The 72 day itch

Kim Kardashian is getting divorced after 72 days of marriage? What a joke! I’ve had food in my fridge for longer than that. Granted I should have thrown it out after it began to smell, but at least I know a thing or two about commitment. How bad could things be to call it quits after only 2 months and 2 weeks? Most people are still in the honeymoon stage at that point. Even after my humble 4 and a half years of marriage, I still hate being away from Will. He recently went home to South Africa to shoot a wedding, and I missed him terribly while he was away. So much so that I became quite a useless individual:

1. The inability to cook - Men may relate to this one more, but when my husband is away I can't see the point in making an entire meal for just one person. It takes longer to cook the meal than it does to eat it and dishes are your dirty reward at the end of it. One evening was a delicious meal of bacon flavoured crisps (my meat and veg), blueberry yogurt (fruit and dairy) and a cup of tea - at least I made sure it was a balanced meal. The fact that I haven't cooked a meal in 4 years also weighed heavily against any culinary brilliance whilst he was away.

2. My IQ level lowered significantly - There are certain movies that I am not allowed to watch because my husband refuses, and vice versa, it's called compromise. I haven't seen a Will Ferrell movie since we met because my hubby can't stand him. I, on the other hand, loved movies like Elf and Old School. So when he was away I thought it the perfect time to watch movies that I ordinarily would be banned from seeing. My movie choice comprised of Scream 4 (I had seen the first 3 and it would just be wrong not to complete it), Stepbrothers and Blades of glory. I see now that there is a reason I have been banned from these movies. My mind felt like porridge by the end of it, unable to hold an intelligent thought.

3. First sign of madness, I began talking to myself - ‘The Female Brain’ by Louann Brizendine states that women speak an average of 20,000 words a day, compared to men who only speak 7000 words per day. Whether or not this is scientific fact, it is definitely true in our marriage. I hate silence, and I like to fill it, either with music, TV, or the sound of my own voice (or sometimes the sound of my own voice OVER the TV or music.) You can imagine what torture it was for me to not have Will to chat to in the evening. I began to discuss things with myself, and tell myself what I think we should do next. I was, understandably, getting very bored of my own company by the end.

You can imagine how happy I was when he returned home, the promise of decent meals and intelligent conversation returning with him!

Eleven by Mark Watson

I first saw Mark Watson doing a standup comedy gig on Michael McIntyre’s ‘Comedy Road Show’. I thought he was delightfully quirky. On first watching him, it looked like he had come out on stage with no material and was adlibbing the whole time. I only learned later, after watching a few of his different gigs on YouTube that this was merely his style. I was an instant fan; and as an avid book reader I was delighted to hear that he was also an author. I immediately got my hands on a copy of Eleven.

It is basically about a seemingly insignificant incident that sets off a domino effect of events in eleven individuals’ lives. It is a thought that has occurred to me many times before, how all our lives are linked in some way, and how someone’s decisions can in some way have an effect on your day without you realizing. It is a simple idea which is excellently executed with a surprising yet fitting ending.

The story follows Ireland Xavier, and it is his action, or lack thereof, that starts the series of events in eleven separate lives, which are all in no other way connected to each other. We are also intrigued by the circumstances that brought Xavier to London, who is originally from Australia, which Mark Watson unfolds throughout the story.

I must admit that I thought it might get confusing (or boring) going through eleven different stories, but Watson quite convincingly handles multiple plots with entertaining ease. Being a comedian, I expected a laugh out loud comedy. Although there are funny moments throughout the novel, with insightful commentary on human nature, it is quite a melancholy book. I highly recommend this book. Watson has an easy and captivating writing style. 

He is also absolutely hilarious, so if you haven’t seen any of his stand up, do yourself a favour and look him up!  

NaNoWriMo

November is National Novel Writing Month (and all the wannabe authors of the world went – WOOHOO!)

It is a non-profit literary program that challenges aspiring novelists to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.  The idea is that you bash out the complete rough draft of your novel in November, and with a complete novel finally out of you, you can sit back, relax and rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.

With the deadline of 50,000 words in 30 days – gulp – you have no choice but to shush those self doubting and procrastinating voices within and finally just throw all caution to the wind and write that novel that has been sitting within you for decades.

As you may have guessed, I am jumping on the literary band wagon and am attempting a novel in a month (I have started in October and have written 1305 words; is that cheating?)

I, along with many other fledgling authors out there I’m sure, hold no delusional hopes that my novel will ever be published. Even so, would it not be fantastically wonderful if, sitting on the tube one day, someone opposite you takes out a novel to read that happens to be one you’ve written?

I hope you join me for NaNoWriMo. (You can even be like me and get a head start on things by starting this month) If you do want to give it a go, I’ve listed some links to helpful websites for new writers.

National Novel Writing Month – The Challenge!

Starving novelist – Fantastic blog for all aspiring authors. She has great tips and helpful ideas.

Procrastinating writers – Offers guidance for writers who struggle to get started. Latest blog posts offer some advice for NaNoWriMo.

Writers online – Great resource for all things writing related.

Struggling authors – Technical and moral support for new and unpublished writers.

Writing excuses – podcasts to help you banish those pesky excuses and start writing!

Just As You Are by Jill Lemming

I found this really lovely poem by Jill Lemming and hope she doesn't mind me sharing. You can find more of her poetry here.

Destructive thoughts within our minds can keep us in despair... those doubts and insecurities are not worth the pain they bear. It's sad to carry baggage that causes grief and shame... and in time we come to realize we have ourselves to blame. We can choose our way of thinking and ask God to give us peace... as we pray for a healthy attitude, our negative thoughts will cease. These human hearts are fragile and sometimes we can't see... it takes some effort on our part to find worth and security. Don't let those demons haunt you and keep you in the dark... just know that God, who formed you, loves you just the way you are.

The 8:22 train stalker

I quite enjoy my morning commute into work. The train is a civilized way to travel and, being a reverse commuter, it’s much quieter. It's a lot nicer than a bus and you don't spend the morning crammed up against a strangers back, arm, chest or face like you do in the tube. I get a lovely window seat where I can watch the scenery, and catch up on some reading.
However, my mornings were ruined by a stalker on my 8:22 train. You can fairly expect that people are creatures of habit and usually sit in the same carriage, in roughly the same seat. So seeing the same few people every morning was no strange thing. Although when this man who sat diagonally to me every morning started staring just a little bit, I began to get perturbed. But not one to blow my own trumpet announcing that I am so wonderful that even strangers are infatuated with me; I decided to test it out, and then I could safely announce that Yes! I am so wonderful that even strangers are infatuated with me! I went in different carriages, walked the opposite direction to where I usually went, changed my mind at the last minute just before boarding and walked down the platform to another carriage door. No matter where I sat, I could 100% guarantee where this man would sit. I wanted to say to him, “Excuse me you weird little man, but I do not really want to be stalked at this moment in time; because a) it’s quite creepy and b) you’re a freak, so please leave me alone!”

I’ve had to start walking to the other side of the platform to get on  the very front of the train to avoid him; which isn’t so bad….it’s even quieter than the rest of the train because no one else could be bothered to walk that far! I have thankfully been stalker free for an entire week now, and hope to remain that way.  

It’s my one year anniversary!!!

Exactly one year ago today my husband and I landed in London to begin a brand new chapter in our lives. We had no definite plans and started our journey with literally the money and possessions we had on us at the time. Some days were scary, not knowing what was going to happen. There were teary phone calls back to South Africa once or twice. Looking for work felt like a full time job in itself. Will and I sometimes only had each other to fall back on. But despite the bumps in the road, it has been the most exciting thing we have ever done; we have enjoyed every moment, and it has made us closer and our relationship stronger. It has taken a while to feel settled in; but it has somehow always felt like home here. God has constantly been there laying out each next step for us to take. It’s still an exciting journey and we can’t wait to see what happens next. I can’t quite believe it’s been a year already as I still feel like a newbie. But I think it’s safe to say that we have officially passed the newbie mark and are now meeting people who we can pass on our wisdom to (however miniscule that might be). We celebrated the momentous occasion with a bottle of wine at the park in this unnaturally balmy weather. And may I take this opportunity to say - To all you Brits out there, I really love your country!