Monday, July 31, 2006

submit your stuff

i sent two books [for children] off to the publisher today. the waiting for a response bit is not my favourite thing to do. being prepared for a rejection, is again, not a great thing to prepare for. it is however, inevitable. i would be blown away to have one accepted, and then be a twice published author. this is even more unnerving than watching chev read. even the x-ray vision!

calling our justice system to task

tim selwyn has been jailed for sedition. quite manky really. he can be a naughty boy but sedition!
oh please. sometimes our justice system sucks.
tim has a blog [he he he]. his blog is certainly worth a read. keep strong tim. keep calling it like it is.

Sunday, July 30, 2006

papa smurf arrested .....

imagine my surprise when i discovered the demise of "smurf" morals and sensibilities in this morning's news on stuff. after interviewing a tearful 6 year old andrew, i have come to understand the sheer magnitude and widespread dismay, such a fall from grace has achieved. "papa" smurf, and his evil sidekick "inebriated" smurf were spotted in a dunedin suburb, brandishing nay flouting a child's trampouline they had purloined in a bid to deny the children of richardson street their rebounding pleasure. even though they have been under serious torture for the last few hours [the pulling of beard hairs with rusty tweezers]. they have yet to name an as yet undiscovered third accomplice.

chev is gonna read

chev is trying not, to go to bed. a fairly common endeavor for a teenager. tonight he has announced, that he would like to read his book. far be it from us, to hold him back from such a noble task. so chev is sitting here beside me while i write this blog, staring at the same page.
at this rate, i think he is reading about 1 word an hour. he's cruising, and not pushing himself too hard. i cannot for the life of me, connect up to the concept, that staring fixidly at a page for so long, could, in any way, be better than a good sleep. i'm sure that as a teen i could probably relate. i think.
update, he's gone from page 14 to 37 in the blink of an eye! must be speed reading. now he's fanning pages and blowing on them. ah, now he's using his x-ray vision to peer through to his current page from the back of the book. impressive.
my connection to blogger has become quite geriatric tonight. don'tcha just spit when that happens?

Friday, July 28, 2006

nz law

evidently, i have amassed 3 traffic tickets! i didn't realise it, as they [the traffic ticket dudes] sent the tickets, to kawerau and invercargill.
i live in lower hutt [in the amazing burb called naenae]. i have filled in the appropriate form [f25] that explains, they sent it to the wrong address. they don't believe me. nz law is based on the premis, that one is presumed innocent, until, proven guilty. it seems, there is an exception. wait for it ..... traffic tickets.
they now expect immediate payment of fines. the law truly is, an ass.

the publisher

i went into wellington today to meet with the publisher, of my first book, a children's story modeled on my father. it was interesting to be in the meeting. quite a positive experience. motivated to continue writing. all well and good. she was friendly too. i wasn't sure what to expect. gave me lots of examples of what she is looking for to bring home and study in terms of form and sentence structure [important for children's learning material]. worthwhile, i think. now i need to produce!

the awful price

this is interesting. sure got me thinking.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

true support or some form of ism?

aggrieved featherston rugby club whinger stalwart, errol anderson resigned as president of vice and chief money launderer treasurer on sunday.
this as a gesture of protest because the "all blacks" use a traditional maori haka [written specifically for them] called "kapa o pango" as a part of their pre-match warm-up.
anderson has changed his allegience to australia for this weekend's international [if the all blacks use their haka]. the meaning of the haka has been publicised and explained ad nauseum but to no avail. never mind errol. move to brisbane. it will raise the iq of both countries.

the author

the life of the children's author sure took on some realism after the first few rejections from the "publisher." i reckon a thick skin is a requirement cause the self-esteem can take a bashing. i haven't let this stop the creative :-) flow, as it were.
i submitted a poem to another publisher this morning. i am [of course] wondering how that will go. i wonder if they will want to edit and improve or just say "nah" go jump in a hole till you have something worth looking at.
took a walk to see the doctor. things seem to be looking up. discussed the lowered stress levels of being an author against the perils of teaching. not sure they really are lower at all.
i do, however, like being my own boss.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

tokoroa locals embrace mob mentality

guilty until proven innocent!
tokoroa residents are baying for blood. a 23-year old tokoroa man was charged for the brutal murder of tokoroa teacher lois dear yesterday, at the tokoroa district court. a crowd of some 200 gathered to abuse the "guitly" evil murderer. one of the loudest complaints seemed to be that name suppression was granted. "i couldn't believe the judge used the outdated innocent until proven guilty stance. we know who you are!" complained ms anarchic monstrosity. "we want the whole country to know his name now so we can abuse his family and friends. it'll be good practise for when we get hold of him." "what'll we do if he's innocent?" asked one journalist. "we'll say sorry of course.""how do you say sorry to a corpse?" he asked. "stop clouding the issue you tree hugging, sandle wearing, labour voting, gay loving poor excuse for a man!"
the evil killer was lead into court wearing white hooded overalls and a face mask. this added to the rage felt by the lynch mob who just wanted to "get to the hanging."

what have we become? remember folks. he stands accused, not proven, guilty. behave yourselves!

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

mmbleaaah!

mr "i'm six" is not well. he started last night with some pretty forceful vomitting and has continued with it this morning. so, home he is with an appointment with his doctor this morning. that'll give us all something to do won't it. i wonder what he's been eating? oh well, the trials and tribulations. ms "i'm six and a half" was duly impressed with his projectile style this morning. but she still had to go to school. she tried to get out of it with a sympathy call. a pretty good effort though [she tried reasonably hard].

Monday, July 24, 2006

policestitution and cultcha

another piece of kiwi cultcha is the "blanket man." he hangs out in welly, though i haven't seen him lately. could be too cold.

mmm

mr "i'm six" came home from school today after having told his teacher he was very hungry. he did of course forget to eat the lunch with the honey sammies, the two pieces of fruit and the cookies. oh scratch that. he remembered to eat the cookies. the rest has been located taking it easy in his schoolbag!!!

a nice wee glow

we have sun! we have actually had it since saturday. it can sure perk up the place. that along with the "all blacks" giving the south africans a lesson in discipline and the "silver ferns" giving it to the australians. both on saturday night. we were busy in front of the tv. young 5 year old nephew always comes to watch the rugby with the "men." he enjoyed the occasion.
i listened to celia lashley being interviewed by murry deaker on sunday regarding rearing boys. very interesting. her new book "he'll be ok: growing gorgeous boys" should be an informative yet amusing read.

whale watch

i see chris carter has invited masaki saito to go on a whale watching tour. it's meant to be a showcasing of aotearoa's eco tourism industry and conservation measures. whale watching in kaikoura is a major business here. of course we can't eat them otherwise there won't be any whales and dolphins to watch. somehow, i can't escape the feeling that, saito will think it to be sitting in a restaurant selecting his meal fresh from the viewing tank.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

power to the people

spare a thought for the nu zeelund power company parasites people. they seem to be finding it difficult to make a living. it seems that the average kiwi has chosen to be too poor to heat their homes to the required degree. this is having an effect on the various company "ceo's" ability, to live in the manner to which they have become accustomed. power charges for the average family are up around $400-$600 a month, and said families, have the cheek to complain! for some reason, kiwis are under the illusion that they should be able to pay mortgages, drive cars, school kids, clothe families, visit doctors, entertain themselves, enrol kids in sport and eat food, as well as keep warm in the winter. as for the elderly, what do they think they are doing? trying to stay alive. the cheek of it all. check this out.
i can only feel sympathy for those poor power company officials who are doing their level best to take advantage of the lower socio-economic strata of kiwiland. kia kaha [be strong] you'll get those ugly poor people yet. especially with the help you get from the gas companies and the govt.
as a matter of interest. our last power payment was $485 for the month.
no extravagance. just keeping warm. we use power saving lights and try to be conservative about our power use.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

competition

the rock and roll girls have their first competition tonight. as an ex senior competitive gymnastic [artistic] coach, it has been interesting, but mainly hilarious, watching the girls prepare [or not, it depends how one looks at it] for the comp. it is beyond me, that the girls parents pay the handsome sum of $20 per "lesson" and [i use the word with tongue firmly in cheek] then get the privilege of choreographing their own routines. they do however, see a coach occasionally. i suggested another club, but, no one listened. i hope they do ok tonight. a right royal bottom kicking can put a child off competition.

Friday, July 21, 2006

nuclear power stopped by jelly

a chubu electric power company spokesperson admitted today that nuclear power is no match for the power of jelly. sources hinted that chubu electric was attacked and hamstrung by jelly wielding commandos of the "jelly of light" brigade. the spokesperson has said that nuclear power reactors "just don't do s@#t" with jelly in the cooling system. candles were reported to be "de rigueur" at the hamaoka power plant and in shizuoka prefecture.
it was also reported today that i have my first session with my new guitar student in the morning!

lawful hooker and gumboots?

it seems the policetitute was discovered in auckland and is female. she earns up to $500 a night. is that good? i think she must get tired policing all day then policetituting all night. it's tough but someone had to do it. fortunately she has been graded as a classy policetitute. here's a thought. could policetitution become a problem in auckland? could it become a valid career option? i can picture the headlines now.
policetitution rampant in south auckland.....

i don't know just how effective 600 yellow left footed gumboots will be when given to mayors and politicians. i'd like to put my hand up for the kids in naenae. they'll have em. i can see it now. local school trips to the library. lines of 6 year olds wearing their yellow left gumboot. anything else would be a waste of rubber. i went down to the local year 1 class to see what the reaction would be to the idea and the excitement was palpable [i like that word]. c'mon you kiwi politicians, give the naenae kids something to look forward to.


Thursday, July 20, 2006

guitar lessons

i arrived at kim's (guitar student) place at 3:30pm this afternoon for his lesson. kim was sitting in his studio/playroom with his stuffed teddy [sounds ready to go]. i sent him to get his guitar and an appropriate chair to sit on [technique]. first we looked at the practise i had set him for the last week. i played the exercises really well. shame about kim. needless to say, a good conversation happened at the end of the lesson with his dad. something along the lines of, "a minimum of 15 minutes a day will allow kim to a). actually improve, and b). start to enjoy playing." these things seem obvious to me but, hey, i guess it's not to everyone. we'll see how much practise takes place over the next week. my next student, [cindy] on saturday, is an adult. i wonder how that will go?
i thought that the policeperson who was fragged because he was moonlighting as a hooker was from naenae! now the kiwi herald reckons he's from moenui [big sleep].

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

mmm graphics?

Check Out MyspacePictureCodes.com for Free Myspace Graphics

phew! some 7 hours later, i'm back in 10 minutes. i have a razor sharp internal clock for time management [or mismanagement]. i start each day by leaping out of bed at the crack of 9 - 10am after staying up too late reading the latest novel. still, the urge to write comes when it comes and obeys no laws that i can wrap my mind around. i have been particularly remiss with guitar practicing this week. such a slob. i must get my s--t together from tomorrow :-) i swear, i promise, i hope.
oh well, time to read the novel.

stereo [with sub]

oh help ..... i made a rather dumb mistake. i gave chev my old stereo [complete with sub]. it seems chev just cannot figure out why we are not too keen on house, hip hop, and teen pop. we are forever [now] trying to get him to turn down the volume. brings back memories. i'm sure i figured out when it was appropriate to crank my stereo fairly quickly. alas, chev does not seem to have it in hand. i know it's a sign of my age, but, some of the stuff he listens to, is truly heinous. must get him some cans.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

being a writer

my latest story was rejected but came with a positive note. it seems that i am using the right formula/structure but it was too much like the first one. this has given me more confidence re some changes i might/will put the other two stories through. i'm feeling like someone who works for a living. it's not yet lucrative, but i like feeling busy and motivated. starting to feel like an author. the rejections keep one's feet on the ground. it seems they [the publisher] want a meet with me and one other new author. should be interesting.
i went out to check the price of mac computers today [looking for tools to work with]. not too much more than a pc. it annoys that they are 2 gig ram compatable with only 512 meg of ram loaded. why don't they just get on with it?
i spoke with she who is special today. it's been a while. i miss her though. it would be good to see her. i must though, be self sufficient before i mention how i feel. how male of me. she is an american living in godzone.

max is ill

max [bro number 2's son] is visiting. max is 5. he decided he was sick this morning and that we would look after him. bro number 2 dutifully called and enquired as to the likelihood of max spending the day with us. he is ill. "of course he can."
max arrived looking sad. bro 2 left for his work. max is miraculously well!
he is playing in the lounge and his appetite is restored.
a good day off of school for max.

i found this

ooh it's early-ish. pre caffeine. i just noticed an interesting blog so i thought i'd post the address.

Monday, July 17, 2006

cell fone

i am holding my throbbing head in my hands [figuratively] after spending the best part of an hour trying to explain to "he who urinates sideways" that he should not accept a cell fone from someone he doesn't really know! oh how the newly teen mind works, or doesn't [it depends on one's point of view]. i still don't think he gets the point of it at all. was i really like that? omg!!
he feels pretty hard done by that the fone will go back to the "friend." poor boy. i'd ask just what is he on? but i know the answer already.

brash's come from behind plan

i see don brash is preparing his come from behind attack on the labour party. should be really interesting. coming from so far behind should add a real sting to his forthcoming electorial triumph. it is a fine balance though. too far behind and he will forever be a cult hero. he he he.....
sorry, i couldn't resist it. i know sarcasm, lowest form, all that stuff.
rock and roll girls.
the rock and roll girls came home from the first day of term today, boisterous and full of beans. "h" could be heard complaining. "can i stay home and have a rest tonight? i'm tired." i have warned that too much too quickly has a detrimental affect. but oh well. what do i know. i just coached high level children's sport for 18 years, as a professional for 5 . families don't often listen to their own, do they.

signing my life away

i am in the process of actually signing the contract and asking question etc. a good thing to be doing i can assure. i have also finished [just] my next book. it was rejected last time and i have given it a rewrite according to the publisher's comments. i'll submit it today. scary stuff. it's like playing an original song to an audience for the first time. freaky!

mandela 88 years old.

nelson mandela. 88 years old. he has sure been a hero to colonised and subjugated people all over the world.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

i got the contract!

the publishing contract arrived in the mail yesterday.
silly as it sounds, i sat at the dining room table, holding the envelope, feeling apprehensive.
it was really exciting. i have, so far, read the thing two times trying to make sure i understand it. royalties [local and international]. i wonder how that will go in terms of income? i can't complain about the initial payment in terms of the time it took me to write the book. i now have some questions to consider as to: do i think i can make this a career? i secretly hope i can [good secret aye]. how to write consistently acceptable stories?
i also gained another guitar student yesterday [i doubled my income]. slowly, but surely, my life is getting better.
hey charles, look what i found. a blog just for us!
diabetic recipes.

Friday, July 14, 2006

good news

it's happened. the publisher got in touch today to say the contract is in the mail and i should get it tomorrow! will it be worthwhile? is there a future career in it? questions to be answered. it is at least, exciting, for now. there is a smile on my dial.
nelliebelly is tired. she is crying if we look at her and getting bossy. time to go home to dad i fear. the holidays [school] are nearly over. the house will quieten down. there won't be toys to trip over. how boring is that?
kelsi is 17 and knows everything. she has been staying with rosy old anne [her sis] in london for two weeks to give her mum [my sis] a break. rosey old anne has had enough and is sending ms know it all and very cool teen, home to her mum. i remind rosey old anne that she was once 17.
it tis funny though.
more good news.......go jonah go!

warning

watch out usa, he's coming, and his name is winston!!!

Thursday, July 13, 2006

bad planning?

i don't get it. we have tried so hard for the last few years to grow ourselves a good sized gambling problem. now what do "they" do? they have made it more difficult to get a licence. what is that about? where will the gamblers go? pretty soon thousands will be spotted on the streets placing bets on the flight direction of flies. this is not good forward planning and the question needs to be asked of the internal affairs dept, is this in line with your strategic plan? "they" are reporting a steady decline in the numbers [opportunites] of gambling machines. an 18% drop! mike hill, just what are you up to?
it's several hours later and i'm not feeling p*#!ed off with the gambling drug dealers in this country, for the moment.
i have been getting beginning guitar books out at the library because i've been playing for some thiry years and i've forgotten what the student needs to know. an interesting read.
well the guitar lesson is over for this week. some improvement. it was good to see. the lad still has the attention span of a gnat, but improvement is indeed improvement. it was more pleasing for me too!

winston-world cup head butt???

can you imagine it? winston peters having a meeting with condoleeza rice. our foreign minister who isn't a part of our govt and leads an opposition party. i reckon that won't be the case in many countries. i wonder if he will remain loyal to our anti nuclear stance. i wonder? he could be like brash and co and promise that we'll change it by lunchtime. evidently we're gonna take him seriously after this. yeah right.
did you see zidane chest butt that italian dude? either he was going for a head butt and was horribly inaccurate, or he was going to administer oral stimulation to put the italian off his game and was even more inaccurate. either way, it was hardly the thing to do in front of squillions of viewers on tv! i do wish radio sport would get over it.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

parasites

they caught those two parasites who assaulted the 95 year old woman. now, what to do? they're in custody. keep them there.
u.n. orders wonka to submit to chocolate factory inspections! chocolate supplies in naenae severely compromised.....

wed afternoon

andrew went to his holiday programme yesterday. he has this skill. he can lose anything. yesterday, he lost jacket number four. he's so popular!
i thought his mum might have some kind of fit. it was a near thing. frustration reigned [did i spell that correctly?]. he looked so innocent too.
i have been listening to sports radio this morning. i wish they'd get over the head butt at the world cup. we don't even follow football in this country [though the ex pat poms sure do]. it's soooooooooo boring.
it has been funny to watch the aussie teeth gnashing and winging this week after their hiding last weekend. they so needed it.
i see helen would like some "old hands" to exit parliament [with dignity]. it's part of the "rejuvenation" process. this will allow the caucus to "freshen up" before they go to the country. geogina [nz's and the world's first batty boy mp] is looking at getting outa there. far from hinting that georgina should go [she's good at it]. i am wondering if helen could volunteer to take the big dive. now that would freshen the country up!
you'd have to wonder how come it's taken so long for anyone to notice. living in a place like naenae gives one a good practical view of this. we have a good number of people living poor. the pity is, they'll go "tsk tsk," then carry on with their lives. tragicity levels are obviously on the up.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

might be suspicious

help needed to identify foot found on beach......well ya don't say. who would've guessed. dya think it's sus?
nellie's mum is thai. so when it comes to hot food i usually call her. nellie's grandmother is also a thai chef. called her up tonight to get some advice about yellow chillis. nellie answered the fone. she answered the fone 4 times! each time she went to get her mum. she hung up the fone. i got through eventually.

teen danger

it looks like this might affect many, many people. i had a look and it's almost global! this is not a healthy thing for our kids to be doing. look at this and decide for yourself.
i am off this morning to see the case worker. i reckon i will be off the sickness benefit soon [going by the last conversation with the doc]. it will be interesting to see what is said. especially when i mention the publishing contract. should be interesting.
i see the severed foot washed up on himatangi beach on sunday is not suspicious. i wonder what suspicious is then???
for those of us who are nutritionally challenged [over weight, heart problems, diabetes etc] this might be of interest.

Monday, July 10, 2006

shoch, horror and urine

jerry collins, new zealand all black, blindside flanker, man mountain and general hard arse, took a leak on the field at the beginning of saturday night's international rugby game with australia. can you believe it. he got down on one knee, took out his willie {scottish accent on willie} and pissed on the field. then to top it all off. he shook off the drips!
now, there, i said it. now just get over it.

nellie, chippies and rice

young brother [nellie belly's dad] came to pick nellie up. as they were walking out the door nellie was heard to ask. "chippies on rice for tea dad?" "no nellie." "but uncle ..... said so!" mmm, nice to be sold out by you're 4 year old niece.

godzone?















monday morning, we won the international rugby and all is good in godzone [nz]. we even managed to find "jin" the otter who amscrayed from the zoo in aucks.
we did however find an elderly dude who has met an untimely and rather gross end. i hope the people who did this will be caught soon. we can do without it as well as the teens who assaulted a 95 year old woman for a loaf of bread and $2!
we seem to be raising [like other societies] a bunch of amoral teens. they need sorting.
went out for a coffee this morning and it's getting a bit expensive. how is a poor dude like me expected to keep his caffeine habit in order.
picked up my 4 year old niece nellie [affectionately called nellie belly] this morning to come spend the day with us. she gleefully informed me she had chippies on toast for breakfast. tisk tisk [mental head shaking]. she also tried to have tomato sauce for lunch!
and then we go and do this:

Sunday, July 09, 2006

blog

a chilly but fine morning it tis. just discovered an amusing blog you should investigate called "kiwi herald." a little insight into the kiwi [nz] outlook on life, politics and other bulls excrement.
it is most pleasing to hear and see the australian rugby team management gnashing their collective teeth and excusing themselves and their team's play ["it's the ref's fault!"] in last night's game with the all blacks. they were thumped! quite convincingly really.
we have another boy [fostered] staying with us. he is 6 and apart from some behaviour problems to deal with, a nice wee chap. he was out today, when he saw his mother and his brother out for the movies. his mother will not [for some reason] have anything to do with him. later on he was heard to ask. "why doesn't mum love me?" what does one say to that?
some people just shouldn't be allowed.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

keeping girls safe.....other stuff

young girls in nz are placing themselves in considerable danger by using sites like "my space" and "bebo.com" to hook up with friends and gain themselves a social life. unfortunately, as most of us know, they seem unable to think through the possible consequences when posting your cell number, address, school and photo on the web. several girls in nz have been approached by the press and informed of the risks. they are using usernames like "dirtykitty" to entice contact or "be cool." when informed of their daughter's internet activities and usernames, parents were shocked. so far they [the girls] are saying that not too many "randoms" are contacting them. i can imagine that, that will change. recently, invercargill man Dale Gregory Barnett, 44 and an upper hutt man, were convicted for sex crimes against young girls. both had used the internet to facilitate their perversions. i do have one important question. what are your kids up to on the internet?
important news. the all blacks smashed australia by 20 points in the rugby international tonight. woohoo!

woohoo!

sunshine yeehaa!
i am going for a very long walk.
check this out, a good idea as it's working. its getting more difficult to get away with stealing cars in nz.
it's now 5:09pm. the day has been ok. i went shopping. determined to get the makings for a thai red beef curry of my own. there is a specialist supermarket in petone which is about 15 minutes drive. i dutifully drove to petone and got the ingredience. yum looking forward to that. you can imagine how i was feeling when i returned home and realised i forgot one major part of the thai red beef curry.
the beef !

Friday, July 07, 2006

dinner with nellie and knock knock jokes

have just arrived home from an evening out for dinner. very nice. i am a sucker for thai red beef curry and rice. so is my 4 year old niece who helped me eat it. we went to my bro's wife's mother's restaurant and it was all good. his mum inlaw cooked the meal for us. ms 4 year old niece entertained us with about 1000 knock knock jokes. i informed little bro that this is the world's way of paying him back for all the bad jokes he told us when he was young. the funniest one tonight was: knock knock. who's there? dora explorer. dora explorer who? banana on your head, giggle giggle [i did say she is 4]. we call her nellie and she is very cute and very talkative [just like her mum]. all in all, a good one.

thoughtful

having just gone through a fairly traumatic time in my life. it has been interesting to find out who my friends are. some have been conspicuous by their invisibility. most saddening are friends who have benefitted by my help several times in the past. whilst there is not too much pain involved, there is some sadness. that'll teach me for assuming that most can be counted on. it could be said, such a view might be unwise. will i assist them again? of course i will.

sasha budd (author)

go here to check out 7 year old writer sasha budd. she needs support. lots of comments.

internet thingy magic

oh yes! i have got the rss feed thingy all sorted so that i can have my homepage updated automatically. i love it. latest news, stuff of interest. all good. i have a couple of blogs on rss as well. just while i make up my mind as to, shall i put their link address on this blog? i love rss. the internet is too much fun. well, back to writing the latest story for kids. more socially insightful comment later.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

end of the day

we have had my two bros and my [blood] sis around tonight. most pleasant. i do wish that she would amscray the cigs though. not good for her at all. she seems most cheered to be here. very good to see her. we have been sitting around, drinking bad coffee and swapping memories. so fun.
the terrorist [small, white and fluffy] ran around all night being a pain in the proverbial and thoroughly entertaining the young ones. he'sgood at that.
my mum was slightly mortified to find out she has starred on this blog. but we did indeed [as a family] find this funny. she must wear the brunt of the family sense of humour cause of her artistry when it comes to losing money. she is coping just fine.
well, time to get unconcious. bye y'all.

world cup comment and pies!


















mum and her muns

my mother has developed the skill of losing money into an artform. it's difficult i know, but someone had to do it. i suggested she leave her cash in her account and use her eftppos card to pay her bills, as this would save her on losing the cash, paying the exhorbitant cost of bank fees when using a teller, or the fees when using an atm machine. eftpos in nz is cheaper than the other options. she looked at me as if i am mad and smiled indulgently. i could feel the mental pat on the head. oh well. i tried.
just finished today's planning for the guitar lesson. oh woe is me. theory and reading music. this could be painful. still a bit of technique [playing] added for fun.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

end of the 5th

it's been a stormy day in wellywood. motorway closed down, flooding, southerely winds. not one to be enjoying at all. i made date/banana scones [wholemeal], for tea. an experiment really as i didn't know if the banana's innit would work. i can say without fear of pretty much anything that they were great. apricots [dried] are next. taken alongside a nice mug of indian tea, just magnificent.
one of the bros is stuck in wellywood city due to the flooding. he may end up sleeping there. poor boy. gettin tired now. gonna go watch one more episode of prison break and then it's no one home in there.

airport/govt


i took my mother into welly airport this morning to meet older little sis [little sis is an adopted 5 year old] who arrived back from canada today. a very large sssssss and a booo to welly airport who charged $8 to park there for an hour. i hope they pay their attendants well. greedy buggers.
it was good to see the sis after her being in canada for three years with only the occasional visit. took mum out for a coffee after that. she does enjoy.
by the way, my mum has been booked to see a neurologist after seeing the gp. the right thing to do, i think.
the flyspray in the cupboard was some new fangled idea regarding ants!
it was quite a trip back from welly as the hill by the motorway gave up the ghost and fell onto the motorway. traffic held up for hours. at least it was warm in the car.
now for some real good news. chuck is home and he's all good. welcome back e hoa.

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Teenage 'obesity epidemic' blamed for diabetes jump

Teenage 'obesity epidemic' blamed for diabetes jump: "An 'obesity epidemic' is behind the rise in people with diabetes, with teenagers increasingly being affected with the disease, a health professor says. Murray Tilyard, professor of general practice at Otago University and executive..."

check this article out. it's hitting nz hard.

eerk!

a slow day today with some excitement. especially when the step father was spotted spraying flyspray, yes flyspray, into the cupboard where the flour and other baking goods are kept. eeerk!
took little sis for a walk today. we stopped at the local cafe for a coffee and a hot chocolate then went to the library. oh so chillingly fiercely intense. i can't cope. the weather is not wonderful. we are starting with rain and northerely winds which will progress to rain and southerlies, straight off of antarctica. but the weekend looms with a good distraction when the "all blacks" play australia. of course they could lose. then nz will self distruct much like england and it's football and cricket fans.....

Monday, July 03, 2006

mmm justice maybe.....

this guy once ripped me off. i guess it gives meaning to the saying, " what goes around, comes around."
even more interesting, on saturday i went to watch my two bros play rugby league, and who was there but mr rip off! poor little bros got a pasting 46-16. ouch.
my mother is, as we write and read, at the doctor. now if she will only tell him exactly what the symptoms are.
i am not holding my breath.



oscar

and the oscar for the best dramatic dive goes to.
    italia!

Sunday, July 02, 2006

nuts!

one of the most frustrating things about NOT living in your own space is, you don't get a say in anything!
i have to admit it is a small frustration amongst more upsides though.
it seems the kahui family are near handing over the one's responsible for the death of the 3 month old twins. it was interesting to watch willie jackson, john tamihere, merepeka ruakawa evans and tariana turia speak about this and other cases on willie's show saturday morning. good to see adult, reasoned debate with sensible ideas floating around. as was mentioned, this is a community problem not a maori problem. all races in nz have these things to deal with. but, maori should take ownership of theirs, and do something about it.
my mum [bless her] is having the odd "parkinsons" symptom. trying to get her to get checked out is a mission. have decided to book her an appointment tomorrow anyway and see if i can get her to go. hope i can.

hollywood


i mentioned to little brother yesterday, my opinion that i could see france beating brazil in the world cup hollywood/diving contest. i should've had a bat oops, bet. i don't feel a lot of sympathy for england, but at least they don't dive.

Saturday, July 01, 2006

scum

how can i answer the question put in the comments of the previous post? my friend [the gardener] suffers constantly from the kidnapping, rape and murder of his daughter, fifteen years ago. no matter how much scorn we heap on those who take advantage of the weak, the liar has his way with some men and they rape, abuse and murder those who cannot defend themselves. everyday, there are men who through and because of [perhaps] their own powerlessness, seek to trample those who are weaker than they, so that they can feel more powerful. i really can't think of why one would committ this type of crime. sometimes, i feel ashamed to be male and must remember that there are many of us who could not do these things. while good men do nothing, these things will continue to happen. yet just what is it, that we can do that is meaningful and will work?