Casualties
Wed Aug 24 2005

This is not about accidents, even if there are those of you who came to thrive on a bloody details...its just me playing with the words…I thought that I could write about casual events over the course of my day, and since these are few, “casualties” will be their name…

I do like this word game…maybe as not native to the language, I’m used to see them from how they sound, rather then what they mean…which just makes the game more interesting, does it? This thought brought some memories about perception…when we just moved into UK and I’ve been making my way to where I am now, starting from the bottom of the packing factory, working shifts with the teenagers who can’t be bothered to go to university. Our shift was ok, fun to work with, all my colleagues were the almost the age of my son, but we did have fun. And part of it was – teaching each other language. So being teenagers, naturally, they asked me about selective words in Russian…and while I refused to teach them the curse words (yes, I used to be a prudent lady once upon a time...???!), the next they wanted to learn how to say in Russian was – “I love you”…well…you know how it is easier to learn the words by association? To my great amusement and somewhat mixed feelings, my teenagers have found a remarkable association with the word “love”…In Russian it pronounced as “lubliu” so the easiest way for them to remember it turned out to be of rather hygienical words: “blue” “loo” [you see, when you try to pronounce them, you’ll get it almost right with the slight accent: “looblue”]… oh well…not that much romantic, but at least memorable…And to be honest, I do it myself all the time – when come across new word, I would just search for a native association in the sound of it…sometimes it could be truly funny...

OK, so back to the Casualties of Today…
Today on the menu there was a casual rain in the morning. I’ve been driving behind a lorry of the haulage company called Knights of Old...they have a pretty picture of the armoured knight on his horse on the back of the lorry, right in front of my eyes…and since the music played on my ipod just happened to be that sticky medieval ballad of Cat Stevens “Lady d'Arbanville”, for a time of the song I had this pleasure of feeling myself being taken back in time to the past centuries…the rain made the boundaries of reality smeared into the vignette of my window, the voice of the guitar in love created the atmosphere and I felt I could follow my Knight to the end of the Land…thankfully the lorry turned to the industrial estate where my office is…otherwise god knows where I would end up by the end of this journey!

A casual event of network being down. From support point of view it is easier when the whole network is down, as you only need to deal with one point of failure…it is when we allow users to get into things, the helpdesk gets really hot…Not sure if the users see it this way though…

A casual problems on my list To Do…had a window man came over to quote for a new window…the complex chain of ideas in the woman’s head…never turns out cheap…never!…I had this dream of a new bathroom suite, completed with new tiling, new flooring and new lighting. And of course one should start with new window as well. So I though: why not get a quote for the window then think of the next issue, when it’s due…one at a time…but I’ve got stuck on the first pre-stage, shocked by the price and considering this was only a small portion of all the changes I’d like to make, I’m now in a grieve for my new bathroom for it might never materialise…

The other casual thing on my list is a visit to my favourite doctor – dentist. So if anyone out there can let me know of a good compassionate dentist and can also come with me to hold my hand during the torture…[~ faints while thinking of it]… For my fear of the dentists is not just the fear, but The Fear, the one that makes you drop unconscious before entering the surgery…

A casual glance into the mirrow - "you look boring, dear" - time to see my newly discovered sweet swiss hairdresser...just another casual thing to add to the list...

Well, guess, this would be all for now…no more causalities worth mentioning so far…and just to light up the day – some Murphy’s Philosophy for you:

Whenever you don't want to do something, is exactly when it needs to be done…

The first thing you'll have to do, is the last thing you wished.

If you have a clear mind, you don't get to think

Coincedence doesn not exist, everything happens for a random reason

If you have no problems, then you have no clue to what is going on


3 Comments
  • From:
    Dreamerbooks2003 (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Aug 24 2005
    A casual hello to you my dear
    and a couple comments.. Firstly don't just go with this first estimate on your window and loose hope with the bathroom
    I was involved in replacing windows a couple years back and found that the price varies GREATLY from company to company. and quality to quality.. you can get some of the very best quality for much less than the cheep quality for high price.. Go figure. I was shocked at the huge difference in pricing.. So call a few others and take measurements yourself .. try the glass companies that will cut it for you and ask how much extra for installation.. (that is sometimes easy and sometimes easy to break new glass and cut yourself trying to save a few cents)
    So anyway
    I also wanted to comment about learning different words in language. My GS learned all the cuss words in Spanish while teaching his friend English.. then he taught his mother the English also.. They love him.. He can charm the life from you if you let him... What a kid

    my point?? Oh I don't know.. Just that instead of learning the language they are happy to learn a few choice words and think that is cool
    GS dropped Spanish class this year along with weight lifting and a filmmaking class so that he could instead build a house .. Yes, they are taking the kids out to the job site and they build a house.. I asked if when it is built if I can please move in.. but they have someone else in mind for that job.. Drat....

    Have a casual day and hope your server is up and running today..

    My dentist is neither that good or that compassionate, but I'd be happy to hold your hand if you want to try him out.. I would never advise anyone to go see him.. And how he got his license I'll never figure out..
    Oh joy.. what is up with your teeth? An ache??
    Good luck.. Have them give you nitrous oxide.. (laughing gas) before doing anything else.. It really makes you feel like happy city.. floating in the air.. from then on.. they can deaden you up and proceed with the work..
    Make sure you ask before making an appointment if they offer that nitrous.. (spelling??)
    Have a happy day.
    ;-)
    peg
  • From:
    Kiraannewife (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Aug 24 2005
    thanks for the comment. I think I will be alright I get to call that help place mon. so we will see and we think maybe some of my prob. is the med they got me on as well. so I am goging to try and talk to my Dr. about changing my syc med. But for now I believe that the groups I been makeing are keeping me taking my mind off of stuff and it's fun to hard work though sometimes but if the one helps others then that will make it all worth it. and as for the other if it works it will be a dream come true for me I have always wanted my own ghost site have been interested sence I was a child in that stuff.
  • From:
    Pragmatist (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Aug 25 2005
    You sent me to my dictionary. I usually think of a casualty as an accidental occurrence, as an injury, and that is the preferred meaning in my Webster's. However, upon reading further, I see that a casualty is also simply an unexpected occurrence, but without injury. (Unexpected, as in the cost of your window?)

    There is also a tenuous relationship between casual and causal, and that's what sent me to the dictionary. Following the lorry, with a picture of a knight in armour on the back, and a related song on your radio, would be the causal event for your missing work if the lorry hadn't turned where it did.

    I love it when people make me think.

    Shalom