Okay...

This is freaking awesome.

Like a regular Indiana Jones

Twas Thursday afternoon and the floods were finishing their devastation of Brisneylands Finest. I was one of the lucky percentage that weren't affected by the sudden rise in water, so much that I was tempted to take on the Channel 9 Flood Reports Drinking Game. Sadly, I had nobody to drink with and not enough Scotch.

But that is not the focus of this story. The floods had caused many businesses to come to a stand-still or just cease to exist through inundation. Mine was not one of those, however public transport had been greatly affected. In the morning I couldn't reach work by train as power had been cut off from the city out to Northgate, or so I was told. Either way I couldn't get past Virginia station. I was lucky enough to have my manager come pick me up as she went past.

Returning home was the hassle. I dislike inconveniencing people, so I didn't ask for a lift home. The manager was headed to West End to feed her mum, and nobody else was headed my way.

So back to the public transport. I checked the website and found that the trains had stopped at eagle junction due to a Power Fault unrelated to the floods. Fair enough.

How about a bus? There's a couple of busses that actually pass both my work and my house, which is very convenient. However they were cancelling their services from 6pm onwards, which meant that any bus from 5pm onwards was going on their last run inbound before finishing up.

Right, so what about taxi? Well I had about $7 to my name at the time.

What does that leave me with? Walking.

What an archaic form of transport. I still remember my father telling tales that he had to walk in imperial distances, 15 of them no less, just so he could milk cows.

So why not. With modern forms of public transport unavailable to me, I decided that adventure awaits. I had little to no idea how to get to Bowen Hills station from work, so I figured I would take the walk. There was a path that followed up along the train tracks that weaved through back streets and up to a park across the creek to the QR Train yard.

Reaching the street next to said park, I found a problem. The footpath and streets next to Enoggera creek were in their own little catchments. I even took off my shoes and socks and turned up the sleeves of my jeans just so I could wade through and see how far I could go. I can tell you now, it wasn't very far. But boy did the water feel good around my toes. It's been a while since I've really walked in pools, let alone swimming. But I wasn't going to try swimming. That would've just ended up as shark bait.

So realising the way I was headed to be blocked, I turned back and decided to make the trek home, beating a trail to my doorstep. It wasn't that far. A 20 minute drive from work can't be that far by foot. I'd never made this trek before so I wanted to do it now, and as I walked, the more excited I was doing it.

I had reported it on facebook though, and I think that's where things went a little wrong. There wasn't really any support for the 10.9 km walk between Windsor and Zillmere that I was braving.

"see what happens when your too lazy to get your licence..."

I had reached Kedron Park Hotel in 15 minutes before I was convinced/guilt-tripped into getting picked up by Kel and Tash. Damn Tash and her "Alex will miss you" Trump card. I had even stopped at Lutwytche shopping centre to tell Scotty about how the trains were down within that time.

Work was a little sad too. Upon entering, I was given a hug for my 'Traumatising experience' and a hand on the shoulder accompanying a laugh in the face. There were supporters, the guys from Harrys Diner were all for it and were apparently cheering me on. And the guys upstairs were really surprised, but didn't ridicule me.

Now I want to do it again. 10.9kms? Well I reached the edge of Kedron within 15 minutes. Google says 41 minutes just to reach the same spot, but obviously that's measuring at Geriatric km/hour. I reckon I could've gotten home in 1.5 hours at least.

There's lessons in this though. First is that walking isn't that hard. I want to do it again, regardless of the blisters on my heels from walking to Kedron Park Hotel without any shoes on. Heck, I want to do it every day. My cardio has gone the way of the smokers, so jumping into the deep end sounds good to me.

The second is Don't Advertise something so outrageous as Walking Home.

But thanks to Kel and Tash for giving me a lift though. And Pizza. And play with Alex.

Cogitating

A discussion has been had towards Visa's and moving countries, and with each discussion comes an easier mode of registration. At first it was going to be as simple as moving here. That was the dream, to have Jenny come and live here. She has wanted it enough so it was just a matter of getting her here.

Upon delving into the research, we found there are more loopholes than a sailors knot. Various methods were available but with serious conditions that almost seemed impossible to actually achieve either through practice or expenses. The easiest method we found was to obtain a work Visa, Jenny and I would move in together immediately and we would take documentation down so that she may later be granted a De-facto Visa. She could stay as long as we remain together.

The alternative we have recently discussed seems easier and even grants more future options. Put simply, I would move over to Kalamazoo on a Students Visa for a period. According to word and mouth, the method to attain a US Visa is "Piss easy". With Jenny having her own place, it would save on expenses. Public transport, which is limited to the Bus Lines, is free if you are a college student. I could study a Video Gaming programme so I may have a degree in something, and something I enjoy.

It's a good idea. I don't doubt it as a good idea. Out of the two of us moving, it would be much easier for me to move there. I don't own much. Most of my friends contact me via Facebook/Email/SMS anyway, the only people I'd really be losing the most contact with is my mum, the good friends I do see and my workmates, and they can contact me via email still. The change of environment isn't too much of a hassle, since I'm a homebody anyway.

But moving to the USA? I feel I've been thrown into Jennys boots. She has memories there, riddled through out the nooks and crannys there. I hardly have any here, and it doesn't help that my memory is absolutely shot. Her family, her friends, her entire life is there. It's a hard thing to give up. If I went to live with Jenny, I'd be losing that but for a set period of time.

Two years, Jenny puts forward. Two years living in Kalamazoo, with its different street lights, strange weather patterns and lack of horizons every hundred metres. Then we'd both return to Australia. We'd have whatever the Government wants so that we may get a De-Facto Visa and continue to live out our lives in Brisbane.

Call me hard of emotion, but this isn't a Journey of Emotion for me. It's more logistics than anything else. For Jenny it's an Emotional Journey. I have little to lose, and I'll miss nothing from Brisbane because I know I'll be coming back. Not much will actually change in two years. People will be older, some will be furthering their careers, and maybe a few new shops will have cropped up.

Jenny will see Kalamazoo as often as we can afford it. We'll fly back there and enjoy ourselves as much as possible before returning home to Brisbane where we would save up again to return to Kalamazoo.

I can't see me doing this soon. The earliest would be me going to Kalamazoo for Christmas and not coming back for two years.

I don't know. I'm still thinking.

Khador Gun Carriage

So I don't like it. The Horses are Mummified with armour plating, the carriage looks like a solid brick with peep holes, and... well i just don't really like it.

I understand the mindset behind it: You want a mobile fortress from which to shoot the living crap out of anything and everything, and you don't want your mobility to be shot immediately to cancel out ANY threat the vehicle may actually have.

But damnit, it still looks weird.

I'm not sure where I stand on it from a gameplay perspective. I trust that PP have balanced it out, that it won't turn the tide of battle so much that it's a tsunami against a sand castle, but for some reason I still feel a little funny about it.

Resin is practically a necessity. If it were metal, that's a fuck tonne of metal to be carrying about for a fraction of your army. I would not accept the back problems that this thing would actually generate.

I just... I guess I'll see the rules and purchase one for the sake of purchasing one and saying "I have one of these" but damnit I expected a nicer model. Or something completely different at least.