Zimbabwe Absurdity

The power is off and this is no planned cut. It was pouring with rain earlier and even a bit of thunder when it went off which is a bad sign. It’s likely to be off all weekend now unless something unusual happens and they actually get around to fixing it. Not surprisingly they used to be keen to work after hours – the overtime was attractive but these days they just shrug over the phone and claim to have no fuel.

So I’m typing this by the light of the computer (laptop) monitor and a candle behind me; one of the most modern light sources and one of the oldest – I like  that. It’s just as well that I can touch type as neither light is particularly good! The candle holder is one of my own inventions, a half coconut shell with a spike through the bottom for the candle and three 50cm brazing rods suspending the shell from a hook. To keep it looking really good the brazing rods should be regularly polished but I don’t bother. Still, it’s effective and rather evocative. I even have this fantasy where they are used in some sci-fi movie by an escort of diaphanously clad damsels lining a dark corridor as they shepherd the hero to his doom or ecstasy or whatever. My part in the fantasy is getting paid lots of real money for the idea.

It’s a funny thing the creative force. How do original ideas actually arise? I suppose one day we will understand all these things; what chemicals trigger hate, love, lust and all the other things we are probably better off not understanding for then where would mystery be? In my next life (speaking metaphorically of course) I want to be more creative. I also want to be able to understand quantum physics and general relativity. Hell, why not go the whole hog and be drop dead handsome and have an Olympic athlete’s body too? Is anybody out there listening – it’s not a lot really. Never mind then.

I am fascinated with light sources and constantly dreaming up new designs of lights and lamps. I don’t know why, maybe it’s a boy thing.  I’m not very good at transforming the ideas into reality though. That’s the frustrating thing about being semi-artistic, I can see the idea in my head but I find it difficult to make it into reality. Maybe that’s just as well – some of the pictures I’d like to paint are not polite! Which reminds me; I walked into the local branch of my personal bank (different one from the corporate account) to deposit money earlier this week. On the counter was a box with a poster on the side “We want to know what you are thinking!” I couldn’t resist it. I smiled at the teller lady and said; “No, I really don’t think you want to know what I’m thinking!”. She giggled “We mean what you are thinking about us”. “I know”, I said. I don’t know what colour black people go when they blush but she saw the humour and laughed. In a more civilized country I’d probably have been warned for sexism or something daft.