1. I really want to get a picture of this, but I’m afraid to brandish my cellphone in downtime for fear that someone will smash my window and take it from me. There is this guy who sleeps on the pavement right by the highway off ramp. Right there, every morning, looking like a bundle of rubbish, but it you look closely you’ll see human form under the blanket and cardboard.

He’s a meter away from a 3 lane off ramp. And on his other side is the concrete wall/pillar of the actual highway above. How does he get any sleep? Isn’t there anywhere softer on the body and quieter on the ear he could choose?

2. The block on which I park has security guards with dogs on the corners, to make sure folks make it from their parking garage to their office block without getting mugged. I feel for those dogs, because really, what kind of life is that for an animal. I wonder if it crushes their playful spirit. So I took some comfort seeing on doggie playing tug-o-war with his master over a plastic bottle yesterday morning. I’m glad that service dogs can still play a little.

Every time I think that I couldn’t fit anything more into my life, I find that I can. But at what cost?

Part and parcel with being deployed to down town Joburg comes traffic. Lots of it. My new location adds roughly an hour to my travel time daily. Okay so half of that is stolen from sleep time, but the other half is taken from my son. And probably more than just that because I no longer am as able to run errands in my lunch break. I am also often annoyed and exhausted once I finally do make it to him.

I say that I wouldn’t give up my job even if I could afford to, but truth is that you can’t really evaluate that properly until you are in that situation. If I gave up my horses and the expenses that came with them I could probably give up my job, but then who would I be?

I’d be a clean slate waiting for a fresh start, but I would also be wiped clean of major contributions to who I am.

Hmmm, something to think about on this Sunday evening.

I started a 6 month contract this morning in bank city downtown. I have spent the past week sending evil vibes to the boss who has posted me here, because I’m adverse to change and I don’t go downtown without a busload of other people.

As I was getting into my car I realised I hadn’t charged my Blackberry so would be GPS-less too, argh! But I made it with only one attempt to turn the wrong way down a one way street. Which resulted in a trip around the block.

And you know what, its not so bad. I still have to actually leave the parkade, traverse a block and start the job, but hey I survived the drive.

From the parkade, several levels up, I can see people hanging their washing on apartment block rooftops. Different lifestyle this …

Went out for a friends hen night on saturday – 10 more sleeps Kylie! – and stayed out way too late. Got home right as Aidan was demanding his 4AM bottie. I didn’t drink much so I wasn’t battling any hangovers, but it seems my immune system is a tad fragile at the mo. I didn’t get the opportunity to catch up any sleep on Sunday, and the resultant breach in the immune defenses has left me with a fiery throat, post nasal drip and ringing ears – with the accompanying light headedness. Not fun. Rather annoying in fact.

But now, one day later it seems like Aidan is coming down with the same thing. Not enough of a gap there for me to have given it to him, I suspect we both picked it up from the same place. Thing is, I can’t recall us being around any sick people 3-5 days ago. We did visit my SIL and Aidans cousins on sunday but they were all in good health…

It’s so frustrating. It seems to me like my boy gets sick from every sick person he encounters. When is his immune system gonna strengthen up? He’s a well fed boy, I have him on a multi-vit designed especially for respiratory tract support and it’s still summer! What more can I do without barricading us in the house 24-7-365?

Argh. Imagine what we’d be like if he were still in daycare?

Kay, I’ll stop whining now and get my sorry arse to bed. Maybe we’ll all wake up healthy in the morning.