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Well….the 30 day challenge is over. I can report that the challenge was fun, and it was easy having something set in stone to write about each day…….however, I did not come to some sort of deeper meaning of life … Continue reading
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Well this is, yet again, another reminder of how far I’ve come in the past year!!! I have changed in so many ways since a little over a year ago until today it is amazing!!! I am in a much … Continue reading
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On Tuesday I posted an entry for The Extraordinary Ordinary’s Just Write Tuesday (Click HERE for the post). In that post I spoke of how it is that through the past few years of ‘living’ I have learned that I … Continue reading
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Yeah this picture pretty accurately explains how I feel right now……Can someone please help the ‘ass’ back down to the ground?? Anyone who knows me, knows that I usually always take on too much!! I play hockey, I ref hockey, … Continue reading
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Today is the one year anniversary of Debbie and Jeanna………one year of being with the most amazing women I’ve ever met, one year of Jeanna ‘putting up’ with Debbie, one year of Jeanna helping Debbie be a better person, and … Continue reading
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We went apple picking on Friday 9/9/11. I’d never done this before! We both had a great time, amazing weather and fantastic company!!!! A photo recap is below, hopefully it’ll depict the fun we had!! Apple Picking ~ Awesome … Continue reading
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Well as labor day approaches and the MN State Fair draws to and end 😦 (meaning that the summer is just about over, the annoying neighborhood kids once again disappear into school buildings, and the hockey season starts to ramp … Continue reading
So in life some things are a given…..like being born and dying!!! But what comes between those two extremes is what I want to talk about……… As the picture above depicts…..we got through stages – creation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adult … Continue reading
As everyone knows (the dedicated 2, maybe 3, readers of my blog), Jeanna and I are off to South Africa in February. So I am posting this list of words one should understand when visiting. I think Jeanna probably has most of them down pat already!!
Braai
What is a braai? It is the first thing you will be invited to when you
visit South Africa . A braai is a backyard barbecue and it will take
place whatever the weather. So you will have to go even if it’s
raining like mad. At a braai you will be introduced to a substance
known as mieliepap.
Ag
This one of the most useful South African words. Pronounced like the
“ach” in the German “achtung”, it can be used to start a reply when
you are asked a tricky question, as in: “Ag, I don’t know.” Or a sense
of resignation:”Ag OK, I’ll have some more mieliepap then.” It can
stand alone too as a signal of irritation.
Donner
A rude word, it comes from the Afrikaans “donder” (thunder).
Pronounced “dorner”, it means “beat up.” A team member in your rugby
team can get donnered in a game, or your wife can donner you if you
come back from a braai at three in the morning.
Eina
Widely used by all language groups, this word, derived from the
Afrikaans, means “ouch.” Pronounced “aynah”. You can say it in
sympathy when you see your friend the day after he got donnered by his
wife.
Hey
Often used at the end of a sentence to emphasize the importance of
what has just been said, as in “You’re only going to get donnered if
you come in late again, hey?” It can also stand alone as a question.
Instead of saying “excuse me?” or “pardon me?” when you have not heard
something directed at you, you can always say: “Hey?”
Izit?
This is another great word to use in conversations. Derived from the
two words “is” and “it”, it can be used when you have nothing to
contribute if someone tells you something at a braai. For instance, if
someone would say: “The Russians will succeed in their bid for
capitalism once they adopt a work ethic and respect for private
ownership.” It is quite appropriate to respond by saying: “Izit?”
Ja well no fine
This is another conversation fallback. Derived from the four words:
“yes”, “well”, “no” and fine”, it roughly means “OK”. If your bank
manager tells you your account is overdrawn, you can, with confidence,
say: “Jawelnofine.”
Klap
Pronounced “klup” – an Afrikaans word meaning smack, whack or spank.
If you spend too much time in front of the TV during exam time, you
could end up getting a “klap” from your mother. In America , that is
called child abuse. In South Africa , it is called promoting education.
But to get “lekker geklap” is to get motherlessly drunk.
Lekker
An Afrikaans word meaning nice, this word is used by all language
groups to express approval. If you enjoyed a braai thoroughly, you can
say: “Now that was lekk-errrrrrr!” while drawing out the last
syllable.
Tackies
These are sneakers or running shoes. The word is also used to describe
automobile or truck tyres. “Fat tackies” are really wide tyres, as in:
“You’ve got lekker fat tackies on your Vôlla, hey?”
Dop
This word has two basic meanings, one good and one bad. First the
good: A dop is a drink, a cocktail, a sundowner, a noggin. When
invited for a dop, be careful! It could be one sedate drink or a
blast, depending on the company. Now the bad: To dop is to fail. If
you “dopped” standard two (Grade 4) more than once, you probably won’t
be reading this.
Saamie
This is a sandwich. For generations, school- children have traded
“saamies” during lunch breaks. In South Africa you don’t send your kid
to school with liver-polony saamies. They are impossible to trade.
Bakkie
This word is pronounced “bucky” and can refer to a small truck or
pick-up. If a young man takes his “girl” (date) in a bakkie it could
be considered as a not so “lekker” form of transport because the seats
can’t recline.
Howzit
This is a universal South African greeting, and you will hear this
word throughout the country. It is often accompanied with the word
“Yes!” as in: “Yes, howzit?”. In which case you answer “No, fine.”
Now now
In much of the outside world, this is a comforting phrase: “Now now,
it’s really not so bad.” But in South Africa , this phrase is used in
the following manner: “Just wait, I’ll be there now now.” It means “a
little after now”.
Tune grief
To be tuned grief is to be aggravated, harassed. For example, if you
argue with somebody about a rugby game at a braai and the person had
too much dop (is a little “geklap”), he might easily get aggravated
and say.: “You’re tuning me grief, hey!”. To continue the argument
after this could be unwise and result in major tuning of grief..
Boet
This is an Afrikaans word meaning “brother” which is shared by all
language groups. Pronounced “boot” but shorter, as in “foot”, it can
be applied to a brother or any person of the male sex. For instance a
father can call his son “boet” and friends can apply the term to each
other too. Sometimes the diminutive “boetie” is used. But don’t use it
on someone you hardly know – it will be thought patronizing and could
lead to you getting a “lekker klap”.
Pasop
From the Afrikaans phrase meaning “Watch Out!”, this warning is used
and heeded by all language groups. As in: “The boss hasn’t had his
coffee yet – so you better pasop boet” Sometimes just the word
“pasop!” is enough without further explanation. Everyone knows it sets
out a line in the sand not to be crossed.
Skop, Skiet en donner
Literally “kick, shoot and thunder”, this phrase is used by many South
African speakers to describe action movies. A Clint Eastwood movie is
always a good choice if you’re in the mood for of a lekker skop, skiet
en donner flick.
Vrot
Pronounced – “frot”. A expressive word which means “rotten” or
“putrid” in Afrikaans, it is used by all language groups to describe
anything they really dislike. Most commonly intended to describe fruit
or vegetables whose shelf lives have long expired, but a pair of old
tackies (sneakers) worn a few years too long can be termed “vrot” by
some unfortunate folk which find themselves in the same vicinity as
the wearer. Also a rugby player who misses important kicks or tackles
can be said to have played a vrot game – opposite to a “lekker” game
(but not to his face). A movie was once reviewed with this headline:
“Slick Flick, Vrot Plot.”
Rock up
To rock up is to just, sort of arrive (called “gate crash” in other
parts of the world). You don’t make an appointment or tell anyone you
are coming – you just rock up. Friends can do that but you have to be
selective about it. For example, you can’t just rock up for a job
interview.
Scale
To scale something is to steal it. A person who is “scaly” has a
doubtful character, is possibly a scumbag, and should rather be left
off the invitation list to your next braai.
Ja-nee
“Yes No” in English. Politics in South Africa has always been
associated with family arguments and in some cases even with physical
fights. It is believed that this _expression originated with a family
member who didn’t want to get a klap or get donnerred, so he just
every now and then muttered “ja-nee”. Use it when you are required to
respond, but would rather not choose to agree or disagree.
This morning, 8/13/11, I had the opportunity to ref some fine and fantastic U-10/U-11 boys hockey games. I say fine and fantastic because today I was dealt a ‘blow’ I wasn’t quite expecting!! You see I am so used to hearing coaches screaming, bitching and down right not having a good time, so when I heard “this” I was floored……thankfully NOT literally!!
It was my second game of the morning, a team from ND and a team from northern MN. It was an OK game, nothing too exciting. The team from Northern MN appeared to have had their Wheaties for breakfast and were rather aggressive, but the ND team was dominating…..playing the game with skill vs brute force!! This is when I skated past the ND bench and one of the kids was complaining about something and the coach said to him, “Hey, you’re not guaranteed another day, so make the best of each and every day and make it FUN!!!”
The reason this floored me was because 1) he wasn’t yelling at me about the roughness of the other team, 2) yelling at the kid to ‘man up’ and do likewise to the other team (yes I have heard many coaches say this to 9 and 10 year olds), and 3) this coach, as were all 3 coaches, was a college student, a youngster, who usually give the most grief to refs. And here he was telling this kid to just HAVE FUN!!!!!! Which leads to 4) a coach ACTUALLY telling the kids to have fun, not screaming at them, not telling them they were useless or should have done this or that. Just to have FUN!!!
I’ll never know if there was a reason this guy said this to the kids, had he lost someone recently that made him evaluate life and what was important?? Is this the way he was raised?? No matter what the reason, that statement from that coach to that kid had an impact on me!! And as I skated up and down the ice, calling icing, tripping, offsides, etc.
I was thinking to myself what can I do to make today FUN?? How do I make the most of each and everyday?
Lets be honest, we don’t always make the best of EVERYDAY we are given and we don’t always look for what can make our days fun…….at least I don’t!! So in thinking of this I came up with some things that make my days fun………that make my days reasons to carry on…….that makes me value each and everyday I am given here on God’s green earth!!
My family, albeit I don’t see them very much, are still a reason I value life, and when I do get to be with them I strive to make each and every moment as FUN as possible, I make memories, and I cherish them!! A couple of pictures of these memories are below:
Jeanna Marie Pelton makes me very, very excited to open my eyes each and every morning!! And we have so much fun together!!!
If you know me at all you know that I don’t need to explain anything more when I say that hockey makes me happy and I have so much FUN playing!!
Again, as I said above with hockey!!
Without friends I think we have a gap in our hearts that needs filling. The real friends, who you know will be there for you NO MATTER WHAT!!
I love them as if they were my own children
What makes your days FUN??? What is your reason for making the best of everyday you are blessed with?? I hope that I think back to this moment in my life, when I heard these words and I realize how truly blessed I am to be given another day!!
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