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No Alcohol, Except Beer

I went to the doctor yesterday and he advised me that "half a glass of beer" can help the appetite. Then he prescribed me some more pills that say "do not drink alcohol".

I hate beer but wine is nice, and if that's the doctor's orders, it would be rude not to try it.

Butterfly Scattering

I went to the park with Sock the other day, and the ground was strewn with dead or dying Monarch butterflies. It was quite sad to see, although I suspect it was a natural die-off after the very cold weather we had. I picked one up and brought it home. Butterflies are so beautiful, they remind me of a delicate crystal or jewel.

Thorndon New World sold swan plants with catterpillars around Christmas time a few years ago. I bought one, raised them and then let the butterflies free. It was a neat experience.

Under-Reported Flooding

140 people have been killed by flooding in Mumbai, India. Apparently this happens most years in the region, which might account for the lack of coverage in the media.

Civil Disobediance

I went to the BP Connect petrol station in Fendalton on Tuesday, and when I pulled the pump over - I didn't even touch the trigger - the petrol in the bend of the pump handle poured out, splashing my jeans, the car and the ground.

The attendants didn't come out to help, and after we'd move the car over to another pump and managed to get $20 into the tank, I went in to pay and they had the cheek to charge me 43 cents for petrol that their dumb pump soaked me with.

I was in a hurry so I couldn't stand there and say - call the cops, we'll ask them for an opinion - but I did write 2 letters yesterday, one to the manager of the station and one to the BP Head Office in Wellington.

From now on, however, I am going to protest the price of petrol and the slackness of attendants by forcing every station to give me full service. I'm going to pull up, honk my horn, and get some person to fill my tank, wash the front and rear windscreens, and check my oil and water.

We have become used to pumping our own gas, and to the ever-escalating prices. The price of oil has stablised and even fallen slightly. But petrol and diesel are going up at the pump.

Everyone who is annoyed with being endlessly screwed by the petrol companies, join in the full-service drive. Make the attendants do the work. They're charging you $1.30 a litre, so get your money's worth. Make them fill your tank, wash the screens and check your engine, every single time. Eventually, if enough people do this, the gas companies will have to take notice.

Particularly, do this at Fendalton BP. Be as annoying as possible, claim you are too scared to pump your own gas 'cos you heard about a chick getting splashed with petrol and then charged for the privilege...

I Couldn't Resist

Just to brighten the day:

A parrot so foul mouthed it can only be viewed on request

An art installation designed to protest water wastage has poured 800,000 litres down the drain in the middle of a drought

Sexist seagulls go after the posties

Posted by phreq at July 28, 2005 09:42 AM | TrackBack