The Clan Mackrill

Playing live, a musicians guide

2011-10-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Here are some tips for aspiring musicians when playing in front of people other than your Mam:

1. Don't look at your shoes (unless they are really awesome, like Elton John's in Tommy), the audience is like a pack of wolves and can smell fear. If you are scared, they will attack, or worse, ignore you.

2. Tune your instruments before starting playing.

You aren't getting paid? no reason not to be professional

3. Write out a setlist.

And for God's sake don't say 'any requests?' There are thousands of songs in the world, the likelihood that you will get asked to play something you know is tiny.

4. Be proficient at the song you are doing.

Believe me the audience does not like you yet, unless you impress they will walk and you will feel like shite. Being in a bad band is slightly more embarrassing than that dream where you are in work and you realize you forgot to wear trousers.

5. Jokes: Don't!

Unless you are blessed with a total disregard for the opinion of the audience, because you will become nervous telling/making the joke, it will fall flat, and you absolutely will look a cock.

6. Enjoy it!

Having fun is infectious, if you are so nervous it feels like torture, you will be better of writing bad poetry in your bedroom. See all those old guys not in a band? you will be surprised how many of them were in a band and decided it wasn't for them, no shame in that.

7 Drink/Drugs: No!!

Chemical assistance may feel like a good idea when getting on stage, it isn't. To get rid of nerves on Alcohol requires you be pissed, and no one plays well when shitfaced. Speed reduces you accuracy if you are a guitarist and is poison for drummers, and cocaine turns you average egotistical wanker (or guitarist/singer) into Fred Durst. If you cant do it straight, them don't do it at all.

8. Expect rejection.

If you took Led Zepplin at their best and made them play at a old man's pub on a Thursday there is a fair chance the audience would just ignore them.

9 Screw the Audience's opinion

Opinions are like assholes, everyones got one but I don't need to hear it. I don't care what the audience think as most of them are idiots, and if they weren't they would be playing themselves.

10. Don't try and be a Star#1

The point of music at the lower level is to express oneself and to enjoy the process; stardom and money are side products of that. If you try and get into music to be rich and famous you will be disappointed, either because you will still be poor and obscure, or if you get fame you will not enjoy it. Whats the point of fame for fames sake? As Ricky Gervais said, if you want to be famous, murder a nun.

11. Don't try and be a Star#2

What worked for David Bowie will not work for you. If you walk into a School Muso Night in a faux fur coat, wearing glitter and platforms, treating the audience like they are privileged to gaze on your magnificence you will get called a tool when performing and likely get a kicking later on. Be Honest!

12. Papa Don't Preach!

You are not a politician, you are not a Philosopher, you are not Christopher Hitchens or the Dalai Lama, the audience did not come to hear you talk, they came to listen to badly played 70's rock anthems like Sweet Home Alabama.

Bono is in the Worlds Biggest Band. Everyone thinks he is a twat. Ask yourself why is that? You are worried about the forests/fish/starving millions/cars etc? So is everyone else but no one gives a toss what you think you spotty little tool.

Being a musician is brilliant, I love that shit, but I do it because I want to do it, and I don't care what everyone else thinks; I play my own music and I don't crave the audiences approval, which is more than likely why I enjoy it so much..

Creativity, Sport and Alcohol

2011-09-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I can't remember who said it (though I think it was Winston Churchill) but you haven't lived if you haven't been a poet at least once in your life. I have written a lot of poetry, some of it very bad indeed.

Here is my poetic thoughts on last nights England/Argentina Rugby game

All together, we are friends we all

To prey at the church of the oval ball

We have the nibbles, we have the brew

Dead animals cook on the barbecue

by 8:30, we are in the mood

Chock full of beer, bellies full of food

What can possibly spoil this scene?

England are playing the Argentine

This game is played at a sleepy snails pace

Plenty of kick, but precious little chase

There is no flair, no one can deny

Its more interesting watching paint dry

A dire game, kill the lights, make it dark

Steriod-fuelled morons strolling in the park

Why cant both sides look at themselves and see

This game's a crime against Humanity

Stop this game, of thee all I beg

I'm so bored I could chew off my leg

You killed this game, no flair, no art

You brainless morons should stick to darts.

As you an guess I didn't enjoy the game.

Personally if winning Rugby looks like this, I'm glad the Welsh lose.

Its been a while,

2011-09-04T23:39:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Funny how time flies. I used to blog, if not weekly, then at least a couple of times a month, but I know I haven't done so in about 2 years.

Why?

I think I ran out of things to say. I lost the ability to be of interest to myself, and so I spared the World the tedium of my own boring NZ paradise. But now life has got fun again!!!

Firstly, I have a new baby!! Ysabel is a joy to me that I cant describe, she is a continuing and constant source of the most giddy and exultant happiness that it makes my heart sing just looking at her gummy gorgeous smile.

Secondly my career is awesome, which also means I am constantly knackered. C'est la vie, I would rather be shattered than bored.

Thirdly musically I am now happier than ever, I am writing, and people like my shite, my Daughter even dances to it!!

Which is nice

Lasty, but not leastly I love my Family, and I love my Wife, even though shagging is a now and again thing due to babiezzz. That will change, but my love won't.

21 years beatchez!! beat that!!!

Chill, and , yes, I have been drinking

Peace

Tim Minchin: Pope Song

2010-04-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

hahahahaha

Updates

2010-04-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

I don't blog enough...

I was looking through my Multiply contacts, like I often do, when I realized that I haven't blogged in MONTHS, and after I promised as well.

So here goes,

We have put our house up on the market, so that we can move to another part of Hawkes Bay, a place called Havelock North. Nice place with a nice cinema and a nicer School, also all of my mates live there, so it will save petrol.

If you would like a tour of my house it can be found here Please buy it, I want to move.

I have a new old workmate. When I was but a youngster I was asked to show a prospective employee around the Hospital in which I was a Student. Her name was Angela Woof and I thought she was very nice. She didn't get that job but I worked with her as a student when she did a locum job in Singleton, and as a qualified MRT when I got my first job at Neath.

Later on I worked with her at Bridgend as a grade MRT, and she was my senior, again she was lovely to work with. She got herself promoted to Charge MRT for Neath and I left to go to NZ.

Last year Angela gets in contact with me to ask about how to emigrate, so I help in as best a fashion as I can, she duly emigrates to Hamilton. Then the Team Leader in General Radiography job is advertised, and she is the successful applicant! With the result that I now have a very capable good friend as a work mate.

In order for her to start on time, she had to lodge with me for 4 weeks while they organized their accommodation. This was fun, most people can't stand to be around me for 10 minutes, but we all got on like a house on fire. Plus I got a lift into work!!

Angela understands the business of healthcare, in that how you organise your work has a greater impact on the patient population that how you do your individual patient. Apart from Myself and Chris, the Radiology Business coordinator, this understanding is absent from all the other team leaders.

Its nice to have someone else talk the same language as I do, and in the same accent!

Since I last wrote my cousin has died of complications due to years of Alcohol and drug abuse. He was a sad and troubled lad, but a nice guy who had made a number of bad choices. His Family buy and large had lost patience with him (apart from one Sister and his Mother), which is understandable considering his behavior, but I know that they wish they could turn the clock back. You can't, of course, which is why you should always try to be the better person, even if the other guy has stretched your patience to breaking point.

You never know what is around the corner eh?

One of the nice things about Angela coming here is that she brought her Children. Catrin and Eve are 8 and 13 respectively. Catrin is a lovely, smiley little kid who loves coming to our house and painting fairies with Jacqui. Eve is a teenage girl, with a big personality (and that is not a euphemism).

Ieuan my Son, loves them both.

It is funny to watch as he tries to figure out how to be friends to these girls. With Catrin it is easy, as he just hands her the Cat, plays with and looks after her, but you can see that with Eve he can't get his head around how being friends with her feels different to him. Mostly he just hangs around on the periphery as they talk and play, happy just to be in their company.

It is quite sweet.

Ieuan is quite socially awkward, and he can't do the teenage chat thing, but he is doing OK as it is. He is very innocent, and I hope that continues for a while. Certainly he wants to go to mixed High school now, as I think he has figured that he can meet more girls there, and when he figures out why that is A Good Thing, we might all be in trouble.

Banging your head against a brick wall is a symptom of Aspergers syndrome...

2010-01-20T18:54:00.000-08:00

Hi,
Some of us have kids, this is a statistical fact. That is where the problem starts.

Kids are a problem for society, it appears, because they have needs and yet produce nothing (except crowds of bored teenagers on a Saturday outside Burger King and badly executed graffiti).

It appears that the producers of kids, or "Parents" are a whinging bunch who will try to get preferential treatment for their mewling brats, costing the Government loads of cash, and being all difficult around the place. Demanding things like schools that teach, and food that isn't full of chemistry.

I don't know, some people!

Even more difficult are Parents of 'special needs' kids, demanding ramps and such. Why can't the lazy buggers carry their kids? Once they get to big, put them in a home or hospital!

Are there no workhouses?

Even worse are the kids that look normal, but are not. Kids like Ieuan, my son. Ieuan has Aspergers syndrome. Apparently, so do I, which explains a lot. Like how I could read Shakespeare at 3, but am unable to spell 'thier'. No matter how often that little red line appears, I never get the I and E the right way around.

Also explains why my school days were so miserable. An Aspergers kid in a class full of working class Welsh is like blood in the water. I had a torrid time. I don't want the same for Ieuan.

So, against my gut feeling, I enrolled him in a 'special unit' Initially things looked good, he was sent to mainstream class for Maths, where he excelled, and then went back to his base class to keep in a calm atmosphere. However over the last year, they have not done this, because they don't have the staff. Hence he is bored.

However, he is 13, and has to go to High School. His School has no place for him in their unit, so they want to keep him back. I don't think this is a good idea at all.

Aspergers kids are hyper competitive, but they also benchmark. He sees a class of kids who are (through no fault of their own) no where near the intellectual level that Ieuan is, and he thinks "I am already number 1, why try harder?" This is Ok if you have a career in Apple picking ahead of you, but Ieuan is not becoming an Apple picker unless he has to.

So we have been searching for a school to take him, which may mean that he has to sink or swim. Or we might have to move home. Or get a loan to pay for a Teacher Aide, or Home School Ieuan, or Jacqui might have to work for nothing in the school to release another Teacher Aide.... God knows.

One thing is for certain, I will not allow my Son to have his future prospects ruined by a system that wishes he were more stupid, or less trouble. I won't accept my flesh and blood getting second best because of expediency. Bollocks I will.

I'll go back to Wales first.

What to do with Parents eh? I mean what are kids, except literally the future of humanity.

Cold

2010-01-08T10:53:00.000-08:00

Good Afternoon Children,

The British need their winter woolens this year, it appears

Now apparently this is going to be the coldest winter since records began, with temperatures in the -20 degree Celsius range

Global warming is to blame. This is due to the odd fact that most of the heat that Europe gets in the Winter comes from the Gulf Stream, a conveyor belt of warm water from the tropics.
As the ice melts in Europe due to warming, the salinity of the ocean surface water drops, fresh water will settle on top of salt water, so the water, one it has given up its heat, cant sink. If it cant sink, the conveyor will stop. Once that happens, then Europe will freeze. Swansea is at the same latitude as Nova Scotia. Get used to -20dgrees, and summers will suck even worse then before-Just what the UK needs, on top of all the other problems that have been documented by me over the last few years, we will soon look fondly back at the great summers of the latter 20th century, when temperatures averaged in June 21degrees, and winters were a balmy 0 degrees!Which is another reason why I moved to NZ. The weather here is like the weather used to be in my imagination when I was 8 years old. Nice, generally. I also had the great pleasure of corresponding with a guy I last saw 20 years ago, He was one of my best mates in primary school, but after we went to separate secondary schools we became distanced, to reaffirm our friendship as teenagers, before he went to serve in the Military and I went into health care. In our letters I spoke of my childhood, and how, before I went to "big" school, it didn't suck, and how after it did, hard. The rose tint were on big time, and it got me thinking of how times have changed. Nostalgia is the feeling of fondness for times past, and in many ways I am against it. Music was not better, films were not better, fashion wasn't better, its just we filter out the crap that we don't want to remember.But I do think that society was better in many important ways, the sense of community was very strong with us kids at Gendros Primary, and we all looked out for each other (mostly). Differences didn't matter not so much as what brought us together. I remember the Christmas parties and Sports days being well attended by Parents who would happily help, and compete themselves (3 legged race? Sign me up!) Now it appears that we are so concerned with appearance and being rewarded for our works that we don't do it unless we are paid, look cool doing it or feted for it. Which is sad, as we lose more from enjoyment that we gain from not doing. You only get out of something (like life) what you put in. If you are more concerned with weighing the output before inputting, there will be no input.This lack of community action manifested itself to be by a gradual coarsening of values, a loss of the spirit of comradeship and ultimately a fiercely self centered society, where if it wasn't your problem, then you didn't care. I thought that was only seen in the UK, but apparently it is World wide. Or are we all just looking at the past through rose tints?On Thursday, Jacqui rescued a kitten. This scrap was tiny, looked less that 4 weeks, it was being kicked down the street in a box by a couple of teenage girls. Jacqui confronted them and when quizzed they said they found it in a field. The Cat was ill, coughing, grunting when it was breathing. Its eyes where closed with mucus. It may well have been feral, and rejected by its Mother. I cleaned it up, gave it some water and called the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. A nice Young lady collected the kitten. Her opinion was that it was too young to be fed solid food, they had no nursing cats, it was very ill and would more than likely be put down. But being humanely destroyed is a better end that being kicked to death, terrified and alone, for the amusement of a couple of unfeeling bitches.What is wrong with people?I could go across to the house where they were playing, to ask the owners who the girls where. I could involve the Law, but I won't, because ultimately the Girls would not be punished, and kids with time on their hands can find all kind of interesting ways to get their own back (and I speak from experience). Am I a coward. Guilty as charged. As the old slogan states:If you not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.Try to be good

Michael Mackrill is unwell...

2009-03-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

I Hate Being Sick,

Now I have the constitution of a concrete rhino, I am sickeningly healthy. I don't take vitamins, or colloidal silver or any of that crap. I am just lucky.

But when I am sick, I want to be really ill. Spotty, sweaty, cant get out of bed ill.

I don't want any of that 'take a lem sip and you can work' bollocks. To me, that is like the suffering with none of the upsides, like watching the Holmes on Homes marathon on the Living Channel, or re-acquainting myself with my vinyl collection.

So I am miserable because I have a cold, a stinking, achy, sweaty, shitty cold. But I can still go to work with Paracetamol. That's like the hangover without the good times.

My fingers ache, so that's it from me.

Hope the rest of you are well, or feeling to shitty to work

Bollocks, part deux

2009-03-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Earlier this week I posted this, and my jaundiced reply to it:

. I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you..
2. No man or woman is worth your tears, & the one who is, won't make you cry.
3. Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have....
4. A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand & touches your heart.
5. The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them knowing you can' t have them
6. Never frown, even when you are sad, because you never know who is falling in love with your smile.
7. To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.
8. Don't waste your time on someone, who isn't willing to waste their time on you.
9. Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one, so that when we finally meet the person, we will know how to be grateful.
10. Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened.
11.. There' s always going to be people that hurt you so what you have to do is keep on trusting & just be more careful about who you trust next time around..
12. Make yourself a better person & know who you are before you try & know someone else & expect them to know you.
13. Don't try so hard, the best things come when you least expect them to.
REMEMBER: WHATEVER HAPPENS, HAPPENS FOR A REASON.

I will not repeat my jaundiced and somewhat funny retake on this. Its easy to criticize, to rain on the parade, to be nonconstructive, but I will now try to do something constructive, and using this awful turd poem as a base, write something true.

I love you because of who you are.
Only people are worth your tears, nothing else is.
Just because someone doesn't love you, it doesn't make them, or you, a bad person. Love is a good in itself.
A true friend is someone who has your best interests at heart, even when you don't
If you love someone, tell them. Whats the worst that can happen?
You can be sad. You can be happy. Never apologize for how you feel, honesty is better than pretense.
Don't expect another to make you happy. That way lies madness.
You can't make someone love you, so don't waste your time trying
You need the lows, that's when you grow. What use is a mountain without a valley below?
Your better off making a mistake, than not trying.
Don't expect others to fit in with your plans. People have their own agenda, if it doesn't fit with yours, whose fault is that?
If you don't know what you want, how can anyone else?
Success doesn't make you happy. look at Kurt Cobain!

Everything happens for a reason. If you don't like it, change the reasons.

This still sucks, but I agree with it, which is a start.

Be Good

Bollocks

2009-03-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I am by nature a cynic. I especially hate those "the world is a wonderful place, God loves you, isn't everything great, its all for a reason' bullshit e mails that people tend to forward on to everyone in their e mail list without thinking.

Like my friend Andrea (who is lovely BTW) who sent me this little internet gem

1. I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you..
2. No man or woman is worth your tears, & the one who is, won't make you cry.
3. Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have....
4. A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand & touches your heart.
5. The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them knowing you can' t have them
6. Never frown, even when you are sad, because you never know who is falling in love with your smile.
7. To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.
8. Don't waste your time on someone, who isn't willing to waste their time on you.
9. Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one, so that when we finally meet the person, we will know how to be grateful.
10. Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened.
11.. There' s always going to be people that hurt you so what you have to do is keep on trusting & just be more careful about who you trust next time around..
12. Make yourself a better person & know who you are before you try & know someone else & expect them to know you.
13. Don't try so hard, the best things come when you least expect them to.
REMEMBER: WHATEVER HAPPENS, HAPPENS FOR A REASON.

Now I usually would have just desided to ignore such a soppy pile of shite, and got on with my day. But I was feeling even more jaundiced than usual, and decided to fight back.

1. I love you not because of who you are, but because you made me a cup of tea
2. No man or woman is worth your tears, but there are plenty who are worth a slapping
3. Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, usually means they are religious and what you want is banned in Leviticus

4. A true friend is someone who tells you to stop acting a twat
5. The worst way to miss someone is to aim to high, aim lower and you might hit something vital anyway

6. Never frown, even when you are sad, Just keep a steely resolve to get the bastard back some day.
7. To the world you may be one person, and therefore TOTALLY insignificant. Deal With It.
8. Don't waste your time on someone, who isn't willing to put out on the second date at least.
9. Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one, so that when we finally meet the person, we will know how to be grateful. And because He is a dick like that
10. Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened And because you secretly shagged his best mate behind his back
11.. There' s always going to be people that hurt you so what you have to do is get your retaliation in first
12. Make yourself a better person & know who you are before you try & know someone else & expect them to know you. However if, like me, you are perfect, then everyone will love you anyway. So why bother?
13. Don't try so hard, the best things come when you use lube.
REMEMBER: SHIT HAPPENS, JUST MAKE SURE IT HAPPENS TO SOMEONE ELSE.

Happily Andrea is still on speaking terms with me.

Be Good!

Kicking my own arse

2009-03-09T22:15:00.000-07:00

Hi,
I tend to have addictions.

Not major, romantic, sex, drugs and rock and roll addictions, none of those Shellyesque Absinthe fuelled coke nose tumbles into the dark abyss of depravity for me.

My addictions are short lived, and kind of shit.

What, I fondly imagine you asking, do you mean Mike?

I will give you an example. Civilization Revolutions on the X-Box 360. I bought this for my Son at Christmas. I have never been into consoles, I like using a PC for gaming, and I like RTS games such as Civilization and Rome-Total War. This game, however, has me hooked. So much so that if I don't play it daily, I get cranky. I know the signs, and there is only 1 cure.

Go cold turkey.

Other examples? Reading. I go through phases where I will read 5 or 6 books one after another over a week or so, becoming totally anti-social and uncommunicative. Again only 1 cure. Cold Turkey.

I once watched all 8 series of Red Dwarf back to back in one sitting. Same goes for Firefly and the 3 Lord of the Rings films.

I have been known to clean the wheels of my car with a toothbrush. and then not clean it for 6 months. I once ate porridge for breakfast for 4 months back to back. I then didn't touch it for 6 months, and then did the same thing over again.

I spent a year on 360 putting 2 sometimes 3 blogs a week on. Since I have been on Multiply, I struggle to find enough to say from one month to the next.

I used to train 8 times a week. I can't be asked now, and I am beginning to hate myself for it. Still, there is always next week eh?

Music was my life, but lately it has lost the draw for me. I still play, but the excitement has gone, and I am scared other people can hear it in my playing.

I need a kick in the arse, the only one who can do that is me, but I don't know if I still posses the flexibility to do it.

Oh Well...

In more exciting news, my son and I went to the local car show here in Hastings. One of the more bizarre things about NZ is that, as cars were always imported, and as the protectionist Government put huge tariffs on the imports, cars were bloody expensive. If you could afford one, you looked after it!

Hence, go to a NZ classic car show and you will see a greater variety, age range and rarity of old US & European and Australian iron than in the UK anywhere. I saw DeSoto's Caddy's Buicks, old Fords, Pontiacs, Jaguars, Merc's, Porshes, Rileys, Rollers, Bentleys, Mustangs, Daimlers and a Jowett Javelin. There were Triumphs, Rovers, Beetles, Morris' MG's Fiats, Lancias, Alfa Romeo's and a Ferrari. And here lies my tale.

I love Ferrari's. I love their shape, their cachet, their mojo and their total pursuit of one goal. To make the best handling car there is. Form follows function and the form is drop dead gorgeous. Now as a kid, the Ferrari of choice was the 308GTB. It is stunningly gorgeous, small, nimble and as fast as a cat with its balls on fire. So when I saw a beautiful purple example at this show, I had to take a look. Ieuan breathed "Dad...its a Ferrari!" as we approached. Lo and behold my mate Jamie is standing by it. Jamie is a classic car nut, and owns a couple of old British cars from the 1930's.

Hi Jamie, said I, you bought a Ferrari? Yes said Jamie, "hahaha" said I, "No. I bought this car. I have sold all my other cars and re mortgaged the house to buy this Ferrari". Shit....spot on bro!

Ieuan is looking at the car, grinning like a loon. "Do you want to sit in it Ieuan?" said Jamie "aowkk!!" said Ieuan, so Jamie opens up the car, and Ieuan sits in the cockpit, grinning like his face is coming off. "Grab hold of the wheel" Ieuan reaches forward slowly and touches the wheel on both sides, between his first finger and thumb, like he was picking up an egg! We laughed, because it was soo cute!

Ieuan, since that day, every hour or so says to Jacqui "I can't believe My Father knows someone who own a Ferrari!" I am cool by association!!

Be Good

Monet

2009-03-08T20:35:00.000-07:00

Hi,

As I wrote, turning 40 is often a big deal. For me it brought into focus some painful realizations, like my life was developing a comfortable inertia that I suddenly find uncomfortable, or that I may have many fewer days ahead of me than are behind me.

Happily Jacqui is far more grounded (even though she is the New Age Goddess in the house) than am I, for Jacqui it was an excuse for a good time. So it was that I booked a suite in a 5 star hotel in Wellington, to see the Monet exhibition at Te Papa.

We drove down the East coast of the North Island and arrived at the suite. Ieuan came too (even though his 'Nana Gail would have looked after him) and he was instantly impressed by the suite. He wanted room service, and I declined. I think he wants to be a cash-rich plutocrat when he is older. I hope he succeeds!

Te Papa is New Zealands national museum. If I were to make a suggestion, I would say it tried to do too much to too little effect. The country should have a Natural History, Cultural and National Gallery. Doing all 3 in one building results in skimmimng, and overcrowding.

We paid our 35 Dollars, and entered the hall, where there were 50 plus works by Monet, Cezanne and Renior (as well as many others). It is hard to put into words the absolute beauty of the works in this hallway. They were far more beautiful in the paint than on even the best photographic representation.

I found myself getting impatient with the dullards looking at the works from 4 feet away, getting in my view. Learn how to view art, before spoiling my view. Up close, you could see the way Monet used the texture of the paint to create depth, At 12 feet the paintings were ethereal and dreamlike, as if this is how I would see the World, if I only had better eyes.

Of course there were other artworks in Te Papa, and some of them were very good (and some absolute tripe), but even the best must have felt like the man who takes his golf GTI to a race, when everyone else has Ferrari F50's. The Impressionists were just in a different class.

I have seen other great artists 'in the paint' (Turner was superb, as was Lucien Freud) but this was certainly the best exhibition of an artistic movement I have ever seen, I feel privileged

Be Good

40 years old, and time is running out!

2009-02-27T08:27:00.000-08:00

40 years old.

At this age many things should be happening. I should be settling into the "cruise control" part of life, by now. My career should be settled, my family should be maturing nicely, all the struggles of the last twenty years should have born fruit, and I should be enjoying it all.

What this means to me is that should now be looking towards setting myself up for retirement.

I don't know, it seems to me that there just are not enough years between 20 and 40. The thought that there is about the same amount of time left in my career as I have had so far makes me panic a bit.

It has become one of my late night AAArrrrh moments, like my death and the thought of personal annihilation.

So a couple of weeks ago I had the great news that Jacqui, my lovely wife, was pregnant. I then had the less welcome news that Jacqui had miscarried. Buggerfuck.

This kind of brought a few things into focus. Like I have been stupid in not realizing what actually is important in my life.

I crave a big project, chaos and uncertainty. I used to think I didn't but now all that has been removed I realsize it's what makes me feel alive. And there is no bigger project, nothing so uncertain and no greater chaos that can visited upon you than a baby.

We didn't push trying to find out why Jacqui wasn't getting pregnant because of our 'busy life', Emigrating, buying a house, going back to see the family etc. until it is almost too late. 40 years old is the cut off point for fertility treatment in NZ, so I did what I swore I would never do, and we went private.

I hate the idea of private medicine.

I think in a truly good society, wealth shouldn't mean worth, so the fact I have a good job shouldn't mean that I should get better basic services (I regard Health as a basic service) than a poor person.

Dangerously Socialist in the US, common sense in Wales.

Anyway we met a realy nice Doctor who got us a load of tests (I had to wank in a jar!! horray!!!!) and we now have a clear way forward. So watch this space

On another note, Jacqui turned 40 on the 16th, and to celebrate, we all went ona trip to Wellington, stayed in a 5 star hotel (a suite!!) and saw the Monet exhiubition a Te Papa Museum.

The Impressionist paintings (Monet, Cezanne, Degas etc) were superb, The rest of the museum was a bit of a curates egg, OK in parts (Though we have been slightly spoilt by seeing the London Museums last year). Full blog to follow.

I want to go to the Smithsonian. But that can wait till after I get a baby sorted.

Never say never,

2009-01-15T20:40:00.000-08:00

Prince Harry, and killing people

2009-01-13T17:00:00.000-08:00

Hi,

I am not a Royalist. I am a Republican Socialist. So you might think I have a certain antipathy towards the Royal Family. Well, I don't. I actually have come to the conclusion as I have aged that the British constitutional Monarchy has many advantages over a Republic, as they are a figurehead, thus allowing a non-political expression of Patriotism.

What is odd is hat we have always expected our Royals to be Military. Which is OK, as long as they don't take it too seriously. Unfortunately, this crop of Royals has brought forth Prince Harry. Harry is a proper soldier.

He was a noted sportsman at school, and excelled in every sport he took up, the more violent and physical the better. He went into Sandhurst, and was by all accounts a superb student. He then became a Royal Marine, and excelled there, showing leadership skills far beyond the level required by Royalty to become an officer.

Harry seems to have found his niche, and his niche is killing people for Granny.

Which is why I kind of scratched my head when he was pilloried for calling the Taliban "towel heads" The reason? "Its Racist" What I say is we can't offend them, but killing them is OK?

Bollocks, fuck the Taliban hard up the ass with a Milan Anti tank weapon. The more of those murdering, cowardly bastards we kill, the better. I don't like war, but murdering Homosexuals and terrorising civilians who don't agree with your 12 century worldview pisses me off more. The fewer Taliban and Al Queda, the better.

They also wring their hand because he called a member of his troop 'Paki', to his face. They all called him Paki. I have been called Taff by every Englishman, Scot and Irishman I have ever met. How is Paki different?

These guys will fight and die for each other, and the politically correct crew are calling him racist? I assume that Paki carrier a self loading Rifle, so I am also sure that someone calling a man carrying an assault rifle Paki, does so with the Paki's acquiescence, because Paki is carrying a great big fucking machine gun. I have seen full metal jacket, I hope Harry has as well.

Lastly, we expect our soldiers to be saints who murder people because politicians say so. And we worry that they might be racist while carrying out these murders?

I think we are missing the point

2008.

2009-01-03T17:42:00.000-08:00

Hi,

2009 will have to go some to beat the awesome year I was blessed with. Career wise I couldn't have had it any better, and am now sitting in the job that I always coveted. All I have to do is not screw up, which may be harder than it sounds!

My family is great, I am privelidged to be the Father to a super like soul, and Husband to a wonderful woman, who is loved by all who know her. I just sit around in the reflected glow of her popularity, and get to talk to her friends' husbands. Which is aboult as much sovial interaction as I am comfortable with.

I fulfilled 3 long term ambitions this year, traveling to the USA, Australia and seeing Bruce live. I spent 4 great weeks with my extended family, and all my brilliant mates. I got to bore Ieuan, talking about the frankly brilliant sights on display at the v&a, science and natural history museums.

Things I learned? I was not a good choice to be department manager, having seen Paula (my Boss) do it, I know that I would have been hopeless.

LA isn't nice, Chicago is (though I did meet a very nice Angelino who talked us through how to use the Metro, stunning job mate!)

Americans are not as dumb as the rest of the World thinks they are (Hello President Obama), and the old politics are dead (horray).

2009? Well some things don't change (Colts are out of the postseason) and some things do (The Caedinals? Really?) and that a webcam set up in a room full of your family is a surprisingly satisfying 2nd best to actually being there.

So there you go. Resolutions? Stop drinking. (2 days now) and blog more.

So there you are. See ya.

A Week Off

2008-12-12T10:52:00.000-08:00

How are you all?

I have a week off. Nothing planned, nothing to do, no one to see, just chillin'

I have to go into work on Monday to hand in my application form for the job I have been doing for the last year. They hope to have this all sorted by Christmas, and I am hopeful that they will.

Nicky, the previous PACS Administrator came back to work this week, and had her first day in PACS. She has had way more experience that I have had, and was there to set up the service.

I hope that I can use that level of expertise to the advantage of the service, as I am bound to have made, and continue to make mistakes, in fact she pointed out one or two on Friday, which I will fix, and I am truly grateful for another set of eyes on things.

It can't be easy for her to come into an area where she has been instrumental in setting up, to find I have moved in and changed the decor and furniture. She told me that she would rather not still be in PACS, but finance preclude her just doing MRI and general work.

Needless to say when she speaks, I will listen hard, but ultimately I am responsible, and the final decision on anything rests with me.

Otherwise, I will use the week to sort out presents, and get in touch with those that matter to me.

Being to far away from my family and friends, Christmas isn't a good time. I am by nature forgetful and lazy, and I hate conversing over the telephone. Hense Christmas cards don't get sent, letters don't get written, and I feel like a heel for not making the effort.

I will try to be better this year. I also don' like the way that Christmas sneaks up on you, and suddenly you have missed the last post to the UK. Bugger

Finally, we should remember what christmas actually is all about..celebrating the birth of a Jewish pacifist who was brutally killed by being nailed to a lump of wood by a bunch of evil Italians while all his mates looked on and did nothing. Which is of course best celebrated with an obscene spending spree, drunkenness and gluttony.

Dyspeptic? Moi?

My Mad Uncle

2008-12-05T11:54:00.000-08:00

My first musical memory is my Dad putting on a new album on his Garrard record deck. The album was called "A Night at the Opera" by a bad called 'Queen'. Click....and that was it. The swelling piano, the angry guitars the noise building then..beautiful, powerful music, like I had never heard.

It may well be the greatest album of all time, and has no tracks that are less than stellar.

I wanted curly hair and one of those red guitars (I now own the guitar, but not the hair) I wanted to be as beautiful as Roger, as calm as John, as brilliant and passionate as Brian, and as mercurial as Freddy.

I loved them all, but most of all, I wanted Freddie Mercury to be my Uncle.

I would play every single record to death that Queen produced for the next 10 years, and I devoured every single thing Freddie wrote, was interviewed in or appeared in (though he was a very private man, and rarely gave interviews)

He was so full of life, funny, articulate and just fun.

My Dad told me that he was 'a poof', and late on I realised that that meant he liked having sex with men (He was actually Bisexual, his great love, Mary, spit with him over his affairs with women. I guess he became more gay because men are easier, you can talk football after you finish fucking)

Eventually Queen's brilliance faded, and the last 3 albums, whilst having some great tracks, also had some that were, for want of a better word, shit. Water treaders, fillers. Not as good.

Though at the end, they produced some great tracks ,Those Were The Days of our Lives,, 'I'm Going Slightly Mad', 'Its Late' and 'The Show Must Go On', which was number 1 the day they announced that Freddy was dead.

Died of AIDS, caught of a Russian predatory omnisexual man whose name I forget, but allegedly did for Kenny Everett as well.

was devastated, my wife cried openly, and I felt that I had lost a part of what made me, me.

Its been 17 years, but Freddie is still famous, because he has never left us, he is still a symbol of just how bright a star can be, and how much joie de vivre can be put into one man.

Every time someone wins something, there will be 'We Are The Champions', every time someone loses 'Another One Bites the Dust' every time there is a need for awesome rock, there will be Queen.

As a ps, Freddie left all of his money, houses and royalties to Mary, who he wrote 'Love of My Life' for, and often said was the only person he ever loved. He may well have loved one person, but he was loved by millions. That surely is the definition of a successful Life.

Be Good

The last two weeks, and Quantum of Solace

2008-11-29T10:29:00.000-08:00

Hi,

I have been a busy fella.

In work I have been told that they are advertising the job I have been doing for the last year as a permanent position (I had been covering a maternity leave) and this post will be internally advertised only.

This is a good thing for me.

I have told the rest of the RISPACS team that I would be happy to give them references for the position, but I think no one else will apply. This means that, bar me threatening to kill people at my interview, I should have a good chance of being made permanent.

Which Is Nice!

The job is starting to get interesting at the moment. We are implementing a major project in the early part of next year, and another major project at the end of next year, both of which I will be heavily involved with.

I have also been recording with the band, and rehearsing for a couple of gigs next week. I am excited about putting all of the ideas I have for our songs onto disk, and hearing how they go. I can't do this live, as I don't have 6 arms.

So after a hectic 14 days, I took us all to see Quantum of Solace, the new 007 film.

I would recommend it.

Daniel Craig is superb, the script is sharp. The action painful, and the story has heart. It also has one of the best and most cathartic endings in any action-er I have ever seen. Well worth your 10 bucks.

It has been Thanksgiving week, and it has been a curiously flat affair. Last year, lots of chatter on the net, this year, little. I think maybe that the economy is dampening the enthusiasm, or maybe the election has exhausted everyone.

No worries here mind, NZ has an economy based mainly on food and other agriculture, so financial crashes, whilst they will affect us, do so less powerfully than the UK or USA. Still, my best wishes go out to those who are suffering economic hardship, may you find better times soon.

I have been bemused by the piracy happening off the coast of Africa. I flew over there earlier this year on the way to Dubai. The aircraft (A450, great plane) had downward facing cameras, so you could watch the ground go by.

I counted 3 F15's, 2 F-16 and an A10. That's just when I was looking, and they all flew directly under my plane.

Someone wants the price of oil up, and now that the Iraqi's seem to be getting it back together, this happens. Coincidence? Answers on a postcard please...

Be Good

10 things you should know about me

2008-11-15T10:36:00.000-08:00

1. I was bullied at school.

School days are the happiest of your life, some one once sang. That thought, when I was 14, was enough to make me suicidal.

I hated school with a passion.

I was incarcerated at Penlan Comprehensive school in South Wales. I was an easy target, I was overweight, not sporty, and a bit of an arrogant twit. I also was completely hopeless at fighting, being a bit of a sensitive soul.

I was bullied physically and emotionally for my entire school days. I even learned how to cough, and so took nearly a year out. Bullying continued when I got back. Only stopped when I went to college, and my time playing Rugby, weightlifting and my martial arts training finally gave me the self confidence to stop being a victim.

2. I have no emotional intelligence.

I cannot tell when someone is upset with me, or happy with me, or anything., People are a closed book to me. This is because I have Aspergers traits apparently. All I know is that up until my 30's, the reactions of those around me, good and bad, were always a surprise to me. Jacqui bless her, has learned how to cope with my oddness, and she says that she finds it "cute" Hmmmm.

3. I don't like teachers

My wife has two good friends, both teachers, I have a couple of mates in my pub quiz team, teachers, and I know (because I have met them) that most Teachers are selfless, hardworking, warmhearted individuals who love their charges. But I don't like Teachers because if there is one profesion perfectly suited to he spineless, sadistic bully, it is Teaching. I ran into a few when I was a nipper, but that is for another blog.

4. I love NFL

Being a Brit, I wasn't exposed to the American version of Rugby when I was a kid. My Bother Dessie was a running back for the Swansea Dragons, but it didn't make a dent. Then I came to NZ, and got badly sunburned over Christmas. Being NZ, there was nothing on the TV apart from college and national football. I watched 4 games and was hooked.

5. I once saved a toddler from drowning.

Perhaps the only solid contribution I have ever made to humanity. And I got covered in shit for my trouble

6. I hate bigots

As in viscerally despise all bigots. Homophobes, sexists, racists, "fattists". Before you judge, at least give someone the opportunity to piss you off. Comes from noticing that the people who bullied me, also went after the gay and black kids in school, or at least badmouthed them. Wankers.

7. I hate Political Correctness

PC often seems like bigotry given a makeover. Surely we can say what we think, and believe what we want to, and not be condemned personally for that belief? If you not agree with someone, debate, but don't make them feel that they are evil for holding a contrary viewpoint (unless that leads to direct harm: See J.S. Mill for a full exposition of the harm principle)

8. I study Philosophy

Most interesting subject known to man, and the subject most likely to make you a better person as a result of study

9. I love America

Not as it is, but the idea of America, a land of personal freedom, with justice for all and a government of the people, by the people and for the people. I am not so dumb as to think that the country as it is comes up to that high standard, but the fact that the country's aim is those principals means it has firmer foundations than 90% of the rest of the World. That includes the constitution less and undemocratic UK.

10 I am 5'7" with size 10 feet

This means that I am stable in crosswinds, and unlikely to be hit by low flying aircraft. Which is nice.

Be Good

Being Creative

2008-11-08T16:43:00.000-08:00

Hi,
i love art me.

I have always thought that art is the one thing that separates us from animals. Its the divine spark.

A while back I began to paint. I have always drawn in pencil, but painting looked a bit hard really. Then I saw a programme in NZ called "Mastering the Art, with John Myatt. John was an art forger, and an extremely successful one (Google him).

I watched the artists each week trying, and often failing to capture a great artist, and I though I think I might give it a go.

Jacqui paints as well, and does beautiful copies of impressionists. There is a marked difference between how we approach an art-wok. Jacqui will absolutely fearlessly start throwing paint at the canvass, beating it into submission, and achieving great results. I however am slightly different.

I can't copy. When I was a kid my Dad would talk with absolute disdain about copying another mans work, to the point where drawing from a photo was "copying" because it didn't come from your head.

I do paint from photo's it is too complicated otherwise. I paint nudes, because I love the shape of the human form. I paint naked ladies, I don't want to be sexist, but painting a knob isn't something I want to spend my Sunday doing. Also male nudes are harder, and you cant get decent male nude photography is something hard to find, most of it isn't artistic, but verging on porn.

Same thing with the female nude actually, but I didn't mind searching for the nice pose so much.

Anyway, this was my first attempt.

Not bad, so then I did this one, which was a lot more challenging

Now Jacqui did a painting of a close up of one of Modigliani's portraits, and I loved it.

Here is is, I became enamored in how Modigliani achieved a face with so little work, so whilst watching TV, I showed Jacqui how you could draw a female figure using as few lines as possible

Here is the result. In pen, whist watching Brian Sewell on the box. So looking at this I thought i could use the face in a nude.

Unfortunately I didn't photograph the preparatory sketched, but basically I tried to do as much with as little. The background is my bedroom, and Van Gough's Starry Night is out the window. I was more interested in the composition of the colours than the details, (they had to look nice, and I painted the nude with subtle shading (like Modigliani) but with a strong outline technique I stole from Hockney, who stole it from Matisse. I also pinched the hair from Roger Dean and Alan Aldridge (He did the Beatles later artwork)

This is the result

I have to say I am absolutely thrilled how it has turned out. All from within my fevered brain, and onto canvas. It looks simple, but it took me 3 weeks to do, just thinking about what I wanted to achieve.

I can say this is my own work, my own style, and i am pretty happy with myself.

Not quite as good as Modigliani, but better than Matisse!! :-p

Be good

Politicians, Politics and We Get What We Deserve

2008-11-08T12:26:00.000-08:00

Hi,

Most Europeans have a pretty high opinion of themselves politically, and with some justification. Over the time I have been paying attention it has been a given that the standard of political debate on one side of the Atlantic has been of a far higher standard than over the other side.

The reason I say that without feeling like a dick is because it was true.

A politician in the States could get a huge voter approval by wearing a badge, looking constipated/having angina during the National Anthem, and declaring his love for Jesus.

Believe me, no European could have got away with that.

The reason is that even if you agreed with the badge wearing, constipated Jesus freak, it was understood that to lead, or be a part of leading a nation, you needed more, you needed to have a set of policies that stood on their merits.

Not once in my time in the UK was any politician ever smeared with the character attacks we were used to seeing in the States (Jeremy Thorpe excepted, but that was in the 70's).

If a man was a Homosexual, Atheist who was an ex communist and wanted to abolish the house of Lords and the Monarchy, it was only the last to that were ever commented upon.

The political stuff.

We watched mouths agape when politicians were attacked for changing their minds (Kerry), or having an affair (Gary Hart, Clinton) or having bailed out of a burning aircraft (G.H.W. Bush..wtf??) or collapsing during a marathon in a heat wave (Carter) and we kind of laughed "Silly Americans, paying attention to all that shite, what are they thinking".

Well we laugh no longer.

For the first time in my life, I can say the American people picked their President based on a political, rather than a personal factor. I liked John McCain, I saw him as the authentic voice of caring conservatism, prepared to stand up to bigotry in his own party, and to fight for the political conservative creed. I don't agree with him personally, but I respected him.

However, it appears that to get to be a candidate for the Presidency endorsed by the GOP, you need to get the more extreme elements on your side. So Sarah was the VP choice. You then had to "go after Obama" to get the "base excited" so here come the innuendo's the distortions and the out and out lies.

But this time something was different.

The people heard what the ads said, and then they Googled, and You Tubed, and Blogged and found out the truth.

People do not like being misled.

Hence come election time Obama wins big. What I found strange was that it was patently obvious that the scare tactics were not working, but they still kept coming.

President Obama.

I saw the speech he gave in Chicago. I had tears in my eyes. He is an inspirational politician, and seems a genuinely good person. I would vote for him in a heartbeat.

Of course, in the present climate, a lot of what he said he would do he will not be able to do. You don't take over a bankrupt country and hand out tax cuts, first get the country in surplus, then comes the sweeties. Is that lying? Possibly, but i am sure that John McCain would be in exactly the same boat.

His tax cuts just wouldn't be for the middle class, that's all, and the rich can wait, they are OK.

I watched John McCain's "acceptance of defeat" speech. All I can say is if he had run an honourable campaign, if he had concentrated on the issues, and shown how his way forward was better, if he had stood up for tolerance, respect and civility and if he had stared down the batshit mad part of his party, we may have had President McCain.

However, if he had done that, he wouldn't have been the GOP candidate in the first place.

We have had an election in NZ, and National have got in. National are kind of like the GOP in NZ politics, except their policies would be called dangerously Socialist in the USA.

I don't know if this will be a good thing or a bad thing, but I do know most people here vote on their own narrow self interest, with no thought to how the policy they benefit from in particular, will benefit the country in general.

So now the US voter can look at the NZ voter and condescendingly say, "they are so naive and stupid, when will they learn" and be justified in saying so.

In Final

Well done USA, and God Bless America!!

A good week

2008-10-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Its been a good week.

Let us examine the anatomy of a good week, shall we?

On Sunday I did something I have thought about doing for ages, and that is painting. Art works. Being Creative and shite.

Now, I an a very good draughtsman. Give me a piece of paper and some pencils and I will draw anything, accurately. Never been professionally taught mind, but my Dad is a superb artist with pencils, so it must be an inherited trait. In school. art lessons were aimed at the lowest common denominator, and so the more advanced stuff, like how to paint, passed me by.

Jacqui bought us some acrylics, and a few canvasses and off i went. I found a site for nude artistic photographs and tried to paint them. Not a success, as painting a high contrast photograph makes the artwork look awful. So I opened a book of Modigliani nudes and a black and white photograph of a nude woman sitting on a bed and painted this

This is the source photo

Jacqui paints as well, and has done some lovely work at copying some nice paintings, here is Van Gough's Stary night

so we are both having a ball doing this. It is amazingly satisfying to do. And not bad work for a first go, even if i do say so myself.

The band have been ion the studio all week, getting the drum parts down for the Album.What a giggle!! Playing the songs we wrote over and over again at different tempos is a bit of a blast, we are now so tight as a band it is scary. I cant wait to get my guitar parts down!

I found out on Wednesday that Nicky, the lady who I am covering maternity leave for, will not be returning in her previous role. Which means barring any disasters, I should be made permanent PACS admin for Hawkes Bay. This is a major relief for me, as I like getting the extra 25 grand a year, and I like the job a lot. I feel for Nicky, as she was the boss from the inception of the PACS system, and has put her soul into the job, but we all make difficult choices, and all of us at some point come up against the truth that life is a compromise, and we can't have it all. I am very much aware that I owe my position to the pregnancies of vastly more suitable women, i will try to do as good a job as I can.

Still, Whoo hoo!!The last part of my good week? The realizatio that contrary to popular opinion worldwide, Americans can sense bullshit. The McCain/Palin ticket for POTUS is turning into the slowest, funniest political train wreck I can ever remember. Highlights "suspending the campain" for McCain to fix Washington. (even Republicans said he was a hinderance!) Palin's "you can see Russia from my house" answer to Couric on her Foriegn policy experience, and the debates, where the pundits think Palin exceeded expectations by being able to talk for the alloted time without sounding like a head injury victim. This is important to me because the POTUS has far more influence on my life that does the NZ Prime Minister.

Obama is a Social Capitolist (Not a Socialist, most Amercans wouldn't know socialism if it kicked them in the nuts) Obama is less worrying than mcCain because he appears to think before doing anything,and he appears to care that people are hurting. not just Wall Street, or even main Street, but ordinary working families, and those who are the most disadvantaged. Obama thinks before talking, whereas McCain seems to shoot from the lip. We need someone with a mind to lead what is still the worlds most powerful nation.

Also Spring is here. Horray!!

Be Good

blogcheeze

2008-09-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

1. Who was your FIRST prom date?
Didn't ever go to a Prom. I HATE dancing, and I can't cope with loud music. Especially 80's shit.

2. Who did you FIRST play Doctors and Nurses with? a Girl from across the road, and one from up the road. at the same time. I was 8 when I had my first threesome. Beat That!

3. Do you still talk to your FIRST love? Yes, I am married to her

4. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink? 4 cans of Breaker lager when I was 11. pissed, and I was very ill.

5. Who was your first kiss? "Now kiss as in peck or full on slobbering snog?" (This was Brit's addition, lol)

Some girl at a party, who I also felt up, and got a blow job off. Unfortunately, she gave be a BJ, in front of a picture window, where the entire party watched me get my rocks of, with the daughter of one of the Teachers of my mate's posh private school. Still makes me giggle when I think of it. hehehe

6. Who was the FIRST person to tell you they loved you? My Wife.

7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning? Jacqui, she had her hand on my nuts, so it was difficult to think of anything else.

8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher? Cant remember. I was taught in Cyprus in a Greek language school. i do remember I liked it there.

9. Whose heart did you break for the FIRST time? I hope I have never done that. Though my Wife nearly divorced me a few years ago, so I guess it was her. Didn't mean to. I can be thoughtless and I can't tell when people are unhappy. These days I check she isn't pissed at me once or twice a day, to be sure..

10. Who was your FIRST best friend and are you still friends with them? Andrew Stroud, Gareth Evans and Warren Weeracoon. Haven't seen either of the first 2 for 20 years. Warren for 4 years. Though to me, they are still friends.

11. What was your FIRST sport played? Rugby Union. Played at Hooker and Prop (Centre and Guard for you NFL fans) I wasn't much good.

12. Where was your FIRST sleep over? Chris Guererro. His mam was hot. He was a good bloke as well.

13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today? Jacqui, "your hand is on my testicles, I assume you are awake?"

14. Whose wedding were you in for the FIRST time? My auntie pat's. I was 7.

15. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning? breakfast, check mail. Actually, ask J why her hand was on my genitals.

16. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to? Marillion, Cardiff 1985. Still one of the best band I have ever seen live.

17. FIRST tattoo or piercing? None, dislike pain, especially the pain of my Dad kicking the shit out me for being a poof.

18. FIRST foreign country you went to for vacation? France. Great place, lovely people, fantastic food. Have made laziness a political movement. Genius.

19. What was your FIRST run in with the law? I stole a load of hubcaps and petrol caps from a local car dealership, and was picked up for vandalism. I was 9.

20. When was your FIRST detention? Got detention, told them to fuck off and went home. parents involved, feigned an illness, didn't go back for nearly a year. Still came 3rd in the class. No one ever asked why I hated school so much. Dumbasses.

21. What was the FIRST state you lived in? Terror.

22. Who was the FIRST person to break your heart? My Parents. Always felt that I was a disappointment to them. I was a weird little kid though. And a cissy

23. Who was your FIRST roommate? Never had one, Oh there was this time I got arrested for assault with a deadly weapon (no evidence, never charged) and my cellmate came in pissed and vomited over the floor. I pressed the buzzer, and they put a mattress over the pool of vomit and told me to get o with it. Thanks Neath/Port Talbot Police!!

24. Where did you go on your FIRST roller coaster ride? Oakwood park. With my son, who was 3. He coped better than me

25. Who will be the FIRST to re post this? Who cares?

Some Buddhist Philosophy

2008-09-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

"A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker."

Judge a man by his actions, not his words We all lie, but its harder to walk the walk than talk the talk.

"Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it."

Be engaged with everything you experience. being "too cool for school" is counterproductive, enthusiasm is contagious.

"The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart."

Your heaven, dreams, and purpose all exist within, not in the clutches of a divine external force.

"You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."

Instead of comparing how much or how little care and attention a person "deserves" each one of us should strive to give love without reserve - the more we give, the more we have.

"You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger."

No one suffers more from your anger than you, be patient, dickhead.

"To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as ones own in the midst of abundance."

Don't let what you have or want to have own you, because the path to freedom is renouncing attachment to anything which isn't truly yours.

"To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent."

Taking action and making a mistake is better than not taking action at all. Also keep mindful, keep your eye on the ball.

"A jug fills drop by drop."

You can bring attention to a desired goal, but don't expect to achieve it overnight. Each moment of conscious intention is a raindrop that will in time turn into a stream, and then a river flowing to its destination.

"There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting."

"The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground."

Your experiences are down to you, the object you experience itself has no characteristic that you do not impart upon it. Impure mind, impure world (Samsara). Pure mind, pure world (nirvana)

There are all interpretations of course. It would be great to hear some other interpretations too. Feel welcome to leave a comment.

Hello You all,

2008-09-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

A Mac for Mac

2008-09-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I have switched sides, and now own a iMac.

The bigger one as well, 26 inch or whatever. it looks big on my desktop, and now throws the rest of my computing furniture into sharp relief.

It has a lovely keyboard, So smooth and easy, it makes typing a pleasure. The screen is huge and shiny.

The operating system is taking some getting used to, for a confirmed right clicker like me, the lack of those options make me feel like i am missing an arm.

The OS looks pretty, and seems to work well. I was impressed by the set up, and my elderly printer just plugged straight in no dramas.

There are loads of interesting programs to explore over the next couple of weeks, and i am sure we will be getting on brilliantly in a month or so.

The reason I switched? Interest free credit.

So there you are then.

See ya

Benjamin Franklyn

2008-09-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

The Following was written by the great Benjamin Franklyn concerning "Indians"

Savages we call them, because their manners differ from ours, which we think the perfection of civility; they think the same of theirs.

Perhaps, if we could examine the manners of different nations with impartiality, we should find no people so rude, as to be without any rules of politeness; nor any so polite, as not to have some remains of rudeness.

The Indian men, when young, are hunters and warriors, when old, counselors; for all their government is by counsel of the sages; there is no force, there are no prisons, no officers to compel obedience, or inflict punishment. Hence they generally study oratory, the best speaker having the most influence. The Indian women till the ground, dress the food, nurse and bring up the children, and preserve and hand down to posterity the memory of public transactions. These employments of men and women are accounted natural and honorable. Having few artificial wants, they have abundance of leisure for improvement by conversation. Our laborious manner of life, compared with theirs, they esteem slavish and base; and the learning, on which we value ourselves, they regard as frivolous and useless. An instance of this occurred at the Treaty of Lancaster, in Pennsylvania, anno 1744, between the government of Virginia and the Six Nations (1. A confederation of Iroquois tribes: Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Mohawk, and Tuscarora.)

After the principal business was settled, the commissioners from Virginia acquainted the Indians by a speech, that there was at Williamsburg a college, with a fund for educating Indian youth; and that, if the Six Nations would send down half a dozen of their young lads to that college, the government would take care that they should be well provided for, and instructed in all the learning of the white people. It is one of the Indian rules of politeness not to answer a public proposition the same day that it is made; they think it would be treating it as a light matter, and that they show it respect by taking time to consider it, as of a matter important. They therefore deferred their answer till the day following; when their speaker began, by expressing their deep sense of the kindness of the Virginia government, in making them that offer; "for we know," says he, "that you highly esteem the kind of learning taught in those Colleges, and that the maintenance of our young men, while with you, would be very expensive to you. We are convinced, therefore, that you mean to do us good by your proposal; and we thank you heartily. But you, who are wise, must know that different nations have different conceptions of things; and you will therefore not take it amiss, if our ideas of this kind of education happen not to be the same with yours. We have had some experience of it; several of our young people were formerly brought up at the colleges of the northern provinces; they were instructed in all your sciences; but, when they came back to us, they were bad runners, ignorant of every means of living in the woods, unable to bear either cold or hunger, knew neither how to build a cabin, take a deer, or kill an enemy, spoke our language imperfectly, were therefore neither fit for hunters, warriors, nor counselors; they were totally good for nothing. We are however not the less obliged by your kind offer, though we decline accepting it; and, to show our grateful sense of it, if the gentlemen of Virginia will send us a dozen of their sons, we will take great care of their education, instruct them in all we know, and make men of them. "

Having frequent occasions to hold public councils, they have acquired great order and decency in conducting them. The old men sit in the foremost ranks that warriors in the next, and the women and children in the hindmost. The business of the women is to take exact notice of what passes, imprint it in their memories (for they have no writing), and communicate it to their children. They are the records of the council, and they preserve traditions of the stipulations in treaties 100 years back; which, when we compare with our writings we always find exact. He that would speak, rises. The rest observe a profound silence. When he has finished and sits down, they leave him 5 or 6 minutes to recollect, that, if he has omitted anything he intended to say, or has anything to add, he may rise again and deliver it. To interrupt another, even in common conversation, is reckoned highly indecent. How different this from the conduct of a polite British House of Commons, where scarce a day passes without some confusion, that makes the speaker hoarse in calling to order; and how different from the mode of conversation in many polite companies of Europe, where, if you do not deliver your sentence with great rapidity, you are cut off in the middle of it by the impatient loquacity of those you converse with, and never suffered to finish it!

The politeness of these savages in conversation is indeed carried to excess, since it does not permit them to contradict or deny the truth of what is asserted in their presence. By this. means they indeed avoid disputes; but then it becomes difficult to know their minds, or what impression you make upon them. The missionaries who have attempted to convert them to Christianity all complain of this as one of the great difficulties of their mission. The Indians hear with patience the truths of the Gospel explained to them, and give their usual tokens of assent and approbation; you would think they were convinced. No such matter. It is mere civility.

A Swedish minister, having assembled the chiefs of the Susquehanah Indians, made a sermon to them, acquainting them with the principal historical facts on which our religion is founded; such as the fall of our first parents by eating an apple, the coming of Christ to repair the mischief, His miracles and suffering, etc. When he had finished, an Indian orator stood up to thank him. "What you have told us," he says, "is all very good. It is indeed bad to eat apples. It is better to make them all into cider. We are much obliged by your kindness in coming so far, to tell us these things which you have heard from your mothers. In return, I will tell you some of those we have heard from ours. In the beginning, our fathers had only the flesh of animals to subsist on; and if their hunting was unsuccessful, they were starving. Two of our young hunters, having killed a deer, made a fire in the woods to broil some part of it.

When they were about to satisfy their hunger, they beheld a beautiful young woman descend from the clouds, and seat herself on that hill, which you see yonder among the blue mountains. They said to each other, it is a spirit that has smelled our broiling version, and wishes to eat of it; let us offer some to her. They presented her with the tongue; she was pleased with the taste of it and said, 'Your kindness shall be rewarded; come to this place after thirteen moons, and you shall find something that will be of great benefit in nourishing you and your children to the latest generations.' They did so, and, to their surprise, found plants they had never seen before; but which, from that ancient bme, have been constantly cultivated among us, to our great advantage. Where her right hand had touched the ground, they found maize; where her left hand had touched it, they found kidneybeans; and where her backside had sat on it, they found tobacco." The good missionary, disgusted with this idle tale, said, "What I delivered to you were sacred truths, but what you tell me is mere fable, fiction, and falsehood." The Indian, offended, replied, "My brother, it seems your friends have not done you justice in your education; they have not well instructed you in the rules of common civility. You saw that we, who understand and practice those rules, believed all your stories; why do you refuse to believe ours?"

When any of them come into our towns, our people are apt to crowd round them, gaze upon them, and incommode them, where they desire to be private this they esteem great rudeness, and the effect of the want of instruction in the rules of civility and good manners. "We have," say they, "as much curiosity as you, and when you come into our towns, we wish for opportunities of looking at you, but for this purpose we hide ourselves behind bushes, where you are to pass, and never intrude ourselves into your company."

Their manner of entering one another's village has likewise its rules. It is reckoned uncivil in traveling strangers to enter a village abruptly, without giving notice of their approach. Therefore, as soon as they arrive within hearing, they stop and hollow,("holler": cry out) remaining there till invited to enter. Two old men usually come out to them, and lead them in. There is in every village a vacant dwelling, called the stranger's house. Here they are placed while the old men go round from hut to hut, acquainting the inhabitants that strangers are arrived, who are probably hungry and weary; and every one sends them what he can spare of victuals, and skins to repose on. When the strangers are refreshed, pipes and tobacco are brought; and then, but not before, conversation begins, with inquiries who they are, whither bound, what news, etc.; and it usually ends with offers of service, if the strangers have occasion of guides, or any necessaries for continuing their journey; and nothing is exacted for the entertainment.

The same hospitality, esteemed among them as a principal virtue, is practiced by private persons; of which Conrad Weiser, our interpreter, gave me the following instances. He had been naturalized among the Six Nations, and spoke well the Mohawk language. In going through the Indian country, to carry a message from our Governor to the Council at Onondaga, he called at the habitation of Canassatego, an old acquaintance, who embraced him, spread furs for him to sit on, placed before him some boiled beans and venison, and mixed some rum and water for his drink. When he was well refreshed, and had lit his pipe, Canassatego began to converse with him; asked how he had fared the many years since they had seen each other; whence he then came; what occasioned the journey, etc. Conrad answered all his questions; and when the discourse began to flag, the Indian, to continue it, said, "Conrad, you have lived long among the white people, and know something of their customs; I have been sometimes at Albany, and have observed, that once in seven days they shut up their shops, and assemble all in the great house; tell me what it is for? What do they do there?" "They meet there," says Conrad, "to hear and learn good things." "I do not doubt," says the Indian, "that they tell you so; they have told me the same; but I doubt the truth of what they say, and I will tell you my reasons. I went lately to Albany to sell my skins and buy blankets, knives, powder, rum, etc. You know I used generally to deal with Hans Hanson; but I was a little inclined this time to try some other merchant. However, I called first upon Hans, and asked him what he would give for beaver. He said he could not give any more than four shillings a pound; 'but,'says he, 'I cannot talk on business now; this is the day when we meet together to learn good things, and I am going to the meeting.' So I thought to myself, 'Since we cannot do any business today, I may as well go to the meeting too,' and I went with him. There stood up a man in black, and began to talk to the people very angrily. I did not understand what he said; but, perceiving that he looked much at me and at Hanson, I imagined he was angry at seeing me there; so I went out, sat down near the house, struck fire, and lit my pipe, waiting till the meeting should break up. I thought too, that the man had mentioned something of beaver, and I suspected it might be the subject of their meeting. So, when they came out, I accosted my merchant. 'Well, Hans,' says 1, 'I hope you have agreed to give more than four shillings a pound.' 'No,' says he, 'I cannot give so much; I cannot give more than three shillings and sixpence.' I then spoke to several other dealers, but they all sung the same song,-three and sixpence,-three and sixpence. This made it clear to me, that my suspicion was right; and, that whatever they pretended of meeting to learn good things, the real purpose was to consult how to cheat Indians in the price of beaver. Consider but a little, Conrad, and you must be of my opinion. If they met so often to learn good things, they would certainly have learned some before this time. But they are still ignorant. You know our practice. If a white man, in traveling through our country, enters one of our cabins, we all treat him as I treat you; we dry him if he is wet, we warm him if he is cold, we give him meat and drink, that he may allay his thirst and hunger; and we spread soft furs for him to rest and sleep on; we demand nothing in return. But, if I go into a white man's house at Albany, and ask for victuals and drink, they say, 'Where is your money?' and if I have none, they say, 'Get out, you Indian dog.' You see they have not yet learned those little good things, that we need no meetings to be instructed in, because our mothers taught them to us when we were children; and therefore it is impossible their meetings should be, as they say, for any such purpose, or have any such effect; they are only to contrive the cheating of Indians in the price of beaver. "

It is a pity there weren't more of his ilk, then maybe the history of the American Natives and the Settlers would have been happier.

Dear Mr Blix....

2008-08-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

These Weapons of Mass Destruction cannot be displayed

The weapons you are looking for are currently unavailable. The country might be experiencing technical difficulties, or you may need to adjust your weapons inspectors mandate.

Please try the following:

Click the Regime change button, or try again later.

If you are George Bush and typed the country's name in the address bar, make sure that it is spelled correctly. (IRAQ).

To check your weapons inspector settings, click the UN menu, and then click Weapons Inspector Options. On the Security Council tab, click Consensus. The settings should match those provided by your government or NATO.

If the Security Council has enabled it, The United States of America can examine your country and automatically discover Weapons of Mass Destruction.
If you would like to use the CIA to try and discover them,
click Detect weapons

Some countries require 128 thousand troops to liberate them. Click the Panic menu and then click About US foreign policy to determine what regime they will install.

If you are an Old European Country trying to protect your interests, make sure your options are left wide open as long as possible. Click the Tools menu, and then click on League of Nations. On the Advanced tab, scroll to the Head in the Sand section and check settings for your exports to Iraq.

Click the Bomb button if you are Donald Rumsfeld.

Cannot find weapons or CIA Error
Iraqi Explorer

Bush went to Iraq to look for Weapons of Mass Destruction and all he found was this lousy T-shirt.

This page supports The Euston Manifesto.

We went out, I metaphor a drink.

2008-08-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

Just in case you need some writing inspiration. Every year, English teachers from across the USA can submit their collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays. These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across the country. Here are last year’s winners:

1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.

3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli, and he was room temperature Canadian beef.

5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.

8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife’s infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.

9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t.

10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.

11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you’re on vacation in another
city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30

12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.

14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.

15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan’s teeth.

16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.

18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

23. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.

25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

Be Good

Unwell

2008-07-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I am off work today as I feel like I have a hangover. The awful part is that I haven't had a drink since Friday, so that means I am unwell.

Symptoms? Well tiredness, headache, waves of nausea (though no vomiting as yet) and lack of appetite. For anything.

I hate being unwell. The only thing I dislike more is when those around me are unwell, as my spouse and the-fruit-of-my-loins have been for the last couple of days.

So as I have nothing better to do, some observations:

American political campaigns are NASTY!! trying to question the patriotism of someone who might lead the country n is something I have never seen in British or Kiwi politics. I wonder if the Obama camp will try to make out that McCain was just lazing around doing no work whilst he spent 7 years in that POW camp. Oh and Myk, I hope that its more civil at the local level.

We all love lists. Whenever I an cruising Digg, I inevitably end up on a list of the best or worst of something. Even if it is something I don't care about. But I am weird.

Dr Who ROCKS!! My son is hooked and now has to have our cat in his room at night to protect him against the Vashta Narada.

Am I a bad Dad for letting him watch something that gives him nightmares, even though he LOVES it? I don't think so. Fear is part of life, and you have to have a fear to conquer it.

Still, spring is on the way,and before we turn around it will be high summer, and Christmas.

I still haven't got used to warm Christmases.

Oh Well, be good

Let's Talk About Evolution!

2008-07-25T11:05:00.000-07:00

Hi,

If you read Digg.com, them every now and again you will come across articles that try to predict the way that we as a species are headed. Ecology, economic and scientific articles I read with interest, but they don't get me annoyed. The articles that piss me off are the ones about Evolution.

That there is evolution happening is not seriously in doubt, and that it has always happened is again a as near to a fact as can be. Those who disagree are Creationists, and therefore not open to debate.

Evolutionary theory is based on the premise that when an individual animal develops a trait which makes it more successful at passing its genetic characteristics on to the next generation, then over time this will lead to a change in the species as a whole as its genes spread.

Now, the characteristic must make the animal more likely to pass its genes on. It must make him or her a more successful mating and parenting unit. Her is where I get annoyed.

You will find some morons saying things like "As we evolve, we will become better able to use computers and multitask with technology and stuff" or ""Because we are all using PS3 controllers, our thumbs will evolve to make us better gamers, they will be bigger and more mobile"

Now, Genetic material in an individual (as far as we know) is fixed. People don't evolve, species do. So if you get good at playing video games, your skill will not be passed on to your offspring as a genetic trait. Sorry. Secondly, and without being offensive, your trait must make you attractive to the opposite sex and more likely for them to be a sexual partner over and above others of the same species. I.T. and gaming skills don't score high on the list of desirable traits for a lover. "I can configure your home network" .."Oh you stud, take me!, TAKE ME!" Not feasible eh?

In theory, the only genetic mutation which will be passed on by natural selection is one which makes the person with the trait more successful at mating, and producing children. Smallpox resilience is an obvious trait which gives you a mating advantage (you cant mate if you are dead).

I struggle to see how most of the stresses of modern life can be easily turned to a stimulus for genetic advantage.

From experience, it appears the inability to have any moral qualms about sexual fidelity, and not caring about being a father to you children, are two traits which allow more rapid and indiscriminate spreading of your genetic material.

So next time you are on a council sink estate, or an inner city project, look around and see the future of humanity.

The meak won't inherit the Earth, it will be the Chavs.

Be Good

Capitalism (we are all SCREWED MAN!!!)

2008-07-23T16:04:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Economic climate is a bit crap eh? It seems whenever you turn on the TV, or open a newspaper (well, one without breasts on page 3) it will tell you tales of some company or other which is going down the tubes. This is A Bad Thing, people loose jobs, their savings, their homes and before you know it you have 'buddy, spare a dime?'

But there is an upside, some of us are insulated from the woes and pain, our money secure, our homes safe and employment just around the corner. These people are the bosses. The fund managers, the chief execs and chairmen. The people whose fast and loose accounting and business practices have landed the other 99.99% of us in the shit.

When Robert Maxwell died, and the full horror of what he and his board (ie his sons) had done, the courts were hard. They froze the assets of the family, and would only allow 'reasonable expenses'. These expenses amounted to £5000 a week, on top of living expenses, which included 1st class air travel. Because that's what he was used to. Never mind that he was only able to afford to live in that lifestyle because he had stolen the pensions funds of his workers, who might earn £1000 per month. Oh No.

Hanover Finance is in difficulties, this means that many of the people who invested in this company will not get their cash back. The guy who owns the company? He is fine, its 'limited' see? No comebacks. He is protected by 'regulations'. It makes me smile when free marketeers ignore the free labour market (i.e.unions) and people who hate 'red tape' but cling to it, if it is whats stopping them going to the poor house.

If you run a deregulated economy, you turn businesses into protection rackets and businessmen into crooks and loan sharks. If you really want to deregulate, you have to remove the regulations which protect the businessman as well as the investor, so if they screw up, they loose everything first. That might make them think twice before they make unacceptable risks with our money.

Capitalism is the least-worst way to run an economy, but that doesn't mean we cant make it better. You need regulations, because it has been shown time and again that you can't trust people not to be greedy.

Be Good

Politics For Eeejits

2008-07-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

Politics. Fucked if I know what all the fuss is about personally. We have an election in NZ, there is one in the USA at some point and the Brits join the party at some point. So as a public service I have decided to do a quick Politics for Dummies.

Liberals

Bizarrely enough for the Americans amongst us, the Liberal tradition includes both the Conservatives (Republicans/Tories) and the Democrats(Labour/Social Democrats).

Whats the difference? The Conservatives tend to believe that the individuals if left alone will better themselves if left alone, and the Left believe that the disadvantaged need the help of the State (everyone who is better off) to not be poor and stuff. Both believe in Democracy, the rule of law and the rights of the individual against the wishes of the majority. The difference is in emphasis not philosophy.

Communitarian

This lot believe that the majorities wishes take precedence, that society as whole is better placed to tell people what is right for us all. Therefore the most famous communitarian party had "Socialist" in its title, The National Socialist Party of Germany (Nazi). Every time someone tells you that you behaviours is wrong because it offends societies norms, that is a Fascist or Nazi statement.

Socialist/Communist

This lot believe that all wealth should be held in common, for the good of all. It's position that anyone who turns a profit at someone else expense is basically a slave owner sounded good to the poor and rootless. Everyone is equal, no one is the boss of you. It had one drawback, It was bullshit. It took nearly 100 years to figure that in this system, people were just as fucked as if they were in a Nazi dictatorship.

Anarchist

Everyone is the boss, no government, little committees make all the decisions at local level. Hmmm. That one didn't work either.

Dictatorships

One guy in charge, with a loy of guys backing him up, they have guns, you don't. Even if you do, their guns are bigger. Basically keep you head down and you might see your kids grow up. Nice

Libertarians

Leave us alone, like anarchy but without all that touchy feely concern for you neighbours. Sounds good, but read Hobbes and he hits the nail on the head. Give it a bit of time and your Libertarians will end up living in a dictatorship. Why? Biggest Dog is the Boss, and it is a fair bet that you are not the biggest dog. Most of these guys live in Montana, and think being White makes them superior and some such shite. Wankers.

There has never been a popular revolution against a Democracy. Another observation, belief in the power of the unfettered individual and the belief that Governments should keep out of your private stuff does not make you a baby eating Fascist, and concern for the underprivileged don't make you a communist bleeding heart evil America hating pot smoking scumbag.

So please, during the political season, lay off the insults.

Be Good

Back In The UK-The Final Chapter

2008-07-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

Hi,

So after the brilliance of Bruce we had 10 days to go until the plane back home, and we spent it doing what we actually went back to the UK for, seeing Family, Friends and people that we love.

So there is little to talk about really.

My mates Gary, Leighton and their Families are as great as they ever were. My own Family are lovely (Even when they argue) my old mates at The Princess of Wales Hospital are awesome and the UK is not the best place for any of them. Its in NZ, Napier to be exact. They agree with me, but they don't seem to be here so they can't agree with me that much. Oh well, never mind eh?

I didn't get to see Leeds play, due to an unfortunate mess up on the last week, so it was with mixed emotions that I got on the 27 hour flight to come home. My time in the UK told me that, whatever advantages we have in a big country like Britain (no sniggering at the back Americans) the downside is too steep for me to countenance returning.

The downside is that apart from my mates, and cheap electronics, and Bruce once every 4 years there is nothing there for me. Sad really.

So what did we gain? My Son is now an avid Dr Who fan, and he has seen the wonder of on demand free TV (BBCi player, which we can't get in NZ! Damn you BBC!) I got cool stuff for my Birthday, and a £5 haircut from David's in Neath. Plus 2 pairs of glasses for £100 sweet! Ieuan got lots of Games for the X-Box, and Jacqui has had a reminder that 4 Adults into 1, 2 bedroom house doesn't go.

I have always felt like a foreigner, so I suppose I am happier being foreign in a land that is foreign to me than feeling foreign in a land where I am supposed to be at home. Weird eh? but so am I. So that's OK then I suppose.

Back to pontificating about stuff I can't change soon, until then be good

Back in the UK (Bruce)

2008-07-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

Hi,
I like Bruce Springsteen. I was introduced to "Tha Boss" by my mate Gary, who is a massive Springsteen fan, and has been forever. I like him because he is just one of the greatest lyricists and songwriters there has ever been. So when Gary got me a ticket to see him in Cardiff for my 40th, I was like a dog with 2 cocks.

My enthusiasm was tempered by the knowledge that Gary was ill. Not dying ill, but in a shed load of pain continuously kind of ill. He promised me that he wouldn't miss the Boss for the world, and that Gary Me and Andy (good bloke) would be together screaming ourselves hoarse like 2 teenage girls.

It didn't work out like that. Gary was unable to be the third man here. All I can say is that he must be in a lot of pain.

So we roped my Brother-In -Law in tow and off we went.
I am not going to give a blow by blow here. Needless to say the experience bordered on the religious. Only spoiled slightly by drunk people talking during the show.

Surprisingly, it wasn't like the ear bleedingly load shows I have seen in the past (Metallica and Iron Maiden where really loud) but it was the best musically.

The guy is a star, and a one off.

Gary furnished me with the entire back catalogue, and I have been driving everyone nuts by playing it in work and the car. Do I care? Not really.

In parting, if you get the chance to see Bruce Springsteen in concert, just do it. You might surprise yourself

Be Good

Back In the UK (Part 2)

2008-07-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

Hi,
The first week of my sojourn back to the UK was taken up with seeing friends and family. It is amazing how much time is taken up by visits when you have 4 years to catch up on, and how quickly that you are back on the terms you left on. It was as if I hadn't been away, which made it feel kind of other worldly, as if I was dreaming the entire episode.

On the first Friday we took a trip up to Glastonbury with Jamie, by brother in law, to see his girlfriend and spend a day at hippie central, which was superb. THis is us at the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey. THe monks were slaughtered by Henry VIII, they disagreed with his opinion that he was head of the Church of England

This is in the grounds of Wells Cathedral. Ieuan found a friendly cat to hassle.

Jamie managed to get us back home in time to be picked up by Susan for an overnighter at my mate Leighton's house. His 4 kids we always very close to Ieuan, and nothing had changed there. A real great night.

We stayed over on the Saturday at my parents. My Father had a run in with Prostate Cancer last year, so it was great to have a social occasion with myself, the family and some close childhood friends. Half way through the night we had a phone call, that my Mother in Law had slipped whilst playing Cricket on the beach, and had broken her leg.

THe next day we went up to see my brother Des and his new wife for a BBQ. Ieuan liked Des' dogs, a pair of Mastiffs by the names of Molly and Bailey. Here is Molly with Ieuan, myself and Des are in the background.

Now this was a pain for her, sure, but for us it was almost as irritating. We were all going to go to London for a 4 day trip on the Monday, so I had to cancel her and my Father in Law's rooms. As it was, there was no drama, and we went u[p anyway. The trip was done on the cheap, staying at a travelodge in the City of London (about $160 a night USD) and going to the Museums of Natural History, Science the V&A and the Imperial War Museum, Lambeth.

Each one of these museums you could skim in a day, but to really enjoy the first 3 would take a couple of days each. The Imperial War Museum is on 4 sites in London, so each one would take a good half day each I think. Need less to say we had a great time, if very tiring. Best of all, it was all free! I am a skinflint.

The Natural History Museum itself is one of the most beautiful and impressive bits of Victorian neo-gothic architecture in existence. It was designed as a Cathedral to Nature, and it is awesome. There is so much within it which is both awesome and beautiful, I cant express how wonderful a place it is. This is the Diplodocus that stands in the Great Hall, with myself and Ieuan beneath it.

The Science Museum is a place where a nerd like me can be lost for days. There is a hall of space which contains the actual Apollo 10 capsule, plus a Saturn 5 motor and a load of other cool stuff.

The hall of aviation has a Vickers Vimy WW1 bomber, plus a Hurricane and Spitfire, and a Bf 109 Messerscmidt.

The Victoria & Albert Museum contains basically the best examples of stuff humans have made, be that fine art (there are numerous pieces by Rodain, Turner, Constable and Rembrandt) or wrought ironwork. THere are hall dedicated to Chinese, Islamic, African artifacts (plus many, many more) and it has within it some of the most beautiful examples of just how awesome humans can be when they put their minds to it. I found it quite overwhelming.

Ieuan found that his feet were falling off, so this is him in the central courtyard of the V&A

The Imperial War Museum brings you back to earth with a resounding thud. I have always found it ironic that some of the most ingenious and beautiful things humans have ever made are designed to murder people. The displays of WW1 and 2 are sobering, and the display on the Holocaust and crimes against humanity were enough to chill the soul of any man with an ounce of fellow feeling in him.

THis is Ieuan with a "Tommy Cooker" (That's what the Germans nicknamed the Sherman, because it caught fire a lot, and was hard to get out of), and in the cockpit of a Lancaster heavy bomber, where my cousin Des served as a navigator in WW2

We arrived back on the Thursday, tired but happy. I received a call from my mate Gary telling me that he wasn't well enough to attend the Bruce Springsteen concert on Saturday, which was a bit of bad news. But more of that next time

Be Good

Back in the UK, part 1

2008-07-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Well we have been back in NZ for 2 whole days, and I am jet lagged to hell, which is why I am writing this at 5am.

First, the flight. I got on in Auckland, and was immediately impressed by the aircraft, (an Airbus A340-500, for the plane nerds out there), and the airline (Emirates, fly them if you get the chance). I was less impressed by the whining kid that kept me awake, but there you go. You cannot get bored, at your fingertips are over 400 albums, 100 movies and numerous TV shows, all on demand. Stunning.

We stopped off at Dubai, and I have to say Dubai International is the most impressive airport I have ever been in, O'Hare was good, but the terminal looks like it was designed by an Arab Xzibit. BLING CENTRAL!

We then flew (Boeing 777, nice) to Birmingham, UK. I had a very nice Arab family sitting next to me, who had 5 kids, all impeccably behaved, when they weren't being unbelievably cute. The 2nd youngest took a shine to me, which he expressed by painting my arm with tomato sauce.

I drove from the airport to my home, which was scary, I had forgotten how crowded and fast the roads in the UK were. We arrived safe and sound.The first week was taken up by seeing the family and friends I had so missed, and it was beautiful. My nieces and my friends kids are growing so fast it is daft. I had a lovely welcome from my mates.

We were staying at my Father in laws house, and I was using his car. He has a van for his works, so it wasn't too onerous for him, but thanks all the same. My son discovered that you can view TV on demand in the UK using the BBCi player, and Dr Who, so in the 4 weeks we were there he watched every episode we could.

Well that enough for now. I will write about London, broken legs and beer next time.

Be Good

Its Better to Travel....

2008-05-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Well its been 3 years and 8 months since I left the shores of the "united" Kingdom and headed for a better life in New Zealand, and now I am heading back for a holiday. 4 weeks to remind myself of my family, my mates and drink in the things I most miss about living in Swansea. Which are my Family and my Mates actually. Oh, and the drink!

We are traveling on one half empty suitcase. The 3 of us, which I believe is a record. This is because we will need all the space I can get for food and stuff that expats have asked us to return with (Walkers Chicken crisps? Malt loaf? M&S underwear? Elite Bass strings?).

I am seeing Bruce Springsteen in Cardiff, and Leeds beat Castleford, and I am having a party on the 20th at Neath Athletic RFC. (Everyone is invited. If you fancy a nighht in the metropolis of Neath, e mail me)

What I am not looking forward to is 27 hours on a plane. But there you go. I am also looking forward to decent commercial free TV

Smoke me a kipper, i'll be back for breakfast

Be Good

Childern growing up old friends growing older...

2008-05-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I don't know how many of you out there have Facebook, but I do. I am not a particular fan of it, as I don't see the point of getting fairy wings or being a time-lord or some such rubbish, but a load of my old mates and family are on there so I am.

I clicked a few of the guys this morning to say hi, and I checked out a couple of photographs. Kids I remember playing with Lego are now handsome young men and beautiful young women. People I remember as hot 20 somethings are now resembling their parents.

I looked in the mirror this morning and a tired looking, greying old man looked back at me "Soft in the middle, and the rest of my life is so hard" Mind you, I am ill at the moment. A cold if you must know (but I suspect dengue fever (I also woke with an increadibly painful wrist, which means I am typing this left handed)).

I have never chased youth. I am not one of these 40 year old who wishes he was 27 again. (Actually I wouldn't mind getting my 27 year old body back, but that's just time and hard work) and I believe that I am a better man now than I have been before. I just wish that time would stand still, and stop messing with me.

I also know that one day I will write this blog, substituting parents for grandparents, and children for grandchildren and eventually one day I won't write no more, and neither will anyone I read and enjoy. That seems a waste to me, but that more that likely is just egocentric arrogance.

There is no point to this post, I have a sore neck, a painful wrist, and I don't want to grow up. Thanks for listening.

(ps well done if you got the numerous Rush references through out this blog)

The Joy of Giving....(and why tipping makes me cringe)

2008-05-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys,
One of the most rewarding things you can do is giving. Whether that is time, gifts or cash, to give to a deserving cause gives me a wonderful feeling.

As an example, when I returned from the USA on Saturday, I was greeted by my 11 year old son Ieuan. Now I love this kid more than my life, and I really like making him happy. So when on this little trip I bought him a Chicago Bears jersey with Brian Urlachers name on the back, and a PSP.

I showed him the shirt, and he was chuffed, then I handed him the PSP and said, "put this over there will you kiddo?" He took it from my hand, not realising what I had given him.

Then he looked down, and I thought his face would peel off from the grin he had on his face. Honestly, he couldn't speak properly because he was smiling so much.

That is why I like giving, the reaction you get in return, the joy of knowing that someone really loves you at that moment. Its even better with Ieuan, because I know that if I didn't buy him anything, he would still love me as much. He is a little star.

Now knowing that, you think I would like tipping, but it gives me the hebbie-jeebies. You see, in my job you cannot accept gifts at all, and I would feel insulted if someone were to offer me a tip for doing my job, because my level of care and professionalism does not, and never will depend on how much cash I am paid for doing my work.

As well as this, giving a tip seems to me like bribery on my part, and begging on the part of the receiver. Now when in the UK, if I had gone out for a meal, if the service was good, and the food good, I tipped. I feel that good service deserves reward, and I am grateful for good food, but tipping is not regarded as either compulsory or even expected in the UK, so the people who received the tip were often genuinely pleased with the tip.

However in the USA, tipping is a part of the meal, just like tax. In fact in one place I went to, it was added to the bill "for my convenience". Hmm..cheeky tossers.

I do know that these guys are paid a crap wage, and they live on their tips. But I would say, charge more on the food, pay your staff better, then I will be happy to tip, knowing it is neither expected or compulsory, and the receiver of my tip knows it is a genuine expression of my appreciation, and not just a reflex action.

Of course, I tipped freely for the reason I gave above, and so that I didn't appear cheap. I am so vain.

Been around the World ayeyeye...

2008-05-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

Well, to Australia and the USA at least.

What an eye opener. Australia was interesting. In comparison to NZ, it felt old. The buildings reminded me of Cardiff (except hotter), and the town was nice. Sydney was bigger, and a bit more anonymous. Though the Opera house is beautiful, and the restaurant we went to in Darling harbour was ace.

The USA was a giggle. We arrived after 12 hours in LAX. What a dump, really dishevelled looking and tatty. The immigration guy was a laugh mind, he said "You going to Chicago?" I said I was "My condolences" Which was nice.

We caught the plane to Chicago, arriving after nightfall. The city stretched out below us mile in every direction, it was quite a lovely and awesome sight.

O'Hare gets my vote for World's best airport (I have been to). Apart from the great amenities and clean airy buildings the people were great, genuinely pleasant to talk to. We stayed in the Raddison O'Hare overnight, then flew on to Rochester.

O'Hare is the busiest airport in the world, and to look back and see 10-20 aircraft in mid air was just surreal.

Rochester is a good little town of a million people, though it looks like the city needs a cash injection, or at least some of it. Everyone here was great, including the store clerk who tried to convince me that my son would be better off with a Bills shirt than Urlachers' Bears jersey. I bought the Bears top, and a Cubs baseball shirt. I figure a side that hasn't won a world series in 100 plus years needs my support.

After the viewing of the gear, we flew back to LA, and I was dragged down to the Chinese theatre and all that jazz. I thought it was tacky, sordid and a bit sad really, watching people dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow offering to get their photo with you, for a little bit of cash.

I must say I did not like LA.

I rode the subway through Watts and Compton, and saw the state of those particular neighbourhoods, and then we drove through some really expensive real estate, complete with barred windows and razor wire on the gates, and I thought, if those poor guys in South Central were less poor, you rich tossers could have windows you can see out of.

Roll on an Obama Presidency I say.

I also sampled a few beers, all local, all good. Met some nice people, and one or two tossers (Hello LAX check in staff! Hope you get something unpleasant you surly wankers) And saw a lot of the US in not a lot of time. I would go back to Chicago in a shot, but LA you can have boys and girls.

So after another 13 hours I arrived back home to Napier, and I am so glad I don't do this very often. Ieuan love the shirt, and I love the fact that he loves it. The US is a great place (in parts) and full of good people. I would be happy to go back there, though LA I will miss

Thanks for listening

Hurricane Katrina and the Marshall Plan

2008-03-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Last night I watched a program called "Dirty Jobs, with Mike Rowe" I like this program a hell of a lot, mostly because Mike is so likable, but last night I was more horrified than most.

Mike was in New Orleans, helping a bunch of people clean up after hurricane Katrina. He was with a demolition crew gutting hoses for refurbishment, with a rodent control crew and finally Mosquito eradication.

Now the area Mike was visiting were a mess. No they were more than a mess, they were cockroach and mouse infested stinking pile of wood and mud and these guys were making them habitable. What stuck me was that these were not slums, these houses were good homes, in good areas with garages and swimming pools.

What struck me was that this is nearly 2 years post Katrina.

After the second world war, Europe was reconstructed in around 5-7 years by the Marshall plan. A brilliant piece of statesmanship by Harry Truman where the USA paid for the reconstruction of Europe.

Now the money was loaned, (In fact, the UK made the last repayment last year!) and the majority of the money was spent on American goods and services. The USA benefited greatly from this plan, not only directly in goods and trade bought by Marshal plan money, but in the creation of markets for US goods, and most of all, in political capital.

But that is the point. Everyone benefited. There were no losers.

In comparison to the second world war, Katrina was a sneeze, a minor hiccough. The US spends trillions of dollars on a pointless war, and your own citizens wait over 2 years to have the filth washed from their homes from a natural disaster.

Why was there no Marshall plan for Louisiana? Doesn't the Government owe a debt of honour to keep the citizens of the South protected? Is it because no one cares? I just want to know how the people of California feel, if there is another huge Earthquake, do you have faith in your Politicians?

Of course, ultimately its the people who are responsible for the actions of your politicians. If they are not doing their job, make them. If you can't be bothered. well prey you never suffer a Katrina in your area.

What do you know?

2008-03-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Its been a while I know, I haven't had the inclination or the time to write, and this has been because my life has been, well, interesting.

When I became a Radiographer in 1990, the life wasn't interesting really. Oh don't get me wrong, the day to day stuff is always stimulating, and get me in the right mood, and I have got a million stories of the heart stopping stupidity and brilliance of the people I share the planet with, but basically we take x-rays.

That is basically it.

Well, not any more. You see over the last 15 years, Radiology has got all "high tech" and "computery". We no longer use film, we image using magnetic fields of mind blowing power, we image using radioactive indictable materials, and we use ultrasound. We also use all of these things together in interesting and varied ways. Also, we now produce literally thousand's of images per exam. These are all stored electronically.

Which brings me to my job.

I am the PACS Administrator for Hawkes Bay District Health Board. I was stepped down from the Charge Radiographer role in favour of my new boss, who I call "Boss" or Paula, (I am convinced this was the right choice, having worked with her for the last month), and now I do all the "techy" stuff. Which I love, being Aspergers (and capable of concentrating on a task without a break for 6+hours) I am suited for it.

But the thing with hi tech equipment, is it costs a lot of money. Someone has to choose the gear we buy, and that is me (supported by my clinical team, who I have a sneaking feeling actually do all the work whilst I take the glory). In order to choose new gear, I have to see it, which means I go to where it is installed and operating.

Which means next month I am going (with 2 other clinical team members) on an expenses paid trip to Melbourne, Adelaide and (drum roll) Rochester, in upstate New York!!!!!!!

To say I am excited about this trip is a bit of an understatement!! I have never been to the USA, and to be taken there, business class to a hospital 60 miles from Niagara Falls is a bit of a fantastic stroke of luck.

I haven't been to Oz either, but I am not so excited about that one. They have spiders and snakes and things....Ewwww!

Oh, it will be work, and it will be knackering, and I will be an ambassador for my employer and everything..

But I still am counting the days. Watch out America! The Redcoats are coming!! (Actually my coat is brown suede leather, but that hasn't got such a ring to it)

Be Good

Underdogs

2008-02-03T15:27:00.000-08:00

Hi,

Everyone like a winner, right? Well, not me.

You see the fact that a person wins or loses doesn't really impress me much. If you were to create the worlds best Soccer team for example, then the fact that they could beat all comers is not that big a deal.

They should do it, with all the personnel at their disposal.

What I like is when the "worst" team wins, the underdogs. But their win must not because of luck, because luck confers no moral standing. If someone has the greatest luck streak on record, they could win the world series of Poker, but they wouldn't deserve to. The underdogs must be deserving winners, outplaying the opposition, putting their bodies on the line, and wanting it more. Ali beating Forman is one that springs to mind, Grahame Obree winning the cycle pursuit in the Olympics, England winning the Ashes with Botham almost singlehandedly destroying the Aussies, and I have just seen 2 great examples.

First Wales beating England in Rugby at Twickenham for the first time in 20 years. Wales are always underdogs, we, that is the Welsh, are outnumbered by the English by 30 to 1and yet we still have the insane belief that each year we can win, so when it happens it is sweet.

I apologise to my English friends, I hold no malice to the Sais, but its just lovely to win and shut your poxy press up for a week or so.

I have also just watched as New York Giants beat the Pats. Regarded as the best team of all time by some, the Pats are superb in all areas of the game, and are absolutely ruthless on the pitch, but today they were beaten by the better performing team. The performance of the Defensive unit of the Giants, and by the much maligned quarterback, Eli Manning, was truly amazing.

Congrats to Big Blue, they were deserved victors.

S[port is wonderful because of these events, where the little guy pulls one out of the bag. That's why we watch

And to all those weekend Pats fans, that bought the jersey on Wednesday to wear to the party......I'll buy them off you, 10 buck a piece (that's NZ dollars)

Be Good

Who would want to be Queen?

2008-01-19T08:55:00.000-08:00

Hi,

I am British, and this means that I nominally pledge allegiance to the Queen.

Even though I have been a Republican since I was old enough to think, the actual idea of a politician as the person I pledge allegiance to fills me with the heeby-jeebies.

I mean, the Americans pledge to the flag, and the constitution (although some right wing types have a problem understanding that), and the Irish elect a really nice looking lady between 35-50, which I am all in favour of, but we would get President Thatcher!!.

So we have the Queen, and her job is to embody Britain, hence the slightly constipated look, the silly hats and the kids you would want to give a good slap to.

All you need is the youngest to be caught drunk and disorderly insulting a waiter... oh yeah.

They really are British.

Anyway, earlier last week Sir Edmond Hilliary died. He is the fella who climbed Everest, and was a really good fella apparently, never knew him, never will now.

Over in NZ he is an icon, and would more than likely have been President if such a post was open (now it would be Colin Meads or Buck Shellford, but I digress).

His funeral is on Tuesday, and the Queen will not be coming. This has caused a row over here as "her next official engagement isn't until Thursday" and therefore "she should be here"

Well, let me see, its a 2 day flight to NZ, and 2 days back. Do these people think that such a journey is easy? I have done it, and it wrecks you for a week afterwards. I was 36 when I travelled, and the Queen is considerably older than I, and a round trip to NZ might wreck the old girl.

What did he do anyway? No ones life was saved, no one got richer, the world wasn't treated to a new and amazing scientific discovery. A couple of guys climber higher than anyone else. Well Done, but "?"

This is also indicative of the funny attitude NZ has to the world. It may shock everyone, but no one cares about NZ, which is why I am here. It is not on the Radar of British consciousness. The last time there was a news story shown in the UK about NZ that wasn't connected to Rugby was when they found a really woolly sheep, and that was a really slow news day.

NZ is a backwater, which is the highest recommendation I can give it. This place is a paradise, and no one else cares about it.

Lovely.

But because a lady in a nice hat wont make a 12000 mile round trip in 4 days to see a bloke who liked climbing to places where no one will ever build a bar, they want to lynch her, and become a Republic!

Carry on, I say, But don't come crying to me when we get President Clark!

Why Dictators Go Mad

2008-01-01T07:16:00.000-08:00

Hi,
THis last year has been one of the most satisfying in my career. For those who don't know, I am a Radiographer, we are the guys and girls that make the pretty pictures so the nice people in blue pajamas can fix you, and stop you dying. Scans, x-rays and stuff.
Well, this last year has seen me go from shop floor to acting up in charge.This has been nice, and a long time coming, and I am not complaining, oh no.
But there have been some things I haven't got my head around yet..
Like, why do people think it is acceptable to give me advice, well meaning no doubt, but quite forcefully in the middle of the staffroom, where I can't reply without being unprofessional? .
And why do people ask me a question whilst I am eating? Am I not allowed to eat?
I also can't get used to being observed, every time I do something, all eyes are on me, watching for the signs that I am either a megalomaniac in waiting or am unable to make to jump to charge.
Oh and that's one of the great little pearls of wisdom I have been told, (whilst drinking my tea and trying to have a break from the job) You have to grow into the role of manager, but don't change...
How??? What do they want from me!!!
It's enough to make me scream, honestly! I didn't ask for this, I was asked!
It seems my fellow workers have overnight adopted the get-your-retaliation-in-first attitude, and that they expect me to become this distant dictator figure, someone they can all hate, the enemy.
That hurts, honestly I have always gone out of my way to help anyone I can, and I rarely ask for a favour in return. I though that people might remember who I was, but some haven't it appears.
So now I have experienced this side of them, I don't really know if I would feel comfortable rejoining them as a co worker. Which is really sad, as I like my job.
So if I don't get the permanent charge job, then I will have to think about what I want from my career, and from my working life.
I have learned a lot in the 3 weeks I have been doing this, and once you learn something, you can't really un learn it, can you?
Ah Well...
Be Good, and have a happy New Year

Be Glad You are not Married To Me!!

2007-12-29T15:17:00.000-08:00

Picture the scene, Sunday morning, Its a beautiful day outside, birds in trees, no clouds etc.

*Mike gives a sigh*

Jacqui: "Whassup?"

Mike: "Oh, nothing. Just the sudden realization that I am mortal, and will one day die"

Jacqui "???!!!"

Women of the World, give thanks to Jacqui, from sparing one of your number this fate...

Be Good

Be Glad You are not Married To Me!!

2007-12-29T15:14:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, have a pay rise!

2007-12-14T05:45:00.000-08:00

Hi,

Y'know how when you pull a brick on piece of elastic, nothing happens then you get a face full of brick?

Well.....

I have worked as a Radiographer at Hawkes Bay for 3 and a half years. In that time I have done what I consider to be "the job", in other words, a lot more that is written on my position profile.

I have always thought that you get out of any job what you put in, so whenever any opportunity came up to do a bit extra, I did.

This started with Health and Safety stuff, then departmental documentation, then some computer stuff etc.

My role changed from a basic "MRT" (Medical Radiation Technologist) to MRT (PACS superuser) PACS is the system we have for storing and retrieving digital images, to MRT Angiographer (cardiac) PACS Superuser.

All good clean fun. Job became bigger, but more rewarding. Pay didn't really go up much, but that really wasn't a concern. I could feed my family, and I don't believe in chasing the dollar.

Anyway, my PACS boss gets pregnant,(thanks Jack) and I take on her role in February for initially 6 months. Which feels like a vindication for the extra I put in. Lovely!!

Then my manager resigns. This I am pissed off with, because I really like working for her, and I will miss her input and stuff.

Then...

The Manager (acute services) and clinical head of my department ask me to apply!! and I am "acting up" until the job has been decided on!!!!

This is nice, if terrifying..

So in a 3 month period I go from MRT to Charge MRT (acting) which is a 75% increase in pay!!!!

So I bought an xbox 360, and tickets to go back to the UK to see the olds..

There is no guarantee that this post is going to be mine. I would be surprised if it was, in which case I go back to PACS administrator (acting), and there is no guarantee that THAT role will not go (if the PACS admin comes back after her baby full time)...

So in 8 months I could be back where I started.

Not really, because as long as I do the absolute best I can in whatever role I am allocated, I will have gained a shedload of experience..

I also have the knowledge that my Big Boss thinks that I candle these roles, even if only temporarily..

Which is a real pat on the back, and that is nice

Be Good

Teddy Bears and Hidden Agendas

2007-12-04T06:32:00.000-08:00

Hi,
It never ceases to amaze me how really stupid people are. You may have heard about the Brit schoolteacher working in Sudan who managed to become embroiled in a diplomatic shit storm after getting arrested for insulting Islam.

Her Crime? Allowing her school class to name a teddy bear Mohamed.

Now the Muslim takes the graven image thing much more seriously than does the average Christian. You cannot paint God. The reason is that God said not to in one of the 10 commandments. You also cannot make a representation of Mohamed, in case it gets worshipped. In fact, in many Muslim cultures you are forbidden to paint any living thing, or naturalistic environment.

This is why in many Islamic countries their artwork is based on geometry and calligraphy. (And beautiful it is too). To a non-Christian, the puzzling thing is why Christan's tend to ignore this prohibition, rather why the Muslims follow it, but I digress.

Naming a teddy bear Mohamed is wrong under the strict interpretation of Sharia law that they follow in the Sudan. But here is where I lose the thread. The Teacher didn't name the bear, her pupils did. Now I am not suggesting that the children be punished, but what about their parents? Surely they are responsible for the religious teaching of their kids? If not the kids parents, who did teach them? Their Imam? Jail him!

The kids took a poll, so it wasn't one rogue apostate. It was most of them. If this was such a terrible insult, why didn't these kids know? I mean, if a Christan kid wanted to name the class hamster "Satan, destroyer of worlds" I am sure there would be a little murmur of dissension? So whats going on.

The teacher worked in a school where the pupils were mixed Christian and Muslim. Sudan is a country where the north is Muslim, the south Christian, and they hate each other with a passion. they have had wars and stuff, and there is at the moment a very uneasy peace. There is another thread. The British used to run the Sudan.

There is always someone who prefers conflict to peace. If you are an empty, soulless shit head, there is a happy glow from hatred that fills the hole where the love should be. I would try to feel pity for these people, but I cannot be bothered to try. Nothing makes these type of people happier that having someone to despise. In Zimbabwe, their asshole of a President manages to cling to power buy telling the people that Britain is sabotaging the economy, and wants to regain control, giving his people the unseen, external enemy that every tyrant needs. In Sudan the enemy is Britain and Christan's.

Enter a British, Christan teacher working in a school trying to reconcile the warring factions who made the mistake of allowing her pupils to make a minor gaffe over the naming of a teddy bear. So why do you thing she was arrested?

She is home now, after British Muslims protested vigorously at the injustice. In fact, every single other Muslim country condemned this act of stupidity. Though in Sudan, some people wanted her killed, but what are you gonna do? There are assholes everywhere

A Night on The Ocean Wave

2007-11-19T06:53:00.000-08:00

Hi,
It is a shock, but Christmas is around the corner! I still have yet to get used to it being hot and sunny in November, and my psychology still isn't in a festive mood.
So it was with some confusion that I went on our departmental Christmas outing. Collinda, our resident Nuclear Medicine boss and all round good egg, organised us to go out on a jet powered catamaran onto the bay, and have a meal, a dance and a drink.
It was a blast. Because of some creative fundrasing, there was a 400 dollar bar tab, for 20 of us. Stunning!
And the views from the boat of the absolutely gorgeous Hawkes Bay made the award winning Matariki Chennin Blanc swill down with aplomb.
Fantastic!!
Then food was up, it was a buffet affair, but it hit the spot and now to the dance floor.
Less Good!!
Because I don't dance. Even whilst drunk I can't dance. I am aware that I am a 39 year old straight white male, which precludes me from any grace. I am also short, and "stocky", so grace quota in the dumps, and I am Welsh.
Therefore I am to dancing what Swartzennegger is to elocution.
So I do what I always do. I sit at the edge of the floor, and watch others gyrate whilst drinking.
Later on I gave a nice lady a hug. She has had a crappy year, and needed a hug. So I provided the hug, and I felt virtuous about it. The world needs more hugging.
I like to spread the love.
Not spreading love were the other occupants of the boat. A bunch of early 20 somethings, who got drunker and louder as night wore on, and there was aggro bubbling under the surface between one of them, a tall, thin guy, and I think his girlfriend.
Anyway, I was walking to the bar, when my eye was caught by this bloke arguing with his girlfriend. She was giving him "the Finger", and he was trying to grab her finger, I assume in order to hurt her. I will never know, because he obviously saw me looking. The next thing he is toe to toe with me, looming over me, and explaining "Why don't you watch where you are looking little man, before you get hurt"
Now in such situations, you often think of great pithy one liners, but usually afterwards in the bar, But that night, inspiration hit me...
"Why don't you fuck off, you lanky streak of piss, before I make you look stupid in front of your mates"
Now I am not tall, I am 5' 6", but I know what I am capable of, and I can size up the opposition quickly. I did Karate for a number of years, I was a Prop Forward, and I went to a shockingly shitty school, which means I can fight a bit.
Here are a few rules.
1.Hard nuts don't tell you that they will hit you, they hit you.
2.Anyone worth his salt doesn't' stand 4 inches from their opponent with his arm by his side leading with his jaw.
I could have decked him in a second, and he wouldn't have stood a chance.
All of a sudden, his mates pulled him away, and I was surrounded by all of my mates.
Bless'em! They were looking out for me!
One of his mate came to see me to apologise. I told him it was cool, but me better calm that guy down, or he would get hurt. By me.
I saw him later, all apologies, so that was OK.
ALL IN ALL, A BRILLIANT NIGHT!!

Be Good

Kicking over the Anthill

2007-10-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I love my computer, not in a physical sense, but I use it for so much stuff that I like that being without it is like being imprisoned. Odd but there you go.

I also have a low tolerance for frustration. I am one of the sad types that has to be doing something to rectify a problem, even if what I am doing ins't helping.

So the last month my PC has been slowing up, to the point where it is unusable. So I think "Right, reinstall windows, and reformat the hard drive. I think that 4 years of downloading silly little internet games, plus repeatedly un installing and reinstalling programs has left the PC ins a state.

I get all my driver discs, backup my photos, and insert the disk. 30 minutes later I have a factory spec PC, that tales seconds to boot up.

Hooray for me!

Then the fun starts. I reload all the drivers I have, and its all good, I figure I can get any others from the net. So lets get on. I have an external ASDL router, so everything should be OK? It doesn't work!!

????

So I look in the hardware profile, and the Ethernet adaptor hasn't loaded its driver. Oh well, it will be on the factory driver disk, right?

Wrong!!

OK, go to be Mike, sort it in the morning. At 06:00, I am up, can't sleep, PC is pissing me off.So I go do my morning workout, and an hour later, I am on the phone to a bloke from Bangalore asking him to set up my dial up, so I can get on the net to download the driver to get on the net.

It doesn't work. So I look in the hardware profile, and the PC modem drivers aren't on there.

AAAAAARGH!!!

So I look in the boot disk, find those drivers, and get the modem working. I can't get on the net. So I phone my ISP. And here comes my knight in shining armour.

I will call his Anthony, cos that was him name. He not only got me online, but he configured Outlook Express (which I have never used because no one ever told me how) and downloaded the right drivers and e mailed them to me. What a hero!!

My mate came over just as I was finishing, and helped me configure my PC to work. Which it now does!!

I am happy, but its odd looking at a 4 year old PC! I am unsure whether to upgrade the software, because it works, and I don't need to fix something which isn't broke!!

Sorry for the boring blog, but this WAS A BIG DEAL FOR ME!!

The Welshman and The Black Dog

2007-10-25T18:03:00.000-07:00

: Hi all,
Read something written by my famous countryman Richard Burton "Show a Welshman 100 exits, he will choose the one marked "self destruction". Funny that, considering his own demise.

There is something melancholy about my culture though, I think it is the knowledge that for most of us this is all we will ever have. Born in village, go to pit/steelworks, get girl pregnant, have kid , drink/smoke yourself to death. Of course that has all changed now, now you can substitute work in heavy industry for B&Q/Draw the dole, and heroin for booze. Progress eh?

I chose a different path, and yet I am well aware that that was my alloted path too, if my parents had been less adept at making us think for ourselves and a bit less hardworking. Funny that. However I have been thinking that I have lost something as well as gained something.

My cousin died over the weekend. His name was Des Gorman, and he was very much older that I , older than my Dad even. Yet he was an intelligent, articulate kind and funny man, and seeing him when I was a child was always a treat. He also spoke with an RAF accent, as he was a tail gunner on Lancs in the war. He was shot down 3 times, and lived to get captured by the Nazis, lucky for him they were on their knees at the time, so his incarceration was brief. So he was a brave man as well. Now he is no more, and I cant help but think the world, well my world, is a poorer place without him.

I have been thinking there are lots of people I will not see again, and this is sad, but there is always a last time to see someone, and we don't really know when that last time is. It would be nice to remember this, cos I am sure we would all treat each other better if we held that knowledge in the forefront of our minds when we said "see you later, dude"

See Ya Later Dudes!

Mike

Interview with Pontius Pilate

2007-10-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

: This is an unusual blog for me, as it is an imagined interview with Pontius Pilate done for Myk, who is compiling a thingy with this kind of stuff on it, so here goes:

I travelled back in time, posing as a reporter for the Roman Times to interview Polntius Pilate. I was led into the private chambers of the prefect of Judea, and ultimate power in this part of the Roman Empire. I wanteed specifically to ask him about the trail and forthcoming execution of Jesus of Nazereth, an itinerant preacher from Gallilee.

Me: Good Afternoon, Mr Pilate..
PP: Please, call me Pontius.
Me: Er.. OK Pontius.. May I first say what an honour it is to speak to the repreasentative of Rome...
PP. Please, don't kiss ass, I hate ass kissers, like those bloody Pharisees, bunch of knob jockeys, they allways "Great Leader this and, Hounorable that".. I know that as soon as my back is turned they call me names and stuff. I hate them all!
Me: Errr..
PP. AND THOSE FUCKING SCRIBES!!!
Me: OK, OK, No ass kissing... Jesus..
PP. Oh fuck not him again I tell you I am pissing sick of that guy
ME: Er.. Why?
PP. Those bloody Pharisees have been trying to get me to kill that irritating son of a God for the last week, but I'm having none of it.
Me: What exactly is he charged with?
PP. Sedition. But I am at a loss why the Pharisees are up in arms over this dude..
Me: Er..
PP: Y'see, In he comes, talking 'bout love thy brother, and not judging, and other stuff, and the Pharisees don't give a toss..
Me: Er..
PP: But then he goes and disrupts the buisness, knocking over the money lenders tables and stuff. Now he has thier full attention!
Me: Er...
PP: y'see, it's easy for us Romans, as our religion allows us to do whatever we like, Whatever form of depravity and immorality you want to get up to, there is some God out there who did it first.
Me: Err..
PP: Want to screw your sister?, Jupiter did that, shag a swan?.. Been there done that..Turn into a Bull and..
Me: Yes I get it , I get it..
PP: Dont sas me boy! Ill whup your ass..
Me: Sorry
PP: OK. Where was I? Oh yeah. But Judaism as those moral things, and piety and stuff.
Me: I don't understand..
PP: Well this Jesus guy walks in and points out that the authorities round here ain't following the rules of the game, its got a few guys thinking that the reason thier God has let us guys take over, is because of the shit behaviour of the Pharisees and stuff.
Me: So they are going to kill Jesus because he is setting a good example?
PP: Basically, but disrupting the cash flow really pissed them off
Me: But you could have stopped it
PP: Well the trouble is it is a religious matter, and we allow freedom of religious expression in the Roman Empire. So I had to give it back to them. They only tried to get me to do it so that if it all went tits up, they could blame me. I ain't no fool.
Me: So what happens now?
PP: I told them not to go after this guy, y'see, he is harmless now, he isn't a violent dude, and he isn't even preaching against the rule of Roman Law. There is some stuff 'bout kingdom of Heaven and stuff, but nothing too heavy.
Me: Err..
PP: But as soon as he is dead, then I guarantee that he will become some kind of folk hero, a martyr, and before you know it, those Parisses will have themselves a situation.
Me: So what do you think they will do?
PP: Oh they are going to kill him, humiliate him, to "Set an example" This will come back to bite them on the ass I tell you..
Me: Err
PP: But its his wife and kids I feel sorry for.. Aparently they are in hiding, and going to travel to Gaul on holiday to get over the trauma.. Poor loves, it fills me up I tell you..

At this point I terminated the interview as he needed to compose himself, In a coda to this story, Pilate was brought forward 2000 years to see the results of his actions. This is what he said
PP: Hahahahahahaahaha... I was right! I bloody told them this would come back to bite them on the ass!

Sportio!!

2007-10-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

Hello or in Welsh Helo,

Sport.

There was a time when I'd heatedly argue the minutiae of the Welsh Rugby team selection, even when everyone else really wants to talk about Big Brother, or some such totally unimportant topic.

I was obsessed! Every Saturday, Friday, Sunday, and sometimes during the week, I would call my good mates over to watch the slow decapitation of my Beloved Welsh Rugby team, to genuine sympathy from Greg (who is from Cambridge), and genuine rage from Gary, (who is a proud Yorkshireman, and as such hates everything about English Rugby Union). This was my curse, and I really enjoyed it.

But no longer.

Since moving to Napier, I have gradually lost interest in Rugby. At first I was worried, like was there a Viagra type drug that would get me back in the swing again? I still enjoy the game, don't get me wrong, but it no longer really matters to me. I don't crave the game any longer.

Now since living in New Zealand I have grown extremely fond of Gridiron Football, and will watch 4 hours of that game no worries. So, I still like sport. So why am I no longer into Rugby? I think I know what it is. It came to me today. I miss my mates, and I can't enjoy Rugby without them!!

Y'see, Sport has an odd place amongst male social interaction, it is the common touchstone, the thing that allows us to communicate. It is the foundation that supported our friendship.

It is truly amazing what subjects can be got around to from the starting point of "Isn't that Matt Dawson an arse?" Or "Steven Jones cant bloody tackle" or "Jesus, Alfie's an ugly bastard, ain't he?" You can get to love, honour philosophy, religion, cars and Bruce Springsteen's brilliance from this starting point.

Now those with only x chromosomes will see this as further evidence of Man's emotional decrepitude, that sport has to be the gateway to talk about feelings, but that is twaddle. As far as I can see, most women are as crippled emotionally as any man, they deal with it by watching Big Brother and Coronation Street and acting as if they believed the stories are true!

So what does this mean, I hear you ask. I really don't know, there is a huge sport and Blues lined, Greg, Gary and Leighton filled hole in my life, that I am currently filling with extended games of Rome Total War, but I know that is but a temporary solution.

I will just have to get more mates, so I can get drunk and bore them as well.

Be good,

Mike

ps THis was written a year ago, and I can now say the blues filled void has been partly filled, but people willing to listen to me drone on about Rugby are still thin on the ground.

Ah well, never mind

Culture and Empire

2007-10-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

: Hello,; I am Welsh. Wales was the very first country to be annexed into what later became the British Empire, in the 12th Century.; Basically, like any good Mafia film, the Good Don, who was called Llewellyn the Second, was lured onto the turf of the Bad Boss, Edward "Long-shanks" (For those who saw Brave heart, that was that nasty Patrick McGoohan) for a little "chat" about nothing in particular. He murdered the Prince, and annexed my country.; Water under the bridge now, but basically for all intents and purposes I was a Brit. But I AM ALSO WELSH.

Now I am not going to apologies for the bloody Empire OK? IT WAS NOT MY FAULT! However, strange as it may seem, the annexation of my country still has ramifications to the culture and outlook of the Welsh.; We as a people tend to favour the underdog, we are a clannish folk, but we welcome outsiders, as long as they try to fit in. (This doesn't mean learning Welsh and eating Lavabread, just being friendly and sociable).; We have a strong sense of social justice, and we don't like superior types. The downside is that we are an over sentimental, gregarious lot who tend to drink too much, and are prone to acts of random violence, especially on Friday and Saturday night.; Now I live in New Zealand, a truly nice place, with nice people.; New Zealand Social affairs is dominated by relations between Maori, the indigenous peoples of New Zealand, and Pakeha, or non-indigenous New Zealanders, and especially the issue of "Cultural Sensitivity"; Let me explain, I have just been on a course on "cultural sensitivity", and it struck me as being about good manners. Y'see Maori originally were not Christian! and so a lot of the cultural touchstones that Europeans take for granted are altered or augmented when dealing with Maori.; You don't touch the head, it is tapu, or sacred. You don't sit on any area where food or drugs are prepared. You don't put your feet up on tables. You do not wear shoes in the house etc.; Now I am really happy to observe these rules, I do not want to be ill mannered. However, some Pakeha really object to doing this, viscerally.; I don't know why. Maybe they see it as a terrible imposition, I don't know. These same people objected when they brought home the "unknown Warrior" to a Maori ceremony last year. I found it moving personally, but there you go. In fact, these people object to any incorporation of Maori culture into mainstream New Zealand life, except the Haka before the Rugby.; Now I find this strangely familiar, for many years before I came to Aotearoa, the Welsh tried to get bilingual signage in Wales, to allow those of us who have Welsh as their first language the option of not having to translate their street name. I am not an Welsh speaker. My Dad's family are Scots, and my Mam's family are Irish, but I thought the preservation of the Welsh culture was worth fighting for, however, because I believe that cultural diversity is strength.; Many did not, and they fought tooth and nail to prevent even this small resurgence of Welsh culture.; They felt threatened, I think partially because they feel that by defining ourselves as Welsh, that we undermine their choice to define themselves as British, as if they were mutually exclusive. I also believe that some saw it as the unnecessary re-emergence of a beaten people, and the reflex was to crush it.

New Zealands founding document is the Treaty of Waitangi, this legitimised White settlement of Aotearoa, and that gave checks and balances to Pakeha/Maori relations setting out a blueprint for a society based on mutual respect and honour.; As soon as there were enough Pakeha in New Zealand to defeat the Maori in battle, the treaty was interpreted in a way to favour the settlers, or ignored all together as long as it was expedient for the Colonial Government. Many Maori were tricked out of their land.; Over the next 150 years Maori were treated as second class citizens in their own land, denied housing, jobs and education. It is only relatively recently that No Maori Allowed signs have become extinct.

You will hear people say that somehow respecting Maori culture will undermine the social cohesion of New Zealand. How many cultures are there in Britain? Is a Yorkshireman like a Cornishman? Do they have the same culture? There is more cultural similarity between the people of Durham, and the people of South Wales, than there is between the South and North Walians. Does that make us weak as a nation?; I really think not. All that Britain has accomplished has often been because of the diversity in cultures in the UK, not despite it.; Those who object to New Zealand celebrating the Maori culture, and being told to respect Maori beliefs, are acting like the ruling class becoming scared at the resurgence of a culture they thought dead and buried.; Why can't we all be Kiwi's? Because being a Kiwi, and being Maori, or Welsh or Islamic or Chinese are Not Mutually Exclusive. You just have to accept that we all don't have to become a wannabe Pakeha to be a Kiwi.

Art verses Technique

2007-10-19T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I am listening (whilst writing this) to "Like a Hurricane" by Niel Young. Keep that fact in the back of your mind as I write this rant.

I am a guitarist. You can tell this if you look at my page, as I am holding a guitar, and I am in a room with quite a few other guitars in it.

I love the guitar.

I express myself through it better than I ever could with words. I am a guitar nut. Tell me a model of guitar, I can tell you who made it, what factory, who plays that guitar, its scale length and when it was manufactured.

I also have Aspergers Syndrome, (the so called "Trainspotters" disease) this obsessive love and knowledge of guitars is a symptom I know, but it doesn't mean I am going to change. Ha No Way.

So when I was a younger man, I was impressed beyond belief by the neo classical, super fast fret shredders that populated metal band in the 80's and 90's. Faster the better. I mean I still loved guys like Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana, but they were not really fast, so I felt kind of guilty liking them. So if a bloke could play a scale quicker than another bloke, this automatically meant bloke A was better than bloke B (and they are ALWAYS blokes!)

Right?

Wrong. I could no longer hide from myself that listening to those lind of players was like listening to the sound of a typing pool. After a while, oh about 5 seconds they were just plain boring! But how could this be? I mean the were sooo fast!

Then it came to me. Playing guitar is not athletics, it is like poetry. No one would say that longer words make a better poem, or the longer the poem, the more enjoyable it is (Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner is shit, read some Tony Harrison, or Shaemus Heany if you don't believe me)

So does technique matter?

I think that if you learn technique, and use it to express yourself, that is great. Trying to play with no knowledge at all would be like me writing poetry in French (which I don't speak), by randomly picking words from the French dictionary, so that the lines conform to Iambic Pentameter. More than likely it will be shit (However, now that I have written this, it sounds like a great idea! I WILL GIVE IT A GO! If any of you speak French, watch out!) but if you use a guitar solo just to expose your technique, that is always terrible.

Without Exception.

And so to Neil Young. In the band I play in we do a few of his tracks. At the start, I was still trying to impress the other members of the band with my virtuosity (such as it is) I really overplayed, and it sounded shite, like someone had sampled a solo from another track, and just dropped it into the song. So now I play to the song, and it don't sound half bad!

So Neil Young shouldn't be any good, I mean he is a technically poor guitarist, and his singing is terrible. Yet I really like listening to him, because he is an absolute genius songwriter and performer.

He would be brilliant still if he could sing like Freddy Mercury, and play like Steve Vai, but I don't know whether he would be any better. What do you think?

Be good

First posted on Yahoo 360

TV in NZ

2007-10-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

Good Morning World,

Something is wrong with the world today, it is maybe the one thing that will get me to sream incoherantly at the TV. What is this thing, that will get me incandescant with rage at a nanosecond's notice? Is it hunger? or Racism? or Injustice?

No.

I speak of a horror so total, that if I ever find the people responsible. I will tear out their oesophagus and strangle them with it.

I speak of beauty/hair product advertisements!

Now this world is full of ugly people with bad hair. I know this, as I have a mirror. But the sight of Mila Jojovich or Claudia Schiffer sashaying up to the camera and declaring "I say NO to wrinkles!" or Andie McDowall smugly grinning "Grey? What Grey!" is enough for me to lose my lunch.

The self satisfied, rich, beautiful annoying SWINE! They all need to die NOW!!!

The inference is, YOU!! YES YOU IN THE LEGGINGS AND THE KAPPA KNOCKOFF SWEATSHIRT! YOU ARE UGLY!! BECAUSE OF THIS YOU ARE HAVING NO FUN AND MEDIOCRE SEX WITH A BALDING FAT SWEATY BLOKE! WHO RARELY SHOWERS!! SPEND YOUR DOLE ON THIS GREASY SHITE, RUB IT ON THE POCKMARKED END OF YOUR NECK AND YOU TO CAN GET TO SCREW BRAD PIT!

I Hate These Adverts SOOOOOOOO much I cannotfuckintellyou.

Its a lie. We know they are lying, we live in the world. I have eyes, for Christs sake!

Why are there no fat people in Chocolate ad's. (I LOVE chocolate, I would be the perfect endorse!) Why, when you see ads for booze do you never see a gang of blokes fighting in the street? or a fat girl crying in the toilets, or a teenager covered in vomit trying to get in a nightclub? Why isn't the slogan for Stella, "Drink 10 pints then go home and beat your wife!?" WHY DO THEY LIE? WE ALL KNOW THE REALITY!

The problem is in New Zealand that all TV is paid for by advertising. So every 10 minutes (and I really am NOT exaggerating) you have a set of ads, a large proportion of which are for beauty and hair products.

This is bad enough, it ruins any film you want to see, but the adverts are the same adverts in the same order every time!! AAAAAARGH! Even worse, they obviously charge bugger all for an ad, so you get ads on for a shop that sells truck headlights in Christchurch on my TV. I mean, WHY, IN THE NAME OF ALL THATS HOLY WOULD I GO TO CHRISTCHURCH TO BY HEADLIGHTS FOR MY TRUCK? How would I get there? IT'S TWO DAYS DRIVING AWAY!! and my truck has a broken headlight.

I don't actually own a truck, but that is beside the point. I miss British TV soooo much. thee telly here is all old Brit or American shows, and when you start to get sick of 5 year old Eastenders they stick on something homegrown to make you realise what quality drama Eastenders really is (all who know me know how much I hate Eastenders) I live in the land that gave us The Lord Of The Rings, but they cant do TV for toffee. It is the visual equivalent to listening to Welsh language rock music.

I feel much better now, my wife has come in with my happy pills, and they are letting me outside to play today! Hooray!

See You Soon

Mike

ps THis is an old 360 blog, I am moving to Multiply/Blogger because Yahoo suck

Rugby: Why The Best Team Isn't The Best Team

2007-10-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

Hi,
I was a Rugby player. Not a very good one, but I did play for 8 years at Tight Head, and like all retired players I know absolutely everything there is to know about the game.

Last week, the NZ All Blacks, steaming hot favourites to win the World Cup, played a French side that had not looked convincing in the last year, and had been stuffed by the AB in their previous 3 meetings.

THe AB's had over 70% possession, over 75% territory and made under 40 tackles to the French's' 180+. With those stats, it should have been a drubbing. But no!!

The All Blacks LOST!!

It's hard to overemphasize the hurt and shock that all AB fans feel. Needless to say people vented their frustration out by burning their shirts, and threatening to watch cricket.

There were a couple of refereeing decisions that may have helped the French. A harsh penalty and 10 minute sin binning for a shoulder charge on a player without the ball (you can't block in Rugby, my American friends) and a missed forward pass (ditto).

But I will say I thought the French deserved their victory, and the only people to be blamed are the players, and specifically the Captain. Not the Ref, or the Coach, or even the French.

Me saying this in public in work didn't go down well, to say the least, and it is lucky that the woman who interviewed me for my promotion was English.

The AB's pride themselves on their attractive, flowing Rugby. Not for them the kicking game, its all flash and guile, skill and speed. Which is great up until you get involved in a dogfight, a toe to toe ass kicking contest. In these nasty, hard physical tight games the AB are awful. Against our amphibian cousins they tried to pass the ball over the goal line, and the way the Frencjh were playing, they could still be at it, and the French wouldn't let them score.

The English know how to win these games. Get into the 22 meter line, and drop a goal. Not pretty, but neither is going home a fortnight early.

If I was the Coach, I would sack the captain, and give this specific reason. He Didn't Win The Big One.

"Winning is everything in sport, otherwise it would be called therapy" Dr Jim Pauling

Refugee

2007-10-17T02:52:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Although this is my first Blogger blog, it is not the first time I have blogged. Y'see I was an avid blogger on Yahoo 360, right up until the buggers pulled the plug on the service last week.
Oh apparently it will be "consolidated" and "streamlined" I don't believe it. It will be a weak facebook clone, and I want no part of it.
So I have been looking at other sites to see how they measure up. This one looks OK so far. I will see how it posts

See Ya

The Clan Mackrill

Playing live, a musicians guide

Creativity, Sport and Alcohol

Its been a while,

Tim Minchin: Pope Song

Updates

Banging your head against a brick wall is a symptom of Aspergers syndrome...

Cold

Michael Mackrill is unwell...

Bollocks, part deux

Bollocks

Kicking my own arse

Monet

40 years old, and time is running out!

Never say never,

Prince Harry, and killing people

2008.

A Week Off

My Mad Uncle

The last two weeks, and Quantum of Solace

10 things you should know about me

Being Creative

Politicians, Politics and We Get What We Deserve

A good week

blogcheeze

Some Buddhist Philosophy

Hello You all,

A Mac for Mac

Benjamin Franklyn

Dear Mr Blix....

These Weapons of Mass Destruction cannot be displayed

Cannot find weapons or CIA Error Iraqi Explorer

Bush went to Iraq to look for Weapons of Mass Destruction and all he found was this lousy T-shirt.

We went out, I metaphor a drink.

Unwell

Let's Talk About Evolution!

Capitalism (we are all SCREWED MAN!!!)

Politics For Eeejits

Back In The UK-The Final Chapter

Back in the UK (Bruce)

Back In the UK (Part 2)

Back in the UK, part 1

Its Better to Travel....

Childern growing up old friends growing older...

The Joy of Giving....(and why tipping makes me cringe)

Been around the World ayeyeye...

Hurricane Katrina and the Marshall Plan

What do you know?

Underdogs

Who would want to be Queen?

Why Dictators Go Mad

Be Glad You are not Married To Me!!

Be Glad You are not Married To Me!!

Merry Christmas, have a pay rise!

Teddy Bears and Hidden Agendas

A Night on The Ocean Wave

Kicking over the Anthill

The Welshman and The Black Dog

Interview with Pontius Pilate

Sportio!!

Culture and Empire

Art verses Technique

TV in NZ

Rugby: Why The Best Team Isn't The Best Team

Refugee

Cannot find weapons or CIA Error
Iraqi Explorer