Yoyo...

a colloquialism of surprise and amazement... here is a collection of clever drivers I have run across (not over) of late!

Driver wanted to go down a one way... decided against it when I took the picture.

No parking lines? What no parking lines? As I "find" more I will add them to the "Yoyo" collection. When I saw the YO in the picture I knew what to title the post with. Yoyo is often spelled jojo as well, often supplanted with Hau accompanied by a lot of head shaking... Hau indeed!
“The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion or ethnic background, is that we all believe we are above-average drivers."
Dave Barry

Busines should stick to what they are good at

... namely running the business. As soon as they bring politics or religion into decision making they are heading for a rocky ride from consumers.
Case in point is ABSA with their Springbok rugby player quota demand and now we have Woolworths withdrawing religious and political magazines.
Now I want to ask Woolworths CEO Simon Susman what about newspapers, matzos crackers, Christmas ham/turkey and halal chickens? Are they also going to be taken off the shelves too because they may offend certain customers? I leave with this thought...
"Political correctness does not legislate tolerance; it only organizes hatred."
Jacques Barzun

Cloud Cuckoo?

So... Mr Microsoft wants to add a dollar or two to advance the idea of enhancing cloud formation.
" Even if that goes well, the technology has a long way to go before it can significantly alter the climate — a recent study showed that it would it take 1,900 ships at a cost of over $7 billion to stop Earth’s temperature from rising."
Bully for him... I just have some doubts, because we all know how well his Software works... Blue Screen of Death comes to mind, plus those ships look top heavy... I wonder what will happen with them during hurricane season?
I say leave nature to do what nature does best... at present it seems to be cooling down the earth quite well, the past summer here in SA has been cloudier and wetter than normal... I wonder why?
"My bounce-around life had taught me that dreams were dangerous things - they look solid in your mind, but you just try to reach for them. It's like gathering clouds." Kirby Larson, Hattie Big Sky, 2006

Here follows a short bulletin

Been meaning to do some linky love for a while now...
MizMinka has some great stuff to read and she also loves the Lord, maybe not putting up as much Gospel related stuff as I have been lately but hers are well worth a read.
For those who do not know yet, Moondancer and I are now know as US... Fait accompli!
Just a reminder that my friend KatieB is still blogging as well. Some of her musings are worth commenting on.
I trust you all will bear with me as I speak what is on my mind lately, I am not becoming a preacher or a minstrel but God and romance are keeping me rather occupied lately hence the tone of the postings lately.
On a serious note or as I see it sublimely ridiculous, nay, hilarious, I have been accused of stealing... how I do not know as the system I manage just cannot be stolen from, I really think there are crazy people out there that need serious help. Must put that on my prayer list tonight... The poor detective that is investigating this said that a good percentage of these cases are made just to cause the accused embarrassment but waste a huge amount of their time that could be spent investigating real cases. I now see why the police want to fine people laying false charges with huge fines.
So if I stop blogging... please bail me out!
"Fear does not have any special power unless you empower it by submitting to it."
Les Brown, Communication Bulletin for Managers & Supervisors, June 2004

Getting better

KatieB's daughter B has come down with a tummy virus. It's no fun not being able to keep you food down. I can handle a cold or flu but when I get Gyppo I am meaner than a Honey Badger being deprived of honey so I imagine how she feels. Being a single mom with a child that is ill is no fun either, it kinda eats into your leave time. So I hope this clears up quick for both of them.
On the home front I am also quite amazed how well I feel, today I did the wrap the leg in plastic thing and had a shower! As I am allowed to put slight pressure on the leg I was able to balance quite well while indulging in a long shower... I feel good and clean and fresh. This was after I had vacuumed part of the flat... quite an easy job even with one leg. Tomorrow I do the rest. It is just a pity the cast has to stay on till next Thursday... My Doctor had a death in the family and had to reschedule, my thoughts are with his family.
My children have also had friends experience tragedy this past week and my heart goes out to all the families that have lost children this week. Children are supposed to survive their parents, not the other way around. Here is a song to cheer everyone up...

[via FoxyTunes / D:Ream]- Things can only get better

You can walk my path
You can wear my shoes
Let her talk like me
And be an angel too

But maybe
You ain't never gonna feel this way
You ain't never gonna know me
But I know you...
Teach you now that

Things can only get better
Can only get, can only get
They get on from here
You know, I know that
Things can only get better

I sometimes lose myself in me
I lose track of time
And I can't see the wood from the trees
You set them alight, burning the bridges as you go
I'm too weak to fight you
I got my personal health to deal with
And you say

Walk my path
Wear my shoes
Talk like me
I'll be an angel and

(CHORUS:)
Things can only get better
Can only get better
Now I've found you
(That means me)
(Will you teach me now)
Things can only get better
Can only get better
Now I've found you

And you and you...
You... show me prejudice and greed
You show me how
I must learn to deal with this disease
I look at things now
In a different light than I did before
I found the cause
And I think that you could be my cure
And you say

Walk your path
Wear your shoes
Talk like that
I'll be an angel too

(chorus)

These things make me realise that one should never put of things that matter till tomorrow, tell that person in your life that they are important and be there for them no matter what.Most importantly... give thanks when the sun rises for a new day.
"Grief shared is half grief; Joy shared is double joy." Honduran Proverb

Never Forget

The day the world changed and we all knew the face of evil... and the face of Love.

For those who wondered

I was chided for not blogging yesterday but the truth is that after watching Survivor Cook Island I was tuckered out as well as not feeling very inspired to write anything, at least I did get Lesson 1 done for Donna and am glad to see it worked.
I am quite amazed how good this makes me feel that someone found my instructions useful. Makes me feel that the idea of being a mentor is something very worthwhile.
I have almost finished The Wall (Title may change) and will be posting as soon as I finish all the links and final polishing, it is not a long read but another page from my heart...
Tomorrow is round 2 of a very personal drama and I am not looking forward to another wasted and stressful day but I know we are in the Best Hands and eventually it will end well. It just breaks my heart that it is so unnecessary for L to have to go through all this. Incompetence and sheer stupidity is one thing but when it is done with malice as well it is unforgivable. So a prayer or two would be appreciated.
I found out that KatieB and my son M are both named for "Gift from God", quite a coincidence?
"You know, the courts may not be working any more, but as long as everyone is videotaping everyone else, justice will be done." Matt Groening (1954 - ), The Simpsons

Who let the dogs out

Well I sounds like that here... I have been barking like one since early this morning... and someone ran over me with a 18 wheeler while I was sleeping! Usually a cold or the flu starts with sniffles or a sore throat... this one came from inside and seems to be working it's way out... is it Alien Flu or what? Thank goodness for Halls and MedLemon. Now if I can just survive the next 2 weeks or a fortnight, either way that is how long these bugs take to get eradicated from one's system usually.
I will back up the medication with plenty of salad, fluids and wholesome food.

From dogs to Wild Hogs, the movie is now out on the DVD circuit and we watched it tonight... as a biker I could relate 100%. Now my chest hurts from laughing and coughing!
Slapping the bull looks like a lot of fun too, I must put it on my To Do list... under Insane Ideas... together with Horizontal Bungee... I can also relate to Dudley... not the crashes he has though... he at least gets the girl in the end!

As to the soundtrack, the song that lingers most is Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys. Most of the Biker Classics are featured as well. I am still looking for a complete list though.
M has had some misfortune this morning as well, on the way into town he got rear ended and the Golf got dinged,
I am glad they did not get hurt though, the guilty party has already exchanged insurance details so this will get sorted... but being inconvenienced to get the car fixed is always a drag.
So as head for bed and a day officiating at the Osram Rally tomorrow I have this in my head... Woof Woof!
"Don't waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good." Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

No camera again!

High drama today on campus as I left the one Caf where I had been sorting out a comms problem... mmm now who is burning stuff in front of then West entrance I think to myself when it strikes me there is a small commotion going on and fellas dressed in blue running around with extinguishers and a car is burning... sorry blokes but the golden 2 minutes are gone... that baby is gonna burn!
As most rally enthusiast and racers will attest, you have 2 minutes tops to hit the extinguisher if you smell smoke on a rally car... if you see flames you bale out and let it burn... your own skin is worth more than a few hundred grand rally car.
The same goes for civilian rust buckets... usually by the time you smell the smoke the flames have taken hold under the bonnet and it is pretty dangerous to pop the hood and disconnect the battery, meanwhile the clock is ticking down to 120 seconds elapsed... that is when the fuel lines, brake lines etc. melt and dump their contents into the growing conflagration. Time to phone your insurance broker and tell him to bring the claim forms forthwith and then the fire brigade... just to make sure no other cars go up in smoke...
Sad but a fact of life unfortunately. This song is what went through my head while I watched this unfortunate incident... Somone is Carlos tonight...
Burn Baby Burn - ASH - Written by Tim Wheeler

You're all I have in this teenage twilight
Your golden hair and pale blue eyes
But through all the days and the sleepless nights
We have never been satisfied
Tumbling like the leaves
Yeah, we are spiralling on the breeze
Almost to the point of no return
Everything will burn baby burn

Look into my tired eyes
See someone you don't recognise
Binds that can't be untied
Oh this is slow suicide
Feelings that I can't disguise
And never will be reconciled
Oh something inside has died

You walk like you're in a daze
Unresponsive eyes in a distant gaze
Like all the good times have flown away
And their memory leaves a bitter taste
Tumbling like the leaves
Yeah, we are spiralling on the breeze
Destructive love is all we have
Destructive love is all I am

Look into my tired eyes
See someone you don't recognise
Binds that can't be untied
Oh this is slow suicide
Feelings that I can't disguise
And never will be reconciled
Oh something inside has died

Vicious bitter words
Becoming more and more cruel
But you always take me back
And let me lick your wounds
Tumbling like the leaves
Yeah, we are spiralling on the breeze
Almost to the point of no return
Everything will burn baby burn

Look into my tired eyes
See someone you don't recognise
Binds that can't be untied
Oh this is slow suicide
Feelings that I can't disguise
We're living in a compromise
Oh something inside has died
I hope this ends the misfortune I have seen, experienced and lived through the last few days... Things can only get better! As the D:ream song attests...
Things can only get better - D:Ream
You can walk my path, you can wear my shoes
Learn to talk like me and be an angel too
But maybe you ain't never gonna feel this way
You ain't never gonna know me, but i know you
I'm singing it now-
Things can only get better
They can only get better if we see it through-
that means me and I mean you too
So teach me now that things can only get better,
They can only get, they only get, take it on from here
You know i know that things can only get better

I sometimes lose myself in me, I lose track of time
And I can't see the wood for the trees
You set them alight
burning bridges as you've gone
I'm too weak to fight ya
I've got my personal hell to deal with, then you say
Walk my path, wear my shoes, talk like that-
I'll be an angel then
Things can only get better
they can only get better, now i found you
Things can only get better, they can only get better,
now I found you
and you and you
You have shown me prejudice and greed
And you've shown me how I must learn to deal with this disease
I look at things now in a different light than I did before
And I've found the cause
and I think you can be my cure
So teach me to...
Walk your path, wear your shoes, talk like that, I'll be an angel and
Things can only get better.....
Tomorrow will be a better day I say, every day seems better than the last when one looks back. I think a stiff one for medicinal use is called for tonight...
"Reminds me of my safari in Africa. Somebody forgot the corkscrew and for several days we had to live on nothing but food and water." W. C. Fields (1880 - 1946)

Secrets and lies

Well the only lie is that there are no lies in this posting (that is oxymoronic) but the title just sounded good. Sometimes when one picks up a book in a bookstore you just know that you have to have it, so it was this evening on my way home. I stopped off at the Mall to get some Steers burgers and while waiting I popped in to Exclusive Books... saw that the new PopMech mag was out and then I saw the book... it lay beckoning... waiting to be opened and skimmed through... it had weight, far more than a book that size should have, like it contained a secret treasure waiting to be discovered... was it worth buying? Only time will tell if the secret of The Secret is revealed, so tonight it is me with the three B's... ummm no not Beer/Blonde/Book... but Book/Book/Bottle, hot water bottle that is plus my very own copy of Race to Dakar. The inspiration for my Big Dream , plus 3 cats as well... it is chilly and they usually come and pin me down on cold nights, not that I mind, having 3 living hot water bottles has it's advantages on crisp nights like tonight... Must try and get Long way Round as well...
L has been laid low by the winter bugs... so far I seem ummune and I ask for it to stay so each day, I hate having a cold or the flu, I would rather wrestle with a pack of wild boars thanks! I hope the meds start working soon, so glad she enjoyed the burger, I take that as a good sign. Gotta make some salad again tomorrow with plenty of sweet peppers, they have more Vit. C than citrus, especially the red or yellow ones...
Yesterday I also revealed a secret of sorts, albeit with much trepidation but in so doing got an answer that I had already known but having it confirmed today made me realise that by communicating with my whole being and with all tools available life becomes so much easier, both for myself and people I care deeply about. Looking back I can see I have made some progress in this thing called communication, something us men find so hard to do, we would rather go out "Hunting". More about that metaphor one day maybe, KatieB laid it out so well for me. Now where is that bow and arrow?
I just hope my communication tomorrow with the powers that be at MSA bear the same fruit.
This all reminds me of this song from yesteryear... 1983 in fact.

Talking In Your Sleep - Romantics
(Jimmy Marinos/Wally Palmar/Mike Skill/Coz Canler/Peter Solley)
When you close your eyes and go to sleep
And it's down to the sound of a heartbeat
I can hear the things that you're dreaming about
When you open up your heart and the truth comes out
CHORUS
You tell me that you want me
You tell me that you need me
You tell me that you love me
And I know that I'm right
Cuz I hear it in the night
I hear the secrets that you keep
When you're talking in your sleep
When I hold you in my arms at night
Don't you know you're sleeping in a spotlight
And all your dreams that you keep inside
You're telling me the secrets that you just can't hide
CHORUS
When you close your eyes and you fall asleep
Everything about you is a mystery
CHORUS

KatieB will appreciate the quote and yes, I am learning to tame the storm in my heart with sunscreen for my soul... communication, I really enjoyed our conversation this evening, there is an adventure in each one we have. No more Tsunamis for now... just a gentle brook running over pebbles, the water of communication gently shaping them as they rub against each other. Did I just write that? I think that is a keeper...
"The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart." Saint Jerome (374 AD - 419 AD)
PS - Very wierd... can only put 200 characters in the labels field... have I got too many labels now?

Corrosive Transformer

This weekend I have been in in a Blue Funk. I know I have to get a few things done but am in this horrid mood, not very good company and I seem to be as emotional as a teen. I wondered why and thought I may just read my horoscope to see if I could get cheered up somewhat, I mean they usually are so vague and positive I may even feel better so I went to a site and got this back after filling in my profile.
Saturday - Maximum restraint
During this time you are touchy and unsure of yourself, and so you are easily hurt or insulted, or you tend to be hurtful yourself - there may be triggers for these situations but in reality no obvious cause. Maximum restraint is called for in interpersonal interactions. You should really treat everyone with kid gloves to avoid doing harm to your relationships or to yourself. If you are already in dispute with someone, you should try to avoid this person at this time. Whatever it is about, an argument or difference of opinion that you want to settle or continue during this time, it would only lead mutual hurt.
Maybe that is why I decided to stay at the Karting all day... the one person there that I have a slight disagreement with about the Moon Hoax and other Conspiracy Theories before tried once again to convince me... I sensed a need to run away or punch him in the face... I only phoned M to find out what his plans were for the day... Felt that the less people I talked to the better. On the way home I picked up some salad things as I wanted to cook some boerewors and chips with salad. I was pleasantly surprised that L had made some Macaroni and Cheese with mince... no need for cooking so we had a decent meal and after watching TV we went to bed...
Sunday - Your negative side
Weak, transient effect: Today during the day you are inclined to keep your feelings and innermost thoughts to yourself. A sense of loneliness or isolation frequently accompanies this period of time, or depression and a general sense of pessimism. Domestic problems may also accompany this influence, usually because you feel that in some way your domestic life is not giving you what it should. This is part of a larger feeling that you are not getting support or assistance from anyone or anything, which may or may not be true. Your real problem is either that you are cut off from your emotions or that your emotions are too unpleasant to deal with. This influence may force you to briefly experience what you consider to be your negative side. Thus there is a strong conflict between what you think of yourself and what you think you should be.
Yeowch! This is scary... That is spot on, this morning I had woken up really feeling funky, I had these weird dreams and I think I actually cried in my sleep, my pillow was damp! My feelings are not A1 at present, in fact they are rather a deep shade of purple tinged with magenta. The reason being I dreamed that I had lost a friend and it really upset me because at present this friend is precious to me, however if we were to have met over the weekend I think my corrosive mood would have dissolved it like a pearl in vinegar... that cannot be allowed to happen.
So all this has made the muse in me put these words down to try and make sense of my feelings.

Lost without you - Robert Le Noury
Hot salty tears flow down my face
Thinking about you
To be lost without you would be unbearable
Thinking about you
You said you are not ready for more
You want my friendship
That is a given, it is unquestioned
But thinking of you
Hot salty tears flow down my face
Thinking about you
To be lost without you would be unbearable

Back from the mall... L wanted to go to the movies so just before lunch we went to the mall, bought tickets to see Transformers, had lunch at Catch22. The trout was delicious but the service was lacklustre, do not think I will be there again. (See the foul mood thing again?)
Transformers was awesome... the TV trailer does not do it justice, I was blown away by the CGI animation of the robots. At least that made me feel somewhat better. The Simpsons trailer had us laughing too, I just hope those were not all the gags... The Arnie character's line "I vos voted in to lead, not read" is classic.
Got to see a beautifull sunset as well, went to the track and moved the caravan just before sunset, the Cirrus clouds turned orange then pink as the sun set. Wish I had grabbed the camera!
So all in all I am feeling much better, Monday may just be a good day after all.
"I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy". J. D. Salinger (1919 - )

Tridecaphobia

This sucks... getting shot in the foot is not funny... taking a risk and falling on your face hurts... and it is Friday the Thirteenth! That somehow makes perfect sense... I think Cupid is a moron and may well be Murphy in disguise.

I used to get angry when things did not go my way but here I am thinking that just maybe I was like some desert dust storm smothering everything as it rolls over the landscape... I don't know how but I am sure this will work out, I just need to stand back get some perspective... What I do know is that I do not want to lose a friend by acting like some lovesick puppy that whines all day... or some fool making a nuisance of himself.

Sand Storm, 26 April 2005. Al Asad, IRAQ - Scary... if this is what my enthusiasm looks like I would also take off and run! Link on the page title will take you to the Google Video of this event.
"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."
George Orwell (1903 - 1950), "1984", first sentence

One last fling

Postnet's securicats...
The team, Rudi, Jan and Graham...
The steed and me in armour... that reflective harness made more than one motorist notice me...
On the way to Worcester before I saw the oil...
Stranded in a wooded glade, back at Mountain Breeze while Justin awaits the elusive seal...

Day 10 of 12 Days with Shrek

Ethical Blogging

All the hoo ha about ethical blogging got me thinking why I blog;
Is it to please my neighbour?
Is it to piss off my boss?
Is it to impress my significant other? (Not that there is one at present.)
Is it to stroke my ego?
Is it to give a place for total strangers to come and type some comments?
Well folks, none of the above, I do it because it helps me sleep at night!
So I regard this whole ethics thing as a stupid exercise in my case, I will do as I please here because Blogger lets me and no one will tell me how to do it either. This here is mine and mine only, if no one reads it so what and if they do it is their indaba to process what they read... I do not pay for other peoples therapy! Grow up if you do not like what I say or just leave... don't let the door hit you on the way out!
Yes I sound angry, I am angry that people seem to have lost all vestiges of common sense these days, everyone gets offended at the drop of a hat/word/symbol/cartoon/description/(add a million other inane reasons here)/gesture but no one will think that you have choices these days. You have the choice to let something that you regard as offensive written on someone else's PRIVATE place get to you or to use the little cursor thingy to CLICK somewhere else. Eish bru! Chill!
With that done let me say that I enjoy perusing other blogs and may once in a while drop a comment but with this proviso... comments are a host's living room... and in a living room one acts like a civil guest. If not the kind host may evict you with whatever force necessary and often you will no longer be welcome to darken his portal ever again.
Like I said... common sense folks... it always works for me.
But let us ponder on the following quote... very fitting for the topic.
Non Judgment: In our world where it seems we are taught to judge everything all around and about us and we spend so much of our time doing just that, it might be wise to ask if we can judge anything. To judge anything with any degree of clarity and accuracy we would need all the information past, present and future and how it will affect all concerned to make a perfect judgment. Since no one has that skill, ability or information, you might agree, it may be unwise to judge. This idea may be hard to accept, but when you look back over your life and the judgments you made, ask yourself. How many of your judgments, when you made them, were you perfectly sure they were correct, would you want to change now with the benefit of 2020 hindsight? Since every judgment is only an opinion based on the limited information at hand, filtered through one's personal value system, it might be safe to assume no two people will judge anything exactly the same. Even concepts of right and wrong, good or bad, good or bad morals and ethics are only opinions, for what may be good in one case may be a disaster in another.
Sidney Madwed

Tida...

means Tired in Da Arse... thanks Nissan... my butt is still sore after two days in this cars abominable seats! I am not putting it on my list of possible wheels to purchase...

Otherwise my trip to rectify the attack of the mutant rats on our cables was not too unpleasant.

The damage to the cable was around 70mm of gnawed cable, what rats do with pvc, mylar, aluminium and copper in their digestive tract beats me! Rough guess of the actual cost? Around R3000.00 for my time and travel expenses, dunno what it cost to have the cable re buried properly after our makeshift repair to get things online again...
The trip had a few plusses too, I was able to take a lot of pictures of some interesting and noteworthy buildings and monuments in Harrismith.

This building has been beautifully restored but alas the Town Hall needs serious attention, maybe I will do a article on its own about the scars on it's facade on a later date.

The monument to WWII soldiers is very striking and would also fit into an article of it's own.

So how was your Friday the 13th week?
Hopefully we will have good weather for tomorrows MX Regional, hope I can get some pictures taken but once again being COC will dictate...
As to my wish list on cars... give me a

Subaru Impreza WRX STI Limited or a

Shelby Mustang GT 500 ... now I must just try and justify renting one on my next trip!
"All American cars are basically Chevrolet's."
Herb Caen

Nazdarovia! thank you Incredible Connection and TGMoC!

This is the manual for my new Kodak C340... thank goodness the CD's are not in Cyrillic! Otherwise I am quite chuffed with what I got... a 5megapixel Camera with 3x optical zoom and 16meg onboard, plus a 128meg card and bag came to R1199.00! Sometimes it helps to swist arms and compare prices... just a pity we did not check the manual when we did the checklist... fortunately it is a doddle to figure out what everything does, I am not a total newbie when it comes to digital cameras...

By the way I do not know what this baby costs at Clicks nor do I care... it had no box, no price, no salesman and no manager to help me decide... so "Yo! Clicks Bossman... your Mimosa Mall store sucks better than gravity dude!" I was tempted to disable their security system when I went in search of the so called manager, the door was wide open and nobody home... Disgusted is a mild term... I wonder if their MD will ever bother to answer my voicemail I left on his mobile...

Well... enough ranting... at least Gregorian Masters of Chant - Chapter V have soothed my spirit after above episode and me forgetting my blessed Keys on the table in the flat... boltcutters are so handy...
The whole album is brilliant... as usual, but I love Lady in Black (Uriah Heep), Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Green Day) and one of the bonus tracks Missing (Everything But The Girl) the most, the last track is a fine rendition of Forever Young (Bob Dylan) as well. Now my collection is complete once more!
"Music has charms to soothe the savage breast To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak." William Congreve (1670 - 1729), The Mourning Bride, Act 1 Scene 1

Stiff upper lip, wot!

To the Brits in London, keep yer chin up, sympathies to the families that have had loved ones torn away or injured.
I just had to say something after hearing about the bombs, albiet a tad late... I have been out trackside quite a bit and must say that it looks awesome, I just hope the people appreciate what G has put into the effort.
Soyonara while I get my part done for tomorrows action.
"Nothing you do, however many of us you kill will stop that life. Where freedom is strong and people can live in harmony, whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail." London mayor Ken Livingstone 07/07/2005

Aceh, land of desolation and hope.

Today I was in tears, a woman from Aceh province lost all in the Tsunami, I did not need to understand her language to understand her sorrow... At the same time I saw USN SH-60 Seahawk helicopters from the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) delivering aid and this within a week of the disaster, unprecedented even though some say it was late. I personally think it is amazing that aid has reached this disaster area so soon. As one that has served in the armed forces I know how long some things take to get organised and to me it is a miracle that one of the world's superpowers has responded so rapidly while waging a war on two fronts against Terror. I salute every person doing there bit however small for this tragedy.
Photo from above link... Go, Golden Falcons!
Lyrics for today are from Pink Floyd, High Hopes as performed by Gregorian Masters of Chant. Their new CD The Darkside is brilliant by the way.
High Hopes
Beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young
In a world of magnets and miracles
Our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary
The ringing of the division bell had begun

Along the long road and on down the causeway
Do they still meet there by the cut

There was a ragged band that followed in our footsteps
Running, before time took our dreams away
Leaving the myriad small creatures trying to tie us to the ground
To a life consumed by slow decay

The grass was greener
The light was brighter
With friends surrounded
The night of wonder

Looking beyond the embers of bridges glowing behind us
To a glimpse of how green it was on the other side
Steps taken forwards -- but sleepwalking back again
Dragged by the force of some inner tide

At a higher altitude with flag unfuried
We reached the dizzy heights of that dreamed of world

[Instrumental Interlude]

Eneumbered forever by desire and ambition
There’s a hunger still unsatisfied
Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon
Though down this road we’ve been so many times

The grass was greener
The light was brighter
The taste was sweeter
The nights of wonder
With friends surrounded
The dawn mist glowing
The water flowing
The endless river
Forever and ever
Quite a few words to consider in the light of current circumstances...
"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne (1907 - 1979)

Wave of change

The Japanese for Harbour Wave - Tsu Nami
Mesmirised by the images on Sky News I realise that the world will never be the same again after the Tsunami... The count keeps on escalating and no end is in sight, my heart goes out to all that have lost loved ones and livelihoods.
I am discussing the science on my other blog FEXII in more detail but here are some definitions and images.
More on Tsunami's at Wikapedia
What does "tsunami" mean?
Today's quote sums up the past two days events and the effect on our souls... Live Life like there is no tomorrow and tell your loved ones they are special.
The only lyrics that seem to be apt are from Hooverphonic, the song called Waves :
These gigantic waves just take me
To an unknown destination
Under the moonlight
Feel free to join me on my trip
The tide will take us far
Beyond midnight
Stars will guide us through this
Exotic white
Stars won't be able to fool the knowledge
Of the magic dice
This sea breeze is refreshing
While the dolphins sing about
These psychedelic moods
These waves keep you going
'Till you finally forget
Your original roots
Stars will guide us through this
Exotic white
Stars won't be able to fool the knowledge
Of the magic dice
Wave after wave
"Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore, So do our minutes hasten to their end." William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

Goshdarn Tarnation

(Explitives deleted) half my mp3's have gone up in smoke... grrr, had a 10 gig hard disk crash last night just as I was posting the blog, it mucked up IE and all my links... at least the PC is now jury rigged with a 500 meg disk in place of the fried one untill I get a new disk next week... Now where did I put those backups? Now I have to rip all those songs from my CD's again, at least I have the playlist so I can rebuild some semblance of my former digital music collection... Hey... what's that clunk clunk sound? "Confucius say... he who no backup no hair on head"
At least my Masters of Chant remained intact... I really enjoy their interpretation of modern pop in Gregorian chant style.I have not really been a Metallica fan but their rendition of Nothing else matters has made me look at some heavy metal songs in a new light.
Nothing Else Matters - Metallica
So close no matter how far
couldn't be much more from the heart
forever trusting who we are
and nothing else matters

never opened myself this way
life is ours, we live it our way
all these words I don't just say
and nothing else matters

trust I seek and I find in you
every day for us something new
open mind for a different view
and nothing else matters

never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
but I know

so close no matter how far
couldn't be much more from the heart
forever trusting who we are
and nothing else matters

never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
but I know

never opened myself this way
life is ours, we live it our way
all these words I don't just say
and nothing else matters

trust I seek and I find in you
every day for us something new
open mind for a different view
and nothing else matters

never cared for what they say
never cared for games they play
never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
and I know

so close no matter how far
couldn't be much more from the heart
forever trusting who we are
no nothing else matters
What with diffrent friends inviting me out two nights in a row it is getting hard to get the blog done on time and then old Murphy still chucks his spanners in the works, hopefully things will stabilise by tomorrow...
The quote of the day is particularly apt in the light of the fortunes of my data...
"Archaeology is the only profession where your future lies in ruins."