Big Sky

Unpleasant the gales of spring may be, but they do make for some nice sunsets.
Like tonights (click to biggify):

Different layers of cloud at different altitudes, catching the last of the days sun. I like the sky, and its ever changing appearance. I shoot a lot of skies in my photography. They all look the same, but they are all also unique in some way. Its late and I am tired, otherwise I would cobble together a collage. I like the sky because it lets you see weather, not in a literal way, but in a way that tells you exactly what is going on, or going to happen if you know how to read it. I keep coming back to sunsets though, either in a clear sky, or an illuminated one. While maybe not inspirational, they can be very relaxing. You don't need a skill or understanding to enjoy it, you only need to sit back and watch, as the colours change from white to yellow to orange to pink to purple to grey to black. I like looking east at sunset and seeing that deep purple colour that tells me it is already night where I am looking, and at the same time being able to look high in the sky to somewhere where it is still daylight.

I have a lot of time for sunrises too, but they are not as convenient.

Unbuilding

Listening to: Everything is Possible-the very best of Living Colour

As part of the biggest engineering project in the Hutt for years (link), this utilitarian office building alongside State Highway 2 has been demolished. In its final years of use it served as part of the Lower Hutt Polytechnic. Prior to that I am told it was an admin block for the car factory located in what is now Valley Indoor Sports. Having such a close association to the block, and seeing it during my trips into Wellington, which became daily after Charlotte was born, I had the opportunity to document its demise.

21 August 2008
27 September 2008
As one structure falls, another begins to rise.....

7 October 2008
11 October 2008
17 October 2008
finis
Partly inspired by this great and fondly remembered book (link), which imagines what it would take to dismantle the Empire State Building.

Sprung

Charlotte was released on Monday afternoon, and has been settling in at home ever since.

In between eating and sleeping, she is learning the fine art of chillaxing (playstation controller shown for scale).
And the metal salute by the looks. Chur!

Unplugged

Listening to: Nobody Town - Heavy Jones Trio. A nice local Indie styles album that came out a few years ago.

It has been a good weekend. There has been fine and still weather, which makes the gales worth putting up with, and long evenings promising summer to come. For those of you reading who have only visited this place in the autumn and winter, I wish you could see it now.
In other news, Charlotte has now become a wireless application, finally shedding her monitors and longline IV tube on Saturday. Discarded parephenalia below:
Since going free range she has had more cuddles, a walk around the ward, her first bath, and is that much closer to coming home.

Serious but stable

Was Charlotte's official position description last week. She has improved a lot since then, although she is still quite dopey.

Especially after a feed yesterday:
However she is improving every day.

Which is good. This hospital thing is getting old. I have no idea how some parents can cope with this for months on end. I'm pragmatic about the whole thing; For me her outcome has never been in much doubt, we have known little different from her being where she is (aside from the 20 or so hours on day one, she has spent her whole life so far in the ICU), she is improving every day, and I know she will be coming home soon.

Still I am finding this very wearying, mentally and emotionally if not physically. I spent too much time in hospitals as a young child to relax in them.

It will be nice to have a cuddle without rearranging a bunch of wires first, and not have to go find a chair and bring it back, not to hear the incessant beeping of alarms and monitors (if not from your child, then from one of the other inmates), and nice not to see other babies come and go while yours is still there.

Still having seen some of the other patients I am grateful for what we have been spared.

***

I have other things to blog about, but for now will indulge in my penchant for crazy flying videos from youtube. Usual comment ignorance applies, and I wouldn't link them if they were fake. You can trust me to know how to tell the difference....

Firstly, courtesy of those wacky French:


And from somewhere high over England (caution, contains rude words):

Out of the box

In todays exciting installment, after nearly a week, we were finally able to get Charlotte out of the incubator, sans chest drain and cannula (removed yesterday), and ventilation tubes (removed today).

Looked forward to this all day.
Gee I look old all of a sudden.
She had a feed, and hung onto it, which is encouraging, and she has a voice again, more or less. One milestone down. She will still be inside for at least another week, but she is doing all the right things so far.

***

In other news, from the non-contact sport that is Indoor Netball. Tonight I caught my little finger in the net and had a good go at pulling the nail off (probably God saying it is time to trim the nails). That explains the blood under the nail. Where the blood on the ring finger came from I have no idea. After carefully checking, and finding no injury nearby, I can only conclude that it is someone else's.

I think there's something in that for all of us

up and at em

Charlotte came off the immobilisers today, and is one step closer to coming home. She is now quite animated, as opposed to floppy. A bit dopey though due to the morphine. We've only had one day when she wasn't on some kind of sedation, it is a state I am looking forward to.

Thanks again to all for your support.

***

Nice to see Wolf coming back to fortune next week. It has been a little flat without him, and the series must be wrapping up soon.

Small Mercies

Listening to: Ladyhawke-Ladyhawke. And the southerly rain pounding the house. Glad I got the washing in.

The album version of Ladyhawke's 'Back of the Van' is the same mix as the radio single that has been out for a while thank god. Thank heaven for small mercies. I hate it when great singles get remixed or rerecorded for an album release, and changed from the version that you fell in love with to something that isn't quite the same, and not better.

Slim (link) is a great example of this. They released two cracking singles, 'Rise up' and 'Bullet in my hand' back in 1999, but when those two songs were redone for the debut album in 2000 the production sucked the life out of them and they were shadows of what they had been. The album was kinda disappointing compared to the singles.

I'm in a mood for small mercies at the moment.

Charlotte hasn't changed her posture, but no news is good news as far as she is concerned at the moment. Her condition is stable and her indications are good. Fi has written from her hospital bed a good story so far, which I posted on her behalf here. The hardest thing at the moment is not being able to pick her up and hold her. I can hold her hand (which by the way has less mass than any one of my fingers or thumbs) but that is about it.

We will be able to do more in a few days, but now it is waiting, waiting, waiting.

Rumour Control

Just repeating a facebook note.....

Thanks heaps to everyone for passing on your thoughts and good wishes. We appreciate each and every one.

Just to stop the 'I heard this' and 'I heard that' loop from getting established (and increasingly inaccurate), I wanted to get an official version out of todays goings on in our little girls life.

After a good start it was noticed late last night that she was having trouble feeding, and this was quickly diagnosed as eosophagal atresia, a congenital malformation of the eosophagus. Basically she had a throat end and a stomach end, but they didn't meet in the middle. Naturally this would ultimately be fatal if not corrected, so she was transferred last night from Hutt to the Neo-natal unit at Wellington.

Today she had corrective surgery, which went very well, and the outlook and prognosis is very good, so nobody panic please. After seeing some of the other kids in her ward I am extremely grateful.

Its been a very long and stressful day, and we are all a little strung out, but we will get to bring her home eventually after she recovers, which is a better outcome than the alternative.

Other than that she is perfect, if a little impatient!

Tonight both mum and baby are doing a lot better than this time yesterday.

Introducing Charlotte Alexandra:

Touchdown

This might be the only time I get today to record this, so before I go to bed......

The Eaglet has landed, baby arrived at about 0045 this morning, after a three hour labour. She doesn't quite have a name yet as she is a couple of weeks early, but mum and daughter are both doing well at 3+ hours, if somewhat knackered.

Vitals: Girl, brunette, 2.7kg (about 5.9 pounds).

Kind of appropriate that she arrived in the middle of a storm, given her dads love of interesting weather.

Stoked.

Ease down

Or you'll blow the transaxle....

I tried to participate in the carfree day today (link), but was stymied by a flat tyre on my
bi-siccle, which I only discovered as I was wheeling it out to ride to work.

Had a very enjoyable night watching Sport and drinking beer with an old friend on Saturday. One of those nice occasions that remind you what friendship is all about.

Netball slowdown is occurring. Not playing at all tomorrow night. In addition to the material and time costs, I was also becoming concerned about incurring an injury through overstress. No symptoms as such, but merely hints and niggles suggesting woe ahead. These problems have a way of solving themselves. Plus now there is room and budget for a revival of the dynasty team.

I'm not as young as I used to be, and realise now that after so long in the game I now easily fall into the 'veteran' category.

My first game was early 1996, I played centre, got puffed out very quickly, put up two shots and missed. I don't remember when I started specialising as a shooter, although I played an entire season in D later that year.

As a veteran, I suppose now I can indulge in some frank self examination of my game:

Strengths
Shooting. Obviously. I have tried to do definitive counts to assess an accuracy percentage, but can never remember in the heat of the game. I think I would be somewhere in the 80% range within three feet of the hoop on a good day. Average from outside falls to 50% or so I would guess. After missing a game winner about five years ago I have since tried to focus on clutch shooting reasonably successfully.
Driving for space. The biggest lesson I learned from Superleague, always drive to the ball. I use this a lot outside the circle.
Speed. Coupled with driving, I can accelerate from a standing start fairly quickly. Apparently. This is something I used to be aware of, but thought I was slowing down as I got older. However if recent comments from new team mates are anything to go by, I am still as fast as ever in the half court, and able to cover a lot of ground quickly. Several players have commented on my speed and movement around the half court.
Catching. I think I have a safe pair of hands. I don't drop the ball too often, or replay it.
Footwork. I seldom get called for stepping.
Passing. When I play properly I can deliver reliable and catchable passes, expanding recently to include peripheral vision no look passes. I have consciously tried to improve my passing in recent times.
Net play. If it is catchable off the net I can catch it. Usually.
Clock watching. I usually know when time is about to be up.
Fearlessness. I take the hit if required, and will happily milk other players for contacts. I don't mind getting hit if they get called for it.

Weaknesses
Composure. I get frustrated with other players or umpires too easily. Never a good thing.
Full court speed. Beyond the half court I run out of pace and stamina.
Jumping. I don't jump high or often enough, meaning I lose ball I really should be taking. I remember jumping more when I was younger.
Rebounding. Just not very good at it. Never seem to be quite in the right position.
Defensive play. I don't read passes well enough for intercepts, and my lean isn't long enough. I don't defend the mid court very well, and have to rely on blocking in the circle. I wouldn't mind some proper defensive coaching.
Passing. I throw wild unreachable passes too often, or soft easy ones that get picked off, or silly no looks.
Slowness. I seldom take and pass the ball at a run in the mid court, meaning play often slows as a result. I can take too long to pass the ball, and put people out of position.
Waiting. I get reluctant to abandon a good position in the circle, and wait for the pass rather than going to it. I need to come out more often. Also tend to be caught standing still at times.

Still plenty to work on then.

Responsible

Listening to: U2-Zooropa. They may have peaked artistically with Achtung Baby, but they were certainly near the plateau with this release. Under rated.

I have been too busy for almost everything this week. Playing for four indoor netball teams will do that to you.

That said, I have found the edge of this particular envelope after three weeks of trying it, and am withdrawing. I am cutting back to to only playing for two teams full time, and occasionally filling in for the others.

Costing too much money and time, and Fi will be able to play again soon, by which time our disposable income will be reduced somewhat.

You'd think with three weeks until touchdown I'd be blogging more about that. You'd think that, but meh. I am over waiting, probably not as much as Fi, but now I just want to get on with it. I'd like to think I am under no illusions about the weeks, months, and years to come, but really who am I kidding? Neither of us has done anything quite like this before. I'm looking forward to the good bits, and intimidated by the bad ones.

Hopefully more of the former than the latter.

And as for names... not even close to a decision yet. Healthy will be an acceptable starter.

In other news I briefly checked out Southern Cross Music quiz on the way to netball tonight, and it seems promising, if not necessarily ripe for the plunder. Worthy of further investigation certainly.

Recent imagery

Listening to: Pearl Jam-Live at the Benaroya disc 2. Quite liking the new Kings of Leon Single, but wondering what the fuss is all about with the new Metallica one. The video does it no favours either.

* This last included because I get really frustrated with people speeding up and down my hill, and am happy to see the fuzz staking out and taking names. They got four in 10 minutes while I was watching this morning.

Millionaire

Saw about 15 minutes of the debut of Millionaire tonight.

Knew all the answers.

Recognised a contestant from my audition.

In the continuing absence of any kind of contact from the production company, it seems I didn't make the cut.

Buggar.

Always next time I 'spose.

First time

Listening to: Pearl Jam-Live in Verona. A few years ago Pearl Jam decided to get one up on the bootleggers and released heaps of concerts as no frills CDs. As well as meaning in all likelyhood you could pick up a recording of a concert you were at, you can also flick through them until you find a setlist you want. I bought this one because it features a cover of Split Enz' 'I Got You'. Not a great cover as Eddie can't remember all the words, but cool by the sheer fact of its existence.

Couple of firsts today:

First proper mountain biking since I bought my bike, and first foray into Makara Mountain Bike Park.

I managed to summit Makara Peak and not die in the process, which I'm quite pleased with for a first attempt.

I found the 'easy' graded entry track a lot harder than I anticipated, but I attribute this to the cold I had last week, and the fact that I am a newbie at this kind of riding. Once in the park proper I nearly took a short route back to the carpark as I had some doubts about, well everything (where I was, what I was doing, was I exceeding my ability etc).

But an easy looking road wended off into the distance......

It didn't stay easy, and I confess to stopping a few times, but eventually I reached the top, 412 metres above sea level:

I felt like grabbing my bike and triumphantly raising it above my head, victory styles, but settled for crashing on the grass for a few minutes instead.

Cellphone reception was unusually good for a hilly area. Can't imagine why.

The views were choice, made choicer by the effort expended to obtain them. Those are the Inland Kaikoura's, in the South Island by the way.

Looking north east across Karori to the harbour and Hutt Valley.

Was going down a lot easier? Yes it was, even though I made it more exciting by taking a wrong turning and ending up on a more technical track I didn't quite have the skills for.

'Twas fun.

Spooky

So tonight in TV3's neverending parade of Simpsons re-runs, they played the one where they go to New York to get Homer's car ('The city of New York vs Homer Simspon', Ep1 season 9 1997 I have discovered).

Now I have seen the second half of this episode several times, but never the beginning, so it was interesting to see how the car got to the World Trade centre in the first place.

The spooky thing is the magazine featuring the $9 bus fare that inspires the family to go NY to get the car back. The magazine has a huge 9 on its cover, superimposed over the New York skyline. Just to the right of the 9 are the silhouettes of the twin towers, doing a pretty reasonable impression of the number 11.

At first glance the cover reads 9/11.....

Have the truthers picked up on this yet?

There was a conspiracy! And The Simpsons were in on it! Which means Fox was in on it!

Whatever. I posted my views on the supposed conspiracy a while back, and haven't seen anything in the interim to change my opinion.

It just makes what is now a somewhat poignant episode a little more memorable.

***

In other news I was deliberately and calculatedly rude and insulting to someone on Tuesday night, but since she was the able bodied driver of a car with two able bodied passengers who parked in a disabled park at netball, and a silly spoiled looking teenager at that, and I had the chance since I happened to play against her, I felt it was deserved.

300 up, and project 32

Listening to: Apropos of Nothing-Various Artists, and Its great when you're straight, yeah!-Black Grape.

[Author's note: revisited in 2020 and added a few footnotes]

300 up

This is Off-Black post number 300. Cool.

Project 32

Inspired by a conversation with Richard and Andrew at Janet's last week.

To mark the 300th post of this erstwhile blog, and coincident with my 32nd birthday, I decided to survey my CD collection, pulling out every 32nd title, see what I got and discuss. While this could be potentially embarrassing in a blog context, I was intrigued by what I would find.

Firstly, a few notes about how my CD collection is organised.
It is ordered. It would be almost unmanageable otherwise. The order is thus:
Shihad (chronological), New Zealand artists (alphabetised, individual artists chronological), rest of the world artists (alphabetised, artist chronological), soundtracks (alphabetised), miscellaneous compilations in no particular order.

Homemade compilations were excluded from the survey, as were any of Fi's discs. I didn't include any of the miscellaneous comps either.

Heres what was pulled out:
Right then. Onto the 'Discuss' part then. Rather than start at #32, I started at #1 for a sense of completeness.

Shihad-Beautiful Machine (2008)
At number one due to the way I arrange my CD collection is Shihads latest release. I like it a lot, even if it took me a few listens to get into. The mark of a good band I feel is that no two releases sound the same, and Shihad have certainly achieved that. With each album they have evolved their sound, and that can only be good. Once artists start releasing the same album again and again they get stale. It's not my favourite Shihad album (a title that swings back and forth between Love is the new hate and The General Electric), but it still a good piece of work. Favourite tracks? Hard to please and Bible and the Gun. It is already forming memory associations, notably being the CD I had on when I arrived for the Millionaire audition three weeks ago.
[2020 note: I passed the quiz part, but the video audition was introvert hell, and I didn't make the show.]

Age Pryor-Shank's Pony (2007)
Bought on the back of two standout tracks I don't want, and Summer, if I'm honest I'd have to say this isn't one of my favourite albums. The above two tracks are brilliant, but the rest feels a little bit too hip, too busy, too earnest, too ambitious. The title track drives me mental. Not to say this is a terrible album; it isn't, just not quite my bag. Good for long drives though.
[2020 note: I should probably listen to this again]

Dimmer-I believe you are a star (2001)
Project of ex-Straightjacket Fits frontman Shayne Carter, Dimmer may have existed before this release, but this is the one that got peoples [my] attention. I first noticed it when it was being used as background music between sets at Shihad gigs. I'm not so into the singles that came off it, having heard them a few too many times, but the moodier album tracks like Pendulum, with its soft vocal and eerie guitar, are mint. Another excellent road trip CD.

HLAH-Blood on the Honky Tonk floor, Head like a hole 1991-2000 (2000)
What can I say about the almighty HLAH? I saw them live a few times back in the day, and they were easily one of the most entertaining stage acts I have ever seen. Sometimes described as 'Sludge Rock' their stylings varied from post metal to sampling and grease covers, to amped up country, always with an evident sense of humour. So many good songs. Favourites? 1 pound 2 pound, fish across face, cornbag, a crying shame, I'm on fire. Tragically this is the only HLAH release I own. I miss them heaps.

Shadows on a Flat Land-Various (1998)
From Canterbury in 1998 came this release. If I had to categorise it I'd say it was trip hop, but
I'm not sure where it falls other than 'good'. A guy named Jody Lloyd was behind this, who later went on to achieve success with Dark Tower (Baggy trousers anyone?). This is a much more introspective and moodier piece than the Dark Tower stuff, and was an important part of my soundtrack for the winter of 1998. Nothing is easily the standout single and one of the best expressions of break up angst I have heard

Its great when you're straight yeah!-Black Grape (1995)
I have Channel Z (RIP) to thank for this one. Out of the ashes of Madchester and the Happy Mondays came Black Grape. Channel Z used to play this song called get higher, notable for featuring a remixed Ronald and Nancy Reagan promoting drug use, and their own drugged up experiences. That song isn't actually from this album, it is from the following stupid stupid stupid. But, figuring out the artist, and picking up on the other tracks that the station played, led me to this release. I'm not sure how to describe the sound. Lots of samples, drums, guitars, horns occasionally. Favourite track? Kellys Heroes, with its titular movie sampling, and 'Jesus was Batman' refrain. I've never really gotten into this album in a being able to sing along with it way, but its good to bring out for an occasional listen, and doesn't appear to be aging much yet. Also notable for a certain someone being a complete dick about me not knowing the difference between Happy Mondays and Black Grape, at a time when both were completely new to me.
[2020 note: In the summer of 2018-19 I made a lego version of Da Vinci's The Last Supper. With lego Batman as Jesus]

Chisel-Cold Chisel (1991)
The first of Cold Chisels greatest hits collections, this happens to be the first full length CD I ever acquired. For essentially a lowest common denominator pub band, its incredible what these guys achieved. None of the members, including Jimmy Barnes, have produced anything like as good as the stuff on this disc since the band went south. The third verse of Forever now always reminds me of my first girlfriend, and Saturday night is eternally a reminder of good nights and good times. I don't have a lot of time for Khe Sanh though. Heard it too many times, and the pedant in me points out that no Australian units actually took part in the battle of the title.
Cold Chisel is I think a little tarred by its bogan rock image. The music is better than that, and deserves a bit more recognition. And there are few better f**k you's to the corporate rock industry than You got nothing I want.

More than This-The best of Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music (1995)
Does anyone know where Roxy Music ends and Bryan Ferry begins? Easily dismissed as being MOR staples, that obscures the fact that there is some good music here. There is some pretentious art rock as well, but the good stuff outweighs that. This album has a few examples of songs where I love the verse but hate the chorus as well, so it is one that inevitably incurs a lot of skipping when I listen to it. I have been revisiting this one lately since same old scene was used in ashes to ashes, and reminding myself what I like about it. The big lush sound, and generally echoy and atmospheric production I think. I'm not so much into the earlier stuff, more the 80's material. Favourites? Dance away, Slave to love, Same old scene, More than this. Dance away always reminds me of a trip to Auckland in 1991, hearing it on the eternally bland northern motorway into the city.

Collected Works-Hunters And Collectors (1990)
An early Hunters and Collectors Best of (I'm not sure if they have any others). Has Throw your arms around me and Do you see what I see? on it. Part of a peculiarly Australian genre of 80's alternative guitar rock (not sure if that is literally true, but other similar sounding bands like The Church are Australian), H+C has always been close to me, even if I didn't always realise it. I wish I'd been a bit younger, so I could have been into them in their prime. I like H+C, its does what it says on the tin music. You don't have to spends days figuring out the lyrics, or particular references or samples.

Everything is possible-The best of Living Colour (2003)
Notable for proving that you could play hard rock and not be white, Living Colour never quite lived up to the heights of their 1988 debut Vivid. This band has particular memories for me of the summer of 1988-89, and the transition from one school to another as intermediate became college. I would go hiking in the eastern hills on sunny days, with a radio in my bag. Living Colour was one if the bands I used to hear. That reminds me of the time when 91ZM was more than just a pop station. Favourites? Cult of personality, Nothingness.

Nirvana (best of) (2002)
The only Nirvana I own. Back at the time, I recall a certain divisiveness between Nirvana and Pearl Jam fans. As one of the latter, I couldn't really be one of the former. I'm smarter than that now, but when Nirvana were actually recording I didn't get them at all, didn't have much respect for them or Cobain. I still don't have a lot of respect for Cobain, and get kind of annoyed that the has joined the same league as Jim Morrison and Che Guevara, a T-shirt seller for teenagers who don't know much about the images they are wearing and think they are rebelling against something.
My Nirvana revelation came at Mountain Rock in 1996. Lithium was played on the PA between sets, and suddenly I realised that I liked it, and couldn't realise why I hadn't noticed it before. I'm still not that into Nirvana save for appreciating it for what it is, but some tracks I like, like lithium, in bloom, you know you're right, and come as you are (immortalised for me by a group of drunken students singing it on the Picton Ferry in 1992 "Come as you are, as you were, come anyway!").
[2020 note: I was a bit of a dick about Cobain for a long time, for sometimes stupid reasons. I'm more sympathetic to his struggles nowadays]

Lost Dogs-Pearl Jam (2003)
Appropriately next to Nirvana in this list, Lost Dogs is a collection of B-sides and rarities that never made it onto albums. Interesting in that some of the b-sides are not the same recordings that were actually released. A lot of my favourite Pearl Jam songs are on here, Down, Alone, Footsteps, Wash, Yellow ledbetter. Oddly, crowd favorite Crazy Mary is not. Like Shihad, Pearl Jam have never released the same album twice, and I am still a fan after all this time for that reason.

In the mode-Roni size reprazent (2000)
My first foray into Drum and Bass. Also another channel Z revelation. I couldn't play this album at work when I got it, as the sound reverberating around the room would give me headaches, which is probably a sign of class. Who told you was the single more heard, but Dirty Beats, with its unstoppable video, sold me on the album.

Stop Making Sense-Talking Heads (1983)
Another band I am slightly too young for, and have been forced to rediscover though the back catalogue. It is something of glaring omission that Girlfriend is better didn't make it on to their 1992 best of. This is a live album, more of a soundtrack to a concert movie really [because that's what it is, duh.], but gives a real sense of being there (or at least imagining what it was like to be at a Talking Heads concert in LA in 1983). I remember listening to my sisters copy of this sometime in the early nineties and not quite getting it. Favourites? Girlfriend is better, This must be the place, Once in a lifetime. Psycho Killer is also on here, memorably opening the album, but I won't hold that against it. Don't like Psycho Killer much.

U2-18 (2006)
Another hits collection, this time of 18 U2 singles. While the latter stuff can be patchy, the earlier material is still gold. Unfortunately, these are single mixes, with all that implies. Seriously, does anyone care if a song is 20 or 30 seconds longer? The album mix of New Years Day is only that much longer, and much better for it. Tracks like I will follow, pride, where the streets have no name and desire are the reasons I bought this one, despite having most of them on their source albums anyway. U2 have a lot of knockers, maybe deservedly, but again at least they are trying new material and not repeating themselves. Achtung Baby is one of the bravest albums ever released in terms of 'is this going to destroy our fanbase?'. Granted that was 17 years ago, and they haven't quite scaled the heights since, but while there is new material, there is always the chance of greatness.

Hype-Motion Picture soundtrack (1996)
A documentary into the rise and fall of grunge as it applied to Seattle, Hype is required viewing for anyone interested in the genre, or in the machinations of modern rock music in general. The sountrack was illuminating for me, in showing that there was much more to the scene than what made it into the to 40. It does have Nirvana and Pearl Jam and Soundgarden on it, but also bunch of other artists that illuminate the scene as it was. Favourite track for me is Throwaway by the Posies, with I say f**k by the Supersuckers fun as well. Also worth noting that since only two of the songs are over 4 minutes long, there are 22 on this CD, making it excellent value.

Interesting selection in the end. Is it representative though?

Happy Birthday to me

Listening to: More than this-The best of Roxy music. Revisited after hearing 'Same old Scene' in the first episode of 'Ashes to Ashes' last week, and on Active the other day, and realising it is in fact quite good.

Birthday number 32, post number 299, watched the end of the 7th Olympics I can remember last night, stayed up too late, somewhat tired, 1000 odd days until the next ones start.

Without being too portentous, 32 feels like the last birthday of one phase, and 33 will be well into a new one (as well as being the title of a very good Smashing Pumpkins song).

Normal service will be resuming now that the games have finished. Unashamedly sentimentally, I love the Olympics. I love the human drama of people pushing themselves as hard as they can to achieve, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing. I love the reactions of the winners, especially if they are overjoyed or weren't expected to. I like seeing people realise their dreams. I love being exposed to sports I would never normally make time for, and I love that unlike other world events, so many different disciplines are covered, even if they are occasionally wierd (I mean honestly, synchronised swimming?). I like being witness to great things, even if only by the proxy of television.

I tried very hard not to be cynical, and keep sport and politics separate this time (although I kept wondering if any comparisons could be made to the 1980 games), and I largely succeeded. I like the Olympics because it is generally so apolitical. There are the athletes, and there is the competition, and that is usually it. While there are negative things about the games (and not insignificant ones), at their best the Olympics are arguably one of the pinnacles of human achievement.

Right then, back to normal.

300th post up next. Hmmm, I wonder what I will do with it?

Impressive

Listening to: Nothing right now but I have had 'This charming Man" by The Smiths in my head all day.

The 10,000 metre Marathon swim may not be pretty but it certainly has an epicness to it.

More medallic goodness for us today, including one for a Hutt Boy. Reprazent!

Awesomeness

Listening to: an assortment of stuff off the hard drive. Lately though I have had "The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" stuck on high rotate in my head. Meh, there are worse songs.

Awesome I

All the cool lightning last week. E.g. from Thursday night:

Normally you would be able to see the lights of Wellington in that photo. Its out there somewhere.......

Awesome II
Super Saturday for the NZ sports people. For the overseas readers slideshow linky here, story linky here, and here

Going from no Olympic medals to five in a few hours, and I saw every one live as it happened. The twins performance was legendary, only outdone by Mahe Drysdale being an absolute and utter legend, destroying himself for a bronze, when he probably should have been in a hospital bed. Valerie Vili destroying her opposition in the shot put. And the AB's smoked the South Africans too. Also cool was Bolt's 100 metre win. Starts slowing down after 80 m, and still breaks the world record. How cool is that? And Phelps becoming the greatest was kinda fun to watch. Loving the Olympics.

Awesome III
More awesomer than all of the above, Senor Twotrees got hitched to the lovely Ms West End on Saturday. Wish I could have been there to celebrate like D3vo and Morgue.

Chur chur and a toast for absent friends to you both.