imagenius

No - seriously! I am!! :)
Geoff is kind of addicted to IQ tests...he LOVES doing them...so *BLIP* went my gtalk box and this was the link: http://www.quizrocket.com/free-iq-test

Here is my result:

(I'm sure its just fluke & no- I'm not about to run off and join MENSA!!)

On a more serious note - and not to have this post be misconstrued as misleading -- I got the best little plastic gold fish from Imagenius the week before last to join my little neo-pet from Keli - my digital design mascots:

Looks like I caught it at a bad moment :)

Seuss it

I love Google...and I love Dr.Seuss!

A little while

Its been a while since I blogged -- probably because I have my lovely man back :)

I'm reading Shantaram..I'm 4 weeks and 700 pages in. Quite an epic. I find myself wondering when Karla will appear on the scene again. It seems there is no hope for our hero and the beautiful woman he has fallen in love with...its a great story though and reading it has found me walking around the flat, book in hand & in terrible danger of bumping into things.

Yes: that's what the bruises are from.

Do you walk into things all the time? My worst is those things on the door-post where the door lock shuts into..I have no idea what they are called. They stick out JUST enough to get me in my forearm almost every time I walk out of the studio. Our kitchen cupboard doors are really low at the bottom & I keep stubbing my toes on those...and I have bruises on my hips from walking into counter tops.

Woe is me. Not really.

Good news is that I got my washing machine out of my flat. It only just fits into the space allocated for it & I was so excited to get it in that I forgot to connect all the bits at the back before I moved it in. I have a mission ahead of me.

I keep on wondering if I should delete my last post.....keep wondering if it puts me in bad light......but hey - this is me and this is what I do...make up silly stuff about possibilities of what can be done out there in the world....at least I'm being honest about what I am up to.

Goth Scene?

When Geoff and I started dating, we had this situation where he and Robyn were mucking about on DatingBuzz - so I figured--well - if he can do it, so can I! ...and so we both did our online dating thing for a while. I will say here that I had much more success than he did and actually managed to make some friends! -- I was totally in love already so the poor dudes on the Buzz could only get friendship out of me -- totally unavailable emotionally to anyone but my true love - my Geoff! :)

So I was on my Google search page now-now and I looked to the right and saw this site called gothscene.com with a depressed looking teenager as the ad lurer-inner -- call me crazy -- call it WRONG, but I just felt sorry for those poor faces of the 19 year old Gothy kids on the site & I wanted to see what more of them looked like!!!!!....So I decided to browse through & the site is like all the other sites of its kind - a CON! ...I had to set up a profile and all sorts of stuff...needless to say, I have looked everywhere for the delete button (about 10 minutes after profile-setting-up) - but couldn't find it...at least they only have my junk-email email address! Mmmmwahaha!

...and so I decided that this situation is blog-worthy.

I think 'Goths' are called 'Emo's' now -- 'EMOTIONAL' - whatever next. Makes me feel old at my tender age of 29.

The little Goth bits of me are:

• I really like the episode of SouthPark when they all turn Goth...Stan loses his girlfriend and becomes all depressed and ends up joining the non-conformist Goth gang who all non-conform to drinking coffee and writing depressing poetry to prove their non-conformity...

• I've been to a Torture Garden evening in a church-club in Brixton (London) which was a really mind-blowingly different experience...
  
  
• My husband and I listen to a band called Therion quite a lot - its quite cool metally music themed around a (made-up?) ancient culture with rituals and stuff (awesome album cover too)...

---

OOOH! I just remembered that I actually have a picture on Facebook of my little party at Brixton at the church thing...Check it out! :

100% latex dress, my friend -- 100% latex
(borrowed)

African Font

Font Q

For a long time I have been wishing I had the means to draw my own fonts / create my handwriting as a font....I have also wanted to give friends their handwriting in a font as a completely different and personalised gift - the main problem has been that font creation programs always seemed, to me, to be quite labour intensive way to go about things - I downloaded a free trial of a font program once & tried to create a font via digital drawing with a drawing tablet....and then with my mouse: both with unsatisfactory results & a waste of time.

Last week, through Smashing Apps' Twitter updates, I discovered YourFonts.com & within about 15 minutes I had my handwriting - as a font - installed on my computer!

The YourFonts.com site is super-easy to use:
There are steps on the right hand side which lead you through the process (which is clearly explained in the body of the page, with buttons to click that you just can't miss: no hunting around the page) -- one hardly has to think about it because it's all done for you! Easy as 1..2......font!

1 Print the Template
2 Complete the Template
3 Scan and Save the Template
4 Upload the Template
5 Preview Your Font (so quickly it's almost like magic! ...and you can put your own text in to see how it looks)
6 Download your font
7 Install and Use

The only place I got stuck at first was that I forgot to name my font, so the second time I did it, I ended up with a font of the same name 'YourFont' -- how blonde!! So remember to name your font on the upload page! There is also a copyright you can customise to attach to your font!

I re-drew & uploaded a few quickly drawn versions & found that if I tweak the alignments slightly in Photoshop - just move letters / characters to their base-lines if they're a bit up/under or rotate the letters slightly - the font looks more even, cleaner and nicer over-all in a body of text . I particularly had an issue with 'j' - especially after an 'a' - there was too much of a gap between the letters.

The best thing of all: It's FREE! ...and you don't need to sign up for anything if you don't want to!
Crossing fingers & holding thumbs (yes-simultaneously) that this service will stay free...

The site has clearly EXPLODED with popularity which is a clear indication that I am not the only person in need / want of this service - There were over 400 font generation tasks 'currently in the queue' after 1/2 hour of trying to get my upload in queue - repeatedly pressing the 'Upload Template' button & watching the queue decrease in hope that I'd be able to upload soon......And so I found myself in my first-ever 'digital queue'. The return of The Big Q? I sincerely hope not!

Possible Plagiarism

Would you believe, that one day after finding this beautiful image of the 'letter' hugging the girl, I got an email from Exclusive books Fanatics club possibly plagiarising this very image! It seems to me, WAY too much of a co-incidence that this image showed up today - right after the Smashing Apps Twitter post yesterday..

Call it PMS...call it fury at people [possibly] not sticking to design etiquette - It would be so much easier to just steal other people's work! That's not why we are employed as designers...almost any monkey can copy and paste without getting the right permissions. It's not no-man's land: it's OFF LIMITS!

So I wrote a letter (below) and will update this blog if I get any response.

My letter to Exclusive Books this morning:

---

Hi

I am concerned about the possible plagiarism of the (rather blurry) image you have used on the top right hand side of this promotional advertisement (below).

As a designer, I am acutely aware of copyright restrictions & fiercely moral about the use of restricted copy & imagery, which is why I feel compelled to send this email.

At this point, I will appologise in advance if Exclusive Books / Fanatics / van Schaik legally bought the image from a stock site, but, only yesterday, I found this image on Smashing Apps at this link: http://www.smashingapps.com/2008/06/27/42-extremely-creative-advertisements-i-have-ever-seen.html which reveals that the image was used & was presumably commissioned by, and therefore belongs to the Australia Post.

One of the biggest problems facing the design world is the quest for originality - originality puts what one designer/company/individual is doing above another. Spending a few extra minutes sourcing original, un-plaigerised material will not only put designers/companies/individuals in greater respect, it will stop them from looking silly when the source of the plagiarized material is found online!

Let's keep South African design original and fresh!

Sincerely
Gina Ross

---

Letters to pitch

I found this picture on Smashing Apps. I think it is from the Autralian post office...



















Hand written is always so much better! Geoff often leaves me little 'love' or 'appreciation' notes around the house..I read them over and over because it makes me feel like a goddess who is so loved.

I received a really special hand-written letter from my beautiful actress-friend, Jennifer Reinfrank aka: Jennifer Karen.

We worked together in one of the most potentially soul-destroying jobs I have ever had the displeasure of being employed to do: Street Pitching.

There are companies in London (such as make-over photography studios) that employ a 'direct marketing agency' to bring people in so that they can rip them off by making them buy expensive photographs of themself.... I'm not saying it's a total waste of time: these companies provide a very worth-while service to those who are in need of professional photographs of themselves (actors, omodels and such)... but the bill you may have to fit for falling in love with the pictures of yourself may be a little more than daunting & will probably prevent you from buying that new pair of sunglasses you've been wanting for the last year...or from going on that much-needed holiday! :)

I was too naive - didn't apply the common sense that what I was doing was actually illegal: Street trading is defined as the selling or offering for sale of any article in the street.Traders who use the public highway to sell goods or services must have a street trading licence to carry out trade from a designated site/pitch and display of goods in front of a shop. [www.ealing.gov.uk]

In the time I worked for two of these [illegal-operation-promoting] marketing companies - owned by a seedy gambling addict who led us to believe he spent most of his time in LA or Miami or thereabouts (!) - I saw a lot of girls & guys, men & women...people desperate to possess glameroso photos of themselves.
They'd smelled a rat all along...and then, at photo-buying point, they would look quite uncomfortable parting with their hard-earned (or Dad-given) cash. These people were trapped into a tight corner by the cute photography sales consultant's smooth tongue & easy compliments...as well as by their compulsive need to possess the shots...They would have no choice (for they had been snared) to pay the price of their vanity.

I only paid for one shoot's photos - The first one:
I was conned ( like all the people I had & would pitch ). Mine was under the false pretence of a free shoot & photos: they wanted me to experience the package so that I could do my sales pitch from experience - then they hit me with a choice - money for photos or no photos. I was enraged...but I admit: I liked the look of myself in the photos...& the photographic sales' person pitch was 'right on the money': my money - of which there was not a lot between the room I shared in a hostel with 7 other people, and the need for basic sustinance.

Pics from photoshoot 1:















The company I worked for changed studios and, when I had made friends with the studio staff & photographers, I participated on 'quiet day fun shoots' with the rest of the studio & sales staff. Here are some of the results:

Pics from photoshoot 2:









Pic from photoshoot 3 (left)

I was curious to see what could be done - to get a glimpse of how [if I was kwashi enough to be a model / actress / some kind of photographed star] I may have looked as a magazine-standard glamorous woman... Clearly I was not yet aware of the joys of what Photoshop can achieve. Curiosity is why many of these girls part with their cash so reluctantly yet abundantly: They get a view through the window of possibility... Cinderella looking in the mirror & recognising, for the first time, that she is not all rags & handy-andy... Maybe there is a glimmer of promise...of a dream-come-true...a prince (?)

I had lured a lot of business in...& suddenly the direct marketing business became really saturated, especially with pitching women... Direct Marketing Agents (such as myself) had no choice but to opt for rather dodgy methods of getting people's attention to make a simple living - literally: the man on the street.
"Hello, Mr.Yellow Tie..." might be an opening line on the corner of Great Portland and Oxford streets... or "Excuse me....Do you like getting pampered?" - cheeky smile catching the poor bloke off-guard before he gets pitched the 'your-wife/girlfriend-will-love-this...it's what every girl wants' story...these metrosexual (or at least metro-aware), often gorgeously shy men in suits & ties would realise that they were not actually being propositioned on a street corner in the middle of the day [they had felt strangely flattered], but that they had been accosted by someone trying to suck them dry of their hard-earned cash...the embarrassment of the previous assumption still ringing in their head & bringing wallet to hand.

Sometimes they were metro enough to want the package for themselves!

Isn't that just what the world seems be like:
People selling you stuff you actually really don't need.

The sad thing for me is that it was often those with the least that were the most vulnerable to my sales-pitch.

The "Pro's":

• I got onto club guest-lists [with all the boring, coked up rich-kids]
  
• I got to work out-doors [Even in Winter]
  
• I had the freedom to go to any town / street in England that I could get to within an hour or so [Sunny day - let's hit Brighton!]
• I got to work 'for myself' [with 80% of my hard-earned cash going into Mr.K's pocket]
• I got to have conversations with strangers & find out what they did for a living [which helped me shape ideas on what I wanted to do on my return to South Africa]

and in all the months I subjected myself to all of this, I:

• worried constantly if I would have enough money for rent / my travel ticket / food
• felt guilty when I had to twist my sales pitch to suit my pocket, when I could see that the person I was pitching shouldn't be buying my product [I even mistakenly pitched a homeless person wearing leather pants - felt so bad that I offered to buy him something at Burger King & he ordered the most expensive thing on the menu!!]
  
• felt sad for women who fell for the guy-pitcher's gigolo charms
  
• learned what it was like to be ignored - to become invisible in the eyes of the passing public - I cannot even explain what it is like to have my existence repeatedly not be acknowledged by a simple nod or 'no thank you' for most of a day. This causes a feeling of loneliness that can only be understood by those who have experienced it.
  [I urge you to at least acknowledge even beggars - people can deal with rejection if they still feel human]
  

learned:

• a lot about marketing bullshit
  
• that a positive attitude is something one needs to work at to survive
• to pull myself through a long, unsuccessful day / week - with a smile
  
• what women & some men are vulnerable to falling for
• that hair and make-up and glamor are not even skin deep (!)
  
• that in London, you can get away with pretty wacky personal styling without looking like a freak!
  

You just 'know'

It is amazing to me that I was once a girl who settled for less than what (I know in my heart) I am worth...

About 5 years ago I was in a once-a-week-for-6-months relationship when my friend, Diana, gave me a book which I was not prepared to take too seriously until I actually read it and it made me realise that 'knowing' can actually be quite simple. This book is called 'He's Just Not That Into You' by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo.

To my delight, I have just Googled the book and: FOUND THE MOVIE! (watch the trailer below):



I got chatting with someone who told me about a person we mutually care about and I suggested the book to her....dug around in my book case & found my copy (PHEW! Thought I'd lent it out and not got it back)...I ended up reading practically the whole book again & I am officially counting my blessings - I have truly found my perfect match and we're blissfully happy :)

When talking about 'the perfect man' with single (or in bad relationship) friends, I ask them if they've made their list. This may seem really silly - and it may seem not to carry weight as its coming from someone who's a-year-and-a-bit into an actual, wonderful marriage, but I don't, for one second, believe that I would be where I am today had I not made my list(s).

The list is a wish list -- a dream list -- a sickeningly soppy compilation of every movie-character-man I'd ever loved list -- a mad, ranting, crossing off after a relationship gone sour and ever-growing-longer list I made to compile my perfect man while I was waiting for him to grace me with his presence, sweep me off my feet & above all: allow me to just 'know' that my heart is ALWAYS safe with him.

I spoke a lot with other women during my dating days - asking married women how you 'know' -- the answer was always too vague for me: 'You just know' (like your Mom used an unsatisfying 'because' to explain something too complicated to get into & end the conversation as soon as she could).

What I 'know' is that one never really 'knows' as life is really uncertain - as in, you don't KNOW that its going to work - you TRUST that its going to work & you put 100% into it working because you know this: every time I hold my hand out, Geoff takes it - every time he holds his hand out - I take it. Its as simple as that. I never have to worry that he won't hold my hand...and everything else is built up from that basic foundation of a knowledge that I am loved & that I am in love with this man because we take each other's hand - and want to! Our individual happiness is dependent on the other's happiness, so we both work at being happy within ourselves, putting the other first & the rest follows beautifully.

Just so you know where I'm coming from, amongst others, I had:

• Mr. I'm-Taking-My-Ex-Out-On-Our-Movie-Tickets
  (because she's had a hard day) -- when I'd been looking forward to seeing him all week, because he was, after all, my boyfriend of 1.5 years...
  
• Mr. I-Don't-Mean-To-Patronise-You-But...
  (and then proceeded to patronise me)
  
• Mr. I-Just-Got-Out-Of-A-Long-Relationship-So-I-Can't-Commit
  (after 3+ months of seeing one another)
  
• Mr. I-Just-Want-To-Be-Friends (with benefits)
  
• Mr. You-Are-Leaving-In-A-Year-So-I-Don't-Want-To-Call-You-My-Girlfriend
  (we saw each other for a year)
• Mr. Never-Seen-Where-He-Lives
  (This, incidentally, is also Mr. Once-A-Week-For-6-Months. 6 months after I ended things with him, I met Geoff & he suddenly appeared back on the scene & wanted to MARRY ME! and believe me, it was flattering...but I realised that it was all on his terms - with blatant disregard for what I wanted / needed... and Geoff was really into me!)
  

I've had:

• Guys who say they'll call but don't - leaving me waiting by the phone (yes! So pathetic!) / obsessing about when they might call / waiting the longest possible time before giving in and sending an email / SMS / keeping days open in case they want to do something together
  
• Guys who manipulated me into feeling bad for their situations (when I have actually not done anything wrong & they just need to squish me to feel worthwhile or whatever)
• A guy who thought that being with me would solve all his problems... His life didn't become easier - he drifted emotionally away - I ended up feeling rejected & so, a beautiful, fun relationship came to an end.
  

I've been:

• Broken up with over the phone
• Broken up with via SMS [ " I just don't think you're the one for me. I don't know how else to put it. " ]
• Broken up with via Email
• Ignored till I sadly figured we weren't seeing one another any more...

I am not saying that I am sure I wasn't totally at fault in any of these situations (I have no idea if I was or not)-- All I know is that I put my heart in & it got broken over and over again...

...and through it all, I edited my list. Things I thought I wanted - then realised I didn't...things I realised I liked, that made me feel good - I added...& I learned things from friendships - with men as well as women. Friendships are a great way to learn about qualities you like / don't like to spend a lot of time with. A marriage relationship is like the super-duper ultra-special edition multi-multi-box-set of a friendship that you can't ever get enough of :)

It wasn't all moon-shine & roses with Geoff in the beginning, but after a bit of time we realised that we could overcome quite serious obstacles because of our compatibility...we are way beyond the foundation of 'He's Just Not That Into You' & have an amazing time, living and loving together. I never have to worry about who I am - I can be myself, totally, all the time & he loves me for it. I love who he is & I can allow him to totally be himself as well, because he is FANTASTIC :)

Geoff is proof to me that my wildest 'girlie' dreams, longings, desires... fantasies can indeed come true & that they can be exceeded a hundred times over ...and now I am at the point where I feel I do just 'know'. I know that there is absolutely no doubt in my mind - things are great - I am so happy - & there is peace in my heart :)

Here's to true love!

Kitler

I really miss the Graham Norton show....the other day I spent the whole of my 'lunch break' YouTube-ing him & feeling rather nostalgic!

One of the shows items was based on the following website: http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com would you believe it!?

Whoever could have thought this up deserves a noddy badge. Or a cartoon swastika....better still - dress up for Halloween as Hitler - like Cartman did :)

-- BAD KITTY!

Knitter

Colleen sent me this via email -- Nice Monday-Morning-Surprise!

How mal is this?:















Knitters turn to graffiti artists with 'yarnbombing'
Graffiti artists have added a new tool their traditional aerosol cans – knitting needles and a ball of wool.

Hundreds of knitters around the world have begun wrapping their huge woolly creations around public property like trees, street signs and lampposts. They then take photos of their colourful "art" and post them on internet sites for fellow knitters to view and comment on. One of the most ambitious pieces of work saw a woman spend an entire week covering a disused single decker bus in colourful swatches. The phenomenon, called Yarnbombing, is thought to have originated in the US but knitters are now beginning to cover British streets in woollen 'tags'....read more HERE AT THE SOURCE. [telegraph.co.uk]

Whatever next?

More on knitting HERE

Design Heaven - the perfect magazine

Today I discovered a magazine that may be very dangerous for my pocket!!

I usually only like magazines with LOTS of really cool illustrations / photos (not usually fashion) & I am not really one for reading magazines but this one is such a perfect magazine for me because, not only is the design of the magazine totally & inarguably beautiful; the info in it is so relevant to me and what I like and what I do.

Subscription is on my WISHLIST !

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

COMPUTER ARTS

http://www.computerarts.co.uk/

Computer Arts is the one-stop shop for professional advice on creating digital art and illustrations.

Computer Arts, the world’s best-selling magazine for digital artists and designers, boasts a strong line-up of tutorials every issue, covering everything from manipulating photographs with Photoshop to creating amazing vector illustrations with Illustrator. You’ll also find tonnes of tips and tricks for web design, typography, 3D, animation, motion graphics and multimedia. It’s the one-stop shop for professional advice.

Each month, the magazine also reviews the latest hardware and software releases, gives creative tips and technical advice, and interviews the leading lights in the global design world.

Charlize vs. Obama

Now I'm not the type to get teary-eyed over just anything...I admitted this over dinner at Shelley and Steve's the other night [something that I'm a little embarrassed about, although I'm not quite sure why -- probably why I've never said it!] : Charlize Theron makes my eyes fill up with tears. There. I blogged it.

Every time I see her on TV - interviews / Oscars etc, I can't help feeling my chest swell with pride & emotion well up. I'm not sure exactly why she does this to me, but for the most part, I think it is probably national pride - something I am not constantly aware of. I have no idea what sort of person Charlize is in 'real life', but I feel incredibly proud of her.

I was in CNA a little earlier today (I think they call it something different now -PNA I think) and I saw a little photo book on South Africa which made me think about my visit to New Zealand [I would have been there by now - this time last year]...and the gifts we take to people we visit overseas. I don't think I would appreciate a photo-book of places in New Zealand (or any other place for that matter) that I'd not been to before. Giving such a book to someone - someone who has never seen how amazing South Africa is, is proof of the love [and national pride?] that the giver has for the beauty and experience they have had in this land....it's a desire to share that with someone who's not been here.

There was a quote I read a while ago that went something along the lines of: When you see a picture/photo of a place, you can admire it for its beauty - you notice that the photograph is beautiful. When you see a picture of a place you've been to, you see the picture with the three dimensionality of knowing the feeling of the place & it makes the beautiful picture appear so much more beautiful. It is no longer a pretty picture of a place, but a landscape of memories & experience.

I love that.

Charlize is South African. She knows our country & she is an ambassador of it - She is someone who has become famous & achieved great success internationally. She knows what it is like to be South African...to live in our land...to eat mieliepap & to stand in the girls' group next to the braai....And there she is - on TV - for all the world to see her in all her beauty - so gracefully accepting acolades of her success...South African's admiring her with such pride - because she is 'one of us'.

Barack Obama. Sjoe -- where to start?! This man has such amazingly trustworthy eyes. True or false? I couldn't say for absolute sure, but this is the way it seems...I had to drop a movie off in Fish Hoek this afternoon & ended up having a coffee at a new place people have been raving about - 'Espresso' in the Pick 'n Pay mall. It was the first time in a long time that I felt I was back in Breckenridge in the US - at one of my fav. coffee spots - enjoying time & a great coffee on my own.. Admittedly I've been avoiding the news, but I picked up yesterday's newspaper which had Obama's inauguration speech in it and read the whole thing - top to bottom.

There were a couple of things in the speech that bothered me a tiny bit, but then, I had to remember that he's American & he's been inaugurated their president - not ours / the world's. American's are a proud nation (if generally somewhat misinformed about the rest of the world) - I felt that the speech was quite defensive about that fact. It was as if Obama was not only recognising that, but defending the American opionion of themselves to the rest of the world & stating that they are going to use this to their advantage as well as to the rest of the world's.

I found a very cool response to critique on the speech from the LA Times - click HERE.

As I said: I don't know much about news...don't know much about Obama -- but for some reason, sitting in that coffee shop today - reading about this man who has captured the hope of, not only the nation that he is about to lead, but of so many people around the world - My eyes filled up with tears & I felt that hope - and pride for this man who seems so down to earth, honest & intent on making a positive difference: For everybody.

May he be blessed & lead by the truest spirit of good that a person can have in their heart.

Obama Poster credit

If Photoshop Were Real

I just found this on Integral Apparel's blog -- via www.drawn.ca and HAD to have it into my blog for all my [zero] followers of my blog to see ;)

3D sidewalk art

I saw some stuff on Mushy Peas' blog a while back... these are really amazing though -- almost so unbelievable I've had to blog about it before 5am :)

http://villageofjoy.com/amazing-3d-sidewalk-art/

I saw some stuff on Mushy Peas' blog a while back -- someone had done a sidewalk artwork of a story she submitted to ' Can You Twist' -- have a look at Laurian Clemence's page here: http://www.canyoutwist.co.za/ - sorry - it seems to have been removed! :(

The following is really amazing -- almost so unbelievable I've had to blog about it before 5am :)

http://villageofjoy.com/amazing-3d-sidewalk-art/

Bedroom Blog

Sorry, but the title of this entry is not half as interesting as it may insinuate! :)
I am LITERALLY blogging from my bedroom! ...and I could blog from the kitchen... or the lounge...
or I could sit in the bath and blog....
Geoff has set up our wireless internet box thingie so now I can work all over the flat -- wherever I feel like being.. I could blog while I bake!! :)

Deep Thought III

The way I feel today

In a very funny way, this lady in Cuba - smoking a cigar (thanks to Geek Philosopher) reminds me of my Grandmother. A bit crazy..eccentric..with a really interesting dress sense. I LOVE her waistcoat...

The way I feel today, I wish I was her - sitting in a doorway wearing all my favorite colours and items of clothing together - who cares if they match - this is a style...with a mad thing on my head and funny glasses...necklaces...earrings... not caring who goes by....

Lebowski

It is hot today...I had a brilliant surf yesterday & cut aprons....then got home & fell asleep till 10pm when Geoff woke me to go to Joelle's party...what fun: Party till 2.30am...get up at 7am to meet my siblings and have our 'bachelor-sister' event. Our brother is walking down the isle next Sat. In addition to helping him out with a speech structure, we decided to go bowling.

Now I've been once...T has been once...and Stan had never bowled before. He got the highest score. I would say 'beginners luck' but we're all beginners! I found a ball that fitted my fingers (although it eludes me how they're supposed to feel) without getting the suction thing going and fingers stuck & panic of can't get them out.....It was really really good to spend some 'alone time' with my siblings. Don't know when we'll get the chance again...

Stan's bachelor party was last night...actually, it was an all day thing with go-carting, a braai..and needless to say: too many beers & B&C's (brandy & coke's). Geoff came home with pics of my beloved brother trying to get up from his fall on the grass with a beer glass taped to his hand, 2 friends standing half on top of him in conquering sort of poses. He didn't look well but he was smiling all the way & he survived it all.

The character that ties into my recent goings on is Jeff Lebowski in ' The Big Lebowski ' for being both a bachelor & a bowling fanatic. I didn't see this classic until about 3 months ago. Its one of those movies I've always heard about and intended seeing. After hearing too many quotes heard (especially 'If you don't give us de money, Lebowski, vee'll cut off your johnson'), Geoff rented it for us. What a laugh :)
So if you are one of the 2 people who read my blog & you haven't seen it, go hire it - its dry...but an entertaining sneak view into a few weeks in someone else's really bizarre 'reality'...and boys enjoy it too so you can watch it with your men :)

Deep Thought II

Thumb Strength

The dictionary is fantastic. But it is also a bit boring...wouldn't ya say?
I just found the coolest thing! THE URBAN DICTIONARY!

So today's word of the day is

THUMB STRENGTH
Definition?
The energy required to write a text
Used in a sentence:
Forget it, I don't have the thumb strength to text him. Guess I'll just call.

This is actually hilarious!

BAGSIDE
Definition?
(noun) The side of a body where a gigantic purse or messenger bag is carried, and an awkward barrier preventing others from walking comfortably alongside is often created.
Used in a sentence:
I would hold your hand, baby, but I don't want to get on your bagside.

JIVE-BY
Definition?
The act of briefly dancing up against a stranger as you cross the dance floor in a club.
Used in a sentence:
Tasha was enjoying a dance with a few mates when, unexpected, she was subjected to a jive-by. She got jive-by'd.

SARGASM
Definition?
Deriving far too much satisfaction from glibly berating another with sarcasm.
Used in a sentence:
Brian: "Oh, thanks a lot for drinking my last beer! No, it's my fault... if I wanted it for myself, I shouldn't have put it in the fridge!"
James: "Dude, don't have a sargasm."

COMRAGGER
Definition?

	A person who brags while complaining.

Used in a sentence:
She is such a comragger! She said she had a hard time picking which luxury car to drive today.

OK! enough!!! got to get something constructive done!

Deep Thought I

Beach Day

Geoff and I spent the whole day on the beach today...we basically woke up and headed out & only left at 5.30pm. What a lovely time we had in the sun! It seems that summer has actually arrived!

Cape Town is amazing...all these beaches..things to do things to see things to experience...we've been talking about going away on holiday abroad...important to do these things before kiddlies arrive & we are tied down for a while. I want to buy a ticket ASAP so that we have something to look forward to. So many places to go!

We're on week 9 of Artist's Way...I did my pages on the beach...spent lots of time going through last week as well as this week's writing & tasks...actually re-did my tasks from last week. We also got stuck in and tidied the studio...All the Miss Molly stuff was all over the place - it gets out of hand so quickly...so I re-packed my activities cupboard and sorted things out in boxes -- even have a to-do box with half-finished projects so when I set some sewing time aside I can do all those repairs and finish off the bits of things I still need to do to make things salable!

I can't believe its another week starting tomorrow..it seems way too quick. T and I have our photo shoot with SpringLeap tomorrow...because Miss Molly is TRENDEEEE! What fun! I think I may take the afternoon off tomorrow - I've been planning to take a couple of hours tomorrow for an artist date (I like to plan them in advance, then they feel like a real date)...must just not run out of time!

....and hopefully I can get a surf in tomorrow...

The Wetsuit Saga

I've never felt happy about hanging wetsuits over the balcony to dry...

1. It looks untidy.
2. I'm afraid they might blow off or something.

On Tuesday I woke up to a serious storm which flooded our balcony.

On Wednesday, I woke up to both our wetsuits having blown off the balcony...nowhere to be found!
The worst of it was that my spare car key is attached to my wetsuit so, not only did I not have a wetsuit any more...but now I had to worry about my car getting zapped.

Writing about this in my Morning Pages on Thursday, I feel its not very synchronistic of the universe to take my wetsuit away (even though I'd love a new one without holes in) when I am making new breakthroughs in my surfing with every session & its my goal to really get much better at surfing & I'm its not really in the budget to get a new one at this stage. I had just finished a little affirmation that we'd get a really good deal on suits / get free ones / something would happen to restore my 'suit'ability to go surfing soon...when Geoff phoned and said that someone had found my suit!! With my car key still attached!!

They didn't find Geoff's suit...but he has been complaining for the last 8 months that it's 'like a seive' in letting water through (especially not a good idea on the cold side of the mountain)... So he's treated himself to a new one (which hopefully will last better than the previous one).

And so it all worked out perfectly & synchronistically! I fix my suit & carry on surfing - even as soon as tomorrow at sparrows :)

Etsy Alchemy

I just love the idea of this and even though it chewed my bandwidth like nothing, I really enjoyed watching this video about the first order of Etsy Alchemy:



Here is the link to Alchemy

Umbrella Bat Costume

Oh my...Yes: procrastination today...
I am SO going to make this!!

BEYOND Y.U.M!!

So I just found this picture of the most BEEE-U-ti-ful guy!

I'm not that proud to say it, but I've literally FOLLOWED guys with curly hair to keep looking at their curls...it is SUCH a weakness....

There is something amazing about playing with someone's curls...pulling them gently and watching them bounce back...spiraling a finger around a perfect, glossy curl ...twisting them together to form new curls...I could go on and on...Its just too divine for me...

HOW could I possibly have forgotten to put it higher on my ideal man criteria list?
The universe is definitely looking after me at least a bit in this regard...Geoff's poker straight hair goes all mad and curly and amazing when he's been in the sea, so that's my fantasy come true (quite often!)...

Feast your eyes, ladies, on my 'ideal-hair' man:

OH: BTW: PLEASE NOTE:
This post is just about the hair & not the rest of this delicious guy or it would get out of hand & be construed as inappropriate. I say no more.

Y.U.M!

Yes...its a real one hundred percent edible Flying Spaghetti Monster treat with working googly eyes.
Click here for details on how to make :)

Fantastic Sky

The waves yesterday were tiny but powerful enough to have a really nice surf...as I walked toward the water, Geoff took pictures of the amazing storm clouds moving over... The back line was waist deep so that was strange & unusual in itself -- It meant that I didn't have to paddle much to catch wave after wave.

The rainstorm moved over...between the cold rain water falling from the sky & the saltiness of the warm water I was surfing in, a cold wind came up & blew the spray and the rain into my face...The calm of hardly anybody being out because of the weather...the atmosphere of those out, hanging out in the shallow waters waiting for sets to come through...the sky, dark & gloomy & the light fading because it was getting late : these things all made the experience otherworldly.

...and then I had the sweet kiss of my lovely husband - like lovers meeting at their secret rendezvous - & the warmth of my car to enjoy as soon as I got back to the parking lot.

How wonderful it is to savor these moments.

Miss Molly is TRENDY ! [ tren - deeee]

SpringLeap is doing this clever little marketing campaign.

They've teamed up with GoMoto Motorcycles that have somehow managed to get themselves rated as really trendy cool motorbikes for trendy sorts of people. So GoMoto is donating one of their scooter-motorbike thingies to a member of the top 100 trendiest companies in Cape Town...

So I took a shot and entered Miss Molly...........
............and we got on the TOP 100 TRENDIEST COMPANIES IN CAPE TOWN!
How cool is that??

I love this campaign as they are giving each one of these trendy companies a code which they can use, market, distribute etc for people to buy T-Shirts from SpringLeap at 25% off. That's R137.25 for a really cool T-shirt with an amazing design and a same-day delivery!

Which means, in essence -- that the top 100 TRENDIEST (miss molly = trendy) companies have a carrot & a cool one at that, to reach all their friends & their friends friends friends friends friends to buy T-Shirts so that they can win a scooter - thereby advertising SpringLeap as well as their own company (as being TRENDY [as in TRENDY - like miss molly!] )...as well as GoMoto (if the TRENDY companies (ie: miss molly etc) decide to include them in the advertising of the 25% discount code)....it will be super interesting to know, from a marketing perspecitive, if this is a truely clever campaign in the greater marketing scheme of things...
to me: it sounds fool-proof! (Mostly for SpringLeap)



....and what do you know?! I managed to add another blog entry a mere 15 mins before next month! :)

October check-in

Well, it is the end of October and I feel that I've achieved quite a bit this month.... Colleen's website can go live as soon as she gives me her go-ahead & a few more little snag-list items to complete...........

Been working really hard on the new Tocara Skin & Body Science website -- hopefully we can go live with that one in the next few days. Its been mayhem workwise, but I'm finding a little bit of quiet time to do my Artist's Way & morning pages & get the odd surf in.

We've had south easter winds which has been a bit of a pain. The sea gets to looking unfriendly and rough and uninviting to say the least. Today it was beautiful though. Got 2 surfs in and there's progress every day I go out... started doing some situps and pushups so hopefully that will help get me nice and agile on the waves....

Kamersvol Geskenke started today. Shelley and I busted ourselves getting stuff together...lots of cool aprons & T'Neal's stationary is totally beautiful and amazing...

Stan's soon-to-be wife's kitchen tea is on Sat. My parents will arrive tomorrow night so that they can have a visit for that & T'Neal's husband's birthday on Sunday...I suppose I had better bake something for him as well....we'll see.

I found cool cake glitter today at the Baking Tin. Can't wait to sprinkle it on some creations (when I get a minute to breathe)...

Lots of new things on the home front. Our kitchen renovation is underway & we're getting blinds for the studio, passage and bedroom which will be amazing....it means I can work in the studio in the afternoon without squinting into the sun. Ah - SUMMER!

And that's pretty much it for my month end check-in (unless something interesting happens to inspire me to do another entry in the next day or so!)

quick blog...

I have a million trillion things to do today.....quickly blogging before yet another client meeting that I know will be more social than constructive...I suppose that's ok.

I just got sent mail from an amazing artist friend of mine living in Mozambique with a bit of her news & a link to her blog contributions on Kagablog - here. It amazes me how I can know someone and have a connection with them...lose them for so long and then be re-united in a way. Not many words needed..knowing her face only by the latest image she posted on Facebook.

I can only think that my artistic & life processes at this time is leading me to these reunions for some really awesome reason...I wonder what they could be....

This week has been all about gaining some closure - finding what it is that moves me -- letting go and really feeling things in order to heal ..be new.. rediscover a wonder of knowing a god...being quietly comfortable with a growing knowledge that I am good enough. That things are going to be ok if not perfect.

I found myself burst into sudden tears - absolutely no warning - for 2 people I love so very deeply.
I was writing about the God thing. How cruel it is that something perfect can be destroyed so suddenly - for no apparent good reason.

AfrikaBurns

Geoff & I just had a really lovely weekend away at the second ever AfrikaBurns about 150km or so north of Ceres. It was amazing camping in the middle of the Karoo with nothing much around us at all....it was amazing to drive and drive and go so far away from home & all we know......it was so hot! There was one thing that we saw that was one of the most magical things I've seen in reality...probably in my life...Have a look at this to get an idea:




They let them go one at a time..they floated up, 'following eachother' - looking a bit like they were attached to a magical string fastened between earth & somewhere in Heaven.... they just went higher and higher...of course it was in the middle of the Karoo so the stars were incredible....the lanterns floated up to join the stars but they made their own, golden constellations against the black of the sky and the silver star constellations flickering there with them. I can't even describe to you how fantastical it was. Totally mindblowingly beautiful....The whole trip was worth it just for seeing that....

Someone took a picture of our camp site:


We decided to drive back along dust roads and we had the most amazing drive back...we stopped 3 times to take in amazing views...have egg-jaffel lunch & mojito's and just take the trip easy.. It was such important, quality time with eachother.. we learned a lot....spoke about important things...realised a lot of things...so it was very worthwhile. We had a long bath & fell into bed just after 9pm...I'm feeling quite energised and optimistic for this week :)


It was our 1 year anniversery yesterday...we had a lovely breakfast on our balcony watching the whales playing in the calm sea...what a beautiful day & what a lovely way to start it with the one I love! :)

The Artist's Way

Nobody ever told me about 'The Artist's Way'. Sometimes it takes a really amazing person to come into one's life & introduce you to something that turns your world upside down [for the better]...

We have just started WEEK 4 - Colleen, Peta, Gillian & I. Geoff is my wingman & he's being amazingly supportive.

My favorite bit that's been so far is the bit in WEEK 2 about 'crazymakers'
[see my previous post - DHC - 'Bloodnut' is the top crazymaking freak that's bulldozed her crazymaking ways into my life]

The reason I wanted to introduce 'The Artist's Way' to my blog is because my process of recovery will probably have an influence on my blog entries...At the moment I feel like I need to cocoon -- be safe in my home haven - this is frustrating as it is a complete shambles at the moment. I have organised for T's lady to come and clean so we can be more sane.

I feel like I need to get out...walk...see things...surf...but it seems too scarey. Leaving home seems too scarey because I'd have to return to the shambles. If I never leave it, I won't have to spend my time away wishing I could get home & it would be magically sorted out.

WISHLIST:
A tidy house
Time to sew
Time to bake
For us to have our oven already so that I can do my baking
Time to mosaic our outside wall...
Time to photoshop how I want the kitchen cupboards to look...
Perfect waves every day with warm sea
Lots of whales all the time (there are 10 today!)

Those are just a few of my wishlist items....I just made a special WISHLIST PAGE for myself...lets see what changes in the next while....

NEW SURFBOARD!!!

I'm so excited....this is one of the most terrible photos of me, BUT, my surfboard is the main focus of this post, not me myself:



I fell in love with her the second I laid my eyes on her... 6.8 ft beauty... I've surfed her twice - YES! She's a her... haven't quite decided on a name yet... Was quite keen on 'Rosalita' ...but in the water today she whispered to me that she feels more like she should be called 'Rocket'. I suppose its good a name as any for a fantastically crafted, awesomely coloured, streamline surfboard that is the surfboard personification of myself (if I don't say so myself)....

Bring on the waves!!

Call me 'Kitty'

There is this silly site for procrastination called ' Blog Things ' where you can do really bad tests to find out if you are dog or cat or which sense (of the 5 senses) you are most sensitive to (I am touch) and such....I've always wanted a cat...perhaps one day when we don't travel around so much we'll have one. In the mean time, its Sushi and Red (our goldfish) to keep us company. Geoff even said this morning that he wants to build a fish tank into our kitchen. I'm flattered that he's so fond of the little swimming buddies!

You Are: 40% Dog, 60% Cat

You and cats have a lot in common. You're both smart and in charge - with a good amount of attitude. However, you do have a very playful side that occasionally comes out!

Are You More Cat or Dog?

Penis Play

Phew...what a week.

Finished presentation 2 for Cape Wine and just getting everything sent and uploaded....

Its been a bit turbulant this week...not been feeling myself for most of it...just trying to keep it together to get the workload a bit lighter....thank heavens for the presentations being done!

Geoff and I went to see the most bizzare show last night... Puppetry of the Penis at the Baxter...

He bought the tickets and surprised me -- booked me on a date the sweet guy..... he kept on saying things like 'you should be going to see this with a girl friend' ....'how can you tell your parents I'm taking you on a date' ....'I'm sure your folks wouldn't want to see this show' -- and I kept going - 'I'm sure they'd love to go to any show' and 'no - I'm glad we're going to the show - why should I take a girl friend'? ....etc etc.....and then I found out why he said the things he did.

Bizarre doesn't really cover it!

Basically, its these 2 Australian guys who manipulate their business into all sorts of shapes on the stage, totally naked for an hour or whatever long it took to do all their 'installations' with a BIG screen behind them with closeups of their 'installations'. Geoff puts it down to 'Aussie humour' and that 'it must be hard up to find jobs in Australia' - no pun intended.....

Just when I thought I'd seen everything.

We drove around afterwards to try and find something to eat and ended up at Steers in Rondebosch -- we were just complaining about the decor and the big screen TV with sound echoing around the rather dodgey feeling place when Shells and Steve walked in for ice cream.

What a strange coincidence. Well, you can imagine the converstation over ice cream and chips.

Division of labour

There's something terrible that keeps happening to me. Usually division of labour makes things easier. In my case, it makes things unnecessarily complicated.

I'm not the person to ask to spell-check. I'm terrible at it! I have to whip everything into WORD before I am ready to publish -- and still (as, I am sure you invisible people who don't read my blog will not know - because nobody reads /comments on anything in my blog) ...the spelling and grammatical errors crop up rather frequently when I don't bother to pop into my little spell checker friend's world...

I am now going to learn from this mistake and check other people's work for errors. This is more to protect myself than anybody else.

Assuming responsibility for a JPG (that I didn't create that has spelling errors) that's been sent to me is not my idea of a fun time when I have work piled up to the ceiling and no time to do the same thing 20 times because of clients approving artwork that's not perfect.

In this case, I'm going to put it down to the client's "Murphey's law" as she's going away and everything is coming down on her and refracting onto me as a third party.

Bloody spelling.

Crowdsourcing

Yes! I said 'CROWDSOURCING' ...Follow this link to find out all you need to know about crowdsourcing...I am so excited I can almost not contain myself.

I recently submitted a few designs into crowdSPRING (which I am happy to say was developed by my ex-flatmate (and current friend), Vincent Cassar)...

You can check out my crowdSPRING page HERE...I go by LostHorizon

I feel like the world (of procrastination) has been opened up to me in a whole new way....T-Shirt Designs -- logo designs for random companies (with money) on the web...and its all so wonderful that it is all accessable...(as long as the bandwidth holds up).......

Some work...kitchen cupboard planning and possibly some eating needs to happen now! ....lots of apron cutting and such tomorrow....

Sport vs Love

I just came across somebody's blog entry about the day of the South African victory of the World Cup Rugby Final last year (2007)....

[ "A DAY AT THE BEACH" ]

It was a terrific day....great victory...Geoff and I don't make a point of watching any sport...so how were we to know that the PERFECT date to have our wedding, the 20th of October, would be the day of the cup final. And as it would happen, of our 16 guests, we had a few fanatics.

...So, after and absolutely PERFECT beach wedding with painted clouds and not a breath of wind...a lovely reception dinner (although a bit rushed) and dessert, we went to my new sister-in-law's place and I curled up, in my beautiful wedding dress, on the day room couch and I slipped into blissful sleep to the sound of the comentator....later, when we got home, there were people cheering and shouting and celebrating in the street below our balcony and we just pretended they were all cheering and happy for us (like our neighbours were, waiting on their landing to congratulate us!)

We have the newspaper pole ad 'We are the Champs' 21 October 2007 on our wall :)

Demolition

We're finally doing our renovations......I'm practically huddled in my corner of the studio feeling like the world is ending....the building is shaking...there are 10 strange men - electricians & builders - in my flat walking about in over-alls and drilling and bashing and hammering and carrying huge bricks out of our beautiful flat which has floors full of building rubble.....

We've gone from 'bad kitchen' to 'no kitchen' in the last 2.5 hours. The fridge is in the lounge, covered in black plastic and I just switched it off for fear of it over-heating due to lack of ventilation.

I found my secret Pringles stash and I'm doing some comfort eating (setting a record for the fastest a tube of Pringles has ever disappeared) to try and take my mind off what's going on in our dust-filled love nest. In a way, I'm glad that Geoff is being spared this feeling of 'oh-ohh....what are they DOING??'

I REMIND MYSELF (over and over):
It is going to be wonderful when its done. It is going to be beautiful. The dream I had last night (Geoff and I standing in the kitching and looking over the balcony at the sea) is going to come true so soon. So so soon....

Wishing every second though that I didn't have to be here until its done!

Flash .exe nightmare

This is where I realise that I've become more technically knowledgable than I ever thought I could be....Dear Adobe, maker of fabulouso programmes like Photoshop and Flash, has done an 'automatic update' which, quite fankly, has wasted a lot of my time.... it turns out that making a new fancy .exe (Window's Projector) icon:

WAS: NOW:

was more of a concern to them than checking if the fscommand for fullscreen would work!! Which means THANK GOODNESS I kept MX installed or I wouldn't have my old projector and my huge job due in a few days would have been 'tickets'....I'd have had to re-do the whole thing in Powerpoint. Not fun. Anyhoo....I trust that the people at Adobe will fix this problem really quickly so we can all get on with our lives.

It only took me 3 hours to figure out what was wrong and how to fix it. At least I knew it wasn't any fault of mine. Usually it is. This time not.....

So, out of curiosity, (and the fact that Geoff lived in a house called 'Adobe') I thought I'd better dictionary.com what Adobe means...Turns out I don't understand why they called their company this:

a·do·be
Pronunciation[uh-doh-bee] –noun

1. sun-dried brick made of clay and straw, in common use in countries having little rainfall.
2. a yellow silt or clay, deposited by rivers, used to make bricks.
3. a building constructed of adobe.
4. a dark, heavy soil, containing clay.

Interesting enough word....When they swallowed up Macromedia they should have kept that name. Makes more sense to me.

Spring Leap

START

I've entered my design 'Line Fish' into the Spring Leap competition and I keep on going on to see if my design has been approved -- it keeps saying 'Pending Approval'....OH PLEASE ACCEPT IT!!! I've been jotting ideas down for new designs and have 2 that I desperately want to create as soon as I have a bit of time to put the designs together......I'm so excited about doing my own thing - mostly as a personal creative outlet....Everything is a possible idea.My brain is on FIRE! Ooh! there's another design idea...!

I keep on finding really cool t-shirts that other people have designed...there's a site that I thought was cool until I met Spring Leap : Snorg Tees....and on closer examination, this is a serious thing that people all over the world are getting involved in...so cool! :)

...I will be encouraged by the acceptance of this first design I've shared on a broader level...there's no reason for them not to accept it, is there? ...watch out world...there are {hopefully} some interesting things to come from this creative mind yet!

Lots of work to do...procrastination faerie keeps visiting me but I'm trying to keep her as caged as I can until I have some breathing room...perhaps I need tighter deadlines??! I work well under deadline situations.....This entry is probably going to be shocking 'cos we went to Theresa's (restaurant) tonight and drank way too much wine for a 'school night'...Signing off and going under cover (of down douvet). I'm sure there's a T-Shirt design in there somewhere.

END.