Scary

I guess when you get to my age you would expect that health issues would not come as a surprise. In fact, I find the opposite is true. Maybe each day we get by unscathed just strengthens our sense of invulnerability.

That is, of course,until someone close to you has a health scare. A very good friend of mine recently suffered a severe asthma attack and had to be resuscitated and put into an induced coma last week. More than the threat to his physical health (that sense of invulnerability is very strong) I worried about his state of mind. This guy, growing up, was one of the most loving and giving people I knew. His family was an inspiration to me, and I believe that he and his family came in to my life to show me that side of myself, how to give and love unconditionally. Unfortunately, as they grew older, disillusionment and a little bitterness took hold. He still gave with his heart, unquestioningly, but I think he became frustrated when people did not reciprocate.

Skip forward to a month ago. A new job in a caring profession had a new spring in his step. Things were falling into place for him and a conversation I had with him 2 weeks ago had me singing the praises of his new outlook on life.

Then the health scare.

I visited him in hospital yesterday and he is, if possible, even more positive than the last time I saw him. It was like he had accepted that he is loved and cared for. That he has learned that love is not necessarily a "back and forth" thing, that the love he has been giving out has always come back to him, just not always from the direction he expected.

He told me that the doctor said to him that instead of his life beginning at 40, his had very nearly ended. After seeing him yesterday, I choose to believe that his new life has truly started.

Go with it, my brother, you'll never walk alone.

Is it worth it?

"War grows out of the desire of the individual to gain advantage at the expense of his fellow man
Napoleon Hill


How can I explain to my sons the difference between strength and aggression? How can I explain to them the line between defending one's self and exploitation, when I'm not sure of it myself.

I sometimes wonder if my leftist, pacifist leanings lead to me being "taken advantage of", but when I consider the alternative, I hope so. How can you give freely of yourself, then complain when someone accepts? Conversely, why would you "take" from others something not offered? We can see where that leads in just about any newspaper on any day. If anyone reads this, try for this week to offer freely of yourself and to accept what is offered to you and nothing more.

All nighter

It may be an off shoot of my white line fever, but part of the pleasure I gained from yesterday's start to the Ashes Series is the thought of English people missing out on sleep so they can watch their team disappoint them again. The pain of their 2005 taunts is beginning to fade.

Not that I'm bitter or anything ;-)

It definitely (finally) on

The wait and the hype have been unbearable, but finally it is here. And things are going our way. After the first hour listening to the commentary from Smee's phone it sounds like the status quo has been restored. England opted to play Giles ahead of "the best finger spinner in the world" (Duncan Fletcher's words, not mine), we won the toss and batted and Steve Harmison was all over the shop. Was it an omen that the first ball in the series was an English wide? Langer batted like he was thinking "Phil who?". Captain Hercules bowled 2 no-balls in his first over. Once again, Hoggard looked like the only Pom that can bowl.

I love cricket. For the moment, anyway

Sing with me now

(To the tune of Chirp a chirp a cheep cheep)

Where's Trescothick gone?

Where's Trescothick gone?

He's a whinging pom
He's a whinging pom

He's run away
He's run away


Damn Barmy Army

White line fever.

This is a completely new entry to replace the whiny,self pitying piece of crap that was previously here.

I suffer from white line fever. Actually, if I indulge in any sort of competition, I am prepared to do anything short of kill someone (well, depending on whom it is) to win. I have almost no control over my temper when I think (and here is the vital piece of information) that someone is ENJOYING BEATING ME. For me, this is a completely unacceptable frame of mind for any of my opponents to have. I don't mind being beaten by people who don't enjoy it or I don't see as a threat, but god forbid they show any pleasure or even any desire to win when competing against me. A classic example from the weekend. I was playing cricket, bowling in fact, and the batsmen tapped the ball to short mid wicket and took off for a single. I took off after the ball and even though I knew there was no hope of running him I threw the ball. The ball went wide of the keeper and the batsmen ran three overthrows. The reason the ball went wide was because somewhere in my brain, one of the remaining sane synapses saw clearly my atavistic desire to hurl it in to the back of the scurrying batsman and decided to tell my right arm that it didn't want any part of it.

To make matters worse, shortly afterwards at Tea, all the batsman kept talking about was the additional 3 runs they'd scored and how they would contribute to their run chase.

Happy ending after all, within 2 overs of the resumption of play, the same guy spooned a little leading edge off my bowling. Normally I would have jogged on or two steps forward and watched with a wry smile as the ball bounced short of me. Not today. Not THIS batsman. I sprinted down the pitch and hurled my less than athletic frame lengthways down the carpet and concrete strip with no other thought than "Get this bastard out!" I managed to keep the ball from hitting the deck with two fingers and the thumb of my right hand, at the cost of some bruised and scraped ribs, but at the time it was worth it!!

Now I'm not so sure.

I really think this summer's Ashes tour is going to be a test for my tolerance and patience.

Update: This made me feel better though

The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that's the essence of inhumanity: George Bernard Shaw

After listening to Woodie and Mils bang on...

....I found this quote appropriate.


The feeling of patriotism - It is an immoral feeling because, instead of confessing himself a son of God . . . or even a free man guided by his own reason, each man under the influence of patriotism confesses himself the son of his fatherland and the slave of his government, and commits actions contrary to his reason and conscience." : Leo Tolstoy, Patriotism and Government

There ain't 'arf bin some clever bastards

I mean really clever. Time has announced its inventions of the year. "YouTube", while not immediately world changing, has given us true freedom of information (this is not a comment on the veracity of that information) and made good the promise of the internet. For a while. Better get in quick, as Google has bought it.

Have a look through some of the other inventions. I was particularly impressed with the Tesla car and the bike riding robot. If you have a few minutes, have look and wonder at human ingenuity.

Melbourne Cup Day

I have never been a fan of horse racing, not even the Melbourne Cup, though usually I do have the day off and get trashed at the local race track, but that has more to do with the company than the actual entertainment.

I was intrigued earlier this week by calls for Melbourne Cup day to become a public holiday in states other than Victoria.

Now, I like a bludge as much as the next person, but I believe this would be a mistake. For me, the beauty of having Cup day off is that there are still people all over the city working. It gives me a thrill of slightly illicit pleasure to think I am out carousing while government buildings, offices and schools through out the metropolitan area are filled with people crowded around radios and wheeling in televisions to watch the race. Or if I am at work myself, one of the huddlers, it gives me a sense of community with my co-workers to take the time to watch the race. Frankly, I think the sense of sharing is what makes it special for those still at work. Otherwise, it's just a horse race.

Who won?

Mondays

I think "weekday" and "weekend" are not enough choices when it comes to days. Especially when your weekend consists of 2 nights drinking, 1 and a bit nights sleeping, an engagement party, 1/2 day playing cricket, 1/2 day umpiring/coaching and 2 x 1/2 days watching your children play cricket. Oh, and a couple of hours sleeping on the couch trying to stay awake to watch Australia play cricket.

Summer hasn't even started.

Carn 'straya

Vale Wally

Wally Foreman, along with Dennis Cometti, was always one of my favourite commentators growing up, probably because they were Western Australians. I always thought Wally was passionate about his sport but not to the degree where he lost objectivity or even handed-ness. I only ever met him once, as an opposition coach in junior cricket, but even in that forum he impressed me with his attitude to the game. Sport in Western Australia and Australia for that matter will be sadly poorer for his passing.

Get on the green

No, that's not what I mean at all! I was thinking something more along the lines of this:


Get on the Green is a drive by bowls clubs to attract people to bowls. My regular Wednesday nights have moved from the shed to the Innaloo Sportsmans Club for our annual foray into community bowls. Any sport that marks it's rinks with ashtrays at each end and has a beautiful young woman walking around with a wheeled esky selling cheap beer gets a big tick from me.

Oops....

Methinks the Kazakhs do protest too much....