Life sometimes can feel like a giant rugby tackle. It always surprises me that, no matter how hard the tackle is, I still find myself with the ball and sprinting as fast as my legs will go. I’ve tried kicking the ball into touch at least once in my life and I’m continually trying to pass it on to someone else, but some part of me, the bit that gets me into trouble (and invents snail fighting for example), will not let go of the damn thing, in fact he’s trying to tell me that there is no ball in the first place and I should remember the hand-off. And he may be right. And yes I am back in NZ. And yes they are playing rugby outside the window. And no, I haven’t been fishing yet.
But I should be on the road very shortly. I had some catching up to do with an ex-girlfriend (one of the tacklers – hand-off manoeuvre working well now) and I’ve arranged to get a van and cheap.
Last weekend was pretty wild, you know meeting Steve and the "mystery man" – a mystery man who will become a part of Sexyloops – a man so mysterious in fact that it is only now that I mention that he was there at all – a man who will remain a mystery until March 1st when we unveil him to the world. There will be smoke screens (could it be Lee Marvin?), there will be some other stuff that has yet to be decided upon, but will be both exciting and devastating (like a sock), for this is the NEW Sexyloops (it’s still the old Sexyloops but with a shift in perspective – that’s marketing for you) – and I have not yet settled back into the Sexyloops groove.
And I need to go fishing.
I think I’ll be fishing by Wednesday night, all being well. It may shock you to realise that I have my life so well planned out that I can see this far into the future – extended vision I call it. Steve was responsible for that, and it could actually be a good thing, because, by working in advance, I’ll be able to go fishing and not just for half a day or so, but for several days, you know back to back, real "get out there and fish" fishing.
Right now I’m about 3452 emails behind where I should be (and it’s not looking good), I’m right on the mark with the PoD’s, I have a ripple to make in the UK (which you will find out about) and I have phone problems. Sexyloops will be brought to you, in the main, through emails with Steve via notebook and mobile. Uploading direct can be hazardous, expensive and complicated. Especially when it only half happens. I’m curious to see if this works out. We’ll know one way or the other when we enter the "groove" and Sexyloops comes to you straight out the back of the van. Or not.
If it doesn’t work out I’ll have to rent somewhere and that’s not nearly so exciting :-)
And I’m almost completely self-contained; I still have a few purchases to make, like a stove and 5 months supply of beans. But once I have wheels I should be all set. All electrics can be powered through a cigarette lighter and, for me, it’s quite a thought to think that, what is now the largest flyfishing site in Europe – plug (although why exactly, when you’re already here, is slightly confusing, maybe that was why) – is brought to you out the back of a van. Like an underground movement; slightly anarchic and definitely dangerous. Or if not dangerous exactly, then certainly potent. Or if not potent then portable.
I may grow my hair and buy some psychedelic paint.
I have yet to recover from the flight, I think that the secret to good flying and feeling great when you arrive, is not to drink any alcohol. So it could be weeks before I’m fully back to normal – whatever that state may be. However I’ve been out running. I’m about to revive "run-flyfishing". Run-flyfishing is a relatively new and very exciting multi-sport, which, surprisingly, has yet to catch on. Not sure why that should be. It may be the lack of tweed opportunities. Run-flyfishers wear shorts and T-shirts and sweat a lot. It’s fast and furious. It opens up new horizons. And it’s funky.
Part two (The funky part)
Spring is here!
I hadn’t really noticed, you know being caught up in that van-buying ex-girlfriend-hand-offing (no, it was nice really) world that all of us find ourselves in at some point or other and lo and behold it hit me: it’s Springtime (again). "Hey it’s all in your mind anyway dude". Gimme back that ball.
And tell me this! Are you any crazier talking to God or yourself (cos a partner sure won’t cut it)? It’s something that bothers me (in between fishing) and especially when one or other starts answering back. So before I (we) well and truly lose the plot, I’m going fishing. When you’re fishing you don’t think about life, so that’s alright then. Fill your mind with specious thoughts just in case you really start – or stop – thinking, you don’t want to wake yourself up, just image what would happen if you smash your own mask and discover that you’ve been deluding yourself your whole life. Could that be the Mugwai? Life without mirrors – or only with.
I’ve got my flies: all three of them.
So yep, Spring is here. I get a couple of Spring-times each year, although Queensland never really counted, because it was either wet season or dry season and the plants didn’t seem to care – either that or I just never really noticed them. It’s a great feeling. And I’ve come to the conclusion that it is a feeling, like warmth, or more precisely like space – or the presence of snow (yeah right, like I can remember how that felt).
Big leaded ones with scruffy fur – could be stoneflies. Gonna head south, to that well-known mystery river, Mystery River X. I’m particularly looking forward to fishing this river now – and not later, say – because Mystery River X is only a mystery during November. Come December it becomes packed with misguided guided Americans. Oooh. Don’t know where that one came from. Must be that alter ego thing again. That or God of course. Take your pick. "Can’t find your own fish?" If we didn’t have the damn ball we wouldn’t get tackled so hard.
When I head south I’ll drive through the middle, past Mt Cook. Great place to take photos, do some fishing and re-acquaint myself with NZ . I’ve sure missed mountains, I know that.
As all of this comes into fruition, Steve’s role in Sexyloops will become more visible. For one thing I’ll be throwing content around, and doing more editing stuff, and less HTML work. This comes as a relief to Steve because some of my HTML code is dubious. And my use of CSS sucks. Steve in fact welcomes the extra work. He says he would like to sleep less. He’s been sleeping at least four hours per night, and would like to get it down to three or so, before going all out for the wakelessness-Sexyloops-trance-state. Our Mystery Man, to be revealed on March 1st (drum roll) doesn’t realise quite what he has let himself in for – although he thinks he does. We will be preparing him by ringing him up in the middle of the night to ask him what he’s doing. "Wake up dude – the ball is in your mind" You are in my mind. "I am your mind"
Soon be fishing.
Hey this is ironic, I’ve just bought myself a coffee plunger from The Warehouse (a bit like K-Mart, only crappier) and the coffee tastes and smells of plastic and is, not surprisingly, quite undrinkable. You know, it’s hard to beat the subtle nutty aromas of Underpant-Coffee . That’ll teach me for skimping on the washing.
If you’ve been around the last couple of days (I haven’t) you would have realised that Steve is busy working on The Plan – the one we devised last weekend – and the site is being re moulded in sections.
AND then there’s the Spanish Section that's started. I am thrilled that Carlos is busy translating the flycasting into Spanish. This is fantastic and enables us to reach a far wider audience (I’ll really have to learn Spanish – Life, not God, nor my alter ego, but Life appears to be telling me that this is something I need to know and just knowing one word, no matter how useful a word "Tortuga" can be – it’s not enough). I’ll shortly be putting a page together explaining who Carlos is exactly – he is in fact one of the flycasters in the Dirty Harry series and one of the finest presentation casters I know.
As I write this I am surrounded by "stuff". I didn’t realise I had quite so much "stuff" – you know being a minimalist – and I don’t think that it’s just "spread out" although that certainly is the case, but whatever the case is, I think I’m going to need an impressively large van to escort it all about in. Especially if there are any Tortugas around. I feel like a good rugby tackle coming on.
"Look out now, I’ve got the ball"
Cheers, Paul – from Christchurch :-)))
Next week: how I managed to get to Mystery River X and avoided the straightjacket.
