Tag Archive for: rain

Aussies + Fish = Funny

in /by

Two recent items prove the equation true!

First, it was raining fish from the sky! Twice! Read all about the ultimate fish story from the territorial town of Lajamanuat via ntnews.com.au and don’t miss the memorable first-person account in the story:

Mrs Balmer, the aged care co-ordinator at the Lajamanu Aged Care Centre, said her family interstate thought she had lost the plot when she told them about the event.

“I haven’t lost my marbles,” she said, reassuring herself. “Thank god it didn’t rain crocodiles.”

And there’s hard proof that Mrs. Balmer hasn’t lost her marbles: she had enough of her wits about her to snap the following photo of some of the fish collected in a bucket!

The second item again involves fish showing up in an unexpected spot. In the inland community of Mutchilba, Tony Bambino nabbed the catch of the day by grabbing a 30kg barra from an irrigation channel with his bare hands!

While driving home he spotted the huge fish swimming in the Sunwater irrigation channel.

“It was about 4pm in the arvo and I saw something shiny in the water,” he said. “Once I realised what it was, I grabbed it by the mouth with my hands. It took about 10-15 minutes to catch it and the hardest part was pulling it out of the channel and into the back of my ute.”

The story at Cairns.com.au notes that “Mr Bambino said the irony of his large catch was that people spend thousands of dollars on fishing rods and lures and he managed to bag one driving along the channel.”

And there a photo! (Jennifer Eliot, Cairns.com.au) Good thing, or we’d all think he’d lost the plot!

Rainy Days and Mondays

in , , /by

They always get me down! OK, not ALWAYS, but here’s a tool you’ll like if ambient nature sounds and “white noise” helps you focus and relax. The one-trick-pony website RainyMood.com does nothing but play a quality sound loop of a gentle rain, with the occasional thunder roll and bird chirps in the background. I’m feeling better already!

While you’re contemplating your virtual downpour, you might also load up this beautiful rain-themed desktop wallpaper complete with February calendar. This will help you focus on the coming weekend!

(Click the image for a 1680×1050 wallpaper, or go here and scroll down for other sizes.)

Halloween Costumes for the Water Obsessed

in /by

Halloween is this Saturday! You haven’t gotten your costume together yet, you say? Thinking you’re “too serious” to dress up at all? Here are some costume ideas that will show the world you’re thinking about water all the time, all day every day, holidays included. (It goes without saying that many of these hunks of polyester and foam do not come in “green” and are quite unsustainable.)

Just consider this an investment in Halloween for the next several decades. This Raindrop costume from animalmascots.com is pricey at $1,279. (Don’t forget to include in your budget add-on expenses for the carrying case ($199) and “cooling vest” ($119).

Also from animal mascots.com; the $1,195 water bottle costume. Expensive, but pure…just like real bottled water! You’ll likely need the same budget-busting accessories as above.

The “Caught in the Rain” costume from spicylegs.com is only $17.91, but remember…it includes: Wig, Tie, and Umbrella but does not include shirt, pants, shoes or newspaper!

This fanciful Water Fairy creation from Kyotosong on Etsy is multiple shades of blue and white shimmery tulle that gives the appearance of water. Lillies with “water drops” accent the front of the dress as well as the wings. The wings are painted to match, with glitter accents and “water drops”. A reasonable $45 for this handcrafted item.

This blue fish mascot costume from milanoo.com “makes you vivid.” The head is shaped by special foam all covered with plush. The soles of the feet are water-proof, which is funny if you think about it. $125.99 and it’s yours.

This Toilet costume from costumecraze.com apparently does not come in dual flush. It’s $64.99, and not surprisingly, is in stock.

For this Toilet Paper costume you can do it the old-fashioned way and make it yourself for about $35, directions on instructables.com.

When a Plain-Jane Rain Barrel Simply Won’t Do

in /by

Saving water is stylish now! And a consequence of that is more high-design products with which to stylishly save water! While that DIY-hacked, second-hand barrel you dragged from the dump is still perfectly functional, you should know that it’s so last year. The formerly humble and homely rain barrel is already getting an extreme makeover. The aggressively-named Waterwall Fatboy from Waterwall Rainwater Tanks in the UK is sure to satisfy your very-particular modern design sensibilities. From waterwalltanks.com,

Despite the name, the Waterwall Fatboy tank has an excellent size-to-capacity ratio, holding 650 gallons whilst being just over two feet wide. Waterwall tanks are made to exacting standards – the UV stabilised high density polyethylene ensures light does not enter the tank, to stop algae from growing in your tank water. Solid, thick walls keep the tank strong and prevent bulging over the many years of service.

And did we mention they look good? Next up from the company: a freestanding tank that’s designed and engineered to be used as a boundary fence. How much, you ask? Well of course good design is not cheap. Raindepot.com has the 650 gallon Waterwall Fatboy for $1,189.99. (If you’re style-impaired, the site offers plenty of other plain, but reasonable options.)

Modularity is a well-loved concept in modern design; that’s why the Rainwater HOG offers so many design-y opportunities. The innovative, award-winning modular tank stores a large volume of water in a small footprint, opening possibilities for creative applications in architectural and landscape design…like this installation, where they’re being tucked under a deck, ready to bulge with rainwater bounty while staying completely out of sight.

This commercial installation at Nundah School in Queensland, Australia of features 114 HOGs storing 5,700 gallons of water. These units were custom molded in the school colors of yellow and black, and the harvested water is used primarily for toilet flushing with the excess used for garden irrigation. Extra credit for these Rainwater HOGs, as the school uses them as learning tools in math, science, and environmental  studies.

Are you gazing longingly at the Rainwater HOGs, wondering if they’re budget-friendly? This is exceptional style, people! You can’t even get these at Target yet! You can get them from aquabarrel.com, $1,960 for 6 units. Plus shipping.

You can’t buy “A Drop of Water” at any price, because it is (still?) a prototype. Designed by Bas Van Der Veer, it passes the “good design” test with flying marks while ingeniously providing an integrated watering can that automatically fills as it rains. Grab and go! The smallish size will be ideal for you city-types with small container gardens. )If you’ve ever wondered how “one of a kind” prototypes are created, browse the photos of the process at www.basvanderverr.nl)

In Full Surround! L.A. Mass Freak-Out over Rain

in , /by

It almost never rains in Southern California, but when it does… “We’re going to have a mass panic on our hands.” Comedian Mark Iverson’s movie parody, Rain: H2O…NO pulls out every widescreen cliche you can think of for this hysterical “trailer” that captures the high drama of Los Angelenos freaking out as the storm clouds gather.

This was posted to YouTube last May, but we missed it until, thankfully, the L.A. Now Blog at latimes.com brought it onto our Doppler radar.

h2o mp3: I Love the Rain the Most (When it Stops) – Joe Purdy

in /by

We’ve had a wet few days here in my ‘burb, but now it’s clear…an ideal time to share American folk artist Joe Purdy’s song I Love the Rain Most (When it Stops). If the 2004 song sounds vaguely familiar, maybe you’re a Grey’s Anatomy fan; the song was featured on an episode of that ABC series.

Lyrics

Well, I love the rain the most when it stops
We can see the big white houses, yeah, and the docks
And we can jump in the river, don’t know if the water or sky is clearer
But I know that I love the rain the most when it stops
Yeah, when it stops

No more grey today, we gonna celebrate
You know Miss Sunshine, she starts to paint a perfect picture of this river parade
And I know that I love the rain the most when it stops
Yeah, when it stops

Well, the dark waves, they start singing together
I can’t believe this change in the weather
I start to hum a child’s rhyme
And all these boats, they start rocking in time
And I love the rain the most when it stops
Yes, we love the rain the most when it stops
Yeah when it stops

Play the track

[audio:http://thirstyinsuburbia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/16-i-love-the-rain-the-most.mp3]

Download I Love the Rain Most (When it Stops) – Joe Purdy
Low-fi 64 kbps mp3 file for sampling
Like it? Support the people who make music. Buy this track at iTunes or Amazon.com.

h2o mp3: Rain Dance – The Very Best (with M.I.A.)

in /by

Some great drought-busting tribal-pop!

“The Very Best” is East African (Malawi) singer Esau Mwamwaya and producer duo Radioclit (Johan Hugo and DJ Tron/DJ Shark Attack). The track Rain Dance, featuring hit-making heavyweight M.I.A., is from their brand-new album The Heart of Africa.

A great collaboration, too, since M.I.A. (from Sri Lanka) is noted for tribal-ethnic beats and dance-driving repetition.

Much of Mwamwaya’s vocals in Rain Dance are in Chichewa, the language of Malawi. Love that rain-stick intro!

From The Very Best’s MySpace page,

Esau Mwamwaya was born in Mzuzu in Malawi, East Africa. He grew up in the capital, Lilongwe, where he played drums in various bands such as Masaka Band. He was a good friend of the legendary Evison Matafale and they played together for several years before he was killed in Malawi police custody in 2003.

In 1999 Esau Mwamwaya moved to London, England ran a second-hand furniture shop in Clapton, East London until setpember 2008 when he returned to Malawi.

Esau’s shop was on the same street as Radioclit’s old studio, and after the Radioclit boy’s bought a bike from Esau they invited him to one of their house warming parties They made friends and started working on music together. Three years later and the project has gotten it’s name The Very Best.

Play the track
[audio:http://thirstyinsuburbia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/very-best-rain-dance-w_-mia.mp3]

Download Rain Dance – The Very Best feat. M.I.A. (6MB)
Like it? Support the people who make music! Buy the album Warm Heart of Africa at iTunes or Amazon.com.

Bottled Water, Purity Personified

in /by

We shudder to imagine it… the leering, aggressive, dirty Earth forcing itself on the pure, untouched virgin raindrop, gently shimmering within its billowing white-clouded gown! We shall not allow it! Instead, we shall catch you, beautiful young raindrop, and safely bottle you, still pure, into a virgin container… for our customer to revel in your purity and gently drink with sensitivity and deep passion. Fear not, raindrop, they sincerely love our brand and pledge their commitment! And we’re pretty sure a lot of them might recycle.

From www.madeinoregon.com, “Oregon Rain Water is known as “Virgin Water” because it has never been touched by the earth. It is pure rainwater, harvested from Oregon Skies on sterile sheets and then filtered and pasteurized to ensure uniform quality and purity.”

I suggest everyone check in with the Oregon schoolchildren after their water cycle science unit, and they’ll break the bad news on virgin water. Not only has the lovely raindrop been touched by the earth, but likely earth-mauled several million times by now. In fact, this water is downright tarty.

This photo is by Flickr user jugbo, thanks!