Gearing up for the weekend
The other day, I had to contend with people bracing for the (very tattered remnants of) Katrina the Hurricane; today I had to deal with people gearing up for Labor Day Weekend, the end of summer here in Massachusetts. By the time I punched out, I felt as if someone had been beating on me with a hammer; I swear, I must have burned every calorie and carbohydrate I ate today and I feel like I pulled every muscle in my shoulders and hips. That pain pales by comparison with the major sh** the people in New Orleans are going through. I was watching NBC's reports on the devastation down there, and it just ripped my heart out. ...I have to admit, though, there's this one clip they kept showing, of a "STOP" sign twisting back and forth in the hurricane winds, causing the face of it to flash in and out of sight, which made me chuckle: it's as if something were trying to tell the wind and the rain to "STOP...STOP...STOP...STOP"
I also watched the Concert for Hurricane Relief, which was really good until Kanye West had to start soapboxing... Thank God the camera crew cut him off: I was ready to lob something at the TV, wishing I could lob it at him. Word to Kanye, not that he's reading this: Get the chip of your shoulder, shut your mouth and get in alongside the other relief workers. But, the good thing was, two of my family's favorite Catholic musicians performed: Aaron Neville (my mom's favorite), he of the religious symbol tattoos and the St. Jude medal for an earring, sang "Amazing Grace" and Harry Connick jr. did his signature song, the eeriely appropriate "When You Miss New Orleans".
Ref's been really hard-up because of the hurricane, in her words: "We [meaning her and the Merv] were just there for Mardi Gras... and now it's all gone..." We've been doing our best to comfort her.
Constantine on hurricanes: "Just about the only thing we *don't* get in SoCal... Mudslides, earthquakes, forest fires... and perfect weather for a contrast. Apocalypse country, if you ask me."
We'd been planning a Labor Day weekend party, but we've decided to hold off and donate the money we'd have spent to the relief effort. Of course, that doesn't mean Constantine will be giving up his cigarettes any time soon, or that Flood will forgo planning his winter wardrobe, or the Merv will give up his Merlot, but the rest of the bunch don't mind this sacrifice in the least.
I also watched the Concert for Hurricane Relief, which was really good until Kanye West had to start soapboxing... Thank God the camera crew cut him off: I was ready to lob something at the TV, wishing I could lob it at him. Word to Kanye, not that he's reading this: Get the chip of your shoulder, shut your mouth and get in alongside the other relief workers. But, the good thing was, two of my family's favorite Catholic musicians performed: Aaron Neville (my mom's favorite), he of the religious symbol tattoos and the St. Jude medal for an earring, sang "Amazing Grace" and Harry Connick jr. did his signature song, the eeriely appropriate "When You Miss New Orleans".
Ref's been really hard-up because of the hurricane, in her words: "We [meaning her and the Merv] were just there for Mardi Gras... and now it's all gone..." We've been doing our best to comfort her.
Constantine on hurricanes: "Just about the only thing we *don't* get in SoCal... Mudslides, earthquakes, forest fires... and perfect weather for a contrast. Apocalypse country, if you ask me."
We'd been planning a Labor Day weekend party, but we've decided to hold off and donate the money we'd have spent to the relief effort. Of course, that doesn't mean Constantine will be giving up his cigarettes any time soon, or that Flood will forgo planning his winter wardrobe, or the Merv will give up his Merlot, but the rest of the bunch don't mind this sacrifice in the least.