Christmas 2009

So Christmas has come and gone. Yet again it seems strange having Christmas in summer but then growing up in the northern hemisphere would give one a certain outlook on life.
This year was the first time that the kids really got into it. They knew about Christmas before but this year was very much about Father Christmas, presents, being good..etc. Jamie got lots more lego from Father Christmas and Bees got a lot of craft and dressup stuff as well as a dolls house. Very stereotypical. There were many other small presents to make the whole thing feel close to a Christmas at No.10 (Petlands Road).
The picture, above, was taken Christmas morning. More photos of the day here.
I hope you all had a great Christmas for 2009 and have a happy New Year.

And so it begins....?

We've just come back from the final assembly of Southbridge School for the year. There were 2 things to note. The first is that Southbridge school will NOT be following the National Curriculum but will be a local curriculum that will reflect the unique needs and wishes of the Southbridge community. The second is that Jamie received a Certificate of Achievement for his class. There is only one presented for each year. Well done Jamie.
NB. After arriving home he turned from happy chappy to a prima donna and was NOT going to bed. The joys of parenting.

Dream Theater - Review

The hall lights go down, the strobe lights flash and there is a sound of rolling thunder. Everyone is in their seats. Yes. IN their seats. No one stands up. Dream Theater come out and start with 'A Nightmare To Remember' and gradually, people rise to watch the show. Very different to the UK where everyone would be up on their feet when the house lights go down. I did wonder if it was a New Zealand thing. New Zealanders are a tad more reserved than people in the UK. Yes, I know. Throughout the evening I noticed people were sitting down to rest their weary legs. Is this a sign of things to come? People are fat and lazy and can't stand for 2 hours at a time? My feet were killing me about three quarters of the way through but then I'm an old git so I've an excuse. Not that I sat down. I wasn't going to miss anything.
James LaBrie said that they had not been to New Zealand for 20 years, so unfortunately, this show wasn't a Black Clouds and Silver Linings show. The set was more a CV of Dream Theater's last 20 years, playing the likes of Pull Me Under, Constant Motion, As I Am, The Mirror...etc. I was pleased that they did play 'The Count of Tuscany'. For some reason, I expected this one to be played. There was the obligatory solo (keyboard) with an enjoyable 'Devil Went Down to Georgia' battle between Jordan Rudess and John Petrucci. John Myung was as he ever is. Moving about a bit with his fingers going mental on the bass. I don't know why but I got the impression that Mike Portnoy was a tad aggressive on his outlook that evening. He was great, as usual, but I felt that he didn't seem to be enjoying himself. James LaBrie kept disappearing behind the screen. I cannot remember if he did this at previous concerts. Perhaps he did this to let the other members of the band take centre stage but it was happening quite a lot and I believed he should have stayed to urge the crowd on. That's what a front man does right? He also seemed not to be enjoying his stay here. Looking at the back of my T-shirt I did notice it was at the end of a long tour. Perhaps it was just fatigue. Perhaps I misread it all.
The sound was excellent. The engineers did a great job and hopefully made easier by the fact that The Civic is a great auditorium. Lighting was great too. I could see and hear everyone in the band, individually and as a collective.
Dream Theater started just after 20:00 and played for 2 hours, finishing just after 22:00, which is good for a band. Well, it was in the old days.
Please don't get me wrong. It was a great show. An excellent show. I'm glad I went. I think at the end of the day I was hoping for a Black Clouds and Silver Linings show and was disappointed at Dream Theater for not playing more from the album. Seeing as they hadn't been in New Zealand for 20 years, I can understand them wanting to play more of a mix for the New Zealand audience. I guess, being English, I've been spoilt, when I lived close to London. Maybe I'm getting old and analysing things too much now and not enjoying the moment. Well, I am a business analyst after all. :-D
Man of the day? The 'Old Skool' fan with denim jacket complete with band patches a-plenty. Kudos to him. I am not worthy.

Trip to Auckland

On Tuesday morning, I drove to Deans' and he then took me onto that airport. It was cheaper leaving my car at Deans' than at the airport. A short wait and then off on the relatively smooth flight to Auckland for the Dream Theater concert that evening. I arrived in Auckland at 11:00 and took the bus into the city. It's probably the cheapest way to get there at $16.
When I checked into the hotel they could not find my reservation on their system. I finally had to log onto gmail and show them my receipt from their booking system. They were grateful and gave me a complimentary room upgrade. This was basically a queen sized bed into a king sized.
After dropping off my luggage - my karrimor handlebar bag from the '80's - I went to get some foils for my electric razor from the shaver shop. It's the only shop I know that WOULD have spare parts for electric razors actually in stock. They did not disappoint. I bought 2. The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering the shops looking for Christmas presents.
Wednesday morning was a nice lie in. Mmmmm. That's the great thing about going away and no kids. So when I did get up I phoned Nicola and arranged for a time when she'd pick me up. For those that don't know, I used to flat with Nicola when I was working in Auckland for Unitec. So I had time to pop down to Starbucks and get a White Chocolate Mocha, more Mmmmmm, and whilst I was there, I jotted down some notes for my Dream Theater Review. Nicola picked me up from the hotel and we went back to her lovely house for lunch and a chat. It was great to catch up and see how little Carter was doing. Nicola then took me to the airport where I flew home. My arms are very tired now.