Lightning, thunder and hail last night. Cool
Woke up last night to the sound of thunder.
"How far off?", I sat and wondered....
I didnt start humming a song from 1962 however.
I'll give you a chocolate fish if you name the above reference within, say, 48 hours.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Moving
Home has a very 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' feel about it at the moment.
Things keep disappearing (if you have seen the movie you will get what I'm referring to).
Occasionally disappeared objects appear to have been replaced by bottles of champagne.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Done deal
Listening to/watching the cricket. Monty Panesar just had a very good day. First time he bowls against Australia and he gets a five-wicket bag. How cool is that?
Signed the mortgage papers today. Settling on Monday. Felt kinda like aerobatics. Fun and exciting but slightly scary. Getting ready to move out of my home for the last two and a half years. Looking very much forward to our new house.
Maybe its because 'Snoopy's Christmas' and its odd partner 'Snoopy Vs the Red Baron' feature planes that I don't like them. The Red Baron or Manfred Von Richtofen to his mates, wasn't particularly bloody, just efficient. Some debate exists over who exactly shot him down. He was being chased by a group of British fighters while at the same time some Australians on the ground were having a go at him. Pretty sure no beagles were involved though. And while he is famous for flying a red Fokker Triplane, most of his victories were scored in a more conventional Albatros biplane.
Call me sad, but finally I have found a white paint that will actually cover a surface decently, rather than looking like a threadbare sheet. Citadel good....Humbrol, Tamiya, Gunze bad....
A little late for advent, but if you want an advent calendar this is fun.
Signed the mortgage papers today. Settling on Monday. Felt kinda like aerobatics. Fun and exciting but slightly scary. Getting ready to move out of my home for the last two and a half years. Looking very much forward to our new house.
Maybe its because 'Snoopy's Christmas' and its odd partner 'Snoopy Vs the Red Baron' feature planes that I don't like them. The Red Baron or Manfred Von Richtofen to his mates, wasn't particularly bloody, just efficient. Some debate exists over who exactly shot him down. He was being chased by a group of British fighters while at the same time some Australians on the ground were having a go at him. Pretty sure no beagles were involved though. And while he is famous for flying a red Fokker Triplane, most of his victories were scored in a more conventional Albatros biplane.
Call me sad, but finally I have found a white paint that will actually cover a surface decently, rather than looking like a threadbare sheet. Citadel good....Humbrol, Tamiya, Gunze bad....
A little late for advent, but if you want an advent calendar this is fun.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Shooting down Snoopy's Christmas
Notkate recently noted that I don't particularly like 'Snoopy's Christmas'. She's right.
"The baron had Snoopy dead in his sights. He reached for the trigger, to pull it up tight. Why he didn't shoot, well, we'll never know, or was it the bells from the village below?"
Bells schmells. His guns probably jammed, otherwise the Red Baron likely would have put a few machine gun rounds through the back of Snoopy's head.
But that wouldn't be a very nice song would it?
For a couple of years know I have turned Christmas into a sort of game of skill, where I can see how long I can avoid hearing 'Snoopy's Christmas'. I got through the whole season once. Alas, this year I encountered it fairly early. I don't pathologically hate the song (hmm, maybe I do), and quite like Snoopy, but I heard it once too often.
On that note, playing loud Christmas music in your shop does not encourage me to buy stuff. It encourages me to leave.
I'm not sure why I don't like Christmas music. That much of it refers to snow and winter cold and thus is irrelevant to southern hemisphere advent may have something to do with it. The cheesiness and inanity are also likely contributors. I love Christmas, just not the soundtrack.
Random notations
I watched the sunset in the red haze from the Australian bushfires from Petone beach. Took some photos.
I have my car back from the mechanics after the radiator top tank was replaced (expensive, but not as expensive as the cooked engine which would result from the complete loss of coolant which was imminent). I like my car. Running back to the garage from my house to pick up Fi's car after delivering my one home was not quite fun, but refreshing, especially as it was running to a deadline.
Orion and Taurus are dominating the eastern sky in the evenings now, with Scorpio banished until next winter. This more than any calendar date tells me that summer is about.
A slight misunderstanding concerning the house has been sorted. I am excited, but am trying to be restrained until settlement. Not quite there yet. Fi deserves almost all of the credit for getting us this far. She has talked to agents, arranged needful things, and generally been superlatively magnificent. I have just offered opinions and held her hand. Fi's mum also deserves a mention in despatches for mid-week finding of suitable open homes and a vehicle and fuel for driving to them.
Sunday afternoon not looking at houses was wonderful.
Netball was great fun. Meaningless clobbering of inexperienced minnows is great for reinvigorating jaded netball minds. Plus setting a high score for the dynasty team was memorable.
A total stranger complimented me on my new tattoo. The yellow border gets peoples attention, which isn't bad for an idea I had on the morning I got it. People have been saying nice things about it unprompted, which is encouraging for something I designed myself. Of course, if people don't like it they are hardly likely to say so aren't they? I find it amusing to think that people think I am somehow harder or tougher for having tattoos. At the same time I know I am doing what others have pondered or are too fearful to do, or look down upon as being degenerate.
After achieving the milestone of 100 posts, I have been re-reading some of the work. I quite like some of the stuff I have written, even if it has been somewhat uninspired lately. Thank you readers for reading and encouraging.
"The baron had Snoopy dead in his sights. He reached for the trigger, to pull it up tight. Why he didn't shoot, well, we'll never know, or was it the bells from the village below?"
Bells schmells. His guns probably jammed, otherwise the Red Baron likely would have put a few machine gun rounds through the back of Snoopy's head.
But that wouldn't be a very nice song would it?
For a couple of years know I have turned Christmas into a sort of game of skill, where I can see how long I can avoid hearing 'Snoopy's Christmas'. I got through the whole season once. Alas, this year I encountered it fairly early. I don't pathologically hate the song (hmm, maybe I do), and quite like Snoopy, but I heard it once too often.
On that note, playing loud Christmas music in your shop does not encourage me to buy stuff. It encourages me to leave.
I'm not sure why I don't like Christmas music. That much of it refers to snow and winter cold and thus is irrelevant to southern hemisphere advent may have something to do with it. The cheesiness and inanity are also likely contributors. I love Christmas, just not the soundtrack.
Random notations
I watched the sunset in the red haze from the Australian bushfires from Petone beach. Took some photos.
I have my car back from the mechanics after the radiator top tank was replaced (expensive, but not as expensive as the cooked engine which would result from the complete loss of coolant which was imminent). I like my car. Running back to the garage from my house to pick up Fi's car after delivering my one home was not quite fun, but refreshing, especially as it was running to a deadline.
Orion and Taurus are dominating the eastern sky in the evenings now, with Scorpio banished until next winter. This more than any calendar date tells me that summer is about.
A slight misunderstanding concerning the house has been sorted. I am excited, but am trying to be restrained until settlement. Not quite there yet. Fi deserves almost all of the credit for getting us this far. She has talked to agents, arranged needful things, and generally been superlatively magnificent. I have just offered opinions and held her hand. Fi's mum also deserves a mention in despatches for mid-week finding of suitable open homes and a vehicle and fuel for driving to them.
Sunday afternoon not looking at houses was wonderful.
Netball was great fun. Meaningless clobbering of inexperienced minnows is great for reinvigorating jaded netball minds. Plus setting a high score for the dynasty team was memorable.
A total stranger complimented me on my new tattoo. The yellow border gets peoples attention, which isn't bad for an idea I had on the morning I got it. People have been saying nice things about it unprompted, which is encouraging for something I designed myself. Of course, if people don't like it they are hardly likely to say so aren't they? I find it amusing to think that people think I am somehow harder or tougher for having tattoos. At the same time I know I am doing what others have pondered or are too fearful to do, or look down upon as being degenerate.
After achieving the milestone of 100 posts, I have been re-reading some of the work. I quite like some of the stuff I have written, even if it has been somewhat uninspired lately. Thank you readers for reading and encouraging.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
And its one more beer, and I dont hear you anymore...
Man the mosh pit at Elton John was awesome. There was some slamming, some surfing and one guy even got to stage dive from a speaker stack. I came out exhausted bruised and ecstatic.
Or maybe not :)
The above is one of my favourite forgotten lyrics. I hadn't realised how much I like it, or that I had forgotten it until hearing it live last night. Despite some unkind comments made about Mr Dwight's canon I have previously made, the Wellington concert last night was not an opportunity I could pass up. And it was well worth it.
It doesn't express much now, but I listened to a lot of Elton John when I was growing up. I have a somwhat dualistic relationship with him though: for every song I love (e.g 'Someone saved my life tonight'), there is one I hate ('Philedelphia freedom'). So while looking forward to seing one of the legends of the game live in concert, I was a little concerned that I would spend half the night waiting for the next song.
Fortunately, that notion was dispelled the instant the concert started when they opened up 'Funeral for a friend', and followed with 'Benny and the Jets'. With a new album to push I was expecting a modern tilting playlist, so it was cool to hear classics so early on, and that they dominated the set.
I like the 70's and early 80's stuff and I wasn't disappointed. I felt like they had deliberately chosen my favourites. Okay, so my favourite John songs also happen to be huge hits which helps. And there was no Disney, thanks God.
Also good was seeing an artist clearly still enjoying himself. The voice may not get to the high notes anymore (requiring masking/support at times by the band vocalists), but he really seemed to be having a good time rather than just going through the motions.
Highlights:
Going to a 'rock' concert with my Dad, the Waiata, 'Someone saved my life tonight', 'Rocketman', 'Tiny Dancer', the crowd la la laing to 'Crocodile rock', the person in the green polo shirt dancing exuberantly in the stand, at times rivalling the main stage for entertainment. You are a legend whoever you are.
Way fun in a mellow chilled out MOR kind of way. Wasn't perfect. The seating on the ground was way too confining (my arms were folded because I didn't have room to unfold them), and frankly I thought I would have had a better view from the stands.
Next gig to attend is Shihad. Which I expect to be considerably different. But also fun.
Or maybe not :)
The above is one of my favourite forgotten lyrics. I hadn't realised how much I like it, or that I had forgotten it until hearing it live last night. Despite some unkind comments made about Mr Dwight's canon I have previously made, the Wellington concert last night was not an opportunity I could pass up. And it was well worth it.
It doesn't express much now, but I listened to a lot of Elton John when I was growing up. I have a somwhat dualistic relationship with him though: for every song I love (e.g 'Someone saved my life tonight'), there is one I hate ('Philedelphia freedom'). So while looking forward to seing one of the legends of the game live in concert, I was a little concerned that I would spend half the night waiting for the next song.
Fortunately, that notion was dispelled the instant the concert started when they opened up 'Funeral for a friend', and followed with 'Benny and the Jets'. With a new album to push I was expecting a modern tilting playlist, so it was cool to hear classics so early on, and that they dominated the set.
I like the 70's and early 80's stuff and I wasn't disappointed. I felt like they had deliberately chosen my favourites. Okay, so my favourite John songs also happen to be huge hits which helps. And there was no Disney, thanks God.
Also good was seeing an artist clearly still enjoying himself. The voice may not get to the high notes anymore (requiring masking/support at times by the band vocalists), but he really seemed to be having a good time rather than just going through the motions.
Highlights:
Going to a 'rock' concert with my Dad, the Waiata, 'Someone saved my life tonight', 'Rocketman', 'Tiny Dancer', the crowd la la laing to 'Crocodile rock', the person in the green polo shirt dancing exuberantly in the stand, at times rivalling the main stage for entertainment. You are a legend whoever you are.
Way fun in a mellow chilled out MOR kind of way. Wasn't perfect. The seating on the ground was way too confining (my arms were folded because I didn't have room to unfold them), and frankly I thought I would have had a better view from the stands.
Next gig to attend is Shihad. Which I expect to be considerably different. But also fun.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Ink
Or, how to discover who in my family is reading this blog. I like to surprise them with things like this.
Before
During
After
Thanks to Chas at Tattoo City for the needlework, 2trees for refining the design and organising the whip-around at my 30th that produced the big wad of cash that paid for it. And thanks to you if that is some of your money in my hand.
Fi got another one at the same time, imagery to appear here at some point. My design has a couple of levels of significance and I am well pleased with how it turned out. Also nice to get in and actually get some ink done instead of merely looking at flash-art and musing.
Be warned. Tattoos are highly addictive.
Before
During
After
Thanks to Chas at Tattoo City for the needlework, 2trees for refining the design and organising the whip-around at my 30th that produced the big wad of cash that paid for it. And thanks to you if that is some of your money in my hand.
Fi got another one at the same time, imagery to appear here at some point. My design has a couple of levels of significance and I am well pleased with how it turned out. Also nice to get in and actually get some ink done instead of merely looking at flash-art and musing.
Be warned. Tattoos are highly addictive.
In other news, we tried to buy a house at auction today and missed out by about 20K.
Meh.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Music in my head
I've been working evenings for the last week, alone, so I've been getting songs stuck in my head. Alanis Morrisette's 'Ironic' has been prominent for some reason. In a moment of idle speculation I recalled the line "It's meeting the man of my dreams, then meeting his beautiful wife", and wondered if anyone has thought that about me.
Also on high rotate in my head for no apparent reason this week:
YMCA. YMCA?
Various Frontlawn songs. Andy, Tomorow night, When you come back home.
'In the Valley' by Midnight Oil
'Idiotheque' by Radiohead.
'Until the end of the world', U2
'Haul Away' by Split Enz
'Sabotage' by the Beastie Boys
A couple of random snippets of songs I know well but cannot identify.
My head is a noisy place.
Big day tomorrow. More about that later.
Also on high rotate in my head for no apparent reason this week:
YMCA. YMCA?
Various Frontlawn songs. Andy, Tomorow night, When you come back home.
'In the Valley' by Midnight Oil
'Idiotheque' by Radiohead.
'Until the end of the world', U2
'Haul Away' by Split Enz
'Sabotage' by the Beastie Boys
A couple of random snippets of songs I know well but cannot identify.
My head is a noisy place.
Big day tomorrow. More about that later.
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