12-Hour Race, Mt Panorama

SJ, Ix and myself enjoyed the day together on Sunday, at Bathursts' Mt Panorama WPS 12-Hour Car Race.


The view from atop "The Mount" from McPhillamy Park. Yes, we sat right beside the track, our feet propped-up on the fence. Crowd numbers up here were a lot better than the previous two years, but there was still plenty of room to move about. There was a large crash (no-one hurt, thankfully) just to the right of this shot... SJ happened to be filming it, but was so excited that the final footage is a blurr with all the action taking place off-screen!


SJ (right) oblivious to everything else, except what's happening on the racetrack. There was a large-screen TV right across from us, with live footage of the whole track, so we could see what was happening the whole time.


Ix enjoyed himself too... tho the walk back-up from Forrests' Elbow later in the day saw him fairly stuffed afterwards!


IX gives this high-performance high-priced "doof-doof" music machine on wheels the thumbs-up!


The weather was glorious!


Seems like everywhere you go in Australia - there's a bloody bar! hahahaa.

Peas be with ewe
Cyalayta,
Mal :)

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Pepper

This may sound silly (coming from someone who listens and plays music like all the time...!), but I can't remember the last time I simply stopped and specifically listened to a whole album of a bands' music - at once.

For morning tea today, I slipped on my headphones and played one of my all-time favourite albums from go to wo... and absolutely loved it! Like hearing it with a new fresh set of ears.

A true sound picture, like a gallery of sound-scapes. Like revisiting an old friend with a renewed heart. A quasi-religious experience for moi.

My brother had an original vinyl copy (1967, complete with all the rare gatefold and sleeve and artwork - which I now own myself!), which I grew-up with.

Pepper is something that needs to be experienced thru headphones. End. Of. Story!

I've got to admit it's getting better (Better)
A little better all the time (It can't get much worse)
I have to admit it's getting better (Better)
It's getting better since you've been mine

Peas be with ewe
Cyalayta,
Mal :)

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I have a Nose for these things

I'm still trying to sort thru what I ate... but no answers have come to mind apart from a different type of bread? Geebus... I couldn't sleep properly last night (awake at 3.30 am!!!), as I've had some really bizarre unexpected reaction to something... sinus' gone bezerk, and I've got all the symptoms of asthma - except I don't have asthma!

The old nose has been fine for ages - who knows what triggered this thing off? It's no biggie... just plain annoying.

I'm feeling happy enough... but I need my sleep, otherwise Mr Mal tends to cabbage out too much.

Don't you just love blogging? The most boring human mundane things we post about, huh? It's better than Facebook, which I'm still finding is pretty one-dimensional. I'm so tired of people I have never met or seen online before wanting to be added there as my "friends"... what the...?!?

Photos from my weekend are on the way...

Peas be with ewe
Cyalayta,
Mal :)

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Music Bits

I'd kinda forgotten about these... eight short (ie. c.1 minute each) pieces of fun random music I made and played the other month. Some of them aint too bad, actually!

divshare.com/playlist/477435-23a

Made me happily smile listening to them again.

I'm still chugging away working on my piano-keyboard playing. It's been years, really. It's not my naturally-preferred instrument, and I'm having to re-learn a lot of stuff I'd simply forgotten about actually playing. But it's actually sounding quite good. This is sure a challenging piece of music to play, which I'm loving, actually. Playing simple but fun 'rock'n'roll' is pretty brain-dead music to play, honestly - tho this is wonderful. A delight to try something completely different for me. I've never played anything like this before, so it's like a breath of fresh air.

"Kid Charlemagne" by Steely Dan.

There is simply no way Julian and I could have even attempted to play something like this together with Matt, our old guitarist. It's wonderful to be moving on from playing relatively-boring three-chord rock'n'roll at last. Having a four-piece ensemble again is fantastic... Andrew seems like a complete bonus kinda out of nowhere, as a musician, player and vocalist! I mean, this guy can sing!!!


My heel spur is feeling a bit better today. Has just been a dull ache, mainly. We'll see how I go on Monday after a whole day walking about on it tomorrow, watching the Car Races on the Mount.

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Peas be with ewe
Cyalayta,
Mal :)

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What a headache

Headaches suck. Big time. Especially at 6 o'clock on a Saturday evening when you're considering going out somewhere quiet and casual for a bit of chillaxing.

I'm spending the day with my two younger sons tomorrow. We're gonna hang out at the WPS 12-Hour Motor race here in town. Motor sport is not my cup of tea, but any time spent with by boys is good time. Hopefully this headache will be well-and-truly gone by then. Thankfully it's never crowded up on the Mount for this event. We should do what we've done for the last few years - sit on the empty hill atop McPhillamy Park under a shady tree on our folding chairs, right next to the track, with a large-screen TV right across from us... that way we can see and hear everything that's going on around the track. Should be a good positive relaxing day together.


Bloody PayPal... I went to renew my Flickr photo account, and it says it's not going to work for me... it accepts payments coming in, but not going out. Go figure! Grrr!

OK, Stop Press... I just figured out I have to transfer funds into my PayPal account before it can go out. Go figure! I'm so glad they make all this stuff so clear... sheesh...

Peas be with ewe
Cyalayta,
Mal :)

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What *is* it like?

When a depressive episode strikes me, I know a lot of you simply don't understand - what's going on for me, what it's like, or even what to say. I know and appreciate that. It's a tough time for everyone.

I know my ex-wife still cannot deal with it. Bless her, tho.

Please take a few short minutes to read this site by a fellow blogger friend, Wendy. It offers genuine, layman insights into what depression is, what to say and what not to say to someone - all sorts of really practical wisdom and advice.

soulstreet.org/depression

Click on the "Depression" tabs to find all about it there.

No, seriously - it's one of the better pages about the condition I've seen. There's also a heap of really useful links to other helpful sites there as well.

With sincere thanks to Wendy for her genuinely great site.

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Peas be with ewe
Cyalayta,
Mal :)

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WOW

Tonight (Thursday) was one of our best band rehearsals ever. Andrew has joined us now... he's a bass player from the nearby town of Orange, and has fitted-in like hand into a glove. Eddie and I swap between guitars and keyboards now, and tonight - it just absolutely gelled in the most amazing way... I couldn't be any more happier at the way it sounded. Eddie and Andrew singing together is simply amazing - their voices mesh like... indescribable. Now I've got to pull my finger out and record this stuff. (Easier said than done, tho!)

We're playing a whole lot more 70's soul/funk/groove stuff, and a whole lot less rock'n'roll, which I think is a good thing in the long run. Of course we're still doing some r'n'r, but I think the grooves we pulled out of the hat tonight blows anything we've done in the past simply out of the water. I mean, Stevie Wonders' "Superstition" sounded simply magical the way we've worked it.

So yeah... I've happily switched from bass to rhythm guitar and keyboards (I'll be able to 'float' around a lot more between instruments) - and I can leave the singing upto those guys, thank gawd for that! Just means now I have to practise-up my piano/keyboards for a bit for a change! heh heh. So yeah... I can concentrate a bit more on physical band presentation and lighting and all that stuff too as well now.

It's not just got to do with my lame attitude and feelingtotally down last week... it's just the refreshing change we really needed. Even when we started playing tonight, just the three of us before Andew arrived, it just sounded and felt a zillion percent better.

Mind you... even tho I wore proper shoes with good supports for my aching left foot tonight, it's still aching like dog's ball$... sheesh.

Peas be with ewe
Cyalayta,
Mal :)

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Typo Diconary

Thanks to Karisma for reinvigorating an old idea... the online Typo Diconary!

typo.fateback.com

What do some of those crazy funny hilarious mysterious typos (ie. typing mistakes) mean, that you stumble across online from time-to-time? Make your own suggestions and contribute your own howlers - and ones you've discovered!!!

Peas be with ewe
Cyalayta,
Mal :)

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Heel Spur

To top it all off, I've developed a heel spur on the bottom of my heel on my left foot. Has been making me hobble around a bit like some old cripple. More annoying than anything. So - no more wearing of thongs but proper shoes for a while!

The funny thing is - my dad used to have the same thing at one stage!

I've no idea what can be done about it at this stage. Just have to wait and see what 'they' decide.


(Source)

Maybe this might be a good look for me for a little while? lol

Peas be with ewe
Cyalayta,
Mal :)

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60%

I'm going a bit better... about 6 out of 10. Of course I'm not going to break up the band or do anything drastic - just like I said I wouldn't. I'm still not happy with the way its all going, but we'll see how things pan out after Thursdays' rehearsal.

We've had some glorious rainfall here... not floods like elsewhere, nor no bushfires. Seven+ years of drought have surely stuffed the water table around here, so any good soaking rain we get is a godsend.

Speaking of god... I really "dislike it intensely" when a so-called 'christian friend' (and I'm not a christian anymore) preaches to me online, like what happened to me this evening. Just didn't treat me like a living human being, just started throwing bible verses at me to justify their point-of-view... even tho we weren't even talking anything remotely about that stuff in the first place. Just having a friendly chat, and then - like flicking a switch. Total weirdness. Needless to say I've 'de-friended' them online. I don't need that $#it! Keep your attitude in your matchbox, mate.

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And one last quick final note for our Kiwi friends...


see funny english mistakes

Peas be with ewe
Cyalayta,
Mal :)

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Savage Chickens

Savage Chickens - check 'em out and have a laff :D

Peas be with ewe
Cyalayta,
Mal :)

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Are you lonesome tonight,
Do you miss me tonight?
Are you sorry we drifted apart?

Does your memory stray to a brighter sunny day
When I kissed you and called you sweetheart?

Do the chairs in your parlor seem empty and bare?
Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there?

Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again?
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?

(Words & music by Roy Turk and Lou Handman)

Peas be with ewe
Cyalayta,
Mal :)

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Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day.

Whoever your loved ones are, celebrate your life together with them.

Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In the West, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery. The day was originally a pagan festival that was renamed after two Early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. (Source)

Now the RC church is saying we've got it wrong all this time anyway! It should be St Raphael, not Valentine! rofl rofl. Stoopid bloody RC's!

Happy Valentine's Day... but not for everyone.

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I'm feeling a little better today... this glorious rainfall is totally refreshing. I can't believe that a few days ago I was sitting here sweating it up, yet last night I was watching the cricket on the tellie for a bit - wrapped in a doona! The joys of Bathursts' weather.

I've made no decisions about the band as yet, but I'm not going to do anything drastic about it. But somethings' gotta change. And yes, I still honestly think we sound awful at the moment.

Peas be with ewe
Cyalayta,
Mal :)

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And...

Hiya, Paige. Hey, I can't always be bright, cheerful, bubbly and all that all the time - I wouldn't really be me then, would I? I thought I'd kicked this depression... looks as tho it was just a temporary thing. FUCK. What else can I say about it? I'm extremely frustrated and disappointed to be back here again, after feeling so "normal" for so long, after so long. This is devastating for me. Maybe it's just the subconscious after-effects of the tragic bushfires, I don't know. If you don't want to know about any of this 'real life' stuff about me, then that's fine too. There's plenty of other places on the 'net to go visit. That's cool.

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The band... well. We ARE doing great together as friends and mates... but to my ears, the music we're currently making honestly sounds ferking terrible!!! It aches me to say it, but we sound absolutely awful at the moment! It truly breaks my heart to honestly acknowledge it. I just don't know what to do about it, I really don't - and that's frustrating for me as it is. I know you don't really appreciate it, but this band... it's been my passion, heart, time, effort and finances for 18+ months now... to really stop, step back and listen to what we really sound like at the moment is absolutely devastating in my ears.

We suck, basically. I hate to say it. But we really do. Out of 40+ songs, only about five or six really 'work'. That's just heartbreaking.

It's not Eddie, nu uh. It's not Julian, nu uh. It's not me, nu uh. Individually we're playing pretty well. Just together... how do I say it honestly? As a sound together as a band, it's just not working. SHIT.

I just don't know what to do about it. I just don't have the emotional energy to start from scratch. Again.

"Oh, Mal... you're just feeling
down today.
It's not as bad as all that.
She'll be right...
You'll come good again in a few days..."

It's not that. At. All.

[walks off slowly , head down, with slumped shoulders, kicking a can absentmindedly...]

Peas be with ewe
Cyalayta,
Mal :)

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Mozart

Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466 helps me stay sane, surely less stressed and more calm and rationally-minded. It's on repeat play right now, while I try to stay calm, chillax and de-stress myself. Mozart is perfect for hoping to achieve a sense of that for me, bless 'im!

I'm just not sure what my role in this band is anymore... I'm not sure if I even fit in anywhere anymore... let me sleep on it.

Hey! I'm *I'M* not allowed to have a rant and a rave on my own blog - what's the fucking point?!? Nurts to you!

Peas be with ewe
Cyalayta,
Mal :)

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Joke?

Grumpy old bastard today, that's me.

I've wasted so much time investing into Facebook for virtually nil/zip/zilch results. Wat a joke.

Nah, I'm the joke! lol

I'm sure I'll feel better once this bloody band rehearsal tonight is over and done with. 18+ months and having to start again is sometimes a daunting prospect. I really don't know where I'm supposed to find the energy for that today...

Plus the book hasn't been worked on for over a week. I guess I'm feeling subconsciously guilty about it, but who cares? I mean, seriously...


On a different tack... Kings of Leon have not 'grown' on me, despite everyone seeming to rave about them. A lot of their stuff is just "repetitive noise" to my ears thruout this week... I'm hoping to steer our own band away from that negative syndrome now too. Space, light, dark, contrast, dynamics, harmonic structure - that's where the magic happens.

Peas be with ewe
Cyalayta,
Mal :)

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D&M

Eddie and I took all of five minutes to get the song 'Revelry' together last night, complete with an arrangement, structure and harmonies. Five minutes. This is simply fantastic to work on brand-new unknown songs together and have them come together so easily and well. Wholly unlike last year when a simple song like this one would have taken a certain someone at least a month to get together... ferk that!

In the cool of the evening last night, Eddie and I sat out in the refreshing night air for about two hours in the encroaching darkness, just casually chatting. Taking about the passing and deaths of our parents. It was a brilliant "D&M", but totally relaxed, comfortable and natural to just reminisce and reflect on things from our past together. Really special time. Not morbid or anything like that, but actually really refreshing for the both of us to be able to talk about stuff we obviously haven't talked about with anybody else in a long time.


The Victorian bushfires are far from being over... the official death toll currently stands at 181...

Peas be with ewe
Cyalayta,
Mal :)

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Kings of Leon

I 'obtained' copies of the last two CD's of the latest band people seem to be raving about, "The Kings of Leon".

Personally, they're what I'd describe as "they'll slowly grow on you" kinda indie rock music.

Already, Eddie and I agreed we could easily do their song "Revelry" (off their last album) in the band. Cool. Something current for the punters, you know... plus something we can do justice to. We haven't decided who's gonna play what on it yet, but I hope I get the bass part, because it's a nice bass line to play!!!



While the worst of the bushfires seem to be past, it's definitely not over yet... but as the death toll passes 130... I just don't know what to say, I'm so absolutely staggered with the horror of it all.

Peas be with ewe
Cyalayta,
Mal :)

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