11 March 2007

Hands off the @#% cupcakes!

This past week has been an extremely exciting week...also at times a very exhausting and trying one. Either way, it is done now and I'm sitting here trying to catch my breath. If I didn't have a camera to remind me what happened I wouldn't have beleived it all happened in one week!

The first thing that happened was that Daedalus gave me the next Survivor series...it is awesome! Really the best one so far in my opinion. My brother and myself have found it irrisistable and watched it all in one week between doing assignments and him trying to sell houses. Unfortunately we had to leave the parents behind because they did not show the necessary dedication and we couldn't make ourselves stop watching! Hehe...Thanks D!

The next thing to happen was that our street has become a crime hotspot. Last week the people in 18 and 20 were hit with armed robberies, and this week it was us at 22 and the people at 26 with theft out of our cars. It sucks... Initially my brother saw his car was broken into and phoned the police station - they told him to fetch the police two houses down himself. When they got to our house we noticed that my car had also been hit. Everything inside is full of candle-wax...a-holes. Consensus is that if you want to get that out you have to iron on a piece of brown paper to draw it out after you scrape the most of it off. So: not only did you rob me but you are now MAKING ME IRON!!! Just for that I am leaving the glass on the backseet for a week for in case you decide to hit me again.Anyway, back to the events in question. The police arrived at which point my brother's stress levels were extremely elevated and he started bickering with the inspector about lack of service, racism and case numbers. My mom started shaking from head to toe and our assistant walked around holding her head and mumbling about tsotsies alot. After the cops left my brother decided to launch a one-man telephone assault on his insurance and PG glass untill he had all kinds of authorisations. My dad phoned my insurance (his insurance) and some little man called Jessie phoned me and told me how he was arranging everything for me.I still have to go and get quotes for the stuff they stole from me, but the window was another adventure on it's own. Initially the folks from Glasfit promised me that it would be sorted out the same day still - but that did not happen. The manager (Andrea) and myself had some words the next morning and she graciously offered to pay for my window to apologise. I have completely forgiven them for the delay and plan to write some very nice things about Andrea on Hellopeter.com for the professional way in which she handled the situation.

Little bit of good news after that was that *Esmerelda*'s mom has sent me an Ice Cream Bush, because she has them in abundance and she heard about my thing for gardening. It's sooo cute! When they grow a bit bigger some of the leaves go purple and pink too. Thanks *Esmerelda* and your mom!





Next fun event was Friday night waffles at Freddy and Adam's house...yummmm...I think it's safe to say that we all ate until our stomachs cramped. Freddy also gave me the next few episodes of Heroes to watch and I'm looking forward to them watching it. Thanks guys! I had a lot of fun.



Then the week's events came to a head with the wedding of my cousin Wynand and his ballerina Lizelle, at Didimala Private Game Reserve. Wow! What an event and what a venue. My google addicted mother informs me that it is the biggest hay stack structure. They apparently stack it and cover it with some concrete-ish layer and ta-dah! you have a room. It actually looks great and they have two guys named Jaco running the place that really keep it in an excellent condition.

Anyhoo, my dad was a bit slower than expected on the trailer packing (we had to take the chairs, the flower and the wedding cake) so we got there an hour and a half later than planned and since alot of work still had to be done to pull everything together we all had to work together fast to get it done. I ran around like a mad person to help get it done. What a shame that I left my medical aid step counter at home...we had to get 80 chairs and covers set up in the chappel, trim and fit 8 bunches of roses to the lollipop arrangements, assemble close to 30 table arrangements and get them on the right spots and build a four layered display of cupcakes and roses balancing on nothing but glass plates and champagne flutes, get the individual cupcakes for the guests into a the lodge cold room, get cleaned up and dressed and be on time so that we don't come in after the bride.

We managed, but the guests had other ideas about the cake. See, after the ceremony the guests were milling round waiting for snacks and sherry while the happy couple were getting the last of the photos done. The caterers however were slightly behind schedule and the guests picked the wedding cake (cupcake display) clean while they were waiting to be served! Did we panic? okay yes...initially we did. Did we scream? Not right away. My parents took a "quick" three hour trip to drop someone off in Pretoria and left me to deal with it. Mmmm...well the show must go on. I had the manager help me unwrap another 28 cupcakes from those that were meant for the guests (we had some extra for a crisis and besides they already had theirs - not so?), and just as I finished re-stacking the extremely fragile cupcake constellation another guest reached out to help herself to the wedding cake. I would have wrestled her for that cookie at that stage. After a warning and a stern look (in which I tried to build in alot of insinuation about lack of etiket and manners) it became apparent that I would have to be the wedding cake bouncer until they took the photo. I had to turn away 4 more people - can you beleive it?! Anyway...despite the fact that I am dead tired and don't want to see another cupcake ever - it was a great wedding of a very cute couple and I have only best wishes for them for a bright and happy future. :-)

Now...I must sleep.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey,

by the looks of it you need another weekend to relax after this hectic one!!! I am sorry about you cupcake display, hungry people are just so rude don't you think :-)Thanks for putting the link to my blog up. I guess now more then ever i have to keep updating it!!!

I am going for an interview today for a new job and i am really nervouse!!! Its the first one ever...

Any ways i wish you a great day...

Anonymous said...

Cupcake thieves!!! Ongeskik!

Well, it sounds like you had a very eventful weekend. I am amazed at how well you maintained composure through the theft of the cupcakes, I would have broken some fingers if I had been there! (And those fingers would not have been mine!)

Waffles was a great idea, but next time I think we should go for a 'poorer' version of your chocolate sauce! hehe.

Work sucks, but that isn't news.

Hope your studying is going well.

;-)

Unknown said...

what a crazy week!! It never rains it pours when you are Louisa :-) !!
Hope everything with your car is now sorted. It seems people forget their manners whenever they are at weddings, how rude!! But on the whole it sounded like a great wedding!

Louisa said...

Gaby,

I hope it went well at the interview - please let us know! What kind of job did you go for this time or are you sticking to travel agent? I remember that you wanted to work with children a while back?

Freddy,
I agree! Next time we'll get store bought - or I'll have to put a warning on it or something...it's very rich the way I make it. It didn't help that you put even more chocolate in the waffle dough...;-)
-Not working sucks too. i am so frustrated right this moment that I almost feel like sleeping outside to get away from this house.

Wanette,
Lucky thing I collect umbrellas hey? Oh crap...I better check if the two in the car are still there.

Gobody said...

It is so terrible to be a victim of such crimes in a short time. The positive side is that you are all safe and only material stuff that can be replaced is lost.

Louisa said...

Gobody
That's true...although sometimes I wish I could pull them over my knee for a good hiding instead of just finding the distruction afterwards.
;-)

Anonymous said...

Well the interview went really well and I was really happy with myself on that one. They called me the next day to tell me that that I had the Job!!!! I couldn't believe it really. I am starting on Tuesday already and I am going to be a data capturer for Descovery Health... I will now be able to take up more subject for my education degree as the pay is much more. I am really looking forward to it.

How are things on your side, I saw the comment about not having a job. I know that its not great to be stuck at home. I spent the 6 first month that i was in SA at home. It was killer. However, I am sure that things will get better soon

Louisa said...

That's great Gaby! I'm really happy for you that you got the job you were looking for. :-)

As far as my own unemployment goes, I can't complain too much seeing as it was voluntary. I need to do something a little less draining and frustrating the the type of career I had with the factory. And I need that because instead of office politics and corporate BS I would prefer to fill up my head with the subject matter that I'm studying. I'm sure Freddy has shared with you some of the "magnificent" working experiences we had there together? I was there for 7 years, and I often joked and said I must have broken a really big mirror in a previous life or something. ;-)

I'm getting by at the moment, cause I cashed in one of my cushions to make a go of this. At the moment I just have to tighten my belt a bit to make it last as long as possible, and one can't help feeling at a disadvantage sometimes - because it feels like I've lost alot of my bargaining power along with my steady income. Silly hey? If I can swallow my pride and accept the help that I have instead of seeing alterior motives in every gesture I should be fine. Some days it just feels like my family think they own me and all my time because I'm at home now during the day...so I end up spending alot of my time doing errands for them that I would have prefered spending studying.

But I am also to blame for being too accomodating?

Anyway, there's my soap box moment for the week...:-)

I know you will have loads of fun at the new place - I know a couple of people that work at Discovery and it seems that they treat their staff very well. Congratulations Gaby!

Anonymous said...

Thank Louisa... I am sure that I am going to be happy there. The staff seem to be really nice.

I can totally understand that way that you feel. Its not easy to have to depend of people and you always seem to feel like you owe them some thing. Like you said people always asume that you are not busy cause you are home. Any ways i am sure that you are going to find some thing that is closer to what you are studing. I really do believe that thing can only get better...

Louisa said...

Thanks Gaby :-)

Anonymous said...

Its a pleasure...

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your comment and I will be sure to figure out some thing about transport. I am looking forward to the shopping!!!

I am also now using an other blog as I told you this morning so now you can leave comments there. It so much better i must say.

Louisa said...

Gaby,

I've had a look - good for you (another link on its way for you on Sunday - thanks for mine by the way). I really think you will enjoy Blogger alot more than the other one...much more user freindly and it loads a hell of a lot quicker too.