I'm officially FREAKED OUT!

I know this is unbelievable but I swear it's true. I took this photo in Adelaide two weeks ago and it's freaking me out.

I had gone to Victoria Square at about 1:00am with black and white film in my camera to try to take some interesting night shots. The fountain had been switched off and there was no one around, so I was wandering around the tram station even though I knew that the trams stop running at 11:00pm. It was cold and nothing was happening so I was about to give up and go home when I heard what sounded like an approaching tram, but there was nothing coming along the tracks. The noise got louder and louder and I was peering down the tracks to try to see the tram but there was nothing there. Then suddenly there was a flash of light and I saw a tram about 20 or 30 metres away and hurtling toward me at about 80 to 100km an hour. I quickly raised my camera and snapped this shot and then felt the force of the wind from the tram rushing past. I turned to watch the tram speed away but it had disappeared. I sat on the bench for a long time, scratching my head and trying to figure out what had just happened. I left at about 3:00am and traveled back home the next day.

As soon as I got home I sent my film away for processing and the prints arrived today. Like I said, it's freaking me out. I swear to you this is a single exposure photo taken with my 35mm SLR camera and it has not been altered or "photoshopped" in any way, and I have the negative to prove it. Even if you don't believe in the supernatural you have to admit, this is pretty bizarre.

Parting shots

The Education Department in a particular Australian state that shall remain nameless, sends one of two standard form letters to employees who resign. I know this because when I resigned they sent me one of each.

The first one said, rather cryptically, that because I had left under unfavourable circumstances (huh?), if I was to seek employment with the department again in future, those circumstances would be taken into account, reducing the chance of my application being successful. This puzzled me greatly, because I thought that I had left on good terms. Then I got the second letter.

The second letter said that the department was sad to see me go, that I had been a highly valued employee and that if I was to seek employment with the department again in future, they would love to have me back.

You can guess which letter I kept.

Tax refund

My wife got an unusual letter from the Tax Office the other day. It said that they had reviewed her tax return from last year and that this letter was an 'Amended Assessment'. Since my wife didn't receive any income in the last financial year, she didn't pay any tax. This Amended Assessment lists my wife's income as $0.00 and the tax payable on that income as $0.00. This is no different to their original assessment, but just to ram the point home, they enclosed a refund cheque for 'nil'.

That's right. The government spent 50 cents on a stamp to send us a cheque for nil. Your tax dollars at work, people.

But that's not all. Yesterday my wife got another Amended Assessment letter from the Tax Office. It was identical to the previous one. Income: $0.00. Tax payable: $0.00. Another refund cheque for 'nil'. So far they are up to a dollar in postage to send us nothing.

When we deposit these cheques, I wonder how long they will take to clear.

The latest model

Looking much like all of the previous models, the newest arrival seems quite relaxed about joining the clan.

Born 9 July 2007, weighing 3.9kg (8lb 9oz), and 52cm long.

Mother and baby are doing well. Father is a bit frazzled from looking after the rest of the tribe and making daily trips to the hospital.

Oh Brother

Whenever I eat a meat pie, I always put some tomato sauce on the top and smear it around with my index finger. I have been doing this for as long as I can remember, although it makes my wife grimace in much the same way that she does when I lick the dirt off the soles of my shoes.

I had a pie at my brother's house one time, and as I went through my sauce smearing ritual, I noticed my brother and his wife exchange glances that silently conveyed a complete conversation. Her look said to him, "You've got to be kidding me! I can't believe what I'm seeing!" while the look on his face said, "See?! I told you! It's perfectly normal behaviour!"