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Friday, September 23, 2005

rita

This morning I walked through the Plaza and ended up in a human traffic jam of Texans buying fajitas and wearing, really, sombreros they seemed to have just purchased (where? Does someone downtown sell sombreros?) and taking pictures, and talking loudly and taking up way too much sidewalk. I was about to start complaining bitterly (to myself) when I realized these very people might be evacuees, fleeing some storm or another, and quickly fixed my scowl into something approximating a welcoming smile. Hurricanes, good for tourism?
Last night I visited Rick and Jen and their twin boys Finn and Tate. Jen and her whole family are from Houston and last night was very tense as her family had wanted to leave and come here but quickly found 1. no gas and 2. the highway situation so they decided they'd stay, at least through night, which probably turned out for the best as the storm is looking a little less dastardly for Houstonians at the moment. But I guess all that could change overnight as, we all are learning, hurricanes, like women, CHANGE THEIR PATHS with little warning. Finn (or Tate... they are identifical twins and I can only tell them apart after someone gives me a hint, like, "Finn isn't wearing pants.") got in my face very seriously and said, "Jessica (their aunt; Jen's sister) is in a hurricane and I'm scared." The twins are 4 1/2. I felt my heart clutch a bit until I noticed Rick looking slightly sceptical. Fortunately the twins were soon distracted by "playing football," i.e. throwing things at each other. I was relieved this morning to see the storm reduced a bit, particularly for Jen and her family, although at the same time it's still a monster storm and that bus accident is just horrific. I think it's become clear that, for all the attempts made at emergency respondedness, when put into action the glitches are potentially fatal. What a rough month. Between the hurricanes, the tornadoes, and now the Earthquakes in California, I half expect locusts to start raining down at any moment.
And on that cheerful note, I'm on my way out, going to meet Jen and her kids at the Cowgirl for a post-work post-mortem and then make it an early night. At least that's the plan. Hopefully when next I write no major catastrophes will have struck. I am feeling very sad for all these people, so close, homeless, especially those chased from Louisiana into Texas and then out again. These are uneasy times, I've heard the word apocolypse a lot in the last few days (and not just on FOX "news"). I don't guess I believe in Last Days per se, but I do think some sort of reckoning feels as though it's approaching. Clearly it's time to rethink a lot of things about our culture and laws and the way we live. It's time to go buy a Vespa. Hmm, was trying to write something thoughtful but I think I just wrote some ad copy. Oh well. Whadaya gonna do?