* jazzyhands *

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::13.10.04:: Blotch Session!

I love words that are an amalgam of other words - like blegging (= blog + begging) so I decided to jump on the bandwagon with a melange of my own blotching *(= blog + bitching).

So the first item on my blotching agenda - temp agencies, particularly those with archaic pay systems - like snail mail timesheets. Combine this with a fucked up postal system (why does it take Australia Post over a day to cart a letter something like 3 city blocks?) and you have an unpaid ME! And an unpaid me is a very unhappy, nicotine-craving, hungry, angry me. That's how wars start, people. I've just got back from 5 days of unpaid lollygagging in Newcastle -- I have no fiscal elasticity.

Next on the agenda - public transport. What the frigging hell is wrong with this system? What, people, what? After 6 months of driving to work, I'm back on the train gang and in one week have had at least three trains cancelled on me. Last night, being all sunny and nice, I made the most of it and took myself and my reading matter to Flagstaff Gardens for an hour or so but you can't always do that. I can understand the occasional hiccup, but it seems that the hiccup at the moment is when someone gets it right and trains actually run.

I was chatting with a woman on the train the other night - you get intimate real fast when you have two trainloads of passengers on one train - and she reckons that they can't add any more trains on my line because of the country trains. We agreed that they really don't need more trains, just the ones we are meant to have.

At least I'm vindicated on my stance that the Sydenham line is the worst in Melbourne. It was in the paper the other day, we have the highest number of cancelled trains. So phooey to all those people who reckon Broadmeadows line is worse. They might have the highest number of trains cancelled but then they get about 2.5 times more trains on their line than we do to start with and that truly shits me.

I think that is enough blotching for now but stay tuned... I'm sure there's more to come.

* and no doubt someone will tell me this word has been around for years making me feel all egg-faced and out of the loop.

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Comments:

I second that the Sydenham line was in fact a conspiracy to drive people batshit crazy.

# posted by ccr : 11:37 pm

Hey JH, love the blog, some good earnest Melbourne stuff in there.

One thing to think about with the train system is the city loop. That thing has been operating since about 1980, before which it was just Spencer Street and Flinders Street. Nowadays, all four of the undergroups loops are filled to capacity, with trains every two minutes during peak hour (that's the most you could run without an unexceptably high risk of them hitting each other, fun as that would be). So the only ways to increase the number of commuters transported is to increase the size of the carriages - ie double-decker trains, which are not really practicle - or to build down deeper and create loops 5 and 6. It would cost a small fortune, and engineering-wise it would be a major challenge, but in the long run it's got to be done.

And if you're bored check out my blog at ariontheweb.blogspot.com (Do you think the self-promotion was subtle enough?)

# posted by -A. : 12:11 am

Capacity on the train lines is one thing, but Kathryn's right, the system is a shambles at the moment, cancelled trains here there and everywhere. That's nothing to do with capacity, and everything to do with the mess the government made of things when it was running half the train system last year. ("We need X train drivers. Some are retiring... shall we hire more? Hell no!")

# posted by Daniel Bowen : 3:29 pm

Way too subtle, Arion. THIS is how self-promotion should be done:

HEY! Everyone SHOULD VISIT MY BLOG NOW! CLICK HERE!!!! http://www.willtypeforfood.blogspot.com
http://www.willtypeforfood.blogspot.com
http://www.willtypeforfood.blogspot.com
http://www.willtypeforfood.blogspot.com

Speaking of which, maybe a new term should be invited for people like me.

ie,
HYPERFINK: 1) Person who takes advantage of someone else's blog to link to their own 2) Link-whore 3) Hyperstinker Add that one to the Dictionary, Kath!

PS http://www.willtypeforfood.blogspot.com visit my blog.

# posted by TimT : 9:34 pm

Oh, I forgot to mention that the trains are ALWAYS cancelled as soon as it hits 30 degrees or more. What happens? The trains all chuck sickies and go to the beach?

At least I got a seat both in and out of the city today.

ccr == I think it has driven a lot of the commuters batshit crazy, have you seen some of them?

daniel == yeah, there is no point putting on more services if they are only going to be cancelled as well!

Oh yeah, and visit www.willtypeforfood.blogspot.com

# posted by kathrynoh : 9:55 pm

Okay you're not going to believe this, it borders on extreme stupidity... fact is that for a lot of the older airconditioned trains... the aircon doesn't work in very hot weather, above about 34 degrees.

Let's just say that again: the aircon doesn't work in hot weather.

And since they don't have windows to open, and we don't want masses of people suffocating, it means lots of cancelled trains.

(Have you visited my web site at http://www.toxiccustard.com/diary/ lately?)

# posted by Daniel Bowen : 10:28 am

I travelled down from Sydney once - on the dirty old Southern Auroa. Sat up all night in a carriage full of bums. By morning they wanted to lynch me. Dirty swine, scum of Australia*.
Well it was a new experience; I'd never travelled before with a trainload of retired brothel madams and superannuated pimps.

South Yarra Steve, that's my promo, a man who does for blogging what Michaelangelo did for interior decoration. (He gets a bit snappy, but what can you expect?)

*Yes, well, I put the hard word on some scrag sitting beside me. Turns out her husband and three ex-boyfriends were in the same carriage.

Silly me.

# posted by R H : 12:41 pm

Note: I said, "Promo."

# posted by R H : 12:52 pm

how about blonking?
Blogsend
Blogmire

i am a shameless hyperstinker/linkwhore.
VISIT MY SITE AGAIN AND POST LOTS OF COMMENTS! il like this lexicon. pls stick on your sidebar permanently.

# posted by Mallrat : 4:45 pm

Hey RH I had some guy put the hard word on me on the train home from Sydney once... maybe it was you? He said he had just got out of jail and was "gagging for a root"?

Oh it was hard to knock him back.

# posted by kathrynoh : 10:11 pm

Was it me? Maybe, but I do exaggerate a bit; in this case: brothel madams, pimps, and three ex-boyfriends - all added in for a bit of fun.

# posted by R H : 6:02 am

And anyway, I wouldn't call you a scrag. A scrag is a skinny bird with a flystrip hairdo. They all live in Moe.

# posted by R H : 6:19 am