The heat is making everyone a little slow

And this morning as the Weatherpixie climbs into her bikini for the God-knows-how-manyth time this year already, I have another look at that pile of books in the previous post. One title in particular catches my eye: I went on a determined footslogging trek through the wilds of Adelaide to find that James Orbinski book, An Imperfect Offering, after I heard Orbinski talking to Phillip Adams on Late Night Live.

He (Orbinksi not Adams) is a Research Scientist and Associate Professor of Family and Community Medicine and Political Science (say what?) at the University of Toronto. He lectures internationally on humanitarianism and global health; he is a past president of Médecins Sans Frontières. He has worked in the field in many countries in chaos and crisis, including Rwanda, Somalia, Afghanistan and Zaire. The full title of his book is An Imperfect Offering: Dispatches From the Medical Frontline.

With hymns of praise going up all over the blogosphere to Orbinski's fellow-Canadian Leonard Cohen and not least from me, you'd think I would have got it earlier. But no. I sat five rows from the stage and heard him sing this less than two weeks ago and still didn't make the connection.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

With apologies to Oscar Wilde

To lose one pair of prescription sunglasses, Ms Cat, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.

Shock, horror, who'd have thought

Apparently, men think red is hawt.

Quelle breakthrough, no? Without the help of science and statistics, we would never have known. Think of the missed opportunities, the wrong choices, the sadly remembered teals and cerises and the hordes of women all over the world with their hands to their foreheads sighing Oh if only I'd known.