Monday 2 June 2008

All Things Must Pass

Posted by speedygeoff on Monday, June 02, 2008 with
My training progress
last week’s target: 100k
achieved: 101k
year 2008 total to date: 1867k in 22 weeks
this week's target: 100k
weight: 63kg ►◄

song of the week:Grapevine Fires” Death Cab For Cutie, from “Narrow Stairs

Grapevine Fires
And the wind picked up, the fire spread
And the grapevine seemed left for dead
And the northern sky looked like the end of days, the end of days.

The wake up call to a rented room
Sounded like an alarm of impending doom
To warn us it's only a matter of time. Before we all burn...

We bought some wine and some paper cups
Near your daughter’s school and we picked her up
And drove to a cemetery on a hill, on a hill.

And we watched the plumes paint the sky grey
As she laughed and danced through the field of graves
And there I knew we'd be alright. That everything. Would be alright...

And the news reports on the radio said it was getting worse
As the ocean air fanned the flames
But I couldn't think of anywhere where I would've rather been
To watch it all burn away. To burn away...

The firemen worked in double shifts
With prayers for rain on their lips
And they knew it was only a matter of time.


Listen to it from the player on the side-bar. There are a couple of quotes from “Grapevine Fires” in last Tuesday’s post. For a start, Tuesday’s post title is based on the last line from the song. And the lyrics contain a backward reference to an older DCfC song which I like very much called “Champagne from a Paper Cup”, mentioned because I was drinking same last Tuesday. And I live near a vineyard where fires swept through a few years ago. And the song is a metaphor for radical change, which we all need at times in our lives if we are not to be suffocated by who we are and what we do, but which for many people in many circumstances is a very painful experience. Some people would rather choke and die than allow old things to pass and new things to prevail, even if the new things bring life and strength and hope. And I love the ambiguity of the last line, it invites the question, what are you praying for? Very deep is this song, with levels of meaning ranging from real events in California, to the climate in general, and to the human condition. What are you hearing on the grapevine?

2008 Sprint-Marathon Relay - winning team


speedygoose Peter McDonald on the left, speedygoose Ken White holding the trophy. And four other ACT Masters runners making up the team.

[Edit:
STOP PRESS: Triumph and Tragedy for Benita Johnson.
http://news.smh.com.au/sport/aussie-johnson-wins-5km-run-in-new-york-20080601-2kf3.html ]