Planking

I don't get it. I think most people don't get it. In itself, planking is harmless. Lying down, making your body look like a plank, and taking a photo to share online. Silly, yes, but not inherently dangerous. It only becomes a problem when people have to 'one-up' the person before them by planking somewhere with more risk. As we've all seen this week, a 20 year old man died from planking. Apparently, he had been drinking and I guess his mate had been too. How else do you explain that both of these young men thought planking on the rail of a balcony 7 stories up was a good idea? I have a question about this though. If you see a friend standing in the middle of the road with cars and trucks heading towards him, and you don't do anything to get him to safety, are you responsible for his death when a car hits him? At least partially responsible? How sad is it that this craze has come to the point that a man doesn't say to his mate, "This isn't safe, it's not worth it." And not only that, stands back ready to take a photo of it! No photo, no planking. Come on people, we're supposed to look after our mates; not allow them to put themselves in danger. This second young man is going to have to live with this for the rest of his life.

Think about that man's family and friends. How do you come to terms with a death like that? So senseless; such an idiotic way to die.

Online shopping

Is it really all it's cracked up to be? I ordered my son's birthday present 2 weeks ago, during the Easter break. First day back from all the public holidays (April 27), I get an email from the company saying one of the items I ordered (my son's gift) is no longer available. They asked me to email them with my choice of a refund or gift certificate, and they would "action your request immediately". I emailed back asking them to change my order instead. No problem, they said when they finally replied two days later, they'll add those items to my order and send them immediately.

Then, an email arrived Monday May 2. They've sent the order! Friday, I take myself off to the post office to pick up my parcel. They hand it over. It looks a little small and feels a little light for 3 items. I open it. Guess what. Just one item is in there! A rather large box for it too. This item is the extra one I ordered because the replacement gift cost a little less than the original. So, I don't have my son's birthday gift, nor the other item I originally ordered.

It's now Monday May 9. I decide to call and find out when they're going to send the other items. I've been on hold for 50 minutes at time of writing, with a radio playing slightly off station for the hold music.

Ok, just as I wrote that, they came on the line. She has no idea why they haven't sent my items, she'll follow it up for me. I reminded her that their email said they would immediately get onto my order as an apology for not having the original item in stock. Two weeks is not immediately in my book. Obviously it is in theirs.