I write to you snuffling and coughing in the grip of a head cold... it has been an unusualy busy week for Uppie even by the standard previously established by Uppie's alter egos... Swimming Official Man.... Ponds Technician Man.... Union Executive Man... oh yea and dealing with Wife and Children as Family Man... I have not even been able to play at Chat God Man....
For the past five days I have been attending and working as a minor official at the National Age Group Champs... this is a ten session meet which is rather big... the competition is for the best 13, 14 and 15 year old swimmers in the country... also competing was the National Youth Team from Japan... the dress, grooming and deportment of this team was of a standard that should have been a wake up call to our swim teams to tidy themselves up... the discipline and organisation they displayed was extraordinary... they had a lovely grey uniform and on the first day they all wore white t-shirts.. and I mean everyone coaches, swimmers, team Managers etc.. day 2 pink t-shirts... day 3 light blue... the swimmers bow to the officials before the start of their races and their organised cheering was impressive with chanting and clap dancing that amused and had the Kiwi kids joining in and learning the moves... it made me realise that the Japanese are racially, physicaly and culturaly more than just foreign but so very different from the Kiwi "she'll be right" gumboots is best dressed attitude...
The Swim Meet is structured in a way that leaves a large gap between the morning and evening finals session so I took the opportunity to complete 15 k training runs in the breaks.. the day after the finish of the meet I traveled to Rotorua and ran a half Marathon (21 k's) this has been an exhausting schedule and I was looking forward to slumping into Ponds Technician Man and resting for a week or so... this however is not to be as we recieved word last night that my wifes sisters husband has died suddenly and we are traveling five hours today to Napier which is on the other side of our island and will be attending a three day Tangi... I am sick with the cold, aching from the run and very tired as a result of the swim meet.. this is all a ploy to get those of you who are suckers for a sob story to post money and naked pictures of them selves to cheer me up... ahh Jerk and Fiend.. the money will be fine... do not take the trouble with the pic's... anyway Fiend we have all already seen your hairy ass...
On a more serious note... the brother inlaw had an infected foot and delayed going to the doctor... as a consequence he ended up in hospital took a turn for the worse... his kidneys failed and he died... we are all at the age.. well most of us are... where our aging carcasses need care and attention, our imune systems are crumbling along with our looks and physiques... and at any time we can be a day away from dead and buried... so stop whining .. do it today ... and enjoy the time we all have left...
Thats the public service announcement for today... Cheers Uppie
oh yes if any of you women do want to do it today you have my contact details..
I was watching a documentary about a web site called ASH... dunno what the acronym stands for... but it was a website where people with mental health problems that have pushed them to the verge of suicide go to compare notes on the methods and results and possible bad outcomes of attempting suicide... it was really rather depressing.... with interviews with people who are seriously sad... in one aspect when you see how these people are living it sort of makes you appreciate your own miserable circumstances... the other side of the proverbial coin lying in the shit... is hey keep these people away from me... I don't see how I can help them and listening to them talk in depressed monotone about their misery is not helping me either... however one young lady made a comment that I really indentified with... After the litany of her troubles and recounting the three or four times she had attempted hari kari... she was asked whether she was now "comfortable with life"... she said... 
