It's beginning to look a lot like...

[toprob]

Wow, I just looked at the calendar, how did it get to this time of the year? Next week I'm off to help a friend out, and then it'll be Christmas, so I may as well call it quits for the year, work-wise.
(I do get an unscheduled trip to Chch, though, so that could entail some work.)

It didn't help my work schedule much today when I clicked the 'what's new' tab on Spotify, and found Bruce Springsteen's recent outing to Broadway... anyone who has Spotify should check it out. Although I'm a Springsteen fan from way back, I'm not obsessed with him, there's only room for one 'voice of the generation', and for me, that's Bob Seger…

Anyway, none of them are getting any younger, but Bruce has certainly aged well. He recently talked about his dealings with depression, which really struck me, it seems unfair that anyone who brings so much pleasure to so many people shouldn't have a perfect life. The Broadway show is just him talking about his life, and a selection of songs to illustrate things. He's getting on for 70 now, but his father is still a major issue? factor? for him. His stories about his relationship with his father made me cry, I can really relate to that, here I am at 62 and I still spend a lot of time wondering about my father. I didn't know him at all, and he died more than 40 years ago. This year I've re-evaluated a lot of things, and top of the list is to do with having and being a father. I don't think we ever get over having a bad relationship with our father, so for those who still get on with a living, breathing dad, now is a great time to catch up.

Have a great Xmas, everyone. Check out Springsteen on Broadway, it ain't a normal Broadway show.... it isn't the sort of thing you can have on in the background, so give yourself 2 and a half hours. Don't listen at work, that was my mistake...

[Splitpin]

Nice post Man of the Corn
100% agree with you on Bob Seger...along with Gordon Lightfoot ....timeless.
If you do venture north over the season ... let me know... I owe you a coffee.

Take care Rob.

[deeknow]

Yeah my cut-off date for giving in and admitting defeat to the xmas overlords is 15th/Dec. Everything definitely slowing progressively to a halt in most aspects of life about this time, everything except shopping frenzies which I cunningly avoid by asking my wife to do the shopping for me. I've noticed water cooler discussions at work seem to be taking a weirdly casual direction too, much more abstract. I think that's a good thing. Let the mind prepare for some wandering over the break?

for those who still get on with a living, breathing dad, now is a great time to catch up.

Sound advice Robin. Thanks. That's a bugger about your dad but great to hear your making amends w your offspring. Being a Dad make's you responsible for setting up your own relationships w your kids in a direction that makes more sense, and I think each successive generation of us dads are tending to make a better job of it than the previous. Always gonna be a few numb-skulls who screw things up but hard to help them.

100% agree with you on Bob Seger...along with Gordon Lightfoot ....timeless.

Marty, did I ever tell you about meeting Gordon in San Diego a few years back? A story for another time perhaps.

Have a great break. I hope to emulate Doug's trip next year and catch up w some of you southern folk .. see how that pans out.

[Splitpin]

" I hope to emulate Doug's trip next year and catch up w some of you southern folk" ....be good to see ye big guy

[cowpatz]

I skilfully manage to avoid Xmas this year....literally. I depart EZE on the 24th Dec and arrive AKL on the 26th. Good for avoiding pesky birthdays too !

[Fozzer]

I skilfully manage to avoid Xmas this year....literally. I depart EZE on the 24th Dec and arrive AKL on the 26th. Good for avoiding pesky birthdays too !

Good-for-you, Patz.... ...!

Its that time of year again when I am forced to write, and post (more expense), Xmas Cards to Folks I know, Folks I don't Know, and Folks I don't want to know!

The only good part of "Xmas" for me, is the time spent in my kitchen with my trusty gas cooker, cooking tasty stuff for me to eat....and drink!

The rest of the World can be buried under Snow, Ice, Father Xmas's, and Reindeer, whilst I eat a Mince Pie, and raise a glass of hot Rum..to myself!!

Paul.... ... ... ...!

[chopper_nut]

Nice post Man of the Corn
100% agree with you on Bob Seger...along with Gordon Lightfoot ....timeless.
If you do venture north over the season ... let me know... I owe you a coffee.

Take care Rob.

Agree on Bob Seger. He's still touring, I'm hoping to catch him on one of my American jaunts. His live stuff is pretty spectacular. As for Gordon Lightfoot..... you can keep him

[toprob]

Well, Xmas day has come and gone, and went off without a hitch. My daughter flew Wgtn-Chch on Monday, and bussed down to Timaru, so we managed to spend a day together. We went to Oamaru, as we are both steampunk fans, and neither of us had visited Steampunk HQ before -- well worth a stop if you are in the area. I can't imagine what sort of brain would conceive some of the exhibits, but it certainly doesn't disappoint.

I then dropped her at her brother's, to meet up with her mum, visiting from Hokitika. On Christmas day I drove out to Peel Forest, where they are all camping. It was great to be able to glance around and see all my three kids, their wives (well, two are married), and the three grandkids all enjoying themselves... My oldest son's wife has her mum and sister/hubby/kids visiting NZ, from Canada and the US, so they are driving around the country for a few weeks. All in all a successful day for me! Took me twenty years to be able to have a nice Christmas with my ex-wife!

Hope everyone else managed to get through with more joy than stress.

[cowpatz]

Great to read that you had a special Xmas there Rob.
I quite like the whole Steampunk thing too and would love to get down to look at the exhibits. Some very imaginative artists.

[Splitpin]

I did indeed Rob ...and I'm glad yours went well.

[toprob]

Cheers, guys.
Last night I found 'Springsteen on Broadway' on Netflix, which makes a bit more sense than listening on Spotify. So that was my evening sorted....
Just now the landlord dropped around a box of chocolates, very unexpected. Nice folk here in Timaru.
Speaking of which, here's a Timaru video on Youtube.
Yes, I've visited the Big Tree, and it is big.

[towerguy]

Working all the way through from Xmas until after new years. Got the 28th and 29th off. They still tried to recall me even on those. But gone down to tauranga to visit son and grand daughter overnight instead. Hope everyone had/has good festive season and got all they wanted from Santa.
Cheers all.

Ps. A couple of C C R cd's for me got the driving sorted.

[toprob]

Well, I'm back at work today, this afternoon anyway. I realised that I hadn't run any simulator all year, which gave me a fright -- I was thinking maybe I'd reached burnout, but this arvo I fired up Prepar3d to check some work on my lights, and it actually looked quite good, so I probably just needed the wee break.
First up was to solve some lighting problems around NZCH, including one light which had somehow changed from a 'normal' light effect on a pole, to a dynamic search-light thing. I'd been trying to sort this for a month, but today I discovered that the 'default' effect has changed in Prepar3d v4.4. I wish they'd warned me, but easily fixed.
Still a LOT of work to do to finish NZCH.