News Bits

I love those News Ltd staffers, they’re usually good for a laugh. Last night a company lawyer denied there’s a secret tunnel connecting the nearby Aurora Hotel and News Ltd. Of course I didn’t believe him.

On Monday evening the front desk at News reacted to numerous staff complaints of a dodgy cabbie, or rather a cabbie with a dodgy driving style. The burly receptionist challenged the driver for his credentials, then after lodging a phone complaint with the cabbie’s network was told the cab wasn’t one of theirs. ‘Who’d have thought’, I asked the lawyer, ‘there could be dodgy cabbies..?’. Quick as a flash he fired back, ‘Yeah, and who’d have thought there could be dodgy journalists..?’. A funny guy.

Earlier in the evening I carried an excited female staffer to a private function at a five star hotel. ‘Are you late ?’, I asked. ‘Yes, the free champagne starts in ten minutes !’. Driven by the maxim - never get between a journalist and a free drink - I floored it.

Being the mother of a two year old child, her first, the conversation led to babies and money. ‘You wouldn’t believe how much it costs to have a child these days’ she said. ‘Well, given you got three grand from the Government’s baby-bonus scheme’, I suggested, ‘you’re in front on the deal’. ‘Yeah right’, she countered, ‘it paid for half my obstetrics bill. Not to mention the pram. You can’t buy a decent pram for under $1000'. A thousand dollars for a friggin’ pram !? She was funnier than the lawyer.

Comments

[Wil]

$1,000 for a pram ("baby carrage" here)!!

It must have complete climate control, am/fm with a 6-CD stereo system and a 6-way, electric, adjustable bed. Anti-lock disc brakes and rack'n'pinon steering are probably optional extras.

I wonder if it comes with Michelon tires?

[lg]

Well, they must 'keep up with the Jones's,' you know! I'm sure there are a lot of prams out there in excellent condition on the second-market for a lot, lot less than $1000.00. Unfortunately, it's a sign of the times where designer labels are a status thing...even in prams. Half the time these mothers are back at work when the baby is still a baby and it's being brought up in childcare centres and they spend so little time with their bubs, that a pram would hardly be used anyway.

[phil]

I saw a 'pram' with a cupholder a few weeks ago.

[aiko's]

prams, schmams. My first child is two and I have one on the way - about a week actually. We now have three prams none of which are a $1000 but not far shy. They slice, they dice, they juli-bloody-enne but somehow only by having three of them are we able to provide the cool creature comforts that these kids deserves. somebody change the subject ....

[huggies]

Her pram must have mag wheels, be lowered & fitted with a decent stereo.

[URBAN INSENCE]

Adrian you must have seen the bike pedal cabs in the city . LOL. The driver wears a helmet.Its pretty much a big pram cab for tourists or suits.I wonder how long before lime cabs spot the extra edge in this market.

[ab]

"never get between a journalist and a free drink "

yes that's true of many, but it can be hard to avoid as well, a lot of networking and news gathering takes place outside of the office, so it's a tricky balance. Personally(of course) I think the mindless mainstream masses are the main culprits... ;}}

[Walter]

My main complaint about prams is that they are getting as big as SUVs these days! When I'm at the supermarket, they're bigger than the shopping carts.

[mnot]

$1000 probably bought her a bugaboo frog or some other first-time-parent mistake.

It's easy to believe that you need the absolute *best* for your little bundle-to-be; a lot of companies are in the business of parting scared first-time parents from their money.

[slatts]

Hang the cost. The real question is are the wheels on the last kid's pram worth cannibalising for the first kid's billycart?