News and views

Stayed over at G's flat last night, and had a rather unpleasant wake-up this morning.

In that state of complete confusion you get when you are woken up by something and you can't comprehend what is going on, I woke up and there was this penetrating sound, going through my head. As I woke more I realised it was someone's car hooter that was stuck and being disturbed by it I sat up and moved the curtain aside to look out the window.

Across the garden in the parking lot outside someone's car was up in flames. The flames were 3m high or so, covering the entire car. The hooter was stuck, probably the wires had melted together. It went on and on... this unwavering, mournful note.

There were people around, possibly the car owner who was shrieking and shouting, absolutely in shock. There were some people with hoses which were rather ineffectual, seeing that their hoses weren't long and they were basically creating steam since they didn't actually go close to the car. Which is perfectly understandable because every now and then something would happen like a window broke or a tyre burst, and then the engine flamed bigger.

The hooter kept going.

Flames, flames and then smoke when the fuel tank burnt up.

Still more sounds of glass breaking, tyres bursting...

Finally, the hooter died too.

After everything seemed to have been burnt up, and the flames were digesting the well-charred body of the car, a fireman came and took charge of one of the hoses. Sprayed the flames, killed the fire.

The fire died. The fireman had taken charge and, in his hands, the hose became a thing of power, able to kill the fire that it had merely spritzed a few minutes earlier.

Disturbing, that. The whole episode. What it symbolises. A loss. Irrepairable damage. Of something seemingly so stable and reliable. A car is always there. Perhaps temperamental, sometimes or often not starting, or broken down, perhaps with a broken window smash-n-grab, but always there. Stolen is something different. Then it's just gone. But burnt to a shell... no. There is something more upsetting about that. Specially if you leave things in your car, trusting that it will be safe til next time. Drivers' licence, sunglasses, CDs, usual things a person leaves in their car.

Seeing the car shell a few hours later when looking out the window while getting ready for work... such destruction. Sabotage most likely. It was a jeep and had a canvas roof, but even so. Something had to start that.

Malice. Spite. Hatefulness.

Such incomprehensible things to someone who hasn't that kind of thought process. It's like stealing: it'd never occur to some people to steal something. They simply don't think in that way.

Mantra: streamline your life.

Leave nothing behind... but keep your precious things with you. Precious things being "fellow beings". Not saying live like a monk; take care of your possessions, but it's the people (and animals) that count.

First things I'd run in to rescue if the house was burning down: the dog+budgie, because my family would be running with me.

Good grief but this is a FUCKING DEPRESSING POST!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

OK *grins* enough of the sombreness.

Cheerful thought for today: Telkon has reduced their adsl fee, so at the end of the month I'm going to have an extra R50 left over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!