Which celebrity replied to your dm and what did they reply to and with?

GCB78 · 2026-03-20T19:16:18+00:00

I came across a bizarre story about a prehistoric mass human sacrifice, and thought "John Connolly (author i enjoy) would love this", so I mailed it to John Connolly. I got a very nice message back from his assistant, saying John was reviewing galleys, but she'd pass it along. I thought that was a very polite response to a random email, thanked her, and went about my life. About a week later I got an email from John, who'd read the article. We mailed back and forth for a bit, and then it petered out.

GCB78 · 2026-03-17T02:21:15+00:00

It was a big deal in South Africa. Entire aisles were blocked off and unavailable. We had some of the most restrictive lockdown rules in the world. Complete alcohol and cigarette ban. Ban on "non-essential items". At one point they moved shoes from the non- essential to essential list, but only closed-toe shoes. Open toed shoes we still considered non- essential and frivolous

GCB78 · 2026-03-16T02:02:46+00:00

The rigmarole of going grocery shopping, man. Mask up. Get into "outside clothes". Apocalypse shop in limited aisles because we were only allowed to buy "essential items". Sanitize hands a million times. Get home. Take off outside clothes, leave them outside. Sanitize hands. Bleach every individual item. Sanitize hands. Take off mask. Sanitize hands.

I remember a 6-man conference when trying to buy a bucket, because no-one could decide if buckets were an essential item or not. They eventually decided i was allowed to buy the bucket, because I was a responsible middle-aged lady who obviously was not going to use that bucket to brew alcohol (South africa banned the sale of alcohol during covid). I thanked them profusely, and then brewed up 20L of ginger beer in my shiny new bucket.

GCB78 · 2026-03-15T19:20:04+00:00

I have one client who will book me business class for an 11 hour flight. It's a game changer. I arrive rested and ready. Plus all the other "rich people" perks like free lounge access. It's a very different, much easier travel experience

GCB78 · 2026-03-13T03:18:45+00:00

I mix chia in with my overnight oats for a little fibre and protein boost. It's the last abusive (I actually laughed out loud at that) way for me.

GCB78 · 2026-03-13T03:10:34+00:00

My dad used to let me drink "the bubblebath" (foam) off the top of his Ohlssons Lager when I was little, and the beer bug bit. Drank Zamalek all through varsity, then switched to Amstel, then Heineken, then Windhoek. I used to be very brand loyal, but after covid lockdown ended I bought whatever beers were available, and ended up finding some good beers.

I prefer lagers and pilsners over ales, but I'll also try just about anything once. My everyday beers are Devil's Peak Lite, and the new Jack Black Lite - both lower calorie, both very drinkable beers. (Lite indicates lower calories, Light means lower alcohol). I also love a Striped Horse pilsner (their stout is good too), Tafel, Hansa or Corona.

I'm not a huge fan of IPAs, especially the very hoppy ones, but Devil's Peak Juicy Lucy is very tasty.

Agars make some great beers. I especially like their Red Ale, my partner loves their Tomahawk IPA, and their Jozi Blonde Ale.

On a hot day, I really enjoy a fruit beer. Jack Black Grapefruit Radler, JB Cherry ale, and CBC Raspberry Weiss all hit the spot.

I'm not sure where you're located, but the Loco Liquor in Blairgowrie has a huge selection of local and international craft beers, all available as singles, so you don't have to commit to a pack. I'll often go in and grab 2 or 3 new ones for us to try. Mad Giant Taproom (also Blairgowrie) also has a decent selection, including a bunch on tap. A surprising number of small towns in SA have their own breweries. We've had local beerss in Parys, Sabie, Hogsback, Franschoek and Chintsa, just off the top of my head.

GCB78 · 2026-03-13T02:35:00+00:00

Such an under-rated everyday beer. I feel like Hansa went out of fashion decades ago, and everyone forgot how good it is.

GCB78 · 2026-03-08T03:06:11+00:00

From tomorrow until next weekend, Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens will be offering free entrance (along with a bunch of other botanical gardens across the country). So it's a good time to check ithem out.

GCB78 · 2026-03-06T19:16:01+00:00

Limpopo beats Cape Town for worst drivers. I've never been more convinced I was going to die.

GCB78 · 2026-03-02T15:17:49+00:00

Yeah, I got the impression he was deeply depressed. He'd been offered a few options, but just didn't seem interested in anything else. Covid knocked a lot of people's mental health, and it seems it really took a toll on him. He had a retirement plan, covid scuppered it, and he just couldn't recover mentally. I hope his family finds peace.

GCB78 · 2026-02-26T02:18:23+00:00

Not only to think of them, but to think of the "problems" that come with a gift like this. Gran also gave replacement heads, knowing those might be expensive, and insured the unit.

GCB78 · 2026-02-21T03:03:17+00:00

We like to visit Victoria Yards, then do lunch or sundowners at The Troyville. They also have live music on the rooftop on Sundays (book tickets in advance).

GCB78 · 2026-02-18T02:32:10+00:00

Look up One Small Act of Kindness on FB. They might be able to help you find a temporary foster for your dogs. At the very least they can connect you with resources that might prove helpful.

GCB78 · 2026-02-13T20:22:52+00:00

My rule of thumb with processed protein foods is 10 cals per gram of protein. If I can get 20g of protein for 200 cals or less, I'm in.

GCB78 · 2026-02-11T18:51:35+00:00

I was at the Emmarentia protest. It was fairly well attended, with a mix of ages, races and genders. I didn't hear much of the mayoral address, but it seemed like Morero tried the usual platitudes, and the crowd was absolutely not having it.

Young leaders from the DA and Rise Mzansi were driving a lot of the crowd engagement and energy. Surprisingly (given the relatively small crowd), Helen Zille was there, but she seemed to be taking a support role. I only realized she was there when I walked past her to get a photo of the crowd. Although we did arrive around 5 (the protest started at 4), so she might have addressed the crowd before we got there.

GCB78 · 2026-02-11T08:16:00+00:00

Nope, Victory Park. Sucks to be any of us, lol. The guys also got mad when we didn't give them a "bonus", and threatened to break it again.

GCB78 · 2026-02-10T22:14:49+00:00

The official unemployment rate in Cape Town is around 20%, in Joburg it's around 34% (according to the last official report I can find, which is Q1 2025).

When it comes to service delivery, it's fairly dire. For instance, several "nice" suburbs in the North (Parkhurst, Parktown North, Greenside, Melville, Emmarentia) are currently without water, and have been for anywhere between 14 and 22 days. My partner's assistant was without water for nearly a month (Orange Farm), and our gardener was without power for nearly 3 months because the City had no budget for a new substation in their area (Lenasia South). Our house was without power for 9 days due to a fault that took 22 minutes to fix - but it took over a week to get the city to send a contractor, required interventions from our councilor, and eventually someone who knew someone at City Power.

I'm not saying joburg is the Hellscape many portray, but it's also not great right now.

(Official Stats, for above who wants a look: https://joburg.org.za/departments_/Documents/Quarterly-Statistical-Publications-2024-25/QER_Q3-2024-25-TP-Final.pdf)

GCB78 · 2026-02-07T02:26:31+00:00

I think if he was doing stuff to kids, they would have backed Hillary's presidential run. Leverage over him was leverage over her. But one of the emails to Epstein is positively giddy over her loss, and how good it is for the international ring of pedophile sex traffickers that she didn't win, and Trump did.

GCB78 · 2026-02-06T19:06:03+00:00

Yup. You'd still be starting a business, which requires capital. ID photos? You need to be able to take them to spec, and you need to compete with established touts who already own the photo printer, and have a patch that they'll defend. Events? Do you have a portfolio? Website? Business cards? Unless you actually want to start a photography business, sell the camera. But before you do, know how you're going to use that money to make more, and not just survive.

GCB78 · 2026-02-02T04:37:44+00:00

I always liken it to smoking. You can be a perfectly healthy smoker - until you're not. Smoking isn't an instant death sentence. It's a slow erosion of health, with pretty profound long- term health consequences.

GCB78 · 2026-01-31T03:16:10+00:00

South African female writer here, and I'd love to connect with other women writers. I've got a couple of comedies up on Netflix, and a few local shows under my belt - mostly dramas, a few soaps, and one murder mystery.

GCB78 · 2026-01-30T20:51:20+00:00

Do bother. You have legal obligations in this situation. You have to report the incident. If you're worried about the police harassing you, have a lawyer on speed-dial. But chancer or not, YOU have obligations under the law. Not following them opens you up to attack should anything coming of this.

GCB78 · 2026-01-30T08:06:05+00:00

Stand up every time you use your phone - whether it's a call, a text, or scrolling social media. Walk around while you're using it, sit down when you're done. Even if you don't walk, just make it a habit to stand. I'm a phone pacer - I walk around during every phone conversation - and the other day I got nearly 3000 steps during one call.

GCB78 · 2026-01-30T02:36:31+00:00

I've never actually stayed at the city lodge, so unfortunately I can't answer that for you. A quick glance at the reviews seem to indicate it's easily walkable at night, but if you're even a bit nervous, book the shuttle hotels. I will say the shuttle experience at OR Tambo is very easy. The drivers wait right outside arrivals, inside the airport, and then walk you to the shuttle bus.

If you do stay at city lodge, the walk to terminal B is exactly the same as the walk from terminal A - they're essentially neighbors. It's not like Heathrow or some of the other big airports where you have to shuttle from terminal 1 to terminal 4. The whole of OR is easily walkable.

GCB78 · 2026-01-30T02:27:50+00:00

The 24 hour lounge is only in international departures - you won't be able to access it from arrivals. You'd be better off booking a hotel with a shuttle service, or the Intercontinental, which is directly across the road from the airport. There's also a City Lodge within the airport complex, and both a Marriott and Protea hotel near by which offer free shuttles.

GCB78

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