Senses working overtime #414

1 Jacky Purdy

This week we are celebrating her latest birthday so here are some of my favourite JFP images from recent times

2 Tips on taking pictures with your phone

3 Elliot Smith's teenage band

4 Listening: Bill Evan's Sunday at The Village Vanguard

5 Reading: Ginger Baker's Hellraiser

Along with continuing to read Martin Chuzzlewit, I am cruising through Ginger's autobiography. I could do without all of the drug paraphenalia but when he talks about the music he's onto a winner.

Overtime: 

“To gain your own voice,
forget about having it heard.
Become a saint of
your own province
and your own consciousness.”

– Allen Ginsberg

Senses working overtime #296

1 World of Wearable Arts at Wellington's Te Papa

During the week Jacky and I travelled down to Wellington to see the WOW exhibition at NZ's national museum, a.k.a. Te Papa. Certainly a visual feast!

2 Christopher Milne

C.R. Milne with Pooh

I'm currently reading his first autobiography -  The Enchanted Places. As A.A. Milne's only son, Christopher Robin Milne has quite a story to tell. He tells it in a pretty oblique fashion which actually adds to its appeal in a curious way. 

3 Burton Cummings

Of course, while in Wellington I also visited Slow Boat Records and Rough Peel Music. It's a rule. 

At RPM I managed to find some bargains - among them two of Burton Cummings' solo records (I'm a big fan of The Guess Who) - a replacement copy of Dreams Of A Child (my old copy was past its use by date) and My Own Way To Rock. $3 each, both in mint condition! Score

Try Break It To Them Gently why doncha.

4 Arty Bee's Books and Unity Books

are also must visit places for me when going to Wellington. I scored four more Anne Tyler novels in the process including Redhead By The Side Of The Road - her latest - first published in 2020. 

5 Pandoro Panetteria

Taste - we love Wellington's version of Pandoro Panetteria for breakfast or lunch.

Overtime: A bit more from the WOW Arts from #1 with the delightful Mrs Purdy in her element.

Senses working overtime #172

1 Flights to foreign lands produce a plethora of sensual experiences. Here's the latest clutch.

Blueberry pancakes with coffee butter and a side of bacon at EAT. Mmmmm.

2 Farmers' Market on Melrose

I watched the guy in the foreground as I stood in the queue for a smoothie - he was busy on his phone - didn't touch the food he'd ordered, got up and left it behind! Whaaat?

3 Cruising for burgers

Riding around north Hollywood and west Los Angeles with a couple of hot chicks.

4 Capitol Records

Caught sight of the iconic Capitol Records building on the way to Beverly Boulevard to buy one of those hot chicks some shoes. Guess which one!

5 Condo living at Klump Ave., Noho, LA.

Overtime
We started with food and we end with food - Cookies and cream pie at The Republic Of Pie (Noho, LA) in great company!

Senses working overtime #157

1 Suckful news week - they happen to me too.

Long ago and far away - back - WNP, Best Man Clay, Margo, 
Chris. Front - LOML. New Plymouth, April 21st 1984

Apologies, this week contained the sudden death of a close friend and doing this weekly summary of stuff I looked at or read on the interweb paled into insignificance.

Instead I offer something else, dedicated to Margo Buchanan-Oliver's memory, and designed to lift my spirits.

2 Auckland University, 1981, English Department

The Masters students perform a play - Wozza left, Margo second right

3 Dornwell Road, Auckland, 1988

Married bliss with Margo and Clay visiting.

4 Auckland University, 2012

Keegan and Godmother

5

Margo, Jade and LOML listen to Keegan

Overtime

Bros forever - Best Man Clayto and me

Senses working overtime #156

1 Happy anniversary baby

The Light Of My Life and I got ourselves hitched at 4pm 21st April 1984. You can join us in the celebrations by enjoying this snap from 34 years ago (with my dad - Graham Purdy).

2 The Rock

He's a great guy is Dwayne Johnson. Hey, he's the rock! He's now saving the day in a new flick - Rampage. It could be terrible (San Andreas anyone?) or it could be great. Actually LOML and I saw it last weekend and it's great dumb fun!  

3 How to find new music you'll actually like

Lifehacker published this article and it's very comprehensive - exactly the guide you need to find new music of quality and distinction that you didn't know existed.

4 Poetry corner

Afterlife

There is no life after death. Why
              should there be. What on

earth would have us believe this.
              Heaven is not the American

highway, blackened chicken alfredo
              from Applebee’s nor the

clown sundae from Friendly’s. Our
              life, this is the afterdeath,

when we blink open, peeled and
              ready to ache. Years ago

my aunt banged on the steering, she
              insisted there had to be a

God, a heaven. We were on our
              way to a wedding. I would

have to sit at the same table as the
              man who saw no heaven

in me. Today I am thinking about
              Mozart, of all people, who

died at 35 mysteriously, perhaps of
              strep. What a strange cloth

it is to live. But that we came from
              death and return to it, made

different by form, shaped again back
              into anti–, anti–. On my run,

I think of Jack Gilbert, who said we
              must insist while there is still

time, but insist toward what. Why we
              must fill the void with light—

isn’t that our human insistence? But
              we drift into a distance of

distance until proximity fails, our
              name lifts away with any

future concerns, the past a flattened
              coin that cannot spin. I am

matter spun from death’s wool—and
              I bewilder the itch, I who am

I am just so happy to go.

Natalie Eilbert (2017)


5 Forests and books

Continuing the literary connection - Austin Kleon's newsletter alerted me to this excellent essay by Rebecca Solnit considering a childhood of reading and wandering.

Overtime: Disneyflix

Like almost everyone on the planet where Disney had a presence, I grew up with the movies and TV show (Uncle Walt). Excellent overview of the media giant's current standing. 

Senses working overtime #155

1 Happy birthday Jacky!

Here's to you kid - it's my best girl's birthday today!

2 Yosemite Sam

Reading this makes me want to visit Yosemite National Park and follow Ranger John's advice and travel tips. Great images here too.

3 Hurrah for Warren Ellis

This guy is the full whack. His omelette bit on his newsletter was killer, and then he ended with this:

Still weird out there, isn't it?  And getting weirder.  2018 is a dark ride, and, yes, it's going to get darker. But you're still here.  Even if you're hanging on by your fingernails -- you're still hanging on.  It still counts. Quit judging yourself. It might not feel like you're on top, but you are.  Hold on tight. Believe me, we're all right here holding on next to you. 

4 Poetry corner
This recurring item seems to have slotted nicely into the number 4 slot of the last few JFTTs. The poems arrive into my inbox daily from Matthew Ogle's Pome newsletter. They make for a great about shift to my day. Here's another I liked:
  
from Seven Poems

Poets of Facebook they follow you.
You don’t know them they
don’t know you. It would be a
mistake to publish this. You love mis-
takes.

Anaïs Duplan (2017)

5 Email advice from Steve Jobs
Hopefully this link takes you to Thrive Global's newsletter and a great article about an email from Steve Jobs. Well worth your time if you want to improve yourself.

Overtime Views from above. Way above!
Some stunners in this collection. More here if these two strike you as amazing.

Doha (Qatar)

Klyuchevskaya Volcano (Russia)

Senses working overtime #90

Okay - I'm currently on holiday and these Jewels are coming to you from Anaheim - the happiest place on earth. So - I haven't actually read many of my feeds and figured out the best of the best to share. Instead I'm gonna cheat and give you five plus images from our holiday in SF, London and LA so far...

Disneyland parade - amazing - made me want to watch
Toy Story again...and buy loads of stuff!

Me and Fanfa watch the parade in our cool new hats!

London and Fopp - my happy place!

IHOP - blueberry pancakes - o.m.g.

Riding the 101 with Samantha and Jacky.

Walking the dog in SF's Chrissy Field.

Overtime: Love those Disney parades!