A Full Day’s Dawdle

Of all the sounds that woke me today, the most prominent was the scraping of feet against the tarmac. It sounded like tired snakes were slithering across the parking lots of Port Elizabeth, chanting a sad mantra about the traffic on Beach Road at 8:30.
I don’t think anyone believes its Monday the 5th of January, 2009. Collective denial has won the province. I poked my head out the window and saw a woman dragging her husband to the car. She had his left leg in one hand and his briefcase in the other. He was only wearing polly shorts and a set of braai tongs dangling from a string round his neck. “No honey, YOU’VE got it wrong! It’s only the twelve of December! What do you mean I’ve got work today!”
Mrs. Duiker was bawling outside her front door in a three piece suit, looking at her watch and car keys the way someone stares at a 3D picture that won’t reveal itself.
I’m not sure what to say to all these disappointed people. If it makes anyone feel better, the waves are rubbish today. A fresh onshore wind is churning the water into fish pate’. Occasional showers are expected later— it’ll be like surfing in England.
The only way to get over post December Blues is to move on. Bugger the five steps of grief. Don’t get angry, or try to bargain your way home from work early this afternoon. Just accept that your allotted twelve days of Christmas are over.
As a way of getting back into the sad swing of work, I’ve decided to draw you a picture. The man/ woman in the barrel is you. The magic box on the beach is filled with your favorite cold beverages, placed there to quench your thirst after a full day in the water. Your towels are being tumble dried in my portable tumble dryer, also put there for your enjoyment. A fire has been lit, too, for the post surfing braai. The weather is perfect, as you can see from the warm UV rays beaming down. Feel free to kill time with it during work. Add your own touches with Microsoft paint (bosses can’t ban it, like gmail and facebook) — beach party scene, black jack table, hammock between two palm trees. That sort of thing.
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The waiting period for the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau big wave contest started last month, and will continue through February (until the contest is surfed). It’s an awesome event with a rich history. A link to the contest’s live feed, as well as a bio on the event can be seen on www.aspworldtour.com.