It's been a strange day, in fact a strange couple of days. Rain has fallen all over the country, except, arguably, where it is needed - on Table Mountain, which has been belting fumes and plumes as it does every year around this time.
Streets in Bloem, where I live, have been underwater, some people's garden walls have collapsed, some trees decided to go down like giraffe.
I thought I might go for a 10km run, but have felt in a state of flux today. In the end, I slept a lot. And I watched Merlin. Best line:
"That was just a trick. Magic is real."
I did get some feedback from the IMG people (who represent Annabelle Bond) - they sent through quite a nice image (see below), the other two were not high res enough. I have a feeling they are going to charge prices that will feel like extortion, in which case we can use my father's images of K2 when he was in Pakistan, in the Karakorum part of the Himalayas.
I wouldn't mind going to the Himalayas. And the Amazon. I have some friends doing research in Bolivia.
So yes, slept today while it poured with rain outside. I just couldn't get going. And there was nothing to write as my two stories have been edited basically to death. My next assignment is waiting - pending the weather brightening up. So I have some time on my hands. Should I be using it to sleep?
Well, I have a good excuse; tomorrow is 98km cycle race and I'm determined to perform better than in my last attempt towards Bultfontein.
I will probably use my special wheels - the ZIPP Deep Section rims. I'll need them as the race goes up some biggish hills.
After the race I'm having lunch at Ruth's with my father and brother. To be honest, I'd rather ride directly to the Gariep Dam where they are holding the Xterra event. Some of the top guys from around here are taking part, including Franna and Mo, the guys I swam with on Thursday.
While I'd rather get to the event on time, I will probably be famished after nearly 100km of cycling, so the meal will probably do me good. As far as I know, the race is long, so by the time I get there it should still be going on.
I want to find a way to get my stories into the Volksblad (the local Afrikaans newspaper) without having minions who check email squashing it, or deleting it. Possibly I need to look at other sources too...Maybe international...Like Triathlete Magazine.
Seems like the job of reporting is fairly cutthroat too (like advertising). What I mean is, there is a source event, or a source resource, and any number of minds can cover it and develop ideas, text, generate images on it. In the end, the one who reports/represents first - wins. Of course, the way to consolidate one's position is that you form a contract with a publication that chokes out the freelancers.
That's what I am - a freelancer.
Free. Lance.
Kind've like a sword falling around the place. And another term comes to mind - a loose cannon. Is a freelance writer a loose cannon? Should he (or she) be?
Since I've heard reports that the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho is basically flooded, I am going to delay my trip by a few days. Hopefully the sun will be out soon, and the mud will be fairly crispy by around the 31st or the 1st.
Going home now to listen to music and drink something cold.
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