I was told eleven years ago to go home and do my bucket list. In remission and still doing it. It was a gift in a strange way as I never thought about retiring because I was on a mission. Almost at the big 80 and working mental health part time and painting with goals set even if they are no longer five year ones. But taking time out as you have done is also important and smelling the roses. I am sitting here writing this getting distracted by a big plump kereru outside my window and totally forgetting what I was going to say. I’m sure I started out with a different idea but no worries. Love your work and this community
David, I'm glad you're having a good holiday, but please endulge me a moment to whinge about my crappy day on Friday.
I had a ticket to the 7pm Tickled screening. Now, I live about a 2-2.5 hour drive from Carlton, depending on traffic. It's usually a pretty easy drive, freeway all the way. I left home just after 4pm and everything went to plan for the first 1.5 hours.
Until there was a truck fire on the freeway, which close the entire freeway in both directions. So all of the traffic from both directions now converged on a small town called Wallan. So there I am in a traffic jam in Wallan. An hour and a half later when the movie was starting....I'm still in a traffic jam in Wallan. Google was saying it would be another 1.5 hours to get there, but it had also been saying that for the last hour. So that's the the point where I gave up, turned around and drove home.
All up, I spent about 4.5 hours in the car. I did not see a movie, I did not meet David.
So that's my tale of woe. Thank you for endulging me.
Just commenting to say that I understand your love of the pigeons of New Zealand because I genuinely love the pigeons of NYC, and they are actual pigeons. I am fascinated by how varied their feather patterns are, from pure white to pure black and every mottled color combination between.
Also, I went to Alaska once and saw a hilarious number of bald eagles, so I am pretty sure they are the pigeons of Alaska. It was hard to believe they were ever in danger of extinction.
Pigeons are such wonderful lil' guys. There is a dedicated group in New York who rehab them - just such a contrast to how much of the city treats them.
We're on holiday in Brisbane at the moment (live in sunshine coast) I'm averaging 19,000 steps every day, it was 36° yesterday and all of my shoes hurt me 🤣 We're having a blast though, you have to do you when on holiday I reckon. How awesome is the Enmore and Newton 🤩 We saw the specials there about 10 years ago 🤣
We caught BADBADNOTGOOD last night at the Tivoli, they were beyond epic. If anyone likes jazz and gets the chance to see them live, I recommend. They do a light show with video which is very immersive, it's a vibe.
Niiiiiiiice. Did you catch Electric Callboy? They have such an awesome happy, energetic, summery vibe, and I was sad to miss it this year (travelled over for it from NZ a couple of years ago, had so much fun).
Yes! It was a great set. Really entertaining. I have been following 311 around, so I absolutely sweated up a storm earlier in the day and was worried I wouldn’t last until the end. Glad I managed it though!
I tried to get to Brisbane to see Bluey's World for a Flightless Bird episode, but flight delay and other chaos meant it did not happen. Glad you got sun!
And I'm stuck on cockatoos being the pigeons of Australia. I adore those chaos demons and can't imagine them just being around?? Wild. Sticking to my personal conspiracy theory that Australia is fake until I see it for myself.
The birds here are next level. You haven’t heard noise until you hear a huge flock of cockies calling their mates. Bonus points if kookaburras go out in sympathy. There are heaps of shit things about Aus but the wildlife is pretty sweet!
See, it's the wildlife that makes it slightly unbelievable for me. 😅 Amazing and sometimes terrifying.
There's a guy I follow on Instagram who basically has cassowaries in his backyard somewhere around Queensland. It's a heavily wooded area. They visit and he's made friends as well as you can with living dinosaurs / dangerous birds. Incredible stuff.
A former colleague had a beautiful umbrella boy that she named Omar (after the character in The Wire if you're familiar). He was a rescue and she was patiently rehabbing him. Omar would destroy anything he could. Once she walked in on him shredding up some cash he'd found screeching "BAD BIRD! BAD BIRD!" and laughing maniacally. We may have been in a remote meeting at the time. 😂
"Sued into oblivion" for giving a fuck and writing about it. Imagine.
I especially appreciate the comment from P, the psychologist. I just got home from seeing mine, and we were honing in on these exact things - the tendency to judge myself as either all good or all bad based on one moment or behaviour. "I change the world or I throw myself in the ocean" is exhausting and so cruel to the self, and I'm just relieved to know it sounds like plenty of others struggle with this too.
That’s me, and I can assure you that you’re very much not alone! I mentioned my clients in the comment, but it’s me and my colleagues too. I think we all grapple with what “good enough” looks like.
Hope I didn't offend (and apologies if I did) when I called your last post nihilistic. It probably had more to do with my current state of mind then yours.
I love this for you! I hope it gives a needed reset. I'm finishing a 14 year career this week (to give room for the new one I'm starting, of course), and I feel like just doing that will be a vacation. Maybe I'll do an Actual Trip at some point, too.
I’m glad you are holiday! I totally understand how being self employed can make you feel like you can’t ever take a break. But as I get older I realize that rest is just as important as work. How can you bring your full self when you haven’t recharged? Thank you for Flightless Bird and Webworm. I hope you do a live show in Chicago with Rob one of these days!
I had no idea cockatoos are considered a menace in AUS. One man's trash another man's treasure applies there. Great photos and I'm so glad that you are enjoying your working holiday. The pic of you on Insta smiling by the pool was everything!
I very much enjoyed the comments on the last newsletter and this one. So many good people are still trying hard to be good people, it has always been this way and will continue to be this way. Watching the news or doomscrolling you can easily lose sight of that, but I believe it's true. Unfortunately those same good people seem to carry a burden of guilt about not being better people. Believe me, if you are worried whether or not you are living ethically I can guarantee you are, if you weren't you wouldn't be worrying about it. The nasty people that seem to control the narrative these days are not spending one second worrying about whether they are "good' or living ethically. They are wallowing in their nastiness like a pig in mud. If you are a member of this lovely community David has built you are a good and ethical person. Give yourself the credit you deserve.
Cockies are just loud af and have the tendency to eat your house if it’s made of wood but they are glorious and fucking huge. My brother lives in Canada and he says the main thing he misses is the birds here.
I’m Australian and had never heard of cockies being considered the pigeons of Australia! I love them! We get the black and reds, the white and yellows and the pink and greys (galahs) on our farm. If anything is the pigeon of Aus, I’d say it’s the 28 (aka the ringneck parrot)
I am so happy you’re taking a holiday and enjoying it, David. I’m also on holiday, following around my favourite band in the world who are finally touring Australia after 26 years. I also find it hard to take holidays and I feel guilty as I have lots of work I could and should be doing. But….it has been fucking awesome. I am going to every show in every state they are playing and I’m loving every minute of it after what has been a shit year otherwise (oh, meeting you was also a highlight of course).
🤣So "David" to feel guilty about being on holiday 😁 From your description it sounds like a WORKING holiday in any case, which should both satisfy the need we all have for a break from our normal routine, plus you achieving some work "product" to address your need to be creative 👍 (loving the YouTube FB episodes BTW - now I've stopped watching US political car crash "news" items for my mental health, I am enjoying nice people in my feed 🫂 - including the Aotearoa channel BHN (Big Hairy News👌) who do some really good interviews with Kiwis of interest)
The Cult put on such a great show in Auckland too. There can't be many singers Astbury's age that sound as good as he does! As much as I adore Iron Maiden, I think he sounded better than Bruce did this year.
I was told eleven years ago to go home and do my bucket list. In remission and still doing it. It was a gift in a strange way as I never thought about retiring because I was on a mission. Almost at the big 80 and working mental health part time and painting with goals set even if they are no longer five year ones. But taking time out as you have done is also important and smelling the roses. I am sitting here writing this getting distracted by a big plump kereru outside my window and totally forgetting what I was going to say. I’m sure I started out with a different idea but no worries. Love your work and this community
What a truly great thing to be distracted by. And I love that your bucket list is still going - AND remission. What a wonderful fucking gift!
Love watching the bog chonks when they are around. But they give you a fright when they fly out of a bush you didn't realise they were in though!
David, I'm glad you're having a good holiday, but please endulge me a moment to whinge about my crappy day on Friday.
I had a ticket to the 7pm Tickled screening. Now, I live about a 2-2.5 hour drive from Carlton, depending on traffic. It's usually a pretty easy drive, freeway all the way. I left home just after 4pm and everything went to plan for the first 1.5 hours.
Until there was a truck fire on the freeway, which close the entire freeway in both directions. So all of the traffic from both directions now converged on a small town called Wallan. So there I am in a traffic jam in Wallan. An hour and a half later when the movie was starting....I'm still in a traffic jam in Wallan. Google was saying it would be another 1.5 hours to get there, but it had also been saying that for the last hour. So that's the the point where I gave up, turned around and drove home.
All up, I spent about 4.5 hours in the car. I did not see a movie, I did not meet David.
So that's my tale of woe. Thank you for endulging me.
Oh this sucksssss!!! Please email me a few items you'd like from the Webworm store. I insist.
davidfarrier@protonmail.com
Thank you David, that's very kind of you.
I expect that email!!!
Just commenting to say that I understand your love of the pigeons of New Zealand because I genuinely love the pigeons of NYC, and they are actual pigeons. I am fascinated by how varied their feather patterns are, from pure white to pure black and every mottled color combination between.
Also, I went to Alaska once and saw a hilarious number of bald eagles, so I am pretty sure they are the pigeons of Alaska. It was hard to believe they were ever in danger of extinction.
Pigeons are such wonderful lil' guys. There is a dedicated group in New York who rehab them - just such a contrast to how much of the city treats them.
We're on holiday in Brisbane at the moment (live in sunshine coast) I'm averaging 19,000 steps every day, it was 36° yesterday and all of my shoes hurt me 🤣 We're having a blast though, you have to do you when on holiday I reckon. How awesome is the Enmore and Newton 🤩 We saw the specials there about 10 years ago 🤣
We caught BADBADNOTGOOD last night at the Tivoli, they were beyond epic. If anyone likes jazz and gets the chance to see them live, I recommend. They do a light show with video which is very immersive, it's a vibe.
I was at Good Things in that heat yesterday. Far out!!
Niiiiiiiice. Did you catch Electric Callboy? They have such an awesome happy, energetic, summery vibe, and I was sad to miss it this year (travelled over for it from NZ a couple of years ago, had so much fun).
Yes! It was a great set. Really entertaining. I have been following 311 around, so I absolutely sweated up a storm earlier in the day and was worried I wouldn’t last until the end. Glad I managed it though!
I tried to get to Brisbane to see Bluey's World for a Flightless Bird episode, but flight delay and other chaos meant it did not happen. Glad you got sun!
love the pic of dogs after the food, made it feel like they were eyeing up your dinner :D
Glad you had a good holiday, it was needed!
Delighted to hear that you're taking time off. :)
And I'm stuck on cockatoos being the pigeons of Australia. I adore those chaos demons and can't imagine them just being around?? Wild. Sticking to my personal conspiracy theory that Australia is fake until I see it for myself.
The birds here are next level. You haven’t heard noise until you hear a huge flock of cockies calling their mates. Bonus points if kookaburras go out in sympathy. There are heaps of shit things about Aus but the wildlife is pretty sweet!
SO SO SO SO SO LOUD.
They really cut through the air.
See, it's the wildlife that makes it slightly unbelievable for me. 😅 Amazing and sometimes terrifying.
There's a guy I follow on Instagram who basically has cassowaries in his backyard somewhere around Queensland. It's a heavily wooded area. They visit and he's made friends as well as you can with living dinosaurs / dangerous birds. Incredible stuff.
probably going to need that instagram handle if the guy is public facing. That sounds insane
omgggg I can't find it! I haven't seen him in my feed in a while and can't remember his name. If I remember I promise to come back and share it. 😭
haha no worries! i def know how it is tyy girrly!
They are SO SO LOUD. Screeching.
I love it.
A former colleague had a beautiful umbrella boy that she named Omar (after the character in The Wire if you're familiar). He was a rescue and she was patiently rehabbing him. Omar would destroy anything he could. Once she walked in on him shredding up some cash he'd found screeching "BAD BIRD! BAD BIRD!" and laughing maniacally. We may have been in a remote meeting at the time. 😂
"Sued into oblivion" for giving a fuck and writing about it. Imagine.
I especially appreciate the comment from P, the psychologist. I just got home from seeing mine, and we were honing in on these exact things - the tendency to judge myself as either all good or all bad based on one moment or behaviour. "I change the world or I throw myself in the ocean" is exhausting and so cruel to the self, and I'm just relieved to know it sounds like plenty of others struggle with this too.
That’s me, and I can assure you that you’re very much not alone! I mentioned my clients in the comment, but it’s me and my colleagues too. I think we all grapple with what “good enough” looks like.
Hope I didn't offend (and apologies if I did) when I called your last post nihilistic. It probably had more to do with my current state of mind then yours.
Glad you're enjoying a much deserved vacation!
Not even slightly offended!
Oh good. One less thing to worry about.
I’ve never been kicked out of anywhere before, and it’d be really embarrassing to start with Webworm.
Hahaha, imagine!
They're nihilists, Dude. They don't believe in anything.
Love your work David! Even when your work is technically a holiday.
Meri Kirihimete to you and to everyone on Webworm :)
I love this for you! I hope it gives a needed reset. I'm finishing a 14 year career this week (to give room for the new one I'm starting, of course), and I feel like just doing that will be a vacation. Maybe I'll do an Actual Trip at some point, too.
Congrats! What a huge transition. Godspeed. A lot of emotions at war, I imagine.
I’m glad you are holiday! I totally understand how being self employed can make you feel like you can’t ever take a break. But as I get older I realize that rest is just as important as work. How can you bring your full self when you haven’t recharged? Thank you for Flightless Bird and Webworm. I hope you do a live show in Chicago with Rob one of these days!
We are doing this show in Seattle as a test run, of sorts. We really wanna do more dates. And of course Chicago is on the list.
(I have still not been to Chicago which is nuts)
I had no idea cockatoos are considered a menace in AUS. One man's trash another man's treasure applies there. Great photos and I'm so glad that you are enjoying your working holiday. The pic of you on Insta smiling by the pool was everything!
I very much enjoyed the comments on the last newsletter and this one. So many good people are still trying hard to be good people, it has always been this way and will continue to be this way. Watching the news or doomscrolling you can easily lose sight of that, but I believe it's true. Unfortunately those same good people seem to carry a burden of guilt about not being better people. Believe me, if you are worried whether or not you are living ethically I can guarantee you are, if you weren't you wouldn't be worrying about it. The nasty people that seem to control the narrative these days are not spending one second worrying about whether they are "good' or living ethically. They are wallowing in their nastiness like a pig in mud. If you are a member of this lovely community David has built you are a good and ethical person. Give yourself the credit you deserve.
Cockies are just loud af and have the tendency to eat your house if it’s made of wood but they are glorious and fucking huge. My brother lives in Canada and he says the main thing he misses is the birds here.
God you have good birds. Also I knew cockatoos were loud, but not THAT loud. Glorious. Voices of angels.
I’m Australian and had never heard of cockies being considered the pigeons of Australia! I love them! We get the black and reds, the white and yellows and the pink and greys (galahs) on our farm. If anything is the pigeon of Aus, I’d say it’s the 28 (aka the ringneck parrot)
You are one of the good Australians (rare!)
All I can say is i'm so glad you're enjoying yourself. You earned it ❤️❤️❤️. We love you, David!!
I am so happy you’re taking a holiday and enjoying it, David. I’m also on holiday, following around my favourite band in the world who are finally touring Australia after 26 years. I also find it hard to take holidays and I feel guilty as I have lots of work I could and should be doing. But….it has been fucking awesome. I am going to every show in every state they are playing and I’m loving every minute of it after what has been a shit year otherwise (oh, meeting you was also a highlight of course).
🤣So "David" to feel guilty about being on holiday 😁 From your description it sounds like a WORKING holiday in any case, which should both satisfy the need we all have for a break from our normal routine, plus you achieving some work "product" to address your need to be creative 👍 (loving the YouTube FB episodes BTW - now I've stopped watching US political car crash "news" items for my mental health, I am enjoying nice people in my feed 🫂 - including the Aotearoa channel BHN (Big Hairy News👌) who do some really good interviews with Kiwis of interest)
The Cult put on such a great show in Auckland too. There can't be many singers Astbury's age that sound as good as he does! As much as I adore Iron Maiden, I think he sounded better than Bruce did this year.
His voice!