Any Given Sunday - Inch By Inch Speech by Al Pacino

Al Pacino's Inch By Inch speech from Any Given Sunday
The background music is "Peace", by Paul Kelly, on Soundings in Film

One of my team mates from Prague 2009 had this on his Notebook. Before we got off the Bus at the race site for the 200m races, he played this to the Team. I enjoyed it and it seemed to do the trick. Somehow we squirmed into 3rd place in the final for a completely unexpected Bronze. Thanks Rick. Just a memory from Prague 2009.

Rick Lambe and Gary Quartermain - Senior Open 200m Final Presentation - Racice/Prague - Fri 29 Aug 2009
Inch By Inch Speech by Al Pacino

I don't know what to say really.
Three minutes
to the biggest battle of our professional lives
all comes down to today.
Either
we heal
as a team
or we are going to crumble.
Inch by inch
play by play
till we're finished.
We are in hell right now, gentlemen
believe me
and
we can stay here
and get the sh*t kicked out of us
or
we can fight our way
back into the light.
We can climb out of hell.
One inch, at a time.

Now I can't do it for you.
I'm too old.
I look around and I see these young faces
and I think
I mean
I made every wrong choice a middle age man could make.
I uh....
I pissed away all my money
believe it or not.
I chased off
anyone who has ever loved me.
And lately,
I can't even stand the face I see in the mirror.

You know when you get old in life
things get taken from you.
That's, that's part of life.
But,
you only learn that when you start losing stuff.
You find out that life is just a game of inches.
So is football.
Because in either game
life or football
the margin for error is so small.
I mean
one half step too late or to early
you don't quite make it.
One half second too slow or too fast
and you don't quite catch it.
The inches we need are everywhere around us.
They are in ever break of the game
every minute, every second.

On this team, we fight for that inch
On this team, we tear ourselves, and everyone around us
to pieces for that inch.
We CLAW with our finger nails for that inch.
Cause we know
when we add up all those inches
that's going to make the f*ing difference
between WINNING and LOSING
between LIVING and DYING.

I'll tell you this
in any fight
it is the guy who is willing to die
who is going to win that inch.
And I know
if I am going to have any life anymore
it is because, I am still willing to fight, and die for that inch
because that is what LIVING is.
The six inches in front of your face.

Now I can't make you do it.
You gotta look at the guy next to you.
Look into his eyes.
Now I think you are going to see a guy who will go that inch with you.
You are going to see a guy
who will sacrifice himself for this team
because he knows when it comes down to it,
you are gonna do the same thing for him.

That's a team, gentlemen
and either we heal now, as a team,
or we will die as individuals.
That's football guys.
That's all it is.
Now, whattaya gonna do?

This is Water / This is Water - David Foster Wallace (Sat 21 May 2005)

Transition - water - Jerrabomberra Creek / Canberra - Sat 12 Mar 2005 (picasa)
David Foster Wallace's (w) 2005 Kenyon College Commencement Address (Sat 21 May 2005) begins with this "neat" parable ...

There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, "Morning, boys. How’s the water?" And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, "What the hell is water?"

He eloborates in the midst of the long and inspiring Address ...

[..] The point of the fish story is merely that the most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about....The fact is that in the day to day trenches of adult existence, banal platitudes can have a life or death importance. [..]

and conlcudes with ...

The capital-T Truth is about life BEFORE death. It is about the real value of a real education, which has almost nothing to do with knowledge, and everything to do with simple awareness; awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, all the time, that we have to keep reminding ourselves over and over:

This is water.

This is water.

The above photo is the photo that seemed to start my obsession of photographing water in earnest. No need to explain any more than this. Just thought this was a nice way to tie it all together, for me at least.

On the Untalented - Oliver Burkeman (Tue 07 Oct 2014)

Gozo Ferry Window - Cirkewwa / Malta (Tue 23 Sep 2014)
Oliver Burkeman (*) writes on the Untalented (*):

The genuinely untalented [..] probably have no idea that they’re no good—because they’re too untalented to realize it. (This is the “Dunning-Kruger effect [..] ) In short: if you’re worried you don’t measure up, that could well be a sign that you do.

Maybe there is some hope:

The real trick to producing great work isn’t to find ways to eliminate the edgy, nervous feeling that you might be swimming out of your depth. Instead, it’s to remember that everyone else is feeling it, too. We’re all in deep water. Which is fine: it’s by far the most exciting place to be.

via Nobody Knows What The Hell They Are Doing (*) by Oliver Burkeman (*) [swissmiss (*)].

Hall Of Fame - The Script feat. Will.I.Am (YouTube)

Hall Of Fame (*) - The Script (*) feat. Will.I.Am (*) - [Youtube (*)]
Hall Of Fame (feat. Will.I.Am)

Yeah, You could be the greatest
You can be the best
You can be the king kong banging on your chest

You could beat the world
You could beat the war
You could talk to God, go banging on his door

You can throw your hands up
You can beat the clock
You can move a mountain
You can break rocks
You can be a master
Don't wait for luck
Dedicate yourself and you can find yourself

Standing in the hall of fame
And the world's gonna know your name
Cause you burn with the brightest flame
And the world's gonna know your name
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame

You could go the distance
You could run the mile
You could walk straight through hell with a smile

You could be the hero
You could get the gold
Breaking all the records that thought never could be broke

Do it for your people
Do it for your pride
How you ever gonna know if you never even try?

Do it for your country
Do it for your name
Cause there's gonna be a day

When you're standing in the hall of fame
And the world's gonna know your name
Cause you burn with the brightest flame
And the world's gonna know your name
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame

Be a champion, Be a champion, Be a champion, Be a champion

On the walls of the hall of fame

Be students
Be teachers
Be politicians
Be preachers

Be believers
Be leaders
Be astronauts
Be champions
Be truth seekers

Be students
Be teachers
Be politicians
Be preachers

Be believers
Be leaders
Be astronauts
Be champions

Standing in the hall of fame
And the world's gonna know your name
Cause you burn with the brightest flame
And the world's gonna know your name
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame

(You can be a champion)
You could be the greatest
You can be the best
(You can be a champion)
You can be the king kong banging on your chest

(You can be a champion)
You could beat the world
You could beat the war
(You can be a champion)
You could talk to God, go banging on his door

(You can be a champion)
You can throw your hands up
You can beat the clock
(You can be a champion)
You can move a mountain
You can break rocks

(You can be a champion)
You can be a master
Don't wait for luck
(You can be a champion)
Dedicate yourself and you can find yourself

Standing in the hall of fame

Thanks Lisa - another great song (*). Remember it all starts with Belief (*) and all "the other stuff" (*) just looks after itself.

Shake it Out - Florence + The Machine / Saturday Night Live (Sat 19 Nov 2011)

Florence + The Machine - Shake It Out (Live on SNL)

I have always loved live performance. The display of skill and passion, along with the rawness being the appeal. And this is the best from the last 7 years here at eljeiffel.

"Oh The Drama" in the Lyrics. And an amazing Performance . Wow!! You can see it in her. That she is loving what she is doing and thst she is sharing her gift to move us.

To the lyrics, I would add my own Optimistic and Naive view of Life and the World ..

you can't keep a good dog down [..]

a candle burns brightest before it goes out [..]

Such a nice song and performance to finish on here at eiffel. As they say:

a star burns brightest before it dies

And this is how it has felt this last year, particularly the last few months.

And so it is onto the last few posts, where my work will be done here.

Shake it Out - Florence + The Machine (Lyrics)

Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play

And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself
I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn

And I've been a fool and I've been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
I'm always dragging that horse around

All of his questions, such a mournful sound
Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground
So I like to keep my issues drawn
But it's always darkest before the dawn

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa

And I am done with my graceless heart
So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart
'Cause I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa

And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
And given half the chance would I take any of it back
It's a fine romance but it's left me so undone
It's always darkest before the dawn

Oh whoa, oh whoa...

And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't
So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road
And I'm ready to suffering and I'm ready to hope
It's a shot in the dark aimed right at my throat
'Cause looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Well what the hell I'm gonna let it happen to me, yeah

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa

And out of the the darkeness a new bright light will glow ..

Shake it Out - Florence + The Machine - Saturday Night Live (Sat 19 Nov 2011)

On Life - Spencer Lum / Ground Glass (Wed 28 Nov 2012)

Water [1] - Sapphire Pines / Brisbane (Sun 02 Sep 2012)
As always, another inspiring post from Spencer Lum (*) where he writes in Everyone gets the 15% (*):

When you look back at the end of it all, there’s really only one person you’ll have to answer to.

Yourself.

And if you never gave up, and you always kept pushing with the power of belief (*) behind the message you spread and the gift you shared, then you can hold your head high when you ask yourself what it was all for.

Because you’ll know you lived life. And life is a hell of a ride if you’re willing to get on.

[1] I was up early on the last day of camp. Went for a walk along where we trained. It was beautiful and calm and another water photo is added to my little collection (*). The early morning light was strong but even and the were ducks feeding amongst the reeds. A couple of fisherman were out with lures. They did not catch anything but I know they were just happy to be up early appreciating nature and the anticipation (*) of a bite. For me, as I walked and admired the view, there was the anticipation (*) of flying out, the next day, to the Busan (*) for the 2012 Asian Dragon Boat championships.

Angels on the Moon - Thriving Ivory (youtube)

Angels on the Moon by Thriving Ivory
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,


Jenny wrote ..

I have always said to all of my doctors "Don’t give me a prognosis". I believe the mind is very powerful and I don’t want it locking onto any sort of timeframe. My mother was of the same opinion and she didn’t want her doctors to put any time constraints on her life. I am not silly, I know my situation is serious as through my associations with cancer support groups I have seen others with a similar diagnosis to me not be so lucky. But everyone’s journey is different. Each time I see a new doctor I say up front "Don’t give me a time".

Jenny and Jodi (Jenny's Oncologist) - St George Private Hospital - Mon Evening 22 Jun 2009
Jenny's last sunrise (see photo's below) before her heart failed around midday on Tue 23 Jun 2009. She was revived and spent the last week of her life in ICU (more here).

The photos are by a friend Jeff Grant. I have photographed this beach with Jeff and another friend Leigh Perry. Some photos will be posted here in the future.

Solstice #2 - Turrimeta / Sydney - Jeff Grant (Sunrise Tue 23 Jun 2009)
Joanne and I both remember Jenny talking to us about watching the sunrise over Botany Bay that day from her hospital bed at St George Private Hospital. Jo and I were both supposed to be at a early morning base building Aus dragon boat session at Blackwattle Bay but we were both very tired from Jenny's hospital visit to remove a 4cm brain tumor a week earlier. Jenny said she thought of us as she watched this beautiful sunrise. Jo and I often talk about this and always feel a little guilty that we were not out there on the water that morning doing what Jenny would have loved to be doing.

Jenny was always positive about her cancer and never asked for a "prognosis". I know she knew how serious this situation was for her. Liz the Sutherland Shire Cancer Support Group Counsellor told me that Jenny actually cried at the Meeting the week before her operation, something Liz had not seen before.

When I heard this song for the first time (thanks again to Charlotte, we were always bound to meet) the above lines resonated with me instantly. It seemed to describe vividly Jenny's outlook and that last sunrise she witnessed ..

If I can't see the sun,
Maybe I should go

I have sat on this post for so long. Always feel like I can never capture what I am really trying to say. I think that is just about it. Time to watch Hell of the North. Life goes on, but it is important to remember.

Solstice #3 - Turrimeta / Sydney - Jeff Grant (Sunrise Tue 23 Jun 2009)

Is Comedy the New News? - Dan Ilic / Andrew P Street / Spectrum (Fri 07 Apr 2017)

Poster (Pauline Hanson) - The Monthly / Glebe (Fri 07 Apr 2017)

Dan Ilic on Comedy:

[Andrew P Street] is comedy the new news?

[ Dan Ilic ] Politics is often dense and obfuscates intent, so there's ... value in breaking down, in simple, clear language, what the hell is going on.

via How Donald Trump killed comedy - What happens to satire when the world of politics is a joke? by Andrew P Street.