UnDependence

Friday, Jul. 04, 2008

The monsoons are here. We get to look forward to rain, microbursts, dust storms and other assorted and sundry moments of naturally-generated chaos over the next couple of months or so. Happy 4th of July in Arizona. Despite the occasional violent streaks, the rainy season here sends natives smiling, with kids out splashing in the rain and parents dashing and laughing their way beneath umbrellas. We got rain for maybe ten or fifteen minutes last night - so far tonight just lightning, thunder and a whole lotta clouds and humidity.

My umbrella is tucked safely into my work bag, ready to do battle with any incoming moisture. High winds are a little more challenging but a little rain likely won't kill me unless it gets REALLY nuts.

Worldwide, a 7.7 magnitude quake rumbled off the coast of Russia, north of Japan. Since it happened around lunchtime here and there's nothing in the news about it, I have to assume there were no resulting injuries or significant damages. The northwestern US and west coast of Canada still in a holding pattern, though there are plenty of rumbles off the Oregon coast.

Of course, it's not like we haven't heard vague promises for decades about the Big One that'll wipe southern California off the map. (Which, I might add, it really won't do - though a major quake in SoCal would obviously be a disaster in terms of lives and property.) But the scientists are pretty nervous about this one. The fact that we don't get hit with the moderate trembles Japan gets is scary to seismologists. Because, y'all, there's some nasty history along that fault line. They calculate at least one prior quake topping 9.0 in the area and suspect more.

Yeah, as you can see, I'm just a bundle of joy tonight. Considering how late I overslept today and the fact that I should've been asleep several hours ago, I'm actually in a pretty decent mood. But I am gonna have to call it a night very shortly.

Missed the fireworks, darn it. I heard 'em but didn't get outside in time to see 'em. There was so much thunder going on it masked the sound and I didn't feel like standing out in the heat and humidity.

Got another email from Gerrit telling me about how he sold more computer parts, how he had to walk to the store (a good two miles) because nobody there would take him. He's in constant pain with his ankle and it's s really unsafe part of town to go walking. Frankenpup needs food, Gerrit needs some stuff, yada yada.

Gee, does anyone besides me wanna play the world's tiniest violin for this man? This is, after all, his family, remember. They care about him. He loves them. They're what he chose over me, many times over.

Rosie suggested I turn his sorry butt in, but I see no point. It's easier to stand back and watch him implode, with nobody to blame but himself.

Oh, but there's one nice new development. I got a note from Sears telling me I need to provide documentation in order to continue his benefits. (All I have to send is a copy of our marriage license, not citizenship stuff.) I'm calling when I get a chance and going to see if that'll give me the opt-out to drop him from my insurance. Retroactively would even be better. I could deal with the refund of $200 a month for better than a year.

Oh well, time for me to pack it in for the night. I have to be up at o'dark thirty in the morning in order to be to work by o-dark barely-past thirty in the morning. I have a short day, taking off an hour early. I figure I've got overtime from last week and this week have an extra day's pay for the holiday (which I get whether worked or not) and this upcoming week I'm signed up for overtime, so I'm gonna gladly grab the early reprieve while I can get it.

When the night falls and I am scattered like ashes on the wind, know this: I will return, rising like a phoenix in a blaze of glorious fire. In the grander scheme of things, no soul can truly be replaced. Each one of us has a place in the universal tapestry. We each contribute our own color and texture. When one thread is snipped too soon, it distorts all the threads around it. Other lives can unravel and tear. If the wrong thread is ripped away, the whole fabric of life becomes dangerously fragile.