NOW VODAFONE DOES US IN

Sometimes I live in the country

Sometimes I live in the town

Sometimes I have a great notion to jump into the river and drown

 

KATI B at Kirra Pub with the petrol cap we left on the roof and the open taNK.  Sometimes I have a great notion – especially now with the internet playing up with the same ferocity as the phones did last year. Pat the Rat used  to say the Alcoholic had a great desire to neck himself . Vodafone is inspiring that urge in me this week. Rough connections and no connections. Thought it was my own sweet as ACER Aspire series laptop – tried the little ACER Pc I call Elpacca and she did the same thing. dropping out. Pages not opening. Near Hysteria.

The laptop worked just fine down at the Aza motel in Lismore on their wirless. So we try ringing  VODAFONE ” Support”. Not an Australian Accent. No matter. Followed a complex set of troubleshooting directions which pretty much dismantled Izzys phone and my laptop. No result. Tried distracting into playing Age of Empires instead – then ventured to sneak up on the Internet from behind. Still not working so I rang VODAFONE again. Doesn’t sound intimidating but IT IS ! First I have to talk to LARA – the  Replicant – in a language she seems to understand but which I don’t. Then I meet an American woman – nice for me – I don’t travel much who passes me onto the Broadband team – well- waited on ring tone for 12 minutes first – then I encountered something I have been encountering a bit in this collapsing era. A real person who was honest. MAKES A DIFFERENCE. After the telstra year of lying, ducking and dodging and calling Earle ( who is a very nice man) – a BELLIGERENT FARMER – when he reached hysteria and nervous thermal combustion in trying to deal with them – well Telstra people began to get honest. Behind the Weavers and Artful Dodgers – are the People.  NOT the ones named Starr, and Sweetness , and Melanie and etc who are posted at the front line to evoke sympathy – not the ones who say ” You don’t know how hard it is to run a cable over Bilambil Mountain” – but real people who break party line and TELL YOU THE TRUTH.  I’m pretty good with the truth even when I don’t like it. Doesn’t even make me want to SUE them which seems to be the major fear. ” I am not litiginous by nature “. Makes me feel a bit like Earle – the belligerent farmer. The gentle man who grows thousands of trees and takes care of the wee animals. Makes me feel like throwing myself into the river and drowning.

This PERSON with another American Accent did inform me that its a big problem. MASSIVE UPDATES AND UPGRADES AND UP YOURS that VODAFONE is doing. Good God !!! Why didn’t they say that  last night ? Why didn’t they put it on the website or send an SMS – anything except pretend it was all ok. Anyway VODAFONE is trying like the rest of the world to adjust to  3G – the miracle of 3G – The 3 Goons perhaps. So we WAIT – pay and wait as usual.

And remember the good times, Jamoze with my girl and her lad.  Lismore with the iz.

STUCK INSIDE BILAMBIL WITH THE TWEED HEADS BLUES AGAIN

KIND OF.

INTERESTING MEAL AT KIRRA PUB

The day had begun clouded and cooler. Not as cold as Kalang say Kati B and her IMM who were up at Ivan the Cowboy’s place for the weekend. iZZY played at the RICHMOND HOTEL on Friday night with THE HILLBILLY BLUES BANDITS and we booked into the AZA in the middle of town. Expected Fiona and Sarah but they didn’t show. Did get to a Red Dove Meeting as stated previously. Back in Bilambil via Nimbin and the fruit and vegie shop at Sphinx Rock aka Mt Burrell meant I could go shopping with the Daughter because Cowboy has just moved up from Sydney and he has moved to BILAMBIL – just across the Valley. Almost within vision and 6 doors or so down from the Bloke. So we took ourselves down to the Coast and into Kirra Pub in search of Kati B’s perfect counter lunch roast. We didnt find that. we found a rather odd meal in a rather odd place. Then we came out to the carpark and the petrol cap was sitting on the roof of the car with the petrol thingo open where we had forgotten to close it or put the cap back on. Came from 2 people doing the job of one person. Kati B has her licence now and a registered car but they came in IMM’s 4 wheel drive so we were in the Charade as we have been for years and we took a good look around TWEED. Wish the MAD OBRIENS were still here but they are up the mountain in ARMIDALE so we went to RIVERS in search of the perfect shoe for me. I have the perfect bag. The BLACK WOLF BLADERUNNER. Now I need the walking shoe. Lightweight. WALKABLE.  Haven’t found it yet but I will.

Picked Kate up for Jamoze – her being Izzy’s BIGGEST fan without doubt. And then the lads turned up as well which was not what I thought would happen. BIG lads they are too. Two of them made Jai look small and hes over 100 Kilos and BIG. Now they are gone South again and we are here and the day is a little grey.

KATI B AT KIRRA PUB FOR LUNCH

Japanese proverb: from great site of quotes.

“Fall seven times, stand up eight.”

Any fool can get complicated, but it takes a kind of genius to stay simple.”
- Pete Seeger on what he had learned from Woody Guthrie, sent in by John S. of Montclair, New Jersey