Qantas, Toowong and a bike
It’s been a pretty eventful last few days.
I’ve now set myself up with a brand new road bike and have started riding to work. I got a frame fitted with two panniers to carry my laptop and other items so that I don’t need to wear a backpack. I specially picked a bike which was designed for the frame so it sits very sturdily rather than just clamped on. The ride into work is very nice, by the river along the bicentennial bike path, across the new centenary crossing, though the mangroves, across the goodwill bridge, southbank and then the south east freeway’s (seperate) bikeway. All in all there’s only about one block of roads which is a far cry from my previous route which was essentially riding along the big and smelly Old Cleveland Road. Took me a dismal 35min to get to work – but that’s understandable since it was the first ride on the bike and using the paths. Coming home was a sleek 21mins partly due to the fact that the way back is more down hill than going there. But I’m sure I can work on it :-) – certainly beats the bus timewise and I arrive at my destination (after a shower) fresh and full of energy (while logic might suggest catching a bus would give one more energy since it’s less tiring I find the opposite because you’re more inclided to doze in a bus rather than having the oxygen pumping though your blood with the bike).
Ali arrived safely in Brisbane last night and I was there to greet her. Unfortunatally, no sooner had the plane taxied off the runway to within metres of the terminal – the airport closed down for two hours due to the risk of lightning (indeed we were delayed in the train when the lightining tookout a signal). I was very thankful I decided to take my laptop even though I had only though I’d have a 20min train trip and that it almost wasn’t worth it. Once Ali was off the plane we managed to find her baggage and board the train to the city within the space of five minutes (no mean feat considering there were bags from about five different plains on the convayer belt).
Not learning from my prior experiance with my pocket knife and airport security, I foolishly took a fountain pen with me. It was only as I stepped of the train that I realised in this day and age a fountain pen could be construed as a weapon of minor destruction and that they may not let me in (or at least my pen). I asked a passing guard and he said that they might let me in – depending on who scanned my bags and it turned out either they didn’t see it or didn’t mind so I was able to go in without either forfiting my pen or trying to hide it. They did stop my bag but it was for the laptop and not the pen (as I assumed it would have been). The new rule is that laptops must go in seperate as they may be used to obscure things in a bag.
Finally is Toowong First National – our lease is up soon and we got our letter from Toowong complete with a $10 hike in rental fees. We thought this was a tad unfair due to the recent construction work (ie. noise impact, loss of view and privacy) so I contacted Toowong indicating our concerns. Fortunately Tony (the principle) was happy to have us stay on for another year at our current rate since we have been good tenants and with consideration to the noise. It was pretty understanding of him, and he didn’t even take me up on my suggested compromise of a $5 increase (they prefer whole amounts…). Two thumbs up for Toowong First National.
Oh, and I got a long overdue hair cut :D
All in all a very busy couple of days – somehow I even managed to fit in some dev time for my game which was a miracle.
Cheers,
Will.
Archived Virii
Just a quick computing tip which has come up three times this weekend :)
Sometimes if your computer gets a virus, and XP creates a restore point before that virus is removed – it is possible that your virus checker will continually pick up on the existance of the virus but be unable to remove it.
One way to do this is to open “System Restore” – turn it off (there’s a check box). Close out. Then open it again and turn it back on. This has the effect of deleting all restore points and any archived virii along with it. (but you do lose your restore points…).
Will.
