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Sunday, June 24, 2012

Of Tunnels

I needed to make a trip to Seatoun this afternoon.Foolishly I decided to take the quicker route through the by-pass rather than the more scenic waterfront. This turned out to be a stop-start congested drive peppered with red lights. However, I was listening to an interesting radio programme celebrating the music of Paul McCartney (post-Beatles) and was in no particular hurry, so not a problem. Now there has been considerable time and money spent on upgradingThe Terrace tunnel.


Would it have been so costly or difficult to place inside it some aerial system to provide seamless radio listening for the harried commuters who have the mis-fortune to use this tunnel every day? It's not as though this isn't possible because going through the Mt Victoria tunnel -


- no reception problems were encountered, nor did the traditional and beloved tooting from other drivers detract from my listening pleasure. All good with the Seatoun tunnel too,


although as it's so short it could be signals are not as compromised.

Anyway, a belated Happy 70th Birthday to the wonderful Paul McCartney - lets hope there are many more to come.
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4 comments:

  1. THE WINE GUYJune 23, 2012 at 10:48 PM

    Are you becoming a curmudgeon?

    Yes I too like the tradition of tooting when going through the tunnels - long may it last.

    At school (St Pats) we used to walk/run through the Hataitai tunnel to get to the Kilbirnie playing fields for rugby and Soccor practice, Tursdays and Thursdays.

    Sometimes you had to run or be asphyxiated by the exhast fumes (in the days of crappy exhaust systems and leaded petrol).

    ( on first typing before I checked I spelled 'rugby' as rigby' - a sub-conscious nod to Sir Paul I wonder?)

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    Replies
    1. TraceyJune 23, 2012 at 10:57 PM

      Me? A curmudgeon? No ... nor multiple personalities/blogs! :) Mentally A1!

      I did think what a shame I couldn't add the Haitaitai tunnel - but then I'm not a bus or a suicidal maniac, either! :)

      Thanks for commenting.

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    2. TraceyJune 23, 2012 at 11:44 PM

      What is a Curmudgeon anyway? Maybe I am one!!
      A curmudgeon's reputation for malevolence is undeserved. They're neither warped nor evil at heart. They don't hate mankind, just mankind's absurdities. They're just as sensitive and soft-hearted as the next guy, but they hide their vulnerability beneath a crust of misanthropy. They ease the pain by turning hurt into humor. . . . . . They attack maudlinism because it devalues genuine sentiment. . . . . . Nature, having failed to equip them with a servicable denial mechanism, has endowed them with astute perception and sly wit.
      Curmudgeons are mockers and debunkers whose bitterness is a symptom rather than a disease. They can't compromise their standards and can't manage the suspension of disbelief necessary for feigned cheerfulness. Their awareness is a curse.
      Perhaps curmudgeons have gotten a bad rap in the same way that the messenger is blamed for the message: They have the temerity to comment on the human condition without apology. They not only refuse to applaud mediocrity, they howl it down with morose glee. Their versions of the truth unsettle us, and we hold it against them, even though they soften it with humor.

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  2. THE CURMUDGEONJune 24, 2012 at 2:07 AM

    Yes, I'd read Jon Winkur's observation before and it does resonate.
    I guess I've found that the only way to be heard is to grumble and bitch and moan about things - one of the good things about getting old really. I no longer sit there, meekly and mildly putting up with bad service, crap product and boorish behaviour. I speak up loudly and say "Bullshit". Prove it". "Fuck-off". Which, being generally a polite fellow, I never said before.

    By the way, when I said Hataitai tunnel earlier I meant Mt Vic tunnel. We did also go through Hataitai tunnel but that wasn't endorsed by the school as there was no pedestrian access. We had to run like hell through there before the buses ran you over.

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