Saturday, January 08, 2005

Man, I'm still pissed off about that story X put up on the comment section.

Day one of exams is over. Apparently when we say "No questions during the exam period" it only applies to 1% of the kids. Put your goddamn hand DOWN! Man I need a vacation.

I just spoke with one of the teachers from our sister school, Gulf English, who was in Sri Lanka over the Xmas break. She was up north, away from the coast, when the wave hit, but she said the devastation was enormous. She described people coming in from the coast with nothing but a dazed look in their eye and the clothes on their backs. Her and her family were supposed to be down on the coast that day, but for the grace of God, their bus broke down just as they were leaving that morning for the coast.

I would like to call your attention to a cool/funny/offensive website that, big surprise, my brother pointed out to me. It is what I hope my blogsite will eventually grow up to be. As always, I'm not responsible for what you read on pages I've linked you to. And even if I was, I'm not that inclined to care.

I'm really pumped about the idea that after I come back here in February, I only have 4 months until I get the hell outta the Middle East and back to Canada, where people signal when they change lanes, don't smoke anywhere and everywhere, and the dust doesn't force me to clean my computer screen every other day. Yeah, that'll be nice.

To pass the time in this pimple-on-the-world's-ass country, I've been reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Millions sold, billions made in the movies. Eh, sure, I guess I'll give it some of my time. Arrogant huh? Seeing as how I haven't seen Part II or III of the movies, its still somewhat new to me. You'd be amazed at the movies I haven't seen. And even more amazed at how proud of it I am.

And finally, for those of you who read the comments section on this lonely little outpost in cyberspace, I want to congratulate Jeff and X for a great battle royale about Jeff's inability to hold his liquor when X shows up. All I know is that score is solidly 3-0 for X. And what better friend could I ask for than a friend who, even when I'm not around, makes sure my brother hits the wall at 100 miles an hour? That's friendship.

12 more sleeps until London.

"We arrived in December and London was cold/We stayed in the bars on Kerrying Cross Road."~~ Spirit of the West. Not December, but close enough.

A sovereign thought, delivered to your door at 6:23 AM ~~ 0 bonsai trees

shout out out out out out

========================================================================

Thursday, January 06, 2005

Money well spent?

A sovereign thought, delivered to your door at 5:28 AM ~~ 0 bonsai trees

shout out out out out out

========================================================================

OK, lots to get through today, so sit up straight and pay attention.

The school went on a fundrasing bender the last two days of this week, all in an effort to help the victims of the tsunami. Before you get to figure out how much money we raised, I should point out that many Arab states, Kuwait included, have come under fire for the amount of their donations, especially since they tend to emply many Asian workers as labourers and maids. In fact, there was a hubub around the idea that one state, I won't mention who but it is not Kuwait, who would only donate if their money went only to Muslim victims. This was retracted by the ignorant country, but stinks nonetheless.

Anyway, in two days the entire school, 1300 kids and 130 staff raised KD 4030. I'll let you figure it out from here. I'm pretty happy about it, altho the politics between the admin and the teachers even managed to get this accomplishment sullied with, as I termed it, 'deflected glory.'

Went out last night, Wednesday, to one of the main souks downtown. A souk is like a permanent flea market with a few legit stores thrown in for good measure. You can buy damn near anything here, from complete suits to fake Rolexes to sandals to fruits and veggies to perfume to live animals. It is freaking crazy, tonnes of people everywhere, and all the shopkeepers yelling at the two white people at the tops of their voices. "Hey! Welcome friend, you need (fill in the blank) for you and your family? Come in come in!" It's pretty cool and totaly unorganized, so Jan and I managed to get horribly lost for about 2 hours, wandering around ankle-breaking streets and alleys trying to find out just where in the hell we were. Got home at 1230 in the morning after we stopped for some Indian food, which was pretty good. Look how cultured I am! Actually, this was one of the experiences I was looking for, something like the souk where you know it would never happen in North America. Most of the time life in Kuwait could be like living in the Arab quarter of NYC except hotter. This was not like that though and it was cool.

As Megan knows, I've been dead tired the last few weeks and staying out until 1230 probably wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done. So, with a breif doggie bathroom break thrown in at around 630am, I slept from 1230am until 115pm this afternoon, and thus am feeling a little more awake than I have been. My last teaching day was yesterday, so now I have two weeks of exams and three weeks of holidays, meaning I don't have to teach the G9s for another 5 weeks and I never have to teach the G6s again, ever. So I'm pretty happy about that.

And lastly, to answer the query I put on the blog a while ago about the square vs. round manhole covers, I have to first say how disappointed I was with the lack of responses, a lack I can only assume was due to the holidays and not a dwindling readership. The reason square covers are more dangerous is that if you can lift them up and turn them on their edge, by placing them diagonally (on edge remember) across the square hole, you can fit the manhole cover into the hole, potentially dropping it into the underground and leaving a hole for someone to fall into. A circle, however, will not allow this to happen, as no matter how you turn/rotate it, it will not be able to fall into the sewers. Of course, if you are like Jeff, it really doesn't matter whether you can fit the manhole cover into the hole, just so long as you managed to remove it and hang it in your apartment. I dunno, sometimes my mind wanders a little too much on the doggie walks.

And lastly, check this link out that Mr. T sent to me. It is a quote by Republican and majority Senate leader/total f**king loser Tom DeLay. Ignorant doesn't begin to describe this guy.

So that is all the news from Kuwait. I am going to the Hilton tonight sometime and then relaxing for tomorrow, reading and sleeping. Its a wild life here in the middle east, but only for the next 14 days or so, then its all about London, Megan, and drinking my folks under the tables in Ireland. Enjoy the upcoming weekend, cheers.

A sovereign thought, delivered to your door at 4:39 AM ~~ 0 bonsai trees

shout out out out out out

========================================================================

Tuesday, January 04, 2005

The poet and the dreamer are distinct,
Diverse, sheer opposite, antipodes.
The one pours out a balm upon the world,
The other vexes it.

~ John Keats (1819)

A sovereign thought, delivered to your door at 9:53 AM ~~ 0 bonsai trees

shout out out out out out

========================================================================

Sunday, January 02, 2005

The cabin fever is getting hotter as the days drag towards January 20. I need to get out of this country.

I am tired of writing and re-writing, and re-writing exams. I'm done, tonight was the last version. If the kids don't understand it, tough. Not very professional, eh? Is that what you are thinking? Screw you.

Sorry, my fingers got away from me, writing with a bit too much emotion. I'm ok, calm down, it's all right. 3 teaching days left, SERENITY NOW!

So now I have to wait until Thursday for the washer door to apparently be fixed. The guy was supposed to come by today, but big surprise, he passed the buck, and now its Thursday. If there is one thing I miss most about Canada, besides family, friends, and Meg, it is the efficiency that things get done with. You disagree? Have you lived in Kuwait? I hope not, but only if can you understand how slow things move here. I was getting to be pretty patient, but as the days go by and the deadlines loom, I get a little testy.

I took on too much this semester. First the culture shock, that took a lot out of me. Then the whole dean-getting-fired fiasco, that was more politics than I needed. Finally, the G6 class, taking it on twice, was too much, I am definately feeling the drain from them. Not their fault, just too much work in too little time. So next semester, with no culture shock, no deans getting fired, and no taking over any other classes, ought to be a little more managable. Plus the light at the end of the tunnel will only get brighter. Mind you, the weather will only get hotter, so that'll suck.

Anyway, 17 more days until London, and I shouldn't complain too much, not with all the shit that all of Asia is going through right now. I'm just tired and lashing out at my loyal blog readers. Sorry. I read a Margaret Atwood book this weekend and it made me homesick, so that wasn't smart. Stupid Canadiana. Now I am listening to CBC, and that feels good, comfortable. Plus we are all watching to see how Team Canada does in the semi finals. Amazing to me the power that hockey has over here, the bonding that comes through a simple game. It's pretty cool. So I am off to read, relax, and lose myself in a book, JD Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye." Take care of yourselves, I hope the back to work shock isn't as bad as you think it is gonna be.

Oh, and happy anniversary to my Mom and Dad, 34 years in a row. And that includes the life of Jeff, which we in the family simply refer to as "The Black Abyss." Congrats Ma & Pa!

A sovereign thought, delivered to your door at 6:12 PM ~~ 0 bonsai trees

shout out out out out out

========================================================================