Lev David | Rehumanize yourself.

The floor here squeaks. I'm gonna start walking around in socks.

I over-compensated for the traffic and got to Kagiso an hour early. Heh heh.

Because of the size and scope of their contract with me, they provide me with an office and computer stuff. That's cool.

My office is the smallest and the warmest. It will soon be the funnest.

SABC3's news is bad in more ways than I can count on all my fingers and toes. The journalism, the writing, the production elements (music, graphics, etc.), and certainly the presentation.

JC Engelbrecht, the weather guy, is bloody good, though.

What rocks, though is Cell C's "World Peace" ad. It's sweet and funny and clever and very, very effective. Well done!

I have a big fucking problem with the quake story not leading the news on SABC3. In fact, I haven't seen it lead the news anywhere, although I can't say I've been paying attention as much as I should. Regardless, what did Hurricane Katrina have that this quake doesn't?

Mahendra just rolled his R, American-style, when saying Krugersdorp. What?

I've had the most amazing day. So full. I've eaten well, exercised, explored, met some beautiful new people, and casually, accidentally had a life-changing experience that I so want to tell you about, but don't quite know how. Soon.

And tomorrow I start work with Kagiso Media, which is my largest client right now.

Soon, stories, I promise. You'll laugh. You'll cry.

Mahendra Raganath, the SABC3 news anchor, just opened his bulletin with the line:

"Is mob justice becoming a law unto itself."

Huh?! Who's writing this crap? Mahendra, it isn't you, is it?

It couldn't've made much sense from the last few posts, but this was a grand first night in Joburg. Hung out with a girl called Gabby, a girl called Janik, and a boy called Collin, at a place called Tokyo Star. Impossibly trendy. Fuck't. I had a great night regardless.

Gabby will walk you too far to your car. Collin isn't afraid to like Sting. Janik wants what everybody is afraid to.

Brimming with ideas.

Were gonna be great together.

Goodnight!

...what could only be in movies.

Feeling very full. Past midnight. Tokyo Star. Melville. Johannesburg.

Put on a puppet show!

Within 6 months, I'll have the world's biggest bum. I'll explain it to you tomorrow.

That's the pillowmuffled sound of exhaustion.

I got here around 16h30, and sprang straight into interior decorating mode. Moving furniture, hanging pictures, unpacking, cleaning... everything! Still a long way to go before this is Home. But I can see it happening.

Goodnight, sweetheart. Goodnight.

Hmm.... When did I leave this crisp R50 note in the car ashtray? Cool!

I know that we should all be over this whole technology thing by now but, dammit, I think it's pretty cool that I can write this while sitting in this strange, damp, cold, cowwy (that means "with lots of cows", rather pretty, faraway place. And in a blink, you can read it. Sitting in your own faraway place.

Say hello.

I'm off!

I'm at the Tugela 1 Stop. Filled up my tank. Sitting in the car eating one of the spinach and feta pies my mum packed for me. It's cold here!

I'm making good time. Though wet from the constant drizzle that seems to be over the whole country today, the roads are quite clear. Should be in Jozi by 16h00.

The 1 Stop, like all service stations in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, has East Coast Radio on in the forecourt. In a little while, I'll drive clear out of the broadcast footprint of the station I spent 3 years working at. In the shop, they sell The Star, from Jozi, not The Mercury, from Durban.

Were not in Kansas anymore.

Think I'll have another pie.

I hit the road in an hour, and should reach Parkview, my new home in 5 to 7 hours. I've never driven that far in my life before. Should be... fun!

Gustav the Kitten doesn't get it.

"Why would anyone want to leave Durban? Durban wocks!"

Gustav the Kitten can't pronounce his R's so well.

To bed.

...I really wanna go to Burn....

Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!

I will NOT go to Burn no matter how many SMS's Cara Phelps sends begging me to.

Repeat.

...and I'm feeling the first little ohmybob-I'm-moving tummy-wobble. No big deal. It rocks having a station wagon. There's more space than I need. When I bought it, my friends laughed. Heck, the car dealer laughed! He said that I'm the first person under 35 that he's ever sold a station wagon to. Well, if they could see me now, packin' it in....

Gonna burn some driving music now. Beck... Blonde Redhead... The Beatles... and those great Durban bands (and friends), Cynosure and Deluxe. What else?

Simon Gear, the weatherman, says it'll be 18 degrees Celcius in Joburg tomorrow. Colder when I get there, no doubt. Eish! My sister's given me a goose down duvet. Good sister. Good geese.

It's a fascinating process, packing up a life; deciding what will stay, what must go... and what must be destroyed!

I'm trying to travel light. Easier said than done.

Thanks for the comment, "Frustrated UND Media Student". Don't give up! And be your own inspiration. You've decided to not lead a boring life, and that's a triumph in itself. Now, get going. Scare people with your talent!

Three tips--

* Read Robert Rodriguez's "Rebel Without a Crew"
* Visit www.mediaartist.com. Download the podcasts. Listen.
* Learn always. Work always. Don't wait for your degree to get into the industry. Don't stop learning once you're in it.

You all rock. Stay in touch!

I leave for Jozi tomorrow, 10am.

I'm not a big coffee-drinker (clouds the system, I feel), which may surprise those of you who know that I've been a judge for the Cafe Society competition 3 years running.

Still, if I were a coffee-drinker, I'd drink Joko. Their TV ad is that good.

Many have been asking what, exactly, I'll be doing in Jozi. Well, a few things.

I'll be producing features for radio stations, writing for newspapers and magazines, and doing some work in television. Then there's consulting work, and general troublemaking. More details to come!

Hey! Stay tuned for the launch of www.levdavid.com's affiliate program, and lots of great stuff to listen to. Funny too!

Thank you for your comments! Sadly, I can't answer *all* questions on the blog--some of the answers aren't exactly for public consumption--but please feel free to mail me directly at lev@levdavid.com.

My head's been so comprehensively rewired by years of breakfast radio that I haven't been able to sleep past 05h00, in spite of setting my alarm for 07h00.

Good morning!

And they're missing coz I didn't post them! So much to say, but things are crazy like Madonna right now, packing for the big move, and I handed my old laptop in at work, which means that I have to update this blog from my cellphone, which isn't ideal. Still, there's cool stuff on the way.

My back is sore from carrying stuff. I'm only 25!