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.

Halloween 2010

We went to Sally's Halloween party last night...


It was the boy's second of 3 Halloween Parties so their dress-up was less extreme than for the first... I on the other had had a ball getting to dress up!


There are some more pics on facebook (including pics of Sally and her cool cake & pudding)http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=247086&id=652081922&ref=mf

Kinda like this thing

I am really loving this song atm...

Martin Solveig & Dragonette – “Hello”

I could stick around and get along with you
Hello
It doesn’t really mean that I'm into you
Hello

You’re alright but I'm here darling to enjoy the party
Don’t get too excited ‘cus thats all you get from me
Hey

Yeah I think you're cute but really you should know
I just came to say hello
Hello
Hello
Hello

I’m not the kinda girl who’d get messed up with you
Hello
Imma let you try to convince me to
Hello

Its alright I'm getting dizzy just enjoy the party
Its ok with me if you don't have that much to say
Hey

Kinda like this thing but there’s something you should know
I just came to say hello
Hello

Hey
Hey

I could stick around and get along with you
Hello
It doesn’t really mean that I'm into you
Hello

(I’m here darling to enjoy the party)

I just came to say hello
Hello
Hello
Hello

I'm not the kinda girl who’d get messed up with you
Hello
Imma let you try to convince me to
Hello

Its alright I'm getting dizzy just enjoy the party
Its ok with me if you don't have that much to say
Hey

Kinda like this thing but there’s something you should know
I just came to say hello

Hey

Anyone have a Solar Geyser yet???

I am looking at getting one for my house since our electricity account has gone from about R350pm when we moved in 5-6 years ago, to more like R750pm now! Note that this is AFTER putting all low wattage bulbs in and having one less family member... bloody Eskom!

Anyway so those that have gone ahead and got a solar geyser system:

How much did it cost? Before and after your rebate.

How long did it take to get your rebate paid to you?

Did you have to replace your entire geyser in the process? Apparently this is necessary and you only get the rebate if you do this? You can't keep your old geyser.

How much of a saving do you have afterwards, is it significant? Our main uses of electricity at home are our geyser and pool, the rest is trivial (no dish washer or tumble dryer or heaters, and hardly use my oven etc). We have a washing machine and vacuum running a few times a week but apparently these don't consume much and TV and PCs are trivial...

How long do you reckon the Return On Investment takes to pay for itself?

How long does it last and have you had to spend anything further on fixes, replacements or any other maintenance etc?? I.e. are there other hidden costs involved?

I presume it's a kind of investment in the property and would be attractive to future buyers as a really nice to have fitting/feature?

Any advise, warnings or suggestions from your experience?

Should I go for it???

Stop the world

Prime Circle: Breathing

Step back
Stop the world
Stop the time
It's always running
Just trying to catch my breath
Just trying to take it in

Unfold and calculate
Concentrate and reach for something

Here's to the good times
The bad times
The times that could have been
To the wrong times
The right times
I know we'll breathe again
Until then...
Until then...

Suppose that we got older
Suppose that we'd begin
Suppose that I stopped running
It could begin again
Suppose in life we made it
I'm never looking back

I'm never looking back

The hardest part of letting go
Not easy to believe
And sometimes you'll just never know
Gets harder to perceive
You're gone
You're long gone

I know you can see it, now
Can't feel it, after all
Seems it's us versus time
Think we made up our minds
All that's left is just to see

Here's to the good times
The bad times
The times that could have been...

I've been waitin' on my own, too long

This Years Love - David Gray


This years love had better last
Heaven knows it's high time
I've been waitin' on my own, too long
And when ya hold me like you do
It feels so right, oh now
I start to forget
How my heart gets torn
When that hurt gets thrown
Feelin' like you can't go on

Turning circles, time again
Cut like a knife, oh now
If ya love me, got to know for sure
'Cos it takes somethin' more this time
Sweet, sweet lies, oh now
Before I open up my arms and fall
Losin' all control
Every dream inside my soul
When ya kiss me
On that midnight street
Sweep me off my feet
Singin' ain't this life so sweet

This years love, it better last
This years love, it better last

'Cos whose to worry
If our hearts get torn
When that hurt gets thrown
Don't ya know this life goes on
Won't ya kiss me
On that midnight street
Sweep me off my feet
Singin' ain't this life so sweet

This years love, it better last
This years love, it better last

This years love, it better last
This years love, it better last

This years love, it better last
Oh, oh, oh, aah yea
This years love, it better last

Random Updates to catch-up

I haven't blogged properly in the longest time... I have kind of lost my motivation and inspiration to do it. It takes time and I had started wondering wtf the point was. However I do like being able to go back to events and times in the past and see what we did and have a record of it, so I don't want to stop entirely.

Anyway so here is a catch-up and random thoughts and updates of bits and pieces from the past few months

- I went to see the Basement Jaxx when they were in town. Sadly they were not half as good as I expected them to be, and they only played a couple of their songs and were mostly just DJing other music and quite badly at that. The sounds at the venue was terrible too). Still despite that I had a darn good time and was out till 4am! YIKES.

- We climbed Lion's Head a few times again. ALWAYS love that. It is the best! It makes me feel happy. :)

- I had sushi a few times with a few different people. Always fun and worth while and the variety of dinner companions was interesting too. Most charming by far was Quinn though. He is my most ideal man. LOL. (And no there is nothing weird or inappropriate about our relationship!)

- All in the space of one week I found out that:
  - Half of Quinn's latest op medical bills were not being covered by our medical aid.
  - My job may be becoming redundant after the end of the year.
  - Our beloved Nanny was considering resigning - for a better offer.
  - My car needed a service.
  - My heart was slightly broken
  - Oh and a Summons arrived for the ex for a tidy sum of R74 662!!!
It was a just a tad overwhelming to say the least. I was not so happy to be alive that week, but I managed to put each issue in a box and shut it and carried on, and dealt with each one at a time as and when I could and I seem to be on top of most of them now. Still ongoing but at least I am taking steps to resolve them all, and I am still here and still smiling!

- Despite the above shit shit shit week we went to Rocking the Daisies at the end of that week. Not much sleep was had but I came back exhausted but happy again. It was just what I needed after a damn tough couple of weeks. I actually almost didn't go because of all the things piled up to overwhelm me and I was not really in a festive mood, But in the end I dragged myself there and I am so glad I did, because despite struggling to get the tent up in the wind (ARGH), and for a moment thinking 'I hate camping'. It was a total blast from that moment onwards. We just chilled and went with the flow and did our thing. The boys really clicked into place and we had some real quality time too. We worked as a well oiled machine to take our camp down and get everything back in the car. It was  so nice to be able to just sit and not feeling like you have to be somewhere or do something important instead. Bliss! There was one moment on Sat night when Q was cold and he just came and snuggled into me while we were watching the fire dancers, and life just felt perfect in that moment. And then one morning as the boys were sneaking out the tent to go explore Griffin kissed my cheek as he climbed over me. *melt* I live for stuff like that, seriously. :) (Next time we need a mattress though. I definitely don't drink enough to not have a mattress and I kept having to roll over to give my poor hip bones a break. I think my minimalist camping style is a tad too minimal!) Still I came back from that week-end feeling refreshed and revived and ready to tackle life (and all it's challenges) again. WOOT!

- I have been more sick this year than I think I have ever been before, and certain in the last 10-15 years. I have had colds/tonsillitis/flu at least 3 times now, and have had migraines 2-3 times this year too. I blame stress, of which I have had heaps this year too. I actually have seriously considered taking myself to the doctor in the past few days, THAT'S how bad I have felt. Note that my last GP visit for myself was when I was 15 - I just don't go to the doctor... like EVAR! But yeah my immune system is struggling this year. I hope this is the last of it.

- I cleaned my pool thoroughly yesterday, it is usually very clean, but I let it slip for a few weeks and it was quite mucky. 2x backwashes, a load of chlorine, much sweeping and scrubbing and 5x leaf basket empties later and it is now sparkling clean and ready for summer. BRING IT ON!

- Quinn is healing up nicely still following his c-toma op. We have another check-up on Wednesday but so far everything is 100% fine. Yay! :)

- My sister is pregnant and due to have her baby in the next month or so, very exciting. I can not wait to see my new baby niece, who has a gorgeous name!

- My gran turned 91 last month and despite trying to phone her unsuccessfully on the actual day I have not spoken to her nor dropped of the cookies the boys baked for her. I feel SO bad about it. I am a terrible person!

- Just got an email from SARS that I need to pay them R17 000!? WTF!!?? Best I go deal with that then....