Michael C. Hall - Dexter

I was an extra in a movie called Up on the Roof, which was filmed in Cape Town around 1997. One of the lead actors in that movie was Adrian Lester, who then went on to be one of the main characters in a BBC TV series called Hustle around 2004. Also in Hustle was Jaime Murray who played the only female hustler in the show. She then went on to appear in Dexter in season 2.

Degrees of separation: 3

Katie Holmes - Tom Cruise

Ok, so I couldn't take the temptation. Here goes. My connection is - Manfred Enickl - as mentioned before. Willem De Klerk, son of FW De Klerk - Mandela. Who has met, any of the spice girls, particularly Victoria, who has become friends with the said couple.

So, how many degrees is that: 6

The degrees of separation

Ok, so now I'm wracking my brain for other connections to famous people - lets face it - you wouldn't be interested in my connections to some distant cousin of mine anyway. But, I just wanted to mention that this won't just be based on arb things like watching a programme with the person on it or being in the same vague space of the person; I'm counting on actually (albeit probable) interaction between individuals. I was convinced I'd thought of a connection to Oprah Winfrey the other night, but I must have been wrong. I guess it can't just be through Nelson Mandela because then I'd have a connection to her, the spice girls, Bono, and whoever else happened to grace his threshold so, no, I've to to dig deeper...

John Cusack

A good friend of mine, Allun Turner, once met Rachel Wiesz, who appeared in Runaway Jury with John Cusack in 2003.

Degrees of separation: 3

Tyra Banks

I recently saw an episode of America's Next Top Model in which they were in Cape Town, South Africa, and Gerda Genis was one of the guest judges. She once did a talk to my photography class while I was studying for a National Diploma in Graphic Design at what was then Cape Technikon.

Degree of separation: 2

Leonardo DiCaprio

I once saw Kate Winslet in Covent Garden, just outside London Graphics where I went all the time for supplies, carrying her little daughter. She appeared in the movie, Titanic, with Leonardo DiCaprio.

Degrees of Separation: 2

Madonna

I once saw Rupert Everett in Covent Garden, around Seven Dials, having his morning coffee. He was in a movie called The Next Best Thing with Madonna.

Degrees of separation: 2

Nelson Mandela

Ok, so my mentor when I first started out in my career of graphic design was the late Mr Manfred Enickl. He in turn introduced me to a Willem De Klerk on a number of occasions, who is the son of FW De Klerk, who shared a Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela.

Degrees of separation: 4

Six degrees of separation

Ok, so I thought about it the other night and found some cool connections, so I thought I'd post some. Each time I do I'll put the person's name I'm connecting to as the title of my post. The connection, for me, is not one where we've broken bread together, but some people I have shared a table with at some point in my life and then the connections from there will be where the positibility exists that they would have some contact with other people in the chain. Sometimes where it's proven, sometimes not.

Anyhoo, here goes...

Update

Ok, so I'm a bit bored this evening. Watched all that E and SABC 2 had to offer and taped the movie on SABC 3 for tomorrow. Hubby is playing Party Poker and up to over a million already. Last week he came to bed at about 8am on Sunday morning - he says he's hooked. I won't panic until he's playing with actual money... We hired Hannibal Rising today, but I don't have the energy to watch it after reading the synopsis on Wikipedia. I prefer comedies anyway and I wanted to get Happy Feet, but will have to get it sometime when I go to the DVD shop.

Anyhoo, thought there was a bit of a gap in my blogs so I'm posting a pic of my studio once my desk and new computer were installed.

It all looks so tiny in the 36 square meter space, but I'm working on it. Hopefully in the next couple of months some things will be sorted and I'll have some new furniture. Leaving the epoxy element out of the floor paint was a mistake though so to anyone thinking about it - do it! My floor is hard to clean and always looks scruffy now.

Anyway, I've spent almost R500 at Sheet Street on two new throws, three scatter cushions, a table runner and some sandalwood scented candles and a clients who's been here has already turned her nose up at it so I will have to get creative with my new furniture or I'll forever feel like a wan-a-be! There are some who've liked it though, but I just can't tell sometimes.

I have my dogs in the studio with me all day and most of the time they lay just inside the security gates at my door so they're not really a bother, but they've gotten used to laying on the couch when it's cold or raining. I put my new stuff on last week and when they went to sniff at it I made a point of telling them no every time. Poor Max eventually went to lie in the middle of the room on the cold cement and Schumi came to lie on my lap. I prefer clients to make appointments so that I can put them in the garage when they're here.

Max is the friendliest and probably the most untrained dog in the world and will jump on and try to get to know anyone who enters. He's friendly, but a bit too eager so it's best if he's put in the garage and Schumi just wants attention when people are here. So, whether she seeks it from the new arrival or from me it's just inappropriate so I try to avoid it. It's difficult, but I love having my pets around me during the day - makes it all seem worthwhile - just don't like when Max tries to paw me when I'm doing some intricate thing in Freehand and my mouse jumps all over my screen. He gets a bit of a tongue-lashing sometimes, but he can handle it!

Anyway, lots of new things potting with my freelance, but some projects are moving slowly so will try to update soon.

Diet Wars

Ok, just read my blog before last so will comment on some things. Since then my mom has returned from Dublin and my younger sister went over for almost a month. I was the only female of our immediate family who didn't get to go see the new sprog, but I can live with it!

On the diet front, still find myself eating fried eggs on any given daying and missing lunch on most. The 10 000 steps a day are still eluding me and my pedometer is somewhere on the kitchen counter - ready to grab at a moment's notice, but I still don't. I've taken to walking to clients even if it means arriving drenched in this season's hottest fashion - rain water! I usually try to shake myself off before I enter the office building or accend the stairs to the office. Every little bit helps.

The ultimate sad thing is that I now have had my driver's license for over a month. I've driven the car once with my instructor (note - our Mazda - not his easy-to-drive car) and then once more with Alec, which ended in him driving. I have to get the hang of this thing or I'll just convince myself that walking is my exercise, but it's not alway great to arrive at meetings flustered, out of breath and sweaty - and these things just increase in summer. So, I have to get off my arse and actually drive this monstrosity. I know it's kind of an heirloom and hubby's mom drove it for many years, but it's taking some time for me to find out how to 'idle' in it. It was so much easier in the car I learned to drive in! Anyhoo, will have to find some kind of way to practise and learn to drive this car because we won't be getting a new one any time soon. I love the little Kia Picanto! It's sweet, zippy and hopefully really easy to drive.

Anyway, by next time this year I'd be interested to see how I'm coping with my work-load. Hubby's shop is also on the up-an-up and hopefully next year winter won't be so quiet. Anyway, will carry on with my boring Saturday night entertainment now. x

Freelance Business

Ok, so it's been months since my last entry and I know I haven't had even one person read my blog yet so I'm still safe! When I last wrote I was talking about doggysnaps and still had loads of time on my hands. Since then I've become quite busy. No more Ricky Lake at lunch time and Oprah at 4 and I've had to get up at 7:30 every day this week, which is something for me!

I recently got some new kind of freelance work taking photographs for an advert and a website, which freaked me out big-time. I specially bought a new digital camera (on special at Makro) a few months ago just for this purpose. Also chucked in rechargable batteries and a tripod to boot. So, it's finally happened - it seems there is no other photographer in Malmesbury who can do this kind of thing. I'm sure there's a wedding photographer or two out there somewhere, but we've yet to find him/her, so, I trundled along with my new camera and I think the shots turned out quite fine! I think the clients are happy as well! My only concern is that I don't have a clue what to charge for this kind of thing. I've decided to just charge per hour, but it still niggles me that they'll be using them for tons of publicity and I know a Cape Town photographer would be charging much more. I guess it's a confidence thing...

We started out charging really little for our website as well because we were just starting out so I suppose if this becomes a regular thing in time I will know what is the correct amount. For now I'll just enjoy the days out of the office. Anyhoo, it's late. Will try to write again soon, not that anyone's reading...

Doggysnaps.com

I've recently discovered Doggysnaps.com and find myself visiting it all too often during the day. Now that my studio is fully functional, sans lovely chaise lounge, carpet and cheapo filing cabinet, which I covet, I am fairly busy during the day, but somehow I still find time to check up on my two dogs progress quite regularly. I posted 11 pics of Max and since the 30th April he's had 345 people look at them. Schumi's less popular with 116 views of her 7 pics. The thing I like about it is it's just the right amount of functionality and interest for a 5 minutes gander. I never spend more than that, but it helps to take my mind off pressing, irritating matters and also the manotony of working from home in an office on my own all day.

Anyhoo, as nobody ever reads my blog I may as well post any darn thing I please on it. No danger of beating Kyknoord at his game! I read this weekend in the Sunday Times some derogatory comment in a fairly humorous article about your common government employee. The article went on to mention that said person obviously shops at Jet. I shop at Jet and I'm not afraid to say it! Having not bought a new item of clothing for the last two years I find myself taking baby steps into the world of retail therapy. It takes me quite a bit of effort and crap to put up with to earn my dollars so I'm not going to spend huge quantities of it on a pair of jeans just because it has a label on it. I've read that graphic designers are supposed to be label fanatics, but I'm not one of them. I like functionality and practicality. If you throw in comfort I'm sold. And I'd rather spend my money on gadgety stuff that makes my life easier and possibly overseas holidays if I finally get there.

My mom is flying to Dublin in the next two weeks to see her first grandchild. Hoorah! I'm finally off the hook - having been married for almost 6 years now - you would have thought they'd get the hint by now and stop asking. We're quite happy with dogs, thank you!

Well, just been served my giant plate of macaroni cheese for dinner so must be off. Still haven't started the all-important diet yet. According to some website all I need to lose is 6kg. I'm wondering if it's worth the effort. I would like to feel more comfortable in my skin and clothes, but I don't plan on being a bikini model any time soon. I suppose I should do it for health reasons, but then that means giving up smoking too and eating a Special K breakfast - if the ads are to be believed. Would be easier if I lived next door to a Fruit & Veg.

Ok, really must go now - like anyone cares. Will write again in the next millennium.
x

My new studio

This is the progress so far of my studio. We started working on it at the beginning of February and now it's ready for some furniture. The first thing to tackle was the ceiling which we eventually did with Rhinoboard and sisolation. Got a nice downlight and painted it white. Then we inserted the door, window and glass bricks in the brick work where the two garage doors were and painted that wall white. The two side walls - green and red - match my new logo. Hopefully some furniture will go in this week and I'll post some more photos soon. Looking forward to lots of interesting projects done in my new space. In the pics on the right you can see the edging of the floor paint - I chose Summer Rain. That's now been filled in. Hope it lasts. We decided not to do the expensive epoxy coat just yet. The one 5L tin of Plascon Floor Paint covered the 36m2 floor just nicely.

Ok, that's all for now.

We had a very pleasant surprise a couple of weeks ago on a Wednesday morning when an old friend of ours, Lisa, showed up at our door with her mother Gill. We bought our house in Koringberg from Gill about 3 years ago and have since become friends. We then met Lisa and her husband Robb, while overseas and often spent Sunday afternoons hanging out and playing a game or two of pool reminiscing about South Africa and such.

Lisa treated us all to a delicious lunch at The Cornberg Restaurant and the food was delicious. We hope to see her again before she returns to England after Christmas.

Robb and Lisa had a wonderful and awe-inspiring adventure through Africa in 2002 which is detailed in their website: http://www.geocities.com/dustydiary/
It is really worth a read!!!

Adios to Kberg

It is with some sadness that we say farewell to the beautiful little village we called home for over two years. I took this photo this morning, the 17th of December, just two weeks before we start our trek South. It's been great! We've had so many special moments here and met friends we will treasure forever - not to fear - we are only moving half an hour away. We've decided to plant our roots a bit closer to Cape Town and so Malmesbury was our best option. Who knows what it will like to return to the relative suburbia. We've gotten so used to the open spaces and stunning sunsets here that the vibracrete walls which surround our new home may come as a complete culture shock.

But, anyhoo, they say a change is as good as a holiday! They also say that moving is one of the three most stressful situations to experience in life. We're actually looking forward to the move as well. The last time we moved it was from Walthamstow to Koringberg and we packed everything up at least two weeks before we flew and only received our things back about three months into our return. We'll be doing it with our bakkie so it will take a few trips, but we have a couple of weeks to do it. Should be fun! For now we'll try to enjoy the pool and the stoep as much as we can.

Their first week

I think it was the Monday we set off to The Baths in Citrusdal. There were a surprising amount of people there and I think eventually it dawned on us that it was still during school holidays hence the many families around. Somehow we always seem to go mid-week with friends or family visiting on holiday so we've always managed to get in - some friends seem to think that it's always fully booked - I guess we've been lucky?

With all the camping equipment - two tents, 4 plastic chairs and cooler box, etc. we decided we'd better take the bakkie and so Sanna drove for the first time in ages and took us over the Piekenierskloof pass in style - with the guys at the back trying to talk above the howling wind and with beer in hand. I was afraid it would be cold so I even packed my entire duvee and two pillows which gave Alec and I the most comfortable sleep we've had on a camping trip ever! The seasoned campers declined and opted for their Thermarests instead.

We stopped off at Shoprite in Piketberg first for some supplies and then it was off to the wild. We love camping at The Baths so it had to be one of the first places we took them. We set up camp as soon as we got there and then went off to enjoy the warmth and comfort of the hot swimming pool. I think we all at some point also braved the cold pool if only for a second.

Later in the evening we had a lekker braai and eventually went to sleep just in time for the rain to start pit-patting on the roofs of our tents. All our constumes and towels which were draped over the bakkie got drenched, but luckily shoes and cameras, etc. were tucked away and avoided ruination. It also cleared the next day so we were able to swim and walk around some more before heading back to the mutts to dry out the tents on the lawn.

On the way back it was the girl's turn to sit at the back of the bakkie so we put on a brave face and braced ourselves. We got some ice-creams and cool-drinks for the drive back. Unfortunately, Sanna realised she'd left her purse including passport, money, everything on the ledge we'd just been sitting on before getting ourselves comfortable on the back. She felt so bad and was amazed that she could forget something so important, but luckily - with this being friendly, honest country - it was right where she left it. We'd driven for about 5 minutes before she realised it, so it was probably 10 minutes in all it was there. We all think if someone had found it they would have handed it straight to the receptionist and we would have retrieved it from there. Could have been a very different holiday so we were all relieved and went on to enjoy the rest of the day.