Worlds They'll NEVER Know

Yesterday, one of my colleagues brought her three kids along to work, aged, I'd gauge, seven through fifteen. They were on their summer vacation, and spent most of the time talking and laughing among themselves in a small corner of the office. I happened to stop by right there for a minute on a spot of work, so I said hallo, and asked if they were having a good summer break. At this point, mind you, my brain was sprouting pictures of warm days, mangoes, four hours volunteering at the school library every day in return for almost uninhibited access to the collection. I went on a quick flashback to all the wonderful reading I did in those days and all the worlds I inhabited as a child. When I came to earth the next moment, the little boy lounging on a chair was saying, well, we're not having much fun, we've got to wake up at 7:00am anyway.

Trying to get them to look on the brighter side, I said, well, you've got all day here, you can get a book and read it. (That's what I would've done.)

It took me a minute to assess the change my few words had created. The girls hooted with laughter as the little boy sat bolt upright on the chair, saying, WHAT??? NO!!! Having grown up around avid readers, I had a little bit of trouble figuring out what that (very straightforward) response meant. The little girls had to explain it to me. "We don't like to read! At least, he hates it."

Sigh.

Now there go some of the unfortunate folks who'll never enjoy Wodehouse.

Motion-picture Memory

It's amazing, isn't it, the punch he packs into a single statement?!

"It was the fourth morning of the voyage. Of course, when this story is done in the movies they won't be satisfied with a bald statement like that; they will have a Spoken Title or a Cut-Back Sub-Caption or whatever they call the thing in the low dens where motion-picture scenario-lizards do their dark work, which will run:--

AND SO, CALM AND GOLDEN, THE DAYS WENT BY,

EACH FRAUGHT WITH HOPE AND YOUTH AND SWEETNESS,

LINKING TWO YOUNG HEARTS IN SILKEN FETTERS

FORGED BY THE LAUGHING LOVE-GOD.

and the males in the audience will shift their chewing gum to the other cheek and take a firmer grip of their companions' hands and the man at the piano will play "Everybody wants a key to my cellar" or something equally appropriate, very soulfully and slowly, with a wistful eye on the half-smoked cigarette which he has parked on the lowest octave and intends finishing as soon as the picture is over. But I prefer the plain frank statement that it was the fourth day of the voyage. That is my story and I mean to stick to it.

-P.G. Wodehouse, Three Men and a Maid

What goes around,...?

Details on this one later, but are you accumulating 'good karma' if you lend money to someone who's probably going to use it on, say, drugs, anyway? Would it just be 'better karma' to refuse to give the money in that case, or are you then accumulating 'bad karma' for not respecting the person's will (i.e., the "will", or lack of it, that keeps them on drugs)?

We at home, i.e., my roommates and myself, landed ourselves into a 'situation' that we later discussed in depth. I'm still thinking about it, so I'll post back soon, but I'm awaiting comments and thoughts on this one... oral or verbal.

P.S. I don't believe in karma - if I do something it is because I believe it needs to be done and it's right to do it at that point in time - I'm not a do-gooder for the prospect of future happiness, etc.

Snorky Figgles is back!!

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