2006-04-04 - 12:57 p.m.

The problem with Autumn weather is that is that night and day are like completely different seasons. You feel winter coming, because daylight saving is over and it gets dark sooner. And with the dark comes the cold. Yesterday I was absolutely freezing standing outside at 5am waiting for a lift to work (more on that later), and I was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt and a reasonably heavy jacket, but in the middle of the day I was ridiculously hot with my thin long-sleeved work shirt over the top of previously mentioned long-sleeved t-shirt. I hate being cold more than I dislike being hot, but unless I spend all of the in-between seasons in layers I'll never be prepared for both.

In other news, I hate my car. And I hate that I never fix things before they're too far gone. I've been having problems with my immobiliser/ alarm for months, but rather than try to get it fixed while it was simply unreliable, I wait until the damn thing doesn't work at all. And hence my car doesn't start. I discovered this on Saturday night when I tried to drive into Surry Hills to see the Lucksmiths (more on that later), but held onto a forlorn hope that I might gt it to start the next morning for work (never mind that even if I had I could have been stuck in the work carpark unable to start it). So I called Kel, who lives 3 suburbs away and had just left, to pick me up.

The fact that the same day I found out I couldn't start my car I'd spend half and hour changing a tyre didn't help my dislike of my car. One of my front tyres constantly leaks, and it's not a problem if I regularly fill it up usually- bu occasionally it leaks more than normal, and by the time I discover this I've been driving on a flat tyre, and have damaged it such that it wont reinflate. This is the second time that's happened, and these tyres cost close to $200 each, and because it's the second time it's happened the tyre isn't that old (because I had to get it replaced the last time it happened). I should have swapped the mag wheels with expensive unreliable tyres for the original wheels with standard $100 tyres the last time this happened. Gah.

Anyway, today I called the NRMA out and they bypassed the immobiliser so I can drive it again. I have to go to a specific alarm place if I want to fix it (so said the unhelpful auto-electrician), but I'm thinking I might not bother, and hope someone steals it. Course all that needs to happen now is for me to get another flat before I replace the other one, and I'll be stuck on some road without a spare tyre. I really hate my car right now. Gah.

So on Saturday night I went to see the Lucksmiths at the Hopetoun with Cindy and Steve. I really enjoyed it- the last time I saw them I think it was just before or just after I'd bought their second latest album "Naturaliste", an I felt they had got a bit too... slow and dreamy, and less quirky, but quite a lot of the songs I was bopping along to the other night I was reliably informed were from "Naturaliste" (a fact I hadn't noticed because I've only listened to it about twice), and there were some great songs (one in particular which rolled along like "It's the End of the World as We Know It") from the new album which made me want to go out and buy it at the next available opportunity (but not enough to line up for merch when I had to get home and sleep ready for work the next morning).

Older songs (ie not from the last two albums) that were played included Synchronised Sinking, Great Dividing Range, Year of Driving Langorously and T-Shirt Weather. I would have liked to hear a song or two of "Happy Secret" and "Good Kind of Nervous", but you get that.

I've had a productive day today- aside from making my car drivable, I did some shopping, wrote in here while listening to Sebadoh and Smudge records (and actually got some sunlight and fresh air), and grabbed an egg-and-bacon muffin, macchiato and orange juice at a nearby cafe where they were playing Greta Gertler's "Everyone Wants to Adore You" (written about a certain person who most people who read this have a somewhat hate-love relationship with). And I'm going to make myself a sandwich in the half-hour before I go to work. Some days I don't manage to eat anything before leaving for an afternoon shift, let alone breakfast and lunch.

Thank God for the autumn daytime sun, which has put me in a good mood and helped me forget about my stupid car.

Gah.

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