My allergies have taken an interesting turn this year. I've been taking Zyrtec pretty religiously, and that seems to be doing a good job - I'm not incapacitated like I have been at times in the past. But the assault on my sinuses/head has still been detectable. Some days are worse than others. What's interesting this year is that my body seems to be reacting at times to the alien pollen invaders with a cone of silence.
By that, I mean that at times I have this thing going on with my ears where it's like someone has plugged them up and then begun to apply pressure from the inside. It's not the kind like I had this summer when I had to fly with a monster cold and the pain was so intense I wanted to take an ice pick to my ears to make it stop. It's more annoying that painful. It not only obstructs my hearing somewhat, but it imposes sound that's not normally there. Like sometimes I hear this low hum, like I'm sitting next to a loud speaker that's just waiting for a band member to bust out a sweet guitar lick. Other times, low-pitch sounds just become magnified, or like I can almost feel them - like when one of the homies in my neighborhood drives by with his bass boomin'. It's really very distracting because there's no way to escape it. It's IN my HEAD!
Luckily, this phenomenon hasn't been constantly present. It comes and goes. But it feels like it may want to do it today. I already hear this sort of vibrating hum from the heating vents over my cube. Do you think this will make my psychic?
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Damn you 94.7!
I don't normally listen to the radio on my way to work in the morning - not FM anyway. It's all DJs that are bit too happy for the ridiculous hour at which I'm listening. I might listen to some talk radio - get the news, check the traffic (which is always a little silly, because either I'm IN the traffic and can see for myself that it's backed up, or it's backed up in some other part of town, which isn't relevant to my situation...but I digress), but usually I listen to a book on tape.
I'm a book-on-tape junkie. I love them. I check them out at the library and pretty much constantly have at least one in my car, if not two. You don't want one to end on a day when the library is closed or you can't swing by and then you don't have a new one to start. Then you're stuck with FM radio in the morning. Which brings me to today.
I'm a little antsy this morning, for reasons I can't go into on the blog, and I felt I needed some music rather than a book - I was having trouble concentrating on the story. So, I turned on the radio. The FM radio. All the DJs on all the stations were talking except one: 94.7. I tuned in there and there was some song playing. It sounded kind of goofy - some bouncy little synthesizer music. Huh. What could this be? And then some child started singing in what sounded like German.
What? I couldn't understand any of it (hello, I'm American - all I speak is English and a smattering of Spanish), and I thought it would end shortly and the DJs would tell me what was going on. But they didn't. The song just kept going...on and on it kept going...with this bizarre little chorus, "Schnappi, Schnappi, Schnappi, Schnap!"
Are children singing about Schnapp's in Germany? Do they have an alcoholism problem there? Is it like Russia? And WHY are they playing this tripe on drive-time radio??
So, I looked it up, because, of course, I couldn't NOT look it up once it burrowed into my brain, and it's a kid's song about a crocodile (sung in German, as I thought).
Here I was, ready to be annoyed by this little ditty stuck in my head, and this cute little cartoon crocodile, presumably named Snappy, comes up on my screen. Awwwww! I'm such a sucker for animals - real and imagined. So, I want to beat the people who got this stupid song stuck in my head, and yet I picture the happy little crocodile when I start to hear the chorus, and I smile. I'm presuming, of course, that the little girl is not singing that the happy crocodile snapped off her arm and ate it like a Nestle Crunch bar.
I'm a book-on-tape junkie. I love them. I check them out at the library and pretty much constantly have at least one in my car, if not two. You don't want one to end on a day when the library is closed or you can't swing by and then you don't have a new one to start. Then you're stuck with FM radio in the morning. Which brings me to today.
I'm a little antsy this morning, for reasons I can't go into on the blog, and I felt I needed some music rather than a book - I was having trouble concentrating on the story. So, I turned on the radio. The FM radio. All the DJs on all the stations were talking except one: 94.7. I tuned in there and there was some song playing. It sounded kind of goofy - some bouncy little synthesizer music. Huh. What could this be? And then some child started singing in what sounded like German.
What? I couldn't understand any of it (hello, I'm American - all I speak is English and a smattering of Spanish), and I thought it would end shortly and the DJs would tell me what was going on. But they didn't. The song just kept going...on and on it kept going...with this bizarre little chorus, "Schnappi, Schnappi, Schnappi, Schnap!"
Are children singing about Schnapp's in Germany? Do they have an alcoholism problem there? Is it like Russia? And WHY are they playing this tripe on drive-time radio??
So, I looked it up, because, of course, I couldn't NOT look it up once it burrowed into my brain, and it's a kid's song about a crocodile (sung in German, as I thought).
Here I was, ready to be annoyed by this little ditty stuck in my head, and this cute little cartoon crocodile, presumably named Snappy, comes up on my screen. Awwwww! I'm such a sucker for animals - real and imagined. So, I want to beat the people who got this stupid song stuck in my head, and yet I picture the happy little crocodile when I start to hear the chorus, and I smile. I'm presuming, of course, that the little girl is not singing that the happy crocodile snapped off her arm and ate it like a Nestle Crunch bar.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Does my gas mask offend you?
There are many reasons to like telecommuting. You can work in your bathrobe all day if you want to. When you have that inevitable downtime between work-related activities, you can get some laundry done. Your cat is there. Other than occasionally feeling a bit cut-off from what's happening at the office (which can be a good thing), there's very little to say against the enterprise. And today, I've discovered another reason to pencil in for telecommuting.
When you telecommute, you can only smell the food you prepare. In most cases, this means it will be food you like. As I sit here smelling what is probably some sort of Asian meal, but it smells like the Buffalo sauce on Buffalo wings, which I despise, I long to not be sitting here. I can't even think about anything else but that wretched smell wafting over my cube wall from...I'm not even sure which co-worker. I don't want to go look, because that will inevitably bring me closer to the noxious smell.
I'm sure that the person eating the foul concoction finds the smell intoxicating. It's rare that you like the way something tastes yet hate the way it smells. So, he probably likes it. And I'm sure I've knocked out some people over the years with the smell of my food (yeah, right - like I'd eat anything that anyone else could hate). But good God, it's like I'm working in a toxic waste factory at the moment. Or, you know, some kind of wing place.
This isn't the first time that such a situation has existed here in Cube Land. One co-worker sometimes wears a particularly unpleasant cologne. When he does, the smell floats over the cube wall and assaults me like mustard gas. I've actually put my heater/fan on my desk, facing the direction of the mushroom gas cloud to force it back over the wall. It seemed to work. But that just ain't no way to start the day.
I never plan to complain, though (except on my blog and to my friends and to my mom and maybe in a book some day), because despite the impediment to my concentration that this insufferable situtation represents, I don't want to be "that woman." You know the one - the one who complains and then suddenly no one can wear perfume or eat at their desk anymore. The one who ruins everything for everyone. No, if I become that person, then I can't really complain anymore about other people, and then what would I blog about?
No, better for me to just sit here in silence and bear my burden. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. If I start to feel woozy, I'll just go lie down in my car. It'll be fine. Do I look pale to you?
When you telecommute, you can only smell the food you prepare. In most cases, this means it will be food you like. As I sit here smelling what is probably some sort of Asian meal, but it smells like the Buffalo sauce on Buffalo wings, which I despise, I long to not be sitting here. I can't even think about anything else but that wretched smell wafting over my cube wall from...I'm not even sure which co-worker. I don't want to go look, because that will inevitably bring me closer to the noxious smell.
I'm sure that the person eating the foul concoction finds the smell intoxicating. It's rare that you like the way something tastes yet hate the way it smells. So, he probably likes it. And I'm sure I've knocked out some people over the years with the smell of my food (yeah, right - like I'd eat anything that anyone else could hate). But good God, it's like I'm working in a toxic waste factory at the moment. Or, you know, some kind of wing place.
This isn't the first time that such a situation has existed here in Cube Land. One co-worker sometimes wears a particularly unpleasant cologne. When he does, the smell floats over the cube wall and assaults me like mustard gas. I've actually put my heater/fan on my desk, facing the direction of the mushroom gas cloud to force it back over the wall. It seemed to work. But that just ain't no way to start the day.
I never plan to complain, though (except on my blog and to my friends and to my mom and maybe in a book some day), because despite the impediment to my concentration that this insufferable situtation represents, I don't want to be "that woman." You know the one - the one who complains and then suddenly no one can wear perfume or eat at their desk anymore. The one who ruins everything for everyone. No, if I become that person, then I can't really complain anymore about other people, and then what would I blog about?
No, better for me to just sit here in silence and bear my burden. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. If I start to feel woozy, I'll just go lie down in my car. It'll be fine. Do I look pale to you?
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Wine, food and music. It's all good.
Big fun last night with the crew. We started at Grapevine Market with a wine tasting they call "Friday Night Fights." They pick a kind of wine, then set out 2 or more bottles for a blind taste test, then people vote on their favorite. I'm a complete plebe about wines, so I try and look at these kinds of things as an opportunity to *learn* about wine, but that suggests that I have the ability to retain anything I'm told about it, which is patently untrue, so it's more "taste this, decide if you like it, maybe buy a bottle, then the next time you want to buy some, ask the people you were with if anyone remembers what the hell you bought when you did that tasting thing." No one ever does.
After the tasting, we had a fab-o dinner at Curra's, then took our show downtown (where all the lights are bright). Jason liquored us up with expensive booze at his condo, because he's cool like that, and then we went to Cedar Street to see a new band - new to us, that is, not anyone else. Apparently, they've been around for a while as "K-Tel Hit Machine," but they've relaunched themselves as Skyrocket! I'm not overly excited about their new name - the exclamation point is part of the name. Like Yahoo! No one uses it when they talk about Yahoo, so presumably if I refer to Skyrocket! in the future, I can leave off the exclamation point.
Anyway, they were really great! (I actually intended to use the exclamation point there.) Lots of fun music all executed extremely well. Great show! The crowd, though, was...unexpected. Usually, Cedar Street is a young crowd. Well, I should clarify that. It's in the Warehouse District, so not college kid young, but late 20s and 30s, I guess. Last night's crowd was, let's say, like wine (since that's our theme tonight), "better aged." They'd been resting in barrels for a while. I suppose this was good for me and mine, since by comparison, we were fresh and dewy. But it makes you wonder when you come upon a scene like that if you've perhaps stumbled into someone's high school reunion - like they're 30th. My friends have, in fact, stumbled into a high school reunion before, so this wouldn't be unprecedented.
It's not that I think late 40s is ancient. I'm closing in on 40 with alarming speed. But these people were definitely not my peers. And when I am their age (too, too soon), I hope I'm aware of the fact that the 20-something rock stah on stage is NOT fantasizing about going home with me as I gyrate in front of him. God willing, I'll know better than to do that. Several of the women last night did not. Another "teaching moment" from the universe. Thank you, God, for the heads-up.
The evening ended very late, but we all had a great time. After a big night out, though, I am doing tonight what I always do after a big night out, since I'm no longer 22 and made of steel - I'm staying in and going to bed early. As I type this, I think giddily about climbing into bed and sleeping many hours. I think I'll go get started on that...
After the tasting, we had a fab-o dinner at Curra's, then took our show downtown (where all the lights are bright). Jason liquored us up with expensive booze at his condo, because he's cool like that, and then we went to Cedar Street to see a new band - new to us, that is, not anyone else. Apparently, they've been around for a while as "K-Tel Hit Machine," but they've relaunched themselves as Skyrocket! I'm not overly excited about their new name - the exclamation point is part of the name. Like Yahoo! No one uses it when they talk about Yahoo, so presumably if I refer to Skyrocket! in the future, I can leave off the exclamation point.
Anyway, they were really great! (I actually intended to use the exclamation point there.) Lots of fun music all executed extremely well. Great show! The crowd, though, was...unexpected. Usually, Cedar Street is a young crowd. Well, I should clarify that. It's in the Warehouse District, so not college kid young, but late 20s and 30s, I guess. Last night's crowd was, let's say, like wine (since that's our theme tonight), "better aged." They'd been resting in barrels for a while. I suppose this was good for me and mine, since by comparison, we were fresh and dewy. But it makes you wonder when you come upon a scene like that if you've perhaps stumbled into someone's high school reunion - like they're 30th. My friends have, in fact, stumbled into a high school reunion before, so this wouldn't be unprecedented.
It's not that I think late 40s is ancient. I'm closing in on 40 with alarming speed. But these people were definitely not my peers. And when I am their age (too, too soon), I hope I'm aware of the fact that the 20-something rock stah on stage is NOT fantasizing about going home with me as I gyrate in front of him. God willing, I'll know better than to do that. Several of the women last night did not. Another "teaching moment" from the universe. Thank you, God, for the heads-up.
The evening ended very late, but we all had a great time. After a big night out, though, I am doing tonight what I always do after a big night out, since I'm no longer 22 and made of steel - I'm staying in and going to bed early. As I type this, I think giddily about climbing into bed and sleeping many hours. I think I'll go get started on that...
Friday, January 26, 2007
I'm finally trained.
Made a quick trip to Dallas this week for some software training. It was actually pretty interesting. But if you tell anyone I said that, I'll deny it.
I may have some things to tell you about next week, but for now, I'll comment on a few current events items:
Scientists have discovered a way to add caffeine to baked goods. This is necessary? Isn't there cancer to cure? Parkinson's maybe? Stop playing God! Shipley's plain glazed donut is nature's perfect food just as it is.
Liz Taylor is backing Hillary for president. Well, gee, if Liz is voting for her.... I try to avoid politics on this blog as a general rule, but I have to make one comment - not about any particular candidate or party, but about celebrities and their political activism. I don't think anyone should be censored about their opinion - if the Dixie Chicks want to say they hate Bush, it's no different to me than you putting a sign in your yard about who you support or what policy you hate (that there's a backlash/result/consequence of expressing that opinion is a subject for another day). We live in America, and in America, you're allowed to express an opinion. Bully for us!
But the idea that my political views should be influenced by someone simply because that someone is famous annoys the crap out of me. Why would I care who Liz Taylor or the Dixie Chicks or Ted Nugent is voting for? Why on earth would I form my opinions based on what Barbara Streisand thinks...or Susan Sarandon or Bo Derek or any other actor/singer/celebrity - Democrat or Republican? What matters is not what celebrities think! What should matter to you is what YOU think when you look at the ISSUES and where a candidate (not a *party* - a *candidate*) stands on that issue. Educate yourself on the issues and form your own opinion, then vote for the candidate that best reflects your views. All your candidates may not win, but at least your voice has been heard - your real opinion reflected. If you're voting straight ticket, you're not even thinking, and a populace that can't be bothered to think is a populace in trouble.
So, there.
Oh, and speaking of Liz and celebrities, Liz's Gal-Pal Michael Jackson is back in the U.S. What. A. Relief!!
Last but not least, I was catching up on Busy Mom's blog and she said she wishes she liked Peyton Manning. It's okay, Busy Mom. I like him enough for both of us. I like him a lot. I really like you, Peyton. You make me laugh in those Mastercard commercials, and you're cute. And I like the foosball. I don't watch pro football, but I would if you personally wanted me to. And I'd root for the Colts. Did I mention that I like you, Peyton? I like him.
I may have some things to tell you about next week, but for now, I'll comment on a few current events items:
Scientists have discovered a way to add caffeine to baked goods. This is necessary? Isn't there cancer to cure? Parkinson's maybe? Stop playing God! Shipley's plain glazed donut is nature's perfect food just as it is.
Liz Taylor is backing Hillary for president. Well, gee, if Liz is voting for her.... I try to avoid politics on this blog as a general rule, but I have to make one comment - not about any particular candidate or party, but about celebrities and their political activism. I don't think anyone should be censored about their opinion - if the Dixie Chicks want to say they hate Bush, it's no different to me than you putting a sign in your yard about who you support or what policy you hate (that there's a backlash/result/consequence of expressing that opinion is a subject for another day). We live in America, and in America, you're allowed to express an opinion. Bully for us!
But the idea that my political views should be influenced by someone simply because that someone is famous annoys the crap out of me. Why would I care who Liz Taylor or the Dixie Chicks or Ted Nugent is voting for? Why on earth would I form my opinions based on what Barbara Streisand thinks...or Susan Sarandon or Bo Derek or any other actor/singer/celebrity - Democrat or Republican? What matters is not what celebrities think! What should matter to you is what YOU think when you look at the ISSUES and where a candidate (not a *party* - a *candidate*) stands on that issue. Educate yourself on the issues and form your own opinion, then vote for the candidate that best reflects your views. All your candidates may not win, but at least your voice has been heard - your real opinion reflected. If you're voting straight ticket, you're not even thinking, and a populace that can't be bothered to think is a populace in trouble.
So, there.
Oh, and speaking of Liz and celebrities, Liz's Gal-Pal Michael Jackson is back in the U.S. What. A. Relief!!
Last but not least, I was catching up on Busy Mom's blog and she said she wishes she liked Peyton Manning. It's okay, Busy Mom. I like him enough for both of us. I like him a lot. I really like you, Peyton. You make me laugh in those Mastercard commercials, and you're cute. And I like the foosball. I don't watch pro football, but I would if you personally wanted me to. And I'd root for the Colts. Did I mention that I like you, Peyton? I like him.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Free at last!
The icy weather has finally lifted - woohoo! I actually left the house yesterday for the first time in a week to venture out past my neighborhood. I remembered how to drive and everything! I plan on driving every day for the foreseeable future - just because I can.
It was kind of a weird week because we never really got excessively cold here - upper 20s at the coldest, but we had a coat of ice on just about everything that made travel dangerous. Most people stayed home as they were asked to, but there were still hundreds of accidents. Luckily there weren't too many power outages, though. Here's how it looked at my house.
My oleander tree, which normally reaches the roofline:
Icicles from my roofline (I took this the first day of real ice - they were longer on the second day):
A closeup of the leaves on the oak tree in my front year:
My carnations looked like a sculpture:
My Ruidoso bear was right at home:
But I had a refugee who wasn't at home in the icy conditions - look under the work surface of my work bench:
I'm not sure if it's a chicken or a rooster (what am I? A farmer?), but Matt says it's good luck and a heroic symbol, signaling success against difficult forces. Yeah!! That's what it is! I mean, I've never seen a chicken in my backyard before, and I was born in the year of the rooster! I think he's right. It's a sign.
When Murphy finally spotted our visitor, she didn't have much to say about its cosmic significance - she mostly just watched its every move:
So, that's how it was around here. Let me know if the size on these pictures are big enough or if it would be better for me to publish them in a larger size. Everyone have a great weekend - I'm going to go run around!
It was kind of a weird week because we never really got excessively cold here - upper 20s at the coldest, but we had a coat of ice on just about everything that made travel dangerous. Most people stayed home as they were asked to, but there were still hundreds of accidents. Luckily there weren't too many power outages, though. Here's how it looked at my house.
My oleander tree, which normally reaches the roofline:
Icicles from my roofline (I took this the first day of real ice - they were longer on the second day):
A closeup of the leaves on the oak tree in my front year:
My carnations looked like a sculpture:
My Ruidoso bear was right at home:
But I had a refugee who wasn't at home in the icy conditions - look under the work surface of my work bench:
I'm not sure if it's a chicken or a rooster (what am I? A farmer?), but Matt says it's good luck and a heroic symbol, signaling success against difficult forces. Yeah!! That's what it is! I mean, I've never seen a chicken in my backyard before, and I was born in the year of the rooster! I think he's right. It's a sign.
When Murphy finally spotted our visitor, she didn't have much to say about its cosmic significance - she mostly just watched its every move:
So, that's how it was around here. Let me know if the size on these pictures are big enough or if it would be better for me to publish them in a larger size. Everyone have a great weekend - I'm going to go run around!
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Day Four
Here we are, Tuesday, January 16, and I am home alone (okay, with my cat) for the fourth day in a row. Sheeeeeesh.
For anyone who doesn't know, we're in the midst of an ice storm here in Austin-town. It's been below freezing since last night, and it's not expected to get above freezing until sometime tomorrow. And this is on top of several days of rain and continuing freezing rain.
Now, in the north, this would seem like no big dea. But here in Central Texas, we get icy conditions maybe once a year - if that. So, we have basically no equipment for dealing with it. The city of Austin has a few trucks it can deploy to apply de-icer and sand to the major roads (mostly the bridges and fly-overs, since they're most likely to freeze), but other than that, we're pretty much socked in. Most of the roads ice up with no relief until nature melts the ice, and no one's tires have chains on them or are even all-weather tires for that matter (it was in the 60s and sunshiny last week - get it?). That means the few shmucks who venture out end up in accidents, tying up emergency personnel.
So, it's just better for everyone if people just stay put until the weather passes. It never lasts more than a few days, so it's not as if the city is going to go under. And it happens so rarely, it's not worth spending the money on the equipment it would take to keep things going when it does happen. So, just enjoy the day off.
Except for me, it's been four days now. See, at first, I was staying off the roads because it was raining pretty badly and I didn't want to end up in an accident from that little road hazard. And now, the roads are iced over, and I don't want to go sliding off into a ditch. And what the hell? I had tons of stuff to do here at the house. But all the laundry is done, all the ironing is finished, all my files have been cleaned out and the old stuff shredded. The house has been vacuumed, I've tried two new recipes - I've even done some online shopping. I've exercised. I've read. And I've watched several basketball games, a couple of movies and tons of mystery shows and sitcoms (Have you seen Reba McIntyre's sitcom "Reba"? That's a funny show!). I'm over it now.
Don't get me wrong. With my current work situation, any day I don't have to go to the office is a great day. And I love being at my house. I really do - I like my space. And I don't even mind being alone. For the most part, I'm just fine with my own company. But enough already! Girlfren is ready for an ice day where I get to go play at the mall or hang out with my friends. Do they have those up north?
For anyone who doesn't know, we're in the midst of an ice storm here in Austin-town. It's been below freezing since last night, and it's not expected to get above freezing until sometime tomorrow. And this is on top of several days of rain and continuing freezing rain.
Now, in the north, this would seem like no big dea. But here in Central Texas, we get icy conditions maybe once a year - if that. So, we have basically no equipment for dealing with it. The city of Austin has a few trucks it can deploy to apply de-icer and sand to the major roads (mostly the bridges and fly-overs, since they're most likely to freeze), but other than that, we're pretty much socked in. Most of the roads ice up with no relief until nature melts the ice, and no one's tires have chains on them or are even all-weather tires for that matter (it was in the 60s and sunshiny last week - get it?). That means the few shmucks who venture out end up in accidents, tying up emergency personnel.
So, it's just better for everyone if people just stay put until the weather passes. It never lasts more than a few days, so it's not as if the city is going to go under. And it happens so rarely, it's not worth spending the money on the equipment it would take to keep things going when it does happen. So, just enjoy the day off.
Except for me, it's been four days now. See, at first, I was staying off the roads because it was raining pretty badly and I didn't want to end up in an accident from that little road hazard. And now, the roads are iced over, and I don't want to go sliding off into a ditch. And what the hell? I had tons of stuff to do here at the house. But all the laundry is done, all the ironing is finished, all my files have been cleaned out and the old stuff shredded. The house has been vacuumed, I've tried two new recipes - I've even done some online shopping. I've exercised. I've read. And I've watched several basketball games, a couple of movies and tons of mystery shows and sitcoms (Have you seen Reba McIntyre's sitcom "Reba"? That's a funny show!). I'm over it now.
Don't get me wrong. With my current work situation, any day I don't have to go to the office is a great day. And I love being at my house. I really do - I like my space. And I don't even mind being alone. For the most part, I'm just fine with my own company. But enough already! Girlfren is ready for an ice day where I get to go play at the mall or hang out with my friends. Do they have those up north?
Friday, January 12, 2007
Rising to the occasion.
Hello blog fans! More apologies for my lack of postings. Those of you who actually know me know that things are a bit tumultuous at the moment, so not too much time for blogging, but I'm trying.
Today I'd like to point you to a news story. This story at the Boston Herald gives the lowdown.
I think there need to be more stories like this. In a time where what we hear the most in the media is mud-slinging and violence (politicians trash each other, Rosie and the Donald can't shut up, war, gang violence, road rage and so on), we need to be reminded that side-by-side with people doing wrong or stupid things are people doing incredibly brave and selfless things.
Most of us live our lives everyday as decent, good people. We feel compassion and give to charities and take pride in doing a good job and help our friends and love our families and show our pets affection and fight the urge to call the cops when our neighbors play annoying, loud Tejano music out loudspeakers into their backyards (that last one may just be me). We're not gang members or mob hitmen or even a-holes looking for a way to sue any big corporation we can find.
But sometimes, people are challenged in a split-second moment to do more than just not be bad - they're challenged to do something extraordinary. There's a moment, when someone else is in danger, and you can help, and it may put you in danger to do so, and no one would blame you if your instinct for self-preservation caused you to jump away from the danger...but you don't. You wade in. You put yourself in harm's way to help someone else.
If it's your child or your spouse or someone else you love, then another instinct takes over - one to protect what is precious to you. But when it's someone you don't know, or you know but don't have a personal investment in, that's hero stuff. It really is. That man that jumped on the subway tracks to help the guy who had fallen in the path of the coming train. This guy who positioned his truck in the path of the semi to save the trooper from being hit.
Yeah, it was that guy's job to be a buffer, but I would imagine that the people who came up with that job pictured a sedan running into the back of the truck - not a driver having to make a choice to position himself in front of a runaway semi. He made a conscious choice to do that - to put himself in harm's way to save someone else. Yes, it was his job. Firefighters and policemen and soldiers and the like all choose to spend their days facing danger to help others. But somehow, it's even better when it's not someone trained to be brave - it's just someone who in the heat of the moment makes the choice to be.
I think it's really important to hear about it when people do that, because too often what we hear about is the destructive choices people make - the ones to murder, rape, deface property, steal or even just avoid taking responsibility for things they've done. When someone steps up, we should applaud. Maybe if we did a better job of saying, "This is what people *can* be," instead of making excuses for all the bad things people do, more people would make the choice to be something positive instead of something negative.
Today I'd like to point you to a news story. This story at the Boston Herald gives the lowdown.
I think there need to be more stories like this. In a time where what we hear the most in the media is mud-slinging and violence (politicians trash each other, Rosie and the Donald can't shut up, war, gang violence, road rage and so on), we need to be reminded that side-by-side with people doing wrong or stupid things are people doing incredibly brave and selfless things.
Most of us live our lives everyday as decent, good people. We feel compassion and give to charities and take pride in doing a good job and help our friends and love our families and show our pets affection and fight the urge to call the cops when our neighbors play annoying, loud Tejano music out loudspeakers into their backyards (that last one may just be me). We're not gang members or mob hitmen or even a-holes looking for a way to sue any big corporation we can find.
But sometimes, people are challenged in a split-second moment to do more than just not be bad - they're challenged to do something extraordinary. There's a moment, when someone else is in danger, and you can help, and it may put you in danger to do so, and no one would blame you if your instinct for self-preservation caused you to jump away from the danger...but you don't. You wade in. You put yourself in harm's way to help someone else.
If it's your child or your spouse or someone else you love, then another instinct takes over - one to protect what is precious to you. But when it's someone you don't know, or you know but don't have a personal investment in, that's hero stuff. It really is. That man that jumped on the subway tracks to help the guy who had fallen in the path of the coming train. This guy who positioned his truck in the path of the semi to save the trooper from being hit.
Yeah, it was that guy's job to be a buffer, but I would imagine that the people who came up with that job pictured a sedan running into the back of the truck - not a driver having to make a choice to position himself in front of a runaway semi. He made a conscious choice to do that - to put himself in harm's way to save someone else. Yes, it was his job. Firefighters and policemen and soldiers and the like all choose to spend their days facing danger to help others. But somehow, it's even better when it's not someone trained to be brave - it's just someone who in the heat of the moment makes the choice to be.
I think it's really important to hear about it when people do that, because too often what we hear about is the destructive choices people make - the ones to murder, rape, deface property, steal or even just avoid taking responsibility for things they've done. When someone steps up, we should applaud. Maybe if we did a better job of saying, "This is what people *can* be," instead of making excuses for all the bad things people do, more people would make the choice to be something positive instead of something negative.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Happy New Year!
Wow - can you *believe* it's 2007? I so cannot. And I was there!
I've been MIA from the blog the last week and a half. It's been very busy. I had a software glitch, and we had a death in the family, plus the death of a family friend, plus a long Christmas Eve up all night with my nephew who ate too much Christmas fare and gave it back to us over the course of several hours (When they named them "pigs in a blanket" I don't think they meant it literally - that you should later have to pick the pigs out of a 6-year-old's blanket. Of course, that's not really accurate. I didn't so much have to pick them out of the blanket as I did out of the washing machine and off the floor after I'd washed the blanket and then removed it from the washer. Goes without saying I washed the blanket a second time.). And that was all in addition to the usual busy-ness of Christmas and New Year's, and a week-long visit from my much-loved niece and nephew, which I enjoyed immensely, but was exhausted when it was over. How do you parent-types do it??
I had a GREAT time with my friends last night at the New Year's Gala! I haven't downloaded any pictures yet, so you'll have to wait on that, but a good time was had by all. Here's hoping the rest of the year will go as well. I have made only one resolution this year, so by narrowing down my goals to *one* maybe I can actually accomplish it. It's finishing a project I've been working on for several years - I'm not kidding. Years. I honestly have no idea if I made any resolutions last year, but if I did, it was probably the same one I'm making this year, which is an indication of how I can procrastinate when I put my mind to it.
In my defense, it's not so much procrastinating as it is getting distracted. I start something, and then 16 other things pop up, and I deal with those, realize I've gotten behind on the original project, rededicate myself to the original project, make a little headway, feel good about it, then new things pop up, and I start the cycle again. I actually get quite a lot done and live a very busy life. It's just that certain big projects take forever for me to finish because I keep having to handle myriad small ones. In fact, as I sit here writing this, thinking about the project I made my resolution about, I've begun thinking of several other projects I need to get done. See - I'm not even working on the original one and I'm distracted by other things? Maybe it's ADD. Or ADHD. Or OCD. Probably just WTF.
I've been MIA from the blog the last week and a half. It's been very busy. I had a software glitch, and we had a death in the family, plus the death of a family friend, plus a long Christmas Eve up all night with my nephew who ate too much Christmas fare and gave it back to us over the course of several hours (When they named them "pigs in a blanket" I don't think they meant it literally - that you should later have to pick the pigs out of a 6-year-old's blanket. Of course, that's not really accurate. I didn't so much have to pick them out of the blanket as I did out of the washing machine and off the floor after I'd washed the blanket and then removed it from the washer. Goes without saying I washed the blanket a second time.). And that was all in addition to the usual busy-ness of Christmas and New Year's, and a week-long visit from my much-loved niece and nephew, which I enjoyed immensely, but was exhausted when it was over. How do you parent-types do it??
I had a GREAT time with my friends last night at the New Year's Gala! I haven't downloaded any pictures yet, so you'll have to wait on that, but a good time was had by all. Here's hoping the rest of the year will go as well. I have made only one resolution this year, so by narrowing down my goals to *one* maybe I can actually accomplish it. It's finishing a project I've been working on for several years - I'm not kidding. Years. I honestly have no idea if I made any resolutions last year, but if I did, it was probably the same one I'm making this year, which is an indication of how I can procrastinate when I put my mind to it.
In my defense, it's not so much procrastinating as it is getting distracted. I start something, and then 16 other things pop up, and I deal with those, realize I've gotten behind on the original project, rededicate myself to the original project, make a little headway, feel good about it, then new things pop up, and I start the cycle again. I actually get quite a lot done and live a very busy life. It's just that certain big projects take forever for me to finish because I keep having to handle myriad small ones. In fact, as I sit here writing this, thinking about the project I made my resolution about, I've begun thinking of several other projects I need to get done. See - I'm not even working on the original one and I'm distracted by other things? Maybe it's ADD. Or ADHD. Or OCD. Probably just WTF.
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