Moving right along...

When I left for work this morning, it was a chilly 50 degrees outside. Right now it’s 67. And it is supposed to hit 80. I’d like to pause for a moment of silence as I say “thank you” to the Powers That Be who returned spring to us.




Ahem. Moving on. There have been two headlines in the past week that have made me stop and think about this world and what it’s coming to…

1) Imus’s firing over his remarks. I feel like it is pretty hypocritical for those who called for this the most loudly are the same ones who have yet to utter one word of remorse for their condemnation of the Duke Lacrosse players and their words that vilified them. Did Imus spit out the remark a little too easily and naturally? Perhaps. Was it right that he said that? Nope. Do I agree with what he said? Not at all. In a nation where free speech has been watered down and limited to “free speech only if you don’t happen to offend anyone else in the process,” though, we all need to stop and reflect on the main word, FREEDOM. Imus is a scumbag. But then again, I can rattle off a long list of scumbags who are still employed, who are applauded for their efforts on the airways, even though what they say is often MUCH worse.

2) The tragedy at Virginia Tech. It’s mind-blowing in its details. It’s mind-numbing in the body count. And the apparent blood-sucking (metaphorically, folks) by the media makes me sick. Now the Brady Bill enthusiasts are covertly clapping their hands in glee over it. My heart goes out to all those who lost a son, daughter, friend, sister, brother, grandchild, neighbor. I personally know people who are now in mourning. But guess what? Making it MORE difficult for a person to LEGALLY arm him/herself will not prevent this from happening again. It is easier to obtain a gun illegally than it is legally. Who knows how this guy got his? Not me. My guess is that he didn’t go register it, though. Maybe we should focus on the fact that this guy was ten kinds of batshit crazy. And that no sane person would do what he did. He destroyed 33 families in a matter of hours. By himself. And then he was chicken enough to kill himself instead of face them. Actually, with our legal system what it is, he gave himself the sentence he deserved. You can’t count on jurors doing that nowadays.

Sometimes, when I hear the news and watch the anchor describe tragedy, loss of life, and utter devastation going on in our country and in the world with a chipper smile and upbeat attitude, I wonder what is wrong with all of us.

Sigh!

I’ve been cranky lately and I think it has a direct relationship to all the BS going on out in the real world, along with lack of sleep, job stress, work travel, parental visits, calorie counting, and dark roots that need touching up. It’s at times like these, I miss my hometown zoo. Back in west Texas, we have this zoo that is really incredible. I used to go there as often as I could when the weather was nice. I’d go alone or take a friend. It was relaxing just to hang out and observe the animals. Here, we do have a zoo, but it’s a rescue center and is about an hour or so away from my house. www.austinzoo.org. It’s really cool (or so I’ve heard), but it’s just too far for a sanity check.

But today is the type of day where I’d like to skip out of work a bit early and go wander around outdoors in a peaceful environment. Or, barring that, I’d like to be at a Triple A or college baseball game. Or maybe shop (look). But whatever it is, I need some happy around me right now.