Tort

I few weeks ago I became the proud, if slightly anxious, owner of a pet tortoise.  He/She remains nameless - in part because I can't find the alleged 'bump' to determine gender.  A more important part of the naming process is identifying suitable character - you don't just name someone Mildred without feeling that deep down they're a Mildred.

Tort.

Tort has given little away.  What are his likes, his dislikes? is he a morning person or is he a night owl?  These questions swirl, preventing a close'ness, that I can really call him my own.

What he does do, magnificently well... it sit very still, almost rock-like.  If there was a championship, which required long spells of absence and inactivity, I might be tempted to enter him.  If I could find him.

GPS

I've made two trips up to Joburg in the last few weeks to visit Cath, while she does her ICU rotation.  One of the problems of visiting a new town, is being in the new town... and not knowing where the flip you, any of the time.

On the face of it GPS technology is super-duper. It occupies a grey area though, being trustworthy 95% of the time and behaving like a psychotic ex-wife the other 5%... sending you down one-way roads, non-existent left turns, or in our case... straight through Hillbrow and Yeoville after dark.

I remember turning right into a 4 lane road in Durban a few years ago, and about 7 seconds later realizing all four lanes had oncoming traffic in them.  Final Destination... indeed.

Supp exam

A supp (supplementary) exam is a true test of someone's optimism - at once a giant rusty dagger to the heart but also one of those life saving rings they throw out when you fall off a boat and are about to be eaten by a shark.

I wrote my supp yesterday, and it was the final dip on the roller coaster of frustration and hope to be rid of my Strategic Management module.  Time will tell.

I found myself in another obscure UNISA venue, this time in Cambridge, trying to make myself comfortable before we got down to business.  I think the most important thing before an exam is to be relaxed - some people get stressed if they can't revise up to the last second, others like me... enjoy a sandwich an a nap as an examination warm up.

One gent put his books down, then discovered he still had 3 minutes and promptly grabbed them again.

If you're considering a UNISA course I recommend checking out there Facebook page, let's just say they've disabled their wall to stem the tide of complaints.  It makes sense, much easier than to fix the rot in their system.

Nahoon Point Parkrun

Having been a squatter in the marketing industry for a while, I'm constantly surprised by how effective the repackaging, or re-configuration of an existing product can be.

Such is the Parkrun concept - some might say its the T20 of running.  In order to have a birthday celebration, without actually having to organise a birthday celebration, I suggested whoever was free come down to the Nahoon Point Parkrun on Saturday morning, 08:00 sharp, and then stick around for breakfast afterwards at Reef Cafe.

So it turns out the social running scene in East London is alive and kicking and a crowd of hundreds had pitched for the race.  I use the word race loosely - its not a race, if you race you look silly - its a solid 5km over all manner of terrain including an epic moment along the crest of Bat's Cave.  It's free and a great opportunity for other people to see you being energetic and to complement you accordingly.

More information: http://www.parkrun.co.za/nahoonpoint/
Starts: 08:00 sharp every Saturday - be there by 07:40 to get a good parking.

Officially the worst photo of me running, ever.

Tomato Trot 2013

Best photo of me running ever, hows that tongue... photo used without permission from Action Gallery - https://www.facebook.com/actiongallery, sorry okes, found it on Facebook...

Saturday saw me put the books down for a few hours to join the masses for the 2013 Tomato Trot, one of the increasingly popular fun runs on the East London running calendar.

It took great restraint to not spend the 15kms complaining to those around me about the heat and hills - I'm not one for whining en route because lets be honest, we get ourselves into these situations.  I do enjoy the occasional encounters you have though, as you find yourself linking up with people travelling at a similar average speed.

One such lady, who was running a far more consistent pace than me, remarked while passing me up a hill that she probably shouldnt have done the Parkrun at Nahoon beach that morning.  I imagine this was done to hammer home the fact that she, a woman, had just passed me up a hill, in the sweltering heat, having already put down 5kms on the dunes.  Admittedly, woman don't really think like that... but all the same, rather than be impressed what I was really thinking was 'Are you out of your FREAKING MIND, you must be off your rocker to have run twice on a day like today".

It made me want to beat her, beat her for being loopy - you shouldn't win at anything if you're deranged.  Unfortunately, I'd abandoned all expectations of a good time at the 5km mark, and had resigned myself to making good on the water sachets by 12km - the goal was now making it home.  All competitive inclinations left wilting in the sun on the gravel road.

Update: You can download the results here,