A break

This might just be because I am tired. I might just be tired because Hubs feels the need to be awake at four this morning. I might be overreacting.

However, I am feeling the unrequited need to take a break from life. A break, not from work, not from marriage but from life. From thinking too much. From being sad for no apparent reason. From drifting away.

It seems so weird that I can be so emotional for no reason. I am not usually this way.

I blame it on the upcoming exams. Exams stress me out in the weirdest way. *sigh*

Sometimes it's so rad to be who I am. Othertimes... I wish I could go back to sleep.

And ace exams without a worry.

*double sigh*

Top (Kinda) ten things that make today what it is.

1. The plumber arrived... before 8 am... to fix our yucky pipes. God bless him! As I write he is in there tinkering away in the kitchen with Hubs.

2. It sounds as if Hubs has made a new friend. Dinner with the plumber anybody?

3. I got a frantic sms from Pookie, which let to a drunken phone call which can all be rectified today once she wakes up and has less of a hangover.

4. I was able to lay in bed past 6 am... past 6:30 am and only got my lazy ass up once the plumber knocked on the front door at 7:30 am...

5. There is something in knowing that my daily quota of foul language is used up by 7:31am.

6. Tonight I will be able to wash dishes in my kitchen sink again! Oh joys!

7. I can no longer fend off Hub's moans about not having clean clothes... because now my pipes will be fixed. Sad day.

8. Thankfully I can only think of eight things right now. Cut me some slack, its only 28 minutes since I got up!

9. Wait I thought of one more, no wait. It's gone.

10. Skin and bones.

11. Johnny Depp.

Yep. I did conclude my list with Johnny Depp. because he s alive today enhances my chance meeting with him like 100%. SO here's to you Mr. Depp!

Words that may not fit sometimes do.

I wrote this as a worthless experiment. It was launched on a separate blog that I am in the process of shutting down.

I want to share it with you.


syntax
syntax
forgot
in the eve of
the tiresome
paragraphs
cant break
beginnings
period.
breaks Love's
trust bonds
and
when the pause
comes
effect
no longer

Apparently I blog about South African politics a lot.

I like South Africa. Honest.

And I like politics. Double Honest.

Politics in South Africa scare the crap out of me.

It scares me that Jacob Zuma is predicted to be elected on Wednesday as the next president of South Africa. btw... read that link above any other link on this post.

Next election I want to be president of South Africa. Oh wait. I can't.

Maybe if I just get a criminal record first, then I will be applicable.

This is a crock.

The South African so called democracy is such a bunch of flooey.

Pity. Because I like this place. Honest.

Fantastic Friday

Today is fantastic. I have decided and firmed up my giveaway a little bit. Woohoo... Sneak peak?

I don't think so.

But I can tell you... it is gorgeous. It's is one of my obsessions and it will be in just your size.

So stick around and you may just see a few more hint-aroonies later in the week.

Giveaway scheduled for... my birthday... or just there after...

Watch me get a little scandalous.

If you haven't noticed, there have been a few references to points. Know that everytime you do something awesome, you get a point. I am just letting you know. Refer someone to me. Point. Follow me? Point. You know how this works.

There's some hints. It's going to be awesome. I won't lie.

Btw. New poll. My first poll... Give it a shot-aroonie. Wow that is fun to say. Awesome.

Tummy aches and Rooibos tea

I woke up yesterday feeling pretty crappy. I pulled myself to work, barely managing to crawl from the desk to the copy machine. But I did it. I managed to eat some dinner and, despite feeling like tossing it, I kept it down. I didn't think it was a problem to stay up until this morning in a desperate attempt to get things ready for when Meeka arrives from the States (which is tomorrow! YAY!). Staying up late was really dumb.

I woke up this morning just before 6 with the tummy ache from Satan himself. My muscles, my tummy, my head, my throat, my eyes and, yes, even my teeth throb with unrelenting aching. But I've got leave taken for my Honeymoon and I can't stay home so here I am at work unable to eat anything. (I'm thinking this might not be a bad thing since I've always wanted to lose a few more dress sizes for my wedding. So maybe not eating will service my goals. hmmm)

In any case, when I am ill I am a sucker for rooibos tea. It's a SA specialty made from some red bush thing (rooibos means red bush. That's the only reason I know that. Here's a handy wiki link. It's fasinating. When you are bored. Only.) and it tastes like nothing I've had before. It's incredible. Like a gigantic party in my mouth.

So I'm going to stop complaining now about how yucky I feel. I will stop rejoicing with the rooi-to-the-bos-to-the-tea. And I will return to working on the Fixed Assets form.

(because it's determining the fixed assets that makes my heart skip a beat)

(And will one day lead to my tragic heart-attack inspired demise)

Mocking J Crew led to Mocking the biggest geek in the world

Confession Time

I said it.

The Fi and I were walking through a clothing store making fun of J Crew. Look at this:

Um. No. Not. Ever. J Crew. I. Am. Ashamed.

So we're makin' fun. Then I said it.

Referring to various other bloggers who, for some reason, adore J Crew, I mentioned my bloggin friends. Yes, I called you my blog friends.

The man who counts Star Wars and Lord of the Rings in his top 10 movie list, who awaited the arrival of the Xbox 360 version of Assassin. The man who does not understand that wearing an olive t-shirt with black pants and red running shoes is a fashion misstep christened me the geekiest person ever.

I know I have my cultured moments. How can you study English and Art History and not be a bit geeky. But referring to the blogsphere as my friends? Number 1 real world deadly sin.

I'm going to go sit down now.

Zapiro is my hero

I love Zapiro.

Today he has come into hot water yet again because of a cartoon published by the Sunday Times earlier this year. Jacob Zuma is suing Jonathon Shapiro (Zapiro) and the Sunday Times for R7 million. The claim consists of R5m for alleged damage to Zuma's reputation and R2m for alleged damage to his dignity (as said by NEWS24).

The cartoon, posted below, shows lady justice being pinned down by political leaders and Zuma preparing to rape her.



Has Zapiro crossed the line?

I personally side with Shapiro. The elitism of the South African government is disgusting. The disregard for justice is more than merely concerning. This is a blatant and shocking image that accurately reflects my own shock and disgust. The fact that Zuma has recently been acquitted of rapes charges is moot. This is clearly a separate issue.

Pity, because I wouldn't mind writing another post about how much I despise Zuma and the ANC. I am ashamed of you ANC. I am ashamed of you Zuma.

The normal Thanksgiving schpeel

Apparently today is Thanksgiving. So Happy Thanksgiving! Eat, Drink and be Merry.

Obviously Thanksgiving isn't a holiday (or even mentioned) here. This makes me sad because we could always use a little count your blessings time.

Blessing #1

There is a program that a local radio station is conducting. It is called the Christmas Wishlist by Highveld The idea behind this is that businesses donate goods in order to help people who have had a hard knock in life. This morning an 18 year old girl was the person helped. She was looking at raising R125 000 in order to pay for University. She had lost both parents recently and could not affford this despite being accepted into a very good design school. Standard Bank donated to her all the funds for her fees, meals and everything she would need for the next 3 years.

Generous people who care, this is Blessing #1

Blessing #2

Last night my mother stayed up late with me in effort to finish these damn invitations. Purely anyone who can tolerate me for that long deserves a metal. In this catagory are my incredible friends without whom I would be a blubbering mess of an idiot.

My friends and family is blessing #2

Blessing #3

The Fi. He never fails to make me laugh (even though sometimes its AT him)and to romance me. I am so thankful for him. *sigh*

Blessing #4

I have a job. I do not have a life-threatening illness. I have people around me who support me and those around who don't. I have a place to live. I have food to eat.

Life's big little things is Blessing #4

Blessing #5

Opportunities. There are few people whose pipedreams become reality. I really can obtain my dream. I have so many opportunities to do what I want with my life and that in itself is a HUGE blessing

These Top 5 things are the things that this little South African/ American is thankful for today.

The Pursuit of the Grown Up Within Me

I live in-between worlds at the moment. I am not yet married, but no longer single. I am an adult back living with my parents. I am no longer a student, but don’t really have a steady job yet. I kind of have a position here and there but still drift in almost unemployment. I am almost registered at the distance learning institution but not quite. I still have to find the funds for the first instalment of payment. I am kind of this and kind of that but not definitively in anything.

I am not normally this girl. I usually have a plan A, a plan B and if all else fails, a miserable plan C. I bounce between plan A, B and C but never ever drift between. So this is new and strange to me. I like categorising myself. Giving words to myself makes me feel more understood by myself and even more place-able in the world.

Most of my dissatisfaction stems from my own confusion regarding my studies. I love studying. However I love the Fi more. And so I have to compromise. He is also compromising in his own elements for me and I do not feel at all cheated by this concept. Instead of returning to a University to attend formal lectures, I have opted to study via correspondence. Since the Fi is changing jobs to a company in the East Rand (40 minutes without traffic from Pretoria) I just cannot envision myself having the patience to drive everyday to Pretoria. Maybe for a few weeks but since I want my Masters in English; I cannot promise doing it for a few years. I am just not that motivated. I currently battle to walk the 15 minutes to my lectures. See? Would not happen.

Other motivations are perhaps more personal and revolve around my desire to not tax my marriage from the start, personal convictions about the importance of an education, and that burning edge to get a head start in the writing business are all feeding my hurry to get enrolled.

Not everyone is seeing it this way. The disapproval is based on many of my seemingly bad choices. I am again reduced to that little girl who cannot remember how to tie her shoelace. Ugh! This shouldn’t affect me. I’m too... me to need the green light from others. But I have to be honest here. I need this green light. I need that acceptance.

But I am not going to get it.

I guess this is how one grows up. They make decisions despite their approval rating and take responsibility regardless if it flounders or flourishes. Maybe they drift in-between until they decide and move forward.

So here I am deciding. Moving.

Hoping this doesn’t bite me in the ass.

University has brainwashed me into thinking Trains lead to death.

I am what I call an independent thinker. Or at least I like to think I am. To my parents great dismay I am not a Republican. To societies great dismay I am not a Democrat. I am the great Fence-sitter of philosophical matters.

We were presented with this situation. I would like to hear what you would do. Because I am fence sitting.

Remember it’s my world. So what I say goes ok?

Ok. There is a train travelling at full speed with 10 people on board. The train is heading straight for a brick wall and at impact all 10 people will die.

However, you are capable of changing the path of the train. You can change it to travel down the other path where it will run over just one person. Do you change the path?

Most people in the discussion said an emphatic yes.

But then what if that one person was carrying the cure for cancer or AIDS, would you still change the path?

Most people said an emphatic no.

Then the question was posed, what if that person that would be run over was your child and the person carrying the AIDS cure was on the train... Would you change the path?

I am evidently not a very caring person. I would not change the path regardless. How can one life be any less important that then lives of 10? I am too irresponsible. By taking action I am responsible for the consequences and there is no way I would want to be responsible for the death of someone. The other 10 shouldn’t gotten on a train heading for disaster. But see, it’s irresponsible. And I can talk this in circles for hours ... because no thanks. I will be avoiding trains for a while. A long while.

I just can’t handle this no-answer-makes-you-look-like-a-nice-person situation...