Seeing as I'm now on a daily basis baring all details of my life to you on this blog, I figured I may as well bore you with a breakdown of my boring daily weekday routine. It's boring as hell ('cos imagine
how boring hell must be, just burning and screaming in a fiery cave forever), so if this bores you then just go play on Facebook or something less boring, but documenting my boring life gives me something to think about for the duration of this script, thus breaking the bore briefly. Because for me boring is hell, I simply cannot just do monotonous, or worse, nothing, for any length of time!
But anyway, on to the exciting stuff...
My day starts at 04h40 when my pre-alarm goes off. Yes I'm one of those freaks who sets the alarm considerably earlier than necessary because firstly it breaks me out of a deep sleep, if it's one of those good nights when I'm in a deep sleep, but more importantly one of my favourite things is being able to fall asleep again even just for a few minutes. The snooze cycle repeats twice... twice I get to roll over into another blissful doze before reluctantly forcing my brain to drag my sorry ass out of bed.
Most days lately I don't sleep well from about the early hours, either because my mind is active and dreaming of all kinds of weirdness, or Wife is snoring like a bulldozer, or Daughter comes running and jumps into the bed when she goes to the toilet and gets frightened by the flush, and proceeds to push the blankets off or practice her ninja moves on me in her sleep.
At 06h00, at the third gentle melody of my alarm I get up, go do my ablutions, shower, then come back into the room 15 minutes later and wake Wife and get dressed.
Being the good man I am I let her sleep in peace for a whole long wonderful 15 minutes!
From that moment until we leave for work I have no idea what Wife is doing because I don't see her again until just before we leave at 06h00. In that time I make breakfast, either one of my incredibly deliciously awesome smoothies for the family, often including extra to take to work for lunch, or I make toast. My favourite toast bread is that Sasko honey & oats low-GI dumpy loaves, double toasted (makes the nicest airy crispy hot toast, the butter seeps right through it!!! Toast has either peanut butter, or my absolute favourite toast topping of Bovril and mayo, or one of each. Sometimes the mayo is swapped for cream cheese or cheddar cheese, but there's always Bovril. It's one of my weaknesses in life, I just love it. Back when I used to poison myself with two-minute-noodles I usually blopped in a dollop of Bovril and mayo, the rich noodle soup it makes is divine!
Besides breakfast, I also make lunch, often for Wife and I, be it a sandwich, or during the healthy phases (like we're starting now) a salad. Today we had leftover chicken stir fry made last night by Wife. No noodles, just veg, breasts (the chickens, not Wife's) and sauce, mine with extra chilli sauce of course, some of my last batch of Habanero sauce.
Then I clean up, wash dishes, take out the trash on bin days, open windows, switch off outside lights, check my Facebook and Whatsapps, and do whatever else is necessary to get ready to leave at 06h00. This is why for me it's always a rush to get done on time so if we leave late through no fault of my own (like an exploding blender full of smoothie) I get annoyed.
We used to aim to leave at 06h15 but lately with the increasing traffic out of our area congesting earlier and earlier I was coming in to work late more often, and I hate the humiliation of getting to work late. Leaving home 15 minutes earlier at 6 cuts off almost an hour from our travel time these days, on a normal day.
So at this point we hit the road for an hour or more of my absolute pet hate in life - traffic! Apart from the infuriating frustration of just having to sit in sloooow traffic, not able to do anything besides look at the ugly vehicle in front of me, listening to the radio or Wife waffling or moaning about something; the sheer volume of arrogant pricks, complete idiots and selfish, lawless reckless dickheads on our roads, making mine and the rest of the schmucks who politely wait our turn and obey the rules a nightmare. Having to helplessly watch people jump queue's, cut in, jump lights and generally show complete disregard to other motorists and blatant lack of manners, class or culture. As each journey through the nightmare continues my blood boils hotter and hotter to the point that I end up throwing tantrums and obscene hand gestures at the worst offenders personally inconveniencing me. I do get bouts of road rage, unfortunately poor old Wife bears the brunt of my anger as she has to put up with my bitching and foul language! Going to work in the mornings isn't so bad because we miss the worst of it, but travelling home in that shit after a long kak day at work just gets me in a bad mood! I hate hate hate the traffic and the moronic fucktards on the roads around here!
Deep breath, apologies for the rant. That is what just the thought of my journey home inspires - anger!
{jump a day in writing this)
Actually, I will go on to reiterate that my journey to work and back is the worst part of my life, I hate it more that I can express! It's a complete waste of precious time! I believe it is a time when Wife feels that she has me cornered in that uncomfortable claustrophobic little box on wheels and I'm often convinced it is her mission to make every journey a miserable one, she manages to upset me most of the time usually at the beginning of that hellish journey, which on days like this morning puts me in a seriously foul mood, especially when we are already running late so the stress of walking into work late and the massively increased traffic volumes actually ruins my day. I never start a day in a bad mood, in fact I'm actually quite a cheerful guy from the onset, but that gets changed for me and right now as I sit at my desk, embarrassed from having to walk in late and run the gauntlet past all the offices of work colleagues looking at me with that look in their faces of "look who's late again", I'm actually bloody miserable! That is why the tone of this blog has gone to shit, I just started this paragraph on a new morning because I was too busy to complete it yesterday when it started!
Another downside of being stuck in traffic, especially when I'm irritated or angry, one of those little things which I've always hated myself for, is nail biting. I bite my nails when I'm anxious or bored, most of the time I don't even realise I'm doing it until I hurt myself. This is not something I'm proud of, in fact I hate it and I wish it could stop. Sometimes it does, like during holidays or periods where I have some happiness hogging my mind, but the rest of the time I have this personal battle with one of the most revolting and embarrassing habits I've ever had. When I speak to people, like the parent teacher meeting on Wednesday, I consciously hide my hands or curl my fingers in to hide the shame. 99% of my nail biting happens when I'm stuck in traffic, trapped in that kak-box called the Atos, bored shitless, furious and pumped with hostile adrenaline at some other near miss by another retarded idiot on the road, or fuming and stewing after another attack from Wife with great effort to keep my mouth shut and my angry thoughts to myself. As countless scenarios, mental discussions (and arguments) and thoughts go through my mind I'll eventually realise I'm biting again. All it does is infuriate me further, it's not good for my mojo at all! I keep thinking I need to get that bitter enamel to paint on my fingers in the morning to try and discourage my idiot subconscious from chomping.
Ok, now I will breathe deep, gather my composure, cheer the funk up and chill the duck out. The original topic of this (now two day) blog about the daily routine can continue. We haven't even made it to work yet and it's already one of my longest stories ever. If anybody has even read this far in, I applaud you as a true friend and a legend! That or you just have a morbid fascination with the psychotic crap that comes out of my head!
Just while it's still early, going back to breakfast... my last blender died yesterday. The base of the jug cracked. Apparently you can't replace just that weak part, so I tried fixing it with duct tape, which didn't work. So it's joined the small appliance graveyard, on top of the scullery cupboard. Last night I raped my Game card with a new fancy heavy duty Russel Hobbs blender which got tested out on this mornings banana & mango smoothie and it works like a bomb! And it doesn't mess when pouring like the last cheapie. I almost look forward to using it again, almost as much as I look forward to my tea time smoothie (lunch today is salad. Yes, actual salad, with leaves & stuff!)
Yesterday at Game I realised I can buy my booze on my Game account. Probably not a good discovery, and the resulting mild hangover is not helping my mood today either.
Those of you who have known me for a while know about my battle with alcohol. It still controls and dictates much of my life. Yes I do want to give it up, every single day, and I don't understand why I can't. It's the most powerful (and destructive) addiction I've ever known by far. Giving up smoking, twice, was easy compared to the hold the booze has over me. I'm not going to make this blog into a whine about my alcoholism, like a previous one I had a few years ago. I thought that talking (well writing) about it might help, or may even have attracted some outside help, neither of which happened. I've realised there is no practical help around for this problem, the only thing that will stop it is myself, if I ever manage to garner the willpower to do so. Alcoholism is a very very lonely and sad place. I don't want it, I know I will be a better and happier person without it, and as I sit here writing this the idea of not drinking again sounds easy and excites me, but by this afternoon I know I'll be craving a drink again and the awful journey home in that nightmare traffic and the crap-outs/insults/lectures/etc from Wife will only push that craving to drink to a decision to drink, developing an actual excitement for that first swig of whiskey from the bottle which will render another evening wasted and another painful day tomorrow. I don't understand this, I don't know why this happens, it just does, and I hate myself for it!
That is all I will say on the matter.
So anyway, my day job starts at 07h30 officially. Traffic and morning routine dependent I like to be in the office by 7am or earlier. When traffic and morning routine works against me like this morning then I get here after 07h30 and as you read earlier that just pours petrol on the fire of my already bad mood!
My day job:
My official job title is Technical Manager, I work at a company called Pepkor Installations. We procure, manufacture and import equipment to do shopfitting for Pep stores, Ackermans, Dunns, Shoe City, John Craig, Jay Jays and some other brands. My department deals with Pep, a bigger contract than all the others combined It's a massive operation, we basically take an empty property and fit it out with everything from flooring & electrical, to stands, displays, shelving, till points, office, fitting rooms, store rooms, etc, everything you see in a store before it is staffed and merchandised.
My job involves heading up a department that receives the store design plans from Pep, which we convert into a bill of quantities of everything required to fit a new or revamped store, quantified down to the crews, nuts & bolts. We issue this BoQ to our warehouse which then fills a truck with the listed equipment which we send with a team of shopfitters to fit the store and get it ready to be merchandised and trade.
It's an interesting job, at times, though can be rather dull quite often too. Part of my role is preparing all documentation required for invoicing, that's the most boring part. Most months, for Pep alone, we are putting in 30 plus new stores a month across Africa, so it's a very busy operation that turns over many millions monthly.
I only wish the pay was a tad more reasonable. I really struggle to get by on this salary. But as an ageing white male in South Africa, jobs are far and few between so I'm not going to complain or make demands. White people get fired for protesting or striking in this country, unlike our black countrymen who can strike, riot and destroy & burn everything in sight in their quest to make demands for pay raises or free services (which the rest of "us" pay for) and usually they get their way. I'd be fired instantly and probably locked up for trying the same thing. Yet as the white guy I'm last in line for a job due to demographics and politics, and still I'm persecuted and threatened because I'm white and still get called a racist just for being white! This is how it works in South Africa these days. It's unfair and unjust, but there's nothing we can do about it, nor do we have the means to leave this hell hole, so we just shut up and do the jobs we're fortunate to have without bitching about it!
Well there you have my job in a nutshell. I won't bore you with the details of what I do all day, except I get a whopping half hour lunch break at 12h30, which really flies by, most of which is taken up by wolfing down my lunch while catching up with my Facebook, personal emails and other internet stuff. Except that has changed somewhat, since we have recently been blocked from accessing Facebook at work. It was unannounced, it just happened. Like the nanny state type of mind control that corporate businesses institute over their employees. I thought we were better than that, but apparently these guys also don't want people to have any acknowledgement of lives outside of work during working hours. So I'm now bound to my phone for Facebook, which is not ideal, it costs a fair bit of money in data, but it is what it is, so again, no use in complaining. Just shut up and swallow.
My working day finishes at 16h15 Monday to Thursday and at 15h00 of Fridays. That Friday early finish is great, when that hooter goes at 15h00 this place is deserted in seconds.If you walk out here at 15h01 you're the last one out by a minute!
The evening routine can obviously be more varied. I often go to the gym, or go for a run with the club and occasionally a midweek race. I don't often just go and run around our neighbourhood because I don't feel safe alone on the roads. Also, the greenbelts all over (thus the area name of Parklands) are not looked after so running on the footpaths are like trail running without the scenery and hills. The area is deadpan flat too. It's just boring running in the area, I prefer doing some hill training on the treadmill at the gym and getting a decent strength workout afterwards.
When I used to have a band going I'd go to band practice one or two evenings a week too. But the band doesn't happen anymore because of a dispute about the living arrangements between the bassist and singer, resulting in the bassist who owns all the PA gear having to move out of the band rehearsal house, so the singers dog has a nice home. All a disappointing mess, but hopefully something new will come along soon. Then I'll have a band to practice with again! The bassist is busy setting up at a new place in Durbanville so possibly the 3 guys from the last band will get a new project going soon at the new place. That will be cool, they're great guys to play with. Except that Durbanville is a bit far out of my way, which means more travel time and expense.
Otherwise in the evenings we'll sometimes stop at the grocery store on the way home and buy small amounts of absolutely necessary groceries. Food especially is so ridiculously expensive these days that one simply can't buy more than is absolutely necessary. Especially meats and fresh fruits & vegetables cost far too much to be able to eat proper healthy food all the time. Healthy eating guidelines suggest at least 5 portions of fruit & veg a day, if I get one I'm doing well! Though my smoothies do count for at least 3 on days when I make them.
I used to do most of the cooking at home but lately I just don't really feel like it much anymore. Not being able to afford all the ingredients to try out interesting hearty meals puts me off. Lately when I cook it's something like a pot of pasta that can provide dinner for at least 2 days and a couple of lunches at work for a few days. Don't get me wrong, my pasta's are fantastic, and they're easy and economical. Every now and then, especially just after pay day I'll get my cook on and whip up a good meal that the family seems to enjoy. I should actually get the cooking vibe going again and work on making some decent interesting dinners like I used to do.
This blog used to be called the Daily Noodle because for a long time I would often experiment with making interesting and delicious foods, it was enough to talk about frequently on its own blog, with pictures and descriptions. I don't know why I don't anymore, in fact these days in the evenings I don't feel excited to do anything interesting at home and I'm usually in bed by 9pm like an old fart. No that's got to change, I'm not that old, I'm still a thirty something, albeit only for two more months. I need to get back to being creative in the kitchen in the evenings.
That said, when the salary ship comes in again this month I will go and buy a load of stock of chillies and ingredients and get into making my sauces. Every now and then I'll put together a new recipe and spend an evening trying it and refining it until it's something awesome, or my tongue is dead from too much chilli and I can't taste what I'm making anymore. But that exercise will be fun. On a successful night I'll end up with another stock of a new product which I'll bottle, cost and market on my Facebook page, website or wherever I'll be selling them at the time. I've been doing the research and coming up with all kinds of interesting ideas for sauces, I will have an interesting range of products. The challenge will be marketing them and selling them in enough quantities to make the whole thing financially worthwhile.
Hey, this blog post wasn't meant to be about my semi-secret business ideas, but I doubt anybody has read this far so I'm not too worried. This is going to be a helluva entry to proof read when (if) it's ever finished! Or I might just carry on writing and writing and nobody will ever read this because it will be a permanent work in progress... or I will finish soon and get back to doing the job I'm paid to do (more likely scenario).
These business ideas I get really do get me excited. This chilli sauce thing I can't wait to get going on when I have some cash again to purchase the required stock, bottles, etc. I hope it takes off and people buy my stuff, and this idea doesn't just fade into obscurity having never taken off like my last great idea of importing technology from China. That was a big project, one that I spent many hours working on, I spent a fair bit of money on it, set up the Shopify website and Facebook page,, paid a graphic designer for the logo, sourced suppliers, set up the business bank account and got my business licence, etc, but it fell apart because of money, mainly. I was working on setting it up as a drop-shipping business to start off, ie. a customer would purchase something off my website. I would then purchase the item from the supplier in China who would then ship the product directly to my customer as if I'd sent it. In simplistic theory it's a great idea and one that's commonly used in civilised countries, especially the USA, but it turns out not very practical for me. Firstly it's a big risk for me from various angles. If the item gets lost or broken in the post or the supplier just takes my money and doesn't send anything, the loss is mine to bear. If the customer returns the product the shipping costs are mine. Also, customs taxes, when payable, are mine to pay. Then there's the issue of the ridiculously weak rand value against the dollar, buying things from China these days, albeit dirt cheap in world terms is still very expensive from here, so in order to make any profit I'd need to sell the products for a high price. I thank our shit-for-brains president Zuma for that hindrance to build a business! The other problem is the poor service in our postal service. When tracking the items I did purchase from the various suppliers in Hong Kong, Shenzen, etc overseas I could see that it takes between 1 and 3 days to reach the international sorting centre in Johannesburg. From there it's taken between 4 and 9 weeks to get to me in Cape Town. That's how long it takes them to sort, customs clear and distribute incoming international mail. It's quicker to order stuff by sea-freight. So obviously that poses a problem for drop-shipped orders, my customers will wait up to two months for their order, which can only be bad for business.
Ideally the best solution would be to buy in bulk, get the stuff shipped to me where I'll keep the stock and distribute directly to my customers per order. The shipping is much much cheaper than airfreight and the stock is cheaper to buy in bulk. The problem is I don't have the money to buy stock in bulk from overseas, and take the risks associated.
All that being said, this business idea is not dead, it's just sidelined for now. When my circumstances improve, maybe my chilli sauce business takes off and brings in some decent cash then I'll put some moola into this business (called Tamzel Gadgets) and get it going, even with just a few items and built it up on it's own steam until I'm running it out of a warehouse.
The idea started with importing Android based TV boxes and mini PC's for the purpose of turning people's regular TV's into smart TV's capable of streaming content from the internet like Netflix, or other home networked devices.
Like every other restriction in my life it comes down to money money money. Like they say, you need money to make money. Somehow I need to find ways of working around that.
One thing I do know is I need to get my own business(es) set up and going soon. I can't do this daily grind in traffic that's going to be the death of me to a menial unappreciated un-stimulating job working for a boss (well a whole lot of them) for a set meager salary that goes up each year by a lot less than inflation, in the process building up a bigger and bigger debt profile, for the rest of my working years. Because if that happens, and some day I retire from a job at a company with a small pension, having worked my ass off my entire life to help other people get rich, then this life will have been meaningless and wasted. I don't want to come to that realization someday when it's too late; so somehow I need to find a way of working for myself and earning my own money, and someday employ other people who's jobs contribute to my own family's wealth and survival. It would be nice to be reasonably rich someday, but I'll be happy with a comfortable debt-free life ending in a retirement where money will not be a worry!
This is the dream!
This has been a week of records for me, on Sunday I ran the furthest I've ever run in one session, and this is probably the longest blog post I've ever written!
But it's now time to end this stupidly long blog with a picture of my lunch; salad for a change:
Have a nice day folks!
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