Just let it die Ben, for God's sake

Arr! A good time had by all at the pirate party. I suggest you go read Dave's account of the swash and buckle, which sums up events nicely. My own account may never emerge, for from this point on the river onwards, we head, deep, deep into the all but inpenetrable jungles of Thesis. For now I will say that Tim's crash tackle of a gaint polystyrene bottle off a plank into a paddling pool was for me the personal highlight. In fact I had a great time, right up until the point that I was accused of clearly thinking females were stupid, because women have more liposuction. Or something. I retract my initial statement that kicked it all off, which was "girls just can't get Fight Club", because that was way too general. But I still think guys might take a lot out of the film (I haven't read the book) that women probably wouldn't, much like frontline WWII veterans take something extra from Saving Private Ryan that we all simply can't, just for example, or like people who lived in abject poverty in Ireland get something more from Angela's Ashes. But really I'm more sorry that I opened my mouth (beak), because within a short space of time I seemed to have been branded some as some sort of stealth version of Andy Capp, and was feeling somewhat put upon. Which (although I am biased) hardly seemed fair to what I know about me. I am forced however after much soul-searching to conclude I do hold the deep seated prejudice of thinking there are two separate human genders, and that they are, in many physical and social areas, quite different to one another. Sorry about that. I am duly shamed but I blame my upbringing.

Anyway, just for the record, in case anyone is confused about the sudden emergence of my blatant redneck ways, or my carefully hidden beliefs about how persons who don't fit into the same narrow social, racial, sexual or cultural categories are somehow naturally inferior to myself, I can in fact now reveal that I think that anyone who isn't a poor Irishman who fought in WWII is stupid. It's so obvious. That's everyone under the age of 75 (minimum), and most over as well. Bunch of thickies, the rest of us are. Time we dispensed with this democracy sham, and handed supreme rule over to old impoverished Irish people. Physically frail but mentally tough geriatrics that can combat the Nazi menace while preparing a meal for 12 children using only a boot are the real Master Race! You know it's true, Jerry!

There, hahaaa, the Devil take your political corectness, I finally said it, and I'm proud.
And now on to the excitement of sweaty firemen.

The fire was a garage as it turned out, the garage of Stafford Courts, a big block of flats thingy about halfway down Totara St, (on the right hand side as you head towards Boys' High, with a big lawn out the front, low fence and big building saying 'Stafford Courts' on it), not far from Ngahaire St. The firemen actually nailed the fire in about 10 minutes flat, (yay for firemen! Preventing such occurrences as a repeat of the Great Fire of London, and stopping such places as Sydney and Canberra from burning to the ground on a fairly regular basis. 'Great' fires in urban areas, not a good time) but it must have been pretty intense anyway, as there were a couple of tired and fairly blackened firemen standing about afterwards, and great gouts of steam coming up as they dampened the whole place down. Everyone was OK, but I estimate the garage and whatever was in it was a write off (you can't see it from the street, as it is behind a big hedge). Might have to sneak in there at night some time and do some investigative reporting to discover the true extent of the blaze, and finish the story proper like...

Right, in a few hours a month of sheer horror begins, and I've no-one to blame but myself. Thus cringing in a mixture of nervous apprehension, despondency and a desire to kick myself in the arse, to bed I go.