Existence is elsewhere and getting a life.

I thought of a really good title for a blog. [See above]. However, I don’t quite know what to do with it. One day, I suppose, the variant of l’esprit d’escalier that governs my thought processes will generate something quite astonishing. Or maybe not. That is very much the story of my days.

But seeing I’m here I thought I might mention how things are here after 1,820 earthquakes in five weeks, and some other minor domestic matters. I’ve grown accustomed to earthquakes. I have no idea now where the torch is, I’ve unpacked my emergency bag and I’ve put some (not all) of my bits and pieces back on walls and tables, where they belong. It does still startle me, though, to drive around Christchurch and see empty sections where damaged buildings have been bulldozed. I can’t always remember what was there, either. The sight of a stress fracture in a building is an interesting one. It pays to stay clear. Lots of building have buttresses to keep them in one piece, or are surrounded by scaffolding or fences. The red, green, and yellow stickers are still much in evidence on the doors of many buildings, proclaiming their suitability for use.

I’ve just had two weeks of holidays in which I did very little. I’ve never been convinced that constant activity was worthwhile. It was a bit dull in patches with Cinders away on her trip. She, of course, had a wonderful time. She came home to face a barrage of tests, and has to learn 600 lines of Virgil before the week is out. Exams are looming, again. This will be the eighth year in a row that I’ve gone through the NCEA saga, and it won’t be over after this round, either. It’s a bit like that line in Casablanca.