The Scribble Pad
The mental meanderings of a slightly loose screw.
Sunday November 29 - Procrastinator's nightmare
Hard to imagine we're one day away from the last month of the year. The thought of it alone is freaking me out. Seriously, I'm practically hyperventilating.
Where did 2009 go? What have I accomplished? And how the hell am I going to get everything done that I haven't?
I need to;
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Pay land and building taxes - due April '09 or something
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Get rid of some of this damn clutter in every room of the house
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Build a new website - this one's 2 years old
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Get my passport renewed
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Get my driver's license renewed
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Come up with a business plan for '10
And that' just the top third of the list. Oh God, my chest hurts. Getting dizzy. Will I ever get this done? What do you have on your to-do list before the end of the year? Come on, let's support each other in our misery.
Tuesday November 24 - Not very appetising
I spotted this sign outside a little lunch shop in Chaguanas (Central Trinidad) last week. It was so funny I turned my car around to get a shot. Rice, sure, but "Hard Fowl"? Does that sounds like something you'd want on your plate?
By the way, "Buss Up Shut" is roti, an Indian bread like a soft tortilla. Now, that would probably go well with "hard fowl".
Friday November 20 - Another fledgling leaves the nest
Just sent off the manuscript for my latest Kimani, Show Me Heaven, to my editor. It was a hard one: I've been working on it for 2 years.
Apart from major editorial changes, I had to deal with my father's death while I was in the middle of it.
The irony is also that the main theme of the book is fatherhood. Anyway, it's in her hands now, and I hope, I hope, I hope she likes it!
Monday November 16 - Babies in jail? Why not?
Here's a story I came across about a programme to let mothers in jail care for their babies.
At first glance, You'd probably react with horror. Kids? In jail? With their criminal moms?
And then I thought about how much it would mean to these women to have some link with their normal lives, and how much to would contribute to the women's desire to make amends, and turn their lives around.
It's also good for the babies. They can be breast-fed, and held by their mothers...just thinking about it makes me all weepy.
To me, as long as the women are non-violent and, to put it nicely, sane, i say go for it. Give them a reason to straighten up and fly right. Give them some kind of hope.
Here's the link. Judge for yourself. What do you think? I'd love to know.
Friday 13 November - Sesame Street nostalgia
You always want your kids to enjoy the things you enjoyed when you were young. Making paper kites and mud pies. Reading bedtime stories until you drift off. That sort of thing.
Sometimes they go for it, sometimes they don't. One thing that was huge in my childhood was Sesame Street. I can sing any damn song ever aired on Sesame Street until about 1980. Go ahead. Challenge me. My Martian Cutie? Puh-leez! Alligator King? In my sleep. Telephone Rock? On my head!
But this generation is different. We were raised on a single TV channel. My children have 100. They can watch any damn thing they please, or not. I show my kids my favourite Sesame Street clips on You Tube and they couldn't give a rat's ass. That hurts!
I won't force them to like it, but I still indulge in the pleasure now and then. Here's one of my favourites. If you want to share yours, post the name here and I'll put it up!
Thursday 12 November - Detox
In case you're wondering where my lazy ass has been over the past 2 weeks and why I haven't updated my blog, I've been detoxing.
No, not drugs, dammit. Sugar! I've been feeling lethally tired lately. You know the kind of tired when you're sure you're gonna pass out? Yeah, like that.
And the more tired I got, the less I cooked, and the more sandwiches I ate. And the more tired I got.
It finally occurred to me that I was doing the passing-out thing every time I OD'd on bread or chocolate. (Sometimes bread and chocolate.) So I'm trying something which to me was previously unthinkable: I'm giving up carbs.
And I'm liking it! I feel great. I love bread, but not craving it as I thought I would. I inhale chocolate, but haven't had any IN TEN DAYS. Something I have never done in my life.
Don't get me wrong, I don't plan to never have a block of Cadbury's Dairy Milk ever again in life, but it's nice to have some energy for a change. It's nice to be back.
