13. On More Traffic Fine Issues

You might remember the run-in I had with traffic fines earlier in October.....well it appears that my woes are not over. After FINALLY getting my chequebook from the bank, writing the cheques and sending them off, I get a fat envelope from the City of Cape Town telling me that they are sending my cheques back as I hadn't taken into account the fine for the licence being expired!

At this point my blood pressure shot right through the top of my head. I now owe the City of Cape Town the grand total of R720.45. This from an initial amount of R477 so they decided to charge me R243.45 in penalties and arrears! This means that they didn't give me the 21 days of grace like they do when it comes to paying your licence so it means that they are as bad as Mastercard and Visa when it comes to payments/fines/interest. Well that's shattered any faith I had in the world. Now I have to write another cheque and hopefully they will like this one. *sigh* On a brighter note, if I am not mistaken, now I don't have to pay the R1,000 fine.

Soundtrack for the Day: Saltwater - Chicane

12. On More Mushy Brains

As per my previous post, I definitely have mushy brains. Just found out completely by accident that I have been double dosing on my medication for the last MONTH. The only reason I know this is that when I went to the pharmacy for a refill, the medical aid system wouldn't let me have any drugs because it was "too early to fill" according to the pharmacist. I kept on wondering why I was running out all the time - and then I finally read the instructions on the box. Mush I tell you.

At least now all those weird side effects might go away. The shaking was getting out of hand!

Soundtrack for the Day: I'm Going Slightly Mad - Queen

11. On Mushy Brains and Kak Weather

My brain has turned into mush. Or maybe it's the weather that has done it. Firstly, WTF is going on with the weather here? It's 15 degrees, raining non stop and windy. Did we move to the UK and nobody told me? This is ridiculous. Even worse, it's supposed to continue until NEXT Monday so there's another week of this hideousness. Oh joy.

Anyway. I was going to meet some friends today - one of my mates' sister is here with her baby and I needed to say goodbye as she was going back to the UK. They live out in Somerset West. Now I knew that another mate was going over there as well for the same reason, so when she called to find out where I was, I naturally assumed that she was there in Somerset West with the rest of the clan. Rule no. 1: Never assume anything. She said to me: "We're waiting for you here so don't be too long in coming!" So in the rain and the cold I got into my trusty Tazzerati and off I set for Somerset West. It's about 45km out of Cape Town and in this weather it's advisable not to drive fast (unlike idiots from Jhb) so it took about an hour or so. I got to the gate and was slightly baffled when no one answered. It was at this point that some nasty suspicions started to grow in my mind... I put a call through to her and asked her where they were and it turned out that they were at her house. Which is in Fresnaye. Which is in Cape Town.


Somewhere along the line, I'd missed the part where my mates from Somerset West were coming out to Cape Town. We agreed at this point that they would leave Fresnaye and meet me at my house in Rondebosch to say goodbye en route back to Somerset West. So once more, I got in my little car and drove an hour back home. A 2 hour round trip on a Sunday afternoon. My brain is definitely mush.


This morning was also the Big Walk. The Volunteer Wildfire Services sends out two teams: one at the finish to watch out for fires (fat chance in this weather) and one to walk. Last year I walked and this year I had decided to do the same. This is another example of where my brain turned to mush; I was supposed to go and fetch the goodie bags and race numbers on Thursday. I completely forgot and only remembered that it needed doing at all when my mate asked me if I'd done it. Then she said no worries that I can go on Friday morning. Surprise, I forgot. Luckily we spoke on Friday afternoon and this time we went together after she finished work. So there we were, race numbers ready, fire uniforms ready (I'd even had the badges resewn in the correct place as per VWS policy for the occasion!) and all systems go. Except that it started raining on Saturday afternoon. And it didn't stop.

Now we were in a quandary. To go or not to go. After all, it was supposed to be a team thing. Late on Saturday night we decided that the best thing would be to set our alarms for 6.45am (the race started at 8) and wake up and check the weather and then decide. I struggled to sleep that night so when that alarm went off it was the last thing I wanted to hear. I hauled myself out of bed, went and had a look and it was still raining. You know that stupid pissy little rain where the drops are so small that you can barely see them and yet you still get thoroughly soaked... and it doesn't let up for days. Like they have in the UK. No wonder the English are such a miserable bunch. If I had that for 11 and a half months a year I'd be pretty pissy too. Executive decision. I went straight back to bed. My mate woke up at 5ish and made the same executive decision - she just turned the alarm off! Great minds...

With the weather predicted to still be like it is in the UK for the next WEEK, there is no chance that I am going to get any less mushy in the head if indeed it is the weather causing the problem. So if you want anything coherent from me, you will have to wait till it's beach weather again.

Soundtrack for the Day: Revealed - Blank & Jones with Steve Kilbey (what I was listening to in the car on my roundtrip to Somerset West and back)

10. On Fitness Evaluations and Inglourious Basterds

Yesterday saw me doing my fitness evaluation for fire training. Fire season is nearly upon us and as a member of the Volunteer Wildfire Services*, I have to pass all my evaluations and do a required number of scenario training sessions. I've done all of them except for fitness and given that I smoke and haven't exercised since I did the half marathon (see previous post) I was understandably nervous. The evaluation involved walking 4.2km UP Table Mountain from Newlands Fire Base and down through Rhodes Memorial in the boots used for firefighting as well as carrying the full backpack you would use at a fire including the mandatory 4 litres of water we have to carry. And all this in 50 min carrying a handtool. A walk in the park right? Ha!


So at 5pm on Thursday evening we set out and I must say it's a lovely route although I was wheezing at this point so I wasn't really interested in the view. There was just so much UP! And it's rough track, with lots of rock steps - my pack started to feel really heavy at this point. I fell behind not too soon after the start and I knew I was in trouble but there wasn't much I could do because I couldn't go any faster. To injury to insult (and yes, that was deliberate, I didn't get it the wrong way round), those hideous fire boots of mine started to give me blisters on both feet - toes and heels and my backpack started to chafe. Bottom line, I made it in one piece - 1h and 1min - 11min over time and now I have to do the bloody thing again. FFS! I've been fighting fires for 4 years now and I've never had to go at that pace - and I drop my back pack somewhere safe while I'm putting out the flames anyway.


On getting back to base I was chagrined to find out that everyone except me had simply emptied out their backpacks for the evaluation and ONLY had the 4 litres of water. And I was the only sucker carrying 10kg or more. Plus I never carry 4l of water, I usually carry 2l and barely drink even half of that over 9 hours by which time we've been fed and watered by base. Plus the main pack arrived 3 minutes late so it's obviously no walk in the park. Undeniably I am unfit, but I really don't want to do that eval again - not like I have a choice. I'm just going to do the last one possible so maybe I have a chance to get my fat lazy ass off the couch and maybe get a bit fitter. Life is a bitch sometimes.


Onto a more cheerful topic, today was perfect weatherwise. No wind, and warm and sunny without a cloud in the sky. Which means only one thing. BEACH. But as usual there was admin to do - after dropping my tax return at my financial advisor (yes I know, mechanics cars never work and us finance types can't manage our own cash) I felt that I had done sufficiently enough admin to warrant a visit to Camps Bay. And it was perfect. It was warm without being hot (although I love hot), there was not a breath of wind, the beach wasn't too full, I found parking straight away and the sea was calm and flat. It was the kind of day where you look at the sea and all you can see is sparkle,sparkle and it looks like the water has diamonds on it. Just perfect. Life can be fabulous sometimes as well. And so I plonked my fat lazy ass there for the rest of a gorgeous, perfect afternoon. Not a lot more you can ask for!

We'd booked to see Inglourious Basterds (and yes my spelling is correct, take it up with Tarantino if you have issues) and all I can say is that after some very average movies, old Quentin has redeemed himself. Brad was great (although I have to say, the man has aged - must be all those kids) but the man who stole the show was Christoph Waltz who was beyond brilliant. He was just.... brilliant. The movie was funny, witty, highly entertaining and didn't have as much gore as usual. Not that I object to the gore. Just go watch it. So all in all, Friday was a great day. Roll on weekend!


Soundtrack for the Day: Lazy Summer Days - Elcho (Cafe del Mar Vol XXII) especially for the beach.


*For more detail on what I do for the VWS and what being on an actual fire is like, read this post.

9. On Windows and Traffic Fines

Today the SA Police Force and PG Glass are on my shitlist. As some of you may know, my bathroom window shattered on Sunday due to the wind - and now there is nothing between me showering and all and sundry that drive along Liesbeek Parkway. So on Monday morning I call around and get some quotes.

The cheapest was from PG Glass (cheap at R695 that is) and they said that all their guys were out but they would call first thing. Surprise surprise I got no call on Tuesday, so I called them again today. The lady on the end of the line said that all the guys were out but as soon as one of them was back she'd send him through. Which lead me to expect that someone that afternoon. Not so. When no one had pitched by 5pm, I called them again only to be told that that's not what the lady said, she said that they could only come tomorrow because all the guys were out. Yeah right. And then she said she would send them first thing. All I can say is they'd better.

And then we come to the SAPS. I already have one traffic ticket for an expired car licence (see previous posts) so I've been keeping my car off the road and parking in private lots like mall carparks etc. So this evening I go over to my mate's to have an early pizza and catch Lipstick Jungle (yes I like the show but not as much as Battlestar Galactica, OK?). The parking lot in front of her block is full so I am forced to park in the street. Actually I am forced to park on the pavement because all the parking in the street is taken (where are these people? I never saw a soul). This is at 7.15pm. Emphasis on the pm. When I get back to my car at 10.15pm, there is a little pink piece of paper waving in the wind stuck to my window. Seriously. So between 7.15 and 10.15 some sadistic bastard of a policeman with supposedly nothing better to do went around all the cars in the neighbourhood and looked at the licence discs? Come on. There's plenty of big crime here in SA - go and catch some REAL criminals and leave the rest of us who pay our taxes (even if they are a bit late) alone.

Soundtrack of the Day: Supernova - Mr Hudson feat. Kanye West

8. On the Crappiness of Local TV

Tonight's viewing choices for prime time are 2 local soapies that are terrible in languages that I don't understand which leaves me to choose between WWE Afterburn Wrestling and yet another local programme about African stuff that doesn't manage to hold my interest for more than 30 seconds. And this is what we either pay our TV licences for or go to jail for 6 months? There is something severely wrong with this picture.

Which leads me onto another dilemma. The monthly fees at the gym are going up to R485 a month which I have decided is excessive. I don't go to the gym, so in effect I am donating R485 directly to Richard Branson every month and he has more than enough money. And at that price it now becomes a choice between DSTV and the gym. So it's a choice between better TV and my health. But given that local TV is so shitty, it's more a choice between my mental health and my physical health. And that's a no brainer. Sanity wins every time!

Soundtrack of the Day: Paparazzi - Lady Gaga

7. On a Day in the Life

It's about time that I maybe started writing in my blog a bit more often - especially as I am still gainfully unemployed - a state which is causing me much concern. Not because I have nothing to do, but because I have nothing to spend. Or pay bills with for that matter. So if you are offering a job, I want to hear from you!

What's a day like in the life of the unemployed? Sleeping in is one of them. Wondering around the house in your PJs till midday is another provided that I don't have a pressing engagement with my GP or the grocery store. A lot of time looking on the internet at career websites. And of course, the watching of DVDs. Which is hard to do when your DVD player has given up the ghost and duly informs you that there is "NO DISC" when you know that you put one in. Is this a bit like when you put a pair of socks in the washing machine and only one comes out?

Anyway, the DVD player has gone off to be fixed and it must be something serious because it's taken them a week already.... how hard can it be? So I am forced to watch local TV and let me tell you it is CRAP. It's October which is an excuse to put on the cheesiest B type Halloween movies on - seriously one Friday night I was forced between choosing Jaws or Dracula: Dead and Loving It. I chose life and went to bed.

A typical day would involve going to the beach if the weather would cooperate which at the moment it isn't. Today for instance, the weather went from cool and cloudy, to warm and sunny, to cold and dark, to thunderstormy and gale force wind, and back to cool and cloudy again. What do you wear on a day like that? Needless to say, I am still the same shade of pale white that I have been all winter. And just as grumpy.

Other than that, a day in the life seems to involve more downs than ups. One the one decent day with sun and warmth and no wind my little sister through some serious arm twisting (and I mean serious because the beach is always my no. 1 priority) managed to persuade me to go with her to get half price sushi for lunch. So off we went. And serendipitously we found parking right in front of the restaurant. Impressive. We go into the restaurant, place our orders and sit in the lovely warm sunshine waiting for gastronomous fulfilment. About 15 minutes later our waiter comes to us and tells us that they have run out of fish. Seriously. But if we wait 45 minutes, they'll have more and they can fill our order. We chose to go elsewhere at that point.

Unfortunately it meant that we now were going to have full price sushi, so this was becoming an expensive little luncheon. We had our sushi and went back to the car only for me to find an unwanted pink ticket on the window. It turns out that my car licence disc had expired and I now owed the City of Cape Town R500 for the privilege.

The way it works is that you have 21 days of grace to pay the licence. My licence expired on 30 Sep but I knew I had some time. I always pay by posting a cheque and the reason I hadn't done it was because my cheque book was finished and I needed to collect a new one from the bank. And we all know how much I love going to the bank. When I eventually did go to the bank to collect it they told me that they had destroyed it because I took too long to come and collect it. So I had to order a new one which would take a week. The 21 day grace period ended on 21 Oct. I got fined on 22 Oct. My cheque book was ready on 23 Oct. Lovely. That turned out to be the most expensive lunch I have ever had. And I still blame Standard Bank for it. I knew I should never have gone against my gut. Beach always first. Lesson learnt.

Then yesterday the wind was seriously gale force and gusting. So much so that it slammed our bathroom window shut and shattered it completely. We got an almight fright and all the glass ended up in the bath which was quite fun to clean... and now it's going to cost about R1000 to fix - and I suspect that the price will go up once they see that we live on the second floor.

So when people say, "Oh, you are so lucky to be unemployed, it's like being on holiday," don't be surprised when they get the death stare. Bru, it's not fun at all.

Soundtrack of the Day: Bulletproof - La Roux