"...we don't make mistakes we just have happy accidents"

Before I get into the title of the post I have to relate this truly delightful story. Erik and I were on our way to a book sale, because he is addicted to books. As we were crossing the road this baby in the pram just ahead of us starts shouting, I assume crying, because that's one of the three things babies do. What I wasn't expecting was that there was another baby on the other side of the road who started screaming too. Fact is baby was screaming because he was excited to see his baby friend.

It was just a really cool thing to see. I mean, if you think about it, we never grow out of that. Imagine walking down the street and seeing your best friend unexpectedly. For me this would result in jumping up and down and screaming, so very much like a baby.

Something that I think would also be great for babies and children is this guy -

This is Bob Ross. Here's some more Bob Ross -

People this is good for your children. I've decided that when I have children there will be mandatory Bob Ross time. But don't despair I was only recently introduced to Mr. Ross myself and trust me he works just as well on adults. His soothing and reassuring voice just says, "Everything's going to be okay." I feel like I've just had a therapy session after watching one of these. If you've had a bad day, get into your pj's, get a bowl of ice cream and put on some Bob Ross, he will make you feel better.  Also, did you see how much he enjoys cleaning his brushes?! It really is the simple things, isn't it? Bob Ross makes the world a better place - fact!

Review: Zoo City

Today's review is written by my friend Casey. Casey and I shared an office when I first started working as an admin assistant. I cannot thank her enough for our coffee/chocolate breaks, Nando's lunches and just staring out of windows at the outside world like we were caged mice. Also she is reviewing a South African novel which is great! 

Zoo City                                                     
Casey Louw

ZOO CITY is written by South African author, Lauren Beukes. It is part-mystery, part thriller in that the very details of this page-turner divulge little of the plot and the unpredictability of the book in general makes this all the more exciting for the reader. It won the 2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2011 and the 2010 Kitschies Red Tentacle for best novel. 

This book is forged around main character, Zinzi December. The lifeblood of the plot thickens as the reader discovers that each of the books’ criminals are “animaled” or marked with shame and have to permanently have an animal in their company. Zinzi’s animal is a sloth that lazes around her neck as she goes about her daily business. Other hardened criminals each have a different animal that marks their dark pasts.

The novel takes place in Johannesburg and mores specifically Hillbrow. Zinzi is “animalled” because she gets into a disastrous situation where her brother is killed. Zinzi used to be a journalist and is privy to various addictions which form haunting habits of which she hopes to rid herself.

The plot thickens as Zinzi owes her dealer money and has to make ends meet as well as repay the debt. Zinzi is gifted in that she has the perceptive ability to find peoples’ lost possessions and as such finds herself entwined in various webs of strangers’ lives in an attempt to find things they have lost that mean much to them for sentimental or nostalgic reasons.  The storyline gets juicy when Zinzi gets nudged into the vicarious lives of a brother and sister pop band, where the sister has strangely disappeared and is nowhere to be found; much to the distress of those close to her. Zinzi willingly takes this job as it will be her means to repay the debt she owes to her dealer. 

Here's some more about Casey:

I love to write, any time anywhere. I enjoy a good read but find little time for it, so when I find a good book I tend to burrow under a blanket on the couch for a while. I love the outdoors and travelling. I’m at my happiest around friends and family! I love languages of which I can converse in German and skate by with Afrikaans, which is terrible as I am half Afrikaans. I love South Africa where I find my home, for the people - our ribbon of culture entwined in our talents as artists, musical genies, foodies, teachers and people bulging with voluptuous artistic ability. 

Whose not getting it on in 7de Laan?

Being in the States has me missing South Africa. The ocean, the mountain, the people and the soapies. Yes, the soapies and it got me thinking about something that struck me awhile back when I was still in SA. I thought about 7de Laan and how for some reason unless you’re past the point of childbearing age, like Felicity and Herman, you can forget about being in an interracial relationship! You are allowed to be friends, best friends in fact. You can be social equals,  BUT no matter how much you may have in common the writers have decided that it simply isn’t going to happen.

Now, I know it’s a soapie and expecting realism maybe my fault. However, I am wondering if 7de Laan’s audience really wouldn’t be able to handle some black on white action. Or even some black on coloured action. I am not picky. It just amazes me that 20yrs into democracy where interracial relations are no longer illegal and is a fact of life(which it was even when it was illegal). Like I was saying I probably have way too many unrealistic expectations of a show that has to have a fashion show every few months and where the inhabitants always seem to find the weirdest things hilarious.

I guess what bothers me is that I get the feeling it is something that is being avoided. It’s like  7de Laan exists in some sort of idealised bubble of the “new south Africa”. Yes, black people and coloured people exist - first fact. They are also successful, funny and as interesting and as complicated as a 7de Laan character can be - second fact. All races have sexual desires and will therefore be attracted to each other regardless of skin colour - third fa... Oh, no, sorry that’s NOT a fact on 7de Laan, because for some mysterious reason none of these races ever find each other sexually attractive. I just can’t believe it! Are you telling me there isn’t even a little fling or people making out when they get drunk? Not even a little bumping and grinding at that club they always go to? On the surface the idea of freedom and equality exists, but no white women is allowed to have a black penis inside her.

I realise I am picking on one show. I know that were I to look at the array of South African soapies there would probably be endless amounts of things I could write about race and what it says about South Africa and feel free to do that yourself. As much as I often chide the show in my mind for its ridiculous storylines and then rehashing those storylines, it does have some redeeming qualities. There are interesting characters and some strong female ones like Charmaine and Gita. There have also been very well written and intriguing storylines. And I do believe that the actors are good and that the show could do so much more with what it has. I’m the silly one though for expecting more from a show that doesn’t profess to be something it is not. 

An example to us all

Cankles and Squirrels

Here's a snippet of some newly married conversation

Me: Erik, do you know what cankles are?

Erik: Isn't it ankles that look like cans?

Me: uncontrollable laughter

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

Me: Do my feet look like dinosaur claws?

Erik: No! Do you even know what dinosaur claws look like?

Me: No, but I was just wondering.

If you can't ask your husband if your feet look like dinosaur claws, then I just don't know!

Squirrels

I used to hate squirrels. I thought of them as rats but with fluffy tails and also modern day carriers of the plague! They're actually not that bad. It's really fun watching them run around whilst you sit in the park.

Also, squirrels are coming up in the world. Take a look here:

Yes! It's a business squirrel. They exist and are actually taking over the business world. Or so I assume from this picture. If I was making shady business deals, I would prefer making it with a squirrel. Very soon they'll be just like us. I hear they've already started discriminating against female squirrels both in business and private settings. It's reported that female squirrels who occupy the same positions as male squirrels earn less nuts. Way to go squirrels! I knew you could do it!

A Guide to Naps

I simply insist that everyone should indulge in a good nap as often as they can. I don't consider myself an expert on much but on sleeping I definitely am. Sleeping and all its variations. Seeing that it's Friday and the weekend should be about relaxing I offer my expertise on the art of napping here and for free! You can thank me after your nap.

In my research I have found that a good nap is made up of three simple and easy to follow parts.

Part I: Pre-Nap

This involves finding a suitable comfy spot where minimal disturbance would be likely to occur. Best done when no one else is around and won’t be around for a few hours. This is essentially quiet time where you switch your mind off and just relax. A nice cup of tea before the nap might be helpful here but don’t try this if you have a weak bladder, this might wake you up before you are ready. If you are a particularly popular or important individual you may want to tell people to will not be available between such and such a time. Unfortunately, we still live in a society where naps just aren't given the respect they deserve.

Part II: The Nap

This part involves napping to the best of your ability. Part I is crucial to the proper execution of this step.

Part III: Post-Nap

The nap doesn’t simply end the minute you wake up! If you get up too soon, you may end up feeling groggy and become grumpy. However, it is also important that you don’t stay in too long either. This may result in oversleeping and very similar effects to getting up too soon may occur. The best thing to do is to wake up but to lay in for a further 5-15 minutes. Just go through how you feel. Evaluate your nap – was it good? Think about what you ‘re going to eat when you get up. Some salsa and chips would be delicious. Maybe you want a chocolate milk. On a personal note because I am often tempted to stay wrapped in the warm folds of my covers, food is one of the few things that can motivate me to get up. Food and guilt. So, if someone's about to get home soon I don't want them to see I'm napping. Napping is very personal!

Inspirational Tuesdays: Weddings and catcalls

What has been really great over the last week has been the tremendous amount of well wishes and messages Erik and I have received about our marriage. Just thanks everyone! I imagine this is what a Kardashian must feel like when they wake up every morning. Just endless facebook messages and likes. Except I would more realistically be a hundredth of a Kardashian. I can live with that!

A hundredth of a Kardashian

Then there's Jessica Williams who really should be an inspiration to us all and to men who aren't quite sure about  the catcalling thing - she's right!

Review: The Woman in White

Today's post is a review of one of my favourite novels, The Woman in White. It has been written by one of my dearest friends Nicole a.k.a. the nutella of my soul. Not only am I delighted because she is a wonderful writer but it's the first guest post here on s.o.d. Yay!

Women in white drink red wine           

Nicole Esbach

If you have ever read Dickens, Eliot, Austen, Gaskell and the literary dream team, The Brontë Sisters, then you are assuredly aware of how limited Victorian society was for a woman. The quintessential corset that outwardly looks fetching, yet to the captive is nothing more than scheduled incarceration for the female form. First, she belongs to her father and then she belongs to her husband. Appraised for her appearance, ability to entertain (social class withstanding –not every woman was an accessory, others were cogs in the economic machine) as femininely(meaning as demurely and non-threatening as possible), in short she is to have no self but be the sum of what is socially expected of her. To be pretty, to be quiet and most importantly to be the receptacle for furthering her husband’s lineage.As most eras go, this one included, we grow accustomed to certain practices. Some may irk us, while others may go unnoticed as they leave relatively no harm and are deemed acceptable like calling your bestie a bad ass bitch because nothing says respect like a derogatory statement. Thus the female plight may be passed over in various literary works, and that is okay because not every work should be a portrayal of ghastly suffering. Alternatively, if it can be at the apex of sensation novels, or be a purveyor for the detective novel then William Wilkie Collins is your guy. Known as Wilkie Collins, as not to be confused with his father, also named William; Wilkie wrote what is largely considered to be his greatest work, The Woman in White.

The Woman in White is a novel that reads like a courtroom testimony and is composed of multiple narratives. Each narrative serving to elucidate and move the story forward. In a nutshell, the story is about identity theft as well as the great 19^th century concern: social class. The first narrator, Walter Hartright, an art teacher in need of employment and just all-round nice guy takes up a post at Limmeridge House. Where his only pupils are two young ladies: Marion Halcombe and Laura Fairlie. En route to Limmeridge House, he meets a mentally unhinged woman, Anne Catherick: asylum escapee, believed keeper of pertinent secret, and steadfast devotee to the colour white; who bears an uncanny resemblance to Laura Fairlie. Naturally, she is an attractive blue-eyed, blonde and the legitimate daughter of a large inheritance. As custom would have it, she has been promised to wed, Sir Percival Glyde. A friend of her late father and unbeknownst to all, heavily entrenched in debt. However,she falters in maintaining her promise, when she falls in love with her art teacher. Familial obligation steps in and she ends up becoming Lady Glyde. Life as Sir Percival Glyde’s wife, though, proves to be quite difficult for both parties. The scheming Glyde with help from his devious friends, manages to switch his wife’s identity with that of the unhinged Anne Catherick. What ensues is a heavy bag of obligation, suppressed feeling, indefatigable tenacity and downright treachery that is lugged around until human folly and the strict code of an Italian secret society disposes of it.The supporting characters range from the hypochondriac Mr Frederick Fairlie; who is essentially a tyrannical shut-in and Count Fosco; a man whose enormous girth is only surpassed by his grandiose sense of himself. The undoubted heroine of Woman in White, is Marian Halcombe, half-sister of Laura Fairlie and confidant to Walter Hartright. She is presented as the model spinster. Her lack of physical charms (she has a marriage-blocking mustache), is remedied by her sharp mind and depth of will commonly only seen in men.Marion is unerring in her devotion to her sister and in her pursuit to reinstate sister’s identity. All in all, The Woman in White is engrossing from beginning to end. A work of classic literature that reads like the literary equivalent of a fine, red wine. After all, a full-bodied pinotage is an excellent accompaniment to a full-bodied novel.

Here's some more about Nicole:

Apparently nobody is perfect, yet here I am….living proof that that sentiment holds true. Champion of all things grey, voracious eater of the humble peanut (well pulverised into a delectable paste that is) and one existential crisis away from never speaking without using air quotes. Pet peeve: people who send me photographs of food. Instead of actual food. They should be phased out.

Check out her blog GrrrlGazette! It's funny!