Settling in to the job

Day two at the job and all is still going well. I got my name plate today for my cubicle and later on I got my laptop! It's not the IBM ThinkPad that I was hoping for :-( It's a Dell, but I guess contractors cannot be choosers.

We had quite a downpour this afternoon and it affected the highway traffic on the way home. You know that there is a problem when you see not one, but two news helicopters hovering over the highway.

Liesel went to a doctor today for her earache. The doctor saw that her face was swollen and prescribed her an antibiotic. Please pray that the medicine kicks in soon and relieves some of the pain soon. She will see the doctor again in 2 weeks for a checkup. On the bright side, Liesel got her medicine from the pharmacy at our local grocery store. As I explained before, the store gives you a 10c per gallon discount for every $10 spent. So far we have accumulated 60c per gallon off the next time we fill up a car!!! Nie te sleg nie!

Hi-ho, hi-ho its off to work I go

This morning I woke up all ready to head off for my first day of work. I packed my laptop and was ready to leave at 8:30. I was meant to meet my colleagues at 9:30 and I have no idea what the traffic would be like in Cleveland, so I gave myself an hour. Well, the traffic was an anti-climax (which is a good thing). It took me 25 minutes to get there - no hold ups whatsoever. What a pleasure if it would be like this every day!

The people I met today seem to be good guys! I was given a cubicle and told that I will be getting a brand new IBM ThinkPad (WOOHOOOOO) and a pager! Then I was also told that the manager's policy is that any new person that starts in her department shouldn't have to buy their own lunch, so I get get a free lunch every day this week! Not a bad start I would say!

While I was at work today, Liesel was at home with Nathan. She is suffering from a terrible earache, and she couldn't take it any more so she has made an appointment to see a doctor tomorrow. Please pray for her, and that the doctor can do something to take the pain away!

Below are some pics from our apartment

All good things must come to an end

Today was my last day as an unemployed US resident :-( I suppose I have been rather spoiled by having a 3 month vacation. It was Memorial Day here in the US, so I was not the only person enjoying the 33C weather. We went to a mall today, as we chose an air-conditioned environment over the scorching summer outside. This afternoon, we needed to do a "cleaning & chemicals" shop, as we still did not have a vacuum cleaner yet. Before heading out to Walmart, Liesel decided to try something new out. She uploaded some of our favorite photos to the Walmart website via the wireless internet we have in our apartment. She paid for it using her credit card - $1.80 for 19 photos! Then, a hour later, we picked up the photos from Walmart!!!!!! That is one of the many reasons I love it here! Convenient, cheap and SIMPLE.

When we got home at 5, it was still 30C outside, so we decided that we would take Nathan for his first swim here! He absolutely loved it!!! Even when we got out of the pool he said "Gagain (again)!! FUN!!" So how could I turn that request down and we climbed straight back into the pool for a few more minutes!



And thus ends my vacation ......

Leases, Licenses, Lakes and Lighthouses

Lease: On Friday, I got a phone call saying that I have been approved for a lease on a brand new Honda CR-V 4x4! This was fantastic news since I start work on Tuesday and without it, Liesel would be stuck indoors all day - which is not recommended with a 19 month old boy!! I signed all the paper work and drove home in my all-new Honda CR-V. It is great car, that looks good and has lots of pep in its 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engine. The reason I chose this particular vehicle is that it has ABS Brakes, traction and stability control, which all play a huge role in helping you drive in icy or snowy conditions. Obviously, being a South African boytjie, I need all the help I can get.

License: Liesel went to do the written portion of her Ohio driver's license on Saturday morning. She kept up the family tradition and passed with 100%! That's my girl!!!! Next week she will be doing the driving part of the test in my CR-V, since its quite a bit smaller than the Buick. As part of the test, you have to reverse through a set of cones, and it really helps having a smaller car to do that in. We watched some teenagers attempt that part of the test, and they knocked the cones over which means an immediate fail!!!

Lake: After going to a new Church on Sunday, I took Nathan and we went down to the beach. It was 30C here today with no wind or clouds. The lake was very calm and the beach was populated by locals lapping up the glorious weather. Nath played at the waters edge and laughed at the people brave (stupid?) enough to venture into the 13C water for a swim!

Lighthouse: This afternoon we took a drive to Lorain (a town) to see its landmark lighthouse. The lighthouse itself was pretty impressive, but the rest of the town is not worth writing about!

Tanning and Tornado watches

Another good day for Cleveland, weatherwise. We went out for a drive to have a look at one of the area parks (yes, it's playground comparison time again). Its a lovely playground that is divided into a section for 2-5 year olds, and another for 5-12 year olds. Nathan seemed to love it and spent half an hour in the swing and then some time at the steering wheel and the slides. After we pried him away from the steering wheel, we headed back home.

It was the warmest it has been in Cleveland today, and after playing on our basketball court with Nathan this afternoon. I went for my first swim in the USA! It was wonderful! Our complex has a heated pool which was at a perfect temperature. Not too cold that causes body parts to go blue, and not too hot.

Then this evening while we were watching TV, another Tornado Watch (less severe than the Tornado Warning which we had in Raleigh). It seems that these things follow us around. But the good news is, all we got was a lot of rain and lots of wind....... nothing to lose sleep over (I have even put my car in the garage here for the first time!)

Have a great weekend and don't get too cold!!!!