I’ve been driving to work along the same route for over two years now and almost every day I see this guy out for a run. At first I noticed him because I always saw him running up a steep hill. I started silently cheering for him and encouraging him on his mission up the hill…

Now I look for him every morning, and almost feel worried when I don’t see him. I have no idea who this man is and we will probably never ever meet, but somehow his daily run has become part of my routine. I miss him on the days he isn’t there.

In these two years I’ve been driving past him, so much has changed. I’ve got a new job, some new friends, lost some old ones, helped loved ones through heartache… I’ve been oversees with my best friends and even finally performed Shakespeare on stage. So much is always evolving, so it’s nice to have a few constants in life.

It’s strange how something so random as seeing the same stranger every day can be comforting… I guess it’s nice to know that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

I think the best lesson my parents have taught me is that age is merely a number. You are not old until you feel old or think you are old. My parents are not old. They are in their 60s and they are more active than me most of the time! And I think they have a better social life.

Insanity is hereditary... You get it from your kids

Growing up I never thought of my parents as old. I remember in my teens I realised that my parents were easily 10 years older then most of my friends’ parents. Mine were in their 30s when they had me and my brother. But my parents so often seemed younger than the other parents. Being very close to my mom, I was always happy that my friends thought my parents was really cool.

So all I can hope is to keep living as they do. Stay young by refusing to grow old and to just keep exercising. And remember to be a little bit immature at least once a day

And it also helps to know that my parents aren’t the only people who are not growing old. Someone sent me this video with Ginger Rogers salsa dancing at age 92. ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!!

So, someone from my running club is doing something really cool. Actually we have a lot of people in our club who do really cool things, but this is particularly cool (And the award for saying cool the most times in an opening line of a post goes to…)

This club member is Linda Doke. She is an insanely good trail runner and does the Hout Bay Harriers proud with her efforts on a regular basis. She is now heading off to take on the Namib Desert Challenge and has decided to do it for charity.

This is what she has to say about it:

“I really want to put this slog-in-the-sun to good use. I’ve chosen a very special, very needy cause that’s close to my heart, and I’m running the NDC to raise as much as I possibly can in support of this cause. It’s called Solomon’s Haven – it’s a haven for abused and abandoned kids in Mitchell’s Plain.

Please hop onto http://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/backabuddynamiblinda for more info on Solomon’s Haven and to (hopefully!!) donate. The backabuddy.co.za website is a quick, efficient and, most importantly, safe way to donate to a fantastic cause.

Please support me in raising as much as I can for Solomon’s Haven.      Here’s the deal: I’ll do the sweaty work and slog across the desert, and you click on the DONATE NOW link at the top of my backabuddy page!”

For more information on this run and on Linda check out her blog: http://lindadoke.blogspot.com/

I think I may be going a little crazy (well if you know me, going is too kind a word really) but my weight loss and weight gain does not make sense!

OK, before you start trying to explain biology to me, I know if you eat too much you put weight on and if you eat too little you lose weight. And there are many other ways to gain and lose weight

What I’m saying is weird, is where the weight comes and goes from. It is just wrong!

When I put on weight, it immediately aims for my hips! Then it hits my face and then my middle. And then only after that, much later, will my boobs get bigger. It just isn’t right because that’s the one place I could do with a bit of help.

And then when I lose weight, regardless of where I was in the weight gain cycle, I lose weight in my boobs! How is that possible?!? And don’t even get me started on the fairness of it all!

Murphy, sometimes, well most of the time, you suck

So here it is… The obligatory 2010 in a nutshell post. The post where I look back on the year that has been and say some stuff about it… It’s been a year like most others, some good stuff happened, some bad stuff happened, some really crappy stuff happened. Most importantly I think I actually learned some really important lessons about life and friendship this year. I’ll probably relearn the lessons again next year because that’s how people are, but right now, I’m kinda happy about it all

So what happened in 2010? Deep breath… Here we go:

• I discovered blogging and created this lovely little home for myself! It’s been great fun and I can’t wait to build up my blogs even more next year.
• I worked very hard, at one point I think I was working about 4 jobs at once (freelancing, part time job, plays, voice overs!!!)
• I did two very successful plays this year: Rumours and Gigi. SO MUCH FUN!!! I don’t think I have ever laughed so hard in my life before than I did backstage during Gigi.
• I made some awesome new friends this year! Truly awesome people
• I also cemented two friendships that I will treasure for the rest of my life, and the best part is that they are as close friends with each other now as they are with me. We are all three quite different but somehow that just works. And I take it has a huge complement to me that they took the time to get to know each other and become friends!

Oh. Em. Gee. BFFs

• So on the down side, I lost some friends, which sucks. Not sure exactly what happened and I don’t want to dwell on it. I’m glad the worst of the nastiness is over and I’m actually past the emotional part of it.
• On the losing side still, we lost a family friend to the Son of a Bitch that is cancer. The less said about that the better. RIP Carla.
• So what else happened… My family had some ups and downs but we’re still together with all our animals too.
• I got a new phone! Yeahness! And a new laptop… which switches itself off for no reason and is still doing it after being “repaired”
• I discovered Google Calender! Life changing! Facebook events you can eat your heart out!
• I started a bucket list. And I’m filling it slowly with things that I really want to do or try or accomplish and hopefully, one day, I will.
• I had a personal trainer for 2 months, trying to give myself a kick up the arse and get fit. It worked! I fell off the wagon a bit but I definitely think it was worth the money.
• Oh yeah, there was that World Cup that happened How much fun?!?
• There was also a lot of giggling, cocktails, drinking games… Well the drinking games was just that one time and NEVER AGAIN, EVER! Until next time…
• I also re-found my direction. After a lot of hesitation and messing up (well I think I’ve been messing up), I think I may have actually found something that will work and I can be happy with

And I think that was most of the highlights…