Maximum Exodus

Sometimes music can really stir one's soul, especially if the performer is putting his heart and soul into the piece... watch and feel the goosebumps. There is quite a few of Maxim Mrvica's performances on YouTube, try and watch them all, you will be enthralled.

Of course the music brings back childhood memory's of drive in movies with my parents and brothers, where I remember hearing this music of Ernest Gold for the first time in the movie Exodus. Andy Williams wrote moving lyrics as well...
Exodus:
This land is mine
God gave this land to me
This brave and ancient land to me
And when the morning sun
Reveals her hills and plains
Then I see a land
Where children can run free

So take my hand
And walk this land with me
A nd walk this lovely land with me
*Tho'I am just a man
When you are by my side
With the help of God
I know I can be strong

(Repeat *)

To make this land our home
If I must fight, I'll fight
To make this land our own
Until I die, this land is mine

I remember that the movie made quite an impression on me and has probably influenced my feelings for the land of Israel. As a Christian I am even more convinced of the need for us to pray for the Holy Land God gave to the Jewish people.
"The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."
Exodus, 3. 15

Thunder from the sky

Several bloggers like Ahab, AD and Skywriter have memed or mentioned their best aircraft, here are mine as well as the reasons why they have a place in my memory;
The Allie - SA-316 / SA-319 Alouette III

The Puma/Oryx
Both these Choppers were operated by 17 Squadron as well as others but I think 17 Sqd. are the blokes that pioneered Border Operations. To a soldier on the ground there was no better sound than that of the choppers coming in for a Casevac, bringing in supplies or support troops or causing Mayhem to the terrorists with the .50 Brownings or 20mm Cannon on one of the Allie Gunships of the Romeo Mike force at Ondangwa.

The Imp - AEROMACCHI ATLAS MB326M IMPALA MARK I AND MARK II
"Eagle One this is Zero Three Delta! Acquire target at Romeo Victor... Green smoke Foxtrot Foxtrot!" and then the boys in Blue would do the rest while the troopies hunkered down in hastily dug slit trenches and hoped the pilot was not colour blind.
The Dak - DOUGLAS C47 DAKOTA
Our lifeline in many ways, these old warbirds would drop the Bats during ops. and do the milk runs between bases as well, many a letter from home was brought north from Grooties in the belly of a Dakota.
The Herc - LOCKHEED C-130 HERCULES
There is nothing like blasting off from Mpacha airfield using JATO in one of these birds and watching some of the troopies turning green while you enjoy the G forces. The landings were pretty awesome as well, pilots used to use evasive tactics and dropping down in steep dives was one of them. Leaving your innards at 20 thousand feet is quite a thrill.
The Mirage - DASSAULT-BREGUET MIRAGE F.1, Mirage III, 111EZ, AND 111CZ
These were our ultimate backup and a few Cubans regretted tangling with our Top Gun's.





Sabre - CANADAIR CL13B SABRE MK VI
Korea was the proving ground for Jet Warfare and our pilots were in the thick of things once again.


Mustang - MUSTANG P-51D-20NA
As a kid I always wanted to fly one of these, only later did I learn that my mom's first fiancee was killed in Korea flying one...






Harvard - NORTH AMERICAN HARVARD
Tough and temperamental, I was told if one could learn to fly this critter one could fly any plane after that... if you survived that is...
Most of the pics come from the SAAF Museum site.
Still need to tidy up the code and formatting of the page but I think you get the picture?
The quote sums up my feelings on having to use these wonderful machines, great as they were would it not have been better to have used the energy for peace?
"We merely want to live in peace with all the world, to trade with them, to commune with them, to learn from their culture as they may learn from ours, so that the products of our toil may be used for our schools and our roads and our churches and not for guns and planes and tanks and ships of war." Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 - 1969)

A-maze-ing!

Pop your poem/lyrics into the box after clicking on the link with cut and paste and be amazed... Some people are just so creative. This is a app on Sveriges Radio by the way, not that I understand a word of Swedish, but the application takes phrases from songs to match your words and then puts it all together as a song using these sound bytes.
I can drive... Had to concentrate more than usual and leave a good 10 second gap but at least I am no longer dependent on the kids to run me about and go on shopping errands. Amazing how soon muscles start to work again. So I am looking forward to being able to go to Church under my own steam tomorrow.
Another amazing thing is the Bok's win over Tonga... that was a close one and I was on the edge of the chair the whole game! If we had kicked all conversions and penalties it would have been much better, losing discipline did not help matters either, having 2 in the sin bin made things tough for the other 13 players. It always amazes me that players at this level still lose control to the detriment of the team.
"It is amazing how much crisper the general experience of life becomes when your body is given a chance to develop a little strength." Frank Duff, A Coder in Courierland, 03-20-05

Shrinking foot

I had to tighten op my brace today, it was almost falling off when I moved about and did my exercises, I sure am glad that the swelling is going down, my meds run out tomorrow then I go "cold turkey" but I think that will be survivable. The nerve blocker is also having weird effects... but I will leave the description thereof, this is a family blog! Although I can relate to some other bloggers that have described various medical ailments and procedures... and the effects. Felling parts missing but knowing they are there is rather weird...
I also hope KatieB survives the Melodrama... drinking plenty of water does help... She has more guts than I have, that event is a serious assault on the liver... last one I attended I think I broke ten chairs from jumping up and down with laughter, or was it from dancing on them... cannot really recall what... I just know I was broke for three months after and had the mother of all hangovers the next day. I must say the ladies were never mad at us spending all that money bidding for the Indian to come and encore his act... They had these cheshire cat smiles for a week.
Talking of cheshire cat's, seems like one of my favourite bloggers has had the rug swept out from under him, Ambulance Driver and Babs are an item, I am so happy for them, good stuff happens to good people.
M's team had a 0-15 loss to the Sharkies... but all the other teams won so as far as sport goes a fine day was had by all, I hope the Off Road in Rouxville went well, I am really sad that I had to miss that but I would not have been a good Steward if I had gone, sleeping on the job is not part of the procedure. Hopefully as the meds wear off I will become more alert... at present I am lucid one moment and snoring the next, much to the cats delight...
"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." Anais Nin (1903 - 1977), The Diary of Anais Nin, volume 3, 1939-1944

I stand in awe when I see the works of Thy hands.

“Our Father Which Art in Heaven,” “Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power,and the Glory, For Ever. Amen.” Matthew 6:9,13, KJV
When I saw this picture on The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth I just had to put it up and use it as the theme for today, I am today putting in electronic format the thanks I have been expressing to God for my recent holiday and all that went before and after it. The wonderful people I met that helped me in one way or another, the people that let me into their lives in some way or another and the wonders He let me experience, it was a life changing experience in so many ways. His gift to me has been that I will never again doubt that anything cannot be done and that we should always face a challenge, with Him on our side who can be against us.
Since getting back quite a few challenges have been put in my path but I believe that they will be overcome in a miraculous way, not that the physical means have not been provided either, that already has been amazing.

My ideas for an Adventuring Company will become reality, that I am sure of as well, the books I have come across since I started thinking of this have been both inspirational and an affirmation that I am not crazy.

I have also had this thought that whatever form the Adventure idea takes will have to include a way of uplifting the people we come across in the process, whether it be just being a witness to their lives or influencing them to aspire to achieve their dreams as we are. That would be the real reward.

Pray - Tina Cousins

What a miracle is life
the fields are high and fruit is ripe
so hold out your hands
yeah, hold out your hands

And you're the same as me
you breathe the air I breathe
and we don't understand
yeah, we don't understand

And if you don't ask questions
you won't know why
so say a prayer for the dying
while there's still time. So

Pray for good and pray for love
Pray for peace and pray it's enough
pray for salvation, pray that we're right
pray for one day we open our eyes
And pray for them and pray for us
pray one day we can live as one
pray for the children whose time is to come
And pray they forgive us for the stupid things we've done

We all see the same sun
each day a golden praise is sung
to the wonder of man
yeah, the wonder of man
And when we look why can't we see
all the riches that are free
oh we don't understand
yeah, we don't understand

And if you don't ask questions
you won't know why
so say a prayer for the dying
while there's still time. So

Pray for good and pray for love
Pray for peace and pray it's enough
pray for salvation, pray that we're right
pray for one day we open our eyes
And pray for them and pray for us
pray one day we can live as one
pray for the children whose time is to come
And pray they forgive us for the stupid things we've done

[via FoxyTunes / Tina Cousins]

The song sums up my feelings remarkably, I may have put the lyrics up before but they just fit with the theme... Video insertion thanks to my newest toy on Firefox called FoxyTunes a "remote" for your browser that controls your media player, Winamp in my case... it is absolutely awesome. While listening to a song you can search for everything related to the song, I mean everything! It is also available for IE... if you have to that is... Isn't Technology wonderful? Another gift we should be grateful for.
"Happiness isn't something you experience; it's something you remember." Oscar Levant (1906 - 1972)

Soul food

KatieB made this delicous Tuna tart earlier this week and the kids raved about it, I will post the recipe sometime. Just like food we need soul food and today was no exception and I found it in an uncommon pace as well. This was posted on my sidebar today from TUT...

You are creation's first and last chance... to be you.

Just as you are today.

That's all you have to be.

Bask. It's more than enough.

The app is still not 100% as the link does not work, will be going under the hood sometime to fix it up properley but at least the messages are being recieved, in more ways than one. Today was a restfull day and I had time to take Shrek for a spin and visit R&M, watched some bike racing and had a good chat with two of my best friends.

I will be going to bed early as I have to go in to the office at the crack of dawn to send fill in some forms and leave instructions what to do while I will be out supporting L tomorrow.

The whole mix up will be sorted out in due course and I leave it in the competent hands of the Great Petitioner. I am gratefull He has given me the means to be able to organise the support we need. He will also reveal the purpose of it all.

"Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep insights can be winnowed from deep nonsense." Carl Sagan (1934 - 1996)

Worthy

In a conversation via e-mail the subject of being worthy came up, this has been in my mind a while and I think today I will explain how I have come to believe that every person is worthy of not only respect from other people but that God deems them worthy.
I have this picture that was given to me during one of my times of self doubt. So here goes...
We all see the universe slightly differently because we all experience God differently but He is so concerned about every soul that He is able to be with each and every person as if it were that only they, God and the universe exists. Time and space do not exist to God as it does with us, he is able to be with everyone as if there was no time or distance. This to me is so amazing, this shows that His love is all encompassing and that He wants the best for all of us.
This love was manifest in His Son Jesus who came to remove the barrier of sin, guilt and remorse that we build up around us for things we have done as sinners. Because of this, we are once again connected on a one on one basis with God and His Universe he created for us so that we may know of His love for us. I believe that once a person realises this truth they can be the person that God intended, still a frail human but with the power that created all we see and all unseen by your side, how then can you not feel worthy or doubt that anything is not possible and that dreams cannot be fulfilled?
I do not claim to have all the answers but this one thing I know... God loves me... and you.
Phew... I do not usually talk about this in my blog but just feel that I had to say it, as I have experienced His love in my life in a very personal but amazing way and that I would truly be lost if I had not acknowledge that I needed Him to sit beside me every day. I am no Bible verse expert, I do not claim to be a regular worshipper nor am I a Holy man but I feel His presence with me every moment of my life and I can clearly see how this has shaped my views and life to date.
Today I close with more than one quote from people that I believe had the same vision I have been given...
"They say that God is everywhere, and yet we always think of Him as somewhat of a recluse." Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)
"I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much." Mother Teresa (1910 - 1997
"When a man takes one step toward God, God takes more steps toward that man than there are sands in the worlds of time." The Work of the Chariot
"Creativity is...seeing something that doesn't exist already. You need to find out how you can bring it into being and that way be a playmate with God." Michele Shea
"Gratitude is our most direct line to God and the angels. If we take the time, no matter how crazy and troubled we feel, we can find something to be thankful for." Terry Lynn Taylor
"It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him." Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865)

Plumbtucker

I feel like a beaver that has just completed a huge dam wall... tired but satisfied with a job well done... Thanks KatieB your team was great! Anton, the track was awesome. The medics were top notch! The riders that pitched up were great sports. All in all a MX race of note... the ones that were not there are the poorer for not going to the trouble to race. I hope the word goes out that the race was Megalicious! Hope KatieB posts some pictures as I was just too busy.
Since KatieB enjoyed the song so much from "Sabbatical" here are the words to Here With Me by Dido;

I didn't hear you leave, I wonder how am I still here,
I don't want to move a thing, it might change my memory
Oh I am what I am, I'll do what I want, but I can't hide
I won't go, I won't sleep, I can't breathe, until you're resting here with me
I won't leave, I can't hide, I cannot be, until you're resting here with me
I don't want to call my friends, they might wake me from this dream
And I can't leave this bed, risk forgetting all that's been
Oh I am what I am, I'll do what I want but I can't hide
I won't go, I won't sleep, I can't breathe until you're resting here with me
I won't leave, I can't hide, I cannot be, until you're resting here with me.
The afforementioned playlist is rather long, so tonight I am dispensing with posting it, maybe as a post of it's own.
So to bed I go... satisfied with life and the Universe as it is... Thankful to my Creator that He willed it so...

"The enemy came. He was beaten. I am tired. Goodnight." Vicomte Turenne, Message sent after the battle of Dunen, 658

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?

Keys to the Keep

It has been two days and I need a vacation! Tomorrow I have to go tell my new boss that I need 3 new screens... yep, one packed up earlier this year, one packed up while on leave and the other one went berserk today. It keeps on flashing between a pink hue and normal plus everything seems out of focus... this is the one I use for my PC at home so it is mine! I brought it to the office while the first one went in to be diagnosed and I have been waiting since for the upper Echelon to decide if I should or not get a new screen... I will not bring my new flat screen from home! My work laptop also died just before I went on leave... it needs a new power brick... so I cannot use that as a backup machine... eish! I feel like a gardener that has just broken the rake handle, bent the spade and broken the fork's tines... toofless and tool less!
So this evening I took Shrek for a short ride to de-stress and the clock went over to 4006 kilos! Will be needing that second service pretty soon by the way I am putting on kilometres.
Taking a break today I visited Danette's new blog and one of her missives on what happens to blogs when people pass on made me decide to hand over a set of keys to someone I trust. I don't want those left behind having to fight to get hold of things like what happened to Gut Rumbles. I want a smooth transition for those remaining behind... so to speak. So henceforth you will notice another name under "Contributors", my friend and fellow Adventurer KatieB. Please feel free to re arrange the furniture my dear... but leave the couch where it is... the cats are wont to lie on it in the late afternoon sun...
I also started to put into motion another dream... albeit a very tentative step but as they say, every journey starts with the first step. One has to start somewere you know, may as well be a virtual adventure at first.
KatieB sent me a text message or 2 while I was registering the domain... but I think I may have answered her in a distracted way... sorry for that, I can't multitask like she can. Even Winamp has been playing a very disjointed selection but at least one was appreciated, I always used to code to Vangelis and Pinta, Nina, Santa Maria is 13 odd minutes of his music.
If you have visited my fellow adventurer's blog and read her expose on the word Adventure you may smile reading this closing quote... we are planning to go pulling some beards.
"When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers". Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

Duct Tape for the Soul

I still have a score to settle with that Cherub, he and Murphy are on my hit list... but I know the crush is over and I have a friend for life. As Dr Phil says "What were you thinking", must have been all that wind in my ears the last two weeks! They say the wind whispers and puts ideas in our heads...
As I sat pondering our last conversation this played over the headphones:

All I Really Want - Alanis Morrisette

Do I stress you out
My sweater is on backwards and inside out
And you say how appropriate
I don't dissect everything today
I don't mean to pick you apart you see
But I can't help it
There I go jumping before the gunshot has gone off
Slap me with a splintered ruler
And it would knock me to the floor if I wasn't there already
If only I could hunt the hunter

And all I really want is some patience
A way to calm the angry voice
And all I really want is deliverance
Do I wear you out
You must wonder why I'm so relentless and all strung out
I'm consumed by the chill of solitary
I'm like Estella
I like to reel it in and then spit it out
I'm frustrated by your apathy
And I am frightened by the corrupted ways of this land
If only I could meet the Maker

And I am fascinated by the spiritual man
I am humbled by his humble nature
What I wouldn't give to find a soulmate
Someone else to catch this drift
And what I wouldn't give to meet a kindred
Enough about me, let's talk about you for a minute
Enough about you, let's talk about life for a while
The conflicts, the craziness and the sound of pretenses
Falling all around...all around
Why are you so petrified of silence
Here can you handle this?

Did you think about your bills, your ex, your deadlines
Or when you think you're gonna die
Or did you long for the next distraction
And all I need know is intellectual intercourse
A soul to dig the hole much deeper
And I have no concept of time other than it is flying
If only I could kill the killer

All I really want is some peace man
a place to find a common ground
And all I really want is a wavelength
All I really want is some comfort
A way to get my hands untied
And all I really want is some justice...

The song sort of put in perspective all the chaotic amazing things I have experienced these last few weeks, well sort of... the "apathy" line is pure bull... but the one about dropping pretenses is true... This got me realising that more than once my music collection has pulled me from the brink of some chasm or another and helped me resolve this thing we call life, duct tape for the soul of sorts. That and my three manuals, The Book and two sets of lists for life...
It is true that music soothes the troubled soul. Whoever discovered that was a genius... I think that person lives on as Winamp!
The following poem from the website link sums up my thoughts up perfectly.

Musical Healing
by Kate Clifford

I grasp upon musical notes to save my tortured soul.
Tortured by the anguish I have allowed into this lifetime.
Notes bring pain from inside, humming through my lips.
I feel it leaving like a prayer with words I cannot say.
Releasing a sorrow of pent up dreams forever broken.

Ripping guts, unspoken pain screams to the universe.
Fears are leaping as the music continues to play on.
A prayer forms in energy that I do not understand.
Lips quiver as I feel the answer without thoughts.
Musical notes break chains I have not yet named.

Hearing the flute begging me to dance with life energy,
I can’t help but snap my fingers to the irresistible beat.
Inside vibrations lift me to a new feeling of exultation.
Not one word spoken as the humming continues on.
Pain releasing a new healing with these musical notes.
Now I understand why we enjoy multifaceted music, it blends with us multifaceted humans in such a wonderful way, another Gift we should be grateful for, just like friends...
"Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, and a dark side, and it holds the universe together." (Just like friendship.)
Carl Zwanzig (This is the first time I am adding to a quote... makes that truism seem more like wisdom!)

Goosing out the bay

The back of Helderberg mountain, in wine country...
Gansbaai harbour and a gull in perfect focus!
Kelp harvesters... how those boats do not sink beats me...
Shrek on the pier...
The bikers favourite roadsign = fun!

day 8 of 12 Days with Shrek

Cruising the Kloof's

08:30 and ready to roll...
halfway up...
and there is more ahead...
looking back...
more or less on the crest of the pass

Day 7 of 12 Days with Shrek

Good to go, ready to do some crossing off...

Of things on my Wishlist, may add some later too! Just on 12 hours and I get on the plane to Cape Town International for the great KLR Adventure...

My list of things to do:
Bungeeeeee! - If I get time this trip
Buy me a CS650 Beemer - Bought a KLR650 instead!
Discover a Comet - Saw Comet McNaught, just as good as discovering one!
Do a skydiving course - maybe later...
Get a Dress Kilt, Clan Campbell
Kiss the Blarney Stone - See T2T

Pat a Great White on the snout - I may just do that this trip!
See a Snow Leopard in the wild - See T2T
Smell a Volcano - See T2T
Spend a day with a Silverback - See T2T
Taste the Dead Sea - See T2T
Walk the Via Dolorosa - See T2T
Witness a Supernova Done! Not what I expected but just as spectacular... read the blogs...

My list of Natural Wonders to visit:
Amazon river - See T2T
Ngorogoro - See T2T
White Sands - See T2T
Ayers Rock-Uluru
Witsand - Soon...

My list of Countries to visit:
Alaska - See T2T
Angola - 2008
Antartica
Argentina - T2T
Canary Islands
Falkland Islands - See T2T
Guernsey - See T2T
Kamchatka Peninsula - T2T
Namibia - 2008
Patagonia - The great T2T adventure, being planned!
Oz
Scotland - See T2T
Tiera del Fiego - See T2T


My list of Stuctures to visit:
Ankor What - See T2T
Macchu Picchu - See T2T
Tajh Mahal - See T2T
The Pyramids - See T2T
Castle Stalker - See T2T

My list of Cities/Towns to visit:
Alice Springs
Buenos Aires - See T2T
Brisbane
Cooper Pedy
Edinburgh - See T2T
Monaco - See T2T
Nome - See T2T
Sidney
St Petersburg - See T2T
Cape Town - On my way!
Windhoek - 2008

My list of absurdities:
Become President of SA or any other country for that matter! Me? a politician?
Build a car that will do 0 > 100 in 3 seconds flat using water as fuel...
Clone the Pope.
Design the smallest OS posssible that will kick MS's butt.
Live long enough to see my great, great, great grandkids.
Make a Dirty Harry sequel.
Play drums in a Rock Band.
Teleport to Mars.

Actually when one see's how many will be crossed off with this trip the T2T is looking more and more do-able.
I am going to document this trip and maybe get it published, if that works the Ops GOF trip would sell as well and that may just get the finances needed for T2T! Think BIG!
Just 12 hours to take off!
Wish me luck!
"Life changed after that jump...I'd suddenly stepped to the highest level of daring, a level above even that which airplane pilots could attain." Charles Lindbergh (1902 - 1974), describing his first skydive

Thanks Dad

Today was fathers day so I took my Dad and the rest of us for a slap up lunch at the Bush Bub at Bains Lodge... We both gazed in wonder as we watched the kids fooling around with their latest electronic gizmos... I must be getting older and wiser.
Luv Ya Dad! even though you do not use a computer and will not read this.
Going on for 80 and he can still weld a mean bead!

"The words that a father speaks to his children in the privacy of home are not heard by the world, but, as in whispering galleries, they are clearly heard at the end, and by posterity." Ricther

Where I want to chill a while...

watch some whales and run some passes before heading back to the daily grind a month from now.
If all works out I will be flying Mango and returning 2 wheeled via Route 62, then via the Eastern Cape to KZN and back via Maloti route or I may even do a round route via some northern provinces... time will tell. I may even blog if I find a net connection.

I have 5 routes planned so far...
Brown, 1000k around the Cape.
Green, Route 62.
Blue, to my Boet via Maloti route then to Mapumalanga via Red.
Red, to my Boet via Wild Coast then Klerksdorp and back home via Maloti route.
Yellow, back home via Witsand and Kimberley.
I still have to plot out the exact roads and work out exact distances... but it any one should be fun.
So to the words of the immortal hit from Steppenwolf...
BORN TO BE WILD
From the 1968 release "Steppenwolf"
Words and music by Mars Bonfire

Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space

I like smoke and lightning
Heavy metal thunder
Racin' with the wind
And the feelin' that I'm under
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space

Like a true nature's child
We were born, born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die

Born to be wild
Born to be wild
"People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost." H. Jackson Browne, from P. S. I Love You

Some men never grow up...

and keep buying naff toys like my new LCD screen, by the way the Blog on screen is pretty Naff too, worth a peek if you are geek inclined.

Then there is a Numeric keypad,

Soundblaster Live USB for better sound,

External USB Drive,

Laptop accessories,

and...

a HP laptop. These will have to last a few years though! The kitty on screen is Amber, looking all pensive.
I am quite chuffed with the external drive's performance and will be getting one each for the kids as well, one can never have enough drive space!
“Technical skill is mastery of complexity, while creativity is mastery of simplicity” Erik Christopher Zeeman

Why I love the Green Ogre

Yep, Shrek... and I can't wait for Shrek the Third.

I have been looking at the soundtrack and WOW, some real oldies there that I am looking forward to see how they fit into the story.
Here is the list;
1. Eels - Royal Pain
2. The Ramones - Do You Remember Rock N Roll Radio
3. Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song
4. Fergie - Barracuda
5. Wings - Live And Let Die
6. Matt White - Best Days
7. Wolfmother - Joker And The Thief
8. Trevor Hall - Other Ways
9. Harry Chapin - Cats In The Cradle
10. Eels - Losing Streak
11. Macy Gray - What I Gotta Do
12. Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas - Thank You (falletin Me Be Mice Elf Again)
13. Maya Rudolph And Rupert Everett - Final Showdown
14. Harry Greggson - Williams - Charmings Plan
I have some of them like Led Zeppelin and Harry Chapin but the Eels are new to me...
I hope Eddie and Antonio 's duet is as good as Livin' La Vida Loca from Shrek 2, then we are in for a hoot of a song! I see some sites mention 15 tracks, Shrek 2 also had a bonus track, Holding out for a hero by Jennifer Saunders (Fairy Godmother) although I prefer the Frou Frou version with Imogen Heap doing the vocals.
Imogen is also one of my Angelic Voices (still in progress, got carried away with this one) I like... if you get a chance get the soundtracks off all the Shrek's... there is some good music on them all with a dash of the eclectic as well.
Here are the previous Shrek movie's tracklists:
Shrek 1

1. Stay Home - Self
2. I'm A Believer - Smash Mouth
3. Like Wow! - Leslie Carter
4. It Is You (I Have Loved) - Dana Glover
5. Best Years Of Our Lives - Baha Men
6. Bad Reputation - Halfcocked
7. My Beloved Monster - Eels
8. You Belong To Me - Jason Wade
9. All Star - Smash Mouth
10. Hallelujah - John Cale
11. I'm On My Way - The Proclaimers
12. I'm A Believer (Reprise) - Eddie Murphy
13. True Love's First Kiss - John Powell

Shrek 2

1. Accidentally In Love - Counting Crows
2. Holding Out For A Hero - Frou Frou
3. Changes - Butterfly Boucher
4. As Lovers Go (Ron Fair Remix) - Dashboard Confessional
5. Funkytown - Lipps, Inc.
6. I'm On My Way - Rich Price
7. I Need Some Sleep - Eels
8. Ever Fallen In Love - Pete Yorn
9. Little Drop Of Poison - Tom Waits
10. You're So True - Joseph Arthur
11. People Ain't No Good - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
12. Fairy Godmother Song - Jennifer Saunders
13. Livin' La Vida Loca - Eddie Murphy
14. Bonus Track: Holding Out For A Hero - Jennifer Saunders
While checking all things Shrek I see they are planning for Shrek 4!
"Knowledge is not a series of self-consistent theories that converges toward an ideal view; it is rather an ever increasing ocean of mutually incompatible (and perhaps even incommensurable) alternatives, each single theory, each fairy tale, each myth that is part of the collection forcing the others into greater articulation and all of them contributing, via this process of competition, to the development of our consciousness." Paul Feyerabend

How to kiss your ass goodbye...

From Mr Riddle via CODA:
An old man, a boy and a donkey were going to town. The boy rode on the donkey and the old man walked. As they went along they passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy was riding. The man and boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.
Later, they passed some people that remarked, "What a shame, he makes that little boy walk."
They then decided they both would walk! Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride. So, they both rode the donkey.
Now they passed some people that shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey.
The boy and man said they were probably right, so they decide to carry the donkey. As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the animal and it fell into the river and drowned.

The moral of the story?
If you try to please everyone, you might as well kiss your ass good-bye!
This is sooooo true... thank heavens I have grown wiser and thus less stressed about trying to meet every one's expectations. Ich bin, wer ich bin.
On the subject of german and beer in particular, I see that those esteemed brewers from Holland have gotten their Amstel back from those rotten Seffriken Yankees SABMiller, it will henceforth be brewed/imported under the watchfull eye of the Heineken group who own Windhoek as well. Last I heard Amstel would be brewed in Windhoek?
Now what have all these dutch beer company's got in common with german? Why the Reinheitsgebot dear fellow... and Amstel and Windhoek use this ancient code brew the best beer to cool one's palate. Sehr gut ja! I bet SABMiller are crying in their Castle now... I hear the Amstel income was a cool 300 million $ (yes $ not R) a year! That is a lot of ale to kiss goodbye!
"Religions change; beer and wine remain." Hervey Allen

See the yellow spot...

way up the mountain? That was one of the Marshall points on the route for the Rouxville 200 off road race.

Being MSA Steward afforded me more time to take pictures, here is the Bike Start at 09:30, 56 bikes entered

Kenny screwing his eyes shut from the glare of a scorching sun!
And this was the Quad Start at 13:30, 67 quad entries in all. Minus the one dude that had no racing kit!

Last quad home was at 17:25. To Sarel, Ria and all the other organizers and sponsors, job well done. The venue was 100% better than last year and the route was well marked as usual, technical but not dangerous, the average speed of both the leading Quad and Bike was well within the 60 Kph target. To all the Welkom riders... grow some! This is off road racing, not flat track or drags! Here one can see the dust trail of one of the quads negotiating the trail down the first leg.
And this was the same guy approaching the pit section... still going flat taps, balls to the wall!
A dedication Cross for Elmer Symonds was also present during the race and prizegiving, it will be at each of our regional events, thanks guys this is a wonderful memorial to a bloke that lived for the sport.
After the racing the dam became a good spot to relax and cool down in after a very hot and hectic days racing.
All in all a great event and I am looking foreward the the Mayaputi 200 next month... but as I will be scoring there will not be much time for picture taking.
"Dedication is not what others expect of you, it is what you can give to others." Unknown