Careful with the Axe Eugene
Someone ... and I'm not naming names ... because it was ME ... has broken the Axe. Yes, in one of my wood chopping episodes, I was trying to chop through some tough Aussie Hard Wood (Gum Tree) and I'd already managed to split the trunk I was chopping into (it was about two meters long). Then to ensure it would fit into the wood fired heater we have, I had to cut it into smaller chunks. I swung the axe up high ... and brought it down with all my might ... and as the axe head HIT the WOOD! CRACK ... it bounced off to the right of me ... woooops! Almost hit me in the head! Um ... ah ... how are we going to chop the wood now?
I guess some people just don't know their own strength
. As you can see from the axe handle, it was a pretty new axe! I guess we just got one which wasn't strong enough for Aussie hard wood. Anyway, it made my brother laugh. We'd only just got started chopping the wood - so we were left to do it the hard way. My brother went to the shed and got the splitter out (like an axe - but blunt and heavy). He also got out a metal wedge and the small hand axe. I used the splitter to split the wooden trunks into two or three bits. Then we used the hand axe to chop away at them where we wanted to break them in two. When we thought it was thin enough, I'd get the splitter and just use the brute strength of the weight to break the wood in two.
In the end we had two large wheel barrows full. It was higher than this, but my brother started getting the wood in before I had a chance to take a photo of it all. Anyway, it gives us some nice wood to burn this week. This wood is a lot better than last week. The lighter coloured wood is Aussie Gum tree and the darker wood is Jarrah. Both Hard Woods. No wonder the axe broke! My brother pointed out, all our firewood has been from trees which were grown on the property. Some are left overs from when the property was cleared, and other were ones my mother had planted, and had either died, or had health problems.
When my mother poked her head out to see what had happened, I got the axe handle and held it in the middle. I beat it against my chest and then waved it in the air mimicking the salute given to Charlie Sheen at the end of Platoon. (I can't remember the name of the charater - of course, he did it with an M16). My mother understood the joke, as I'd just made her watch Platoon the night before.
I tried to capture a picture off the DVD of the guy doing the salute at the end, but it just came out like a large black square. I also tried to capture the death scene of Alias (as per the cover of the DVD) but it also just didn't work. Probably best in the end, as there may have been some sort of copyright breach, and I didn't want to do that. I just wanted to explain what I was mimicking. (I'm sure it might come under "Fair Play" in the Aussie copyright laws, but better not to risk it).
Anyway - here is the Alias Death Scene.
My old flatmate Paul had purchased the video and would often watch it. Somehow I'd seen bits and pieces of the movie, but had never seen it all the way through. It is a great movie, and a lot of great young stars are in it.
It was shot in the Philippines during the Revolution which ousted Marcos. It's funny what Willem Dafoe said about going there early before the shoot started, and waking up the next morning and finding tanks rolling down the street outside his hotel. One day, it's just business as normal, next day Hey Presto! Revolution! hee hee! Anyway, in spite of the Revolution the film shoot went ahead.
With Oliver Stone being a Vietnam Vet, it's been said this movie is the closest thing to portraying the experience of being a foot soldier without actually having done it. Some Vietnam vets won't watch the movie, as it's been said it's too accurate.
I think the best part about the movie, is it captures a lot we've heard about. It doesn't make out that war is glamourous, nor does it try to take sides in anything (I think that's left to us) . I think it just tries to capture the experience, so that we can understand a little of what it was like to be there.
Anyway, I got the movie out as I knew it was one of Johnny Depps first movies. My mother is a big Johnny Depp fan, and hadn't seen this. (War not being one of her or my favourite subjects). It's funny to see how young he looks in it. He doesn't have a big part in this movie - the star is Charlie Sheen, with great supporting roles from Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger. (Tom also getting an Oscar Nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his character Barnes).
The movie itself has a small cameo from Oliver Stone. (It's funny, I said to my mother, "Hey, that looks like Oliver Stone the Director." When looking for the DVD cover on-line I ran into a site mentioning that it was him!) This film won him a Best Picture Oscar and a Best Directors Oscar. It also got two Oscars for Film Editing and Sound. (So four all up for those of us who can count!) :-)
Oh, if you are looking for Oliver's cameo - he's the guy talking into the phone when the Vietnamese suicide bomber runs into the tent and the tent explodes! Yes, the Director blew himself up for the movie! :-) Well, not literally!
If you're wondering why I called this post 'Careful with that Axe Eugene' and not 'Dabido Breaks the Axe' or something; it has to do with one of my favourite Pink Floyd songs. I used to play it at night while I slept and wake up to it in the morning. It was good - stick the song on - read a book - fall asleep - wake up eight hours leter to Roger Waters screaming in the middle of the song. :-)
Maybe I should have called it, 'Careful With That Axe Dabido.' After all, it only just missed my head. If it had of hit, it probably wouldn't have killed me, but it might have injured me greatly.
Anyway - the photo to the left is the cover of the Early Singles CD - and is the one I used to play at night. It's a great album, and you can only get it with a copy of the "Shine On" boxed set (A must for any true Floyd Fans). Get it if you can find it. I started collecting Boxed Sets - but some are very difficult to find. I also have a 'Syd Barrett' boxed set and a 'Jimi Hendrix' boxed set (to name a few). The Jimi Hendrix one ROCKS! Love the version of 'Killing Floor' and 'In From The Storm' it comes with.
. As you can see from the axe handle, it was a pretty new axe! I guess we just got one which wasn't strong enough for Aussie hard wood. Anyway, it made my brother laugh. We'd only just got started chopping the wood - so we were left to do it the hard way. My brother went to the shed and got the splitter out (like an axe - but blunt and heavy). He also got out a metal wedge and the small hand axe. I used the splitter to split the wooden trunks into two or three bits. Then we used the hand axe to chop away at them where we wanted to break them in two. When we thought it was thin enough, I'd get the splitter and just use the brute strength of the weight to break the wood in two.
In the end we had two large wheel barrows full. It was higher than this, but my brother started getting the wood in before I had a chance to take a photo of it all. Anyway, it gives us some nice wood to burn this week. This wood is a lot better than last week. The lighter coloured wood is Aussie Gum tree and the darker wood is Jarrah. Both Hard Woods. No wonder the axe broke! My brother pointed out, all our firewood has been from trees which were grown on the property. Some are left overs from when the property was cleared, and other were ones my mother had planted, and had either died, or had health problems.
When my mother poked her head out to see what had happened, I got the axe handle and held it in the middle. I beat it against my chest and then waved it in the air mimicking the salute given to Charlie Sheen at the end of Platoon. (I can't remember the name of the charater - of course, he did it with an M16). My mother understood the joke, as I'd just made her watch Platoon the night before.
I tried to capture a picture off the DVD of the guy doing the salute at the end, but it just came out like a large black square. I also tried to capture the death scene of Alias (as per the cover of the DVD) but it also just didn't work. Probably best in the end, as there may have been some sort of copyright breach, and I didn't want to do that. I just wanted to explain what I was mimicking. (I'm sure it might come under "Fair Play" in the Aussie copyright laws, but better not to risk it).
Anyway - here is the Alias Death Scene.
My old flatmate Paul had purchased the video and would often watch it. Somehow I'd seen bits and pieces of the movie, but had never seen it all the way through. It is a great movie, and a lot of great young stars are in it.
It was shot in the Philippines during the Revolution which ousted Marcos. It's funny what Willem Dafoe said about going there early before the shoot started, and waking up the next morning and finding tanks rolling down the street outside his hotel. One day, it's just business as normal, next day Hey Presto! Revolution! hee hee! Anyway, in spite of the Revolution the film shoot went ahead.
With Oliver Stone being a Vietnam Vet, it's been said this movie is the closest thing to portraying the experience of being a foot soldier without actually having done it. Some Vietnam vets won't watch the movie, as it's been said it's too accurate.
I think the best part about the movie, is it captures a lot we've heard about. It doesn't make out that war is glamourous, nor does it try to take sides in anything (I think that's left to us) . I think it just tries to capture the experience, so that we can understand a little of what it was like to be there.
Anyway, I got the movie out as I knew it was one of Johnny Depps first movies. My mother is a big Johnny Depp fan, and hadn't seen this. (War not being one of her or my favourite subjects). It's funny to see how young he looks in it. He doesn't have a big part in this movie - the star is Charlie Sheen, with great supporting roles from Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger. (Tom also getting an Oscar Nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his character Barnes).
The movie itself has a small cameo from Oliver Stone. (It's funny, I said to my mother, "Hey, that looks like Oliver Stone the Director." When looking for the DVD cover on-line I ran into a site mentioning that it was him!) This film won him a Best Picture Oscar and a Best Directors Oscar. It also got two Oscars for Film Editing and Sound. (So four all up for those of us who can count!) :-)
Oh, if you are looking for Oliver's cameo - he's the guy talking into the phone when the Vietnamese suicide bomber runs into the tent and the tent explodes! Yes, the Director blew himself up for the movie! :-) Well, not literally!
If you're wondering why I called this post 'Careful with that Axe Eugene' and not 'Dabido Breaks the Axe' or something; it has to do with one of my favourite Pink Floyd songs. I used to play it at night while I slept and wake up to it in the morning. It was good - stick the song on - read a book - fall asleep - wake up eight hours leter to Roger Waters screaming in the middle of the song. :-)
Maybe I should have called it, 'Careful With That Axe Dabido.' After all, it only just missed my head. If it had of hit, it probably wouldn't have killed me, but it might have injured me greatly.
Anyway - the photo to the left is the cover of the Early Singles CD - and is the one I used to play at night. It's a great album, and you can only get it with a copy of the "Shine On" boxed set (A must for any true Floyd Fans). Get it if you can find it. I started collecting Boxed Sets - but some are very difficult to find. I also have a 'Syd Barrett' boxed set and a 'Jimi Hendrix' boxed set (to name a few). The Jimi Hendrix one ROCKS! Love the version of 'Killing Floor' and 'In From The Storm' it comes with.
posted by Dabido @ 7/16/2005 11:01:00 pm
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