post NIN

THAT was a performance. that was simply mind-boggling, totally awe-inspiring. aside from the bass guitar giving out a couple of times, the run was flawless... the place was *packed* with fans (i was right at the front, but a lot more people showed than any of us expected), beautiful and sexy girls all around, crazed enthusiasm, and the show was really well put-together.

the electronic screen was just magical, their use of it superb and inspired. there were several parts of the show that it seemed like we were watching a brilliantly directed music video.

i originally clawed my way to the front in order to throw the shirt onto the stage, but at some point a couple of bastards blocked me completely and i almost gave up. after a few minutes i tapped a random guy on the shoulder, and shouted a brief explanation while handing it to him.
a couple of tense minutes passed and i wondered if he was going to steal it for himself, but then suddenly his arm whipped out and the shirt landed about 3 feet from the man himself.

i was congratulating him when he turned around to smile at his success, and he suddenly got this odd look on his face: "totalwaste? is that you?"

that was goddamn creepy. turns out he was the guy here playing poker who i argued about over tool, and we've spoken a number of times since - but not in person - and i didn't recognize him... what are the chances?!

so i finally had a buddy to scream with - spot arrived at the concert around 9.30pm and we only saw each other after the stage emptied.

unkle opened for nine inch nails with a completely different kind of power - but powerful it was and the performance was *highly* enjoyable! i was only familiar with their ambient work, their hard 'n funky metal style took me pleasantly by surprise, which is why i was literally warmed up by the time NIN came on.

now for the day:

i missed the shuttle this morning, but remembered to score myself breakfast on the way in to the office.

my workday was as follows:
work
arrangements
שכברב פילים (shkavrav pilim or "elephant orgy")
chocolate-eating
rank donation
lunch in the officer's mess
rank initiation
the train station

שכברב פילים (shkavrav pilim or "elephant orgy")
that's what's been drawn on my whiteboard by a number of people, repeatedly, for a couple of days now. it's beginning to get worrying. i've caught the kinder twice and i know there's another person outside of our department involved.

rank donation
our SC asked me to donate my spare ranks "to a worthy cause". ten minutes later i ran into nystire, now bravely sporting them having stepped into my world of "most bizarre rank / status combination the army has to offer"

lunch in the officer's mess
now that nystire's an officer, he could eat with us in the officer's mess. we were initially planning his "initiation" for when he stepped in, but we weren't organized enough and had been threatened already by my TL not to.

rank initiation
observation by my TL made it less brutal than it should have been, but as it is we wrestled nystire to the ground (the bastard bites, my hand and side still hurt), tied him up and carried him outside, where we used no less than 6 buckets of water (okay, with a small quantity of soap) to completely and utterly drench him. we have some great photos.

he did manage to make a few of us sweat like crazy - he's a dirty fighter.

the train station
nystire needed to get to our old base, so i took off the hours i made up yesterday and went with him. on the ride to the station we picked up a fellow traveller from our base (a major), and i shocked him with my hamster id. apropos my hamster id, it's totally invalid for use with the trains - of course i checked.

i have an odd way of remembering things. the word for scaffolding in hebrew is פיגומים (pigumim), and i explained that i just think of construction site scaffolding made of rubber piggies - rubber in hebrew is גומי (gumi) - after laughing at the suggestion nystire actually remembered the word.

a sarcastic "why don't you just stop in the middle of the road?" when i stopped in the middle of a clear walkway with at least 2 metres to get by really had me concerned.

i got home, showered, dressed and rushed off to the concert, arriving there half an hour after they opened the gates (6pm), and i think unkle went on around 7.30pm.

i have to be up for a big morning meeting in 3 hours. this is gonna hurt.