Wordsmithery

One of the coolest things about growing up in my family was that my mother encouraged my sister and I to be imaginative, especially when describing things.  A newly invented phrase or word would always be eagerly welcomed into the family vocabulary.

Below is a selection of words that you’ll find in my family dictionary:

An On – abbreviation of “Aunty Yvonne”, coined by my niece Foxglove*

Flying Daddylonglegs – otherwise known as a Crane Fly, but they’ve always looked like a Flying Daddylonglegs to me

Heel-highs – variation of high-heels, coined by my sister Dolly*

Lipsticker – Again, a word invented by Dolly*

Ninny – Mum’s word for when a child rub’s its fingers against a blanket or soft toy whilst also sucking their thumb

Ninon – another of Mum’s words, which refers to a light fabric. I refuse to use this word, it drives me up the wall

Par Cark – One of Dolly’s* mixed up words for car park (“parking lot” for the Canadians who are reading this) which seems to have stuck.

Fast-forward to present day, and overactive imaginative me and my big tweeting mouth.  I was chatting with @gr8dairynobull on twitter, and somehow coined the phrase “absomootely”. That was added to their own “moovelous” and the new Collective Dairy catchphrase “absomootely moovelous” was born.

Within days, Collective Dairy had added our catchphrase to their marketing material. How absomootely cool is that?  Its even on the home page of their website!

http://www.thecollectivedairy.com/

The Collective Dairy is a New Zealand company that specialises in delicious products such as "Russian Fudge Yoghurt", yoghurt drinks and soft cheeses.  Their products can be found in most supermarkets and many speciality stores around the country.

So, if you want a cool catch phrase or new word, come and see me. I dish them out for free...because quite frankly, I can't help myself.

* Not their real names

Kits & Cats

Yesterday on Facebook, I saw a plea from the Waikato SPCA for kitten food.  The Waikato branch has always held a special place in my heart because that's where I met the love of my life, Edelweis.

Ever since that meeting, I've donated to the SPCA and sung their praises to all and sundry, especially those looking for a new pet.

I've kept Edelweis up-to-date on his former abode, and when the kitten food plea was posted, we discussed it at length, and he asked if I could spend some of his pocket money* on kitten food.  Bless.

My first stop today in the pouring rain was the local supermarket, where I picked up several boxes of kitten food.

The supermarket has a food donation bin specifically for the SPCA, but it was full to overflowing and this time I felt like delivering Edel's donation personally.

The next stop was the Waikato SPCA located at 219 Ellis Street, Frankton, Hamilton.

Although it was absolutely hosing down, the car-park was full. The reception area was jam-packed with new adoptive and foster families.  Some fluffy darlings were in cages in reception to entertain and entice the visitors.  Other fluffy darlings were in cages ready to be taken to their new homes by their new parents.  The staff were flat-tack on the phone and dealing with the enquiries at the counter.

Out of the blue, a favourite childhood rhyme** sprang to mind:

As I was going to St Ives

I met a man with seven wives

Each wife had seven sacks

Each sack had seven cats

Each cat had seven kits

Kits, cats, sacks and wives

How many were going to St Ives?

What I immediately wanted to know is why the hell they were going to St Ives via the Waikato SPCA?

A volunteer took Edel's kitten food donation and added it to a growing pile of cans and packets (which was heart-warming to see), and then I went out to the cattery to visit some of the current fluffy darling inmates.

Oh. My. God.

The place was heaving with cats, they were literally crawling up the walls. I've never seen so many there in all my life.  And kittens...crikey...so many kittens of every colour and degree of fluffiness imaginable.

Every little fluffy darling looked happy and healthy. They were doing kitten stuff, and argh...kitten stuff is so damn cute! Bouncing, pouncing, teasing eachother, sleeping and generally being 100% gorgeous.

And along with the bouncing pouncing fluffy darling kittens, there were some adult cats who were as equally beautiful.

I have been a self-diagnosed "Crazy Cat Lady" since I was 8 years old.  Even my twitter profile states my love of cats.  But today, I felt overwhelmed.  Completely overwhelmed.  Would I really cope with a house full of cats in my old age?  I have to admit...no.

Today, I realised I was a one-cat crazy cat lady, not a multiple cat crazy cat lady.

But that's ok. I've decided that if I can't be a crazy cat lady in the true sense of the moniker with multiple cats, then I CAN BE a crazy cat Aunty.  I'll continue to Aunty the cats at the Waikato SPCA by taking them food and toys, and visiting them on occasion. 

And, if you're reading this, and you think there is a place in your heart and a space in your life for a fluffy darling (either a kitten or cat), please go to the SPCA and adopt or foster one.

And maybe if you can't adopt or foster, you too could be come a crazy cat Aunty. Just maybe?

*Edel's pocket money is also known as my savings account

** Click on the link http://bit.ly/hFARa for an interesting discussion on how many were actually going to St Ives

POSTSCRIPT:
Hey everyone, meet "Dust" who was adopted by a friend of mine, the day after this blog was first published.

I had several other friends take food and donations into the Waikato SPCA on that particular day. It just goes to show the power of the blog. I'm absolutely thrilled :-)

Codes'R'Us

Ok, this may seem dorky, but I don't have the guts to write down the three things I want out of 2012.  Why?

Because of this:

I would DIE of EMBARRASSMENT if I got hit by a bus and kicked the bucket, and then while family were cleaning out my apartment (after a stunning funeral) found the "Three things I want out of 2012" list. OMG, yes, I'd be in heaven DYING watching them reading the list, especially if I hadn't achieved them.

In fact, I'm actually embarrassed for the ghost version of me just thinking about the possibility that my family would read my list following my passing.

If you can follow that logic, well done.  That's how my mind works.

But, I guess I could write them in code.  Oooh, let's give that a whirl.

Three things I want out of 2012 (in code)

1. GTM 

2. Done

3. Ralph

Hey, that wasn't so hard to do!  And now my future ghost will be able to rest easy (whilst eating as many ghost chips as I please - Kiwi joke).

Are they achievable?  Well, yes, two of the three definitely are.  They will take determination and dedication.  The third is slightly out of my hands, but life can throw the odd curveball in one's favour occasionally. 

So, bring on the favourable curveball and let's tick off the stuff on my coded list.

Don't find excuses, find solutions

One of the conversations that really resonated with me in 2011 was with my Personal Trainer.  At the time, I was working full time, writing part-time, studying part-time, tap dancing and seeing my PT for a single hour long session per week.

Quite frankly, he was a bit ticked off at my results, and although my cardio fitness was improving, he was giving me a lecture about squeezing in more individual gym sessions between our workouts. 

I was mouthing off as usual (we have the best PT / client relationship ever) saying "I'm busy with work, writing, study, tap, blah blah blah and I can't get to the gym", while he was saying that he "didn't give a toss, that I needed to find the time to haul my ass to the gym".  The language was slightly more colourful, but you get the gist.

His final parting words were "don't find excuses, find solutions".

Going to the gym at 5.30am (or in fact any time before work) was NOT an option for me because my sleep patterns were, and still are, up the doodaa. I either sleep like a baby (thanks sleeping pills) or hardly sleep at all (thanks to kicking the sleeping pill addiction).

Lunchtimes were ok-ish, but during that period in my life my real job was hectic, and often it was easier to stay at the office, and work through my lunch break rather than try to get to the gym and find a car-park (close to impossible). 

After work was also ok-ish, but often I had meetings or tap which would exhaust me.

What. To. Do. ?

Luckily for me, I had another night of insomnia.  Eventually, I could no longer accept any of my excuses. They were feeble. They were weak. And I felt like a loser with every scenario that I was able to dream up. 

Then the sun came up. I had a lightbulb moment.

Hallelujah!

What if I split the hour long sesh with the PT into 2 half hour sessions? That would ensure two kick ass workouts per week, then I'd only need to find space to get to the gym 3 times. That just seemed so much more manageable than 4 overwhelming times. Uh, hello...one extra session with the PT was really going to make that much of a difference? Yes, it was. 

To cut a long story short, that's what we did.  Two shorter PT sessions per week, then three individual cardio sessions.  I'd found a solution to what had initially seemed impossible and easier to duck out of with one of a multitude of excuses. 

Since then, I've applied to "don't find excuses, find solutions" mantra to many aspects of my life (diet, finances, housework!). And although excuses are invariably easier, solutions are invariably more satisfying.  Try it. No excuses.

See ya 2011, wouldn't wanna be ya.

We're on the verge of kissing goodbye 2011. And when I say "kissing", I actually mean decking it.  This is has been a pretty sucky year, especially for the Cantabrians in New Zealand.  Mother Nature needs to get over herself. And soon.

As always, the end of the year provides an opportunity to reflect, reiminisce and decide what changes to make when moving forward into the next year.

I've always been pretty good at keeping resolutions, and I intend to keep my 2012 resolution too.  What is it? This:

My 2012 New Year's resolution is to start preparing lunch at home each morning and taking it to work with me, rather than buying my lunch which I probably do 4 out of 5 days a week.  However, I have a long-standing lunch date with my BFF, so I will allow myself one bought lunch per week.

I've already been dreaming of shreded turkey, colby cheese, lite mayo & lettuce sandwiches (washed down with an antihistamine to counteract my newly developed allergy to boring old lettuce).  Yum!  In fact, if I had the ingredients here, I'd make one right now.

It might sound simple to some, but I'll have to break some pretty serious habits to get this one cracking. For example, I'll have to have groceries in the house AND will have to get out of bed earlier each day (except Thursday). Yikes!

Thats me...what are you resolutions for 2012?

Santa, I've been veeeery good

I've been good this year. Yes, really! And, I've put up with all sorts of things that a sane person of good moral standing should not need to put up with. 

Everyone else is doing it (yeah, yeah...they're all under ten years of age...whatever), but anyway, here's my Christmas Wish List.  

For your purchasing convenience, I've included some piccys.  I wouldn't want you to waste your hard-earned pingers on the wrong thing.

Twelve Kartell Louis ghost chairs.  To have less than 12 people at a dinner party is a crime.  One must always have the obligatory twelve, in which case, one must indeed have the obligatory twelve Kartell Louis ghost chairs

A Kindle.  Word on the street (at the North Pole) is I'm likely to get one, so this is exceptionally good news for both me and Amazon.

La Premiere movie tickets for a year.  I live in the city which boasts New Zealand's best movie theatre. And oh em gee, it is flash as ow.  Its like being in a five star hotel.  The La Premiere class is waitered and catered, and the food on the menu is divine.

A Dutch style bicycle with a basket on the front so I can take my cat for a ride.  He'd love to feel the breeze blowing through his whiskers.  You might think I'm nuts, well, you haven't met my crazy cat who delights at sprinting up and down the footpath on his lead showing off to all and sundry.  A basket on a bicycle would be like cruising town in a chauffeur-driven Ferrari for him.

Only four days left until Christmas.  That should give you plenty of time to organise one or all of the above items for a self-proclaimed very good girl.

Follow Friday

Awww, check this out! Best #FF ever in the history of Best #FF’s.

And because it was so good, I decided to blog my #FF’s today.

Admittedly, I usually stick to the same old bunch of tweeps, but this time I’m gonna step waaaaaay out of my comfort zone, and suggest some of the odd-bods in my timeline.

@hello_im_megan The poor thing has a psycho ex-doghandler living in her house, sleeping in her bed even. And, what’s worse is that she spends her days knee deep in the bodily hair of her newly waxed clients. Yeow! Guaranteed to make you die laughing.

@blakamin @feefeebofaye @evilkud @JumpinJen @V8Matty ß these are the people I am about to become insanely rich with. Somehow I wangled my way into their twotto group, and every week we take turns at buying lotto tickets, and then tweeting our disappointment after the stupid lotto machine invariably chooses the wrong numbers. However, this week, we’ve all got a good feeling about the tix because I’m pretty sure I saw the nice lady press the secret “holycowthispersonsoneedstowin” button as I handed over my $24. Well done nice lady. The “holycowthispersonsoneedstowin” button has a direct link to the ball sucker thingie at lotto headquarters, and I tell you, this week, our balls WILL be sucked!

@kixy_stabbs One of my Vancouver tweepettes and fellow crazy cat lady. My cat loves her too because she always likes his instagram portraits. Last night, Edel even posed so he could send her a special goodnight picture. I’d say that she would be my major competition in the CATegory of “Twitter’s Craziest Cat Ladies”. One of the two of us will win. Guaranteed. Also, she's a real life bestie of @loveyourcake, so you get to see all kinds of weird and wonderful hashtags if you're following both of them.

@alexmc183 I've only just met him recently, and wow...he's giving @kyleipryor a run for his money in the "nicest guy on twitter" stakes. Often his tweets will be filled with stuff about VoIP and techy computery stuff that only @5hameless seems to understand. I glaze over when he's tweeting stuff like that, but when he tweets about BMW's, he has my full attention because he always refers to them by their entwicklung codes. Very cool. By the way, @alexmc183 @kyleipryor @5hameless and I have our own secret language. Nothing like a good nipple in your gomez, is there boys?

@websam Another of my local tweeps, he is responsible for putting together the logistical nightmare that is #nzsecretsanta. He also specialises in giant pumpkins, you know, the ones that take up the WHOLE of the back of a ute. So awesome. If you have ANY giant pumpkin queries, he is THE man.

And finally, because I know she was busting for me to #FF her, meet @SimoneBairdNZ. Apparently we live in the same city, but we've never crossed paths (that I know of). I'm not even sure she's a real person, but we are facebook friends so that does give her a bit more street cred. If she's not a real person, she's doing a damn fine job of pretending to be one. Another crazy cat lady, and always pottering about on twitter, ready to tweet when you least expect it.

I've read back and realised that I did mention some of my faves amongst this odd-bod list, but twitter becomes a small place after a while and everyone kind of ends up knowing everyone else.

Anyway, there's some #FF lovin' for ya. Hope you've enjoyed it.

Writey x