Good grief, what a week. It seems like it’s been one thing after another...some things aren’t huge in the big picture, but some have been.
I cried when I heard that Davy Jones died. I loved the Monkees as a kid, and I still loved them as an adult. I had just been discussing with Cousin Shane that they were underrated as a band. They recorded some really wonderful pop tunes, and Davy was, by all accounts, a truly decent human being who loved his family, his life, and loved performing. He died way too young, and I was very sorry to say goodbye to him.
Andrew Breitbart also died young. Since he had a wife and children, I think that’s all I’ll say about that.
This past weekend was a tragic one in southern Indiana, northeastern Kentucky, and a few other areas as very strong tornadoes came through. The last I saw, the death toll was 39, and that including a little girl found in a field...she was found alive, but was in critical condition. Her entire immediate family was killed, and she later died in the hospital. My heart just broke for everyone affected, and the devastation was mind-boggling. A couple of towns were essentially destroyed.
Pat Robertson had to weigh on it, and said that if people had prayed harder, they would have prayed the tornado away. He went on to say that people shouldn’t live where natural disasters occur. Tornadoes happen across the entire Midwest, and into southern states...I wonder where he’d have us all live? All the people along fault lines in California and the Midwest, all the people on the southeastern coast who are at risk of hurricanes (and those hurricanes can cause damage pretty far inland, too, so might as well just move everyone out of Florida), everyone along the Mississippi and other rivers that periodically flood...where does he want us all to go? And when will someone tell that senile old bastard to shut the fuck up?
Today Peyton Manning was cut from the Colts. I understand the reasoning behind it, but I’m so bummed that he won’t get to finish out his playing days in Indianapolis. He has always been a class act, and he will be very missed. Apparently, no other Colts player will ever wear #18. I will treasure my #18 jersey forever, and I wish Peyton nothing but the best. He is truly one of the good guys, an incredibly competitive player who works hard but maintains a sense of decency and goodness that you don’t often see these days. Safe travels, Peyton, wherever you end up. You’ll always have a place in my heart.
There were really high winds in the area today, and while I was sitting here reading, with Sheeba on my lap, a large tree fell out front. Scared the bejeebus out of both of us, but the lights stayed on. I looked out front, and the tree was on the power line to the house, dragging it almost all the way to the ground. I called the power company immediately, and they put in the work order. Then things started popping...literally. A big *POP* from something in our electronics, and a puff of smoke...two of the ceiling fan bulbs winked out, followed by the other two, in rapid succession. At this point, I was starting to freak out a little bit, wondering if I’d have to grab the fire extinguisher (yes, we have one handy, in the kitchen). The smoke alarm started going off (the fumes from the CFC bulbs...they didn’t explode, but they definitely give off an odor when they go), and I called the power company back and said something like “Yeah, I’ve got a call in, but things are starting to blow out here!” He said to shut off the main power, so I did that pronto (that was my instinct, too, but I was a little discombobulated). Happily, the power company got here soon, and was able to fix the line pretty quickly. The neutral line, I guess it was, had snapped, so there were power surges coming into the house. Yikes! No major harm done, although the conduit which contains the line coming into the house was bent, and we’ll have to have that repaired; the roof might be damaged in that area; and some of the electronics seem to be zapped. We’ll have to see if there are fuses we can replace, but in all likelihood, we’ll have to get a new receiver, CD player, and DVD player. I think they’re fried. I don’t know if it will be enough to file an insurance claim, or that it will be more than our deductible. We’ll find out.
I do keep things in perspective, and I realize that our troubles are minor compared to those in our state and other states who have lost everything. I really can’t even imagine, and I’m glad we have a federal government to assist Americans in a time of crisis.
So I’ve been feeling more than a little insular lately. I’ve just been hunkering down and doing a lot of reading, doing my workouts, and trying to let this storm pass (so to speak). Sometimes it seems like a lot of bad things, or things that affect us in a profound way, happen all at once, but I do my best to not let that get me down. All in all, we are very fortunate, and I know that.
Oh, and I didn’t even mention the brouhaha with that gasbag Limbaugh and the circus that is the Republican primary. Seriously, Republicans? Not looking good for you this fall....
But as always, I shall forge ahead, keep calm, and like a good citizen, carry on.
