Happy Easter Everyone

I know I am supposed to celebrate the religious significance of this holiday but all I can think of is having time to do nothing (does sleep count as something?) , visiting my sister on her 'farm', seeing an old friend that I don't see enough of and eating yummy things.  

So, what ever Easter means to you, Have a wonderful Easter  hop...hop...hop.....

Vegetarian Vegan Omnivore

I am a vegetarian; or more exactly, an ovo/lacto/pescatarian.  That means I eat dairy, eggs and cold blooded sea and river animals (fish, prawns etc).

I have eaten like this for 2/3 of my lifetime.  I became vegetarian when I was in my late teens and got involved with an animal and environmental rights group who profoundly influenced me.

My undergraduate degree further influenced me by helping me sort out the self-awareness in warm and cold blooded animals.  

Since then, I have progressed towards my own version of eating ... that is; organic if possible and sustainably and ethically bred or grown.  I try to eat as healthily as possible; simply because I feel better for it (besides a few glasses of wine, coffee and too much chocolate - fair trade of course).

I will cook meat for friends and family; even hand roll meat balls.  My dog is a carnivore.  I collected the heads from road kill as part of my university course.  In my past I have shot, skinned and eaten a rabbit.  I have sampled snake, croc and  emu and various insects.   Even now I fish, and gut and scale my catch. I have evolved my own ethics on my eating, but I try not to force my ethos onto others. 

I follow Sarah Wilson's blog, and she recently wrote about her visit to an abattoir (yes I have also visited an abattoir, several times, and a veal and a pig farm, and a cage chicken farm also ... experiences I would not like to repeat).  

It is a thoughtful read, with this quote by Sarah resonating with me... 

'i saw the fullness of life on display. the tenacity of life. it quivered and bucked on the production line as the nerves held on longer than consciousness'

One of her readers then commented ...  

"I think one of the biggest issues both with food production and personal health is that people are completely disassociated from their food source. There is no respect for the life that is sacrificed in order to sustain us. No participation in the reality of survival."

I 100% agree with the above comment.  I want to expand this philosophy further however.  

I believe our attitude towards everything in our lives, our decisions on what we eat, how we live, how we interact with others and our environment (in our homes and in the wider world) reflects the level of respect we show.  Respect for ourselves, respect for others, respect and appreciation for what we have, what we give and what we receive .  

A lack of respect is negative on everyone and everything around you.  

Perhaps, ultimately, that is what is 'wrong' in the world, why so much seems dark and hopeless, why the younger generation are so negative.  They seem to have little respect for anyone or anything, not even themselves, so see only the disassociation with the world.  This is perpetuated by media... especially as the 'bad news' sells; good news fails.

Is there a market for a happy newspaper or a happy tv station?    

Classic Quotes The Hop!

Watched the movie 'Hop' the other day with young friend (about an animated Easter Bunny (voiced by Russell Brand) who wants to be famous playing the drums!).  

All the 'bunny's' in the movie are animated, but the human actors and the backgrounds are real with the animations superimposed over the top.  

Anyway, to get to the chase, it is a pretty ordinary movie apart from one truly classic quote.

The Easter Bunny has just auditioned on the drums for David Hasslehoff (yes ... that one!) in 'The Hoff knows Talent'!

The Hoff tells him he is 'IN'.  The Bunny gets excited and starts talking with the Hoff.  
Then; the Bunny's manager (played by James Marsden) asks The Hoff;  'Don't you find it strange that there is a talking rabbit who plays the drums?'

The Hoff; with a deadpan face replies 'No.... my best friend is a talking car!'.

Boom boom.

Maybe you had to be there .............  :)

Moving House ... tick

Moved house last week,  and because settlement on the new place isn't until July, the three of us (including the dog) have moved in temporarily with VGF (Very Good Friend, and hopefully for a long while to come ... if friendship survives until the second move).

I have some things stored at VGF, some in my office at work (looks like a messy shed) and most crammed into a storage place nearby.  I also have some things stored in my car, because I have totally run out of places to put things.

When I move into the new place ... things are going to have to go ... why do I have so much stuff?

THANK YOU NEIL YOUNG AND CRAZY HORSE

The setting was the Hill Winery near Geelong.  It was Neil Young's last concert in Australia on his current tour.  And; it was raining.  And raining.  And raining.  

If you looked around the venue all you could see were 1,000s of people.   All wet but mostly happy people.  

It was the first real rain for many weeks so we couldn't complain, except for the timing .... an outdoor gig with a legend and centimeters of relentless rain.

The music?  Magnificent.  
Crazy Horse?  Everyone looked like they were having a ball. 
Mr Young himself?  Magic.  He asked for dry towels to mop down his guitar; and he played and played and sang and sang and, in true creative artist style... lost himself in his music and only noticed the audience when he finished a song.  

The set list was irrelevant because all the songs were classics.  The sound quality was brilliant from where I was standing.

If you had to pick a 'remember that' moment it had to be during 'Like a Hurricane'. 

The stage crew lowered the keyboard from the rafters. The keyboard swayed in the wind and forced the organist had to sway with it to play! And then the rain became a frenzied horizontal deluge as Neil started the familiar ... 'you are like a Hurricane...'  surely the most prophetic line in the whole concert.  And the crowd down the front where I was loved it.

A concert to remember for a long, long time. 

A hot, hot shower, big cup of tea and fluffy slippers were compulsory when I got home.  

Hey Hey My My review

In my next post, I will give you my review of the 'grandfather of grunge' Neil Young's concert at the Hill Winery 'Day on the Green'.  

I love Neil; but I have read mixed reviews for his Australian tour so far.  

I am going with some real die hard followers, so I will give a personal and all round assessment of the day.

Either way, I really think I will love it ... the main criticism from others seems to be that he plays 'feed back guitar riffs that go on for 15-20 minutes'.  

I don't know what is wrong with that ... he has always done that with Crazy Horse; and at the age of 69 ... he can play what he damn well wants.  And I will be there to bath in it.

Stay tuned.

Is this why I am 'out of sync?'

So much is happening in my life at the moment - what with moving house, work, life and family in general.  

I am one big bundle of nervous energy and somewhat directionless (or I seem to be ... I don't seem to get things done although I am doing things all the time!).

I need routine!  I've got chaos.  (I don't really mind chaos ... just hope that there is a down time part to my life before more chaos hits!)

Sarah Wilson (one of the blogs I read everyday) posted about how your Vata may be out of balance.  

http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/2011/04/how-to-tame-your-vata/

Bingo - may be that is what is wrong with me.  The quiz certainly outlined what is happening to me at the moment. 

Vata balancing starting now.

Ringo Starr the Artist

Saturday was a big day for me.  As well as buying a house, I went to the Ringo Starr art/Beatles photography exhibition at the Silver K Gallery in Armadale.  

I had heard comments to the effect that Ringo 'was not an artist' and that his art 'was not great'.   Well, to quote a good friend; each to their own.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.  

Ringo is not 'an artist', he is what I would term a create-er. His art was humorous, whimsical,  joyful, clever and represented what made him feel good about his creativity. You can be critical and say 'I could do that'.  The fact is ...  Ringo did it.

If I could have afforded to buy, I would have; because many of the pieces made me feel joyful too. I giggled over some, and absorbed the colours in others.  And the message was loud and clear ... enjoy it.  

It is a clever method to capitilise on your fame for a good cause - the proceeds of his art sales go to his and his wife's charity.  What a great way to raise money and raise the profile of the charity too.

Bad Finger!

I love this "Ringo is knot for weapons' 

The photographic exhibition was lovely.  Many of the shots were of the  'boys' early days, in black and white. 

The manager/owner of the gallery retold a story of when Ringo was actually doing his meet and greet at the exhibit opening.  Some of the photos had reminded Ringo of happy times or funny stories that he hadn't thought about for many years.   

Photos do that to you, don't they. 

SHOULD I HAVE BOUGHT IT?

 I bought a house at auction.  

After looking at 34 properties (and countless properties not worth looking at).

It was one of the first places I went through.  And it is the only one I loved from the moment I walked though the door.  It felt like home. It ticked all boxes ... and more. 

I thought I had no hope of winning ... it was too perfectly 'me' ... there were too many people interested (I went to see it four times and it was crowded each time ... everyone loved it!) ... the asking price was too high ... 

Auction day.  I had done my homework and knew what I could afford.  I had studied 'how to bid at auction' websites; asked the selling agent a million questions; took my gorgeous friend with me for moral support (and to say  'NO' if needed).   I was ready.   

I was the only bidder.  I stood there - not bidding - and no one else bid either.  I had to throw my intended action plan out of the window; and bid first ........... and that was it.

It hadn't reached the asking price, but after negotiating (and more throwing away of action plans) a price compromise was reached.

When I got home, I started thinking ..... what was wrong with it?  I didn't find any structural problems, ownership issues, leaks, grumpy neighbours,  chemical poisoning, mad skeletons etc. Was I missing something? Should I have bought it?

Or should I look at it another way ... my accumulated good karma is paying off (I truly think I am blessed with the important things). Perhaps this was meant to be.  

I intend to do something nice for someone today, and tomorrow, and the next day ....