Scarlet Imprint’s Neighborhood

Back from camping earlier than anticipated, for a couple of very sound reasons. Principally, when I rang Rabble yesterday to say 'Happy Krimas' I gained a strong impression that while she might have been surrounded by family, she wasn't all that chipper. Secondly, last night on the RN news came the weather alert for central NSW, due to the remnants of Cyclone Lawrence having degenerated into a rain depression as it crossed the SA/Qld/NSW border. Residents of the central-western NSW region from Dubbo to Bourke were warned not to travel on the region's unsealed roads after 10pm last night, for fear that roads would become impassable. Sort of rings a bell. Rain coming.

The word for today is ANHEDONIA.

Told you all I'd write. I hadn't planned on writing on someone else's machine, but them's the breaks. My laptop won't connect to the net through Macca's free wi-fi. Something to do with my default gateway not being right. Or something like that. I'm not guru, I just know that when it works, it works. Anyway, here I am on a cafe machine in Stanthorpe, having just had lunch at the Golden Arches, a coffee and mooched through a Jaycar Electronics store. In Stanthorpe no less!! I was blown away and it's every bit as good as the one at Woolloongabba! Couldn't go past, and spent $12 on some twin pair audio wire and alligator clips to make a longwire antenna for the little B&W television I have with me. Yeh, I know, it's not kosher to watch TV when camping, but who-ever made that rule anyway?

Girraween hasn't changed a dot in the 2 years since I'd been back. It's just a shame I had to come alone, but I had to come. As is said in The Castle, how's that serenity? Well, it was fine & dandly for about 2 hours, until a subaru 4WD, Mum, Dad & two billy-lids under the age of 7 years decided to park themselves right next door!!!!! All I could think was FUCK!!! Even uttered it out loud once or twice. The boy is spoiled, the little girl has a piping voice, they have bicycles and tennis racquets, Monopoly and Lords only knows what else along to amuse themselves, and I get to hear every last word of it. I appreciate their old man telling them to keep it down as not everyone wants to know what they're doing, but Mummy doesn't help when she incites little lord fauntleroy by riding around with him on her daughter's bike!!!!!!!! The only saving grace, if indeed it can be classed as such, is that Mummy is reasonably yummy. Anyway, I suspect they'll be gone before Friday, so I'll get a few days solitude.

Half of the Bald Rock Creek camping area is closed at the momnent for rehab. My favourite spot, right at the far end away from the ablutions block, is not accessible. The EPA will re-open everything tomorrow, but I'm not shifting camp for 4 days. Still, that's the luck of the draw. I'll just have to buy my own 25 acres of scrub somewhere far from the madding crowd, eh?

Camping solo, when it's always been a co-piloted job, is somewhat disconcerting. No-one to chat to, but no over-riding urge to 'do' anything either. I'm not surfacing until 8:00 or 8:30, despite the murmur of tiny voices playing Monopoly. It's too hot right now to stay in the tent any longer. The days are still, brooding with scattered cloud cover. Today has a forecast storm warning for Brisbane and  I have seen a giant front of storm clouds heading north-east, but here it's bright & hot. Might get a shower later this arvo, but not very likely. Food stocks are running well, and surprise! surprise!.....I'm actually eating three meals, albeit a small one for lunch. Gotta watch dinner though. Tendency to cook too much, and then having to eat it. I was still eating last night's steak & veges - including the excess next door gave me because LLF cracked a spack at broccoli - at 3:00am this morning. Still, I'm not hungry.

Okay, that'll do for now. Next post maybe I'll put up a few pics, if I can get the laptop to connect. Might try accessing the net from outside a Motel in Tenterfield. If I can get the DC\DC car inverter to work. Where would we be without our technology? Even if it doesn't work, or we're too dumb to understand it.

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Capturing the moments that follow up

 

I was behind the scenes today at a mini test that a friend from visiting from LA did today.
I discovered the joy of catching people when they aren't aware that they're being photographed

The full "Rubber Soul" album became available for download the other day and we scooped it up the moment we could. I scored 100% on "In My Life" the first time through and I've been hitting the high 90's and 100's consistently. The caveat is that I'm still on easy, but even so I still have the occasional Marty McFly moment where the fingers simply refuse to go in the right spots.

The highlight of this song pack for me has got to be "Norwegian Wood." It is a beautiful song and the psychedelic background imagery is a wonder to behold. The game developers used George Harrison's son Dhani for the mocap of George playing the sitar. (In fact, it was Dhani Harrison who convinced the surviving Beatles to sign on to the project.)
Dhani talks about his father and Rock Band in a couple of podcasts here. 

Check out this video of "Norwegian Wood" from the game. I gotta tell ya, it is pretty distracting when those birds start flying around!

Cousin Shelly is in for a visit and can't wait to try her hand at the game. I fully plan to take her to school... (As much schoolin' as you can give somebody in easy mode, anyway!)

09-21-09 Bill Stainton

Interviewed by Mark & Mike Cope

And for a little extra Beatles gravy, here's an interview my brother Mark and I did with Bill Stainton, business expert and author of "The 5 Best Decisions The Beatles Ever Made."

Check out the video "Seven Things You Might Not Know About Beatles Rock Band."

Today will literally be a long day's journey into night...but at least the longest night of the year is tomorrow.

....I'm on holidays??

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