Doing things

Wade was overwhelmed by her accomplishments and rubbed his forehead.  Sarah said, 'You know, big brother, doing all this stuff isn't the big deal it seems like.'

'It isn't, is it?'

'You know Wade.  In a weird way I think doing things is easier than not doing things.'

All Families Are Psychotic - Douglas Coupland

Tag cloud

I've been here a month now.   Not only doing the wow-I'm-in-another-country thing, but also reading.  

My tag cloud (courtesy of www.citeulike.org) is beginning to highlight the main areas I'll be working with - market-based control, distributed robotics, auctions and satellites.  You can find me somewhere near the intersection of those spaces.

The dangers of drinking small beer when hot

Books

In the shadow of the cathedral, behind the Deanery we found a book exchange.    

It was late on a Sunday afternoon, two old gentlemen were shuffling their way through the boxes of books stacked in a small arched porch.  Old travel guides, Sidney Sheldon novels, paperback Shakespeare, a guide to the art of the Hermitage from 1976.  Printed signs indicated a recommended donation, which you dropped in through a slot in a door.  Only good intentions and your conscience to keep you honest. 

I traded a small contribution for an old "A New History of England".

Woman at the bus stop

While I'm waiting for the bus outside Asda, a woman joins queue.  

Tallish, almost middle-aged.  But it is the hat you notice first - true Robin Hood style, feather included.  When she turns, there is a swirl of the long purple cape, the lower edge frayed from dragging on the ground.  A smallish stuffed silver dragon tries to crawl from her suitably medieval knapsack. 

The trendy 18-year-olds peer and giggle.

She gets on the bus with me, pays her fare, and disembarks at Portswood.

isiZulu

As I buy my last affordable bottle of wine for a while, the girl at the till tries to teach me a couple of words of isiZulu.

"unJani?" she asks. How are you?

I ask how I should reply. "Ngisaphila." I'm well.

A couple more words, bright smiles on either side.

I did not have the heart to tell her that I'm leaving.

Confession: I had to refer to wikipedia to get it right.

Uitpasseer

On my first day at work we all met in the boardroom. New employees, slightly nervous, excited, optimistic.

On the last day, we have tea and cake in the boardroom. They say how they will miss my contribution. I make a submissive two-sentence speech on how the people I worked with made it worthwhile. All carefully worded, no-one upsetting anyone else.

They give me a gift voucher.

Then we eat, mingle, chat. Say goodbye. I tell about my new adventure. Answer questions on where and how and what.

We disperse. The MD disappears without saying a word.