a travelogue in the time of the information superhighway

1994

My story starts in drizzly, dreary, grey England. I worked as a nurse in a specialist cancer hospital in Manchester. One day, I suddenly entered her world, there she was. At once beautiful, but decaying visibly. Eyes that melt you, fumbled for reasons. High on morphine, she slumped on the chair. Her legs, previously long and graceful, were now fat and full of fluid. She was loosing her hair, something that upset her most. We all witnessed her struggling with the remains of her dignity and modesty, but she carried on fighting. Her mother applied facial cream like a corner man at ringside, her father just looked lost. She was a twenty seven year old woman, right before us, dying in her prime. She seemed to hold up a mirror to the thoughts sailing across my mind, a metaphor for what we've all become and what will become of us. So much potential, so much waste. It is at moments like this that we can take the looking glass to our own fragile existence, and ask questions of it. Cancer had infiltrated her womb, the very giver of life. I became aware of a feeling that her death had released something else, a thirst for living itself. She haunted me. Four months later, I set out on an adventure to view the world that she would no longer see.

Posted by don quixote

Monday 5 February 2007

My travels have taken me through southern europe, india, thailand, united states and central america. I first took off just over 20 years ago and now again the world bekons and opens its arms to embrace me. South america awaits, and maybe, a new life in argentina. Who knows? a friend is setting up a business and there maybe room for my girlfriend and I to join in. No eggs all in one baskett, if it doesn't work out, we're off somewhere else to give it a go.

We should be there now but the house sale fell through right at the last minute. I can't tell you how dissapointed I am, work is sucking the blood from my body, I pace the corridors like a coiled spring just keeping myself from exploding. The pleasure it will give me to tell them to shove the job as far up their rectums as is scientifically possible, infact lets not stop at the rectum, lets carry on up through the sigmoid and as far as the descending colon! And when I say 'them' I also include the top dog, the top 'them' of them all, Patricia f***** hewitt!!!!

The freedom I will feel, the exquisit feeling of no mortgage, no carreer, no children, none of the miriad of ties that they like you to be bound to, reasons for not choosing another way of life, reasons to plod on and on like a Lowry painting.

11 comments:

jamanoble said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bob the Builder said...

Do I detect a slight feeling of unhappiness with the Health Service? Never mind, "Golden" Brown (as Tory calls him) is now at the helm and all will be resolved!

By the way, your spelling has not improved over the years! Where did we go wrong in those formative years??

Charlie said...

Hello there you two! Isn't it about time you updated this blog - what have you been doing all week?!
:-)

jamanoble said...

Is that the same bob the builder that took two years to strip a small window frame? Yes i agree with charlie get updating!

Bob the Builder said...

Don't remember the window frame, Jama - I'm the Bob the Builder who conned you into helping lay a floor and fix the skirtings in a certain house in Aylesbury! As I recall, you were even more of a perfectionist than I was - and that's saying something! Hope you are well.

Just occured to me - Isn't Alex meant to be posting things on this blog as well?

bob's bride said...

Hello ...............
........... hello........

Alex? ...........

hello....... Is there anybody there?

jamanoble said...

Don't tell me it's the Aylesbury skateboarding wizbang kid posing as Bob the Builder. Hope you haven't thrown out those cool looking knee pads, baseball cap and stabilizers.Hi there M, Hope all is well? Please give my love to your other half.
Yes your right as usual, this is supposed to be "Don Q's" blog. However life in the colonies must be keeping them both very busy.I was hoping for a little gossip on those colonial upstarts. Oh well i suspect we'll have to be a little more patient until the initial partying period is over. Which could be a while, because they are both in the nursing profession and partying is considered a occupational hazard.

Bob the Builder said...

Yes, Jama, I'm fine, but needing the stabilisers more and more these days. But the knee pads are really cool and admired not only in the UK but also in Bob the Builders's other working environment - France! I will certainly give your love to Bob's Bride. As you can see, she is also impatient to get a response from Don Quixote. In the meantime, we might as well chat using his messaging service. So - what are you up to these days?

David said...

What an interesting blog this is. We all know that Alex is a contemplater, but ...........where is he???????last heard of in the US, perhaps hes joined Michael Moores production company, post sicko, or auditioning for the next series of On The Lot, or maybe...............no, I know, hes engrossed in The Springer show, but for me, nowadays its more like Oprah for him. Get writing and let us know what youre doing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

jamanoble said...

Hi Mike, stabilizers on your knee pads? Things are bad. Just what has Bob's Bride been doing to you?
I take it you haven't finished that French Chateau yet then? Mind you stabilizers sound good to me, won't be long before im heading down that same road old mate.
As for me im enjoying the beautiful british summer. Which as you are probably aware of is just slightly warmer than the winter here in Manchester. Rain every day the whole year through, what can i say.
I'm actually waiting for a seasonal job to materialize probably/should be within the next 2 weeks. That should keep me busy flying around on my FLT till Jan 08. Other than that im usually found sat on my lardarse reading a book. Just begun the 4th one in the Emperor serial (Roman historical drama) By Conn Iggulden. Looking forward to saturday, last of the Harry Potter books comes out. Oh dear, just how sad is that.
Anyway what are you and Bob's Bride upto these days then? "Don Q" the "Exodustenialist" said you have been sunning yourselves down on the Chateau. Next time you go will you be in need of a butler, or even a floor layer by any chance?

Hello there David, how are things mate? How's Argentina treating you then? Bet your looking forward to seeing Alex and Katherine. Please do us all a favour mate, If you here anything(may be a phone call)from Al about his plans at the mo, then please remind him of his blog site. Thanks, takecare Jama.

Bob the Builder said...

Hi Jama - Going back to the Chateau in a couple of weeks and (how clever of you to guess) plan to lay ceramic floor tiles in the entrance hall. Unfortunately, funds are a bit low at present and, what is more, the Sarkozi family has declined our invitation to holiday by the Loire so no chance of the butlers job this year.

I guess you may not read this for some time now that the Harry Potter book is launched? Don't have nightmares!