Awards, apologies and bending the rules

I feel like all I ever do on this blog is apologise for not blogging. But I don't like blogging when I'm in a bad headspace. And I have been fairly strung out and miz of late, so I decided not to inflict that on you.

Thankfully my sick bugs are finally starting to clear up, which means I am feeling a little less sorry for myself and not quite so pathetic today. Yesterday was the worst. Have you ever seen someone shucking oysters? You slide a knife in, wiggle it about (I don't do this - can you tell?) and then try to prise the shell open. Well, I felt like someone was trying to shuck my face (wow - that looks rude if you misread it). Explanation: I had such pressure in my sinuses under my right cheekbone that it felt like someone was trying to stick a knife in there, wiggle it about and prise my skull open.

Charming.

Now that I've freaked everyone out (including me), let me move onto something more pleasant.

I have a blog award from the awesome Nes at Random Ramblings. She gave it to me ages ago, so apologies to her for the lateness of this post. And thanks, Nes. You rock.

Blogger is being its usual annoying self and not letting me post the award pics here, so you'll have to trust me on the fact that Nes did actually award it to me and I'm not making this all up. Or you can read the post yourself.

Now seeing I can't post the awards, I guess I can ignore all the rest of the rules too, hey? Hah - it's not like I usually take any notice of them anyway.

The one rule is that I'm supposed to tell you seven random things about myself. I reckon I tell you enough random things about me, so here are seven random websites I dig instead:

• Improv Everywhere. They cause scenes. I could spend all day watching their Youtube clips. My favourite prank is the mute button.
  
• Rotten Tomatoes. I've mentioned this one before. But really, I check out 95% movies on this site before deciding whether or not to see them.
• My Potholes. This concept could be expanded on infinitely in SA with our steady supply of potholes.
• The Neo Cube. I bought one of these for TSC as a graduation present. It's addictive!
  
• The BBC Formula One gossip column. All the latest rumours from my favourite sport.
• Blue Sky Resumes Blog. Great work advice (and really helped me writing CVs for clients).
• Twitter. Awesome for F1 updates too.

The other rule is to pass the award on. But there are too many of you who deserve it to get started on that - I follow a ridiculous number of blogs and all of them deserve awards.

Instead I'll say thank you to everyone who reads this blog. And an extra special thank you to those who left comments on my last post. I really appreciate it.

Have a good Hump Day, folks.

2 for the price of 1

Not really, hey. If anyone had to pay for content here, I'd be out of business. I have no illusions of tackling Google. See, I'm not Rupert Murdoch.

But that is neither here nor there. What is here, are two topics in one blog post.

World AIDS Day. It is today, people. And in the spirit of occasionally providing worthwhile and useful content, I have found six little known facts about HIV/AIDS for you. why six? Because a) it's an even number and b) the lovely Momcat gave me an awesome award which demands I tell you six random things about me, but I reckon this is more beneficial. So here goes:

• Two HIV positive people in a sexual relationship should still use condoms as re-infection is a possibility.


• It can take years for people with HIV to develop AIDS. "In some people, the T-cell decline and opportunistic infections that signal AIDS develop soon after initial infection with HIV. Most people remain asymptomatic for 10 to 12 years, and a few for much longer. As with most diseases, early medical care can help prolong a person's life." Quote from here.


• According to this site, studies indicate that condoms slip off the penis in about 1 to 5 percent of acts of vaginal intercourse and slip down (but not off) about 3 to 13 percent of the time. So using condoms means safer sex, but not 100% safe sex.


• Use only water-based lubricants with latex condoms as oil- or petroleum-based lubricants (like Vaseline) will cause the latex to break. (People with latex allergies can use polyethylene condoms with oil-based lubricants.)


• There can be a link between HIV and other STDs. According to these folks, having a sexually transmitted disease can increase your risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV. "This is true whether you have open sores or breaks in the skin (as with syphilis, herpes, chancroid) or not (as with chlamydia and gonorrhea). Where there are breaks in the skin, HIV can enter and exit the body more easily. Even when there are no breaks in the skin, STDs can cause biological changes that may make HIV transmission more likely. Studies show that HIV-infected individuals who are infected with another STD are three to five times more likely to contract or transmit the virus through sexual contact."


• It is possible to get HIV through unprotected oral sex. See here and here for info.

I hope you learnt something.

Now, the second topic. Well, it's not really actually a different topic. See that award from Momcat needs to be passed on to six Gorgeous Bloggers. But I don't want them to feel like that has anything to do with my HIV/AIDS post. So, ladies, feel free to stick to the original meme and post six random things about yourselves before you pass this on. Or feel free to ignore if you're not the blog awards type. K? Right, the list...

• Kimmi. Coz she's awesome both IRL and on her newly founded blog.


• Paula. Coz she's back in blogland!


• Helen. Coz she makes me laugh and then she makes me think.


• Meriel. Coz she is sweet, thoughtful and funny and let me see her wedding invitation copy before posting it. LOL.


• Shayne. Because I love her posts and she understands my garden-watching habits.


• Po. Because I have never met a more entertaining or incredible seamonkey. Or someone who will debate books with me for days in a comments section.

So, you lot, this is for you:

Happees

• It's Friday!



• I have the Jason Mraz album playing instead of Roo's usual blaring pop radio station.



• Went to a great new restaurant last night, Arzoo, serving "Incredible Punjabi Cuisine". They unfortunately don't have a website, but if you're keen to try their AMAZING chicken tikka marsala or lamb gosht badami, they're in the Bryan Park Shopping Centre and their telephone number is (011) 706 9345/6. The food is great, the lighting is... unusually and amusingly kitsch and the service is by far the best I've had in years. New favourite!



• I have finally decided what I'm going to buy with my Kalahari voucher from Angel and Glug. Thanks again, guys!



• I won tickets to Taste of Joburg from the competition on Glad to Be a Girl. How awesome?! I am so excited that I could jump up and down at my desk. Instead I'll just bounce on the exercise ball I sit on at my desk like a five-year old on a sugar high. Wheeeeeeee!



• Some of my favourite bloggers have been saying nice things about me and giving me awesome awards. Yay!

I got this pretty one from Angel and Louisa...

This one from Helen, for all the *ahem* honest scrap on this here blog thing...

And this specially-made one from Paula...

Thanks, guys! You really boosted my spirits!

I know I'm supposed to pass these all on, but I can't keep track of who's got them already, so I'm just going to dish out Paula's awesome "blog I read with my morning coffee" award to: Phillygirl (I know you don't do awards, but yours is one of the blogs I read first every morning), Slyde (I have a feeling you're also not an awards-fan, but tough) and Louisa (I smile every time I see your blog in bold in my reader).

I'm also supposed to write 10 random things about me, but I write random things every day (almost) here, so I'm going to skip that bit and just say...

Have a rad, fab, mad *insert other three-letter adjectives here* weekend, everyone!