I found it curious that less than a week after writing a fairly strongly worded condemnation of the practice of withholding wages (which is biblically considered a form of theft) [1], that both my real life stipend, which I use mainly to keep myself fed and to provide myself some necessary calories above and beyond the normal food here, as well as my pay in my favorite browser game (Star Wars Combine), were both late.

Equally interesting is the fact that both of them were paid this morning, at roughly the same time. I did not do any nagging for one of them, but I did a fair amount of nagging for the other. It is interesting that despite not being greedy for money in particular that I am so fussy about pay being on time. Then again, I suppose my being in general a fairly fussy person would make that quite easy enough to understand. I like things to be in order, and though I am able (if not particularly eager) to deal with surprises and the unexpected, anything that strikes me as being too chaotic and disordered, especially with regards to benefits. Given my own occasional absent-mindedness I like things to be on time so that I don’t have to keep track of what is missing.

Interestingly enough, as I was in the middle of typing this entry, some of the students here had a “pay day” of their own, albeit a little bit of an unofficial one. I got to see how the students here hunt the pigeons that so boldly strut on our grounds without any fear. A pigeon had gotten inside of the classroom at a high point near a window and the students immediately closed all the doors to trap the pigeon inside. Then one of the students climbed up and caught the pigeon in his hands and gave it to the other one, who seemed intent on killing it. I didn’t stick around to see that, though.

Nonetheless, I thought it interesting that today had quite a few intersecting aspects of the same general theme together. On a slightly random note, I also got to meet Miss Abigail Syltie, who will be a new teacher next year, and who came around to the school for the first time today. She ate lunch with us (enjoying some tasty fish soup) and also asking a lot of questions, which we happily answered. Apparently jet lag got the better of us and even though it was not even 5PM yet, she went back to her apartment to sleep. Sleep debt too, just like all other obligations, must eventually be paid. I suppose it was pay day all around then.

[1] http://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012/01/25/deuteronomy-2414-15-the-wages-you-have-withheld-by-fraud/