What you don't know you can feel it somehow. [..] Was a beautiful day.
via Beautiful Day (*) by U2 (*). With a fantastic Letterman Live performance here (*)
A wall waiting to be given life. It looks beautiful as it is ..
I think the lyrics above describe what I feel about it and the rest of the place that awaits to be lived in.
Still a couple of weeks to go. Not going to rush it, but I know I want to do the craftsmanship and collaboration of the design and build, justice.
Had Julia (*) and Todd (*) over today and lots of good ideas and thoughts discussed. Thanks Julia and Todd. It was a beautiful day ...
Saw this on the TV when I was in New York. It was shown in a repeat episode while the show was on a summer break. Thought to myself at the time I would put it here when I get back. Here it is. The music starts at around the 2m:20s mark. The interview before this is worth listening to BTW.
Stuck in a Moment Lyrics
I'm not afraid Of anything in this world There's nothing you can throw at me That I haven't already heard I'm just trying to find A decent melody A song that I can sing In my own company
I never thought you were a fool But darling, look at you. Ooh. You gotta stand up straight, carry your own weight 'Cause tears are going nowhere baby
You've got to get yourself together You've got stuck in a moment And now you can't get out of it Don't say that later will be better Now you're stuck in a moment And you can't get out of it
I will not forsake The colors that you bring The nights you filled with fireworks They left you with nothing I am still enchanted By the light you brought to me I listen through your ears Through your eyes I can see
You are such a fool To worry like you do.. Oh I know it's tough And you can never get enough Of what you don't really need now My, oh my
You've got to get yourself together You've got stuck in a moment And you can't get out of it Oh love, look at you now You've got yourself stuck in a moment And you can't get out of it Oh lord look at you now You've got yourself stuck in a moment And you cant get out of it
I was unconscious, half asleep The water is warm 'til you discover how deep I wasn't jumping, for me it was a fall It's a long way down to nothing at all
You've got to get yourself together You've got stuck in a moment And you can't get out of it Don't say that later will be better Now you're stuck in a moment And you can't get out of it
And if the night runs over And if the day won't last And if your way should falter Along this stony pass
Thomas, Grant, Betty, Lynn and Grace - Manahattan bound - I don't know who was more excited - Grace or me (and I was not even going along) - Departure Gate / Sydney International Airport (Sun 19 Dec 2010)
Look at this. That is wild. What a sight. Wow look at that. [Bono pointing to the Brooklyn Bridge]
Sometimes you forget why it was that you wanted to be in a band. So going into this we reminded ourselves of why we wanted to be in a band.
We listened to the albums that excited us when we wanted to be in a band [..] the music and what it felt like to arrive here in the United States. To come over the [Brooklyn] Bridge into Manhattan. Snow was on the ground. It was:
"an amazing magical time in our lives when we did not know how powerful it was not to know".
This is a song about innocence, naivety and it is called "City of Blinding Lights".
The chorus is set in New York City looking at Brooklyn.
I feel that these words are quite profound and the feelings he is trying to describe are universal and generic. They can be applied to not only rock and roll superstars, but mere mortals like myself who progress through life little steps at a time.
I have always recognised the importance of acknowledging your past and to reflect on your past (though it might be painful at times) - it is something I have spent a bit of time on lately. It will help you understand who you have been, who you are now and where you are heading.
Bono's words make me think of some similar words that have captured my imagination, these words coming from Ken Burns (e) a little bit earlier in that year of 2004 at his 2004 Yale Commencement Speech:
As you pursue your goals in life, that is to say your future, pursue your past. Let it be your guide. Insist on having a past and then you will have a future. [..]
Insist on heroes. And be one. [..]
Travel. Do not get stuck in one place. [..] Whatever you do, walk over the Brooklyn Bridge.
I drift back a little back into my past - 1990. Jenny and I had been going out for about six months and she encouraged and inspired me to achieve one of my Dream's - to run the New York City Marathon ..
Geoff - New York City Marathon - Nov 1990 - Brooklyn (picasa)
I look into my eyes above and I see an innocence, naivety, wonder and hope that Bono talks about above through his own experiences as musician. It all seemed to be in front of us back then and it was.
Jenny and I (and of course Joanne) had an amazing life together and though Jenny is not a part of our physical lives anymore, I would like to think that Jo and I have continued to live an amazing, wonderful and fulfilling life in Jenny's absence. It is my hope that I still have a touch of the same innocence and naivety, that I can see above, as I move forward in my life.
This post is dedicated to my niece Grace and nephew Thomas. To travel and spend time in Manhattan as you did for Christmas 2010 will be a formative experience for you. Use the experience to help guide you as you progress through your life.
Now that's a Snowball - Grace and Thomas (my niece and nephew) - Central Park / Manhattan (Mon 27 Dec 2010)
The Best Sunrise in 2 Years and surely it was!! At least this is what a local told me later that day.
Unfortunately I did not fully appreciate this fact at the time I took these photos on my flimsy, yet carefully positioned tripod.
I failed to tell Jenny to look over this way at the time of the sunrise, she was meditating facing the opposite direction towards Uluru, and I never really let myself live it down - yes it was The Best Sunrise in 2 Years. I know, I know ..
Joanne and I had a bit of laugh about my little oversight, just last week.
Wow - 10 years today.
Random recollection: I Remember having dinner at Sails in the Desert that night (we had had an amazing day) with Jenny and hearing a young entertainer playing a paino version of U2's With or Without You. I remember telling Jenny how great this performance was and I went up to the young lady and told her so. Had a nice chat and she told me she liked playing the song and that her boyfriend had composed the arrangement for her.
check out the old dude in the pink shirt from 0:56 to 0:59 middle of the screen
never seen the audiecne go crazy like that @ letterman! Whow!
I .. hate U2, but this performance is unbelievable
I always watch this every now and then. Roughly once a month. And each time without fail I think to myself when looking at that audience: "Those .. lucky bastards".
Bono's preamble to the song in this video gives some idea to the meaning of the song to him. It was about:
a time in our lives when we did not know how powerful it was not to know.
This is a song about innocence and naïvete.
For me, the song reminds me of my first winter dragon boat campaign - the 2005 World Dragon Boat Championships in Berlin. Heard this song a lot while at the gym back then.
Have already walked the Brooklyn Bridge way back in 1988. Will do it again later in the year.
City of Blinding Lights Lyrics
The more you see, the less you know The less you find out as you go I knew much more then than I do now
Neon heart day-glow eyes A city lit by fireflies They're advertising in the skies For people like us
And I miss you when you're not around I'm getting ready to leave the ground
Oh you look so beautiful tonight In the city of blinding lights
Don't look before you laugh Look ugly in a photograph Flash bulbs purple irises The camera can't see
I've seen you walk unafraid I've seen you in the clothes you made Can you see the beauty inside of me? What happened to the beauty I had inside of me?
And I miss you when you're not around I'm getting ready to leave the ground
Oh you look so beautiful tonight In the city of blinding lights
Time...time...time...time...time Won't leave me as I am But time won't take the boy out of this man
Oh you look so beautiful tonight Oh you look so beautiful tonight Oh you look so beautiful tonight In the city of blinding lights
The more you know the less you feel Some pray for others steal Blessings are not just for the ones who kneel... luckily
It captures much of what I have felt, thought or had to consider during the last 21 Months and it does feel a bit like the Beautiful Day lyrics above, particularly:
Grief needs to be expressed in some way – either privately or with witnesses, in order to heal. [..]
Some people say that suffering is a private matter because..
It’s important to avoid embarrassment and rejection by your tribe
It’s important to protect the parts of yourself that are most vulnerable
It’s important to protect other people from pain
It’s important to take your pain to “professionals” who know how to deal with it
During grieving, it’s important to tune out external influences and tune into your own inner wisdom
It’s important not to focus on your suffering in a public way because what you focus on grows
[..]
On the other hand, some people say that suffering can be more easily negotiated when it’s out in the open because:
Keeping your suffering private engenders self-judgment, shame, loneliness and pain
Sharing your suffering brings people together
Sharing your suffering facilitates healing
Sharing your suffering promotes resilience – in yourself and others
[..] the benefits of sharing your suffering with empathic people are incredibly powerful! It’s scary to share about our suffering, but I don’t want to miss out on such powerful benefits and opportunities for healing!
Have come a long way since the first day of the rest of my life back on Wed 01 Jul 2009. Thought I would capture a photo just now so that I can remember this day, which also just happens to be the 21st Anniversary since the first time that Jenny and I went out to dinner together and to see a Movie Look Who's Talking.
Geoff - 21 Months Down the Track - Alexandria (0:16am Wed 30 Mar 2011)
Geoff - "an early start for the first day of the rest of my life - 'where do you start?'" - Alexandria - 7am Wed 01 Jul 2009 (picasa)
Beautiful Day Lyrics
The heart is a bloom Shoots up through the stony ground There's no room No space to rent in this town
You're out of luck And the reason that you had to care The traffic is stuck And you're not moving anywhere
You thought you'd found a friend To take you out of this place Someone you could lend a hand In return for grace
It's a beautiful day Sky falls, you feel like It's a beautiful day Don't let it get away
You're on the road But you've got no destination You're in the mud In the maze of her imagination
You love this town Even if that doesn't ring true You've been all over And it's been all over you
It's a beautiful day Don't let it get away It's a beautiful day
Touch me Take me to that other place Teach me I know I'm not a hopeless case
See the world in green and blue See China right in front of you See the canyons broken by cloud See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out See the Bedouin fires at night See the oil fields at first light And see the bird with a leaf in her mouth After the flood all the colors came out
It was a beautiful day Don't let it get away Beautiful day
Touch me Take me to that other place Reach me I know I'm not a hopeless case
What you don't have you don't need it now What you don't know you can feel it somehow What you don't have you don't need it now Don't need it now Was a beautiful day
Songwriter and keyboardist Scott Jason told Songfacts that "Angels on the Moon" was also inspired by the U2 song "Where The Streets Have No Name".[2] The line, "Don't tell me if I'm dying, `cause I don't want to know" is a way of saying that life should be lived to the fullest, because a person's time on earth is unknown and if tomorrow never comes, there will be no regrets.
CelebsGoneGood: "Angels on the Moon" was inspired by the tragic events of September 11. Does it still get a strong reaction today?
Clayton Stroope: It's one of the first songs we wrote and recorded together. Although it can be monotonous to sing the same songs night after night, the reaction from the crowd gives it new energy. Because of the lyrics, the song takes on a different meaning for each individual person. Last night, a fan drove 4 hours to see our show. Her mother suffered from breast cancer and the song has a special meaning for her.
Angels on the Moon - Lyrics
Do you dream that the world will know your name, So tell me your name (tell me your name) And do you care, about all the little things, Or anything at all (or anything at all),
I wanna feel all the chemicals inside, I wanna feel (I wanna feel), I wanna sunburn just to know that I'm alive, To know I'm alive (to know if I'm alive),
Don't tell me if I'm dying, Cause I don't wanna know, If I can't see the sun, Maybe I should go, Don't wake me cause I'm dreaming, Of angels on the moon, Where everyone you know, Never leaves too soon
Don't tell me if I'm dying, Cause I don't wanna know, If I can't see the sun, Maybe I should go, Don't wake me cause I'm dreaming, Of angels on the moon, Where everyone you know, Never leaves too soon,
This is to one last day in the shadows, And to know a brothers love, This is to New York City angels, And the rivers of our blood, This is to all of us, To all of us,
So don't tell me if I'm dying, Cause I don't wanna know, If I can't see the sun, Maybe I should go, Don't wake me cause I'm dreaming, Of angels on the moon, Where everyone you know, Never leaves too soon,
Yeah you can tell me, All your thoughts about the stars, That fill polluted skies, And show me where you run to, When no one's left to take your side But don't tell me where the road ends, Cause I just don't wanna know, No, I don't wanna know,
Don't tell me if I'm dying, Don't tell me if I'm dying.
Always liked this song and in particular the video (embedded above). Makes me think of my brother Tim. I had given him the CD (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb) for Xmas 2004, a few months before he died.
Apart from grief and despair, vertigo is probably how I felt. I arranged for the song to be played just before the beginning of his Funeral Service. Also played another U2 song - Where the Streets Have No Name. Finished with I Can See Clearly Now.
Vertigo - Flame Tree Flowers - Hyde Park / Sydney - Nov 2002 (picasa)
Remember seeing the Rattle and Hum Movie with my younger Brother, Tim, in 1988. This song (Where the Streets Have No Name) stood out for me, both musically and visually (the silhouette effects). When I would visit him in Canberra, over the following years, I would ofter hear Tim play this song as he got ready for work (I like the way this song builds in energy over its duration). For these reasons, in part, I would decide to play this during his Funeral in March 2005 as we reflected over his life, after I had asked his Family and Friend's to forgive him for what he had done to himself (and all those that loved him) and at the same time try to understand his silent suffering.
When I ran the New York City Marathon in Nov 1990, I borrowed Tim's small point and shoot film camera (no commercial accessible digital cameras back then) for the trip and ran with it during the Marathon. This is my favourite photo from the run - I heard and saw the band playing on the side walk (you can see the Northern World Trade Centre Building in the distance on the left of the photo), just pulled over for a moment and snapped this shot. I love the one lone audience member - the guy in the Blue Shirt. Also the car with the boot/'trunk' open.
Street Band - 1990 New York City Marathon - Sun 04 Nov 1990
