Moving Office…Downgrade
Well it seems that the boffins that be misjudged the amount of room we would need if we won a number of contracts. Not sure if they didn’t look at projected jobs or we actually landed more than we expected. Either way it mean that most of the company based in Perth had to move over the weekend. One week’s notice to relocate over 300 staff! Wicked!
Well, the Office Services team and the Service Desk guys pulled the ol’ rabbit out of the hat and managed to pull off an almost seamless move again. I must wonder if being so good at relocating staff is actually a good thing? They’ve become so good the boffins seem to think we can keep doing this. Maybe they should mess up a little bit? Might make people think twice before deciding to move staff whole sale?
I shouldn’t complain too much. My desk and PC were largely setup when I got in this morning. Also, I don’t have to share with others. I have lost my river-view window seat and can’t imagine getting that back, but I have a desk; with a blank wall…
So after 18 months in a nice new building, I’m back where I started. At least I still have my bike rack and shower access; small joys in life.
Share the Road: Cyclists rights and wrongs
It seems that not a day goes by on one of my commutes or group rides where a motorist takes umbrage for me riding my bike on the road. It seems that these drivers believe the road was built solely for their use and that anyone else who dares use the same piece of tarmac they chose to drive on are the devil’s spawn! To be honest I don’t think they only pick on cyclists; this class of driver hates ANYONE who dares to hinder their ability to cause havoc.
Based on my experience and talking with other non-cycling motorist, I think there is a general lack of understanding as to what cyclists rights are. In fact I’d say that most cyclists aren’t aware of the rules they are expected and/or required to follow. Both sides are guilty of not following the rules and executing some truly bone-headed moves.
So why is it so hard for motorists and cyclists to just get along and play nice?
CycloSportif: York
The York CycloSportif Event is always a good one. The course is a little challenging, but not impossible. It is certainly one of the favourite locations for these events due to the good roads, lack of traffic and general hospitality of the York locals. This year, the only thing that marred the event was the weather: usually the weather is freezing cold (<4C), this year is was warm, but the wind and rain made it “interesting”.
Andy leading the pack
Channel TEN: First Look…Seriously!?
I’m one of those people that doesn’t watch much TV. I can’t see the point of Foxtel, FetchTV or payTV in general. I don’t care if I miss a show, so TiVo or a PVR is pointless. I’m quite happy to watch a few hours of regular commercial TV each evening. At the moment, I have found the programing on channel TEN to be more suitable to my tastes: 7PM Project, 6PM with George Negus, Biggest Looser (yeah I know Reality TV), Law and Order, Hawaii 50, and NCIS just to name a few.
So, for me, watching TV, even with ads, is a relaxing past-time. But, my pet *HATE* right at the moment is the “First Looks” campaign TEN is running to promote some of their shows. I general, this is a cool idea and generally does give a little insight into the show. This concept works well to whet the appetite for new show that are about to be released and/or just started to get a loyal fan base. It’s all about the ratings really. TEN just want to maximise the value proposition for perspective advertisers. Great, fully support that as the more money they can get from advertisers, the better the programming.
However, there’s a point at which a “First Look” becomes anything but a “First Look” or “Sneak Peak”. Last week I lost count of the number of times I watched the 2-5minute “First Look” for an upcoming episode of Glee. I’ll accept that TEN are trying to promote a show that has very little in the way of solid story line, but is popular for the singing. That’s all that makes Glee anything but trash; the singing. I just wish they’d stop friggin’ lip-synching though…
Anyway, back to my point.
Channel TEN, please for the love of GOD, stop calling these 2-5min segments a “First Look”. The first few (ie, 3-4) times you run it, I’ll accept it as being a first look. But, by the 100th run I think you’re flogging a dead horse! Keep the “First Look” concept, but mix it up with different shows. Hell, even different segments of the same damn show would be nice! The way thinks are anyone would think Glee is the ONLY show worth watching on TEN or is it tanking that bad??
Channel TEN drop the “First Look” concept or mix it up!
TEN. Seriously.
The Frantic Parent
What is one thing guaranteed to cause any parent to become frantic and panicky?
Losing or being separated from one of your kids!
This is what happened to one parent this morning on my commute to work. As one of the bystanders I suddenly became involved in the welfare of a strangers young son. Interesting start to the day to say the least…
Australia Day: Great day to be out on a bike?
We Australia Day has come and gone again. Seems to fly past ever faster with each coming year. This year it was a beautiful sunny day and one best spent out doors soaking up some glorious West Australian sunshine. Seems I wasn’t alone in that thought as I saw more cyclist, surfers, joggers, and walkers than most weekends. There’s something about Australia day, more than any other day, where we all just want to get out and enjoy this great country.
For most of those out and about, the general feeling was that of one of a shared sense of joy and well being, but for others it seems they just hate fun and happiness and are permanently grumpy. These grumpy souls are generally harmless, until they get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. At that point they become as dangerous as a loaded gun!
So here I am out riding with a group of mates down the west coast of WA. Enjoying the sights and sounds, happy to be alive and wishing I could do this more often (the need for a job to pay the bills and buy more cycling toys messes with this dream). Right in the middle of this minor day-dream some numpty in his steel-coffin grazes past our group blasting on his horn, yelling abuse and generally being an angry idiot!
Master’s Criterium Racing
Well it has bee quite sometime since I’ve posted here. I’d like to say I’ve been busy, but honestly I think it’s more that I’ve been a little lazy. So I’m going to try and make an effort to post a little more often. It’s apparently good for the soul to write a journal (in this case a blog), so that’s what I’ll do.
This weekend I raced my first Criterium in over 15 years. I must admit I was a little worried so I made sure I was racing in ‘B’ grade; everyone was telling me that I should be in ‘A’ grade. I’m glad I stuck to my guns and stayed in ‘B’…boy was it tough! Not only was the pace fairly high, but the conditions we’re great for such intensive racing. High temps and a strong easterly wind made for a hard race. Not only that, but every lap the lads decided to push hard heading up the slight rise past the start/finish line. Now this rise couldn’t be considered a hill, but by the 10th time up this rise it was starting to hurt…LOTS!
So what’s the difference between a standard road race and a Criterium? Primarily the distance of both the race and the course. Most Criterium course’s are short, less than 2km, in length. Some are even shorter. So the riders have to ride many laps of the same circuit. This is great for spectators and challenging for the riders as there is no such thing as a home course advantage (by the 10th lap everyone knows the course well). The other aspect of Criteriums is cornering; if you can’t take corners at high-speed, then you’ll never do well in Criteriums.
Basically, Criteriums are suited for sprinters. I like to think that sprinting is one of my strengths. So I was feeling confident.
Melbourne: Around the Bay in a Day 2010
Well it’s that time of year again; the weather is improving, the CycloSportif’s are finishing their seasons, the criterion season is looming, and everyone is getting back out on their bikes. It’s a great time to be a cyclist. Oh, and the annual Smith Family Around the Bay in a Day ride is on in Melbourne. So like last year I jump on the plane and head east to ride around Port Phillip Bay again. It’s a big ride (210km+), but mostly flat so it’s do-able. This year though was different to last; one I was going the other way around and two, Marnie was coming with me.
So how did I go?
Not bad really, but I did get lost a few times and my Garmin ran out of power 3/4 of the way around. Oh, and the weather was sucky, and I hadn’t done nearly enough preparation as I should have. Other than that it was a great ride. I actually finished over an hour faster than last year, so that was a good achievement.
Hospitals, Helmets, and Backpacks
Well it has been a week since my accident, but I’m healing well. All things considered I got extremely lucky.
Lucky? You got hit be a friggin’ car!
Well, yes I did, but the damage is mainly superficial. It could have been much worse. The reason I’m not still in Hospital is due to the equipment I was wearing. Specifically my helmet and backpack. These two (2) items saved me from more serious injuries. Also my choice of clothing reduced even further injuries.
So how did these items help? I mean riding a bike leaves you very exposed, so the risk of injury is quite high. From an outsiders perspective, most cyclists appear almost naked. Compared to a motorcyclist this assessment is fairly apt. So what protection do cyclists actually have?
Car vs Bike…Car wins
It’s kinda obvious, but if you’re riding a bike and car decides to try and take the same space your in, then you’d bet let it. Not that you have any choice really. Cars are somewhat larger than they average cyclist.
Well this is a situation I found myself in less than 48hrs ago. I was riding home from work on Tuesday evening. It was dark and raining, but otherwise it wasn’t a bad ride. All I was thinking about was getting home and having a nice warm shower; I was making good time too.
So the final part of my trip. A right-turn into Gnangara Rd was the only difficult bit to go. This round-a-bout is at the end of Lord St and it’s one, as a cyclist, that you always have to make sure you are visible and signal your intentions to drivers. This is a busy intersection, but not impossible or difficult to negotiate safely. I have done this hundreds of times and never had a close call…until now.
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