My Year of Meaningful (2011)

Good LAWD, it's raining blessings!


So just as I was having a mental breakdown about squeezing 400 days of activities into 3 short weeks at home, organizing get-togethers in 5 minute blocks, disappointing people, double-booking and arguing with the Mr. over how much WORK (as in office work) we're probably going to have to do while we're on "vacation".... the heavens open up! A virtual isolated thunderstorm of awesomeness ensues, and all "hail" breaks loose (to paraphrase SC JT) with each fat coconut-sized ball of stupefying wonder going KONK on my head, I realize there's far more to be grateful for than I realize.... and why dont we all just quit the bitchin' and get to celebratin'!! Seriously it was enough to make me want to give myself a spanking for letting stress and nonsense take over.

First of all one of the things I was really starting to sweat was how we were going to get onto Manhattan from JFK when we're arriving before 8am and our 2 friends (KC and Xena) that we want to see during the day we're there both have to be at their respective places of employment at that time and both said "get a cab!" and so I say fine, and then find out... "what the what!? a cab is $45 one way!" (I seem to have to keep reminding people we are spending African bucks, here, meaning essentially everything gets multiplied by 10 for us). That cab also needs to take us back in the evening which means $90 which means before we've even been in the country for one day we've spent nearly a hundred bucks USD... this does not bode well for a 4-week holiday that includes multiple "incidentals" such as this ahead of us. Nevermind the whole part about "what's the story with baby seats in cabs in NYC these days".... And KC warned me about the shuttle taking 2 hours to get to Midtown as well as being notorious for some reasons or another, so we were basically looking at a public transport headache (with luggage) as our welcome wagon into the country.

But then the awesomeness... just another reminder that I sometimes need, that I do happen to befriend my friends for a reason (because they are great!) and that they aren't just ordinary yahoos that I haven't managed to ditch along the way.... KC emails me yesterday "I'm sending a car service to fetch you. Driver will be standing at arrivals with your last name on a card. Just go with that guy. He'll help with yur bags, the car will have a carseat for baby, and he'll bring you straight to my place", and that I must not even attempt to pay for it b/c she's already put it on her Mastercard. WOAH. How freakin awesome is that? That is called true McCartney treatment. And I'm talking McCartney as in STELLAR. All this after she was already leaving her key with her doorman for us so that even though she has to work that morning, we can get to her place, let ourselves in, shower, nap, re-group, re-charge, re-programme the baby and just relax and invite anyone else we want to see in NYC (only 1 other person, Xena, really) over, and come and go as we please until she gets off work. She's also already offered to stock her fridge with baby-friendly stuff like applesauce and yogurt (I didn't even ask) as well as diapers and wipes so that we wouldn't have to tap into whatever source we were packing. As well as leaving her membership card to the Central Park Zoo (which is within walking distance of her digs) so that we could see the exotic red pandas if we so desire. Notwithstanding the fact that I don't believe in zoos, I thought this was super sweet since she is not what I would call a baby person but was clearly thinking in kid-speak for our benefit.

Then there's Uncle Brandong who's packed me up a sweet ass care package that he's mailing to said NYC friend KC, that will contain my USA phone number and recharge card as well as his other Garmin! Fan mail waiting for me on KC's coffee table when we arrive - just like he did for me last time at SheofDC's place when we flew into DC. Crazy generous AND HOW!

Said Garmin of Uncle Brandong is going to help us once we land in KC and pick up the Bwuddaman's Jeep.... which brings me to bless-ed Mister Bwuddaman who as I already mentioned, got his gf to come and meet us at the KC (not the friend, the city) airport that night at 0-dark-thirty and drive us all the way across the greater KC metro area where we get free run of Bwuddaman's apartment as we require for that night and the next day since he's on a work trip.

There was also the issue of transportation running me down. As I had mentioned before, The Bwuddaman's GF (who again I don't know but who was kind enough to offer us use of her car for the whole 3 weeks and she would confiscate her dad's) had to politely withdraw her offer the other day because she had not been aware her sister was coming into town for the majority of th time we're there and had already called dibs on their dad's ride. So I was a bit bummed by that because the way we are back home, there is no way we can survive without a ride as we need to be here there and everywhere ALL THE TIME, and yet again we'd be looking at big time USD in order to rent a car for that long. And VOILA again with the storm of good fortune - the Bwuddaman steps in and says take my Jeep as long as you need it, I'll use a work car. Holy mother of sweet soft tops!! Now that's what you call a winning streak!

THEN one of my friends from back home that I haven't been able to make time to see on any of my trips back since what, 2002, sent me an email asking if it's ok for her to drive allllll the way up from the southern part of the state for an afternoon to see us and bring her 2 cute little girls along because they would all like to meet LJJ and see us. And she says she knows we're probably overbooked so any day we want she will make it happen. That means no driving down there for us (which we were considering doing because that town, SPFLD, is where about 5 of my friends live and it would be fun to see them all at once but DAMN how do I fit it in!?) which means -whew- a few extra hours of relaxation instead.

This followed by a FB message from another of my friends also in SPFLD who offered to also drive up and see us on another one of the free afternoons we have. That's 2 offers from 2 friends to drive an 8-hour round trip just to hang out with us for not even 1 whole day. I'm just shocked and humbled! Not to mention feeling light as a feather right about now because these are 2 people I really wanted to see and was truly suffering under the weight of how to possibly fit it in, and seeing virtually no possible way short of spending 12 hours on the road the day of my fambly reunion because the only day left open that we would be able to swing a road trip down south would be the day before that - meaning one long-ass haul up to the very northeast of the state, from the very southwest of the state, in one go.

Then I had a very auspicious skype conv. with my mother whom, I had been worrying about facing.... wait, make that DREADING... because I was certainly convinced she would have at least 900 expectations of our time and I was sure that this particular conversation would be where it all came out. But rather just the exact opposite occurred and she literally came right out and said the words "Look, I am not planning anything for you other than dinner with the F's on the 1st and the couple hours with the A's on the 4th. I just want you to know that." Wow. I just hope none of those lightning bolts of FANTASTICO didn't hit any of those flying pigs on the way down! Hell, she even encouraged me to leave the hospital where my Gramps is in KC early in the afternoon on the day after we arrive, (I was just SURE she was going to insist I spend the night there to look after the Gran) and come back to the hometown that day. What the...!?

So anyhoo, let it be said I am in top spirits about the upcoming holiday and no amount of work-work that I'm going to have to do (and The Mr. is going to have to do) is going to bring me down as clearly the powers that be are sending me all the signals that say it's all systems go for awesomeness. And the fact that I'm going to be busy hanging out with all of my friends every single day that I am back is NOT actually something to be afraid of stressing me out, it's something to look FORWARD to because let it be said that my amigos are FANTASTICO!!

Labels: mis amigos, trip planning

OK I won't state the obvious (I'm swamped) because that will just put me in negative-complain mode, and we don't want that. But I am indeed having a very hard time keeping up the Spirit of 2010 these days as work has me bogged down, studying has me stressed out, and I have too many damn committments. Committments of all kinds, too. Even the ones including "try and keep yourself happy" committments that I'm not meeting, like "play fetch with the big dog for 10 minutes", "read a book", "invest in the mental stimulation of the 1-year-old", "check in with friends on the interwebs", "go for a run", etc etc.

Normally I would be thinking "how AWESOME is it that I have a 4-week vacation coming up" but now even THAT has got me in a fit of anxiety. I'm already finding myself struggling with the too many people/not enough time debacle that always gets me run down on these trips home... and already suffering other peoples' aggro because we clearly don't have enough time to do X, Y, and Z with people A, B, and C. UGH! I've just sent the cutthroat message to the fam that we are probably even going to miss one day of the reunion because I want to see my friends 3 hours away in SPFLD and there's only 1 day in my schedule left open so I have to just do it then. Waiting for the response...

I must just keep repeating my mantra that *I* am the one spending nearly 40 grand (in our money) to come back home for a few weeks and I will not be guilt-tripped and bullied into killing myself over other people's expectations. Yes, I know everyone wants to see Her Royal TheJoo-ness, but I'm about at the point now where I'm micro-scheduling entire days down to thirty-minute intervals and THAT IS JUST NOT FUN FOR ME. Compounding the problem is the Grandparents, mainly Grandpa who is officially on his death bed and I have recently accepted that this will catagorically be my last chance to see him EVER, so that means a lot of time spent in KC when at all possible. Not the best of circumstances but hey, he's the Gramps and I'm not going to be hassled out of spending time with him just because of people A, B, and C getting their feelings hurt. Unless they start Knockin' on Heaven's Door in the next couple weeks, they're just going to have to be understanding and sympathetic. And if they can't do that, what the hell good friends are they anyway, right? Damn, I know a lot of selfish-ass people!

When we first planned this trip, I knew it might be the "beginning" of the end for Gramps but incidents over the last 2 weeks alone have pretty much pressed the FF button on his life and his body has started literally collapsing on him, organ by organ. I pray that he's even there when we arrive at this point, the way it sounds. He's had about 5 surgeries in 2 weeks and my dad just told me that as of monday he's been moved into a skilled nursing unit and they've pretty much been told that he won't see the inside of he and Gran's house ever again. That makes me feel really sad, as does the fact that this will probably (unless it happens in a certain 3-week window) be the 3rd grandparent I've lost while overseas and not been able to be at the funeral for. Which means to this day I have still not actually attended the funeral of anyone I have ever known personally or even remotely cared about. That's pretty sad.

At this point the highlights of my trip back, so far as I can see them from here, is Adelly's trip to JC (BLESSINGS are upon me because she's friends with Brandon too which means we can all hang out TOGETHER and I don't have to bloody frickin teleport myself between friends scattered randomly across a 50mile radius, but obviously the smashing good times that lie in wait with that combination (B&A) will be stellar); and our 8-day trip to Vancouver to see Podgey, Rach, and Robyn and Abby... which is also a BLESSING because they're the only people i know in Vancouver so no more of this spreading-one's-self-too-thin rubbish. WITH built-in babysitter (that would be either Rach's mom or Robyn) WOO HOO!!

I'm still totally bummed about Dave's band's gig (the one I was going to sit in for) getting cancelled which means likely the only time we can get together and jam with The Garys is during the time my beloved Houstonian visitor is in town.... which, by the by now I find out is the ONLY weekend I have at home the whole time i'm back... how did that happen??? Where did these supposed "3 weeks" go?? But at least the bonus of the last week was that my pickin' fingers got a workout on Sunday when we had a giant winter stew-fest here at our place for all the Hashers after the Hash... Tom brought along his son who's a little younger than me and plays a mean guitar in a band back in Charleston, South Kackalackie (he was here visiting his 'rents) and I suckered him into trying his hand at some bluegrass and we had a mini-jam sesson in the living room here which, much to the delight of the Hashers loitering around eating their stew and drinking their beers, was the first time since Jeremy died that I actually got to play with someone. AWESOME. My poor, itching fingers.
Also last weekend we went to dinner with my Chinese Contractor boys who were in fine form and kept me in stitches for the whole of Friday night (in the back room of a chinese restaurant which so happens to be in a "dry" shopping complex but they provide us wine anyway because the Contractors are in bed with the Chinese Gov't and can pull some strings with just so much as a raised eyebrow.... uhhh, I dont want to know). That was fun times, and I was glad because I'm running low on fun times. Need more fun times.

And Thursday night we had The 2 Swedish Bachelors (our friends both of whose wifes are back in Sweden without them) over for dinner and I had slaved away a day in advance and made a delicious lasagne and then on the actual day managed to UNBELIEVABLY rush home and concoct a real Ceasar Salad (complete with coddled egg and anchovies in the dressing) and garlic bread and a bloody impressive trifle for dessert if I do say so myself. It was a really fun evening and also a damn good excuse to drink wine in the middle of the week.

Last weekend also was the monthly Farmers Market which we always go to and always see everyone we know there, so that was good times (and good food), yay. And the weekend before also saw me and my viola at Frau Meister's place with the Geriatric Quartet which I wish I could say was fun, but it wasnt. I haven't been practicing and FM got all preachy-teachy on me which I did not appreciate and I HATE BRAHMS which is all they wanted to play so that left me feeling totally unsatisfied and coming up with a good excuse to NOT have to play last weekend and this weekend. Well this weekend I DO have a good excuse because we're going to the World Cup game between NL & Denmark on Monday, meaning leaving Sunday.

OK there goes my self-imposed lunchbreak. Now back to the grind stone. BLEH.

Labels: trip planning

...of how sometimes you just gotta have a little faith!

So as per yesterday's blog there stood I, all worried and stressing and down in the shyte... dreading my appt. with the Embassy folk today (for what reason, I have NO idea, it's just that in my old age I have started to just assume that when there's Government, there's gonna be turmoil). I couldn't even really relax yesterday & last night and was quite fretful this morning too.

Got to the Big House today, passed through all 384 gates & guards and friskers and scanners, and waited patiently for my turn, had a "this looks weird but hear me out" conversation regarding getting LJJ a visitors' visa, was funnelled off to someone else, then waited some more. In fairness to the Someone Else, they really did a lot of research for me right then and there on our situation ("the situation" being why are we only applying for a visitor's visa for her and not a passport & citizenship - long story, but there's a reason, yes, but to them this just looks tres bizzare) and ultimately after an hour of deliberation (and about 950 bucks processing fee - which i had to leave the premisis to go acquire... including 2 different ATM machines because one of them ran out of money... and then back through the 384 gates & guards and friskers and scanners), informed me that he has given LJJ a 2-year visa and that we can hold out on naturalizing her til 2011 if we want. Yay! This is like the best case scenario ever! Why did I doubt that it wouldn't be just fine? I don't understand myself sometimes. I just tend to assume the worst. Probably based on how things work around here & how I've just gotten used to it all.

And as the cherry on top, Dude at the Emb. was so nice and friendly and helpful, he even gave me the actual form we need to fill in in 2011 when the time has come to Yankee-fy this girl, as well as a very comprehensive explanation of how things work and the various options we have to consider regarding the kiddo's future nationality. Very helpful indeed.

So anyhoo, that was the last bit of hooey that we had to check off the list before hitting the road at the end of June. Done!

I have been interviewing gov't ministers this week for my thesis. That means I'm busy as hell. And work is up the walls again too. This leaves precious little time for things like banjoing, reading, pianoing, violaing, working out, relaxing, etc. And, we keep getting more and more work, at work. so I have no idea what my future sanity is going to look like but I think one thing I need to put into my sanity management plan is something like "only work on thesis on certain days". Because if i have to face that shit every day, as well as work, I swear I'm gonna jump off a cliff. Maybe a weekly routine would work. As in, "Monday = office/work, gym. Tuesday = home/thesis/banjo. Wednesday = office/work, gym. Thursday = home/work, cooking."... etc. But shit like meetings and site visits and picking up The Mr.'s slack because of HIS meetings, site visits, etc always wreck any possibility of planning any day of my life like that. Jeez.

Talked to El Hermano (aka The Bwuddaman) last night regarding our trip back. Considering he lives in KC (where we're flying into) it was always ARSE-sumed that he would be fetching us at the airport at 10:30pm when we arrived, and we would stay at his place that night (or rather, "whatever's left of that night by the time we get to his place"). Then he could schlep us over to the g'parents house the next morning where we are due to spend the day before heading back to the hometown (The G'pa is in terrible shape and basically on his death bed so it'll be important to spend as much time there as we can manage while back... if he's even still around by June). They live just around the corner from El Hermano, so it was all going to work out just fine and dandy. However, he just found out yesterday that his new job has scheduled him to be out in western Kansas that day (it's a Monday) and so he won't even be around to do the brotherly airport schlepping duty. Bollocks~!

He clearly felt shitty about this whole thing and I didn't want to make him feel worse than he already did about something that he can't control (since he just started this job he can't jockey his schedule around yet and hasn't even accrued days off yet) so I told him what the hell, we'll just get a hotel at the airport and rent a car, t'sokay. And then lo and behold about an hour after we hung up I had a FB message from his new GF (who i don't know at all) saying that she would be more than happy to come out at O-dark-thirty to the butt-ass-other side of the city and pick us up and take us back to his apartment where she could let us in so we can stay. AND if we need a car (which we do) she can organize us her dad's because he's having surgery around then and won't be able to drive anyway for most of the time we're there. Wow. So the Bwuddaman must have gotten busy fast. I'm flattered and honored that she would be so kind with her generous offer, but just feel really guilty and bad about taking her up on it. I mean we don't even know each other - I know she's in good with The Fam and they all think she's a good catch, but we haven't even so much as talked on the phone. What to do... what to do.... if it wasn't so damn late at night I wouldn't probably feel bad either, but 10:30... on a school night.... and what if our flight is delayed, and all that crap? It WOULD definitely be an advantage to be able to get back to El Hermano's apartment since it's so close to the G'parents. Hmmmm.... Oh well, it's something to consider anyway. But to make a long story short, I like people who give you the benefit of the doubt and offer to do nice things for those they may not even know. I choose to use this as a good sign regarding the Bwuddaman's new girl, and we should all be so kind once in awhile, no?

Labels: trip planning

There is something to be said for "killing 'em with kindness", I reckon. If the first 3 months of 2010 have taught me anything, it's slowly coming to this.


So after telling Adelly that her most recent encounter with an unreasonable cow (not too far off in nature from my unreasonable cow in the Aus high commission) would've been far more 2010 if it had involved pretending said cow didn't exist rather than reacting and wasting her breath, blood pressure, and time of day, it got me thinking - MAN I've changed! WTF!! But I feel it's for the better - if nothing else, my new shock tactic of remaining mindful and turning the other cheek when necessary, (not because I LIKE TO, but more because it's so new and different that it's almost like going out of the house in disguise or something) has really taken a lot of my typical nemeses by surprise and left them corn-fused and slack-jawed and I'll be damned if that isn't just a wee bit of a cherry on top of the personal improvement!

My point here is that the results are back in - LJJ's passport arrived WITH Aussie visa neatly pasted inside, so even if I second, third, and fourth-guessed myself about ripping Mrs. Nasty Nosey Cow in Visitors' Visas a new arse-hole, it turns out that the few-deep-breaths option won out over the protest option. And everybody wins, because I'm STILL going to write that nasty-ass letter when we get back and they can't do anything to me anymore. On top of that, Mr. Arrogant-Doesnt-Like-My-Research Professor got a confounding email from me (after he wrote me some horribly rude email about how I need to "just get on with it" and stop being so needy! Shock! Horror!) where *I* actually apologized for bothering him and all sorts of really nice stuff that I'm sure made him go "HUH?! WTF?!", because I immediately got a really kiss-ass response back from him that you would've thought was coming from my biggest fan. I rubbed my hands together and laughed. It's almost entertaining. Although the initial blow-to-the-ego part is still difficult. But really - Patience. Virtue. Kill with kindness. All that stuff. It's entertaining if nothing else.

Anyhoo, I haven't had the time to do crap lately because I've got the pedal to the metal in terms of getting this draft of my Stage 1 Thesis development in, prior to us leaving. That and I gotta finish up MY LAST MAGAZINE for the Animal Peeps as editor HOT DIGGITY!! Before we leave too.

And we leave Saturday.

And boy am I excited!!! Just wish me luck that LJJ hangs in there and doesnt let the jetlag turn her into a baby monster. I can't believe it will be her 1st birthday while we are away. She doesn't seem BIG enough to be 1, but hey, them's the facts, Jack. She was hanging out with a 9-month old the other day at her play group and I swear he dwarfed her. Well, he *was* a sturdy old breast-fed German boy, I guess. But still, even our Ecologist at work's 5-month old is bigger than her. dude. talk about taking after your mamma!

Right, so as far as trip plans, my activities are as follows, for the remainder of the week:

• Book Sydney hotel, going for the highest amount of stars for the lowest price in the CBD by strategically stalking lastminute.com
• Figure out how to pack for 2 weeks and about 3 different seasons in nothing but 1 backpack (I am determined to go lighter or at least as-light as Cape Town - wish me luck)
• Submit draft to Prof. Jackass
• Wrap up particular work issue that has been dangling
• Hand over my Grand Mattress duties to the Assistant GM
• Lose 1kg

Now I have to stop writing because I gots to get on the shizzle.

Labels: The spirit of 2010, trip planning

Well I am back from the Cape.... sunburned, full, and sick.  But was it SOOO worth it!!

First of all the 4 flights and 1 and a half days of travel were relatively painless, and other than just the sheer waste of time that it is to have to GET where you're GOING, not bad at all!  The youngling was an angel baby the whole way.  She charmed all the flight attendants with her smiles and high-fives, as well as her non-stop signlanguaging "please".  We've created a monster there - please, please, please, please.... please, please, please, please.... all day long it's please, please, please...  she's exploiting it now I think.  Must come up with new strategy.  But the main thing is that there was no screaming or crying on the plane, which is what had built up into my greatest fear over the last couple weeks.  That's right, it used to be ME on board that plane having to gag myself from shouting out "HEY LADY, ARE YOU GONNA SHUT THAT KID UP OR AM I GONNA HAVE TO DO IT FOR YA!?!?!?"  Anyway now I have total peace of mind for our big upcoming Australia trip and then the USA after that.  Whew.   I was especially worried that screwing her schedule up would lead to terror and strife, but promptly at 10:30am and 3pm regardless of where we were, she hit the sack for at least an hour either on our laps (on the plane) or in the sling (standing around the airport).  Halle-freakin-luja!

The night we arrived it was pretty late, but since it stays light so long that far south, we still had time to walk down to the Waterfront and grab some delicious fishy stuff from the fish monger which we took back to our room and ate the hell out of.  It was so great to be there, watch the sunset, see the seals flopping around in the water, hear the street musicians etc etc etc.  Classic CT experience.  Then the hotel - oh man - don't even get me started.... decadent threadcount sheets, dark-as-hell curtains that make you think it's midnight when it's really 8am.... gorgeous flat screen TV... room service.... THE SHOWER FROM HEAVEN...  even if we had just stayed in that room for 3 days straight, I would've found nirvana.

The next day we slept in, ordered breakfast in bed, and then orchestrated a meet-up with Uncle A....  WHO, I might add, is in fantastic form these days - a far cry from his display at xmas.  I think it has to do with being in lurrrv.  His gf is a CT girl and so they were down there for the weekend.  So while she was at a babyshower or something, us 3 and Lady JuJu took in another afternoon of sipping wine on the waterfront at a greek fisherman restaurant - and that's where I got burnt.  Whoopsiedaisies.

When the GF was done with her social engagement she met us at the Belgain beer bar but we were all crispy fried toasted by that time (I"m talking about the sun, not the alcohol) so we opted for going back to our hotel, since it was just right there, and enjoyed a fan-freakin-tastic bottle of Pecan Stream Chenin Blanc, and let LJJ (it's about time I settled on a usable an acronym here) take a nap.  This is now probably my ultimate wine of choice, officially.  The GF is really nice - I really really like her.  I really hope Uncle A doesn't make a ballsup of this one because I could totally hang out with her.  And I think they could be quite suitable for one another.  Also, she wasn't what I was picturing at all - which was far more of a dainty bimbo - but I'm not sure why, because I really knew very little about her.  I guess it was just going by what I know he finds attractive in a pair of boobies...er, I mean a girl.

That night The Mr., LJJ & I took a walkabout in the highly child-unfriendly maniac-psycho clubbing district (we hadn't been there since like the year 2000 when we were but young party animals so we were interested in seeing if it was still the same) until we had had our fill of being harrassed by drunks and it was time for the wee one to go nightynights.  While we could've easily sold her for a respectable price (kidding!!!), it was time to come back to the hotel to eat more room service (which was actually some of the best food we had all weekend, amazingly enough), wine, and watch movies.  Caught "Number 23" with Jim Carrey, which I really liked, and I can't remember what else. 

OH I might also add that while we were both extremely good this whole weekend, going to the hotel gym EACH DAY, the sheer amount of food we consumed resulted in me putting on 1kg which means I'm going to have to punish myself this week.  Which will be hard because I also injured my ankle. WTF!  Screwed!!

So sunday was V-day, so we organized the babysitter and made a booking at the cape malay place that The Mr. had been so dying to eat at, for dinner.  But before that we met up with Uncle A. & the GF for brunch on the square and enjoyed a bottle of bubbly, said goodbye, came back and took a nap, and then relaxed some more before dinner. Which was fantastic!  But sad all the same because it would be our last meal there before leaving the next day.  :-(

So that's about it.  It was great.  We love CT - actually The Mr. was even throwing the idea around of doing a few years of consulting there before we eventually pack up and leave the dark continent someday.  I would totally do it if the job was right.  But then again so would everyone else.  Everyone wants to live in CT.  It's kinda like Missouri like that.  HAHA!

I just wish I wasn't sick now.  I cant hear, can't breathe, cant hardly see - my head is just FULL of pressure and even my ears haven't quite accepted the altitude yet.  Hella annoying.  But let's not dwell on that - it was all worth it!!!

Labels: trip planning

Joy of owning a small business No. 436:  

Finding PORN on the office printer and having to detective out WHOSE IT IS....


Luckily, after the obligatory group-beatdown, the culprit confessed.  I will spare their image in the eyes of my 2 friends who read this, and keep their identity a secret but FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PEOPLE.... COME ON!!!!   GET IT TOGETHER!!!!  IF YOUR MARRIAGE IS SUFFERING DUE TO LACK OF SEXUAL EXPERIENCE, DON'T DO YOUR DO-IT-YOURSELF RESEARCH ON YOUR OFFICE PC AND THEN CANCEL THE PRINTJOB HALFWAY THROUGH!!!

Luckily we're talking instructural manual-type-stuff here, and not....   but still.

So yes, the culprit confessed, The Mr. served up the confrontory talk with "this person", ending it on the "we're going to have to decide what we're going to do about this" note, mentioning that now his & my trip to Cape Town is probably going to have to be the venue for this debate on how to handle the situation (guilt!), and left it at that.

I will give my speech this afternoon or on Tuesday when I'm back in the office.
It will go something to the effect of:

"SINCE IT HAS BEEN MADE OBVIOUS TO THE DIRECTORS OF THIS COMPANY THAT REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH WE *THOUGHT* WE COULD TRUST EVEN THE MOST TRUSTWORTHY EMPLOYEE OF THIS OFFICE, YOU PEOPLE STILL WANT TO BEHAVE LIKE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES..... WELL, IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT, THEN PREPARE TO BE TREATED LIKE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES FROM THIS POINT FORWARD."



"FROM NOW ON WE WILL CARRY OUT SPOT CHECKS ON INTERNET HISTORIES, EMAILS IN AND OUT, AS WELL AS DELETED MATERIALS.  SHOULD WE FIND THAT HISTORIES HAVE BEEN CLEARED, RECYCLE BINS EMPTIED, OR OTHER COVERUP METHODS USED, WE WILL ASSUME YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO HIDE, AND WILL HANDLE YOUR ACTIONS ACCORDINGLY.   MY CO-DIRECTOR AND I WILL BE INSTALLING PRINT COUNTERS ON ALL PRINTERS, AND CALL MONITORS ON THE TELEPHONE.  YOU WILL BE CHARGED EVERY CENT OWED TO THIS COMPANY FOR EVERY LAST SHRED OF PAPER OR DROP OF INK USED FOR YOUR PERSONAL INTERESTS.  AT PRESENT, I AM TEMPTED TO CHARGE EACH ONE OF YOU FOR AN EXTRA COLOUR INK CARTRIDGE FOR THE LASER JET PRINTER, SEEING AS IT HAS OBVIOUSLY BEEN MISUNDERSTOOD THAT OUR EQUIPMENT IS HERE FOR YOUR PERSONAL USE."



"ADDITIONALLY, SINCE YOU WANT TO BE TREATED LIKE GOVERNMENT WORKERS, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT MANAGEMENT MUST BE PRESENT AT ALL TIMES TO BABYSIT YOU DURING THE HOURS THAT YOU 'REQUIRE' TO STAY LATE OR START EARLY IN ORDER TO 'FINISH YOUR WORK'.  BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY WE CAN NOT TRUST WHAT GOES ON HERE IN THIS OFFICE DURING THE TIMES THAT WE ARE NOT AROUND.  THIS RESULTS IN AN EMBARGO ON ANY OVERTIME YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH, MEANING IF YOU DO NOT GET YOUR WORK DONE BETWEEN THE HOURS THAT YOU ARE SCHEDULED TO BE HERE, YOU ARE FROM THIS POINT FORWARD, IN DEBT TO THIS COMPANY AND WILL BE ASKED TO MAKE UP YOUR WORKING TIME AT THE DISGRESSION OF THE DIRECTORS, WHEN AND WHERE THEY INSTRUCT YOU TO DO SO.   IT APPEARS THAT WE NOW MUST ALSO ALTER *OUR* SCHEDULES, TO ENSURE THAT ONE OF US IS HERE AT 7:30AM EVERY MORNING, TO BABYSIT YOU.  THANKS.  WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT."



"I AM SO DISGUSTED WITH WHAT IS OBVIOUSLY GOING ON HERE IN MY (OUR) ABSENCE, THAT I AM TEMPTED TO PUNISH YOU ALL BY CANCELLING OUR CHRISTMAS DINNER IN MARCH.  HOWEVER, I REALIZE THAT THE CULPRIT HAS APOLOGIZED TO THE REST OF YOU, AND AM SURE THAT I SHOULD REFRAIN FROM PUNISHING THE GROUP FURTHER, DUE TO THIS PERSON'S STUPIDITY.  HOWEVER!   LET ME REMIND YOU THAT THE FIRST PERSON WHO SO MUCH AS EVEN *THINKS* ABOUT MAKING ONE PERSONAL PHONE CALL, PRINTING OUT ONE SINGLE PHOTOGRAPH ON ANY PRINTER IN HERE, OR OPENING UP ONE SINGLE NON-WORK RELATED WEBSITE ON ONE OF THESE COMPUTERS, WILL FIND THEMSELVES NOT ONLY IN POSSESSION OF AN INVOICE ON BEHALF OF THIS COMPANY FOR RESOURCES SQUANDERED, BUT ALSO FOR TIME WASTED AS BILLABLE HOURS ON TOP OF THAT.  A WRITTEN WARNING WILL ALSO BE INCLUDED.   AS YOU KNOW, DUE TO LABOUR LAWS IN THIS COUNTRY, TERMINATION IS ACCEPTABLE AFTER 2 WRITTEN WARNINGS.  WE WILL NOT HESITATE TO DO SO."



"SO IN CONCLUSION!  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.  WE ARE NOT MESSING AROUND ANYMORE.  PREPARE TO EXPERIENCE A SHIFT IN ATTITUDE TOWARDS PERSONAL FREEDOMES AROUND THIS OFFICE, IN THE FUTURE.   IF THIS UPSETS YOU, YOU ALL KNOW WHO TO THANK.   THAT IS ALL.   *GOOD DAY, SIRS!!*"

I think that pretty much sums it up....   We probably wouldn't be so furious if it hadn't happened the way it happened.  How?  Welllll....  The Mr. and R. (visiting biofuels expert consultant, working on The Mr.'s project that he is running) both sent print jobs to the color printer this morning.  They were standing around said printer having a chat, when 10 pages of nekkit lovers start flowing out (again - picture kama sutra type stuff here... nothing twisted or XXX rated or anything)... LUCKILY, The Mr. catches the papers and R. doesn't see anything because he's *just* moved away from the machine.   CAN YOU IMAGINE!??

As The Mr. explained to Culprit during their man-to-man about this, not only would this have embarassed us as a company in front of this highly respected visitor,  who knows what kind of viruses he is bringing into our network, what kind of kiddie or animal or whatever type filth he could've clicked on that would've sent red flags up in Big Brother's House and sent the internet cops after us??  Not to mention that our internet service provider, who is a FRIEND OF OURS can monitor every page visited from their end???   WTF!??!

Anyway, it's been an interesting day so far.

Not to mention I'm supposed to be getting ready for our trip tomorrow morning!!!
But now, The Mr. tells me we all have to go over to this rich Indian guy's house for a big fat dinner tonight, because he's hosting The Mr.'s research team and everyone HAS to go.  Including me & the JuJu Lady.  And it STARTS at 8:30pm.   GREAT.   I've gotta get paperwork ready, I've gotta pack, I've gotta do a bunch of CRAP and now I've got no time to do it in!!  AGH!

But I have to support The Mr. here.  He has done a great job this week of hosting a conference/workshop, a bunch of visiting experts, and shuffling them all around, lecturing, demonstrating, presenting, writing, and just generally TCB for this huge project that he has landed us all by himself.  He is a management machine this week.  True, I haven't seen him at all this week because of it.  True, it's so stressful he can't sleep at night.  True, I ended up entertaining 5 visiting scientists from India & Swaziland on my verandah last night drinking my beer and eating my peanuts at 8pm because of it.  And now, it looks like I've gotta mobilize our family for our trip all by myself between the hours of what, midnight and 2am this evening??   Because of a dinner??  But whatever.  I can do it.  I'm not a hundred years old or something.  I'm just gonna need some luck and some super-organized lists.

In the meantime, I'm just looking forward to seeing the ocean out my hotel window while eating room service food in bed, sometime within the next 48 hours.  ahhh bliss.

Labels: trip planning, work

I am sooooo freakin excited about Valentine's weekend.... our first trip out of the country since July.  I am busy (when I'm not busy being busy) trying to find el supremo luxury hotel in the right location with the right amenities (can someone say babysitting service?) and the right sheets.  Then I need to make THE MASTER LIST of what we need to bring/do, since this will include bringing along the Youngling, and all of her affairs. 

My main objectives are going to be:
eating seafood
eating fusion food
eating sushi
eating seafood
drinking champagne
running on the beach
sleeping

heaven.

So the weekend was fine.  Nondescript, kind of. It's freakin HOT, I do know that.  I'm actually kinda looking forward to winter, as bizarre as that may sound.  I've been sleeping like CRAP lately and I'm sick of all these summer factors like "if you don't put the sun screen up in the car while you're in the shop, you'll die", or "water the garden twice or day or your spinach will die", and "don't even bother trying to cuddle your hubby lest you suffocate".  Also I kind of miss red wine & red port.  Copious amounts of white wines and white port have been great but I'm ready for crock pot dinners and fire in the fireplace, I think.

The 75th b-day party for Frau Meister was pretty decent.  We got there and there were like 20 some odd people there (mainly her young students & their parents) and a makeshift "recital" ensued.  Thank God she didn't make me play anything.  And that would be just like her too - "Oh wayward one, please come up and play something you haven't practiced".  There was punch.  There was potluck.  There was.... Paganini on videotape.  We left before 8.   Tony & his Mrs. were there so we talked to them for awhile.  My heart goes out to FM - she is so frail.  I know she has a health condition but I don't know what it is because I havent asked.  But her violin looks bigger than she does... put it that way.

We also finally got around to watching "Angels and Deamons" this wknd.   It made me realize how badly I kept up with 2009's movies.  The Oscar season always reminds me of that.   I don't recognize the names of half the movies that are out, out there at the moment.  Uh-oh.  I hate that.  And it doesnt help that our video store SUCKS ASS...  nothing current and everything semi-current is OUT.  ALL THE TIME.   But I will try.  I'm chasing their ONE copy of "The Hangover" right now...

OMG I am a kitchen GENIUS.  Yesterday I took 2 fillets of butterfish, & a few beetroots (fresh from my garden) and NO recipes... and orchestrated what could certainly be considered the dinner of the century.  Pardon me while I write this down for posterity:

Butterfish in Muscadel sauce  (by ME):
Make sauce first, as follows....
1. Sautee onions, a minced chilli pepper, & garlic in butter & oil
2. Reduce down a good cup or so of White Muscadel (white port)
3. Add 1/2 cup or so of brown sugar
4. Add herbs of choice (I used fresh basil, parsely, sage & mint)
5. Add sliced mushrooms
6. Add tomato-based something or other to taste (I used homemade salsa - no more than a 1/2 Cup - it's just to balance the sweetness with something acidic, and to turn the sauce reddish)
7. Keep reducing, let thicken as much as possible
8. When all is mixed & reduced, add a dollop of sour cream & about 1T of butter, and then the secret ingredient: a dash of maple syrup.  Mix and set aside (keeping warm).
9. Pan-fry butterfish fillets in butter (with some oil to keep butter from burning) and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper.
10. Top fish with sauce & serve!   YUMMMM- MEEE.

Now, for my new invention:
Beetroot salad with feta...
1. Boil, peel, & dice beetroot (I used about 4 small ones)
2. Sautee onions about 1/2way (not too soft) & mix in with beets
3. Toss all in some olive oil and the brine/juice from a jar of sweet & sour pickles
4. Add a complementary amount of roasted/salted cashews
5. Add a couple diced pickles (from out of the same jar you used the juice from)
6. Add some diced up pickled peppers (or pickled anything, really)
7. Garnish with fresh dill & coriander  - or toss together
8. Lastly, throw in cubes of feta cheese but don't toss because it'll all go pink from the beets and it looks nicer when it's white.

If I had to do it over again (which I will) I'll probably find a nice green veg to throw in as well, for extra color. I'm thinking maybe just some plain old cold green peas would do.

I gotta get creative with these beets because they were the most plentiful item I got out of my garden this year and when I say plentiful I mean a shitload.

So now, back to planning for the big trip.  Only 9 days left.  Lots to do.  For one, we are busy working on "how to sit still for a long time in one place" since the trip will include one flight from here to JNB, then another flight from JNB to CT.  And back.  All on little tiny planes with no baby beds.  Good times!  Good times!  She is currently happy to oblige, today we managed a successful 45 minutes on her blanket & another 30 on her chair with her stuffed cow and a post-it note... but that was when she was fresh & rested and I gotta be figuring in that her schedule will be completely thrown off by spending oh, several hours in transit, without a venue for napping, I'm trying to cover all my bases.  Thus we've also been rehearsing "how to fall asleep in the sling-thing instead of your bed @ naptime", because that's a practical thing that we can manage as carry on & in the airport, etc.  It's been working well at home, but I gotta take this routine out in public this weekend to test it out in a foreign environment to see how it goes.... because I promise you, a baby without a nap is like, one mother of a liability!!!

Labels: food, trip planning

Now this is just getting nuts.

My weekend ended with a bang, that bang being the repeated (metaphorical) sound of my head on the table, the wall, the door, etc etc etc. I'm very very potentially considering going on strike as the Head of the Family Trip Planning Department as obviously it's taken for granted and completely underestimated in terms of effort, time, thought, and consideration for absolutely EVERYONE except for me!!

This same thing happened on our spring holiday to KZN this year, and I can see it becoming a trend. I get the job of doing all the hours of planning, perfecting, and worrying (which APPARENTLY just amounts to "sending a few emails with your friends" MY ASS), and The Mr. gets the job of complaining and dropping tiny little criticism after tiny little P/A critique over and over again, leaving me feeling paranoid (about him being miserable) and self conscious and angry about the fact that if he IS miserable, *I* am going to have to be the one that puts up with it for the duration of the holiday. OH and then hearing for the rest of my life about oh how he just had to suffer so much for so long on MY holiday...

Which is ironic, considering I have repeatedly begged and pleaded for input from him OVER AND OVER from as far back as 10 months ago... "where do you want to go?" "what do you want to see?" "which route do you want to drive from Point A to Point B??" and get absolutely NOTHING in the way of info.... "oh you choose, it's your country, I don't mind". Great, well now apparently the road trip isn't long enough and we're not doing anything that he wants to do. Nevermind the whole 9-days-driving-through-America part, which is for HIM, not ME!!!!

WHATEVER!!! PLAN IT YOURSELF NEXT TIME!!! I DARE YOU!!!
frickin prices and people and family and transport and dates and times and budgets and routes and other peoples' schedules and expectations and rental companies and new years eves and hotels and ALL of it.

A few emails to my friends.
MY ASS!!!

the truth is, if anyone had any of the slightest clue how long it takes to organize and plan and communicate and negotiate and troubleshoot and weigh options when it comes to operating one of these kind of trips, they would NEVER EVER dream of opening their mouth to comment unless it was going to be positive & supportive. And, should they unfortunately decide otherwise, if feelings did get hurt (even if it WAS supposedly unintentional), after acknowledging the fact that they were indeed wrong for being such a jerk, you'd think they'd at least feel sorry because they'd know how much effort and time and thought went into said planning. And get some flippin' PERSPECTIVE.

Labels: aggro, trip planning

WTF!!!!?!?!?

I only just NOW realized that next weekend will be "in the 20s" of this month!! WHAAAAAAAA?
air
It was like, just yesterday that my departure from the dark continent to go back home was sooooooo far away.

Now it's LITERALLY just over 3 weeks!!!!
Which means so is my final exams!!! And I'm struggling with the noise & air quality survey units like a mofo. This is not good!

And next weekend us & P. and Alan are going hiking in the waterburg next weekend so there is NO way any studying is going to get done for 3 days, there. I think this weekend I need to put myself on lockdown no matter what. After gym tonight, that is. Lockdown. 100%. Study fest. Wheeeeeeeeee!

I'm almost getting nervous about leaving. Lots of worries and emotions and stuff. Coming back in intervals of 4 years or more really puts a lot of stress on you. Pleasing everyone and itemizing every 5-minute interval of your required face time isn't helped by making more time, which we thought it would (i.e. we're coming back for a good chunk of days, this time) it only adds to the mess by meaning you have to schedule MORE obligations. And when it comes right down to it, NO ONE understands. As far as they're concerned you are NOT on your own holiday, you are on A MISSION TO PLEASE. And I don't know if there's enough room in my baggage to pack my crash helmet but it looks like I'm gonna have to find a way.

And there's not much time now to get organized. I have to sort out the whole transition of Eric moving into our place, figure out what days he's going to be away at his family's place in Ftown so that I can organize Sue for those days instead, I need to make the packing list, buy the presents from Africa, I need to FINISH MY WORK at work, hand over, STUDY, finish my final assignment, take the exams, get to South Africa (figure out how to please everybody down there who wants to see us on our way out), strategize the first-in-6-months meeting of Ma & Pa P, and FINALLY, FINALLY get on that plane on the 10th of December.

Our neighbours got burgled in the middle of the day yesterday. Nice. No, which sucks because this crap always goes on around the xmas holidays when all the foreigners are gone to their respective countries, so now I have just one more thing to worry about, only it seems that they've come early this year. Ugh. And on that note I need to work my ass off now. Breaktime's over. And I've got a mountain in front of me, obviously.

Labels: trip planning

OK NOW is the time... it's FINALLY that time when all my favorite bands will have gotten off their ASSES and planned their dates for late autumn/early winter. This is important to me, as Priority 1 (well one of the many, many Priority 1s) is seeing live music while we're back Stateside, as we are literally starved of it, here.

When we first made the decision to go back for the xmas hols, I was on Pollstar.com STRAIGHT AWAY. But lo and behold the only December/Jan info that they had for any city ("specifically", WashDC, anything geographically between DC and St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia, New Orleans, and anything geographically between New Orleans and DC) was like Big Bill and the Cowpokes or whatever other Hooterville nobodys who plan their winter tours 7 months in advance...

But now is reasonable. Now they should have dates. Now I get to find out what decent rock/blues artists that I like actually play in the winter chill of December...

I need to get on my horse and start making plans!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously! Like Operation Priority 1 in full effect!!!

At least my parents live only 25 minutes away from the Blue Note which means even if there's nobody I'm DYING to see, at least there will be something.... please God don't let it be some college kid half-assed reggae cover band... who was it that was ALWAYS at the Blue Note way back when....? Who was that....? Agh! I can't remember, but whoever it was it was like the "aw jeeez, not THEM again" kinda lame-ass semi-famous ska band.... we all used to just groan and say "what do they do, a perpetual bi-monthly Central-Time-Zone-College-Town-Only tour??"

Labels: music, trip planning