On Birthdays and Shavathons

Seems like only a week ago, I was turning 21, and a few days later (OK,  it was 3 years, 7 months and 16 days later, but it felt like a few days) I dedicated my life to the woman who after 28.5 years has still not killed me. Now a few days later (yes, I know it's been 29 years), I have passed the mini-milestone of turning 53, an occurrance I was more than happy to ignore.  24 days before that, my mother had turned 83, and about 2 weeks before that, she found out she has cancer of the colon, and that at her age, any treatment would be more likely to kill her than the cancer (which is 100% likely to kill her eventually, so you get the point).


So why am I posting all this.  Well, the past weekend, CANSA (The Cancer Association of South Afica - http://www.cansa.org.za/) held the annual Shavathon. For a mere R50 (or even less if you cannot afford R50) you can choose to have your head shaved (cut to a #1 - no shorter, due to the risk of being sued if they should happen to nick someone's ear :( ) or sprayed in various colours or patterns, with the funds raised going towards supporting CANSA and it's objectives, including research.


With the cancer suddenly striking a LOT closer to home (we have previously lost family members to the horrors of cancer), there was no way I could NOT partake - I always do, but this year was more personal.  Just shaving my head (which I do regularly anyway) seemed like only going half-way, so opted for both:

At the time, it seemed like a good idea, and the cold spray was very refreshing on a hot summers day (I am in South Africa, so if you're in the northern hemisphere, trust me, it's hot down here).  The realisation came later that these sprays are for colouring hair, but when your hair has been cut to 2mm in length, the spray ends up on your SKIN, and is not so easy to wash off - even after several showers, my entire head still has a noticeably pinkish tinge to it!!!  Whatever, it's for a good cause.


What I also find odd, is that when my Dad was 50, and I was about 14, I though he was really old, and when he turned 60 (so I was 24), he was ancient.  Now I am 53, and I don't feel old, in fact I don't feel THAT much older that I did when my dad was 60.  The reality is, however, that my sons, who are 22 and 26, think I am..... well, let's say REALLY old, but not quite ancient yet.  I suppose it's all about perception. 


Which brings me back to my mother and her cancer.  She is 83, but despite the cancer is still making home-made jams, which she sells to raise funds for the church - she supplies the fruit and the sugar, but tose are HER donation, and any money which she makes from the sale of the jam goes in total to the church.  One off her regular customers saw that she was still making the jam, and said to my Mom "I thought you had cancer?".  Mom's response was absolutely brilliant: "That's what my doctor and the specialists say.  So far, though, I am still alive, so why not do what I enjoy doing while I am still alive?".  See, the perception of (and most peoples reaction to a diagnosis of) cancer, is that you lie down and die.  Mom's reaction is that it's a matter of attitude: If you give in, it will kill you quickly, but if you decide to live despite it, well then it's going to have a fight on its hands, so I will give it a run for its money". (OK, I have paraphrased what she said slightly, but I know that is her attitude) It seems to be paying off, because instead of seeing her every two weeks, her doctor has decided to only see her once a month, because she is doing so well.


A serious post, I know, but for a serious matter.  I was really disillusioned by how few people I know who, despite prodding, still did not make the effort to support a worthy cause, and especially given how few people have NOT been touched in some way by cancer. 


Maybe next year....

Kurt Darren and my taste in music

My wife dragged me to a Kurt Darren show last night. Not so much dragged as politely con-vince-d me (pun intended) that it would be nice to go together to the show. It wasn't that I minded being with my wife, quite the opposite in fact, but I'm not a Kurt Darren fan, if you know what I mean.

Turned out it was not so bad after all - he has 3 girls in the band, and the rhythm guitarist/backing vocalist was very cute, and positioned right next to the 'star'. Made it easy to enjoy the show, without actually having to look at Kurt.

My family often ask me why I am NOT a fan, as if it is inconceivable that one can adopt this stance, much the same as my attitude of not understanding how it is possible for ANYONE to accept the shocking statistics surrounding Rhino poaching in South Africa (currently standing at 54+ for 2012, and the year is only 45 days old). To be honest, I cannot tell you, I am not sure I understand it myself.

I like music in general, most music from the 60's to present (although honestly the latest 'music' is severely lacking in quality, appeal, and in many cases purpose), and despite my earlier statement to the contrary, even Kurt has a song or two that I like (such as " Standing on the Edge" which he also sang last night).  I find that I am put off by the hype around artists, and the volume of the adoring crowds that appear like magic whenever a celebrity is around.

I see on his website that you can even download his voice for use on your GPS (provided of course you have one of the following Garmin GPS units: nuvi 200 series, nuvi 205 series, nuvi 500 series, nuvi 700 series, nuvi 705 series, nuvi 800 series, nuvi 1200 series, nuvi 1300 series, nuvi 1400 series, nuvi 1410 series, nuvi 1600 series, nuLink! 1695, nuvi 2200 series, nuvi 2300, nuvi 2460, nuvi 3700 series, nuvi 5000, dezl 560, zumoR 660 - if you are interested, the link is http://www.gps-creative.com/products/kurt-darren and it will only cost you R149.95).

It's also not just Kurt, I regularly get angry looks when I say that I an NOT a fan of Juanita du Plessis or Patricia Lewis (what happened to her anyway) or Bok van Blerk or any one of a whole lot of local artists.  And it's not just the Afrikaans ones, it's the English ones as well.  Before I get lambasted for being 'anti-local' that is ALSO not true.  There are a LOT of local artists that I really enjoy listening to, such as Theuns Jordan, Nadine and Lianie May, among others.

Maybe it's the style of music which doesn't appeal to me. Maybe it's the commercialism of the whole thing, and how some artists tend to lap it all up more than others.  Perhaps I am even jealous of their fame (though I dislike crowds intensely, and prefer anonymity over fame), who knows.

All I know is, I spent 2 hours listening to music last night.  2 hours which I could spend with my wife, even if we had hundreds of other people around us, just relaxing and listening, and while it was not necessarily my choice of music, I have to admit it had the desired effect of 'soothing the savage beast'.

And watching Guitar Girl wasn't all that difficult either.