Who is behind a Blog persona?

In response to being tagged by Chitty a very long time ago (I never do chain mail - be grateful man):

Three screen names I've had: itisthequestion, thelastboyscout, livebabylive.
Three things you like about yourself: natural build, curiosity, business-mind.
Three things I don't like about myself: I procrastinate when I'm uncertain, amount of time it takes me to get out there and socialise, I fall in love with people who don't love me.
Three parts of my heritage: lower-middle class upbringing, integrity and values from my parents,underachievement at school.
Three things that scare me: unnecessary failure, lack of means (e.g. money), in others: the South African insecurity / fickleness of being proudly South African.
Three of your everyday essentials: Internet, cappucino, making a difference.
Three things you are wearing right now: track-pants, t-shirt, glasses.
Three of my favorite songs: Fields of Gold - Sting, Black Celebration- Depeche Mode, Where The Streets Have No Name - U2
Things I want in a relationship: Intelligence, physical attraction, reciprocal love.
Two truths and a lie (not in order - guess): I drive a sports car, I have released my own CD, I think Justin Timberlake is unbelievably talented.
Three things I can't do without: music, solving big problems - where the solutions actually have a profound impact, the Internet.
Three places you want to go on vacation: The Mediterranean, South America, Bali.
Three things you just can't do: commit to a long term procedural job, lie, forget consequence.
Three kids names: Dylan, James, Nicolette.
Things you want to do before you die: Build a major company that does amazing things, take a year off while I'm young enough to enjoy it, reach peak fitness and sustain it.
Three celeb crushes: Kiera Knightley, Natalie Portman, Robin Wright-Penn.
Three people you want to know these things about: Rantscribe, TheDodge, AquilaOnline (Kyknoord, of the bloggers I know, you started this business, so I know about you)

Should I quit?

I'm sure we all go through stages of saying, "Am I really happy in this job?" and consider quitting. Mostly, people look for something else, get the new job and then quit. Not me...

I recently formed part of an effort to buyout the other shareholders of the business I worked for. After eight months of unsuccesful negotation, the three of us on the leadership team decided to resign and seek new fortune.

This was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Leaving business at a time when it wasn't doing that well is hard. When the entire leadership team goes it is very hard. Getting the employees together and telling them of our decision was one of the hardest things I have ever done.

Luckily, I believed in what we had done - we believed the change in ownership was critical to solve fundamental issues in the business. Further, we had new partners willing to enter the business and bring new sales with them. Also, I had given this business everything for eight years of my life. Finally, we anticipated one of the shareholders would enter the business to take over leadership.

So now I have worked through my notice period. I worked hard at helping bring in sales during this period and did not do much to solicit new employment (thus preserving, in my mind, every shred of integrity).

I am now unemployed by choice as I consider what to do with my life. This is both liberating and frightening: insurance, medical aid and levies quickly add up to a frightening deduction against zero income...

It is funny how conservative I have become given the change in income. I'm switching off lgihts around the house and am too scared to make some technology purchases I need.

A big thing I need to do is just become OK with taking this time out. Knowing I can do this will be empowering for the rest of my life - knowing I do not ever need to work in a particular job.

Ideally, I'll figure out what I'm going to do, sign up - but take a three month break beforehand...

Who has the Wisdom of Solomon?

(Background: the astonishing debate on the MWeb blogs -

Here
Here
Here
Here
And interestingly, more pronouncements Here)

I'm a management consultant with about ten years experience. Mostly I deal with business problems that exist because people are people and not because the rational part of the problem is intellectually challenging. Mostly, people just can't agree.

I only mention this to give background to my experience - which is an experience and not therefore the only truth. But it is the truth to me. Or at least it is my current truth.

But I'm getting wrapped up in myself. Which is my point. Wow. We project. We project our experience into others' lives. And based on either a little or a lot of information. Even if we had all the information, we project our context onto their situation.

We can try and empathise - good word, empathy (and not sympathy) recognises prejudice. But inherently we are all prejudiced (show me someone with a truly open mind and I'll show the hole in their head). We have a baseline opinion. The best of us are aware of that opinion and question it when questioning others.

Maturity? Frankly the wisdom of Solomon is what's needed when pronouncing on who is right or wrong.

Ever hear that saying, "The law is an ass?" But to misquote Churchill, "It's the best we've got."

That's the best thing really. Rather than absolutes ("The law is the law"), recognise the shades of grey (an example, a policeman gave a doctor who stopped to help an accident victim a ticket for stopping in a yellow line. The shades of grey are quite violently colourful there.) It makes maintaining the thin line between liberty and anarchy quite difficult..

What is it about Natalie Portman?

OK, so she's not perfect - she's a little short for me (I'm 6'3" - she's 5'3"). Frankly, a cross between her and Keira Knightley might just be too much for my heart.

However, she is funny (read Esquire interview), clever (Harvard A student whilst pursuing acting career) and quite fetching.

And there is just something about her nose, mouth and legs... (and she's quite a good actress too)

Who is the best of the web?

Well the news is in. I did not win a Webby.



Shortly I will have all the bits gathered to win a webby: Blogger, Flickr, Cell phone posting, My fine EOS 20D and a fantastic sense of humour (I will either buy the last one or copy shamelessly).

For those of you not in the know (really - call yourself a blogger - the Webbies are the Oscars of the Internet. They say so, or rather they say that the NYT says so. And if the NYT says so, it must be so) - the Webbies are the awards for outstanding Internet content.

Now it is good to see some of my favourites won some Webbies. I do believe that Jamie Oliver is busy working on a dedication to me for my dedication to him. Zach Braff (Garden State, Scrubs) is busy penning a movie about a love affair between me and Natalie Portman for all the excitement I've generated about Garden State - not on my site, verbally. OK, don't believe me. Just wait 'til I get to kiss her on screen. Oi, I'll even kiss her off screen if she's shy. Did I tell you I have a thing for Natalie Portman? I do.

The major Webbies go to:

The Webby Lifetime Achievement Award: Former Vice President Al Gore

Webby Person of the Year: Craig Newmark of craigslist

The Webby Artist of the Year: The Kleptones

The Webby Breakout of the Year Award: Flickr

I swear, Flickr is just something else. To see why, go and look at this guy. 25 years old from Cape Town.



The full list of Webbies can be found here.

Are sports fans the same the world over?

AAAAhhh!!!!Did anyone else watch SuperRugby on Kyknet?

I would be the first to say Marius Joubert and Big Joe shouldn't be in the squad (despite the adage, "form is temporary, class is permanent"). Perhaps JP Nel and Richard Bands should be there.

However, I've almost been moved to cheering for the Waratahs after listening to the baboons who phoned in.

This one guy phoned in to complain about Monty and Jaco being picked. Kobus asked which flyhalf he thought should be there: ".....eeer, daardie ou, eeerrr, die Blou Bul ou." Kobus asks, which fullback: ".....eeeerr, daardie ou,weet jy." No? "Daardie ou van die Bulle."

Another guy phones in and mouths off about Jake White belonging in the group due for a medical exam.

I cannot believe that these are the guys who probably cheered White when he turned a Springbok team from being the laughing stock of world rugby into Tri-Nations champions.

And then Joost says they didn't really win the Tri-Nations, they got lucky because of points difference. Give me a break - they virtually won two on the road - losing by a narrow margin. Tell me who would have given them a chance of coming close after the Streauli misery.

And then, and the absolute cheeks of this: These are the fans who watched their brilliant Bulls lose on the road, called for Heyneke Meyer's head, citing his miserable record in the Super 12. These are the fans who have watched their Bulls crumble in the second half, narrowly scraping through against miserable opposition.

The Bulls were brilliant this weekend, make no mistake. Also, the Stormers were woeful. The Waratahs, Crusaders and Hurricanes will not be so willing to wave them to the try line. For South Africa's sake I hope the Bulls pull it off: but grief, I don't know if I'll be able to handle the crap from their supporters for the months afterwards.

Frankly, I may disagree on one or two selections, but Jake White will be judged at the end of this and I'm willing to give him a bit of rope. I'll give enough rope to Koos from Hartebeespoortdam to hang himself.

Why are TV chef's so popular?

So I finally succumbed to buying one of those Jamie Oliver cookbooks on display at the Woolworth's exit aisles. I already had a Jamie Oliver cookbook, and have watched a lot of Jamie Oliver on TV, but this cookbook had a DVD accompanying it. The Happy Days DVD shows Jamie on stage cooking in front of a live audience of thousands and is a lot of fun.

Now why are TV chefs so big now? Well, I think it's because they've removed the pomposity from cooking. They make it look easy and ask "What's your excuse?"

Now I cook a bit, but I've avoided buying a pasta machine despite Jamie's many exclamations that freshly made pasta is the way to go.

And then he showed a roast chicken recipe on the DVD that just looked like a winner: chicken in a salt "cave."

And even the bread looked easy.

So I did a huge shop today and came back bearing pasta machine, bread tins and lots of ingredients.

It was easy! The bread recipe is so simple a kid could remember it. The chicken falls of the bones. And the mashed potato (although undoubtedly no good for one's health) with crème fraîche is a winner!

The next girl that comes to my place for dinner will be bowled over...

Don't know where it goes

Been seeing this girl for the last year as a friend. We've been getting closer. She turned down my request to take things further last year, and at the beginning of this year. SHe said she was still in love with her ex.

She's in Cape Town I'm in Jo'burg. There is no doubt in my mind that if we had regular contact, things would naturally progress. But this distance thing is a killer when trying to start a relationship.

In the mean time, our friendship has been progressing so that it's like a relationship without the stuff other than the friendship. That's not just the sex, etc, but also the commitment.

So I finally pushed the button: I'll commute every weekend if we can try a relationship. No promises - it could last two weeks. Bottom line is, I need to know there is potential or not. If not it will be sad, but I need to get on with my life.

It has not gone well. She feels like I am being insensitive to the fact that she has not got over her ex. I feel that she is being insensitive to the fact that I just need to know there is some potential or otherwise I have to invest my energy elsewhere.

She's gone away with some friends now - I think things are over.

Green Day is haunting me...

"Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" - Green Day

I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
and I'm the only one and I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk a...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone

Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Aaah-ah,
Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah

I'm walking down the line
That divides me somewhere in my mind
On the border line
Of the edge and where I walk alone

Read between the lines
What's fucked up and everything's alright
Check my vital signs
To know I'm still alive and I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk a...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone

Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Aaah-ah
Ah-ah, Ah-ah

I walk alone
I walk a...

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk a...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone...

What causes multiple storms?

Johannesburg has just been hit by a series of unbelievable storms. About 5 thunderstorms moved through one after another, or the same one swirled round and round.

I've lived in Jo'burg going on 9 years now and I've never seen anything like this.

Pictures below (before the news!):

The calm before the storm (5pm)



The first time I've captured lightning on film - before the rain and hail storm hit and I ran for cover!



Two views of hailstones - about the size of golf balls - split through the force at which they hit.





My garden under a carpet of hail - the temperature immediately dropped to single figures.







I pity any one who was in the road at between about 19h00 and 22h00. I can hear the sirens as the rain still pelts down. I live in central Sandton.

I also feel sorry for any one traveling into Jo'burg by plane tonight - they're probably stuck in Bloemfontein now.

The damage in Johannesburg must be big. My skylights appear to be damaged - water is flooding the veranda ceiling and leaking from the light fittings. Jeez, I'd just recovered from a big financially straining month and now there will be another one. Storm 6 is just moving in now.

What is a "Jean Pant?"

Did you know that a group of guys are immortalising the "I Can Like To Be Wearing A Jean Pant" phrase with a dedicated website?!

For a group of idiots, those 94.7 guys are having way to much of a defining effect on South African culture...

The website has yet to be officially launched (or even completed), but the guys are reportedly already handing out T-Shirts around Johannesburg!

www.jeanpant.com

If you have no idea what any of this is about then listen here.