Friday 28 February 2014

random thoughts on a crowded train

 I still am having trouble getting to work on time, 8 out of 10 times I am 5 minutes late.  Not a big deal except that I pride myself on always being on time or early for work.

Its the trains and the buses fault, not because I procrastinate and read the paper and have breakfast and then try out 5 different outfits before I have to leave the house in a hurry, cursing myself for procrastinating and eating all those choc/chips/whatever the night before and my tummy is bloated again and I look fat in that dress.........

I stick the earphones in and look for Tom on my IPod and drift off .............

" nose feels funny, Oh God I hope there isn't a booger sticking out"

" Damn bus is late again"

" OOh that woman's wearing really nice shoes, I wonder where she got them, If I asked her she'd think I am nuts, better not ask her"

"  Damn train is full again"

"Oh My GOD, is that a dirt track down that woman's back!  I wonder If I have one!! Nah, I use a wash cloth"

"I can smell bad breath, damn crowded train, I hope no one farts now!"

"ooh he looks nice"

"I hope that dick isnt in the office today"

"  Ooh another one, Yummm, perks of going to work into town, so many yummy men to look at "

"led Zep time"  Changing music so I can get to listen to Bron Y-aur Stomp as I walk from train station to office.  That has to be the best walking song, its perky catchy and has a damn good beat.

"seriously is she going to a cocktail or the office in that dress, I can see the back of her bra!"

" why is that man looking at me....I MUST  have a booger sticking out of my nose"

The joys of standing cheek to jowl with my fellow commuters and being just one of the little hamsters in a big bad world..........





Friday 21 February 2014

the story teller

 I've been listening to Tom Waits alot recently and while I call Bob Dylan the poet, Tom is the storyteller.  He weaves his stories in my ear as I  ride the packed trains to work, and there is this song, an invitation to the blues that transports me to a movie set and I can see this movie playing.

The whole movie like the song is in the diner, 2 hours of the movie would be this guy wondering if he should stay or go while he watches this woman, with flash backs of her life and how she got there and his life too.  I can see the set, I can see him sitting in a corner watching her as she walks around doing her job.  I can see the customers coming in and out..............god I love Tom Waits..............

here is the song....


Thursday 13 February 2014

life lessons from a non swimmer

So its been a month back in the working world, in a new environment.

This morning while I was in the shower ( funny how all life's Epiphany's happen in the shower) I thought about all the different types of personalities that make up the office dynamics.

its like swimming
me ...all eager

you have those in the office that warn you about the dangers of swimming in deep waters and tell you how to deal with it, and they will be the ones that will throw you a life line if you get into trouble.  I like these kinds!

then you have the ones that will warn you and will run to find help should you get into deep waters and are flailing about.  But they don't hang around to see if you drown or are saved.

then you have the ones that warn you of the dangers, don't bother to call for help or help you should you go under.  the I told you so's.

then of course there are the ones that warn you, help you and of course try to save you themselves but invariable get dragged under as well.....those are the good but misguided ones.

then there are the ones that don't warn you, keep silent and watch you go deeper, but raise the alarm as you go too deep, and leave you to it. The,  Its not my problem sort.

then the most infamous of them all are the ones that don't warn you, keep silent as you wade in and watch  as
reality!
you go deeper and deeper until you are totally under, walk away and if someone raises the alarm then its fine and good, but will be quite happy if no one did,  and later tell everyone how "he/she" shouldn't have gone so deep.
These are the ones to watch out for.....

and I seem to have one sitting very close to me..............


Friday 7 February 2014

ageism

As one gets older you begin to realise that the world doesn't see you as a person anymore,  you end up shuttled into categories and labels.

I was really excited this morning after reading an article about a new heritage walk to commemorate the falling of Singapore to the Japanese during World War II, but my excitement quickly turned to one of sheer horror.  I, at 51 years of age was not allowed to go for the walk!   It was open only to people 12 years to 45 years of age due to the difficult terrain.

Now would a 12 year old be more fit than say a 55 year old that ran marathons? But lets not compare a marathon runner to a child.  What about me,  I did walks in NZ that were an hour long on trails and I am quite sure I could do this slow heritage walk.
I am going to email them and register for the walk and will ask them about the utter ridiculous age restrictions imposed.  Lets see what reply I get.

UPDATE:  I eventually got a reply to my "registration" for the walk, after I emailed them again to enquire if I had managed to be one of the lucky ones to get a place.  I was told politely that the walk was over subscribed but thank you for your interest.  So I emailed back asking if the walk was oversubscribed at my first email or second. The age restriction was never mentioned in the reply, they simply took the easy way out, that the walk was over subscribed.  These walks are very informative and the National Heritage Board should be doing them more often, not just at special occasions.  hopefully they do and no more stupid age restrictions.  I do feel cheated though, I wasn't allowed to argue my point that us seniors aren't as soft as they think we are!


Sunday 2 February 2014

celluloid dreams part deux

So in continuation of all those movies I was supposed to go see,

Wolf of Wall Street
Our censors passed this under the rating of R 21- which meant only people over 21 could go see it.  One would think that there would be no cuts to the movie and we, as responsible adults could go watch all the tits and ass, sex  and the cocaine sniffing (one does sniff cocaine right?)
Anyway, we got to see all that and the masturbating scene, but our censors snipped out the gay orgy scene.  Why, cos obviously we will all find that scene such a turn on that we would want to go have gay sex!  or are our powers that be just plain homophobic!
The story of course is about wall street's greed and debauchery and it is in full glory in this movie.....
Martin Scorsese tells beautiful stories, he is one of the directors that I would watch no matter what, this is one of Marty's good ones!  Leo should get the Oscar for this one.

Dallas Buyers Club
Mathew McConaughey plays an AIDS patient who in the early days didn't get the right drugs to help him so he finds other means to get the right cocktail. Great story, told well and I don't think he should get the Oscar, Leo deserves it.  Jared Leto on the other hand, did a brilliant job, fabulous acting from the pretty boy!  The  question is however, will the right man get the Oscar for best male performance or will they give it Matt for losing all that weight and looking frightfully thin!

Inside Llewyn Davies
Anything the Coen brothers do I will watch, and I am glad I watched this.  funny, poignant great dialogue, great music....My kind of movie.  One cannot watch a Coen brothers movie just once, it has to be watched several times.  You will always find something else to think/ laugh about each time you watch it.  This was also probably the only movie from all the ones I have seen that didn't  have nudity and sex, very refreshing.

August Osage County and Her  - these two are on the list but  so far  I haven't been able to get the time to watch them.  I could go during the week after work but the screening times are at mid day, when I am at work.  Hopefully they will still be playing  this weekend.... If not it's buy online or wait for DVD.

It's been fun chasing the celluloid dreams, back to reality now.....