Laptop Pimping

Lookie what i've done to my laptop ...isnt it pretty like :)
And an update: My dad is doing much better. He isnt on so much morphine so much more coherent. The operation he had is called an axial bi-femoral bypass. They have used the artery on the right side of his chest and done a softgel graft into the right leg. Then they have gone across his stomach area with another graft into the left leg. Apparently you can feel the softgel thing under his skin. He is bruised everywhere and in alot of pain. but his heart beat is very good and even though his lungs have taken a hit he is doing good. He should be out of ICU tonight or tomorrow. He is still a tough guy at 76 that is for sure.

Operation Monday

Sadly I have to report that there where more complications with my Dad. Due to his lifetime of smoking it has been discovered that he has plaque in his arteries which means that they are thinning and the blood is not getting through. This was causing no blood to get to his legs which caused his leg to become extremely painful and therefore this was all discovered. At this very moment he is now having parts of his arteries up near his heart replaced by fake ones. And all of this needs to be done by epidural again because of the years of smoking. It all makes me want to tell all the smokers out there that it isnt all about the cancer you could possibly get...it is definite that later in life all these complications are going to cause problem after problem.

Anyways..so sending out all the positive vibes I can this morning.

And I just have to say that I have the most wonderful and supportive and amazing bf that I really dont know what I would do without. He bring so much good into my life and I hope he know just how I love him and how happy he makes me. (sorry for all the soppiness babes)

He has just come out of surgery and it all seems ok - now we just see how the recovery goes.

Dad's going for surgery!

So it was just over a week ago that I found out that my has a skin cancer growing on his leg that one doctor was treating as a skin infection and the 2nd doctor treated it as a skin infection that got into the bone. He has been in pain for over 6 months now. Finally by going to a plastic surgeon to see about tidying up the "skin infection" and he was the one that spotted it as cancer.

The result of all this...well tomorrow (thanks to a cancellation - otherwise the wait was going to be 3 weeks!) he is going into hospital to have it cut out of his leg and new skin graphted onto the area. The area that going to have to be removed is the size of a side plate. But the horrid part is that he cant be put under a general anesthetic as he is a smoker with seriously bad lungs and asthma! So it is all going to be done with a local anesthetic. Now since I just had one for them to put the implant into my arm and that still hurt and i had to feel it I seriously feel for him having to go through that.

So now we are just holding thumbs that the cancer hasnt got to the bone and the malignant part it able to be taken out completely!

My thoughts & love are with you Dad
xxx

Swimming the Channel

So my cousin-in-law swam across the Channel yesterday !!! how insane ! He set off at 8am and reached France at 9pm !! 13 hours in freezing cold water swimming as hard as you can while trying to avoid all the ships in the busiest shipping lane in the world and nevermind the jellyfish...all while just wearing a speedo and swimming cap ! unreal!!

So wow - what an incredible feat - WELL DONE RYAN !!!

If you are interested in his route etc and have google earth ....click here... and then click on the link to Ryan Stramrood Channel crossing.

Here is also a friend of his blog with some more info... here

Warmth Finally

What a great South African music themed weekend I had !! (even though i cant beleive it is already wednesday and fast heading towards the next weekend)

Friday night saw us heading off to see Plush (listen to them here) in concert at the Islington Carling Academy. I was super excited to see them again all the way in London. C and I and Fire Poi Boi headed up to Angel and grabbed some Wagamama's for dinner - Very yummy indeed! Cept as usual the portions are too big and the pixies (C) got to finish it all off.

The concert was great even though I think the Brixton Carling Academy is a much better venue due to the fact that the floor is sloped so short people like me have an easier time of seeing the stage. I sadly got stuck behind ALL the tall guys in the venue. And seriously i'm not over exagerating. I had about 6 over 6ft tall guys right in front of me right through the crowd obsuring every view for me. So there was alot on me moving back and forth to get views of the stage. but other then that the gig was awesome as Rory still has the most amazing energy on stage - it can only be infectious. Sadly the bassist and other guitarist didnt make it through customs and got sent back home :( But still it made the gig more like the Plush i know and love. It did of course bring back loads and loads of memories of back home and the past - which made me a little sad. but what can you do. I suppose i have to get a bit homesick every now and then.

Met up with a chick I knew back in Cape Town who has moved over here and her friend who has just moved over as well and I knew via a bunch of people as always tends to happen. After the gig we went stubling up Upper St trying to find the bar with the after party which happened to be right at the top of Upper St went the gig venue was at the bottom. It was a rather weird ramble up the road meeting random Saffa's heading to the place place along the way. Anyways we did eventually make to the bar and landed up in the bar next door as there was no cover charge to get in.

So a great night all around and nicely close to home and a short bus ride there! I would just like to point out that now C has decided he likes fun tequila riddled Gem!! So now tequila just seems to appear. So Saturday morning was a little rough on the head!

After an insignificant daytime and far too soon for my sore head the evening rolled around. Much debate went on as to whether we should head off to Goldfish or continue to watch Coupling (OMG I forgot how much this show makes me laugh so much that I cant breathe) But with an encouraging call from a friend of C's who was waiting for us to pitch up we went into overdrive get ready mode. And off to the club we went :)

What an awesome night ! Goldfish was amazing !! We headed to the front and loved every minute of it. Cept for the guy standing on my foot and my shoes killing my feet by the end of the night. We also managed to fight the tiredness and hang around for some Roger Goode (who is a top SA DJ and also a friends brother) We decided that once we left the club that there was a definite call for a cab as it was already 3am! So after attempting to do it the legal way, we got an illegal one and landed up with the coolest Nigerian cab driver. We talked Africa and politics and the uk etc non stop all the way home. Even once he got us to our home and had been paid he still wanted to talk...eventually we got away but of course after lots of handshakes and goodbyes.

Surprisingly Sunday morning we woke up relatively early for having gone to bed at 4am and even managed some house cleaning before I landed up sitting in the garden in the sun with my laptop - got to love wireless internet !! Was just so great to be having a summers day with warm air and sun. I def needed to stock up on that Vitamin D !!

After much waiting and hunger due to waiting for Miss Popular to arrive back in london after an afternoon stuck in traffic for her. Miss Popular is one of my very best friends and was in London for a short while and also got to go off and do some travelling. Sunday night was the last night i was going to see her. C and I headed off finally and with much coaxing of C off his computer game to Waterloo to grab some food and drinks. Sadly the evening was WAY too short with her and her bf running off to catch their train in time and C and I just making the last tube for the night. It was great to see her but of course left me sad once goodbyes had to be said! She means so much to me and I miss her alot. She had such a specific role in my life in CPT and I will not be able to fill that in London. But it wont be long before it is Dec and I will get to see her and we have already started making plans :)

This week Trendy is on holiday so it has been quiet but steadily work filled! Hence hard to find blogging time and chatting time as well - I know bad me. Cept Monday got a bit emotional ...and Tuesday was aweful as I had to deal with an entire day of agonizing back pain which is happily much better today.

But today was MUCH better - the sun was out and I got to soak up more vitamin D in the park at lunch time ! It is my dad's 76th birthday today!!! and he sounds much happier and healthier today which is fantastic! I got to have a good talk to the family back home and heard that my youngest (in his 30's) brother has just gotten engaged. Congrats to him.

Well that is all for now...sorry if it was a long boring post - but hopefully you'll find some cool music that you like from it :)

Lazy

Ok so i'm going to admit it ,....i'm being lazy at the moment. There i've said it. I've so enjoyed the last 2 weekends of being lazy ! but no i'm getting restless. It really doesnt help that the weeks are so hectic that I just want to be lazy on the weekends but it is getting to me as well. I get into the lazy pattern and just stay there. And the tv is a great distracter (ok so the spell check doesnt like that work but i'm making it up anyway!) ! Plus C is obsessed with House so happily added to the general laid back feeling - not that i'm complaining at all! I've loved these lazy weekends...but they are to end very very soon...as in tmr! This is going to be a crazy week as I'm off shopping for the weekend tmr. I've got to head up country on Wednesday and then rush back down to london and to hyde park for jack johnson. Thursday is huge furniture launch party, and friday I head off in the morning to Manchester for Dr Intellectuals hen party all weekend ! Then sunday one of my best friends is arriving for a visit - WHOO HOOO!!!

Crazy I tell you!

Anyways... so for a little catch up - Last thursday I headed off to a exhibition created by Phillips lighting whereby they gave a shipping container to a design/architecture firm - 8 in total - and told them they had free rein to create a installation it just hate to deal with light. It was def a very different night out and so brilliant to have done it with Trendy and her bf (my team leader) Mr Nice/Hard. They have the driest, sarcastic & blackest humour I know and I love it. They have me in stitches most of the time. They are the best to do shows with and they take nothing seriously ...except getting as much food and booze out of the night. Through the entire speeches they were cracking jokes and ripping off the speakers and we were standing there giggling our heads off. Then then after an attempt at a dance show the containers opened for viewing. By the time we had gotten to the 2nd container we were sure that we were going to be thrown out ! This container was lined with thousands of LED bulbs that came on when you moved your hand over the fabric infront of them. While everyone else was gently standing there and waving their hands around....we were jumping around trying to make body prints and bum prints and boobs prints...creating havoc at the back of the container. This attitude continued as we went through all the installations as well as ripping to shreads the concepts....I was SO much fun. They are just such a lovely couple and so suited and make you feel so at ease (again the reason I'm so happy I moved over to their team) Even Iranian Princess/Sample Queen loosened up and was talking about hot sex by the end of the night.

Here is an image of the only installation that we really liked

<--------------

And a little video as well...

Random moments yesterday:

1) while walking to site with new project manager he comments that I must get tired of striding on heels to keep with the guys... I was so surprised and just replied truthfully that that was how i normally walk on heels so no I dont get tired of it. LOL

2) as piling everything out of my carpet bag styled handbag last night to find the painkillers that i knew were somewhere inside C comments how amoungst all the girlly handbag stuff there is a 5m construction style tape measure !

Sad moment... Just found out that my little cousin is heading into surgery today as he has landed up with his 2nd collaspsed lung this year! So am sending out all the positive healing vibes I can today !!!