Notes from the Cape » Esoteric

Come and get rid of your road rage

Craig Strachan — Thu, 12 May 2011 07:34:08 +0000

For R5 you can get rid of your road rage. Now that sounds like a bargin. I saw this smashed up taxi in the middle of a soccer field in a built up area. That is a little strange.

The field was behind a sturdy fence, so it could not have just been left there. The writing reads:

3 shots for R5
Come and get rid of your road rage

I assume that the enterprising owner was allowing you to take three shots at his smashed up taxi (with a gun?) for R5. The field is just behind the Sanbel Building in Belville. Can you shed any light on it?

Update (16 May 2011), today I drive past and they are gone. The plot thickens…

Day 176: Padded Cell

Craig Strachan — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:35:14 +0000

Day 176: Padded Cell, originally uploaded by Craig is shooting.

I am not really sure what to make of this “Weight Watcher in Padded Cell”, taken at the Old Edwardian club Johannesburg

Keeping emails short – my latest plan for efficency

Craig Strachan — Sun, 23 May 2010 15:12:13 +0000

In an attempt to get away from long-winded and complicated emails, and to keep my inbox down to zero messages, I will try to keep my emails to five sentences or less. It is also helping me to get things done.

A short and simple solution to a simple problem. I hope you will start to do likewise.

The idea is from here http://five.sentenc.es/

Thanks to XV for the cartoon.

Day 48: The doctor is in

Craig Strachan — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:33:09 +0000

Day 48: The doctor is in, originally uploaded by Craig Strachan.

A flyer that I found in my postbox. This doctor is offering some remarkable services. He must be highly skilled, and all those services for only R50 (about $6).

Warning: made in a factory which uses nuts?

Craig Strachan — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:10:22 +0000

Found on the back of a Woolworths packed of peanuts. This is simply getting bizarre!

Warning: made in a factory which uses nuts

Organic shoes?

Craig Strachan — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:00:39 +0000

Lois and I had lunch today in Simonstown. While there, I saw one of the most bizarre signs that I have ever seen in my life – advertising organic shoes! What next?

Organic Shoes in Simonstown

Well, I suppose that there is a certain logic for it, what else do you do with the left-over skins from all the organic meat?

Anyway, Simonstown was really pretty today, our first really warm day this summer. I said to Lois that if I was brave, I would say that the worst of the weather is behind us, but I am not quite that brave.

: Simontstown

Here’s a picture for the restaurant where we ate – The Meeting Place. Good food, and prices not too bad.

Simply not vain enough

Craig Strachan — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:18:56 +0000

I received the strangest email today:

I am pleased to announce that Cds Solutions has been selected for the 2009 Best of Montrose Award in the Automotive Accessories category by the US Commerce Association…You may arrange to have your award sent directly to Cds Solutions by following the simple steps on the 2009 Best of Montrose Award order form
..…
Sincerely,
Ashley Carter
Selection Committee Chair
US Commerce Association

Now, this is really strange for a few reasons:

My company does not work in the automotive industry
It does not work in Montrose
CDS Solutions is just me in Cape Town, now why would an American Commerce association be interested in this business?
According to their website, they only operate in America

A Google search seems to indicate that this is either a scam, or a “Vanity Award” organisation. So while I am flattered, I wonder what I would have to pay to receive the actual award! Update – the award costs between $79.99 and $199.99, depending on which particular plaque you wish to receive. This is one award that will not be displayed in my lounge.

Bizarre; has this happened to you!

Where school busses go to due…

Craig Strachan — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:45:00 +0000

It just looked sad, rows and rows of discarded school busses, after spending years moving school children to and from school, ensuring that the child arrive safely at school, the old busses have completed their useful life. They have now been discarded, and left out in the elements to slowly rust away, and die a lingering and painful death.

Gotta love it

Craig Strachan — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 18:16:13 +0000

Today, we were in a computer store buying a laptop for Lois. So, there were were inside Incredible Connection, talking to an 18 year old sales assistant. Lois, who is blind, was buying a laptop from a slightly confused assistant (who had no idea that a blind person can actually use a computer), insisting on a white laptop, because she didn’t want the blue one! The poor sales assistant had no idea what to do.

It was quite a Monty-Python moment.

Note to self: the shop has the laptop network connections rigged to the burglar alarm system, not a good idea to unplug the network cable…

Minibus taxis as Friendly as SAA?

Craig Strachan — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:31:52 +0000

I only caught the tail end of this new item on Cape Talk this evening, but apparently the local minibus association is on a campaign to make its drivers more friendly. According to the spokesperson quoted on the radio "we are going to make our drivers as friendly as SAA staff".

I just hope that they are referring to the SAA cabin crew, who are generally pretty friendly, and not the call-center staff, who are quite friendly when spoken to, but otherwise impossible to get hold of!

Noble aims, but I wonder if they are not setting their heights a little too high?