Rock & Roll Grub

It s fun, its sensual and its as sinful as wearing a loincloth made of bacon to a temple ceremony and you weren't even on the guest list.
Its like meeting your new dates parents and hitting on her Mom, its the orgasmic response to the first bite of a meal so good you want to cry.

Rock and roll depicts a theology and lifestyle that is more than the image of wild orgies and drugs, no my friends it is so much more than that. It's just a step to the left, and a jump to the right, its rock and roll dreams come true, its a crazy little thing to call love. Dreams than can come true, a smile and slow dance so intense that if you were to kiss, a crowbar would be required to pry you apart, yes my rocking friend its all about passion and living for that moment.

Rock and roll food is the same, its the juicy cheese burger complete with a slice of tomato and lettuce on a soft seeded roll, a beef patty the thickness of your thumb and hot crispy fries. As you bite into it, hot juices run down your chin and drip onto your plate, the taste of grilled beef and melted cheese awaken a stirring in you and you close your eyes and just relish the moment. It is a meal that awakens memories and if shared with a loved one you cant help but flirt with them as you lick your fingers between bites. You stroke the juices on your plate with a chip and the crunch as you bite into it sounds like ice cracking, slightly salty, hot and tainted with pleasure. Its a ballad of love found, lost and never forgotten. Its a kiss in an alley, its sneaking under their t-shirt and their sharp intake of breath as you make contact with their skin.

The smell, the taste, the experience is what makes it the ultimate rock and roll meal. Its about falling in love all over again or getting over a crashed relationship. Accompany it with great music and you can face another day or tackle the impossible.

Nite All

Gypsy Anyone?

It is very easy to get caught up in the business of "Woe is me" and the world is out to get me, it is a scenariou of not being your fault or being within my ability to change it.
When I was down and hating the world, I battled to get out of bed, out of my flat and out to visit my friends. It was easier to hide away and wallow in the darkness of my soul and room.

There is certainly a time for this and it was a time to reflect, heal and re-assess what I expected and wanted from life. I also used this time to analise and disect family and friends in my mind and place them in the boxes I had created. I file with my mind and am thus able to open and explore when I wish and also bury and hide other chapters till I am strong enough to open them.

So what is the purpose of this blog?

I dont know yet, bear with me and I ramble on. Oh wow rambles, remember when we had Arts & Crafts Rambles, people dressed like hippies and use words like "organic" "cosmic" "earthy" "karma" and could all be used in a sentence to like totally numb my colon. I loved that environment, people worked with their hands and had a wandering community of friends, yes there were politics but how serious could it be with a cosmic organic karma and vegetarian crafter who made leather bags and shoes.

So you can either hide and drown in your life or else throw a little caution to the wind and maybe live a little. I am not saying sell everything and start knitting your own underwear while you hug strawberries and french beans. Maybe just re-evaluate where you are in your life, decide if it has been a worthy life and if you are ready for an adventure, start with a little one.

I left my room with the aid of some amazing friends and a Mom who spent ages on her knees praying for me. It has been fun, at times scary and with an amazing lady holding my hand, I am learning to love and be loved again.

Nite All

What a Deal

Hello Sir

Hello, how can I help you?

Well, I am 2012 and would like to thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself and wish you the very best for the year ahead. If I may be so bold i had a chat with 2011 and she mentioned that you had some problem areas that might be looked at to avoid reoccurrence of similar situations.

Should I be sitting down for this and will this brutal honesty  hurt less than having to publically admit that I am a South African cricket supporter?

Haha we have a wonderful opportunity we would like to offer you. We are prepared to upgrade all your hardship and unpleasant moments of 2011 to Experience Bonus points at no cost to yourself.
But wait, if you accept now we will provide you with a sculptured photoshopped torso of yourself in ice! Great for parties and oyster bars.
Also guarantees you to be the coolest guy in the room!

And if you are one our lucky first customers born on a Monday at noon on a leap year and your parents have been to the Pyramids and the Great Wall of China before 1975, you could qualify for a further 3%.

So embrace the year and good luck to you too.

Nite all

Santa's Special Delivery

So I had a dream, I was showering in a mysterious house I didn't know and there was a party downstairs.
Now I can imagine your first thought might be, 'Why are the heck are you showering if there's a party downstairs'? Well that part of the dream eludes me!
I can imagine I was somehow not in a state suitable for mingling. Perhaps I had been refereeing a mud wresting contest OR cooking and preparing grilled king prawns OR assisting in the delicate task of coating chocolate bunnies for Hugh Heffners Christmas Bash!

So I was showering and stepped out to dry myself when horror upon horror, I heard the ever nearing steps of stilettos approaching the bathroom. I did what any man in my position would do, I wrapped a towel around my head and closed my eyes. (in hindsight I should perhaps have covered my body as well)

So I was hiding with my back to the door when I heard it open.
Note to Self! When hiding in plain sight for all to see, hiding your head in a towel does not make you invisible!!!!

The door opened, I waited for the scream, but instead I heard the door close and those high heels approach me. I tensed and felt arms gently draw me near and the most beautiful husky voice whisper in my ear, "Look what Santa delivered for me"

Merry Christmas to each of you
For reading my tales the whole year through
Happy or sad or a little off key
They tell the adventures of little old me
May your day be filled with Christmas Cheer
I will toast you all with an ice cold beer

Nite all

Beer & Books

I have just finished a novel, my first in almost 3 years.

It told the tale of brave men and women, love lost and new love discovered, mad religious tyrants and sewer filled streets. Sound familiar?

It seems not much has changed in the last couple of hundred years.
But wait, this tale of treachery, tyrants and tarts lacks an important ingredient!


Beer!

It is the glue that binds friends together, the soothing agent that allows a man to view his wife in a trance like glimmering halo. It has magical powers and can turn a mans sixpack into a barrel, it can turn flatulence into a team sport and can make the most punctual man imagine that time has stood still.

The combination of books and beer led to one of the most important discoveries of our generation. You see, it was the difficulty of focussing on little words that forced the introduction of the periodical, a thin larger book adorned with pictures, short tales and scantily clad ladies selling everything from cars to fridges. Now I have checked many a fridge in stores and not once has a marvellous maiden stepped out. I have however bumped into portly balding sweating men who wish me to purchase female free fridges.

So I salute books and beer and the joy and comfort they have brought me over the years.

Nite all.

Mumblings

I have embraced June as a month in which I expected to write and do so without effort, in truth I have been so busy I arrive home dragging my supper weary potentially ripped torso towards the kitchen.
If the beast is fed, I am able to rest, relax and gently fade into the evening like a whatchamacallit into a doofadab.

I have 4 different chocolates in my fridge resting in a tray in the door section and yet they hold no allure for me. Now is that simply sad or the self control of a Jedi or a dream that has nightmarish conclusions? No idea. All I know is I have reserves and no passion to indulge.

My girls are dozing off and tomorrow I will be serving my famous world renown Chinese takeaways for my good friends Eric and Adel. They are salt of the earth folk who live, love and embrace life and squeeze each precious ounce out of it. Wine will be poured, food will eaten and tales will be shared.

It has been forewarned that in future times wars will be fought not over oil but water, I disagree. The most valuable resource known to women is chocolate and this is the commodity that will cause nations to rise up and bare arms.

So it is time to seek joy in the land of the Swedish Nannies and deep sleep.

Nite All

i Dream . . .

 

Is it my imagination or did I seem to remember dreaming a lot more when I was a kid than I do now. Or is it simply that my memory was a lot better back then.

My girls tell me of their dreams and ambitions and I smile and admire the excitement and passion behind them.

When I left the corporate rodent race, I made a choice that led me on a road of exploration and survival. I thought by doing it I would ultimately be able to keep and protect my family and bring us closer as a unit.
My adventures included the life of a cook, testing of pressure vessels, 2 years on a construction site and then ultimately involved the world of engineering and manufacturing.

In the process I lost a wife, held a dog who had become my best friend as she was put to sleep, gained some new friends, cemented old friendships and most importantly, formed a bond with my daughters that money couldn't buy.

In my wildest dreams I could not envisage all of this 6 years ago, I would have considered the possibility of seeing a rib bone emerge on my body as a more realistic possibility.
It hasn't all been a tea party and there were times where I would hide and cry and wonder what the hell I had done. I stopped dreaming and switched to survival mode, I forgot to live and just went into robot mode.

Dreams allow men to wear tights in a world where no-one laughs at them, women to any outfit without any question of whether it affected the size of their bottoms.
It also enables us to do more, try more and definitely love more, dare to dream.

Nite all

The Complete Idiots Guide to Dating

Welcome to 'The Complete Idiots Guide to Dating for 2011'

All your queries, myths, unspoken truths will not be addressed, they won't be answered but there will be recommendations and words of wisdom tainted ever so slightly by a pale ale.

This not a how-to manual but more of a guide to managing and getting the most out your marriage by applying the 5 Foundation Philosophies. So without any further delays, let's get ready for play.

1. Listen.
Many a man has been heard to utter 'I can't hear without a beer' or his partner has sweetly stated 'Chat and tea, just you and me'. The truth is that we need to be receptive to each other and hear what each other has to say.

2. Touch
This is not the game also known as naked tag or Espionage 101 Booby Trap, but affirmation, assurance, hugs that just drain your worries away and make you close your eyes and enjoy the moment. The simple joy of holding hands and of eyes meeting and lips smiling.

3. Deeds
We do things for people and yet we often neglect those closest to us. My daughter loves it when I massage her head, she almost goes into a trance and enters a state where she would doze off if I didn't tickle her. Making someone a cup of tea or a filling the chocolate jar before they wake up and leave the lid off. Sitting through Karate Kid when you would rather have your prostrate checked the old 'hold your breath' way!
Do a Deed a Day.

4. Laugh
Learn to laugh more often and see the funny side of life. Don't become a fool as there are serious sides to life as well. I chose to joke about everything and as such my partner could not share a lot with me. That was my loss. Laugh together, love together and learn to cry together. That sort of sharing is essential. I have cried with my girls and it was so honest and so raw I could not explain it to you.

And finally

5. Live
What's the point of holding back when you only have one chance at this. Make pancakes naked, sing in a public area, buy a stranger a gift, help someone across the street even if it means you might be late for work. Imagine the clouds are magical shapes and be better than you want to be. Spend time playing with kids or dogs or something different, deliver cupcakes to random people and stop to smell the roses.

That's it.
That's all I have.
Dream your reality and live it.
Sadness is acceptable and smiles are forever.

Good Nite

Bad Welding and Bolonaise

Wow work has certainly become hectic. Today I saw possibly the worst welding ever and the owner was surprised that it had been rejected. But that is another tale is best ended early with a shake of the head.

Ants decided to make my life more interesting and invaded one of machines. Following a franctic call from a customer I arrived at 06h20 the following morning and found NOTHING! They seemed to have come, got bored and hid away or took to the hills. So fumigated and restocked I left. Strange days indeed.

And then oh my Germany, so brave till the bitter einde, but outplayed in midfield and now we shall not face the Netherlands in the World Cup Final.

Have my girls tonight as my ex had a function, who has a function on the evening of a FIFA World Cup Semi Final? Mmmmm

Cooked a massive bowl of spagetti bolonaise for supper and enjoyed by all 9 of us, apparently the French mini loaf was also great!

Got into bed, read a brochure of things I cannot afford and then fell asleep.

Zzzzzzzz

Monday Moods

It is imperative that we remind ourselves that the future starts now and thus we have the choice to embrace it or reject it.

Your dream, your passion, your love for your fellow man is entirely your decision, I must take the first step and call it faith, call it courage it makes no difference, what is important is that if you are not moving forward you are moving back. There is no such thing as standing still, life does not, it continues whether you come along or not.

I have a dream, it is getting clearer each day and I can either go through life dreaming about it or I can put an agenda in place to achieve it. Of course there are obstacle, but I choose to go forward.

Nicole's puppy 'Gucci' decided it was strong enough to take on a pitbull and is now spending the night at the vet to recover, sorry my baby I know you are very upset about your silly puppy.

Simon has been very quiet but she has Shannon with her so all is forgiven and understood. You left you ring but it was returned to me so please remind me to give it back.

I am almost ready for a soothing hot relaxing bath and then hot chocolate and a warm bed. It sounds like heaven. Today was hectic at work and tomorrow seems it will follow the same pattern. Hectic is good.

It never ceases to amaze me how quiet and neat my home is when my girls are here, upon their arrival it is as if a whirlwind has moved through it leaving a trail of clothes, shoes, glasses and mugs. I love it. The energyn the laughter, the spontaneous hugs and tickle attacks. This is what makes us Dads proud and love you so much, these are memory making moments.

A good day.

Good night all.

08 June Tuesday

Hello world I am back, not a whoop but the grimace of a smile.

Days are hard at the moment but life goes on. Saw Nicole's teacher and had a good chat to her and her counsellor as well, will chat to her the weekend and see how it all plays itself out.

Had supper with steamageflyer and it was fun and good and reassuring, seems that time spent with friends is so important when we appear to have the world on our shoulders. Sometimes we just need a a smile and a sympathetic ear or the voice of reason with a "Flippen Hell Ted" and backup advice that I am unable to argue against. You guys rock.

So I have a dream, a dream to travel 5000km on a Vespa throughout Southern Africa with no set agenda and no pressure of time weighing me down. The ability to stop and smell the daisies, the time to chat to a child next a road, have a cold beer with a local and really just contemplate what is this all about and where am I going. I want to be the person that cares, unfortunately I am in no position to be that man till I can deal with my inner demons, face myself and trust that this bigger than me and something I cannot resolve and face on my own. But at last a dream for the future, this is the first time the future has featured for a long time.

ML resolved a case that has been dragging on for many years and even though it was not what he hoped for, I believe it will help him to finally put this behind him and move on, well done dude really chuffed for you.

I wonder often why my life has taken this route and what I could have done to avoid it or alter it, and then I am reminded by friends that it is not about the past, true I cannot alter it and if I am able to learn from it, it will do me good in my future and that is where the healing lies. It is a daily get me up and moving scenario and some days I have to crawl to the end of the day.

Spoke to my sister M tonight and it was good to hear her voice, S is going to Turkey for a couple of days so I will be spending some time with her, will be fun.

Now my bed calls and I must be a gentleman and heed the call, goodnight till tomorrow.