The less of me for April – A moth where I had to push on
Finished the month off with a niggling injury of hamstrings that took a while to settle down, and it was disappointing not to finish at 100km.
I was on the Spotify and I came over all a bit of this and that. And well there are a few things that you need to know and a few things you need to carry with you in life, some of that might be the poetry and some of that might be the song lyrics.
Song Lyrics…..
I dont mean things like the David Bowie – Word on a Wing – which is a song that I’d be happy to be stuck with forever, the Station To Station album being the only one that I would take to the desert island with me…
In this age of grand illusion you walked into my life out of my dreams
I don’t need another change, still you forced away into my scheme of things
You say we’re growing, growing heart and soul
In this age of grand illusion you walked into my life out of my dreams
But I think these came to mind tonight as lyrics that rang my bell, the refrain that when I hear it makes me smile in that way that reminds me of being 15, of a different time, a different time, a different place….. . Some from not that long ago, some that I go back to.
The newest one first, then in no particular order:
And I’d give the world if it were mine
To let these memories slip my mind
And wake up next to you one more time
http://www.lyricsmania.com/santa_fe_lyrics_eilen_jewell.html
At the top I’m stopping by
Your place of work and acting like
I haven’t dreamed of you and I
And marriage in an orange grove
You are the only thing in any room you’re ever in
http://www.lyricsmania.com/starlings_lyrics_elbow.html
You see i went on the roller coaster last night when i was feeling bad
Down by the sea in santa cruz and i was feeling sad
But we went down, and around, and it knocked me out of my head.
Well, i went on the coaster and my heart was heavy as lead
But we went down, and around, and it knocked me out of my head.
I say whoa-oh-oh, for it knocked me out of my head. let’s go…
http://www.lyricstime.com/jonathan-richman-roller-coaster-by-the-sea-lyrics.html
A friend of mine grows his very own brambles
They twist all around him ’til he can’t move
Beautiful, quivering, chivalrous shambles
What is my friend trying to prove?
http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858709571/#wlDBsgjksCTiWS4h.99
He’s not into miracles
Sees life all too cynical
The cat has got his tongue
Now she bangs on his drum
He says pull the other one
Bells ring, look what you have done
Emotions leaking out
Her paint’s all over town
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/squeeze/annie+get+your+gun_20129200.html
I’m sure you have your own, and I’m sure I have few more refrains that will come back to me now that I’m thinking about it, stand by ….
March Update :
I tried again to get to 100kms, just falling short at the month end where I tailed away on the days I actually got out an did something. I changed to new shoes as well with a resulting really poor few days where I was struggling, but it came right.
Although the chart above is wrong!, count the gree lines you’ll see 16, I have no idea what one it thinks is missing.
Onwards and downwards.
The SeaHorse Kontiki got a work out today.
SeaHorse Kontiki
This is the Electric powered Long Line Setting device.
Allows you to set upto 25 baited hooks from the comfort of the beach.
Has an electric motor that you set, using a magnet, to run for 15, 20 or 25 minutes into the yonder. Left for a while you push the rewind button on the motor winder device and it comes back home, hopefully with the fish.
Today we lost two hooks, and bagged us 4 fish, a Gurnard, two little snappers (legal sized) and an fair decent sized fish of about 3.7kg give or take. Hard to know when you’ve hidden the weigh scales.
Bit of a result.
This year might be the year when we don’t have a traditional tree decoration at home. By decoration I mean a tree with things on it.
As a child the tree was an important part of the Christmas thing.
Every year Come easter the tree might still to have been found behind the shed, brown, spindly and forlorn. It would be a few months till Bonfire night, unless we had one earlier.
Every year the same things happened in preparation. An important part of the tree was the lights. a Lot of lights. one of the chores was checking each and every light bulb. Because. This involved sitting with an interesting multimeter device the like I have not seen again, and checking each one by passing a current through it. Every one.
The bulbs were I remember coloured. And each bulb socket had a flowery looking surround. Each bulb was an Edison screw type bulb and not a bayonet fitting. We called them fairy lights. I’m not sure we still do.
Decorating the tree was a family affair and there were always lot of hands. The hanging ornaments were fragile glass globes. Some of which had been broken in the previous 12 months.
But an important part of the tree dressing was the decorations made from lollies and walnuts
.
Take a tin of Roses Chocolates, they come in foil and cellophane wrappers, brightly coloured and shiny.
You get a reel of cotton and you make each sweet an ornament by making a loop of cotton using one end of the wrapper as an anchor.
You then hang the lollies on the tree.
During the next 20 days, or whatever time frame you have, you get a reward treat of a lolly from the tree, opening the chocolate and leaving the foil and cellophane on the tree, empty but still pretty!
There was the Round toffee one, the long toffee one covered in chocolate, the one with the walnut inside, the sold chocolate one, the one that was strawberry, the orange creme…
Mother would also make walnuts to hang from the tree, using a matchstick in one end of the walnut whole to make an anchor.
And there you have a tree with lights, glass globes, Cellophane lollies and walnuts. Add a rope or two of tinsel and a can or two of fake snow and there you have my traditional memory of a tree.
An enormous pine smelling plant, that dropped pine needles from the moment it was in the corner, and kept watched over the room. We didn’t have the presents under the tree as a tradition, we were many children and there were many temptations, until christmas eve. It wasn’t a big deal.
Come taking down the tree time there were always willing hands to investigate and find the cunningly hidden lollies or those that were too high to reach for esger young hands.
With children we’ve carried on at least the lolly part of the decorations, the glass globes have moved onto shapes and stars made of various things, safer and less likely to cut and injure.
It’s that time again, we spend 10 months hoping it gets here, one month preparing and then the whole of December questioning the sense of it all.
I’m going to start with Secret Santa. This year over half the people in the #Cubefarm decided that they’d like to do a #SecretSanta.
I have some ideas why the other less than half opted out, the stress of finding a $10 trinket, or for a couple of course the obvious religious reluctance.
I managed to persuade one of the non participants to draw the random name thing for everyone, much easier than going desk to desk, person to person, get everyone signed up and then get them a name. Hopefully the person drawing the names made some common sense decisions about pairing people up, despite everything there are people that wouldn’t match well with others.
In previous years I’ve managed to accrue some really tacky things, things that aren’t even remotely funny or even vaguely related to my own sense of humour or interaction, the comedy computer mouse with boobs as buttons for instance.
Perhaps someone should have got me a funny bone instead.
To be fair I kept this in my office cupboard for ages before it suddenly made its way into oblivion.
There is, at least for me, at least a little bit of skill required to get something that’s at least pertinent to the person you’re buying for. But there are always the obvious and desperate box of chocolate gifts that are just thoughtless, at least they’re trying though.
But and also, I’ve been part of the #NZTwitterSecretSanta thing, whereby @Websam for the second year mashed together a webs site and a random pairing generator to connect nearly 800 people together for a similar process.
The obvious drawbacks, some of the twitter accounts turned out not really to exist, some of them were locked or protected accounts, some of the participants are not regular tweeters. Of course there is always a percentage that will receive and not give.
I’ve given, and wait patiently for reciprocated love, and I’m aware a few people in the same boat, waiting for both the receiver to acknowledge the gift, and to receive their random thing.
Last time up I received a water pistol. Like I said random, and not always thoughtful or pertinent.
It’s the festive season, when workplace parties begin to kick in, and tonight I find myself with the prospect of being home alone. MrsPdubyah is off the “Foodstore” down on the viaduct, for her party, which makes me a bit Jealous to be honest. But I’ll man up and get over it.
Daughter will be here, but she’s turned into a room dweller, and might even be going out, who knows with kids.
So I have a check-list of things to get or make sure I have;
No, it’s complete, 5 things are all you need, which is why it’s a 5 point checklist. Salad might sneak in under “Sundry”, but only if it’s in the coleslaw style. Crackers should come under that as well.
Up to repeat #3 and it keeps sounding better. #xx #coexist #nofilterneeded #goosebumps #touchingmyself (Photo credit: P. Scott)
Music isn’t a consumable, except for the ears. Tonight
and from the musty box in the Garage….
I could get used to this.
I started with the good intention, in June, the walking, for the weight loss, the general fitness, the sense of wellbeing and accomplishment , and all the good things that that brings.
Well I started, then I broke a toe, then life happened and that. So… some excuses later, and fast forward from June 14 to November 10, and I know you’re thinking what-the-hey, thats like 5 months, and you’d be right there. But life indeed was happening and sometimes that intrudes on your good intentions.
Summer is here and we’re off again.
This time though I upgraded from the Nike+ Sportband to the Nike+ GPS watch. Which altogether appeals more to my sense of big brother wathching me.
And full of the enthusiasm I was faster today than the previous efforts, to be fair it is warmer, I’m wearing less clothes and I have new motivation.
Can I keep it up though. Only I can know and only I can let me down.
I gave up pretending to think about it and as my son seems to have discovered music as a hobby on the way to be a DJ, and I’m not about to be left out of a thing, I dove straight in.
I brought, and this is where you such air between your teeth in that way, a Pro-Ject RPM 1.3 Genie turntable. Harvey Norman and it’s drones gave me a hundy off he sticker price. I got a turntable and mucho love, no idea what they got.
And at this point I have to acknowledge that I brought this with the ill gotten gains from the family estate that you can read about elsewhere hereabouts. Mother would cuddle me, and I’m going to tear up a bit each time, sometimes, that I get the LP record on.
That aside…. fcuck I’m immediately in love, a lot, in many ways, a lot, love….
this is a clever piece of kit, for what it is, an it looks great, MrsPdubyah though it looked worthy and worthwhile, the Valve Amp not so much, scroll to the bottom for more on that.
I have some new vinyl LP records that need playing and at least one of them they are good, because I’m listening to it now and on the enjoyment level is very high.
I’d be shopping for more LP’s now online except I want to scurry home with them, and it’s like the first flush of love. It’s such a conflicted thing, over whelmed and under-monied.
The other side of the coin……..The Fatman iTube Valve amp, MrsPhil says a resounding no to this, mostly because she just says no. However side by side she conceeds that they pass muster. The Fatman Itube Valve Amp I think is a great piece of kit, and MrsPhil really isn’t down with it. Aesthetically it does not please her. Never has, never will
So I have to tidy some cables, buy some flowers, invest in some new Vinyl records and some cleaning agents and cloths for the ones in the garage and I’m otherwise engaged for upto 30 minutes a side of music.
Bring on the weekend, whence I shall be cracking out the Police, Pink Floyd, David Bowie and a few others for my own entertainment.
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…
