Over Christmas we had the sheer pleasure of travelling through a few countries. I realize for my North American and Asian readers this seems very decadent, but for those of you living in continental Europe, padding through multiple borders is nothing special and often an every day occurrence.
In each place, whilst dark, we noticed and enjoyed a different night panorama, or should I say sky.
In one place it was dark blue and starry, another place the night sky was black, black, black and yet another evening offered a pink, orangey glow.
Clearly, the sky is affected by pollution, lighting, location and probably another ton of stuff, I am not aware of. I get that all that. But I enjoy the different colours. It is like a trademark of the city, it's own cosmic fingerprint.
So if you we're to go outside tonight, what colour would your sky be? Is it familiar? Does it offer you a sense of security? Do you feel safe and warm? What sensation do you feel as you look up?
If you don't know, I suggest it is time you go outside this evening and rediscover your cosmic garden. Is it bright, starry or colourful. Do you recognize it? How does it make you feel?
Go see tonight and let me know.
The magic Canadian button
I have talked about losing my car in the company car park, but in winter there is a special way of finding it. For any of you Canadians reading this, beware this post may bore you senseless, however as a newbie here, this was one of my new life discoveries.
When temperatures drop to anything below minus 10, there is a gadget that becomes part of the secret survival. I call it the magic Canadian button. It is a button, found on your car key fob, that when pressed for 3 seconds, your car springs to life.
You can trigger this action from inside the house, inside the office building, it really has an impressive reach.
So today as I was leaving the office, when it was around minus 25 ish, I walked into a car park with what seemed like a choir of cars, all light up, revving away. Not one person in sight. It was like a scene out of a horror movie, all the people had been sucked into the stratosphere and the cars were about to take over planet earth. I was the only human left, who like Flash Gordon, had to save the earth in a matter of seconds. (ok so it was the end of a busy day and I was looking for escapism!)
I grinned to myself as I pondered this thought. However as soon as I got into my semi warm motor, I was greatful for this wonderful creation.
Bring on the magic Canadian button! (Oh yeah, and the Summer)
When temperatures drop to anything below minus 10, there is a gadget that becomes part of the secret survival. I call it the magic Canadian button. It is a button, found on your car key fob, that when pressed for 3 seconds, your car springs to life.
You can trigger this action from inside the house, inside the office building, it really has an impressive reach.
So today as I was leaving the office, when it was around minus 25 ish, I walked into a car park with what seemed like a choir of cars, all light up, revving away. Not one person in sight. It was like a scene out of a horror movie, all the people had been sucked into the stratosphere and the cars were about to take over planet earth. I was the only human left, who like Flash Gordon, had to save the earth in a matter of seconds. (ok so it was the end of a busy day and I was looking for escapism!)
I grinned to myself as I pondered this thought. However as soon as I got into my semi warm motor, I was greatful for this wonderful creation.
Bring on the magic Canadian button! (Oh yeah, and the Summer)
Western flavoured hair
At a company event this week, there was a fun Western evening event with cowboy hats, line dancing and chequered shirts. There was even a bucking bronco in the restaurant and a live bull outside. Yeah I work for a great company!!
Anyway, there was a huge Western style barbeque in the centre. It was (at least) outside and the smell of the wood burning was authentic and smoky. You could hear the yee-hars and the horses galloping amongst the cacti in the dessert. Getting the picture!
We had to queue up for our ribs and corn and get exposed to the whole ambience. It was a splendid event.
However the next day, I felt differently.
You see unlike most people, I have fixed hair washing days. Unlike others, I don’t wash my hair systematically in the shower, every morning. This is simply because I don’t have my hair on my head in the shower! Kind of obvious when you think about it.
So that morning, as I was about to leave, I shook my hair as usual, and put it on my head. However the stench that came from it was b a d !
It was smoky and barbeque-y!
Disgusting!
I had not thought about that had I? That will teach me to hang around the open fire, shooting the breeze with nice colleagues. But there was nothing I could do. I didn’t know any tricks on how to freshen up a smelly wig, beyond the gentle spraying of my perfume! Yikes.
So left with no choice, I decided not to worry about it, and wore my Western flavoured hair all day.
When possible I stood in the wind or stood outside chatting and ideally with as many other people as I could. At some point in the day, I either stopped noticing or it stopped smelling! I guess it was the former, but I truly hoped it was the latter!
Either way, a huge lesson to me, don’t stand near an open fire when you are not in a position to wash your hair that evening or better still, plan to wash your hair when away from home if needed.
What would you have done??? Would you have had any ideas or resources? I was stumped on this one!!
Anyway, there was a huge Western style barbeque in the centre. It was (at least) outside and the smell of the wood burning was authentic and smoky. You could hear the yee-hars and the horses galloping amongst the cacti in the dessert. Getting the picture!
We had to queue up for our ribs and corn and get exposed to the whole ambience. It was a splendid event.
However the next day, I felt differently.
You see unlike most people, I have fixed hair washing days. Unlike others, I don’t wash my hair systematically in the shower, every morning. This is simply because I don’t have my hair on my head in the shower! Kind of obvious when you think about it.
So that morning, as I was about to leave, I shook my hair as usual, and put it on my head. However the stench that came from it was b a d !
It was smoky and barbeque-y!
Disgusting!
I had not thought about that had I? That will teach me to hang around the open fire, shooting the breeze with nice colleagues. But there was nothing I could do. I didn’t know any tricks on how to freshen up a smelly wig, beyond the gentle spraying of my perfume! Yikes.
So left with no choice, I decided not to worry about it, and wore my Western flavoured hair all day.
When possible I stood in the wind or stood outside chatting and ideally with as many other people as I could. At some point in the day, I either stopped noticing or it stopped smelling! I guess it was the former, but I truly hoped it was the latter!
Either way, a huge lesson to me, don’t stand near an open fire when you are not in a position to wash your hair that evening or better still, plan to wash your hair when away from home if needed.
What would you have done??? Would you have had any ideas or resources? I was stumped on this one!!
Do I have a good deal?
In my job, I get to do a lot of work on organizational climate and general employee engagement. Pretty fancy work eh?
I really believe that working smartly on these areas, can bring financial gain to companies and more importantly purpose and richness for employees. After all we do spend a lot of time at work, so the better the environment is, the happier we will all be. At least that’s what I figure.
Like many other companies we run surveys asking folks how they are doing. Pretty routine stuff but poignant questions.
What we are basically asking is “Do you think you have a good deal?”
It is an interesting question and it can be answered differently on different days of the week. It is such a fragile balance and the pendulum can swing dramatically at any given time.
But really the question remains. Do I have a good deal?
So what makes a good deal? Well salary jumps out straightaway, money matters. The financials need to be right, but that is just not enough. Benefits like medical and disability insurance are great, but some benefits are simply not of any value, well not if you never take advantage of them. Perks, well I would suggest perks play a big role in the deal, perks include, having a company iphone, on site dry cleaning or gym, what about a nice cafeteria for lunch. These matter a lot. We experience these things most days and every time we use them, we register a mental “tick”.
What about the relationship with your boss, the hours you work, your commute, the amount of business travel, your colleagues, your tools for working, your work place, the way your company donates money to good causes, the type of work you do and the societal impact, the fancy hotels you might get to stay in, how autonomous you are, how much freedom do you get. The list goes on and really varies depending on the type of work you do.
However whether you realize it or not, you have made an outline in your head, about what a good deal looks like. Every day when you go home you know. If one week it hasn’t felt like a good deal, maybe subconsciously you look at the balance and you rectify a few things and allow the pendulum to swing back. Maybe your timeframe is more of a month than a week?
But what happens when the pendulum does not swing back. What are the options when the deal is not working out? Then there really are some choices to make. Do I give less? Do I put presssure on to get more? Or do I get out?
Over time, the deal has to be good. And good varies, depending on where you live, how many people you are supporting at home and what your personal ambition is.
So as I do my calculating, yes I have a good deal. I am happy with the balance, it seems right and when it isn’t, I know where to tweak it to gain it right back. Some people with the same deal may see it differently, but for me and my needs right now, it works.
So over to you. Do you have a good deal?
I really believe that working smartly on these areas, can bring financial gain to companies and more importantly purpose and richness for employees. After all we do spend a lot of time at work, so the better the environment is, the happier we will all be. At least that’s what I figure.
Like many other companies we run surveys asking folks how they are doing. Pretty routine stuff but poignant questions.
What we are basically asking is “Do you think you have a good deal?”
It is an interesting question and it can be answered differently on different days of the week. It is such a fragile balance and the pendulum can swing dramatically at any given time.
But really the question remains. Do I have a good deal?
So what makes a good deal? Well salary jumps out straightaway, money matters. The financials need to be right, but that is just not enough. Benefits like medical and disability insurance are great, but some benefits are simply not of any value, well not if you never take advantage of them. Perks, well I would suggest perks play a big role in the deal, perks include, having a company iphone, on site dry cleaning or gym, what about a nice cafeteria for lunch. These matter a lot. We experience these things most days and every time we use them, we register a mental “tick”.
What about the relationship with your boss, the hours you work, your commute, the amount of business travel, your colleagues, your tools for working, your work place, the way your company donates money to good causes, the type of work you do and the societal impact, the fancy hotels you might get to stay in, how autonomous you are, how much freedom do you get. The list goes on and really varies depending on the type of work you do.
However whether you realize it or not, you have made an outline in your head, about what a good deal looks like. Every day when you go home you know. If one week it hasn’t felt like a good deal, maybe subconsciously you look at the balance and you rectify a few things and allow the pendulum to swing back. Maybe your timeframe is more of a month than a week?
But what happens when the pendulum does not swing back. What are the options when the deal is not working out? Then there really are some choices to make. Do I give less? Do I put presssure on to get more? Or do I get out?
Over time, the deal has to be good. And good varies, depending on where you live, how many people you are supporting at home and what your personal ambition is.
So as I do my calculating, yes I have a good deal. I am happy with the balance, it seems right and when it isn’t, I know where to tweak it to gain it right back. Some people with the same deal may see it differently, but for me and my needs right now, it works.
So over to you. Do you have a good deal?
New years job
Each year I get a family calendar from my sister for christmas. You know the sort, a column for each family member. It's very practical and a huge part of how we, as a family, synchronize our lives and plan events. The calendar in the kitchen is the truth. No other calendar trumps this one.
So every year I take down the old calendar and replace it with the new one. Before the new one is hung up, some events, like birthdays need to be transferred.
Before the old one is ready for the bin, I always enjoy taking the time to read back through all of the events of the year including sleepovers, fun nights out and business trips abroad. It reminds me when we first met some people and really shows you with whom we spend most of our time.
It is a real reflection of the past year.
A calendar full of memories.
I realize how full our lives are with appointments, places to be and activities for each one of us. There is hardly any day without entries.
It's all there in black and white.
So before you throw out your old calendar, I encourage you to spend a moment seeing how you spent your time. Are you happy with your 2012? Did you spend time in the right places with the right people?
If you didn't, it's not too late for some new years resolutions!
So every year I take down the old calendar and replace it with the new one. Before the new one is hung up, some events, like birthdays need to be transferred.
Before the old one is ready for the bin, I always enjoy taking the time to read back through all of the events of the year including sleepovers, fun nights out and business trips abroad. It reminds me when we first met some people and really shows you with whom we spend most of our time.
It is a real reflection of the past year.
A calendar full of memories.
I realize how full our lives are with appointments, places to be and activities for each one of us. There is hardly any day without entries.
It's all there in black and white.
So before you throw out your old calendar, I encourage you to spend a moment seeing how you spent your time. Are you happy with your 2012? Did you spend time in the right places with the right people?
If you didn't, it's not too late for some new years resolutions!
Poisoned by make up
I have written before about the role make up plays in me having alopecia. Before I suffered from hair loss, I was more of a Au natural girl, but now I am "I wouldn't leave the house without it on" type.
I don't think too much about the shift, I do however sometimes wish for the ease of leaving the house without any face paint on, but that's the extent of my regret.
Whilst listening to my daily podcast from BBC4 which I love, I was listening to the life of Queen Elizabeth I. When it comes to history, well lets say, thank goodness for google. I have never displayed a passion for the subject nor embarrassingly enough an interest, but some things do trigger my curiosity. And I do love a good story.
The article I was listening to was more about her death. She died on 24 March 1603 and at that time causes of death were not always known. This was also the case with this particular queen. There is much speculation as to what caused her death. The theory that seems to attract the most likelihood, is that she died from blood poisoning. Not the evil poisoning type, when it was the servant trying to bump her off, to steal her jewels, but more of a silent poisoning from her make up.
At that time it was very fashionable to have a white face. The way to achieve this look was through "ceruse" which was a product made from white lead, mixed with vinegar.
Queen Elizabeth I was apparently very fond of this look and layered the white powder on frequently over many years. It is said that this intense usage, slowly poisoned her and as a result of this continued usage, she eventually died.
To think that death by make up, is not even a slight consideration today. When we head over to the cosmetic counter, the extent if my thought is "what colour" or "which brand".
So next time when I am out purchasing a new foundation or a bright new lipstick, I will ask the lovely, smiling sales assistant, what ingredients are in the product. Even if it is just to see the response of the salesperson. I mean a girl doesn't want to get poisoned does she?
If I am assured there is no lead in the product, I might just buy it!
I don't think too much about the shift, I do however sometimes wish for the ease of leaving the house without any face paint on, but that's the extent of my regret.
Whilst listening to my daily podcast from BBC4 which I love, I was listening to the life of Queen Elizabeth I. When it comes to history, well lets say, thank goodness for google. I have never displayed a passion for the subject nor embarrassingly enough an interest, but some things do trigger my curiosity. And I do love a good story.
The article I was listening to was more about her death. She died on 24 March 1603 and at that time causes of death were not always known. This was also the case with this particular queen. There is much speculation as to what caused her death. The theory that seems to attract the most likelihood, is that she died from blood poisoning. Not the evil poisoning type, when it was the servant trying to bump her off, to steal her jewels, but more of a silent poisoning from her make up.
At that time it was very fashionable to have a white face. The way to achieve this look was through "ceruse" which was a product made from white lead, mixed with vinegar.
Queen Elizabeth I was apparently very fond of this look and layered the white powder on frequently over many years. It is said that this intense usage, slowly poisoned her and as a result of this continued usage, she eventually died.
To think that death by make up, is not even a slight consideration today. When we head over to the cosmetic counter, the extent if my thought is "what colour" or "which brand".
So next time when I am out purchasing a new foundation or a bright new lipstick, I will ask the lovely, smiling sales assistant, what ingredients are in the product. Even if it is just to see the response of the salesperson. I mean a girl doesn't want to get poisoned does she?
If I am assured there is no lead in the product, I might just buy it!
Being the mum I thought I would be
I always thought I would be the kind of mum who bakes cakes and biscuits on the weekend. It didn't turn out that way. I have fond memories of my own mum baking biscuits, fairy cakes and cutting off excess pie crust with a blunt knife. So I figured I would be the same. Erm not really.
That said, I am not completely undomesticated, I do occasionally bake something or spontaneously conjure up something mildly domestic, but it is more of a rarity than a Saturday morning ritual.
However this morning, my youngest decided what kind of mum I was going to be today. She declared that we were going to make a lemon cake, because she likes sour tasting things. There was no negotiating, it was going to be a lemon cake and it was going to be today. You may recall from an earlier post we love lemons in this house.
Now my little angel is a very immediate kind of being. Things need to happen right now not in 5 mins or after lunch, but right now.
She is not demanding about it, in fact she goes about the task with a high level of independence. As I turned around, she had found two lemons, the lemon squeezer and a butterfly cake tin. She was ready to bake.
Rather than protesting and negotiating, I decided that we were going to make a butterfly shaped lemon pie right now. Why not indeed. There was nowhere else we had to be and the other tasks were actually rather mundane anyway.
So off we went. Squeezing, rolling and stirring.
It was great fun. We chatted and we worked together. Her doing one thing and me another. I couldn't thing of a better thing to be doing on the snowy cold morning. I actually felt that this event mattered to her. Dare I even suggest that it would become a memory of hers, her and her mum baking lemon cake.
So there you have it. Today I became the mum of my dreams!
Now isn't that something to be pleased about.
Anybody for cake?
That said, I am not completely undomesticated, I do occasionally bake something or spontaneously conjure up something mildly domestic, but it is more of a rarity than a Saturday morning ritual.
However this morning, my youngest decided what kind of mum I was going to be today. She declared that we were going to make a lemon cake, because she likes sour tasting things. There was no negotiating, it was going to be a lemon cake and it was going to be today. You may recall from an earlier post we love lemons in this house.
Now my little angel is a very immediate kind of being. Things need to happen right now not in 5 mins or after lunch, but right now.
She is not demanding about it, in fact she goes about the task with a high level of independence. As I turned around, she had found two lemons, the lemon squeezer and a butterfly cake tin. She was ready to bake.
Rather than protesting and negotiating, I decided that we were going to make a butterfly shaped lemon pie right now. Why not indeed. There was nowhere else we had to be and the other tasks were actually rather mundane anyway.
So off we went. Squeezing, rolling and stirring.
It was great fun. We chatted and we worked together. Her doing one thing and me another. I couldn't thing of a better thing to be doing on the snowy cold morning. I actually felt that this event mattered to her. Dare I even suggest that it would become a memory of hers, her and her mum baking lemon cake.
So there you have it. Today I became the mum of my dreams!
Now isn't that something to be pleased about.
Anybody for cake?
My 100th blog
I like numbers, so it seemed fitting that today I recognized my milestone blog. Namely my 100th post.
So why is 100 mark so significant?
100 blogs is pretty significant right? Well no, not really, I am not actually sure.
There are 100 cents in a dollar, 100 pennies in a pound. 100cm in a metre and a 100 years in a century.
Yet 100 minutes constitutes 1 hour 40 mins, 100 days is 14.285 weeks, 100 weeks is 1.916 years, 100 inches is 2.54 metres and 100 ounces is 2.957 litres. It's all over the place!
Yet 100 minutes constitutes 1 hour 40 mins, 100 days is 14.285 weeks, 100 weeks is 1.916 years, 100 inches is 2.54 metres and 100 ounces is 2.957 litres. It's all over the place!
So why is 100 mark so significant?
Well it is a composite number, it can evenly be divided by 2, 4, 5, 10, 29, 25 and 50. Percentages are maximum 100. It is relevant in maths, science, history and other such stuff.
However given all that I am not sure I really get the significance of a hundred, except that its a nice round number.
Any smart people out there want to educate me. Please feel free......
Nose hairs
I am generally a very healthy person.
Very rarely do I have anything beyond a sniffle or a sore throat.
Yet I am plagued with colds. They are triggered by long flights, too much air conditioning, change of seasons, allergies.
So whilst wondering what I could do to avoid such sniffles, I thought about things I could change in my lifestyle to prevent these coughs and colds. Maybe taking echinacea, washing my hands more frequently or eating more fruit. But I wasn't convinced that herein lies the solution.
Then I landed upon another theory.
It's because I have no nose hair!
Nose hair serves the purpose of filtering out unwanted particles from entering the body. Nose hairs are the body's first line of defense against germs, fungus etc. And guess what I don't have any.
Alopecia has stripped me of all my nose hair!
So even if there is no evidence to support my theory, I think I might be on to something. Yet that said, who cares, I don't think there is anything I can do about it?
Not sure nasal hair implants is the way to go.
So today, if you are in fine health, I suggest you go to the mirror and admire your nasal hair. Then, thank it for its good, and most likely many years of service.
Tee hee!
Very rarely do I have anything beyond a sniffle or a sore throat.
Yet I am plagued with colds. They are triggered by long flights, too much air conditioning, change of seasons, allergies.
So whilst wondering what I could do to avoid such sniffles, I thought about things I could change in my lifestyle to prevent these coughs and colds. Maybe taking echinacea, washing my hands more frequently or eating more fruit. But I wasn't convinced that herein lies the solution.
Then I landed upon another theory.
It's because I have no nose hair!
Nose hair serves the purpose of filtering out unwanted particles from entering the body. Nose hairs are the body's first line of defense against germs, fungus etc. And guess what I don't have any.
Alopecia has stripped me of all my nose hair!
So even if there is no evidence to support my theory, I think I might be on to something. Yet that said, who cares, I don't think there is anything I can do about it?
Not sure nasal hair implants is the way to go.
So today, if you are in fine health, I suggest you go to the mirror and admire your nasal hair. Then, thank it for its good, and most likely many years of service.
Tee hee!
A strong base
On my birthday I posted 40 things that I have learned from my parents. I enjoyed writing this list and I have since often referred to it in conversations. It was not a complete list but it made sense to me.
Whilst talking about our children growing up with a group of friends, we talked about what made us successful and made us into the people we are. I referred back to my list, specifically points 10 and 16.
For me, I shared, knowing that whatever I did, I could go home, gave me the confidence to try to new things. This place of return allowed me to be adventurous and take risks.
For example, at 14, I was selected to go on a two week girl guide jamboree with fellow guides from the district, whom I had never met. Destination Amsterdam. My parents strongly encouraged me to go. At 17, I went for a whole summer with a friend to work on a farm in Germany, a place my parents had never been and with a family they had never met.
At 19, I spent 3 months in a 2-man tent in Germany with a girl I met in a taxi at a friends college. At 21, I went to live in South Africa, when I had never left Europe. At 24, I left Germany where I was living at the time, on my bike, and went to live in Brussels so I could learn French. All I had was a train ticket, a backpack and the address of the tourist info. (I stayed there 7 years, had a blast, and as for learning French.....well, who cares right?) and the list goes on.
Not only did my parents allow me to go to these places, they pushed me to go, they even paid for my air tickets and helped me arrange the logistics. They never doubted my ability to be successful in my missions and they never questioned my choices.
What a great gift my parents gave me. The gift of freedom and adventure.
What is also amazing about these trips, I met and subsequently formed life long friendships. Whilst the memories of these trips will always remain with me, some things fade, but I would go as far to say as the friends I made in these places only gets stronger.
This base of return allowed me to try anything, knowing that I always had a safe place to go back to with people who believed in me. I never actually needed to return to this safe base, but I knew it was there. Solid and strong.
I don't think I ever appreciated this base. This was just the way it was. But it was what shaped my experiences and choices.
The friend I was talking to, explained she never had this base. I felt sad about that. However her experiences forced her to become very independent and make her own way at an early age. And all was good. However her path seemed harder and possibly not as much fun.
Interestingly enough, I am now reading a book on caring and daring leadership and how successful leaders who have high sustained performance offer a secure base to others and importantly have their own secure bases. I like this parallel and believe in it.
The foundations have to be firm before you can build. And once you have built firm foundations you need to offer that to others. Maybe it is even your obligation to do so.
So whatever parenting tactics I use, I need to remember that the big stuff is what counts later, the fundaments, the solid base. The rest well, I guess I just have to do what I can, knowing somehow it will figure itself out.
It will won't it?
Whilst talking about our children growing up with a group of friends, we talked about what made us successful and made us into the people we are. I referred back to my list, specifically points 10 and 16.
For me, I shared, knowing that whatever I did, I could go home, gave me the confidence to try to new things. This place of return allowed me to be adventurous and take risks.
For example, at 14, I was selected to go on a two week girl guide jamboree with fellow guides from the district, whom I had never met. Destination Amsterdam. My parents strongly encouraged me to go. At 17, I went for a whole summer with a friend to work on a farm in Germany, a place my parents had never been and with a family they had never met.
At 19, I spent 3 months in a 2-man tent in Germany with a girl I met in a taxi at a friends college. At 21, I went to live in South Africa, when I had never left Europe. At 24, I left Germany where I was living at the time, on my bike, and went to live in Brussels so I could learn French. All I had was a train ticket, a backpack and the address of the tourist info. (I stayed there 7 years, had a blast, and as for learning French.....well, who cares right?) and the list goes on.
Not only did my parents allow me to go to these places, they pushed me to go, they even paid for my air tickets and helped me arrange the logistics. They never doubted my ability to be successful in my missions and they never questioned my choices.
What a great gift my parents gave me. The gift of freedom and adventure.
What is also amazing about these trips, I met and subsequently formed life long friendships. Whilst the memories of these trips will always remain with me, some things fade, but I would go as far to say as the friends I made in these places only gets stronger.
This base of return allowed me to try anything, knowing that I always had a safe place to go back to with people who believed in me. I never actually needed to return to this safe base, but I knew it was there. Solid and strong.
I don't think I ever appreciated this base. This was just the way it was. But it was what shaped my experiences and choices.
The friend I was talking to, explained she never had this base. I felt sad about that. However her experiences forced her to become very independent and make her own way at an early age. And all was good. However her path seemed harder and possibly not as much fun.
Interestingly enough, I am now reading a book on caring and daring leadership and how successful leaders who have high sustained performance offer a secure base to others and importantly have their own secure bases. I like this parallel and believe in it.
The foundations have to be firm before you can build. And once you have built firm foundations you need to offer that to others. Maybe it is even your obligation to do so.
So whatever parenting tactics I use, I need to remember that the big stuff is what counts later, the fundaments, the solid base. The rest well, I guess I just have to do what I can, knowing somehow it will figure itself out.
It will won't it?
Bring on the dancing
So when was the last time you danced?
If you are anything like me it was at a wedding. Or possibly a milestone birthday party. Whenever it was, you can most likely remember it, as it was an actual event, and not just a regular Saturday night in the city.
There just are not many opportunities to shake your stuff and wiggle your booty on the dance floor anymore.
So as my hubbie and I went away for a cheeky get away to Bad Bertrich, whilst the kiddies were happily with their grandparents, we discovered a hidden jewel.
Now for any of you who know anything about German geography, Bad Bertich is a nice, cozy, sleepy small town, nestled in the countryside, deep in a valley. It is full of kind elderly people who typically go there for some kind of rehab or therapy, you know the sort for bad backs and the like.
It was also a perfect location for a nice dinner, kaffeekuchen and a bit of outdoors.
Anyway as we were enjoying our before-dinner Mosel wine, we heard about the Tanzlokal, "Gaudi". Apparently it opened at six, and closed when the last guest leaves. The age group was predicted from 16-60 and the music was described as "hits"
We had to try it.
So after dinner, we put on our dancing shoes and headed to the cellar steps where the sign "Gaudi" hung in all it's glory.
With a slight trepidation we stepped in.
Wow, the party was in full swing.
Michael Jacksons "Beat it" was blaring from the speakers and BOTH dance floors were full of people waltzing away. For those of you who have never experienced a German dance floor, let me tell you, people waltz to just about everything. It was amazing. Sensational.
We first found ourselves a corner (somewhere amongst the zimmerframes) and observed. However it didn't take long before we were boogeying away with the rest. It was hilarious.
The music consisted of all sorts and clearly appealed to the clientele. We joined in and like everyone else in the room, laughed and enjoyed the beat.
The highlight, and I mean the sheer highlight, was when the DJ noticed our "young like" presence and put on "oppan gangnam style". The dance floor cleared and we took our place. I did not know my hubbie had such moves!
What a blast.
We stayed remarkably long in the Tanzlokal, and my hubbie has blisters to prove our night out on the tiles. (I guess even muscle ache but he would never admit that!)
What struck me about this experience was that dancing is something for all ages and it clearly brings with it good spirits, yet dancing bars like this don't really exist anymore do they?
So I plea for a revival of dancing for all ages. If you have a cellar / basement free, I challenge you to open it up for public use, throw in some good lighting and mix some tunes.
Let me know, as I will be there!
If you are anything like me it was at a wedding. Or possibly a milestone birthday party. Whenever it was, you can most likely remember it, as it was an actual event, and not just a regular Saturday night in the city.
There just are not many opportunities to shake your stuff and wiggle your booty on the dance floor anymore.
So as my hubbie and I went away for a cheeky get away to Bad Bertrich, whilst the kiddies were happily with their grandparents, we discovered a hidden jewel.
Now for any of you who know anything about German geography, Bad Bertich is a nice, cozy, sleepy small town, nestled in the countryside, deep in a valley. It is full of kind elderly people who typically go there for some kind of rehab or therapy, you know the sort for bad backs and the like.
It was also a perfect location for a nice dinner, kaffeekuchen and a bit of outdoors.
Anyway as we were enjoying our before-dinner Mosel wine, we heard about the Tanzlokal, "Gaudi". Apparently it opened at six, and closed when the last guest leaves. The age group was predicted from 16-60 and the music was described as "hits"
We had to try it.
So after dinner, we put on our dancing shoes and headed to the cellar steps where the sign "Gaudi" hung in all it's glory.
With a slight trepidation we stepped in.
Wow, the party was in full swing.
Michael Jacksons "Beat it" was blaring from the speakers and BOTH dance floors were full of people waltzing away. For those of you who have never experienced a German dance floor, let me tell you, people waltz to just about everything. It was amazing. Sensational.
We first found ourselves a corner (somewhere amongst the zimmerframes) and observed. However it didn't take long before we were boogeying away with the rest. It was hilarious.
The music consisted of all sorts and clearly appealed to the clientele. We joined in and like everyone else in the room, laughed and enjoyed the beat.
The highlight, and I mean the sheer highlight, was when the DJ noticed our "young like" presence and put on "oppan gangnam style". The dance floor cleared and we took our place. I did not know my hubbie had such moves!
What a blast.
We stayed remarkably long in the Tanzlokal, and my hubbie has blisters to prove our night out on the tiles. (I guess even muscle ache but he would never admit that!)
What struck me about this experience was that dancing is something for all ages and it clearly brings with it good spirits, yet dancing bars like this don't really exist anymore do they?
So I plea for a revival of dancing for all ages. If you have a cellar / basement free, I challenge you to open it up for public use, throw in some good lighting and mix some tunes.
Let me know, as I will be there!
Rubbed off eyebrows
One day my eyebrows fell off.
How and when I don't know. But one day I woke up with no eyebrows. Let me tell you, a face without eyebrows is a rare image. It looks completely odd. Awful. I hated the look. I looked downright ugly.
Immediately, I began using an eyebrow pencil. I was not particularly talented at finding the right line, but then again I was not overly fussy. This was fine for a while, but often in the day I would glance into the mirror whilst washing my hands, and noticed that somehow I had rubbed one eyebrow off by leaning on my hand. Crap!
Why doesn't anyone tell you these things? If they were brave enough to tell you, I guess it would go something like this, "Hey you have only one eyebrow!" I guess this doesn't roll off the tongue, which explains people's reticence to speak up.
After a few months of pencils and experimenting with various cosmetic solutions (yes there are a few). I was getting very bored with it. Not only did the lines rub off, but after any sport they disappeared at the first sign of sweat.
I googled some options and landed with the idea of permanent make-up / eyebrow tattoos. It seemed affordable, apparently not overly painful and accessible. But how on earth do you pick a place to get it done? Again I turned to the internet. There were many choices, too many and no one I could talk to, to offer advice.
I may not have explained, but I am a very impulsive person. I tend to get an idea and have an immediate need to execute it. This time it was different as I did not know where to turn.
One day, I was feeling particularly miserable about my condition, I decided to take immediate action. I cycled to a little place in my Swiss neighborhood, where splattered on their windows, was the words "permanent make-up". I took a deep breath and went in. I said I wanted to get my eyebrows done immediately. They sat me down, showed me some photos, colours and designs and explained I needed up to two hours.
I didn't have two hours to spare, but I didn't dare back out now, so I booked for the next day and agreed to come back.
I did go back and have them done. I had to pick the style, the thickness, the length and the colour. I then had my eyebrow line numbed and waited for that to kick in. Then the needle and ink get going. The process did indeed take 2 hours and despite the numbing, it really hurt. It was worth it, but still it was not as pain free as promised
The next days the "eyebrows" developed what can only be called scabs and only when they healed did the eyebrows begin to look normal. Two weeks later I could begin to reap the benefits of the process and I have never looked back.
So there you have it. One of my solutions for living with Alopecia. They look perfect and don't need monthly plucking. See its not all bad!
So if you are considering this an option for your thining or disappearing eyebrows, I say go for it. For me it restored that "normal" look that I took for granted for over 30 years.
How and when I don't know. But one day I woke up with no eyebrows. Let me tell you, a face without eyebrows is a rare image. It looks completely odd. Awful. I hated the look. I looked downright ugly.
Immediately, I began using an eyebrow pencil. I was not particularly talented at finding the right line, but then again I was not overly fussy. This was fine for a while, but often in the day I would glance into the mirror whilst washing my hands, and noticed that somehow I had rubbed one eyebrow off by leaning on my hand. Crap!
Why doesn't anyone tell you these things? If they were brave enough to tell you, I guess it would go something like this, "Hey you have only one eyebrow!" I guess this doesn't roll off the tongue, which explains people's reticence to speak up.
After a few months of pencils and experimenting with various cosmetic solutions (yes there are a few). I was getting very bored with it. Not only did the lines rub off, but after any sport they disappeared at the first sign of sweat.
I googled some options and landed with the idea of permanent make-up / eyebrow tattoos. It seemed affordable, apparently not overly painful and accessible. But how on earth do you pick a place to get it done? Again I turned to the internet. There were many choices, too many and no one I could talk to, to offer advice.
I may not have explained, but I am a very impulsive person. I tend to get an idea and have an immediate need to execute it. This time it was different as I did not know where to turn.
One day, I was feeling particularly miserable about my condition, I decided to take immediate action. I cycled to a little place in my Swiss neighborhood, where splattered on their windows, was the words "permanent make-up". I took a deep breath and went in. I said I wanted to get my eyebrows done immediately. They sat me down, showed me some photos, colours and designs and explained I needed up to two hours.
I didn't have two hours to spare, but I didn't dare back out now, so I booked for the next day and agreed to come back.
I did go back and have them done. I had to pick the style, the thickness, the length and the colour. I then had my eyebrow line numbed and waited for that to kick in. Then the needle and ink get going. The process did indeed take 2 hours and despite the numbing, it really hurt. It was worth it, but still it was not as pain free as promised
The next days the "eyebrows" developed what can only be called scabs and only when they healed did the eyebrows begin to look normal. Two weeks later I could begin to reap the benefits of the process and I have never looked back.
So there you have it. One of my solutions for living with Alopecia. They look perfect and don't need monthly plucking. See its not all bad!
So if you are considering this an option for your thining or disappearing eyebrows, I say go for it. For me it restored that "normal" look that I took for granted for over 30 years.
Easy resolutions?
New years brings with it new year resolutions right? So why would this year be any different?
In the past I have been relatively successful with my intents. Some of my past and successful resolutions included:
Learning to make sushi
Learning to make crumpets
Learning to play ice hockey
I think I set resolutions knowing that there is a high chance I will succeed. Maybe I am not very adventurous with my personal goals or maybe I don't like stretching myself too much. Mmmmm, which one is it?
So as I set some intentions out for 2013, should I go for ones that I will most likely achieve or should I go for things that really are "out there"? Or should I actually bother at all?
One idea that springs to mind is learning to do a backwards crossover on the ice. At this time, that is seriously a stretch goal, but really is it as I have every intention of getting there.
Other ideas are to buy another house, write a will, post some photos on my blog, spend some time in England, get rid of /recycle some of the accumulated stuff, including kiddie books, clothes etc
Are these really resolutions or just a to-do list?
Anyone else got something on theirs that could inspire me?
Do share ........
In the past I have been relatively successful with my intents. Some of my past and successful resolutions included:
Learning to make sushi
Learning to make crumpets
Learning to play ice hockey
I think I set resolutions knowing that there is a high chance I will succeed. Maybe I am not very adventurous with my personal goals or maybe I don't like stretching myself too much. Mmmmm, which one is it?
So as I set some intentions out for 2013, should I go for ones that I will most likely achieve or should I go for things that really are "out there"? Or should I actually bother at all?
One idea that springs to mind is learning to do a backwards crossover on the ice. At this time, that is seriously a stretch goal, but really is it as I have every intention of getting there.
Other ideas are to buy another house, write a will, post some photos on my blog, spend some time in England, get rid of /recycle some of the accumulated stuff, including kiddie books, clothes etc
Are these really resolutions or just a to-do list?
Anyone else got something on theirs that could inspire me?
Do share ........
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