Cape of Storms

There has been a humungous storm over the past couple of days. The Cape has been blown from all directions, rained on till there's no-where left that's dry and thousands of people have had to be evacuated from their homes.

The storm surge has been an issue all over the place and driving home from Blouberg today one can see that the beach car parks are full of foam from the waves - that's how high the water has come. I took a drive to the block of flats on the beach here in Melkbos and see that Mother Nature has completely washed away the sandbank they put in front of the flats after a storm last year. Given that sea levels are supposed to be rising, I'd be selling right now if I lived in that block!

If you're reading this and in the Cape, stay warm, dry and safe!

I really do know what you intend to do

Completely finished today by the number of crystal ball drivers on the road today. You know the type. The ones who make a driving decision that will affect others but without informing you about it.

Turning without indicating. Changing lanes without indicating. Turning into the road without indicating. Doing any ****ing thing on the road WITHOUT indicating!

Must be something to do with it being Friday and a beautiful day. Either that or cars are coming with indicators as an optional extra to assist with financial constraints.

Who are the worst drivers, really?

..statistically, women are lower insurance risks than their male counterparts based on the fact that they take fewer risks, make more careful decisions, usually stick to the speed limit and frown upon road rage. In addition, the cost of repairs to vehicles crashed by women is on average, lower than the cost of damage caused by men.

The above is from the First for Women Website.

If this is the case, why is it that when I'm cruising along at or just above the speed limit I am generally overtaken by female drivers who are zooting along 10-20 kph faster than me? When I see the cars in my rear-view mirror I expect a male driver but am proved wrong most times.

This morning, a female driver pulled into the main road by my home and hit a young guy on a scooter (who had right of way). She just turned into the road without looking right.

Based on my on unscientific study, I can therefore only theorise that women spend less time on the road (office workers versus people who make a living on the road), thus leading the statisticians for the insurance giants to come to the above slightly warped and uninformed conclusion.

Using capital Letters in Sentences

Although I'm no genius in the use of the English language, incorrect use of capitalisation is something that is becoming more and more prevalent, certainly here in South Africa. Perhaps I'll carry some spray paint around with me so that I can correct all those incorrect signs - and a permanent marker for restaurant menus.

Such is the evolutionary price language pays when the unwashed masses can read and write.

Roadside tai chi

On the way back from dropping Jacques at Cape Town's airport early this morning, there was a man dressed in white doing an interpretation of tai chi slap bang in the central reservation of a normally fast flowing road (the start of the N7 Highway). It's a somewhat surreal sight to watch a man balance like a crane then morph into a grazing goat, in the hazy dawn light while sitting in traffic.

I wanted to take a photo but couldn't get my phone camera into mode in time. Kudos to the guy for not giving a flying fig what all the motorists gesticulating and laughing at him think!

The problem with democracy here

One of the disadvantages of having an overly dominant party in a democracy is that it can forget it's not the only party and opinion around. Our ruling ANC fought long and hard to bring democracy to South Africa; but now that it's in power, if your opinion differs from the party line, you tend to be publicly humiliated on a personal and party level.

The sad thing about this is that not even people within the ANC are exempt.

You're damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

Despite this, our political challenges are not unique to our shores and as long as we can keep looking to the future without hanging onto the past too much, we should be fine.

My Old Pal, George

If anyone reading this post is into old skool house, trance, hard house or acid - then have a look at GeorgeS DJ. George and I were at school together and I think his mix tapes rock!

I still recall with a smile a certain night George and I went to Troll at The Sound Shaft. Way to go for keeing Troll alive, my friend!

I'm not very good at blogging

We all fall victim to the latest fads and for a while, I was into the whole blogging thing. Then I got busy and I got lazy. My last post was almost a year ago and that promised a slew of writing activity. So here I am, writing again - while trying to figure out where to go with the blogs.

This post is a start :-)