I feeling at a low ebb, the sinus infection getting more dominant. But I do feel a bit sorry for such a grumpy last post. Not that I'm a patch on some grumps on blogs but I can see that it is a slippery slope.
So for all those dozens reading my blog (me, me, me and me) here are some sites to cheer us up.
Library Cats
Kitten War
Cats in Sinks
30-Second Bunnies Theatre
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Rant a doodle
I have been angry/grouchy about a few things lately. I was planning on a quick positive rant but for some reason it is much easier to rant about things that annoy rather than the positive stuff in life.
The weather, Grouch. Best girl friend is away on the other side of the world experiencing warmth and husband is about to head to the sun too. Not fair. I’m the one who likes it warm and sunny. Not to say they don’t too, but I’m the one staying behind. And I seem to have developed a sinus infection. Sore head, sore eye, and earache.
Forced to rant today, sadly by sheer exasperation at the stupidity of some people.
Found myself reading a ‘feminist’ blog today. The Hand Mirror describes itself as “a home for NZ women of a leftward and feminist perspective”. This post is anything but and it frightens me that this is from a woman who identifies herself as ‘feminist’.
For some reason the author of this piece wants us to believe that she is a feminist while at the same time denigrating other women, herself and her male date. She wants us to feel that she is part of the downtrodden masses because she is ‘forced’ to look a certain way and that is costing huge amounts of money.
This sort of 'social' event requires any woman attending it to look their hottest whether they are a staff member of the firm throwing the function or tagging along as a plus one. The female Suits need to look hot because they are competing against women whose primary job it is to look good. The plus ones need to look hot in order to justify their likely status as a financial dependent of the Suit they are attached to. My Suit paid the token amount for the cost of a plus-one ticket, thus I fell into the financial dependent category.
The blogger says that at this social event women are required to “look their hottest”. Hum, I wonder who “requires” them to look “hot”? Their male companions? Their bosses? One is not worth the time of day the other is sexual harassment. Who are the female suits competing against and why? Each other? Or the ‘dependent’ who has to look good for her male supporter? All the female suits I know look like suits. Neat and efficient. Amazingly most of them got their jobs because they were incredibly talented, not because the bosses wife didn’t dress as well as them. If your partner thinks of you in terms of how “hot” you look at the work dinner, then get rid of him. If you choose to buy into his expectations don’t whine about it.
My husband and I are inter-dependent. We share a bank account. He buys stuff, I buy stuff. He makes money, I make money. We try not to grumble at the other’s excessive spending habits too much, and the dogs always get fed.
Tummy sucking in underwear also required to avoid VPL (visible panty line) and wobbly bits flopping about because close-fitting dress fabrics are uncompromising on any obvious body flaws. Pantyhose are another must-have in chilly
Is she trying to be funny.
The Suit was overjoyed to hear a female Suit at the table tell me that she had tried on the same dress but it didn't look as good. I didn't have the heart to tell him that she had just put me down for wearing a cheap dress.
Now this is totally bizarre. I hadn’t realised that every time I compliment another woman on her appearance I am actually giving a snide put-down. I thought I was being nice!
This is so sad. This young woman is so insecure in herself that she has to go to extraordinary lengths to impress people and can’t accept a compliment. And yet she thinks she is a feminist. Not sure where she got that idea. Maybe it is cool in her set to say “I’m a feminist” without being really sure what it means. Like ‘girl power’ which seems to mean saying you can do anything while still acting as if life revolves around what men want. The Spice Girls were supposed to represent ‘girl power’ but to me they were stereotype male wet dreams. Music videos with slutty teen girls singing about sex aimed at 12 and 13 year olds. Society now says be a feminist, be a strong girl, but you have to look hot and getting a man and keeping him is still your most important goal. At least when I thought that I never tried to convince myself that it was some feminist ideal.
The footnotes make interesting reading too.
* Sometimes I wonder to myself whether I should just 'let myself go' and take up recreational drugs because it is a far cheaper habit but I actually enjoy getting all dolled up and wearing pretty dresses more.
** Based on the fact the Suit already had necessary items in wardrobe and likely to rewear them on a regular basis.
*** Which I blame
* If I like dressing up, and by crikey I do, I do it because I want to. If I spend excessive amounts of money on it, that is my choice. I’m not going to blame the system or society. I have a choice. If your date ‘expects’ you to look a certain way then maybe your or his expectations on what a relationship is all about need to be reassessed. Don’t whine about spending shit loads on straightening your hair and buying support knickers and waxing your body hair. I bet he would have been just as pleased if you’d shown up in the dress you wore last time you went out. We are creators of our own problems sometimes.
** Some of the women I most admire as powerful corporate women have very small wardrobes and would be astounded to think that they had to buy a new outfit to wear to the work dinner. They buy a few, very classy, outfits and wear them as required.
*** If you want to wax the hair off your arse don’t blame anyone else. Tell him to get a 12 year old girlfriend (and go to jail) if he wants to have sex with hairless girls. Real men love real women (or men). Or if you like the hairless look, ask him to get his balls and arse waxed too. But don’t blame someone else because you, an adult who can think and reason, have decided to wax every crack and fanny.
This young woman can afford to spend $500+ on one night out. That makes her part of a fairly privileged few. She must have an income, and a pretty good one and that implies a professional job. So we're not considering the plight of a poor, uneducated, downtrodden housewife here but an educated, articulate, employed woman. I don't have any sympathy for her, and I feel horror at her attitude that it is somehow the man's fault that she ‘has’ to spend all this money. If he wants to take you out and you want to buy a new dress, wonderful. If you go to these functions regularly and can’t afford a new outfit every time then ‘invest’ in a great outfit you can wear to many functions. If he complains about your appearance tell him you can’t afford to dress expensively or tell him to take a flying fuck.
If you are going to buy into that ‘scene” then again, it is your choice. If your partner became involved in a certain lifestyle after your relationship was well established, and they expected you to be part of that scene too, then you might have a claim. Especially if their wealth exceeds yours or you are financially dependent on them. But honestly, who wants to look hot? You do. He probably loves you for your personality and the way you can subtly put people down when seeming to compliment them.
But for sheer arrogance this sentence in the first paragraph really says it all.
…it isn't cheap nor easy to be a good-looking woman…
Oh you poor wee beautiful thing. My heart is breaking that you feel that if you weren’t so pretty life would be a little bit easier and cheaper. Thank god I’m an old and ugly man hater and don’t have to stress over being a good-looking woman. This comment is right up there with the misogynist male asserting that I’m a feminist because I can’t “get a man”.
Then this comment was made recently.
I think there's a gap between many second wave feminists' approach to appearance and that of younger ones.
Not sure if I really get what the point is. A lot of ‘modern’ feminists think that all feminists of the 70s wanted women to wear sack cloths as a protest against objectification. Not true. Look at Susan Faludi, Gloria Steinman, Marcia Gillespie, etc. I think feminists want women to be themselves and not feel that they need to appear in a certain way. And we certainly want women to look at what they do objectively. There are some sections of society where looking a certain way is all important. We don’t have to be part of that society, but if we do choose to then that is our choice.
Most of us just enjoy being who we are. Love ourselves for it and love, and are loved by, our friends for who we/they are.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Quickie rant
Just read this in a comment section of someone else's blog.
"From being a white middle class male and suffering years and years and years and years of all sorts of accusations I have become sensitive. Just like other groups are sensitive after years and years and years and years of similar (tho different) accusations."
Build a bridge buddy. If you are part of a generic group of abusers you are going to cop a bit of flak even if you're not personally a baddy.
I'd say go and find a planet where being white, male, and middle class puts you in an oppressed group and has done for over 4,000 years (total lack of knowledge of human society history here) and then try that sentence again. White middle-class men have been getting stick for about 40 years. Deal with it.
Try being a woman. Rich and white, you're still worse off than the average white middle-class man. Look around at how many women are in top jobs compared to men. Don't just look at the few women in top jobs, add up the totals. Mostly men, mostly white, all rich. Just because girls are getting educated doesn't mean they're getting the jobs.
Try being not white, even in your own country. White people still dominate, ask any african if they don't think the IMF isn't still sticking it too them. Even worse if you're in a white dominated country. How many black, brown, and yellow people are there in top jobs?
Try being poor in any part of the world.
What are the chances of McCain getting in? Can't vote for a woman, wont vote for a black man.
"From being a white middle class male and suffering years and years and years and years of all sorts of accusations I have become sensitive. Just like other groups are sensitive after years and years and years and years of similar (tho different) accusations."
Build a bridge buddy. If you are part of a generic group of abusers you are going to cop a bit of flak even if you're not personally a baddy.
I'd say go and find a planet where being white, male, and middle class puts you in an oppressed group and has done for over 4,000 years (total lack of knowledge of human society history here) and then try that sentence again. White middle-class men have been getting stick for about 40 years. Deal with it.
Try being a woman. Rich and white, you're still worse off than the average white middle-class man. Look around at how many women are in top jobs compared to men. Don't just look at the few women in top jobs, add up the totals. Mostly men, mostly white, all rich. Just because girls are getting educated doesn't mean they're getting the jobs.
Try being not white, even in your own country. White people still dominate, ask any african if they don't think the IMF isn't still sticking it too them. Even worse if you're in a white dominated country. How many black, brown, and yellow people are there in top jobs?
Try being poor in any part of the world.
What are the chances of McCain getting in? Can't vote for a woman, wont vote for a black man.
Information Illiteracy
Information illiteracy
I am becoming a grumpy old woman. Not as a result of this blog, but maybe this blog gives expression to my general grumpiness and allows it to grow.
Kids today!
Don’t get me wrong I was a very lazy student, and will still always take the easy way out if I can. I’d rather sit on the couch and read a book, or watch TV, than do research into my pet peeve any day, or night. I passed exams by being a good bluffer and essay writer, I also discovered that you could drop a course at Uni and the world didn’t end. Of course I was at uni in the days when fees were minimal and we got an allowance, so the extra half year to complete my degree was no great hard-ship. In fact having to go out and get a 9-5 job at the end of it all was much harder.
We didn’t have the internet back then, googling was something we did to each other visually and then it was more oogle that google. My Dad was one of the handful of NZers who had a computer at home. I used it for a couple of essays. We were told that a typed essay got better marks but that didn’t stop me from sitting down and bashing out an essay in 5 hours of exhaustive hand-writing. It’s probably why my right middle finger is slightly bent. The computer was an early model and the word processor was basic. You had to type in little scripts at the start of the file to determine font, and line and page length. Of course the computer memory was probably a deci-byte or something equally tiny. Did the trick though. I got my best marks for those two essays typed on the computer and printed out.
Now where was
Research, it was harder then too. We had a card catalogue in the library, and helpful staff. (From memory, but it isn’t what it used to be and I did avoid going into the library if I could at all help it.) all 100 level papers would include a reading list and usually a collection of copied chapters and articles. I sometimes did some extra research. But usually not (see above). The reading lists were pretty comprehensive and reflected what the library had to offer. For 200 and 300 level papers some extra reading was expected but not compulsory. Most of my tutors and or lecturers met with me before a major essay to discuss the topic I was going to address and give me a suggested reading list. In year two I even went so far as to use the Library.
What is my point. Not too sure yet. Something to do with life being easier, and harder.
Harder, because we didn’t have computer based catalogues, databases, the internet, and Google. Easier for the same reasons. We weren’t expected to be able to find the latest research on our chosen topic. When I did research into some obscure topic in the 1950s I read US newspapers on microform for hours trying to find relevant articles. I had a couple of useful books but the library didn’t stretch to any resources beyond the microform and those books. So I wasn’t expected to come up with more.
Students can now use Google to find articles and web pages on every topic under the sun. In writing an essay they have all the resources you could wish for right at the click of a mouse, or tap of a key. Or I guess if they have a Blackberry they use some form of ‘pen’ and/or magnifying lens to see what they are doing and reading. I just used Google scholar to find articles on the topic (not mentioned above). Amazing!
Fortunately for me I work in an academic library so I have the training and the smarts to know when I’m looking at a reputable source. The two articles can be accessed by me from academic databases and so I can be fairly certain what I am reading is worth using in any essay I might write. Aand thankfully they were both written a decade after my essay was due in.) I have also taken classes in evaluating web sites so I can feel fairly assured that I can tell a good/useful web site from a poor/biased one.
I recently read a feature in the Otago Daily Times about web searching and results and research. Or something like that. The title of the article, originally from the Washington Post is Going Where No Fact Has Gone before. It covers the issue of how an untruth or not-fact can become ‘true’ of a ‘fact’ to millions if enough people read and repeat it. The article goes on to look at a Librarian sitting in a “grubby employee workroom” answering questions on-line to rude and impatient questioners. It is hard to know but I infer that the questioners are young people. Hurumph!
Quotes such as "u respond slow. please consider taking a typing class." The librarian in question is concerned not so much about the rudeness and impatience of the questioner but that if he, the librarian, isn’t fast enough in his response time, then the questioner will go elsewhere and get the answers from a less reliable source. The librarian is careful in most instances to provide links to reputable web sites so the questioner can check the answers.
This is where I got worried. “The user seems annoyed - it's just science homework, dude. No need for such crazy accuracy” The librarian is concerned he will lose the questioner if an answer isn’t provided pronto. “then [the librarian] answers three more questions from the same patron, including "In what continent is
Why give him the answer, let the little shit fail his homework. Tell him
We’re training people to think instant gratification is the only way. Faster, faster, faster and don’t tell me I can’t have it now. Library literature is all about how we can respond to the user who only uses Google and can’t be bothered coming into the library. Virtual reference may be a wonderful resource but not if it makes librarians answer machines.
I say lets fight them. In an academic library don’t say how can we meet the ‘needs’ of the new user who thinks Google has all the answers. Let’s say “how can we help our students become top researchers?”
Insist that students get answers that are factual. Insist they spend time finding answers and checking their facts. Tell them to do it the hard way. Fail them if they give you crap in their assignments.
Secondary schools are the gateway to university. It is here that research skills need to be taught. Students should arrive at university with an understanding of how, where and why to research. They should know that at university they’ll be expected to show that the sources they use are academic and authoritative.
Once at university the research ethic should be followed through. Lecturers and tutors check those references. We spend so much effort on worrying about plagiarism, what about essays based on entries in Wikipedia? If you don’t expect students to use academic journals in writing their essays give them reading lists and tell them that if they use a web site they must show that the site is worth referencing. If you do want students to use these tools get a librarian in to teach how to use the databases and catalogues. Set course work that will demonstrate a student’s understanding of these tools. Teach web site evaluation, or get a librarian in to teach it. Or insist that students attend a library run class, make their attendance compulsory, take a roll. It is so bloody simple.
I’m sorry that I had it easy. Not sorry for me I hope you understand, whew. Actually, imagine if I’d had a database or ten, and access to the New York Times archives on-line. I could have saved those hours of research in the basement of the library reading microfilms. I might have got an ‘A’ for that essay instead of a ‘B+’.
Well, I guess I lost you a long time back. Sorry. But I do feel a lot better and that is what this rant blog is all about.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Winter
June is not mid-winter, Christmas is not mid-summer (in
They call it mid-winter, but of course it isn’t. The Winter Solstice is really the beginning of the really cold weather. It’s all to do with sea temperature taking a while to catch up (or down), and keeping us warm longer.
My totally unscientific mind has come up with this explanation.
As the planet tilts into winter the sun gets lower and we get less solar heat. The land cools quickly, but the sea cools more slowly. Water takes longer to heat up and is slower to cool down. Fact. Those funny old winds blowing off the sea during the day keep the land a little bit warmer for longer.
So, just because June 21 is the shortest day of the year doesn’t mean it is the middle of the cold season. In fact it is just a little beyond the beginning. Say a week or three. We had snow two weeks ago for the first time this year. Of course in
Feijoas, avocados, bananas, pineapples, tamarillos, oranges – all reasons to move to a warmer climate. I’d miss the cherries and apricots a bit but not as much as I miss having feijoa trees in my garden.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Buses in Dunedin, or Why I wont catch the bus!
Why I wont catch the bus in Dunedin
I was raised in Wellington. I caught the train to school nearly every day through my Intermediate and Secondary school years. Later I took buses to University and work every day. I have taken trains to Auckland, Gisborne and when I moved to Dunedin, we arrived by train. I have taken buses around NZ and the world.
I believe in public transport and think it is what makes a city and a country work. When we moved to Dunedin a bus system was one of the factors that helped us choose this city.
I live in Brockville. We bought our house in Brockville10 years ago partly because, despite being an outer suburb, it was serviced by buses. What we didn’t realise until too late was that the bus timetable would be confusing, erratic and the service split between two companies. 10 years later, despite a review, nothing has changed, except the cost. Take a look at the timetable some time. In the morning the first bus is 7am, then 7:15am, then 7:40am, 7:55am, 8:20am 8:40am, 9am, 9:15, 10am… This erratic timetable goes on all day, until the evening service. In Wellington I lived in the middle of a circuit route. The buses went every 15 minutes at rush hour and every half hour at other times. If I needed a bus about 2pm I knew there would be one at 1:45pm the next would be 2:15pm and then another at 2:45pm. I can remember those times even after 20 years.
For several years I worked in the Octagon/Exchange area. Taking bus to and from Brockville was a reasonable choice. I could leave home at 7:30am and be at work by 8am, or leave home at 7:45am and be at work by 8:20am. Brockville buses run on a circuit, some going first to Halfway Bush then to Brockville then to the Octagon, and others to Brockville then to Halfway Bush then to the Octagon. So the later bus in the morning takes 5 minutes longer to get to the Octagon.
A few years ago I started working at the University of Otago. Dunedin’s largest employer. The Brockville bus goes nowhere near the University. Perhaps it was thought that no-one employed at the University would live in a state housing subdivision. I caught the bus most mornings with at least two other people working or studying at the university. The walk from the George Street stop to the University was not too unpleasant, on most days. It takes about 10 minutes, brisk walking. The bus home was a different story. Because the Brockville bus route continues on to St Kilda and then back, it does not travel down George Street, rather heading up Stuart Street after coming along Princes Street. The walk from the University to the Octagon takes about 20 minutes, brisk walking. Again, on most days, not unpleasant. But here’s the problem. If it is cold and wet and I want to take a bus to the Octagon from the University, they all leave at 5pm. That’s when I finished work. In that job leaving 5 minutes early was not possible, in fact leaving 5 or 10 minutes past 5pm was usual. So I would miss the bus to the Octagon. To make matters worse, if I didn’t get out of work until after 5:15 (to pick an arbitrary time) I could well miss the 5:35pm bus from the Octagon to Brockville. “So what” you say. “Get the next bus” The next bus is 6:20pm. That’s 45 minutes later. Who decided that 5:35pm was the end of ‘rush-hour’? After two years in that job I gave up trying and got a University car park and drove every day. It was worth it.
After a break of two years I came back to work, this time on Union Street East. Just a bit further away from George Street and the Brockville buses. It takes me 15 minutes brisk walking to get from the bus stop to work and 25 minutes to get from work to the Octagon. Making catching that 5:35pm bus even harder if I am held up at work. If I am able to leave work a minute or two early I can catch a bus to the Octagon and then transfer to the Brockville bus. Of course I have to pay more because the two buses are run by different companies and I can’t get a transfer ticket.
In my current job, taking the bus I leave home at 7:45am and get to work at 8:30am. In the afternoon if I leave at 5pm and walk to the Octagon I get home at 6pm. Driving I leave home at 8am get to work between 8:15 and 8:20am (depending on traffic and parking). Getting home can be slower because of traffic and my tendency to combine a stop at the supermarket with the journey (something I can’t do on the bus) but I can still walk in the door between 5:15pm and 5:45pm.
From Brockville to the city is $2.40, or $2.16 if I use a Go Card. That’s at least $4.32 each day. If I add the bus trip from the University to the Octagon that’s another dollar. Petrol cost about $2 a litre and the drive is about 15km return (less actually but I like rounding up). In my car doing about 10km per litre that’s a cost in petrol of $3.00. I could add wear and tear costs but I wont. I travel to Hampden every weekend and the return journey is almost 200km. When I take into account that most weeks I will drive to work on Friday morning from Brockville and then go directly to Hampden and often drive down on Monday morning the 45-60km extra per week isn’t that significant.
So how much am I saving taking the bus?
Let’s also take into account the stress of running for a bus when I’m late, missing the 5:35pm and having to hang around for 45 minutes (or pay $20 for a taxi), the risk of catching a cold off other bus travellers, the interesting odour of wet commuters, the inane and colourful language of school students, etc.
Now, why would I catch the bus? I’ll happily pay the extra to drive and park.
Brockville is not a wealthy suburb. Its residents are more likely to find owning a car too costly, or own older less fuel efficient cars. They are more likely to work in jobs that are not regular ‘9-5’ jobs. Cleaners, shift workers, etc. They are also likely to work outside of the city centre. Who needs buses most? Dunedin is too small to accommodate multiple bus companies that don’t work together. We should have one bus ticketing system that allows for transfers across companies. We need routes and timetables that meet the needs of commuters.
Making parking harder doesn’t appear to have altered the driving habits of many University workers, why not try making catching a bus easier.
Ah, my first rant. Boy does that feel good.
I was raised in Wellington. I caught the train to school nearly every day through my Intermediate and Secondary school years. Later I took buses to University and work every day. I have taken trains to Auckland, Gisborne and when I moved to Dunedin, we arrived by train. I have taken buses around NZ and the world.
I believe in public transport and think it is what makes a city and a country work. When we moved to Dunedin a bus system was one of the factors that helped us choose this city.
I live in Brockville. We bought our house in Brockville10 years ago partly because, despite being an outer suburb, it was serviced by buses. What we didn’t realise until too late was that the bus timetable would be confusing, erratic and the service split between two companies. 10 years later, despite a review, nothing has changed, except the cost. Take a look at the timetable some time. In the morning the first bus is 7am, then 7:15am, then 7:40am, 7:55am, 8:20am 8:40am, 9am, 9:15, 10am… This erratic timetable goes on all day, until the evening service. In Wellington I lived in the middle of a circuit route. The buses went every 15 minutes at rush hour and every half hour at other times. If I needed a bus about 2pm I knew there would be one at 1:45pm the next would be 2:15pm and then another at 2:45pm. I can remember those times even after 20 years.
For several years I worked in the Octagon/Exchange area. Taking bus to and from Brockville was a reasonable choice. I could leave home at 7:30am and be at work by 8am, or leave home at 7:45am and be at work by 8:20am. Brockville buses run on a circuit, some going first to Halfway Bush then to Brockville then to the Octagon, and others to Brockville then to Halfway Bush then to the Octagon. So the later bus in the morning takes 5 minutes longer to get to the Octagon.
A few years ago I started working at the University of Otago. Dunedin’s largest employer. The Brockville bus goes nowhere near the University. Perhaps it was thought that no-one employed at the University would live in a state housing subdivision. I caught the bus most mornings with at least two other people working or studying at the university. The walk from the George Street stop to the University was not too unpleasant, on most days. It takes about 10 minutes, brisk walking. The bus home was a different story. Because the Brockville bus route continues on to St Kilda and then back, it does not travel down George Street, rather heading up Stuart Street after coming along Princes Street. The walk from the University to the Octagon takes about 20 minutes, brisk walking. Again, on most days, not unpleasant. But here’s the problem. If it is cold and wet and I want to take a bus to the Octagon from the University, they all leave at 5pm. That’s when I finished work. In that job leaving 5 minutes early was not possible, in fact leaving 5 or 10 minutes past 5pm was usual. So I would miss the bus to the Octagon. To make matters worse, if I didn’t get out of work until after 5:15 (to pick an arbitrary time) I could well miss the 5:35pm bus from the Octagon to Brockville. “So what” you say. “Get the next bus” The next bus is 6:20pm. That’s 45 minutes later. Who decided that 5:35pm was the end of ‘rush-hour’? After two years in that job I gave up trying and got a University car park and drove every day. It was worth it.
After a break of two years I came back to work, this time on Union Street East. Just a bit further away from George Street and the Brockville buses. It takes me 15 minutes brisk walking to get from the bus stop to work and 25 minutes to get from work to the Octagon. Making catching that 5:35pm bus even harder if I am held up at work. If I am able to leave work a minute or two early I can catch a bus to the Octagon and then transfer to the Brockville bus. Of course I have to pay more because the two buses are run by different companies and I can’t get a transfer ticket.
In my current job, taking the bus I leave home at 7:45am and get to work at 8:30am. In the afternoon if I leave at 5pm and walk to the Octagon I get home at 6pm. Driving I leave home at 8am get to work between 8:15 and 8:20am (depending on traffic and parking). Getting home can be slower because of traffic and my tendency to combine a stop at the supermarket with the journey (something I can’t do on the bus) but I can still walk in the door between 5:15pm and 5:45pm.
From Brockville to the city is $2.40, or $2.16 if I use a Go Card. That’s at least $4.32 each day. If I add the bus trip from the University to the Octagon that’s another dollar. Petrol cost about $2 a litre and the drive is about 15km return (less actually but I like rounding up). In my car doing about 10km per litre that’s a cost in petrol of $3.00. I could add wear and tear costs but I wont. I travel to Hampden every weekend and the return journey is almost 200km. When I take into account that most weeks I will drive to work on Friday morning from Brockville and then go directly to Hampden and often drive down on Monday morning the 45-60km extra per week isn’t that significant.
So how much am I saving taking the bus?
Let’s also take into account the stress of running for a bus when I’m late, missing the 5:35pm and having to hang around for 45 minutes (or pay $20 for a taxi), the risk of catching a cold off other bus travellers, the interesting odour of wet commuters, the inane and colourful language of school students, etc.
Now, why would I catch the bus? I’ll happily pay the extra to drive and park.
Brockville is not a wealthy suburb. Its residents are more likely to find owning a car too costly, or own older less fuel efficient cars. They are more likely to work in jobs that are not regular ‘9-5’ jobs. Cleaners, shift workers, etc. They are also likely to work outside of the city centre. Who needs buses most? Dunedin is too small to accommodate multiple bus companies that don’t work together. We should have one bus ticketing system that allows for transfers across companies. We need routes and timetables that meet the needs of commuters.
Making parking harder doesn’t appear to have altered the driving habits of many University workers, why not try making catching a bus easier.
Ah, my first rant. Boy does that feel good.
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