HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAKTI! and some musings about life (turn back now!)... oh and maybe some family history thrown in for good measure

birthdays...
...
the passing of another year!

do you all have that feeling that i have right now? that 'whew this year is almost over i can now catch up on all my sleep whilst eating mince pies by the glow of flickering fairy lights?' but also think 'oh my hat where the heck has all the time gone? have i done anything this year? before you know it i will be booked into an old age home and eating soup for supper at 3 in the afternoon'

i know in the states and maybe the uk (?) the university terms and stuff only have their year end during their july summer period. here, this is our long summer holiday. so it truly feels like the end of the year. its like the calendar year is done! university is done! and once you get into postgrad, its like 'hmmmmm i am still studying and there are people out there [people I KNOW!] who are going out there and getting real jobs and doing things that matter and i will be sitting in class and complaining about writing a thesis and returning library books a week late.' so excuse me for the complaining tone... i am using it to cover up the fact that i'm a little scared. you people feeling me? and i came across some quote about how fear is a beautiful thing because it lets you achieve things by overcoming what you're afraid of. HOGWASH i say! TWADDLE! let all things be handed to us on a silver platter by a pretty british butlers called jeeves! ;)

yes, i hear you. i hear you in the back of the room standing on your chair yelling 'sarah you're speaking such NONSENSE you twit! you love the hard nuances of life, they make you the tough nut you are' yes, back of the room person (my inner conscience maybe?) i hear you. and i have to agree... life would be awfully boring if it were easy.although a few less grey hairs would be nice. tough nuts.

yes. its that time of year. where the musings are ripe. and you look back fondly on your youth ;)

my uncle steve has been embarking on finding out about our family history :
some titbits :

2 members of my family (at different times) were exiled from ireland after being labelled traitors

the one and only knight we have in our family was the gov-general of natal

there was some dude who fought for american independence called john cadwallader and now the Daughters of the American Revolution (whoever they may be) are offering me membership because of my 'historical right'

the newspaper my family created in natal (to pimp ourselves) still exists! its called the natal witness. i, somehow, have this feeling of indignation that i do not own it. so 'historical right' is only privvy to patriotism? bah humbugs. www.witness.co.za

our castle in scotland burnt down in a tragic fire sometime ages ago. (if it existed i would also feel indignation that i was not living in it right now)

* indignation.... feeling of the moment...*

good luck to you all! for examinations (those of you still writing), luck for those living in foreign countries and making it work, those of you feeling like foreigners in your own country, luck to those of you who will soon be catching little animals (ie mole rats) in desert excursions. but, luck to all of us about to embark on the end of year family christmas period. we'll all need it! ;)