Planes, Trains and Automobiles... and a few other things.

A few things that are going on or mulling over in my mind:

Petrol Prices (again!):  Why are we suddenly paying $1.40 a litre!  It has gone up remarkably in the past week (again).  It seems the trend to have 10c jumps every 1-2 weeks!  This time they’re blaming Hurricane Katrina.  Yet oil prices fell from US$71 to US$66 a barrel… somebody needs to do something about this price gouging every time there is an incident overseas.  Next they will be rising petrol by 10c if George Bush’s dog needs to go to the vet….

Cricket (Ashes): 5^th and deciding Test Match starts tomorrow night.  Personally I cant wait and will probably be sitting up all night glued to the tele.  This Test Match is going to be a defining moment in the next 5-10yrs of Australian Cricket.  Win, and we will move forward selectively pruning the aging players from the team in a calm manner.  Lose (or draw) and you will see the next Australian Test XI with a multitude of debutants and we will slump dramatically down the pecking order of Test nations.  The old hands may hang on for the Super Test in Sydney next month, but that will be it.

Cricket (Local): My own cricket team starts its 11^th (or is it 12^th?) season together this weekend.  We are away to Parramatta Leagues and are down one more division from our wooden spooning effort of last season and are playing B11’s.  That’s the great thing about cricket, as the waist lines expand and the skills deteriorate, there is always a lower division to move to.  I have had one net session two weeks ago – that should hold me in good stead, don’t want to overdue it before the season starts ;-)

Car:  It is time to trade in the family car.  The silver station wagon has served us well through the years of toddler hood and is now looking tired.  It’s a 2001 Falcon Station Wagon in reasonable nick with 73,000 kms on the clock.  Not sure what I can get for it, but I plan to talk to my leasing company as to what they need to pay out the remaining months (18 or so) on the lease.  The replacement car is the debate, I believe we will get a better deal by getting another Ford and I am aware that they are keen to sell run out models, but with petrol prices the way they are, we are considering downsizing.  I am by no means a rev head and have no idea about cars… if any of you can recommend a reasonable family car, let me know.  I also have a light scrape on the rear door (don’t ask, a carpark pilon jumped out at me), not sure whether I should get it fixed or try and get what I can for it as is.

Trains: New timetables are running on time.  I haven’t had an issue with the performance.  However, overcrowding is a problem and my own carriage here in car #8 of the now 7:11am train is 50% more crowded.  90% of seats are taken as opposed to 60% previously.  I don’t like people sitting next to me on the train in… I write this blog and I then do work emails.  I had a guy yesterday blatantly looking over my shoulder and reading my screen whilst I typed my post on the Hurricane.  Very rude to read another persons newspaper, but another persons emails!  Yuck.  Luckily today, I have nobody next to me as I have put my bag on the seat… a lot of people got on at Emu, but there is still a couple of vacant seats so nobody asked me to move my bag.  Is it wrong to leave your bag on the seat?  Who cares!

Miniatures: I have now got the miniature painting bug back… I am searching for Blood Bowl miniatures and if anybody has any to sell, let me know.  I would like a Dwarf or an Elf team of any persuasion mostly.  I also would be keen on Skaven.  Essentially anything I guess… I have 2 Orc teams, an Undead, a Human and now a base Halfling team.

NRL:  Am very excited about the weekend of sport ahead, including the NRL Final Series kicking off.  My tips are the Cowboys, Storm, Saints and Parramatta.  I think the Tigers and the Broncos despite their 4^th and 3^rd placings are ripe for the picking.  I think both the Cowboys and Storm are primed for some good form, but hopefully not too good as I think (and hope) that Saints can go all the way this year.  Manly may upset Parramatta, but it’s a longshot.