Stephen's profileSteve's spacePhotosBlogListsMore  |  Tools Help |
|
March 30 Time with my childrenLife can be very interesting sometimes. Take this evening for instance. I'm at my friend's place and I have my two children and his son with me for the night. He doesn't really live here (he spends most nights with his girlfriend,) but another guy whom he met at AA does. This guy is sweet but seems to need to hold centre stage in any interaction, and this makes him difficult to have around when trying to interact with one's children. The good news is that he is going out with my ex and her boyfriend for the evening, so I don't have him in in my hair the whole time.
Problem is, it is quite clear to me that he doesn't want to go, so he procrastinates and puts off readying himself until the last minute. This makes him late and so my ex and her party arrive, and have to come in and wait while he makes final preparations, and of course these take forever considering that he doesn't want to go. This means I need to guide my three young charges through dinner, and try to spend quality time with them whilst falling over a host of guests.
Now that everyone has gone, I feel greatly relieved. My daughter is sleeping peacefully next to me, and my son is playing happily with his friend in the other bedroom. Finally I can put my feet up and relax while I write a few words. It strikes me that looking after children is a whole lot easier without a host of adults getting in the way. I'm a fairly relaxed parent, although I have one or two non-negotiables. My children and their friends seem to take easily to the relaxed environment, and I seldom have trouble getting them to do the things they know they have to, but don't like.
The fact is, I would go through almost anything to spend time with my children. I have missed them sorely in the few months that we have been apart, and I have cherished the time we've spent together so far. Melissa and I spent part of the morning drawing together. She drew a beautiful serious of pictures for me, and I managed a fairly amateur still-life for her. After that we played spin-ball and then Angus joined us for a spot of cricket. Simple amusements, but special and joyous none-the-less. It has been a wonderful day, and I hope the next four are as good! March 29 A change of sceneryI flew up to Johannesburg this evening, to come and visit my children. An old friend came to fetch me from the airport, and we had a wonderful chat in the car and later over coffee. It's great to know that there are some friends you can just pick up with, even after not seeing each other in ages! It also surprises me how nice a change of scenery is when one is feeling tired. Visiting Johannesburg after a few months has felt almost like coming home.
My daughter gave me the longest hug when I saw her earlier, it was almost as if she was never going to let go! It is SO good to see her, and I'll see my son tomorrow morning. I can't wait... March 27 Post Mortem: The full storyLast night my mobile phone was stolen. Again. This is the third time in two years! So my first instinct is to call my service provider and get the sim card stopped. Ah. Phone the service provider. How? My phone has just been stolen! Go to a payphone? Yeah right, like I have thirty seven coins on me at twelve on a Monday evening, remembering that calling involves cellular rates, (cellular companies seem to refuse to provide fixed line help desks,) and I'm almost certainly going to spend at least three minutes on hold.
I know, I'll send them an email, after all my data contract is still intact so I have internet access. So I email, and of course there's no response, even after eighteen hours as I write this. In the end I walk in to my service provider just after ten this morning. Why 10:00? Well, I got there at nine and ended up having to take breakfast in the nearest cafe - because they don't open 'till ten, do they?
Oh! And this is after I went to two police stations to report it stolen (after all, it's the right thing to do.) Yes - two police stations because the first one near my flat isn't where the phone was actually stolen. Then the charge office guy tells me he can't take a statement without an ITC number. What on earth is an ITC number?? I know, I'll phone my service provider and ask. Oh wait, I don't have a phone. Aaaarrrgggghhhh!!
So back to the service provider. They're actually pretty helpful and recommend to me that I should buy another handset somewhere else because their's are overpriced. They call some back-office somewhere to obtain an ITC number for me, and guess what? The ITC number needs to go into the company workflow system, which carries a 24 hour turnaround time. But wait, there's more: You are supposed to report your phone stolen within 24 hours. With tears in my (not baby blue) eyes I ask: "How? How do I make it in time?"
So what's up with all this? I thought our beloved country had instituted clever blocking mechanisms to slow down the scourge of mobile theft. So why is it so difficult to get my own mobile barred? And why should I have to get a police case number to do it? It's MY mobile! Bar it. NOW!! Aaarrrrggghhhh!Can you believe it!! My mobile phone has just been stolen, and I have no way of notifying my service provider other than by email. Will they respond to the email now - not likely. They'll probably only check it tomorrow, and by then who knows how many calls will have been made on my contract.
Thieves make everyone's lives so difficult! Why won't they go and make their own money like everyone else?? This is the second time my mobile has been stolen. Makes me wonder why the cellular companies aren't doing more to stop the scourge of mobile theft. I reckon it's because every mobile stolen means another replacement handset they can sell.
A curse on them all. March 26 By popular demandOk, ok ... so I haven't blogged forever. Thing is, life needs to be lived and it takes time, precious time which is always in short supply! To be quite honest, in the past I've blogged late at night before bed, and that stole time from my sleep. Anyway, I'm not promising anything, but here's a blog for today. Tomorrow can take care of itself.
Since I last blogged, quite a bit has happened. I have a new business set up with a partner I was considering a few months back. We start trading officially in April, and I have great expectations of where it is going to go. So far we are six, and although we aim not to grow too quickly, I hold hope that our revenue definitely will. And then there's the leave- yes that stuff I never seem to take any of. I'm taking three days off starting Friday, and including Monday and Tuesday next week. My kids are on holiday, and I intend spending some soul-building quality time with them.
My fitness levels are probably better than they've been in a good few years. A few years back I used to keep fit by swimming, but I've gotten out of getting up really early in the mornings (when swimming is best,) so now I cycle instead. I do around 11 kilometers a day. Real ones. Not the pretend ones people do in the gym. Here in Cape Town South Africa, the wind blows ... and it blows ... and it blows (you get the picture.) Cycling is therefore one of the most taxing forms of exercise to do here, and it leaves you very pleasantly exhausted and ready for relaxation.
On the romantic side things have come to a sudden halt, and it was my decision. Why did I do this? Well, there are a number of reasons, chief of which is that I don't have the time to dedicate to a better half. I guess I want a relationship to be perfect, and now is not a good time in my life for dedicating time to a lady. So I'm single once again and feeling ok with it. Will I try it again? For sure, but not just at the moment. The beauty of many of the friends I have right now, is that they are undemanding and happy to enjoy what time we are able to find to spend together. Works for me.
My spiritual life is taking off, and perhaps this is where I have put most of the spare time I have. I've instituted a daily morning quiet time, and it is completely non-negotiable. If it makes me late, then I'm late. I've found that time with God is undeniably the very most important thing I can do. He has blessed me hugely as a result, and although times have not always been easy, I have grown tremendously in both wisdom and knowledge. My read through the bible is going farily well, and I am currently working through Romans.
Ah yes! And lastly there's the issue of the internet connection. I got rid of the fixed line broadband monolith, mostly because it was costing an arm and a leg, and the telephone company was ripping me off without any qualms whatsoever. I tried a period of living without a connection at all, but I've realised I actually need it (and not for blogging) so I've purchased a fast, light cellular contract with less data allocation but about five times the speed of my fixed line!
So there it is, my current life in a nutshell. There are many things I would like to expand on, but once again time is at a premium, so I need to get on the move... |
|
|
