The Adventures of Bear and Butterfly

My seventh Tool concert, first in the Northern Hemisphere. Witnessed in purity & clarity. Bodra & I both stink of sweat & smoke, so I’ll try to keep this short.

Our ears have been assaulted by TOOL!

Set List as best as I can remember:
Stinkfist (heheh- Bodra had just been saying he’d love to hear it, & they opened with it!)
The Pot
46 & 2 (So wished Tom & Shane were with me to share that)
Jambi
Schism
Rosetta Stoned
Right in Two
Sober (Got me craving Opiate for old times sake, but alas, no such luck!)
Lateralus
Vicarious
Aenima

We were most satisfied, Hammersmith Apollo is ingenious with it’s stalls floor rising towards the back. We got there at 7pm I think, I really wanted to get up front so I could see everything, being vertically handicapped. The clever British people were seated on the floor, so I thought ‘Well done! We don’t have to stand for an hour & a half waiting.’ It didn’t last, someone stood up at the front- probably to go off & get a drink, then suddenly it was all rush to stand up & squish. We remained sitting until 8:30pm I think, everyone was standing around us by then.

Yeah, pretty packed, but not so much that I couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t too hot where we were either. So the curtain went up & I went into hypo mode to Stinkfist- charge!!! I remembered why my heart is so at peace at rock concerts, nothing like having a sound vibrate & shiver tingly all through your body, synergising with your heart & quivering your mind to the tips of your smile. I love it LOUD!!!

Maynard was shirtless & took off his cowboy hat to reveal a mohawk. I thought he looked like a Rooster & kind of danced like one- well, maybe a Rooster trying to be Maynard.

Danny, total legend- I was hypnotised by his percussion power. His whirling of drumsticks should have been a blur to my eyes but I could see it all clearly. True admiration for his skill in pulverising.

Adam fully amazed me with his riffs, it’s so awesome to see this music being created right there in front of me. Heheh, for a moment there I thought he had become a Grip Reaper with his maniacal grin & looming look through his shroud of dark hair.

& Justin, just felt like home to me- how I miss the long-haired westy boys & rock music! That smile that kept gleaming through his hair as he grooved along…

The vibe was definitely, these fullas LOVE their music & have complete faith in it, as do we all. I so love going to a real live concert where it’s not just the band doing exactly what is on the CD. True musicians taking us on a journey.

Ahhh, there was a part towards the end where I had my eyes closed & it felt like the music was humming & buzzing right inside my head- like suddenly I had accessed that place in space where the physical becomes completely penetrated by the spirit & returns to the infinite nothingness while we drop the I & become absorbed by the all.

So UK shall see them again in November?

http://www.magictricks.co.uk/mindreader/MagicTricksMR

Teehee, our friend Gusti sent me this link.  It’s a mind reader where you choose a double digit number, say 28, add the digits 2 + 8 = 10 then 28 - 10 = 18   Then, you look up the symbol related to the number 18 & focus on it & then look into the crystal ball.  Then it shows the symbol!  Bodra is so clever, he worked it out.  Mum, see if Dad can work it out!

Well, I had my last day at HoF.  I lasted three weeks!  Not my shortest career however (3 hours at McDonalds).  They offered to put me in Menswear where I would’ve been working with an awesome manager & doing heaps, but the reality of earning money more than just to get by is starting to motivate me.  So Supply Teaching here I come!  I’ve just got to stay focused on our travel dreams of seeing all that we want of Europe & hopefully Egypt, South America, India, Tibet, Canada… ICELAND!!!

Wonderful news is, Bodra is going to have a telephone interview with Symantec this Tuesday.  He will be doing heaps of study this weekend to really impress them & get a real interview.  It’s funny, he applied for the job Thursday last week & has had such an awesome vibe with it.  I did too, but I get excited over any prospects.  He spent ages with the recruiter (via email & mobile) to prime his CV towards the position, & it was well worth it.  BUT they take forever to get back to you here- especially as it is Summer & people are on holidays.

So yes, everyone be thinking super positive thoughts at 10am next Tuesday our time.  So that is 9pm Tuesday evening!  It’ll mean us moving to Reading & everyone tells us we’ll love it there.   Yay!!!!

The weather has been awesome all week, today Alice & Matri took me to a grassy spot by the River Thames for lunch.  I sat in the shade.  Alice is part Maaori & is from Mt Maunganui- small world aye!  Her & Matri were enjoying the sun, I stayed in the shade.  I will really miss the lovely people I met at House of Fraser- it was like a little world there, so many different nations & languages.  I have an invitation to visit one of the girls in three years when she returns to Ethiopia.  Her name is Firehiwot, pronounced Freh-wadt (hope i got that right), but all the girls called her Fairy.  The language they speak in Ethiopia is called Amharic.  Oh!  & butterfly is Berabero!  Of course I had to ask.
Bo & I may go to Reading tomorrow, Hilary will be there as her partner Martin is taking part in a rowing Regatta.  We’ll definitely be getting out to make the most of the sunshine.