Hooray for interesting fluff on the internet
0 Comments Published by Oh Wayward One on 27 February 2007 at 2/27/2007 12:48:00 pm.
I love msn.com sometimes.
Just when work is getting to me to the point i'm nearly collapsing and imploding with the devistation of a supernova, I go to said website and get a tiny little whisp of shallow fluff to lighten things up a little.
That link there is a link to some sort of analysis on people's favorite colors.
My favorite has always always always been green... as far as I can remember. Here's the verdict on that (apparently)....
Green
What it represents: Here is the heart of the matter. Green is the color of love. (It’s no coincidence that we make our money in the same color...) Green is the color of life and abundance — leaves, grass, plants — it’s all about growing, expanding, and living. So why don’t we give ferns instead of roses on Valentine’s Day? Because green is about expansive, humanistic love and acceptance, not bodice-ripping romance. What’s more, green is a nice person color, a do-gooder, be-gooder kind of color. This person has a warm heart. Hot passion is probably in there somewhere, buried under the integrity and honor. Understanding people who love it: If you love green, you put the greater good before your own good—but try a little selfish behavior once in a while.
Amazing, there I am... nature, love-fool, the greater good.... call me a sentimental pisces (cuz I am! HA!) but I think msn's got me pegged.
In the last 5 years or so my runner-up color has sort of emerged as orange (of all things... and yes that was even BEFORE I married a dutchman)
here's what the sages of color have to say about that:
Orange
What it represents: OK, orange is not exactly the easiest color to wear and it’s not the most common favorite color, but guess what? Orange is as sexy as it gets. Orange is a mellowed red—and it takes primal, lusty urges and mellows them with a softer vibe. Orange is the color of early attractions, emotional responses, and inner magnetism. Oh, and one other thing: Orange is also close to gold, the color of success and wealth.
Egads! Sexy? Success and wealth? man it's a good thing this is just my 2nd favorite because that's just freakin' me out. Although I can kinda see the whole "early attractions/emotional responses" thing. hmmmm.
Shallow fluff is also good for distraction purposes. Like, for example if you've been disappointed for various reasons a NUMBER of times in one given work day, like, oh say Tuesday the 27th of February, worked terribly inefficiently, and then just been contacted by a MOVING company and they say "we'll be ringing you in about an hour when we're on our way to your house to unload your stuff..." and then you have to sit there and deal with knowing that this could be just another one of their stupid bogus outrageous claims. So yeah, thank god for little bits of fun.
Just when work is getting to me to the point i'm nearly collapsing and imploding with the devistation of a supernova, I go to said website and get a tiny little whisp of shallow fluff to lighten things up a little.
That link there is a link to some sort of analysis on people's favorite colors.
My favorite has always always always been green... as far as I can remember. Here's the verdict on that (apparently)....
Green
What it represents: Here is the heart of the matter. Green is the color of love. (It’s no coincidence that we make our money in the same color...) Green is the color of life and abundance — leaves, grass, plants — it’s all about growing, expanding, and living. So why don’t we give ferns instead of roses on Valentine’s Day? Because green is about expansive, humanistic love and acceptance, not bodice-ripping romance. What’s more, green is a nice person color, a do-gooder, be-gooder kind of color. This person has a warm heart. Hot passion is probably in there somewhere, buried under the integrity and honor. Understanding people who love it: If you love green, you put the greater good before your own good—but try a little selfish behavior once in a while.
Amazing, there I am... nature, love-fool, the greater good.... call me a sentimental pisces (cuz I am! HA!) but I think msn's got me pegged.
In the last 5 years or so my runner-up color has sort of emerged as orange (of all things... and yes that was even BEFORE I married a dutchman)
here's what the sages of color have to say about that:
Orange
What it represents: OK, orange is not exactly the easiest color to wear and it’s not the most common favorite color, but guess what? Orange is as sexy as it gets. Orange is a mellowed red—and it takes primal, lusty urges and mellows them with a softer vibe. Orange is the color of early attractions, emotional responses, and inner magnetism. Oh, and one other thing: Orange is also close to gold, the color of success and wealth.
Egads! Sexy? Success and wealth? man it's a good thing this is just my 2nd favorite because that's just freakin' me out. Although I can kinda see the whole "early attractions/emotional responses" thing. hmmmm.
Shallow fluff is also good for distraction purposes. Like, for example if you've been disappointed for various reasons a NUMBER of times in one given work day, like, oh say Tuesday the 27th of February, worked terribly inefficiently, and then just been contacted by a MOVING company and they say "we'll be ringing you in about an hour when we're on our way to your house to unload your stuff..." and then you have to sit there and deal with knowing that this could be just another one of their stupid bogus outrageous claims. So yeah, thank god for little bits of fun.
Foods I love so much here, it's stoopid
0 Comments Published by Oh Wayward One on 26 February 2007 at 2/26/2007 01:23:00 pm.
BW has 2 things you can't get anywhere else, that taste better than anything in the whole wide world (so far as bags of chippies and canned items go).
TWIGGLES - chippies that taste like spicy tomato (a flavour we certainly never had growing up), in the shape/form of something like a cheeto (i.e. long, bumpy, finger-like crunchy thing)
and
Koo brand Chakalaka. OK fair enough, they call anything remotely hot&spicy "chakalaka" here, so therefore you can get "chakalaka sausage", "chakalaka dip", etc. But this is the actual ITEM, or NOUN "Chakalaka". Basically it's canned shredded veggies (i.e. the consistency of a cole slaw or something) in a yummy spicy indian-esque sauce. You can stir it through noodles, you can have it on toast, you can eat it as a cold salad straight from the can (as i do for lunch)... or you can experiment to the 9's with it in the kitchen and be quite the gormet. I have already added "Chakalaky-Joes" (a play on the american Sloppy Joe - minced beef + chakalaka topped with cheese on bread) and "Chick-alaka Special" (chicken stirfried into chakalaka and then stirred into cooked rice) to my repoirtoire.
It comes in the following varieties: "EXTRA SPICY" (which is damn hot), With Sweet Corn, With Butternut Pieces, With Extra Beans, and "regular".
oh it is so delicious.
here is the ingredients list (it's actually all quite virtuous, really, except for the sweetner and madey-uppy-type-acid content):
Tomatoes
Cabbage
Whole kernal corn
Carrots
Onions
Cane sugar
Vegetable oil
Green peppers
Red peppers
Spices
Salt
Acidifer
In the words of my friend Sandra's kid: "yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum"
In the words of my friend Sandra's kid: "yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum"
The Most Unbelievable Story Ever
2 Comments Published by Oh Wayward One on 23 February 2007 at 2/23/2007 10:45:00 am.
My friends here say I should always write down or otherwise make a mental note of my first impression of things here in BW-land, just because soon you get so used to everything and then you overlook the "little things in life" later on, and things that were once special don't hit you as being "appreciable" anymore. Stuff like driving past the local baboon troop every day on the way to work, the incredible sunrises and sunsets, the "currently unique but soon-to-be-everyday-average" little things like dodging a herd of donkeys on the road during your morning walk....
Well I was thinking that our current furniture-less situation could constitute one of those things that perhaps should be remembered for posterity. Not because it's necessarily a feature of life here, but more just because it's probably one of the most unbelievable examples of how moving countries is not all as friggin butterflies-n-puppydogs as I sometimes make it out to be, given my ability to sometimes gloss over reality.
I guess the ultimate point is that: We're still sleeping on the floor. But to make that kind of short story long.... well, lets start with 2 weeks ago: Week beginning Feb 6:
Container arrives safely in Johannesburg. W's alerted by Frasier Moving Co. that it should be in Gaborone and available for unloading in 1 week = Feb 12.
Week beginning Feb 12:
Container arrives Gaborone Terminal. Ready to be offloaded from train and taken to Frasier Moving Co. for Frasier Moving Co to bring to our house and unpack for us.
Feb 12: Container Arrives Terminal. Some technical error causes Frasier Moving Co to call us and say "we're delayed 1 day, please wait til tomorrow"
Feb 13: Container still un-released due to "truck broken down?" Frasiers don't know.
Feb 14: Container still un-released due to what Frasiers now believe is a "trailer" problem?
Feb 15: Container still un-released from terminal, now because of what appears to be a malfunctioning CRANE.
Feb 16: Morning = "OMG IT'S FIXED! WE CAN DELIVER TODAY!"
Feb 16: Afternoon = "oops! it wasn't really fixed. Sorry".
Week beginning Feb 19:
Whatever freakish "some technical malfunction at the Terminal regarding a crane" has been fixed. Container can be offloaded from the train at the terminal, and brought to our house, unloaded by Frasiers.
Feb 19: J&J (that's us) rush away from work at 10am after phone call from totally lost container-truck-delivery guy who's currently driving our container around our neighbourhood looking for our house. J&J get home, container guy parks container on driveway, drives away, saying he'll be back at 3pm to load up the EMPTY container and take it back to terminal. What's this? Frasiers Moving Co is still not here to do the opening up of container and unloading thereof. Phonecalls are made.
Feb 20: Fraiser calls J&J saying "sorry we didnt unload yesterday - there was an issue with Customs at the terminal, that delivery guy wasnt supposed to drive away with your container - it hasn't been 'officially' released by Customs OH NO!" J&J are again at home now, having left work AGAIN under the assumption that moving would commence as promised yesterday. At this point we're mad at the stupid delivery guy for driving off without clearing customs properly CUZ THATS WHAT WE WERE TOLD by Frasiers. J&J tell Fraiser Man to make sure that the Terminal Delivery guy DOES NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES come back to fetch this container!!!! We want to know that it's at least on our property. Do NOT remove it!!!
Feb 21: Still no answers from anyone. Container still in driveway. Still under impression that customs can throw us in jail if we tamper with the seal on the container - not helping our Botswana Resident's Permit issue and not a good option - but we threaten to anyway, if the movers don't unload our CRAP by tomorrow morning.
Feb 22: Container still sits in driveway - unloaded. Phone call is made. Heavy duty wire cutters are coming out of the shed. Frasier manager panics, under impression that JWx2 meets Container Seal with Pick Axe today. Calls us and proposes to come to our office for a "meeting" to discuss "the issue", could we please refrain from doing anything drastic until such a time. Meeting is held, the story comes out:
"Due to the pure knacker-like dodginess and misbehaviour of the IRISH moving company (whom we paid more than a pretty penny to up front, upon engaging their services), Frasier Moving Company was forced to tell us a BALD FACED LIE on Monday the 19th. The lie being 'this and that about a customs mishap at the terminal involving the driver.' Yes, a lie. Customs was cleared with no problems, the container was released with no drama, and yes, we COULD have broken it open by ourselves to get our stuff out.
Said 'dodginess and misbehaviour' by the Irish moving company side, was that they basically wouldn't pay their friggin bill. Yes they had been billed over 2 months ago. No they didnt pay it, No they STILL didn't pay it when the container arrived this side. When they were asked for payment they were agressive, foul-mouthed, and verbally abusive to the Frasier staff. Even when the container was sitting safely HERE in Gaborone, they wouldn't pay up. This is why Frasiers lied to us. The manager had come over to our office, here, now, to offer a solution: Something to the effect of "will you please pay us the balance and we will pay you back once your Irish moving company comes up with their half of the bill, and we'll unpack your stuff" now. We're sorry for lying but we had no choice. We've never experienced this before." Why the lie? Well, because technically we had every right to break into that beeyotch and re-claim our stuff at this stage. So they thought they needed some leverage and chose to get said leverage by putting the fear of deportation due to illegally opening non-customs-cleared property that could've gotten us in all sorts of gov'mint trouble. And it worked! We bought it hook line and sinker, leaving our crap totally sealed up on our driveway for a damn WEEK!
But get this. Right in the middle of this tail-between-the-liar's-legs speech, his cell phone rings and he's given the news that the account has been paid, yes, right this minute, by the Irish crowd.
Hangs up the phone, orders a moving crew to meet us at our house IMMEDIATELY and begins unpacking. Again a serious apology is offered, and serious BOLLOXING OUT of Mr. Manager, by J&J commences. J&J abandon all work, truncating the EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND UNBELIEVABLY COVETED download of Episode 8 of LOST, generously uploaded by my dear heart Alan in Ireland, slowly half-downloaded at this time by the W's computers (this is just too important to explain in words - watching these episodes sent from Ireland gives me more happiness than any inanimate object ever - my buddies & I discuss and pour over every detail together after watching. It brings soooooo much joy....). Althouth it's ripping my heart-strings apart, but we leave it anyway. It's going to have to wait. Which means I cant participate in our little online Lost arguments until NEXT WEEK!
Anyway the RACING home commences.... wildly sending "finally! finally!"-type text messages to everyone important in their life. The normally-25 minute drive is reduced to appx 18 minutes due to adrenaline-induced speeding on the part of the W's.
Open up driveway gate, drive up to house. What's this? Lo and behold the sight around the corner of the driveway...? NO FRIGGIN CONTAINER HERE, FOLKS!!! That's right, tis GONE.
Phone calls are made, cuss words are slung, Frasiers find out at same time as we do, that CONTAINER DELIVERY GUY from the Gaborone Terminal had fetched what he believed to be "EMPTY CONTAINER" at 12:30 this very day.
What's that? Oh it's BACK IN THE QUEUE at the TERMINAL now? With a potential waiting time of 2-to-3 days for off-load??? REALLY! WOW! What a SURPRISE!
(about this time a truckload full of little red-shirt-wearing Frasier moving guys pulls up in our driveway. "Where's the container we're supposed to unload, Mma?")
$%"^"&*&%$**!!!
Feb 23: Today. This morning we join Team W (that's also us). at 8:15 in the morning, when a text message from Frasier Moving Co arrives on the cellphone:
"Spoke to terminal. Machines are down. But considering the situation, our container is first in queue. Will jeep you posted".
Yes, they'll jeep us posted.
The end.
This is my karma, and I accept it.
Well I was thinking that our current furniture-less situation could constitute one of those things that perhaps should be remembered for posterity. Not because it's necessarily a feature of life here, but more just because it's probably one of the most unbelievable examples of how moving countries is not all as friggin butterflies-n-puppydogs as I sometimes make it out to be, given my ability to sometimes gloss over reality.
I guess the ultimate point is that: We're still sleeping on the floor. But to make that kind of short story long.... well, lets start with 2 weeks ago: Week beginning Feb 6:
Container arrives safely in Johannesburg. W's alerted by Frasier Moving Co. that it should be in Gaborone and available for unloading in 1 week = Feb 12.
Week beginning Feb 12:
Container arrives Gaborone Terminal. Ready to be offloaded from train and taken to Frasier Moving Co. for Frasier Moving Co to bring to our house and unpack for us.
Feb 12: Container Arrives Terminal. Some technical error causes Frasier Moving Co to call us and say "we're delayed 1 day, please wait til tomorrow"
Feb 13: Container still un-released due to "truck broken down?" Frasiers don't know.
Feb 14: Container still un-released due to what Frasiers now believe is a "trailer" problem?
Feb 15: Container still un-released from terminal, now because of what appears to be a malfunctioning CRANE.
Feb 16: Morning = "OMG IT'S FIXED! WE CAN DELIVER TODAY!"
Feb 16: Afternoon = "oops! it wasn't really fixed. Sorry".
Week beginning Feb 19:
Whatever freakish "some technical malfunction at the Terminal regarding a crane" has been fixed. Container can be offloaded from the train at the terminal, and brought to our house, unloaded by Frasiers.
Feb 19: J&J (that's us) rush away from work at 10am after phone call from totally lost container-truck-delivery guy who's currently driving our container around our neighbourhood looking for our house. J&J get home, container guy parks container on driveway, drives away, saying he'll be back at 3pm to load up the EMPTY container and take it back to terminal. What's this? Frasiers Moving Co is still not here to do the opening up of container and unloading thereof. Phonecalls are made.
Feb 20: Fraiser calls J&J saying "sorry we didnt unload yesterday - there was an issue with Customs at the terminal, that delivery guy wasnt supposed to drive away with your container - it hasn't been 'officially' released by Customs OH NO!" J&J are again at home now, having left work AGAIN under the assumption that moving would commence as promised yesterday. At this point we're mad at the stupid delivery guy for driving off without clearing customs properly CUZ THATS WHAT WE WERE TOLD by Frasiers. J&J tell Fraiser Man to make sure that the Terminal Delivery guy DOES NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES come back to fetch this container!!!! We want to know that it's at least on our property. Do NOT remove it!!!
Feb 21: Still no answers from anyone. Container still in driveway. Still under impression that customs can throw us in jail if we tamper with the seal on the container - not helping our Botswana Resident's Permit issue and not a good option - but we threaten to anyway, if the movers don't unload our CRAP by tomorrow morning.
Feb 22: Container still sits in driveway - unloaded. Phone call is made. Heavy duty wire cutters are coming out of the shed. Frasier manager panics, under impression that JWx2 meets Container Seal with Pick Axe today. Calls us and proposes to come to our office for a "meeting" to discuss "the issue", could we please refrain from doing anything drastic until such a time. Meeting is held, the story comes out:
"Due to the pure knacker-like dodginess and misbehaviour of the IRISH moving company (whom we paid more than a pretty penny to up front, upon engaging their services), Frasier Moving Company was forced to tell us a BALD FACED LIE on Monday the 19th. The lie being 'this and that about a customs mishap at the terminal involving the driver.' Yes, a lie. Customs was cleared with no problems, the container was released with no drama, and yes, we COULD have broken it open by ourselves to get our stuff out.
Said 'dodginess and misbehaviour' by the Irish moving company side, was that they basically wouldn't pay their friggin bill. Yes they had been billed over 2 months ago. No they didnt pay it, No they STILL didn't pay it when the container arrived this side. When they were asked for payment they were agressive, foul-mouthed, and verbally abusive to the Frasier staff. Even when the container was sitting safely HERE in Gaborone, they wouldn't pay up. This is why Frasiers lied to us. The manager had come over to our office, here, now, to offer a solution: Something to the effect of "will you please pay us the balance and we will pay you back once your Irish moving company comes up with their half of the bill, and we'll unpack your stuff" now. We're sorry for lying but we had no choice. We've never experienced this before." Why the lie? Well, because technically we had every right to break into that beeyotch and re-claim our stuff at this stage. So they thought they needed some leverage and chose to get said leverage by putting the fear of deportation due to illegally opening non-customs-cleared property that could've gotten us in all sorts of gov'mint trouble. And it worked! We bought it hook line and sinker, leaving our crap totally sealed up on our driveway for a damn WEEK!
But get this. Right in the middle of this tail-between-the-liar's-legs speech, his cell phone rings and he's given the news that the account has been paid, yes, right this minute, by the Irish crowd.
Hangs up the phone, orders a moving crew to meet us at our house IMMEDIATELY and begins unpacking. Again a serious apology is offered, and serious BOLLOXING OUT of Mr. Manager, by J&J commences. J&J abandon all work, truncating the EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND UNBELIEVABLY COVETED download of Episode 8 of LOST, generously uploaded by my dear heart Alan in Ireland, slowly half-downloaded at this time by the W's computers (this is just too important to explain in words - watching these episodes sent from Ireland gives me more happiness than any inanimate object ever - my buddies & I discuss and pour over every detail together after watching. It brings soooooo much joy....). Althouth it's ripping my heart-strings apart, but we leave it anyway. It's going to have to wait. Which means I cant participate in our little online Lost arguments until NEXT WEEK!
Anyway the RACING home commences.... wildly sending "finally! finally!"-type text messages to everyone important in their life. The normally-25 minute drive is reduced to appx 18 minutes due to adrenaline-induced speeding on the part of the W's.
Open up driveway gate, drive up to house. What's this? Lo and behold the sight around the corner of the driveway...? NO FRIGGIN CONTAINER HERE, FOLKS!!! That's right, tis GONE.
Phone calls are made, cuss words are slung, Frasiers find out at same time as we do, that CONTAINER DELIVERY GUY from the Gaborone Terminal had fetched what he believed to be "EMPTY CONTAINER" at 12:30 this very day.
What's that? Oh it's BACK IN THE QUEUE at the TERMINAL now? With a potential waiting time of 2-to-3 days for off-load??? REALLY! WOW! What a SURPRISE!
(about this time a truckload full of little red-shirt-wearing Frasier moving guys pulls up in our driveway. "Where's the container we're supposed to unload, Mma?")
$%"^"&*&%$**!!!
Feb 23: Today. This morning we join Team W (that's also us). at 8:15 in the morning, when a text message from Frasier Moving Co arrives on the cellphone:
"Spoke to terminal. Machines are down. But considering the situation, our container is first in queue. Will jeep you posted".
Yes, they'll jeep us posted.
The end.
This is my karma, and I accept it.
I am just a blogging machine these days.
1) I am thinking of using this Potato and Onion on my company letterhead. (not really but still) It's a two-pronged kind of hilariousness - one for the obvious environmental relevance, but two: the punchline is perfect for taking the piss out of the kind of absurd antecdote that my father and his fellow Fox-watchers would spin in reference to militants in the middle east or other "far-eigners" who kill americans or something.
Which always is good for a laugh in my book.
2) I forgot to add Marley and Me on my book list from yesterday. I finished that over xmas and it was good. I'd give it about, oh I dunno, a 6 or something. A book for dog owners/dog lovers only.
3) Speaking of dogs, my brother and his gf are talking about spending yet MORE thousands of dollars on a 2ND purebred friggin lapdog puppy.I get so angry sometimes. just so, so angry.
1) I am thinking of using this Potato and Onion on my company letterhead. (not really but still) It's a two-pronged kind of hilariousness - one for the obvious environmental relevance, but two: the punchline is perfect for taking the piss out of the kind of absurd antecdote that my father and his fellow Fox-watchers would spin in reference to militants in the middle east or other "far-eigners" who kill americans or something.
Which always is good for a laugh in my book.
2) I forgot to add Marley and Me on my book list from yesterday. I finished that over xmas and it was good. I'd give it about, oh I dunno, a 6 or something. A book for dog owners/dog lovers only.
3) Speaking of dogs, my brother and his gf are talking about spending yet MORE thousands of dollars on a 2ND purebred friggin lapdog puppy.
Books and Music
0 Comments Published by Oh Wayward One on 21 February 2007 at 2/21/2007 11:23:00 am.
I realize the one-track-mindedness of my last dozen posts and have decided that one must put more than just boring details about moving house into one's journal, when they're trying to do a proper journal. So I have decided to make a record of what I'm reading and hearing these days. Very important components of life indeed!!! :-D
Man having no TV is great for my book count, I'll say that!
So in the last year I have read the following:
(Value of "Must Read!"-ness recorded on scale of 1-10; 1 being lame-ass, and 10 being BEST BOOK EVER, IMHO)
(damn let's see how good my memory is - a year is a long time. Books NOT in order)
1. Place of Reeds, Caitlin Davies - 5
BAD BOOK TO READ IF YOURE MOVING TO BOTSWANA! But good book otherwise. Dramatic, full of excellent detail and imagery of this country. Amazing that it's actually a best seller here, considering, but makes for great reading.
2. The Source, James Michener - 9
One of the best books I've ever read, notwithstanding the fact that it's by my favorite author. Totally relevant to what is going on in the Middle East, a dummy's guide to the history of the Holy Land - gives you more perspective on the beginnings of religion and how foolish it can be than you'd ever learn in any history class or sunday school. Completely enlightening, ver-r-r-r-ry long. As all good JM books go.
3. Bots. Time, Will Randall - 7
Can be found in the "Travel Books" section of book store because it's non-fiction. Happy feel-good book about this country, probably the antithesis to Place of Reeds, and all true. About an english guy who teaches in Kasane for a year and all about his darling little kids and his adjustment to life here. It gets a 7 based on laughter and smile content - not literary. But I'm no lit snob so WTF!!
4-10. Then came the onslaught of Alexander McC-S books. I read 7 of them in less than a year, they were THAT GOOD. I find myself bashing my friends over the heads with these books, begging them desperately to read them because they are *that beautiful*. Everyone's turned off by the title of Book 1 (i.e. the title of the series: ("No. 1 ladies etc etc" ) for some reason? I dunno, maybe because it sounds childish or non-fiction or something? These books, man, these books! THEY ALL GET 10's!!!!!
10! 10! 10! 10s all around!!!
I got Pádraig to read them and he is HOOKED.
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Tears oftheGiraffe
MoralityforBeautiful Girls
Kalahari TypingSchool for Men
Full CupboardofLife
In the Company ofCheerfullLadies
Blue Shoes andHappiness
I'd NEVER read 7 books in a year before, except when I was enrolled in some or another lit class in school or something.
11. DaVinci Code, Dan Brown - 8
What can i say? Everyone's read it, it's legendary, the book's better than the movie, yadda yadda. Great stuff, and like everyone else, I couldn't put it down. It was THIS book that got me back up on the reading horse again and got my eyeballs moving. So I guess you could say it was "inspiring"?
12. Angels &Deamons, Dan Brown - 9
Even better than the above!!! But maybe that's because I was going to Rome shortly thereafter??? I think that made all the difference in the rankings. I mean I still haven't been to Paris. esh. I also like a good religious conspiricy, not to mention good catholic skepticism.
13. DigitalFortress, Dan Brown - 4
TOTALLY LAME compared to the above 2, but not bad in general. Next to catholic skepticism, I like USA governmental intellegence skepticism!! If I'd had to have skipped 1 Dan Brown book, it could've easily been this one. I read it in Greece though so everything was laid back and easy going and it didnt matter if the books were 2nd rate HA!
14. DeceptionPoint, Dan Brown - 7
Just whipped through this (literally) in the last 5 days. It was awesome and fast-paced, albeit way more far fetched than the above and yet totally plausible at the same time if you've got a case of government-intel paranoia like me. I recommend it.
15. Sunday PhilosophyClub, Alexander McC-S - 3
Relatively Lame. Love AMcC-S, but I'll leave him with the lady detectives. Nothing *wrong* with it, so to speak, just slow and uneventful.
16. Friends, Lovers, Chocolate, Alexander McC-S - 2
See above. Same story, exact same story.
17. The 2 and a half Pillars of Wisdom, Alexander McC-S - 7
Very funny. Especially if you know any Germans. Man does he nail it right on the head. And the cool thing is that it's a wee trilogy, 3 short stories in 1, which I'm not sure why he chose to do (because it reads just like 1 long book) but who cares. I pissed myself repeatedly. Especially at the Germans. Oh I do love germans. And the lovely sausage dog makes a substantial appearence, which of course I appreciate on any day of my life.
18. A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson - 9
Addictive! And will bring new brilliance to anyone's gradually shrinking brain! This book is what I'm reading right now and it is A-M-A-ZING. As a scientist, I'm getting a lot out of this but that has NOTHING to do with the benefit that this book could be to ANYONE regardless of profession. It is so jam-packed full of amazing facts presented in such a witty and interesting way, you can't help but become smarter from reading this book. As a traveller, I have always admired Bill Bryson so much. But now as a recovering anti-reader, I love him for his ability to keep me intrigued. Page after page I just get smarter and more interested in the stuff I've forgotten over time, particularly embarassing as an earth scientist and geographer. oops.
Having only read the introduction, I was already charmed out of my pants. He writes: "Consider the fact that for 3.8 billion years, a period of time older than the Earth's mountains and rivers and oceans, every one of your forebears on both sides has been attractive enough to find a mate, healthy enough to reproduce, and sufficiently blessed by fate and circumstances to live long enough to do so. Not one of your pertinent ancestors was squashed, devoured, drowned, starved, stranded, stuck fast, untimely wounded, or otherwise deflected from its life's quest of delivering a tiny charge of genetic material to the right partner at the right moment in order to perpetuate the only possible sequence of hereditary combinations that could result -- eventually, astoundingly, and all too briefly -- in you". Oh Bill.
Holy crap i just realized i read 18 books in a year. This is unheard of.
So I'll make it quick on the music-front. Basically since we have my laptop full of mp3s, we listen to those. No surprise there. But the lack of TV means the radio is on a lot now and it's funny because it's always the following
- reggae
- hip hop
- jazz
- r & b
I'm not sure why that's funny, because aside from jazz I like all those things. However, the CONTENT of those generes is definitely funny. For example.... I've heard "Mr. BoomBastic" by Shaggy about 10 times in the last 2 months now. Hell man, I hadn't heard Mr. BoomBastic since I was what, 15??!?!?! But here I can hear it every day depending on what station I scroll to!!!
And then they'll go throw some completely random "white" song in there for no good reason-- particularly since it won't even be a decent pop song or even relatively CURRENT song for that matter. Case in point: who the hell heard Sean Mullins "Rock-a-bye" in the last 10 years?!? And for WHAT reason exactly!?!?
WHY?!?
MAN do these guys love them some Beyoncé at the moment. That "Irreplaceable" song haunts me. Haunts me in the way that I hate HER but I can't hate the song. Because it's PERMANENTLY ON THE AIR. and it isn't all THAT bad I guess. (gross. I totally just said that.)
Anyway I'm enjoying my regular dose of the Fugees and Beanie Man and all the various Marley relatives. It's good for our musical diversity. And I know it's good for the Husbanator because he's even reaching a point now where he actually LIKES a bit of hip hop. So I know it's working.... we're very lucky to have that radio.
I'll leave it at that. This concludes my annual report on "what I was reading and listening to that year".
Man having no TV is great for my book count, I'll say that!
So in the last year I have read the following:
(Value of "Must Read!"-ness recorded on scale of 1-10; 1 being lame-ass, and 10 being BEST BOOK EVER, IMHO)
(damn let's see how good my memory is - a year is a long time. Books NOT in order)
1. Place of Reeds, Caitlin Davies - 5
BAD BOOK TO READ IF YOURE MOVING TO BOTSWANA! But good book otherwise. Dramatic, full of excellent detail and imagery of this country. Amazing that it's actually a best seller here, considering, but makes for great reading.
2. The Source, James Michener - 9
One of the best books I've ever read, notwithstanding the fact that it's by my favorite author. Totally relevant to what is going on in the Middle East, a dummy's guide to the history of the Holy Land - gives you more perspective on the beginnings of religion and how foolish it can be than you'd ever learn in any history class or sunday school. Completely enlightening, ver-r-r-r-ry long. As all good JM books go.
3. Bots. Time, Will Randall - 7
Can be found in the "Travel Books" section of book store because it's non-fiction. Happy feel-good book about this country, probably the antithesis to Place of Reeds, and all true. About an english guy who teaches in Kasane for a year and all about his darling little kids and his adjustment to life here. It gets a 7 based on laughter and smile content - not literary. But I'm no lit snob so WTF!!
4-10. Then came the onslaught of Alexander McC-S books. I read 7 of them in less than a year, they were THAT GOOD. I find myself bashing my friends over the heads with these books, begging them desperately to read them because they are *that beautiful*. Everyone's turned off by the title of Book 1 (i.e. the title of the series: ("No. 1 ladies etc etc" ) for some reason? I dunno, maybe because it sounds childish or non-fiction or something? These books, man, these books! THEY ALL GET 10's!!!!!
10! 10! 10! 10s all around!!!
I got Pádraig to read them and he is HOOKED.
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Tears oftheGiraffe
MoralityforBeautiful Girls
Kalahari TypingSchool for Men
Full CupboardofLife
In the Company ofCheerfullLadies
Blue Shoes andHappiness
I'd NEVER read 7 books in a year before, except when I was enrolled in some or another lit class in school or something.
11. DaVinci Code, Dan Brown - 8
What can i say? Everyone's read it, it's legendary, the book's better than the movie, yadda yadda. Great stuff, and like everyone else, I couldn't put it down. It was THIS book that got me back up on the reading horse again and got my eyeballs moving. So I guess you could say it was "inspiring"?
12. Angels &Deamons, Dan Brown - 9
Even better than the above!!! But maybe that's because I was going to Rome shortly thereafter??? I think that made all the difference in the rankings. I mean I still haven't been to Paris. esh. I also like a good religious conspiricy, not to mention good catholic skepticism.
13. DigitalFortress, Dan Brown - 4
TOTALLY LAME compared to the above 2, but not bad in general. Next to catholic skepticism, I like USA governmental intellegence skepticism!! If I'd had to have skipped 1 Dan Brown book, it could've easily been this one. I read it in Greece though so everything was laid back and easy going and it didnt matter if the books were 2nd rate HA!
14. DeceptionPoint, Dan Brown - 7
Just whipped through this (literally) in the last 5 days. It was awesome and fast-paced, albeit way more far fetched than the above and yet totally plausible at the same time if you've got a case of government-intel paranoia like me. I recommend it.
15. Sunday PhilosophyClub, Alexander McC-S - 3
Relatively Lame. Love AMcC-S, but I'll leave him with the lady detectives. Nothing *wrong* with it, so to speak, just slow and uneventful.
16. Friends, Lovers, Chocolate, Alexander McC-S - 2
See above. Same story, exact same story.
17. The 2 and a half Pillars of Wisdom, Alexander McC-S - 7
Very funny. Especially if you know any Germans. Man does he nail it right on the head. And the cool thing is that it's a wee trilogy, 3 short stories in 1, which I'm not sure why he chose to do (because it reads just like 1 long book) but who cares. I pissed myself repeatedly. Especially at the Germans. Oh I do love germans. And the lovely sausage dog makes a substantial appearence, which of course I appreciate on any day of my life.
18. A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson - 9
Addictive! And will bring new brilliance to anyone's gradually shrinking brain! This book is what I'm reading right now and it is A-M-A-ZING. As a scientist, I'm getting a lot out of this but that has NOTHING to do with the benefit that this book could be to ANYONE regardless of profession. It is so jam-packed full of amazing facts presented in such a witty and interesting way, you can't help but become smarter from reading this book. As a traveller, I have always admired Bill Bryson so much. But now as a recovering anti-reader, I love him for his ability to keep me intrigued. Page after page I just get smarter and more interested in the stuff I've forgotten over time, particularly embarassing as an earth scientist and geographer. oops.
Having only read the introduction, I was already charmed out of my pants. He writes: "Consider the fact that for 3.8 billion years, a period of time older than the Earth's mountains and rivers and oceans, every one of your forebears on both sides has been attractive enough to find a mate, healthy enough to reproduce, and sufficiently blessed by fate and circumstances to live long enough to do so. Not one of your pertinent ancestors was squashed, devoured, drowned, starved, stranded, stuck fast, untimely wounded, or otherwise deflected from its life's quest of delivering a tiny charge of genetic material to the right partner at the right moment in order to perpetuate the only possible sequence of hereditary combinations that could result -- eventually, astoundingly, and all too briefly -- in you". Oh Bill.
Holy crap i just realized i read 18 books in a year. This is unheard of.
So I'll make it quick on the music-front. Basically since we have my laptop full of mp3s, we listen to those. No surprise there. But the lack of TV means the radio is on a lot now and it's funny because it's always the following
- reggae
- hip hop
- jazz
- r & b
I'm not sure why that's funny, because aside from jazz I like all those things. However, the CONTENT of those generes is definitely funny. For example.... I've heard "Mr. BoomBastic" by Shaggy about 10 times in the last 2 months now. Hell man, I hadn't heard Mr. BoomBastic since I was what, 15??!?!?! But here I can hear it every day depending on what station I scroll to!!!
And then they'll go throw some completely random "white" song in there for no good reason-- particularly since it won't even be a decent pop song or even relatively CURRENT song for that matter. Case in point: who the hell heard Sean Mullins "Rock-a-bye" in the last 10 years?!? And for WHAT reason exactly!?!?
WHY?!?
MAN do these guys love them some Beyoncé at the moment. That "Irreplaceable" song haunts me. Haunts me in the way that I hate HER but I can't hate the song. Because it's PERMANENTLY ON THE AIR. and it isn't all THAT bad I guess. (gross. I totally just said that.)
Anyway I'm enjoying my regular dose of the Fugees and Beanie Man and all the various Marley relatives. It's good for our musical diversity. And I know it's good for the Husbanator because he's even reaching a point now where he actually LIKES a bit of hip hop. So I know it's working.... we're very lucky to have that radio.
I'll leave it at that. This concludes my annual report on "what I was reading and listening to that year".
Significant photos of my life *right now*
1 Comments Published by Oh Wayward One on 19 February 2007 at 2/19/2007 10:45:00 am.
Things that make me happy:
New living room suite and rug. (matching armchair not pictured)
New "husband's dream" giant refrigerator with ice & water dispenser.
The most beautiful grandpa beagle in existance, to ever sniff the face of the earth: Reggie (and the most beautiful Mr. ever to look at the face of the earth with the most beautiful green eyes...)
ThinG that makes me VERY DISTURBED:
Our driveway, Our house, Our STUFF sealed up in OUR sea container....
NOT TO BE RELEASED BECAUSE SOME ASSENINE IDIOT FROM HELL DIDN'T DO THE PROPER CUSTOMS CLEARANCE AT THE TERMINAL ONCE THE &%$£$%%$£$ CRANE THAT WAS BROKEN FOR THE LAST WEEK GOT FIXED, ACTUALLY RENDERING THE TERMINAL *CAPABLE* OF PICKING THE DAMN THING UP OFF THE TRAIN AND SUBSEQUENTLY RELEASING IT AFTER HOLDING IT FOR OVER A *WEEK* LESS THAN 10 KM FROM MY HOUSE.
Guess what? It's gonna stay *right there* blocking MY driveway for another couple hours, at which point some equally stupid eejot is going to come and pick it up, take it BACK to the terminal, whereby every single move they make is going to be scrutinized by some customs official, who's probably shitty with the moving company for not clearing it correctly, therefore being a royal pain in our ass and likely ordering a FULL CAVITY SEARCH of the container, just to prove a point, and thus holding it hostage for the next couple days when then it may (or may not) be released properly.
Welcome to my world at present. It's all about balance.
The perks of having good buddhist, chinese friends in your life is that they provide you with very very important information along the lines of:
WHAT THE &%$& CHINESE NEW YEAR ARE WE EMBARKING ON AND WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME!?!?!?!
Thanks Vincey.... I am psyched about this one already!
(I'm Dragon BTW, and I like what I see - "Marriage is harmonious. Beneficial directions: West and South East" Well, I'm over the moon about the first part, and we just moved to the South East part of town! HOO HA!!!)
I'll check and see which chinese restaurants in town are actually open on the 18th so that we can go out and feast. Photos of food shall be taken in your honor.
WHAT THE &%$& CHINESE NEW YEAR ARE WE EMBARKING ON AND WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME!?!?!?!
Thanks Vincey.... I am psyched about this one already!
(I'm Dragon BTW, and I like what I see - "Marriage is harmonious. Beneficial directions: West and South East" Well, I'm over the moon about the first part, and we just moved to the South East part of town! HOO HA!!!)
I'll check and see which chinese restaurants in town are actually open on the 18th so that we can go out and feast. Photos of food shall be taken in your honor.
The Coming Together of Stuff
0 Comments Published by Oh Wayward One on 13 February 2007 at 2/13/2007 07:25:00 am.
Otherwise known as "the meeting of the furnitures"
Or as one of the local real estate agents here would say "furnishers".
hahaha
no really, he advertises his semi-furnished houses in town as "having some furnishers inside".
hee hee
We have a new living room set that was delivered on friday, giving us places to SIT finally! We celebrated by having T & L around on sunday for cake and coffee. I chose these couches (3 seater + 3 seater ((arranged in L-shape)) + large matching arm chair - light fawn colored couches, stainless steel legs + chocolate/fawn striped back cushions (beth)) after over a MONTH of looking. They had to be perfect. THey had to be WAY soft and entirely, undoubtably inviting because they're going in the living room withOUT the TV. So as to encourage us, and everyone else to NOT stare at the boob tube as often, and rather sit in unbelievable comfort in the big living room gazing out the large sliding glass doors onto the back garden at the banana tree and everything else nature-oriented. It works. the one side of the "L" gives you a straight-on view out the glass while the adjacent side of the "L" is oriented so you can see kind of cattywompus out the window into the bush/informal garden on the side of the house. And you get the breeze flowing through that room with the kitchen door open and the sliding doors open and it's just wonderful. Photos soon to come. TV room is still TBA on the furnishings as we have to see about the old couch when it comes and gets reupholstered, etc etc. Hell we dont even HAVE a TV anymore, nor is one coming in our container, and quite frankly we aren't all that sad about it. Have been having a much more quality life since we kicked the box to the curb 3 months ago. Now our dinners and breakfasts take hours, we read more, we have more weird and obscure conversations than even before, which is strange but true. (i.e. Bizarrely enough we found ourselves talking about trig and geometry the other night, over a glass of red wine after dinner.)
The killer is the rug I picked to match. It's yowza-bright orange and beige stripes.... THICK SHAG Pile, but the shag is made of silky material, not like 70's shag. It's totally decadent and totally orange which really lifts up the otherwise extremely dark blue naaaaaavy blue carpet underneath.
And we got a new fridge. No more 2-ft tall temporary bar fridge for us. Which I'll admit was a godsend after living out of a cooler-box & ice blocks for the first week. The new mamma is a great big whopper of an american-style double-door fridge/freezer combo, complete with ice and water dispenser. WAHOOOOOO the ice and water despenser is the Mr's dream come true. His whole life he's lusted after people who could just go to their fridge and fill up a cup of cold water and crushed ice. He's fascinated by it and always used to stare longingly at them in the white-goods stores in Australia and Ireland saying "someday baby. Someday." Now his dream has come true, and I couldn't be happier for the boy. Now we just need to get the %^$# thing hooked up to the water source which is OF COURSE on the other side of the $#**&% room and is gonna need special plumbing and handiwork to accomplish but we'll get it.
Now I can actually buy
1. Frozen foods
2. More than 2 days provisions at a time
3. Milk in >1-litre boxes
4. anything that needs to be refrigerated in containers larger than a bottle of mustard.
Now for the best news ever: THE CONTAINER COMES TODAY!!!!!!!!
we'll be leaving work early and letting the unpacking commence. Oooooooooohhhhhhhh boy howdy that's gonna be an experience. I may even get a wee bit misty eyed as I unpack all those tons of bubble wrap I'll remember the night my dear Padraig came over and helped us slave away in a mountain of last-minute packing til late late at night on a "school night" and thanks to his unusually high capacity for "spatial awareness" we were able to pack what I thought would've been 30 cubic meteres of kitchen junk into less than 10 crates. -sigh-
Or as one of the local real estate agents here would say "furnishers".
hahaha
no really, he advertises his semi-furnished houses in town as "having some furnishers inside".
hee hee
We have a new living room set that was delivered on friday, giving us places to SIT finally! We celebrated by having T & L around on sunday for cake and coffee. I chose these couches (3 seater + 3 seater ((arranged in L-shape)) + large matching arm chair - light fawn colored couches, stainless steel legs + chocolate/fawn striped back cushions (beth)) after over a MONTH of looking. They had to be perfect. THey had to be WAY soft and entirely, undoubtably inviting because they're going in the living room withOUT the TV. So as to encourage us, and everyone else to NOT stare at the boob tube as often, and rather sit in unbelievable comfort in the big living room gazing out the large sliding glass doors onto the back garden at the banana tree and everything else nature-oriented. It works. the one side of the "L" gives you a straight-on view out the glass while the adjacent side of the "L" is oriented so you can see kind of cattywompus out the window into the bush/informal garden on the side of the house. And you get the breeze flowing through that room with the kitchen door open and the sliding doors open and it's just wonderful. Photos soon to come. TV room is still TBA on the furnishings as we have to see about the old couch when it comes and gets reupholstered, etc etc. Hell we dont even HAVE a TV anymore, nor is one coming in our container, and quite frankly we aren't all that sad about it. Have been having a much more quality life since we kicked the box to the curb 3 months ago. Now our dinners and breakfasts take hours, we read more, we have more weird and obscure conversations than even before, which is strange but true. (i.e. Bizarrely enough we found ourselves talking about trig and geometry the other night, over a glass of red wine after dinner.)
The killer is the rug I picked to match. It's yowza-bright orange and beige stripes.... THICK SHAG Pile, but the shag is made of silky material, not like 70's shag. It's totally decadent and totally orange which really lifts up the otherwise extremely dark blue naaaaaavy blue carpet underneath.
And we got a new fridge. No more 2-ft tall temporary bar fridge for us. Which I'll admit was a godsend after living out of a cooler-box & ice blocks for the first week. The new mamma is a great big whopper of an american-style double-door fridge/freezer combo, complete with ice and water dispenser. WAHOOOOOO the ice and water despenser is the Mr's dream come true. His whole life he's lusted after people who could just go to their fridge and fill up a cup of cold water and crushed ice. He's fascinated by it and always used to stare longingly at them in the white-goods stores in Australia and Ireland saying "someday baby. Someday." Now his dream has come true, and I couldn't be happier for the boy. Now we just need to get the %^$# thing hooked up to the water source which is OF COURSE on the other side of the $#**&% room and is gonna need special plumbing and handiwork to accomplish but we'll get it.
Now I can actually buy
1. Frozen foods
2. More than 2 days provisions at a time
3. Milk in >1-litre boxes
4. anything that needs to be refrigerated in containers larger than a bottle of mustard.
Now for the best news ever: THE CONTAINER COMES TODAY!!!!!!!!
we'll be leaving work early and letting the unpacking commence. Oooooooooohhhhhhhh boy howdy that's gonna be an experience. I may even get a wee bit misty eyed as I unpack all those tons of bubble wrap I'll remember the night my dear Padraig came over and helped us slave away in a mountain of last-minute packing til late late at night on a "school night" and thanks to his unusually high capacity for "spatial awareness" we were able to pack what I thought would've been 30 cubic meteres of kitchen junk into less than 10 crates. -sigh-
It’s Wednesday now and I’m only just getting around to post-weekend blogging. Man I want broadband.
Biggest news ever: The container is in Joburg!! The moving company reckons that it could be IN Gabz-city in a week. That means one week til I’m sleeping in a real bed, cooking with more than 1 pan, and able to have guests over whereby they might actually sit in a CHAIR! No one could possibly understand how big this is. I seriously am already stunned that this entire paragraph hasn’t been written in all capital letters.
Granted this brings up the whole topic of re-upholstering our couch which I’m not looking forward to, but that’s a whole kettle of fish on its own. Colour? No idea. Fabric? No idea. Room it’s actually going to be in? Not a clue. We’ll cross that bridge when the big dirty red beast arrives in town.
Speaking of all things housey, I took a couple pertinent photos of our humble abode.
Firstly can I just say how much I’m enjoying having a walk-in pantry. It is most appreciable after having a tiny kitchen in Australia hardly big enough to turn around in, followed by only a twice-as-big-as-that tiny kitchen in Ireland that was mainly taken up by the dining table. Now we have a moderately-sized long, rectangular kitchen not conducive to having a table in (not to worry as there is my first ever…gasp…DINING ROOM) yet perfectly large enough to move around in and store stuff in not to mention it has a PANTRY. As the photo illustrates, we’re still lame enough that we still live somewhat like students and therefore don’t even have enough provisions to FILL said pantry, but damn I like to be able to walk in and eyeball everything, rather than like back in Ireland where you had to excavate the noodles from behind 30 rows of cans in our ONE cupboard.
Photo.
Biggest news ever: The container is in Joburg!! The moving company reckons that it could be IN Gabz-city in a week. That means one week til I’m sleeping in a real bed, cooking with more than 1 pan, and able to have guests over whereby they might actually sit in a CHAIR! No one could possibly understand how big this is. I seriously am already stunned that this entire paragraph hasn’t been written in all capital letters.
Granted this brings up the whole topic of re-upholstering our couch which I’m not looking forward to, but that’s a whole kettle of fish on its own. Colour? No idea. Fabric? No idea. Room it’s actually going to be in? Not a clue. We’ll cross that bridge when the big dirty red beast arrives in town.
Speaking of all things housey, I took a couple pertinent photos of our humble abode.
Firstly can I just say how much I’m enjoying having a walk-in pantry. It is most appreciable after having a tiny kitchen in Australia hardly big enough to turn around in, followed by only a twice-as-big-as-that tiny kitchen in Ireland that was mainly taken up by the dining table. Now we have a moderately-sized long, rectangular kitchen not conducive to having a table in (not to worry as there is my first ever…gasp…DINING ROOM) yet perfectly large enough to move around in and store stuff in not to mention it has a PANTRY. As the photo illustrates, we’re still lame enough that we still live somewhat like students and therefore don’t even have enough provisions to FILL said pantry, but damn I like to be able to walk in and eyeball everything, rather than like back in Ireland where you had to excavate the noodles from behind 30 rows of cans in our ONE cupboard.
Photo.
Mary is unbelievable. I’ll say it again. I just can’t get over this angel sent from heaven. See photos for evidence. Laundry. This is how I come home to my laundry. Can you believe it? Watch, belt, undies, necklace, shoes… it’s all there lined up and sorted. 
Then the Kitchen. Her little trademark dish organisation. She leaves these subtle hints for us on how to store the 2 spoons, 2 knives, 2 forks, and 2 pans… how about… hanging them up on these little hooks, hmmmmm? Brilliant idea. Just plain brilliant. Hooks. Wow. I would even go as far as to say … “cute?”…?
Then the Kitchen. Her little trademark dish organisation. She leaves these subtle hints for us on how to store the 2 spoons, 2 knives, 2 forks, and 2 pans… how about… hanging them up on these little hooks, hmmmmm? Brilliant idea. Just plain brilliant. Hooks. Wow. I would even go as far as to say … “cute?”…?
One of the more incredible phenomena of the Notwane Nest (I just made that up) is the master bathroom. I’ve never told anyone this before, but the toilet suite is PINK. Yep, big old fat PINK. Unbelievable. Anyone who knows me knows that this is the absolutely least-likely colour that was ever envisaged on this earth to pair me up with. And look at me now. The Pink Palace in Memphis gots nuttin on this kid. Photo. 
Right so when we first saw this freak of nature (I mean REALLY. Throw me a bone here, god. Who the FECK would have installed an entire PINK BATHROOM SUITE IN THEIR MASTER BEDROOM?!?!? Jumping jesus BALLS!) …I was the first one to start screaming and moaning and bitching and cursing. It was a nightmare in the making. I was talking ceramics paint and everything. I believe the phrase “we could just refurbish it ourselves if the landlord wont” passed my lips.
About a week later, after prioritizing all the great furniture and electronic equipment I want to get into this house ASAP, it appeared less and less likely that the pretty pink repugnance would be exiting the premises. There came a time when I just had to accept it wasn’t feasible. (still COME ON who would DO that?!!?) So I did what any good stubborn Missourian was born and bred to do: I friggin locked horns with that disgusting perversion of a bathroom and started plotting my “bring it on, bitch” attack.
Really, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. My new scheme involves the purchase of several low-cost yet highly effective accessories and bath-y paraphernalia that’ll blow the bubblegum right out of your mouth when you see this place. I’ve already purchased the Barbie-pink shag bath mat. I selected the proper pastel-print toilet paper. Palmolive makes an ungodly pink-coloured rose-scented bar of soap. Check. I am busy sourcing the most psychedelic pink AND ORANGE accented freaky curtain that I can find, for the window. I’m gonna go to the kiddie department of some toy or furnishing store and find a small chair in pink and orange (preferably retro flower or paisley pattern) for me to put in the corner where one can sit down after one’s bath, and apply one’s moisturiser in absolute pinkness. Unfortunately our lovely wedding-gift navy-blue MASSIVE luxury bath sheets are gonna have to go.
….TO THE GUEST BATHROOM. Yeah baby, gotta get some of that pink love in the bath towel department.
Long story short, I’m embracing the pink. We’ll see what happens. I don’t really have hopes for Oral B to offer pink electric toothbrush heads, particularly those which might be distributed in Botswana, but we’ll see. A terribly obnoxious drinking cup should be easy to come by (preferably one accented with orange), and there’s no doubt I can get a nice re-print of the MUSIC FROM BIG PINK album cover framed and humidity-proofed to hang on the wall. Needless to say I’ll be finding a good flower shop that stocks magenta or pink-coloured gerbras (and orange!) and making sure they make a regular appearance in a flower vase on the windowsill. A definite MUST for it all to come together, I believe.
Any suggestions are welcome. We’re going for it tooth and nail. Even the Mr. is pleased with the progress so far (= the bath mat). I am a bit blurry on where to draw the line though between “over the top” and “BITCH YOU CRAZY!” though, as the idea just occurred to me to have Aerosmith’s “Pink” set up on some sort of lightswitch-rigged player to start blaring whenever you turn on the light – I mean it makes all sorts of sense considering I’m going to OBVIOUSLY have speakers in there anyway for the ipod… hmmmm…
I just realized I was going to write about the weekend and then I got obsessed with the bathroom. Well to ensure that SOMEONE doesn’t get too freaked out by “too many words” VINCENT, I’ll just say
Friday – braai at Bernard’s = excellent, met nice couple- she’s Motswana, he’s Norwegian
Saturday – breakfast at Mugg & Bean, shopping, swimming, stayed at home
Sunday – Ireland vs. Wales rugby match at the local (bleh!) Irish Pub, went to the movies and saw “Stranger than Fiction” = EXCELLENT MOVIE!!!! Brilliant!!!
Weekend in a nutshell. Wahoo!
Otherwise,
Steve and Madonna might be coming to visit us in 9 months
Fast Alan might get a job in Johannesburg
My brother MAY have told my parents he’s moving in with his gf (if he didn’t chicken out) this weekend
It was friggin 45 degrees this weekend (= 120 F)
The end.
Right so when we first saw this freak of nature (I mean REALLY. Throw me a bone here, god. Who the FECK would have installed an entire PINK BATHROOM SUITE IN THEIR MASTER BEDROOM?!?!? Jumping jesus BALLS!) …I was the first one to start screaming and moaning and bitching and cursing. It was a nightmare in the making. I was talking ceramics paint and everything. I believe the phrase “we could just refurbish it ourselves if the landlord wont” passed my lips.
About a week later, after prioritizing all the great furniture and electronic equipment I want to get into this house ASAP, it appeared less and less likely that the pretty pink repugnance would be exiting the premises. There came a time when I just had to accept it wasn’t feasible. (still COME ON who would DO that?!!?) So I did what any good stubborn Missourian was born and bred to do: I friggin locked horns with that disgusting perversion of a bathroom and started plotting my “bring it on, bitch” attack.
Really, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. My new scheme involves the purchase of several low-cost yet highly effective accessories and bath-y paraphernalia that’ll blow the bubblegum right out of your mouth when you see this place. I’ve already purchased the Barbie-pink shag bath mat. I selected the proper pastel-print toilet paper. Palmolive makes an ungodly pink-coloured rose-scented bar of soap. Check. I am busy sourcing the most psychedelic pink AND ORANGE accented freaky curtain that I can find, for the window. I’m gonna go to the kiddie department of some toy or furnishing store and find a small chair in pink and orange (preferably retro flower or paisley pattern) for me to put in the corner where one can sit down after one’s bath, and apply one’s moisturiser in absolute pinkness. Unfortunately our lovely wedding-gift navy-blue MASSIVE luxury bath sheets are gonna have to go.
….TO THE GUEST BATHROOM. Yeah baby, gotta get some of that pink love in the bath towel department.
Long story short, I’m embracing the pink. We’ll see what happens. I don’t really have hopes for Oral B to offer pink electric toothbrush heads, particularly those which might be distributed in Botswana, but we’ll see. A terribly obnoxious drinking cup should be easy to come by (preferably one accented with orange), and there’s no doubt I can get a nice re-print of the MUSIC FROM BIG PINK album cover framed and humidity-proofed to hang on the wall. Needless to say I’ll be finding a good flower shop that stocks magenta or pink-coloured gerbras (and orange!) and making sure they make a regular appearance in a flower vase on the windowsill. A definite MUST for it all to come together, I believe.
Any suggestions are welcome. We’re going for it tooth and nail. Even the Mr. is pleased with the progress so far (= the bath mat). I am a bit blurry on where to draw the line though between “over the top” and “BITCH YOU CRAZY!” though, as the idea just occurred to me to have Aerosmith’s “Pink” set up on some sort of lightswitch-rigged player to start blaring whenever you turn on the light – I mean it makes all sorts of sense considering I’m going to OBVIOUSLY have speakers in there anyway for the ipod… hmmmm…
I just realized I was going to write about the weekend and then I got obsessed with the bathroom. Well to ensure that SOMEONE doesn’t get too freaked out by “too many words” VINCENT, I’ll just say
Friday – braai at Bernard’s = excellent, met nice couple- she’s Motswana, he’s Norwegian
Saturday – breakfast at Mugg & Bean, shopping, swimming, stayed at home
Sunday – Ireland vs. Wales rugby match at the local (bleh!) Irish Pub, went to the movies and saw “Stranger than Fiction” = EXCELLENT MOVIE!!!! Brilliant!!!
Weekend in a nutshell. Wahoo!
Otherwise,
Steve and Madonna might be coming to visit us in 9 months
Fast Alan might get a job in Johannesburg
My brother MAY have told my parents he’s moving in with his gf (if he didn’t chicken out) this weekend
It was friggin 45 degrees this weekend (= 120 F)
The end.
