Quinn - not a crook at all it seems! SO PROUD OF HIM!

You know how I post about Quinn and his entrepreneurial and money making skills? Part of me has been a tad worried that he may be crooking and cheating people at times... well today he came home with a personal letter from the principal.

Dear Quinn,

Thank you for handing in the wallet with over R300 which you found in the school grounds. There is no doubt that most people would have just put the money in their pockets and walked off.

I am particularly proud of you. You bring credit not only to yourself and family but to your school too. Rondebosch is fortunate to have boys of your calibre in it and I hope you continue to behave in this way for the rest of your life - it really separates the men (gentlemen) from the boys.

Sincerely
....

Aw my boy I could not be prouder!!!

Honest estate agents - GRATITUDE!!!

2 agents came to value my house for me on Tues, with the intention to sell it, as I put in an offer on a smaller cheaper house on Mon - same agency as the one I was to buy through, so they'd all score big time from me as buyer and seller.

The main agent who came is a very well known top performing old duck too. Been in the business for 30+ years etc.

Anyway they looked, they listened, and we talked and they have said MY house is a way better investment and since this is my nest egg they'd advise me to keep this and not give it up as it hasn't realised its potential yet and they don't want me to lose my main asset and be in difficulty later. In their words 'rather keep it and struggle', they also gave some cool ideas for changes and ideas for possibly making a cottage with rental income potential etc if I really need it.

I seriously never expected them to be looking out for ME at all. Honestly (and I used to work for the company they represent for years and am very loyal to it and I still think agents are money hungry sharks) I just thought they'd try to screw me over and make a quick buck off me. I am super impressed.

They will even help me to get out of the other offer IF it is accepted (and for me not be in breach because of it) if it is not gong to make 100% financial sense for me to go forward.

I am overwhelmed by how nice and caring and helpful people are being to me atm. It almost makes me tearful. I am SO used to being screwed over and cheated and lied to that I am so surprised when people don't do that. It is such an awesome feeling.

Quinn - smells like stinky feet, cos...

Last night Q came and sat near me on the couch and I smelt a distinctive and ominous pong on him. I immediately thought the worst and called him over so I could sniff his ears. (Cholesteatoma often results in a disgusting bacterial discharge which stinks). Surprisingly but thankfully his ears smelled fine...

That was when Quinn said, 'No mom...I just took my tackies off!'. I have never been so grateful for the simple explanation of plain old stinky feet! LOL. *dance of joy*

So nice that now he only smells like stinky feet when he actually HAS stinky feet! ;)

Quinn - crook or super entrepreneur!?

So this child of mine... I can not decide whether he is a crook or super entrepreneur!?

A week or 2 ago he found a 1 US Dollar bill at home and asked if he could have it. So I gave it to him. I asked the other day where it was and he told me he'd swapped it at school for: a toasted cheese & ham sandwich, high-5 juice & packet of chips, so stuff to the value of about R20. The dollar is worth less than R7!

Then he came home from our neighbour last Sunday with R27, for doing chores. Weeding & picking up all the dog-poop. Because the neighbour's son T, didn't want to help or do anything at home. And Quinn piped up and said he'd do it and then did, so he got rewarded by the dad for all the work. (T was a bit PO'ed and accused Q of trying to take his parents away from him. Oops. Shame I remember that age... I think it's all blown over now though.)

Finally this week he said he found a R5 coin in the playground. But not just ANY R5 coin, he said it was a 'Nelson Mandela head' R5 which according to him are 'worth much more than the normal ones', and he sold it to someone for R20!  :shock:  I asked him who he'd sold it to thinking he'd conned a grade 1 or something, but it was someone in his class. Which I guess is fair game.

Should I be proud or worried about this child and his ability to wheedle a deal anytime anyhow?

Cheese & Whine

So 2 weeks ago, the morning after the night before (where I broke my ankle) I was invited to Lee'Ann's quarter century birthday celebrations. I'd thought I was going to have to cancel, but darling Lee-Ann immediately offered to collect me when she heard I was incapacitated. Which she duly did. So off I went and had a wonderful day of fun in the sun with her and her freinds. It was marvelous and just what the doctor (would have) ordered (had I actually gone to one!). :)

We first went to Fairview where we met up with Jess, Lia, Candice and a bunch of others whose names I don't recall where we tasted a bunch of yummy cheese and wine and laughed lots.

Jess & Lee-Ann

Midget Porn Lovers (apparently)...

The wine tasting gang.

All of us after a few glasses...

Our Wine 'ou'

 tasty!

Afterwards we moved on to another wine farm for more wine and a delicious slow and relaxed lunch. And then Lia, Lee-Ann and I finished off with sundowers at Buena Vista Social Club.

Cruising homewards...

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

Resting after a long afternoon of eating and drinking. :)

Speed trap cam!

It was really fun, and darn site better than sulking at home in pain. Thanks gals for a great day out!

My Fridge Saga

I had a week from hell last week, which started with a burglary on the Sunday afternoon, where we lost R's laptop with all his work and his debit order application code, the watch I bought him for Christmas, and a pair of earrings. So on top of a hectic work load and R away in JHB and arranging his conference, I was organising insurance claims, quote for an alarm system for our house, quote for the insurance claim, my house bond and transfer requirements and deposit payment and all sorts of other problems. To top it off I got home from work on Thursday night to find that my fridge was broken.

Not only was it not cold it was actually HEATING the contents! My fridge and freezer were full of food for the kids and nanny for the week-end while I was to be away and I was close to panic stricken. The fridge repair people I
phoned were less than helpful and finally reluctantly agreed to come around 'some time after 8' that night but of course at a higher than normal rate. But I didn't really want to spend more money on a fridge I have had problems
with before - last time it broke the day before Christmas a year ago, also while fully stocked. Plus I tried to get ice from Spar and they also wouldn't help me in a hurry...

So at about 6:30pm, after rushing to collect the kids, I phoned P'nP Hypermarket in Ottery, and got through to Jainal who was extremely efficient, helpful and calming on the phone. He described all the fridges they have to me. When I asked about deliveries, he told me that deliveries could be arranged, but only a Tues & Thursday during the day - I told him quite firmly that didn't help me and I made an audacious and demanding request that I'd buy a fridge *right* then if he could get it to me immediately. Thinking there's no way this can happen, but desperate times call for desperate measures...

Instead for the usual no-can-do attitude we have all become used to as consumers, Jainal took the challenge and said he'd see what he could do and promised to call me back. Not 5 mins later he called to say he'd arranged for it to be done as one of his colleagues has a bakkie and he'd be able to assist to deliver a fridge to my house!

I agreed to drive to Hypermarket to select and pay for my fridge. When I arrived (with half-dressed and hungry Quinn & Griffin in tow!) Jainal met me and showed me all the fridges and helped me chose a suitable one, giving
qualified advice and opinions on each. He arranged a speedy payment through the music department (where there were no queues) got the delivery arranged with his colleague Clarence (at only the usual delivery fee of R70) who
assured me I could go home and settle and feed the kids and that my new fridge would arrive shortly.

Sure enough once home Clarence and another colleague arrived and efficiently and politely unloaded my fridge, set it up and got it running, all this before the repair man would have even arrived! I have never had such good, helpful, efficient, can-do service ever. I am hugely impressed with Pick 'n Pay Hypermarket Ottery in general, and especially with Jainal, and Clarence, who both went well beyond their call of duty and their obligations.

And if that's not impressive enough, once home I looked through all my news papers and marketing flyers and found that I had got the fridge at cheaper than the other retailers are advertising it for! :)

*UPDATE* I was so impressed by the service that I received that I took this further. I made sure to let Jainal's manage know about it. I emailed the store, region and CEO, to let them know what good customer service looks like and what an impact difference it makes! I heard that as a result Jainal had won an regional customer services award and had been entered into a bigger event to win a trip to Disneyland. I do hope he got to go!

Griffin turns 9!

My little baby Griffin turned 9 last Friday! Not so little anymore.

Unfortunately thanks to my injured ankle, and then finding out on his birthday that it was not just sprained but totally broken!. The plans I had for his birthday were somewhat thwarted and my options were limited, but we tried to make the best of it anyway.

Griffin's 9th Birthday Cupcakes. (I couldn't make a cake for himself thanks to the broken ankle issue)

His main present was a bicycle 24" Cosmic Avalanche, but the rest he got on the morning of his birthday... again broken ankle limited my ability to get his gifts wrapped properly, but he didn't seem to mind. :)

Griffin got a certificate for FABULOUS reading. ;)

Family portrait on Griffin's birthday.

That evening we went to the cubs & scouts camp fire which was quite fun. I even coerced another couple into scoring some contra-band beers and sneaking them in which we drank on the sly! ;)

Cubs Halloween Party

The Halloween Party at Cubs. Pumpkin carving, games, sweets and fun!

Griff and I getting ready for the Cubs Halloween Party. :)

 

We had a lot of fun!

Less of a scary and more of a tarty witch this time. ;) Photo by Quinn.

The scary party was we went grocery shopping at Pick 'n Pay afterwards... I got some odd stares! :)

The mind that is too ready at contempt and reprobation

"The mind that is too ready at contempt and reprobation is, I may say, as a clenched fist that can give blows, but is shut up from receiving and holding ought that is precious." ~ GEORGE ELIOT, Felix Holt

Although I am trying to be gracious and full of gratitude etc at the moment and not dwell on the negative, this annoyed me somewhat on Sunday.

I had come back from the Goldfish outing happy and sun-kissed but somewhat exhausted. Being broken and on crutches is surprisingly tiring! So although I am doing far less than usual physically. I tire much more easily.

I am not a fan of my ex mother in law at the best of times (I don't think anyone is, not even her own children like her).

Anyway she phoned on Sunday evening I assume to speak to Griffin. I was in the bath and asked G to ask her to call back in 20 mins. She never did so I sucked it up and phoned her. She is always uptight and disgruntled and exasperated by something so right off the bat I said sorry I'd been bathing and it's a bit of a mission right now so couldn't talk then. She asked if something is wrong and I told her I had a broken ankle. She says oh, and moves right along. Didn't interest her. Then I told her it was bad timing because it interfered with Griffin's birthday plans.

So she says oh has she missed his birthday?? I was like YES, it was on Friday!

So she says oh no Friday was a 'VERY bad day' for her. Because she has take food to ex Father in Law, and she goes 'EVERY DAY you know'. *BIG SIGH* (Note she does not have to do this, it is her choice to entirely, but LOVES being a martyr) And she feeds him (he has Parkinson's AND Alzheimer's, and frankly I think he hates her, and with due cause). But *BIG SIGH* he sometimes spills food and makes a mess, 'oh, I tell you!' so she takes a cloth to put on his lap. *BIG SIGH* And on Friday it was just so bad he picked up the cloth and put it on his head and smiled and said it was his hat. *DRAMATIC GASP* I laughed cos I thought it was pretty funny. And she was sighing and groaning and acting like it was the end of the bloody world. I mean really!? Is that REALLY so bad?? Especially since it sounds like the poor long suffering guy was just trying to have a bit of fun!

I told her that 'Frankly that could be seen as amusing and animated not terribly BAD.' And she just signed and groaned some more and rang off, clearly pissed off that I was not sympathetic to how awful her life is. But everything to her is a huge drama and issue and inconvenience. She never smiles, never has fun and never lets anyone else have fun. I am so sick of her and really don't want anything to do with her anymore.

She didn't say a word about G's birthday or wish him. And she is all irked now too that we are going away for Christmas to MY family for the first time ever, and now she subsequently arranged to come down here for Christmas (to be with her daughter etc mainly). But *BIG SIGH* now we won't be here.

I am not interested in her and her little negative world anymore.

My world is a fun and happy place where problems are dealt with and then forgotten. I refuse to live in misery and negativity. What a waste and what a chore!

Find the good and praise it.

“Find the good and praise it.” — Alex Haley

The gratitude posts are back - and with a vengeance today!

So today is 8 days after breaking my ankle and for the first time I was overwhelmed by frustration and helplessness. There were a few things I was trying to arrange and do and none of them was working. I'd been stuck at home since Friday and just wanted and needed to get OUT, as did poor old helpful and long suffering Griffin. I eventually ended up having a good old cry. I was just tired of the constant pain, being 'disabled' and just not being able to do ANYTHING normally anymore. It's a huge adjustment. Normally if I am frustrated or stressed I go for a run. Now I don't even know if or when I'll be able to do that again!? :(

But 2 friends really came through in a big big way today.

So today I am hugely thankful to/for:
- Mat - for going above and beyond any call of duty and coming to our rescue when I had already given up trying to get Griff & I to the D7 & Goldfish concert in the park. I had tried every avenue I could think of and then some but had come up with nothing. When Mat called and said he was coming to collect us. Mat who was just in ICU with a life threatening condition and who was just released from hospital on Friday. The man is a legend - although I can officially drink more than he can. :P (But seriously take it easy Mat! Throttle yourself from now please. You showed great restraint today I must say. Impressive.)
- Suzanne (and Wouter & Wouterjie & Karienjie) for being super duper major awesome. The visit from you guys was amazing. You guy rock so much. Each one of you are just so full of life and sparkle and zest and spirit. Love you guys lots. But BEST of all was how all 4 of you willingly traded your beloved 'Lightning McQueen' automatic car for my Lil Old 'Luigi'. Words can not express my gratitude for that. You guys have literally given me back some freedom and independence and that is priceless!

There truely are some incredible people out there and I am blessed to know them! <3 <3

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy!

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” — Marcel Proust

Today I am grateful to/for:
- Whoever is responsible for the amazing gift box delivered to my home which is filled with nuts, dried fruit, Lindor & Toblerone chocolate, Cream Liqueur, Nougat etc. WOW. I just know it was Ilse, even though it ...was sent anonymously. Thank you my darling friend. I am beyond grateful for everything you have done for me. You are like a guardian angel.
- Griffin for saving one of his birthday cup cakes to bring home to me.
- Mike for yet another lift to and from work.
- Tyrone for taking me to the medical centre.
- Mike for fetching me again (even though he pointed and laughed and teased me about being itchy ALL DAY LONG). ;)
- Dr Black who was really very nice and treated me with kindness and care and made me feel nurtured.
- Both our ENT and Radiologist neighbour who phoned as soon as they heard my ankle was actually broken.
- My sweet sister who phoned as soon as she found out, even though she is busy with a brand new baby.
- My dad. Who is one of my best friends, and always makes me feel cared about.
- Tiny for making me a cup of tea when I got home.
- Cindy for the lifts she is going to be giving us to and from the cubs campfire evening.
- Pete for still caring.
- Louis for caring in private, even though he laughs at me in public. :P
- Steven R for always being there, with a kind word of support or encouragement, or humour. Means a lot that you are still there watching from afar and keeping an eye out for us.
Thank-you everyone! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

So my ankle is totally broken!

So sadly it is not 'just a bad sprain' and my ankle is actually BROKEN.

This is how it looked this morning:


Being almost a full 6 days later, I decided it was time to get my ankle seen to because it was just a bit too sore and swollen and bruised still for my liking. I decided I need to know the situation and at least to know if it is ok and will keep healing, or if I was going to need surgery or something and end up back to square one healing wise, in which case I didn't want to wait 3 weeks before finding that out.

So off I went. I had to have a doctor consult, because you can not just get an x-ray without one.

The nice doctor listened, looked and was not too concerned. He didn't think the swelling or bruising was excessive and after palpitating everything and me not reacting much besides letting him know where the pain was worst, he felt it was ok and that what I'd been doing was fine. He didn't suspect a break and actually hesitated to send me for an x-ray. In the end he decided it was a good idea to know for sure. So off I went.

Both doc and radiologist were really surprised to see the end of my fibula (or tibia??? which is the outer leg bone?) is completely snapped off.

I am luckily that it is a clean break and the bone is still in place and well aligned, and I am very lucky I had Ilse's crutches and brace and have stayed right off it and did keep it compressed and immobilised all week.

As it is, my treatment plan was fine and I did nothing 'wrong' but it the bone was not still nicely aligned my treatment would have been bad and if I had fallen on it and displaced the broken bone I would have needed it to be operated on and pinned back in place.

So all things considered I COULD have carried on as I was, but now I know I have to wait 4-6 weeks to heal and I have a cast on so it is all totally immobilised and stabilised.

No one can actually believe it is fully broken. My radiologist neighbour, ENT and GP friend have called to say they are REALLY surprised at the severity because of how I handled the pain and was able to still move it around etc.

But there you go my first broken bone ever, and the first in our whole family as far as I know!





You are welcome to point and laugh and say 'I told you so' every one else is!

Introducing baby Juliette!

My sister Belinda had her baby girl on Tuesday, which was her actual due date - a first in our family, we always seem to go long overdue.

 

So without further ado here is Juliette!

She is so cute and tiny. Just 3.05kgs and 49cm long. 

(Noting that Quinn was 4.47kgs and 57cm!)

Because all other 8 babies in our family so far have been huge 3.8 - 4.5kgs she had only 1 set of new born clothes so the poor poppet has nothing to wear now! Shame.

She looks so gorgeous and Bee sounds very happy. She went home today.

I just LOVE how peaceful, yet proud and strong, and lioness-protective she looks all at the same time in this photo.

She has really settled down and come into her own in the past year or so and it is so amazing to see. I am very proud of her.

Whenever we are appreciative, we are filled with a sense of well-being and swept up by the feeling of joy.

“Whenever we are appreciative, we are filled with a sense of well-being and swept up by the feeling of joy.” — M.J. Ryan

I can vouch for that. As a 'fiercely independent' person. I have never in my life been this helpless and reliant on others. I have never HAD to count on other people to get me to and from places, or to carry things, or fetch things for me, or do me favours. It is hard for me to feel indebted to people and like I am inconveniencing them. It is hard for me to ask for help. But I am learning that I can ask for help and that the gratitude and appreciation I feel for the help I am getting really does warm my heart.

Today I am grateful to/for:
- Mike for the lifts to and from work and to and from Pick 'n Pay so I could get Griffin's birthday cup cakes.
- The Pick 'n Pay bakery employee who saw me struggling to hop around with a tower of cup cakes in my hands and got a basket for me, went to fetch the other things I needed, got me to the till and bumped me to the front of the 'handicapped' queue.
- Jo-Jo the Congolese security guard outside the shop who was so charming and sweet and chatted to me while I waited. He even gave me his cell phone number and promises of undying love & devotion. LOL.
- Lee-Ann for bringing me cake and the most divine milk tart, on her birthday. YUMMY!
- My sister Catherine for sending me a photo of my other sister's new gorgeous baby girl. Awww.
- The bicycle shop who delivered Griffin's bicycle to our house for free, because I could not go fetch it in time for his birthday tomorrow. <3 X <3 (They just got MAJOR customer loyalty from me.)
- Sue & Mel for lifting the kids to and from school again.
- Manoj for listening and giving advice, when he didn't have to, and even offering to be my referring doctor.
- Pete for being patient.
- Louis for liking my logo and website more than the new designs! ;)

Gratitude

"The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you." ~John E. Southard

Today I am grateful to:
- Tiny for being so much help at home, allowing me to rest with my feet up while everything else still happens.
- Quinn & Griffin for all the help, understanding, cups of tea, foot rubs and ice-baths and fetching stuff... for me this week.
- Mike for a the lift to work.
- Tyrone for a lift home.
- Sian for a lift to and from the hospital today so I could make sure my dear friend is ok.
- Pick 'n Pay Home Shopping - so I can restock my fridge and cupboards.
- Ollie & Hans who really made me laugh. No the cause of my injury was not that I was drunk and nor did I fall off my (ridiculous) witch shoes! LOL.

Me too

Got this from Randomness from From Near the Moon by Nicci


Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Copy and paste into your notes and answer the questions.

Pick Your Artist: U2*

Are you male or female: Boy-Girl

Describe yourself: Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World

How do you feel about yourself: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Describe where you currently live: Magnificent

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: New York

Your best friends are: Even Better Than The Real Thing

Your favourite colour is: Lemon

You know: Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own

What's the weather like: Summer Rain

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called? Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of

What is life to you: It's A Beautiful Day

What is the best advice you have to give: Some Days Are Better Than Others

If you could change your name, what would it be: Miss Sarajevo

Your favourite food is: Wild Honey

* Choosing U2 made it pretty easy cos there are so many titles to chose from, but I chose it for a reason, because I have a very emotional tie to U2. I have (had, some were stolen) 7 of their CDs and rushed off to buy tickets for their 1998 concert when they first released. Of course Angelique was born and died just 36 hours after that concert and then I found out my ex was having an affair all that time and had taken another women to the Cape Town U2 concert before we traveled to JHB to watch it there. So I decided to avoid the concert scheduled for next year... however my darling sister who gave birth TODAY!!! :) Has surprised me with tickets for next year's concert and is insisting I go with her and have better memories with a new experience with her. She is amazing. I LOVE HER!!!!

Computer/Universe/Ankle says 'No'

So I finally met Ilse and co today... and OMW I made a total fool and spectacle of myself within about 20 minutes and totally disrupted their week-end camping trip and relaxing evening (and her friend J's birthday party!) . but they are the most awesome, amazing, kind, caring, helpful and generous people ever.

I am grateful beyond belief at how they went out of their way to rescue me, and serve me and entertain myself and boys.

Thank-you- thank-you thank-you!

-----

Right so dear sweet Ilse has been trying to get me to meet up with her and I have not been able to go... too busy, other commitments blah blah.

So after my rant on Friday about the friend - who is now no longer a friend at all officially - going off the deep end about me missing a phone call. She sent me a lovely message of support and invited me to a braai today at their camping week-end which is sort of near us (well a 45 min drive but pretty much the closest camping to here there is)... as always these days I was non-committal and not sure if I could schedule it in.

As luck would have it this afternoon I had some time and decided to screw the shopping, car washing, pool cleaning and usual stuff and because I am (was) running a race in the morning I was not trying to go for a run or anything and I decided it was a GREAT opportunity to go do something different and go finally meet someone who I knew I'd get on well with. (and to see her friend J again )

So off we go and meet her and she is LOVELY and her hubby seemed cool and Dantelle is just awesome I just love her. She is so confident and quirky and fun and spirited! Within 5 mins I dashed off with D to go J-boarding and to play in the park. Ilse came to chat and asked when I was going to slow down and I had 101 excuses why not to... It wasn't long before I was climbing around on the play equipment - which is very higgeldy-pigeldy and run down in this place and all cobbled together from bits and bobs of everything. So we were playing an obstacle course race game and I was losing and being taunted by Quinn and Dantelle, so I tried to speed up and as I put all my weight forward on the cargo net it gave way and snapped and I fell straight through landing on the ground on the side of my foot which took my full weigh as I crashed onto my ankle. It was excruciating!!

Poor D rushed over saying 'Are you ok? Are you ok? Are you ok?' while Q was laughing. I eventually gathered enough composure to say 'I don't know, but please be quiet ....' I did not know what to do with myself and I think I heard a snap or crackle and was very worried I'd broken my ankle. I could not move at all. I finally took my ug-boot type shoe off and my ankle was blue and horribly swollen. All I could do was lie there in a heap.

After 5 or so minutes I asked poor D - who thought it was her fault, IT WASN'T! - to get some ice. When she came back I had 10 or so kids around all staring and asking questions. I felt like such a dork, But getting up was just not possible. It hurt like nothing I have experienced before.

D (who has a sprained ankle herself) brought me her crutches and Ilse and her hubby arrived and he literally picked me up and carried me back to their camp. He is like a knight in shining armour, a true gem and gentleman totally swept me off my feet. I told him no man had ever rescued me before and 'Is he married?' lol.

My hero.... :)

Ilse then sorted me out with comfy chair, foot stool to put my foot up on , transact patch, bandages, anti-inflammatories, a drink, blanket, you name it. Her hubby served me dinner and coffee.

The boys played and had a ball and it was a really awesome evening - once the pain subsided a bit.

But that's not all, there's more. They then rallied their troops and disrupted their whole evening by taking me home (rem it's about a 45 mins drive!) with me carried to the waiting car and made all comfy in one vehicle with Ilse another friend and G and Quinn, Ilse's hubby and another guy in my car.

We were taken all the way home, I was carried inside and loaned a set of crutches, and made to feel so cared for.

Ilse you and your hubby (and J) are some of the nicest people I have ever met. I really am sorry to have done that to you and disrupting your week-end so much but despite the pain and drama I am so thrilled to have finally met you. I knew I'd like you but wow you guys are way above and beyond what I expected. Thank-you thank-you. I owe you!

So now I am home and laid up in bed and NOT running the Landmarks tomorrow.

Please just pray that it is just a bad sprain and nothing is cracked or broken cos I'll need to get better asap. But for now universe I have stooped and am resting. I am listening!

----

Oh and when it happened I was lying there thinking 'crap crap crap' and wondering how I was going to get myself home and sort myself out and who I could phone etc, and yet once I was rescued I didn't have to even think about it, I was totally 'looked after'. It really was a first for me.

Geek Humour

I love this! :)

Clever!

From here:
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/11/finally_a_use_for_that_bad_plu.php

The nerdy comments are almost more funny than the post itself.

The key to failure is trying to please everybody...

 "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." ~ Bill Cosby

I know I should just let this go and not dwell on it, but I feel like venting a little so here we go.

I am busy. VERY BUSY. At the moment. I am neglecting everyone. My own family and close friends are not getting enough of my time and attention. Heck not even my children are getting enough attention. And I have very little time to myself. I was ratty and even a bit bitchy on what was meant to be a relaxing walk with a friend and kids and dogs on Sunday because really I just wanted some time to MYSELF. I need a time out.

I am working harder than EVER before - seriously doing things like preparing tenders for close on R1M projects in 3 hours, launching projects that are so hectic the dev goes blind an hour before the launch from too much time in front of the screen, sourcing Indian guys to develop for us at short notice and making my boss pay them on blind faith that they WILL deliver what I have promised! Not to mention doing my normal job tasks in between, and our team is so lean I get to do testing, desktop support, reception, pretty much all and anything now too as well. Also the company is retrenching so everyone wants to chat and skinner about that too. It's farking stressful and so so busy and the multitasking required is frankly beyond me. Look I can multi-task, but I have come to realise there are only SO many levels I can handle at once and then things start to unravel. So I have no choice but to prioritise.

Now I am on the redundancy list too. But as an outsourced contractor I don't get retrenched with a package, I just get told, 'Cost cutting', 'Your role is deemed least needed and they don't want to pay'. Yet I am busier than ever - refer to above. Yeah I know it doesn't add up at all. Go figure! So over and above all that I am job hunting too. I have had to turn recruitment agents away when they call me or I miss their calls because I simply do not have time to take on another thing at that time.

And because that's not enough on my plate already, the tenants of my rental house are leaving so I have been looking for new tenants, facilitating viewings of the house and meeting with prospective tenants. Oh and drafting suitably legalese-sounding Addendums to the contract to cover a new-sub-let clause the prospective new tenants have asked for.

And it's Griffin birthday next week so I have been trying to arrange a present for him. (DO NOT EVEN TALK TO ME ABOUT CHRISTMAS! I am not even thinking about that yet.)

Oh and Tiny now also doesn't work for me on Thursdays anymore, so I had to do the whole morning breakfast and school lunch thing on my own and short out the house when I got home etc today.

And I have to prepare snacks for the cubs Halloween party tomorrow night - oh crap and for the yoga brunch on Saturday... oh and a picnic event I am going to on Sunday!!

On top of that I have tried to keep up with running, gym & yoga and some socialising in between, as well as facilitating the boy's social lives... crap and homework too!

Right so with that perspective today was a pretty normal day. Not bad, over- stressed or emo really. I thought it went well. But here's how it went:

Woke up, felt super tired and wished I could stay in bed... but that is never an option so I got up.

Got boys up. Cleaned up dog poo and wee in kitchen, set off alarm by mistake. Spoke to ADT assuring them I was fine, and sorry. Made coffee. Got dressed, made sure boys were dressed. Sorted out dishes, fed dog, took dog out, made sure lunch and breakfast was sorted. Left almost on time. Yay, for team work. Got boys to school, got nice kisses and cuddles and felt good. Got to work on time. Yay!

Got stuck into work, sorted a bunch of stuff out. Spoke to colleague who had Tiny at his house today. (Hope that went well! If it did I can give her a slight daily increase and still save a little each week and she'll get a bit more each week and hopeful be happy! Holding Thumbs.) Then I dashed off to fetch driver's license which I've been postponing for a month, then went to car license place. Took longer than I'd hoped, but got it done. Yay. Got back to office and ALL HELL had broken loose. Toys were being thrown out of cots and I was needed to intervene and mediate. Spoke to 3-4 people found out what was up and got stuck in. Intended work went out the window and instead I was in the server room unscrewing bolts and taking out cage nuts, finding power cables and patch leads and packing servers up. Helped to lug the 6x 20kg-each servers to the waiting car and decided to jump in to go for the ride to ensure there was no MORE drama. Got severs to destination at MTN Business and met their techie. Carried Cisco switch, cables, shelving and 1x servers through Great Westerford building and into server room. Had a geek-gasm moment being IN the MTN Business (ex Verizon) server room - slightly astounded at their lax security though! Getting into the Old Mutual server 'room' (more like a building) is MUCH harder. Get servers and Network Eng sorted out. He was not grumpy anymore. YAY, mission accomplished. Get back to office let boss know all is well and get list of another dozen things he wanted me to sort out. Get started on that.

Fill out 7-page form for recruitment agent and send back. Have my bi-weekly call and argument with Discovery about why they are not paying 100% of the bill for Quinn's op, when they did last time. I have about 12 reference numbers now and have the hospital bill sorted, working on anaesthetist bill now. we are making progress finally. YAY!

Indian dev nagging me cos I haven't responded to him for 2 days. SHIT. Placate him and tell him I'll dedicate time to him in the morning. The UK dev unhappy cos I am 'ignoring' him. Chat to him and make sure he is ok and his project is on track. Then SA Tax manager wants to know if I got his invoice? HUH!? Oh shite yeah I am getting them to help me with that little issue of me owing SARS R17 000, or so they claim. No idea if they HAVE helped the situation, but I owe them R170 now. A mere half the price they woulda/ coulda/ shoulda charged me if I were not a most valued friend and colleague. ;)

More work, work, work, get laughed at for staring and pointing intently at my screen while trying to work out a complicated leave situation (yeah I get to be HR too). Have to chat to colleagues about the future of the company and if I am leaving and what option I have and what they are doing. Coupla Facebook chirps thrown in in between else I would have gone totally mad...

Finally home time. Dash off rush to collect kids. Take them home. Drop Q at friend on the way to make arrangement for this friend to come to cubs party tomorrow. Take G home, get Roxy sorted, clean out kitchen (cos no Tiny today), get changed for yoga. Leave instructions for G to let Quinn in. Warn him to be careful about builder next door! Lock up and run, literally to yoga. I only had 20 mins to get there. 3km away. Get there have missed call from Quinn. Make sure they are home and safe and house is locked, phone battery dying, put phone on silent and go into yoga. Exhausted but enjoy my class anyway. Walk home - too tired to run.

Boys safe when I get back. YAY. Clean pool: sweep, chemicals, back-wash, clean leaf basket and top-up water. Make tea, listen to Quinn's science test revision. Sign diaries, make dinner. Get them in PJs. Eat dinner. Realise I haven't checked my phone, and decide not to worry about it and rather focus on the kids - for a change. Recently I have been phoning and emailing DURING dinner. Instead we chat and look at Quinn's snake and reptile book. Realise it's after bedtime by then, so rush them off to bed.

By now I am exhausted, but not unhappy. It's been a long week of long days, but I am coping. I am running on a speeding barrel but I have a sense of momentum and balance. I am coping!

Still in my sweaty yoga/running clothes I sit down turn on laptop to check emails, start responding to recruitment agent's message... only to get a message on Facebook 'Nice, you are on Facebook, but you can't answer my call.' or words to that effect. My first thought is 'Must be a joke'. But no. So I say 'Seriously don't hassle me now, I am really busy and haven't had a moment, I am not even on Facebook' I was just told, 'Fine, bye' and cut off.

On checking my phone I have a missed call from during my yoga class from said person, criticizing my voice message and that I don't need to say I can't take the call because obviously I can't if the voice  mail is answering and anyway it is probably more like I don't WANT to take the call... Try to call back, but am ignored.

I am so upset. I almost never screen calls, and even if I do I get back to the person as soon as I can, and I respond to sms's as quickly as I can. Which is NOT always super quick, but it is when I can.

This person has had more attention than ANYONE else recently. And I am really hurt and offended now. I am BUSY. I get to do everything on my own. I don't get maintenance, or get to ask anyone to buy milk or bread on the way home, or have anyone else to fetch or carry my kids, or anything. I DO IT. I do it all as well as I can. I am tired of having someone pissed off with me because I am not good enough, fast enough, attentive enough or just ENOUGH.

I almost never hassle people. If I am down I keep to myself, if I am with people I try to be happy, fun, cheerful and add to them not ever take away. I try to never be demanding. Ever. I am upset that other people think it is ok to be negative, demanding and draining on me, and what's worse is I seem to LET them.

I am sad, and angry now, that my evening has been marred by unnecessary. Bullshit.