(no subject)
Sep. 2nd, 2005 10:03 amIt's funny - not having cable television, and only using the tv to watch DVDs or play games means that I'm really insulated from a lot of current events. Usually that's just fine. I just saw this news story about a chemical depot in New Orleans exploding though and my kind of academic distance from what's going on down south dissolved. I've been following the news, reading things, you see, but it just hadn't hit me until right now. It's like the end of the world down there. The end of the fucking world.
And so as I went around my comfortable air-conditioned apartment this morning, putting away the groceries I bought today, feeding my kitty, planning on doing laundry later today and cleaning up the detritus of my own lazy lifestyle, I was hit by the enormity of what these mundanities really mean to me. I've got hot water to do my dishes in, and to take a shower. I've got a car, and I can afford the ever-escalating gas prices to get around town and go to my eye appointment later. I can afford my contacts. It goes on and on. It's ridiculous how lucky I am.
Yeah, I'm going to donate.
I don't think that's enough - I don't know what is enough, though. I think being aware and grateful of the great things I have is a step in the right direction, though. Todd's birthday was this week, and he took the day off so we could spend it together. His loot this year included two cordless PS2 controllers and a bunch of games we can play together, including Champions of Norrath (which we played on Tuesday) and some others which we haven't tried out yet. I also got Katamari Damacy because I'd heard so much about it and it boasted a two-person battle mode. It's... um... weird. I suck at it really badly, and though I don't usually like games I'm no good at, I think this one just might grow on me. We're spending the weekend in and happy for it, and next weekend we're visiting Evan in somewhere-I-don't-remember-but-it's-not-too-far-away Virginia. And yeah. There's a lot of good stuff going on in my life right now. A lot. I've got good books to read (and I finished Assassin's Quest - sure enough, did love it. Going to get through the Stephen King stuff before I devour more Robin Hobb though), good food to eat (even if my stomach has been exceptionally finicky and mean to me lately), good friends to spend time with and yeah. Stuff. I'm not feeling like waxing poetic about how good I've got it, when other people don't have it so hot, but I'm glad. I'm glad.
And maybe I'm starting to come out of my snail shell, just a little bit.
It's starting to feel like the tail-end of summer here, the last hot days before summer sighs and moves on into orangey autumn. A time of transitions. I wonder what surprises are in store for me.
And so as I went around my comfortable air-conditioned apartment this morning, putting away the groceries I bought today, feeding my kitty, planning on doing laundry later today and cleaning up the detritus of my own lazy lifestyle, I was hit by the enormity of what these mundanities really mean to me. I've got hot water to do my dishes in, and to take a shower. I've got a car, and I can afford the ever-escalating gas prices to get around town and go to my eye appointment later. I can afford my contacts. It goes on and on. It's ridiculous how lucky I am.
Yeah, I'm going to donate.
I don't think that's enough - I don't know what is enough, though. I think being aware and grateful of the great things I have is a step in the right direction, though. Todd's birthday was this week, and he took the day off so we could spend it together. His loot this year included two cordless PS2 controllers and a bunch of games we can play together, including Champions of Norrath (which we played on Tuesday) and some others which we haven't tried out yet. I also got Katamari Damacy because I'd heard so much about it and it boasted a two-person battle mode. It's... um... weird. I suck at it really badly, and though I don't usually like games I'm no good at, I think this one just might grow on me. We're spending the weekend in and happy for it, and next weekend we're visiting Evan in somewhere-I-don't-remember-but-it's-not-too-far-away Virginia. And yeah. There's a lot of good stuff going on in my life right now. A lot. I've got good books to read (and I finished Assassin's Quest - sure enough, did love it. Going to get through the Stephen King stuff before I devour more Robin Hobb though), good food to eat (even if my stomach has been exceptionally finicky and mean to me lately), good friends to spend time with and yeah. Stuff. I'm not feeling like waxing poetic about how good I've got it, when other people don't have it so hot, but I'm glad. I'm glad.
And maybe I'm starting to come out of my snail shell, just a little bit.
It's starting to feel like the tail-end of summer here, the last hot days before summer sighs and moves on into orangey autumn. A time of transitions. I wonder what surprises are in store for me.