tales from an ordinary world

1999-11-27

Back to the optometrist, this time at 10:30am. Ugh. I tried to have breakfast down the road in Chapel St, but it arrived just as I was about to run off towards the optometrist. People just aren't supposed to be in a hurry on the weekend. I know this to be a biological fact. Especially in the mornings, of all times. As such, the wonderful corn-bread toast was lost on me as I wolfed it down, determined to try and at least eat some of it before I tried not to be late for my appointment.

I poked my head in a few random clothes shops, looked at a few t-shirts and resisted the temptation to buy one of those t-shirts that says "Porn Star" (well, this one said "Porn*"). Everybody tells me I look like a porn star, so I figured I didn't need a t-shirt proclaiming it. Not for $40, anyway. Later on, though, I did buy a t-shirt saying "00" in big digitally numbers, with "game over" underneath. And I lashed out on a Wedding Present singles/b-sides compilation. Yes, you too can hear Mr Gedge belt out It's not unusual, although it's not one of the better tracks on the disc...

Having spent enough money to feel guilty, I decided to head towards home by train, so I could kill time by walking home from Malvern station. You can tell that something's wrong in Disneyland when you walk past the "Hard Rock Cafe" (sic.) and they're playing Kate Bush...

I'd hoped to be able to stand up in the gazebo in the park for a while, to watch the world go by and such, but a wedding couple + photographer beat me to it. I gave them a wide berth and went to stare at the geese for a while. Nearby, a little girl saw me, and could only just seem to manage to tug her mother's arm and say "Look !".

Another entry for "Great Ads in Australian TV history" - the Cash Converters "13" ad...I guess I oughta start some sort of list. Other entries would include the Ford 1-tonne ute ad where the guy Out In The Country goes to cut his birthday cake. "Make a wish, dear," says his wife. From the heavens drops a Ford 1-tonne ute. "You couldn't have wished for anything better, mate," says his mate. Then (the punchline) the back of the ute's suddenly filled with a mile-high (or so it seems) stack of slabs of Victoria Bitter (that's beer, for the uninitiated).

My new friend and I sat on a rock down the end of St Kilda pier, and just talked for an hour or so. A very enjoyable moment in time, looking at the stars, the city lights, talking about random life stuff, and so on. I hope we'll do it again sometime...