2 Feb 1990

Facebook just gave me this - the memory of something I wrote on 2 Feb 2015.

I'm reposting it here because I'd like to preserve it, and because I can still remember that hot, hot afternoon and the miraculous events which played out from then.

25 years ago today I was sitting in the school bus, in the sweltering heat of Napier on a February afternoon.

It was a Friday, and I was to spend the night at a friends house. The only reason I was in that school bus was that I, and the teacher who'd driven us there, were waiting for my friend and the rest of the school tennis team to finish an Inter-School match so that the weekend could begin.

The radio was on and suddenly programming was interrupted for a special announcement from Parliament.

Then-President FW de Klerk came on and addressed the nation, announced the imminent release of Nelson Mandela and the unbanning of the ANC.

I was privileged to have been brought up in a politically aware household and despite being a flighty 16 year old, I knew immediately what a massive, MASSIVE, moment this was for South Africa.

I had no one to share it with.

The teacher I was with - a total doos* - rested his head on the steering wheel and said nothing.

The small conservative village of Napier buzzed in the heat around us.

The tennis balls knocked back and forth on the courts.

I wanted nothing more than to speak to my Dad, and sat there with tears of excitement rolling down my cheeks as I pictured his face, his joy, and wished I was with him.

Dad said afterwards he'd never thought it would happen in his lifetime.

I will always be grateful for having witnessed a real life miracle, and will never forget that hot sweaty afternoon when the world changed forever.

*dickhead, but I think you got that.

facebook is so weird ...

My cousins had a baby last night and while there's no way I could accuse them of 'live-birthing' (I've seen some of that shit and it's scary), they did check-in with regular updates on facebook, keeping their combined total of over 1000 'friends' up to date on when her water's broke, how far dilated she was, when they had the epidural and finally The Photo, a scant 25 minutes after the baby was born.
Weird.

I mean, great for all of us who were interested and eager for the news, but still - weird. Am I the only one who thinks so?

I made a big hoo-ha about taking a break from facebook a while back, and this is not the first time I've questioned the sanity of the medium. I enjoyed my month off but inevitably I got back on, there's just too many people I really enjoy interacting with. I missed them.

The other day I was looking for that setting where you can choose which 'friends' to hear more about on your news feed and which to ignore, but it seems to have gone in the latest of the regular facebook make-overs. (Really spell-check, do you still not accept facebook as a word? Really?)
What I did find was the page where all the gazillion people you could possibly be 'friends' with resides, so I had a brief flip through that. So weird.

There's a couple of people listed there with whom I've 30+ 'friends' in common, yet we've not hooked up. I know them, as in I know of them, some I was at Varsity with etc, but we're not friends (as in the no inverted comma's definition) so I've never thought to send them a 'friend' request. And interestingly if we've that many people in common I must've come up as one of their suggested 'friends', and they've not sent me a request either. I feel like this means we understand each other. Or they've no clue who I am. Either way, I'm more than ok with that.
But there are people there I've 20+ 'friends' in common with and I've definitely never met. So weird.
The majority (both known and unknown) share 5 'friends' with me. There's over a hundred of these. Inherent proof of the 6 degrees of separation theory?
Weird.

But here's the weirdest. I've had facebook suggest I befriend some of the bloggers I read. (Oh c'mon spell-check - bloggers? Not a word? Hellloooo, it's 2011.)
People I've no 'friends' (or indeed, friends) in common with, never had any interaction with on facebook. I've not searched for them, I assume they've not searched for me, but yet facebook knows to suggest them to me.
That's weird.

Know what else is weird? I'm off to have a shower with a surgical glove taped over my hand.
Sounds way kinkier then it really is.
Stupid wound.

just a normal afternoon ...

in which ~

My 3 yr old performed a c-section on me with wooden surgical implements from her doctor's kit, including entreating me to 'try and push it out first Mum'. Lordy I have to be careful what I tell this kid.
(oh and head's up - this reminds me I've still to post the Birth Story - watch out ...)

My nearly 6 month old proved herself to be a brand slut. Her first rice cereal was lovely Olli organics toasted rice cereal, which she consumed with relish. It was out of stock when we needed more so I bought a different brand. She didn't like it.
Today I bought Olli again. She had a double-serving.

This conversation played out:
Frieda: I love my Dad.
Me: I love your Dad too.
Frieda: No, you love your Dad, Grandad.
Me: But your Dad is my husband.
Frieda: No, [inserts name of my best friend] is your husband.

Um, okay ...