Friday 4 June 2010

HOTB Syndrome {Pandemic in KZN}





Unfortunately so far there is no cure for this malady, but fortunately not everyone is affected. Strangely enough the pandemic appears to be pretty localised within the province of Kwazulu Natal, South Africa, although of course, not having vast experience with the other provinces, there is a chance they may be affected too. In fact, insufficient studies have been carried out worldwide, indicating that the pandemic may actually be global. However, HOTB Syndrome {Humidity on the Brain} definitely appears to be more prolific in the tropics. This unfortunate condition renders the victim totally useless, but the good news is, he/she is oblivious to this fact, making the ramifications of the condition actually WORSE for those AROUND the victim, as opposed to the victim himself.

Take an average week for example. The victim { the electrician} phones {of his own accord} {definitely NOT typical HOTB syndrome behaviour} & announces that he would LIKE to finish the work he started a couple of months ago {willingness also not being a-typical to said condition}. Once an appointment has been set up however, the victim fails to arrive/phone or apologise when contacted {thus displaying typical HOTB behaviour}. Those forced to be around HOTB victims are the true sufferers of the consequences of this inexplicable disease & must exercise patience in order to avoid the sure-fire consequences {huge doses of disappointment & frustration, ultimately leading to insanity}.

When contact is finally established - yet again - victim {electrician} agrees to another suitable time 2 days later yet fails to arrive or apologise but does manage a phonecall half an hour before his rescheduled appointment, {once all my plans have been reshuffled in order to accomodate him} to say he is unable to make it. Finally a 3rd appointment is set up on the only suitable day for victim - now 10 days after his initial outburst. And so the cycle continues...

Nothing gets achieved despite one's best efforts because all the "work"men in KZN are affected with the same malady. Finally I have put a name to it - HOTB Syndrome {Humidity on the Brain}. Who knew achieving nothing could be so difficult & involve so much effort?!
I have had similar experiences with the "cable guy" this week, meaning we are still having to put up with an inordinately long cable running from the fast-internet router to the back of the pc tower - that gets tripped over daily & the cats regularly mistake for a grass snake, while waiting for him to arrive & rushing back & forth like a Jack in the Box, in order to accomodate the appointments that never come to pass...

The finishing touches in my scraproom are yet to materialise & our shoes are still tumbling out the cupboard when we open the doors,while we await the return of the cupboard-fitter who went AWOL 2 weeks ago. The painter could be dead for all I know as I still have his ladder & his last words were "See you Monday" - 2 Mondays ago! No amount of texting or phoning is going to ellicit a response {& btw I have it on good authority - he ain't dead ;-D}
All this nothingness hasn't been easy to achieve you know. In fact it has involved copious e mails, unanswered phone calls & lotsa finger-tapping texting, not to mention rushing out & back boomerang style for all these appointments I keep having to have with myself ;-D

Anyone out there affected by HOTB, or should I say, affected by the lack of action of HOTB sufferers, or do your artisans actually stick to their appointments & GET THE JOB DONE PROPERLY & ON TIME???!!!




9 comments:

Vicki said...

You sure you wanna still live there???? NZ's looking pretty good in comparison and I don't think we have HOTB!!!!! ROFL. Not good for your stress levels though. My new washing machine arrived when they said it would AND they phoned half an hour before to let me know it was on the way!!! Pretty good going I think. LOL

tania said...

LOL!! at least you can put your words into laughter! i am in the lucky position that my dad is a VERY good handyman,especially electrical, should I send him over?
Good luck!

Stefanie said...

I have to tell you that HOTB is far more widespread than initially reported...we have many instances in the Cape of Good Hope as well. It is not relegated to any particular race grouping, just seems to hit most workers between 19 and 65.

topkatnz said...

ooops! we don't know how lucky we are living here in old D.I.Y N.Z. - Glen is very handy - I dream it, he creates it - I would offer to send him over, but I can't spare him! good luck in eventually getting your stuff done!:)

Lynette Jacobs said...

I also have a DIY DH...he can do and fix anything;-D

Ella Swan said...

LOL! Enjoyed that little "vent"! Vicki, HATE this aspect of RSA but enjoy others, like not having to do my own ironing ;-D so it all evens out in the wash...Your lot sound "normal" - I'd never experienced anything like this before living here. In Zimbabwe no-one misses an appointment despite having no fuel & no cell-phone network! LOL D.I.Y.N.Z. but am disappointed that you aren't willing to share Glen Heidi! Shane & I call each other the DIY Donkeys, but he is worse than me! At least I can hammer a nail into the wall with my Hilti...improving my DIY skills I can see is going to have to be a must for me as sadly he has absolutely no interest, although he's a great cook!

Desire Fourie said...

I had a good chuckle now, thanks for sharing this hilarious post which I am sure is also a true account for many of us.
Hugs
Desire

CathQuillScrap said...

I know this is not a laughing matter for you... but I just have to giggle at how you put it and so accurately too... sure hope the HOTB doesn't spread too quickly to the rest of the country!

Diana said...

So THIS is what I have!!!1