Ah crap. Just as I was looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend where I could simply enjoy some laid back, time off from the world, what should happen but I get the sniffles… and the coughs… and the headaches… and the closed chest… and the sore throat… and the fatigue, oh the fatigue! Man, I thought I had escaped Juan’s germs after he kicked off the work week last week recovering from a bout of flu, but it seems my hopes were in vain because come Friday as the day progressed, my throat turned from scratchy into painful and by the end of the work day I was sniffing and snotting about already.
Friday night as it was, was already fairly busy, with my time kind of double booked. Terrance had roped Ryan and me into catching the opening night of Watchmen on the big screen while Andri and Malcolm had implored Chantelle and myself to join them in celebration of Corban’s 2nd birthday – and I mean who can turn away an invite that includes a jumping castle?!?
So anyway, I worked out an arrangement whereby I would meet up with Chantelle at Andri’s place straight after work (traffic was a breeze funnily enough) and then sneak out just after 20:30 to hook up with Ryan and Terrance for the late (?) showing of Watchmen at Tygervalley.
Andri and Malcolm had gone all out for the little one’s birthday and there were a whole lot of ankle biters running around, diving in the pool and hopping from one end to the other of the ginormous jumping castle in Andri’s mom’s backyard, not to mention the beautifully decorated Barney cake that Michelle had so graciously prepared for the event. For us big people there was a delicious chicken pie to enjoy and thankfully Chantelle had enough foresight to bring with some beer for me as I promise you, Friday night was simply put, hot as hell.
Anyway, eventually the time came where I bid my farewell, laughed at all the disappointed male faces in the audience and then left Chantelle as I darted off to Tygervalley, just in time to catch a rather impatient Terrance hopping on one foot, waiting for my big arrival. Thankfully for a change I was actually on time and we got into the cinema just as the previews and adverts started to roll.
Watchmen turned out to be a fantastic adaptation of Alan Moore’s seminal graphic novel and despite its very long length, a sickly and rather tired me managed to stay spellbound and fixated by the story for its full duration, a testament to the skill with which director Zack Snyder has produced his epic movie.
The plan for the evening was to sleep over at mom’s place simply because there was a fair bit of shopping that I wanted to achieve in Bellville the next morning and so I eagerly hit the sack when I finally arrived home (after forgetting to take the right turn off to my mom’s place!), but unfortunately for me the heat combined with my illness didn’t combine all that well and I spent a pretty restless night in bed, something quite unusual for me I assure you.
The next morning I was up and about fairly early, vacuumed my car (at last!) and accepted Ryan’s helping hand in washing my baby to a sparkly semblance of its former snow white self. Then it was straight to the shops as I hit Northumberland street for some shirts and then Sportsmans’ Warehouse for a dogi. And while the clothes shopping was particularly successful, the dogi wasn’t and so dejected we headed off on a quick detour to the comics and figurines store where Ryan immediately started drooling after stumbling across the McFarlane sports series’ figurine lines that have at last hit our local shelves.
Needless to say he bought an awesome baseball and ice hockey figurine. Perhaps now he will follow my advice and put up a display shelf in his ‘man room’.
By this stage my head really wasn’t feeling all that great and we stopped for a quick milkshake at McDonalds before I dropped him off back home and hit the long road to Somerset Mall, where I at last made a successful dogi purchase, meaning come this week I’ll at last be fully kitted out for karate practice.
Back home at last, I tidied up the house a bit before finally succumbing to my pounding head and dropped like a stone on the bed, where I pretty much slept the rest of the afternoon away. Come to think of it, I might have slept the evening away too, because in all honesty, as I sit here now (I’m actually at home today. Called in sick and believe me, in the next couple of minutes I’m going to be back in bed – again.), I really can’t remember if we did anything on Saturday evening, so if I’m forgetting something, sorry Babes. (Comments are open as always :P)
Sunday was pretty similar in that I spent the whole day at home, alternating between napping and typing blog posts, apart from lunch time where Chantelle came to pick me up and took me out to lunch at Tallas – where we had the privilege of watching how a traffic officer with too much time on his hands wrote us a parking ticket for not putting money in the parking meter. The fine is for R200, so I guess that makes it a pretty expensive lunch then!
Back home and the dismal cricket was enough to send me back to bed, where I slept away the afternoon, spent some time with Chantelle when she finally got home (she loves my toasted cheese sarmies it would seem) and then back into bed for yet more sleep.
Hopefully I will have kicked this damn bug by tonight, but I can tell you its been damn frustrating to waste a weekend away like this! :(