My recent reading of David Foster Wallace's "Shipping Out - On the (nearly lethal) Comforts of a Luxury Cruise" (an excellent and hysterical article about the disgusting/frustrating/absurd realities one encounters on mega-cruise vessels) inspired my use of zenith and nadir.
zenith: the smiles on the faces of two little children (brother and sister) playing a game of tag with each other on our makeshift soccer/basketball/jump-rope/tricylce/insert-game-here concrete court.
nadir: watching a small group of students (roughly ages 6-10) receive about 6 fluid ounces of water to drink from a black plastic cup right before the kids went home, many returning to small concrete 1-room houses in the surrounding area, which lacks any running water (let alone potable water) or well-wired and consistent electricity.
