Waiting, Waiting...

I should have known we'd still be waiting to find out who'll be running the country. After all, it took me an hour to vote on Saturday. Apparently someone had forgotten to bring the electoral rolls. You can only wonder. I ask the blankly smiling people with their "Moving Australia Forward" t-shirts if they could start by moving the queue forward. What is it with these volunteers anyway? Don't they realise that their unquestioning enthusiasm comes across like religious zealotry? And I don't talk to those people either! Actually that is an important election tip - always wear headphones (even if they're not connected to anything) to discourage people handing out their rubbish.

To add insult to injury, after queuing for the hour, the guy then asks you if you've voted anywhere else. The polls have only been open for the same hour I've been standing in line. How the hell could I have voted anywhere else?

I am however, forced to spare a thought for 2 other lots of people waiting for much, much longer.

Firstly, 33 miners trapped in Chile, having been found alive days after they had been given up for dead, are now waiting for a relief tunnel to be drilled. The piece of equipment is being sent out there from Australia and according to the news yesterday, they should be out in a few months. Months! They're also having to get NASA to help with getting them food. Hopefully, this will be one of the great survival stories of the year.

Secondly, and on a completely more surreal note, I also heard about people stuck in a traffic jam in China for 9 days. Nine days! Where are they going? Is it still worth going there? I mean if you'd been commuting, you've already missed 2 weeks of work (not to mention the weekend) - you've probably been fired for not showing up! It's like that episode of Dr Who where everyone is just driving around under New York for years. Just wait until everyone in China has a car...