Trying not to be the Billionth person to talk about it...
That's my response to Boston so far...
To sit at my desk and see madness down a street I have walked... down a corner I have turned... driven down... albeit in the back seat but still... And be utterly helpless... To sit here and try to find the words... the collective, coherent thought to take that in and not go completely mad... We are not an old country, but for our immediate purposes, Boston is our version of an ancient city...
Excuse me while I go in the Way Back Machine to that fateful Tuesday Morning in 2001 when I saw something else happen in a spot I have walked in, sat down on a bench and looked up at those immense buildings and have a feeling I was in the presence of greatness and world power... apparently I wasn't the only person that knew that...
I feel the same way about Boston...I felt the same way yesterday... Of course there is the "Why? What the FUCK IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?!?!" Ok, someone is making a point... but really? That's how you make your point? Fuckin pussies... sorry.. but they are... I can't stomach acts of violence. I REALLY CAN"T STOMACH FACELESS ACTS OF VIOLENCE!!! MAKE YOURSELF KNOWN YOU COWARDS!! So we can catch you and bring you the justice you deserve. Actually, we don't Constitutionally ALLOW the kind of justice these people would truly deserve, but anyways... I believe in Capitol Punishment, so sue me. I'll never commit a crime that would deem me deserved as such, so I don't care if they euthanize people. I REALLY REALLY don't.
A question I brought to myself: do I tell Thing 1? We don't watch the news per se. We don't sit and watch it together as a family... I watch it... I choose to. It's MY choice. I know my children should grow up to be learned adults...but I'm choosing not to start it now. If Harley comes home from school and asks me about something her teacher brought up we will talk about it...but I'm not going to sit her down and tell her about everything that happens and then attempt to possibly counter that with something good so that she doesn't give up hope in humans so early. I would literally spend ALL day talking to her if that were the case.
Meh... super miffed.. super sad... and super effing miffed...
I had nothing fresh or knew to think I was so stunned...appalled. So I dug down into my 'serves.
September 11th, I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if the country would feel a sense of comraderie that would bring us all to not go to school, to not work. I just dared to go on my day and see what everyone else thought. I didn't feel like, as a Californian, I should feel a sense of entitlement that allowed that horror to affect me directly, not sure yet if would in anyway, just that sight of those awesome buildings falling... I got my other sock on, put on my shoes and drove to school... I wasn't the only College student unsure. Doors had signs on them of class cancellations... I made it INTO my class and my professor was explaining how she was going home and she bade us do the same...so I walked out with everyone else. And I remembering seeing a Marine Reservist shaking his head...he just got done with his requirements and he pretty much knew then...he'd be going over somewhere...
I saw my husband by my car... He was writing me a note (no cell phones) and he grabbed the paper off my windshield and ran up and hugged me and we talked a minute... all of our classes were cancelled... did I still go to work? did I still dare to pretend nothing happened?? Even the radio was rife with discussion... I went home... waited for work to begin. He came with me to my house for a bit and went on to work himself. He said it was DEAD at his video store. Mine wasn't DEAD. But my manager, Stina, was on board with keeping a low profile that night and we turned all the TV's at my store and sat on the counter and watched... The patrons didn't mind. There were 5...all night. And one I will never forget. Not ever.
A homely woman comes in after there is already a man with his son in the Sci-Fi section mulling over which Alien movie to rent... there are so many choices!
Woman is unhappy... She grunts upon her entry and exasperates at the wall O' Tv's... Uhm... Okaaaay....
I look at Stina, she is sitting on the counter watching... I follow my manager's lead and only get up when someone approaches attempting some miniscule amount of professionalism, but they don't care about that... they are all glued to the news.
I am helping man and son with their rental and woman comes up, Stina jumps off the counter and helps her. She leans over towards Stina... reading her Manager status on her glorious Employee Badge...
"Oh, so I guess putting this on was your idea?" Woman says.
Stina: "Uh yea... your total is..."
Woman: "Ugh, hopefully these are good enough to replace what's on... I can't believe SURVIVOR ISN'T ON TONIGHT BECAUSE OF THIS!!" (waving her hands at the TV's)
Stina: "Your movies are due back ____....And I suggest that you go home and hug your kids because obvoiously there are WORSE THINGS GOING ON THAN MISSING SURVIVOR!! Have a nice day."
Stina... my hero that night... I will never forget that... Not ever...
My immediate response to yesterday; I gave my kids a giant hug and we stayed in and hung out until bedtime... then I did my laundry and I relished in the things I was able to do because you just never know when you won't be able to do them again...
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