A different Victorian region is featured each month for the rest of the year. It’s $18 (plus a $2) deposit, but – at least this month, – there’s a link to a voucher that gets you in for $13. Pretty good deal.

This month they’re featuring wines from the Yarra Valley, and it is going to be rainy and yucky both days. What better way to warm up?

April2-3 (Wenesday and Thursday) from 4:30-8:30.

Link:
Victorian Wine Regions Showcase Series

I went to the Birdman Rally, you know, the other week. It was a fun event – lots of costumes, very family friendly.

Americans are a little bit (!) with the Puritanical, so I was surprised when I heard one of the hosts use the word ‘dickhead’ more than once. Amused, but surprised.

Once a contestant called ‘Dr Foker’ came on, I was even more surprised to hear the host use the word ‘foker’ nearly a dozen times. He was loving it.

He was eventually (mildly) chastised by the other host – at the behest of the judges, no doubt.

I love this country. There were about a thousand kids there, and someone only said something after about the 10th ‘f*cker’ in a row. Amazing place.

For his part, the chastising host made up for his squareness by making fun of Lord Mayor John So’s bad jokes at about every opportunity. He also mercilessly teased one of the other judges, who finally said:

I’m not speaking to you. You’ve been nasty to me.

This is how things went. Priceless.

By the way, I don’t want to hear any complaints that I don’t keep you guys up on the latest goings on in Melb. I took the time to look Birdman up just now, and that was only ten days ago, I’ll have you know.

Monday – Beach Ride

Meet 6:30pm outside Transport Bar, Federation Square. Fish and chips and swimming await you at the end of the ride.

If you email your mobile number to beachriders@gmail.com you’ll get an SMS about any other beach rides coming up (though this may be the last one for the season – who wants to swim when it’s cold!)

Thursday – Full Moon Ride to Gardiners Creek

If you want to join, take the organizer’s advice:

Catch the 7:20 p.m. train from Flinders St on the Belgrave Line (or 7:34 p.m. at Burnley Station) and meet at Blackburn at 8:00. Good moonlight with the moon rising at 7:25, and the 20th is also the equinox. Bring some food and beverages as there are not many shops on the way.

Nik of BikeFun (the group organising these two events) asked me to add this in case Metroblogging readers wanted more info:

Most rides go at a social pace, run rain or shine, and are free (like the streets themselves). BikeFun depends on people like you to create events and contribute to Melbourne’s creative bike community. Organise a ride (or whatever) and BikeFun will promote it. Email details to: bikefun@nikdow.net

Links:
BikeFun Melbourne

A friend of mine acquired an impressive $220 fine for turning left on red the other day. She was turning from a bike lane into another bike lane. An undercover cop pulled her over – complete with sirens – and gave her a stern talking to.

He said he noticed that she had looked for cars and pedestrians before making the left, but slapped her with the fine anyway.

He asked to see her license (she’s from Alberta, Canada). To add insult to injury, he wrote “American” at the top of her ticket. She was not impressed.

Seems as though her fine was a bit punitive. She said his demeanour completely changed once she started talking, and reckons if she was Australian she would have gotten off with a warning.

But keep your wits about you lawbreaking bikers, the Man is watching.

Hey, so what do you guys think? Should bikers have to follow the exact same rules as drivers? Or are they given some leeway by virtue of the fact that they (generally) cause less accidents and less damage should they be involved in a collision?

And if we want to count bikes as vehicles just like cars, what about vehicles and pedestrians in bike lanes – should they get tickets for impeding other vehicles?

I ask this having spent most of my ride home last night clearing groups of drunk people from my bike lane. (Confidential to the guy who shouted inexpicably, ‘Only a fa**ot would drive that bike’ – your hair was unbelievably atrocious.)

Relive the days of shady Lower Wacker Drive, Illinois Nazis, and awesome rhythm and blues. Plus, if you get good at saying, ‘It’s a hundred and six miles to Chicago. We’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark, and we’re wearing sunglasses’ (mp3) you can do a pretty good impression of my accent* for your friends.

And won’t that be the highlight of your evening?

If you’re not into awesome 80s movies, Romulus, My Father (5/3), Sweeney Todd (7/3) and Juno (8/3) are also playing this week. If you’re just not into awesome movies at all, The Jane Austen Book Club is playing on the 6th. It was playing on my flight back here – painful.

Hey, if you go see Juno, you can experience Minnesota, which is where I went to uni. Amazing. You can stalk my previous homes, which – if you’re going to stalk – frankly, I much prefer.

And, actually, my father has a small part in Blues Brothers, which is why we’re going tonight. So if you hear someone shout, “That’s my dad!” feel free to come on over and say hi.

* – My accent’s actually not that bad, though I do say ‘gad’ instead of ‘god.’ It gets more Jake and Elwood if I’ve been drinking…

Links:
Nissan Moonlight Cinema
Moonlight Cinema FAQ

And after that, he put on a damn fine show.

If you’re going to the St. Jereome’s Laneway Festival tomorrow (and tickets have been sold out for… oh, months), make sure you check him out. Just goes to show that we’re not all so bad in Los Estados Unidos.

If you were there, what’d you think? For the rest of you, what shows have you been to that rocked? Feel free to pay out the ones that sucked, too.

ps – Dan’s playing a Tuesday show as well, but I’m not telling you where (because I’m selfish and don’t want you buying my ticket). You’ll have to ask around…

Drive-ins Downunder has listings for all of Victoria’s (and Australia’s) drive-ins, but of special note are the three that are still operating in our area today. Coburg, Dandenong, and Dromana all feature old-style, open-air viewing.

The listing for the Coburg Triple Drive-In, Australia’s largest, are here, though it appears you might have to refresh that each week. And the movies they’re showing are a bit… well, I’m not sure how much they’re charging – since I can’t seem to book it online – but any amount for Rambo is too much. Better luck next week…

If you’re too into saving the planet to attend a session, reading up on the history of these yesteryear hangouts is still pretty fun.

No word on whether the owners are still on the lookout for you heavy petting types in the backseat. (Good luck, though!)

h/t to Effigy2000 and his MeFi writeup.

You can make kites and lanterns, there’ll be a number of fun things for kids (read: facepainting), martial arts demonstrations and appearances by the Chinese Lion at 1pm and 3pm.

Though it seems like you can build them there, this event is also BYOK (Bring Your Own Kite)

When: Sunday, 20 January 2008
Time: noon to 4pm
Where: Royal Park, Native Garden, Gatehouse Street (Melway reference: 2B A3)
And Link

That’s right – I’m back in Chicago for the holidays. If cold and slush are your bent, it can’t be beat.

Amuse those of us who are bundled up and wearing snowboots. What are your fun xmas/holiday plans?

Going to the beach? Rocking the barbie in a bikini and a santa hat?

Let us live vicariously though you…

I was lucky enough this week to be treated to a ride in a two-seater plane trip over the city. Here’s what we look like from the air (roughly southwest):