whose resolution?

 so I have a list and really don't feel the need to go over it. After all the things I have (and haven't) done last year I'm fully aware of the things I need to resolve. Last year it was not suggested but was enforced that I had to stay away, stay indoors, travel smaller distances, cover up, don't wear a face shield and comply overall. Frankly, I thought some of these weren't really thought through well and some of these were just plain stupid. One moment there were measures that were insane, especially in the case of certain types of lock down, then there were actions, or lack of, that were just plain ignorant, like the lack of masks and social distancing at Centrelink branches from March to July, after over 1 million people had visited those branches nationwide.

maybe rather than bearing my soul in regards to the things I need to resolve, can I ask the powers that be that this year, before you implement some edict or measure based on your perception of how it will enhance the common good, Think it through again and determine if such actions are draconian or just plain stupid. Try to learn from the mistakes of last year.

plus one other important thing; don't thank me for my sacrifice. Instead, at some stage issue a grovelling apology for the times you screwed up last year and the economic hardship on the way.

what's in a name?

now here's something that had been brewing for some time that I guess finally has come full circle. Not that anything violent or hostile happened. It was just plain weird

a house a few blocks away from mine named their cat @#$% face. I know I have been known to use a few unsavory words in the past and in this blog but I thought that "bleeping" out the main descriptor of the name would be prudent. To give some insight and avoid any confusion, the term is slang for female genitalia. The paradox is I met @#$% face in person some time ago. Quite a friendly cat; walking past their house one day I gave him a pat. If I only looked at the name tag hanging around his neck.

for months I walked past the house, with someone occasionally yelling out "@#$% face" from the back yard. Then one day, I guess the whole thing came to a head. This woman, who I assume lives at the house, yelled out "@#$% face" from the front veranda whilst looking straight at me. Then came the response. Then came the discussion.

"We named our cat @#$% face 5 years ago and this cat is actually @#$% face the second. We usually call him mister face or just face but call him out by his full name when it is feeding time. On occasions we have been met with strange, even hostile reactions, but never a response like yours - why what do you want?"

and my reply? "That's easy. At the height of our divorce, @#$% face was the name my ex-wife gave me. It seemed only natural to give me standard reply from all those years ago."

anyway, @#$% face, the family and I have become famous friends. When we meet, I now also call him mister face.

terror - part two revisited

 

once again, terror - not terrorism.

now it has happened on a number of occasions since the initial incident but for some strange reason I feel it has come to a head

the person from school who boldly introduced himself in the street all those months ago and who I can't remember at all. I have seen peripherally from the other side of the street but today he walked past me, barely feet away.

It was pathetic. We both feigned being preoccupied with the affairs of the day but let's call it for what it is - we were attempting our level best to ignore each other.

for the unfamiliar, maybe go back to the initial blog entry. 

https://somanythoughtsofnow.blogspot.com/2020/09/terror-part-two.html

maybe my inner dialogue hasn't been completely decimated after all. Because a certain inner part of me wants to say, short of screaming that maybe there was a moment in time where you did something so despicable that now I could actually despise you. Alternately, maybe there was a moment in time where I did something so despicable that now you could actually despise me. That would be a positive because I now would have a sound reason to ignore you and alternately, you ignore me. But I can't because I can't remember you for the life of me. Sorry.

true terror.

getting closer to the day

 

standard caveat; don't take anything I say as embracing or dismissing any inherent bias or affiliation - that's your baggage and I don't give a shit.

so we are getting closer to a certain day in January. There has been a tweet from Donald J Trump.

"See you in Washington, D.C., on January 6th. Don't miss it! Information to follow!

The weirdest thing to me about his tweets is the photo. He doesn't look determined or stoic; he looks like a miserable old scrotum. But what I would love to happen (but definitely won't) would be a great retrospective of his presidential term of office.

so during his term of office, In terms of Trump, nobody knows - 

this stuff better than me / about taxes and income better than I do / more about construction than I do / campaign finance than I do / consultants better than I do / more about drones than anybody / more about this type of technology than I do / in the history of America has never known more about infrastructure / more about H1-B / more about H2-B / more about ISIS than the generals do / more about the press / more about environmental impact statements / more about the environment than most people / more about renewables than anyone on earth / more about courts than any human being on earth / more about steelworkers than anybody that's ever run for office / I know more about golf than Obama does 

nobody knows more about banks, trade, nuclear weapons, tax laws, law suits, offense, defense, devaluation, money, the system, debt, the game, contributions, politicians, the other side...

so in relation to his term of office, Trump will explain all of these in specific detail until all those present are satisfied.We all know that isn't going to happen.

all I can think of is a quote from Christopher Hitchens, who admired Trump once for the ability to use thirty percent of his hair to cover ninety percent of his head.

it might seem a bit of a curve ball but here I go.

Donald - shave it off. Go bald. We can give you plenty of that fake orange shit to cover the spots but think of the long game with the amount of time it would free up of a day. Really, at least an hour less of all that gel, pomade and hair spray. Part of me thinks that in the not too distant future you are going to be really time poor, legally. Throw them for a loop with just one piece of honesty.

meanwhile today, I knew it was going to happen. Biden complaining about the current administration being obstructive whilst arrogantly standing in front of all those office of president elect signs. Yet somehow couldn't sum up the courage to say it and you know he wants to say it. Not the current administration being obstructive - being useless..

across the board, fuck this mess is exhausting.

where was I then?

now not something that I am going to avoid and may look into the future, this blog was going to be called where are they now? Actors, comedians and the like whose careers have ended due to some controversy. Not to forget so many of those the subject of memes.

but looking into this, I came across a topic that floored me.

Tila Tequila. Never heard of her and certainly never heard about the fruits of her handy work. Maybe the news didn't reach our shores because the nature of the shameless, slutty self-promoter market had reached critical mass.

There were nude photo shoots, numerous reality shows and equally numerous websites. The whole thing took a stunning turn at the end of 2013 where she posted an article entitled "Why I sympathize with Hitler - part 1" complete with a statement calling Hitler a "sweet kid" and the image above, wearing a slutty mock Nazi uniform, superimposed over a picture of the Auschwitz concentration camp. To cut a long story short, there were pro-Hitler antisemitic statements on her Facebook page, along with the image above and her account was subsequently cancelled. She was kicked off the British version of Celebrity Big Brother.

to add insult to injury, in mid 2016 she tweeted that political commentator Ben Shapiro should be "gassed and sent back to Israel". There's more to talk about in this busy year, but for the sake of brevity, maybe go and have some Wikipedia fun.

the kicker for me is at the end of 2016, when she attended an alt-right National Policy Institute meeting celebrating the election of Donald Trump, organized by white supremacist Richard B. Spencer, and posted photos on social media of herself doing a Nazi salute. One was posted to Twitter with the text "Seig heil!"

now the thing that floors me is that this is a discussion of a "career" that spans almost two decades. Until a few days ago, I had never heard of her. Makes me think what kind of medium the internet actually is. It's certainly not a limited one. There have been moments where it has gravitated toward the tacky and trite. Is it actually selective?

Maybe the coupling of controversy and shameless self-promotion can combine and merge in a way that they cancel each other out.

The paradox is that reading about the likes of this, these are my kind of people. I love nothing more than witnessing the demise of such shameless serial fuck wits.

Bizarre. Maybe there is some virtue in watching Entertainment Tonight.

Brexit dilemma

now there was a person who I used to know, but I'm going out on a limb here and expand upon this go a bit further by stating that this was a person I thought I used to know. I voiced my concerns about the Brexit vote and the degree and length to which people have to go to garner information to make an informed decision.

now this didn't happen on a regular basis - maybe semi-regular, but then came the preface and the rant, without fear or hesitation. "No, you're wrong because I read an article in the Guardian on the weekend...". Of all the prefaces this person could use without the name of the paper and the blatant "No, you're wrong".

Then came the rant. I stand by the statement I made to this day but, needless to say, the nonsense and bile this person spewed out in response had nothing to do with it.

In a perfect world, I envision a statement in the Guardian that would make the world a much nicer, safer place.

"It has come to our attention that a number, even many of our readers have used our articles to assert certain values not different to, but above and beyond the content of our paper. Or even use our content as a weapon to beat down the views and opinions of others. That is a weapon that our publication would prefer you didn't deploy. Maybe take it back a few steps and use our articles as a vehicle for discussion, rather than as a weapon to dismiss the outlook of others. If you are that passionate to embrace the content of our publication at the expense of others, creating discomfort in the process, maybe it's time to take stock of things. We even hope that this message makes certain readers realize their actions - they may not be aware they are doing it.

Let's be blunt. If you find yourself saying "No, you're wrong because I read an article in the Guardian...." That's fucked, get help."

just tell me what to do revisited

 so on Saturday I am on the tram and it happens again. Half the people on board are not wearing masks. Now, don't get me wrong. Even though I comply by wearing a mask I loathe wearing one. At the best of times I find them suffocating.

so this bloke gets on without wearing a mask and sits, to my mind, a little too close and uncomfortable to me. I don't want to sound like a broken record so think of this event as me now being armed with the information to express myself.

I asked now I don't mean to complain but can I make an observation in the form of a question. If you and, by the look of it, half the tram don't bother wearing a mask, can you see any reason why I should bother? You seem like an able bodied person, even though I can't tell if you are sick. Let alone what looks like half of the tram.

his response? "Why don't you mind your own business, asshole?"

my response? "Well judging from the amount of people not wearing masks on this tram and your close proximity now today, especially in relation to the regulations regarding masks an public transport, I feel it is my business. For all I know, you and half this tram could be plague ridden maggots. Coupled with the actions of a percentage of the tram who have now decided to put masks on. In response to your reply, you have now reduced me to your level. So why don't you go eat a bowl of fuck, creep."

and with that, I casually got off at my stop with almost the whole tram looking at me, half with a palpable look of shame on their faces. Yep, the virus has totally decimated my ability to suppress my inner dialogue.

since about July it's like I have no control over it whatsoever. The problem is, it came out wrong. I really and sincerely wanted to know the answer.

the boat race and more

 

now I missed a yearly tradition I celebrate. Perhaps I was distracted by the affairs of the world right now. A recent one that comes to mind is the cancellation of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race and what a tragedy that is. Then moreover that takes me back to 1997 and the tragedy of the same race where countless people were rescued from horrific weather conditions and six people died. More like an avoidable disaster. No one was holding a gun to these peoples heads to participate. When I heard the news come in of deaths it reminded me of another death in 1997. Lady Diana. I remember where was when I heard she died and I really couldn't care less. I felt the same when I heard of these yachting fatalities.

the one I miss celebrating the most is 22nd November 1997. Midday. The Shell service station next to Harvey Norman in South Road Moorabbin. The weather was perfect and not a cloud in the sky. I had just filled up and when I got in the car the news came over the radio that an Australian pop icon had killed himself in a hotel in Sydney. In anticipation I started crying tears - of joy. Could it be true? Tell me I am not dreaming. Then, the news. Michael Hutchence had hung himself in Sydney and this burnt out, drug addled piece of non-creative garbage was finally gone. If it happened three years prior to the date , I still doubt if anyone would care. My only thought was talk about a result! Should have been given a posthumous reward at the next awards ceremony for services to music - by not making any.

I really feel somewhat remiss for not celebrating the anniversary closer to the date. 23 years without this piece of crap. 

Before anyone gets incensed by what I have said tell me of any significant piece of music released beyond 1992. Personally - I can't stand them all. As of that year onward and according to the report of the coroner, his only greatest hits were alcohol, cocaine and Prozac.

vaccine - day thirteen

 

please note that the number of the day I mention in the heading of this blog reflects the number of the day I discussed this. Not the number of days the vaccines have been around.

today I watched the news and learnt that a German woman, aged 101, had been given the first dose of the vaccine. Many thoughts have been going through my mind in relation to this news. The opportunity cost of vaccinating her as opposed to someone else. I only hope she makes it to the second dose.

I was also told that the second variant of the virus has made it to the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan. Australia? Where? When? Does the world health organisation know something we don't know? That's something I haven't heard about. Even had a look around on the internet. No news there. That sort of misinformation creates so much unnecessary panic. I wonder what are their motives in saying this.

on Thursday I actually spoke to a doctor. A doctor who I know had no desire to tell me anything other than his severe reservations in relation to the vaccine - that, to say the least, that the creation and subsequent implementation has come across as a "rush job". Also, voicing his concerns about the number of testing stages that were simply avoided. He also couldn't supply any information regarding the long term effects of these vaccines - because no one can. 

but his main concern as a general practitioner is that when any of these vaccines arrive, to what degree and how he will be obliged to apply them. If he is advising the implementation of any vaccine and something goes wrong, professionally, will he be sued into oblivion?

now here's something. Jump ahead twelve hours and I'm told on the news this morning that the variant is in South Australia. Still some of the same questions. How did it get there? When did it get there? The powers that be can go ape shit over the common garden variety virus - but not this one?

Early days, I guess.

so what would you do?

 

She is at it again. The crazy masked woman on the tram is, along with other commuters, swinging her cane at me on Thursday. On a brighter note, at least she didn't call me a filthy pig fucker this time, so I guess you have to be grateful for small mercies. She gets off at the same stop and here is the same paradox repeating itself; as I am walking away from her she keeps yelling at me for me to keep away from her. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and the thought of running didn't cross my mind at all. Maybe thinking I shouldn't have to do this - this is insane.

Now this has happened on and off for months and I am tired of it. I rang public transport Victoria and they suggested calling the police. I don't want her arrested; all I want is for the mad witch to pull her head in.

One time I tried talking to the driver but he was resigned that there was nothing he could do, which makes me wonder what would happen if she succeeded in hitting me.

But really, enough with this shabby and violent attempt at social distancing. I even tried reasoning with her the other day, stating that she can't and shouldn't do this, but that amounted to nothing. Just the ramblings of a bitter old crow.

the question revisited

so here's the thing that is not going away, not so much by me but by some of the people I know. So if I die and get sent to this nebulous world called the afterlife - what am I? Do all the strange variables I experienced on earth that led to disappointment and confusion just magically disappear? Just two issues to call out alone. Everything that was not only my lived experience but my lived understanding on earth doesn't even rate as a footnote.

a few hypothetical scenarios. After settling in, the bully from primary school who made my life a living hell on earth is here. The control freak who I went out with in my twenties - she is here too. The priest who molested one of your friends is here because he confessed - he asked for forgiveness and was subsequently forgiven. Then the news - we should expect your ex-wife who you divorced a decade ago is arriving sometime next week. So am I going to get the same shit here from her that I experienced on earth?

the more I think about it, as far as the invention of this mythical place, I get the feeling that someone didn't think the very idea of this through. Plus can I get an indication of the ones that didn't make it here? I am already having more than enough stress based on the ones that did - who I used to know. I get that if being a nagging, arrogant and intolerant pain in the ass was declared a sin this place would be empty.

maybe the biggest question is what is my purpose here? I get that you invented this place as a method of countering the difficulties of a life lived more than two thousand years ago but a lot has happened since then. Maybe now, this is the place where the cult really begins.

Christmas message from someone

 

If there’s one overwhelming feeling we have this Christmas, it’s one of thankfulness. This year has not been easy for any of us.

Some of us have faced the loss of loved ones. Others, the loss of jobs and their livelihoods. Separation from family. Isolation during lock downs and lost gatherings with those we love.

For all of us this year has been a time of stress and a lot of uncertainty. Yet through it all, once again, we have rallied to each other, together.

However, I digress.

Australians are an amazing people with an amazing spirit. This year the Australian spirit has shone brightly again. Some Australians are less than amazing, however. Like Rio Tinto and BHP. For not acknowledging the degree and extent I have to suck up to them to do what I want.

Though we had to be distant socially, emotionally we connected and turned to each other. With everyone playing their part. Except for Rio Tinto and BHP who have forced me to selfishly pursue my own visions to screw progressive climate change policies.

Even now in Sydney, on the Northern Beaches, everyone is still there doing their bit to keep all of us safe right across the country. But keep this in mind and please, I beg you. I am going to be busy and do more to screw up the bush fire season this summer, so try not to get in my way. Based on previous performance, I am more than capable to screw it up myself without any pesky distractions from anybody. 

No matter where you are in Australia, this Christmas is one where, as Australians, we can once again count our blessings as a country. One blessing due to the COVID restrictions in relation to social distancing, during the bush fire season is that I don't have to impose my insincerity and try to shake peoples hands against their will.

And in our very Australian way, resolve once again to share those blessings with others wherever we can? No, I'm not doing that.

We give thanks this year for our Christmas because our blessings outweigh our struggles. Except for all the bush fire victims from last year who are still struggling now.

For all of us, those who are Christian and those who are not, this Christmas is again a time of great hope. Especially my buddy who is the leader of the Hillsong Church, with their dodgy accounting practices, cult like nature, covering for practitioners lying about being terminally ill then being cured by the power of god and last but not least, being an apologist for their founder, the serial child molester. Even Donald Trump wanted nothing to do with him - what does that say?

My prayer for Australia this Christmas comes from the great verse: “Let us not grow weary of doing good. For in due season we shall reap a harvest, if we do not give up.”

For the rampant self interest I adhere to and all the advocates of such self interest.

But not you.

So stay safe. Stay COVID Safe.

If you desire to be anything beyond safe, donate early and donate often. In cash and in a brown paper bag.

From a deluded self-interested wanker and all round serial fuck wit. 

the way it will be

yesterday was odd and pretty terrifying. I didn't have the technical facility or ability to enter a store. All because I have a dumb phone. I couldn't scan the qr code at the entrance so I couldn't go in. I said if you have a pen and paper, short of me giving you my pin number, you can have whatever information you want. Rather than apologize I was bluntly told that is not the way we do things now and if you want to shop, you have to scan.

recently I read about the future actions of the airline industry in relation to the virus. If you can't prove that you've had the vaccine - you can't fly. The problem is for me, due to medical reasons, is that I can't get the vaccine. So to add insult to injury I can envision the best way to prove you have had the vaccine would be via a qr code. As if not wearing a mask was bad, how exactly are they going to enforce this? And we haven't even got the damn vaccine yet.

I never envisioned that the respective works of Orwell and Huxley were not so much cautionary tales but instruction manuals.

it happened

 

now this is beyond surreal. So I actually know someone who has the virus. After all this time, the thing is that they live in England.

I am not an advocate of definition in relation to the virus. Sure, they might have it but they are also a strong advocate for many things I endorse, someone who is having a go at learning guitar, a person who has shared many great tunes with me via YouTube and someone who still has a voice and is not afraid to express it.

now the medium of our association has been Facebook, so it can't be all that bad after all. Hell, it might even generate the potential of us becoming famous friends.

but I digress and go back to displaying the nature of her advocacy

https://j4mb.org.uk/elizabeth-hobson-director-of-media-relations/

check out the whole website and get a severe dose of much needed sense that is not all that common nowadays.

but there is no point in wishing her well in relation to the virus. Begging for well would be more appropriate. As a way to counter so much of the insanity that is England right now and to convey the assurance of the actions of a person that not only needs to keep going but never stop.

the thing that annoys me is if everything is inevitable right now, why don't we have a dictatorship and do as we are told? Just believe the news? People who ask questions without fear or favor are a great force to counter this. This is just one of those people.

don't stay well - stay awesome.

 

now here's something.

now I found out recently that not only does happy drunk Barry hang out at Coburg Mall but he also lives not all that far away from me and every now and then he sits on the seat outside the Centrelink on Moreland Road, giving us the opportunity for the occasional chat.

so we are sitting there one day and he says look at this. A person is sitting at the bus stop near the corner and starts walking up Moreland Road. He walks past us and turns into the hotel car park entrance. I ask, what am I meant to be looking at and Barry says wait. Then the man eventually walks back towards us. He asks Barry for a cigarette and Barry says no as the one he is smoking is his last one, then the person walks away. Now Barry says wait for this one because it keeps happening every time and I am sick of it.

the person sits at the bus stop again and lights up a cigarette. Barry says I never trusted the creep and I have never given him a smoke. Even the first time he asked he went back to the bus stop and had a cigarette. Barry says next time I'm going to confront him.

the potential scenario, as described by Barry, goes like this.

"Mate. Every time I sit here and you are at the bus stop you do the same thing. You walk past me and up to the hotel, then come back and ask for a smoke. I say no and you go back to the bus stop and light up a smoke. Now today, you know you have a smoke and I know you have a smoke. So can you do me a favor? From now on - don't ask. Fuck off. Just sit at the bus stop, light up down there and save your time. Okay?"

about a week later Barry did it. He actually said it to this weirdo. With that this strange person said nothing and walked away. Then the kicker. He sat down at the bus stop and lit up a cigarette.

Barry may have his misgivings which he freely admits to but I like him and I trust him. What you see is what you get and that is fascinating. For the stories he tells alone.

the question

 

now I don't want to sound fatalistic and I have no thoughts of suicidal ideation; I was asked some questions recently about my own mortality. Above is probably the most offensive image I have ever submitted. The afterlife. Why would you hope for some other worldly ideal where you are totally useless? Hence the term, afterlife. You died and complied with some strange celestial body throughout your whole life who now says you can relax. Relax that now you can be useless? You can't make any tangible contribution to anything from this point onward? Can this fictitious entity be any more arrogant and offensive with an insanity that goes beyond the totalitarian?

so I get to this fictitious place and am shown around. I am the same person as I was on earth, with all the skills and abilities I had there, except in angel form. At the end of the week we have Hendrix on guitar with Bach on piano but on earth you were an accountant and we have no practical need or use to be dazzled by your accounting prowess here. Does the rubbish need to go out on a Wednesday? There must be something practical I can do up here.

so if I was asked the deathbed question, I think I would like it updated to be more in line with modern times. If I make the final concession and concede yes to this fictitious nonsense, do I get to come back? In essence, does my soul get recycled so I can still - be?

sure, the wings are really cool but you can take the harp music and shove it up your ass. If I knew what this was what it was going to be like, I probably would have picked purgatory. Apparently there is a lot of paper work involved. Lots of forms to be filled in. Even for eternity, it still reminds me of my life on earth.

then there is the notion that I am confronted with that the invisible man in the sky actually exists. A hypothetical situation; I led a compliant life on earth and obeyed your every edict and whim, but I died due to complications from the corona virus vaccine. Oh that's because I work in mysterious ways. So if you send me to hell right now, does that mean I can get some degree of honesty? About my very existence? Or is this some huge con and I am actually in hell right now?

the container

a fortnight ago, one of the flats dropped a container off in the car park to move their stuff as they are moving out. I was coming back from the shops and the woman from the flat who was standing near the container with her male flat mate  starting yelling at me to mind my own business for what reason I have not the foggiest idea. 

a few nights later I was standing on my balcony and two men were casing the container. I'm not sure if they saw me but they left in a hurry all of a sudden. The next day I bought it up with the man from the flat. Then came the questions. Why didn't you tell the estate agent? Why didn't you call the police? My response? Here's an idea; maybe buy a padlock because I have been told, in no uncertain terms, to mind my own business. He started hurling abuse and after stating one more time, just minding my own business and went back into my flat.

Later on, maybe a week and a half later late at night, someone was bashing the padlock with a hammer. Once again, they must have seen me and got out of there fast in a car.

two days later the container was removed and these two, who could give an aspirin a headache, are gone. The whole thing was just plain weird. The thing is I have gone out of my way to look out for others in the block. Why they were so hostile has got me stumped.

just tell me what to do

 

so here's a new development; a company in England is currently being raked over the coals for selling masks like the photo above for the tidy sum of 5 pounds. Personally, I think they look weird and creepy.

anyway, back to the matter of the day. On the weekend I caught the tram and half the passengers weren't wearing masks. The majority of them looked like able bodied people. Now all along during this bizarre moment in time I have complied. I hate it, but I have complied. Sitting on the tram and looking around me I want to ask a question. I don't want to complain but, what's the point? If so many people around me are not complying, why should I bother? Sure could be a great cash grab for the revenue raising authorities on this tram line alone.

on the way home I had a chat with a woman wearing a face shield. I used to wear one of those before they banned them. She told me how she used to wear a mask but because of breathing difficulties she got an exemption from her doctor. The doctor told her that the exemption could extend to her not wearing a mask at all but she wanted to at least try to do her best to comply, not only for the her own protection but for the protection of others. I commended her for her actions but my perspective is I wore a face shield for months and all of a sudden they banned them

so please, looking around at all this disregard and nonsense, just tell me what to do. The whole thing is just exhausting and I am so beyond anger.

what's all this about?

standard apolitical caveat; don't take anything I say as embracing or dismissing any inherent bias or affiliation - that's your baggage and I don't give a shit.

so plenty of discussion about the nation coming together over there from the president elect no less; resisting the temptation of hate that fuels the fire of division. But what is the deal with the image above? Office of the president elect? If everything is inevitable, surely the shortest term for such an office and who came up with the the graphics must be rubbing their hands together on a quick cash grab there. But moreover, it screams screw you, I won so get used to it.

humor me. Do a search on YouTube for exit polls. Plenty of analysis on the issues that motivated voting preferences, comparisons of 2016 to now. Then there is one breakdown that really interesting - candidate quality.

32% - is a strong leader

19% - can unite the country

24% - has good judgment

21% - cares about people like me

so what about the final 4%? Cares that the candidate wore a tin helmet on a Thursday?

here's a quaint notion about a question relating to exit polls. Who did you vote for? What was all this other nonsense about? Maybe the 4% put forward the question don't you want to ask me who I voted for and that was declared an invalid response.

I never thought a two way tie for last could be such a battle of conflicting arrogant positions draped in lazy misinformation.
 

the final construction zone

now this is plain weird for the reason it happened so fast. Fast from the point of view that construction of Moreland station has now ended and within the space of a day every type of crane or construction related vehicle has disappeared - just like that. Must be devastating for the young posse who have admired all the cranes for so many months.

the thing that fills me with so much regret is the chats I had with many of the workers during the whole time. I have certain pangs of regret in relation to this because I hated all the trees being pulled down at the start of all this.

I can only hope that they restore the Gandolfo Gardens to some semblance of it's former glory. Those amazing trees and the large grassy area where people did so much, from sport to picnics in the shade. So much shade, from those majestic 100 year old trees. Without going into it too much, perhaps they could look into the history of the place. A local told me that once there was a permanent cricket pitch and a set of stumps on one side of the station - and put to a great deal of use at the time.

maybe after all the initial disregard they displayed they could show some degree of respect.

certain thoughts

 

now I have no desire to sound fatal but in these times it's no coincidence to have thoughts about your mortality. Maybe because I was asked about what music you would like to have played at my funeral. Something that I heard many years ago and is perfect. The person who asked said if you do play this there won't be a dry eye in the house.

Polegnala e Todora

Polegnala e Todora

Todora was taking a nap

Moma Todoro Todoro

O maiden Todora, Todora

Pod durvo pod maslinovo

Undernath a tree, an olive tree

Poveya vetrets, gornenets.

A wind blew, a north wind.

Otkurshi klonka maslina,

It snapped off an olive branch,

Che si Todora subudi

So that Todora woke up.

A tya mu se lyuto surdi:

And she angrily scolded it:

Vetre le nenaveyniko,

Unwanted wind,

Sega li nayde de veesh?

Why now did you decide to blow?

Sladka si sunya sunuvah

I was dreaming a sweet dream

Che mi doshlo purvo libe.

That my first love had come,

I doneslo pustra kitka,

And brought me a colorful bouquet,

I doneslo pustra kitka,

And brought me a colorful bouquet.

A na kitka zlaten prusten.

And on the bouquet a gold ring.

the paradox, I said to the person asking, is that it is one of the most affirming pieces of music I have ever heard in my life. An innocent nursery rhyme, yet filled with so much majesty and beauty, about a maiden woken from a dream where she was having thoughts about the betrothal of her first and true love. It may be ironic but the very joy of it cannot be denied.

something I hope that the piece, when played, will go some way to represent a reflection of me.   

so it happened - Bar Oussou edition

first off, what a great image. Bar Oussou packed resembling its former glory.

needless to say, the past year has been plain awful. Without going into detail but a few things have happened to me above and beyond the lock down. There were two events that gave me a point of focus before all the madness.

spoken word nights every second Monday and open mic every Tuesday. Not only two points of focus but also great moments to interact with participants and audience members alike. Made some dear friends in the process and have seen some great performances.

moreover, these two events not only represented a state of normal but serious fun, where I have had friendly chats with a whole range of amazing people and witnessed things that have sent my head spinning on high rotation setting.

and I know it is a corny platitude but you really don't miss something until it is gone. When they closed because of the virus, devastation is an understatement. I know they are doing their best to get by now they are open again by being more of a restaurant than the bar of old, but how I yearn for these two nights to return once again.

the paradox is and the thing that sucked is the very week they closed everything down I expanded my rig to enhance playing there. These two nights represented the very heart of normal for so many people.

I can only hope that we get some normal back soon.

vaccine - day twelve

so as hard as I try to believe that the media is not asleep and the phenomenal lack of transparency from the pharmaceutical companies, small pockets of information has actually managed to get out.

on December 4th, a doctor told CNN not to be alarmed if the elderly die as a result getting the vaccine.

December 10, 2020. While people learned that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 “vaccine” is not recommended for people with “significant” allergic reactions, after two “adverse reactions,” the French are widely rejecting future vaccinations against the illness, scheduled to start in January. Two adverse reactions? It's not like we are planning on vaccinating people in the millions, we are planning on vaccinating people in the millions of millions

December 11th, a medical expert with over 30 years' experience in the field of commercial biotechnology has said that COVID-19 vaccines developed at “warp speed” are likely not safe and not necessary.

also on December 11, 2020. A 40-year-old Indian businessman who suffered a “neurological and psychological” breakdown after taking a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.

The man’s wife told local media that he began vomiting and complaining of a pounding headache ten days after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine on Oct 1st. His wife says that he experienced confusion so severe, he couldn’t identify close family members.

“He spent 15 days in hospital, including 8 days in intensive care, suffering from acute neuro-encephalopathy (an altered mental state) that left him “totally disoriented,” so much so that he could no longer recognize close relatives,” his wife told reporters.

The man has asked for trials to be immediately halted, and is suing for $676,000 in damages from SII (Serum Institute of India). “The lawsuit also demands that SII, AstraZeneca and the Oxford Vaccine Group immediately halt vaccine trials, in which some 1,600 volunteers are currently enrolled.”

and what did the Serum Institute of India do as a result? Counter sued for the tidy sum of $13.5 million, calling his allegations “malicious” and complaining of damage to their reputation.

so is this the way it works? A total lack of transparency coupled with massive amounts of lawsuits, whilst the media is totally asleep with cult like obedience.

fears from an equal opportunity employer

standard apolitical caveat; don't take anything I say as embracing or dismissing any inherent bias or affiliation - that's your baggage and I don't give a shit.

so a few days ago I wake up to Mitch McConnell saying a whole bunch of scathing things about the process of the United States election, but the only thing that was reported was that he conceded that Biden was the next president, along with tacky tweets by Trump in his usual agree with me or you are out style.

this morning I see testimony from numerous republicans condemning the role of social media and big tech in reporting the ordained conclusion that Biden won.

now the whole thing in my mind comes across as a first way tie for last and you can choose as to who exactly is the disaster and who is the train wreck. Meanwhile there is discussion about a civil war between factions of the republican party, who will have to deal with so many other factions from the democrats to numerous other social justice warrior interest groups.

I don't know if this is a concession in regards to the democratic and legal process but they are opening the file again on the business dealings of Hunter Biden.My thoughts on this is and so they should beyond the assurances of nothing to see here from his father. 

to put salt in the wound there is the added insanity of the mental state of the nation in relation to the corona virus. 

give it a month and I think that all these self-interested wankers will start tearing each other apart, maybe with some overriding confusion as to who they specifically hate or which faction they hate more.

but the whole thing is shaping up to a giant mess, where I so dearly wish to be wrong. To compound all this - what if Biden dies? The guy comes across like a seizure wrapped in a stroke at the best of times.

the other side of the coin is Trump decides he is not going anywhere in January until he gets what he wants. Not exactly sure how many gates of hell that will open as a result, but I can see him do it. Now news just in today and Trump is telling advisers he will refuse to leave.

t'is the season?

 

so I am standing in the queue in front of the counter of a larger electrical goods store that also happens to sell music and DVDs - I think you know the one I mean. This woman is standing near the counter with a strange look on her face, sort of a strange cross between confused and pissed off.

and she is staring right at me. I just know what she's going to say next.

"Do I have to wait in the queue?" now with a look on her face that screams palpable annoyance.

the dilemma I have now involves my plight of recent times - the suppression and subsequent destruction of my inner dialogue. I just can't help myself anymore, it's like I am compelled to speak my inner thoughts out loud; like I no longer have any control. So out it comes, and my response?

first off, I don't work here and adding to this and I don't know if you've noticed but I am actually standing in the middle of the queue. Added to this but is there something that makes you think that you are beneath standing in the queue? Does the act of asking me whether you should wait in the queue dispense with your obligation to do just that?

so she lets out a huff and goes to the back of the queue. Thirty seconds later she barks "Fine!" and leaves the store together, all during this time I can feel her staring at me with daggers for eyes, pissed off for having been scalded.

all the rest of the queue were watching her leave and when she finally got out the exit...

the people in the queue and the counter staff gave me a standing ovation. She must have been a right royal pain in the ass before I got there. Don't try this yourself, you could end up with a total psycho in these uncertain times.

now

maybe the time has come to actually talk about now. The best view of now comes from a quote from Christopher Hitchens. Don't take refuge in the false security of consensus and the feeling that you're bound to be okay because you're in the safely moral majority. Since that quote was uttered a lot of things have happened, mainly special interest groups that take refuge in the false security of their outlook and the safety of their firmly held delusions.

so if I take every special interest group into account and their perception of order or the order they require or even demand, do you really want me to go down that path? The main point of annoyance is to the degree that many members of these groups haven't thought things through and insert obscure caveats as a method of countering their myopic stupidity. Adding to this, demanding inclusion and compassion for so many confused outlooks. 

the first one hot off the press is Elliot/Ellen Page. Has this person not been a part of my lived experience for many years? Expanding upon this, has this person not been a part of my lived understanding for many years? On the internet any reference to Ellen Page has magically disappeared. Questioning this is not me embracing hate because strangely enough I didn't get the memo. I've barely known about this for a fortnight and now I have to embrace this information as reality? You assume, or even demand I go along with this? 

now acknowledging themselves not only as a transgender person but also a transgender activist, if that activism should get this person into real legal prison, the last thing that comes to mind is creating some kind of special prison for transgenders, because that would negate the very cause that is being fought for. Should this occur, sorry, you made your bed - no turning back now...

the other thing that comes to mind is in the form of a question. Does this person still have a functioning womb? If they decide to become pregnant, does that negate their newly formed world view as a transgender person? Or do I have to embrace the difficulty that would be imposed as a result of the dysphoria they are feeling when embarking on such a task? In essence, to demand sympathy.

so this may be confused with hate speech but rather I think of it in the form of a hypothetical question. Can I identify as a hermaphrodite? If I did, would that be considered an offensive act?

now this has happened a couple of times in recent months and it was more than one person trying to impose their beliefs upon me, but I have no desire to name them specifically. Plus what is the cutoff date to be allowed to actually ask such questions in the future? Keep in mind; I didn't discriminate as I asked the same questions of all of them.

as a religion, you would say that there a lot of good people in your organisation? Are there, or have there been, any bad people in your organisation? As a service to me and for the common good, could you point these bad people out? Maybe as a message of faith that displays true courage in your convictions; the degree to which you are prepared to get your house in order.

also, if members of your organisation has done bad things in the past, what kind of assurances can you give that such practices have ceased? And please, don't be so arrogant to assume that I should take it on faith. I kind of would appreciate something a little more concrete than that.

there might be a few sequels to this blog. 

vaccine - day eleven

 so we have a new cult all over the world, the church of immunology. Do not question this strange sect as it is armed with facts, authority and approval. Even YouTube has joined the throng with anyone using those pesky questions armed with those arrogant things called specific details gets banned for abusing the terms of service. At least Facebook has a fact checking department to inform the user how lame the the checking is.

now on the television this week I was hit with a barrage of news items with the heading corona virus myths debunked. These were on more than one platform and yet the strange stony silence in relation to one question - what are the long term side effects in relation to any of the vaccines? Not a word or at least, nothing that resembles an answer.

so can we go back in time and have a look at the history of the myopia of certain medications? Specifically, one certain medication comes to mind

Thalidomide. Knock yourself out. Just from a history not repeating itself point of view.

the benchmark

 

now contrary to what you've heard or been told I have some alarming news for you. Sharks live in the water. It is, in fact, their home. It's the season again and the lazy and stupid season of shark attack reporting has started again on the news, maybe because of one reason; the weather is warmer and more people are in the water. You know, the place where sharks live? Yet words like predator in reference to sharks and prey in reference to victims are rolled out again with surreal familiarity. Maybe this style of lazy journalism could be used as a barometer or benchmark for all types of dumb reporting.

I was scanning the channels on the television the other night and that bastion of objective reporting, The Project, even had a go. You know the program, whose logo is the news reported differently, yet they spewed out the same nonsense  using words like predator and prey like all the other news automatons.

maybe the one saving grace nowadays is they tag the suspected shark instead of hunting it down and killing it. "Let's go hunt the shark down and kill it, rip it's guts out and see if it has attacked any humans."

I wonder what it would be like if sharks could talk, confronting them with all manner of accusations in relation to the nature of their attacks and what their response would be - 

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm a shark"

so it happened

I have a few thoughts about this. The Moreland Hotel is open again and has been open for a month, after being closed for such a long time. I have had a number of good times here, mainly around watching some of the greatest UFC tournaments. The weirdest one was someone was losing and a fan was so upset he spat on the TV screen. So much for the spirit of free and open competition.

when they closed, the first thought I had was it was great that the poker machines were no longer operating. Across Victoria - the sheer volume of people saving all that money can only be a good thing. Maybe the same could be said for the TAB there.

out of curiosity, I went in the other day and was confronted with my dumb phone dilemma. I don't have a smart phone so I can't scan in. All the areas look so separated and cordoned off that it looks like the place really shouldn't be open at all. Then the blatantly obvious. There is hardly anybody in there at all. The bar, the restaurant and I didn't bother with the poker machines at all. The access between the bar and the poker machines was blocked off anyway.

the paradox is that I reveled in the fact that the Retreat Hotel opened. Maybe because it felt like a sense of community had been revived. People sitting outside and the place is dog friendly. The joy of patting dogs out front was back again, along with having a friendly chat with their owners. 

there are a number of pubs along Sydney Road that are still closed and I don't know how I feel about it either way - good or bad. 

the perfect storm

 so it happened. The perfect storm of insanity. I got on the tram and heard the announcement that ticket inspectors were getting on board to do Covid-19 ticket inspections. So what does that mean? You haven't got a valid ticket and you are not wearing your mask properly so, we have a very special fine for you or, we are going to fine you and then contact the police for another bigger fine? Or we are going to issue you with a fine and then kick you off the tram altogether?

so I get on the tram and the ticket reader says not in service. Then the inspectors get on. They inspect my ticket and the reader still says not in service. They tell me I don't have a valid ticket; I say that is a fact I am more than painfully aware of, because I am unable to scan my ticket. They ask me to keep an eye on the reader until it displays that it is working, then scan your ticket. 

I said no. I got hit with a barrage of questions relating to compliance and replied this conversation is over - your service isn't working so leave me alone to go about my day. It's not my job to monitor whether something is defective, I just want to travel in a timely and efficient manner.

But I did have a question or two. What constitutes a Covid-19 ticket inspection? Do you give my ticket a test? Do you sanitize my ticket against any traces of the virus? No answer. So I asked, as a service to me, take the salary of the idiot who came up with the stupid idea of adding the the words Covid-19 to the announcement about ticket inspection, halve it and use the money to subsidize the tickets of the general community. For pain and suffering alone.

so when are they going to make the movie?

I have been to Savers for a number of years now. My main point of focus is buying second hand books. I like the occasional shirt but biographies, some science fiction and a few classics have been the order of the day. Probably one of the weirdest contradictions is buying the biography of Ayaan Hirsi Ali - Infidel, that documented her oppression in Somalia to the assassination of collaborator Theo Van Gogh, with a note to Ali containing death threats pinned to the body of Van Gogh with the knife used to kill him.

why contradiction? I can buy this book at Savers but I can't by the Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. Some staff have told me that rather than putting the book on the shelves they simply throw it in the bin. They have stocked other literary works in the past, such as Midnight's Children and the Moor's Last Sigh. I know, I've seen them there.

now this is anecdotal but a staff member conveyed to me that one time some aggrieved person totally lost their shit over seeing the Satanic Verses on the shelf. There are a number of second hand book stores in the area that have the book in stock now, even as we speak. Is that an incentive for the incensed to lose their shit? Please, I hope not. There are many stores in Melbourne where I can buy the book brand new. If there was a time when people felt outraged by their perception of apostasy, why not now?

so this leads me to a certain conclusion - who actually read it? Plus if you are really going to go out of your way to be outraged and indignant, surely you should maintain the rage. The whole thing has piqued my curiosity. Now I really want to read it. The paradox is before I was indifferent, now I am focused.

as a result of all this

now this is an expansion of something based on a lecture given by Frank Zappa that gives some insight into my understanding of now.

Frank Zappa - The Poodle Lecture.

In the beginning God made 'the light.' Shortly thereafter God made three big

Mistakes. The first mistake was called MAN, the second mistake was called

WO-MAN, and the third mistake was the invention of THE POODLE. Now the reason the poodle was such a big mistake is because God originally wanted to build a Schnauzer, but he fucked up. Now a long time ago, the poodle used to be a very attractive dog. The poodle had hair evenly distributed all over its small

Piquant canine type BODY. That's the way it used to be, the poodle used to be a

Regular looking dog. You know it's true, I guess you do too. 

Anyway listen, check this out. The poodle used to look good, you know the

Regular dogs that used to hang out in the neighborhood looked at the poodle,

Didn't think anything of it. You know, they didn't use to make fun of it in the

Olden days. But the WO-MAN, as you know, has always been much smarter than the MAN, you know this is true.

And so it was since the beginning of time. The MAN would do anything to get

Some pussy. And that's why the WO-MAN always had control over him.

In the beginning the WO-MAN looked the MAN directly into the eye and said: "I

Tell you what, why don't you go get a job because I could use a few nice things

Around the house. Mainly what I need is a clipper, a scissors, and a pair of

Zircon encrusted tweezers." (Thank you very much.)

And of course the MAN did his duty as they say in the trade. He went out and he

Got a goddamn job. Went out and pushed that broom around for about a

Dollar-2.98 an hour, brought his money back to the garden of Eden and gave that

Money to the WO-MAN.

The WO-MAN ran out the back door of the garden of Eden, went directly to the

Hardware store, got the clippers, the scissors and the zircon encrusted

Tweezers and came back and, while the MAN was very tired from having his job,

While he was sleeping, the WO-MAN got a hold of the POODLE. Because the WO-MAN Had noticed earlier that the length and proportion of the poodle oral

Appendage, the tongue of the dog in other words, ladies and gentlemen, was very

Much to her liking, except that this dog had too goddamn much hair on it. It

Didn't have the disco look that's so popular nowadays.

And so the WO-MAN sat out to modify the aforementioned dog. Let me get a little

Uh, visual aid . . .

Now she took the dog and she cleaned it up a little bit. You see, she took a

Little bit of the back-part here, around the neck, the thorax, the tootsies.

Got all of the unwanted extraneous material off this area which we shall call

Burbank. Then she set the little sucker up like this, really nice, got his

Mouth set up like that. And squatted right ON HIM. Looking down into the dog's

Eyes. She looked down into the dog's eyes, do you know what she said to the

Dog? She said:

now here is where I come in. I went to my doctor and said I want to be a poodle. He said, not a problem, we have the technology to do that. I said, but there is a problem - I want to be a female poodle. I am currently a male but I want to be a female poodle. He said that was just sick and threw me out of his office.

funny what can be categorized as a dysphoria in this day and age. Personally, I feel discriminated to the core of my being.

now this piece of prose, written in 1992 and my meager addition - can it be considered offensive or even illegal on so many different levels in this day and age? There are many types of dysphoria. Is embracing the symptoms for all of them an effective form of treatment? Can this, even as a hypothetical, be any more insane?

this should be one of the most famous photos ever

 

on this day in 1971 a casino in Geneva, Switzerland burnt down.This should be one of the most famous photos ever of that incident, but maybe and moreover the photo of the incident that was the inspiration for the song that contained that guitar riff.

Smoke on the Water.

the thing that amazes me is that the lyrics to the song are accurate but somewhat unremarkable. It's just the riff that is just so damn catchy that has been played by so many guitar players.

We all came out to Montreux  

On the Lake Geneva shoreline

To make a records with a mobile

We didn't have much time

Frank Zappa and the Mothers

Were at the best place around

But some stupid with a flare gun

Burned the place to the ground

Smoke on the water

A fire in the sky

Smoke on the water

They burned down the gambling house

It died with an awful sound

Funky Claude was running in and out

Pulling kids out the ground

When it all was over

We had to find another place

But Swiss time was running out

It seemed that we would lose the race

Smoke on the water

A fire in the sky

Smoke on the water

We ended up at the Grand Hotel

It was empty…

It was interesting that when I first heard the song I had never heard Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention and that sent me down a mysterious path. Funky Claude was Claude Nobs, founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival. The whole song ends up as an anti climax in an empty hotel.

one other phenomenon related to this song was not so much that it first appeared on the album Machine Head by Deep Purple but the more popular version appeared on their double live album Made in Japan, which spawned the craze of people putting Made in Japan stickers on their guitar cases, taken from whatever Japanese consumer product packaging from around that time.

once again, probably the most famous riff in guitar history, but what an average story....