- no, I do NOT have Tourette's Syndrome.
Random, I know, but hear me out.
I've been following, over the last three weeks or so, the blog of a lady name Jessica (Jess) Thom, a Londoner with Tourette's Syndrome. I thank an article in the YOU magazine for the information on her.
Anyway, Jess has vocal and motor tics, which means she says and does things over which she has no control. As Amma now knows as well, she'll beat her chest for no other reson than the Tourette's thinking it's funny to do so. "Biscuit" and "lucky duck" are among its favourite tics and at random times of the day she'll have a ticcing fit, during which time her body drops her to the floor and thrashes her about like a fish out of water. She is also one of only about 10% of Tourette's "sufferers"with swearing tics - so this whole thing with peop;e using Tourette's as an excuse to swear or speak their minds is a load of k@k.
I'm writing this post because I have tics, too. NO, I really DON'T have Tourette's, but those who know me know I make sounds and snap my neck to the side if I get tired. I also snap or crack my fingers randomly and often "hic", which only gets more annoying the tireder I am.
Is "tireder" even a real word...?
Anyway, this is a heads up message more than anything else. If I start making any funny sounds out of the blue, or seem to be jerking my head or neck in a way that looks epileptic, please just ask me to stop - I can usually manage if I concentrate on it hard enough.
In the meantime, check out Jessica's blog and let me know what you think. I'm really interested to know, and if nothing else, you'll learn more about what Tourette's Syndrome acutally is.
Thursday, 28 March 2013
Monday, 25 March 2013
Here comes the toe-stepping
Right, I was going to write a really long entry (in fact, I started it last week Sunday) to step on toes (which is not a deliberate action, but would have been a side-effect of the blog.
This morning I was, like, "Aah, fukkit!"
Long and short: If you don't like how someone dresses, tell them. If you don't like how someone puts knowledge across, discuss it civilly.
Issues like this have been popping up in quite a few of the groups I'm involved in, and I was fine with it because there will always be one or two who have something to say. It broke my heart, though, when it happened in my the Cape Town Tarot Association.
Ladies and gentlemen, we read cards. We are neither a riligious or spiritual group, nor are we a political entity, a school or a fashion house deciding the fate of the world's fashion sense.
We read cards, which in itself is slightly on the cookie side. So, discounting someone in the group because of how he or she or they dress is NOT on. Discounting what they are teaching because it's different from how you were taught (and here I count myself), is NOT on. So the Tower means Disruption. It also means sudden change, an impulsive decision and rough times ahead. But no, you only learnt about Disruption, so you're sticking to your guns.
And you call yourself a cartomancer?
Yes, I make the same mistakes. I get so stuck on the first meaning that I learn for the card that I forget there are other ways of interpreting it, but I try. I try taking a step back and looking at it and saying, "Huh! Who'd'a thunk it?" The difference is that I DO NOT shoot someone else's theories down because of what I was taught.
There are some who read my blog (and I know this because there's a traffic counter on my dashboard) who will read this and get offended. There are some that will read this and go, "Oh, well, whatever." And then there will be some sending me messages or comments going, "Wow! Good on you!"
Be open to learning new things without putting your own biases or judgements first, just because you don't agree.
This morning I was, like, "Aah, fukkit!"
Long and short: If you don't like how someone dresses, tell them. If you don't like how someone puts knowledge across, discuss it civilly.
Issues like this have been popping up in quite a few of the groups I'm involved in, and I was fine with it because there will always be one or two who have something to say. It broke my heart, though, when it happened in my the Cape Town Tarot Association.
Ladies and gentlemen, we read cards. We are neither a riligious or spiritual group, nor are we a political entity, a school or a fashion house deciding the fate of the world's fashion sense.
We read cards, which in itself is slightly on the cookie side. So, discounting someone in the group because of how he or she or they dress is NOT on. Discounting what they are teaching because it's different from how you were taught (and here I count myself), is NOT on. So the Tower means Disruption. It also means sudden change, an impulsive decision and rough times ahead. But no, you only learnt about Disruption, so you're sticking to your guns.
And you call yourself a cartomancer?
Yes, I make the same mistakes. I get so stuck on the first meaning that I learn for the card that I forget there are other ways of interpreting it, but I try. I try taking a step back and looking at it and saying, "Huh! Who'd'a thunk it?" The difference is that I DO NOT shoot someone else's theories down because of what I was taught.
There are some who read my blog (and I know this because there's a traffic counter on my dashboard) who will read this and get offended. There are some that will read this and go, "Oh, well, whatever." And then there will be some sending me messages or comments going, "Wow! Good on you!"
Be open to learning new things without putting your own biases or judgements first, just because you don't agree.
Friday, 22 March 2013
Wet, wet, wet...
There are so often days where you need everything to smoothly, usually because
- It's your day off and you plan on doing as little as possible while you enjoy it, considering you work weird hours for six out of every seven days;
- Your FD class-mates are coming over for a braai;
- You're just plain tired or lazy; or
- You just want a day of doing little or nothing.
In my case, I wanted #'s 1. and 4., even knowing and planning on # 2. I had a mild case of # 3, but it was minimal.
My plans were shot to shit before 9 pm on Wednesday night. The whole day my mother and brother were at home. As my mother teaches and Little Man worked the night shift at the restaurant, so one would hope my brother would have decided, out of the goodness of his heart, to keep a hold on the (very) few dishes made up during the day.
Nothing doing.
So Amma makes the announcement (in the form of a question): "Who's doing the dishes?" Dead silence. I give a sielent "fukkit" and say, "I suppose I'll have to." Right there someone else was suppose to jump in and say, "No, I'll help." Bitches. I got no such support. I then decided I'd do it in the morning.
Then another mombshell gets dropped: "You'll vacuum for me in the morning again, won't you?" Just like that.
Can you tell yet that my mood improved astronimically right then and there? No? Don't worry, you didn't miss it, my mood actually went through the floorboards.
So, my original plan of only doing my laundry and vegetating a bit, as I would have LOVED to do on my day off, got shattered.
Long and short, I get up the next morning, put my laundry in the washer and decided to take a few minutes to wake up, so I put on a cartoon, Amma and Chechi leave to go looking for a dress for the Matric farewell, and the kitchen is sudddenly filled with a loud splashing noise, like the drum was filling.
Except I hadn't opened the washer since I dropped my clothes and washing powder in.
I run in to investigate and almost slip my gat af. The effing drainage pipe had (once again - it happened to Chechi about a month ago) and flooded the kitchen floor.
Whatever inkling of a mood the cartoon had sparked died and took its descendants with it in that instant. But, I kept my cool, grabbed whatever towels I could find and dried up the floor lickety-split.
I love swimming, but I think I'll avoid the pool for a little while.
Afterwards I still got all my washing done, I got the towels washed, I vacuumed the house, did the bedamned dishes and managed to get a few minutes of vegetating in before the classarrived - all at once. Something about a fire down Blaauwberg way...
We had an immensely good time! We had a braai (which The Mory was more than kind enough to do for us - I even told him to tell me when he wants me to take over), potato salad (made by the lustrous Lord Zedd), a Peppermint Fridge tart (kindly and deliciously made by Esme) and little flatbreads that I made based off of a pita bread recipe. There were even enough left over that I managed to bring some to the shop for lunch today - stuffed with braaied chicken (when I found some I could actually cut open) and boerewors. The Straight Boy took over braaiing the boerewors on a smaller grill, and we all thank him so much for that. We watched some class-related material and man, all I can say is that I enjoyed it so much! Besides the fact that the two films were the reason for the braai, the material was interesting and so well-put. The models in the second film provided us with a good giggle, but SOMEONE had to play those roles (^_^). Thank you, Raymond, for the material you put together.
To end off, a special "thank you" goes out to The Stylist for the trims and colours he handed out yesterday - we all look good, and he got rewarded for his skill. It's more than worth it!
Blessings, my lovelies!
P.S.: I'm still working on the hefty post - watch this space, and get ready to tighten those knickers! <Hee hee...!>
Wednesday, 20 March 2013
Roadside giggles!
Just a quickie as I work on a rather serious and toe-stepping entry for publication ... whenever I get the chance, I suppose...
As I waited for the bus this morning a number of the truckers and delivery vans riding past would either slow down and wave or hoot. It took me about ten minutes to figure out it was because my hair (which is nearly half-way down my back) was loose to dry out before I tied it up for the day.
As hard as I laughed when I clicked this, I didn't waste time braiding it up.
OH!! Before I forget: I've been following the blog of a lady named Jessica Thom. She has tourette's syndrome and uses her blog to show people the lighter and funnier side of a rather serious neurological disorder.
Here's the website's address:
www.touretteshero.com
Have as good a giggle as I did!
As I waited for the bus this morning a number of the truckers and delivery vans riding past would either slow down and wave or hoot. It took me about ten minutes to figure out it was because my hair (which is nearly half-way down my back) was loose to dry out before I tied it up for the day.
As hard as I laughed when I clicked this, I didn't waste time braiding it up.
OH!! Before I forget: I've been following the blog of a lady named Jessica Thom. She has tourette's syndrome and uses her blog to show people the lighter and funnier side of a rather serious neurological disorder.
Here's the website's address:
www.touretteshero.com
Have as good a giggle as I did!
Friday, 15 March 2013
The Issue of WORK and Writing Online
Hello, darlings
So, in the last two months it's become VERY clear that I need new work. Not only has the shop not been able to draw customers anymore, thus affecting my salary, but I don't like how the company in general is being run.
I mean, who writes off thousands of rands' worth of stock, but still keeps it on the floor for sales?
And the stock software? My word, don't get me started! We've been complaining about the Pastel forever (it NEVER balances the stock!) and absolutely nothing gets done about trying to fix it. Stock-taking is just an excuse to run around like a headless chicken once every three months.
That said, I've been trying to think about what type of work I would like and need. Obviously, something in which I don't spend half my work-day travelling TO work is a major plus. Something where I'm kept busy either learning new things or just doing what I'm supposed to be doing, and yet I have my weekends and holidays off. I want a good salary (not some peanut-like amount where the business I do is proportional to what I'll get in a month, ie, a commission). I hate commission, it actually makes me sick trying to get anything sold just for some extra money.
In that vein, my friend B and my dad have both suggested that I take up writing. As B has the actual experience, he's been trying to help me with all the sites he used to write for. A journalist by trade, he started by writing online and for his community paper up in KZN, and when he moved back to CT, could show the places he's worked for that he has actual experience. He texted me last night ot discuss one of the sites having changed their layout and ways of doing things, so now I'm just waiting to hear if they're actually taking in any new writers. If they are, cool - it just means I'll have to brush up on my writing skills. I'm not too sure how valid my writing is with the blog, but it's nothing to Google writing skills. My only real problem has always been that I don't know how to use a climax or how to end my pieces :P
Hee hee...!
Anyway. What work do you readers suggest I go and look for? Keeping in mind I can get INCREDIBLY lazy and unwilling, but I like to be kept busy when I'm at work. And I mustn't get bored too quickly - that'll just drive me up the bend!
OK, off I go, my loves. I'll write again soon!
So, in the last two months it's become VERY clear that I need new work. Not only has the shop not been able to draw customers anymore, thus affecting my salary, but I don't like how the company in general is being run.
I mean, who writes off thousands of rands' worth of stock, but still keeps it on the floor for sales?
And the stock software? My word, don't get me started! We've been complaining about the Pastel forever (it NEVER balances the stock!) and absolutely nothing gets done about trying to fix it. Stock-taking is just an excuse to run around like a headless chicken once every three months.
That said, I've been trying to think about what type of work I would like and need. Obviously, something in which I don't spend half my work-day travelling TO work is a major plus. Something where I'm kept busy either learning new things or just doing what I'm supposed to be doing, and yet I have my weekends and holidays off. I want a good salary (not some peanut-like amount where the business I do is proportional to what I'll get in a month, ie, a commission). I hate commission, it actually makes me sick trying to get anything sold just for some extra money.
In that vein, my friend B and my dad have both suggested that I take up writing. As B has the actual experience, he's been trying to help me with all the sites he used to write for. A journalist by trade, he started by writing online and for his community paper up in KZN, and when he moved back to CT, could show the places he's worked for that he has actual experience. He texted me last night ot discuss one of the sites having changed their layout and ways of doing things, so now I'm just waiting to hear if they're actually taking in any new writers. If they are, cool - it just means I'll have to brush up on my writing skills. I'm not too sure how valid my writing is with the blog, but it's nothing to Google writing skills. My only real problem has always been that I don't know how to use a climax or how to end my pieces :P
Hee hee...!
Anyway. What work do you readers suggest I go and look for? Keeping in mind I can get INCREDIBLY lazy and unwilling, but I like to be kept busy when I'm at work. And I mustn't get bored too quickly - that'll just drive me up the bend!
OK, off I go, my loves. I'll write again soon!
Monday, 11 March 2013
What does the TAROT mean to you...?
I was asked this question by an anthropologist friend of mine in a questionnaire for her course. It really got me thinking.
What does Tarot mean to you?
I've never REALLY had to think about it - there's never been any real need. But how I see Tarot will not be the same way Piet Pompies sees it, I don't think. Each of us has his or her own point of view, and hey, maybe some overlap, but the heart of the matter will always be different from one reader to the next.
For istance, I placed the Tarot question on Facebook, and one of my friends responded, "Spiritual guidance", and I just had to ask her how she figures. I mean, for a very large part, the Tarot is set with Christian (read Catholic) religious symbols (have a look at the Hierophant and the High Priestess - even the Empress and Emperor). Her answer was a bit surprising considering I doubt she's Christian - I could be wrong, but hey.
How would the Tarot be used for spiritual guidance? I'm asking this as a reader. How would one take any spiritual guidance out of a Tarot deck, or reading, more specifically? I personally only see in the cards advice regarding personal spirituality (get rid of old ideas, stop being so temporal, blah blah blah), but spiritual guidance? Hmmm. Hey, if it works for you, love, I will not gainsay it - I'm just trying to understand.
So, what does the Tarot mean to you?
Let's look at what got you "into" Tarot, the event that got you taking that first step on the Fool's Journey. Mine was easy: Piers Anthony wrote a trilogy of novels in the late 1970's and very early 1980's called "God of Tarot", "Vision of Tarot" and "Faith of Tarot", republished under the single-word title "Tarot" in 1987. This story makes EXTENSIVE use of Tarot and Tarot symbols / symbolism on the planet Tarot, to which the representative of the Brotherhood of Light, Brother Paul, is sent to investigate the "God of Tarot", the ruling Deity of the planet itself. The planet is named after the deck of cards one of the first explorers had with him. The Deity investigation is started because the Tarot card (10 of Swords) the explorer drew CAME TO LIFE. Brother Paul, as both an experienced ex-con / sleight of hand person, highly experienced Tarot player and member of a denomination-neutral organisation, is sent to investigate the cause of the manifestations and find out who the God of the planet is. It turns out to be, for those who would want to sit and read for a month, Satan, in his anti-establighment guise, not the hellfire and brimstone we're brought up believing in.
That's me babbling right there.
Anyway. This really amazing piece of science fiction writing got me interested in the Tarot because of how the colonists use it in their daily lives and how Brother Paul uses it as a tool, not only for meditation, but also using the cards to solve the mysteries covering the surface of the planet Tarot.
<Damned dyslexia>
If he could use a deck of cards to help him solve mysteries, why couldn't I? If he could use a deck of cards to help people deal with heir sh*t, why couldn't I? And my word, the way the colonists used tarot symbolism! The two things that stick out to me is the Cups they use when it rains: lightweight metal domes large enough to cover three or four people at once if they have to leave their houses or public halls for any reason during a rain storm; or the Tree of Life, a tree native to Tarot that forms the basis of everyday life on the world: the bark is used for fabric, the fruits are edible, the wood is burnable - although these are only the functions I remember. If I remember correctly the author had quite the list going. Association with the tarot: Wands. Energy, passion, the flame of life.
So what does the Tarot mean to me?
It means providing assistance where I can, by making my sitters really take not eof their lives. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I don't do fortune-telling: I won't lay out the cards and say, "This is going to happen" or "You will meet this person." I see what is happening in their lives and make them see it, too. I make them see how to fix their own lives and what issues they need to deal with to move forward. I also make sure to tell them that nothing is set in stone and that life changes constantly, so if a possible future comes up, they have to realise it will change at the slightest provocation.
It means allowing myself to have an open mind and keep learning as I go along - the Tarot allows you to let your mind drift and your intuition to find the answers it needs all on its own.
It means being free to be me - in some small, completely unrelated way :)
What does Tarot mean to you?
I've never REALLY had to think about it - there's never been any real need. But how I see Tarot will not be the same way Piet Pompies sees it, I don't think. Each of us has his or her own point of view, and hey, maybe some overlap, but the heart of the matter will always be different from one reader to the next.
For istance, I placed the Tarot question on Facebook, and one of my friends responded, "Spiritual guidance", and I just had to ask her how she figures. I mean, for a very large part, the Tarot is set with Christian (read Catholic) religious symbols (have a look at the Hierophant and the High Priestess - even the Empress and Emperor). Her answer was a bit surprising considering I doubt she's Christian - I could be wrong, but hey.
How would the Tarot be used for spiritual guidance? I'm asking this as a reader. How would one take any spiritual guidance out of a Tarot deck, or reading, more specifically? I personally only see in the cards advice regarding personal spirituality (get rid of old ideas, stop being so temporal, blah blah blah), but spiritual guidance? Hmmm. Hey, if it works for you, love, I will not gainsay it - I'm just trying to understand.
So, what does the Tarot mean to you?
Let's look at what got you "into" Tarot, the event that got you taking that first step on the Fool's Journey. Mine was easy: Piers Anthony wrote a trilogy of novels in the late 1970's and very early 1980's called "God of Tarot", "Vision of Tarot" and "Faith of Tarot", republished under the single-word title "Tarot" in 1987. This story makes EXTENSIVE use of Tarot and Tarot symbols / symbolism on the planet Tarot, to which the representative of the Brotherhood of Light, Brother Paul, is sent to investigate the "God of Tarot", the ruling Deity of the planet itself. The planet is named after the deck of cards one of the first explorers had with him. The Deity investigation is started because the Tarot card (10 of Swords) the explorer drew CAME TO LIFE. Brother Paul, as both an experienced ex-con / sleight of hand person, highly experienced Tarot player and member of a denomination-neutral organisation, is sent to investigate the cause of the manifestations and find out who the God of the planet is. It turns out to be, for those who would want to sit and read for a month, Satan, in his anti-establighment guise, not the hellfire and brimstone we're brought up believing in.
That's me babbling right there.
Anyway. This really amazing piece of science fiction writing got me interested in the Tarot because of how the colonists use it in their daily lives and how Brother Paul uses it as a tool, not only for meditation, but also using the cards to solve the mysteries covering the surface of the planet Tarot.
<Damned dyslexia>
If he could use a deck of cards to help him solve mysteries, why couldn't I? If he could use a deck of cards to help people deal with heir sh*t, why couldn't I? And my word, the way the colonists used tarot symbolism! The two things that stick out to me is the Cups they use when it rains: lightweight metal domes large enough to cover three or four people at once if they have to leave their houses or public halls for any reason during a rain storm; or the Tree of Life, a tree native to Tarot that forms the basis of everyday life on the world: the bark is used for fabric, the fruits are edible, the wood is burnable - although these are only the functions I remember. If I remember correctly the author had quite the list going. Association with the tarot: Wands. Energy, passion, the flame of life.
So what does the Tarot mean to me?
It means providing assistance where I can, by making my sitters really take not eof their lives. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I don't do fortune-telling: I won't lay out the cards and say, "This is going to happen" or "You will meet this person." I see what is happening in their lives and make them see it, too. I make them see how to fix their own lives and what issues they need to deal with to move forward. I also make sure to tell them that nothing is set in stone and that life changes constantly, so if a possible future comes up, they have to realise it will change at the slightest provocation.
It means allowing myself to have an open mind and keep learning as I go along - the Tarot allows you to let your mind drift and your intuition to find the answers it needs all on its own.
It means being free to be me - in some small, completely unrelated way :)
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