Melktert Chronicals
Well hi. I’m writing this now with not a small degree of nausea. Before you extend your condolences, know that I do not deserve them. This is entirely of my own making. Having spent the lion’s share of the afternoon finishing off the deck for Pharos, I felt remarkably chuffed with my progress, focus and conscientiousness. I had rceenlty read a blog post about conscientiousness and deiced it was a quality worth imbuing, and imbue I clearly did, because I stuck to my resolve of some solid graft and got it done.
Anyways, pleased as punch, I decided it was time for a well earned treat. I trotted off downstairs only to discover that there was nothing with a high enough sugar content in the house. So I grabbed the keys, and headed down to a little padstal close to our small holding that I knew stocked what I needed in that moment. There’s some very solid advice that goes around: don’t go shopping when you’re hungry. It’s good advice. I chose to ignore it. At the padstal, I loaded up on a giant choc chip cookie, which was my walk-around snack, homemake ginger beer, and then got one of every type of baked good they had: milktarts, creme brules, brownies and lord knows what else.
I got back in the car, breaking off pieces of the cookie, and decided to drive around the farms and farmroads for a bit, windows down, enjoying the gorgeous feeling of energised-fatigue from hard work well done. This is progress, I thought, this is the empire’s bricks. The giant cookie was near complete and I decided I cup of earl grey tea was in order. So back home I routed. Into the garage, the kitchen, kettle on. My mother was in the kitchen, and she’s possibly more of a sugar addict than I. So the scene was set for a Shakespearen tragedy.
We ripped open the box of treats like the crazed addicts we are, and quickly began dividing up the treats like pirates or vikings scrmabling for booty and the spoils of war. It was shameless. It was a spectacle. Crumbs were flying everywhere with wanton regard, milktarts were being mixed with mint cream pastries, tea was washing it all down with volumes to challenge Niagra Falls. By the time my brain caught up to my stomach, the alarm bells were like the sirens of the Blitz. But then it was too late. I staggered over to the couch and lay on my side like a songololo that had just been poked by a mean kid.
Groaning in misery, receieving no sympathy from Kate, my sister, who cam to inspect the rucus with disdain, I lay in agony contemplating with severer regret my abysmal lack of self control.
Fortunately this aint my first rodeo, and my darling body did what it does best and processed it all quite tidily. My anatomical knowdlege isn’t academic, so whther i have the liver or pancreas or kidneys to thank, who the hell knows, but I am overcome with grattude for its functioning.
Upstarirs now, and considering going for a walk. I’d have to walk to the next solar system to make a dent in the calroies consumed, but perhaps some effort is better than nothing. The sugar crash is looming so in all likelyihood I’ll probably just get in the bath and read a book. Got some great books on my bedside table at the moment, and it’s sacrilege to not give them my attention.
Gluttony aside, other news is that, yes, I finished my deck. I am pleased with it. I’ve started sending it out and thus far have gotten three replies and one meeting, so that’s a good hit rate. Well done Proc. You desvered your treats. Sort of. I’m also off to Cape Town tomorrow. Managed to get the last seat on any of the flights for the weekend by a supreme stroke of luck (and credit card debt). Scholarship interview on Monday morning which I’m actually really looking forward to. Probably because I’m far too fond of my own voice, so having a panel of people listen to me wax lyrical on my opinion on, well, everything, sounds as close to heaven as I can imagine. I hope they bring refeshments for themselves.
M’s back in London already and it’s dreadful being apart from him. He’s my best friend and other half and so much fun to be around. By the time I see him again, it’ll be the longest we’ve been apart (5 days) since we first started officially dating.
Mood has just soured dramatically because I’ve just remembered that I have yet another traffic fine to pay for, and this one in France. This brings my total international traffic related violations up to 5 countries. I wonder if there’s a world record for something of this sorts? I don’t mean to compete for it, but it seems the traffic cops of the world are out to get me. I’m innocent, I swear.
Some closing thoughts:
Go slow to go fast.
The only thing you’ll ever wish is that you had wanted more.
Life shrinks or expands according to one’s courage.
Urgh, how amazing? Yesterday went into a bit of a tailspin after presenting my Consolidated Master Plan For Global Domination (But In A Nice Way) to one of my mentors and he basically shredded my entire strategy, logic flow, premises and conclusions and vision. Words like shoddy and mediocre and dull were thrown about, like daggers I might add, and in a whimpering mess I started to reevaluate the whole thing. In, as Churchill, I think, put it; the dark moments of the soul, I reach out to my band of inspiration - great characters in history whose fortitude and brilliance and competnece stood against the tyranny of underperformance. In this instance, it was JFK I turned to. Speeches and works I read and wacthed to remember exactly who the person was that I wanted to be. Not a flim-flammy, bend with the wind, shaken and stirred at the slightest upheaval kind of person.
That recenetered me a bit, and I jotted down a couple notes, including the three points above.
Stay true to your course. There is nothing as unproduvtuve as doubt. A million steps in a million different directions leaves you exactly where you started, but now just ehind on time and energy. Move forward, only, always. Burn the ships. You may need to course correct while you go but you must make progress with your chosen path. And your chosen path must lead somewhere vast beyond imagining, because as you stack up days you will get there, and when you do, it better be something that made the journey as daring and crazy and ambitous as your precious life is worth.
Okay I’m off to watch tiktok videos in bed. Cheers.