Incomplete Stories – 24th June 2023

The tale of the incompetent teenager
That can dig himself out of a hole
Because this moment will last forever
And it’s slowly eating away his soul
The book is only at the first chapter
And it could easily be snatched away
The pleasure is in anticipation
For the years, the months, tomorrow and today


Today I’m feeling:

I slept so much last night that my body was stiff when I finally got up. After 13 hours or so of rest I thought I’d be rested enough but I couldn’t muster the energy to even do my usual jumping jacks warm-up or ride my push bike to Utopia. My two coffees also didn’t have the impact I was hoping for perhaps spoiled by the remnants of last night’s beers though the aftertaste was pretty good. By 11.30 I had started to do some reading but found myself nodding off quickly and despite hoping to avoid an afternoon nap I couldn’t resist and started it early. Waking at 1.30 I dashed out for a big plate of lardna before the forecast heavy rain was due still feeling hungry picked up a bunch of ice creams on the way back. Again hoping these foods would turn into energy I sat at home dazed not knowing what to do so put on some music and dosed again. Finally, after talking to Amy and feeding the cats I felt my energy return and picked up the guitar for an hour and a half and read some more. It’s weird how zonked I am on Saturdays now.

Today I’m grateful for:

My energy finally returning as I was finding myself feeling depressed and useless. I’m thinking I need to eat a little more again, especially when I’m working out a little harder than before and even though I’m trying to lose this excess fat. Maybe my balance isn’t quite right yet. I wonder how much of my teenage depression was aggravated by bad eating and sleeping habits.

The best thing about today was:

Reading an inspirational Facebook post from Champ who has been in Melbourne for six months already now. I knew he would post something like this at some point. He is highly motivated and pushes himself and he is a great example for our students to not give up and that if you want to achieve anything you have to keep going, getting back up each time you’re knocked down and working through the tough times. I linked all my students to his post in the hopes of inspiring them.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

Yesterday we got a schedule for next week’s scout week. I was hoping to avoid having to get too involved but it looks like I’ve been pencilled in to do a couple of things. It’s a bit annoying and I feel resentful but I reminded myself what I tell my students sometimes, in that sometimes you just have to do things you don’t want to do and that they even turn out to be fun. I’m talking myself into it slowly though I’d still prefer to be able to do my own thing.

Something I learned today?

Earlier this week Amy was talking about the Titanic and I didn’t know why and she asked if I’d heard the news? What news? 
She talked about a submersible that takes tourists down to view the wreck had lost contact and they only had two days of oxygen. Amy was incredulous that I knew nothing about this but I was quite happy not knowing about it and wondered what I didn’t know. 
Anyway, today I did come across a video talking about the fact that the submersible has since been found and that it had imploded killing the five people on board. They played an animation of an implosion and even at a slow speed it lasted less than a second, the water pressure is so strong. Anyone in that situation wouldn’t have had time to suffer. 
It seems though that discussions before locating the submersible were more morbidly centred around the fact that one person could have survived for twenty days with the available air and how the people might choose who should die so the rest could live. What the fuck is wrong with people?

What is my favourite photo of the week?

I didn’t take many after my ride on Sunday and I already put those here so back to Sunday I came across this big temple in a comparatively tiny village. Someone in the village must be in the money!

I took this picture because Piti was looking majestic and relaxed when I arrived at Utopia.

You cut off his head, legs come looking for you – 2nd July 2021

Rainy season started early this year – very early in fact. So, it’s hot and wet and therefore, sticky and humid. Every year, usually after a big rain, some form or another of bug will suddenly emerge from the ground by the millions, to flutter around for five minutes, procreate and then die. Each morning we have to sweep away the piles of carcasses from around our front porch.

On this occasion we had some assistance from a colony of ants in search of nutrition. The picture is taken from a video, which I can’t post here, so it’s difficult to see the army of ants carrying these insects off to their nest. I followed the trail, along our front path, under my hammock, passed the garage, the outdoor toilets, the teaching room and somewhere in amongst the grass near our front gate. A good twenty to thirty metres away from where I took this picture I guess.

A few weeks later and the rains became more torrential and consistent, another colony of ants decided they needed a new home. It wasn’t unusual to see some ants around by the back door and inspecting under the washing machine as it was a pantry of dead bugs and lizards under there. But this time, over the course of one night we found this nest of mud the following morning!

A dose of ant killer soon stopped them and then the task of dragging out the washing machine and digging out their nest with a small shovel! Sorry, ants – this house isn’t big enough for all of us. We can’t have a million of anything living here!

Damned Ants

The invaders are coming
Building castles in dark recesses
An unstoppable force
With an ingenuity that impresses
Counting in their millions
Each one so sure of their role
Ceaselessly marching onward
In determined self-control
I must gather my own forces
With a bucket, shovel and mop
These damned ants – be gone!
Like them, I too, will never stop


Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful that Amy’s dad took the student’s dog. I hope he takes good care of it. I’m also happy and grateful to be able to start teaching a new student of Ellen’s, a 16-year-old who is moving to Melbourne with her family. She is very quiet but knows she has to study hard.

Dead Ants Rainbow – Selectively Mute – 21st November 2011

Cat #: 086TZM

DEAD ANTS TRIO are an improvised unit of primarily baritone guitar, electric bass, and drums, dedicated to free-form ecstatic improvisation dragged from the place where both noise and trancendence spring. Some describe them as faux-jazz grindcore, others as avant-skronk, others as post-punk expressionism. All these descriptions are inaccurate. 

DEAD ANTS RAINBOW. SELECTIVELY MUTE. 
Two discs recorded over time and space, revealing the many hues of The Dead Ants Rainbow in rotating three-part colour wheels. 

GAUCHOS CON HUEVOS: the original Ants (Lachy Ewbank and Troy JP Naumoff), hermetically transformed into a time-travelling triumvirate through the meddling magickal bass-alchemy of A D Machine several years later. With additional guests, these recordings never really happened. 

DATRIO / DAPROCESS: a collection of folded space-rituals featuring the trio of Ewbank, Naumoff and MacHine on rotating instruments (bass / baritone guitar / drums / piano / voice / microtonal reeds) in classic live-to-air improvisations; plus the unexpected trio of Naumoff, MacHine and Sleepy (of Gravel Samwidge fame) in severely overdimensional warp-mode, improvising live through A D MacHine’s personalised real-time processing portal.

Bang! Bang! Aids! – Rat Charm – 1st April 2011

Cat #: 059TZM

2nd Apr 2021 – When I stayed at the Abbotsford Warehouse in Melbourne when organising things for China’s P.K.14 shows there I came across a box of this unreleased album and figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask Rhys and Marcus if they would like some help promoting and selling them and adding BBA to the tenzenmen catalogue. So, that’s how many copies of this album managed to avoid landfill.

SCUL HAZZARDs – Landlord – 1st February 2010

Cat #: 034TZM

Around 2 years ago SCUL HAZZARDs made the big leap from Brisbane to London, playing over 100 shows, releasing 2 vinyl full length albums, working dead end jobs and generally impressing everyone that came across them. Now, finally, they’re back, straight into a tour in February ending up located in Melbourne. To coincide with the tour tenzenmen will release SCUL HAZZARDs second LP ‘Landlord’ for the first time on CD. For those fans seeking the first LP ‘Let Them Sink’, these tracks will also become available via the iTunes Store. 

First quote on their return came from drummer Leigh Fischer simply stating ‘It’s fucking hot here’. Elaborating further the band have decided to return home simply to earn more money to take themselves back out on the road and return for more overseas jaunts and reminding Australian fans that they are still alive and kicking as much as ever. With two albums worth of mostly unheard (on these shores) material to draw from, their shows are sure to be incendiary and the ‘Landlord’ CD captures their dynamic noise rock sound perfectly. Think Jesus Lizard heaviness mixed with Shellac lightness all with an Aussie twist thrown in. They play hard – so listen loud. 

“SCUL HAZZARDs have done nothing but show that they have the visceral edge to keep it fresh and inspiring in the present day…. for anyone that enjoys their rock with a bit of complexity and razor sharp squall…” states one reviewer of ‘Landlord’ but don’t just take their word for it, come and see it for real! Steven, Leigh and Tiffany are ready to rock your socks off. Tiffany commands the stage with real rock ‘n’ roll swagger literally trying to kill you with her presence and bass depth, whilst Steven, more demure in comparison, screams his vitriol and jags his guitar off to the side. Pay close attention to drummer Leigh and you’ll hear this is no ordinary dutiful rhythm section – it’s as if the bassist and drummer have switched instruments but are still playing them the same way.