Yeah, still not feeling too good. I did at least fall
asleep and stay asleep – but somehow I didn’t quite get enough rest from it. I
woke up quarter to eight again, so, still not early. It’s an improvement, at
least.
Since the project has ended, I’ve been retreating into
the online world again – something I’ve done all my life in one form or
another. Before the internet, it was only books, then books and internet, this
time I stumbled across a game as challenging as another I used to play much.
Well, I was planning on changing my set-up to long
runs during the day (that’s in-game production. You can set to collect every 3
hours or 9 hours) – same as it will be, when I’m working again. But, for some
reason, today I’m having some serious internet issues. I can’t be sure, but I
suspect the problem is with my service provider. So, setting up everything took
much longer than it should have – sort of defeating the purpose! It is really,
really frustrating though, constantly on and off, it just doesn’t seem to come
right. And on top of that, every time I switch the router on, this USB dis-
then re-connects! So does the Scanner. That shouldn’t happen! They are all
connected via the same multi-port, but switching one device on and off shouldn’t
disconnect the others.
The weather is not too nice today, it’s sunny but
quite windy – I can’t open the windows. At least the door is open – though my
mippies are staying with me, inside. I’m starting with breakfast, still got
some rolls and prego meat. The first load of laundry is in the machine – today is
housework day.
I’ve been meaning to clean the bath-drain for a long
time, since it takes a really long time to empty the bath. I tried to use the
plunger, but that had no real effect, so I poured some drain cleaner down …
only, it’s all bubbling chemistry going on, bubbling into the bath rather than
doing its thing in the drain. I’ve used the drain cleaner before, but I’ve
never seen it do this – so I’ve opened a window and closed the door. Nothing I
can do now, anyway – I tried dribbling some water onto the mix (you’re supposed
to) but it’s not going anywhere, just bubbling and turning black. And I’ve got
Lady Jane, Mewthos and Romeo wanting to investigate ‘what mommy doing’. The
minis are outside the bathroom door … curious.
I just went in to check – sigh, I forgot about the
artificial grass causing a problem when you try to open the door – and the
bubbling is now happening in the drain, no longer in my bath. There is still
black gunk coming to the surface, though, so I folded back the grass and shut
the door again.
Crap! The wind just blew the door open and Mewthos
started to move eagerly – so I went back to check. It seems to me that the
bubbling is moving down the drain, but it’s still blocked. If I dribble some
water in the drain, it doesn’t flow – just bubbles. When I left, the wind
nearly pulled the door out of my hand – so I took a firmer grip on the handle,
and then THAT nearly came off! Just like the kitchen cupboards, they used
cheaper screws (shorter than they should be, so they are not effective, just
decorative). Can’t pull the door properly shut, so I just have to keep an eye
on it, since Mew is still parked on the mat outside, waiting for a chance to go
in and investigate.
And the wind blows the door open again. If I try to
shut it again, the handle will come off. I close the window instead and take another
look: the bubbling seems to have finished, so I rinse around the drain with
some water, which seems to go down the drain quite well. I tried plunging
again, and a lot of black gunk came up. I’ve cleaned that out and went back to
washing dishes. I can leave the door open, now – and Mewthos happily curls up
on the chair.
Internet still isn’t working – I don’t know why. I’m
not out of data – I just recently topped up. Ah! I think I figured out the
problem: It’s the router! Or rather, the router battery … but you can’t replace
just the battery, you must buy a new router! Why? Well, that just another of
the many scams service providers run. The battery is completely dead now, and
the router doesn’t work without the battery. So now I have no choice BUT buy a
new router! Or at the least a USB stick – they are cheaper, but will connect
only one device. And since they only work for one network – another one of
those scams – and I don’t yet know what I’ll need in the new home (i.e. whether
the network covers the area I’m moving to) … yeah! This sucks!
I took a look through my drawers, in case I still had
one of the USB sticks – but, alas, in my generosity, I lent it to someone in
need who never bothered to return it. Ah well, at least it’s in line with my
plans for tomorrow anyway – I had decided to go to Greenacres tomorrow to
hopefully buy some shoes. I’ll take some time to look around, though I can’t
say I’m looking forward to that. Well, without internet from now until then, I
won’t be able to post this until I’m back. My only ‘problem’ is, that I can’t
look up options online.
Well, at least the timing of this happening is almost
perfect: I planned activities away from the PC for today, anyway and I planned
to go to the centre, where I can get a new router tomorrow. I had a look at the
laptop, on the off chance that I might get that online, but I wasn’t
successful. There is, indeed, a place to insert a SIM card, but I don’t know
how to set the laptop to use it.
I finished washing the dishes and the 2nd
load of laundry is up, drying. Some of the first load is already dry – I heard
that some people wash, dry, fold and pack away their laundry all in one day,
but I don’t really want to join some crazy cult like that!
I took the time to page through some of the cookbooks
I have, specifically I looked through the Cordon Bleu Cookery Courses I was
able to get my hands on. Now I’m quite hungry! Those Cordon Bleu Courses look absolutely
delicious! Some of the dishes seem to be quite tricky, but there are quite a
lot I feel capable of making! There are also a lot of very useful courses to
make preserves, jams, stock; a whole course on eggs, another on sauces and
marinates – really exciting! Most of these recipes are intended to be made
fresh and just in time for the dinner party, as in a whole day cooking four
courses; I’m thinking of trying one a week, see how I do and how I like each
then slowly add more and more to my regular dinner routine. I’ve lately slacked
to the point where I just slap a chunk of meat into a frying pan, or steam some
potatoes. Though these past few weeks, I’ve mostly bought various pasta salads
at Spar, eating one a day. I don’t really enjoy them, though. I saw quite a number
of delicious recipes for potato as well as for egg dishes, which could be a
place to start! They do, however, like mashing potatoes then mixing them with
various foods to make different dishes. I don’t have a masher. Yet.
I just tried a poached egg recipe – did NOT turn out
like the picture, ha ha! Why? Because I used the wrong type pan and old eggs,
not fresh ones. But the result is not only edible, but I can use it for an idea
I had: I’m steaming two trays of potatoes, I want to mix some with the poached
eggs for dinner.
One problem I have with most of the Cordon Bleu
recipes is that they all use so much time in the oven – as if electricity was
free! I can’t afford to make dishes that take 2-3 hours in the oven! I’ll have
to plan to minimize baking times. Like I’m now steaming some half dozen
potatoes in one go – more than I can eat in one meal, but I can use the
leftovers for other potato dishes.
I’m beginning to feel a bit internet-withdrawal. Not
much, just kind of something missing. Wish I could check on my city, or look
something up. Some of the recipes call for ingredients I’ve never heard of!
These courses were published 50 years ago, what used to be readily available in
grocery stores in those days, are now ‘specialty’ items. Like double-thick
cream – I’ve never seen it on any shelf in the Eastern Cape, only at certain
places in Pretoria, and not all the time, either. Plus, it is really expensive!
Many of the items listed have now gone from basic ingredient to exclusive
specialty item! It’s become a world where cold drinks are cheaper than milk,
where you buy water in bottles, where non-perishable items expire (like
pre-paid data) and banks charge you for taking your money.
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