Jakkals kry spoed

[Jakkals]

14 hours ago, Murphy's Roommate said:

I wish I had that level of knowledge into where my money went this year.  That is impressive! 

 

 

It is the very first time I did it, and I should have done it month by month. It is a challenge for the next year.

 

I have read about Colorado weather. I am not really sure it is good, but I have not seen snow before. Down here it is high summer.

 

Sondag, 17 Desember

 

Took the dogs for a walk, went to the workshop, had lunch and slept until the dogs woke me up for their second walk. The simple life.

 

Listened today to Pink, Coldplay and Robbie Williams.

 

Working on the puzzle. Blue skies and clouds should be banned.

[Mrs Van]

8 hours ago, Jakkals said:

It is the very first time I did it, and I should have done it month by month. It is a challenge for the next year.

I'm really impressed. That is great and a good goal for next year.

A while ago you mentioned wanting to email someone. Have you done that?

Glad you had a relaxing Sunday.

[Jakkals]

Maandag, 18 Desember

 

I have done the email thing. I did not get a reply.

 

Walkies, workshop, lunch, workshop, walkies, dinner, talking, puzzle, internet.

 

Listened on the radio to what happens at the ANC conference. Good and bad news, but at least not very bad.

 

I know it is Holiday, but going to bed at a decent time is still important. It is now almost midnight.

 

The sky and clouds on the puzzle are finished.

[Murphy's Roommate]

A decent bed time is always a win.  I am a strong believer in that!

 

Do you run shortwave, or UHF/VHF?  Sorry for the nerdery when you are listening to the fate of your country, but I'm a radio nerd.

 

I spent about 30 minutes figuring one of my radios out tonight.  It wasn't doing what I thought it should - wrong mode.  One stupid button press gave me half an hour of interneting and button pushing to find an answer.  I love HAM radio...

 

 - Murphy's Roommate

[Jakkals]

Dinsdag 19 Desember

 

Sorry, this radio is ordinary FM. My brother did do a course in HAM radio, so he knows a little bit more, but he does not own a radio yet. My only non normal radio experience was a long time ago in the army. I used to have a nifty speed in Morse code, but  I lost most of that.

 

The visitors are here. I am already beyond tired. I do like them, but I just wish everybody would shut up sometimes. One Russian who teach English to Swiss bankers in Zurich, and his daughter who seems to have spend the evening talking to her Nepalese husband in St Petersburg about their sick cat . It's complicated.

 

My contraption work. September Jacques just made a big mistake but fortunately December Jacques managed to safe it. Safety covers still have to be made.

 

Lots of talking and early bedtimes do not go together. 23:30.

 

Still limping.

[Mrs Van]

On 12/18/2017 at 11:25 PM, Jakkals said:

Listened on the radio to what happens at the ANC conference. Good and bad news, but at least not very bad.

Guess it's time for me to catch up again. Just saw a couple joke-pictures (what's the nice word for that?) about Z.

9 hours ago, Jakkals said:

One Russian who teach English to Swiss bankers in Zurich, and his daughter who seems to have spend the evening talking to her Nepalese husband in St Petersburg about their sick cat .

Eish! That can become confusing very fast! And definitely tiring.

9 hours ago, Jakkals said:

My contraption work. September Jacques just made a big mistake but fortunately December Jacques managed to safe it. Safety covers still have to be made.

Woot! Woot! You saved the day!

[Jakkals]

Woensdag 20 Desember

 

Late again, and I ate too much, again.

 

My contraption is on the 90% done, 90% to be done stage. It is frustrating. 

 

The puzzle is finished.

 

 

[Jakkals]

Donderdag 21 Desember

 

A short time at the workshop this morning. And then my brother had to go to the city and I went with him. I met and talked briefly to people I like and have not seen for a few years.

 

Then it was The Last Jedi at Imax and in 3D. I enjoyed it very much.

 

Afterwards it was all you can eat pizza. Then I made it all it is possible to eat pizza. And then it become all the pizza I should not eat. And then it become all the pizza I really really should not eat. And then I had a few slices extra. Very enjoyable, but I feel like Mr Creosote now.

 

 

 

 

[Jakkals]

Vrydag 22 Desember

 

Last night took it's toll. I slept late, fiddled around online, walked the dogs and then spend the rest of the morning reading on my bed. The afternoon  spend at the workshop, I will hopefully be done with my project by tomorrow.

 

It rained a little bit late afternoon.

 

And Christmas day is almost upon us. 

 

I have been following this series for a few months now. 

 

 

[Jakkals]

Saterdag 23 Desember

 

My contraption is finished. A lot of fiddling and bad language today,but it is done. I will have to test it sometime next week.

 

Saturday night movie were Die Hard.

 

Visitors gone today, family tomorrow, family Monday. I do not understand why you have to spend Christmas day with the people who ignored you the whole year.

 

[Mrs Van]

9 hours ago, Jakkals said:

Visitors gone today, family tomorrow, family Monday. I do not understand why you have to spend Christmas day with the people who ignored you the whole year.

Why we made our own rules. We visit Brandt's mom beginning of December, and Christmas time is for ourselves: Brandt, me, the kids. The days before or the days after some close friends can visit or we'll visit them, but 24-26Dec. is our time.

Hope you still have a blessedly, relaxing time, during the visit - take time for yourself!

And what is this contraption you made?

[Jakkals]

Sondag 24 Desember.

 

And a Merry Christmas to everyone.

 

11 pm and they have just left. I did go very unsocial for part of the evening, and listened to Lady Gaga and other singers. I also watched a video on how a cruise ship crankshaft is replaced.

 

A strange early morning thunderstorm. The dogs did not like the thunder. When I took them for a walk the rain were over, and while in the open there were a late lightning strike, very loud. The dogs are not over it yet.

 

I lit my forge this morning, and tested my contraption. I will have to make a video on this, since I forgot my camera. To be honest I did  not think I would light the forge, but the cleaning I wanted to do was such a chore forging seemed less work. 

 

Just to get tomorrow over and done with. I am really not looking forward to it.

 

 

[Mrs Van]

An anvil tree! That's awesome!

Merry Christmas, Jakkals.

[Jakkals]

Maandag 25 Desember.

 

The day turned out to be better than expected, my social time were very limited. When we arrived the host were assembling a new trampoline, so I stood around making smartass remarks. That took a long time, then we started eating, and after the first course they took a break and I went swimming. Then we ate some more and I swam some more and then we had dessert and then I had a short nap on the lawn in the shade. In the end I probably spend less than two hours among people talking. And I ate too much. It is time to tell people when I want to stop eating. At least we got home before dark, the dogs were delighted to see us.

 

 

[Sloth the Enduring]

I’m glad you had a good day Jakkals.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mrs Van]

That sounds like a great day, Jakkals!

[Teros]

Gotta smildge your floops.

[Jakkals]

Dinsdag 26 Desember

 

I wonder when the day of looking forward to socializing will come?

 

I mowed the lawns at work and at home.

 

And I stood on the scale. 

[Mrs Van]

39 minutes ago, Jakkals said:

I wonder when the day of looking forward to socializing will come?

Some people love being among other people. Some people don't. You just have to find your "level" of how much time you want to spend with certain people. With some it will be less or more than with others. Sometimes socialising is just being in the same room with someone else, not necessarily chatting a mile a minute. I've come to realise that when I take the boys to sport I have to "socialise" with the other moms. But they have also accepted that me greeting and chatting for a couple minutes is enough. I'm lucky that they normally don't push me to chat, they'll let me sit there at times, and just listen, or I'll answer questions when asked. It's become easier over time though. Like a mask: the out and about mommy mask, and the normal me at home, mask. I have maybe two, three people whom I can just sit and relax and actually chat amicably with in real life.

56 minutes ago, Jakkals said:

I mowed the lawns at work and at home.

You missed our lawn at the back

56 minutes ago, Jakkals said:

And I stood on the scale. 

Eish! I'm not this brave yet

[Emma]

Who says you have to look forward to socializing?

like Elize said, find your level and enjoy that. I find that coffee hour after church on Sunday and a monthly chat with wise neighbor is good. Although there have been days when I'm just not in the social mood and skip the coffee hour.

[Jakkals]

Woensdag 27 Desember

 

I am still battling to find that level after all these years. But I have decided the most important piece of information is when can I leave. Then I can plan the rest of the day.

 

Tomorrow I have an outing. My father needs to be dropped in the city for a small medical procedure, and I have to hang around until they kick him out. I have already told him the movie is more important than he is. I do not know what I am going to do, but I have already organized one brief visit. Without time limits. Idiot. And a visit to the knife supply shop. But the rest of the time I will be driving around alone.

 

[Mrs Van]

10 hours ago, Jakkals said:

I am still battling to find that level after all these years. But I have decided the most important piece of information is when can I leave. Then I can plan the rest of the day.

Whatever works for you. I only found the level for certain people late this year! You know that part of the story. I never knew/thought I could set levels, was allowed to set levels for certain people/family.

10 hours ago, Jakkals said:

I do not know what I am going to do, but I have already organized one brief visit. Without time limits.

Don't tell the person how long you'll be staying. Keep in mind that you still want to go to the movies, go to the knife shop, etc. and then use that as an excuse to leave. Even if you go to Wimpy and have a cup of coffee, but you don't have to tell the people you visit exactly where your going to. So maybe visit sometime during the morning, so that you know you can skip out when you need to. When your socialising power is running low.

 

Followed your example and got on the scale this morning! Not such a big shock for me, after all

[Jakkals]

Thursday 28 December

 

Left for Pretoria at 5. Drop my father at the hospital, drove through the very empty city center for the first time in many years.

 

Then I got some cash, ate breakfast at McDonalds, and visited the knife shop. Bought 2 grinding belts, a piece of steel and a bucket of borax. The other place I wanted to go to were closed. 

 

Then I stopped at a second hand shop, and bought The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage. 

 

And stopped at another second hand shop and bought a Lansky Knife sharpening kit.

 

Then I visited my "friend". It is one of those relationships that should have dissolved a long time ago, we do not really have anything to say to each other any more. The only reason he ever contacts me is because he has nobody left. He is bipolar, at least he drinks his medicine.  Oh well, he makes me feel well adjusted.

 

Using a movie as an excuse I got away, saw streets and areas of the city I have not seen in many years. Stopped at the messiest second hand shop I have ever seen, and bought two books.

 

The next second hand shop brought forth a Star Wars box set, Episodes IV, V, VI and VII. Since I have last seen the first three somewhere in 1998 it is a welcome addition to my little collection.

 

I was in time for my movie, Murder on the Orient Express.  I enjoyed it a lot, but since I read all 30 the Agatha Christie books we have in the house during the year the denouement was not much of a surprise. 

 

A quick visit to the hospital, but my father was asleep, so I left him alone. Then I went and had another mountain of pizza at the same place as last week. That was not a good idea. It works better once a year.

 

And the city is dead. At 5 in the afternoon, one of the busiest streets in the city, and there were 4 cars on the road. I tried to visit one entertainment place I know of, but nothing was happening there, so I went home. The dogs were glad to see me.

 

There were also two Krispy Kreme doughnuts, one coke and a slab of Kit Kat. I am not looking forward to the scale tomorrow.

 

And I visited the Chris Tugwell gallery. I am not much of an art person but I would not mind owning one of his paintings one day.

 

[Mrs Van]

You did good! Pretoria is my home town. Where I was born and raised. I'll always have a soft spot for it.

[Sloth the Enduring]

 

I bought a generic version of those knife sharpeners years ago. It's a good concept, but all my knives need to be reground and I don't trust my hand at that. It's been a while since you've posted a pic of your craftwork...