Rut

I'm stuck in a blogging rut due to a number of explicable and some inexplicable reasons.

The computers have been hogged by the kids for weeks now. And yes, I know I'm the mom and it's my job to limit their computer time, or claim some time for myself, but the very fact that I have to make the effort is not conducive to inspired writing. I tend to write in a quick flow, a reach for the kepboard and "hey presto, there's a post!"

Work has been keeping me busy as well. If not in actual hours spent at the job, then in actual hours thinking about the job! Nowadays if I wake up in the middle of the night (which has a tendency to happen lately... even though my kids are big, in the middle of the night they need their mommy!) my brain starts racing and sleep evades me. I have a surprising amount of energy considering those circumstances, but not enough inspiration for sparkling posts.

And we have a car, finally. Can I make you laugh by telling you that we actually bought the first car we drove in...... about 5 weeks ago?? Oh my, all that time and effort (most of it Hermans) spent in looking for the perfect car, only to come right back to the first one! It's a green Citroen Xsara Berline 1.6i (this means squat to me, but perhaps there are car lovers out there who will know what I am talking about). Slowly, real slowly, the realisation is beginning to sink in that I will soon have a bigger range of motion. Take this friday for example... I get to go to my sisters birthday without having to borrow a car!! This week would have culminated in a grand total of 4 times that I would have had to borrow a car..... what a relief to have that done with!

More work again.... I really love it! Things to do, people to meet.... it's great fun!

I've been on a baking spree lately. Brownies for Tristans birthday, carrot cake for my old job, banana cake for the womans group, chocolate chip cookies for international womans evening on saturday. During which I got a lovely henna tatoo on my hand. Food for conversation indeed! I've always thought that would be fun to do, and the stand next to mine made them practically for free. Have I mentioned that Marinda is wanting me and her to get a wrist tattoo done together? Right now we're thinking along the lines of the name Maria written in amharic.

My social life has taken a turn for the worse. What with rushing between one job and the other my friends have been sadly neglected, online and in real life. Have to repair my ways soon before I have to do major damage control! I miss the relaxed tea and company with my south african friend here, or the booky chats with my other friends. Hopefully another month or so will have me in a routine of work, housework and play (not neccesarily in that order!).

We have been hunting for a good vacation location. Our very favorite friends aren't able to join us (you know who you are...GRRRRRRR) so we have to find a location which will afford the children some pleasure. And our budget is unwilling to stretch far enough it seems. So compromises will have to be made (to which we are no stranger). Sometimes living on a budget sucks. And I shouldn't really be complaining because there are plenty out there who can't go on vacation.

You know what really sucked though? Taxes ate up a third of my extra months work. Last month I worked in two places and I had pretty much counted myself rich with two salaries to spend. But noooooooo, I was taxed for two jobs as well and my word, that was a shocker! And it turns out working more hours is tax unfriendly. At my old job I kept 78% of my pay after taxes, at this job i will keep 69%. So yes, there is more money, but not quite as much as I had thought! Don't ask me about the logistics of all this, my brain shuts down when numbers come up.

The weather is sucky. I wasn't minding the cold too much, but now that the flowers have come up I'm longing for some sunshine! I can't believe I'm seeing pictures of classmates in shorts and t-shirts! I'm wearing sweaters and my winter jacket and gloves. No sign of warmth in the air yet!

Now I'm all written out. Hopefully the logjam of trivia which has exploded onto this post will create room for other, more meaningful posts. One of which is in my head, but not ready to come out quite yet.

Thanks for reading!