Storms

For those of you overseas or alseep from reality in places like Te Puke, NZ is getting hammered by some pretty fierce and unusually strong weather systems at present.

I have never seen the Avon River as high as it is in ChCh this morning. Its close to breaching its banks two blocks from my place as at 8am this morning. Staggering. Will try and get out later for some pics, although for the time being the rain has stopped here.

Global Warming huh....

Darwin Award Nomination

It would appear that natural selection applies to the priesthood also, no body is immune

Again, from Stuff.co.nz

Body of ballooning Brazilian priest found at sea

The body of a Brazilian priest who floated out over the ocean suspended by hundreds of helium-filled party balloons, has been found off the coast of southeastern Brazil, police have confirmed.
The corpse of Father Adelir Antonio de Carli was spotted by a tugboat at sea near the city of Macae, three months after he disappeared while flying a contraption buoyed by balloons over the Atlantic Ocean in a fund-raising stunt.
"We were almost certain that it was the priest due to various elements, such as the clothes and material used in the balloon trip," Macae's chief of police, Daniel Bandeira, said on Monday. "The DNA only confirmed our suspicions."
The priest disappeared on April 20 after he called friends from his mobile phone to say he was about to crash into the ocean.
He staged the stunt to help raise money for a chapel for truckers in his highway parish.

Oi, Mr Marvin...

Did they spell your name wrong, is this your attempt to get ahead of me on the Kepler this year?

Click to see Stuff.co.nz article here...

Razor Review: Is Shihad on the Wane?

Well first review for a while. Should have blogged great reviews for the Smashing Pumpkins and Split Enz shows 3 months ago, but just haven't had the time!

Anyway, having recently bought the new Shihad CD I was genuinely wondering if 20 years at the top of the tree was finally catching up with them. Don't get me wrong, its a good album, with three or four killer tracks, but also some mediocre ones. Which made me waver before Friday night, should I go or was Shihad past it? They are after all the same age as me!

Luger Boa made for a most intriguing first act for the night. Featuring Jimmy Xmas from the now defunct D4, along with Karl Kippenberger on Bass, they played a tight set. Much promise, I look forward to an album later in the year.

Second warm up act was The Mint Chicks, last years NZ Band of the Year. And they remain as far as I'm concerned the most interesting act in NZ. The (now) threepiece take some simple elements and jumble them into a highly refreshing and massively energetic live presence. Great set, but I was a little disappointed they didn't play my favourate track "Walking Off A Cliff Again"

Then it was showtime. And what a show- all doubts were cast asunder by the end of Home Again, that storming live track and what a track to start the gig. Several new tracks were profiled- One Will Hear The Other an absolute standout, and sounded great. The old hits kept coming too, and they sound as great as ever, if not better. An acoustic version of Run was a surprise- one of my motivational Kepler training songs. Very cool to see them playing The Metal Song also, reportedly never played live until this year.

I've been seeing Shihad gigs for 20 years, and when they ripped out the headshattering "Screwtop" near the end of the gig the roof just about came off the Christchurch Town Hall.

Shihad are the Split Enz of Generation X, or so I heard someone say the other day. I could not have put it better myself.

9.5 out of 10. Storming. Long Live The 'Had!

Real Monks Play Metal!

Rock on Brother!!!!

Check this out on the Stuff Website- click here

great warmup for tonights Shihad/ Luger Boa/ Mint Chicks gig at the town hall. First gig in 3 months....

Good News

The little one seems to have rocked through the surgery well today.

Should be hometime again for him in the morning.

Big ups to the New Zealand Health system, it might be creaking in some areas but I have nothing but praise this year

Chinese Eye Test

If you cannot decipher anything try pulling the corner of your eyes up as if you were Chinese....

Calling all Scotsmen:

Always use good English...

A man's cupping his hand to scoop water from a Highland burn.

Game keeper shouts ' Dinnae drink thon water min, its foo o' coo's shite ‘n pish.’

Man replies 'My good fellow, I'm English .....repeat that in English'.

Gamekeeper replies 'i said use both hands - you get more that way'