Coles there!).

We were supposed to meet up at the Great hall at 2pm. I got there a few minutes late, and waited until 3:40pm but she didn't show. I don't know what happened but I caught a series of buses home. Did she get back? I have no idea. While I was at the uni I used the HUB to enrol in Semester 1 and 2 for my Masters this year, so for me it was a productive day.

I'm sure I'll find out eventually how it went down.