Wedding jitters

Oh dear! The family curse of reciting the names of everyone else before coming up with the name of the one you are addressing has slipped across the line into my bloging. Of course COK was meant to read SOK in “All the news…” My personal editor pointed out this, um, typo, yesterday. I bet you all think, he’s OK he has his own editor. Well yes I do but unfortunately owing to the time difference between here and the North Shore, my ed usually comes about a week after publication.

Never mind that though whilst on the subject of the North Shore and similar malfunctions I have been brooding on the upcoming wedding ceremony and its coincidence with an election. As we all know a wedding is a once off event even though some thick heads incapable of learning a lesson will cross the line a second and even third time, there are some, in fact, who regard it as a Guinness World Record event but we, the vast majority, regard it as a one off. Elections by contrast, are dime a dozen. No one is going to attempt the world book record for elections, are they? Certainly no one is going to say “dam I missed the election” without the confidence that there will soon be another. Not so weddings. Ah no! For weddings we need to have much more respect, they must be held in much higher esteem for they along with birth and death are foundation stones of personal history without which there is no need for elections and their accompanying politic.

Having said this much I now grant that politics and their electoral results are of great interest to us all. I venture that the audience for an election result would eclipse that of cricket, all the football codes, basket and net ball, hockey, track and field, swimming and chess put together. Everyone has their favorite team, well most, I stand corrected, otherwise why have a campaign. We are bribed and blasted conned and connived by the media for a whole season. Without the benefit of preliminary matches we have to rely on polls for scores and the best head to head comes with a one off penalty shootout debate. Naturally the counting of results in the tally room relayed boring minute by boring minute across the radio and television waves is spellbinding, nail biting compulsive stuff and should be enjoyed. What it should not do is distract us from the main game, the important, once off, societal building block, corner stone of Alice and Jacks Wedding.

Now to cope with all this on the day I wish that all guests would show the dignity and restraint displayed by the guests at Gabby and Adrian’s combined twenty first. There The Sea Eagles, who must have been the home team of the vast majority in attendance, lost conclusively and publicly, on multiple screens. This result was taken blithely in stride as from winger to the fullback for a winning touchdown and without fuss they got on with the main game, Gabby and Adrian’s majority in the adulthood stakes.

Of course it will be easy to be of good cheer if your home team wins. It will on the other hand be incumbent on those who’s team looses, and there must be losers, to remain of good cheer for the common good. To assist all in feeling a state of wellbeing in whatever result I suggest that all come with at least one thought in mind as to how they might enjoy the results of their non-favored team win. Thoughts along the line of how they might spend their 34 billion tax break couldn’t hurt. Thoughts along the line of an incumbent government returning to power with such a limited majority that they no longer feel a mandate and may in fact be hostage to some minor party or independent member could console me. Console yourselves that who ever wins will be the government we deserve and nothing remotely like the government we want who would immediately shut down all coal fired power plants, stop exporting coal to anyone who cant prove that they intend to use it only for sculptural purposes, ban all automobiles that feature engines with more than three cylinders or aren’t electric however many cylinders they need, double, no hold on quintuple old age pensions and drop the age limit to 62 for non property owners, oh and say sorry. There will always be the great divide, no one will ever rule for me but Alice and Jack will only marry once on election day 2007, that’s where I’m putting my money

Oh how do I wish I were a computer with the skills of Mr. Microsoft. Whenever I find myself in troubled waters as Paul (the Beatle not the prophet) would say, as when Messes. Media Player and Internet Explorer are finding themselves stressed and needing to close to have a nap, as I often do, mother System Restore comes to me speaking words of wisdom, and even better winding back the age of old Mrs. Computer to a less troubled time. Oh how many are the times I could have employed this skill to the wonderful benefit of all concerned. No sir these are not my drugs, you just go back to sleep whilst I reprogram myself to two weeks ago when aided by this foreknowledge I shall not undertake this path. I’m sure my ancient machine only labors on because I’ve wound its’ clock back so many times it thinks it’s five years younger.

Really if you are saying to yourself “oh if only I hadn’t done that” and you don’t know well, you haven’t, your future self did not you, for you are lurking back in time, as much as you like, with your buddy System Restore (we’re so close now he lets me call him Sy) who is always at home in “all programs”- “accessories”- “system tools” a mere four clicks to yesterday when you were young and innocent Halleluiah.

For those who missed it we managed another family day on Sunday photos of which follow. I’ll make no further comment as I’m reasonably assured that Gabby or Cathrine or who knows wants to provide the captions. Gabby will probably be too modest but the magnificent sculpture in water on weathered ply are hers as are many of these snaps.
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