A Series of Fortunate Events
It’s been a pretty hazy past week-and-a-half.
I used to think very much in days, hours even – before thinking of my time in weekly blocks and noticing changes every week. Recently it has been a blur and all the days just seem to run into one another. I find myself forgetting what day it is or simply forgetting what I ate for dinner last night, or even forgetting what I ate this morning. The smallest things have become smaller, so much so that it doesn’t seem like they exist.
Recently I feared that I may have been in a dark place again. Things that used to cheer me up instantly now require more effort, and I am in a perpetual state of not really feeling like doing anything.
The good thing is, I found a handful of things that have happened in the past week that have made me laugh.
The disco that wasn’t
A few weeks ago, Nick and I heard about an “After Work Disco” that took place Wednesday nights at a bar somewhere in the city. On Wednesday we decided to check it out. The idea of the After Work Disco was to play disco music from 6-10pm, as a way for people to get through the middle of the week.
Well, when we went there we were really disappointed. Since we ran a few errands at work and grabbed something to eat before we went to the disco, we arrived just after 9pm. The bar was completely empty apart from a young couple sitting on a couch, two guys having some beers at the bar, and an old man sitting all by himself in the side room seemingly staring into space.
Some disco that was.
The guy in that Apple Watch video
Nick is the first guy in this video on The Guardian.
Nick is also the first guy in this video on NBC.
Short story long: Nick and I went to the Apple Store on the day the new Apple Watch was launched. Although we weren’t able to buy the watch, they were available for preorder that evening. We are both planning to buy one in the future. We just happened to be interviewed while we were at the store and I discovered the videos later that day. I didn’t spot myself in any. :( :( Clearly I am not a charming handsome guy.
The clothing bin
I cleaned out a lot of old pyjamas and other clothes last weekend. Discoloured, tattered clothes that were still okay to wear but in a hundred percent fantastic condition. Prior to cleaning them out, Nick and I were thinking of where to leave the clothes for charity or donation. The local Vinnies and Salvos stores were closed, so we went on the lookout for a clothing bin.
Nick remembered that there was one at a nearby train station, so we went there and located the bin. I had three bags of clothes and one bag of miscellaneous items including bags, cassettes and keyrings.
We opened the lid to the bin and managed to wedge a few bags in, but something was jamming the lid. It was a large dismantled venetian blind, and the cord had become caught on the lid to the bin.
Nick said, “Why would someone put venetian blinds in there, seriously?”
That guy the bus driver stopped the bus for just so he could relieve himself
I was on my way to a gig on Saturday (namely, Babaganouj – a band from Brisbane), catching a bus into the city. I’ve never caught a bus to the city at night (apart from one occasion where I was bored and running a little early so I wanted to take my time instead of catching a train) so I guess you could say it was a slightly interesting experience.
What I did not expect, though, was for the bus driver to stop part way along the motorway and wait for a passenger to get off the bus, hide behind a bus stop shelter, and take a leak.
“Is he taking a piss? Oh my god, tell him to piss off!”
The really, really, really, really, really bad iced coffee
We picked Nick’s sister up from work, and on the way back home we decided to buy some beverages. I chose the iced coffee after tossing up between that and a slushie. After taking a sip of the coffee, I realised I probably should have chosen the slushie. The coffee was so unbelievably bitter that I had an unpleasant time trying to down the thing.
After getting home I tried mixing plain vanilla ice cream into it, but after eating the ice cream blobs, I gave up. It was far too bitter even for any old coffee-lover, and too concentrated to even be considered coffee. I guess I tried to laugh at it.
Some random person trying to budge open the toilet door while I was in the toilet
I was in the disabled/unisex toilet at work, and I heard someone try to open the door pretty much as soon as I walked in and locked it. When I was washing my hands and just about to exit, someone was trying to open the door much more violently. I was about 93% sure that it was someone I disliked, and because the door opens outwards, I decided to open the door and shove it open really hard in the hopes that the person was standing right behind it.
Alas, the person was not, and the person was not the person I was thinking of either… it was just the cleaner.
Comments on this post
Catherine
I hate when bus drivers and their friends treat the bus like private transport! I remember one bus journey I took the bus driver parked up at the stop and waited 10 minutes for his friends to get there. Often they stop to chat to friends, regardless of the passengers waiting. Not cool :/
I am amused at the venetian blind. I work at a charity book store which means I thankully only get tatty books, self help books with all the bits filled in, pictures, train tickets and other odd assortments of papers… and don’t have to deal with that crazy stuff. People do try and donate anything and everything though – even at our bookstore they try to hand in blatently not books. :/
Cat
That’s too bad the “After Work Disco” was disappointing. It sounds like it’d be a fun idea, especially as a pick-me-up in the middle of the week. Unfortunately, the downside is that many people don’t go out late in the middle of the week.
That’s cool that Nick was interviewed for the news video! Even though you weren’t in them, you can at least say you know the guy they interviewed :)
This entry reminds me that I need to clean out my clothing for donation too. Who would put Venetian blinds in a clothing bin though?? I feel like a lot of people don’t know what you can and cannot donate. And well, blinds don’t belong in a clothing bin anyway, haha.
I’ve wondered what workers like a bus driver would do if they really had to go during their route. I guess uh… that’s one option. Kind of gross to do it behind a bus stop though!
I think it’s awkward when someone tries really hard to open a bathroom door while I’m in it. I think it’s funny that you wanted to shove it open into someone you didn’t like :) Too bad it was the cleaner and not that person!
Kalliste
I think it’s more that people are too lazy to dispose of things properly and pretend they’re doing the right thing by putting them in a clothing bin.
After all, that’s free and going to the tip isn’t.
Jem
I know what you mean by those things that usually cheer you up requiring more effort… ((hugs)) thinking of you – hope you get a break in the clouds (so to speak) soon :)
Kya
I am sorry to hear that you are feeling that way at the moment. It’s not easy when that happens. Especially when everything should be fine, but then it’s not. Which is not your fault at all. Maybe you should speak to your doctor about it. I know you had some problems in the past and I wouldn’t like to see you really suffering again. :(
Oops, the disco was all partied out. xD
Awwww, Nick looks so cute and what he said is adorable. Pretty rude that they didn’t include you though, or any women. :/ Eh.
Man. That is just wow. I have never heard of that happening on a bus before. :/ Surely the wait wouldn’t be THAT long. :/
Ooops. Sorry cleaner.
Jamie
I wouldn’t think it’s considered rude to not include Georgie in the video. I believe and this is just my theory, that men tend to wear watches more than women do. I’ve seen a few females wear them, but the vast majority do not wear watches. Plus, I really am not fond of the iwatch. I mean, why would you want everyone around you to hear your conversation? I’d rather have my smart-phone. But that’s just me.
Jamie
I think that’s pretty cool that you guys were interviewed, but it’s sad that you weren’t included in the video. Ah well, may be next time eh? Personally, I don’t like the idea of the Iwatch. I’m more for the smart-phone. I guess, I’m just being biased.
Georgie
The Apple Watch (not iWatch) is completely different from a smartphone – it’s a smartwatch. In fact, you need to have an iPhone to be able to use it and it is obviously not supposed to replace your phone in any way. The idea of having a smartwatch is to make your life easier by having a wearable device that can do a handful (but obviously not all) of the things you can do with your phone. Not everyone likes the idea since it can be limiting, but the release of the Apple Watch has opened a lot of possibilities.
Liz
The coffee reminds me of a smoothie I made: I followed a recipe, but I changed one thing. I guess it was a bad idea, because the smoothie wound up tasting like dirt. It would be great, if only the person drinking it liked dirt. /poo
Why didn’t the bus driver just leave the guy? Like, if he needed to use the restroom, that was his problem… he didn’t need to hold up everyone.
D: Is it horrible that, for a split second, I hoped it was the person that you were thinking of and that the door did hit them? /bash
Georgie
Nah, it’s not horrible – I don’t like that particular person at all, and they have given me crap in the past, so… :p
Alice
I was genuinely excited about the “after work disco” until I read through everything….man, that sucks. where is the lie in that, huh. O_O
I don’t know whether to laugh or cringe at the bus driver /snort
In Indonesia, taking a leak like that is considered, uh….almost natural? Like, even if others notice the dude taking a leak, they’d just shrug it off and not see it. I still think it’s nasty though. @_@
Bad coffee will result in me sulking and having a bad mood. Once I bought iced coffee from this whatever-the-name-was cafe and it sucked so bad (it tasted like water!!) I end up throwing it halfway. Sigh. I end up sulking all day long.
Wow, your toilet incident reminds me of what happened to me somewhere along this month. I went into the toilet and surely this one woman saw that too but before I could even lock the door, she shoved the door quite harshly and kind of yelled about where’s her phone or something along the line. That really pissed me off. Not to mention when she pushed the door, it hit my nose. 😢 She saw me inside, I swear she did but she pretended like I wasn’t there and instead, yelled at her friend “it’s not there!” instead. Wth really. Sigh.