You hear that, Mr Andersen?

#150 - Meths, Weekend, Love Songs, etc.

This marks 150 of these things. Bizarre. Let's see if I have anything interesting to say.

***

I was getting petrol at the BP on Adelaide Rd around midnight. They lock the doors to the shop area late at night, so you have to go up to the window and pay before you get your petrol... which works oddly if you're filling the car up. Anyway, I was waiting in line to finish paying, and I notice the older chap in front of me - no shoes, hospital pyjamas, seemed a bit slow, and asking the attendant for a bottle of meths. The taxi driver he had waiting for him was saying he couldn't have it, but the transaction went on regardless.

Now, the first thing I thought was that he was going to drink it; but he seemed to have a fair bit of money in his wallet, and he was paying for a taxi, which argued that he'd be able to afford something that wouldn't cause you to get pretty ill pretty quick. So maybe he had some legitmate use for it? But what legitimate use is consistant with hospital pyjamas? I wondered about intervening, but I wasn't really sure how. Offering to pay for a bottle or two of wine instead didn't seem like the right solution, and is kind of patronising as well. I think that if I'd been the station attendant, I'd probably have refused to sell him the meths... but is that qualitatively different from a pharmacist refusing to sell condoms without proof that the purchaser is married?

I kinda wish that I'd thought of something to do.

***

The trip up to Foxton to collect various items from my uncle's went fairly smoothly. My passengers were told the tale of my trip to Foxton via the Waiarapa - a calumny that I'd have more success defending myself against if (a) it weren't true, and (b) I hadn't gone to Ngaio to pick one of them up via a slight detour up Ngauranga gorge. (C assured me that she hadn't been waiting too long. :) A special mention of the iron willpower showed by my travelling companions is probably in order - neither of them bought anything at the Nyco choclate factory. (I was not so strong.)

I was meant to go to two parties that night, including a "Holywood" party with compulsory costume; but despite my best intentions (and actually constructing a boom operator's outfit, no doubt inspired by my brother), I only managed to get to one of them. There were a bunch of people who I don't see much anymore, now I'm not flatting with Kate, so it was nice to catch up with them; but I was running a game on Sunday, so I went home about half-past eleven.

***

I was walking to past a friend's desk last Thursday on some task when she asked me, out of the blue, what the most romantic love song was. While I was busy being boggled, it turned out that "Lovesong" by The Cure had sparked off the conversation, since she had thought this was the most romantic thing ever when she was a teenager. I'm afraid I didn't have any particular insight - I suggested that Chris Knox's "Love Not Given Lightly" seemed pretty sincerely heartfelt - but I thought I might throw it out to the general audience for suggestion. Anyone want to chime in?

***

The game on Sunday went fairly well - it could have done with a little polishing on my part, but my worries about some of the players being left out were unfounded. And we neatly sidestepped the issue of my brother being absent by having his character being possessed throughout the episode. (Quick summary for said brother - you remember those two thugs that killed Thom's mother, tried to mug Maggie et al. and were scared off, got ambushed by a vampire where one got killed, and then the other one was grabbed by the werewolves and shot by Thom in the warehouse, ending up in the hospital? Well, it turns out that the one that was shot was put in an insane asylum, and in this game his friend who'd come back as a vampire broke him out... Now, you remember how Maggie used Sarah's ghost to help hide Ethan from his sorcerous father? Well, Thom's mother used that opening to possess Ethan, and hied off in pursuit of the vampires. Jo totally kicked ass, by the way - two vampires dusted, one after the other, bam, bam. They saved Laura's dad, found out a bunch of what's going on, and Ethan has recovered and has been tucked safely in bed by Maggie. Aww.)

Then it was back into town for dinner with Jenni, Lee & C, and meeting up with Rach-to-the-B, closely followed by a really, really long 48-Hour Film Competition award thing. Some really good short films, and no terrible ones. The presenter was fairly harsh about one of the sessions, and when people said, "Aww," he said, "You didn't see them." This was both funny and appalling. :) I'm glad I saw what made it to the final round - judging from this, I'd recommend watching the C4 show.

***

There we are - anecdotes, a moral dilemna, and a request for opinions about music. About the only other things I could do to encourage people to comment is to say something contentious about the latest Star Wars movie, or mention that I've started going out with someone. Unfortunately, I don't have anything interesting to say about the Revenge of the Sith. >;)