Friday, March 27, 2009

Sing low, Sweet Shuffler...


The other day, at Bible Study....



There was talk of a non-biblical nature about the songs of our generation. A member of the group was playing the piano for a church event and was bemoaning the repetoire to be sung. Which then beggered the question -


"When we're all old (in nursing homes)- what songs would we sit around and have a 'sing-along' too?"


That question came to mind the other (other) day as I listened to the radio while driving home from work and concurrently taking my blood pressure measurements for the third time, to dissuade myself of the notion that blood could physically boil! Oh yes, you'd be surprised by the things I carry in that home/garbage facility-on-wheels!


I imagined a nursing home with the chintz recliners all arranged in a semi-circle around the piano in anticipation for a night of reminiscing. An arthritically-affected, folically-challenged old man leaning precariously over the piano keys then begins manically pelting away in-time to a JT classic of our youth! The cracked voices from the recliners all raise in choral carcaphony to the strains of,"I'll make you believe in love and sex and magic"....ah sweet innocent days of yesteryear!


My goodness, all the songs I hear nowadays (you know you're getting old when you use a term like nowadays) I don't believe could even be played on a piano! Aghast I thought - we've sunk the sing-along! Banished by the gen-X'ers and the synthetic computer gen-Aters!

Would we have our own X-gen sing-along game instead perhaps?


The scene then shifted to our nursing home's open-plan, semi-partitioned living space. Twenty to thirty year old looking lads and ladettes with arthritically -affected hands laze on swedishly-designed and chinese-made imported bean bags, around the "NewGen Shuffleupagus 7000". All jostle to be first to sing along to the randomly-shuffled selection of greatest hits from the 01's - on voice-activated, camera-captured, siren-simulated and fast-tracked direct from the US - karoke. The sing-along of our generation - everyone's a sing-star - Karoke!


Alternatively, with our disdain for social interaction inbred since Facebook, we would twitter our current bed-ridden status for the 50th time that day to our fellow twits. To accomodate our bed-ridden state we would therefore not even have to leave the comfort of our automated existences. Instead, programming a virtual sing-along experience in a social-networking cyber sense, as we downloaded an 'app' on our lap to 'Rate our Sing-Stardomness'!


Ah for those melodic strains ..it's a long way to Tipp-er-ary, it's a long way to go.....





sent from an i-dont-phone


(by a Facebook obsessed, computer addict :-P )


Wednesday, March 4, 2009

An unexpected delight...

I have to admit, we should be at the Heidari's tonight, but in a blessed piece of 'luck' (thank you Lord!) - they weren't at home when we duely arrived at 7pm.

So as an unexpected delight - we have a night at home and a chance to cook a proper meal (not the usual late wed-night pizza!).

It feels bad to be rejoicing in not seeing people you actually like and whom I imagine rarely get visitors....anyway...

How is everyone?!

I realised that once I'd done those past two month reviews I sort of lost steam and never came back! Now March is upon us and I haven't even blogged once during February! I know, I know - the heaven's haven't collapsed yet, but it's a bit of a worry that my attention span is so short!

February was a bit of a blur but I do remember a lovely Valentine's Day spent at a French restaurant in Flaxton (near Mapleton in the moutains around the sunshine coast). I also remember a truly stupendous dessert for said restaurant which consisted of five 'samples' of each dessert listed on the menu. It included a creme brulee, a profiterole, a poached peach, fruit (which I did eat!) and a chocolate cake. Oh my!!! That on top of the snails for entree and the duck leg for main! I'm such a glutton - french through and through then!!!

Talking about food - drool - we've discovered a fantastic cafe in New Farm! I love hunting out great eats especially on a lazy Sunday (I don't know why those tops no longer fit really - clothes sizes these days aren't what they claim ;-) ). This cafe, is "Au Cirque" on Brunswick St and is DIVINE! Reasonably priced, great service and the food is so flavoursome and fresh! If you had to classify it I would say the food is french-australian. The only downside is the small size of the place which means quite literally an 'intimate' dining experience (not necessarily a downside if you enjoy a good eavesdrop and a laugh).

Hold those salivating horses Jen I'm going off track.....

February
- we watched Dad stare at the same four walls for another month which creep ever more sedantly towards completion. You can't rush a master - or my father!

- Andrew's work continued to dry up to the point where his hours have now been cut back. We are the lucky ones though at least I am still employed (woohoo for public service security) and Andrew is okay for the moment.

- my godmother had some major mental illness issues which has affected not only herself but her friends, especially my mother who had to admit her to hospital. Things are on the improve though but your prayers would be appreciated!

- my DNA sequencing work progressed with one step forward and two in opposite directions (the way of science - one way works which then opens up more avenues to explore!). I am loving having the opportunity to do some research (shhh) and making a worthwhile contribution to the job.


And now March has marched right on in....as has my dinner.
Time to eat again!

life, it's uncertain,
eat dessert first!