Skip to main content

Unplugged edition - Nirvana style

When I was growing up, we all had that one Nirvana unplugged CD.  You know the one where the poor drug addict screams his little lungs out, come as you are...preferably high.  In my case I also had an Eric Clapton unplugged CD.  The first CD I ever owned in fact was the Eric Clapton one, the teary Tears in Heaven and the more upbeat Layla played extensively on my DVD player back in the day.  I don’t think that any of us really knew just what unplugged meant, or how we would in time to come need to unplug ourselves from the network a bit.

This past weekend we went to a cherry farm in Fouriesburg, Free-State with some friends, and the most amazing part of the weekend was most probably the fact that our smartphones had zero reception.  Zero as in nada, zip, this meant no BBM, Whatsapp, Facebook or emails.  It was quite a new experience to be living in the moment again and not living the moment on Facebook tagging along all the time. 
Yes, I am the first to admit that when we arrived on Friday and I discovered the lack of reception, I panicked and walked around phone in the air waving my hands like I just don’t care, but then I relaxed, I realised that my husband and children were right there next to me and Sekai would be more than capable of dealing with any crisis at home.  Hell she probably had a pool party with margaritas, and good on her, that woman works way too hard anyway.

Technically speaking I was on leave and replied to emails for the biggest part of the day on Friday, so I could not really do much more now could I .  Monday was only a whisper away, and let's just face up to the fact that it is November, pre-festive season slowness has started in most of our beautiful country and we might as well be in full government shut down mode similar to Barak's people over in the US. 
On a recent family vacation in Mauritius, Gerhard and I religiously checked emails once a day, replied to the urgent ones and posted some pics on Facebook, you know just so people could see us relaxing, having fun.  Crazy, madness and just a bit sad really.  When five year old kids as you if you are on Facebook, it is funny and sad at the same time. When they ask you to just Whatsapp the teacher that they are sick, you know we have a problem!
So we forcefully unplugged this past weekend, the kids had a ball, Liam caught his first ever fish, he is hooked in a manner of speaking so I guess Gerhard will unplug again, soon, rod and tackle in hand.  Luka played outside, and shouted ‘moo’ at every single cow she saw, Gerhard played golf, I went to the spa, and you know what, the photographs were still there to load on Facebook this morning, and the office believe it or not still stands, regrettably so. 
If you are looking for me in December 2013 folks, I am unplugging at an undisclosed destination, phone in the cubbyhole of the bakkie.  Pics will follow in January 2014.  No more panicked hand waving cellphone reception seeking for me thank you very much, I pay a lot of money for my holidays, and so I will be experiencing them, real time. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

I had a stunning Louis Vuiton Bag

I love handbags, I am crazy about them, I would forgo food for a good handbag.  Everybody has a 'thing' and mine simply happens to be handbags.  Big ones, small ones, madly expensive ones and el cheapos that you get at the flea market, grey ones hand crafted by old ladies at the old age home, shiny metally ones.  I love handbags. Well guess what?  No, not that Guess, not as in the handbag...I now have a diaper bag.  A red one, and it needs to double as my handbag.  There is just no way in hell that I can manage a two (almost three!) year old, a two week old, a diaper bag and a handbag, something had to give and in this case, it was my poor almost new chunky Louis Vuiton bag.  I miss it already... The thing is, when you have a baby, some things are just not meant to be. At least this time around, I have managed to paint my nails (all of them, fingers and toes) twice, and I have worn make up on at least four separate occasions.  With Liam a...

Liam and growing up

It struck me about five minutes ago how fast Liam has grown up since I fell pregnant with Luka.  Let me use an example, Gerhard had to leave the house really early this morning to go and play golf.  Liam is still a bit phlegmy, so he is still nebulised morning and evening - Gerhard's job.  Refer to previous posts about pregnancy paranoia and you will clearly understand that there is just no way in hell that I can nebulise Liam. So this morning the two of us eat our breakfast and then its time to nebulize, and I tell Liam he will just have to do this on his own, poor thing.  So there is my two year old boy sitting on the couch nebulising himself, my heart actually broke into pieces. He also got his very first set of golf clubs yesterday, not the plastic variety but mini golf clubs in a proper bag.  He is just so chuffed with himself!  He actually called his Oupa Hansie yesterday to show him his golf clubs (over the phone yes).  He could not con...

On the eve of my first protest

It is the eve of my first ever protest about anything really.  I am a little scared, a little excited, a little apprehensive but extremely motivated.  For those not following South African politics, our President last week fired our honest Minister of Finance and the South African economy took a tumble and we were downgraded to junk status by ratings agencies. Economic and political uncertainty ensued all because of one man’s greed and corruption.  Junk status has dire implications for our country and as always the people who will be most affected are the poorest of the poor.  Interest rates will rise, so will inflation and food prices, jobs will be lost, the list of horrible things goes on. Ordinary South Africans have now had enough and for the first time ever people from all walks of life are united behind a common cause, to save South Africa.  I have never in my 40 years on this earth been moved by any cause, not enough to actually take...