Photos of the simple life
It’s been a while since I posted so I thought I should update Y’all.
I have been busy with life and work but what I have really been trying to do is get more pictures of me. You see, what I realised is that when I am looking at someone’s holiday photos, I don’t really want to see the places they have been or the bags they packed. I want to see them and the people they met! So, I am endeavouring to do that now. I haven’t been travelling anywhere in particular yet. I think, however, that this will be my last weekend of “settling in”. I will have been here for about a month by then and I have promised myself I will go somewhere new and exciting once a month!
Above is a picture of me watering my pot plants, click “more” for more photos!
When I arrived at my little slice of paradise, I realised that it has a lovely three-level window box. This window box is protected from the elements by glass all around and has an adjustable vent. So, for all intents and purposes it’s “indoors”. I immediately went and bought some miniature red roses (at Wal-Mart, of course), pruned them back, fed them and started watering them every morning and night.
I was amazed to see that they responded better to the pruning than I expected. In fact, they appeared to prune themselves.
Now that they were getting more sun they were used to, the old long shoots withered and died, while new vigorous ones took their place. I guess that roses in the wild do quite well enough without our interference so I shouldn’t be all that surprised.
I bought a few more but didn’t prune them since they were flowering. They are a deep red in colour and smell great too. It’s good to have something besides me living in this place for a change, even if it is just a plant.
It can get quite lonely when you are by yourself. Even when you’re in a crowd of people, you can feel lonely. I find myself missing someone I have really been trying very hard not to think about for over 4 months now (honest, I have).
Now that is an angsty post for another time, back to the domestics.
Something Mom always asks me (without fail) is if I am doing the ironing. I guess this is because she really hates doing the ironing herself, so if I am doing the ironing then I have to be doing pretty well for myself.
Yes, Mom, I am doing the ironing, see? I am normally half-naked at home because of the interminable heat. It consistently reaches over 40 degrees Celsius here, which can get quite uncomfortable.
That thing around my neck is a Pounamu (greenstone) pendant, given to me by my church, all of whom I miss. Because it was given in this way, it’s referred to as a Taonga (treasure).
I have taken to drying my clothed on a clothes horse. In many ways, Texas reminds me of South Africa. The heat, the guns, the roads, the sorts of things you can buy in the shop. This wooden clothes horse, for example, was very reminiscent of one I remember from South Africa. The clothes dry very quickly and the view is something you’d want to hang around for.
In other news, I managed an astounding 48.7 mpg over 470 miles last week! That’s calculated. The computer in the car told me it was more like 50 mpg but I prefer do to my own maths. I have figured out the key to really good Prius driving: slipstreaming. Believe it or not, it makes a huge difference. If I can get in behind a truck doing 65 Mph I can average a good 50 mpg even going uphill, simply because the vacuum left by his/her moving vehicle is helping me along.
I also figured out that you need to think of the car as a closed system, perfectly balanced (like a spinning top).
When you put your foot down you are adding to that system, the trick is to add as little as possible. But don’t get too greedy. If you completely freewheel down a hill, for example, you lose momentum and the alternator cannot hope to turn all that kinetic energy into electrical energy. The solution is constant applied pressure on the gas, maintaining a rate of around 50 - 75 mpg (no more, no less), all while tailgating a 16-wheeler. Fun, fun, fun!
Finally, I have been eating a whole lot more fruit lately. About two fruit a day, plus a banana in my cereal for breakfast. I can’t remember when the last time I ate this much fruit was!
August 18th, 2006 at 6:15 pm
Please dont tailgate semi trucks.. its bad for your health, and mine.
August 18th, 2006 at 8:28 pm
So…
1. If it was so hot that you had to be half naked, why aren’t you wearing shorts?
2. agree with Robert. (Although Scott can tell you stories of him doing 90 MPH without much effort behind a truck on an open long long straight road…)
3. apparently no AC, window down is btter for fuel economy… (proven by mythbusters in their driving test:P)
4. love it when laundry can dry fast…
:-)
August 18th, 2006 at 8:48 pm
Are those man breasts?
August 18th, 2006 at 10:53 pm
We know you must be feeling lonely. Just saying to Arth perhaps you should have boarded with people, but now that you are in your own place, hard to change.
Your plants look lovely. Also great to see you show us the fruit in the bowl. Eating it are we?
Please don\’t get too close to those big trucks just to get your stupid mileage! Make me nervous, think of Granny Goose.
love the ironing. You look good, don\’t seem to have lost weight.
We send all your blog reports back to G&G in Estcourt.As you know they are slightly antiquated in the IT field but just love to hear your news.
If you get chance their add:
::Address removed for the sake of privacy::
They would jump out of their skin if you wrote to them.
Love you with all our heart Steve.
XX
August 19th, 2006 at 12:47 am
Tailgating semi’s is fine. You’ll find you can stop a lot quicker than them…
:)
August 19th, 2006 at 12:58 am
1. I put the pants on for the camera, I am normally starkers.
2. I am veeeery careful :p
3. I don’t use the aircon anymore. Aircon is for wussies!
4. Me too
August 19th, 2006 at 12:59 am
Nono, those are my incredible pecs….
Can\’t you tell?
PS: IP Addresses are logged on comments, I know where you live
August 19th, 2006 at 1:00 am
Thank you, I\’ll make an effort to write
I removed their address from your comment because it\’s not safe to post physical addresses online
I wanted my own place because I have the freedom to do what I want here, when I want, and I have privacy. That part of it is great. I am working on becoming more social… watch this space!
August 19th, 2006 at 1:12 am
I trust the truckies to be excellent drivers, I am sure I will be fine
August 19th, 2006 at 6:02 am
Hi Stephen
It will be very good to join a church or go to place where you can meet other people where you can social more. Not very nice to be on your own and be so lonely, go out more, meet more people, explore your surroundings. You are still young, enjoy your life.
Plants looking very good and well, all tough I’m not a plant person myself.
You looking very well indeed.
Be careful of BIG TRUCKS, don’t play with your life. Don’t start giving your mom grey hair and that she start to get worried about you!!! Naughty Boy.
The old man, our neighbour told me you will be very hot in Texas. He said it’s was far too hot for him and his wife when they were there.
Keep Well, Stephen.
August 19th, 2006 at 6:30 am
Stephen, you let me think of these two songs from Elvis “Are you lonesome tonight” and “Only the lonely”.
Don’t start becoming like a old man who just want to stay at home all the time, day and night.
Greetings!!!
August 19th, 2006 at 4:34 pm
It’s a balmy 35 degrees Celsius at the moment.. and it’s night time. The heat doesn’t let up, even at night.
Then again, I am tough.
PS: My mom will worry about me no matter what I do
August 19th, 2006 at 4:34 pm
Yes, one of my life goals is to not be an old man
August 19th, 2006 at 5:21 pm
I have to disagree with that - they have a LOT of rubber on the road. They stop fast even loaded, and they will stop as fast as a car or faster if empty. The only thing that will stop them stopping is if they overheat the brakes which is why they go so slow down long hills.
p
August 19th, 2006 at 5:23 pm
Nice looking apartment!
Take care - we are thinking of you.
August 19th, 2006 at 5:45 pm
Thanks, SP. I appretiate it
August 19th, 2006 at 10:15 pm
1. starkers as total naked?
2. sure, that’s what they all say…
3. really?? wow…
ps. how did you take the first photo?
August 20th, 2006 at 1:54 am
1. Pretty much
2. :p
3. I don’t use aircon in the car, but I use it at home
My camera has a timer on it
August 23rd, 2006 at 10:33 pm
Wait, you have aircon on at home and you are almost naked at home too?!
Damn, it must be hot.
One guy from Texas in MS TechEd apparently arrived at 5 am. Rented a car, drove down for skiing for a weekend. Then drove back for TechEd on Monday. He said he sent pix back to Texas for his colleagues as there’s a bit of a heat wave there?
Must be very hot.
ps. another guy from TechEd was saying… people in Texas talk quite slow. He’s Scottish, talks quite fast, but over here, people find him okay. Over at Texas, he’s told he talks too fast
August 23rd, 2006 at 10:34 pm
I don’t really think you’ve been driving long enough to know what’s fine and what’s dangerous, eh.
Seriously… we need your postal address there to send stuff. Won’t work if you are not there!
*cough* I mean coz we all love and care about you!
Well you know we do
August 27th, 2006 at 3:14 pm
dear stephen … i hope we get to see more skin in upcomming posts
August 27th, 2006 at 6:23 pm
you bet