Right now, it's 03:26, I've had one hour of sleep in the last eighteen, and around seven hours in the last forty-eight. So although I'll be posting this once I arrive back in Melbourne town, it's going to be somewhat rambling and disjointed.

First: ad-hominem attacks (which for some reason my spell-checker wants to turn into “ad-hominess's”). I was having a little rant about the company's “environmental sustainability” policies (not my company's – the place I'm working for on contract as a day job). He chipped in by saying something to the effect of “global warming is a scam – and the holocaust never happened eh?”

Normally when presented with a red rag like that, I charge – this time however I entirely ignored his wisecrack, and set about demolishing his arguments (largely with facts & figures gleaned from PCs blog – thanks for that). Although it would have been much more cathartic to launch into him for the ad-hominem attack, it was far more satisfying in the long run to have won the argument given that there was a fairly attentive audience at that point (some, I'm sure, waiting to me to fire back with both barrels over the holocaust denial slur).

So, I think I've inadvertently developed an easy counter to such attacks in the future (when there's an audience who needs convincing; in isolation a simple “get fucked” would more than suffice). Simply ignore the ad-hominem attack entirely, and focus on the issues. It shows up the person making the attacks for what he is, and presents your argument in the best possible light.

Secondly: cars. My, how cars have improved in the last decade. While in Palmerston North to visit my family I rented a nice shiny Mitsubishi 380 with a 5-speed sports-shift auto, and a nice 3.6 litre engine. Combined with air conditioning, comfy seats, a good stereo and a means of turning the traction control off, I was in seventh heaven. Certainly it was in a different league to the cars I've owned myself (84 Laser, 90 Civic, 94 Vitara, 90 Barina). However ...

... what is it with New Zealand roads? It's been a while (hell, nearly 8 years now) since I punted a GSXR-250 between Palmerston North and Wellington, and I'd entirely forgotten what those roads were like. In short: narrow, poorly surfaced, poorly cambered, with heaps of blind corners thrown in for kicks. Just the thing if you're in the mood for a hoon (either on a bike or in a car), but Jesus on a pogo stick, I wouldn't actually call it a highway. I don't know the stats, but I imagine there'd be more than a few deaths on that stretch of road.

And yet, there are other roads which are quite the opposite: broad, well-lit, well-surfaced ... and posted at 50km/h???? Something I've got entirely used to in Melbourne is the Australian practice of posting roads at decent speeds; for example, if it's a section of high-quality dual-carriageway through a residential area, that'll be 80km/h, and residents are trusted not to fling themselves, lemming-like, under the wheels of trucks. Here however, it seems like if there's a house within visible range of a road, they'll slap a 50km/h sign up to be sure.

Rant over: what a final – the Twenty20 final between Pakistan and India (SPOILER ALERT). I have a fairly short attention span so I've always enjoyed one-day internationals, and although it isn't first-class cricket I've come to greatly enjoy Twenty20 as well. I found myself catching the end of the final in the airport lounge, cheering along with a bunch of sleep-deprived (not that I can talk) Indian chaps who seemed very, very pleased with the outcome. It's a pity neither New Zealand or Australia made the final, but I have to say that in their absence I was quite pleased to see India take the win.

I have, finally, decided that I'm going to do my GFPT in the Evektor Sportstar, rather than the Cessna 150 I did my first stalling lessons in (and, in doing so, scared the crap out of myself by dropping a wing, necessitating my instructor Lee to catch the resultant incipient spin). The Sportstar is harder to fly than the C150; it has a much narrower flap operating range (the speed range outside which deploying the flaps causes structural damage), no stall warning, less inertia (meaning it requires finer rudder control than the C150), and has in general a less 'friendly' feel to it.

However, that's exactly what I want to do my GFPT in it. I want something that's trickier to fly, specifically so that it prepares me well for less friendly types in the future. That, and the Sportstars are much newer than the C150s & so in much better condition. The visibility is excellent too, and the joystick with the transmit button and trim buttons is just cool With luck I'll still have a home to go to when I visit Palmerston North next; my father did his ab initio training in a 150 at Embry Riddle and has a great love for the type

Things are going to be pretty hectic when I get back. I've got my day job, a lesson (my first circuits) on Saturday, and an installer to finish (yay WiX – not). But I really enjoyed my holiday & the time spent with my family, & I'm feeling revitalized (surprisingly, given the lack of sleep). It's going to be a productive few weeks I expect ...

[Oh yes, for those who are relying on my blog as a source of “what's going on” updates & gossip: some toe-rag tried to steal our Barina, I am still having payroll problems which would have left me stranded in New Zealand had I not had a decent savings balance, I have discovered Bollywood music (thanks Armin), my Cagiva Mito is derestricted giving it an extra 8HP for a total of 25, and I am finally a member of the Australasian Knife Collectors Club, meaning that I can import our swords and knives).]

Dammit, the cafe still isn't open. I WANT COFFEE. NOW. Hmmm, this really is turning out to be a rambling blog post ... huh, and I've left my headphones back in Palmy. My MP3 player is now an aesthetically pleasing plastic block, & will remain so until the record shop opens and I can pick up a replacement. This is what happens when I travel without Ande ...

... and speaking of Ande, she has decided to chuck in her call centre management career and train as a commercial helicopter pilot. She should graduate in around 7 months from now, and is intending to become a professional instructor – although both fire-fighting and search & rescue have piqued her curiosity.

... and speaking of plastic, my father was telling me about the latest generation of plastic pipe that Iplex Pipelines are tooling up to make now – O-PVC. It's incredible stuff – rather like the Rearden Metal of plastic. It means they can make pipes with far less material (as little as half as much), and make them far stronger for a given wall thickness than they used to. Incredible manufacturing process too, they basically stretch it like elastic during the extrusion process (I used to work as a process worker on the Iplex factory floor during holidays, so I'm quite interested in how this all works).

Such things – including driving past the factory with my father and looking at the expanded store-yards, and the new O-PVC plant, go a long way to undoing any feelings of misanthropy I may be harbouring as a result of dealing with sheeple ...