World Youth Day 2008

When reality settles in it’s always handy to a camera around, while enjoy the pleasures on offer down at the local pub, Jinx watched the evening news with a rye smile. The locals of Randwick were finally awaking from their slumber and realizing what it means to have 125000 pimple faced youths trampling through their suburb with a guy in a Popemobile leading the way. The locals looked very poe faced as they complained about been locked in their homes for two days. Would there be a mini baby boom with so little to do wondered Jinx, most likely not, but all the copies of Auto Theft IV would be out at the local video store. 

Settling down with the crew near the window looking over the bay Jinx wondered what World Youth Day meant for Sydney and all RC’s. A few suggested it was a chance to socialize with over sea’s tourists and have awesome sex. Another claimed to have been to a World Youth Day and find it was just one big piss up party.

Jinx wondered what it would be like to live in a bubble? Seeing as how that’s the way the Pope is treated. Driven around in a Popemobile that allows people to see the Pope and the Pope to see them but no interaction otherwise. No sermon on the hill for B16. Surely JC would have been heckled by crowds, how did he handle it? To live your life in museum, giving sermons from high on up in the Vatican. The Pope lives a life removed, detached from the rigors of everyday life of the average person. It would be hard and lonely life without family or friends but B16 had chosen that life.

The crew chatted about the types of people who would be coming, would a gay element make their presents known, would there be discussions about the role of woman in the church, what about the sex scandals concerning children, the status of AIDS in Africa. Would any of these issues be discussed? The answer is of course no. This is a chance for RC’s to come together, hold hands, sing, pray and pray some more and see the Pope in a Boat-a-cade. Check out the World Youth Day official site that word is used. There’s loads of chances to pray with strangers in groups, at churches or more naturally at racecourses, God is going to have a very busy weekend or does God just leave the out of office reply on.  

The posters around Sydney encourage all RC’s their have the time of their “eternal” lives. The general feeling within the crew was God, JC and the Holy Ghost weren’t that big on puns, if there wasn’t any Arch Angel, thundering voice from the Heavens or burning bush, just don’t go down the pun road with the word of God. The history of God would suggest God can be revengeful. 

When it was announced Sydney was getting World Youth Day many felt it would be APEC all over again. Jinx prayed hard it would be. The Chasers getting arrested dressed as Nuns and a city devoid of cars. APEC was awesome, getting around the city was never easier.

God Bless B16 thought Jinx, I may save a few bucks on petrol that week. 

 

A long farewell to petrol.

Watching the red tail lights in front of her Jinx wondered again when will she be able to buy her Jetson style inspired car. The one with the nice big bubble window, three landing struts and blue colouring. The major selling point would be the ability to fly over the metro congestion of traffic. Oh the impossible dream or was it?

Tapping her brakes again Jinx edged another two metres through the peak hour traffic. The news, the radio, the papers all proclaimed the same thing. The Government had to do something about the cost of petrol, only the Government could help the consumers. Really pondered Jinx, she thought the petrol companies, the countries producing oil and those Saudi Cartels could help the most and immediately if they wanted. Of course who was going to pay the bill for their gold plated Bentley or diamond encrusted bra for their girlfriend? Of course the mass of faceless futures buyers on the World Stock Exchanges were the bastards everyone should be going after. The advice from Jinx was simple. Fucking stop buying petrol on the Exchange please buy pork or banana futures, thus the price goes down and the consumer can go back to paying a dollar a litre for petrol. But lazy journalism and a pathetic opposite Government were eager to howl down the Government than look for the true reasons why. It’s always fascinating to watch rich white guys defend rich white guys defend olive coloured guys who make rich white guys lots of money.

Watching another motorcycle sped past in the bus lane made Jinx wish she had ridden her bike to work, she wondered what the traffic would be like in as little as five years? Would the roads slowly return to the state of the 1950’s? Only those with a healthy income could afford a car and all the costs. Would public transport be the way of the future. Were the local shopping strips about to under go a major rebirth as people started to shop locally and didn’t tramp all over the city for the right piece of clothing or food.

Maybe the skyrocketing cost of petrol was the exact kick in the guts the car companies needed, Germany were well down the road on hybrids and Japan was leading the way. It would be ironic to think the cost of petrol would be the ultimate downfall for oil rich countries. Would places like Saudi Arabia be second world nations in as little as thirty years?  

Petrol, global warming over population, rising food costs. As two children walked across the road hand in hand Jinx wondered how hard all this doom and gloom impacted on kids. Did they understand? jinx hoped not, at least not for a few more years. It was then the red light can on, the tank was down to it’s final five litres. Off in the distance Jinx could see a petrol station, crap, it looked like she could only afford half a tank this week.    

Bad Karma Good Karma

To be malicious you have to have a truly clear vision of hate, you have to follow the plan and have no regrets. For Jinx things didn’t go quite to plan and she soon discovered her heart was not as cold and cruel as she liked to think. While at a concert enjoying the screaming vocal chords of Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters a plan was hatched. To strike back at an ex friend, Jinx had consumed more than her fair share of beer and felt in her blurred state it could work.

It was simple. Glue a mailbox shut. For the princely sum of $2.98 a home brand of glue was purchased and at 1.30 am in the morning the deed was done among the sounds of drunken snickering. Yet like all bad purchases Jinx opened her red rimmed eyes the following day and regretted her tomfoolery. That type of revenge was just not her style and while she enjoyed brief moments of happiness over the act it sat poorly in her heart and played out badly in her mind.

Now Jinx could have done the right thing and confessed but it was many months since the friendship had ended and Jinx given the chance would cite hundreds of other reasons why she can’t do the right thing. So Karma been a very hard task master stepped in. Two weeks to the day Jinx discovered on her new car one very flat tire. As Jinx passed her Visa over the counter to have a $300 plus charge placed on her account she shook her head and swore never to go down the pass of revenge again.

Over the weekend as Jinx drove around the suburban back streets she spied a little ring tailed possum hiding under a car. It was odd as it was only 2 pm in the afternoon and the possum looked too young to be out. With some courage and thick skin Jinx got the possum out from under the car and took it to a Vet. It was young under nourished with a huge tick on it’s head. Jinx felt good she had saved a possum from death.

Later she rang the Vet, by this time Jinx had made a donation to WIRES and was walking around feeling pretty good about herself. The Vet had bad news, the possum had been put down due to head trauma and the tick. The Vet was sorry and at least said the possum had passed quickly instead of slowly starving to death.

Karma gives and karma takes away it best just not to mess with karma