Life Goes On

Black Thursday has passed.
Thank GOD.
I had a wicked headache all day long,
until I got to spend a couple of hours with my
Boy bird,
who has no earthly idea at all
about why Mommy was dressed in black
and mumbling about not spending a DIME
on dumdub's war machine.
Truthfully, I had to buy him bagels, and we did
make the trip to an independent bookstore
(tastefully still displaying Kerry stickers and draped
in black...way cool)
so less than 20 bucks, total.
Of course I stayed FAR FAR away from the
yarn purveyors (Book-reading, Thinking Democrats, all, as far as I know)
and the Apple store,
and no online buying whatever....
Which made me THINK about doing this every
damn day (pardon my French) of this 2nd term.
Really.
Reduce, reuse, and recyle....know where my money is going, and maybe, just
maybe get a little leverage on the Universal seesaw.
I know I TRY to put my money where my mouth is,
but what is the most effective way to DO that these days?
Socially conscious investing on the local level
makes sense, of course, but there are lots of not so local
companies that aren't bowing to our little imperial warlord majesty,
aren't there?
My head hurts.
When I went to the bank this week, I knew that the teller's son
(same age as my Boy bird) had died , WAS KILLED, in that stupid sandpit over there,
just before Christmas. She took a couple of weeks off, but was right back at her
window, now, saying "May I help you?"
I chatted with her a little (because most of the regular customers can't even look
her in the eye) about the weather and the Winter blooming Daphne just outside the front door....
I told her there was a white forsythia that would look
wonderful in her garden, I'd be happy to give her some cuttings from MINE, and she said
she was really looking forward to Spring this year.
I'm sure she is.
I just can't IMAGINE how she is feeling.
I wished her well,
and said silent prayers for her all the way home.
SOB.
All those faces.
I feel particularly like the cartoon in the new New Yorker about
having that same dream that gwb is still President...
that's exactly IT. Wanna wake UP, now.
What would I do without my trusty New Yorker?
Did you read the article about the anime museum?....Fabulous.
So, life will go ON, I suppose.
I'll be knitting....and wondering...and praying for PEACE...
as ALWAYS.

Comments

[Lisa K]

I *did* read the NYer on anime yesterday and got that warm fuzzy feeling good writing gives me! I actually paused and said to myself, The NYer is something worth spending money on. I am trying to hip myself to young adult novels, graphic novels, anime, and related issues in hopes of getting a job with Young Adult responsibilities at a local library. And the article more than provided that: a partial Miyazaki filmography, personal history, why magna is so much more mainstream in Japan, etc. My local video store is bound to have Miyazaki movies -- but will they be on DVD or video?? I need the later.

[Pubah]

The only thing that keeps me from a permanent state of despair is my North Carolina Mantra: "It ain't as long as it has been." Drawl this ad infinitum and have faith that eventually the American public will blow all the Cheez Whiz outta their ears, wake up, and start shouting, "E-nough, you simpleton!"

[Ann]

M & Z's doctor lost his college-age son last spring, and I was never so glad as when I saw him downtown on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa to arrive on the firetruck with everyone else in the town.

[Sharlene]

Regarding spending during the second term, I have been thinking the same thing. Dubya is out there telling everyone to spend as usual, to go on vacation, to keep buying their Texan-sized gas guzzlers. He needs the fuel to keep his war machine alive. But what if everyone said, hey, there is a WAR going on. We don't think we should travel, we shouldn't be spending excessive amounts, what if we could slow the economy? Dubya uses the arguement that if we stop spending, stop traveling, the terrorists will have won. But, many don't believe that our presence in Iraq has anything to do with terrorists. If all the blue folk united, could we bring the travel industry to a stop? I don't know. Its damn frustrating. I don't understand how we can go on with life as usual when our kids are dying over there... sigh...

[Mary]

Oh, Greta - You have captured so nicely the way that Thursday felt. I had a knot in my stomach and was close to tears throughout the day.

Fortunately there are lots of nice people all pulling for each other - and with good ideas about being good when everything else seems to be looking grim.

:)