The totally off-topic thread

[Rugby]

I ordered this via ebay yesterday and delivery, which was not via Aussie post, was made by 11am today.

http://www.delsey.com/int/en/p/montsouris-78-2c-exp-tr-case-00236577000.html

Bought it via ebay so got VA points and it was was $25 cheaper than Luggage Direct

I had a look at this bag in DJs yesterday and gave it a thumbs up. A good quality 2 wheeler. The shops didn't seem too crowded either - maybe the light rail construction is keeping people away.

 

[amaroo]

Big thank you to AFF member madrooster for finding and booking a fabulously priced (very last minute) F & J package of flights for our Xmas/NY hols.

SIN, BKK and (a free) trip to Tokyo is the perfect icing on the cake!

Finding 4 seats is not an easy task - Great job!

 

[serfty]

I had a look at this bag in DJs yesterday and gave it a thumbs up. A good quality 2 wheeler. The shops didn't seem too crowded either - maybe the light rail construction is keeping people away.

At 2.9Kg that is quite a heavy bag although it's harder to get two wheelers these days.

 

[cove]

If you want something at DJs you need to get 10% off gift cards thru the Entertainment Book or equivalent.
We just bought some luggage at our local Costco in California and you get so much more for so much less.

 

[get me outta here]

Now I know you just get back from there! Half your luck.

Big thank you to AFF member madrooster for finding and booking a fabulously priced (very last minute) F & J package of flights for our Xmas/NY hols.

SIN, BKK and (a free) trip to Tokyo is the perfect icing on the cake!

Finding 4 seats is not an easy task - Great job!

 

[RAM]

Yep, all you want is a set of furry footprints on the floor and a set of sticky paws!
Looks wonderful.
How long till you can walk on it?

We got a bonus with our floors - 4 long hairs from the contracted man's assistant.

Each about 3 to 4 inches long and sitting in the polyurethane quite happily. They could not understand why we wanted them out and that area redone!

Translation - they were VERY reluctant to fix it but I pointed out that the credit card company could quite easily be involved.

 

[amaroo]

Now I know you just get back from there! Half your luck.

Fingers crossed! The madrooster has a standing order for an almighty award booking for one of our trips next year. Around a 1.5M QFFP burn on what should be a pretty decent birthday celebration

 

[cove]

Seems it is a huge Amazon deal for Christmas in California. Our apartment building is receiving 3 truck deliveries a day by US mail and then there are UPS and others arriving more than hourly. If residents don't pick up their deliveries straight away the storeroom will be chockers pretty soon as well as the wall behind the front desk.
Amazon is a retail phenomenon for sure.
I think the courtesy parking area may get filled up with parcels this year.
I spoke to the US mail lady and she was doing her third delivery at 7pm to our building.

 

[cove]

My colleague has started his long cut to get home. He is on Emirates LAX to Dubai and then on to Perth. Now that isn't a quick way to get home but he has a Suite and there is a shower on board for each flight. This is one way to spend a weekend.

 

[beefarmer]

What are people's thoughts of amazon getting into the multi billion grocery game?

Time to sell your Coles and Woollies shares and buy into BHP?

They HAVE to make some sort of impact, but will that be negated as we toil towards a population of fifty million?

 

[drron]

Almost certainly will be negative for Coles and WOW.Also Lidl.
But I am more concerned with a population of 50 million.

 

[cove]

Imagine our roads having to cope with 50 million rather than 23 million population. What a mess for Sydney and Melbourne.
As for shares the ones you mention are not doing much good at the moment. Look for a share that will take a $10,000 investment to $300,000 in 20 years. That would be helpful for a retirement plan.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Amazon does have a few thngs I would love.
Cant wait till they have an Au online store.
I am aware of those US bought and then some different outfit shipping the goods to Au thingo tho.

 

[cove]

An "airdates " app is in the works according to NBC nightly news.

 

[whatmeworry]

Imagine our roads having to cope with 50 million rather than 23 million population. What a mess for Sydney and Melbourne.
As for shares the ones you mention are not doing much good at the moment. Look for a share that will take a $10,000 investment to $300,000 in 20 years. That would be helpful for a retirement plan.

Melbs and Sydney are already a mess traffic wise. Announcement by the Victoria Government of finally constructing the North-east link with toll roads which I guess Transurban will probably run.

Once the Metro is completed, the Airport Link, Rowville, Doncaster Links and the Metro 2 (Not to be confused with the secret Moscow Metro) become more viable.

 

[cove]

Melbourne has become complaint central with its choked up arterial roads. When you have a downturn with the car industry folding and the aluminum smelter teetering you may find your State Government banging on about having no funds to do big infrastructure. Your State has already spent the gambling taxes and land taxes so it looks like toll roads will proliferate.

 

[Mal]

Seems it is a huge Amazon deal for Christmas in California. Our apartment building is receiving 3 truck deliveries a day by US mail and then there are UPS and others arriving more than hourly. If residents don't pick up their deliveries straight away the storeroom will be chockers pretty soon as well as the wall behind the front desk.
Amazon is a retail phenomenon for sure.
I think the courtesy parking area may get filled up with parcels this year.
I spoke to the US mail lady and she was doing her third delivery at 7pm to our building.

Not much different in London. It's crazy the number of delivery vans I see offloading boxes and boxes of Amazon packages for delivery to various office buildings.

 

[vetrade]

I like the Delsey luggage too. Very well made and I like the security offered by the double zip. I got a Chatelet Hard + for my wife (4WD with a brake that you can apply on the front wheels ).

However it does appear to have what I consider to be a design deficiency. The side opposite the carry handle that normally is in contact with the luggage belt when it is checked in, and when it is loaded on a baggage trolley and in a baggage cargo module doesn't have any slides. Consequently the plastic cover over the zip is getting rather scuffed, and I think it is only a matter of time before it gets torn.

I see that the Montouris and other cases are of a similar construction.

We bought 2 Delsey hardsides a few years back because the double zip seemed a good security feature (don't recall exactly what model they were but were one of their pricier models at the time). Got through 2 RTW trips with only a few scrapes but after that both developed a variety of cracks in the outer shell (5 in all) mostly after quite short domestic flights. A wheel on one was "punched" through the bottom of the bag and the other suffered a 5cm hole on a top corner. The other 3 were splits in the front / back (up to 15cm long). Of course this might have all been due to rough handling but I was concerned the outer casing had become brittle over time causing them to fail more easily. I'm not inclined to go for Delsey again after that.

 

[whatmeworry]

Melbourne has become complaint central with its choked up arterial roads. When you have a downturn with the car industry folding and the aluminum smelter teetering you may find your State Government banging on about having no funds to do big infrastructure. Your State has already spent the gambling taxes and land taxes so it looks like toll roads will proliferate.

Nah we will just whinge like some states who get secret GST deals.

 

[cove]

WA is saving you out of towners from a GST increase. Perth and all of Western Australia will finally get a bigger share of the GST carve up later in this decade. When we get 30% plus a $500 million handout we will vote NO to a GST rise.
I would probably vote YES when WA is at 90% of what we are paying.
Fortunately for you folks that is not coming any time soon so just relax and I will keep credit carding our monthly contributions.