Deviant Dispatches

*This may be upsetting. Proceed with caution.* I haven't really been able to put this into words before, but I need to try. I get incredibly distressed anytime one person or a group decides to kill innocent people. I know this about myself, and I know I should stay away from news outlets, keep the TV off, ignore the radio dial, and distract myself with humor. I inevitably feel guilty for trying to get away from it, but the involuntary level of obsession I develop is destructive. I bury myself in humor for my own mental health. All the while, I'm still thinking about what has happened. I may be curled up on the couch with Spousal Unit to watch Big Bang, but I'm still worrying and upset even as I laugh. And even though I know I should keep the radio off (because if I turn it on, I have trouble going away from it), sometimes I can't help it. I obsess over learning what has happened, imagining how the people involved feel, and who would do such a thing. My best e...

Work was hell yesterday. Not only is there a ridiculous after-Christmas sale going on, but everyone decided yesterday afternoon was a good time to get rid of their possessions. The buying area had mounds of books waiting to be purchased by the store, and sellers had to wait 45 minues before anyone could get to their stuff. Insanity, I tell you. On top of that, the most ridiculous questions kept coming in. For example: "Where is your true fiction section?" "I'm looking for a book about the history of cameras. It's orange. Do you know where it might be?" "Do you have [popular book that's only been out for two days, which is certainly not at a used bookstore already]?" The phones aren't working right, either, so by the end of the day, I was wiped. Spousal Unit didn't have to fight very hard to talk me into the Market Street Diner . We checked their menu to be sure they had veggie options, and to our surprise, they had many good ...

This weekend, most people are remembering ten years ago. They are remembering a time when they were different, when the United States was different. They are remembering the choking terror as smoke billowed from two buildings in New York, another building a mess of rubble, an airplane crashing into nothing, far away. I am doing the same. I think, very often, that September 11 seems to mean something different for my age group - those now ages 20-30 - than for many of the older adults I know. For them, yes, it was horrifying and a catastrophe. But the difference is in how we've lived after it. I'm not saying this event didn't affect older adults - those now 50 and older. It certainly affected everyone in the United States deeply. I'm not discounting their reaction. But for those who had less life experience at the time of the attack, it is a pivotal moment in our lives. That day, everything became starkly Before and After. It is not a far stretch to say September 11 is o...

This is a normal, beautiful New Mexico sunset. This is a New Mexico sunset when wildfires are raging nearby. The fire closest to us is only about 14 acres (at least, as of Sunday - they haven't updated it yet). But I'm sure all that smoke is from some of the dozen other fires blazing throughout the state , the majority in the south. One is over 32,000 acres in size. Another is over 20,000. Another is over 13,000. Typically, our view to the Northwest looks like this: Plenty of mountains to be seen, right? Last night, the same area looked like this: You can barely tell they're there. That's not fog, ladies and gents. It's smoke. If the state turns to ash, I'll let you know.

This weekend, Spousal Unit and I got a packet from Children International . We sponsor Roselle, a little girl who lives in the Philippines. The envelope was the same size and shape as our usual update packets from them, which usually include a new picture and info on her living situation. But for some reason, when I saw this one I freaked out a little. Maybe the writing on the outside ("Open immediately!") was a different color than usual. Whatever it was, I was right to freak out: Roselle and her family have disappeared, and all CI can tell us is that they've "unexpectedly moved out of our sponsorship area and can't be located." The letter said things like this happen fairly often to low-income families, that they have to pick up and move whenever the chance of better work comes up. I personally find it odd than no other families in the area knew where they went - maybe CI knows and, since the family is out of sponsorship range, just isn't telling us....

There was an 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan early today, the worst ever recorded in Japan. This link will show you some video of the destruction - walls of water topped with fire rushing toward highways, for example. This article provides more in-depth information, such as is available thus far. Hundreds are dead. A ship with a hundred on board was washed away by the tsunami. Japan's earthquake-proof buildings shook. There is information here about the quake and tsunami, and how to contact relatives and friends in Japan. There is a link on that page to donate also. As a friend of mine said this morning: don't assume someone else will donate. Do what you can to help. Update: This article by the BBC provides good information, including some video and graphs. A passenger train is missing. The nuclear power plant that was evacuated has not suffered leaks so far. Update: Tsunami waves have reached the West coast of the U.S. Docks have been destroyed and people swept out to s...