Fun Friday

Thanks to The Yak for putting me on to this... the wiki Uncyclopedia... it is fast becoming my new favourite read

In particular the 'History of Cape Town'

If this is the only new site you add to your list this month it is well worth it.

Progress Report

How much to divulge??? Knowing you all you will want every juicy saucy detail... but knowing me you'll know that I won't give it :)

Things with Irish are moving much faster than expected. I am thoroughly enjoying his company and the attention, being made to feel special again for the first time in a long time... and playing truant from work for 3 hours yesterday afternoon was lovely... sushi lunch and eachothers company.

(and I know you can all see the 'but' coming)

BUT here is my dilemma...
am I falling for him?
or am I falling for the attention that I am getting for the first time since my divorce?
and if it is the latter is that necessarily a bad thing?

I keep getting this feeling that I should be keeping my options open... BUT I am not someone who can do that... who can have a "relationship" (whatever that is) with someone and not give it all of my attention... BUT like I said, this is the first man after my ex and maybe I should just enjoy it for what it is and not over analyze things as I always do.

So far we haven't made any commitments to eachother (at least not verbal) and I have come to the conclusion that I will just enjoy the moments with him for what they are... those moments and nothing more.

God I love this City

View of Table Mountain from Blauberg Beach... one of the most beautiful sites in the world.

Sunset from the same beach... who could ask for more.

Dinner and.... um....

I have never been one to 'kiss and tell', but that statement by itself will hint at the goings on of last night.

Irish (as he will be known from now on) invited me to dinner and a movie at his place. Now considering that I had an office function on during the afternoon followed by drinks, I arrived at his house rather relaxed to start off with.

What a view from his place... over the city bowl and the entire bay, but very definitely a bachelors pad (not that that is a bad thing) going for the minimalist look. Dinner was lovely, accompanied by a bottle of wine and followed by a movie.... well almost. Unfortunately we got a little distracted and I missed most of it :)

I can definitely give him the two thumbs up in the kissing department though, so it seems that prospects are improving with this one :) I did however get home at a reasonable hour (if 11 PM can be considered reasonable on a work night) and am very much looking forward to the next one.

Better late than never

YESTERDAY was International Talk Like A Pirate Day...
and thanks to Andrew I found this....

My pirate name is:

Mad Bess Rackham

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

All is quiet on the Western Front

I know I know... blog of the week and then NOTHING, and to those of you concerned enough to e-mail me inquiring about my wellbeing... thanks.

Work has been keeping me rather occupied lately, that and a complete lack of anything interesting happening in my life (well almost) has meant that the interest level of anything that I may write about would be low enough to put even the most hyperactive 2 year old into a comma. Hence the quiet.

So this is just a quick note to blogland to say that I am still alive and kicking and to update on a few happenings.

Update 1: Car
My new baby is still driving like a dream. There was a minor problem with the central locking, but that was very quickly sorted out. My sound system has been getting WELL used, as anyone driving home in the afternoons would attest to after witnessing a silver Yaris with Prime Circle, Evolver and Tchaikovsky (don't ask) blaring out the speakers come roaring past them up Eastern Boulevard. I LOVE MY NEW BABY.

Update 2: Work
Even though I am rushed off my feet I AM BORED S#%$LESS at the moment. ENOUGH SAID.

Update 3: Weight
Well, I did fall off the wagon a little but have jumped right back on and am doubling efforts to get to my goal. Robert, you should start seeing movement in the meter again soon.

Update 4: Dating Prospects
Well, I can now say that I have met the first person (in person) off the site. I wouldn't class it as an official date, but coffee and ice cream and good company at the waterfront was how a lovely Saturday afternoon was spent. He seems to be a really nice guy... you know the kind I would normally dismiss (see previous posts about destructive patterns)... but I am still getting to know him and as yet cannot comment on whether this is going to go anywhere. At the very least, I think I have made a new friend.

That is it for now. Till life becomes more interesting.

-------------------------------------

*UPDATE*

I only just noticed now that I completely missed my 1000th hit. Yeah me... site counter now on 1279 so must have been a while ago.

I am BLOG OF THE WEEK - now where do I claim my prize

Due to an absolutely CHAOTIC week at work I have only now had a chance to read through all my regular visits and catchup with what is happning in the world of those we have come to know over this medium... and guess what I found.... Michael as listed ME (lowly old me) as his blog of the week (see here) on the South African Blog Directory

This was just the pick-me-up I needed at the end of the week.

Laid Back West Coast Attitude

3674-21A
Originally uploaded by m_from_ct.

I have finally gotten around to scanning in my pictures from the expedition to Die Strandlooper last month which brought back good memories. Among them (the memories and the photos) was this one... how to tell the weather - West Coast Style. Attched to the sign there is a rope leading down to a rock... on the sign is the following:

West Coast Weather
If the rock is :-
DRY:- It's a nice day
WET:- It's raining
WHITE:- Snow
BLACK:- Night
GONE:- A bit of fog

Self destructive patterns

I had an epiphany on the way home today, sparked by a coincidental “non-meeting” – but I will get to that later. I realised that I am stuck in a vicious circle of self destructive behaviour. Maybe behaviour is not the right word… attractions then. Even though the men that I have been attracted to over the years have all been very different they all end up being completely wrong for me on so many levels.

Humans tend to focus on the negative, we all do it unless we have reached a point of consciousness where we can recognise our actions and thoughts as negative and reverse them, but if like me you haven’t, then those negative things in life... the ‘bad’ qualities in people that we would rather steer clear from are the things that are foremost on our minds, but the double edge to that sword is that we also tend to attract the things that we are focused on. The mind is truly a powerful thing… cruel at times, but powerful. So the more we try to find the negative things in people the more we WILL find them, either because we created them by looking for them or because we attracted them to ourselves in the first place.

I have been looking at (well at least thinking of) some of my past relationships tonight all because of a chance sighting. On the way home, driving along my usual route, stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Eastern Boulevard I looked over to my left and saw someone I hadn’t seen in 9 years. When I was young and naive and let loose on the world at university, he was my first conquest (although I most certainly was not his first – or last for that matter). For a split second I thought, let me see if I can get his attention, maybe we can meet up (and then hook up)… and a split second after that I wanted to slap myself. This is a man that hurt me in ways that took years to heal, who showed me that the world is cruel and dark and unsafe, and that was when, like a bolt of lightning from the blue, I noticed what my mind was doing.

Thinking back on all these men/boys that have defined my relationships up until now I suddenly realise that the ones that were actually decent and gentle and kind are the ones that I always pushed away. The one that would cook me a meal and entertain me for the evening without trying to ‘cop a feel’ afterwards I always shrugged off as boring. The ones who would actually look out for me and stand up for me I would dismiss as old-fashioned.

BUT, the ones that I knew from the onset were nothing but trouble, the ones who were “worldly-wise” (although I am not sure how wise you can really be at 19/20), the smooth talkers who knew exactly what to say and do were the ones I was attracted to. They somehow radiate a sense of confidence of self-assurance, a coolness that is ever so enticing. They are the one night stands, the unreturned phone calls, the compulsive liars, the addictive personalise (both chemical and non), the manipulators and bastards.

Then there are the unavailable ones, the forbidden fruit. These are the ones that play on my mind, where I can drive myself insane without them ever realising that they are at the epicentre of my madness. The men that have already been snagged by woman who have absolutely NO IDEA just how lucky they are. Suddenly I feel like a kid who has been told they are not allowed to have that sweet and is about to throw a temper tantrum to try and get it.

Tonight for the first time my eyes are WIDE OPEN, I am seeing my behaviour for what it is, self destructive. What is done is done and there is nothing that I can say or do to magic it all away as if it never happened. I need to make peace with my past, acknowledge it for what it is (at the very least a learning experience) and put it behind me. As for my present, I need to accept the fact that certain people can only, and will only ever be friends and to cherish those friendships with very special people. My future… well who knows really. I am older and wiser but I have much yet to learn about true love… maybe now I will start opening my mind and attract Mr. Right.

Better than… ?

Last week I decided it was time for some pampering and that a massage would be in order. It has been a good few years since I last had one and I really just needed to de-stress. Instead of going to someone who practices out of their house or has a small shop somewhere I decided to treat myself to the full SPA experience. So on Saturday morning I went off to the Vineyard Hotel Spa for a deep tissue massage (what they call their Ibu’s Secret).

After being welcomed, followed by a short wait in their relaxation area with a cup of green tea, this sweet Asian woman greeted me and led me into one of the suites. WOW, the rooms are beautifully decorated, each looking out onto a private garden, with sun streaming in through huge sliding doors. All the rooms have 2 massage beds for couples wanting to have the experience together, although for me only one was required. Each also has a spa bath and shower with relaxing music flowing through the hidden built in sound system and the room kept at a constant temperature through the air-conditioning system.

What followed can only be described as the most relaxing and sensual experience I have had in a long time. A full body deep tissue massage, from the tip of my toes to the top of my head, using oils with hints of spices that caused the whole room to fill with the most exotic aroma. Starting with the back and shoulders using just the right amount of pressure to work out all the kinks that had built up, down to the legs and feet, on to the stomach and arms and hands, then face and head and finished off with the neck and shoulders. A full hour of pampering.

I am a very tactile person and adore (crave maybe) contact with another person, and this for me was the ultimate indulgence. The only thing that could have toped this off was if it was HIM I was receiving the massage from… and here in lies the only problem with this experience. I can never turn my mind off. Even though this was incredibly relaxing, my mind is always active… normally it isn’t an issue, but during this experience I found that I just couldn’t get HIM out of my head. I kept having to jolt my mind and try to force myself not to think about him, which was only momentary until he popped into my thoughts again.

Once the session is over you are treated to hot, spicy, ginger tea and melon, and get to relax and take in the ambiance of the place before donning your clothes and making you way out the door, stopping to pay for the luxurious extravagance on your way out. For someone who hasn’t got any in two and a half years… it really was better then sex.