Art or a Trainsmash

One of the Artworks recently put up on Campus is this one from Willie Bester that went up opposite our office building...



An African Don Quixote maybe?



Some of the detail is amazing!


This Campus artwork project also includes some wood carvings that have function built into the form in the way of seats... will take some pics of them as well soon.
Oh... do I think it is Art? very much so, it makes me want to tackle the scrapheap with my welder and grinder...
"The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection." Michelangelo.

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

è finito

I finished the book, Leonardo was a fascinating person but also very human.

His inventions like this parachute were way before the time and technology. What struck me was the way he sorted out his affairs before he died, not many people get to do this as I was reminded so rudely last week. His biggest regret seemed to be that there were still so many things to discover and that he had been tardy in his pursuit of knowledge. I think most of us can feel this way in today's hectic world, that is why each day should be dealt with on it's own.
I believe we should give thanks for the day that is done when we lay our head down to sleep, thanks for the things done and accomplished, thanks for another adventure, thanks for another day we could be our best.
Tomorrow is something to be tackled on it's own and for this we should give thanks when we wake up tomorrow as we face the adventure of another day on this spinning blue dot.
As a Nadia Ali fan I will end this with the words from one of IIO's songs called At the End... Their dance music makes me feel alive when I listen to it and the lyrics make me think.
At The End - Nadia Ali
When you're away, I'm feeling empty
I lose my mind
But when you're around, I take for granted
Most of our time

Honey you say that I'm cold
And sometimes I'm out of control
Baby, you know how I am, at the end, you're always mine

I don't mean to when I hurt you
But I need you, I can show you
Just let me be when I'm crazy,
At the end you're still my only.
At the end [x3]

Right when you're gone, I really miss you
You got my heart.
When you come back, I just wanna kiss you
And it tears you apart.
Honey do make me stay,
Believe me it's better this way.
Baby I'm true and I'm real.
I'm giving you all that I feel.

[Chorus x2]

Sweety, I'm trying my best,
To give you the most and the less.
Darling, I'm true and I'm real,
I'm giving you all that I feel.

[Chorus x2]
"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new." Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

Chilly August Night

As a counterpoint to Neil Diamond's concert and album, today was a miserable windy day and the weather forecast is even bleaker... thank goodness the bad weather has lifted somewhat in our lives though. I believe that it is partly due to the fact that I will not let bad things bring me down and make me start worrying, I hand the worry part over to my Problem Solver. He has a way of sorting things out in amazing ways.
We on Earth should also be thankful we do not have Martian weather, at present there are planet wide dust storms raging, I cannot imagine that here, we are blessed to have this Blue Dot to call our home. We should learn to look after it better but also keep in mind that a lot we see these days is not caused by our hand, sometimes that big old glowing ball in the sky gets a bit brighter... and heats up the whole Solar system...
Enough of that... I am so glad the KatieB's friend M was only shaken up in the crash that totalled his bakkie today, I really believe that a Guardian Angel had a hand in that close shave as well, another thing to say thank you for today!
Coming back to the title, my favourite song from Neil's album Hot August Night is Sweet Caroline, here are the words...
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
Where it began, I can't begin to know when
But then I know it's growing strong
Oh, wasn't the spring, whooo
And spring became the summer
Who'd believe you'd come along

Hands, touching hands, reaching out
Touching me, touching you
Oh, sweet Caroline
Good times never seem so good
I've been inclined to believe it never would

And now I, I look at the night, whooo
And it don't seem so lonely
We fill it up with only two, oh
And when I hurt
Hurting runs off my shoulder
How can I hurt when holding you

Oh, one, touching one, reaching out
Touching me, touching you
Oh, sweet Caroline
Good times never seem so good
Oh I've been inclined to believe it never would

Ohhh, sweet Caroline, good times never seem so good
Funny how some of this songs words are sort of relevant to my current friendship, KatieB has been around in my motocross life circle since more or less when I started this blog but we have only recently really connected, sometimes you miss the tree for the woods I suppose but sooner or later you notice the one that has always been there like an Oak, dependable and strong. Sorry... that is not a good analogy at all for the lady in question! But I think she will understand what I mean. She has the knack to read my mind...
Oh the life circle idea? That is the circle of friends and acquaintances one has in one's life at work and play... Someting I may blog about one day, I have added it as a label so I suppose I am commited to do so some time?
"One of the things about being a grown-up is learning how to act right even when you feel wrong." Sean Stewart, Perfect Circle, 2004

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?

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!)

Ronnie's What?

Morning breaks while I wait to be picked up to get reunited with the Beast.
Life sprouting from decay and the circle continues... I made it to Century City and The Canal Walk shopping centre, signposting for the canal Walk was rather obscure though but after using some logic I figured out was going on, just sorry I took no pictures though. Got to Mug&Bean easily as I had parked right at the entrance it was at. Met H as well as our Union Rep! She was also visiting her kids in the Cape... H seems quite happy but we did not get much chance to talk... L was shopping! and only arrived after a while, she is having a ball with mom and I am glad they could be together again. Finished up mu brunch for the road and we said our goodbyes... I want to get home... somehow the song Missing is ringing in my head as I head north up the N1 to Worcester and the turnoff to Route 62...
The valley where my and M's favourite sauce is made! This is also the Koo valley that Route 62 goes through. Scenic beyond description.
Someone else doing Route 62 in a V12 Jaguar... fellow seekers of the highway's treasures...
A stiff breeze blows as I dismount at the den of iniquity that I had heard and read about... but do not judge a book by it's name.
The best bouncer in the Klein Karoo, if he growls at you, you are asked politely that your presence has offended the bouncer and that you had better be on your way... he never growled once while I was there...
Ronnie tending to his patrons needs, I wish I had more time to spend and hear about all the stories this interesting man has to tell... I will be back!
The road from here to Oudsthoorn was very good and had some good twisties especially outside Calitzdorp, fortunately it only got dark as I approached Oudtshoorn... I found the Yatclub that Ronnie had recomended very easily and they made me feel very welcome... I walked up the street to the Dros and had supper while watching the Sharks trounce WP... as I walked back Missing played in my head again...
Day 11 of 12 Days with Shrek

Check the weather...

321 Cape Peninsula, Boland/Grabouw & SW Cape Coast to Cape Hangklip
Saturday, 23 JunPartly cloudy, rain tonight (30%).Wind : Strong NW, reaching gale force in places along the coast.Maximum Temperature in Cape Town 18deg C and Paarl 20.
Sunday, 24 JunCloudy with rain (80%).Wind : Strong NW, gale force in places along the coast.Maximum Temperature in Cape Town 16deg C and Paarl 16.
Monday, 25 JunCloudy with rain (80%).Maximum Temperature in Cape Town 15deg C and Paarl 15.
Tuesday, 26 JunShowers, abating from afternoon (60%).Maximum Temperature in Cape Town 13deg C and Paarl 12.
Wednesday, 27 JunNo Rain.Maximum Temperature in Cape Town 15deg C and Paarl 15.
Thursday, 28 JunNo Rain.Maximum Temperature in Cape Town 17deg C and Paarl 17.
Friday, 29 JunNo Rain.Maximum Temperature in Cape Town 19deg C and Paarl 18.
That looks good for next week. Hope the weather holds and gives me a chance to do some good rides. I hope all I need to wear for riding will be Boots, jeans, shirt, gloves, helmet and this great jacket from Shift Racing...

The XC is great and feels very comfortable. Got it in XXL to give me some room for a warm layer yet is still quite snug. Gave my gloves a good dose of polish today, letting them spend some time in the sun to absorb all the dubbin followed by a last coat of black before rubbing them up. I am surprised how good they look for 20 odd year old kit, good leather never rots. I will have to get a tape measure to measure my head and the kids to get the right helmet size... I hope I can get one that matches my final colour choice, which is leaning ever more greenward.
However the kids must decide what helmet colour they both want. On the other hand I may go for a colour that will catch the cage drivers attention.
Since I have gone into "bike mode" I notice that I am driving with more anticipation and being more aware on the road... can only be a good thing.
"All of us could take a lesson from the weather, it pays no attention to criticism." North DeKalb Kiwanis Club Beacon

Straight Laced and bare feet...

I always though it meant exaggeratedly proper but over on Ian's shoelace site I found out that it was the method I used to lace my army boots, with my own twist though. I used this method but made a knot that kept one end of the lace under the first eyelet and then wound the free end of the lace around the top of my boot and tucking the end under this loop. It made for quick tying of the laces and gave a comfortable but firm grip that never came loose. My mates were always amazed at how fast I could get my boots on or off... the only times I never took them off was out on patrol, then one slept with your boots on... no wonder I like going barefoot.

I quess that makes me a Barefooter. On that subject, here is a song from Barefoot... the band that is... the song Rain reminds me of the rain we had today, I hope we get some more...
I see you I'm running But I don't know my way I'm so afraid to tell you All I need to say The heavens are falling And I can't get awayI'm so ashamed for leaving
And letting go of faith I see rain living without you It's not the same living without you again I feel pain living without you here I see rain I came here believing that I had much to give But all I had was illusions where do I begin I found as I tried to understand your words

There's nothing you should cling to If your heart's not in your hand I see rain living without you It's not the same living without you again i feel pain living without you here I see rain Facing honest questions Slowly turning me around Building up what's broken down
"Going barefoot is the gentlest way of walking and can symbolise a way of living — being authentic, vulnerable, sensitive to our surroundings. It's the feeling of enjoying warm sand beneath our toes, or carefully making our way over sharp rocks in the darkness. It's a way of living that has the lightest impact, removing the barrier between us and nature."
— Adele Coombs, "Barefoot Dreaming"

Peroni, nice ad but you got your credits wrong!

Sitting watching CSI the Peroni ad came up with the song Baby It's You by the Shirelles (also covered by the Beatles by the way as well as Smith ), perusing the Italian beer maker's website I see they say it was done by the Sapphires... dead wrong dudes! I hasten to add that if they cannot get the group right thenn wat does the beer taste like? Nobody brews it like Windhoek!

I then did some Googling and affirmed my suspicions... the Sapphires never ever sang any Burt Bacharach songs ever! Check out Songfacts for the composers and some other factoids.
The Sapphires discography proves my theory as well, The Best of the Sapphires and Who do you love were the only albums made by the trio. Sadly no Baby It's You is listed there... So there... my own Musical CSI!

Baby It's You - Burt Bacharach, Hal David, and Barney Williams, made famous by the Shirelles and the Beatles

It's not the way you smile that touched my heart
It's not the way you kiss that tears me apart

But how many many many nights go by
I sit alone at home and cry over you
What can I do
Can't help myself
Cause baby it's you
Baby it's you

You should hear what they say about you (cheat, cheat)
They say, they say you never never ever been true (cheat, cheat)

Whoa, it doesn't matter what they say
I know I'm gonna love you any old way
What can I do, then it's true
Don't want nobody, nobody
Cause baby it's you
Baby it's you

Whoa, it doesn't matter what they say
I know I'm gonna love you any old way
What can I do, then it's true
Don't want nobody, nobody
Cause baby it's you
Baby it's you
Don't leave me all alone
I leave you with this gem... (Sapphires? geddit?)
"Marriage is based on the theory that when man discovers a brand of beer exactly to his taste he should at once throw up his job and go work in the brewery."George Jean Nathan (1882 - 1958)

UPDATE 10/03/07
Seems like there may be a new girl band called The Sapphires that got their break by singing this song for the ad... I still have to find their website and confirm this... the song sounds just like the Shirelles version though. My suspicions are still not satisfied that this was not a rippoff of the Shirelles. It has been done before... anyone remember those two dweebs called Milli Vanilli that won a Grammy and then lost it because they mimed the words other people sang? I still smell lutekefisk and not beer... by the way... SABMiller owns the Peroni brand now... more reason to drink Windhoek, a real beer!

Gonna get me a Comet

Found this beauty on APOD today. "McNaught Now Brightest Comet in Decades Credit & Copyright: Jens Hackmann."
I think I will try and hunt this down tonight or tomorrow vith my camera and tripod.
Update 19/01/2007:
I got my first picture at last but Murphy played a horrible trick! My batteries for the camere were not all charged as I thought! More to follow.

Update to Follow... I will be adding a Comet playlist later...
Not every day that one can find a quote to fit so perfectley as this one!
“Sensual pleasures have the fleeting brilliance of a comet; a happy marriage has the tranquility of a lovely sunset.” Ann Landers

Saturday morning mushrooms...

The dying embers as we headed of to catch a few zzzzzzzz's at around 2 am...

I found this mushroom after waking up at 6 am... rather stiff from sleeping on a very uneven campsite!

More of the mushroom rock, this will probably be washed out after the next big thunderstorm...

Another fossil fragment in the sandstone boulders strewn all along the koppie's edge.

And this was the last fish of the day and the biggest, please excuse the hat... it was the hat or a sunburned face!

Suikinkutsu - Water on glass

A suikinkutsu (Japanese 水琴窟, literally: water koto cave) is a type of Japanese garden ornament and music device. Something I am adding to my "To Do" list. The sound they make is amazing.

It reminds me of a song by Blondie, Water on Glass... more on that later, here is the technology behind or under it all.

Sometimes it is a simple thing that posesses Glory, sometimes it is the fact that all creation is Glorious. Well someday I will build my own bit of Glory. Ok I gotta admit... I have always had a crush on Debbie Harry, the blonde from Blondie, here are the lyrics of the song that fits the theme...
Water on Glass - Blondie - Written by Ricky & Marty Wilde
Cascading down
There’s a sound vaporising into vision
It’s a sound in my head
That I feel and it shuts me in a prison
Say it won’t last
Say it will pass
Always the sound in my brain
Can you hear it

Water on glass running down again
Water on glass that sound
Water on glass running round again
Help me, the sound of running water’s
Coming down

Dancing away
Like the lights on a moving coloured river
Sounds in my head seem to run
And again I feel a shiver
Say it won’t last
Pray it will pass
Always that sound in my brain
Can you hear it (can you hear it)

Water on glass running down again
Water on glass that sound
Water on glass running round again
Help me, the sound of running water’s
Coming down
Water on glass running down again
Water on glass that sound
Water on glass running round again
Help me, the sound of running water’s
Coming down
**True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked.** Erich Segal

God is a DJ and Friends give U wings

Something that has always been a source of comfort and inspiration in my life is music, listening to Faithless and God is a DJ and then Pink with her song of the same title I realised it is true... God is a DJ and has given us an amazing gift in music and song, all human emotions rolled together with a beat and instruments to soothe the troubled soul and uplift... but, and always a but... the converse is also true, there is a lot of "music" out there that is the equivalent of pigswill... it poisons and infects if one only listens to this... thank goodness the effect is wiped out by the good stuff when one loves a wide range of genres... Also amazing to see how many rock bands have done ballad style songs like Hoobastank and The Reason, Limp Bizkit and Behind Blue Eyes and the list can carry on ad infinitum, it is then that one hears the guys can really sing! Ok, I am probably committing sacrelige by that last statement... so be it. I Love it when a Rock Star can prove be a crooner...
God is a DJ - Faithless (verse 2)
This is my church
This is where I heal my hurt
It's in the world I become
Content in the hum
Between voice and drum
It's in change
The poetic justice of cause and effect
Respect, love, compassion
This is my church
This is where I heal my hurt
For tonightGod is a DJ (3x)
This is my church (3x)

God is a DJ - Pink (chorus)
If God is a DJ
Life is a dance floor
Love is the rhythm
You are the music
If God is a DJ
Life is a dance floor
You get what you're given
It's all how you use it

I changed the order a tad today, first the music then the reflection. Yes it is how you use it that counts, do you use it to fall about in a tantrum or sulking like a spoilt brat? Or do you pick it up and see the opportunity, the joy the blessing even in adversity? Got an e-mail about a l'il fish today... made me realise that God's blessings are like a great big ocean and we are fishes swimming in it, sometimes we are to blind to see the fact that we are already there! Thanks N... and all my other friends out there on this Blue Dot.
Early to bed tonight, I need my subconcious mind to work on some issues that can only be sorted by a good nights rest. Will put my notepad on the nightstand... you never know what may strike me at four in the morn...
I think today's quote is very apt.
"We are, each of us angels with only one wing; and we can only fly by embracing one another." Luciano de Crescenzo