November 2009
10 posts
Half-Life Fajitas
A couple of weeks back, I had a request from a former girlfriend for my recipe for fajitas.
She was intending to use the recipe to impress (and one can only assume seduce) her new beau. We’re all good and grown up these days, so I was happily to oblige.
I think the rule of ‘relationship half-life’ comes into play here. My theory is that emotional closure on any relationhip will...
Incomplete Intinerary
19th December – Slabface departs Wellington at 07.25 on the Transcenic Train to Auckland. He arrives at 19.25pm and heads immediately for the pub to meet Mogsie, who he’s not seen since 2006.
20th December – Claire arrives from Sydney and picks up the wagon. She heads south into the city (Slabface isn’t going to meet her because the airport is an hour in the wrong direction from Auckland)....
“The hell of being among strangers was that nobody formed any expectation of how...”
– P.H Newby (1918–1997) in “Something To Answer For” on living in the colonies.
Big ups to Tiger for the reference.
How To Tie A Windsor Knot
A. A. Gill (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._A._Gill) defines vegetarians as “people who get pleasure from not eating things” and, being a long established non-carniverous sort (an ovo-vegetarian, if you’re interested) it seems that this pleasure in denial has extended to my sense of dress as well.
The passage of the last few years can be described as thus*:
* It’s...
John Peel
A couple of weeks ago, the fifth anniversary of the sudden death of British DJ and Broadcaster John Peel (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004) transpired. I wish that I’d had the foresight to put something up to commemorate his truly spectacular career and lifes work, but I guess that it’s better late than never.
Peelie held a very special place in the hearts of most British music...
Crazylegs' Lemon Cake
Some time ago, my friend Crazylegs asked me to email her the recipe for my favourite Lemon Drizzle cake. A cake which had been regarded as a hit when I’d made it for her previously, whilst we were both still living in the UK. I understand from her that this recipe has now been successfully reproduced by friends in Sydney, Bristol and London.
You will need:
2 x Lemons (unwaxed) Icing Sugar...
Kiwiana
My day job today brought me into contact with one of the most thoroughly Kiwi situations ever.
The gentleman (a friendly sort from a local hunting & fishing emporium), was keen to learn whether I was able to broker his regular and reliable source of possum fur and skins.
Now, the Kiwi view of possums (which are non-indiginous, and horrifically damaging to native flora and fauna) bears marked...
Haiku
Of late, a dearly trusted confidente and I have spent a great deal of time (that could have been spent in the great outdoors in some way bettering ourselves) having haiku battles via email.
I think haiku battling could be the new pub equivalent of the rap battle. Think of it in this way - you don’t need a DJ, ill fitting trousers or a particularly ‘up for it’ crowd. Just a corner or a...
Firework Night
Attended Wellington’s annual fireworks display down on the waterfront last night.
It was a beautiful clear night and enjoyable bar my feelings of worry over the environmental impact of igniting several tonnes of gunpowder over the harbour.
One assumes that there are some very stunned (and likely choking) fish out there.
I also realised half way through the preceedings that two of the dear...
Messianiac ramblings of an online whitterer
Based on the advice of fellow blogger (and new flatmate) Ginger Tonyx, I have taken the plunge and today set up a Tumblr account in an effort to:
Stop annoying my friends by using Facebook as a platform for political comment.
Relaunch my woefully underachieving freelance musical journalism career (web reviews for various websites and a record label and ghost writing for a regular reviewer in a...