my luck with proudly south african companies just never stops. yesterday i made an appointment to have my cars cv's checked. i got there 15 minutes early, handed in my car keys, told the lady that the cell number they have on the paper for me is wrong and that the car has an immobilizer button below the steering wheel. in the meantime i might add, someone else started assisting as the phone rang with her boyfriend or someone on the line. she said that it was all and i can go walk about the shops, they would phone me should they need me.

an hour later, i got back, nothing was done. they 'accused' me of switching off my cellphone. oh, sorry, i did not see the other number on the paper was their excuse. it was the only blue ink on the paper, everything else was written in black. an honest mistake i think to myself mixed with a strong blend of stupidity. i would however rate their customer service as almost adequate. this might be due my my standards dropping a bit during the last couple of weeks.

scenario number two. after nine days i decide to phone the consultant from hell, as he had not phoned me back as he promised. he confirmed that the money taken from my bank account was a mistake and he would have the transaction reversed. he would phone me tomorrow to tell me when this would be happening. this time i made him swear on his grand mothers grave.

the cupboard people showed up 20 minutes late, after i phoned the owner of stylish kitchens to confirm the time of the appointment. after he checked and realised that his guys are late i told him that i would phone him again if they are not there in ten minutes. they were. good for them. third time lucky i guess. although, i must point out, that they did nothing. said they do not have enough equipment with them, and scheduled another, fourth appointment for wednessday.

for some or the other reason i am having trouble getting onto blogger.com since yesterday. i am suspecting foulplay and would soon find out who sits behind this conspiracy to stop me from raising my voice and excersizing my rights. there is a right for everytihng these days and i think that might be the priamry reason the world is in the state it is. we are allowing too much. this should be stopped.

so yesterday the proudly south african plumbing company JKP PLUMBERS arrived forty five minutes late and the STYLISH KITCHEN people 'forgot' they made an arrangement with me. the plumbings guy have completed fixing their mess which again leaves me waiting for the tile people to come fix up the plumbers mess. this is an evil process which brings me to a realization that i should think about buying a shotgun.

all the rushing around and watching the mad people inhabitting this world was ended nicely with a large vanilla milkshake and a bacon and egg toasted sandwich roasted to perfection, or at least, as perfect as you get a get toast. it was shared by some old and some new friends at the local wimpy. later the harmonica did its bit with quite a few new tabs found on the net.

an aviation student at the airforce's central flying school - who was earlier allowed to continue his training despite failing numerous exams - damaged a training aircraft in an accident at the school on tuesday. the student is unfortunately fine but apparently the astra training aircraft's undercarriage and nose-wheel have been ripped off, the propeller is stuck in the ground, and one wing is damaged.

the student was one of those who was involved in a high-level investigation into racism earlier this year after instructors said he would never be able to qualify as a pilot. the instructor did not say that because he is a racist, he said that cause the freakin boy can't fly. face the facts. i hope a doctor that was also 'allowed to continue with his practice despite having failed all the required exams' one day is asked to do a brain transplant on him.

the policy is that during training, if a student fails an exam as well as a supplementary exam, he or she is taken off the course automatically. in the case of this student, he failed both exams, but higher authorities felt he would benefit from forty additional hours of training.

after completing the forty hours of additional training, he attained 46%, but needed 60% to pass. higher authorities did not accept the results, and the student was allowed to continue anyway. higher authorities should not have been appointed as higher authorities in the first place.

on tuesday morning, the student apparently made exactly the same landing mistake as before. it must be noted that the mistake he made was to pull up the air brake while he was supposed to take off again directly after landing. a crosswind aggravated the problem, and the aircraft ended up making a crash landing. clearly apartheids fault??????

'experts' said on tuesday that it is only a question of time before people died because of incompetence. i don't think it takes an expert to figure that out. they should just close the sorry excuse for an airforce down. it costs the tax payer money and they dont serve the country in any other way than airshows. which is seldom worth the costs.

taking the car to have it's cv joints checked this afternoon. lets hope this wont be another prime example of the rainbow nation flairing it's colors instead of providing good basic customer service. starting to look forward to the ski weekend.

summer tries its best to get here. already everyday is a fine day to spend outside. i phoned the medical aid and they gave me the green light to go see a physio therapist. in other words, they also feel that i need therapy.

got into that nostalgic mood, thinking back at my previous job. i hated the place, but we had good fun there. building forts, rowing around the office on our chairs. have been chatting to an old friend via email for the last month or so. she used to work there with me. remembering the weirdest things. remembering when jf locked himself in the cupboard during a meeting in the boardroom, sending me an sms to inform me of his position.

i remember a day the managing director came through from head office. he used to do that once a year, to give his (de)motivational speech. informing us of the great financial state the company is in, the large amounts of money (he) made, and how secure our jobs were. the atmosphere was always so tense, no one would say a word, all pretending to pay attention as if it was for sex. putting on the corporate face. about two thirds through jf would jump up from his chair and look at it as if something had bitten him. this would have everyone looking at him, including the md, not sure what just happened. jf would then calmly go sit back in his chair and lok at everyone else as if nothing happened.

i lived for stuff like that... i still do. at this company everyone is so serious. all work all day. and when you do make an attempt to lighten the air with management, you get that 'not sure what you are doing' look. the same look you people give you when they can't remember something. a not sure how to react as this is all new to me look. i have given up.

the right hand shock on my bike started squeeking the weekend. evidence of my worst fear is visible at the bottom of the fork on the small nut holding it together. rust. i have phoned the distributer, and he informed me that it should not be the case. i am not so sure. he also told me that their service policy changed, and that i can now bring the bike in any amount of time for the first year and enjoy free servicing. could this be the company in sa that provides good service?

speaking of servicing, i have been experiencing problems with the car as well. a not-so-nice sound comming from the left wheel during slow sharp turns. cv joints maybe? i had the front cv's replaced just over a month ago.

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the aftermath of early lunch almost always gets to me. and it hurts. it hurts looking at the time, expecting almost half of what is actually left of the working day. i took the bike in, saw a nice accident on the way there. it was almost cleared up when i got back. there is something about accidents that really attracts me. i remember it being the primary reason for volunteering as a medic. even when i wrote off my previous car. the rush. the smell of burning rubber. that realisation that a collision is inevitable. you can just hang on and wait for impact.

a nice loooong weekend. there should be more of those and less of these. bought the harmonica on thursday. slowly getting sick and tired of the only two songs i can play. elvis and billy just dont cut it anymore. sat on the old muration last night, in the veld, watching the full moon rise behind the black wattle. then i heard something behind me and left. in sa you can never be too sure ;)

friday was cancelled and due to social implications i did not attend the aerospace and defence expo. i managed to go on saturday morning, although the same social implication rose again and i left early. missed only two good displays: the saa show, and the police accidently setting fire to the movements area. less people than usual, which was both good and bad. i must add that the airshow was not at all as bad as i expected it to be. nothing compared to previous years, but still worth while.

saturday night was spent in horrible fear after watching gothika. i could recommend it, my kind of movie. sexy mad women halle berry (whom i have never liked, but changed my mind in an instant) and the scrumptios latin penelope cruz.




sunday, bloody sunday was supposed to be spent in any other place than bed. but when the pain shot from my foot to my knee to my head, i had to cancel all other plans to make the day enjoyable. they started filling up the swimming pool, and with a nice sundowner i sat in the park looking at the damages caused by the reckless wind that blew the airshow away. i was at peace, and the harmonica set the tone.

i love that little flute.

then, again, with its own arrogance monday morning hit me. it is not good. and like the beattles i am starting to loose it toward the end. headache setting in. need to go home. asap.

struggling with the same problem than yesterday workwise. getting that numb feeling in my brain, watching little snippets of code slowly come alive floating of the screen in random directions. i slap myself on the right side of my face, using my right hand. the left hand is way to powerfull and i don't want to risk injury.

still annoyed by the plumbers for not showing yesterday i phoned them. feed them a piece of my mind. schedule a new meeting, not exactly at the time i wanted it, so i still lack a certain sense of closure to the whole ordeal. all in good time.

again the thought of the public holiday tomorrow crosses my mind, and a feel a slight twitch in my left eye. i remove the dust particle and ponder some more on this weekend, the airshow, work that needs to be done, next weekend. next weekend. i still have to put in leave for the friday. not having any idea what to expect from the weekend, i regret being convinced to go. i can't cancel, i have to do this.

there are alway these things. things that you get yourself into cause you did not want to drop your friends and then start regretting about a week or so before the time. usually everything turns out fine and highly enjoyable, and causes you to be glad that you did decide to go after all. let's hope this one turns out the same.

suddenly lunch is upon me, and i realise that i have been left alone here. will continue this at a more suitable time. hopefully i will have some visual media after this much needed break.

----

with renewed enthusiasm i have decided to obtain that harmonica i looked at saturday. i will force myself to master the skill and enrich an untouched part of life, other than downloading mp3's. i have spoken to an old friend that has acquired the skill, and would not mind passing it on. i will become the apprintice.

i want to write about a topic that some people might frown upon. the office toilet. i have always found it to be a kind of in office retreat. especially at my previous job, where there were constantly people rushing around, talking, noise and interruptions. it was always wonderful to escape the madness and just go to the toilet. close the door, sit and relax. enjoying the quiet atmosphere that is present in most office toilets. this whole experience in amplified if you have been meaning to go for a while.

i had that experince just now, and i am sure that i would be able to spend hours of office time in the toilets. calmly, alone. it is like a kind of sanctuary away from the office rush. as if you lock everything out when you close the door, knowing that you won't be bothered.

i have no story for today, apart for the fact that i worked my butt of to get everything done. well, there is still one mysterious problem of which the solution is still side stepping me. i thought the day to be worse than it was so yay. it was not.

it's 12:30, and i almost have to leave to be home for the plumbers and the eugene character that has to do the checkup on my retention list. he was on time, even confirmed the meeting this morning. the plumbers however stood me up, and i found a note stating they would come next week wednesday before twelve. this allows me to phone someone to take my built up anger out on.

as the afternoon arrives i kinda start giving up on the issue. having tried it in any direction, with any value set imaginable i leave, on route and already late for another appointment.

the pic was taken yesterday afternoon at the airforce base.

it started off great. the guy tracing the consultant from hell phoned, he found him, gave me his contact details. so immediatly i summon him and he pleads innocent. writes it off as a mere mistake. i still have his number and will follow up but decided to give him the benifit of the doubt.

went by the airport to see what is in store for the airshow this weekend. as i thought it was a bit of a let down. even the static display, good news is that the sixty buck entrance fee is a rumor, and it would only be 40 bucks. still a rip off i think. i have even contemplating not going at all, but alas i have little power over myself. saw a few old faces from a past life, also some from a future life. i wish. one thing is for sure, this is the airshow with the nicest women i have ever been to. including the sterling girls.


while gazing at wonderfull little model aircraft i got a call from an old friend. she wanted to do lunch but obviously i don't work for myself so had to pass, regrettingly. for some reason that call had me in a very good mood. there was something peculiar about it though, hope she is alright.

on the way back i had a fight with a cop. a disciple of the corrupt evil force that swore to protect us. hence the pic, not the same individual but a good example of the stereotype. it is from a newspaper on the diepsloot riots last month. diepsloot is a small opening to hell, about 20km from here.

i saw this little white corsa behind me about two meters, on the highway. i am not suffering from lightning fast road rage, but when someone drives on my ass it works me up. i slammed the brakes and he kinda lost control, and went off the road. suddenly the hazards come on, and i am thinking he has some damage. but he does not slow down, and follows me to work.

getting at work he is still on my trail, and sneaks in just before the boom closes behind me. i parked at work and we got out. huge fight about him being on call (yeah right???) to now being one of his suspects. yes he said that, rediculous? i agree. so i ask for his badge and pretend to take a photo of it and his license plate. unfortunately my memory card was full of pics from the air base, show no pics for the blog. a pity.

he swore at me a few times and then left. getting to the gate they did not want him to leave, as he has no visitors card.

i now am hungry and have a slight headache brewing. will eat anything to make it go away.

working my butt off. no time for blog. not friday, not today. fireworx and magic.

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did not think it would happen today, but i just found some time to look back and recap on what happened during the day, and the weekend gone by. this, apart from today, all happened too fast. it is not the speed of the weekend rushing by faster than a deadline at work, but more the sudden stop at the end that really annoys me.

the day brought lots of excitement as the air was pleasantly polluted by the deep rumble that can only be caused by compressed air ignited inside a jet engine and the sweet smell of jet a1 resedue.

memories of great airshows in the apartheid era was pulled from memory again with the great display by and old mirage f1 just before lunch. painting the future with cheap 24 hour water paint the gripen came by a few minutes ago having me believe that there might still be a future for the south african airforce, now a long forgotten low class hostel. with only pictures and paintings of great generals and men that defended our country and kept the old proudly (although ugly) flag of south africa flyin high.

one of the few good things that came from elections in 1994 definitely includes the new flag.

nothing much happened the weeked. someone got raped by a medic and it was not even news enough to make the tv. just a low budget local newspaper published it as front page news. probably the least read paper in the country. went searching for a harmonica. found one, decided not to buy it as buyers remorse got the better of me even before i made the purchase. they had a little parade going on there.


had grand dad's birthday on sunday. temperature dropped by about 13C, started picking up again today. drove through town on the way back

fireworx and magic. today is a good day. got moved onto something else, so getting lost in someone elses code has been put on hold for a while. still having a slight headache - mostly due to music being played too loud too long. the old prodigy, just can't keep up the typing speed.

met debbie yesterday. very cute little 80's sweet sixteen type. also, the new receptionest is starting monday. don't know her name, but she looks nice. real nice. would be good to have some more consistancy in the reception area. get the calls going where it should again. not here.

today it is the plumbers turn to meet me at the house. and they will face my wrath should they cancel in the same south african way as the kitchen people. thinking about sa customer service i should actually be glad they phoned at all.

for a day that started out as bad as this one it ended very well. the chick from stylus kitchens phoned me yesterday making an appointment for just before ten. after informing her that the time would be difficult i decided to leave it at that, and settle for her time. this morning i shifted my time table around and managed to be at home, waiting, nine thirty.

ten past i get a phone call informing me that they won't be able to make it. this is what i mean when i rant and complain about shitty service in ths god forsaken shit hole.

already in a bad mood, and with anger building at a steady pace, this bloke pushes in infront of me at the robot. road rage is the only kind of rage i have not yet completely exploited, apart from the kind generated by someone getting on your bumper. those people must be executed.

my faith in humanity was partially restored when i remembered that the flightsim mailing list could be used (abused?) to get hold of falcon 4.0 - the only thing that caused today to be any better than the average stuck with axapta day. this one guy even offered to copy, package and ship it to me at his expense. now the final problem might be system requirements. it is an old game so i would leave it at that.

no reply from danie received yet

will have to wait and see if a reply comes through. let's hope we can make this a better soapie for all

Hi Danie,

I have been involuntarily following 7deLaan for the last year or more. According to South African standards I think you have done a great job with the project, as thousands of fans sit nailed watching it everyday at six thirty, not to mention the omnibus that contains the four episodes broadcasted during the week in an easy to watch two hour show. Most people find this service great, as it provides a backup for days where death in the family caused them to miss a few minutes of an episode, or that supersized coke is claiming it's ground. But looking at your bank account I am sure you don't need me to remind you of your success.

Another highlite of the show is the fast pace the story follows. Although I think a periodical "20 YEARS LATER" could still be added, it out runs most other soapies, including international hits like Days of our Lives, where one can schedule the vcr to record one episode every two months, and still not miss a thing.

To get to the point, I would like to give some sugguestions as to some minor adjustments that would make this a blockbuster soapie, should such a thing actually exist.

The first issue is Charmaine, and her mandatory "i-care-and-suffer-with-you" frowns. Either this, or the character has to go. Even though I do appreciate recent efforts made to move her to Vredendal, I doubt this would ever happen as oom Francois and Dwayne puts in too much effort to stop this. I have however gathered from the website that Dwayne is a guest performer and would thus not spend too much time on screen. I liked Dwayne, but would not mind if he decides along with Charmaine to go visit his parents in Ceres (I think?). Vanessa can also go along, and they can either live happily ever after in Ceres or have some form of family massacre. I would prefer the latter as this leaves no room for any unfortunate comebacks, but this is a family show, and we need not promote violence in this country, as it already has more fans than 7deLaan.

The issue about Anette has been addressed, and I thank you dearly for that. She was good before she got ill, and my condolences to Ryno. I also appreciate Ryno getting over her so easily, no one needed another mournfull face in addition to Charmaines.

I have thought long and hard about it, and could not find anyone more suitable than Sandra to come back with amnesia. Amnesia is always a hit in any soapy, and should seriously be considered. Sandra aleady showed slight symptoms after the birth of.... ...uhm.... ..... that little one. Besides, without Sandra Carlos has no role to play other than to allow for an opportunity to introduce "blink meneer" Kobus to the public. If this is not an option, I would recommend turning Carlos into a security guard, that can protect the neighbourhood from Gerome should he ever decide to return. We all hope that this would not be the case. While we are talking about Kobus, I really think his wife and George should get together.

Also I think there should be someone named "Bill" in the story as well. Even if it's just for one episode.

Thank you

woken by ghosts from the past last night in a confusing dream. bringing back memories and depriving me from sleep till two this morning. i could not stop thinking about the people. the people that i have not seen for such a long time, have not thought about even. all the haunting faces. what ever happened to them.

just before i got into bed, i for some reason realised that i would not get much sleep last night. must have been the heat. not quite getting a comfortable position to fall asleep in, i struggled and turned quite a bit before i eventually drifted off. might also be because i was not all that tired.

i must have just fell asleep when i started dreaming... ...i was driving around town. no specific town, as a matter of fact, i have never seen a place like this although it felt so familiar. like it should be my hometown. a rather odd looking place with just one road leading through town. the road was wet, as if it had just rained, and one could see the broken colored reflections of the neon signs in the puddles. pavements told the story of poverty, bums lying with garbage duvets and cartboard pillows.

although by this time the town was fairly quiet, and most apartment lights already turned off, there was some comotion at the top end of the road. few people fooling around in the street. some restaurants still playing music in the distance. i drove away from that and turned on the radio. billy joel was singing about the piano man. i opened the window to smell the fresh night air.

decided to drive to the only shop still open on that side of town. i knew someone that worked there. could not quite put a finger on who it was, but it did not seem to bother me too much at that time. i parked the car across the road. looking like some sleezy adult shop up in esselen street, i got the feeling that i did not like the owner very much. i did however care for the lady working behind the counter.

after waiting outside a while a figure appeared on my left, just outside the window. i recognized her and we chatted for a while. i was unsure what i was doing there. did i come to pick her up, just to visit. it felt like i had to wait for her till after work. her boss looked through the large glass window cover almost the whole front wall of the shop. inside the shelves were stacked with files. the old black and white goverment type. she went back inside, and continued her filing.

this was more or less where i woke up. getting up for some water. it tasted awful. only when i got back to bed i realised what i had dreamt. who the lady was. she was at school with me, we used to walk to or from school together. sometimes at least. i checked my phone, i still had a number for her. have not spoken to her in years, not really even thought about her either.

it got me thinking about lots of people from that time. 6 even 7 or 8 years ago. mroe like and era, or genre to me. for more than 4 hours i was kept awake by these thoughts.

getting to work this morning with mixed emotions about the day. boss came in and we talked about the work i am currently busy with. gave me some new ideas which let me to believe that i might just make more progress today. investigating it out it led me back to the same railway.

just found blood on my left hand. no idea where it came from.

the pain. it is the worst in the morning. i need to see a physio, have never had much faith in any therapist, but i have heard testimonies of people being healed by these people. i guess the biggest reason i don't want to guy is twofold: one it might cost me money, and i find it hard to spend money on something i am not sure would help. two, i fear they might tell me the damage is permanent and that i need a knee replacement.

i live for the day that one can just pop a few pills instead of eating and buy a knee replacement at the supermarket. a nice neat knee kit. people would complain that you have to buy the whole damn thing, while they still have parts left from the shoulder kit.

had a great weekend. lots of laughter fun and excitement. the neighbor went cycling with me, and i must admit, i was more than surprised with her performance. an out of shape pace, but very determent approach to every incline. even after she took a classic bail, and claimed a nice section of land.

also cleared the main garden of the ruling pieces of rock debris polluting the image i want it to portray. it made me happy.

sunday morning i attempted my first orienteering event. hence the limp and extreme pain today. i was freed from my idea that i would be able to acquire the skill of running without being chased. no pain, no pain. it is just not for me. it went worse than expected, and i would love attempt the same thing on a bike.

just received a phone call from another bank consultant. the guy that said he would be able to help me on saturday. i like it. good service is hard to come by in this place. will see what he comes up with.

saw this nice little old government building on the way back. also in the photo i see good evidence that summer is back, and we can expect temps up to 29C today. getting there!

women love cats.

men say they love cats, but when women aren't looking, men throw things at cats.

i saw cat pawprints in my garden again yesterday

the ugly:

for me work started at 6:30am already. felt uneasy about the demo, and the state the software is still in, so i rocked up early. a few minutes later management got here, with the same feeling i have. realising and conveying to me that we will have to move mountains before 8:30 - demo time.

worked hard and it paid off - well, kind of at least.

had a nice arial display since early this morning. i guess they are dusting off the jets at the airbase for the display next weekend. will go and investigate in lunch, try not to get locked up or chased out again. (mental note: also need food)

we have this braai this afternoon that i forgot about. don't feel like attending, so i will conveniently forget again. forgetting about that reminds me of the orrienteering on sunday. i really want to do this.

will report back after lunch. btw: i have found the most brilliant way of making money!!!! i love it - it would be so funny if he does not make it.

---------------

lunch has past and i am still hungry. did not get anything to eat. did not see any worthy aircraft. decided to take pic of wall. almost had camera confiscated trying to take pictures inside the terminal at the base. freakin idiot on a power trip. only got a picture of the little fountain.

drove back to work with the idea of stopping on the way to grab something in edible form. i stopped at an atm when i remembered i did not hae cash left in my wallet, and would not liketo use my card for something so cheap. then the atm broke the news in it's own special way. insufficient funds. insufficient funds for R20????

the negative balance printed was in the hundreds of rands. i did not buy anything to eat due to my sudden loss of apetite. back at work i immediately checked my balance. it confirmed the bad news. after a brief search through the statement i found two deductions made, paying for my will being drawn up. something that i postponed till next year.

phoned the bank, no help. trying to locate the f*cked up consultant is nearly impossible as i cleaned my desk, containing his details just a few days ago. i did however get hold of someone who might be able to track that via my id number. the needless effort.

anger back, for for at least a few hours the enthusiasm is also there.

the bad:

realizing that yesterdays meeting left me with more than tons of work i start early. working myself into a corner just as management arrives. good news, i have to focus on some other work first.

focussing on some other work first, i find loads of problems. this bring the demotivational poster about agony to mind. i hate having pressure to do work and getting stuck with things even before i get to the object of my efforts.

having my two co-workers here today was both good and bad for the days happy rating. it was nice to have someone break the silence a bit, but i just work better alone. not really due to the distractions, more caused by the fact that i get sucked into pointless arguments about rubbish.

the day ended well, with a balls on the chip 'n putt at home.

the good:

got to work this morning, rather relaxed, but with the usual motivation towards anything but work. looking up to the rest of the day with the normal lack of excitement. loosing the enthusiasm that accompanies the anger, causing depression to rule the morning atmosphere.

surprisingly early my boss walks into the office, not catching me offguard completely as i observed his vehicle in the parking lot earlier and prepared for anything. i get informed that i was not forgotten yesterday, just not informed. the meeting in heidelberg (a small town on the other side of johannesburg) had been moved to this morning.

with mixed emotions i get a few things... rather: with mixed emotions i get a pen and head downstairs to the parking lot.

the meeting went good and proved to hold my attention for at least 85% of the total time spent. meetings are wonderful things. they waste time in a poductive way without draining any resources other than aching butt muscles. it could well be seen as a practical alternative to work. an alternative with the boss' consent.

the meeting ends rather bluntly and we are taken through this old building in the industrial area of heidelberg to the factory. our tour guides stopping at each department collecting forms and showing off hardware.

after a few minutes of office and industry jargon we set off for lunch. the usual discussion one has with your biss takes place in the car as we drive to randburg for the next meeting.

lunch included the best toasted bacon and egg i had in months, and proves a perfect way to celebrate this "out of office time". the marketing shows up halfway through lunch, and it gets decided that i am free to go back with his bakkie.

got back to work just in time for my official lunch. shortly after which the end of my working day arrived and i was set free to roam in public until morning.

the cheerful mood got spoiled for the rest of the late-afternoon after bad service at the local mcdonalds outlet. waiting too long for my food has never gone down nicely when i am hungry. i get hungry at least three times a day, and needs to be fed before the headache sinks in and i turn into my other self.

got to work late this morning. late by choice. was still the first one here though, which has a bonus: there are no arrival time witnesses. this was the first thing to happen that caused this day to be better than expected. it was followed by a number of different happenings including but not limited to: free lunch from the company next door, my boss forgetting to take me along on a business trip to johannesburg and me not being swamped in work today.

content with things as they are today, i worked quite a lot, with little to no visible progress though. speaking to alex i learn that the grass might just be greener on his side of earth despite the fact that winter is on it's way there. i was thinking about adding a todo or current projects list on the page... re-considering the implications of getting to greener grass would be the first item. no. it won't. build zen rake would be.

i never did get to finishing fridays blog entry. trying to reach the memories of friday brings nothing but a slight twitch to my cerebral cord. i did find these pics in the 3 september blog folder though. ah, yes, the school, the castle and the eggs and honey shop. driving around, trying to find something to blog about i took these.


weather is really crappy today and i have been sitting with the heater between my legs the whole morning. not sure what the side effects would be i have waivered any warning warning from lowering sperm count to frying eggs. speaking of which, i must rember to buy milk tomorrow. (again scribbling a note on a small piece of paper might cause me to drink plastic milk tomorrow). chucking the note deep into my pocket, as to fool the washing machine into thinking it could be an important piece of paper. the lg fuzzy logic toploader thrives on important news, reminders and receipts. in the same way that i can devour a dozen pancakes in record time, this notorios piece of domestic machinery has robbed me dry of the above mentioned items at an even more break neck speed than sunday's old man on a downhill.

this castle was built in the early twenty first century and is solid proof that most men never mature completely. i would imagine that this individual always wanted to be a king and in some more direct than most people would think way, i can relate to him. i really strive to have my own castle, to be rich enough to spend a few dollars (locally known as milions of rands) on defenses for my castle. i can see that in the near future this would be seen less as a childish way of living your childhood dream and more as a neccesity in our ever growing crime rate - the heart of the south african economy. a place where keeping a lookout for macbeths moving bushes is more important than the traffic at an intersection, and where most people refrain from stopping at a red traffic light as it is safer to just close your eyes and put the pedal to the metal.

could i ever struggle more to get out of bed than today? at six i start hearing the faint beeping of my alarm clock. after a while it ends... i wake again 30 minutes later. i know i am late. still i lie paralised in bed. dragging myself from bed, feeling the need for a tow truck i get into the shower in which again i almost fall asleep.

after much ado i reach work. still tired. sleepy. yawning like there is no tomorrow. here i am, at work with only bits and pieces left in my mind of the weekend gone by...

friday is one big blur. i remember going to bed late. thinking about strange things turning me on... the next morning the radio clock wakes me after it struggled for an hour - not getting any reaction from me. it is 7 o clock, i drift of to lala land even before i can contemplate a plan on reaching the alarm clocks snooze, or even power button. waking again at nine i see that it had stopped by itself. i get up, and kit for cycling. while searching for my gloves my left eye catches a glimpse of the car keys and the search for my gloves suddenly looses it's importance.

i drive off in search of the swallows nest cache. co-incidently the co-ords takes me to a park in waterkloof ridge. following the pointer into a small forest like patch, and straight into a brick wall. calling no joy i start walking back. something strange about the little forrest, it seems lik it could have been a large garden years ago. with a slight search around, i uncover steps, and even a patio and braai. the steps are hardly visible now, but i can make out a definite pattern. i also see a bunch of cypress tree lying on the ground just before entering the park again.

examining the heap, i find one tree fit for my garden. longer than the car is wide, i manage to load the tree with it's roots out the one and tip out the other backseat window.

in an attempt to unload my finding, i break the top 30cm off the tree. just as the gloves this morning, the tree also suddenly looses it's importance, and i get a feeling of time and effort well wasted during this operation. failing to find a spot in the garden anyway, i decide i'll move it to the garbage heap.

saturday evening was spent online, atc-ing for six hours straight. getting home at 23:40, just in time for the etv porn movie. watching the first sex scene with enough enthusiasm to send me back to lala land on the couch, only to wake an hour later and move my current state of mind (idle) to bed.

next morning i wake up, well rested, feeling bad about chickening out on the cycling the previous day, so i try again. about 20 minutes into the ride i see this guy, about one and a half two km ahead of me. noting that i am gaining quite well on him i decide to chase him. this happens a lot, and the person gets passed with the ritualistic two finger "hi". just like people do when they pass me. not this guy, he noices me when checking for traffic and start cycling like i want to rape him. the closer i got the harder he cycled. i would get within 100m of him on the up hills, then he blitzkriegs downhill like a mad man, so fast that i almost bailed 3 times trying to catch him. i have never seen something like that. it carried on like this for more than an hour. gaining lots on the uphill, and then loosing him on the downhill again. losing him far enough that i need to follow his track in the dirt to know which way he went. eventually he couldn't go anymore on one rocky incline, and got off his bike to push... unfortunately i couldn't go anymore either so we both walked - not saying a word to each other, about 120m apart. both started cycling again and about 2km's further i caught him, just before the last downhill (also, the last place i would see him) HE WAS ABOUT 50!!!!!!! i pulled in next to him and he just started laughing, after a quick chat i lost him to the last downhill.

the afternoon i went golfing with my sis, not too bad, had a good game... went by the airport for some pictures as well... getting shook back to reality i realise it is now 6:58 and long past time to go home.

took a drive in lunch to get some photo's..... also to find out where the road that i always see from my office window leads. you know what... ...i don't really feel like doing this today... will finish this blog some other time.

not getting to anything other than work today - even blogging in secret. i mailed the national intelligence agency last week. looking for a developer position. dey said i mast mail agên in tree wieks. hey, speaking of that. we had our complex meeting the other night. they had the nicest reception area...

i shot this one during lunch. a great example of driver courtesy between fellow south africans. the trucks aren't the worst though. the taxi's are. i think i'll do a project on that. the taxi's. the mass transist system for bottom feeders. getting where you want to in true african style at first world speeds. lovely. some of them are great drivers and abide by the law, but the other 99.9% has 'special privilages' when it comes to things like one ways, red lights or road worthyness. especially road worthyness. while chowing away on the chips and coke, that, by theway, is not on special anymore, i saw this guy doing in a tourist again. although, admittedly he sells for much cheaper than the "curios shops" closer to tourist attractions. he also deals in golf balls. second hand ones.


not much happened since yesterday. retrieved two clue for info on swallows cahce. might go search for it this afternoon. left the bike at home today. glad, it is really windy... been really busy today, loads of work to do. i am getting around to do pretty much being alone in the office. fewer excuses for distraction i guess. still can't wait for the day to end though, counting the hours from 7 am as if i am being sentenced for the 8 hours every day. i do enjoy it every now and then tho... i dunno...

the first of september, the end of the terrible cold. the flowers started to bloom. klip started crapping. temperatures slowly started breaking the 22C mark. and i eventually cycled to work for the first time since autumn.

cried myself a river on the way here with icy wind in my eyes through the dips. checking my time just after the first dip i realised that i would have to put more effort in if want to be at work, showered and at my pc before 7am. getting over the first hill is the crux, and i keep thinking what an exhilirating feeling i am going to have cycling back this afternoon. it hardly seems worth it.

reaching the top i slowly start to gear up to gain speed. morning traffic is a bitch. so is 4 way stops. breaking momentum and every intersection. the top of the hill kind of marks halfway. slightly downhill on the other side to he robot then left. the second, more severe dip lies next to a dam. loong downhill allows for 24th gear, and easy pedalling.

the traffic gets worse further down the road as they are slowed by yet another 4 way stop. i start matching their speed, not very difficult as the traffic only allows about 50km/h in the morning. the damn road is getting to narrow to fit in next to the cars and i have to resort to the poorly treaded footpath. the large amount of bouncing makes me lose speed and the black guy on the bicycle in front of me puts the final nail in my momentum coffin.

back to granny gears i am on the homestretch to the gate, passing the 4 way stop, getting a visual on the destination and having to stop dead to wait for traffic.

arriving at the office, i realise that i have left my keys on the car. i am not the first to arrive here though, but the other oke is a new guy without a key. bummer. about 10 minutes later someone with a key shows up and i can grab a quick shower and get to work... or at least, get to blogging. i was planning on getting to work immediately as i have loads to do, but thought it proper to start spring day with a journal entry.

the well known blogger-cam followed me here, without batteries though... thus, no pics for today. i have decided to publish this in celebration of the nice spring atmosphere we have today. the capitol min 12C max 27C - better than nothing.



had the trustee meeting last night - was good - glad i went. learnt a lot. proud of our body coorporate!