Category Archives: Annoyed Much

Mar 21 2013

A Letter to Murray McCully – he replies


The reply to my original letter is posted here as a PDF MurraryMcCully or as a picture below,

This is a response to a letter I wrote to my MP, who had changed his mind about supporting the “same sex marriage” bill, one of ony 4 MP’s to do so in the negative way.

MurrayMcCully

I’m not convinced it’s a form reply.

I’ve let his secretary know by way of a reply what I think .

Erica

Thank you for your reply.

Please, if you would be so kind, and should the Minister care to know,  tell him that, should he be standing at the next election, he will not be receiving my vote, as he has enjoyed in the past.

Of course there are more pressing matters of Economy, Welfare, Education, Health and Security but he had it in his grasp to be someone who actually did something for everyone, and not because he has a fear and loathing of the real meaning of equality, and was cowered by sanctimonious religious bigotry.

You’ll recall I’ve been married 25 years, I’ve no axe to grind, no flag to fly, but to take a stance that it’s all equal except for some is morally bankrupt, and frankly he’s disappointed one time to many.

It might only be one vote, but it might make a difference.

Related articles
Mar 14 2013

A Letter to Murray McCully


I expect a form letter asnwer.

 

Mr.McCully,

I understand that you’re voted in for your opinions and preferences, but I can’t let it pass without comment that you changed your vote to change your support of Marriage Equality to be opposed to it.

As the National MP in the ECB you’ve secured my vote for the previous elections. Mostly because you’re inoffensive and are in a party that by and large suits my own thinking. By and large.

Being the intelligent, well travelled, and well rounded man that you are I can’t begin to understand how you can vote against something that I’ve enjoyed for coming up to 25 years this year, that of being married.

I can’t begin to understand how you could support it one day and be against it the next. You’re now one of only 4 people who’ve been swayed, cajoled, or harangued into taking a contrary position to one which you came to on your own.

I’d lay Dollars to Cents that you’ve been lobbied by the religious element in this. Modern marriage is a construct of religion, religion that does all it can to deny minorities the status that they themselves confer upon themselves.

The world will not end, churches will not crumble, men will not start eyeing me up lustily in the streets, people will go about their lives. Traditional marriage, and denial of it to all people, is about religious dogma. Traditional Marriage isn’t for life, as the number of divorces will attest. Marriage isn’t for everyone, else everyone would be married.

At a time when Atheism or non-religion becomes more prevalent and religious dogma and teaching become less relevant you find yourself in a position where you are in danger of becoming a dinosaur of a past age.

Mr. MCully I ask you, if you could travel back in time would you yourself would have voted for women’s suffrage? And whilst not comparable in moving society forward, I ask you why you would vote against Marriage Equality, something that clearly brings equity to everyone?

I’d ask that you do me the service of not sending me a stock/form reply, because that’s just avoidance, and my one vote might not make a difference, but then again it might.

Philip Walter

Feb 24 2013

Auckland Lantern festival 2013


The Auckland Lantern Festival is celebrated on the first full moon following the Chinese New Year.

In 2013, the event, from 22-24 February was held at Albert Park in Auckland.

This year we tool the in-laws, which as it turns out was a disaster, and so, for the very brief time we were at the event here are a few pictures. Who knew that FIL was claustrophobic, and the crowds made him have a mild panic. Why MrsPdubyah would organise to go to a crowded event is beyond me, unless it’s some kind of daughter revenge. Anyway  here you are:-

The park was packed, but I would urge you to go, and if you have good spirits and don’t mind the jostle and the hustle this is the most cheerful and happy event that you could image, all the lanterns are amazing, and although we had to leave almost as soon as we arrived what I saw made me smile a lot.

Dec 27 2012

The 12 ways of Christmas – The Holiday with the ‘folks’


We’re lucky enough to enjoy a beach house. We’re lucky enough to have ‘Christmas‘ in the summer months, being as how it’s New Zealand and it’s all the other way around.

As “workers” we work hard all year and get a couple of weeks off to do nothing, to laze about, twiddle thumbs, shower occasionally, eat, drink, eat, sleep, nap. It could be so nice.

But we’re also unlucky enough to have parents who drive us madly insane. Not my parents, but the in-laws for me, the parents for MrsPdubyah.

They were school teachers and so eery year they would spend a goodly amount of weeks at the beach house. For them it’s just another house, it’s managed to acquire all the town house things and none of the beach house things.

You could transplant this house to a town and you’d never know. Now holiday homes are different, they are full of art, sea-shells, mis-matched furniture, rustic tables. We don’t have one of those. The neighbours have those. The neighbours….

We have a house at the beach, and it’s a harrowing experience to live though a week here. We used to be able to do 10-14 days, now we get to about 4 days and start getting a twitch. We’ve not had any days at the beach house when they are not here, we call as say “are you going to beach this weekend” they invariably reply “if you are we will”, it’s maddening, frustrating and difficult to broach.

Age will turn you into a prisoner. A prisoner of routine. Every day you have to do the same things. Up at 7am, washing in washing machine at 7:30am, go get newspaper at 7:45am. Cereals at 8 a.m.  Washing the dishes is an immediate task, heaven help us if they are left for more than 10 minutes.

Then it’s 9 a.m. so possibly mowing the lawn, picking fruit from the tree, spraying some weeds. 10 a.m. tea of course. 10:30 is mid morning siesta, because they’ve worn themselves out.

More washing at 11:00 am, they wash clean things to maintain schedule I’m sure of it. Random vacuuming and brushing time till lunch, when we have a selection of mulled over left overs and a cup of warm water.

Hourly switch on the radio at 30 seconds to the hour for the news bulletin, the log range weather for everywhere, then off. No music allowed, and don’t change the channel, ever.

Afternoon siesta.

Discussion about what the neighbours are up to, who’s at the beach, who’s not, why, if we don’t know why make a guess. Read the death notices to see which friends might have had the temerity to die when they’re at the beach and not in town. It happens.

Gin o’clock, wine o’clock begins as the 6pm news is on the TV. Pre-dinner dishes, of course, washing dishes not cheese and cracker dishes.

Dinner must be before 7 pm. Fretting ensues if it’s going to be later.

Entertain everyone by reading the teletext updates (A service soon to be discontinued).

Read book, coughing randomly until 9pm when it’s bedtime.

Days when the gentleman’s fishing club is in session, make an agreed time “how about around 7am” where “about” means up at 6:30 to prepare, leave at 7 am, no later, no sooner. Fishing line can only be in the water 1 hour. No longer, no shorter. 1 hour. Today I was suckered in with “whatever time” which meant of course 7:45am knocking on the door “are you ready yet” We didn’t go fishing.

We didn’t go fishing because on a 800 meter beach someone had launched a gentleman’s fishing rig into the sea before us, and fretting and panic ensued about them being too close together. Serious fretting, muttering and followed by deep investigation of the mans credentials, home address, and a lecture about “how I do it…”

Fishing was also cancelled, no only to proximity, but because weed was spotted in the waves, and weed is bad. To make up for this disaster he burnt some paper and plastics instead of putting them out for rubbish collection, it’s “what we had to do in the old days”

We’ve taken down the tent, it rained and wasn’t used. Didn’t let it dry now the weather has changed, took it down and stowed it wet. “It’s what we had to do in the old days”

This evening we will again have a discussion about Teletext, the neighbours wi-fi and how it’s intermittent (we have permission to use it, we’re not totally freeloading”, who’s arrived, who’s left, pontifications on the “Sales” the lack of Eggs in the house.

And tomorrow we will do it all again, in roughly the same order, amount of time, and with the same earnest face.

Not a holiday.

 

Nov 3 2012

Bit of a mistake – Shopping at Farro


I don’t know what came over me, but I went to Farro Fresh, for no reason other than that they do have the  Over the Moon – Triple Cream Brie that I’m a bit of a fan of. Why would you not be!

So MrsPdubyah and MissPdubyah were watching X-Factor on the Mysky and I decided that it would be better if I didn’t.

Road Trip to  to Farro Fresh on Constellation Drive as my safe place.

Bit. Of. A. Mistake. Lot. Of.

I found the cheese, but I didn’t buy it, because their Cheese-o-rorium has some Whitestone Lindis Pass Brie that took my eye instead. And of course having brought the Primo Sopresso Hot Salami I felt that I was on a bit of a roll.

But what put me off my stride straight away was the sign advertising “New Zealand Pineapples 2-for-$5″ except they weren’t’ they were from the Philippines. I can let that slide, no one is really going to think that we’ve grown Pineapples in Winter right?

But having got my small stash of cheese and salami I decided a mooch about the aisles was a thing.

This is where is really started to go wrong.

My “twatdar” starts boinging like a grandfather clock stuck on 12. Mothers who indulge their little Deborah with a bottle of $14.50 rhubarb and lime cordial for instance, which was pretention enough. Then came Mr. and Mrs Mexico. With their shop assistant.

“We’re from Mexico, and in Mexico…” … “In Mexico shops like this”… “Mexican people like us, in Mexico”.. and the poor store boy hadn’t said a word yet. They brought some flour. I don’t think you can get flour in Mexico. Don’t really know, but “in Mexico I love to cook” people were happy.

The queue for the pretzel tasting. “Charlotte it’s cheese and herbs” he said, having tasted a sugar cube chunk. Charlotte sets a low bar for enjoyment clearly.

There is much to admire about the produce at Farro, I’m not knocking the store, but the people that shop there are the sort that would rather shop online and have delivered rather than go to Foodtown let alone Pak n’ Save.

It’s the kind of toy shop for adults enthusiasm that annoys me ” Darling it’s organic butter!” I think missing the point about what “organic” means in it’s real sense. I get that in a food sense it means “without chemicals”. And it’s like shooting fish in a barrel, $7.49 for 100grams of dried fruit in a foil packaging from a company that “loves food”, for instance.

There is a plethora of things that you can’t get in a supermarket and that’s why I enjoy shopping at Farro. But I got to figure out the quite time when raised whispers to an enthralled partner are not de rigueur.

Oh and yes I brought some Quinoa, just like a child in a lolly shop with a gold coin, hook line and sinker…

Oct 22 2012

When Sci-Fi loses the plot – Revolution


Revolution - our entire way of life depends on electricity. So what would happen if it just stopped working…..  15 years later, life is back to what it once was long before the industrial revolution

I’ve only watched a couple of episodes and I have a couple of questions, and an observation.

1. No electricity means no “lots of things”, including combustion engines, and jet engines. So… back to horse and buggy then.

There have been a couple of scenes set around train tracks, so I get no diesel trains, but clearly “electricity also means that you can’t have “steam trains“, nor those amusing manual bogey cart things with the handle that goes up and down.

In town you can’t have steam driving anything, and forgive me for a being a  naive but aren’t bicycles pedal power? Yet to see one of those?

And there are scenes that have a clock in them, I probably need to include “clockwork” into “depends on electricity”

No windmills either. the ubiquitous electricity thing again.

No hang-gliders, dirigibles, kites either. It’s really harsh having no electricity

2. Unfeasibly pretty people , and the chubby guy from Google.  All the female parts appear to be tick the box stereo-type not unattractive people. The men, well in a rehash of so many  plot devices we have to have the pretty-yet-needy-in-some-way boy, the (still) overweight chap, the dark recluse and the bad-man.

3. Shaving, did I mention that, seems that you can still forge knives and swords, and have a shave. No electricity needed there, if only they could remember how to harness the power of the flames to make steam……

4. Everything is in ruins, cities have crumbled. Concrete will do that without regular electricity.

5. The “Government” and the “Rebels” – somehow you have to stretch that there is a ruling government Thiefdom in some way, and they’re all about crushing the “rebels”  by marching small groups of “militia” around taking taxes.

6. Guns. In 15 years guns are outlawed and illegal to own, says the militia, and everyone but everyone has a crossbow. Mostly. It’s like either all the gunpowder ran out, or that all the manual bullet press machines broke, or something. Makes no sense. Crossbows make no sense.  At one point the Militia turn up with Muiskets!

Finally though. Electricity. Switched off, somehow, over the everywhere. But not so that it has any effect on the electrical impulses of the brain and body.  Perhaps they mean “mechanical electricity”, the sort that keeps bridges from collapsing and buildings from crumbling and batteries. But not brain or body electricity, that’d be no story though, not even zombies

Finally finally… Which reminds me that they do have a fishing community but haven’t yet figured out paddle steamers. Clean clothes appear to be in endless supply, they’ve invented the “everpress” technology to make them look crisp and new in the 15 years since they’ve not been able to manufacture “the everything”

Sep 29 2012

The Fleece Machine – Spiritual medium to meet with Pike River families – wait there’s more !


“I only want to help: Psychic to sceptics“

Says the headline today.

A celebrity psychic who wants to get in touch with earthquake and Pike River coalmine victims from beyond the grave says she only wants to help families heal, despite criticism by sceptics.

Australian Sensing Murder psychic Deb Webber will hold a free “private reading” on Monday for families of those killed in the February 2011 quake and another for Pike River mine disaster families in Greymouth next month.

She will also hold a free public meditation session and a sold-out public show that seats 150 and costs $70 a head in Christchurch tomorrow.

Webber said those who considered her work a money-making venture should “look at my bank account”. “I’m actually skint,” she said.

The tour of fleecing the gullible is called “a “Hope and Heal” New Zealand tour,  and Deb Webber said she “can’t understand” the criticism.

Like she didn’t see it coming.

And then …………

Psychics’ killer lead hits a wall…

Friends of Deb, Sue Nicolson and Kelvin Cruickshank made some guesses on a TV program “Sensing Murder”, and they came up with…..

The psychics both concluded Mrs Calvert was murdered, but her husband was not responsible.

They gave a detailed description of the alleged culprit, who still lived in the Waikawau area, stating what he did for a living and the vehicle he drove.

Detective Senior Sergeant Grant Coward, of the New Plymouth CIB, said a significant amount of work had been done on the case over the past two to three years.

“A number of further inquiries were made but as a result of those there was nothing further gained that would add evidential weight to the inquiry,” Mr Coward said.

Or as we say in the real world…… nothing.

Why would a spirit lie? What advantage would a spirit gain from telling you something that was untrue?

The people that can talk to dead people will tell you that they don’t understand the messages and that there may be many interpretations of the messages they receive.

This “gift” they have is one they have to monetize, by fleecing the gullible. If they had a “gift” why  would they not monetize it in other ways, by discovering things, shrewd investments, invention of things, or perhaps by undertaking a JREF challenge to prove their ability and claiming the million dollars.

I’ve said before I’ve been to a psychic show, with Kelvin Cruickshank, it was entertaining and weird, I got nothing from it, clearly the spirits of my ancestors are all in the UK and NZ is a bit far to travel.

I’m prepared to be proven wrong, there is plenty of me on the interweb and you could pretend to know a lot about me, but there are things that you can’t know, and if you want to have a crack and make a guess I’d be delighted to hear from you. But you knew that didn’t you?

Related articles
Sep 15 2012

Happy Families, the one with the lost photographs #2


I found some more recent pictures, some of me as a fine young man, and they are presented here for your amusement.

Yes almost literally in a tree, can you believe it?

Me holding onto my Dad and Uncle Jospeh in the foreground like he’s been startled by the Paparazzi. He’s dressed very well for a ramble in the countryside. Poland 1967ish

With my Cousin Andreiz (he’s the tall one) apparantly. Again in the trendy turn ups and a fashionable yellow top, probably with airplanes on it. On reflection shorts seemed a lot shorter and high-rider than now too

Back Left – Lesley, Back right – shirly with her Crystal tips hair, and Front Right Andy (looking like a tubber) and me on the front right.

Back Left – Lesley, Back right – shirly with her Crystal tips hair, and Front Right Andy (looking like a tubber) and me on the front right.
I have no idea where, when or who took this, what context it’s in or anything.
This was the day my sister got married, but it does bring me many memories of the back doorstep and having to shell peas, you can see it’s very worn, I have no idea why, and I don’t remember it being Red, but clearly it was!
Aug 16 2012

The Fleece Machine – Spiritual medium to meet with Pike River families


This made me a bit angry today  – ” Spiritual medium to meet with Pike River families ” via Spiritual medium to meet with Pike River families – National – NZ Herald News.

So to be clear as to where I stand on this - There are no spirits, ghosts, afterlife, angels, sky-god, demons, it’s all made up bullshit nonsense to part you & your cash.

You can’t talk to dead people, they do not talk to you.

Prayer does not work, the Bible is not the true word of anyone other than then person who wrote it.

There is no plan for your existence, there is no reward in some imaginary afterlife, you will not be rewarded in this life by some imaginary sky-being who watches over you, and there is no after-life.

If psychics were real then the stock market would use them, and lotto would be won at will - don’t be taken in with the claims that “it does not work that way” – tell me in what way does it work.

Why are all these spirits hanging about to tell you they are ok, and that you should be ok, and they watch over you. Which is all they do. Is that, in fact, all you do for ever and ever and ever, just hang about watching. Can these “spirits” only tell of the past, of things that you knowingly or unknowingly communicate with your “medium”

What happens when all your immediate family die, and you’re a spirit, joined by all your relatives, good and bad? Do you start watching over strange people just for the crack?

Do the dead outnumber the living ?

That’s an awfully big ratio.

Finally let me confess to tell you, I did once get a freebie to watch one Kelvin Cruickshank  at work in Takapuna, and was amazed at his skill and the way he dealt with the audience. I was impressed and confused as to how he did what he did, but let me state again – he wasn’t talking to dead people, spirits, ghosts, angels, demons or anything other than his own thoughts, and his interpretations of the feedback from the audience.

I’m prepared to be made to look a fool and have someone tell me something that they can’t know about me but that a “spirit” told them, both my Mother and Father are dead, and all my GrandParents, so you should be able to get something recent, unless they’ve disowned me.

Do it for free to prove you can do it, if you have a gift why do you need to monetize it?

Related articles some of them Comedic Value only and not an endorsement