Can You Take Me Back Where I Came From?

I used to go back for elections but now we can vote abroad. Thanks to Helen Zille and the Democratic Alliance thousands of Afrikans living elsewhere can vote. The process leaves me doubting that our votes are counted but at least it is a step forward. In previous elections it was almost impossible to vote outside of the country. The reason the African National Congress has always opposed this is because the overwhelming majority of those who vote abroad vote DA. In this election the DA won 77% of overseas votes. The ANC has their own spin on this. They say that if we really cared about South Afrika then we would live there. Fair point. But if the ANC was not such a corrupt, racist, sexist, xenophobic organisation then maybe more of us would. Under Zuma I’m sure they will drive even more whites away, which is what he wants.

Totsiens

I stayed at my parents’ house for a while. That was an unusual experience. Except for during my recuperation I had not lived with them since early high school and most of the time I lived at school. I usually stayed with one of my sisters or my grandparents whenever I visited the country. Spending the night with my sisters is like a childhood sleepover. Staying with my grandparents is an adventure in diplomacy and decorum. Living with my parents was awkward. Not so much because Papa was ill but because I was no longer 15 years old. My habits and hobbies had become more adult. I think it naturally hard for a mother to treat her child like an adult after treating her like a child for so long.

It’s Like Rain On Your Wedding Day

Just after saying I don’t post here every day I have three days in a row.

Isn’t it ironic? Don’t you think?

B is for Braai

I was not the worst student either. I only skipped classes for good reason. Like the surf was good that day or the local art house cinema was showing an Orson Welles retrospective. I avoided cigarettes and drugs like a pestilence. At least until university. I drank more than a teenager should but we are encouraged to take wine on the holy days and what is holier than Shabbat? I know the boys were praising God whenever we drank.

Iran So Far Away

Much to nobody’s surprise Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was reelected in a landslide. According to his government. I don’t think the immediate charges of fraud surprised anybody either. What separates the evil doers from the rest of us is how they handle it. Mir-Hossein Mousavi encouraged his supporters to riot. Maybe that is his right. Maybe he has been wronged and sees no other way to make it right. Or maybe he is just a sore loser.

A is for Apfel

Reading online is probably the worst way to improve your English. I’m always reading articles from supposedly respected organisations that think “wet your appetite” and “raise the bar” are correct. Just yesterday I read an AP article that said “reap what you sew”. Either the writers don’t know the difference or they are relying too heavily on spell check.

Once upon a time when newspapers were printed on paper they had proofreaders to check these things. Today you click the little check mark or ABC icon and if it says all’s well then it must be. Case in point, like every other blogger I don’t have any proofreaders or editors, so when I make a mistake it is because I don’t know any better. Or I’m disregarding that particular rule because I don’t much like it. Or I’m just doing it to annoy my mother.

Change You Can Believe In

I went to a site that has thousands of templates. I liked three. When I tried the first one my browser crashed. I don’t use that browser computer geeks tell you to use but it is still a rare day when mine crashes. The second one looked a lot worse in person than it did on their site. Anybody who has tried online dating knows what I’m talking about. The third had some kind of error in the code that I didn’t feel like trying to figure out. It was my third choice after all.

i-Mom 2.0

I like that she is open to new technologies and willing to try new things but I worry about the kind of people she is bound to encounter. Let’s face it, there are lots of fucked up people online. Understanding the subtle nuances of text versus personal contact is beyond the abilities of many online veterans. For somebody as new as my mother it will be confusing.

A Monumental Occasion

Woke up.
Fell out of bed.
Dragged a brush through the tentacles that are my morning hair.
Had a jog/swim/bike.
Took a shower. Sorry, no pictures.
Ate breakfast.
Paid previous day’s traffic fines.
Drove to work, ignoring all posted speed guidelines.
Went online at work instead of doing work.
Drove home in traffic.
Could have walked home faster.
Made dinner with/for family/friends.
Talked/laughed/sang all night.
Went to sleep.
Alone again.
Naturally.

More Angels and Demons

What got Help in trouble was the depiction of homosexuals as sympathetic characters. Homosexuals are traditionally portrayed as mentally disturbed or amoral criminals. In the end they should either repent or die. In this film they are simply regular people with regular problems. They do not even see being homosexual as a problem. You can see why this movie had it coming.

It Was 30 Years Ago Today

While most of my friends my age are planning play dates and birthday parties for their children I am planning holidays abroad and trying to schedule more flight time. I’m jealous of their life and they are jealous of mine. I think that is how it works. When I finally do have children to care for I will be living vicariously through some single adventurer and wishing I could still do all of those things that I used to do when I wished I had children.

Sometimes I think it would be easier to be a Buddhist monk. Let all your cares go while sitting under a bodhi tree and sipping mango juice. But the sauvastikas would really bother me.

Auto Erratic Asphyxiation

American car makers are criticised for making large trucks that nobody wants to buy. If that is true then why have so many people bought them? Have you ever seen an American parkade? They are an SUV wasteland. Somebody is buying them. They were not fuel efficient when they were fashionable so there is little point complaining that they are not fuel efficient now.

By American