Blamblog - Brett Lamb's Blog

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

They Grow Up So Quickly

Eva just graduated with a PhD in Quantum-Astrology Biophysics. What an amazing field to be studying. It seems like just yesterday that she was a struggling student, trying to save the world ...

The Annex, August 2005

On Saturday, Eva joined me for lunch ...

EVA: . . . and when I looked at the photo, some mother was pointing at the sign saying 'Keep off'.

BLAMB: Ha ha!

EVA: It's busy out here.

BLAMB: The students are back.

EVA: I never left.

BLAMB: Look at them with their optimism for the future, milling about aimlessly, unaware of the horrible fate that awaits them.

EVA: What horrible fate?

BLAMB: They'll have to live in the world post-peak oil!

EVA: Boo hoo.

BLAMB: They probably haven't even heard of the concept of peak oil ... or China for that matter. They think the government is to blame for high gas prices. You're a scientist! Why can't you do something about this 'oil crisis'?

EVA: I'm just entering my fourth year. And I study proteins, not oil. You know, the economy is slightly less reliant on oil than it was a quarter of a century ago, so high oil prices aren't necessarily a bad thing if they continue to push us in that direction.

BLAMB: Maybe it'll get people out of their stinkin' SUVs.

EVA: I don't understand how people can justify an SUV.

BLAMB: It doesn't really matter, most of these students will probably won't survive the bird flu pandemic. You're a scientist! Why can't you do somthing about this bird flu?

EVA: [ groan ] I told you ...

BLAMB: All that knowledge and still you can't save the world. I guess PhD stands for 'Pretty Damn Hopeless'.

EVA: That's 'PDH'.

BLAMB: Pretty Hopeless .... DAMN!

EVA: Saving the world isn't my job. It's George Bush's! And he'd rather fight his silly war.

BLAMB: Ha! He's still on vacation. Wouldn't you be peeved if you were a soldier in Iraq getting bombed and shot at while your president was on a 5-week vacation? I wonder if the soldiers get cake in their rations.

EVA: Or oil.

BLAMB: You're a scientist! Why can't you do something about these terrorists and wars!

EVA: I'm on my lunch hour.

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