About toilet paper and other stuff

Some time ago, I can't remember exactly when, there were these posts on Facebook about the "orientation" of the toilet paper. I had to use this between " " because honestly, using the word "orientation" to talk about toilet paper just seems wrong to me. It gives too much importance to something that will end up very, very dirty.

But, anyway... there have been loads of blog posts, blog debates and comments, which I always read for fun - and God, sometimes they are funny! -, but I'd never thought I'd be writing anything about it. (for the same reason I think that using the word "orientation" in this context is just taking the piss...) I am an "under" person, and if anyone asks me why, the answer will be a simple Because I think it's easier. Period. That's it. No need for massive debates or arguments. I'm very democratic. You can use the "orientation" you want. (yeah, now I'm not talking only about toilet papers here. I'm really very democratic.)

This was until this morning...

Pause here, for a note: I never thought I'd be writing about my toilet habits one day... But as a writer, I've always been inclined to use my own life as inspiration. :P

So, this morning...

I was in the toilet this morning, and hubby and I had been talking about adding toilet paper to our weekly shopping list. I was sitting there and noticed he had just changed the roll. And it was "over". Like I've already said, I've always been an "under" person, and until today I had no idea whether my husband would also be an "under" or an "over" type of guy. (to be honest, it bugs me way more when he leaves the toilet seat up... Everyone has got their own priorities, I'd say...) No worries, I thought. So I just changed it again...

Shocking. We buy Andrex. I love Andrex! Not only because it is super duper soft, but also because of the puppies embossed on the paper. (lame, I know) What was my surprise this morning when for the first time ever, I noticed that the puppies were upside down! I couldn't believe it! I repeat: shocking.

  

                                                           "over" or "under"?

Now come on... I'm really sorry, Andrex people, but embossing the puppies on the paper only one way is the same as selling only one type of cider in pubs. I personally like fruity ciders, and the fact that some pubs sell them makes me their customer. Do you get what I mean?

I don't think I'll stop buying this brand, especially because it's a really soft one, but I'd love to see puppies embossed in all directions (or "orientations", to carry on with the topic of this post). This way, the "unders" would always be able to see puppies the right way up too! :)

Ah, before I forget... I thought my husband was an "over" person... I've just asked him which way he puts the toilet roll in... His answer? Couldn't be more manly, I guess: Whatever way it's in my hand. Haha.... Love him... 

Just to finish this post, I decided to leave another list... This time a list that I first heard of in my journal writing class (thanks, Fiona!) and that has everything to do with the "orientation" of toilet rolls...

Things that make no sense

1. The right way for toilet papers to go is over. (Why?????)

2. A single train ticket costs nearly the same as the return ticket.

3. Rain for days on end. 

4. Wearing very high heels when you can't walk in them.

5. Wearing tiny clothes out in the middle of the winter.

6. Bank clerks that don't know what to do with a cheque.

7. Malaysia flight MH370 still be missing.

8. So many people with so much money while even more people are living in misery.

9. Brazilian postal service on strike since the end of January.

10. The World Cup in a country where there aren't enough beds for patients in hospitals (and I'll stop right there.)

11. A beautiful day outside and you prefer to stay in, watching TV, or sleeping.

12. People who commit suicide.

13. Girls who believe they have to look like the models they see in the magazines (even though it's well known that it's all fake)

14. Prejudice.

15. War.

16. Husbands and wives who cheat.

17. Child abuse ~ or ANY kind of abuse (domestic, against animals etc)
18. Those "cute" animal phone covers with ears, wings etc. Not even for children. Actually,  I don't think children should have mobile phones.

19. Politics.
20. People having to die, especially our loved ones.

What's in a name?

                                  picture source: http://blog.frooition.com/2012/07/whats-in-a-name

Juliet:
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

Yeah, what's in a name? 

I was just setting up a new facebook page and for some reason my "name" caught my attention. Well, you may be thinking: What the heck...? Why did a name I've had since 2008 (when I got married) only now made me stop and think?

I was born Daniela Ribeiro Pesconi. As it's common in Brasil, Ribeiro is from my mum, Pesconi is from my dad. I couldn't be more proud of my name or the two fantastic people who chose it for me! 

I've wanted to change my name once or twice. The first time was when I got married. I wanted to take the "Ribeiro" out. I thought it was too ordinary a surname, not to mention the fact that my name would be way too long (imagine... THREE surnames!). 

After marrying, as it's common here in the UK, I "became" Daniela Arthur. I had to "legalise" my marriage in Brasil, so off I went to the Brazilian Consulate in London. I was surprised when the officer said I wasn't allowed to simply "cut" the Ribeiro from my name; I could either keep my maiden name or just add my husband's name to it. Frustrated, I opted for a "long" name.

Then decided I wanted to write. And I needed an "artistic name"... hahaha. That's when the double-barrelled name idea came from. And that's the name I want my children to have. I love it!

So, where does the guilt come from? Yes, because it can only be a tiny bit of guilt there, right? When I was setting up my page and inviting people to "like" it, I kind of became self-counscious about the name. Let me explain... my mum passed away last year (Letters to my mother), I've been grieving since then and still I don't even use her surname??? What are the other people of the Ribeiro family are going to think about me??? Just discarding my mother's name like this...? Tsc, tsc Dani. Shame on you!

I found myself needing, wanting to justify myself; to justify myself like I usually do about so many things. Like most people do, I guess. And I felt sad. Why do we have to justify ourselves all the time to a world that perhaps is not even paying attention to you? 

I LOVED my mother. I LOVE my mother. Like I've already said, I couldn not be more proud of her, who was the strongest (although very often misunderstood) woman I've ever known in my life, as well as my grandma ~ her own mother, as far as I can recall the stories my mum used to tell me.

So, again, I wonder... what's in a name? My mother's "Ribeiro" is not here, but her real name, "DELI", is engraved, carved in my heart and in my memories in a way that no other name is. I miss her badly, and just the thought of her name makes my heart skip a beat (I know, cliche...). 

Quoting Shakespeare again ~ and adapting it a little bit...

"What's in a name? That who we once called Deli

  By any other name would smell as sweet..."

Dani.

p.s. and mother, I know you don't worry about this... you didn't use your dad's name either...

Amo voce pra sempre.

p.p.s. and yes, I guess I've "just justified" myself!  =P

Things that make my heart melt

Things that make my heart melt... I had the inspiration for this list when I saw the photo above on my friend's profile on Facebook. I thought it was so sweet and started to think what made my heart melt...

Here's my list...

1. Photos and videos of puppies and babies/children playing.
2. Disney cartoons.
3. Sunsets.
4. Lindt chocolate (Lindor).
5. My husband saying "amo voce"*.
6. Pizza margherita from Napoli.
7. Sitting by the sea in Napoli with a very cold Peroni in my hand.

8. Kindness from strangers.

9. Kindness from anyone, really.

10. A cosy night by the fire... doing nothing... listening to the rain outside.

11. Watching a beautiful film.

12. Praying quietly and gratefully.

13. Feeling the love of God enfolding me while I pray.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another list... :)

     This morning I was talking to my husband while we were having breakfast and I had an idea for today's list. I told him: "Today my list is going to be about you. It's going to be 'The things I love about my husband'."  He laughed (not sure if he was happy or nervous... haha).
     When I came back from work, I stood there, in front of him, like you do in school, and read the list to him. We laughed so much, and it was even kind of romantic! I got a big hug afterwards and it was so worth it! :)
     Well, here it goes....

Things I love about my husband

1. His smile and his "dentinhos" (little teeth)

2. His dance moves.

3. When he waits until the time I tell him he can come to the bedroom and wake me up in the morning. (He has strict instructions not to wake me up before 8am at the weekend.)

4. When he gets too bored/excited and can't wait, so he wakes me up a bit earlier (you know I just pretend I'm annoyed, right beaut?)

5. When he comes to say goodbye every morning, and he smells so nice that I nearly sniff all his aftershave off.

6. The way his smell lingers on after he's gone.

7. That he can do nearly everything around the house. (I just won't let him do the electrics!)

8. That he makes me laugh.

9. Haaaaaaaroooooold!

10. "Santropeito".

11. His cwtches* are the best in the world!

12. He loves to be scratched and I love to scratch him.

13. That he calls me beaut, Jim, Jimmy, clonks, softy-wofty, and never Daniela ou Dani. And I don't care! 

14. That he always gives me something from his stash when I ask (a chocolate bar, a pack of crisps...)

15. He's my husband. :)

16. That he says my nose is a snub or a nose that's not worth having.

17. That he's great company to travel with.

18. That he protects me.

19. That he's so loving and kind.

20. That he's hard-working.

21. That he's good at inventing a meal when I'm uninspired.

22. That we have so much fun doing things together!

(* cwtches = hugs in Welsh)

See you all tomorrow with another list! Any suggestions?

Dani.

Journal writing class

    Hi everyone!
    Monday was a great day at journal writing class. We read some extract of "The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon". She was a cortesan in Japan around the year 900 and this books is full of anecdotes and observations of her life in court.
   The entries we read are all in "lists" format. How cool is that! Our teacher, Briony, gave us some prompts (titles) from the book to write lists about. I never thought it'd be so hard! I'll post my lists here some other time. At the end of the class Briony invited us to make lists as our journal entries for this week.
   I was super excited and have written three so far (only now I had time to post them here... tsc, tsc)

   Well, here are my three first lists... (please, if you have any answers, or comments, or even suggestions for list titles, write them as a comment down there! I promise I'll try my best to use your suggestions... Thanks!!!
   Now, as I always say... grab a cuppa and make yourself at home! Mi blog, su casa! :)


24/25 Feb 2014

Things I think about when I can't sleep

1. It's still 0.40am!
2. I can't believe I'm writing under the blanket, with my mobile light on.
3. Damn you, pen charms! You're going to wake Craig up!
4. Mother, are you there? (reference to "Letters to my mother")
5. Uff! It's too warm! Feet out of the blanket.
6. I wonder what time exactly my mother breathe for the last time...
7. Great. Craig is awake. He's heard the clattering of my pen charms and asked if I'm eating chocolate under the blanket. Eh?!
8. Gosh! I haven't spoken to Pip for a week! Bad Dani.
9. I'm hungry.
10. Brrrrr.... too cold now. Feet back under the blanket.
11. I wonder whether my sisters are awake.
12. I'm getting up and having a buzumpa*.
13. What if I take one sleeping tablet?
14. Better not, What if I oversleep?
15. Aaaafffff....
16. What other lists am I going to write for my journal?
17. Ah... Idea! Let's check on Pinterest.
18. Oh my God! There are so many! I love all of them!
19. Hunf! Too many. I'll probably be writing lists for the rest of my life...
17. I give up. I'm getting up.
18. I'm up. Fire is on in the living room. Buzumpa in hand. Sissy on Viber! :)
19. Even my sister went to bed. I guess I should go back to sleep too.
20. Hey! A message from Emilia! Cool!
21. Puts! 3.34 already! Bed time. NOW.


*buzumpa: that's how Craig and I call milk with Nescafe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

25 Feb 2014 (a more decent time now)

Things I'd love to have answers to

1. Why does a single train ticket always cost only a pound or so less than the return ticket?

2. What happens after we die? No, I mean... really?

3. Can a white lie be justified, ever?

4. Which are those birds I love to hear very early in the morning and at dusk?

5. Why can't we lose weight just by wishing it?

6. Really, why is losing weight so hard?

7. What do I really want for my life?

8. What's the meaning of life?

9. What's happiness?

10. Why are there still so many people starving and living in miserable conditions, and yet, loads of money is spent on wars and world cups?

11. Why is there so much hate and greed in the world?

12. Is there ever going to be peace in the world?

13. When is Jesus coming back?

 
                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

26 Feb 2014

Things I'd love to have

1. An unlimited credit card without the need for a billing address.
2. A secret magic money tree - in case they don't take cards... :o)
3. A house in Santorini, overlooking the sea, and with steps to a private beach.
4. An appartment near Prague Castle.
5. A puppy. Charlie would be his name.
6. Twins: a boy and a girl.
7. My mother back. (I dreamed about her again last night)
8. A "The Flash" metabolism. (haha)
9. Good health, always, for me, Craig, our families and friends.
10. My family living here in the UK.
11. A private jet.
12. The ability to draw.
13. The will power to exercise every day.


                                                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

See you tomorrow for another list!
Don't forget to post your comments or list titles suggestions! ;)
Dani.

The Potter's Shed - my writing shed - reopened!!!

We're back!!!
After a long, freezing, windy and rainy winter (well, it's still winter, and it's still freezing. As for the rain, it can come at any time...), The Potter's Shed has reopened! :)

I have to admit that it has been "broken into", rather than reopened, really. Hubby had to break the padlock, because it had frozen! Shocking.

Anyway, my writing shed is polished, aired and rid of any strangers ( meaning spiders... ugh!)... Yankee candles lit and everything is back in place.

Curiosity... I have this bird house outside the shed, although I doubt any bird has ever actually stayed in (it's tiny!)... When I came here this morning, what a surprise to find a little plant that has grown right "outside" the bird house window!!! A little bit of life that has grown through horrible weather, wind and rain and hail bouncing on its roof... It's just magical!

Isn't it cool? I hope with the weather improving we receive more visitors. hehe. The day is so beautiful today and all we can hear in the neighbourhood is enthusiastic birds chirping, announcing the morning has come and that the sun is out! God bless the sun... and the birds! :)

Well, hands have warmed up... It's time to tell stories! Welcome back to The Potter's Shed! Grab your coffee and make yourself at home!

Dani. x

11 random facts at Christmas

Hi all,

I'm here at Christmas time to post something that I found REALLY cool!

I was tagged by my dear friend and colleague Ana Maria, from Uberlandia, Brazil, who has one of the most brilliant blogs I've ever seen! =)

The challenge is called "11 random facts". This is how it works:

1. Acknowledge the nominating blogger(s).

2. Share 11 random facts about yourself.

3. Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.

4. List 11 bloggers.

5. Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer, and let all the bloggers know they have been nominated. Don’t nominate a blogger who has nominated you.

First, here are some random facts about me:

Now, the questions Ana Maria has asked me to answer:

1. Where did you live as a child? 

I was born and lived in Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brasil, until I was 29.

2. What was your favorite toy?                                                                                                            
 It was my Playmobil. I had a very big one: wild west theme, with a school and horses.

3. As a child, what did you want to be in the future?                                                                       I wanted to be different things, at different stages of my childhood and teenage years: teacher, doctor (autopsy doctor), archaeologist, lawyer, psychologist, writer.         

4. Tell us something you're afraid of.                                                                                                   Spiders and snakes. I'm TERRIFIED of them!

5. Tell us something you're good at.                                                                                                     Telling stories.  

6. Tell us something you're bad at.                                                                                                       Drawing.

7. Tell us about a place you'd love to visit one day and who with.                                                 Santorini, in Greece. With Craig.

8. What do you normally procrastinate?                                                                                             Housework.

9. If you could a place to live, where would it be?                                                                             Italy or Greece.

10. What would you like to get for Christmas?                                                                                
A phone call from Heaven.

11. What would you like to learn in 2014?                                                                                        
I'd like to improve my Italian.

Now the list of bloggers I tag for the challenge:

1. Caroline Pozzobon

2. Carolina Ribeiro

3. Ross Russo

4. Camila Flavia Brandao

5. Maria Cecilia Rocha Soares

6. Sarah Kang
7. Glenda Block
8. Philippa Watkins
9. Ruby Holmes
10. Briony Goffin
11. Melissa Ribeiro
12. Danilo Gentili
13. Ellen DeGeneres

p.s. these last two... because I think they are SUPER people and... a girl has got to dream high!!! ;)

My questions for them:

1. When was the last time you astonished yourself?

2. What books on your shelf are begging to be read?

3. What's the strangest thing you believed as a child?

4. What is one guilty pleasure you enjoy too much to give up?

5. If you could have tea with one fictional character, who would it be? What would you talk about?

6. If you could go back in time, which period would you like to go back to? Why?

7. What's the most irritating thing?

8. What's the most recent compliment you've received and savoured?

9. What is something about yourself that you hope will change, but probably never will?

10. Do you have a catchphrase?

11. What's the song that you consider "your theme song"?