Cheese Philosophy

Love these Pearls Before Swine cartoons!

Must admit, I feel exactly the same way about cheese. Even the most horrible vegetables become edible if served with cheese. Let's face it people, cheese makes the world a much better place!

Corny but True

The other day I was scrounging around in my cupboard of Ancient Stuff  I Can't Throw Away when I came across this:

It's a story from a Brownie magazine that published (and paid for) a little piece I wrote 'back in the day'. It's no coincidence the newsletter looks like it was printed on papyrus! I wrote that 24 years ago at the tender age of nine. I was a bright-eyed, bushy-haired little chick who loved the Brownies. I went for my writer's badge and the woman who 'judged' it liked it so much that she asked if she could submit it to Times 6, the Brownie mag. A while later, I got news that they were going to print it and I was sent a postal order for something like R1, which seemed like a lot of money to a nine year old in 1987! 

I remember feeling like a bit of a national hero because the pack leaders made quite a splash about it. Ah, good times. Obviously a lot has changed since I was nine, but one thing that hasn't is that I still like being paid to write, though my rates are now a little higher than R1 a piece!

With copywriting, you generally don't get to add your opinion or name to the things you write. That's why I have this blog, so I get to shoot my mouth off and throw my opinion around the Interweb. (Insert evil laugh here.)

Ironically, a few months back, a local fashion magazine sent me some stuff to review for their annual 'Best of Beauty' supplement. Not because my opinion is special but rather because they like to include subscribers in their surveys. Anyway, it was quite nice to open this month's edition and see my two cent's worth (and name) in print. It was only around ten words long, but sometimes it's nice to have another 15 minutes of fame!

Crossing the line

I'm a BIG believer in freedom of expression but sometimes it's perfectly acceptable to give someone a good smack and tell them to shut the eff* up! That's what I wanted to do this morning when I logged into Facebook and saw this:

This guy was dating a friend of mine who I've known since school days. We live on different sides of the country now and I don't really know what she gets up to and 'who' she gets it with. But one thing's for sure. A rant like that is crossing the line. Even if she really is a nasty skank (which I doubt), can an outburst like this one - on such a public forum - be truly justified? Hell no!

Believe me, I know relationships don't always end with a civil handshake while Disney birds sing in the background. When there are emotions involved it's bound to be messy. Yet surely there's room for a little dignity? I'm all for going into details with close friends, which usually happens around the second bottle of wine. Hey, we're all human. But to splash it across Facebook for your friends, family, colleagues and the pope to see?!?!? Not cool. 

There's a little part of me that wants to leave a comment on his page telling him what I think of him. But what's the point? I also feel compelled to tell my friend that her ex is saying some nasty stuff about her. Though it's been so long since I've chatted to her, it would definitely be awkward, to say the least. Need to work on that one. There's obviously more to the story but if this is how he lashes out then I reckon she can do a lot better. Good riddance. She should sue his ass for defamation. Jerk.

*I'm also a big believer of the odd swear word but can't bring myself to write one quite just yet.

Oh no, George Michael

I'm talking about this George Michael.

Not this one. 

It seems George is in trouble AGAIN after getting goofed on weed before driving his car into a shop window last month. (Seriously, surely it takes a LOT of grass to get that spaced out?) Anyway, now he's in trouble and may even be facing jail time. Oh dear. I must admit, I've always quite liked George Michael, in spite of his sometimes dodgy and 'lewd' behaviour. I guess it started off  in the WHAM! days. I used to think he was extremely cute.

Mind you, that was also back in the time of My Little Pony and Gummi Bears. And when being gay meant you were a happy person. Aw, good times!

A Soldier and a Nurse

This is one of my all-time favourite photographs...

 

It was taken 65 years ago, on August 14th 1945 by Life magazine photographer and photojournalist, Alfred Eisenstaedt. I've always loved this image because it represents relief, elation, hope, humanity. A simple kiss between a soldier and a nurse that turned out to be one of the most iconic images in modern history.

Bikes and boys

So this past weekend turned out to be pretty good. I started it off at Cape Town's V&A Waterfront. Charley Boorman was doing a book signing and well, being a geeky Word Nerd, I was more than happy to stand in the rather long queue to get a book signed. Boorman is one half of the duo that (in my opinion) made travelling around the world on BMW bikes cool. If you haven't yet had the chance to watch Long Way Down or Long Way Round, do yourself a favour and check it out. The most amazing adventures! 

Since doing those series, Boorman has gone on to fly solo and write books of his own, based on his latest travels. There's no doubt about it - he's a cool guy. I'm insanely jealous of the places he's been to - certainly beats the regular nine to five. Nice! 

  

Right to the Edge: Sydney to Tokyo by Any Means chronicles Charley's latest adventure. I've just started reading it but so far so good. I guess if you can't be there yourself, armchair travelling is the next best thing.

 

Keeper of Arb Stuff

Being a serial hoarder I find it hard to throw stuff away. Even the most arb things can have sentimental value. Like this wine label.

It's off a bottle I bought when was in France a couple of years ago. Made in Chile, this bottle of GatoNegro wasn't the classiest or most expensive wine I've ever bought. Yet it brings back so many memories of France and the little Italian restaurant near Bordeaux Station where I found the wine.

I love the label. So quaint. After drinking the wine ( which was so-so) I carefully peeled off the label to add to the box of Stuff That I Will Keep Forever. Seems silly, I know. But I can't bring myself to throw it away.

Goats, ducks and pearls

Last weekend (which already feels like forever ago) I was invited to stay at Pearl Valley. Even though the Cape winter was making its presence felt, it didn't dampen our spirits as we went wine tasting and ate delicious food. 

While in the Paarl area, we had lunch at one of my favourite spots - Fairview.

The cheese here is unbelievable! We spent the afternoon eating a good range of cheeses on freshly baked bread, accompanied by delicious wine. Heaven.

Unfortunately, the service wasn't too good. We found our waitress quite sullen and unhelpful, but maybe she was just having an off day. Back to the cheeses  though - DELICIOUS!!!

Love that goat turret!

Back at Pearl Valley, this little guy was paddling around the house we were staying at in. After feeding him a substantial amount of bread he got quite brazen and came close enough for me to take a few close-ups.

Quite brave, considering the braai fire was lit, only a few metres away. Though as you can see, he didn't stay for dinner...

Through the course of the weekend, we all ate ourselves silly! Hearty breakfasts, delicious curries and a never-ending supply of wine ensured we all went home well-rested, and a little bit heavier!

Happy Women's Day

Hope you all got to do Lady things!

Desperately Seeking Mojo

The last few weeks have been somewhat lackluster and I'm really struggling to find the motivation to do, well, anything. Maybe it's just that time of year, or maybe it's a symptom of the 'World Cup hangover' they warned us about. It probably has a lot to do with spending far too many nights in, watching bad TV But more than anything, it's because I'm tired of freelancing for what basically amount to tips. Freelancers need to sell themselves and that's just not something I'm good at. It really is a vicious circle, because the more pitiful and pathetic I feel, the harder it is to get motivated. Ironically, a couple of months ago, it looked like my mojo was making a comeback. I was going out more, getting interviews for jobs I actually wanted (though not necessarily qualified for) and basically feeling confident. Now I'm back to square one. Self-confidence rock bottom and flat-lining motivation levels. 

 (From the brilliant Savage Chickens)

It's time to get my mojo back, though I'm not exactly sure how to go about that. I suspect a little exercise might help find it, as well as eating a bit better and not indulging in so many Cadbury's slabs (and those fantastic little vanilla and caramel cupcakes from Woolworths). I've also been trying to de-clutter my home which will hopefully have a domino effect my life. But above all that, it's time to get more productive. I find it so hard to write when I'm feeling this way because everything that spills out is so negative, and let's face it, pity parties are just not entertaining reads. But seeing as this funk seems to have settled in, there's not much choice but to carry on writing regardless. So please indulge my pitiful little saddo self. This too will pass. Sooner or later.