The World's Gone Mad

So I go away for four days and the world implodes with craziness.

Seriously.

What is wrong with people?

Examples of the craziness:

1) Wear nice knickers in case you pass out while mashed.

2) I know that it was a time of terrible tension and worry - I was there. But this ranks alongside the geniuses who murdered a Scotsman with a table leg because he was suspected to be an Irish terrorist - you cannot simply excuse these mistakes due to fear. Someone should pay some kind of recompense.

3) Girls - and I do mean girls - getting pregnant because it's a better option than working. What are we doing about educating women if this is really their "best" option? Children are wonderful things, but really, the choice boils down to Tescos or motherhood? Nice to know it's not due to lack of sexual education, though... hmm.

And all of this entirely fails to mention you know where and you know what. I cannot even go into that because it is utterly... soul destroying. Crushing. I don't normally shirk the bad stuff - I love me some depressing documentary over a Kate Hudson piece of fluff any day. But the Middle East at the moment is too much for me. Just too much.

HOWEVER: I read a bloody brilliant book over the weekend. I love the author - anyone who turns down a prize from the Mail for its attitude towards immigrants is my hero anyway, but I loved this book, his second, and the first was a beautiful, melancholy study of nationality, race and identity. IMHO. But what do I know?

So that's good. It should also be made clear that I am grumpy because I spent five glorious days with TOH and now he's gone. I won't see him for five weeks. That makes me miserable. On the other hand (let's hope no one from U.S. Customs reads this) he brought me vegetarian kielbasa, which I shall eat in his honour tonight. And watch a mere two episodes of the third series of Scrubs. Joy. After attending my study group on Costa Rican Economy and Gender. Possibly while drinking a glass of my favourite wine, also brought over by TOH. Sigh. You will be regaled, almost endlessly, with the glorious photos and stories of our wonderful time together, which has not been tarnished by the misery people are propagating throughout the world. Or that England scored 528 yet couldn't beat Pakistan.