Celebrity lookalikes.

Okay, as promised something a little "lighter". Ah, the things we do after a drink or two. I'll bet people were not nearly as funny before the advent of VERY SMALL digital cameras. Go figure. I'm the guy on the left, by the way.

Anyone for some soup?

Okay, I think I finally understand the appeal of a blog.

Somebody asked me the other day why I don't write about something important. "What about the problems we face in the Middle East?" she said, "I'm sure you will get some comments on that. Or perhaps the mounting Third World debt, or even the genocide being committed in Sudan."

She has a good point. Perhaps I should discuss some of the problems closer to home. I could of course comment on the fact that our former deputy president can get charged with rape and fraud, get found not guilty and have the fraud case dismissed, and still be hailed by some people in the community as a hero - simply because of the struggle. I am all for democracy and freedom of speech, but what I really have a problem with is the apparant total disregard for what I believe to be the cornerstone of public office: integrity. These people embody the trust placed in them by the electorate and should be beyond reproach and dare I say it, not beyond the law. The old addage "Where there is smoke, there is fire" comes to mind, but I not sure any of us will ever really know what goes on sometimes.

The truth of the matter is we get bombarded with so much information these days, both foreign and domestic, that I can understand why people find it such a release to just talk about everyday things in their own lives, and here's the kicker folks: to be the star of their own show and have an audience - however small. So with that bit of rationalization under my belt, be sure to tune in next time and enjoy an amusing(?) anecdote, mindless rant, belligerent bitch, or simply a new addition to my list of things to do without. I'll give it my best shot and keep it deliciously shallow.

I believe Warhol was right. Sanity will prevail. Hell yes.

Oh and something else...

Things I can do without today:

1. Outbursts in public places.
2. Excessive profanity.
3. Having to experience both of the above simultaneously and at high volume.

Enough said.

Variety is the spice of life. Oh really?

All one can do is shrug one's shoulders and chuckle. After enjoying a much deserved long weekend break away with some close friends, I have again come to appreciate just how impossibly difficult it is to shove a group of very different individuals into a confined space for any length of time without incident - a sort of ‘big brother’ dynamic if you will, but without the cameras.

Of course all of us are great friends (some for many years) and will remain so, but the spawn of familiarity, the insipid little runt known to you all as contempt, soon rears its mean little head. Being the people that we are, and living the busy lives that we do, we inevitably pack in our emotional baggage along with the toothbrush (and a bottle of whatever we feel takes the edge off), and we all begin our merry little dance.

For the most part, we get along. Of course. We are considerate and helpful but soon personality quirks, behavioral idiosyncrasies, sensitivity, insensitivity, and the absence of tact, all start creeping in. Add chronic doses of whatever’s in the aforementioned bottle and before you know it feathers are ruffled, noses are out of joint, and the music begins in earnest. You can guess the rest. Suffice to say that there were probably plenty of hushed "he said, she said" moments.

If you think that this is all a little melodramatic, you would be correct in that observation. Naturally we all experience this phenomenon. I’m just trying to emphasize my point. I'm pretty sure all of us are happy to be back in our own spaces and already planning the next holiday together.

My only advice to people (some more than others, and I sincerely hope they know who they are) is best summed up with the idiom: Discretion is the better part of valour.

Just a thought.

A road well travelled.

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." Marcel Proust.

Today it occurred to me that the road that winds it's way through the expanse that is the blue nowhere, is paved with countless souls whose peregrinations pander to their curious and vicarious natures.

I know this for I am just one among many.

Déjà vu anyone?

"The term déjà vu is French and means, literally, "already seen." Those who have experienced the feeling describe it as an overwhelming sense of familiarity with something that shouldn't be familiar at all."

What the...? I'm at work again. This seems strangely familiar. Like... I was here the day before, and the day before that. Oh yeah, that's because I WAS. Hell, this project is simultaneously killing my social life and a few million more brain cells than I'm willing to consciously part with at my tender age. The fuzzy feeling in my head just about sums it all up. I'm seriously considering having business cards specially made for people that I've known for years.

Come on now, if I am going to be sans said grey matter, it had better be in the pursuit of traditional idle pleasures like a quiet drinking binge, smoke, or even a nice hole in the head. I'd even settle for the masochism of the home shopping network. I hate to buck popular trends, but sleep deprivation is seriously OVERRATED.

The term déjà vu is French and.... oh geez, didn't I just do this?

Enjoy the silence.

"The ideal man is his own best friend and takes delight in privacy."

Aristotle (384-322 BCE). Greek philosopher.

There is something to be said for the power of silence and solitude. Even as I sit here at work at around midnight, the value is still not lost to me. Hell, at the very least, the absolute lack of the day's distractions allows me to finish the tasks I set out to complete in the first place. I'm sure most of the world's professional workforce can identify with this experience. It is a bit irritating though when you have to sacrifice your private time in this manner. Sadly, if you don't put in the effort you will never succeed at anything - or get anything done.

I was at Ankhor Wat, in Cambodia in 2000 and while wondering through the temple ruins, I spotted this man sitting quitely by himself. There was a calmness and serenity about him that you rarely see in the modern world these days. I am lucky that I was able to capture the image without disturbing him.

Take time for yourself. Appreciate the luxury of it. It may well save you (read:me) from being prosecuted for multiple homicide, aggravated assualt, or something worse.

Just a thought.

Dark, dark my light, and darker my desire.

Dark, dark my light, and darker my desire
My soul, like some heat-maddened summer fly,
Keeps buzzing at the sill.

Theodore Roethke (1908-1963) U.S. poet.

It's interesting when you can take an everyday object and put a dark, even sinister twist on it. Edison would be proud... I think. Okay enough of this... I'm going to bed.

What words cannot describe.

Sometimes an image does not need any lengthy explanations. No symbolism, metaphors, satire, or subtext. It simply just is what it is. Pleasing. Well, perhaps to some.

Darker still, alas no respite.

Damned if I know why I posted this arbitrary picture of mine. I do kind of like it though. Nice organic balance and colour tone.

Hey I have an idea, let's ask my good friend in-som-ni-a what it thinks. No? I say it closely resembles spaces in my head that should be filled with, oh I don't know... SLEEP? Luckily I have the whole night to debate it's artistic merits along with why post offices don't stay open for longer.

Things that you could do without today:

1. Pointless blog posts.

It's getting darker already.

Things I can do without tonight:

1. Cold coffee.
2. Insomnia.
3. Contradicting statements.
4. Redundancy.
5. Redundancy.
6. Another hole in the head.

From dusk till dawn.

I'm feeling surprisingly (disappointing for some) upbeat today despite the fact that I still find myself at the office after 9pm. I can happily report that I experienced no enraged or murderous impulses today. I can almost hear the relieved sighs of postal workers countrywide. Guys, don't get too comfortable just yet, it's only Tuesday and I'm convinced I'll still have many 'letters to post'.

On days like these, I usually suppliment my obvious lack of aggression by taking the liberty of listening to the musical equivalent of a sledgehammer to the head, just to get into the mood. Hell, there's nothing like a goodly dose of metal to get the senses going. It's like wafting some smelling salts under your nose - which usually accompanies the blow to the head anyway.

Soon I'm ready to spew forth "F--- this!" and "Screw you!", or "You looking at me, huh? You want some of this?", in all directions and at the drop of a hat (or stupid question). This would no doubt be much to the amusement of my colleagues. One of the side affects of being the office clown is that people are never quite sure when to take you seriously, so they never do. When you really do mean business your affectiveness is largely negated. Mental note: Perhaps a sewn off 12 guage shotgun might be more pursuasive when accompanying these outbursts. I think so. But how to get it past the metal detectors? Oops, did I just write that? *grin*

Truth be told, some of the tracks by KoRn are rather good. I particularly like the one called "Right Now". There is just nothing like a slamming base, killer guitar riff and raging PG rated lyrics that just compliments the right mood perfectly.

Ironically for me, I enjoy this type of music best when I'm in a good mood, which I guess is the point of this post. Oh well, back to the proverbial square one.

I like the following quote. Very apt. I'm thinking it's particularly poignant for a certain somebody right about now.

"In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o'clock in the morning, day after day."
(F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940), U.S. author.






Just a thought.

It's the little things...

After the last working week I've had, you too would understand the radio silence.

This past weekend's rest and relaxation out of town was just what the doctor ordered. Well, strictly speaking the doctor also ordered a complete psyche evaluation of me, but let's not get into that right now. Suffice to say that I'm seriously considering a second opinion... or at least an opinion from the people whose voices I hear but never seem to see. My doctor will be the poorer for my lack of patronage. *chuckle*

But seriously, one cannot emphasise enough how important some things are in life. Like the crashing hissing sound of the ocean, the crackling of a roaring fire or, even NO sounds at all. Or a pitch black sky, devoid of all light pollution, puntuated by a billion lights - from horizon to horizon, in every direction. The night sky so big and beautiful it crushes down on you taking your breath away and making you realise simultaneously that you are a very small player in a very big game, and that this is somehow a comfort. Like a barbecue or home cooked meal with close friends who don't mind seeing you talk with your mouth full of food, or an afternoon nap on the sofa with the sun on your face.

Yes, its the little things. Never underestimate the power of these unexpected pleasures. Embrace them. Savour them. It's what keeps us all from taking a semi automatic and shooting some poor unsuspecting Joe standing in line at the post office.

Just a thought.