The Saturday Age’s general knowledge crossword has started to be a bit of a morning ritual. Completeness varies between 25% and 95%, I don’t think we’ve ever finished one. Today I knew one of the answers was Nietzsche, but couldn’t for life of me remember the correct spelling. Enter one of the more interesting reference materials I’ve ever used while completing a crossword… TISM’s Hot Dogma liner notes.

Into the city to see the exhibition of RAIA entrants for this years awards. It’s always great to see decent design in any field, seeing the architecture awards reminds me that Australia hasn’t been taken over completely by ugly neo-Georgian box monstrosities, ever-expanding across the landscape in a cancer of suburbia.

Then head up towards the corner of Russell and Latrobe Streets, curious at the apartment development being built there. We got there to find that its all being sold off the plan, which is probaby fine if you want to become a slum lord (oops, property investment manager), not so good if you’re picky and want to buy somewhere to live. Along the way we passed a building site, everywhere there was motion, eight cranes busy moving materials around. If there’s anyone in the building trade out there, how do they all tell which whistle is for which crane?

Beer in Carlton, then off along Grattan Street to find the new University of Melbourne building that was entered in the architectural awards. I’ve never been around the area much, Jo has, but almost ten years ago, so she was amazed at the changes.

Then wonder of wonders, catching a tram back to the city, I spotted not one, but three ticket inspecters. Busy writing out tickets to book the recidivist criminals that are the Melbourne travelling public. The amusing thing was that what had caught my eye was the turban-wearing gent who at first glance appeared to be one of the old conductors, then I realised that he probably used to be one of the conductors. Gone are the days of selling tickets to the public, now he’s employed to fine them for not buying them from the machines.

A night for trashy entertainment, off to the Jam factory to see Spider Man. It was everything I expected, fun, lightweight, a comic book on the big screen. What was not fun was the ankle-deep layer of crap in the cinema, and the way that they abruptly shut off the credits around 10 seconds in! There was barely enough time to read the first three lines of the major stars, then bang off with the movie and full on with the house lights. I guess Jam Factory need to maximise their profits by cramming the next session in and didn’t want the audience waiting around for…

Towards the end of the closing credits the theme song from the original Spider-Man animated series is played.