serious milestone

Adelaide Metro has this thing called Roam Zone.  After scheduled bus service ends (which, in our suburb, is seven-freaking-thirty p.m.) the RZ buses go off-route and will take you to any marked stop in your district -- and possibly some unmarked ones, too, if you ask nicely.

Tonight our RZ driver misunderstood YK's directions (twice) so we got to ride all alone in a city bus while he did a zippy 360 on a roundabout and then flipped a U-turn on a city street.

Good times.

Aside:  earlier in the day, I'd had to purchase a stupid-expensive single ticket, and I announced that I felt like I should joyride just to take full advantage of the fare.  Apparently I get what I want.  Anybody have any requests?

milestone

I just bought darker face powder, and a string bikini.

what you need

With a show as physical as this one, in a climate this hot, YK and I have taken to measuring the length of trips not in [days] but in [units of dry underpants].

Locomoting

I pow!'ed too soon.  

YK and I have managed to get home to our appointed stop on our appointed bus route exactly once in three weeks -- although we have figured out how to walk home from the interchange, how to hail a special secret bus (and that they won't stop at your stop unless you yell over their shoulder, no matter how many times you say "#44" as you're boarding), and that you can walk through a bottle-o (drive-through liquor stores) at 10:30 p.m.  We've also made a few buddies, including the bottle-o guy and a dude from Queensland who moved to Adelaide for a girl before "things went ass up."

Pretty glad about that secret bus, though.  On one of our late-night slogs home, some yabbo in a ute honked at us and YK snarled, "You could offer us a ride, douchebag."

I love a parade

Welcome to the Fringe!  Roller Derby Girls, parade staging, headless moppets, vain lilies, giant astronauts, new tattoos.  Play hard and go home tired!

in heaven there is no beer

Man, the Aussies sure like their jugs of Cooper's.

Pow!

I got you, Adelaide Metro!

I made it into the city by myself, and am I ever chuffed about it! The driver was a bit surly when I handed him a $20 bill, but he sighed and fished a wad of bills out of his pocket (!) to make change. I took the O-Bahn. I got off at the wrong stop (Adelaide Metro's trip planner is worse than useless). I made it to the Gardens on time.

To all of the relatives I've forced onto transit in the past few years: I'm so, so sorry. I forget how totally non-intuitive and scary buses are in an unfamiliar city. You all survived, but: yeah. This is confusing stuff.

reach for the sun

YK took me out for a jog today.  It was a quiet early weekday morning, sunny and just slightly brisk, and we jogged through the park and along the creek.  As we were walking briskly away from our billet the first song up on my iPod was Polyphonic Spree's Light and Day and I have to say:  breaking into a run during those opening swells of music -- in Australia! -- is now pretty high up there on my personal list of Great Moments In My Life.

(Cockatiels! We saw cockatiels!)

Barossa scouting, day #2

Scouting locations.

Trooping up to Richmond Grove.

Pavilion at Langmeil.

Langmeil shiraz.

knitting circle

me: I just bought my dream yarn!

Mr. Banjo: I know what all of those words mean individually...

me: Look! It's dyed in these long color runs, so the color changes as you knit--

Mr. Banjo: Is it supposed to look like lady parts?

me: ...

me: Well, no, this is just one colorway--

Mr. Banjo: 'cause it does.

me: ... Uh, well, yes. It certainly does.


And p.s. the pattern for which I bought the yarn has a French name that I always get confused with the word for a rustic French cherry tart. Zesty!