Can you spell cacophony?

I’ve been using the iTunes Music Store for about two years (I think). For all its faults, I love the availability of so much music of all sorts and the ability to buy just one track if that is what you want.

Recently I have started thinking about extending my musical experiences into areas they haven’t gone before.

I’m thinking particularly of bands that I have spent time avoiding because the “cool” people at Swanleigh played them all the time and I hated them just on principle. Perhaps I should even expand into slightly different genres/styles that I wouldn’t normally listen to. I mean, I listen primarily to the heavy end of rock/pop (check out my last.fm profile if you are interested, top bands are Queen and Van Halen), but the last couple of years I have spent more time listening to folk, roots and even country.

I spend a bit of time browsing mp3blogs and the like, and have even discovered a couple of new “favourite” artists there: Apollo Up!, Flogging Molly and Kathleen Edwards, which is great. (Looking up the links here I notice that Flogging Molly has a new album, and it is actually on the Australian iTunes store. That’s going on my wishlish!)

But what I am really after is some appreciation of the “classics” of late-20th century western music. The sort of stuff that is culture-defining. A bit like the necessity of having read Dickens, or listened to Beethoven, or at least knowing what a Van Gogh looks like. Just more contemporary.

Here’s some of my ideas:

• Pink Floyd
• Talking Heads
• The Doors
• AC/DC (not a misprint)
• From an Australian perspective: INXS, Cold Chisel (even solo Jimmy Barnes *shudder*)
• Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
• Judas Priest
• The Cure

Any others? Comments are open.

Oh, what an aussie am I! I finally made a [pie floater][1] though you will notice that I have used yellow pea soup instead of the more correct green pea soup. Still tasted good though.

[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pie_floater

[These photos][1] were taken a couple of months ago.

The path involved is one that I ride down a few days a week to work at [the pharmacy][2], that runs along past the showgrounds and the hockey fields.

Back in January, we had some very heavy rains with localised flooding and everything. My path has a little sandy hill right next to it (to the left in the photos), so at a couple of points a nice covering of dirt was washed over the path.

I remember having to brace myself as I went to ride over the sand as my wheels would always float to the side. After a few days the path started to show through at one point (the right on the photos) and I was able to aim my wheels over that.

But as the weeks and then months went by I found myself wondering “doesn’t anyone from the [council][3] actually maintain this path?”. I mean, would a little sweep have hurt…?

Now, have a closer look at the photos. Remember it rained in January. The photos were taken in July. See that stuff in the middle of the sand? Thats *grass*!

Yes, the path was left with dirt on it for so long that grass grew!

Many times I was tempted to chuck a shovel on the back of my bike and just dig it all up myself, but that was a little impractical.

An interesting thought… the council elections are coming up next month. I wonder if anyone is going to run on a platform of **Cleaning Up The Paths**!

[1]: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wynter/sets/72157600762084474/
[2]: http://castletownchemist.com
[3]: http://esperance.wa.gov.au

Number 1 son Liam, my brother Jason and I have decided to participate in [NaNoWriMo][1] (National Novel Writing Month) this year.

Follow the link if you don’t know about this program and want to find out what I am talking about. The summary is this: write a 50,000 word (approx 175 page) novel in the month of November.

Note: Liam, as part of the Young Writer’s Program, can set his own target. He has chosen to aim for a 20,000 word effort. Good luck Liam!

You can follow my progress [here][2], Liam’s [here][3] and Jason’s [here][4]. Or have a look the “Word War” image at the top right of this page if you want to see how Jason and I are going head-to-head.

And if you are interested, the NaNo organisation is of a charitable bent, putting much of their money where their mouths are: bulding libraries in southeast asia.

> In 2006, NaNoWriMo will be using that same can-do spirit to help a group of would-be readers: Namely, a group of elementary-school kids halfway around the world in Vietnam. In partnership with the children’s literacy nonprofit Room to Read, NaNoWriMo will donate 50% of its total net proceeds from individual donations and store sales to establish children’s libraries in rural villages there.

Go [donate something][5] if this is your sort of work…

Oh, and I want one of these:

> This pleasingly large dishwasher-safe mug can hold enough novelist fuel to ensure that you won’t have to get up for refills during intense writing sessions. You will, however, have to get up and go to the bathroom. This is a big mug.

![Big-ass Mug][6]

[1]: http://nanowrimo.org
[2]: http://www.nanowrimo.org/userinfo.php?uid=132769
[3]: http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/userinfo.php?uid=75764
[4]: http://www.nanowrimo.org/userinfo.php?uid=133617
[5]: http://store.nanowrimo.org/home.php?cat=2&sort=price&sort_direction=0
[6]: http://store.nanowrimo.org/product_image.php?imageid=2

To our dear friends, relatives and discussion group co-members!

Some great news…

At 12:32 this afternoon (23rd August), our fifth son Micah Niall Power, entered the world in the safe environs of Esperance District Hospital. This was the official “due date” believe it or not!

Labour was short and uncomplicated. Mother was (as one friend put it) “a trooper” and is recovering well. Micah is perfectly formed and perfectly healthy. Weighed in at 970g (8lb 12oz) and was 51cm long. Scored 9 and 10 on his APGAR scores!!

His brothers are completely over the moon of course (his parents are reasonably happy too).

We give thanks to God for his care and provision of Linda and Micah over the last 40 weeks and for his continued blessing of this family. Thanks too to the midwives at the hospital, Dr Staer (who arrived late – that makes the score doctors 2, midwives 3) and our dedicated friends who looked after the other boys while we were “busy”.

The obligatory photos can be found here – More should be going up soon as we get “real” photos developed and more digital ones taken!

Thanks again to all involved….

Shayne

Psalm 98:4-9 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together
before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.