Third-world infrastructure, also today’s diary
The power went out at Chez Moore this morning at 540 or so. There’s nothing quite like awakened by the sound of your chirping UPSs to start a day off on the right foot. No storms. No wind. No accidents. No (known) terrrrist attacks. Just no power, again, for the fourth time in less than a year.
And this is supposed to be the developed world?
Anyway, I shut off the server but was too sleepy to bother turning off the UPSs. Set my cell phone as my new alarm clock and tried to sleep with the constant CHIRPing. snoozed a bit. Up at 7. Still no power. Showered in the dark, thankful for a gas-fired water heater (not thankful for: a gas range with electric lighters and electronic temperature controls). Power still not on when I had to leave for work. Get home, apparently the power didn’t come back on until some time after 930.
And this is supposed to be the developed world?
Schedule was off since I wasn’t in normal alarm-snooze mode. Early for the bus, so I walked up the hill toward where the bus would be coming from. Figured I’d get a better seat that way. Lady was there. Southern. Old. We exchanged pleasantries. She asked how I was, I said I was a bit off this morning since the power was out. I said:
And this is supposed to be the developed world?
And she said “I never say anything disrespectful to my country.”
To which I replied, how is a statement of fact about a situation something against Amurka? Do you think talking about your aching joints is disrespectful to your body? America is the reification of an ideal, not some collection of matter, not some lines on a map, and I fail to see how a statement that the infrastructure here is bad is anti-America. Is remarking on the number of potholes disrespectful to America?
She, alarmed, and apparently not used to non-sheeple or the actual questioning of her fucking idiotic jingoistic bullshit (which I did in a completely neutral, nonaggressive tone, btw), smiled, nodded, said “goodness knows we pay enough taxes to be fixing those.”
Something tells me this reification thing wasn’t really being absorbed.
Luckily the bus came then so I didn’t have to get a headache keeping up with any more of this unthinking bullshit.
So I was obviously in a good mood when I got to work. Raring to go on my day of doing nothing and avoiding all responsibility working hard.
Bonus points for the day go to the bus ride home where the wheelchair ramp got stuck and I got to sit on the bus for 30 minutes as the driver tried to fix it, along with 20 homeless people, some of whom were arguing, and many of whom reeked of alcohol and other pleasant substances.
And a happy Cinco de Mayo to you too.