Gert vs Cat

One of our cats, Shammy, loves to spray on electronic things such as the TV, the rooters, computer and hard drives. Yes it is a big problem and a solution that works still needs to be invented. It must be something about the electronic and plastic smell that compels him to spray.

Anyways, it was back to Gert with my portable hard drive to try safe it from an untimely death. The problem is that this drive is encrypted and the circuit board with the encryption key also got the attention of the cat. So here is Gert using some Linux software to force the encryption to a standard readable format without losing the information.

The Beast and 35 Sucks

The Beast Team: Ledise, Wian, Lené Anthony, Henk, and Hanro (Not sure where Belinda was)

Hanging on with Belinda and Anthony

It is our first weekend in our new home. We still have boxes everywhere and we don’t know when we are going to see the end of the move but today we conquer the Beast and later a 35th birthday braai together with a Daknatmaak.

We can do this: Henk and Anthony

Up and over: Anthony, Wian, Henk, and Lené

Bringing back memories: Anthony and Hanro

So first the Beast, They said it is fun for the whole family, a workout with a difference, but I just shook my head, haven’t I already do 2 years of army why must I pay to challenge myself basic army training style. The Beast is more than just an obstacle race. It’s about getting out, being active and making memories. Get dirty, have fun and have some great stories to tell. Well after this we did, so I will just let the images do the talking.

Mud, Glorious Mud: Anthony and Henk

Yeah a little mud won't stop Belinda and Anthony

Ledise, Henk, Wian, Anthony, Lené, Anthony, and Belinda all tangled up

Still not convinced that the Beast is only for adventure junkies and mad men, well at least my brother Anthony and his wife’s family did it not for the competition but for fun, to conquer the Beast.

Nearly over Anthony

After that the rest was all tame. It was time for the 35 Sucks birthday party, okay not sucks but a Gert’s 35th birthday braai and Daknatmaak or in English a Roof Wetting Party.

Lynda, Storm, Lisel, Buffie, Jan, Lizette, Gert where the first wave at the party, the others came later.

Ragnar Lothbrok

I have found Ragnar, the legendary Viking, alive and well, living in the backwater village of Randfontein and working as a computer technician. To help with his disguise he is going by the name of Gert of all the names he could have chosen, why that one, only he would know. Well I suppose with a name like Gert he can blend in easily into the West Rand.

Oh well, Gert is a good friend of mine, and like the Viking Lothbrok, you better not get on his wrong side. Anyways last weekend we dropped off Lynda’s laptop at his home to get fixed as one does with broken things. Gert worked his magic and voila, one working laptop to go today.

Trigger Happy Bunnies

Last night we met up with some of the Far West Rand’s finest Ingress Resistance players for a night on the town. Around the table are agents Elizhy, True2Blue, BioniKat, MaxyJade, Lala187, Rat73, Vinkie, HVS000, with TVS000 taking the photo with my cellphone.

Early in the evening Vinkie who is after uniques requested that we go Fochville and paint the town blue, so off we went to the heart of Enlightened agent Kleinblaar’s little grovel, Fochville and put down a spider’s web of blue links. Along the way someone came up with the name Trigger Happy Bunnies.

Update: Sometime in the early morning we crawled back into bed.

Far West Rand Resistance

Lynda and I headed for Randfontein, to do some Ingress farming as there are some nice level 7 portals there which needed my level 8 resonators. Before I continue Ingress is a game I play which is in between geo-caching and capture the flag.

We stopped for lunch at Uncle Harry's Roadhouse as they do a reasonable priced Sunday roast with vegetables. It was only later did we find out that the local Resistance in the area were also having lunch there and it turned out to be a lovely meetup. From left to right is Storm, Ona, Errol, Clarisa, and Gert. I hope that I got it all correct.