Sooooooo.

Forgot to charge Sheldon’s battery last night. Everything was all plugged in nicely. Forgot to actually turn the switch on at the powerpoint. Woops!

So this morning I was all kitted out in my cycle gear (aka looking like an utter dag) and figured in my head that it’d be OK! I could get to work! So I started cycling and realised that I seriously wasn’t going to be able to travel 12km, particularly being I barely get to work and home these days. Battery life deteriorates over time. One of the joys of lithium.

By the time I got home tonight I had one tiny dot left. Barely. A flashing dot.

Luckily, this morning, despite not even a sniff of coffee, I managed to rationalise the consequences of cycling with barely any juice just in time – and came up with my next great plan to get to work in time! This great plan involved cycling to the train station. This plan, in theory, is pure brilliance particularly being that I have my own bicycle locker! With a key and everything!

So I scooted off to the train station, bundled my big heavy awkward bike into the tiny space and tried to lock it. No joy. Tried again. And again. And again.

Ended up locking it up with my chain. NOT HAPPY.

Sweating profusely by now. Unshowered. Hair a mess. Hot. Stinky. I couldn’t WAIT to get on the train for all the world to admire my calm, composed, joyfully refined appearance………………………………………………………………………….

This is my 3rd bicycle locker.

And I had one person’s name in my head the whole time. Simon Finn.

The ALP Government’s upgrade of Moorooka Station was purely cosmetic and added nothing practical to encourage more people to commute using public transport. For example, practical inclusions such as disability/cycle access or upgraded bicycle lockers. But why would you want to encourage more people to catch the train? Surely pretty murals, painted steps and a new front facade will achieve that?

And then I have to get on the train, sit down and experience the results of the expense Queensland Rail have put into the ‘quiet carriage’ campaign. A young father (with mother and baby by his side) had his bad hip hop music blaring for everyone to hear. And then he started singing along. This is rude at any hour, but at 9am in the morning? Paleease.

Unlike everyone else who seemed to just put up with it, I switched carriages. It’s strange. They didn’t seem like bad hip hop type people. It’s amazing the noise pollution people will endure for the sake of civility. Maybe they’d had their first coffee. Not me.

The problem with the quiet carriage rule is that, if you’re not IN a quiet carriage, people seem to think that gives them instant permission to be noisy. And then QR spends heaps of money on an etiquette campaign to follow.

But they don’t do anything useful like upgrade the lockers. Lockers that have apparently been there for 10-15 years. They’re imported from overseas. And every time they need to change a lock it’s really difficult. Oh yes it’s amazing the things apologetic station masters have told me during my adventures with crappy lockers.

They LOOK impressive, but they’re pieces of crap. However, just because something is free doesn’t mean it has to be crap.

I call on Simon Finn to upgrade lockers in his electorate! I plan to write him a letter. There’s an election on. This is vital local infrastructure.

On the upside, I managed to get to work in one piece, make myself look respectable and toddle off just in time for a morning coffee to talk shop with the lovely and talented Samantha Morris from Wombat Creative.

In fact, the pure unadulterated need for coffee was so much in the air this morning that Sam drank her first coffee ever.

No, seriously.

Ever.

Imagine being someone who functions without coffee in the morning…?

Pass!!