Random thoughts from a saturated brain

I only remembered to take my thyroxine pills once this week.  Last week wasn't much better, which meant that I could feel myself slowly slipping away into the forest with the faeries.  When I get to that state, then it's hard to remember to take them, especially in the rush to get out of the door in the morning.  I need to seriously re-think my pill-popping time.  Luckily, Katie called this morning to remind me to take them.  Yesterday, I couldn't remember how to spell 'inquiry,' so settled for writing 'look' instead.  Then towards the end of the day, I had to concentrate extra hard to not slur my words.  I know from experience, this means that I'm fooling around with my thyroxine levels, and with no thyroid, I can't be so careless.  So random mental note to myself, TAKE THOSE FRIGGING PILLS.

School is a bit crazy at the moment.  I'm working with the Grade 5's on their exhibition.  Sometimes kids do even more random things than I do.  I gave a poetry writing lesson to get the little blighters all inspired to write poetry for their exhibition, especially seeing that it falls under How we express ourselves.  The kidlets have all chosen quite deep issues to investigate and express their feelings about.  Anyway, back to the poetry.  One little monklet is working on HIV/AIDS and his poem, hold on while I giggle uncontrollably again, Goes 'You have AIDS and you live with maids all alone in your room...'  Okay, I told him we need to work on that a bit.  The rest of the poem is in a similar vein, very inappropriate but hysterical all the same.  To be sure, he was just using a word which rhymed with AIDS.  So much more to do with the exhibition, only a week left, next week will be crazier.  I have to remember to take those damn pills.

Debs, the learning support teacher, and myself will run the SEN Unit next year.  We have been thinking about calling it the LSD - Latte and Scones Department.  I'll be taking in my filter coffee machine and sandwich maker, and we have a little oven.  Should be fun.

The Yearbook is also on my list of things to get done.  Another mammoth job, but Siobhan and Katie said they'd help.  We lost all the work our yearbook committee had done when the school server crashed, never to be retrieved.  Sometimes, technology sucks.

Which reminds me, Sunday is my day to knock off some reports.  25 Kidlets, another huge as hurdle, but we're heading rapidly towards the end of the school year.  So much to do, so little time.  Must remember to take those wretched pills.  Okay, have to order their t-shirts, the exhibition ones....just remembered.  What's that song?  It's all coming back to me now...Okay have to become a list person, but I've lost my passport.  Tomorrow is the search the house and find where Siobhan put my passport day.

And then of course no week is without some drama.  Some pathetic moron decided it would be funny to send menacing threatening texts to the head of our Arusha campus, with a result it was closed down for two days.  Our head just got one threatening text, I think, but we decided to stay open and operating.  Diploma kids are writing exams so closing the school would have been problematical.  The less than efficient security guards upped their security, confuddled policemen patrolled our gates, and our three male superheroes on the staff manned the entrance, putting their bodies on the line to ward off the infidel.  The other male staff members thought a cuppa coffee and chat in the staffroom before school was far nicer, especially as there was a light drizzle.  The police and US Embassy failed to catch the culprit, even though he used the same number to send countless threatening texts over a two day period.  A few kids were upset, but none hysterical and most treated it with the contempt it deserved.  Probably a moronic ex-student at home on holiday with a grudge.  Tsk....tsk...

Last weekend I worked flat out to finish the revising of Not Telling, after going through my editor's notes and suggestions.  After a 15 hour stint on Sunday I was satisfied with my book.  More than satisfied actually, I think I've done a great job.  There are some graphic bits in the beginning which might scare some people off, but hey...I've always been one to call a spade a spade.  Now Not Telling is at Createspace and I'm waiting for my proof copy, as well as the proof copy of Fighting Fisi, my children's picture book.  At the moment you can download a free ebook of Not Telling from http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/14702.   Use this coupon number FC98A. Offer expires 28 May 2010.

I spent this afternoon trying to sort out this ruddy carnet de passage I need to drive into South Africa.  I have managed to get a temp export permit from Tanzanian Road Authority, surprisingly painless and free.  But to my disgust, I've discovered that the yellow card is not the same as the carnet, and allows me to visit every blasted country in Africa other than South Africa.  Why do they have to be so damn special?  Anyway, my insurance company is investigating it, but I won't hold my breath.  I reckon I'm going to have to smuggle ourselves across the border.  And when they say, "Do you have a visa?"  I can say, "Sorry, only have a mastercard."  Okay forgive me, a lame joke.
So, I came home all inspired to research our trip.  Hell, have to know which direction I'm driving, don't I?  Actually, truth be told I am starting to get a little nervous.  A mother and teenage daughter doing a big overland trip through Africa....it is a little daunting.  Okay, and probably a little dangerous.  But oh my God, think of the adrenalin rush.  Had better remember to take those pills.
Our route going down is finalised.  I'm going to avoid Gabs I think.  Oh dear, maybe I might change my mind again.  I am a woman after all, I can do that.
Saturday 12th June.  Drive 514km from Moshi to Morogoro, Tanzania.
Sunday 13th June.  Drive 639km from Morogoro to Mbeya, Tanzania.
Monday 14th June.  Drive 480km from Mbeya to Mpika, Zambia.  (border crossing involved)
Tuesday 15th June.  Drive 1100km from Mpika to Livingstone, Zambia.
Wednesday 16th June.  Drive 591km from Livingstone to Francistown, Botswana (border crossing)
Thursday 17th June.  Drive 909km from Francistown to Kimberley, South Africa (border crossing)
Friday 18th June.  Drive 828km from Kimberly to Cape Town
Saturday 19th June.  Sleep all day.

Trapped!

After planning this children's story on my 9 hour drive back from Dar-es-Salaam, (hey, one has to think about something other than the other cars on the road or a noisy teenager singing at the top of her voice), I couldn't wait to get started with it.  So, I spent the next 5 days illustrating the story.  It didn't take too long to write.  I took photos of the illustrations, put them on Photoshop, gave them a border and wrote the text on them.  Then I saved them as a jpeg, opened a word document, inserted the jpeg images and then saved the completed word document as a pdf file.  Probably did it all the long way round, but it worked so I'm happy.  My next step, was to add all the jpegs to Movie Maker and record myself narrating the story on a digital wave recorder, then I added the audio file to the movie file and voila!  I made a movie which I've uploaded onto Youtube http://youtu.be/4KJ9AGBokTQ?a.  I've tried to embed it in this post but am not sure it has worked.  I'll see when I view the completed post, eh?

Anyway, the rain was good as it meant I couldn't go outside so I had to focus on my writing.  I do tend to get distracted rather easily.  It's what happens when you have a mind that is so full of noise.  Attention Deficit Disorder, that's me.  But Saturday, the rain was a bit too much.  Torrential downpour, I thought the house would cave in.  It started leaking around my back door of the house, and then I heard a huge crash and the power went out.  Siobhan went to investigate, she was brave enough to head out in the rain.  A neighbour two houses down, had a huge giant enormous eucalyptus tree come down across the road, effectively blocking our way out.  We were trapped!  They only removed the tree the Monday afternoon, and Tanesco braved the rain Sunday afternoon to repair the power lines which had come down, so we were close to 30 hours without power.  Of course, that meant we couldn't watch movies or use the internet, couldn't charge up the phone, pump water, have a shower.  So I just painted while there was enough light and Siobhan and I started playing Scrabble.  She's good, has inherited all my sneaky Scrabble moves.
Otherwise, we've spent the rest of the holiday just relaxing at home.  Can't believe it's nearly over!  The last quarter of the school year is going to fly as there is just so much happening, and before I know it, I'll be on my huge overland trip to Cape Town.
Oh well, have some more writing to do!
love
Cindy