PTSD

in lieu of an analysis, i present to you...

1. It's World Water Day, people. A cause we all should be rooting for. After all, despite having all those snow-melting-off-Himalayas and glaciers melting due to global warming scenarios, Nepal's not big on having access to water.

Even in the city, we haven't had a regular supply of water for the past decade or so.* The way it works is like this: people call up a number, a big tanker comes by and fills your water tanks with water. You pay the tanker people. But, wait, you also pay a monthly fee to the government department that is supposedly supplying you with water (despite it not having done so for as long as you can remember). The process is almost Terry Pratchettian in its absurdity.

And, that is the city. So, yes, it's World Water day. Help build wells everywhere. Or, at the very least, if someone in your class this week attempts to start a discussion about whether "Third World people" should or should not have wells in their villages, throw a water balloon at them.

Keep in mind it's not just the "Third World"--in Northern Australia, too, water is scarce and, like the anti-terrorism posters about here in Washington, "save water" posters used to be everywhere. Things have probably changed by now--after all, water is so unsexy compared to fantatical, evil terrorists. And, if the terrorists get us (as they surely will), not having access to water will be irrelevant.

2. Taught the kids in another section of my class on Monday. It was AnotherProf's class** and it was rather fun seeing the different dynamics among the kids. It was the session in which they talked about their ethnographic experiences. Turns out that (this being TUWSNBN after all) between that class and mine, over half the students went abroad for Spring Break--Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Costa Rica being some of the places mentioned.

Thankfully, there were a few who did mundane things like rode the Metro (for the first time, for one kid), watched 300 (and hated it), and ate dinner (and wrote about it).

A memorable moment? When one of the kids blithely mentioned "Oh, we all know things are like that in the Third World" (when talking about a fairly annoying transportation issue). Ah, the Third World--what would we do without it to make us feel better?

3. The usual story in Nepal (killings and a curfew-but in the south this time) and my mind boggles just thinking about this*** (a film about Ian Paisley is being planned) in Northern Ireland.

After all, if the big man reckons line-dancing is a sin (and, let's face it, don't we all secretly think that?), he should have strong views about himself-on-film.

4. Match-fixing allegations and the murder of a popular manager. Doesn't sound the least like cricket (but it is).

5. Less than two weeks left to the new Who season. I am excited.

6. In other news, I flunkie-d while E attended a BigImportantWorkshop (aka BIW) on Wednesday. I am still hoping for a last-minute ticket off a tout for the Snow Patrol gig tomorrow and the private contractor and/or mercenary post will be up some time this weekend. Really it will.


* Not to worry, dear PTSD readers. We happen to have a well in our backyard. Loads of other folks are not so lucky (though if this dissertating racket falls through, I'm off to sell water to the neighbours).

** AnotherProf's wife has had a baby, as E wrote about earlier. Said baby was born on the same day and the same time (well, ignoring geographical changes) but nearly 3 decades after I was. I suddenly feel quite ancient--soon, my hearing will go and my joints will start creaking.

*** Read the comments too, especially those which speculate what the film should be called.

Labels: creaking joints, i want to travel too, is the water table high enough?, Liam Neeson as Ian Paisley

posted by Priya @ 11:12 PM