Greetings from the Mother Shitty... Er... City

Well, it’s finally happened. After a few false starts and delays, I’m officially a Capetonian again. At least for the foreseeable future. 

There were farewells aplenty before I left, some crazy drunken moments, and LOTS of memories made to see me through the next however long, until I get back to my beloved city. I managed to miss my original flight on Sunday, which gave me a bonus extra night in Jozi (spent sleeping, after some of those crazy drunken moments the night before). I managed not to cry at the airport when I said my goodbyes and I love yous, but once we were airborne, and I saw this skyline, 

it was over. I was DONE, and bawled mine little eyes out. Fifteen years of good times, bad times, heavy times, rough times, awesome times and crazy times, all washed in the neon glow of the City of Gold, and they all came to a very emotional close when I saw Ponte and the Brixton Tower for the last time. 
But I did manage to get some sleep on the plane, because I was utterly exhausted to start with, and then there was the mass of Feelings. That little nap meant I got to Cape Town refreshed and (almost) ready to face my new adventure. But first, I had to face Mama Boo. After missing my flight on Sunday, she was NOT impressed with me, but all was forgiven when she rushed at me and almost squeezed my left lung out of my…. Well, let’s just say it would have been painful and awkward to explain if she hadn’t let go when she did. 
And then there was the welcoming committee when we got home. We’re staying with friends of Mama’s at the moment, and they had heard a lot of hype about Boo 2 (c’est moi), so they were all very excited to meet me. I felt a bit like a shleb, which was equal parts awkward and awesome. Cemented the fact that I’m not ready for fame *just* yet. 

But the thing that I was most excited to do? Give my little smelly cat a ton of love. 

Happy now that mama's here!

I flew her down on Saturday, after having her in boarding for almost 3 weeks. I missed the shit out of her, and she seems to have missed me too, evidenced by the fact that she lost a load of weight in the time she was in boarding, and the fact that she didn’t want to know Mama at all. But when I walked into our room and started talking to her, she perked up immediately, and we cuddled the shit out of each other. She’s even talking again, which Mama has found amazing and also unfair, because Ally didn’t talk to her without me. 

Being surrounded by so many people has been a bit overwhelming so far, but it’s because I’m not used to living with anyone except Smelly Cat, so it’s going to take some practice. And I’m missing my amazing friends and the funny little things I never realised Jozi had going for it till I woke up with no hadedas shrieking this morning. 

Joburg's indigenous natural alarm clocks

But I’m not rushing it or being too down on myself for not being into it immediately. I’m allowing myself some time to figure things out, and to settle in and get used to the idea of the Mother Shitty being my spot for a while. It’s not going to be home overnight, and I can’t expect it to be. It’s a huge move, and it’s going to take time to adjust, and that’s okay! 
Today, I’m off adventuring with Mama at her office, and plotting my next move. There are emails flying to agencies, my CV is going up everywhere I can think of, and my pen is close to melting with all the notes being made. So, Boolings, wish me luck with this adventure, send love and light and good vibes*, and the strength to make this work, stat. 

*Jozi-themed care packages would not go amiss, either. Just saying. 

CH-CH-CH-CHANGES

Just when I thought it was safe to say that things were settling down… 

God, the Universe really does like her curve balls, doesn’t she?? After all my raving about how happy I am in my own space, and how I’ve finally found the thing that makes me want to get up every morning and get out there for, everything got chucked up in the air again, and it’s all landed in a scattered pattern. Nothing looks like it did a week ago!

Last week, I was convinced I was having a bona fide nervous breakdown. All my old, awful so-called coping mechanisms came back to haunt me, and I felt like I was going out of my mind. Like clawing at my skin and sleeping all day just so I’m not weeping kind of out of my mind. Spent a good hour and a half on the phone with SADAG. They are amazing. The chick talked me down from a total fuck out, and gave me some solutions so that I didn’t feel so fucking helpless. And once that had all settled, and I’d stopped scratching at myself for no good reason, had something to eat and calmed down a little bit, my land-hag came by and gave me notice on the cottage. She’s a grumpy old dragon, and she stayed true to form that evening. But in a way I guess I was lucky that I was already completely drained after everything else that day, or else I might have reacted in a very different way. Instead of going completely off the deep end, I just sort of nodded and processed what she was saying, and went and sat on my bed and just breathed. Panicked a little that night – not much sleep was had – but by the next morning, I was ok. I had a couple of back up plans in my head that I then followed through on, and pared those down to one viable option.

Which brings me to my latest news:

Miss Boo is moving to Cape Town!

I won’t lie, I’m totally heartbroken at the thought of leaving my beautiful city. This place is my heartbeat. Being away for a week in February was so difficult, and I was more homesick than I’ve ever felt in my life. I guess it’s because Jozi is my hometown. I’ve lived here for 15 years, for crying out loud. Every single Important Life Event has happened to me while living in this place. I never thought I’d have somewhere to call my hometown, given the nomadic existence of my family. But goddammit, this is it. It’s a part of me! So leaving is going to be one of the hardest things I’ll have had to do. If I was sick of the city, as everyone gets from time to time, it might be different, but this is like leaving someone you’re in love with. Nonetheless, I know that Jozi will always be here for me. BUT! I'm getting more and more excited about the prospect of being a Capetonian again (for a while) every day. Things are just happening and before I've had a chance to process one thing, the next thing's on the go. It's truly going to be an amazing experience, and I have a feeling it's going to be the restart I've been so desperately in need of for such a long time.*  

And, in the meantime, I’m looking at this move as a brand new, sparkling adventure. Just because it wasn’t part of the plan doesn’t mean it’s bad. It could just be the best thing that ever happens to me, you know? I’m going into this with a shiny, positive outlook, and not with fear and loathing. Day one of the plan was very much fear and loathing, but since then, I sat and wrote lists, and by the time I was finished with those, I had found the excitement that was missing. And now? I’m antsy to get going! I have my lists – Things to Sell; Things to Pack; Things to Donate; Things to Chuck – and I’m getting a move on with those. Jesus, I’m such a nerd. Lists calm me down and make me feel better. Seriously?!

Also, an awesome silver lining is that I can probably continue with CAMI when I get to Cape Town. We have an office there, and one of the sales consultants has just left, so I could slot in there chip-chop and make a good go of it there. So there is a Plan. I’m not just going down there to see what I can see and hope for the best. I don’t want to be there indefinitely. There’s got to be a timeline. I’m looking at nothing less than 6 months, nothing more than a year and a half. That’s the ‘plan’, anyway. We all know what happens to the best laid plans, though, don’t we? Who knows? This could just be the beginning of the life I always hoped for. I’ve always looked at the bigger picture, and have learnt that leaving the finer details up to the Universe can work out pretty damn well in the long run, so that’s what I’m trying to do with this opportunity. Who knows where this could take me?

So, for the next few weeks? Head down, stomach in, chest out, and MUSH! I’m doing some work for an awesome interior contracts company, NODDS for the next couple of weeks (*ahem* If  you need any interior decorating or alterations, hit them up, y’hear? Tell em Miss Boo sent you!) to keep myself out of too much mischief, and supplement the moving costs.
And then? Packing my rucksack, getting my walking stick out, and probably forgetting my handkerchief, because...

If there’s any hope of allies like Kili and Fili, this adventure ain’t gonna be half bad!

* If I wasn't so bloody stubborn, I'd probably be well past the initial reset phase by now, but nooooooo. I was determined to prove that I could do this all on my own. Well, self: Lesson learned. No man, woman, or unicorn is an island. It's ok to need someone, mkay?

Guess who's back?!?!?!?!

Babies, Miss Boo is back! New, improved, and – believe it or not - feistier than ever before. Boo V2.0 is the result of a lot of trials, tribulations, and tequila. So. Much. Tequila. (gagging sound) 

To give you a very quick summary of the last year: 

* Frequently-bearded husband moved out with the fish and bird;
* I had to downscale epically and rehome myself and Kattie Boo, which also meant finding a shelter for my doggies (Go sponsor a doggie at FORA guys!!! No-kill shelter that does Good Work); 
* Faced my fear of driving, and conquered it in one weekend (and am now a certified, if still unlicenced, windgat); 
* My beautiful brother passed away; 
* I had 3 break-ins at my new house in 3 months and lost a lot of sentimental things;* 
* I got officially divorced; 
* I finally started work on my sleeve; 
* I collected some amazing, incredible people into my tribe, and rid some who turned out not to be who they said they were; 
* I finally left my crappy, dead-end, suck-your-soul-out-through-your-ear job (under a dark cloud of ugliness that’s not worth mentioning beyond a single word: KARMA); 
* Started my Saturn Return; and 
* Had what I’m pretty sure was some kind of breakdown in there somewhere, and yet I’ve survived somehow for the last 2 months with no income (because miracles are as real as monsters, and that’s said without a hint of sarcasm).

Oh, and I’ve lost somewhere in the vicinity of 35kgs. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, all in all, a pretty eventful few months, no? I’m sure you’ll forgive my absence in light of the fact that I’ve been trying to take this all in my stride and not end up in a mental institution. 

But the good news, Boolings? Despite a few little blips of uncertainty on my radar of sanity, I’ve come through all of this stronger, tougher, better, and more grateful for my blessings than ever before. And still smiling. A little more acidic and cynical than a year ago, but still fucking smiling. 

And my life is finally starting to look like the life I’ve always felt was right for me. That’s not to say there aren’t challenges – my god, the challenges! – but despite those, my life feels good. I feel good. For the first time in years, I really feel good. Who can argue with that, right? 
I’ve come to terms with emotions and realities and illusions and fears and misconceptions. I’ve battled dragons, and I have the scars to prove I conquered. My life has been far from charmed, but it’s still been beautiful, every step of the way. Sometimes I think that the times when I’ve been dragging my sorry ass along in the midst of whatever drama or crisis was kicking me in the teeth have been the most beautiful times. Hindsight, right? 
But because of the challenges and the lessons, I now have a home that truly feels like ME. It’s tiny, and I am only a few steps away from tomato-crate furniture, but fuck it. It’s my happy place, and my sanctuary, and MINE, and it’s awesome. I have a car full of dents and scratches, covered in band-aids that say things like “Whoosh” and “Ka-Pow”, and staples in the roof to keep the fabric from falling down, and which frequently runs out of fuel, but it too is MINE. My little Franken-car and I have had some adventures! I have the most amazing, beautiful, unbelievable souls around me, who have got me through some of the darkest times, and who have reminded me that there are such things as angels and miracles, in the most untraditional sense. And it won’t be long now before I can show them how much it’s all meant to me, and share some sunshine-and-vodka times with them. I can’t wait to spoil them! 

And the biggest deal in my life at the moment is my awesome, spectacular and unbelievably amazing new job. Yup. I just said that. I am a sales rep for CAMI@home, which is the most incredible educational software. I’ve honestly not felt this excited or passionate about getting up every morning and going to work in my whole life. It’s like I’ve found MORE of my tribe, and I get to go out and do this amazing thing with them every day and actually HELP people. 
It’s funny, you know. When I was writing my list of 2014 Revolutions, the number one thing on my list was ‘NEW JOB – Education??’ And here I am. Not quite how I thought it’d happen, but the Universe has her own ways, and I’ve learnt that questioning her ways is pointless, so I’m just going with it now, and saying Thank You. 

So, Boolings… Those of you who have been the angels (with discarded tinsel hanging off your black wings) – THANK YOU. If I’ve cried to you on the phone or in person, or texted you in the middle of the night going ‘What do you do if you think you’re having a nervous breakdown?’, or you’ve had to hold my hair back after a dozen too many tequilas, or you’ve danced on tables with me, or you’ve tolerated my excessive nerdism in my attempts to escape reality for a day or two, or you’ve put me on a bus for a week by the sea to clear my head, or reminded me that feeling is actually not all evil, or any of the countless amazing things you guys have done for me… I can’t begin to thank you, and will always, ALWAYS be grateful to you. I love you. (Yes, make gagging noises. I would if I were you. In fact, I might be doing that right now. Ahem.) 
If you’re one of the Boolings from far-and-wide, I’m sorry I’ve neglected you. I hope you’ll forgive me. I’m back now, and I have so much magic brewing that I just can’t keep it to myself for another second. So, expect good things! 

Here are a few photos that’ll show that I haven’t been hiding under a rock all this time, but am indeed alive and kicking. That should tide you over till the next post, oui? 

In The City 2013 

Hallowe'en 2013 - Little Dead Riding Hood and Corpse Bride looking intimidating

Being crazy at Justin's birthday

New Years craziness with Lady Smash

Beachy happiness in PE with Vaughan

New Years madness

The start of the New Years madness

High school reunion

reliving old times (we spent a lot of time doing this)

I got Lei'd

Having fun at Hooters

Rockabilly Radness

Shelly and the Jennas rocking Hogshead

Post-reunion face-licking

Party with my peeps

I think this speaks for itself

Coolest couple plus moi

Hogshead Hilarity

Crazy times at my niece's engagement party

More News From Nowhere 29.11.2010

Oh look! It’s a Monday! It’s not as dreadful a Monday as last week, though, so that’s a plus. Also, once today is over, there is only one more working Monday to get through! Figuring that out seems to have softened the blow this morning when my alarm went off.

So, on to the round up:

·         Friday was, as usual, quiet. I managed to leave work at a decent hour for a Friday and ended up at Fourways Mall. Loathe! Anyway, I managed to find a couple of reasonable dresses and a top at Mr. Price, and I think I might just wear one of them to our year end function next week… It just might work. (More on that later, though).

·         We were invited to both Billy the Bums (Sweet Lord, NO thank you!) and CCHQ (which I’ve never seen, and really, really want to). But Mister Boo wasn’t keen to do anything, so we just chillaxed at home. I made a note book for Maja Boo and I modified a waistcoat with ribbon, to make it a little more fun (and for the anticipated Piratey-ness of Saturday), and I crafted a little before going to bed. NOT very exciting, yet again. I was a bit pouty and sulky about him not wanting to go out, but hey, I’ll live, I suppose. Hehe

·         Saturday was a bit all over the place. I had to come in to the office for a couple of hours to sort out mangled flight bookings and car bookings, and then sat reading And the Ass Saw the Angel to Mister Boo. He is now totally freaked out by my choice of book, and wants to take it away from me in case it gives me any bad ideas. It’s a pretty intense book, and very descriptive, which is a bit scary when it comes to various methods of murder and such. (It sounds a lot worse than it is, in a way…) While I was working, Maja Boo and Gramps went off to have coffee with a zealot friend of Gramps’, who irritates the crap out of me. That may have been why I was less than totally depressed when I had to come to the office instead of joining them.
Once we finally left the office, we headed to Bryanston for dreaded grocery shopping, and to grab a bite to eat. Mister Boo nearly drove me up the wall – he was SO grumpy and grumbly, which made it a wholly unpleasant experience. Being at home all day, every day has really dented his social skills – it’s going to be a lot of hard work restoring those! Ack! Naturally, I had to cheer myself up, so I bought shoes. Not just any shoes, though! I FINALLY found a pair of black wedges, and they’re gorgeous! Even better than what I had in mind, and a whole lot less money than I was originally planning on spending! Yay!!! I literally did a little dance of joy when I found them. Right there. In the store. In front of all these conservative old ladies. Yup.
I present:

·         I bought a Christmas tree at the robots on Saturday too. (If you’re reading this and not from SA, robots here are these:

Will control the world one day. Especially when they don't work.
Wait, hang on...

     not these:

Not quite SkyNet...

And we have vendors at almost every single big intersection in Joburg, selling anything from knock-off fragrances and handbags to Christmas trees and license disc holders.) It’s such a cool little wire-work Christmas tree! No mess, no fuss, and easy to pack away after the ‘festive’ season. It looks awesome with our little jewel-toned baubles, and will look even better when we put lights on it. I also co-ordinated my wrapping paper to the colours of the baubles and the tree. Yes, I did. *winces in embarrassment* It’s a really cute tree though! Look:

O Kwismas Twee, O Kwismas Twee!

·         Saturday night was pretty much awesome. My previous post is the down-low on the bands we saw at Cool Runnings in Victory Park – needless to say, I’m still gushing about them and their awesomeness! This is what I wore:

 

I need to teach my fiance to take better pictures of my outfits!

 

      I was hoping that the Pirate theme would still be enforced, hence the corset-esque ribboned waistcoat. I also had a little stash of plastic eye patches, clip on hoop earrings and plastic medallions in my bag, just in case. Alas… We’ll just have to plan a pirate party now, so I can bust them out!

·         Yesterday was wasted on sleep again. I hate sleeping during the day (and during the night –Thanks Insomnia!), but I was feeling really weird all day. I wasn’t hung over, per say. I just felt utterly exhausted, and slept and slept and slept, which I think is totally self indulgent and gross. But I did it anyway. Ha! The problem is, it didn’t make me feel any better, and I just got annoyed with my damn body for being so lethargic and tired when I had so much to do! So now I have to go home and rush around, trying to tidy the spare room in time for all guests who are arriving this weekend, and still trying to squeeze in some guitar practice too. Ack! I think I’m going to put brakes on the guitar lessons until the start of next year, because the next few weeks are total chaos and mayhem, and I can’t put in the amount of effort that I would be satisfied with, and won’t make enough progress to justify taking up someone else’s time when I know I haven’t done enough. *sad trombone* I’m bummed, because I really want to get into a routine with it, but I just don’t think that’s going to happen this year. At least it will give me time to get the song I am learning down to a fine art! I can play it all the way to the coast! (and drive my family to the brink hehehe)

Well, that pretty much rounds everything up. I’m hoping to get through everything on my to-do list today, and only have to deal with the little off-the-cuff issues for the next week or so. (Which totally means there are going to be dramas galore, but somehow, I’ll get through it haha)

X

More News from Nowhere

Aaaaaaaand it’s Monday again!
Excuse me for not jumping for joy…

Moving on…


• Friday was, as always, pretty quiet. Just chilled out, and I think I was in bed quite early, because I had to be up early for the Doc on Saturday. I hate going to the doc when I’m tired, because I’m always a grumpy cow when I haven’t had enough sleep. (Today is case in point). Grrr…

• Saturday was quite quiet too. Ended up sleeping VERY late, so had to rush around to get to the doc on time. Had my consult – all good, yay! – and then headed off to Park Meadows to collect meds. Also did a teeny-tiny little bit of shopping while we were there, so I now own cheap white shell toes (which I need to scuff up soon, so they don’t look so new!) and some new silver bangles to add to my growing collection. I’ve always been very Janis-Joplin because I pile as many bangles as I can on at any one time, otherwise I feel naked. Anyway, after that, we came straight home and I got back into my jammies and parked on the bed with my laptop and a stack of DVDs. I watched The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford ( it’s still a loooooong-ass movie the second time around.) BUT:

(It's over two hours in, if you're gonna look for it and don't feel like sitting through the whole dramatic shpeel), Lolita (it’s still not the book), and Across the Universe. Which, again, got me feeling more melancholy than I think it was intended for the audience to feel. Still, I love it, and have got the Beatles stuck in my head, which is NEVER a bad thing. It also lead to a long bout of introspection and writing, and some pretty stark and scary revelations. Quarter-life crisis, anyone? Haha
Then found Hellboy II on M-Net movies, and that was it, I was plonked on the couch, engrossed. I LOVED the first one, and keep missing the repeats of the second one, so I wasn’t going to miss it. And the verdict: I loved it. Not as exciting as the first, but still awesome. The Angel of Death was amazing…

I need an excuse to put together a costume like that!!!!
And then, just after Hellboy, we found The Royal Tenenbaums. Squeeeee! I love it. I am a BIG Wes Anderson fan, so there was no doubt I was going to watch that. Mister Boo loved it too, which surprised me. After that finished, we “old folks” were off to bed, and I sat and wrote until the ungodly hour of 3am. The movie finished before midnight. So, I can kiss my regular sleeping patterns goodbye for a few days, unless I make up for it tonight (which is looking like a great idea right now – grumpyasfuckmuch?!)

• And then yesterday… yesterday, I sat on my ass and did sweet nothing ALL DAY. It was great. I watched movies, I read, I listened to music all day, and I played Jewel Quest. But aside from that? Nothing. I loved it.


I am chastising myself for not practicing my guitar this weekend, because I really wanted to, but I just didn’t have the energy to think too hard about anything. So tonight, I will practice like the crazy lady I am, and hopefully be ready for my lesson tomorrow.


Well, being as miff as I am, I don’t really have much else to say, unless you’re looking for fun ways to swear at people…. No? Okay then. We’ll catch up soon, yes?


X

More News from Nowhere 15.11.2010

I’m starting to resent the speed with which this year is passing me by. I loathe this time of year. Everyone’s grumpy, everyone’s complaining, we’re all snapping at each other, there’s always too much to do and too little time, and all anyone can think about is the holidays. Which, incidentally, start in exactly a month for me. NotthatI’mcountingsleepsoranything.

So, on to news:

·         Friday’s babysitting turned out to be more challenging than I anticipated. Jadey, the elder sister (13) was a breeze, as usual. She reminds me so much of myself at that age –enthusiastic about left-of-center subjects and an avid reader. And the younger sister, Jillian (7) has energy levels I dream of, and don’t-freaking-have. I was already pretty tired when we got home, and before I was even out of the car, the last of my energy was slowly ebbing away. She’s not precocious or naughty or anything like that; she’s just….. really-REALLY-bouncy. As we walked into the house, we were greeted by banners and posters hanging over the dining room table, which declared November 12^th “Girlfriends’ Day”. Cool. J That made Sunday "Boyfriends' Day", which I decided meant that I could have all my 'boyfriends' around (in my imagination, anyway), and Mister Boo would have to smile and nod. It was a nice theory, right?After dinner, Jilly went through my entire wardrobe and put on a fashion show of note. Girlfriend’s got the moves! Haha Mister Boo showed her an ancient DOS golf game he downloaded, which kept her enthralled while he was saving music for me. Then we drew a bit (I’m working on my next tattoo design), and suddenly it was bedtime. So we got her wound down, read her a story about Auggy the Froggie and his earache, and not long after, she was lights out. I think I was just too tired to enjoy it properly. It wasn’t bad, I just didn’t as much fun as I’d hoped to.

·         Saturday consisted of sniggering to myself quietly as Jilly woke Mister Boo up at 5:30, by dangling his little alarm clock right in front of his eye and tapping it until he woke up. Hehehe Then I had to scramble to get ready for the hairdresser, for re-blue-ing of my hair. That took up a good chunk of the day, and I didn’t get to see the girls much on Saturday, which I was kind of disappointed about. But it was okay all the same, because we had a really good catch up with Nix, who does my hair, and who I’ve known for 12 years (!!!!!), and her family. Her dad showed me the most awesome clip when I told him I’m doing guitar lessons – it kinda blew my mind a bit. J

·         Saturday night was awesome. Simba’s family murder-mystery dinner was, naturally, a howling success, and we all had a great time. I, Katheryn Eater-Jones, was not the murderer, to my relief! I was, however, supposed to be a stalker-ish lady, but I didn’t have the energy for that on Saturday night, so I played up the frustrated-with-the-picky-eaters chef instead. Hehe It was really good fun. I am hoping to post some photos tomorrow, because I clean forgot to download my photos from my camera yesterday. Under all these crazy colours, there’s definitely some blonde!

·         Yesterday I managed to tackle sorting out my bedroom! I’m so relieved! We have to rooms, joined by an inter leading cupboard door which you have to walk through, and they’re both quite small and easy to clutter. So I pulled out all the crap, sorted it as best I could, and re-organised. Pushed and pulled furniture, moved our bed into a better position (according to Feng Shui), and cleaned. Cleaned, cleaned, cleaned. And cleaned some more. Crikey! It’s such a satisfying feeling to get to grips with stuff like that, and really get it sorted out. I sat on my bed for a while last night, listening to Grinderman and Grinderman 2 (and canning myself laughing at the lyrics – “My baby calls me the Loch Ness Monster – Two great big humps and then I’m gone”) and playing Faerie Solitaire and just enjoying the new feel of the room. J  

·         I actually sat down and watched the 8pm movie last night! I don’t usually do TV, other than Brothers and Sisters and CSI:NY on a Thursday, so to drag myself out of my room and watch the movie had my family’s jaws on the floor there for a moment. I did my nails while I was watching, because I’m far too ADD and fidgety to just sit still and watch something. (I bought this colour on Saturday, and quite like it. It works with my new 90’s-esque look and feel, and goes along with my new *gasp* - I never thought I would do this, but – white peep toe clogs. I know. *hangs head in embarrassment* BUT, they are on trend, affordable, and damn comfortable! SO… I’m just gonna go with it. I can always blame fashion madness, or lack of sleep or something when I look back. Haha)

     Moving on… The movie was Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage. I was a bit skeptical about it at first, and there were a few predictable or random-don’t-make-sense elements, but all in all, I actually quite enjoyed it. AND, strangely enough for a big box-office flick, it actually led me to do some introspection. Okay, granted, it’s a topic that’s been bubbling under in my psyche for a few weeks now, what with it being a running theme in the Bad Seeds lyrics, but the movie last night had me looking at it again… It was the subject of my faith. Or rather, current lack thereof. So, there’s something I can stew on for the next few weeks and try and figure out. As if my mind doesn’t work enough overtime! Clearly I don't sweat the petty stuff, huh?

So… it being Monday, there is a lot of madness to deal with this morning. I better get to it before I get an inquisition (Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition! hehehe) about all the check-lists I suddenly have to complete every effing day. Work… that’s another story for another day! Monday is probably not the best day to tackle work issues in a post, right?

So, happy Monday, enjoy and all that!

X

More News From Nowhere - 8.Nov.2010

Phew! What a day! What a weekend!!


Friday night was spent holed up on the couch, dosed up on flu meds and listening to music while I played Jewel Quest 2 (I have a bit of a problem here – I CAN’T STOP! And it’s not all that exciting…) while watching the Dog Whisperer (also known as one of Maja Boo’s numerous ‘boyfriends’ – she has a lot in TV-land) before I finally gave in and just slept and slept and slept and … you get the idea. Flu meds’ll knock you!


Spent most of Saturday morning snoozing, and when I finally surfaced after 10h00, I was still the first one awake. Peculiar….But once we had all risen from the dead, we made the fatal mistake of going to Makro. H-O-L-Y C-R-A-P. Never again. *shudders* The ONLY thing that made it just bearable was having a lot of Nirvana on my iPod, and remembering to take my iPod with. Otherwise I would probably have ended up doing what Mister Boo did, only… on purpose. He managed to almost overturn a food sample cart, and he wasn’t even aiming to do it. He felt kind of bad about it, but because he gets so tense when we’re grocery shopping, he sort of scowled at the guy when he apologized. So if you were almost mowed down by a crazy looking guy at Makro on Saturday, I’m really sorry. Peace and love?!


Went through to Simba early on Saturday evening, to help him set up for his Murder Mystery Dinner. I took a whole bag of props with – feather boas, stars, masks, sparkly ribbons and things… and went a little crazy. Luckily (for Simba) I forgot to take glitter, otherwise I think he might still be covered in it.
I love Murder Mystery Dinners. They are a fantastic way to get people to really interact, and have lots of fun on a smaller scale. The accents that people come up with are fascinating, and the outfits?! Never short of fabulous. It’s so cool when people really get into dressing up and embracing the theme.
We met some new people too, and they’re also crazy, so we’ve decided to keep them! Haha We’re slowly building an army of nutters who will someday take over the world, and enforce international pink hair days and such when we’re in power. Muahahahahahahaha!
*cough cough* I will post photos when I have the time to sit and add them in and caption them appropriately.


Yesterday I woke up wondering why my head was so sore. Hmmm… it could have been the whack I gave it on the door frame on Saturday night, or it could have been all the vodka consumed in the spirit (hehe) of partying. I think it was a combination, though. So after a really good greasy brekkie, I lurched back to my bed, and stayed there. ALL. DAY. Not sleeping, mind you, just there. I had my laptop open, I listened to Nick Cave (all.day), I read some twisted literature, I played some Fairie Solitaire, I wrote some warped short stories… all in all, a pretty good day. And it’s just as well I took it easy yesterday, because so far, today has been CHAOS. I mean it, I feel all dizzy from the madness that has ensued here today. I have a task list to get through today, that resembles the one I had to complete for the whole of last week. SHIT!


So, on that crazy and rushed note, I’ll be off. Wish me luck with the Task-List-From-Hell!


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More News From Nowhere - 18.Oct.2010

It’s Monday! Do you know what that means?
No, me neither.
Oh well… Weekend recap then.


Friday night, Mister Boo, Simba and I went to see Boo!, the awesome, indescribable and utterly delicious Monkipunk crew who have just reformed, after disbanding six years ago to pursue solo stuff. When that happened, a lot of people were convinced the SA music would never be the same, and in a way, it hasn’t. It’s grown in leaps and bounds, and been awesome nonetheless, but just not the same without Boo! So when I heard they were back, I literally squeed with excitement. I thought I would pee my pants, but I managed to just squeak repeatedly and shiver until I got to the nearest bathroom. So when I heard that they were doing a FREE GIG at Montecasino on Friday night, there were no two ways about it. Short of lying in hospital with a broken neck and ventilator, I was going to Boo! And it was nothing short of spectacular. They rocked the shit out of that place! I bounced until my feet hurt, I bounced until my legs ached, I bounced until every part of my body was aching and drenched. And then I bounced some more.
Also, I’ve decided that when I grow up (or not), I want to be Ampi Omo!!! That guy has so much energy, I could only dream of bouncing like that! He plays about 95 instruments, sometimes at the same time, and always seems to be having the ultimate blast doing it. Man, so awesome. Also, he looks incredible in leather and red chiffon bell-bottoms on stage! Hahaha MK did a great job of organizing the event, which had a real carnival theme, with the mime who molested Simba, the fire-dancers, the unicyclist… It was great.


We met up with La and her sis after the show; they had been to see Mama Mia, also at Monte. Man, she'd had waaaaaaaay too much coffee by the time we got there to meet them! I think she was super-excited to be out with her sister, and no-one else, just having a girly night. She was bouncing like a wind up toy, wound up to the max, and then the key breaks, so the toy just keeps going... haha It was awesome to see her having so much fun again! They seemed to enjoy Mama Mia, so I'm glad. We were virtually evicted from Mugg & Bean for being too disruptive -- just like the old days, when we were kicked out of virtually everywhere for being rambunctious. Good times! Parapa!


I did very little on Saturday, which was fantastic. I managed to not sleep the whole day away; that was nice. Just took it easy on Saturday night, relaxed and played more Jewel Quest 1. (I’m working my way through all of them, sad-sad-sad) Yesterday was dedicated to cleaning out the office, which was so oppressive that I couldn’t create a damn thing in there. There was so much clutter! Also, because of all the clutter, and the first rains, I was afraid to be in there alone at night, because of all the gigantic rain spiders who LOVE to pounce on me when I am all alone in there. Yuck! But Mister Boo managed to annihilate the mommy and daddy spiderios before they spawned spiderlets, so all seems right with the world. For now… more rains to come though, so we shall see. All the same, the studio now looks and feels like a studio again, and the creative energy is flowing a little more already! Can’t wait to get stuck in there and covered in paint and glue and stuff! Yay!!


Also, my sister and brother-in-law came round yesterday for a drink. It was my niece’s 21st last week, and they had bought a bottle of wine on her birthday, which they’ve kept to drink with her on her 21st. Trouble is, she doesn’t drink wine. So they came to us instead, and we drank to Ami’s gorgeous-ness instead.


I was planning to tackle our laundry this evening, but I just received my new Kalahari.net delivery, which will put me out of action for a few days. The Death of Bunny Munro, by (current obsession) Nick Cave. Will let you know what I think when I’ve got through it. It was nominated for the Bad Sex in Fiction Award last year, so I have high hopes. I love Cave’s twisted sense of humour, and the kind of dark, creepy awesomeness that permeates from him, so I’m hoping the book continues in that vein. Before I ordered it, I watched a few clips of him reading from the book on the Bunny Munro website, and that sold me. He seemed to relish it, so if he can still be excited about it after having eaten, breathed, lived the story while writing, then I’m looking forward to it.


Now, to find a point to Mondays….


With love and monkipunk

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More News From Nowhere - 11.Oct.2010

Wow, what a weekend! I haven't had this much fun for what feels like YEARS! I've been in such a funk for months now, and it's all been winter-gloom and wedding-stress and shrinking-family syndrome, but it's finally all starting to clear. Now that winter is behind us, and we've postponed the wedding, and we've got through some more big days without the people who mean so much to us, it's dispersing.
It started to thin out last weekend, when my awesome boss gave me tickets to Mama Mia for Friday night (AWESOME,AWESOME, AWESOME, thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou), getting my new tattoo done last Saturday (beautiful, all healed up, so photos to come sans redness), and going to lunch with Nix and Bruno. And with the sheer awesomeness of this weekend, it's just completely lifted. Gone! (Touch wood!) The funk has left the building, and I am back to be ME, the bouncy, happy, excitable, giddy girl even I've missed these last few months. I've been down so long, It started to look like up. But thanks to awesome friends, without whom I would probably be committed to some dirty institution before long, and some awesome events and happenings, I've been reminded of the difference between up and down, between pretending and really feeling, and I'm feeling all straightened out again. I swear, if I could have lifted this earlier, I would have, because funks fucking suck. But then, I wouldn't have learnt anything, would I?


So, weekend catch up:
Friday night, we went to The Doors, one of the VERY few clubs I will set foot in. Now, just to give you an idea, the clientele is less like this:

and a bit more like this:

We were celebrating the end of an era for La, who finished at her old job last week, and started a new one today. We all had SO MUCH FUN! Although I think I may have freaked out some of her former colleagues who were very UN-Doorsy to start with. I tend to go a leeeetle crazy when I get started! I danced and danced and danced until I thought I might collapse, then I had a drink and danced some more, until I was convinced I was going to collapse. It was a fantastic party, just what I needed. Mister Boo usually complains that the music and vibe is always the same at Doors, like it's a bad thing, and you could stay away for years, and it would be the same when you come back. Pfffft, I've always said. That is, until our friend Mr. T went to Japan for a year, and when he came back, we hit Doors. And yea, he said that it was just the same as when he left. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, though. It's kind of like coming home; for me at least. I always look forward to Doors like a kid looks forward to Christmas, and it's very rare that I leave disappointed.

Anyway, for some reason, I woke up with a hangover from Hades on Saturday. Can't seem to figure out where that came from! hehe I was surprised though, because I actually had less to drink than I usually do. Maybe that's the key. Get REALLY smashed, then it cancels itself out? Anywho, I had to battle my way through grocery shopping and wax, which was a bit torturous in my delicate condition. Still, I survived that, and went home and climbed straight back into bed. I left everyone else to unpack the groceries and crap, and I just nursed myself back to health and functionality (is that a word? It is now!) until freaking 4 PM!!!! I was disgusted at myself for wasting the whole day sleeping, and for being such a sissy about my babelaas, but you know what? I needed it, and erased the guilt with computer games and rock music. I felt like a whole new woman when I did finally get going again, so I guess it was worth it.

And then, Sunday. Oh wow, Sunday was AMAZING! We met up with Simba and pulled through to Rocking the Gardens, the Joburg leg of the Rocking the Daisies festival. It's been a LONG time since we did anything remotely as fun as that! We saw Farryl Purkiss (Shoo-wee, what a hottie! And SO talented to boot!) as we found our spot under the trees and settled in. I went and got my free Nokia t-shirt, which is actually really nice! It's a beautiful teal colour, and made of hemp, so yay pretty-and-sustainable! Saw some other bands that didn't really register on my radar, although there was this one band - we didn't actually see them, because we were strolling around the various stands and tents - but they sounded pretty awesome. It was kind of Eastern-European influenced, very folksy and they had such a stunning groove! I really enjoyed that. After a few more sort of... nondescript people, we moseyed over to join Simba in the comedy tent. If you ever have the chance to see Pete Johansen's stand up, do it, it's well worth it. Even in a food court. Heh-heh. After that, Mr. T, Mister Boo and I took a stroll through to the main stage, and found Flash Republic performing. No, wait... performing isn't the right word... Partying up a storm is more like it. They are so high-energy, and you just can't help but party along, too. They're great. Tamara Dey is, as usual, so gorgeous, and she always looks like she's having the time of her life, even when her mic goes all funky and crackly. They really got the crowd going, and were really just awesome fun. I got the bouncies thanks to them (and good ol' Smirnoff-n-Sprite).
And then... The Springbok Nude Girls. Now, when you say Rock Star or High Voltage or Holy-Crap-I-Could-Implode-From-Being-In-The-Presence-Of-Such-Sheer-And-Unadulterated-Awesomeness, you better picture these guys! And if you don't already, you better start to. NOW. :) Every time I see them perform, they are just better and better and more and more amazing. We've seen them a few times, at various venues ad settings, but yesterday was probably one of the most awesome shows I've ever seen, including the international acts I've seen over the years. When you consider that they went on stage about half an hour later than they were scheduled to, because one of the earlier bands ran over, and they HAD to shut the event down at 18h00, we sure-as-shit got our money's worth, and our Nudies' worth! Fuck, they managed to do a whole set in half an hour, a whole lot of the best older stuff, and some of the better new-er stuff, and the vibe was just... indescribable, actually. They blew me away, once again. I didn't stop jumping and bouncing and screaming - yes, a little louder at a hint of Arno's skin and low slung pants, and ... ahem. Nevermind. (Fan-Girl Alert!) But honestly, aside from the sheer, undeniable raw sex appeal of the whole band, they are just... fucking Rock Gods of epic proportions. There should be all sorts of dedications to the awesomness of the Nudies, the world over.

What did you do over the weekend? Obviously nothing could compare to the awesomeness of the Nudies (accept it, there's no denying it, sorry), but I'd like to hear it anyway.

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