Scenes from a Marriage: The Silk / Fruit / Appliances edition

Paper, Cotton, Leather / Glass here. And when I said we couldn't possibly get more boring a year ago, I had no clue what I was talking about.

This morning. I wake up to find Bill packing.

"When is your flight?"

"Noon types"

"You are already late"

"I know"

"So what conference is this you are going to?"

"MTV 2009"

"What?"

"The non-Britney Spears kind. Microprocessor Test and Verification 2009"

"Really?"

"Yeah"

"I thought you do some CS theory type work"

"I do"

"How is this connected with MTV?"

"It sort of is. Or rather, we have managed to con them that it is"

"I see"

"Its not a big deal. Austin this time of the year is pretty nice"

"Yeah. Anoop knows you are coming?"

"Yes but I am not going to have much time to spend with him"

"Why not?"

"I have a packed schedule"

"Doing what?"

"Meeting people"

"Will they give you a job?"

"No"

"Will they give you any money?"

"No"

"What's the point then?"

"They will support my grant applications. It counts for something"

"Ah, grants. Whatever happened to the one you were applying to a few months ago?"

"Nothing happened. They are reviewing and asked for responses. I sent some"

"What did the reviewers say?"

"Very positive"

"Really? What did they say?"

"That I or rather my proposal is very ambitious and novel"

I thought about this for a minute. Long time readers of this blog no doubt know that ambitious and novel aren't exactly adjectives one would apply to the man in question.

"What were they asked to review on?"

"Well, on how ambitious and novel the proposal was"

"Ah"

"They could have said it wasn't"

"Right"

"Anyway, its still in the running"

"If you say no"

"You have got to have more faith in me, you know"

"On what basis?"

"World famous people I don't know think what I am proposing is ambitious and novel"

"You surely have a different defintion of world famous than the rest of the world"

"Oh shut up"

"Sure. Ah, what is this? In-flight reading?"

This being last book of the Millenium trilogy that happens to be on bedside table.

"I got it yesterday"

"You are buying hardcover pulp nowadays? Seem to have lots of money nowadays"

"It was on sale"

"Right"

"Anyway, its not for in-flight reading"

"Then?"

"I thought you might want to read it over the weekend"

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Since I am not around and stuff..."

"So this is stand-in for you?"

"You aren't really saying you don't want to read Bamse books?"

"No. But will this cook? Or do my laundry?"

"You can't have everything, you know"

"Surely I know that by now, don't you think?"

"Then what are you complaining about?"

"Who said I was complaining?"

"Whatever. Btw, your mum called when you were asleep"

"And?"

"She is going to get some wet grinder or something when she comes. She has bought the thing"

"Oh. She called early in the morning to say that?"

"Not really"

"Then? Oh wait..."

"Yeah...that too"

"Fuck"

"I know. Fuck"