This is my final South African World Cup article, so I thought I'd leave you with a few of my non-All Whites impressions and memories from a truly unique couple of weeks away.
I'm glad I left my stab vest and body armour at home because, despite all the warnings, they weren't needed. The atmosphere on the streets and around the stadiums was as friendly and inviting as anywhere I've been in the world. I don't know if that was natural or put on for the World Cup but it doesn't matter. Sure, there was a security presence just about everywhere you went, but it was low key and generally unobtrusive. South Africa was a comfortable place to be.
Being based in one place for fourteen nights did become a bit of a chore. It would have been nice to move around a little and I regret not making the effort to head down to Cape Town or Durban for at least a couple of nights. To my mind the Pretoria/Johannesburg area would be a tough part of the world in which to live. Despite being winter, with some very cold nights, the whole landscape was dry, dusty and desolate. Not quite the same as home. It left me with the impression that I'd need to be harder than I am to survive there.
One morning we spent some time touring around Soweto. Despite its poor reputation, only a fraction of its residents actually live in corrugated iron shacks. We were taken through some suburbs loaded with attractive middle class houses and millionaires mansions. Just goes to show that things aren't always what they seem. The highlight was a stop at the Hector Peiterson museum, which is dedicated to the memory of the school boy who's death became symbolic with the struggle against apartheid.
As far as the World Cup is concerned, the games have been pretty much what you'd expect to see from modern tournament football. During the group stage teams more often than not limited their creativity and accentuated their pragmatism in an effort to get through. There were a few shocks, with teams like France and Italy heading home early, then the real excitement and drama began in the knock-out stages. Some of the round of 16 and quarterfinal matches have been superb. Let's hope we see more of the same in the final few matches.
By the way, I hope you didn't bet the house on the Argies following my clearly not-so-learned tip in an earlier article. They were dismantled by the Germans in the quarter-finals. I'm not going to have another go at predicting a winner, even with only four teams left. This is football, you know, and anything can happen. And those vuvuzelas are less annoying live than on TV. The atmosphere wouldn't have been the same without them.
So the countdown is now on for Brazil 2014. That seems such a long way off right now but I guarantee the time will fly by, so you won't have to wait too long for your next edition of DB's World Cup Diary.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
DB's World Cup Diary - we do Italy!
This will always be remembered as the finest week ever for football in New Zealand and one of the best weeks for New Zealand sport. I've been able to catch glimpses of the All White fervour that has gripped the nation but have to say I'm so glad I was able to be here in South Africa to experience this first hand. I owe a big thank you to my incredible wife for volunteering to stay at home and look after our two young kids. I think a not inconsiderably sized present or two is probably in order.
The Italy game in Nelspruit was just surreal. The early Shane Smeltz goal was so unexpected that I spent the next twenty in a heightened state of disbelief. Did we really score against the World champs? Hell yes!
The Italian reply was predictable, given the way they played at this tournament - cheating, diving, er, buggers. Their goal, the refereeing and our desperate, yet increasingly world class defending, meant the emotions were all over the place for the final hour of the match. I'm sure the details have been well reported back home so I won't go in to that. For me the best part of the day was the aftermath. There were thousands of kiwis in the crowd and we were all wandering around afterwards barely able to believe what had happened.
Hugging and high-fiving strangers, our small group made its way to the far side of the stadium with all the other fans just to soak it all up. We didn't get back to our bus, which was parked nearby, until two hours after the final whistle. And apparently I made it on to the TV a couple of times too. I got emails from India, the USA and Australia, as well as home saying me and my piano tie had our fifteen minutes of fame.
A few days later we were in Polokwane for the Paraguay game with a chance of qualifying for the next round. Who would ever have thought that would be the case? There will be another time to discuss the game and the way we played. For me this game was, once again, all about the fans. I don't think I've ever been photographed as much in my life. It's amazing what can happen when you put on a white wig and carry an All Whites scarf.
Now all I want to do is get home, but her are some other thoughts before I do. Most of the stadiums here are amazing. Soccer City has to be one of the top ten football venues in the world. Truly awesome. The grounds at Nelspruit and Polokwane are both supreme mid-sized football venues. Auckland would do worse that getting the blue-prints from either of these venues and building a copy on the water front. The only let-down was Loftus Versfeld here in Pretoria. What a crumbling, decrepit, old hulk that is.
I also have to make mention of the diving from some of the teams. It's the biggest blight on the game and FIFA needs to sort this out once and for all because the players and coaches won't. One of the best things I've seen is a video montage of a sniper in full camo gear getting ready for and then taking a shot. The movie cuts to an Italian footballer going down as if he's been drilled through the heart, with not a defender in sight. Sums it up really.
The Italy game in Nelspruit was just surreal. The early Shane Smeltz goal was so unexpected that I spent the next twenty in a heightened state of disbelief. Did we really score against the World champs? Hell yes!
The Italian reply was predictable, given the way they played at this tournament - cheating, diving, er, buggers. Their goal, the refereeing and our desperate, yet increasingly world class defending, meant the emotions were all over the place for the final hour of the match. I'm sure the details have been well reported back home so I won't go in to that. For me the best part of the day was the aftermath. There were thousands of kiwis in the crowd and we were all wandering around afterwards barely able to believe what had happened.
Hugging and high-fiving strangers, our small group made its way to the far side of the stadium with all the other fans just to soak it all up. We didn't get back to our bus, which was parked nearby, until two hours after the final whistle. And apparently I made it on to the TV a couple of times too. I got emails from India, the USA and Australia, as well as home saying me and my piano tie had our fifteen minutes of fame.
A few days later we were in Polokwane for the Paraguay game with a chance of qualifying for the next round. Who would ever have thought that would be the case? There will be another time to discuss the game and the way we played. For me this game was, once again, all about the fans. I don't think I've ever been photographed as much in my life. It's amazing what can happen when you put on a white wig and carry an All Whites scarf.
Now all I want to do is get home, but her are some other thoughts before I do. Most of the stadiums here are amazing. Soccer City has to be one of the top ten football venues in the world. Truly awesome. The grounds at Nelspruit and Polokwane are both supreme mid-sized football venues. Auckland would do worse that getting the blue-prints from either of these venues and building a copy on the water front. The only let-down was Loftus Versfeld here in Pretoria. What a crumbling, decrepit, old hulk that is.
I also have to make mention of the diving from some of the teams. It's the biggest blight on the game and FIFA needs to sort this out once and for all because the players and coaches won't. One of the best things I've seen is a video montage of a sniper in full camo gear getting ready for and then taking a shot. The movie cuts to an Italian footballer going down as if he's been drilled through the heart, with not a defender in sight. Sums it up really.
DB's World Cup Diary - we hit South Africa and South Africa hits us!
When Joel (Matamata Chronicle Editor) told me I had about 400 words each week I thought that would be sweet. After my first week in South Africa I think I need more like four million! In trying to keep this as brief as possible, I'll just focus on some of the highlights.
** It took me the best part of two and a half days to get from Helsinki, to South Africa, then to bed. We arrived in Jo'burg at about 6am on Monday morning and hung out at the airport for a couple of hours (as you do). Rather than going to the hotel we were told we had to go straight to Soccer City to watch the game we had tickets for (Netherlands v Denmark). We got to the ground an hour before the gates opened, but that was cool because we had plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere. The game itself was rubbish but the stadium is amazing.
** Our second day in South Africa was one of history for our country - the game against Slovakia. A three hour drive to Rustenburg, which should have taken an hour and a half, meant we were rushed to get into the ground and only made it a few minutes before kick-off. I was so proud to be listening to the NZ national anthem at a World Cup that I almost sung it (for anyone who knows me that's a BIG deal!). The game itself was fairly even, with a tight first half before we let in a soft goal. The Slovaks cruised the rest of the match, stupidly not really pushing for a second goal. That approach came back to bite them in the butt in the last 30 seconds when Winston Reid became everyone's favourite Danish Maori super hero. The crazy burst of emotion was so unexpected as our travelling band of fans really thought the game was gone.
** The New Zealand fans are doing this country proud in South Africa. From the guy bouncing around in a sheep costume in Rustenburg to a dude we know from Tokoroa who figured out the vuvuzela would be far more use as a drinking vessel than a horn we've seen many a moment to bring a tear to the eye. I'm sure there will be many more moments to savour.
** For all of you with Sky I'd invite you to watch their World Cup show - called Inside Africa - later this week. The tour group I'm part of played a game of football against a local township team and the Sky cameras were there. We played on a dusty, rock-strewn field up the back of Jo'burg's Deepsloot township, one of the most depressing looking shanty towns I've ever seen. Our motley crew of mainly middle-aged, broken down has beens managed to limit the damage to 2-1, although I'm sure the locals were taking it easy on us. Actually, I'm convinced they did. Their skills were silky and they moved as if they were playing on Wembley. If you manage to catch the show on Sky keep an eye out for Matamata's finest - Dave Taylor, Eric Van Waveren, Scott Parsonage and yours truly.
** For the gamblers among you I'd suggest you slip a lazy tenner on Argentina to win this thing. We watched them in the flesh as they demolished South Korea at Soccer City. They have some very, very sharp players and a coach, Diego Maradona, who seems to be succeeding despite his chaotic personality. The biggest of the day was reserved for a special Maradona sideline trick. A nice touch.
** We're off to watch the All Whites play Italy tomorrow in Nelspruit. That means an early start and a four to five hour bus ride. We've purchased some white wigs and piano key board ties just to prove that us country boys can let our hair down a little and get into the swing of things. Maybe you will have seen us on the telecast. We're hoping for another upset but won't be holding out much hope. The day will be all about enjoying the fact that New Zealand will be playing the world champions at the World Cup. That will be enough.
** It took me the best part of two and a half days to get from Helsinki, to South Africa, then to bed. We arrived in Jo'burg at about 6am on Monday morning and hung out at the airport for a couple of hours (as you do). Rather than going to the hotel we were told we had to go straight to Soccer City to watch the game we had tickets for (Netherlands v Denmark). We got to the ground an hour before the gates opened, but that was cool because we had plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere. The game itself was rubbish but the stadium is amazing.
** Our second day in South Africa was one of history for our country - the game against Slovakia. A three hour drive to Rustenburg, which should have taken an hour and a half, meant we were rushed to get into the ground and only made it a few minutes before kick-off. I was so proud to be listening to the NZ national anthem at a World Cup that I almost sung it (for anyone who knows me that's a BIG deal!). The game itself was fairly even, with a tight first half before we let in a soft goal. The Slovaks cruised the rest of the match, stupidly not really pushing for a second goal. That approach came back to bite them in the butt in the last 30 seconds when Winston Reid became everyone's favourite Danish Maori super hero. The crazy burst of emotion was so unexpected as our travelling band of fans really thought the game was gone.
** The New Zealand fans are doing this country proud in South Africa. From the guy bouncing around in a sheep costume in Rustenburg to a dude we know from Tokoroa who figured out the vuvuzela would be far more use as a drinking vessel than a horn we've seen many a moment to bring a tear to the eye. I'm sure there will be many more moments to savour.
** For all of you with Sky I'd invite you to watch their World Cup show - called Inside Africa - later this week. The tour group I'm part of played a game of football against a local township team and the Sky cameras were there. We played on a dusty, rock-strewn field up the back of Jo'burg's Deepsloot township, one of the most depressing looking shanty towns I've ever seen. Our motley crew of mainly middle-aged, broken down has beens managed to limit the damage to 2-1, although I'm sure the locals were taking it easy on us. Actually, I'm convinced they did. Their skills were silky and they moved as if they were playing on Wembley. If you manage to catch the show on Sky keep an eye out for Matamata's finest - Dave Taylor, Eric Van Waveren, Scott Parsonage and yours truly.
** For the gamblers among you I'd suggest you slip a lazy tenner on Argentina to win this thing. We watched them in the flesh as they demolished South Korea at Soccer City. They have some very, very sharp players and a coach, Diego Maradona, who seems to be succeeding despite his chaotic personality. The biggest of the day was reserved for a special Maradona sideline trick. A nice touch.
** We're off to watch the All Whites play Italy tomorrow in Nelspruit. That means an early start and a four to five hour bus ride. We've purchased some white wigs and piano key board ties just to prove that us country boys can let our hair down a little and get into the swing of things. Maybe you will have seen us on the telecast. We're hoping for another upset but won't be holding out much hope. The day will be all about enjoying the fact that New Zealand will be playing the world champions at the World Cup. That will be enough.
DB's World Cup Diary - on the road again
Finland is famous for its ice hockey players and motor sport legends. For its lakes and its trees. So naturally Finland's capital, Helsinki, is where I kicked my football world cup off...
Four years ago I missed the opening game because I was on a bus travelling between Naples and Rome. I didn't make any such mistake this time. The Sports Academy, a pub in central Helsinki, was our chosen venue. It came with the highest of recommendations (from a local taxi driver) so we scouted it out a couple of days before the big kick-off. It passed the beer and food test so we were set.
My work colleagues and I squeezed ourselves in with half of Helsinki. An illustration of how global this thing is can be shown by our group, containing two Kiwis, two Americans, an Indian, a Spaniard and a Brazilian, sitting down in Finland to watch a game of football that was being played in South Africa. It's not every day you find yourself in such a situation.
The game itself was not really the best you'll ever see, but it was more about the occasion. The hosts managed a point, and could have won it near the end, which is good for the tournament. It'll keep the locals buzzing. The opening day's second game, between France and Uruguay was described by the BBC as a 'turgid affair', so I'm kind of glad I missed most of it. The choice to go and grab some dinner at a local Greek restaurant was a good one.
I'm writing this in my hotel room on the morning of what is looming as one hell of a long day. By the time I next rest in a proper bed I will have flown from Helsinki to Hong Kong (where we meet up with our tour group) then on to Johannesburg and then watched my first live South African World Cup match (Netherlands versus Denmark). I'd be tempted to say I'm getting too old for this stuff, but I think I'll just have to harden up and force myself to manage!
The Dutch match is being played at the magnificent looking Soccer City Stadium in Soweto, which is where the opening game was played. The stadium looks like one of the modern wonders of the world and from this distance it seems like South Africa is going off, so I can't wait to get there and be part of the atmosphere.
By the time you read this New Zealand will have played our first World Cup match in 28 years. The fixture in Rustenburg against Slovakia presents itself as our best chance of getting a result in South Africa but it will be tough. The All Whites have raised expectations thanks to their pre-tournament friendly results so who knows what we can achieve? The Slovakians will probably be as nervous as us so if we get a couple of breaks we may just pull off an upset. Fingers crossed.
While I'm on the other side of the world, my thoughts are still very much with the Swifts back in Matamata. The team picked up an important point in Auckland this weekend from their 0-0 draw with Western Springs. It's the first time we haven't lost in Auckland this season and, with two home games remaining in the first stage of the season, we've set ourselves up with a bloody good chance of making the top six.
Four years ago I missed the opening game because I was on a bus travelling between Naples and Rome. I didn't make any such mistake this time. The Sports Academy, a pub in central Helsinki, was our chosen venue. It came with the highest of recommendations (from a local taxi driver) so we scouted it out a couple of days before the big kick-off. It passed the beer and food test so we were set.
My work colleagues and I squeezed ourselves in with half of Helsinki. An illustration of how global this thing is can be shown by our group, containing two Kiwis, two Americans, an Indian, a Spaniard and a Brazilian, sitting down in Finland to watch a game of football that was being played in South Africa. It's not every day you find yourself in such a situation.
The game itself was not really the best you'll ever see, but it was more about the occasion. The hosts managed a point, and could have won it near the end, which is good for the tournament. It'll keep the locals buzzing. The opening day's second game, between France and Uruguay was described by the BBC as a 'turgid affair', so I'm kind of glad I missed most of it. The choice to go and grab some dinner at a local Greek restaurant was a good one.
I'm writing this in my hotel room on the morning of what is looming as one hell of a long day. By the time I next rest in a proper bed I will have flown from Helsinki to Hong Kong (where we meet up with our tour group) then on to Johannesburg and then watched my first live South African World Cup match (Netherlands versus Denmark). I'd be tempted to say I'm getting too old for this stuff, but I think I'll just have to harden up and force myself to manage!
The Dutch match is being played at the magnificent looking Soccer City Stadium in Soweto, which is where the opening game was played. The stadium looks like one of the modern wonders of the world and from this distance it seems like South Africa is going off, so I can't wait to get there and be part of the atmosphere.
By the time you read this New Zealand will have played our first World Cup match in 28 years. The fixture in Rustenburg against Slovakia presents itself as our best chance of getting a result in South Africa but it will be tough. The All Whites have raised expectations thanks to their pre-tournament friendly results so who knows what we can achieve? The Slovakians will probably be as nervous as us so if we get a couple of breaks we may just pull off an upset. Fingers crossed.
While I'm on the other side of the world, my thoughts are still very much with the Swifts back in Matamata. The team picked up an important point in Auckland this weekend from their 0-0 draw with Western Springs. It's the first time we haven't lost in Auckland this season and, with two home games remaining in the first stage of the season, we've set ourselves up with a bloody good chance of making the top six.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
DB’s World Cup Diary returns
I'll be submitting a weekly article to the Matamata Chronicle. The first one follows, and there will be a least one article a week for the next month or so. I guess that's a good way to keep the blog up to date
*******
Four years after debuting in Germany DB’s World Cup Diary is back. Germany 2006 was great fun but, for me, lacking a little something. That little something, having a team to support, ain’t gonna be a problem in South Africa. In case you hadn’t heard New Zealand, the All Whites, will be at the biggest festival in world sport and this time (whisper it quietly) we may just have a chance of achieving something quite positive.
Okay, booze-fuelled optimism aside (it was late on a Saturday night when I wrote this), I think anything close to a result will be an achievement for New Zealand. We have a decent team now, but this is the World Cup and I’m not sure how many kiwis actually know how big this thing is. And how small New Zealand really is. So I’ll be happy if we can score a few goals and maybe nick a point against Slovakia or Paraguay. Anything else will be the stuff All Whites fans dreams are made of.
I’ve been lucky enough to secure tickets for eight games in South Africa. For a long time there it was ridiculously easy to get tickets so I basically made a pig of myself. It seems people were wary about travelling to South Africa – I can’t imagine why. Along with the three NZ games, I’ll be watching some of the biggest names in football. Holland, Argentina, Italy, Germany, Spain and (possibly) England is not a bad line-up!
My schedule in South Africa follows:
June 14 arrive in the morning, then watch DENMARK V THE NETHERLANDS at 1.30pm. Then crash!
June 15 NEW ZEALAND V SLOVAKIA
June 16 Sun City tour
June 17 ARGENTINA V KOREA
June 18-19 Free (for now...)
June 20 NEW ZEALAND V ITALY
June 21-22 Free (for now...)
June 23 GHANA V GERMANY
June 24 NEW ZEALAND V PARAGUAY
June 25 CHILE V SPAIN
June 26 ROUND OF 16 GAME (possibly England v Germany or Australia)
June 27 Rest
June 28 Fly home
July 1 to June 2014 Find a way to pay this trip off before heading to Brazil for the next World Cup
There is actually a group of five of us travelling from Matamata. We’re part of a tour group being led by former All White captain, Danny Hay. Two of us headed away on June 8 as we’re travelling to Finland first (work beckons). At this stage I expect to be sitting in a pub in Helsinki for the opening couple of games.
We meet up with the rest of the group in Hong Kong on Sunday before heading off to Jo’burg. Our hotel is in Pretoria and we are literally on the doorstep of Loftus Versfeld Stadium, a legendary rugby stadium, which has been hijacked by the round ball for a month. A good location for a great couple of weeks I reckon.
*******
Four years after debuting in Germany DB’s World Cup Diary is back. Germany 2006 was great fun but, for me, lacking a little something. That little something, having a team to support, ain’t gonna be a problem in South Africa. In case you hadn’t heard New Zealand, the All Whites, will be at the biggest festival in world sport and this time (whisper it quietly) we may just have a chance of achieving something quite positive.
Okay, booze-fuelled optimism aside (it was late on a Saturday night when I wrote this), I think anything close to a result will be an achievement for New Zealand. We have a decent team now, but this is the World Cup and I’m not sure how many kiwis actually know how big this thing is. And how small New Zealand really is. So I’ll be happy if we can score a few goals and maybe nick a point against Slovakia or Paraguay. Anything else will be the stuff All Whites fans dreams are made of.
I’ve been lucky enough to secure tickets for eight games in South Africa. For a long time there it was ridiculously easy to get tickets so I basically made a pig of myself. It seems people were wary about travelling to South Africa – I can’t imagine why. Along with the three NZ games, I’ll be watching some of the biggest names in football. Holland, Argentina, Italy, Germany, Spain and (possibly) England is not a bad line-up!
My schedule in South Africa follows:
June 14 arrive in the morning, then watch DENMARK V THE NETHERLANDS at 1.30pm. Then crash!
June 15 NEW ZEALAND V SLOVAKIA
June 16 Sun City tour
June 17 ARGENTINA V KOREA
June 18-19 Free (for now...)
June 20 NEW ZEALAND V ITALY
June 21-22 Free (for now...)
June 23 GHANA V GERMANY
June 24 NEW ZEALAND V PARAGUAY
June 25 CHILE V SPAIN
June 26 ROUND OF 16 GAME (possibly England v Germany or Australia)
June 27 Rest
June 28 Fly home
July 1 to June 2014 Find a way to pay this trip off before heading to Brazil for the next World Cup
There is actually a group of five of us travelling from Matamata. We’re part of a tour group being led by former All White captain, Danny Hay. Two of us headed away on June 8 as we’re travelling to Finland first (work beckons). At this stage I expect to be sitting in a pub in Helsinki for the opening couple of games.
We meet up with the rest of the group in Hong Kong on Sunday before heading off to Jo’burg. Our hotel is in Pretoria and we are literally on the doorstep of Loftus Versfeld Stadium, a legendary rugby stadium, which has been hijacked by the round ball for a month. A good location for a great couple of weeks I reckon.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
A new game
My new favourite website is FIFA.com - specifically the ticketing section for the 2010 World Cup.
I click on the 'Check Availability' page too many times a day. The reason? I want to see which game I can get to next. It's a great game!
You see, the availability page lists which tickets in which category are available for which game. It's been widely reported that ticket sales haven't been great, but that's fantasitic for those of us actually going to South Africa, because we can pretty much pick and choose which games we want to go and see (budget allowing, of course).
The twist is that, as sponsors and national associations return their unsold tickets, games that previously appered sold out become available again. That's why I'm in there every day - too see what comes up next.
Just today, in fact, it looks like we've been able to secure tickets to the Ghana v Germany group game. That brings to eight the number of matches I'll be going to. And I'm only in South Africa for 14 nights!
From memory, my schedule in South Africa goes something like this:
June 14 arrive in the morning, then watch DENMARK V THE NETHERLANDS at 1.30pm. Then crash!
June 15 NEW ZEALAND V SLOVAKIA
June 16 Sun City tour
June 17 ARGENTINA V KOREA
June 18-19 Free (for now...)
June 20 NEW ZEALAND V ITALY
June 21-22 Free (for now...)
June 23 GHANA V GERMANY
June 24 NEW ZEALAND V PARAGUAY
June 25 CHILE V SPAIN
June 26 ROUND OF 16 GAME (possibly England v Germany or Australia)
June 27 Rest
June 28 Fly home
July 1 to May 2014 Find a way to pay this trip off
I wish it had been this easy to get tickets in Germany 2006. Now, which game can I go to next...?
I click on the 'Check Availability' page too many times a day. The reason? I want to see which game I can get to next. It's a great game!
You see, the availability page lists which tickets in which category are available for which game. It's been widely reported that ticket sales haven't been great, but that's fantasitic for those of us actually going to South Africa, because we can pretty much pick and choose which games we want to go and see (budget allowing, of course).
The twist is that, as sponsors and national associations return their unsold tickets, games that previously appered sold out become available again. That's why I'm in there every day - too see what comes up next.
Just today, in fact, it looks like we've been able to secure tickets to the Ghana v Germany group game. That brings to eight the number of matches I'll be going to. And I'm only in South Africa for 14 nights!
From memory, my schedule in South Africa goes something like this:
June 14 arrive in the morning, then watch DENMARK V THE NETHERLANDS at 1.30pm. Then crash!
June 15 NEW ZEALAND V SLOVAKIA
June 16 Sun City tour
June 17 ARGENTINA V KOREA
June 18-19 Free (for now...)
June 20 NEW ZEALAND V ITALY
June 21-22 Free (for now...)
June 23 GHANA V GERMANY
June 24 NEW ZEALAND V PARAGUAY
June 25 CHILE V SPAIN
June 26 ROUND OF 16 GAME (possibly England v Germany or Australia)
June 27 Rest
June 28 Fly home
July 1 to May 2014 Find a way to pay this trip off
I wish it had been this easy to get tickets in Germany 2006. Now, which game can I go to next...?
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Pet Peeve
People who smoke while they drive!
I was following one the other day who was casually flicking ash out the window as he drove through the centre of town. Pretty anti-social that, to be honest.
Is smoking while you drive not the same as texting and talking on cell phones while you drive? I mean, what happens if a smoker tips ash on themself while they're driving? Trouble...and a potential accident.
Why can't people who smoke and drive wait until they're out of their car before they light up? Surely no-one's really that addicted?
I was following one the other day who was casually flicking ash out the window as he drove through the centre of town. Pretty anti-social that, to be honest.
Is smoking while you drive not the same as texting and talking on cell phones while you drive? I mean, what happens if a smoker tips ash on themself while they're driving? Trouble...and a potential accident.
Why can't people who smoke and drive wait until they're out of their car before they light up? Surely no-one's really that addicted?
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