Arbitrary Travels

Peas posted a great entry on travels to not so interesting destinations. Has really got me thinking about some of the arb places I've been. One that should be given a miss, unless you're a Pommie history buff, is Gibraltar. Sounds exotic, but it is really just an ugly rock with a few English pubs, drunk ex-pats and a pile of scabby monkeys.
Another place not to bother with, unless you're a Pommie Lager Lout / Football Hooligan or are from Essex, is Magaluf on Mallorca. The Belerics (Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza) are otherwise an incredible group of islands with much beauty and steeped in history. Other than this blemish, which is a favoured holiday destination for the aforementioned Poms. Even Ibiza is cool compared to this spot.
As far as arb destination which you should definately try to visit, I reckon Savannah Georgia is one of my favourites. Read the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt, or see the film version before going. It is an incredible look into this small town, and the reality is that the town is just like the descriptions. Awesome!

Anyway, Spud is doing great. The little bugger is kicking like Dan Carter, scrumming like Os du Randt and wriggling around like Luke Watson. I wonder if he'll actually turn into a rugby player! I would prefer golf as its more lucrative for the folks, but if i has to be rugby, then so be it! No pressure young man! :)

Its a strange world

Things are going crazy here and I am kicking back and watching the chaos from the relative confort of my office.
I have geared myself up for a new project by delegating alot of my day to day shite, leaving me to focus on the new stuff. Problem is that the new stuff has hit a major stalling snag. So now, I am able to focus on the important but not urgent stuff.... Steve Covey has some great ideas... I'm in the 2nd quadrant now...
You would think this would be great, but it actually means that I spend too much time chilling while working. I really prefer to be under super pressure conditions where ppl are exploding left and right, fires are rampaging through the business and you can feel the tension in the air... Weird hey. When I'm up to the elbows in it, I relish it but wish for quieter times. When the quieter times arrive, I wish for the craziness...
There must be some happy medium somewhere out there...

Spud is 21 weeks tomorrow. Amazing how this time is just flying. His kicking and moving around has got really active and you can actually see C's tummy moving when he boxes her. Must be the weirdest feeling.

Going to get myself wired on caffeine and see if that changes my approach to work today... Taking a leaf out of Beavis and Buttheads book...

Half way mark

So, yesterday marked half way in the interior life of Spud. He's now about 15cm from head to bum, and probably 22cm from head to foot. Its hard to measure now as he doesn't fit in to the screen on the scanner.

Seeing our little baby like this is just incredible. He moves around, kicks, punches, even sucks his thumb. While we were looking at his face, seeing the outline of the mouth and nose and eyes, he yawned!! So cute.

Its really emotional seeing this little live thing which is inside C. Its hard for me to relate as I only get to be with him when I'm actually with C, to feel him kicking every now and then when he wakes, to see the steadily growing bump. C has this not so little life inside her 24/7, moving, growing, living, effecting her in so many ways. Physically and emotionally. Incredible.

We checked to makes sure our boy hadn't suddenly become a girl, and the proof remains conclusive... Spud is lieing with head on the right, feet to the left which are both off screen... you should be able to make out the arrow pointing to the family jewels..

It's a girl... um I mean a boy... what??

I always thought those stories of couples finding out what sex their unborn baby is, and the doc getting it wrong, were really funny. I've heard of friends of friends, but never actually new anyone... until today...

Our friends C&A are two and a half weeks ahead of us. They found out that they were having a girl, and we found out we're having a boy. Everything was cool. There wasn't going to be any of that unspoken competition as to who's baby is bigger, faster, cleverer and all that as we all know that you can't compare girls and boys. Well, things have changed somewhat.
They went for a scan the other day and C asked if the doc would just check the sex again... were they in for a shock or what. They're going to have to paint the pink room a different colour after all, the names they'd been thinking of are no longer appropriate (I hope), and they can no longer talk to the bump about pretty flowers, butterflies and barbies...

I just hope its not to late and the poor boy hasn't had his mind soiled by girlie girl talk!

We go for another scan tomorrow, which is half way exactly!! Can you believe it. 20 weeks to go. Okay, so its never exact, but it is round about that. 4 months and the screaming, crying, drooling, pooing bundle of joy will be out in all his red faced, half bald, purple skinned beauty!

I can't wait.

Presents

I find it quite amazing that there are people out there who actually have present cupboards. My wife is one of them. She has a cupboard full of little pressies 'just in case'. This is why the sales at Woolies and the like do so well. These ladies pile into the sales and by like 4 candle stick holder sets, 6 tubs of body butter, bottles of bubble bath, empty wooden boxes and not for themselves, but for the pressie cupboard.
I suppose that makes them organised and ready for any present related emergencies...

This of course leads to one of the worst torture's that could be inflicted upon anyone... Christmas Shopping... I have been avoiding the shops as best I can, but I have no doubt that the elevator style Christmas music will be playing full blast across the malls. Each shop will be competing against the rest with the Little Drummer Boy and other Boney M classics causing children of the 70's (like myself) to shiver fearfully at the memories of being subjected to this torture worse than bamboo up the nails...

The self same people that have present cupboards are the ones who finished their Christmas shopping before the decorations even went up. And we know that the decorations go up earlier each year, in fact I think I saw a bauble back in July... Soon they will just leave them up throughout the year, just changing the manger to a cross for easter and disguising Santa's Reindeer as bunnies... Much more practical. As long as the music stops tho.
My wife asked me what I used to do for presents before she was around. Well, I just didn't buy any... or maybe it was a few for my direct family, and those were all bought after work on Christmas eve...

I love the excitement in kids eyes as Christmas approaches. Now with Spud on the way, I reckon I will be pulling out the Boney M Christmas albums and getting into the spirit myself. Kids have that effect on us. They bring out the child inside each one of us. The stresses and strains of everyday life seem to be forgotten as a childs laughter fills our ears and a smile automatically appears on our lips and in our hearts. Even if it is only for a moment, it is a moment to be cherished.

The virtue of Coffee

Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love...
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand 1754-1838

I cannot extol the virtues of a great cup of coffee enough, particularly when it is delivered to you unannounced and you have a Pooza Face*. Origin is a coffee roastery in Cape Town that produces a sublime cup of coffee, the likes of which you would struggle to find anywhere in this fair city of ours. Yes, the Vida's and Seattles of the world are great and fun and tastey, but Origin is a cut above. Kinda like Roger Federer or Tiger Woods, yes there are other great players, but they are nothing compared to the greatest....
My father says he has never had a great cup of coffee in SA, well, I need to introduce him to the wonder that is Origin...

The Pooza Face comes from our hockey club's AGM which was held last night. Once again we got quorum... just... and were able to hold the AGM officially. I can't believe that a club the size of ours struggles to get 30 ppl into a room, even when there are free snacks and a drink on offer. Anyway, its always good catching up with the guys, even if it does result in the slightly fuzzy, kinda throbbing sensation that goes with a Pooza Face.

*Gareth Cliff's description of Mabele and Catherine when they arrive at work on a Friday after Pooza Thursday...

What a kick!

Don't have time for a long post this morning, but just have one thing to say really... I felt spud kick for the first time this morning!!!!
C called me as I was about to leave and I put my hand on her tum, and then BOOM, there it was, like a Dan Carter 54m penalty! This boy skopped C from the inside.
WOW. How cute. The little bugger is getting all active. I am grinning from ear to ear. I keep saying this whole experience is just amazing, well, it gets better and better. Not sure how I am going to cope with the birth, I might just be completely overawed...
J told me that he only felt his kid kick once the entire pregnancy, and that whenever he put his hand on J's tummy, the baba would go quiet. Well, I think I am luckier then.

What a great start to the day. Hopefully my day will continue in the same vein and my bi-monthly review will be a success.

Slave Labour

Amazing how it works out that if one person in the marriage is having to do something crappy, the other person isn't allowed to have any fun... Well, C is studying for her exam which is 2.5 weeks away, so clearly this weekend was a no fun weekend for me! She spent more time putting together her list of crappy chores for me to do than she did actually studying!
I suppose, to be fair, the only really crappy job was cleaning out the garage. The rest involved drills and hammers, so wasn't too bad. I hung paintings and towels rails, I put a counter top onto a chest of drawers, I cleaned out lots of the garage and did a few other bits and bobs.

Early Saturday I went for a hair cut at Partners Hair Design in Cavendish. Instead of my usual hairdresser, I got this spastic, retard, trainee hairdestroyer who is probably only on the how to wash hair par of her training course. She was useless and practically had a ruler out measuring how much to cut. She kept stopping and asking me what I thought. If I'd told her, she would have broken down into a pile of crying, emotionally scarred ex hardresser wannabe. 45 mins and it wasn't even an enjoyable 45 mins with head massaging and glimpses of cleavage, but rather more like Chinese water torture. Am going to have to get C to fix up the back cos it looks kak. Next time I book an appointment there, I will specifically ask for no trainnee useless retards.

Went off to G&S's house to watch the Aus vs Wales match. Quite exciting, but ended a bit flat with Wales kicking for touch after the 80 mins was up... they should have kept ball in hand and had a go at the Aussies. 29-29 was a great result for them, but the Aussies are in an experimental phase, so not too much to be read into it.

The All Blacks on the other hand, are also stuffing around, and they just destroyed England, who did have a few glimpses of the World Cup Winning form, but were basically outclasses by Mr Rugby Personified, Dan Carter. He is god-like in his abilities. Just ridiculous.

This week brings on some new challenges. I will be trying to make a name for myself and go out with a bang.... hopefully not a whimper like some of the fireworks last night...

Car Conundrum

Whats eating tBerry? Well, I went from thinking about cars and what I should get cos my 2 door hatch ain't gonna be big enough, to oh F&CK how am I going to be able to support one child, let alone 2...
Amazing how the mind works and worries, especially when it comes to money. I always say to C "relax, everything will work out just fine..." Well, thats what she has been saying to me now. Role reversal...
Got a contact at Toyota through a colleague and they reckon they can get me a Fortuner now in JHB or 3 months in CPT. Scary! Need to find out details of the vehicle and try to figure out if it is actually what I want or not... Might be a cool idea to fly up to JHB, visit Sis, then drive back to CPT. Only time I have ever done that drive was years ago, when I rescued my sister from the clutches of her evil boyfriend like a white knight on my trusty steed... Alot of good that did as he is now her ex-husband...

Spud, as you can see above, is now 18weeks1day old. It is so cute now as C and I talk to her tummy. Feels weird, but so right. This is definately the most amazing journey I have ever been on. Even with all the stress and worries that come with it, like trying to find a compactum (after figuring out what it is), a pram and a cot, and deciding when was a good time to start stocking up on nappies!!!! C bought the cutest little outfit the other day. I was looking at it this morning, and it just kinda makes everything more real.

So Car or Compactum? I wonder which way I will go...

Growth spurts

C reckons this growth spurt is getting serious. Her tum has grown overnight again, and I'm not going to mention the milk factories!!!
Been chatting about cars this morning. Its going to be interesting cos I drive a 2 door BMW 318ti. Not exactly the most practical car to have when you got to try to fit a baba and all the paraphernalia in the back.
So, the debate has begun... what car to get. Obviously price is an issue, else I would get a new Landrover Disco, or maybe a Range Rover Sport... but that won't be happening any time soon. BMW does give the best deals, with 5% below prime, which means that I can get more car for my money, but is a 4 door sedan the most practical?
Pandy reckons that there's no way I'll be able to fit Spud no2 and all the junk in a sedan... He's already talking about Spuds siblings, how crazy?
I must say that I quite like the Toyota Fortuner. Big 4x4, which looks like it has lots of space. Problem here will be Dad... He hates 4x4 drivers. Not sure why he has suddenly turned into a tree hugger, but he reckons they are a pain in the ass and polute the environment... I do care, but I'm thinking about what is practical. It would be nice to get one and then pass it on to C when number 2 arrives.

Oh well, I suppose I had better go and test drive a few and do the sums. Then I can see what to do.

On to Car seats... JV reckons that the BMW car seats a problem as they only face backwards and there ain't know way to turn them around. Also, at about R7k a pop, bitchy expensive. They do have matching leather tho...

This all sounds really expensive. What I really want is a 2 seater convertible Audi A4... Methinks its too late for that (or too early...)

Month end craziness

Month end is always such a hectic time. We have extremely large budgets to meet and our sales reps just don't invoice throughout the month, leaving everything to the last second and it rests on a few ppl to get all the admin done. What a pain in the ass.
We only finished invoicing after 8pm last night, which is ridiculous. We invoiced over half our total in the last day and a half. SURELY these plonkers can get their acts together and do this throughout the month instead of leaving it to the last second. Assholes...
So, I obviously had to have a glass of vino to calm myself thus arriving home late with C already in bed...again... I am getting myself into quite alot of pooh these days. At least she slept okay last night and is relatively well rested today.

Played hockey on Monday night and came away with another loss. At least this time, we didn't play like complete retards. Had a mini comeback after being 3-0 down and ended losing 3-2. Hopefully next weeks game will improve further and result in a long awaited win.

Spud is now about 14cm from top to tail (excluding legs). I think I have said all sorts of different sizes in my posts, but I actually haven't a clue and am just going by what the books say. C is showing more and more by the day it would seem. Very cute.

Tasted Klein Constantia Sauvignon Blanc 2005 last night. Very delicious altho not what I remembered. Last one I tasted was probably with LG in 2000. That was when I could afford expensive wines cos I had no responsibilities... No bond, relatively cheap car, no baba on the way, and no wife to look after!! Amazing how priorities change. C and I used to eat out 3 or 4 times a week, now its 2 times a month if we're lucky!

Back to work. Have a great day!