Use Your Words - Vices

Today’s post is writing challenge. This is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once, and all the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the writer will take them. Until now.

My words are: 

vice ~ current ~ operational ~ damned

They were submitted by Sparkly Poetic Weirdo - thank you, Jenn!

Those are very interesting words because you can use them in so many ways. During my vacation I've been thinking of those ways, and I came to the conclusion that it's pretty damned hard to put them together to a story!

I did discover though that I have more vices than I thought I did. 

You'd be surprised to read that it isn't chocolate. 

Even though I fell off the Coke Zero wagon big time, it wasn't that either. Diet Coke and later Coke Zero have been huge for me for the past 20 years. 

I used to drink my first one in the morning like other people have coffee in order to feel operational at all. Many more would follow during the day, and I'd only stop around 4pm in order to not let it affect my sleep. (Who was I kidding?)

So if it isn't sweets, and it isn't caffeine, then what is it?

I'm embarrassed to say, but I got bitchy when there was no wi-fi. 

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to check my e-mail during a safari. Also I didn't expect there to be any internet in the Kruger Park at all. I didn't even  bring my notebook because I thought I wouldn't have time and internet access to blog anyway.

I am aware it's Africa, the so called third world, it's a national park, and it's the bush. 

What bugged me is that there were occasional 

signs at restaurants, and I got all excited - only to get frustrated minutes later. You either needed a password that nobody of the staff seemed to know, or you needed to sign up with all your personal information including cell phone number. I don't think so!

What was I saying "at restaurants" - the only one signal bar that was actually happening occured on the terrace. Where the smokers were. No offense.

Or things were looking untrustworthy altogether, so I had to grumpily give up.

If I was lucky to find something that looked legal and only asked for your name and e-mail address, it was free up to 20MB. Hahahahaha! Do they not know that one average phone picture alone is 2MB, and Facebook is full of them? (Of course they know, and they want you to sign up and pay for additional MB)

Or your free access lasts for 30 minutes each day. Sounded great. That's what AlwaysOn promised. Let me tell you, your session expires after 5 minutes, and it makes you mad!

No worries though, cause in the Cape Town area we always booked accommodation that included internet access. What they didn't mention though was that the signal worked in the parking lot, but not in your room. So frustrating. 

I'm not one of those people who stares down on their mobile devices all the time, I swear. 

I yell at my husband when he comes home for lunch, puts his cell phone on the table (what for anyway?) and grabs it as soon as it buzzes. 

But when traveling you find yourself in need of current information. Locations, directions, opening hours, entrance fees, you name it. Also you need the connection to stay active long enough so you can not only look but pay for your accommodation. That is if your credit card is being accepted at all. But that's a story for another day.

For today I am going to leave you by saying "hello, my name is Tamara, and I'm a wi-fi-aholic."

Now go find out what my friends' words were, and what they did with them:

                                     

Baking In A Tornado 
Spatulas on Parade 
The Momisodes
Sparkly Poetic Weirdo
Southern Belle Charm
Rena's World
Confessions of a part time working mom 
Never Ever Give Up Hope
Someone Else's Genius
Searching for Sanity
Climaxed
Dinosaur Superhero Mommy
The Bergham Chronicles
The Angrivated Mom
Eileen's Perpetually Busy