Category: Assorted Hammers

and everyone had to stay home

Since my last post, only a week and a half ago, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa has increased more than ten-fold (currently 709 according to the official government website). So on Monday evening our president once again addressed the nation to announce the next step: lockdown. As of midnight tonight, for the next three weeks, all South Africans except those providing essential services will be confined to their homes. We can leave to go to the doctor or to buy essential foodstuffs and medicine only.

It’s scary. Neither the missus nor I have been sleeping well, and since yesterday I’ve been walking around with a spasm in my neck muscles so severe that I can’t turn my head or raise my right hand above shoulder height. (And I thought my stress levels hit the ceiling when I found out on Saturday that the beach had been closed…).

But I also know it’s the right thing to do, and I’m glad the powers that be are doing this sooner rather than later.

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Once upon a time, there was a virus

I think if one looks back through history, every generation likely encounters an event that changes the way the world works for them, that makes them re-think their assumptions and ways of doing things. For my grandparents’ generation it was World War II and the Great Depression. For my parents’ it was probably 9/11. And for mine it will likely be COVID-19.

Last night our president addressed the nation and declared a national disaster.

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Letter

I have many old books in my house, collected from second hand shops, flea markets and church fêtes over the years. Today the Minion discovered this in a dusty old copy of Black Beauty (publication date unknown)…

It seems pretty old. I wonder how it made it all the way across the Atlantic.

Was it a love letter from a soldier to his sweetheart back home?

A letter to a little girl from her pen-pal on the other side of the world?

A secret missive smuggled across the ocean in a children’s book?

Okay, okay. That third one wouldn’t require a stamp. But still. If this stamp could talk, I wonder what tale it would tell.

This post was created in the new WordPress Editor, a.k.a. Gutenberg

Three

Yesterday, three years ago, I started my Happiness trial at Automattic.

Today I’m at the start of my third Automattic Grand Meetup.

Over the past three years I’ve visited the US and Canada twice, as well as Scotland and Portugal. I’ve given a talk at a WordCamp that inspired someone else to become a Happiness Engineer. I’ve learned stuff I never thought I would, and I’ve made hundreds of new friends from all around the world.

Thanks, Automattic, for letting me be part of making the web a better place!

Incredible Anniversary

Today is the missus and my wedding anniversary. The grandparents are in town, taking care of the niece and nephew while the in-laws are scuba diving in Mozambique, so we dropped the Minion off with them so we could go and watch The Incredibles 2.

Yes. The irony of dropping our toddler off at her grandparents so we can go see a kids movie is not lost on me.

There are a lot of things I liked about The Incredibles 2: Jack-Jack, The Incredibile, Jack-Jack, raccoon-wrestling, Jack-Jack, Auntie Edna, Jack-Jack, pew-pew laser eyes, Jack-Jack… What? There are five of him at one point!

Today marks nine years the wife has been putting up with me…or have I been putting up with her? Depends who you ask, I guess…

I’m lucky to have her; to have someone who likes Pixar films, Doctor Who and Harry Dresden as much as I do; who thinks it’s fun to stroll through toy stores, hardware stores, and pawn shops with me; who buys me Lego for my birthday, and actually thinks my weird sense of humour is funny.

Here’s hoping we manage to put up with each other for another nine years.