In Fremantle, down the road from me, is The University of Notre Dame, a small private Catholic university. It is affiliated with the larger Notre Dame Univ. in Indiana. The two schools have a student exchange program where a group of American NDU students study in Fremantle for 6 months, and a group of Aussie NDU students study in Indiana for 6 months.
The American students are normally housed at a dorm in the old part of Fremantle near the campus.
The police in this state are well known for being above the law, corrupt, incompetent, and untouchable. This weekend they got drunk and decided to target the American NDU students. Here is a copy of the story from the paper.
Claims that nine off-duty police officers taunted and humiliated American university students from Perth's University of Notre Dame about the US involvement in Iraq are being investigated by West Australian police.
The incident occurred last Tuesday in Fremantle, when drunken police officers, seven from WA and two from NSW, forced the students to kneel on the ground at their dormitory at Notre Dame University.
It is one of several being investigated by police after a wild night in the port city.
It is believed the abuse of the US students erupted after a fight at a nightclub. During that incident, one of the WA officers was allegedly assaulted by one of the students and had a tooth knocked out. Enraged, some of the drunken officers tracked the American down to the university.
It was there that several American students, including some who had nothing to do with the clash, were made to kneel on the ground. It is believed the taunting included comments such as "Yankees go home", "What are you doing in our country" and "What are you doing in Iraq".
The university's acting vice-chancellor, Professor Peter Dallimore, said he would not comment because a student had been charged with assault and the matter was under investigation.
WA Police Minister Michelle Roberts said she was appalled at the allegations.
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US consulate to examine WA police harassment claim
The American consulate will hold its own investigation into claims 10 off-duty police officers in the port town of Fremantle harassed a group of American students.
This comes as WA police launch their own investigation into the incident, with allegations the officers started fighting with the students after drinking heavily at a local hotel.
The investigation involves about eight officers from the Fremantle Tactical Investigation Group as well as two from the eastern states.
It is alleged that after the fight, students were chased back to their dormitory at the Notre Dame University in Fremantle before being forced onto their knees and taunted about America's involvement in Iraq.
One student was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm, and appeared in court yesterday.
WA Police Minister Michelle Roberts says she is concerned the allegations involve people from the United States.
"One would hope that no-one in the community would operate in a racially, prejudice way against people from another country," she said.
The police union says the accusations are grossly incorrect and the whole matter has been blown out of proportion.
========================================
Police 'targeted US students' in drunken fight
The Western Australia Police Service is facing embarrassment with a number of officers under investigation for drunken and unruly behaviour.
It is alleged about 10 Fremantle officers targeted American students during a drinking session.
It is alleged the officers from the Fremantle Tactical Investigation Group were off duty and drinking at two of the city's bars on Tuesday when they became involved in an altercation with United States Notre Dame University students.
A police service media relations spokesman says the officers then went to the students' dormitory and charged one of them with assault occasioning bodily harm.
The student appeared in court yesterday.
Police say they are taking the allegations of the officer's drunken and unruly behaviour very seriously and have been conducting interviews since Wednesday.
'Out of proportion'
The Police Union says the allegations have been blown out of proportion.
Police Union president Mike Dean says he has spoken to the officers involved in the alleged incident and believes the accusations are grossly incorrect.
"The reality... is if our people have done the wrong this they'll certainly be brought to account for it but the preliminary facts as I understand it are that it's not that serious," he said.
"It's been blown out of proportion."
Western Australia's Police Minister, Michelle Roberts, says she is appalled by the allegations as police should behave while on or off duty.
Opposition police spokesman Matt Birney says he hopes the investigation will not become a drawn out affair.
"I would expect a full thorough and transparent investigation into this matter and I would expect those findings to be made public within a relatively short period of time," he said.
Mr Birney says Western Australians will want to see the results of the investigation.
Monday, May 31, 2004
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
More on the layoffs
The two South Africans came in today. Fred, who sits next to me gave me the run down. It turns out Charles was not on the hit list. So he is safe for now.
Instead, it was a guy who sits next to Charles. A big guy from Sydney. No one thought much of him anyhow.
Richard was so angry he was spitting nails. I am very surprised that they even let him in the building. Fred is angry too. He wishes they had given him, or the group, a warning, or at least a month's notice.
Well. Welcome to the wonderful world of contracting. You are disposable. That is why we make more than a normal employee.
Richard said he wants to have a drink with me Friday afternoon. I don't know if I really want to go get drunk with a sad and angry man. What is the point? Charles would go. I'm not Charles.
I suppose that I should buy the man a round a drinks. After all, he has a family to support.
And I heard a rumor there were going to be more cuts next month. That is only a week away. I guess I won't be making any long term plans for a while.
Instead, it was a guy who sits next to Charles. A big guy from Sydney. No one thought much of him anyhow.
Richard was so angry he was spitting nails. I am very surprised that they even let him in the building. Fred is angry too. He wishes they had given him, or the group, a warning, or at least a month's notice.
Well. Welcome to the wonderful world of contracting. You are disposable. That is why we make more than a normal employee.
Richard said he wants to have a drink with me Friday afternoon. I don't know if I really want to go get drunk with a sad and angry man. What is the point? Charles would go. I'm not Charles.
I suppose that I should buy the man a round a drinks. After all, he has a family to support.
And I heard a rumor there were going to be more cuts next month. That is only a week away. I guess I won't be making any long term plans for a while.
Monday massacre
Wow. I went home sick Monday afternoon and missed an all-hands staff meeting at work. I came in Tuesday and Sean the salesman pulled me into his office.
"I heard Charles was shot yesterday.", he told me.
"What?!? Shot? What are you talking about?"
"Charles... He was one of the people shot in yesterday's massacre."
I had visions of an attack in the Philippines where terrorist attacked a small village. Why did I not hear about this on the news? Is he alive? Was he killed?
"What massacre?", I asked.
"Yesterday. Here at IBM. I heard they laid off a bunch of contractors because they needed to cut the budget. The exchange rate between AUD$ and USD$ forced them to do it."
Oh. Now I understood. Sean tends to use the work "shot" when he means "laid off" or "redundancy".
He went on to explain that Charles, the two South Africans I work with (Richard & Fred), the Canadian Gail, and a couple of others whom I don't know are gone. He isn't sure exactly.
I went to my desk and sat down. Fred sits in the cubicle next to me. Sure enough, he was not there. His desk is unusually clean. It is hard to tell if he is there or not. I swear I saw Richard on Monday, but he is not here today.
I walked my Gail's desk. Her pictures are gone. She had a calendar of kittens on her desk. It is not there. Richard's stuff is still on his desk, but something isn't right. He stuff is scattered about as if he left in a hurry.
So I guess it is true. I feel like I am walking through a crime scene.
Charles' desk is the same. But he is in the Philippines. He may not even be aware that he has been laid off, if he has been. If true, then that means his visa sponsorship is withdrawn, which means he looses his visa and must leave Australia.
Which means that I just lost my new tenant for downstairs. He just moved in two weeks ago! Won't that be a rude surprise when he flies back to Perth and is refused entry.
I will confirm all of these facts in tomorrow's staff meeting. If true about Charles, then I need to somehow let him know. He might as well just stay there in the Philippines. I know that he doesn't want to go back to the US and deal with his ex-wife there.
This really has to hurt. I feel terrible for Richard and Fred. They were great guys, both with families to support. Both had moved over here from South Africa for this job. I know Richard had been out of work for 2 years before this. This has to be devastating to them.
I wonder if they are wondering why I was not laid off versus them. After all, I am single, no kids, and would return to the US where there is more opportunity than in South Africa. I suppose they are angry with me.
Canadian Gail is a great woman. Her boyfriend Tom works here too. He is still here, so he has not been laid off. They just build that expensive new house in Scarbough Beach. I think she will land on her feet and get a job with our ex-manager at the other company across town.
Her visa was expiring next month and she was in the process of trying to get it renewed. That is going to make it hard now that her sponsor dropped her. I hope she gets renewed. Otherwise, back to Vancouver. Tom will probably have to leave to and go home with her.
I wonder why I was spared?
"I heard Charles was shot yesterday.", he told me.
"What?!? Shot? What are you talking about?"
"Charles... He was one of the people shot in yesterday's massacre."
I had visions of an attack in the Philippines where terrorist attacked a small village. Why did I not hear about this on the news? Is he alive? Was he killed?
"What massacre?", I asked.
"Yesterday. Here at IBM. I heard they laid off a bunch of contractors because they needed to cut the budget. The exchange rate between AUD$ and USD$ forced them to do it."
Oh. Now I understood. Sean tends to use the work "shot" when he means "laid off" or "redundancy".
He went on to explain that Charles, the two South Africans I work with (Richard & Fred), the Canadian Gail, and a couple of others whom I don't know are gone. He isn't sure exactly.
I went to my desk and sat down. Fred sits in the cubicle next to me. Sure enough, he was not there. His desk is unusually clean. It is hard to tell if he is there or not. I swear I saw Richard on Monday, but he is not here today.
I walked my Gail's desk. Her pictures are gone. She had a calendar of kittens on her desk. It is not there. Richard's stuff is still on his desk, but something isn't right. He stuff is scattered about as if he left in a hurry.
So I guess it is true. I feel like I am walking through a crime scene.
Charles' desk is the same. But he is in the Philippines. He may not even be aware that he has been laid off, if he has been. If true, then that means his visa sponsorship is withdrawn, which means he looses his visa and must leave Australia.
Which means that I just lost my new tenant for downstairs. He just moved in two weeks ago! Won't that be a rude surprise when he flies back to Perth and is refused entry.
I will confirm all of these facts in tomorrow's staff meeting. If true about Charles, then I need to somehow let him know. He might as well just stay there in the Philippines. I know that he doesn't want to go back to the US and deal with his ex-wife there.
This really has to hurt. I feel terrible for Richard and Fred. They were great guys, both with families to support. Both had moved over here from South Africa for this job. I know Richard had been out of work for 2 years before this. This has to be devastating to them.
I wonder if they are wondering why I was not laid off versus them. After all, I am single, no kids, and would return to the US where there is more opportunity than in South Africa. I suppose they are angry with me.
Canadian Gail is a great woman. Her boyfriend Tom works here too. He is still here, so he has not been laid off. They just build that expensive new house in Scarbough Beach. I think she will land on her feet and get a job with our ex-manager at the other company across town.
Her visa was expiring next month and she was in the process of trying to get it renewed. That is going to make it hard now that her sponsor dropped her. I hope she gets renewed. Otherwise, back to Vancouver. Tom will probably have to leave to and go home with her.
I wonder why I was spared?
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
More post office weirdness
Some other odd things about the postal service here in Oz.
(1) There is no Saturday service. Nor are the post offices open on Saturday.
(2) There are no stamp vending machines anywhere. You have to buy your stamps from a human being, which sucks. I have discovered that I can buy stamps from a newsagent, but they hide them behind the counter and don't advertise it.
(3) They have different stamps for domestic versus international mail. And god help you if you use the wrong one as I found out once. I put the correct amount of postage on a card going to the US and tried to mail it. They fined me 30 cents for using domestic stamps. It doesn't make any sense. The expense of printing different types of stamps and then tracking their usage must far exceed whatever the hell the benefit is to them.
I suspect that it is a revenue enhancement scheme.
(4) The post office is also the place you go to pay your utility and telephone bills, recharge your cell phone and calling cards, pay taxes, stock up on office supplies, and all kinds of non-postal services.
You would think that it would create a long line. It does, but it moves fast. You don't wait very long.
When I think of all the time I waste standing in line at the Santa Barbara post office at lunch simply to mail a package. And all they do in the US is postal matters. A line the same size in Santa Barbara would take 30-45 minutes to get to the head will take 10 minutes here.
So it makes one wonder, why do they move at a snail's pace in SB? What is taking so damn long? How hard is it to mail a package?
(5) Something else weird. If you mail a letter overseas that has only a card in it, you can send it cheaper by writing "card only" on the envelope. I have no idea why. How do they know you didn't slip in a little note or photo? Would that void the discount?
(6) I have noticed that when I send mail TO to US, it has always gotten there within a couple of weeks. However, mail sent to me FROM the US has 70-80 percent chance of getting to me. I know of a few pieces of mail that have never arrived. The amount of time varies from 2 to 6 weeks. I suspect they get lost or stolen in the US system.
(7) The post office here does not pick you mail at your home mail box. You have to take it to a letter box or to the post office.
(8) I've been warned that it is not a good idea to put your mail into a letter box. Trish told me that teenagers, as a prank, like to pour soft drinks, varnish, matches, and other destructive material into the sidewalk letter boxes.
(1) There is no Saturday service. Nor are the post offices open on Saturday.
(2) There are no stamp vending machines anywhere. You have to buy your stamps from a human being, which sucks. I have discovered that I can buy stamps from a newsagent, but they hide them behind the counter and don't advertise it.
(3) They have different stamps for domestic versus international mail. And god help you if you use the wrong one as I found out once. I put the correct amount of postage on a card going to the US and tried to mail it. They fined me 30 cents for using domestic stamps. It doesn't make any sense. The expense of printing different types of stamps and then tracking their usage must far exceed whatever the hell the benefit is to them.
I suspect that it is a revenue enhancement scheme.
(4) The post office is also the place you go to pay your utility and telephone bills, recharge your cell phone and calling cards, pay taxes, stock up on office supplies, and all kinds of non-postal services.
You would think that it would create a long line. It does, but it moves fast. You don't wait very long.
When I think of all the time I waste standing in line at the Santa Barbara post office at lunch simply to mail a package. And all they do in the US is postal matters. A line the same size in Santa Barbara would take 30-45 minutes to get to the head will take 10 minutes here.
So it makes one wonder, why do they move at a snail's pace in SB? What is taking so damn long? How hard is it to mail a package?
(5) Something else weird. If you mail a letter overseas that has only a card in it, you can send it cheaper by writing "card only" on the envelope. I have no idea why. How do they know you didn't slip in a little note or photo? Would that void the discount?
(6) I have noticed that when I send mail TO to US, it has always gotten there within a couple of weeks. However, mail sent to me FROM the US has 70-80 percent chance of getting to me. I know of a few pieces of mail that have never arrived. The amount of time varies from 2 to 6 weeks. I suspect they get lost or stolen in the US system.
(7) The post office here does not pick you mail at your home mail box. You have to take it to a letter box or to the post office.
(8) I've been warned that it is not a good idea to put your mail into a letter box. Trish told me that teenagers, as a prank, like to pour soft drinks, varnish, matches, and other destructive material into the sidewalk letter boxes.
How to piss off the post office
Strange thing here at the Australian post office. When you go in, you can not talk on your mobile phone. It has the magical effect of shutting down their sales terminals.
I made the mistake of receiving a call when I was buying some postage. My phone shut down the terminals. The clerk was mad and started pointing to the "No Mobile Phones" sign (which I had not noticed). She starting bitching about how her computer now needed to be reset.
I can't believe that in this day and age when everyone has a mobile phone that the Aussie Post has computers that can be crippled by a simple phone call. They should raise hell with the vendor that sold them that system.
I made the mistake of receiving a call when I was buying some postage. My phone shut down the terminals. The clerk was mad and started pointing to the "No Mobile Phones" sign (which I had not noticed). She starting bitching about how her computer now needed to be reset.
I can't believe that in this day and age when everyone has a mobile phone that the Aussie Post has computers that can be crippled by a simple phone call. They should raise hell with the vendor that sold them that system.
Friday, May 21, 2004
The Iranian
Funny thing happened this afternoon. I went to my photoshop to pick up some photos. The lady who owns it was in. She is always very nice. I don't think that I've been in there for over a year. She remembered me.
She looks and sounds Iranian to me. I asked her if she was Persian. She looked startled, like she had seen a ghost. She said "Yes, I am as a matter of fact."
She looked at me in amazement for a minute, then asked "How did you know?". She seemed very concerned.
"Your eyes. Your accent.", I told her. "My ex-wife used to work for an Iranian. You look and sound like his wife."
She said that no one in Australia has ever pegged for a Persian. She said that she often gets mistaken for an Arab. Some people ask her is she is from Lebanon, or Italy. Never Iran.
I explained that there are lots of Iranins in southern California, the largest population outside of Iran I believe. So I learned over the years to tell the difference.
She was curious about me. She was studying me intently. "What about you?", she asked. "I can't place you. You aren't Persian, but you could be."
I told her what I was. She was dumbfounded. "Are you really an American?", she asked. "I'm very good with accents. I can always tell an American. But your accent... I can't place it. Are you sure you are an American?"
"Yes. I'm sure. Born and raised."
Asked her what she thought my accent was, since it didn't seem American to her.
"I don't know. Honest. I can't figure it out. You have no accent what so ever."
How strange. Most Aussies either tell me that (a) I have a thick American accent, or (b) I have an Irish accent. It must be the broad vowels that throws them.
I'm not sure what to make of this. I was wondering if she would tell me if I sound Aussie. I don't think that I'll ever be able to pick up the Aussie accent. I'm guess I'm too old now.
She looks and sounds Iranian to me. I asked her if she was Persian. She looked startled, like she had seen a ghost. She said "Yes, I am as a matter of fact."
She looked at me in amazement for a minute, then asked "How did you know?". She seemed very concerned.
"Your eyes. Your accent.", I told her. "My ex-wife used to work for an Iranian. You look and sound like his wife."
She said that no one in Australia has ever pegged for a Persian. She said that she often gets mistaken for an Arab. Some people ask her is she is from Lebanon, or Italy. Never Iran.
I explained that there are lots of Iranins in southern California, the largest population outside of Iran I believe. So I learned over the years to tell the difference.
She was curious about me. She was studying me intently. "What about you?", she asked. "I can't place you. You aren't Persian, but you could be."
I told her what I was. She was dumbfounded. "Are you really an American?", she asked. "I'm very good with accents. I can always tell an American. But your accent... I can't place it. Are you sure you are an American?"
"Yes. I'm sure. Born and raised."
Asked her what she thought my accent was, since it didn't seem American to her.
"I don't know. Honest. I can't figure it out. You have no accent what so ever."
How strange. Most Aussies either tell me that (a) I have a thick American accent, or (b) I have an Irish accent. It must be the broad vowels that throws them.
I'm not sure what to make of this. I was wondering if she would tell me if I sound Aussie. I don't think that I'll ever be able to pick up the Aussie accent. I'm guess I'm too old now.
Charles unfinished business
One of my co-workers altered me to a fax sitting on Charles' desk. He said it was personal and looked important, so I picked it up.
It was from his landlord of the apartment he and Bing vacated last weekend. It turns out that they didn't finish the job. The place is a mess. The are missing a remote control. There is still stuff there.
I have no way of getting hold of Charles or Bing. So I guess I will have to deal with it as I see fit.
I hired Dawn to clean the place this weekend and I will charge Charles for the expense.
How irresponsible to take off and leave so much undone.
It was from his landlord of the apartment he and Bing vacated last weekend. It turns out that they didn't finish the job. The place is a mess. The are missing a remote control. There is still stuff there.
I have no way of getting hold of Charles or Bing. So I guess I will have to deal with it as I see fit.
I hired Dawn to clean the place this weekend and I will charge Charles for the expense.
How irresponsible to take off and leave so much undone.
Italian Jokes
I saw some good Italian jokes recently.
A bus stops and two Italian men get on. They seat themselves, and engage in animated conversation. The lady sitting behind them ignores their conversation at first, but her attention is galvanized when she hears one of the men say the following:
"Emma come first. Den I come. Two asses, they come together. I come again. Two asses, they come together again. I come again and pee twice. Then I come once-a-more."
"You foul-mouthed swine!" retorted the lady indignantly. "In this country we don't talk about our sex lives in public."
"Hey, coola down lady." said the man. "Imma just tella my friend howa to spella Mississippi."
Q: Why do Italian men where gold chains around their necks?
A: So they know where to stop shaving.
Q: Why do Italian men wear moustaches?
A: To remind them of their mothers.
A bus stops and two Italian men get on. They seat themselves, and engage in animated conversation. The lady sitting behind them ignores their conversation at first, but her attention is galvanized when she hears one of the men say the following:
"Emma come first. Den I come. Two asses, they come together. I come again. Two asses, they come together again. I come again and pee twice. Then I come once-a-more."
"You foul-mouthed swine!" retorted the lady indignantly. "In this country we don't talk about our sex lives in public."
"Hey, coola down lady." said the man. "Imma just tella my friend howa to spella Mississippi."
Q: Why do Italian men where gold chains around their necks?
A: So they know where to stop shaving.
Q: Why do Italian men wear moustaches?
A: To remind them of their mothers.
New cyclist improvements on the highway
Last week the roads department installed some new features on the West Coast Highway for cyclist. At major intersections they installed a small bike lane and laid down a new grip material.
The grip material is designed to prevent sliding by increasing traction. It is red and goes for about 3 meters or so from the intersection into the lane.
It is an interesting concept. They claim that tests on the east coast proved successful.
Now this is what has me baffled. No one rides their bikes ON the highway. Running parallel to the highway along the beach is a bike path. I take the bike path. Why would I want bike on the highway with speeding cars and trucks?
So all that new fancy traction mat bike lane stuff will be unused except for the occasional crazy cyclist who gets out on the highway.
The grip material is designed to prevent sliding by increasing traction. It is red and goes for about 3 meters or so from the intersection into the lane.
It is an interesting concept. They claim that tests on the east coast proved successful.
Now this is what has me baffled. No one rides their bikes ON the highway. Running parallel to the highway along the beach is a bike path. I take the bike path. Why would I want bike on the highway with speeding cars and trucks?
So all that new fancy traction mat bike lane stuff will be unused except for the occasional crazy cyclist who gets out on the highway.
Hamburgers
I finally found a place in Perth that makes a decent hamburger. After 2.5 years of suffering. It is a little hole in wall in the middle of a suburb on a road that I have never been on. It is called Bilbey's.
I plan to go there at least once a month now.
I plan to go there at least once a month now.
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Charles is off to the Phillipines
Charles took off for the Phillipines today. He is scheduled to be back in 3 weeks. But he told me, and others, that he will probablly not be returning. I think he plans to stay there for good. Who knows. I have no way to contact him. He left me his ATM card and PIN in order to take the cash out to pay rent. I checked the account today. There is only $10 in it. So I will check again this weekend to see if somone deposited some funds.
Bing went with him.
I saw them for a minute last night. He and bing showed up at the house in Bing's husband's Jag. She crashed her car that night before. She looks pretty shaken up. So does Charles. I read him the riot act today. He voluntered to move out. He apoligized to Dawn and she said that he can stay. But he is not allowed to drink in my house again. If he wants to drink, then take it some place else. I don't need this shit in my home.
Bing went with him.
I saw them for a minute last night. He and bing showed up at the house in Bing's husband's Jag. She crashed her car that night before. She looks pretty shaken up. So does Charles. I read him the riot act today. He voluntered to move out. He apoligized to Dawn and she said that he can stay. But he is not allowed to drink in my house again. If he wants to drink, then take it some place else. I don't need this shit in my home.
Monday, May 17, 2004
Weekend of wine and roses... not!
Man. What a crappy weekend! Charles moved in Saturday morning. I went over and helped him with the big items. We got all done around noon. Then I headed over the Loretta's rental property to help her work on getting that property in shape to rent.
I got home around 9 on Saturday night. Charles was upstairs sharing a bottle of wine with Dawn. Bing was at work. Dawn and Charles were enjoying themselves. I joined them in a glass. Charles kept drinking more and more.
Around 10 or so Dawn headed off to bed. She was not feeling well. She said that white wine didn't agree with her very much. I also decided to get some sleep since I wanted to get a lot of work done on Sunday.
Charles was pretty drunk by this time. He took some bottles of wine and my Country Western CD's downstairs. Around midnight I was awoken with the sound of his stereo blasting. I went downstairs. Charles was blitzed out of his mind. I told him to turn it down.
The rest of the night descend into a drunken hell. He kept sucking down more and more wine, and kept getting wierder and more dangerous. He would stumble upstairs and follow me around. He kept attacking me and trying to get me into a fight. I ended up with a bleeding lip once when he caught me with a left hook on the head when I wasn't paying attention. I ended up giving him some good kicks, but he was oblivious to pain.
At one point he broke into my bedroom to force me to wake up to talk. I left him in there and went to the sofa. I heard him stumbling around in my room, then I heard this crash outside. He had wandered out onto my little balcony and fell off into the patio below. I don't know how he survive it. He was blind drunk outside raging and staggering around.
Eventually he collapsed and I tried to go to sleep. Then Dawn came running into my room and woke me up. She was in a panic. She said that Charles had come into her room without in clothes on and had crawled into her bed. I knew the he was in no condition for reasoning, or even a beating from me. Nothing would register. So told Dawn to sleep in my room and I stayed up guarding my door. I could hear Charles thrashing around in Dawns room. Who knows why.
When I woke up around 10 Charles was gone. We don't know where he went. Poor Dawn was terrorfied. I went out and bought a lock for her door so she could lock herself in a night.
Later that afternoon Charles came home. I had planned on kicking his teeth in and kicking him out. He had crossed the line as far as I am concerned. It is one thing to attack me. I can handle myself and I can defend myself. It is another to invade the privacy of my housemate. Dawn is just a 25 year old student who wants a safe place to live. She doesn't need this. I don't need this. The first night he is here he gets drunk and ruins everything.
Well. He staggered in around 4 so drunk that he was literally blind. He said that he could not see and had lost his vision. Bing was with him. I could tell that she was very angry. I was angry too. Here he was still blind drunk 12 hours later.
Again. He was in condition to listen to reason, or anything. All I could do was hope he fell asleep. He was in an ugly mood and was yelling at Bing and anyone else who would listen.
Dawn's sisters were visiting her upstairs. She heard Charles come in downstairs drunk. So she and her sisters fled somewhere. I don't blame them. I told Bing that she has to stay with him despite the fact that she hated him and wanted to kill him. I told her that I do not want Charles going upstairs. I do not want him talking to Dawn. I told Bing that if she left, Charles would wander upstairs to "talk" to Dawn, or who knows what. I would not let that happen.
After a while this guy Dawn is dating, Tom, showed up to rent a video and spend the evening with her. Between Tom and Bing I felt it was safe enough to go get some dinner and see a film myself. Charles was quiet. I assumed that he had passed out.
I got home around 10:30. Tom was still there. Bing was gone. Charles was passed out cold downstairs. Dawn told me that Bing had called to let her know that she had a car accident. She had driven into a tree and totaled her nice car. Bing was ok but was in the hospital under observation. Bing's boyfriend was passed out drunk downstairs oblivious to all the damage he had caused.
It is now Monday morning. Bing called me around 7 to let me know that she was going to be ok. She was home and had spent the night in the hospital. I went downstairs and Charles was no where to be found.
I just went to work. Charles is here acting as nothing happened. He walked over to my desk and told me that stupid Bing crashed her car but that it was repairable. I think that he has no idea what he did.
Friggin amazing. I am so angry that I am spitting nails. I don't need this crap. Dawn doesn't need this crap. No one does. Why does he feel it is ok to inflict hell on everyone around him?
Well. I guess I need to ponder my options.
I got home around 9 on Saturday night. Charles was upstairs sharing a bottle of wine with Dawn. Bing was at work. Dawn and Charles were enjoying themselves. I joined them in a glass. Charles kept drinking more and more.
Around 10 or so Dawn headed off to bed. She was not feeling well. She said that white wine didn't agree with her very much. I also decided to get some sleep since I wanted to get a lot of work done on Sunday.
Charles was pretty drunk by this time. He took some bottles of wine and my Country Western CD's downstairs. Around midnight I was awoken with the sound of his stereo blasting. I went downstairs. Charles was blitzed out of his mind. I told him to turn it down.
The rest of the night descend into a drunken hell. He kept sucking down more and more wine, and kept getting wierder and more dangerous. He would stumble upstairs and follow me around. He kept attacking me and trying to get me into a fight. I ended up with a bleeding lip once when he caught me with a left hook on the head when I wasn't paying attention. I ended up giving him some good kicks, but he was oblivious to pain.
At one point he broke into my bedroom to force me to wake up to talk. I left him in there and went to the sofa. I heard him stumbling around in my room, then I heard this crash outside. He had wandered out onto my little balcony and fell off into the patio below. I don't know how he survive it. He was blind drunk outside raging and staggering around.
Eventually he collapsed and I tried to go to sleep. Then Dawn came running into my room and woke me up. She was in a panic. She said that Charles had come into her room without in clothes on and had crawled into her bed. I knew the he was in no condition for reasoning, or even a beating from me. Nothing would register. So told Dawn to sleep in my room and I stayed up guarding my door. I could hear Charles thrashing around in Dawns room. Who knows why.
When I woke up around 10 Charles was gone. We don't know where he went. Poor Dawn was terrorfied. I went out and bought a lock for her door so she could lock herself in a night.
Later that afternoon Charles came home. I had planned on kicking his teeth in and kicking him out. He had crossed the line as far as I am concerned. It is one thing to attack me. I can handle myself and I can defend myself. It is another to invade the privacy of my housemate. Dawn is just a 25 year old student who wants a safe place to live. She doesn't need this. I don't need this. The first night he is here he gets drunk and ruins everything.
Well. He staggered in around 4 so drunk that he was literally blind. He said that he could not see and had lost his vision. Bing was with him. I could tell that she was very angry. I was angry too. Here he was still blind drunk 12 hours later.
Again. He was in condition to listen to reason, or anything. All I could do was hope he fell asleep. He was in an ugly mood and was yelling at Bing and anyone else who would listen.
Dawn's sisters were visiting her upstairs. She heard Charles come in downstairs drunk. So she and her sisters fled somewhere. I don't blame them. I told Bing that she has to stay with him despite the fact that she hated him and wanted to kill him. I told her that I do not want Charles going upstairs. I do not want him talking to Dawn. I told Bing that if she left, Charles would wander upstairs to "talk" to Dawn, or who knows what. I would not let that happen.
After a while this guy Dawn is dating, Tom, showed up to rent a video and spend the evening with her. Between Tom and Bing I felt it was safe enough to go get some dinner and see a film myself. Charles was quiet. I assumed that he had passed out.
I got home around 10:30. Tom was still there. Bing was gone. Charles was passed out cold downstairs. Dawn told me that Bing had called to let her know that she had a car accident. She had driven into a tree and totaled her nice car. Bing was ok but was in the hospital under observation. Bing's boyfriend was passed out drunk downstairs oblivious to all the damage he had caused.
It is now Monday morning. Bing called me around 7 to let me know that she was going to be ok. She was home and had spent the night in the hospital. I went downstairs and Charles was no where to be found.
I just went to work. Charles is here acting as nothing happened. He walked over to my desk and told me that stupid Bing crashed her car but that it was repairable. I think that he has no idea what he did.
Friggin amazing. I am so angry that I am spitting nails. I don't need this crap. Dawn doesn't need this crap. No one does. Why does he feel it is ok to inflict hell on everyone around him?
Well. I guess I need to ponder my options.
Friday, May 14, 2004
Where have I been the last 2 years?
Well. I stopped posting to my web site after Christmas 2001, shorly after I moved to Perth. The reasons I have not done this are multiple.
(1) My hard drive was wiped out by something after Xmas 2001. It took me almost a month to recover the critical missing data. I still run into corrupted data.
(2) Spending that much time fixing problems just to get back to where I started burned me out on the computer. The last thing I wanted to do when I got home was spend time on the PC.
(3) There really hasn't been much super exciting going on.
Recently I noticed that Google has a much improved free blogger service. It is faster and easier to use than update my web site. So I decided to convert. This way it will be easier to toss updates on line as the mood hits me.
To summarise what has been going on. In June 2002 I rented a beach house in Cottesloe and moved in. I've lived there ever since. It is an asesome little place and I am very happy there. I has 4 bedrooms and 2 baths, on 2 floors. I rent out some of the other rooms to help me pay the rent.
I've had an interesting parade of sub-renters in my house over the last couple of years. I write more about them later.
I'm still working at IBM. Doing the same thing. Nothing exciting to report there. My visa was renewed. I can now work here until late 2008.
After two years I finally broke down an bought a car. It is a 1994 Ford Laser, which is really just a rebadged Mazda 323 station wagon. It is old, but in good shape for the age and I got it for a good price.
I've been back to the US twice. More about those trips later.
Elena came out in April 2002 and her and I took a trip to Singapore and Malaysia. She came out for 2 months in 2003 and we went down south to Margeret River. This year she came out for 3 months and we went up to Broome.
I'll write more about those trips when I can.
Everything is good. I've made some good friends here and I really enjoy my life.
Again. Sorry about the info gap. I was just seriously burned out.
Cheers!
Ron
(1) My hard drive was wiped out by something after Xmas 2001. It took me almost a month to recover the critical missing data. I still run into corrupted data.
(2) Spending that much time fixing problems just to get back to where I started burned me out on the computer. The last thing I wanted to do when I got home was spend time on the PC.
(3) There really hasn't been much super exciting going on.
Recently I noticed that Google has a much improved free blogger service. It is faster and easier to use than update my web site. So I decided to convert. This way it will be easier to toss updates on line as the mood hits me.
To summarise what has been going on. In June 2002 I rented a beach house in Cottesloe and moved in. I've lived there ever since. It is an asesome little place and I am very happy there. I has 4 bedrooms and 2 baths, on 2 floors. I rent out some of the other rooms to help me pay the rent.
I've had an interesting parade of sub-renters in my house over the last couple of years. I write more about them later.
I'm still working at IBM. Doing the same thing. Nothing exciting to report there. My visa was renewed. I can now work here until late 2008.
After two years I finally broke down an bought a car. It is a 1994 Ford Laser, which is really just a rebadged Mazda 323 station wagon. It is old, but in good shape for the age and I got it for a good price.
I've been back to the US twice. More about those trips later.
Elena came out in April 2002 and her and I took a trip to Singapore and Malaysia. She came out for 2 months in 2003 and we went down south to Margeret River. This year she came out for 3 months and we went up to Broome.
I'll write more about those trips when I can.
Everything is good. I've made some good friends here and I really enjoy my life.
Again. Sorry about the info gap. I was just seriously burned out.
Cheers!
Ron
Singapore
Last night Jeni begged me to join her for dinner with some local friends of her mother's. They are people that her mother either went to college with, or worked with. I can't remember.
She told me that they are really old. They wanted to take her out for Indian food before she left back to the US. She was really stressing about this. She told me that she has met this people two times before for dinner. Each time she invited a friend of her's to join her and each time they stood her up.
She also said that they can be rather boring and like to be in bed by 8 or 9.
Well... I was hungry. But I didn't feel like paying money for dinner. She assured me that they were buying, so I agreed. But on the condition that I could take my car so that I don't get stuck with them in the middle of nowhere.
They arrived on time and we all drove down to the old part of Fremantle to an Indian restaurant in the old fire station. The upstairs was converted to a youth hostel, and the downstairs is this restaurant. They even have the old firepole still up (you can't use it). The food was awesome and Jeni's friends eat there often enough to know a good thing.
Jeni was right. They were old. In their late 70's to some eighties if I had to guess. They were two married couples. But they were certainly not boring. On the contrary, I had an excellent time and was sorry that I had to go home later.
One couple were English, but moved to Perth 20 years ago. His name is Robin and he works as the vice-Dean of the University or Notre Dame here in Fremantle. It is a small private university affiliated with the big ND in Indiana. He also works as the comptroller for a small oil industry firm.
They were fascinating. He was born and raised in British controlled India, which explains his odd accent. He went to college in the US and in the UK. He and his wife used to live in Singapore for before moving to upstate New York to work at Cornell University for a few years. After Cornell they moved to Perth.
They really enjoyed living in New York, except for the winter cold finally drove them away. I don't blame them. After living on the equator in Singapore for years, getting used to the extreme weather in the US can be a shock.
They loved Singapore. They were there before it became the overcrowded metropolis it is now. She claimed that she can not even recognize the island anymore.
Robin had a lot to say about Singapore's history over the last 50 years. We discussed the lack of personal liberty of Singapore, and what it was like when they lived there. They claim that Singapore has opened up a lot in the last 5-10 years. Their friends back there now can say things in public that you could even think about saying in the past.
In the mid 70's after Saigon fell, there was civil war in Malaysia and Indonesia. Communists and non-communist's fought for control of SEA. Indonesia started grabbing neighboring islands by force. Singapore was staunchly conservative and anti-communist. In order to keep it that way they became a tightly controlled police state. Sort of an iron fist in a velvet glove. They tolerated no dissent or leftist sympathy.
He said that in the mid 70's Singapore had signed security treaties with the UK and Australia. Singapore was scared that it was going to be attacked and swallowed up by Indonesia or Malaysia.
That big brother attitude was never really abandoned. That is why Singapore is the way it is today.
She told me that they are really old. They wanted to take her out for Indian food before she left back to the US. She was really stressing about this. She told me that she has met this people two times before for dinner. Each time she invited a friend of her's to join her and each time they stood her up.
She also said that they can be rather boring and like to be in bed by 8 or 9.
Well... I was hungry. But I didn't feel like paying money for dinner. She assured me that they were buying, so I agreed. But on the condition that I could take my car so that I don't get stuck with them in the middle of nowhere.
They arrived on time and we all drove down to the old part of Fremantle to an Indian restaurant in the old fire station. The upstairs was converted to a youth hostel, and the downstairs is this restaurant. They even have the old firepole still up (you can't use it). The food was awesome and Jeni's friends eat there often enough to know a good thing.
Jeni was right. They were old. In their late 70's to some eighties if I had to guess. They were two married couples. But they were certainly not boring. On the contrary, I had an excellent time and was sorry that I had to go home later.
One couple were English, but moved to Perth 20 years ago. His name is Robin and he works as the vice-Dean of the University or Notre Dame here in Fremantle. It is a small private university affiliated with the big ND in Indiana. He also works as the comptroller for a small oil industry firm.
They were fascinating. He was born and raised in British controlled India, which explains his odd accent. He went to college in the US and in the UK. He and his wife used to live in Singapore for before moving to upstate New York to work at Cornell University for a few years. After Cornell they moved to Perth.
They really enjoyed living in New York, except for the winter cold finally drove them away. I don't blame them. After living on the equator in Singapore for years, getting used to the extreme weather in the US can be a shock.
They loved Singapore. They were there before it became the overcrowded metropolis it is now. She claimed that she can not even recognize the island anymore.
Robin had a lot to say about Singapore's history over the last 50 years. We discussed the lack of personal liberty of Singapore, and what it was like when they lived there. They claim that Singapore has opened up a lot in the last 5-10 years. Their friends back there now can say things in public that you could even think about saying in the past.
In the mid 70's after Saigon fell, there was civil war in Malaysia and Indonesia. Communists and non-communist's fought for control of SEA. Indonesia started grabbing neighboring islands by force. Singapore was staunchly conservative and anti-communist. In order to keep it that way they became a tightly controlled police state. Sort of an iron fist in a velvet glove. They tolerated no dissent or leftist sympathy.
He said that in the mid 70's Singapore had signed security treaties with the UK and Australia. Singapore was scared that it was going to be attacked and swallowed up by Indonesia or Malaysia.
That big brother attitude was never really abandoned. That is why Singapore is the way it is today.
Winter is here!
Wow. It got down to 3c last night. That is close to freezing. We had to turn on the heater for the first time all year this morning.
Jenni flys back to the US tonight. I am going to take Jenni and whoever else wants to come along down to Fremantle tonight for fish-n-chips as a good bye dinner.
I get my room and my house back. I am so glad. Dawn is glad too. The upstairs is just a little too small for 3 people. I had given my room to Jeni because she was uncomfortable sleeping on the air mattress in the living room. Plus she was living out of a backpack, so stuff was all over the place.
Things should get back to normal soon. I seems Dawn and I are more into the routne that we know. Things seem so chaotic when there is a 3rd person sharing our space.
Jenni flys back to the US tonight. I am going to take Jenni and whoever else wants to come along down to Fremantle tonight for fish-n-chips as a good bye dinner.
I get my room and my house back. I am so glad. Dawn is glad too. The upstairs is just a little too small for 3 people. I had given my room to Jeni because she was uncomfortable sleeping on the air mattress in the living room. Plus she was living out of a backpack, so stuff was all over the place.
Things should get back to normal soon. I seems Dawn and I are more into the routne that we know. Things seem so chaotic when there is a 3rd person sharing our space.
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