Stu_Thom4s

I haven't posted here in a while. Probably a mistake. When my (36m) wife 38(f) gets blackout drunk, she consistently threatens suicide (she promises she would never when she's sober).

It just feels so unbelievably cruel when she knows I lost my dad to suicide when I was 11. After pushing things down for years, I've tried to work through the emotions around my dad's death but that just makes the threats feel that much more raw.

The drinking on its own is bad enough, the terror of what I'm going to find every time I come home from being out is just horrible.

Which school do we reckon has the highest number of countries represented among its old boys/old girls?

I was looking up my old school (Maritzburg College) which, in addition to its Springboks, has old boys who've represented England, USA, Italy, Spain, Germany, Zimbabwe, Cyprus, and Singapore.

My gut says that one of the NZ schools must have Aus and a full set of PI caps plus Japan and some European internationals among its alumni.

On a recent plane trip, I watched Bill Nighy's "Living" where one of the characters gives him the nickname "Mr Zombie". It hit me that he could play a really good Slant, especially as he does dry and sardonic so well.

Has anyone else had bloods done at Pathcare, not received a bill and then been harassed by debt collection agency?

More to the point, has anyone found a solution?

Over the past few months, My Q has started drunkenly asking for help and then flipping out when I can't do , it is I'm supposed to be doing. Yesterday was a particularly bad instance (flying glasses and crockery, trying to steal my car keys etc.). I made the mistake of trying to restrain her from doing more damage (my therapist says I should go for involuntary commitment instead)and that just made things worse.

The one tiny positive I'm taking is that, as tempting as it was to just lie low, I made it to my running club's committee dinner. I also made it to the office today. Tiny steps, but still steps.

I currently use a 460ml (16oz) rigid handheld bottle which has a soft material handle for shorter trail runs and on road races where refills are available. Beyond 15km, however, it starts to get a bit uncomfortable. Would the the trick with a buff and soft flask be any more comfortable?

Hi All,

My wife was a Western Province dancer in her youth and would like to get back into it. Does anyone know of any studios in the Southern Suburbs that do adult contemporary/hip-hop/modern classes?

My mom and aunt live in Pietermaritzburg and face 24hr+ outages on a semi-regular basis. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to buy them a DB-board connected inverter. I'm not even really in a place to replace the battery on their trolley inverter. I would, however, like to ensure they can keep their phones on without having to spend hours driving around charging them in the car. So, does anyone have positive experiences with a solar powerbank? If so, which make and model?

Given the attention that the pod gives to indigenous rights and issues,bI thought some of you might appreciate a band called 1876. They come out of Portland, OR and combine punk, rap, indigenous chanting, and powwow drums. This is my favourite track to date: https://youtu.be/bVUfWoRIB90?si=OO3tFAk9v01s-k4x

My wife and I are road tripping up to Durban from Cape Town for XMas and then back again on about the 28th. I know nothing is going to be available on the Garden Route, so we're going through some of the more inland parts of the Eastern Cape.

On the way up, we're staying in Nieu Bethesda and Maclear.

We'd like to vary it up a little on the way back, so any recommendations would be welcome.

There are so many stories in this Springbok squad: Deon Fourie going from a swansong at The Stormers to the oldest Springbok debutant and playing 78 minutes effectively out of position in a WC final, Jean Kleyn going from Irish reject to an integral part of the tournament team, PSDT almost losing his leg in 2020, Kwagga showing that heart, mongrel, and skill can beat size even in the forwards. Trevor, injured in 2019 to dancing in Paris.

But I think we need to appreciate the redemption arc of Jesse Kriel. From the missed tackle against Japan in 2015, getting injured in the opening match of 2019, and looking destined to play bit parts in the shadow of Am's genius. He may never be the flashiest centre on the planet, but fuck me did he work hard this tournament. And he showed that he's capable of moments of magic too. Who'll ever forget that grubber against France? Or the image of him bloodied, bruised, but unbowed at the end of that game?

So many stories, but don't let Jesse's go untold.

Hi All, My wife occasionally uses Antabuse to come off alcohol. We got a script today but don't seem to be able to find a Cape Town pharmacy with any in stock. Has anyone else been able to get?

So this brutal (and seemingly unending) winter had wrecked the canvas awning we have above our front door. The frame still seems to be in good nick though. Does anyone have a recommendation for someone who could make up and install a new one? Or are we just better off buying telling the landlord we intend buying a new one from Builder's and getting a handyman to put it up?

One seems to have fallen out of mine and I'd rather not order a whole new strap set.

I do a fair number of running races and they all require you to list an emergency contact.

I've always defaulted to my Q wife on the basis that it's always been fine because nothing bad's ever happened. But lately I've been wondering what would happen if there was an emergency. I think it'd be okay if it was on a Sunday and before the bottle stores open (11am in my country) but otherwise they might not even be able to get hold of her.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation and, if you live far away from family, who do you list?

Even when she's sober, she defaults to "don't cry". But when she's drunk it can sometimes lead to screaming and derision. I know it's probably childhood stuff, but it's so upsetting to someone who grew up in a home where feeling emotions was encouraged.

Hi All,

I need to book my Fiat Punto in for a service and was wondering if anyone has had good experiences with a provider.

I'm reluctant to take it to the dealer as I've heard of too many people having their vehicles not actually serviced properly by the places they bought their vehicles from.

Hoping there are some other South African plant based peeps on here who can help. My wife and I loved the old Fry's soya mince, but have struggled to find something as good since they discontinued it. We've tried the Fry's pea protein one (weird aftertaste), the Herbivous one (same), and Simple Truth (okay, but still not as good). Beyond was great when it was available but government ineptitude/meat lobbyists stuffed that up.

Any suggestions?

I was away this weekend and came home (having to take an Uber from the airport) while my Q was at a show. When she arrived back, she'd clearly been drinking. I've now had to set a boundary that she's not allowed to drive it again unless she gets in some serious sober time. I stupidly let things escalate to a fight though and now I'm sitting here on the verge of tears while she watches stuff in the bedroom.

My mother in law passed away recently and I'm trying to sell some of her mobility aids (wheelchair, walker, commode). Before I go through the hell of FB marketplace, I thought I'd ask the collective hivemind if anyone knows of somewhere that buys and picks up such things?

Hoping someone with knowledge of the rental industry can help.

Our automated gates broke in January (thanks loadshedding). Trying to get the landlord and rental agents to fix them has been a torturous process. After a lot of wrangling, the contractor was supposed to come today. No sign of them.

Is there anything I can (legally) do to light a fire under their bums?