Sunday, November 30, 2008

Observations from the Edge #1

Happy smiles shouldn't be about clean, straight, white teeth.

...but they are.....


.. that and bra's - obviously !

[disclaimer]

This post came from the many advertising images hanging in our shops this Christmas.

Everywhere you look, there seem to be beautiful people with nice white teeth, looking extremely happy with their purchases. I wonder if in real life, if the owners of the type of bra above would burst into smile and joy upon putting it on - if so, I should point out that in my local shopping mall there is a huge poster of a girl in a bra looking positively orgasmic - can I suggest that one instead?

These images could be the reason so many of my (girl) friends confide in me that their husbands like to try of their bra's.

Never tried it myself tho....

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Life in New Zealand


Ducks crossing Palmerston road cause accident

4:40PM Wednesday Nov 26, 2008


A mallard duck that led her ducklings into the path of an oncoming car is thought to have been the cause of a two-car smash in Palmerston North.

The ducks crossed Centennial Drive about 9.15am yesterday, causing a car to swerve into an oncoming Honda Odyssey van, the Manawatu Standard reported.

The impact rolled the van and sent it spinning sideways down the road, with the male driver escaping out of the driver's side window.

Both drivers were unhurt. The duck is also believed to have been unscathed.
- NZPA

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Mountains to climb



Can we climb this mountain
I don't know
Higher now than ever before
I know we can make it if we take it slow
Let's take it easy
Easy now, watch it go

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Acceptance be damned

As I walked into our local mall today, I came across a mum walking out, with her young daughter in tow. The little girl was howling mercilessly as her mum walked calmly to their car.

I suspect by the time we leave school, we've almost been conditioned to accept how unfair the world is.

Every time I see a crying child who hasn't got their way I'm reminded that although we're not the center of our universe, we bloody well should be.

Damn right - it's so unfair!


Saturday, November 22, 2008

Running to standing still


You know wall, every now and again, a title in your DVD collection will come back to haunt you.

Last night I was struggling with a choice of DVD - it was Friday night and the thought of something loud, abrasive, or confrontational didn't sit well with me, after a week that I'd rather be rid of.
After staring at my collection for over five minutes I realized in my current state of mind it was entirely possible that my once cherished romantic comedy section would never see the light of day again. That, and I was seriously lacking a genre somewhere in that mass of 500 DVD's. I'll have to get DeadlyJelly to have a look and check.

So, with a complete lack of enthusiasm and the whimsy dial turned right up to eleven, I chose Shirley Valentine.

When I watched this film well over ten years ago, I realized a wake up call in the films message, and even though the finger might have been pointed at another demographic entirely, that message was still relevant. All these years later I'm not sure the message really took hold.
I must be the most stubborn person I know. Where other people seem able to change mid-stream; I don't: I point blank refuse to.

That's not to say my life situation hasn't changed with my six years in Auckland. In many respects I am a different person - but I haven't changed direction at all - I've just for fulled a little more of my potential. Hopefully there's a little more blood left in that stone.

Running to standing still is a concept that bothers me - regardless of how many hours we work, how much hair and sleep we lose - how fast we run, how far do we actually move? I cant help but think that regardless of my achievements, I'm effectively running like a mad idiot in the same spot, and have been for some time.


Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
I dont know how to tell you all just how crazy this life feels
I look around for the friends that I used to turn to to pull me through
Looking into their eyes I see them running too [1]


The weird thing is, I could have sworn there was momentum all around me, and any minute now I'd get swept up in it and dragged away with the masses. Problem is, I'd probably cut off my nose to spite my face if I thought too much about it.

Damn you Shirley Valentine!


[1] Running on Empty - Jackson Browne

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The Killers

Some days you just need to listen to a song that immediately makes you smile, AND learn to play the drums.

Yes - even air drums :)




And when there's nowhere else to run
Is there room for one more son
These changes ain't changing me
The gold-hearted boy I used to be


Sunday, November 16, 2008

Pirate Metaphors Ahoy

A better match than "Orlando" IMHO

I cant really be arsed, would have been a more honest answer to the question asked.

Thankfully age and experience has afforded me many a stoic face, stored away for occasions when friends ask if they can set me up.

How can I say that I'm interested, when I don't know the person concerned? Then, moments later, they admit that they don't even know her either....

"She's a friend of my cousins - she doesn't have any baggage", claimed my friend.
"I think she's thirty six or something - no kids".

On the inside I'm not even running for the hills; I cant be arsed you see.

Though all my years here I've realised a few things about what I want, and more importantly what I don't want. There's nothing in my strike out list that rules out baggage, kids, or age; my list is much, much more specific. Those other things don't matter.

I know what I want.

While I'm not that open to meeting people with a view to a long term relationship, I am into meeting new people. This faux "arranged marriage" only benefits those looking on - perhaps feeling they are doing their bit to save you from a life of solitude.

I have something to tell you; single it's not as bad as it's cracked up to be.

So what do I want ? All I ask is a ship and a star to steer her by. Who's to know where, or how long this journey will take. I know this feels right for me now - hand on the tiller with the occasional sharp coral reef lurking just below the surface.

Did I mention the bloodthirsty sharks?

Friday, November 14, 2008

I broke the back of love for you


Twisted like a pretzel I am.

Stress manifests as an ache in my jaw that seems to last for about 5 days.

The chemist looks at me with suspicion as I ask for codeine laced ibuprofen - well not in so many words, but you get the idea; I need the strong stuff.

As the ache subsides, people become more tolerable, but the drugs only take the edge off.

I'd give anything to worry a bit more while I was awake; clenching teeth in my sleep - I hate being a hypocrite to my subconscious; even if it's only once a year or so.

If not for this - what would life throw at me for a little serenity?

I feel tomorrow will see me in a better place :)

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Understated moments

There aren't enough simple songs, or simple emotions, in my humble opinion.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Power of Advertising

Yeah - you're the man dude!

Where:
In a local department store the other day, watching the kids (and grown up kids) play Guitar Hero on the XBox 360.

Thinking: How cool it would be to play the game and be a guitar hero.

Thinking: About absolutely sucking at the game.

Realization #1: I can actually play a REAL bloody guitar.

Realization #2: I must be watching way too much TV !

Monday, November 10, 2008

July 16 1969

We measure progress by so many rulers, that it's no wonder we so often come up short.

Four days after this launch the first humans set foot upon another planet.

Today, right now, we couldn't do it if we tried. This "archaic" technology got us there - but the knowledge has been lost.


Watch the launch in slow motion....





7.823 Million pounds of thrust and a lift capacity of 118,000 kg to 1374 kilometers; and I was alive to see it, in a world called 1969.

And to think they thought we'd be on Mars by the late 1980's.

Saturday, November 08, 2008

Vanquishing Demons



I will probably never be able to fully explain why I need to make some old things new again.

Perhaps it's because true beauty never grows old; at least when things (and perhaps even people) are seen, not as they are, but what they can be.



Everything I learned was wrong.

If I was to cast my mind back less than three years ago, placing myself at a table with IG and Matt, the conversation would always invariably turn to cars. (Yeah, I know, thats where most guy conversations go to eventually - but in the case of IG and Matt the subject was almost afforded pornography status.)

Normally I can hold my own in most conversations, including car conversations; but compared to these two, my car knowledge is infantile.

"You know I really love the [insert car here]" said Matt.

"Yeah, thats a great car, and a really good buy right now. You really need the [insert specific model here] with the [insert lengthy specification] engine produced from [insert obscure data here]", IG would retort.

"Yes", Matt would say, in an almost James Bond way, raising his eyebrow and bourbon in appreciation.

I swear, it was like watching that TV program Mastermind, with a specialist subject in Car-ography - a wonder to behold, at least in a train spotter kind of way.

I was warned...

Thought their verbal jousting I came to learn that every car I ever liked (or brought) was really a pile of shit. Even my current car; a SW20 3SGTE Toyota MR2 with a 2 liter turbocharged engine was a poor choice; especially when IG went to great pains to inform me that CAR magazine led their front cover review of my Toyota with the subtext "How Toyota ruined the MR2".

Classic Beauty of the Karmann Ghia

Matt always wanted a Karmann Ghia, and Ian's latest car is a cool old Mercedes. I once wanted a 2.8 Injected Capri. So went those summer days all those years ago; they laughed at my uninformed lack lustre choices, and all was right with the world.

At least until this week.

I admit I've been worried about Matt since he started talking about family cars. I understand owning a family car is important - I understand you have to be practical about these sort of things - you really cant judge a person because of his "situation" [read: kids].

The chatter didn't stop though... it's as if the cars he once dreamed no longer have no meaning.
Just the other week Matt told me he was looking for an 1600 cc car for the family; his car would probably be a 1000 cc variety. There was no warning - I was waiting for a punch line that was never delivered.

He was SERIOUS.

I have to tell you I was concerned. I immediately rang IG and he confirmed my fears; I didn't know what to say - I still don't. It was then that IG admitted to me that he was looking to buy a Holden Commodore.
There's an interesting livery behind today's Commodore

It is finally the beginning of the end. There's no point of getting up tomorrow.

Case in point? I wouldn't buy a Commodore - because even I know how uncool that would be.

Artist impression of IG's new outfit.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Sap alert - # 4 - You have been warned

There is no reason for this, except to say I hate special limited versions of albums that contain extra tracks that cant be downloaded off iTunes - and can't now be brought.

It turned out I actually have Pete Yorn's "Music for the Morning After" - but as you've probably guessed, not this particular song which is (sometimes) Track 15.


Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Time out for clarity


Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

W.B. Yeats (1865–1939)

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Saturday, November 01, 2008

Ca

Don't worry. There are no rules. Sure there will always be someone better, but rest assured also someone much, much worse.
The important first thing, is to make a difference for yourself.

I've blogged before about people who give up because they think they don't have enough talent. My soul lifts a little when I see someone sing horrifically at karaoke; not because he or she sang poorly, but because regardless, they got up and sang - their joy in the song is the important thing to behold.

Sure - it's hard to find your stride, but like a baby's first steps turn into a wobbly run, so too should we expect a rocky road to our success. And how, after all this, do we measure our progress? Simple: from where we started.

California - You have a great insight, and even better taste in the blogs you visit. :)
I hope you start writing online soon, and send me a link.