I Have Been Tagged

Okay so I have been tagged by http://andrearobertson.blogspot.com to share 7 random facts about myself, here goes

1. I am crazy about the biggest animals on the plant - whales, elephants and horses in that order, but at the same time I know that if I came up close and personal with the first two I couldn't cope, I would be scared to death. I once went on a 'special' safari to spend time out with elephants in the Botswana bush and you guessed right, the first elephant that stepped silently out in front of our Landrover scared the living daylights out of me. Horses don't scare me but I am a wimp when I ride.

2. I have been recycling for as long as I can remember, way longer than it has been fashionable. I am seriously passionate about the environment although most people don't notice. I even fired a domestic worker because she refused to use the separate dustbins and that was 12 years ago.

3. I am passionate! I either love it or hate it and either way I am passionate. I subscribe to "do it the right way or don't bother" harsh I know but I am getting a little better with age.

4. I am attracted to beautiful people or good looking people. All my friends are good-looking or pretty or beautiful, alright, inside and out. I don't necessarily seek them out it just happens like that.

5. I battle to kill anything. I believe in live and let live. Although I eat meat! But if I had to kill it myself I would be an instant veggie. In summer I have been known to put water in the basin for the ants that are thirsty, and I love spiders the bigger the better but I like to know where they are before I put the light out at night.

6. I am absolutely 100% terrified of rats!! But at the same time they fascinate me. I watch programmes on TV about them, look out for them whenever I am near a railway track (I am convinced they run all over the tracks) and even had my DH take me down to the harbour one day because he told me he saw loads running around near the waters edge. There was a dead rat in our garden about a week ago and I had to go and look at it - from a safe distance.

7. I am moving in 24 hours and I am sitting typing this stuff!!!

So I am now supposed to tag 7 people.

Stephanie
Vicki
Topkat
Jo
Michele
Hayley
Ali

Link to your Tagger and list these rules on your blog.Share 7 facts about yourself - some random, some weird.Tag 7 people at the end of your post and link their blogs.Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

I'm Back

I'm back, dusted off and stronger than ever. I have given myself a job working with DH as his new sales representative hehe. Not quite as exciting but what the hell, I can get to work after walking the dogs and loading the dishwasher and the washing machine. I just need to get past these next 2 weeks.

Did a photo shoot yesterday with Tanya, of a friends little girl, I always end up photographing the girls, where are the boys? As a result I only got home at about 7pm, so my family had fish fingers and salad for dinner, much muttering later.

Crap!

I didnt get the job!! I am feeling as flat as a pancake! Will pop back when I feel a bit better.

Weather Widget

I put this widget onto my blog cos I thought it was quite cool, when readers can check out the weather here when they are 'there' so to speak. Well it unfortunately is a Kak widget. The weather here today is glorious to say the least, it is already about 20 and is probably going to get to 25 maybe more. Anyone know of a better one?

Patience

I am still waiting to hear whether I got the job or not. Damn it damn it damn it (that was polite) it is driving me crazy. The guy contacted me on Monday and said he would come back to me by the end of the week! Do you think he means Sunday?

We are also awaiting all the documents to do with the house! Flip "do I look like the patient type"?

9 Days

That's right, 9 days to go and I have packed about 6 boxes. I am in a state of the calm before the storm at the moment or is that just stupidity? I hear myself "no rush" we cleared out most of the rubbish 18 months ago when we moved back into the house after the renovation. I have got slightly cold feet knowing that the house we are going to could be sold at any minute and we would be given 2 months notice. All part of the adventure I suppose. The kids are all amped and have both packed a box each in their bedrooms. We took them to see the new place and they both loved it, strange, although it does have a secure feel about it which Erin noticed straight away. Funny what kids notice. LOL S.A. kids that is.



Scott has just had another 2 days off school, yep Jewish holidays. So I became taxi driver again. I do love having them around on 'normal' days especially one at a time but darn do I have to run around alot. I must have spent 2 hours in the car yesterday.

10am Drop Scott at the beach to meet with friends for a swim and a game of tennis (he dropped the tennis in there so that I thought he was playing sport!)

2.30pm Collect Erin from school then onto collect Scott from beach along with a friend who needs a lift to a nearby area.

3.30pm Just get home and Scott grabs a bag and its waterpolo at 4pm.

4pm Drop Scott at Waterpolo

5pm Drop Erin at stables for her riding lesson

5.30pm Collect Scott from waterpolo

6pm Collect Erin from the stables and wait for ages whilst she untacks and gives the ponies bruised apples that I had to remember to take with me.

What was that about me getting a job?

Irritating Conversations

I have just put the phone down on a very irritating conversation. Do you get these?

Them - Hi Mam' I am already irritated I am phoning from Woolworths Insurance and I would like to give you a quote on your car insurance.

Me - Ok fine, go ahead.

Them - How are you today mam'

Me - Fine thanks

Them - I am wonderful today thanks for asking.

Me - I didn't ask

Them - Oh sorry I am so used to just saying that.

Me - I know that's why I didn't ask (and I don't really care either)

Them - Ok, this call is recorded for quality blahdy blahdy blahdy

Me - Put the phone down.

I think I am just a bitch.

Weekend Update

Erin had an Irish dancing show on Saturday, so we spent Saturday from 1pm sitting around back stage with 100s of other moms. Just up my street. I was a helper, I ended sewing the girls dresses to their bras whilst they were in them. Try sticking your hand in a tweens/teens undergarment, asking them to give up TV for a week would be easier. The show was a great success and Erin enjoyed herself. Here's a pic of the merriment.




OMG I am moving in 11 days! My life is so exciting that most of the time I don't even know the date, fortunately I tend to know what day it is. So as a result of this I hadn't really thought about how soon this move is. Honestly, how many of you are as flexible/stupid as me? Who would pack up their house in 11 days? I have a very close friend who often refers to me as "completely insane".

Break Neck Speed

Things are starting to happen around here. We have successfully rented out our house. What a relief. And I don't have to look for anything because a friend has a house to rent not far from here which has been standing for awhile, also due to this crap market. We will rent from her and allow her to continue to market the house and move out if necessary at fairly short notice.

Erin is so happy at her new school she asked me to pick her up late today! That is amazing, Erin has always needed to see me sitting in my car outside school when she came out since she started. This is such a huge deal in my life to know that Erin is suffering less with her anxiety.

Off to start packing boxes.

Movies

I had an amazing day with my MS yesterday. He has been off school for 2 days because it is Jewish Holidays. So he had a couple of errands to run and so did I and we did them together. We had lunch together at KFC which turned out to be pretty eventful as a young girl, maybe 13,14 passed out in the queue. Poor thing was mortified when she saw that Scott had witnessed the whole thing. Note to Moms of girls: watch what they are eating or worse still what they are not eating. This girl would not even drink fresh orange juice that was given to her by a helpful stranger, she would only drink water. Yeah right, no wonder she had passed out by the looks of her she probably hadn't eaten for days.

Scott then dragged me to see Mamma Mia. Herein lies the problem. I know the whole planet has seen this movie and ENJOYED it. Okay, I did enjoy it, time out, funny in parts, I loved the story line. But come on it is hardly brilliant nor THAT funny. Friends of mine have said things like "falling off the chair - funny" I must have nodded off at some point and missed that part. Another friend "its a big screen movie"! But what I did enjoy was the music, I hate ABBA at the best of times, but I now realise its just the way they sing their own songs. Oh and Scott said that I am a carbon copy of Meryl Strep's character in the movie!

Wednesday Sketch

This is my take on the http://littleshopofsketches.wordpress.com/ sketch for this week. Pop on over to see the other designers versions.

Job Interview

Yesterday I had an interview for a full time job. The job is interesting, and just up my street. Key account management for a point of sale manufacturing company, no cold calling just handling a number of existing clients. The point of sale stands etc. that they produce are mainly cosmetic stands for the big brand international companies. It was all very exciting. I hopefully will hear this week if I was successful so please hold thumbs for me. Of course my life will change drastically if I should get this job not to mention everyone else around here. I have not worked full time for more than 20 years! I think the biggest adjustment won't be for me though, my kids will probably take a little strain, imagine not phoning me at the drop of a hat to pick them up or take them somewhere. So lets see.

Weekend

Nothing terribly exciting happened in our world this weekend. We had a showday at our house and I sat a showday somewhere else. I think I wrote the same thing 2 weeks ago, such is my interesting life.

We did however pop over to Hout Bay for lunch on Saturday, just Paul and I, we were both dying for sushi and we wanted to try out a place there. Not bad. We sat outside and were harassed no less than 4 times by hawkers and then had to move due to a contingent of bergies (tramps) settling in, drunk as skunks about 1M from me. The police station is around the corner from the restaurant and not one cop (there were cops everywhere) stopped anyone who was drinking on the street, flinging bottles around etc. quite uncomfortable actually. I ended up in tears (I must up my anti depressants), a woman with a pushchair came over of to us with a gorgeous baby girl of about 9-10 months and asked us for money, boyfriend had left yonks ago and she was destitute. I am not a total pushover my friends know that. I just felt for this poor girl she was in her early 20s and quite frankly if you don't have anyone to support you when you have a baby you are stuffed. I am finding it difficult to get a job and I don't have a baby to complicate the issue. She certainly didn't look like she was on drugs, she looked too healthy but one never knows. I cant imagine how difficult it must be to approach people and ask for money to support your child, oh well such is life with no welfare.

Old Clothes

I began sorting out the garage on the weekend, I now have boxes all over the place. I got them all out of the roof and then had a ADD attack. I did empty a few boxes though, mainly old clothes of the kids that are hopelessly out of date. I was sorting them when I came across some clothes that I didn't recognise. I went through them thinking that I was after all going insane as they were just not familiar. I eventually thought oh well someone must have given them to me to pass onto one of the animal charities that I support and packed them into the throw out/give to charity/jumble box. I had almost finished for the day when my 'lodger' arrived home, she is a student at a local restaurant. Bingo, sh........ I knocked on her door and asked if she had put any clothes in the garage and she prompt proclaimed "yes, but I do need to get them out as they are my summer wardrobe". I did manage to find all her stuff mixed in with the jumble. She hasn't spoken to me since.

Kettle

Wow, 2 posts in 1 day! But I had to share this.

If you care to remember, I had a kettle on my birthday wishlist on my sidebar. Okay so nobody got me a kettle for my birthday, but I got myself one. Just what I wanted too. Stainless steel, 360 degree cordless and a good brand - all this for R 70.00 or about $ 8.00, it is 2nd hand but apparently the 'old' shape, and it boils water in seconds. I am so stoked.

Morning in Court

I spent yesterday morning in court or should I say the passageway of the 3rd floor of the court house. I haven't done anything wrong I was kind of a witness but not actually, anyway let me get to the funny part. I finally got called in and was asked to come up to the front, not the witness box though which everyone else had been asked to stand in. I was in the front row where the powers that be sit. So the magistrate speaks to me, asks me a few dumb questions which I answered - politely (I do try). It all turns out that I was supposed to have an attorney with me so I was totally ill prepared, in fact I wasn't prepared at all, I showed up, that is all I thought I was to do. Just before he postponed the entire thing for 3 weeks, a gentlemen a little further down the row whispered to me "you are supposed to stand when 'he' speaks to you". LOL, soooo me. The whole thing was interesting though. How often do we get a chance to sit, literally just sit and watch people, people that you don't normally mix with, in this instance, gangsters - and quite obviously so, the clothes, the piercings, the gold teeth, the missing teeth, the attitude and lastly the accompanied policemen. The next section down the passage was the 'domestic abuse' court. That was the busiest section. Very sad and lots of the obligatory shouting from that end. I was just glad nobody whipped out a gun, we had been through metal detecting machines, but hell this is South Africa, anything can happen and does. So what did you do yesterday?

Song Lyrics

Something that I have been wanting to blog about for awhile now - song lyrics. If you don't have kids this post probably wont make much sense. "Lick me like a lollipop" - Lil'Wayne, youtube it if you haven't heard it before. My problem with it is that it is so catchy I end up singing it all bloody day. Okay so here is the mother grundy bit, My kids LOVE this song and so does ever other teenager in the world including yours! My kids fortunately share their world with me from time to time so I get to hear all this stuff (just in case you think that your kids don't listen to these songs). Believe me they also know what the song is about. Of course you could argue that teens have always listened to music that their parents don't approve of! I cant recall my folks getting concerned about the music I listened to in fact my Mum loved lots of it. I do remember the song from the early '90s that also got my heckles up "I touch myself" but again my eldest was about 10 and loved to catch my reaction when it played on the radio in the car, again I remember it being terribly catchy. Then there is MTV now this is no "high school musical" stuff, sit yourself down and watch it for half an hour. OMG you might as well watch soft porn.

Do you think I am just stuffy and uptight?

Look Closely

This is a seriously crap photo but it is hugely significant - if you look closely Scott and Erin are SHARING earphones to the same ipod OMG!!!! Aint that sweet?

School Holidays

The kids have a week off this week and all I seem to do is wait around for my instructions. A typical day:

Erin slept out so I get my morning call - Hi mom you can fetch me now. So I fetch her and then she is home for a couple of minutes, pulls on her jods and, 'ok mom can you drop me off at the stables now? So we load the smelly saddle and stuff into my clean boot and off we go. A couple of hours later my cell (which I cant leave out of earshot) goes 'hi mom you can fetch me now. Note this is not a question, just a statement. I go back to the stables collect Erin and the smelly saddle and stuff which completely fills my boot and scratches my car as it is flung in. She then gets home, jumps in the shower, gets dressed and yes you guessed it, 'mom can you pick up so and so and drop us off a movies? 'NO I CANT!'