Posts by Sam F
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Say what? Coddington's tenure also over?
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Another great example, unfortunately, of what an uncritical mess The Panel usually is - basically talk radio which subtracts the listener calls and replaces them with two or three ill-informed commentators and a presenter who soft-pedals every stupid thing they say, all in the name of 'light', 'funny' and 'provocative' radio.
Blecch.
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Amusing to read her insinuations that some of the complainants were motivated by her previous status as an ACT MP.
I prefer to think that, in a country as small as New Zealand, vocal ratbags can always retain a following in their own right.
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Um... it's not as I remember it.
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I'm sorry, I couldn't make it all the way through that video - entered terminal cringe with about a minute to go.
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I've never had any major breaks or gashes, but my right thumb has suffered long and hard.
At age 9 I jumped out of a friend's dad's car in a hurry and slammed the door closed with my left hand, just to make sure it shut properly. It did. Right in the middle of my right thumbnail, which had been resting inexplicably on the edge of the door cavity. The door was closed flush. Cue first astonishment and then the pain. Nail eventually turned black and fell off and I still have a 1mm-thick ridge running the length of the nail.
Second incident was playing beginner-grade softball. A misnamed game if any, particularly when the ball streaks down into your glove and - instead of falling into your grip between glove and exposed right hand - it lands with full force upon your right thumb. Snap. I'm told I screamed some interesting things, but I didn't think I knew those words at 11.
The second time I was a bit older and mucking around with a safety lighter, which turned out to be leaky. Probably the most painful experience of the lot, and the ugliest - got off fairly lightly with a balloon blister the size of an olive on my knuckle which took weeks to go away.
Hopefully my thumb's absorbed enough punishment to keep the rest of me clear for a bit longer.
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Five minutes ago, I saw yet another LOLCODE image on another forum and wished the whole kittah-derived internet craze would crawl away and die.
Now I'm laughing uncontrollably. I think it was that DO NOT WANT image, although "Invisible Saddle" may have been a contributing factor.
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"the lad might get laid driving one of those. More likely than a '90 Corolla with imitation chrome hubcaps.."
My first and current car is a '90 FX-VS Corolla sans fake chrome hubcaps... mind you, I was well served for female company before I bought it, so the hubcaps weren't such a matter of urgency. It took me a while to find it actually - a 3-door model with a manual shift and a decent-sized engine, without being a badly braked cop magnet like the FX-GT versions. Insurance costs are a big factor as well - in fact, as I'm under 25 my car is still legally my dad's property and me a nominated driver, to keep the prices somewhat realistic, even for third-party (I did fork over the $3000 purchase price myself, though).
I caught the bus all the way through my undergrad degree, but finally spat the dummy in late 2005 when the monthly bus pass went up to $100. I've been amazed ever since at how convenient, fun and economical it was, and how stupid I'd been not to bother with it for the previous three years. As long as you use cycleways wisely and behave sensibly on the road it's a fairly safe option too.
I deliberately chose a flat close enough to town for cycling, and coincidentally right on the Western rail line, so I sometimes treat myself to a train ride into town (just found out that walking to Kingsland Station instead of Morningside cuts the fare in half, from $2.80 to $1.40). 15 minutes to town. Last year I worked fulltime in Panmure for a month, and cycled from Mount Albert to the office and back daily, an hour either way. Not too difficult and saved a fistful of cash. You'd be amazed what can be done with a bike and determination.
I generally use the car in situations where I need to a) go somewhere I can't either cycle or get a train/bus in reasonable time, or b) need to haul a bit of gear. I like the car for the extra comfort and convenience; I like the bike for the economy and the sheer fun of tearing along in the wind. You get to appreciate both and not rely on either. Oh, yes, we're talking about boy racers... maybe I move in sheltered circles, but I've never known anyone wealthy enough to meaningfully hot up any car, or stupid enough to race on the road. :)
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Urgh. Investigate. I give it credit for not being as bad as Uncensored, but that I believe is called a low baseline comparison...
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From sometime in the 1980s... I'm sure someone out there will remember the year more precisely. Good times.