Creativity Listen/Watch/Read Pip-Life

Slowpokes, Beepers and Life Right Now

May 27, 2015

Today, as I walked out of the post office, turning a hard left as I peeled the stamps from their backing and smoothed them onto their envelopes, I narrowly avoided bumping into a man. It turned out okay because the man looked at the green envelopes, dotted with stickers from Daiso and smiled – diverting from my path just before we collided. How nice. Nice to not bump into him and nice to win a smile, too. (Also nice that mailing a letter seems to make everyone feel pretty ace.)

As I pushed the letters into the mailbox slot, a zooming car beeped and leered at another car that was driving a little more slowly as they approached the lights. That is not nice. It’s not ace either.  Maybe that person was unsure or unsteady or just a rambling kind of driver. Whichever it was, the traffic was heavy and it’s not really worth a beep. Nope.

I watched the beeper as he drove on. He craned his neck, angling his chin to try to make contact with the slow poke.  Apparently that would be the icing on the cake for a beeper? Luckily the slow poke didn’t seem to see this. He drove on, oblivious. The beeper caught my eye as he passed, narrowing his gaze even more angrily.

Wouldn’t you rather be a smiler than a beeper? I really would.

Also, what’s the whole road rage thing about making sure the person SEES that you are angry with them? Are these people disempowered in their real life? Or is it a kind of sport? Why does the person being beeped need to get started down with angry laser eyes? I’m really not into that kind of behaviour at all.

 

stefano de pieri minestrone

 

 

Anyway. I didn’t really sign in to tell you just that. It was more to tell you that I’ve been working on a few projects involving WAY too many spreadsheets, making this soup, laughing at our new turtle (he’s the fasted, splashiest swimmer ever), feeling excited about handing over the blanket I made for Defah, making an owl tea cosy, hoping for chances to go to the op shop soon, wondering how the heck Ari manages to get that tricky Year 9 maths done, pondering the fact that Max might be MOVING OUT OF HOME (gloss over that, I’m not ready!) and spending way too much time on Facebook.

 

eggs and soldiers

 

Also to tell you that I’ve been eating eggs and soldiers, doing heaps of interviews about my new book, making pancakes for Ari, weirding out on French Toast with Sriracha (yum!)

Plus, that I’ve been putting eucalyptus oil in my bath to help the almost-Wintry lungs breath easy, watching our budgie who eats pretty much all day and chatting to the constant stream of kids who trail in and out of my house.

In reading news, I’ve loved this deliciously long piece (grab a cup of tea!) about passwords and this piece about daughters and body image and this piece about women and online life that Kate sent me this week.

In the evening, I am drinking a cup of tea before bed (do you do that?) and then cosy-ing down to watch Lost from under the doona. And the blanket. And the other blanket. It’s getting cold, right? It really is.

What have you been doing? Have you got any news for me?

x Pip

PS: I know that I didn’t do #52hellos yet – but I am going to DOUBLE UP on the weekend, because I am a (tired) RULE BREAKER!

PPS: Blog With Pip starts in mid June – why don’t you sign up and I can help YOU start a blog and make some new friends? I’d love to do that! (Or even help you improve your slightly dusty, cobwebby blog!)

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more reading pink

And You Don’t Have To Win Everyone Over
Twelve Things You Might Like To Watch (Or Rewatch) On TV
Why Slowing Down Is The New Speeding Up
Have Your Pie And Eat It Too!

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10 Comments

  • Reply Helena June 3, 2015 at 2:32 PM

    Argh! I was with a friend recently who didn’t beep but craned strenuously to shoot deadly eyeballs at some people he considered had parked in the wrong place. I think these types think they are the eyeball police, and that a stern glance will set the wrong doers right. But the wrong doers didn’t notice. The eyeballing patrol went on for quite a while and I was so embarrassed I just wanted to curl up and hide.

  • Reply Joelle May 29, 2015 at 10:17 AM

    Hi Pip! I love that I can jump on to your blog and suddenly have my dinner sorted, just like that! Today is a ‘mental health day’ for me. It will involve many cups of yummy tea, lots of reading and now some delicious soup. I am taking advice from your new book and working on ways to have ‘nice times’. I hope you are having nice times today too!

  • Reply Reannon @shewhorambles May 28, 2015 at 3:27 PM

    When I was reading your recipe I thought it said “salute the onion” & then I laughed because I pictured myself saluting the onion before I chopped it up. I probably will do that next time just to make myself laugh. I’m a dork!

    And today is the first really cold in Perth so far. I really wish we had a wood fire because I’d love to have is crackling away, keeping us warm all day long. Instead I layer up & stand on the the little pockets of sunshine whenever they appear. I hope you stay warm Pip x

  • Reply BelindaH May 28, 2015 at 11:13 AM

    Ooh, I think I have all the minestrone ingredients – this might be dinner tomorrow. And then I can curl up on the sofa in front of the fire with my cat and do some research for my holiday in Melbourne – that will be a perfect way to end the week. Thank you for the recipe, and for the lovely reads. I’m so enjoying your blog.

  • Reply Jo May 27, 2015 at 7:47 PM

    I remember when I first started driving in Italy, I would get so stressed out by all the honking! And then I started joining in… and when I moved back to England I realised that I looked like a total crazy lady because I had by that time also adopted the accompanying hand gestures… By English standards, not cool. But, you know what? That venting is so freeing sometimes (and I never honked slow drivers – that’s just plain rude!). So I adopted my brother-in-law’s approach – he never touches his horn, he just loudly says HONK!!! instead! It’s great, especially if you’re in a traffic jam and just need to let your frustration go, on trips like Patrick mentioned. And the best bit – it always makes me laugh.

  • Reply Rochelle May 27, 2015 at 7:11 PM

    Hey Pip,
    I have made your soup many times and it is a favourite in our house.
    Yesterday I un-privated my blog,available to the public again and will be posting again soon.
    We had shredded chicken burritos for dinner. I am learning how to cook without ‘adding’ flavour. Recently I took over the care of my Mum and she has a very strict diet which excludes salt, processed food, potassium and has to be high in (good) fat and protein.
    Thanks Pip for your smilie place on the www.
    Cheers
    Rochelle

  • Reply Brooke McAlary May 27, 2015 at 6:19 PM

    im usually the slowpoke who smiles at the beeper, hoping to brighten their day. I’m also a little optimistic. But as Patrick said, maybe the beeper has other stuff happening and when we try to fit too much in, be in too many places, rush to too many appointments, we can all become beepers. I do think some people are fond of outrage though.

  • Reply Gemma May 27, 2015 at 6:15 PM

    I’m a new driver, and I get terribly stressed out by beepy people. I’m a nervous, pottery type of driver, I have a little car (called Mavis – she’s a Micra) and I tootle along playing my cassettes from ’90’s indie bands (Ash and Placebo are favourites at the moment) and trying my best not to freak out and I still think that’s preferable to being a stressy driver.
    I hope you have a lovely day xx

  • Reply Emily May 27, 2015 at 6:13 PM

    I have never bipped my horn (except in a ‘cheerio’ type way when I’ve been saying hi or bye to friends). I just don’t get people who do.

  • Reply PatrickC May 27, 2015 at 6:04 PM

    Great post Pip,

    Sometimes I think people lose the plot when driving because they have had so many other things go wrong in their day that someone else’s mistake is taken as a personal affront. I can understand what to an “outsider” might look like an over reaction just be a dam of over wrought emotion breaking through. I’ve been guilty of it especially when I used to have to make the 100km trek to my office and another 100km’s home. Depending on traffic and the time I left it could take 2.5 hours for one of those journeys. If something happened on the West gate Bridge or in one of the tunnels well it was chaos.

    On to brighter things. I think you might have a market for the owl tea cosies. I think you should consider selling them.

    Your minestrone will go on my list to make. I am a winter person. I love this colder time of the year. I feel its easier to warm up than cool down. I love winter fashions for both genders, scarves coats boots jackets thick hand made jumpers. I love the winter pursuits of reading, cooking hearty meals listen to the radio snuggled up under a pile of blankets with the rain of the roof. The hot water bottle at the foot of the bed. In Victoria its just perfect to sometimes retire to bed early with that cup of tea, a book to either read or a magazine like Great Ocean or Country style to peruse whilst listening to Lindy and then Tony on 774 Melbourne.

    I’m cooking an old family recipe of soaked and dried chickpeas made into a broth with bacon bones and small tubelli pasta. Really warming and filling. Then I think I may just enjoy an early night.

    Thanks for sharing and inspiring us all PIP.

    Cheers,

    PatrickC

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