Just taking a short break from the Dog Biscuit stuff. I've realised that I should be calling it "From Dog Biscuit to Dum Dum" because it's silly to stop at the Golden Temple. After getting there I spent another month or so in India, and I've got stuff to say about that time. And besides, Dum Dum is a real place, and it really is spelt Dum Dum. Trust me.

...

After yoga today I had an interesting conversation with Huddy, a friend who makes a living by making jewellery. She described herself as "highly computer phobic." After uncertainty about whether "phobic" means "fearful" or "hateful," she clarified the issue: "I'm not fearful of them. I hate them. I hate what they do to people."

But then she reveals that she has an ongoing fantasy of one day leaving jewellery behind to write children's books. And it's a detailed fantasy: she plans to write her books lying in bed, wearing flannelette pyjamas, and tapping away on a brightly coloured iMac laptop.

I asked if that was the standard fantasy of the average computer phobic person, and immediately received an answer of no, which rang true. So here's an intelligent, articulate person, with an interesting career, who is quite aware of what computers can do, and who is currently abstaining completely from the digital world.

On further questioning, it turns out that all the worst men in her life have been obsessed with computers, so that her dislike of computers is symbolic of a particular dislike of something else.

So she has a pronounced aversion to computers, but she knows exactly why and how that came about. It could just be me, but I like that. I appreciate it when someone is clear about the emotional reasons underlying their intellectual decisions. Especially when the emotional reasons are buried, by time or habit, and are no longer on public display.

But, above and beyond all that, I just have to admire anyone who wants to change careers so they can wear flannelette pyjamas.

...

Some new words:

sugarburst a temporary high. Usually followed by:

sugarworst a more durable low. Enough cycling between sugarburst and sugarworst will often produce:

sugarcursed one of the ailments of Western civilization. Also known as diabetes.

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As I was strolling around today I was thinking about band names. Somewhere along Brunswick Street I came up with "Das Fluffenrabbits."

Come on. Is this or is this not a fantastic name for a band?