January 21, 2011
Urinary Distraction Bengaluru Style
I see in the papers that both Sony and Sega are launching video games for mens urinals. I'm not sure the environment needs more electronic gear to recycle when there are other forms of distraction available already in nature.
It is winter time here in Bengaluru, which is the season following the monsoon season. During winter, the nights are chilly, the days are warm, and the air has dried out - a perfect storm for the breeding of mosquitoes. Despite our abatement efforts, the house is full of them, and they are quite hungry - they attack anything sending off enough of a heat signature to qualify as food. We're not sure where they come from; we think they are breeding in the water drains. I kill at least a dozen each morning in the kitchen, and Alli does in another dozen or so in our bathroom.
So, by now you are wondering what mosquitoes has to do with the entertainment value of men urinating, and here is the answer to your query: Mosquitoes. The little blighter's seem to congregate in the wetter areas of the house - the bathrooms. When standing and relieving myself, some will attack my stream, which provides quite a distraction to one's purpose. You cannot just stop what you're doing for other remedies, you see, and very quickly a duel breaks out trying to splash the flying menace into the bowl for a quick trip to the great beyond.
So far, the mosquitoes are winning the duel. I think it has to do with their maneuverability as they are quick to dash out of bound of the bowl, and cannot, in all good conscience, follow them out of bounds hose in hand. However, this is not the case in the rest of Bengaluru as the men urinate just about anywhere they want to, thus they are not limited to the bowl space of the loo. While I have no direct experience or data, I suspect the duel is more even in public, but there too, the lowly beasties win the war on shear numbers. However, I must wonder if it is the mosquitoes that are behind the movement of "Don't Urinate Here" signs placed in some places.
So, I think Sony and Sega are missing the mark with the devices, they only need to release some mosquitoes into the mens restrooms, and lower the room temperature to entice the bugs to go for it - especially, in those washrooms where a trough replaces a bowl and evens the odds of the game.
It is winter time here in Bengaluru, which is the season following the monsoon season. During winter, the nights are chilly, the days are warm, and the air has dried out - a perfect storm for the breeding of mosquitoes. Despite our abatement efforts, the house is full of them, and they are quite hungry - they attack anything sending off enough of a heat signature to qualify as food. We're not sure where they come from; we think they are breeding in the water drains. I kill at least a dozen each morning in the kitchen, and Alli does in another dozen or so in our bathroom.
So, by now you are wondering what mosquitoes has to do with the entertainment value of men urinating, and here is the answer to your query: Mosquitoes. The little blighter's seem to congregate in the wetter areas of the house - the bathrooms. When standing and relieving myself, some will attack my stream, which provides quite a distraction to one's purpose. You cannot just stop what you're doing for other remedies, you see, and very quickly a duel breaks out trying to splash the flying menace into the bowl for a quick trip to the great beyond.
So far, the mosquitoes are winning the duel. I think it has to do with their maneuverability as they are quick to dash out of bound of the bowl, and cannot, in all good conscience, follow them out of bounds hose in hand. However, this is not the case in the rest of Bengaluru as the men urinate just about anywhere they want to, thus they are not limited to the bowl space of the loo. While I have no direct experience or data, I suspect the duel is more even in public, but there too, the lowly beasties win the war on shear numbers. However, I must wonder if it is the mosquitoes that are behind the movement of "Don't Urinate Here" signs placed in some places.
So, I think Sony and Sega are missing the mark with the devices, they only need to release some mosquitoes into the mens restrooms, and lower the room temperature to entice the bugs to go for it - especially, in those washrooms where a trough replaces a bowl and evens the odds of the game.
January 17, 2011
Happy Makar Sankranti
This weekend was Makar Sankranti which is celebrated many different ways across India.
In our state, Karnataka, sugar cane plays a major role in the harvest festival. Large stands of cane for sale sprang up over night. It seemed to me that as much diligence goes into picking out just the right piece of sugar cane as goes into picking out a Christmas tree.
I found there is black sugar cane and white sugar cane. Black is preferred and more expensive because it is much sweeter.
http://www.surfindia.com/festivals/makar-sankranti.html
January 15, 2011
January 3, 2011
A learning moment... for someone.
A couple of days ago, while we were watching a recap of New Year's Eve celebrations around the world, Jessi exclaimed, "Hey, that is London!" I, thinking this was a great opportunity to make the point to Jessi about how much she is learning by being dragged around the world, asked her how she knew that. (She doesn't think it is fortunate to travel, she thinks it is a hassle that she is forced to endure.) I fully expected her to say, "Because I've been there". Instead she said, "I know it from watching Phineas and Ferb.", one of her favorite cartoons. Sigh... I guess one of us got her point across.
January 2, 2011
Great deliberations...
One night while still in the Outback, I wandered down to the somewhat rustic outbuilding that held a two stall restroom. I entered the first stall and noticed something swimming in the toilet bowl. I left and went in the next stall. That stall was out of toilet paper. What to do? I went back to the first stall and tried flushing. Whatever was in the water was persistent and arose from the depths even after I flushed twice. Again, what to do? This stall had paper so I took it off the spindle and returned to the second stall. As I started to sit down, I noticed a humongous fuzzy spider on the floor. Anyone who knows me at all, knows I abhor spiders. I find big, fuzzy ones especially terrifying. In this case though, I decided the known enemy in front of me was better than an unknown entity beneath me. I was relieved when I stomped my foot behind it and it scurried out of my stall. Phew!
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