Attack of the Arachnoid

So, today I was bringing my bike down into the celler, when I met someone in the garage.
A HUGE spider! I opened the door, and he winked at me and asked me how I was doing.

So being naturally scared of anything that casts a shadow, as all good irishmen are, I took a photo and legged it. It was the size of my hand!! Well half the size! Well it was the biggest bloody spider I ever saw.
And when my lovely girlfriend got home, she informed me that this was a Sydney funnel web spider, a type of tarantula, and ONE OF THE MOST VENOMOUS spiders in Australia.
Nice, I've been here a month, and the first australian animal I find, is one of the ones that can kill ye!
Lets see how long I last. Maybe the next one will be a redback.
In other news, today I found out that New Zealand apparantly has no snakes, hmm...

Lovedale long luncheon

So the weekend was spent doing something that katherine and I have after 1 month in Australia, only just found time for...
Relaxing.
Well, we tried to relax, but it wasn't as easy as we had thought. Both of us had a shocking case of the flu mixed with encroaching chest infections. And there were 10 other mad eijits, mates, friends and accomplices from katherines band of friends travelling with us.
Still, fun was had and a select few will be able to see more than this little pic.

Yeah Connected Again!

Just a quick word to say...
We have Moved into an apartment of our own! Now we have a considerable amount of room!
Internet is connected... now to get the rest done.

The proof is in the pudding.

Here's further proof, that the road rage problem is definitely out of control.
Idiot driver, worries a pack of professional and semi-profesional cyclists, then overtakes and emergency breaks in front of them with a shit eating "I Think I'm so funny" grin on his face. Now he's claiming he had engine trouble...
Yeah, the engine trouble was caused by the dick in the driver seat. Man, people like this make me mad.
I did't beleive what I had been told before I came here, cyclists are pelted with eggs, stones, cans, abuse. They are squeezed of the Road by cars, and BUSES! Overtaking cars pull in on cyclists to knock them of balance.
Unfortunatly it's all true.

I think it's an ingrained problem in the driver psyche in Sydney. The roads are hostile for car users, never mind cyclists and motorbikes. Most cars would cut you to pieces to gain a 20 metre advantage to the next red light. The lanes are too narrow for a normal car. The intersections are inconsistanly laid out. None of the traffic lights are intelligently controlled. The roads are uneven, potholed and inappropriatly cambered. Everybody wants a V6 muscle engine, regardless of piece of shite car it's attached to. How do you change a nation, grown up with traffic like this. It's like dublin, but 3 times the size, and 3 times the idiots.

I don't know what else to say, except, I don't have any idea how to solve this probem without confronting every crazy driver individually.

Getting a Flat in Sydney

Right, so we probably have a flat sorted. So here's my guide to getting a flat in Sydney.

1. Figure out where, transport is difficult in Sydney, get near the trains & Buses
2. Check the Websites, Domain, myhome.com.au, rent.com.au, realestate.com.au, HomeHound & TradingPost.
3. Visit the Estate Agent personally, and ask about upcoming properties. You can get the inside info on not yet published properties.
4. Dress well, before meeting any estate or rental agent. They make alot of snap judgements, and first impressions count.
5. Don't look foreign. Sorry but it's true, I was amazed at the engrained racism of the Rental agents we dealt with. They were openly dismisive of non-white european candidates, even if the agent themselves fell into this catagory. (A self fulfilling engrained racism that I will get back to at another post.)
6. Saterday is Viewing day. Most properties are viewed in the morning on Sat & Sun, it's the time with the best lighting and least traffic/transport noise. Plan your viewing.
7. View every property possible, even if it's only to get an Idea of what properties are worth, and what the standard state of the properties is. Damp & mould are standard in the housing thrown up in sydney in the 90's. Don't be scared of by this, it's mostly cosmetic, it can be dealt with using appropriate Airing.
8. Ground floor = Easy to break into. Australian apartments get a security rating of -1 from me. The only limiting factor for a thief appears to be getting a parking space for the getaway van.
9. If you REALLY are sure about an apartmetn, then try to gently coerce rental agents to let you view apartments on your own. This uses up alot of their time, but many are willing if they expect you to take the property, it saves them organizing a public viewing.
10. Be prepared. You could be knocked back, or put on the spot. Don't make snap decisions (Thanks K!) about you accomodation, you will regret it. If you're waiting for an approval for an apartment, prepare the Deposit & Keep an eye on the upcoming properties incase it doesn't work out.
11. Presentation is No 1. If you dress well, and act professional, and have security, then the agent will put your application forward. If you turn up with bed head, trackies and a mouth full of gum, your application will land straight in the bin.

Good luck, and suggestions are welcome.

Fine fittings from top to toe

Reihnard, Look I've got a Shirt on!
So this post is mostly for my colleages in Audi. Who never got to see me in a suit, and proves that I can clean up.


Sorry, it's a mobile phone camera.
That's one of the other perks of no longer working in Audi. ;-)
And of course I got dressed up for a reason. Today I had my first interview, it went quite well, and I'll find out what the firm thinks of my performance next week. Here's hoping!

Out-road-rageous

I have already commented on the crazy driving experience in Australia.
Over the weekend this reached new lows.
While driving around Concorde, close to home, K and I experienced some rather unsettling road ettiquite.
We were driving on a main arterial road at about 70km/h, we saw a blue ford "insert stupid muscle car name here" waiting to turn left onto the road. We were the last people in the block of traffic that left the last lights. We were about 30 metres behind the car in front, with noone behind us.
So what does Ford driver do? Yes, he pulls out in front of us, causing us to brake to 30km/h in minimum distance. Of course we beeped the horn just incase he hadn't noticed us.
And he gave us the finger...
Now, pulling out after misjudging traffic speed and timing is forgivable. Even a random finger is ignorable. But to pull out in front of someone, causing them to emergency break and then give them the finger, that's asking for a beating.

Road rage, it seems, is endemic in Large Australian Cities. I've heard reports of serious Road Rage in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. I can only hope that it's an east coast thing.

So if anyone knows the driver of the Blue Ford "Wank" with the NSW plate, BBS 40R, would they please tell him to return to base for a personality transplant.