Friday, January 30, 2004

Signs.

You'd think I'd pay attention to the signs wouldn't you?

It was so obvious (in retrospect) that some higher power was telling me to stay in bed, but I ignored the signs anyway.

The signs:

* Waking up to an alarm clock that read 6.00 and realising that that was more than double the hours I'd actually been asleep.

* Taking money for an ATM and finding out there was exactly $666 left in that account.

* Having to stop into 9 cafe's before I could find one that was a) open and b) willing to do take away coffee.

You'd think I would have realised something was going on, but then again who would have expected this?

What the article fails to mention is that if you were outside the Opera House (say at lunch, like I was) then you weren't allowed back in for a couple of hours...

I should have paid attention to the signs.

I do, however, note the irony that the damage was done where contractors are installing some new ballards and blockades. The aim of these blockades? To stop some one from driving a truck laden with explosives into the Opera House and thus blowing the thing up.

Maybe they should put up blockades to stop workmen with concrete cutters as it seems that they're much more likely to be the ones who'll end up blowing the place up.

Thursday, January 29, 2004

Welcome to Neurocam!

I'm sure you all know how obsessed I've become with Neurocam, so I'm sure none of you will be surprised by the fact that I've been accepted into the Neurocam organisation.

My acceptance e-mail arrived two days ago and the whole thing has turned very Fight Club-esq.

Here's the e-mail:

Congratulations Graham your data checks out and we are pleased to offer
you a position within our organisation! I
apologise in advance for the cloak-and-dagger nature of how we do
things, but I assure you this is absolutely necessary.
Basically, becoming part of Neurocam has to be a slow process where
members find out gradually what they are
becoming part of. Due to the nature of what Neurocam actually is, we
simply cannot reveal much at this early stage. So
you see there has to be an element of trust mixed with equal parts of
patience on your part, although I think we both know
you are quite capable of sustaining this.

What I can reveal at this point is that Neurocam is all about
experiences. This is in a sense our currency. I can also tell
you that nobody has ever been disappointed by Neurocam.

Obviously you can choose to opt out at any stage and we will ensure
that any activity or information about you will be
erased from our database and your life will continue as normal whilst
Neurocam continues to chart its course through
recent history.

As a kind of introduction (we prefer this term to initiation) we would
like to set you an assignment. The relevance of this
assignment will be revealed to you at a later stage if you choose to
accept it. Your first assignment may seem rash,
subversive or even legally questionable, but we can assure you it is in
fact none of those things but an important part of a
process you will soon come to understand.

What we would like you to do is this:

1. Buy a can of orange spray paint (if you don't own one already)
2. Find your way to your posted Neurocam billboard site; we have many
in Melbourne, yours this week is in South
Melbourne where the 96 tram line intersects City Road.
3. Make you way to the billboard site and spay paint on the canvas in
large letters a slogan relating to the idea of what you
think Neurocam might be. It would be best to say something like: "
Neurocam is .............."
4. Email me when this is done.

It is important to remember that we own the Billboard so nothing you will
be doing is illegal. If you encounter any problems let
me know and we will sort it. You have to trust me on that.

Good luck Graham I know you will be fine.

Regards Robert


So what do you reckon?

Do I plunge on and see what eventuates?

I'm thinking yes... But I've still got to look at the logistics. I don't think it's illegal to alter a billboard if you have the owners permission... But I'd hate to have to continue this blog from jail.

I let you know when I've made a decision.

Tuesday, January 27, 2004

The last few days have been an extinct mammal.

It's been a mammoth couple of days and because I'm short on time (and sitting in a internet cafe) I'll try to just give you a quick outline.

Friday was our housewarming. A fair few people turned up (including some from Canberra). Beer and wine was drunk. Music was supplied by DJ Cyzilla [Aus - PNG - USA] live via posted CD from Washington. Robyn proved herself a goddess by forcing (a very drunk) me to drink lots and lots of water before I went to bed.

Saturday I woke up. Repurchased "Dummy" by Portishead. Packed some bags. Went to the airport. Flew to Sydney. Landed in the midst of an electrical storm (sobering to say the least). Went for dinner with Paul and Christy. Went and saw the free "Legs On The Wall" performance that was part of the Sydney Festival. Paid too much for a bad coffee. Went to bed.

Sunday I had breakfast at a cafe on the steps of the Opera House. Then I began bumping "Blithe Spirit" into the Drama Theatre in the Opera House. Worked a very long, very hard day. Sharn arrived in Sydney. Went back to hotel. Fell asleep.

Monday was more "Blithe Spirit" bump in. Lots of hurrying up and waiting. Had a revelation: The one place you don't want to be trying to work on Australia day - The Opera House... Absolute chaos... People (and paranoid security guards) everywhere... Made things harder than they already where.

And today is Tuesday. More "Blithe Spirit". An e-mail informing me of my "Neurocam" acceptance (more on that later... It's all turned a tad "Fight Club" to say the least.). A quick break and an internet cafe...

And now? Back to work for me... so more detail next time.

Thursday, January 22, 2004

I Love Living In Fitzroy North!

And you know why?

It might be because I'm within walking distance of Brunswick Street... Or the fact that the park is directly across the road... Or the fact that there's tons of friendly people living on our street... It could be any of these things... But today's reason for deciding that I love living in Fiztroy North is due to something I witnessed whilst driving home.

On the way home I spotted an elderly woman (at least 80) merrily riding her bicycle along our street, and perched upon her shoulder was her pet Cockatoo...

Wrinkles and feathers - what a great combo!

I love living in Fitzroy North!

Something else I love is "The Banana Report".

Dylan Behan is a stand-up comedian and writer based in Sydney and once a month he sends me (and countless others) his version of the news in "The Banana Report."

Absolute gold! I highly recommend checking it out.

This month's report included this pearler:

Telstra has come under fire from the public for indirectly outsourcing 500 IT jobs to India. Telstra's newly appointed head of public relations, Radjit Osman, told Delhi reporters: "Oh Good Golly Gosh, all this controversy is rather unexpected."

If by chance you didn't find the last joke offensive, then John Howard wants you to teach in public schools.


There's gold in them there brains I tell ya... GOLD!

Then again, maybe the cockatoo has made me a little too excitable... It might be time for tranquilizers and bed.

Wednesday, January 21, 2004

The Plot Thickens.

More Neurocam e-mail today. Some necessary info - in my response to the e-mail I outlined in my previous post, I made a point about most of my information being available in the public domain.

Without further ado, here's the response that I received today:

Hi Graham thanks very much for your response to our initial screening
test. A good point you made about information within
the public domain. This is always an option for us but we prefer to
approach people more directly.

Our people in information processing are assessing your data at present
and we will be in touch shortly.

I have a good feeling that you possess the qualities we are looking for
in this delicate operation.

Regards Robert


What do you think the people in information processing will make of me?

I'll keep you informed.

Tuesday, January 20, 2004

From Disappointment To Delight.

There's an old adage that goes: "Good things come to those who wait" and, although I always assumed that it was just a Government fallacy aimed at subduing a demanding public, I have now discovered that it might be the case.

Just when I'd given up hope on Neurocam, I opened my e-mail this morning to find the following correspondence:

Hi Graham

Neurocam is a revolutionary new technology that will change the
nature of human experience. As it still being developed we are only
able to reveal the
details of its nature to a select few. These people will be invited to
take part in
Neurocam's initial launch demonstration early this year. To qualify
for a role in this
spectacular process you will need to provide the following details:

Height
Weight
Hair color
Eye color
Married/single
Hours per week spent working on computers
Hours per week spent watching TV
Hours per week spent driving
Favourite sport
Favourite film
Favourite book
Favourite music track
IQ (only if tested within last 5 years)

Your will also have to answer the following question:
Have you seen the film "Strange Days"?

Thanks for your response and I hope you can be part of Neurocam.

Regards

Robert Henley

Managing Director for Neurocam Technologies


Now I'm sure that I've been warned numerous times in the past about giving my personal info to strangers over the internet, but knowing what I think I know about Neurocam (read my last post), and considering most of the requested info is probably available in the public domain, I promptly responded with the requested info.

I won't hesitate in saying that I'm curious as hell about what might happen next.

I'll keep you informed of any future developments.

Monday, January 19, 2004

Revelations and (minor) Disappointments.

Still no response from the Neurocam e-mail, but after some concerted searching I may have finally shed some light on the mystery that is Neurocam.

It appears that Neurocam is somehow linked to an ex-Victorian College of the Arts sculpture student named Robin Hely (or maybe his name is Robert Henley).

He's obvious connected somehow, but neither of those sites really explain what the billboard (or website (or is there a sculpture out there some where?)) is all about, but does at least provide me with a little closure (I was becoming a mite obsessed, so closure is a good thing).

Would still like to know what the entire project was about, but no amount of digging seems to lead me to a full explanation.

To tell the truth, I'm a little disappointed in this outcome but them's the breaks...

I guess that'll teach me to stop looking for adventure in advertising.

Oh well, back to the latest issue of Adbusters I guess...

Sunday, January 18, 2004

The Epitome Of Capitalism.

Arguments for and against Capitalism aside I was amazed at the demonstration of capitalism at work that I found in a story on The Age website.

Michael Jackson, potentially the world's strangest man (can we run a poll?), went to a Santa Maria court yesterday to lodge a plea in his child molestation case. Most of the article is pretty straight forward and unsurprising (although a nice snapshot of the American celebrity circus) except for this paragraph which blew me away:

Parking outside the Santa Maria court is normally free, but nothing was normal in Santa Maria last week, and the local council charged $US250 ($A325) a space. Residents hopefully offered their drives for parking for $50. The Chamber of Commerce in this mainly agricultural community of about 82,000, 275 kilometres north of Los Angeles, was delighted - all the hotels were full and the restaurants and bars busy.

$US250 a parking spot? $US50 for a driveway? I hadn't realised that celebrity trials were so good for the economy.

All America needs is for Britany Spears to rob a bank using a spatula and boob-tube, and for John Travolta to murder Arnold Swarzenegger in a fit of sexual rage, and the American economy might get back on it's feet.

I wonder what sort of celebrity trials we could get started here in Australia so as to give the Aussie dollar a bit of a boost... Maybe Bert Newton could turn serial killer and begin targeting reality TV stars. Then, not only would the economy get a boost, but the quality of Aussie TV might improve as well.

See? Under Capitalism everybody wins.

Saturday, January 17, 2004

SMS from Heaven.

Still no word from Neurocam... I'm starting to lose hope... It would seem that my Gibson-esq adventure is not going to eventuate... Or maybe it has happened and Neurocam have wiped my memory of the experience...

As for the strange SMS ("No more messages please") that I received a couple of days ago, I might finally have something that will shed some light on it's origins.

I've often been accused of having a bit of a God-complex (or is that Messiah-Desire?) so maybe my mysterious SMS was referring to this story that I found on the ABC news website:

Company cuts heavenly SMS link.

A service promising to answer people's prayers with a text message apparently sent by Jesus has been shut down after complaints by Finland's mobile services watchdog.
The heavenly service offered answers from Jesus in response to a text message prayer at the cost of a hefty 1.20 euros ($1.95) per message but lasted less than a month.
The ombudsman for Finland's mobile content watchdog MAPEL, Ville Nurmi, said: "These kinds of services are against basic norms."
Finland's Mobile G Host transmitted the messages but declined to name the company that provided the replies from "Jesus".
Mobile G Host chief executive Marko Hakala said the service had been axed as soon as he discovered what was being offered.
He declined to say how many prayers had been received but said: "This was no gold mine ... it seems you can't interest people in everything."
Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat tested the service before it was shut down.
It sent a prayer of desperation which was answered thus: "Remember: unless you follow God's will much better than priests and pharaohs, you will not be allowed into the heavenly kingdom."


See? The SMS was just notification of my termination of employment with the heavenly SMS company.

Not that I was overly heartbroken at losing the job. I've never looked particularly good in sandals so it's probably for the best.

Friday, January 16, 2004

20/20 Cinematic Wisdom.

Note to self: One more beer at 1am is not so wise when you need to be at work by 8am... Lots of fun though.

Quite the adventure last night (yeah, my bench mark for calling something an adventure is slipping somewhat... Cope!) when Chris and I headed off to see a band called Cinematic at the Planet Cafe on Brunswick street.

Inspired by a text message and the desire to support live music (or maybe because I didn't have anything else to do on a Thursday night), I managed to convince Chris to abandon his "Globalisation" read-a-thon for the night and come and keep me company whilst I checked out Russell's group (he's the skinny one with glasses in the band picture).

Slightly mislead into thinking that the group was starting at 10pm, we arrived just in time to see an empty stage, then a support act ("Colour TV"... Nice, tight sound, but I was half convinced that they were playing at 33rpm when they should have been at 45) at 10.30, and finally the headliners at around 11.30.

With so much time to fill there was only two things we could do - Drink beer and play pool.

One of those we did well, the other we did appallingly.

Cinematic are an interesting little band who seem to have done things in the wrong order. They have a very slick website, very groovy posters and a spanking new CD, yet last night was only their 3rd gig. Still they sounded quite tight and well rehearsed. It wasn't really my style of music (although it was very cool to check them out) but Chris seemed to enjoy them immensely (something to do with catchy 80's rockballad style choruses and lots of Coopers I suspect).

Around 1.30, after the band had sung their last (and we had suffered our umpteenth embarrassing billiards defeat at the hands of Lex) we trottered home.

I actually shaped up quite well this morning all things considered (although getting out of bed was more than a little difficult), Chris, however, is looking quite the worse for wear.

Which is kind of ironic since it was he who suggested "Just one more beer" at around 1am. Alcohol Karma I suspect.

Thursday, January 15, 2004

A Quickie.

No response from Neurocam as of yet (but at least the e-mail hasn't bounced back to me) so in the meantime I thought I'd share a quick something with you.

I've been trawling through many of the blogs that are out there over the last couple of months (partly out of interest, and partly to check out the competition) and there's one in particular that has really taken my fancy.

Laura is a 26 year old bookstore clerk in West Carolina and her blog "A Girl With Glasses" is absolute gold.

Talk about intelligent and spunky, with a super dry wit... My type of gal.

Go check it out and let me know if you agree.

And BTW: Congrats to Cyzilla who took his first steps toward becoming a globe trotting, highly respected international DJ today. I'm sure he'll tell you all about it on his site soon so you'll just have to wait til then to find out what I'm speaking about.

Wednesday, January 14, 2004

? Neo. Are these things related?

It's been quite an odd day.

There's an advertising billboard near my work which reads: "Neurocam - Get Out of Your Mind".

Across the billboard in orange spray paint someone has added: "Neurocam is Mind Control".

Huh? Never one to skip a possible William Gibson-esq adventure I decided to feed my curiosity and use Google to figure out what Neurocam is.

At first I found a couple of websites that don't seem to be related to the Neurocam I was looking for. Then I found a (obvious in retrospect) site that seemed to be connected.

And still my response is "Huh?"

After quite a bit of poking around I managed to find an e-mail address link on the site. I promptly sent them an e-mail asking for more info but am yet to receive a response...

At least if I go missing sometime in the next couple of days you'll all know where to start.

Slightly weirded out by the Neurocam encounter, I was getting ready to leave work when a gentleman I have never met before bailed me up on the street.

"Mate, your doppleganger works with me."

"Sorry?"

"There's a guy who works with me who looks just like you... Not you... Just like you."

And with that he took off down the street.

This conversation rang more than a few bells.

I'm currently reading "Hey Nostradamus" by Douglas Coupland. A large section of the book deals with people who look almost exactly alike but are not related. Apparently the official term is "Analog". So I can only assume that this guy's workmate is my "Analog"... Or else I'm starting to turn into Tyler Durden.

Then, about half an hour later, to finish off my odd day at work, I received an SMS from a number that I didn't recognise.

It read "No more messages please."

Huh? Can anybody shed any light on any of this?

Wake Up Neo. It's time to follow the white rabbit.

Monday, January 12, 2004

Enough with the recommendations already!

My last few posts have been mostly links to things that I've found entertaining, but it's not just my desire to share and educate that has inspired me to have this blog - I also want to share some of my life with all of you. With that in mind, here's a list of some of the things that I've been doing recently:

1. Working.
2. Ummm... Yeah.... Ummm...

Yep! "Working" pretty much covers it. MTC's been taking up a major chunk of my time so far this year. "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" opened last week and was canned by the critics... A bit surprising since I think it's one of the better productions that we've done of late. Then again some of our productions which I thought might get a canning received fantastic reviews. Different strokes for different folks I suppose.

Before LLD had opened we were already bumping in ("setting up" for those non-theatre literate amongst you) our second production of the year "Hinterland" a new play by Matt Cameron. It's an extremely funny, very black-humored, political satire. Opens on Friday, after which I'll have more of a life again.

Actually I may have mislead you when I said that all I've been doing is working. I have found time over the last few weeks to enjoy a beer, or occasional glass (bottle) of wine on my balcony. Generally with Chris in tow, but sometimes just by myself with a good book and a fantastic view. Sorry? Was that me boasting about my balcony again? I'll try to refrain from doing that in the future. Have I mentioned the excellent view?

Also, last Friday night, I managed to go to a "Suicidal Appliances" party. After the death of their microwave, Eamonn, Gwl and Dom decided that it should attempt to fly through one of the windows of their house. To celebrate the whitegood's attempt to defy gravity, they invited a bunch of their friends around and much alcohol was consumed by all. The crowning moment of the evening involved the microwave being ejected from a window, then it's subsequent smashing to pieces on the footpath bellow, followed by a defunct (at least defunct NOW) VCR following it's lead, then a DVD player, then a CD player which succumbed to peer-pressure.

Truth be told, I found the whole thing a bit childish, but everybody else seemed to find it kind of amusing. This lead to me becoming a little obsessed with the possibility that I was turning into an old Fuddy-Duddy and had lost my sense of fun.

Sharn was more concerned with the fact that she's dating someone who would use the term Fuddy-Duddy in a sentence.

There you have it - The Reader's Digest version of my life since New Year's Eve.

Next time, more links and less Fuddy-Duddy behavior.

Saturday, January 10, 2004

Go Go Glofish!

Ethical? Maybe not.

Science Gone Mad? Most likely.

Entertaining? Hell Yeah!

Glofish are the newest sensation. Genetically modified fish who glow in the dark... Sounds like a raver's wet dream if you ask me, but that may be due to the water you'll spill whilst trying to dance with a fish bowl.

Any of you who know my housemate Bez will be aware that over the last few year's he's been making mice glow (he says that it's got something to do with cancer research, but I'm convinced that he's working on the ultimate rave practical joke). Obviously he's been moonlighting for the Glofish creators on the side.

My only fear is where do these crazy experiments with nature stop? How long before we have glow in the dark wombats? Or polar bears? At least, I guess, we'll be able to find those pesky glow in the dark spiders that are hiding in our bedrooms.

Those concerns aside, picture some of the fun that could be had with glow in the dark fish:
* Confuse the cat.
* A new form of the romantic seafood dinner (no more need for those pesky candles).
* Practical jokes involving housemates and toilet bowls.

and when all else fails...

* You could throw them at the ceiling and have DIY glow in the dark stars.

What would you use your Glofish for?

Hunting in a Summer Neverland

This might fall in to the "too much spare time" category, but I've been having quite a bit of fun with this game recently.

Yeah it's kind of harsh, but I'm not one to shy away from taking pleasure at other people's misfortune.

The night vision scene is ultra cool... Kinda scary how they've used the faces of real kids though...

Wait a minute! Was did I just spot Macaulay Culkin? I guess he's not home alone any more...

Wednesday, January 07, 2004

The Cat in the Hat just got slaughtered.

It was a rainy day when the Cat In The Hat came to play.

He played up and down.

He played around.

Then we decided he had SARS and so we had him culled.

I wasn't aware that killing cats protected you from SARS, but it seems that the Chinese have done some pretty major fingerpointing. Either that or they're about as fond of cats as I am.

You've gotta admit that it's a pretty extreme response, but maybe they're only doing what's necessary.

So just to be sure I highly recommend that we all hit the streets and start hunting down cats. For every cat you kill another person will be free of SARS. Think of it as charity work.

And why should we stop there? We already know that slaughtering all the cattle in a given country will protect it's residents from getting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, but which diseases could we cure by culling other species?

If we all went budgie hunting would Whooping Cough miraculously cease to exist? Are turtles responsible for chronic Fatigue? Hares for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder? And if we rid the world of platypus would all the ugly people suddenly become beautiful?

I think this is a field that deserves some research. Where's the funding for mass animal slaughter as a form of human vaccination?

Maybe I should get Bez to change his PHD topic.

Seriously though, maybe we should be absolutely sure about the source of a disease before we begin slaughter animals willy-nilly. Or am I just being soft?

If you really want to do the world a favor go and cull the Irwin's. At the very least it might stop the ailment"bad TV" at it's source.

Unsolicited Mail of the very best kind.

I'd like to say that I'm a pretty non-material kind of person. That having earthly possessions was not at all important to me, and that I got all my pleasure in life from more intangible things, but if I said any of that I'd be lying through my teeth and everyone of you would know it.

The truth is that I love owning things and I love getting presents, so I was overjoyed to find some unsolicited mail (in the form of a Xmas present) waiting for me at home today.

The gift: The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories. By Tim Burton.

The givers: Cynan and Suzy.

The Graham-response: An extended Dance of Joy.

Ultra cool gift guys and one of the (very) few gifts I received from someone other than family and housemates.

An interesting thought: This year I received more XMAS e-mails, text messages and presents from friends who were in other countries than I did from those who are still in Australia. I wonder what that says. Maybe the distance makes staying in touch a little bit more important. Or maybe you're just a bit more aware of your friendships when you're removed from them. What do you reckon?

Saturday, January 03, 2004

ALL HAIL THE EVIL GENIUS!

I'll explain the title of this post in just a minute, but first let's get the necessary well wishing and New Year's update out of the way.

Happy New Year!

I felt very loved between the hours of 12am and 6am on New Years Day because (even though I was sleeping) no less than 9 people decided to text me New Years greetings. What's wrong with you people? Weren't you paying attention to the spy cameras in my room? Or do you just enjoy waking me up? (Well sucked in if you do, because the truth is that not one of those text messages managed to wake me).

Yes that's right, on New Years Eve I rested. No longer the party boy that I once was, I seized the opportunity of a night off to get some much needed sleep. Soft? Maybe, but extremely well rested for New Years Day.

New Years Day. I certainly hope that yours was exciting as mine, otherwise it might seem like I'm just rubbing the following in.

I spent New Years Day dancing my arse off at Summerdayze.

20,000 people. 30 degrees Celsius and sunny. Kraty Kuts & A Skillz. Groove Armada. Lo-Fidelity All-Stars. All the ingredients were there for a fantastic day. And, unlike last year, the cooks (read: event organisers) seemed to get it right.

I must have danced for over six hours straight. As did Sharn, Chris, Bez, Jared and Ingrid (and if I knew the names of the other 19,995 people I'd list them too).

Groove Armada played a crowd pleasing Alternate Anthem set filled with slightly older tracks, but when you go from Beastie Boys "Fight for the right (to party)" to Azzido da Bass "Dooms Night" you're guaranteed to have the audience jumping.

The set of the day (that I heard) goes to Krafty Kuts & A Skillz. With a mix of old material and tracks that were newer than the Tricka Technology album, the duo delivered a flawless, technically intricate, thoroughly dancable set. But then again I'm a bit of a Krafty Kuts addict so you'll have to canvass other opinions to know for sure.

Worst set of the day goes to: (drum roll) Sean Quinn. Taking the stage straight after Groove Armada, he managed to half clear the dance floor within 5 minutes. And when we're talking a dance floor of around 15 thousand people that takes a certain amount of skill. Definitely a low-point.

Which brings me back to the title of my post. Can some tell me who the evil genius is that invented "drink cards"?

Instead of the tried and true method of commerce (You hand me product. I hand you money. You hand me change. Everybody happy.) recently events have insisted that we buy "drink cards". These things are meant to make things flow better once you actually reach the bar, but in fact they are evil incarnate (although quite ingenious).

It works like this: Instead of handing over money at the bar, you must first go to a separate store and purchase a $10 drink card. Then when you get to the bar the people serving merely punch holes in the card to keep track of how much credit you have used. Sounds simple enough doesn't it? Except (and here's the evil genius bit) that everything is priced at either $3 or $6, which makes it impossible to cash in all your credit with only one card. In fact you can't even cash in all your credit if you've bought two cards. The first time you can be sure of having used all your credit on drinks is when you've spent $30.

The result of this is that plenty of punters go home at the end of the day with credit still on their cards. Credit that they can no longer turn back into money. And I guarantee that there isn't a pub in Melbourne who'll accept a Summerdayze drink card when I next go for a beer.

This might seem like a small issue to gripe about but think of it in these terms - If everyone at Summerdayze went home with $1 left on their cards (and plenty had a lot more than that left - My third card had $9 left) then the event makes an extra $20,000. See? Evil Genius.

Still, I had a fantastic day, so what's $9 between friends? I know that I won't hesitate before spending $80 on a ticket next year just because they ripped me off by the cost of a burger and coke this year.

Maybe I could sell my drink card to a collector on E-Bay. Anyone interested in this great piece of event memorabilia? It's going cheap, just $9 ONO. Only had one owner. Slightly crinkled. All interested parties please e-mail me at: capcoincidence@yahoo.com