Filed under “stupid”

I’ve been sorting through old photos as I clear out my garage and it’s taking FOREVER because I keep getting distracted.

For example, I posted this pic in a Facebook group for former Newcastle Herald employees …

The bloke went on to become my flatmate in Sydney for a while, then he was editor of The Canberra Times. The woman was the Newie flatmate – and workmate – of my ex when I first met him.

It was taken in the Newcastle Herald library, which was filled with all the daily clippings from the newspaper, carefully filed away.

As my mate Dom noted in a comment – it was our “Google before Google”.

When I worked in magazines it was still our Google before Google and I was gutted when they closed it down to enter the modern age. It was so tactile being able to go and grab a file from the library and flick through it for background for your stories, or search through the folders of old pics for gems.

Mind you, it would drive me nuts now, as I’m the queen of cut and paste.

I’ve also been gazing in wonder at how short my hair was during most of my 30s.

I don’t think my saggy old face could get away with it now!

The other thing stopping me in my tracks is the Toilet Paper Crisis of 2020

If you’re perturbed by how doofus leaders such as Scomo and Trump get to bumble around at the top, the Toilet Paper Crisis of 2020 gives you a fair indication of the level of stupid in society.

I drove past my local Woolies at 7.30am yesterday and shook my head at everyone scurrying out the doors loaded up with their bum wiping supplies.

Over in Parramatta, a shopper allegedly pulled a knife on another customer during an argument over loo rolls at Woolworths on Wednesday afternoon.

Things went up a notch in Tamworth, where police had to taser a guy who went nuts and started attacking another customer in the Big W toilet paper section.

And demand was so high at Mount Druitt Coles that a security guard was stationed permanently in the aisle to monitor panic buying.

Australia’s chief medical officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, told Parliament panic buying toilet paper wasn’t a “proportionate or sensible thing to do at this time”.

Der.

And Kleenex has reassured Aussies via Facebook: “Australia, don’t panic! We are working around the clock at our mill in South Australia to keep the supermarket shelves stocked … As you can see we won’t be running out anytime soon.”

But that ain’t stopping the masses from stockpiling Sorbent.

I felt quite lairy about visiting Coles last night, on my way home from work, to get nachos supplies for dinner.

Especially since the supermarket was just a few kilometres from Macquarie Park, which has been identified as the “epicentre” of the virus in Australia, with six of the 56 confirmed cases coming from the suburb.

Awesome.

There wasn’t a single roll of toilet paper to be seen, though a kind worker snuck a pack out from the back to a little old lady in need.

Bless.

Fortunately, DD managed to get me a 12-pack on his way home from work. It must be love.

At Coles, the whole pasta aisle was a wasteland as well, with very little in the way of tomato products either.

FFS. Good thing I was making nachos – no one’s stockpiling corn chips … yet.

Anyways, gotta dash – I’m off to the Drinks Association’s annual International Women’s Day event in the city.

Have a great weekend and I’ll catch you on Monday!

Song of the day: Kylie Minogue “Step back in time”