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Well, the weekend of the grand prix is over. I’m in the airport licking my wounds (more on that later) waiting for my flight. Dad is already on his way on a virgin flight and I’m waiting for a Qantas flight.
As it turns out I purchased the following tickets for the trip:
Luke:
Melbourne – Brisbane
Dad:
Brisbane – Melbourne
Brisbane – Melbourne.
If you notice a problem with that, you’d be right! There were no Qantas flights that were available by the time I released the error and attempted to purchased a new ticket. SO, dads on the only available flight!
Weekend is over though, which is a shame, it’s a fun time. But I’ve got work to do and issues to clear up so its good to be getting back to start on those.
The bigger end of things waiting for would be a Company law assignment, new phone systems for Sunline, New accounting software for sunline and the real fun one, organising repair for my corolla, which was whacked by some ditsy ‘so-and-so’ while Megan and Anita were driving it while I was in Melbourne. So now the boot wont shut, and the back is pushed in. So there goes the resale! Fun and games not get to ensure with getting the bloody thing repaired and someone to actually pay for it. I have a head ache thinking about it! Which is a headache on a headache at this present time, so it’s really not endearing itself to me I’m afraid. I’m not impressed. It’s all really just organising type headache and annoyance more than anything, it would be infinitesimally MORE concerning if either were hurt. Both of them are ok though, so really it’s just a ‘I don’t need this right now’ headache then a serious problem one. Haha, at the time I really didn’t care, I was just happy no one was hurt (it wasn’t that hard from what I can figure of the photos, but it was enough to give them a shake up and realign the rear). Now thinking about whats going to have to get done, and the looking around for a car to do stuff, the wasted time dealing with quotes and getting paid and loosing it for a week… yep, headache.
The grand prix though – good race. Renault just thoroughly outpaced Mclaren. Don’t know what the deal was with the Mercedes cars, but they just couldn’t keep pace with Alonso, who was flying. Whether they decided it wasn’t worth the chace given the engine has to last next week as well or they had mechanical issues, or the car just couldn’t match them I don’t know. I’ll have to get on the web and have a read about the race to see those types of details.
The race was a pretty decent affair mainly because of all the incidents which keep things happening.
Massa and Rosenberg hit on turn one (which is where we are seated) and that ended with Massa having his Ferrari in a heap of pieces with steam spewing from busted coolant lines. That was flat back in front of us – probably 10 metres away or something so that was fun to watch. Lutzzi came off at high speed in the sweeper between turns 2 and 3 which we can see, so that was a good visual feast as well. Other incidents happened at other parts of the track, but they all seemed to happen in such ways which meant that the safety car had to come out quite a few times. Each time the SC came out all the cars bunched up again, which then boosted the competition up a pretty decent degree. Stopped Alonso from getting to far away from kimi, which keeps some excitement in the 1-2 races. OH, Button, that’s right, his engine blew up in AMAZING style not 20 metres from the finish line on the final lap. 30 foot flames coming from the back of it, so that was a real bum one for him! THIS CLOSE to coming 4th. Instead he came no where. Life sucks sometimes doesn’t it!
The support races were all pretty exciting as well. The BMW Celebrity challenge was the best I’ve seen in around 5 years! There wasn’t a car in the pack (minus 2 I guess) which didn’t come out of that with dints, missing bumpers, pushed up bonnets, popped in doors. Some really fisting driving went on. Kim Watkins and Alaster Lynch both wanted the racing line and wouldn’t give it up, so they drove side to side for around 50 metres, destroying rear view mirrors and side panels of they cars. Kim gave in eventually, which was disappointing!
I should explain – the BMW celebrity challenge is.. as it name suggests! Celebrities race each other they drive unmodified BMW 120i’s which for those in the US which doesn’t get 1 series BMW’s is just a little smaller then a 3 series BMW. Around 55 grand Australian. Gorden Tallis T-Boned and then rammed someone off the track intothe kitty litter. He however came undone next corner and rammed the tyre barrier. Phil from ‘The Amazing Race’ who had the weekend of racing around the world it would seem lost it one a corner after been rammed from behind for hogging the racing line when one of the wiggles wanted it (and wanted to go faster one would imagine!) and then spun back onto the track nearly wiping our another car! It was really a hilarious race. The cars were all bent up to hell. So BMW better have good insurance for these things, oh, and don’t by a used 120i without a very good private owner history! J
The Carrera cup had a couple of high speed hits but went off well with a great to-the-final –corner race, and the V8’s were in good form as well, with a hilarious run off at turn one, where the guy just flat out didn’t breack off the straight. He was going so fast he flew straight over the top of the gravel trap and ended up at the dead end of the run off before stopping. But before the safety guys could get to him, he had flipped the thing around and was charging the gravel trap to get out of it back to the track! He got out with a big cheer from all of us in the grand stands J
Over the whole 4 days, it was pretty decent. The calendar wasn’t as full as what it had been in the blast though, which is annoying. There were times when we were just sitting around waiting for ANYTHING to happen. It’s not normally the case.. could have had something to do with the new timing of the practise sessions for the F1 cars. Over all the weather was shit… 2 days of rain and Freaken coldness reminded me how much average weather Melbourne gets… Brisbane really does have such better weather! Its April and already its around 16-19 degrees in Melbourne! And yet a month ago it was around 32! So random! It’s still a beautiful city though, and I still want to live here for a few years! It’s just you have to get used the weather, which is normally allot easier seeing you don’t normally as a rule spend 4 days in a park, in a chair looking at the road! Its pretty tough to judge a place like that! When it’s a nice day, it’s a beautiful day… it’s just that even on an average day in Brisbane, it’s a lovely day… to many extremes here!
So yeah… flight boards in around 15 minutes. I’ve killed an hour with this, which is handy!
Rental was nice, after another 4 days though the shine is leaving the 380… seats are to hard and to wide. Really… back is kinda sore and it hasn’t helped in the least. Still, 39 a day its pretty decent isn’t it.
Southern Cross Station really does look a million dollars as well at the moment. Anyone who goes to Melbourne – really have to go and marvel at that building! Its HUGE, its got a lot of glass, there isn’t a single straight line in the place, it’s just a series of waves, and the offices inside the place look SO cool! They are like little buildings inside another building! But again, no straight lines, all curvy and funky!
SO… I’m sleepy… I’m going to sleep on the plane I think… mmm mm…. headache about the car is coming back.. really, its just so bloody annoying… haha, and no, I’m not just going to let it go, it’s currently the thing which is annoying me! I had the next week planned out well work wise, and now my car is out of action and I’ve gotta go and take it places and blow a whole day getting the stupid thing looked at, then I’ve got another week without it because I have to wait for them to pay, and chances are they wont like the quote, so they will carry on about it and it will have to get quoted somewhere else, and there’s another half a day, and still no car fixed, then its back to getting them to pay, then it’s getting the dam thing booked in to be repaired and loosing it for a week… its just a bloody nightmare for a month now… that I’ve got enough to do at the moment, I don’t need to be cleaning up after someone who can’t drive’s mess!
HAHAHA, so here is something funny… right at that moment… that moment Frank on the CD I’m listening to right now sung “You make me feel so young, you make me feel like spring has sprung, and every time I see you grin, I’m such a happy individual”. Hahaha, thanks frank, hilarious, everyone’s a freaken comedian aren’t they! J haha, how can ya stay annoyed?!?! “you and I, are just like a couple of tots, rrrrrrunning across meadows, picking up lots of forget me nots. You make me feel so young, you make me feel like there are songs to sung, bells to be rung, wonderful fling to be flung, and even when I’m old and grey, I’m gonna feel the way I do today, cause you! You make me feelllll so young! You make me feel so young, you make me feel so young! Ohhhh, you make me feel so young” J
Hahaha, well life’s like that isn’t it.
Many Thanks to Teri for allowing me to burn the Frank Sinatra CD while in Colorado! Laptop is on random play and out of 3000 odd songs it decided to remind me it was time to be happy!. I am happy btw! It’s not like I’m depressed about the car or anything, its just THERE, and I’m tired, I’m burnt…
OH – the story… YES! licking wounds! I’m BURNT! I got burnt in this hellish city. It 16 degrees out, there is an artic wind blowing and ice like rain stabbing at me, I’m cold to the bone, I’m trying to watch races while looking into this stuff, and its on and off all bloody day, I felt like I’d never be warm again, and then come home time I look in the mirror and I’m BURNT! I mean what is the DEAL WITH THAT! Its insane! Lets get something straight here people – rain/wind then no burn. HOT, sunny, THEN burn. Its simple it’s not a hard rule!
Anyone’s.. flights boarding, weekends over, back to the real world soon! J
Have fun peoples.
An Aussie In Japan 