Wednesday, January 16, 2008

National Slow Down Week

I don’t know what goes on here when we are away, but while we were in the States the heater broke, the internet service stopped working, and the kitchen sink sprung a leak. What I’ve discovered about Cairo is that most things sort of work most of the time.

It could be worse. Most things could not work most of the time.

It could be better. Most things could work well most of the time.

Regardless of better or worse, the “sort of" category is the cruelest because of the intermittent rewards. Intermittent rewards are powerful; they are what hook gamblers. They keep you trying. They keep you hopeful. It’s cruel because when things don’t work most of the time, you give up caring about it and so your hopes aren’t dashed. And it’s cruel because when things work well most of the time, you aren’t prepared for the hardships of cold, damp, lonely apartments.

So when I finally remembered that I could use Cairo’s free dial-up service and read all of my email (the school’s WebSense program censors about 70% of my internet life), I discovered that this is National Slow Down Week. I discovered that instead of grumbling about the natural slow-down of this place, I can celebrate it.

This post will take about 5 minutes to upload. Meanwhile, here’s a little video from adbusters about National Slow Down Week.

Enjoy your time!

1 comment:

Vanessa Vaile said...

Re: ..."about Cairo....most things sort of work most of the time...It could be worse. Most things could not work most of the time....It could be better. Most things could work well most of the time"

There is something comforting in knowing despite changes, the essence of Cairo is not as changed as one might think..

no ma'alesh about it...

Cairo's dial-up access does not sound all that different from Mountainair;s ... except ours is not free...

Some places every week is National Slow Down Week. Frustrating to some to be sure but better than never