Day 12: Alright, I get it.
0 Comments Published by Oh Wayward One on 17 February 2009 at 2/17/2009 03:31:00 pm.
I see now.... if you force yourself to do all the crap on your to-do list on the day you write it down, it gets done. And then you dont have a 10-mile long to-do list. Jeez, you'd think it was rocket science or something. It sounds like that's just an intro sentence or two, but it really did hit me today. AH-HAaaaa! Got it! There IS a method to this madness. I see it on Eric too - he's messing up all the time these days. Mistake after mistake after unnecessary mistake, and I'm sitting there muttering to myself: "for F's sake, dumbass, if you'd just get yourself a damn little notebook..."
Anyway here we go:
yesterday . . .
-TAL - listened (it was quite touching this week - Valentines theme)
-Yoga - yoga'd. But I've got a new strategy since my heart just isn't in it anymore - from now on on mondays the Mr. and I will clime K. Hill instead. I wouldn't let myself quit yoga and just do nothing in place of it, but i needed something i would actually look forward to doing... I think that's the ticket.
-Graphics and adverts - still working
-School forms - filled out
-2nd round of photos - uploaded.
And wait - wait -
BONUS...
like not only did i do all that crap, I ripped about 6 cds that I'd been meaning to do for yonks now. AND I went over to the internet people for a couple hours and started sorting out the Animal Peeps website. AND I called the Mominator to wish her a happy bday. AND I even made dinner last night even though technically it was the Mr'.s turn. But I want to give him as much time as he wants to play his guitar these days. He's learning really fast and I don't want to stop him, since I see how much he enjoys it and how seriously he's taking his 30-45 minutes of "practice time" diligently, every night.
So today, anyway:
I got nearly nothin.
except:
* Calculate the number of pages i have to read in the new courses per day
* Play banjo
* Read at least SOME of the new course stuff
* Go to gym (done already)
* Ask The Mr. to call Frank
* Rough sketch more graphics
And now to end, some romantic images from the tres posh lodge from the weekend - I couldnt believe the spread they layed on for Valentine's day. We came back from stalking wild animals in the bush saturday evening to a room full of rosepetals and candles and sparkling red wine next to the bathtub. And a 5-star dinner by candle light. it was soooooooooo worth the wait.
Anyway here we go:
yesterday . . .
-TAL - listened (it was quite touching this week - Valentines theme)
-Yoga - yoga'd. But I've got a new strategy since my heart just isn't in it anymore - from now on on mondays the Mr. and I will clime K. Hill instead. I wouldn't let myself quit yoga and just do nothing in place of it, but i needed something i would actually look forward to doing... I think that's the ticket.
-Graphics and adverts - still working
-School forms - filled out
-2nd round of photos - uploaded.
And wait - wait -
BONUS...
like not only did i do all that crap, I ripped about 6 cds that I'd been meaning to do for yonks now. AND I went over to the internet people for a couple hours and started sorting out the Animal Peeps website. AND I called the Mominator to wish her a happy bday. AND I even made dinner last night even though technically it was the Mr'.s turn. But I want to give him as much time as he wants to play his guitar these days. He's learning really fast and I don't want to stop him, since I see how much he enjoys it and how seriously he's taking his 30-45 minutes of "practice time" diligently, every night.
So today, anyway:
I got nearly nothin.
except:
* Calculate the number of pages i have to read in the new courses per day
* Play banjo
* Read at least SOME of the new course stuff
* Go to gym (done already)
* Ask The Mr. to call Frank
* Rough sketch more graphics
And now to end, some romantic images from the tres posh lodge from the weekend - I couldnt believe the spread they layed on for Valentine's day. We came back from stalking wild animals in the bush saturday evening to a room full of rosepetals and candles and sparkling red wine next to the bathtub. And a 5-star dinner by candle light. it was soooooooooo worth the wait.
Day 11: downhill slope
0 Comments Published by Oh Wayward One on 16 February 2009 at 2/16/2009 07:40:00 am.
Now I'm feeling the burn - today is a perfect example of a day that I do NOT want to sit down and type this all out! But what the hell, I'm sure it aint a picnic for Brandon to be losing 20lbs over there.
On the list for today:
* Listen to T.A.L. podcast
* Go to yoga (I gained 2kg over the weekend!)
* Animal Peeps graphics and adverts
* Fill out forms for school
* Upload 2nd round of photos from wknd.
ok today i'm tempted to put work issues on there - but i'm not going to. But seriously, I've got some beef with a certain government department that I need to either write a strongly-worded letter to, or make a loaded phone call to. I couldn't believe it when this morning this total COW was screaming at me down the phone line (what a way to start a monday morning) and behaving like an absolute ass-face. Oh boy is SHE gonna get dobbed in. Unfortunately her supervisor isn't in (he's at a workshop) but just wait til he is... i have to remember to keep calling back.
This weekend was great! We did a lot of relaxing and looking at large critters. I saw my first leopard! Rock n roll!!!
On the list for today:
* Listen to T.A.L. podcast
* Go to yoga (I gained 2kg over the weekend!)
* Animal Peeps graphics and adverts
* Fill out forms for school
* Upload 2nd round of photos from wknd.
ok today i'm tempted to put work issues on there - but i'm not going to. But seriously, I've got some beef with a certain government department that I need to either write a strongly-worded letter to, or make a loaded phone call to. I couldn't believe it when this morning this total COW was screaming at me down the phone line (what a way to start a monday morning) and behaving like an absolute ass-face. Oh boy is SHE gonna get dobbed in. Unfortunately her supervisor isn't in (he's at a workshop) but just wait til he is... i have to remember to keep calling back.
This weekend was great! We did a lot of relaxing and looking at large critters. I saw my first leopard! Rock n roll!!!
Back to Reality pt.3
2 Comments Published by Oh Wayward One on 15 January 2009 at 1/15/2009 12:38:00 pm.
In Photos!
I consider this a "Top 10 in Pictures" of all the "Bests" of 4 weeks back home.
here we go...
Best Newcomer on my Scene:
My bff has a new bf. He's the adorable one there on the left, KK. And me and the HG don't look to shabby on his arm, no? Washington, DC.
Best Reunion:
Best Music:
Best Night Out:
Best Comedy Routine:
Best Workout:
I consider this a "Top 10 in Pictures" of all the "Bests" of 4 weeks back home.
here we go...
Best Newcomer on my Scene:
My bff has a new bf. He's the adorable one there on the left, KK. And me and the HG don't look to shabby on his arm, no? Washington, DC.
Best Reunion:
Of all the people we came across on the great trek, we spent the most time with Brandon. Believe it or not, we hadn't seen each other for appx 14 years. Kansas City, MO.
Best Food:
Damn, this was a hard one. But there's nothing better than a simple pulled pork shoulder sandwich, Memphis style, swimming in Central's BBQ sauce, with cole slaw, on a bun. Memphis, TN.
Best Music:
We just *happened* to pick up this amateur act at one of the many blues clubs on Beale St. They're called the Grant Garland Trio, they're all babies (I swear they're 19 or something), and this kid wails like Stevie Ray Vaughan. Memphis, TN.
Best Night Out:
A New Year's Eve to remember for all times. Man I laughed my ass off in that cigar bar! And as Brandon put it: "I even remembered it in the morning"! Me & my mates in the French 1/4. Or as Pete puts it: "the French 1/3rd". New Orleans, LA.
Best Comedy Routine:
Rowdy Texan Bella Adela & Virginia's Finest S.D.Pete aka Bean. These guys were the laughter therapy that I needed, after a stressful year and even more chaotic Christmas. We're still mourning the fact that Adelly's hubby couldn't come, but these 2 were plenty. Seriously, my belly ached. I could never possibly get enough of them. New Orleans, LA.
Best State:
Virginia! It's for Lovers! This is one state I hadn't spent enough time in, til this trip. I was all like "hey! there's life outside of the Beltway!" Mountains, beach, small towns, big cities, etc. It's got it all. I could consider living here. Lynchburg, VA.
Best Travelling Companions:
The Mr. and Jéan aka GBFJ. After countless Super 8s and drinkies in styrofoam cups, nary a cruel word was said nor a nose out of joint. Low Maintenance Grand Central. I swear travelling doesn't get easier than these 2 guys. It doesn't hurt that we all have similar interests.... or that I'm sleeping with one of them. Natural Bridge, VA.
Best Workout:I went on about 6 runs during the trip, and did a gym workout or 2, but the day that the Mr. and GBFJ hiked this trail (and I ran it ahead of them) in the Appalachains, was definitely the best. I'd never run mountains before and this day I just let loose and did about 9 miles (uphill & down) and it was awesome. At one point I was less than 1 metre from a little bambi deer. It was an amazing run. The Shenandoah, VA.
Best Hospitality:
This here is SheofDC (5th floor) and Andrew (2nd floor). Between the 2 of them, they put me & the Mr. and GBFJ up for a few nights in one of Adams Morgan's poshest, lovliest apartment buildings. Honestly, sleeping in til 10am and laying in SheofDC's pillowtop-mattress-bed watching her ComCast-OnDemand-DVR-thingy play a Flight of the Conchords or CSI marathon is probably my new vision of heaven. Washington, DC.
PULA!!
I'm sitting out on the stoep with the laptop listening/watching the first sounds of rain!! And how desperate we are for it!!! We're having our weekly/daily power cut, so that means I have [who knows how long] some time until this battery runs out. So let's see what I can come up with.
Firstly, viva la independencia for Botswana. [oooh lightning! good timing!] A tuesday/wednesday day off combo for us this week. It started bad, then ended good. In what is turning into a trend for me these days, I had about 48 straight hours of mental meltdown which cumulated in some epiphanies, some tears, some hours pounding my pillows, etc. But I think I'm back on top of things now and moving forward. It's just a time in my life right now where I'm second guessing every word that comes out of my mouth and every thought that comes into my head. And so off I go, onto a quest to be a better person. Less negativity, more positivity, more think-before-you-speak-it, more ethics and scruples. Wish me luck, I'm going to need it.
Wow the trees are really swirling around and the thunder and lightning is now really shaking things up, but as for the first big fat raindrop... still waiting... it is pretty violent though- I just hope a big fat tree branch doesnt come straight for my head.
Summer is really in full swing now. And my favorite time of day is between 5 and 6:30. With all the chaos in the office these days and our mamoth projects etc., I'm going to have to make a real effort to ensure that I get home at least a few times a week to take advantage of that time. It's so lovely, the heat is just starting to fade, the sun is setting, the puppies are up for playtime, and all the birds come back out from whereever they've been hiding from the 39 degree weather.
OK my keyboard is TOTALLY covered in a layer of sand now...
but here's the positive spin, the reason to be grateful right here and now: JUST before the power went out, I fired up the laptop, popped in the network card, and got on line. THEN the power went out, and here I am - thoroughly enjoying myself out on the stoep, in the dark, hearing the sounds of a storm! and hopefully soon... PULA! I'm thinking some candles would be nice... provided I could figure out a way to not have them blow out.
Right. Candles. Check.
Question - how does one keep the nighttime creepie crawlies off one's laptop screen while outside in the summer????
We got a new camera. I'm still getting used to it, but here are some photos I took on the long mid-week holiday...
Starting with Prisca from next door's son, Prosper:
and with that last photo of sunset over the backyard, I shall sign off!
I'm sitting out on the stoep with the laptop listening/watching the first sounds of rain!! And how desperate we are for it!!! We're having our weekly/daily power cut, so that means I have [who knows how long] some time until this battery runs out. So let's see what I can come up with.
Firstly, viva la independencia for Botswana. [oooh lightning! good timing!] A tuesday/wednesday day off combo for us this week. It started bad, then ended good. In what is turning into a trend for me these days, I had about 48 straight hours of mental meltdown which cumulated in some epiphanies, some tears, some hours pounding my pillows, etc. But I think I'm back on top of things now and moving forward. It's just a time in my life right now where I'm second guessing every word that comes out of my mouth and every thought that comes into my head. And so off I go, onto a quest to be a better person. Less negativity, more positivity, more think-before-you-speak-it, more ethics and scruples. Wish me luck, I'm going to need it.
Wow the trees are really swirling around and the thunder and lightning is now really shaking things up, but as for the first big fat raindrop... still waiting... it is pretty violent though- I just hope a big fat tree branch doesnt come straight for my head.
Summer is really in full swing now. And my favorite time of day is between 5 and 6:30. With all the chaos in the office these days and our mamoth projects etc., I'm going to have to make a real effort to ensure that I get home at least a few times a week to take advantage of that time. It's so lovely, the heat is just starting to fade, the sun is setting, the puppies are up for playtime, and all the birds come back out from whereever they've been hiding from the 39 degree weather.
OK my keyboard is TOTALLY covered in a layer of sand now...
but here's the positive spin, the reason to be grateful right here and now: JUST before the power went out, I fired up the laptop, popped in the network card, and got on line. THEN the power went out, and here I am - thoroughly enjoying myself out on the stoep, in the dark, hearing the sounds of a storm! and hopefully soon... PULA! I'm thinking some candles would be nice... provided I could figure out a way to not have them blow out.
Right. Candles. Check.
Question - how does one keep the nighttime creepie crawlies off one's laptop screen while outside in the summer????
We got a new camera. I'm still getting used to it, but here are some photos I took on the long mid-week holiday...
Starting with Prisca from next door's son, Prosper:
and with that last photo of sunset over the backyard, I shall sign off!
Labels: BW-general, photos, QSI
Some photos and recapping
0 Comments Published by Oh Wayward One on 26 September 2008 at 9/26/2008 09:12:00 am.
Last Saturday night was the big Spring Party at the Yacht Club. It was fun. We went, we ate, we drank, we boogied, and watched the veld fires spread across the night sky over the dam.
Wednesday The Mr.'s birthday was a great success. I leaked his presents to him at decent intervals throughout the day, and he was happy with them all. Especially the new gee-tar that he's been promised since xmas 2 years ago!
Dinner was fun. But I hate rectangular tables. So hard to converse, it's like if you sit next to peeps A, B, and C, you can forget about ever hearing anything from X, Y, and Z throughout the night unless you come with a bull horn. Here's a bad photo of the A,B,C end of the table:
Anyway, that sneaky girl of mine, Ubs, got the waiters out to sing for him after dinner. The funny part was that they came out clapping and chanting and saying "AHNYO CHEH! AHNYO CHEH!" and we had no idea what it was that they were saying because of the acoustics (and the variety of different waiter accents) so the Mr. just sat there clueless and they had to keep chanting it for like 50 times straight - finally P, or whoever it was goes "OH they're telling you to stand on your chair!!" So finally he gets up on his chair and THEN they proceeded to sing happy birthday. It was funny. And they gave him tiramisu:
So yeah, Monday was yoga as usual, Tuesday gym, Wednesday the birthday dinner, then last night a big "thank you" drinks & braai for the Animal People volunteers that helped out at our big open day a couple weeks ago. I took some photos of the shelter between drinks and nibbles.
Troublemaker Billy:
This guy always jumps up on cars and then stands on their roofs and proceeds to jump up on top of the carport. However, the cars then eventually drive away and he's left stranded. Us committee members have no sympathy, and let him stay there. Actually about 8:30pm last night in the dark, Jenny finally gave in and moved her own car underneath him so he could get down.
Bunny & Guinea-Pig Land:
Wednesday The Mr.'s birthday was a great success. I leaked his presents to him at decent intervals throughout the day, and he was happy with them all. Especially the new gee-tar that he's been promised since xmas 2 years ago!
Dinner was fun. But I hate rectangular tables. So hard to converse, it's like if you sit next to peeps A, B, and C, you can forget about ever hearing anything from X, Y, and Z throughout the night unless you come with a bull horn. Here's a bad photo of the A,B,C end of the table:
Anyway, that sneaky girl of mine, Ubs, got the waiters out to sing for him after dinner. The funny part was that they came out clapping and chanting and saying "AHNYO CHEH! AHNYO CHEH!" and we had no idea what it was that they were saying because of the acoustics (and the variety of different waiter accents) so the Mr. just sat there clueless and they had to keep chanting it for like 50 times straight - finally P, or whoever it was goes "OH they're telling you to stand on your chair!!" So finally he gets up on his chair and THEN they proceeded to sing happy birthday. It was funny. And they gave him tiramisu:
AHNYO CHEH!!:
This week has been full of going out and not so full of studying. My next semester for my course started on the 1st of september and so far i've only managed to read 68 pages. blehhhh. I have learned one thing, though: Toxicology bores the bejeezus out of me.
So yeah, Monday was yoga as usual, Tuesday gym, Wednesday the birthday dinner, then last night a big "thank you" drinks & braai for the Animal People volunteers that helped out at our big open day a couple weeks ago. I took some photos of the shelter between drinks and nibbles.
Troublemaker Billy:
This guy always jumps up on cars and then stands on their roofs and proceeds to jump up on top of the carport. However, the cars then eventually drive away and he's left stranded. Us committee members have no sympathy, and let him stay there. Actually about 8:30pm last night in the dark, Jenny finally gave in and moved her own car underneath him so he could get down.
Bunny & Guinea-Pig Land:
Eric showing off my favourite little guy: "The One Who Got His Ears Munched":
And finally, it is indeed bushfire/veld fire season. Since last weekend every night there's a massive orange glow on the horizon which stretches as far as the eye can see. Very upsetting. Especially last night when it was so close to my neighbourhood that I could see individual smoke plumes and flames from my kitchen window....
Labels: animal peeps, goin out, photos, school, The Mr.
Death Metal in G-City
0 Comments Published by Oh Wayward One on 10 September 2008 at 9/10/2008 03:56:00 pm.
so we went to this big ROCK FEST this past weekend.
Lordy, lordy... who knew there were these hard core rockers on the dark continent! Moreover, who knew they were actually locals and not just a bunch of angst-ridden expat's kids!??!
Some photos of the day out...
This first one is of the first band we saw when we got there, around 3pm. They're called CRACKDUST and if you go to crackdust.com you can see their website. Not to be missed. Trust me. As you can see from the crowd, not many people had shown up yet, but those that did were really into it and loved to show off their Osbourn-esque SIGN OF THE DEVIL!! RRAAAWWWWWRRRRR!!! (imagine Rammstein with a Setswana accent... that's all I can say to describe the enigma that is CRACKDUST.
Also NB about this show is the fact that it was advertised to start at 1pm. We thought we were going to seriously miss out by not being there until 3. Little did we know that we actually caught the FIRST BAND!! Talk about genuine African punctuality! In general, most people came around 8:30 pm or thereabouts.
The concert promoters did something a little bit funny... they had a lineup that included about 10 bands and let's say 6 or 7 of them were actually rock/hardcore/metal/grunge. The remainder of the bands included some Kwaito, kwasa kwasa, and local R n' B. The ONLY reason they did this was because they'd tried something similar a year ago and this newspaper reviewer slammed them for "not including local popular acts, rather than bands aimed at the MINORITY of people in botswana who like this rock crap" (ok i'm paraphrasing) The jist of it was that they were being dissed because the lineup was too "western" and not "african enough" or whatever.
There had been a lot of speculation about the "wild crowd" and "troublemakers" that might be there. Extra security was in place. Cops everywhere. Editorials in the newspaper about devilworshippers and evil. You know the drill. Think bible-belt America in the late 80's, grappling with issues like "how to deal with children who listen to Quiet Riot".
CRAZY rock fans! CRAZY!
Thus, we had these guys: (somewhat popular kwasa kwasa group with dancers and obligatory dude with major afro). As you can see, the crowd was huge. (NOT!)
Yes that is a bicycle wheel on his head:
It was like tumbleweed City until they brought back on the HARD ROCKERS!!! There was one mega metal band from SA, and the rest were pretty local. I swear I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be watching about 150 africans in black leather and Iron Maiden shirts moshing to the sounds of RRRRRAAAAAAAAWWWWWWRRRRRRRR!!! KILL THE BEAST!!!!!! I AM SATAN'S BEARER OF PAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIN!!!!!!!!!! The remainder of the 200-strong crowd were those of us whities who kinda showed up just to see if it was real.
I do have to say it was worth it though! Well notwithstanding the warm beer that only arrived at around 6pm, and the 4 or 5 token non-rock bands who were just... zzzzzzzzzzz. It had only been one day since Reggie died and we weren't exactly looking for a huge party, so we left around 10 but I think that was sufficient. I got my rock on. Our friends were all there and we had a good time. Even the boys liked it.
