Greetings and Merry Christmas Eve to you and yours, virtual friends. Apologies that Everyday Sparks has become more like OnceAWeek Sparks in recent weeks – I’ve been without an internet connection and it’s the festive season and, like my running program, my regular blogging has fallen by the wayside. But I’m back now and, like a pesky old uncle at a Christmas lunch, I plan on hanging around. (And maybe stealing some of your turkey, drinking some sherry and regaling you with stories about the good old days.)
But in the meantime, I need your help. Not in the Ugandan-prince-send-money kinda way, or even the Sponsor-me-to-jump-on-a-pogo-stick-around-Australia kinda way, but in the easy Help-a-virtual-mate-via-Facebook kinda way. You see, Expedia (the travel website folk) are running a comp to find new bloggers from Australia and New Zealand to write for their site. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know that I love to travel and write about the people, places and things that I discover along the way. So, a gig writing for Expedia Australia would be pretty much an ideal job for me!
My photo application
To be in the running, I need to collect as many votes as I can by 31 December – which is where you and your Facebook friends come into the picture, I hope. It only takes a minute to vote for me via Facebook – the link is here (or search ‘Expedia Blogger Search’ on Facebook) and I’m in the ‘Lifestyle’ blog category: you can’t miss my bright green EverydaySparks avatar on the second row. And every vote counts, so please spread the word to your Facebook friends too!
Hope you don’t mind this cry for help on Christmas Eve – I’d really appreciate your support!
I do love a good acronym. Especially when it lumps a whole category of society under one blanket, as if they are identical. Like those young, urban, professional ‘YUPpies’ or those double-income, no kids ‘DINKs’ or, possibly my favourite, those pesky ‘KIPPERS’ – kids in parents’ pockets eroding retirement savings. Anyways, I was delighted to read in the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday that there is a category just for me (and quite a few of my blog readers, that I know of) – I am a PANK. Professional aunt, no kids.
A proud PANK – last Christmas, my nieces and nephew made these giant gingerbread people.
Apparently, we PANKs are “a high-earning and fast-growing group of women who advertisers have identified will be among the most generous gift givers this Christmas”. In fairness, as I’m not working full-time at the moment, I’m probably more of a SPANK these days (semi-professional aunt, no kids). Whatevs, according to a PR lady from a global firm that published a report The Power of the PANK, as quoted in the article, ”PANKs have time, income and a passion for purchasing for the kids in their lives. It’s a perfect marketing trifecta”. Oh, Leslie Gaines-Ross – if that is your real name – I am so much more than a perfect marketing trifecta.
Slurpee PANK
I’m in good company – apparently that report stated that “one in five women in America are PANKs, with an average age of 36.” And we even have our own website: SavvyAuntie.com was developed by Melanie Notkin in 2008 for ”cool aunts” and ”any woman who loves a child-not-her-own”. Uh huh. I had a look at the website, in the name of research, and must confess that I couldn’t get past the homepage. To me, being an aunt is my favourite thing in the world and somehow, it is the thing that I am probably best at – without study or guidance or even good role models from childhood aunts. I don’t feel that I need a list of suggested “stuff to do” or things to “learn and share” or a place to connect with “people just like [me]”.
Cupcakes by PANK (the sheep and the chickens)
Different strokes for different folks, but as an aunt, I keep it pretty simple. I just show up, prepared to act like an idiot, and I tell stories, get down on the floor, give piggy back rides, spell words, play Wii games (badly), sing, dance, chase, colour in and generally pal around with the little people who are amongst my best friends in the whole wide world. They don’t care that I can’t sing or dance or juggle. They like that I’m silly and funny and able to help with their homework and rhyme words like Dr Seuss. I watch soccer and tennis and dancing, listen to singing and re-enactments of events at school, jump on the trampoline and play totem tennis. I share the excitement of a new toy, app, book, certificate or previously undiscovered ability. I am (mostly) still greeted like a rock star when I appear at the door or in the school playground (at pick up time, not to hang out at lunchtime), which doesn’t happen when I show up at the office or the dentist or the supermarket.
PANK breakfast – chocolate pancakes with melted marshmallow
So, to the marketing gurus no doubt plotting on how to best target us PANKs and relieve us of our professional or semi-professional cash, just remember that there are lots of different types of aunts out there and most of the PANKs that I know are about the fun of spending time with our little friends, not about spending bundles of money on our little friends. That being said, my eldest niece becomes a teenager at the end of this month, and from then on, I suspect the rules of the game may change quite a bit…
For now though, let us PANKs, SPANKs, PLANKs and PRANKs of the world unite and say a big woohoo for Aunts. Woohoo!
(Oh, and the Sydney Morning Herald article about PANKs is here if you’d like to read it.)
I guess I’ve been trying to simplify my life. Jumping off the corporate treadmill (or, at least, jumping on the side of the treadmill pretty regularly, so I don’t get sucked down the back of the machine, catching my shoe and falling flat on my face); trying to ditch the stuff I don’t need in my home (granted, living in an apartment adds a little pressure there); trying to eat all of the food that I buy (and not let it turn into a science experiment at the bottom of the fridge); trying to steer clear of so many things that I don’t really need when I’m shopping (yep, I’m looking at you, shiny kitchen appliances and cook books). Stuff like that.
Keep it simple – a great goal, but easier said than done. That’s why I like this list of prompts, which I saw on Facebook without any credit to the person who put it together, so unfortunately I’m unable to thank them. I think it’s a really good reminder – especially if there’s a busy weekend ahead, or you’re putting off something that you need to sort out, or you forget that other people don’t have a telepathic line to your mind. Maybe it really can be this simple? I reckon it’s worth a shot!
I’m always amazed by how quickly the market can respond to trends. Not the stock market, but the market for clothing and accessories that are quickly produced and often sold cheaply to take advantage of something that’s very now. And since now can be so fleeting – yesterday’s “Team Aniston” t-shirt is tomorrow’s rag for dusting – I am in awe of people and companies who can produce trend-based products, getting in and out of the market before people move onto the next big thing.
And the current ‘big thing’ seems to be that South Korean rapper/dancer/jockey PSY and his song Gangnam Style. The song was released in July this year and it seems to be spreading around the world. And, like a fluffy koala that bites you, or a delicious apple with a worm in it, this song seems cute and innocent at first, but progresses quickly to SUPER ANNOYING on the richter scale. Yes, that is a measure on the richter scale.
I knew it had gone too far when I saw Australia’s Today show this morning – they crossed to a school playground full of little kids dancing around to Gangnam Style. On the face of it, I say good on them for dancing – getting away from their ipods and high sugar cereals and torturing passengers on public buses. But there’s something kinda creepy about 6 year olds shouting along to the song, “HEEEEY, SEX-Y LAY-DEEEEE” and making strange moves that must be mimicking the video clip. Still, I think most of the other words are in Korean, so I guess they can’t be blamed for going with what they know. Although I do like that one of the kids at my niece’s school has changed those words to, “Heeeey, steak and gra-vy”. Much more age appropriate, sonny.
Anyways, if you want to impress your friends and family with your very own Gangnam style, check out these finds from etsy – I couldn’t believe the range of options. But you’d better get in quick, as there’s probably an obscure rapper/dancer/jockey from a tiny village in Botswana putting the finishing touches on his latest dance hit and getting ready to launch it to the world…
Only $9.99 for this Gangnam Style bow tie from TessaROXX.I feel like there is a giant “Keep Calm” factory out there somewhere, cranking the handle day & night to produce more “Keep Calm And…” products. This one is from appleholic.For a trendy baby. Not sure what the deal is with the pearls though, but whatevs. This is from Sassy Kat Boutique.
And I just found this shop – Impressive Steps. You can customise flip flops with your own message, so that you can leave a trail of advertising, or messages of love, or just plain nonsense across the beach.
Taking it to the beach. Gangnam Style. From iStep.
And if you have no idea what this Gangnam Style is all about, here’s the You Tube clip that started all the madness. And fuelled an industry producing heaps of stuff with a very short shelf life. Which is surely another topic for another day…
Like most blogs, EverydaySparks attracts quite a bit of spam. The garbled messages are generally caught by the very clever spam filter and put aside for me to check. And yes, I realise that I just made it sound as though I think there’s a person who acts as the filter, looking through the incoming messages to check what’s good and what’s not. (And I appreciate it, SpamMan, I really do.) Anyways, mostly the messages are just weird, complimenting me on my posts (yes, that’s the first spam tip off!) and recommending a link to a strange product or website. Or computer virus.
But today, there was a message that sounded way too poetic to trash straight away, so I thought I’d share it with you here (minus the virus spreading link). Brought a tear to my eye, it did…
Unquestionably consider that which you stated.
Your favorite reason appeared to be at the net the simplest factor to remember of. I say to you, I certainly get irked while other folks think about issues thatthey just do not understand about.
You managed to hit the nail upon the top and outlined out the entire thing without having side effect , other folks could take a signal.
everydaysparks 