Algeria

You might have noticed I haven't blogged about our time in Algeria in July. Well to put it bluntly, it was tough. If ever I doubted our relationship, it was this month. DJ did exactly what I expected he would do, and simply disappeared for most of the month, after giving us explicit instructions not to leave the house. He was nervous about our personal safety and very very scared of kidnapping.
We managed to leave the house after about a week for a walk, in 38 degree heat, not very successful. The car that his dad has bought in the end wasn't delivered until after we left, so no transport made DJ a very unhappy puppy.
Luckily Hakkim took a week off towards the end of our visit and drove the 12 hours to get to see us. He looks like he's a man with troubles on his mind. He is lovely and adores his family, but he's not letting on his problems. Theriva doesn't want to move to be near him, so he only gets to see his family once every two months.

Kate was a horror in Algeria. She didn't like it at all and misbehaved with me most particularly. It became a "I love daddy I hate mummy" thing which was more than I could bear. She disliked the heat, her grandparents and the food. She stopped eating, lost lots of weight. As did I.

Overall, next time I think we'll stay only a week or two, and treat ourselves to somewhere luxurious on the way home to make it worth while. Hard hard work.

Running goalposts

Well, yes I am slack, or to be more precise, just very very busy. I wish I could devote all my waking hours to this study, but unfortuately I have to earn money as well, and as PhD scholarships fall well below the poverty line, I need to supplement my income. I am after all the main breadwinner in this equation.
I have to get on it however. Each time I meet with Andy, it feels like the goalposts move. I go down one path and I have to do more and more and more just to satisfy what needs doing.
I think this is why I lose motivation. I'm doing what I think I want to do then I have energy and commitment, then it all gets shifted. I feel like I'm walking on sand.

Obama

Had a conversation with my PhD supervisor who is a californian vietnamese of indeterminate sexuality. I commented that I never suspected that the Americans would ever elect Obama as president - that was until I head his oratory. The man is an absolute marvel. He's clearly super intelligent, competant, a brilliant speaker and cuts through the chaff like a scythe. I thought the demoncrats were balmy going for a black man and a woman. Given my impression of the US culture. (Not saying that we here are any better!) I have absolute respect for Mrs Clinton and was gutted when Obama flicked her out of contention. But really never thought the democrats had a chance.
My supervisor's comment, there are those in the US who still can't reconcile that he's president due to the hue of his skin. They can't see how he, from a middle class non-white background could rise to achieve the American dream. I said surely it's to do with the quality of the individual... my supervisor just looked at me and said that I don't quite get the racist thing.
Nope. Don't get racism. Never did really. Must be why I married an Algerian Muslim.

Baby steps

Well, we have our first client! Hooray! Now we is in business.
We're just adapting a flash template for a photographer here, and will post up some of his photos.
Should be fun.

Sleepies

K has a cold. She's been a bit of a terror recently, to be honest. But today, not too bad. She's just passed out on the sofa, so I'll pop her in bed soon.
Cold today. Getting chilly. Raining. Stuck inside. Monosyllabic.
Making K some new pyjamas, not that she needs them but she wanted funky monkey again, so I'm up for a third pair.
Dj's good. I'm good. Looking forward to our holiday. Works been fun.
All in all, plain sailing.

Coffee and clunks

Today we went to Glebe to have coffee with Jo, AKA Angelo to discuss doing his website. It went well, I think combining the socialising with the business worked, but Kate was a disaster.
I made the mistake of giving her chocolate cake, and inevitably she went berko and ran all over the place. Stressy.
Came home and had lunch and of course she's passed out for 2 hours in the afternoon. Me too. DJ snuck off to work at sometime.
She managed to roll off the coffee table this evening backwards and clunked her head. It must have hurt like hell. She's a brave little thing tho and only cried for a bit.
Now I have to get my act together, get the spec done, let DJ do his thing and get the site made. Hope it goes well.