This week my Cecil and I took our three kids to see Katy Perry.  There is only one word that sums up this Pop Star and that is “AWESOME”.  She truly is fantastic and a wonderful role model for children.

Her body curvy and athletic, and her words so encouraging.  She asked the 16,000 person crowd – “Do you love yourself? Yes! Because that always comes first!”.  I watched as many little innocent faces around me, took every word she said with such admiration and love.

She became quite serious at one point in the concert and spoke of a ‘Killer Disease”, automatically we all thought she was going to discuss Ebola, but she then said this awful disease: “Selfie Disease“.  How right she is! If I seen it once, I’ve seen it twice, I’ve seen it 16,000 times – a self absorbed generation of Tech savy humans taking selfies!  Which leads me to the topic this week – SELFIES…..

I can’t believe how popular the “Selfie Pole” is right now? A long pole/stick where you can attach an IPhone to the end.  Snap your pretty self whist you walk, talk, eat, yawn, sneeze, pick your nose or whatever you please – this pole will bring many hours of fun if you, in fact, do suffer from ‘selfie disease’.

It looks like this:

Are we becoming too obsessed with trying to record a moment or a memory, yet, we are actually missing the moment?   We are watching some of life’s biggest events and miracles through a small hand sized frame. Is this how we will recall the memory in years to come? When we are elderly will our memories be recalled through that same small frame.

Although, any parent would agree, when I say I can watch the play back of my babies being born over and over again – each time I am taken back to those very special days.  I also love to watch my wedding DVD, I hate the fact that I don’t look that young anymore – but I do love to watch a young Cecil and I on one of the happiest days of our life. I wonder how many selfies I would have taken on my wedding day or the birth of my children, had the ‘selfie’ have been invented back then (now I am showing my age).

Am I correct? Have you ever captured a moment on your IPhone or taken a cracking selfie that makes you remember what a special day it was for you? Are you a victim of “Selfie Disease“?

I don’t have selfie disease, but many of my friends do.  Many of them know exactly the angle to hold that IPhone camera, then shove a filthy hazy filter over the top to hide even more wrinkles (Yes ladies we know your dirty tricks) you find that angle where the crows feet disappear and your lips look a little fuller and if they don’t – you pout slightly.  You know the angle don’t you? I am not investing in a selfie pole just yet, but I may be putting it on next year’s Christmas list for few!

My aim:  I am trying to get 1,000 selfies with good stories. Could be the birth of a child, your first fun run, with a celebrity, at your wedding, with someone special, somewhere special… there are no limits here.  If I get 1000 selfies, I am going to publish them and make the best coffee table book you have ever seen.  True STORY….!!

Do you want to be part of this? Then tell us…

This “selfie’ is important because ……..???

Send it to:  1000selfies@outlook.com

We here at http://www.dailylifeofbraineo.com are waiting for your selfie! Now get to it!

SNAP SNAP!

Giddy UP….

LB 🙂

This week’s blog has been inspired by my optometrist John H or Mr Cool.  He is a great bloke with a great sense of humor!  Besides my husband, he is the only man I let stare deep into the pupils of my eyes.

This week my husband (for privacy issues, let’s call him “Cecil”) went on his annual “Boy’s Weekend”.  Many years ago it started purely as a weekend away and it usually involved a couple of hours drive up or down the coast.  What is the old true saying?:  ‘Give a man an inch and he will take a mile” – well this “Boy’s Weekend” is now almost a week and involves a plane trip!  It’s all pretty harmless, a few old school mates who swim, surf, play golf and drink a few beers.  Nothing short of a few fart jokes, complaints about lack of intimacy with their wife, lots of swearing, belching, burping and snoring.  Cecil and his mates also tell the same stories over and over again.

I have been married to “Cecil” for 16 years. We met when we were quite young.  It was his funny fart jokes that initially attracted me to him – he had such an attentive audience that night.  I guess I was amused, yet disgusted at this handsome character! Who was this rude, yet hilarious man? Surely not my future husband or the father of my 3 children???   Twenty years on – fart jokes haven’t died. Married Cecil.  Three kids. One dog.

I have learnt many things about being married to Cecil, and by no means am I  an expert in this field.  Here are three certain things I have learnt in MY marriage:

Once a Mummy’s Boy – ALWAYS a Mummy’s Boy!  Accept this fact and move on.  Be warned….don’t try and change this relationship and for God’s sake don’t try and be his Mother!  You are rowing up stream without a paddle here or you may have more chance of winning a kick-boxing competition with one leg! Don’t try and be her.

Make no mistakes here, when Cecil looks at this woman he sees absolutely nothing but an angel figurine, she has a golden halo, pretty white wings and she flies on over when he needs  her, she is usually carrying a lovely casserole or his favorite soup.  His Mummy will always be at your heels, keeping you high on your stumpy smelly little toes.  Like a protective tiger in a famine fueled jungle –  she awaits in the background for you to slip up, so she can slide on in beside him and wipe his little brow with her white handkerchief.

If you married a “Daddy’s Boy”, again, accept the fact that nothing here will change and just move on.  When Cecil looks at his Father he sees nothing but a God-like figurine, a bearded man in a white gown carrying a cross in one hand and a nice cold beer in the other.  His Father will be at your door with the lawn mower, whipper snipper, gurney, dynamic lifter, a free car wash and even a little rub of his tired feet if they are sore.  His Daddy will do any task around your house, just so he can spend some quality time with this fine specimen of a son he produced, then when the tasks at hand are complete, they will sit down together for a beer and a quiet prayer.

I fell in love with a fitness freak lunatic and like the two conditions mentioned above, this condition has no cure, and only gets worse as middle age creeps in. His training regime becomes his world and more serious as his age progresses.  This fitness freak type will push you to the point your life may become lonely and dare I say “BORING”.  On a Friday or Saturday night you often may find yourself sitting on the couch drinking a small glass of red wine because Cecil has gone to bed at 8.00 pm for he must rise at 5.00 am to work his temple of a body.  Poor  patient and understanding you – whilst Cecil clocks miles in the pool, you slowly and regrettably awake the next day to nothing but a stinking, cracking, head banging hangover and 3 hungry children.  Surprisingly, the bottle of red you opened last night is empty.   Surely “You didn’t drink the whole thing on your own??” you ask. What a great party me, myself and I had last  night! Point here, red wine goes down easily when you are partying on your own.

 On the rare occasions Cecil attends a party with me – I get this glare, you too may be familiar with this glare, this means:  

“No more worm! Party is over, I need to get to bed.  It’s 8.30 pm.  We are going home!”

My response: ‘No! I am staying Cecil! One more worm!”

Random Fact: Men have larger brains that women – about 13%, this has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence.  Thank goodness.

Well that is it from me this week.  Sixteen years married and I wouldn’t change my Cecil or his family. I am blessed.

Remember, one glass of red can go a long way!

GIDDY up!

LB 🙂

Well you may want a grab a coffee/wine for this week’s blog.

Hope you have all had a good week.  I survived the 50 km.  I did it! There was a great deal of satisfaction to think I traveled that far on foot with no injuries except sore hips, terrible blisters and a missing toenail. If you had of asked me 5 years ago, if I ever thought I would do an event like this, the answer would have been to laugh and be repulsed at the thought.  How things have changed.  The route was tough, hot and sunny.  Even under a hat, sunnies and 55 layers of 50 Plus sunscreen, I could still feel my skin burning – the sun was harsh and it felt like it was biting through my skin.   Around the 35 km mark, the girls and I became quite silly and possibly delusional – cracking jokes that weren’t funny and breaking wind because we no longer had the energy to hold the sneaky little suckers in.

Crossing the finish line was an amazing personal feeling of achievement, a natural feeling of excitement that lasted for days –  I DID IT!

Yesterday my family, friends and I went to Bonnyvale – competing in the EF BonnyVale Bash!  What a great day! I had never been to Bonnyvale before.  I was roped into this event by my bossy trainer.  She is very persistent and as much as I tried to fight her, she knew I could do it and would enjoy the event, so before I knew it, our names were down on the list. I often tell her I am going to ‘break up’ with her – this weird relationship I have with this tiny little lady – whose voice gets into my head, pushes me outside my comfort zone and has me up and out of bed at 5.06 am to run the streets or sand-hills. Truth is, if I broke up with her, I would get lazy and wouldn’t be half the motivated person I am today. So for this I thank my tiny little trainer.

Back to Bonnyvale – just our luck – another stinking hot day. The start gun blows and we are all sprinting down the beach, well I felt like I was sprinting. We were all in teams of 4. The race involved: beach running, bush running, road running, 4 swims, 2 kayaks and a boogie board paddle!

Fantastic day! (All organised by that same disciplined, strong and tiny little trainer girl). The atmosphere was awesome, with all good sports around me, running past my friends and hearing “GO BraineO”, made me feel happy and part of a wonderful and caring community. Everyone cheered everyone on – we were all winners. It was a great display of friendships and sportsmanship – in that it was all for fun and we were all out there having a go! As I ran yesterday, the thing I enjoyed hearing the most were all the kids cheering on their parents, yelling out “Go Mum” or “Go Dad” – what great role models these people are for their children, teaching their kids to get out there and ‘have a go!’.

By the time we finished, my legs were shaking and I was stuffed. A quick beer to celebrate with friends, straight to the shower and lipstick reapplied.

So I guess my point of this week’s blog is – Just have a go! If I can, anyone can. Trust me…. The truth is, I would never ever dare to put myself in a category of being good at any sport, I can be quite inconsistent and, at times, I fall off the wagon – but I manage to get back out there, find the energy and the love of running.

I really feel my 40’s are going to be the best years. I have realised a few things about myself:

I am stronger than I think!

Now get out there and have a go Mate!

Giddy up……..

LB