Lightening the Mood

So as you may have read in the preceding post this has been a tough week for some folks that we really love. Whenever I know or hear of someone going through some sad times I don't know what to do with myself. I feel like I should join them in their sadness/disappointment/what have you.

I find it difficult to carry on. "Why should I write a post when they are so sad?" A silly thought but one reason why I often choose not to watch the news, read the paper, etc. I know enough of the world's problems that I don't need to overwhelm my overly sensitive self more. I get enough of that from reading books and knowing what the world is like.

Anyway in order to lighten my mood I thought I'd tell three stories from our time here in our new land. These are three old stories but I haven't bothered to tell them yet. I hope that they are entertaining and a bit of a distraction from the real world.

Story 1
Matthew "Nuku, did you just hear that on TV?"
Nicole "I didn't hear anything?"

Matthew "Exactly. They just bleeped out some words on a stupid American show!"
Nicole "What did they bleep out?"

Matthew "I think they bleeped out the words ass. And now the word sex. Dude they're bleeping out some strange words."
Nicole "Matthew did you just hear the radio?"

Matthew "Say what? What just happened on the radio?"
Nicole "They just DIDN'T bleep a word. Wait, they never bleep that word."

Matthew "What word?"
Nicole "The n-word!"

Matthew "Things are sure different here!"
Nicole "%&#@&*!"

Story 2

Matthew "Nockies you know how Vision 2020 is the main vision and public health document in the world right?"
Nicole "Yes. It tells countries that they should form working groups to concentrate their resources on infrastructure development, human resource development and disease control."

Matthew "Right, they encourage the concentration on 5 major avoidable causes of blindness"
Nicole "Yes. Its what you wrote your published papers about and one of the things that guides your working life. It is one of the reasons we came here."

Matthew "You got it lil' Nicles. Did you know that the bathroom the staff uses here at work is one we're actually borrowing from the Vision 2020 office down the hall?"
Nicole "I did know that. Did you hear the latest about that bathroom?"

Matthew "Hear what? Its not a great bathroom is that what you mean?"
Nicole "No. It isn't a great bathroom but, apparently, its the best one here. I'm talking about how we're all forbidden from using it now!"

Matthew "What Knickers?"
Nicole "They sent us a patient and we told the patient we would schedule them for when we had time available."

Matthew "Well we only see people by appointment and they don't have patients they just do organization stuff so...?"
Nicole "Well, they got mad that we didn't do what they wanted so they've forbidden us from using the bathroom."

Matthew "What do we do then?"
Nicole "Well we can use the gross bathrooms now. We've also staked out a single stall in the gross bathroom that has three stalls. We're going to lock the outside of that stall so no other people can use it. Its pretty gross though."

Matthew "We've been banned from a toilet?"
Nicole "We've been foiled by Vision 2020."

Matthew "Curses to Vision 2020!"
Nicole "Indeed!"

Story 3

Matthew "Nico what in the world makes those curtains move like that?"
Nicole "I think its just a draft from the sliding doors."

Matthew "A draft?"
Nicole "Come put your hand over here. Feel that draft?"

Matthew "Oh. Ok a draft."

Three days later

Nicole "Its drafty again. See that curtain move?"

Matthew "I'm going to go look at that curtain a little more"
Nicole "Its just a draft."

Matthew "No...it's a mouse."
Nicole "A MOUSE!"

Matthew runs and grabs a shoe.

Matthew finds the mouse again.

Matthew with shoe raised above his head "Die mouse!"

Just as the shoe is about to connect with the mouse
Nicole "NOOOOOO!!!"

Matthew "What Nockies?"
Nicole "Don't kill the mouse. Just trap it and throw it outside."

Matthew "Trap it with what?"
Nicole "Dunno. I'll find something."

Matthew "You want me to catch a mouse with a dust pan?"
Nicole "Yes!"

Matthew "Ok you move the curtain I'll trap the mouse."
Nicole "One two... eek!"

Matthew "Where did it go?"
Nicole "It almost touched me."

Matthew "Well where did it go?"
Nicole "Dunno."

Thirty minutes later

Matthew "I can't find it."
Nicole "Maybe it left."

Three days later

Matthew "Nicole GO TO THE ROOM and close all the doors to other rooms."
Nicole "Why?"

Matthew "GO TO THE ROOM!"
Nicole "Ok."

Matthew grabs his dress shoe and a flashlight.

Matthew "I'm going to get you mouse. Your time is up. I know you're by that curtain again. Where did you go?

Where are you?"

Matthew shakes the curtain and comes this close to having a mouse on his head as it had somehow climbed the curtain. He sees the mouse scurry off and lays chase. He pulls out the couch puts everything that was on the floor on the couch. He ties the curtain up. He looks in crevices and under the entertainment unit. Finally he sees the mouse. He lays chase again. This time the mouse makes the mistake of running toward the doors that Nicole had closed.

Whack!

Matthew "Dagnabit. Stupid mouse."

Whack

Matthew "Victory is mine!"
Nicole from behind the closed door inches from where mouse murder occurred whimper whimper.