The Life and Times of Peter Green
Archive: 31 October - 13 November 2011
October 31stHappy Halloween.We head to Prahran to see our doctor, it's time again for a blood test, every 18 months. Got to stay on top of ones health. I convince Mark he should also get one, so we front up and the vampire nurse takes several containers of our rich velvety blood. Mark mimics my facial expression when the needle goes in, I never watch, of course he does - the nurse is funny- a bit of a sweetheart. She must drain hundreds of people each day. It takes a week for the results. With the Aussie medicare system it costs about $35! Amazing for pathology results, so cheap. We arrive home and I start to dress Ailsa Craig for Halloween. A few screaming ghosts in the trees on one of the walk tracks, an inflatable skeleton and cobwebs everywhere. I carve a huge pumpkin, this year it's a ghost rising up out of a pumpkin... a small laser light is inside so it changes colour and rays shoot out of it's eyes. OK I enjoy Halloween far too much. I give thanks for the grains and harvest like a good boy too, wonder if their is some deity that I can pray to to make my basil grow!. (Almost sounds sexual). We leave a basket of treats by the door and decide to head off to our fave Indian restaurant for dinner. By the time we return nearly all the special Halloween bags have been grabbed by ghouls and ghosts-good to see, the world needs more sugar fired kids *GRIN*., either that or the possums scored well this year. A thick fog rolls over the house at midnight, kind of a fitting end to Halloween. Mark takes a few snaps, I didn't make an effort with a cozzie this year, ended up being loads of black material, some Headwig sunny's and some very freaky triple layer lip gloss, and an altered speed setting on the camera. A nice spooky shot! Some say I look like I always do-thanks guys. November 1stThe Melbourne Cup was on in Melbourne today, and we were in the sweepstake at a local eatery called "3 Ducks", they picked "Lost in the moment" for us- seemed to fit. I think the horse came about 4th position. It's still such a huge race about 100,000 people turn up for it and it's a public holiday in Victoria. I wear my coloured silk shirt and racing hat to lunch- so i made an effort. I even watched the Cup this year, a photo finish so a close race. The horses were stunning so well looked after. I miss riding, love horses.The Hurstville exhibit finishes today so I have to email them to get all our bits and pieces back. I do worry when stage costumes leave our archive for public display. I had a lot of emails from people who went along, always cool when fans can check out stage cozzies- something special about them. November 2ndI noticed Patti Smith's OUTSIDE SOCIETY was on special at JB so grabbed a copy. Such a great mix of songs, Rock N Roll Nigger is currently playing (nice & loud) as I type this. A very diverse selection of tracks on this one.Mark has ordered a box of Blu rays- so Captain America, Get Low, Pee Wees Big Adventure, Supernatural (Season 6) and Cape Fear (the Di Niro re-make) arrive. Excellent. We just had to get Pee Wee, the only Tim Burton movie we didn't have in HD. Catch up with Rosemaree and we have Mexican at Lillydale. I have 2 margaritas , I am such a cheap date, at $12 each maybe not so cheap. November 3rdWatch Italy become the next nightmare, far more insane then Greece. Italy probably will default and may well take the Euro with it! Chinas growth is apparently slowing and Japans corporate capital spending has slowed. I see Australia's unemployment dropped this week, from 5.3 to 5.2, at least that is in the right direction. Some countries are closer to 10% so we Aussies should count our blessings. Full employment is about 5% so it's close, and grinding out 10,000+ extra jobs last month probably helped. The world seems like it is in some strange spiral, like bad shit is coming. You know when you have that feeling in your gut and it's not from eating one too many chillies!November 4thThe electricity company recalled my power bill, I think the guy who reads our meter messed up and forgot to deduct the energy we sold back to Origin. They told me that it will all be fine, one less bill for me to pay for the moment so I'm ok about it- human error, I guess my smart meter picked it up.Pay our Winter gas bill, one down , am just glad it's gone. I hear from a real porn star who reads my diary, wow- not sure what to say. It's a job I know but always funny when an email comes left of centre. I wonder who else reads this? November 5thI try the slurpee margarita machine. Did you know it is the rock salt and water mixed together that creates the chemical reaction that helps freeze the outside liquid into a slush! See you can learn stuff from margaritas. You can't add alcohol into it (only later on) as it needs to be sugar based for it to freeze! It wasn't too bad, must of looked great carrying midori margaritas down to the office at midday!I work outside in the garden, fix the huge pole light and we start mowing the lawns. Massive rain on the way during the week so thought we'd get into it before the soaking begins. November 6thWe get our chart for THEY WILL HAVE THEIR WAY, debuts at #31, which is healthy. NSW was the highest chart at #36 and VIC 2nd with #41. It will be one of those albums that will sell well over Christmas.Meanwhile EMI have released the third 'season" cover (Autumn) for The Very Very Best Of Crowded House, it is climbing too , in the top 40 this week at #39 (from #43) it ticks over and I think will hit Platinum in the first half of 2012. EMI love the Crowdies I wish we stayed with them as our main record company, but just my thoughts. They always get back to me, appreciative etc. November 7thI had to go to Mt Evelyn this morning so we called into Morrisons for lunch. Good to see Sheridan again, seems like ages. The art in the small display gallery was pretty horrid this week, not a single interesting piece, some of it was down right BAD. I doubt i could do better but it was obviously someone's dreams of grandeur. One old lady went "Urgh that turns me off my food", I just grinned, she could do with losing a few kilo's.Thunderstorms tonight, I last spot Banshee with her rhino blanket on running under the bed. 24mm of rain on the mountain and they expect double that when the big storm hits in 2 days. The weather is crazy, I guess it is what we have to expect world wide these days. November 8thThe Senate passes the Clean Energy Bill today, which is great news, make big polluters in Australia pay. The public gallery let out a huge cheer.I got to read Choice magazines modeling info sheet on the cost of Australians upcoming carbon tax. It's connected to the Australian Council of Social Services. It's good as it shows how Tony Abbott is full of shit and simply fear mongering- nothing new there. A family (with 2 kids) earning $45,000 would have $8.60 in weekly costs (but would gain $11.45 in support), a family with 2 kids earning $80,000 would be around $2.00 a week better off, and a family with 2 kids earning $300,000 would be $17.90 worse off. I figure if you earn $300,000 a year you can afford $17.90! When John HoWARd brought in the GST that produced 4 times the inflation that the carbon tax would! It's not all doom and gloom just people listen to dickheads like Abbott and get all worked up. We watch "Love Crimes Of Kabul" -a fascinating documentary filmed in Afghanistan. Filmed at Afghanistan's Badum Bagh Womens Prison, showing what Afghanistan thinks is the 'Norm', filmmaker Tanaz Eshaghian did a fantastic job, it has such soul and colour and sadness. Fascinating, check it out. November 9thBic plays her (2nd) show back at the rockin' Kings Arms in Auckland tonight. I got an email saying it went "triumphantly" !! Go girl. Her new album BELLE in stores in a few days in NZ, I hope her home crowd stays loyal to her and it does well.We've been in Melbourne for 32 years today, I kept thinking it was 33 but Mark was right it's 32. Thirty two years, what a trip, overall really really brilliant and it's still playing out! I make a few hours to work on the Crowdies book. November 10thHmmm Orica in Newcastle (Aust) own up to releasing carcinogenic hexavalent chromium into the atmosphere. Greg Skyhook was talking about moving to Newcastle , I hope he is up wind of Orica's Kooragang Island plant! I feel sorry for the 25 workers at the plant when it rained down on them, something seriously wrong for this sort of thing to be happening in Australia!I'm enjoying sending out Tweets, and hell I even respond (stop grinning Deb). So if you want to sign on up, my account is Gryphon Music. November 11thA small part of our walk track to the back car entrance was a bit dark so I 'planted" 85 solar lights. They are the shape of flowers so it's like a glass bouquet that comes alive when the sun sets, they are not super bright so you can still break your neck if you take a wrong turn but they look good! I wonder what the possums and night creatures think of them?I give Miss K the nod to buy the Adam Ant tickets for Philly! Somehow I will get to America in February! It was a promise, if Adam plays PA I will come, don't you love it when my mouth gets me into trouble. To be honest I am so looking forward to it and speaking/seeing our American mates. Adam is second on the list, the gals are first! Plus whilst in Pittsburgh I FINALLY get to go to the Warhol museum. I've blown it out so many times, life is too short got to make it happen. This will be fantastic and thanks Miss K-we will have FUN! (and probably arrested, but hey you are a lawyer so I'm in safe hands!)?! After all this time the Split Enz ROOTIN TOOTIN LUTON special 2 CD release is down to the final 11 copies. I have a feeling this will never be seen again. We have been selling 1 or 2 a day and I've noticed it's the usual thing, when something is about to become totally extinct , suddenly everyone wants one. Well we have 11 and if you are after a copy you need to email me now , not later. Such a brilliant release, I still play this a lot. Anyway going going going.... how many emails will I get after these 11 have gone- HEAPS....! November 12thUp early and work in the yard on this fine Saturday. Mow, burn attack nature, plant, and ache. Kind of in that order. Ailsa Craig is looking damn fine I must say. It really was 4 Seasons In One Day weather, sun, some hail and then rain.I see PM Julia is hanging out at the beach in Hawaii with President Obama, he arrives in Australia in a week- I still think he's ok, especially compared to the sad political stock currently crawling out of Texas! Yieks. I decided it was time to bake another passionfruit cheesecake, I avoid the office on weekends these days. Weekends are mine, it's taken me how long to work that out? We do go to the office to use the super computer so yours truly can do some voice over work. (So much for avoiding the office). I only f**k my lines a few times and it ends with me on the floor laughing like a crazy bastard! Some words just set me off, I'm serious and have the voice right and suddenly I'll have to say some stupid word like "rim" and I will wet myself laughing- what am I 12? I can't help it, that's the full package take it our leave it, I am a tool! We leave the office at 3.00 make out till 4.00. Yieks...must be my sensual voice! November 13thSleep in, kind of. Banshee wants out so I do the sleeping Zombie walk and cat goes outside. I hear Mark banging about , the usual morning cursing and dropping of things. I am evil that I make him stay awake till all hours, just i can't do the 'early to bed' stuff , we sleep away our lives - I HATE early to bed. The Gods have so far saved me from having to be an early bed goer (or a bed wetter). The only reason you'd get me into bed early is for a wild romp! You just know someone will put that on a Tshirt and jump out in front of me wearing it! (Blushes).I drive to the bakery and grab a few bucks from the ATM for the Plumber who is turning up tomorrow to explain why our hot water tap screams like a Banshee (not OUR Banshee, A Banshee). We get our ARIA charts in, and it is indeed a good week for us. The Very Very Best Of Crowded House moves up 7 spots to #32, so almost back in the National Top 30. I'm sure the new "Autumn" season cover helped, as the CD charts jumped while digital fell back. Also, THEY WILL HAVE THEIR WAY moved up to #26, so a 5 spot move for that release two. Hey Finns how about a Christmas bonus! *GRIN*. That's it from the top of Mount Dandenong. have some fun this week the world is certainly a gloomy place at the moment! PG |