Bat? What Bat?

A sublime and faultless World Cup by the Aussies, with photographic proof that that Gilchrist has negated even the need for the use of a bat to continue their winning ways.

The only shame is the competition itself was such a longwinded overblown timewasting let down. Cricket is in crisis.

But credit where its due, those dam Aussies are goooood!

Meet The Team At The Edge

Quite a few people have been asking me how hard is it to do this blog thing. Well I'm pleased to bring you this post where you can meet the team who make it all happen

Thats Warren and Iain at the front (Warren is the pensive one) and their staff are humming away in great productivity in the background.

Come and meet them someday, by appointment only of course!

Drought Breaker

Well I think today was quite possibly one of the shittiest most crappiest days I've ever had in a workspace. Everyone is busy trying to tell the boss he is a pile of steaming donkey excrement, in the nicest possible way while he attempts to disestablish 20% of the firm in one intensely foul swoop. If anyone wants to know how to completely decimate a government organisation, drop me a line and I'll put you in touch....

Anyway the call for the night was to have a few quiets and go watch rugby with the boys. It was after that when Razor had a religious experience or two. It has been a pretty 'Summery' sort of time in the Jaffabowl lately, so everyone has got complacent.

It was with considerable trepidation as a storm rolled in that I decided to test out the late night train system from the swanky Britomart (see Atlas video for detail) to the not-so-swanky Westie landmark of the Glen Eden train station. It was an enlightening journey....punctuated by anyone under 18 thinking to their error that they could ride for free (aka steal a ride) and hence forth having a long walk home from (ironically) the Mt Eden Station.

Anyway, after the dude asleep with the Megadeth Tshirt got ejected at New Lynn, I headed off into the elements from the Glen Eden Station. It was 5 mins run down the road in the Big Wet where I hit the Jaffabowl equivalent of winning lotto- yes, I found an abandoned umbrella. Consequently I now get to sit here dry as a bone, listening to the monsoon thumping down on the roof, complete with Thunder and Lightning.

Hopefully it has struck the office as I type...

News Roundup

There are a few strange things going on round the planet this week.

In Germany a bloke got really pissed and parked himself in an ATM lobby for a snooze....with his horse.

In the UK more than a million people are logging on to watch a block of cheese age

In New Zealand McDonalds are serving up contraceptives with their kiddies happy meals

Training Update

Sometimes the Auckland scene ain't all bad folks....



















This was the scene for one of my training runs this week, around the bays. All is going good guns, have managed four 15km+ runs in the past week in Wellington, Tongariro and the above setting. Have also sneaked the usual Mt Eden runs at lunchtimes from the office. Two weeks Saturday to race day, no niggles, no drama's and now the cricket is over sleep patterns can return to normal too. I reckon the pictured round the bays run was the fastest 15km I've ever done. I just want to run the race now please!

Journalistic Shellshock

I never thought I'd see the day the Auckland Herald would write an article of pure literary fact let alone one as good this one:

Crusaders Admiration Society (Link)

Its hard to fault what the man says! The article has reportedly led to great distress among Auckland residents, and the Chairman of the local Flat Earth Society Branch, Fes Whatglobe, has pointed to this mornings spate of unexplained choking deaths in Auckland as being "symptomatic of the state of the cornflake industry".

We won't talk about the cricket though, please folks just move along, nothing to see there behind the smouldering ruins of Bracewells career. At least he's got out of the World Cup with his life intact mind you!

Kylie Minogue to Star in Dr Who

Fantastic news!

Link here

(Apologies to those weak of heart or constitution for the gratuitous nature of this post, under no circumstances should such persons click onto the photo)

Razor Review- Red Hot Chili Peppers

Ok folks, this is a tough one to write about, but I'm going to do it while its as fresh in the head as a stroll up Queen Street. I'm feeling quite conflicted after a great gig that was ruined by a terrible finale.

To put it simply, the Chili's 5 years ago played one of the top five gigs I've ever seen. Tonight they matched that for 80 minutes, and then completely sabotaged it during a turgid and completely fetid encore.

The new Vector Arena is I'm pleased to say an outstanding venue. It really will be the site of many a great show in years to come. And tonight for the majority of the show the Chili's did what they do best, they galloped through 80 minutes of crowd pleasing virtuoso funk rock/ blues, featuring material primarily from their excellent last two CD's, Stadium Arcadium and By The Way. John Frusciante, as in ChCh 5 years ago, was the star of the show. The spirit of Hendrix lives in this man- and when I get round to compiling the list of top guitar players I've seen he's probably in the top two or three.

Flea is incomparable on bass, and still plays with an unexplainable vigour of youth even though by his own admission his daughter is older than some of the songs they play these days. And in Chad Smith he has a wonderfully solid foil on drums for those brilliant between-song impromptu jams. And thats why you go to a Chili's gig- to see the spirit of spontaneity, and to be taken on a wild ride.

Unfortunately for the encore the spirit was sucked into a lifeless void, so dramatically that much headscratching and venting of disappointment was being articulated by the 12,000 punters walking out after the sellout second gig for the weekend. After smoking the crowd with my personal show highlight I Could've Lied from Blood Sugar Sex Magic, they then proceeded to plod through Give it Away before starting a snorefest of a jam that was completely devoid of imagination, virtuosity or humor- those key ingredients that they normally do so brilliantly. After 15 minutes of complete monotony they simply downed tools and disappeared, up came the lights and 12,000 surprised faces looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and wandered out into the night.

Rumour has it the Chili's are retiring from touring soon, and if thats how they farewelled our shores its a great shame. For a ticket price that was $30 bucks more than the outstanding benchmark U2 show, and even $20 bucks more that the drooling epic lollyshop that is the Big Day Out, I think they could have done better. Perhaps a crowd pleaser like Under The Bridge, Higher Ground, Californication, Scar Tissue or Breaking the Girl might have been a better finish than a poor impersonation of a latter day Pink Floyd sleep inducer. Its not like they don't have an expansive back catalogue to delve into!

Anyway, to finish on a bright note, it was still a brilliant gig for the majority of the set, and between weddings, holidays, Routeburn races and a few other top secret plans I have to say Life Rocks- so party hard folks!

For those trainspotters out there the songlist was:

Cant Stop, Dani California, Other Side, Charlie, If, 21st Century, My Will For You, Hey Oh/ Snow, Get on Top, Shes Only 18, Catholic Schoolgirls Rule, Hump de Bump, Don't Forget Me, Tell Me Baby, By the Way, I Could've Lied, Give It Away

By the way (haha) this is how close my seat was to the stage, you could see the whites of their eyes!

Guns N Yanks

I recently read a book called We Need To Talk About Kevin by a lady named Lionel Shriver. Lionel is an unusual name for a lady, but I guess some would argue Tony is a girls name so I'm not one to debate that one!

Anyway its a haunting and at times frightening about a kid who goes on a killing rampage in an American School, despite having a 'a good upbringing'. In light of this weeks events in Virginia it just double underlines to me how different things must be over there compared to Godzone. It's an immense tragedy and I fear it won't be the last- or worst - rampage that we see on American soils.

I think these pictures published by the US pro-gun lobby pretty much sum it up in one hit.

Meanwhile in Iraq .... the worlds media did not stop everything to report 190 car bomb deaths the same day.

For Blog Readers Who Have Rat Problems

Daily Constitutional Rights

Seems Appropriate At The Moment.....

Back in the Jaffabowl

Christ you go away for 3 weeks and you come back to your office being downsized by 20%? Was like working in a morgue today, not helped by the fact my PC at the office had a complete hard drive meltdown and has to be replaced. Oh well, it could be worse!

The last few days were outstanding, Linda's wedding in Blenheim was brilliant, held at the Montana winery just out of town. Great batch of Pinot Noir by the way- as pictured we drunk the cellar dry.....sorry!! The next wedding is in Rarotonga in August....bring it on!

Cook Strait was a dolphin laden millpond for the crossing on Sunday, and even Wellington laid on a couple of good sunny days for catching up with the family.

The drive up yesterday was sweet, great new tunes to listen to courtesy of my darling sister and even managed a two and a half hour training run up to the Tama Lakes on Mt Ngaruahoe. Great day, but a long one.

Man I love road trips!

Dolphins and Sense of Place

Thanks again to Captain Mark (owe you big time mate) I was out on the ocean waves yesterday for the swim with the dolphins cruise. Outstanding morning, a little choppy in the Akaroa Harbour but much much better around the corner in the open ocean. The dolphins were in good form, awesome creatures.

Rounded the day out nicely with a sub 2 hour whip up and down the 804m Stoney Bay Peak for a magnificient view before Old Man Southerly rolled in with speactacular fashion. Feel like I'm really getting somewhere with the training now.

A late autumn crispness in the sunny air today....and more importantly a good coating of snow on the Alps!

Razor Review- Paul McLaney

Ah the Dux. Great little venue for gigs and have seen some classics there over the years. Went along last night to see Paul McLaney (aka Gramsci) play a very polished set from his lastest album Edin. Highly recommended, even had a yak the the man himself. Good solid 8 out of 10.

McLaney is a wonderful songwriter and I hadn't realised what a talent he is on guitar, and that voice- the closest NZ has to an Eddie Vedder. His tour takes him to Queenstown, Te Anau and Milford Sound for gigs in the next week- yes Milford Sound!

Another Hard Day's Training in Club Med Canterbury

Its really hard being on holiday in this weather, 25 degrees and not a breath of wind. Godley Head and Quail Island were the 'office' today. Akaroa tomorrow, they say theres a cold snap coming but I just don't believe it at the moment!

I hear through the grapevine its flooding up north again too.

Routeburn Training

http://www.goodtimesevents.net/routeburn.html

5 weeks to go to the big race.

After a couple of slightly over indulgent days on the alcohol front in recent days the training got back into full swing yesterday with a bit of an epic three hours in the Port Hills yesterday. It was yet another stunning day to be out and about.

If you know a good masseuse please call me, am having a few troubles with a minor calf niggle that just won't go away, otherwise progress is going well- the targeted 5 hours is on track I reckon.

Parking Woes

Now Dave Henderson may be pushing the boundaries a bit when the Parking Wardens return after Easter. Parking his Mig Jet just round the corner from the Council Building could be seen as inflammatory, but it is good to see the Mainland beefing up the air force strike power ahead of the looming hostilities from North Islanders.

I hope the Registration and Warrant of Fitness are up to date.

Easter Shock

Bob Woolmer is no longer the most notorious murder case for 2007. Easter sprung a macabre surprise yesterday, with this shocking scene unfolding at the Christchurch Art Gallery.

Police have a number of leads to follow, but finding the culprit(s) is going to be a complicated task in light of the recent highly charged public debate as to whether the Easter Bunny should be dumped and replaced by a more iconic creature.

So if, like me, you are wondering where your easter eggs are then it would pay not to expect delivery any time soon.

***Late Update****
The Easter Bunny has been officially succeeded by the Easter Kiwi. The unfancied Easter Alpaca and Easter Dan Carter were considered before falling by the wayside.

Click here for full article

One Eyed Cantabs

Some subtle advertising as seen in South City Mall, downtown Christchurch yesterday

Rockstar Razornova

Accomodation at Chateau Hereford comes with free music lessons (Thanks Paul!). I'm now a guitarist of world renown, I can play the tunes to "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" with great expertise after just one day's lessons. If anything ever happens to The Edge I'm expecting my old mate Bono to give me a yell as soon as....

I'll let you all know when my first album is available for downloa...oppps....purchase. Haha.

On the thread of music, I've started a chart on the main page here to track whats top of my pops. Feel free to send me your advice on new (or old) stuff that needs to be heard!

Working Hard In Christchurch

They've given me the Conservators office to work from down here, I've been innundated with requests for payrises! Needless to say I rubber stamp all reasonably bribed requests.

Training is going well, backed up from a 3 hour run from Halswell, up the Kennedys Bush Track, along the Crater Rim Track to Rapaki and then down to a BBQ at Mark and Alex's, and not a sore leg, back, knee or head in evidence whatsoever the next day. 5 weeks Saturday till race day!

This sign at the top of the Rapaki Track concerned me that Mr Razork and friends might be up to no good again though....

Indian Summer

30 degrees at the end of March. Cannot complain about that! Sumner beach was mint, but my second home the Dux de Lux was in peak form. Long live summer!

Into some serious training more the next big event now, today the Port Hills will get a hammering. May 12 will be a biggie, the 38km Routeburn Classic. Some would say running around the Fiordland mountains for 4 or 5 hours slogging ones guts out is a strange way to spend ones 35th birthday, but it sounds like a great way to pass the day to me! And the aftermatch in Queenstown that night should be fun too... consider yourselves invited if you happen to be in need of an early winter trip to the deep south.