Our country needs help

Hello. My name is Megan. I live in South Africa. I usually love it here, with the great weather and all.

But today, I hate it.

Last night I didn't sleep. I was listening to every noise - analysing and suspecting - every sigh the dogs made, every tummy rumble from Flip  or myself, every car that drove past our house, even the earthquake that shook the east and south of Johannesburg last night.

Last night I asked Flip to shoot any intruder in the face with his paintball gun {I don't believe in guns or the associated violence with it, I hate it, but this was necessary}. I asked him to shoot them in their balls and keep on shooting until they are lying on the floor, writhing in pain. I wish I could actually physically harm some people right now. 

Last night, I was terrified. 

................

Yesterday, just before 12 noon, I got a call from Flip, telling me that people are currently breaking into our house, and have tied up our cleaning lady, taking all our possessions. I was frantic. I jumped in my car and drove like a maniac to our house, not stopping at any stop signs, or red lights, driving like an inconsiderate heck. But I didn't care. All I could think about was whether our cleaning lady, Bettie, and our dogs were still alive.

Break-ins in our country are not like the well-planned things you see in movies. They are violent, malicious, intense. We often read in the newspapers about break-ins, where the domestic was raped, tied up, burned with an iron, smothered, stabbed and so forth. I already phoned the police before I left the office, but on the way there I was thinking what if...

What if these barbarians were still in my house when I arrived? Would I ram into their car? Would I drive over the people while they were carrying out my stuff? I though that I had some glass bottles in the boot, would I break one and stab them? What if they were armed?

...............

Luckily, none of this was the case. Bettie was vigilant and saw the robbers drive past our house a few times. She phoned Flip's parents and said that something was up. The security arrived at the scene not long after the call. The police was quick on the scene and extremely helpful -  a very rare occasion in our country. Thank you Primrose Police Station for your great service.

However, they did jump over our wall - with electric fencing - and was on our property. They knocked at the doors and tried to get inside the house. The police found bags and wires - things they would have used to tie Bettie up. 

We also found that all the electric wiring of our alarm system had been ripped out. What if they came back? 

.................

Even though I am extremely grateful that nothing bad happened and that all was fine, I am enraged.

Why do people think that they can come onto your property and take your things?

Things you have worked very hard for?

How fucking arrogant must you be!

Last year this time they hijacked Flip in our driveway. Thank God no harm came to him then.

Thank God no harm came to Bettie and our dogs. But when will this end?

Our country is in serious dire straits. And its making me livid.

My dog has a favourite song

 Mila, my Staffordshire dog-wonder, is probably the dog with the funniest and most eccentric personality I have ever owned. No wonder I have fallen so in love with this pup of mine. I mean, she’s my child.

Did you know that Mila has a favourite song? Oh yes, she does – Walk of Life by the Dire Straits. When she was still a tiny little puppy a car drove past our house playing this song.

We live on a corner with a stop sign, which meant that the car stood still for a few seconds. Now, Mila was quite a sullen puppy some days, and this particular day she had a particularly sulky moment, as I just put her down on wet grass to do her business.

She was sulking it up big time, ignoring me when I called her and not looking too excited at all. And then this song played. She started wagging her tail and got so excited that her whole body started wiggling. She looked like she was dancing.

Speaking of wet grass, this crazy dog of mine hates getting her paws wet. When she walks on wet grass, or wet paving, it looks like a cat with tape on its paws. But, in the same breath, as soon as I get out of the shower, she’s in it to lick up all the water.

Then wet paws don’t bother her.

This brings me to her drinking habits. We bought our dogs a big red water bowl that we top up with fresh water every day, yet she refuses to drink from this bowl. She’ll drink running water, water from a smaller bowl – that I have to top up when I leave home, and again when I get back home- she’ll lick the water from your body when you get out of a bath or shower, and even drink water from the POOL, but upright refuses to drink water from that big bowl.

She is such a real Miss Priss. 

On Sunday, I noticed a small bump on her paw and took her to the vet yesterday. My worst fears were made a reality when the vet told me that it was a cancerous growth, albeit benign. However, I have to monitor and administer antibiotics for ten days {which are turning my dog into a big lethargic lump}. If the bump has not disappeared or shrunk in the next ten days, it means that it is malignant and that she has to have an operation.

Please keep my pup in your thoughts, she is seriously my baby. Pray that this is absolutely benign and that it goes away.

She pisses me off

{I though long and hard whether I should write this post, because I am far from perfect and shouldn't judge other people, but yesterday was the final straw that broke the donkey's back. Please don't see me as conceited for writing this.}

 

{weheartit}

I have written a post before on the things I hate about the gym, which included two gym crimes, namely being a fat stupid person {read the previous post, before you get angry} and being a hogger. Well, let me tell you about this one girl in my gym which does both!

Yes, I know, at least she is trying, you would say, but let me explain.

My friends joined the gym almost a year before I did and verified that this particular girl has been gymming since they joined, over two years ago. Why is this significant? Because this girl is really overweight.

I've always noticed her int he gym, because she has a really pretty face, but my beef with her didn't start until a few weeks ago. {By the way, I just saw her walking around in the mall downstairs, when I went to get lunch. She had food in her hand that someone serious about gymming should not be perusing - she says while eating another cheese puff. See, I told you I shouldn't judge.}

But let me just paint a few scenarios for you as to why I have beef with her.

Scenario 1:
Gym rules are that you are only allowed 20 minutes on cardio equipment in peak times. At my gym, this is usually between 5 pm and 7 pm, right after work, when everyone is already cranky and wants to get the workout out of the way so that they can go home.

One particular day, I was standing in a queue, along with others, waiting for the walker machine {the one where you walk at different inclines and different speeds}. Miss Girl was standing on the machine when a trainer-guy, with more brawn than brains, comes to chat to her. She proceeds to stop the machine, stand on it and chat for at least ten minutes with the guy, not worried about anyone else. She then proceeded to gym in intervals of five minutes, stopping for two minutes to chat to someone, or adjust her hair, or clothing. FRUSTRATING!

{Sidenote: these machines are very popular and even though there are six of them, they are always occupied. They are also very popular with me, and apparently this girl too.}

Scenario 2:
Again at the walker machine, same shit, different day. While on one of these machines, I notice that she is on the walker again. On this particular day a lady-trainer wants to use the equipment for one of her clients. Miss Girl stopped the walker every two minutes and then started walking again, changing the time on the machine. Eventually the trainer is looking at the time on people's machine's to tell them to get off, as their 20-min time has lapsed.

By this time I was on the machine for about 17 minutes, and Miss Girl got on about five minutes prior. Of course her time is up. The lady walking next to me, on 18 minutes, points to the trainer that Miss Girl has been on the walker too long. When the trainer approached her, she threw a mini-fit and said but look at my time, I haven't been on here that long. Lying! She then got off, walked off in a huff, and after two minutes came back, to stand in the queue, staring at the trainer and mumbling awful things under her breath. That was not nice!

She also stops the walker mid-exercise to pull out her mirror, redo her hair, put lipgloss on etc. Seriously, you are in the gym!

Scenario 3:
She sits on the equipment, ie the leg extenders, the lat pulls, the back-exercise machines, the pull ups machine - she then proceeds to pull out her cellphone and chats {as in the typing chat}, not once even touching the equipment. These are all very popular items. It drives me nuts.

Scenario 4:
Yesterday, as I walked into the gym, towards the changing room, I saw her walking out of the changing room, freshly dressed in workout clothes and proceeding to sit on a bench. It took me about ten minutes to get dressed and I waited another five for a class to begin. She was sitting on that bench, staring at people, flirting with guys etc. I was done with the class after 45 minutes and scanned the gym for a friend of mine {perhaps also unintentionally scanning for Miss Girl} and Miss Girl was gone.

I think the thing that irritates me the most about her is that she is wasting other people's time, her own money and the fact that she is lying to herself {and probably to other people, because I was at the gym, even though I did fuckall.} She is never going to see any results if she just sits on her ass the whole time, or stop the machine every two minutes.

Is there someone in your gym that you absolutely cannot stand? Please tell me, so I don't feel so horrible for getting this off my back.

Our Valentine's day

Between Valentine's Day, work, following Oscar Pistorius's court case, who allegedly murdered his girlfriend in the early hours of Valentine's {which for some reason has captivated everyone in South Africa, no really, this is all we talk about}, daydreaming about my wedding - and planning it, attending premarital preparation classes and doing the homework, I just haven't had the time to update my little platform on the shiny thing called internet.

Anywho, I still want to share what I did for Flip for the day of love, and what he gave to me, because love should be shared!

I stood up really early that morning to make Flip breakfast in bed, complete with a tomato sauce heart. I also got him a trio of dark chocolate cigars filled with Remy Martin brandy, but replaced the middle chocolate cigar with a really real cigar!

And while Flip didn't give me something the minute my eyes opened, which is of great chagrin to me, he did hand deliver these gorgeous flowers at the office for me! Very romantic, isn't it? 

The evening was topped off by red wine and sushi on the living room floor, an indoor picnic of sorts. Who needs overly planned, overly expensive and hot air balloons {hahaha} when all you need is good foo, great company and the heart of the one you love?