Although the thundery weather of the last few days has not brought any rain to my garden, it did bring a flash of lightning right before my eyes and blew up my modem! Currently without internet access at home while I have an alternative to Telkom installed and so I have to go to coffee shops for free Wi-Fi to contact the world on my computer (i.e. emails and blogging). Mobile data only covers basics not business as I have not yet figured out the configurations yet! Doubtless I will eventually catch up.
The proximity of the lightning - I still think it was within metres of me - has left me feeling as though my heart beat has speeded up and it's really quite tiring. Hopefully it will settle down - it may just be separation anxiety for lack of ADSL!
Being confined to the interior of coffee shops has reminded me how much I dislike having to listen to the conversations of the other patrons. I'm well aware that if I were chatting to a friend, they would all have to listen to mine, but what really bugs me is earnest discussions on matters that are too personal for public consumption, or a business meeting that involves phone calls conducted at a level that would put a hilltop to hilltop conversation in the Valley of a Thousand Hills to shame. It is enough to send me off to the nearest Apple store for an iPod to drown it out, if it weren't for the fact that earplugs hurt my ears and I tend to sit with a silly grin on my face when I listen to good music.
I think the problem is that none of these places have curtains or carpets or other soft furnishings to absorb the decibels, and is probably the reason that high-end restaurants with these old-fashioned interiors leave one feeling calm and pampered. Perhaps it's time to soften our surroundings again and ditch the minimalism.
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