Here we are standing on the brink of 2009 and a lot of people, well I'd like to think there are others that do the same thing at the end of each year anyway, are looking back at the year and wondering about things like:
- What happened?
- What could have been done differently?
- What should have been done?
- What should NOT have been done at all?
One of the things I realised I didn't do a lot of during the year was to blog regularly, but I also now realise it was purely because I didn't believe that I had anything worthwhile to blog about. You see? I considered the "millions" of you that actually read this blog, because some of the days that went by were such that I may just have blogged a lot of nonsense and negativity, so..."If you have nothing good to say, rather say nothing at all".
So, getting back to the end of the year, beginning of the new year thing that I was harping on about at the start. I was wondering about all this stuff and thinking about the points mentioned above, namely what could have been done better, etc, etc, etc. All I realised, after about half an hour of this type of thinking, was that I could never change what has already happened, but I could at least use those experiences gained to ensure that I try and do things better and with more success next year!
For some strange reason most of my thinking ended up around the one major event in my personal life, namely the bike accident I survivied in June of this year. I tend to look at what's happening and what has already happened in my life and it all seems to come back to the 4th of June 2008. I think of how my life has changed since then. I think about the new friends I made through that experience. I think of all the times I've had to tell people about the accident and explain to them what happened.
I think of all the positive influence my story has had already, because I have been able to convince people that what happened to me is not half as bad as what it seems. Yes, there have been the "down" times in my life, but most of the times when I look at my photographs and stories about the accident I realise how blessed I actually am and how much God loves me, because I'm still here and I can still ride a bike, even though it's not right now...today...when it would have been nice to do so, but one day.
I think of a week ago when I got back on a bike for the first time in 6 months...even though I still have a plaster cast on the leg, but anyway... I think of how blessed I am to have friends who have stood by me through this whole, dare I say it, "character building" time in my life. I think of how it felt to get back onto a bike for the first time and how much fun it was just enjoying something that I took for granted in the last while.
Anyway...it's time to start looking to the future and think about that which we want to achieve in this year to come. It's time to start planning for the new year and setting goals and objectives for the short-term, along with the long-term goals we are supposed to have....and I realised I don't really have at this point in my life. I've had medium-term goals and many short-term goals...most of which have not been achieved, since there has been no real planning connected to these goals, but this new year.........
I do not believe in new year's resolutions, because they are made just to make people feel better until the second week of the new year, when half of the resolutions have already been broken again...if not forgotten!! Yet, having said all that, I want to make sure that I plan better in the New Year. I want to make sure that I set myself achievable, yet challenging objectives for the short-term and actually get to a point where I measure the objectives to see whether they have been met and whether they need to be adjusted for future reference.
I, like most other half sane people in the world, want to get to a point where I have to turn down business, purely because I do not have the time or capacity to do what people are asking me to do. With this in mind, however, I still want sufficient time for my family, friends and the Ministry I am involved in. As a matter of fact, I would not mind becoming involved in the Ministry full time, while making sure that my family is cared for and does not suffer financially. (Best of both worlds-type scenario.)
I also want to make sure that I treat those around me with the necessary respect, love and understanding. (Sounds a little like the whole beauty pageant thing, where all the contestants say what their dreams are, and virtually all of them end with the words "...and World Peace!".) But seriously, I want to work on my skills with people, my writing skills and my skill at telling the difference between work and play...and play at work.
Whatever you decide, though, make sure it is to the benefit of people around you, rather than just for your own benefit, because being selfish won't get you anywhere. If you do unto others what you would like to see done unto you, your year will turn out to be much better than you could even anticipate. I promise you...the fact you are alive today means that someone in this world is in need of your specific talents and gifts. Whether it be that you need to talk someone off a ledge, or just hold someone's hand through a difficult seperation, or divorce, it doesn't matter.
I'll probably only blog in the new year again, so...
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to one and all that happen to read this.
2008/12/22
2008/10/23
Don't worry, I'm still here...
Just a quick message to remind the millions of followers of my blog that I'm still alive! People may be excused for thinking that i am no longer around, since I have not posted in more than a month, but I promise that I am still around.
Between Facebooking and Blogging I cannot always be expected to remember where I should write about myself next! :-)
This is something that is becoming so interesting to try and follow, because people are becoming more and more "open" regarding information it's actually scary. I know my wife doesn't like the idea of sharing so much personal information, specifically the amount of information people tend to share over Facebook, but I actually enjoy looking at the lives and times of the other people on the 'net, don't you?
I find it fascinating to see how the other something billion people on earth are doing things on a daily basis! It makes for interesting "camp fire" talk at night.
Anyway...As I indicated...I'm still around and building up some stories to tell. Amongst others I plan to tell of the lessons I learnt while watching "The Fastest Indian", as well as mentioning how much easier it was to drive with the left foot, and how seeing pictures of a crash 4 and a half months later could have a deep effect on you!
But more of that later. For now...back to checking out what other people are doing...
Between Facebooking and Blogging I cannot always be expected to remember where I should write about myself next! :-)
This is something that is becoming so interesting to try and follow, because people are becoming more and more "open" regarding information it's actually scary. I know my wife doesn't like the idea of sharing so much personal information, specifically the amount of information people tend to share over Facebook, but I actually enjoy looking at the lives and times of the other people on the 'net, don't you?
I find it fascinating to see how the other something billion people on earth are doing things on a daily basis! It makes for interesting "camp fire" talk at night.
Anyway...As I indicated...I'm still around and building up some stories to tell. Amongst others I plan to tell of the lessons I learnt while watching "The Fastest Indian", as well as mentioning how much easier it was to drive with the left foot, and how seeing pictures of a crash 4 and a half months later could have a deep effect on you!
But more of that later. For now...back to checking out what other people are doing...
2008/09/26
Heritage Day
I know it's a couple of days late, but I was thinking a little on Heritage Day... a public holiday in South Africa and some of the local radio stations have been advertising it as a "braai" day. (For those that don't know the local phrase, it is a barbecue, or a barby(ie) if you happen to be an Aussie.) Basically the difference between our braai and an American barbecue is that we don't braai hamburger patties. We have steaks and chops and ribs and "wors" (spicy South African sausage).
This is one of my favorite meals. I love the social interaction while standing around the braai, the smell of the meat on the fire, dishing up salads, "pap" or whatever else has been prepared and then sitting and chatting some more while eating.
I think a part of the whole act of braai-ing that appeals to most is the fact that we can also have an excuse to use our hands to eat. I remember how, as a kid, I used to enjoy seeing how Obelix eats the Wild Boar and could imagine myself with a succulent cut of meat in my hands and eating it like him. (I'm virtually drooling at the thought of it right now!)
Then "common sense" kicks in and you are reminded that you are living in a civilized age and should present yourself as a civilized human being who knows how to use a knife and fork and has learnt to walk upright and doesn't do this type of thing anymore...
Then you remember that it is, after all, Heritage Day and you should be making your forefathers proud by displaying some of the traditions they gave you. So...you grab the chop with your fingers and enjoy trying to get that last piece of meat off the bone, because the saying does ring true...
"The closer to the bone...the sweeter the meat!"
This is one of my favorite meals. I love the social interaction while standing around the braai, the smell of the meat on the fire, dishing up salads, "pap" or whatever else has been prepared and then sitting and chatting some more while eating.
I think a part of the whole act of braai-ing that appeals to most is the fact that we can also have an excuse to use our hands to eat. I remember how, as a kid, I used to enjoy seeing how Obelix eats the Wild Boar and could imagine myself with a succulent cut of meat in my hands and eating it like him. (I'm virtually drooling at the thought of it right now!)
Then "common sense" kicks in and you are reminded that you are living in a civilized age and should present yourself as a civilized human being who knows how to use a knife and fork and has learnt to walk upright and doesn't do this type of thing anymore...
Then you remember that it is, after all, Heritage Day and you should be making your forefathers proud by displaying some of the traditions they gave you. So...you grab the chop with your fingers and enjoy trying to get that last piece of meat off the bone, because the saying does ring true...
"The closer to the bone...the sweeter the meat!"
2008/09/22
Grow one
Our young Pastor mentioned something during a recent sermon which made me (and others) sit up and think. (Now, I know some people will read the previous sentence and say that's what a Pastor is supposed to do, but hear me out.) He mentioned a No Fear t-shirt which has a picture of a spine, on the back of course, with the words "Grow one" written on it.
This made me realise that there are so many people who act "spineless" with regard to beliefs and morals and issues...and I have to include myself in this, unfortunately. All of us have our own beliefs and issues that we are willing to take a stand on. However, how many of us take a stand on an issue and stick to it...no matter what?
There are a number of cases in my own life where I have felt quite strongly about an issue, but when it comes to the "crunch", I find that popular opinion may have influenced my point of view. I've also been influenced by my worry about what other people may think of me and whether they may like me, or not!
I believe that God has given the human race a built-in sense of what is right and wrong. Therefore, I believe that each one who reads this message will have an idea of what I'm getting at when I say that you shouldn't allow other peoples' opinions to move you from what you know is right to do or take a stand on.
"Grow one" and take a stand for that which you know is right...TODAY and EVERY DAY!
This made me realise that there are so many people who act "spineless" with regard to beliefs and morals and issues...and I have to include myself in this, unfortunately. All of us have our own beliefs and issues that we are willing to take a stand on. However, how many of us take a stand on an issue and stick to it...no matter what?
There are a number of cases in my own life where I have felt quite strongly about an issue, but when it comes to the "crunch", I find that popular opinion may have influenced my point of view. I've also been influenced by my worry about what other people may think of me and whether they may like me, or not!
I believe that God has given the human race a built-in sense of what is right and wrong. Therefore, I believe that each one who reads this message will have an idea of what I'm getting at when I say that you shouldn't allow other peoples' opinions to move you from what you know is right to do or take a stand on.
"Grow one" and take a stand for that which you know is right...TODAY and EVERY DAY!
2008/09/07
Cats vs Dogs
Cats and Dogs
We have three (3) cats and a dog. Two of the cats (Colleen and Grace) are female, as is the dog (Sheeba). The male cat (Ratcliff, or "Ratty" for short) happens to be black, as is Sheeba. Ratty is crazy about Sheeba, although I'm not quite sure where Sheeba stands on this whole issue. It's more like she tolerates Ratty, because to not tolerate him would be unthinkable. I mean...What would the Missus say if the dog can't tolerate one of her cats?
Just like us humans, each one of the pets has its own personality. Colleen has this real "sorry I'm alive" attitude and gets away with it, because she doesn't mind being cuddled by the "humans" in the house. She's the only cat that will jump onto the first available lap...irrespective of who that lap belongs to.
Grace is the snooty, I'll come to you when I want attention cat in the house. She doesn't mind being scratched, as long as you don't try to pick her up and cuddle her. She also happens to be "my" cat, as she can tolerate quite some rough treatment from me. She will also come into our room in the mornings, walk right past Thereza and come all the way around to my side of the bed to be scratched for a while.
Maybe afterwards she wouldn't mind if Thereza tried to scratch her, but not before she's been to "her Master" first.
Ratty...well, he's a cat with more of an attitude than normal. He doesn't mind being cuddled and scratched, as long as he can join in the scratching and biting afterwards. You can treat him reasonably roughly...for about 5 seconds before the claws and fangs come out and he starts ther retribution!!
Sheeba, well...she's a dog and likes us humans quite unconditionally, as dogs tend to do in general. She's very loyal, reasonably quiet and very territorial. She happens to be quite protective of Thereza. Of course, she's also protective of the rest of the family, but only once Thereza is safest first...or so it seems to the rest of us in the house.
Anyway...in the past week I've been wondering about cats and dogs and which is the most effective at doing what it's supposed to. Then, of course, I realised that nobody actually knows what a cat's "supposed to do"! I always thought cats were supposed to keep the rodent population in check, but I'm even wondering about that lately. Let me tell you why I say this...
This past week I woke up before the alarm was supposed to go off with a cat meowing in the passage. This is not the strangest sound, seeing as we have three of them and you hear the occasional meow around the house. However, what made this quite strange was the immediate scrabbling of claws and running frantically up and down the passage that followed.
The cat (it turned out to be Grace) ran into our room, straight into the bedside cupboard, truned around and ran out into the passage, onto the wooden flooring again. The scrabbling on the wooden flooring drove me nuts, because it's quite a weird sound so early in the morning. Also, I knew somehow that there was "something" being chased.
In our area there are quite a few rats and mice still around, so I could just imagine the rat running around the house. Anyway, being slightly incapacitated as I am currently, Thereza decided it was nearly time to get up anyway, so she could go and see what was happening. As she got up and turned on the light, Grace was sitting just outside our bedroom door with the rat in her mouth.
Problem number one...How do you get a rat, sepcifically one that was still twitching, away from a cat that had caught it, brought it into the house and decided that it was a wonderful toy? Second problem...How do you keep the cat from running into one of the kids' rooms when all the doors are within reach and wide open?
Well, as Thereza got up and tried to coax the cat in to the kitchen, Grace decided that Duncan's room l ooked like the best place to play hide and seek with her catch. As she ran into the room, she let go of the rat, which ran underneath Duncan's bed to catch its breath and plot its escape.
Now things start getting interesting. Thereza grabs Ratty and takes him into the room with Grace and the rat, because they can now form a team and get the rat "sorted", can't they? Thereza walks into the room, drops Ratty next to Grace, closes the door and wakes Duncan up so he can help his Mom move the bed away to expose the rat. All great and good, except that the cats had now decided to team up and become spectators in this whole escapade, rather than the participants.
After about 3 minutes of seeing the cats just watch the rat run around the room and not even moving a whisker to catch it, Thereza decided it was time to bring in the most unlikely "expert" to remove this problem. So she goes out the room, closes the door behind her to contain all the role players in the saga and unlocks the back door to allow Sheeba into the room.
It wasn't even a minute, I'm sure, and the rat was lying dead on the floor with a VERY satisfied and proud dog watching to see how much applause her brave act would get her. Of course, at this point I was wondering whether the cats actually had a purpose, other than being fed, shedding and sleeping on all the beds and furniture in the house?
You see, my problem is that dogs are generally described as the warning and protection mechanisms in a household and the cats are seen as the hunters and foragers that will keep the vermin to a minimum and make sure your barns stay clean. In our house it seems that the dog does all of this and the cats just make sure we supply the right type of food tins on a regular basis.
Hmmmmmmm....Maybe my friend was right when he said: "You know what the thing is with cats? Thousands of years ago the Egyptians worshiped them as gods. The problem is modern day cats seem not to have forgotten that fact!"
We have three (3) cats and a dog. Two of the cats (Colleen and Grace) are female, as is the dog (Sheeba). The male cat (Ratcliff, or "Ratty" for short) happens to be black, as is Sheeba. Ratty is crazy about Sheeba, although I'm not quite sure where Sheeba stands on this whole issue. It's more like she tolerates Ratty, because to not tolerate him would be unthinkable. I mean...What would the Missus say if the dog can't tolerate one of her cats?
Just like us humans, each one of the pets has its own personality. Colleen has this real "sorry I'm alive" attitude and gets away with it, because she doesn't mind being cuddled by the "humans" in the house. She's the only cat that will jump onto the first available lap...irrespective of who that lap belongs to.
Grace is the snooty, I'll come to you when I want attention cat in the house. She doesn't mind being scratched, as long as you don't try to pick her up and cuddle her. She also happens to be "my" cat, as she can tolerate quite some rough treatment from me. She will also come into our room in the mornings, walk right past Thereza and come all the way around to my side of the bed to be scratched for a while.
Maybe afterwards she wouldn't mind if Thereza tried to scratch her, but not before she's been to "her Master" first.
Ratty...well, he's a cat with more of an attitude than normal. He doesn't mind being cuddled and scratched, as long as he can join in the scratching and biting afterwards. You can treat him reasonably roughly...for about 5 seconds before the claws and fangs come out and he starts ther retribution!!
Sheeba, well...she's a dog and likes us humans quite unconditionally, as dogs tend to do in general. She's very loyal, reasonably quiet and very territorial. She happens to be quite protective of Thereza. Of course, she's also protective of the rest of the family, but only once Thereza is safest first...or so it seems to the rest of us in the house.
Anyway...in the past week I've been wondering about cats and dogs and which is the most effective at doing what it's supposed to. Then, of course, I realised that nobody actually knows what a cat's "supposed to do"! I always thought cats were supposed to keep the rodent population in check, but I'm even wondering about that lately. Let me tell you why I say this...
This past week I woke up before the alarm was supposed to go off with a cat meowing in the passage. This is not the strangest sound, seeing as we have three of them and you hear the occasional meow around the house. However, what made this quite strange was the immediate scrabbling of claws and running frantically up and down the passage that followed.
The cat (it turned out to be Grace) ran into our room, straight into the bedside cupboard, truned around and ran out into the passage, onto the wooden flooring again. The scrabbling on the wooden flooring drove me nuts, because it's quite a weird sound so early in the morning. Also, I knew somehow that there was "something" being chased.
In our area there are quite a few rats and mice still around, so I could just imagine the rat running around the house. Anyway, being slightly incapacitated as I am currently, Thereza decided it was nearly time to get up anyway, so she could go and see what was happening. As she got up and turned on the light, Grace was sitting just outside our bedroom door with the rat in her mouth.
Problem number one...How do you get a rat, sepcifically one that was still twitching, away from a cat that had caught it, brought it into the house and decided that it was a wonderful toy? Second problem...How do you keep the cat from running into one of the kids' rooms when all the doors are within reach and wide open?
Well, as Thereza got up and tried to coax the cat in to the kitchen, Grace decided that Duncan's room l ooked like the best place to play hide and seek with her catch. As she ran into the room, she let go of the rat, which ran underneath Duncan's bed to catch its breath and plot its escape.
Now things start getting interesting. Thereza grabs Ratty and takes him into the room with Grace and the rat, because they can now form a team and get the rat "sorted", can't they? Thereza walks into the room, drops Ratty next to Grace, closes the door and wakes Duncan up so he can help his Mom move the bed away to expose the rat. All great and good, except that the cats had now decided to team up and become spectators in this whole escapade, rather than the participants.
After about 3 minutes of seeing the cats just watch the rat run around the room and not even moving a whisker to catch it, Thereza decided it was time to bring in the most unlikely "expert" to remove this problem. So she goes out the room, closes the door behind her to contain all the role players in the saga and unlocks the back door to allow Sheeba into the room.
It wasn't even a minute, I'm sure, and the rat was lying dead on the floor with a VERY satisfied and proud dog watching to see how much applause her brave act would get her. Of course, at this point I was wondering whether the cats actually had a purpose, other than being fed, shedding and sleeping on all the beds and furniture in the house?
You see, my problem is that dogs are generally described as the warning and protection mechanisms in a household and the cats are seen as the hunters and foragers that will keep the vermin to a minimum and make sure your barns stay clean. In our house it seems that the dog does all of this and the cats just make sure we supply the right type of food tins on a regular basis.
Hmmmmmmm....Maybe my friend was right when he said: "You know what the thing is with cats? Thousands of years ago the Egyptians worshiped them as gods. The problem is modern day cats seem not to have forgotten that fact!"
2008/08/31
Post-op, now hop-hop
If you were wondering after the last post...I stayed another night. The amazing thing is how much of a difference that one night of rest made! When the physio walked in the mext morning, I was able to do some more of the exercises than the day before. I was also able to walk all the way from the bed to the bathroom, where I wasn't even able to walk one step before.
Thereza came to fetch me at hospital at about 10:30 on Friday morning, dropped me off at home and then went back to work after she'd helped me get settled into my favourite chair in the lounge. I stuck it out for about an hour before the pain of travel got to me and I took two of the tablets the Doc had given me for pain. About 3 hours later, when Thereza an the kids got home, I was just about ready to bring the flight in to land...
Man, those tablets are strong!! I've also been having the weirdest of dreams the last couple of nights! Fortunately I can't always remember the detail of the dreams. All I can remember is they were weird! I also know it's got nothing to do with the movies I've been watching lately, because I haven't really been watching any movies lately. Must be the pain tablets taking me to strange places, who knows?
Now, off the medical and self-pity subject onto something completely different...
This weekend, one of the Radio Stations, Jacaranda 94.2FM, is having a whole weekend of flashbacks to the 80's. They're playing ONLY music from the 80's and asking people to reminisce about the times they had...if they were born by then, of course. I finished school in 1982, so I have quite a number of memories from those years and it is amazing how many of the things which you thought were long forgotten, can be brought back by just listening to a song!
Thereza and I were wondering about our music choices back then, because some of the songs sound so lame today, but in the day they were these serious hits and everyone had to have them. Sometimes you also pick up on the words of the songs and you find out that the song you used to have such fond memories of is actually just plain weird!
Yet...the memories cannot be denied and won't be suppressed. If someone is struggling to remember something from days gone by, just try playing them a song that you know would have meant something to them at the time and you may just be surprised at the memories that come flooding forth...
My wife and I learnt a lot about eachother that way...as did our kids, to be honest. Some of the things the kids learnt freaked them out, of course, but we actually enjoyed freaking them out by being able to show them we also had a good time and weren't always these strict, responsible people they know as their parents. Sometimes they listen to the stories and things also start making more sense about their parents. As a matter of fact, my kids sometimes see the light and start liking some of the songs themselves.
They then become instant hits at school when they play them to their friends. Shows you...some songs are just meant to be played at regular intervals...like about once every 20 years! :-)
Thereza came to fetch me at hospital at about 10:30 on Friday morning, dropped me off at home and then went back to work after she'd helped me get settled into my favourite chair in the lounge. I stuck it out for about an hour before the pain of travel got to me and I took two of the tablets the Doc had given me for pain. About 3 hours later, when Thereza an the kids got home, I was just about ready to bring the flight in to land...
Man, those tablets are strong!! I've also been having the weirdest of dreams the last couple of nights! Fortunately I can't always remember the detail of the dreams. All I can remember is they were weird! I also know it's got nothing to do with the movies I've been watching lately, because I haven't really been watching any movies lately. Must be the pain tablets taking me to strange places, who knows?
Now, off the medical and self-pity subject onto something completely different...
This weekend, one of the Radio Stations, Jacaranda 94.2FM, is having a whole weekend of flashbacks to the 80's. They're playing ONLY music from the 80's and asking people to reminisce about the times they had...if they were born by then, of course. I finished school in 1982, so I have quite a number of memories from those years and it is amazing how many of the things which you thought were long forgotten, can be brought back by just listening to a song!
Thereza and I were wondering about our music choices back then, because some of the songs sound so lame today, but in the day they were these serious hits and everyone had to have them. Sometimes you also pick up on the words of the songs and you find out that the song you used to have such fond memories of is actually just plain weird!
Yet...the memories cannot be denied and won't be suppressed. If someone is struggling to remember something from days gone by, just try playing them a song that you know would have meant something to them at the time and you may just be surprised at the memories that come flooding forth...
My wife and I learnt a lot about eachother that way...as did our kids, to be honest. Some of the things the kids learnt freaked them out, of course, but we actually enjoyed freaking them out by being able to show them we also had a good time and weren't always these strict, responsible people they know as their parents. Sometimes they listen to the stories and things also start making more sense about their parents. As a matter of fact, my kids sometimes see the light and start liking some of the songs themselves.
They then become instant hits at school when they play them to their friends. Shows you...some songs are just meant to be played at regular intervals...like about once every 20 years! :-)
2008/08/28
Another hospital visit to talk about
Well Hello...
2008-08-26
Here I am sitting in the Hospital again, waiting for the "knockout guy" to come see me...(Guess who can't spell Anesthatyst!)
Yip, I've been ordered back to hospital, because the doc says he wants to take bone form the hip and transplant this into the boney part of the broken leg and see whether that will help the bones grow together better. You see, the bones have not been showing progress in terms of growing back together at this stage.
If this were now two weeks after the accident it would still have been ok, but what got me down a "little" is that this is now more than two months after the accident and there is still no progress.
Now, before you reply to this and start sending me all these messages of encouragement, hear this... I've had a LOT of messages of encouragement in the last 2 months and I appreciate each one of them, but.........
After a little while the most well-meant encouragement could be experienced as discouragement and even as criticism in terms of one's own faith and ability to learn from these things. I mean, the fifteenth time someone tells you that you are to probably learn patience from this experience, or that you are to learn humility, or whatever...You start wondering about your ability (or should I say inability) to cope with the situation that life throws at you.
I started feeling inadequate because I am obviously not getting or understanding the lesson. So, what I'm trying to get at is you need to be careful when you visit someone in hospital, or try and encourage someone who has just experienced a loss or traumatic event. Don't just go ahead and say the first thing that comes to mind, because maybe it's the same old things people have been saying all the time. Think carefully, listen to the person you are visiting and use the information you get from them to give them some meaningful encouragement.
Most people will let you know exactly what type of encouragement will work for them at any given time. Sometimes people (myself included!) would just want someone to listen to them while they vent and get rid of their frustration. (Maybe that's why I blog every now and then?) Sometimes people want to talk through their problem so that they get an answer to their questions. Sometimes people need you to answer some question to help them relate to the situation, etc, etc, etc.
Listen and stop talking so much...he says to himself...
*-----*
2008-08-28
Ok, so I never got around to posting the previous message before they wheeled me off to the theater. And now it's 2 days later and I haven't got around to posting the next message yet. So I'll post two in one day...because I can!
The afternoon after the operation went by in a blur of pain killers and drug-induced sleep. I remember a couple of things, but not enough to put together a nice story about it. Interesting perhaps, but not necessarily nice.
Yesterday, the day after the operation, of course went by with the normal amount of boredom and sleeping and generally not doing much anyway. The physio came to see me in the morning and decided that it would be a good thing to get me out of bed straight away...even though i still had a drain on my hip where they cut out some bone to graft into my leg.
As I finished typing the previous sentence, the physio walked in again with that same "mean" look in her eye! I tried to get out of bed just before the physio came and was able to at least stand on the crutches, but I can't really walk around, because every time I put weight on my left leg and the right leg hangs it starts pulling on the hip area where the cut was made....Needless to say this is NOT the most comfortable thing that can happen.
I'm now sitting here wodnering whether I should try and go home and relax there, or whether I should stay in hospital for another night and give the hip some more time to heal first. Serious decision time, since I'm not sure whether I'm gonna make it to the car and from the car to the bed at home the way it feels right now! Maybe if they give me an injection first and then wait for the medicine to take hold and then I hurry off to the car and get into the bedroom before the medicine wears off...Who knows?
But then again, there's just a couple of "maybe's" too many in that previous sentence. I've got until 11 to decide, because after 12 they charge me for an additional day in the hospital, so i can just as well stay overnight then. To be honest, I'm feeling quite coimfortable while I'm sitting here typing away at the laptop, so maybe I'll rather stay another night.
Just wonder what the medical aid would think of that and whether they would be willing to pay for that additional night? I'm sure they won't mind...
2008-08-26
Here I am sitting in the Hospital again, waiting for the "knockout guy" to come see me...(Guess who can't spell Anesthatyst!)
Yip, I've been ordered back to hospital, because the doc says he wants to take bone form the hip and transplant this into the boney part of the broken leg and see whether that will help the bones grow together better. You see, the bones have not been showing progress in terms of growing back together at this stage.
If this were now two weeks after the accident it would still have been ok, but what got me down a "little" is that this is now more than two months after the accident and there is still no progress.
Now, before you reply to this and start sending me all these messages of encouragement, hear this... I've had a LOT of messages of encouragement in the last 2 months and I appreciate each one of them, but.........
After a little while the most well-meant encouragement could be experienced as discouragement and even as criticism in terms of one's own faith and ability to learn from these things. I mean, the fifteenth time someone tells you that you are to probably learn patience from this experience, or that you are to learn humility, or whatever...You start wondering about your ability (or should I say inability) to cope with the situation that life throws at you.
I started feeling inadequate because I am obviously not getting or understanding the lesson. So, what I'm trying to get at is you need to be careful when you visit someone in hospital, or try and encourage someone who has just experienced a loss or traumatic event. Don't just go ahead and say the first thing that comes to mind, because maybe it's the same old things people have been saying all the time. Think carefully, listen to the person you are visiting and use the information you get from them to give them some meaningful encouragement.
Most people will let you know exactly what type of encouragement will work for them at any given time. Sometimes people (myself included!) would just want someone to listen to them while they vent and get rid of their frustration. (Maybe that's why I blog every now and then?) Sometimes people want to talk through their problem so that they get an answer to their questions. Sometimes people need you to answer some question to help them relate to the situation, etc, etc, etc.
Listen and stop talking so much...he says to himself...
*-----*
2008-08-28
Ok, so I never got around to posting the previous message before they wheeled me off to the theater. And now it's 2 days later and I haven't got around to posting the next message yet. So I'll post two in one day...because I can!
The afternoon after the operation went by in a blur of pain killers and drug-induced sleep. I remember a couple of things, but not enough to put together a nice story about it. Interesting perhaps, but not necessarily nice.
Yesterday, the day after the operation, of course went by with the normal amount of boredom and sleeping and generally not doing much anyway. The physio came to see me in the morning and decided that it would be a good thing to get me out of bed straight away...even though i still had a drain on my hip where they cut out some bone to graft into my leg.
As I finished typing the previous sentence, the physio walked in again with that same "mean" look in her eye! I tried to get out of bed just before the physio came and was able to at least stand on the crutches, but I can't really walk around, because every time I put weight on my left leg and the right leg hangs it starts pulling on the hip area where the cut was made....Needless to say this is NOT the most comfortable thing that can happen.
I'm now sitting here wodnering whether I should try and go home and relax there, or whether I should stay in hospital for another night and give the hip some more time to heal first. Serious decision time, since I'm not sure whether I'm gonna make it to the car and from the car to the bed at home the way it feels right now! Maybe if they give me an injection first and then wait for the medicine to take hold and then I hurry off to the car and get into the bedroom before the medicine wears off...Who knows?
But then again, there's just a couple of "maybe's" too many in that previous sentence. I've got until 11 to decide, because after 12 they charge me for an additional day in the hospital, so i can just as well stay overnight then. To be honest, I'm feeling quite coimfortable while I'm sitting here typing away at the laptop, so maybe I'll rather stay another night.
Just wonder what the medical aid would think of that and whether they would be willing to pay for that additional night? I'm sure they won't mind...
2008/08/18
Downers and pity parties
The day I've been looking forward to for 6 weeks has finally arrived! I'm going to see the doctor to find out what the future holds in terms of the leg! And then it's all over and there's not really good news...There's been virtually no growth of the bones since the previous visit.
I'm quite sure you'll understand that I'm not jumping for joy right now. As a matter of fact, I'm actually feeling quite "down" while I'm thinking of this. What's probably adding to this is the fact that I'm scheduled to go back to hospital on Tuesday next week for another operation. I've really been hoping that the news would be a little better than this!
But...as the old saying goes...the show must go on! So, allow me a little time to have a "pity party" and I'll also move on to get over this.
One of these days I'll probably be talking of a "minor setback" on my journey to healing, or something like that. For now, though, I'm just talking about the fact that I have to go for another operation and I want to be a little childish and say: "Don't wanna!!!" There, see? I feel a little better already!
Just before I got to see the doc, I was in the x-ray department (for x-ray's, obviously!) and I am now reminded of a picture I saw on one of their walls. It was of a baby having a "fit" and below the picture it read: "Get angry...and then get over it and move on."
So...here's me being a little "angry" for the moment and the next time I write I'll probably be over it and move on.
OK, that's enough for now. I'll write again a little later.
I'm quite sure you'll understand that I'm not jumping for joy right now. As a matter of fact, I'm actually feeling quite "down" while I'm thinking of this. What's probably adding to this is the fact that I'm scheduled to go back to hospital on Tuesday next week for another operation. I've really been hoping that the news would be a little better than this!
But...as the old saying goes...the show must go on! So, allow me a little time to have a "pity party" and I'll also move on to get over this.
One of these days I'll probably be talking of a "minor setback" on my journey to healing, or something like that. For now, though, I'm just talking about the fact that I have to go for another operation and I want to be a little childish and say: "Don't wanna!!!" There, see? I feel a little better already!
Just before I got to see the doc, I was in the x-ray department (for x-ray's, obviously!) and I am now reminded of a picture I saw on one of their walls. It was of a baby having a "fit" and below the picture it read: "Get angry...and then get over it and move on."
So...here's me being a little "angry" for the moment and the next time I write I'll probably be over it and move on.
OK, that's enough for now. I'll write again a little later.
2008/08/16
Weekend Stuff
This weekend started off with a nice breakfast at a place called Cherry Berry in Centurion. It's the monthly Businessman's Breakfast and this one was held in Pretoria again. (Every second month it's in Pretoria and the alternate months it's held in Germiston.)
We heard this morning again about the fact that businessmen/people should not allow the negative sentiments of those around them undermine their own personal beliefs and values. Just because the people around us are negative, it doesn't mean we have to be!
Anyway...it was a nice get together and afterwards Francois (my taxi for the day, seeing as I still cannot drive myself around at the moment!) took me to see his new place and we had some coffee at the local Wimpy. I can see that Francois is excited about the building of his new place, because I could HEAR the whole building layout and see it before my eyes...even though there was very little on the actual land! :-)
Well, whether there was actually something on the land, or not, he was excited and so am I. I'm also looking forward to the fact that it promises to be a nice place to go visit every now and then!
Now I'm just sitting here at home and "chilling out" a bit, because it's the first weekend in a while where we haven't had something planned for Saturday OR Sunday and we can just hang around the house.
As far as the work situation goes I do have a couple of things to do, but those are all "admin" type jobs and can be done while just sitting in front of the old laptop's keyboard, so that's ok as well.
See you guys and girls a little later again...Hopefully with something meaningful to say and not just "waffling" on ............
We heard this morning again about the fact that businessmen/people should not allow the negative sentiments of those around them undermine their own personal beliefs and values. Just because the people around us are negative, it doesn't mean we have to be!
Anyway...it was a nice get together and afterwards Francois (my taxi for the day, seeing as I still cannot drive myself around at the moment!) took me to see his new place and we had some coffee at the local Wimpy. I can see that Francois is excited about the building of his new place, because I could HEAR the whole building layout and see it before my eyes...even though there was very little on the actual land! :-)
Well, whether there was actually something on the land, or not, he was excited and so am I. I'm also looking forward to the fact that it promises to be a nice place to go visit every now and then!
Now I'm just sitting here at home and "chilling out" a bit, because it's the first weekend in a while where we haven't had something planned for Saturday OR Sunday and we can just hang around the house.
As far as the work situation goes I do have a couple of things to do, but those are all "admin" type jobs and can be done while just sitting in front of the old laptop's keyboard, so that's ok as well.
See you guys and girls a little later again...Hopefully with something meaningful to say and not just "waffling" on ............
2008/07/30
Been some time...
I seem to be saying this regularly when I start a new message, but...It's been a while since I last posted.
There's actually a good reason this time around, namely that I just plain forgot to post and I have not really had anything interesting happen since I last posted my story of the accident. As a matter of fact I've been sitting at home and just reading emails, listening to music and waiting for the leg to heal.
I've got the "antenna" in the leg for at least another 3 weeks before I get to see the Doctor. Only then will I know what's going to happen. I suspect (hope?) that the antenna will come off and the leg will go into plaster or a plastic cast for another period of time to give me time to get the muscles worked out and strengthened.
Sitting at home "doing nothing" sure sounds like a lot of fun, but I can tell you it definitely is NOT! If you are the type of person who enjoys being amongst people, sitting around at home while everyone else is at work is quite lonely. I have learnt how to be more socially active through "Skype" and email and other electronic methods, I must tell you!
It's amazing how much communication means to you when you're sitting around the house on your own. Probably why I was so frustrated when the old cell phone started acting up and I had hassles getting connected to the internet at some stage.
Anyway...Today is one of those days where I'm sitting at home (where else?) listening to the cricket test on the radio, because I do not have satellite tv (Yeah, yeah, I know...I already have the necessary antenna attached to the leg!). It's quite an interesting thing to do, because it gives your imagination some time to work again. I actually recommend that people do this on a regular basis.
Now that I've "rambled" on about nothing in particular you'll have to wait until I find something worthwhile writing about before I post again. At this stage I must admit, however, that listening to the radio could actually give me a lot to write about, specifically since I am listening to news quite often, byt anyway......
There's actually a good reason this time around, namely that I just plain forgot to post and I have not really had anything interesting happen since I last posted my story of the accident. As a matter of fact I've been sitting at home and just reading emails, listening to music and waiting for the leg to heal.
I've got the "antenna" in the leg for at least another 3 weeks before I get to see the Doctor. Only then will I know what's going to happen. I suspect (hope?) that the antenna will come off and the leg will go into plaster or a plastic cast for another period of time to give me time to get the muscles worked out and strengthened.
Sitting at home "doing nothing" sure sounds like a lot of fun, but I can tell you it definitely is NOT! If you are the type of person who enjoys being amongst people, sitting around at home while everyone else is at work is quite lonely. I have learnt how to be more socially active through "Skype" and email and other electronic methods, I must tell you!
It's amazing how much communication means to you when you're sitting around the house on your own. Probably why I was so frustrated when the old cell phone started acting up and I had hassles getting connected to the internet at some stage.
Anyway...Today is one of those days where I'm sitting at home (where else?) listening to the cricket test on the radio, because I do not have satellite tv (Yeah, yeah, I know...I already have the necessary antenna attached to the leg!). It's quite an interesting thing to do, because it gives your imagination some time to work again. I actually recommend that people do this on a regular basis.
Now that I've "rambled" on about nothing in particular you'll have to wait until I find something worthwhile writing about before I post again. At this stage I must admit, however, that listening to the radio could actually give me a lot to write about, specifically since I am listening to news quite often, byt anyway......
2008/06/26
Well, here's the aftermath of the whole incident. The little black bike I'm standing next to is what remained of my wife's Kawasaki ER6F.
The Insurance Company has decided that they would rather buy it from me than try and fix it, so maybe once the aerial is removed from my right leg, we'll be buying a newer one...Who knows?
All I can really add is the fact that I praise God for the fact that this photo shows me standing next to the bike with only a broken leg!
I've obviously had plenty of opportunity to think about what happened, but I've also had the opportunity to think of what could have happened! Scary when you start thinking of that! Fortunately, my wife and I went through a counseling course a while back and one of the first things they taught us, with regard to trauma counseling, is that it is important to focus on what actually happened and forget about what could have happened.
The main reason for this is the fact that the mind would drive you crazy!
Anyway...Obviously, since the accident is still in the forefront of my life, I've been concentrating on sharing these experiences with you, but now that we're on the road to recovery, we'll start getting back to sharing some other experiences again.
See you soon...
2008/06/17
...Part 3
Sorry that Part 3 of the "saga" has taken so long to post, but I was having some problems concentrating on getting things done with all the pain killers and stuff going through my system. Anyway...here it finally is...Part 3!
A block from the Hospital, Jan (the driver of the Ambulance) informed me that Pretoria drivers were very courteous, because a lady in a smallish car had just moved off the road to let him pass. When I asked him to describe the car...Guess who? Yip, the wife!
Outside Casualties/Trauma, I was "cuddled" in a blanket to make sure that I did not catch frost bite or something, because it had become quite chilly in Pretoria and I was lying on a stretcher with nothing more than the remains of my denim and a pair of underpants! What made up for all this was seeing my wife and kids outside the ambulance.
Family reunion and transfer of private property took place outside the ambulance, along with some emotional thank you's for the ambulance personnel who had taken such good care of me and then I was wheeled into the Hospital.
Sometimes one just has to look carefully at the signs around you to realise how fortunate you are, because as I was wheeled into the Casualty at Wilgers Hospital in Pretoria, someone else was busy taking care of the remains of a person who didn't make it. Yes, you guessed it...they were busy wheeling out someone in a body bag!
I was placed in the Orthopedic ward that same evening and by about 11:15pm everything was organised and sorted. I slept a little "fitfully" to say the least, until they started giving me pain killers through the drip! I'm sure the pain killers were organised by the Borg (Star Trek something-or-other), because once they introduced the pain killers into the drip line...
"Relaxation is inevitable!!"
Thursday evening (day after the accident), just before visiting hour, I was suddenly whisked off to the theatre and they explained that they were going to do a "Closed Reduction" of the leg...which, of course, meant very little to me until I woke up and found that they had pulled and twisted and bent the leg back into shape and put everything in a plaster cast. Fortunately they did all of this under anesthetic.
The main reason for this was apparently to make sure that everything is as straight as possible by the time I could be operated on. It was also done to make sure that the parts were properly aligned and set up and stuff...Technical terminology, which makes sense only to the Medically inclined, was used a this point.
I had to lie around in the Hospital for a whole week before the swelling had subsided sufficiently for the Doc to be willing to operate and see what he could do with all the spares that were left in the leg. When I awoke from that lot I knew that I had been operated on, because the pain was tremendous. It was so bad I nearly agreed that the Anesthetist could give me a spinal block to relieve the pain, until I realised it meant he would have to inject stuff into my spine! That freaked me out more than the pain, so I decided against it.
Anyway...another couple of days later and here I am in my own bed...at home...finishing off the lat part of the saga for you. I'll probably revisit the saga in the near future, because if this experience has given me anything, it has been the time to consider and think on those things that are important to me and that make life worth living.
More later...
A block from the Hospital, Jan (the driver of the Ambulance) informed me that Pretoria drivers were very courteous, because a lady in a smallish car had just moved off the road to let him pass. When I asked him to describe the car...Guess who? Yip, the wife!
Outside Casualties/Trauma, I was "cuddled" in a blanket to make sure that I did not catch frost bite or something, because it had become quite chilly in Pretoria and I was lying on a stretcher with nothing more than the remains of my denim and a pair of underpants! What made up for all this was seeing my wife and kids outside the ambulance.
Family reunion and transfer of private property took place outside the ambulance, along with some emotional thank you's for the ambulance personnel who had taken such good care of me and then I was wheeled into the Hospital.
Sometimes one just has to look carefully at the signs around you to realise how fortunate you are, because as I was wheeled into the Casualty at Wilgers Hospital in Pretoria, someone else was busy taking care of the remains of a person who didn't make it. Yes, you guessed it...they were busy wheeling out someone in a body bag!
I was placed in the Orthopedic ward that same evening and by about 11:15pm everything was organised and sorted. I slept a little "fitfully" to say the least, until they started giving me pain killers through the drip! I'm sure the pain killers were organised by the Borg (Star Trek something-or-other), because once they introduced the pain killers into the drip line...
"Relaxation is inevitable!!"
Thursday evening (day after the accident), just before visiting hour, I was suddenly whisked off to the theatre and they explained that they were going to do a "Closed Reduction" of the leg...which, of course, meant very little to me until I woke up and found that they had pulled and twisted and bent the leg back into shape and put everything in a plaster cast. Fortunately they did all of this under anesthetic.
The main reason for this was apparently to make sure that everything is as straight as possible by the time I could be operated on. It was also done to make sure that the parts were properly aligned and set up and stuff...Technical terminology, which makes sense only to the Medically inclined, was used a this point.
I had to lie around in the Hospital for a whole week before the swelling had subsided sufficiently for the Doc to be willing to operate and see what he could do with all the spares that were left in the leg. When I awoke from that lot I knew that I had been operated on, because the pain was tremendous. It was so bad I nearly agreed that the Anesthetist could give me a spinal block to relieve the pain, until I realised it meant he would have to inject stuff into my spine! That freaked me out more than the pain, so I decided against it.
Anyway...another couple of days later and here I am in my own bed...at home...finishing off the lat part of the saga for you. I'll probably revisit the saga in the near future, because if this experience has given me anything, it has been the time to consider and think on those things that are important to me and that make life worth living.
More later...
2008/06/08
...Part 2...
Well, it wasn't to be quite so straight forward in the end. Once we got to the Clinic in Ermelo I was first questioned thoroughly regarding the condition of my body and where I was having aches and pains, etc. Then I was subjected to a number of x-rays of various parts of my body, including some areas where aches and pains were not reported but the medical staff obviously thought they were likely to have occurred.
During all of this and on my way to x-rays, I phoned my wife and informed her of the
accident. She took it well and I think this made it even more difficult for me to keep it all together, so I lost it and became all "soppy". I knew I had a strong wife, who would be able to take certain things, but I also know that she was going to need support, just like the rest of us, at some stage.
All the time in the Clinic, I seemed to be suffering from hypothermia, because I could not stop myself from shivering every now and then. You know, like when you've rained wet on a cold day and you get these shivers every now and then that you just can't seem to control?
The staff at the clinic then hooked me up to a heater system of some sort that blows warm air through a special blanket which covers you from shoulder to toe...Apparently called a "Bear Hugger Blanket" or something of that sort.
Anyway...after some discussions and deliberations it became clear that the Doctors in Ermelo were not going to be able to treat me, so I was told that I needed to be transferred to a Pretoria Hospital. Unfortunately, one of the issues that came up was that the ambulance company would have to be guaranteed of payment upon transfer.
Now there's a bit of a problem, because not everyone I know carries around R 6000 in his/her pocket just in case they may have to be transported from some small town to another in an ambulance. While I was wondering how I was going to get hold of sufficient funding to arange for the transfer, one of the ambulance guys came in and told me we were going to Pretoria after all.
Turns out, the local bike club (The Panthers) had heard of my "plight" and had decided amongst themselves to loan me the R 6000. Their President, Lardus Botha, had organised with all the Committee members, wrote a check for the full amount and handed it to the ambulance company! And people want me to believe that Bikers won't stand together, hey?
The most painful part of the whole episode then followed while they were preparing me for transport, because they were working on a leg that had multiple fractures above the ankle while NOT giving me the option of medication. Hmmm...really wasn't much fun, I can tell you!
The accident happened around 4pm and by 7pm all of the above had been finished and we were on our way...closer to home!
During all of this and on my way to x-rays, I phoned my wife and informed her of the
accident. She took it well and I think this made it even more difficult for me to keep it all together, so I lost it and became all "soppy". I knew I had a strong wife, who would be able to take certain things, but I also know that she was going to need support, just like the rest of us, at some stage.
All the time in the Clinic, I seemed to be suffering from hypothermia, because I could not stop myself from shivering every now and then. You know, like when you've rained wet on a cold day and you get these shivers every now and then that you just can't seem to control?
The staff at the clinic then hooked me up to a heater system of some sort that blows warm air through a special blanket which covers you from shoulder to toe...Apparently called a "Bear Hugger Blanket" or something of that sort.
Anyway...after some discussions and deliberations it became clear that the Doctors in Ermelo were not going to be able to treat me, so I was told that I needed to be transferred to a Pretoria Hospital. Unfortunately, one of the issues that came up was that the ambulance company would have to be guaranteed of payment upon transfer.
Now there's a bit of a problem, because not everyone I know carries around R 6000 in his/her pocket just in case they may have to be transported from some small town to another in an ambulance. While I was wondering how I was going to get hold of sufficient funding to arange for the transfer, one of the ambulance guys came in and told me we were going to Pretoria after all.
Turns out, the local bike club (The Panthers) had heard of my "plight" and had decided amongst themselves to loan me the R 6000. Their President, Lardus Botha, had organised with all the Committee members, wrote a check for the full amount and handed it to the ambulance company! And people want me to believe that Bikers won't stand together, hey?
The most painful part of the whole episode then followed while they were preparing me for transport, because they were working on a leg that had multiple fractures above the ankle while NOT giving me the option of medication. Hmmm...really wasn't much fun, I can tell you!
The accident happened around 4pm and by 7pm all of the above had been finished and we were on our way...closer to home!
2008/06/07
Accident...Part 1
Because this story is quite long, I'm going to break it into parts to make it easier to read and follow. Well, here goes...
It's 2 o clock on a Saturday morning and I can't seem to sleep any more. I've been sleeping very badly the last couple of nights, but maybe that's what happens when one is stuck in Hospital.
Yip...I came short on the bike on Wednesday afternoon on my way home from a little place called Piet Retief. I was in the process of overtaking a bakkie (pick-up for those that speak a different form of English) just before a town called Ermelo when the person, driving the vehicle I was overtaking, decided that this would be a good time to turn into a farm...on my side of the road!
Fortunately for me, in the bigger scheme of things, I lost control of the bike under braking, because the road was wet, and I fell off the bike. I say it was fortunate because if I had tried to "save" the bike and keep it up straight, I would probably have hit the bakkie or the trailer behind it, leaving me with far greater injuries than those I ended up with.
Anyway, needless to say, I came off second best in the event. Maybe I came third, but I won't be able to judge this until I've seen what the bike looks like. What makes the whole thing worse, is the fact that I was riding my wife's bike at the time of the accident and mine was "safely" parked at home!
After the proverbial dust settled (it couldn't, because it was raining, remember?) one of the first thoughts that went through my head when I came to a halt was: "Lord, this was really not necessary...but thank You that I am now in Your hands and that you will look after my family!" I wasn't thinking this because I thought I was going to die, but purely from the point of view that I knew my wife would need some support right there, because I was about 250km from home and I needed to let her know at some stage that I had been in an accident.
I then realised that I had some severe pain in certain places...more severe than would/should have been normal under these circumstances, so I started taking stock of body parts and their condition. The part that hurt the most was my right lower leg, which made sense when I saw, first of all, that one wheel of the trailer was standing on the toe of my boot. Secondly, Once they'd moved the trailer off my foot, I realised that there was another problem when my foot wouldn't move along with the rest of my leg.
After further stock taking of body parts and their condition, I realised that this seemed to be the worst of my injuries, although there were other parts of my body that were seriously shouting to get my attention! Both elbows were bruised, but could be moved without any additional discomfort. My other leg was ok, as was my neck and back and chest.
Then it started to rain again, with the odd piece of small hail in between to make matters a little more uncomfortable than they already were. The people on the scene asked whether they could call someone on my behalf and whether there was anything else they could do to get me more comfortable. One thing I decided right away was that it would probably be best if I phoned my wife personally to tell her about the accident, because I believe it's best that she hear my voice rather than that of a stranger. (Also, in situatoins like this, you don't know how people are going to phrase the message, do you?)
Still at the scene, with the rain coming down sporadically, somebody got the bright idea to take a tarpaulin and cover me with that so that I would not get wetter than I already was. That's where my sense of humour started working again, because, as soon as I was covered, I peeked out from underneath and asked them to please remind the ambulance personnel that I was alive under the tarp, because I was not sure what they would think when they arrived on the scene and found me like that!
When the ambulance arrived at the scene, about 15 minutes later, I first thanked the Lord for the fact that I fell near a small town where virtually all the people know one another and where it was possible to have an ambulance on the scene within such a short period of time! The one Paramedic asked me whether I was allergic to anything and the first thing on my list was "TAR"! This helped assure the Paramedic that I was reasonably ok, except for the hurting bits.
They (The Paramedics) then went to work on getting me sorted and assessing all my injuries on scene. This also meant that they cut my best denim to shreds, along with the rain suit pants and "long johns" I had on underneath. As the one guy mentioned at that stage...it wasn't such a loss, because they had all borne the brunt of my fall and were in need of some form of disposal anyway!
Looking back at the situation, I now understand that they do this in order to leave the patient as comfortable as possible, because they would have hurt me more if they had tried to "salvage" my clothes and undress me properly at the scene.
Anyway...regardless of the pain I was experiencing at the time, I realised that these guys did a fantastic job on the scene, specifically considering the conditions under which they had to work.
Once they had me stabilised they transfered me to one of those backboard jobs and put me into the ambulance to transport me to the nearest Mediclinic so that a "proper" Doctor could get a look at me and they could decide what needed to be done with me. I was hopng it would be something like..."Let's put some plaster cast on the leg and drop him off at home!", or something like that.........
It's 2 o clock on a Saturday morning and I can't seem to sleep any more. I've been sleeping very badly the last couple of nights, but maybe that's what happens when one is stuck in Hospital.
Yip...I came short on the bike on Wednesday afternoon on my way home from a little place called Piet Retief. I was in the process of overtaking a bakkie (pick-up for those that speak a different form of English) just before a town called Ermelo when the person, driving the vehicle I was overtaking, decided that this would be a good time to turn into a farm...on my side of the road!
Fortunately for me, in the bigger scheme of things, I lost control of the bike under braking, because the road was wet, and I fell off the bike. I say it was fortunate because if I had tried to "save" the bike and keep it up straight, I would probably have hit the bakkie or the trailer behind it, leaving me with far greater injuries than those I ended up with.
Anyway, needless to say, I came off second best in the event. Maybe I came third, but I won't be able to judge this until I've seen what the bike looks like. What makes the whole thing worse, is the fact that I was riding my wife's bike at the time of the accident and mine was "safely" parked at home!
After the proverbial dust settled (it couldn't, because it was raining, remember?) one of the first thoughts that went through my head when I came to a halt was: "Lord, this was really not necessary...but thank You that I am now in Your hands and that you will look after my family!" I wasn't thinking this because I thought I was going to die, but purely from the point of view that I knew my wife would need some support right there, because I was about 250km from home and I needed to let her know at some stage that I had been in an accident.
I then realised that I had some severe pain in certain places...more severe than would/should have been normal under these circumstances, so I started taking stock of body parts and their condition. The part that hurt the most was my right lower leg, which made sense when I saw, first of all, that one wheel of the trailer was standing on the toe of my boot. Secondly, Once they'd moved the trailer off my foot, I realised that there was another problem when my foot wouldn't move along with the rest of my leg.
After further stock taking of body parts and their condition, I realised that this seemed to be the worst of my injuries, although there were other parts of my body that were seriously shouting to get my attention! Both elbows were bruised, but could be moved without any additional discomfort. My other leg was ok, as was my neck and back and chest.
Then it started to rain again, with the odd piece of small hail in between to make matters a little more uncomfortable than they already were. The people on the scene asked whether they could call someone on my behalf and whether there was anything else they could do to get me more comfortable. One thing I decided right away was that it would probably be best if I phoned my wife personally to tell her about the accident, because I believe it's best that she hear my voice rather than that of a stranger. (Also, in situatoins like this, you don't know how people are going to phrase the message, do you?)
Still at the scene, with the rain coming down sporadically, somebody got the bright idea to take a tarpaulin and cover me with that so that I would not get wetter than I already was. That's where my sense of humour started working again, because, as soon as I was covered, I peeked out from underneath and asked them to please remind the ambulance personnel that I was alive under the tarp, because I was not sure what they would think when they arrived on the scene and found me like that!
When the ambulance arrived at the scene, about 15 minutes later, I first thanked the Lord for the fact that I fell near a small town where virtually all the people know one another and where it was possible to have an ambulance on the scene within such a short period of time! The one Paramedic asked me whether I was allergic to anything and the first thing on my list was "TAR"! This helped assure the Paramedic that I was reasonably ok, except for the hurting bits.
They (The Paramedics) then went to work on getting me sorted and assessing all my injuries on scene. This also meant that they cut my best denim to shreds, along with the rain suit pants and "long johns" I had on underneath. As the one guy mentioned at that stage...it wasn't such a loss, because they had all borne the brunt of my fall and were in need of some form of disposal anyway!
Looking back at the situation, I now understand that they do this in order to leave the patient as comfortable as possible, because they would have hurt me more if they had tried to "salvage" my clothes and undress me properly at the scene.
Anyway...regardless of the pain I was experiencing at the time, I realised that these guys did a fantastic job on the scene, specifically considering the conditions under which they had to work.
Once they had me stabilised they transfered me to one of those backboard jobs and put me into the ambulance to transport me to the nearest Mediclinic so that a "proper" Doctor could get a look at me and they could decide what needed to be done with me. I was hopng it would be something like..."Let's put some plaster cast on the leg and drop him off at home!", or something like that.........
2008/05/28
Only positive and uplifting...
Some of you that check these pages regularly must be thinking that I have no life whatsoever, because I don't post regularly. Although I do, in fact, lead a full life, I have decided to post only when I have something useful, positive and uplifting to share.
This, of course, means that I have not had much uplifting, encouraging and positive to say in the last couple of days (weeks?). Yes, I too go through depressive moments and have had my own "pity party" for the last couple of days, but I am glad to report that it is now over and life is still going on!
Well, it would seem that winter is finally waking up, because it became suddenly colder in the last couple of days. This, in itself, is not a problem, since this has been happening at the same time nearly every year. (As far as I can determine, it has been happening around this time of year for thousands of years and will probably keep on for thousands more!)
The one thing that caught a number of people unawares, though, is the fact that the last couple of days have also been a little wetter than we are used to around here. Our winters are supposed to be dry!
Anyway...yesterday morning, getting ready to visit some clients in Johannesburg, I looked outside and decided to travel by car for a change. I can handle the wet on the bike...I can handle the cold on the bike...BUT...I've never been a big fan of the wet and the cold together on the bike. That's just plain uncomfortable!
I knew that the traffic was going to be heavy and slow, because all the other guys that usually travel by bike in the mornings would probably all be in their cars as well, so I made up my mind to relax even before I left the house. I put in some DC Talk and later listened to Bryn Hayworth, "bopping" along to the music and watching the people around me. By the time I got to my first client I had already formulated a plan for the day and found the day making it's own plans for me, but what the hay...I enjoyed it anyway!
That afternoon, I met a new friend from the UK who's an area rep from one of my client's suppliers. Turns out he rides bikes as well, so of course we hit it off straight away. Later I volunteered to take him back to his hotel (because it was on my way home anyway) and we ended up having a looooong chat...about bikes and good roads and great riding spots, of course!
Today turned out to be a typical start of winter day. Although it is cold outside, the sun is shining, the birds are singing and, probably most importantly... it is bike riding weather. Although the ride was GREAT, as usual actually, I'm now convinced that winter has finally arrived, as I'm sitting in a moderately heated office getting some life back into the fingers and toes. (Typing this is also helping!)
I'm looking forward to another productive and fantastic day where I can share some inspiration with those around me and hopefully make a difference in someone's life. So...until I post again, have a fabulous time and may someone who is positive come along and make you smile and find some joy.
Till later...
This, of course, means that I have not had much uplifting, encouraging and positive to say in the last couple of days (weeks?). Yes, I too go through depressive moments and have had my own "pity party" for the last couple of days, but I am glad to report that it is now over and life is still going on!
Well, it would seem that winter is finally waking up, because it became suddenly colder in the last couple of days. This, in itself, is not a problem, since this has been happening at the same time nearly every year. (As far as I can determine, it has been happening around this time of year for thousands of years and will probably keep on for thousands more!)
The one thing that caught a number of people unawares, though, is the fact that the last couple of days have also been a little wetter than we are used to around here. Our winters are supposed to be dry!
Anyway...yesterday morning, getting ready to visit some clients in Johannesburg, I looked outside and decided to travel by car for a change. I can handle the wet on the bike...I can handle the cold on the bike...BUT...I've never been a big fan of the wet and the cold together on the bike. That's just plain uncomfortable!
I knew that the traffic was going to be heavy and slow, because all the other guys that usually travel by bike in the mornings would probably all be in their cars as well, so I made up my mind to relax even before I left the house. I put in some DC Talk and later listened to Bryn Hayworth, "bopping" along to the music and watching the people around me. By the time I got to my first client I had already formulated a plan for the day and found the day making it's own plans for me, but what the hay...I enjoyed it anyway!
That afternoon, I met a new friend from the UK who's an area rep from one of my client's suppliers. Turns out he rides bikes as well, so of course we hit it off straight away. Later I volunteered to take him back to his hotel (because it was on my way home anyway) and we ended up having a looooong chat...about bikes and good roads and great riding spots, of course!
Today turned out to be a typical start of winter day. Although it is cold outside, the sun is shining, the birds are singing and, probably most importantly... it is bike riding weather. Although the ride was GREAT, as usual actually, I'm now convinced that winter has finally arrived, as I'm sitting in a moderately heated office getting some life back into the fingers and toes. (Typing this is also helping!)
I'm looking forward to another productive and fantastic day where I can share some inspiration with those around me and hopefully make a difference in someone's life. So...until I post again, have a fabulous time and may someone who is positive come along and make you smile and find some joy.
Till later...
2008/05/16
Stop the World ... I want to get off!
While on the way to see some Clients Wednesday morning I was again amazed at how many people are caught in the trap of having to rush everywhere they go. It brought to mind a bumper sticker I saw somewhere which said: "If people hate work so much, why are they all rushing to get there?"
If you read Monday's blog about sticking to the speed limit and the effect it had on my arrival time versus the arrival time of those who were "rushing" around me you would realise that it doesn't really matter how much you rush, you're still probably going to get there at the same time as everyone else. I made up my own law on being in a hurry in traffic. "When you're in a hurry, the lane you choose will instantly become the slowest moving lane, even if it was the fastest moving before you switched!"
Ok, ok, to be fair...You may get there 5 minutes ahead of others, but would probably have stressed another 2 years off your life compared to someone who had taken it easy. Also, my motto is that I would rather be 5 minutes late than never arrive at all because I may have suffered a stroke or been involved in an accident while rushing to get there! (Actually, my motto is that if you plan your journey properly and leave on time you may actually get there earlier and don't have to rush to get there in the first place!)
Now, again, let's be fair...I ride a bike, so I always get there earlier than anybody else traveling in a car, but that also comes with it's own hassles, which I have chosen to view as an acceptable risk. A guy nearly got taken out in front of me this morning, so I know what I mean when I talk of the risks involved in riding a bike instead of being stuck in a "full-fairing quad", believe me!
However, I believe that it has to do with a state of mind, because people end up getting in a rush due to becoming upset with their perceived lack of progress towards their destination. But think on the following...You decide whether someone or something upsets you, or not. When you get in the car in the morning and you're getting ready to go to work, you know what to expect in terms of traffic, unless it's the first day that you are travelling a specific road, of course, but let's generalise for the sale of dicsussion. So, if you know what to expect from your travels, why do you get upset when it goes according to your expectation?
It really is as easy as deciding not to get upset and to make the journey an enjoyable experience. Maybe change your routine once every now and then and you may find that it changes your life forever. Stop for a cup of coffee along the way just to take a break from the rush. Use the opportunity to stop and watch as others expend their energy in the rush.
You may just see what I see while I'm standing by the side of the road watching you rush by.
If you read Monday's blog about sticking to the speed limit and the effect it had on my arrival time versus the arrival time of those who were "rushing" around me you would realise that it doesn't really matter how much you rush, you're still probably going to get there at the same time as everyone else. I made up my own law on being in a hurry in traffic. "When you're in a hurry, the lane you choose will instantly become the slowest moving lane, even if it was the fastest moving before you switched!"
Ok, ok, to be fair...You may get there 5 minutes ahead of others, but would probably have stressed another 2 years off your life compared to someone who had taken it easy. Also, my motto is that I would rather be 5 minutes late than never arrive at all because I may have suffered a stroke or been involved in an accident while rushing to get there! (Actually, my motto is that if you plan your journey properly and leave on time you may actually get there earlier and don't have to rush to get there in the first place!)
Now, again, let's be fair...I ride a bike, so I always get there earlier than anybody else traveling in a car, but that also comes with it's own hassles, which I have chosen to view as an acceptable risk. A guy nearly got taken out in front of me this morning, so I know what I mean when I talk of the risks involved in riding a bike instead of being stuck in a "full-fairing quad", believe me!
However, I believe that it has to do with a state of mind, because people end up getting in a rush due to becoming upset with their perceived lack of progress towards their destination. But think on the following...You decide whether someone or something upsets you, or not. When you get in the car in the morning and you're getting ready to go to work, you know what to expect in terms of traffic, unless it's the first day that you are travelling a specific road, of course, but let's generalise for the sale of dicsussion. So, if you know what to expect from your travels, why do you get upset when it goes according to your expectation?
It really is as easy as deciding not to get upset and to make the journey an enjoyable experience. Maybe change your routine once every now and then and you may find that it changes your life forever. Stop for a cup of coffee along the way just to take a break from the rush. Use the opportunity to stop and watch as others expend their energy in the rush.
You may just see what I see while I'm standing by the side of the road watching you rush by.
2008/05/12
Obeying the law
Yesterday afternoon, on the way to Church, I decided to do something that would have a profound effect on my life. I decided to stick to the speed limit all the way to Church and back.
Looking back at this now, I realised that this caused some stress, not just in my life, but the lives of those around me on the highway as well. Let me explain...
Distance between Church and home is about 40km. About 30 of that is highway. About 15km of the highway is currently under construction of some kind or the other. One part of the highway is being widened, while another part of the highway is being disrupted because of the (in)famous Gautrein project between Pretoria and Johannesburg.
Normally the speed limit on the first and last part of the highway is 120km/h, while the piece in the middle is 100km/h. With the construction in progress, parts of the highway have an 80km/h speed limit.
On the way to Church, it was interesting to see my two teenagers checking the speedometer every now and then to see whether dad would keep to his promise, because they made noises like: "Yeah, right!", and "Let's see how long this lasts!" before the journey began.
Second thing that really made an impression on myself and the kids, was the fact that the old saying of: "Slow and steady wins the race" got a whole new spin yesterday. I wound up in the Midrand area at the same time as a lot of the cars that were "racing" eachother on the highway all around us. Some of these cars were changing lanes up to 5 times per km to try and get ahead!
However, the real revelation came when we were on our way home. I was watching my rear view mirror WAY more than I was watching the road ahead of me. I was staying in the slow lanes of the highway, because that is the thing to do, but people were constantly charging down on me. Some of them narrowly missed running into the back of me...All in the name of getting wherever they were going quickly.
I also realised how many people on the roads were getting upset because I was "holding them back" and preventing them from making progress towards whatever goal they had set themselves. All of this while I was actually being a "Law abiding Citizen" who was intent on not breaking the laws of the road!! Amazing how impatient people get when you actually do what you're supposed to.
Makes me wonder about people's attitude towards the law...Very much like the taxi that ran a red light (not the normal way, either, but just not stopping at a light that had been red for about a minute already!) while the Policemen in the marked police car behind me just sat and shook their heads at him, instead of actually chasing him down and arresting him for reckless and negligent driving.
Must be because it was Sunday afternoon and everyone takes a nap then...
Looking back at this now, I realised that this caused some stress, not just in my life, but the lives of those around me on the highway as well. Let me explain...
Distance between Church and home is about 40km. About 30 of that is highway. About 15km of the highway is currently under construction of some kind or the other. One part of the highway is being widened, while another part of the highway is being disrupted because of the (in)famous Gautrein project between Pretoria and Johannesburg.
Normally the speed limit on the first and last part of the highway is 120km/h, while the piece in the middle is 100km/h. With the construction in progress, parts of the highway have an 80km/h speed limit.
On the way to Church, it was interesting to see my two teenagers checking the speedometer every now and then to see whether dad would keep to his promise, because they made noises like: "Yeah, right!", and "Let's see how long this lasts!" before the journey began.
Second thing that really made an impression on myself and the kids, was the fact that the old saying of: "Slow and steady wins the race" got a whole new spin yesterday. I wound up in the Midrand area at the same time as a lot of the cars that were "racing" eachother on the highway all around us. Some of these cars were changing lanes up to 5 times per km to try and get ahead!
However, the real revelation came when we were on our way home. I was watching my rear view mirror WAY more than I was watching the road ahead of me. I was staying in the slow lanes of the highway, because that is the thing to do, but people were constantly charging down on me. Some of them narrowly missed running into the back of me...All in the name of getting wherever they were going quickly.
I also realised how many people on the roads were getting upset because I was "holding them back" and preventing them from making progress towards whatever goal they had set themselves. All of this while I was actually being a "Law abiding Citizen" who was intent on not breaking the laws of the road!! Amazing how impatient people get when you actually do what you're supposed to.
Makes me wonder about people's attitude towards the law...Very much like the taxi that ran a red light (not the normal way, either, but just not stopping at a light that had been red for about a minute already!) while the Policemen in the marked police car behind me just sat and shook their heads at him, instead of actually chasing him down and arresting him for reckless and negligent driving.
Must be because it was Sunday afternoon and everyone takes a nap then...
2008/05/11
Life is fragile...
According to the blog dashboard I haven't posted or edited anything on this blog since April 21. However, for me it feels like way longer than that since i had posted anything. However, there's a couple of good reasons for that.
1. I haven't had anything good to say about anything. I was feeling a bit down lately and was wondering about "The Meaning of Life" and all that jazz. So...I didn't want to b(l)og anyone else down with my negative feelings and thoughts. (You see? I'm quite considerate sometimes!)
2. Well...that's about the only reason I can actually think of, so a "couple of reasons" is not correct. I don't want to lie to you, so I won't.
I was reminded by a friend that I hadn't posted in a while, since he checks the blog every time he logs on to the 'net. So...here's for you Johan.
This weekend I was reminded how fragile life really is. Those that have read my intro to the bolg will know that I am a "biker", or motorcyclist, as some people would rather prefer to call us. I ride for a motorcylce club, called the CMA (Christian Motorcyclists Association). As member of this club, we often get called when there is need for serious help, specifically when there is need for support and prayer after an accident.
This past weekend was another of those cases where another biker, who I've never met, but who lives only three or four blocks from me, died in an accident. He was actually killed in a city about 250km from home, but the guys there phoned me to help the family and friends sort out things from here.
Anyway...the circumstances and so on are not the main issue here. What I realised again while dealing with this situation is the fact that life is very fragile. The old saying of "Here today, gone tomorrow" is not even true anymore. It actually should be: "Here now, Gone shortly after". That's how quickly tragedy can overtake us. What brought this home even more is the fact that the guy that got killed has two kids who are the same ages as my own.
Suddenly I again started looking differently at my own life and how I should ensure that I do as much as I possibly can to make sure that everything is in order, should anything happen to me. I want to make sure that my family doesn't suffer because I failed to plan for their well-being after my death. I realised how important it is to let your kids know that you love them, because you may not return home from that joy ride on the bike, or even that very "un-joyous" outing to the office.
Fortunately, I do know that some of my "preaching" has had an effect on some guys, because a friend of mine (I just heard this today) spent some time at his parents' place and because he had had a few drinks with the rest of the family, he decided to leave his bike parked right there and asked his wife to take him home with the car...Good man!! Little decisions like these can make all the difference to your life, the lives of those around you, as well as the lives of those who use the roads with you.
Anyway...before I get all "soppy" and start sounding negative...Remember this one thing...
Someone out there loves you. Someone out there would like to get to know you better. Somewhere out there is someone who is depending on you to make a difference.
Make each day count and make sure you become somebody that others can look up to and find that role model and hope that they need.
1. I haven't had anything good to say about anything. I was feeling a bit down lately and was wondering about "The Meaning of Life" and all that jazz. So...I didn't want to b(l)og anyone else down with my negative feelings and thoughts. (You see? I'm quite considerate sometimes!)
2. Well...that's about the only reason I can actually think of, so a "couple of reasons" is not correct. I don't want to lie to you, so I won't.
I was reminded by a friend that I hadn't posted in a while, since he checks the blog every time he logs on to the 'net. So...here's for you Johan.
This weekend I was reminded how fragile life really is. Those that have read my intro to the bolg will know that I am a "biker", or motorcyclist, as some people would rather prefer to call us. I ride for a motorcylce club, called the CMA (Christian Motorcyclists Association). As member of this club, we often get called when there is need for serious help, specifically when there is need for support and prayer after an accident.
This past weekend was another of those cases where another biker, who I've never met, but who lives only three or four blocks from me, died in an accident. He was actually killed in a city about 250km from home, but the guys there phoned me to help the family and friends sort out things from here.
Anyway...the circumstances and so on are not the main issue here. What I realised again while dealing with this situation is the fact that life is very fragile. The old saying of "Here today, gone tomorrow" is not even true anymore. It actually should be: "Here now, Gone shortly after". That's how quickly tragedy can overtake us. What brought this home even more is the fact that the guy that got killed has two kids who are the same ages as my own.
Suddenly I again started looking differently at my own life and how I should ensure that I do as much as I possibly can to make sure that everything is in order, should anything happen to me. I want to make sure that my family doesn't suffer because I failed to plan for their well-being after my death. I realised how important it is to let your kids know that you love them, because you may not return home from that joy ride on the bike, or even that very "un-joyous" outing to the office.
Fortunately, I do know that some of my "preaching" has had an effect on some guys, because a friend of mine (I just heard this today) spent some time at his parents' place and because he had had a few drinks with the rest of the family, he decided to leave his bike parked right there and asked his wife to take him home with the car...Good man!! Little decisions like these can make all the difference to your life, the lives of those around you, as well as the lives of those who use the roads with you.
Anyway...before I get all "soppy" and start sounding negative...Remember this one thing...
Someone out there loves you. Someone out there would like to get to know you better. Somewhere out there is someone who is depending on you to make a difference.
Make each day count and make sure you become somebody that others can look up to and find that role model and hope that they need.
2008/04/21
Learning, Concentration and Distractions
I've just decided to study something new again at the "tender" age of 43. However, I'm finding it difficult to concentrate on studying and reading for longer than 5 minutes at a time! I'm notoriously bad at concentrating on one thing for a long period of time anyway, so I'm finding it near impossible to sit down and read books on a "new" (for me anyway!) programming language for longer than 5 minutes!
I think I'm like the typical teenager in that regard...Don't give me the theory, let me learn how to do it by trial and error. The only problem I have with this is the fact that I need the theory before I can do the trial and error bit!! :-)
I studied computer programming as a "youngster" and have a Diploma, but haven't actually been in programming (or IT for that matter!) for a number of years. I work in the Quality environment for a living and haven't had to program anything since about 1995 when I used a language called "Clipper" to develop a small system using a database.
I am currently trying to find a little more time to learn PHP, as this is what is used to develop one of the products we intend selling to our Customers. Obviously this is all in the name of Customer Service and further development, but I must say I'm finding it hard to concentrate on the reading that I have to do. The problem I have is that there are constantly things happening that are more interesting than reading the books on PHP!
Anyway...Just thought I'd share this with whoever is interested. Maybe someone out there has a little advice on how to deal with this and make learning PHP more fun so that people like myself can get through it without allowing distractions to get in the way!
I think I'm like the typical teenager in that regard...Don't give me the theory, let me learn how to do it by trial and error. The only problem I have with this is the fact that I need the theory before I can do the trial and error bit!! :-)
I studied computer programming as a "youngster" and have a Diploma, but haven't actually been in programming (or IT for that matter!) for a number of years. I work in the Quality environment for a living and haven't had to program anything since about 1995 when I used a language called "Clipper" to develop a small system using a database.
I am currently trying to find a little more time to learn PHP, as this is what is used to develop one of the products we intend selling to our Customers. Obviously this is all in the name of Customer Service and further development, but I must say I'm finding it hard to concentrate on the reading that I have to do. The problem I have is that there are constantly things happening that are more interesting than reading the books on PHP!
Anyway...Just thought I'd share this with whoever is interested. Maybe someone out there has a little advice on how to deal with this and make learning PHP more fun so that people like myself can get through it without allowing distractions to get in the way!
2008/04/07
Quick Update
This time round the fact that I haven't posted for a while has nothing to do with not being in front of the laptop...I just haven't been able to get around to writing anything worthwhile while I was in front of the laptop!!
There are quite a number of subjects I could write about, but to choose one that would be of interest to potential readers is the main problem.
I'll choose something soon and post again.
For now...Be prepared for a couple of interesting topics to come. One of them will be as requested by a friend of mine, namely: "How to chill when you can't!" (I just have to think about this one carefully before I put virtual pen to paper...
'till then...God Bless
There are quite a number of subjects I could write about, but to choose one that would be of interest to potential readers is the main problem.
I'll choose something soon and post again.
For now...Be prepared for a couple of interesting topics to come. One of them will be as requested by a friend of mine, namely: "How to chill when you can't!" (I just have to think about this one carefully before I put virtual pen to paper...
'till then...God Bless
2008/03/26
Long time since last post
Haven't been in front of the laptop for nearly a week now...sorry!
Was out and about visiting customers and meeting with "The Boss" to discuss some crucial business issues toward the end of last week. Also been away on Easter long weekend with the rest of the "biker gang" at the CMA National Rally in Kroonstad.
Enjoyed the National Rally a lot! Lots of people joined us from all over the country, as well as some International guests. I also met Will Segraves who is an awesome blues artist from Georgia. The guy has a testimony of note and also a serious sense of humour. He's so down to earth he makes you feel like you're the celebrity when you meet him.
If you want to find out more about the man, as well as getting hold of some of his music, log onto www.williamsegraves.org.
He'll be ministering to the Bikers at Bikers Church in Midrand on Sunday, 30 March 2008, so more about that later.
Well, that's about all I have time for right now...Just wanted to let you all know I'm still around and posting.
Was out and about visiting customers and meeting with "The Boss" to discuss some crucial business issues toward the end of last week. Also been away on Easter long weekend with the rest of the "biker gang" at the CMA National Rally in Kroonstad.
Enjoyed the National Rally a lot! Lots of people joined us from all over the country, as well as some International guests. I also met Will Segraves who is an awesome blues artist from Georgia. The guy has a testimony of note and also a serious sense of humour. He's so down to earth he makes you feel like you're the celebrity when you meet him.
If you want to find out more about the man, as well as getting hold of some of his music, log onto www.williamsegraves.org.
He'll be ministering to the Bikers at Bikers Church in Midrand on Sunday, 30 March 2008, so more about that later.
Well, that's about all I have time for right now...Just wanted to let you all know I'm still around and posting.
2008/03/18
Driving and intolerance
Well, it's the second day of having a blog and I decided to live up to the title of the page, namely to "ramble" on about stuff that happened to be on my mind.
Like most other people in South Africa, I travel to and from the office or my place of work almost every day, which means I'm in traffic for some time. As stated before, I ride a motorcycle, which makes my time in the traffic less than if I had been traveling by car, but I am in the traffic nonetheless.
This morning is one of the rare occasions I decided to travel to work by car, seeing as it has been raining non-stop for the last couple of days and I DO actually have a car to keep me dry when necessary. (Putting on the rain suit for a short trip like today is just not worth the effort!)
On the way to work I was struck again by how intolerant people are of each other when in traffic. I can understand when people become intolerant when you do something really silly and endanger those around you, but what really gets to me is the fact that people become most intolerant when you actually obey the traffic signs and rules.
All you need to do is stop at a traffic light that has gone amber and is about to go red, or stop for the obligatory 3 seconds at a stop sign ...
I am on the brink of having to teach my daughter to drive and ride bike, as she turns 16 in the next couple of months. I have actually been thinking of starting a driving/riding school that combines the legal side of the driver's test with tips for survival on the roads. The legal side will be to help the student pass their driver's test, obviously.
The survival tips part of the course will cover subjects like:
Like most other people in South Africa, I travel to and from the office or my place of work almost every day, which means I'm in traffic for some time. As stated before, I ride a motorcycle, which makes my time in the traffic less than if I had been traveling by car, but I am in the traffic nonetheless.
This morning is one of the rare occasions I decided to travel to work by car, seeing as it has been raining non-stop for the last couple of days and I DO actually have a car to keep me dry when necessary. (Putting on the rain suit for a short trip like today is just not worth the effort!)
On the way to work I was struck again by how intolerant people are of each other when in traffic. I can understand when people become intolerant when you do something really silly and endanger those around you, but what really gets to me is the fact that people become most intolerant when you actually obey the traffic signs and rules.
All you need to do is stop at a traffic light that has gone amber and is about to go red, or stop for the obligatory 3 seconds at a stop sign ...
I am on the brink of having to teach my daughter to drive and ride bike, as she turns 16 in the next couple of months. I have actually been thinking of starting a driving/riding school that combines the legal side of the driver's test with tips for survival on the roads. The legal side will be to help the student pass their driver's test, obviously.
The survival tips part of the course will cover subjects like:
- How to stop legally at a stop sign or red traffic light and not be hit from behind by the guy who thought you were going to go through it like everyone else.
- Safely negotiating the new traffic light system. (Also known as: Green means "Go", Amber means "Go like Hell" and Red means "Last Chance".)
- 101 ways to keep a safe following distance and still move forward.
- How to focus on and predict what the 8 people around you are going to do next. (Also known as: "Focusing like a chameleon.")
- Prayer before, during and after a trip.
2008/03/17
Welcome to Marc's Ramblings
My name's Marc and I ride bikes for a living.
Of course, I know a boss who would be very disappointed to hear me say that, since I'm also supposed to do some work every now and then. For monthly income, I actually do Consulting on Management Systems Implementation...BUT...I ride my bike to get to all my clients whenever the opportunity presents itself, which is virtually all the time anyway!
Because I know that this may be read by any number of people form various countries and religions and races and backgrounds, I want to make the following very clear upfront:
I intend using this blog to speak my mind on topics I find interesting and I intend to make sure that I try not to offend anyone along the way. However, there is a remote possibility that I may offend someone along the line and for this I apologize up front. BUT...I will also say that I intend to make sure that this blog is a true reflection of who I am and what I stand for and believe in, which may, of course, increase the possibility of causing offense.
Please remember that being offended is a choice that you have to make. I cannot offend anyone with what I say and do...You can only decide to take that offense upon yourself. If I say something that you do not like, or choose to pursue a topic that you do not agree with, you are welcome to say so, but you need to then decide if you want to continue visiting my blog, or not.
If you decide to continue visiting the blog, welcome back. If you decide not to continue visiting, I'll be sad to see you go, but will understand and thank you for understanding that I do not intend to try and please everyone. One day we may actually meet again and see eye to eye on the matter.
Until later when I actually have something to ramble on about, or when someone else decides to leave me a topic for discussion...
God Bless
Of course, I know a boss who would be very disappointed to hear me say that, since I'm also supposed to do some work every now and then. For monthly income, I actually do Consulting on Management Systems Implementation...BUT...I ride my bike to get to all my clients whenever the opportunity presents itself, which is virtually all the time anyway!
Because I know that this may be read by any number of people form various countries and religions and races and backgrounds, I want to make the following very clear upfront:
I intend using this blog to speak my mind on topics I find interesting and I intend to make sure that I try not to offend anyone along the way. However, there is a remote possibility that I may offend someone along the line and for this I apologize up front. BUT...I will also say that I intend to make sure that this blog is a true reflection of who I am and what I stand for and believe in, which may, of course, increase the possibility of causing offense.
Please remember that being offended is a choice that you have to make. I cannot offend anyone with what I say and do...You can only decide to take that offense upon yourself. If I say something that you do not like, or choose to pursue a topic that you do not agree with, you are welcome to say so, but you need to then decide if you want to continue visiting my blog, or not.
If you decide to continue visiting the blog, welcome back. If you decide not to continue visiting, I'll be sad to see you go, but will understand and thank you for understanding that I do not intend to try and please everyone. One day we may actually meet again and see eye to eye on the matter.
Until later when I actually have something to ramble on about, or when someone else decides to leave me a topic for discussion...
God Bless
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