Friday, March 15, 2019

news of today

So another person with hate in their heart has decided to kill a bunch of people who were doing absolutely nothing to him and were just leading their lives. (This time in New Zealand; the victims were Muslim, I presume identified by the killer because they were at a mosque).

I don't know. I can't think of too much else to say.  I think of the church shootings (one that probably had a racist motive, the other one, I don't even know) that happened here, and the synagogue shooting that was doubtless anti-Semitism driven; in a way they are similar but this is also overlaid with xenophobia. (Though really, one some level, you have to "other" another person quite a bit to be able to commit violence against them; I once opined that any violent crime had to be a "hate" crime because you'd have to have hate in your heart, at least for that particular person, in order to intentionally harm them)

(I have known not that many Muslims in my life, but the ones I have known....just ordinary folks, just trying to get through life like the rest of us. All groups of people have individuals who do wrong or have bad motivations in them but in all groups most of the people are...okay. Not saints, not terrible people, just people trying to get through life who love their kids and worry about their jobs and laugh at dumb stuff and all of that.  The people I think I knew best ran a restaurant...I remember my father once asking the father if it was okay to wish them a Merry Christmas - because without thinking, he just had - and the man kind of shrugged and said "We accept all good wishes as good" which is like an echo to me of "the prayers of all good people are good" from "My Antonia" - though there the "anti" sentiment was, I guess, anti-Catholic, as Mr. Burden was "accepting" the prayers of an Eastern European family...)

***

One selfish brighter piece of news: the train I am to be on is not so terribly delayed after all. I was remembering this as the day that the Texas Eagle was actually the continuation of the Sunset Limited....and the Sunset was running some four hours late, which would mean that the EARLIEST I'd be getting on my train was 9 pm, and I was groaning inwardly and trying to calculate the best time to leave town so I'm not sitting in the station for hours upon hours, but also getting there before it's dark (I don't like driving in the dark)

Well, when I just checked, the Eagle was running. It left San Antonio some 20 minutes late, but the Sunset has not reached San Antonio yet, so....I don't know. I'm wondering if they pulled the "continuation" people off at some point and bused them to San Antonio and put them on a "turned" train (the train that was southbound from Chicago yesterday). Whatever. I'm just grateful things are a little closer to schedule and (knock wood) barring any other delays, it's likely I will be getting on on time, at about quarter past 5. Which means I get dinner on the train which is easier and nicer (and doesn't cost me extra, as it's included in the price of the roomette).  And there's also not the endless hanging-around at the train station, which gets worse the later it gets.

(I don't know if I ever told this story on here before, but one time - I think it was a Christmas break - I was the only person waiting, and some old, ratty-looking guy shambled in. And yes, I know you shouldn't judge books by their covers, except in this case, when he started talking, you totally could. He was looking for a place in town to "party" and wanted to know if I wanted to go "party" with him because all the women he had met recently were "b*tches" and I was getting increasingly apprehensive and was actually starting to wonder - the closer he edged to me - if I was best to just abandon my luggage (well, the suitcase was locked, and there was nothing so valuable to a rando off the street in my carry-on) and run for it, that was how uncomfortable I was. Before I did that, a young college kid came in, also to wait for the train, and I figured, "Well, at least there's a witness here if this guy tries anything and I have to deck him*" and also after trying to see if the college kid knew anywhere to "party" (he didn't; like me he just wanted to get on the train and be gone from there) the guy shambled off, but, yeah...not wild about waiting in train stations alone, but waiting in my car isn't really an option either.

Though perhaps that's an argument for carrying a Bible or other religious literature with oneself and very pointedly having it out and be reading it if you're worried about being chatted up in a way you don't want to be chatted up. Though that might attract another form of unwanted attention...)

(*I probably could have, too. I have no training in fighting but the guy seemed kind of three sheets to the wind already)

I am, as far as I can determine/imagine completely packed: my tickets are stuck in one of the (probably too many) books in my carry-on; I've got Harvest plus its extra yarn plus the shorter circular I will need for the sleeves plus the pattern (And dare I hope I get far enough? The two buttons I bought and will have to decide between once it's finished), and the Socks for the Deputy Headmistress plus their pattern plus the row-counter I need for that pattern. And the little Northern Lights shawl with its pattern and row-counter. And the four cakes of yarn (in suitcase) plus patterns, and my needlecase, and the stuff needed for that monster toy I was talking about. And I have the two Sutcliff novels I talked about, and a couple mystery novels, and the book on the Cro-Magnons....I am not taking "Pere Goriot," have decided to give that a re-try later on when I'm a bit cheerier, because Vautrin and also Eugene's desires are annoying me....And I have my stuffed Fluttershy and Derpy and also, yes, Clawhauser (again, because he would make a fine "emergency" pillow if, for example, something weird happened and I got busted down to coach because of a bad-ordered sleeper or something). And I have both "it's cold" pajamas and "it's warm" pajamas, because you never quite know for sure what the sleeper car's temperature will be....oh, and I have enough clothes for a week as well. And my makeup, mouthguard, and medication (the three Ms I need to put in my carry-on after getting up in the morning).

I've also concluded that if my friend Laura, who gave up Twitter for Lent, can still take 10 minutes a day to check in with her mutuals on it, it's OK for me - having given up frivolous spending for Lent - to take advantage of shopping opportunities (like Michaels, and also, if Von Maur has any cute outfits) while I am up at my parents....I'm still not ordering stuff online which is a big change from how I normally operate.

***

And yeah, this morning I feel in more of a vacation mood. It will be good to get away even if I do wind up doing some "handyman" type tasks for my parents, or if I wind up doing the marketing a few times and maybe even some of the cooking to save my mom some time. (There are some things I like that I just don't cook for myself, because it makes too much). And also, just uninterrupted time to knit and read and relax....I'm mostly recovered from the time-change but still this is the time of the semester when I just get TIRED and everything gets on my nerves.

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