Much better today weather wise, eh, Aucklanders?
This made quite a difference (so far) to my general disposition/energy/wellbeing.
I guess having 2 (albeit short) non contact periods helped!
There's nothing quite like feeling energised to do stuff.
I experienced (at least) some plain old joy in (at least) a few lessons today.
In the last lesson, with Year 13s, our points game (where I award students points for participating in the lesson, and deduct points for "naughtiness and idiocy" - same thing?) turned into quite a heated affair between a boy who sometimes (in his mind) wanders away to cloud cuckoo land and another who is usually quite happy to laugh/grin/crack jokes.
This made my day - the strategy is actually a highly effective one, as the boys in particular love the competitive aspect (even if there aren't any prizes) and even quiet girls come to the party eventually.
The thing that really made my day was the humour, the attentiveness, the motivation and the learning that happened, last lesson on a hot Friday (albeit with a cool breeze blowing).
The weekend is here!
This Sunday Alexander makes his debut as a church drummer, Sophie tootles the flute and vW sen. fiddles about in the manner he is accustomed to.
Look out, MRBC - the vWs are taking over!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Summerdilemma
So hot and humid.
If we open all the windows, the mozzies invade.
Chomping into my tender skin, and sucking out gallons of juicy red liquid.
If we close the windows we suffocate.
Death by mozzy or suffocation?
Hmmmmm...
Someone said to me recently, though I can't remember who, that often things we beat ourselves up deciding on are settled by default anyway.
In other words, we can't expect to play out umpteen scenarios and choose which suits us best, as circumstances etc. are developing inevitable futures for us anyway.
Have just been watching Muse play live on "Later with Jools Holland" (Youtube).
What a phenomenal band!
If we open all the windows, the mozzies invade.
Chomping into my tender skin, and sucking out gallons of juicy red liquid.
If we close the windows we suffocate.
Death by mozzy or suffocation?
Hmmmmm...
Someone said to me recently, though I can't remember who, that often things we beat ourselves up deciding on are settled by default anyway.
In other words, we can't expect to play out umpteen scenarios and choose which suits us best, as circumstances etc. are developing inevitable futures for us anyway.
Have just been watching Muse play live on "Later with Jools Holland" (Youtube).
What a phenomenal band!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Lent Begins
This evening we (MRBC) had probably our first ever Ash Wednesday service.
I "enjoyed", though that's not quite the right word, performing psalms 38 and 39.
Alas, Sophie was NOT with me on that, due to being exhausted by her swimming sports (her house, Iona, won! Yay!).
Earlier today I had my first post-diagnosis counselling session with Rebecca Lee, counsellor with the Cancer Society.
This was probably the first time I had cried about that darned diagnosis - funny how you can go for ages keeping it all in, so as not to disturb others.
Guess I'm not actually that great at letting it all out, though I do find my music performance stuff a real channel for stuff, which was why pss38 and 39 were the right thing to do.
These psalms really call out to God in anguish/anger/full-hearted, full-throated "passion".
The dynamics I perceive in them range from the barest of whispers to the loudest of sorrowful shouts...
Good to rant and rave at God about my condition thru the psalms, without turning that into a sulky, damaging thing.
Oddly enough I had also offered ps 13 for tonight, which has a happy ending of expressed trust in it.
Fred chose the other 2.
I "enjoyed", though that's not quite the right word, performing psalms 38 and 39.
Alas, Sophie was NOT with me on that, due to being exhausted by her swimming sports (her house, Iona, won! Yay!).
Earlier today I had my first post-diagnosis counselling session with Rebecca Lee, counsellor with the Cancer Society.
This was probably the first time I had cried about that darned diagnosis - funny how you can go for ages keeping it all in, so as not to disturb others.
Guess I'm not actually that great at letting it all out, though I do find my music performance stuff a real channel for stuff, which was why pss38 and 39 were the right thing to do.
These psalms really call out to God in anguish/anger/full-hearted, full-throated "passion".
The dynamics I perceive in them range from the barest of whispers to the loudest of sorrowful shouts...
Good to rant and rave at God about my condition thru the psalms, without turning that into a sulky, damaging thing.
Oddly enough I had also offered ps 13 for tonight, which has a happy ending of expressed trust in it.
Fred chose the other 2.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Time to Sleep
Something about Tuesdays...
Today a non-contact period 1, then teaching periods 2-5, break at lunch, then teaching thru till 4.45 (supertwelve, of whom 8 showed up, 2 of whom left at 4pm).
Back thru rush hour traffic (Theo's present car has delicious air conditioning - yay!
My car's air con will be sorted tomorrow, I hope!
I have decided not to get too uptight about the students' lack of correct uniform - no one else does, so it's more trouble than it's worth swimming against that current - it is incredible though, what gets tolerated...
A symptom of this attitude is that I find myself ringing the parents of students who have not yet bought theory books, an essential part of our course (and stark contrast to Alex and Sophie having stationery and text books, in A's case, sorted BEFORE they start school).
In my opinion we do these "poor, underprivileged, South Auckland" kids no favours by pandering to slack expectations...
Enough!
I am sure we're all doing our best.
Really shouldn't take it home with me...
Tomorrow evening at 7.30 you can catch me performing psalms 13 and 39 as part of our church's Ash Wednesday service (a Baptist church doing Ash Wednesday? What is the world coming to?)- if you're in Auckland, that is.
A quote from my current read, Schindler's Ark, to finish with:
"An hour of life is till life."
oh, and...
"save one man, and you save the world."
goodnight!
Today a non-contact period 1, then teaching periods 2-5, break at lunch, then teaching thru till 4.45 (supertwelve, of whom 8 showed up, 2 of whom left at 4pm).
Back thru rush hour traffic (Theo's present car has delicious air conditioning - yay!
My car's air con will be sorted tomorrow, I hope!
I have decided not to get too uptight about the students' lack of correct uniform - no one else does, so it's more trouble than it's worth swimming against that current - it is incredible though, what gets tolerated...
A symptom of this attitude is that I find myself ringing the parents of students who have not yet bought theory books, an essential part of our course (and stark contrast to Alex and Sophie having stationery and text books, in A's case, sorted BEFORE they start school).
In my opinion we do these "poor, underprivileged, South Auckland" kids no favours by pandering to slack expectations...
Enough!
I am sure we're all doing our best.
Really shouldn't take it home with me...
Tomorrow evening at 7.30 you can catch me performing psalms 13 and 39 as part of our church's Ash Wednesday service (a Baptist church doing Ash Wednesday? What is the world coming to?)- if you're in Auckland, that is.
A quote from my current read, Schindler's Ark, to finish with:
"An hour of life is till life."
oh, and...
"save one man, and you save the world."
goodnight!
Monday, February 15, 2010
The Joy of Balloons
Ian M dropped by last night.
He had spent the weekend blowing up balloons and making them into cool shapes.
He wasn't alone - he was part of a club who were trying to break a record for blowing up the most balloons.
Apparently they broke the Australasian record, tho not the world record.
So last night Ian gave me 4 bags of balloons!
And this morning I loaded up Theo's car with them, and took them to school ... as you do...
I taught 4 classes today (and my tutor group), each lesson ending with a prizegiving of balloons.
Great to see the sheer delight in the colours and shapes that enveloped students of all years.
Because they were different shapes and sizes, the nature of the gift and the corresponding recipient created further amusement.
Balloons - where would we be without them?
He had spent the weekend blowing up balloons and making them into cool shapes.
He wasn't alone - he was part of a club who were trying to break a record for blowing up the most balloons.
Apparently they broke the Australasian record, tho not the world record.
So last night Ian gave me 4 bags of balloons!
And this morning I loaded up Theo's car with them, and took them to school ... as you do...
I taught 4 classes today (and my tutor group), each lesson ending with a prizegiving of balloons.
Great to see the sheer delight in the colours and shapes that enveloped students of all years.
Because they were different shapes and sizes, the nature of the gift and the corresponding recipient created further amusement.
Balloons - where would we be without them?
Sunday, February 14, 2010
"Before and After Science" (CD review)
...Brian Eno, 1978 (or thereabouts!)
This is my favourite Brian Eno album.
It is the end of the series in which he performs vocals (although he has revisited vocals at other times since).
It maintains the cutting edge experimentalism of Here Come the Warm Jets, Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy and Another Green World, adding a deeper level of...
polish and sophistication (and even emotion!).
The sound is fuller, richer and less abrasive.
In this remastered copy (2004) it is, quite simply, gorgeous.
There are moments of genuine musical beauty on this album - the single "Here He Comes", the elegaic "Julie with..." and the wistful "Spider and I" (one of my favourite Eno songs) - some great musicians backing him up - the lineup of bass players is outstanding.
This was released at around the same time Eno was taking Talking Heads into world-changing arenas, and restructuring Bowie's career - you can hear the cross-pollination on this album.
If you want a starting point for getting to know Eno, start here - the earlier albums would be a little tooo bizarre for the novice, and the later ones veer wholly and committedly into ambient music.
This is the album where it all seems to be just right.
10/10.
This is my favourite Brian Eno album.
It is the end of the series in which he performs vocals (although he has revisited vocals at other times since).
It maintains the cutting edge experimentalism of Here Come the Warm Jets, Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy and Another Green World, adding a deeper level of...
polish and sophistication (and even emotion!).
The sound is fuller, richer and less abrasive.
In this remastered copy (2004) it is, quite simply, gorgeous.
There are moments of genuine musical beauty on this album - the single "Here He Comes", the elegaic "Julie with..." and the wistful "Spider and I" (one of my favourite Eno songs) - some great musicians backing him up - the lineup of bass players is outstanding.
This was released at around the same time Eno was taking Talking Heads into world-changing arenas, and restructuring Bowie's career - you can hear the cross-pollination on this album.
If you want a starting point for getting to know Eno, start here - the earlier albums would be a little tooo bizarre for the novice, and the later ones veer wholly and committedly into ambient music.
This is the album where it all seems to be just right.
10/10.
Hot, Hot, Hot
So hot and wet.
A walk in the park with the rain falling did not cool us.
Time at Columbus with books and chat - trim latte, long black.
Date scone for which no additional butter required.
Then the walk - Lois able to walk - yay!
Pick up Sophie from fancy-dress sleepover (Hermione Granger).
Alex at home with Jasper - computer games - church coming up at 5pm.
Reading, writing, singing, sudoku-ing, sleeping, snoring.
Time with Katherine A, who visited church today and prayed for me.
Mosquitoes attack AGAIN.
Grrr!
A walk in the park with the rain falling did not cool us.
Time at Columbus with books and chat - trim latte, long black.
Date scone for which no additional butter required.
Then the walk - Lois able to walk - yay!
Pick up Sophie from fancy-dress sleepover (Hermione Granger).
Alex at home with Jasper - computer games - church coming up at 5pm.
Reading, writing, singing, sudoku-ing, sleeping, snoring.
Time with Katherine A, who visited church today and prayed for me.
Mosquitoes attack AGAIN.
Grrr!
What's Going On 3
Not really any pain connected to my condition.
A constant ache in my right shoulder, which I will ask the oncologist about on that fateful Thursday (4th March).
Wanting to make the most of whatever time there is.
For me that involves a lot of writing and music and reading and listening.
Lois and I tried to talk about what it would be like without me here.
I find it almost impossible to get my head round that one!
We also discussed who my death would be worse for - her or me?
These are not the questions I think about very much, except when prompted by Lois.
Even thinking about how long I have left is kind of mind-boggling.
I love this life - leaving it behind seems like a sad farewell at times.
And yet I also believe in a life after this which will be good, but different.
Do I appear to be resigned to a death from cancer?
It's like that Charlton Heston quote - courage and surrender mixed/mashed up together.
A constant ache in my right shoulder, which I will ask the oncologist about on that fateful Thursday (4th March).
Wanting to make the most of whatever time there is.
For me that involves a lot of writing and music and reading and listening.
Lois and I tried to talk about what it would be like without me here.
I find it almost impossible to get my head round that one!
We also discussed who my death would be worse for - her or me?
These are not the questions I think about very much, except when prompted by Lois.
Even thinking about how long I have left is kind of mind-boggling.
I love this life - leaving it behind seems like a sad farewell at times.
And yet I also believe in a life after this which will be good, but different.
Do I appear to be resigned to a death from cancer?
It's like that Charlton Heston quote - courage and surrender mixed/mashed up together.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Some Rain
A very warm day, with liquid refreshment throughout.
Sophie to school to learn computing skills.
Alexander off to jump waterfalls, clearly undeterred by similar vertical experiences back in 2009.
So, a space for L and me to break free.
Off to the Meryl Streep comedy, "It's Complicated".
The usual, reassuring, Saturday night routine (cf Butter Chicken).
Wrote some more songs - seem to be going through an easier creative phase at present.
Tomorrow a day "off" church.
Gershwin's American in Paris piping hot off the stereo.
Full of Ravel and American jazz influences (as was Gershwin himself).
Sophie to school to learn computing skills.
Alexander off to jump waterfalls, clearly undeterred by similar vertical experiences back in 2009.
So, a space for L and me to break free.
Off to the Meryl Streep comedy, "It's Complicated".
The usual, reassuring, Saturday night routine (cf Butter Chicken).
Wrote some more songs - seem to be going through an easier creative phase at present.
Tomorrow a day "off" church.
Gershwin's American in Paris piping hot off the stereo.
Full of Ravel and American jazz influences (as was Gershwin himself).
"The String Quartet Tribute to Peter Gabriel" (CD review)
...2004, Vitamir Records.
Though I am a huge fan of PG, I had for a long time not thought of him as a melodicist - by which I mean someone for whom the musical element of Melody is an important building block.
When I think of PG's songs, I think of Timbres, rustling marimbas, double-headed Indian violins, wailing electric guitars, the Blind Boys of Alabama, etc. etc.
This CD reminds the listener of the melodic richness that does exist in many of PG's songs, from the jaunty Solsbury Hill thru funky Shock the Monkey to With This Love (the poignant tune that accompanies the final scene of The Last Temptation of Christ).
The arrangements are clever enough, though not particularly surprising or adventurous - the CD is a good example of coffee table music (there is at least one other CD in this series, which is the songs of U2).
The question at the back of my mind is "(apart from me) who would buy this record?"
If you're a string 4tet fan, it's probably a little on the light side - if a PG fan, you might miss the richer instrumentations of the originals.
BUT the album probably serves as an effective intro to PG's latest offering, which is an album of cover versions, I THINK accompanied by orchestra (certainly that's the way he's touring at present).
Comfortable, pleasant and inoffensive.
6/10.
Though I am a huge fan of PG, I had for a long time not thought of him as a melodicist - by which I mean someone for whom the musical element of Melody is an important building block.
When I think of PG's songs, I think of Timbres, rustling marimbas, double-headed Indian violins, wailing electric guitars, the Blind Boys of Alabama, etc. etc.
This CD reminds the listener of the melodic richness that does exist in many of PG's songs, from the jaunty Solsbury Hill thru funky Shock the Monkey to With This Love (the poignant tune that accompanies the final scene of The Last Temptation of Christ).
The arrangements are clever enough, though not particularly surprising or adventurous - the CD is a good example of coffee table music (there is at least one other CD in this series, which is the songs of U2).
The question at the back of my mind is "(apart from me) who would buy this record?"
If you're a string 4tet fan, it's probably a little on the light side - if a PG fan, you might miss the richer instrumentations of the originals.
BUT the album probably serves as an effective intro to PG's latest offering, which is an album of cover versions, I THINK accompanied by orchestra (certainly that's the way he's touring at present).
Comfortable, pleasant and inoffensive.
6/10.
Adventures in Leaf-blowing pt 1 - The temple as a metaphor for the human being
Welcome to a series of thoughts that arise as I spend an hour on a Saturday blowing leaves off the driveway (using a machine, of course!)...
I am referring to the Hebrew temple.
Just as the temple has different "stages" or levels, so does the human being.
The porch/forecourt = the physical/emotional exterior of our being - the part everybody can see and even interact with superficially without knowing anything about us.
Inside we come to the assembly room/meeting place. This is where, in our being, we develop our psychological/emotional being. Less people share with us at this level - only the "initiate" - those seeking greater intimacy with us (some would call this the chamber of the soul, perhaps).
Last we come to the Holy of Holies - the sacred place - the place where the priest meets with God, via the ark of the covenant - the place that is veiled, hidden. In the human being, this would be the chamber of the spirit, where the Spirit of God talks to our spirit, often in ways that we can neither articulate nor understand...and yet the Ark is there, the Ark of the Covenant, God's promise of Presence, and presence of Promise.
And of course, to get from the porch into the Holy of Holies, we must pass through the communal assembly room, developing greater intimacy with our soul and spirit as we go.
So much also is unseen by us - we do not see ourselves as God sees us, but through a glass, darkly.
Jesus referred to Himself (and perhaps to us also) as a temple which, though thrown down, would be raised by Him within 3 days.
When he died, the veil to the H of H was torn in 2 - ripped apart! A symbol of how, through His death, we now have much easier access to God (and, in a sense, He to us).
Hmmm...if that's all a bit too metaphysical, just remember, there will always be leaves that need blowing!
I am referring to the Hebrew temple.
Just as the temple has different "stages" or levels, so does the human being.
The porch/forecourt = the physical/emotional exterior of our being - the part everybody can see and even interact with superficially without knowing anything about us.
Inside we come to the assembly room/meeting place. This is where, in our being, we develop our psychological/emotional being. Less people share with us at this level - only the "initiate" - those seeking greater intimacy with us (some would call this the chamber of the soul, perhaps).
Last we come to the Holy of Holies - the sacred place - the place where the priest meets with God, via the ark of the covenant - the place that is veiled, hidden. In the human being, this would be the chamber of the spirit, where the Spirit of God talks to our spirit, often in ways that we can neither articulate nor understand...and yet the Ark is there, the Ark of the Covenant, God's promise of Presence, and presence of Promise.
And of course, to get from the porch into the Holy of Holies, we must pass through the communal assembly room, developing greater intimacy with our soul and spirit as we go.
So much also is unseen by us - we do not see ourselves as God sees us, but through a glass, darkly.
Jesus referred to Himself (and perhaps to us also) as a temple which, though thrown down, would be raised by Him within 3 days.
When he died, the veil to the H of H was torn in 2 - ripped apart! A symbol of how, through His death, we now have much easier access to God (and, in a sense, He to us).
Hmmm...if that's all a bit too metaphysical, just remember, there will always be leaves that need blowing!
Friday, February 12, 2010
No News
Nice hospital, the Ascot.
Access a little odd, though.
CT scan over, no results - meeting with oncologist is Thu 4th March, 3.30pm.
Last year my birthday presents were a BBQ (terrific) and a private colonoscopy (less so, AND more blimmin' expensive!).
This year what kind of birthday present will I receive from the oncologist?
A free 6 month course of toxic chemicals?
Guaranteed numbness, nausea and neurosis?
Hopefully a chocolate mud cake from somewhere (hint, hint!)...
Don't get me wrong.
At this stage I would much rather have a few extra months of relatively comfortable living if possible.
Lois's MRI scan was also without discussion of results.
We wait and watch.
A lovely lunch with Maria at Ironique.
And a cosy, friendly music group BBQ at the Oldings, with a spa!
And here at last is the weekend...
Access a little odd, though.
CT scan over, no results - meeting with oncologist is Thu 4th March, 3.30pm.
Last year my birthday presents were a BBQ (terrific) and a private colonoscopy (less so, AND more blimmin' expensive!).
This year what kind of birthday present will I receive from the oncologist?
A free 6 month course of toxic chemicals?
Guaranteed numbness, nausea and neurosis?
Hopefully a chocolate mud cake from somewhere (hint, hint!)...
Don't get me wrong.
At this stage I would much rather have a few extra months of relatively comfortable living if possible.
Lois's MRI scan was also without discussion of results.
We wait and watch.
A lovely lunch with Maria at Ironique.
And a cosy, friendly music group BBQ at the Oldings, with a spa!
And here at last is the weekend...
"Taxman" (CD review)
...by Lucky Dube (1997).
I don't have much reggae in my collection.
Bob Marley by the bucketful, Sinead's experiments, ska collections, and this one CD by South African singer/songwriter, Lucky Dube.
...who, by mortal standards, was not lucky in the manner of his death - shot down in a random act of senseless killing as one expects to find these days in the city of Johannesburg - in front of his 2 young children, having just dropped them at school.
Listen to this CD and you can hear what a great loss that is to the world.
It is a collection of bighearted, activating reggae.
Dube's voice has a similar warmth to Uncle Bob's, but is smoother in general (perhaps less ravaged by cannabis?).
Songs of love, faith and politics.
Not quite as adventurous rhythmically, but those Barratt brothers are hard to beat!
A little too much reverb at times.
Great tunes and vocal performances, though, especially Lucky's lead.
A worthy successor to the Marley dynasty - if he had but lived longer!
8/10.
I don't have much reggae in my collection.
Bob Marley by the bucketful, Sinead's experiments, ska collections, and this one CD by South African singer/songwriter, Lucky Dube.
...who, by mortal standards, was not lucky in the manner of his death - shot down in a random act of senseless killing as one expects to find these days in the city of Johannesburg - in front of his 2 young children, having just dropped them at school.
Listen to this CD and you can hear what a great loss that is to the world.
It is a collection of bighearted, activating reggae.
Dube's voice has a similar warmth to Uncle Bob's, but is smoother in general (perhaps less ravaged by cannabis?).
Songs of love, faith and politics.
Not quite as adventurous rhythmically, but those Barratt brothers are hard to beat!
A little too much reverb at times.
Great tunes and vocal performances, though, especially Lucky's lead.
A worthy successor to the Marley dynasty - if he had but lived longer!
8/10.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Scanning the Horizon
2 scans tomorrow in the vW family.
My own CT scan at 10.30am, after drinking that yummy orange flavoured stuff to light up my innermost parts.
Then at 1.30 Lois has an MRI on her back, to see what is up with her spine.
Then the weekend.
Coffee is a great discovery.
Having come across it in the New World, the Spanish used to serve it to their victims during the Inquisition, in order to make them confess to the most outlandish crimes against the soul...Today we were informed at staff briefing that our branch of the PPTA has been awarded the Guy Allen Award for branch activism - meaning that we are indeed a resolute and unified bunch of socialist stirrers!
Yay!
How the Boss puts up with it/us I don't know - still, give and take!
The New Zealand Herald is offering every student and staff member at the school a year's subsciption on a 5-day basis for free - you should have seen the staff stampede for forms after it was announced.
Anything in the cause of Literacy, eh?
During the Inquisition, anyone caught reading the entertainment section of the newspaper would be burned at the stake...
Believe it or not...
My own CT scan at 10.30am, after drinking that yummy orange flavoured stuff to light up my innermost parts.
Then at 1.30 Lois has an MRI on her back, to see what is up with her spine.
Then the weekend.
Coffee is a great discovery.
Having come across it in the New World, the Spanish used to serve it to their victims during the Inquisition, in order to make them confess to the most outlandish crimes against the soul...Today we were informed at staff briefing that our branch of the PPTA has been awarded the Guy Allen Award for branch activism - meaning that we are indeed a resolute and unified bunch of socialist stirrers!
Yay!
How the Boss puts up with it/us I don't know - still, give and take!
The New Zealand Herald is offering every student and staff member at the school a year's subsciption on a 5-day basis for free - you should have seen the staff stampede for forms after it was announced.
Anything in the cause of Literacy, eh?
During the Inquisition, anyone caught reading the entertainment section of the newspaper would be burned at the stake...
Believe it or not...
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
"Even When She Forgot My Name" (book review)
...by Wong Chai Kee, 2009 (Epigram).
This is the story of Wong Chai Kee's mother and her battle with Alzheimer's.
Alzheimer's, more so than cancer, is one of those diseases that challenges us in the psychological and spiritual realm, more than in the physical.
Wong's account is by turns humorous, witty, poignant, despairing - all the things one goes through when losing a loved one, and remembering sweet times before ill health invaded.
It is a credit to his writing style that the narrative never becomes bogged down in pathos or gloom - a credit to the strength of character of his mother also.
"Ma", as she was called, appears to have been a strong, resilient and feisty woman with a cutting sense of humour - by the end of the book we feel we have been introduced to her as a family friend, and are rooting for her as she is ravaged first by the Alzheimer's and finally by oesophagal cancer.
We also share in the sights, sounds and smells of earlier Singapore and even earlier mainland China.
I love the style in the book - the narrator never gets in the way of his story, and emotions and scenarios are deftly outlined, never pausing to dwell on sentiment.
The book sparkles and crackles, inspiring and uplifting.
Although never discussed in its pages, one becomes aware of the huge amount of time and energy Ma's children, and in particular the author, spent with her towards the end of her life.
Strongly recommended.
9/10.
This is the story of Wong Chai Kee's mother and her battle with Alzheimer's.
Alzheimer's, more so than cancer, is one of those diseases that challenges us in the psychological and spiritual realm, more than in the physical.
Wong's account is by turns humorous, witty, poignant, despairing - all the things one goes through when losing a loved one, and remembering sweet times before ill health invaded.
It is a credit to his writing style that the narrative never becomes bogged down in pathos or gloom - a credit to the strength of character of his mother also.
"Ma", as she was called, appears to have been a strong, resilient and feisty woman with a cutting sense of humour - by the end of the book we feel we have been introduced to her as a family friend, and are rooting for her as she is ravaged first by the Alzheimer's and finally by oesophagal cancer.
We also share in the sights, sounds and smells of earlier Singapore and even earlier mainland China.
I love the style in the book - the narrator never gets in the way of his story, and emotions and scenarios are deftly outlined, never pausing to dwell on sentiment.
The book sparkles and crackles, inspiring and uplifting.
Although never discussed in its pages, one becomes aware of the huge amount of time and energy Ma's children, and in particular the author, spent with her towards the end of her life.
Strongly recommended.
9/10.
Just when you thought it was safe....
My next CT scan is Fri at 10.30 at Ascot Hospital.
They are helping the public health system clear the backlog (sound familiar?).
Please pray with me on this!
I don't even feel that great at present...
Still, every day a new day.
The above is also the title of a song that features in Dark Glasses, which I will be performing around the end of March.
Listening to Dvorak at present.
Czechoslovakians, eh?
Spirit, energy, emotion, lyricism - not a bad bone in their musical bodies (well, Dvorak's, at least).
Time to read a bit more Schindler's Ark...
G.
They are helping the public health system clear the backlog (sound familiar?).
Please pray with me on this!
I don't even feel that great at present...
Still, every day a new day.
The above is also the title of a song that features in Dark Glasses, which I will be performing around the end of March.
Listening to Dvorak at present.
Czechoslovakians, eh?
Spirit, energy, emotion, lyricism - not a bad bone in their musical bodies (well, Dvorak's, at least).
Time to read a bit more Schindler's Ark...
G.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Tap Root Manuscript (CD review)
...Neil Diamond, 1972.
Aah, 1972.
Nixon was wobbly!
I headed to the Netherlands by myself at the end of this year.
And my sister Jean (now Joke, the J pronounced as a Y) had a huge crush on Neil Diamond and bought this album, a gatefold cover with a sexily brooding in-the-dark picture of Neil (he had hair to spare in those days)contemplating his rise from Tin Pan Alley tunesmith to singer/songwriter/world musician.
I loved this album too.
It was a record of course when first released, and on Side 2 Neil dabbled in all manner of African sounds and conventions - this side alone spawned the huge and funky hit, Soolaimon.
And Side 1 had no less than 3 huge songs on it - Cracklin' Rosie, Done Too Soon and the wonderful He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother (a kind of sequel to Bridge Over Troubled Water).
The album has lasted well over nearly 40 years, due to the crisp arrangements and catchy tunes - Neil Diamond was a very crafty tunesmith, perhaps a little too crafty, raising questions about the sincerity of his musical expression.
With He Ain't Heavy, he very nearly succeeds in making you believe he's talking about his own brother, though the album cannot match the 2 Rick Rubin-produced albums, 12 songs and Home After Dark for sincerity/intensity.
After this, Neil went on to release his glorious Hot August Night live album, then Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a soundtrack album for a movie all about...seagulls!
Well, it was the early 70s, and Nixon did fall, leaving the stage free for ABBA!
7/10.
Aah, 1972.
Nixon was wobbly!
I headed to the Netherlands by myself at the end of this year.
And my sister Jean (now Joke, the J pronounced as a Y) had a huge crush on Neil Diamond and bought this album, a gatefold cover with a sexily brooding in-the-dark picture of Neil (he had hair to spare in those days)contemplating his rise from Tin Pan Alley tunesmith to singer/songwriter/world musician.
I loved this album too.
It was a record of course when first released, and on Side 2 Neil dabbled in all manner of African sounds and conventions - this side alone spawned the huge and funky hit, Soolaimon.
And Side 1 had no less than 3 huge songs on it - Cracklin' Rosie, Done Too Soon and the wonderful He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother (a kind of sequel to Bridge Over Troubled Water).
The album has lasted well over nearly 40 years, due to the crisp arrangements and catchy tunes - Neil Diamond was a very crafty tunesmith, perhaps a little too crafty, raising questions about the sincerity of his musical expression.
With He Ain't Heavy, he very nearly succeeds in making you believe he's talking about his own brother, though the album cannot match the 2 Rick Rubin-produced albums, 12 songs and Home After Dark for sincerity/intensity.
After this, Neil went on to release his glorious Hot August Night live album, then Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a soundtrack album for a movie all about...seagulls!
Well, it was the early 70s, and Nixon did fall, leaving the stage free for ABBA!
7/10.
...but Tiring!
At least I'm not an English teacher!
All that marking!...
The energy in Music teaching goes into performing, directing, organising ensembles and handling relationships.
There is a lot of emotional investment, leaving the teacher vulnerable and exhausted, if not slightly demented.
8.15am arrive and start up laptop (don't forget, daily notices before 2pm).
8.35 briefing.
8.50 tutor time (check uniform, discipline latecomers, mark roll twice because tutor rolls not yet on line).
9.10 meet and greet itinerants and new students - discuss Van Morrison celebration, negotiating numbers with the woodwind teacher.
10.10 off to haka/waiata practice with a swag of year 11 profiles to mark (including a precious gem from a drummer - "I was born doing this" - poor mum!).
10.50 morning break (don't forget notices!).
11.10 meet year 13s for the first time this year - one boy has no idea what he's doing in the class, and is encouraged to swap options before it's too late.
Students asked to write 300-word profiles on themselves.
12.10 straight into a year 11 class - the natural drummer isn't there, andd once again many students have not purchased their theory books...
I find that I have 2 Grade 8 pianists who have completed Grade 5 theory, creating the pleasant question "what do I do now?"
1.10 10T tutor group, and we begin our first class meeting - our chair is Junior Meatuai (there are 3 boys called Junior in this class) - remits are "going on the computers in S1" (quashed) and "Mr vW shouldn't take our shoes off us" which leads into lively and challenging, thoughtful discussion.
1.30 I attempt to escape from the Music Block, but must first give discouraging looks to students who want to come in for "a practice" or "a jam" (some just walk straight in and begin playing on guitars, piano, etc.) - a number of students enter, wanting to sign up for choirs and/or bands (some wiseguys have even attempted to forge Mr Laurenson's and Mr Roberts's signatures as potential candidates for the Gospel Choir!).
A colleague brings in a rock melon to the staff room, splits it and offers the pieces around - refreshing, tasty and welcome!
2.10 down to the last lesson - year 10 rhythm compositions - some have got the hang of the task and are well on their way - even the mouthy boys are making honest and worthy attempts to construct their pieces.
Still, no manuscript, no theory books...aaarrrgh!
3.10 a five minute breather till
3.15 the Supertwelve inaugural meeting and practice - there are, naturally, not twelve present - one boy appears to be deliberately skiving and will be invited to leave, one is still in Samoa (well, it is only week 2 of school, after all!)and one girl needs to leave at 4pm to lead the Cook Island Group.
At 4.45 Theo comes to collect my mortal remains and bundle me into his car where I promptly fall asleep...
And I forgot the notices!!
Aarrggh!
All that marking!...
The energy in Music teaching goes into performing, directing, organising ensembles and handling relationships.
There is a lot of emotional investment, leaving the teacher vulnerable and exhausted, if not slightly demented.
8.15am arrive and start up laptop (don't forget, daily notices before 2pm).
8.35 briefing.
8.50 tutor time (check uniform, discipline latecomers, mark roll twice because tutor rolls not yet on line).
9.10 meet and greet itinerants and new students - discuss Van Morrison celebration, negotiating numbers with the woodwind teacher.
10.10 off to haka/waiata practice with a swag of year 11 profiles to mark (including a precious gem from a drummer - "I was born doing this" - poor mum!).
10.50 morning break (don't forget notices!).
11.10 meet year 13s for the first time this year - one boy has no idea what he's doing in the class, and is encouraged to swap options before it's too late.
Students asked to write 300-word profiles on themselves.
12.10 straight into a year 11 class - the natural drummer isn't there, andd once again many students have not purchased their theory books...
I find that I have 2 Grade 8 pianists who have completed Grade 5 theory, creating the pleasant question "what do I do now?"
1.10 10T tutor group, and we begin our first class meeting - our chair is Junior Meatuai (there are 3 boys called Junior in this class) - remits are "going on the computers in S1" (quashed) and "Mr vW shouldn't take our shoes off us" which leads into lively and challenging, thoughtful discussion.
1.30 I attempt to escape from the Music Block, but must first give discouraging looks to students who want to come in for "a practice" or "a jam" (some just walk straight in and begin playing on guitars, piano, etc.) - a number of students enter, wanting to sign up for choirs and/or bands (some wiseguys have even attempted to forge Mr Laurenson's and Mr Roberts's signatures as potential candidates for the Gospel Choir!).
A colleague brings in a rock melon to the staff room, splits it and offers the pieces around - refreshing, tasty and welcome!
2.10 down to the last lesson - year 10 rhythm compositions - some have got the hang of the task and are well on their way - even the mouthy boys are making honest and worthy attempts to construct their pieces.
Still, no manuscript, no theory books...aaarrrgh!
3.10 a five minute breather till
3.15 the Supertwelve inaugural meeting and practice - there are, naturally, not twelve present - one boy appears to be deliberately skiving and will be invited to leave, one is still in Samoa (well, it is only week 2 of school, after all!)and one girl needs to leave at 4pm to lead the Cook Island Group.
At 4.45 Theo comes to collect my mortal remains and bundle me into his car where I promptly fall asleep...
And I forgot the notices!!
Aarrggh!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Good Fun
Today I was reminded why I have stayed in teaching.
It's good fun.
Over the years, the rules become easier to see and follow.
Patterns of behaviour become almost too predictable.
But in the moment!
In the place called the classroom, where teacher and student meet, transact, share time, space and joy...
This is a magic place.
A place where the lesson exists of itself.
It is its own reality, owing nothing to outside forces.
A place where fun can happen, according to the unseen, undiscussed laws of contract between teacher and students, conductor and orchestra.
CT scan possibly on Friday 10.30 at Ascot Hospital.
It's good fun.
Over the years, the rules become easier to see and follow.
Patterns of behaviour become almost too predictable.
But in the moment!
In the place called the classroom, where teacher and student meet, transact, share time, space and joy...
This is a magic place.
A place where the lesson exists of itself.
It is its own reality, owing nothing to outside forces.
A place where fun can happen, according to the unseen, undiscussed laws of contract between teacher and students, conductor and orchestra.
CT scan possibly on Friday 10.30 at Ascot Hospital.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
"Armed Forces" (CD review)
...by Elvis Costello and The Attractions.
1979.
We'd had the Sex Pistols, The Clash, Talking Heads...
Combining punk energy with new wave intellect and darned good tunes in the tradition of ABBA, Elvis II (the original passed away at this time) burst on to the scene.
My Aim is True (without The Attractions), This Year's Model and now, in 1979, Armed Forces.
Accidents Will Happen and Oliver's Army were the huge hits that took Elvis and co into the global arena, but all the other tunes contain the cocktail of wit, melodic lyricism and energy that characterised at least the first 4 albums (Get Happy's "gimmick" was that it held no less than 20 riff-rich songs - a veritable musical feast in terms of both quantity and quality).
The late 70s were pretty much about Elvis doing Anger, and doing it well.
There is much invective on Armed Forces, most lines containing enough barbs to furnish the Maginot Line...
Each angry outburst is forcefully and wondrously underscored by the Attractions - Bruce Smith on bass, Pete Smith (no relation) on drums and Steve Nieve on keyboards.
I love the basslines - every bit as inventive as Aston Barrett in the Wailers - I was deeply saddened when Bruce announced his departure from Elvis's entourage, but very pleased that Steve and Pete have continued as The Imposters with Elvis.
I prefer the surrounding albums - This Year's Model with it's caustic, catchy and sophisticated I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea and Get Happy with its myriad of understated, terrific tunes.
Armed Forces is perhaps just a little too musically cute and quirky - Steve's keyboards maybe a touch too OTT - though it remains a pivotal moment in Elvis's development.
And the basslines take you into an exciting world of possibilities.
7/10.
1979.
We'd had the Sex Pistols, The Clash, Talking Heads...
Combining punk energy with new wave intellect and darned good tunes in the tradition of ABBA, Elvis II (the original passed away at this time) burst on to the scene.
My Aim is True (without The Attractions), This Year's Model and now, in 1979, Armed Forces.
Accidents Will Happen and Oliver's Army were the huge hits that took Elvis and co into the global arena, but all the other tunes contain the cocktail of wit, melodic lyricism and energy that characterised at least the first 4 albums (Get Happy's "gimmick" was that it held no less than 20 riff-rich songs - a veritable musical feast in terms of both quantity and quality).
The late 70s were pretty much about Elvis doing Anger, and doing it well.
There is much invective on Armed Forces, most lines containing enough barbs to furnish the Maginot Line...
Each angry outburst is forcefully and wondrously underscored by the Attractions - Bruce Smith on bass, Pete Smith (no relation) on drums and Steve Nieve on keyboards.
I love the basslines - every bit as inventive as Aston Barrett in the Wailers - I was deeply saddened when Bruce announced his departure from Elvis's entourage, but very pleased that Steve and Pete have continued as The Imposters with Elvis.
I prefer the surrounding albums - This Year's Model with it's caustic, catchy and sophisticated I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea and Get Happy with its myriad of understated, terrific tunes.
Armed Forces is perhaps just a little too musically cute and quirky - Steve's keyboards maybe a touch too OTT - though it remains a pivotal moment in Elvis's development.
And the basslines take you into an exciting world of possibilities.
7/10.
What's Going On - Part 2 (warning - contains genuine attempts at stripped-down truthfulness!)
I feel fine!
Physically, emotionally, spiritually.
This day of rest has indeed been restful.
My right shoulder gets sore if I do anything other than sitting up very straight or standing - could be due to the cancer in the liver which apparently can effect pain on the right side of the body, or the portacath and hook-up into my main artery.
It becomes achey and uncomfortable, especially in the evenings when I would rather be reclining slouchily).
I am very concerned for Lois's pain, which is I think even worse and more "unsolvable" than mine (prolapsed disc, ongoing pain from earlier fractures, muscular strain), albeit less terminal.
Wondering what do do about chemo if and when the option arises.
At this stage, if a prolonged AND relatively comfortable life is more on the cards, I'll give it a go.
The more time I have on this planet to be a positive influence on my nearest and dearest, the more reason I have to hold on.
I'm not sure how this comes across - I am not giving up, yet on the other hand am preparing for the journey onwards.
I read a quote in a book about Alzheimer's - "I must reconcile courage with surrender in equal measure" (Charlton Heston, via Wong Chai Kee, more of which later).
This seems to sum up my present state of mind.
Lois and I have decided to forego the Parisian trip this year in favour of a family trip somewhere closer, cheaper, more relaxed, etc.
Of course, if I should ever recover, Paris may still be there!
Today's gift of memories - the sunshine, pool, cicadas, Alexander learning to drive, Sophie working on a special party costume, Lois promising a party tonight, a large spider crawling across the living room (to where?), and some new songs...
G.
Physically, emotionally, spiritually.
This day of rest has indeed been restful.
My right shoulder gets sore if I do anything other than sitting up very straight or standing - could be due to the cancer in the liver which apparently can effect pain on the right side of the body, or the portacath and hook-up into my main artery.
It becomes achey and uncomfortable, especially in the evenings when I would rather be reclining slouchily).
I am very concerned for Lois's pain, which is I think even worse and more "unsolvable" than mine (prolapsed disc, ongoing pain from earlier fractures, muscular strain), albeit less terminal.
Wondering what do do about chemo if and when the option arises.
At this stage, if a prolonged AND relatively comfortable life is more on the cards, I'll give it a go.
The more time I have on this planet to be a positive influence on my nearest and dearest, the more reason I have to hold on.
I'm not sure how this comes across - I am not giving up, yet on the other hand am preparing for the journey onwards.
I read a quote in a book about Alzheimer's - "I must reconcile courage with surrender in equal measure" (Charlton Heston, via Wong Chai Kee, more of which later).
This seems to sum up my present state of mind.
Lois and I have decided to forego the Parisian trip this year in favour of a family trip somewhere closer, cheaper, more relaxed, etc.
Of course, if I should ever recover, Paris may still be there!
Today's gift of memories - the sunshine, pool, cicadas, Alexander learning to drive, Sophie working on a special party costume, Lois promising a party tonight, a large spider crawling across the living room (to where?), and some new songs...
G.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Happy Birthday, Bob!
If Bob Marley was still with us physically, he would be 65 today!
Easy to remember, due to Waitangi Day.
He lived to the age of 36 - same age as Mozart.
He made a huge contribution to pop music, and via this medium to political understanding or "reasoning" as he and his Rastafarian bredren would call it.
His music remains a testimony to the power of music to inspire, uplift, bring encouragement and give warning...
Marley's musical development is parallel with the development of the Reggae genre from its manic spiced-up ska roots, through its slowed-down romantic rock-steady to the swinging, spacey, warm notes of reggae and even into dub.
Yes, he had many people helping him along the way - Bunny, Peter, Rita, the Barrett bros., The Wailers (reconstituted as Bob's band), Chris Blackwell, Lee Scratch Perry, and many, many more.
He appears to have been someone who galvanised others into action - not nicknamed The Tuff Gong for nothing.
And while his culture, lifestyle and even religious articles are often at odds with or alien to mine, his music speaks volumes, and reaches the parts that no words can.
I give thanks for Bob's existence, contribution and example, and look forward to seeing his transformed being at the Resurrection!
One good thing about music - when it hits you feel No Pain!
Easy to remember, due to Waitangi Day.
He lived to the age of 36 - same age as Mozart.
He made a huge contribution to pop music, and via this medium to political understanding or "reasoning" as he and his Rastafarian bredren would call it.
His music remains a testimony to the power of music to inspire, uplift, bring encouragement and give warning...
Marley's musical development is parallel with the development of the Reggae genre from its manic spiced-up ska roots, through its slowed-down romantic rock-steady to the swinging, spacey, warm notes of reggae and even into dub.
Yes, he had many people helping him along the way - Bunny, Peter, Rita, the Barrett bros., The Wailers (reconstituted as Bob's band), Chris Blackwell, Lee Scratch Perry, and many, many more.
He appears to have been someone who galvanised others into action - not nicknamed The Tuff Gong for nothing.
And while his culture, lifestyle and even religious articles are often at odds with or alien to mine, his music speaks volumes, and reaches the parts that no words can.
I give thanks for Bob's existence, contribution and example, and look forward to seeing his transformed being at the Resurrection!
One good thing about music - when it hits you feel No Pain!
Friday, February 5, 2010
The Chalk Face
Of course, we don't use chalk or "blackboards" any more.
We use whiteboards, marker pens, laptops, smartphones...
Google!
Do all these things help us to teach "better"?
No!
When all is said and done, the key to teaching success is connecting with the students, sparking their curiosity, and helping them to develop learning skills (tests and exams and certificates are markers of learning success, although limited and blunt instruments, and therefore not necessarily accurate holistic measurement tools, all right, Mrs Tolley?).
One of the things that created a buzz for me today was creating a democratic republic of 10T.
10T are my tutor group, and I had half or slightly more of them in my tutor group last year.
They are an accelerate class, and I wanted to take them this year to continue to build relationship with and between them (unfortunately half of them got shifted over to 10M, the other accelerate class).
Today we got 4 nominations for class chairperson, and on Monday these 4 lucky candidates will treat us to their election speeches (2 girls, 2 boys, 2 from 9T, 2 from 9M - just the way it went).
I am hoping that this process will generate some stimulating discussion, and shake the kids out of being passive/complacent occupants of my classroom (or it'll be sustained silent reading for them!!).
We use whiteboards, marker pens, laptops, smartphones...
Google!
Do all these things help us to teach "better"?
No!
When all is said and done, the key to teaching success is connecting with the students, sparking their curiosity, and helping them to develop learning skills (tests and exams and certificates are markers of learning success, although limited and blunt instruments, and therefore not necessarily accurate holistic measurement tools, all right, Mrs Tolley?).
One of the things that created a buzz for me today was creating a democratic republic of 10T.
10T are my tutor group, and I had half or slightly more of them in my tutor group last year.
They are an accelerate class, and I wanted to take them this year to continue to build relationship with and between them (unfortunately half of them got shifted over to 10M, the other accelerate class).
Today we got 4 nominations for class chairperson, and on Monday these 4 lucky candidates will treat us to their election speeches (2 girls, 2 boys, 2 from 9T, 2 from 9M - just the way it went).
I am hoping that this process will generate some stimulating discussion, and shake the kids out of being passive/complacent occupants of my classroom (or it'll be sustained silent reading for them!!).
"Bodily Harm" (book review)
...by Margaret Atwood, pub. 1981.
In this book we are introduced to the central character of Rennie, a Canadian (of course!) who has recently had a breast removed to prevent the spread of breast cancer.
In order to recover from the traumas of surgery and losing her lover subsequently, she decides to take a working holiday in the (fictional?) Caribbean islands of St Antoine and St Agathe.
What begins as a holiday begins to spiral however into a nightmare scenario of treachery, torture and murder...
I have yet to read a disappointing Atwood novel - maybe there's one out there, but I am beginning to doubt it.
Committing yourself to reading a MA novel is like committing yourself to a full body massage or a spa - guaranteed pleasure, inspiration and transformation for the reader.
Deliciously readable, albeit disturbing.
Each character is clearly sketched/defined and free from cliche, both in terms of description and expression.
The scenario of the rather neglected wannabe tourist attraction islands rings all too true.
And the plot is a series of surprising twists and turns, told with the usual assured and innovative techniques we have come to expect.
Of course, there is no Hollywood feel-good ending...
10/10.
In this book we are introduced to the central character of Rennie, a Canadian (of course!) who has recently had a breast removed to prevent the spread of breast cancer.
In order to recover from the traumas of surgery and losing her lover subsequently, she decides to take a working holiday in the (fictional?) Caribbean islands of St Antoine and St Agathe.
What begins as a holiday begins to spiral however into a nightmare scenario of treachery, torture and murder...
I have yet to read a disappointing Atwood novel - maybe there's one out there, but I am beginning to doubt it.
Committing yourself to reading a MA novel is like committing yourself to a full body massage or a spa - guaranteed pleasure, inspiration and transformation for the reader.
Deliciously readable, albeit disturbing.
Each character is clearly sketched/defined and free from cliche, both in terms of description and expression.
The scenario of the rather neglected wannabe tourist attraction islands rings all too true.
And the plot is a series of surprising twists and turns, told with the usual assured and innovative techniques we have come to expect.
Of course, there is no Hollywood feel-good ending...
10/10.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Not Nazi Germany...
First scheduled day today.
After a porta-cath flush at Ak hospital, I zoom down SH1 to O.C.
I arrive in good time, and join everyone in the staff room.
There are a number of new staff, some of whom I get to meet thru the team-building exercise.
One of these exercises involves getting into groups according to Zodiacal signs.
As we are chatting about when our birthdays are, it transpires that one of our colleagues is wondering what Pisces is, what the Zodiac/horoscope is, and, being born on 23rd May, should be with the Taurans!
An example of why we needn't assume anything!
After school (when did school actually happen?) we are treated to drinks and nibbles in the staff room, during which we (the group I find myself in) have an animated discussion about the merits of having a Military Academy on our school grounds.
I am morally opposed to anything which affirms/accepts/condones a.) killing, b.) a situation in which questions are NOT to be asked and choices become limited by external forces, and c.) institutions which reinforce negative gender stereotyping (this includes rugby, I have to say!).
BUT, when I heard the name of a boy who wants to go into the Academy, I thought "what an excellent career move - it'll make a man of him!"
And I bet all those brownshirts and Hitlerjugend were also struck by the excellent career opportunities that Hitler opened up to them in the 30s...
After a porta-cath flush at Ak hospital, I zoom down SH1 to O.C.
I arrive in good time, and join everyone in the staff room.
There are a number of new staff, some of whom I get to meet thru the team-building exercise.
One of these exercises involves getting into groups according to Zodiacal signs.
As we are chatting about when our birthdays are, it transpires that one of our colleagues is wondering what Pisces is, what the Zodiac/horoscope is, and, being born on 23rd May, should be with the Taurans!
An example of why we needn't assume anything!
After school (when did school actually happen?) we are treated to drinks and nibbles in the staff room, during which we (the group I find myself in) have an animated discussion about the merits of having a Military Academy on our school grounds.
I am morally opposed to anything which affirms/accepts/condones a.) killing, b.) a situation in which questions are NOT to be asked and choices become limited by external forces, and c.) institutions which reinforce negative gender stereotyping (this includes rugby, I have to say!).
BUT, when I heard the name of a boy who wants to go into the Academy, I thought "what an excellent career move - it'll make a man of him!"
And I bet all those brownshirts and Hitlerjugend were also struck by the excellent career opportunities that Hitler opened up to them in the 30s...
Monday, February 1, 2010
The end of the Golden Weather...
My son wins a prize for being the most drenched person at a Parachute seminar.
Returns with a bunch of new music and reports of fine performances and flooding.
I wonder why I didn't go?!
Wife and daughter head out to buy those essential items known as trainers...
Cat moans about...something!
YT reads Atwood voraciously (the trouble is, you end up going "just one more page", and before you know it, the polar caps have melted and the children have grown up and moved away).
L and G sit down to watch Catch 22 on laptop...weird but darkly funny (too much for the better half).
Later Kerry rings to say the principal appeared on TV talking about a military academy that appears to have sprung up at Otahuhu College over the holidays (possibly guaranteeing a quiet industrial site climate at the start of the year - and here I was, planning not to "get caught up" in stuff...hmm...) - last year a policeman, this year the army - I will let you know when the Beehive appears on the front lawn, or Middlemore Hospital decides to expand its carpark.
The wind moans and howls - too windy to leave doors open, too warm to shut them!
And maybe the answer is out there somewhere, blowing in the wind...
Returns with a bunch of new music and reports of fine performances and flooding.
I wonder why I didn't go?!
Wife and daughter head out to buy those essential items known as trainers...
Cat moans about...something!
YT reads Atwood voraciously (the trouble is, you end up going "just one more page", and before you know it, the polar caps have melted and the children have grown up and moved away).
L and G sit down to watch Catch 22 on laptop...weird but darkly funny (too much for the better half).
Later Kerry rings to say the principal appeared on TV talking about a military academy that appears to have sprung up at Otahuhu College over the holidays (possibly guaranteeing a quiet industrial site climate at the start of the year - and here I was, planning not to "get caught up" in stuff...hmm...) - last year a policeman, this year the army - I will let you know when the Beehive appears on the front lawn, or Middlemore Hospital decides to expand its carpark.
The wind moans and howls - too windy to leave doors open, too warm to shut them!
And maybe the answer is out there somewhere, blowing in the wind...
Sunday, January 31, 2010
What's Going On - Part 1
So, what's really going on, from my perspective?
A day of not feeling great physically.
A little bit queasy.
Playing at church still makes my day, and I intend to do that as much as possible unless and until the second lot of chemo takes my finger sensitivity away.
Enjoying times with Lois and Sophie - missing Alexander, but will catch up with him tomorrow.
Encouraged by the number of people praying for me/us at this time.
No, quantity is no guarantee, but how boosting it is to hear of the commitment that people have made!
Planning to keep going until I can't.
Enjoyed my Real Groovy trip, tho was a day early (club trade points bonuses not till TOMORROW!).
Chanced upon my niece, Marlene and her husband Chris and son Fergus - hijacked Marlene for a cup of coffee!
Determined not to waste time on petty disputes or trivial business, but still planning to keep left on the roads!
Realise I have a load of books that people lent me when I was first diagnosed - I suggest that you claim these back ASAP, as I don't think I will have time to read them all, and I still have books on my bookshelf from B.C. (before cancer).
So I will not be offended if you reclaim the books!
Aah, sun is shining with that wonderful melodica line!
Will most likely wake up tomorrow, and begin a new adventure (also picked up The Mars Volta at Real Groovy - actually recognised it from The Big Day Out!).
A day of not feeling great physically.
A little bit queasy.
Playing at church still makes my day, and I intend to do that as much as possible unless and until the second lot of chemo takes my finger sensitivity away.
Enjoying times with Lois and Sophie - missing Alexander, but will catch up with him tomorrow.
Encouraged by the number of people praying for me/us at this time.
No, quantity is no guarantee, but how boosting it is to hear of the commitment that people have made!
Planning to keep going until I can't.
Enjoyed my Real Groovy trip, tho was a day early (club trade points bonuses not till TOMORROW!).
Chanced upon my niece, Marlene and her husband Chris and son Fergus - hijacked Marlene for a cup of coffee!
Determined not to waste time on petty disputes or trivial business, but still planning to keep left on the roads!
Realise I have a load of books that people lent me when I was first diagnosed - I suggest that you claim these back ASAP, as I don't think I will have time to read them all, and I still have books on my bookshelf from B.C. (before cancer).
So I will not be offended if you reclaim the books!
Aah, sun is shining with that wonderful melodica line!
Will most likely wake up tomorrow, and begin a new adventure (also picked up The Mars Volta at Real Groovy - actually recognised it from The Big Day Out!).
"Soul Revolution Part II" (CD review)
...by Bob Marley and The Wailers, rec. 1969, rel. 1971.
What are Real Groovy up to, selling this CD to me for a trifling $12?
The Clash, 30 years old.
This album, 40 years old...
Musicians today have a lot to live up to.
If you love Bob Marley, you may already have a copy of this, which, according to Wikipedia, is a dub version of Soul Revolution, with the vocals taken off.
However, on my copy, the vocals, Bob, Peter and Bunny, are coming through loud and clear!
As is every darned sound on the album.
Producer, Lee Scratch Perry - I rest my case!
For it was Perry who produced the early Wailers stuff, before Chris Blackwell signed them to Island and made them global successes - they took Perry's studio band with them, and he was right to be aggrieved at this, because there has never been a rhythm section like the Barrett brothers.
Perry excels in getting a warmth and clarity to the sound, using 2-track recording equipment (that's limited to recording 2 sound sources at a time, children - these days the sky's the limit and it's all digital) - an interesting exercise is to listen to the original Perry-produced Catch a Fire and compare it to the Blackwell version.
If you are less familiar with the Wailing Wailers and "the early stuff" (they go back to 1963 you know!), you will be mystified, if not enthralled (you may find it too raw at first, but persevere!) by the early versions, featured here, of Keep On Moving, Don't Rock My Boat, Kaya and Sun Is Shining....
As a musicologist I am curious about this album as a missing link between the earlier ska form of reggae, as it merged into rock steady, and later into the laid back tightness of reggae proper.
As a human being, I prefer simply to dance to the music!
Bob Marley, Duppy Conqueror - true dat!
G.
What are Real Groovy up to, selling this CD to me for a trifling $12?
The Clash, 30 years old.
This album, 40 years old...
Musicians today have a lot to live up to.
If you love Bob Marley, you may already have a copy of this, which, according to Wikipedia, is a dub version of Soul Revolution, with the vocals taken off.
However, on my copy, the vocals, Bob, Peter and Bunny, are coming through loud and clear!
As is every darned sound on the album.
Producer, Lee Scratch Perry - I rest my case!
For it was Perry who produced the early Wailers stuff, before Chris Blackwell signed them to Island and made them global successes - they took Perry's studio band with them, and he was right to be aggrieved at this, because there has never been a rhythm section like the Barrett brothers.
Perry excels in getting a warmth and clarity to the sound, using 2-track recording equipment (that's limited to recording 2 sound sources at a time, children - these days the sky's the limit and it's all digital) - an interesting exercise is to listen to the original Perry-produced Catch a Fire and compare it to the Blackwell version.
If you are less familiar with the Wailing Wailers and "the early stuff" (they go back to 1963 you know!), you will be mystified, if not enthralled (you may find it too raw at first, but persevere!) by the early versions, featured here, of Keep On Moving, Don't Rock My Boat, Kaya and Sun Is Shining....
As a musicologist I am curious about this album as a missing link between the earlier ska form of reggae, as it merged into rock steady, and later into the laid back tightness of reggae proper.
As a human being, I prefer simply to dance to the music!
Bob Marley, Duppy Conqueror - true dat!
G.
"London Calling" (CD review)
...by The Clash, released 1979.
Forget The Pistols.
Forget The Damned.
Forget The Stranglers.
For THIS is the band that truly epitomised the Punk ethos of the late 1970s.
Musically charged, wearing their hearts on their sleeves, lyrically direct and politically sincere (though possibly naive), The Clash poured forth a phenomenal body of work in the late 70s/early 80s, ranging in style from straight-out 3-chord power punk through dub reggae (Sandanista was the first Clash album I bought, a sprawling triple album of dub at a socialistically reduced price to the band's consumers).
And surely the peak/zenith of their career, if not the early punk movement itself (if we don't count The Who in the 60s because they were really Mods), is this album - London Calling.
I picked up a second-hand copy of the '99 remaster today (30th anniversary copy, at $45, too much for my budget!), and have just been pogo-ing down memory lane - the title track, Rudie Can't Fail (great white ska - a foretaste of Specials, The Beat etc.), Spanish Bombs, Train in Vain, Lost in the Supermarket (the line "I Can No Longer Shop Happily" was scrawled on the fence of the Epsom Showgrounds for much of the early 80s - just up the road from where Lois and I first lived - I used to ponder its significance, and it wasn't until about 15 years later I discovered it was quoting The Clash)...this is a wonderfully eclectic album, which is musically on a different planet from their first, but continues to celebrate the recklessness of punk, while tipping its hat to the ancestral reggae roots.
What's not to love?
The vocals, the choppy guitars, the driving Simenon bass, the crisp and punchy drums, and the add-on instrumentations - keyboards, saxes, mouth organ...
Every home should have one - and I bet every member of Green Day listens to it on a regular basis!
10/10
Forget The Pistols.
Forget The Damned.
Forget The Stranglers.
For THIS is the band that truly epitomised the Punk ethos of the late 1970s.
Musically charged, wearing their hearts on their sleeves, lyrically direct and politically sincere (though possibly naive), The Clash poured forth a phenomenal body of work in the late 70s/early 80s, ranging in style from straight-out 3-chord power punk through dub reggae (Sandanista was the first Clash album I bought, a sprawling triple album of dub at a socialistically reduced price to the band's consumers).
And surely the peak/zenith of their career, if not the early punk movement itself (if we don't count The Who in the 60s because they were really Mods), is this album - London Calling.
I picked up a second-hand copy of the '99 remaster today (30th anniversary copy, at $45, too much for my budget!), and have just been pogo-ing down memory lane - the title track, Rudie Can't Fail (great white ska - a foretaste of Specials, The Beat etc.), Spanish Bombs, Train in Vain, Lost in the Supermarket (the line "I Can No Longer Shop Happily" was scrawled on the fence of the Epsom Showgrounds for much of the early 80s - just up the road from where Lois and I first lived - I used to ponder its significance, and it wasn't until about 15 years later I discovered it was quoting The Clash)...this is a wonderfully eclectic album, which is musically on a different planet from their first, but continues to celebrate the recklessness of punk, while tipping its hat to the ancestral reggae roots.
What's not to love?
The vocals, the choppy guitars, the driving Simenon bass, the crisp and punchy drums, and the add-on instrumentations - keyboards, saxes, mouth organ...
Every home should have one - and I bet every member of Green Day listens to it on a regular basis!
10/10
Saturday, January 30, 2010
"Neither Here Nor There" (book review)
...by Bill Bryson, 1991.
A book about BB's travels, largely by train, from Norway through to Istanbul.
This book reminds me in many ways of the inter-rail trip Lois and I undertook in the Summer of our first year in the U.K.
Though I think our budget was considerably more restricted than BB's!
Couldn't help noticing that many of BB's observations were common with ours - for example, the madness of Italian traffic, Swiss propriety, French stand-offishness...
Apart from a few spectacularly hilarious incidents (parking in Rome, for instance), however, this book disappoints.
I was left with a feeling that BB hadn't really gone very much beyond the surface experiences that tourists in this situation go through.
The book quickly becomes an account of where he dined, slept, drank, withdrew money, hopped on and off trains.
It lacks the richness of "Down Under" (reviewed on this blogsite), the hilarity of The Thunderbolt Kid, the sharpness of Notes From a Big Country.
A better book about travelling throught Europe is the one I read about a year ago and also reviewed here, whose name escapes me - much richer language, and a much more interesting journey (pre-World War 2).
Recommended for those who enjoy Bryson, who have travelled through Europe, or who are planning to.
Particularly and unintentionally poignant are BB's observations of Yugoslavia and, in particular, Sarajevo - places now tragically altered and wrecked by the stupidity of civil war and racial intolerance.
5/10.
A book about BB's travels, largely by train, from Norway through to Istanbul.
This book reminds me in many ways of the inter-rail trip Lois and I undertook in the Summer of our first year in the U.K.
Though I think our budget was considerably more restricted than BB's!
Couldn't help noticing that many of BB's observations were common with ours - for example, the madness of Italian traffic, Swiss propriety, French stand-offishness...
Apart from a few spectacularly hilarious incidents (parking in Rome, for instance), however, this book disappoints.
I was left with a feeling that BB hadn't really gone very much beyond the surface experiences that tourists in this situation go through.
The book quickly becomes an account of where he dined, slept, drank, withdrew money, hopped on and off trains.
It lacks the richness of "Down Under" (reviewed on this blogsite), the hilarity of The Thunderbolt Kid, the sharpness of Notes From a Big Country.
A better book about travelling throught Europe is the one I read about a year ago and also reviewed here, whose name escapes me - much richer language, and a much more interesting journey (pre-World War 2).
Recommended for those who enjoy Bryson, who have travelled through Europe, or who are planning to.
Particularly and unintentionally poignant are BB's observations of Yugoslavia and, in particular, Sarajevo - places now tragically altered and wrecked by the stupidity of civil war and racial intolerance.
5/10.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Another Sunny Day
What wonderful people there are in the world!
And those are just the ones I've met.
True, some go out of their way NOT to appear wonderful.
If that's you, stop wasting your time!
LET the world see how wonderful you really are.
At least your close family and friends!
A frustrating morning trying to get "connectivity" for my laptop at school.
And being without a telephone.
I got to meet our wonderful new teachers and tell them the wonderful news about PPTAA (teachers' union).
Maile Finau came and said "hi" - she is about to start her second year studying drama at Unitech, and was one of the first Super Twelve - it was her auntie who showed us brilliant hospitality when we stayed in Tonga (not the only one - also John's auntie and Malama's uncle and auntie).
Happy times!
Brilliant brilliant memories.
I am looking forward to more goooood stuff at school this year - I can't wait.
And if you're tempted to be cynical about teaching (and there are many things to put a cloud on your blue sky), find another job....
Bring on the (long) weekend!
Arohanui,
G.
And those are just the ones I've met.
True, some go out of their way NOT to appear wonderful.
If that's you, stop wasting your time!
LET the world see how wonderful you really are.
At least your close family and friends!
A frustrating morning trying to get "connectivity" for my laptop at school.
And being without a telephone.
I got to meet our wonderful new teachers and tell them the wonderful news about PPTAA (teachers' union).
Maile Finau came and said "hi" - she is about to start her second year studying drama at Unitech, and was one of the first Super Twelve - it was her auntie who showed us brilliant hospitality when we stayed in Tonga (not the only one - also John's auntie and Malama's uncle and auntie).
Happy times!
Brilliant brilliant memories.
I am looking forward to more goooood stuff at school this year - I can't wait.
And if you're tempted to be cynical about teaching (and there are many things to put a cloud on your blue sky), find another job....
Bring on the (long) weekend!
Arohanui,
G.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Mindless Distraction...
So, what DO you do when you hear cancer is coming back??
You watch Terminator, of course!
With that immortal line, "I'll Be Back" (significance just dawning for my personal context).
You celebrate that, for now, the human heroine survives to fight another day.
And you send the young one up to get popcorn when the gory eye-gouging scene comes up.
You celebrate all the hugs you can get from wife and children, and the mocking that once irritated you becomes reassuring in its predictability.
You drink red wine and eat chocolate cake, hoping your weight doesn't go up TOO much again.
And you carry on.
Realising that every blimmin' day is a gift.
As they said in House, in the episode I've just watched..."your deathbed experience is only one day. Are you gonna spend all the other days rehearsing for it, or celebrating what you have?" (or something like that!)
You read 1 Corinthians 15!
You thank everyone for their thoughts and strengthening words...
And prepare for sleep.
Listening to Monty Python's Always Look On the Bright Side of Life also helps!
Goodnight, and hope to see you all tomorrow (metaphorically speaking).
You watch Terminator, of course!
With that immortal line, "I'll Be Back" (significance just dawning for my personal context).
You celebrate that, for now, the human heroine survives to fight another day.
And you send the young one up to get popcorn when the gory eye-gouging scene comes up.
You celebrate all the hugs you can get from wife and children, and the mocking that once irritated you becomes reassuring in its predictability.
You drink red wine and eat chocolate cake, hoping your weight doesn't go up TOO much again.
And you carry on.
Realising that every blimmin' day is a gift.
As they said in House, in the episode I've just watched..."your deathbed experience is only one day. Are you gonna spend all the other days rehearsing for it, or celebrating what you have?" (or something like that!)
You read 1 Corinthians 15!
You thank everyone for their thoughts and strengthening words...
And prepare for sleep.
Listening to Monty Python's Always Look On the Bright Side of Life also helps!
Goodnight, and hope to see you all tomorrow (metaphorically speaking).
Not Good News
Hi.
My cancer count has gone up from 54 (Nov 2009, end of chemo) to 127.
A sign that the cancer is coming back.
Liver function still seems to be fine.
Next steps...
CT scan in 3 to 4 weeks, followed by
Blood test and further consult.
If/when to begin second course of chemo (Oxalyyplatin - contains platinum, guaranteed to produce numbness in digital extremities - just the right thing for musoes!).
Numb.
Disappointed.
Sad.
Not angry...yet...
Let those who pray, pray.
Those who sing, sing.
Those who hope, hope.
We continue...
G.
My cancer count has gone up from 54 (Nov 2009, end of chemo) to 127.
A sign that the cancer is coming back.
Liver function still seems to be fine.
Next steps...
CT scan in 3 to 4 weeks, followed by
Blood test and further consult.
If/when to begin second course of chemo (Oxalyyplatin - contains platinum, guaranteed to produce numbness in digital extremities - just the right thing for musoes!).
Numb.
Disappointed.
Sad.
Not angry...yet...
Let those who pray, pray.
Those who sing, sing.
Those who hope, hope.
We continue...
G.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Last Day of the Holidays...
Official start not for another week.
My colleague, Lee, and I have agreed to meet at school this week.
Tomorrow I will do a blood test at 7am.
Once again I will try to explain to Labtests how important the test is.
I will meet with Lee at 9.30am at school.
A very civilised time to get the ball rolling.
We have a lot of plans to make for the year - things to decide.
Lois and I went to Brian Adamson's 70th birthday today.
One of his sons owns a cafe in Royal Oak, so we all met there - lovely!
Goodbye, leisurely days of warmth and sunshine and limitless rest!
Hello, teenagers, teachers and administrators!
My colleague, Lee, and I have agreed to meet at school this week.
Tomorrow I will do a blood test at 7am.
Once again I will try to explain to Labtests how important the test is.
I will meet with Lee at 9.30am at school.
A very civilised time to get the ball rolling.
We have a lot of plans to make for the year - things to decide.
Lois and I went to Brian Adamson's 70th birthday today.
One of his sons owns a cafe in Royal Oak, so we all met there - lovely!
Goodbye, leisurely days of warmth and sunshine and limitless rest!
Hello, teenagers, teachers and administrators!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
We continue...
With those chores that must be done...
With the exercise...
With the necessary social interactions...
Watching the sky...
Making excuses....
Developing our gifts...
Eating, drinking, making merry...
Reflecting on the lives less fortunate than ours...
Hundreds of thousands of Haitian orphans, even before the earthquake...
Ignoring the darkness...
Or waiting for the Light to triumph...
We have a choice.
Stop, or continue...
With the exercise...
With the necessary social interactions...
Watching the sky...
Making excuses....
Developing our gifts...
Eating, drinking, making merry...
Reflecting on the lives less fortunate than ours...
Hundreds of thousands of Haitian orphans, even before the earthquake...
Ignoring the darkness...
Or waiting for the Light to triumph...
We have a choice.
Stop, or continue...
"Veedon Fleece" (CD review)
...Van Morrison, released 1974.
Expect a lot more Van Morrison reviews along the way...
I fell in love with this man's music at the age of 10.
My class teacher, Mrs Edwards, who was a strong mentoring presence in my early years, encouraged my songwriting endeavours, and whose house had a cave in its basement (into the heart of Mt Eden), gave me a lift home one time, and had Van's live album "Too Late to Stop Now" playing in her cassette player.
I was struck by the vocal and emotional intensity of the man, not to mention the deft string arrangements of many of the songs (the live album has long been regarded as a milestone in live performance recordings)...in the encores you can almost hear the sweat dripping!
So when Veedon Fleece was released I rushed out and bought the vinyl long-player from Peaches Record Store in Durham Lane, and subsequently thrashed it.
My parents survived (that's what they're paid for!).
The musicians are largely the same band as played on the live album.
Like that other touchstone of truly great pop music, Bob Dylan, Van is often "at the mercy of" his backing musicians - he usually picks the right people to play, and mostly has a superb lieutenant who I am sure makes most of the more detailed musical decisions. In this adventure I'm picking it was Jeff Labes (credited for string and wind arrangements), who does a superb job.
It's Van's voice which is the showcased instrument here, however. And what a rich offering there is for us on this album.
We are treated to blues/gospel stylings (Cul De Sac, Comfort You - a gorgeous love song), an entirely falsetto performance (Who Was That Masked Man), gruff grumbling (Bulbs - the "single") and the inimitable improvisational space travel to be found on the lengthily titled You Don't Pull No Punches, But You Don't Push The River.
YDPNPBYDPTR clocks in at just under 9 minutes - with strings(and only 2 chords)!
Lois loves Van also, but this song is an example of what she calls "noodly" music (hmm...Irish noodles taste pretty good, then!).
For me it is one of those magic times where Van gets into the whole vibe of the music and gives himself to the greater spiritual vibe of the song - transcendental.
Of course, I have no idea what the song is ABOUT, but it evokes many emotions.
I am sure that he would never perform a song the same way twice (and all the live albums are evidence of this).
For those who like their music a bit more tightly structured, there are the evocative Linden Arden Stole the Highlights and the brooding Streets of Arklow - Van takes us into a pastoral Irish world - green fields, castles, rolling hills and a wild wind blowing.
This album was followed by A Period of Transition, a New Orleans influenced collaboration with Dr John (aka Mac Rabenak), and then a return to mainstream pop sensibilities and success (Wavelength) - neither of which capture the intimacy and personal beauty of this album to the same degree (though both cracking albums in their own way).
Listen to this with the one you love, as the fire crackles in the hearth and the storm blows a full force gale outside (another Bailey's, anyone?).
10/10.
Expect a lot more Van Morrison reviews along the way...
I fell in love with this man's music at the age of 10.
My class teacher, Mrs Edwards, who was a strong mentoring presence in my early years, encouraged my songwriting endeavours, and whose house had a cave in its basement (into the heart of Mt Eden), gave me a lift home one time, and had Van's live album "Too Late to Stop Now" playing in her cassette player.
I was struck by the vocal and emotional intensity of the man, not to mention the deft string arrangements of many of the songs (the live album has long been regarded as a milestone in live performance recordings)...in the encores you can almost hear the sweat dripping!
So when Veedon Fleece was released I rushed out and bought the vinyl long-player from Peaches Record Store in Durham Lane, and subsequently thrashed it.
My parents survived (that's what they're paid for!).
The musicians are largely the same band as played on the live album.
Like that other touchstone of truly great pop music, Bob Dylan, Van is often "at the mercy of" his backing musicians - he usually picks the right people to play, and mostly has a superb lieutenant who I am sure makes most of the more detailed musical decisions. In this adventure I'm picking it was Jeff Labes (credited for string and wind arrangements), who does a superb job.
It's Van's voice which is the showcased instrument here, however. And what a rich offering there is for us on this album.
We are treated to blues/gospel stylings (Cul De Sac, Comfort You - a gorgeous love song), an entirely falsetto performance (Who Was That Masked Man), gruff grumbling (Bulbs - the "single") and the inimitable improvisational space travel to be found on the lengthily titled You Don't Pull No Punches, But You Don't Push The River.
YDPNPBYDPTR clocks in at just under 9 minutes - with strings(and only 2 chords)!
Lois loves Van also, but this song is an example of what she calls "noodly" music (hmm...Irish noodles taste pretty good, then!).
For me it is one of those magic times where Van gets into the whole vibe of the music and gives himself to the greater spiritual vibe of the song - transcendental.
Of course, I have no idea what the song is ABOUT, but it evokes many emotions.
I am sure that he would never perform a song the same way twice (and all the live albums are evidence of this).
For those who like their music a bit more tightly structured, there are the evocative Linden Arden Stole the Highlights and the brooding Streets of Arklow - Van takes us into a pastoral Irish world - green fields, castles, rolling hills and a wild wind blowing.
This album was followed by A Period of Transition, a New Orleans influenced collaboration with Dr John (aka Mac Rabenak), and then a return to mainstream pop sensibilities and success (Wavelength) - neither of which capture the intimacy and personal beauty of this album to the same degree (though both cracking albums in their own way).
Listen to this with the one you love, as the fire crackles in the hearth and the storm blows a full force gale outside (another Bailey's, anyone?).
10/10.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Oh, No, It's Raining Again...
As I'm sure I remember Rodger Hodgson singing plaintively about 20 years ago.
It's been fun to get out into a moistened garden - see that things won't die of thirst.
Alexander had a big day caving yesterday - went with Ian in search of the elusive "Bassett Rd" cave in Waipu - I think they found it!
He and Lois were in at Ak hospital most of the morning, so that he could have the "metalware" in his right elbow removed.
As I type, he and cousin Daniel are sat watch Terminator - light relief!
This is the last of my truly leisurely weekends, as next week I'm back into prep for the year ahead.
I am mastering the new tooth brushing techniques with the electric, the floss and the microbrushes - getting behind the teeth is tricky, especially with floss/microbrush.
Lois says to relax and go with it - easier said than done, but incremental progress is better than none.
As I finish here, Verdi's Requiem is blazing away in the background - if the music is anything to go by, Verdi's vision of "the afterlife" is very dramatic - just make sure you don't put a foot wrong in this one!
R.I.P.(till tomorrow),
Gerald.
It's been fun to get out into a moistened garden - see that things won't die of thirst.
Alexander had a big day caving yesterday - went with Ian in search of the elusive "Bassett Rd" cave in Waipu - I think they found it!
He and Lois were in at Ak hospital most of the morning, so that he could have the "metalware" in his right elbow removed.
As I type, he and cousin Daniel are sat watch Terminator - light relief!
This is the last of my truly leisurely weekends, as next week I'm back into prep for the year ahead.
I am mastering the new tooth brushing techniques with the electric, the floss and the microbrushes - getting behind the teeth is tricky, especially with floss/microbrush.
Lois says to relax and go with it - easier said than done, but incremental progress is better than none.
As I finish here, Verdi's Requiem is blazing away in the background - if the music is anything to go by, Verdi's vision of "the afterlife" is very dramatic - just make sure you don't put a foot wrong in this one!
R.I.P.(till tomorrow),
Gerald.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
"Sun Gangs" (CD review)
by The Veils, released 2009.
I had seen ads for Veils gigs prior to them appearing at BDO.
I had heard people saying "Oh, The Veils. They're good".
And now I had a chance to see them for myself, and was very impressed.
They had a great live sound, a consistent intensity and clarity of expression on stage...and a set of strong songs with memorable melodies.
Listening to Sun Gangs, the 2009 album from this Devonport (so my source informs me - see BDO Thumbnail Sketches blog) backs up the initial impression - the songs are solid, beautiful and catchy - also varied in tone, though pretty serious in nature.
Sit Down By the Fire kicks the album off in Bo Diddley guitar style, then we drop into a beautiful, intimate ballad, the title track, and the contours of tone, mood and tempo continue to surprise.
Probably the most harrowing of the tracks is Three Sisters, about a family burning up in a house, though Larkspur is also an intense piece, short on lyrics but long on emotion.
I really like Scarecrow, an evocative song with strong poetic imagery.
The album has something for everyone, and I'm looking forward to further releases from this clever, moving and convincing ensemble.
10/10.
I had seen ads for Veils gigs prior to them appearing at BDO.
I had heard people saying "Oh, The Veils. They're good".
And now I had a chance to see them for myself, and was very impressed.
They had a great live sound, a consistent intensity and clarity of expression on stage...and a set of strong songs with memorable melodies.
Listening to Sun Gangs, the 2009 album from this Devonport (so my source informs me - see BDO Thumbnail Sketches blog) backs up the initial impression - the songs are solid, beautiful and catchy - also varied in tone, though pretty serious in nature.
Sit Down By the Fire kicks the album off in Bo Diddley guitar style, then we drop into a beautiful, intimate ballad, the title track, and the contours of tone, mood and tempo continue to surprise.
Probably the most harrowing of the tracks is Three Sisters, about a family burning up in a house, though Larkspur is also an intense piece, short on lyrics but long on emotion.
I really like Scarecrow, an evocative song with strong poetic imagery.
The album has something for everyone, and I'm looking forward to further releases from this clever, moving and convincing ensemble.
10/10.
Spider (poem)
The size of a seed.
Light brown, left dangling by my blades.
Still alive, intact and struggling.
Finds a thread, a whisper of silk.
Thin thread of hope,
Sole source of rescue.
Slowly, steadily, spacewalking up and up as the sun shines.
The thread can barely be seen - is it there at all?
Spider knows, spider believes, has faith, has hope...
The thread is all there is.
And seeing this act of faith, determination and deliverance
In such a small creature,
I cease from my labours,
Caught in a moment of admiration and inspiration.
Light brown, left dangling by my blades.
Still alive, intact and struggling.
Finds a thread, a whisper of silk.
Thin thread of hope,
Sole source of rescue.
Slowly, steadily, spacewalking up and up as the sun shines.
The thread can barely be seen - is it there at all?
Spider knows, spider believes, has faith, has hope...
The thread is all there is.
And seeing this act of faith, determination and deliverance
In such a small creature,
I cease from my labours,
Caught in a moment of admiration and inspiration.
"Primary Colours" (CD review)
...by The Horrors, released 2009.
This is not a mainstream kind of album.
Interestingly, this album, The Horrors' second, is released on the XL label, home to Vampire Weekend.
That is where the common ground runs out.
On Primary Colours there is plenty of drone, distorion, reverb.
My points of reference for the band's sound are the Velvet Underground (basic, punky chord playing - thick texture) and The Psychedelic Furs (voice and retro keyboard riffs).
The songs are mostly about relationships, boy meets girl (but mostly boy loses girl).
Not really depressing - more melancholic and wistful - definitely written in sombre tones, but not as dark as The Cure or Joy Division.
Faris Badwan, the singer (I think) has a gorgeous, rich baritone that booms over the backings - you can even hear what he's singing (AND lyrics are provided)!
Listen to this for something off the beaten track - not for dance parties.
8/10.
This is not a mainstream kind of album.
Interestingly, this album, The Horrors' second, is released on the XL label, home to Vampire Weekend.
That is where the common ground runs out.
On Primary Colours there is plenty of drone, distorion, reverb.
My points of reference for the band's sound are the Velvet Underground (basic, punky chord playing - thick texture) and The Psychedelic Furs (voice and retro keyboard riffs).
The songs are mostly about relationships, boy meets girl (but mostly boy loses girl).
Not really depressing - more melancholic and wistful - definitely written in sombre tones, but not as dark as The Cure or Joy Division.
Faris Badwan, the singer (I think) has a gorgeous, rich baritone that booms over the backings - you can even hear what he's singing (AND lyrics are provided)!
Listen to this for something off the beaten track - not for dance parties.
8/10.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
"Volta" (CD review)
...by Bjork, 2007.
I guess it's time for yet another Bjork album.
Judging by her output, she's probably been off collaborating with other artists.
Volta is a zany album with several producers, including Timbaland.
It all makes sense, really.
For the uninitiated, Bjork can be heavy going.
She enthralled me at the BDO I think 2 years ago.
But she has come along way since "Venus as a Boy" (Debut) and "So Quiet" (Post).
Her melodies are angular, and could almost be considered atonal, except that they tend to be looped, creating a (false?) sense of tonality.
Her voice lurches from harsh to soft moment by moment, in a much more extreme way than Sinead's.
The track that's on right now is "The Dull Flame of Desire", which is a duet with Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons).
Builds wonderfully.
Bjork remains a musician who takes risks on a regular basis.
Not everyone's cup of tea, but well worth at least one listen.
8/10.
I guess it's time for yet another Bjork album.
Judging by her output, she's probably been off collaborating with other artists.
Volta is a zany album with several producers, including Timbaland.
It all makes sense, really.
For the uninitiated, Bjork can be heavy going.
She enthralled me at the BDO I think 2 years ago.
But she has come along way since "Venus as a Boy" (Debut) and "So Quiet" (Post).
Her melodies are angular, and could almost be considered atonal, except that they tend to be looped, creating a (false?) sense of tonality.
Her voice lurches from harsh to soft moment by moment, in a much more extreme way than Sinead's.
The track that's on right now is "The Dull Flame of Desire", which is a duet with Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons).
Builds wonderfully.
Bjork remains a musician who takes risks on a regular basis.
Not everyone's cup of tea, but well worth at least one listen.
8/10.
Blog 301
Business as usual.
Such a wind!
Finish the type-up of my Dark Glasses lyrics.
Memo 1 arrives from Otahuhu College.
It is nearly time.
Watch the first hour of Harry Potter 6...
I love watching the first ones over again, when these kids were at the start of their secondary schooling.
Samson was doing an impression of King Kong this evening.
He was sitting in the middle of the living room, on Lois's short deck chair (comfortable for her with her aches and pains).
He was sitting up and swiping at the flies who in return seemed to be tormenting him, reminiscent of the pterodactyls and biplanes in the movie.
Such a wind!
Finish the type-up of my Dark Glasses lyrics.
Memo 1 arrives from Otahuhu College.
It is nearly time.
Watch the first hour of Harry Potter 6...
I love watching the first ones over again, when these kids were at the start of their secondary schooling.
Samson was doing an impression of King Kong this evening.
He was sitting in the middle of the living room, on Lois's short deck chair (comfortable for her with her aches and pains).
He was sitting up and swiping at the flies who in return seemed to be tormenting him, reminiscent of the pterodactyls and biplanes in the movie.
"Dancing Girls" (book review)
by Margaret Atwood, pub. 1977.
This is a set of 14 short stories, of which 11 have appeared previously in magazines etc.
The scope of the scenarios is rich.
Everything from a shared bathroom through an ancient sacrificial site in Mexico to a plane crash.
The usual themes are to be found within the collection - male/female relationships, obesity, life as an academic, Canadians abroad, hallucinatory companions...
There are different themes, however - birdwatching (MA is a keen birdwatcher, and has encountered kiwis on Stewart Island), giving birth (the title of the last story), plane crashes...
As with Moral Disorder, one is left with a strong sense of atmosphere - place, character, psychology - after reading each story.
If you're after those sorts of stories that end with unforgettable twists (Roald Dahl's your man for this), you'll be disappointed.
The magic of this collection is that each story serves as a window into a person or set of people - usually their characters are all too easy to identify with!
One of the things I like about Atwood's style is the lack of necessity for her characters to say very much - one character might speak a simple sentence, which is then explored thoroughly, with many nuances filled in.
And as usual there are the swift changes between comic and tragic events/perspectives.
Once again an enjoyable and unforgettable reading experience.
9/10
This is a set of 14 short stories, of which 11 have appeared previously in magazines etc.
The scope of the scenarios is rich.
Everything from a shared bathroom through an ancient sacrificial site in Mexico to a plane crash.
The usual themes are to be found within the collection - male/female relationships, obesity, life as an academic, Canadians abroad, hallucinatory companions...
There are different themes, however - birdwatching (MA is a keen birdwatcher, and has encountered kiwis on Stewart Island), giving birth (the title of the last story), plane crashes...
As with Moral Disorder, one is left with a strong sense of atmosphere - place, character, psychology - after reading each story.
If you're after those sorts of stories that end with unforgettable twists (Roald Dahl's your man for this), you'll be disappointed.
The magic of this collection is that each story serves as a window into a person or set of people - usually their characters are all too easy to identify with!
One of the things I like about Atwood's style is the lack of necessity for her characters to say very much - one character might speak a simple sentence, which is then explored thoroughly, with many nuances filled in.
And as usual there are the swift changes between comic and tragic events/perspectives.
Once again an enjoyable and unforgettable reading experience.
9/10
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
a visit to the dentist...
Has never been such fun!
Or potentially expensive...
I went for a check-up (famous last words).
Why is it that the scene from Little Shop of Horrors plays through as I wait in THE CHAIR?
The dentist, Sunita, is an old girl of Otahuhu College!
She remembered the old gang (including Eileen P, who may be reading this from sunny Tonbridge!).
Because of chemo, I had a good excuse not to visit the dentist for most of last year.
But that excuse no longer holds, so I though I would see what my cute little white calcium friends are up to in there.
Not much good, I have to report!
So now I am armed with electric toothbrush, "bottle washers", and floss.
And listerene...
Unstoppable!
Or potentially expensive...
I went for a check-up (famous last words).
Why is it that the scene from Little Shop of Horrors plays through as I wait in THE CHAIR?
The dentist, Sunita, is an old girl of Otahuhu College!
She remembered the old gang (including Eileen P, who may be reading this from sunny Tonbridge!).
Because of chemo, I had a good excuse not to visit the dentist for most of last year.
But that excuse no longer holds, so I though I would see what my cute little white calcium friends are up to in there.
Not much good, I have to report!
So now I am armed with electric toothbrush, "bottle washers", and floss.
And listerene...
Unstoppable!
"Black Holes and Revelations" (CD review)
...by Muse, 2006.
I warned you...
This is the second to last studio album by Muse, and one of only 2 that I own (the rest are owned by Alexander, who is the honorary Muse discoverer in our family).
Muse are a 3-piece band, led/fronted/designed by Matt Bellamy (vocals, guitar and keyboard), ably supported by a tight, phenomenal and musical rhythm section (Dominic Howard on drums and Chris Wolstenholme on bass).
This album packs a punch from start to finish (they all do) - the songs are at once both full-on power rockers and catchy as honey on an ant trail.
The riffs are complex - some Muse riffs last over several bars (average riff length for a pop song = 1 bar, and probably no more than 4 notes).
A musical trait is strong emphasis on the use of harmonic minor chord structures and melodic lines, giving an intensity which underscores the lyrics, which are often about...
Paranoia!
Is "Black Holes" a concept album?
In a very loose sense of the word.
Having seen now how Muse work with a stadium crowd (and don't forget they played 2 sold-out gigs to open the new Wembley Stadium), it seems that a lot of what makes the songs tick is their singability.
And there is no shortage of singable, hummable, danceable songs on the Black Holes album.
Get hold of it and play it LOUD!!!
9/10.
I warned you...
This is the second to last studio album by Muse, and one of only 2 that I own (the rest are owned by Alexander, who is the honorary Muse discoverer in our family).
Muse are a 3-piece band, led/fronted/designed by Matt Bellamy (vocals, guitar and keyboard), ably supported by a tight, phenomenal and musical rhythm section (Dominic Howard on drums and Chris Wolstenholme on bass).
This album packs a punch from start to finish (they all do) - the songs are at once both full-on power rockers and catchy as honey on an ant trail.
The riffs are complex - some Muse riffs last over several bars (average riff length for a pop song = 1 bar, and probably no more than 4 notes).
A musical trait is strong emphasis on the use of harmonic minor chord structures and melodic lines, giving an intensity which underscores the lyrics, which are often about...
Paranoia!
Is "Black Holes" a concept album?
In a very loose sense of the word.
Having seen now how Muse work with a stadium crowd (and don't forget they played 2 sold-out gigs to open the new Wembley Stadium), it seems that a lot of what makes the songs tick is their singability.
And there is no shortage of singable, hummable, danceable songs on the Black Holes album.
Get hold of it and play it LOUD!!!
9/10.
Monday, January 18, 2010
A pleasant Monday
spent...
ordering Alexander's textbooks on line,
contacting a financial adviser about how to get my money back,
eating savoury pikelets made by Sophie,
hunting the last plums from the plum tree/rose jungle,
chopping overgrown plants from the raised bed round the swimming hole,
typing up the lyrics for Dark Glasses, my next performance project (March),
listening to Vampire Weekend, The Horrors, The Veils (brilliant! more of which later),
entertaining the Hofmanns (bbq, baked cheesecake, cider, sangria, swimming),
reading Margaret Atwood short stories,
contemplating the passing of time...
and the lack of COFFEE!!!
ordering Alexander's textbooks on line,
contacting a financial adviser about how to get my money back,
eating savoury pikelets made by Sophie,
hunting the last plums from the plum tree/rose jungle,
chopping overgrown plants from the raised bed round the swimming hole,
typing up the lyrics for Dark Glasses, my next performance project (March),
listening to Vampire Weekend, The Horrors, The Veils (brilliant! more of which later),
entertaining the Hofmanns (bbq, baked cheesecake, cider, sangria, swimming),
reading Margaret Atwood short stories,
contemplating the passing of time...
and the lack of COFFEE!!!
"Contra" (CD review)
by Vampire Weekend, 2010.
I think this is my first CD review in the Blog...
I guess it's time to "open the floodgates, Igor!"
I love Vampire Weekend.
Partly because they remind me of early Talking Heads - quirky, intelligent, and darn catchy.
Partly because they paint in bright, colourful sounds.
Their songs are so joyous that it is a challenge to remain miserable after hearing them.
Not all the lyrics make immediate sense, but they feel right.
And the topics are unorthodox.
Contra is their second album, and doesn't progress dramatically from their first, self-titled effort.
Except by being, if possible, richer in tonal palette, and rhythmic vocabulary.
The African rhythms are still there in a lot of the songs (as are the strings), but perhaps more subtly employed (cf Paul Simon's Graceland).
Music to accompany a sunny day, or shake you out of the doldrums.
10/10.
I think this is my first CD review in the Blog...
I guess it's time to "open the floodgates, Igor!"
I love Vampire Weekend.
Partly because they remind me of early Talking Heads - quirky, intelligent, and darn catchy.
Partly because they paint in bright, colourful sounds.
Their songs are so joyous that it is a challenge to remain miserable after hearing them.
Not all the lyrics make immediate sense, but they feel right.
And the topics are unorthodox.
Contra is their second album, and doesn't progress dramatically from their first, self-titled effort.
Except by being, if possible, richer in tonal palette, and rhythmic vocabulary.
The African rhythms are still there in a lot of the songs (as are the strings), but perhaps more subtly employed (cf Paul Simon's Graceland).
Music to accompany a sunny day, or shake you out of the doldrums.
10/10.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
BDO 6 - a young person's day?
Most of them were between 16 and 25 (and blonde!).
Most of the time I told myself "I'm here for the music, not the scene".
Most of the time it worked.
And I managed mostly not to be obviously Alexander's "old man".
Succeeded most of the time!
I guess I was resolved after watching an "old woman" talking to her sons about what time they had to be back with her, and getting them to show her how to take photos with the cell phone.
BDO is no longer a family event (with a lower age restriction to ensure kiddies can't come).
Maybe it never was...
I saw the most old codgers around and unselfconscious when Muse were playing.
And realised they were probably the same age as me...
Affirming my view that good music can cross cultural divides.
Time for a last cup of hot milo and then bed...
Most of the time I told myself "I'm here for the music, not the scene".
Most of the time it worked.
And I managed mostly not to be obviously Alexander's "old man".
Succeeded most of the time!
I guess I was resolved after watching an "old woman" talking to her sons about what time they had to be back with her, and getting them to show her how to take photos with the cell phone.
BDO is no longer a family event (with a lower age restriction to ensure kiddies can't come).
Maybe it never was...
I saw the most old codgers around and unselfconscious when Muse were playing.
And realised they were probably the same age as me...
Affirming my view that good music can cross cultural divides.
Time for a last cup of hot milo and then bed...
BDO 5 - racial issues
If you are white, you rock!
If black, it's r'n'b or hip-hop for you.
If brown, reggae.
This is not categorising exclusive to BDO, tho BDO certainly showcases the larger world.
If you are playing the wrong music for your race, you are a freaky oddity - "alternative" (remember Bowie doing Young Americans?).
And where was the brown audience? (I bet there won't be one at any of the Oz gigs either.)
The only brown people I saw at BDO were male and had their backs to the stage - they had solemn or fierce {"staunch")expressions on their faces, and the word "security" emblazoned on their shirts.
What conscious efforts have been made to make BDO a more racially inclusive event?
Not lowering the ticket prices must have some delineating effect on who buys.
Music as a political weapon should be working at breaking down racial/cultural barriers, not fortifying them.
If black, it's r'n'b or hip-hop for you.
If brown, reggae.
This is not categorising exclusive to BDO, tho BDO certainly showcases the larger world.
If you are playing the wrong music for your race, you are a freaky oddity - "alternative" (remember Bowie doing Young Americans?).
And where was the brown audience? (I bet there won't be one at any of the Oz gigs either.)
The only brown people I saw at BDO were male and had their backs to the stage - they had solemn or fierce {"staunch")expressions on their faces, and the word "security" emblazoned on their shirts.
What conscious efforts have been made to make BDO a more racially inclusive event?
Not lowering the ticket prices must have some delineating effect on who buys.
Music as a political weapon should be working at breaking down racial/cultural barriers, not fortifying them.
BDO 4 - gender issues
The next BDO needs Patti Smith.
We had Bjork at least 1 BDO ago, but she's a little bit loony.
Actually, Sinead O'Connor would do very nicely!
Why?
Because BDO tends to reinforce sexual/gender stereo types.
We tend to get the macho men dressed in de rigeur black.
Relations are described, in general, with women as objects.
It is usually the male perspective we get from the stage.
If females perform it is either as objects or at best with ambiguity bordering on teasing (witness Lily Allen).
But if Sinead, Patti or Kate (Bush) are there in 2011, all will be forgiven.
We had Bjork at least 1 BDO ago, but she's a little bit loony.
Actually, Sinead O'Connor would do very nicely!
Why?
Because BDO tends to reinforce sexual/gender stereo types.
We tend to get the macho men dressed in de rigeur black.
Relations are described, in general, with women as objects.
It is usually the male perspective we get from the stage.
If females perform it is either as objects or at best with ambiguity bordering on teasing (witness Lily Allen).
But if Sinead, Patti or Kate (Bush) are there in 2011, all will be forgiven.
BDO 3 - Amused
Muse - one of the biggest rock groups alive.
Phenomenal musicianship, with a capital ph.
Delivering to a capacity stadium crowd from the word "go".
Matt Bellamy (vocals, guitar, keyboard/piano) an introverted but highly effective frontman.
Riffs to die for!
One of them played by Matt on guitar held behind his head (what wonderful showing off!).
Every song inviting the audience to sing and clap along (don't you just relish the prospect of singing "they will not force us" along with 10s of 1000s of other people?).
Highlights = Uprising, United States of Eurasia (alas, without strings or Chopin piano ending), Plug In Baby (1st encore)...but it was ALL good.
Magic moment = drummer and bassist performing without Matt (more delicious showing off).
All this and no swearing!
Great sound, superb visual effects (lasers, graphics backdrops, explosions).
And I never knew there were so many Muse fans in Auckland!
Phenomenal musicianship, with a capital ph.
Delivering to a capacity stadium crowd from the word "go".
Matt Bellamy (vocals, guitar, keyboard/piano) an introverted but highly effective frontman.
Riffs to die for!
One of them played by Matt on guitar held behind his head (what wonderful showing off!).
Every song inviting the audience to sing and clap along (don't you just relish the prospect of singing "they will not force us" along with 10s of 1000s of other people?).
Highlights = Uprising, United States of Eurasia (alas, without strings or Chopin piano ending), Plug In Baby (1st encore)...but it was ALL good.
Magic moment = drummer and bassist performing without Matt (more delicious showing off).
All this and no swearing!
Great sound, superb visual effects (lasers, graphics backdrops, explosions).
And I never knew there were so many Muse fans in Auckland!
BDO 2 - morality
There's too much swearing at the BDO.
And yesterday, most of it was coming from the bands/performers.
The climax of this banality was Lily Allen's "sing-along" Thank You Very Much (except that the word Thank was replaced by the F-word).
Why am I upset/anguished by this?
I guess it's not so much the actual swearing as it is the acceptability of rudeness.
When the Sex Pistols appeared on the scene (for the younger readers, that's 1976), their advent released, explicated (new word?) or affirmed many things regarding rudeness/banality, which had previously either been banned, covered up, or smirked at.
In a way, good on the SPs for pulling out all that stuff from under the carpet.
I guess Lily Allen represents a point along the line begun with the SPs (or was it the Stones?).
Someone I know (we've been friends for about 30 years, and are still on good speaking terms) once said it's not what you eat, it's what comes OUT of your mouth that defines your morality (this is actually a translation/paraphrase - He was originally making his statement in Aramaic).
If you wish to swim against the moral current of "the age" I guess you need to be personally responsible for setting your own sights high.
Here endeth the exposition of the issue...
And yesterday, most of it was coming from the bands/performers.
The climax of this banality was Lily Allen's "sing-along" Thank You Very Much (except that the word Thank was replaced by the F-word).
Why am I upset/anguished by this?
I guess it's not so much the actual swearing as it is the acceptability of rudeness.
When the Sex Pistols appeared on the scene (for the younger readers, that's 1976), their advent released, explicated (new word?) or affirmed many things regarding rudeness/banality, which had previously either been banned, covered up, or smirked at.
In a way, good on the SPs for pulling out all that stuff from under the carpet.
I guess Lily Allen represents a point along the line begun with the SPs (or was it the Stones?).
Someone I know (we've been friends for about 30 years, and are still on good speaking terms) once said it's not what you eat, it's what comes OUT of your mouth that defines your morality (this is actually a translation/paraphrase - He was originally making his statement in Aramaic).
If you wish to swim against the moral current of "the age" I guess you need to be personally responsible for setting your own sights high.
Here endeth the exposition of the issue...
Big Day Out 2010 - Thumbnail Reviews
A quick rundown of the acts I saw yesterday (though I observe with interest that The Herald saw quite a few different acts and therefore has a different perspective).
More in-depth reviews/discussions follow in later blogs.
Bandicoot, 10.30am - 3-piece noisy outfit (feat. Don McGlashan's daughter on vocals.
A little too noisy for the time of day - courageous!
11am, Pop Strangers - BNet Winners (BFM is an alternative indie Ak Radio Station), young, self-conscious, perhaps too much into minory chords, but solid.
11am, Cairo Knife Fight - one guy on guitar and vocals, one on drums and loops, both on F-word duties (more of which later) - cosmic, spacy sound, spoilt by their intros.
11.30, Deja Voodoo - a dull, thudding "rock" band (I never thought of rock music as meaning music of a stolid, grey, immovable nature, but I guess definitions change).
12.15, The Checks - 3rd time I've seen them. They appeared to be a little lost on the stadium stage. The vocalist has a tremendous energy, and a wicked shirt.
12.30, The Temper Trap - Came across these guys in Real Groovy (their CD) - CD a little samey and disappointing, but live their sound resonated wonderfully and the vocalist was very impressive. Had us all bopping.
1.15, Passion Pit - as one might ascertain, very similar to The Temper Trap - cousins? A little more upbeat - catchy, rich songs.
1.45, Mastodon - well, what would one expect from the name? Slow, lumbering, ROCK.
2.30, Midnight Youth - A highlight. A delight. Ak produce. Unashamed, powerful, energetic and catchy rock music. Took Elemeno P's role at BDO this year, I s'pose.
3.30, The Horrors - another discovery. A cross between Pulp and The Velvet Underground. Dark, menacing, bizarre sounds - great frontman.
4.15, Ladyhawke - local produce (from down the line) - the venue was packed for this performance. Competent, semi-catchy tunes (the audience clearly knew them!)- pedestrian.
5pm, The Veils - where are they from? I loved this set - at turns dark, emotional (yay!), innovative and gripping. I reckon this is a band to watch!
5.45, The Decemberists - part Zep, part Tull, part REM, earnest, quirky and very musical (shades of Magic Numbers) - but a man's gotta eat some time, so it was off to Hell's pizzas (Greed and Lust never tasted so good!!), then find semi-permanent seats back in the Stadium.
6pm, Dizzee Rascal - cheeky, cheerful (high f-word quota), energetic - the thing is, most of my East End students were like this in London - imagine trying to teach this guy Music! {"Dizzee, please stop swearing, and SIT DOWN!")
7pm, Lily Allen - a lovely pink outfit, a great, versatile backing band, some very rude songs (f-words off the scale, especially with one "sing-along"),smoking on stage, a genuine feminist element (lacking in Ladyhawke), a great cover of Womaniser (originally Britney Spears?).
8pm, The Mars Volta - a prog rock band. Earnest, impassioned, hampered by a poor sound tech, and, if you didn't know what the songs, you could only gawp from amazement at the technical skills, or boredom. Not much 4/4 tho (more of which later).
9.10pm, Muse - the group we ALL seemed to be waiting for. I KNEW they were going to start with Uprising! They came, they saw, they conquered, they finished with explosions! Blew us all away (a fuller review to be published later)!
THE END.
More in-depth reviews/discussions follow in later blogs.
Bandicoot, 10.30am - 3-piece noisy outfit (feat. Don McGlashan's daughter on vocals.
A little too noisy for the time of day - courageous!
11am, Pop Strangers - BNet Winners (BFM is an alternative indie Ak Radio Station), young, self-conscious, perhaps too much into minory chords, but solid.
11am, Cairo Knife Fight - one guy on guitar and vocals, one on drums and loops, both on F-word duties (more of which later) - cosmic, spacy sound, spoilt by their intros.
11.30, Deja Voodoo - a dull, thudding "rock" band (I never thought of rock music as meaning music of a stolid, grey, immovable nature, but I guess definitions change).
12.15, The Checks - 3rd time I've seen them. They appeared to be a little lost on the stadium stage. The vocalist has a tremendous energy, and a wicked shirt.
12.30, The Temper Trap - Came across these guys in Real Groovy (their CD) - CD a little samey and disappointing, but live their sound resonated wonderfully and the vocalist was very impressive. Had us all bopping.
1.15, Passion Pit - as one might ascertain, very similar to The Temper Trap - cousins? A little more upbeat - catchy, rich songs.
1.45, Mastodon - well, what would one expect from the name? Slow, lumbering, ROCK.
2.30, Midnight Youth - A highlight. A delight. Ak produce. Unashamed, powerful, energetic and catchy rock music. Took Elemeno P's role at BDO this year, I s'pose.
3.30, The Horrors - another discovery. A cross between Pulp and The Velvet Underground. Dark, menacing, bizarre sounds - great frontman.
4.15, Ladyhawke - local produce (from down the line) - the venue was packed for this performance. Competent, semi-catchy tunes (the audience clearly knew them!)- pedestrian.
5pm, The Veils - where are they from? I loved this set - at turns dark, emotional (yay!), innovative and gripping. I reckon this is a band to watch!
5.45, The Decemberists - part Zep, part Tull, part REM, earnest, quirky and very musical (shades of Magic Numbers) - but a man's gotta eat some time, so it was off to Hell's pizzas (Greed and Lust never tasted so good!!), then find semi-permanent seats back in the Stadium.
6pm, Dizzee Rascal - cheeky, cheerful (high f-word quota), energetic - the thing is, most of my East End students were like this in London - imagine trying to teach this guy Music! {"Dizzee, please stop swearing, and SIT DOWN!")
7pm, Lily Allen - a lovely pink outfit, a great, versatile backing band, some very rude songs (f-words off the scale, especially with one "sing-along"),smoking on stage, a genuine feminist element (lacking in Ladyhawke), a great cover of Womaniser (originally Britney Spears?).
8pm, The Mars Volta - a prog rock band. Earnest, impassioned, hampered by a poor sound tech, and, if you didn't know what the songs, you could only gawp from amazement at the technical skills, or boredom. Not much 4/4 tho (more of which later).
9.10pm, Muse - the group we ALL seemed to be waiting for. I KNEW they were going to start with Uprising! They came, they saw, they conquered, they finished with explosions! Blew us all away (a fuller review to be published later)!
THE END.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Poolday
Definitely poolday today.
Hot, hot, hot, hot.
Clean bathroom and vacuum (as I won't be here tomorrow - BDO!).
Then up to the far corner of the section to pull jasmine and tradescantia (weeds, not ladies!).
Down to other corner to lop fronds from Phoenix palm.
Scrambled eggs on warm fresh bread courtesy of Lois.
Sophie slaving over a hot stove, preparing a yummy feast for tonight.
Juicy plums again - no additives!
Attempt to have swim - water to cold for my sensitive skin!
Will try again later this afternoon.
Hot, hot, hot, hot.
Clean bathroom and vacuum (as I won't be here tomorrow - BDO!).
Then up to the far corner of the section to pull jasmine and tradescantia (weeds, not ladies!).
Down to other corner to lop fronds from Phoenix palm.
Scrambled eggs on warm fresh bread courtesy of Lois.
Sophie slaving over a hot stove, preparing a yummy feast for tonight.
Juicy plums again - no additives!
Attempt to have swim - water to cold for my sensitive skin!
Will try again later this afternoon.
Harry Belafonte
On the stereo today.
A Best Of CD.
A golden honey voice.
Dripping with warmth of tone.
A seductive comfort.
A virile, energised singer when young.
A politicised, resolute hero when older.
Day-o, Jamaica Farewell.
Never has Venezuela had such catchy treatment as in "Ma-tilda".
This is music to cheer and stimulate.
A Best Of CD.
A golden honey voice.
Dripping with warmth of tone.
A seductive comfort.
A virile, energised singer when young.
A politicised, resolute hero when older.
Day-o, Jamaica Farewell.
Never has Venezuela had such catchy treatment as in "Ma-tilda".
This is music to cheer and stimulate.
Courage...
Do you have what it takes?
The courage to die?
The courage to live?
The courage to take the plunge?
The courage to make incremental progress?
To fail?
To succeed?
To face suffering?
To face wholeness?
To give generously?
To take from abundance?
How much courage do you have/need/want?
The courage to die?
The courage to live?
The courage to take the plunge?
The courage to make incremental progress?
To fail?
To succeed?
To face suffering?
To face wholeness?
To give generously?
To take from abundance?
How much courage do you have/need/want?
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Making Progress
A concerted effort on the vegetation today.
Also a combined effort, with Alexander lopping some limbs (off trees).
I actually managed to hack into the wild, wild roses as well, which have grown thick and long and appear to be attempting arboricide on the plum trees.
Another bucket full of juicy plums.
Today has been death to privet day as well.
But I have noticed a real invasion of traffic cones in the area - Attack of the Cones!
They seem to breed when you're not looking.
I managed to get some 2B pencils today also - these are the VERY thing you need when writing music, and I seem to have misplaced my last set.
Now I can get into writing some parts for the Van Morrison Celebration (A Marvellous Night For A...)
Also some stand-alone pieces for the school string group.
Nothing more fun than writing out blobs on sticks with a 2B pencil.
Also a combined effort, with Alexander lopping some limbs (off trees).
I actually managed to hack into the wild, wild roses as well, which have grown thick and long and appear to be attempting arboricide on the plum trees.
Another bucket full of juicy plums.
Today has been death to privet day as well.
But I have noticed a real invasion of traffic cones in the area - Attack of the Cones!
They seem to breed when you're not looking.
I managed to get some 2B pencils today also - these are the VERY thing you need when writing music, and I seem to have misplaced my last set.
Now I can get into writing some parts for the Van Morrison Celebration (A Marvellous Night For A...)
Also some stand-alone pieces for the school string group.
Nothing more fun than writing out blobs on sticks with a 2B pencil.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
"Moral Disorder" (book review)
...by Margaret Atwood, 2006.
A collection of short stories (not that short), published in between Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood (although some of the stories have been published elsewhere at various other times).
As one might expect, the style is incisive, captivating and moving.
The central character of the book is Nell.
Each story deals with a stage in her life, from early childhood through to old age, and the book includes 2 poignant observations of Nell's aging/dying parents.
I was particularly moved by the account of Nell's mother losing her senses one by one, till she is trapped/lost entirely in her own world.
Although traditionally dismal topics are covered, the style is far from dismal, and, as in "real life", each event is shot through with humour.
At times the humour is LOL, and my children have both had to witness their Dad grunting away at some passage in the book.
The title story has a good deal of humour in it, as Nell adapts to a rural/farming lifestyle.
The narrative switches from first person to third person - it's a bit like watching one movie with different camera angles.
The style is a little sparser than the other books I've read, though not as stripped down as The Tent (other short stories - very short).
Once again, a gripping and inspiring read.
10/10
A collection of short stories (not that short), published in between Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood (although some of the stories have been published elsewhere at various other times).
As one might expect, the style is incisive, captivating and moving.
The central character of the book is Nell.
Each story deals with a stage in her life, from early childhood through to old age, and the book includes 2 poignant observations of Nell's aging/dying parents.
I was particularly moved by the account of Nell's mother losing her senses one by one, till she is trapped/lost entirely in her own world.
Although traditionally dismal topics are covered, the style is far from dismal, and, as in "real life", each event is shot through with humour.
At times the humour is LOL, and my children have both had to witness their Dad grunting away at some passage in the book.
The title story has a good deal of humour in it, as Nell adapts to a rural/farming lifestyle.
The narrative switches from first person to third person - it's a bit like watching one movie with different camera angles.
The style is a little sparser than the other books I've read, though not as stripped down as The Tent (other short stories - very short).
Once again, a gripping and inspiring read.
10/10
Wet and Dry
When it's wet, I have plenty of stuff to do inside.
Sorting through the Archives.
Attending to correspondence.
Vacuuming.
Dry weather, back into the garden.
On 28th Jan I have my big checkup.
I am hoping for Good Things.
I have had an excellent Summer.
Good times, bad times...
It's all a gift.
Sorting through the Archives.
Attending to correspondence.
Vacuuming.
Dry weather, back into the garden.
On 28th Jan I have my big checkup.
I am hoping for Good Things.
I have had an excellent Summer.
Good times, bad times...
It's all a gift.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Chopping Things Up
Tradescantia - no debate whatsoever.
Roses - they are trying to strangle the plum trees, and must be stopped.
The wild ginger - ruthless hacking required here.
Privet - another noxious beastie. It seems to have been planted??
Creepy, milky vines strangling the natives.
Phoenix palm - also noxious (and venomous, and nasty).
Lavender - overgrown.
Trees with leaves with holes in them - crowding the camelia trees.
Jasmine - training required. Harsh discipline.
With my trusty secateurs, loppers and bare hands, I will fight back!
Roses - they are trying to strangle the plum trees, and must be stopped.
The wild ginger - ruthless hacking required here.
Privet - another noxious beastie. It seems to have been planted??
Creepy, milky vines strangling the natives.
Phoenix palm - also noxious (and venomous, and nasty).
Lavender - overgrown.
Trees with leaves with holes in them - crowding the camelia trees.
Jasmine - training required. Harsh discipline.
With my trusty secateurs, loppers and bare hands, I will fight back!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
More Good Weather
Alexander and I have been at Big Manly again.
The Smiths' last day there - they head back tomorrow.
Daniel has returned with us - one less child to pack up tomorrow morning.
My Sudoku puzzle book has gone missing - I half suspect I left it at Hofmanns' farm.
An opportunity to read more of Atwood's Moral Disorder.
The sky big and blue again.
Alexander paddled around on a windsurfer board at the beach.
Tim, Joel and I walked to the northern rocks and back.
Muse on the stereo on the way up.
Blur on the way down.
Good music for Summer.
The Smiths' last day there - they head back tomorrow.
Daniel has returned with us - one less child to pack up tomorrow morning.
My Sudoku puzzle book has gone missing - I half suspect I left it at Hofmanns' farm.
An opportunity to read more of Atwood's Moral Disorder.
The sky big and blue again.
Alexander paddled around on a windsurfer board at the beach.
Tim, Joel and I walked to the northern rocks and back.
Muse on the stereo on the way up.
Blur on the way down.
Good music for Summer.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Labour Day
8am apply mozzie repellent and sunblock and meet Ian M (frequent contributor to these pages) for action - attack the high gutters of the house.
As Ian sets up the ladders and so on, I continue with the compost distribution project.
A little later Michael B turns up unexpectedly, also dressed and armed for action.
We are collectively blessed that MB has the gift of clambering around in high places without the aid of a safety net - our scenarios of expensive cherry pickers or clattery wobbles on extended ladders vanish into mist, as MB prances around carrying the leafblower, armed like a starship trooper and doing serious damage to detritus/leaves/etc.
Ian meanwhile hoses gutters blown out or yet to be cleared, and becomes an inadvertent target at times for Michael's bombardment.
At 11am-ish the war games cease as Lois brings out a wonderful chocolate beetroot cake, still steaming on its way from the oven, and Michael regales us with his weird fishing tales (sharks? sea snakes? octopuses?).
As the 2 roof clamberers continue (Michael leaves after a wee while to go and paint the outside of his own house - a change is as good as a rest, they say!), Alex, his friend Tom, and I attack the neighbouring flora - a Mexican something-or-other tree, the Moreton Bay Fig and other little bits and pieces caught in the crossfire.
By 1 the gutters etc. are done - time for lunch!
As I blog, Ian is putting gutterguard mesh into the guttering to prevent future rooftop gardens from growing...I reached my limit shortly after lunch, and retreated into the house to report, and to listen to my latest recording - Psalms 11 - 20.
Recording update for GvW = Ps 1-10 (vox, viola and gat), Roadkill (vox and gat), Te Mamae me te Aroha (viola improvs) and now Ps 11 - 20 (v,v,g).
These discs are all available from me for $10 each (not incl. postage) if you are interested.
Next project is Dark Glasses song cycle.
For some cheaper vW entertainment, I recommend visiting Sophie's blogsite (sophiwophi.blogspot.com) - her 3rd sonnet was posted today.
Thanks to Chris White for unflagging dedication to recording my music, and today to Michael for his mountain goat impressions, and for the last week to Ian for thorough, wonderful rescue work on our gutters.
Yay!
G.
As Ian sets up the ladders and so on, I continue with the compost distribution project.
A little later Michael B turns up unexpectedly, also dressed and armed for action.
We are collectively blessed that MB has the gift of clambering around in high places without the aid of a safety net - our scenarios of expensive cherry pickers or clattery wobbles on extended ladders vanish into mist, as MB prances around carrying the leafblower, armed like a starship trooper and doing serious damage to detritus/leaves/etc.
Ian meanwhile hoses gutters blown out or yet to be cleared, and becomes an inadvertent target at times for Michael's bombardment.
At 11am-ish the war games cease as Lois brings out a wonderful chocolate beetroot cake, still steaming on its way from the oven, and Michael regales us with his weird fishing tales (sharks? sea snakes? octopuses?).
As the 2 roof clamberers continue (Michael leaves after a wee while to go and paint the outside of his own house - a change is as good as a rest, they say!), Alex, his friend Tom, and I attack the neighbouring flora - a Mexican something-or-other tree, the Moreton Bay Fig and other little bits and pieces caught in the crossfire.
By 1 the gutters etc. are done - time for lunch!
As I blog, Ian is putting gutterguard mesh into the guttering to prevent future rooftop gardens from growing...I reached my limit shortly after lunch, and retreated into the house to report, and to listen to my latest recording - Psalms 11 - 20.
Recording update for GvW = Ps 1-10 (vox, viola and gat), Roadkill (vox and gat), Te Mamae me te Aroha (viola improvs) and now Ps 11 - 20 (v,v,g).
These discs are all available from me for $10 each (not incl. postage) if you are interested.
Next project is Dark Glasses song cycle.
For some cheaper vW entertainment, I recommend visiting Sophie's blogsite (sophiwophi.blogspot.com) - her 3rd sonnet was posted today.
Thanks to Chris White for unflagging dedication to recording my music, and today to Michael for his mountain goat impressions, and for the last week to Ian for thorough, wonderful rescue work on our gutters.
Yay!
G.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
"Glitter and Doom Live" (CD review)
...by Tom Waits, 2009.
This is a 2cd set, the first disc a live recording of songs from Waits's concert tour of 2008, and the second, "Tom's Tales", a single track of Waits spinning yarns, as he famously does when performing live.
I had the privilege of seeing Tom Waits perform live in this super city of ours (Auckland) back in 1981.
I was in a ska band called The Blue Asthmatics at the time, and after the Waits concert (featuring TW on vocals, piano, kettle drums and accompanied by a saxophonist and the legendary Greg Cohen on upright bass), my girlfriend and I made our way up from the Town Hall to Mainstreet (does anyone remember Mainstreet??) where the Asthmatics were supporting Blam Blam Blam and the Screaming Meemees, to be told rather huffily by the sound man that there would be a delay due to the fact that Mr Waits had used our sound gear for his concert - aah, those were the days!
Waits at the time had yet to release his tongue-in-cheek soundtrack for One From the Heart (Coppola), but previewed his "I Beg Your Pardon Dear" for the Ak audience.
30 years have passed (almost) since that night, and TW's voice sounds like it's been "shot to hell" - back in the early 70s it had a "warm burr" - now, it's virtually all burr and minimal sustained tone.
I often wonder whether this is simply his natural tonal character, or whether it is the result of a relentless effort to sound more and more like Louis Armstrong, and he's stuck with it now...
My favourite Tom Waits period is probably that of Blue Valentine and Heart Attack and Vine, though the albums Swordfishtrombones, Frank's Wild Years, Black Rider and so on contain highly innovative structures and timbres, Alice, Mule Variations etc. darken the atmosphere further and refine the instrumentation, and Orphans is a 3cd panoramic epic consisting of rhythm'n'blues consisting of ballads, rhythm'n'blues and bizarre narrative vignettes (or as TW calls them, bawlers, brawlers and bastards).
Glitter and Doom draws on these last albums, and the band lineup is pretty much the same as on Real Gone (2 of TW's children feature).
It's fun to hear these songs performed to an audience - they gain energy and dynamics.
Tom's Tales is highly entertaining (in a noir way), though the fact that it is one continuous track makes selection of choicer moments impossible (I miss vinyl and cassettes for that reason only).
The live songs CD I would recommend only to those who know and love Tom Waits - novices should go to Blue Valentine or Heart of Saturday Night.
Tom's Tales could be played to an attentive audience wanting to listen to something novel and dark (aural equivalent to Black Books).
7/10.
This is a 2cd set, the first disc a live recording of songs from Waits's concert tour of 2008, and the second, "Tom's Tales", a single track of Waits spinning yarns, as he famously does when performing live.
I had the privilege of seeing Tom Waits perform live in this super city of ours (Auckland) back in 1981.
I was in a ska band called The Blue Asthmatics at the time, and after the Waits concert (featuring TW on vocals, piano, kettle drums and accompanied by a saxophonist and the legendary Greg Cohen on upright bass), my girlfriend and I made our way up from the Town Hall to Mainstreet (does anyone remember Mainstreet??) where the Asthmatics were supporting Blam Blam Blam and the Screaming Meemees, to be told rather huffily by the sound man that there would be a delay due to the fact that Mr Waits had used our sound gear for his concert - aah, those were the days!
Waits at the time had yet to release his tongue-in-cheek soundtrack for One From the Heart (Coppola), but previewed his "I Beg Your Pardon Dear" for the Ak audience.
30 years have passed (almost) since that night, and TW's voice sounds like it's been "shot to hell" - back in the early 70s it had a "warm burr" - now, it's virtually all burr and minimal sustained tone.
I often wonder whether this is simply his natural tonal character, or whether it is the result of a relentless effort to sound more and more like Louis Armstrong, and he's stuck with it now...
My favourite Tom Waits period is probably that of Blue Valentine and Heart Attack and Vine, though the albums Swordfishtrombones, Frank's Wild Years, Black Rider and so on contain highly innovative structures and timbres, Alice, Mule Variations etc. darken the atmosphere further and refine the instrumentation, and Orphans is a 3cd panoramic epic consisting of rhythm'n'blues consisting of ballads, rhythm'n'blues and bizarre narrative vignettes (or as TW calls them, bawlers, brawlers and bastards).
Glitter and Doom draws on these last albums, and the band lineup is pretty much the same as on Real Gone (2 of TW's children feature).
It's fun to hear these songs performed to an audience - they gain energy and dynamics.
Tom's Tales is highly entertaining (in a noir way), though the fact that it is one continuous track makes selection of choicer moments impossible (I miss vinyl and cassettes for that reason only).
The live songs CD I would recommend only to those who know and love Tom Waits - novices should go to Blue Valentine or Heart of Saturday Night.
Tom's Tales could be played to an attentive audience wanting to listen to something novel and dark (aural equivalent to Black Books).
7/10.
"2012" (film review)
Aah, those Americans...
Big bangs (more bangs for your buck)...
Spectacle...
Happy endings (-ish...the hero and his buddies survive, but most of the human race gets wiped out) (by the way, if you want to experience a bitingly intelligent American movie that deals with/to the Hollywood ending, watch Robert Altman's The Player - it messes with your head in the nicest possible way).
Chases (volcanic eruptions and tsunamis chase our escapees across mountains, deserts and of course LA or somewhere generically similar).
What's wrong with this picture?
Stereotypes, stereotypes, stereotypes (which begat corny one-liners, which begat happy endings, which begat even less pro-active viewing from "the great unwashed").
Criminal misuse of John Cusack (a terrific actor, witness High Fidelity, who should be using his time less materialistically).
It's been done before (even by the same director, in The Day After Tomorrow, which is slightly better and more fun)...
Criminal misuse of the first 2 digits of "2001" (a genius movie).
A waste of money (spend the movie company's money on movies like District 9 - chilling, clever and very exciting).
4/10.
Big bangs (more bangs for your buck)...
Spectacle...
Happy endings (-ish...the hero and his buddies survive, but most of the human race gets wiped out) (by the way, if you want to experience a bitingly intelligent American movie that deals with/to the Hollywood ending, watch Robert Altman's The Player - it messes with your head in the nicest possible way).
Chases (volcanic eruptions and tsunamis chase our escapees across mountains, deserts and of course LA or somewhere generically similar).
What's wrong with this picture?
Stereotypes, stereotypes, stereotypes (which begat corny one-liners, which begat happy endings, which begat even less pro-active viewing from "the great unwashed").
Criminal misuse of John Cusack (a terrific actor, witness High Fidelity, who should be using his time less materialistically).
It's been done before (even by the same director, in The Day After Tomorrow, which is slightly better and more fun)...
Criminal misuse of the first 2 digits of "2001" (a genius movie).
A waste of money (spend the movie company's money on movies like District 9 - chilling, clever and very exciting).
4/10.
"Lady Oracle" (book review)
...by Margaret Atwood, 1976.
And now for an Atwood novel which has nothing to do with science fiction!
Quite an early opus as well.
Still an amazing read - creativity and structural innovations like jewels strewn carelessly all over a beach.
Every page has something interesting and exciting to offer the reader.
Lady Oracle is a female author who relates her life story by means of reminiscences/flashbacks, quotes from her own Gothic romance novels (which link into her own life story), and views the past from her terrace in Terremoto, Italy.
It's a highly humorous set of adventures, and the reader is once again captivated by the strength of characterisation.
It's the literary equivalent of tiramisu, or pate de foie gras - rich, tasty and strong.
My one, small, reservation, and it's possibly a thing of personal preference, is that the novel ends up in the air - tapers off without an heroic conclusion, leaving me strangely unfulfilled - and the other novels I've read by Atwood have similar endings - it's a bit like going on a train journey to Wellington and having to get off at Lower Hutt and take a bus the last few kilometres.
The journey is definitely worth it all the same, and is a journey one could make several times in the course of a lifetime.
9/10.
And now for an Atwood novel which has nothing to do with science fiction!
Quite an early opus as well.
Still an amazing read - creativity and structural innovations like jewels strewn carelessly all over a beach.
Every page has something interesting and exciting to offer the reader.
Lady Oracle is a female author who relates her life story by means of reminiscences/flashbacks, quotes from her own Gothic romance novels (which link into her own life story), and views the past from her terrace in Terremoto, Italy.
It's a highly humorous set of adventures, and the reader is once again captivated by the strength of characterisation.
It's the literary equivalent of tiramisu, or pate de foie gras - rich, tasty and strong.
My one, small, reservation, and it's possibly a thing of personal preference, is that the novel ends up in the air - tapers off without an heroic conclusion, leaving me strangely unfulfilled - and the other novels I've read by Atwood have similar endings - it's a bit like going on a train journey to Wellington and having to get off at Lower Hutt and take a bus the last few kilometres.
The journey is definitely worth it all the same, and is a journey one could make several times in the course of a lifetime.
9/10.
Waerenga (17k SW of Te Kauwhata)
Arrival at 10.30am, having stopped at Mercer for 500g extra mature (2 yrs) Gouda.
A long walk up the forestry track and back with Renate.
Lunch - various pressed and sliced meats, cheeses, fresh breads, beer.
A visit to Ollie's "man cave" (shed) to watch an attempt at repairing a motocross bike piston.
Another beer.
A half hour walk along road and back (Yvonne and entourage opt for a one hour jog, including a crossing across a field of steers and one bull, who Angie the labrador has to have a go at).
Spa and beer.
Dinner - Christmas ham, fried new spuds, salad, red wine (9pm - slightly later than any of us are accustomed to, owing to Sarah cutting her foot open on a submerged rock in the swimming hole).
Hancock on the big screen under a sky drenched with stars (more wine).
Chatting into the short hours with Ollie and Renate, by the fireplace (vermouth and coffee).
Finish Lady Oracle to the accompaniment of some whirring insect.
Sunlight, shower, horse at the door, sudoku, pancake with banana and strawberries, chats with Stephan and Yvonne (German visitors), dishes, pack up kids, drive home (Pokeno for sausages and icecream), back to a sunbaked city, house, wife.
What is the collective noun for 14-year-old boys (there were 4 of them)? A choir? A gang? A parliament? A murder? A mess? A rebellion? A sneer?
A long walk up the forestry track and back with Renate.
Lunch - various pressed and sliced meats, cheeses, fresh breads, beer.
A visit to Ollie's "man cave" (shed) to watch an attempt at repairing a motocross bike piston.
Another beer.
A half hour walk along road and back (Yvonne and entourage opt for a one hour jog, including a crossing across a field of steers and one bull, who Angie the labrador has to have a go at).
Spa and beer.
Dinner - Christmas ham, fried new spuds, salad, red wine (9pm - slightly later than any of us are accustomed to, owing to Sarah cutting her foot open on a submerged rock in the swimming hole).
Hancock on the big screen under a sky drenched with stars (more wine).
Chatting into the short hours with Ollie and Renate, by the fireplace (vermouth and coffee).
Finish Lady Oracle to the accompaniment of some whirring insect.
Sunlight, shower, horse at the door, sudoku, pancake with banana and strawberries, chats with Stephan and Yvonne (German visitors), dishes, pack up kids, drive home (Pokeno for sausages and icecream), back to a sunbaked city, house, wife.
What is the collective noun for 14-year-old boys (there were 4 of them)? A choir? A gang? A parliament? A murder? A mess? A rebellion? A sneer?
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
1001 Books To Read Before You Die
This is a book with the 1001 essential reads.
It spans from the ancient classics through to the latest fiction.
I don't think I have a chance of reading them all!
But I have read some.
I found the book on my niece, Marlene's, bookshelf when we visited for dinner.
A healthy splash of Ballard and Atwood (some titles I never knew existed).
The French and Russian classics were there, of course.
We had a great time at the Whites.
They have Sing Star (karaoke sort of competition) - Alexander and I competed on Song 2 by Blur ("woo-hoo!" is now worth POINTS).
Finally, if you are in Auckland reading this, please feel free to come over to my place 8am Thursday to help with gutter clearing (lose some of that Xmas excess!).
Down to Hofmann's farm tomorrow, after my portacath flush.
It spans from the ancient classics through to the latest fiction.
I don't think I have a chance of reading them all!
But I have read some.
I found the book on my niece, Marlene's, bookshelf when we visited for dinner.
A healthy splash of Ballard and Atwood (some titles I never knew existed).
The French and Russian classics were there, of course.
We had a great time at the Whites.
They have Sing Star (karaoke sort of competition) - Alexander and I competed on Song 2 by Blur ("woo-hoo!" is now worth POINTS).
Finally, if you are in Auckland reading this, please feel free to come over to my place 8am Thursday to help with gutter clearing (lose some of that Xmas excess!).
Down to Hofmann's farm tomorrow, after my portacath flush.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Welcome to 2010!
Hold on to your hats!
Or throw them away if you must!
The only thing different about a new year really is that it's a new year.
Can we break habits that have been unhelpful?
Can we begin new ones that induce joy, peace and lurrve?
Time will tell.
We carry so much of the past with us into the new year.
Baggage we could do without.
Sweet memories that anchor and affirm us in our lives.
And hope/s for the future, stretching on to a horizon we won't reach.
Happy New Year!
G.
Or throw them away if you must!
The only thing different about a new year really is that it's a new year.
Can we break habits that have been unhelpful?
Can we begin new ones that induce joy, peace and lurrve?
Time will tell.
We carry so much of the past with us into the new year.
Baggage we could do without.
Sweet memories that anchor and affirm us in our lives.
And hope/s for the future, stretching on to a horizon we won't reach.
Happy New Year!
G.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Unexpected Generosity
Had some lovely surprises today.
We visited our friends Richard and Helen over in Devonport today.
Lois and I have know Richard for at least 30 years.
Their dining room has just had its tiles polished...
So they took our family out to lunch at Mecca, round the corner!
Wonderful!
Thanks guys!
Told you about the butter chicken thing.
Nipped out to get some tonight.
As well as the usual order, they gave us a bottle of Lindauer champagne!
Loyalty has its rewards, "my young apprentice".
Unexpected, unlooked for, generosity.
The joys of Christmas!
We visited our friends Richard and Helen over in Devonport today.
Lois and I have know Richard for at least 30 years.
Their dining room has just had its tiles polished...
So they took our family out to lunch at Mecca, round the corner!
Wonderful!
Thanks guys!
Told you about the butter chicken thing.
Nipped out to get some tonight.
As well as the usual order, they gave us a bottle of Lindauer champagne!
Loyalty has its rewards, "my young apprentice".
Unexpected, unlooked for, generosity.
The joys of Christmas!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
A Hot Tuesday
Open all the sliding doors.
No difference in temperature or air pressure.
Work outside.
Is it sweat or is it rain?
The rain eventually streams down.
Sky a grey blanket overall, all day.
Jump in the pool.
Refreshing, energising.
Take in a movie.
Air conditioning cools me down.
No difference in temperature or air pressure.
Work outside.
Is it sweat or is it rain?
The rain eventually streams down.
Sky a grey blanket overall, all day.
Jump in the pool.
Refreshing, energising.
Take in a movie.
Air conditioning cools me down.
"Julie and Julia" (movie review)
...dir. by Nora Ephron, starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.
By now Meryl Streep is a veteran, a wonder, a delight.
I remember seeing her in the movie about Azariah Chamberlain and the dingo.
In this one she is Julia Child, and performs her role with zest and conviction.
The relationship between Julia and Paul is wonderfully portrayed - warm and loving.
Amy Adams also performs delightfully, and one finds oneself comparing the French Flashbacks to the Queens Contemporaneity (which do you prefer - old Paris or now New York?).
Amy's character is Julie, a woman who decides to cook all of Julia's recipes within a year (what's your favourite recipe - Lobster thermidore, boeuf bourgignonne, boned duck?).
The movie is chock full of delightful scenes, shot through with Ephron's dry, savvy wit (favourite scene?).
With a deft hand and a crackling script, gently simmered, Ephron brings an unlikely tale to the screen, and serves it up with gusto and relish.
The onion scene, the lobster scene, the boeuf bourgignonne disaster scene - many, many inventive episodes.
Time for a second helping!
By now Meryl Streep is a veteran, a wonder, a delight.
I remember seeing her in the movie about Azariah Chamberlain and the dingo.
In this one she is Julia Child, and performs her role with zest and conviction.
The relationship between Julia and Paul is wonderfully portrayed - warm and loving.
Amy Adams also performs delightfully, and one finds oneself comparing the French Flashbacks to the Queens Contemporaneity (which do you prefer - old Paris or now New York?).
Amy's character is Julie, a woman who decides to cook all of Julia's recipes within a year (what's your favourite recipe - Lobster thermidore, boeuf bourgignonne, boned duck?).
The movie is chock full of delightful scenes, shot through with Ephron's dry, savvy wit (favourite scene?).
With a deft hand and a crackling script, gently simmered, Ephron brings an unlikely tale to the screen, and serves it up with gusto and relish.
The onion scene, the lobster scene, the boeuf bourgignonne disaster scene - many, many inventive episodes.
Time for a second helping!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Life in the Summer
Saving the trees.
Working up a sweat.
Afternoon coffee in a softly shaded Mt Eden courtyard.
A pre-lunch swim.
Walks around the block (and up the steep driveway).
Lapping up the new Atwood.
Trying to spot the deadly white tailed spider.
Warbling through the old songs.
Communing with Bach.
Celebrating my niece Rebecca's 10th birthday...
Singing with tuis.
Working up a sweat.
Afternoon coffee in a softly shaded Mt Eden courtyard.
A pre-lunch swim.
Walks around the block (and up the steep driveway).
Lapping up the new Atwood.
Trying to spot the deadly white tailed spider.
Warbling through the old songs.
Communing with Bach.
Celebrating my niece Rebecca's 10th birthday...
Singing with tuis.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Domingo's Discoveries
Domingo = Sunday.
1. a set of songs from 12 years ago (more of which later).
2. unpleasant physical sensations, giving cause for worry.
3. 4 commands in 2Tim2: be strong, entrust, endure and reflect.
4. return of Samson the cat.
5. it's hot!
6. Margaret Atwood doesn't just write sci fi!
7. I am a BBQ genius!
8. Our driveway is VERY steep.
9. Kavanagh QC's wife has pancreatic cancer (TV series).
10. Bach can be played in any tempo and still make sense.
Gnight!
1. a set of songs from 12 years ago (more of which later).
2. unpleasant physical sensations, giving cause for worry.
3. 4 commands in 2Tim2: be strong, entrust, endure and reflect.
4. return of Samson the cat.
5. it's hot!
6. Margaret Atwood doesn't just write sci fi!
7. I am a BBQ genius!
8. Our driveway is VERY steep.
9. Kavanagh QC's wife has pancreatic cancer (TV series).
10. Bach can be played in any tempo and still make sense.
Gnight!
"Oryx and Crake" (book review)
...by Margaret Atwood.
So, once I'd read The Year of the Flood, imagine my joyful surprise when I found this treasure lurking in the library.
The narrative is much more conventional in structure than TYotF, and focuses on the character of Jimmy, who, post-meltdown, has become "Snowman".
The story of how the meltdown occurred is narrated in more detail here than in TYotF, and the element of surprise/realisation is weaker once one has read the companion novel.
I found the journey through Jimmy's nightmare world an "enjoyable" and gripping one, all the same.
Having read both books, I had a sense of having been given a stereo, or even 3D, account of the world of Oryx and Crake (by the way, Oryx and Crake are the 2 other central characters in the story).
There is the usual wit, incisiveness, and morality, shot through with detached irony so as not to become cloying (as it would in "lesser hands").
The basic question being asked through both books I suppose is whether mankind should play God, and if what happens when we do?
(Reminds me of a lesson plan/report I read once in the UK: "With 7R today we played Chopin - Chopin won".)
I found myself wanting a bit more detail on the character of Oryx.
And in spite of the dire situation humanity finds itself in within the pages of this book, there are many instances of LoL humour.
I wonder what Atwood will write next?
My next reading will be Lady Oracle - slightly different in scenario and tone, I think.
9/10.
So, once I'd read The Year of the Flood, imagine my joyful surprise when I found this treasure lurking in the library.
The narrative is much more conventional in structure than TYotF, and focuses on the character of Jimmy, who, post-meltdown, has become "Snowman".
The story of how the meltdown occurred is narrated in more detail here than in TYotF, and the element of surprise/realisation is weaker once one has read the companion novel.
I found the journey through Jimmy's nightmare world an "enjoyable" and gripping one, all the same.
Having read both books, I had a sense of having been given a stereo, or even 3D, account of the world of Oryx and Crake (by the way, Oryx and Crake are the 2 other central characters in the story).
There is the usual wit, incisiveness, and morality, shot through with detached irony so as not to become cloying (as it would in "lesser hands").
The basic question being asked through both books I suppose is whether mankind should play God, and if what happens when we do?
(Reminds me of a lesson plan/report I read once in the UK: "With 7R today we played Chopin - Chopin won".)
I found myself wanting a bit more detail on the character of Oryx.
And in spite of the dire situation humanity finds itself in within the pages of this book, there are many instances of LoL humour.
I wonder what Atwood will write next?
My next reading will be Lady Oracle - slightly different in scenario and tone, I think.
9/10.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
"The Year of the Flood" (book review)
...by Margaret Atwood.
I have developed quite a brutal approach to reading over the last year, based on the philosophy that life is too short to waste time worthily reading a book that has not ignited my spark (my approach to relationships is quite different, mainly because people aren't books!).
So when I heard that this book was released, I thought I would check it out in the bookshop and see if it grabbed me by the end of Page 1...
It did!
Page 1 of TYoTF was the first Margaret Atwood I have ever read, and I was enthralled by her evocation of place and character, her imagination and her deft use of colourful and pungent language...that was all in the first page!
I ordered the book thru my local library and finally Peter Beyer finished reading it and the library let me know...
As mentioned on a previous posting, TYotF is an equel to Oryx and Crake, Atwood's previous novel.
The story is told by Ren, a sexy trapeze artist at Scales'n'Tails, and another woman whose name currently escapes me - Ren tells the story in first person singular, and the other woman is in 3rd person.
The "flood" is not a physical flood, but a metaphor for a deluge of civilisation-destroying manmade events that turn the world upside down.
We are re-introduced to the Oryx and Crake principals, creating many "a-ha" instances (except for me it's the other way round 'cos I read TYotF first).
The literary landscape of TYotF is much brighter than that of the Handmaid's Tale, and the tone is much more humorous - there is a real sense of playfulness with the language.
Readable? Absolutely.
The amazing thing is that God's Gardeners (an apocalyptic, environmentally friendly religious sect) and their philosophies actually make quite a bit of sense.
On the darker side, the "future" that Atwood depicts is, in many cases, already all-too-present.
I wish she had written the script for Avatar - THAT would have been interesting!
Read the book, and be constantly amazed at the imagination, wit and skill used to create such a gripping story.
10/10.
I have developed quite a brutal approach to reading over the last year, based on the philosophy that life is too short to waste time worthily reading a book that has not ignited my spark (my approach to relationships is quite different, mainly because people aren't books!).
So when I heard that this book was released, I thought I would check it out in the bookshop and see if it grabbed me by the end of Page 1...
It did!
Page 1 of TYoTF was the first Margaret Atwood I have ever read, and I was enthralled by her evocation of place and character, her imagination and her deft use of colourful and pungent language...that was all in the first page!
I ordered the book thru my local library and finally Peter Beyer finished reading it and the library let me know...
As mentioned on a previous posting, TYotF is an equel to Oryx and Crake, Atwood's previous novel.
The story is told by Ren, a sexy trapeze artist at Scales'n'Tails, and another woman whose name currently escapes me - Ren tells the story in first person singular, and the other woman is in 3rd person.
The "flood" is not a physical flood, but a metaphor for a deluge of civilisation-destroying manmade events that turn the world upside down.
We are re-introduced to the Oryx and Crake principals, creating many "a-ha" instances (except for me it's the other way round 'cos I read TYotF first).
The literary landscape of TYotF is much brighter than that of the Handmaid's Tale, and the tone is much more humorous - there is a real sense of playfulness with the language.
Readable? Absolutely.
The amazing thing is that God's Gardeners (an apocalyptic, environmentally friendly religious sect) and their philosophies actually make quite a bit of sense.
On the darker side, the "future" that Atwood depicts is, in many cases, already all-too-present.
I wish she had written the script for Avatar - THAT would have been interesting!
Read the book, and be constantly amazed at the imagination, wit and skill used to create such a gripping story.
10/10.
"Avatar" (movie review)
...directed by James Cameron.
You have to see this movie.
And you have to see it in3D at Imax.
Not necessarily because it is a stunning movie, but because it is a stunning technical achievement.
The opening sequences caused gasps of awe and wonder from the packed audience who attended at 8.30pm last Tuesday, and at the end of the movie the audience applauded (I know this seems very silly on one level, but it felt like the right thing to do!).
The movie is one of those cutting-edge, breakthrough phenomena.
As to the movie itself....
One never really escapes from the overwhelming power of the visuals...
James Cameron tells a good yarn, and there are strong performances within fairly defined roles by Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver (still building relationships with aliens!) and the "blue girl" with the interesting (lack of) costume.
The plot is formulaic, however - Pocahontas set in outer space.
Once you've been introduced to the characters, you know which way the story's going to go...
I got the feeling that Cameron, having spent the equivalent of NZ's GDP several times over to make the movie (and having contributed in fact to the GDP by his use of Weta Inc. for so many things in the FX department), had to have a plot that Americans, in general, would "buy into".
Here's the hero, the love interest (albeit blue and gigantic), the jealous rival, the monsters, the mystic rituals (very much like the sloth dances in Ice Age II, I'm afraid), the baddie, the environmental theme (if only the Americans would take climate change seriously and put their money where their mouths are - no offence to my American friends!!) and, of course, the EXPLOSIONS!!
The music, by James Horner (Titanic), is also by-the-numbers (could have used a John Williams or Howard Shore score and saved money) heroic music, baddie music, love music, ethereal mystery music and the now-obligatory Vedic/Gregorian chanting to denote New Age spirituality - the end song, "I See You" (the catchphrase used by Pandoreans to acknowledge other living creatures who have died or with whom they are about to mate - also Sauron's catchphrase in Lord of the Rings) is appallingly mawkish, and should be left off the DVD release of the movie.
Impressive: visual effects, cinematography and Ms Weaver.
Unimpressive: plot, characters and soundtrack.
I would go and see it again, but probably with my ears plugged into some Beethoven or Dvorak.
6/10.
You have to see this movie.
And you have to see it in3D at Imax.
Not necessarily because it is a stunning movie, but because it is a stunning technical achievement.
The opening sequences caused gasps of awe and wonder from the packed audience who attended at 8.30pm last Tuesday, and at the end of the movie the audience applauded (I know this seems very silly on one level, but it felt like the right thing to do!).
The movie is one of those cutting-edge, breakthrough phenomena.
As to the movie itself....
One never really escapes from the overwhelming power of the visuals...
James Cameron tells a good yarn, and there are strong performances within fairly defined roles by Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver (still building relationships with aliens!) and the "blue girl" with the interesting (lack of) costume.
The plot is formulaic, however - Pocahontas set in outer space.
Once you've been introduced to the characters, you know which way the story's going to go...
I got the feeling that Cameron, having spent the equivalent of NZ's GDP several times over to make the movie (and having contributed in fact to the GDP by his use of Weta Inc. for so many things in the FX department), had to have a plot that Americans, in general, would "buy into".
Here's the hero, the love interest (albeit blue and gigantic), the jealous rival, the monsters, the mystic rituals (very much like the sloth dances in Ice Age II, I'm afraid), the baddie, the environmental theme (if only the Americans would take climate change seriously and put their money where their mouths are - no offence to my American friends!!) and, of course, the EXPLOSIONS!!
The music, by James Horner (Titanic), is also by-the-numbers (could have used a John Williams or Howard Shore score and saved money) heroic music, baddie music, love music, ethereal mystery music and the now-obligatory Vedic/Gregorian chanting to denote New Age spirituality - the end song, "I See You" (the catchphrase used by Pandoreans to acknowledge other living creatures who have died or with whom they are about to mate - also Sauron's catchphrase in Lord of the Rings) is appallingly mawkish, and should be left off the DVD release of the movie.
Impressive: visual effects, cinematography and Ms Weaver.
Unimpressive: plot, characters and soundtrack.
I would go and see it again, but probably with my ears plugged into some Beethoven or Dvorak.
6/10.
"The Handmaid's Tale" (review)
...by Margaret Atwood.
This felt like a feminine version of 1984 (Orwell).
The future....not characterised by any major technological advances - in fact, it feels like technology, and certainly reading/literacy/literature have been deliberately done away with by the New Order.
We experience the future society through the eyes and indeed body of Offred (because she's a handmaid, we never learn her real name - her Man is Fred, hence Offred being her name/designation).
Women have been given several distinct roles in the new society - Wives, Handmaids, Marthas, Aunties or Unwomen.
Due to general chemical/genetic/nuclear deterioration, only wives or handmaids are in positions to give birth - in fact, this is the sole function of a handmaid.
As Orwell does in 1984, Atwood creates a claustrophobic atmosphere of tension and paranoia, given emphasis by Offred's flashbacks to the Time Before.
Offred finds herself not knowing who to trust, till in the end she makes some decisions with a kind of resigned courage or carelessness, leading to a dramatic conclusion.
Typically of Atwood (as I'm discovering through an intensive read through of other novels), relationships are explored fully - the power play between the Handmaid and the Wife who "owns" her makes for a fascinating study.
The structure of the novel is unique - the flashbacks merge smoothly with the "present day" narrative, and both build to a climax; in particular, the passage in which the nature of the "revolution" is related sends a chill of recognition and fear down the reader's spine.
There is also the transcript of a lecture given about the authenticity and identity of the tale itself, set yet several decades beyond the tale - terrific!
Sound complicated?
It isn't - the style is sharp, light, beautiful and captivating.
Once hooked, you won't escape.
This felt like a feminine version of 1984 (Orwell).
The future....not characterised by any major technological advances - in fact, it feels like technology, and certainly reading/literacy/literature have been deliberately done away with by the New Order.
We experience the future society through the eyes and indeed body of Offred (because she's a handmaid, we never learn her real name - her Man is Fred, hence Offred being her name/designation).
Women have been given several distinct roles in the new society - Wives, Handmaids, Marthas, Aunties or Unwomen.
Due to general chemical/genetic/nuclear deterioration, only wives or handmaids are in positions to give birth - in fact, this is the sole function of a handmaid.
As Orwell does in 1984, Atwood creates a claustrophobic atmosphere of tension and paranoia, given emphasis by Offred's flashbacks to the Time Before.
Offred finds herself not knowing who to trust, till in the end she makes some decisions with a kind of resigned courage or carelessness, leading to a dramatic conclusion.
Typically of Atwood (as I'm discovering through an intensive read through of other novels), relationships are explored fully - the power play between the Handmaid and the Wife who "owns" her makes for a fascinating study.
The structure of the novel is unique - the flashbacks merge smoothly with the "present day" narrative, and both build to a climax; in particular, the passage in which the nature of the "revolution" is related sends a chill of recognition and fear down the reader's spine.
There is also the transcript of a lecture given about the authenticity and identity of the tale itself, set yet several decades beyond the tale - terrific!
Sound complicated?
It isn't - the style is sharp, light, beautiful and captivating.
Once hooked, you won't escape.
Love, Colonialism, Suicide...
...all to be found in the score of Madame Butterfly, which is surely one of the truly sublime achievements in Opera/Music Theatre.
Never mind "Miss Saigon" with its helicopter and Vietnamese fungirl choruses...
MB is the real thing.
Maybe I have been poisoned with an MB drug, but every time I hear it, it makes me feel all kinds of things...love, sadness, disgust, gentleness, horror...
Puccini was a genius, and this opera proves it (as do Tosca and La Boheme! - by the way, if anyone is still holding on to my copy of Tosca, with Maria Calllas in the title role, PLEASE can you get it back to me???).
I like Andrew Lloyd Webber (especially Superstar), but you have to admit that "Memory" from Cats is a blatant ripoff of Un Bel Di Vedremo (One Fine Day).
So, what better way to spend one's overheated Boxing Day then listening to MB in its entirety, punctuated by dips in the pool and a blog here and there, accompanied by a fresh strawberry or 2?
The children are both away at present (A to cousin's, S to friend's), the wife is "resting"....and YT is exercising his brain, contemplating the gamut of human emotions presented in this cherished musical masterpiece.
More reviews coming up (this wasn't a review so much as a rave!)...
Never mind "Miss Saigon" with its helicopter and Vietnamese fungirl choruses...
MB is the real thing.
Maybe I have been poisoned with an MB drug, but every time I hear it, it makes me feel all kinds of things...love, sadness, disgust, gentleness, horror...
Puccini was a genius, and this opera proves it (as do Tosca and La Boheme! - by the way, if anyone is still holding on to my copy of Tosca, with Maria Calllas in the title role, PLEASE can you get it back to me???).
I like Andrew Lloyd Webber (especially Superstar), but you have to admit that "Memory" from Cats is a blatant ripoff of Un Bel Di Vedremo (One Fine Day).
So, what better way to spend one's overheated Boxing Day then listening to MB in its entirety, punctuated by dips in the pool and a blog here and there, accompanied by a fresh strawberry or 2?
The children are both away at present (A to cousin's, S to friend's), the wife is "resting"....and YT is exercising his brain, contemplating the gamut of human emotions presented in this cherished musical masterpiece.
More reviews coming up (this wasn't a review so much as a rave!)...
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Christmas is Coming...
Christmas and New Year, so close to each other.
Jesus, God's gift to us all...
A gift that costs everything, but which is offered freely.
A gift that grows and grows, and doesn't break.
The Gift of Peace on earth, and Good Will to all.
If only...
One King to rule us all...
One Healer...
One Warrior...
One God...
A baby in a smelly, dirty cattle trough, mixed in with the hay and animal smells.
Born to socially suspect parents, out the back of the pub.
Who would ever have thought it?
Wherever, whoever, whatever you are this Christmas, may the Peace, Joy and Love of God be with you, inside and beside you, this Christmas and into the rest of your life!
A New Year is coming soon!
Love,
Gerald.
Jesus, God's gift to us all...
A gift that costs everything, but which is offered freely.
A gift that grows and grows, and doesn't break.
The Gift of Peace on earth, and Good Will to all.
If only...
One King to rule us all...
One Healer...
One Warrior...
One God...
A baby in a smelly, dirty cattle trough, mixed in with the hay and animal smells.
Born to socially suspect parents, out the back of the pub.
Who would ever have thought it?
Wherever, whoever, whatever you are this Christmas, may the Peace, Joy and Love of God be with you, inside and beside you, this Christmas and into the rest of your life!
A New Year is coming soon!
Love,
Gerald.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
AVATAR AWAITS
Shortly we will be heading off.
IMAX, 3D...what more could you want?
Today has been a day of sustained industry in the forest that surrounds our earthly dwelling.
Surprised myself by getting up at 6am!
Samson has been a bit of an outsider lately.
When we returned from Whitianga he had a cut on his head.
Being Samson, he runs away if we walk towards him with an air of...purpose...
So I hope he will heal naturally or eventually come in and succumb to our ministry.
DJ Alex has accommodated my tastes more on the stereo today.
So I was able to blast out "Australia" by the Manic Street Preachers.
Great song!
Tomorrow...fishing!
IMAX, 3D...what more could you want?
Today has been a day of sustained industry in the forest that surrounds our earthly dwelling.
Surprised myself by getting up at 6am!
Samson has been a bit of an outsider lately.
When we returned from Whitianga he had a cut on his head.
Being Samson, he runs away if we walk towards him with an air of...purpose...
So I hope he will heal naturally or eventually come in and succumb to our ministry.
DJ Alex has accommodated my tastes more on the stereo today.
So I was able to blast out "Australia" by the Manic Street Preachers.
Great song!
Tomorrow...fishing!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Walrus Gumboot...
Thanks to John Lennon for the above.
Um...the red trousers didn't fit!
Yikes!
I have gained weight since the last weeks of chemo.
About 10kg...I am determined to lose this...it is no fun feeling gluggier than I have to!
Perhaps it was the hot chocolates and lattes at work?
Did some serious damage to the surrounding flora on our section today, tho.
We are surrounded by vegetation - some of it fantastic - native, floral, noble.
And some real mongrel stuff too - tradescantia, ivy, "wild" jasmine, woolly nightshade.
We even have stuff growing in our top guttering (now I can't see myself getting up THERE with a hernia and 10 extra kg!!).
Tomorrow...AVATAR!
Um...the red trousers didn't fit!
Yikes!
I have gained weight since the last weeks of chemo.
About 10kg...I am determined to lose this...it is no fun feeling gluggier than I have to!
Perhaps it was the hot chocolates and lattes at work?
Did some serious damage to the surrounding flora on our section today, tho.
We are surrounded by vegetation - some of it fantastic - native, floral, noble.
And some real mongrel stuff too - tradescantia, ivy, "wild" jasmine, woolly nightshade.
We even have stuff growing in our top guttering (now I can't see myself getting up THERE with a hernia and 10 extra kg!!).
Tomorrow...AVATAR!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Lazy Sunday Afternoon
The work was done this morning.
Our final Advent-ure: a sketch exploring Love within the Christmas story.
Challenge: to keep things simple yet meaningful, and create a bit of a new spin.
Tempted to throw in a punchline: "God IS a hard act to follow".
For the overseas blogpeople, this would have been an allusion to a HUGELY controversial picture which appeared outside St Matthew's-in-the-city.
Joseph and Mary appear in bed together, and the caption reads "Poor Joseph - God's a hard act to follow".
My responses (emotional/internal) have ranged from thinking "how crass, inane and insensitive" to "what an amazing way to draw the focus of everyone to the implications of the Virgin Birth".
I'm sure if you haven't seen it yet you will be able to google and goggle at it, and see what you think.
As the hose sprays its way into the pool to top it up not for the last time this Summer, and DJ Alex's music sprays its way from the family stereo into my laidback consciousness, I sup on Lois's latest batch of muffins (carrot cake) and the last of the vacation apricots, subconsciously preparing myself for the Family Christmas "Event" this evening - "Not A Silent Night".
Tonight will be a night for red trousers....
And I am aware that I need to catch up with my book reviews - Margaret Atwood keeps dragging me away without fail into her dystopias.
I'm currently into reading Oryx and Crake, which is an equel (neither sequel nor prequel) to The Year of the Flood, and which I also cannot put down - marvellous!
Catch you later!
G.
Our final Advent-ure: a sketch exploring Love within the Christmas story.
Challenge: to keep things simple yet meaningful, and create a bit of a new spin.
Tempted to throw in a punchline: "God IS a hard act to follow".
For the overseas blogpeople, this would have been an allusion to a HUGELY controversial picture which appeared outside St Matthew's-in-the-city.
Joseph and Mary appear in bed together, and the caption reads "Poor Joseph - God's a hard act to follow".
My responses (emotional/internal) have ranged from thinking "how crass, inane and insensitive" to "what an amazing way to draw the focus of everyone to the implications of the Virgin Birth".
I'm sure if you haven't seen it yet you will be able to google and goggle at it, and see what you think.
As the hose sprays its way into the pool to top it up not for the last time this Summer, and DJ Alex's music sprays its way from the family stereo into my laidback consciousness, I sup on Lois's latest batch of muffins (carrot cake) and the last of the vacation apricots, subconsciously preparing myself for the Family Christmas "Event" this evening - "Not A Silent Night".
Tonight will be a night for red trousers....
And I am aware that I need to catch up with my book reviews - Margaret Atwood keeps dragging me away without fail into her dystopias.
I'm currently into reading Oryx and Crake, which is an equel (neither sequel nor prequel) to The Year of the Flood, and which I also cannot put down - marvellous!
Catch you later!
G.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Return From Whitianga
No days without sunshine.
Sun blazing, sky blue.
Days of lazy awakenings.
Leisured strolls, peaceful rests.
Children playing in harmony.
Streets devoid of traffic.
Elusive second hand bookshops.
Nina's Cafe. thumbs up!
Alexander talking till late.
Cathedral Cove without stress.
Sun blazing, sky blue.
Days of lazy awakenings.
Leisured strolls, peaceful rests.
Children playing in harmony.
Streets devoid of traffic.
Elusive second hand bookshops.
Nina's Cafe. thumbs up!
Alexander talking till late.
Cathedral Cove without stress.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Going Away!
Tomorrow we head down to Whitianga, a very pleasant beach on the Coromandel Peninsula.
The children and I, and Alexander's friend Thomas, will form the advance party.
Lois has a medical appointment in the morning and will follow later.
Our friend Andrew will sit the house and look after Samson.
I don't know if I will have access to the internet over that time.
Today I visited my GP to check out a few spots - a reassuring time.
Also heard that my mo-in-law, Lorna, is free from hozzy visits for half a year - yay!
All 4 of us are now on holiday, so we'll have plenty of time to get on each other's nerves!
Aah, the luxury of being annoying!
So, speak to you later everyone!
Gerald.
The children and I, and Alexander's friend Thomas, will form the advance party.
Lois has a medical appointment in the morning and will follow later.
Our friend Andrew will sit the house and look after Samson.
I don't know if I will have access to the internet over that time.
Today I visited my GP to check out a few spots - a reassuring time.
Also heard that my mo-in-law, Lorna, is free from hozzy visits for half a year - yay!
All 4 of us are now on holiday, so we'll have plenty of time to get on each other's nerves!
Aah, the luxury of being annoying!
So, speak to you later everyone!
Gerald.
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid (book review)
...Bill Bryson's latest.
Apologies for the late review of this.
A delightful and highly charged autobiography of his childhood and emerging adolescence in Des Moines, Iowa.
In calling up his childhood, Bryson somehow manages to call up many similar events/scenarios in the reader's childhood.
Long summer holidays, adventures with chemistry sets, early encounters with the opposite sex, grandiloquent movie theatres, unfenced lawns, black and white TV (and heroes equally monochrome in character), mythical and venomous beasts and funguses.
The sense of exploration is stunning - the sense of humour as powerful as ever.
BB harks back to the Age of Innocence (the 50s) with detail, wit and the power to make the reader laugh out loud (thereby waking up any nearby individuals who have chosen to go to sleep at a more sensible hour).
As with all other BB books I have read (and they are now beginning to create a bit of a trail) I have been sorely tempted to breach copyright in the interests of entertaining the visitors to this blog.
But that might let you off "doing the work" and reading the whole thing for yourself.
Doing the work?
If reading a BB book ever got to seem like work, I would have to take myself off to a Workaholics Anonymous group therapy course...thankfully, I don't see that happening in the near future.
Apologies for the late review of this.
A delightful and highly charged autobiography of his childhood and emerging adolescence in Des Moines, Iowa.
In calling up his childhood, Bryson somehow manages to call up many similar events/scenarios in the reader's childhood.
Long summer holidays, adventures with chemistry sets, early encounters with the opposite sex, grandiloquent movie theatres, unfenced lawns, black and white TV (and heroes equally monochrome in character), mythical and venomous beasts and funguses.
The sense of exploration is stunning - the sense of humour as powerful as ever.
BB harks back to the Age of Innocence (the 50s) with detail, wit and the power to make the reader laugh out loud (thereby waking up any nearby individuals who have chosen to go to sleep at a more sensible hour).
As with all other BB books I have read (and they are now beginning to create a bit of a trail) I have been sorely tempted to breach copyright in the interests of entertaining the visitors to this blog.
But that might let you off "doing the work" and reading the whole thing for yourself.
Doing the work?
If reading a BB book ever got to seem like work, I would have to take myself off to a Workaholics Anonymous group therapy course...thankfully, I don't see that happening in the near future.
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