Jul 15, 2009

Head Over Heels

A huge earthquake rocked parts of the South Island last night. It was followed by violent aftershocks felt as far north as Wellington. GNS recorded the quake as 6.6 magnitude at 9.22pm followed 20 minutes later by a 6.1 magnitude. --NZ Herald

Image via Black Dog Star

Given the curious happenings in L'aquila (the eagle), a devastating earthquake, a G-8 meeting, the unveiling of a new global currency (Unity in Diversity), and the Italian peninsular "boot", it is interesting to find a similar quake in a similarly boot-shaped country, albeit a "mirror image" of the first.

Goro called 2009 "the year of the foot" but for me, that year was 2002. I had made a play for a design job, attempting to go over the head of a friend and colleague. Martin and I had worked together for years at the same company and given that we were both the same age and both gay, we had lots of fun together, especially on corporate road trips to various boat shows. Later on, I was a well paid contractor, while Martin remained a company man, and anyway, I made a play for his job, and he calls me and lets me know how hurt and angry he is about it, and I manage to turn it all around and blame HIM for being arrogant, vain, etc. But it's interesting, because Martin's accusations really did sting, and I even contracted a major case of gout in my right foot over the incident.

I became a "lame god" (Hephaestus - the God of Artisans, etc.) over this petty betrayal, and let me tell you, gout is seriously painful: tiny crystalline sandpaper in your joints - a rather perfect punishment for the over-indulgent and the proud. You'll note that the New Zealand foot is broken - lame. Martin was also of Italian descent and Catholic, and it is interesting that these quakes all fall on fault lines. Who's fault?

7 comments:

Anadæ Quenyan Effro said...

Ah yes, the God of Blacksmiths, the Lame One, also the inventor of robots, He! Forget not that Hephæstos' Romanised name is Vulcan. Where've we heard that monicker B4? Sorry abt your bout with the gout. Authoress & healing facilitator Louise Hay has had lots to say abt the misalignment of our emotional body wrecking havoc with our physical one for decades. Sometimes it hurts to learn.

An Asklepios in my own right ,
Anadæ Effro (•:-)}

Michael said...

Hi Anadae - I can't believe you referenced Louise Hay - that really takes me back! Yea, I think I have a bit of Spock in me.

Speaking of Asklepius and his symbol of snake entwined staff, ala Moses, all the emergency vehicles around here carry that symbol, with a six armed blue cross "shield", looking a bit like a hexagon.

Devin said...

Hey Anadae-where you been:)? I will have to find out who Louise Hay is-am I being stupid here haha-I think I know who Harry Hay is! thanks for your previous reply Michael-had forgotten about MJs bad hair day haha! ( I shouldnt laugh) I was shocked when I realized how much NZ turned round looks like the Italian boot-of course I also think Syria looks like a human liver, Iraq a kidney-Sweden a giant uncircumcised penis-Jordan a water bong -Croatia looks like it is eating Bosnia and Herzegovina-Germany would look like a snow angel if it reabsorbed the Benelux countries-didnt go to well the last time that happened haha!! of course Denmark gives germany a weird "antenna" look and Spain is being really fucking rude to Portugal-they need to give Port more room! When Nando and me used to argue I would break out into these horrid skin rashes some times-always thought it might have been connected -they were nothing major just itched like crazy and I put the Triamcinalone stuff on it and it went away-OK i am going back to laying low (unfortunately without a man on top of me:) best to you and Var as always!!cool WV considering Anadae anedenf:)

Esperanto Grrl said...

I've always found something slightly malevolent about the God Vulcan ever since the Bush cabinet nicknamed themselves "The Vulcans" after the statue of Vulcan in Birmingham.

I half-expected them to announce that like most members of America's financial elite, they worshipped Pan, the Goat God.

Now Athena, that was my kind of deity. The coolest idea for a god EVER! The dimwitted, devoted and dull goddesses of Hinduism and the bland Clydesdales of the Norse pantheon never compared.

Michael said...

Dev! - I think you just unlocked all the secret continental drifts! God, you make me laugh!

EG - I couldn't agree with you more. Let's not forget that the local "angel investor" firm headed by (former) Microsoft megalomaniac Paul Allen is called "Vulcan Ventures". That's why I presented this story the way I did - a personal moral failure - and an uncomfortable (even painful?) realization of the devil inside.

Word veri: graps. of wrath?

Devin said...

O i meant to put this in my yet another reply to double header haha! I was cleaning out bookshelves and things and ran across an article from 2003 where the person is talking against gay marriage-in like the last sentence she has "Before we overturn this sacred institution, we should think long and hard before" Haha-am I the only perv or does the long and hard part make anyone else smile in relation to the topic?? If it were a man that had written the article I would have thought his Freudian slip was showing:) all the best to you both!! WV=manve -well I like the man part anyway:)

Michael said...

Dev, that's great. Reminds me of that old joke - "what's long and hard and full of semen?" a Submarine! The Trident submarine has become a sort of personal "fetish" for me, representing Shiva, the Destroyer.

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