The Quiet Ripple Defines The Pond

Shaking All Over

Posted on November 30, 2013 by spikekalashnikov

One of the most pleasurable of all decisions is the decision that you really are too sick to go to work. I have much guilt about sickness engendered by my years at boarding school. Skiving off was the worst of crimes and the weakest of characters were the skivers. The first level of skiving was to get a “leave off” from Matron. This was a little pink slip that allow non participation of rugby on ground as hard as iron as the Siberian winds scythed across the playing fields. It also allowed you not to go on marathonian cross-country runs in the freezing rain. Matron gave few. As for going to bed, this was reserved for cases of rabies, stomach wounds and major fractures.

However, I have been growing soft and after enduring general misery, pain and shaking all over for a few days, I take to my futon. I sleep for 2 days. Bliss.

My last action prior to collapse was to take my car to the dreaded shaken, the very expensive Japanese roadworthiness test.

https://quietripple.wordpress.com/2011/12/10/dont-move-your-handsdont-move-your-lipsjust-shaken-your-hips/

Quivers down the backbone
I got the shaken down the knee bone
Yeah, the tremors in the thigh bone
Shaken’ all over. This is the car they give me whilst mine is being shakened.

I get Naked

I rise from my bed of slumber to go pick up the car.

That’s like $900!

Quivers down the backbone
Yeah, the shaken in the knee bone
I got the tremors in the thigh bone
Shaken’ all over !

Think I will go back to bed.

On the bright side,it is nearly December and the Brugmansia is still doing very well.

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Seán Ó Duibhir a’ Ghleanna

Posted on November 26, 2013 by spikekalashnikov

So I have to write about this. Ireland play New Zealand at rugby.

I have always watched rugby. As soon as we had a television some time in the 60s, my Father would sit us down in front of it to watch rugby internationals. How well I remember the tragedy of Andy Hancock’s try in 1965.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvqDbSIrFBI

Ireland are in a bad way, just as after Aughrim, they have been destroyed by Australia and now, as the front of battle lowers they face New Zealand. New Zealand have been more than dominant all season and have won all 13 of their games this year. Ireland have no chance.

I am sick and jet lagged and lie sweating in my bed. I awake at 1: 00 am and groan. I fire up my iPad and to my astonishment I find that Ireland are leading New Zealand by 22-7!

Cúchulainn

After Aughrim’s great disaster,
When our foe in sooth was master,
It was you who first plunged in
And swam the Shannon’s boiling flood,
And through Slieveloom’s dark passes,
When you led your gallowglasses,
Although the hungry Saxon wolves were howling for your blood.
And as we crossed Tipperary, we rived the Clan O’Leary,
And we drove a creach before them as their horsemen onward came,
With our swords and spears we gored them,
As through flood and tide we bore them.

And we drove a creach ('pillage', 'rout') before them as their horsemen onward came, With our swords and spears we gored them, As through flood and tide we bore them,

And we drove a creach before them as their horsemen onward came,
With our swords and spears we gored them,
As through flood and tide we bore them,

I leap from bed and watch the rest of the game. The battle is immense. What is left of my warrior blood boils as the Irish smash into the All Blacks. Ireland have never beaten New Zealand but this time it is it. They are immense, warriors all. 15 seconds from the end of the game Ireland, in the lead, are attacking the All Black line. New Zealand win a ball and attack with ferocity and to the amazement of all, they score. Holy Jesus!

The battle is over

Yet our sharpened swords cut through them,
To their very hearts we hewed them,
Ah, but Seán Ó Duibhir an Ghleanna, you were worsted in the game.

I sit stunned at 3:00 am in Okinawa. I have never seen a rugby match like it. Each man who played was a hero who will tell their grandchildren that they fought in one of the great battles. I envy them.

Watch the game here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=985d5nBQjOE

And though we part in sorrow,

Still, Seán Ó Duibhir a chara,

Our prayer is God save Ireland and pour blessings on her name,
May her sons be true when needed,
May they never fail as we did,
For, Seán Ó Duibhir an Ghleanna, you were worsted in the game.

Listen to the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alTA5ge7tcM

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged All Blacks, Ireland, Rugby | 3 Comments

Big Red Redux

Posted on November 24, 2013 by spikekalashnikov

Poor Big Red has been much neglected over the Summer. Neglecting a bike in Okinawa is particularly cruel as moth and rust really corrupts over here er especially rust. Anyway I gave her a good curry combing and feed of oats. I also hammered on new 27×1 1/4in front horseshoe, which I bought in Montreal as Japanese bikes have 26in hooves. I polish her saddle.

Horses neigh, snort and whinny,

It is a beautiful day. The temperature and humidity have returned to cool and dry.

November 23 2013

I take Big Red for a brisk canter up to the corner shop to buy some milk, beer and beni sorga. I am fat and scant of breath. Oh dear.

The day is so beautiful that, although I am very knackered subsequent to too two? much activity of late, I set off for an adventure in the Lagoon of Wonder in front of the house. The water is colder so I wear a full wet suit for the first time since May. Wet suits add buoyancy. Stupidly I do not add any weight resulting in difficulty getting under the sea and once down, a constant battle against floating up to the surface. This, plus being ill and scant of breath make it a frustrating dive.

Get down!

I do however see some nice things and it is very different from Montreal.

“Why can’t Scotland score tries? demand the fish

Do you think Hamlet was fat?

Let us give Gertrude fair play. Her diagnosis at this point in the fencing match should certainly assign a reason for Hamlet's shortwindedness, not to be a mere feather-brained voicing of what is obvious to all—that he is sweating and panting. Aware of this, G. L. Kittredge suggested that fat might here be taken in the sense of " rather soft," " not quite trained, down "—an attractive proposal, which might be accept- able were it not for the lack of any Elizabethan example of fat in the sense proposed, and the presence of Hamlet's authoritative statement on his condition, that he has been in continual practice.

Click on his photo and count how many fish you can see. Let us give Gertrude fair play. Her diagnosis at this point in the fencing match should certainly assign a reason for Hamlet’s shortwindedness, not to be a mere feather-brained voicing of what is obvious to all—that he is sweating and panting. Aware of this, G. L. Kittredge suggested that fat might here be taken in the sense of ” rather soft,” ” not quite trained, down “—an attractive proposal, which might be accept- able were it not for the lack of any Elizabethan example of fat in the sense proposed, and the presence of Hamlet’s authoritative statement on his condition, that he has been in continual practice.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bike, Canter, horse, milk, Montreal | Leave a comment

Further On Down The Road

Posted on November 23, 2013 by spikekalashnikov

So I get back to Okinawa and go to work. It is Friday and I hit a wall of exhaustion and slope off during the early afternoon. Alack, the wonderful Tsuha san is cleaning my house so I cannot go to bed. I drive to a car park and fall asleep in the car like some homeless person. I find this kinda Biblical, I mean how are the mighty fallen? All this pompous cross world travelling and I end up asleep in a car park in the middle of the afternoon.

Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amal’ekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;

So now the 2nd Birthday Party for OIST. We get together to celebrate 2 amazing years.

Ami does dancing

The party brought together the staff and families and was an afternoon of OIST has talent.

Johnny Be Goode

Teruya san is a star

Larissa never shows her teeth

Yay kids!

Okinawan girls just wanna have fun

Sweet Virginia

Go crazy with the Cheese Whizz

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.

Jonathan likes babies.
Who does not?

Great day.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged dance, OIST, Okinawa | 1 Comment

C’est Comme Ça

Posted on November 22, 2013 by spikekalashnikov

I like Montreal. We are given a tour of the city that includes a subway station and a bagel shop. Not terribly impressive you might say but the guide and everyone associated were so glowingly proud of their city that I revelled in their joy.

Scottish protestant architect

What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home

Even though they were showing us churches built in 1830, rather than 12th century cathedrals; taking us to bagel shops rather than art galleries, subway stations rather than Roman ruins, I just like folks who exude happiness rather than languor. Yay Montreal!

Bebo and I go to a bar called Vices et Versa. Go there. It has 30 locally brewed varieties of beer, the staff and clientele extrude joie de vivre even though they speak French. http://www.vicesetversa.com/ We go there because there are lots of Québécois playing Québécois music on fiddles and accordions. It is wild. I play Irish music but it has always been Irish music played in France, Switzerland, Japan. This was the real thing, Québécois music played in Québéc.

Bebo wearing classic SLAC hoody

We drink Boson de Higgs beer, listen to the people play 150 reels perfectly with rhythm, bounce and happiness.

γ γ, WW and ZZ observed; bb, τ τ not yet confirmed. Some branching levels (decay rates) are a little higher than expected in preliminary results, in particular H → γ γ which gives a peak at ATLAS a little higher than that seen in 4-lepton decays and at CMS.[146]

I drink the Boson de Higgs in Montreal

This is one of the best rock videos ever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYYotVPXcFE

Yay Montreal.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Basilica, Higgs, Montreal, Rita Misouko | Leave a comment

All Things Counter, Original, Spare, Strange;

Posted on November 21, 2013 by spikekalashnikov

So I like it both ways. Flying on Japanese airlines, which for me tends to be ANA, you get impeccable service. The flight attendants are young, exquisite, totally attentive and smilingly demure.

Flying American airlines , which for me tends to be United, the attendants are more advanced in years, tend to be slightly ditsy and laugh their way across the Pacific. I have been attended to by the same lady on various US – Tokyo flights. She is a redhead wisecracker, probably in her 50s, called Cathy who maintains an atmosphere of, “This is really fun, what the heck , you wanna another drink? Where are we? Hell, I don’t know!” as we slam across the stratosphere. She is my hero.

Leaving Chicago

Downtown Montreal

This an American flight

Nihon!
19 hours on planes today.

Two very different styles, both of which are wonderful. So no one thing is necessarily better than another. What does God think about this? Let’s ask Gerard Manley Hopkins.

Glory be to God for dappled things –

For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;

For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;

Landscape plotted and pieced – fold, fallow, and plough;

And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;

Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)

With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:

Praise him.

Yay!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ANA, Hopkins, United | Leave a comment

Je Ne Veux Pas T’Abandonner, Mon Bébé

Posted on November 17, 2013 by spikekalashnikov

As I go to the airport I have to stop to photograph the latest Okinawan glory. It is a waxy, purplish,vine thing that has er burst into flower like partout.

No idea what it. Rosie?

It is the middle of November.

Blaues Gras, scheint auf mich.

Always look left when going to Tokyo.

I have always thought that the most undignified form of human behavior is displayed by those trying to wheedle their way into business class. I witnessed a new one on this trip. Fat guy plumps himself down into a seat. The attendant says,”Er like excuse me sir but do you have a business class ticket?”

Says he, with much menace, “Look my last flight I was in business and you got a lot of free seats and I have bad knees. Whaddya gonna do huh? Throw me out, huh? You gotta be putting me on. I have been flying United for 20 years but I tell you this, this is my last flight if you even think about moving me to the back!” and so on very loudly.

It worked, they let him stay. Short flight mind you.

Sagt mir wo die teufel bin ich?

Quite a lot colder than Okinawa

I am now in a new city, well not quite as I was here 40 years ago. I wake at 4:00 and wait for the sun to rise. I am the first at breakfast.

Ok I love Japanese breakfast but yeeha

Anticipation! It is 8:00 am. I am up, dressed, breakfasted. The thrill of having a free morning to ramble around a new city.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bastards, flowers, fuji | 2 Comments

“But Did Thee Feel the Earth Move?”

Posted on November 10, 2013 by spikekalashnikov

I remember reading Hemingway and in ” For Whom The Bell Tolls” this bloke asks his er partner after an act of coitus, “Did thee feel the earth move?” I always thought this was very bloated male bollocks. By the way, they did the deed in a meadow. When he stood up the bloke said to his er partner,”Gracias.”

In a Tokyo hotel room this morning, as I scratched my stomach and contemplated getting up, the earth moved. The coat hangers rattled, things fell off my desk, the building swayed and undulated, I was on the 8th floor, and I thought Hemingway.

I went to a breakfast, all excited, with a Japanese colleague. She never mentioned the earthquake. When I, schoolboyishly, did, she said something like, “Well duh yeah.”

I like Tokyo

Every Japanese city has one.

Earthquake breakfast. I thought I was pretty much in control of Japanese breakfast until I smashed the hard boiled egg on top my tray to find that it was'nt.

Earthquake breakfast. I thought I was pretty much in control of Japanese breakfast until I smashed the hard boiled egg on my tray to find that it was’nt.

TV station

Love Hotel

Statue of Liberty

It’s Christmas at Haneda

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Earthquake, Haneda, Hemingway, Japan | Leave a comment

Japanese Schoolgirls

Posted on November 5, 2013 by spikekalashnikov

I wonder if I will get a million hits with a title like that?

The university organized a school science thing called SCORE! last Saturday. Loads of competitors.

http://www.oist.jp/news-center/news/2013/11/5/young-women-score-high

Seriously though, I mean like what is it with Japanese High School kids?

They were all 17 or 18. They all wore school uniform. They were all very polite. They did not have piercings. They actually seemed to be enjoying themselves. They had no hint of je m’en foutisme. They laughed, giggled and wanted to have their photos taken with old men.

I mean is this a good thing?

Is this really preparing them for the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Japanese schoolgirls | Leave a comment

Smugglers

Posted on November 4, 2013 by spikekalashnikov

I have enjoyed getting in touch with my masculine side this weekend. First driving a truck up to Kunigami and today untangling nets. On my morning beach cleaning constitutional, I come across this.

Blown up by recent typhoons

Nets, rope, fishing line and maritime stuff all totally tangled. I covet the rope. I can use it and it is free.

I drag it home and sit on the beach in front of my house untangling it with er a knife. I feel this is masculine and wish I had a pipe.

I bought the knife in MacIntyre's hardware at least 20 years. Sheffield steel you know

I bought the knife in MacIntyre’s hardware in Tarbert at least 20 years. Sheffield steel you know, razor sharp

It was very enjoyable as there was a Pacific Rim Egret on the shore having lunch.

Yum, click on this

I am not good at patience and after 20 minutes of untangling, I take the knife and cut the rope into useful shortish lengths. They will come in handy for tying up pesky smugglers.

A length of rope always comes in handy.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged rope, Smugglers, Tarbert, typhoon | Leave a comment

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