The weekend and coming week
The weekend was another wet and muggy one in Durban. On Friday night I helped Paul decorate his family’s Christmas tree. Nothing says ‘The Festive Season’ like stringing up lights and balancing out a tree’s baubles while Steven Segal’s Nico kicks ass on TV in the background.
On Saturday I had a haircut and did some much-neglected admin tasks like vacuuming my car and watering my cacti. Back at Paul’s place in the afternoon we helped his feeble grandparents wrap their mountain-size Christmas presents and devour hamburgers while vegging on the couch. Channel surfing we came across something we’d only ever see on ESPN – professional paintball. Now don’t get me wrong. I love playing paintball, but to see guys running and jumping behind brightly coloured beanbags, with commentary and interviews, is pretty amusing.
Paul and I also made a half-assed attempt at exercising, which ended up in grappling. Although Paul submitted me we’ve finally reached the point were I’m technically more advanced than Paul and he’s stumped about what to do in certain positions. So he just tries to choke me.
In the evening we went to see My Fair Lady, which is the big Christmas season production on at The Playhouse. My Fair Lady isn’t my favourite musical, but this production really is top class. Forget performances by many of SA’s great theatrical figures. The sets and costumes, in particular, are absolutely stunning.
What was more eye opening however was the drive home afterwards, through the streets of Durban. For those of you who don’t know, buses upon buses of people descend on the main beachfront this time of year, to swim, drink, be merry, and sleep on the verges. I don’t know how else to describe it other than comparing it to that old movie shocker Kids. Instead of just ‘kids’ however, people of all ages are all out of control. There will be many squashed pedestrians, drunken car accidents, drownings, gang-rapes and abandonments before the year is finished. They don’t call it the Silly Season for nothing.
Sunday was an early start to the festive tradition of stuffing our facing. After a big greasy brunch we eventually headed back to my place for a braai (with the family there) to celebrate my father’s birthday. Technically it’s my father’s birthday only on Tuesday but he and my mother are on a cruise ship to Mozambique this week. So we needed to squeeze in the present opening beforehand. It was also a nice opportunity to see my little cousin again after a few months. Babies are a lot more fun and interesting once they get a bit older – Trent was utterly captivated by the white fluffy bobble on the end of my Christmas hat.
After the very filling braai we rounded off the evening playing a game of Balderdash in teams. With Paul’s ability to write bullshit word definitions that people always believe are genuine, and my ability to spot the bluffers, we won by quite a stretch.
Sunday really put me in holiday mode, so this is going to be a tough week to get through. To get up at dawn today and drive to the office was a major bummer. I don’t want to get my hopes up too much but I heard whisperings on Friday that if my copy writing work is finished by mid week I might be able to take the rest of the week off, and have a few extra days’ Christmas break.
So hold thumbs!
On Saturday I had a haircut and did some much-neglected admin tasks like vacuuming my car and watering my cacti. Back at Paul’s place in the afternoon we helped his feeble grandparents wrap their mountain-size Christmas presents and devour hamburgers while vegging on the couch. Channel surfing we came across something we’d only ever see on ESPN – professional paintball. Now don’t get me wrong. I love playing paintball, but to see guys running and jumping behind brightly coloured beanbags, with commentary and interviews, is pretty amusing.
Paul and I also made a half-assed attempt at exercising, which ended up in grappling. Although Paul submitted me we’ve finally reached the point were I’m technically more advanced than Paul and he’s stumped about what to do in certain positions. So he just tries to choke me.
In the evening we went to see My Fair Lady, which is the big Christmas season production on at The Playhouse. My Fair Lady isn’t my favourite musical, but this production really is top class. Forget performances by many of SA’s great theatrical figures. The sets and costumes, in particular, are absolutely stunning.
What was more eye opening however was the drive home afterwards, through the streets of Durban. For those of you who don’t know, buses upon buses of people descend on the main beachfront this time of year, to swim, drink, be merry, and sleep on the verges. I don’t know how else to describe it other than comparing it to that old movie shocker Kids. Instead of just ‘kids’ however, people of all ages are all out of control. There will be many squashed pedestrians, drunken car accidents, drownings, gang-rapes and abandonments before the year is finished. They don’t call it the Silly Season for nothing.
Sunday was an early start to the festive tradition of stuffing our facing. After a big greasy brunch we eventually headed back to my place for a braai (with the family there) to celebrate my father’s birthday. Technically it’s my father’s birthday only on Tuesday but he and my mother are on a cruise ship to Mozambique this week. So we needed to squeeze in the present opening beforehand. It was also a nice opportunity to see my little cousin again after a few months. Babies are a lot more fun and interesting once they get a bit older – Trent was utterly captivated by the white fluffy bobble on the end of my Christmas hat.
After the very filling braai we rounded off the evening playing a game of Balderdash in teams. With Paul’s ability to write bullshit word definitions that people always believe are genuine, and my ability to spot the bluffers, we won by quite a stretch.
Sunday really put me in holiday mode, so this is going to be a tough week to get through. To get up at dawn today and drive to the office was a major bummer. I don’t want to get my hopes up too much but I heard whisperings on Friday that if my copy writing work is finished by mid week I might be able to take the rest of the week off, and have a few extra days’ Christmas break.
So hold thumbs!
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