Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Journey, Journey, Journey BAN THIS WORD and NZer of the Year

Much and all as Louise Nicholas is a gutsy, tough woman, I think New Zealander of the Year Awards are rubbish.

I mean for fuck's sakes, how can you compare what she does, what she's gone through, with Richie McCaw?

Naturally we're far too precious to have a NZ Woman of the Year and a NZ Man of the Year. That, My Darlings, would never do.

Obviously (and I write this before the award is announced) the award has to go to Richie if we go by popular vote. He's an international brand. He's extraordinary. Everyone wants a piece of him. Louise Nicholas just doesn't compare with all that razzamatazz. And yet.....

Then I ask, why is Rob Fenwick even in the finalists? Who is this person? Has anyone outside the Viaduct Basin heard of him, this businessman, capitalist masquerading as a Care Bear. Cleverly, yes, but an ex adman nonetheless.

If he really wanted to "normalize environmentalism" as I think he just said to Toni Street, he'd take his "journey" (that fucking over-used word and used yet again by Louise Nicholas in her interview. Jesus Wept, we're all on a fucking journey) and stand outside every KFC and Maccydunneda and order all the munters not to chuck their Happy Meal boxes out their car windows on to the street. That's pollution.

And while they're at it, he might say, why don't they think about putting their coke cans, their other cans, and all their bottles in those recycling plastic bins provided by the Council, instead of using them for fish bins?

Nah. Sir Robert would have to protect his chinos with a pair of bicycle clips to go on this here journey.

As Karl du Fresne - the one and only decent columnist with the guts to write what he feels in the mainstream media in New Zealand http://karldufresne.blogspot.co.nz/ (yes I know that's his blog but he republishes his DomPost columns there), if you analyse litter it's mostly from junk food, beer and fizzy drinks.

The middle classes put their chardonnay bottles, camembert wrappers, Nosh paper bags and La Cigale paper in the recycling buckets. Their children go to schools which ban anything in lunchboxes which can't be recycled.

New Zealander of the Year? Why don't they give it to someone outrageous for a change? Someone who's not on a journey. Surprise us.  Give us a laff?

Friday, February 12, 2016

Warning: Contains Bad Language

There have been complaints.

Swearing in my blog.

Tough shit.

This one contains worse use of language.

Such as "iconic".

Do the users of this word, the journalists and broadcasters who spread it around like explosive cow shit in an unfenced waterway, guaranteed to make a high country hiker go hyper on Instagram, even know what it means?

iconic (The Concise Oxford Dictionary)  adj. 1 of or having the nature of an image or portrait. 2 (of a statue) following a conventional type. 3 Linguistics that is an icon.

This overused adjective is applied to describe everything from a Member of Parliament to some random dairy south of Timaru called Kia Ora tagged by vandals.

Please, can we have a moratorium on iconic?

moratorium n. (often foll. by on) a temporary prohibition or suspension (of an activity)

Other obscene language which is painful to the ears - "quite unique".

I am shopping for cosmetics and the otherwise very beautiful young thing compliments me on my cardigan (which is rather special) and then says, "It's quite unique".

Oh fuck please kill me now.

No. It is not quite unique. It is mass produced. If it was unique it might have been on the body of Diane Foreman. Or Posh Spice. But not me.

"Quite unique" is an oxymoron.

oxymoron n.  Rhet. a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g. faith unfaithful kept him falsely true).

There is no connection between an oxymoron, and a moron who thinks cattle should die of thirst rather than briefly be allowed to drink from a river in the high heat of summer.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Lunch With Dirty Deaf Granddad

Lunch with Dirty Deaf Granddad this week.

Dirty Deaf Granddad knows a lot about life. He's been around a while, seen a lot, knows many people, but DDG doesn't know he's hard of hearing. Very hard of hearing. So bloody hard you have to shout yourself hoarse. DDG accuses you of sitting there whispering at him and there is nothing worse than trying to repeat your stories over and over because every story, even if it's not a funny story, and I don't do funny stories, loses its shine when it is told for the third or fourth time.

So you end up with DDG saying, "Why are you telling me this? What is your point?"

You begin to wonder yourself. You start to contemplate getting up and going home. But DDG enjoys these lunches so much you decide to tough it out. It's a lunch that will last all day.

DDG drinks low alc beer. You ask for a soft drink. He says no he's only got hard liquor and thinks that is terribly funny. Ha ha.

So you open DDG's fridge and help yourself to a wine. By this time DDG is on to his second beer, even though he has told you he's sworn off alcohol. And meat.

It's now well past lunch time and you still haven't eaten and DDG is raving on about Muslims, and the bloody natives, and the underclasses, and godknowswhatelseiswrongwiththefuckingworldtoday. That oaf Donald Trump. He's a buffoon.

And what's Hillary Clinton got to offer? Just Hillary. That's what.

And on it goes while I keep returning to the fridge to fill my wines and DDG keeps going out to have a pee. He comes back to explain why. When we get old, DDG says, our bladders lose their stretch and don't go back into a nice little elasticised bag like they used to. He uses his hands to demonstrate. So my old bladder, he says, is like a hard-skinned basketball - don't screw up your face like that girl, he says to me, this is scientific - and I have to empty mine all the time.

I don't want to think about DDG's bladder so I talk about the newspapers. Mistake.

On and on and on he complains until finally we go and eat. Chicken.

DDG talks about roots he has had. Ewww.

The waitress has a nose ring, purple hair, shaved at the sides, and is wearing tiny black shorts with stockings underneath. Good God Girl says DDG what happened to your nose? She just smiles and takes his order. She's from Lancashire. She knows her chops. At least you don't have tattoos, he says. Not where you can see them, she says back.

He pays the bill and leaves a big tip. Make sure the owner gives it to you, you clever girl from Lancashire, DDG tells her, and I take DDG back home to his seat by the window overlooking the sea. It's five o'clock. Time for his nap.

Monday, February 8, 2016

What About Cruelty Against Vegetables? Ever Considered That?

No, they're pushed aside and forgotten. It's all about the animals.

There was another kind of protest last Friday down our way - a band of nosey parkers trying to stop other people's fun.

What was it H L Mencken once said about puritanism? The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, must be happy?

Across the country some people who have got it into their heads that rodeos should be banned because bull riding, and making horses buck, constitutes cruelty to animals. This is the same mentality which thinks boxing is on par with thuggery. It's ignorance.

Undoubtedly there have been, are, always will be, individuals who are cruel to bulls and horses, whether they love the sport of rodeos or not. But these days vets must be in attendance. Standards must not be breached. It is rough and tough. Hard and fast. Sometimes animals are injured, just like on farms; in real life. And yes, it's cruel and painful - to the men and women crazy and gutsy and skillful enough to participate.

But a bunch of townies think this fun should be ended.

They won't stop at this, believe me. Once they succeed with rodeos, they will get polo banned. They will then move on to thoroughbred racing. Trotting and pacing. Then gymkhanas and pony clubs.

Why stop there? Take this to its logical conclusion and is it not cruel, in a do-gooder's eyes, to break in a horse to wear a bridle with a bit in its mouth, a saddle, nail iron shoes to its hooves, and put a human on its back with a whip, kicking its flanks and bending said horse to his or her will?

I loathe cruelty to animals - it's one of the finest examples of cowardice but these protestors are picking easy targets. Do we see them standing protesting outside the gates of gang houses where half-starved, unloved, non-exercised fighting dogs are chained up 24/7?

And is it nice to keep a dog cooped up in a high-rise apartment all day, let out to pooh on the balcony perhaps, occasionally feeling the grass under its feet if the owner has time a couple of times a week?

Perhaps not, but that's not my business. I don't like it but I'm not going to interfere in someone else's companionship when I'm fortunate enough to live on a farm.

If these busy-bodies don't like rodeos where no cruelty is taking place they should look the other way.

Quote of the day went to the rodeo organizer who said the protestors didn't even come from Wairarapa; they're out of an Auckland vegan restaurant, he said, wouldn't know one end of the bull from another.

And who knows how the veges feel about being killed and eaten? Remember, cabbages have hearts. Scarlet beans can run, and spuds have eyes. That's why my Dad always said never have a root in a tuber patch.


Wednesday, February 3, 2016

TPPA, Waitangi Day & Other First World Problems

Today a whole lot of people in Auckland will stroll along in the sun to the Convention Centre, singing songs and waving their gladioli, to welcome visitors to Aotearoa.

Further up the line about a dozen Tangata Whenua are a bit hot and bothered - again! - about the Prime Minister visiting Waitangi.

Meanwhile dozens and dozens will enjoy the day - and ignore the Prime Minister - but in turn their enjoyment will be overlooked by the media.

Many of us don't care what John Key or the Government - or any politicians - do on Waitangi Day.

Plus ca change plus ca meme chose (and please excuse the lack of accents but I don't know how to do them on the blog).

That's those issues done and dusted then. If you want to get up to speed on the TPPA with facts as opposed to speculation, I suggest you read Stephen Jacobi's article from Monday's Herald:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11582655

Why are these first world problems? Go to Vietnam and see how thousands of people will be lifted out of poverty by their country being able to trade freely with 11 other nations. That's if it finally eventuates.

We are the lucky ones. We don't desperately need this deal, with our fridges, tap water, stoves, sanitation. It's a nice-to-have.

Enough lecturing.

Tomorrow is (cough cough) a day when I hurtle startlingly closer to heading down to WINZ and signing up for Winston's Gold Card. So tonight Mr C is whisking me off over the hills and far away to a secret destination, I know not where.

I have only been told to scrub up out of my vineyard tar, wear something posh, be ready and waiting in the capital city at 8.15 where I know I shall be given a right royal.........spoiling, you dirty minded you. What did you think I was going to say?

We won't be taking any notice of this lemon-lipped tart:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/12136938/Do-as-I-do-think-about-cancer-before-you-have-a-glass-of-wine-says-chief-medical-officer.html?fb_ref=Default

You may not hear from me for a few days. It's my birthday. It's all about me.










Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Mrs C's Recipe for Coping in the Modern World

Do you know there is a condition called FOMO?

Furthermore, those who reject this affliction have invented their own suffering, that is, FOBI (it may be something else but I simply don't have the energy to Google such nonsense).

FOMO stands for Fear Of Missing Out, though why an acronym is used instead of all four words beats me. Then again I think I do know. This select herd of paranoid -ists, clamouring to be included, these deluded social gagas deliberately use an acronym so others ARE (that's not an acronym) left out. Hence they create their own little clique.

Clever.

But rude.

FOBIs have a Fear Of Being Included.

Really? Invite them to something and they make sure there's free booze before they accept then they're the last to leave.

It's so very chi-chi now to dispense entirely with words and use the first letters only - have you noticed? It's an outbreak - Bureaucratitis. Margaret Chan could declare this, in her best Queen Elizabeth II voice, A World Wide Emergency.

RATFLMFAO. Yes, took me a while to work that out too; about the same time it takes me to send a text saying, "I'm on my way" - that is, ten minutes. And don't allow your children to mock your tardiness while they execute the Gettysburg Address on their I-phone in ten seconds using two thumbs. Just remind them you once taught them to use a knife and fork and tie their shoelaces.

Oh, but we don't teach toddlers to use knives and forks these days do we? Too controlling.

Once, a long time ago when Mrs C was a teenager the only acronym was SWALK. No teenager would even know how to write a letter, put it in an envelope and post it these days.

And when these young things aren't UTTTST or RATFLTFAOATP; OIJSOMMWHSB or WDJKJSTFU they are typing very odd letters for their employers.

To wit.

A friend is always telling me I need to find a new, younger husband (he's mad) but to humour him, while on holiday in Samoa last week I sent this photo of a strong, polite, handsome 24-year-old I met.

As my friend was out of town, his personal assistant replied saying "if appropriate" he would respond upon his return.

"If appropriate"? The corollary to this was my letter could be deemed "inappropriate", like picking one's nose, scratching one's bum, or farting in church.

Needless to say the letter was strewn with spelling mistakes and apostrophes were scattered about like sparrow poos.

Sigh.

I find only one way to cope with this. You must not try to compete. Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to join this ridiculous trend and try to look hip. Mrs C will share with you her recipe for the Modern World.

Go to the cellar. Choose a good bubbly, Viognier, or a red of your desire - Syrah or Pinot.

Gently remove the cork, or screwcap is fine (we are not snobs), pour yourself a glass or three, and put your feet up.

Monday, February 1, 2016

Bitchin' With the Mista & Missus

Don't you hate it when couples bitch with their little private passive aggressive agendas in company?

You know the scenario. Women are especially good at it because they play games so well. Men are pretty straightforward (having only been in heterosexual relationships that's all I'm qualified to comment on, and I've been in a few, so I know a bit about it). Men will just say, "Sorry, you're wrong." Or, "You stupid bitch, you're wrong." Or, "You mad ignorant fucking c*** you don't know what you're talking about." Depending on their level of intelligence, subtlety, and how much they value a) the relationship and b) their balls. Not having them kicked, that is.

Women, on the other hand, will cut in to his conversation and say, "Now sweetie [note the sweetie, which means he is anything but her sweetie] remember, you went that way and bought the tickets and I distinctly recall that I was sitting chatting to Blah Blah and you came back and asked me what I thought and I looked up the catalogue and I said it wasn't $300 it was $400 and you said you could have sworn it was $300 and it was like the time you were mistaken about the colour of that car which you cut off when we were driving along the motorway and you swore at him and I said no you were the one who cut him off and you said a rude word at me and I said would you kindly refrain from using language like that in front of the children they are in the teenage years now and their brains are very vulnerable and you muttered under your breath at me and I asked you to repeat what you said, share it so we could all hear it if it was so important and you were extremely rude and said if I carried on like the woman in the Big Wednesday advertisement then you'd be forced to behave like the poor henpecked man who revved the engine of his boat....."

You get my drift.

Why do they stay together in such a toxic relationship?  Perhaps they don't notice they're doing it, like the How To Boil a Frog Without Him Jumping Away theory - you know, first you put the frog in cold water then very slowly turn up the temperature without him realizing it's getting hot in there.

I looked up "Ask Aunt Daisy!" for help but she had no handy hints on this one, nor any on relationships or marriage. None on sex at all, though she did have this to say about meat:

To Sweeten - If meat begins to go slightly sour, place out of doors in the cool air overnight.

Can't see that helping. Put the dog out on the porch, and he's gonna stray. Just ask Hillary.

Why does this trouble me? Because I find it exceptionally rude and I don't like discourteous behaviour. Save your dirty linen for your own washing line. We're not interested in your petty quarrels; they're boring.

Yes, he might be wrong. She might be talking toss. But think on this, do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy?