Oranges and lemons

I have a thing for the colour orange and I don’t really know why.

It’s not my favourite colour, though I am not sure if I actually have a favourite, I think that’s the sort of thing best left to primary school, favouring a colour. We’ve all be subjected in our lives to having to pick out a favourite colour, inane concept unless one does have a preference, here all colours are equal and thus all are welcome in my house.

I don’t purposefully buy orange clothes and wear virtually no orange garments, only my prison overalls, and they are only required on Sunday mornings when we clean out the pigs. I also don’t find myself drawn to those wearing orange or those whose fake tans render them a nice healthy shade of orange. Nope my orange fixation only really kicks in when it comes to food.

Now there are not a huge range of food types that orange covers, unlike say green. Those that do fall into the orange category are in my eyes the food of gods. I’m not sure if my revelation will earn my praise or disdain and the majority of food types I adore that come in the correct colour are not what one would call healthy eating options, one is. There’s some balance but not a lot.

There are three important orange food groups;

Carrots – I love carrots, they so rock. I prefer them raw, no strike that I only love them raw. Cooked carrots lose all that makes the carrot so desirable in my world. Two or three carrots at a time; peeled, washed then eaten, a simple recipe for a simple chap. On the rare occasion the carrots can be sliced and eaten maybe with a dip – you know them rare times one wants to feel flash and sophisticated, maybe when trying to impress a lady, or not as the case maybe. I’m going to buy me a bag of carrots today, cause its been a while since I plummeted headfirst into a carrot binge. I’ve read that if one eats enough carrots your skin turns orange, I’ve never experienced this, I reckon it’d be bloody funny, I can imagine myself glowing in the dark, a glowing orange thing with fruju breath. Doubt its quite the look to frighten ya average street gang member but small children and cats maybe.

Chessels – the food of the gods. I am a sucker for some forms of junk food. The little boy that rules me loves all forms of chips and at the apex of the chip styled food chain sits the mighty Cheesel. My old surf buddy the Commander, we’ll call him, for that is one of his names, well me and the commander would often indulge in a packet or two of this mighty food post surf, complimented with beer, lots of beer. I neither surf nor eat many chessels these days. I do on occasion indulge in a cheesel eating frenzy and that’s a good thing, surfing alas I haven’t got my feet wet doing that for many a year. I should take it up again, though not wanting to be a long boarder I fear I may not have the stamina nor balance I once took very much for granted. I definitely aren’t as fit as I once was and well being a smoker, I doubt my lungs are much good for anything other than sealing cracks in walls. Lets file this surfing lark under, one day maybe.

Orange Frujus – each and every summer I go through a ice block phase and when in this period I always eat an orange fruju, each and every day (excluding usually weekends, that’s for beer and frujus and beer are not the best companions). I love it when the fruju craving kicks in, as its always the height of summer and has never needed any prompting on my part. Having just done my days research, I fear the fruju may just be a New Zealand thing – I see them deluded and mixed up South Africans have a fruit juice called fruju, poor things. That’s the sort of legacy one would expect considering that nations rocky road. Now in our world of constant evolution, or should that be calls for new products to take to market, the humble fruju has pretty much been left alone – for that I thank you Tip Top (the manufacturers). As the days here get longer, thanks daylight saving and the sun heats up I look forward to a fruju filled summer – or two to three weeks as that’s the usual period I indulge my habit.

Other than the above there are of course many other orange types of food, hell theres even the colours namesake, the humble orange. Love em, but not nearly as much as my three faves. As a child I adored oranges and as an adult I still adore the concept, I don’t enjoy so much the eating of. Maybe its cause they aren’t organic, might have to test this thought or maybe its my hatred of having orange juice on myself. I dunno, I really will endeavour to have more oranges. The other orange colour fruits, vegetables and non natural food types are all good but my passion is reserved for the big three.

I have a friend who worships at the alter of the Twistie, a similar but in my opinion inferior product to the cheesel. In fact, Phil – Twisties are gay, that’s in a non homophobic sense of the word I must add – we’ll have none of that muck here thank you very much. Phil, get help!

Now here I bet a few of you are wondering what about the pumpkin. I’ll just say, pumpkins should never be eaten nor carved into stupid faces for stupid festivals – Halloween fans take note – you butchers! I believe Pumpkins are not merely a vegetable, but rather a much higher life form and thus not for our consumption, rather they should command our respect and praise. We shouldn’t worship the pumpkin but we should leave them be and allocate public spaces for pumpkin patches where this noble animal can live in peace and harmony without human interference nor persecution. I won’t expand my pumpkin theories and realities here as I have neither the time, nor inclination; we’ll cover that another time perhaps. Just don’t eat em, ok!?!?

I’ve just popped out, well my puter crashed, stupid thing, thus I took a moment and checked my emails and see a friend has been made redundant as of the end of this week. Suckhole, he's a fine fellow and done a good job in a largely thankless role.

I’ve had a few fall victim to this crappy way to lose ya job over the past few months and today I know of another group of friends I once worked with find out if they retain their jobs as the company where they are is being merged into another. I fear most if not all will get the chop and the NZ Music industry will be the poorer for it.

Redundancy sucks, its one thing to lose ya job cause you’re crap and get sacked or cause its your choice or the business collapses. Redundancy has no positives, well unless you're one of them rare beasts who gets a big payout, though i'm not spo sure that action exists as it once did - employment contract act, you shitty piece of legislation. I understand the economic reasons for redundancy, sometimes, you know not making enough money to support all staff and that muck – yet so often this isn’t always the reason, redundancy is so often used as a cost cutting measure above other more practical and business savvy means to reduce costs and maximise profits for the shareholder, blah blah blah.

When people loss the source of income through no fault of their own its not only sad but the repercussions on that person can and usually are devastating. Good employees should not have to endure the stress and emotional fallout for their masters decisions, not to mention the economic hardship of losing ya income.

I know at the company that is handing out the envelopes today all the staff are great people and most have worked so bloody hard to make the company what it is, not only have their masters benefited from the hard work and passion of these people but our tiny silly musical landscape in New Zealand has been much wealthier for their decisions. It just bloody sucks, especially so close to Christmas. Theres a number of great musicians who will no doubt suffer as a reuslt and possibly dozens of artists who lose the one place they may have found a home. Music is so not the winner on the day.

Staying with that thought I saw a old friend on telly last week – he’ll be getting the chop from Air NZ being one of the engineers being made redundant. Another sad day, I know how hard this guy has worked and the experience and skills he’s gained over the years must I imagine make him seriously qualified, scarily so and no doubt another nation will benefit from his skills. With a young family I doubt very much he wants to leave NZ, a country and way of life I know he adores with all his heart.

We have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the developed world and yet we’re not doing as well as the economists and other clever clogs would have us think, or at least that is my take on the current situation. Big business is I am sure doing splendidly, as you hit street level things are very far from positive. Times ahead I feel will be very hard for many.

Many of the changes that consumers and thus business have been going through over the past eighteen months or so are starting to impact and showing themselves, economic downturn ahoy. For a tiny nation we are never as future proofed as one would like, we don’t have the population nor geographic position to easily take slight downturns in our stride, not have the resources and industries that we can rely on for export dollars.

Primary industries here are our economic backbone, and as we’ve seen in the past that alone doesn’t ensure a water tight future. I can see us working the tourist destination of choice for so many angle more and more, rendering so much of our workforce into service roles. I don’t want our country to become a tourist mecca, its no way to base an economy and no way for our people to better themselves and their lot. As a nation we deserve better, alas I doubt we’ll get it.
Might have to get me some cheesels with them carrots today, for those facing a shitter of a day, my best thoughts are with you, chin up - you can be very proud of what you've achieved :(

Joy Division I thin is needed at some point today, Closer I think

toot toot