Getting On With A Weird Ass 2025
Back From Summer Sun and Fun
The 21st century is nearly 25% over now. January 1st, 2001, seems like light years ago. I don’t think I will see any more centuries, but hey, you never know I might get my head frozen like Ted Williams.
Whatever Happened To Ted Williams Head?
The world is so connected these days and there are sites where you can find strange and bizarre news all over the world wide web.
My Dad back in the 60s called New Year’s Eve amateur night. As a youngster it sounded like a dumb comment, but as an adult we all understand, don’t we?
Cao Fei is a multi-media artist of high regard. Fei is held in such high regard I had no idea who she was only because I could not see up onto that shelf. Her exhibition at the Art Gallery Of NSW runs into April and all I can say is go.
On Amateur Afternoon, Tina and Nello accompanied me to the gallery to check it out. We had been told to expect to spend at least 3 hours being interactively entertained. We adjusted ourselves accordingly and found ourselves alighting at The Domain with thousands of other people.
Glory be to god, the humanity of people lined up to get a spot to see the fireworks at midnight was astounding. We scooted around the tourists and youngsters and amateurs and made our way to the door. Now, the gallery was so empty on New Year’s Eve that they gave us free tickets to the exhibition.
Dad: “Let’s go to see the Australian Indigenous Art!”
Grandma-“NO!!”
Grandma said it with such venom.
I looked up at all of them with a sideway glance as they walked away.
Dad stopped and said, “You know, since we are in Australia we should check out the Indigenous collection.”
He seemed to be taking a stand.
Grandma took a seat close to me outside the entrance to this amazing collection of First Nation Art. I so wanted to ask her what her issue was with the art but as I was getting a rise from my funghi I decided to find Nello and Tina and get rolling into another world.
I still wonder what her issue was with Indigenous Art.
Cao Fei’s exhibit is coloured by the nostalgia of a China passed juxtaposed with films and art displaying the industrialization and dystopian present. We had the exhibit mostly to ourselves. It was a playground of film, virtual reality, and even a homage to the old Marigold Yum Cha restaurant in Sydney. I will reveal no more. Please support the arts and go.
We then found the lovely rooftop bar and restaurant for al fresco dumplings and Tsing Tao. The blue sky and the harbour and the sound of helicopters capturing the throngs on the harbour were a pleasant backdrop. When we departed they were dispersing the unlucky who came too late to get a spot on the harbour. One gentleman working security said, “This area is now closed. We are more than 1 thousand over the limit.”
I turned to catch his eye and said, “ I don’t think you should be saying that out loud. It could get you in trouble.” We rumbled down to Gowings Bar to have a few more beers on a sunny day in the comfort of air conditioning and leather seats. This is the best New Year hack if you like art and have no desire to line up 18 hours before the fireworks. Enjoy the city early and then get out of town.
Over a million people lined the shoreline for the change to 2025. You know I am thinking that with the world becoming a tinder box, there may be another invention, like drones, that could give people the same thrill as explosions and sparkles. With wars going on, fireworks always seem to me like…..wrong.
Speaking of trauma the year has started with 2 American ex-soldiers staging terror activities in Las Vegas and New Orleans. Inoperable bollards, an exploding Tesla outside a Trump Hotel, death and destruction on the first day of the year. Although there is no physical or political connection between the events, with both men dead, we will probably never know any more than we know right now.
13 days into 2025, the weirdness continues, and so much of it comes out of the USA. We all knew that was going to be the case. 1 week now until the felonious Orange One becomes President again. Autocracy rules and the powerful are a bunch of nihilistic power-hungry criminals. You might say they are living in the moment. Unfortunately, as they have their moment it takes away from the ability of the masses to live a comfortable life. Or have a life that brings many of them joy. Or allows them to live as many die due to the reasons you all know about.
Trump did say he was going to help all Americans, right? I think I heard the word unity several times in his speeches. And something about greatness. I reckon his TRUMP WILL FIX IT logo is appropriate. The fix appears to be in.
We await with a clenched jaw to see who will be approved for Trump’s Cabinet. A selection of humans who kowtow to Trump and who have qualifications that should have most of Congress shaking their heads are all on display. Meanwhile, we have the jumping Elon Musk hanging around like the serpent in this dystopian landscape. He offers us robots and the red planet Mars, the apple of his eye and all he wants is power. He has everything else.
And California continues to burn. Climate change is on full display with a fire event that normally does not take place at this time of year. This is a fire event that Los Angeles has never seen. My heart goes out to the thousands of homeless and the families of people who have lost their lives. Landmarks and familiar neighbourhoods and architecture along the coastline are gone.
LA will never look the same.
With the new leader coming in in a week and his hatred for the liberals of California, it is hard not to think this is another terror attack. An attack by the powers that be. The leader ignores the pain and makes the event a political football. His lack of humanity is hard to fathom.
Conspiracy theories arise now that one person has been found lighting fires, but we know it well down here in Australia that fires bring the arsonists out too. Firebugs that need to be squashed. Try to pay attention to the truth if you can find it amongst the nonsense you get in your feed.
The fires continue and no one knows for how long yet. Just to hand is the loss of the Theosophical Society Building and its archives of art, 40,000 titles and much more. I will let their logo speak for itself.
The Ukraine War has been on for almost 3 years and Gaza and the genocide has been going on for decades.
It’s hard to remain and feel positive with all that is going down.
We may all be terrified by what we see but we cannot allow ourselves to shrink and allow world events to diminish our lives. Even in dark times, we have to live with love and joy and connection to people and most of all nature. We are all one.
And dancing. And music.
And of course, always being kind.
It makes a difference.
Try your best to love.
