Theme song runner-up

The Sounds: Living in America. Can't resist. It's so durn catchy. And the lyrics are, like, so totally fitting. Y'know?

There is a poster on the wall behind me. Now, there is a small assortment of "inspirational" posters in Bangladesh, which feature some kind of postcardy kind of scenery and a proverb in English whose translation may or may not be correct. Some are simple, like "You must try hard" or something. But others are actually quite insightful, though I doubt the average English-speaking Bangladeshi understands them fully. SO, the one behind me: A picturesque nature scene, with a marshy pond, trees, and rocky mountains in the background. Nice. Coffee-table book nice. The saying on the bottom, in modest, red letters, is "Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow." The poster is old, with a portion of the lower left side torn away, the edges curling, and extra tape here and there.

Your daily dose of semi-heartrending irony. I think I might offer the guy a few dozen taka for it. What's also interesting is that I first noticed it while reading an e-mail from Jason VandeBrake, who played Macbeth in Dordt's most recent production of Macbeth (from whence the quote is taken) -- my first college play.

Um, this next part is boring, so skip it if you're not planning on sending any packages (so read it): Since this is indeed one of the most corrupt countries in the world, it can take 4-5 months for packages to arrive, and sometimes they don't arrive at all (letters are faster, usually within 3 weeks). Most of the time they will have been opened, and sometimes stuff is taken out. So, a few guidelines for sending me stuff: 1) Wrap everything in TONS of duct tape. Make it a pain for anyone to find out what it is. 2) Leave a little peace offering on the top -- gum, cigarettes, pens, etc. That way they can quick grab it and leave the rest of the stuff alone. 3) Smaller packages, like in a padded envelope, arrive fastest. 4) DHL and FedEx are more expensive than USPS, and just slightly more secure. 5) Don't send electronics, or at least don't write it down that you are on the little form. I pay HUGE duties on that kind of stuff. There are other ways to get it here not via mail. 6) Include a little list of what you sent, so I can know if anything was taken. Not that I have any recourse if anything is, but at least I can thank you on behalf of Imran the corrupt shipping clerk for the new Schick Tracer.

Recently had my first case of explosive diarrhea. I'll spare you the details, but I have noticed that the Bangladeshi way of cleansing one's posterior does make it easier to get it really clean. You're at a better angle and toilet paper just doesn't quite get the job done. Actually, that squatting position is one they use a lot. You'll often see people just hanging out that way; it's pretty comfy for them.

I'm playing with fire here, b/c the power usually goes out right around this time of night. So I'm going to publish this muthah and get on out.