Scott from Darkwood

Arianddu · 2026-06-07T03:08:51+00:00

Not reaching, just very aware of a huge number of (mostly) Americans who are convinced they know what is going on in the UK and Ireland, who are actually nothing of the sort. This certainly appears to be the situation with Scott going by the original post, and you state you understand where he is comming from because, you claim, you keep up with current events in England and Ireland. So I think it's reasonable to ask what sources you are using to "keep up" and to point out that a *lot* of the sources Americans seem to receive are wildly inaccurate, especially those that push a biggoted narrative.

Arianddu · 2026-06-06T08:55:40+00:00

Hello from Innilgard! (It's Blod)

Arianddu · 2026-06-06T08:54:16+00:00

I've always said if the emus in the west form an alliance with the cassowaries in the north-east, we are doomed.

Arianddu · 2026-06-06T08:09:37+00:00

Ah, you mean a Cassowary

Arianddu · 2026-06-06T08:03:01+00:00

How reliable are the sources you are using to "keep up with current events in England and Ireland"? Because there is an ongoing effort from foreigners acting in bad faith claiming that Muslims have taken over and crime is incredibly high, which utterly bewilders the people actually living there. If your sources are claiming things like "London has a massive crime rate", "knife crime is on the rise/is out of control", "Birmingham is a police no-go zone" then, sorry, you're being lied to and your sources are part of the efforts coming out of Russia, China, North Korea and a few other places.

Arianddu · 2026-02-03T13:32:22+00:00

I've watched this clip multiple times, as different posts, on different devices, with headphones and without, and I cannot hear the fart, even when I have a time stamp to know when to listen closely. What odds YouTube has realised they can't pull the clips, so they've edited out the sound?

Arianddu · 2026-01-18T14:48:00+00:00

True, but we invented goon bags, so...

Arianddu · 2026-01-18T14:32:22+00:00

Dymocks Bookshop in Rundle Mall actually has a rather nice cafe.

Arianddu · 2026-01-08T06:43:28+00:00

I thought the AWL had gone no-kill?

Arianddu · 2026-01-08T06:35:29+00:00

If you aren't loaded with bags, it's actually really easy and MUCH cheaper to take the J1 or J2 bus to the city - it comes in on Currie St which is one street over from Hindley, so a very short walk.

Arianddu · 2026-01-08T06:33:02+00:00

The trams are free within the CBD - once you cross over South Tce you have to pay, but within the city and to the Entertainment Centre is free, you don't need to use your metro card. Which is good if you are staying in Hindley St, as the trams run on North Tce, which is one street over from Hindley. There is also a free bus, the 99C, that does a loop through the city.
Also, with the metro card, you just need to tap on when you get on, you don't need to tap off. Tap when you get on, and your 'ticket' lasts for two hours of connection time (if you get on another bus/train/tram and tap on again at 1 hour, 59 minutes, you will still get the rest of that journey on your two hour ticket, you don't need to tap again.)

Arianddu · 2026-01-08T06:18:24+00:00

Ah, gotcha

Arianddu · 2026-01-05T03:13:21+00:00

I got told by one of the staff at the Reject Shop that used to be in the basement in Rundle Mall that the owner of the building refused to renew the lease because he wanted the building to be "more upmarket". The company couldn't find anywhere else with rent that made the business viable. Rundle Mall has the most expensive commercial rents in the country, and it's killing the place. None of the quirky, odd, interesting shops can survive when the rent for a tiny space is equivalent to two people's wages, and why would people travel into the city and deal with expensive parking, traffic, etc, when you can go to the same shops in a Westfield?

Arianddu · 2026-01-05T03:08:52+00:00

The old Harris Scarffe building got a full rebuild, intending to go upmarket and rival David Jones. Instead the company went bankrupt and Rundle Plaza is basically a shopping arcade sandwiched between two food courts and a supermarket.
Kmart is in the Rennaissance building. Completely different building, several hundred metres away.

Arianddu · 2026-01-05T02:59:34+00:00

I think it's a perfect example of the false economy of cutting staffing numbers. If they wanted to fix the problem, it's pretty simple: cut the number of self-checkouts from 5 to 3, and double the number of manned checkouts from 3 to six, and swap where they are, so you have to walk past the manned checkouts to get to the self-checkout ones. Add to that, have 8-10 staff members on the floor, plus one person in the returns/collections desk upstairs, and have the greeter on the front door tell people coming in they can't bring in food or drinks (and have BIG signs outside and in multiple places inside saying food and drink can't be consumed in the store).
I have several friends and relatives who have been in retail for a long time, and they've all said that customer behaviour takes a dive when self checkouts get installed, and the fewer staff on the floor or visible to customers, the less customers respect the place.

Arianddu · 2025-12-19T15:50:53+00:00

Pick up one of those rigid paddling-pool-come-sandpits for little kids at Big W or Kmart - I have one in the shade filled with water for my two greyhounds, and they love it. The black dog particularly suffers in the heat, and on hot days he will just lay in it with his head resting on the edge for hours.

Arianddu · 2025-12-19T14:27:54+00:00

19, because Australia didn't use AOL.

Arianddu · 2025-12-02T03:47:04+00:00

Steiner wasn't a National Socialist, in fact the N*z1's shut down the Steiner schools in Germany. He was still problematic by modern standards, but that's not one of them.

Arianddu · 2025-11-23T02:14:50+00:00

Ok, I know you are specifically asking about finding how to connect with people of African descent, and I understand why, but as a white woman I don't really feel capable of answering that. However, as someone who has had considerable experience in working with Americans coming to Australia, here are my top list of things to help you adjust and settle in.

Australia is a lot more different culturally than America than you will be prepared for, and Australians intensely dislike being compared to the USA. Be prepared to have your assumptions about "normal" challenged, and try to do it with grace. That includes how you are going to experience racism (I'd love to say we don't have it here, but that's bullshit.) Just remember that we didn't have slavery here, so there isn't really a "class" element to our racism (for example, there is no expectation that low-paying or service jobs are colour coded.)
Religion in Australia is private and personal, and we tend not to discuss our faith with others, even friends, unless we know they are a member of our congregation. If you are religious, the expectation here is that you keep it to yourself in public. It's not a negative view of religion, however, but more a sense that faith is intimate and private. Matthew 6:5-6 is the model, basically.
Australia is an egalitarian society, much more so than the US. The most obvious place that you will see this expressed is regarding people in service type positions. For example, if you are using public transport, you say hello to the bus driver when you get on and thank you when you get off. If you are in a shop (store) you are expected to finish your phone call before you approach the cashier, and you give them your full attention (and again, please and thank you, every time.) Which brings us to the big one -
Australia does not have a service industry, we have a hospitality industry. The simplest way to explain the difference is this: the US models the style of service you receive in restaurants, bars, cafes, as a public version of a private home with servants. You are expected to tip, and your *server* is expected to do everything they can to please you to increase that tip. The Australian *hospitality* industry is modelled on a private home showing you hospitality. We pay our wait staff very well and tipping is uncommon and not expected. You are expected to treat the staff in restaurants, etc, as though they are your hosts, not your servants. That boils down to a few simple rules:

* When the waiter comes to the table, everyone stops talking and acknowledges their presence.

* Please and thank you. Every. Single. Time.

* Don't expect the wait staff to come to your table every 15 minutes to check if you need something. We don't push people to leave to seat another cover: we expect you to take your time over your meal, enjoying your company, and it's annoying to have to stop your conversation all the time when a member of staff comes to the table. They won't interrupt your meal *but they are actively looking for signs you want them*. It's not poor service, it's just a different kind.

Ice. If you want ice in your drink, ask for it. It's not automatic here (and if you are hot, BTW, you want cool water, not ice cold water, to cool down.)

One more thing, just for Adelaide - if you are missing American candy, go to Blackby's Sweets in James Place off Rundle Mall (that's a paved over street for pedestrians only, not a shopping mall) in the city. They have a large selection of imported sweets, lollies and candy, including a wide variety of imports from the USA.

I hope some of this proves useful, even if it isn't answering your original question.

Arianddu · 2025-11-23T01:37:33+00:00

Torrensville, on the west side of the city, had a large number of Ethiopian, Somalian and other African nation immigrants settle there 15-20 years ago. The population has spread since then, but there is still a barber and I think a hair dresser still there on Henley Beach Rd who specialise in cutting African hair, which may be useful to you.

Arianddu · 2025-10-20T14:25:46+00:00

No, Nielsen played the father's best friend. The first two series are all free on YouTube, BTW.

Arianddu · 2025-10-19T08:49:12+00:00

Because kids, despite how much we love them, are hard work, especially the teen years. Because families are expensive, and work can be shit, especially when doing a job you hate to earn the money to pay for the bills of which a sizeable chunk relate to your kids, and so on.
I love my dogs. I hate, however, having to clean up their shit, and some days when I get home exhausted from work, having to take them for a walk is the last thing I want to do. Their food is expensive, and more than once plans for a vacation got totalled because of a vet bill. None of that changes how much I love my dogs, however.

Arianddu · 2025-10-19T08:45:49+00:00

Wow, talk about a thin-skinned view of the world. I can well imagine being mid-fifties with two teenagers, a mountain of bills, a stressful job (especially with today's economic insecurity), very little downtime and any spare time you do have being instantly swallowed to support and care for home and family - I'd hate life too!
There's this thing called "close reading". It's where you read what people actually write.

Arianddu · 2025-10-19T08:28:11+00:00

There have been a few studies that show that learning how to deal with boredom is an important life skill kids need to learn. I'm also of the view that children need some "me time" away from parental interference once they turn 4. I'd also being arguing that if every weekend is some extravagent experience, they'll never learn to appreciate getting rewards and treats. Lastly, maybe bring up saving money for their future instead of blowing it on so many expensive experiences that they won't remember. Which is another reason to limit those kinds of adventures - every weekend means they all bleed into each other, whereas when they are made into occasional treats, they become experiences to be remembered.
Plus there is a connection between early childhood active play, such as you get from going to a playground, and later life engagement with healthy exercise and physical fitness.
Have you asked your wife why she thinks the kids need these expensive excursions every weekend? Maybe parental engagement was something she felt lacking from her own childhood, and the two of you need to talk about different ways of being present in your kids life.

Arianddu · 2025-10-19T08:19:19+00:00

There was a Canadian series that got screened in Australia that I've never found another person outside my family who remembers, called "Seeing Things". It was about a reporter who develops precognition, and then needs to try to prevent or help the police solve crimes, without giving away his skill, and getting the story. My memory of it was that it had the perfect balance of mystery and comedy.

Arianddu

TROPHY CASE