In the company of men

There is no understating the company of men. We men are complex islands in a rough sea of misinformation. Misunderstood, and relegated to mere simpletons by those who don't understand the complicated undertow of emotions; it's not easy being us, yet we endure.

Yes, we make mistakes; some bigger than others to be sure. Yet in the company of men we rise to the top; we become all we truly need to be; ourselves.

We drink, we smoke. We spill beer on the carpet and play our inappropriate music too loud: but in the "man cave" it doesn't matter. This is the domain of men - and here we can do no wrong.

Clay chips fly with time and conversation over the sea of green. Odds weave and bob with the tall stories between the swells of laughter. Among the sounds of bluffs and bids, we stake our claims and make our plays; if only across a jade felt table.

And for this short time we truly are Ibiza...

I'm still getting the "dear" thing.

"Is that all Dear?"

Today, of all days I get it not once, but three times.

I wonder if I'm giving off some kind of asexual aroma; some kind of anti musk that not only inspires checkout operators but now (apparently) girls in their mid twenties, and pregnant waitresses. Its this all I have to look forward to now?

I suppose it's a loose term of endearment; a safe way of being friendly to someone you don't know... It wouldn't bother me if it wasn't for the fact, well ...
.....that it bothers me.

It's like that episode of "Friends" when Ross has to learn to talk dirty because all he's getting is snuggles from his girlfriend. Especially the part when he fails yet again; only to mention to the other guys he's happy that he got to snuggle...

That is until Joey asks (sarcastically) "How many times"?


Anyhoo............

Dateline Thursday; as the world turns, I find myself typing this mini-rant from a hotel room in Christchurch....
Today it appears that I find myself in the eye of a storm. The quiet is deafening; as I walked through my day it seemed less rushed; steps less forced, words few and far between.

I appreciate these days of calm - they are rare, and if I am to make some changes, days like these can only help in the cognitive processes.

I'm starting with some aftershave - or at least a shave.

I dare you to call me dear one more time - I double dare you !

Where's Wall-E?

Predicted Future



The here and now


image source here

This has motivated me to start running once again.......

Utterly Falling Down

Now I would be the first to admit that Oasis are a gormless load of twats, but this particular song resonates with me somewhat.

Could it be the image of someone utterly living a lie?
Could it be the image of someone utterly miserable living a lie?
Could it be the fact that the girl concerned is utterly stunning?
Could it be that I'm getting old; and therefore prone to forget what sorry excuses for human beings Noel and Liam are?

Or could it be all of the above?

So, against my better judgment Oasis - Falling Down; and remember - one swallow does not make a spring.

Not quite an intervention

IG always jokes about me packing up everything I've borrowed over the years, sending it back to him, keeping things nice and tidy, before I prematurely shuffle off this mortal coil. At last reckoning all I have of Ian's is a Staind and Season 2 Office DVD. I'd imagine he'd fair shit himself if I ever got around to returning them - all because he'd have no barometer with which to measure my mental pressure.

So when my cellphone rang with his number I expected much of what transpired.

[paraphrasing - but not by much]

"So, you'll pack up and send all those things of mine before you top yourself, wont you ?", he asked.

Note: Guys are sensitive creatures, and apt to tiptoe around the subtleties.

I explained that all was well, and that he wouldn't be receiving any unexpected packages in the mail. I continued to reassure him that although things were indeed strained at the moment, they were being dealt with and that hopefully some resemblance of normal would resume - probably after April 2009.

Undeterred he continued to press on the availabilities of other objects d'art that might come to light due a potential immediate demise on my part.

"So, remind me again, do I get your Capri, or does Matt?"
"What about the DVD Collection?" he pressed...

It'd times like this I'm once again reminded how dear my friends are to me, and what lengths they will go to to hold on to something I once owned.

Well that's how I'll be choosing to see it anyway.....

At times the negotiations would move outside, and much progress would be made in a more conducive atmosphere. This security cam picture shows a post coital beer and cigarette after the critical Capri landmark decision of 2008 was finally agreed to. *

* The car is to be crushed then set on fire - not set on fire then crushed as initially proposed.

Stuff I wish they'd told me

But they didn't


Laura Roslin: My only concern about you, is that you're so hell bent on doing the right thing, that you sometimes don't do the smart thing.
Lee Adama: Well - I'll try and be smarter, and wronger...

So, here's to being smarter and wronger ! :)

Nuff said

A powerful song for a powerful emotion.

There are few things in life to get worked up about; but this is one.





This one goes out to the one I love.

Back to the bard

I may have posted this before.
I am nothing, if not consistent

Simple emotions call for simple tunes.



And as always I love the bridge

I'm unclean, a libertine
And every time you vent your spleen,
I seem to lose the power of speech,
Your slipping slowly from my reach.


Happy weekend folks

Cynical Moi

It's easily to be cynical; because even if you get it wrong, the next moment you can always say "Wait until next time".
I used to be all about the Hallmark moments when I was younger. Now for me it wouldn't be so much about making a scene, but about making every moment count.

Saturday the 14th is when you'll see jewelery and flowers go up in price. At times like these I'm reminded that all this isn't so much about how much you're prepared to pay, but how much every other day should serve this purpose.

So perhaps instead of buying a card, flowers, or jewelery, you should remember the simpler things. Like the times you've thought of your loved one; perhaps before you dropped off to sleep at night, or when the day afforded you a break, and presto; there they were.
If you think of all those instants, and your possible inaction due to so many reasons, then perhaps now would be a good time to say how much they mean to you, rather than having the flowers say it for you.

Some of us don't have the luxury of that opportunity.

Always with you, always with me

When I used to listen to a lot of guitar metal, I fell in love with this song.

The part at 3:07 always makes me smile.
The whole song shows you how beautiful songs can some from any genre, and that love has no boundaries, at least where music is concerned.

The song breaks off at 4:25 before Joe moves into an interlude of "With a little help from my Friends", which may be a bit much for some tastes.

Go on - Embrace your inner "metler" - why don't ya :)

Finally

Saw this at the Spare Room yesterday...

A seven year old just back from the Dentist, after having a tooth removed.

THIS was how I felt last week - well kinda....

Because my Magic 8 ball told me to

Weddings - oh how I dislike you so.
Sorry, but even after all these years, I'm not entirely sure why yet.

I love the fact that one of my Auckland friends has made short work of what others may consider a major obstacle, to be with the one she loves.
The upside of this, another friend to brighten my day (and take my poker chips). :)

I love that fact that we all got to celebrate in your happiness, and share your day.

Somewhere there is a reason for my apathy, my reluctance ; but today isn't about me - it's about you.

Like I wrote in your card;

You two are the best
So it's no surprise you've found each other
Love always
Mark. x

Walking in slow motion

I'm walking through a mental soup, or so it seems these days.

For what seems an eternity I've been working a rather destructive combination of nights and days. The oppressive heat in my valley has compounded my sleeping issues, and like an unpicked jumper I am slowly unraveling: I know this because everything tastes of newsprint.

You see - In my younger years I worked in the publishing department of the Otago Daily Times. This is a fancy way of saying I loaded newspapers onto a truck. At the time I was still at school, and to this day I still recall waking up the next morning, exhausted, with the taste of newsprint in my mouth.

As the day draws to a close I find myself sleeping fitfully on my bed while the fan whirs in the background. It's 29 degrees Celsius in the house, even with all the windows open the humidity saps you of what energy remains. No rest for the wicked.

The weird thing about this all, is how unreal the world has become. It's like you've come off some mind altering drug, and only now see things as the really are. Of course you haven't, but the view is interesting nether the less.

So while it lasts, my days will be fill of caffeine, paracetamol, and other soup strainers. I have noticed a tendency to stay home and away from others. Absent friends are on my mind (specifically one), and I'm not entirely happy with my lot.

Still, all is not lost. This project wont last forever and there's always the chance that tonight my sleep apnea will finally kill me :)

Poetry Corner

I'm not much for poetry but I've always loved this one;


Brown Penny

I WHISPERED, 'I am too young,'
And then, 'I am old enough';
Wherefore I threw a penny
To find out if I might love.
'Go and love, go and love, young man,
If the lady be young and fair.'
Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,
I am looped in the loops of her hair.

O love is the crooked thing,
There is nobody wise enough
To find out all that is in it,
For he would be thinking of love
Till the stars had run away
And the shadows eaten the moon.
Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,
One cannot begin it too soon.

William Butler Yeats

Rough Justice for the RIAA

Oh - this is classic!

BOSTON - Fourteen news organisations are urging a federal appeals court to allow online streaming of a hearing in a music downloading lawsuit the recording industry filed against a Boston University graduate student. The Recording Industry Association of America is appealing a Boston judge's decision to allow the webcast, which it says goes against federal court guidelines on cameras and threatens its ability to get a fair trial.

New organisations argued in their brief there was "nothing inherently harmful" in camera access to oral arguments, and countered the RIAA's claim that online streaming could be manipulated, saying the potential to edit video is no different from the potential to edit transcripts or a reporter's own notes. The news groups said the webcast would allow for more accurate reporting.

The news groups filing the brief includes Associated Press, New York Times Courtroom Television Network, Dow Jones & Co., Gannett Co. Inc., The Hearst Corp., Incisive Media, National Public Radio, NBC Universal Inc., Radio-Television News Directors Association, The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, The E.W. Scripps Co., Tribune Co., and Washington Post Digital.

Is there anyone in the RIAA's corner in this?

They have to be the most hated regulatory body in the world.