(no subject)

This morning I spent the better part of an hour wondering where my car keys were located. At least I didn't forget how to drive in my week of mostly car-less-ness, and gas prices dropped at least thirty cents while I was gone. (Though I did catch a ride in a Volvo with a really cool girl dressed as Hermione.) I also forgot how frigid my office is, so I have goosebumps everywhere. It's nice to be wearing flip flops again though.

Round Rock son killed in Fallujah fighting.

I think this is the first person from my high school to die over there in Iraq. I recognized his name and his face, even though this was someone I didn't hang out with. Sad, sad, sad.

The Zimmerman's at home, talking about setting up a scholarship in their son's name.

not just a comma in our existence

I don't have the spare emotional energy to go into a full on screed about how much I loathe the cowardice, fear and craven posturing of the current American White House. The real Axis of Evil is sitting up in DC people. Maybe this is purgatory, or hell, and we all really went there.

My first day back at work was soothing, in that I'm alreayd back in the groove of calming yelling parents and soothing worried clients and just doing my job. There's a beat to it that can exhaust you, or just bear you along for the day. As much as individual moments make me crazy, I love this place and what I do. It works, and I get to use all that energy that formerly went into managing the disasters in my personal life. This means of course that I can't have any crazy relationships because I wouldn't be able to do both. Racheline suggested I find a hot police officer lover, and I think this is the best idea. I'm a sucker for a uniform, and I have an extra fondness for the officers I so often encounter.

I keep thinking I need to write about NYC, but the sheer volume of everything overwhelms me. It felt like a week removed utterly from time, and if I hadn't been so damned footsore it would have been perfectly brilliant. I got to hang out with folks I haven't seen in ages, observe the wildlife of NYC in all it's 1985 fashioned glory, eat lots of cheap and delicious sushi, commune with my god in the Met, see the Chrysler building at night, ride subways and wear a jacket when it got cold. I love visiting there, but I think perhaps I couldn't live there because it is just so full of constant ambient noise that makes me feel very deaf. I also get confused by all the tall buildings and narrower sky. But it is one of my favorite cities to visit for the sheer volume of everything you could ever want. I listened to people talk in Russian almost every day, and ate some fantastically good food. I saw friends that I wish were closer so we could hang out on weekends or after work.

At the same time, it is nice to fall into your own pillows when you get home.

looking for a book or two

So, maybe the internet can help. When I was about ten, I read some very strange books about post nuclear war worlds. One of them in particular was about a group of kids, and I remember the stories about the dust, about scavenging food in shopping carts, about one of them getting sicker and sicker... they were strange and grim little books. Did anyone else read these? Does anyone know what they are?