It's so strange the way our minds can control the ways our bodies act and react. I've just spent several hours at my neighbour's place, trying to bring her back down to reality and hardly succeeding. One of the worst panic attacks I've ever seen took hold of her, just after dinner this evening. She'd called just before I got home, we agree'd I'd come along after dinner, but by that time things were getting totally out of hand...
We've been looking after her a little for the last eight months or so since her husband died, but after having had a particularly bad scare with what transpired to be a benign tumour in her breast she just has freaked out about her place in life, the world and what's left of her family, running completely out of control until the amublance and crisis team people turned up.
The worst thing is that I didn't have a clue as to what I should be doing, besides listening and offering the perfunctory "yes"es and "no"s along the way. I have a First Aid certificate, but don't know how to deal with somebody who's reproaching themselves for all the things they've convinced themselves they've done wrong in the course of their lives. We all make mistakes, we all have things we're definately not proud of but sometimes those (well-meant) negatives just take on a life of their own...
Its so sad, and I feel so sad too...
Friday, September 30, 2005
Helpdesk? Lovely euphemism that...
Hmmm... it's rapidly turning into "one of those days". I don't think it would be very wise to go complaining at the moment though...
Bad start
I don't think there are worse ways to start a day... the coffee machine is acting really strange. Aaarrrggghhhh!!!!
Just hope it doesn't get worse though...
Just hope it doesn't get worse though...
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Please pass the Babel fish
Received this morning, by email...
The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.
As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".
In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy.
The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.
There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.
In other words, stick it in your ear...
Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.
Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.
By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".
During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl.
Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.
Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.
If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl...
The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.
As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".
In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy.
The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.
There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.
In other words, stick it in your ear...
Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.
Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.
By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".
During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl.
Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.
Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.
If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl...
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Once upon a time there was a country, hidden behind a wardrobe in a spare room. The country was Narnia, the creation of the writer C.S. Lewis and the books he wrote were among my favourites in my childhood.
The stories of Aslan, the lamp-post, a White Witch, all sorts of wierd and wonderful creatures and the four children in a make-believe but very real world gripped me and although some of the seven books were better than others, they were a believeable cycle of stories.
The film is to be released soon here in the Netherlands, one I'm looking forward to, together with the kids. From what I've seen of the trailers, it's been very well done.
The writer himself, at work
A lot of people have been inspired by the books of C.S. Lewis, including those who are interested in fantasy art... here's one of the better efforts...
The stories of Aslan, the lamp-post, a White Witch, all sorts of wierd and wonderful creatures and the four children in a make-believe but very real world gripped me and although some of the seven books were better than others, they were a believeable cycle of stories.
The film is to be released soon here in the Netherlands, one I'm looking forward to, together with the kids. From what I've seen of the trailers, it's been very well done.
The writer himself, at work
A lot of people have been inspired by the books of C.S. Lewis, including those who are interested in fantasy art... here's one of the better efforts...
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Update...
The tree is still where it was left a few months ago... apparently the chain seems to have helped ;-)
The faces of type
One of the things I deal with almost daily, is how text and form are combined. Each typeface is different, each has its own character and I have a couple of personal favourites (although I really shouldn't I guess...).
Here's one of them... the Carolina, based on a mediaeval script which is very useful for some of the quieter, more elegant pieces of work.
Here's one of them... the Carolina, based on a mediaeval script which is very useful for some of the quieter, more elegant pieces of work.
Light in the darkness
I leave home early every morning around 6.10 a.m. It's a nice and quiet time of the day with practically no traffic and few people to be found on the streets at that time. I enjoy my walk to the station, through the deserted streets and make the most of my 20 minutes just looking around and rediscovering a world that can be peaceful when we're usually not looking.
This morning was very clear, with a crescent moon hanging above the horizon close to Saturn and the constellation of Orion shimmering brilliantly above a world still asleep.
Time lapse photo in which the dust clouds are also visible...
The human eye is so inefficient at these moments... the information gathered so fleeting and partial, we have no idea of the colour and beauty to be found in the heavens.
Photo of the Orion Nebula, made by the Hubble Space Telescope.
And yet, here on Earth too and using the same time lapse techniques as with the telescopes, a whole new world opens up before us, one as yet unknown.
I used to make photos like this years ago, with a camera on the roof of the house or at a lookout far above the city... the random trails working together to create a masterpiece in light and form. Beauty hiding quietly in the most unsuspected places...
This morning was very clear, with a crescent moon hanging above the horizon close to Saturn and the constellation of Orion shimmering brilliantly above a world still asleep.
Time lapse photo in which the dust clouds are also visible...
The human eye is so inefficient at these moments... the information gathered so fleeting and partial, we have no idea of the colour and beauty to be found in the heavens.
Photo of the Orion Nebula, made by the Hubble Space Telescope.
And yet, here on Earth too and using the same time lapse techniques as with the telescopes, a whole new world opens up before us, one as yet unknown.
I used to make photos like this years ago, with a camera on the roof of the house or at a lookout far above the city... the random trails working together to create a masterpiece in light and form. Beauty hiding quietly in the most unsuspected places...
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Hip hip hooray
Today's Google's 7th birthday... lets hear three cheers for a truly formidable search engine (which also owns Blogger, incidentally)
Monday, September 26, 2005
The Bra Fence
(dedicated to all people with a sense of humour...)
------------------------------------------
The original story...
A New Zealand farmer is resisting demands to take down hundreds of women's bras adorning a fence on his South Island property.
The idea was born five years ago when four women from the nearby town of Wanaka returning home from a night at the pub removed their bras and strung them up.
Since then, local sheep farmer John Lee has become the unofficial guardian of the site. Women passers-by have since added their own to the fence, gaining it worldwide publicity.
Now authorities in the Wanaka District are to spend thousands of dollars on road works to cater for the thousands of passing motorists who stop to photograph the "Bra Fence."
But Wanaka Community Board believes some locals are fed up with the unlikely tourist attraction. "It was probably a novelty for the first six months but I think it's passed and we need to move on," said chairman Bill Gordon. Another reason cited for taking down the fence is that it offends Asian and South African residents in the area.
(perhaps they could just be called UFO's... Unmentionable Feminine Objects if we're going to be so bloody politically correct about something that half the adult population doesn't think twice about... come on, let's be just a little bit sensible here...)
John Lee defended the bra-adorned fence, saying 90 per cent of letters he receives about it are supportive.
I thought it were the bras that were supposed to be supportive...
He said it was the most photographed attraction in the district.
short update: snipped from somewhere on the internet, date uncertain...
NEW ZEALAND - Bras are being used for a different kind of support by a farmer in New Zealand. John Lee started putting bras on the fence of his farm as a joke, but the 66-year-old says he is now receiving undergarments from all over the world.
Passing female motorists have even been known to get out of their cars, strip off their tops and adorn his famous fence with their bras. But thieves raided the bra fence three times in 10 days leaving him virtually bra-less.
He is now securing his bras to the fence using rabbit netting. He had 165 undergarments at the last count. "If these ladies keep sending me their bras I feel honor-bound to put them on the fence," Lee concluded.
Fence owner John Lees
Another update: snipped from the Otago Times.
Cardrona: Brazen brassiere bandits have uplifted one of the Cardrona Valley's tourism icons.
More than 200 bras, right down to the last D cup, have been snipped off the bra fence, leaving just posts, wire and rabbit netting.
Waiorau Snow Farm owner John Lee was alerted to the undergarment theft just hours after it happened.
Yesterday, Mr Lee could only stand and stare at bare fence wires and ponder who might have done the dastardly deed.
He suspected the bras had been stolen between 8am and 10am yesterday, as snow farm staff had seen them there in the morning.
Whoever took the bras may have a short-lived freedom, as Mr Lee has posted a $500 reward for information leading to the culprits.
"I will donate $500 towards the Cure Kids cause," he said.
Earlier this year, the fence had been blessed by a visiting American minister.
Bras had been appearing on the fence from just after Christmas until February, when about 130 disappeared.
Mr Lee was unperturbed as more bras were hung on the fence, reaching about 280 bras, from functional sports models to enticing lace evening wear.
There had been the occasional theft, but nothing untoward.
Since the bras first appeared, Mr Lee estimated he had given more than 80 radio, television, newspaper and magazine interviews to media around the globe.
Most of the bras had been left by passing travellers but many had arrived in the mail from places like Napier and Timaru, Colorado, Germany, the United States and Israel.
"Never anything from the cities like Auckland or Wellington," he quipped. "I had a lovely green one there from Germany.
"Whoever did this has been pretty determined. They have pulled off the rabbit netting to get to them."
Not that the bras would be of much use, as the thieves had left behind at least one of the shoulder straps.
Wanaka police have been notified of the disappearance.
Yet another update: February 13th 2006 snipped from www.stuff.co.nz
A Cardrona Valley ratepayers and residents association survey had come out in unanimous support of the valley's iconic bra fence to stay as it is, chairman John Scurr said yesterday.
A letter from the association asking that the bra fence be allowed to stay would be on Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Clive Geddes's desk today, Mr Scurr said.
"We've asked for it to stay as long as there is some caretaking of the fence. We don't want it getting higher, longer or suddenly being filled with boots and knickers as well. But it should stay because it's become part of the valley."
A row over whether the fence, with hundreds of bras tied along it, has been brewing for more than a year.
This was after lone objector, Andre Prassinos, an American who lives part of the year in Wanaka, started his solo campaign to get the council to remove the fence, saying it was a "potential traffic hazard" , Mr Scurr said.
Within a few months of his (Mr Prassinos') objection the council organised the building of two traffic lay-bys so that motorists who wanted to take pictures of the fence could pull off the road safely.
Fence owner John Lee said the two lay-bys were not funded by ratepayers.
"It cost $12,000 and $6000 was from a special Transit New Zealand safety fund and the other $6000 was paid by me," he said.
The lay-bys had now been in place for more than a year, he said.
But last week Mr Prassinos urged the council again to get rid of the bra fence, saying it was "a growing eyesore" , Mr Lee said.
Two weeks earlier, Mr Lee's Queenstown lawyer, Warwick Goldsmith, had told council the fence wasn't actually on Mr Lee's land; that it was 8cm inside public road reserve.
Mr Lee said he was now being asked by council to apply for a licence to have the fence on the road reserve.
But a year ago, when the row first blew up after the complaint, he had been asked by the council to apply for resource consent for the fence, he said.
"That's when they thought it was on my land," he said.
About three or four years ago Mr Prassinos, who owns property nearby, had asked him for free access to a road on his (Mr Lee's) property but he had declined, Mr Lee said.
"And I won't comment about it any further just now."
Mr Scurr said the bra fence had started in the new year of the new Millenium.
"Four Wanaka women who had been at the Cardrona hotel celebrating decided the millenium should be liberating for all women so took their bras off and hung them on the fence across the road," he said.
Since then hundreds more bras had been draped along the fence including some from a farmer in the Maniototo whose wife had died. He sent a parcel with four bras in it to John Lee to "be hung in memoriam to his wife" .
See also Bra stories on the Waiorau Snow Farm site.
A child's question
Did you ever wonder why we had to run for shelter,
When the promise of a brave new world,
Unfurled beneath a clear blue sky?
Pink Floyd / The Wall
-----------------------------------
Some delightful artwork was found here, this evening...
thoughtprovoking, surreal,
a delicate mixture of Escher, Magritte and Dali...
When the promise of a brave new world,
Unfurled beneath a clear blue sky?
Pink Floyd / The Wall
-----------------------------------
Some delightful artwork was found here, this evening...
thoughtprovoking, surreal,
a delicate mixture of Escher, Magritte and Dali...
Saturday, September 24, 2005
An amazing day...
It's been a long, tiring day but one totally fulfilling. Today was the demonstration in The Hague against a government that is hell-bent on destroying any kind of social conscience... instead of realising that the people of the country, and especially those less well-off, have particular needs of their own.
I'm so freakingly tired at the moment, I've spent most of the evening working out photos, which I've placed on my website.
There were so many people belonging to all kinds of organisations, as well as those who are just concerned citizens wanting to raise their voices. Also, a large number of asylum seekers who are in deep trouble at the moment because of the sharpened but haphazard policies of the Immigration department.
Me and a friend, this afternoon...
(photo made by Eldest Daughter)
I'm so freakingly tired at the moment, I've spent most of the evening working out photos, which I've placed on my website.
There were so many people belonging to all kinds of organisations, as well as those who are just concerned citizens wanting to raise their voices. Also, a large number of asylum seekers who are in deep trouble at the moment because of the sharpened but haphazard policies of the Immigration department.
Me and a friend, this afternoon...
(photo made by Eldest Daughter)
Friday, September 23, 2005
Books galore...
I just found a totally amazing site this evening, at least for me because I'm obsessed by books, design and typography in the broadest sense.
The British Library has put up a site on which original manuscripts of certain books can be viewed, amongst others Lewis Carrolls "Alice" books and the Leonardo da Vinci's sketches. You can find it here, at Turning The Pages
It was a real eyeopener, for sure... hope you like it too...
N.B. you need a Macromedia Shockwave plugin for your browser to be able to use this site).
The British Library has put up a site on which original manuscripts of certain books can be viewed, amongst others Lewis Carrolls "Alice" books and the Leonardo da Vinci's sketches. You can find it here, at Turning The Pages
It was a real eyeopener, for sure... hope you like it too...
N.B. you need a Macromedia Shockwave plugin for your browser to be able to use this site).
Where are you?
I heard your voice as a whisper in the wind;
I almost didn't hear it at all...
for it was light and soft.
You called my name, I turned around-
but you were nowhere to be found.
I know you're far away, you see,
but in my heart you're here with me.
The wind can fool the mind and heart
When whispered lightly in the ear...
And what it really did to me
was bring a rush of tears.
------------------
Author unknown
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Dead end
It's one of those days again. After having slept badly, restlessly and apprehensively I woke up with such a feeling of preoccupation and pain in my abdomen, my f*ing stomach in knots.
I had a really strange dream this morning, just before I'd be supposed to be getting up at 5.30. I was in some sort of underground building, dimly lit with a number of people, about 30 or so. There were all sorts of corridors going in all directions, but most of the time we just stayed in a small square where some of the corridors radiated from. Some of the people I knew, others were strangers and there was some kind of meeting going on.
Suddenly, one of my "colleagues" started running down one of the corridors and disappeared into the darkness. Other people silently left the square, going off into rooms that ajoined the square or also walking slowly into the corridors until there were only about 7 or eight of us left.
At that point, the woman who was standing next to me, took me by the arm and told me that there was nothing to be worried about, that everything would be fine and I took her hand and we played with each others hands in the way you'd do with somebody special but when I looked up, everybody else had gone as well.
The light became dimmer and the air became thicker and warmer. A breeze started blowing through the corridors and it started blowing harder and faster and we had no idea of which way we were supposed to be going. I don't know where she went to and suddenly the light failed altogether, leaving me alone in the darkness with the wind howling furiously around me.
I woke up at that moment, feeling sick unable to shake the sadness from me and hurting. I called in sick at work, something I almost never do. I've very rarely felt this terrible and even typing right now is costing me more effort than I really can afford. I still need to eat something but can't bring myself to do so yet.
Damn, I wish these things wouldn't happen. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it...
I had a really strange dream this morning, just before I'd be supposed to be getting up at 5.30. I was in some sort of underground building, dimly lit with a number of people, about 30 or so. There were all sorts of corridors going in all directions, but most of the time we just stayed in a small square where some of the corridors radiated from. Some of the people I knew, others were strangers and there was some kind of meeting going on.
Suddenly, one of my "colleagues" started running down one of the corridors and disappeared into the darkness. Other people silently left the square, going off into rooms that ajoined the square or also walking slowly into the corridors until there were only about 7 or eight of us left.
At that point, the woman who was standing next to me, took me by the arm and told me that there was nothing to be worried about, that everything would be fine and I took her hand and we played with each others hands in the way you'd do with somebody special but when I looked up, everybody else had gone as well.
The light became dimmer and the air became thicker and warmer. A breeze started blowing through the corridors and it started blowing harder and faster and we had no idea of which way we were supposed to be going. I don't know where she went to and suddenly the light failed altogether, leaving me alone in the darkness with the wind howling furiously around me.
I woke up at that moment, feeling sick unable to shake the sadness from me and hurting. I called in sick at work, something I almost never do. I've very rarely felt this terrible and even typing right now is costing me more effort than I really can afford. I still need to eat something but can't bring myself to do so yet.
Damn, I wish these things wouldn't happen. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it...
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Monsters under the bed?
Poor Eldest Daughter's been sleepwalking again the last few days, having difficulty getting to sleep in the first place and being extremely restless. She usually comes downstairs once or twice a night and doesn't really know what she's doing half the time... not that she does any really strange or dangerous things but just walks around, mumbles a bit in the bathroom and then goes back upstairs after 10 minutes or so.
One thing I do know for sure though, I think part of her problem lies in the things she's been reading and watching on TV. She tends to be interested in all sorts of things concerning mysticism and magic, "black arts", witchcraft and horror stories and I think it's affected her to the extent that there's always an undercurrent of tension and nervousness in her life.
I've tried to get her talking about it, with varying degrees of success at different times, but she doesn't want to let loose of her own fantasy world, something I can understand but I try to convince her that if her interests are making life difficult for her, she'll have to re-examine them at some point. We talk a lot, we understand each pretty well, but as a parent (and father) I'm still finding it difficult putting myself in her shoes...
One thing I do know for sure though, I think part of her problem lies in the things she's been reading and watching on TV. She tends to be interested in all sorts of things concerning mysticism and magic, "black arts", witchcraft and horror stories and I think it's affected her to the extent that there's always an undercurrent of tension and nervousness in her life.
I've tried to get her talking about it, with varying degrees of success at different times, but she doesn't want to let loose of her own fantasy world, something I can understand but I try to convince her that if her interests are making life difficult for her, she'll have to re-examine them at some point. We talk a lot, we understand each pretty well, but as a parent (and father) I'm still finding it difficult putting myself in her shoes...
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