Return of the blogger

It has been such a long time since I’ve blogged here. I am not promising a revival either.

I didn’t even complete my own 52 week challenge, because, you know, shit happens. And I suck at challenges. Sometimes, writing in public spaces puts pressure on for a certain kind of content, and, once one starts gaining readers, the pressure to continuously deliver content is hard. It also, for me, removes the ability to write freely. To work around this, I simply blogged, albeit sporadically, somewhere else. I’d like to reclaim this space again, but, no promises.

The last post I made here cryptically referred to it being my last trip to Cape Town. I left my best ever employer at the end of November after a series of decisions made in possibly the wrong frame of mind. I returned to best ever employer at the beginning of January after a series of apologies and possibly better decisions. This means I am travelling again, but not quite as frequently as before. Since returning, I have been to Cape Town three times, Lisbon (Portugal) once, Abuja (Nigeria) once, and I am currently in Seattle. I am feeling a lot more positive about everything, even though I kick myself on occasion for making the decision to leave in the first place. Sometimes, we need to make bad decisions to appreciate the good moments.

Our best friends left us at the end of last year for different shores. This changed a couple of things in our lives. For starters, it meant our friends were no longer a couple of blocks away, and time with them have moved into a virtual space. I am forever grateful for Skype and WhatsApp.

My bestie left South Africa a long time ago, but it was manageable, because we were already interacting more online than in person before she left. So while I miss her terribly, I could deal with it. Our other best friends we saw weekly in person, so their departure has been hard for both my husband and myself. It has reopened discussions about possible relocation to European shores, and I think we have pretty much decided that we will be pursuing this actively in the near future.

My beautiful boy, Frank, left me for the big catnip patch in the sky a few months ago. My heart is still hurting every day.

I think this is one of the reasons it has been so hard getting back into blogging, especially photo blogging. Because at least 70% of my photos are of him, and I ache every time I browse my photos.

49 of 366

With the recent rains, the mint has really, well, blossomed.

And then, I nicked this meme from Harassed Mom. Because it seemed like a good idea at the time.

1. How old are you in five years? 43 (and my heart skipped a beat)
2. Who did you spend at least two hours with today? My daughter
3. How tall are you? 1.76m
4. What is the last movie you saw? In the cinema or at home? Captain America
5. Who called you last? Insurance telesales person
6. Who did you call last? My daughter
7. What was the last text message you received? A response to a status update on Facebook
8. Do you prefer calling or texting? Texting, if I really have to.
9. Are your parents married or divorced? Divorced
10. When did you last see your mother? In December
11. What colour eyes do you have?  Green for the most part, but they do go blue and grey some times
12. When did you wake up today? 6:05am
13. What is your favourite Christmas song? Jingle bells
14. What is your favourite place? Germany
15. What place do you prefer the least? Any shopping centre
16. Where do you think you will find yourself in ten years? Hopefully somewhere in Europe
17. What scared you about the night as a child? My dreams
18. What made you really laugh last? Random conversation with my daughter
19. How big is your bed? Queen
20. Do you have desktop or laptop computer? Laptop
21. Do you sleep with or without clothes on you? PJs, unless it gets really hot
22. How many pillows do you have in bed? I sleep with 2-3, but we each have 4.
23. How many provinces have you lived in? In theory, 1, as Gauteng was still Transvaal when we moved here from Rustenburg
24. Which cities have you lived in? Jo’burg and Rustenburg, and spent a large portion of my childhood visiting my grandparents in Pretoria, to the point where I knew it like a hometown
25. Do you prefer shoes, socks or bare feet? Bare feet. My feet hate socks
26. Are you social? Not really
27. What is your favourite ice cream? Chocolate. The Bassets Tofu Treats chocolate is particularly good.
28. What is your favourite dessert? Anything with chocolate.
29. Do you like Chinese food? I used to, but now I have to really be in the mood for it
30. Do you like coffee? No. I am probably the only IT person I know who doesn’t consume any coffee
31. What do you have for breakfast? Roll with blueberry preserve
32. Do you sleep on a particular side? Nope, I roll around a lot
33. Can you play poker? No
34. Do you like to cuddle / snuggle? Yes!
35. Are you a dependent person? I can be, especially considering I don’t drive.
36. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you? I do.
37. Do you have children? I have one.
38. Do you know any other languages than English? Brought up Afrikaans, and I am also quite rusty in German, Latin and French
39. Have you ever driven an ambulance? No
40. Do you prefer the ocean or a pool? Ocean
41. What do you spend any money on? Other than the normal stuff… books and travel
42. Do you have precious jewellery? Yes, I have things that are precious to me, but would probably have no value to others.
43. What are your favourite shows on TV? Sherlock, The Big Bang Theory, Star Trek (just about all of them)
44. Can you roll your tongue?  I can indeed.
45. Who is the funniest person you know? My husband.
46. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? No.
47. What is your ringtone? Current ringtone is Ensiferum – Tumman virran taa.
48. Do you still have clothes from when you were little? I have my swimming costume from when I was 2
49. What are you closest to you right now that is red? The Lemmy Autobiography on the top of my reading pile on my bed side table

50. Do you flirt much? I flirt a fair amount, with select individuals.
51. Can you change the oil on the car: I am sure I could figure it out, with the help of his mighty Googliness
52. Have you received speeding ticket ever: Hard to get one if you don’t drive .
53. What was the last book you read?

54. Do you read a newspaper? I read several of them online
55. Subscribe to a magazine: Again, I read those I like online.
56. Are you dancing in the car: Not right this moment, as I am blogging, but I have been known to dance/headbang to a good tune
57. Which radio station did you listen to you last? 5fm, probably about 8 months ago
58. What was the last thing you scribbled down on paper? Our clothing shopping list for Germany
59. When were you at church last? Wedding in November (and we didn't catch on fire)
60. Are you happy? Deep down, yes.

19 of 366

Pigeons waiting for dinner.

30 Day Song Challenge - day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure

Challenge rules here.

All of HIM really is a guilty pleasure. Admitting to listening to HIM is almost like admitting to reading softcore romance, isn’t it? But I simply cannot help it, and even sing along with gusto when I am alone.

Currently…

Listening to:

Loving Woolworths Soft Fruit Gums.

Reading:

for the gazzilionth time.

Consuming:

Yes, again.

(Gilmore Girls) [image source]

Kief bru

Strangely addictive

God save the Pistols?

First Preview: Sex Pistols Spring 2010 Collection

 

[source]

Oh my wordy word. Whatever next?

First, Johnny Rotten gets his own TV show, and now this.

Does this mean a revival of all the old bands in a trendy presentable package? Are we going to see Robert Smith hair gel, or Siouxsie’s very own MAC range? Morrissey sandals? Cramps napkins? The possibilities are endless.

I am not quite sure what to make of this.

7:52 Friday morning

I took today as a work-from-home day. I love WFH days, because I always get so much done.

I am really, really annoyed by people who ‘forget’ to use their indicators. Is it just me, or are big German sedans not kitted with those tiny little lights that tell people when you turn?

Last night, my daughter and I had a chat about the future, and she said she wants to be a stay-at-home Mom and writer. I said I wish I could do that. She asked why I couldn’t. I made a money excuse. I am still not sure if it is just about the money.

My daughter is made of awesome.

I have, this week, done a full 30 minutes of flight sim training. It is because I downloaded the demo, which has a time limit. Next week, after payday, I will purchase the full version and hopefully rake up more hours.

And seriously, I need a refund voucher for Summer. It is almost the end of January, and we have had a total of 4 warm days since here since we returned from the coast.

Random song for this morning: 672 by The Dresden Dolls.

I keep expecting to hear a Richard Strauss composition…

Can you believe that it is the year 2010 already. Just say it. Twenty Ten. Two thousand and ten. It still sounds like it should be a Sci-fi movie, rather than our current date.

2009 was an interesting year for me. We participated involuntarily in the wealth redistribution program in South Africa, and I stopped living. I poured myself into work, and holed up in bed for the rest of the time. I didn’t read, I didn’t write. Instead, I consumed vast amounts of chocolate and DVDs. And I stuck my head in the sand like the good ostrich I am.

While we were on our recent holiday (the first in 9 years!) we – my husband and I – realised with shock that we had, in fact, stopped living. And stopped dreaming. Oh, we made plans, but we didn’t dream.

I’ve had a couple of dreams. A couple of things I wanted to achieve for my own personal happiness. Dreams that have been fluttering in my heart since I was a very young girl.

The first of those is to write. To be a writer. To have others read my stories.

This year, being the completely wild sci-fi year that it is, is the year where I will return seriously to my writing. I am not setting insane goals, or anything like that. All I want to is to complete a novel in the near future. One little novel. And by complete I mean finished and ready for submission.

The other dream is to fly. Not grow my own wings, but as close as I can get to it. So this year I will finally start working towards my pilots license. I have collected the costs and as much information as I could find in a day and I have set a goal. I would like to be able to fly myself and my family to the coast by the end of 2011.

I am not going to try and promise myself that I will quit smoking, get a bikini-body by June or anything silly like that. If these things happen naturally, then friggen awesome. But those, dear reader(s), are my dreams for the new year decade.

Oh my word

  Not sure where else to put this, but I need to get this out of my system.

I posted this this evening on the Hellopeter.com website.

Ok, so, Lancet must employ the most incompetent accounts department in the history of incompetent accounts departments. For the past three years, I have had to go for regular blood tests. Initially, the doctor would complete the form, take the blood, send it off and then Lancet would send me a bill for the test. Sometimes, the bill would only arrive four months later, but as soon as it arrived, I would pay the bill and send through the proof of payment to the email address supplied on the invoice. Without fail, however, there would be an issue that would take weeks to resolve. We then changed it that I would pay directly at the lab, to try and avoid these issues. Earlier this year I again went for my regular blood test, directly at one of the labs, and paid the amount right there and then and got my receipt. You will not believe it, I received a bill for it last month, 6 months after I had the test. Again, I sent through the proof of payment and received acknowledgement via email that it was received. Yet, somehow, yesterday, I received a letter notifying that I have been handed over (again) for this same invoice. The one I paid. In cash. At your offices. Seriously? Seriously!

I put it up on Hellopeter, simply because I have reached the end of my tether with this company. Which is also why I am putting it here. Because I am tired of fighting. And every one I know feels the same way. About both the fighting and Lancet.

The biggest problem with the situation is that Lancet is just about a monopoly – maybe not all over, but certainly in the area I live in. And part of controlling my thyroid condition is to have regular blood tests. I could try and avoid the tests and go on gut feel, but the last time I tried that, I crashed and burned.

I have a problem with the medical profession in general, as it seems these days it is all about the benjamins and not about the person, but Lancet just takes the cake. And I am tired of fighting.

Have I mentioned that I am tired of fighting?

On the up side, these experiences make for good muse-fodder. I love writing fight scenes after something like this happens :)

Life can be a real bitch.

 

New Delhi - A group of Indian tribals have married off a toddler to a female dog in eastern India in an attempt to prevent his predicted death at the hands of a tiger, a report said on Wednesday.
The ceremony at a Hindu temple in Orissa state's Jajpur district was conducted with all the rituals observed at traditional weddings, including a dowry for the bride - the village bitch.
The dog sported two silver rings and a silver chain, the UNI news agency reported.
Parents of the groom, one-and-a-half year old Sangula, were advised to arrange the marriage when they noticed a tooth growing from their infant son's upper gum - considered a bad omen.

Community elders believed the growth would lead to the boy being killed in a tiger attack - a fate preventable, according to tribal tradition, by marrying a dog.
Sanrumula Munda, Sangula's father, said the ceremony would not prevent him from marrying properly when he comes of age.
Superstition is still a potent force in tribal and remote communities of India.

News - A Step Beyond: One-year-old weds village bitch

News - Front Page: 'Santa Claus is dead'

A Christian group says Santa is "the new pagan god of materialism" and should get the chop.

"Teach your kids Santa Claus is dead and Jesus is alive!" the Cape Town-based ChristianView Network urged parents in a media release on Thursday.

"Let's reclaim the day to put Jesus first," said network director Philip Rosenthal.

"I look forward to the day when, like the ancient Roman gods of Europe, Santa Claus is forgotten and discredited."

Rosenthal said commercial interests would spend millions of rands trying to convince people to spend the next week in a mad rush of shopping, instead of thinking about why Jesus came.

The real Saint Nicholas, from whom the name Santa Claus was derived, would be horrified to find his name being abused by "commercialist idolatry".

Rosenthal urged people to highlight "Christ" whenever they wrote the word CHRISTmas.

ChristianView Network, which describes itself as a "conservative evangelical" organisation, also campaigns against abortion, homosexuality and pornography. - Sapa

News - Front Page: 'Santa Claus is dead'

Wonder if they realise that, if one follows the Bible, Jesus’s birthday is actually in April, so there should be no Jesus//Christ in Christmas either. The date was incorporated into the Christian calendar to convert the Pagans.

And, well, as for Santa being a new god… and a pagan god of materialism? Yes, well, ok. If they insist.

Wonder why they campaign against homosexuality though… maybe they also believe it can be ‘cured’?

TheStar.com | sciencetech | 2,700-year-old marijuana found in Chinese tomb

 

TheStar.com | sciencetech | 2,700-year-old marijuana found in Chinese tomb

There can only be one

Ankara - The mayor of the south-eastern Turkish town of Batman on Wednesday said he would take the makers of the worldwide string of hit Batman films to court, claiming that makers of the films had used the town's name without permission, the Dogan news agency reported.

"There is only one Batman in this world," said Batman mayor Huseyin Kalkan. "Without telling us, the US makers of the films have taken the name of our region."

Huseyin said that if necessary he will go to the United States to file a court case. - Sapa-dpa

*snortle*

Yearbook Yourself

  

Yearbook Yourself

So much fun.

Take a picture of yourself and upload it. You can now apply a variety of hairstyles from the past to yourself, with some hilarious results.

Here are some of the pics I made:

And this is my cat:

where else?

 

A bolt of lightning that hit a transmission line, which fell on a truck, which blew out a substation, brought central Joburg to a standstill.

News - South Africa: Welcome to hell

 

this had me rolfing. i could see it play out like in a cartoon.

Heeee… this is funny

Polit Tsk Tsk Tsk: Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator

vanessa, if you were born to Sarah Palin, your name would be:
Spoon Archer Palin
Who knows, Spoon Archer Palin you just might be president one day!

The Citizen: Moses was high on drugs: Israeli researcher

 

JERUSALEM - High on Mount Sinai, Moses was on psychedelic drugs when he heard God deliver the Ten Commandments, an Israeli researcher claimed in a study published this week.

Such mind-altering substances formed an integral part of the religious rites of Israelites in biblical times, Benny Shanon, a professor of cognitive psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem wrote in the Time and Mind journal of philosophy.

“As far Moses on Mount Sinai is concerned, it was either a supernatural cosmic event, which I don’t believe, or a legend, which I don’t believe either, or finally, and this is very probable, an event that joined Moses and the people of Israel under the effect of narcotics,” Shanon told Israeli public radio on Tuesday.

Moses was probably also on drugs when he saw the “burning bush,” suggested Shanon, who said he himself has dabbled with such substances.

“The Bible says people see sounds, and that is a clasic phenomenon,” he said citing the example of religious ceremonies in the Amazon in which drugs are used that induce people to “see music.”

He mentioned his own experience when he used ayahuasca, a powerful psychotropic plant, during a religious ceremony in Brazil’s Amazon forest in 1991. “I experienced visions that had spiritual-religious connotations,” Shanon said.

He said the psychedelic effects of ayahuasca were comparable to those produced by concoctions based on bark of the acacia tree, that is frequently mentioned in the Bible. - Sapa-AFP.

The Citizen: Moses was high on drugs: Israeli researcher

The queen of messaging

 

Stockholm - Michael Phelps, swim your heart out.
When it comes to text messaging, no one can beat My Svensson - at least in her native Sweden.
The 17-year-old student needed only 61 seconds to write a 141-character SMS message rich in crisp words and snappy punctuation to claim the Swedish text messaging championship, sponsored by a Swedish telecoms operator.
"I was very tense in the finals when I realised how much money I could win," said My, who plans to use her 25 000 krona (US$3 900) prize for a holiday in France, the Dagens Nyheter newspaper reported on Saturday.
My - who out-thumbed her nearest rival by seven seconds - nevertheless failed to surpass her personal best of 50 seconds, achieved during the semi-finals. - Sapa-AFP

News - Front Page: The queen of messaging

I have no words.

Stripes

 

Stripes