Overpass

They sent us off the freeway at Lara, with signs, traffic cones and a lone officer waving cars down. Three lanes of traffic slowed, merged and took the off-ramp. We crossed the overpass and turned back onto the main road; a diversion of maybe 400 metres. It was a beautiful morning yesterday; at 7.30 am the You Yangs and Port Phillip Bay were sharp and clear in the early sunlight; the north wind hadn’t yet set in. It was a great day to be alive, driving down to the ocean for a surf. A morning full of possibility. As I drove up the off-ramp, there was hardly time to see the mass of emergency vehicles parked along the verges of the freeway, and the shroud of orange safety fence around a patch of the dividing median. Somewhere in there, though, were five lost lives. Half an hour earlier, I’d flicked on the radio news and heard the tail end of a report – a man fighting for his life, the Princes Freeway closed. Only on the recap did I catch the “five dead”. A moment later, a silver ute passed me, doing maybe 120 in a 100 zone – I have his number if anyone’s interested – and disappeared into the traffic, weaving, tailgating and braking as those maniacs do. I considered turning around – surely the holdup would be awful – but drove on. I’d come this far. When the flashing lights came into sight, I dutifully merged left, cringing a bit as I passed the group of investigators surrounding the scene. Somewhere out there, past the open plains of the Werribee grasslands, in ordinary suburban streets, families were receiving phone calls; officers were standing on doorsteps delivering the news. I didn’t know who the victims were: age, gender, relationships. Just five people, dead. The radio announcer said a car had been on the wrong side of the divided road and I wondered how you even do that. Friday night was hot; there must have been a lot of cars on the road, even at 1a.m. when the smash had happened. Tex Perkins was on the CD player, singing about the regrets of the morning after: “And now you realise: there’s no getting away with it.” In the end, the holdup wasn’t too bad; a matter of minutes. It would be easy to pass by and not notice much at all. I got to the beach; I surfed; no problem. Seven hours later, at 12.30 pm, the overpass was empty. Traffic flowed smoothly in both directions, including the occasional speeder, and every cop car, sign and piece of tape was gone. Apart from a sole news photographer standing idle beside his car in the shadow of the overpass, a long-lens camera in his hands, it was as if nothing had ever happened.

Copy Print Exit


12:16:30 PM
ratava1966
Initial Question/Comment: AU Activation
12:16:35 PM
System
Thank you for contacting eBay Australia Live Help! Please hold for the next available Live Help representative.
12:16:35 PM
System
You will be able to type in your question as soon as you are connected with a Live Help Agent.
12:16:40 PM
System
Andy Horgan has joined this session!
12:16:40 PM
System
Connected with Andy Horgan
12:16:50 PM
Andy Horgan
Hello and welcome to eBay Live Help. My name is Andy. May I start by confirming your name and User ID is: ratava1966?
12:16:57 PM
ratava1966
yes hi
12:17:09 PM
Andy Horgan
May I also have your first name please so that I can address you properly?
12:17:13 PM
ratava1966
hi, I just can't see where I set the starting price. it's Jenny
12:18:17 PM
Andy Horgan
Nice to have you today Jenny. I understand that you would like to check where you can set the starting price on your 'Sell Your Item' form, am I right?
12:18:53 PM
ratava1966
yes please. I did list on international and that hard a starting and buy it now price. but I can't see where to do it on ebay.com.au
12:20:19 PM
Andy Horgan
Thanks for confirming this and please do not worry as I will be providing the necessary information you require.
12:20:24 PM
Andy Horgan
Before I assist you with this, may I know if you have other eBay concerns that I may look into as well?
12:21:01 PM
ratava1966
hi, no, I just need the info. I get the feeling you're using pre-made responses!
12:21:57 PM
Andy Horgan
I assure you Jenny I am a live Person and I can point you to the right direction where you can set your starting price.
12:22:22 PM
ratava1966
thanks Andy so it should be simple then: where do I set it?
12:22:32 PM
Andy Horgan
Are you on your 'Sell Your Item' form?
12:22:35 PM
ratava1966
yes
12:22:57 PM
ratava1966
I've created the whole listing, I just don't have the starting price option.
12:23:07 PM
Andy Horgan
On the 'Choose how you'd like to sell your item' section, you will need to click on the 'Online Auction' tab.
12:23:50 PM
ratava1966
yes, I have done that. this is what I get (below) there is no box for starting price:
12:24:09 PM
Andy Horgan
Yes that is correct.
12:24:29 PM
ratava1966
so where do I set it if there's no box? the international site had a spot for the starting price.
12:25:28 PM
Andy Horgan
Okay, I'll need to access your account to double check if we're in the same page.
12:25:48 PM
Andy Horgan
While I am pulling up your account, could you please verify your full name, complete address, contact number and registered email address?
12:26:18 PM
ratava1966
this is all I'm seeing. I'm not going to put in my full details again. I have already done that with my email and login.
Buy It Now price (see listing fees - opens in a new window or tab) Help on Buy It Now price
AU $

Best Offer Help on best offer.

Allow buyers to send you their Best Offers for your consideration

Quantity Quantity help
item

Duration Help on duration.

The duration you selected may change the price of some listing upgrades.
12:26:47 PM
ratava1966
look, this is too hard. I am going to go sell it on Gumtree. thanks anyway.




Session ID: 3684564

I'm over here at the moment. blogging about my new book and Melbourne in general...

six months! that is a long time between posts.

here is the reason I've been so quiet. actually, that's not the reason, it's a blog about the reason. but you get the idea.

since I started this blog ten years ago, it's got harder to get attention in the blogosphere...I remember when there were few enough blogs that it was easy to start a small like-minded community, get to know each other and meet up in Vegas to drink.

I am not abandoning Bloggety Blog by any means. this is just to point anyone who's interested over there....

Comedy traffic schools for road offenders: this is only the abstract, but it proves my point: Ameicans need everything sugar coated.

I seem to have transferred my occasional bloggy impulses onto Facebook. which is a pity because my life is so interesting right now. not.
it's all insane levels of exercise, trying to get the book finished and the occasional jailbreak to the beach for a quick surf.

in America, you can't get more than 145 miles from a Big Mac.