Samwise rides again

Have a Happy New Year, I’ve got a good feeling about this one.

There once was a young lady from Philly
Who met a young Limey named Billy
They tried to be friends
But the way the story ends
She felt his brains had been replaced by his willy

After a week of feeling awful, I thought I’d pretty much got over it just in time for Christmas celebrations. I went out, I socialised, and things were looking up for the following week, I could finally get out and surf, visit Maui, Kona etc.

Christmas Eve, I only got a couple of hours sleep, long story, but by Christmas Evening I was finding it impossible to stay awake, no matter what I tried. A friend rang me, I cannot tell you what they said, I have not a clue, and worse, I don’t know what I said to them.

I woke up in agony. My back felt as if I’d pulled every muscle, I could hardly move, and I couldn’t get comfortable. I managed to find some vicodin in the cupboard from when I had one of my wisdom teeth pulled, and that releived much of the pain, but didn’t get rid of it completly. I thought back, and cannot think of anything I could have done to put my back out. However I have not ventured too far out these past few days as I’m still getting flu like symptoms from time to time.

I haven’t been surfing at all, my body runs hot and cold which wouldn’t be pleasant to be in the water with, and the risk of doing my back in at the moment isn’t worth it, plus the vicodin runs out tomorrow. If anyone can score morphine, let me know ;O)

I’m weary of going to Maui, sometimes you just need your own yard, your own bed, Maui is going to have to wait *sob* maybe for my birthday.

I could still do Kona for the day, not today, I’m staying close to my bed today, I am hoping to go round to a friends for a bit tomorrow night. We shall see.

If during my time being sociable I have been contagious, I am really sorry, I didn’t realise.

I’m back at work on the second, I’d put good money on being fit and well by then, hrrrrumph !

Anyone remember that tune “James Brown is Dead” ?

No, just me ?

James Brown died Christmas Day, from pneumonia, in a hospital in Augusta, Georgia, he was 73.

Obituaries from Aunty, the Independent and the Guardian.

I discoverd James Brown’s music when I was around 10, I was familiar with a lot of the breaks and samples and characteristic style, but hadn’t actually owned any. I was chasing down a break, a practice that hasn’t changed for me in all these years, and came across “Get Up ( I feel like bieng a sex machine )”. As I said I was about 10, and the record label had started reissuing James Brown’s records, this was following Eric B’s heavy use of James Brown breaks at the time, in fact Eric B really deserves the credit for popularising James Brown in the late 80s, I wonder if we’d be talking about him if it wasn’t for that, anyway I’d never heard anything like it … it was just RAW !

It still is, it still wipes the floor with any of the modern imitators.

He had the tightest band.

I remember hearing Janet Street Porter, of all people, describe seeing James Brown when he played England for the first time. His performance was a performance, in the old gospel tradition, but stepped up, he would keep going to the point of collapse.

Speaking of gospel, remember he was the preacher in the Blues Brothers film.

I don’t know, the man, for better or worse, was an icon, he is one of the most sampled and imitated artists bar none.

He’s the funk, he’s the soul, we call him Godfather, the Grandaddy.

Pappa’s got a brand new bag.

I’ve been looking up the origin of Boxing Day, but I have
been unable to find a single definitive meaning. Meanings include …

1. It was the day when people would give a present or Christmas ‘box’ to those who have worked for them throughout the year. This is still done in Britain for postmen and paper-boys - though now the ‘box’ is usually given before Christmas, not after.
2. In feudal times, Christmas was a reason for a gathering of extended families. All the serfs would gather their families in the manor of their lord, which made it easier for the lord of the estate to hand out annual stipends to the serfs. After all the Christmas parties on 26 December, the lord of the estate would give practical goods such as cloth, grains, and tools to the serfs who lived on his land. Each family would get a box full of such goods the day after Christmas. Under this explanation, there was nothing voluntary about this transaction; the lord of the manor was obliged to supply these goods. Because of the boxes being given out, the day was called Boxing Day.
3. In England many years ago, it was common practice for the servants to carry boxes to their employers when they arrived for their day’s work on the day after Christmas. Their employers would then put coins in the boxes as special end-of-year gifts. This can be compared with the modern day concept of Christmas bonuses. The servants carried boxes for the coins, hence the name Boxing Day.
4. In churches, it was traditional to open the church’s donation box on Christmas Day, and the money in the donation box was to be distributed to the poorer or lower class citizens on the next day. In this case, the “box” in “Boxing Day” comes from that lockbox in which the donations were left.
5. Boxing Day was the day when the wren, the king of birds, was captured and put in a box and introduced to each household in the village when he would be asked for a successful year and a good harvest.
6. Because the staff had to work on such an important day as Christmas Day by serving the master of the house and their family, they were given the following day off. Since being kept away from their own families to work on a traditional religious holiday and not being able to celebrate Christmas Dinner, the customary benefit was to “box” up the leftover food from Christmas Day and send it away with the servants and their families. Hence the “boxing” of food became “Boxing Day”.

This was all cribbed from the wikipedia entry, though between my friends we think something between the first and last of those is most likely the truth.

For me, when I am in the UK, the members of my family who live elsewhere often come up for lunch on Boxing Day. In the afternoon I’ll meet with my mates down the pub, probably the Star in the Old Town, sit in front of an open fire and drink and talk all afternoon. Most people have Boxing Day off work, so it is one of the few times when we can all get together like that.

We had some problem explaining Mince Pies to the Americans at a party I was at last night, it was really the mincemeat that was the sticking point. My friend’s mother had made one which was more like a tart of which I had a slice. There was Christmas Pudding too. I was very happy.

Aloh-ho-ho-a !

Merry Creambuns to one and all !

So …. Mele Kalikimaka, is Hawai’ian for Merry Christmas, I am led to believe that the Hawai’ians originally had problems pronouncing `Merry Christmas` and went for something which was a sort of phonetic translation, something that was easier for them to say, I’m not sure if that is true, thats just what I heard.

Santa, after flying round the world delivering toys, ditches the reindeer for the last leg of the journey and rides across the ocean in a magic red outrigger canoe to the beaches of Hawai’i.

This works well for us, as the sleigh has been known to cause trouble while observing with submillimetre telescopes, and Rudolph’s nose is very problematic when observing with optical telescopes, especially along the infrared.

At this time of year, Hawai’ians, prior to the arrival of Europeans, celebrated Makahiki, which is a period of resting and feasting, honoring Lono, the god of abundance.

Makahiki translates to mean something like `year`, and at new year one is wished Hau’oli Makahiki Hou, however Makahiki would be celebrated for around 4 months, from some time in October to some time in March, in which no wars or conflicts of any kind were permitted. All unnecessary work was also kapu.

The period was divided into two parts, the first involved paying taxes to the King, and religious ceremonies. The second involved hula, surfing, canoe racing, swimming, singing and, of course, feasting.

I think the second period was probably the longest.

Unfortunatly in the US, they celebrate first, in November with Thanksgiving and December with Christmas and Hanukkah and-what-have-you, and then pay taxes in January.

Not sure that is the better way round myself.

The headline in the paper yesterday was something like …

NO SNOW IN PARADISE

… you might be thinking that is a statement of the bleedin’ obvious, but Mauna Kea has not been predicted snow for today, which will probably be a bit of a let down for the locals who like to drive up, fill the back of the truck up with snow and then drive down again.

Hmmm … must be present-unwrapping-o’clock.

Around Christmas many businesses need extra workers to handle the rampant consumerism and celebration that takes place at that time of year, and many people need extra money for rampant consumerism and celebration that takes place at that time of year, so extra jobs are created.

It seems odd to think that as recently as Victorian England did we have poor children working in sweat shops producing toys for children of rich parents to receive at Christmas.

Nowadays we outsource to poorer countries, but the tradition remains.

Channel 4 has put up microsites for Tony Robinson’s Worst Jobs in History and Worst Christmas Jobs in History.

Wether or not this makes you feel better about your lot-in-life I don’t know, all the same Happy Holidays.

Aloha Grandma,

Toodaloo
Toodalay
I’m playing the elephant’s bottom today

There’s a famous seaside place called Blackpool,
That’s noted for fresh-air and fun,
And Mr and Mrs Ramsbottom
Went there with young Albert, their son.

At that Mother got proper blazing
“And thank you, sir, kindly,” said she
“What waste all our lives raising children
To feed ruddy lions? Not me!”

Kate Hart

Originally uploaded by samh101.

My Grandma died a few hours ago, she had been in good health, so it has come as a bit of a shock. It was very sudden, very quick. My sister was there, they had both recently arrived at my parents house for Christmas.

I’m feeling a bit lost.

I don’t know what to do with myself.