Now I feel like I properly live in a big city: I've been woken up by gunshots.

I assumed they only sounded like gunshots because they were blending into my dream. Because, of course, That Sort Of Thing Doesn't Happen Here. Well, it certainly doesn't happen on the corner of William and Flinders at 8am. So I assumed it was builders doing something (dropping things or whatnot, although half a dozen retorts in quick succession seemed like a lot of things to be dropping in a hurry) and briefly wondered if that was screaming.

Yes, it was.

When the intersection at William and Flinders (which I can see out my study window) was jammed solid with emergency forces, I still assumed it was a car accident or something similar, because yes -- Doesn't Happen Here. Except apparently it does, and it has.

Herald Sun and The Age reportage.

Dear Last.FM users who tagged A Perfect Circle with "industrial",

You're fired.

Baffled,
Dee

From the instructions for my new coffee grinder:

18. Grind in 5 second bursts, watch through the lid, stop when it looks about right.
19. Saying "one hundred and one, one hundred and two, one hundred and three, one hundred and four, one hundred and five" takes roughly 5 seconds.
20. This is best said in a firm, clear voice. Anyone watching will probably realise you're timing something. If you say it to yourself, they'll just see your lips moving and jump to conclusions. You could lose a lot of friends that way.

Nihil curo de ista tua stulta superstitione.