Categories
Glass

Mirrors and Glass

In the realm in which I am from, glass is a developing discipline. Oh, the rich and powerful do preen themselves in expensive mirrored surfaces, and for a nominal fee you can also summon a dimension shifting mage to open a decent sized portal to the mirror plane, allowing you to gaze upon an exact reflection of oneself with only a 20% chance that it will gain sentience, climb through the portal, try to secretly kill you in your sleep and take over your life with no one the wiser.

And windows? Again, rare. We are mostly a realm of wooden shutters, so the fact that glass replacement companies in Melbourne are so very numerous was a surprise to me at first. I was practicing a sacred, divine, holy and exclusive spell passed down through generations that allows you to punch someone in the face at a distance, but it went awry and I punched straight through my bedroom window. At first I was fearful, thinking that glass was akin to perhaps the enchanted stained glass in the local Sanctified Cathedral. But no, apparently there are just glaziers everywhere, I guess. Glass replacement isn’t exactly what you would call inexpensive, but panes of glass are a common item to be replaced and it is not ‘abnormal’. Especially not with the very normal story I concocted using my knowledge of film and television: I was practicing so that I could one day win a Superbowl, and I accidentally swung my bat in the wrong direction, causing the window to be shattered by the football flying off the tee and hitting the glass.

Yes. Perfect. Glaziers might not be royalty here, but people are generally happy to see them. Maybe I need to get myself into this game. Install some stair balustrades, replace a pane, learn the game…and take it all back to my home realm and make mountains of gold! My banishment is only 400 years, plenty of time to learn glazier skills.

Categories
Cars

The Old Garage

There was a really great prank way back where the newspapers all agreed to report that America might have been vacated for several months, due to all the goldmines drying up. This was way back before the internet, and when hardly anyone could afford to make international calls, so you couldn’t just verify it instantly.

It was a wonderful joke and it caused quite a stir amongst people fearing that all the Americans were heading to Australia, in need of a new home. But ultimately, it was not true. Life was just a lot simpler, back then. You went to see Mr Gendo if you needed a car mechanic. Ringwood locals knew he was their guy. There was only Mr Gendo in the area, because it was a poor area and hardly anyone owned their own cars. No roadworthy certificates back then, either. You just got on with your driving and tried to ignore the rattling noises if you didn’t have enough money for the mechanic. Things were built to last then, however.

Mr Gendo gained quite a name for himself, being a mysterious foreigner in a time when you never saw that sort of person running a mechanic’s garage. He was really nice, but very firm. You don’t bother him about how long the repairs were going to take. “It gets done when it gets done,” he would say, sticking the cigar back in his mouth and going back to his work. I was just a kid and I never bothered him, so he’d let me watch the mechanical repairs, and I learned how car servicing worked, and how to repair a brake pad, and multiple swear words in other languages.

No more Mr Gendo. He went back to his family in Japan once he was too old to continue, and multiple auto service centres near Ringwood have sprung up since then. It’s nice to have choice, I suppose. But I can’t help thinking of how things used to be.

-Rolf

Categories
Aluminium

Recycling is Important

I’ve long since emphasised the importance of our moon rockets being fully-recyclable, so that we may use them for other things once we’ve landed. And yet, no one seems to be listening to me. They seem to think that, since our Lunar Kingdom will be superior in every single way, we need to build the rockets out of gold and silver and platinum. That’s so very foolish, I don’t know where to begin. I mean, I already have doubts about the amount of glass we’re going to need to make the domes, and all of this without the aid of Earth things like aluminium toolboxes and ute under tray drawers and gas bottle holders and all the things industry actually NEEDS.

I tried telling them this, and the cult leaders said that I was worrying too much. They said it was revealed to them in a dream that we’ll be finding plenty of natural materials on the moon, so I could probably just leave all of that stuff on Earth and bring a few more chickens instead, or maybe a medium-sized dog. I suppose…if it was in a vision, then it must be alright. The words of our glorious leaders are absolute. But I’m part of the dome building team, and I’m going to feel strange without my old toolbox by my side. I’ll have nowhere to put my tools, for one thing. I suppose the toolbox central locking is going to stop being necessary, because the moment we leave Earth all theft and crime will be unknown to us forevermore. Although perfect some sort of remote toolbox central locking system might do for stopping our tools from floating away in the zero gravity. But we need moon metals to build the toolbox in the first place. So…we need tools of industry, to build tools of industry, so we can start the REAL work. I’m starting to see a problem with this plan. Or was this also covered in the prophetic vision?

-Samuel

Categories
Cars

Time for a ROAD TRIP

Finally, I’ve saved up enough for my holiday. Always wanted to go on a road trip, so I’ve been working towards it for a while. Turns out there are a few more things to think about than just having a car and a couple of friends. Petrol is expensive, planning is a huge hassle, and even if you want to take the free-spirited approach and just take things as they come, there are still things you have to do to make sure you don’t end up stranded in the middle of the outback. I know going on a holiday in the outdoors means that you have to sleep rough sometimes, but…not THAT rough.

I’ll ask my car servicing guy. Never gotten one of those before, which is, uh…that’s bad. I don’t even know if there are South Yarra car servicing places near me, so I guess I’ll have to find out. Before my road trip ambitions, all my car journeys were short and basic. Just to work and back, to food shopping and back, to football practice and back, and that last one is a fifteen minute walk away so that’s pretty shameful overall. But now, I want to take my car on a long drive across country, so it needs a really good servicing. Maybe repairs, because I haven’t really kept it in good condition. Maybe a whole new car? New car, we’ll see. It’s only a one-litre thing with three doors, and I’m thinking that’s not the best combination for driving around Australia. It even protests quite a bit just with me taking it on the freeway, especially if I have a passenger or two.

Is this a bad idea? I’m starting to think it might be, but I need a professional opinion. I’ll have a drive and a think, maybe see if there are garages nearby that can do my car servicing. Glen Iris is close to where I work, and I’ve heard good things about mechanics in the area. If they warn against my driving holiday…I guess there’s always a bus trip. That’s like a road trip except someone else does the driving.

-August

Categories
Home

Wallpaper, to the Stars!

self adhesive wallpaperWallpaper will soon be one of humanity’s greatest assets, and that’s because it’s one of the things that makes us unique as a species.

We had a whole discussion at the club tonight, even though mankind taking its place in the galactic community is basically a given at this point and the only thing to discuss is the timeline of when it’s going to happen. I’m guessing 2082, because I’m a cautious optimist. But anyway, you’ve got a whole intergalactic community pointing their space telescopes at Earth, asking…what do they have to offer? Glass is nice, and very novel, but do they have anything else?

And I do firmly believe that wallpaper will be the thing we have to offer. Right here in Melbourne, digital wallpaper is experiencing a resurgence like never before. Everyone wants easy-to-apply wallpaper in tropical patterns, floral patterns, cute animal patterns, quadratic equation patterns…I myself just upgraded my entrance hall so that the wall is plastered with an image of an exploding neutron star. But have you ever seen alien worlds and vessels on TV? It’s all chrome. Chrome, or silver. They have no concept of decorative wallpaper, because once you become a space-faring civilisation, you sacrifice the ability to think creatively in a way that would allow you to put wallpaper on your spaceships. So, from the very moment we make first contact and the alien races come on board our spaceships, they’re going to be utterly bowled over by our wallpaper exploits. It’ll be just like on TV when a human enters and alien spaceship and they’re awestruck by the technology, except it’ll be in reverse, with aliens awestruck by our wallpaper.

Obviously it’ll have to be some sort of wallpaper that displays the bounties of Earth, so either tropical or floral wallpaper should be the standard for all spaceships. Just…palm trees and roses everywhere. It’ll make space travel a lot less tedious as well.

-Buck

Categories
Hair

I’ll Take Someone Else’s Hair, No Problems

hair salon MelbourneSo, they can do pretty good hair transplants now. I saw this video on Visage-Tome of some guys having it done: you just apply it with some glue, and there you go. Gone today, hair tomorrow. They’re pretty expensive and only last for a few months, but still…I’m gonna say it’s worth it, if you can afford the treatment. For one thing, the hair doesn’t grow; it’s not your hair, after all. So you’re already saving money on hairdresser trips, and the hair looks pretty sturdy so you might even save money on product as well. That stuff really adds up, you know.

Anyway, something to note for the future, because some people in my family have lost their hair, and I’m always on the lookout for…thinning, in certain areas. Just hoping that one skips a generation. And I’ll say it: I’m pretty fond of my hair. I’ll go along to a hair salon open for appointments in Melbourne somewhere and gladly shell out a few bucks every six weeks if it means keeping it.

There are some guys who look really good without hair, sure. Vin Diesel. Bruce Willis. Various people with the right face shape, and also the ability to trim a goatee properly. Me? I’m not one of those people. If I went bald, I’d end up looking like some skinny loser. All the goodness has gone to the hair area, so I can’t really grow proper facial hair to make up for the shiny top. Nah…I can’t pull that off. I even hate it when I tell the hairdresser the wrong number and it gets sliced too short; feels like a part of me has been sliced away. Not too far from the truth, I guess.

Alright, so there’s a little bit of vanity there, but it’s okay to be proud of what you have. I don’t have much, but I do have thick, healthy hair. All the people say so in the hair salons. South Melbourne has a hair industry that knows me; I’m the thick, luscious hair guy. Without that, what am I? Nothing. All I have left is my ability to pop and lock, and that’s a lot more situational than a good hairstyle.

–Darren

Categories
Office

Office Culture Done Right…?

office designersYou know in my country, the word for office translates as ‘place of dull progress’. Yeah, there’s not a huge office culture there, even though we still HAVE them. They’re pretty much a necessity if you want things to get done, and by ‘things’ I mean the efficient running of the country and businesses in general.

Still, I think my country does them a lot better, especially with the office revolution of the 1960s. Offices were a relatively new concept at the time, at least in the Western sense, so people got all up in arms about having to wear ties and sit in cubicles. Too much of a change, I guess. So there was a dramatic fusion of both Western and Eastern cultures, and now the whole thing work much better. Casual offices, plenty of incense, no dress code…if I were an office design professional in Melbourne, I’d take notes. Nah, not really…although I have seen quite a few sweeping changes in Melbourne as of late when it comes to office culture. The whole thing is becoming a lot more chilled, nowadays it’s pretty common to see office fitouts, Sydney office buildings seem to have them every day. The best fitouts transform the space into…well. not your average office. I also like that some offices accept dogs there now. Of course, in my country, it’s been that way from the start. You’d never dare to tell anyone they couldn’t bring their dog, or cat, or monkey, or parrot, or mantis shrimp to work with them; it’d be as bad as bad-mouthing the light goddess herself. I like to think things are getting better in Melbourne and Australia, at the very least. I bet there are even office design people in Melbourne who design dog-friendly spaces, or at least they can optimize the space for animals. Whatever you need, really. Just need to add some incense and everyone lounging around on rectangular bean-bags while typing on their laptops, and it’s basically just like home.

-Vera

Categories
Hair

My Hair Has Special Requirements…

hair salon South MelbourneUsually, I’d only get my hair done at ONE place: Guru Lacrima’s Emporium of Well-Being and Crystal Rejuvenation. Not many people know of it, but Guru Lacrima actually offers a comprehensive hair-care service that includes a cut, shaping and bathing in essential, home-made oils. The fusion of trance music and traditional Nepalese ox cries is just a lovely added bonus! I always walk out of the salon feeling energised and centred. 

But now, I need to look further afield for my hair treatments. I went to get myself a booking (you can’t call, because Guru Lacrima has sworn off electronic communication), and I found the whole place closed. Apparently Guru Lacrima has been admitted to hospital with a severe case of okra poisoning. I didn’t even know that was a thing. As a result I’ve decided to cut okra out of my diet altogether. 

So while THAT’S happening…does anybody know about any good hair salons near South Melbourne? Surely there must be a few who fit my criteria. Not that I’m super-uptight about my hair or anything, I just think that when you’re having something removed from yourself like that, the vibe needs to be right. Cannot stand the thought of a hair salon being like a factory, where people walk in and have their own, personal, private head-hair removed one-by-one…dispassionately. Just don’t really like the thought of it. It is perhaps the one place in the world where the music fades from my mind, replaced with anxiety about the locks vanishing from my head.

See, at Guru Lacrima’s the removal of hair was like a symphony. Snip, snip, chop, chop, bathe, bathe, massage, massage, UEEEEEEEEERGH (that was the ox cry). If I’m going to a hair salon in Melbourne, I just think that it needs to have a certain vibe of relaxation. Some music, friendly folk, perhaps some scattered conversation about crystals or the benefits of Malaysian ceremonial chanting being fused with Latin soft rock. I can even bring the essential oils and hair spices myself…

-Deirdre

Categories
Hair

Werewolves, Clowns and Windy Hair

hair appointments MelbourneIf I had to name my number one fear, it would probably be…werewolves. I know how that sounds but stick with me here. Werewolves are the were-worst. The thing that freaks me out most is that fact that they could be anyone, and you wouldn’t even know. They could be that dark-haired hot guy. Or that other dark-haired hot guy. Or that hot guy with long dark hair! One minute you’ve got a hot guy, and then BAM. Werewolf.

Number two is spiders combined with clowns to create spider-clowns, who can do whatever a spider-clown does. And then…I guess it’d be that recurring dream where I have to give a keynote speech to a group of entomologists on beetle migration cycles, and then I get up there and my hair is a mess, and all the entomologists laugh at me.

There’s a backstory to that one as well! So I sometimes make hair appointments in the Melbourne CBD, even though places tend to be a little bit more pricey right in the city center. Between work and uni, I barely have any time, so this is just how it has to be. Hairdressing on the go! But one time I went to have my hair done and it was a really windy day, so I was all like ‘sure, whatever, I ain’t afraid of no wind’, and I chose a hairstyle with my hair kind of…’up’. Like, not a beehive, but getting there. This was the night of the gala, so I needed to look a bit special. Then I walked out in the wind and BAM. Hair all over the place, scattering to the winds, in tattered pieces just like my life choices. So I had to go to the gala looking like a glam rock star, which wasn’t as good as it sounds.

And so, that’s why all the entomologists are laughing at my terrible hair. Because it happened once in real life. Nowadays when I make a hair salon booking in Melbourne, I check the weather. Then I check for werewolves and spider-clowns, and then nothing to fear.

-Daphne

Categories
Boating

Build Your Own Boat (or not)

marine welding MelbourneI could make my own boat, if I really wanted to. Now that I’m working less hours I need a way to fill my time. I know building a boat in your back garden is sort of a retired thing to do, but there’s no harm in getting in early on this stuff.

I mean, I basically grew up in Melbourne’s stainless steel marine welding industry, even if I never actually did any of it myself. My Dad was mad on his boats, and all his work buddies were either making bait boards or snapper racks or, ya know, making the frames of massive cruise ships. I used to get dragged along on fishing trips…or rather, I let myself get dragged along because I knew if I stayed Mum would give me a list of jobs a mile long, and I’d rather be bored on a fishing trip than busy and industrious. Getting stuff done? Nobody has time for that foolishness.

So yeah, I’ve heard all the talk. I know how to fix a fishing rod holder. I know the best way to reel in a really big trout. And I guess if I ever wanted to do a bit of marine welding- dabble, if you will- I have the perfect place to start. Though one thing I would need is the space. I could just stick it in the back garden, but then it’d rain, and the wood would get all…you know. Whatever it is that wood does when it rains. The metal might rust…nah, can’t just leave my boat-in-progress outside to rot. People I’ve seen on TV always seem to have a basement, but those are in short supply around here. Maybe I should dig a basement, and THEN make a boat.

Yep, perfect. I’ll be able to fill even more time. And while I’m at it, I might as well just build my own home, because that’s clearly where this is heading.

I don’t know that stuff. But I do know the basics of a plate alloy boat, and fishing rod holders, and…trout physics. Maybe I should just go fishing instead. It’d seriously be a lot less effort.

-Jace