Play Nice Random Chat Thread VII

[Twinkletoes]

I closed my business down last week. It’s been brutal.

Sorry to see that Val. We went into debt to ride out the brutality of the lockdowns and border closures and interest rates rising as they have has meant we’re pedalling on the spot.

A change of scenery has helped me massively like going to La Trobe I don’t mean to diss it but it was so boring and like there was hardly anywhere you could go to pass time like yeah you can go to the footy ground but that’s all.

Whereas Swinburne the vibes are just better, we’ve got the Glenferrie oval and leisure centre (get free swims) and yesterday I just sat on the oval soaking up the sun and reflecting.

Welcome to this side of town Ligs.

I’m so sorry to hear this,
is there anything we can do to help on here?

Unfortunately not in my case DR. Thanks anyway.

 

[Val Keating]

I’m so sorry to hear this,
is there anything we can do to help on here?

Nah thanks mate. Started working for someone this week. Kind of sucks but it’s not bad having a steady pay pattern and not worrying about organising anything.

 

[Forever North]

Are any other Melbournians here totally and utterly sick of this city?

Feels like since we reopened after COVID the worst of everyone is coming out. Just this morning I had a lunatic follow me home and try to run me off the road because I dared obey the speed sign in a school zone (I set my cruise control at the exact limit in these situations so I don't get intimidated into speeding and risking a kid's life). It's a bit of a straw and the camel's back moment.

This is like the fifth or sixth incident in the last few months (hey maybe I'm the common denominator!) where someone has done something absurd either to me or another road user that I've witnessed all because they wanna go 20+kph over the limit, or can't be bothered waiting, or are too arrogant to allow people to zip merge. Feels like everyone is extra agro with the traffic and construction mayhem.

And that's just the tip of it. There's more people sleeping on the streets than I've ever seen, more people impatient, more people miserable and perpetually outraged, more people super highly strung, etc. The roads are unusable for six hours a day, public transport is packed and unreliable. Housing unaffordable. To me it feels like if you're not a pretentious rich w***er here, you're a dero and I'm meeting fewer and fewer people who fall into the normal, nice person spectrum.

Not sure if I'm just noticing it more or if it's actually on the increase but I'm genuinely feeling my mental health affected by this city.

My thoughts exactly Themanbun. I’ve had a few run ins with off their heads drivers in recent months. Beeped my horn at a driver who sped through a red light by at least 5 seconds, mainly to warn if any pedestrians were around (it was dark and raining). At the next intersection he pulled up beside me and started to abuse me. I just kept my cool, didn’t argue as this guy was heavily on drugs. It was a few days before I was leaving for Qatar so wasn’t putting that at risk.
Agree that people seem generally more pissed off, pessimistic, aggressive etc since the lockdowns. Basically lost 2 years of our lives to lying, over zealous politicians and bureaucrats wanting to be seen to be doing ‘stuff’. Simply unforgivable what they put us through. Wearing masks outdoors whilst walking on your own in empty suburban streets, like wtf was that bullshit. Shutting down schools was an absolute disaster. My wife is a teacher (30+ yrs), she tells me kids have gone backwards big time, they are psychologically scarred, the system is broken etc. Then we have the greedy corporations, banks, airlines, utilities, insurance mobs etc seemingly using covid/Ukraine war/supply chain issues as their go to excuses for jacking up prices and lowering service levels. Inflation is rampant because of their greed, not because of anything else. As a society we are getting constantly slapped around by those in charge and those that think they know better. Of course people will react in negative ways unfortunately.
The City is an absolute dump nowdays. Just filthy looking and full of unused and unecassery bike lanes and bullshit ‘traffic management’ mazes dreamt up by ‘experts’. It’s a farce to navigate. Went before xmas to pick up something and left immediately. Didn’t bother to stay for lunch or do further shopping like I’d planned to.

At least the footy starts in a few weeks so we can start bitching and moaning over that instead...

 

[Themanbun]

My thoughts exactly Themanbun. I’ve had a few run ins with off their heads drivers in recent months. Beeped my horn at a driver who sped through a red light by at least 5 seconds, mainly to warn if any pedestrians were around (it was dark and raining). At the next intersection he pulled up beside me and started to abuse me. I just kept my cool, didn’t argue as this guy was heavily on drugs. It was a few days before I was leaving for Qatar so wasn’t putting that at risk.
Agree that people seem generally more pissed off, pessimistic, aggressive etc since the lockdowns. Basically lost 2 years of our lives to lying, over zealous politicians and bureaucrats wanting to be seen to be doing ‘stuff’. Simply unforgivable what they put us through. Wearing masks outdoors whilst walking on your own in empty suburban streets, like wtf was that bullshit. Shutting down schools was an absolute disaster. My wife is a teacher (30+ yrs), she tells me kids have gone backwards big time, they are psychologically scarred, the system is broken etc. Then we have the greedy corporations, banks, airlines, utilities, insurance mobs etc seemingly using covid/Ukraine war/supply chain issues as their go to excuses for jacking up prices and lowering service levels. Inflation is rampant because of their greed, not because of anything else. As a society we are getting constantly slapped around by those in charge and those that think they know better. Of course people will react in negative ways unfortunately.
The City is an absolute dump nowdays. Just filthy looking and full of unused and unecassery bike lanes and bullshit ‘traffic management’ mazes dreamt up by ‘experts’. It’s a farce to navigate. Went before xmas to pick up something and left immediately. Didn’t bother to stay for lunch or do further shopping like I’d planned to.

At least the footy starts in a few weeks so we can start bitching and moaning over that instead...

Glad I'm not the only one.

I don't really want to labour the point but I don't think the lockdowns themselves are the cause of this. It contributes, but I think so it would have contributed if people lost a lot more relatives to the virus, or (like I witnessed a few times) the hospital system completely imploded. Rock and a hard place IMO. Just my two cents though.

I kinda noticed it before COVID as well and felt that I got a bit of respite over the pandemic but it feels like it's back with a vengeance. I'm not sure I wanna be here when the economy truly tanks. It's a very very stressful and combative city.

I've met a lot of Americans who left New York for reasons similar to what we describe (just an aggressive, agro, busy city) and it just feels like Melbourne has tipped into that category. Maybe it's a big city thing and as I've gotten more mellow I've noticed it more and I need to drop into the rural thread.

 

[Samsquanch]

Does anybody use a mobile on "Belong" and need some free extra data?

 

[Ligma]

**** me dead why do people piss on the seat and not clean it up

 

[Lomas]

* me dead why do people piss on the seat and not clean it up

Some people just want to watch the world burn.

 

[Val Keating]

* me dead why do people piss on the seat and not clean it up

You should see the portaloos on site. People have to piss on the seat to clean them.

 

[rickety]

Glad I'm not the only one.

I don't really want to labour the point but I don't think the lockdowns themselves are the cause of this. It contributes, but I think so it would have contributed if people lost a lot more relatives to the virus, or (like I witnessed a few times) the hospital system completely imploded. Rock and a hard place IMO. Just my two cents though.

I kinda noticed it before COVID as well and felt that I got a bit of respite over the pandemic but it feels like it's back with a vengeance. I'm not sure I wanna be here when the economy truly tanks. It's a very very stressful and combative city.

I've met a lot of Americans who left New York for reasons similar to what we describe (just an aggressive, agro, busy city) and it just feels like Melbourne has tipped into that category. Maybe it's a big city thing and as I've gotten more mellow I've noticed it more and I need to drop into the rural thread.

I call it personal anarchy. Nobody gives a flying fornication.

 

[Dan]

* me dead why do people piss on the seat and not clean it up

Urinating with a semi/boner is difficult.
#manstruggles

 

[Makeshift Park]

Different situation to Victoria, but… A few years before lockdown, my partner and I made the decision to move one hour outside of the Sydney CBD. We’ve been in the area ever since, and we both continue to commute into the city a few days a week and WFH the rest of the time. Haven’t regretted the decision once. Love having access to the opportunities a big city offers without having to live within its confines.

 

[Ligma]

Urinating with a semi/boner is difficult.
#manstruggles

I’ve assisted before LOL and that’s all I’m gonna say

 

[Twinkletoes]

I've met a lot of Americans who left New York for reasons similar to what we describe (just an aggressive, agro, busy city) and it just feels like Melbourne has tipped into that category. Maybe it's a big city thing and as I've gotten more mellow I've noticed it more and I need to drop into the rural thread.

My youngest bro is a senior partner with PwC in New York and has lived there for over 20 years, with his wife and kids for the past 10.

One day last year he realised he was the only partner left actually working out of their NYC head office. All others had reverted to working from home post covid, and by home I mean interstate. So mid last year he and the fam’ left as well and he’s been working from Nashville ever since. Still have their Manhattan apartment for when he’s in town.

Recently he said they were buying an acre of land next to bloody Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman and building their dream forever home.

He reckons they haven’t looked back and he’s never seen the kids so happy.

He has a heap of Aussie mates living in Nashville too, all of whom previously resided in NYC.

In his words “post Covid it seems if you can afford to get outta this town, you do. I just wish we’d done so earlier.”

 

[Disco Dew]

Urinating with a semi/boner is difficult.
#manstruggles

 

[Val Keating]

Glad I'm not the only one.

I don't really want to labour the point but I don't think the lockdowns themselves are the cause of this. It contributes, but I think so it would have contributed if people lost a lot more relatives to the virus, or (like I witnessed a few times) the hospital system completely imploded. Rock and a hard place IMO. Just my two cents though.

I kinda noticed it before COVID as well and felt that I got a bit of respite over the pandemic but it feels like it's back with a vengeance. I'm not sure I wanna be here when the economy truly tanks. It's a very very stressful and combative city.

I've met a lot of Americans who left New York for reasons similar to what we describe (just an aggressive, agro, busy city) and it just feels like Melbourne has tipped into that category. Maybe it's a big city thing and as I've gotten more mellow I've noticed it more and I need to drop into the rural thread.

If you dont think locking everyone up for 2 years has had an effect on people im guessing you haven’t been around anyone that has got out of jail? It’s life changing for everyone.

 

[Themanbun]

If you dont think locking everyone up for 2 years has had an effect on people im guessing you haven’t been around anyone that has got out of jail? It’s life changing for everyone.

Yeah look, that wasn't jail, and nowhere did I say it had no effect.

 

[Themanbun]

My youngest bro is a senior partner with PwC in New York and has lived there for over 20 years, with his wife and kids for the past 10.

One day last year he realised he was the only partner left actually working out of their NYC head office. All others had reverted to working from home post covid, and by home I mean interstate. So mid last year he and the fam’ left as well and he’s been working from Nashville ever since. Still have their Manhattan apartment for when he’s in town.

Recently he said they were buying an acre of land next to bloody Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman and building their dream forever home.

He reckons they haven’t looked back and he’s never seen the kids so happy.

He has a heap of Aussie mates living in Nashville too, all of whom previously resided in NYC.

In his words “post Covid it seems if you can afford to get outta this town, you do. I just wish we’d done so earlier.”

That last line is pretty much exactly how I'm feeling.

 

[Val Keating]

Yeah look, that wasn't jail, and nowhere did I say it had no effect.

Yeah I know it wasn’t jail, but people were locked up for 2 years, from no fault of themselves. Add to that what it did to our economy, small businesses going under, 4 in 10 households are now experiencing financial difficulties.

 

[Eggs11]

Different situation to Victoria, but… A few years before lockdown, my partner and I made the decision to move one hour outside of the Sydney CBD. We’ve been in the area ever since, and we both continue to commute into the city a few days a week and WFH the rest of the time. Haven’t regretted the decision once. Love having access to the opportunities a big city offers without having to live within its confines.

My youngest bro is a senior partner with PwC in New York and has lived there for over 20 years, with his wife and kids for the past 10.

One day last year he realised he was the only partner left actually working out of their NYC head office. All others had reverted to working from home post covid, and by home I mean interstate. So mid last year he and the fam’ left as well and he’s been working from Nashville ever since. Still have their Manhattan apartment for when he’s in town.

Recently he said they were buying an acre of land next to bloody Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman and building their dream forever home.

He reckons they haven’t looked back and he’s never seen the kids so happy.

He has a heap of Aussie mates living in Nashville too, all of whom previously resided in NYC.

In his words “post Covid it seems if you can afford to get outta this town, you do. I just wish we’d done so earlier.”

That last line is pretty much exactly how I'm feeling.

I had been trying to convince my wife to move to Healesville for years, but in her mind anything more than 10km from the city centre is Wolf Creek. Eventually moved to Geelong two years ago for work not really knowing what to expect. But the whole family is happier than ever and I don’t think we’ll ever leave. So, yeah, just wish we’d done it sooner.

 

[Themanbun]

Yeah I know it wasn’t jail, but people were locked up for 2 years, from no fault of themselves. Add to that what it did to our economy, small businesses going under, 4 in 10 households are now experiencing financial difficulties.

I think we can take it to the coronavirus thread to debate the economic effects of lockdown.

 

[blackshadow]

Melbourne has definitely changed for the worse since I moved down from Sydney in 2006.

The infrastructure is groaning due to population growth, much more traffic, more of a rat race and more arse-holery.

It’s been a gradual decline, it was happening before Covid but the Covid measures have probably exacerbated it.

Would love to move a bit out of Melbourne but family and work considerations won’t allow it at the moment.

 

[Themanbun]

I had been trying to convince my wife to move to Healesville for years, but in her mind anything more than 10km from the city centre is Wolf Creek. Eventually moved to Geelong two years ago for work not really knowing what to expect. But the whole family is happier than ever and I don’t think we’ll ever leave. So, yeah, just wish we’d done it sooner.

Geelong is nice. A lot nicer than Melbournians give it credit for. Has everything you need with much less rat race. The only thing that put me off is it's growing fairly quickly though (and is less affordable than the western suburbs) and Melbourne and Geelong will probably feel the same in a decade or two.

 

[blackshadow]

I still love Melbourne it’s just not the city it used to be.

 

[Val Keating]

I think we can take it to the coronavirus thread to debate the economic effects of lockdown.

Nah.

 

[Val Keating]

It is funny that they finally admitted that it came from the lab.