Brainstorming a solution to a 2 week old problem

About tow and a half weeks ago I took the plunge… into work life that is. Unlike my previous 4 month affairs with jobs, this one is for good, well at least compared to student positions. So far it’s been good, the position promises a lot of travelling, which could be exciting depending on the location.

The lifestyle of a working Canadian never impressed me. Unlike their European brothers, Canadians get much less vacation time, along with longer work hours. Add to that a long commute to work, and you got yourself a recipe for boring weekdays, and the possibility of a fun Friday or Saturday night. The realization that this lifestyle could last for about 40 years is pretty depressing, and that’s why I will start buying lottery tickets.

One thing that really annoys me at work is the lack of microwaves! This seems to annoy everyone at work, but for some reason, be it building owner or management, microwaves are not allowed. So the options for eating lunch are either a sandwich (s pretty scary nowadays considering the Listeria outbreak in Canada), cold leftovers (tried it yesterday and it sucked), or buying lunch from the cafeteria, food from which is hit and miss at best.

So for the past two weeks I have been thinking about different ways to heat my food, and here’s what I came up with:

- Bring a hotplate to work (probably not allowed)

- Use coffee mug warmers( allowed but could be ineffective for heating pasta and such)

- Use a tealight (I know that’s going to be a fire hazard)

- Place food on top of mug of hot water (I can see localized heating here)

- Place food in hot water batch (messy, and could bring undesired attention)

- Get the Coleman heating “cooler” (bulky and needs good disguise)

- Running a water loop through the computer and around the food container (complicated, and inconvenient)

As you can see I have given this a lot of thought. All of the solutions some drawbacks, but I’m sure one of them will be at least somewhat effective. Now, here’s where I need your help. Do you have a better method in mind? Out of the ones I listed which do you recommend?

Left us too soon

I often heard his name growing up. I heard people around me discuss his poems and his prose. I loved the way that Marcel sang his beautiful poems. But the inevitable happened, and Mahmoud Darwish left us today.

I was sad as if a close friend or relative had passed away. Darwish was the ambassador of Palestinian refugees to the world. His clever words described the feelings, and experiences of thousands like nobody else could have done.

My sadness stems from the realization that there is no replacement for such genius. The ranks of the likes of Mahmoud Darwish and Edward Said are on the decline, without replacement in sight. One hopes that Darwish’s poems will serve as an inspiration to young talents, waiting to fill the giant gap.