Topic #1

Here is my list of helpful topic suggestions:

• Walking in circles in lifts
  
• The Moral Compass in the Southern African Context: Principles Gone Awry
  
• Perfect Low-light Pot Plants for the Office
  
• How to change a fuel pump
  
• Why the world might actually be flat
  
• How different the world be if there was no chocolate?
  
• Sometimes we see our bodies as separate from ourselves. Have a conversation with your body. Write the conversation in dialogue form
  
• Write about the colour of my childhood.
  
• "There are some things you learn best in calm and some in storm" - Willa Cather. Write about things you have learnt in storm. Begin: "One day..."
  
• Is 'Avatar' is worth any of the hype?
  
• How bubbles or a game of Uno would solve many of the world's problems?


• How so many varsity-aged women today appear to have some form of an eating disorder
  
• Some useful suggestions on how the save the planet that do not involve the UK submarine fleet.
  

Thanks for the topics!

It has been an extremely rough week for me, all because Frank (aka B) left on his 4 (maybe 3) month trip. Lab-mates Luke and Helen: You guys totally rock. Thanks for all the support and hugs, everyone!

*drumroll*

Aaaand, the first topic iiiiiis... Chocolate!

Or, more specifically, how different the world would be if there was no chocolate. I felt this was an appropriate topic, given my current situation.

Firstly, although I don't subscribe to this theory, some say that especially for women, chocolate is a substitute for sex. So, if this were true, there was no chocolate, and people had no self-control.... You get my drift, no? I disagree, because I eat chocolate when I feel tired, frustrated, lonely, etc. This doesn't seem to tie up with The Theory.

Anyway, if there were no chocolate, the world would suffer less from post-nasal drips (I would know this, about an hour ago, I snaffled ¼ of a bar, and now, I'm struggling with a massive PND...), spend far less money (when I go through a chocolate phase, I REALLY go through chocolate), and probably be reliant on other things to make us happy. Like exercise.

I think that the world might end (well, for me anyway) if there were no dark chocolate. Milk and white chocolate I can live without. They are the major reasons why I tend not to indulge too often, as the sugar and dairy content is just too much for my dear mucous-producing sinuses. Dark chocolate is amazing though – I absolutely love the bitterness! However, a lot of people seem to disagree with me about the merits of a piece of really smooth dark chocolate, so I don't think the whole world would change too much is there were none!

Update

The write-a-thon (well, thing where I write and publish a lot) has yet to commence, because I have just been way way too busy at the moment. Ernest (I need a better name now) is leaving next week, I've been doing field work, going to birthday parties, doing varsity admin type stuff...

 

So.

 

I will try and publish at least one topic next week, K? Happy sunday!

Not really panicking...

But at the same time, I'm panicking...

I realised this year, that I have just 1 year left in which to do my masters (well, much less than a year now). To complete it, I need to:

• Record and score all my behaviour data (barring recording 1 section from 1 population)
• Finish measuring vegetation, and analyse all vegetation, including the measurements that were taken a few years back
• Do all the stats on the above data
• Write up an entire masters
• Do my teaching assistant duties for the year, so that I can get paid
• Somehow maintain my image of sanity...

And, some of the above is being hindered by my not-quite-working computer system. So, somehow I need to increase my productivity, decrease faffage (real word). It seems that I might have to shut myself in a dark room for a while, but then, that increases the probability of insanity!

GAAAAH!

Topics, please!

I need to get myself in a writing frame of mind again, but have no idea were to start! A while ago, a friend was in the same position, and i gave her a topic to start off with. I'm not sure if she ha carried on with her writing, but i think that having a topic to write on really does help a ton.

So:

Please please please comment with any random topics for me to write on, and ill post them on my blog?

Poetry!

I really like this poem - and found it again tonight, and thought it would be appropriate to publish...

"I MUST down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a gray mist on the sea's face, and a gray dawn breaking.

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over."

John Masefield

Happy new year!

Or Not...

Last night, I discovered that I really don't have many good reasons to be staying up till all hours of the night, waiting for the clock to strike 12. I mean, what is the point of celebrating the new year, if it is going to come anyway? And why should everyone make a point of staying up to see this "momentous occasion" in?

I was questioning the reasoning last night, as I was trying desperately to stay awake to wait for the clock to strike 12... For someone who REALLY likes their sleep, it just seems like a stupid idea. Up till about 10.30 last night, I had fun. Three of us went to the top of a koppie, to watch the lunar eclipse and take photos, and look at the stars. It was really nice, until I started getting more and more sleepy, but the rock was far too uncomfortable to sleep on. And my companions wouldn't allow me to go back to the house to go to bed (nasty people - they managed to find comfy places and fell asleep on the rock).

I also don't really understand the significance of waiting to see the new year in. For some, it might be an opportunity to imbibe in the bubbly, or any other alcoholic beverages, get horribly wasted and spend the following day feeling like they've been run over by a tractor, munched on by a crocodile, and spat out. I do know this feeling - last year I went to a new year's party, and we were playing drinking games. I'm bad at drinking games. I felt like a tractor ran over me and a crocodile chewed me up and spat me out the next day.

Or, maybe it is so that people can be "the first" to wish others a happy new year. Also, I don't really understand the significance of this, since a lot of the time, when you wish someone a "Merry Christmas", you tend to wish them a "Happy New Year" too...

Two years ago, I was invited to the 'berg to celebrate new years. I had a whale of a time, and on new years eve, I walked about 20kms, just because they were there and I wanted to go and explore. I had a fabulous day, and we had a lovely meal to top the day. Then I got tired, went to bed, even though all the others were celebrating. It was great for me, although the trip organiser wasn't too pleased with me... The next day, I got up early again, and went walking...

So, last night, I reached a conclusion that I wont stay up to celebrate new years, unless it is exceptional circumstances (like I really need a massive party night - doesn't happen terribly often), or I'm with exceptional people, ones that I stay up with chatting until all hours of the morning anyway. And, thus, for the next new years', I will try and get myself to a remote corner of the 'berg, or actually anywhere where the population density is quite low, and celebrate the new year in my own style.

And that is my only new years' resolution!

Happy new year!

Utter confusion reigns

I wrote an entry a while ago, On etiquette. In it, I described the worst type of unreliable character one could ever hope to meet... Well, my 'friendship' with said character (lets call him... Ernest, shall we...?) has sort of continued since then. I am sure of neither his intentions, nor his feelings with regard to me, and thus, felt the need to blog about it.

Since the etiquette post, I saw Ernest at an event that I invited him to, my birthday party, my field work (vegetation sampling), and then he invited me to help him with an adventure activity. Since then, I have invited him to help me with trapping, along with several others (I need quite a bit of help!), and he invited me to go to church. Oh and to help on a weekend camp...

Firstly, vegetation sampling with him (and my mom) was really good, if a little slower than I'm used to. I enjoyed his company, and it made for an interesting morning. That day, he asked if I would like to help him with his adventure activity thing, a few days later. I agreed, because it would be fun, and also because I haven't really taken the day off completely for a very long time. That day, I discovered he was quite a passionate christian. No problemo, except for the fact that I'm not exactly the epitome of one... In fact, if you met me, you probably would not guess my religious affiliation... This was all good and well, until it came up that I had glandular fever (aka "kissing disease").

[I think this is highly unfair name - common colds and flu are spread in exactly the same way, but they are not called 'kissing illness"...]

And despite the fact that I didn't get it from kissing anyone, I was proclaimed to be a "promiscuous kisser"... YES! UNFAIR! (I was imagining may flocks of turtles in my mind right then...)

Anyway, I sent out an email with regard to my trapping this coming week, and, it took Ernest till today to let me know in all definiteness! When I texted him yesterday afternoon, with a friendly message, he said that he was going for a ride with his sister. And replied to me at 1am! Seriously, WTF? Then, today (I mean, this afternoon), he says that he cant come trapping, because of his hectic week, with his sister leaving and all, and then proceeded to ask me if I wanted to go to church with him. So I agreed, and left it at that. I was on my way back from the south, when he phoned me... And it turned out he could make church tonight, but wanted to clarify that he maybe could come trapping on Tuesday? He then proceeded to confirm about Tuesday, and ask me if I would help him on a camp coming up...

I am so super confused about this oke! He has offered a few times to watch mouse videos (of all things) with me, can be super-attentive when I'm with him, but then doesn't contact me? Or does he actually like me? What on earth?

Helen, please please please don't say "I told you so"!