The Life and Times of Peter Green
Archive: 19 March - 8 April 2012
March 19thI'm a bit annoyed as I had an invite to attend the "extreme weather IPCC" reports at the State Library today. Still can't get about for more than an hour, so even getting to the city is out of the question. Maybe someone can carry me in on a cleopatra style chair! No ok. It would of been interesting too as a lot of the information is very recent. I guess one only has to look at the world to see how messed up the climate has become. It seems to get worse every few months. It may of been a wise move to live on top of a mountain, in case melbourne gets washed away.It's freezing here on top of the mountain though ,in early March- thats just strange. Mark carried in wood for the fire places today. We have heating but it is nice having a fire going. OK it's romantic, there I said it. March 20thYou know when you hear a certain word and you kind of like what it sounds like. It sticks in your head and you want the chance to use it. The word for me this week is SOMNAMBULANT. Just love it, it's like walking while asleep, characteristics of a sleepwalker. I guess those who sleepwalk through life are somnambulant in many ways.A friend who is in Flagstaff Arizona emailed me that there was heavy snow when she woke up this morning. We've been through Flagstaff a few times, hard to imagine it snowing, even in Mid March! The worlds weather is totally screwed up eh? It feels like it's about to snow here, the heaters went on in the office today for the first time in 6 months. I slept well tonight, the first decent sleep in ages, the evil kidney stents didn't cause too much pain. I can feel them, I know they are inside me, urgh trying not to think about them. They are still making me bleed and scream. March 21stI have the blues today, and it's cold so I light the big fire in the pool room. I work on my laptop from that area, my little apple logo glowing next to the fire, Steve Jobs would want to use this image for his christmas card it was so full of warmth! (Unlike Steve himself-opps).I meet this guy at the 3 Ducks and he used to work in the rehearsal studio way way way back in The Mullanes days. he told me a few fun stories about their rehearsals before the first aussie tour, was nice to hear such things, I took a few notes for the Ghost Cars book too as we'd all forgotten the name of the rehearsal studio. I do remember it being behind the sex shop where Chapel Street meets Dandenong Rd near Windsor. Small world eh? March 22ndI email NZ to see where the T&T slicks are, & Ed drops me a line, so all ok. I just never trust aussie post these days, they are rather useless. I call my uncle so he will be one of the next of kin on the hospital form, along with my sister. I didn't want to worry mum so I've avoided telling her, I think she knows something is up. Mothers always do.No dessert in the house, so I make a lemon cake, so easy, so fast and not too bad. I can see that recipe appearing in the not too distant future on the diary site. March 23rdSome flowers arrive but no card, not even the florist, so a bit weird, so I email around, thank you whoever...Some snow in the alps. You can feel it on the air, a bit of a bite. I put in my pay invoice to Neil, a bit early but I think he is ok about it. God bless him. March 24thQLD election is on, it's a bit predictable, Labor have been in power for what seems like forever in Qld, is it 20 years or something, so they get a kicking. Sad that Kate Jones lost her seat, she was a pretty decent politician. It's pretty boring, and like I said predictable. I guess the main worry for Queensland is that it will have the same problem that Victoria and NSW have with the Libs in power, and thats out of control unemployment. In Victoria Ted Failleu (opps Bailleu) is useless. You know that he's crap when the sucky Liberal Herald Sun slags him off over unemployment. Victoria now has nearly 1000 NEW unemployed every week. NSW isn't far behind. Add to that 10% higher crime, a public transport system that has somehow gotten worse and you wonder what the politicians are actually doing, if anything? I bet Qlds unemployment starts climbing next.March 25thI open the door and our lovely neighbours are at the door, with cat food for Banshee. So sad, their cat Stan has died, hit by a car. We loved Stan, very very sad evening.March 26thI feel pretty good so I grab the chainsaw and head out to the huge fallen branch, it's gigantic but I manage to attack it and slice off 3 huge pieces that someone can axe. After I wear myself out I sit and just enjoy the beauty about me. It really is an incredible place to live up here.I've been watching a few things on "The Jesus Of Siberia". With Easter coming up I thought I'd make mention of him here, as it is fascinating (and only a tad scary). His name is (was) Sergei Torop and he's been writing "the last testament" ..lives in Siberia, almost cultish .. and his followers are growing. He does indeed have the "Jesus look" down pat and hopefully some of the better "lessons". Anyway check him out, if only for the intrigue value. I just like that his commune uses lots of solar panels and grow their own vegies! (Yeah they believe in UFO's too). March 27thWe watch Naomi Klein's THE SHOCK DOCTRINE on cable. It's about the myth of the global free market created democratically. Really interesting, however we both vomited into a bucket when that fuckwit George Bush appeared on the screen. It was possibly America's most stupid day voting in that pile of shit as president. What a total loser. Such a dimwit!March 28thDame Edna tickets on sale today, I'm hanging out for the extra shows in the hope of some front row seats. It's her farewell tour, I can't imagine a world without Edna, I'm sure she'll pop up on TV shows and adviser to President Obama during his next term!March 29thWe had a rush on WINGS OFF FLIES today, nearly a dozen copies before lunch, so Mark signed them. Scrawl scrawl... that book seems to happen like that, suddenly people have the desire to grab a copy. We are up to our second print run, and you can buy them via the merchandise part of this diary site, or email me direct (peter@frenz.com). I don't think we'll do a 3rd run, so just the 2 print runs at this stage. People seem to buy them as presents for mates.I work on our Tax stuff/BAS today, mark works on the accounts day to day so by time we have to send the paperwork to the accountant it is easy. Nice and simply. I think tax paperwork just becomes a drag when you let it all slip behind. March 30thI continue to lose weight, 1kg every 2 or so days now. I'm still at a sensible weight but I am keeping an eye on it. C'mon Mum send me those easter eggs! fatten your favourite son up a bit!I hear from Greg Skyhook, so that was nice. I had some emails from the Finns too really just checking in. It's funny having my office set up in the bedroom, but it means I can get some work done. March 31stI pack my bag all ready for the hospital on Monday. They can't tell me if I am in for a few days. I'm just hoping my body is tough enough to allow me to go home the same day. I'm being sensible and won't rush it but I hate the idea of a hospital stay and so far I have been lucky. Mondays is a bit more complicated so I'll just run with it. Oddly enough I think I'm ok, not too freaked out or worried and I'm trying hard not to think about it.April 1stI heard a rumour that Tony Abbott's sister is gay and about to come out. At first I think it's a brilliant April Fools day joke but now I'm not so sure.April 2ndOnce again no sleep and up by 5.30. I have my schedule down pat so I leave right on time. Arrive at Rosemaree's just as she is going to work, at least with daylight savings over it is light outside this time. She drops me off at the hospital, which is fantastic. I check in and eventually I'm in my blue hospital outfit again. The ESWL machine that they are going to use to destroy the kidney stones on the left hand side breaks down so a new one is sent for. I'm in the pre-op area chatting to a few other patients. A girl who is a snowboarder, a housewife who is so scared- I actually calm her down, my good deed for the day. Little does she know that I'm starting to get some anxiety. I wave goodbye to all of them and I have to wait, wait wait, I hate it. They move me to some loading bay type room... and the nurse is cool but I am sick of being on this evil bed. I'm now 1 hr 30 minutes late. I have the urge to leave.. and not tell them. My Doctor arrives and says maybe we should leave one stent in, in case some of the stones don't get crushed and passed. I tell her, no way, BOTH must come out- she knows I mean BOTH. She nods...tells me that there is a small risk, I don't care, both are out.Finally my doctor gets me wheeled in, I get to see the ESWL machine-wow something from the terminator movie... are they sure it won't send me back through time instead? It has this freaky gel, flesh skin type piece. The tech guy that runs it tells me a special table has to go with it & I'm about to be loaded onboard. I'm given an injection like a dying cat at a vet..I wonder if I will wake up. I have to have my gown at the back open, so I guess everyone will see my cute little arse. By the time the 2 stents are out several people will be best friends with both my front and back. Once again I don't dream, just blackness. I am awake in the recovery room. I feel a bit sickly this time, I can taste the serum from the needle. My back doesn't feel too bad, most bruising inside. The nurse tells me I'm just a bit red and hardly bruised. Both stents gone and I can feel they are, it's heaven. Less gore and blood this time. Though it's taken me longer for my body to respond. The 2 people before me are staying the night. I tell them I am fine to go home, though I do feel pretty sick. They run through heaps of stuff with me, recovery time etc. In for scans in 4 weeks to make sure I'm back to full health and all evil stones gone. They've called Mark but messed up the information. I call Jane and she is picking me up... I tell Mark to stay at home that way I can get back sooner. I keep tasting the drugs and I know I will eventually throw up, so I grab an extra hospital bag for the car, just in case. I'd destroy my friendship by vomiting on my lovely driver mate Jane... not to mention my dignity. I'm in Jane's car and I can see those gorgeous blue hills that are the Dandenong's... I tell Jane I am about to throw up... we both decide to turn up the radio so neither of us can hear my vomit noises. It's nearly all water or whatever was injected into me.. nothing gross, no sick smell, just toxins. Very little, probably just my body exiting the drugs. My friends have been so good to me around all of this. I vomit in time to the music-there is a technique to that. I break the Olympic 500m dash and make it to the outside gardeners toilet and throw up more toxins. Nice noises Green! I head in and Mark and Jane look worried and should I really be at home. I tell them YES. Just need water, pills, bed , husband and Miss Jane. I sleep, wake, think about throwing up, don't bother, sleep, pat Banshee -who cat kisses me on the nose. It's nearly over I tell her, no more hospitals. Full health just around the corner. April 3rdI'm kind of ok, wake up at 9.00 still feel a bit sick but was told to expect that. The Doctors office phones and double checks as they thought I'd still be in hospital. I speak to our lovely neighbour Jodie and she will drive me to my car at Rosemaree's. This evening. I say thats great, but a part of me is worried about driving so soon... however I take it slow so I'm ok and don't drive off the edge of Mt Dandenong. Just handy to have our car back at the house, otherwise we are isolated.April 4thToday I feel great. Now there is a statement.April 5thWe get an email from one of the old record fair guys and he has quite a few radio promo cds. I guess stations and such are getting rid of them. Mark catches a train and goes through them and finds some Neil Finn radio discs, so he covers the cost and buys them for the fans. So cool of him. He also buys me a few small presents. What a hero he is!In the afternoon we grab a few things from the IGA supermarket, so the house is stocked up. I'm not feeling very social so hiding from the world, though I did do some work in the office for 2 hours. April 6thGood Friday. It was "good" actually..a nice day,aptly named *GRIN*. I always want to fight some of the religious curfews, like the supermarket being told they can't open. I always disagree with that one- I think if you are religious and don't wish to work on Good Friday that should be taken into account- but if you are not or simply want to work at a supermarket they should let them open. I also find that the church are such hypocrites about people eating shellfish on good friday. Australians go for it on this day , but the religious ones eating shellfish going totally against the bible -Leviticus 11:10 (the patron saint of Levi's!!! *GRIN*) "But whatever is in the seas & in the rivers that does not have fins and scales among all the teeming life of the water , and among all the living creatures that are in the water, they are detestable things to you". ..heaven help you if you are wearing two fabric blends whilst eating shellfish- you are totally fucked if you do that. Once more the Patron saint of Levi's is waving his finger (Leviticus 19:19) "....now wear a garment upon you of two kinds of material mixed together"!After coming from a fishing family I almost zero eat seafood, but God will not smile on me anyway, I have a tattoo -once more Mr Levi tells me thats bad (19:28) "you shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves". I think of my lovely tattooed mate Vali Myers-she'd be having quite a conversation with Mr Levi in heaven over this I'm sure! -and of course there is the "no round haircuts" rule in the bible...oh so many on such a day lets not go there (Pity The Beatles) . The Bible can be the good book, so many positive things but also so much crap, it always makes me smile that half the people waving it in our faces are probably unaware of how many rules of the Bible they break-daily-and if any of you female diary readers grab my testicles I do have to cut your hands off but thats not Leviticus .... I think from memory it's Deuteronomy.? My mum would love all of this being an ex-Sunday school teacher! She'd correct me I'm sure on a few finer points. I have to say I do like the Good Friday "Walk" where the congregation of many churches walk together between the various churches in Melbourne- maybe thats what religion should be, a simple massing of people without the fear of a scary God or the forcing of the churches views down peoples throats. The newspapers run stories on Tony Abbott's gay sister, I'm sorry it's brilliant-God does indeed have a sense of humour. That poor woman having creepy homophobe Abbott as a brother-urgh! Great that she was brave enough to come out! So WHEN gay marriage happens here I wonder if Tony Abbott will be a hypocrite and attend his sisters wedding (if she chooses to be married to her Lesbian friend). April 7thI spent today doing a few good deeds, just helping some people out, some locals , a friend and a stranger. It felt good especially the person I didn't know. Sometimes it's just putting good energy into something. I like simplistic positive approach. Wish I had the focus to do good stuff every day.Crowdies are at #18 on the Australian Artist ARIA chart, with The Very Very Best Of Crowded House. One year on the Aussie chart and we are getting so close to platinum. It's pretty cool considering there was no massive tv campaign. April 8thOur mate Bek calls and she's visiting tomorrow. There is talk of some very cold weather and possible snow happening up here, yeah in April- which is pretty intense. Mark carries in some more firewood so we have an extra store of it in the house. I think we'll need it. I know we'll all end up playing pool so it's nice to have the fire blazing away. Two new mates are also dropping in for a visit so Easter Monday will be busy.The sun is out today, so we decide to do some chainsawing. I'm cautious as I'm meant to be taking it easy, but I feel good. We attack the 2nd giant tree limb on our walk way and I pain a FREE FIREWOOD sign. (I'm waiting for someone to write- "Why what did he do" under it). Mark says no one will get the wood as it's too chunky. An hour later nearly all of it has been taken. I buy Season 3 of The Secret Life Of Us on dvd, we've been watching it lately & didn't have season 3 and it was so cheap on Ebay. Bargain.! That's it from Kalorama - hope your easter break was enjoyable and remember no testicle grabbing! Love life PG |